They Want to See Jesus. Can You Help?

I planned on preaching from these notes Sunday but didn't. I spoke to the congregation while standing among them in the aisle. I think I hit most of the things I planned but I really let God guide me in what to say. It was basically that our mission field is outside the doors of the church. There are people in our community who want to see Jesus and we may be the only ones they will ever get to meet him through. If we don't show them Jesus who will?

Our lives are one way that they will see Jesus but what if they come to you and want to know more? How will you help them if you haven't been studying God's word. All of us need to spend time in the Word so that we can help others find Jesus when the come seeking him.

Roger Nishioka spoke to the Missouri River Valley Presbytery last Saturday and told us that in a few years the "nones" would have the greatest number of members followed by the Roman Catholic church. These are the folks who say they are spiritual but don't belong to any formal religious group. Think about that.

I pray that if you are reading this and are seeking a church family that you will come and join us on Sunday or any day of the week for that matter. If you are looking for a place where you can find peace and quiet and have time alone with God this is a good place to come. If you want to come in and just talk about this things of the world and how God is in control of it, come in and visit. Who knows maybe together we can come up with something new to talk about on Sunday morning.

Go ahead and read the sermon knowing that it isn't exactly as preached last Sunday.

God loves you and so do I.

Some Greeks who were in Jerusalem for the Passover came to Philip asking if they could see Jesus. Since he wasn’t sure how to respond he went to another disciple, Andrew, and told him what they wanted. Together they went to Jesus with the Greek’s request.
If someone came to you and asked you to see Jesus what would you do? Or maybe it’s you who want to see Jesus. Where would you go? Who would you ask for help?
Let’s say someone came to you asking if you could take them to Jesus how do you think you would proceed? Well let’s think about this together and try to figure out how to help them in their quest to find the Savior.
Just the fact that they came to you lets you know that they believe that you know the way to Jesus. It may be because of the way you live your life or it might be how you have reacted to different trials you have experienced. Whatever the reason, they trust that you are the best person to come to for help.
How does that make you feel, a little uncomfortable? First, if you’re like me you probably feel like you are the last person who would be able to answer their questions. What I mean is I’m still trying to understand how God can make anything good come from the mess I’ve made of things in my life. I have faith that he can do anything I just don’t know how he does it.
So, back to the original question, how can we help someone who comes to us looking for Jesus? Where do we start?
I might begin by bringing them into the sanctuary and walking them right up here to the cross. They won’t find him there since the cross is empty but I think I might start by explaining to them that God so loved his whole creation, that includes us by the way, that he came down to earth as a human being. He took the form of a little baby and was born to a couple who weren’t married yet. This very young couple was given the overwhelming responsibility of rearing God’s Son, Jesus, the Anointed One, Isaiah and Jeremiah spoke of in the Hebrew Bible.
At that point I think I’d get my Bible and show them in the gospels where they could find Jesus. Since we’re reading from John that might be a good place to start but really they could find Jesus in any of the gospels. Do you think that might satisfy them, if I showed them they could find Jesus in the gospels? Maybe for about a minute but I’m afraid that they want to really meet Jesus face to face. So then what do we do?
How do we explain to them that he died on a cross, was buried in a tomb that wasn’t originally planned for his use, and then he only was there 3 days. Do you think they’re going to really believe that he was resurrected and was a living, breathing person who ate and drank and walked and talked with the disciples for a period of 40 days? Do you think they’d understand that he continued to teach his disciples more about the kingdom of God and that after he ascended into heaven these disciples were baptized with the Holy Spirit, who was one with God and Jesus?
That still might not fully satisfy them. After all they asked to see Jesus. What do you think they would say if I told them that he was inside me, that when they looked at me they could see Jesus? Do you think they’d stick around to hear my explanation of how that works?
If they would then you’d know for certain that God was truly at work in all of it, because there’s no way I could explain all that without the Holy Spirit’s help. What do you think?
After all, the Prophet, Jeremiah, told the people that God was making a New Covenant with them. This time God said that he was going to write his law within their hearts. They wouldn’t have to teach each other about him anymore because they’d know him from the inside out. It wouldn’t matter what their IQ, everyone would understand. Maybe that’s the place to start.
If they come to you and me asking to see Jesus it must be because God has written something on their hearts and he sent them to us to explain everything. So now how does that make you feel?
I don’t know. I still don’t think I’m completely qualified but on the other hand if God brought them to us then he must know that we can show them Jesus.
Friends, just remember that God never does anything like the world would do things. The world would never send someone to us and ask us to show them Jesus because, well, the world doesn’t believe that he was the Messiah. He was just another one of the people who thought he was the Savior of the world. And if he was just a man then he’s no longer here so we couldn’t possibly show them Jesus. Does that make any sense?
But we aren’t influenced by the world are we? We know exactly where Jesus is. He is within us, his beside us, he is behind us, in fact he has us hemmed in all around. We can show them Jesus by taking them to the Word. As John said, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God…the Word became flesh and lived among us and we have seen his glory. John wrote these things so that we all might come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing we may have life in his name.”
I don’t know if that would completely satisfy someone who came to me looking for Jesus but that’s where I would start. I’d have to trust completely in God’s Holy Spirit to guide me through the whole process.
Friends, what would you do? Could you help them? We are all on a journey and we have to help each other find our way to the Light of God’s salvation.
Friends, God loved us so much he sent his only Son, Jesus, to save us. God loves every one of you and so do I. Thanks be to God. Amen.

