Our Fears

          The Israelites were afraid of the Philistines. The disciples were frightened by the wind and the waves. Everyone’s afraid of something it seems.

          Yet, David didn’t show any fear of the giant Philistine, Goliath. And Jesus wasn’t worried about the wind or the waves. He was sleeping soundly on a pillow in the boat. So, what was it that was different?

          David wrote in the psalms ‘The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?’ Ps. 27:1  ‘I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.’ Ps. 34:4 ‘God is our refuge and strength, and ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Ps. 46:1-2  Psalm 91 says, ‘He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.’

          David believed God had everything covered. There wasn’t any need for him to be afraid.

          Solomon wrote in Proverbs 29:25, “fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.”

          The prophet Isaiah spoke about the fears people of Israel had. He said in 35:4, “…say to those with fearful hearts, ‘Be strong, do no fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.’ And in 41:10 and 13 he said, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand…For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, do not fear; I will help you.” The Prophet said in 51:6 & 7 & 8b, “…Lift up your eyes to the heavens, look at the earth beneath; the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment and its inhabitants die like flies. But my salvation will last forever, my righteousness will never fail. Hear me, you who know what is right, you people who have my law in your hearts: Do not fear the reproach of men or be terrified by their insults…my righteousness will last forever, my salvation through all generations.” Isaiah 54:14… “In righteousness you will be established: Tyranny will be far from you; you will have nothing to fear. Terror will be far removed; it will not come near you.”

          Jesus said in Luke’s gospel…”I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you who you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has the power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him Lk 12:4-5. 

          Paul, the apostle, even talks about fears that he had. In his 2^nd letter to the Corinthians in chapter 7 he talks about…conflicts on the outside and fears within. But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us…

          And John who wrote so much about God’s love for us said, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us 1 John 4:18ff.”

          So, my friends, even though we might let our fears and worries overwhelm us all we have to do is remember that the One who made us and this creation has it all in his control.  As David said, “The Lord is our stronghold…of whom should we be afraid.”

          Don’t let the things of this world control you. Don’t be afraid of those things over which we have no control. Listen for the voice of the One who said to the wind, “Be still” and who said to the waves, “Be calm.” Listen for that still, small voice and your fears will be driven away.

          Thanks be to God for his redeeming grace. Amen.

Stories

As Mark said Jesus used many stories to get across the message about God and His kingdom. Every story he used was composed using images and examples that Jesus knew they’d understand.


But, some of them must have been somewhat difficult to figure out because Mark also tells us that when Jesus was just with his disciples he went over all the stories again explaining everything to them. Eugene Petersen paraphrased it as “sorting out tangles, untying the knots.”

Most of us have heard the stories Jesus told a few times and like Mark said he created these stories that fit their experience and maturity. So, that got me to thinking about what kind of stories Jesus might tell us. What kind of stories would he craft that would fit our experiences and maturity? How do you think he would explain God and his kingdom to us today?

I think that he could still tell us the stories using the seeds and the planting of them and we’d understand. We know what he’s talking about there. I put seeds in the ground in the spring never knowing if they’ll germinate or not. Some of my seeds are old. So, I plant them and then leave it up to God to provide the energy and the moisture and whatever else that seed needs to grow into a plant that produces fruit that Linda and I can eat and be nourished by it.

There’s a whole lot of trust and faith that goes into planting a garden. I think that’s what Jesus was trying to explain to the folks with his story about the farmer and the planting of his field and the other story about the smallness of the pine seed and yet it’s able to grow into a very tall tree.

He was trying to help his listeners, and us, understand that God’s kingdom is a lot like that. Think about it for a minute.

God sent Jesus. He began life just like you and me, as a baby. He was nurtured and cared for by a Mom and a Dad just like you and me. He went to school and learned about things just like you and me.

