Tasty & Bright – 1/25/09

We have a new president of the United States. This past Tuesday was the inauguration event that was attended by millions of people and watched by millions more. Of course, central to that event is the inauguration speech. For days leading up to the event, people were talking about what was going to be in the speech. For days after the event, people were talking about what was in the speech. I was one of the millions who watched the speech on TV. It seems to me that there are four main reasons for giving a speech like this; four themes that all inaugurations speeches touch on: history, identity, a new start, and the future. This recent inauguration wasn’t any different.

It seems that every inauguration address wants to connect the present event with all those that have gone before it. There will always be some mention of our forefathers and their great wisdom and perseverance. We almost always hear about how they overcame the challenges of communism and how they stood by their convictions. There is often language about the men and women who built this country with their bear hands; those people who struggled and sacrificed to build a better country for the next generations. The point of those history lessons is for a president to assure the people that he will carry on those traditions and call the people to live in the same way as their ancestors.

In other words, the President calls the people to share in the American identity. I think “American” was the word that the Obama used most often in his inauguration address. It seems he would want us to know that, before gender, race, or creed, we are all Americans. Most inauguration speeches invoke God when talking about certain values like equality and happiness. All of these words are used to inspire us to action, to be responsible, to connect with the enduring spirit that has carried America forward for all of these years. Obama called for a new era of responsibility to ourselves, to our nation, and to our world. The reason we all have to join in is because recent history has proven unfruitful. All inauguration speeches offer subtle jabs at the previous administration.

Obama said things like the time of supporting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions – that time has passed. He said that the time has come to put aside childish things. He also said that what the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them. All of these were subtle but pointed jabs at what has gone on the past eight years and a statement on how the next years will be different. Of course, every President makes those promises. No doubt every President has to believe that his administration will be better than the previous one. Only time will tell how well they are able to deliver. That’s why the future is also an important theme.

There is great work to be done, great challenges to overcome, but we will do it. We will overcome those challenges. Talk of the future is always especially inspiring. Thoughts of a better day, a brighter future always touch something within us. For a few moments, maybe even for a few days all of us feel like joining in. Inauguration addresses have a tendency to do that. Since Barak Obama took the stage people haven’t stopped talking about or writing about it. All of this talk about Inauguration speeches has me wondering what Jesus’ inauguration address might have sounded like. How would the themes of history, identity, past and future be described in Jesus’ words? Well, before we can talk about his inauguration speech, we’ll have to talk about his inauguration.

Jesus’ inauguration didn’t happen on the steps of a national monument, at least not one built by human hands. Jesus’ inauguration took place in the flowing waters of the Jordan River. Jesus was installed into office as he was baptized by John and the Holy Spirit descended upon him. There wasn’t an oath of office, but there was a voice from heaven that said, “This is my Son, my beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” From that point, at least Jesus would know that God had set him apart to be the Son of God, the Messiah, the Savior, and Lord over his people. God had chosen him to take the highest office in the land and lead the people into a better tomorrow and a brighter future.

Jesus would go from the river to the desert to be tested by Satan. He would come out ready to live into the role that God had given him. He would give a speech that was short, but very powerful; just nine words formed Jesus’ inauguration address: Repent, for the kingdom of God has come near. Those words would say to the people, “Get your act together. God is coming to restore his people. If you want to be in on it you have to change your ways.” These words of God’s kingdom would draw the mind of the people to their history, to David and Solomon when Israel was great and powerful. They would envision a time much like we heard described in the passage from Leviticus.

The rains will come when their supposed to. Fruit will be borne when it’s expected. There will always be storehouses filled with new grain. There will always be enough bread on the table and the land will be secure. Enemies will fall before them with ease. In every way, God will look upon them and cause them to be fruitful and multiply. It will be as if they were standing in the Garden of Eden itself. God will walk among them and be their God and they will be his people. The Lord will set up a dwelling in their midst to maintain their relationship. Just as surely as the Lord brought them out of Egypt these things will happen.

With his words, Jesus is saying that this vision of the future is about to come true. These are lofty promises to put before a nation. It’s not like the people of Judea hadn’t heard them before. Others had also come promising God’s kingdom. Jesus, however, was able to back up his words with action. While he was proclaiming the good news of the kingdom he was also curing diseases, healing sicknesses, and casting out demons. His fame began to spread and great crowds began to gather around him. They gathered, also, around his disciples which he had recently called. You can imagine that these four fishermen weren’t quite sure what they had gotten themselves into. You can imagine that they were impressed by the numbers of people and terrified by them all at once. If Jesus’ inauguration took place in the river, his first cabinet meeting took place on a mountain.

Jesus had promised that his disciples would fish for people and now there were people. Now was as good a time as any to tell them how they would do that. Seeing the crowds, Jesus took his disciples up the mountain. The great crowd would serve as a backdrop for his words, a living illustration for the task at hand. Jesus could extend his hand out over the crowd below and say, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs the kingdom of heaven.” He could point to the widows in the crowd and say, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” He could point to the orphan and say, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” He could point to those who hunger for God’s ways, to the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and the persecuted, and teach his disciples that they would be inheriting all of God’s promises.

This was Jesus’ way of saying that the ground had shifted. We can be sure that these blessings were strange words to the disciples because in many ways the poor in spirit, the meek, the pure, the peacemaker never got blessed. More often they were overlooked, trampled on, taken advantage of, or cast out. Often times they were treated this way by God’s priests and scribes and often times they were treated this way in the name of God. The only way Jesus’ beatitudes made any sense was if God’s kingdom was a completely new reality. The only way that Jesus’ words could be true was if the ground had shifted so radically that a new world had broken in. This is exactly what Jesus was saying.

Jesus was teaching his disciples that his work was going to be all about those crowds that had been following them around, not about those who sit in the seats of power and prestige. Jesus’ beatitudes were his subtle jab at the current administration. Jesus was saying that the day of narrow interests had passed and that the wideness of God’s mercy was now taking center stage as God’s kingdom was restored to them. He was going to set things right for those who had been wronged. He was telling his disciples that he was going to break the yoke that burdened those crowds and set them free and he was telling his disciples that they were going to help. After looking out over the crowd and blessing them with the good news of God’s kingdom, Jesus turned to his four disciples and said, “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets before you.”

In other words, Jesus is saying, “Consider it good news when people hate you because of me. Prophets are always hated except by God. God won’t forget what you’ve done.” Jesus had set his disciples apart for hard work, for a new era of responsibility. For one, they would be the salt of the earth. They would bring out the flavors that were already there. They would find those people who would do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly and draw them out so that the earth could be more fragrant and tasty. But they would also preserve the earth, these four fishermen, they would sprinkle disciples throughout the earth so that the next generations would have an earth in which to live.

They would also be the light of the world. They would shine their light into the dark corners of the world and expose the secret dealings that go on and the secret thoughts of people’s hearts. They would uncover the corruption and shame. But they would also shine their light on the path to salvation. For those who were looking for a way out of the darkness, the disciples would be the light that would show the way. They would be a city on a hill. These four fishermen would be a light on a lamp stand that gives light to all in the house. Of course, they would not be alone in this endeavor. There would be eight others who would form a kind of inner circle around Jesus. But there would be many more as well.

Many of those who were poor in spirit would begin inheriting the kingdom of heaven as they followed after Jesus. Many of those who were mourning would begin to find comfort as they followed after Jesus. Many of those who were meek would inherit the earth. Those who hungered for righteousness and thirsted after justice were begin filled as they followed. The merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemaker, the persecuted, all of them found that Jesus’ words came true as they followed him. They would all become his disciples. Jesus didn’t go to the universities or seminaries. Jesus didn’t go to the halls of power or the homes of the rich. Jesus drew his disciples out of the endless crowds of people who had a longing in their soul that no one else could meet; everyday people like you and me who would be witnesses to the good news of Jesus, the Son of God, the Messiah, our Savior and Lord.

Inaugurations are always hopeful events. The inauguration of Barack Obama seemed to be an especially hopeful one for many people this week. Whether you agree with him or not, there is an energy around him like very few presidents before him, not only in America, but around the world. That’s why his inauguration is also a sad one, at least for the church. I have heard it said that Barack Obama’s words have offered more hope to people than any sermon ever has. People see more possibility for change and for good in him than they do in any body of believers. Justice and the transformation of society seem closer now because of him than because of any group who calls themselves followers of Jesus. For Obama alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is from him. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; Obama alone is a refuge for us. For many people that is the Psalm of 2009. I am one of his supporters, but even I think that is a sad day for the church.

Perhaps the call for us today is to inaugurate Jesus anew in our hearts, to make his story the one we connect to, to root our identity in his call before any other (even American), to reconnect with the everlasting Spirit of God, to witness to the good news that he spoke and live the Sermon that he gave. Perhaps the call for us today is to put Jesus center stage again as Christians and as the church. To worry less about committees and carpets and more about anger and adultery. To spend less time on the building and the budget and more time on prayer and fasting. To love our enemies as much as we love our favorite hymns. Jesus knew that everyday people like you and me could make the world tasty and bright, but only when we stop judging, stop worrying and start turning the other cheek and going the second mile. God has placed a great light within you that no darkness can overcome. The promise is that in following Jesus we will be blessed and all our longings will be met. So, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. Amen.

