kay-ru-ksa-te

Love builds up

2012-01-29T15:09:00.001-08:00

Sermon planned for Sunday, January 29th, 2012

Texts: Mark 1:21-28; 1 Corinthians 8:1-13

A few months ago, at the end of September, we looked at scripture passages that focused on the authority and the identity of Jesus. The scribes and teachers wanted to know who gave Jesus the right to do his ministry; they failed to recognize his authority. In our passage this morning, it is the unclean spirit that recognizes the source of Jesus’ authority. The question we’re facing this morning is: what does it look like to submit to Christ’s authority? What are the dynamics of Jesus authority? And finally, what does it mean for us to claim the authority Jesus gives to us: the authority?

In the gospels we read that Jesus gave his disciples the authority to bless, heal, forgive, liberate, to cast out darkness, and to build one another up in love. Today we’re going to look at two passages that connect at this specific point: what does it mean to have authority? This morning we’re moved to celebrate that Jesus has given us authority – the authority to bless others, to forgive others, to heal them, to liberate them and cast out the darkness, the authority to build each other up in love.

Let’s begin by taking a closer look at our passage from Mark (and I invite you to follow along in your bibles) – we’ll get to the passage from Corinthians later. The passage from Mark includes four main parts: First of all, verse twenty-one describes the context of the story. Secondly, in verse twenty-two, we read about the people’s amazement at Jesus’ “teachings with authority”. Thirdly, in verses 23-26, Jesus deals with a man who has an unclean spirit. And, finally, in verses 27-28, the people are amazed, once again, at Jesus’ authority and power; and we read that his popularity spread quickly all over Galilee.

Just a bit of background on the city of Capernaum. It was a wealthy city in Galilee, and is frequently mentioned in the gospels, but not at all in the Old Testament. After Jesus was kicked-out of Nazareth, Capernaum became Jesus’ "home city." The city stood on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. The area surrounding Capernaum was one of the most prosperous and crowded districts of Palestine. This was most likely because the city lay on the great highway from Damascus to Tyre. The people here were well off. They had power. They had influence. They had authority! They must have had numerous traveling preachers and prophets come through, along that road from Damascus. Yet there was something different about Jesus. Unlike the other teachers of the law, Jesus taught the people with authority. Jesus taught them – and the authority of his teachings confronted their own power and authority – their self-sufficiency. Where did Jesus get this authority?

In September we learned that Jesus’ teaching authority stemmed from his identity. Jesus taught with authority because he was who he said he was – he was from the Father. In Philippians 2:5 we read,
“Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness...”

Jesus is God incarnate – the Word made Flesh. His teaching had authority because he is the Author. His teachings had power over the unclean spirits because He is the beginning and the end, the Alpha and the Omega – all things have their being from him and through him.

There’s this story about Henry Ford and his friend being on a fishing trip. These two encountered a man whose car was Found On the Road Dead, it was an early Ford. Mr. Ford told the man he thought he might be able to help fix the car. But the man with the car didn’t recognize Henry Ford, and didn’t believe he’d be of any help. In just a few minutes, Mr. Ford and his friend had the car running better than it had been before; this was because he knew the car inside and out. After all, he designed it. He was the Authority of all Ford automobiles. Jesus is the authority because, as we read in John, the Word was God and the Word was with God. The authority was a committee of one: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Again, John puts it this way, “all things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.”

But that was precisely the problem, it seemed like darkness was winning the day in the city of Capernaum. Even in a place as enlightened as the Jewish synagogue, the darkness was growing. It had infected a man in the synagogue – an unclean spirit tormented him and held him captive. For those of you familiar with the gospels, the outcome of this story is a no-brainer… but for the folks in Capernaum things were up in the air. With all the power and wealth that these people had – they didn’t have the right kind of power, the right kind of authority – a man in their community was completely enslaved and there was nothing that these rich Jewish folks could do about it. But the spirit knew that, with Jesus in the room, something was very different. It cried out, “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”

Why this question? Why did the spirit think Jesus would destroy it? I’m guessing that it had everything to do with the fact of who Jesus was. Jesus was the light. And Jesus was on a very clear and specific mission – and the oppressive spirit was right in the middle of Jesus’ path. What was Jesus’ mission? He identified it in a synagogue, when Jesus read from the scroll of Isaiah, “(Luk 4:18-19 NRS) "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free..." Jesus’ mission was to let this demon possessed man go free. This is God’s nature, revealed to us in Jesus Christ. This is who Jesus is. This is what his authority looks like. Jesus doesn’t receive his authority because he does these things – because he sets the possessed free. Rather, Jesus has authority, because he is the Author; the result of his life among us is that people are freed, the blind receive sight, God’s economy becomes a reality among us – debts are forgiven, because God forgives us our debts!

And, of course, the people of Capernaum were amazed when this man was set free from his oppressive spirit. Jesus brought healing and wholeness to this man and his community. It seems that wherever Jesus exercised his authority, people were being blessed, people were being healed, set free from oppression, and they were given a second chance. It seems that Jesus’ use of authority looked a lot different from what we might think of as authority.

What comes to mind when you think of the word “authority”? Is it protests and the 99%? Perhaps you have some suspicion of authority and its claims. Maybe you think that our culture suffers from a lack of respect for authority. For many of you, “authority” is a positive concept – unless they’re charging you too many taxes. For others, you’re concerned with the power that gets to their heads – the abuse of authority.

Jesus knew about these kinds of abuses. He knew of the Herods of his day. And he called his followers to exercise power in a different way. In Matthew 20:`25-28 we read:
But Jesus called them to him and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. 26 It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave; 28 just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many."
Disciples of Jesus are involved in a different kind of authority and power than what we see exercised in the world.

What do I mean when I say that we’re involved in authority? Well, Jesus gave authority to his disciples. In Matthew 10:1, Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness. In Mark 6:7, Jesus gives his disciples authority over unclean spirits. We read the same thing again in Luke 9:1. A chapter later, Jesus gave his disciples authority to ‘tread on snakes and scorpions’ – not sure how useful that one is in Canada, but cool nonetheless. He gave his disciples authority over all the power of the enemy – that nothing would hurt the disciples. In two separate places, in Matthew, we read that Jesus gave his disciples the authority to ‘bind and loose’ – to make decisions in His name, to set people free from burdens, but also to restrict certain behavior.

The disciples were given authority for these kinds of tasks: to set the oppressed free, to cure and heal, to forgive, and to hold each other accountable to their discipleship calling. I’m going to put these things under the heading: building up the body of Christ. Jesus gave his disciples the authority, and the power, to build up the body of Christ; to set people free from the oppressive spirits that tear the body apart; to forgive one another when the body wounds itself, or when it falls into sin. Jesus gave his disciples the authority, and the Spirit’s guidance, to discern what faithful discipleship looks like in every age – to ‘bind and to loose’.

How have we, in our time, taken up this calling? How have we exercised this authority? To heal? Some of you work in the healing profession, or you know people who do – people who spend their entire day healing the sick. We’ve been given the authority to set the captives free? What are the prisons of our time? The addictions? The spiritual and mental illnesses that trap our hearts and minds? Some of you have counseled people and partnered with God in setting them free. Some of you have received freedom through the help of physicians, or counselors, mentors or just good Christian friends. How are u exercising the authority Jesus has given you to be an agent of healing?

I invite you to join me in turning to 1 Corinthians 8:1-13. In this passage, Paul is talking about food that’s sacrificed to idols, and how the believers in Corinth should relate to each other on this issue – they are practicing the authority to bind and loose. But the ‘food issue’ is really just the surface issue, what’s really at stake here is how the people in that church were relating to each other in love. It seems like they were using their authority and their knowledge to abuse each other and to trip each other up. Instead of being sensitive to their fellow brothers and sisters, some were exercising their authority – their freedom from superstitious belief – but they were using their authority in a way that completely contradicted Christ. They weren’t building each other up. They were tearing each other apart.

Paul writes that “all of us possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.” Here we can interchange knowledge with authority. Those who are ‘in the know’ are the ones with authority. But what Paul says is that having knowledge is not enough! Having just any kind of authority is not enough! Without love, it’s like a bloated corpse – all puffed up. What’s needed is “love”. That’s the difference between knowledge and wisdom. That’s the difference between the authority of the nations, and the authority given to us in Jesus Christ. It’s love. It is the authority to build one another up in love – that’s the authority that we’ve been given.

When Henry Ford built his automobiles, he trained a team of technicians. They became experts in repairing these cars, over and over and over and over again. In a sense, he had given them authority to do his work. Jesus taught others about God’s in-breaking Kingdom. He healed people, set them free from oppressive spirits, he gave sight to the blind – and then he gave his disciples the authority to do the same; to build one another up in love. Question is, what part of the assembly line are you? What piece of the body of Christ has Jesus given you to take care of? In what area of ‘building each other up’ are you the authority?

I know some of you are great encouragers. On a bad day, I’ll hunt you down and talk with you, because you have a way of making everything seem brighter. You help me realize the ways in which God is using me to do His work. Some of you are unbelievably generous. I’ll know of a need in the community, make one phone call… and done! The money shows up. The person has what they need. (If there’s more of you out there… don’t hesitate to let me know) Some of you pray without ceasing; you’re constantly holding the concerns of the Kingdom in your prayers – what would we do without you? Some of you are so forgiving – and so quick to forgive – that I’m reminded of the response to the Amish school shooting a few years back; as though, somehow, the grace of God has wiggled its way into every corner of your being. What a testimony to the rest of Christ’s body!

You all have received authority, from Jesus, to heal, to forgive, to set people free from oppression, to build one another up in love. Receive this authority! Practice it! Celebrate it! Like the Ford automobile, we may not be a perfect people… but let’s be diligent mechanics, building each other up in love, knowing that Jesus has made us members of His body – a witness to God’s Kingdom before the watching world. Amen.

Seeing with God

2012-01-27T09:58:00.001-08:00

Sermon planned for Sunday, January 15th, 2012

Texts: John 1:43-51; 1 Corinthians 6:12-20

It’s another year and there’s so much I have to be thankful for. So I’m going to spend just a minute on that. First of all, I want to thank you, as a congregation, for inviting me to serve you for another three years. It has been a tremendous blessing to serve you these past years. To get to know you better. To walk with you in moments of profound joy – in baptisms, welcoming babies into the community, fellowship meals, communion, youth events, and many good visits. And it’s also been a blessing to walk with you in those holy moments that aren’t happy at all – I remember those loved ones who have died. Thank you for inviting me into your community, into your lives, and for the invitation to join you in this discipleship journey. I’m thankful for the care that Karen and I have received personally, as we’ve learned of our infertility, and that you’ve been an encouragement and a support for us. And thank you for eagerly giving us some time-off for holidays.

The first week of this month was especially restful. Karen’s mom and dad graciously invited us to join the Kruger family in Mexico on vacation. I had never been there before. It is a beautiful place and the people there, that I met, are a happy and friendly people. I learned some more about the Mayan culture and its near extinction. We were able to see not only the beauty of the countryside, but also the wondrous beauty of the ocean and its inhabitants. We stayed in what people call a ‘5-star’ resort – which just means that they feed you well and you’ve got some great cushy beds to sleep on. It was restful, but I’m actually quite glad to be back with you… and I’ll tell you why in just a bit.

The scripture passages that we heard earlier are unrelated, on the surface. In the gospel reading from John, we heard about Jesus’ meeting with Philip and Nathanael. And then, in his letter to the Corinthians, Paul instructs believers to glorify God with their bodies and to avoid sexual promiscuity. On the surface, these passages seem completely unrelated. But I want to suggest that both of them deal with a very important part of the gospel. Both of these passages show us that God views us quite differently than we view ourselves and also how we view others.

First of all, let’s look at the story from the gospel of John. It takes place in the very first chapter of that gospel. Jesus is going around and building up his team of apostles. Jesus found his first two apostles near the place where John the Baptist was baptizing people. The first one he found was Andrew, who then went and told his brother Simon, who was latter named Peter. After this, Jesus went on a journey to Galilee, and that’s where he found Philip. After calling him to follow, Philip ran and told Nathanael. This is the story we heard earlier.

There’s just a few things I want to highlight about this story before we get to the main point. The first thing I want us to notice is that in both of these accounts of Jesus calling disciples, Jesus calls one of them and then that one goes and tells another, and the message spreads. This is an important point for us, in the church. We need to remember that this is how the message spreads. Church growth – discipleship growth – is not primarily about strategies, programs, worship styles, or other gimmicks… it is about disciples going out and telling people that the Messiah has come.

Another interesting side piece, in this passage, is that it includes several titles and names for who Jesus is. As Christians, who worship and serve Jesus, we want to know more about Him. In this passage we get some unique glimpses into who He is. Right off the bat we learn, from Philip, that Jesus is the one that Moses and the prophets spoke about. The earliest Jewish followers of Jesus recognized him as being profoundly connected to Old Testament promise. For them, there was no disconnect between their Hebrew scriptures and the ministry of Jesus. He was the fulfillment of those scriptures. Nathanael also later professes that Jesus is the Son of God, the King of Israel. Among the early Jewish Christians, Jesus was viewed as heir to David’s throne, but also, in a much more important way, Jesus was the one who sat down at the right hand of God, on a heavenly throne.

There’s lots of good stuff in this one short story, and I’d encourage you to take some more time, on your own, to study it in detail. But for now, let’s move on. The key part that I want us to focus on, from this passage, is this conversation between Jesus and Nathanael. After Philip told him about Jesus, Nathanael made a fairly derogatory comment. Philip told him that Jesus was the son of Joseph from the town of Nazareth, and Nathanael’s response was: “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Our text doesn’t really tell us if this was a common view about Nazareth. From the surface, it seems that our brother Nathanael was prejudiced to the extreme. Part of me wonders if this was intended to be read as a joke – but either way, it’s a generalization that should bother us.

That said, Nathanael doesn’t let Jesus’ hometown keep him from coming to see Jesus. And as he approaches, Jesus says something absolutely astonishing. He says about Nathanael, “Here is an authentic/true Israelite in whom there is no deceit!” “No deceit”? really? Tell me, have any of you met someone that is completely forthright? Completely transparent and honest? Are any of you completely honest? You never lie? Not even a teensy weensy little one? Here Jesus says that Nathanael is completely true, without any deceit in his character. How can Jesus say this, since we just heard Nathanael speak as a generalizing prejudiced loudmouth? How is it that Jesus gives such a good rap to such a foul-mouthed person?

This is where we get to a key part of the gospel, and it’s a point that Paul gets at later. This passage shows that God views us quite differently than we view ourselves and also how we view others. After Jesus spoke those words about Nathanael, Nathanael asked “where did you get to know me?” Nathanael was just as shocked as we are at Jesus’ description. If someone came up to me and said, “Marco you are a spotless child of God with a pure mind, and full of trust in God”… I would ask similar question: “where did you ever meet me, bro… and are u sure that was me?” Nathanael was floored. How can you give me this kind of review, Jesus? A ‘true Israelite with no deceit’? Where did you get to know me, brother?

You see, Jesus viewed Nathanael way differently than Nathanael viewed himself… and differently than we view him – to us, he seemed like a bigoted prejudicial jerk. What’s his problem with Nazareth anyways? And yet, when Jesus sees the guy… its way different. “Here is a true Israelite in whom there is no deceit”. There’s the saying, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” There’s a theological truth behind this saying – our identity is in the eye of the beholder – our identity is in the eyes of God.

Earlier I told you that I was glad to come back to work after holidays. Well, that’s mostly because I really love my job. But the other part was that it was actually quite sickening to hear some of the comments from tourists, especially Canadian tourists, in Mexico. They were whining about this, about that. They complained that it too cold. They complained that their resort was too far from the beach. I haven’t heard that much whining in the midst of so much beauty in quite some time. It was shocking. After coming home, I went on the internet, to the homepage of the resort we stayed at. I wanted to give it a good review, but got distracted by other people’s reviews. Many of them were negative. It was like they went to a completely different resort.

The rating systems for these resorts are based on a number of things, and ours had been given a 5-star rating. But if you based your assumptions on the online reviews, you would have guessed that we went to a slum. People complained about the food, about the service, about the beach, about the weather. I’m telling you… vacationers can be some of the most whiny people I have ever met – and so I’m glad to be back home. Where the complaints I hear are at least a bit more realistic. The reason I tell you about this is because it illustrates this important point from the gospel of John. For me, my vacation was absolutely fantastic – relaxing, pleasant, the people were sooo friendly, the food was good, and the weather was perfect for my liking. All I could see was a 5-star resort… and yet people right beside me acted as though we were slumming it out in some terrifying place. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

When Jesus looked at Nathanael, we get his description of what he sees – a true Israelite; is that how we describe the people we see around us? Didn’t I just call vacationers all ‘whiners’? How does God see them?

In the passage from Paul to the Corinthians, we hear Paul’s concern about the immorality in the lives of the Corinthians. This is quite understandable – the city of Corinth was a city of filth and immorality. It was a city of lust and unbridled sexual appetite. The Christian community struggled to separate itself from the surrounding culture – much like most Christians even today. Paul’s warning against sexual promiscuity is not all that surprising. But what’s shocking, for me, is the last verse: “for you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body”.

Glorify God with our body? Isn’t it precisely the flesh that is the problem? Why not push our flesh, our body, and its habits, way down and to the side, and let our hearts and our spirits do the glorifying? Why glorify God with our body? Can a sinful fleshly human body even bring glory to God, who is Spirit, completely holy and true?

In both of our passages we hear something astounding. How can Jesus say to Nathanael that there is no deceit in him? How can Paul say that our fleshly human body can bring glory to God? They key part to this puzzle is Jesus Christ. Jesus, the one whom Nathanael calls Rabbi, Son of God, the King of Israel, the one whom Philip says is the fulfillment of Moses and the prophets – this Jesus is the key. In Jesus eyes, Nathanael is a true Israelite. In Jesus’ body, as Paul writes, our own bodies are made to be members of Christ, our body is made to be a temple of the Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ eyes and in Jesus’ body, you and I are new creations – we are completely different than what we can say about ourselves or think about ourselves.

In Jesus’ eyes, and in his body, the most rotten scoundrel & terrorist becomes a minister of the gospel – just think of the Apostle Paul. In Jesus’ eyes and in his body, the outsiders have been brought into the fold – just think of the Samaritan women at the well and the folks she led to the Lord.

Who are we going to be? Are we going to be like those tourists in Mexico, who see nothing but the negative in their surroundings? When you describe people, are you building them up, focusing on their strengths; or are you tearing them down with words like piercing arrows. Is life not challenging enough that we don’t need to push each other further down? Are you the one who all too easily notices the specks in other people’s eyes? I’m all for talking behind people’s backs – but let us say good things, building each other up with encouragement, exposing people’s strengths and virtues. And I’m not talking about the tricky kind of gossip where you shroud your words with the veneer of concern, but all you’re really doing is thriving on perverse curiosity. If you don’t know how to speak well of one another – read some of Paul’s letters where he mentions the strengths of his coworkers.

Your tongue was not meant for gossip, but for truth and reconciliation! By trash-talking others behind their back, you are using your body for the purpose of sin – you might as well be a Corinthian visiting a prostitute. In baptism, you threw your body into the body of Christ – therefore, glorify God with your body, with your tongue.

When you look around, what do you see? Do you just see a bunch of 3-star people, not meeting your expectations, failing, waffling on their responsibilities? Do you know how much that sounds like Nathanael? “How can anything good come from Nazareth?” When you look around, what do you see? Because what Jesus sees is 5-star children of God that he loves, that he died for, that he’s calling you to minister to.

That’s right! When Jesus looks at you, you know what he says about you? “Now there’s a true child of God in whom there is no deceit!” That’s what he says about you! Believe it, because it’s true! Do you believe the Word that God has spoken about you in Jesus Christ – that you are a dearly loved child of God? Do you believe it?

If you’re anything like me then you’ll also find yourself constantly second guessing this Word. You’ll find yourself believing the lie that Satan wants us to believe – that we’re not good enough, that we’re not measuring up, that we’re failures. Or you’ll start believing a different lie: that it is your responsibility to know how bad others are, and to make sure and talk about how others are failing and missing the mark. The common denominator in both these lies is that they ignore the Word that God has spoken about us in Jesus Christ. When he sees Nathanael, he sees a true Israelite in whom there is no deceit. When he sees a sister in the city of Corinth, he sees a woman who’s called to give glory to God with her body. In Jesus’ eyes and in his body, you and I are children of God, temples of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

May you celebrate this truth, revel in it, and put away from your mouth any form of slander. May your tongues, and the rest of your body, bring glory to God, so that His name be praised in our community and in our world. Amen.

Light come into darkness

2011-12-21T21:16:00.000-08:00

Sermon planned for the Longest Night service at Altona Mennonite Church on Wed, December 21st

Texts: John 1:1-14

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God... in him was life, and the life was the was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it."

The gospel of John has summed up the entire life of Jesus, the purpose of his ministry, the nature of God's grace – in esssence, the entire salvation story is summed up in those first fourteen verses. Every year, during this season, I'm faced with these verses; and every year something else jumps out at me.

After I was asked to share a brief meditation here with you tonight, these verses caught my attention once again. This past week, I was struck with how John speaks about the context into which the Word of God was born. The light of the world came into darkness. The spoken Word of God was made flesh in a world that did not know him – a people that did not accept him. The light of the world came into a place of deep and long darkness.

What does it mean for us, here in southern Manitoba, to experience the longest night? Physically and emotionally, it means that we're not receiving nearly enough sunlight and its accompanying benefits. If you're anything like me, this season is more of a challenge for this reason. I've got less energy than normal – and feel less positive generally. But it's also a challenge for other reasons.

Some of us experience this Christmas as a time of intense loneliness. Some are grieving the loss of a spouse or family member. Others have never married, and find this 'family season' to be painful or just plain annoying. For some, mental illness can push-out any of the shimmer and beauty that others celebrate. For others, it is broken relationships that make this time especially painful. The darkness of this side of our planet is matched by the darkness in our personal lives, and by the struggles we face. A season of 'hope and peace' doesn't feel all that hopeful and peaceful. A season of fun-filled family festivities is experienced as a time of bleak loneliness.

The stories of the gospels are also marked by these mixed feelings. On the one hand, there's festive celebration, angelic announcements, and a Savior born in a manger. But there's also the imposed Roman census, the massacre of infants, and Mary, Joseph & Jesus' arduous escape to Egypt. Or as John puts it – the light of the world came into the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came into what was His own, and his own people did not accept him.

This rejection is first seen as Mary and Joseph being stuck in some kind of barn for Jesus' birth – but it was a rejection that went as far as Christ's execution on the cross. The Christmas story, in scripture, is no stranger to brokenness and darkness.

So why is it that I feel so out of place expressing these sentiments most of the time? The more people I talk to, the more I hear about the dark-side of this season. The embarassment of what parents would like to give their children, but can't because of inadequate income. The loneliness of widowhood. The emptiness of broken family relationships. I'm hearing about this side of Christmas more and more; and this year I'm bringing my own baggage to the table.

In spring, my wife Karen and I found out that we're unable to have children. We had been trying for two years, and when the news came that this was next-to-impossible we both entered into a period of grieving. This Christmas, that grief stirred, in me, once again. Isn't this supposed to be family time? There's so much about Christmas that is centered on children that when you're childless, you really notice what's missing in life rather than the good things God's gifted us with. We've decided to not put up a Christmas tree; not because we're scrooges... but because there's too much pain riding on that practice – too many fond family memories that now remind us of what we're not – parents.

Sometimes it seems that, for everyone else, this season has to be happy and giddy. And when people find out that things are a bit darker for you – they feel the need to offer their brilliant and profound words of comfort and wisdom for us. Instead of listening to the loneliness or the heartache, people will offer up a simple and cliche piece of "comfort" or wisdom.

It's as if our surrounding culture, and much of the church itself, doesn't know how to handle difficulty, doesn't know how to just be there, without any cheap advice or cheesy words of comfort. I'm sure this is all well-intended... but that just goes to show how little help intentions are. It's as if people don't read their Christmas story and see it for what it was: an introduction to Good Friday – a foretaste of crucifixion. The light of the world came into the darkness, and the people rejected him.

The hope and joy of Christmas is not family time... people without family, or with broken families know this. The hope and joy of Christmas is not enjoying the simple things, once the money's all gone... for some, there was no money to begin with. The hope and joy of Christmas is not merely that Jesus was born – because even after that, much of this world rejected that boy and his Kingdom. The hope and joy of Christmas is that this boy made it possible for us to become children of God.

The light came into the darkness... but the darkness did not overcome it. But to be able to say that means that you first got to get a grip on the fact that much of what we deal with in life is dark, broken, shattered and lonely. But this reality has not overcome the work of God. Your loneliness can find reprieve – not in some cliche, but in the God who set up camp in our midst, the Spirit that comforts you and walks with you in your grief.

The verse that stuck out most for me in John's passage is this piece about becoming children of God. "To all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God." Being childless, I can appreciate this power that God showed in Jesus. I can't provide my church with any more children – but God can. We can become God's children. It comforts me to know that God is counting me as a member in His family – and that in God's Church I am part of the lives of many children. In fact, I was asked to be a godfather just a few weeks ago. Not sure even what that all means, but I know that it's a journey I'm on because of the gift God has given me in Christ.

This Christmas, ignore the cliches and cheap wisdom that doesn't really comfort or help. In the darkness, that kind of talk is for those who are blind. The folks that are looking for a baby Jesus born into some sanitzed world of pure happiness and warm cozy family life – well... they'll find this Jesus in a stinky barn, born to parents on the run from a vicious King Herod, in occupied territory, and set for a journey towards the cross. The world of sentimental Christmas purity needs to wake up!The light of the world came into the darkness... This Christmas, we're allowed to name the darkness and the brokenness in our hearts and lives. The light came into the darkness... but, thanks be to God, the darkness is not overcoming that light! May it be so for you, this Christmas! May the light of Jesus remain alive amidst the deep and long darkness of night. Amen.

How can this be?

2011-12-18T11:15:00.002-08:00

Meditation planned for Eastview Ebenezer service – Sunday, December 18th, 2011

Text: Luke 1:26-38

This Advent, our congregation has been exploring the way God's activity in our world interrupts our dad to day ordinary lives. A few weeks ago we read Jesus' words about his second coming, and how that will change everything. Then we heard John the baptist's message – that he was sent to prepare the way for the coming Messiah. Israel's history, and the entire world's history, was about to be interrupted. Advent is a season of interruptions. For this reason, it was especially appropriate for our congregation to celebrate baptism on second Advent. Our congregation usually celebrates baptisms in the Spring-time, at Pentecost – but this year we had three young people request baptism; an interruption in our regular Advent theme. These three were siblings in a family that had another interruption – a wonderful surprise in fact. The week prior to their baptism, these three became aunts and uncle for the first time – their older brother and his wife had a son. Children are, by far, one of the greatest interruptions in life – they change everything.

Our passage from the gospel of Luke highlights the surprise and the interruption of Gabriel's message. Gabriel barged into Mary's life, like a young child who, in the middle of the worship service, runs to the front of the sanctuary and starts making a racket – everything stops and you have to refocus. A young woman in her teens, Mary was astonished, shocked, perplexed. All her dreams were put on pause. All her plans shattered. With Gabriel's announcement, Mary had to step back and refocus.

But this interruption wasn't bad news for Mary. God had partnered with Mary in the most important plan in history – to bear a Son, the Savior of the world. Mary was a partner in this plan – but this was an unusual partnership – a strange interruption indeed. She was a virgin. Her and Joseph were engaged to be married. Virgins don't usually bear children into this world. Mary's response to the angel's announcement was: “How can this be?” How can I bear a Son?

We've come to expect this kind of response from people that hear God's call. When God made a promise to Abraham and Sarah, promising them many descendants, they also asked: “How can this be?... we are childless” When Jesus called out to Peter, who was fishing, and after he caught a boat-load of fish, Peter was astonished, “How can this be?... I am a sinner” And now, we read this story about Mary. God told her about his partnership with her in bearing the Messiah into the world, and her response: How can this be?... for I am a virgin.

How can this be? Maybe that's how we'd respond to, if an angel told us about something God wanted to accomplish with us in the near future. But think about the many years of your life. What are some of the things that God has accomplished through you? How many of you lived through the thirties? Or how many of you remember what it was like to live during the time of World War II? What if, as a young man or woman, and angel would have come to you and told you that God wanted you to partner with Him in the gospel, during those difficult times? How can this be?

Or think of your families. Think of the challenges that you've lived through. How many of you have had to bury one of your own children? How many of you have lost a spouse, a husband or wife? What if, as a newly engaged couple, an angel would have told you that you would lose your spouse or your child, and told you that God wanted to partner with You in keeping hope and faith strong? How can this be? Most of us don't get angels appearing to us, giving us a clear Word from God in that sense – but God is still partnering with us to accomplish His purpose. How can this be?

If those three young people, who were baptized, were told all the great things God had in store for them – I'm sure they'd ask the same thing. If, a few years ago, Judson, a young man in our congregation, had been told that he was going to be a great father, by Christmas 2011 – I'm sure he would have asked a similar question... but he is a great Father – and will be a great Father. With God's Spirit – our weaknesses aren't weak at all.

If an angel would have told me, at the age of 16, that I was gonna be a preacher – I would have laughed. How can this be?... I fear public speaking... besides, I want to be a mechanic. God's partnership with us interrupts our time-lines, our plans, but it also interrupts our weaknesses. Abraham & Sarah were childless – but they were given Isaac. Peter was a simpleton and a sinner, but Jesus mentored him into being the top leader of the early Church. I was afraid of public speaking... and God is still helping me with that. God not only interrupts our schedules – God interrupts our inabilities. “How can this be?”... the angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you... for nothing will be impossible with God.”

This Christmas, and in this coming New Year, what is the partnership God has in store for you? What activity is God inviting you to join Him in? I know; it's ok for us to join Mary in perplexity. In confusion. How can this be? I'm 70 years old, I'm 80... 90... maybe even 100 years old. How can this be? How can God still want me as a partner in His gospel plan? How... well, because God interrupts our weaknesses and gives us a way to be a witness to His Son Jesus Christ, our Lord. Like Mary, we are called to bear Jesus into the place where we live – to bear Christ's love to our neighbours. To show healing hands to those who are hurting. How can this be? Because the Holy Spirit is upon you and nothing.... that's right, nothing is impossible for God.

May God bless you and keep you as he interrupts your life with a new Christmas-time partnership. And may you join God, with courage and joy. Amen.

God is on the move!

2011-12-18T11:15:00.001-08:00

Sermon planned for Sunday, December 18th, 2011

Texts: 2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16; Luke 1:26-55

Everything changed for me in the year 1996 – at least it felt that way. It was my second year in high school, attending Kildonan East Collegiate. We had just moved to our new house on Garvin rd., near Birds Hill Park. I was sixteen years old and in grade eleven. The year before had been an exciting one. I got my drivers license. My dad, my brother and I bought a small pick-up truck – a Mazda B2200. I loved that truck – it was perfect for pulling dough-nuts in my parents' church parking lot. In all other respects, 1996 was a great year for me – but something changed in the Fall.

Up until that point, I had a healthy relationship with my parents. We had daily family devotions at home until I was fourteen years old. I could talk to my parents about most of the things that were going on in my life. I think that my relationship with them was as good as it could be – and then something changed. You know... I'm not even completely sure what it was. Perhaps it was a combination of some new hormones running through my body – I matured late. Another piece of the puzzle, I think, is that when we moved to Garvin rd., my time with friends was greatly restricted. I now needed access to the vehicle if I wanted to connect with my friends. And I thought my dad wasn't nearly lenient enough with the keys. Even though I owned that truck, in part, I still needed my dad's permission, and he paid for gas – so I was stuck. Stuck on Garvin rd., and I hated it.

We moved there in Fall of 1996, and by Christmastime I was fed-up with this new life. I was bored, while my friends hung out almost every day. My resentment for my parents grew – especially for my dad. Christmas time was always a big deal in my family. But something had changed. Leading up to Christmas, that year, I knew that family time wasn't something I was looking forward to. I remember Christmas Eve, and my dad's annual "haul out the guitar and sing Stille Nacht"... and I remember pouting. I was angry. The family tradition that had, for so long, captured my religious experience and my spiritual excitement... that family tradition annoyed me for the first time. Something had changed.

To be honest, it frightened me. I was expecting my anger to subside. I was expecting these time-tested family traditions to create the "Christmas Spirit" in me once again. What was I to do if those family practices could no longer cook-up the sappy Christmas-feelings that I longed for so much?

When life was calm, stable and 'normal' – these family traditions were like "temples" – places where I could always return to, to find God and have my spiritual-high. But nothing about my adolescence was calm, stable or 'normal'! It took puberty and Christmas to teach me something crucial about God – that God's more a fan of tents than He is of temples.

The main metaphor and symbol of God's presence with His people, in the Old Testament, was the tabernacle or tent. It was a mobile place of worship. When David summoned the prophet Nathan, he pretty much told Nathan that he wanted to build God a house. How could David build himself a nice house to live in while God only had a tent? And so, David wanted to show this nice gesture to God, and build God a house to dwell in. Even the prophet Nathan thought this was a great idea, and he gave David permission to go ahead with his plans.

That night, God intervened and came to Nathan. He basically told Nathan that he didn't need a temple, and that God preferred a tent. "I have not lived in a house since the day I brought the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent and a tabernacle..." God never asked the people to build Him a house to live in up to that point. Is this an important detail? I guess it depends on what that means? What does it mean to want to build a place for God to dwell in? And what does it mean for God to have dwellt among Israel in a tabernacle – essentially, in a tent? What's the difference between tabernacles and temples? That's what we're looking at this morning.

After ignoring David's request to have a house built, God turned the tables on David. Instead of David securing a place for God – God initiated a covenant with David and secured a position for him in God's plan. In 2 Samuel 7:8 we read, "8 Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David: Thus says the LORD of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep to be prince over my people Israel; 9 and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. 10 And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and evildoers shall afflict them no more, as formerly, 11 from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house."

David wanted to make a house for the Lord, but in this passage we learn that it's God who does the 'making'. I will make for you a great name. I will appoint a place for my people and will plant them there. I will appoint judgest over my people. The Lord will make you a house. I think David wanted to capture God in this 'kind gesture' of building a house for the Lord. He wanted to secure God's presence. That won't do! Instead, God turns the tables and God secures David for Himself. You won't make anything for me, David... Instead, I'm going to make you an instrument of my purpose! I'm going to make you, and your lineage, into a house for myself!

And isn't this precisely what we read about in the gospel of Luke? In Luke chapter 3 we read the list of Jesus' ancestors, and smack-dab in the middle we find Jesus' relationship to King David. When God turned the tables on David's attempt to capture him, God made His own move to capture King David. God captured his lineage for the sake of His purpose. And that's what we heard about when we heard the story of Gabriel and Mary. Who is the main actor? It's not Gabriel – he's only the mouthpiece. The main actor is God, who makes His move. God shows favour to Mary. There's nothing about her, her intrinsic nature, that made God choose her – she was not Immaculately conceived – or, at least, there's no evidence to suggest this. The whole point is that she was an ordinary person. But we already know that God captures ordinary people for the extraordinary...

The word 'capture' is a tricky one. When you're captured by an evil person – that's bad news. But when you're in serious danger – when your life is nearly extinguished – being captured by a good person is the same thing as rescue. God rescues Mary, he captures her with His favour: you will conveive and bear a Son – the Son of the Most High. But what God was accomplishing with Mary was the fulfillment of what God promised David through the prophet Nathan. By favouring Mary, God was claiming David's lineage for Himself – but for what purpose? In order that the Word of God might dwell among us. The Greek word that John uses to speak about this 'dwelling' is Skeynow, which actually means "to set up a tent"... "to tabernacle". The Word of God set up a tent in our midst. The Word of God dwellt among us!

God loves to dwell among us. It pleased God to dwell among Israel, meeting them in the tabernacle – in a tent. This part of the bible captures my imagination. Israel travelled and lived out in the bush, in the desert, in the wilderness – and God was with them, taking up residence in a tent! How cool is that?!?! I love going camping. I love tenting. I've already told this to some people, but one thing on my "bucket list" is to go on an extended camping trip up north, in the middle of nowhere – for a few weeks at least; so if any of your outdoorsmen want to join me in planning something like this – that would be great! There's something about sleeping in tents that gives me deep joy. It's probably because my parents took us camping a lot when I was young.

But what's interesting about God's tabernacle is not the fact that it was a cool and rugged way for God to be present with His people. It's not that God prefers Cabelas over Michael's or Sears. What's theologically interesting about God's tent-life among the people is that God travels – God is on the move. Now I know that we say that God is everywhere – true enough. But God is personal; we know God as Immanuel... God with us. There is motion in God's being – God isn't nailed down to any one place. In scripture, we can record many different verbs attributed to God. God is constantly doing, making, healing, destroying, calling, reconciling, forgiving, judging, redeeming and raising from the dead. He wrestles with Jacob. God becomes flesh. God calls Mary Magdalene to proclaim the gospel of the resurrection. God is active and vocal. A stationary temple is just not God's style.

Don't get me wrong – God does permit Solomon to build Him a temple. God did accept the sacrifices of the people in that temple. But if you take Jesus seriously, then you'll know that the real temple that God lives in is Jesus himself, and now God's Spirit dwelling in the fellowship of believers. The physical space of a temple isn't flexible enough for the activity God has planned.

What activity? Well, after Mary visits Elizabeth we already get a hint at the activity God has planned for His Son. John the Baptist, still being formed in his mother's womb, jumps with excitement the minute Mary shows up at the house. Even as an unborn fetus, John the Baptist knew what was on the horizon. Later we read about John's vision of God's activity – drawing all people to Zion through the baptismal waters of repentance. God was reconciling people to Himself through His Son, and John knew what was coming.

God's activity involves reconciliation – between us and God and between us as people and creation. The next part of Luke's text has Mary singing a song about this activity. What's God up to in this song? God has mercy, shows strength. God scatters the proud, bringing down the powerful from their thrones. God lifts up the lowly, filling the hungry with good things. God sends the rich away empty, and helps Israel, remembering his mercy and his promise to Abraham. God is active, and being stuck in one place just won't do – not for Yahweh, who causes all things to live, and from whom all things have their being. In the presence of Yahweh, we are those who join John the Baptist, leaping for joy – because somethings gotta change!

Something has to change! And that's good news, because there's so much that needs changing. Our world – you read the news lately? The middle-east is nearly boiling-up into another massive war. Our world leaders can barely get their heads on straight when it comes to choosing between greed and being good stewards of God's creation. We could use some Christmas change! And so it's great news to hear Mary's song... to hear that God is changing things. That the powerful won't sit on those thrones for long... that those who take, and take, and take, without every giving anything to those who have nothing... they will have nothing in their hands soon enough.

Or is this perhaps not good news for you? Maybe you don't want things to change? Maybe you're the one sitting on that throne? Maybe you're the one who has everything they need – a rich person in a world of beggars – aren't we all? Maybe that's why we can resonate with King David so deeply. Maybe that's why we like temples much more than tents. Maybe that's why we like our Christmas traditions and practices that keep our spiritual experiences fairly straight-jacketed and 'regular'. Maybe that's why we understand the story of Aaron and the Golden Calf so well – because we prefer a God that's at our disposal, rather than an untamed Spirit that drives some to speak in strange languages. Maybe that's why we understand Peter so well, who wanted to build a tabernacle for Jesus on the mount of Transfiguration – because we prefer a God we can locate to following Jesus en route to the city that kills God's prophets.

