John 4:1-42
The woman at the well.
And a stranger there … thirsty and tired.
“May I have a drink of water?”
He’s a Jew and a rabbi – she can hear it in His accent, and see it in his clothing.
She’s a Samaritan.
He’s a man; she’s a woman!
There ought not to be any conversation whatsoever –
Social walls are high –
Religious barriers firm –
Never the twain shall meet.
It’s hot; it’s high-noon, the sun is blazing - she comes to the well alone … she’s too embarrassed to come in the cool of the morning when all the other women are there … she’s tired of the not-so-silent whispers; angry glances and huffy snorts.
She’s tired of everyone’s judgment, so she goes to the well alone … in the heat of the day.
What is Jesus doing there?
The text says that Jesus left Judea because of a mounting threat … word was out; folks were responding; a popularity greater than John’s.
The powerbrokers grow uneasy.
Jesus retreats to Galilee.
“But He had to go through Samaria” says the text.
No He didn’t.
He didn’t have to go through Samaria.
There are alternative routes.
He doesn’t have to go that way, or does He?
Does He know of the woman?
Does He see her in His mind’s eye?
Like he sees Nathaniel,
Sitting under the fig tree,
Before He and Nathaniel ever met?
Does He already know her heart like He knew the heart of Nicodemus?
That’s why Jesus HAD to go through Samaria … there was a lonely woman there in need of grace.
The Great God Almighty knows us through and through, from having watched our bones take shape in the quiet darkness of our mother’s womb … He knows every word before our tongue does … our days are listed and determined even before the first of them occur.
These are strange things … and the Psalmist cries out: “God, how hard it is to grasp these thoughts. How impossible to count them” (Psalm 139:16-18, Jerusalem Bible).
We want to be the measure of our own lives … there is something in us that resists a God who knows us through and through, a God who sees us before we see ourselves, who knows the contours of our soul better than we ever will.
How hard it is to grasp these thoughts!
Jesus sees the woman at the well long before He arrives there.
In the heat of the day … alone … ashamed … confused and frightened … desperate and trapped … no way out, no hope, no peace …
That’s why He had to go … just for her!
It says He was tired.
I like that … the Son of God, tired … tired for the journey.
It’s a lot of work being God;
It’s a lot of work to love this old world, to love us back to life … to find us where we are, because it’s not likely we’ll find God where God is … it’s God who makes the long journey … it’s God who does the heavy lifting …
God’s eye is on the sparrow, and that takes a lot of work … He’s counted the hairs on our head, and that takes a lot of energy (Matthew 10:29-30).
It’s a lot of work being God!
I wouldn’t want the job!
Jesus was alone at the well … the disciples had gone off to buy food – so typical of them.
While the disciples are off and doing, Jesus waits … some things are just between you and God … no one else; just you and God at our well …
We all have a well, don’t we … where we go alone … private memories; silent sorrows … and God is there, waiting for us!
As it comes about, Jesus uncovers her story … she has one version, but Jesus knows the rest … it’s been a hard life for her.
“You’re right,” she says … “I see that you’re a prophet.”
She stands her ground with Him … she doesn’t bolt and run; she doesn’t offer up excuses … she stands her ground.
Does she sense something good in this rabbi?
Something unusual?
Something gentle?
Something reassuring?
She stands her ground …
The disciples return and are surprised to find him talking to a woman … but no one asks “Why?”
They know better by now.
They know how easily Jesus brushes aside convention and tradition … how easily he turns accepted practice on its head … they were beginning to learn that love has no boundaries, and mercy has no rules!
The woman leaves her water jar down … I like that … her first purpose, to draw water, is no longer her first purpose … her first purpose now would only slow her down, weigh her down … it’s time for a new purpose.
She returns to the town that scorns her … to the people who disdain her …
She might have kept it all to herself … she might have picked up the water jar and said, “Thank you” and been on her way, but she sets aside her first purpose; she leaves the water jar – she returns to town with a different water … a water carried not in jars, but carried in her heart … the water of life; the living water called Christ!
The disciples fuss about food … “Here, eat something” they say to Jesus, but He brushes aside their concern.
“I have food you don’t know about – my food is to do the will of Him who sent me to complete His work.”
And then Jesus turns the conversation to the world around them … He always does that to us, you know … we’re fussing about the potluck, and He’s talking about the hungry multitudes … starving for hope and faith … fields ripe for harvest … “Look around you” says Jesus.
But I’d rather not look around me … I’d rather fuss about the potluck, wouldn’t you?
I’d rather devote my time to lesser things … like carpet color and where the chairs are … and who’s bringing the cookies.
Their conversation is interrupted by a large group of townsfolk … because of the woman’s testimony – she spoke up to the folks who wouldn’t take the time of day for her.
When she connected to Jesus, it all changed for her … she went back to that town, no longer ashamed.