Then, when he grew into a man he’s baptized by his cousin John, tempted in the wilderness by Satan, calls disciples to follow him, changes water into wine, makes people well who’d never expected to be able to walk or see or live with their families ever again, and he told stories so people would understand about God, His father, our father. He planted seeds.

And look what’s happened. The stories are still being told. Seeds of faith are still being planted. People are still being made whole and well again who never expected it to happen to them.

So, what I want to leave you all with this evening is this. What kind of stories are you telling that help people to know God and to know about His kingdom? What kind of seeds are you planting and have you noticed any of them sprouting?

What’s that favorite saying that Mark recorded that Jesus said so many times at the end of his stories? “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” Or “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”

Good friends, I believe God has called us, his children, to tell stories just like Jesus did. And I don’t believe we are required to be ordained by the church to do it. You, and I, are called to tell stories that will enable people to come to know God and His Son and His Holy Spirit. We are called to share our stories to help people understand that there is more for us than just this life we’re experiencing here, way more.

So, it doesn’t matter that we may be 60 or 80 or 90 years old. God has given us stories to tell and people to tell them to and we should be doing that. But, in order to do it well we need to know the stories Jesus told the people of his day. The only way we’re going to really know and understand those stories is by keeping our noses in God’s word. And by asking our pastors and our friends for help with the parts we struggle to understand.

So, our work here still isn’t over. God has called us to tell stories and we all know that some are better story tellers than others but God really doesn’t care. There’s someone out there who needs to hear the story you have to tell and if you haven’t told it yet well, you’d better get to it. Because none of us knows when God might call us home.

Good friends, God loves you and so do I. Amen.

I Had Faith; So I Spoke

          The Corinthian church gave Paul some trouble. So, he wrote the first letter to them to help them sort out some difficult issues. Besides writing to them he also visited them to personally help work through their problems.

          He left and he wrote again to tell them he planned to come back but…someone there had issues with Paul and he made the decision to put off coming to them. It may have been because he wasn’t so sure that being there would have helped the situation.

          So, now we come to this letter that we call 2 Corinthians. The church at Corinth truly tried Paul’s patience but it also provided some rich material for churches since that time. His letter is an example of restraint, righteous indignation, some hurt feelings, and also excellent long distance management skills…and good use of delegating tasks.

          In this letter Paul is explaining why he did what he did by not coming to them and also reiterating the Good News that he and his friends preached every day.  That message was that Christ is Lord and we are servants for His sake.

          With all the struggles and problems that Paul and his cohorts encountered we never read anywhere that he gave up on God. In fact the very first thing we heard today was that they had…“the same faithful spirit as what is written in scripture: I had faith, and so I spoke. We also have faith, and so we also speak. ¹⁴ We do this because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will also raise us with Jesus, and he will bring us into his presence along with you.” 

          In that statement we have the reason Paul did what he did and, I believe, the reason why we do what we do, “I had faith, and so I spoke.”

          What I want us to think about this morning is that faith Paul is talking about. His faith was so great that the beatings, ship wrecks, snake bites, imprisonment, court trials and other trials didn’t matter. What did matter was spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ to the world. He had faith and so he spoke.

          Where did Paul get that faith and is there a way that we can acquire it for ourselves? What do you think? How can we get the faith Paul had? Is it possible to have as much faith as Paul? Maybe you think that you could never have faith as big or as strong as Paul’s.

          I think we can. It is possible. It won’t come without some effort on our part…and some discipline…and God’s grace. In fact, as I think about it, God’s grace may be the first part of this process.

          Without God’s grace we’re not able to accomplish much. But we can and do have God’s grace because last weeks gospel lesson affirmed the fact that God loves us. He loved us so much that he sent Jesus, His Son, to live with us, to teach us, to demonstrate to us God’s love and compassion…for us.

