Joseph / Based on Matthew 1:18-25 / Written for December 18, 2016

Joseph / Based on Matthew 1:18-25 / Written for December 18, 2016

Matthew 1:18-25

1:18 Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.

1:19 Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly.

1:20 But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

1:21 She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."

1:22 All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

1:23 "Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel," which means, "God is with us."

1:24 When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife,

1:25 but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.

Here we are, just a week before Christmas.  Our scripture today gives us a view of the birth of Jesus from Joseph’s side.  We often think of Mary and how this event would have been experienced through her eyes, but Matthew gives us a chance to pause and examine the man who would adopt the Son of God and raise him as his own.

The three ideas I am pulling from this scripture passage are:

Trust during the unexpected

Choose love over law

Claim Jesus

Trust during the unexpected

1:18 Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.

I think we can agree that this was quite unexpected.  Joseph was set to marry this nice, righteous, young woman and then she turns up pregnant.  The human response could of easily been “why me?” which is more of a statement of “poor me” than it is a real question.  The verses do not show Joseph thinking in that way.  Instead it shows him taking steps to do the next best thing he can.

Joseph’s response to this unexpected event is to decide to do the most loving thing he can think of, but then God gives him another option.  His dream told him to risk trusting God was in this situation.  He had to trust Mary had not been unfaithful, and risk his own reputation in the community.  By taking her as his wife he would appear to be admitting he had sex before completing the wedding vows.  The words, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife” were appropriate given what he was facing.  It would have been scary.

Joseph’s final response was total trust.  1:24 “When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife”.  He didn’t need a day to think about it.

Love over law

1:19 Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly.

Joseph was called “a righteous man” which means he knew the scripture.  To be engaged was equal to marriage except you didn’t live together yet.  That meant if Mary was pregnant by someone else she had committed adultery. 

Here’s the law per Deuteronomy 22:  If a man is found sleeping with another man’s wife, both the man who slept with her and the woman must die. You must purge the evil from Israel.  If a man happens to meet in a town a virgin pledged to be married and he sleeps with her, you shall take both of them to the gate of that town and stone them to death—the young woman because she was in a town and did not scream for help, and the man because he violated another man’s wife. You must purge the evil from among you. But if out in the country a man happens to meet a young woman pledged to be married and rapes her, only the man who has done this shall die. Do nothing to the woman; she has committed no sin deserving death. This case is like that of someone who attacks and murders a neighbor, for the man found the young woman out in the country, and though the betrothed woman screamed, there was no one to rescue her.

Joseph was planning to claim that final scenario happened to Mary.  That was choosing love over law.  He took what little wiggle room he had to spared her life as well as her reputation.

I sometimes wonder if Joseph had a lot of influence over Jesus as he was growing up.  Jesus was in trouble often for choosing love over law.  It may have been first taught by seeing Joseph’s example.

Claiming Jesus

1:24 When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife,

1:25 but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.

Matthew doesn’t give the birth of Jesus a lot of explanation.  The key words out of this verse is that Joseph named him.  That indicated Joseph claimed him as his own.  The beginning verses of Matthew contain the genealogy of Jesus.  It traces back from Abraham to Joseph.   Joseph accepting the role of Father is what this genealogy depended on.

The name Jesus is the Latin version of the Hebrew name Joshua which translates as “Jehovah saves”.  It was Joshua that led the Israelites into the promised land.  Jesus would carry on that responsibility as savior and lead us into the promise of life with God.

What can we learn from the example of Joseph?

We can work toward trust in the face of unexpected circumstances.   This isn’t easy.  When I first started studying scripture my pastor taught that “why” wasn’t a meaningful question to ask.  “Why” was most often associated with whining.  Why did this happen to me?  Or questioning the authority of the person causing the situation.  “Why did you do this?  A better question is “What do I do now?”

There are times when it is good to look at a negative situation and determine the cause and attempt to modify the circumstance.  However, there are many times we are given a path where trust in an unknown master plan is our better option.

I have a motto for my tougher days that is “do the next right thing.”  We don’t know where our path will lead far into the future, so taking the next right step is sometimes as far as we can go.  We can trust the wisdom of Psalm 119:105, “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” and work toward discerning that next right thing.

We can follow Joseph’s lead, as well as the teachings of Jesus, and choose Love over Law.  You may say, “We don’t have religious laws like that in our post-resurrection time.”  Let me use another quote to give you a little different perspective.  Anne Lamott said, “It's better to be kind than to be right.”  I knew a person that held up a line in a fast food restaurant and made an employee feel like a failure because she shorted him 25 cents when she gave him his change.  This was a person that was on the upper end of the income bracket, but he was “right” about the amount of change he deserved even though the emotional cost to the cashier was far more negative than him missing a quarter.  William James put it this way, “the art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook.”

There are times when a situation needs to be set right.  There are other times when the emotional cost to the people involved is more important than correcting a misstep.  In that case it is far wiser and kinder to lead with love and forgiveness and let the misstep be overlooked.  Your life and the lives of those around you can experience more peace if you don’t feel the need to correct every wrong.  To be righteous and know right from wrong is a good thing, but if that slides into being self-righteous, which is believing you are morally superior, it is a negative one.

