“CHRISTMAS’ PRESENT” 12/25/11

Luke 2:1-20

What was the first Christmas gift?  It is right there in the story.  The shepherds came and told Mary what happened to them.  Then they went and told others.  Why is this a gift?

It cannot be bought.  Others have made up stories about miracle births and people who claim to be God.  Only One can back up the story.  Facts can be hidden under gold, but facts are more precious, and will eventually come to be treasured.

This gift cannot be packaged.  Many have tried to put this story in some box, some simple prayer of formula and tie it all together.  Those who accept such a wrapped up story find their lives not all that much different than if they never believed.

The story cannot be so simplified, because it is based on a personal encounter with the living God.  It is that intimacy, that profound change others see in the story-teller that makes them come to faith as well.

The story is a gift because God gave it to be shared.  No one who claims to be a Christian and then never lets the world know who and why they are Christ’s ambassador is anything other than dumb.  Not speaking is the same as having nothing to say.  God gave us new lives, who can but praise?  God gave us eternal life, who can but testify?

The gift is the telling.  As part of a saying attributed to St. Francis goes, “if necessary, use words.”  Our living tells more than our speaking.  We’ve learned that from politicians.  Their words do not match their actions.  For a Christian, the living Word shapes our actions!  Such integrity has power.  Such power draws souls.  Such drawing changes lives.

Give the first Christmas gift.  Not just today, but whenever you can.

“CHRISTMAS EVE” Part II 12/24/11

Luke 2:1-20

A baby is born.  So much for a “Silent Night” with that process!  Angels are outside the city glowing and speaking up a storm of glory and new reality.  There is that star, if we lump Matthew and Luke together.  Then comes shepherds, presumably with their sheep in tow – right through town, without benefit of bathing!

You would think that Bethlehem might wake up with all that going on, wouldn’t you?  But it does not, for the same reason our world does not.
— The events of the day have left them weary;
— So much is going on, that there isn’t room for more in lives;
— Plans are already set, and expectations are already in stone;
— We, and they, are living towards what we want – not what we, and they, are given.

The world usually wants God removed from its affairs.  And so, we get the world we’ve got.  This is not so much about manger scenes in public parks, as it is about our lives captivated by Jesus.  Captivated to the point where we leave off what the rest of the world expects, and start moving towards what Jesus makes real.

And so, the miracle of Christmas gets missed.

We water it all down in our favorite holiday songs and shows.  The season is about love, or giving, or peace, or anything else but Jesus.  A Jesus to live for.  A Jesus to live by.  Even the most zealous defender of keeping Christ in Christmas often has to admit that the zeal sometimes gets ahead of the Christ.  And so, Christmas is missed again.

Tonight, listen.  Tonight, move outside where you expect to be.  Tonight, receive the Lord in your arms, and hold Him tight.

Tonight, let the life of Jesus become what you live for.

“CHRISTMAS EVE” Part I 12/24/11

Luke 2:1-10

Have you ever heard angels?  Have you ever seen them?  Not the ones put up in art or sculpture.  Not the ones of our popular imaginations.  The ones the shepherds saw.  The ones that shone with God’s glory and changed their lives.

Me neither.  Faith would be a lot easier if our skies would open up and realities that rarely appear fill our lives.  How many people have seriously asked God for some sign, some concrete, certain word to help them out.

We want angels.  We want miracles.  We want answers.  We got a life.  The life starts out as a new born.  But, since this particular new born is also eternal God, one might say this life is “born again.”

And, this new life needs care.  How many believers in Jesus claim the faith, then leave Jesus alone and neglected in all they do?  Infanticide we call that.  Or, at least, child neglect!

He did not become flesh to be neglected, or ignored.  He came to fill our lives, change our schedules, reorient our ways of living, just like any baby is supposed to.  Jesus was born to be born in us.  He was alive to die for us, so that we might die to all that is awful in us.

This Child is to change our lives.  His life moved shepherds away from their normal routine, their normal subjects for discussion, their normal expectations.  Has Jesus done any of that to any of us?

Christmas is a lot of things.  But it is only one everlasting thing.  Jesus’ life in ours lasts, and affects a dynamic way of being and becoming.  That process is the only gift that keeps on giving.

Christ is born.  Will you receive Him?

“WHAT IMMANUEL DOES” 12/18/11

Isaiah 11:6-11

Three stories that prove the truth of this passage.

The Great Contest:  It was a fight over how the Christian Church was to be in the world.  The leaders were Tertullian and Augustine.  The issue was what to do with people who helped persecute the church, or denounced their faith, during a Roman persecution.

Tertullian wanted the traitors forever banned.  Augustine wanted the wrong-doers readmitted, only after a prolonged time of focused attention to their faith, and work towards making things right.  Augustine won.

John Giradeau:  He was a white South Carolinan during the mid 1800’s.  He started a church among the slaves of Charleston.  That city church integrated, and grew.  From that congregation came many of the African-American leaders during the time known as Reconstruction.  Giradeau also was a medical chaplain during the Civil War, and was noted for his care of both sides’ wounded and hurting.

How was John Giradeau treated by his racist church peers?  He was elected moderator of the Southern Presbyterian Church.

China’s Christian Dissidents:  Right now, a blind lawyer, trained in the church, is in jail.  He is imprisoned for telling people how local Communist officials abused and extorted the people of their districts.  His wife and daughter have been beaten and are now under house arrest.  He will not quit the fight because, “The truth will set us free.”  Jesus told him that.  And tells him every day.