What's Poisoning You?

Some of you may have heard this question, “What’s your poison?” You were probably being asked what you wanted to drink, usually. Today I want to ask you a little different question, “What’s Poisoning You?”
The people who were following Moses in their trek through the wilderness began complaining about not having things as comfy as they had them in Egypt. They wondered why God had brought them out here to die. God sent poisonous snakes to bite them. Many died before they realized they had sinned when they talked against God. And so they asked Moses to intercede for them before God to take the snakes away.
God told Moses to make a snake of copper and hoist it up on pole. Anyone who looked up at the snake would be cured of the snake bite and they would live.
In the same way all mankind has sinned against God and complained about the mess God has gotten them into. Everyone who has complained and sinned against God has been bitten by the poisonous snakes of the world. Some have died.
And so we come to Jesus and ask him to intercede for us before God. And our benevolent God already has the answer. Look up at the One on the cross. Look up and be saved!
How is it possible that the people were saved by looking at the fiery copper snake on the pole? How could looking at an image of the thing that had made them deathly ill in the first place make them well? It’s not logical.
By the same token how can looking at this cruel instrument of Roman torture save us from the poisonous sin in our lives? It’s not logical. It doesn’t make any sense. How could a cross save us?
Friends, it’s not the cross but the One who went to the cross for us who saves us. And it’s a free gift from God. We’ve done nothing to earn this salvation. Paul says in Ephesians all we have to do is trust. It’s grace through faith. And even faith is a gift from God.
How could anyone believe that they could be saved by one person dying for them on a cross? How could anyone believe that anyone could be killed on a cross, buried in a tomb, and rise again? It’s just not logical.
But friends, it did happen. It’s real. God came into the world not to condemn the world but to save it. And he came not just for his own chosen people but for all his creation.
So what’s poisoning you? Have you figured out what you need to do? This is the hard part to understand. There’s nothing we can do. God wants all of us to be cured of the poison in our lives. He wants all of his children to be in an intimate relationship with him.
But God doesn’t force himself on anyone. He leaves it up to us to find the light. And some just can’t believe that there can be a God who loves them so much that he will accept them just the way they are with all their sins, with all the darkness in their lives, with all the evil poison that is coursing through their brain. God will take us, any of us, just the way we are. All we really have to do is turn to the light. Come out of the darkness. Look up at the cross. This is a symbol of foolishness to some but it is the only thing that will save us.
God has prepared the way. We have all messed it up. We have all been poisoned by the things of the world. God came into the world to save us. Look up and gaze into the eyes of Jesus. Let him cleanse your soul with his gracious love light.
It’s so easy but it’s so hard to admit that we can’t fix ourselves. Jesus is the way. God has prepared the way. Are you ready to trust in the crucified Christ who rose again to save us from death? Come to the cross and look up at the One who will save you.
Friends, God loves you and so do I.
Thanks be to God. Amen.