Next week is Christmas.  I am asking you to claim that baby in the manager as your own just as Joseph did.  We are to name him Jesus / “Jehovah saves” and Emmanuel / “God with us” and know that we are the “us”.   Soon in this service we will say in the Apostle’s Creed that we believe in Jesus “who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried.”  To believe means we accept it is true.  Joseph believed that what the dream explained was true.  He took it one step past belief and acted in faith by claiming Jesus as his own.  Faith can be defined as “complete trust or confidence.”  It is the difference between calling Jesus a savior and claiming him as my savior.  Claim him as your own this Christmas.

I wish you all a blessed Christmas season!

Amen

A poem/dialog to offer reflection on the impact a carpenter could of had on his son Jesus.

Lessons from the Workbench

(Conversation between an angel and Joseph after Jesus birth)

98/12/16 – djs

What guidance can I give the Son of God?

I am a simple man with a simple trade

There is little I can do to prepare him for his life

Joseph, why do you doubt the Master’s choice?

You were chosen you know

I’m tired – it’s time for a break

A man can’t put in quality work if he doesn’t take time to rejuvenate

Mistakes can be made if you don’t step back from your work now and then

The importance of rest

A good lesson to pass on to your son

You’ve separated some wood pieces apart from the others

This pile is wood I can’t use – it’s too weak

It looks fine on the top but see how the inside has been rotting away

Could of fooled some, but you can’t judge wood by its outsides only

The importance of examining what’s inside

A good lesson to pass on to your son

And these planks here – why are they set apart?

They may not look like much because they appear a little rough and dark

Their beauty will be brought out after some sanding and a little stain

Yes the grain is beautiful on those pieces if you take the time to look and work with them

The importance of recognizing potential

A good lesson to pass on to your son

Are these little pieces ones you’re discarding?

Goodness no – those will be used for backing and shims

It takes a lot of little pieces to create a large project

A house can’t be built with just a brass knocker you know

The importance of respecting the part each one contributes

A good lesson to pass on to your son

I think I understand what you’re getting at

I can share with him the simple things of my trade

Like how important it is to have a solid foundation before building higher

Yes Joseph

            Sometimes the simplest lessons are the best

Christ Is King/Based on Colossians 1:11-20 / Delivered on November 20, 2016 to CCH

Christ Is King/Based on Colossians 1:11-20 / Delivered on November 20, 2016 to CCH

Hymns: Precious Lord, Take My Hand, Crown Him with Many Crowns, O Worship the King

Colossians 1:11-20

1:11 May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully

1:12 giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light.

1:13 He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son,

1:14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

1:15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation;

1:16 for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers--all things have been created through him and for him.

1:17 He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

1:18 He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything.

1:19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,

1:20 and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.

This Sunday is the final of our church year.  Next Sunday we move into Advent and begin a new cycle of lectionary scripture.  We will begin the process of Advent to welcome Jesus into our hearts as a human child in Mary’s arms.  This final Sunday has a different focus.  It is called Christ the King Sunday.  It invites us to acknowledge Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  Right in between these two Sundays is Thanksgiving!

Lots of things to explore. 

The three topics I’m focusing on this morning are:

Be prepared to endure

We are reconciled to God

Christ is King

Be prepared to endure

The scripture for today starts right off with a reminder that we are not given peace on earth right now.  We must be prepared to endure.  We are strengthened by God, but it is still our task to endure, and add in that it should be in patience and joy.  “1:11 May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully 1:12 giving thanks to the Father.”

When Jesus rose to be a leader on earth there were many who expected him to lead them into battle with Rome.  Their prayers were focused on the need that was right before them.  God’s answer to that prayer was - I love you and will never leave you.  In the Old Testament story of Daniel being thrown into the lion’s den God’s love didn’t prevent it from happening.  Instead God was with him in the den.  In the Old Testament story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego being thrown into a fiery furnace.  Personally, my prayer would have been to be saved from that event – instead God saved them within that event.

As I was pondering this scripture the image that came to me was of an endurance athlete.  The Apostle Paul often talked of the Christian life as running a race.  The difference between a normal athletic event and an endurance athletic event is that in the later you must eat during the event because your body’s store of energy is fully consumed in the effort.  For us to endure we must pull in the strength God is offering often!  The other part of this image that made me smile was the fact endurance athletes do these events on purpose.  They are not running from something.  They are running to meet their goals and they tend to do so with a smile on their face and joyful excitement in their hearts even through the physical pain that such events bring.

I have done a lot of praying in my past to have God remove struggles from my path.  God’s word to us today is a reminder that a better response to times of trouble is to pray for God’s strength as we pass through those struggles.  Precious Lord take my hand is the right prayer to pray.  Remember God loves us and will never leave us.  We are offered His strength to refuel us when our store of energy has been depleted. 

We are reconciled to God

Verse 12 goes on to say God “has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light.  He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

We can endure our hardships with joy and thanksgiving when remembering the bigger battle is already won for us.  Verse 20, through Jesus “God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.”

One of the definitions of the word “reconcile” is “cause to coexist in harmony; make or show to be compatible”.  Many of you know I have a love of music to this definition spoke to me.  The word discord in musical terms means you are out of harmony.  Discord also means disagreement, strife, conflict, friction, and hostility.  Jesus death on the cross brought me into harmony with God.  If I am feeling discord surround me that means I’m listening to the wrong song.

Christ is King

It was back in 1928 when this Sunday was designated as “Christ the King”.  It was a time of great political unrest in Europe.  The pope set apart this last Sunday in the Christian year to remember Christ in his position as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  It is just as relevant today as it was in 1928.  The Kings of this world have a temporary place in leadership.  Christ is our shepherd King for all time.

This letter to the Colossians states it without a doubt.