          Now you may question whether you have received God’s grace but think about this. First, you’re here in this sanctuary, and why are you here? It’s because God called to you, to your soul and so you came. Second, if you’ve been baptized, you’ve received the sign and the seal of God’s love for you. He called you then, maybe through your parents but he wanted you. Now that didn’t mean that you were saved but it did mean that God had designs on you. You still had to decide for yourself whether to accept Him and His Good News into your heart.

          Let’s say you did accept his Message of being God’s Son and the fact that he has prepared a place for you in eternity with Him. Does that mean that it’s all sewed up and we have it made? Not necessarily. Maybe you’ve drifted away. Maybe you’ve quit going to God’s Word for daily devotions. Maybe you’ve begun to doubt. So, no, maybe we aren’t where we should be.

          So, the faith we maybe once had has waivered, become weak. How can we get it back? How can we strengthen our faith?

          Before I give you my answer think about this. You used to be full of energy and vitality. You used to wake up all refreshed and just couldn’t wait to begin the work you knew was waiting for you. But then something changed.

          We got older. We ate foods that maybe weren’t the best choices for us to eat. We neglected to exercise our bodies. And things slowly changed and one day we noticed that our physical and mental abilities weren’t what they were.

          But, we know that if we discipline ourselves to eat healthier foods, get our rest, take time to relax, and…exercise regularly we gradually begin to feel better about ourselves and our work.

          So, wouldn’t the same thing be true for our spiritual well being? Why do you think Paul and Barnabas and Timothy and Luke and all those others were able to do what they did? What did they do that’s different from what we’re doing?

          Could it be they knew that they needed to be close to God every day, all day? If that’s it what specifically did they do?

          They were in the Temple every day. They read or listened to the Word being read. They heard God’s Message for them proclaimed every day. They talked about and remembered Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and his resurrection and his promise to return. And then…this Message was so important that they went out into all the world and told that Story, the story of God’s love, God’s gift, and God’s promise.

          So, I believe, that what we need to do to get our energy and stamina and drive back we need to exercise. We need to exercise our faith. We need to have our noses in God’s word every day. We need to be talking to God every day. And we need accountability partners, friends, to pray for us, to lift us up to God, to hold us accountable for the work God has called us to.  And we are to do the same for them.

          When we let the world slowly turn us away from God, and it does happen slowly, then before we know it our faith becomes dull and lack luster and weak, just like our bodies do when we don’t take care of them.

          I know that I need to be in God’s word. I know that I need to be in prayerful conversation with God. I know that I need someone to hold me accountable. I know all this but yet I’ve let some things slip and my energy, my faith isn’t what it should be, what God would have it be.

          So, good friends, we have some work to do, you and I. We need to re-commit ourselves to renewing our old disciplines of study and prayer and fellowship with our small groups. Without God and His word I believe we’re doomed…to fail.

          Paul thought this was so important that he risked everything, even his life, to spread the Good News. The importance of this work hasn’t changed. It’s still very important. Do we care enough about our family and friends salvation to take the risk to share the Good News with them? There’s the real question.

          We need faith, God’s grace, and we need compassion for our neighbors. To get all that we need to get back to the basics of study and prayer.

          Friends, that’s God’s word for us today. Maybe, when we get in shape, we can say with Paul, “I have faith, and so I speak.”

          God loves you my friends and so do I. Amen.

Trinity

          Blessings to you all in the name of God our Father, and His Son, Jesus the Christ, and our Advocate, the Holy Spirit.

          Today we're gathered here to remember and celebrate the Trinity. Someone wrote a creed a long, long time ago called the Athanasian Creed.  In it the writer made the best attempt they could at describing the Trinity. In it are 44 sentences or statements each one building on the one before seeking to explain God. The best explanation I've read lately comes from the Agnus Day cartoon.  There are two sheep talking and the first  one says, “I've got it!” The second sheep says, “Oh no – you're not telling me that you've figured out the Trinity – again.”  He answers, “ Nope! I've got that long Athanasian creed down to a tweet! See! The Dad, Son & Spirit are God; God is Dad, Son & Spirit; Dad & Son, Son & Dad, Dad & Spirit, Son & Spirit, Spirit & Son. Done.” The second sheep replies, “You scare me.”

