12, 21, 2012. The end of the world is coming. It has been predicted by various people, cultures, and religious fanatics. Some people have based if off the Mayan Calendar which ends on December 21, 2012. I researched the Mayan Calendar a little bit and here is what I found. It was created back in 3114 B.C. After 13 b’ka’tuns or about 5,125 years the Mayan long count Calendar ends. Some think this will cause extreme environmental changes or a global apocalypse. There are websites I have found that even have an “official” countdown to the date 12, 21, 2012. Some think that the end will come by earthquakes or meteorites that will destroy the earth and the world.
In the 50’s and 60’s the idea was made popular by Scholar Michael Coe when he connected the Mayan Calendar with the well know event called Armageddon- the epic battle between good and evil. From that point on there have been songs and movies depicting the end of world. R.E.M., a popular band has a song entitled “It’s the End of The World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine).” In this song there are images of earthquakes, hurricanes, combat sites, renegades and the mention of a rapture. Even the music video pictures the world being destroyed.
There are also those religious fanatics who believe that Matthew’s gospel depicts a rapture at the end of the world. Their beliefs come from reading our text this morning where Matthew states: “Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.”
Now I’m not one that buys into these beliefs. People are entitled to their own beliefs, but my research of the Mayan Calendar and my knowledge about the Gospel of Matthew paints a different picture.
I have found that the majority of Mayan Scholars argue against apocalyptic predictions based on the Mayan Calendar. They say these doom’s day scenarios are contemporary inventions and that it misrepresents Mayan history. Carlos Barrios is a historian, an anthropologist and investigator who studied with traditional Mayan elders for 25 years since the age of 19. He claims that the inscriptions found on the Mayan Calendar are misread. He states, and others agree that, the Mayan elders and Mayan inscriptions do not predict that the world will end on 12, 21, 2012, but that the world will be transformed. As Barrios lays out what he thinks lies ahead he makes a very poignant remark. He states that “humanity will continue, but in a different way. Material structures will change. From this we will have the opportunity to be more human.”
As we look to the gospel writer of Matthew we find that only God knows the exact day and hour of Christ’s return. If the Son does not know, what makes us think we can predict the time much less how it will occur? Matthew’s point in this verse was to discourage us from speculations. We are good a letting our imaginations run wild about things we have no control over and things we can’t know.
Moreover, the beliefs about the rapture that some people project into the Gospel writer’s message, was a foreign idea to Matthew. The use of the verb “taken” in the verses about the two people in the field and the two women grinding meal actually has a different meaning in Matthew’s Gospel. Here “taken” more closely refers to those who are “received”- those who are ready are received into the kingdom of God.
Matthew’s Gospel is not about the end of the world or about a rapture of certain people leaving others behind. No, it’s about remaining alert and ready for Christ’s return that will happen at an unexpected time in the future. Jesus tells his disciples earlier in chapter 24 to remain alert for those false Messiahs who will try to lead people away. Christ says to his disciples in verse 5: “Beware that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, “I am the Messiah! And they will lead many astray.” Again in verse 11 Christ warns against false prophets who will arise and lead many astray. This continues into verse 23 where Christ again warns about those people who say “Look! Here is the Messiah! Or There he is!” Christ tells us not to believe them “for false messiahs and false prophets will appear and produce great signs and omens, to lead people away.”
The predictions about the end of the world based on the Mayan calendar and the rapture are the false prophets and false predictions of our own day for which we must remain alert. We don’t know when or how Christ will come again, but we must remain alert. As in the days of Noah that Matthew eludes too, we must remain alert and ready for Christ’s return. Before the flood the people in Noah’s day were drinking, marrying and giving in marriage and they did not remain alert and were unprepared for the day Noah entered the ark. They were not prepared to be received into the kingdom of God. They were consumed with their own daily lives, living for themselves and not for God.
In our day Christ will return with as much unexpectedness and glory as the flood. When Christ returns we will know it, the Messiah will not be hidden, but will be as visible to all nations as lightening or the flood waters of Noah. When Christ does come again, Christ will bring a new heaven and a new earth. Revelation 21 speaks of a New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, and a loud voice from the throne saying “See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them as their God; they will be his people and God himself will be with them, he will wipe very tear from their eyes. Death will be no more, mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.” God will make all things new and reconcile everything to God.
To be God’s people who know that Christ’s return will occur at an unexpected day and hour, we should motivate each other into active engagement in our mission and prayer and worship of God, spreading the news to all, we should motivate each other to live our lives for God and not consume our lives with trivial activities such as Christmas shopping or parties. This in-between time is not a time to passively wait, but a time to do the job of being the church in world and to do so with urgency. We should seek to do the deeds of mercy, forgiveness, and peace that characterize those who are ready to be received into the kingdom of God.
Carlos Barrios quotes a Mayan elder who he believes “delivered a simple, direct message. He called for human beings to come together in support of life and light. Right now each person and group is going his or her own way. The elder of the mountains said there is hope if the people of the light can come together and unite in some way.”
As we start this Advent season today let us remain alert for the true Messiah’s coming as we celebrate the birth of Jesus and as we actively wait for Christ’s second coming by continuing the work of reconciliation, mercy, forgiveness and peace. Let us come together as the body of Christ, not as separate persons going about our own way. Let us be those people whom Isaiah 2:4 speaks of: “those who beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nations who shall not lift up sword against nation, nor learn war anymore.”
As we have light the candle of Hope, we do so because we believe and hope in Christ’s continual return as we celebrate his birth every advent season and as we wait in hope for his second coming that will transform the world. Christ is the light of the world and Christ is whom we put all our trust and hope in as we continue to do his work, hoping to become more human and persons who are ready to receive the Kingdom of God when it comes.
Amen.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Table Fellowship
Isaiah 55:1-9
Three Chopt Presbyterian Church is hosting caritas this week and I had the wonderful opportunity to serve the homeless men dinner just last night with the youth group. Although I didn’t get to interact with the men as much as I would have wanted, the insights I gained from this event and the thoughtfulness of the youth that I witnessed far surpassed my expectations. The amount of preparation that was involved was minimal, yet the joy was great. The expense was nothing compared to the amount of mouths that were fed with food and drink. The amount of clean up after dinner was nothing compared the smiles and handshakes that crossed socio-economic boundaries. I have never been at a loss for words to express to people how proud I am of the youth I work with and last night was no different. Not only did the youth interact with the men, prepare and serve them dinner, but one youth admittedly proclaimed, “If the men want seconds, I will not eat here. They need it more than me.”
This event brought to mind several different interactions with the prophet Isaiah’s words to the Israelite’s who were still in exile. The chapter begins with words of invitation to food and drink. The prophet proclaims: “Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you that have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.”
This is exactly what took place last night. All those who were thirsty came and drank. All those who were without money came and ate. Scholar Paul Hanson states that “this invitation from Isaiah is not to be limited to people of social standing, not even to people of sufficient means to come properly attired. The only requirement is hunger and thirst.” I believe this refers to physical thirst and hunger as much as it refers to spiritual thirst and hunger.
This invitation is open to all and is tied to the open invitation to the Davidic Covenant. The prophet Isaiah proclaims that God’s promises are now given to all humanity. The promises of satisfaction, joy, peace, and prosperity are to be had by all regardless of race, gender, culture, religion, or socio-economic status. This is God’s free gift to all nations.
Yet, there is a second invitation to which we are called as well. It is a call of repentance from our wayward paths that lead us away from God. A call of repentance in which we can focus on our relationship with God to strengthen our spirits, be nourished, and turn back to God. Isaiah tells the Israelite’s to “seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake their way, and the unrighteous their thoughts; let them return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on them, and to our God for he will abundantly pardon.”
This season of lent is indeed the time in which we follow the Prophet Isaiah’s call to the Israelite community and God’s call to us, to repent and follow God. Many of us have made pledges to drink only water, to read our bibles, to avoid sweets, or to fast from certain meals. These are all good attempts by which we discipline ourselves in order to focus less on the things of the world and focus more of our attention on the things that come from God. And it is a hard task. Many people long for coffee, to read a good novel, to eat sweets and other foods. Do we truly discipline ourselves to follow our Lenten promises or are they just wishful thankful? Wishful thinking about other beverages, Easter sweets that plague the store front windows, or thoughts along the lines of “I don’t have time to read the Bible, I have to write this sermon instead?” How much of our attempt at making ourselves aware of God’s will, God’s promises for our life, and our need to reorient our lives around God, is being diminish by our intense focus on the exact things of this world that we were hoping, if we gave them up, would help us focus more on God?
