Proper 27 (A)
November 7, 1999
Feel-Good Religion
Amos 5:18-24
There is a lot of talk today about the value of faith and “spirituality.” Curiously, however, many of those who approve of spirituality in general are quick to reject the notion that there are specific behaviors and beliefs God does not approve. They have reshaped God into something safe and soft and pliable, a feel-good God who can be ignored until they want something from Him.
Modern America has much in common that way with the Israel of Amos’ day (8th century B.C.). In this passage the prophet forthrightly rejects such sentimentalizing of religion. He warns about two things: false hope and false worship.
False Hope (vv. 18-20)
There is such a thing as false hope which, though it may calm one’s fears in the near-term, will disappoint ultimately and eternally. Amos’ contemporaries were clinging to such a vain hope. They were longing for the day of the Lord. That is the Bible’s term for history’s end-point, when God will step in to bring an end to the human story. The people expected that the day of the Lord would be for them a time of deliverance and vindication and peace.
Amos reminds them that there is another side to the truth. Not only will the day of the Lord be a time of salvation, but for some it will be a day of judgment and woe (v. 18) which will come with the kind of horrifying and deadly shock a man experiences when he runs into a bear while trying to escape a lion, then, barely outrunning both predators, enters his home, slams the door, leans against the wall to catch his breath … and is bitten by a poisonous snake that had been hiding in the rafters (v. 19). A day of “darkness, not light — pitch-dark, without a ray of brightness” (v. 20) — that’s what the day of the Lord will be to those who do not possess genuine faith. Anything else is merely an escapist fantasy.
False Religion (vv. 21-23)
The Israelites must have been offended by the suggestion that the day of the Lord would be for them anything other than a time of great blessing. They were confident that their religion would stand them in good stead on that day. Amos blasts their false confidence again, expressing God’s disdain for their worship: “I hate, I despise your religious feasts… [and] assemblies … I will not accept [your offerings and sacrifices]… I will not listen to the music [with which you pretend to praise Me].”
Their problem was they were focusing on the external forms of religion, the aesthetics of worship, the things that made them feel good but had missed the true nature of genuine piety.
True religion, Amos indicates, is transformative. God is not pleased with those who merely follow the forms of religion; He expects His people to be changed by its power, so that they reflect in their lives and relationships something of His character. He is a God of justice and of righteousness; thus, His followers must “let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream” (v. 24). Where there is no such reflection, profession of faith is empty. While salvation always has been through faith alone, the faith that saves is never alone. To Amos, “bare” faith likely was no faith at all. And so it was to the New Testament writers, too, like James who wrote, “I will show you my faith by what I do” (James 2:18). (William L. Hogan)
Proper 28 (A)
November 14, 1999
Comfort for the Afflicted
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
The preacher’s task, so it has been said, is “to comfort the afflicted and to afflict the comfortable.” Affliction was the aim of the prophet Amos, as we saw last week. He addressed people who were comfortably complacent in the false hope that the day of the Lord would be for them a time of great blessing, but whose religious superficiality revealed them to be devoid of genuine faith. For them, he warned, it would be a day of darkness, with no glimmer of light.
The Apostle Paul now takes the comforter’s role as he writes to disheartened believers in Thessalonica. The twin admonitions to “encourage one another” which bracket the passage (4:18 and 5:11), indicate its central thrust. Six reasons give ample support for the sagging spirits of any Christian.
1. We have nothing to fear in the day of the Lord.
Like Amos he speaks of the coming of that day, emphasizing the unexpectedness of its arrival (“like a thief in the night,” v. 2), and the fact that for those who are not prepared it will be a time of inescapable destruction (v. 3). But it will not be so for you, he is quick to reassure his readers: “But you [the pronoun is emphatic], brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief” (v. 4).
2. God has wrought a great change in us.
Those who have not trusted in Christ (the “others” of verse 6), are unconscious of spiritual realities (“asleep”), and are controlled by dark forces. We were like them once, but are now “alert” to spiritual reality, and, by the Spirit’s enablement, “self-controlled,” rather than dominated by dark powers. That change is no reason for pride; we have been made day people by God’s transforming grace.
3. God protects our soul.
The “others” are unaware of the moral and spiritual dangers that lurk in the shadows of unbelief, and thus are vulnerable to them. We, however, are protected against those dangers, for God has issued us armor: “faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet” (v. 8).
4. A wonderful destiny awaits us.
This is in stark contrast with the prospect before the “others.” “Destruction will come on them suddenly” (v. 3), so that they are “shut out from the presence of the Lord” forever (2 Thess. 1:9). We, however, “will be with the Lord forever” (1 Thess. 4:17), for “God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” (5:9).
5. The benefits of our salvation were purchased at the Cross.
Verse 10 says, “He died for us so that, whether we are awake [i.e. physically alive when He returns] or asleep [i.e. dead], we will live together with him.” Our salvation is not the result of attempting to live for him. From beginning to end it is His doing. He died to pay the penalty our sins deserved, and has joined us inseparably to Himself so that we share His life always.
6. These things are true of every believer.
Significantly, Paul addresses his words to them “all” — “you are all sons of the light and … of the day” (v. 5). Among believers there are no exceptions. All who believe are justified, and all who are justified will be glorified (Rom. 8:30). Not one person who has truly trusted in Jesus Christ will be overlooked or omitted when He returns to take His own to Himself! “All that the Father gives me will come to me,” the Savior promised, “and whoever comes to me I will never drive away…. I shall lose none of all that he has given me” (John 6:37, 39).
In response to these things, let us pray with the Psalmist, “I will run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free” (Psalm 119:32). (William L. Hogan)
Christ the King Sunday
November 21, 1999
The Power of the King
Ephesians 1:15-23
Paul is thankful to God for the Ephesian Christians. Ephesus is a city ruled by the pagan goddess Artemis. No doubt when Paul penned this letter he remembered his riotous experience in that city. Acts 19-20:6 provides the background of Paul’s preaching in Ephesus — how he preached the Lord Jesus and challenged the thinking of the Ephesians as to who really is God. Even though the followers of Artemis shouted for two hours “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians,” the followers of Christ then and now know that “Jesus is Lord.”
What does Paul ask God to do for the Ephesian Christians? Paul prays that they might know God better, and the hope of relying on the riches and power which raised Jesus Christ from the dead and by which He rules.
The power of God in Christ gives us the power to live and to know God better.
1. A Christian can have a deepened knowledge of God (1:15-17)
Paul’s hope for them is a deeper, more meaningful knowledge of God. That’s the kind of intimacy with God that only comes through a daily, close walk with Christ. Because of their faith in Jesus and their love for their fellow believers, Paul knows that they can continue to grow deeper and deeper in their relationship to God.
Relationships are one of the most discussed topics in our own culture, yet few people realize it is possible to have this kind of intimate relationship with the Creator God of the universe. As those who are in Christ, we can experience that closeness with God through Christ.
2. A Christian can have a hope in God’s inheritance (1:18)
What is “the hope of His calling”? It is all that is ours through Christ. We have become heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. What a remarkable inheritance is ours!
We look at the wealth of people like Bill Gates and Warren Buffett and are amazed, but those who are in Christ will some day inherit far more than Gates or Buffett can even imagine! We shall one day know “the riches of the glory” that God intends for His children.
3. A Christian can have confidence to live with power (1:19-21)
Lots of people are concerned about Y2K, and fearful there will be power outages as a result of computer malfunctions. Thousands of Americans have even purchased generators because they don’t trust the source of their household power to be available on January 1, 2000.
Paul wants us to understand that, in Christ, we have a source of power that is immeasurable, incredible, beyond imagination. The “surpassing greatness” of God’s power is available to us as we live and walk in Christ day by day. We have available to us the power of the King who is above all kings.
The power that raised Christ from the dead and that sustains His rule is the same power that helps believers live today. To know God is to know that power. (Scott M. Gibson)
First Sunday of Advent (B)
November 28, 1999
Waiting for His Return
Mark 13:24-37
One of the most amazing events in publishing in recent years is the success of the “Left Behind” series of novels, based around a fictionalized treatment of the second coming of Christ. These books (now six in all) have sold in the millions of copies. They have given ample evidence that there is a hunger to know more about the return of Christ, even if it comes in a fictional setting. As we come nearer to the turn of the century and the beginning of a new millennium, we will probably see even more interest on this topic.
The very first Christians in the years immediately after Christ’s death and resurrection were even more intensely interested in the Lord’s return. Paul’s letters tell us that many expected His return to take place any day.
As we read Jesus’ own words about His second coming, one major theme emerges: as Christians, we are to be always ready for His return. In verse 33, Jesus provides three tools which will help us to be ready.
1. We are to take heed of His return
To “take heed” of something is to consider it, to be aware of it, to pay attention. Jesus wants us to be aware of the reality of His second advent.
We are to know He is coming back. As Christians, this is not an unimportant doctrine. It is a truth on which much of our hope for the future rests. Jesus thought it was important, and so should we.
