From Doubt to Praise / Based on John 20:19-31 / Delivered on April 23, 2017 to CCH in Hudson WI

From Doubt to Praise

Based on John 20:19-31

Delivered on April 23, 2017 to CCH in Hudson WI

Hymns: 121 Just as I Am, 85 I Have Decided to Follow Jesus, 8 To God Be the Glory

John 20:19-31

20:19 When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you."

20:20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.

20:21 Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you."

20:22 When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.

20:23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."

20:24 But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.

20:25 So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe."

20:26 A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you."

20:27 Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe."

20:28 Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!"

20:29 Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe."

20:30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book.

20:31 But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

Good morning and happy second Sunday of Easter.  I am Darci Strutt McQuiston, a lay speaker from the United Methodist Church up on the hill.  It’s my joy to be with you on this day.  This Sunday is also nicknamed “Low Sunday” because often it is not well attended.  Pastors often choose it as a vacation day because of all the commitments over Holy Week.  But here we are together and I’ll attempt to make it anything but “low”.

The three ideas I am bringing forth from this scripture are to move:

From fear and doubt

To belief

To praise

From fear and doubt

Thomas earned the nickname “Doubting Thomas” from this bit of scripture.  If you look at it carefully, he only asked for what the other Disciples already had.  Jesus came to them when Thomas wasn’t there and wished them peace, then in verse 20:20 “After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.” 

Notice the “Then” in that final line.  It was after they had seen his hands and side that they believed.  So, don’t be too hard on Thomas in verses 20:24 But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.

20:25 So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe."

The second encounter comes a week later.  Of note to me is the fact the doors are still shut, which I interpret to mean “locked”.  The fear remains for all of them, not just Thomas.  The ten disciples had seen Jesus and yet eight days had passed and they hadn’t done what he asked in verse 21, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”  Is it any wonder that Thomas hadn’t believed them?  Their lives hadn’t changed.  Jesus again says, “Peace be with you.” when he first comes.  Peace can mean tranquility, calm, and quietness.  He was calming their fears. 

I feel comforted that Jesus didn’t condemn Thomas.  He reached to meet his request. 20:27 Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe."

To believe

And Thomas does believe!   20:29 Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe."

20:30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book.

20:31 But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

It was important to the disciples to have it confirmed that this was the same Jesus that had walked and talked with him.  It is what our faith is born from.  The fact that they believed.  Their lives and their deaths became a testimony to their belief.  The Apostle John was the only one of the twelve not to be martyred for his faith.  The strength of their belief is an encouragement to those of us who have not seen.

To praise

Thomas moved from doubt to praise.  20:28 Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!"  Thomas understands that Jesus is not just a prophet.  He is God.  In the gospels, he is referred to as Jesus, but more often after his resurrection he is referred to as “The Christ” which is a title meaning Messiah.  His resurrection confirmed his title.  After the first visit by Jesus the ten disciples are filled with joy, but they did not move to praise during that encounter.  It took this second visit to truly sink in.

Praise is a natural response when someone does something amazing.  We feel the strong desire to say, “Well done!  You did it!”  God just completed his promise made to his people from the beginning.  When Adam and Eve experience separation from God in the garden, God responded; Genesis 3:15 “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”  He also promised David that one of his descendants would sit on his throne forever. 

In the companion scripture of our lectionary, Acts 2:22-32 Peter talks about this promise.  2:31 “Foreseeing this, David spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah saying, ‘He was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh experience corruption.’  Our scripture today describes the witnesses of the success.  Christ is risen – risen indeed.

We are all members of the group who have not seen and yet have come to believe.  We have the witness of those who did see Jesus, and have given us their testimony.  The disciples’ lives were changed in visible ways by their encounter with Christ.  We can believe based on their testimony because it is a testimony of action not just words. We also have the Holy Spirit within us and feel a stirring in our hearts.  This passage is a reminder that those looking at our lives would be more moved by seeing our changed lives than by our words alone.

I have one more gem I want to pull from this scripture.  It involves moving from seeing our struggles as negative to seeing them as precious parts of our history.

We all have times of struggle and suffering.  The scriptures tell us this suffering can increase our faith if we stand firm.  1 Peter 1:6-8 In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith – being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire – may be found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.  Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”

There is a Japanese art that involves repairing broken objects with gold dust.  They see the break as part of the history of the object rather than something they need to disguise.  The object becomes more precious after the break and repair.  It struck me as I read the scripture this week that when Jesus appeared to the disciples the holes remained in his hands and in his side, yet instead of the pain and fear of the crucifixion the wounds brought them joy because it gave evidence he had conquered the cross.  There are times I’d like to forget about my history or disguise what I’ve been through, but given this thought, I like the image of my times of struggle being transformed and seen as more precious than gold.  I pray that when I get to the other side the wounds of my history will be transformed and result in praise and joy.  Jesus’ marks remained as evidence of the power of God.  This can be true for us as well.  If we stand firm in our faith our own scars can act as evidence of God’s work in our lives.

On this second Sunday of Easter I pray the joy of resurrection morning is still pulsing though you.  Jesus is alive, God did what he promised, and you and I can have faith in promises yet to come.  We will have struggles but the victory is won.  See yourself as the repaired object with the artists’ golden repair making it more beautiful than before.  God’s love is the winner.  Because of this our adoption is confirmed.  We are children of the fourth day – resurrection day.

Amen.

  

Who is Blind? / Based on Ephesians 5:8-14 and John 9:1-41 / Delivered on March 267, 2017 at CCH

20170326 Who is Blind

Based on Ephesians 5:8-14 and John 9:1-41

Delivered on March 26, 2017 at CCH

Ephesians 5:8-14

5:8 For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light-

5:9 for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true.

5:10 Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord.