          Don't you wish it was that easy, explaining God, the Three-in-One? I've quit trying because for me it's enough to know that God has it all taken care of and all I have to do is believe in God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit knowing that all are at work in my life.

          It's all a mystery. And no matter how much our learned theologians attempt to provide us with examples and explanations they all fall short because no one has ever seen God. So, how is any human ever going to be able to adequately describe God? They can't so I'm not going to try.

          What I do believe that's more important for us to focus on is Paul's message for us in his letter to the Romans. If you go back to chapter 7 where he is talking about the law and sin and how much trouble he experiences trying to do good and failing miserably you will understand where he's coming from in today's passage from chapter 8 beginning with verse 12.

          Paul asks a question in 7:24 that says, “Is there no one who do anything for me? Isn't that the real question?” And then Paul says what I just said about the Trinity, “The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different.” “With the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah, that fateful dilemma is resolved...The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death.”

          Paul says all that we have to do is, “...simply embrace what the Spirit is doing in us.”  You'll find these words in the verse just preceding our lesson today. He's telling us we have to quit trying to do everything using our own strength and muscle. We must trust in God's action, God's Spirit in us, living and breathing God. When we obsess about ourselves and our lives we find ourselves in a cul-de-sac with no way out except to turn around and go back, back to God.

          So, good friends, there you have the Trinity. God the Father loves us so much that he sent His Son so that we might have life and His Son sent the Advocate, the Holy Spirit to fill us with his breath and life.  That's the best I can do and I truly believe that's all I can expect you to do. Trust, have faith that God does have this all taken care of and all we have to do is love...love God and love our neighbors.

          And you all know what that means. We'll never be perfect at doing that but thank God we are forgiven through Jesus' interceding for us when we stumble.  Thanks be to God for his loving and forgiving grace. Amen.

Waiting

          Today we celebrate the coming of God’s Spirit upon the apostles gathered in the Upper Room. Jesus had given them instructions to remain there until they were… “equipped with the power from on high.” And so they waited…

          Have you ever waited for someone or some thing? The insurance agent called and said he’d be there at 10. Ten o’clock comes and goes and he hasn’t arrived yet. And you wonder, “Should I continue to wait?” After a while you just give up and go on to what you would’ve done if you hadn’t been waiting.

          The disciples of Jesus were waiting…because he’d told them to. But on the first day of the Feast of the Pentecost it had been 50 days since he’d told them to wait. And still they waited. I wonder if we’d have been as patient.

          So, on this day God’s Holy Spirit comes into the room where they’re all gathered. I wonder if any of them had thought that this might be the day Jesus had told them about.  Do you suppose any of them had a premonition that today was the day they’d been waiting for?

          What do you suppose they occupied themselves with while they were waiting? Did they go to the Bible, the Hebrew Bible, and read again what Jesus had taught them about before he was carried up to heaven? Were they cramming for the test they knew was coming? Don’t you wonder?

          Haven’t you ever wondered what was going through their minds as they waited? We’ve had the advantage of the whole written word and still we can’t get our heads around what happened.  And did some get tired of waiting and go home, back to their old lives? Don’t you wonder sometimes what they did?

          Surely they had questions. Maybe that’s what they did. Someone would ask the question for the day then the discussions started.  Were they thinking about how they were going to make disciples and baptize people from every nation in the world?  That’s almost too much for us to grasp so can you imagine what they were thinking?

          And then came the sound of the rushing wind.  Have you wondered what the sound was like? Was it like the wind Wednesday that whipped the flags and brought down leaves from the trees? Did it have the roar of a tornado as it came into the room? What did it sound like, and could everyone hear it?  Could they feel the power of the wind as it entered the room?

