The Israelites are grumbling because they're thirsty, really thirsty. The Philippians are apparently not practicing humility and neither do they seem to be getting along with each other to well. And then we have the high priest and leaders of the Temple questioning Jesus' authority.
As we listen to these readings we hear what sounds like a whole lot of discord in people's lives. When we listen to our local and national news on the television or listen to the radio or read the World Herald or the Register we soon discover that nothing has changed. There's still a whole lot of discord in people's lives.
People still grumble. This year it hasn't been because they didn't have enough water to drink but that there was too much water. There are still folks who aren't very humble and have trouble getting along. Just as an example notice how many people are getting married and then notice how many of them are filing for divorce. And the authority thing, people are questioning that all the time. None of our elected officials can agree on the steps to take to correct any of the problems facing them or who should be responsible for doing it.
So, what's the answer? Fire the lot of them and start over. That may sound like a good idea but it still doesn't solve the problem with our stiff necks, hard hearts, and our inability to get along with our neighbors. So, what should we do?
Today I think we should go to Paul's letter to the people of Philippi. They were disagreeing on how to get things done. Apparently there were two ladies who weren't acting very humble and so Paul was giving them his best counsel.
The gist of his Message was everyone should live and act like Jesus Christ. That sounds easy enough until we try it.
Have you ever tried to imitate someone you admired and looked up to? That's exactly what Paul is advocating. He's telling this church they need to change and he begins by asking them some really hard questions. He says, “1 Does your life in Christ give you strength? Does his love comfort you? Do we share together in the spirit? Do you have mercy and kindness?”
Paul packed a whole lot into those first 4 verses. Maybe we need to listen to the rest of them again. Paul said, “2 If so, make me very happy by having the same thoughts, sharing the same love, and having one mind and purpose.3 When you do things, do not let selfishness or pride be your guide. Instead, be humble and give more honor to others than to yourselves.4 Do not be interested only in your own life, but be interested in the lives of others.”
Again, it sounds kind of easy until we try to live it. It's not so easy trying to reach consensus, doing it all with loving hearts and minds, and working toward the same goal with the same determination. And the other part of trying to keep our work from being selfish and full of pride. It's hard to be humble as the country western song says.
So, does anyone have the answer? If what we are called to do is so hard what chance do any of us have of ever living like Jesus? Should we just pack it all up and quit trying? Paul didn't think we should.
He said, “Keep on working to complete your salvation with fear and trembling,13 because God is working in you to help you want to do and be able to do what pleases him.” Notice what Paul says here. We are to keep trying but he reminds us that we aren't alone in this work. God is working in us to help us to do what we want to do and enable us to do what is pleasing to him. We need to be reminded of this every day. We keep trying to do it all by our own strength and will without asking God to help. We are really slow learners. Not any better than those Israelites traveling through the wilderness with Moses and and Aaron.
God was standing right in front of them but the only one who ever saw him and talked with him was Moses. They were too afraid of God to talk to him personally.
Friends, the good news is that God knew this and that's one reason he sent Jesus here to live like us, with us. It was so he could be our advocate and intercessor before God.
But friends, we have to bend our knees and talk to God and listen for his voice. We aren't in this alone. God loves us and is right here this very moment working in us to transform our hard hearts and soften our stiff necks.
So, which son are we? The one who said he wouldn't but then changed his mind and went to the vineyard or the one who said he would but then didn't show up. Again the choice is up to each one of us.
Remember God is with us and he loves us even when we stumble, even when we don't get along too well. Thanks be to God for his loving grace. Amen.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
God's Kingdom
What is God's kingdom like? What do we expect to find in God's kingdom? Jesus told his disciples in this parable in Matthew 20 that God's kingdom was like this estate manager who went to the labor center in town to hire laborers for his harvest.
Is that the way you think of God's kingdom? Jesus said that this estate manager was looking for those who would be willing to work for him to bring in the harvest. He began hiring as soon as the harvest was ready. As the day progressed he kept going back to recruit more laborers. Even when there was only one hour of daylight left he called all who were left and willing to work. How is that like God's kingdom?
Think of it this way. When did you answer the call to work for the Lord? Was it seventy years ago? Was it fifty years ago? Or was it 2 days ago? Do those who answered first receive more of a reward than those who answered yesterday?
Answer me this. What does God guarantee any of us if we give our hearts to him? Did he tell us that the first ones who came to him would receive greater rewards than those who came to him yesterday? Did he say anywhere that those who begin early to work for him and work really, really hard will be of a higher status that those who begin work later and maybe don't work as hard?
This is the Great Reversal Jesus talked about, “...many of the first ending up last, and the last first.” God has never done things the way we would do them and it just doesn't seem fair.
We think that if we give all of our time and all our labor working for God that we should be rewarded more than those who don't give as much time or don't work at all. Some think that way. We've been taught by the world that we get what we work for and we deserve it.