He fights on, because Jesus lives on.  Truly, he is what Christmas is about.

“PROMISE DELIVERED!” 12/18/11

2Samuel 7:1-17, Luke 1:26-38

Ever waited for something?  I don’t mean like we wait in this culture – a day at most, then start complaining.  I mean waiting as most of the world has to do it – year after year, passing along the dream from one generation to the next, being shaped as a person in the world by the waiting itself, and by what one waits for.

God tells us here about that kind of waiting.  I’ll simply tell you the story of this waiting, and let the Lord touch us all in the telling.

Somewhere around the mid-900’s B.C., David wanted to build God a national place of worship.  He gets told what we read.  For just a bit over 350 years, what God promised literally was so.  A descendant of David sat on the throne in Jerusalem.

Then came 586B.C.  Then Jerusalem was conquered.  Then came occupiers for centuries, and no one “in charge” was from David’s ancestry.  Did God lie?  Did the writers lie to uphold their corrupt rule?

Most Jews chose to trust that, somehow, God would establish a new kingdom, with an eternal king descended from David.  They called this ruler “Messiah,” or “Christ”.  They waited for about 620 years.  During the waiting, more than a few people came forward to say they were the Messiah.  They proved not to be.

Then Jesus started His work on earth.  Some Jews believed; many did not.  After all, Jesus was not ruling Israel; He was healing and forgiving!  He did not exactly fit what they all waited for.

Mary said, “Behold, I am a handmaid of the Lord.  Let it be to me according to Your word.”

What do you say to God as you wait?

“THE MORE IMPORTANT BIRTH MIRACLE” 12/11/11

Isaiah 61:1-11, John 1:19-28

There are other miracle births in the pantheon of human religions.  No one born besides Jesus can make the world change for the better, however.

John the Baptist could only tell people where they were wrong, and how to set it right.  Jesus Christ can make people right and put them into combat against wrong.  That is why John gave Jesus praise and pointed His way.  He is the way!

His way shows us God’s very nature, not as we would make a god, but as the Living God really is.  What is included in that way?

* Good news comes to the poor
* Broken hearts are given treatment
* Captives find freedom
* Blind souls find new sight
* Justice is done, not by human hands
* Grief is comforted
* A wayward people are made a mighty nation of priests
* What we have destroyed, we will be sent to rebuild
* Fame is based on living by Christ
* Sin is forgiven and rendered less important in lives.

Were Jesus never born, gods would be simply those beings “out there.”  Invisible powers that do something or other, we don’t know what.  The birth of Christ proves that God is Emmanuel – God with us.  The life of Christ proves that God acts in the world.  The rising of Christ from death proves that others` can join in with His work and ways, not by their exertions, but by His life and Spirit.

We all know someone who needs a God who acts.  Their best Christmas gift this year just might be a Christian who follows Jesus and acts with His love and power.  That gift might just be you!

“WHY IMMANUEL IS KING” 12/11/11

Isaiah 9:1-7

To hear folks talk, you would think our biggest problem as a species is that “they” need to act differently in my world!  So, we try to contain “them,” and what happens next?  Same mess; different style.

From Zebulun to Naphtali, all people work the same.  We want to fix the world without being fixed ourselves.  Immanuel is King because, as One with power and authority, He can fix the problem.

He is Wonderful – able to see all facets of what each moment contains far better than we can.  He has all the facts, and so knows how to lead.

He is Counselor – who leads by Word, deed, and inspiration, so that each person does her or his piece in each moment, just the right way, just the right time.

He is Mighty God – who is able to work in the world on all that is involved with the world.

He is Everlasting Father – and so won’t quit working, won’t be diverted from what is best, will work around resistance, will lovingly work with His children.

He is Prince of Peace – which is God’s all-along intended state for all creation.  Shalom.  Wholeness.  The whole beatifying the sum of the parts.  The parts all glorifying and healing the whole.

Where does that work start?  In politics?  Community organizing?  Education?  Better economic systems?  Nope.  God the King starts where the problem is.  Within people.

The Lord mightily works on sinners, building them into saints, who then live out the Kingdom of God in the kingdoms of the world!

“THE TWO-TONED CRY” 12/4/11

Isaiah 40: 1-11,  Mark 1:1-8

A prophet of God cries to the people in Isaiah.  John the Baptist cries out to the people in Jesus’ day.  Both cries need to be heard, or else God is not real to a person.

The Judgment Cry:  John forces people to attend to their unholiness.   Not only does he publicly call folks on their wrongs, but also clearly states what needs to happen for them to be truly sorry.

In short, John the Baptist makes people realize why they need a Savior.  We aren’t good enough.  There is always something about us that is less than perfect, less than good.  But, no one will call for God’s help who believes she is doing all right.  No one will call for God’s grace if he thinks he is a good guy.

The Judgment Cry, found all through Scripture, hurts, and is meant to.  That pain is where we admit our need of the Lord.  Then, and only then, are we ready to hear…

The Grace-filled Cry:  Here, a voice calls and urges a broken, humbled soul to pick up the pieces, give them all to Christ, and let His life fill and satisfy.  Here one hears what so many long to hear, “I love you.  Let Me guide you.  I know the way; follow Me.”

This cry demands that we leave off wallowing in sin, or whimpering because we sinned.  Leave the sin!  Follow the Savior!  There is joy and life and hope in being fixed, not in trying to “fix it.”  There is grace and love embraced when the Lord takes the lead in a life.

The Grace-filled Cry, found all through Scripture, heals, and is meant to.  This healing is when we admit our need & love of the Lord.  Then, and only then, are we ready to serve and be satisfied, love and be loved, live and not die.

“IMMANUEL AS KING” 12/4/11

Isaiah 11:1-5

How does Christ rule the world?  God tells us right here!

He rules by the Spirit.  No army, no money, no machinery.  The Spirit shapes the affairs of mortals, either for glory, or judgment.

The Spirit inspires wisdom and understanding.  This is not politics as usual!  This is caring for another from the heart and head.

The Spirit inspires counsel and power.  God’s law is always fulfilled in Jesus’ life.  We either rejoice that He did it, or we rely on Him to do it through us.

Jesus rules by delight.  The Lord enjoys caring for those in need.  There also is judgment, for God takes sides.

The side God takes is with the powerless, the way more than imperfect, those the society condemns.  Why?  We put Jesus on that side when we stuck Him on a cross.

With comfort Christ helps the broken.  With fury He breaks apart those who believe they are mighty and worthy.  Happens all the time.

Christ rules by righteousness – His ways are not mocked; there are consequences for sin always.

Christ rules by faithfulness – He always calls a living sinner to leave sinning and come to life.

That is not the way we would do it.  That is not the way we vote, or protest, or endorse.

It is God’s way.  And we are His, for in many ways, we need just this sort of rule in our lives!

“THE FIRST STEP TO BE A CHRISTIAN” 11/27/11

Isaiah 64: 1-9, Mark 13: 24-37

Isaiah here paraphrases the prayers of the people around him.  It reads as though the folks really know what God is about and what their Lord can do.  They call on God, knowing that God and God alone can save them.  They even admit that they are people whose lives deserve divine punishment, but ask the Lord to be merciful.

The words reflect the prayer perhaps many of us have said, here taken from a Christian tract on salvation:

“Dear Lord Jesus:  I know that I am sinful and I need Your forgiveness.  I believe that You died on the cross to pay the penalty for my sin.  I want to turn from my sinful ways and follow You instead.  I invite You to come into my heart and life.  Amen.”

But, this plea of the people is followed by God’s response in chapter 65, which is one of rejection.  Why?  The Lord knows the people want help more than holiness.  They want heaven more than Him.  God won’t honor such selfishness.

The step to be a Christian is hinted at in Mark.  Jesus said it like this, “What I say to you, I say to everyone, watch!”

* Watch, meaning look outside ourselves towards Christ.
* Watch, meaning start heeding the markers the Lord has given everyone: Scripture, a disciple-making church, His work on earth.
* Watch, meaning seek the Lord, in everything, as best you can.
* Watch, meaning make God an intimate part of your day, until He becomes the most important part of your life.
* Watch, so that the “sinners’ prayer” is said from your heart, which has been shaped by knowing the Lord is real.
*Watch, so that other people wonder “what are you looking at?”

When our Lord sees us living as serious seekers of Him, then He will come and do His wondrous salvation work!

“IMMANUEL” 11/27/11

Isaiah 7: 10-16

The Christian church used this passage as a proof that God intended all along for Jesus to be the Savior of the world.  He, indeed, was God with us – Immanuel.  BUT, the text as it stands and stood, is obviously meant for wicked king Ahaz, and was fulfilled during his lifetime.  It promises so right in verse 16.  How does this fit anything about Jesus?

In Isaiah:  The nation was occupied, just about defeated, and turning to other gods, since the Lord had “forsaken them”.
In the Gospels:  The nation was occupied, just about defeated, and turning to religious compromise, since the Lord had “forsaken them”.
In our day:  The world is just about defeated, and turning to anything else but God, since the Lord had “forsaken them”.

In Isaiah:  The promise of a baby, new life, meant new hope for the nation.
In the Gospels:  The promise of a baby, meant newness of life for the world.
In our day:  The presence of Immanuel (God with us) means all who receive Him have new life, new hope, and grace to shape the world.

In Isaiah:  The enemy retreats by the power of God, leaving the child to grow in peace.
In the Gospels:  The Child makes the sin of the world retreat, opening the door to blessed life.
In our day:  The Christ does the same thing, wherever He is welcomed and obeyed.

What was fulfilled before Jesus was born got refilled at His birth, and will quite well fill our present evil age.

And, church, He will be Immanuel and fill us too!

“THANKSGIVING” 11/20/11

Psalm 100, Matthew 25:31-46

Because of joy given to us over knowing God –
. . . . .*We can deal with people from the strength of Christ.
. . . . .*We see people as Jesus sees them, lost, not worthless.
. . . . .*We offer our joy to others, for we see them joyless.

Because of God making us His own –
. . . . .*We follow the Shepherd, to the lost, to the hurting,
. . . . .*We recognize in the worst of people, ourselves without Christ…  And offer Christ to overcome the worst.
. . . . .*We notice those most overlook, and care with them.

Because of God giving us a life of celebration beyond all that this world has to offer –
. . . . .*We offer that life to those who have no hope.
. . . . .*We invite whoever will come to join in this excitement.
. . . . .*We are generous because of Christ’s abundance in us.

Because God is good, and His love endures forever –
. . . . .*We can be good to the bad in the world.
. . . . .*We have confidence, knowing that this moment of disaster… is not greater than the Lord’s eternal care.
. . . . .*We face the worst in the world with the best in us – Jesus.

To believe in the Lord, looks like these two passages:  Adoring God with wild abandon, not just for an hour a week, but every hour one is allowed; and to care about the “least of these,” because the love God gave us flows from us right to where the world hurts worst.

Yes, we can be grateful for stuff, but God has given us far more than stuff.  God has given us, in Christ, through the Holy Spirit, the ability to bring a world of people back to their Maker and Savior.  As we live out that present, we change our present, and make the future Kingdom coming more real to those who need to know.

“THANKSGIVING” 11/20/11

Psalm 100, Matthew 25:31-46

I look at the world, and Psalm 100 rarely comes to mind.  That is my issue, and God’s opportunity.

I see the world of the hungry, the poor, the broken, the guilty, the dying.  Rarely does that vision lead me to praise.  Helping sometimes becomes a chore to be done, like scrubbing pots with burnt grease on them.  Caring for others is like laundry – a never-ending, never finished job.

So, Psalm 100 hardly ever shows up in my heart.  Suppose, however, that Psalm 100 was the core of my heart.  What would that be like?

I would rejoice in God’s use of me, and God’s life through me.

I would focus on Christ before me over and above the problem presented to me.

I would attend to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, who would lead me to do only that which was needful for me to do, and nothing more.

People would be seen as Jesus saw me – in need of Him, rather than just in need.

People broken by life could draw from a ceaseless flowing well of life the Spirit has placed in me.  I need not weary myself, just give out Christ.

People would sense a joy in me that controlled me, and perhaps a few would ask about it.

In short, I could live a life of thanksgiving, rather than “good deed drudgery.”  So, could everyone here.  Thanks be to God!

Psalm 100

A psalm. For giving grateful praise.

 ¹ Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
² Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
³ Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his^[a];
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

 ⁴ Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
⁵ For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.

(NIV)

“JESUS WANTS OUR BEST!” 11/13/11

Matthew 25:14-46

We separate these stories, to make us feel better.  Matthew puts them together, to make us open up to Jesus.

The first story, on its face, is about money.  A tough, rich ruler wants his servants to use his money to make him more money.  Two do, but one does not.  Two get rewarded; one gets punished.

The story is about making good use of what we have, right?

The second story gives us an odd picture of the last judgment.  In this picture, the judgment deals with how we dealt with people in need, people undesirable, people unloved or unlovely.  The story is about doing good to others, right?

Well, put them together as Mathew does, and what do we get?  Our talents, our resources, our best efforts, are to go to the hungry, thirsty, outcast, ill, jailed, or simply unwanted.  See why church people separate the stories?  This hits right where we live!

Truth is, we spend and invest and work for ourselves and those we care about.  Jesus challenges us, as His followers, to give our best effort, our best assets, to His work – the work of bringing the loveless into divine love.

WHY DO THAT?  Well, once we were hungry for life, thirsty for what mattered.  Jesus satisfied us.  Once we were outcast from God’s grace, sick with sin, jailed by our rebellion against God.  Jesus took care of all that for us.

If we follow Him, if we believe in Him, then we do as He does.  He would do much more, if we followed as He led.  With our “Operation Christmas Child” boxes, we are doing as this reading suggests:  giving our best to those we ordinarily would not even consider giving to.  It is a beautiful start, and now we’re on His way!

“SELF-CONTROL” 11/13/11

2 Timothy 1:6-7, 2 Peter 1:5-8

“For this reason…” writes Paul to Timothy.  For what reason?  We have been given a faith that breaks the universe’s bondage to sin and death!  That mighty faith needs to affect our world.  “Fan it into flames, Timothy!” Paul urges.  “Burn with divine power, divine love, and divine self-control!”

We can do that?  Yes, because Jesus alive in us is able to do that.  How do we do that?  Peter throws into one pot a set of qualities that fuel the life of Christ in us.  Each energizes the other, and all are powered by the Spirit awakened in us.

Faith leads us to act well, which gives us a knowledge of what right action is, which inspires us to keep doing that right action, which gives us a fortitude to keep doing right, which reflects the character of our Lord, who supports us as we live out this good faith, which deepens our love for God and others.  WHEW!

It all boils down to this.  Jesus, by the Holy Spirit, keeps us from drifting away from the awesome life of a Christian and wandering towards the futile life of those around us.  Christ, in Himself, lives in us, our selves, to keep us close to Himself.

That means we are preserved.  Jesus won’t let us get so out of His heart, that we stand condemned.

That means we are majestic.  Jesus, the King of kings, works in us to demonstrate His rule and authority in lives in the world.

That means we can do it.  Jesus, who can do all things according to the will of the Father, can and will make us living Bibles, posters of Jesus, for others to read and see.

A faithful church is a Christ controlled one, so the Christians in it are self-controlled!

“READY TO SERVE?” 11/06/11

Joshua 24:14-25, Matthew 25:1-13

Who here would not say with the Israelites, “as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”?  God has set us free by Jesus from sin and death!  God has given us His Spirit, so that we can sense His ways and will for our lives, hour by hour!  Of course, we will serve!

So said every single virgin bridesmaid invited to the wedding in Jesus’ story.  Only ½ of them got to the marriage feast.  The rest were cast out into the darkness.

See, in the Bible, it isn’t what we say that matters.  It is what we live by that matters.  Speech is worth the paper it’s printed on.  Promises are only good if kept.  God, who’s Word created the universe, expects a bit more from our words than mere good intentions.

We must know the ways of the moment.  For the Hebrews, they saw all through their lives how much God expects of them, and how much God would do for them.  For the bridesmaids, they knew that the evening banquet would require them to have oil lamps.

We must embrace the Lord of the moment.  For the Hebrews, that meant keeping faith with God by doing as He asked.  For the bridesmaids, that meant having the oil with them, rather than scurry about town after business hours trying to get some.

We must live this moment as a celebration.  Forty years in the wilderness, actually a few weeks, made the parents of these Hebrews mad at God.  They all died in the wilderness.  One night of ill preparedness kept many young ladies from the banquet hall.  They ran the streets, rather than partied with the Bride and Groom.

I leave you now with a children’s song, well worth recalling, “Give Me Oil In My Lamp”.

“GENTLENESS” 11/06/11

Matthew 11:28-30

What is the gift of gentleness?  Break these beautiful words apart.

Come to Me:

Not, “Get over here.”  Not, “Do as I say!”  We are asked.

Gentleness lets us ask, rather than expect or demand.

All who labor and are heavy laden:

Jesus sees our burdens, our pains, our condition.  He, of all people, has “walked a mile in our shoes,” and still cares.

Gentleness knows the person spoken to as well as the person speaking, and cares.

I will give you rest:

Jesus takes it upon Himself to act in another’s life, to set them free.

Gentleness says to one in a trap, “Let me help you out,” not, “You got in the mess, get yourself out!”

Take My yoke upon you:

It is not enough to set someone free; a freed soul needs new occupations.  Jesus’ cause, His heart, are more than enough to fill and fulfill any life.

Gentleness helps someone be better than they were before, by assisting someone in a new way of life.

And learn from Me:

Jesus actually says here, “Continually learn from Me.”  He won’t ever quit on someone He has freed.  He won’t let them simply make their own way.

Gentleness befriends a soul with one’s presence and example, day after day.

I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls:

Jesus lays Himself open before us.  “Here I am!” He says, “Take what you see, and I’ll give you what is best from Me.”

Gentleness lets us trust and act and offer the world what is best in us as well.

My yoke is easy, and My burden is light:

Jesus’ promise is that life with Him, life His way, is better than whatever it is we call living.

We are invited to try it and see.

Gentleness is a daily invitation, by the way we are, for others to find a life that really lives.

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Joshua 3:7-17, Matthew 23:1-12

Anyone here want to be called two-faced?  Didn’t think so.  These two pictures show us how one-faced and two-faced Christians look.

1 Face – Follows God and worrys about doing His will, not appearances.
2 Faces – Want to look good in the eyes of other people.

1 Face – Gets into the waters, the barricades, to the Promised Land, and stands there – helping others across.
2 Faces – Put burdens on people that keep them from new life.

1 Face – Follows the path God created by His grace for them.
2 Faces – Live and teach as if THEY know the right way.

1 Face – Lets each and every one do their part, all for the common good.
2 Face – Give orders, have expectations, but keep themselves out of the work itself.

1 Face – Crosses the Jordan and finds freedom.
2 Faces – Believes they already are home, and never get free.

1 Face – Trusts in God enough to act when the Lord moves.
2 Faces – Can’t see God moving, much less act when He does.

1 Face – Looks like someone humble yet strong.
2 Faces – Look like someone opinionated and defensive.

God calls each one of us to look with His eyes in that bathroom mirror we have.  Look and see how many faces we show to others.  Even if we pretend the mirror is fogged up, a quick survey of people will prove to us the truth.

May we look like 1 Face – that of Christ in us.

“FAITHFULNESS” 10/30/11

Habakkuk 1:17-2:4, Hebrews 11:1

Habakkuk speaks to us.  He complains to God about a people not like his who have taken control of their lives, caught them in “the net.”  The prophet cannot believe unholy people would be used by the Lord to accomplish His purposes.

Yet, there rests his nation, in the grip of the Babylonians.  Here rests our town, in the grip of foreign terrorists, cheaper labor elsewhere, the stupidity of people who own and run things.  No wonder we have a Tea Party and Occupy Wall St. bunch!  No wonder Habakkuk is so upset!

God says to him, “the just shall live by their faith.”  What is faith?  It is the gift of God.  We have made faith a set of propositions and behaviors we accept as the way to live and think.  God makes faith “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

Assurance – that means we act knowing that God is active.  We trust today because God made it.  Fear is banished; we act by love.  Anger is calmed; Jesus acts in us to love.  The troubles visible to the eye and audible to the ear are of less concern than the Kingdom of God seen in hundreds of ways, and, so far as each one of us is concerned, responded to as God leads us.

Conviction – that means we choose to live assured, and will not waver from the choice.  Here is where the gift of the Holy Spirit come in!  By our own efforts, our life as Christians would falter, stumble, get lost sometimes.  With the Spirit giving us faith we seek and respond to the Lord, His Word for this moment, His way for this situation, His heart for that person.

Faith is not so much about what we believe and how we behave, but about Who we are living for, and loving, and following.

“IS GOD TWO-FACED?” 9/11/11

Exodus 14:19-31, Matthew 18:21-35

In Exodus, God kills the bad guys.  Hurray!  The good guys win.  In Matthew, we are told to forgive people who have wronged us.  We don’t get to kill them.  Darn!

So, is God two-faced?  Says one thing, does another?  I’m not going to answer that question, since Christians have always struggled with it.  I will give you some rabbit trails to wander down as you prayerfully reflect on God’s compassion and cruelty.

God kills the Egyptians, not the Hebrews.  God tells us to forgive.  “Vengeance is mine!” says the Lord in Deuteronomy 32:35.  As much as we might wish to craft our own justice, the Lord forbids us from putting ourselves in His place.

The debtor in Matthew was given grace.  Then he abused it.  We have been forgiven much at the cost of Jesus on a cross.  Who are we to hold others hostage to our expectations, when we did not meet God’s desires, either?

God kills people, or orders them killed, to the end that the world changes.  When we kill or punish, nothing much gets better, does it?

What kind of God could kill?  Surely not an all-loving, “everybody is OK” sort of deity!  Passages like these make me, at least, stop and reconsider what I understand of my Lord.

Often, we do take God’s place, killing and condemning.  What does that say about our trust in God’s action in the world, and His care for us while we are living here?

As I said, no answers.  Just rabbit trails.  In the walking on them is the living.  In the living is the wonder.  In the wonder is the Lord, so long as we wonder prayerfully, seeking Jesus’ heart always.

“CHRISTMAS EVERY DAY” 9/11/11

1 Corinthians 12:1-11

The Resurrection life the Holy Spirit gives is not some “maybe it is real” sort of deal.  We know we have the life because we live it.  We live it because we were given it.  The Spirit gave each Christian here divine gifts to open, every day.  What are some?

Wisdom:  To know the God-way at this time, and to do it.
Knowledge:  To know the Word of the Lord well, and to apply it.
Faith:  To live trustingly and lovingly, no matter what.
Healing:  To restore body, soul, and/or spirit in someone else.
Miracles:  To live and pray so that God is shown and known.
Prophecy:  To proclaim what God wants of us here and now.
Discernment of spirits:  To declare good from evil, true from false.
Speaking in tongues:  To pray completely open to the Lord.
Interpretation of tongues:  To let others hear what the speaker says.

Each Christian here has at least one of these.  Now, these gifts are not talents.
* A talent you work on; a gift is given and God empowered.
* A talent arises from your desires; a gift comes via the Spirit’s wisdom.
* A talent won’t bring anyone closer to Jesus; a gift always will.

The Resurrection life by the Spirit serves the Lord.  All the gifts work together for one aim – to serve God and enjoy Him forever.

Do you have a gift?  Well, check yourself.  No one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.  People can say, “I believe in Jesus,” or “I trust Him,” or “I know He died for me.”  None of that makes Him the Master of that soul, the Captain of that body.

For your own every day Christmas, open the gift the Spirit gave you.  If you haven’t any gifts, then cry out to God that Jesus may be born in you.  Today!

“AM I RESURRECTED?” 9/5/11

Romans 8:9-11

Before I go further, let me summarize a year’s worth of sermons right now.  A Christian without the Holy Spirit alive and well in them is no Christian at all.  The Spirit gives us a new life, one that combats and conquers all our old, sinful ways.  With the Spirit, we are led closer and closer to Jesus, and so know our Lord better and better.

So, now for the concluding question that arises here from Paul’s bold declarations.   Are we, Am I, resurrected?

If I am resurrected, then I struggle against sin daily, and rely on the Spirit to help me win.
. . . If our congregation is resurrected, then we work together to tramp down sin in our midst, and support each other as we all rise into the glory of God.

If I am resurrected, then I have the Spirit of Christ.  That means I am more like Him, less like me.
. . . If this congregation is resurrected, then we have the Spirit of Christ.  That means Union City sees, through us, the Lord – not our best try.

If I am resurrected, then what matters most is Jesus, not me.  I want His ways, not my wants.  I want His holiness, not my desires.
. . . If this congregation is resurrected, then we make our life together grounded in prayer, growing by grace and care, reaching others in love.  We do all this to know His will and to follow it.

If I am resurrected, then I have a confidence for living which only One who conquered my sin and death could instill.  I am bold to love, able to forgive, mighty to be an example in word and deed.
. . . If Union City Presbyterian is resurrected, then our community will seek and find from us:  love, forgiveness, and an example of Jesus.

So, are we, am I, resurrected?

“TOGETHER IN POWER” 9/5/11

Exodus 12:1-14, Matthew 18:15-20

Passover, in the Christian Church, usually is described as a picture of what Jesus did for us on the cross:  died in our place, protected us from death and ultimate evil, set us free to live as God’s children.  Today, I want to look at it another way.

God creates a community here.  Yes, the Hebrews are an extended family, but the Bible is also clear that a lot of people not of Jacob’s clan leave Egypt too.  A community bigger than family.  What an idea!

People have been trying and failing at it for ever!  Europe as one nation – hardly!  Afghanistan a unified country – nope!  Urban Erie and the rest of the county working together – hah!  It all fails because of what God says here, as required for the divine community:

– All must be under the blood.  Unless Jesus’ life is in all of us, we will fall apart.
– All must seek from God one common purpose.  If we run off in private directions, we have nothing holding us together.
– All must rely on the life and power of God.  God speaks; we echo.  God acts; we follow.  Or, we have nothing.
– All must unite around the immediate moment – God’s presence to us, for us, to live and be made new.

What does that mean for Mill Village?  Ask yourselves:

Am I receiving Jesus’ life, and is that life shaping my own?

Does this congregation know God’s purpose for us here and now?

Will we rely on God for all things, or will we trust what we can do?

Have we agreed to be together in the Holy Spirit, and stay together as the Spirit leads us?

“STRETCH!” 8/14/11

Ephesians 3:18

We grow as Christians by focusing on our Savior.  By the Spirit, He makes us stretch & change.

How Wide?  The 10 Commandments declare God will show steadfast love to 1,000 generations of those who fear Him.  How wide?  Susanna Wesley had 10 children.  One she saved by running back into her burning home.  She lost the house, but saved the children.  Two of them grew to be John and Charles Wesley.

How Long?  “As far as the east is from the west, so far does the Lord remove our sin from us.”  Jim Wilkerson was a priest who spent his life working to gang members in L.A.  Most times, he never changed lives, just touched them.  Some times, he made mighty men and women for Christ.  Their lives are carrying on the priest’s work.

How High?  Mother Theresa struggled with God, but never let anyone see her doubt.  Instead, she brought her confusion and fear to God’s throne and poured out her heart.  Then, she went back to care for those who had no one to care for them.  Jesus said, “I will never leave you or forsake you.”

How Deep?  Wang Mindao lived in China from 1900-1991.  He died from wounds inflicted while in prison.  He founded the Chinese house church movement, an exploding work of the Spirit in China that resists government control and compromise with any sin.  These positions were taken by Wang, and he never left them.  Now, over 30 million Chinese people affiliate with the house churches.  Our God says, “Be strong, and wait.  You will see the glory of the Lord”

To widen our faith:  Reach out to someone.  To lengthen it:  Live as a great example.  To heighten it:  Be honest with the Lord.  To deepen it:  Make your faith a public display of who you are.

“GOD DID IT” 8/14/11

Genesis 45:1-15, Matthew 15:21-28

A family is torn apart by cruelty and jealousy.  A woman is in despair and it seems the Savior doesn’t care.  Who is to blame?  God did it!

I think Jesus learned something here.  He was intent on heading to His cross, and wanted no delays.  This woman, not of the Israelite clan, wanted help.  Basically, Jesus told her to go to her own gods and get the help.

She came to Him because only He could help her daughter.  She stuck with her need of Him even when she was rejected.  Jesus opened His heart to a bigger slice of the world here, as did she.

Often, the hurt in our lives forces us to do just that, so that God can do amazing things in and through us.

Joseph has toyed with his brothers who sold him into slavery.  They have argued and fought amongst themselves, and with their father.  All that hurt, all those cruel words, all those cold actions, led to one event:  Joseph leading Egypt to ameliorate a famine.

God knew what He was doing.  God saw the bigger picture, that this sniveling family would help save the world.  Joseph, from his tears and his position of power, also saw what God was up to.  And he wept.

Usually, we weep and wail because of the hurt others cause.  Yet, there is more going on than just our pain.  There is the work of the Lord.  He writes the plot; He finishes the story.  As we look beyond ourselves, we see that new horizon, that new day, the Lord brings about – from the current disaster!

We cannot imagine what that new day would look like from where we are now.  But we can live imaginatively towards it.

“NO HOPE?” 8/7/11

Genesis 37:12-28, Matthew 14:22-33

Jacob’s sons are, to a man, much like him. Joseph is a bit of a braggart. His older brothers are jealous connivers. You can tell this story will go bad soon.

Peter wants to trust Jesus; he really does. But, what God can do is far beyond what Peter can do, so the fisherman is trapped. He is caught between what could happen, and what he thinks he can make happen. No hope there either!

These places are real. Many of you have been there. The disease is terminal. Money will not come in. A wanted child will not be. In the mess of all that, God places the lifeline to what will yet be.

In Genesis, the brothers want to kill Joseph, but settle for selling him instead. Reuben wants to deceive all his brothers but gets fooled. Peter sees Jesus walking on water, hears His invitation to join Him, even steps out and takes Christ’s hand.

Joseph could not arrange the Midianites arrival. So, who did? Peter could not make his molecules stay above liquid. So, who did? In the awful, in the problem, God puts the hope, the solution.

And notice this, in both cases, what God puts out there is the same. A new hand to hold. Joseph must clasp slavers. Peter must cling to Jesus. For them to live, they must hold on to another.

Of course, we first and foremost must hold Jesus; otherwise we, like Peter, will sink. But, we who are Christ’s followers must also be the hand that others can hold. Far better than slavers, we are to be deliverers!

For the church is people who live by hope, and who find ways to grab God’s guidance every day. No hope? Not with God, and not within His body!

“WE ARE FILLED” 8/7/11

Ephesians 3:20

Believer, you are much mightier, much better, much more able, than you believe.

Five points that prove the above.

1)  God does the work.  So long as you try to help, your faith will resemble me trying to help my father repair the car.  Dad knows how to do it.  I don’t.  Follow His lead, not my best idea!

2)  The power of God is already inside.  Against the trauma of the past, opposed to the pain of the present, is the eternal life of the Holy Spirit, who draws us into Jesus, and makes us more like Jesus and less like our wounded, weary selves.  Pick what power you wish you live by.  You, Christian, have that choice.  Most others don’t.

3)  God does what God does.  Most faith troubles and fractures come from wanting God to do what a person wants done.  That doesn’t say that here.  We can do what is needful.  We can do what is healing.  We can do what is beautiful and lasting.  But, only God knows what that is.  With the Spirit’s direction, we get life’s connection.  With us in the lead, we find only imperfection.

4)  Our lives are too small.  We dream too little.  We expect much less.  God has a big universe of sin to contend with, a love that is stronger than death to influence that universe with, and He would pour that love onto creation through us!  Except, we live with a cork on the spout.  We hold that love in, so it stagnates even us.  God can do through us way more than we ask or imagine.  Live bigger!

5)  God is able.  Simple as that.  Our Christian lives are not about what we can do, but about what God has done and is doing.  Let’s go!

“ON WHAT ROCK?” 8/7/11

Exodus 1:8-2:10, Matthew 16:13-20

Jesus said to Peter, after Peter said Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God, “On this rock I will build My Church.”  On what rock?

I believe the rock is that confession.  Just making the confession is only 1/10th of the commitment the Lord asks of us.  Here’s the rest of the story.

Peter faces a government hostile to his faith.  So did the mid wives.  So do we.  The Rock expects us to stand on Him, and not compromise.  Find a way to be faithful no matter what.

Peter declared Jesus was his Savior.  Then he spends the rest of his life needing Jesus to help him live!  So do those babies born under the Pharoah’s pro-choice edict.  So do we.  Live as if you needed Jesus at all times.

Peter stood before authorities and respectfully held fast to his faith.  So did the midwives.  So, in a sneaky way, did Moses’ family.  So must we.  A private faith is a worthless one.  A public faith stands on the Rock, where it can be seen by others.

Peter had other choices all through his life.  He could go to any number of other beliefs and goals.  He chose to stick with Jesus.  The mid wives and Moses’ parents chose to honor God as well.  So must we.  A faith that straddles the fence hurts a lot when it falls.  A faith that rests on the Rock never falls.

Peter died because he loved Jesus.  The mid wives died in slavery as well, but they passed their lives on to descendants who were set free.  We must live that boldly too.  The Rock is not only Jesus’ loving hands to hold and uphold us, but also our cross on which we die to who we have been, and rise into who we need to be for Christ’s sake.

“RESURRECTION IS FILLING!” 8/7/11

Ephesians 3:19

We invest money, and take the risk.  We make friends and have lovers, and take our chances.  God gives a guaranteed good return.

We can be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.  What’s THAT mean?  We can be the people God designed and dreamed.  Even now.  Even so.  Even yet.  There are no current barriers to this new self, no past wounds that keep this God-centered person from thriving today.

The one catch is the one Paul mentions; we must know the love that surpasses knowledge.

The word “know” here means an intimate connection that shapes our behavior and attitudes.  The word “love” here means a profound satisfied joy and delight in the other.  That “other” is Christ.  Can we have such a relationship?

Jesus Christ lived like us to be with us.  God became human.  We become Christ-like.  The potential is there because Jesus went the distance we, on our own, could never go.

Jesus Christ died like us for all of us.  Death, says the Scripture, is the result of sin.  Jesus died with all sin in Him and for all lives that die.  At best, we cope with sin.  God kills it.

Jesus Christ rose through death to reach us.  Nothing kept Him from us, and nothing will keep Him from us.  Except our not wanting Him.  When we want Him, that “want” becomes a need, which becomes a hunger, which becomes a joy, which becomes a life.

If Jesus did not live, die, and rise, then our faith is as big a gamble as investments and emotional attachments.  If He did live, die and rise, then there is no better One in whom to place all we are.

“STABILITY” 7/31/11

Ephesians 3:17b-19

Prudential Insurance claims to be a rock we can depend on. Our government promises to take care of us. The ring given in all sincerity is never to lose its power. Yadda, yadda, yadda. We want security, but it is only found one place.

Until you and I are rooted and grounded in God’s love through Christ, we will be insecure always. Take those two images apart.

Rooted:  Plants grow roots. Our faith, too, must grow for us to have a vibrant relationship with God. Plants grow roots to live. If we don’t grow our faith, it will die. Our survival as souls depends on our seeking what will nourish and sustain us. That sole source of life is Jesus Christ.

How do we grow roots? Meet with Jesus. Meet Him in His Word. Meet Him in other people. Expect to meet Him all the time. And date Him, fall in love with Him, be curious and interested in Him.

Grounded:  We cannot make the ground; neither can plants. Faith is not ours to make up or form to our desires. Faith is already there to uphold and nourish us. It won’t change. It changes us. To be grounded is to live on, as Paul wrote earlier, “the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the chief cornerstone.”

How do we get grounded? We accept Jesus Christ as not only our Lover, but also our Lord. How do we stay grounded? Share faith with others. Receive faith from Christians you admire. Know the Word of God. Exercise the privilege of living by God’s promises.

How will all this make us secure? As we do this, we will “be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” We will be His mighty warriors! We will be His passionate ministers! We will be His example of life that never dies; suffers, but never fails! Let’s go!