Dealing with Bad Things

The story of Joseph begins with his birth in Jacob’s later years. He was favored by his dad; in fact, you could say that Joseph could do no wrong in Jacob’s eyes. His dad loved him so much he made him a coat of many colors. Maybe you’ve heard that story…or seen the musical.

And then Joseph had these dreams where his siblings, and even his parents bowed down to him. Being the typical favored child he also told on his brothers.

Needless to say they didn’t share their dad’s love for their younger brother. It’s no wonder they threw him in that dry cistern and changed their minds about killing him; instead they sold him to the Ishmaelites.

It may have been on that journey to Egypt that he matured and began to lean on his faith in God. It may have been on that trip that he learned how to deal with the bad things that were happening to him.

So, how do we deal with the bad things life throws at us? What do we do when the car breaks down and there’s not quite enough money in the account to pay the mechanic? What do we do when our teenaged children rebel and won’t or don’t listen to us? What do we do when people spread rumors about us that may or may not be true? How do we deal with the news that we have a tumor growing inside of us? What do we do when our country is overrun with terrorists? How do we deal with bad things?

That’s what this scripture is getting me to think about. Is my faith in God strong enough to deal with the bad things of life? If I had been Joseph would I have been able to adapt and prosper no matter what situation I was in?

Just take the first situation Joseph found himself in, thrown into a cistern, hearing them talk about killing him and then being sold by his brothers to foreign traders and taken to who knows where. Was he angry? How long was he angry? Did he talk with God? Was he mad at God for what happened to him? How did he deal with it?

We can only imagine because we weren’t there…and we haven’t walked in his shoes. We only know how we would react…or how we think we’d react.

Some of us have had bad things happen to us. Some of us already know how we’ve reacted. Our neighbors know too how we’ve reacted or they think they know. No one really knows unless we’ve told them.

Again, I believe, it’s a question of faith. Most of us know we’re not been promised a life of wine and roses and an easy road. And yet, if our lives have been relatively easy without too many bumps, encountering a really big pothole or a major crisis can be a real test of our faith.

How do we deal with bad things? Some of you may have already asked yourself this question. I’ve been thinking lately about how I’d deal with bad things.

When the bad things come it’s then that I wish I could talk with God, and he with me. I mean like really hearing his voice and knowing it was God speaking; having a deep and intimate conversation with the One & Only God.

Did God speak to Joseph like he did with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? We can’t tell for sure from the scriptures. The reading from Genesis tells us that God was with him but don’t you want to know if he heard God speak to him. How did he know? Was it just because he prospered that he knew God was with him?

We might think that because the jailer trusted him and didn’t worry about anything he asked Joseph to do that being in prison was easy. I don’t think it was, at least not as good as working for Potiphar.

I think we have to be careful in how we understand this scripture. We could think that if we live a righteous life, doing all that Jesus commanded, that God will prosper us and make us successful. Friends, that isn’t the way God works. At least I don’t think that’s the way God works.

There’s too many examples of God’s prophets and Jesus’ apostles suffering, being persecuted, tortured, and killed. These were folks doing what God called them to do. We can’t say that they prospered; at least by the world’s standards. They didn’t all have an easy time of it and yet they received blessings from God. They dealt with the bad things because they trusted God.

Joseph dealt with the bad things that came his way by trusting in God to take care of him. Joseph had heard the stories from his dad about God’s grace. The example of Jacob must have made an impression on Joseph and he believed.  That must have been what helped him deal with the bad things.

So, the question has been, how do we deal with the bad things?  Is our faith, our trust in God enough for us to handle what life throws at us? Do we need more than our faith? What if our faith isn’t very strong? What do we do then? When life’s not fair, when life’s a burden how do we deal with that?

You may very well ask, “Pastor, how do you deal with the bad things?” It’s a struggle sometimes. To be honest I talk with God a lot about the bad things. It’s really good to talk. I’m sometimes angry when bad things come my way. I sometimes whine at God. Sometimes I don’t know what to say and I just sit. Sometimes my mind is just blank because I can’t even think about it.