We are to know He is coming back in glory (v. 26). When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, He came as a suffering servant, who would give His life as a payment for our sins. When He returns, it will be as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. There is a power and glory in His second advent that brings joy and fulfillment to His church.
We are to know He is coming back for us (v. 27). When He comes, Jesus will gather unto Himself those believers who are still alive, and unite them with those who have already died in Christ. Whether we have gone ahead or remain until that day, we can have confidence that we will be with Him.
2. We are to watch for His return.
It is not enough simply to be aware of the second advent of Christ; He tells us here to “watch” for His return. To watch is to take a positive, proactive step. To watch is to prepare for His return.
Jesus offers a brief parable of the master who goes away and leaves his servants in charge (vv. 34-36). They are to be faithful in their work while he is gone, and to be caught up lest he should return at any time and find them unprepared.
What happens as we watch for His return? (1) We keep at our work — whatever it is God may have called us to do. (2) We remain faithful, even in His absence. (3) We keep a sense of urgency, knowing that He might return at any time.
3. We are to pray for His return
The first two steps — to “take heed” and to “watch” — emphasize our responsibility in preparing for Christ’s return. This third step, to “pray,” is a reminder that we are dependent on God’s help and God’s resources if we are to be ready. Just as He is our only real hope for the future, so He provides our only real opportunity to live in faithful expectancy of Christ’s coming. (Michael Duduit)
2nd Sunday of Advent (B)
December 5, 1999
A Comforting Word
Isaiah 40:1-11
“Comfort my people!” says God. Those timeless words usher into our consciousness the seemingly endless need for people of all ages, times and places to be comforted. Little wonder that Isaiah’s words have been understood as words best fulfilled in the coming of Jesus, the Messiah, the Anointed one of God, the Savior.
An alarming statistic has recently been circulated over the internet to Christian prayer chains. It is now estimated that one Christian is martyred every four minutes for their faith. “Comfort my people!” says God, for the need to be comforted is so great. Isaiah’s great hymn of comfort not only spoke to his time, a time in which his nation was facing captivity by another nation, but it speaks to all time. In a very real sense, people of God have always been in captivity and in need of comfort. We are in a world today in which there is a greet need of “comfort” — not just any comfort but the comfort of God, the strengthening aid of God.
The world offers so many false comforts: alcohol, drugs, media saturation, governmental legislation. But these are false comforts, because they offer only temporary relief from an unchanged environment and condition. They do not provide the strengthening aid of which Isaiah is speaking. God’s comfort can only be received when we let go of the false comforts to which we so tenaciously cling and prepare the way of God’s true comfort, His true strengthening aid: Himself.
The glory of the Lord, the atmosphere of His presence, is always accompanied by radical transformation. In the midst of deserts, highways are made straight; valleys are exalted; mountains are brought low. The reality of the frailty of life did not escape Isaiah as evidenced in his comparison of the life of the people to grass. But he also proclaims that our frailty does not alter the promises of God. We can be comforted because the word of God stands forever and the promises of God are always accompanied by the presence of God.
In the presence of God there is not only relief from grief and pain, there is life restored. As Isaiah’s imagery reaches its pinnacle in the description of the good shepherd, so the believers’ hope is manifested in the care of the Shepherd Messiah, Jesus. The reward of one’s relationship with the Shepherd is the presence of the Shepherd Himself. The gathering of lambs in His arms, the feeding of His flock, carrying them in His bosom, and leading those with young are all images which convey the greatest rewards of salvation, being with the Great Shepherd Himself.
We began with the statement of the great need for comfort and illustrated it with the statement that it is estimated that a Christian is martyred every four minutes. Statistics are helpful but when numbers have a face, then the need for true comfort — God’s strengthening aid — becomes even more real.
In January of 1999 two sons of an Australian missionary, one aged ten and one aged eight, were burned alive. They had accompanied their father in his work in taking the gospel message to India. All three were forced to stay in their jeep while they were set afire by radical Hindus in the Orissa Province of India. The grieving widow and mother boldly proclaimed her faith in God and prayers of salvation for those who had killed her family. One national newspaper carried an editorial that stated the editor was born a Hindu but because of the witness of this grieving widow and mother he would always be a Christian in his heart.
Isaiah’s commands are the same today as they were when first proclaimed. “Lift up your voice with strength. Lift it up, be not afraid. Say to the cities of Judah, ‘Behold your God!.'” (Carolyn Volentine)
Advent 3 (B)
Sunday, December 12, 1999
John the Witness
John 1:6-8
John gives us the most abstractly theological analysis of Jesus’ birth. Matthew tells the story of Joseph’s perspective and Luke tells it from Mary’s, but John attempts to give a philosophical and theological interpretation. Matthew tells of Joseph’s misgivings about taking this woman as his wife and serving as the earthly father of the Son of God. Luke tells how Mary was moved with praise at the thought of God’s activity. None of the gospels tell us very much at all about Jesus’ life between the time of His birth and the inauguration of His public ministry.
One item that is featured in all of the gospels, even John’s, is the unique ministry of John the Baptizer, or for our purposes this morning, John the Witness. When both miracle babies were in the time of their public ministries, John sent a contingent to ask Jesus if He were the One to come or if he should keep looking for someone else. Jesus used that occasion to say, “Of all the men who have ever been born to women, there is none greater than John the Baptist.” Because of the relationship between John and Jesus, it seemed only natural that when John started baptizing, Jesus would go to him in order to submit Himself to John’s baptism. But I get ahead of myself.
John uses similar language to that which is found in the book of Genesis. Instead of saying “In the beginning,” John says, in effect, “When the beginning began … Jesus already was.” Jesus is described as the logos of God. Logos means “word in action.” Jesus is the Incarnation of the divine Logos who was present at the creation of the world, who was the agent of creation. He is the Author of life and gives abundant life to all who turn to Him in repentance and faith.
In the middle of this great philosophical discourse, which helps us understand the incarnation more fully, John the gospel writer inserts a word about John the Baptist. John the Baptizer was not the light. He only came as a witness to the light. That raises a question. What was so significant about John’s life that he is spoken of as a witness? What is a witness and why was John such an effective witness?
John spoke to the spiritual hunger of his day.
There are some estimates that he baptized as many as 300,000 people. Many of these whom he baptized made the difficult trek from Jerusalem down to the Jordan River. He must have been scratching where people itched. He could have used his popular support to try to advance some sort of selfish agenda, but that would have been the furthest thing from John’s mind. He didn’t need to try to convince people how cute, or clever, or compelling he was. Instead, he disappeared as much as he could so that the word he was speaking could be heard. In so doing, he became one of the most compelling persons who ever lived, apart from Jesus Himself.
A second feature of John’s witness:
He highlighted the need for repentance.
Doesn’t it just make sense that those who sense a hunger in their spirit need to repent in order to have that hunger satisfied? John told those who asked that his baptism was with water and was preparatory to a greater baptism which would be given by the coming Messiah at a later date. His baptism called on Jews to do what only Gentiles had been asked to do up until this point — be baptized.
The most important element of John’s witness was:
He pointed to the One coming after Him.
John never failed to confess that he was not the Christ. He probably could have deluded people into thinking that he was if he had wanted to but he accepted his God-given role of pointing to the Coming One. He knew he was unworthy to loose the sandals of Jesus.
A witness doesn’t have to impress with the force of his personality or the cleverness of his arguments. He or she simply needs to go to hungry people and by word and deed let them know that through repentance and faith, they can find that spiritual hunger satisfied. (Mark A. Johnson)
4th Sunday of Advent (B)
December 19, 1999
His Name is Jesus
Luke 1:26-38
These beautiful verses recall for many of us the stories of Christ’s birth. Childhood memories of Christmas pageants and nativity sets help us to recall the precious story of God sending an angel to a special young woman to announce to her that she was his choice to bear the savior of the world. The story contains both mystery and miracle. How does one explain a God who so focuses Himself that He would come into flesh and dwell among us? The story raises the question of the doctrine of the Trinity itself — God the Father sending God the Holy Spirit to create within a woman God the Son. It is indeed mystery and miracle.
The American poet Robert Browning expressed our awed and limited understanding.
I know not how that Bethlehem’s babe
could in the Godhead be
I only know that the manger child
has brought God’s love to me.
The answer is perhaps best understood by contemplating the name that is to be given the child: Jesus. In Hebrew and Aramaic, it is Yeshua, he who will save. God was known to the people of Israel as the one who saves by coming into their history. He came into the garden and called them into an account of their behavior. He came to the patriarchs in dreams and visions. He came to the enslaved through His prophet Moses. He continued to come through prophets and national conflicts throughout the centuries of the judges, the kingdoms, the exile. And once again He promises to come in the most self-revealing way, in the person of His Son, the one who is to be named Jesus.
Jesus is the Son of the most High, who will reign forever. Jesus the Savior is the God who comes not just to a people but to all peoples. Jesus the Messiah, the Anointed One, not just for a particular time but for all times. The Savior comes not to set a people free on a national level but on a cosmic level. The bondage is not just from an earthly power but from all powers not of God. When Jesus bore the cross He bore not just the weight of the wood but the sin of the world.
