Are We Ready?

Today we begin the second week of Advent and I wonder if I’m ready. Are you ready? Really, are you ready?


You probably think I’m talking about Christmas and in a way I am but not in the way you’re thinking, presents, Christmas trees, lights, and so forth. That’s not where I’m going. Are you ready for the King of Peace?

Now that you know where I’m coming from some of you are saying, “Sure, I’m ready. Come, Lord Jesus, come.” And there’s the rest of us who say, “Uh, I’m not quite ready yet. There’re some things I need to change first.”

Everywhere I look I see people who are all stressed out. Some are worried about the weather. Others are worried because they can’t come up with that perfect gift for Mom or Dad or their best friend. Some are worried because they’ve been laid off from work and don’t know how they’re going to keep the heat and lights on for another month. Some are stressed because they’re hosting the Christmas dinner this year and they want it to be just right.

Is anybody stressed out because there are so many people trying to make it this winter without shelter? Is anyone worrying about those who are struggling with their addictions to the mind altering substances they can’t seem to live without? Is there anyone who thinks that all the money spent on our military operations is excessive? Is anyone worried about peace? Is anyone worried about the ax John’s talking about? Are we really ready for Jesus, the King of Peace?

Every word we heard read this morning was either about hope or about peace. Friends, I don’t think we’re living in very peaceful times. Our country is still sending young men and women to fight in Afghanistan and Iraq and there’s the threat of nuclear war from the North Koreans. There’s not much peace on the African continent or in Central America and some parts of South America either.

With so much uncertainty where is our hope? I’ve place my hope, my trust in Jesus the Christ, the King of Peace. There are some who wonder how anyone can place their hope in Jesus when he still hasn’t returned as he promised his disciples. My answer is he never said that he’d be right back. In fact he said that he didn’t know the time when he would return. No one does. And so we wait…and hope.

I still put my trust in God. Why, you ask, do you still have hope that Jesus is coming back. I trust that God will keep his promise because if everything in the Bible was all just a story I don’t believe it would have survived for over 2,000 years. I believe because of God’s words to us in the Word, Jesus.

I’m ready because I have placed my hope in what God has planned for all his children. Isaiah said it verse 10 from chapter 11, “the new king from the family of Jesse will stand as a banner for all peoples.” The Prophet said the new King will stand for all peoples. That is good news for us because Isaiah was talking about the foreigners in the land. Even then God was getting things ready for us.

God is ready to receive us; are we ready to receive him? Since you’re here this morning I’m assuming that you’ve already taken the first step. God called you and you responded by coming here to worship and sing praises to Him.

My question for all of us was, “Are we ready?” Maybe we’ll never be completely ready but if we believe in Jesus and his Message of Good News that God’s kingdom is here right now then I think you and I are as ready as we’re ever going to be. When we put our hope and trust in the One who cares for us then we’re ready.

My hope is that I’ll live to see a world that’s totally at peace, a world living in harmony the way Jesus wanted. It begins with you and me. When we live lives filled with God’s love and peace living in harmony with our neighbors even when they’re nothing like us then we’ve taken the first step to bring peace into this world.

John was preparing the way for the Messiah with the Message that change was needed. The Message is no different for us today. If we are to be ready then we need to, “Do the things that show you really have changed your hearts and lives.” And we can’t think that just because we call ourselves Christians we’re safe from the ax John talked about.

Advent always asks us to look again at our lives and reassess our spiritual health. Friends, take time this week reading the Word. Spend some time in quiet contemplation letting God speak his Message of hope and peace to you. Then you may be ready. It’s all up to God and his grace. Thanks be to God for his Message of hope and peace. Amen.

What Are We Waiting For?

When you woke up this morning did you think that Jesus may have come while you were sleeping and you missed it? Have you ever slept in and woke up to the hustle and bustle of the rest of the family already up and doing whatever they do when they get up? How did that feel to you? Did it feel good because you were more rested or did you feel like you were behind all day because you woke up in the middle of everything?


Paul admonishes us in his letter to the Romans to “wake up from our sleep” because salvation is nearer than first believed. Matthew has Jesus telling us to stay awake, alert because no one has any idea when the Master, Jesus is going to return.

I wonder, have we become complacent to what’s going on around us? Have we heard this Message so many times that we’ve become de-sensitized to its urgency? Or don’t we believe what Paul and Matthew are telling us?

I wonder. What do we think is going to happen? Do we really believe that this world will exist forever? Do we believe that we are going to live forever? Do we think that we still have time to change and be everything God desires us to be?

Are we so absorbed in our work and our families that we are unaware of the urgency to slow down and listen for God’s voice? What is it? No one seems to be heeding the warnings. The whole world just seems to be going on as if there is nothing more important than the present moment. Almost like in the times of Noah before the flood.

Another year has passed and Advent is beginning. We’ve been waiting our whole lives for Jesus to return and we’re still waiting. Perhaps there are those who don’t believe that he’s ever coming back. Maybe we think that because we’ve given our hearts to Jesus we don’t have to do anything else.

I think the Message for us today has more urgency now than it did when it was first read. Isaiah is talking about God teaching us his ways and turning weapons of war into farm implements. The psalmist tells us to pray for peace in Jerusalem. Paul says that we all we owe is to love each other, wake up because salvation is near, live in a right way as people of the day, and clothe ourselves in Jesus Christ forgetting about satisfying our sinful selves. Jesus is saying to us in Matthew’s gospel that we should always be ready because no one knows when the Master is coming.

Most of us aren’t thinking about anything else but getting ready for our families and friends on Christmas Day. Paying attention to what’s going on in our communities isn’t one of our top priorities. As I’ve already said there are so many pressing things in our lives that we find it almost impossible to focus on God and what he’s doing in our community and the world around us.

It’s like we’ve lost our connection to Him. We forget that God was in the beginning, he is present with us at this very moment; he will always be with us, always. He’s not going away.

Advent has always been about waiting, watching, preparing, and anticipating the return of Jesus the Christ. Mostly we remember the baby Jesus born in the manger in Bethlehem. We remember the gospel stories about the angels singing, the shepherds watching flocks, and the magi who came bearing gifts. We don’t think about Advent as also being a time when we are reminded that we are also waiting in joyful anticipation the coming of Jesus again.

That’s what today’s Message is for us. Jesus was born in a manger. He did grow up learning the carpenter trade from his father, Joseph. He was a great rabbi who recruited disciples and made some apostles. He was crucified on a cross as we heard last Sunday. He defeated death when he rose from the tomb. His disciples bore witness to that fact.

The gospels give us his words and the Holy Spirit reminds us of them. He said that he was preparing rooms for us and that he was coming back. Friends, that’s what we are all waiting for today and every day. Christ to come back for us.

The good news is that while we are waiting God is here now connected to us in the Word and in our prayers. And while we wait we have been given the task to love others and the work of making this world a place of peace.

Most of us don’t think there is anything that we can do to bring about peace in the entire world but if we would just begin right here in Walnut I think we’d be amazed at how fast it could spread. Of course it’s not about us but about what God is doing through the power of the Holy Spirit in us as we minister to others.

A couple of things to take home with you today: 1) pray for peace in Jerusalem, 2) love others, 3) be awake, awake to what God is doing all around us, 4) and always be ready for Jesus whenever he returns.

Friends, God loves every one of us and he wants all of us to join him in the New Jerusalem one day. Thanks be to God. Amen.

Christ the King

Today is the last Sunday of the year on the Christian calendar. We have been on a journey with Jesus. We were with Mary and Joseph when he was born. We were with him as he entered the city of Jerusalem on a donkey. We were with him when he was arrested in the garden and tried and beaten and crucified on the cross. We were with Mary when Jesus called her name and revealed that he was indeed risen from the tomb. This year we have been with Jesus every step of the way.


Today as we celebrate Christ the King we find Jesus nailed to the cross with a sign hanging over his head that declares him “The King of the Jews.” And perhaps we are wondering how are we to celebrate our Jesus as our King when he is nailed to the cross between two common criminals as if he himself were a common criminal.

We who have lived in the United States our entire lives can’t comprehend what it’s like to give our allegiance to a king. We find it hard enough to be loyal to those we have just elected into political office. How would it be possible for us to yield to a king?

Christ the King, will he remember us? One of the criminals hanging on a cross beside Jesus asks him to remember him when he came into his kingdom. And we hear Jesus tell him that that very day he will be with him in paradise. The first one to enter heaven where Christ is King is a common criminal. Is there hope for us? If we ask Jesus to remember us will he invite us to join him in paradise?

What are we to do with a Savior who is a King? At first I thought that it would mean submitting to him, to his authority because a king would have dominion over everything. Everything would be under his control. But a friend said that it would be more accurate to say that we would yield to his authority.

So, I had to think about this for a while. If we submit then we defer or consent to abide by the authority of another person. If we yield then we surrender or relinquish control to another. Either way we allow someone else control, either of our lives or our possessions.

Christ is the King. Are we able to let him come into our lives and take control? Are we able to yield to his authority? When he tells us to give up everything of value to us, that we think we can’t possibly live without, are we able to yield to his good judgment for us? The rich young ruler couldn’t do it. At least not right away. The disciples weren’t sure they could do it either. Even though they had given up their jobs to follow this itinerant rabbi all over creation and back to Jerusalem. When they saw him die on that cross they gave up. They forgot all those words that Jesus told them about rebuilding the temple in three days after it had been destroyed.

Things look a lot different when you see your friend nailed to a cross. Everything he said before just kind of goes out of your mind. Christ, the King? He hardly looked like a king as he hung on the cross.

That’s not our image of a king either. A king is supposed to be full of power and strength and be in control. Hanging on the cross, it didn’t look like Jesus was in control. But everything wasn’t what it seemed.

You see, I know that you’ve read ahead and you know what happened later. Jesus defeated death. He rose from the grave. He ascended into heaven and took his rightful position beside God, his Father.

The question for us is do we believe. Will we yield our lives to Him? The King is coming again are we ready to receive him?

I regret not letting Jesus take control of my life sooner. It breaks my heart when I think about how many times I’ve turned my back on him and denied him entry.

Christ is the King you want to take control of your life. He is the One who loves you and cares for you. Today, I pray that you will answer his call to let him be the King. Yield your life to the One who has your best interests at heart.

Go ahead and give him total control. You’ll never be sorry you did.

Hallelujah, Christ is King. Praise the Lord. Amen.

In His Care

Who’s looking out for you today? Who cares what happens to you or any of us for that matter?


Are you looking out for yourself? Are you one of those independent persons who take care of themselves? You don’t have to depend on anyone.

Friends, I hate to be the one to burst your bubbles but we all depend on someone, sometime. For example, Linda and I think we raised our children to be able to take care of just about anything that comes up. Yet, the phone still rings asking Mom or Dad for advice or help.

So, what do we do who don’t have parents to help us when we get into a bind? Will the banks help? Will the schools help us out? How about city hall; is there anyone there with all the answers? Who are we to depend on? Who can we trust to give us good advice or help when we find ourselves on a dead end road?

I used to believe that I had all the answers. I used to think that I could figure out most any problem given enough time or resources.

I soon discovered that wasn’t true. If God kept a record of all my mistakes and wrong turns I’d never have a chance at eternal life. Thank God he forgets the times when we turned away and attempted to do it on our own.

The Prophet says that God, our God, provides for us before we even get the words out. He is helping us while we’re still on our knees praying. And friends, that’s grace.

When Paul wrote his letter to the Thessalonians he reminded them that just because they thought the Day of the Lord was near didn’t mean they should sit back and rest trusting in the salvation promised in their conversion and baptism. He, in his own way, was saying, “You need to keep at it, working quietly, never tiring from doing good.” Paul and his friends had set the example for them so they knew how they should be living. I guess we can never retire from doing the work God has called us to do. We can’t rest on the fact that our sins have been forgiven. We have been given the work of ministering to all God’s children.

In Luke’s gospel some with Jesus were admiring the beauty of the Temple in Jerusalem. He told them it wasn’t going to last. Some day there would not be one stone left on top of another. I don’t they could imagine anyone ever completely destroying their beloved Temple.

They wanted to know if there would be some signs before hand that would warn them when this was going to happen. Oh, there would be signs but no one would be able to predict anything from the signs. Jesus, more or less, told them not to worry about signs or warnings.

They didn’t need to worry because they carried his name. They were brothers and sisters of Jesus; they were followers of Jesus the Christ.

He exhorted them to make up their minds right then not to worry about the when and the where and the how of what was coming. Things wouldn’t be easy being one of his followers. There would be persecution and suffering. Family members would turn against them for believing in Jesus as the Messiah. But Jesus said, “Don’t worry. I’ve got your back. I’ll give you the words and the wisdom you need when you need it. Don’t worry.”

Friends, we are all in His care. He’s got it all taken care of. He knows our names. We are wonderfully and fearfully made to do his work.

So, are you still depending on your own strength and wits or are you convinced beyond any doubt that your help is in the Lord? My prayer is that you will come to Him who has it all figured out.

All that should be filling our minds is how we can be a part of what God is doing in the world. How can we let all the world know what he has done and is doing? Let’s commit to living as the Prophet Isaiah said, “…shouting and singing for joy…because the Holy One does great things before our eyes.”

Friends, we are in God’s care. So let us receive God’s salvation with joy just like we would get water from the faucets in our houses. Trust in God to give you the strength to continue his work and joy to sing his praises.

Thanks be to God for his forgiving grace. Amen.

What's Bothering You Today?

We’ve just heard the prophet Haggai giving God’s message to the people of Jerusalem who were worried that the temple they were rebuilding wasn’t as good as the original. We heard Paul writing to calm the troubled people in Thessalonica who had been convinced by someone who purported to be Paul that the Day of the Lord was here now. And in Luke’s gospel we’ve heard the Sadducees trying to trip Jesus up with a scenario about a widow who ended up being married to 7 brothers before she died. Whose wife would she be in the afterlife? Granted they weren’t really concerned about that because they didn’t believe in an afterlife. They were just trying to make Jesus look like a fool. Or maybe they did have questions about what happened after they died.


In all three readings we have heard about folks who were bothered by things. So, what’s bothering us today? What questions are we carrying around today that have become burdens for us?

Some of us may be concerned about our church building. Maybe it doesn’t look as spiffy as it used to back in the old days. Some of us are probably concerned about our shrinking membership or the attendance at worship. And some of us are wondering about our own demise and what’s waiting for us on the other side. Many of us are concerned about what’s happening in the world all around us, the financial health of our country, unemployment, the price of energy, the wars in the Middle East, and global warming. We’re bothered by many of these things and much more. As if we could do anything about any of it anyway.

We, all of us, worry and fuss about everything. Friends, is that why we’re here, to worry about things? Will our worry and anxiousness make any difference? Will it change anything and make it better? If it doesn’t or won’t then why do we worry?

Have we lost all hope? Have we given up on God? It certainly sounds as if we aren’t to certain about those who are in leadership positions in our government. We aren’t too hopeful about our retirement or whatever follows.

We are bothered by many things. I ask you in what do you put your hope, in what do you trust? What did God tell Haggai to tell the people?

He said, “I own the silver. I own the gold.” “Get to work. I am with you.” “I’m living and breathing among you right now. Don’t be timid. Don’t hold back.” Were those words just for those living then or are they a Message for us today?

If we believe that this is the living word of God then surely He can speak to us from his word as it is read to us.

We all worry but not one of us can add a single day to our time here on earth by worrying. In fact, our worrying may very well shorten lives. We go from day to day acting like everything is all about us. It’s not you know. We think we’re in control of our lives and maybe the lives of others and we’re not, really. We just like to think so.

Instead of worrying and fretting about the state of the world and our lives what should occupy our thoughts? My answer is going to begin sounding like a broken record but I’m going to say it anyway.

In the gospels Jesus said that there were only two commandments that should really concern us. They were to love God with our whole being, mind, body, and soul and to love our neighbors as much as we loved ourselves. And then just before he ascended into heaven he instructed his apostles to go out into all the world and make disciples of all people everywhere and baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

That’s it. That’s what we should be doing. Nothing else should be allowed to take up space in our minds. If we would spend our time loving God and loving our neighbors then everything else would fall into place. There would be no question about how much we should give to the church or to the presbytery or to the Food Pantry or to Haiti or Pakistan or Indonesia.

Everything we are, everything we think we own, everything is God’s. We are just the caretakers of his resources. And not one piece of our beloved possessions will be able to go with us to the other side. Everything is up to God.

So, good friends, my message to you today is don’t let yourselves be bothered. God is in control. He has the plan. All we are asked to do is trust and believe and love God and neighbors. That’s it. It’s really pretty simple. Why do we all have to make it so difficult?

All we have to remember is that our …“God isn’t a God of dead men, but of the living. To him all are alive.” Luke 20:38 The Message

Isn’t that a great answer? Isn’t that the Good News? God is alive and he dwells within us. Thanks be to God for his patient, loving grace. Amen.

Desperately Eager

I wonder how we compare to Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus was desperately eager to just see Jesus. He so wanted to see him that Luke says he ran on ahead of the crowd so he could find a place where he could get an unobstructed view of this traveling Rabbi.

It must have been very important for him to see Jesus if he ran. Because that would have meant that he had to lift up his robe or skirt so his clothes wouldn’t trip him up as he ran. It just wasn’t good manners to show such a lack of proper decorum. But that’s exactly what he did. He didn’t care.

Zacchaeus got what he wanted and so much more. When Jesus arrived at the spot where he was perched in the tree, he stopped and told him to hurry down because he was going to be a guest at his house. Jesus invited himself to dinner.
That didn’t bother Zacchaeus in the least. He was so excited by the fact that Jesus was coming to his house that he probably scraped his knees and elbows getting out of the tree. He never imagined in his wildest dreams that the Master would notice him, let alone come to his house. And so with great joy and delight he took him to his house.

Of course there were those in the crowd who couldn’t allow Zacchaeus this one kernel of grace. You can probably hear their voices. In fact you may have heard their voices before.

They were grumping because this scoundrel tax collector had the good fortune to have the most popular rabbi in Israel coming to his house for dinner. They were surely so jealous and envious because it would have been a great social coup to have Jesus come to your house. What’s he doing going to this crook’s house when he could be coming to my place? After all I keep all of God’s laws and he doesn’t. He doesn’t deserve to have this most important person visiting in his house. It’s just not fair! Can’t you hear the conversations? It probably wouldn’t be too much different today.

So, have you ever asked yourself, “Why did Jesus pick Zacchaeus to go visit?” Why did Luke put it in his gospel? What is the significance of this story for us? Was it all a coincidence that Jesus saw Zacchaeus up there in the tree? Was he just looking for a good place to eat or was he looking for something that would upset the learned and religious people of Jericho? Why did God choose Zacchaeus for Jesus to visit on that particular day? It doesn’t seem fair that he would go to have dinner with such a low down cheat!

What was Zacchaeus’ response to all those nasty comments about him being a crook? Stunned disbelief would be a good way to put it. “Why,” he said, “I give away half of my earnings to the poor—and if I’m caught cheating, I pay four times the damages.”
I wonder if those who heard Zacchaeus say that believed him. He probably gave away half of his earnings without any fanfare. That’s probably why no one knew anything about it. So even though he collected more tax than was needed by the Romans what he earned and took home he gave half of it away. He must have been rich.
I don’t know any one today who does that. This is truly extravagant generosity. It was way beyond what he was required by law to give for the support of the poor. Even his peers weren’t doing as much as he was. Those who didn’t really know Zacchaeus were judging him unfairly and harshly.

Jesus saw immediately that he was truly a Son of Abraham. The religious of the day certainly wouldn’t have classified him as a good Jew. In fact they wouldn’t even think of associating with him.

Zacchaeus was being judged by others for being a tax collector. No one knew the real Zacchaeus. They didn’t know about his contributions to the poor.
How many folks have we misjudged without taking the risk to get to know them? How many have we talked about only to find out we were wrong in our assessment of them?
Was Zacchaeus a different man after Jesus ate at his house? Or were those who had misjudged him different after Jesus had dinner at his house? Who are we misjudging today? And what should we do about that?

Maybe we should invite ourselves to dinner at their house or, better yet, invite them to dinner at ours.

All of us have fallen short of God’s desire for us. We are all sinners in need of God’s grace. Maybe that’s the lesson for us today. Don’t worry about what our neighbors are doing or whom they are having to dinner. Maybe we should just concern ourselves with the log in our own eye before we judge our neighbor. Maybe we need extend an invitation to the Lord to come to our house for dinner. Maybe then we will receive the gift of God’s salvation and grace.

Thanks be to God for his loving grace. Amen.

Faithful Prayer

What is Jesus talking about and who is he talking about? Who is this judge supposed to be? And this nagging, whining, widow woman, who is she?


Just when we think we understand what Jesus is saying he tells us this parable about a judge who doesn’t care one whit for God or people, a real curmudgeon. But yet he has his limits and because of this widow’s persistent nagging, day in and day out, he relents and grants her the justice she has been badgering him for.

So, do you suppose that means that we are to badger God with our prayers in the same way? There are times we might just do that but that’s probably not what Jesus intended us to learn from this parable.

Well, we do know that the parable is about prayer because that’s what Luke says in the beginning verse, “Jesus told them a story showing that it was necessary for them to pray consistently and never quit.”

And that’s the point we don’t want to lose sight of here. This parable is about prayer. So what is it about prayer that we humans have trouble with? Is it that we don’t know how to pray? Is it that we don’t have the time to pray? Or, is it that we don’t really believe that God will hear and answer our prayers? Maybe it’s all of these.

This story is about a judge who is the most obnoxious person in the world. You wonder how he ever got appointed to the bench. He makes no bones that he doesn’t believe in God and he really doesn’t like people.

And this widow had the unlucky misfortune to draw this particular judge, the one who hates God and people. This poor widow woman has nothing. She has no money with which to influence the judge. She doesn’t have a husband or any other male family member to speak for her in court. All she has is her tenacity and determination to get the justice she believes she deserves.

We shouldn’t say that she doesn’t have anything. She does have a determined spirit and, apparently, no fear that this judge may kick her out and bar her from his court forever. Nope, she comes everyday to the court and demands that he award her what she has coming to her. And it might even be that she follows him home or sends him letters or posts things about him on Facebook about how bad a judge he is. Who knows?

Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore. If he didn’t give in she was going to leave him black and blue. Can’t you just see her standing at his bench in the court room hammering her fist on the bench demanding justice? The judge may have feared for his well being if he didn’t give in to her demands.

So, friends, what’s Jesus saying to us? What do you think he’s saying? How do you interpret the Word to us today?

It sounds to me that if we are persistently faithful in our praying God will hear our prayers and answer them. But some might say, and they may be absolutely right, that they pray every day, all day, and still God doesn’t answer their prayers. How do we answer that?

As I read this passage a couple words stood out for me, persistence, consistent, and faith. This brings us back to the story I told the children. About this boy who wanted a musical instrument so he could learn to play in the band. Mom and Dad didn’t give in right away; in fact they didn’t even give in the second time he asked. It wasn’t until he had found out the cost of a used instrument and brought that information to their attention that they decided maybe he was ready.

It’s kind of like a story I read that Rev. Tom Long used in a sermon about two boys, a raft, and an island in the middle of the river. One of the boys was floating down the river on a raft and his friend saw him and asked, “What are you doing?” He said that he was trying to get to the island in the middle of the river. Well his friend dove in and swam to the raft so he could help him.

The current in the middle of the river was strong and it wasn’t doing the raft any favors as the boys struggled to get to the island. They did make it to the island but just as they did the raft completely fell apart and there they were stranded in the middle of the river with no way to get off the island.

It just so happens that a paddle boat is coming down the river and the second boy starts to jump up and down, hollering and waving at the boat. His friend tells him they can’t hear you and even if they could they’re not going to come over here and pick us up.

Well, the boat begins to turn toward the island and they can tell it’s coming to rescue them. The other boy wanted to know how he knew the boat would come and get them. He said, “My father is the captain. I knew he’d come and get me.”

I think that’s what Jesus is trying to teach us in the parable. God is our Father and he loves us so much he won’t leave us stranded.

As children we talked to our parents all the time, every day. Sometimes they probably wished for some peace and quiet because we never stopped talking. But didn’t they usually listen to us. And didn’t they usually give us what we needed.

God loves us way more than our parents and doesn’t want any of us to suffer. God is all about having an intimate relationship with us. And the way that happens is by praying to him all the time, consistently, persistently, all the time. When we do that we soon realize that we know God and he knows us.

The point that we don’t want to lose sight of is we are to pray continuously and don’t give up hope.

Thanks be to God for his loving grace. Amen.