The Law, The Temple, and the Cross

What makes a good relationship? Think about what needs to happen in a relationship in order for it to last forever. Are there rules that should be followed?
I believe God wanted a relationship with his people, the ones he led on the Exodus from Egypt to the Promised Land. So at Mount Horeb “Ten Words” were engraved in stone for Moses to take down the mountain to the people. It was a covenant between God and his people.
God made a commitment to the people that if they would keep his commandments he would be with them a long, long time but if they didn’t keep his commandments he would punish them through many generations. The people made a passive commitment to keep these commandments.
You see they feared God, this God who made the top of the mountain tremble and boil over with black clouds. They feared this God who no one could look at without forfeiting their life.
So when Moses brought down the “Ten Words” of course they agreed to keep them. What was the alternative? God would forsake them and then they’d be on their own out there in the wilderness. Even though they often complained against God and Moses they knew they needed both of them in order to reach the Promised Land.
Then they arrived. They had everything God had promised they would have. They were in the lap of luxury. And what happened, they forgot the “Ten Words”. They drifted away from this relationship they had with God.
Oh, he gave them many opportunities to come back. There were prophets, judges, and kings. And they’d be reminded of the covenant. They would make their sacrifices and beg for forgiveness. They would remember the Sabbath and keep it holy. But again and again they would drift away.
The chosen ones did this so many times that it’s a wonder God stayed with them. It’s a wonder they weren’t destroyed. Why didn’t he start over again? Have you ever wondered that?
Things kept getting worse for God’s chosen people. One nation after another came in and conquered them. The Prophet promised a Messiah, someone who would save them and lead them in battle to rule the world. They waited and waited. And they kept the story alive of the Anointed One who would come from the family of David.
And then Jesus arrived in Bethlehem and grew to be a man in the little town of Nazareth. Through this Lenten season we have followed Jesus from the river Jordan into the wilderness where he was tempted by satan. We have been with the disciples as they listened to him teach them with parables. We have heard him talk about his suffering and death and resurrection. And like the disciples we can’t quite understand it all.
He talked about taking up our crosses and following him. He said that we should embrace suffering. How can we be saved by someone who allows themselves to be crucified on a cross? We have been waiting for a Savior who would lead us triumphantly in battle against our oppressors.
We have listened to him talk about the Temple. It is such a beautiful temple in Jerusalem. But he says if they destroy the temple he will rebuild it in 3 days. Impossible! It’s taken 20 years to get it this far and it’s still not complete. How can he do it in 3 days?
In John’s gospel we hear about Jesus coming into the temple. He’d been there before. He healed people, told them to pick up their mats and go home and sin no more. He’d made blind people see in the Temple. He’d taught people in the Temple. Today he turned everything upside down, literally.
I don’t think he did it on the spur of the moment either. I think this had been simmering for a while. It may have been the final act that pushed the religious leaders to over the edge. They were afraid that Jesus would destroy their temple.
They wanted to know who gave him the authority to do what he did? Who did he think he was? His answer was almost like he was daring them to do something. Tear down this temple and I’ll build it up in three days. Preposterous! No one could do that.
They didn’t understand that he was talking about his own body. That is, not until after his resurrection. Then it all made sense. Well, kind of made sense. The Jews don’t believe it yet and there are others who just don’t believe in any God or any Power.
It’s like Paul said, to some it’s just sheer silliness. The Jews were looking for a warrior Savior and the Greeks were looking for the ultimate source of Wisdom. What are we looking for? Will we find it here? Where will we find it?
Will we find it in the Law? Will we find it in the Temple? Or will we find it as we kneel at the foot of the Cross? Where will we find our Savior? Where will we find Wisdom?
If you have come looking for a Savior, if you have come looking for Wisdom, then according to Paul you have probably come to right place. Because he said, “God in his wisdom took delight in using what the world considered dumb—preaching, of all things!—to bring those who trust him into the way of salvation.”
The Law, the Temple, the Cross, and now preachers, you know it must be a God thing because only He could make all this work for good.
Friends, Jesus said the greatest commandment was to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. Love your neighbor as you love yourself. All the law rests on these two sentences.
We are told that our bodies are temples of God. When we invite Jesus into our hearts and lives they are made new and cleansed better than they ever were by the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross.
Relationships depend on the Law, the Temple, and the Cross. Love God, love your neighbor, keep your temple pure and clean, and lay all your burdens at the cross.
How does this all work? Friends, that is one of God’s great mysteries. It’s only by God’s grace through faith that we are forgiven and saved from our sins. Thanks be to God for his grace. Amen.

