Have any of you ever been completely, totally lost? Have you ever been so turned around that you had no idea how to get to where you needed to be? Have you ever lost all sense of direction and couldn’t be certain where north, south, east or west were?
I’ll bet that everyone here is remembering a time when you were traveling somewhere and became turned around. You’re remembering sometime when you were so lost you couldn’t even find anyone who could tell you where to go.
I think we’ve all been there at one time or another. I have and it’s sure not any fun, especially if you’re all alone and no one speaks you’re language.
Every time it’s happened to me I feel so stupid. How could I not know where I was going? How come I can’t tell north from east? How come no one understands what I’m saying?
Are you lost today? Did you find your way here today hoping to get some directions that would get you home? Have you lost your point of reference?
I wonder if there’s anyone here who can help those of us who are lost. I wonder if there’s anyone here this morning that’s been in our predicament.
By now you’ve probably figured out that I’m not talking about being physically lost, though that can still happen to some of us. I’ve been told that Daniel Boone said that he’d never been lost but he’d wandered around for a few days before he came home.
Friends, I’ve been lost. I’ve been so lost that I thought I’d never find my way back. There have been times that I didn’t think God would ever find me. And still today, I get off the path. If it weren’t for God and his grace I’d probably not be here today.
I could very easily be one of those sinners that Jesus ate with. I could have been one of those the Pharisees were grumbling about.
You see I’ve not always followed Jesus’ footsteps like I should have. In fact I strayed a long way off the path a few times. If it wasn’t for God calling me home I wouldn’t be here today. I know there was nothing I did that helped me find my way back.
I’m not sure I could use Paul’s excuse that I didn’t know better. I knew better. Just like the Israelites I got stupid and went and did my own thing. I got lost.
So, are any of you lost today? Have you wandered off the path and don’t know where to go to get back on?
I believe that if you’re here today it’s because the One who created you, the One who loves you has been searching for you and in his own way has brought you to this sanctuary. Friend, God has found you and brought you here so he can help you get your bearings.
None of us have all the answers but together, like a family, we can help each other when we wander off the path. And we will stray. We’re not so much different than the sheep Jesus referred to in his parable. We put our heads down and go our way never looking up. And when we do we find we don’t know where we are or how we got here. Pretty much like sheep.
Friends, I don’t think we’re stupid but I do believe we can be pretty hard headed or hard hearted and that’s why we get lost so often.
I don’t get so scared anymore when I get lost because I have hope that the One who loves me will find me and bring me home. My trust is in the One who died to save me, the One who defeated death so I no longer have to fear it. I always hope that this is the last time but it isn’t.
Now there may be some here who have never been lost. And for you I’m eternally grateful because you are the ones God sends to help us who get lost all the time. I thank God for you.
Friends, if you never have been lost. If you’ve always known your directions, then I believe God has given you a great gift. You are the ones he uses to find the lost. You’re probably the ones who find us sinners and eat with us and love us unconditionally. Thank God he’s put you here. Or maybe it works this way, you know where you’re at when we’re lost and then when you’re lost we know where we’re at and therefore we help each other.
I don’t really know. I just trust in God’s grace to find me, and you, when I’m lost. And however that’s accomplished I’m grateful to the One who keeps me in the shadow of his wings.
Thanks be to God for his gracious love that finds us when we’re lost. Amen.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Sunday, September 5, 2010
You Cannot Follow Jesus
You cannot be my follower…Why can’t I be your follower? I love you! I’ll do anything you ask!
Put me first, Jesus says. Love me more than these, he says. Give up everything you have, he says; otherwise you cannot be my follower.
Put you first? But I have a family. Linda needs me. My children still need me. I have grandchildren who need me. Lord, you are first but I have to take care of my family too. Won’t you let me do both?
Lord, you know everything about me. Surely you understand the predicament this Message puts me in. What do you mean, give up everything, everything like my bike, my routers, my books, my computer, my dog, everything? I must be misunderstanding what Luke’s written, everything?
I cannot be your disciple unless I give it all up? Jesus, that doesn’t sound fair. How can I possibly give up everything?
Friends, these are questions I’ve asked Jesus many times. How do you understand the lesson from Luke today? What’s it saying to you? Does he really mean that we have to hate our parents and our siblings and our children, even our own lives? Hate is such a strong word and my mother taught me not to use that word. But Jesus uses it here. Hate, are we reading that right? We have to hate before we can be His follower? We must not be reading that right.
Following Jesus costs more than we realize, at first. And at first we think the cost is too much. We try to barter with Jesus. We try to negotiate an easier package but He won’t budge. It’s all or nothing. Jesus will not back down until we’ve consented to giving him all our attention, all our desire, all our love.
What does it mean to you to be a Christian, a disciple of Jesus? How much has it cost you? Who comes first in your life? If Jesus calls you and your spouse calls you at the same time, who do you follow? Where are your priorities?
Before you committed your life to Jesus did you sit down and calculate what it was going to cost you? If you’re following Him today is it what you expected it to be?
What’s happening to those who can’t give it all up? They cannot follow him, so what now?
I wouldn’t give up hope. God is like the potter. He made us and he can reshape us if we haven’t turned out like he planned. It isn’t without some pain and discomfort, this reshaping.
Have you ever watched a potter at work? They begin by cutting a chunk of clay from a big block. Then they add water and beat and hammer that lump with their fists until the block becomes a little more malleable. They add more water and beat and shape and hammer and push with fingers and fists until they have a ball.