The lesson we learn from God's conversation with the prophet Nathan is the same lesson we learn about God in the gospels – it is not we who have captured God. It is not we who have found a way to put God at our disposal. Rather, we have an angel delivering a message to a young woman – God is going to overshadow with His Spirit and you will bear a Son – the Son of God. God has us at His disposal. He tears rulers down from their thrones and lifts up the lowly. Our God is not boxed-in – not at all!

But this Advent, can we hear the good news that this Wild Holy Spirit wants to meet us; wants to 'capture' 'rescue' and 'captivate' us for the sake of God's Kingdom. Will we relenquish the way we try to man-handle our religious experience through traditions? Might God want to do something entirely new with you and your family, this Christmas? Something that breaks the mould? You don't have to worry about manufacturing that 'good ol' Christmas feeling'... God wasn't stuck in that temple to begin with.

Spend time, this Advent – and what's left of it – to really listen; where is God active this year? Where is God calling for your partnership? Where can you, like Mary, say "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word."?

After that Christmas, in 1996, I did some soul-searching. What had changed? What was wrong? Why couldn't I get back into the "Christmas Spirit"? The temple that I had built for God – all the traditions and practices that used to get me in the Christmas Spirit – these things hadn't worked and they don't work anymore. It's as if God wasn't stuck where I put Him.

Like I said earlier, it took puberty and Christmas to teach me that I had never put God anywhere – because God doesn't let himself be put anywhere. God is God, and I am not. Through the voices of friends, family, through study and prayer, I felt a nudge to work at bible camp, that following summer, as a camp counselor. It was in the wild, out at the lake, and in the untamed encounters with God's beloved children, that I began to reaquaint myself with the God who lives in tents. The God who is always on the move – healing campers, reconciling former enemies, and bringing dead things back to life.

May you cast your temples aside and be still, for God is at work! God is active in your life, in your home, in your workplace. And may God reveal to you the partnership of the gospel to which He's called you this year. What does that look like today, tomorrow, and in the coming weeks? I wish you courage and joy as you search, study, wait, listen – and then partner with God. Amen.

Baptism: The beginning of the good news...

2011-12-04T13:26:00.001-08:00

Sermon planned for Sunday, December 4th, 2011

Text: Mark 1:1-8

I invite you to join me, in your bibles, in the gospel of Mark, chapter one, beginning at verse one. But before we dig in, I invite you to join me in prayer:
Spirit of the Living God, move in our midst. Transform our unseeing eyes so that we'd be able to see you more clearly. Unplug our ears, that we would hear Your Word for us this morning. In all things, draw us closer to Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
The passage we are looking at this morning is one of my favorites in the gospel of Mark. What I like about it is that he starts off his story about Jesus by telling us who Jesus is right off the bat. "This is the beginning of the good news about Jesus Christ, the Son of God." You don't have to wait to the end of the story to find out who Jesus is. You don't have to solve some riddle. The author of Mark tells you who Jesus is: Jesus is the Christ. Jesus is the Son of God.

There's a variety of ways that an author can start-off a story about a main character. If Bernie and Tammy were asked to write a story about Ray, Jo, and Dexter, I'm sure they could tell each one in a variety of ways. Each of the four gospels tell the story of Jesus' beginnings in a unique way. Matthew and Luke tell us stories about Jesus' infancy, about Joseph, and about an unwed pregnant Mary. Matthew tells us about wise men, come from the east, to worship and give allegiance to the newborn King. Luke tells us about Shepherds hearing the angel's message; and about the manger scene. And then there's the gospel of John . John tells us about the Word that was in the beginning with God – the Word that is God, which was made flesh.

These four authors all spoke about the 'good news' about Jesus' coming into the world. Each of them saw the goodnessof the gospel in unique and important way. If you had to tell the story of God's good news in your life, how would you tell it? What good has that news accomplished in your life? When we celebrate baptism we also listen to testimonies. We take time to hear the stories of how God has done good things in the lives of those about to be baptized. I'm sure that the way Dex, Ray & Jo will tell their story is different than the things many of you might mention if you told their story... that's the nature of giving a testimony. Mark's testimony is like that too; it offers us a very specific glimpse of who Jesus was.

One of the things we notice, when we look at Mark's gospel, is that he begins his story about Jesus very differently than the other three gospel writers. I invite you to join me, in your bibles, in reading it together once again:
The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 2 As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, "See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; 3 the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,'" 4 John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 6 Now John was clothed with camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 He proclaimed, "The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. 8 I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

The first eight verses of the gospel of Mark are, in my opinion, written in a special kind of literary structure, which is often used in the bible, called a chiasm. I've mentioned the 'chiasm structure' before in one of my previous sermons, but I'll quickly review what it means. The kind of chiasm we're dealing with in these eight verses is the A-B-C C-B-A structure. What does that mean? Well, it just means that the first thing in the story gets talked about again at the end, the second thing gets mentioned second-last, and the two things talked about in the middle are at the heart of the story. An example of this can be found in John chapter one:
In the beginning was the Word, (A)
and the Word was with God, (B)
and the Word was God. (B')
He was in the beginning with God. (A')
At the start and at the end we hear about The Word being in the beginning with God – a focus on the "WHEN" of God's Word. In the central piece of this structure, we read that the Word is God and is with God. The Son and the Father are One and in communitywith one another – the key part of John's gospel.

This same kind of structure is what I see going on in the first eight verses of Mark. Why is this important? A chiastic structure helps us to understand the main point Mark was trying to make. So le'ts go through these verses and see it for ourselves. Mark begins this piece of scripture by telling us about Jesus – that he is the Christ, and that Jesus is the Son of God. In verse eight, Mark's focus is again on telling us more about Jesus, but this time by the mouth of John the Baptist. Here we learn that Jesus is mightier than the prophet John, and we learn that Jesus will baptize with the Holy Spirit.

The second part of the chiastic structure is about John the Baptist. Here we read the quote from Isaiah: "Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way, a voice crying in the desert, "Prepare the way of the Lord, you shall make his path straight." As with the regular chiasm-structure, this second theme is repeated again in the second-last section of our passage, where we read about John's dress code and his diet. Where, before, we hear Isaiah's words about a prophet coming from the dessert, now we read about what this desert man looks and smells like.

Finally, the third part of the chiastic structure, right in the centre of our text, tells us the heart of Mark's message here. It tells us about John's prophetic word and the people's response: "John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins." I suggest to you, this morning, that at the very centre of Mark's understanding of the good news is this call to confession, repentance and baptism.

When Mark sits down to tell us the story about Jesus, the first thing he starts to talk about is that people were told they needed to repent; to turn around and prepare themselves for the coming of Jesus; and that people – hundreds of people, perhaps thousands of people – came to John and turned away from sin and they turned towards God in the waters of baptism. When Mark tells the story about the impact of Jesus' arrival... the first thing he talks about is people turning their life around and getting baptized. Amen! This is good news!

For the author of John's gospel, it was good news to hear that God's Word assumed flesh. For Matthew, it was good news to hear that wise men from far away came to give homage, proclaim allegiance, and to honor Jesus the King. For Luke, it was crucial for the Shepherds to hear that finally... finally the Prince of Peace had arrived. But for Mark... for Mark, the good news began with people's lives being changed. It was about baptism. That's interesting because one of the most controversial verses in the gospel of Mark is about this very thing – about baptism. In Mark 16:16, part of the 'longer ending' to the gospel, we hear Jesus giving the great Commission to his disciples: "And he said to them, "Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation. The one who believes and is baptized will be saved; but the one who does not believe will be condemned."

The controversial part of this passage is, of course, the suggestion that salvation requires baptism. There are endless debates about this. People ask whether a non-baptized person can be saved. This verse, then, gets pulled apart into many different directions. But I don't believe that was Mark's point at all. Mark wasn't arguing about the bare minimum requirements of salvation; in fact, quite the opposite. Mark was arguing about the full measure of God's good news.

You see, it's not the complete picture, if all we do is tell the story of Christmas. It's not the full gospel if we just tell people that the Word was made flesh. Some people would reject the Word. It's not the full gospel, just to hear Jesus' teachings and learn about the Kingdom of God; because the Kingdom is about more than just hearing and learning; because entering the Kingdom involves us in a complete reversal of values and worldview. It's not the full gospel, just to hear about Jesus' death and resurrection; even today there are thousands who hear this message and mock it, as though we were talking about a horror movie, with dead people coming back to life. The good news is only good if it is received... if it goes beyond hearing.

When Mark includes Jesus' words about believing and baptism, Mark is telling us about the fullness of the gospel, not about the minimum requirements of salvation. Salvation is more than just hearing about the gospel, it is responding to it, rejoicing with it, submitting our lives to it. That's why the thief on the cross, when he begged Jesus to remember him in the Kingdom, was promised eternity with Jesus in paradise – Why? – because he did more than listen... he turned to Jesus. That's why Mark's gospel includes the story of the centurion, standing watch at Jesus' crufixion, the guy who confesses, "Truly this man was God's Son". Mark's main point in the gospel is that the news about Jesus changes people's lives – in turns them around. And that's what baptism is all about – it is about turning to Jesus.

For Mark, in order for the news about Incarnation to be GOOD news means that we begin with repentance, turning away from autonomy, from sin, from selfish living... and we turn towards God. This is why the first baptismal question I ask is a question about repentance. Repentance is the first step for God's news to be God's GOOD news for us. God's revelation for us is complete only when it is received, heard, and believed in our hearts. This is the act of baptism!

This morning we are blessed to be in the presence of three young Christians who 'get it'. They know that all this news they've been hearing for years – the news about Jesus they've heard at home – the news about Jesus they've heard at Church and Sunday school – the news about Jesus they've heard at MCI... these three 'get it'... they know that the news they've been hearing about Jesus is GOOD news for them only if they turn their lives around and turn towards Jesus Christ. That's the fullness of good news... and that is what we're here to celebrate today.

May the testimony of these three encourage you – may it provoke your own decision: is all this news we hear in Church GOOD news for you? Because it can be!!! Will you take your stand? Will you claim Christ as your Lord in these water? And now, together with Mark's gospel, let's get on with celebrating the main event!

Awake and Alert

2011-11-27T13:35:00.000-08:00

Sermon planned for Sunday, November 27th, 2011

Texts: Isaiah 64:1-9; Mark 13:24-37

Greetings! I wish you all a blessed Advent. If, last week, on Eternity Sunday, we remembered those who died in the previous year, and we are reminded of the certainty of our own mortality; in Advent we are reminded that life is full of uncertainties and suprises. Advent is a time of anticipation. It is a time of watchfulness. And this year, in particular, we are being reminded, in worship, of how God interrupts darkness with light; of how His holiness disturbs our ordinariness.

One of the reasons we celebrate Advent on a yearly basis is to develop important habits in our hearts and minds. If God interrupts our ordinariness with his grace and transformign power, then we better develop the habits of alertness, of watchfulness and anticipation. The passage we heard from the gospel of Mark includes several commands: keep watch! Stay awake! Be aware!

I admit that forming and sustaining these habits is not simple or easy. Keeping your attention on one thing is hard. (slam bible on pulpit) Unless of course there's something that catches your attention. For me I've noticed the difficulty of this most sharply when I'm out in the bush, hunting. I'll be tip-toeing down some path, or sitting there for two or more hours. Keeping a keen eye and staying alert for that long is tough stuff.

Now that it's growing colder, I find it especially difficult to be alert. My mind wanders. I'll start thinking about how cold my legs are. Or I'll start working on my next sermon, in my head. All kinds of things will start to distract my attention from the task at hand. And then I'll remember, "oh ya, I'm hunting", and my ears will perk up, my eyes will focus on each detail... and then minutes later, my mind is wandering again.

Two weeks ago, I was in the bush out in the Pembina valley. As per usual, my thoughts were off in lala land, when I suddenly heard some noise to my right, behind me... I looked around and I saw a good-sized buck slowly walking to my right, just shy of fifty yards away from me. How could I let that guy get so close to me without even noticing? Well, I wasn't paying enough attention. I wasn't being alert, watchful. I might as well have been asleep. The buck was too close and he was in my blind spot, so I had to let him walk past... and that was my last chance of the day.

Keeping your full attention on the task at hand is difficult... I'm getting better at it, but it's the most challenging thing about hunting. It's really hard to sustain the right amount of alertness, for a long period of time. You either want to slip into alarm mode – too much alertness – where every squirrel, and woodpecker, is driving you nuts... or your mind wanders off into oblivion. A good hunter knows how to sustain the right level of alertness for the duration of the hunt.

In Advent, our goal is to cultivate the right kind of watchfulness for the duration of our Christian lives. In Advent, we remember our future – we remember that just as Jesus the Messiah came and lived among us two thousand years ago, the Son of God will also come again at the close of history. Our passage from Mark, this morning, focuses on Jesus' return and the day of judgment. That's what's coming – are we alert?

One way to keep watch is to ratchet-up the anticipation; to get people really anxious about the End times. There are a variety of ways of doing this, most of which Jesus warned his disciples against. There's the Messianic pretender – the person who claims that he is the second coming of Jesus Christ. You have your David Karesh of the Branch Dividians, even Claas Epp Jr., of Russia in the late 1800's. The flip-side of this approach is when leaders tell you exactly who the anti-Christ is. They tell folks that the end is near and that they are standing in as God's representative in the closing drama in history. These are clear examples of disobedience to what Jesus taught about his return. When Jesus returns we will know him, just as sheep know the voice of the Good Shepherd – we will recognize his Call.

Another way to get people to live in fear and anxiety of the end is to speculate about dates. A religious leader will tell his people that he has considered all the relevant scripture passages, interpreted all the signs, and that the leader is certain that Jesus will come again at a specific time, or that the tribulations will start by a certain time or date. Most recently, this approach was taken by Harod Camping and his fellow leaders. Camping claimed that the world was going to end this past May 21st. When that date came and went, Harold Camping changed the date, taking into account that God's mercy meant that the world would get a few extra months... his new precise calculation pointed to October 21st, just over a month ago. In a November news release, Harold Camping admitted that his reading of prophetic scripture had been mistaken; but he made the promising statement that their community was now learning that God knows all these things, even if we do not. I couldn't agree with him more!

These kinds of speculations about dates are directly prohibited by Jesus' words in our passage this morning. Jesus clearly states that "concerning the day and hour no one knows". Mark's gospel has Jesus using very specific words, here, to talk about time. In the Greek we have "τῆς ἡμέρας" and "τῆς ὥρας". Concerning the day and the hour, no one knows. These measurements of time are chronological measurements. You will never be able to guess which day on a calender, or which hour on the clock, Jesus will return... no one knows this: not the angels, not the Son, only the Father.

But that's not the only kind of date speculation out there. Just recently I ran accross another way in which Christians, in our time, are raising their anxiety levels about Jesus' return. It's related to this last method, but a little different. It's a perspective that says that, even though we may not know the day or the hour – the chronological moment of Christ's return, we can, however, know exactly which season we are in, and exactly when we are in the last season. The word 'season' here isn't so much a chronological measurement as a 'kairological' measurement. Kairological time is fulfilled time, the right time, the appropriate time... the time after all signs are fulfilled. It doesn't ask about which day on the calendar, or at which hour Jesus will return – rather, it asks if it is the right time, the apointed time, the fulfilled time.

The pregnancy metaphor works here. Kairos time makes much more sense for couples who are expecting a child. They don't know the exact date or hour (unless you're having the child through cessarian); rather, you know the signs to look for, the approximate date, etc..

Most of the end times anxieties that get ratcheted-up by radio and televesion preachers is done so using this last kind of approach. Look at all the signs. The time is ripe. The birthpangs are already here. The appointed time is just around the corner; any day now. I know of a pastor who has promised his congregation that the children in that sanctuary will live to see Christ's return. This approach recognizes that you cant' predict the chronological time of Christ's return – but it demands that disciples know precisely the kairological time. That we better know when the time is ripe. And so we better know our Revelation timelines, and which season we're in.

This is tempting, I know. But Jesus doesn't only warn about predicting dates and hours – about chronological prediction. Read with me Mark 13:33: "Keep your eyes open, keep awake! For you do not know the apointed time." "Apointed time" here is translated from the Greek 'kairos'. In verse 32 Jesus warned about predicting the 'hemeras' and the 'horas' – the day and the hour – but in the very next verse Jesus declares that we don't even know the 'kairos' time of Jesus' return. We don't even know the apointed time, whether Christ's return is just around the corner, or another thousand years from now.

These three methods of ratcheting-up fear and anxiety about Jesus' return – they don't mesh with Jesus' words as we find them in Mark. So if Jesus doesn't want us guessing the hour, the day, or the season... why does he mention all the signs? Doesn't he want us to have a clear picture of the timing? If not, then why all the signals that the end is just around the corner?

To be honest, I'm not 100% sure of why Jesus gave us all these markers, because I don't clearly understand what they mean. For example, in our passage, Jesus talks about a time when the fig leaf will become tender and sprout. Some take this to mean the re-establishment of the state of Israel in the 40's. Fair enough, but you got to admit that you could read this passage differently. It's not absolutely clear exactly what this is supposed to be a signal of. Same with the 'desolating sacrilege'; who can be 100% certian of what that is supposed to mean? Maybe this ambiguity is why there are hundreds of different end-times preachers giving you plenty of different options. What if Jesus left us these ambiguous signs on purpose?

Despite all the ambiguity of the signs, there is absolute clarity about one thing – Jesus wants us to be prepared, awake, alert, and anticipating his return. As with hunting, though, there is the right kind of alertness, and then there is the mistake on either side. There's my common mistake, where my mind goes wandering into hundreds of different directions, forgetting the task at hand. There's the frequent temptation for us to forget about our Christian calling, being distracted by other worries. Then there's the other mistake in hunting, where you're so paranoid and over-alert, that you get freaked-out by every squirrel, mouse or bird that makes a noise. You need the right kind of alertness if you want to last for the long haul.

We've already pointed out some of the over-alertness that happens among Christians, where people get fearful and anxious to the point that it cripples the rest of their discipleship. In the extreme, you'll get Christians conspiring about how to blow up the Muslim dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, trying to speed up the Lord's coming; forgetting that Jesus tells us to love our neighbours – in fact, Paul writes: "And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.”

On the other end, many of us Christians live our lives as though Jesus will never return. Some have come to false conclusions, suggesting that life is some kind of never-ending cycle, and that Jesus' return is merely a symbol of what happens when we die and meet Jesus in Paradise. Or Christians live life as though there were no Judge to whom we'll give an account of our actions and our inactions. It's like when my mind goes on holidays out in the bush, Christians live their life as though its a perpetual holiday from discipleship.

This Advent, Jesus invites us, calls us, and commands us to cultivate the right kind of anticipation and alertness. It is not fearful or anxious, in the sense of timing – we're not worried about knowing the date, the hour, or the season, as though any squirrel, mouse, revolution or earthquake could mean that its "TIME TO PANIC!!!". We may be anxious, but that's only because we are a people confronted with our own sin. But we know what to do with sin – confess it, repent from it, and remember what we have become in Jesus Christ, and the freedom in which we now walk.

Cultivating the right kind of alertness, forming the habits of biblical watchfulness, has everything to do with knowing who we are and whose we are. We are the sheep, listening to the voice of the Good Shepherd. Or, as the prophet Isaiah puts it, we are the clay in the hands of the Potter. The alertness to which we are called, as Christians, is a life of confident alertness. Why confidence? Because we know that God is our Father, as Isaiah writes. We are created in the image of God and, like clay, he continues to mold and shape us.

The difficulty of cultivating the right kind of alertness and watchfulness is not an impossible difficulty. This is where, I believe, that verse from Isaiah's prophecy can really help us:
“Yet, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand. 9 Do not be exceedingly angry, O LORD, and do not remember iniquity forever. Now consider, we are all your people.”
When we claim the Truth of that passage of scripture – that we are created in God's Image – that He is our Father and we are God's people; when we claim the gift of forgiveness that we receive in Jesus Christ, and the freedom we have to live as children of God – then we are freed to live with the right kind of alertness. We are not scared stiff – or even worried about Jesus' return, because we trust the voice of our Good Shepherd and we give our full attention to His call.

Instead, this Advent, we remember Christ's first coming. The Word was made flesh; and we have seen His glory. This Advent, we await his activity in our lives here and now. We worship the Living Word, who encounters us and calls us to joy-filled discipleship. And finally, this Advent, we keep watch for Christ's return – not only in His transforming Spirit, but we also watch for His coming as Judge and Redeemer.

It is a life of anticipation. It's a life of preparation and watchfulness. We watch with joy and ease, but also with focused obedience and allegiance, because we know that we are in the hands of the Potter. This morning we celebrate that we are created in the image of God, shaped by His hands. This means, among other things, that we await Christ's coming with hope and joy, anticipation and preparation. We are not anxious about the timing of the Lord's return; instead, we live our lives in eager expectation of the day when our Creator will reconcile all things to Himself in Jesus Christ, our Friend, our Brother, our Lord. May you keep watch and be alert in hope, joy and peace. Amen!

Family Inheritance

2011-11-20T11:26:00.000-08:00

Sermon planned for Eternity Sunday, November 20th, 2011

Text: Matthew 25:31-46; Ephesians 1:15-23

This morning we're going to be looking at our spiritual inheritance. What is our 'spiritual inheritance'? Well, it's the outcome of our life in Christ. When our loved ones die, they leave us several different kinds of inheritance. Most often, when we think of the word 'inheritance', we think of the money or possessions that people receive from the estate of a deceased loved one. Inheritance, however, can also include things like values, a spiritual/theological worldview, a culture, and you can even inherit 'good looks'.

A few years ago, when my mom's father, Opa Franz Harder, passed away, I received a nice fishing rod as part of the inheritance. My mom bought it for me with some of the money she received from the estate. Why a fishing rod? My Opa Harder lived in Paraguay and we went to visit him there. My memories of Opa include many fishing trips. Now, every time I pack that fishing rod in with our camping gear, and every time I bring it out on the water, I'm reminded of my Opa. The fishing rod points towards a richer and deeper inheritance that my Opa has left me through his daughter, my mom.

This morning we're looking at our spiritual inheritance from the perspective of two scripture texts. In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul speaks about our glorious inheritance among the saints. What is he speaking about? A verse from a favorite hymn puts it like this: “Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail, and mortal life shall cease, I shall possess, within the veil, a life of joy and peace.” The final outcome in our journey towards Christ is an abundant life of joy and peace. But that's precisely because we are on a journey towards Christ – by his mercy. But that's not the only direction we can go.

In the gospel of Matthew we read about two types of inheritance – blessing & judgment. We read about the inheritance of those who have opened themselves to Christ & His Kingdom; and then we read about those who have closed themselves off against Christ & His Kingdom. Is your life a life of openness towards Christ? Which doors, in your life, need to be opened to the Kingdom of God? Perhaps its your relationships with others? Or your wallet? Or the stuff you do when no one's looking? Where does the light of Christ need to bring healing in your life?

Paul gave a glowing review of the Christians in Ephesus. They had profound trust in Jesus. They showed their love to their fellow Christians. Paul prayed for the Ephesians: for wisdom and understanding of God's revelation, so they could understand the hopeful life to which they had been called, so they could appreciate the glorious outcome of their faith. He described this inheritance, saying that God's power was already at work among the Ephesians, the same power that raised Jesus from the grave.

The Christians in Ephesus were set to experience God's power. They had opened themselves up to Jesus and His transforming Spirit. But their story would change, over time. If we read the letter to the Ephesian Christians, in the book of Revelation, we read about a church that's quite different than what we find in Paul's letter. On the one hand, Paul's prayer that they would receive wisdom and understanding, was answered. The Ephesian church, in Revelations, had patiently endured persecution; they did not tolerate evildoers; they had wisdom in discernment... BUT! they had abandoned their first love... they had forgotten the good life they committed themselves to. They needed to repent. The outcome of their faith was being threatened by their apathy – their inheritance was on the line.

Can someone's inheritance change? Sometimes we hear about family situations where someone has left a Will, in which some family members are given nothing. In this case, the deceased person has made a choice to disown a family member, or to disinherit them. This kind of action shows that there's been a serious breakdown in relationship. The same is true for the Ephesian Christians, as we read about them in the book of Revelation. Something changed in how they related to Jesus. And that's the big question: how do you relate to Jesus. Do you love him? Do you follow him? Are you willing to confess His name in front of a crowd? Will you take your stand with Him in the waters of baptism?

Please turn with me to our scripture passage from the gospel of Matthew chapter twenty-five, beginning at verse thirty-one. This passage fits into a segment of Jesus' teachings about the day of judgment – about Jesus' second coming. The key to interpreting the meaning of this passage is in knowing who 'the least of these' are. In verse 37 we read,
“Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38 And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39 And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?' 40 And the king will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.'”
In the NIV it reads: "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” Who are the least of these? And how does this impact the interpretation of this judgment scene?

Oftentimes, the 'least of these' are understood to be the poor, the destitute... the outcasts of our world. The scene of judgment is then the judgment of all people in the world. They will be judged based upon how they treated the poor & the hungry. This judgment scene is often used by aid organizations to urge Christians to help the poor and the hungry, suggesting that our judgment will include our actions towards the poor. If you treated the poor well, then you're a sheep... if not, then you're a goat.

There's plenty in scripture to suggest that this would be a good interpretation of this passage. It is very clear, in scripture, especially in the writings of the prophets, that God has a heart for the poor, the orphan and the widow. Israel frequently mistreated these folks and God's prophets cursed His people because of it. When we're called to give an account of our actions, part of what we'll answer for is how we blessed others with the many blessings God has given us; especially how we've blessed those less fortunate.

That said, I want to suggest to you this morning that “the least of these”, in this passage from Matthew 25, is actually the Christian community – the disciples of Christ. In other words, this scene of judgment is one where the nations are judged on how they have treated the followers of Jesus Christ – but really, the focus isn't the followers of Jesus... it's Jesus himself. The nations will be judged by how they treat Christians, because the way they treat Christians is actually how they treat Christ. If you fed them, you fed me. If you helped them, you helped me. If you comforted them, you comforted me.

There are two main reasons why I believe that “the least of these” refers to disciples of Jesus and not just the poor in general. First of all, the people gathered together at this particular scene of judgment are 'the nations', or in Greek: πάντα τὰ ἔθνη – all the ethnics... the Gentiles. As was common in the prophets, this scene has all the Gentile nations facing judgment at God's throne. These aren't God's people facing Judgment – not Jews or Christians – they are the nations who have come to Zion in order to learn the ways of Yahweh.

The second reason that I believe “the least of these” refer to Christ's disciples is because, in verse 40, Jesus says, “just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family... or in other translations the least of these brothers of mine.” Why did Jesus add this family metaphor? Who are “the least of Jesus' brothers?” How does Jesus identify his family, his brothers, sisters, mothers? In Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus identifies his family as those who do the will of his Father.
(Mat 12:46-50 NRS) 46 While he was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers were standing outside, wanting to speak to him. 47 Someone told him, "Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you." 48 But to the one who had told him this, Jesus replied, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" 49 And pointing to his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! 50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother."

So, who are the “least of these members of my family”? They are those who do the will of the Father. They are not 'the poor' just because they are poor. They are the poor followers of Jesus Christ, who have renounced the riches of this world for the riches of God's Kingdom. They are not 'the imprisoned' for just any reason... they are those who are imprisoned on account of faith in Christ. In other words, the spiritual inheritance of our world is dependent on how they relate to Jesus Christ – and in our time it's a question of how the world relates to Christ's disciples – the Church. The world around us will be judged upon how they treated Jesus' family – either they'll be sheep or goats. They've either welcomed his brothers & sisters, or they've persecuted them; given them hospitality or ignored them. In some ways, you could say that the promise spoken to Abraham now also includes us Gentile Christians. Namely, those who bless us will be blessed, and those who curse us will be cursed. This judgment scene is the outworking of God's covenant with Abraham.

But that's a message to the non-Christian world. What's the message to us this morning? Well, we definitely have some good news here. In the gospels, and particularly in this story, we are called members of God's family. We are siblings of Jesus Christ. Like the Ephesian Christians, we have a powerful hope. Paul's description of Jesus' inheritance has huge implications for us too. Because Jesus was raised from the grave, so too we will be liberated from death's grip. With Jesus seated at the right hand of God, we are the sheep, not the goats.

In other parts of scripture, this metaphor describes the relationship between Jesus and his followers, or God and his people. In the gospel of John, we read that Jesus is the Good Shepherd, and we are the sheep who hear his voice. Where else in our world, other than here in the context of worship, do people gather to hear and meditate on scripture, and commit themselves to the words of Jesus Christ, the good Shepherd? In Psalm 23, we read that the Lord is our Shepherd and he leads us and guides us even in the darkest valleys. Although every American dollar bill suggests that our national leaders trust in God in their darkest times... none of our nations' budgets show it. Their financial priorities show exactly where their trust lies. America's largest sub-contractor is Lockheed Martin – a weapons contractor. Only in the fellowship of believers do we dare spend hours in worship, teaching one another about Jesus, admonishing and encouraging each other in our discipleship... we pray to God... all of this while the world continues to be on the verge of chaos. Seemingly foolish, our Christian worship shows that we trust God to be sovereign in our world; and our charity points to a completely different kind of Kingdom with a completely different kind of King.

The inheritance of the saints and the inheritance of the nations are both dependent on one question: how do you relate to Jesus? Do you worship him? Do you submit to His Lordship? Do you take your stand with Him? Do you recognize that He's taken his stand with you, when he gave up his life for your sins, when he died on the cross? The Church is the place where we, in worship, remember this question. It's the place where you and I are regularly confronted and interrogated by this question: where are you at with Christ? Are you like the young Ephesian congregation, trusting in Jesus and showing His love to others? Or are you like the Ephesian congregation we read about in Revelations, apathetic and having lost your first love?

The inheritance of the nations around us is also completely determined by this question: how do they relate to Jesus Christ. But without regular worship of our God – how is this relationship gauged? Jesus' teaching in our passage this morning explains how the nations will be judged. The only way for the nations to relate to Jesus today is to take Jesus seriously as He lives in His Body, the Church. Will they be sheep or goats? How do the people around us welcome Christians? How is the Christian community viewed in our culture here in Canada? Is Canada among the sheep or the goats? What kind of country do we live in?

It seems that the verdict on this question is still out. More importantly, if we are Christ's ambassadors to our culture, how have we been representing Jesus to them? How would our report card read? Are we giving the nations enough to go on? If they were judged based upon their treatment of the Church, could we honestly say that this is how they treated Jesus, because we look like him? In other words, if it's true that the nations will be judged on their treatment of Christ by how they treated us, are we giving them an authentic taste of Jesus? Are we setting our neighbors up for having a relationship with Christ? When was the last time you told somebody about Jesus? Is our shared life, as a congregation, a testimony to the transforming power of Christ, or to the conforming power of affluence?

Inheritance is all about relationship. This morning we're remembering relationships. We think of the inheritance now being enjoyed by those who have died in this past year, and the years before. We think of our sister Judi, who now rests in Paradise. We remember the many things we've inherited from her – the gifts of love, humor, leadership, and curiosity. Even in these short three years that I've been with you, we have grieved the death of numerous people in our congregation. And then there's extended family and friends that we remember. I'm remembering my grandparents who have all passed away. My Opa Harder. I have this fishing rod. It represents the relationship I had with him. I'm hopeful that I'll share in that same inheritance of faith that he now enjoys. Why hopeful? Because I know Jesus, and in worship and life, I'm getting to know him more and more. And he calls me his brother. He wants me in His family. Jesus wants you in His family. Inheritance is all about this relationship. How do you relate to Jesus?

In both Matthew & Ephesians, we learn that our spiritual inheritance is completely bound-up with our relationship to Jesus Christ: are we open to His transforming power? are we partners in his reconciling work? Are you growing closer to him? Have you lost your first love? Why not stoke that fire of faith, once again? It's not too late to grow closer to Christ. This morning we celebrate the inheritance that we are receiving in Jesus Christ, and the one that we will receive, just as our sister Judi has now already received in paradise.

May the question of our relationship to Christ continually interrogate your heart. May that question inform your highest hopes. May that question comfort you in your darkest nights. How do you relate to Jesus? Because He's calling you sister... brother! May you find yourself in that family that worships God and obeys His will – for these are Christ's brothers and sisters indeed! Amen.

Why curse a fig tree?

2011-11-06T19:21:00.000-08:00

Sermon planned for Sunday, November 6th, 2011

Texts: Amos 5:18-24; Matthew 25:1-13

May the Peace of Christ be with you!
The passages we just heard have a harsh edge to them. That's part of what we're looking at this morning. Swiss theologian Karl Barth was famous for highlighting this piece. He said that in Jesus we hear both God's "No!" to humanity as well as his "Yes!" Both "judgement" and "mercy"; "wrath" and "forgiveness". But before we go any further, please join me in prayer:
God of justice & mercy, You are a righteous judge. It's a mystery to us that we have become your children. We know that through your Son, and Your Spirit, we have been adopted by You... but how can that be? We are far from holiness. We are messed up in so many ways. And yet you have called us to Yourself. For this miracle of grace, we are grateful and we give you praise. May we become a people where Your justice and righteousness flourish. Don't look at our sin, disregard our apathy; instead, send us Your Spirit and ignite in us your Pentecostal fire. Inflame us with passion for our calling to bear witness to Your Kingdom and to Your Son, in whose name we pray. Amen.

According to the gospel of Mark, after Jesus entered into Jerusalem, riding on a donkey, he went into the temple and had a good look. But because it was already late, he and his disciples picked up their stuff and headed out to the small town of Bethany. Bethany is a town about two miles east of Jerusalem. It lies on the south eastern slope of the Mount of Olives. The town of Bethany was named after all the palm trees that grew there. It was the hometown of Lazarus and his sisters. Nowadays it is called "Lazariyah" – the place of Lazarus; and about 17,000 people living there today.

Jesus stayed the night in Bethany, and on the next day he headed back to Jerusalem. Jesus was ready to head into the temple; and, after what he had seen there the day before, he was looking to stirr some trouble... maybe rattle some chairs and turn over some tables. But on this two-mile hike to Jerusalem, Jesus got the munchies. He was hungry.

There wasn't much food around at that time of year. The trees were barren and the fields empty. And then Jesus and his disciples saw something out in an orchard. They say a fig tree with leaves on it. This was odd – it wasn't the right time of year for it to have leaves. With their curiosities' sparked, Jesus and his disciples made their way over to this lone fig tree. Maybe, if it had its leaves already... then it would also have some ripe figs on it to eat. As they got closer to this fig tree they noticed that it didn't have any fruit on it. Then the disciples saw Jesus walk right up to the tree. He shook his fist at it and shouted: "curse you! May no one ever eat fruit from you again!" With an empty stomach, and a foul mood, Jesus and his disciples headed for Jerusalem, straight towards the temple.

What I love about this story is Jesus' raw emotion. His anger. Jesus was ticked-off. Following this kind of passionate Rabbi is a cure to any passive-agressive personality. But why so angry Jesus? It wasn't the right time of year for harvesting figs. And yet, the leaves on this tree boasted an empty promise. Like a mirage in the desert, it had all the pretensions of being a fruitful tree – but in the end it had nothing to offer. Instead of being ignored, like all the other fig trees with nothing on them, this fig tree received Jesus' judgement and curse. What's the lesson? Don't pretend to have something to offer if you're not going to come through. If you're gonna get dressed up for the wedding... at least make sure you have enough oil in your lamp to get you through the night.

The prophet Amos has some strange words for us this morning. His audience is Israel – more specifically, he was writing to those who desired the day of the Lord. They longed for it. Being surrounded by political enemies, there were many in Israel that longed for the day of God's deliverance – the 'day of the Lord'. Amos was writing to some desperate people – people who were in a tight spot. They needed God to rescue them. They were about to get taken away into exile. If only God would come and rescue His people. Some Israelites longed for the day of God's judgement – surely, then Israel's enemies would get what was coming to them. But that's not what Amos has in mind.

He asks, "Why do you want the day of the Lord?" "Why are you calling upon God to show up in this difficult time?" These are odd questions. Isn't this precisely what we're taught in Church – that we call upon God for help when we're in trouble? Aren't we taught that we should long for the Lord's Day? Here the prophet warns Israel. "Why do you want the day of the Lord? After all, it is a dark day... not a day of light." If God liberates you from your surrounding enemies, it will be like fleeing from a lion... only to meet up with a Grizzly a few minutes later. Why this analogy?

Why does Amos offer this disturbing message to Israel? He writes further, God hates your festivals... He takes no delight in your assemblies. He doesn't accept your offerings, and God can't stand the noise of your songs. What's the problem? What was Israel doing that provoked Amos' curse? Why wasn't God interested in their requests, or their offerings?

The highpoint of our passage from Amos is the last verse – verse twenty-four. After God's harsh judgment on Israel's hopes and piety, the prophet writes: "But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream." This is what God required of his people – to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God. But instead of walking humbly with God, the prophet levels the accusation of idolatry. The people of Israel had given their allegiance to a foreign king; they had worshipped a 'star-god' named Kaiwan. By changing their allegiances, and by refusing to act justly to the poor, the orphan and the widow – Israel had become an enemy to God. In Amos chapter eight we read a terrible accusation: Israel had bought poor people as slaves... buying them with silver and even for a pair of sandals. They had disregarded God's laws about saving leftover grain for the poor and the needy. Why would Israel dare to look forward to God's deliverance when they themselves had become an opponent to God's purpose? Like the fig tree, Israel wore the leaves of faith... but its fruit was all dried up.

When you play around with costumes and only pretend to be the people of God – what you get is God's "NO!" God's judgment and wrath. When God made his covenant with Abraham, and gave his laws to Moses, God's purpose was made very clear: God would use Israel to bless the nations – but instead, Israel adopted the same economic and spiritual practices as their neighbours. They disregarded the poor, the orphans and the widows; and they worshipped idols. If you want to make yourself an enemy of Yahweh... this is how you go about doing it.

It seems like this is the vision of God that inspired John the Baptist as well. When he spoke up against the Pharisees and Sadducees that were checking him out, he warned:
Mat 3:7-12 "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit worthy of repentance. Do not presume to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our ancestor'; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. "I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."

This was what John was expecting to meet when he encountered Jesus – a Messiah that would pour out God's wrath and judgement on Israel. But when Jesus does show up, what do we see? Jesus ate with sinners. Some of his aquaintances were prostitutes and tax collectors. Later in the story, after John was imprisoned, we hear that John sent his followers to check-in on Jesus; and to ask him if he was really the one they were to expect. When would Jesus get on with judgement? Instead, Jesus pointed out that the hungry were being fed, the poor were hearing good news, and the sick were being healed. How does this answer John's concerns? Somebody still had to punish wicked Israel, right?

Jesus' answer to John's question is very closely tied to Amos' prophecy. The reason Amos warned Israel about the 'day of the Lord' was because they were failing miserably at being a community of justice and righteousness. Remember the buying and selling of slaves for a pair of sandals? Israel had become an enemy of God – and so, they rightly should fear the 'day of the Lord', the day of judgment.

So why was John the Baptist confused about Jesus? Or, maybe a better question is: why didn't Jesus come and chop down the fruitless trees of Israel, like John said? I think it's because God's strategy was different than both Amos and John had in mind... They were right, on the one hand, God's people had become his enemies, and their sin would be judged. But what they missed was the way in which God would deal with this issue. Instead of coming down and burning people for not being what he called them to be; God's Messiah came among us and embodied God's vision of justice and righteousness. Jesus showed us the way.