Living with Jesus

Jesus covered quite a lot of ground by foot. In fact it seems that wherever he was going he was walking. As he was walking he used that time to teach and instruct his disciples and the rest of the crowd that followed them.
The verses that preceded our gospel lesson were about Jesus asking the disciples who people were saying that he was. They gave various answers to his question. Then he asked them, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter gets the answer right when he says, “You are the Christ.”
Yet in the very next paragraph Peter gets it wrong. Jesus confronted Peter, told him to get out of his way, called him satan, told him to get lost, and basically told him he didn’t have a clue about how God works. He was on top one minute and lower than the dirt on his sandals the next. Yet Peter is who he is going to ask to lead his church.
Jesus saw this as a good teaching opportunity. He called the crowd that was following them to come close enough to hear what he had to tell them.
He said, "Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat; I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to saving yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? What could you ever trade your soul for?
If any of you are embarrassed over me and the way I'm leading you when you get around your fickle and unfocused friends, know that you'll be an even greater embarrassment to the Son of Man when he arrives in all the splendor of God, his Father, with an army of the holy angels."
Jesus had just told them the Son of Man would have to suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and teachers of the law. He would be killed and after three days would rise again.
The leader they were following had just said that he was going to die. So if they followed him and let him lead then they would most likely suffer the same fate. It wasn’t about them any more it was about Jesus. He was asking them to give up all the things in their lives that the world thought was necessary to their survival. They weren’t to depend on themselves any longer. He was asking them to make hard personal sacrifices for the good of their souls.
What is the Message for us today? What do you think it means when Jesus asks us to follow him and let him lead? What does it mean to us to not run from suffering, but to embrace it? It sounds as if whoever chooses to follow Jesus will have to put a lot of trust in the One they have never seen. Whoever makes the decision to follow Jesus will have to put a lot of faith in the Word.
These are tough questions for all of us in these times in which we live. Give up worrying about our 401k’s, our pensions, our CD’s, and our savings accounts that keep getting smaller everyday. Jesus lays it all out on the line when he asks, “What could you ever trade your soul for?”
What is your soul worth? Is it worth spending all our time trying to figure out how we can build more monetary wealth in our retirement accounts?
Everything Jesus is teaching in this gospel reading requires trust and faith in the One who spoke these words over 2,000 years ago. The lesson from Genesis and Romans was about the faith that Abraham had in the covenant God made with him to make him the Father of a great nation. Abraham had faith even though he was well past the prime years for fathering children. Yet he believed that if God said it, it would be as he said. That’s a whole lot of faith. And he waited another year before God kept his part of the covenant and they were blessed with Isaac.
Jesus is calling us today to be his disciples and to use the gifts he has given us to go out into the world and make more disciples of all nations. Do we have the faith and trust necessary to be disciples for Jesus?
What is it that scares us the most about being a disciple for Jesus? Will we have to leave our comfortable homes? Will we have to travel to far off lands teach people who are way different from the people in Iowa and Nebraska about Jesus and the Way? What scares us, what keeps us from making the commitment to be Jesus’ disciples?
What would it mean to spend our lives living with Jesus? What did it mean for Peter, James, John, Andrew, Philip, and the others He called to follow him? They were able to learn from the Rabbi who had all the answers. They were tested beyond everything they ever imagined and so would you and I be tested when we chose to live with Jesus. They made mistakes and were rebuked and so would we. No one ever gets it right all the time.
Friends, the question in our hearts today is the same question the disciples had in their hearts. How could Jesus make anyone’s like better by having his own like end? It just doesn’t sound right to our ears.
But Jesus was always doing things in the opposite way from the world. And he still does.
Who does he invite to be members of his body, perfect people? I don’t think so. There aren’t any perfect people. We all have flaws. We all make mistakes. Many that we don’t want anyone to ever find out about. But still Jesus calls us to drop everything, all our pretenses, and come and live our lives with him.
God asked Abraham to walk before him and be blameless. Jesus says, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” It’s all about faith and God’s grace.
Friends, look deep into your hearts. Spend some quiet time with God during this Lenten season and pray that he will give you the faith to come and live with him. Trust in his Word and believe in his Son who has gone before us and will live within us enabling us to do much more than we can even imagine.
Jesus says, Let me lead. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Give your all to him and let him show you the Way.
If you haven’t made the commitment to live with Jesus today is as good a time as any. Ask him to come into your heart. Ask him to give you the faith you need to let him be your leader. Confess your weakness and your sins and let him carry the load. Trust in the One who has gone on before us to know the Way.
Thanks be to God for his marvelous grace. Amen.