Then they throw the ball onto the wheel. More water is added as they begin to spin the wheel keeping pressure on the ball with their fingers and palms. More water and the potter keeps the wheel spinning. Soon there is a cone. Fingers push into the center of the cone and, it’s a miracle how it happens, there’s a bowl.
Friends, it’s a whole lot of work. There’s a lot of pressure exerted on that lump of clay. And if it doesn’t turn out exactly as the potter planned he just pounds it down, reshapes it, and begins again until it comes out like he wants it.
So, good friends, there’s still hope for us. We may not be exactly as God planned for us but he’s just like that potter, he can and will reshape us. But it isn’t without a lot of pressure and not a little pain. If we give up and don’t let him shape/reshape us then, well we cannot follow him.
So, can we give it all up to follow Jesus? Are we willing to pay the price to be a follower? Do we trust the One who came to save us?
If we’re struggling with these questions what is it that we find so hard? Is it giving it all up? It’s not really ours you know. None of these things can we take with us when he calls us home. So why do we find it so hard to let them go? What’s it costing to hold onto them? That’s the real question, isn’t it.
Jesus says, “If you don’t give up everything you cannot follow me.” Tough love, but friends it is love. He has our best interests at heart. He loves us and he knows we aren’t able to do it right by ourselves.
Friends, Jesus wants our all, otherwise we cannot follow him. Are you ready to give him all of you? He’s waiting for our answer. What’s it going to be, yes or no?
My prayer is that you will be a follower of Jesus and give it all to him. Thanks be to God for his patient, forgiving, compassionate grace. Amen.
Put me first, Jesus says. Love me more than these, he says. Give up everything you have, he says; otherwise you cannot be my follower.
Put you first? But I have a family. Linda needs me. My children still need me. I have grandchildren who need me. Lord, you are first but I have to take care of my family too. Won’t you let me do both?
Lord, you know everything about me. Surely you understand the predicament this Message puts me in. What do you mean, give up everything, everything like my bike, my routers, my books, my computer, my dog, everything? I must be misunderstanding what Luke’s written, everything?
I cannot be your disciple unless I give it all up? Jesus, that doesn’t sound fair. How can I possibly give up everything?
Friends, these are questions I’ve asked Jesus many times. How do you understand the lesson from Luke today? What’s it saying to you? Does he really mean that we have to hate our parents and our siblings and our children, even our own lives? Hate is such a strong word and my mother taught me not to use that word. But Jesus uses it here. Hate, are we reading that right? We have to hate before we can be His follower? We must not be reading that right.
Following Jesus costs more than we realize, at first. And at first we think the cost is too much. We try to barter with Jesus. We try to negotiate an easier package but He won’t budge. It’s all or nothing. Jesus will not back down until we’ve consented to giving him all our attention, all our desire, all our love.
What does it mean to you to be a Christian, a disciple of Jesus? How much has it cost you? Who comes first in your life? If Jesus calls you and your spouse calls you at the same time, who do you follow? Where are your priorities?
Before you committed your life to Jesus did you sit down and calculate what it was going to cost you? If you’re following Him today is it what you expected it to be?
What’s happening to those who can’t give it all up? They cannot follow him, so what now?
I wouldn’t give up hope. God is like the potter. He made us and he can reshape us if we haven’t turned out like he planned. It isn’t without some pain and discomfort, this reshaping.
Have you ever watched a potter at work? They begin by cutting a chunk of clay from a big block. Then they add water and beat and hammer that lump with their fists until the block becomes a little more malleable. They add more water and beat and shape and hammer and push with fingers and fists until they have a ball.
Then they throw the ball onto the wheel. More water is added as they begin to spin the wheel keeping pressure on the ball with their fingers and palms. More water and the potter keeps the wheel spinning. Soon there is a cone. Fingers push into the center of the cone and, it’s a miracle how it happens, there’s a bowl.
Friends, it’s a whole lot of work. There’s a lot of pressure exerted on that lump of clay. And if it doesn’t turn out exactly as the potter planned he just pounds it down, reshapes it, and begins again until it comes out like he wants it.
So, good friends, there’s still hope for us. We may not be exactly as God planned for us but he’s just like that potter, he can and will reshape us. But it isn’t without a lot of pressure and not a little pain. If we give up and don’t let him shape/reshape us then, well we cannot follow him.
So, can we give it all up to follow Jesus? Are we willing to pay the price to be a follower? Do we trust the One who came to save us?
If we’re struggling with these questions what is it that we find so hard? Is it giving it all up? It’s not really ours you know. None of these things can we take with us when he calls us home. So why do we find it so hard to let them go? What’s it costing to hold onto them? That’s the real question, isn’t it.
Jesus says, “If you don’t give up everything you cannot follow me.” Tough love, but friends it is love. He has our best interests at heart. He loves us and he knows we aren’t able to do it right by ourselves.
Friends, Jesus wants our all, otherwise we cannot follow him. Are you ready to give him all of you? He’s waiting for our answer. What’s it going to be, yes or no?
My prayer is that you will be a follower of Jesus and give it all to him. Thanks be to God for his patient, forgiving, compassionate grace. Amen.
Monday, August 30, 2010
What’s for Dinner? Who’s Invited? Who’s Excluded?
When you plan your meals do you make enough extra just in case some one knocks on the door or rings the doorbell just as you’re sitting down to lunch or supper? I wonder how many times that’s happened? How many times have we invited them in to sit down at the table with us?