Her head wasn’t hanging low this time … no sirree, Bob; not this time – she returned with head held high … and she told them everything.
Her testimony caught them, and they paid attention … this woman who said nothing to anyone for a long time now spoke of a prophet.
And folks believed.
They came to Jesus, and believed all the more when they heard Him!
What we have here is a classic story of God’s interface with human testimony … our words, vital to the work of God.
“Faith comes by hearing” writes Paul the Apostle … words open the door of the heart.
Peter writes to the church: “Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands of you an accounting for the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15).
The woman at the well found hope … for the first time in along time; maybe the first time ever, she knew hope … the power of hope to overcome her sad life and find life anew … hope that there was a place for her in the Kingdom of God … hope that sins were really forgiven … hope that she could start all over again … hope that her muddled life wasn’t the last word … hope for tomorrow; hope for something more, something better, something brighter …
Christ ignited hope in her life … she returned to town with a story to tell … and folks believed because of her testimony!
The power of our witness … a few well-chosen words … to give an account of the hope that is in us …
The woman didn’t hit the road to Timbuktu … she didn’t cross seven seas to far away lands … she just went back to town.
We don’t have to go far to find folks who are eager to hear about Christ …
Folks are hungry for the gospel right here in Westchester, down the street and around the corner.
Folks are weary to the bone!
Folks are tired of all the blather, all the false hopes, the counterfeit gospels … the promises that never deliver … the self-help books that never make a difference … the gurus and therapists who offer advice by the ton, take your money, and turn you loose with just another burden to get your act together, a few more laws to obey, and a few more books to read.
People are tired.
I can’t think of a better time for the gospel … the fields are ripe for harvesting … God has done a great work … the Spirit is on the move … hearts are eager to hear about Christ.
Faith comes by hearing!
The woman at the well was startled by words … Jesus penetrated her heart with words.
With words, Jesus revealed the truth … with words, Jesus awakened her spirit to hope … with words, Jesus showed her the Kingdom of God; with words, Jesus pointed her in a new direction; with words, Jesus gave her an unexpected confidence.
With words …
With words, she returned to town … she left the jar behind, and carried words instead.
Faith comes by hearing!
We’ve all been accosted by “born again” types asking if we’re saved.
We’ve all had our doors knocked on; we’ve all had tracts stuffed in our hands.
The sawdust trail and the revival tent are not our cup of tea …
But we’re far too silent … the Evil One has sealed our lips … we’ve been taught a pernicious doctrine - that deeds speak louder than words.
No they don’t.
Deeds don’t speak at all … deeds are mute … a picture isn’t worth a thousand words … actions don’t speak louder than words.
Deeds are important; faith without works is dead, but works without words are meaningless … “faith comes by hearing, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17).
If some folks need to shut up … some folks need to speak up.
It’s time for quiet Presbyterians to speak up … to speak the word of Christ … because we have hope, don’t we?
We have salvation, do we not?
We have peace with God, do we not?
We have forgiveness, isn’t it so?
We have Christ within us … Christ we serve … Christ in the morning and Christ at night … Christ in our sorrows and Christ in our joys … Christ at the start of the journey, and Christ at the end of the road.
He’s the Alpha and the Omega.
The beginning and the end.
He is our all in all.
And it all came to us by words, didn’t it?
Preachers who preached.
Teachers who taught.
Books we read.
Parents who opened the Bible for us.
Hymns we sang and prayers recited.
Words …
In the beginning, words.
God said and it was.
Words brought creation into being.
In Samaria that day, it all began when Jesus said, “Give me a drink,” and talked to a woman everyone else shunned!
Pay attention to the world around you … the fields are ripe for harvest … consider the hope you have within you … the Christ of your heart … be ready to say something:
As simple as:
I’m praying for you.
Wanna come to church with me this week? I’ll pick you up at 10:00.
Wanna read a book with me? John Ortberg’s books are a great read for people together.
And one day, you might find yourself being able to say the name of Jesus … stumbling and not too sure, but simply saying, “Jesus is my LORD and my Savior. May I tell you about Him?”
It’s a good thing to do.
It’s a Christian thing to do.
It’s certainly a Presbyterian thing to do.
They believed because of her testimony!
Amen!
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Second Chance - February 17, 2008
Who doesn’t need a second chance?
Life is a journey …
A series of twists and turns …
A little of this and a little of that …
Going somewhere … and going nowhere at all.
Light and dark;
Hot and cold;
Fast and slow;
Moving and stopping …
Seeking and finding;
Wondering and wandering;
Asking and receiving;
Knock and the door opens …
And sometimes the doors close, right in our face …
The unexpected setback, the slowdown, the downturn, the upset and the setup …
Barry Bonds doesn’t hit a homerun at every bat …
Tiger Woods doesn’t make par every game …
Even the best bowlers throw a gutter ball now and then.