A Sword or A Dream? – 1/18/09

Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream. It was a dream rooted in the American Dream. It was a dream with which we are all familiar. In fact, it was a dream for all of us. In his dream he saw a nation. He saw sons of slave owners and sons of slaves. He saw his four little children. With them were little, black boys and black girls and little, white boys and white girls. He saw black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics. He saw every village and every hamlet, every state and every city. And, he saw mountains. He saw mountains from New Hampshire and New York to Colorado and California; right on through Pennsylvania, Georgia, Tennessee, and Mississippi. This dream of his was a dream of justice.

You see that nation he saw was a nation that believed that all men were created equal. Those sons of slave owners and sons of slaves weren’t at odds with one another, but were sitting at the table of brotherhood together. His four little children weren’t be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. Those little, black boys and girls and those little, white boys and girls were joining their hands as sisters and brothers. In his dream the sweltering heat of injustice and oppression was being transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. In his dream the jangling discords of a nation were transformed into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood.

That’s because all of those people were joining in a song. In his dream, Martin Luther King Jr. heard a sound; a ringing sound. It was the sound of freedom ringing out from all of those mountain tops. Freedom was ringing from every mountaintop in New Hampshire and New York right across to Colorado and California. Freedom was ringing in every village and hamlet, in every city and state. The glory of the Lord was shining all around them and all of those black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics were joined in a song with the words, “Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!” It was a good dream. It’s not unlike Isaiah’s dream.

Isaiah’s dream was also rooted in the promises of a nation; in the promises of Israel. He saw people of many tribes and languages, from many nations. And he saw mountains; mountains from every nation under heaven. But all of these people from all of these nations were making their way to just one of these mountains. In Isaiah’s dream, one of these mountains had risen above the rest. In Isaiah’s dream, the people were taking their swords and beating them into plowshares. The nations were taking the spears and pounding them into pruning hooks. You see Isaiah’s dream was a dream of justice too. God would do justice for the nations. “Come,” Isaiah heard them say, “let us go up to the mountain of the Lord that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” God would settle their disputes so that they wouldn’t have to. Nation would no longer lift up sword against nation and they would not even learn about war anymore.

Just this last week, a radio station in India rediscovered a radio address given my Martin Luther King Jr. after his trip there in India in 1959. He had made his way around the country to listen to the followers of Gandhi and hear their stories of independence and freedom. He left that country more convinced then ever that he would promote non-violent action as a strategy for the civil rights movement. In his radio address he said, “Today we no longer have a choice between violence and non-violence; it is either non-violence or non-existence.” It was quite a statement in his time. People were not so much were about swords as they were about nuclear weapons. But since being in India, he saw non-violent protest as the most potent weapon available. This morning we wonder if Jesus would agree.

“Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” Yes, this is Jesus speaking here. Yes, it is the same Jesus who said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.” Yes, the same Jesus about whose birth the angels sang, “On earth, peace among those whom he favors.” Yes, the same Jesus who put away Peter’s sword saying, “For all who take the sword will perish by the sword.” The same Jesus is now saying that he did not come to bring peace, but a sword. Has Jesus forgotten the Word of the Lord that came to Isaiah; that nation will not lift up sword against nation? On more than one occasion, I have heard preachers and teachers use these words used to justify the use of violence and war. If they are right, then Martin Luther King Jr. was wrong.

They might have a point. After the sword comes this nightmare, “For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.” Apparently, Jesus has come to start family battles or civil wars among us. At least, that’s what we might believe had we stopped there. But there very next line yanks us from sleep and leaves us stumbling to find our way. Jesus says, “one’s enemies will be members of one’s own household.” It’s not enough that Jesus should say that we will be turned against our families. Jesus is saying that they will be replaced by our enemies. In these strange words, Jesus is saying that he has come to have us treat our families like enemies and our enemies like family. What is he getting at here? What is this sword that he has come to bring?

“For the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any two-edged sword, it penetrates to dividing soul and spirit; joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart,” writes the author of the letter to the Hebrews. In similar fashion, Paul advises the Ephesians, “Take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” We don’t have to look any further than these words to understand that what Jesus is saying is that not everyone is going to like what he has to say. When Jesus says, “I have not come to bring peace, but a sword,” he means that his words will cause division among people. A man may want to follow him, while his father wants to crucify him. A daughter may want to praise him while her mother would curse him. At the same time, these same words might just reconcile enemies as two foes find themselves in the same sanctuary worshipping the same Lord. Jesus’ words turn out to be a lot more similar to Isaiah’s than at first glance.

“Come let us go up to the mountain of the Lord…For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations and arbitrate for many peoples.” Again, we have the Word of the Lord. Again, we have the word of the Lord dividing the nations and judging them and settling their disputes. What separates Isaiah’s dream from Jesus’ nightmare is that everyone in Isaiah’s vision seems to accept the judgments that God is making. They are willing to take the weapons of war and turn them into tools for agriculture. They will no longer lift up their swords because they will be walking on the path of the Lord. They will no longer learn war anymore because God is teaching them his ways. It is through Jesus, the Word made flesh, that Isaiah’s vision took root. Through Jesus, God began teaching the nations his ways. Sadly, not everyone likes what they hear.

Not everyone likes to hear that we are called to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. Not everyone likes to hear, “if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink.” Even today, not everyone likes to hear that we are all made in the image of God regardless of race or class. These words of God cut us to the heart like a two-edged sword. These words of God judge the attitudes and thoughts of our heart that are still hateful and prejudiced. More than anything, perhaps, these words reveal to us our fears. Our fear of not being in control, our fear of being harmed, and, ultimately, our fear of death. We fear laying down our swords, laying down our lives for our enemies because we fear they might take it from us. A good dream does little to protect us or so we think.

On the night before Martin Luther King Jr. was killed, he said, “And then I got into Memphis. And some began to say the threats, or talk about the threats that were out. What would happen to me from some of our sick white brothers? Well, I don’t know what will happen now. We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn’t matter with me now, because I’ve been to the mountaintop. And I don’t mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land! And so I’m happy, tonight. I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man! Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord!!

With those words Martin Luther King Jr. captured the essence of what Jesus said to all his disciples, “Do not fear those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both the soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father…So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.” In his speech and in his life of non-violent action, Martin Luther King Jr. had grasped how important he was to God and how little any man could really do to him. As he said, “I just want to do God’s will…I’m not fearing any man!” In his words and in his actions of non-violence Martin Luther King Jr. was acknowledging Jesus before others. He had become a disciple. He had become a witness to Isaiah’s dream and Jesus’ words. He had accepted the judgment that is found in them, but he had also embraced the promise that is found there.

“Whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.” There is judgment in that those who will not take up their cross will not be worthy of the reward. But there is a great promise that if we will lay down our lives for the sake of Jesus we will find a new life that is the stuff dreams are made of. We will find a life that is without swords and spears and war; a life without the sweltering heat of injustice and oppression; a life spent by a heavenly oasis of freedom and justice. We will find a life where people are judged by the content of their character; a life where enemies sit down together at the table of brotherhood; a life where little children of all races can play together as brothers and sisters; a life in which we know how precious we are and how fearfully and wonderfully we have been made. This is the life Jesus promised to all who would follow him.

This morning we are ordaining and installing new elders and new deacons. Yesterday, the full Consistory got together to share some of our hopes for the future of hope. We might say we shared some of our dreams; dreams for growth, for caring, for joy. Together, we began promising that we would help you live into those dreams. We also talked about what it means for us to be disciples. Together, we began promising that we would focus our work on helping all of you become disciples, to enter more fully into the life that Jesus has promised you, to guide you into God’s presence, to learn God’s ways, and walk down God’s paths without fear. Some of you we may have to pull, some we may have to prod, you might not always like it, but there is a life that Jesus has called us to live. God has called elders and deacons to lead us in that life.

This is our Hope. To paraphrase Martin Luther King Jr, “This the faith that we do church with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a symphony of brotherhood and sisterhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.” Together we share his dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low; the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; and the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.” It’s a good dream. Amen.

Who Let Them In? – 1/11/09

I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking, “Those passages don’t sound like Epiphany. I thought it was Epiphany Sunday.” If we were following the usual lectionary you would have heard about the three wise men or magi or kings or whatever they are that come from the east. We would have heard about frankincense and gold and myrhh. Herod would have been sneaking around trying to figure out who this baby is that these foreigners have traveled to see; this baby who they say is born king of the Jews. The baby would be found in a house in Bethlehem the city of David, and they would be overwhelmed with joy to find him there. That’s the usual story. But this morning we heard an entirely different story. That’s because we’re using an entirely different lectionary.

You may remember that since last September we have been trying to focus our attention on what the Bible has to say about justice. Now, I know that all of you have my sermons catalogued at home for easy reference, but just in case you don’t, I’d like to remind you about some of the things we’ve covered so far. In other words, what exactly has the Bible said about justice? The first thing to remember is that we do justice because God does justice. This is not primarily a political thing, it’s a theological thing. This was the sermon where I confessed that I scare Wil to keep him from going in the street. The point was to say that as we consider the Holy One among as a God of justice, we will do well to remember that the just judge is first and foremost a father. While God might discipline us, it is always so that we might become disciples. While God might send us away, it’s always so that we’ll come running back. Whether we’re talking about prison reform, inner city education, farming or food or family, we will do well to start with the notion that God wants everyone involved to be a part of the family and that doing justice is finding the ways to help them enter in. Justice starts with God and God’s family.

From there we looked at the virtues that put us on the path to justice. They aren’t rocket science, but they are very profound: faith, hope, and love. Faith trusts in God to care for us and guide us so that we can love others. Love pushes us to overcome the barriers that isolate us and draws us together as one family. Hope sustains us so that when the pursuit of justice seems like trudging through the mud, we continue down the path. These virtues make us who we are. If we are governed or ruled by anything else then we are living as children of some of other god. Faith, hope, and love form the DNA of the seed of reconciliation that grows into justice that blooms into worldwide communion. It’s to reconciliation and communion that we turn to next.

