March 18, 2012 - "Eternal Life"

John 3.14-21

Everything written about Jesus always has two themes, at least.

The first theme is celebration: In Jesus, God has done a mighty work … and by the Holy Spirit, that work continues to this very day - lives are changed, witness given, good deeds done, and the world, perhaps, is slightly better.

The second theme is sorrow: The world, it seems, continues on with hatred, war and death …  and, sadly, some of the worst evil has come at the hands of those who claim the name of Jesus and still love war and live greedy lives, and the world slips further into chaos.

In between these two themes, Jesus … Jesus lifted up, as the bronze snake of Moses was lifted up, so that all who looked up to see the bronze snake were healed … so all who look up to see Jesus, lifted up on the cross, are healed, receive life, life so powerful, so good, so pure, that it can only be called eternal life.

Life that endures and abides.

No matter what, no matter where.

Life that defies the darkness and remains true and good.

Life that cannot die … life through and through.

Eternal life … 

The cross is the centerpiece … the strange connection between heaven and earth … 

Earth with all of its sorrows and tears.

Heaven with all of its hope and healing.

Jesus the bridge.

The link.

The love of God, holding it all together … that heaven’s glory might shed light upon earth’s sorrow … and transform the earth into the realm of God … 

Where there is life and not death.

Where there is light and not darkness.

Where there is truth and not lies.

Where there is peace and not war.

Where there is equity and not disparity.

Where the hungry are fed … the naked clothed … the oppressed set free … and every child is safe.

I grew up believing that eternal life happens at the end of our life here … and so much of the business of “getting saved,” is all about going to heaven when we die!

But the Bible has something else in mind … 

Eternal life begins here and now, in the moment that we see Jesus, truly see him as the Wisdom of God, the fountain of life, the hope of the world … when we stand in the Upper Room with Thomas … When we say, with heartfelt gratitude, as Thomas did, My LORD and my God!

Eternal life begins!

In that moment of recognition … acknowledgment … surrender, eternal life captures us, takes root in us, and we begin to live eternally.

We begin to the see the world through the eyes of Jesus … his judgments become our ability to discern falsehood from truth … death from life … light from darkness - that we might know the Father and have eternal life.

Whoever believes in me doesn’t believe in me but in the one who sent me.  Whoever sees me sees the one who sent me. I have come as a light into the world so that everyone who believes in me won’t live in darkness. 

If people hear my words and don’t keep them, I don’t judge them. I didn’t come to judge the world but to save it.  Whoever rejects me and doesn’t receive my words will be judged at the last day by the word I have spoken. I don’t speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me regarding what I should speak and say. I know that his commandment is eternal life. Therefore whatever I say is just as the Father has said to me. 

God’s commandment is eternal life … and what is that commandment?

In John’s Gospel, the very next moment, Jesus washes the feet of the disciples [John 13] … and when their feet have been washed, Jesus says: If I, your LORD and teacher, have washed your feet, you, too, must wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example: just as I have done, you also must do.

A few moments later, Judas leaves the table to betray Jesus, but listen to what Jesus says in the darkest of all moments, I give you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, so you also must love each other. This is how everyone will know that you are my disciples, when you love each other.

In the First Letter of John, it is written: Dear friends, let us love each other, because love is from God, and everyone who loves is born from God and knows God.

To love is to live … to live is to love!

Eternally!

Because love abides … love is greater than faith, greater than hope … there is nothing greater than love.

Here are some questions that may help us understand eternal life, as a way of life … here and now!

Have we learned to forgive?

Have we learned to be the first to seek reconciliation when a relationship goes wrong?

Have we learned to have a generous and grateful relationship with money and material possessions?

Have we learned to overcome our greed and live a life of simplicity?

Have we learned to love people who are different than we are, and maybe don’t even like us, and bless them and pray for them?

Have we learned to turn the other cheek, to love each other as Jesus loves us?

Have we learned to cross boundaries of race, class, culture, to be in relationship with others?

Jesus invites us to join him at the cross … at the bridge between heaven and earth … so that something of heaven can come our way … push back the darkness … restrain the deeds of evil … cleanse the earth and make it good.

Before we finish, I want to lift up two examples of eternal life … what it means to build up, to encourage, to bless, to help, to make things better … two examples of eternal life, basic and important:

I celebrate this morning Bob Hinkle - and his years of service for Little League.

And Al Richards - and his work with the Ramona Neighborhood Association.

I celebrate Bob and Al this morning.