Most times, if we’re honest with each other, we are a little peeved when the doorbell rings or the phone rings just as we’re getting ready to sit down to eat. Maybe you aren’t but I am. And then, what does Hebrews say to me, “Be ready with a meal or a bed when it's needed. Why, some have extended hospitality to angels without ever knowing it!”
I read that passage and I wonder how many angels have come to me for a meal and I have turned them away. Or I’ve been so grumpy that they chose to walk on down the street. I wonder.
Luke doesn’t make me feel any more comfortable. He tells of the time that Jesus told a parable about being invited to a wedding party and how everyone scrambled to seat themselves at the most prestigious spot at the table. I read that and I wonder how many times I have arrived at a dinner and tried to find a table where I could sit and be noticed. I wonder.
I wonder how many times I have failed to take the least conspicuous seat at the table. How many times have I forgotten the lesson that Jesus is teaching here? I wonder.
How many times have I heard these lessons read, how many times have I read these lessons and failed to heed God’s warning? How many more chances will God give me? I wonder.
I don’t think that I wake up everyday and intend to be exclusive. In fact, I like to think that I’d welcome anyone into my home but the facts are I haven’t. Therefore I’m convicted by these scriptures.
I know it’s not about me. I know that but I haven’t changed. I know that Jesus died and rose again so that I could be forgiven. How many more times is he going to say, “Son, you’re forgiven. Go and sin no more.” If I were God I think I’d be ready to right me off for a lost cause. I’d think, “He’s never going to change.”
Fortunately for me, God is forgiving and he gives me another chance to get it right. So, is today that day I might welcome an angel? Is today the day I will do the right thing? I wonder.
Jeremiah was called by God to prophesy to the people of Israel. They had been just like me. They had forgotten how He had delivered them from the oppression of the Egyptians and led them through the wilderness to the Promised Land flowing with milk and honey. They were seduced by the gods of the countries God helped them to conquer.
Maybe that’s my problem. I’ve been seduced by the things of the world that are all around me. Maybe I don’t want to share them with anyone who comes knocking on my door. I wonder if that’s it.
I know what I should do but every time an opportunity presents itself I do the wrong thing. The angels God sends have to go somewhere else to find their meal. And I’m the one who loses.
Friends, if a stranger walked in here today as we were worshipping how do you think we’d react? What if the stranger who came in was a little scruffy? What if the stranger had a lot of different piercings and tats? How would they be received? I wonder.
I believe that God’s lesson for us today is that we need to take the focus off of us and be more observant to how God is present in and around us in those who come to visit our churches and our homes.
We are called as God’s children to serve others, to love without reservation, without judgment, and care for those whom He sends our way. I, for one, haven’t always done that. And I’ve missed many opportunities to serve our Lord.
Friends, don’t be me. Pay attention to God’s presence in every person you meet. And welcome them wherever you may be because, you never know, they may be angels sent from God.
Thanks be to God for his patient, forgiving, compassionate grace. Amen.
Most times, if we’re honest with each other, we are a little peeved when the doorbell rings or the phone rings just as we’re getting ready to sit down to eat. Maybe you aren’t but I am. And then, what does Hebrews say to me, “Be ready with a meal or a bed when it's needed. Why, some have extended hospitality to angels without ever knowing it!”
I read that passage and I wonder how many angels have come to me for a meal and I have turned them away. Or I’ve been so grumpy that they chose to walk on down the street. I wonder.
Luke doesn’t make me feel any more comfortable. He tells of the time that Jesus told a parable about being invited to a wedding party and how everyone scrambled to seat themselves at the most prestigious spot at the table. I read that and I wonder how many times I have arrived at a dinner and tried to find a table where I could sit and be noticed. I wonder.
I wonder how many times I have failed to take the least conspicuous seat at the table. How many times have I forgotten the lesson that Jesus is teaching here? I wonder.
How many times have I heard these lessons read, how many times have I read these lessons and failed to heed God’s warning? How many more chances will God give me? I wonder.
I don’t think that I wake up everyday and intend to be exclusive. In fact, I like to think that I’d welcome anyone into my home but the facts are I haven’t. Therefore I’m convicted by these scriptures.
I know it’s not about me. I know that but I haven’t changed. I know that Jesus died and rose again so that I could be forgiven. How many more times is he going to say, “Son, you’re forgiven. Go and sin no more.” If I were God I think I’d be ready to right me off for a lost cause. I’d think, “He’s never going to change.”
Fortunately for me, God is forgiving and he gives me another chance to get it right. So, is today that day I might welcome an angel? Is today the day I will do the right thing? I wonder.
Jeremiah was called by God to prophesy to the people of Israel. They had been just like me. They had forgotten how He had delivered them from the oppression of the Egyptians and led them through the wilderness to the Promised Land flowing with milk and honey. They were seduced by the gods of the countries God helped them to conquer.
Maybe that’s my problem. I’ve been seduced by the things of the world that are all around me. Maybe I don’t want to share them with anyone who comes knocking on my door. I wonder if that’s it.
I know what I should do but every time an opportunity presents itself I do the wrong thing. The angels God sends have to go somewhere else to find their meal. And I’m the one who loses.
Friends, if a stranger walked in here today as we were worshipping how do you think we’d react? What if the stranger who came in was a little scruffy? What if the stranger had a lot of different piercings and tats? How would they be received? I wonder.
I believe that God’s lesson for us today is that we need to take the focus off of us and be more observant to how God is present in and around us in those who come to visit our churches and our homes.
We are called as God’s children to serve others, to love without reservation, without judgment, and care for those whom He sends our way. I, for one, haven’t always done that. And I’ve missed many opportunities to serve our Lord.