Sometimes our attempts, as well intentioned as they are, become the stumbling blocks during lent that actually keep us from hearing God’s word and receiving God’s life giving nourishment. Sometimes the things we “give up” for lent become those things that prophet Isaiah warned the Israelites about. “Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy?”
As I witnessed last night, the youth who “gave up” her food for the men who wanted seconds was certainly a way of embracing the endeavors people of faith set out to accomplish for themselves during Lent, but it was coupled with an act of evangelism and mission in serving food to the homeless. This particular youth showed me that it is great to give up the material necessities of life and fast in order that others might eat, as long as we do not dwell on missing what we have given up and instead focus that energy on opening our hearts and the doors of our church so that all people will be able to freely come and eat and drink the nourishment that God has provided for us all. As one theologian put it, “loving and serving God is the source of nourishing food and thirst-quenching drink.”
Psalm 63, in many ways, highlights what the prophet Isaiah is saying. The psalmist reminds us that it truly God’s steadfast love that is better than life and it is truly God’s words that feed the soul as with a rich feast. When we incline our ears to God and listen to God we live in far greater abundance and come into closer relationship with God. When we join our individual actions of spiritual disciplines with service to others and for God, we come to a greater understanding of what it means to be in relationship with God. For when we are in relationship with one another we are also in relationship with God and we are able to abundantly live in all the promises of the Covenant.
Amen!
Three Chopt Presbyterian Church is hosting caritas this week and I had the wonderful opportunity to serve the homeless men dinner just last night with the youth group. Although I didn’t get to interact with the men as much as I would have wanted, the insights I gained from this event and the thoughtfulness of the youth that I witnessed far surpassed my expectations. The amount of preparation that was involved was minimal, yet the joy was great. The expense was nothing compared to the amount of mouths that were fed with food and drink. The amount of clean up after dinner was nothing compared the smiles and handshakes that crossed socio-economic boundaries. I have never been at a loss for words to express to people how proud I am of the youth I work with and last night was no different. Not only did the youth interact with the men, prepare and serve them dinner, but one youth admittedly proclaimed, “If the men want seconds, I will not eat here. They need it more than me.”
This event brought to mind several different interactions with the prophet Isaiah’s words to the Israelite’s who were still in exile. The chapter begins with words of invitation to food and drink. The prophet proclaims: “Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you that have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.”
This is exactly what took place last night. All those who were thirsty came and drank. All those who were without money came and ate. Scholar Paul Hanson states that “this invitation from Isaiah is not to be limited to people of social standing, not even to people of sufficient means to come properly attired. The only requirement is hunger and thirst.” I believe this refers to physical thirst and hunger as much as it refers to spiritual thirst and hunger.
This invitation is open to all and is tied to the open invitation to the Davidic Covenant. The prophet Isaiah proclaims that God’s promises are now given to all humanity. The promises of satisfaction, joy, peace, and prosperity are to be had by all regardless of race, gender, culture, religion, or socio-economic status. This is God’s free gift to all nations.
Yet, there is a second invitation to which we are called as well. It is a call of repentance from our wayward paths that lead us away from God. A call of repentance in which we can focus on our relationship with God to strengthen our spirits, be nourished, and turn back to God. Isaiah tells the Israelite’s to “seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake their way, and the unrighteous their thoughts; let them return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on them, and to our God for he will abundantly pardon.”
This season of lent is indeed the time in which we follow the Prophet Isaiah’s call to the Israelite community and God’s call to us, to repent and follow God. Many of us have made pledges to drink only water, to read our bibles, to avoid sweets, or to fast from certain meals. These are all good attempts by which we discipline ourselves in order to focus less on the things of the world and focus more of our attention on the things that come from God. And it is a hard task. Many people long for coffee, to read a good novel, to eat sweets and other foods. Do we truly discipline ourselves to follow our Lenten promises or are they just wishful thankful? Wishful thinking about other beverages, Easter sweets that plague the store front windows, or thoughts along the lines of “I don’t have time to read the Bible, I have to write this sermon instead?” How much of our attempt at making ourselves aware of God’s will, God’s promises for our life, and our need to reorient our lives around God, is being diminish by our intense focus on the exact things of this world that we were hoping, if we gave them up, would help us focus more on God?
Sometimes our attempts, as well intentioned as they are, become the stumbling blocks during lent that actually keep us from hearing God’s word and receiving God’s life giving nourishment. Sometimes the things we “give up” for lent become those things that prophet Isaiah warned the Israelites about. “Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy?”
As I witnessed last night, the youth who “gave up” her food for the men who wanted seconds was certainly a way of embracing the endeavors people of faith set out to accomplish for themselves during Lent, but it was coupled with an act of evangelism and mission in serving food to the homeless. This particular youth showed me that it is great to give up the material necessities of life and fast in order that others might eat, as long as we do not dwell on missing what we have given up and instead focus that energy on opening our hearts and the doors of our church so that all people will be able to freely come and eat and drink the nourishment that God has provided for us all. As one theologian put it, “loving and serving God is the source of nourishing food and thirst-quenching drink.”
Psalm 63, in many ways, highlights what the prophet Isaiah is saying. The psalmist reminds us that it truly God’s steadfast love that is better than life and it is truly God’s words that feed the soul as with a rich feast. When we incline our ears to God and listen to God we live in far greater abundance and come into closer relationship with God. When we join our individual actions of spiritual disciplines with service to others and for God, we come to a greater understanding of what it means to be in relationship with God. For when we are in relationship with one another we are also in relationship with God and we are able to abundantly live in all the promises of the Covenant.
Amen!
Breaking the Barriers
There are many social faux-pas or blunders that bring attention upon those who commit them. Here are some examples found on the internet:
· Putting your elbows on the table
· Parking your car in a handicap parking when you’re not handicap
· Telling racial or ethnic jokes
· Asking too many personal questions
· Failing to replay to an invitation on time
· Arriving too early or too late to a meeting or party
· Not holding the door open for others
· Not wearing shoes and a shirt into a restaurant
· Talking with your mouth full
These social faux-pas or blunders are not necessarily done on purpose. Sometimes we commit them without ever realizing what we have done. Sometimes we get caught up in our own life and we forget to send a replay to an invitation on time, sometimes we are in such a hurry to get somewhere that we rush through a door and it never passes through our mind to hold the door for someone else. Sometimes we unconsciously put our elbows on the table because it’s a natural position for us to sit in while eating. Sometimes we hear a funny joke and retell that joke never realizing that the joke contains aspect that is racially or ethically offensive to our brothers or sisters. I think you get the point that not all social faux-pas are perpetrated because of a mean spirit.
In Zacchaeus’ day there were social faux-pas as well, and Zacchaeus’ committed two of them. Zacchaeus’ knew that Jesus was going to passing through Jericho and he wanted to see Jesus. But Zacchaeus was short man and he could not see Jesus over the crowd. The crowd also was not going to let Zacchaeus get through. You see, the crowd of Jericho dislikes Zacchaeus as a person. Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector and as a chief tax collector he was corrupt, he cheated the Jews out of money. Zacchaeus was rich and tax collectors were often seen as religiously unclean and therefore were regarded as outcasts.
So because Zacchaeus could neither fight his way through the crowd, nor see over the crowd, he starts to run toward a sycamore tree. Social faux-pas number one.
A grown man such as Zacchaeus should not being running- it was considered undignified.
Now sycamore tree is a tree that has very low branches which makes it easy to climb and Zacchaeus does just that. He climbs the sycamore tree so that he can see above the crowd and see Jesus. Social faux-pas number two.
A grown man with such great importance as chief tax collector should surely not be climbing trees.
Now in his efforts to want to see Jesus, Zacchaeus carries out these two social blunders without it ever crossing his mind what he has done. Zacchaeus’ aim was to see Jesus but not be notice by either Jesus or the crowd. However, in his attempt to see Jesus, Zacchaeus gets himself noticed because he runs and climbs.
As Jesus takes notice of Zacchaeus in the sycamore tree he goes over to him and says to him “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.” Notice Jesus’ strong invitation to Zacchaeus. Jesus says I MUST stay at your house. Not I would like to, or can I, but MUST stay. And Jesus does not say I must stay at your house tomorrow, or some unidentified time in the future, but TODAY. Jesus also makes it a point to address Zacchaeus specifically in front of the entire crowd for Jesus says, “I MUST stay at YOUR house TODAY.”
Upon this demand Zacchaeus hurries down out of the tree and is happy to welcome Jesus’ presence.
The crowd has a different opinion on Jesus ministry. They grumble and say, “He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.”