The angel is telling Mary more than she can begin to understand. Her response is a natural one, “How can this be, I have no husband?” Do not we all ask God that kind of question? How can you say you save me from this devastating situation, from this past of craziness, from myself? The answer is the same for us as it was for Mary: “With God nothing will be impossible.”
The power of God to come upon one woman is the same power of God to save from all the works of the flesh, a fallen world, even powerful Satan. We are told in I John 3:8 that God entered humanity that we might be saved from all the works of the devil. On the cross the total work of salvation was completed. With God nothing is impossible.
That which was begun with an announcement to a particular young woman at a particular time is consummated for eternity. Saint Paul writes in Philippians 2:9ff: “Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
His name shall be called Jesus, Savior, Son of God. (Carolyn Volentine)
Christmas 1 (B)
Sunday, December 26, 1999
Why Did He Come?
Luke 2:22-40
What did Jesus come to do? Of course, a part of our answer to that question would be John 3:17. “God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.”
Couple that first question with another question, “What is the number one challenge facing the church?” I believe it is for the church to realize that it is not like any other civic organization which exists to serve its members. The church exists to be God’s agent of redemption for the world. Our view of the church will depend largely upon our view of who Jesus is and what He came to do.
Luke is the most beloved and familiar of all of the Christmas accounts. He’s the one who tells us about the inn and the shepherds and the angelic choir. He also tells us about the first time Joseph and Mary took their little boy to church, so to speak.
It does bear mentioning that Jesus’ parents were devout in their faith. How would Jesus’ life had been different were that not the case? They were also not affluent in terms of this world’s goods. Jesus was the sinless Son of God. He was perfect. He was tempted at all points as we are, yet He was without sin. If you believe the temptations were real for Jesus and He could have failed, what impact would growing up in a less godly, less pious, less devout home have had on Him?
One insight into Jesus’ unique mission came from the lips of the aged Simeon as he spent his every waking moment at the temple. It must have been an unnerving scene as Old Man Simeon comes up to Joseph and Mary and takes the blue bundle out of her arms and looks him over. I wonder how many young couples with their first child in tow Simeon had accosted over the years. There may have been people in Jerusalem who were convinced that Simeon wasn’t quite all there.
This man of questionable sanity (in the mind of some) had it together more than anybody else because with one look at that baby, he knew that he had seen all that he had lived for these many years. Simeon longed to see the consolation of Israel — the promise that in spite of Israel’s persistent waywardness and rebellion, God would redeem them. He was given wholly over to that task.
There may have been some people who hung out at the temple or its environs who thought Simeon was a little bit quirky or kooky or eccentric. Others, though, have written about Simeon, “Simeon is one of those fortunate persons who has come to the end of the way with the conviction that life could have been no more rewarding and meaningful.” What made it possible for Simeon to say that? It was simply that he had faith that God would consummate His plan of redemption and he lived to see Jesus. That sounds like somebody who’s got it all together if you ask me.
It is ironic that the One who is to be the Consolation of Israel would be the cause of rising and falling for many. Those who come to a knowledge of him — notice I did not say a saving knowledge of him — will have a choice to make. Accept Him and be saved or reject Him to their own damnation. The treatment of this redeemer would be a cause of soul-wrenching agony to His mother.
Simeon wasn’t the only one with special insight into Jesus. Anna, an old lady who lived at the temple in fasting and prayer knew right away that he was the one. She gave thanks and let it be known that Israel’s Consolation had arrived.
What did Jesus come to do? He came to be Savior. He came to be the cause of the rising and falling of many in Israel. (Mark Johnson)
Sermon briefs in this issue are provided by: Scott M. Gibson, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, South Hamilton, MA; William L. Hogan, Professor of Preaching, Reformed Theological Seminary, Jackson, MS; Mark Johnson, Pastor, Greenbelt Baptist Church, Greenbelt, MD; Carolyn Volentine, Pastor, DeQuincy United Methodist Church, DeQuincy, LA; and Michael Duduit, Editor, Preaching.

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Proper 26 (C)
Sunday, November 1, 1998
To Please God
Isaiah 1:10-18
It was a sobering moment. We were at the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, the holiest site in Islam and the site of the ancient Jewish Temple. You can go in the mosque down under the rock and see the hole through which the blood of sacrifices which had been offered up in that place had flowed. In dramatic style, our professor, Dr. Wayne Ward, waxed eloquent about the oceans of blood that had been shed throughout history in an attempt to please God. We gave thanks for the once and for all sacrifice made by Jesus on Calvary.
What does it take to please God?
I. God’s Not Pleased by Inauthentic Religion
Throughout history there has been no shortage of people who have tried “religion” in order to try to please God. The ancient Israelites of Isaiah’s day were no different. They knew what was required in the sacrificial law of Moses. They had the letter of the law down to a “t” They knew what sacrifices to offer when and for what reason.
What a come-uppance it must have been, then, when the spokesman for God refers to them as inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah. While they were adept at offering sacrifices, they were clueless when it came to offering the true sacrifices that really pleased God. God informed them that He did not command them to offer sacrifices because He had a thing for blood. The sacrifices were supposed to be an outward sign of true repentance of the heart. They were not to be offered as some sort of empty ritual as if the ritual itself is what God wants.
God said, “I’m tired of you trampling my courts. I’m sick of your inauthentic practice of religion.” Offering sacrifices is religion in the very worst sense of that word. God’s not into religion, He’s into relationships. He wants a meaningful relationship with people.
God is so turned off by the practice of inauthentic religion that He refuses to listen to their prayers. He blocks his eyes so He can’t see the hands folded. God is not interested in empty religious ritual. He is not at all impressed by sacrifices which come from dirty hands and an impure heart. Quite the contrary, He is repulsed by them.
II. God Is Pleased by Authentic Religion
God does not want sacrifices that come from an impure and unclean heart. That’s not to say that sacrifices are unimportant. After all, they were what the law prescribed as an atonement for sin. But David said, “You do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart….” The sacrifices are to be the sign of a broken and contrite heart. God proposes several things for the Israelites to do to indicate their authenticity — seek justice, encourage the oppressed, plead the cause of the widow.
Authentic religion serves the least of these in Jesus’ name.
III. God Still Wants to Forgive.
In spite of the harsh words, God still is willing to forgive His people. He doesn’t berate their inauthentic practice of religion because He wants them to sense condemnation and rejection. He is pleading for them to come into a right relationship with Him. The debt of their sin can be paid if they admit their neediness before Him. The stain of their sin can be removed if they come clean before Him. (Mark A. Johnson)
Proper 28 (C)
Sunday, November 8, 1998
The Silence of God
Job 19:23-27
Sensory deprivation is a terrible thing. What would it be like to be blind and never able to see a beautiful mountainscape or the smile of a little baby? Imagine being deaf and never being able to hear the beautiful choral anthem on Sunday or a majestic symphony. How would you handle not being able to speak. Only with great difficulty would you try to communicate.
Imagine the other side of that equation. What would it be like to try to communicate with someone who could not hear or describing the beauty of a rose to someone who is blind. Imagine desperately trying to get a message to someone who cannot hear you.
Job must have felt that way as he tried to voice his complaint to God. Is there anything any more disheartening than the silence of God? Job poured out his heart to God and wondered if God were listening. He had to endure the self-righteous sermonizing of his so-called friends and it seemed that the Heavens were brass. Yet, Job delivers an affirmation of faith which will endure for the ages.
I. Job Longs to Be Heard
It bears mentioning that Job is not noted for his patience as much as he is noted for his endurance. (They are different things.) He endured more calamity than any one human being should be forced to endure. Even though he delivers a strong affirmation of faith, he expresses doubts that he will live to be vindicated. He can voice his words. He is no less confident of his final vindication, yet he wonders if he will be around to hear those words. Job longs for some kind of permanence to be given to what he is saying. If they could be written down or engraved in stone, maybe someone of a future generation would hear Job’s story and be able to read and to know that he was unjustly accused by his friends.
Job here is wrestling with his very existence. Like Paul, he sees that his death would bring some relief from his sufferings. At the same time, though, if he were to die, his friends may well be proven correct. Job has confidence, that he will be vindicated, however.
II. Job Knows He Will See
In the face of the doubts of his friends and the rejection of his wife, Job is confident that there is one who will be a redeemer for him. Faced with the most distressing of all experiences — the apparent silence of God — Job is confident in the ultimate justice of God, even when God doesn’t seem to be moving on his behalf. God seems content, for a season to allow Job to suffer but Job doesn’t doubt God’s goodness or His ultimate faithfulness to him.
Out of the depths of the silence of God, which caused spiritual pain, and the rebukes of his friends, which caused emotional pain, and the lack of support of his wife, which caused relational pain, and boils which caused physical pain, Job tenaciously clung to his faith. He believed he would experience vindication. In his suffering, he knew he would see God. He knew he would see him and his heart yearned within him far some sense of God’s presence.
God never did intellectually answer Job’s questions about the suffering of the innocent. The book of Job is not about intellectual answers. Rather, it’s about the mysteries of God which can only begin to be fathomed in a relationship with Him. Job didn’t get intellectual answers, but he did get vindication. His flocks and herds were restored many times over.
