"Good Infection" - June 12, 2011 Sermon

Scripture: Acts 2: 1-21

The Sermon:
Today’s message will be brief. The title of this sermon is actually part of a passage from the book MERE CHRISTIANITY , by C. S. Lewis. I will read the passage a little later. You have just heard the story of Pentecost, as written in the Book of Acts. One can rightly say that what happened that day, when the Holy Spirit filled the disciples, is that the Spirit enabled them to become more like Jesus. That is to say, more like Jesus in His passion for the world, in His intention to please God and in commitment to the Gospel message.

In the book, Mere Christianity, that I mentioned a moment ago, C. S. Lewis connects the activity of the Holy Spirit with becoming more like Jesus. Here are his words: If we let God have His way, we can come to share in the life of Christ. If we share in this kind of life, we also shall be children of God. We shall love the father as He does and the Holy Ghost shall arise in us. Jesus came to this world and became a man in order to spread to other people the kind of life He has, by what I call "good infection". Every Christian is to become a little Christ. The whole purpose of becoming a Christian is simply nothing else."

Now, the idea of becoming a little Christ needs some explanation. I am not implying that we are attempting to become miniature saviors of the world. Also, I am not suggesting that Jesus was more or less like us, only a little better. Following Jesus is NOT synonymous with being Jesus.

The "little Christ" term does mean that we take Jesus as the primary model for our character, morality and spirituality. It does mean that we let the Holy Spirit fill us so we become more like Jesus in His faithfulness to God, the father, and in His compassion for others. In that sense, the transforming power of the Holy Spirit can make us more Christ-like.

Remember in the Gospel of John when Phillip said to Jesus, "Lord, show us the Father." Jesus responded by saying, "Whoever has seen me has seen the Father." In other words, what you see in me resembles what is in the Father. That same principle is true for those of us who call ourselves Christian. People should be able to look at any sincere Christian and see a small-scale representation of who Jesus is. Of course, that is not always the case, but that is the goal of the Christian life… to be like Jesus.

One way people learn what Christianity is about is by observing Christians. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words. Let’s all do our best to make a good picture. Remember that we are to be "infected" by the Holy Spirit and hopefully it is highly contagious.

AMEN.

"Up, Up and Away?" - June 5, 2011 Sermon

 

Scripture: Acts 1: 1-14

The Sermon:
Today we celebrate Ascension Sunday…Ascension Day was actually last Thursday… On Ascension Day, the disciples are standing there watching as Jesus does a disappearing act that David Blaine or Criss Angel would be envious of. Jesus goes, Up, Up and Away, disappearing into the clouds. Was He abandoning them? Leaving them to their own devices?

The Ascension must have been a spectacular sight to see ! Equally amazing, to me at least, is the unlikely group with whom He left the Mission. None of these men had grown up as religious leaders…they were fishermen and tax collectors. They had continually misunderstood the parables He told. They fell asleep on the job. In His last days, they had denied they even knew Him. Humanly speaking, those disciples were not the best choice to advance the Good News. That is, until the last 40 days Jesus was on Earth. During that time He opened their eyes to the meaning of Scriptures. The Ascension was, in a sense, the HINGE of their Apostolic mission. It took place between the Resurrection and Pentecost ! It told the Disciples that Jesus’ mission was now THEIR mission. Far from feeling abandoned, they felt empowered. They followed His instructions to “stay in Jerusalem” and wait for the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Ascension Sunday is a time for us to reflect on how WE partner with Jesus in our life and Faith. Do we have a sense of personal mission? Do we feel empowered as we should? Do we see the Gospel as “church work” or as a vocation?

A few things come to mind. One thing is , It is our choice to say YES, to the Call of Christ. Just like the disciples, we can find plenty of reasons, excuses for NOT answering the call to serve. Some I have heard over the years, and used myself are: I haven’t been a Christian long enough…I’m not trained well enough…I haven’t been to seminary…I don’t have enough time because of my job and family… I’m not good enough. Guess what…imperfect people are part of God’s primary plan, not His back-up plan, to share the Gospel. We all have felt or currently feel, inadequate… the power of the Holy Spirit makes us more than adequate and empowers us to accomplish whatever God puts before us.

As post Pentecost Christians, we have been given the same Spirit the disciples received… that means our imitations are no longer a problem. Nor are they an excuse.

Whatever our mission is, we are not alone in it… we are in partnership with God’s Spirit. Knowing this, we pray with a purpose and join with God in doing His mission.

Another thing, Jesus was not going to let the disciples be content to stay in Israel and do their mission there. He told them they would go out to Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth. They were to be witnesses to more than just their own natural sphere of influence. We all have a circle of influence: family, friends, co-workers, etc. They are all, for the most part, in our comfort zone. We have to allow the Spirit to guide us out of our areas of comfort in order to fulfill Christ’s call upon our lives.

(Personal testimony)

Ascension Day is the perfect time to take a look at our own personal spheres of influence and ask ourselves this question: Am I advancing my calling or am I staring into the sky as did the disciples, musing over Jesus going Up, Up and Away, and doing nothing more than fantasizing about His return.??

Amen.

"Freedom in Christ" - May 29, 2011 Sermon

Scripture: 1^st Corinthians 11: 24

The Sermon:
Tomorrow is Memorial Day, and it is supposed to be a day when we remember all the brave men and women who have served our nation in times of war…and those who trained and prepared themselves to give the ultimate sacrifice if necessary…those who no longer walk this earth with us … those who died for our Freedom!

I read an article written about a man named Brian Rooney, who has spent thousands of dollars and thousands of hours cataloguing all the memorials, in the 50 states, to those who died in wars. He has found over 8,600...some are simple statues while others are very large and grand, like the Viet-Nam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C.. When asked why he wanted to do this, he replied, "My mission is to bring humanity to everyone of them." He was fulfilling a promise he made to a dying soldier in Viet-Nam. The soldier’s dying words were , "Remember me."

I would like all of us to remember those who have served. Let us begin with our family members and friends. Instead of lighting candles this year, I would like to have those who want to say something about a loved one or friend, to please stand, Curtis will bring you the microphone. You may simply say their name or you may say more, whatever is on your heart. I want to do this in an orderly fashion, so I will begin with the back rows. If you wish to speak, please stand, all of you in the back rows, then pass the microphone to the next person after you finish. I will ask the next row to stand when everyone in the previous row is finished. Thank you.

So, would all those who want to speak in the back row please stand up.

This brings us to today’s Scripture: "Do this in remembrance of me." I believe that Jesus Christ gave the most to free humankind. He gave his life up on a cross so that we might be free from Sin. This is the greatest sacrifice ever made for humankind. The Son of God was arrested, beaten, mocked and thrashed. They spit on him, pressed a thorny crown on his head till blood oozed out, then they nailed his hands and feet to a cross. A soldier pierced his side with a spear. As his life blood spilled out from those wounds, what does He do? He prays for them saying, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." He did all that… for you and for me. What did he ask in return? He simply asks for us to remember Him.

We are to remember his body, broken on a cross, when we break bread… not only at the Lord’s Supper, but anytime we share a meal… we are to remember His blood shed on a Cross, when we drink from the cup. I believe that whenever we are sharing a meal, it is "Memorial Day" for the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

I want to ask you to remember three things in your life: 1) Remember Jesus and His sacrifice 2) Remember that you are a sinner, and Jesus died for you 3) Remember to put your whole trust in our Lord It is not always easy, but with the help of the Holy Spirit, you can do it ! If you do these three things, you will experience the most exhilarating freedom you have ever felt…Freedom In Christ.

Amen.