Friends, don’t be me. Pay attention to God’s presence in every person you meet. And welcome them wherever you may be because, you never know, they may be angels sent from God.
Thanks be to God for his patient, forgiving, compassionate grace. Amen.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Called, Shaken, Freed
Jeremiah, the boy, was called by God to prophesy to Israel. Hebrews reminds us that God is going to give things one more good shake so that all that remains is what cannot be shaken. In the gospel of Luke a woman who has been bent over, not able to straighten up at all, for 18 years is released from the prison her body had put her in.
Called, shaken, and freed are key words for us today. All of us have heard the Message that we are called, all of us, to be ministers to God’s children. Friends, I believe that we aren’t only called to be ministers but we are called to serve God’s purpose in the world in various ways. Not everyone who is called wants to answer the call. Many of us, like Jeremiah, think we aren’t equipped with the tools we need to do the work God calls on us to do. Our weak, feeble excuses don’t carry much weight. God, I’ve found out, does what he’s going to do. And if he calls us to a particular work, no excuse we give is going to sway God from what he’s called us to do. If he’s called us to work then he will equip us with everything we need to accomplish what God has planned.
Often when we realize that it’s God who’s calling us we get a little worried. We know if God calls then sooner or later we’re going to have to get started. Our comfortable world is shaken by what God calls us to do, sometimes. Once in a while our world is turned completely upside down and everything we’ve grown comfortable with changes. Not only is our world shaken but so are we. We’re not exactly accustomed to having our lives changed so drastically. God has an agenda, a timetable, a plan, and the time for Christ’s return, even though some would not like to think about that, is getting closer. When Jesus does come back things will really be shaken.
In the meantime here we are bound up by the things of the world. We are so bent over with the burdens of our lives that we can’t even see the signs that Jesus’ return is imminent. We have been bent over with this infirmity for so long that we don’t know that there is any other view than the one we see right in front of our toes. We’re almost like those ponies that are trotters with their blinders on. All they can see of the world is what’s right in front of them.
We’re not much different than those trotters. We’re not so very different than the woman Jesus healed. I wonder if she had become so used to her condition that she accepted it; it was normal for her. I wonder if those who met her every day were so used to seeing her that way that they never thought about what it must be like for her. It was just the way she was. They may have assumed it was a punishment from God for some sin she had committed.
Jesus knew better. He knew she didn’t deserve to be trapped in that prison for the rest of her life. And so he called her over to him. He told her she was free from her ailment. I don’t think any of us can imagine what joy she must have felt when Jesus laid his hands on her and she stood up straight, able to see people eye to eye. What joy must have filled her heart.
God calls us. God shakes our world. When he lays his hands on us, when his Spirit comes into our souls we are freed from the chains of sin that have kept us bent over all our lives.
That’s just one more reason to heed God’s call to us. When we answer his call we find new freedom. Yes, we might be fearful of what God is asking of us but when we accept his call we soon experience exhilaration, joy and a certain peace and it’s all because we’ve invited God’s Spirit inside.
So, good friends, have you heard God’s call? Have you been hesitating to answer? Are you afraid to be set free because it’s different from what you’ve been used to seeing? Is God shaking your world?
Friends, maybe it’s time for us to let God keep on shaking. Maybe it’s time for us to let go of those things which have us bent over. Friends, it’s time to let Jesus lay his hands on you and be healed.
He’s calling our names. He knows each of us intimately. He’s known us since before we were conceived. Sure our world will change. But friends, isn’t that really what our souls desire. Our souls have been leading us to Jesus. We’ve just been so bent over we couldn’t see him. Listen to his voice. Let him touch you. Let him shake up your world.
Then go out and let the Spirit lead you in a dance of joy as you go to serve those God places on your path of life.
Thanks be to God for his compassionate grace. Amen.
Called, shaken, and freed are key words for us today. All of us have heard the Message that we are called, all of us, to be ministers to God’s children. Friends, I believe that we aren’t only called to be ministers but we are called to serve God’s purpose in the world in various ways. Not everyone who is called wants to answer the call. Many of us, like Jeremiah, think we aren’t equipped with the tools we need to do the work God calls on us to do. Our weak, feeble excuses don’t carry much weight. God, I’ve found out, does what he’s going to do. And if he calls us to a particular work, no excuse we give is going to sway God from what he’s called us to do. If he’s called us to work then he will equip us with everything we need to accomplish what God has planned.
Often when we realize that it’s God who’s calling us we get a little worried. We know if God calls then sooner or later we’re going to have to get started. Our comfortable world is shaken by what God calls us to do, sometimes. Once in a while our world is turned completely upside down and everything we’ve grown comfortable with changes. Not only is our world shaken but so are we. We’re not exactly accustomed to having our lives changed so drastically. God has an agenda, a timetable, a plan, and the time for Christ’s return, even though some would not like to think about that, is getting closer. When Jesus does come back things will really be shaken.
In the meantime here we are bound up by the things of the world. We are so bent over with the burdens of our lives that we can’t even see the signs that Jesus’ return is imminent. We have been bent over with this infirmity for so long that we don’t know that there is any other view than the one we see right in front of our toes. We’re almost like those ponies that are trotters with their blinders on. All they can see of the world is what’s right in front of them.
We’re not much different than those trotters. We’re not so very different than the woman Jesus healed. I wonder if she had become so used to her condition that she accepted it; it was normal for her. I wonder if those who met her every day were so used to seeing her that way that they never thought about what it must be like for her. It was just the way she was. They may have assumed it was a punishment from God for some sin she had committed.