It’s important to note how reconciliation plays a role in doing justice. Reconciliation is what makes justice different from charity. Charity can keep people at arm’s length. Justice requires that we restore relationships. We often think of justice in big, systemic terms. Justice has to do with politics and economics, with governments and nations. But we will never have justice without reconciliation. We will never live in a world that is more fair and right if the people in that world can’t trust one another and reconcile with one another. Paul wrote that, in Christ, God broke down the dividing wall that is the hostility between people. Paul is saying that it’s the church’s job to show the rest of the world what that reconciliation looks like. Paul refers to the church as ambassadors for Christ with a message and that message is one of reconciliation.

The hope of all this talk of justice is that it becomes a normal part of our lives. You may not remember any of the other sermons, but I know you remember the sermon that talked about pee and snot. The point of that sermon was to point out that more than social norms, we need justice norms. Rarely, does faith have anything to do with being normal and everything to do with justice and reconciliation. We need to be just as concerned with peace and reconciliation as we are with “please” and “thank-yous.” We need to make justice such a part of our life that we operate in it without even thinking; so that we lift the poor out of poverty as easily as we drive on the right side of the road; so that we’re as annoyed by the racial divide as we are by people who cut in line; so that we’re as upset by injustice as we are by the solicitor who calls at dinnertime. Justice norms, not social norms, is what God is looking for from us.

If justice can become a normal part of our lives, then we might also find that communion becomes a normal part of our lives. All of this justice ought to result in communion, worldwide communion hopefully. The sad truth of the world is that many of us remain strangers because of our skin color or because of the neighborhood we live in or because of the nation that we call home. The sad truth of the world is that we label strangers and their homes as unsafe and unwelcoming places. The sad truth of the world is that we let custom and culture get in the way of learning and love. But every time we gather around the Lord’s table we remember that God sent his Son and sends his Spirit to change all of that and create communion around the world that transcends tribe, nation, language, and people. This is the wonderful hope of the Bible. That one day, God our Father will send his son again to gather in all of God’s children to an eternal life of peace and joy. This is good news. This is the salvation that we have given our lives to. It is also the salvation that made Paul’s opponents so upset as we heard in the passage from Acts.

Strangely enough, it didn’t make them upset the first time they heard Paul’s words. The whole scene takes place on the Sabbath in a synagogue in Antioch. In that synagogue were Jews and converts to Judaism. On the prior Sabbath Paul and Barnabas entered and were encouraged to speak to the people. When Paul stood up he recounted the whole history of Israel and how Jesus was the savior that God had promised to all of Abraham’s descendents. He told them how Jesus had died on the cross for the forgiveness of sins and how he was raised from the dead as the first sign of new life. “By this Jesus,” he said to the crowd, “everyone who believes is set free from their sins.” This was good news to their ears is it is to ours. In fact, as Paul and Barnabas were leaving on that Sabbath everyone encouraged them to come back and speak about that good news again. It says that the crowd urged them to continue in the grace of God. The next Sabbath would be a different story.

I don’t know if even Paul and Barnabas anticipated the crowd that would show up the next Sabbath. But the whole city had turned out to hear the word of the Lord. No doubt many of them believed that they were coming to here more about the day of salvation that had arrived. We can guess that they believed they would hear words like we heard this morning from Isaiah. They wanted to hear from Paul that the day of salvation had arrived. That God had finally answered their pleas. They wanted to know that this Jesus was the one whom God had given to reestablish the land and draw out prisoners. They were expecting to hear about that this Jesus would put to an end hunger and thirst; that he would shelter them from scorching winds and the striking sun. The crowds were eager to hear that Jesus was the one who would lead them to quiet waters. All of the people in the synagogue just wanted a place that they could call home and they hoped that Jesus was the one who would take them there.

Of course, they’d be right about all of that, but there was something that they had overlooked. No doubt that there were many Jews there. No doubt many of the Jews from that first Sabbath went home and told all of their relatives about what they had heard. No doubt many Jews had come whose faith had withered. At the same time, all those devout converts from that first Sabbath would have gone home and told all of their relatives as well. No doubt many Gentiles had come whose faith might have just begun to bud. The whole city gathered together to hear the word of the Lord and that meant that many Jews were in the same building as many Gentiles. This was not how many of the Jews had pictured their day of salvation. Looking around at all the Gentiles that filled their synagogue many would have wondered, “Who let them in?” Filled with jealousy, they contradicted Paul and Barnabas on every account.

Paul and Barnabas drew everyone’s attention to that same passage from Isaiah. The same passage that spoke of the day of salvation also spoke of the servant of salvation. Of this servant, the Lord says, “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the survivors of Israel; I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.” Basically, God is saying to his servant, “You know all that stuff about reestablishing the land, calling out prisoners, ending hunger and thirst, sheltering from wind and sun, and leading to quiet waters? Well, I’ve decided it will be too easy for you to do that for just one nation. I’m going to have you do it for all the nations. Yes, my salvation is for all the nations. Through you, I will do what all the kings and princes could not.”

Paul and Barnabas understood themselves to be following in the steps of God’s chosen servant. They understood themselves to be carrying that light to the nations. When the Gentiles heard this they were ecstatic and many of them became believers. We can certainly understand that experience. All of us sit here today because we have responded to the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ. Having put our trust in him, we have been set free from the sin that had us bound and are following Christ into a new life of heaven on earth. We are glad because of that good news and praise the Lord for it. The Jews, however, did not hear with the same ears. They incited devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city and stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their region. But it was too late, Paul and Barnabas and planted the seed and now despite their best efforts the word of the Lord kept spreading. If we step back for a moment we might find that we understand the experience of the Jews more than we think we do.

I’m thinking of our adult education hour last week during which three scenarios were put before us. All of them explored Hope Reformed Church and the possibility of a multi-racial future. I realize that it’s difficult to listen while you’re trying to think, but I wonder if you could recall which word was spoken most often in that hour? It was fear. There was a fear that we would be unable to support the idea financially. There was a fear that more people would be a drain on our time and energy. There was a fear that other people would want too many changes. There was a fear that it would be hard work. There was a fear we wouldn’t be able to adjust. There was a fear of things that we couldn’t even name.

In today’s adult education hour we’ll be taking a look at the issue of immigration; an issue that is as old as the country itself. Conversations around immigration involved many of the same fears. There is a fear that too many immigrants will be a drain on our economy. There is a fear that if we let the immigrants in they will change things and we will have to change. There is a fear that if people from other countries come they are going to ruin this country and take our jobs. It was true for the Irish. It was true for the Italians. It was true for Catholics. It was true for the Chinese, for the Japanese, and today it’s true for people from many of the Spanish speaking countries to the south. Many of us share those same fears.

Now we’re not bad people any more than those Jews were who incited persecution against Paul and Barnabas. We’re not bad people, but we are people. “Who let them in?” is almost a natural reaction to strangers. People have a tendency to fear the unknown. The Jews had plenty to fear. They had received as much persecution and prejudice as they had handed out. They were witness to many of the strange religious practices of their Gentile neighbors. They were aware of the strict codes of conduct that God had called them to follow; codes that Gentiles broke in what they ate and how they washed and sometimes just in being Gentile. There were too many barriers for this to work. Too many Gentiles would ruin the synagogue.

It bothers me to no end when pastor’s use passages to support their own projects. So, I won’t say this morning that this passage proves that Hope should become a multi-racial church. I can’t say that this passage from Acts supports looser immigration policies. What it does say to us is that, like Paul and Barnabas, the Lord has commanded us to be a light to the nations. When we entered into God’s salvation we were also sent out so that God’s salvation would reach to the ends of the earth. The word of the Lord will continue to spread throughout this region and all those whom God has chosen will become believers. They will need a place to worship. There is little to fear because this is God’s doing. This is what Epiphany is all about.

Epiphany is a picture of God doing justice; of a father gathering in his children; of reconciliation and communion. Just as Paul and Barnabas left Antioch filled with joy and the Holy Spirit to go share the good news in another city, those three wise men left the side of the baby Jesus overwhelmed with joy to go share what they had seen. Days after Jesus was born, God’s plan took shape as the nations knelt at Jesus’ tiny feet to pay him homage. Thousands of years later, the nations continue to pay Jesus homage, to follow in his steps and carry his light, to do justice and put an end to hunger and thirst, to call out prisoners, to shelter from wind and sun, to lead to quiet waters of salvation. So, sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; break forth, O mountains, into singing! In their joy, Paul and Barnabas, the wise men, joined the great chorus of heaven and earth rejoicing that God’s salvation has come. Today, Epiphany Sunay, we rejoice as well, that in Jesus Christ, our salvation has come. Sing for joy, for the Lord has comforted his people, and will have compassion on his suffering ones. Amen

Comfort, You Vipers! – 11/30/08

It was in the eighth year of George W. Bush’s presidency, when Christine Gregoire was governor of WA, Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray were U.S. Senators, Jim McDermott was the Representative to the House, and Greg Nickels was Mayor of Seattle, during the time when Wes Granberg-Michaelson was General Secretary of the RCA and Bruce Bugbee was the executive of the Far West Synod. The word of God came to Brendan Foster, an 11 year old boy who was dying of leukemia. He inspired people from Los Angeles, CA to Ohio to Pensacola, FL, to work together and donate food to the homeless in Seattle. In western Washington people honored Brendan by donating over 6 full truck loads and $60,000 in cash to a local food bank.