Be encouraged, dear friend, the silence of God lasts only for a season. (Mark A. Johnson)
Proper 28(C)
November 15, 1998
Don’t Just Stand There, Do Something!
2 Thessalonians 3:6-13
Growing up in my house meant that Saturdays were work days. When I was very young I got to watch cartoons but as I grew up my dad used to say, “No work, no food.” My brothers and I had to help with the lawn, wash the car, clean our rooms and the bathroom, and basically do whatever my mom and dad could find for us to do. Of course, Saturdays were also the days we would make homemade pizzas or my dad would make his huge omelets! We worked and then we ate! It wasn’t a bad deal.
I. Don’t Be Idle
Apparently, some Christians in the church in Thessalonica were not working. When it came time to eat they relied on the generosity of other Christians for their meals. Paul gave these folks a stern warning regarding idleness. They are to work for what they eat, not be idle and then live off of other folks and their generosity.
Paul is neither seeking to turn away truly needy people nor to say that Christians should not help those who are out of work or unable to work due to some unfortunate circumstance. But, Paul is saying that Christians who can earn their food need to work.
Paul seems to have little patience with these idle Christians. He is not playing any games. In fact, he commands the working Christians to keep away from the idle brothers. Paul then strongly commands and urges those brothers who are idle to “settle down and earn the bread they eat”.
II. What is Behind the Warnings? What is behind the warnings? As a boy, my dad lived through the depression, where the words “no work, no food” were a literal description of the times. No doubt, that was what was behind his work ethic. But what was behind Paul’s warnings to the idle brothers?
Their idleness went against what Paul had taught them (vv. 6,10) and was contrary to the personal example he had modeled for them (vv. 7-9). Apparently, their idleness was giving them the time to be “busybodies.” They were getting into other people’s business and not minding their own. This behavior was giving Christians a bad name with outsiders in Thessalonica and that greatly concerned Paul (cf. 1 Thess 4:11-12). That is why Paul told the rest of the brethren to have nothing to do with them.
III. What Does That Have to Do With Us?
So what does this first century problem have to do with us today? Some Christians have the attitude that they can do whatever they want without any concern for what non-Christians will think. Paul would strongly disagree. While our behavior and attitudes are not dictated by our society but by God, we must still take into account its reaction to us.
The reason is not to compromise our beliefs but so that we can gain their respect and have an opportunity to proclaim Christ. If our behavior needlessly offends people or turns them away from God then we have done both them and God a disservice. Being idle, busybody, moochers was not the way to gain the respect of non-believers in Thessalonica. What behaviors are we displaying that needlessly turns away non-Christians today? It’s worth thinking about. (Michael M. Jones)
Christ the King (C)
Sunday, November 22, 1998
One Man’s Picture of Jesus
Colossians 1:11-20
“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” so says the old saying. A wise and true statement. In the eyes of Paul the beholder, Jesus of Nazareth is beautiful to behold! In the opening verses of his letter to the church at Colosse Paul paints a picture, more like a mural, of his Savior and Lord.
I. Jesus is the Image of the Invisible God (vv. 15-16)
Paul begins by stating that Jesus is the image of the invisible God. In other words, Jesus is the visible representation of God whom we cannot see with our mortal eyes. When we see Jesus, we see God. In fact, that is exactly what Jesus said of Himself, “Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). But it’s not that Jesus showed the disciples what God physically looks like, but that he showed them, and us, what God is like. By listening and watching Jesus, and by exploring what motivates Jesus, we discover what God is like and what motivates Him.
II. Jesus is Before All Things (v. 17)
Paul paints Jesus as being before all things. It reminds us of the words John used to begin his own word painting of Jesus when he wrote, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made.” (John 1:1-3)
III. Jesus is the Head of the Body, the Church (v. 18a)
Jesus is seen by Paul as the head of the church. He is above all who are in the body. It places Jesus in the highest place in the church. That is why Jesus is more than just our Savior, he is also our Lord! He served us as our Savior by giving His life for us. We must now serve Him as our Lord and master by giving our lives to Him. For it was Jesus who said, “If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me will save it” (Luke 9:23-24).
IV. Jesus is the Beginning and the Firstborn (vv. 18b-20)
Paul completes his painting with his final brush strokes by proclaiming Jesus’ supremacy over all things. For God’s fullness dwelt in Christ, and it was through Christ and by His blood that God brought reconciliation to the world. Jesus was the firstborn of God, raised from the dead after sacrificing Himself on the cross for us.
When Paul beholds Jesus, he sees a Savior who is supreme in every way to anyone. For this Jesus, who is Savior and Lord, is God’s one and only son. (Michael At Jones)
Advent 1 (A)
Sunday, November 29, 1998
The Two Advents
Matthew 24:36-44
The unthinkable happened recently in Garland, Texas. A group of pre-school children were loaded into vans and taken to a local pizza/arcade. This large pizza place is filled with video games, a stage show starring a furry mouse, and a play area. The sights and sounds can be dizzying.
Apparently one of the pre-school workers got caught up in the smells and bells because he left one of the children at the pizza place as the vans loaded up and drove home. That’s right, one of the toddlers got left behind in the maze of toys and tokens. Adults all around were oblivious to the little child walking around in their midst. The worker thought all had been accounted for.
Later on in the day, somewhere in between coloring and nap time, it all began to come into focus. A reporter asked the little boy how about his time of infamy. “It was fun at first”, he said, “I still had a few tokens and some pop but when that ran out I got scared.”
You may shake your head and wonder, “How could adults walk right by that little boy and not inquire? Yet it happens all the time. It could even be that you are guilty of the same crime. Today is the first Sunday of Advent. The word means “coming” and is the title given to the four-week period prior to Christmas. The main goal of the Advent season is to study the biblical prophecies regarding the coming Messiah (Savior). It is to be a time of renewal and refreshing. It is a time of preparation. In it we learn to wait for the next and final “visiting” of Messiah. How different the next “coming” will be.
In the first visit Messiah went almost unnoticed. The star and the shepherds were there, but the crowds ad taxes and treasuries on their mind. A couple traveling the eighty-miles south from Nazareth to Bethlehem would have gone virtually unnoticed as they blended in with all the other trip makers.
However, this couple was different. Much different. Angels must have caught their breath as they watched each bump and turn in the path. For this couple was not only carrying a baby and their financial gift to the government but the Savior, God’s gift to all of humankind.
How easy it is for us to get sidetracked in the glitz and glitter that surrounds this season. How easily we move from party to shopping mall to religious service without noticing the little baby boy. We are like the adults in the pizza parlor. Spending our tokens and following the smells and bells all around us. One day it will be different. Much different. Our scripture verse for this Sunday reminds us that Messiah’s next visit will go unnoticed by no one. Matthew reminds us that, “the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think he will.” (Matt. 24:44)
What a difference between the first and the second Advent. The first Advent still attracts attention. But many have not even considered its import. Many don’t take the time to investigate the fact that the baby born in Bethlehem turned the world upside down. By performing miracles, forgiving sins, even rising from the dead, Jesus of Nazareth made good on his claim of divinity. How sad that some overlook his amazing life and legacy.
But the second Advent, wow, what an Advent that will be! Isaiah says that, “He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked … for the whole earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” (Isa. 11:5,9b) At the next Advent everyone will know that Jesus is Lord of the whole earth!
If that advent were to break in on us today, with what would the Lord find you occupied? Will you be like the inn keepers in Bethlehem who had no room for the baby Jesus? Will you mirror the tax collectors who were too busy with money to notice the Messiah? At the first advent people were too busy to get involved. Involvement at the next advent will be mandatory. Are you ready? (Paul Pettit)
Advent 2 (A)
Sunday, December 6, 1998
The Service that Produces Unity
Romans 15:4-13
Most of us have heard stories about those famous feuding family members, the Hatfields and the McCoys. These West Virginia and Kentucky Hillbilly clans have been carrying on for years. In fact their very names have become synonymous with conflict. Hatfields don’t marry McCoys. The two groups don’t shop together. A Hatfield would not eat with, dance with, pray with or play with a known McCoy. The sad part is someone recently asked one of the patriarchs what started all of the fussin’ and fightin’. You guessed it, he couldn’t recall. Apparently there were differing versions floating around the countryside about who was really to blame for starting this regional war.
Unfortunately some of our churches and denominations are acting like these feudal factions. One group celebrates a Christmas Eve Late Night service while another observes a Christmas Morning time of worship. One church annually takes in the “Hanging Of the Green” while another goes caroling at a convalescent center. These differences are to be celebrated as a witness to the richness of the Christian tradition. But far too often members take on a, “we do it right” attitude over and against their brothers and sisters in Christ.
This is not a recent problem plaguing the church. The great church leader Paul fought against such division in the first century. To the church in Rome he wrote, “Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus; that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Wherefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the Glory of God.” (Rom. 15:4-7)
Did you catch the theme of Paul’s exhortation, “one mind … one another … one accord … one voice … one another.” This is not the language of either the Hatfields nor the McCoys. This is not the voice of one church group sounding superior over another. Unity is one of those concepts that is easy to discuss but difficult to achieve. Anyone with small children knows this. How is the goal of harmony and oneness brought about?