If there is anyone in the bible that committed the most social blunders then that person would be Jesus. Jesus does not do so unconsciously, but on purpose to teach us about the kingdom of God. Jesus’ social blunder is 10 times worse than Zacchaeus’. Jesus invites himself over to the house of a sinner, a religiously unclean, outcast. Jesus commits all kinds of social faux-pas and crosses all kinds of barriers in his ministry.
By staying at Zacchaeus’ house Jesus is crossing the barrier of ritual purity. Jesus was entering the house of who was unclean in his heart and actions, and shunned as an outcast. When Jesus performs the act of crossing the threshold into Zacchaeus’ house, Jesus is affirming Zacchaeus’ dignity and standing in the community. Also by staying at his house Jesus is bringing honor into Zacchaeus’ home.
As we worship together in this place this morning, we have loved ones who suffer all types of illness and are rendered unclean by people outside the walls of the hospital. People are worried about contracting illness such as tuberculosis, or whopping cough, hepatitis C or aids. Some people will never cross the threshold of the hospital’s main door to do ministry for fear of becoming unclean. There are predetermined thoughts and feelings about people who are in a hospital. You or some of your loved ones may have heard statements such as this: “If they took better care of themselves they wouldn’t be in the hospital.” Or “If they only went to church every Sunday and did not sin, they would not be punished with illness.” You, your loved ones, and other patients may even believe these statements about themselves and internalize a negative self image.
Friends, there is one person that will always break the barrier and cross the threshold any time you call his name and that is Jesus. Jesus doesn’t care what illness you have, he will walk into your room sit down by your bed and take hold of your hand to pray with you. Jesus will bring honor into your hospital room. Jesus will dignify you and affirm you as a child of Abraham, just as he did for Zacchaeus.
Christ will respond to the grumbling crowds of our day saying, “Today salvation has come to this hospital room, because this patient is a son or daughter of Abraham.”
Being a child of Abraham does not just mean that you are a descendent of Abraham, but that you belong to the covenant promise that God will bless you and make a kingdom from you. As we find in Genesis 17:7 God tells Abram: “I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.”
As children of Abraham we are a part of this everlasting covenant whereby God is going to continue to be God to us and our subsequent children. God will be God to us regardless of whether or not we are viewed as outcasts and in spite of our illness or disease. God, Christ and the Holy Spirit see past the illness and into your heart, honoring and affirming you as a child of the covenant promise.
Believe the good news! God’s kingdom is at work in our lives TODAY. With God you are no longer on the outer margins of society because of your illness, for Christ has pulled you into the very center of the Kingdom of God, surrounding you with the everlasting covenant, and publicly affirming your equal status among all people.
Praise the Lord, Amen!
· Putting your elbows on the table
· Parking your car in a handicap parking when you’re not handicap
· Telling racial or ethnic jokes
· Asking too many personal questions
· Failing to replay to an invitation on time
· Arriving too early or too late to a meeting or party
· Not holding the door open for others
· Not wearing shoes and a shirt into a restaurant
· Talking with your mouth full
These social faux-pas or blunders are not necessarily done on purpose. Sometimes we commit them without ever realizing what we have done. Sometimes we get caught up in our own life and we forget to send a replay to an invitation on time, sometimes we are in such a hurry to get somewhere that we rush through a door and it never passes through our mind to hold the door for someone else. Sometimes we unconsciously put our elbows on the table because it’s a natural position for us to sit in while eating. Sometimes we hear a funny joke and retell that joke never realizing that the joke contains aspect that is racially or ethically offensive to our brothers or sisters. I think you get the point that not all social faux-pas are perpetrated because of a mean spirit.
In Zacchaeus’ day there were social faux-pas as well, and Zacchaeus’ committed two of them. Zacchaeus’ knew that Jesus was going to passing through Jericho and he wanted to see Jesus. But Zacchaeus was short man and he could not see Jesus over the crowd. The crowd also was not going to let Zacchaeus get through. You see, the crowd of Jericho dislikes Zacchaeus as a person. Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector and as a chief tax collector he was corrupt, he cheated the Jews out of money. Zacchaeus was rich and tax collectors were often seen as religiously unclean and therefore were regarded as outcasts.
So because Zacchaeus could neither fight his way through the crowd, nor see over the crowd, he starts to run toward a sycamore tree. Social faux-pas number one.
A grown man such as Zacchaeus should not being running- it was considered undignified.
Now sycamore tree is a tree that has very low branches which makes it easy to climb and Zacchaeus does just that. He climbs the sycamore tree so that he can see above the crowd and see Jesus. Social faux-pas number two.
A grown man with such great importance as chief tax collector should surely not be climbing trees.
Now in his efforts to want to see Jesus, Zacchaeus carries out these two social blunders without it ever crossing his mind what he has done. Zacchaeus’ aim was to see Jesus but not be notice by either Jesus or the crowd. However, in his attempt to see Jesus, Zacchaeus gets himself noticed because he runs and climbs.
As Jesus takes notice of Zacchaeus in the sycamore tree he goes over to him and says to him “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.” Notice Jesus’ strong invitation to Zacchaeus. Jesus says I MUST stay at your house. Not I would like to, or can I, but MUST stay. And Jesus does not say I must stay at your house tomorrow, or some unidentified time in the future, but TODAY. Jesus also makes it a point to address Zacchaeus specifically in front of the entire crowd for Jesus says, “I MUST stay at YOUR house TODAY.”
Upon this demand Zacchaeus hurries down out of the tree and is happy to welcome Jesus’ presence.
The crowd has a different opinion on Jesus ministry. They grumble and say, “He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.”
If there is anyone in the bible that committed the most social blunders then that person would be Jesus. Jesus does not do so unconsciously, but on purpose to teach us about the kingdom of God. Jesus’ social blunder is 10 times worse than Zacchaeus’. Jesus invites himself over to the house of a sinner, a religiously unclean, outcast. Jesus commits all kinds of social faux-pas and crosses all kinds of barriers in his ministry.
By staying at Zacchaeus’ house Jesus is crossing the barrier of ritual purity. Jesus was entering the house of who was unclean in his heart and actions, and shunned as an outcast. When Jesus performs the act of crossing the threshold into Zacchaeus’ house, Jesus is affirming Zacchaeus’ dignity and standing in the community. Also by staying at his house Jesus is bringing honor into Zacchaeus’ home.
As we worship together in this place this morning, we have loved ones who suffer all types of illness and are rendered unclean by people outside the walls of the hospital. People are worried about contracting illness such as tuberculosis, or whopping cough, hepatitis C or aids. Some people will never cross the threshold of the hospital’s main door to do ministry for fear of becoming unclean. There are predetermined thoughts and feelings about people who are in a hospital. You or some of your loved ones may have heard statements such as this: “If they took better care of themselves they wouldn’t be in the hospital.” Or “If they only went to church every Sunday and did not sin, they would not be punished with illness.” You, your loved ones, and other patients may even believe these statements about themselves and internalize a negative self image.
Friends, there is one person that will always break the barrier and cross the threshold any time you call his name and that is Jesus. Jesus doesn’t care what illness you have, he will walk into your room sit down by your bed and take hold of your hand to pray with you. Jesus will bring honor into your hospital room. Jesus will dignify you and affirm you as a child of Abraham, just as he did for Zacchaeus.
Christ will respond to the grumbling crowds of our day saying, “Today salvation has come to this hospital room, because this patient is a son or daughter of Abraham.”
Being a child of Abraham does not just mean that you are a descendent of Abraham, but that you belong to the covenant promise that God will bless you and make a kingdom from you. As we find in Genesis 17:7 God tells Abram: “I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.”
As children of Abraham we are a part of this everlasting covenant whereby God is going to continue to be God to us and our subsequent children. God will be God to us regardless of whether or not we are viewed as outcasts and in spite of our illness or disease. God, Christ and the Holy Spirit see past the illness and into your heart, honoring and affirming you as a child of the covenant promise.
Believe the good news! God’s kingdom is at work in our lives TODAY. With God you are no longer on the outer margins of society because of your illness, for Christ has pulled you into the very center of the Kingdom of God, surrounding you with the everlasting covenant, and publicly affirming your equal status among all people.
Praise the Lord, Amen!
The Ballad of Rotten Grapes
Isaiah 5:1-7
Have you ever seen food that has gone to waste after you purchased it? It gets moldy, smells up the whole kitchen, sometimes it shrivels up to nothing. Have you ever tasted food that has gone sour like grapes or milk? Your lips make that unpleasant puckered look, your body shivers as if you were chilly, and your reaction is to immediately dispose of the sour taste in your mouth. Have you ever encountered a car that has the Christian symbol of a fish on the bumper, yet they make unpleasant gestures with their hands and mouth ugly words at you because you were driving to slow for their liking? Now have you ever seen or had an unpleasant feeling in your heart when you have walked into a one of God’s churches or encountered one of God’s children portraying a character opposite of God’s love, care, and obedience?