If you haven’t heard Brendan’s story yet, it’s a good one. Brendan was a typical boy who liked to play sport and play video games. He would rush home from school so that he could rush through his homework so that he could rush around outside before dinner. He had dreams of growing up to be a marine photographer of all things. But those dreams were dashed the day he was rushed into an emergency room. He wouldn’t even be able to walk out. Leukemia had taken over and the next period of his life would be one of intense treatment. The diagnosis was not good. But with the little time that Brendan had left, he was able to do a lot of good.

Riding home after one of his treatments, he looked out his window and saw Nickelsville, a kind of tent city for homeless families of Seattle. He made his dying wish that day, hoping to have a chance to feed them. In his words, “They’re probably starving, so give’em a chance.” He wouldn’t be able to feed them on his own, but as word got out people from all over the country responded. It was a TV station in LA that responded with a food drive. School kids in Ohio collected cans and people in Pensacola, FL gathered all kinds of goods for the homeless. All of it added to the outpouring from Seattle natives. Nickelsville ate well that night because of a little boy whom they will never meet.

All of this happened even though the mayor of Seattle previously bulldozed the tents of many of Seattle homeless, separating families and children from one another. Local churches and advocates responded by building a homeless tent city hosted by a local university. They named it Nickelsville after their mayor. Beyond the mayor, however, I’m not sure any other political or religious leaders new about Nickelsville despite the fact that homelessness has grown by 15% in Seattle. It took a little boy, dying of cancer to raise awareness of the situation and inspire a response from the people of the area. That’s why we could consider him a modern-day John the Baptist. After all, I began my sermon much like the passage we heard from Luke’s gospel this morning.

Luke is setting the stage and making a point with his list of dignitaries. You have the emperor of Rome, Tiberius. The governor of Judea is Pontius Pilate. You have Herod, Philip, and Lysanias who are more local rulers. You also have Annas and Caiaphas serving has high priests. These are the people of the day to turn to if you’d want something to happen. Send a letter to Rome, ask for a meeting with the governor, protest outside the mayor’s office, or take your pastor out for coffee. They were the ones with the power to act on God’s behalf. And yet, Luke points out quite explicitly, the word of God comes to none of those. It comes to someone named John. He’s not an emperor or governor or even a high priest. He’s a son. And, he’s not in Rome, or Judea or sitting on a throne in Galilee or presiding over services in the temple. He’s in the wilderness.

To this unlikely character the word of God comes. It sounds like this: You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit worthy of repentance. Those are words that epitomize the voice of John the Baptist in the Bible, the one who was sent throughout the region of the Jordan River preaching the baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. He is the one that all of the gospel writers point to with the words of Isaiah: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill brought low; the crooked paths shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” Neither Tiberius, nor Pontius, nor Herod, Philip or Lysanias; not even Annas or Caiaphas, the high priests of God, were preparing the way for the Lord.

As John was preaching in the wilderness, people began leaving their cities and towns. They made the journey out to the riverside to go see this strange man only to be greeted with the words, “You brood of vipers!” That may have been all that I needed to hear, but for some reason, the crowds stuck around. They stuck around to hear that they needed to change their ways. They stuck around to hear that their ancestry and their family traditions were worthless; that God was likely to raise up new children from rocks. They stuck around to hear that the ax was ready to cut down any tree that didn’t bear good fruit. For some reason, a message that would have turned me off, was enough to convince the crowds to wade through the water and be baptized.

Perhaps it was because they had lost all confidence that change would come through the leaders of the day. The people of made their way to John were Jews who had felt forgotten and forsaken for too long. They couldn’t turn to the emperor of Rome or to Pontius Pilate. It was their army, after all, that was occupying their land and desecrating their holy sites. They couldn’t turn to Herod or to his brother Philip because the only reason they were in power is because there are compliant with Rome. They did not the interests of God’s people in mind. Not even Annas and Caiaphas, for all of the religious leadership, were likely to bring any change to God’s land or God’s people. They were stuck in their own ways, presiding over the same old system of sacrifices. There was no salvation to be found there. In other words, everyone in power was comfortable in their power. The status quo was likely to remain so for quite some time.

John it seems was their only hope. Despite his harsh words, despite his criticism, he was able to give the crowds one thing that no other political or religious leader could: hope. When they heard about John walking in the wilderness, they thought about Isaiah and his voice crying out to a people lost in exile. “Comfort, O Comfort, my people,” says your God. The penalty is paid. The term has been served. A highway will be made in the desert so that God’s people can return home from their time in exile. God is coming! God is returning to his people. His arm will rule and his reward is with him. Salvation will be seen by everyone. God will once again feed his people like a shepherd, gather them in his arms, and carry them in his bosom. For a long time God’s people had carried these words of comfort in their heart. They hold out hope that they could see this day. They thought that there was a chance that John was the one announcing it.

So they put up with the whole brood of vipers thing. They put up with the whole ax at the roots thing. They humbled themselves enough to receive baptism; admitting that they had lost their way and needed to begin again. They did all of it because they wanted to see the Lord return to his temple and to his people and save them from their trials and temptations. Longing to find themselves gathered into God’s comforting arms again they asked John, “What then should we do?” The question was not, “Who should we go talk to about this?” The question was not, “Why is this happening to us?” The question was not, “Where should we go?” The question was, “What then should we do?” If God is coming to clean house and set things in order and gather up the good fruit, how do we bear the good fruit?

It made sense to them that if God were to return, if salvation was to come, things would have to change quite radically. None of their leaders were able to use their power to bring about salvation in any way, shape, or form. The crowds came out because they were ready to admit that there would have to be a change of heart as dramatic as mountains crumbling and valleys being filled. For them, John’s harsh words and criticism were a sign that he was part of the drama of God’s plan to renew his people; to return to them and comfort them. They wanted to be a part of the drama as well. They wanted to be actors in the play of the Lord’s return. They couldn’t hide under the rocks any more just waiting, they would have to act and they knew it. They had hope that John could point them in the right direction.

He said to them, “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none, and whoever has food must do likewise.” That one counted for everyone in the crowds. But even the tax collectors wanted to know what they could do, “Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.” Soldiers asked what they could do, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation; and be satisfied with your wages.” This was the word of God that sounded faintly familiar to the prophets of old. It wasn’t that any of these people were necessarily bad people The tax collectors were simply servants of the state. All the tax collectors took a little extra off the top. The soldiers were there to keep the peace. All of them had to let people know who was boss. Besides, everyone enjoyed having an extra coat in the closet and food on the table. They weren’t bad people, but they were just as ineffective as their leaders because they were comfortable. But now they wanted to be comforted.

John was announcing the Lord’s arrival and the Lord’ expectations. When the Lord came he expected to find people who were content with enough and willing to share what was left. No bribery. No extortion. Those were small sacrifices to make if they were to have their freedom back; if they were to have their God back. Because of John and his dramatic behavior they had more hope now than ever that the Lord would be returning. They were more than happy to do what it took to pave the way for him. If that meant that straightening out and the smoothing of their hearts, so be it. It was a small price to pay if meant that God would once again take his throne and that they would once again be taken up into God’s heart. John, with his harsh words and baptism of repentance, paved the way through the hearts of the crowd, getting them ready for the Lord’s return.

As we do every season of Advent, we come here awaiting the return of the Lord. We stand between the first and second coming of Christ. We are hopeful for the day when Jesus Christ will return and put an end, once and for all, to mourning and crying and pain, to disease and even to death. However, we are not simply waiting. Rather, like John, we are preparing. We are preparing a way for the Lord through repentance, through a turning toward a life humble service. We come here mindful that the Lord will return to separate sheep and goats based on how they treated the least of these. We are aware that the Lord will be paying attention to how we live and to how we work. But we realize that repentance and humble service are small sacrifices to make for the comfort that the Lord will bring. Sometimes it takes someone like Brendan Foster to remind us of that.

Brendan Foster didn’t use harsh words and he offered no baptism, but he certainly changed hearts. In his own way he reflected God’s word that those with two coats should share with those who have none and those with food should do likewise. It’s not likely that any mayor of Seattle will again be able to bulldoze the tents of the homeless in that city. Young Brendan did more for the homeless in his death than most civil servants or religious authorities are able to do in their entire lives. Brendan reminds us that as the body of Christ we are not called to imitate those in the halls of power, but to imitate children who walk in faith. Hope has no better witness than those who are willing to give their lives away for the sake of others.

Hope Reformed Church has no better witness than those who are unwilling to be pacificed by material comforts and political freedom. We prepare the way of the Lord as we do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly. It is our way to embrace hope, to say to the community around us that the Lord is coming. By delivering Thanksgiving meals and laying down a Thanksgiving offering, by sharing Christmas gifts and mentoring students from Mulick Park and Ottawa Hills we are saying that “Here is your God!” See, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him; his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. He will feed his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead the mother sheep. Amen.

Making Good – 11/23/08

There’s a story about an old man and his old donkey. As usual I read it online, but I’m sure others have heard it before. It goes something like this: a young man set out to farm with his young donkey. The donkey was strong and faithful and good at his work. The young man and his young donkey stuck together through the plentiful years and the lean years alike. They grew quite affectionate of one another. As the young man became an old man, the young donkey became an old donkey. Over the years he remained faithful, but he was no longer quite as strong and his work suffered as a result. The old man didn’t have the heart to put his donkey to rest, so he let him roam the fields as new donkeys took his place.