1:15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation;

1:16 for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers--all things have been created through him and for him.

1:17 He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

1:18 He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything.

The segment of Hallelujah Chorus came to mind.

The kingdom of this world is become

The Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ

And of His Christ, and of His Christ

And He shall reign for ever and ever

Today we honor Christ as King.  Next Sunday we honor him as God’s son come as a baby in a manger.  His life with us made God visible.  The scripture doesn’t say his is like God, it says “He is the image of the invisible God.”

Endure.  Endure like an athlete that is running with joy and excitement to reach a goal.  Pull strength from God as you need because this is an endurance event which means you must replenish during the journey.  Pain is a part of the path, but be confident you can pass through it with God by your side.

If you find yourself with feelings of disagreement, strife, conflict, friction, and hostility stop and consider you may be aligning yourself with the wrong song and that is why you are feeling this discord.  Christ has brought us into harmony with God.  Tune yourself to Christ’s voice and you will sense the discord ease.

Finally, remember who’s you are.  You are a child of God.  You are a member of Christ’s Kingdom.  I believe this kingdom is among us now.  Scripture supports this.  Christ is our King and our Lord now and forever.  Do not let your heart be troubled.  Worship the King, our maker, defender, redeemer, and friend.

I wish you a Happy Christian New Year, happy Thanksgiving, and a warm welcome to the season of Advent.  Blessings to you on your journey.

Amen

Looking Up / Based on Luke 18:9-14 / Delivered on October 23, 2016 to CCH

Looking Up / Based on Luke 18:9-14 / Delivered on October 23, 2016 to CCH

Hymns: Just as I Am, To God Be the Glory, A Mighty Fortress Is Our God

Luke 18:9-14

18:9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt:

18:10 "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.

18:11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, 'God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.

18:12 I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.'

18:13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!'

18:14 I tell you, this man 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 reading from Luke deals with the contrast between the way we think and the way God thinks.  It also brings out the beauty of God’s mercy.

My three ideas for today are:

There is no value in comparing

Our hope is in God’s mercy

Look up to God

There is no value in comparing

The example of the Pharisee and tax collector praying in the temple is an interesting turn for Jesus listeners.  It took two personalities that had very set status in the community and showed God didn’t think about them in quite the same way. 

A Pharisee was someone who had devoted his life to God, and the study of scripture.  They were viewed by the public as spiritually superior, and thought of in a positive light.  Certainly there were good ones and bad ones, but the focus of their life was something people admired.  They were who you went to if you needed spiritual advice.  They were also the kind of people to be invited to dinner parties. 

Tax collectors on the other hand were not viewed as positively.  The Romans wanted to deal with the Hebrew people as little as possible so gave a fellow Hebrew the job of collecting taxes for them.  They made their living by collecting more than Rome was demanding in taxes – basically stealing from the members of their tribe.  The fact they were friendly with the Roman oppressors, and made their living by lying about how much taxes the people owed, made their friends few.  This is not a person you would want to associate with in public.

Jesus listeners would have heard the prayer of the Pharisee and agreed with him.  He was far better spiritually than a tax collector.   

There is a joke that speaks to comparing.  Two men are in the woods hunting.  One puts on a pair of boots and the other puts on running shoes.  The man with the boots says, “why are you putting on running shoes?”  His companion replies, “I heard there is a bear in the woods and I want to be ready to run.”  “You can’t outrun a bear.” The first one laughs.  “I don’t have to outrun the bear”, the other replies, “I just have to outrun you.”

That sounds like what the Pharisee was counting on.  18:11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, 'God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector”, but God is not like the bear.  He does not have a quota to fill.  He does not grade on the curve.  There is not a percentage of sinners that make it into heaven.  You either meet God’s standard or you fall short of it.  In God’s view both had fallen short of his law.  Comparing didn’t change that.  The scripture is clear that all have fallen short.   

So where does that leave us?

Our hope is in God’s mercy

The prayer of the Pharisee was one of thanks, but it was also one of boasting.  He was asking God to acknowledge how good he was.  His was depending on his own behavior.  He didn’t reach out to God because he felt he was good enough without Him.  Just look at his healthy spiritual life.  Verse 12 I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.'   This is not to say his spiritual works were not positive.  They are positive, but they are still not enough.

The tax collector knew he was falling short.  He knew his only hope was God’s mercy.  He didn’t try to cover up what he had done when he came to God.  Verse 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!'

The sin of the Pharisee was in not acknowledging he needed God.  He was so focused on himself and his own spiritual superiority, that he failed to see the places in his life where he needed forgiveness.

God’s mercy is there for those who turn to Him.  Even for people as bad as the tax collector.  18:14 I tell you, this man 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 word “justified” is from a Greek word whose full meaning is to render just or innocent: —free, be righteous.

God loves us all right where we are and is there to make up the gap, large or small, when we confess it to Him.  In the end the Pharisee left the temple with his own human form of righteousness, but the tax collector had wrapped himself in God’s righteousness.

I sometimes see God’s mercy and grace like a life-saving ring thrown out to people that have fallen out of the boat and are at risk of drowning.  The tax collector grabbed that ring.  The Pharisee considered himself a good enough swimmer, but being a good swimmer doesn’t mean you won’t drown. 

Look up to God

This idea not only refers to who to compare to, it also is who we can look to for help in getting closer to that mark.

The parable is a reminder that we don’t get more points with God if we just stay better than our neighbors.  If we compare ourselves to others, we will find ourselves judging and taking a better-than-thou type of attitude.  We get trapped in what humans think and lose sight of what God thinks. 