Instead of chopping down the trees that weren't bearing fruit, Jesus was the fruit – the True Vine. Jesus offers us Living Water. Jesus is the way. In other words, Jesus, as fully human, stands in our place as the only one who could meet the requirements of justice & righteousness. In this way, we don't have to bear the consequences of being enemies of God. In fact, in Jesus Christ, you and I have become friends with God. In Jesus, our life has become one of justice and righteousness. Instead of being fruitless, like all the other fig trees in the orchard, you and I have been planted onto the Vine, that is Christ, and we bear fruit in Him.

In the terms that Karl Barth liked to use, 'In Jesus we come to see the transformation of God's "NO" into God's "YES" towards us'. Jesus is the place & person where God's wrath and judgment become God's mercy and forgiveness. As fully human in Jesus, God shows us true justice and righteousness – that's why it's a proof of his Lordship that the poor hear the good news, the sick are healed, and the blind are given sight... it means that the Kingdom of God is already breaking into our world.

I know that this is fairly heavy on the theological side – but there's a time for baby food, and then there's a time for steak. Both have their place. This morning we're eating at Texas Roadhouse – next time we'll go to Jasmine's Tea House.

Amos' words to Israel hinged on verse 24: "let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream". This was the condition of Israel's friendship with God. They were in a covenant with God – He would bless them and make them a blessing to the nations. The reality, though, was that Israel disregarded their worship of God and they looked out primarily for their own survival – even if that meant joining up with other kings and worshipping other gods.

The other passage that we heard earlier was the parable of the Ten Bridesmaids. I preached on this a while ago, but I wanted to bring this story in this morning. In this parable we see the difference between those who live a life of preparation and anticipation, and those who are distracted or self-focused. In the time of Amos, Israel had become like the five foolish women who had failed to keep their lamps at the ready. But with Jesus, offering forgiveness and mercy, and with him taking our place as the righteous One, why would Jesus tell this parable of judgement? After all, it is a parable of judgement and wrath for those who are unprepared? And then there's the story of the fig tree. In both of these stories there is severe judgement. The fig tree was cursed to barrenness, and the five foolish women are shut out of the party. Why does Jesus continue on this theme of Judgement?

It's important for us, as Christians, to remember that while Jesus is God's "YES" to us, Jesus is also God's "NO" to human sin and rebellion, and it has everything to do with how we relate to Jesus. God's mercy and forgiveness towards humanity is completely tied up with the covenant God made with Abraham – in other words, God still requires justice and righteousness. The thing is, this requirement is completely filled in Jesus Christ. When you or I do justice or act righteously... it is not in order to fulfill this requirement – that's already taken care of by Jesus. When you or I do justice and act righteously, it is to bear witness to Jesus, to participate in God's purpose... it involves us in the life of Jesus. It is part of the sanctifying work of Christ in us.

The real question is: how do you relate to Jesus? Do you live your life more like the five foolish women of the parable, or like the five wise ones? Is your life a life of anticipation or distraction? Knowing that God's Kingdom of justice and righteousness is just around the corner, that this is what God is up to, is your life anticipating this reality, getting ready for it, announcing it – or is your life largely a distraction from what God is trying to do among us? God's "NO"... God's judgement isn't aimed at whether or not you lead a perfect life... it's aimed at what your life says about who Jesus is! Does your life submit to Christ? Do you put your trust in Jesus? Do you anticipate his coming? Are your lamps filled with oil, or are you busy with something else?

This morning, you and I can celebrate that we've been given a heads up. We've been given a glimpse of what God's project is all about. We know that God's Kingdom is on its way. Jesus Christ is on His way – he won't wait forever. Knowing this, you and I can joyfully celebrate, being prepared for that day, anticipating it, and living a life that welcomes Jesus, just as Jesus welcomes us into His life with God. But our knowledge about Jesus is also a warning. Knowing what we know, we have no excuse for being like the foolish women in that parable. We have no excuse for living a life that is largely a distraction from the Kingdom of God. God's justice and holiness are right around the corner; his mercy and forgiveness are already soaking the pages of your life. God's ay of redemption is near! Do you want to stay up with me and wait for Jesus? Join me in checking our lamps to make sure they're full.

A few weeks from now we're going to celebrate baptism. Three of you have made the choice to prepare yourself for Jesus' return in this special way. You have made the choice to join the wise women with full lamps. You have recognized that Jesus has claimed you and planted you onto the vine... get ready to bear some fruit! Are there others here that want to join in making this declaration of faith? Talk to me after the service.

Some of you teach your children the stories of scripture, some of you teach other people's children the stories of the bible – giving them a biblical imagination & worldview. You know that a new world is on its way – the Kingdom is coming – and you want your children to know what to look for. Some of you are sharing your stuff and your money with those who need it; you realize that in God's coming Kingdom, sharing is going to be the norm... and you want to be on board with it now already. Your lamp is full. Some of you volunteer your time with MCC, or Union Gospel Mission, Siloam Mission or Winnipeg Harvest. You know that in God's Kingdom there is no hunger or thirst... and you want people to taste that reality now already. You are welcomed among the wise! Some of you just can't keep quiet about what Jesus has done for you, in your life; you tell everyone you meet about how you've been changed by His grace. The light of Christ shines through you so brightly, and we know that the wedding banquet will open its doors for you and those whom you have helped point to Jesus.

This morning, may your life get completely tangled up with the life of Jesus, and may the waters of his justice and righteousness flow out from your life... and get everything wet. Amen.

The courage to love!

2011-10-27T06:06:00.001-07:00

Sermon prepared for Sunday, October 23rd, 2011

Text: Acts 17:1-9; 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8

Two weeks ago I preached on the parable of the Great Wedding Banquet. In that parable, a great number of people decided that they had better things to do than to join the host at his party. I suggested that even today many people would rather not attend God's party. Why? Because they know the kind of God that we worship. They know that he invites the strangest of folks to his parties – the lame, the broken, the sinners, the outcasts and the poor. I ended my sermon on a lighter note, expressing thanks to God that he would invite strange folks to his banquet – because that means you and I can fit in. Yes, that's right, we're strange... but that'sok. "Strange" is the new cool! Just look at what the younger generations are wearing these days? If God invites the lame, the leper, and the blind... then I think our strange attire will be no problem. It's as if God doesn't worry too much about what we wear or look like on the outside.

This morning we're going to probe a little deeper. What does it mean to be invited to this table? What does it look like for Christians to live in anticipation of the coming Kingdom? Our scripture texts are about the group of Jesus followers in the city of Thessalonika. Paul and his ministry team sent this letter to the Thessalonians in approximately the year 50AD; about twenty years after Jesus ascended to heaven. In his letter to them, we sense Paul's passion, his care, and his love for these sisters and brothers in Christ. Paul was a man with courage, and a willingness to face death and persecution for sharing his love of Jesus; he was willing to die for his allegiance to the real King.

I will briefly sketch some of the historical details aqbout this city. First of all, Thessalonika was a major centre in the Greek world. And when the Roman Empire took over, this city was quickly rewarded with independance. This happened about forty years before Jesus was born. The city was allowed to exist as a free city state. This goes to show that the Romans respected the citizens of Thessalonika.

A few years after Jesus' death, the Roman Emperor Gaius Caligula ruled the Roman Empire for about four years. He was pretty full of himself. He demanded that people worship him as a God. In the last year of his life, Caligula made plans to set up a statue of himself in the temple in Jerusalem. Of course, the Jews were upset about this. But instead of carrying out his plan, Caligula was assasinated before he could pull of this horrible stunt.

During his years of rule, Christian faith experienced persecution and intimidation. Allegiance to the Roman Emperor was expected, and that allegiance required a willingness to worship and sacrifice to the Emperor and the Empire. This was part of the accusations brought against Jason and the other Christians in Thessalonika – namely, they were accused of treason, of having another King – his name was Jesus, not Caligula! This should give us reason to pause the next time we're tempted to judge someone for being unpatriotic – most of our earlier Christian brothers and sisters were persecuted for this.

This was also Paul's experience of persection when he first met-up with the folks in this city. His preaching had a great effect, and he persuaded some Jews and many Greeks to become followers of Jesus. When a person became a Christian, it was both a spiritual and a political transformation. When a person become a follower of Jesus, they switched allegiances; they're primary community was no longer the Roman world, but the Church. They worshipped Jesus as King – and this set them on a collision course with Caligula and the Roman establishment.

In the book of Acts we can read about this collision – about the challenges they faced. In his letter to the Thessalonians, Paul mentions these difficult moments. He also mentions the courage they had in proclaiming the gospel, despite the persecutions. Preparing for this sermon was exciting, because it was great to see how the history in Acts lines up with what we read about in Paul's letter.

If we scan over the story about the Thessalonian church, in the book of Acts, and if we examine this first letter to the Church in that city, we see a number of themes emerging. What kind of community do we find in Thessalonika? They were persecuted for their allegiance to Jesus. With Caligula's request – that people worship the Emperor – Christians were put in a tight spot. Christians wanted to respect the rulers of Rome, but sometimes rulers ask citizens to do things that Christians just can't agree to, because of their allegiance to Jesus. In Paul's time, it meant that Christians refused to worship Caesar. When does our allegiance to Jesus cause us to disobey our government today?

Another thing these Thessalonians struggled with is how to understand death in light of the gospel of resurrection. Since Jesus was raised from the dead, and we believe that death itself was put to death on that first Easter... then what to we make of this reality we live in, where we're still going to funerals all the time? The early Christian church struggled with this question; some claimed that the resurrection had already happened, and others claimed that there wouldn't be an actual physical resurrection – just a spiritual one to a mystical heaven. Nowadays we often avoid this issue altogether by just talking about heaven – but for Paul and the early Church, this presented a real problem. Have we given up on the good news of resurrection? Do we believe that we will be raised? How might that inform the way we live our lives in the face of all kinds of fear?

The Church in Thessalonika was made up of mostly Greeks, but there were some Jews that accepted that Jesus was their Messiah. The Jewish community has always had a presence in the city of Thessalonika, even up to this day. During the Nazi Halocaust, most of them were shipped off to a different place and killed; but a few survived and there is still a Jewish community there. But, as we read in Acts, it was mostly the Greeks that responded to Paul's message about Jesus. And it was some of the unconvinced Jews in the synagogue that stirred up a conflict for Paul and his fellow workers. But despite this persecution, Paul spoke to the people about Jesus – and the result was that the Spirit founded a Church in that city... and there has been a Christian witness in that city ever since.

After Paul and his fellow workers left Thessalonika, some rumours spread around that Paul had been lying to the community, tricking them about Jesus, and that he had been ripping them off financially. In the passage we heard earlier, Paul was defending himself against these accusations. He spoke of their time together, and how he courageously preached about Jesus, in spite of great opposition – or, as the Greek suggests, they preached the gospel right in the thick of the conflict, in the midst of great persecution. With the Jews against Paul, and with Caligula's officials breathing down his neck, Paul took courage and preached the gospel.

Without any persecution around us, here in southern Manitoba, you'd think all we'd hear is the gospel proclaimed and preached, lived and embodied 24/7... but what do I hear? What do you hear? What do you hear people speak about boldly and with courage? Sure, we have Christian radio, but what about the words on your lips? Or the conversations around town? What do you get most passionate about? Thoughts and opinions about hockey? Views about how our culture's going to pot? About the foolishness or the wisdom of the OccupyWallStreet movement? People are really bold about sharing their beliefs about all kinds of things. Are we courageously proclaiming the good news about Jesus? Are we boldly embodying the peace we have with God through Christ?

Paul writes that he and his fellow workers spoke up, with courage and boldness, about Jesus and God's good news. Can you think of someone, right now, who stands out to you as someone who speaks about the good news quite openly, with 'courage'? I just finished a book by one of my new favorite Christian authors, a young Mennonite scholar named Tripp York. He just wrote a book in which he interviews many Christians and non-Christians about their thoughts on Jesus and the Devil... and by non-Christians... I mean the strangest sort, including people claiming to be witches, satansists, wiccans, and even some Unitarian Universalists... The interviews he has with these folks are fascinating... and quite humorous. I admire the guy. In these chats, Tripp has a sharp sense of humor and a profound boldness in talking with these people about Jesus and the Devil. I imagine that it took a lot of courage for him to call up the local Pagan Club... "Hey, would you like to do an interview with a Christian theologian about Jesus and the Devil?"

Who are the courageous people you're thinking of? Why do you think they're as bold as they are? When do you find it easiest to speak about your faith to a neighbour or a stranger? I think it's when we face a challenging situation that we have the most courage. I think it's when there is a lot on the line that we step out most boldly. I could be wrong on this, but it seems to me that Christians step-up to the plate in creative and courageous ways when they face great challenges or even persecution. That's why I sometimes wonder if our faith, here in North America, is under an even more severe attack than anywhere else. Why? Our faith is waited on, hand and foot. We even get tax deductions for supporting the ministries of our church. The challenges and persecutions we face are few and far between; and so, our faith can become like a couch potato that never has to run a marathon.

But I don't think it's too late for us... not at all. It's not too late for us to meet some challenges... to face some persecution to prod us to be courageous. That's a good thing right? I think that if we take our cues from Paul and his relationship with the Christians in Thessalonika, we may find some opportunities to take courage. We might just face situations that will require boldness and endurance.

What was Paul's relationship like with the Thessalonian Christians? He loved them. He cared for them deeply. He says that he cared for them like a nurse would take care of a child, like a mother nursing her infant. What if this kind of love would fill our hearts for one another? What if it would spill-over, and fill the streets of Gretna, and the farmer's fields?

Paul says that he loved them so much that preaching the gospel to them wasn't enough, he even gave of his own self to them. What does that mean? Is this what it means to live out the love of Christ? To speak the good news, but to go even further than words? Isn't that what Jesus himself did when he came among us? Didn't he pour out his own self to those he met? He didn't just talk to people about the Kingdom of God. He wept with Mary and Martha when he came to Lazarus' tomb. He touched a man's eyes, to heal his blindness. He ate with Zacchaeus and his love turned that man's life around. Jesus sat with a woman at the well and told her about His Living Water.

Is that Living Water spilling over the edges in your life? This mornign I want us to take away two key points from Paul's message to the Thessalonians. First of all, we have important news to tell people – news about Jesus, that he died for our sins, and that God raised him from the dead and has given him the highest title – Jesus is Lord and Messiah. We need to share this news, this freedom, this promise. Talk about it. Cultivate some courage in our life and tell others about Jesus. Invite them to know him. You know what nickname they gave Paul? "Spermalogos" a sower of words... he just couldn't keep quiet about Jesus. Will we love our neighbours enough to tell them about God's redemption?

The second thing I want us to take away from Paul's message is that our love keeps growing. Our love for others fills up our hearts. I'm so glad to see many of you are growing in your love for others. Almost every week I come across another one of you conspiring, in some way, to express Christ's love to a neighbour... sometimes even an enemy. I see your love is growing and growing. Some of you are visiting the lonely and the shut-ins. Some of you are helping their neighbours with their chores, raking their leaves. Some of you spend time volunteering at the MCC stores in Altona. Praise be to God! The next step is for that love to make us burst! I'm serious. Paul writes that his love for the people swelled up, like the profound love a mother has when nursing her infant. This love in us is headed for a tsunami. It's to the point where talking about the gospel isn't even enough.

The love that you and I are a part of, in God's Kingdom, is a love that spills over; it gives of its very self. We give ourself away to our neighbours. Pour yourself out to others in love! Spill over your affections and your kindness to your neighbours! Do it without holding back. Make it a party. Invite others to join you. I know, this kind of boldness and courage is hard... especially when we're as comfortable as we are, here in southern Manitoba. We've got it made. It's easy just to sit back, coast, and warm a pew on Sunday mornings, and that's it. But I know your heart is itching for so much more. I know that the Kingdom of God has you in complete thrall. Jump out of the boat, with Peter, and join the revolution that took over the city of Thessalonika; a revolution that's still inspiring the folks in that city today. Share your faith, tell others of the gospel, and give of your very self – no holds barred.

This is what we're celebrating this morning. The party that God will throw at the end of time is already calling your name... Like a concert, where the doors open way ahead of time; the doors to God's party are open. Come on in, join the feast. The meal is about to begin, and we can have a great time now already, sharing our love, our kindness, and radical hospitality with everyone we meet. Let the world see who it is we belong to, by how we love one another. Amen!

Coming to the party?

2011-10-09T20:48:00.000-07:00

Sermon planned for Sunday, October 9th, 2011

Texts: Matthew 22:1-14; Isaiah 25:1-9

I invite you to join me in the book of Isaiah, chapter twenty five. This morning we're going to look at the bible's portrayal of God as one who loves to party. That's right, you heard me: God loves to party! But before we go any further, please join me in prayer:
Loving Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
we're here to have our eyes opened,
our ears unplugged.
In our worship we declare our allegiance to you, our King;
but our lives frequently suggest that we are enslaved to sin.
Are we free in Christ?
Then why are our hearts troubled,
and our minds clouded?
We turn to your Word, and trust in your Spirit,
knowing your transforming power to free us for discipleship and service.
For the only freedom we want is the freedom to worship and serve you, Jesus, our Lord and Saviour. Amen

The Word of God frees us. That's right, you and I are free in Jesus Christ. But what does that mean? What is the content of that freedom? What does it look like? The story that we have gathered to celebrate this morning is the story of a God who loves to throw party – and it's at this party that we come to fully see and experience freedom like never before! Still can't adjust to the idea that God loves parties? Maybe you were raised on the notion that God is all business and no play! Well, that's not my fault, and I'm definitely not gonna blame the bible for that! After all, God went to work six days, creating our world, and then he did what? He rested! He relaxed!

Not only does God like to take it easy once in a while – God loves celebrations; and since we're created in His image, God demands that His people learn how to loosen-up a bit, relax, rest, Sabbath... and party! God commanded the Israelites to keep a whole variety of 'feasts'; to eat, drink, dance, and sing! When Jesus ministered in Palestine, the gospel of John records that his very first miracle was when he turned water into wine. Just as the wedding celebration was coming to a halt, because they ran out of wine, Jesus came to the rescue and created the best and most potent wine of the party. Even further, in the gospel of John, we also read about five separate feasts that Jesus attended. And so you can see why rumours went around, about Jesus, that he liked to party.

But even more important than the feasts and weddings, the food and the wine, is the vision of the party that God is going to throw for us at the end of time. The image of the heavenly banquet is found both in the Old and New Testaments . This morning we're going to look at what this vision of the heavenly banquet can mean for us today, and how we live our lives.

But before we dig into Isaiah's prophecy, I want to quickly share with you a bit of my own experience with parties. In high school my classmates never invited me to their parties. I guess I wasn't popular enough. That's actually quite alright, though, for if my memory serves me these parties were mostly about getting drunk and laid – not the kind of thing a young Christian man should participate in anyways. It was when I went to Bible College that I was invited to my first ever 'party'.

It was then that I understood that what's more crucial than whether or not you ever go to a party is who you party with. The parties that I went to were with genuine Christian folks who would spend most of their evening discussing what we were learning in our Christian theology classes. We held people accountable when they were going offside. We shared in each other's joys, and wept with each other when things fell apart. But I've also been to parties where I later realized that those were not the kinds of people that I'd celebrate with ever again.

This morning we're going to learn about the kind of party that God's going to throw for us at the end – about the heavenly banquet. It's a party with the strangest kinds of folks you can imagine. God's party has the oddest house-rules you've ever heard of. The question at the end of it all, for us, is: do we dare to join God's party? Or, would you dare to miss out on it?

First of all, let's look at the prophecy of Isaiah, chapter twenty-five. The people of Israel led a miserable life, politically speaking. They were the chosen people of God, the creator of the heavens and the earth, yet their political existence was, and has been for most of history, a pathetic existence. They have been enslaved, killed-off by the millions, bullied around, tormented and teased. And so you wonder why the prophet's words begin with a word of worship and praise. Even when he was surrounded by his enemies, the prophet proclaimed his allegiance to Yahweh.

Why this note of trust? Because the prophet knows that nothing can happen to Israel, and nothing can save Israel unless it comes from the hand of God. The prophet then moves on to declare that God is going to set things right. The great rebellious city will become a heap of ruins. He's probably referring to Babylon; but ultimately the prophet is speaking of a much broader reality than the historical city of Babylon. He's talking about all of Creation that lives in active rebellion against God and His people. That's verse two. In verse three, the prophet goes back to describing God's protection over his people. Even in their exile and persecution, God has been there to offer shelter and refuge, a 'dry place' in the midst of the storm.

In verse six, the prophet describes the feast that God is going to provide for 'all peoples'. That's right, the prophet is talking about a party that everyone's invited to! Who? Well, just look at the one who's throwing the party. Verse 4 answers that question. Who's throwing the party? The same one who has been a refuge to the poor, a safe place for the needy. So who gets invited to the party is very much dependent on the one who does the inviting. Like I said earlier, it's not that relevant whether or not you like to party – but who you like to party with. When you party with Yahweh, its a much different scene then the parties I wasn't invited to in high-school – it's an entirely different crowd. With Yahweh, it's the least of these. Are you sure that's the kind of party you want to go to?

When will this heavenly banquet take place? The prophet doesn't give a date and time, but the timing is clear nonetheless – this will take place on the day of salvation. What will happen? God will prepare a feast for all peoples – a feast of rich food and of well-aged wines (the good stuff).

Verses 7-9 further clarify about the kind of party it will be – because it's not just about the food and drink... It's always primarily about the table fellowship. And what happens at the Lord's table fellowship? The shroud of mourning is destroyed. When people in those days would grieve or lament, they would often wear sackcloth and sit in ashes, and they would wear something over their heads... a mourning shroud.

In their exile, Israel was in mourning, grieving a broken relationship with God. This mourning was going to come to an end – that's the promise Isaiah held before the people. In other words, God's party is one in which the things that cause us grief are taken away – done away with, destroyed, resolved, reconciled. The prophet writes that God will wipe away every tear, even death itself will be put to death. God will be our comforter. Now that's a party!

I remember, on Mondays, hearing my high-school classmates talking about the parties they went to on the weekend. The things that the guys and the girls bragged about are not worth repeating. And to think that many Christian young adults get sucked into this kind of party lifestyle is disturbing; especially since there is a much better party that we're invited to be a part of. Another word for it is the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God plays an absolutely central role in Jesus' ministry.

If you listen to many Christian radio preachers explain the gospel you'd think that the very first thing that Jesus should have done, when he started his ministry, is that he should have started some personal relationships with people. In fact, Jesus did something quite a bit different. After his baptism and temptation in the wilderness, Jesus moved to Capernaum and from there he began his ministry, and he did it by proclaiming these words: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near!” Every relationship Jesus formed with people of his time, and every relationship that Jesus forms with us personally today, is a relationship formed in the context of this bigger picture: the Kingdom of God is just around the corner!!! Repent! Turn your life around and get yourself on board with the Kingdom of God!

Jesus taught the people, in a whole variety of ways – through parables, through sermons, and through works of power – that a new reality was breaking into this world. The Kingdom of God is near! Turn your life around and come along for the ride! We heard one of those parables earlier – the parable of the wedding banquet. Again we have another metaphor of celebration, a party.

But this time the purpose of the parable is to illustrate something crucial about this Kingdom party! Namely, there are those who are just itching to join God's party, and then there are those who are too busy, too bored, or too embarrassed to come. When they received the invitation to God's steak dinner, they “made light of it and went away”. Why would they do that? This parable doesn't say anything about that, but I wonder if it's partly because they know who's doing the inviting. They know that Yahweh invites the strangest of people to his party – the weak, the outcast, the stranger in town... he lets the last go first... he allows a young boy with fish and bread to provide the main course... Some people would rather not go to that kind of party.

Some would rather not go to a party hosted by the likes of Yahweh, whose economic policies included: setting slaves free, forgiving financial debts, and helping out widows and orphans. There are those who wouldn't be caught dead at Yahweh's parties; after all, Yahweh's policies on justice include visiting and releasing prisoners, overturning death-sentences, and forgiving and loving our enemies, turning the other cheek. The folks in Jesus' parable are just obeying their high-class prescriptions – and so they make light of the invitation. In the parable, these folks who refuse the King's invitation – well, lets just say they don't ever get to another party... With these fools out of the way, the King, in the parable, moves on to invite the real guests: all the 'regular folk'.

The King is insistent – the party must go on; and so, if the people originally invited don't want to party... others must come in and join the celebration. Unlike us, who would rather cancel a party than invite people off the streets, God's Kingdom is barrelling its way into our world and the party is coming, whether you and I are on board or not.

The peace and justice of God's Kingdom is on its way: are you running towards it or away from it? A time is coming where everyone will live in peace with each other, reconciled through Jesus – are you getting dressed for the occasion, or are you still wearing bitterness, refusing to forgive? A time is coming where everyone will have enough to eat and drink, and enough clothes to wear – are you still dancing to the beat of selfish consumerism, or are you learning the new steps of God's Jubilee? The party is coming, will you be there?

Now I have some good news for you this morning. There are free dance lessons for this coming Kingdom. There's stuff you can do now already to get prepared for that party, so you won't look too much like a goof; after all, the parable suggests you don't want to be caught without the proper gear. So how do you prepare? Well, Yahweh, our host, likes it when prisoners are comforted, visited. In the bulletin, you'll notice some contact information about how you can get your feet wet, for God's coming Kingdom party. Go visit some prisoners. Yahweh likes it when the hungry get their bellies filled. That bulletin insert also has some contact information about where you can go and get some practice feeding those who are hungry.

There's a whole bunch of things we can do now already to anticipate the Kingdom of God; the most crucial of which is that we, as a Church, gather as reconciled brothers and sisters. By getting together to give our praise and allegiance to Jesus, we are being a foretaste of the peace God has planned for all people on the day of salvation.

One of the main dance tracks, at God's parties, is a song where peace and justice kiss each other! The lyrics can be found in Psalm 85 - Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him, that glory may dwell in our land. 10 Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; justice and peace will kiss each other.” Do you know the melody by heart? Has the peace of Christ filled your heart? Are we unlearning the ugly dance of redemptive violence?

Today is thanksgiving, and there's so much to be thankful for in life. We can be thankful for the things that we have, for our families, or for health. But this morning we're also invited to give thanks and praise, like the prophet Isaiah, for the great thing that God is about to do. We are invited to give thanks and praise for the party that's just around the corner – a celebration where God's Will is done on earth as it is in heaven. You and I can celebrate, this morning, that God's Kingdom is already breaking-through into our world, cracking the hard-concrete of the old world and its value systems. We can celebrate when people forgive one another, because it anticipates the day when we will all be reconciled to one another in Christ. We can party, now already, when we see parents choosing to love their children because it's a foretaste of the Father's love for us.

May you learn the rhythm of God's grace and sing the melody of His Kingdom. May your words and your actions witness to the good news we've heard about Jesus – that he died and rose again! Tell your neighbours that God's party has more than enough room for them. After all, our God invites the strangest kinds of folks to his celebrations... a good thing too, that way you and I will fit right in. Amen.

Where are you from?

2011-09-25T12:48:00.001-07:00

Sermon planned for Sunday, September 25th, 2011

Texts: Matthew 21:23-32; Philippians 2:1-13

I invite you to open your bibles, with me, to the gospel of Matthew, chapter twenty-one. But before we get going I invite you to join me in prayer:
Loving Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
we’ve asked you, in song, to create in us clean hearts
we want you to transform us.
We want to be like the first child in Jesus’ parable,
a child that lives in obedience to Your call on our lives.
For this reason, we turn to Your Word.
We give you thanks and praise for setting us free by your Word,
by Your Son Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen.

Where are you from? No. I’m not asking you to tell me where you were born. I’m not asking about your nationality. I’m not interested in whether you’re from dit sied or yant sied. No. I want to know, where are you from? This is the question the chief priests and the elders of the people asked of Jesus. “By what authority are you doing these things and who gave you this authority?” Where are you from, and who sent you? Are you from this world? Did someone we know send you to confuse us? Or are you from another place? This morning we’re going to take a look at the authority of Jesus; and why it is important, for us today, to live under that authority.

When you think of the idea of authority, or when you hear the word, what comes to mind? Power? Influence? Government? Getting into trouble? Order? I heard a story, the other day, about something that happened on yant sied; a story about authority. When Peter Reimer was bishop in the Gruenthal area, many years ago, he would often be on the road visiting different congregations. One day, after a busy morning of visits and meetings, and no lunch, he arrived at a church potluck. It was late in the afternoon and Bishop Reimer was famished. As Peter moved down the serving line, he held out his plate to the woman serving chicken. She put a piece on his plate and turned to the next person in line.
“Excuse me,” Bishop Reimer said, “do you mind if I have another piece of chicken?”
“Sorry,” the woman told him. “I’m supposed to give one piece of chicken to each person.”
“But I’m starved,” the bishop said. “Sorry,” the woman said again. “Only one per person.” Bishop Peter Reimer was a modest and unassuming man, but he decided that this time he would throw a little weight around. “Do you know who I am?” he said. “I am the bishop of our church and I am in charge of this congregation.” A few moments passed. “Do you know who I am?” the woman said. “I’m the lady in charge of this chicken. Move along, reverend.” Conflicting authority. Who was really in charge? Was it Bishop Peter Reimer, or was it the woman serving chicken?

In the next few weeks we’ll be invited to cast our vote in the Provincial elections, to choose someone who will exercise some form of authority over us in the province of Manitoba. Last year we did the same for a national leader. Which leader would you give an extra piece of chicken at our Thanksgiving Day potluck (Oct 9th)? That’s a bad question – there’s always a ton of food at our potlucks, so make sure you come out for the party.

More seriously, we all live with various claims of authority on our lives. We have the authority of our government making a claim on us. We have the authority of our fellow brothers and sisters in Church, which we have submitted ourselves to. And then there’s the authority that parents have over their children. We have the authority of teachers in school. Police officers have the authority to enforce the law. In all of these cases, authority is a word that describes the power and the right to influence others.

In our passage from Matthew chapter twenty one, the chief priests and the elders of the people asked about Jesus’ authority. Where do you come from, Jesus? Who gave you the right to do these things? Now this question only makes sense if we take note of what happened prior to this. What “things” were these Jewish leaders referring to? What had Jesus done to get these leaders questioning his authority?

Of course you could include the whole list of activities that Jesus had done prior to this story. But I think the leaders were referring to what Jesus had done since he came to Jerusalem. Matthew chapter twenty-one begins with Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem, when he entered the city riding on a donkey. Do you remember the words that the people chanted when Jesus came riding into town? “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!” Where are you from? Who sent you? These chants provided the answer.

The next scene, in chapter twenty-one, is the account of Jesus cleaning out the temple; when he drove out all of the people who were buying and selling goods, and he overturned the tables of the bankers. These are the only two public appearances Jesus makes in this chapter. When the chief priests and the elders asked Jesus about his authority to do “these things”, they were, at the very least, referring to these two incidents – Jesus being welcomed as the Son of David, and then Jesus clearing out the temple. Why would these two incidents provoke questions about Jesus’ authority? Why not just go along with him?

There’s at least two reasons why Jesus’ actions might have provoked this question about his authority. First of all, there was a crowd of people in Jerusalem that hailed Jesus as the anointed Messiah, the Son of David. And yet one of the first things that Jesus did when he arrived in Jerusalem was to drive out the moneychangers from the temple; and then he did something very unique. Jesus let the blind and the lame into the house of God. How could he do that, and still be the Son of David? You see, in 2 Samuel 5:6-8 we read that King David didn’t allow the blind and the lame into the house of God – in fact, we read there that King David hated the blind and the lame. It doesn’t say why. So when the chief priests and the elders saw that Jesus was being welcomed as the Messiah but that he was doing something completely unorthodox – he was letting the blind and the lame come to him in the temple – well, Jesus was shaking things up. Jesus not only turned over the money-changers tables, he was turning over the entire temple-worldview. This holy place was now a place for the broken, not just the ceremonially clean and healthy. With this kind of unorthodox practice, the Jewish leaders had to know who gave Jesus the power and the authority to do these things.

The other reason that his actions provoked the Jewish leaders is that the chief priests and the elders were the authority for the Jewish folks in Jerusalem. Sure, there were the Romans, but for the faithful devout Jew, the only real authority laid with the temple leadership and the Rabbis. When some in the crowd proclaimed Jesus to be the Messiah, and when others were calling him a prophet, these religious elites felt threatened. They wanted to trap Jesus with this question about authority – to expose him as a self-promoted imposter. But like most of the traps set for Jesus, he spotted it a mile away and, like usual, was able to turn the trap back-on his opponents. Like a good Olympic wrestler, Jesus had a counter-move for every single trap set by those who wanted to pin him down.

"I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?" We know the reason why this question was a trap for the leaders – it was because they refused to heed John’s message, and yet the people whom they had authority over – the citizens of Jerusalem – loved John and his message. They accepted John’s authority on God’s Word. These leaders ignored John’s warnings and stood by as Herod had him murdered.

To hammer the point home even further, Jesus told a parable that was meant to further provoke the Jewish leaders.
A man with two sons told the older boy, 'Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.' The son answered, 'No, I won't go,' but later he changed his mind and went anyway. Then the father told the other son, 'You go,' and he said, 'Yes, sir, I will.' But he didn't go. "Which of the two obeyed his father?"
With this parable we come to understand the nuts and bolts of “authority”. Earlier I said that authority is the power or the right to influence others. This is precisely what we have in this parable. Which son obeyed his father’s authority? Which one rebelled against it?

Of course, this parable was meant to provoke the chief priests. The younger son symbolizes that part of the Jewish community that rejected John the Baptist’s message – and those who would later reject Jesus’ message. In other words, Israelites who rebel against God are like the son who heard his father’s command, and said that he would go and do it, but later chose not to be obedient. Then who is the first son like? The first son is like those who, at the beginning, were not part of God’s Kingdom, like the prostitutes and tax collectors, but when they heard John and Jesus’ message about the Kingdom, they repented and believed.

The crowds cheering for Jesus, when he arrived in Jerusalem on a donkey, they recognized his authority and they celebrated him as their King. Later, it would be the Gentiles that would hear the gospel and repent. This concerned the Jewish Christians of the early Church. How could those rebellious Gentiles enter into the Kingdom? Who has the power and the right to turn things upside down like that? Who is this Jesus?

The question about authority really becomes the question about identity. Where are you from, Jesus? Who sent you? The Christians in the city of Philippi received a letter from Paul. In that letter, which we heard earlier, Paul pens one of the most beautiful poems about the nature of Jesus. Those words give a beautiful answer to this question about Jesus’ origin. Where is Jesus from?
Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death-- even death on a cross. Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Where is Jesus from? God loved the world so much that he sent the Son. Jesus is from the Father. That’s the answer to the chief priest’s question about authority. But were they willing to hear it? Are we willing to hear it?

We’re like those chief priests in some ways. We’re wrapped-up in all other kinds of authority. We even take ourselves to be authorities on some things. When Jesus meets us and turns our world around, and upside-down, what do we do? When we hear about murderers and serial killers repenting of their ways and submitting their lives to Jesus, we ask how can this be? They weren’t supposed to be part of the kingdom. They don’t make the list of the righteous.

It’s a bit shocking to see the kinds of people who come to recognize the authority of Jesus Christ. I’ll bet you and I will be quite surprised by the kinds of people we’ll be eating with at the Lord’s Banquet table in God’s Kingdom. But it might also shock us at who, like the second son, was eager to proclaim Jesus but was unwilling to submit their lives to him in obedience. They say “Yes Jesus”, but don’t do what he asks of them. In other words, they don’t accept his authority.

Why? Because there are so many claims on us. There are so many who claim authority over us. On one day of the week, we like living under Jesus’ authority – we’ll forgive and love their enemies – or at least we say we will, and then the next day we’re tearing a person to pieces, either literally in war or with words at the coffee shop. We don’t recognize that when we give our allegiance to Jesus our Lord, all other allegiances and authorities fall far behind in tenth place. Some say that there are several spheres of authority, that on Sunday we are under the authority of Christ, but on Monday we are to serve our prime-minister and do what he asks of us. On Sunday we’ll listen to Jesus and His Word for us… but on Monday it’s dad’s way or the highway. On Sunday, we live as a community that seeks to speak the Truth; but on Monday we go to work for a boss that expects us to tell lies. On Sunday we learn about being a family of God’s love, but on Monday you have your mom or dad telling you that you’re no good, or worse!

There are plenty of powers that want to exert their authority over you. But aren’t we those who know better? Aren’t we those who have proclaimed, in baptism, that Jesus Christ is Lord and no other? I’m not calling us to live a life in seclusion from our world – but to recognize that as we live in the world… that’s not where we’re from or where we’re going. Where are you from? Are you from the Kingdom or from the world? Sure, we live in the world but we are part of a different community altogether – one whose origin is from God. Jesus himself created the Church – that’s where you and I are from, and that’s where we’re going. Jesus is our authority.

This morning I want to leave you with two words of encouragement and a challenge. I want to encourage you, as disciples, to boldly claim your identity in Jesus. You are not worthless. Quit believing the lies that our Enemy wants to cripple you with. Believe, instead, the good word that God has spoken about you in Jesus Christ. “You are my child, and I love you! I have an awesome plan for you! I want you as my partner in bringing light into your dark neighborhood!” Believe this Word! Why? Because the King of Kings has spoken and He speaks with authority!

Secondly, I want you to know that the powers that try to exert their authority over you, that try to divide your loyalty to Christ – these powers have already been exposed for the farce they are. The religious authorities put Jesus to death; they hung their own God on the cross on the charge of blasphemy!!! They are a farce! The political authorities, commissioned to create a just and ordered society – they couldn’t even recognize Truth when He was standing right in front of them. They are a farce!

The authorities that are telling us that if we send one more 18 year old to go and kill our enemies – that we’ll have peace – they don’t recognize that there has been one final sacrifice to make Peace – it was when God gave up his own boy and sent him to the battlefield to die on a cross. You don’t have to buy into their lies. Their Peace is not worth fighting for, not when you have the Prince of Peace ruling your life.

And finally, I want to challenge you. I want to challenge you to examine your life. Where, in your life, have you let these lies blind you? Which lies have you been deceived by – about who you are, and whose you are? How have you let the worldly authorities influence you? Who are you bending the knee to? Which peace are you waiting for? The peace of Caesar or the peace of God’s Kingdom? The riches of Wall Street, or the treasures of heaven?

I want to encourage you: know your identity in Christ and celebrate it; know that there is no King like our King Jesus; and give your life an overhaul – examine it closely. Will you be like the second son who said “Yes Jesus” but then went on his way; or will you be like the first son who turned from his old life and joined Jesus for the adventure of discipleship? Who are you? Where are you from? Amen.

Diversity & Welcome

2011-09-11T10:53:00.000-07:00

Sermon planned for Sunday, September 11th, 2011

Text: Romans 14:1-12

My brother and I used to fight like that all the time. We’d be fighting over toys, over the Coleco Vision or the Atari. We annoyed each other all the time. Do any of your siblings annoy you? What do you do about it? Do you ever get annoyed with the actions of someone in our congregation? Maybe it’s the noise level of all the children having a ‘good time’ during worship? Perhaps you’re offended that some come dressed far too casually for your liking. Does someone’s approach to parenting frustrate you? It’s not just children around a Christmas tree that find reasons to fight, or get annoyed. Children are not alone in being offended when someone doesn’t say something right, or when someone does something very differently than how you were raised.

Isn’t it a joy to be a family of faith with people so different than you? This morning we are celebrating Communion – we’re coming to the same table, as disciples of the same Lord. Among other things, one beautiful aspect of Communion is that it reminds us of what unites us – the Lordship of Jesus Christ and our trust in Him. Thankfully, this congregation isn’t a place where everyone shares the same approaches to parenting. It is a gift that not all of us love hymns, and that some prefer choruses. It’s something to celebrate that we have children who know how to sit still and others who find life far too exciting for stillness. It is a beautiful thing that some of us resonate more with conservative politics, and others with liberal politics; it just means that neither side has ownership over the politics of Jesus and His Kingdom.