One day, however, the old donkey, who no longer saw very clearly, fell into a pit while he was grazing. The old man had neither the strength nor the desire to get the donkey out of the pit. But he didn’t have the heart to let the donkey suffer there for weeks, letting him starve to death. He decided to bury him. With a shovel, the old man threw the first scoop of dirt on the donkey’s back. Startled, the donkey shook the dirt onto the floor of the pit and stomped it down. Scoop after scoop fell on the donkey’s back and every time it did the donkey shook and stomped the dirt into the ground. After hours of labor, the old man hadn’t even noticed that the donkey was still visible in the pit. In fact, not only could the man still see the donkey, but he was almost able to touch him.

As you can probably visualize, each scoop of dirt served as another step toward the top of the pit. For the old man, each scoop of dirt was another step toward the donkey’s death. For the old donkey, each scoop of dirt was another step toward a new life. Even though the old man intended the dirt to result in the death of the donkey, the old donkey intended to use the dirt to get out of his pit. It’s the same action from two different angles; one with a view toward death and the other with a view toward life. This is exactly what we find in the final chapter of the first book of the Bible. What Joseph’s brothers saw as steps toward death, Joseph now saw as steps toward life.

I have to say that these words are quite familiar to many of us and they are used in ways that aren’t often true to their meaning. I had to admit that to myself so that I could try and see what was really going on here in the passage. Understanding these words properly is necessary because they inform us on how God acts in the world. Often times these words are invoked when someone response to something bad in their life by using their pain to heal others. Like when a woman who was raped opens a shelter to house and counsel other women who have been abused or when a man who was abused by his father raises his own children with unusual gentleness and patience. One might be found saying, “The abuser meant it for evil, but God meant it for good.”

Clearly, there is great danger in those words. Who would ever want to tell someone who was raped or abused as a child that it was all a part of God’s plan? No one ever should. Other people will respond to this by slightly altering the words as in: the abuser meant it for evil, but God used it for good. I think there is definitely great merit to that idea, but that’s not what the words say in the Genesis passage. They say that God intended it for good as if God knew it was going to happen all along. It seems to me that the difficulty comes when we take these words out of history and out of God’s eternal plan and make them about our individual experiences and daily events. In other words, these words are about God’s plan of salvation from the beginning of time, not about what happens to me and you today and tomorrow. Of course, the two are at times closely linked, but making them one and the same confuses the issue.

What is God’s eternal plan? Throughout the book of Genesis, God has been preserving a people for himself who would represent God’s blessing to the world. It was not always smooth, but through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob God was preserving a family that would represent his graciousness and mercy to all the families of the earth. Joseph fits right in line with that plan. It was in Joseph’s dreams that the plan first became known to the family. Joseph saw himself as the head of the family, the one before whom all the brothers would bow down and worship. In their jealousy, they sold him to some travelers who took him to Egypt. While in prison Joseph’s talents become known to pharaoh and Joseph quickly finds himself in a very advantageous position in Egypt. Joseph’s rise from prisoner to ruler saved Egypt in times of plenty and in want as he built up a great storage of grain. It was this grain that would reunite him with his family.

Jacob and his sons, with Joseph’s help, would prosper in the land of Egypt because of his good standing with the pharaoh. They survived famine because they were in Egypt. It seems that without Joseph’s presence there, Jacob’s family would not have found such favor and been preserved in such a fruitful manner. When Jacob dies, Joseph’s brothers get nervous that it might be payback time. The brothers decide to come up with a little lie that might prevent Joseph from taking revenge. They say that there father’s last words were that Joseph would spare his brothers. In tears they plead for forgiveness. Here’s what Joseph says: Do not be afraid! Am I in the place of God? Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today.”

We can only imagine what kind of thoughts ran through his heart as he stood there before his brothers. No doubt those dreams from some years ago were there as they predicted this scene. It sounds as if he had also developed a firmer confidence in God along the way as well. Time and again he had seen how God’s plan could not be thwarted. We might even say that he was convince that no conniving brothers, no band of traders, no prison in Egypt, no scheming wife of an Egyptian official, no feast and no famine could separate him from the love of God. In all these things he was more than a conqueror. And in all of these things, the promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob would be fulfilled. They would find fulfillment through the years in Moses, in Joshua, in the Judges, in Ruth, in David, Solomon, in Esther, in Ezra and Nehemiah and on down through the centuries until we finally arrive at Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ lived and died and was raised so that there would be a people on the earth who would convey God’s faithfulness and love to the nations. Jesus, too, was part of God’s plan to preserve life on the earth. Of course, Jesus has to die to accomplish that. No doubt the Romans rulers and the religious authorities intended Jesus’ crucifixion to be step toward his death. They could not have imagined that God intended it as a step toward new life. God intended here nothing more than what God intended as he guided Joseph through Egypt: to preserve a numerous people. As Paul wrote to the Romans, “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn in a very large family.”

It does sound cruel that God would send his son with the intention that he should die on the cross. At the same time, it makes quite a bit of sense. Because as long as death has dominion, as long as humanity feared the end of life, they would seek to preserve themselves and those closest to them at any cost. The only way to release humanity from their fear of death was to face it head on. True, you might say, but why such a gruesome death on a cross. Well, often times the way that one family would try to preserve themselves would be at the expense of other families. They would create laws that would define them and their preferences as superior much like the Jewish law did. Or, they would amass such power that no one would are question the rules of the land much like the Romans did. In the cross, Jesus died a most shameful death according to the religious authorities of the day. In the cross, Jesus bore the most brutal punishment that almighty Rome could think to dish out. In the cross, Jesus faced not only death, but shame and power as well. When God raised Jesus from the dead, death had lost its sting, the law had lost its grip, and power and punishment were shown to be not match for love.

Of course, the only reason Jesus was able to go there was because he shared that firm confidence with Joseph. He believed that all things work together for good for those who love God. It changed everything for him. If God was the one who was going to preserve him that meant he didn’t have to preserve himself. From the beginning to the end of the gospel, Jesus refuses to call down angels to his defense. He never takes up the sword or strikes back. Jesus trusts that he was called according to God’s purpose and knew that if he was called that he was also justified and if he was justified he would also be glorified. To quote Paul again, Jesus believed that the sufferings of the present time were not worth comparing to the glory about to be revealed to him. Both Jesus and Joseph were integral parts of God’s eternal plan to preserve a family on the earth who would represent his love and faithfulness to the world. That’s where we come in and we take our cue from Joseph and Jesus.

It’s quite obvious what Joseph’s brothers expected from him as they fell at his feet. They expected from him what they imagined any one of them would have done if they were in his shoes: pay them back for all the wrong they had done to him. They were filled with fear and anxiety every trip back and forth to Egypt. Even though Joseph assured them that he would not exact revenge, they guessed that meant only while their father was still alive. They believed their greatest fear and anxieties would come true now that Joseph had no one about whose life he still cared. But they were wrong. Confident in God’s plan, in God’s provision, in God’s preservation, Joseph was able to say to his brothers, “Have no fear; I myself will provide for you and for your little ones.” He spoke kindly to them, making every effort to reassure them that their fears and anxieties were for nothing.

We’ve already heard about Jesus. It’s quite clear what Jesus captors and persecuters expected of him. As they beat him and spit on him, they expected some kind of response. As they shouted at him and mocked him, they expected some kind of reaction. A reaction they got, it just wasn’t one that they could have predicted. They expected Jesus to respond like any of them would have responded had they been in his shoes. They expected him to react like they’ve seen any number of other human beings react in the same situation. Confident in God’s plan, in God’s provision, in God’s preservation, Jesus was able to say of his captors and persecutors, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” It’s this grace and mercy in the face of death that sets Jesus apart as our Christ and King.

Today, God continues to preserve a numerous people. Today, the large family that began with Jesus Christ has been revealed. It is the church. Today, it is the church that has been called according to God’s purpose. If called, then also justified. If justified, then also glorified. Today, it is the church for whom all things work together for good. If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? Confident in God’s plan, in God’s provision, in God’s preservation, the church is the family of people best equipped to do justice in the land and pursue reconciliation between people. We are not worried about preserving ourselves because we rest in the hands of a God who gave us his son to cast out our fears and anxieties and will just as surely give us everything else.

I said earlier that these words of Paul about all things working together for good are not necessarily written for individuals who have been abused or who have lost their jobs or who have lost their homes. I think that’s right, but I don’t think that means they are left out of this picture. They, like the whole creation, are groaning in pain. They are waiting with eager longing for the children of God to be revealed. The suffering and the groaning of this world is great. Today 10’s of thousands of children will die from hunger and malnutrition. The world is hungry, waiting for someone to say, “Have no fear. I myself will provide for you and your little ones.” Paul seems to think that the one to say that is Jesus Christ has he lives and breathes through is body, through his family on earth.