5:11 Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.

5:12 For it is shameful even to mention what such people do secretly;

5:13 but everything exposed by the light becomes visible,

5:14 for everything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, "Sleeper, awake! Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."

Good morning.  Happy Fourth Sunday in Lent.  I am Darci Strutt McQuiston, a Lay Speaker with the United Methodist Church up on the hill.  I’ve missed you!  I’m glad the illnesses are passed and the quarantine lifted!

I’m pulling from two different scripture passages for today.  I’ve read Ephesians already.  The second scripture is from the Gospel of John 9:1-41.  Since 41 verses is a bit long I’m going to read parts and paraphrase part.  It is the story of Jesus healing the man born blind.

9:1 As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth.

9:2 His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"

9:3 Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God's works might be revealed in him.

9:4 We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work.

9:5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."

9:6 When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man's eyes,

9:7 saying to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see.

Here’s the paraphrased part.  His neighbors argue about whether he was the same man that was blind, and ask him to explain how he is now able to see.  The Pharisee ask him how his sight was restored and then argue about whether he was the same man that was born blind.  They bring his parents in to verify he really was their son that was born blind.  They state he is their son that was born blind, but leave the rest of the conversation to their son because they are afraid of being kicked out of the synagogue.  Now that his identity is confirmed the Pharisee ask him again to explain how his sight was restored.  The man is frustrated by this time and says, "I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see."  After a bit more arguing they drive him out of the synagogue.  Now back to the scripture.

9:35 Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him, he said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?"

9:36 He answered, "And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him."

9:37 Jesus said to him, "You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he."

9:38 He said, "Lord, I believe." And he worshiped him.

9:39 Jesus said, "I came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind."

9:40 Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and said to him, "Surely we are not blind, are we?"

9:41 Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, 'We see,' your sin remains.

The three ideas I want to pull from these lessons are:

Examine how you see

Attempt to wake up

Become light

Examine how you see

The story of the man blind from birth has a few aspects on how things are seen.  The Disciples assumption that the blindness was the result of sin.  They were accustomed to physical malady being the result of something you had done or your parents had done.  Jesus turned that idea around.  Nobody had sinned, but this was an opportunity for God’s work to be revealed.  God’s hand was not only present in the man’s healing of sight.  It was also present in his recognizing Jesus as a prophet and becoming a follower.  His life was healed.

The neighbors and Pharisee had seen the man for years, yet only identified with his blindness.  No doubt some had helped him cross the street or enter the synagogue, yet when his eyes were restored they didn’t recognize him.  That tells me they didn’t see past his disability. 

The Pharisee focused on the laws broken when Jesus healed on the Sabaoth instead of the miracle of sight restored.  The man’s parents felt fear of being kicked out of the synagogue more than joy at their son’s healing.  I sense that they had been relieved he was of age and wasn’t a continued burden on them.

We all interpret life through our past experiences.  The Pharisee were people of the law so that’s what their lens was.  The parents of the man cared about their place in the community so fear was their focus instead of joy for their son.  We too see life through our own perceptions.  That’s how our brains work.  These examples of scripture caution us to seek to see God’s view over our own.

Attempt to wake up and see

Jesus speaks these words to the Pharisees toward the end of the reading from John.

9:39 Jesus said, "I came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind."

9:40 Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and said to him, "Surely we are not blind, are we?"

9:41 Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, 'We see,' your sin remains.

The Pharisees were asleep to the truth.  They clung to the truth they knew, but didn’t know what they didn’t know.  As 1 Cor 13:12 says, “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.”

I think that is what the verse from Ephesians was getting at.  5:14b Therefore it says, "Sleeper, awake! Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."

We are dreaming, and much of the time it is a nightmare.  When we become children of the light we will see how God sees.  Fear is not in God’s kingdom.

Become light

Our passage from Ephesians begins: 5:8 “For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light.”  We are light.  Not just a reflection.  We are called to shine.

A common phrase for someone recognizing something they were doing wrong and changing behavior was that they have “seen the light.”  When someone helps with understanding an issue we sometimes say he “shed some light on the issue.”

Ephesians 5:11 advises us, “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.”  I don’t feel that call is to humiliate those in the middle of unhealthy behavior, but rather it is to help them see the behavior is unhealthy themselves and repent.   We are each children of God.  If I was out of the house and one of my younger children was getting into trouble, I’d want the more mature ones to step in and show them their error to prevent them from harm.  We are asked to save lost sheep, not point and blame while the darkness overtakes them.

Verse 9:5 of John’s reading says: “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."  As we continue our journey through these forty days of lent we know the time will come when Jesus is no longer in the world physically.  His sacrifice gave us the privilege and responsibility to share in his work as children of light.

As we end our time together I want to express a few things.

These tasks are not easy.  I don’t claim to have the vision of God, but this reminds me to work on looking at situations with the understanding that I need to be open for the leading of the Holy Spirit to help me see more clearly.  The “blindness” of the Pharisee was that they felt they already knew it all.  Humility is a requirement for being able to examine how you see, because it allows you to perceive when you are wrong and accept a different view.

I don’t claim to be awakened, or enlightened, so I cannot lead you there myself.  These words of scripture advise us to continue working toward those two states.  Romans echoes this advice; 13:11-12 “Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. The night is almost gone, and the day is near Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.”

I smile at the command to be light because scientist Carl Sagan pointed out our bodies are made from the elements found in stars.  He said, “We are star stuff.”  All organic matter containing carbon was produced originally in stars.  Stars are burning within their core.  We are called to invite the flame of the Holy Spirit to set our hearts on fire.  That flame is the light of love.

As we continue our path toward the cross on Good Friday, and its darkness, I hope this message will remind you it is our calling to be the light Christ displayed.  Shine on.

Amen

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