          I wonder if some of the disciples had dozed off like I do when I’m waiting. Imagine their surprise when the sound filled the room and disturbed their catnap. I’m sure they looked at each other with wonderment and maybe a little bit of fear.  Then they saw the tongues like fire atop the heads of those across from them. And then, each of them began to speak in different languages. The Spirit was creating chaos and it may have taken them a while to figure out what was happening.

          But then Peter got it! Everything came together for him and he knew what was going on. All that studying and listening to Jesus teach paid off. He remembered what was prophesied by Joel. God had promised that his Spirit would be poured on everyone. Some would spout prophetic statements, some would preach, some would see things they’d never seen before, and some would have weird dreams. Joel said it would happen to men and women. God’s Spirit would be poured on everyone. Peter understood and then he began to talk to the multitude gathered outside the room.

          That’s what happened then. Have you ever thought, “What’s God’s Spirit doing today?” Instead of us waiting for the Spirit is the Spirit waiting and wondering and asking questions of those of us who still don’t get it? Could that be?

          May God’s Spirit fill this room and all who are here with his breath and fire. Lord, let it be so. Amen.

A Witness

          What is a “witness” and why are witnesses so important? Peter, when he was meeting with the other disciples, said they needed to choose someone to replace Judas who had been with them the whole time Jesus was with them beginning with John the Baptist clear up to the time of his ascension…” For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection.”

          A witness, according to the dictionary, is… “one who can give a firsthand account of something seen, heard, or experienced.” So, this one the disciples chose was one who had travelled with them from the very beginning. Someone who had seen the miracles Jesus did, heard the parables he told, and listened as he told them about his death and resurrection. This one they chose was there on the beach at Galilee when he prepared a meal of fish for them. He was there when he appeared to them in the upper room and showed them his hands and his side. This one witnessed his ascension into the clouds. And why was this so important?

          Think about it for a minute. Who would you believe someone who had witnessed every event in Jesus’ life firsthand or someone who’d heard about Jesus from someone who may have also heard about him from someone else who may have heard about him from one of the disciples? I’d be more apt to believe the one who had actually been there, wouldn’t you? That may have been the reason the church grew so rapidly in the beginning. Because everyone who spoke experienced Jesus’ life firsthand and they were believable.

          But, you’re saying, the disciples didn’t live forever and we don’t have any of the original disciples to corroborate the words read and preached to us today.  And you’d be absolutely right. So, how can we be certain that the testimony we hear every Sunday is true? Who is the credible witness we can rely now that the disciples aren’t with us anymore?

          What do you think? Who do we listen to today? John says in his epistle, the passage we heard read today, that…“God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son. ¹⁰ Whoever believes in the Son of God accepts this testimony.”  If we willingly accept human testimony doesn’t it make sense that God’s words are even more credible, even more believable? So, I would tell you that the witness we listen to today is God.

          Now you may ask how can God be a witness, how can he testify that Jesus is His Son, the Christ? I believe that God witnesses to Jesus through the Bible, His word to us. John said that he wrote his epistle…“to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.” He knew that the original witnesses wouldn’t be here for everyone to hear so the only way they would come to know Jesus and his gospel was through the spoken and written word of God.

          So, even though we who read and proclaim the word of God and give our testimony are imperfect and sinful people, God witnesses to those who listen through the Holy Spirit who is at work in those giving their testimony.  

          Now it’s up to us who aren’t firsthand witnesses of Jesus and his life to tell the story of God’s love for the world and to keep his commandment to love one another. The question we have to ask ourselves is…how are we doing?

          Today we are called to be witnesses for Jesus Christ to the world, to our sisters and brothers who haven’t heard the testimony of Jesus’ disciples. And we can’t use the excuse that we’ve done our part and now others should take over. Nope, there is no early retirement for those who are called to be witnesses.