Jesus taught us to call God, Father, so using the analogy of parenting works for me.  My father use to tell me, “you can always find someone behaving worse.  Do not compare down – compare up instead!” 

I would hear those words especially when I was trying to explain away my bad behavior when I really needed to acknowledge what I had done wrong and say I was sorry.  My father wasn’t interested in me telling him all about how the behavior of my friends was worse than mine.  He was quick to remind me that they had their own lessons to learn and I would be much better off if I focused on my own.  He wanted me to grow and become a better person.  Not better compared to them, but better than my current self. 

When I was young, to compare up meant to look at how my parents behaved as a benchmark.  As an adult, to compare up in a spiritual sense I look to Jesus as my benchmark.  The slogan, “What would Jesus do?” comes from this idea.

You cannot grow and improve until you know where you are failing to meet the mark.  If we only focus on our positive traits and ignore where we are failing, then we will continue to fail.  When I compared how much better I was then my poorly behaving friends, I was trying to get my Father to focus on my good qualities instead of my poor behavior that needed to change.  He was more interested in my willingness to improve in those areas where I had made poor choices.  I was blessed to have a patient earthly father that taught me to see where I had failed and seek forgiveness with my “I’m sorry.” 

I sense our relationship to God is the same.  He is interested in helping us to come closer to being the like Jesus.  “I’m sorry”, “forgive me”, and “be merciful” show we recognize where we have failed.  That is the starting point of being able to change our behavior.

We don’t know if the tax collector left the temple and changed his life around.  I’d like to think that the moment in prayer with God showed he saw where he was failing and resolved that moment to repay the money he had taken through deceit and find a new more honorable profession to earn his living.  That would be a happy ending.  All we are left with is the knowledge that he recognized his sin and asked for mercy.

We can assume the Pharisee made no changes in his life.  His future self has no hope of becoming better than his current self because he feels good enough already.  He is comparing himself to the wrong benchmark.

Here’s what I’m hoping we can all take away from this teaching of Jesus.

When we examine our life we don’t get bonus points for being better than our peers.  There is no value in comparing that way.  All of us have fallen short when we compare to what God desires us to be.  We are called to look within and recognize where we personally are failing, where we need forgiveness, where we need to change.

We are not alone in this.  God’s mercy, God’s life-saving grace, is here for us all.  We need to reach for it.  Release your guilt and accept His love and forgiveness.   The Holy Spirit is here to help guide us in this growth. 

May we confess where we have fallen short, and seek God’s mercy as we continue to grow from our personal life lessons.  Blessings on your journey.

Amen.

Seize Life / Based on 1 Timothy 6:6-19, Luke 16:19-31 / Delivered on September 25, 2016 to CCH

20160925 Seize Life

Based on 1 Timothy 6:6-19, Luke 16:19-31, and Psalm 91

Delivered on September 25, 2016 to CCH in Hudson, WI
Hymns: Spirit of God, Descend Upon My Heart, Come and Find the Quiet Center, On Eagle's Wings.

1 Timothy 6:6-19

6:6 Of course, there is great gain in godliness combined with contentment;

6:7 for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it;

6:8 but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these.

6:9 But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.

6:10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.

6:11 But as for you, man of God, shun all this; pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness.

6:12 Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life, to which you were called and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

6:13 In the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you

6:14 to keep the commandment without spot or blame until the manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ,

6:15 which he will bring about at the right time--he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords.

6:16 It is he alone who has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see; to him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.

6:17 As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.

6:18 They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share,

6:19 thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life.

I’ve read the lesson from 1 Timothy.  I’m also going to be referencing two other scriptures that are possibly familiar to you.  The story of the rich man and Lazarus from the Gospel of Luke, and Psalm 91 which is where our song “On Eagle’s Wings” comes from.  You’ll get a few bonus scriptures thrown in too.

My hope is to weave these scriptures together to communicate three ideas.

Eternal life is now

We are called to seize “real” life

Trust in God

Eternal life is now. 

In 1 Timothy vs 6:12 Paul told Timothy “take hold of the eternal life, to which you were called and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”  We don’t know for sure, because it isn’t named, but some Bible scholars believe that “good confession” was his baptism.  Eternal life is not something we look forward to.  It is something that has already arrived because Christ brought it into our world with him.  He conquered death before he returned to be with God.  I believe it is what Jesus meant in Luke 17:20 “Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.”  The King James translation of this scripture is “Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.”  In baptism we become a member of God’s family.  That means God is our Father right now, and will always be.  We are loved right now for all eternity.  We are right now in the presence of God.  We may not see him clearly quite yet, as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13:12 “For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.”  Don’t let the fact we can’t see clearly make you doubt your place in God’s family.  We do not have to wait until we transition from earth to enter into our eternal life with God.  We are already in it, or maybe better said, it is already in us.

We are called to seize “real” life.

The words translated “take hold” can also be translated as “seize”.  Just as Timothy was advised to seize eternal life, his is advised to seize the life that really is life.  Paul continues in verse 17-19 “As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.  They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life.”  That is to seize “real” life.  The lesson for Timothy is to be warry of the love of money and instead verse 11 tells him, “But as for you, man of God, shun all this; pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness.”  We bring nothing into the world as far as possessions, and we can take nothing out.  Certainly we need to be good stewards of what we’ve been given, but focusing our love on things moves us toward idolatry.  It is only God that deserves that level of devotion. 