Jesus knew better. He knew she didn’t deserve to be trapped in that prison for the rest of her life. And so he called her over to him. He told her she was free from her ailment. I don’t think any of us can imagine what joy she must have felt when Jesus laid his hands on her and she stood up straight, able to see people eye to eye. What joy must have filled her heart.
God calls us. God shakes our world. When he lays his hands on us, when his Spirit comes into our souls we are freed from the chains of sin that have kept us bent over all our lives.
That’s just one more reason to heed God’s call to us. When we answer his call we find new freedom. Yes, we might be fearful of what God is asking of us but when we accept his call we soon experience exhilaration, joy and a certain peace and it’s all because we’ve invited God’s Spirit inside.
So, good friends, have you heard God’s call? Have you been hesitating to answer? Are you afraid to be set free because it’s different from what you’ve been used to seeing? Is God shaking your world?
Friends, maybe it’s time for us to let God keep on shaking. Maybe it’s time for us to let go of those things which have us bent over. Friends, it’s time to let Jesus lay his hands on you and be healed.
He’s calling our names. He knows each of us intimately. He’s known us since before we were conceived. Sure our world will change. But friends, isn’t that really what our souls desire. Our souls have been leading us to Jesus. We’ve just been so bent over we couldn’t see him. Listen to his voice. Let him touch you. Let him shake up your world.
Then go out and let the Spirit lead you in a dance of joy as you go to serve those God places on your path of life.
Thanks be to God for his compassionate grace. Amen.
Monday, August 16, 2010
The Garden
I remember the very first garden I ever planted. I was probably 10-12 years old and the whole potato patch was my responsibility. I had to plow it, rake it, plant the potato eyes, hoe the weeds, and then dig up the produce just before school started. Oh yes, I also was responsible for bagging and marketing my produce.
Remember, I said was about 12 years old. Can you imagine what that garden looked like when it came time to dig the potatoes? Let me tell you I could barely make out the rows. In fact the vines had died down enough that most times I couldn’t find where to start digging.
Dad wouldn’t let me walk away from it though. I had to dig, pick up, clean the dirt off, put them into the baskets and then lug them to the basement storage room. How I wanted to quit, to just walk away from the whole thing. The weeds were too tall. It was too hot. The ground was too hard. I used every excuse I could think of. It was like Dad was deaf. Mom wasn’t sympathetic to my plight either. So I kept digging, without very much enthusiasm.
I had neglected my project to play in the creek or the barn or play hide and seek with my sisters. And so the weeds grew and my work at the end was way more difficult that it would have been if I had just done my job every week like Dad instructed me to.
The scripture readings from the Prophet Isaiah and the Psalms are about someone who had a garden, a vineyard. They tell about an owner who did everything as they were supposed to and still the harvest was terrible. It didn’t sound like the grapes even made good vinegar. So what did the owner do? He tore down the fence and let it grow up into brambles and thorns. He even asked the rain not to fall on it so that even if it wanted to it wasn’t going to live and produce even one grape.
As we hear this passage read we begin to understand that the owner is God and he’s talking about his chosen people, Israel. We hear this reading and we think, “I’m glad that wasn’t me.” What if we substitute Walnut or the United States in place of Israel or Judah? It brings it almost too close to home for us.
We can do the same thing with the reading from the Psalms. Read it and put Walnut or the United States in place of Israel and Iowa or New York or California in place of Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh. It sounds a little too personal now.
This doesn’t sound anything like what we came here to listen to this morning. None of us came here this morning to be told that God doesn’t like what we’ve been doing with our lives, our blessings, or the grace he gave us.
Wait! We’re not finished yet. In the gospel reading Luke tells us that Jesus said that he came to cast fire on the earth and he wished it was started now. That doesn’t sound like the Jesus we normally hear preached on most Sundays. What happened to Jesus is love? What happened to the Jesus who healed the lepers, the blind, and who cast out our demons? Where did he go?
Jesus is talking about creating division in our lives, Father against son, mother against daughter, daughter-in-law against mother-in-law, 3 against 2, and 2 against 3. That sounds like a whole lot of trouble that we don’t want to get in the middle of. But that’s what Jesus says he came for. What happened to peace?
He was stressed and maybe that was it. Or maybe he was just tired. Maybe he’d just had enough of humanity and he let us have it with both barrels. I don’t know.
Jesus did say that he came to change everything, to put everything rightside up. If we do the same thing with this passage that we did with the other two and read it like Jesus is talking directly to us can we really, with all honesty, think that we aren’t at fault.
We can’t possibly read and hear the news and think that everything’s okay with the state of the world. Can we? We can’t put all the blame on President Obama or the Al Qaida or the Taliban or BP, can we?
You’re right, someone is to blame. If we think we’re not at fault I would have to disagree. As Jesus said we can look at the sky or Weather Bug and can pretty well tell what the weather is going to be like today or tomorrow and may the day after. But we seem to shut our eyes to the state of the world. We make jokes about global warming, oil spills; we don’t seem to notice how many single parent families there are or how many dysfunctional people there are living in our communities. We shake our heads at the deaths caused by people who are driving drunk. How could they do that? Why didn’t someone do something?
Friends, this world hasn’t changed significantly from Jesus’ day. People are still doing cruel things to other people. There is discrimination on many levels. There are so many folks who don’t have enough food or shelter or warm clothes. There are still people who kept from meaningful employment because they don’t meet the right social criteria. They’re not the right color or sex or age.