Isaiah sings a message to us this morning, from God, about a vineyard that yields only wild or rotten grapes despite the great care and love God has poured into the vineyard. The vineyard is a metaphor for the inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah. God takes great care to fulfill his promises to the people of Jerusalem. God has already plucked up the vine of Jerusalem that was being oppressed by Pharaoh and the Egyptians, just as the Palmist has told us: “You brought a vine out of Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it. You cleared the ground for it.” Again in Isaiah we hear of how God very carefully and meticulously chooses a very fertile hill, a hill with oil rooted in its soil that is more than able to produce a copious grape harvest. Isaiah further tells us that God prepared the vineyard as one should by clearing the stones and turning over the topsoil to ensure that the vine could be planted and that nothing would prevent its growth. Then God builds a watchtower from which he would protect his vineyard from thieves and wild animals. Lastly, Isaiah tells us that God planted only choice vines, those vines that were the cream of crop. This vineyard had all the potential possible to grow and produce a fertile harvest and God expected just that: obedient, caring, loving people of Judah. Instead the vine produced wild, rotten and sour inhabitants.
Out of the vineyard God hears cries of bloodshed and cries from the oppressed. The same cries of bloodshed and oppression that were heard in the land of Egypt are now coming from the mouths of the people of Judah, from the newly planted vineyard that was suppose to yield a bountiful harvest.
What went wrong? It is certainly not God’s fault, how could it be? Through the art of poetry Isaiah leads the people into judging themselves by saying: “Now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard.” Isaiah further asks some rhetorical questions: “What more was there to do for my vineyard that I have not already done in it?” When I look for it to yield grapes why did it yield wild grapes?” The implied answer: Nothing! The inhabitants of Jerusalem bring God’s punishment upon themselves. Isaiah tells the people that the vineyard will be devoured, the watchtower will be torn down, the vineyard will be trampled upon by animals and thieves. It will become a wasteland receiving no rain from the clouds. It is a harsh punishment for the choice people of Jerusalem.
We must make clear however, that this punishment is not because the inhabitants of Jerusalem “merely failed to rise to [their] best in response to God’s call”, rather they are judged because they “corrupted the good that God implanted in them.”[i]
As children of God we fail when turn God’s goodness into evil, when we turn God’s love into bloodshed, and when we turn God’s care into the oppression of others.
The church is God’s vineyard and we, the members of the church, are the grapes that are supposed to produce a copious harvest. We are the ones who are called to help bring forth right judgment and justice, look toward others with care, and to give love.
These actions are not solely to be done under the shelter of the church building. As individual members of God’s vineyard we are called to live our lives not for ourselves, but for the furtherment of God’s kingdom. It means that we should act obediently in accordance with God’s love.
My cousin came to visit me a few weeks back. As she was driving us to the movies, she put on her blinker, checked all her mirrors and her blind spot and then proceeded to move over into the next lane. There was car in the line into which she moving, but she had plenty of room and was in no danger of hitting the other car. Well the person in the other car did not like the fact that she moved over into that lane. The person honked the horn relentlessly for at least 1 minute. Then after we turned, the person in the other car proceeded to wave ugly gestures to us. Now my cousin could have reacted in a number of different ways, but the only way she reacted was to put on a big smile and very politely wave to the driver of the other car. Instead of continuing the unloving manner which she received, my cousin, without a moment’s hesitation, returned grace and love to the driver.
As people of God we will continually come into contact with others who treat us badly and we at times will be the ones to treat others poorly, corrupting God’s love and care. We may not be out right rude to others, but our individualistic way of life ultimately affects others. We get so tied up in our lives, thinking only about ourselves that we come to the point at which we neglect those who need our help. We start using “our gifts for our own advantage rather than to serve God’s kingdom.”
This passage from Isaiah makes us critically exam ourselves and the church. Isaiah makes us face the areas within our lives and within the church that are producing rotten grapes. We may ask ourselves: “Where in the church are we producing more bloodshed than we are justice?” Is it during meetings in which we argue with each other to the point where God’s work is not being done and no one is thoughtfully listening anymore?
Where might God have expected righteousness but heard a cry instead? Is it when we go behind each other’s back and complain about something someone did to us instead of talking to the person directly and resolving the issues?
It takes courage, love, and grace to face these rotten grapes that exist in our life and in our church, but if we are able to, we will find the sweet, healthy grapes God planted with meticulous care. Lectionary Homiletics author Wally Fletcher states that: “the courage to face the[se] issues posed in Isaiah’s first vineyard parable is to be sought in the promise of his second one.”
In Isaiah’s second vineyard ballad he sings of a pleasant vineyard. Isaiah sings: “I, the Lord, am its keeper; every moment I water it. I guard it night and day so that no one can harm it; I have no warth. If it gives me thorns and briers, I will march to battle against it. I will burn it up.”
The punishment that comes upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem is not from a rage filled God who has abandoned and stopped loving the vineyard. “God’s love for his people is as steadfast as God’s determination to see them yield the fruits they were always meant to yield.”
People of God, God has not abandoned the church, God has not stopped loving you, but God does require that we tattle tough conversations so that we may be a church and a people who will bear a bountiful harvest. God wants us to be sweet grapes worthy enough to be made into precious wine.
Let’s turn our rotten grapes into sweet wine.
Amen.
[i] Scott, R.B.Y. The Interpreter’s Bible. V. 5 Abingdon Press. New York, NY: 1956.
Have you ever seen food that has gone to waste after you purchased it? It gets moldy, smells up the whole kitchen, sometimes it shrivels up to nothing. Have you ever tasted food that has gone sour like grapes or milk? Your lips make that unpleasant puckered look, your body shivers as if you were chilly, and your reaction is to immediately dispose of the sour taste in your mouth. Have you ever encountered a car that has the Christian symbol of a fish on the bumper, yet they make unpleasant gestures with their hands and mouth ugly words at you because you were driving to slow for their liking? Now have you ever seen or had an unpleasant feeling in your heart when you have walked into a one of God’s churches or encountered one of God’s children portraying a character opposite of God’s love, care, and obedience?
Isaiah sings a message to us this morning, from God, about a vineyard that yields only wild or rotten grapes despite the great care and love God has poured into the vineyard. The vineyard is a metaphor for the inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah. God takes great care to fulfill his promises to the people of Jerusalem. God has already plucked up the vine of Jerusalem that was being oppressed by Pharaoh and the Egyptians, just as the Palmist has told us: “You brought a vine out of Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it. You cleared the ground for it.” Again in Isaiah we hear of how God very carefully and meticulously chooses a very fertile hill, a hill with oil rooted in its soil that is more than able to produce a copious grape harvest. Isaiah further tells us that God prepared the vineyard as one should by clearing the stones and turning over the topsoil to ensure that the vine could be planted and that nothing would prevent its growth. Then God builds a watchtower from which he would protect his vineyard from thieves and wild animals. Lastly, Isaiah tells us that God planted only choice vines, those vines that were the cream of crop. This vineyard had all the potential possible to grow and produce a fertile harvest and God expected just that: obedient, caring, loving people of Judah. Instead the vine produced wild, rotten and sour inhabitants.
Out of the vineyard God hears cries of bloodshed and cries from the oppressed. The same cries of bloodshed and oppression that were heard in the land of Egypt are now coming from the mouths of the people of Judah, from the newly planted vineyard that was suppose to yield a bountiful harvest.
What went wrong? It is certainly not God’s fault, how could it be? Through the art of poetry Isaiah leads the people into judging themselves by saying: “Now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard.” Isaiah further asks some rhetorical questions: “What more was there to do for my vineyard that I have not already done in it?” When I look for it to yield grapes why did it yield wild grapes?” The implied answer: Nothing! The inhabitants of Jerusalem bring God’s punishment upon themselves. Isaiah tells the people that the vineyard will be devoured, the watchtower will be torn down, the vineyard will be trampled upon by animals and thieves. It will become a wasteland receiving no rain from the clouds. It is a harsh punishment for the choice people of Jerusalem.
We must make clear however, that this punishment is not because the inhabitants of Jerusalem “merely failed to rise to [their] best in response to God’s call”, rather they are judged because they “corrupted the good that God implanted in them.”[i]
As children of God we fail when turn God’s goodness into evil, when we turn God’s love into bloodshed, and when we turn God’s care into the oppression of others.