The story in Luke 16 of the rich man and Lazarus bring out this lesson.  Luke 16:14 tells us Jesus audience for this story, “The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus.”  The lovers of money.  I’m going to paraphrase it.  There was a rich man who had all good things.  At his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, who was starving and covered with sores.  They both died.  Lazarus was carried away to be with the angles.  The rich man suffered in Hades.  The story doesn’t say the rich man was a bad man.  He did nothing to harm Lazarus.  It doesn’t say he caused the suffering.  He just didn’t see the poor around him and also see his call to hospitality.  One of the dangers of wealth is this type of blindness.  He ignored the suffering that was at his own gate.  We know he physically “saw” Lazarus because he called him by name.  He failed to take hold of the life that really is life.  He failed to be generous and ready to share his material things, which were not important, to provide love and hospitality to another, which was important.  Everything we own will fade away.  Our possessions do not make us who we are.  Our behavior is what defines who we are.  Our money and possessions do not contain life.  Life is present in how we live with others.

Trust in God

Our society teaches us to put our trust in wealth, yet this scripture asks us to set our hope “on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.”  In the story of the rich man and Lazarus, the rich man learned the hard way he could not trust his wealth.  Lazarus learned he could trust God.  Toward the end of the story in Luke, the rich man asks Abraham to send Lazarus to warn his brothers so they don’t repeat his mistake, and Abraham reminds the rich man that his brothers have been given the writings of Moses and the prophets to warn them what kind of foundation they were building for the future.  We have those writings too.  They are there to teach us where to put our trust.

There were two Psalms assigned to the lectionary this Sunday.  Both are Psalms of trust. 

Psalm 146 tells us “Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals, in whom there is no help.  When their breath departs, they return to the earth; on that very day their plans perish.  Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps faith forever.” 

Psalm 91 is a favorite of mine.  I’m going to read the verses chosen for this Sunday and we’ll echo them again as we sing our final hymn.

91:1 You who live in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,

91:2 will say to the LORD, "My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust."

91:3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence;

91:4 he will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.

91:5 You will not fear the terror of the night, or the arrow that flies by day,

91:6 or the pestilence that stalks in darkness, or the destruction that wastes at noonday.

91:14 Those who love me, I will deliver; I will protect those who know my name.

91:15 When they call to me, I will answer them; I will be with them in trouble, I will rescue them and honor them.

91:16 With long life I will satisfy them, and show them my salvation.

We may not be in our heavenly home yet, but we are living within God’s sheltering love right now.  Eternity with God has already begun for us, and forevermore nothing can separate us from God’s love.  As Paul said in Romans 8:38 “Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love.” 

Seize “real” life and fight that good fight as Paul advised.  Remember that our possessions do not represent that life.  Life is in how we live, not what things we live with. 

We can’t trust our possessions but we can trust God.  This little message was filled to the brim with scripture this Sunday, and for good reason.  We don’t need to test God to learn to trust God.  Let the experiences of others that have been captured in scripture strengthen your trust.

May we each feel God’s amazing love and, by trusting God, live our life sharing that love with others.

Amen

Hospitality / Based on Luke 14:1, 7-14 / Delivered on August 28, 2016 at CCH, Hudson WI

Hospitality

Based on Luke 14:1, 7-14

Delivered on August 28, 2016 at CCH, Hudson WI

Hymns:

We Gather Together, Here I Am Lord, They’ll Know We Are Christians

Luke 14:1, 7-14

 14:1 On one occasion when Jesus was going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal on the Sabbath, they were watching him closely.  

14:7 When he noticed how the guests chose the places of honor, he told them a parable.  

14:8 "When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit down at the place of honor, in case someone more distinguished than you have been invited by your host;

14:9 and the host who invited both of you may come and say to you, 'Give this person your place,' and then in disgrace you would start to take the lowest place.  

14:10 But when you are invited, go and sit down at the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he may say to you, 'Friend, move up higher'; then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at the table with you.  

14:11 For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted."  

14:12 He said also to the one who had invited him, "When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid.  

14:13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind.  

14:14 And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

This parable of the dinner party seems simple enough, yet it was a hard concept for Jesus listeners.  I’m going to explore three ideas from the story.

Be a gracious guest

Be a gracious host

Understand hospitality

Be a gracious guest

We don’t have seats of honor often, though I remember only Mom and Dad sat at the ends of the table.  We use to sometimes laugh and say if someone sat at the end seat that it was their responsibility to pick up the tab because that meant they were the parent.  That seat of honor came with paying the bill. 

Weddings are a different story.  There is a head table for the wedding party.  There often are special tables for the family of the bride and groom, and maybe one for special friends.  Some couples give a name card at each place so people know where to sit.  If the couple take care with table-mates, I can trust I’ll be put with people I enjoy.

Other times the wedding couple leave it up to the guest to sit where they would like.  I kind of like the name cards because I don’t know who is also invited.  I know I’m friends enough to the bride or groom to be invited.  I want to be close to their table because I love them and want to see them as they continue their special night.  I also want them to see me and know I’m supporting them, but where do I really fit.  The day is about them, not me.

 The parable includes the verse “For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted." Yet I have a feeling Jesus was hoping to get them away from the “exalted” part totally.  One way to look at this verse is to see it as both becoming level.  Adding a little to those at the bottom and cutting down a little from those elevated until they were shoulder to shoulder.  After all, both were “invited” according to the scripture.  In the eyes of God both are loved and wanted as guests.