I listen to music and read the Bible searching for help, for answers, for anything that can help me cope. And I continue to talk with God. When things are really bad I also count on my friends…to pray for me, to listen to me, to just be there for me. Without God, the church, and friends I don’t know how anyone can survive the bad things.

So, with all the stuff that happened to Joseph he may have done some of the things I did. It sounds as if Joseph was pretty good at networking whether he was a slave with Potiphar or working for the jailer in prison. He had friends, his network, that he could count on…and he had his faith in God being there with him, always.

And you know what, Joseph didn’t sit still. Wherever he was he kept going and didn’t look back.  He assessed the situation he was in, made a plan, and worked it always trusting in God.

So, my friends, the lesson for us today is to have faith, trust in God, and know that God is always with you. And if you’re one of the lucky ones with friends who believe in Jesus and believe in God then knowing that they have your back is a bonus.

Friends, through all of this life there are bound to be some bad things. Dealing with them is easier if we have faith in our God, trust in his grace and love in Jesus, and keep the communication channels open talking and listening for God’s voice.

Thanks be to God for his grace. Amen.

Building Peace (Shalom)

The Lord called Abram to go to place that he would show him. God told him that he would make him into a ‘great’ nation.

God also said something about blessings and curses. God said, “…I will bless you;
I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. ³ I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

This could be interpreted a few different ways. I’d like us to think about it this way, whatever action Abram took, whatever decisions he made would end up either being a blessing for the people or a curse.

When we read the story of Abram we find that he didn’t always make the right decisions. In fact sometimes they were the wrong decisions and they almost got him into trouble. But, for the most part, Abram’s decisions were good for the people and they were blessed. And because of his righteousness God’s people were blessed and we, the adopted children of God, have also been blessed.

Is that it then? God promised to make Abram’s family and great nation and bless them. Because God kept his promise to Abram we’ve also been blessed.

I don’t think that’s it. Did you hear the first verse from the psalm today? It said, “Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done.” And, also, the gospel from Matthew, “…go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,…teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”

These words weren’t meant for the first people to read them or hear them read. No, my friends, they were meant for us. We are to proclaim his name. We are to make known among the nations what Jesus has done. We are to go and make disciples of all nations…teaching them to obey everything Jesus commanded. We are to do these things. We have been called. We have been given a promise too.

Those we bless will be blessed and those we curse will be cursed. The decisions we make to share God’s story of Jesus Christ with those we meet on our journey will be blessed and the times we decide not to share the story, well then, those folks will be cursed because they didn’t get to hear the story of salvation. Because we didn’t tell it to them.

Blessings and curses, if we share the gospel story folks are blessed and if we don’t they are cursed. Those who hear the story find peace (shalom) and those who don’t may not find peace.

So, sharing the storing of God’s love for the world in his Son, Jesus, is the beginning to building peace.

Every time we tell the story another milestone is created to mark that event. Maybe not a pile of stones that we can see but a definite marker has been created.

Think about the people who’ve impacted your life. Think what your life would be like if they had decided to do what they did.

Now, think about those who told you the story of God’s love for the world in Jesus Christ. Where would you be today if they had decided not to do that? But they did and now you have to choose who you will tell and how you will tell the story; how you will build peace, how you will mark this part of your journey.

It sounds so easy, all we have to do is tell the story. But, the honest truth is, sometimes we don’t because our faith isn’t as strong as our fear of rejection or ridicule. We need faith in our Lord before we can tell the story.

Abram had faith in God. That’s why he could be a blessing. His ancestor’s had faith and so they were a blessing. Jesus’ disciples had faith and the world was blessed by their faith.

So, good friends, pray that God strengthens your faith so you can tell the story and be a blessing and lay a stone to mark the beginning of building peace.

Thanks be to God for his gift of grace. Amen.