And I celebrate Calvary on the Boulevard … all the good you do every day of the week … to make this a better world … to show the world eternal life.

That which endures.

That which abides.

The love of God in Christ Jesus our LORD!

The love we give to one another!

Eternal Life!

Amen and Amen!

November 21, 2010 - "Ultimate Gifts

Luke 23:33-43

It’s the end of the year.

The church year, that is.

Next week, we begin anew, with a new year in the life of the church … and we’ll start all over again … though no one ever steps into the same river twice.

We’re different today than we were a year ago.

Time moves on.

Things happen.

And we’ll discover a little bit more about Jesus Christ.

And what it means to live for him.

To abide in his word.

Grow in his grace.

The grace of our LORD Jesus Christ.

But today, we end a year.

We end at the lowest point.

Jesus dragged off to a place called the Skull, crucified between two thieves.

The lowest of the low.

Utterly rejected by the powers-that-be.

Betrayed by one of his own.

Denied by another.

Accused of crimes he never committed.

The verdict is handed down.

“Crucify him.”

Leaders scoff.

Soldiers mock.

One of thieves revile him.

And the people stand by, watching.

It doesn’t get any lower than this.

.

A place called the Skull.

A place where humanity fails.

Religion fails.

Government fails

Everything and everyone fails the Son of God, save one man.

The second thief.

The second thief defends Jesus.

Who would expect a dying man to rise to the occasion?

But who knows?     

Whoever this man was, he saw Jesus for something more than just another condemned man.

He asks to be remembered.

Remembered when Jesus comes into his kingdom.

And here they are, dying on their crosses.

Condemned and rejected.

Yet the second thief sees in Jesus a future.

A world that could be.

And asks to be remembered.

When we think about it, it’s astounding.

The other thief rails and rants.

Do something Jesus.

Get us outta here.

Save us.

Save yourself.

Be a hero.

Reminds me of the first set of temptations.

After Jesus was baptized.

When the Spirit takes Jesus into the wilderness.

To be tempted.

Tempted to take the easy way out.

Tempted to save his own skin.

Satan offers the world to Jesus, but Jesus says, I’ll do it God’s way, not yours.

It says that Satan left him, only to wait for an opportune time [Luke 4:13].

And here it was.

The opportune time.

As bad as gets.

A place called The Skull.

A hideous way to die.

But Jesus says, I’ll do it God’s way.

Into my Father’s hands, my life.

I’ll run the race to its end.

I’ll not drop out.

I’ll not turn around.

I will give my life to the world.

I will not call upon legions of angels to defend me.

I will not resort to the tactics of empire.

I don’t have to win.

I will let the world think I’m the biggest loser.

So that the world will find real victory.

The second thief understands.

Is this not a moment of grace?

The second thief sees through the cloud of his agony and pain … he sees a world as it might be, he sees something of God in Jesus.

To the second thief, Jesus says: Truly I tell you, today you will be me in Paradise.

Three years earlier, when Jesus preached in his hometown, things got ugly real fast, and they tried to kill him then and there.

And all along the way, a rising tide of hostility.

Not from the people whom Jesus healed and helped and held, but from the powers-that-be.

Every healing brought Jesus a little more hatred.

Every parable brought a little more rejection.

Until the final few days in Jerusalem.

When the powers-that-be would take no more from him.

They flexed their muscles and showed the world just how powerful they are.

A little shock and awe.

Yet in the moment of their victory, Jesus offers a remarkable prayer: Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.

If anyone heard this, I can only imagine the response.

We don’t know what we’re doing?

Are you kidding?

We know full well what we’re doing.

We’re putting away a troublemaker.

A disturber of the peace.

You overturned our tables, and now we’re overturning yours.

We don’t like your kind.

You broke too many rules.

You ruffled our feathers.

We know how to deal with folks like you.

We string ya’ up on a cross.

For all the world to see.

This is what happens to troublemakers.

Yes, we know full well what we’re doing.

But in reality, they didn’t know.

They didn’t know that all of this is playing into the hands of God, for a mighty purpose – the salvation of humankind.

In this bloody moment of defeat and degradation, God is at work.

So that folks like you and me would look at the cross, and see the glory of God.

Love divine, all loves excelling.

That we would kneel at the foot of the cross and leave all of our junk there.

Fountains of mercy flow from that cross.

Fountains of hope and peace.

They didn’t know what they were doing.

Working hand-in-hand with God, for the salvation of the world.

In Mel Gibson’s film, “The Passion of the Christ,” there’s a remarkable moment when Jesus dies.