Paul goes on to announce the answer, “For I say that Christ has become a servant…” (Rom. 15:8) Ah, there’s the key! Servanthood. The little baby born in Bethlehem came not to rule but to serve. He left Heaven willingly to enter into true humble service. He served in the temple by sparking debate among the learned. He served at the carpenter’s shop learning the tools of the trade. He served his ragged band of disciples by patiently teaching them truth. He served his listening public by speaking in simple stories they could grasp. And he served all of humanity by laying down his life so that anyone may enter into eternal rest and protection. Now that’s servanthood.
There’s a funny thing about servanthood, it leads to unity. It’s hard to argue with the waiter who’s doing such a fine job. Marriages seem to run much smoother where servanthood abounds. Churches flourish when members serve each other and their communities. You get the picture. Remember during this Lenten season the old Christmas phrase, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Now if we could just work on the Hatfields. Or is it the McCoys? (Paul Pettit)
Advent 3 (A)
Sunday, December 13, 1998
John, the Herald of Christmas
Matthew 11:2-11
Conrad Hyers tells a wonderful story concerning Abraham Lincoln and an eight-year-old girl. The child had seen a picture of Mr. Lincoln and thought his face needed a little help, in her opinion, to win the election. She wrote him to tell him so! Instead of being offended Lincoln wrote a letter to her, thanking her for her opinion and suggestion. He also stated that when he was in the area he would stop by and meet her personally.
A television comedy special of the 1970’s picked up on the storyline and did a program about the encounter. The TV version had Lincoln’s letter spurring a flurry of activities in the girl’s hometown. The local Republican party chapter became ecstatic after learning of the letter from the child’s father who was also a member of the party. Each person in leadership envisioned themselves headed to Washington if Mr. Lincoln paid particular attention to them. Speeches were written, introductions practiced, the town’s band rehearsed and several American flags flew over the stage which had been draped in red, white and blue paper.
The day Lincoln’s Campaign Train was scheduled to pass through the town practically the whole town had assembled at the train station. All were there — except the little girl Lincoln corresponded with about his lack of facial hair. She had been left home because her father thought Lincoln would want to hear the politicians’ speeches, see the voters and their votes, and Lincoln would not want to have the little girl pestering him.
As the train approached the little town it broke down and had to stop for repair. Lincoln decided to get off the warm train and set off across the fields on foot. Presently he came to the town, but it was empty. He found the girl’s house, knocked on the door and was met by a speechless maid. But the little girl and her playmate, the maid’s daughter, welcomed the tall gangly President as if they were expecting him.
The girls were having a pretend tea party and Lincoln became the guest of honor. There in the parlor Lincoln sat with the two little girls, while the whole town waited impatiently for him.
Finally Lincoln excused himself and headed back to the train. Before he left, he asked how they liked his beard. The last scene is priceless. Lincoln’s train speeds straight through the town without stopping! The campaign train whizzed past the politicians, local dignitaries, the band and all the fancy dressed people. Lincoln had simply come to see a little eight-year-old girl and say a personal thank you.1
This story reminds me of the Christmas story. God walked past all the political dignitaries, the palaces of the world’s capitals, and the self-proclaimed religious leaders to act in human history. God became a baby. He came to proclaim salvation to a lost and dying world. He brought John the Baptist as the train to proclaim the message. John heralds the Christmas Savior of hope, peace, love and salvation!
I. John, the Spirit of the Prophet
John the Baptist fulfilled Malachi’s prophecy that a man would come in the tone and spirit of the prophet Elijah. John unwrapped the truth that the Messiah’s time had come and preparation was necessary to receive Him. Have you received the Savior?
John Baillie wrote, “… Inspire all my thought. Pervade all my imaginations. Suggest all my decisions, lodge in my will’s most inward citadel and order all my doings. Be with me in my silence and in my speech, in my haste and in my leisure, in company and in solitude, in the freshness of the morning and in the weariness of the evening; and give me grace at all times to rejoice in thy mysterious companionship.”2
II. John, the Spirit of Power
Jesus asked what the people had gone out to see — “A shaken reed?” A shaken reed symbolizes:
(1) A kind of proverb for the commonest of sights.
(2) A weak vacillator which couldn’t stand up straight when the winds blew.
That wasn’t John! He was neither common nor vacillating, but strong and powerful in deed and word.
III. John, the Spirit of Prophecy
John foretold the coming of the Messiah. He envisioned the One who would come in truth, justice, and salvation as revelation.
William Barclay summarized it best, “The man who has seen the cross has seen the heart of God in a way that no man who lived before the cross could ever see it; only in the Cross of Christ do we see the full revelation of the heart of God.”3
Have you come to the heart of God — the Cross? (Derl Keefer)
1King Duncan, Editor, Dynamic Preaching, Knoxville, TN: Seven World Publishers, Dec., 1994 Vol. IX, No. 12, p. 27-28.
2Reuben P. Job, Norman Shawchuck, A Guide to Prayer (Nashville: The Upper Room, 1983) p. 23.
3William Barclay, The Daily Study Bible, Vol. 2 (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1957) p. 7.
Advent 4 (A)
December 20, 1998
Prepare Him Room
Matthew 1:18-25
Christmas delivers a lot of fun throughout the season. Lots of parties, Christmas caroling, dinners, Christmas Eve Services, family get-togethers, decorating trees, all bringing excitement and activities. The question is whether we are preparing for a season, or an event. I still believe, “Jesus is the reason for the season.”
I. Jesus Christ, God with Us!
Many popular television and movies popularize the bizarre science fiction phenomena that either has all people as gods or brings a plethora of gods into existence. The Bible clearly states that there is but one God, He visited his people by sending a baby born of a young woman, wrapped in strips of linen and lain gently in a manger of a smelly animal-filled barn in a small country and a little village almost 2000 years ago. His name is Jesus!
Jesus is the message of life. Athanasius said, “He became what we are that He might make us what He is.”
Jesus is the anointed of life. As the Anointed One, He comes from Israel’s royal family. He comes from the spiritual Kingdom of Light. He comes from a heritage of humiliation and suffering. He comes from the point of reformer and restorer of life. He comes as a prophet, priest and King. He comes as the Savior of the world.
An educated Hindu was eating his lunch when he spotted an ant hill where thousands of little ants methodically went about their routine. As he leaned over to watch them do their work, he frightened them and they scattered. As he stood back up the ants resumed their normal routine. The Hindu thought, “I wish I could tell the ants that I’m not going to hurt them.” As his mind wandered, he thought, “Even if I could talk with the ants, even if they had intelligence, and I could learn their language, I probably could not communicate with them because my thoughts would not be their thoughts. My language of expression would not be understandable to them.” His imagination kept going, “But if I could become an ant and yet retain my personality and my self-consciousness, I could then really tell them my thoughts.”
A Christian friend had been witnessing to him and tried to explain why Jesus had come to earth. He had said, “God had become man in order to reveal himself to humankind to rescue them from sin.” After his encounter with the ants and with the Christian friend’s testimony ringing in his ear — he asked Christ for forgiveness.
II. Jesus Christ — God in Us.
When Jesus comes into our lives it is a cosmic event, a personal event, a salvation event, a reconciliation event, a rescuing event.
A young man came to visit a Christian missionary in his home to ask questions of his friend. As they talked the young man said, “Many philosophies which Christianity contains I find in my religion, but one thing that your Christianity has that we don’t.” “What is that?” the missionary asked. His reply was striking: “A Savior.”
III Jesus Christ – God with Us.
Emmanuel, God with us, as our companion. God is with us in our lonely houses. God is with us at the doctor’s office. God is with us at the funeral home. God is with us at the cemetery. God is with us in heaven. Glory to God who is with us everywhere!
H. B. F. Hallock wrote that God was touched with the feeling of our infirmities and could not bear to see us suffer alone; and so he had to give help to the helpless, comfort the sorrowing and preach to the penitent.
Today God has come to us through His Son Jesus to be our Messiah, Savior and Companion. Are you prepared to receive Him? (Derl Keefer)
Fist Sunday after Christmas (A)
Sunday, December 27, 1998
A Good Connection
Hebrews 2:10-18
Craig Loscalzo, author of Preaching Sermons that Connect, argues that the dominant motif for any preacher to desires to be heard by his audience is identification. If a preacher wants to communicate effectively, his listeners must have the idea that this preacher understands some of the real life struggles and difficulties that they face. A biblical example of identification is seen in Ezekiel 3:15 when the prophet went to the exiles near the Kebar River and sat among them for seven days — overwhelmed. Before Ezekiel could speak a message that would be heard by the exiles, he had to “soak in” some of their hurts, disappointments, and despair.