This all sounds pretty much like doom and gloom. So what’s the good news? Is there any good news? The answer’s yes.
The author of Hebrews is still talking about faith and gives some examples from the Hebrew Bible. He uses Israel crossing the Red Sea, walking around the walls of Jericho, and Rahab. By their acts of faith they were blessed.
But not everyone who had faith received what God promised them. Their faith wasn’t complete. But friends, that’s not a bad thing. God combines their faith with our faith and makes one complete faith.
What that means is that all those who have preceded us are watching and cheering for us to complete what they started. So if we aren’t already working at what God has called us to do we are told to get going right now. Get rid of the excess baggage and start working and don’t quit. There is no early retirement.
How, you might ask, are we to do any good at all? It’s simple. We are told to keep our eyes on Jesus. Study how he did it and do the same thing. He never lost sight of his goal. He was focused on the prize.
The good news, my friends, is that God created us, he is right beside us, and he’s not going to abandon us. And our friends who have gone on ahead are cheering for us to keep going.
The passage Jesus referred to when he was talking about the house divided was from Micah 7. If you go there and read the whole chapter to the end you will find that the prophet ended by saying, “Where is the god who can compare with you—wiping the slate clean of guilt, turning a blind eye, a deaf ear, to the past sins of your purged and precious people? You don't nurse your anger and don't stay angry long, for mercy is your specialty. That's what you love most. And compassion is on its way to us. You'll stamp out our wrongdoing. You'll sink our sins to the bottom of the ocean. You'll stay true to your word to Father Jacob and continue the compassion you showed Grandfather Abraham—everything you promised our ancestors from a long time ago. Micah 7:18-20
That’s the good news. Even though God is displeased with our actions he doesn’t stay angry forever. He is merciful and forgiving, especially since He sent his Son to die for us. God keeps his promises even those he made long ago.
Thanks be to God for his amazing grace and love. Amen.
Remember, I said was about 12 years old. Can you imagine what that garden looked like when it came time to dig the potatoes? Let me tell you I could barely make out the rows. In fact the vines had died down enough that most times I couldn’t find where to start digging.
Dad wouldn’t let me walk away from it though. I had to dig, pick up, clean the dirt off, put them into the baskets and then lug them to the basement storage room. How I wanted to quit, to just walk away from the whole thing. The weeds were too tall. It was too hot. The ground was too hard. I used every excuse I could think of. It was like Dad was deaf. Mom wasn’t sympathetic to my plight either. So I kept digging, without very much enthusiasm.
I had neglected my project to play in the creek or the barn or play hide and seek with my sisters. And so the weeds grew and my work at the end was way more difficult that it would have been if I had just done my job every week like Dad instructed me to.
The scripture readings from the Prophet Isaiah and the Psalms are about someone who had a garden, a vineyard. They tell about an owner who did everything as they were supposed to and still the harvest was terrible. It didn’t sound like the grapes even made good vinegar. So what did the owner do? He tore down the fence and let it grow up into brambles and thorns. He even asked the rain not to fall on it so that even if it wanted to it wasn’t going to live and produce even one grape.
As we hear this passage read we begin to understand that the owner is God and he’s talking about his chosen people, Israel. We hear this reading and we think, “I’m glad that wasn’t me.” What if we substitute Walnut or the United States in place of Israel or Judah? It brings it almost too close to home for us.
We can do the same thing with the reading from the Psalms. Read it and put Walnut or the United States in place of Israel and Iowa or New York or California in place of Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh. It sounds a little too personal now.
This doesn’t sound anything like what we came here to listen to this morning. None of us came here this morning to be told that God doesn’t like what we’ve been doing with our lives, our blessings, or the grace he gave us.
Wait! We’re not finished yet. In the gospel reading Luke tells us that Jesus said that he came to cast fire on the earth and he wished it was started now. That doesn’t sound like the Jesus we normally hear preached on most Sundays. What happened to Jesus is love? What happened to the Jesus who healed the lepers, the blind, and who cast out our demons? Where did he go?
Jesus is talking about creating division in our lives, Father against son, mother against daughter, daughter-in-law against mother-in-law, 3 against 2, and 2 against 3. That sounds like a whole lot of trouble that we don’t want to get in the middle of. But that’s what Jesus says he came for. What happened to peace?
He was stressed and maybe that was it. Or maybe he was just tired. Maybe he’d just had enough of humanity and he let us have it with both barrels. I don’t know.
Jesus did say that he came to change everything, to put everything rightside up. If we do the same thing with this passage that we did with the other two and read it like Jesus is talking directly to us can we really, with all honesty, think that we aren’t at fault.
We can’t possibly read and hear the news and think that everything’s okay with the state of the world. Can we? We can’t put all the blame on President Obama or the Al Qaida or the Taliban or BP, can we?
You’re right, someone is to blame. If we think we’re not at fault I would have to disagree. As Jesus said we can look at the sky or Weather Bug and can pretty well tell what the weather is going to be like today or tomorrow and may the day after. But we seem to shut our eyes to the state of the world. We make jokes about global warming, oil spills; we don’t seem to notice how many single parent families there are or how many dysfunctional people there are living in our communities. We shake our heads at the deaths caused by people who are driving drunk. How could they do that? Why didn’t someone do something?
Friends, this world hasn’t changed significantly from Jesus’ day. People are still doing cruel things to other people. There is discrimination on many levels. There are so many folks who don’t have enough food or shelter or warm clothes. There are still people who kept from meaningful employment because they don’t meet the right social criteria. They’re not the right color or sex or age.