Signs

God put a sign in the sky to remind him not to ever destroy every living thing ever again with a flood. We still see the sign in the sky and so we can be assured that God also sees it and is reminded of his covenant with us.
What signs do we see every Sunday that also remind us of what God has promised or of what God has done for us?
As I look around the sanctuary my eyes are drawn to the cross. I remember that Jesus gave up his life on the cross for me. He took my sins as his own and willingly paid the price by dying on the cross for me. It’s at the cross that I know I can lay my burdens down and know that they will be lifted from my shoulders.
Right here we see the baptismal font filled with water. As we heard from the gospel according to Mark Jesus was baptized by John in the Jordan River as a sign for us that we all need to change our ways. John was preaching a Message of repentance and Jesus’ Message was very similar, “Change your life and believe the Message.”
In the words at our baptism we hear how God claims us, and seals us to show that we belong to God. God frees us from sin and death, uniting us with Jesus Christ in his death and resurrection. By water and the Holy Spirit, we are made members of the church, the body of Christ, and joined to Christ’s ministry of love, peace, and justice. We are asked to remember with joy our own baptism as we celebrate this sacrament.
Over here we see the joyful feast that the Lord has prepared for the people of God. When we hear the words of institution for the Eucharist we are asked to remember Jesus and all he taught and did whenever we eat this bread and drink this wine. They are signs for us of the sacrifice that was made for us so that we could enter into an intimate relationship with God, our Father. Every time we eat this bread and drink this cup we proclaim the saving death of the risen Lord, until he comes.
I believe that all creation is a sign of God’s love and power. Science can explain some things about our world but there’s a whole lot about this universe that can’t be explained other than to say it just happened. I don’t believe it just happened. I believe that God spoke the word and then it happened. And everything I see around me everyday just proves it for me. They are signs for me of God’s covenant.
But I’m reminded and come back to Jesus’ message as recorded in Mark. “Times up. God’s kingdom is here. Change your life and believe the Message.”
Friends, there are signs all around us. Some of them we notice and pay heed to and some we ignore. And so we pay the consequences of our ignorance.
In this season of Lent we are on the road with Jesus moving toward Easter. Not all of us travel the same road but I believe every road we travel will take us to God. All we have to do is follow the covenant signs and read the charted directions.
Thanks be to God for his gracious signs of love and peace. Amen.