I. Jesus’ Identification with Us in Suffering.
The writer of Hebrews is writing to Hebrew Christians who are tempted to turn away from simple faith in Christ in order to return to the law. The unknown writer is emphasizing Jesus’ superiority to every other form of revelation. Everything is subject to Jesus now at this point in time even if we do not yet see everything under subjection to Jesus. Jesus is the Author of our salvation and He was made perfect through suffering.
Most of us read that phrase and feel as if a curve has been thrown at us. Jesus was already perfect. He was the sinless Son of God, he was the spotless Lamb of God. He was the One Who did all things well and of whom it was said, “Even the winds and the waves obey Him!” He is the One who destroyed death by His resurrection on Easter morning. Yet, the writer says that Jesus was made perfect through suffering.
Perfect carries with it the idea of “wholeness or completeness”. Jesus was complete in every way except for one. How could He possibly know what it was like to be human and to experience temptation? How could He possibly know what it was like to be a part of a human family? Yet, the Scripture says that He delighted to call us family. He is not ashamed of us. Jesus’ identification with his brothers and sisters was made complete by the things that He suffered.
II. Jesus’ Identification with Us in Defeating Death
It is incredible that Jesus would want to identify with us as “frail creatures of dust.” There is no other reason that He would want to identify except for His love for us. He identified so that the greatest enemy we face may be defeated. The greatest enemy we have is death, yet because of what Jesus Christ has done, death is a defeated enemy. Where O Death is your victory? Where O Death is your sting?
Jesus Christ, the immortal one, identified with us by taking upon Himself our vulnerability to death. It was through tasting death that He would be able to defeat the author of death — Satan. There’s an interesting angle on that thought in this text which is central to the main thought being presented in the book of Hebrews. He didn’t do this for angels. In the face of a growing interest of the worship of angels and fascination with angels, the writer asserts that what Jesus did, He did for us. Jesus Christ is superior to angels. Angels are ministering servants sent to serve those who will inherit salvation.
Because of what He has done for us, Jesus Christ is our faithful and powerful High Priest. He is able to make atonement. In His suffering, He conquered death. In His incarnation and in His suffering, He now knows what it is to be tempted and to suffer. Because of that He can identify with us and give us strength. (Mark A. Johnson)
Sermon Briefs for this issue are provided by: Mark A. Johnson, Managing Editor, Preaching, Jackson TN; Michael M. Jones, Minister, Bryant Church of Christ, Bryant, AR; Paul Pettit, Admissions Counselor, Dallas Theological Seminary, Dallas, TX; Derl Keefer, Pastor, Three Rivers Church of the Nazarene, Three Rivers, MI.

Proper 18 (C)
September 6, 1998
Choose Life
Deut.30:15-20, Luke 14:25-33
Choose life. Those words strike a responsive chord in all of us. In each of us, a secret — or maybe not so secret — struggle is going on between a life wish and a death wish. In each of us, there is a deep desire to live life to the fullest. Yet in each of us, there is also an emotional undertow that makes us want to draw back from life. The text from Deuteronomy tells us something that some people may not suspect: that the call to choose life comes from God and that God has not only given us the possibility of fullness of life but has also shown us the way into it.
I. Many people have wrong ideas about what life is like and how it can be found.
Our culture presents us with a vision of “fullness of life” that is made up mostly of pleasure, self interest, and self indulgence. (The people of Israel encountered a very similar idea of the good life among the Canaanite people among whom they lived.)
Many believe that the way into that good life is to throw off all of the burdens of responsibility and the yoke of discipline and to live just to get what you want out of life.
People who make that choice often think that they must throw off the yoke of religion as they have understood it. Self denial seems like the very opposite of the way to life. The things that Jesus said in our lesson from Luke seem ridiculous to them. “Whoever comes to me and does not hate … life itself, cannot be my disciple.” And “… none of you can be my disciples if you do not give up all your possessions” (NRSV).
But the life that results from throwing off all responsibility and commitment is not life in its fullness. At its best, it is a superficial life, empty of satisfying experiences of meaning, accomplishment and joy. At its worst, irresponsibility finally makes everything fall apart.
II. God does indeed call us to venture out and choose life.
Throughout the Biblical drama, God is the one who gives life and calls us to venture out and live it. There is always an element of risk to life. It is always necessary to leave the security of life that is less than life and to venture out in order really to live. The Deuteronomy passage was set at the end of the Exodus, after Moses had led the people of Israel out of slavery into a life adventure of epic proportions.
Jesus spoke the curious words of our New Testament lesson to people who had come to make superficial, self interested little commitments to someone who was still a popular young teacher. He wanted them to know that discipleship would be an adventure that required a greater commitment.
To “hate” something, in this context, meant to detach oneself from it. Of course Jesus would want His followers to love their families and to be responsible managers of their possessions. It is necessary for people to quit clinging to those things, though, and not be dependent upon them so they can venture into greater commitment.
We are faced with the need to make a similar choice and a similar commitment today. A person has to choose to live. Life is there for us as a possibility. Yet if we do not choose to live it, if we do not commit ourselves to life, we will only exist — and we may not even do that. In some extreme situations, when there is serious illness, when circumstances are oppressive or when disappointments have crushed enthusiasm, it takes a real commitment to keep on living. Even under the best of circumstances, a person must choose to venture out into life and live it to its fullest, or that person will soon be just going through the motions.
III. The God who calls us to choose life offers covenant as a way of life.
It is not enough to claim freedom and to choose life. One who would live life in its fullness must have something significant to live for. Moses had just finished outlining the terms of God’s covenant with Israel and explaining that it is the way to life when he urged the people to choose life. Jesus gave people the invitation to fullness of life by saying, “Follow me.”
Fullness of life finally comes to those who allow their lives to be shaped by a relationship with one who is greater than themselves, to those who commit themselves to a purpose bigger than their own, and to those who are in touch with a source of enablement from beyond themselves. These things draw us into the depths of the experience of life where real meaning and accomplishment and joy are to be found.
In every moment of our existence, God puts before us the possibilities of life and of death. And God calls us to choose life. (Jim Kitten)
Proper 19 (C)
September 13, 1998
Being In Two Places At Once
Exodus 32:7-14; I Timothy 1:12-17; Luke 15:1-10
It’s hard to be in two places at once. But, God does it. And God calls those who love to do it, too. Love requires us both to stand in judgement upon that which is wrong and also to stand in loving relationships with those who are under judgement.
I. God is active both in judgement and in loving commitment.
God was angry with the people of Israel for breaking their covenant with God so soon after it was made. We are told that God was angry enough to destroy Israel and to start over with a new chosen people. But Moses, who was God’s agent for Israel’s salvation, put himself along side of the people under their condemnation and prayed for mercy. On the surface, it appears that Moses put himself in opposition to God in this action. But look at it again. Wasn’t it really God who was active on both sides of this interaction?
Paul tells us that he experienced himself as one to whom God related in both judgement and grace. He experienced God’s judgement resting heavily upon him. He also experienced God’s mercy reaching out to him, loving him and saving him, even in his guilt.
Jesus ate with sinners, much to the consternation of the good people of the community. He did not stop calling them sinners. It was clearly His hope that they would repent. But He told parables about seeking the lost. And He put himself into relationship with those who needed to be saved.
II. It is love that moves God to relate to people in two ways at once.
In love God identifies that which is wrong because it is destructive to those whom God loves. That is the definition of wrongness. It is an act of love to cry out, “Don’t do that. That is wrong. That will hurt you or some others.”
Some people are anxious to identify what is wrong because they are afraid it will be hurtful. (Many identify wrongness as, “what others do that may be hurtful to me.”) Lacking God’s security and compassion, they respond to wrongness by condemning, rejecting and punishing those whom they perceive to be wrong.
But God is moved by compassion. God wants to rescue us from our wrongness so God comes to stand by our side in love to win us to life — even if that requires God to share the results of our wrongness. That explanation of the saving work of God that we call the substitutionary atonement tells us that Jesus suffered for our sins. God absorbs the results of our wrongness in order to forgive us and to open for us a way back to life.
Like Paul, we can experience God relating to us in those two ways. Our wrongness is not overlooked. It is hurtful. It has to be reckoned with. And yet, God does not let our wrongness separate us from God’s love. God comes to be with us even in our wrongness. God respects us, accepts us, forgives us and works with us to win us back to life.
III. God calls us to relate ourselves to others in the same two ways.
Things get complicated when God calls us to relate to others in the same ways in which God relates to us. In our insecurity and anxiety about ourselves, we are tempted to reject those whom we see as wrong, especially if they are wrong in ways that are threatening or repulsive to us. And others always seem to want to confuse acceptance with approval. “If you are my friend, you will tell me that I am right — or at least that my wrongness doesn’t matter.” But a loving person can’t do that. If a loving person sees something truly destructive going on in the life of a person — or of a family or a community or a culture — love will require the loving person to do whatever he or she can to get things changed.
But love requires us to do that in a very difficult way. Love requires us to respect the rights of others to be in control of their lives, to accept them as they are, and to work within a costly relationship to win others to life. That may require us to stand by the side of those whom we love and to share with them some of the results of their wrongness. No, nothing is ever gained by joining another in his or her wrongness. But loving people will often hurt for others as they are trying to help them.