This all sounds pretty much like doom and gloom. So what’s the good news? Is there any good news? The answer’s yes.
The author of Hebrews is still talking about faith and gives some examples from the Hebrew Bible. He uses Israel crossing the Red Sea, walking around the walls of Jericho, and Rahab. By their acts of faith they were blessed.
But not everyone who had faith received what God promised them. Their faith wasn’t complete. But friends, that’s not a bad thing. God combines their faith with our faith and makes one complete faith.
What that means is that all those who have preceded us are watching and cheering for us to complete what they started. So if we aren’t already working at what God has called us to do we are told to get going right now. Get rid of the excess baggage and start working and don’t quit. There is no early retirement.
How, you might ask, are we to do any good at all? It’s simple. We are told to keep our eyes on Jesus. Study how he did it and do the same thing. He never lost sight of his goal. He was focused on the prize.
The good news, my friends, is that God created us, he is right beside us, and he’s not going to abandon us. And our friends who have gone on ahead are cheering for us to keep going.
The passage Jesus referred to when he was talking about the house divided was from Micah 7. If you go there and read the whole chapter to the end you will find that the prophet ended by saying, “Where is the god who can compare with you—wiping the slate clean of guilt, turning a blind eye, a deaf ear, to the past sins of your purged and precious people? You don't nurse your anger and don't stay angry long, for mercy is your specialty. That's what you love most. And compassion is on its way to us. You'll stamp out our wrongdoing. You'll sink our sins to the bottom of the ocean. You'll stay true to your word to Father Jacob and continue the compassion you showed Grandfather Abraham—everything you promised our ancestors from a long time ago. Micah 7:18-20
That’s the good news. Even though God is displeased with our actions he doesn’t stay angry forever. He is merciful and forgiving, especially since He sent his Son to die for us. God keeps his promises even those he made long ago.
Thanks be to God for his amazing grace and love. Amen.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Diary of an Old Soul-George Macdonald
This morning I was reading a passage for August 5th in George Macdonald's book, Diary of an Old Soul. It went like this...
I have no choice, I must do what I can;
But you do to me, and all things else as well;
You will take care that your child grow a man.
Rouse thee, my faith; be king; with life be one;
To trust in God is action's highest kind;
Who trust in God, his heart with like does swell;
Faith open all the windows to God's wind.
This is my revised version without the thees, thys, dost's and so forth.
What struck me this morning was the last phrase, "Faith opens all the windows to God's wind (Spirit?)." Yesterday I talked about what we believe and why are we waiting. And then today I read a passage that I should have read last week but busyness kept me from it. What a wonderful God we worship who blesses us everyday even when we forget to thank him for his blessings.
Thanks be to God for his grace. Amen.
I have no choice, I must do what I can;
But you do to me, and all things else as well;
You will take care that your child grow a man.
Rouse thee, my faith; be king; with life be one;
To trust in God is action's highest kind;
Who trust in God, his heart with like does swell;
Faith open all the windows to God's wind.
This is my revised version without the thees, thys, dost's and so forth.
What struck me this morning was the last phrase, "Faith opens all the windows to God's wind (Spirit?)." Yesterday I talked about what we believe and why are we waiting. And then today I read a passage that I should have read last week but busyness kept me from it. What a wonderful God we worship who blesses us everyday even when we forget to thank him for his blessings.
Thanks be to God for his grace. Amen.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
What Do We Believe? What Are We Waiting For?
Everything has a beginning. Whatever we do, whatever project we are working on it all has a beginning. Before a project can be started a lot of planning has to take place. Before any building can be constructed a foundation has to be planned, dirt or rocks have to be moved, and the foundation laid.
Without any planning, without dirt and/or rocks being moved, without any foundation, no building is going to stand very long. Buildings need something solid to rest on, something that walls can be anchored to, so they won’t tilt or lean after a few years. You’ve all probably seen buildings that were built on poor foundations. After a while they begin to lean one way or the other or maybe both ways and pretty soon all the nails and screws just can’t keep it together any longer.
The writer of Hebrews says the same thing about our existence. “…trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It's our handle on what we can't see.” Just as buildings need a good foundation so do we. In order to understand why we are here, in order to make sense of life and make our time here worthwhile we need faith in the One who created us and everything around us.
Faith is trusting in God. Faith is believing that there is One who is in charge of everything. Faith is putting our trust in someone we can’t see, someone we can’t touch, someone we may have never heard speak. Faith is starting out on this journey of life believing that our God has thought of everything and we don’t have to worry one minute about the details.
What gives you confidence? What or Who do you trust? Why do you trust or believe what you do? Is there one thing that you can put your finger on that you can point to and say, “This is why I believe. This is why I have faith.” Is there one book you can pull off your shelves, is there one particular sentence that you have memorized that gives your faith the strength it needs to go on?
How do you define your faith? If you have faith is your life a success? Is faith about the present or is it about the future? Does your faith help you connect with God? These are all personal questions that we can only answer as individuals.
The author of Hebrews gives us examples of people whose lives exemplified faith, Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham and Sarah. Are there people you know who are examples for you of living by faith?
In Luke’s gospel we heard this morning Jesus tells his listeners to sell their possessions and give to the poor. That takes faith.
Most of us would have real difficulty selling our possessions let alone giving the proceeds to the poor. After all they probably wouldn’t use our gifts the way we think they should. We don’t have faith that they would be any better off after our gifts than before. And so we hold onto our possessions, our treasures. Our faith doesn’t extend to the poor because we don’t believe they can change.