God's Promises

Have you ever wondered how bad, how evil man was for God to want to destroy all humanity, every living thing? Have you then looked at our world today and wondered how God feels about mankind now?

I have and it worries me some. According to the writer of Genesis God promised to never destroy every living thing on earth with water. But the state of the world today does give me pause and make me wonder.

Water is so necessary to our existence that it’s hard to imagine it being used by God to destroy his creation. And yet just last week some places received so much rain that flood warnings were issued, rivers were cresting and people had to evacuate their houses.

It’s hard for me to imagine what it must have been like when the earth was deluged with water for 40 days and nights. Can you imagine what it was like to see nothing but water everywhere you looked? Maybe that’s why Noah didn’t open the windows of the ark until later.

After 40 days it quit but then it all had to go back to where it had come from and that took a while. Eventually the water receded and the boat came to rest on a mountain. After a period of time and a few birds being sent out the door of the ark was opened and everything and everyone came out.

Life began all over again. Noah offered a sacrifice from the ‘clean’ animals and God found the odor pleasing. Then he declared that never again would he destroy the earth. He made a covenant with Noah and his family. The sign of the covenant was the multi-colored arc in the heavens after a rain. The rainbow is a reminder to God, and to us, of this covenant.

So, what about now? For as long as I can remember the earth has been pretty stable. But in the last 10 years or so there’s been a lot of talk about climate change. The blame has been placed on damage to the ozone layer that has been caused by some chemicals that man has produced or from too many cattle being on feed. It depends who you listen to.

That’s not the only change that been taking place. Some animals are nearing extinction. Some insects are dying off. Should we worry about that or will God intervene and fix the problem? What do you believe?

If man is abusing the environment will God let it continue or will God step in? What do you think? Is it possible that we, mankind, could do something that would annihilate all living creatures and not destroy the earth? Should we care?

This creation is balanced. Everything in creation needs everything else in creation. Today it sounds and looks as if everything is getting out of balance, out of kilter, kind of like a washing machine trying to spin when the load isn’t put in evenly.

And who are the ones affected the most by the ecological imbalances? It’s the poorest and the least informed who suffer the most. The people with the power and the money can move and protect themselves against ‘acts of God.’

The story of Noah is a reminder to us that when things get out of balance we have a responsibility to work to correct the problems. We are all in this together with our brothers and sisters all over the world. And we’re in this together with every animal and every plant on this earth. If they’re suffering eventually we will too if we don’t take steps to fix the problems.

So, before we all just throw up our hands and toss in the towel remember that we’re not in this alone. As God told Moses, “I will be with you.”

God was with our ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and Noah and God is with us today.

We don’t think of this often enough but everything we do has an impact on our environment, physically and spiritually. How we take care of our little piece of the world does affect us and those who are our neighbors.

My friends, be reminded today of God’s covenant to never destroy the earth again with water and his promise to always be with us in everything we do. Give thanks for the gift of Jesus Christ, who came so that we could be saved from a life of torment and instead be welcome into the kingdom of God as children of God.

Thanks be to God for his grace. Amen.

The Cost

When you go into a store to shop are you one of those folks who’s always looking for the best price? Do you buy multiples when it allows you to save a buck or two? Before you buy that new car or pickup or new computer or phone or IPad do you calculate the cost and maybe how long it will take to pay for itself? Do you calculate the overall cost to your budget, to your life?

What about what we’ve heard read today? God calling Moses to lead the people out of Egypt; Paul talking about how Christians should live and behave and serve; and Jesus telling the disciples they must deny themselves, take up their own cross, and follow him. He said, “Whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it?” Everyone must count the cost.

So, my friends, God’s calling you to serve him. Maybe you’ve encountered a burning bush. Maybe you’ve encountered God in the reading of the scriptures and he spoke to you. Maybe Jesus has come to you like he did Paul and given you a particular job to do. Did you count the cost?

Jesus told his friends that he must go to Jerusalem, suffer at the hands of the Pharisees and die. But he would be raised to life on the third day. Jesus knew the cost and it didn’t matter to him.

Peter knew the cost and it did matter to him. He didn’t want Jesus to even talk about it. He didn’t want his friend to die, even if he said he was going to be raised on the third day. The cost was too much for Peter.

My friends, this is a personal question, what is God calling you to do? Has God been tapping you on the shoulder? Has God been pointing something out to you and you’ve been ignoring his call? Is the cost too much?

Friends, what would you give up to make someone’s life better? How far would you go? Would it make any difference if they were family or not, if you liked them or not, if they were a bum or homeless?

What did Jesus give up? He was going to give up his life. What did Peter say when Jesus talked of dying? Put yourself in Peter’s sandals. Jesus heard Peter’s words and spun on him and said, “Get behind me, Satan. You’re a stumbling block to me. You thinking like a human not like God.”

That’s when Jesus began to talk about denying one’s self, picking up a cross and following him. That’s going to cost everything we have. Is the cost too much?

Jesus said, “The Son of Man is coming again in his Father’s glory with his angels and he will reward everyone according to what they’ve done.” Have you calculated the cost benefit ratio for this?

The cost sounds tremendous. Is the benefit eternal life worth the cost? This is what makes the question really personal. We are the only ones who can answer.

God is calling every one of us to serve him. Are we thinking like humans or are we thinking like God?

Jesus is begging us to change, to be transformed, to repent.  He wants us to be more like him.

My friends, I beg you to open your hearts to God and answer his call to serve. The cost is worth everything.

Thanks be to God for his grace. Amen.

Who Is Jesus?

     Everything Jesus has been doing in Matthew, so far, has been preparing the disciples for the hard work that was to come when Jesus left them. They were having a very hard time understanding everything he was telling them.

     When he asked them who people were saying he was he just wanted to get a feel for who they perceived him to be. They knew he was someone with special gifts. They weren’t beyond thinking that he could be one of the Prophets from the OT but not one of them considered that he might be the Savior the OT predicted would come. No one thought that he could be the Messiah…except Peter.

     Even with that Peter didn’t really grasp what that meant for the world. They still thought the Messiah would have such power that all the oppression they’d been suffering at the hands of the Romans would miraculously end. It didn’t.

     So, when Peter declared that he was the Messiah, the Son of God, that was a big thing. It meant that somehow he knew Jesus, his friend, his Teacher, was the One who would save the world. He didn’t know how but he knew through God’s Spirit revealing to him that Jesus was the One sent from God.

     All the disciples heard Peter’s declaration and were prepared to follow him to the end. They just didn’t know what the end was going to be…even though Jesus had told them he would have to suffer and be crucified by the Pharisees in Jerusalem.

     They just believed that he was the One chosen by God to be the Savior of their world. They just didn’t realize, or didn’t think that it could happen to Jesus, what often happened when someone’s at the top of the pile. There’s usually someone who wants to knock them off and take over the top spot.

     Think about this. At the end of a sporting season, basketball, football, baseball, hockey, soccer, it happens in all sports, there’s a huge turnover in the coaching staff, especially if the team has had a less than stellar season.

     So, a new coach is hired and all the publicity says that they’re the ones who can turn the team around. They’re the ones who can get the team to the playoffs. Shoot, some are so good they’re the ones who will get them the pennant or trophy.

     And then the season begins and maybe the team starts out doing pretty good. But midway through the season things go downhill and who’s the one who takes the brunt of the blame? It’s the coach. Sometimes feeling run so high that there’s talk of sacking them without even seeing if the team can turn itself around. We’ve all seen it happen. It has even happened with the leaders voted into office as senators and representatives and even presidents.

     Jesus knew this was what was waiting for him in Jerusalem and he wanted to prepare the disciples for it. But they just didn’t get it or just couldn’t believe that’s what would really happen.

     But us, what about us? We know what happened in Jerusalem. We know what happened to the disciples. We know how the early Christians were persecuted. We know all that.

     So, when we’re questioned about who Jesus is or why we worship Jesus or why we believe that he died for our sins how do we answer?

     It depends on our faith. It depends where we are on our walk with Jesus. It depends on how our faith has been tested and tried. It depends.

     My friends, we hope that what we read in the Bible is right. We hope that one day there will be peace on earth. We hope that one day Christ will return and the dead will rise and we’ll be reunited with all those who’ve gone on before us. We hope.

     But, do we believe? Has our relationship with Jesus become intimate enough that we can say with certainty that we will see him one day?

     We can only believe if we’ve continued to work daily on our relationship with Jesus. We can only believe if we’ve read and studied and prayed and grown in our spiritual lives. We can only believe if we done all this and then risked it all to tell someone else, and someone else, until we’ve told everyone we know and meet how important Jesus is in our lives.

     And it’s not all about what we say it’s also about how people see us living our lives. It’s about how they see us handling the tough things in our lives. Sometimes that is even more powerful than our words.

     Friends, who is Jesus, to you? Who do you say he is? May God fill you with his wisdom, grace, and peace. Amen.

Excluded...Shutout

Is everyone included in God’s forgiveness? Is there anyone you believe doesn’t deserve God’s forgiveness and love? Who wouldn’t be welcome to come and worship here with us in this sanctuary? Who would be excluded, shunned, shut out?

At first read of the gospel lesson it sounds as if Jesus is excluding the Canaanite woman because she’s a foreigner. He tells her that he’s come only for the lost sheep of Israel… “It’s not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

That sure sounds to me like exclusion. Why did Jesus say that? And if meant it what was he doing in Tyre and Sidon? Maybe he was looking for the lost sheep of Israel there.

A question that came to my mind was this, “Can God’s mind be changed?” Are there examples in the Bible of God’s mind being changed?

The reason I ask is this, if Jesus is the Son of God, and God the Father and God the Spirit are One and God is love and Jesus has already helped the lost children of Israel by feeding them bread and fish and his words…and he healed the centurion’s servant, who were both foreigners, then why not heal this poor woman’s daughter?

This is Matthew’s gospel and maybe he included this story because there was a problem that could only be addressed by showing how Jesus came to accept the fact that God’s Kingdom was truly for all, Israelites and Gentiles.

However you may want to interpret Matthew’s gospel Jesus did in fact grant her request. Because of her faith, and her persistence, her daughter was healed.

As I read this I think back to Moses’ and God’s conversations in the wilderness. How many times did God want to erase the whiners and complainers from the face of the earth and yet as Moses counseled against it? God relented and let them live. Maybe not all of them lived but my point is Moses argued for leniency and God listened and changed his plan.

That’s one example. There are others in the Old Testament stories. God being the great I Am and Jesus being one with God then I believe God can change his plan. God can learn from his creation.

If God can learn then shouldn’t we also be able to learn, from God and his creation? Maybe I should say if God is willing to learn then shouldn’t we also be willing to learn and change our minds?

Maybe we don’t intentionally exclude folks from worshiping with us but look around. Who’s missing? It looks as if we’re missing a whole generation.

Do they feel shunned, excluded, shutout? How can we know for sure unless we sit down and have a one-on-one non-judgmental conversation with them?

Friends, it’s not just Walnut First Presbyterian Church that’s experiencing this. It’s a large number of churches in quite a few denominations.

The Canaanite woman came to Jesus for help. At first he was reluctant. Then he, because of her faith, healed her daughter. Her directness, her faith, changed Jesus’ mind.

David Lose in his blog this week says that maybe each of us should sit down with one of the missing generation and ask the difficult question, “What needs to change in Sunday worship to make it more meaningful to you and your family?”

This isn’t an easy thing to do because we’ve worshipped like this our whole lives and it’s been meaningful for us so why not for the next generation and the next one after that?

What does this have to do with today’s gospel lesson? The Canaanite woman because of Jewish law was unclean because she was a Gentile. She took a chance when she approached Jesus.

We have been given a commission by Jesus to go make disciples. It’s hard to make disciples when we see the same faces in worship every Sunday. And, by the same token, it may be hard for those we’re supposed to be reaching out to sit here and not understand what we’re doing.

Why’s this important? It important because I think you all care. Not just because you don’t want to see this church close its doors but because you genuinely care for the folks who are missing.

Friends, we can’t wait for them to come to us and ask us to heal them. We need to meet them where they are and listen…and learn from them…because they’re smart and they have much to teach us. And the other part of it is this, “Where did Jesus go to find the missing?” He went to the people. He ate with them. He talked with them. He listened to them. He healed them. He learned from them.

So, my friends, join me this week in asking the hard questions and then listening as they answer. You all have friends of that missing generation you can sit and talk with.

May God grant us his grace and peace this week as we go further into this journey.

Why?

The question before us this morning isn’t how Jesus was able to walk on the water but why did Matthew think it was important to include it in his gospel. The people of Jesus’ day didn’t have any doubts that God could do things that no one else could do. They accepted that and they didn’t worry or think about how God did what he did. God did what he did and they were to pay attention.

So why did Matthew tell this story to his readers? Could it be that he wanted people to know that Jesus could do things that were beyond anyone’s understanding?  Could it be that he wanted folks to know that Jesus did and could do things no one ever expected could be done? Could it be that he wanted everyone to see that, where Jesus was concerned, what looked like failure or catastrophe to ordinary people, like the disciples and you and me, wasn’t.

The disciples were in a boat that was about to be swamped by the wind and the waves. They’d been tossed about for some time it sounds like. And then early in the morning they looked and saw a figure walking across the water…and they were scared.

Do you think that Jesus knew the disciples were going to be in trouble even when he sent them out alone across the water? Do you think maybe he was preparing them for his eventual departure and his final command to go to all nations, make disciples, and baptize them in the name of the Triune God?

Do you think the disciples thought about this later as they worshipped in their house churches and struggled to follow in the ‘Way’ of Jesus? Do you think they compared their boat to the new and struggling church? Maybe not.

So, good friends, do you get the ‘Message’ for us in the gospel lesson today? Don’t you feel sometimes that we are sometimes sent out alone to make disciples and baptize? Don’t you sometimes think that the wind and the waves are too much? Don’t you sometimes wonder, “Where is Jesus when we need him?”

Maybe that’s part of God’s plan. Maybe God wants to see if we’re going to rely on our own wits to make disciples and baptize or if we’re going to turn to God in faith and patiently wait for him to assure us that it’s all right, to not be afraid, to trust in his Son.

So many times we read this gospel lesson and are in awe of Jesus’ ability to control the wind and the waves and we miss the real point of the lesson. It’s not about Jesus’ power. It’s about the fact that he has compassion, he cares. He cares enough to come to us in the storm.

Why’d he walk on the water? Maybe it was the best way for Jesus to take care of the disciples in the situation they were experiencing at that particular time.  Aren’t we all in the boat with the disciples? Aren’t we all ready for Jesus to come to us and give us a hand?

I’d hope we are. And if we are, then don’t you think we should be prepared to take risks, like getting out of a boat in the midst of the wind and the wave, to try new ways to be the church where we are, to try new ways to build community, to try new ways to share our faith and bring our friends to come and know Jesus as we do?

Friends, just like you need to keep your eye on the ball when you’re playing catch so we need to keep our focus on Jesus as we step out in faith to this work we’re all called to do.

Sometimes, when we get outside of our comfort zone we’re going to fail. And then when we cry out for God’s help we might hear the words, “You of little faith. Why do you doubt?” God’s hand will lift us up out of our failures and walk with us as we try something different. Maybe it will work and maybe it won’t.

The important point to remember that God is always beside us. God always cares no matter what predicament we get ourselves into. All God asks is that we have faith.

Thanks be to God for his grace. Amen.