When you are invited to be with a group of people, don’t assume you’re superior.  Try not to focus on yourself at all.  Honor the fact each of you there are important to your host.  This was a wedding banquet. Only the happy couple should be on your mind.  They are for the moment the exalted ones.

This is not easy.  Our comfort and our happiness seems to always be at the front of our minds.  It’s part of our self-preservation – take care of number one!  Self-promotion may have some benefit in the workplace, but it has no place in community.  Living in community calls for a servant’s heart, and servants normally ate in the basement or in the kitchen.

Be a gracious host

The first parable is seen through the eyes of the guest, but I feel for the host.  I’d feel terrible to have to tell someone to move because the seat was saved for another person.  Yet at a wedding, it may happen.  It is only the host who knows the full invitee list, and even if they don’t have place cards they have a vision of who will be at a few of the special tables.  I’ve already given my vote on having place cards, but understand that isn’t always the option that is chosen.

A good host is attentive to his guests.  He wouldn’t know a special friend was sitting in the less desirable spot if he wasn’t also visiting with the people in those spots.  The host visits with all who are invited.  The host is also someone who can see the big picture because he knows the details.

The host in the story is better not focusing on himself.  He is best as a host by staying focused on his friends.  In Jesus day it may be that he raises his own status by showing off who is at the party, but I believe it was Jesus recommendation to be other-focused instead.  Mingling, chatting, greeting the guests personally is part of a good host’s behavior.

Jesus parable also gave this advice to the host.  14:12 He said also to the one who had invited him, "When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid.   14:13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind.   14:14 And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

When my daughter was married I considered myself a second-host.  I visited each table at the reception, introduced myself as Mother-of-the-bride, asked how they knew the happy couple, and then I thanked them for their love and support of the two of them. 

It doesn’t need to be your party for you to take the role of greeting and offering love to those there.  The act of accepting those gathering around you puts you in that host role of this parable.  Offer love whether you will be repaid in kind or not.

Understand hospitality

This passage of scripture has two separate lessons.  Both are connected to the meal theme but he has a different audience he’s focused on.  This second lesson is helping define hospitality.  Hospitality was an important part of community life.  If you only invited people who would invite you back it was more like a barter system than hospitality.  True hospitality meant you gave without expecting payment back.

The Greek word translated “hospitality” literally means “love of strangers.”  By that definition, inviting only your friends wouldn’t really be hospitality.  You can be a giving person and a loving person by inviting those you know, but you become a person with hospitality when you offer that same kindness to someone you have never met before.

The hospitality of the local community was how the gospel was spread.  Jesus had sent out his disciples in Luke 9:3-5 telling them, “Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt.  Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town.  If people do not welcome you, leave their town and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.”  They depended on hospitality and that was rewarded by the listeners hearing the good news of God's grace!  

So that’s hospitality.  Be a humble guest and be a host to strangers without expecting anything in return.  The scripture is about good behavior now, but I believe it is also about our heavenly banquet.  When the Mother of James and John asked Jesus if one could sit at his right and one his left Jesus asked if they could suffer as he would and when they said yes he said, “You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.”  God is the great host.  He knows the big picture.  The person with a servant’s heart is what is prized.

Love those who love you, but don’t forget to offer love to strangers as well.  When you are at a special event recognize all present are invited just as you are.  Also remember to feel free to be a second-host and offer your love and acceptance of those present.  It is our calling.  It is the gift that God gives us, and the gift that we can pass on to others.

So let mutual love continue.  Embrace the true meaning of hospitality.  The command to love one another is repeated throughout Biblical teaching.  To love each other because God first loved us.  This means caring for the stranger because they are loved by God.  It also means remembering when we gather as community we are gathering as a people each loved by God – each and every one of us.  One great fellowship of love throughout the whole wide earth.

Amen

Where Your Treasure Lies / Based on Luke 12:13-21 / Delivered July 31, 2016 at CCH in Hudson WI

Where Your Treasure Lies

Based on Luke 12:13-21

Delivered July 31, 2016

Hymns:

Spirit of God Descend Upon My Heart, The Gift of Love, You Are My All in All

Luke 12:13-21

 12:13 Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me."  

12:14 But he said to him, "Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?"  

12:15 And he said to them, "Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions."   

12:16 Then he told them a parable: "The land of a rich man produced abundantly.  

12:17 And he thought to himself, 'What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?'  

12:18 Then he said, 'I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.  

12:19 And I will say to my soul, 'Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.'  

12:20 But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?'  

12:21 So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God."

Where does your treasure lie?  The parable deals with treasures.  I don’t see the story so much about the crops as about the man’s thoughts.  Jesus wasn’t saying it’s bad to have things, but it was bad to make them your focus.  Money isn’t the root of all evil, but the love of money is.  As I begin to think on this message I fear I need to preach this one to myself.  Feel free to listen in and if something fits you I hope you find it useful.

So where is our focus?

With things?

With people?

With God?

Is my treasure with things?

The parable deals with this one directly.  “Take care!  Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.”  I don’t have “treasure” but I do have lots of stuff.  I spent the first half of my life collecting it and now it is stored in the basement.  My husband retired in 2014 and I told him I was his new boss and his main job was helping sort through and get rid of the stuff in my life.  This isn’t an easy task.  I don’t let go very easily.  This parable is a great reminder for me.

