For, Behold, the Day Cometh

I didn't write a sermon for last Sunday, which felt a little strange to me. Instead I presented the story from Walter Wangerin, Jr.'s book, "The Manger Is Empty."  I pulled up a chair and made myself comfortable and proceeded to relate the story of Christ's coming again as told by Mr. Wangerin. The service went 20 minutes over but, to my surprise, no one got up and left.

The reason I chose this story, this is a God thing, is that earlier a church member had left me a book, "My Time in Heaven" by Richard Sigmund. It's about his experience of dying and coming back. You know it's all about his remembrances of heaven, God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, angels, and friends and acquaintances who've gone on ahead. And so, I shared this story about Christ coming again, and the anticipation of a close friend, Jesus, coming just for us.

Isn't that what Advent is all about? Isn't it a reminder for us of what we are waiting, hoping, and anticipating will happen...maybe in our lifetime.

So, if you can find it, this book is a good read for us in the season of Advent.

May God's grace, peace, and joy fill you with anticipation this Advent season.

Trust

          Beginning at the very beginning in the Garden of Eden, the Man and the Woman trusted in God to take care of their needs…until they destroyed that trust.

          Even when they had to make their own way in the land where God sent them, they still trusted God to care and provide for them. They lived on the land. They worked the ground, planted seeds, raised animals for meat, and talked with God, trusting that he would be there whenever they called.

          The pattern had been set though that Man would continue to forget the Covenant and would break it, always looking for the greener pastures or the easy way, breaking the trust that was so necessary.

          Our ancestors, our sisters and brothers descended from the original Man and Woman, broke the trust established between God and them.  It would be mended or patched up. God told them He would forget, not remember their past transgressions. He kept His promise; they didn’t.

          As we read and hear the stories in the Old Testament we see where God, our Father, would start all over with a new leader, a new judge, a new king, or a new prophet.  He would wipe the slate clean. He would erase the memory of their sins against Him and begin anew. He would ask them to trust Him…and they would…for a while.

          That’s why God confused the language of the people at Babel. That’s why there was the Flood. That’s why Joseph, Jacob’s son, was sent to Egypt. That’s why the Israelites wandered so long in the wilderness. That’s why Jerusalem was destroyed along with the temple. The covenant was broken. They couldn’t believe that God would do everything He said He’d do for them.

          They looked at their neighbors, who worshiped other gods, and saw that they had better things than they did…or at least they thought so…so they would set up shrines and worship their gods.  They didn’t trust God.

          There was always that remnant that didn’t lose their faith. Sometimes it was a very small remnant, like the family of Noah or Hannah or Abraham or Joseph or Moses or Samuel or Elijah or Elisha or Isaiah or Jeremiah or…Mary the mother of Jesus or Elizabeth the mother of John.

          Everywhere we look we can find the element of trust somewhere in the story. God is love but we must “trust” that He really loves us.

          You see, we can’t believe that He could love us the way we are because we know how many times we’ve broken the covenant.  We know our evil, lustful, not so nice thoughts and actions. We hide them from others but we can’t hide them from God.

          And yet…he forgets our past and current mistakes and transgressions. He calls us back to Him and all he asks is that we trust Him…to forgive and forget and love us.

          Hannah trusted God to hear her prayers, especially after Eli told her he was sure God would answer her prayers.  Our reading from Hebrews encourages us to trust the new priest, Jesus the Christ. Jesus tells us in Mark’s lesson that we shouldn’t trust the signs around us or in our own ingenuity but trust His word when he says he’s coming back… and it’ll get worse before His arrival. This is nothing.

          Trust is the key word to remember and carry with us this week.  We aren’t to place our trust in our own talents but lean entirely upon Jesus, the One who lived and died and rose again to show us we could trust in God’s plan for the world.

          Have faith my friends. God loves you and will provide all you need as long as you believe.

          Thanks be to God for his trustworthy grace. Amen.

Risk All

Congregations all over the world are struggling to make ends meet. People in India are living in places we can’t even imagine. The people in Afghanistan and Iraq and Sudan and Syria are living in fear for their lives because they never know whether tomorrow might be their last. Christians living in nations where they are the minority worship in secret because it’s against the law in their nation to be a Christian.

          Yet, every day these folks risk everything they have to survive. And in some of these places there are folks who give the little they have to help their neighbors.