Satan is there, at the place of the Skull, and falls to his knees and howls to the high heavens … Satan knows that in the moment of death, when the Son of God descends into the dark pit of hell, the Son of God brings light and healing.

Satan howls, because the last thing Satan wants is for Jesus to die like this:

A perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world.

Satan hoped that Jesus would beg and whine and cry and curse.

But Jesus offers forgiveness instead.

And to the second thief, Jesus offers Paradise.

No wonder Satan howls.

The pretense of hell is exposed.

There is nothing left in the repertoire of death.

Satan knows, the game is over.

It’s all over but the shouting.

A lot of moves left, but the handwriting is on the wall.

Satan has bet it all.

And lost.

Jesus gave his life.

And won it all.

We end the year with some simple reminders.

There is no greater power in the world then the powers of forgiveness and hope.

War and rumors of war abound.

Pestilence and famine.

And all the ills of humankind.

But don’t be fooled by what you see.

Don’t give in.

Don’t give up.

God is at work.

With forgiveness.

Forgiveness in the face of great crimes.

And to a man near death,

A man who didn’t ask to be saved.

But only to be remembered.

God bestows hope.

So here we are today.

20 centuries later.

Time marches on.

In some ways, we’re all of the characters who gather around or near the cross that day.

Are we not the thieves who have committed our share of crimes against God, and against one another?

Does not a part of our soul rant and rail at God as the one thief did?

Does not a part of our soul turn to God with humble faith?

Are we not the leaders, convinced of our own self-righteousness.

Do we not have our tables set up nicely, and who wants Jesus to come in turn a few of them over?

Are we not the soldiers, just doing our duty, going about our business, living our lives, never questioning what we’re doing?

Are we not the people standing by, watching?

We’re all of that and then some.

But we’re bathed in the forgiveness of God.

And we’re given hope, that even today, we might see something of Paradise.

A realm of goodness and decency.

Where life is fair and folks are treated with dignity.

Where peace has more than a chance.

Where religion is just.

And government works for the welfare of all.

We end our year at the lowest point.

The Son of God dies a hard death at a place called the Skull.

But in that dark moment, bright light.

In the worst of times, the best of times.

Hope dashed … hope born anew.

God at work.

LORD Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, when you come into your kingdom, remember us. Remember us, we pray.

Amen.

September 5, 2010, "Becoming You"

Luke 14:25-33

Jesus said to the disciples:

Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

Well, that’s right to the point, isn’t it?

What did Jesus mean?

Doesn’t the Bible tell us to honor our father and our mother?

Indeed, it does!

So what is Jesus getting at?

Jesus is preparing his disciples for the work of the kingdom.

Jesus knew that the times were perilous.

Rome was in charge, and the religious leaders of Jerusalem had god all figured out.

It was a dangerous time.

And Jesus well knew that in such times, hard decisions were required.

Like an expedition leader crossing over a high and dangerous mountain pass to bring relief supplies to a remote village.

The leader says to everyone helping, “If you want to go any further, you’ll have to leave your packs behind. From here on out, the path is steep and dangerous, and it’s too hard to carry all your stuff, so just leave it here, beside the trail. And we’re not likely to pass this way again, so you may not ever see it again. And if you have any postcards to send home, do it now at the next village, because some of us may not make it back home” [from Tom Wright’s commentary on Luke].

Let me offer a few ideas on this passage from Karl Barth, but, first, let me tell you a little bit about Barth himself.

Born in 1886 in a Swiss parsonage, Barth grew up to become one of the greatest theologians of the 20^th Century.

Barth was teaching theology in Bonn, Germany, 1932, when Hitler and his Brown Shirts marched into power.

Barth was an early critic of German nationalism sweeping across the nation … the juggernaut of propaganda weaving together god and country, religion an race … Germany first, Germany best of all, Germany uber alles … and God is on our side.

Millions of Christians signed on with Hitler.

They thought that Hitler’s morality was just the ticket to restore a failing nation.

Hitler opposed abortion.

Hitler opposed pornography.

Hitler despised gays.

And he didn’t like aliens.

A message that appealed to millions of Germans.

But it was a confused message.

God and country and faith and flag and morality, all wrapped up into a package that led Germany nation down a darkening way …

All that glitters isn’t gold.

Behind this strange message of god and country, a deeper, darker message of world-conquest and the systematic seizure of Jewish assets and the eventual elimination of the Jewish race.

Hitler’s “morality” was a screen for a darker purpose.

And it worked.