At the Lord’s Table we are reminded that we are no social club, bound together by common interests. We are the members of Christ’s body, bound together by the name Jesus, and our response to that name. Our unity is a gift to us. Communion is when we remember the cost of that Unity, and we celebrate our calling in the waters of baptism. In those waters, we took a stand together with Jesus – Jesus is the One who unites us. With that unity among us, it relativizes all the little things, and some not so little things, that are different about us.

Last week we looked at the topic of accountability. We learned that the Church is a place in which we hold each other accountable. We rebuke sin in a context of loving vulnerability. This accountability works at the one-on-one, small-group as well as congregational levels. In the old order – the one left behind in the wake of Christ’s cross and resurrection – in the old order, sin was dealt with through punishment and even using the death penalty. However, in the new covenant, Jesus Christ has given us a new method for dealing with evil and sin. Throughout. It’s called accountability, where we patiently win our brothers and sisters back to the path of holiness.

In the passage we heard earlier, we read how Paul was telling the Christians in Rome how to get along despite some very serious differences. Here we read him telling Christians to not judge one another, because we are each individually accountable to God. Now this we like! Don’t stick your nose in my business! We all have to answer to God, so don’t judge me! Do Paul’s words in this passage contradict what Jesus taught his disciples about accountability and rebuking sin? That’s the question I want us to explore this morning.

Does Jesus’ teaching about accountability not eventually lead to a congregation of people constantly looking over each other’s shoulders, like those children in that video? Wouldn’t Paul’s advice be more conducive to a peaceful atmosphere, where people tolerate each other’s offensive habits?

It is crucial for us to notice the specific ‘offences’ Paul is speaking about in this passage. Jesus’ teachings about accountability would only apply if these offences were a matter of sin. The ‘Offences’ that Paul addressed in Romans 14 were about food and the Jewish Sabbath. The churches in Rome were some of the most diverse congregations in the Church at that time. On the one hand you had Jewish Christians who still practiced circumcision, abstained from unclean foods, and regularly attended the Sabbath services in the Jewish synagogues. They were Jews who had come to believe and trust that Jesus was God’s Messiah. On the other hand, there were Gentiles who had heard and believed the good news about Jesus as it was preached by Paul and other apostles. They looked different from the Jewish Christians. They would likely have spoken a variety of different languages, eaten different kinds of foods, laughed at different kinds of jokes and much more.

Two of the many ‘offences’ that kept popping-up related to the kinds of food people were eating, and about whether all Christians should keep the Jewish Sabbath and attend synagogue services. These were not small issues. They were emotional and divisive. The question facing this community of diverse Christians was whether these two issues were central matters of faith that required discipline and accountability, or whether they were peripheral matters, a diversity that could exist within the unity of the Church.

The issue of food had been dealt with by the early Church at a council in Jerusalem, and we can read about their deliberations in the book of Acts, in chapter fifteen. At Jerusalem, the binding decision was made that Gentile Christians didn’t need to follow Jewish food regulations – that they could eat foods that Jews couldn’t.

Scholars estimate that the Jerusalem council occurred in the year 50, and their best guess is that the letter to the Romans was written in the mid-50’s. This means that this decision about Gentiles eating unclean meat had already been in effect for about 4-6 years by the time Paul was writing to the Romans. Yet it seems that the issue about meat was divisive among the Greek and Jewish Christians. Just because a binding decision was made by many of the Christian leaders in one area didn’t mean that Christians in other places accepted that decision in their hearts. The same happens today all the time.

Nevertheless, Paul’s argument in Romans basically assumes that the decision made in Jerusalem was binding. What you eat doesn’t matter. Nothing you eat makes you unclean. Jesus had already said as much in Mark 7 when he said that nothing that enters your body from the outside makes you unclean – but it’s the stuff that comes out of you, from the inside, that makes you unclean – the filth from a dark heart & mind.

So if the meat issue wasn’t a sin, if it wasn’t a matter of accountability, then how did Paul teach his listeners to think about this issue? He told them to welcome one another. Welcome the person who is ‘weak’. By this Paul was referring to those Jewish Christians offended by Gentiles eating unclean foods. Welcome the ‘weak’ but not for the purpose of quarreling over opinions. You see, for Paul, these peripheral issues are not a matter of Truth… they are ‘opinions’. You and I are allowed to have different opinions on all kinds of things. Our unity is not a matter of opinions but of Lordship – we serve the same Lord Jesus. That’s not an opinion. That Jesus is Lord is a Truth that you and I celebrate and submit ourselves to.

The conflict in Rome also included the peripheral matter of celebrating the Jewish Sabbath. Should Gentile Christians have to come to the local synagogue and learn the Torah? This whole situation was possible, at that time, because Jews and Jewish Christians still got along in many places of the Roman empire. Paul and the other apostles still attended synagogues and went to the temple once in a while. Now, mind you, sometimes they were driven out because of their teachings, but not all the time. Early Jewish Christians still connected at the local synagogues, and were mostly tolerated by the Jews… after all, they were their brothers, sisters, cousins, etc…

Again, as with the eating of unclean foods, the practice of the Jewish Sabbath was not mandatory for Gentile Christians. In other words, it wasn’t a sin for a Gentile Christian to not attend the Jewish Sabbath activities. The crucial Christian practice was the celebration of the “Lord’s Day”, you could compare that to Sunday morning church services, where they gathered to worship Jesus, remember his death and resurrection, hear from scripture, and have communion together (‘break bread together’). This was enough for Gentile Christians, according to Paul. They didn’t need the synagogue on top of that.

These side matters were not an issue of sin, for Paul. They didn’t need to hold each other accountable for this. So if not accountability, then what do you do when you get terribly offended by someone’s actions in church? If someone sins against you, Jesus gives us clear instructions on what to do. But what if you get right ticked-off with someone, but its not because of sin, but because they do something that really bothers you? In this case, Paul says that we should welcome one another, but not for the sake of quarreling; not in order to convince the other person that they’re wrong.

There are some qualifications or criteria that Paul applies, which help us to think about these matters. First of all, in verse three, we read that we should not judge people who do these offensive things because God has welcomed them. We’re supposed to welcome people with different perspectives and practices because God has welcomed them. Secondly, it’s important to be fully convinced in your mind that what you’re doing is good in God’s eyes. If you’re doing something that you know bothers others why keep doing it? Unless you’re fully convinced that what you’re doing is good, then why not just stop it? The third qualification is that you should consider what you’re doing and if it honors and brings glory to God. If you’re doing or saying controversial things, ask yourself – how does this bring honor and glory to God? If it doesn’t, why be stubborn about something if it doesn’t build up the body of Christ? The last two criteria that Paul mentions is that our actions should display that we are living for Jesus and that our actions should submit to Christ’s Lordship.

How do all these criteria work in this lesson about being annoyed and offended? Paul explains that here are several things to consider when we’re offended by someone’s actions in the church. Think of them as a list of questions to ask yourself before you let someone else’s actions cause you to boil with anger. First of all, have you considered that God has welcomed them into the family of faith, just as he welcomed you into the faith, with all your weird and annoying habits and areas of stubbornness? Do you know whether this person is doing this out of ignorance, or whether they are fully convinced of what they’re doing – that it is the right thing to do? Could their action be bringing glory and honor to God in its own way, a way that might be difficult for you to understand? Is this action contrary to what it means to live for the Lord, to submit to Jesus’ Lordship? Or is it just contrary to your taste and preference?

At the communion table we receive the gift of our unity in Christ. It’s not something we manufacture by gathering as like-minded individuals. To put it bluntly, the only real thing we have in common here is that Jesus Christ is the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings. But this is precisely what’s beautiful about it – that we, who are so different from one another, have been reconciled into one body. We have been given a shared mission: to proclaim the good news about Jesus Christ to everyone we meet.

In conclusion: as a community gathered together by the Spirit, we’re going to get annoyed with each other… because we’re so different from one another. Can we commit to patience? The next time you’re offended by someone’s actions in church – remember that this person has the same welcome in this place as you. Nobody here owns the church. It doesn’t belong to you any more than it belongs to the wandering stranger who joins us for worship from off the street. The church belongs to Christ. The Church is the bride of Christ – and you and I have a spot here because of the wonderful grace of God and that alone. I sometimes say that it makes complete sense that each of us individual Christians would get annoyed at people in Church. People in church do all kinds of annoying things… and if we ourselves were the groom, we probably wouldn’t have chosen the church as our bride; I know I wouldn’t have. But Christ is the groom. Christ has chosen us – yes, even those annoying folks sitting over there. Christ sees each one of us, in our stubbornness, in our quirkiness, and he wants us as His bride.

That guy that annoyed you the other day, that guy has received God’s welcome. That parenting strategy you see every Sunday morning, that’s been bugging you for weeks already, those parents are following their heart’s conviction about how to raise their children for the Lord. Why not pray for them? Why not praise God that we have children in our congregation?

We ‘the annoyed’, we ‘the offended’… we are gathered at our Lord’s Table. By opening his arms to tax collectors, prostitutes, revolutionaries, and fishermen – Jesus gave us a glimpse of the Kingdom of God, where even people like you and me can find a place, when we trust in Jesus. Diversity in peripheral matters is something to welcome among us because it proves the expansive embrace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Bible’s vision of the coming Kingdom of God includes a vision of all the nations of our world coming to God’s mountain to learn His law… to hear God’s voice. This picture is one of people from every tongue, tribe and nation – and they’ll come to the mountain with their annoying habits, odd smells, weird customs, and disgusting food preferences. But what a beautiful day, when we finally understand and fully see ourselves, and when we will see one another, as God sees us. We’ll see, then, that our differences are gifts; not something to be offended at, but rather something to celebrate. We’ll finally understand what it means to be created in the image of God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit – the perfect picture of diversity in unity.

May you experience the expansive embrace of God; and may our fellowship be a foretaste of the day when all our differences will be seen as part of God’s beautiful plan. May you now already be given eyes to see those who are different from you, those whose habits annoy you, those who have offended you – may you be given eyes to see them as children welcomed into God’s family; a place where you are called ‘sister’ and ‘brother’. Amen.

Love, revisited

2011-09-04T14:29:00.001-07:00

Sermon planned for Sunday, September 4th, 2011

Texts: Romans 13:8-14; Mat 18:15-20

Please join me in prayer:
Transforming God, you come to us in expected and unexpected ways, desiring to be known yet remaining a mystery. Make your presence known among us. Confront us. Wrestle with us. Change us, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

We’ve taken our time, this summer, looking at the Fruit of the Spirit. Last week, we learned that Love is the central piece, and that self-control was like the steering wheel, moving us away from vices and towards love. This past week I was studying scripture passages that seemed to make these matters a bit more complex, and together with some of the conversations that I’ve been having with some other pastors and friends, I realized that we had to spend some more time thinking about love and what it means to be a loving community that worships a loving God.

It is no secret that the Mennonite Church, as well as churches across the denominational spectrum, are facing the issue of human sexuality as never before. In the many and various discussions on this topic, the constant question is: what does it mean to love and to be a community of love. Some would like to set-up these discussions in terms of a polarization between Truth and Love, suggesting that you either have to stand on the side of truth, or stand on the side of love. This suggests that a community must either stand with truth and uphold traditional doctrine, or take a stand for love and put people before doctrine.

These kinds of divisions always bother me. Is there such a thing as authentic love if it doesn’t speak the truth? And is there any point in having the truth if it is without love – because without love we are and have nothing. How does this thing play out at your home? Can parents afford to love their children without speaking to them with straightforwardness and truthfulness? What happens to children who are shown love, but without being told the truth about life? Isn’t it precisely at home that we learn it first – that truth and love are completely bound-up together? What about the parent who constantly shoves truth down their children’s throat… but with no regard for love? Where does this lead?

This past week I heard a story from a woman in our church. When her son was younger, his curiosity drove him to reach up for a red-hot oven element. Without taking any thought to her response, this mother slapped his hand out of the way – and she slapped it hard. So hard, in fact, that it left a visible mark. If you would have looked upon this scene from far away, or from outside the kitchen window, you would have guessed that Mother was abusive and unloving. But we all know that her instinctual slap was nothing other than an expression of love. Now some might argue that the real loving thing would be for Mother to let her son find out the hard way that oven elements are not to be touched… But no one could argue that her instinctive reaction was evil or a matter of abuse.

It reminds me of a story from my honeymoon – don’t worry, I checked with Karen before I wrote this one down. Karen and I went to the Dominican for our honeymoon – a beautiful country. One night, probably around two or three in the morning, I heard a yell. I woke up, looked towards the noise, and saw Karen staring into the open bathroom door, which already had the light on. Without hesitating I jumped out of bed, picked Karen up and threw her onto the bed, and charged into the washroom to ‘deal with the problem’. I didn’t know what I was about to face. A burglar? A murderer? A monster?... nope, it was a cockroach; a rather small one, but without Karen’s glasses on, it must have seemed huge to her. After that we both had a good laugh. There was no way I was going to let this small cockroach hurt Karen – not a chance… and so I threw it off the balcony.

That’s the risk that love takes. It doesn’t always look gentle. Sometimes it takes the shape of a mother slapping her son’s hand away from a hot oven element. Sometimes it takes the shape of a newly married man, tossing his wife out of the way as he charges towards imminent danger. Love takes different shapes depending on the context. That’s why the Love vs. Truth debate is a bad discussion right off the bat. It just doesn’t take real life seriously enough. Real life has situations in which love takes different shapes. But what about love in our congregation? What about love in the relationships in this sanctuary right now?

Can you name times, in our congregation’s life, where we have decided to play the Love vs. Truth game? Where we have chosen to ‘love’, but without speaking the Truth? Where does that leave us? What does that do to the nature of the relationships among us? Does it make them more loving, when we fail to speak the Truth in love? How about the other way around? Have we spoken out in truth, but without considering the tenderness of the love in our relationships? Have you spoken ‘the Truth’ into someone’s life in our congregation, without taking enough care to cultivate a relationship of vulnerable love, where such accountability actually works? These questions have everything to do with the relationship between love and gentleness.

How does gentleness apply to love? Is love always gentle? I think it helps to remember Cheryl Braun’s talk about gentleness a few weeks ago. She used a definition that really made a lot of sense to me. She said that gentleness is ‘power under control’. A love that is gentle isn’t a love without ‘teeth’… it isn’t a love without speaking the Truth. Gentle Love is one that is controlled in its approach. Even the mother who slapped her son’s hand away from danger showed a love under control – it was under the control of the instinct of love. If she had not been gentle, but brutal, she would have pushed her son’s hand onto the stove element to teach him the dangers of fire. But if she would have been passive, and merely redirected her son to some other activity, then he would probably not have learned that oven elements are very dangerous. Gentle love is both firm and controlled.

It is exactly this kind of gentle love that Jesus is getting at when he instructs his followers to rebuke each other’s sinful behavior in Matthew 18:15-20. I would like to read it for you now (it will be on the screen). This is a passage often quoted, in the Truth vs. Love debate, by those who argue that we need to take a stand on the side of Truth. We need to rebuke the sin in the lives of Christians around us. Those who want to take a stand on the side of Love, in this debate, are then forced to read this passage as one that denies gentle love… as though Jesus were asking us to be brutal in our rebuke of sin. And it doesn’t help that this is often how accountability gets practiced in the Church. Early Anabaptists saw this passage as a central teaching, without which the life of the Christian community would fall to pieces. In fact, it was their insistence on this kind of accountability that really set them apart from their Christian neighbors – just as much, if not even more, than the teaching about nonviolence or not swearing oaths.

Accountability, as Jesus teaches it in this passage, is a constant theme in my Catechism classes, because it is the main issue that’s at stake in church membership. When someone gets baptized in our community they make a promise to give and receive accountability – and this promise refers to the accountability that Jesus teaches in Matthew 18. When you think of the word Church membership – always include Jesus’ teaching about accountability in that concept – because that’s pretty much the nuts-and-bolts of membership.

Now for the hard question: are we a congregation that practices accountability? I would say mostly “no”… Now many of us may have accountability partners – but I don’t think it would be fair to say that this is a congregational thing. It just means that we have good Christian friends, which is absolutely critical. But most of us don’t feel enabled to speak into another church member’s life, about their brokenness or sin. And many of us would not take too kindly if a member of our church did that to us. Now I could be wrong on this, but I doubt it. And I don’t think we, here in our congregation, are at all unique in this regard. I think that, across the board, in Christian churches across Canada, accountability is a thing of the past. And for many, this is seen as a very good thing. Why?

When my grandparents still lived in Paraguay, they were farmers. With thirteen children, this was no easy task. It didn’t help that one of my aunts was severely mentally handicapped and needed to stay in a group home. Because of the constant droughts, farming wasn’t paying the bills, and most of my grandparent’s money went to the group home to take care of my aunt. Since the Mennonites lived in a Co-opperative system, each Farmer could only sell a certain quota and they were all supposed to sell their crops only to the Co-Op. Selling privately diminished the Co-Ops ability to bargain collectively for better deals.

When things became too desperate for my grandparents, my dad and my grandpa would take a wagon load of produce and, late at night, they would head-off to the Spanish markets and sell some privately so that they’d have enough money to feed their family. When it was eventually found-out that my grandpa was selling goods privately, many members in the Church community openly criticized him for undermining the community’s well-being. My grandpa’s transgression and the bitter responses in the church left the community broken, and my grandparents were isolated. They eventually moved to Canada.

My grandparents moved from a community where accountability was practiced regularly, but often unevenly and frequently without gentle love – a love that considers all the information before making judgments. When in Canada, my grandparents entered a culture and a church that had, for the most part, given up on accountability – unless you committed some really heinous sin. I wonder how they experienced this change? They entered a culture and congregation with very little in the way of close family connection – but at least they were left alone and weren’t harassed for trying to provide for their family. They had left a community where love, at times, felt more brutal than gentle; and they had entered a community that felt much more passive than gentle.

In my discussions at Catechsim, I have sometimes wondered whether I should stop teaching the importance of congregational accountability. Can the larger congregation be a place where we truly hold each other accountable? Shouldn’t we just give up on that doctrine and embrace individualism… just accept everybody and all their actions as part of loving hospitality? At times, I have taught youth that they should at least strive to have a smaller accountability group, since the congregation doesn’t seem to be a place that’s vulnerable enough to really bear your heart, your sin, and your baggage.

This week, after reading the passage from Matthew 18, I realized, once again, that this wasn’t an option at all. It’s not that we shouldn’t have small accountability groups – we definitely should. Each and every disciple should have a circle of support – people to whom you can share your struggle with sin, your joyful victories, and a place where you can deal with your ‘stuff’ – your baggage, your wounds & hurts. But Jesus assumes that small group, one-on-one and congregational accountability all have their place.

I now realize that I was being way too easy on the larger congregation when I thought that we, as a larger group, weren’t a vulnerable enough place to share our burdens and to rebuke sin. When Jesus teaches on accountability he assumes two things, among others: 1) he assumes that accountability involves small groups within the congregation as well as the larger community. In fact, the Greek word for Church (ekklesia) only shows up twice in the gospel, both in Matthew. The second time Jesus speaks about the Church, he’s speaking about accountability. And Jesus says that when small group accountability breaks down, then accountability becomes a matter for the larger congregation to work with. The Church is precisely the place where accountability is most needed.

The second assumption that Jesus had is just as crucial. He taught that accountability is needed when a brother or sister sins. Not when an acquaintance you barely know, who sits on the other end of the sanctuary from you sins…. No – when your brother or sister sins – the Greek word is adelphos – a family member. Jesus assumes that folks in the larger congregation are to share a familial love for each other. In other words, we as disciples in this congregation ought to be as close to each other as brothers and sisters are to one another. In fact, Jesus even redefines family completely when he teaches that it is those who do the Will of the Father in heaven who are truly His brothers and sisters, His mother and father. Was this just meant for him? We used to call each other Brother and Sister. What’s happened? Did we stop using those words when we no longer felt close to each other? Or did we grow more distant when we stopped naming each other as family?

Paul’s discussion of love in Romans 12 & 13 ends with a sense of urgency:
“you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; 12 the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; 13 let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.”

The world needs a picture of Gentle Love so that it can know God who is gentle and loving. The Church is called to be a living foretaste, for the world, of the loving kindness of God. We can’t afford to follow those, like Fred Phelps and the Westboro Baptist Church, who testify to a God who hates everybody that sins. And we can’t afford to avoid talking about sin, thinking that any path leads to God – when it is clearly only the path of confession and repentance, in and through Jesus Christ, that leads to God.

So what about love in this congregation? What shape does it take? Are we a close family, such that you can welcome accountability, where you can rebuke sin precisely because people are vulnerable with each other? How do we foster that kind of gentle love? Early Christians had something called a ‘Love Feast’. When their pagan neighbors heard about it they were confused or disgusted – why would people who were ‘brothers and sisters’ get together for a ‘Love Feast’? But when it became clear to the surrounding culture that these Love Feasts were a party where people shared in each other’s struggles, helping each other, rebuking each other, struggling together towards holiness and justice… when people eventually saw this part of their witness… well, the Church grew like wildfire.

You know what time it is… you know the urgency… you know that salvation is near to us now… and that the world needs a witness to true community and true gentle love. So let’s try that age old practice – let’s try “Love Feasts”. Why not have folks over at your house for lunch or supper, folks that you barely know? Why not give the world a picture of love that can speak truth in love? Why not give the rest of our churches a witness that you don’t have to choose between Love and Truth?

This morning I have a three-part challenge for you – homework if you will – to help grow a deeper sense of family care and vulnerability in our congregation. It’s my 3-2-1 plan. I challenge you all, before Christmas, to invite three people or couples from church over for a visit, lunch or supper – and make sure its people whom you haven’t ever had over before. And move past talking about the weather… and open up. Ask what you can pray for each other for. That’s #3 in my 3-2-1 challenge. #2 is that you choose two people/couples, in our congregation, as specific people whom you will pray for every week. Find out what they need prayer for, leave an encouragement card for them, etc… and #1 in my 3-2-1 challenge is that you take one further step closer to this community of faith. Volunteer as a youth sponsor. Join catechism class this year to rediscover the basics of the faith. Commit to covenanted accountable membership with our congregation. Share your testimony in church sometime. Volunteer to lead worship or song lead, or start/join a small group. That’s the challenge I want to leave before you this morning – Three ‘Love Feast’ Visits, Two Prayer Pals, and One step deeper into Church community. May you all grow together in love; to grow as a witness to Jesus, our King and Friend.

Self-Control

2011-08-28T13:41:00.001-07:00

Sermon planned for Sunday, August 28th 2011

Texts: Galatians 5:13-26; Titus 2:1-14

We’ve had a great summer – and this is the last Sunday of August… already! We’ve looked at the Fruit of the Spirit this summer. How has your garden been growing? What situations this summer have called for your patience? Who has challenged you to display kindness & gentleness? Is there joy in your heart? Have you been generous in some situation?

The Fruit of the Spirit grow in us because the Holy Spirit is at work in us. In what areas of your heart has the Spirit been at work this past week? Can you name some missed opportunities, where God gave you a chance to grow, but you walked by? Our Christian journey is all about being honest with ourselves. On the one hand, we make all kinds of mistakes, we fall to temptation, we struggle with this or that sin; and yet, we are new creations in Jesus Christ. His Spirit is making us new.

In the next part of my sermon I want to briefly look at how early Christians would have understood temperance and self-discipline, and how that would be different from the people around them in the Greek culture. My goal is to then help us understand Self-Control – both its moral and spiritual nature – and also learn some practical tips on how to become more self-controlled.

Self-Control is a habit & spiritual gift which strengthens a person to govern their natural appetites for pleasures of the senses by the rule of reason and faith. In other words, self-control is the steering wheel of the Christian’s moral activity. Greek philosophers and teachers spent a lot of time thinking about Temperance and Discipline. When Paul was writing to the Galatians, and when he was writing about the Fruit of the Spirit, its safe for us to assume that he had some training in Greek thought and moral philosophy. In fact, if you compare Paul’s letter to the Romans and Plato’s Republic you could make an argument that Paul was writing specifically to offer an alternative to Plato’s philosophical worldview. Plato argued that human reason could bring about a righteous and just society – if you spend your time thinking about goodness and virtue, this will strengthen & enable you to choose the good. Living the virtues will become a habit. For Paul, human reason is fallen. Humanity needs help from outside of itself. We need a ‘new Adam’ to overcome the brokenness left behind by the ‘old Adam’. This can happen only through the gift of grace. It is this gift of grace that repairs human society – and the Holy Spirit is transforming the Church as a prototype of this Kingdom society.

In short, the difference between Greek Philosophy and Paul’s theology is that Paul saw a deep need in the human soul – and that need could only be addressed by the God who created us. But despite the difference, there are also many similarities in how Paul and the Greeks understood Self-Control. The Greeks used the language of ‘virtue’, whereas Paul used the metaphor of Fruit; but both of these were meant to point at a person’s ability to act righteously in a given situation. For Paul, a person’s ability to act rightly is deeply connected to the Holy Spirit’s work in their life – that’s the big difference in my opinion. But both Paul and the Greeks saw Self-Control as a special virtue or Fruit.

Self-Control is an English word translated from the Greek “enkrateia” and “sophrosune”, both of which speak to this issue of being able to govern your moral actions well. Another way of looking at Self-Control is that it is the moral quality of someone who masters their desires and passions, especially the sensual passions. This would be a very Greek way of putting it, but it’s definitely in scripture too – just think of all the talk about living by the Spirit rather than living by the flesh. But Self-Control is a bit different than the other Fruit of the Spirit – it’s different than love, joy, peace, etc… It’s more like an umbrella concept.

Self-Control, like an umbrella, is a Fruit that holds all the other Fruit under it. Or at least this is how the Greeks understood it. Self-Control is the umbrella that keeps all the other Fruit in their proper order, especially when the storms of temptation come. The Greeks understood the human life as divided into three basic primal drives, needs or desires. According to the Greeks that Paul would have been familiar with, every person was faced with these three main drives. The first was the drive to survive as an individual human. Every person wants to survive – every person has a drive to eat and to drink.

The second drive that faces humans is connected to our life in community. When we find ourselves surrounded by others we are faced with the other basic human drive: the drive to survive as a human community. This social drive is deeply connected to our bodily desire for sex and the need for procreation. These first two drives were understood to be the most basic and also the most powerful.

The final drive that we deal with, according to the Greeks, is the drive to comfort and well-being. This is a secondary drive – not absolutely necessary – but it is a drive nonetheless. In fact, most of us talk about comforts as things we need, including running water, one or two vehicles, several pairs of shoes, numerous articles of clothing, etc… From the ancient Greek perspective, these are the basic three drives that we all face – they bring out the best and the worst in us. As an umbrella concept, Self-Control wasn’t specifically designed for just one of these areas – instead, self-control was the over-arching virtue that would keep these drives in check.

Self-Control would be the habit that would respond whenever you faced a temptation in one of these areas. If people considered you to be self-controlled, it meant that you would eat the right amount of food, you wouldn’t get drunk, you’d be faithful to your spouse and not live a life of unbridled lust, and you would live a life of simplicity and modesty – not wasting money on all kinds of junk.

Self-Control was understood as the virtue that would put the other virtues to good use. If you faced an opportunity to over-eat or get drunk, a self-controlled person would express the virtue of abstinence. You would abstain from eating too much or getting drunk. When faced by an opportunity to commit adultery or to join a sexual orgy, the self-controlled Greek would express the virtue of chastity and would be sexually intimate with their appropriate partner. (Now mind you, the Greek culture had different views of who an appropriate partner was than the Christian perspective of that time) Similarly, if you had extra money and were passing through the marketplace, the self-controlled person would apply the virtue of modesty and they would resist buying stuff they didn’t need. They would dress modestly and speak simply rather than trying to impress others with extravagant speeches.

In this way, Self-Control was like the steering wheel of a ship that would guide a person through tricky moral situations by applying the right virtue at the right time and to the right amount. If you were at war, Self-Control would keep you from applying too much courage – otherwise you’d become foolish. It would keep you from applying too little courage – or you’d be a coward. Self-Control was all about knowing how, when, and how much of a virtue to practice in a given situation.

When Paul wrote down his understanding of God’s Kingdom, and how God’s righteousness works in the Christian’s life, he worked with some of the same concepts that he found in Greek philosophy. But he changed some things too. Some of the changes were small, and others were crucial. In several of his letters, Paul would give a list of virtues and in his letter to the Christians in Galatia, he spoke of them through the metaphor of Fruit – the Fruit of the Spirit.

One major difference, for Paul, is that the virtue of love is the most important of all of them. Without love we have nothing. Love is the key; and so, in his list of Fruit it comes first. That’s the way you write a sentence in Greek. No matter what the structure of your sentence, or where the verbs are, it’s the first word in a sentence or list that you want to pay most attention to. But this doesn’t mean that “self-control” is unimportant for Paul because it’s at the end – not at all. In the passage we heard from Titus, we heard Paul emphasizing Self-Control four times in the space of fourteen verses. Self-Control and discipline were crucial for Paul. In his favourite sports metaphor, Paul wrote that Christians should be self-controlled like an athlete.

In my opinion, the reason Paul puts Self-Control at the end of his list is to put a bracket around this list of Fruit. Love is first because its most important – and Self-Control is on the other end of the list because it follows up on all of these other virtues. For Paul, Self-Control is part of what it means to carry any of the Fruit. Cultivating the Fruit of the Spirit is all about rejecting a life according to the flesh. You either live in the Spirit or by the Flesh – because, for Paul, these two things have nothing to do with each other.

Just a few verses earlier, Paul commanded the Galatians: “16 Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other…” Flesh and Spirit are like the poles on a magnet – they do not meet. In my understanding, for Paul, Self-Control is the buffer zone between the Fruit of the Spirit and the vices that want to take over – you could say that Self-Control is the Round-Up that keeps the weeds out of the garden.

Another way you could put it is that Self-Control is like a boat; a boat that carries the other Fruit in it – keeps them dry from the waters of moral filth. Without Self-Control, the filthy habits will sink the ship. Recently, I read a news story that pointed out that there are an increasing amount of fatalities of people who are pet-owners of large tigers. It is a known fact that the older a tiger gets the more likely the tiger will revert back to its wild instincts. The older it gets, the more you look like a steak. The thing is, a young Tiger kitten is so cute. You see it, you want it, you want to pet it – right? It’s so cuddly and so you let it into your home and heart. The problem is – this kitten wasn’t meant to be tamed. It will grow into something quite dangerous and wild. And that’s what it is like for us to let filthy habits into our home and heart.

That’s what it is like to let lust come into our heart – it starts out as a kitten – a lasting gaze here, an innocent flirtation there – but that kitten is meant to grow and it will grow. And it kills you and your marriage. The same goes with anger or violence. That’s why Jesus forbids even anger towards our brother and sister – he knows that the kitten will grow into a ferocious tiger. An angry thought grows into Cain taking his brother Abel out onto the field and killing him with his own two hands. Which kittens are you welcoming into your home? Is there a leak in your boat? Is the water getting in?

Paul began his talk about life in the Spirit with a discussion about freedom. We were called to freedom, brothers and sisters, just don’t use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence. Use self-control. Keep the weeds out of your garden. Remember the children looking at that tasty marshmallow. How many times have you found yourself in a similar situation? I know I have. You face a temptation and you know it will be so good when you taste it. But Samuel Coleridge was right when he penned the famous quote: “How like herrings and onions our vices are in the morning after we have committed them.” When we bite into the marshmallow, what we end up getting is a mouthful of salty fish and onions. That’s what it is like when we succumb to temptation. The shiny brilliance of temptation turns into the sour bitterness of addiction, guilt and shame.

So how do we grow more self-controlled? How do we shore up our boat so that the filthy waters of sin don’t come sweeping in? There’s a whole variety of strategies that we, as Christians, need to add to our arsenal against temptation. But the first and most important of all of them is opening ourselves to the activity of God’s Spirit in our life. That’s the key difference between Paul’s view of the moral life and the view held by Greek philosophers. For the Greeks, its all about human effort and forming virtuous habits. This is crucial, but it is missing something important. The human soul and body is sick. It is evidenced by the way we fall apart both physically and emotionally. The Old Adam’s nature still clings to us, as Christians – and we experience the result of that sin… our bodies, our relationships fall apart.

It’s not enough to say that we can pull ourselves out of this mess by our own bootstraps, as the Greeks want it. Human history includes enough examples of failure. In theological terms, we call this the depravity of man. In Paul’s words – all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. But Paul points out the truth that in Jesus there is a new possibility. He lived a life of purity, self-control, love, joy, patience, etc… He is our kind and gentle shepherd. When I told my professor that Christians don’t seem to get better with age he told me I was exactly right – they don’t get better with age… people get better with Christ. With him there is a new possibility that opens up. Christ’s Spirit opens up a new hope. It puts a crack in the old shell that kept us enslaved to sin. Now, as Paul tells us, we are called to be enslaved to one another through love not sin.

But Jesus partners with us in pulling out the weeds in our heart. It’s not magic hocus pocus. Christ’s Spirit partners with us in growing love, joy and peace. Cultivating Self-Control begins by opening ourselves to the work of God’s Spirit – it means that we spend time with God in prayer, in silence, in worship and study. But we also cultivate Self-Control through practices that discipline our heart, mind and body. For example, I go to the gym in an effort to discipline my body. Some people fast on a regular basis as a way of aligning their body with their hearts desire – to be focused on God alone.

Another way of cultivating self-control is by being brutally honest about your weaknesses and most challenging temptations. When you know your weaknesses then you can battle against them. A key way to do this is to avoid the situations that tempt you. Is it the internet? Find some way of becoming accountable in this area. If you’re in a dating relationship, maybe the temptation is physical intimacy – why not avoid being in places with your girlfriend where things will go further? I’ve sometimes said that if you absolutely have to kiss your girlfriend – do it in public… public displays of affection may be awkward… but private displays of affection can be dangerous. God didn’t design us to get the motor running and then to turn it off just like that. Are you tempted to be greedy? Do you spend most of your week worried about money? I encourage you to find someone you can be accountable to with how you spend your money – so that money doesn’t become your master.

To close, I want to quickly summarize. Paul’s approach to the Fruit of Self-Control, and all the other Virtues, is that he puts God’s Spirit right at the heart of it all – because they are Fruits of the Spirit. Take time, this coming week – set aside twenty minutes a day – and take time to pray, to be silent before God, to invite the Spirit’s activity in your heart. But the Spirit’s work in our heart and life is a partnership. We need to practice disciplines that will shape our heart to be loving, joyful, kind, etc… Why not volunteer somewhere? Our youth program is looking for more youth mentors. What about setting up a car-pool to go and do prison visitation – I’d join in a heartbeat. What about a weekly time of fasting, where you discipline your heart and body to focus on Jesus for a larger chunk of time? Our hearts and bodies require regular practices and disciplines in order to cultivate the Fruit – and to grow in Self-Control.

May the Spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ guide each one of you; and may Jesus our Lord continue the revolution in your heart that is transforming you into a witness of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control. Amen.

Faithfulness

2011-08-23T07:44:00.000-07:00

Sermon planned for Sunday, August 14th, 2011

Texts: Galatians 5:22; Matthew 25:14-30

Love, Peace, Joy, Patience, Kindness, and Goodness – how’s the orchard coming? What’s come up in the past few weeks that has prodded you in these areas? Has something or someone tested your patience? Is there a situation that has challenged you to show kindness? Did Laverne’s sermon last week provoke you to act generously in some way? Or maybe you were tested in one of these areas and you missed your chance. Perhaps someone offended you and you repaid them with insult; or you saw someone who could have used a kind word but you passed them by.

When we talk about the Spirit cultivating these fruits in us, we’re talking about situations that God allows us to be in – situations in which our love, peace and joy is tested; opportunities to display patience and kindness. Cultivating the fruit of the Spirit is not magic hocus pocus that happens just like that; it is the Spirit leading you into and through situations that will sharpen your character. And still, in each situation we can choose to be sharpened or we can run the opposite way. I think we know this. That’s maybe why we rarely pray for God to give us the fruit of the Spirit; because, deep down, we know that this means we will face challenging situations in which we will have to choose to act patiently, joyfully, lovingly, peacefully, etc… We know that if we pray for peace, we may face difficult conflict in which to practice peace. That’s why its easier to pray for things we want; for things to be easier for us; for the load to be lighter; our bodies to be healthier; our wallets to be fatter; our children to be successful. What if some of these very challenges we want to pray our way out of – what if God has allowed us to experience these precisely because he wants to grow, in us, the fruit of the Spirit?

This morning we’re looking at faithfulness. Faithfulness means fidelity. A faithful person is someone who can be relied upon; it’s a person who does what they say they will do; it’s a person who adheres to the spoken, and sometimes unspoken, expectations in a given relationship. A faithful person will not go behind someone’s back, trick, gossip, or cheat someone in a business deal. A faithful person’s actions are in line with their promises and their values.

The outline for our sermon series this summer was adapted from a series prepared by a sister congregation in Winnipeg. The outline suggested The Parable of the Talents as a passage to help us understand the fruit of faithfulness. As I studied this passage again I realized how complex a story this is. It begins with a man owning three slaves. As he departs on his journey, he gives them each a certain sum of money, depending on their ability or qualifications. The most qualified is given 5 talents, the next 2, and the least qualified is given one talent. After the master leaves, the first two slaves invest this money and make a profit, while the last slave stores the money in a hiding place. When the master returns, the first two are rewarded for their efforts, while the last one is thrown into the other darkness – a place resembling Gehenna or hell.

The obvious connection between this Parable and the fruit of Faithfulness is the failure of the last slave to perform as well as the first two slaves. He was not faithful to his master. That’s the simple way of reading the story. We’ve heard the story so many times that we might find it difficult to consider a different understanding. And so, I want to examine this story in relation to a few others that might shed some more light on the topic of faithfulness. In what way is the Parable of the Talents about faithfulness? Was the last slave really being unfaithful, or was the master, perhaps, expecting too much? Is it unfaithful to guard your master’s property?

We’re told that the master gave out the talents according to who was most able or most qualified. Why would there be such a huge punishment for a slave that was considered the least qualified? Why not give him a mentor, or put him in an apprenticeship program? I know, it’s a Parable, and I’m reading too much into it; but I’m not the only one. Many years ago – although not as long as you’d think – the Parable of the Talents was used by White Christians to keep their black slaves in line, and to guilt them into being productive slaves for the sake of their Christian faith. A slave-owner would tell this story, or a pastor would preach it, in order to encourage the slaves to be like the first two slaves in the story. Even worse, some slave-owners would use this passage as a justification towards violence against their slaves who wouldn’t perform as they wanted. (“at least I’m not throwing you into hell… I’m just beating you a little) This Parable has a history, and not always a good one. You may have heard a Christian employer use it as a way of putting moral pressure on employees to perform. If it has a lesson for us about faithfulness this morning, it’s only because God’s Spirit continues to speak in new ways that surprise us.

The first story that I want to contrast this with is the story of Abraham nearly sacrificing his son Isaac. We find this story in Genesis chapter twenty-two. In Paul’s pastoral letter to Timothy we read that Abraham was a man of faith. Nowhere was his faithfulness tested more sharply than when God told him to sacrifice his son on a mountain in the land of Moriah. Why was this a test of faithfulness? Because he was asked to obey God, to be loyal to God, above all other loyalties; even above his commitment to family. Abraham was deemed faithful because he was willing to sacrifice his own son Isaac in his loyalty to God. He was given clear instructions – he followed each of them right down to the last letter. He was faithful.