Some things do bring joy because of their purpose.  I have musical instruments that I will not part with because I still play and create songs with them.  Other things sit in boxes.  I have bins full of old clothes that have sentimental value.  These are the types of things that must go.  My thoughts are held by them but they do not bring me joy.  Books are another treasure of mine.  I am slowly letting go of my fiction books, but can’t part with those that have given me training spiritually.  They hold my thoughts.  I tell myself I may read them again.  They will take more work to let go of.

The parable calls me to think of my stuff in a different light.  'You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?'  Eventually my kids will be forced to clean out my house.  What treasure will they find in my stuff?  Seeing it from the perspective of someone else is eye opening.  My husband has a fulltime job helping me sort and release the things that tie up my thoughts.

Is my treasure with people?

While it certainly feels more Christian to make people your focus, it also misses the mark.  Yes, we share love, we pray for one another, and we take care of each other.  We are called to be in community.  But that should not slide to make a person our treasure.

I fell into this one with my children.  All three of my kids are my favorite.  I will say that up front because I will send them this message to read.  However, more than likely, only my daughter will actually read it.  This example has to do with her so I’m pretty safe.

My daughter was my last born.  The two boys were 15 months apart, and then three years later my daughter was born.  Three years after that my marriage dissolved and I was a single mother of three kids.  My children were my treasure.  I took classes in how to be a good parent.  I read book after book on how to help us all cope in a single parent household.  If I thought there was a problem I couldn’t solve I quickly brought in counselors even though I was in pretty rough shape financially.  My children had to have the best possible chance to grow up and be successful.  That was my passion!

My boys knew this.  Even in the rebellious teen years when I was setting down limits and they were testing every one of them, my first born would come sit on the edge of the bed and would have long talks.  When most boys wanted nothing to do with their mother I was blessed to spend a week on a tandem bicycle with my second son at his request.  I made us iron-on t-shirts that said “Mike and Mom Team” on his and “Mom and Mike Team” on mine.  The other riders were amazed by our relationship.

Then there was my daughter.  She and I felt like sisters or best friends.  When she was away from me I nearly couldn’t focus.  Summer camp was tough on me and I was the one who stayed home!  I worried for her safety to an unhealthy level.  My extended family could see this and worried about how I would handle the separation of her going to college.  So the summer before college she went to live and work with my father and my brother.  She wanted to be a nurse so working in their Chiropractic office was a great opportunity.  I knew she was safe, I could visit but it was a four-hour drive so couldn’t be with her daily, and it was the best thing for me.  I still cried like a baby when I dropped her off at college, but the summer separation had helped me know I would be OK.

It wasn’t healthy.  I learned to let go over time.  It would have harmed her if I hadn’t.  All three children are wonderful adults.  I have a great relationship with each of them.  My love is still strong, but I have let them go and know I am OK with letting them go.

Is my treasure with God?

While it is true we are commanded to love one another, Jesus said the first great commandment was to love the lord your God.  This must be our center.  Leaning on my ability to make money is fleeting.  Leaning on people can be unhealthy for both of you.  Leaning on God, making him your source of strength, is what we can rely on.

When my marriage dissolved for a time I stepped away from God.  I felt unworthy of His love.  Yet I stayed in church because it was good for my children.  They had mentors there, they enjoyed social time with others, and I was able to get help with things like having a church member pick them up for me after school.  But I was depressed.

My pastor encouraged me to take an adult Bible study class called Disciple.  It was life changing.  I learned God never stopped loving me.  I reconnected with Him.  I took four years of that Disciple series and then because I needed to be reminded often, I taught the four-year course to others twice.

Life hasn’t been easy, but life is good with God by my side.  Coming to speak here has caused me to dive deeper into scripture and spend more time in prayer.  I hope I can help your relationship to God grow through my visits, but I can tell you coming here for sure has helped my relationship to God grow stronger.  Thank you for that gift.

I warned you I was preaching to myself today.  I hope my example brings clarity to this lesson for you.  I want to leave you with just one more story.

I had a friend, who loved golf, that was dying of cancer.  He had moved into the hospice stage of his journey and we knew he wouldn’t be with us here long.  Once night I had a dream he came to visit me.  He said he wasn’t quite sure if he was ready to leave.  He asked if there was golf in heaven.  The answer that filled my mind was this.  I don’t think there is golf in heaven, but do you know how you feel when you hit that perfect shot – the one that goes straight and long and lands on the green just a foot or so away from the cup?  That feeling of joy will be in heaven.  That love of the moment will be in heaven.

I believe it is fine to find joy in things, activities, and people that help love flow.  But do not attach yourself to them.  That only brings greed and worry.  Instead of focusing on the thing, activity, or people, focus on the joy and the love that is flowing.  The scripture tells us God is love, and when we love we are like him.  When we attach to a thing instead of realizing the true treasure is the God of Love we miss what is important.  We cannot “store up” these physical treasures, because they do not travel with us.  Focus instead on letting that love flow, remembering that God is love.  Love is the true treasure.

Where is your focus?  What do you treasure?  Between the choices of things or people or God, choose God.  Choose Love.  Your life will be truly rich.

Amen

Growing Up / Based on Galatians 5:1, 13-25 / Delivered June 26, 2016

Growing Up

Based on Galatians 5:1, 13-25

Delivered June 26, 2016

Delivered to Christian Community Home, Hudson WI

Hymns:

I Have Decided to Follow Jesus, Be Thou My Vision, They’ll Know We Are Christians By Our Love

Galatians 5:1, 13-25

 5:1 For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

 5:13 For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another.

 5:14 For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."

 5:15 If, however, you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.

 5:16 Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh.

 5:17 For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want.