          My challenge for all of us is to focus this week on being witnesses for Jesus as we live our lives this week at work and at our leisure.  Every person we meet is an opportunity for us to tell the story of Jesus, to witness to them about what He means in our lives. And if you need help know that everyone here today would be glad to back you up and tell their story along side yours. Remember none of us are in this alone.

          Good friends, we are all called to be ministers to God’s children and witnesses to our faith in Jesus Christ.  Go out into the world this week filled with the power of the Holy Spirit and tell your story.

          Thanks be to God for his loving, empowering grace. Amen.

Conquering the World

          Do you believe everything you that people say?  When someone swears that what they are about to speak is the truth do you believe it?

          Everything you’ve ever heard about Jesus, is it true? What do you believe about Jesus? God says that Jesus is his Son. Do we believe it?

          In John’s epistle he says that if we take human testimony at its face value then how much more reassured we should be when God gives testimony that Jesus is his Son. Surely we’re more apt to trust what God says than in what any person would say, even if they swore on everything that’s holy.

          God’s testimony is that he gave us eternal life, life in his Son. So, whoever has the Son has life; whoever rejects the Son, rejects life.

          If we believe that Jesus is God’s Son John says we can conquer the world and have eternal life. That would make us champions, right? Whoever is born of God conquers the world! Those who are conquerors are champions, right? How can we become conquerors? How can we be champions? How do we defeat the world?

          John doesn’t give specific details so that means we have to look to the One who came to be an example for us, Jesus. What did he do?

          If we go to the gospels and read what Jesus did we discover that he wasn’t concerned with what the world had to say about status or reputations or prejudices. He rose about the words and thoughts of the world. Jesus was concerned with only one thing and that was to do the right thing no matter the consequences.

          Friends, does that look like a champion? Maybe not in the world’s eyes but that kind of behavior is capable of conquering the world by helping one person at a time.

          Granted we aren’t Jesus, but friends, God created us in his image a little lower than the angels. I believe if God made us in his image and if we are just a little lower than the angels then we should have the ability to make a real difference in this world.

          I can already hear the “buts”. But I’m too old. But I don’t have the money to help. But I’m not physically able to help anymore. But I’m not smart enough. But I’m afraid. But they’ll make fun of me.

          Friends, Jesus, even though he was divine, helped many folks by doing ordinary things. He sat and listened to people talk. He invited the community to come and listen as he taught. He fed the crowd fishes and loaves, with a little help from his friends. Yes, he made blind people see, crippled people walk, cleansed lepers, and forgave those others wanted to stone to death. It was surely with God’s help but remember Paul and Peter did some of these things too. Jesus wasn’t physically with them when they did them. It was God who provided the power to heal.

          Jesus told his disciples that they would do even greater things than what they had seen him do. And they did. So, what makes us think that we can’t heal illnesses, cure diseases, help crippled people walk or forgive those the world has discarded as unworthy?

          What did Jesus say? He said something about faith as small as a mustard seed being able to accomplish great things. Look back at what Schweitzer did; look at what Mother Teresa accomplished in India. Neither one of these people were super humans. They were plain ordinary people like you and me and yet they worked tirelessly to make the world a better place. And they didn’t pay any attention to what was printed about them in the press or said on the radio or the television. They trusted in God and His Son and the power of the Holy Spirit.

          So, good friends, what I’m trying to say is we can be conquerors too. We can be champions who defeat the world. And when we do we too can be filled with the joy Jesus talked about in John’s gospel God’s joy will be our joy.

          One of the secrets to being able to do all this is to do it by loving people in the same way we wish to be loved.

          Now, we all know it’s not easy to do any of this. In fact it’s a struggle to try to live and love like Jesus. But as a community of sisters and brothers working together, supporting each other the world can be conquered. The unloved, discarded people in our communities can be saved and made whole.

          Friends, remember we aren’t in this work alone. God is beside us and within us as we do this work he has blessed us with. Thanks be to God for his grace. Amen.