If you compare this story to Jesus’ parable of the master and his slaves, you quickly see a fairly important difference. The master didn’t give his slaves any instructions. The slave did not get into trouble for disobeying instructions, or for any kind of disobedience. The slave was sent to hell for not following his best guess on what his master’s expectations were. Put yourself in his shoes – you’re given money but absolutely no instructions about what to do with it. Are you going to invest it into the stock market? What if I put it this way – God gives you all the things you have – your money, your time, your strength; how much of it have you invested in growing the Kingdom? A tenth? A third? A hundredth? How much have you spent on your own wants, never mind your needs, or the needs of the poor? And yet we think the slave who hid the money is a bad guy? He gave the master 100% of what was given to him, yet he gets a bad rap. Do we even give 10%? The slave wasn’t given instructions – not like Abraham, who was told exactly what to do with his son Isaac.

The second story that I want to contrast with the Parable of the Talents is the story of King Solomon. When God approached Solomon, offering anything to him that his heart desired, what did he ask for? In 2 Chronicles chapter one, we read Solomon’s response: “Give me now wisdom and knowledge to go out and come before this people…” The bible tells us, at least fourteen times, that King Solomon was a wise man – and he was. His wisdom was tested, tried, and true. But what happened!?!?

In 1 Kings chapter eleven we can read thirteen verses about the failure of King Solomon. Although he was the wisest man of his time, King Solomon failed! He was a failure. His legacy was the dissolution of his father’s kingdom. What was his failure? In an attempt to consolidate power and to gain political alliances, and perhaps for other carnal reasons, King Solomon married hundreds of women. We read that he was married to seven hundred princesses and that he had three hundred concubines. The author of 1 Kings doesn’t really point this out as an especially bad thing – the real issue that God has with Solomon is that he began to worship other gods. Solomon’s wives slowly wore down his faithfulness/allegiance to Yahweh. Soon he was worshipping Astarte, goddess of the Sidonians and Milcom of the Ammonites; he built an altar of worship to Chemosh, god of the Moabites, and another to Molech, also of the Ammonites. He burnt incense to these foreign gods. For this reason, God promised to tear the kingdom away from Solomon and give it to someone else. In his mercy, God spared one of the tribes, for the sake of David, who was faithful.

The thing about asking God for wisdom is that God will give you ample opportunities to use it, challenges to overcome and grow in wisdom. Solomon asked for wisdom, but soon he was choosing foolishness. The very situations that God allowed him to be in, in order to sharpen his wisdom, Solomon chose to exploit these situations for his own gain. Solomon received everything he asked for from God – he wanted this treasure of wisdom; yet he completely spoiled it. You could say that he downgraded his credit with God (no longer a triple-A rating, he misused the treasure that God gave him. He devalued the spiritual inheritance that was given to him by David. He may have initially increased the financial value of the kingdom – he was unbelievably rich – but his disobedience ruined it all.

If you think of the slave from Jesus’ parable of the talents, this man didn’t ask for anything. He didn’t ask for that talent; not like Solomon, who asked for wisdom and then spoiled it. The slave was given a talent to work with. It wasn’t requested. He kept that talent and gave it back to his master – and for this he was punished. King Solomon, on the other hand, asked God for wisdom, then spoiled it – yet he is still called the wisest King of all Israel. How do you figure? Solomon downgraded the value of the kingdom, and it fell to pieces after him, yet people still cheer him on as a wise king. This lowly unqualified slave gives his master exactly what was given to him, and yet he gets thrown into hell. Who’s faithful? Who is the wise one? Isn’t faithfulness precisely when we are consistent? Isn’t it precisely when we act justly? Wasn’t the slave giving back precisely what he was given? Doesn’t that count as justice in our society, when you receive what is owed to you? Is this parable really promoting usury, or the practice of charging interest – where a person gets back more than they deserve?

As our capitalist systems and global economic partnerships continue to groan and creak, I hear heated words about where things are going. There are a lot of fears about what will happen if our economies crumble – and that’s understandable. Believe it or not, but this Parable of the Talents has been used by Christians to say that capitalism is God’s preferred economic policy – because of the way it glorifies profit. Or does it?

What if this parable can only make real sense if it’s read in its biblical context. Immediately preceding this parable we read the Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids. This parable is about always being ready for the coming of Jesus. It provokes us to live of life that always pays attention to God’s mission that we’ve been invited into; to always tend to our lamps and keep them brightly lit. Following the parable of the talents, Jesus speaks to his listeners about the final day of judgement. (read Matthew 25:31-46)

With these two pieces surrounding the Parable of the Talents, it should be clear that its real message could not possibly support black slavery, a story to keep your employees subservient/in-line, or a passage to ideologically support capitalism. In fact, in the judgment that will come, the Son of Man will ask how the poor have been treated, how the hungry have been fed, the homeless sheltered, the naked clothed, and the imprisoned visited. In God’s economic policy, justice & peace are the bottom line – not profit. This parable of the talents is a message about being faithful while we wait for our Master to return. It’s not about supporting the worship of profit – it’s about being faithful to God whose heart is for the poor and the outcast. The King that we are waiting for, like the 10 Bridesmaids, is a King who commanded a man to sell all his possessions and give it to the poor. He is a King who proclaimed the Year of Jubilee, the forgiveness of financial debts, and his earliest followers were convinced that to follow him meant that you had to share your stuff so that no-one lived in need.

What does faithfulness mean in all of this? If we ask God to increase our faithfulness, what will he do? What situations will God allow us to find ourselves in? What about situations where our faith will be increased? Do you want to face those situations? Would we be better off just praying for what we want, rather than what we should want? To be sure, God welcomes all of our prayers – even the prayer of that pastor who prayed at a Nascar race, thanking God for racing cars and his ‘smoking hot wife’. But I would argue that the language of our prayers displays what’s going on in our hearts. Do we long for more patience? Do we pray for more joy and faith? Or do we just pray for an easy life? Perhaps God allows us to experience difficulty for a very specific reason? Perhaps it’s an opportunity for us to prayerfully grow in the fruit of the Spirit.

In 2 Corinthians chapter twelve we read Paul speaking about his ‘thorn in the flesh’ a ‘messenger from Satan sent to torment him’. Nowhere does Paul explain in detail what he’s talking about. He experienced some kind of affliction or trial and it bothered him. The way Paul interpreted it was that God let this happen for two reasons: to keep him from being too self-focused or full-of-himself; secondly, it was given to him in order to show that God’s grace was enough, that weakness in God is actually more powerful than anything else.

In the parable of the talents, faithful servants are rewarded and unfaithful servants are cast into the outer darkness. Is that how things really go? Do good things happen to good people and bad things to bad people? Or is life more complex than that? Is life not often a bit more like Paul’s situation, where decent people experience great difficulty?

What does it mean to be faithful in situations of difficulty? Can we see, in them, an opportunity to grow? Are we willing to face the tests that will grow these fruits in us, tests like those faced by Abraham, Solomon, the master’s slaves & Paul? While Abraham and Paul remained faithful during their tests, Solomon and the slave buckled under their test. In the Lord’s Prayer we ask God to not lead us into the time of trial? And, to be sure, God does not tempt us – but He does let us encounter challenging situations. And is it not exactly in some of these moments of trial that we grow in some of the most profound ways? Is it not when our patience is tested to the extreme that we actually learn true patience? Is it not when our kindness is pushed to its limits that we finally understand the real kindness of God’s heart towards us? Is it not when your own children rebel in uncontrollable ways that you finally understand the heart of God towards us, His rebellious children?

As we pray for God to bless us, to heal us, to comfort us – let us also risk another prayer: that God would grow in us the fruit of the Spirit; in other words, let us pray that we will not forsake God in times of difficulty.Let us pray that we will be victorious in these moments and be strengthened in love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, patience, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. Let us be victorious, like Abraham and Paul, who remained faithful, as we wait for our master to return. Amen.

Kindness

2011-08-13T20:51:00.000-07:00

Sermon planned for Sunday, July 31st, 2011

Texts: Galatians 5:22-23; 2 Samuel 9:1-13

In the past couple of weeks we’ve been exploring the Fruit of the Spirit. Have these qualities been growing in your heart and in your life? This year, Karen and I have planted another garden, making it the third time since we moved to Gretna. Each summer our garden has grown and become more fruitful. The weeds try to make a dent in our garden, but the greens that we’ve planted don’t give the weeds much of a chance. Is this how the fruit of the Spirit works in your life? Are they so bountiful that there’s barely any room for weeds? Is there so much patience, joy and kindness in your heart and home that vices like selfishness and greed find no rest? This summer we’ve been focusing on what it means to cultivate love, joy, peace and patience – and we still have several others to look at. This morning we’re looking at Kindness.

The plants that grow in a garden are dependent on a variety of things – but most importantly, they are dependent on the seed that is planted. Without a seed, nothing happens – nothing could happen. Once you have seed in the ground you have potential. With the Fruit of the Spirit there is a similar dynamic. The Spirit’s activity in us cultivates love, joy, peace, patience and kindness.

And so the most important question we face is the question about the presence of the Living God – the Holy Spirit. Is the Spirit present in your life? Has the seed been put in the soil, or are we still waiting for God’s springtime?

The gospel – the good news is that YES! God’s springtime has arrived, and the seed has been planted – in fact we’re well on our way to the day of Harvest. The prophet Joel foretold that one day God would pour out His Spirit on all flesh. In fact, seven weeks ago we celebrated Pentecost, when God poured out His Spirit onto the believers gathered in Jerusalem almost two thousand years ago. There, it was said, in Peter’s sermon, that Joel’s prophetic word had been fulfilled. God’s Spirit lives in us. If you believe and trust Jesus Christ, and claim His Lordship – this is precisely because the Holy Spirit has been active in your heart – for Paul writes, in 1 Corinthians 12:3, that no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit.

In other words, if you’re here to worship God through His Son Jesus Christ – if that’s you, then the Spirit of the Lord is upon You. The seed has been planted in the soil. The potential for a full harvest is there. But there are other dynamics involved; other things that go on in our life that shape how well that seed flourishes in our garden. This morning, in dealing with Kindness, I want us to examine the garden of our hearts: is kindness flourishing, or are the weeds of cruelty & bitterness taking over? If God’s kindness lives in us by His Spirit, are we making room for that Kindness to grow deeper into our hearts – or are we cultivating the weeds instead?

King David was a man who had a lifelong struggle with his garden of faith. As a young man, David was shown kindness by Saul when he was given the honour to serve the king with his harp. You see, King Saul had David play music for him as entertainment. But this kindness was short-lived. One day, as David was playing his harp for the king, Saul took a spear and threw it at David, in an effort to kill him. Saul had realized that David was much more popular than he was. His jealousy provoked Saul to destroy David. In return for this cruel treatment, David showed kindness to the king, and to the king’s son Jonathan. David’s life was filled with this kind of turbulence. Some of the same people who showed him kindness would later turn on him. His own son Absalom would seek to destroy him.

In our own life, we also come across folks that show us kindness one minute, and cruelty the next. Sometimes this cruelty is intentional, and sometimes it’s the result of how easily we lie to ourselves about our intentions towards others. Maybe you thought you were doing someone a favour when, in fact, your actions hurt them. Or perhaps you wanted to say something comforting but, because of your ignorance about the situation, your words made things worse than before. Kindness and cruelty are often closely mixed – like the few weeds that survive in the middle of my cucumber patch. This happens to us, and we do it to others.

But then, every once in a while, you come across someone who’s kindness leaves a lasting impression. For David, this was Jonathan – a close friend, a helper when David was in trouble. Jonathan stuck beside David even when Jonathan’s father, King Saul, hunted David with his whole arsenal. Jonathan gave David a pure picture of Kindness and friendship – and much later in David’s journey, this memory of his friend would change his life.

Can you name someone who has left a lasting impression on you because of their kindness? For me it is a man named Reuben. I met Reuben just over a year ago. He’s the neighbour to one of our friends; and, one day when we were at our friends for a supper meal, Reuben and his family joined us. As the evening went along, and we got to know each other, Reuben found out that I was a rookie Hunter. Without hesitating, Reuben invited me to join him on a hunting trip in the fall – that I could tag along. For those of you who don’t know, that’s kind of a big deal for hunters. If you have a good spot – it’s actually quite rare for a hunter to invite someone along because it’s hard to find good places to hunt where you have permission from the landowners. After just an hour or two of conversation, Reuben extended this gesture of kindness – he invited me to join him on a hunting trip out west.

Months later, on a day in Fall, I got a phone call from Reuben. He had remembered our conversation over supper in the summer, and he asked me if I was still up for joining him on a hunting trip. He had also invited three other fellows to join us – and so, one early Saturday morning, the five of us drove out to Cartwright, Manitoba.

Reuben didn’t have to do that. He could have kept that place all to himself. Instead, he opened up his weekend for four guys – and I still felt as though I barely knew him. Luckily, I was able to sit in his truck on the way to the land, and had a great conversation. Getting to know him better, I found out that Reuben was a genuinely Kind man. Have you experienced this kind of extra kindness? How does that make you feel?

Out of all the friendships we encounter in scripture, it’s David’s friendship with Jonathan that stands out the most, in my books. Their relationship went deep and their love for one another was profound. In scripture we read that Jonathan loved David as much as his own soul, and that Jonathan made a covenant with David, a promise to protect him. Jonathan was a perfect example of kindness to David, willing to risk his own life, and his relationship with his own father, who was desperately trying to kill David. Jonathan was an example of what Jesus talked about when he said that “no one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” Jonathan’s kindness had a huge impact on David, and this act of kindness would stay with David the rest of his life.

The seed of kindness had been planted; but would it grow? After David had become king, many things changed – and not all for the better. The kind and gentle young man, who ran to protect lambs from the ferocious bear or lion, was now the man who ferociously pursued Bathsheba, was now the man who sent Bathsheba’s husband, Uriah, to his death so that he could have Bathsheba all to himself. The kindness that had been given to David had been lost. Would he ever get it back again? There’s this huge conflict in our hearts, isn’t there? We meet people like Jonathan, like my friend Reuben, and we experience profound kindness and care – but it doesn’t rub-off on us like it should.

After we arrived at the land, by Cartwright, Reuben and the four of us guests all scattered off into the woods to hunt white-tailed deer. I remember the cool temperature and the powdery snow that I easily pushed through with my old winter boots. By the end of the day, my feet were nearly frozen. At around 11am I saw my first deer that day and minutes later, Reuben was mentoring me on how to properly field-dress my first deer; a young buck. After we finished, Reuben started carrying the deer out of the bush for me – I told him that I would do it, but he gladly insisted that he wanted to do this for me. Imagine that! Carrying a deer out of the bush is no easy feat, especially when there’s a lot of hills and valleys, covered in snow and dense bush. Several times I told him that I would take the deer, but again and again he insisted that he carry it to the truck, which was parked out on the field by the edge of the forest. Reuben’s kindness towards me was one of the clearest expressions of Christian love that I’ve ever experienced. I barely knew the guy, yet he served me as though he were my closest brother and friend.

As I prepared this sermon I was faced with a haunting question: had Reuben’s kindness towards me rubbed-off at all? Had the fruit of the Spirit in his life had any effect on my heart? I’d like to think it has – but I think it would be best to let my friends and others around me give you a verdict on that one. I wonder how easy it is for my heart to deceive me – to convince me that I’m acting with good intentions. I do know that I like to reminisce about that hunting trip. I enjoy remembering the feeling of shooting my very first deer; but even more than that, it gives me joy to remember the day I spent with Reuben. I haven’t spent much time with him since – our schedules and our paths don’t meet up that often. But that day with Reuben continues to inspire me, even as I’m haunted by the sneaking suspicion that I haven’t learned all the lessons that I need to from that day.

Years after Jonathan showed kindness to David, and years after David showed his ferocious cruelty to Bathsheba and Uriah, David was confronted with an opportunity to redeem himself. In his later years, King David sought out any relatives of Saul and Jonathan. David wanted to know if there was still someone remaining from the house of Saul. Why? For what purpose? David wanted to show them the kindness of God. Mephibosheth, the son of David’s best friend Jonathan, came to meet David. Mephibosheth was a crippled man, being lame in both his feet. In those days, Mephibosheth would have been looked down upon by his peers on account of his disability; but David didn’t let that stop him. Instead, David made a covenant with Mephibosheth – that he could come and always enjoy a place at David’s table. Not only that, David also restored all of Saul’s inheritance, giving it to Mephibosheth. David had become the hero of Micah’s prophecy – David did justice to Saul and Jonathan’s legacy, and he finally returned the kindness that had been shown to him.

The prophet Micah wrote: O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? David acted justly towards the house of Saul and Jonathan, he displayed his love of kindness. What changed for David? Part of the answer, I think, is found in David’s prayer of confession and repentance. After David acted cruelly towards Bathsheba and her husband Uriah – after he had an affair with her – David was confronted by the prophet Nathan who spoke out against David’s sin. So many kings and leaders of our world fail to heed the voice of God’s prophets – they fail to heed God’s wisdom – but David chose to listen. He heard Nathan – and God’s words of judgement turned David to repentance.

Let’s read David’s prayer of confession and repentance together in Psalm 51 (HWB 818). In Galatians we read that kindness and goodness are the fruit of the Spirit; if that’s the case, what happened to David? What was the source of his new-found kindness? By his actions towards Mephibosheth, we can tell that his prayer of repentance was sincere. When he asked God to give him a new and right spirit, God accomplished that, and more! The kindness that God had planted in David’s heart – through Jonathan’s friendship – had now grown into a fruitful garden. But it took confession and repentance. It took David opening himself to the gift of the Spirit that God had made present in his life.

Brothers and sisters – like David, you and I have experienced both kindness and cruelty from the hands of those around us, and we have each also given both kindness and cruelty. Our gardens all have some weeds growing in them; but people like Jonathan and my friend Reuben are great examples for us – examples of what happens when you let the Spirit hold the reigns in your life; they are examples of what happens when you confess and repent from your sin, and turn to God. What happens? You begin to see the fruit of kindness take over – and the weeds won’t stand a chance!

May the garden of your heart be in tune with the Spirit of God at work in you. May you cultivate the seed of kindness that God has planted in you – whether that be through the kindness of a friend or neighbour. May their kindness ‘rub-off’ on you. And may you be encouraged, by folks like Jonathan and Reuben; and may you know that the fruit of God’s kindness can take over in your life. You can let go of bitterness. You can get rid of cruelty in your attitude and practice. You can do this because of what the Holy Spirit is doing in you. Welcome the Spirit’s work, celebrate it, and provoke one another to live a Spirit-filled life. Please join me in prayer:

Spirit of the Living God, descend upon us. Break us, mould us and fill us. Cultivate in us the kindness that you have made visible in the lives of Your saints. We give you thanks for the gifts of kindness we receive from you, and from those that you have sent into our lives. We are encouraged by their love and care. Clean our hearts from all malice, anger, hatred and cruelty. Instead, give us Your Spirit and make us instruments of your kindness in our world and in our neighbourhood. We ask for these things in the name of Jesus Christ, our kind Lord, Amen.

Come, taste and see!

2011-07-24T23:47:00.000-07:00

Sermon planned for Gretna Hot Spot service on Sunday, July 17th, 2011

Texts: Isaiah 55:1-11

It’s great to be together here, as a community and church family. I always look forward to this service for the Hot Spot festival – the breeze is nice and the fellowship and temperature are always warm.

A few months back, the worship committee decided that we would use this summer’s DVBS theme as the theme for this Hot Spot service. The theme is entitled “Taste and See (that) God is good”. Basically, the idea behind the theme is that the children at DVBS explore the many ways that God used food to be present to his people in the stories of scripture. And so there’s the story of the manna in the desert, when God saved his people from starvation by sending down manna and birds for their nourishment. There’s the story of the prophet Elijah who told the widow at Zarephath to use up the last bit of oil and flour in order to make bread for him – and God provided a miracle so that the jug of oil never dried up. There are numerous stories that exhibit how God provides for his people, and part of that provision is food for the hungry. The high-point of this theme is the story of Jesus’ last supper with his disciples, where he explains to them that He is the Living Bread and that He himself will sustain us. The broader theme is that we come to God and put our trust in Him – He provides the good food, the thirst-quenching water.

This is the metaphor that the prophet Isaiah was working with when he gave his prophecy to the Israelites living in exile. Chapter fifty-five comes at the end of the second part of the collection of three books in Isaiah. This second-part of Isaiah’s prophecy is directed at the Israelites living in the Babylonian exile, and it emphasized the promise of God’s deliverance. God was going to get his people out of Babylon and bring them back home. In this respect, chapter fifty-five is a kind of climax in this story. It finishes with a promise that the people will go out with joy and be led forth in peace – God’s favor will accompany His people for good. That’s how our passage fits into the whole book of Isaiah. Perhaps this background info isn’t that interesting to you, but it helps set the stage for what the prophet is trying to do in the passage we read earlier.

The prophet used the imagery of the marketplace in his work. “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters!” This was a common advertisement in the local marketplace in the Middle-East at that time. If you were a traveler, in those days, you’d come into a new town or city and go straight to the market to replenish your supplies. If you lived in that city, the market would be a common-place where people gathered to talk, hear news from afar, and to purchase goods. The local philosophers, politicians and prophets would spend their time in discussion and debate, and the women would be busy buying and selling goods. The market place was the place to be – a bit like ‘The Forks’ in Winnipeg. One of the goods that was bought and sold was water and food. In dryer regions, clean drinking water was a scarce commodity, as it is even today in many parts of the world. There would be people at the marketplace shouting out: “Come, and drink! Come, get your water here!” This is the imagery that the prophet was using to relay his message. He was telling Israel “Come and gather ‘round – come and get your water and food… come even if you don’t have money, buy water and food, milk and wine, but without any cost!”

Israel lived in this foreign land that had become quite comfortable for them. In fact, the prophet Jeremiah had instructed the Israelites to make their home in Babylon; to establish themselves, to make peace and seek the peace of the cities they had been exiled to. In other words, this exile is not just a short detour for God’s people – they were supposed to learn what it meant to live among the nations for the long-haul; while still remaining a set-apart people of God’s blessing. This is what we as Christians mean when we say that we’re called to live ‘in the world, but not of the world’. By using this imagery of the marketplace, the prophet knew that it would bring to mind this tension that they were called to live-in.

The marketplace was a place of exchange – an exchange of ideas, religious worldviews, political perspectives, economic practices. The prophet placed the voice of Yahweh smack dab in the middle of this pluralistic context, and that voice was calling God’s people to come to His table, to buy water and food under His tent. It was the prophet’s clear way of saying: return to Yahweh, and forsake the false goods/gods of your Babylonian neighbors. In terms of Jeremiah’s call, God’s people had forgotten that they were in exile. They saw Babylon as home. They adopted the religious philosophies of their contemporaries. They practiced economy like the Babylonians. They practiced the sexual habits of that culture. The prophet could only speak up and call his people to repent. Come and get the good food from God’s table – it’s even free.

For many, the exile into Babylon had meant that the God of the Israelites had been overcome by the gods of Babylon. In other words, the defeat of political Israel meant that the gods of the pagans were obviously more powerful. When they were taken into exile, many of God’s people switched allegiances. It’s easy for us, from the outside, to look down on these people in scorn, thinking: “how could they abandon God who helped them through the Exodus?” But the prophet doesn’t make much of a moral difference between those who abandon worship of God and those who begin to practice the ways of Babylon. If the Israelites left behind the ways of God, they might as well leave God behind. When they put their trust into Babylon’s system – it’s economy, it’s moral imagination, its understanding of justice – it was as if they were walking straight past God’s table and eating at the table of the pagan gods. For those who turned their backs on God, the prophets had a clear message: It wasn’t God’s powerlessness that caused the exile and the destruction of political Israel. God allowed this to occur because the people had abandoned the covenant that God had made with Abraham.

The Babylonian victory was the result of God allowing them to take His people captive. This is what we hear from the prophets. And so, the answer to Israelite powerlessness in exile is not to turn to other gods, but rather to return to Yahweh in obedience and worship. The prophet’s invitation: “Come and get some free food and drink” is coupled with several commands. Come and drink – and seek God, forsake your sinful ways, and turn to the Lord. But before people can hear this call to repent, they have to understand that the ‘goods of Babylon’ are in fact not good at all.

In verse two the prophet asks, “Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?” Why do you eat from Babylon’s table when it’s food fails to nourish? In exile, God’s people bought-into the lie that the politics, the economy, the sexual morality, and the general worldview of Babylon – that these things were good and wise. But the prophet exposed the lie: this isn’t true bread, this picture doesn’t satisfy does it? The way you practice economy, does it satisfy? The way you’ve bought into the sexual mores of Babylonian society – does it really fulfill your deepest desires? The prophet hits the nail on the head – Babylon doesn’t deliver on its promises – it can’t.

But that’s exactly where Yahweh comes through! “Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, your soul will delight in the richest fair!” The prophet reminds the exiles of the goodness of God’s covenant, the beauty of his law, the justice of God’s economic policy. The prophet gives voice to the faithfulness of God who, unlike the gods of Babylon, promises His steadfast kindness and mercy. “I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David.” The loyalty that God showed to the house of David is now also the loyalty that God promises to all of His people. Instead of the fickle love of the Babylonian gods, who required the blood of infants to appease their thirst, Yahweh’s love is a gift that doesn’t stop. The question is: will Israel choose Yahweh’s goods? Will they return to God? Will they come to his table and quench their thirst in His love? God’s free grace, and his invitation, is open to all who hunger and thirst. Are we thirsty?

The most thirsty that I’ve ever been was in July 1999. I had joined the North Kildonan youth group on their trip to the youth assembly in St. Louis. In addition to many great worship gatherings and fascinating discussions and sessions, we were assigned to several different teams that went out and did service projects. The group that I was assigned to was asked to help clean up all the debris, trash and other kinds of junk in this ‘rough’ neighborhood. Almost every building had a gang symbol graffitied to it, and there were plenty of used needles and condoms that we saw and left behind – we weren’t equipped to dispose of those kinds of dangerous materials. From my memory, this neighborhood made Winnipeg’s North-End seem like Sesame Street.

The thing that I remember most about this service event was that it was very hot that day. In fact, later that day the local news reported that two people in St. Louis had died of heat stroke. After about an hour of picking up trash in the neighborhood we were told to take a water break. When we saw the van pull-up, and we knew that they had water bottles in the back, we ran towards it. About forty youth and adults ran down this back-alley in this ‘rough’ neighborhood – and I wonder what some of the people of St. Louis were thinking. Is there a fight? A riot? Nope – we were running full-tilt to get something to quench our thirst. A strange thing happened. Several people from the neighborhood came out of their houses and walked up to us and the van, asking us who we were and what we were up to. We told them about our youth assembly, the service event, and that we were followers of Jesus. They liked that, and they asked if they could also join us for our water break.

I wonder if this is what the prophet Isaiah envisioned for God’s people. What if they ran full-tilt to God’s table and quenched their thirst with His goodness, with his economy, with his holiness, with his justice? What would the neighbors think then? Would they come out of their houses and ask – what are these Jews up to? What are these people doing, forgiving each other’s financial debts? Living lives of sexual purity and holiness? What are these people doing, loving their enemies? Can we join the party? Can we join the water break?

God gave the prophet a vision of a time when people would swarm around God’s table, seeking the things that truly satisfy. He received a vision of all kinds of people streaming to Israel, to hear of it’s God, and to Taste and See that God is good. What time and what place do we live in now, here in Canada, in southern Manitoba? Have we made our home here, or are we, like Israel, living in exile? Are we awaiting another home? At whose table are we filling our cups? Are we drinking deeply from the well of God’s restoring mercy? Or are we purchasing the wares of Babylon?

The question the prophet Isaiah leaves with us this morning is: do the wares of Babylon really satisfy you? Is it’s water the real thing? Does it’s food hit the spot? Or is there something missing? Is the economy that we’ve bought into, here in Canada, one that brings deep joy to your heart? Is the fast-paced, me-first, greed-based system we have doing the trick? Or are you hungry for real food – the justice of God’s jubilee economy of sharing – where one boy’s lunch of fish and bread is made into a feast for thousands? Where sharing is the norm? Is the goal of self-fulfillment, which is so highly praised in our culture, really all that its cracked up to be? Is self-actualization as deeply fulfilling as the commercials promise? Or are you hungry for more? For the true Body of Christ? Are you thirsty for a community that bears each other’s burdens with gentleness and love? Examine your life? Examine your economic practices? Examine your hearts and your body’s desires? Is Babylon doing it for you? Is it quenching your thirst?

What if, as God’s people, we were running full-tilt toward God’s banquet table? What if we entered God’s feast with an unstoppable joy? What if organizing weekend holidays posed a real dilemma for us, because worship was our deepest desire, and praising God in community our most profound passion? What if forgiveness and mercy were the first thing on our hearts when we were offended? What if the food of God’s table stained our shirts, and the crumbs of God’s goodness got stuck in our beards, so that everybody could see where we got our fill? Would our neighbours come out of their houses and ask: what’s up with you guys? Why are you here? Can we join the water break? Can we join the party? This morning, the prophet calls out to anyone who will listen: Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost! May we run with joy to the table of our Lord, and may you all Taste and See that God is good. Amen!

Peace (& Confession)

2011-07-03T19:52:00.000-07:00

Sermon planned for Sunday, July 3rd, 2011

Texts: Galatians 5:22; Romans 5:1, 6-11

This morning we’re looking at the fruit of Peace. When the Prince of Peace moves into our heart, one of the effects is that we, as Christians, become lovers of peace. We ourselves experience a deep inner peace. And when conflict, anxiety, or struggle occur – the Spirit is there with us.

Our Christian understanding of peace has numerous dimensions. It includes an inner peace, when we come to an assurance of the Word that God has spoken about us, in Jesus Christ, namely: that you and I are adopted by God’s Spirit, that we are His children, saved by grace, and called to the ministry of peace in Jesus’ name. This knowledge gives us an inner peace and confidence.

Our Christian understanding of peace includes political peace, in the sense of what we do with our political enemies. What this means is that Jesus’ life and teachings have implications on how we approach big issues, and large-scale conflict. In our baptisms, God has set us aside to join Him in a reconciling ministry in this world.

This morning, however, I want to focus our attention on two specific parts of our Christian understanding of peace – that is, our peace with God and our peace with one another as brothers and sisters in the church. Earlier I mentioned our ‘inner peace’. We have inner peace when we experience peace with God and another sense of inner peace when we live in harmony with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

The foundation of any Christian concept of peace is the saving work that God has accomplished for us in the life of Jesus of Nazareth. As we heard, from Paul’s letter to the Romans, we have received reconciliation with God through Jesus Christ our Lord. We have peace with God. We have received the gift of peace and God has reconciled us to himself through Jesus Christ. The language of gift is helpful, here, to describe what has happened. When a gift is given there is also an act of reception. If I give you a gift and you refuse it, the gift is still offered but you won’t be blessed by it at all. In a similar way, God gives to us His grace, and gives us the gift of peace; the question is: will we receive God’s peace? That is the question of human history! Will you receive the gift of peace with God?

But the gift of peace is not just a concept. The gift of peace is the person Jesus Christ. He is our peace. In the post-apocalyptic film Children of Men, the basic plot is that all the women in the world have become infertile – there are no more children being born. The British government has become a fascist regime that controls its citizens with an iron fist – and in a sense it has to. After all, with no new children being born, this puts a definite timer on the ‘end of the world’. If such a scenario ever happened, there would be riots and chaos, as people contemplated the complete extinction of the human species. One major twist in the plot occurs when the main character is introduced to a young woman who is several months pregnant. This woman and her child become a ray of hope for the few people that know about her – and they work to keep her safe. One of my favourite scenes in the movie is at this point when the woman and her newly born baby boy are escaping from this building, together with her friends. In this scene, there are soldiers all around and bombs and bullets are flying everywhere as the rebels try to overthrow the tyrants. As the mother and her child enter the scene, and the rebels and the soldiers see this baby boy, and hear him crying, they immediately stop firing their weapons. The sight of this baby boy melts the hearts of these men bent on war. This baby boy represents hope for these people, and that hope brought a moment of peace.

Something like this happens in Bethlehem – when Shepherds and Magi gather near to see the baby Jesus. Hope and peace – this is what the angels declared when Jesus was born. This is what Simeon and Anna proclaimed when they saw Jesus as a young boy. This boy was not only going to be a great teacher of peace – this boy was himself God’s gift of peace with His creation. In this way, peace is not just a concept. Jesus is our peace! His arrival in our hearts and relationships is what makes for peace!

This is the peace we as evangelical Christians love to talk about. Because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, you and I have peace with God. We are saved. Sometimes, however, that’s all that is said, as though peace-with-God was the entirety of the gospel! What’s missing is that the peace that Jesus offers to humanity is also peace between us as humans; more specifically, peace between Jews and the nations. In other words, the fullness of the gospel includes peace between us and God and between us and one another. This is clear from scripture, and we can hear Paul saying this clearly in Ephesians chapter two. Join me in reading Ephesians 2, beginning at verse twelve. V.12-22

In this passage we hear the language of peace being used to describe both the relationship we have with God and with our fellow brothers and sisters. More specifically, Paul is speaking about the peace that God has made between Jews and the nations, or ‘the Gentiles’. In Christ, the Gentiles have been brought near to God – and so here we read the language of having peace with God. But we also read that “Jesus is our peace, and in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall – the hostility between us… creating in himself one new humanity.” Part of Jesus’ saving work was that he was bringing people together. God’s project was not only to make peace between Himself and humanity, but to create a united people, reconciled together in a community of friends. That’s why, in our Christian understanding of peace, we don’t just speak about peace with God but also about peace with one another; precisely because this peace is what Jesus set out to accomplish, according to Paul.

You could say that Paul’s entire ministry was to hold these two parts of peace together – the vertical and the horizontal – peace with God, and peace with one another. Paul constantly wrote about how Jesus has made peace between us and God; that Jesus’ faithfulness unto death on the cross is what saves us. But he also constantly wrote to churches, urging Christians to get along in peace and unity, forgiving each other and bearing each other’s burdens. Paul knew that the gospel is the good news of peace with God and peace with one another. What does this ‘peace-with-one-another’ look like? Paul gives a great description of it in Colossians – read with me in chapter 3, beginning at verse 5. (Colossians 3:5-17)

Paul’s prescriptions for Christian relationships are important for us to hear. Along with the usual list of vices and sins to avoid, Paul also includes a list of virtues and positive Christian attitudes. Because of what Jesus is doing in our lives, there is a renewal that goes on in us – we are renewed in the image of our Creator, Paul writes. But he then quickly follows by saying that in this renewal there is no longer Jew or Greek, slave or free, etc… The renewal that Christ accomplishes among us is both personal, in our relationship to God, and social, in our relationship with others in the Church.

What do these relationships look like? What characterises our relationships in this ‘renewal’? They are relationships filled with love, compassion, kindness, meekness, and patience; where people bear with one another, forgive one another, teach one another, and admonish one another. Paul, here, holds together what we usually separate. Paul assumes that the Church can be a place where we love one another, have patience with each other, forgive one another – and that it will also be a place where we teach and admonish one another. In fact, it’s only by holding these two together that you cultivate an authentic peace in the community. Loving and forgiving together with teaching and admonishing – these pieces together form the ingredients to a peaceful community.

“Admonish” – this means that the Church will be a place where we take each other’s discipleship seriously, which then also means that it will also be a place where we take each other’s sin seriously, helping one another confront and break free from sinful addictions and turn away from sinful attitudes and practices. In fact, in a few minutes, I’ll be asking Sam Schellenberg if he rejects evil and sin; and I’ll be asking him if he will give and receive counsel. This morning, we’re asking Sam if he will join us and help us to live out our faith; and he’s asking us to do the same for him. Will we be this kind of community for him? Will we dare to be a community vulnerable enough to share in each other’s brokenness? Will we love each other enough to gently prod each other on into faithful discipleship? Or will we assimilate to our contemporary postmodern individualist culture? Will we practice Christian discipleship or will we eventually completely succumb to the “I’m OK, You’re OK” life where we barely know each other or care for one another? Sam Schellenberg and Maria Dirks are asking of us, this year, to be the Church and seek and maintain authentic peace in our relationships? Does this kind of vulnerability scare you? Or do you find it compelling? Or both?

In the town of Neubergthal, they used to have an odd practice of preparing for Communion. When the Church leadership would announce that Communion was coming up soon, people in the congregation were asked to ‘make things right’ with their brothers and sisters. This in itself wasn’t odd, in fact that was common practice across the board, and it still needs to be today. We need to always practice this ‘making things right’ – even when there isn’t communion coming up. In Neubergthal, some of the Christians there had a strange way of making peace with one another. If you were part of their fellowship, and communion was just around the corner, you would put together a few jars of borscht. You would then go and place a jar of borscht on the porch of anyone that you thought you might be in conflict with. A day later, when you drove past this person’s house you’d check that jar of borscht. If it had been taken into the house, or if it was standing on the porch empty, then it meant that things were cool between you and that person – that you two were at peace. But if that jar of borscht was still standing there, completely full, then you knew that you had some things to work out together before communion. Having authentic peace was important for the Christians that used this practice.

This was their attempt at living out the practice of peacemaking that Jesus mentioned in Matthew 18. Let’s read it together, beginning at verse 15. (Matthew 18:15-20) This ‘borscht for peace’ practice was this communities’ way of taking Jesus’ words about sin and peace seriously. Postmodern individualism is a current worldview that is gaining a lot of traction in our communities, and in our churches. One of its effects is to convince us that there’s no real point to holding each other accountable – because everybody interprets truth differently; and so, the conclusion is that people think it’s best to just mind their own business. Don’t tell me how to raise my kids, mind your own business. Don’t tell me not to violently defend my family. Don’t tell me what I can and can’t do in my bedroom, mind your own business. Don’t tell me what to do with my money, mind your own business. Of course, part of what this is is a (over)reaction to heavy handed practices of church discipline and abuses of power. But what this often leaves us with is a community that doesn’t care enough about each other’s lives to really work towards overcoming sin, towards growing deeper in discipleship, etc… People will only quote Jesus’ words about not judging, but they won’t at all pay attention to Matthew 18. The abuses of church discipline have made many give up on the practice altogether.

But this morning, in baptizing Sam, we are remembering that we don’t have to choose either extreme. We don’t have to give-up on practices of peace and accountability and we don’t have to be a legalistic community. In Baptism, we remember the peace that we have been called to. We remember the peace that we have with God; and we celebrate that Sam is standing up for Jesus and embracing this peace with God. In Baptism we also remember the peace that Christ has made possible between us as brothers and sisters. It is a peace that is built on top of the other Fruit of the Spirit; it is a peace that loves. And so, let us love Sam as a brother, serving him, caring for him, helping him, and doing our very best to show him love. Let’s forgive him when he messes up. When his jar of borscht is on our porch – let’s make sure that it gets empty – let’s work things out together. Let’s be a community of joy for him, and remind him of God’s love when he faces difficult times. And Sam, we need you to be a peacemaker for us too. When you see us not living up to our discipleship calling, we need you to forgive us, but to also push us further towards Jesus. Don’t let us get away with giving into our individualistic culture. Help us and prod us to be the kind of community that deeply cares for each other; that has enough patience to be vulnerable in sharing our faith struggles.

May we all continue to provoke each other to deeper love, joy and peace; and may we be encouraged to know that Jesus Christ – the Prince of Peace – is involving us in a complete overhaul. In this renewal, you and I have been woven into the fabric of God’s Kingdom where nothing can divide us or keep us from experiencing the love of God. Thank God for that! Amen.