Barth called it for what it all was – false gods, holding a cup of wrath in their hands … a cup filled with hatred … hatred for gypsies, Jews, homosexuals, communists and all non-Aryans … a cup poured out upon Germany and the entire world.

Barth saw it coming!

And made his decision.

All university professors were ordered to begin their lectures with Heil Hitler … Barth refused.

All university professors were required to sign a loyalty oath of absolute allegiance to the Fuhrer … Barth refused.

As a result, Barth was removed from his teaching position and ordered to have no further public appearances.

Thankfully, Barth was able to return home to Switzerland and in Basle, resume teaching and writing.

Others had no such recourse.

Some of Barth’s friends paid with their lives for their allegiance to Jesus Christ … 

When Barth speaks about decision-making, we can pay attention.

Barth says of this passage:

The biblical word for hate is not “emotional aversion.”

It’s not hostility, contempt or repugnance.

It does not apply personally to a mother or a father, but to the ties they embody and represent.

The disciple must be free of all such ties … because the way ahead may be very difficult.

And profound decisions may be necessary.

Not that a disciple would ever neglect the biological or social obligations of family … not at all, but a readiness to set the heart upon God [Church Dogmatics, 3.4.262].

Barth says this decision might even be reached agreeably by the whole family …

I can only think of Barth and his family - the heart-wrenching discussions they had in threatening times of Nazi Germany … and many families like them, in desperate times, as they thought about Christ, and what it means to follow him.

Jesus tells us the truth about discipleship.

We wouldn’t want it any other way, would we?

And we shouldn’t tone it down.

Nor sugarcoat it.

Jesus wants us to be clear.

He’s not recruiting us for a committee …

We’ve all been asked to serve on a committee a time or two.

We know the drill.

We ask about the responsibilities, and we’re told: “Oh, it won’t be much at all … a monthly meeting … maybe some paperwork now and then … but don’t worry about it.”

So we sign on.

And then, “Surprise!”

The monthly meeting turns into three or four.

The paperwork turns into a mountain of correspondence.

When it comes to Jesus,

We’re not buying a pig in a poke.

Jesus is upfront and honest.

There may be times when push comes to shove …

When the chips are down …

No more wiggle room …

You have to decide …

You have to choose …

Jesus tells us the truth:

It may be a costly business, following me.

Sacrifice may be required.

So pay attention.

Think about it.

Don’t start out on this course until you’re ready to go the distance.

Count the cost of the tower you want to build before you lay the first stone.

The price of the fight you want to fight.

As Barth wrote about this passage, I can only imagine him thinking back to the fateful days of the Thirties … the decisions he made … the decisions others made, too … 

Decisions that separated loved ones and families.

Decisions of faith that ended in death for many.

Few of us will ever have to make such momentous decisions.

A friend of mine, an sporting-goods executive, was ordered by his boss to fire 300 employees of a company recently taken over. My friend refused … and resigned his job because of it. He talked with me about it – he was married, but no children. But a home, a career …

Sometimes the road with Christ gets difficult.

Most of our decisions for Christ are on a smaller scale.

But even small-scale decisions are difficult sometimes.

I think small decisions for Christ can be difficult, as well.

We’ve all made decisions for Christ.

And sometimes they’ve been costly!

What e’er the cost we might pay.

It is far less than the price Jesus paid.

However heavy our cross may be,

It is far lighter than the burdens Jesus carried.

To redeem our souls and set us free.

To become who we are best of all: daughters and sons of God.

For that is who we are, and that is who we are becoming!

Amen and Amen.

Costly - September 7, 2008

Exodus 12:1-14

Dreams are the energy of the future!

Bill Gates thought it possible to put a computer in every home … John Kennedy said we could reach for the moon … the Wright Brothers believed we could fly.
They all changed the world with their dreams.

Dreams are the energy of the future.
We’re all dreamers …
We dream of a hammock in the mountains … or the day we’re given the corner office.
We dream of romance and wealth.
We dream of winning the lottery, making it big, getting to the top of our mountain!

Every dream costs something … maybe just a few moments of downtime before the next appointment … or maybe the dream will be a life-time adventure.

Our new series - all about dreaming …
Dreaming of a better world …
Freedom and hope …
Everyone welcome … safe and sound …
Love abundant … shelter for all.

That’s the Exodus dream …
A big dream.
As large as heaven.
Large enough for the whole world … all things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small … for God so loved the world.
God’s dream.
Our dream.

To be God’s people!
To be the church of Jesus Christ … Covenant on the Corner, a Presbyterian Congregation rooted and grounded in Scripture and committed to worship & justice.
We dream the dreams of God.