Joseph’s brothers didn’t expect him to act so kindly. Jesus’ persecutors didn’t expect him to act so mercifully. Perhaps the donkey’s owner didn’t expect him to act so patiently. He expected that the donkey would just lie down and die. The evil in the world expects to have its way. Whether it is sexual abuse, a slave trade, or greed, the evil of this world doesn’t expect much competition. If anything, the devil’s plan is to do evil only to produce more evil so that violence results in more violence, so that greed results in more hoarding, so that prejudice results in more hate. If there is a plan of the devil it is to raise our level of fear and anxiety so high that sin seems the only solution. But because the church has been let in on God’s plan, called according to his purpose, we know another way. As Paul said, “Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought of what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all…Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Does that mean that as Christians we might have to suffer in our cause? Maybe. Does that mean that as Christians we might be mocked, ridiculed, or even persecuted? Perhaps. Does that mean that as Christians we might have our hospitality taken advantage of? Most likely. Will any suffering or mocking thwart God’s plan to preserve a family of grace and mercy on the earth? Absolutely not. Will any ridicule or persecution or forsaken hospitality separate us from God’s love? No! In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. Every time we unexpectedly overcome evil with good, the dirt that is thrown on our backs becomes another step out of the pit of sin toward the glory of eternal life. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

Discipling the Nations – 11/16/08

This past week I met Agshin Jafarov. He’s from Azerbaijan. He’s a Christian that grew up in a Muslim family. His family doesn’t know that he’s become a Christian. They think he’s studying comparative religion in America. He’s currently studying theology at Western Seminary with the hope of returning home to share the good news with his friends and family. I also met Rothney Tshaka. He is from South Africa and grew up there during apartheid. He’s now a professor at New Brunswick Seminary out in New Jersey, but hopes to return home to teach in the University of South Africa.

Another person I met was Jhonny. He’s Puerto Rican and grew up in New York City. He was raised in the Pentecostal tradition and his first church was in Nicaragua. A devastating earthquake opened his eyes to a whole new layer of ministry that his church had not prepared him for earlier. I met Derrick who had no sense of his heritage or where his ancestors came from until he got a degree in African studies. It connected him with his grandparents and with the RCA. He now serves as a coordinator for African missions for our denomination.

Jong Kug Kim grew up in South Korea and lived through a Japanese invasion and the Korean War. He was raised a Christian and is now a minister for the RCA at a church out in New Jersey. Eddy was born in Nicaragua, spent a good portion of his life in Canada, and is now beginning to lay the ground work for hundreds of church plants out in California. He says that the biggest struggle is learning what it means to be Mexican. Then, there’s Adriene who grew up following Martin Luther King Jr’s death. She left the church for a while, became a Rockette at Radio City Music Hall, but is now a minister of Arts and Dance for the RCA in New York City.

Bertalan Tamas is serving the church in Hungary. J.P. is serving the church in India. Stephanie is serving the church in St. Louis. Humberto left Brazil to serve the church in Canada. Vern spent most of his life in Chiapas and is now sharing what he learned about cross-cultural ministry with students at Western. This past week I met many people from many different nations and they call came together in one place for one reason. There was one topic of conversation for three days: in a world that’s as diverse as this one is in the 21^st Century, how do we make disciples of all nations? In fact, we were probably asking the same questions the disciples were asking after they got Jesus’ instructions as we heard them this morning.

“Go and make disciples of all nations.” The church throughout the centuries has done it’s best to fulfill this mission. These words spoken by Jesus form part of the great conclusion to Matthew’s gospel. We know them well. What you might not know so well is that this short passage brings together to great themes of the Bible into one. Jesus is standing on a mountain and talking about the nations. Throughout the Bible important things happen on mountains. And, throughout the Bible, God always has the nations in mind.

A stray sheep led Moses to the mountain of Horeb where the Lord called Moses back to Egypt. The Lord spoke these words, “I will be with you. And this will be a sign to you that it is I who have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.” Later, the Lord would descend on Mount Sinai and declare to Moses and the Israelites, “Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”

It wouldn’t be long after that that Moses stood on Mount Nebo and the Lord said, “This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when I said, I will give it to your descendents.” Moses was not the only prophet who would find the Lord in the mountains. The prophet Elijah would run to Mount Horeb when Ahab and Jezebel were trying to kill him. The Lord came to him, not in the great wind, nor the powerful earthquake, nor the raging fire, but in a gentle whisper. The Lord gave Elijah instruction as to how he should proceed and preserve the remnant of faithful followers.

The prophet Isaiah also saw an important role for the mountain in his vision of the last days: the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. Many peoples will come and say, “Come let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” They will beat their swords in to plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.

This long tradition of the mountain was certainly carried on in the time of Jesus. When Jesus gave his great sermon that told us that hate was murder and lust was adultery, to love our enemies and pray in secret, to avoid judgment and worry, he was standing on a mountain. When Jesus was transfigured before his disciples into a dazzling white, Moses and Elijah joined him and we discover that just as the Lord spoke in a gentle whisper he now speaks through Jesus. They all stood on a mountain. After Jesus’ resurrection, he called his disciples up a mountain and said, “All authority on heaven and earth has been given to me. Go, therefore and make disciples of all nations.” That brings us to theme number two: that God always has the nations in mind.

When God called Abraham away from his land and family he said, “I will bless you and all the peoples of the earth will be blessed through you.” As you heard already, when the Lord set apart Israel, he called them a holy nation. Even though the whole earth and all the nations belonged to the Lord, Israel would be set apart as a nation of priests to bless the nations. The coming of the nations was a great theme for the prophet Isaiah as well. We already heard how the nations would stream to the mountain of the Lord to learn God’s ways and make peace. In the same way, every Advent we hear the prophet say, “Here is my servant…I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations.” And we hear, ‘See I made him a witness to the peoples…Surely you will summon nations you know not, and nations that do not know you will hasten to you.” The prophet Amos said something similar, “On that day I will raise up the booth of David that is fallen in order that they may posses all the nations called by my name.”

Of course, as Christians, we believe that this booth, that servant, is Jesus. He clearly shared Isaiah’s vision for the nations. Jesus told the story of the day when the Son of Man would come in glory and all the nations would gather before him. He would separate them based on how they cared for those who were hungry and thirsty, naked and sick, imprisoned or strangers within their borders. This morning we listened as he sent his disciples out from the mountain top to go make disciples of all nations. All of this is to say, that every important event in the Bible, every desire of God has come together at this point in Matthew’s gospel. The fact that Jesus is standing on a mountain and talking about the nations indicates to us that this is not just the end of Matthew’s gospel it is the end of the very long history of God who was preparing the way for this day. Everything else has been leading up to this point. What God has wanted all along is to see every nation made into a disciple; to be baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and to obey everything that Jesus has commanded.

Water cleanses, water purifies, water refreshes, water sustains. Jesus Christ is the living water. Those are words we hear every time another child or grand child or neighbor or friend is baptized. They are words of God’s promises to cleanse, to purify, to refresh, and to sustain. Baptism is a sign and seal of God’s promises to his people. In baptism God promises, by grace alone: to forgive our sins, to adopt us into the body of Christ, the church; to send the Holy Spirit daily to renew and cleanse us; and to resurrect us to eternal life. This is the entirety of the good news wrapped into one gracious moment. Welcoming people into this good news is the beginning of making disciples.

This was, after all, the beginning of how all of us became disciples. We were heard the good news that God would not hold our sins against us but would remove them far from us and forgive us. We were moved to hear that God would not lord his power over us but would run to embrace us as a compassionate Father to his children. We were encouraged to know that we do not stand alone but have been adopted into a greater family and joined with Jesus Christ as in a body. Faith and love were born in our hearts when God poured his Holy Spirit upon us. Hope became a part of our lives as we look forward to the day when our lives will be made new for all eternity. Being a disciple is reminding one another of that gracious, good news that infuses every aspect of our lives. Likewise, making disciples is proclaiming that good news to those who have yet to hear. But there is more.

Our baptismal liturgy also says, “through baptism Christ calls us to a new obedience: to love and trust God completely, to forsake the evil of the world, and to live a new and holy life.” This is the part that’s difficult to get the nations to buy into. This is where Jesus’ message doesn’t always make sense. This is where, for example, we hear from Isaiah that when the nations walk in way of the Lord they will not learn war anymore. They will take their weapons and pound them into tools of agriculture. This doesn’t make a lot of sense to the nations. They would rather their own nation be the center of attention. They would rather have the nations stream to their highest mountain. They would rather settle their disputes with violence rather than creation. So, the Lord has set apart a people who will live not by power, not by might, but by the Spirit and trust God completely.

These same peoples are called to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world by forsaking the evil of the world. They are to refrain from murder by being slow to anger. They are to avoid adultery by turning away from lustful looks. They should not easily divorce, nor make false oaths. They should turn the other cheek and love their enemies and give to everyone who asks of them. They should give in secret, pray in secret and fast in secret thereby storing up for themselves treasures in heaven that will not rust or fade. All of this sermon on the mount cuts against the grain of a society that says we should have what we want and when we want it even if it comes at the expense of others. That’s why the Lord is looking for disciples who will make disciples.

The servant of the Lord was one who would open eyes that are blind and bring prisoners out of their darkness. The servant of the Lord was one who would do justice for the nations and demand justice of the nations. Those nations that will inherit the kingdom of God are those who have fed the hungry, gave drink to the thirsty, clothed the naked, welcomed the stranger, cared for the sick, and visited the prisoner. But too often the nations would rather pursue wealth and influence, to care for the least of these is not always high on the agenda of the nations. Than again, I suppose that’s why Jesus has called for a people who will make disciples of them; people who will baptize and teach the nations to live a new and holy life.

As I spent a few days with people from South Korea to South Africa, from Canada to Brazil, from America to Azerbijian, on common thread became clear. Our common desire to make disciples stemmed from a reaction to the catastrophes of this world, whether they be natural disasters or wars or prejudice or greed. We were confident that Jesus’ advice to us in the face of such evils is not to make war or make enemies, but to make disciples by baptizing and teaching. The fact that so many nations were represented in that room only confirmed for us that Jesus knew what he was talking about and that his words were true.