Love & Fatherhood

2011-06-19T21:45:00.000-07:00

Sermon planned for Sunday, June 19th, 2011

I invite you to open your bibles to Galatians, chapter five. Last week was Pentecost. If Pentecost is about being welcomed into a Life-in-the-Spirit, then it is fully appropriate that we baptize new Christians on Pentecost. Why? Because baptism is for those who want to take a stand for Jesus, whose Spirit is living inside them; and Pentecost names the ongoing reality of Jesus’ life with us in the Spirit.

We are now living in the season of Pentecost. The coming of the Holy Spirit was not just a one-time deal. Instead, Pentecost was when the Holy Spirit came upon the Church in a unique way – but the Spirit’s presence is an ongoing event; the Spirit’s pouring-out among us is an ongoing event! The life of the Christian – and the life of the Church in general – is a life lived in the space of Pentecost. Our life is lived in the space of the continual outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The life of the Christian is a ‘life in the Spirit’. This ‘life in the Spirit’ is what you and I have been saved for. For this reason, I take time with Catechism students to catch glimpses of how the Holy Spirit is changing these individuals, turning them from sin and moving them towards Jesus.

The Church in the city of Galatia knew that they had received the Holy Spirit; that God had accepted them as Gentiles because of what Jesus had done for them on the cross, and because of their trust in Jesus. The Holy Spirit had claimed these people for God; and yet, Paul heard that there were some who were convincing the Galatians that they now also had to embrace all of the Jewish laws, customs, and holidays. God had accepted the Galatian Christians ‘as is’, and yet, now some were being convinced that they weren’t holy enough – that they needed the extra holiness of Moses’ laws and the various religious practices of Judaism.

Paul’s letter to the Galatians was written to clarify the issues at stake and to teach the Truth of the gospel. And so, Paul’s main arguments, in this letter, are about the Life in the Spirit versus the life of the flesh; about living by faith rather than living under the law. This summer we’re going to explore what it means to live in the space of Pentecost – what it means to live by the Spirit, rather than the flesh; to live by faith rather than under the law. We’re going to explore life in the Spirit by looking at Paul’s account of the Fruit of the Spirit in Galatians.

Paul wrote this letter to the Galatians earlier on in his ministry to the Gentiles. Galatians is considered one of his earliest letters. It begins with a defense of his ministry among the Galatians – that Paul’s ministry was commissioned by Jesus himself, and equal to that of the other apostles, and that he was received by the other apostles. After defending himself and his ministry, Paul restates the basic foundation of the gospel. In chapter two verse sixteen we read “that a person is justified not by the works of the law but by the faithfulness of Jesus Christ” or “our faith in Jesus Christ”. In other words, we are saved not by what we do, but by what Jesus has done for us.

The rest of the letter explores, from various angles, what it means to live a life of trust in what Jesus has done for us, rather than a life that trusts in our own efforts. A Christian lives a life of freedom – freedom from the law. The reason that we call it freedom is because the Christian life is motivated and powered by the Holy Spirit. It is a life that isn’t held back by anything; but that doesn’t mean that the Christian life is a life of freedom for anything. Because it is a life in the Spirit, it is a freedom from the law, but it is a life freed for a specific purpose. The Christian life is made possible by the Holy Spirit’s living in us, transforming us. And what is the result of this transformation? What is the fruit of the Spirit’s work in our lives? What are the adjectives that describe our freedom?

“the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things.” There is no law that prohibits these virtues. But with the Spirit living inside us, producing this kind of fruit, we are free indeed.

This morning we’re looking at the first part of the Fruit – Love. When the Spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ moves into our life, it produces love. We become loving people. The kind of love Paul is referring to here is not erotic love or the kind of friendliness you show to your pals at work. Paul is speaking about agape love, self-giving love – the love that we see most clearly displayed in what Jesus did for us on the cross, but also in his life of service, healing, hospitality and welcome. The freedom that we have as Christians is a freedom to love.

Jesus commanded his disciples to love one another. And in his letter to the Romans, the apostle Paul said that the summary of the entire law was to love your neighbour as yourself. Is ‘love’ a matter of freedom in the Spirit, or is love a matter of the law or a commandment? And so we get this confusing message about freedom and law. Are we under a set of commandments or are we living freely in the Spirit? Some scholars and theologians even argue that Paul was pulling the Church away from Jesus’ more demanding gospel, by teaching them about a life of freedom in the Spirit. And, unfortunately, this kind of confusion has been part of the Church’s story since the beginning - this confusion between law and freedom, between works and grace, between flesh and Spirit.

How do you see it? Is your life as a Christian a matter of living freely in the Spirit? Or do you understand your Christianity as a matter of obeying God’s rules? In Paul’s time, there were many who went to opposite extremes on this question. Some were so rigid in their application of Moses’ law that they shut out any Christian who hadn’t been circumcised, and those who didn’t follow the practices of Judaism. On the other hand, some were so bent on living a life of complete freedom that they revelled in drunkenness and sexual immorality.

Paul wrote his letter to the Galatians in response to these extremes. He made it clear that nothing you or I do saves us. Everything hangs upon what Christ has done for us. And so living by the law isn’t what counts in salvation. One of our deacons always puts this in a nice way; he says, “nothing you do makes God love you less; and nothing you do can make God love you more than He already does right now”. Our job is to accept the fact of God’s love for us; to accept that love and to then allow God’s love to live in us. But the freedom we have, when we have God’s love living in us, is not just any kind of freedom.

Christian freedom is lived in the space of Pentecost. It is lived-out in a Spirit-filled life. That’s why Paul and Jesus both talk about love as a commandment, or as a summary of all the law. Since the same God who gave Moses the law is now also living in us by His Spirit, the fruit of the Spirit in us is going to be in harmony with the law, even though it is above the law.

Imagine, if you will, a man, a lawmaker in a city not so different than ours. The man goes to his work and writes up a law that all Fathers should love their children. The law passes, and numerous officers are instructed to check on the homes in the city. And so, the officers go from house to house, checking-in to determine if fathers are obeying this new law. One day, a few of the officers come to check on the house of the man – the lawmaker – to see if he too is obeying the law that he made. When they ask his children, and the father, whether or not the Father is obeying the law, the Father responds: “of course I love my children, and I don’t need a law to do that.”

The same God who gave the law to Moses is now with us, by His Holy Spirit. That’s why much of our Christian freedom still connects with the law of Moses. God’s heart shaped the law of Moses. God’s goodness was the foundation of that law. Now God’s heart and goodness are intimately close to each and every one of us, as His Spirit takes up residence in our life. That’s at least one of the reasons why the New Testament is so close to connecting spiritual freedom to the law; and the confusion and extremes on this issue are understandable, even though they’re wrong. We live a life of freedom by the Spirit, which is drawing us closer and closer into a likeness of Jesus Christ. Jesus gives us a new commandment: that we love one another; and yet, because of Jesus’ presence in our lives, love for our neighbours is what comes naturally to us. Love is the fruit that grows in the heart where the Spirit reigns.

In closing I want to turn our focus to today’s celebration of Father’s Day. And what I have to say about Fathers this morning is just as applicable to moms – but I’m talking to dads today because it’s Father’s Day. As with my example, I think Fatherhood, and parenthood in general, is a great way to understand the dynamic between freedom and law in the gospel. For example, it’s against the law for Father’s to abuse their children; but any Christian Father will tell you that they personally don’t need a law for that – because they love their children. It is an unfortunate mark on our culture that we have laws like that, because it reminds us of the many times when Father’s do not love their children. But the love that is imprinted on the heart of Christian Fathers goes far beyond that. The love that Christian Fathers have for their children has numerous other marks; let me name a few of them.

A Christian Father’s love for their children is a love in relationship. It takes time to communicate regularly. A Christian Father spends his evening inquiring about their child’s day at school. A Father’s love takes the time to plan trips to the Ice Cream shop, or a picnic at the park. A Father’s love seeks to build relationship by creating spaces of family time, away from the busy humdrum of everyday life. An example of this is Bill Turner. After many years of a busy life, working in Winnipeg, Bill wanted to change things up a bit and do something special with his family. He looked into employment opportunities in the Caribbean and found a job in his field on some sunny paradise island. Bill, his wife Karen and their two daughters moved to the Caribbean for a year. Bill wanted to have a special memory for his family and his daughters, and so he risked his career, sold all of his possessions in Winnipeg, and headed out for a family adventure. Bill is an example of what can happen when love for their family takes priority.

A Christian Father’s love is a love that guides. Although Christian Fathers understand that being a Christian isn’t about rules, but about freedom in the Spirit, Christian Fathers also recognize that this freedom is directed towards Christ. A Christian Father’s love will set boundaries and limits for their child, explaining how certain paths will lead to destruction, and how some attitudes and habits will make their children captives to sin and death. My dad’s guidance wasn’t always appreciated, but I thank him for it now that I’m older. He strongly warned me about the hatred growing in my heart for the kids that bullied me and teased me at school. He knew that this kind of hatred could grow into something evil and murderous. As a Father, he knew that his role wasn’t to encourage me in everything I was doing; he knew that his role was to provide guidance, boundaries and limits, because His primary calling was to point me, not to freedom of choice, but to freedom in Jesus Christ.

A Christian Father’s love is a love that prepares and instructs. Are you sheltering your child from the world or training them to be courageous disciples in the world? A Father’s love provokes him to teach his children how to navigate the challenges of life. But it’s about more than just giving them good advice or rules-of-thumb. A Christian Father models a life of trust in God. A Christian Father teaches his children to navigate the storms of life by depending more and more on God and His Spirit. This means that Christian Fathers are called to teach and explain the Christian faith, the scriptures, and the meaning of discipleship as best they can. You can’t just leave it to Sunday School teachers or to preachers. As a Christian Father, your job is to give your children the tools they need to navigate life – and from a Christian perspective this includes an understanding of the Christian faith, of Scripture and discipleship.

Now it might sound like I’ve just given you Father’s a bunch of laws to follow; the reason it feels like that is because the Spirit of God is inside you. That Spirit makes no qualms about spelling out the implications of love. As Christian Fathers, we live in freedom because of the Spirit in us – but the fruit of that Spirit isn’t optional stuff. You don’t get to take a bite of love, but leave self-control to someone else. There’s a reason you feel guilty about not spending enough time with your kids – why? Because Christian love moves us to prioritize and put money and business in its proper place – and to put faith and family first! There’s a reason you feel guilty about not giving your children a good understanding of the faith, leaving it up to Sunday School teachers or school teachers – why? Because Christian love compels us help our children see the world from a Christian perspective – that’s your job. You don’t see birds hiring pastors or teachers to help their chicks fly out of the nest – it’s the parents job!!! The Christian Father’s job is to give their child a good understanding of the faith, of scripture and discipleship.

As we all consider the freedom we have in Jesus Christ: may you prayerfully open yourself to the Spirit at work within you. Allow the Spirit to build up the fruit of love in your heart. Live in the freedom of that love! I will close by reading Paul’s words to the Romans:

“you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ...”

Christian Living: Pentecost & Baptism

2011-06-12T14:20:00.000-07:00

Sermon planned for Pentecost Sunday, June 12th, 2011

Texts: Genesis 11:1-9; Acts 2:1-21

In the past month-and-a-half we’ve been exploring a Sermon series on Christian living – examining the dynamics of discipleship during different phases of life. We looked at Childhood & Adolescence, Singleness & Celibacy, Marriage & Parenting, Middle Age, the Empty Nest and Retirement. My final part of the series was going to be about Dying, Death and Grief; but today is Pentecost and next week we’ll be beginning to look at the Fruit of the Spirit, from Galatians. At first I thought I would weave in some comments about death and dying – that baptism is a kind of death, as we die to our old selves and are made new in Jesus Christ. Instead, I want to leave the last part of that sermon series for another day – maybe sometime in the Fall.

This morning we’re celebrating Pentecost and Baptism. This theme fits very nicely into our series on Christian Living. After all, our discipleship is birthed in the baptism of Water and Spirit – it’s here, in this theme, and from this vantage point, that we ask questions about childhood, celibacy, parenting, retirement, etc… All along we’ve been asking the question – what does our discipleship have to say about how Christians retire, or about how we understand human sexuality. And so, this morning, our discussion of Pentecost and Baptism – the baptism of water and Spirit – is a fitting conclusion to our sermon series, at least for now. With Pentecost and Baptism, we’re looking at the very foundations of Christian discipleship. The baptism of water and Spirit illuminates & reorients all the phases of the Christian life-journey – indeed, it makes this journey possible. How? The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is God’s way of claiming you as His own – by giving you His Spirit as an act of adoption. In the baptism of water, we in turn claim Jesus Christ by publically proclaiming that He is Lord, and joining His body – the Church.

To get into the story of Pentecost, I want to begin by examining the story of the people of Babel and the tower that was built in that city. The city was given its name by Nimrod, the grandson of Ham, the great-grandson of Noah. The name “Babel” meant “the gates of God”, but the city’s name found a new meaning after the story of the tower. The name “Babel” came to signify the confusion of the people who were scattered from that place.

In Genesis chapter eleven we read that at that time the whole earth had one language and the same words. There was a clear understanding between all people – a shared language, and you could even interpret it to mean that all people shared a similar philosophy of life. They migrated together, from the east, and agreed to settle down in the same spot and build a city there. One of the first projects in this city was the construction of a tower that would reach into the heavens. The goal, as with most skyscrapers, was for people to make a name for themselves. They wanted a lasting monument – to make an impression on the generations that would follow them.

One part of this story that always intrigues me is the conversation that God has with himself about the people of Babel. Overlooking this city of likeminded hard-workers, God makes it clear that what’s happening in that city is contrary to His Will:
(Gen 11:6-9 NRS) And the LORD said, "Look, they are one people, and they have all one language; and this is only the beginning of what they will do; nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down, and confuse their language there, so that they will not understand one another's speech." 8 So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. 9 Therefore it was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.

God’s concern, over Babel, centered on two parts and the resulting consequences. They were ‘one people’, they had ‘one language’, and this meant that their plans would have no limit. From the perspective of contemporary liberal democracy, this was a dream city. Everybody had a voice, it was a common voice, a shared voice – they agreed with each other and worked together in harmony. Isn’t this precisely the kind of society that we’re aiming for in Canada? Isn’t this exactly what we’re aiming to get back to, with multi-culturalism? Aren’t we Canadians trying to cultivate a community in which all the various voices share a common understanding? You’d think that God would be overjoyed to see a group of people getting along so well. Instead, what we have, is God coming to the playground, trashing the sandcastle, and sending everyone off in different directions. What kind of God do we read about in this story? Doesn’t it disturb you just a bit? Why not a tower? Why not let the people live in harmony?

What if Babel wasn’t as great a place as it sounds? What if part of Genesis’ story includes a hint of sarcasm? What if the unity of Babel was one that radically excluded some? What if the problem of their unity was that it was based upon the rejection of God and a refusal to worship Him? We can’t travel back in time to get to know the citizens of Babel. But what if that city wasn’t altogether different than some of our world’s attempts at creating a united society? What if the peace and unity of Babel was like the peace and unity we hear about in the lyrics of our national anthems? – in the “Oh Canada” or the “Star Spangled Banner”? What if the unity we hear about in the story of Babel had a dark side, hidden from view? The story of Babel leaves us with a lot of questions, and the facts that we do get are somewhat disturbing. Why would God want the people confused? Why would God come to Babel in order to scatter the people across the world? What was the problem with this kind of harmonious co-operation?

The story of Pentecost, in the book of Acts, connects with the story of Babel in many ways. Already from the time of the early Church, Christians understood the Jerusalem Pentecost as a kind of reversal of what happened at Babel. Let’s look at what happened in Jerusalem more closely. The city of Babel eventually became known as a disobedient city – the home of the Babylonian culture and empire. In many ways, Babel was the enemy of God and His people. Jerusalem, on the other hand, was known as the city of God and His temple. And what do we find in this city? We find a great gathering of peoples. We find people from all across the known world of that time – from the North and the South, the East and the West.

These people were, if not all, then at least predominantly Jewish. They were the scattered children of God, but they had come together for the sake of worship in the city of God. It wasn’t a common understanding, a common culture or language that united them. What united this crew was their allegiance to Yahweh – their love for God. And instead of God coming down to trash their party and scatter them abroad – God’s Spirit descended and remained on the people and gave them understanding, despite their cultural and linguistic diversity.

In many ways, you have the very opposite thing happening here in Jerusalem than what happened in Babel. Instead of having people who share a common understanding, language and culture, as in Babel – and having these people join together for a common project; in Jerusalem, you have culturally & philosophically diverse people coming together because of their love for Yahweh. And then you have God’s Spirit joining them, in that moment, in order to send them into the world as partners in God’s project.

That project is the same as the one started with Abraham – to call out a people from among the nations. To call them out in order to bless them so that, through them, God can bring peace and blessing to all nations. The mission of the Church, born in the fires of Pentecost, is precisely this: to receive the gift of God’s grace and forgiveness; and to be a community of this grace and forgiveness for the world. The mission is to call the world to repent and turn back to God. Return to the city! But this time, not to the city of Babel. Return to the city of God for the sake of Loving Him. Not for the sake of selfish projects; but rather for the sake of praise. Receive a voice of praise. And then join the mission of God’s project of peace and reconciliation for all.

It’s important to note that Pentecost wasn’t the full reversal of Babel. It wasn’t the final chapter of God’s project. In fact, the problem of Babel continues on. We continue to see city after city, alliance after alliance, and community after community join together in a unity that is similar to Babel’s. The unity that is symbolized by our national anthems and our national flags is a unity that also has a dark underside – a hidden dynamic. In Canada, our unity has numerous skeletons in the closet – including war, racism, slave labour, and now the growing fear of Islam. The more we unify around a common cause, the more, it seems, we have to find some group to radically exclude from our communities. To put it differently, to build up the illusion of a beautiful unity, we need to always have someone to demonize as the monstrous ‘other’.

Even in our churches we come to think that our ideas, our perspectives and interpretations of scripture are the foundation of our unity – in this way we radically exclude those who understand scripture differently than we do, or who understand discipleship in ‘non-Mennonite’ ways. This is what happens when we locate our unity in something other than the free grace of God in Jesus Christ. On the outside, we might seem like a united front, but we always need to ask ourselves: who is excluded from our unity. Do we receive our unity as a gift from God? That’s the key piece to Pentecost as we read about it in Acts. At Pentecost, we see God’s Spirit continuing the revolution begun with Abraham – God was blessing that community with a unity different from any other; different from any unity that we can manufacture or vote on or debate ourselves towards. The unity that God gives is a gift of unity with Him and, through Him, with one another. It is a unity with Jesus at the centre.

Pentecost was a demonstration plot, the first-fruits of God’s reconciling work, or a pilot project, or a demo of what God ultimately has in store for all of Creation. Although the Holy Spirit was always active in Scripture, Pentecost marks a unique event in time. That said, the Holy Spirit continued its work, filling many people – including Gentiles. Although it came later, the Spirit was eventually poured out among the Gentiles – among non-Jewish folks. This was a sign that God’s project was moving forward, from Jerusalem, with full steam. As the Church, we participate in this project. We’re partners with God’s Spirit in welcoming all people to return to the city of God; return and love Your Creator. But there are still so many who have not yet received the Spirit of God. There are still so many that live in rebellion to God’s call. And so the work of the Church continues on; Jesus’ continues calling you to proclaim the gospel to others.

This morning, we’re celebrating that joyful work as we baptize Maria D. We’re eager to join together as brothers and sisters of faith. We’re excited to hear her testimony, of how God has called her and set her aside to become an agent of God’s Kingdom. We’re filled with joy to know that the Spirit has and is transforming her life. And we’re blessed to hear her publically confess her faith and trust in Jesus Christ our Lord. She has joined us in coming to the spiritual city of God – to His throne in worship and praise.

In numerous conversations with her, I have sensed, in Maria, a growing faith and trust in God. The Spirit of God has cultivated, in her, a love for people, for serving, and for giving praise. I was blessed when, two years ago, she came and told me that she was choosing our church as her home church. She started attending our worship services regularly, coming to youth group. Her siblings soon joined her as well. Maria, whatever the reason behind your desire to come to Church – I know that the Spirit of God is drawing you closer to Jesus. That makes my day! Witnessing your choice today – it’s what the rest of us live for. It fills us with joy.

Maria: This morning, as you confess your faith in Jesus, and as you are baptized into His name, know that we’re your biggest fans. We love and care for you. We’re already dreaming of the ways in which God will make you an instrument of good news in this congregation and in the world. You’re joining a community not altogether unlike the people gathered in Jerusalem at Pentecost. We get together regularly because of the love we share for God and for one another. We’re all unique in our own way. We don’t always agree. We don’t always play nice. But we are convinced that our shared love for Jesus is far too important to allow anything else stop us from being friends. The friendship we have with one another is marked by the baptism of water and Spirit. And since it is plain to see that the Spirit has claimed you and is drawing you closer to our Lord Jesus Christ, it gives us joy to baptize you and welcome you as a member of our church, a sister in this fellowship.

On another note, Sam S. has asked to be baptized on the first Sunday in July; that’s in three weeks. After spending time in prayer, and talking it over with our Ministerial, I’ve decided that I would like to extend an invitation: if anyone here who has not yet been baptized, but would like to make this public confession of faith in Jesus Christ our Lord; if anyone here would like to be baptized – I invite you to come and talk to me after the service, or call me at home in the next day or two. If the Spirit of God is making it clear to you that you need to be obedient by receiving the waters of baptism, and if you don’t want to wait until the next Catechism class rolls around – please talk to me. We’ll take some time in the next few weeks to talk, pray and discern together.

Christian Living: Midlife, the Empty-Nest & Retirement

2011-05-29T16:08:00.001-07:00

Sermon planned for Sunday, May 29th, 2011

Text: Genesis 45:1-4; 50:15-26; 2Kings 18:1-5;

What does it mean to be a disciple when faced with the physical and emotional challenges of midlife? What’s your role and purpose now that your children have moved out of the house? What does retirement look like for a Christian? Does our discipleship go into retirement? These are some of the questions that I’ve been wrestling with, in this past week. With this fourth part of the sermon series, we’re coming into areas of life where I have no personal experience. On Thursday I turned thirty-one. I’m young. I’m in the thirty-something category. Mid-life, the empty nest, and retirement are a mystery to me. And yet, I have the joyful opportunity to know many people living in these seasons of life. Many, if not most of you, are in one of these spaces.

Of the three – either midlife, the empty-nest, or retirement – it is midlife that’s perhaps the most difficult to identify. It’s relatively clear when you’re an empty-nester, and if you don’t know whether or not you’re retired, then you’re doing it wrong. Midlife, on the other hand, isn’t clearly set apart by something like having your children move out of the house; or having finished your last day of work at your job.

According to Wikipedia – the most trusted source of information since the invention of the local coffee shop – midlife is a time when people search for a new dream or goal, they have a deep sense of remorse for goals not accomplished, there’s a fear of humiliation among colleagues, a desire to feel young again, and a need to spend more time with peers. Some of these insecurities can result in behaviours like the abuse of alcohol, purchasing new expensive vehicles or getting a tattoo. Some will experience depression, and also blame themselves for failures. Others will pay more attention to how they look, suddenly worrying about their baldness, or what kind of clothes they’re wearing. Some will seek out relationships with younger people, and some will want to live vicariously through their children – putting a lot of pressure on their children to perform well, whether it’s in the area of sports, academics or their peer relationships.

I spent my time, this past week, thinking about some characters in the bible that give us a glimpse at the challenges, the obstacles, and the opportunities they faced in the seasons of mid-life and retirement. I thought of King David who, during his own mid-life crisis, decided to live-out his fantasies when he committed adultery with Bathsheba. In his mid-life, King Hezekiah became sick and fell into a kind of depression; with his body deteriorating, Hezekiah turned to God in prayer and praise. When Joseph met up with his brothers – the same brothers who had sold him into slavery – Joseph decided to put that part of his past to rest when he forgave them their offense and welcomed them to Egypt as family. And Abraham, just as he was entering his own retirement, he heard the call from God to go and start out on an adventure that would land him as the Patriarch of God’s people – the father of Isaac, who was the father of Jacob, who became the father of the twelve tribes of Israel. For Abraham, there was no such thing as retirement from God’s calling. The stories of these men give us a picture of the challenges and the opportunities that are present during mid-life and retirement.

I also had a great conversation with my mom and dad this past week. I talked to them and asked them about their experience of having their children become independent and move out of the house. I talked to my dad about some of his struggles during midlife and he said I could share some of them with you. This morning, I want to allow the stories of these biblical characters, and the experience of my parents, to help shape our own imagination of what it means to be a disciple in these seasons of life.

In 2nd Samuel, chapter eleven, we read the story of King David’s affair with Bathsheba, who was married to Uriah the Hittite. Verse one of that chapter reads as follows: "In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab with his officers and all Israel with him; they ravaged the Ammonites, and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem." What happened to King David – the man who went out to face Goliath? At the end of the chapter ten, David led his troops against the Ammonites and the Arameans. In chapter ten, verse eighteen, we read that his enemies fled before him. In verse nineteen, we read that David’s military victories compelled his other opponents to make peace with Israel. David’s powerful might shattered the alliance between the Arameans and the Ammonites. In chapter ten, King David is portrayed as a military genius; a strong and courageous King that rules over his opponents. And then, in the next chapter, we read about a different kind of king.

“In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle…” The author of 2nd Samuel was being as clear as he could be – in this time when King David should really have been going out to defend Israel… what did he do? He sent Joab, his officers and the armies of Israel to go and fight without him… “But David remained at Jerusalem.” The author of 2nd Samuel doesn’t tell us the reason why he stayed behind. This morning I want to suggest that King David was having a mid-life crisis.

David had been chosen by God to lead Israel as King. God had pointed him out to Samuel – setting him aside from all his older brothers. He was the champion of Israel, overcoming the strength of Goliath through his faith and trust in God. Nevertheless, King David was a troubled man. Many of his Psalms display a man who was afraid. He had many enemies. Every year he had a new battle to fight. War was a common thing – in fact, it had become an annual ritual, that in spring the Kings would go out to battle. It is the business of Kings and Presidents, Prime Ministers and Princes to regularly find reasons to spill blood. This life was not what David had hoped for. Many of his Psalms show that David’s deep desire was for a time of peace; other psalms display his paranoia. In Psalm 31:13: “I hear the whispering of many—terror all around!—as they scheme together against me, as they plot to take my life.”

David was constantly under attack. One year he was fighting off the Ammonites and the Arameans, and the next year he had to do it all over again. He was constantly surrounded by threats. This was not the life that King David signed-up for – not when Samuel blessed him and gave him assurance that He was the Lord’s Anointed King. It seems that King David thought life would be easy – that God would just wipe out every obstacle in front of him. But being King was hard work. And in chapter eleven we read about a King who had come to a crisis point. David was done with war. David was done with living in fear. David was done with being surrounded by enemies. And so, when spring came, and it was his duty to go out and defend Israel, King David shrunk back into his place of safety, and he remained in Jerusalem – the ‘city of David’.

Year after year, battle after battle, and enemy after enemy – King David was growing tired. No person can keep going for too long on that kind of routine. And when the body begins to slow down, and energy levels drop – depression becomes a very real possibility. David faced the realization that he would probably not achieve peace for Israel in his lifetime. Every spring, there would be another enemy to face – another region to defend. Was his entire life’s work a failure? Was God even listening to his pleas? I imagine questions like these haunted David as he chose to hide from his problems. And then there was Bathsheba; this woman bathing in the distance. King David wasn’t known as a lustful man. It’s not like he was a pervert who went spying on the good citizens of Jerusalem. But in that moment – in his desperation, in his struggle with failure… he figured that he could prove to himself that he was a man… that he could still prove to himself that he had power and courage. And so he called Bathsheba to his house and he slept with her.

In a twisted way, I’m guessing David thought that his affair with Bathsheba was proving his manliness, proving his power and strength. But it was doing the very opposite. He was committing adultery with a woman who was married to one of his best soldiers. Instead of defending his people as he was called to do – King David tried to shore-up against his own insecurities by becoming an enemy to his own devoted subjects. He became an enemy to Bathsheba and Uriah – to their marriage. He became an enemy to God, who commands us not to commit adultery. David is an example for us of a failure. Many of us fail. Many of us, when we come to the point where he was – when we come to the realization that our life hasn’t been what we thought it would be or should be – many of us become wrapped-up in attitudes and behaviours that resemble David’s failure. Our failures during this time of crisis might not be as public as David’s failure – they might not be as morally damaging as his failure… but many of us fail to navigate these mid-life challenges in a healthy way, in a way that bears witness to Christ.

The message we get from the story of David is that these failures don’t have to be the last word spoken about you. You might have been like the King who stayed home from battle… you might have failed in your duties and responsibilities… but your failure doesn’t have to be the final word spoken about you. In fact, God is waiting for you. God is waiting to join you in building a different ending to your story. God is waiting to join you in building a strong house – where you become the person you were called to be; courageous in living out your gifts and passions; bold in partnering with God in Kingdom-work.

We can be thankful that David’s story doesn’t end with failure. And we can be thankful that there are many other stories of people facing these kinds of crisis – people who didn’t fail. We don’t have to fail – we can choose to do the right thing. Take King Hezekiah as an example. Hezekiah, like David, was a King after God’s own heart. Hezekiah cleaned out all the foreign idols in Israel and called the people back to holiness and true worship of Yahweh. He did this all in his late twenties – he was my age. But he became very sick. His body was failing him. That’s what happens as we get older – our bodies slow down, our energy dissipates, our bones weaken. Hezekiah was sick and, like David, his enemies never stopped coming back for more. But instead of withdrawing from his responsibilities like David, instead of hiding from his weakness in the fake strength of sexual promiscuity, Hezekiah admitted his frailty. He called out to God for help. In the book of Isaiah, chapter thirty-eight, we can read Hezekiah’s prayer.

Read Isaiah 38:10-20

Hezekiah admitted his weakness. He acknowledged his depression. His body’s frailty had brought him to this place of despair. But instead of hiding from it, or pushing it under the carpet – he wrote about it, he faced it, and confessed it to God. That is an example for all of us who find ourselves despairing about life’s disappointments and our failure to be who we thought we should be.

We can be thankful for a man like Joseph. His brothers had sold him into slavery. His flesh and blood had become the worst kind of enemy. And when the opportunity came for Joseph to exact revenge on his brothers, what did he do? He forgave his brothers. Instead of seeing their offense as an unforgivable violence, Joseph had opened himself to the reality of God. And with God, even the most brutal forms of violence and sin can be transformed into opportunities for new life, new creation, healing and empowerment. Despite his brothers’ betrayal, God opened up an opportunity to bring hope and new life to Joseph’s family and the people of Israel.

We can be thankful for the story of Sarah and Abraham. Well on their way to retirement, Abram and Sarai were going to settle down with Terah, their father. Abram was seventy five years old and Sarai was sixty-five years old when they heard God’s call and journeyed to the land of Canaan. In their first years of retirement, God gave them a whole new calling; God made a covenant with them… and we know the rest of the story. In the story of Joseph we learn that God can create new opportunities for hope in the midst of traumatic events; and now, in the story of Abraham, we learn that God doesn’t really pay that much attention to age.

Like Abraham and Sarah, our own retirements do not spell the end of God’s plan for us – not at all. In fact, in some ways it’s just the opposite. Are you retired? What might God be calling you to, now that you’re not committed to a full-time job? One of my former pastors once told me: Marco, when you retire… all that means is that you’re no longer held back by a nine-to-five job; then your discipleship can go all-out in new and unique way.

If King David’s story helps us to see how the challenges of mid-life can result in disaster – how a failure to admit weakness results in grasping at straws – then stories like that of Hezekiah and Joseph remind us that we can choose to admit our brokenness, our decreasing capabilities, and the perspective of Joseph – that in all these things God still is able to bring about new life and new possibilities. We can learn from Abraham and Sarah that when our regular careers end in retirement, God is not finished with us. God still welcomes our partnership in bringing about His purpose. There is no retirement plan for discipleship.

My parents are a blessing to me, showing me how this lesson can be a true reality in regular life. They have been a great example to me in so many areas. They’ve modeled for me what it means to have God living at the centre of a marriage, joining a small group bible study as a couple in their fifties. They showed me how parenthood can be built upon the foundation of the gospel, instituting daily bible devotions as a family when I was just a young boy.

A few years back things started slowing down for my mom and dad. Their health was becoming a more and more complicated matter. A few years ago, my dad noticed an increasing fatigue at work. He’s had to slow down and isn’t able to do all the heavy lifting when he’s building basements. Don’t get me wrong – he’s still one of the strongest 59 year olds I know… but he’s slowing down. Accepting these limitations was a real challenge for him. His own struggle with depression began several years ago. This past week we talked about it in depth for the first time. The strong man I grew up admiring isn’t as physically strong as he once was. But what I admire about him now is that he was able to admit his struggle with increasing limitations, and decreasing energy and enthusiasm. He didn’t have to hide his weakness behind a new sports car. He didn’t have to seek the fake strength of sexual promiscuity.

I asked him what helped him during these midlife anxieties; he said that it was a determination to not give up, to not just sit there and mope. He ‘kicked himself in the butt’ and did what he could, recognizing that he just wasn’t able to do as much as when he was my age. The key thing was to accept himself with his weaknesses – and that’s not something that a lot of us younger folks have good role-models of. I’m grateful to him for that.

My conversation with my mom centered more on the topic of empty-nesting. Along with midlife and retirement, the ‘empty nest syndrome’ is a common struggle for many of us. Many marriages face their most difficult obstacle when the children leave home. If parents haven’t done a thorough job of cultivating a deep and intimate friendship with their spouse before and during parenthood, then the empty nest can be a real shocker.

If you are right smack-dab in the middle of parenting your children – my advice to you is that you find ways of deepening your relationship with your spouse. Don’t just talk about work and the kids. Cultivate a deep friendship, and fan the flame of passionate love between the two of you. It is your primary responsibility as husband and wife, and even as parents, that you and your spouse have a strong, intimate, passionate and healthy relationship. Your children deserve to see mom and dad passionately loving one another and taking time for each other. You should be able to tell your child: “Johnny, I know you don’t like it, but mom and I are going to spend this Saturday with each other and you’re going to grandmas for the day”.

Children… and this tip is for you… you need to demand that your mom and dad spend time together – to go on dates without you children… trust me, you want your parents to have a strong marriage. And to grandparents: make sure that you are fighting for your children’s marriages as well. Take the grandkids for a day or for a few days, but make sure that mom and dad are using that time for themselves – to build a deep friendship.

For those of you who are heading into the empty-nest – your children are all-growed-up and moving on – you’re experiencing all kinds of mixed emotions. Finally, you have time and freedom that you haven’t felt in ages. You have more time to do what you want rather than what your children want. But this empty nest isn’t all roses. Now, suddenly, there might be too much time alone – and you’re not used to that. It’s easy to feel somewhat useless if you’ve spent most of your married life looking after children and now that role has come to a kind of end. You can still serve your children, but it’s very very different. Then there’s the fact that you have to spend more time talking to your spouse – something that’s probably very new to both of you. I was just talking to someone this week who said that their parents fought for the first year after their children moved out. Is that your home? Will that be your home?

My younger brother and sister will be moving out of the home within the next two or three years. My parents are already planning to go on a missions trip to Paraguay, where they want to work at a leprosy mission. How did I end up with parents like this? They know that God isn’t finished with them – not at all. And I look forward to seeing the adventures they’ll take when the time’s right. How about you? When the children leave home, in what way will you open up your marriage and your life to God’s calling? Is there a missions trip you’ve always wanted to try? It’s good to take some holiday time during retirement – but don’t forget that your discipleship never goes on holidays. The waters of your Baptism are going to bring new opportunities for you; a fresh garden with a full harvest.

If you’re like David, having failed in the face of these challenges – remember that his failure wasn’t the end of his story. Repent from your sins and turn to God – He will forgive you your sin. God is passionately pursuing you. He wants to write a beautiful last chapter for you and your life. Will you let him? Think of Hezekiah and admit your own weaknesses and brokenness – and turn to God for help. He promises to uphold the weak. In Isaiah we read: “even to your old age I am he, even when you turn gray I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save.” Think of Joseph, and know that the people who have hurt you in life don’t have to have power over you; the sins committed against you don’t have to be your prison. Open yourself to God and how He wants to bring about new life in spite of this pain, and how He already has given you hope. May these stories encourage you, as disciples, to engage mid-life, the empty nest, and retirement from a biblical imagination. May these stories provoke you, as disciples, to trust in the One who has carried you this far, and to surrender your life to God, who still has much more in store for you in this discipleship journey. May God bless you as you are encouraged and provoked by the Spirit at work within you. Amen.

Humility at the Areopagus

2011-05-29T16:07:00.000-07:00

Meditation planned for Eastview-Ebenezer service on Sunday, May 29^th, 2011

Text: Acts 17:22-31

The passage I just read is a favourite of mine. There’s not too many accounts of evangelism to Gentiles in the New Testament. And so, this passage about Paul preaching to the Gentiles in the city of Athens stands out. Another reason that this story stands out is because Paul speaks about faith and God, but he begins from the perspective of paganism. Usually, evangelism in the New Testament begins with an account of the Old Testament hope that was fulfilled in Jesus and how his crucifixion, death and resurrection has saving power. But in the story I just read, Paul began his discussion with the Athenians by addressing their own worship practices.

The people of Athens were a very religious people. After arriving there, Paul was distressed about all the idols that the Athenians worshipped. He spent some time arguing with the Jewish leaders in the synagogue, and he also debated with the philosophers in the marketplace. When they got to the topic of religion, they brought Paul to the Areopagus, where the people of Athens worshipped their idols. It was here that Paul explained his beliefs about God and the resurrected Christ more clearly.

When preaching the gospel to the Jewish community, the apostles would often begin by referring to the prophets. When Stephen the Martyr gave his testimony, he began with the story of Abraham, he told the story of Egypt and the Exodus, of King David and of Solomon. The common evangelistic strategy was to connect the life of Jesus, and his ministry, to the story of the Old Testament. But when Paul stood before the Athenians, he couldn’t go there. Those connections didn’t matter to the Athenians - they paid no respect to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. His message would have to be different.

Paul pointed out the altar dedicated to an unknown god. Instead of directly assaulting their worship of idols; instead of attacking their beliefs, he made an appeal to something they were already doing. They were worshiping an ‘unknown god’; and so Paul stepped-in and claimed to know something about this unknown god.

This ‘unknown god’, Paul said, was the creator of everything – he is the Lord of heaven and earth. This God is not housed in shrines, he is not made of precious metals, or imagined by mortals. No – this God is the one who gives life and breath to all living things. All the inhabitants of the earth are the descendants of God’s handiwork.

Paul had three main points to his talk in the Areopagus. First of all – he explained to his listeners who this God was. He was the Creator of everything – the giver of life. He was the one who raised Jesus from the dead. Secondly, Paul made it clear what this God wasn’t. God wasn’t housed in a shrine. God wasn’t in need of anything. God didn’t need people to burn incense. God didn’t need people to sacrifice their children. God is all-sufficient in himself. Paul writes that God is not served by human hands as though he needed anything. God doesn’t need us in order for him to be God. Furthermore, God couldn’t be found by just searching for him as you would search for a path or a coin. God revealed himself to humanity, and He has shown Himself to us most fully in Jesus Christ.