This need to stand in two places at once can become painfully relevant in many real life situations, such as: when your spouse commits an indiscretion, when your child adopts a life style that you think is morally wrong, when social issues relating to morality have to be decided, and when you want to be a patriot even though you know your country has done something wrong.
It is hard to be in two places at once. But love often makes it necessary. (Jim Killen)
Proper 20 (C)
September 20, 1998
A Call for Honesty and Justice
Amos 8:4-7
The 8th Century prophet Amos preached doom and destruction but he also proclaimed justice and hope. The “visions” of Amos in chapters 7 and 8 were natural events which became a symbolic divine message. Amos’ visions were much like Jesus’ parables which grew out of the Master’s observation of farmers and fishermen, birds and flowers and watching His mother make bread.
Amos foresaw a plague of locusts and interceded on behalf of his people, “Have mercy, Lord.” God spared the nation (7:1-3). The prophet saw a coming drought — a serious crisis in the Near East. Again he prayed and the Lord spared His people (7:4-6).
Amos had a vision of a plumb line, symbolic of righteous living (7:7-9). In Amos 8:1-3 he saw a basket of summer fruit. This meant that Israel is “ripe for destruction.” The locusts would have appeared in springtime, the drought in summer and the ripe fruit in the fall. Amos predicted the exile of his people and this came to pass within 25 years.
In Amos 8:4-7 the prophet indicted the people of Israel for their dishonesty and injustice. Greed is a sin on both our personal level and the corporate level. People and churches can be selfish and greedy in their relationships.
Amos condemned his people for their social injustice. He was an early champion of social justice: “You trample upon the needy and bring the poor of the land to an end” (8:4). What is the attitude toward poor people in your community? Christians must be concerned about the well-being of the underprivileged. Amos said that the merchants of his day abused the needy. Jesus said that when we help “the least of these” we help Him.
In verses 5 and 6, Amos said that the merchants were impatient for the holy days to pass so they could resume their fraudulent business practices. This is obviously hypocrisy — they kept religious observances and then cheated the poor who traded with them.
Amos cited their dishonesty cheating with false weights and measures. They “make the ephah small.” It was an eight gallon measure which must have had a false bottom. They “make the shekel great.” This was a way of over-charging for their grain. Amos accused them of “dealing deceitfully with false balances” — manipulating the scales in order to cheat their customers.
Amos said that such persons “buy the poor for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals.” We need to be concerned about charging high interest rates. People who live off credit cards without paying the balance due at the end of each month reduce their income by a fifth (20%). Companies charging high fees cheat their customers.
Christian stewardship means more than giving a tithe of our income to the church. It also teaches us to earn our income honestly and manage the 90% wisely, including savings. My 5 year old grandson has three “piggy banks.” He puts 10% in one for gifts to the church; 10% in another for his savings and 80% in the third to spend. (Alton McEachern)
Proper 21 (C)
Sunday, September 27, 1998
Reversal, Here and Hereafter
Luke 16:19-31
What a vivid story Jesus told in this passage in Luke’s Gospel! Scholars say that it is not one of His parables. It is an illustrative story Jesus told to answer His Jewish contemporaries who believed that prosperity is proof of divine favor. The story is not theology as much as it is a stewardship story. In the great after-life reversal, the rich man became poor and the poor man became rich. Note the interesting personalities.
The rich man is called Dives (Latin for rich person). Jesus described his character in an interesting fashion. He was a Sadducee, a Jewish aristocrat who focused on his wealth and partying. Jesus described him in terms of his wardrobe and diet. He dressed in purple (an expensive color made from murex dye) and fine linen. His clothes could have cost a working man’s yearly wages. The rich man “feasted sumptuously every day.” He was a gourmet and glutton in a land where the average family could afford to eat meat only once a week. The rich man was self-indulgent, ignored the needy and loved his riches more than God. Caution! We are wealthy compared to third world nations. Let’s be compassionate, sharing, and good stewards.
Lazarus is the only other person Jesus named in His stories and parables. His name meant “God helps” so he must have been a man of faith, despite his poverty. Lazarus was a poor beggar who lay at the rich man’s gate and longed for the scraps from his banquet table. In the first century people at a banquet used pieces of bread for napkins, and tossed them on the floor. Lazarus would have welcomed their wasted garbage.
Like Job in the Old Testament, Lazarus was sick. His body was covered with ulcers. He was so weak he could not ward off the street dogs. Ironically, the dogs helped him more than the rich man. Lazarus’ one asset appears to have been his faith in God.
Look at the fate of the two men: a great reversal. Dives’ sin was that he ignored, never noticed Lazarus and his need. Selfishness and indifference landed him in Hades and torment. He “died and was buried” — it must have been a splendid funeral with lots of praise from his wealthy friends. However, his destiny was a great reversal because he failed to love God more than his money, and to love his neighbor as himself.
Lazarus died and was carried by the angels (God’s messengers) to Paradise and the head table with Father Abraham. What a comfort to share table fellowship in Heaven. It is a joy here and shall be for believers hereafter. Heaven is the comforting presence of God. The essence of hell is eternal separation from our Creator.
Jesus’ story calls us to be caring persons with an unselfish life-style and to be generous sharing with those in need. We help relieve world hunger, near and afar. And we share our faith by personal witness and mission support, responding to soul hunger with the Gospel. This story is a call to self-examination, repentance and responsible stewardship.
We are told that this story by Jesus inspired brilliant Albert Schweitzer (theologian, musician and physician) to establish the mission hospital in Lambarene, Africa. He saw Africa as a beggar on the doorstep of affluent Europe. (Alton McEachern)
Proper 22 (C)
Sunday, October 4, 1998
Expressing Thanks
Luke 17:5-10
Who is the worst boss you ever had? Can you think of some characteristic that made that boss so terrible to work for? Maybe they were abusive, or profane, or took the mindset that your reason for living was to suit them. Rather than having your best interests at heart, they viewed you as a tool to make them look good or to help them accomplish their goals.
One of Steven Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is “Think Win-Win.” Where many employers and business associates adopt a win-lose mentality — if you win, I lose or if I win, you lose — Covey advocates adopting a win-win mentality. An effective boss will think win-win — how can we come to an arrangement that is mutually beneficial where we both meet our goals, where we both win? A bad boss thinks, “I win, you lose.”
Who is the best boss you ever had? Maybe this person did genuinely have your best interests at heart. Maybe this person had a way of expressing genuine praise and affirmation for your work and showed gratitude for a job well done. Certainly, a good boss will express gratitude to those who are working for him.
I think Jesus would be (is) a good boss. (To call Him Lord is to call Him “boss.”) That’s why I’m perplexed when I read the words of this text. Jesus basically says, “Don’t expect a ‘thank you’ when you’ve just done your job.”
I. Jesus on Faith
Jesus first has a word about faith. In verses 1-4, He’s warned the apostles (a significant choice of words) about the dire consequences of causing a younger believer to stumble. It would be better to have a millstone tied around their neck and to be cast into the sea. In the light of such dire warnings, the disciples ask, “Increase our faith.” They knew that in order to live exemplary lives that lead believers into full Christian maturity, they needed to be people who are walking by faith.
Jesus emphasizes that the amount of faith is not nearly as significant as the object of one’s faith. It’s not a matter of having a lot of faith in faith itself, but having even a tiny amount of faith invested in the right object. Jesus here speaks of a mulberry tree, referring to a tree which, according to one rabbinic saying has a root system so intricate that it would take 600 years to unravel. Yet a word spoken in faith is powerful enough to cast it into the sea.
II. Jesus on Bosses
Jesus lets His disciples know the true and sobering nature of servanthood. They are like servants who have to do “double-duty.” After plowing in the field, they are expected to prepare a meal for their master. Common courtesy dictates that a good and kind master would express gratitude for a job well-done. I know I’ve bristled when a boss didn’t appreciate my work.
How must a housewife feel when she’s up to her elbows in diapers all day, has to manage to keep a clean house, have supper ready when her husband comes in from work, and then do laundry after the kids are in bed? Any husband who doesn’t tell his wife, “Thank you for doing such a good job, I appreciate all you do,” is an insensitive jerk. Yet Jesus tells His disciples, after you’ve done all your work, your attitude should be, “I’m a servant who has only done my duty.”
We should not expect kudoes for doing kingdom work. Our kingdom work is our thank you to Him for His atoning work on our behalf. (Mark A. Johnson)
Proper 23 (C)
Sunday, October 11, 1998
Full Cleansing
Luke 17:11-29
Is there a difference between cleansing and healing? Can you be healed of something and fail to receive the fullest benefit? Most of us would immediately recognize that we can. Sometimes one can be healed of a disease and while their life is no longer in jeopardy, the effects of the disease have taken their toll — they’ll never again be what they were. Sometimes, it seems, the cure is worse than the disease. We can see that in terms of dread physical diseases like cancer or emphyszema. What about the diseases that afflict our soul?
It’s significant to note that as this story opens, Jesus is on His way to Jerusalem. That’s not so much a geographical designation as it is a theological motif. Jesus is on His way to die. Any interruptions take on significance when seen in that light.