 5:18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law.

 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness,

 5:20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions,

 5:21 envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

 5:22 By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness,

 5:23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things.

 5:24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

 5:25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.

The Jewish people had law upon law.  First there were laws as communicated by the prophets.  Then they added additional laws to help guide people further to not break a “big” law as a safety net.  We see hundreds of laws written in the books of the Old Testament and more referred to in the New Testament from the old ways.  There were many more in separate volumes not within our standard Bible.

People were killed for not following the law.  The Old Testament has stories of painful punishments given by God for not following the laws.  The religious leaders were the police department of the day.  It was better to stone one person than to put the whole tribe in danger.  Laws kept them safe from God’s anger.  The added laws kept them even more safe because it forced a step farther away from breaking a law of God.

They were living in a time of “do it because I told you so”.

The switch from many rules to just one major rules seems like crazy change.  It helps to consider the people of Israel as a whole being like a person in their relationship to God. 

My three thoughts today take on that theme.

Grow up

Understand the ‘why’

Live with love

Grow up

When a child is young most parents have a lot of rules.  In the beginning of life they don’t have historical knowledge of what can hurt them or others.  They don’t have the ability to handle complex tasks safely.  They haven’t developed their full brain centers to help drive good behavior.  So we set rules for their safety and the safety of others.  We cover power outlets, we lock cupboards with cleaning supplies, we install fences to keep them in the yard and out of the street and stick them in a play pen full of soft toys.  To the best of our ability we attempt to keep the house free from breakables or things that would poison them if they put it in their mouth, because they put nearly everything in their mouths! 

We use the word “NO” so much that often that is the word the baby says back to us.  That “NO” is sometimes followed by consequences; things being forcefully taken away, being grabbed and moved suddenly, a time-out in their room, or even a slap of a hand.  The loud “NO” is enough to scare sometimes, and that is its purpose.  The “laws” we give certainly are like a yoke of slavery. 

Not only do we set rules to protect them, we also set rules to train them how to be a good person.  Share your toys, do not hit your brother, do not pull your sisters hair, say “thank you” to Grandma for the present, do not shout in the house – such things help a person fit into their community as they grow and learn.

A small child cannot understand the why so we as parents must resort to the “because I told you so” in the early stages of life.  This would equal the stage of laws.  They don’t understand the “why” but they know if they break the rule there will be consequences. 

Those childhood laws remain until they develop self-control.  That is a sign of maturity.  If we leave out self-control and just do what feels right, we easily fall into the list of the works of the flesh.  At our most immature level we care deeply about ourselves and self-preservation, but not so much about others.

Understand the “why”

As a child gets more understanding some of the rules are eased.  They can understand the “why” a little better too.  You can cross the street, but look both ways.  Cars come down the street fast and drivers don’t always look for small children.  You can help in the kitchen, but use oven mitts when you are around the stove.  The stove is very hot and can burn you.  You can look at Mommy’s pretty vase but be very gentle with it.  It was a gift and Mommy would be very sad if it was broken.

Some of the rules stay, but as you age you don’t see them as rules because you understand the “why”.  You don’t hit others or pull their hair because it is unkind and makes them feel very hurt.  You say thank you to show gratitude and it makes Grandma feel good inside.  Sharing with others builds a sense of community.  Plus, hopefully the child learns that when he is kind to others more often they are trusting and kind back to him.

Paul is giving us a parenting lesson in our scripture today.  Through Jesus ministry the “why” was clearly revealed.  Verse 14 – “For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."”

The 10 commandments given directly by God support that commandment.  They don’t go away, but now we know the “why”.  If you truly loved another you wouldn’t steal from them, take their spouse, kill them, or lie to them.  If you truly love God you would keep Him first in your heart and honor him.

The “why” is love.  We love because He first loved us.  We love our neighbor like a brother or sister because God loves them as His child just like He loves us.  It isn’t that far away from a parent training a child not to pull their little sister’s hair.  Not only does it hurt the little sister, but it hurts the parent because they love her.  We may not have the capacity to love everyone, but God does.  He loves what we find unlovable, and that is enough to be the “why” for us to be kind.

Live with love

We are freed from the laws because we no longer need to memorize them.  If we are looking through the lens of love we will do them naturally.  “Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh.”  Our mammal selves are selfish.  At our lowest level we are about survival and procreation so our genes live on.  That life is living as ‘flesh’.  But we have the Spirit to guide and teach us a higher way.  “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”  This is learning to live in community and seeing a higher purpose than your own brief life.

The scripture today is asking us to grow up.  It is true we are called ‘children’ of God, but we are challenged by Paul to mature from childish ways of thinking.  We are not asked to forget about ourselves, we are asked to love others as we love ourselves and to love God most of all.

Christ has set us free from those hundreds of laws by teaching us the “why”.  The laws are still a guide to what love looks like.  If you are acting in love you will be following them naturally and without the stress of worrying a religious leader was going to punish you.  We no longer act in this way because we fear punishment.  We act in love because we know it is the right thing to do.

Our path can be one of adding to what we care about and who we love.  We start by caring only about ourselves.  Next is caring about our family unit.  Next is our community – people who think and believe like us.  Next our country.  But what if we continued to expand our love to include all of the human race, and beyond that to all living creation on our small planet.

I dream of a world where all people love and care for each other.  It doesn’t seem very possible as I look at the world today.  I can only pray we, the human race, grow up.  I commit myself to live with love.  I pray you each join me in that path.  It is a start.

Amen