Do we really believe Jesus is coming back? If our faith says that He is coming back are we expectantly waiting for Him? Are we prepared for his return? Are we faithful?
The NIV translation of Hebrews 11:1 says that, “…faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” My friends, are we hoping to see Jesus return, are we certain that he is coming back? If this is what we believe can our neighbors see our faith by how we live, by the things we treasure?
For me, faith is believing there is a God who loves us. My faith is based on God loving us enough to send his Son to live here on earth, to die for us, and to rise again so we could have the assurance of life eternal with our Creator, God. What I believe is bolstered by God’s Word for us in scripture. I can’t explain why. It’s a mystery to me and my only response is that it’s God’s grace.
Can any of us make our faith stronger? Can we get faith if we don’t have it now? Why do some seem to have stronger faith than others? I don’t know the answer. Faith comes from God and as someone told me this week He has given us the freedom to choose. So some choose to believe and some choose not to believe. Why, only God knows.
Friends, God has called us together as a community of faith. As a community of faith he has called us to go out into the world to care for those who are struggling to make it day by day. As a community of faith we strengthen each other by holding each other up in prayer every day and caring for each other as brothers and sisters, members of God’s family. By answering God’s call and caring for the poor and those who need a hand our faith grows and God’s love is evident to those who are helped. God’s kingdom is present when we share God’s love and faith with those we have been called to help.
What do we believe? What are we waiting for? Believe in God. Believe in Jesus, God’s only Son. Believe in the Holy Spirit, our Counselor, our Advocate. Believe in God’s one holy apostolic, universal church. Believe in God’s forgiveness of our sins through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. Believe in His resurrection. And don’t wait one more minute. Answer God’s call to serve his children. Have faith in the One who loves you more than anyone or anything else.
Thanks be to God for his amazing grace and love. Amen.
Without any planning, without dirt and/or rocks being moved, without any foundation, no building is going to stand very long. Buildings need something solid to rest on, something that walls can be anchored to, so they won’t tilt or lean after a few years. You’ve all probably seen buildings that were built on poor foundations. After a while they begin to lean one way or the other or maybe both ways and pretty soon all the nails and screws just can’t keep it together any longer.
The writer of Hebrews says the same thing about our existence. “…trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It's our handle on what we can't see.” Just as buildings need a good foundation so do we. In order to understand why we are here, in order to make sense of life and make our time here worthwhile we need faith in the One who created us and everything around us.
Faith is trusting in God. Faith is believing that there is One who is in charge of everything. Faith is putting our trust in someone we can’t see, someone we can’t touch, someone we may have never heard speak. Faith is starting out on this journey of life believing that our God has thought of everything and we don’t have to worry one minute about the details.
What gives you confidence? What or Who do you trust? Why do you trust or believe what you do? Is there one thing that you can put your finger on that you can point to and say, “This is why I believe. This is why I have faith.” Is there one book you can pull off your shelves, is there one particular sentence that you have memorized that gives your faith the strength it needs to go on?
How do you define your faith? If you have faith is your life a success? Is faith about the present or is it about the future? Does your faith help you connect with God? These are all personal questions that we can only answer as individuals.
The author of Hebrews gives us examples of people whose lives exemplified faith, Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham and Sarah. Are there people you know who are examples for you of living by faith?
In Luke’s gospel we heard this morning Jesus tells his listeners to sell their possessions and give to the poor. That takes faith.
Most of us would have real difficulty selling our possessions let alone giving the proceeds to the poor. After all they probably wouldn’t use our gifts the way we think they should. We don’t have faith that they would be any better off after our gifts than before. And so we hold onto our possessions, our treasures. Our faith doesn’t extend to the poor because we don’t believe they can change.
Do we really believe Jesus is coming back? If our faith says that He is coming back are we expectantly waiting for Him? Are we prepared for his return? Are we faithful?
The NIV translation of Hebrews 11:1 says that, “…faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” My friends, are we hoping to see Jesus return, are we certain that he is coming back? If this is what we believe can our neighbors see our faith by how we live, by the things we treasure?
For me, faith is believing there is a God who loves us. My faith is based on God loving us enough to send his Son to live here on earth, to die for us, and to rise again so we could have the assurance of life eternal with our Creator, God. What I believe is bolstered by God’s Word for us in scripture. I can’t explain why. It’s a mystery to me and my only response is that it’s God’s grace.
Can any of us make our faith stronger? Can we get faith if we don’t have it now? Why do some seem to have stronger faith than others? I don’t know the answer. Faith comes from God and as someone told me this week He has given us the freedom to choose. So some choose to believe and some choose not to believe. Why, only God knows.
Friends, God has called us together as a community of faith. As a community of faith he has called us to go out into the world to care for those who are struggling to make it day by day. As a community of faith we strengthen each other by holding each other up in prayer every day and caring for each other as brothers and sisters, members of God’s family. By answering God’s call and caring for the poor and those who need a hand our faith grows and God’s love is evident to those who are helped. God’s kingdom is present when we share God’s love and faith with those we have been called to help.
What do we believe? What are we waiting for? Believe in God. Believe in Jesus, God’s only Son. Believe in the Holy Spirit, our Counselor, our Advocate. Believe in God’s one holy apostolic, universal church. Believe in God’s forgiveness of our sins through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. Believe in His resurrection. And don’t wait one more minute. Answer God’s call to serve his children. Have faith in the One who loves you more than anyone or anything else.
Thanks be to God for his amazing grace and love. Amen.
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