We rest our chin on our hands and we dream away.
We read the newspapers with God’s heart.
We think with the Gospel.
We dream of the world put right.

Where swords are beaten into plowshares, and we study war no more.
A world where Zacchaeus is welcomed.
The leper embraced.
Children blessed with a chance for life.

Jesus invites us into the dream … “Come and follow me,” said He.
We’ll feed the hungry and clothe the naked.
Visit the lonely and care for the wounded.
We’ll not only give someone a fish, but we’ll teach them how to fish.
We’ll speak truth to power.
Bring light to darkness.
Salt the earth with the love of God.
Bear our cross and carry the name of Jesus.
There’s much to do … and some of it is very dangerous.
Sin is real.
Golden calves all over the place.
Darkness is plentiful.

A young couple preparing for their wedding met with the pastor … they said, “We’d like you to leave out the for poorer, sickness and death parts – they’re a little dark” [Christian Century, Sept. 9, 2008 – from the New Yorker Collection].

Well, things are little dark … and sometimes very dark.

Who can ignore the sounds of war … the cry of a child alone and frightened … a despairing mother who can only watch her child succumb to a fever … a man out of work … a child forced into prostitution … human trafficking … the haves afraid of the have-nots; the have-nots angry at the haves … economic systems, political systems, out of whack.

God’s people never shy away from harsh realities.
We don’t have all the answers … so we ask the questions: What’s right? What’s just? What’s decent and kind?

So let’s get to work.
Let’s dream God’s dream!

Jesus began His work with a dream:

When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

The poet Langston Hughes wrote [“Dreams”]:

Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.
Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.

Jesus held on to the dream … when the disciples missed the point again and again.
Jesus held on to the dream when He stood in Pilate’s courtroom … while the crowds clamored for his death.
Jesus held on to the dream when they beat Him within an inch of His life and marched Him off to Calvary.
Jesus held on to the dream when they nailed him to the cross.
Jesus held on to the dream until it was finished.

To sign on with God is to dream big.

And the bigger the dream, the greater the cost.

Everyone in this room knows costly dreams.

A young gymnast dreams of Olympic Gold … gets up at 3:30 in the morning five days a week to train before school … sprained muscles, countless failures, … and then trying again, until she starts to get it right, and then train some more, because getting it right isn’t good enough … something more is needed to get the gold. Costly!

A family dreams of having a child … biology throws up a stop sign … so they embark upon a long and difficult journey seeking the help of science … costly!

Or they travel across the oceans to adopt a child … costly!

A young man dreams of setting the world right and joins the Peace Corp … costly!
A young lady dreams of defending the rights of inner city mothers … college and law school; bar exams; more debt than you can shake a stick at … grueling hours on the street … late-night hours of preparation. Costly!
A young writer wants to write the novel of all novels or the script that’ll set Hollywood on its heels. How many rejection notices? How many unanswered emails? Sitting in front of a computer; hours of research – honing the words and fine-turning the story. Costly!

Even the Mamas and the Papas had their “California Dreaming” …

all the leaves are brown
and the sky is grey
I've been for a walk
on a winter's day

I'd be safe and warm
if I was in L.A
California Dreamin'
on such a winter's day

From the moment Adam and Eve plucked the fruit and turned the world upside down, God has been dreaming of a world put right-side up.

But putting things right is very hard.
Ever try putting toothpaste back into the tube?
Or putting together a plate smashed on the floor?
Putting the world back together again is no small task.

In one of the most poignant moments in the Bible, God declares,

What shall I do with you, O Ephraim?
What shall I do with you, O Judah?
Your love is like a morning cloud,
like the dew that goes away early (Hosea 6:4).

What should God do with the world? … with you, with me?

Like a frustrated parent, God got angry one day, a wait-until-your-dad-gets-home kind of anger …
I’ll flood the world.
I’ll wash ya’ right outta my hair.
I’ll be done with ya’, once and for all.
Let it rain, let it rain, let it rain.

I’ll save Noah.
I can do something with that man.
So build me an ark.
Take up the animals, two by two.
You can start a new world for me Noah.

When the rains finally stop and the waters dry up,
Out comes Noah and the animals.
Fresh start … new day.

Noah plants a vineyard.
Why not?
Pick the grapes … make some wine … get flat-out drunk.
Makes a fool of himself.
Ham laughs.
Shem and Japheth see it differently.

Family divided …
Tower of Babel …
Hatred … war … pride … death.
The flood failed!