But God gives the same gift to the last as he gives to those first committed followers, eternal life in God's kingdom. That may not seem fair but grace and forgiveness are God's gifts to give and it's not up to us.
The Israelites traveling through the wilderness didn't think life was fair either. They wanted everything they had back in Egypt. They grumbled at Moses and Aaron. God heard their complaints and he fed them manna and quail.
Remember when God revealed himself to Moses in the burning bush. Remember when Moses asked him who should he tell the Israelites had sent him to lead them out of Egypt. He said, “I am who I am,” or as some translations put it, “I will be who I will be.”
For the Israelites in the wilderness he was their Bread. They didn't know what it was he was giving them and so they asked, “What is it?”
In Egypt God was their salvation; in the wilderness he was their sustenance, their Bread. For Paul He was the Good News and for the disciples of Jesus he was their Teacher. What will God be for us and is he calling us to labor in the harvest? How will we answer? What do we expect?
Paul was torn between staying here and working for the Lord and going to be with Jesus. He
decided if this was where God wanted him them he would continue his work.
He didn't expect anymore than what God provided him as he lived and worked for the Lord. Sometimes he lived in the lap of luxury and other times he had nothing. Wherever and whatever Paul lived for the Lord.
So, what are we to do with this Good News? God leaves the choice up to us. Will we answer his call to join the harvesters? Will we be willing to give everything to serve him? Will we suffer for him? Will we lovingly accept those who come to the harvest with nothing more than their love for Jesus, the homeless, the addicts, the unemployed, and the unloved? God does and will.
God's kingdom is like nothing we've ever seen or could ever imagine. It is filled with God's love and grace. He accepts all who answer the call. The first and the last receive the same pay, eternal life. It may not seem fair to us but it is God's gift to give.
Thanks be to God for his extravagant grace. Amen.
Is that the way you think of God's kingdom? Jesus said that this estate manager was looking for those who would be willing to work for him to bring in the harvest. He began hiring as soon as the harvest was ready. As the day progressed he kept going back to recruit more laborers. Even when there was only one hour of daylight left he called all who were left and willing to work. How is that like God's kingdom?
Think of it this way. When did you answer the call to work for the Lord? Was it seventy years ago? Was it fifty years ago? Or was it 2 days ago? Do those who answered first receive more of a reward than those who answered yesterday?
Answer me this. What does God guarantee any of us if we give our hearts to him? Did he tell us that the first ones who came to him would receive greater rewards than those who came to him yesterday? Did he say anywhere that those who begin early to work for him and work really, really hard will be of a higher status that those who begin work later and maybe don't work as hard?
This is the Great Reversal Jesus talked about, “...many of the first ending up last, and the last first.” God has never done things the way we would do them and it just doesn't seem fair.
We think that if we give all of our time and all our labor working for God that we should be rewarded more than those who don't give as much time or don't work at all. Some think that way. We've been taught by the world that we get what we work for and we deserve it.
But God gives the same gift to the last as he gives to those first committed followers, eternal life in God's kingdom. That may not seem fair but grace and forgiveness are God's gifts to give and it's not up to us.
The Israelites traveling through the wilderness didn't think life was fair either. They wanted everything they had back in Egypt. They grumbled at Moses and Aaron. God heard their complaints and he fed them manna and quail.
Remember when God revealed himself to Moses in the burning bush. Remember when Moses asked him who should he tell the Israelites had sent him to lead them out of Egypt. He said, “I am who I am,” or as some translations put it, “I will be who I will be.”
For the Israelites in the wilderness he was their Bread. They didn't know what it was he was giving them and so they asked, “What is it?”
In Egypt God was their salvation; in the wilderness he was their sustenance, their Bread. For Paul He was the Good News and for the disciples of Jesus he was their Teacher. What will God be for us and is he calling us to labor in the harvest? How will we answer? What do we expect?
Paul was torn between staying here and working for the Lord and going to be with Jesus. He
decided if this was where God wanted him them he would continue his work.
He didn't expect anymore than what God provided him as he lived and worked for the Lord. Sometimes he lived in the lap of luxury and other times he had nothing. Wherever and whatever Paul lived for the Lord.
So, what are we to do with this Good News? God leaves the choice up to us. Will we answer his call to join the harvesters? Will we be willing to give everything to serve him? Will we suffer for him? Will we lovingly accept those who come to the harvest with nothing more than their love for Jesus, the homeless, the addicts, the unemployed, and the unloved? God does and will.
God's kingdom is like nothing we've ever seen or could ever imagine. It is filled with God's love and grace. He accepts all who answer the call. The first and the last receive the same pay, eternal life. It may not seem fair to us but it is God's gift to give.