He also is on the border between Galilee and Samaria and as such, he is confronted with a group of lepers, some Samaritan, some Jewish. The text doesn’t point this out immediately. Leprosy was such a dread disease that the bonds of common suffering were powerful enough to transcend the hatred Jews and Samaritans felt for each other.
They knew the social constraints that were placed upon people with leprosy. They knew the certain slow, agonizing death that came as a result of that affliction. They knew the stigma of not being touched, except by each other. Leviticus placed very severe restrictions on those with whom they could associate and the extraordinary conditions they would have to meet in order to go out in public — how they would have to shout, “Unclean, unclean!” and with good reason. They didn’t want anyone else to get sick. The hard part, though, must have been dealing with the stigma of being made to feel that they must have done something to deserve such a terrible judgment from God.
The fact that these men had nothing left to lose emboldened them to dare to approach the miracle worker. They perhaps had heard that He had had compassion on others with their affliction. They heard he was passing by and cried out with a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” There was an urgency to their request. They used a name for Jesus which usually was reserved for the disciples. While others offered judgment and condemnation, Jesus offered compassion.
Jesus’ compassion took on an interesting form, however. He did not immediately pronounce them cleansed.
He always seems to know exactly how to deal with each individual who comes to Him. Jesus did not need a man’s testimony about a man because He knew what was in a man. He instead instructed them to go show themselves to the priest. It was in going that they were healed. It was as they demonstrated faith that they were cleansed.
It’s interesting to hear that they were cleansed. There was only one who was made well, though. Wellness is more than a matter of merely being physically clean. It is being a whole person spiritually, emotionally, socially and psychologically. In preaching this story, it’s easy to degenerate into moralism about gratitude. Indeed, gratitude is an important theme of this story but I’d like to look at it in a different light.
Leprosy was a dread disease. It meant certain death and social isolation. Anyone who was healed of this disease ought to have gratitude over-flowing out of them. Only one showed gratitude in this story — and a Samaritan at that!
All of us live in a realm of sin and death, yet God’s prevenient grace adds its benefits to all of our lives. There is something about it that God’s best work is made complete in our lives when it issues forth in gratitude. Gratitude is our response to His work of grace in our lives. Only one of the ten, a Samaritan — prefiguring Luke’s emphasis on the universal gospel of Christ — received the full benefit of a life made whole by Jesus. (Mark A. Johnson)
Proper 24 (C)
Sunday, October 18, 1998
Praying While We Wait
Luke 18:1-8
Waiting is a difficult experience for most of us. Whether we stand in line at the grocery store, the department store, or the Motor Vehicle Department, or we anxiously sit in the doctor’s office or the customer lounge at the auto repair shop, waiting can become extremely disheartening. Maintaining patience often becomes a difficult task during these times of waiting.
Our world does its best to eliminate much of our waiting. Computers speed up the process of storing and retrieving information. Microwaves cook food much faster than conventional ovens and stoves. Much of our world is instant: potatoes, coffee and tea, oil changes and even becoming a millionaire (according to some ads in magazines). None of us want to wait. Why mail something when the message can be sent by fax or E-mail in less than a minute? Why cook for several hours when there are instant varieties of almost any food item? Why wait until tomorrow to go to the bank when the ATM is always accessible? Waiting seems to be a complete waste of time. When forced to wait, we become impatient, frustrated and even depressed.
In our text for today, Jesus tries to help his disciples with the anxiety of waiting. The context of this parable stems from the scene in chapter 17 where the Pharisees ask Jesus when the kingdom of God will come. The answer for the Pharisees is a stern warning. Jesus tells them there will be no specific signs of God’s kingdom; rather, it will come as quickly as a flash of lightning. In other words, God’s kingdom will come suddenly and without warning.
Then Jesus turns to His disciples to give them words of assurance. He teaches them that since the kingdom of God will come in this sudden manner, they need to be prepared. Jesus knew that the disciples would become restless as they waited. He understood that the longer they waited, the tendency would be for them to become disappointed and frustrated. Jesus did not want His disciples to lose heart, so He tells them this parable.
I. Prayer Helps During the Waiting
The widow serves as our teacher. She is one who had neither the money to bribe the judge nor the power to influence him. The only possible means at her disposal was continually and faithfully to bother this judge until he simply gave in. And so the widow keeps coming and pleading with the judge to “grant her justice.”
The widow teaches us that persistent and faithful prayer makes a difference in our lives. We find ourselves today waiting for the kingdom of God and perhaps even becoming frustrated that it seems continually delayed, much like this widow who waited for justice. But Jesus teaches us that prayer makes a difference. The diligence of this widow gave her a sense of meaning and purpose as she waited. In the same way, faithful and persistent prayer helps us as we wait. During this time of waiting, we are empowered through prayer as we continually share our desire for God’s kingdom to come. Prayer gives our lives meaning and purpose as we wait.
II. God Hears and Answers Prayer
The judge also teaches us about prayer. We learn that the judge did not fear God or respect others; therefore, he could not be persuaded by concern for a person’s well-being. Probably the only thing that enticed this judge was bribes and favors. He is unjust, ruthless and uncaring.
But there is one similarity between this unjust judge and our just God: rewarding those who are faithful and persistent. The parable reminds us that waiting is never easy, but praying while we wait does make a difference. God rewards those who faithfully pray and wait for the coming of God’s kingdom. For we are also promised that “those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength.” (Kevin Head)
Proper 25 (C)
Sunday, October 25, 1998
A Dose of Honesty
Jeremiah 14:7-10, 19-22
Initially, we may feel uncomfortable reading these verses. Here Jeremiah speaks on behalf of the people of Judah, who are sad, depressed, and angry. Their land is in the midst of a horrible drought and famine. There is no water for the cisterns or for the animals. This scenario constitutes a severe calamity that seems to be destroying the people and their faith in God.
So Jeremiah speaks to the Lord. He says, “Okay, God, we know we have sinned. We acknowledge that we have not always been the people you would have us to be. But, this drought has gone too far! Why are you a stranger to us? Why do you seem powerless?”
God answers Jeremiah saying, “My people have wandered far from me, so I am punishing them for their sins.” The Lord continues for several verses describing how the people have turned away and the punishment they deserve.
But Jeremiah is not finished. Beginning in verse 19, he speaks honestly and openly to God. Jeremiah asks, “God, are you completely abandoning your people? Do you despise them? We know we have sinned; we understand our transgressions against you. But abandoning us is not like you, God! For the sake of your reputation, remember the covenant you made with us. Don’t turn your back on us! We need you!”
These verses may seem uncomfortable because most of us do not talk to God this way. Often our prayers follow a routine pattern: offering thanks for our many blessings, describing some specific needs for ourselves and others, asking for forgiveness, and praying for God’s continual presence. Rarely do we find ourselves arguing with God or becoming angry with God. We feel somewhat uncomfortable with Jeremiah’s direct, forthright talk. Perhaps his words sound a little too honest for us.
This wasn’t the only time Jeremiah spoke with God in this manner. In 12:1 Jeremiah questions God’s justice, implying that sometimes God is not concerned with justice. In 15:18, Jeremiah cries out, saying, “Why is my life so painful? God, you are sometimes like a deceitful brook, like waters that fail.” There is a strong sense of honest sharing in Jeremiah’s words.
This honesty is not only found in Jeremiah’s life, but also in the lives of others. Job declares his desire “to speak to the Almighty and to argue (his) case with God” (Job 13:3). In the Psalms and especially in Lamentations we read several prayers that speak openly with God regarding various questions and problems. The words often sound accusatory and harsh.
Psalm 10:1 says, “Why O Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?” Jonah pours out his harsh feelings by declaring, “O Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live” (Jonah 4:3). Time after time we read of people shaking their fists at God, honestly describing their true inner feelings and emotions.
I wonder how much intimacy with God we miss by not being honest. One of our greatest needs today is intimacy with God. Many people feel distant from God, not hearing or experiencing God’s presence. Perhaps much of this distant feeling has to do with our lack of honesty with God. Instead of sharing our emotions with our caring heavenly Father, we opt for the routine communication centered on thanksgiving, requests and forgiveness. And like a marriage in which the sole form of communication is what each partner did that day, our relationship with God often seems shallow, distant, and perhaps even boring.
What we need is a dose of honesty. God desires honest communication. No relationship ever achieves intimacy without honesty. Our relationships with God will remain surface and distant as we continue to go through the dull, “ho-hum” routine of patterned prayer. God created us for relationship, not routine, dusty monologues. Today, if you are sad, depressed or angry, tell God how you feel. You may find that this dose of honesty is exactly the conversation God has been waiting to have with you. (Kevin Head)
Sermon Briefs in this issue are written by Alton McEachern, Pastor, Cornerstone United Methodist Church, Sharpsburg, GA; Jim Killen, Trinity United Methodist Church, Beaumont, TX; Kevin Head, Pastor Audubon Baptist Church, Louisville, KY; and Mark A. Johnson, Managing Editor, Preaching, Jackson, TN.