So far, Paul explained what God was and what God wasn’t. The third point – his main point - was to lay out the evangelical challenge. The good news that Paul had for the Athenians was that they were not far from this God – this God was all around them and that they were being welcomed to embrace God as their Lord. Paul said that they were God’s offspring – and as God’s children they should turn from their idols, they should repent and turn to Him in worship. He told them that there was a coming day of judgment, and that this was their chance to be made righteous by the same man that God had raised from the dead. In a nutshell, Paul called them to turn to Jesus.

This message is a familiar one for you and me, but for Paul – this message was burning on his lips. As a Pharisee, Paul had spent a lifetime serving God with his hands, earning points with God by going the extra mile. Paul was zealous in his religious practice. He spent the first half of his life thinking that if he just tried hard enough he could find God through his own works. The message he preached to the Athenians was as shocking to him as it was to his listeners.

It was a shock to hear that God doesn’t need us or our service. God is not in need of anything. God is completely fulfilled in His own being, as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It was a shock to hear that God was everywhere and not housed in some temple or shrine. God’s Spirit hovered over the face of the deep. God’s Spirit was poured out on the folks in Jerusalem at Pentecost. God was close at hand, yet you couldn’t put God in a box.

In one of his letters, Paul admitted that his credentials as a Pharisee didn’t matter – they didn’t impress God. The only thing that God wanted of Paul was that he repent and turn to Jesus and proclaim him Lord. In his conversion experience, all those earlier works and credentials became nothing – instead, Paul was made righteous by Jesus Christ who was faithful to God. It was Jesus’ work on the cross that saved Paul from the punishment of sin.

How often do we come to think that our credentials matter to God? How often do we come to think that the institutions we have strived to build are somehow containers for all that is holy? Have we come to believe that God is somehow in our possession because we have a church building or a Christian school? Have we come to believe that we have a higher standing with God because we have attended lots of worship services? Do we believe that God has needed our acts of service – as though God owes us a favour for helping him out?

King David is a good example of all of this. He spent his lifetime doing what he thought was a great service to God. He defended God’s people. He established them as a nation. Yet his greatness was never a matter of what he accomplished. His greatness was that he was a man after God’s own heart. He yearned to know God more and more. He longed to be led by God as a sheep is guided by the shepherd. We may think that we have accomplished great things and that these things impress God. We may think that we have a handle on God. When Paul spoke with some of the most respected men in Athens – the philosophers of that great city – Paul said that there was only one thing that mattered; and that’s the gospel.

The good news is that you are children of God by the fact that, in Jesus, God has adopted us as his children, not counting our sins against us. God has claimed us as his children. The appropriate response to this good news is that we repent of our self-focused lives; that we repent of our idols; and that we turn towards Jesus – the one who was raised from the dead. In him, the righteousness of God has become our righteousness.

May we join the apostle Paul in recognizing that our institutions, our credentials, our years of work and accomplishments are not what make us anything special. We have been called children by the God who created all things – find your identity in that fact. Celebrate the love God has shown you in Jesus Christ; and may that love be a banner over you – so that others might know one thing – this is a child of the Living God. May all of your words and deeds be a testimony to your adoption as children of God, and may God’s name be glorified in all that you do and say. Amen.

Christian Living: Marriage & Parenthood

2011-05-15T10:38:00.000-07:00

Sermon planned for Sunday, May 15th, 2011

Texts: Genesis 2:18-24; Ephesians 6:1-4

Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner.”

Loneliness is not a good thing. It is not good that we as humans should be alone. Last week we talked about how God has given us the gift of friendship. Friends are gifts to us from God. As friends, we work to overcome loneliness. Two weeks ago we looked at the gift of children. Children are also one of the gifts that God gives us to overcome loneliness, but in a different way than with friends. This morning we’re going to examine Christian discipleship and what it means for Christian marriage and parenting. This morning, my goal is to provoke all you married folks to a life of radical hospitality for the sake of God’s Kingdom – to open your doors wide to others - children, to strangers, to the needy and to the weak. This morning, my goal is to provoke parents to vulnerablity and a welcoming embrace towards their children as a gift from God, rather than a possession, accessory or curse – to welcome them as a sign of God’s care for this world and for the church.

If friendship is one of God’s gifts to us – a gift that helps us to overcome loneliness – than marriage is another gift that strengthens us in a similar way. Genesis gives us a glimpse at how God views His creation. After finishing Creation, God said that it was good. But we also hear, from God’s voice, what isn’t good – loneliness. It’s the first problem we encounter in the Creation story; and it’s a problem that God quickly remedies by creating the male-female relationship. “Helper” and “partner” are two of the first roles we hear about in the relationship between spouses. In other parts of scripture we learn of other roles as well, including “companion”, “friend”, and “lover”. But it’s interesting that the first description of the roles of spouses assume that husband and wife will be doing some significant work together. They are helpers and partners for one another. This begs the question: what is the significant work that husbands and wives are given? What important work does God have in store for marriages?

First of all, the most foundational work for a marriage to do is the work of companionship – the work of friendship. Man was lonely and so God gave him a helper and partner. The ‘helper’ and ‘partner’ roles in marriage are first of all directed towards one another as work to overcome loneliness. You need to be there for one another. This, of course, sounds simple enough. But one of the biggest challenges I hear about for couples, when they talk to me about some of their struggles, is a lack of effort put into spending time with one another. Many of you, in your marriages, are lonely.

Last week I said that it’s unfair to assume your spouse will take care of all your loneliness – and that’s true. Husbands and wives do need deep Christian friendships with people outside of their relationship. But from what I hear, husbands and wives frequenly have almost no time together. When’s the last time you went on a date with your spouse? When’s the last time you had a conversation with your partner that wasn’t about the kids, or about work – but rather about you two are doing? How’s the relationship going? What do I like about the relationship? What do I struggle with in regards to the relationship?

If part of God’s reasoning for giving us the gift of marriage is for us to overcome loneliness – and that’s what we get from Genesis 2 – if that’s the case, then why are so many Christian marriages made up of people who are lonely? Why are so many Christian husbands and wives seeking companionship and love in another’s arms? Why is there so much adultery? Why do Christian husbands and wives feel so isolated? In my opinion, coming from reflection on limited experience and some counseling, I am quite sure that a major part of this loneliness results from husbands and wives forgetting the basics of what marriage is supposed to be. Many Christian husbands and wives forget, or have never heard, that the most basic task for husbands and wives is to help and partner with each other in overcoming loneliness – by cultivating deep and intimate friendship and companionship.

If God’s purpose in gifting us with marriage is to overcome loneliness and alienation, how do Christian marriages go about receiving this gift from God? The first step in Christian marriage is to cultivate the Christian part of the marriage. Both husband and wife need to cultivate an ever growing and deepening relationship with God, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Husbands, how often do you pray? Wives, how often do you read scripture? Men, why are your projects and your work more important than knowing the Word of God? Wives, why are we so worried about what others think of us, of our children, our husbands – why not think, instead, of the Word that God has spoken about you in Jesus Christ – that you are dearly loved children of God, made in His image. Why not join women like Mary, Jesus’ mother, who “treasured God’s Word and pondered them in her heart.” The first step in Christian marriage is for husbands and wives to join together in the joyful work of cultivating a deep relationship with God. That’s step one.

Step two: Deepen your relationship with your partner. If God’s first purpose in gifting us with marriage is to overcome loneliness and alienation, then why are husbands and wives busying themselves with the very opposite? For some reason, husbands and wives have been convinced that it is more important for them to make sure their children are busy with all kinds of extra-curricular activities than it is for mom and dad to spend a good amount of time together, strengthening their marriage? Some of you will barely have time to see each other during any given week. Consider last week, how much time did you and your spouse take for each other? To get closer? To be intimate? To listen to each other? Now I know that life and work get busy and complicated – some of you have jobs that take you out of the home for extended periods of time. That said, you did not get married in order to be alone.

This morning, I encourage you to deepen and strengthen your marriage in whatever way possible. Talk to each other, and listen to each other. Actually listen to what your partner tells you – turn off the tube, the computer, the internet – for once, and face your partner and talk to them, and listen to them. If you have problems in your marriage – don’t avoid them. Communicate your hopes and desires for the relationship. Get help if you can’t find a way through the conflict by yourself. With Genesis 2 in mind, remember that this relationship you have with your spouse is called to be a gift to both of you. That means that each of you is supposed to be a helper and a partner – with the #1 job of overcoming loneliness.

Step #3: If step #1 to a Christian marriage is to deepen and cultivate a relationship with God; and if step #2 is to get on with the good work overcoming loneliness; then step # 3 is to join together for discipleship as a team. Although husbands and wives have a similar discipleship call to singles and celibate people; there is something unique that a marriage offers to discipleship.

Husbands and wives are called to a radical hospitality towards others in a unique way. Whereas singles and celibates have the opportunity to respond to ministries that require greater flexibility, financial sacrifice, and time commitments; Christian marriages have the opportunity to offer greater stability & economic security to discipleship. For example, Christian marriages have the opportunity to offer a safe and stable home. There are a few important reasons why Christian marriage is invaluable to the Church and the Kingdom of God. At least two these reasons are so that there can be places of radical hospitality for (1) children, and for (2) strangers and the weak. If the first job of marriage is for husbands and wives to join together to overcome loneliness, the second important job is for them to minister to others who find themselves in need of friends.

One of those ‘others’ is children. Marriages are called to make room for the gift of children, and to provide for children a safe home, with stability, care, nurture, and love. These children are often the biological children of husband and wife; but they need not be. Marriages are called to be hospitable to children, and this calling also refers to adoption and fostering. There are many children in our world that need a safe and stable home, and so adoption should always be a possibility for us in our discipleship. But this calling to hospitality isn’t only for children.

Husbands and wives are called to create a home of radical hospitality for the stranger and the weak. We have it modeled for us in scripture by couples like Abraham and Sarah with Lot and his wife, with the three angels that come to visit them, and in other stories as well. A ministry of hospitality for the stranger is assumed in many of Moses’ laws, and it gets reaffirmed in the New Testament, with numerous exhortations to help lift up the poor, the needy and the weak. Husbands and wives are uniquely positioned to respond with hospitality to those who need a safe and stable home. Think of all the MCI students from afar that are housed by couples in the area – it’s much easier, and perhaps also more appropriate, for these students to have a home where there’s a mom and dad present.

Many of you already know stories of this kind of hospitality. A husband and wife choose to help out another member of the community by adopting a child that cannot be looked after by the mother. When I first got the youth pastor job in Rosthern, I came for a week of candidating and I stayed at a friend’s place in Saskatoon. I didn’t know it before I got there, but my friend’s parents were foster parents. They already had well over fifteen foster children come through their home during my friend’s lifetime. When I stayed there, they had about four or five foster children, two of which were in wheelchairs, and with most of them having several physical and learning disabilities. It was an interesting week, living at their home. My friend helped his mom prepare a table full of medication; and then we spent many hours playing blocks & Lego with their foster children. My friend’s mom and dad had the courage and the will to serve God and offer a home of radical hospitality. These kinds of situations are rare: too rare, if you ask me.

A marriage can also be a gift of radical hospitality to others, not just children. Consider, for example, my uncle and aunt Cornie and Barbara Harder in Asuncion, Paraguay. When they found out that they couldn’t have children they decided to open up their home to Bible College students. After years, this caught on, and they were asked to be house-parents at the college’s residence building called MennoHeim. They did this for most of their adult life, welcoming young adults to their dinner table, comforting them when they got homesick, helping people resolve their conflicts, and just being there as a listening ear. They understood that their marriage was given to them as a gift in order to bless others. They did this by providing a home of radical hospitality to strangers in their community. What opporunities have you encountered to open up your home in hospitality to those who are in need?

When parents are given the gift of children, life changes completely. A relationship that was primarily about husband and wife now becomes entangled in the life of a new human being. The longer a couple waits with having children, the more this new life will shock their sensibilities and their habits. Children tend not to fit into tidy schedules and a well-organized life. When husband and wife are convinced to have children on their own terms – God often has a way of shaking things up a bit. One child will love a schedule – and for another, chaos is the norm. One child will respond to one form of parenting, but that same approach won’t work at all for a different child.

Christian marriages are called to be radically hospitable to children as gifts from God. At least one of the things this means is that children are to be dearly loved, welcomed and appreciated. As we heard two weeks ago, children are a gift AND NOT an accessory or curse. But what do you do with gifts?

The bible includes numerous stories that shape us and our understanding of children as a gift. For example, think of the story of Hannah and Samuel. Hannah was this woman who desperately wanted a child. She’d spend her time at the temple, praying to God and promising God that if she ever had a son, she would dedicate her child to God’s service. After her son Samuel was born, she went over to the temple and she dedicated him to God – she literally put him in the Temple’s care. We have a similar story with Samson and his mother and father, who dedicated him to a life of serving God. From stories like these, and that of John the Baptist’s mother Elizabeth, you get an increasingly clear picture of what it means to receive children as a gift from God.

If children who are viewed as accessories are controlled, forced, and manipulated; if children who are viewed as curses are aborted and abused – what kind of parenting flows out of the view that children are a gift from God? A big part of what this means is that children are dedicated back to God in service of God’s purpose in our world.

I wonder if that was what my mom was thinking, when she helped me move to Saskatchewan. Together with some of my friends, including Andy, who some of you know, my mom came out to Saskatchewan to help me move my stuff into a really small house on 10th St. in Rosthern. After my friends went on their way, my mom stayed a few extra days, helping me unpack my car-load of belongings (I fit all my stuff into that Honda Civic I drive). She met the wonderful folks in that church, whom I came to love over the next five years. She met John & Tina Siemens; the elderly couple that adopted me as their new 21 year old grandson. When my mom had to return home, I drove her to the Greyhound station in Saskatoon and we began our goodbyes. We said our farewells and hugged… and boy did we cry. We both had tears streaming down our cheeks. Later she told me that this was one of her most difficult acts – to give me over to ministry; to give me over to an unknown future, to a community in a small town amidst strangers. That week and that goodbye are defining moments in my life.

Christian parenting is about welcoming children as a gift from God and then dedicating them back to God’s care. This dedication begins way before you actually head for the bus station. Each and every day, there are opportunities for you, as Christian parents, to dedicate your children to God’s service. It involves forming their imagination with the truth that they are Created by God and deeply loved. It involves immersing your children in the stories of scripture, and helping them to understand that this story invites their participation; that they are invited to join the story of God’s redeeming work.

In his letter to the Ephesians, we read Paul’s words about parents disciplining and instructing their children. It’s clear what Paul has in mind here. He wants parents and children to have a relationship that grows deeper and deeper in obedience to Jesus. He tells children to obey their parents in the Lord. It’s not just a straightout command to obey their parents no matter what. This key piece, ‘in the Lord’, makes all the difference.

The ‘in the Lord’ names the flavour, the context, the space, in which Christian children and Christian parents are to exist. This means constant care for cultivating a deep relationship to God, knowing His Word, and obeying His will. ‘In Christ’ names the flavour of the conversations that are supposed to be ‘the norm’ for moms, dads, and their children. A Christian child’s obedience to their parents assumes that their parents are living for the Lord and dedicating their children to God. If your parents aren’t actively dedicating you and your activities to God’s purpose – then the question is, should you be obeying them? If they refuse to take you to church, or to teach you the gospel, then what are you to do? What kind of obedience does the bible envision for Children? This isn’t obedience because mom and dad said so – not even maybe (nicht mohl maesst). This is an obedience that comes from patient relationship building, loving communication, and a constant openness and dedication to Christ.

The disciplining and instruction that Paul tells parents to give their children is a very specific kind of discipline and instruction. It is discipline and instruction “of the Lord”; a continual pointing of children to God, through Jesus Christ. Paul is not telling parents to discipline for any purpose or reason – your child is not your tool that you bring to the grindstone, in order to shape according to your desires. Your child is a gift from God to be continually dedicated to God and His purposes. For this goal, discipline and instruction is permitted and commanded.

Is your child stubborn? Is your child passionate about something you care little about? Does your teenager want to do something with their life that worries you because it won’t make enough money? Remember, your child is a gift given to you – they’re not an accessory to your vision of life… your job is to point them to Christ and dedicate them to him. Maybe God wants a disciple that has a stubborn streak, willing to stand up for the truth without wavering or being a push-over… don’t think it’s you’re job to root-out his/her stubornness – it might very well be exactly what God needs from that disciple.

Instead, view your child as a gift that God has given you so that you can point them back to Christ – that is your first responsibility as a Christian parent. All the other responsiblities, as important as they are, take a seat far behind this first one. What do you spend most of your time talking about with your children? Is it about money? About sports? A job? A bad habit? Why not talk about what kind deed you can do for the widow down the street… and then do it? Why not study the scriptures, and tell your children the stories of the Bible. Allow Christ’s Spirit to form them according to God’s Word. You don’t need to shape them into neat accessories to your life. Let God shape them into instruments for His Kingdom.

Where do you encourage your children to spend most of their energies and time? Are these activities that move your children closer to Jesus? What priorities dominate your parenting approaches and how you form your children’s goals and desires? How do you yourselves, as parents, model a Christ focused, Kingdom-centered life? What do you talk about most as a couple in front of your children? This sets the tone as to what they think you find most important in life. Is it money? Worrying about the neighbours? Or is it the bible, the Church, Jesus and His Kingdom, and your relationship with God? When you dream together as a family? Are you dreaming of vacations, or do you take some time to dream about a service trip? Do you conspire together to help out a neighbour?

This morning, our discipleship provokes husbands and wives to a deeper calling – to radical hospitality to children, strangers, and those who are weak. Our discipleship provokes Christian parents to receive their children as a gift rather than a possession, accessory or a curse. The question and the challenge we receive: will we allow the Holy Spirit to provoke us in these ways? May God bless you as you overcome loneliness by truly loving one another; may God make you a blessing as you open your home to radical hospitality to children, to strangers and to the weak; and may God bless you as you cherish your children as gifts from God. Amen.

Christian Living: Singleness, Celibacy & Friendship

2011-05-08T20:05:00.000-07:00

Sermon planned for Sunday, May 8th, 2011

Text: Matthew 19:9-12; 1 Corinthians 7:1-9

Last week we looked at scripture and the early stages of life. We talked about children and saw that they are a gift from God. We heard about the transition from childhood to adulthood – this thing called adolescence – and how our young people are called to move forward into discipleship with courage and boldness. We heard that all of us are called to welcome and engage our young people – to pass-on the baton of ministry and welcome their gifts.

This morning is Mother’s Day – so, first of all I want to wish all the mothers and grandmothers in our church and community a very blessed Mother’s Day. May God continue to bring you joy and blessing as you live out the holy calling of motherhood.

My sermon, this morning, continues on with the Christian Living series that I began last week. This morning we’re looking at Singleness, Celibacy & Friendship. Next week we’ll be looking at Marriage & Parenting. Just a point of clarification: terms like ‘singleness’ and ‘celibacy’ can refer to a variety of things. This morning, by ‘singleness’ I’m thinking of the different kinds of life-situations that we find ourselves in; including the singleness of a young adult before they find someone to spend their life with; the singleness of the person who has intentionally chosen to remain single for the time being, or for the long run; and also the singleness that a person finds themselves in after a spouse has died.

With ‘celibacy’ I’m talking about something more specific; about the choice to withold oneself from sexual intimacy outside of marriage, and also the choice to dedicate one’s energies to a fuller and deeper commitment to the ministry. In other words, a celibate person is someone who decidedly devotes their singleness to full dedication to God and the missional calling. This is different from chosen singleness in that celibacy is an intentional commitment to radical discipleship in place of marriage; rather than a decision to remain single for some other reason or purpose.

The bible doesn’t give us that much in terms of direct teaching about being single. There are, however, several passages in scripture that speak about celibacy. One of the most relevant is the passage from Matthew that we heard earlier. In his teachings about divorce, in our passage this morning, Jesus declared that remarriage after divorce was only legitimate if the spouse had been unfaithful. Unlike the Rabbis Hillel and Shammai who were more permissive about divorce and remarriage, Jesus upheld the seriousness and permanence of the marriage covenant.

After considering this teaching about the permanence of marriage, the disciples objected, saying: “Jesus… if that’s the case… if that’s the seriousness of the marriage commitment… then forget about it, then its better not to marry.” Jesus agreed. He continued: “You’re right, singleness is a lot less challenging than marriage – the commitments of marriage name a life of painful work, forgiveness and patience – but not everyone is cut-out for the single life either.”

Why would Jesus say this? Because the follower of Christ doesn’t have the choice between committed marriage and casual encounters and easily broken commitments. Jesus gives an alternative to committed marriage; that alternative is a single or celibate life lived for the sake of the kingdom of heaven – he says, “others have renounced marriage because of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.” In this passage, the alternative to life-long committed marriage is celibacy – where a disciple gives their life over to Kingdom work in place of marriage. The reason that the celibate person is single is not because of uninterest in the opposite gender, or lack of opportunity – the reason is because this person has chosen to dedicate this portion of their life to serving God in a specific way.

I want to come back to this a bit later. Singleness, as opposed to celibacy, is not the direct focus of much of scripture – but singleness is a part of almost every page. Singleness is the most basic form of human existence. We are born as singles and we will die on our own – no one can take our place or fully join us in stepping from life into death. We stand before God, singly, as disciples responding to His call, when we come to the waters of baptism. We will each have our names written in the Lamb’s book of life. In God’s eyes, we are not written down as Mr. and Mrs. Funk – but as Marco and Karen, John and Kim, Adam and Annie. Each one must individualy proclaim Jesus’ Lordship; each one must be a willing participant in the community of faith. We are each individually created in the image of God. We are each individually called to give our love, praise and worship to God. We are each individually called to turn from sin and to turn ourselves towards Christ and follow him as a disciple.

Every aspect of Christian discipleship is first of all required of you as a single and individual Christian. The parts of Christian discipleship that refer to marriages are extensions of things that are already required of individual disciples. Parenting children, for example, is already hinted at in every single Christian’s responsibility to welcome and care for the children in our midst. Faithfulness between husband and wife is already prefigured in each Christian’s call to cultivate deep friendships where Christians are committed to each other.

My point is that there is absolutely nothing abnormal about Christian singleness. Nothing about discipleship requires us to be married. In fact, it even seems as if Jesus viewed singleness just as appropriate as married life. And the apostle Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians, even prefers singleness to marriage. He writes:
It is good for a man not to marry… 7 I wish that all men were as I am. But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that. 8 Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I am. 9 But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion. -1 Corinthians 7:1, 7-9

Passages like this one, and the one from Matthew that we heard earlier, have always played an important role in the life of the Church. Catholic and Orthodox communities of faith continue to invite individuals to consider commited celibacy as a life-long calling; and not just so that they can be priests, but so that they can dedicate every aspect of their life to God; and so we can think of nuns like Mother Theresa and monks as examples of this kind of dedicated life.

Nowadays, celibacy is downplayed among most Protestants and Mennonites. When Protestants banded together and rejected forced celibacy for pastors and priests, Mennonites went along with this; but, I’m afraid that most Protestants and Mennonites have given up too much by disregarding celibacy as a faithful option for disciples. Don’t get me wrong – getting rid of forced celibacy for priests and pastors was a good idea. I’m sure glad we did.

The problem is that these churches soon found themselves unable to give a good reason why anyone would be celibate. In fact, in communities that see church growth as primarily a matter of having more babies, celibacy and singleness have been viewed as threats, or at least awkward glitches.

Another question that Protestant and Mennonite churches have failed to ask is whether there isn’t a real need for celibate individuals in the church; for people that dedicate all their time and resources to ministry and witness. Why is it that youth programs in most churches are served by young adult sponsors? Or consider camp ministries?

There are very important activities that married people are committed to that take up a lot of time. But there are other ministry opportunities that require a greater degree of flexibility than most married people will commit to. This is not at all to say that the ministries that celibate people can attend to are more important than the commitments of married men and women – not at all. It just means that there is a real need and positive role that the local and global Church has for single and celibate individuals. The Church needs singles and people who choose life-long committed celibacy for the sake of the Kingdom.

This is in the background to Jesus’ and Paul’s comments on avoiding marriage. It’s not that marriage is sinful or that it is only for the weak. Jesus says that marriage is part of the normal course of events – “a man leaves his father’s house and is joined to his wife and they become One Flesh”. Jesus accepts this way of telling the human story. But the arrival of the Kingdom of God has changed things.

The arrival of the Kingdom of God has put another set of priorites on the table – not merely biological survival. Now it’s about bearing witness to the Kingdom of God; it’s about living ourselves into the coming reality of God’s reign of Shalom. Singleness and Celibacy now have an important part in God’s story – for people who can do it, for people who have that gift. Discipleship can be an all-out mission for the Christian, even so much that there is no time or energy for marriage and the commitments that requires

Now I’m guessing that there are at least two common reasons why churches and parents don’t really talk about singleness and celibacy as good options for individual Christians. One is understandable and the other is dangerous. First of all, it is understandable that parents want their children to find a spouse. Parents want their children to be happy; and one way to achieve happiness is to find a good Christian husband or wife. And then – of course – there are the grandchildren. What’s behind this desire? I think that there is, of course, the parent’s desire that their children be happy – but I think there’s also a hidden fear behind this. I think that one reason that parents want their children to get married eventually is because they don’t want their children to be lonely, and they themselves don’t want to be lonely. As parents, we want to imagine our old age as filled with relationships with those whom we love. Grandchildren are a big part of this dream. When couples who can’t have children share this news with their parents – those parents will often grieve this news quite deeply, and that’s understandable.

The second reason that celibacy isn’t viewed as a good option for individual Christians is a dangerous reason – dangerous and even a bit pagan or heretical. This second reason that celibacy isn’t a celebrated option for Christians is because the Church can come to view itself as a club or an institution that is grown and increased primarily through biological means. In other words, the Church sometimes falsely assumes that it’s survival is dependent upon Christian men and women having babies. Together with this, you’ll find a common assumption that the Christian life is primarily about ‘focusing on the family’. And so you have Christians increasingly saying that the breakdown of the family is the primary problem for the Church in our society.

Although family and parenthood is a key component in Christian discipleship – it is not the primary component. Jesus did not call together moms and dads and tell them to make many babies and thus expand the Kingdom. That’s what you have in the Old Testament – with the call to ‘be fruitful and multiply’. Instead, Jesus called a group of men and women to go out into all the world and proclaim the good news, teaching and baptizing people into the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The lie that Christianity is about ‘focusing on the family’ is a leftover piece from paganism that assumes human fertility is the key to religious revival, or it assumes that life without spouse and children is somehow less valued or crucial to the life of faith. (eg. “if we have more babies than our church will grow”, or “our fertility is a sign of God’s blessing, and a lack of fertility is a sign of God’s curse”)

A key piece to what the Christian faith has always taught is that the Church does not grow through parents having babies but through faith commitments and baptism. The Church grows as people receive the Spirit and are re-born as children of God by the baptism of the Holy Spirit and Water. In the Kingdom of God, growth is reframed as a matter of joining Jesus and entering into the Kingdom.

This is one of the reasons why, in the New Testament, there is a shift away from genealogies to accounts of mass conversion and baptism. The Genealogy of Jesus is the last one of it’s kind because biological succession has been trumped, in the church, by the succession of faith as a gift from God. Throughout the rest of Church History, biological genealogies would be overshadowed by lists of people who had been baptized, by whom they had been baptized, and on which date. In other words, in the Church, it is evangelism, and not biological reproduction, that is key to growth and survival of the Church. Babies & children are an invaluable gift from God, but that gift isn’t directly associated with Church growth or revival.

In this way, singleness and celibacy plays a key part in the Kingdom’s growth. In fact, you could say that nothing quite displays faith as a person that sets every moment, thought and deed aside for the sake of the Lord. Celibacy then becomes a reminder to the high calling placed on all of us. Our lives have been redirected towards Christ. Even our marriages are called to be outward focused, towards God and His Kingdom, rather than merely attempts at growing our influence and position in society, or fulfilling our own relational needs.

That being said – you and I – we all have relational needs. None of us were created to be alone. In fact, scripture begins with a creation account where God makes it clear that He did not make us to be lonely. He wants his creatures to enjoy the same relational friendship that exists within His own Being as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. One part of God’s plan for overcoming this loneliness is marriage and family. But this morning I want to suggest that Christian friendship is one of God’s greatest gifts for us, whether we are married, single or celibate.

None of us are created to be lonely. Singleness and Celibacy can only be sustained if we do the hard but joyful work of cultivating deep friendships. In fact, even marriages require spouses to cultivate deep friendships with others. It’s often that when a spouse expects their partner to fulfill all their relationship/companionship needs that they’ll each feel dissatisfied. If I expect Karen to fulfill all my relational needs then I’m putting way too heavy a burden on her. She’s not my hunting buddy. I don’t start a theological reading or debating group with her and read Karl Barth or John Howard Yoder. And thankfully, she doesn’t ask me to help her make a baby blanket, or do scrapbooking, or read Karen Kingsbury novels with her. We have some separate interests. We definitely have shared interests, but there’s also an appropriate distance.

If I transfer my anxieties about loneliness onto my expectations for Karen – then I’ll be setting myself up for dissapointment. And so, I give thanks to God for giving me some really close male friends. Whether married, single, or celibate, cultivating deep Christian friendship is key to surviving and flourishing as disciples. The Bible gives us numerous examples of these kinds of sustaining friendships: David & Jonathan, Ruth & Naomi, the Disciples, Mary & Martha, Paul & Timothy.

Singleness and Celibacy are important realities in the life of the Church; and, in fact, we should be doing more to recognize this and to celebrate it. As we focus on our mom’s this morning, I’m curious about what’s missing in our consideration of family life in the church. The question isn’t why we celebrate Mother’s Day in church… that’s easy - after all, Mothers are a gift to us from God; rather, the questions is: if singleness is the foundational mode of life for the Christian, then why don’t we celebrate the gift of celibacy?

Will we be a community that welcomes, celebrates and cultivates deep Christian friendships? Can we do so, so that those who choose singleness and those who choose celibacy, and even those of us who get married, can be sustained through times of loneliness? After all, have we not been made friends through Christ, our common friend? Can we invest ourselves more deeply in each other’s lives, so that those among us, so gifted, might boldly choose to give every aspect of their lives over to God’s mission? That every moment, every dollar, every thought could be directed towards witnessing to Jesus and His Kingdom? Can we make room for the celebration of celibacy in this community? Could it enter into the minds of parents that their child might be called to a sold-out radical discipleship, so bold and unrelenting that it might not even leave room for the commitment of marriage? Could we be the kinds of friends to one another so that this life-long calling be a matter of joy and not loneliness? By God’s grace, may it be so. Amen.

Christian Living: Childhood & Adolescence

2011-05-03T07:14:00.001-07:00

Sermon planned for Sunday, May 1st, 2011

Text: Matthew 19:13-14; 1 Timothy 4:12

This morning’s sermon is the first of a five-part series that I’ve entitled Christian Living: Seasons of the Journey. I thought of this series a while back and, together with the worship committee, worked out a series of topics about the Christian’s journey through life: from childhood , through adolescence, early adulthood, singleness, marriage, parenthood, mid-life, retirement, growing old, dying and grieving. As human beings, our lives usually follow a certain pattern. We are born, we grow older, we age, and we die. As Christians, we participate in this same pattern. None of us are like Benjamin Button, a fictional character who was born as a senior citizen and grew up into a young but aged infant. In the real world we move from cradle to grave.
This sermon series is an attempt to speak Christian-ly about this journey – to examine scripture and allow the Christian story to interrogate how we understand this journey. What practices shape us as we move through these stages? How do we understand the role of children, and why do we have baby dedications? What about adolescence? How are we to understand the journey from childhood to adulthood and what does it mean to be Christian on this journey? What about singleness and celibacy? What about dating? What does the Christian story have to say about human sexuality and marriage? What about parenting? And how are we to understand the disciple’s calling in the face of mid-life issues, or retirement? Does a Christian ever retire? From what do we retire? From being productive? And what about aging, growing old and frail? What does it mean to carry out our discipleship as seniors? What does it mean for us to face death? Or to grieve those who have died?

A five-part series will only briefly touch on these phases of life and Christian discipleship – but my goal is to get us praying, thinking and talking about our journey through life – and to intentionally examine what Christ’s call means for us on each part of the journey.

This morning we’re going to talk about childhood and adolesence. What does the bible have to say about children? What does the Christian worldview have to say about babies and the little ones that remind us of how precious a good night sleep is? And what can we as Christians say about the journey from childhood to adulthood? What about this thing called adolescence?

When parents brought their children to him, Jesus made it clear that children were to be welcomed. “Let them come – and do not stop them!” Why would anyone stop them? In Jesus’ time, children were viewed primarily as possessions. Your child belonged to you in a way similar to property. Marriages were arranged, years in advance, in order to bring about better financial situations for the larger family. Children were sold into slavery in order to pay off debts. But there was also a stream of thought that said something completely different about children. From stories like that of Abraham, Sarah and Isaac, Rachel and Joseph, Hannah and Samuel, Elizabeth and John the Baptist – in stories like these, we get a different picture. In these stories, children represent something much greater than mere possessions. In these stories, children are portrayed as gifts; they are signs of hope – that God is going to give us a future of gladness. In the biblical imagination, children were a sign of hope in God’s future and his covenant promises. Jesus says, “It is to children such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.” Children are the inheritors of God’s future. Welcome them as gifts from God – do not stop them.

At this time I want to invite all the children & youth to come to the front rows and have a seat. (Parents can determine whether their child is old enough to come and sit at the front.)

Were you listening to the last bit of my sermon? What did we hear Jesus say about the children that the parent’s brought to him? Did you know that Jesus loved children? How does the song about Jesus loving children go? (Sing it with the congregation) That song tells us something very important – it tells us the truth: Jesus loves children. God loves each one of you very much. One thing I said earlier is that you children are a gift from God. You’re a gift to your family. You’re a gift to the people in this church. You’re a gift to people like Karen and me, who don’t have kids. You’re a gift to the world. God gave you to your parents, to all of us, as a gift.

But did you know that God gave each one of you a gift too? God gave you a mom and a dad. Most of us have moms and dads, but some of us only have one, but each mom and each dad is God’s gift to you, just like you’re a gift to your moms and dads. How many of you like getting gifts and presents? When you have a present under the Christmas tree, what do you do? Do you kick it around the house? Or if your mom and dad get you a toy or a doll as a gift, do you throw it in the garbage? No, when we receive gifts, we enjoy them. Your parents are gifts to you from God, do you believe me? Why do you think God gave you parents as a gift?

God gave you parents as a gift so that you would have someone to take care of you. God gave them to you so that they could love you and teach you about life, about the bible, about Jesus. God gave you parents so that they could make sure you have a warm place to sleep and food to eat. That’s why God gave you parents as a gift. How do you think you should receive this gift? As children, its really important that we listen to our parents and show them respect. Why? Because God gave them to us and that’s how God wants us to treat our parents. In fact, one of the Ten Commandments is that God tells us to obey and listen to our parents – and God promises that if we do this life will be a lot better for us.

But now I want to focus on what I said before. You children are a gift from God. You’re a gift to your parents, to the church, to Karen and me, and to the world. But, you know what, sometimes people treat children like they’re not a gift. Sometimes people are really mean to children. This happens for a lot of different reasons. Sometimes adults treat children badly because they’re tired, and they lose patience. This happens. Sometimes it happens because children, like all of you, can do things that make other adults really upset, and sometimes people become mean. When your parents or others get mad or act mean to you, this doesn’t mean that they don’t love you; and sometimes adults forget that you’re a gift from God. That happens too. That’s why I want to remind everyone here that you guys are a gift to us.

And then sometimes, adults do things that they shouldn’t do to children. Sometimes adults hurt children, and that is not good. Sometimes adults tell children bad things, or they tell them to keep very bad secrets. This is not what God wants – God wants adults to be good to you and to treat you as a gift. IF ANYONE IS HURTING YOU, OR IF ANY ADULT IS TELLING YOU TO KEEP BAD SECRETS – IT IS IMPORTANT THAT YOU TELL YOUR PARENTS, OR A TEACHER, A SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER, OR YOU CAN TELL ME TOO. If anyone is hurting you, they are not listening to God, they are being bad and they are disobeying Jesus. Jesus tells us to let the children to come to Him and not to stop the children.

Just to review: What are you as children? Who are you gifts to? And what gift has God given to you children? How does God want you to treat your parents? And how does God want parents and other adults to treat you? Thanks so much for listening.

The bible offers us a clear picture of children – that they are a gift to us from God. They are a gift of hope that points to God’s future. A culture that despises its children is a culture of death that rejects the coming Kingdom of God, in which children are the model citizens, according to Jesus. The world offers us a variety of views of children. They fall under three basic categories. There’s the healthy view that we just talked about, where children are viewed as gifts; and then there’s the unhealthy ones – and each of these false views has to do with not loving children properly.

First of all, much of the world views children as accessories. Parents have children in order to accessorize their lives. Men and women choose to have children when it best suits them and fits into their planned lives. In this view, children are an add-on that must fit neatly into a life that is primarily about fulfilling the needs of mom and dad. In this case, parents love their children, but it’s a love that is just as much self-directed as it is directed towards children. When parents live completely within this worldview, children become hazards and inconveniences. Why? Going into parenting with the view that children can be fit into neat and tidy schedules is a view that soon encounters a problem. Children=chaos. Children are wild, demanding, not easily tamed, and are as unique as each fingerprint. They demand a parent’s energies and are not easily pinned down as tidy accessories to a self-focused life. Parents that have children for the sake of accessorizing their own lives will either have over-controlling discipline methods that oppress their children, eventually leading them to rebellion, or these parents become completely unsatisfied with their lives because it didn’t go as planned.

The second over-arching approach is more demonic; and that’s when children are viewed as a curse. The problem here is a lack of love for children. It might be that this is just a more perverse form of the first problem – but I separate them because of the extreme difference in parenting. In a culture that views children as a curse, we often hear people speak of children as a punishment. In such a worldview, abortions are a simple choice, there is no consideration of a child’s wants and desires. Another perverse effect of this worldview is that children become objects of all forms of abuse. In a much darker way than the one where children are seen as accessories, the worldview that views children as a curse sees children as objects, thing’s to own, dominate and master – the child sex trade is the most appaling practice of this worldview.

Child abuse is the most grave form of sin for parents and other adults, because it is precisely with children that Christians are co-partners with God in the creative act. We co-create children with God in the act of intercourse. We are co-teachers, with the Spirit, in leading them to Christ. If we become abusers in this realm of our life—if we become abusers of children—we become the most dispicable of sinners, precisely because it is in the area of greatest responsibility. Similarly, Jesus makes it clear what he thinks of child abusers: Mark 9:42
"If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea.”
This is not a call for us Christians to punish and kill child molestors. This is a reality check for abusers – you’d be better off throwing yourself into the ocean than messing with the children that God has given you as a gift. The Christian calling, for parents, is to cherish children as a gift from God – they are not a curse, they are not accessories to your life – they are gifts to be cherished, safe-guarded, taught, loved, and dedicated to God. Anything else just won’t do!

What about for you youth and younger adults? What does the bible have to say about your journey from childhood to adulthood? Adolescence is this time of life when your bodies make a transition from being a child to being an adult. I won’t go into the details of the change with you – I’m sure your parents and your schools are doing a great job of teaching you about that. But I do want to talk to you about some important parts of this change. Most importantly I want you to know about how God thinks of you as you go through some of these changes.

First of all, during adolenscence many things are changing. Your emotions, your bodies, your hormones, your relationship with your parents and your peers, and even your relationship with God. Change comes with some nervousness and anxiety. We like things to stay the same so that we can know what to expect from life. When things change on us, it can cause us some great anxieties.