After our worship this morning, we will be holding yet another congregational meeting. It is a time to review the previous year, to elect new elders and deacons and to approve another budget for another year. The Bible doesn’t say much about elections or budgets and they can often times seem very unholy. But this morning we are reminded that they represent another year of life at Hope Reformed Church and, more importantly, another year where we live forgiven, as one body, sustained by one Spirit, to make disciples, if not of this nation, then at least of those we encounter in this sanctuary and on this corner. We have good news to share and good works to carry out. And the best part of all is this: Jesus said, “And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Amen.

Part 8 – Royal (In)justice

Based on what has been covered this far, the uniqueness of Israel is no more apparent than in a review of the Bible’s approach to the king. We’ve already covered the role of the king in surrounding cultures. In many cases, the king was the son of god or even god incarnate. The king was put on the throne to ensure that the gods were properly served by the slavery of humanity. It was through the king that the gods established civilization and the laws of society. The king alone was above the law because the king instituted the law. The law of the land and the will of the king were one and the same because the will of the king was supposedly one with the will of the gods. The Hebrew Bible is clear that God is king.

Psalm 97 begins with the words, “The Lord is king!” It is the great confession of the Hebrew Bible that the Lord is God and the Lord alone. There are to be no other gods before the Lord. We might also say that there will be no other kings before the Lord. It was God’s desire to set up judges over Israel who would settle disputes and maintain the people in their covenant loyalty. One of the greatest judges in Israel’s history was Samuel who administered justice throughout the land. However, by the time of Samuel’s sons, the people began clamoring for a king. Samuel’s sons had begun taking bribes and perverting justice. In the eyes of the people, the only way to maintain justice was to establish a throne like the other nations.

Heartbroken, the Lord says to Samuel, “they have rejected me from being king over them.” The Lord decides to grant their wish, but commands that Samuel warn them:

So Samuel reported all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. He said, “These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen, and to run before his chariots; and he will appoint for himself commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make him implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his courtiers. He will take one-tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and his courtiers. He will take your male and female slaves, and the best of your cattle and donkeys, and put them to his work. He will take one-tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves; but the Lord will not answer you in that day.” – I Samuel 8:10-18

The warning makes it abundantly clear that any king set over the people will take what he wants and will be concerned for his own benefit. The warning is also clear that the resources used for the king’s prosperity will come at the expense of the people. The warning concludes by saying that the people have now placed themselves in the hand of the king and the Lord will not answer them when they cry out. Unlike the surrounding cultures, the king and God are not one. In fact, one might say that they are opposed to one another. There is no guarantee of justice simply because there is a king. Rather, the people are likely to experience great injustice. Still, there is an attempt to rein in the king’s reign through God’s law.

[The king] must not acquire many horses for himself or return the people to Egypt to acquire more horses…and he must not acquire many wives for himself…also silver and gold he must not acquire in great quantity for himself…he shall have copy of this law written for himself…It shall remain with him and he shall read in it all the days of his life…neither exalting himself above other members of the community nor turning aside from the commandment. – Deuteronomy 17:14

Israel would prosper under its first three kings. However, by the time of Solomon the warning that God has issued had become reality for the people of Israel. The king of Israel was not above the law and was not to be exalted above the other members of the community. All people were made in the image of God and were meant to be free to serve the Lord, not enslaved to a king. Throughout the wilderness experience, God’s people wanted to return to Egypt. This is God’s final warning. While they may not be returning to the place, they will be returning to all of the practices. They will be slaves in their own homes.

Although God meant Israel to be different, they often succumbed to the worldview of other nations. But, Israel remained unique in one surprising way. There were those who were willing to question the established order when it tarnished the image of God. God sent the prophets when Israel strayed into idolatry and injustice. As mentioned in a previous post, the two went hand in hand. Only the Lord would act as the kind of king that would serve justice by honoring the image of God in everyone. A human king would only pervert justice for the people and enslave them to his service. Again and again, the prophets would have to remind their kings of their proper role.

Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to a king’s son. May he judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice. May the mountains yield prosperity for the people, and the hills in righteousness. May he defend the cause of the people, give deliverance to the needy, and crush the oppressor. – Psalm 72:1-4

Unfortunately, Israel would have very few kings who could establish justice as the Lord desired. Few kings, that is, until the time was right for God to reclaim the throne. For that we move on to the New Testament and to another post.

Part 7 – Rituals of Justice

They have also been referred to as retributive justice and distributive justice. The first deals with the punishment of crimes and holding people accountable for their sins. The second deals with the ordering of society in a way that provides for the needs of the people. Both types of justice are covered in God’s law.

LEGAL JUSTICE

Witness Requirements – A single witness shall not suffice to convict a person of any crime or wrongdoing in connection with any offense that may be committed. Only on the evidence of two or three witnesses shall a charge be sustained. – Deuteronomy 19:15

Cities of Refuge – “You shall select cities to be cities of refuge for you, so that a slayer who kills a person without intent may flee there. The cities shall be for you a refuge from the avenger, so that the slayer may not die until there is a trial before the congregation. – Numbers 35:9-12

Tempered Response – “If any harm follows, then you shall give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.” Exodus 21:23-25

ECONOMIC JUSTICE

Tithe – “Every third year you shall bring out the full tithe of your produce for that year, and store it within your towns; the Levites…resident aliens, orphans and widows…may come and eat their fill.” Deut. 14:28-29

Gleaning – When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest…you shall leave them for the poor and the alien: I am the Lord your God. – Leviticus 19:9-10, Deut. 24:21-22

Sabbath – If a member of your community, whether a Hebrew man or Hebrew woman, is sold to you and works for you six years, in the seventh year you shall set that person free…you shall not send him out empty-handed. – Deut: 15:12-18, see Exodus 20:8-11

Jubilee – And you shall hallow the fiftieth year and you shall proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you: you shall return, every one of you, to your property and every one of you to your family. – Lev. 25:10

“Vengence is mine,” says the Lord. God knew that his people were prone to violence; a violence that desecrated the image in which humanity was made (remember Genesis 6:11, 9:6). So, God instituted laws of justice that could temper humanity’s natural, violent response so that justice could be done. Comparatively, Israel’s laws were merciful than many of the surrounding cultures. Again, the reason is that each human being is made in the image of God and it would be unjust to dismiss that life based on false witness or in the heat of revenge.

“Justice, and only justice, you shall pursue, so that you may live and occupy the land that the Lord your God is giving you.” God new that his people were prone to be hard-hearted and tight-fisted (see Deut. 15:7ff). So, God instituted laws of justice that would call for regular and generous distribution of grain and land. No man or woman, because they were made in God’s image, was to be deserted to a life of slavery. They had been called to co-create with God, to bring order and beauty to the world. It was not a vocation that could be carried out in slavery. God’s laws of economic justice ensured that no one would be stuck in a cycle of poverty and no generation would suffer injustice without relief.

The Lord would set up judges over the land to maintain these rituals. Israel would be unique in this way as well, but not for long. Their insecurity, hard-heartedness, and tight-fistedness would lead them down a different path. Instead of pursuing justice and only justice, they would pursue the path of the other nations. God would not be happy about it.

Live Free – 11/02/08

On October 31^st, 1517, Martin Luther mailed a letter of protest. He was protesting the sale of indulgences that was being promoted by the Catholic church. The money was to be spent on the rebuilding of St. Peter’s Basilica. The underlying belief was that faith was not enough to get into heaven. Only good works and charity was good enough for salvation. Conveniently, one of the good works available to Christians was to purchase indulgences. They were buying their salvation basically. At some points it got so strange that people could pay extra money if they thought a relative was stuck in purgatory or heading in the wrong direction.

Martin Luther, of course, objected to this view of salvation. He wanted to affirm that salvation belonged to God and to God alone. It could not be bought. His 95 Theses are said to have begun the Protestant Reformation which, in many ways, set people free from a church that had lost its way. As the Reformation progressed, one of the big changes was that services would be held in local languages rather than just Latin. Everyone got to participate and understand what was happening. In the same way, the Bible was translated in to different languages as well. Everyone got to read the Bible and understand it for themselves. Rather than look to a priest for a word from God, the Reformation wanted everyone to consider themselves priests. Jesus Christ would serve as the only mediator between God and humans.

It must have been a very exciting time in the church in those days. There would have been a lot about this new found freedom that seemed fresh and new. I would imagine this freedom held a lot of possibilities and hope for many people who had lost faith in the church but not in God. It meant, for example, that people had the freedom to rethink their theology and their view of the sacraments which is exactly what they did. Luther began to describe the Lord’s Supper differently from the Catholic church of the day. Rather than finding the real presence of Christ in the bread and cup, Luther imagined Christ was now everywhere. There was a real presence in, with, and under the bread. Luther certainly wasn’t the only one to use this freedom to come up with new ideas.

Ulrich Zwingli looked at the Lord’s Supper and didn’t see any real presence of Jesus Christ at all. Jesus and his body were now up in heaven and, he thought, the only way for him to be present now was by the Holy Spirit. John Calvin said that, yes, Jesus and his body are in heaven but, by the Holy Spirit he becomes present to us in a very real way. He calls this the mystical union. From here there were arguments about whether or not someone needed faith to benefit from the sacrament or if the sacrament benefited the recipient by giving them faith. And that’s just communion. There just as many arguments concerning baptism.

Following the first reformers, others came along who said that they had not reformed enough. They saw infant baptism as one of the leftovers from the Catholic church and something that was unbiblical. Only those who were old enough to express their faith could be washed clean from their sins said these new reformers. As you may know, they were called the Anabaptists. The first reformers didn’t like these new kids on the block. They were persecuted by the Catholic Church. Both Luther and Zwingli advocated for their killing and John Calvin participated in the execution of another.