Thanks be to God for his extravagant grace. Amen.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Judgment & Forgiveness
Judging whether something is right or wrong or whether someone is right or wrong is, I think, so easy for all of us to do. We read the newspaper or listen to the evening news and, without realizing what we're doing, judge whether that person or country or government or corporation made a decision that was good, in our opinion, or bad, or right or wrong. I believe we do it so often that it has become a habit.
Judging is such a common occurrence in our lives that we judge people we see on the street or see in the bakery or McDonald's or walking down the street. As we observe them we make judgments as to what kind of people they are. We do all that in about the first couple of minutes.
That spur of the moment decision will stay with us until we become acquainted with them. It's impossible for our judgment of them to be changed until we discover for ourselves that maybe we were wrong. Never the less, if we're honest, we have to admit we are pretty judgmental.
Apparently in Paul's day people were making judgments about whether it was right or wrong to eat just about anything or whether there should be dietary rules that all should abide by. So, if some thought that in order to be a “true” follower you couldn't eat any meat anyone who did eat meat was considered an outsider and couldn't be a member of the elite group or vice versa. Or, as Paul said, it may have been that one group thought that one particular day of the week was more important than the other days of the week and others believed that they were all equal in importance.
One group believed the other group was wrong. And they couldn't, or wouldn't, change their minds. Each group felt that they were absolutely right and there was no way to resolve the issue. Each group was stubbornly set in their way of thinking.
Paul was counseling them that none of these things really made any difference when it came to being a follower of the Way. But if someone did believe one way or the other and it was in contradiction to our way of thinking they were instructed by Paul to let it go. Don't judge them good or bad, right or wrong. In the greater scheme of things it just wasn't important. Let it go.
That was radical thinking in Paul's day and still would be thought of as radical, by some, today. We might think that we're immune to that way of thinking but ask yourself this question, “What would we think if someone joined this congregation who was from a Pentecostal church and every time they agreed strongly with some part of the worship they'd shout, 'Amen!'” Or what if someone stood up in worship some Sunday and just started giving their testimony; and they thought you couldn't be part of the community of faith unless you shared your faith openly with everyone. How would we judge these folks? How would they judge us? Would we pass the test of whether we were judgmental or not?
Judging folks doesn't seem to be harmful to anyone or that big of a deal until we stop and realize that someone could be judging us. Then it doesn't feel so good.
The other part that we often don't notice is or we forget about is what Matthew wrote in the gospel today. Jesus said, “ ...that's exactly what my Father in heaven is going to do to each one of you who doesn't forgive unconditionally anyone who asks for mercy.”
Judging and forgiving are very closely related. By not forgiving we are rendering judgment against the person or persons we felt has done some wrong against us. And what we have done is put ourselves under God's judgment.
We judge those who are different as not being acceptable. So, we are different. How will we be judged by God? Will we be found acceptable by Him?
Good friends, God has forgiven us. We have been found to be acceptable by Him through the sacrifice and resurrection of his Son, Jesus the Messiah. As God has forgiven us we are asked to forgive others.
It's our choice to make. As we judge so will be judged. As we forgive so will we be forgiven. God loved us so much that He died for our sins Himself and rose again to show that has been defeated. As Paul said, If we live we live for the LORD and if we die we die for the LORD, so whether we live or whether we die we are the LORD'S. Thanks be to God. Amen.
Judging is such a common occurrence in our lives that we judge people we see on the street or see in the bakery or McDonald's or walking down the street. As we observe them we make judgments as to what kind of people they are. We do all that in about the first couple of minutes.
That spur of the moment decision will stay with us until we become acquainted with them. It's impossible for our judgment of them to be changed until we discover for ourselves that maybe we were wrong. Never the less, if we're honest, we have to admit we are pretty judgmental.
Apparently in Paul's day people were making judgments about whether it was right or wrong to eat just about anything or whether there should be dietary rules that all should abide by. So, if some thought that in order to be a “true” follower you couldn't eat any meat anyone who did eat meat was considered an outsider and couldn't be a member of the elite group or vice versa. Or, as Paul said, it may have been that one group thought that one particular day of the week was more important than the other days of the week and others believed that they were all equal in importance.
One group believed the other group was wrong. And they couldn't, or wouldn't, change their minds. Each group felt that they were absolutely right and there was no way to resolve the issue. Each group was stubbornly set in their way of thinking.
Paul was counseling them that none of these things really made any difference when it came to being a follower of the Way. But if someone did believe one way or the other and it was in contradiction to our way of thinking they were instructed by Paul to let it go. Don't judge them good or bad, right or wrong. In the greater scheme of things it just wasn't important. Let it go.