          So, I’ve been thinking. What do we risk? Did any of us wake up this morning wondering if a car bomber was going to be parked outside the church? Did any of us wake up this morning wondering if there was enough flour in the cupboard to make something to eat? Did any of us wake up this morning and count our pennies and decide that we could risk giving them to the church…even though they were all we had?  What chances do we take?

          We may drive too fast. We probably eat a few too many sweets or drink too many cups of coffee. We may choose not to exercise. But that’s not what I’m getting at today.

          Jesus took a seat in the temple and observed the people putting their offerings into the temple treasury.  Those who were wealthy were putting substantial chunks of change.  Then he called his disciples over because he’d noticed a widow coming in with her offering.  She dropped two small coins in the treasury.

          And Jesus said that she had given more than all the others put together.  What the others had put in they’d never miss but what she gave was all she had. She risked it all trusting in God.

          I don’t believe Jesus was saying that folks should give all but he was pointing out the kind of trust this widow had compared to those wealthy tithers who gave what they’d never miss.

          The prophet Malachi spoke God’s words to the people of his community. He spoke of how the priests were mistreating His people and how the people weren’t remaining faithful to their spouses and each other…and God.

          In chapter 3 he speaks of sending a messenger to prepare the way before Him. The people hadn’t been living as God had instructed them. They had reverted back to sorcery and idols, swearing falsely and cheating, and oppressing the laborers who worked for them by not paying them a fair wage.  They weren’t caring for the aliens in their country…and they didn’t fear the Lord.  God wasn’t happy.

          But God hadn’t changed. He still loved them. He desired them to return to Him. But how could they return when they’d been robbing God? They questioned how they were robbing God and he replied, “In your tithes and offerings! You are cursed with a curse, for robbing me—the whole nation of you!”

          Now you’d think that God would have had enough. That he’d want children who loved him and cared to be with him and wouldn’t cheat him. But no, He said, “Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in my house, and thus put me to the test…see if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you an overflowing blessing.”

          God was asking them to risk giving their tithe and then trust Him to bless them. Even though they’d neglected their offerings for so long God didn’t reject them he was willing to take them all back if they’d come back to him.

          So…when we hear God saying, “You have spoken harsh words against me,” do we wonder when and how we could have done that? God’s reply is the same today as it was in Malachi’s day. When we say it is vain to serve God. What do we profit by keeping his commands…Now we count the arrogant happy; evildoers not only prosper, but when they put God to the test they escape. We risk nothing. It’s all about us.

          There is a day coming says the Lord when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble; the day that comes will burn them up.  But…for you who revere my name the sun of righteousness shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.

          Now, we might think that all of this was just for those folks back in the day but I believe God is speaking to you and me. He sees what we give. He knows what we’re thinking and saying…and his heart is breaking.

          There are hungry people in the world. There are children starving in the world. But they don’t need to. They could be fed. There is enough food in the world relieve the hunger and the starvation.  All it takes is for God’s children to give.  All it takes is for us to give our tithe.

          There’s not one of us here today who’d starve or miss a payment by giving our tithe…not one.  I say that because God isn’t asking us to risk what the widow did. He just wants us to remember the commandments to love him with all we are and to love our neighbors as much as we love ourselves. 

          What would the impact be if we committed to doing that? What kind of change would take place if we brought our tithe into God’s storehouse? I wonder.

          Friends, I believe God is reminding us of our duty to Him and our neighbors.  And we know who our neighbors are, don’t we?

            Thanks be to God for his loving grace. Amen.

The Important Thing

          The lawyer who came to Jesus with his question about the most important commandment had been listening to Jesus as he taught and was questioned by the other religious of Jerusalem.  He could tell by the way he answered that this Rabbi was a wise man who knew things. He had insights that no one else had heard of or spoken of before. So, he posed his question about the most important thing.

          So, what’s the most important thing for us? Is it still loving God and loving our neighbor? If that’s the answer then how are we doing that most important thing?

          I believe that love is the most important thing for all of us. It’s important to love God with all everything we are and it’s important to love our neighbors.  Love is the key here.

          Last night two people we love made a commitment to love each other for ever. Their love is very evident for us to see.  You can tell by their actions how much they care for each other, the little things they do for each other, how they talk to each other.

          But we all know that it’s not always that easy to love all the time. And sometimes we fall out of love. And the root cause of that may be that we fall out of love with ourselves. We have strayed away from God and we don’t love ourselves very much. So, we don’t love neighbors or God because we don’t love ourselves.

          We might want to look within ourselves to try to discover why it is we don’t love as we should. It could be that we suffer from the same malady that Jesus’ disciples suffered from, the desire to be the greatest or have the most or…be the most important.

          If that’s the problem with us then it should be easy to correct it. What did Jesus say?  Whoever want to be first must be last, must be a servant or a slave to all. Or as he told the rich young man who wanted to know how to obtain eternal life, “Sell everything you have, give the proceeds to the poor and then follow me.”

          If a person were to do those things, serve others, give everything away, and follow Jesus who would they have to depend on?  They could no longer depend on themselves to provide shelter and food and clothes because they’ve given it all away. Who would they turn to?

          Who do you turn to when you’ve exhausted all other possibilities, another person? Maybe, but most of us will turn to God.  Why?

          I think it’s when we’ve run out of options that we discover that the One who loves us the most, who really cares for us, is the One who is able to provide just what we need.

          We’ve been hearing the last couple of Sundays what the disciples thought was important and then what they learned from Jesus that was important. They weren’t anywhere close to the same.

          Following this lesson in Mark’s gospel is the story of the widow who gave out of her poverty.  She gave two coins that were probably, at most, only worth enough to buy food for one modest meal. But she gave them hoping that they could be used to help someone else who had greater needs.

          Yet others only gave what the law required not from their needs. And what they gave wasn’t always used to help those who were widowed and poor.  The leaders of the synagogue used the offerings to provide the luxuries they desired. That’s what they thought was important.

          What’s the most important thing?  Jesus told us its love. In fact his life was an example for all of us.

          He loved his Father so much that even when he was exhausted from a day being surrounded by the mass of people he would go away to some deserted place to talk with Him, to commune with Him, to be comforted by Him. And then he could go back to continue on the journey towards Jerusalem.

          God is asking us, every one of us, to examine our lives and decide what’s the important thing. And once we learn what it is then trust that the one who cares for the birds of the air, the flowers of the field, and the grass in the meadows to provide just what we need so we can love Him and our neighbors and ourselves.

          Do you believe that? Do you trust God to take care of you? Have you decided what the most important thing is?

          Friends, trust in God and love Him. Trust in God and love and care for your neighbors. Trust in Him and love yourselves. Put all your trust in God and you will find the most important thing.

          Thanks be to God for his loving grace. Amen.

He Called

          Bartimaeus cried out to Jesus for mercy. The people following Jesus tried to shut him up, to make him be quiet. But he persisted in his cries for help.

          Mark writes that Jesus stopped and said, “Call him over.” Why did he stop for this one person? How was he able to hear him with all those people surrounding him?

          Jesus said, “Call him over.” And then he asked Bartimaeus, “What can I do for you?” All Bartimaeus wanted him to do for him was to heal his eyes so he could see, that’s all. He just wanted to see.

          How many Bartimaeus’ are calling out to Jesus today? How many of those calling out for mercy are being told, “Be quiet. Shut up. Stop shouting you’re bothering the Master.”  How many? Maybe you’re one of those calling out to the Master.

          What if Bartimaeus had listened to the people and did stop shouting at Jesus? What if he’d caved in to their demands to be quiet?  Would it have made any difference to the rest of the world?

          Friends, we can’t stop calling to Him! We can’t let the world dictate to us! We have to keep shouting and demanding an audience with the One who can save us, who can intercede for us before the Father. We must persist in our demand for mercy.

          Sometimes, I know, it feels like He doesn’t hear our prayers, our cries for help, our pleas for mercy. But He does. He hears every word, every breath, every cry for help. He hears because He’s been right where we are. He’s known the pain and suffering we know. 

          Friends, our prayers will stop Him in his tracks. He will hear and he will ask his angels to call us over to him.  This I believe.

           The question is, “What do we want Him to do for us?”  Maybe we just want to see…see what’s waiting for us on the other side. Friends, our hope is in the Lord and I’m sure that he will keep his promise. May God grant us his grace. Thanks be to God. Amen.                    

            The question is, “What do we want Him to do for us?”  Maybe we just want to see…see what’s waiting for us on the other side. Friends, our hope is in the Lord and I’m sure that he will keep his promise. May God grant us his grace. Thanks be to God. Amen.

What Do You Want?

          I have a question for you, all of you. What do you want from life? What are your goals? Or for those who are enjoying the autumn or winter of your life what were your goals?

          If you, like me, belong to the more senior generation what were your goals when you were 20 something; did you reach your goal(s); did they change as you experienced more of life?

          Did you have aspirations of being a leader or your own boss or did you dream of serving people in other parts of the world by enlisting in the Peace Corp, of making the world a better place to live? What did you pray for when you asked God for help in determining the path your life would take?

          James and John came to Jesus and asked if they could have the seats on his right and left when he came to glory. Jesus knew they had no idea what they were asking for and he also knew that they couldn’t even imagine where their lives were going to take them after he was gone.

          That’s why he asked them, “Are you capable of drinking the cup I drink, of being baptized in the baptism I’m about to be plunged into?”  It’s really no different than some of the questions we’ve heard from family or friends when we told them what we were going to do. Don’t you remember when you first heard, “Are you sure that’s what you want to do?”  Or maybe it was, “Do you know what you’re getting yourself into?”

          Either way they didn’t exactly create an atmosphere of confidence. Just like Jesus knew James and John our families and friends knew us. They knew our minds were made up and they weren’t going to change the direction we were headed. But, still they asked. They planted the seed.

          James and John had given up their former lives of fishing to follow Jesus. They observed how he was received and treated by the religious of the day. They knew that if they continued on the same path, the same way of life, they wouldn’t be treated any better, maybe even worse.

          So, since they had sacrificed so much why not ask for the best seats in eternity? I think Jesus understood that but he also knew it wasn’t his decision to make; only the Father could do that.

          Rather than chastise them for their request he used it, again, as an opportunity to teach them…and those other disciples who knew what they’d asked for.

          As He had done so many times before he taught them His ways weren’t the same as the ways of the world. Whoever aspired to be first must be willing to be last. Whoever wanted to be first must be a slave to all.

          If they wanted a place in eternity, if they truly wanted to be like Jesus and follow his lead then they had to be willing to give up their grandiose ideas of being powerful and rich and instead live lives of service to people they viewed as lower than them; those they deemed as unworthy to enter the kingdom.

          Is that a goal anyone would want to strive for? Is that the first thing we want to think about when we wake in the morning? Whose feet will I wash today? Whose house will I clean today? Whose rent will I pay today? Whose bedside will I visit today? Whose diaper will I change today?

          What does it mean to be a servant to all? What does it mean to give away your life in exchange for the many held hostage? Who could do that?

          As I think about people I know or have read about there aren’t many who fall into this category. But, I also know I don’t know it all and that there are probably many more that are servants and have given their whole lives in service to others that I’m not even aware of. Some may be sitting here today.

          Not many want to make the sacrifice to live simply in order to be able to serve others. But thank God some have and they’ve changed the world. If those disciples who followed Jesus hadn’t made the choice to give up their former lives to be people of the Way then you and I would probably not be here worshipping God today.

          But, God had, God has, a plan. And that was that the world was to be changed, transformed, disciples were to be made and people were to be baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. God gave the world a chance to be saved. It began with those who were willing to be servants.

          Because the disciples chosen by Jesus answered his call to follow him and dreamed of and hoped for a new Jerusalem and a new heaven they sacrificed, suffered, and died serving others, and God, as slaves and servants.

          Now the question for us today is, “What do you want?”  Who wants to be first? Is it you? Then you have to be a slave to everyone else.

          Every one of us who call ourselves followers of Jesus are being called to serve. Every one of us who are followers of the Way is called to be slaves, to be at the beck and call of others. It’s not an easy decision to make.

          And we can’t go into to this way of life believing that it will get us into the kingdom of God. That still depends upon God’s grace. But just imagine what this world would be like if there were more servants than bosses.

          Friends, it still could happen. What if instead of just dreaming and talking about it every one decided the whole focus of the rest of their lives would be serving others and telling the story of Jesus’ love to everyone they met?

          Friends, we are called, every one of us, to go out into the world as servants. What choices will you and I make, beginning today. How will we make the world a better place? What will you ask God for tonight before you close your eyes in sleep?

          I pray that God will lead each and every one of us to be better and more faithful servants and give us the courage and the strength to serve Him wherever that may be.

          Thanks be to God. He has the plan and the grace and peace for the whole world. Amen.

"Stuff"

          The rich young ruler ran up to Jesus and asked him how he could get eternal life.  Jesus told him first that he needed to keep the commandments God gave Moses. Being the good, young Jewish man he was he replied that of course he’d kept them since he was a boy.

          Mark said that Jesus looked hard at him…and loved him. He looked hard at him…and loved him.

          Have you asked the same question…and had Jesus look hard at you? Have you heard him tell you to keep the commandments and then knowing what’s in your heart instruct you to let it all go? Have you heard him tell you to have a garage sale? Have you heard him speak to you about giving the proceeds to the homeless shelter?

          Have you heard his word to you… and felt it cut through your spirit and soul? Have you known or realized that nothing is hidden from God? Everything is exposed. He is the one we’re all accountable to.

          So, why do we find it almost impossible to let go of our “stuff?”  All of us, I believe, have things we just can’t give up. It may be physical things or it may be habits we feel we need just to get through the day. We all have them. And just like Jesus told the young man he’s telling us we need to let them go.

          Why do you think we can’t let go of our stuff? God knows our hearts and souls. We know that…but even with that we can’t let go. Why?

          If we believe, if we trust in God, if we believe his Word, then why can’t we take that one step and release our hold on the “stuff” in our lives?

          Have you ever thought, “Why doesn’t He just take it all away?” Friends, maybe he does…sometimes. Look at Job. He lost everything but his life and his wife.

          He couldn’t understand why. He questioned God. He adamantly requested an audience with Him. His friends came and sat with him and counseled and questioned and kind of told him it must have been something he did that God didn’t like.

          They would never have believed that God would allow something like this to take place just as a test or proof of how good someone was.

          Deep down Job still trusted in God and his love. God’s Spirit was cutting away all that “stuff” until his word could be felt by Job’s spirit and soul.

          Do you suppose God does that to people today?  Do you think he tests us today?

          Think about this… do you we hold on tight to our “stuff?” Do you think our “stuff” gets in the way of our relationship with God, with Jesus, with the Spirit? Does our “stuff” keep us from truly knowing the kingdom of God?

          If our “stuff” is keeping us from what God would have us experience, and I believe it does, then what should we do? Jesus told the young man to sell his possessions and give the money to the poor.

          I think all of us should take an inventory of our “stuff.”  We should go home or sit here and think about what we can’t let go of and then ask ourselves why it has such a hold on us; why we believe it’s necessary for existence.

          Just so you don’t think you’re alone in this let me tell you I have “stuff.” “Stuff” I find it almost impossible to let go of.  Does it keep me from knowing the triune God? It probably does.  So, what am I doing?

          I talk with God…a lot. I think about the “stuff” I hold onto, that holds onto me, and I consider letting it go. And then I pray some more, and read the Word, and just sit and wait on God.

          At some point we have to release our hold on the “stuff” that keeps us from experiencing the joy of being continually in God’s presence.

          Friends, He understands our weaknesses. He’s there for us but it’s our decision to make. It’s up to us to leave our bag of “stuff” at the cross and then lean on Him.

          You know maybe our religious sisters and brothers like Henri Nouwen and Mother Teresa had the right idea. They joined the religious order and trusted in God to provide for their basic needs. And then they went into God’s creation to serve the helpless and the poor. And neither of them lacked anything…and they contributed to our society by serving with love and honesty and openness. Yes, they too struggled with “stuff” but they also trusted and hoped in God.

          Along with Jesus and Job and all the prophets and the Apostles they help us understand how good our God is. They demonstrate to us that it can be done. There are others too, young folks who live in communes, holding everything in common. They are trying to live as the disciples did, as Paul, Barnabas, and Silas did and focus on doing God’s work without the hindrance of any “stuff.”  Still, they struggle with getting it right.

          There is life and happiness and contentment and joy without “stuff.” And there is that promise of eternal life.

          Part of the problem could be is that we try to do all this by our own willpower. What did Jesus tell his disciples? He said there’s “no chance at all if you think you can pull it off by yourself. Every chance if you let God do it.”  Maybe that’s what’s holding us back. We’re trying to do all by ourselves and therefore we’re failing.

          So, friends, how are we going to proceed this week? Know that whatever we let go of this week God is right beside us as we go through withdrawal from our “stuff.” He is all we need and his yoke isn’t heavy. Put your trust in him. 

Thanks be to God for his loving grace. Amen.