One thing that changes in this time is our spiritual worldview. Before, God seemed like he was always the same, never changing; in adolescence we start to notice that sometimes it feels like God is really close to us, and other times it feels like God is far away. It can feel like God is changing, or that God is much more mysterious than we at first thought. We notice that there’s lots of good things happening in the world, but even more we notice that there’s also a lot of evil things happening in our world; and this can have us asking questions about God. When we were young children, everything seemed simple and straightforward – but during adolescence, God gives us a broader perspective and we see that life is complicated. This can cause us great anxiety.

One of my favorite verses from when I was your age is Psalm 46:2-5
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, 3 though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. 4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. 5 God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. (Song: Not be shaken)
This poem reminds us that things do change – but we don’t have to fear. God is in our midst, and the place where God dwells is not shaken to pieces. In the midst of the storms in our life, God can be our place of safety. And so I want to encourage you to turn to God when things get shaky for you.

Another thing that changes is our bodies, and this can get us really worried about how we look, and about what others think of us. Then there’s the things that have been done to us. Many of us have been hurt by others (verbally, emotionally, sexually or physically), and this makes us think that we’re bad people, otherwise that wouldn’t have happened. One of these body changes that happens is that we find other people attractive, and we want others to like us too. There’s a whole bunch of things that can cause us to really struggle with who we are and what we think of ourselves.

This morning I want you to know what God says about you. God says that you are a beautiful person. God created you as a piece of art – perfect and just right. When God put His Spirit in you, he called you His child. Sometimes we feel like we’re ugly. Sometimes we feel like we’re horrible people. Sometimes we think that something we did is so bad that God couldn’t possibly love us. Or sometimes other people have done things to us that make us feel horrible about ourselves. I want you to know that God doesn’t think bad things about you. God has made you and He said that you are good.

Like I said to the younger children earlier, IF ANYONE IS HURTING YOU, OR ABUSING YOU (VERBALLY, PHYSICALLY OR SEXUALLY) – YOU NEED TO TALK TO A PARENT, OR TALK TO ME, A TEACHER OR SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER – GET HELP, BECAUSE YOU DESERVE TO BE TREATED AS GOD’S BELOVED CHILD. Don’t wait – you are a child of God and God wants you treated with love, respect, and honour.

But as God’s child you also have an important role in God’s plan. You see, our culture wants people your age to do almost nothing. Our surrounding culture wants you to be so worried about what you wear and how you look. Our surrounding culture wants you to think that your most important role in life is to spend money and be entertained. But God has a much bigger plan for you. The bible tells us that youth are supposed to set an example to the rest of us believers. You’re supposed to set an example with how you talk, how you show care and love to others, how you radically live out your faith and set your life apart for God. Our surrounding culture encourages people your age to go braindead with movies, video games, and concerns about whether you look like a model on the magazine. The good news is that that doesn’t have to be you! You are called to be disciples. You’re not children anymore, you are becoming adults. God made you to move forward to become radical disciples of God’s love and peace. God made you to be strong in the identity you have in Jesus – not in the idenities that our surrounding culture wants you to have. The question is: will you respond to Jesus and become a radical disciple? Will you choose to see yourself the way God sees you? Will you rot on the couch with your PSP and XBOX; will you fall to pieces being worried about what others think of you and how you look, or will you pick up your cross and follow Jesus, being creative, imaginitive, and energetic disciples – setting an example for the rest of us folks? That’s the question I have for you this morning. What’s your answer?

This morning we celebrate God’s gift of children. We are cheering for our youth as they transition to adulthood. But our discipleship calling goes even further than mere celebration and cheering. As a congregation, our calling is to actively welcome children and youth; to treat them as gifts, not as accessories or curses. We welcome children as gifts – this means that we also welcome them in their uniqueness – not because they ‘play nice’ or because they ‘fit in’. The thing about gifts is that they invade our lives and shape us. Gifts are beyond our control – they are not there for us to domesticate, but to receive with joyful hearts. When your friend or spouse offers you a gift, you do not give them the rules about what they can give you or how that gift will function in your friendship. Receiving gifts is an act of vulnerable love. The same goes for welcoming children. Examine your attitude to the children in our congregation. If they are a gift from God to us, then why can it be like pulling teeth to get people involved in Sunday school or DVBS or camp ministry? These children are gifts that God has given to each one of us in this church – let’s act like it.

Earlier I spoke about abuse. Many of us have experienced some form of abuse as children. Can we become a community that heals rather than wounds? I encourage you to seek help if you haven’t; to seek healing and to help others bear their burdens and move towards wholeness.

And now for the not-so-fun part: If any of you are abusing someone, if you are molesting a child, or verbally abusing a young person, or beating your child – STOP! JUST STOP IT! Speak to a counselor and to someone in authority – turn yourself in. And seek help! Heed Jesus’ warning; to go on in that direction is to put you on the hot seat come the day of Judgment; but much more importantly – to abuse a child is to damage a person that is deeply loved by God, created in His image.

Finally, for parents and other adults – this morning you have a gospel calling – a discipleship calling, to welcome and love the children in our congregation. To tell them the story of God’s salvation and reconciliation. You have a holy calling, to prepare youth and walk with them in this transition. To mentor youth and to welcome them into the journey of discipleship. Your calling is to pass the baton to young people and let them get their feet wet – let them run the race too. Examine the gifts and passions of our young people and welcome them to share their gifts in building up the church. Because, as many youth pastors have been telling us for years, the youth are not the church of tomorrow – the youth are the church today!

May God richly bless you children and youth, as you live out your call to be disciples of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Shaped by Testing

2011-03-22T14:59:00.001-07:00

Sermon planned for Sunday, March 13th, 2011

Texts:
Genesis 2:15-17, 3:1-7; Matthew 4:1-11

Last Wednesday I was reading a news article about the NASA space program and the Shuttle Discovery. At the bottom of the online newspage were several comments from readers. One read: “If we shut down the NASA shuttle program, we’re reverting to our time in the cave, when we lived as brutes. What defines us, as humans, is that we left the cave and courageously ventured out and upwards.” Despite this guy’s exaggerated words, I think he was right in one sense. Humanity is defined by our constant need or desire to venture out and beyond ourselves. We are hungry for more. We are curious. We are explorers.

An infant starts out by just lying there; eventually she wiggles around and starts kicking her legs. Then as she learns to roll and sit, she begins to dream of crawling and walking. She needs to explore her environment. She needs to satisfy some inner hunger or curiousity. The young boy needs to know what an oven element feels like. The girl longs for a friend to play with and imagine new worlds. The young man longs to know more about the opposite gender: how they look, talk, feel. As women and men – we are desiring beings that constantly hunger for something beyond ourselves in order to be fulfilled. We live with a certain ‘lack’ – an emptiness – that sits at the bottom of who we are? Why?

Why are we so curious about what’s up in space? NASA is discontinuing its space shuttle program – not because it’s curiosity is satisfied. Not at all. President Barrack Obama has mandated NASA to reach even farther out into space and develop a program that shoots far beyond the near-earth exploration we’ve been doing these past many years. We are hungry – we long for more – and we reach further and further outside of ourselves to find what we’re looking for. As pop-singer Bono, from the band U2 so aptly puts it: “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for.” Those words describe humanity at its core. But why do we long for more?

This Lent, as we journey towards Jesus and the Cross, we’re faced with the question: what does it mean to become authentically human? What does it mean to become who we really are – and what we were created to be? This morning’s passages from Genesis and Matthew tell us that to be human means to be tested. Temptation is a basic part of our human journey; and at least part of the reason for that is because we’re constantly on the hunt for something to fulfill us. Most of the temptations we as Christians face are related to our efforts at fulfilling basic human desires and securing ourselves against certain fears. We succumb to greed because we long for security and we fear scarcity. We succumb to lust because we desire sexual pleasure and because we fear loneliness. We succumb to gluttony because we desire food and pleasure, and because we fear discipline and hard work.

In the scriptures set aside for this morning, we encounter three humans – Adam, Eve and Jesus. All three face temptations, desires, wants, and longings – but, as we heard earlier, they took radically different paths towards filling those needs. They each long for a fulfilliment that comes from outside of themselves; but they reach in opposite directions. Adam and Eve reach toward the goal of becoming their own gods; Jesus reaches out to His Father in complete obedience.

We begin with the passage from Genesis chapters two and three. Having been created in the image of God, the foundation of human existence is built on a relationship with God. Our beauty, our knowledge, even our breath, is dependent on God being who He is – because we’re created in the image of God. And so, as his images, you and I are dependent on God. This means that on our own, we are beings that long for more. On our own, we’re not full, or fullfilled, because we are created to be in relationship to something else – to God.

In our passage we read that the serpent was craftier than any other animal that God had made. At least part of this craftiness was that the serpent recognized this lack of fullness in us. The serpent saw it and exploited it. The message we hear from the serpent is: “are you sure you can trust this God? What did he tell you about the tree? You’ll die? Really!!! Trust me! You won’t die, you’ll be like God.” The serpent’s first step was to convince us that our lack – our emptieness – was something that we had to remedy. We needed to take control and reach for divinity ourselves.

Being created in the image of God, you and I are fundamentally creatures that long to trust and be trusted. We long for trust, and the serpent attacked the trustworthiness of God. He basically caught us in one of our weakest areas – our insecurity. The serpent’s offer: trust me instead! You won’t die! You’ll be like God, knowing good and evil. Don’t trust God for power and security – power and security are within your grasp!

This same tempter strikes again in our passage from Matthew. These two passages display a battle between humanity and the world, and between Jesus and the world. In Genesis, we see the typical battle played out – the one that you and I have been a part of countless times. We encounter a temptation, and we fall to it. Life is chalked full of temptations to fall to, and lies to believe in. Our failures in these moments don’t surprise me all that much. If I were a betting man, in the battle between me and temptation, or the battle between you and temptation, I would bet against humans every time.

Who wins out in your life: Human desire or a disciplined will? These tempations we face are very good at exposing who we are. They quickly expose our wants and desires; they display our understanding of who we are and whose we are. You’d think that Adam and Eve would have confidence in their God-given identity, with God joining them for strolls in the Garden; and yet they make the typical human mistake. They take their meaning from someone or something other than God. They look for fulfillment in something outside of their relationship to their Creator. Their temptation exposed their lack of self-confidence and their desire for secuity. Their temptation displayed their failure to understand and celebrate their identity as images of the Living God.

If I’m betting against us – in this battle between humans and the world – then what hope do I have for living a good life? Can a man or woman do anything good? I took a class from Jim Reimer, recently deceased theologian, who taught at Conrad Grebel in Waterloo, ON. We were talking about whether or not people get better, morally speaking. Do we become better people with age? Jim Reimer argued that Christians need to completely rethink, if not abandon, our teaching about becoming holy, or better Christians. He pointed out that many people he knew, who had been Christians for years, were still miserable disiples. He knew many senior Christians who displayed few, if any, of the Christian virtues. Instead, Jim knew many cranky seniors that gossipped, lied, bickered and had not an inch of Christian joy in their hearts. He insisted that Christians do not get better with age.

Is that what I’m saying now, when I say that I would bet against us in our battle against temptation? Should we give up on the whole notion of becoming better Christians when you and I fail so miserably? Let’s leave these questions on the back-burner and return to them later.

For now, let’s see if the story of Jesus’ temptation can help us understand. But, first of all, we need to get some doctrine straight. Anyone who wants to dismiss the serioussness of Jesus’ temptations in the desert – because of his divinity – needs to remember that Jesus was fully human – these two natures are undivided, but also not to be confused. In sharing our humanity, Jesus also hungered for food, longed for friendship, desired security; and if we hear the cries of Gethsemane, and the agony of his despair on the cross, we need to realize that his humanity and his neediness went all-the-way-down to the core of his identity. He was fully human; and so, let’s not forget that as we hear his story of testing.

In the Lord’s Prayer we ask the Father to not lead us into the time of trial. The first line of our passage this morning reads that the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness in order to be tested. The Spirit’s goal, of course, was not to cause Jesus to fail, but to bring glory to God the Father. This was a test designed to show the quality of the Son. Adam and Eve’s temptation showcased how they understood themselves. They wanted to be separate in their relationship to God. They wanted autonomy. Temptation and trials tend to display who you really are. This test was designed to showcase Jesus’ identity even further, as it had been explained at his baptism. It’s interesting, then, that the first words out of Satan’s mouth, when he was tempting Jesus, were questions about Jesus’ identity. “If you are the Son of God… turn these stones to bread and jump down from the temple.” In both cases, Jesus’ reply was that his life was completely entrusted to God. Jesus knew that his identity was completely wrapped-up-in who God was.

Being human is not fundamentally about receiving bread to eat, but about paying heed to every word from the mouth of God. In his reply, Jesus was quoting from Deuteronomy, where God’s people were reminded about their experience of exile in the wilderness and how they were fed with mana from heaven. For the second time, our Adversary offered food that would solve our problems – but this time Jesus made the right choice, where Adam and Eve failed.

In Jesus’ tests and trials, he showed us his true colors. What did these tests say about Jesus’ deepest desires: they were shaped by His full trust in God the Father. Any anxiety or insecurity was tempered by his confidence in God Almighty. With every breath, Jesus proclaimed trust in God. This is what makes his last statement on the cross so haunting: “Oh Lord, My God, why have you forsaken me?” Even as his breath was leaving his lungs, Jesus saw His life as completely dependent on God. When you face trails and tests, what do your actions reveal about you? What do your actions say about who you trust?

Now back to the question raised by my teacher, Jim Reimer. Do Christians get better with time? Or should we drop any notion of sanctification and holiness in the Christian life? Are we like wine – getting better with age? No! We don’t get better with age. Christians don’t become holier the longer we live. Time and age is not the factor. In fact – age might have some hindering qualities, if stubborness and a self-reliant attitude sets-in. But if we don’t get better with age, then what?

Earlier I said that if I were a betting man, I would never place my bets on humans in their battle against sin. That’s true – but I will place all my bets, every time, on a specific human – Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God. In seeking to save the lost, Jesus squared-off against humanity’s number-one enemy – Satan, the Deceiver – and he won every time!

This deceiver tells you that just one more taste of this or that sin isn’t going to hurt anyone. This liar tells you that your sin is so huge that God wouldn’t love you or forgive you. This Adversary convinces us that one more dollar and we’ll have enough to be comfortable. One more war and we’ll have arrived at peace. If you look this good, and your body is in this kind of shape, then you’ll finally be happy. And we believe these lies. We do… but Jesus didn’tt – and he fought for us. He squared-off against Satan in the desert. And in our baptisms we have placed all of our bets on Jesus.

We don’t get better with age – but we do get better with Jesus. Or, maybe to put it better, Jesus has opened up a new possibility for you and for me. Jesus has opened up the possiblity of a Spirit-led life – being reborn by Christ’s Spirit living inside us. This possibility alone moves us upwards towards holiness. I have never met anyone who’s age has given them the benefit of wisdom or holiness – there’s plenty of old fools in our world. But I am blessed to visit many seniors, adults and youth who’ve had the Spirit of God transform them into a closer likeness of Jesus. We don’t get better with age – we get better with Jesus.

And getting better with Jesus is what Lent is all about. Lent is not about giving something up so that you can focus on becoming a better person. If it’s about you becoming a better person, I’m putting my bets on things just staying the same, over and over again.

Lent is a journey towards Jesus. It’s about getting rid of distractions and placing our focus on Jesus. Sacrificing your early morning coffee, or your love of chocolate, or your addiction to facebook – all these sacrifices are only valuable if they make room for a renewed focus on Jesus – because it’s only with Him that you and I are changed and transformed. It’s only with Jesus that we are sanctified and made holy.

But, in a world of distraction – in a world of billions of voices telling us who we are and what we should desire – in a world of addiction and apathy: how is Jesus showing himself to you? Where is He pulling back the curtain of busyness, and giving you a glimpse of his heart and love? Keep your eyes on him. In a world that’s exploiting your hunger for more, for something beyond yourself to gain personal fulfillment: Where are you seeing Jesus humbling himself in love for others? What words is He speaking to you? What is He calling you to?

This morning our scriptures convince us that Jesus could do what we couldn’t – he could face sin and temptation and win. In his letter to the Romans, the apostle Paul argued that Jesus accomplished a reversal of what Adam and Eve had begun. With Adam and Eve, we saw the beginning of a continuous cycle of failure after failure. But something new was made possible in Jesus. Paul writes, “just as one man's trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man's act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all. For just as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous.”

Jesus reversed this cycle in his own life, and in his own choices. He squared-off against Satan in the desert and he remained faithful to God. His victory was that he chose complete trust in God, whereas Adam and Eve doubted God. Jesus, in all his humanity, gave us a glimpse of what it means to be truly human – to live in complete trust and relationship to God. May you meet Jesus, this Lent, in a new way and place all of your attention on Him. And this morning, as we join together to break bread, may you meet Jesus at the Table of Christian fellowship; May His ever-present Spirit transform our hearts and minds so that we can ‘get better with Jesus’. Amen.

A Glimpse of Glory

2011-03-06T11:22:00.000-08:00

Sermon planned for Sunday, March 6th, 2011

Texts: 2 Peter 1:16-19; Matthew 17:1-13

This morning is ‘Transfiguration Sunday’. Once every year, we as a church take time to remember this story about Jesus being transformed on the mountain. It’s a strange story. This story interrupts the flow of Matthew’s storytelling. In chapter sixteen, verse twenty one, we read that Jesus then began to show his disciples that he had to go to Jerusalem and that he would suffer there. And so, turning to Jerusalem, we suddenly have this story about Jesus climbing a mountain with three of his closest disciples – James, John & Peter. Just as Jesus was heading towards the lowest and most difficult point of his ministry – he took a detour and had the ultimate mountain-top experience.

In the past few weeks we’ve been talking about the Sermon on the Mount, and how all those teachings relate to the Kingdom of God. John the Baptist and Jesus both taught that the Kingdom of God was at hand – it was just around the corner. That’s why Peter couldn’t handle it when Jesus told his disciples that he was going to suffer. How could Jesus, the Messiah and King suffer? Wasn’t he supposed to get rid of the Romans? Wasn’t the Messiah the one who would return Israel to power? Instead, Jesus told his disciples that the Messiah of God’s Kingdom would have to suffer. The Messiah was heading to the cross. Peter couldn’t handle that news at the time. Can you blame him? Why would God’s anointed Savior have to suffer? Why couldn’t things just be easier for Him?

And then there’s this story we just heard – Jesus with three disciples climbing a mountain; only to experience something out of this world. How does it all fit together? I invite you to join me, in your bibles, at Matthew chapter seventeen, beginning at verse one. One of the first things that we notice about this story is that this experience was specifically chosen for three of Jesus’ closest disciples. Why only these three? We can’t be sure. This weird story about Jesus meeting Elijah and Moses on a mountain, this story about Peter wanting to build three tents, this story about Jesus’ face shining like the sun – this story was meant as a gift to us. Can we receive it? Or do we scratch our heads, confused about its meaning?

The whole scene, with Jesus on a mountain, shining like the sun, with a voice from a cloud – this whole scene points back to a time when Moses was standing on a mountain. Matthew’s story about Jesus being transformed on the mountain reminded the early church about Moses receiving God’s law on the mountain. In our story this morning, the three disciples come up the mountain to experience something similarly amazing.

In Matthew 17:2, we read that Jesus was transfigured before them and that his face shone like the sun, and that his clothes became dazzling white. What’s the deal with Jesus’ shining face? Well, there’s another connection with the story of Moses. In Exodus 34:29 we read that Moses came down from Mount Sinai, and that as he came down from the mountain with the Ten Commandments his own face was shining with some kind of light. Why? Because he had been talking with God. And in Exodus 24;17 we read that the appearance of God’s glory was like a devouring fire on the top of a mountain. What’s going on here?

These stories speak about what it means to encounter the glory of God. What is glory? What does it mean to experience the glory of God? In Hebrew the word we translate as glory means a spiritual weightiness, significance, or splendor. But whenever it is pictured, in the bible, authors write about a certain kind of light, or glowing, or fire. Moses experienced the presence of God on the mountain and it made his face shine. And when Jesus and his disciples were on the mountain, they encountered a similar brilliance and dazzling experience of God’s glory. They had a mountain-top experience of God’s presence, which was exactly what they needed to get them through to the end. But more about that later.

There are a few ways of understanding the importance of Moses and Elijah, and why these two appeared on the mountain with Jesus. First of all, Elijah never died but was taken directly to heaven, as we read in 2 Kings chapter two. And in Deuteronomy chapter thirty-four, we read that Moses died at God’s command, and the text makes it sound like God buried Moses himself in the land of Moab, in a valley. So, perhaps one of the reasons why these two meet Jesus on the mountain is because they were received by God in a special way. Death never claimed Elijah – and so he could come back at any time to help God’s people. Another interpretation of why these two are on the mountain with Jesus, rather than others, is because they are representatives of the law and the prophets. Moses was Israel’s chief lawgiver, and even to this day the Jews see Moses’ law as central to their faith. Elijah, on the other hand, was the prophet who challenged Israel’s enemies and won. When God blessed Elijah’s offering with fire, it proved that Elijah was the prophet of the True God and that the priests of Baal were liars.

These are at least a few reasons for why Moses and Elijah were the two that met Jesus on the mountain – but we can’t know for sure, the text is silent about why. In verse four of our text for this morning we read Peter’s response. When he saw Jesus talking to Moses and Elijah, Peter told Jesus that he was going to build three tabernacles/tents, one for Moses, one for Elijah, and one for Jesus. As I said earlier – we’re dealing with a rather strange story. Why build a tabernacle? What’s with building a tent on the top of a mountain?

In the book of Zechariah chapter fourteen, the prophet wrote about the final day of the Lord. He wrote that all the nations will go up to Jerusalem and that they will go to worship God and celebrate at the Festival of Booths (or Tents). The festival of booths was a reminder to God’s people of how they lived when they were in the wilderness after leaving Egypt. They lived in the desert in tents. And when they celebrated the festival of booths, they remembered that time when they had to live in complete trust of God – they didn’t have homes or mansions, because they were exiles. This is the picture they had of the end times, they would live in ‘tents’. In other words, in God’s future plan, his children would live in constant trust in God.

So why does Peter want to build three tents for Moses, Elijah, and Jesus? My own guess is that he thinks the end has come. Jesus has been transformed, he’s dazzling white. It’s all over, and the Kingdom is coming down right now! Moses the lawgiver took his stand beside Jesus. Elijah had come, which meant that the new age was right around the corner. In Malachi chapter four we read that God would send the prophet Elijah before the ‘great and terrible day of the Lord’. The Jews believed that Elijah would show up in preparation for the Messiah of God. Peter was putting all the pieces together in his mind. Or was he? Just a week earlier, Jesus had told Peter that he was going to Jerusalem to suffer. Had Peter forgotten already? He sure did. Peter was in battle mode. Let’s build some tents and usher in God’s righteous Kingdom.

Peter’s not so different than the rest of us. When we have a mountain-top experience, we’re quick to idolize it and treat it as the new standard. Whether it’s a spiritual high at a revival meeting, an emotional high-point at camp, or a powerfully transforming book or resource we come across – we easily idolize our own spiritual-high experience and try to nail it down. We built a tent for it and then try to get others to join us on the mountain. How many times has someone told you, “you have to come to this event – you’ll meet God there”, or “you have to read this book, it’ll change your life”? Like Peter, when we have a transfiguration moment – when we catch a glimpse of the glory of God – we want to capture it in a tent so that we can keep coming back to it, as if the experience itself is our safe-zone, rather than the embrace of God.

Just as Peter was finishing his request about building tents – he didn’t even get his last word in – a bright cloud came over them and a voice from the cloud interrupted Peter’s gung-ho attitude. “This is my Son, the Beloved, with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” “But I have to go get these tents ready! Everyone else is gonna want to see this! The end is here!” “Quiet Peter! This is my Son, the Beloved… listen to him!” If this wasn’t the end, then what was it? If this wasn’t about a new age of living in tents – in complete trust in God and His sovereign power – then what?

On that mountain, Peter thought that the end had come. He was ready for anything – even ready to build some tents. And it’s not like he was way off the mark either. In the book of Revelation, when John gives us a picture of the final day, and the new Jerusalem, he writes that God will set up his tent in the midst of the new city and God will dwell with mortals. “He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them.” (Rev 21:3) But Peter jumped the gun on that mountain, when he saw Jesus, Elijah, and Moses. He had forgotten what Jesus had said about suffering in Jerusalem. Maybe that’s why the voice from the cloud said: Listen to Jesus! He’s my beloved Son! Take your cues from Him!

Many years later, Peter would write about this experience in a letter to some churches. We are blessed to be able to read it. In the New Living Translation it reads:
2 Peter 1:16-19 16 For we were not making up clever stories when we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We saw his majestic splendor with our own eyes 17 when he received honor and glory from God the Father. The voice from the majestic glory of God said to him, "This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy." 18 We ourselves heard that voice from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain. 19 Because of that experience, we have even greater confidence in the message proclaimed by the prophets. You must pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a lamp shining in a dark place-- until the Day dawns, and Christ the Morning Star shines in your hearts.

After several years, Peter could look back on this event and see why Jesus had invited him up the mountain. He didn’t go up the mountain to see a King transfigured and ready for battle. He was invited to see Jesus in all His glory. He was invited to catch a glimpse of the spiritual weightiness of God. He was asked to join Jesus on the mountain so that he could come down the mountain, with even greater confidence – as he later wrote. He was given a glimpse of Christ’s glory so that he would have a lamp in his heart, shining clearly when things would go dark.

Peter would need that greater confidence to face the persecutions that would come in the years ahead. But what about Jesus? Jesus met with these two giants from the Old Testament. We’re not quite sure why, but I’m guessing it had something to do with preparing Jesus for the journey to the cross. Maybe God sent Moses and Elijah to encourage Jesus. Can you imagine what it must have felt like, for Jesus, to know what was coming in Jerusalem? To know that the only way to break the power of sin, the only way to atone for our guilt, the only way to show us the depths of God’s love, was to climb up that cross and willingly give up his life? To stare death in the face and trust in God’s resurrecting power?

Some of you have had experiences of tremendous suffering. Some of you are staring death in the face, or you soon will. Put yourself in Peter’s shoes, this morning, and catch a glimpse of Christ’s glory. Has God given you a ‘transfiguration’ moment, where you’ve felt the weight of God’s presence? Has an experience, or a place, or a book, given you a glimpse of God’s dazzling brightness or majesty? Cling to these mountaintop experiences, but do it without idolizing them. God gives these moments to us as gifts, not for exploitation, or to seal them up in jars or tents. Rather, God knows the journey that we’re on, and that it can be a difficult, painful journey – and so God gives us ‘transfiguration’ moments that, like Peter, are meant to give us an even greater confidence in God.

In the coming weeks we begin the journey of Lent, which is a season of Christian worship where we focus on Christ’s journey to Jerusalem – to the cross. Lent is about confessing our sin, repentance, and humility. It is about putting our distractions aside and focusing on our relationship to Jesus Christ in a very intentional way. Some people give up certain practices they feel distract them from their Christian journey. Others decide to take up a spiritual discipline; either keeping a journal, or increasing their study of scripture, or using a variety of prayer practices. We as disciples can get into spirutal ruts where we don’t focus on our Christian journey and our relationship with God. Lent is a time to refocus on Jesus, and when we do that we realize that our Savior is on the road to Calvary. We recognize that we are in relationship to Jesus who underwent great suffering for our sins.

But before we begin this journey towards Jerusalem – before we begin the journey of Lent – we’re invited to hear this story that was initially only meant for James, John and Peter. By God’s grace, we can hear this strange story as well. By God’s grace, you and I are invited to see Christ in his dazzling white clothes. Can you see his radiant face, shining like the sun?

When I was seventeen, during one of the most difficult weeks at camp, I decided to take my hour-off by going on a canoe ride onto the middle of Moose Lake. I was tired, exhausted and emotionally spent from counseling a group of boys. One of the boys was dealing with a home life that would make any of us cringe. I took a lot of that emotion on my shoulders – I’ve always had a difficult time keeping ‘professional distance’. I was in tears on that canoe, frustrated with God, with what was happening in this boy’s life at home. But as I slowly paddled out onto the middle of Moose Lake – the lake that I have come to love – I felt a sense of God’s presence. I don’t know how to describe it with words, but I caught a glimpse of God’s glory that afternoon. I felt the weight of God’s Spirit, and it melted my anger and frustration away. It was my mountain-top experience – and it helped me survive all summer long.

Are you in the valley of darkness? Are you experiencing brokenness? Are you staring death and disease in the face? Is sin, disease, or addiction causing you to lose hope? Like the disciples, before heading into the Lenten journey towards the cross, we need a picture of God’s glory and the majesty of Jesus Christ our Lord – to sustain us, to strengthen us, and to give us hope. When the disciples were lying on the ground, Jesus touched them, he raised them up, and walked with them back down that mountain into the ordinary.

May God give you a sign of His glory, a sense of Christ’s majesty; and may you feel His presence beside you when you’re not on the mountain… but in the ordinary and the everyday. May you see Jesus and listen to him! May you see his radiant face; and may you realize that the same one who is living in your heart – your Savior and Friend – is none other than the Beloved Son of God. Take comfort in knowing that he is beside you in your struggles and in your journey. Allow him to raise you up from the failures and struggles you’re dealing with. Allow Jesus to pick you up, dust you off, and then join Jesus on the journey to Good Friday and Easter. Join Jesus in a life of radical trust in God. And in the name of our only Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ, all of God’s people said, “Amen!”

Food & Fashion

2011-02-27T16:25:00.001-08:00

Sermon planned for Sunday, February 27th, 2011
Texts: Matthew 6:24-34

In the past few weeks we have been looking at the Sermon on the Mount and how it has given us a picture of God's Kingdom. The beatitudes gave us a sense of the kinds of folks that will experience the Kingdom of God with extreme joy and happiness. We learned about the radical call to discipleship and what it means to be set apart as a foretaste of God's Kingdom – about what it means to be salt and light, a witness to the world. We heard Jesus' teachings on divorce and anger, and saw how he not only kept the laws of Moses, but filled them to the brim.

This morning we're looking at another aspect of what it means to be a foretaste of God's Kingdom – and that is what it means to live in trust. I've entitled this sermon 'food & fashion' because Jesus speaks of clothing and food as two areas in which we need to trust God. Of course these are not the only areas in which God's people are called to trust God. In the Old Testament we hear many stories of how God's people were called to trust God for their national defence. At times we have been tempted to think that the only thing we need to trust God for is for our spiritual salvation – and that all other concerns are in our own hands. This morning, we learn from Jesus that our God is intimately involved in all aspects of life, caring for us, and even for the birds and the flowers. This morning I want to join you in exploring this text, but also diagnosing some of our struggles with trust in the areas of food and clothing. Finally, I want to explore with you how we might place our trust in God more fully.

Jesus begins by pointing out the facts: no one can serve two masters; you cannot serve God and wealth. Why? These facts are undergirded by the example that Jesus gives: a slave will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. This is the nature of a slave-master relationship. But isn't this also true for the relationships that we have in our time? Consider the marriage relationship: there's a great reason why the Church has discerned that polygamy is not a workable option for Christians... and a big part of that is because of loyalty issues, and jealousy. The devotion that marriage requires is one that resists any kind of sharing of loyalty and fidelity. But this loyalty is also displayed in the worker-employee relationship. What would it be like if Laverne was to oversee someone, in his office at CFAM, who was working on their own private business during work hours? Or what if I were to start a private business that would cut into my sermon prep time, or visitation? When Jesus says that you can only serve one master, he is pointing out a basic tendency in human relationships and loyalty.

In the rest of the passage, Jesus outlines the implications of how Christians are to live in light of this reality. Since we can only serve either God or wealth, Christians turn to God and trust in Him. Jesus commanded his followers not to worry about life, food and clothing. - to not worry about tomorrow. Do not worry! This connects to what we pray for in the Lord's Prayer, when we ask God to provide for us our daily bread. This was Jesus' message for the poor and the rich. Both the poor and the rich are to rely on God for their daily bread – this challenge might be easier for the poor than for the rich. But what about the question about anxiety? Do not worry. Is it easier for the rich or for the poor to not worry about their food and clothing?

How often do you worry about whether or not there will be food in your fridge or clothing in your dresser? I can't imagine that it's a frequent concern for any of us. The cost of bread and milk hasn't increased significantly in the last twenty years. Our food costs, in Canada, have remained the same, yet the average income of families has gone up. We just don't have to worry about food and clothing. We're afluent. What about the people who make our clothes? Do the parents who send their children to work 15 hour days in clothing factories worry about tomorrow? Do they worry about what they will eat and what they will wear?

Jesus' command to 'not worry' is followed by the command to seek first the Kingdom of God. Our Lord commands us to seek His Kingdom first and not to worry – he says that all 'these things', like food and clothing, will come along when we give our lives in service to God and His salvation project. But do we believe Jesus is telling the truth? Do we believe that God will take care of us, so much so that we don't need to worry about tomorrow? What about RRSP's? What about life insurance? What about savings – and the other kinds of barns in which we store up for tomorrow? Do we believe Jesus is telling us the truth?

Jesus' parables of trust point us to the spiritual truth in His teachings. All around us we see God's sovereign care for Creation – for the birds and the flowers. And although they may need to worry about a hunter like me... I just saw a heard of over twenty deer just north of Rosetown, calmly nibbling on the leftover corn sticking up out of the snow. They aren't worried about storing food for tomorrow. God takes good care of them – and He even permits us to harvest them so that we don't have to worry about food either.

The other side of this coin is the fact that God cares for deer, for birds and for flowers. Let that sink in! God cares for and loves the animals and the plant life – they are part of God's good creation. If God cares for plants and birds, and if God cares for easily-spooked deer – how much more does God care for people? How much more does God care for the families who have to send their young children to sweat shops and clothing factories to make cheap shoes for us? If God cares for animals and flowers, how much more does God care for the children who spend fifteen hours a day making cheap shoes for us Canadians so that we can have extra cash for things like HD TV, Nintendo Wii, or All-Inclusive vacations? Jesus' parables here are like a two-edged sword – they boldly tell us to not worry about food or clothing – after all, God takes care of us. But, on the other hand, this parable boldly claims that God even cares for animals – which ought to put us consumers on edge. We love treating God's creation as simply a means to a full and enjoyable life.

In one of my earliest sermons, way back in my Rosthern days, I preached that God cares what we do with our wallets. When Jesus points out that we can't serve two masters, he's telling us that the Kingdom of God has a lot to say about how we do business and how we deal with money. When Jesus went into the wilderness and was tempted, he faced the devil's offer to build a kingdom through economic means and displays of power. Turn stones into bread and leap off the pinnacle of the temple – and then you'll have a kingdom. But Jesus resisted, saying that God's Kingdom is not about wielding wealth and power from the top, but about radical trust in God. Jesus' words to us in Matthew remind us that our approach to wealth needs to be marked by a radical trust in God.

Do we have this radical trust in God? Do our economic transactions display our trust in God or our trust in wealth? Is it about hoarding up stones turned into bread? Or do we sit at the feet of Jesus and feast on His Word? This weekend we had several speakers talk to us about how God is calling the Church to be a witness to the watching world. During a question period, my former youth pastor, Erin Morash, who's now the pastor out West in Chrystal City, noted that many of our congregations are now in what she called a 'Third Generation'. The first generation of Mennonite Christians that came to Canada were exiles seeking safety and a new home. Much of what they had had been taken away from them. You could say that they lived in radical trust of God. Their children, the second generation became more comfortable in this land, but they remembered their roots and tried to build a safely structured community that could survive for the long haul. What we are now experiencing is the 'third generation'. We're a group of Christians who have set our roots deep into our Canadian soil. This is our home; and we plan on keeping it this way. We’ll fight for it, die for it, perhaps even kill for it. We have become far richer than our exiled grandparents and great grandparents that made their home here in the first place. And our affluence has given us reason to be self-confident and self-trusting. The question our text asks of us – the third generation – is: are you still trusting God? Do you serve God or wealth? Is southern Manitoba your home, or is the Kingdom of God your home? Where have we built our mansions?

One way of reading our situation is that God has surely blessed us here in North America. We’re rich, and that’s God’s way of blessing us. Like the birds and the flowers, you and I have been well taken-care of by our sovereign God. There's some truth to this. But I'm afraid that this way of putting it fails to tell the truth behind our affluence and wealth. Pastor and scholar William Barclay wrote about the beginning of the industrial revolution in Europe. He wrote about how people reacted against what they saw happening to their country's children. In Europe it was common to have children, from 7-10 years of age, being employed in the mines. Some would be standing in knee-deep water for twelve hours, pumping water. Others would be holed up in ventilator shafts for sixteen hours a day. When they were no longer able to do the work, because of injury or other health problems, they were granted their 'freedom' and sent to orphanages. Parents who couldn't pay their bills would sell off their children to mining companies, fisheries, or other kinds of work. The industrial revolution's early success was built largely upon the backs of slaves and child workers. When the society finally came to grips with what their greed was doing to the population – especially the young children – they outlawed child labour.

When Barclay wrote this story, he ended by saying that we can be thankful that things have changed... but I think he just didn't want to see the reality. Once the corporations realized that they couldn't have child slaves doing the dirty work in Europe, they farmed out the cheap labour to other countries. To this day there are over 150 million children between the ages of 6-16 who are working in factories across the world. Our governments will not hold other governments accountable on their child labour laws even though we enforce them in Canada. In other words, we're ok if Chinese or Indian children spend 12 hours a day making our cheap clothing, as long as our children don't have to. Imagine sending your six year-old to work in a factory for twelve hours just so that some other person in a far away country could buy cheap products. That's the reality in our world even today. Go through your closet sometime. Check to see where your clothes were made, and take time to think about this reality. Our God cares for flowers and birds, according to Jesus – what will God say about a generation that has accepted a system of economic exchange that enslaves the poor for the sake of our North American luxury?

What might it mean for us, today, to become servants of God rather than servants of wealth? How might we change our posture in culture, even though we`ve become quite comfortable with our position of power and wealth? This past weekend, Phil Wagler, one of the guest speakers, said something powerful that stuck with me. When we think of the big picture problems like economic injustice – including things like child labour practices, sweat shops and child slavery – it's easy to become despairing and hopeless. Phil challenged us with a gospel message. If we want the world to catch a glimpse of God's Kingdom in us – we first need to have a transformation in our own hearts. This is how big changes start – by first allowing your heart to be transformed by Jesus and His Spirit. I don't know how to change the economic situation that has our North American luxuries being built upon the strained backs of children in third world countries; I don’t know how to change the whole thing, but I know where the source of that kind of change lies. We as a community of faith know where the source of a world transforming power lies – it is found in the name of our Crucified Lord.

May you allow Jesus' words to interrogate you this morning. You can only serve either God or Money – not both. Be brutally honest with yourself – and seek to serve God. Find him in worship and allow God's Spirit to begin a new work in your life. Allow Christ's Spirit to transform how you deal with money. Find a way of using your wealth to join God's conspiracy of grace and radical sharing! Consider the example of a few members in our congregation who, quite a while ago, figured that they didn't each need a truck – so they bought one together to share. Some might say that's a fairly small gesture – I would disagree. In our consumer culture, acts of sharing and generosity are a foretaste of something different. Our scripture passage challenges all of us this morning to imagine new ways of showing our profound trust in God rather than money. Use your imagination! Start a conspiracy of grace and sharing in this town and in your home. Be shrewd for the sake of the Kingdom and join together to give the world a taste of something different – a taste of God's Kingdom where everyone has enough and there's still baskets left over. In the name of Jesus Christ, all of God’s people said: “Amen!”