That was radical thinking in Paul's day and still would be thought of as radical, by some, today. We might think that we're immune to that way of thinking but ask yourself this question, “What would we think if someone joined this congregation who was from a Pentecostal church and every time they agreed strongly with some part of the worship they'd shout, 'Amen!'” Or what if someone stood up in worship some Sunday and just started giving their testimony; and they thought you couldn't be part of the community of faith unless you shared your faith openly with everyone. How would we judge these folks? How would they judge us? Would we pass the test of whether we were judgmental or not?
Judging folks doesn't seem to be harmful to anyone or that big of a deal until we stop and realize that someone could be judging us. Then it doesn't feel so good.
The other part that we often don't notice is or we forget about is what Matthew wrote in the gospel today. Jesus said, “ ...that's exactly what my Father in heaven is going to do to each one of you who doesn't forgive unconditionally anyone who asks for mercy.”
Judging and forgiving are very closely related. By not forgiving we are rendering judgment against the person or persons we felt has done some wrong against us. And what we have done is put ourselves under God's judgment.
We judge those who are different as not being acceptable. So, we are different. How will we be judged by God? Will we be found acceptable by Him?
Good friends, God has forgiven us. We have been found to be acceptable by Him through the sacrifice and resurrection of his Son, Jesus the Messiah. As God has forgiven us we are asked to forgive others.
It's our choice to make. As we judge so will be judged. As we forgive so will we be forgiven. God loved us so much that He died for our sins Himself and rose again to show that has been defeated. As Paul said, If we live we live for the LORD and if we die we die for the LORD, so whether we live or whether we die we are the LORD'S. Thanks be to God. Amen.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Loving Confrontation
Loving confrontation, that almost sounds like an oxymoron. Is it possible to confront anyone lovingly? Paul, in his epistle to the Romans, says it all hinges on love. The whole Law revolves around love.
It begins with loving our neighbors like we love ourselves. The real problem we might have with that is sometimes we don't love ourselves very much.
If people don't even like themselves it's no wonder they don't treat their neighbors with love, is it? Therein lies one of humanity's problems. People don't think they're worthy of love, theirs or anyone's. Maybe they haven't learned how to love or maybe they've been hurt so deeply that it's impossible for them to even consider loving anyone. How to solve that is a whole other can of worms. That's not to say it's not important but today Jesus is talking about how to lovingly confront a brother or sister who has hurt us. Please note that he is talking about someone who is a member of our community of faith.
Jesus says, if someone hurts us we are to go to them and try to work it out. The first problem is, what if they refuse to even listen to one word? Or, what if they listen but don't believe they're in the wrong? Either way Jesus tells us to go get 2 or 3 friends who know about the issue or wrong or hurt and all together go and lovingly bring it to their attention again. But they still won't listen.
Now this is where it gets really difficult. In Jesus' words he says to get the whole church involved and all together, you and the church, lovingly confront them, again. If they still won't listen we aren't allowed to give up and drop it but we're to start the process all over and lovingly confront our neighbor.
Peter heard this and wondered, out loud, how many times he should start all over, seven times? You know Jesus' answer. It was seventy times seven. In other words as long as it takes or forever. We aren't supposed to ever give up trying to heal the hurts. The other thing is we are, the whole time, to lovingly address our neighbor. Why?
Friends, look at it this way. What if a member of our family was doing something we knew was harmful to them? We may not like what they're doing but our love for them wouldn't changed. We'd go to them and ,in love, confront them, wouldn't we? Wouldn't we go to them over and over, maybe with other family members, until we knew they understood and changed their behavior? We wouldn't ever give up, would we. That's because we love them.
So, this family we're part of is no different. We are, each of us, part of this Body of Christ. If one part is doing something that is hurting them, or one of the other members, then it affects all the other parts of the Body and it has to be taken care of, otherwise the entire Body will be hurt. That might be why Jesus said that we shouldn't stop until the hurt is healed and the issue resolved.
The one thing we all struggle with and many times forget is that the whole process is be to done lovingly. Sometimes the hurt is such that we don't feel the love. That's when we must turn to God first, maybe with friends supporting us, in prayer and ask him to fill us with his love.
Why should we care? Why should we try to love ourselves and care what our brothers and sisters are doing? Well friends, it like Paul said today, “ Do this because we live in an important time. It is now time for you to wake up from your sleep, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.”
Jesus said that all of God's children were important to him and he didn't desire for any of them to be lost. That's why we should never give up.
Friends, we need to remind ourselves daily that God loves and he would like us to share that love with our brothers and sister in Christ. Everything we do we are to do in love and that's is a very difficult thing to do, alone. But with God all things are possible.
Thanks be to God for his loving grace. Amen.
It begins with loving our neighbors like we love ourselves. The real problem we might have with that is sometimes we don't love ourselves very much.