For freedom Christ has set us free, Paul wrote. Stand firm, therefore and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. So, it seems that the Reformers did not heed Paul’s advice. They had been set free from an institution that was limiting their faith and confining their actions. In this new found freedom there were all kinds of possibilities ahead of them, but in their freedom they became bound again to their own theology and views of the sacrament. So, instead of having one, reformed body of believers we have thousands of denominations; some of them separated by minute details in their doctrine. It was this same kind of thing that Paul wrote about to the Galatians.

The issue in Galatia revolved around another sacrament of sorts: circumcision. As we heard from the Old Testament reading, Isaac was circumcised eight days after he was born just as God commanded. This is what God said of circumcision to Abraham, “Throughout your generations every male among you shall be circumcised when he is eight days old, including the slave born in your house and the one bought with your money…So shall my covenant be in your flesh an everlasting covenant. Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.” Clearly, circumcision was a big deal to God back then. It would be the mark that set apart his people from all the other nations of the world. Anyone who is not circumcised would be cut off from God’s people.

Now listen to what Paul says about the matter: Listen! I, Paul, am telling you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no benefit to you. Paul is putting a choice before the people in Galatia: circumcision or Christ. You can’t have both he says. Here’s what’s going on. There have been some recent converts to Christ in Galatia. Obviously, they are not Jewish or they would have been circumcised already. Following their conversion a group of teachers comes along and is instructing them that they need to be circumcised. It probably sounds like a logical request. Jesus is the messiah of Israel, the son of God. He’s calling all the nations to the God of Israel, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This God was very clear that all men should be circumcised if they want to be counted among his people. Besides, Jesus was circumcised eight days after he was born. Why shouldn’t you?

Against this argument, comes Paul’s letter saying that if you let yourselves be circumcised you will lose Christ, the very one who brought you to this point in the first place. No doubt many of Paul’s listeners would have participated in pagan cults and perverted rituals that were despised by Paul and his fellow Jews. They would be repulsed by any attempt to commune with God through sex or any other ecstatic ritual. Christ had come to set them free from that kind of perversion and addiction. However, Christ did not set them free from one kind of slavery just so that they could be bound by another. In Paul’s mind, anyone who is circumcised is obliged to obey the entire law.

Paul’s point is that Christ has set us free for the sake of freedom; so that they would not be bound by any yoke of slavery again. The law with all of its commandments is just another form of slavery and will only lead to death. To the Galatians he writes, “You who want to be justified by the law have cut yourselves off from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.” To use some of Paul’s other words, “You have been saved by grace, through faith.” If you seek salvation through the law then it is no longer grace that has saved you. Circumcision is the first step to becoming chained again in slavery to the law, the whole law where one misstep results in death. Why would you choose the slavery of circumcision when you can have freedom in Christ?

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything; the only thing that counts…let’s pause there. That’s a powerful phrase right there: the only thing that counts. There is one thing that matters, Paul writes. You have been set free from sin, set free from the burdens of the law and you are now resting in grace under Jesus Christ. There is only one thing that counts now. There is only one thing you need to remember. Whatever comes next is the only thing that is essential to Christian freedom in Christ. Paul is about to boil it down. The only thing that counts is faith working through love. That is the picture of Christian freedom: faith working through love.

The reformers would have done well to remember these words of Paul. We’re left to wonder how the history of the church would have been different if Paul’s words remained true. The Reformers seemed to say, the only thing that counts is what you believe about the Lord’s Supper and baptism. What if we were free to celebrate communion regardless of what we believed about the sacrament; it’s a mystery either way, isn’t it? It seems that the reformers sacrificed the freedom of Christ and its grace for theological domination and control. In fact, they became the very thing that they wanted to avoid. That’s a struggle we all have with freedom. We want to be free from certain things, but end up being enslaved in another way.

In think this is most visible for adults as they watch teenagers try to find their own way. Part of being a teenager is wanting to be free from parents. Teenagers want to be able to choose their own friends and choose their own clothes and choose their own curfew. They just want to be free. But what do they often end up doing? Teenagers often end up becoming enslaved to popular culture or some other clique with identifiable marks. It’s not long after that that they make decisions that will help them stay in their chosen group even if some of those decisions are destructive. It’s not long after that that their group is better than all the rest. For freedom Christ has come to set us free, but we often choose to enslave ourselves anyway. How would high school be different if the only thing that counted was faith working through love?

How would marriages be different if the only thing that counted was faith working through love? I counsel all couples before they get married that most couples attribute their difficulties to two things: sex and money. All that should matter in marriage is faith working through love. But Hollywood and the internet create false notions of a healthy sex life that some people expect in their marriage bed. When they don’t find it there, they go looking for it somewhere else. The lie we believe is that intimacy comes through sex rather than sex being the result of intimacy. Likewise, advertising creates a false notion of what makes for a life of wealth and pleasure. Couples find out it takes a lot more time at work to create that picture and that means a lot less time at home with one another and with the kids. The lie we believe is that work buys us real pleasure rather than work being pleasurable itself. Sex is good. Money is good. Work is good. But the only thing that counts is faith working through love.

How would churches be different if the only thing that counted was faith working through love? We still struggle with some of the divisions that began at the reformation, but others have been added along the way. Worship wars have popped up here and there. Generations have drawn lines in the sand and said, “I will no longer worship with hymns and organ.” Or, “I will no longer worship when Johnny starts playing his drums.” We might say that these are free choices we get to make, but it might also be said that we are bound by our own preferences for worship. The organ carries a long tradition with it and the drums can get awfully loud at times, but the only thing that counts is faith working through love. We have a hard time remembering that even in church.

We might say that that’s how the devil gets us. We are told we are free from the law and we take that to mean almost anything goes. One of two things happen, we either start building up our own law again or become enslaved to our own choices and desires. Neither represents true freedom in Christ. If we start creating a new law then we are trying to save ourselves and Christ died for nothing. Christ died so that we could live by faith and not the law. If, on the other hand, we succumb to our own desires then we are using our freedom for the wrong purposes and really aren’t free. Then we are taking salvation for granted and Christ died for nothing. Paul would go on to write, “For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters, only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence.” Freedom is not for self-indulgence but for love. The only thing that counts is faith working through love.

A just world is one in which everyone can live free. Freedom is of great value to God. That’s why he sent his son to die on the cross. For freedom Christ has set us free. God wants us to be free. God also wants our teenage years to be enjoyable. God wants our marriages to be faithful and fruitful. God would have us enjoy long careers in meaningful work and worship in ways that are, well, worshipful. The way to these things is through Jesus Christ who has set us free from the law, but also from our own sinful passions and desires that bind us in ways that often go unnoticed. In this new Christian life that we are living, the only thing that counts is faith working through love. If you want to experience true freedom in the grace of God, put first things first. The only thing that counts is faith working through love. Amen.

“the article”

I recently had some of my thoughts published in the Grand Rapids Press. Since I received a comment on it, I thought I’d post the article here and include the comment below.

A recent guest commentary saw a concerted effort to equate liberal social policies with the Christian mandate to care for the poor. Christian compassion was contrasted with humanist demands for a shared life and the communist confession that we will have heaven on earth. The commentary suggested that liberal social policies are diametrically opposed to Christian compassion and that charity is much better suited to meet the needs of those suffering from poor choices, poor luck, or poor justice.

Actually, calls for income redistribution are found in God’s law. Alongside prohibitions of lying and sexual immorality are commands to leave some of the harvest, tithe, release slaves with provisions, and redistribute the land at Jubilee. They were compulsory; not left to individual choice or charity. They ensured everyone a decent life. God knew his people could be hard-hearted and tight-fisted and knowing that the poor would be with them commanded, “Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbor in your land.” (Deuteronomy 15:7-11).

Jesus proclaimed “the year of the Lord’s favor;” a reference to Jubilee. He taught his disciples to pray for God’s kingdom “on earth as it is in heaven.” “Forgive us our debts” points us again to Sabbath and Jubilee laws. The Holy Spirit inspired early Christians to sell their private possessions and devote them to the common good. We have a prayer and fellowship that appear similar to “utopian” humanist and communist ideas. Of course, there was no written law binding believers. They acted compassionately because the law was written on their hearts.

The apostle Paul hoped for cheerful givers in order that one would not have too much while another has too little (2 Cor. 8:15). Today, the average house is getting larger, the average debt is getting deeper, and the income gap gets wider. Today, studies say that most Christians, despite commendable generosity, only contribute 2-6% of their income. Even after recent tax cuts, none claim that most Christians give a full 10%. Some say we’d have an extra $143 billion annually if every Christian tithed; enough to meet all of the UN Millenium Goals and more to evangelize. Alas, God’s people have other priorities. Christian charity remains ill-suited to replace government programs and that’s o.k.

The Bible describes a role for government. The OT commends rulers who establish God’s justice. Jesus and Paul encourage Christians to pay taxes to “God’s servant.” Certainly, Jesus was not a communist and God did not ordain a liberal government, but perhaps we should vote for one that is more liberating; one ensuring everyone enough to live a decent life. Government is our human attempt to organize Christian compassion and Spirit of the common good into a society with liberty and justice for all. We would all like the government to be more discerning, judicious, and purposeful. That’s why we cheerfully volunteer our votes, voices, and taxes to the cause. We dare not let the voice of Christian compassion be drowned out in the halls of the state.