What’s God to do?

God dreams a little bit more …
God pays Abraham and Sarah a visit … psst, can I have a few moments of your time?

New family … new nation … for the sake of the world.
Big dream.

But dreams rarely have a smooth trip …
The bigger the dream, the more obstacles to climb …
Dreams bump into dreams …

God’s dream … Pharaoh’s dream.

And if you’d asked anyone at the time, “Who’s got the best dream?”
How do ya’ think they would’ve answered?

Of course, Pharaoh’s dream is the right one.
Look at the power, look at the glory.
Look at the big buildings – the pomp and circumstance …
Success on every hand.
Of course, Pharaoh has it right … not the rabble in the streets, not the Hebrew fieldhands, nor their traitorous leader, Moses.

Dreams bump into dreams …
Barak Obama has a dream and so John McCain …
Sarah Palin has a dream and so does Joe Biden …
Wall Street has a dream and so does the John Muir Society…
D. James Kennedy had a dream, and so did William Sloane Coffin.

Ante-bellum Christians in the South had a dream and so did Abraham Lincoln …
General Custer had a dream and so did Sitting Bull …
Ghandi had a dream and so did the British Empire …
Hitler had a dream and so did FDR …

Dreams bump into dreams sometimes.

God’s dream bumped headfirst into Pharaoh’s dream …
“No way” said Pharaoh … “over my dead body.”

Nine plagues to set the stage …frogs and flies … hail and locusts … just to name a few …

But nothing moved the heart of Pharaoh … because God hardened the heart of Pharaoh … God took a hard heart and made it harder … flint hard, steel hard, as hard as hard could be.

And then the final plague … the death of every first born in the land … and Pharaoh relented – “Get outta here,” said Pharaoh, “and be quick about it.”

And what did God do?
God led the people to the edge of the sea … and hardened Pharaoh’s heart even harder … Pharaoh had second thoughts; buyer’s remorse … called up the army and the chariots, and off they went to take the Hebrew people back to Egypt.

Pharaoh in pursuit … the sea in front … all seems lost … but you know the rest of the story …

Why the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart?

So the Hebrew people would know for sure that God set them free, not Pharaoh …
I am the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, you shall have no other gods before me.

If there had been any doubt about it, the Hebrew people would be telling their children about Pharaoh’s kindness.
Pharaoh saw the error of his ways and granted freedom to us.
Statues of Pharaoh erected in the town square … troubadours singing songs about Pharaoh’s goodness … children sent to expensive schools in Egypt.

The dream would have been lost.

Dreams are lost in the chaos of history.
Folks give up a hundred feet shy of the summit.
It’s tough to keep going against the odds … tough for you, tough for me … and tough for God, too.
There’s always an easy road.
Easy answer.
Easy way out.

How easily the dream could have been gobbled up by Egypt.

Egypt was no slacker.
Remember Pharaoh’s earlier edict? – kill all the male Hebrew babies to control their population.
Egypt was a land of armies linked with religion, and religion linked with power.
Egypt was a formidable enemy.
It wouldn’t have taken much to quench the fires of freedom.
To sink the dream.
Lose the goal.

God had to do some terrible things …

No pleasure in God’s heart on Passover night.
No pleasure when the angel of death marched through the land of Egypt, passing over the homes with the blood of a lamb smeared on the doorframe.

Throughout the land, a cry went up … the firstborn in every household … in every barn … everywhere … from palace to dungeon, from frogs to dogs … the firstborn was dead.

Out of such horror, the Hebrew people are on their way … the dream survives for a few more generations … and grows as it goes … often in danger of being lost; saved again and again by God … and men and women of faith who stand by the covenant, remember the dream, keep it alive – put their lives on the line for it; defend and promote it …

And then something happened in God’s heart … a little more dreaming … on a cold wintry night in a tiny little town called Bethlehem …

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given [Isaiah 9:6].

And thirty-three years later, God’s firstborn Son dies … Behold, the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world.

On Calvary’s Cross … it is finished, says Jesus … the dream turns a final page …

No more lambs to be slaughtered.
No more land to be defended.
No more temple to be protected.
No more distinctions … in Christ, a new world, a new family, a new day.

The boundaries pushed to the widest horizon.
Salvation.
Redemption and Life.

What’s your dream today?
Every dream is costly.
The bigger the dream, the greater the cost.

Stay with it.
Believe it.
Trust it.
And keep on going.

Because God knows all about big dreams, and God will stand with you.

Amen and Amen!