If people don't even like themselves it's no wonder they don't treat their neighbors with love, is it? Therein lies one of humanity's problems. People don't think they're worthy of love, theirs or anyone's. Maybe they haven't learned how to love or maybe they've been hurt so deeply that it's impossible for them to even consider loving anyone. How to solve that is a whole other can of worms. That's not to say it's not important but today Jesus is talking about how to lovingly confront a brother or sister who has hurt us. Please note that he is talking about someone who is a member of our community of faith.
Jesus says, if someone hurts us we are to go to them and try to work it out. The first problem is, what if they refuse to even listen to one word? Or, what if they listen but don't believe they're in the wrong? Either way Jesus tells us to go get 2 or 3 friends who know about the issue or wrong or hurt and all together go and lovingly bring it to their attention again. But they still won't listen.
Now this is where it gets really difficult. In Jesus' words he says to get the whole church involved and all together, you and the church, lovingly confront them, again. If they still won't listen we aren't allowed to give up and drop it but we're to start the process all over and lovingly confront our neighbor.
Peter heard this and wondered, out loud, how many times he should start all over, seven times? You know Jesus' answer. It was seventy times seven. In other words as long as it takes or forever. We aren't supposed to ever give up trying to heal the hurts. The other thing is we are, the whole time, to lovingly address our neighbor. Why?
Friends, look at it this way. What if a member of our family was doing something we knew was harmful to them? We may not like what they're doing but our love for them wouldn't changed. We'd go to them and ,in love, confront them, wouldn't we? Wouldn't we go to them over and over, maybe with other family members, until we knew they understood and changed their behavior? We wouldn't ever give up, would we. That's because we love them.
So, this family we're part of is no different. We are, each of us, part of this Body of Christ. If one part is doing something that is hurting them, or one of the other members, then it affects all the other parts of the Body and it has to be taken care of, otherwise the entire Body will be hurt. That might be why Jesus said that we shouldn't stop until the hurt is healed and the issue resolved.
The one thing we all struggle with and many times forget is that the whole process is be to done lovingly. Sometimes the hurt is such that we don't feel the love. That's when we must turn to God first, maybe with friends supporting us, in prayer and ask him to fill us with his love.
Why should we care? Why should we try to love ourselves and care what our brothers and sisters are doing? Well friends, it like Paul said today, “ Do this because we live in an important time. It is now time for you to wake up from your sleep, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.”
Jesus said that all of God's children were important to him and he didn't desire for any of them to be lost. That's why we should never give up.
Friends, we need to remind ourselves daily that God loves and he would like us to share that love with our brothers and sister in Christ. Everything we do we are to do in love and that's is a very difficult thing to do, alone. But with God all things are possible.
Thanks be to God for his loving grace. Amen.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Who Do "We" Say Jesus Is?
In Matthew’s gospel Jesus begins questioning the disciples, asking them who people think he is. They give him various answers, some may have been their own and some may have been what they heard in people's conversations as they mingled with the crowds.
He listened to their responses and then he posed the toughie, “Who do you say that I am?” As the rest pondered the question Simon said, “You're the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
To his answer Jesus tells Simon, son of John, that he is the “Rock” and this is the rock he'll build his church on. This impulsive, hard-headed, “willfully stupid” man is going to be used as the foundation for the Body of Christ here on earth.
But, not long after this Jesus calls him Satan and tells him he is thinking as the world thinks and not on God’s things. And then, later, Peter denies that he knows Jesus, three times.
What does Jesus see in him that we don't? Is it because Simon, now Peter, answered first, and answered correctly?
Jin S. Kim in Feasting on the Word said ...it wasn't Peter's strength or righteousness but rather it was his testimony that Jesus was responding to. Peter's words came from everything he had observed and experienced as he spent time with Jesus. It was his witness that Jesus was rewarding.
So, who do you say that Jesus is? How do you bear witness to the Messiah? That’s a question all of us should think about. When someone asks us who Jesus is how will we answer? Or maybe they won’t ask, they’ll just watch to see how we live and watch how we deal with pain and suffering in our lives.
Are we able to answer like Peter and say, Jesus is “… the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living God,”? You know we’re probably not much different than Peter. One day we’re able proclaim that Jesus is the Messiah and the next we deny we ever knew him. And the next day Jesus is speaking to us saying, “…get out of my way. Satan, get lost. You have no idea how God works.”
You know what might be interesting? Ask folks we meet on the street who Jesus is, to them. It might surprise us to hear some of the responses. We really shouldn’t be since the disciples gave answers like John the Baptist, Elijah, and Jeremiah or one of the other prophets. Nobody in Jesus’ day really understood who he was.
And he didn’t want his disciples telling people he was the Messiah yet. It wasn’t the right time. But, friends, the time is right for us now.
When people ask us who Jesus is that’s a sign the time is just right for giving our testimony about who Jesus is to us. If we’re not sure how we’d answer then maybe we should go to the Word and pray for the Spirit to open our hearts to discover who this Messiah, Jesus, is to us.
Roddy Hamilton has thought about this and put this poem together to help us. It goes like this…
Jesus
Jesus
water walker and bread breaker
Jesus
baptiser and companion
Jesus
stranger and forsaken
Jesus
troublemaker and revolutionary
Jesus
resurrection and conspiracy of love
Jesus
light in darkness and breaker of silence
Jesus
friend of sinners and tax collectors
Jesus
friend of children and disturber of adults
Jesus
friend of the outcast and agitator of empire
Jesus…
Jesus…
how do you know Jesus?
So, maybe this helps us. This week as you spend time with God invite his Spirit to lead you to those words that you can use to describe Jesus to those you meet on your Journey.
Thanks be to God for his Grace. Amen.
He listened to their responses and then he posed the toughie, “Who do you say that I am?” As the rest pondered the question Simon said, “You're the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
To his answer Jesus tells Simon, son of John, that he is the “Rock” and this is the rock he'll build his church on. This impulsive, hard-headed, “willfully stupid” man is going to be used as the foundation for the Body of Christ here on earth.
But, not long after this Jesus calls him Satan and tells him he is thinking as the world thinks and not on God’s things. And then, later, Peter denies that he knows Jesus, three times.
What does Jesus see in him that we don't? Is it because Simon, now Peter, answered first, and answered correctly?
Jin S. Kim in Feasting on the Word said ...it wasn't Peter's strength or righteousness but rather it was his testimony that Jesus was responding to. Peter's words came from everything he had observed and experienced as he spent time with Jesus. It was his witness that Jesus was rewarding.
So, who do you say that Jesus is? How do you bear witness to the Messiah? That’s a question all of us should think about. When someone asks us who Jesus is how will we answer? Or maybe they won’t ask, they’ll just watch to see how we live and watch how we deal with pain and suffering in our lives.
Are we able to answer like Peter and say, Jesus is “… the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living God,”? You know we’re probably not much different than Peter. One day we’re able proclaim that Jesus is the Messiah and the next we deny we ever knew him. And the next day Jesus is speaking to us saying, “…get out of my way. Satan, get lost. You have no idea how God works.”
You know what might be interesting? Ask folks we meet on the street who Jesus is, to them. It might surprise us to hear some of the responses. We really shouldn’t be since the disciples gave answers like John the Baptist, Elijah, and Jeremiah or one of the other prophets. Nobody in Jesus’ day really understood who he was.
And he didn’t want his disciples telling people he was the Messiah yet. It wasn’t the right time. But, friends, the time is right for us now.
When people ask us who Jesus is that’s a sign the time is just right for giving our testimony about who Jesus is to us. If we’re not sure how we’d answer then maybe we should go to the Word and pray for the Spirit to open our hearts to discover who this Messiah, Jesus, is to us.
Roddy Hamilton has thought about this and put this poem together to help us. It goes like this…
Jesus
Jesus
water walker and bread breaker
Jesus
baptiser and companion
Jesus
stranger and forsaken
Jesus
troublemaker and revolutionary
Jesus
resurrection and conspiracy of love
Jesus
light in darkness and breaker of silence
Jesus
friend of sinners and tax collectors
Jesus
friend of children and disturber of adults
Jesus
friend of the outcast and agitator of empire
Jesus…
Jesus…
how do you know Jesus?
So, maybe this helps us. This week as you spend time with God invite his Spirit to lead you to those words that you can use to describe Jesus to those you meet on your Journey.
Thanks be to God for his Grace. Amen.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Please! Send Her Home!
A couple weeks ago Jesus was in the wilderness with the disciples hoping to get away for some quiet time, kind of a mini-retreat. But someone was watching. When they arrived there they were 5,000 plus people waiting to be healed…and fed. The disciples came to Jesus then and asked him to send them all away so they could find shelter and food for the night.
That time Jesus said, “They don’t have to go away. You feed them.” Today the disciples come to him again with a demand. “She’s driving us crazy. Please take care of her. She’s a major pain.”
Again Jesus doesn’t respond the way the disciples wanted him to. He said, “I've got my hands full dealing with the lost sheep of Israel.” This time he didn’t tell them to take care of the problem. But, what if he was testing them to see how they would take care of this woman’s needs.
What if he wanted to see what they had learned in the wilderness when he asked them to take care of the folks who had followed them? What if he was checking to see if they were listening when he responded to the Pharisees with their questions about what to eat and the washing of hands?
Some folks are troubled by the response Jesus gave to the woman when she came right up to him and he the same as called her a “dog”. There are those who think because Jesus was ‘human’ that he was still “learning” about his work here with God’s people.
But don’t you think if Jesus is also divine that he would know all this? So, that’s why I am proposing that Jesus was seeing if the disciples had learned the lesson he was trying to teach them in the wilderness. Apparently they hadn’t. They were still living with their prejudices.
She was a woman for one thing and a Canaanite for another. It wasn’t proper for them to speak to her because she was a woman and to add something else to the mix God had said no one was to have anything to do with the people of Canaan.
But Jesus didn’t come just for the Jews but he came for all those who trusted in God and repented of their sinful lives.
Matthew’s gospel doesn’t give us enough insight into Jesus’ intent so we have to speculate. So what do you think?
I think that may be why God seems to not answer some of our prayers such as when we pray for food for those starving in Somalia and Ethiopia. Maybe he’s waiting to see if we’ve learned anything from the lessons Jesus taught us in the Word.
I wonder sometimes if God thinks the words Jesus spoke to Peter, “Are you willfully stupid?” We have to admit that sometimes it does take us a while to get his Message.
So, maybe the lesson for all of us today is the same as it was a couple weeks ago, “You take care of it. You feed them. You give them shelter. You give them a coat. You grant them mercy.”
Aren’t there times when we all wonder if God is even listening to our prayers? But, look how long the Israelites had to wait to see how God’s plan for their survival. Who would have guessed that Joseph being sold into slavery was going to work out for their good?
And even when God’s people turned their backs on him he didn’t throw them out. As stubborn as they were, He still granted them his mercy and grace.
Friends, that’s the Good News for us. As stubborn and hard-hearted as we all are God is still willing to grant us his mercy and grace.
All we have to do is trust in God and believe that Jesus is interceding for us. That’s why our prayers are so important, even when we say a simple prayer like, “Jesus, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.” God hears our prayers and he knows what’s in our hearts.
The question is do we get it. Do we believe what we read and hear in God’s Word? Friends, every day, every hour we need to pray for God’s mercy and His grace. We need to pray for the crumbs off God’s table because that’s enough for us.
Thanks be to God for his mercy and grace. Amen.
That time Jesus said, “They don’t have to go away. You feed them.” Today the disciples come to him again with a demand. “She’s driving us crazy. Please take care of her. She’s a major pain.”
Again Jesus doesn’t respond the way the disciples wanted him to. He said, “I've got my hands full dealing with the lost sheep of Israel.” This time he didn’t tell them to take care of the problem. But, what if he was testing them to see how they would take care of this woman’s needs.
What if he wanted to see what they had learned in the wilderness when he asked them to take care of the folks who had followed them? What if he was checking to see if they were listening when he responded to the Pharisees with their questions about what to eat and the washing of hands?
Some folks are troubled by the response Jesus gave to the woman when she came right up to him and he the same as called her a “dog”. There are those who think because Jesus was ‘human’ that he was still “learning” about his work here with God’s people.
But don’t you think if Jesus is also divine that he would know all this? So, that’s why I am proposing that Jesus was seeing if the disciples had learned the lesson he was trying to teach them in the wilderness. Apparently they hadn’t. They were still living with their prejudices.
She was a woman for one thing and a Canaanite for another. It wasn’t proper for them to speak to her because she was a woman and to add something else to the mix God had said no one was to have anything to do with the people of Canaan.
But Jesus didn’t come just for the Jews but he came for all those who trusted in God and repented of their sinful lives.
Matthew’s gospel doesn’t give us enough insight into Jesus’ intent so we have to speculate. So what do you think?
I think that may be why God seems to not answer some of our prayers such as when we pray for food for those starving in Somalia and Ethiopia. Maybe he’s waiting to see if we’ve learned anything from the lessons Jesus taught us in the Word.
I wonder sometimes if God thinks the words Jesus spoke to Peter, “Are you willfully stupid?” We have to admit that sometimes it does take us a while to get his Message.
So, maybe the lesson for all of us today is the same as it was a couple weeks ago, “You take care of it. You feed them. You give them shelter. You give them a coat. You grant them mercy.”
Aren’t there times when we all wonder if God is even listening to our prayers? But, look how long the Israelites had to wait to see how God’s plan for their survival. Who would have guessed that Joseph being sold into slavery was going to work out for their good?
And even when God’s people turned their backs on him he didn’t throw them out. As stubborn as they were, He still granted them his mercy and grace.
Friends, that’s the Good News for us. As stubborn and hard-hearted as we all are God is still willing to grant us his mercy and grace.
All we have to do is trust in God and believe that Jesus is interceding for us. That’s why our prayers are so important, even when we say a simple prayer like, “Jesus, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.” God hears our prayers and he knows what’s in our hearts.
The question is do we get it. Do we believe what we read and hear in God’s Word? Friends, every day, every hour we need to pray for God’s mercy and His grace. We need to pray for the crumbs off God’s table because that’s enough for us.
Thanks be to God for his mercy and grace. Amen.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Faith
Faith, Paul and Matthew both wrote about it. What is it? How can we define our faith? Jesus said that Peter's faith was too small. Paul tells us faith is in our hearts.
Paul takes it a little further when he says, “...before they can believe in him, they must hear about him; and for them to hear about the Lord, someone must tell them; and before someone can go and tell them, that person must be sent.”
So, it's easier to believe if someone tells us about their faith. I believe our souls are longing for intimacy with the Word. We know God is there but we have doubts and struggle with believing until...someone shares their story with us about how God reached out for their hand when they called for help.
Peter had “some” faith but it didn’t really show until he was sinking in the waves and knew he couldn’t tread water long enough to keep from going under. It was only when he realized he was going down fast that he called for Jesus to save him. Does that sound familiar?
Some might think that Peter showed his faith when he stepped out of the boat and I agree that took some courage to do that. But he didn’t throw his leg over until he was sure that it was Jesus who was walking across the water towards them. Don’t you wonder what he was thinking when he did that? Anyway his faith didn’t really show itself until he was sinking.
So, let me ask you a question. When does your faith become apparent? I would bet that most of the time our faith isn’t really seen until we find ourselves sinking and cry out, “Save me Lord!”
On the other hand Paul says that is tells us in Scripture, "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart." He tells us, “If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and if you believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, you will be saved.” And he reminds us that…"Anyone who trusts in him will never be disappointed."
What else is there to say? Faith is believing that Jesus is God’s Son and that God raised him from the dead. Faith is trusting in God and his promises. Faith is having God’s word in our hearts and trusting in the power of God to save us when we are drowning.
To be honest we all struggle with our faith, even those we think have an unshakable faith have moments when their faith wavers. That’s why I think what Paul tells us at the end of today’s passage is so important, “… before people can ask the Lord for help, they must believe in him; and before they can believe in him, they must hear about him; and for them to hear about the Lord, someone must tell them; and before someone can go and tell them, that person must be sent. It is written, ‘How beautiful is the person who comes to bring good news.’”
So, good friends I pray that if you hear or feel God calling you to share your story with someone, that you will listen to his voice and do it. Because this is the only time they will have the opportunity to hear “your” story. And they can’t believe until they hear “your” story. So, when God asks you to go, do it and don’t be afraid to tell your story because there’s no other story like your story.
When we share our faith, when we extend a hand to someone else, we give them the chance to hear the word and believe. And God’s kingdom on earth grows with the addition of one more believer. Thanks be to God. Amen.
Paul takes it a little further when he says, “...before they can believe in him, they must hear about him; and for them to hear about the Lord, someone must tell them; and before someone can go and tell them, that person must be sent.”
So, it's easier to believe if someone tells us about their faith. I believe our souls are longing for intimacy with the Word. We know God is there but we have doubts and struggle with believing until...someone shares their story with us about how God reached out for their hand when they called for help.
Peter had “some” faith but it didn’t really show until he was sinking in the waves and knew he couldn’t tread water long enough to keep from going under. It was only when he realized he was going down fast that he called for Jesus to save him. Does that sound familiar?
Some might think that Peter showed his faith when he stepped out of the boat and I agree that took some courage to do that. But he didn’t throw his leg over until he was sure that it was Jesus who was walking across the water towards them. Don’t you wonder what he was thinking when he did that? Anyway his faith didn’t really show itself until he was sinking.
So, let me ask you a question. When does your faith become apparent? I would bet that most of the time our faith isn’t really seen until we find ourselves sinking and cry out, “Save me Lord!”
On the other hand Paul says that is tells us in Scripture, "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart." He tells us, “If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and if you believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, you will be saved.” And he reminds us that…"Anyone who trusts in him will never be disappointed."
What else is there to say? Faith is believing that Jesus is God’s Son and that God raised him from the dead. Faith is trusting in God and his promises. Faith is having God’s word in our hearts and trusting in the power of God to save us when we are drowning.
To be honest we all struggle with our faith, even those we think have an unshakable faith have moments when their faith wavers. That’s why I think what Paul tells us at the end of today’s passage is so important, “… before people can ask the Lord for help, they must believe in him; and before they can believe in him, they must hear about him; and for them to hear about the Lord, someone must tell them; and before someone can go and tell them, that person must be sent. It is written, ‘How beautiful is the person who comes to bring good news.’”
So, good friends I pray that if you hear or feel God calling you to share your story with someone, that you will listen to his voice and do it. Because this is the only time they will have the opportunity to hear “your” story. And they can’t believe until they hear “your” story. So, when God asks you to go, do it and don’t be afraid to tell your story because there’s no other story like your story.
When we share our faith, when we extend a hand to someone else, we give them the chance to hear the word and believe. And God’s kingdom on earth grows with the addition of one more believer. Thanks be to God. Amen.
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