Who doesn’t need a second chance?
That’s what Jesus offers to Nicodemus … a second chance … a chance to start all over again … because Nicodemus was on a road leading to nowhere!
“What do you mean Jesus? What’s all this about?”
“I’m a member of the ruling class … I’m one of the teachers of Israel … I’m an important man … I say ‘jump,’ and folks say, ‘How high?’”
But why was Nicodemus paying a late-night visit to Jesus?
Under cover of darkness …
Nic at Night, if you will …
Not wanting his colleagues to know …
He addresses Jesus with respect … and says, “We know that you are a teacher who has come from God, because of the signs you do.”
“Houston, we have a problem!”
If you have your Bible open, just at the end of chapter 2, it says, “Many believed because they saw the signs.”
But Jesus didn’t trust them … “because he knew them” … fair weather faith, unpredictable and self-serving.
So here’s Nic at night - “We know,” he says.
What do they know?
We’ll soon find out, they know nothing!
Jesus doesn’t waste time … no invitation to have coffee next week and talk about it.
No “thank you” for the compliment …
Because Jesus knew that Nic at night was a spiritual mess in spite of his outward success … inside of Nic, it was “Nic at night” … Nic lived in a land of shadows and shades.
Who is Nicodemus?
He’s a leader, a man of influence and position … a teacher of Israel … to all outward appearances, he’s powerful and successful … but Jesus sees the empty heart.
Nic is searching … I doubt if Nic could have put his finger on it, but Nic knows something is missing … that much can be said for him, and that’s where Jesus goes.
Jesus doesn’t waste time with Nic … “You must be born again.”
Now that’s a phrase that’s been lifted out of context and turned into an evangelical war cry … “You must be born again.”
The “you” is plural – Marj from Texas might say, “Y’all” – “Y’all must be born again” referring to Nic and to all of Nic’s cohorts – the ruling elite of Jerusalem, the powerbrokers, the royalty and the hangers-on, on a collision course with Rome, heading for disaster “Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem, if only you had known.”
You’ve been on the wrong path Nic, and a mid-course correction won’t do … something a little more radical is needed … a fresh beginning, a second chance.
“But how can I do it?” asks Nic.
“Is it possible for a man to go back to his mother’s womb and start all over again?”
Jesus pushes hard: “You’re a teacher of Israel and you don’t understand spiritual rebirth? What’s up with you Nic. You ought to know this, but you don’t.”
Why is Jesus so tough on Nic?
Because Nic is a man who has spent a lifetime hiding from God, and hiding in one of the best places – hiding in religion!
Everyone who’s been religious for a long time needs to pay careful attention to this provocative story … the story of a religious man, well-respected and powerful … but Jesus sees the heart … Jesus sees a room without furniture, an empty spirit, a soul without a clue.
Religion is a good place to hide from God.
Have you ever thought about that?
Religion, a good place to hide from God.
Form without substance …
Creed without conviction …
The sounds of faith without the surrender of faith …
It easy for religious folk to fall into the trap that engulfed Nicodemus … it was a long time since his heart felt the love of God.
A long time without joy …
Years without delight …
A dutiful man without devotion.
A religious man without a relationship to God!
“Nic, you’ve got to be born again.”
The Holy Spirit will help you Nic.
There’s no telling when, and no telling where, but the Holy Spirit will help you on a second chance.
The story ends abruptly … what happens to Nic?
Nic appears twice more in the story.
Chapter 7: Nic counsels caution when the ruling elite begin to formulate plans to arrest Jesus and put a stop to His preaching.
Chapter 19: after Jesus is crucified, Nic goes to Pilate with Joseph of Arimathea to claim the body and give it proper burial.
Does Nic connect all the dots?
Does he become a believer?
A follower of Jesus?
This we know for sure … God is the God of the Second Chance … the third, the fourth, the fifth … and as many as it takes. God never gives up on us.
God is a God of patience and unconditional love …
God seeks the lost and finds them …
God touches the eyes of the blind and they see.
Nic at night is on his way …
Robert Frost’s poem, “Stopping by a Woods on a Snowy Evening:”
Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
It’s a long journey … what counts is that we don’t hide from God … we let God correct us, guide us, confront us and change us.
I think it’s tough for religious folk … we get into the habit, we turn it into routine, we go through the motions, we know the hymns, we say the creed backwards and forwards … we’ve been a church member our whole life … a Presbyterian forever; we’re on the cradle roll; we’re elders and deacons, Sunday school teachers and choir members … we’ve been there and done that ten thousand times.
All of us need to be born again! And again and again!
One of the saddest moments in the Bible … the Book of Revelation … Jesus addresses the seven churches, reviews their character, lifts up their victories and illumines their issues.
Of the church at Ephesus, