"Watershed Words" - April 24, 2011 Easter Sermon

 

Scripture: John 20: 1-18

The Sermon:
Today we gather to celebrate the most exciting and joyful news on earth.. .JESUS THE CHRIST LIVES. Here begins the wonderful triumph of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. It was Christ's resurrection that rAnsformed a small group of seemingly dispirited and frightened disciples into the valiant hand who was ready to dare anything, suffer anything, endure anything in order to spread the Good News. Indeed, without this Gallant Group of Gospellers, there probably would not have beon the Great Shout of the Good News. The Resurrection set into motion a mighty force that has affected, in some way or another, the whole world, and has changed the face of humanity.

The Eastern Orthodox Church tends to gather around the manger, feeling that the Incarnation is the central theme of Christianity... We in the Western World linger around the Cross on Calvary, finding in Christ's sacrifice for us, our chief inspiration. But...if we look more closely at the New Testament itself....we find that it keeps exulting first of all..MOST OF ALL. AND LAST OF ALL THE EMPTY GRAVE... We find in that empty tomb, the proof of Jesus victory... and that God really is in charge... and that sin and death, as tough as they are ..are beaten!

It is a memorable fact that the first person to see the risen Christ was a woman. It wasn't just a woman on a morning stroll... it was Mary Magdalene... a woman whom Jesus had led back from a life of shame. Speaking about her, He once said, "She loved much because she had been forgiven much." And she loved and reverenced Christ who had saved her. She loved him with her whole soul and being. It was like her to come early to the tomb. It may have even been her who organized the group of women who had come to anoint the body of Jesus with spices. But on their journey of faithfulness, they found a surprise. It seems to me that faithfulness has a way of finding surprises! When you go faithfully on with your duty, whatever it may be, eveen during times of darkness, during deep disappointment, facing seeming defeat... when you continue doing what ever you can do in devotion to Christ, you meet with the unexpected.

Something beyond your own power and intelligence happens. You find new strength, and a comforted heart; you become aware of someone helping you to bear your burdens, someone walking along beside you, you find a path through the maze of obstacles... all of these surprises have been encountered along the road of faith-fullness.

These women had risen early and gone out to the garden while it was still dark. When they arrived at the tomb, they discovered that the stone guarding the entrance had been rolled away. Now for the real shocker... The tomb was not only open... but it was also empty! Mary quickly ran to tell Simon Peter, who was with another disciple. You have to wonder how Peter was feeling. I have a soft spot in my heart for Peter. He must have really been down in the dumps... Jesus was dead! A man whom Peter had travelled with for three years more or less... Whom Peter had watched perform many miracles, A man who had called him the Rock. A man whom Peter had denied... not once, not twice, but three times. It reminds me of a movie I saw about a boxer and his manager/friend who went around having boxing matches... finally the friend thinks he cannot beat this one opponent so he bets against him... naturally he loses.

Apparently Peter had managed to find his nerve again. Unlike Judas, he would not allow himself to be exiled from Jesus. In spite of his dreadful failure of that night, he was still Christ's man, and he would yet prove it. I think there is a lesson here for all of us. Sure Peter had made a mistake, he used poor judgement... who hasn't. We have to remember that the past is the past no matter how much we have mishandled it. It will not return again... what we need to do is focus on the present and the future and how we can use them for Christ's glory!

He is risen! These three words form the greatest watershed of history. Everything that has flowed from them --THE CREATION OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH... THE CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE OF THE LIVING CHRIST.... ALL THE GREAT SOCIAL FORCES THAT WERE LOOSED AS A RESULT OF THE RESURRECTION ALL THESE THINGS BEAR WITNESS TO THE REALITY AND TRANSFORMING POWER OF THE RESURRECTION.

The women were amazed! I should think so. Their minds were stunned by the evidence! Whose wouldn't be!!! Much is made in our time of the fact that the "idea of a bodily resurrection" is not congenial to the modern mind. Well, if we examine ourselves closely, it seems clear to me that "THE MODERN MIND" should not be considered the final judge of truth; And even when we find truth, we cannot always be sure that our HUMAN MIND will be happy and congenial with what it finds.

The Resurrection has proved credible to millions upon millions of people who have been told the news, "HE IS RISEN" That belief does not rest totally on the record contained in the four Gospels. Equally convincing, from a historical standpoint, is the Christian church and its unending testimony to the indwelling Christ. A MAN, LOOKING FOR THE FIRST TIME AT THE TREMENDOUS WONDER OF THE GRAND CANYON REMARKED, "something amazing must have happened here! It was obvious that the canyon did not come about because someone drug a stick in the ground. Something on the grand scale of the Grand Canyon demands an adequate explanation.

As we read the stories of the Disciples and the creation of the Church and how it has been handed down for two thousand years... We are forced to say "SOMETHING AMAZING MUST HAVE HAPPENED HERE!" The only adequate "SOMETHING" is the resurrection of Jesus!

Peter expressed it very well at Pentecost when he said" "It was not possible for Him to be held by death." And then there is the impressive amount of evidence of all subsequent Christian experience...
"IT IS NO LONGER I WHO LIVE, BUT CHRIST WHO LIVES IN ME; AND THE LIFE I NOW LIVE IN THE FLESH, I LIVE BY FAITH IN THE SON OF GOD!"

I say again those watershed words: HE IS RISEN!

AMEN.

"Two Teachers" - April 17, 2011 (Palm Sunday) Sermon

Scripture: Isaiah 50:4-9a

The Sermon:
I remember seeing a list of “The Greatest Educator’s …ever.” Who do you suppose was at the top? No, it was not Jesus. First: Socrates second: Plato 3rd: Aristotle. Jesus came in 4th. I beg to differ.

Socrates is considered the “patron saint” of teaching, because his methods provide the basis for the model we still use today. He believed that in order to learn, you had to first acknowledge what you don’t know. He also believed that teachers could learn from their pupils… that good teaching is really the product of an open-minded learner. Socrates would ask questions to drawn knowledge out of learners by getting them to think, instead of ramming information into their minds through lecturing.

Jesus arrives a little over 400 years later and there are some parallels between Socrates and Jesus.

• Like Socrates, Jesus believed he was getting his message from “a greater source.”
• Like Socrates, Jesus was a master of teaching by asking questions.
• Like Socrates, Jesus did not leave behind his own writings, but his words and stories were recorded by others.
• Like Socrates, Jesus made those in power angry, by embarrassing them with his teachings.
• Like Socrates, Jesus was condemned to death by those same powerful people he made angry.

Yes, Jesus was a great ethical teacher, but his ultimate object lesson is revealed in His life, death and resurrection. His return to Jerusalem to "drink his cup of hemlock" was part of the lesson. Without the resurrection, the Gospel isn’t really GOOD NEWS, it is simply good advice.

So, what clues does the Isaiah text this morning give us about the teaching mission of Jesus? Our text describes the teacher as, "one with the tongue of a teacher." The servant has been commissioned to teach so he will “know how to sustain the weary with a word.”(vs. 4) Jesus knew how to sustain the weary with a word…do we? Jesus reached out to those who were constantly weary from simply trying to survive. His Word was one of hope and pointed to the coming kingdom of God, where everything would be set right and peace would reign.

Jesus was also a student: Everyday he would receive instruction, through prayer, from God. Instruction about his mission, his life and his death. This instruction would sustain him in times of difficulty and stress. He would receive strength from God’s spirit. His final teaching lesson would come only a few days after his entry into Jerusalem on that day we call Palm Sunday. The lesson of “obedience” as recorded in Matthew: Not my will but thy will be done.

Jesus did not try to escape from his mission

He did not hide his face from insult or spitting

He did not resist, but surrendered willingly

He set his face, like flint, towards God who would vindicate him.

In going to the cross, Jesus demonstrated the ultimate object lesson about God’s sacrificial love for humanity. His whole life had prepared him for this. He was a great student and a great teacher. We need to be great students, too… so we can grow into being great teachers.

As Jesus was sent by God, so he sends us.. As he was taught by God, so he teaches us. In Matthew 28, Jesus tells us, in essence, to go into the world and become teachers.

So who is the greatest teacher of all time? A very good case could be made for Socrates or Plato… as for me, I vote for Jesus! AMEN

"In His Time" - April 10, 2011 Sermon

Scripture: John 11:1-45

The Sermon:

Doctor’s offices are busier now than they have ever been. Sometimes it feels like an assembly line production. I heard a story about a man who walked into a doctor’s office and the receptionist asked him what he had, and he replied “shingles”. She took down his name, address and medical ins. Information and told him to have a seat. 15 minutes later, a nurse’s aid came out and asked what he had, he said “shingles.” She measured his height, weight and had him fill out a medical history form, took him to the examining room and told him to wait. 15 minutes later a nurse came in and asked what he had, he said “shingles.” She took his blood pressure, listened to his heart, then asked him to take off his shirt and wait for the doctor. 15 minutes later, the doctor came in and asked what he had, he said shingles. The doctor asked “where” and he replied outside on the truck, where do you want them unloaded?

Seriously, though, most of us have great admiration for our doctors. However, the number one complaint, according to the AMA, is the amount of time spent in the waiting room, or waiting in general. It is very frustrating to be feeling sick…and then have to wait for treatment.

Jesus was teaching one day when word came that Lazarus was extremely ill. You remember that Lazarus and his sisters, Martha and Mary, were close friends of Jesus. Jesus had spent time in their home, having a meal with them. Certainly, Jesus would go immediately to his sick friend. Since he had healed many other people, Martha and Mary were sure he would heal his sick friend. But what did he do? He did not leave at once, instead he waited two days… and he was not very far away. He could have been there in a short period of time, but he intentionally stayed where he was. It made no sense to Martha and Mary.

Try to put yourself, mentally and emotionally, in their place. How would you feel if you went to the emergency room and had to wait 48 hours for the doctor to arrive? You would most probably be outraged ! I want you all to read that passage again and look for clues that something amazing is about to happen. Jesus says that, “this sickness will not end in death. It is for God’s glory.” When Jesus finally arrives, Lazarus is already dead and in the tomb. This story from the Gospel of John is more than a story about a family in crisis. I believe it is really about the crisis of a world that lives in sin and death. The real purpose of this story is to reveal Jesus as the Resurrection and the Life !.

Some believe that Jesus delayed going to Lazarus because of the danger of going into Judea… on his previous visit the Jews tried to stone him. The disciples brought this to his attention in vs.8. I do not share that view. Time and again, Scriptures tell us that He faced grave perils and the threat of death with little or no concern. He was not worried about his death or the death of Lazarus… his only concern was doing the Father’s will!

The fact is, that in reality, he did not delay in helping his friends. He tells his disciples in vs. 14 that Lazarus is dead. Jesus knew that Lazarus was already dead when he received the message that he was “ill.” Remember now, he arrived two days after he got Martha and Mary’s message that Lazarus was very ill, but when he arrives he finds that Lazarus had been in the tomb for 4 days.

There has been a lot of speculation about what Jesus was doing for those two days. This is the Christ who said, “I have come down from heaven, not to do my will, but to do my Father’s will.” The first thing he wanted to do was be absolutely sure he was understanding God’s will rightly. I’m sure his first human instinct was to rush to his friend’s aid… but he also knew that he had more than Lazarus to save, he had a whole world to save. I have no doubts that during those two days, Jesus did what he always did…he was praying to the Father… just like in the garden of Gethsemane. Praying for God’s will to be revealed to him.

Once Jesus was sure that he was following God’s will, I believe that he began to fervently pray for Lazarus. A lot of prayer…sweating blood prayer…. The reason I think this is because Jesus offered no prayer at the tomb… he simply said, “roll the stone away.” In vs. 41, Jesus says, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me.”

Jesus knew that God had heard him and he counted on it with absolute conviction.
THAT is what Christ means by Faith. Hopefully in this Lazarus story, we can see a symbol and a proof of the spiritual powers that Christ can use on our behalf.

"5 Blind Mice" - April 3, 2011 Sermon

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Scripture: John 9:1-41

I remember reading a story about a man who visited a school for the bling one day. After being there for awhile, he remarked, "It must be terrible to go through life without your eyes." One of the students quickly responded, "It's not half so bad as having two good eyes but still not being able to see!" The point was well made! There is more than one kind of blindness. Perhaps none is more tragic than that which affects "the eyes of the heart!"

This morning's lesson identifies several forms of blindness, only one ofi which is physical. And that one, of course, was the problem affecting the beggar who was ordered brought to the Temple. The writer of John, in verse one, says he was a man "blind from birth." As a person blind from birth, he had never seen the faces of friends, he had never seen the soft beauty of flowers, not once did he ever see the smiles upon children's faces. I recall a class I had in high school when the teacher asked a couple of students to stand up, pretend they were talking to someone who was born blind and describe the color green to them. It was an impossible task to accomplish. If you are born blind, your whole understanding and concept of the world around you is fashioned from sound, smell, taste and touch! So the color green is a meaningful concept only to those who have seen it.