The church is God’s vineyard and we, the members of the church, are the grapes that are supposed to produce a copious harvest. We are the ones who are called to help bring forth right judgment and justice, look toward others with care, and to give love.
These actions are not solely to be done under the shelter of the church building. As individual members of God’s vineyard we are called to live our lives not for ourselves, but for the furtherment of God’s kingdom. It means that we should act obediently in accordance with God’s love.
My cousin came to visit me a few weeks back. As she was driving us to the movies, she put on her blinker, checked all her mirrors and her blind spot and then proceeded to move over into the next lane. There was car in the line into which she moving, but she had plenty of room and was in no danger of hitting the other car. Well the person in the other car did not like the fact that she moved over into that lane. The person honked the horn relentlessly for at least 1 minute. Then after we turned, the person in the other car proceeded to wave ugly gestures to us. Now my cousin could have reacted in a number of different ways, but the only way she reacted was to put on a big smile and very politely wave to the driver of the other car. Instead of continuing the unloving manner which she received, my cousin, without a moment’s hesitation, returned grace and love to the driver.
As people of God we will continually come into contact with others who treat us badly and we at times will be the ones to treat others poorly, corrupting God’s love and care. We may not be out right rude to others, but our individualistic way of life ultimately affects others. We get so tied up in our lives, thinking only about ourselves that we come to the point at which we neglect those who need our help. We start using “our gifts for our own advantage rather than to serve God’s kingdom.”
This passage from Isaiah makes us critically exam ourselves and the church. Isaiah makes us face the areas within our lives and within the church that are producing rotten grapes. We may ask ourselves: “Where in the church are we producing more bloodshed than we are justice?” Is it during meetings in which we argue with each other to the point where God’s work is not being done and no one is thoughtfully listening anymore?
Where might God have expected righteousness but heard a cry instead? Is it when we go behind each other’s back and complain about something someone did to us instead of talking to the person directly and resolving the issues?
It takes courage, love, and grace to face these rotten grapes that exist in our life and in our church, but if we are able to, we will find the sweet, healthy grapes God planted with meticulous care. Lectionary Homiletics author Wally Fletcher states that: “the courage to face the[se] issues posed in Isaiah’s first vineyard parable is to be sought in the promise of his second one.”
In Isaiah’s second vineyard ballad he sings of a pleasant vineyard. Isaiah sings: “I, the Lord, am its keeper; every moment I water it. I guard it night and day so that no one can harm it; I have no warth. If it gives me thorns and briers, I will march to battle against it. I will burn it up.”
The punishment that comes upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem is not from a rage filled God who has abandoned and stopped loving the vineyard. “God’s love for his people is as steadfast as God’s determination to see them yield the fruits they were always meant to yield.”
People of God, God has not abandoned the church, God has not stopped loving you, but God does require that we tattle tough conversations so that we may be a church and a people who will bear a bountiful harvest. God wants us to be sweet grapes worthy enough to be made into precious wine.
Let’s turn our rotten grapes into sweet wine.
Amen.
[i] Scott, R.B.Y. The Interpreter’s Bible. V. 5 Abingdon Press. New York, NY: 1956.
And the Answer Is...
Jeremiah’s lament for his poor people is powerful and entitled. Jeremiah’s calling from God was to warn the people of their corrupt behavior and of God’s just judgment. Earlier in chapter 8 God questions why the people of the nation repeatedly turn away from God. God laments that the people hold fast to deceit and corruption. They do not speak honestly; no one repents of wickedness, all of them turn to their own course, like a horse plunging headlong into battle, thus says the Lord. The people of Jerusalem continually turn away from God rather than returning to God, even after they have heard the words of warning from Jeremiah. The verbs turn and return are a central theme in the book of Jeremiah. The people of Jerusalem, despite God’s attentive listening, refused to return to God, they refused to repair their relationship with God. Instead they turned away from God, they turned to their own course following a path of wickedness, and they became blind to the presence of God. Given the context of our scripture this morning it is certainly evident that Jeremiah’s lament is appropriate and timely.
Jeremiah, as God’s prophet, captures the essence of God’s anger and sadness as well as painting a picture of the internal anguish that Jeremiah feels for his poor people. Jeremiah cries out for his people who are slain saying: “My joy is gone; grief is upon me, my heart is sick. For the hurt of my poor people I am hurt, I mourn, and dismay has taken hold of me.” Jeremiah’s words convey a sense of deep pain that wants to be healed. In a hospital setting, such as this, these words are not foreign to us, rather they hit close to home. Jeremiah’s internal anguish is something that we can clearly empathize with in this hospital. When we receive a diagnoses of cancer, amputation, heart disease, stroke, or death, we lose our joy, our world becomes dark, grief and sadness make their home upon our hearts, our hearts are sick with tears. Jeremiah expresses relevant questions which we often think, but sometimes cannot verbalize. Why? Where is God? Is the Lord not in Zion? Why is God not healing me? Is there no balm in Gilead?
The questions vocalized for us by Jeremiah do have answers and the answers lie within the questions themselves. “Is the Lord not in Zion? Is her King not in her? Is there no balm in Gilead?” These are rhetorical questions meaning the answer was known before the question was even asked. And the answer is: YES. Psalms 48 is a testament to the answers for the first two questions: “Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in the city of our God. His holy mountain, beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth, Mount Zion, in the far north, the city of the great King. Within its citadels God has shown himself a sure defense.” This Psalm is a song of Zion in praise of the Lord, whose protecting presence is found in the temple in Jerusalem. God is present is in very center of our anguish. God is present at all times.
In the book Life of Pi, a young boy from India tells Mr. Kumar the baker to meet him outside the main gate of the zoo. Pi’s family owns the zoo and Mr. Kumar has never been to it before, so Pi tells him that he will show him around. When Pi arrives at the main gate of the zoo he starts to talk to himself saying, “You fool! Why did you say the main gate? At any time there will be a crowd of people there. Have you forgotten how plain Mr. Kumar looks? You’ll never recognize him!” Pi tries to think of ways that would help him find Mr. Kumar when notices something about himself. Pi states: “I had noticed before that it was when I tried my hardest to recognize him that I was least able to pick him out. The very effort seemed to blind me.”
When we ask where is God, or is the Lord not in Zion, perhaps we are looking too hard to feel God’s presence. Perhaps we become blind to the presence of God because we so desperately want to seek him that we miss God’s presence which is right in front of us.
What about the balm. Is there no balm in Gilead? YES there is. Balm, which is an aromatic resin and is regarded as having qualities that ease pain and cover the smell of festering wounds, was in abundance at Gilead. Even later in Jer. 51: 8 we see a command for balm to be gathered and used for the wounds of Babylon. In Genesis there are scriptures that refer to balm being used and carried on journeys on at least two separate accounts.
Friends, there is a balm Gilead to make the wounded whole. However, healing does not always occur the way we want it to. We wish for healing to come through medicines, or other treatments that will cure us of an illness. But when this does not happen, it does not mean that healing is not taking place. Sometimes healing comes in from of being able to share our stories with others, being able to lament, or being able to find new meaning in life.
Sometimes healing comes through the shedding of tears like Jeremiah expresses: “O that my head were a spring of water, and my eyes a fountain of tears, so that II might weep day and night for the slain of my poor people.” Sometimes healing comes even through death when one finds ultimate peace with God.
Just as Jeremiah is justified in lamenting over the slain of his poor people, we are justified in lamenting over the human condition of illness and death. We our entitled to lament, in fact we are invited by Jeremiah and God to grieve and ask the questions why and where. Our laments will not fall on deaf ears, God hears us, God is in the center of our anguished lives and God invites us to return to him for healing instead of continually turning away in anger or because of a misunderstanding about the ways God. Verse 6 reiterates God has given heed and listened. God is open to human need and to human appeals. Life is not on its own and without resort in the world. God is listening all the time, and God is in the midst of our lament.
Let us grieve, let us lament over the human condition, let us cry out to God returning to the presence of God and receiving God’s healing balm that awaits us. Is the Lord not in Zion? YES he is. Is there no balm in Gilead? YES there is.
Amen.
Jeremiah, as God’s prophet, captures the essence of God’s anger and sadness as well as painting a picture of the internal anguish that Jeremiah feels for his poor people. Jeremiah cries out for his people who are slain saying: “My joy is gone; grief is upon me, my heart is sick. For the hurt of my poor people I am hurt, I mourn, and dismay has taken hold of me.” Jeremiah’s words convey a sense of deep pain that wants to be healed. In a hospital setting, such as this, these words are not foreign to us, rather they hit close to home. Jeremiah’s internal anguish is something that we can clearly empathize with in this hospital. When we receive a diagnoses of cancer, amputation, heart disease, stroke, or death, we lose our joy, our world becomes dark, grief and sadness make their home upon our hearts, our hearts are sick with tears. Jeremiah expresses relevant questions which we often think, but sometimes cannot verbalize. Why? Where is God? Is the Lord not in Zion? Why is God not healing me? Is there no balm in Gilead?
The questions vocalized for us by Jeremiah do have answers and the answers lie within the questions themselves. “Is the Lord not in Zion? Is her King not in her? Is there no balm in Gilead?” These are rhetorical questions meaning the answer was known before the question was even asked. And the answer is: YES. Psalms 48 is a testament to the answers for the first two questions: “Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in the city of our God. His holy mountain, beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth, Mount Zion, in the far north, the city of the great King. Within its citadels God has shown himself a sure defense.” This Psalm is a song of Zion in praise of the Lord, whose protecting presence is found in the temple in Jerusalem. God is present is in very center of our anguish. God is present at all times.
In the book Life of Pi, a young boy from India tells Mr. Kumar the baker to meet him outside the main gate of the zoo. Pi’s family owns the zoo and Mr. Kumar has never been to it before, so Pi tells him that he will show him around. When Pi arrives at the main gate of the zoo he starts to talk to himself saying, “You fool! Why did you say the main gate? At any time there will be a crowd of people there. Have you forgotten how plain Mr. Kumar looks? You’ll never recognize him!” Pi tries to think of ways that would help him find Mr. Kumar when notices something about himself. Pi states: “I had noticed before that it was when I tried my hardest to recognize him that I was least able to pick him out. The very effort seemed to blind me.”
When we ask where is God, or is the Lord not in Zion, perhaps we are looking too hard to feel God’s presence. Perhaps we become blind to the presence of God because we so desperately want to seek him that we miss God’s presence which is right in front of us.
What about the balm. Is there no balm in Gilead? YES there is. Balm, which is an aromatic resin and is regarded as having qualities that ease pain and cover the smell of festering wounds, was in abundance at Gilead. Even later in Jer. 51: 8 we see a command for balm to be gathered and used for the wounds of Babylon. In Genesis there are scriptures that refer to balm being used and carried on journeys on at least two separate accounts.
Friends, there is a balm Gilead to make the wounded whole. However, healing does not always occur the way we want it to. We wish for healing to come through medicines, or other treatments that will cure us of an illness. But when this does not happen, it does not mean that healing is not taking place. Sometimes healing comes in from of being able to share our stories with others, being able to lament, or being able to find new meaning in life.
Sometimes healing comes through the shedding of tears like Jeremiah expresses: “O that my head were a spring of water, and my eyes a fountain of tears, so that II might weep day and night for the slain of my poor people.” Sometimes healing comes even through death when one finds ultimate peace with God.
Just as Jeremiah is justified in lamenting over the slain of his poor people, we are justified in lamenting over the human condition of illness and death. We our entitled to lament, in fact we are invited by Jeremiah and God to grieve and ask the questions why and where. Our laments will not fall on deaf ears, God hears us, God is in the center of our anguished lives and God invites us to return to him for healing instead of continually turning away in anger or because of a misunderstanding about the ways God. Verse 6 reiterates God has given heed and listened. God is open to human need and to human appeals. Life is not on its own and without resort in the world. God is listening all the time, and God is in the midst of our lament.
Let us grieve, let us lament over the human condition, let us cry out to God returning to the presence of God and receiving God’s healing balm that awaits us. Is the Lord not in Zion? YES he is. Is there no balm in Gilead? YES there is.
Amen.
Monday, October 25, 2010
"I Have Something to Tell You" Sincerely, God
Luke 18:9-14
I am sure you have heard of the saying: “You can’t judge a book by its cover.” This phrase is about 95% accurate with a few exceptions. Those exceptions, and I’m sure some of the youth will agree with me, occur with school books. But there is one insist in which the phrase “You can’t judge a book by its cover” is 100% accurate. I think you know which bounded collections of books I’m talking about. Yes the Bible.
In Luke’s Gospel message to us this morning there are many twists and turns that take place. Jesus’ parable is anything boring. Jesus’ parable begins: “He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt,” and ends: “for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.” Between the beginning and the end, Jesus flips and twists the parable around.
Jesus uses two characters, a Pharisee and a tax collector. These two characters are supplied with stereotypical descriptions. A Pharisee was seen as a righteous, law abiding citizen who followed moral as well as ethical codes and commandments. Society respected a Pharisee just as Norman the pig in our children’s message. Norman was respected by others around him because he was clean cut, organized, never got into trouble, and gave money to the poor. A tax collector on the other hand was not respected. Rather a tax collector was one who was viewed as corrupt, one who cheated people of their money, and religiously unclean. Society shunned a tax collector just like Sidney the pig was shunned. Sidney was always disheveled in appearance, unorganized, and couldn’t do anything right.
Both the Pharisee and the tax collector begin to believe and internalize these descriptions of themselves to the extreme. The Pharisee knows that he is righteous and he verbally pronounces his goodness to God. He tells God, “God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rouges, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.” Did you notice how many times you heard the word “I?” There are four “I” statements in this in these two verses alone. The Pharisee is not really praying as much as he is telling God about his goodness and at the same time looking down on other people. The Pharisee is exalting himself to a higher status.
Norman the pig does the same thing. Norman followed the rules, his teachers and bosses always liked him, he gave money to the poor, but he was looking down others. Norman is puffing himself up.
The tax collector on the other hand internalizes an unrighteous self-image. He stands far off, can’t even raise his eyes up to heaven, and he beats upon his breast, a sign of deep sorrow, and says to God, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” While the Pharisee asks nothing of God in his prayer and boasts about his goodness, the tax collector boasts nothing before God and self-designates himself as a sinner. The tax collector does not exalt himself, rather he admits to his short-comings, placing himself on an even lowlier status.
Sidney is like the tax collector. Sidney can’t do anything right, he is unorganized, believes God is frustrated with him, and seems to always get into trouble. Sidney believes that he is an unworthy person.
Now here comes the twist to the story. You would think that a righteous Pharisee would receive God’s blessing and the tax collector would receive God’s judgment. But that is not the case. Jesus tells us that the tax collector “went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.” The Pharisee may be righteous in his actions, but he is not truly righteous for he is also a sinner. The tax collector may be a sinner, but he is also righteous in his prayer for forgiveness.
Jesus’ parable makes clear what true righteousness is and “distinguishes it from misplace pride in obedience to God’s commandments.” Zacharias and Elizabeth are an example of true righteousness. Luke 1:6 explains that they “were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.” The Pharisee was not blameless in his obedience to God. Now the tax collector was not blameless before the Lord either, but the tax collector recognizes his sin, asks for forgiveness, and does not condemn others in the process. The Pharisee is given just judgment and humbled by God. The tax collector is given just judgment and exalted by God.
To put this a little more concretely let’s look again at Norman and Sidney. Both Norman and Sidney received an invitation from God that read: “I would like you to come visit me at 77 Elm Street next Tuesday at your convenience. I have something to tell you.” Norman felt a familiar feeling upon reading the invitation: Anticipation. Happiness. Pride. Sidney also felt a familiar feeling upon reading his invitation: Terror. Panic. Doom.
When Norman went to meet with God that Tuesday he was excepting a reward for his goodness, but instead of a reward God told Norman exactly what he needed to hear. God said: “First of all I love you. Secondly, your goodness is not the reason I love you. Thirdly, you’re not as good as you have led yourself to believe. You’re prideful. You’re selfish. You look down on others, simply because things don’t come as easily for them.” God continues to tell Norman that God loves others who are not as perfect just as much as God loves Norman.
When Sidney went to meet with God he was expecting to be punished, but instead of a punishment God told Sidney exactly what he needed to hear. God said: “First of all I love you. Secondly, I love you. And thirdly I love you.”
Norman was humbled by the experience and made to realize that his pride in his “goodness” was his sin. Sidney was exalted by the experience and made to realize that while he is not perfect God still loved him. At the end of the story the two pigs who once avoided each other, now became good friends.
Each one of us here is a Pharisee and each one of us here is also a tax collector. We are not perfect, and there is no such thing as a “good pig.” We are all broken. God doesn’t love us any greater because of the awards we receive or the good behavior we perform and God doesn’t love us any less because we mess up. God simply loves us for who we are as God’s children.
In Calvin’s section on prayer, he list 4 Rules of Right Prayer. The first rule is to have “a composed mind and heart.” The second rule is to have “a sincere sense of our own insufficiency.” The third rule is to “abandon all self-glory, self-assurance, and have a reliance on God’s mercy and pardon.” And the last rule is to have “a sure hope that all our prayers are answered.”
God has invited each of us here this something because God has something to tell us. Let us be open to what God has to say that we might repair a right relationship with God and with our neighbors.
Just as God tells us: “I love you not because of your good works and in spite of all your messes,” I invite you to your neighbor, those sitting around in the pews and tell them: I love you not because of your good works and in spite of all your messes.
To God be all glory and honor forever and ever. Amen.
I am sure you have heard of the saying: “You can’t judge a book by its cover.” This phrase is about 95% accurate with a few exceptions. Those exceptions, and I’m sure some of the youth will agree with me, occur with school books. But there is one insist in which the phrase “You can’t judge a book by its cover” is 100% accurate. I think you know which bounded collections of books I’m talking about. Yes the Bible.
In Luke’s Gospel message to us this morning there are many twists and turns that take place. Jesus’ parable is anything boring. Jesus’ parable begins: “He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt,” and ends: “for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.” Between the beginning and the end, Jesus flips and twists the parable around.
Jesus uses two characters, a Pharisee and a tax collector. These two characters are supplied with stereotypical descriptions. A Pharisee was seen as a righteous, law abiding citizen who followed moral as well as ethical codes and commandments. Society respected a Pharisee just as Norman the pig in our children’s message. Norman was respected by others around him because he was clean cut, organized, never got into trouble, and gave money to the poor. A tax collector on the other hand was not respected. Rather a tax collector was one who was viewed as corrupt, one who cheated people of their money, and religiously unclean. Society shunned a tax collector just like Sidney the pig was shunned. Sidney was always disheveled in appearance, unorganized, and couldn’t do anything right.
Both the Pharisee and the tax collector begin to believe and internalize these descriptions of themselves to the extreme. The Pharisee knows that he is righteous and he verbally pronounces his goodness to God. He tells God, “God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rouges, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.” Did you notice how many times you heard the word “I?” There are four “I” statements in this in these two verses alone. The Pharisee is not really praying as much as he is telling God about his goodness and at the same time looking down on other people. The Pharisee is exalting himself to a higher status.
Norman the pig does the same thing. Norman followed the rules, his teachers and bosses always liked him, he gave money to the poor, but he was looking down others. Norman is puffing himself up.
The tax collector on the other hand internalizes an unrighteous self-image. He stands far off, can’t even raise his eyes up to heaven, and he beats upon his breast, a sign of deep sorrow, and says to God, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” While the Pharisee asks nothing of God in his prayer and boasts about his goodness, the tax collector boasts nothing before God and self-designates himself as a sinner. The tax collector does not exalt himself, rather he admits to his short-comings, placing himself on an even lowlier status.
Sidney is like the tax collector. Sidney can’t do anything right, he is unorganized, believes God is frustrated with him, and seems to always get into trouble. Sidney believes that he is an unworthy person.
Now here comes the twist to the story. You would think that a righteous Pharisee would receive God’s blessing and the tax collector would receive God’s judgment. But that is not the case. Jesus tells us that the tax collector “went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.” The Pharisee may be righteous in his actions, but he is not truly righteous for he is also a sinner. The tax collector may be a sinner, but he is also righteous in his prayer for forgiveness.
Jesus’ parable makes clear what true righteousness is and “distinguishes it from misplace pride in obedience to God’s commandments.” Zacharias and Elizabeth are an example of true righteousness. Luke 1:6 explains that they “were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.” The Pharisee was not blameless in his obedience to God. Now the tax collector was not blameless before the Lord either, but the tax collector recognizes his sin, asks for forgiveness, and does not condemn others in the process. The Pharisee is given just judgment and humbled by God. The tax collector is given just judgment and exalted by God.
To put this a little more concretely let’s look again at Norman and Sidney. Both Norman and Sidney received an invitation from God that read: “I would like you to come visit me at 77 Elm Street next Tuesday at your convenience. I have something to tell you.” Norman felt a familiar feeling upon reading the invitation: Anticipation. Happiness. Pride. Sidney also felt a familiar feeling upon reading his invitation: Terror. Panic. Doom.
When Norman went to meet with God that Tuesday he was excepting a reward for his goodness, but instead of a reward God told Norman exactly what he needed to hear. God said: “First of all I love you. Secondly, your goodness is not the reason I love you. Thirdly, you’re not as good as you have led yourself to believe. You’re prideful. You’re selfish. You look down on others, simply because things don’t come as easily for them.” God continues to tell Norman that God loves others who are not as perfect just as much as God loves Norman.
When Sidney went to meet with God he was expecting to be punished, but instead of a punishment God told Sidney exactly what he needed to hear. God said: “First of all I love you. Secondly, I love you. And thirdly I love you.”
Norman was humbled by the experience and made to realize that his pride in his “goodness” was his sin. Sidney was exalted by the experience and made to realize that while he is not perfect God still loved him. At the end of the story the two pigs who once avoided each other, now became good friends.
Each one of us here is a Pharisee and each one of us here is also a tax collector. We are not perfect, and there is no such thing as a “good pig.” We are all broken. God doesn’t love us any greater because of the awards we receive or the good behavior we perform and God doesn’t love us any less because we mess up. God simply loves us for who we are as God’s children.
In Calvin’s section on prayer, he list 4 Rules of Right Prayer. The first rule is to have “a composed mind and heart.” The second rule is to have “a sincere sense of our own insufficiency.” The third rule is to “abandon all self-glory, self-assurance, and have a reliance on God’s mercy and pardon.” And the last rule is to have “a sure hope that all our prayers are answered.”
God has invited each of us here this something because God has something to tell us. Let us be open to what God has to say that we might repair a right relationship with God and with our neighbors.
Just as God tells us: “I love you not because of your good works and in spite of all your messes,” I invite you to your neighbor, those sitting around in the pews and tell them: I love you not because of your good works and in spite of all your messes.
To God be all glory and honor forever and ever. Amen.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Christ is the Glue
Colossians 1:15-28
Christ is the Glue
As we look into the Paul’s letter to the Colossians this morning we find something that sounds very familiar to our ears -- a declaration about who Christ is and how Christ relates to the world. In his letter to the Colossians, Paul is trying to show that Christ is above all creation. The Christ Hymn in Philippians chapter 2 also conveys this same belief when Paul writes: God exalted Christ to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name…and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Why is Paul rehashing these basic beliefs again? Well, Paul’s reasons for reaffirming who Christ is and how Christ relates to the world are numerous. The church in Colosse was being influenced by the false teachings of the Gnostic. The word Gnostic means “knowledge” and the Gnostic’s prided themselves on being intelligent. Their way of religion was based on the false notion that only knowledge could provide them a way to God. Their principle belief was that “the world is evil and creation so badly flawed that the God could have no direct communication with it.” The only way humankind could find God was through some sort of spiritual ladder, or secret knowledge that would enable humankind to make contact with the unapproachable God.[i] The Gnostic basically disregarded the true person of Christ and the work of Christ.
To counter these false teachings Paul begins by explaining that Christ is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. In this verse Paul is witnessing that Jesus is the incarnation of God. God become a living human being through Jesus. Philippians explains it this way: Jesus Christ being in the very nature God did not consider equality with God but took the very nature of a servant being made in human likeness and being found in appearance as a man. Paul is showing that God is the opposite of unapproachable; in fact God is very approachable in the human form of Christ. Moreover, Paul’s use of the language firstborn over all creation, tells us that Christ is above all creation, Christ is supreme.
Paul continues in the following verses to explain that Jesus created all things, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible…all things were created by Him and for Him…and in Him all things hold together. Using this language Paul refutes the Gnostic ideas of a spiritual ladder to reach God. Rather Paul wants to assert that Christ is the only way to God and the only way that we need. William Barclay states that: “Paul lays down that the agent of God in creation is no inferior, ignorant and hostile secondary god, but the Son Himself.”[ii] God called creation good and Christ is the agent of that good creation and the end goal of that good creation. Between the beginning of creation and the end, Christ is the glue who holds the world together and the only glue that we need.
In verses 18-20 Paul affirms that Christ’s work in the world should be highly praised and worshiped not disregarded. After all, God’s greatest gift to us is Christ and Christ’s redemptive work on the cross. Paul affirms this belief by stating the relationship of Christ to the church. Paul states: Christ is the head of the body, the Church, He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead…and through [Christ, God] reconciled to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven. Paul is maintaining that Christ is not just the highest person above of the cosmos but also of the worldwide Church. Paul is insisting that the Church cannot operate without Christ’s guidance, cannot make important decision without Christ, and cannot act decently and in order without Christ’s help. Moreover, Paul asserts that Christ is the first human to be resurrected from the dead leading to a new creation and redemption for all people and for all things on earth and in heaven.
Christ is the glue. Christ is everything to everyone. Christ holds together the world in which we live. Christ makes God’s presence very near and real for us. Christ redeems and reconciles us and the cosmos to God, re-enforcing an already existing bond that Christ will never break. This is the Truth, with a capital T, of who Christ is and how Christ relates to world. It is to this Christ alone whom Paul states he is a servant.
This is the Christ that we are servants of as well. But do we live into our role as faithful servants?
We live in a society that strikingly mirrors the Gnostic’s attempts to limit who Christ is and what Christ has done for us. Our society has done this by denying that Christ is built into the essence of creation, that creation was made by Christ and for Christ and that all creation exists with Him. For example, society has demanded that the words Under God in the pledge of allegiance be removed. Some schools have removed the pledge of allegiance altogether from their morning routines. It is illegal at school related sporting events to say a prayer for good sportsmanship, no injuries, and a good time. There has been some debate about the wording on American money: In God We Trust. There are constant debates about the separation of Church and State and the misunderstanding of the concept. As each issue about God, prayer and religion comes up, it seems that society pushes Christ and God further and further out of our lives, out of our world. Society only calls on God for his presence when faced with overwhelming tragedy. Society seems to rather relay on intellect and believe in an unapproachable, unknowable God as the Gnostic did.
Christ is the incarnation of God and the perfect example of humankind. Barclay says that “Christ not only showed us who God is, but who humankind was meant to be as servants of God.” We are made in the image of God and so as servants of God and Christ we are to worship and praise God, and share the good news. However, we cannot share the good news if we remain silent about who Christ is and what Christ has done for us. I admit that I’m at fault for remaining silent too. I hear about the debates and get enraged and I think to myself: “I have rights too, a right to believe in God and a right to express that belief.” But then I leave it at that. I never publicly express my right to believe in Christ and to be Christ’s faithful servant. Indeed, through my silence I contribute to breaking the bond between Christ and myself, between Christ and creation, and between Christ and redemption. I have allowed the glue, which binds me to Christ, to grow old and feeble breaking easily. We as Christians have neglected the opportunities to re-apply fresh glue to strengthen our faith.
Fortunately for us, Christ will never break the bond he first formed, no matter how silent we become, no matter how much we contribute to denying the existence of God in Creation, because Christ truly loves us. This true love should compel us to renew our life with God, strengthen our faith and help us face our adversaries with the confidence that Christ is the end goal of creation!
As our call to worship this morning reminds us: Christ is the One who created us, Christ is the One who sustains us, and Christ is the One who gives us hope. Christ is the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end, the glue that binds the entire world together forever. Amen.
[i] Hunter, Archibald. The Layman’s Bible Commentary. V. 22 John Knox Press. Richmond, VA: 1963.
[ii] Barclay, William. Pg. 120.
Christ is the Glue
As we look into the Paul’s letter to the Colossians this morning we find something that sounds very familiar to our ears -- a declaration about who Christ is and how Christ relates to the world. In his letter to the Colossians, Paul is trying to show that Christ is above all creation. The Christ Hymn in Philippians chapter 2 also conveys this same belief when Paul writes: God exalted Christ to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name…and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Why is Paul rehashing these basic beliefs again? Well, Paul’s reasons for reaffirming who Christ is and how Christ relates to the world are numerous. The church in Colosse was being influenced by the false teachings of the Gnostic. The word Gnostic means “knowledge” and the Gnostic’s prided themselves on being intelligent. Their way of religion was based on the false notion that only knowledge could provide them a way to God. Their principle belief was that “the world is evil and creation so badly flawed that the God could have no direct communication with it.” The only way humankind could find God was through some sort of spiritual ladder, or secret knowledge that would enable humankind to make contact with the unapproachable God.[i] The Gnostic basically disregarded the true person of Christ and the work of Christ.
To counter these false teachings Paul begins by explaining that Christ is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. In this verse Paul is witnessing that Jesus is the incarnation of God. God become a living human being through Jesus. Philippians explains it this way: Jesus Christ being in the very nature God did not consider equality with God but took the very nature of a servant being made in human likeness and being found in appearance as a man. Paul is showing that God is the opposite of unapproachable; in fact God is very approachable in the human form of Christ. Moreover, Paul’s use of the language firstborn over all creation, tells us that Christ is above all creation, Christ is supreme.
Paul continues in the following verses to explain that Jesus created all things, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible…all things were created by Him and for Him…and in Him all things hold together. Using this language Paul refutes the Gnostic ideas of a spiritual ladder to reach God. Rather Paul wants to assert that Christ is the only way to God and the only way that we need. William Barclay states that: “Paul lays down that the agent of God in creation is no inferior, ignorant and hostile secondary god, but the Son Himself.”[ii] God called creation good and Christ is the agent of that good creation and the end goal of that good creation. Between the beginning of creation and the end, Christ is the glue who holds the world together and the only glue that we need.
In verses 18-20 Paul affirms that Christ’s work in the world should be highly praised and worshiped not disregarded. After all, God’s greatest gift to us is Christ and Christ’s redemptive work on the cross. Paul affirms this belief by stating the relationship of Christ to the church. Paul states: Christ is the head of the body, the Church, He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead…and through [Christ, God] reconciled to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven. Paul is maintaining that Christ is not just the highest person above of the cosmos but also of the worldwide Church. Paul is insisting that the Church cannot operate without Christ’s guidance, cannot make important decision without Christ, and cannot act decently and in order without Christ’s help. Moreover, Paul asserts that Christ is the first human to be resurrected from the dead leading to a new creation and redemption for all people and for all things on earth and in heaven.
Christ is the glue. Christ is everything to everyone. Christ holds together the world in which we live. Christ makes God’s presence very near and real for us. Christ redeems and reconciles us and the cosmos to God, re-enforcing an already existing bond that Christ will never break. This is the Truth, with a capital T, of who Christ is and how Christ relates to world. It is to this Christ alone whom Paul states he is a servant.
This is the Christ that we are servants of as well. But do we live into our role as faithful servants?
We live in a society that strikingly mirrors the Gnostic’s attempts to limit who Christ is and what Christ has done for us. Our society has done this by denying that Christ is built into the essence of creation, that creation was made by Christ and for Christ and that all creation exists with Him. For example, society has demanded that the words Under God in the pledge of allegiance be removed. Some schools have removed the pledge of allegiance altogether from their morning routines. It is illegal at school related sporting events to say a prayer for good sportsmanship, no injuries, and a good time. There has been some debate about the wording on American money: In God We Trust. There are constant debates about the separation of Church and State and the misunderstanding of the concept. As each issue about God, prayer and religion comes up, it seems that society pushes Christ and God further and further out of our lives, out of our world. Society only calls on God for his presence when faced with overwhelming tragedy. Society seems to rather relay on intellect and believe in an unapproachable, unknowable God as the Gnostic did.
Christ is the incarnation of God and the perfect example of humankind. Barclay says that “Christ not only showed us who God is, but who humankind was meant to be as servants of God.” We are made in the image of God and so as servants of God and Christ we are to worship and praise God, and share the good news. However, we cannot share the good news if we remain silent about who Christ is and what Christ has done for us. I admit that I’m at fault for remaining silent too. I hear about the debates and get enraged and I think to myself: “I have rights too, a right to believe in God and a right to express that belief.” But then I leave it at that. I never publicly express my right to believe in Christ and to be Christ’s faithful servant. Indeed, through my silence I contribute to breaking the bond between Christ and myself, between Christ and creation, and between Christ and redemption. I have allowed the glue, which binds me to Christ, to grow old and feeble breaking easily. We as Christians have neglected the opportunities to re-apply fresh glue to strengthen our faith.
Fortunately for us, Christ will never break the bond he first formed, no matter how silent we become, no matter how much we contribute to denying the existence of God in Creation, because Christ truly loves us. This true love should compel us to renew our life with God, strengthen our faith and help us face our adversaries with the confidence that Christ is the end goal of creation!
As our call to worship this morning reminds us: Christ is the One who created us, Christ is the One who sustains us, and Christ is the One who gives us hope. Christ is the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end, the glue that binds the entire world together forever. Amen.
[i] Hunter, Archibald. The Layman’s Bible Commentary. V. 22 John Knox Press. Richmond, VA: 1963.
[ii] Barclay, William. Pg. 120.
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