Another type of blindness in this story is theological. Popular understanding in Jesus' day decreed that suffering was the result of sin. you remember how Job's associates accused him of being a sinner? They were sure no one would be so terribly afflicted unless God was punishing them for some unspeakable sin. Their God was a God of Judgment, not mercy! In fact in Exodus it says that God remembers, "the iniquity of parents to the third and fourth generation" of their children. That could be why genealogy is so popular... Everyone wants to know what it was that their great grandparents did to cause them to suffer so much! In some ways that point of view has credibility today. Babies are born deformed and afflicted because of conscious decisions of one or both of the parents. Some examples are babies addicted to heroine or cocaine, babies born with AIDS because one of the parents was an intravenous drug user.

The disciples certainly believed that children could inherit sin and guilt from their parents, because when they were confronted with the beggar at the Temple door, they asked Jesus, "who sinned, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?" What they had missed, was the compassionate nature of God that Jesus had been trying so hard, through his repeated references to God as Father, to get them to understand. Jesus had labored very hard to teach them about mercy and grace, and how God wanted only good for His children, whether they deserved it or not. So the disciples, at least at this point, were theologically blind.

Another type of blindness is Prejudicial blindness. This is found in the neighbors and worshipers who had seen the beggar at the Temple door every day for many years. They were unwilling to concede that he could ever change. Even after he was touched by Christ, and his eyes were opened, "It is not him but someone like him." They were unwilling to alter their opinion, once it had been formed.

Another blindness is Emotional blindness. This reflects the attitude of the parents. You recall how they responded to his healing. The man himself gave credit where credit was due. Jesus had opened his eyes, and he proclaimed to all who would listen, "He is a prophet!" But the Pharisees, who wanted to discredit Jesus, challenged the man's parents to offer an explanation for what had happened. Now most moms and dads would have been laughing or crying for joy. Not this mom and dad! Instead, they were nervously counting "the cost of discipleship." How much did they stand to lose by being honest? They knew the Sabbath laws, and that Jesus had broken them. They knew their son's standing in the religious community was in jeopardy because of his praise of Christ. They also knew that they would be cut off from their friends and the synagogue if they defended Jesus. So what did they do? They took the cowards way out!! they said "We do not know how it is that he now sees nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him, he is of age. He will speak for himself." They were short-sighted in their self-centered-ness. They could only see as far as their own interests, their own security. How tragic it is, "Having two good eyes but still not being able to see."

The last blindness I want to talk about is Spiritual blindness. This is evident in the Pharisees. Jesus had become a threat to them. He was saying things that they had not said and doing things they could not do, and many people were listening to him. Jesus even caused problems among themselves. Verse 16 says, "And they were divided." The Pharisees were convinced that Jesus had to be silenced. It was the Sabbath when Jesus healed the blind man, and that was the ammunition they needed. You see, the legalists were more concerned with religious rules and regulations, than with love. They were looking for a public stone to throw at the Rabbi from Nazareth and they found it. "Jesus is not from God," they said, "for he does not observe the Sabbath."

The Pharisees were so bound by their adherence to the Law that the pain and disability of a blind beggar at the Temple door was ignored. Ritual took precedence over compassion! They were spiritually blind!

How easy it is for us to look at other persons and not see them in their true light. How easy it is for us to misjudge others because of external issues like age, race, economic status, gender, political affiliation, or even something as superficial as the clothes they wear! The Pharisees looked at the Messiah and saw Him as a threat instead of a blessing. The neighbors at the Temple looked at the man who had been healed and said, "It is not him, but it is someone like him." Having eyes, they did not see.

You know, it is easy for each of us to become blind to the truth about ourselves, unless we allow Christ to "Open our eyes that we may see." Only then can try transformation take place. JESUS DOES THAT FOR US, EVEN AS HE DID FOR THE BLIND BEGGAR! He opens our eyes that we may see others as children of God, and that we may see ourselves, not only as we are, but as we may yet become, in Christ!

What Jesus did for the beggar, he can do for us! He can open the eyes of our hearts that we may no longer stumble in the world's darkness, but at last may truly see why we are here!

The song Amazing Grace sums it up best:

"I ONCE WAS LOST BUT NOW AM FOUND, WAS BLIND BUT NOW I SEE!"

AMEN.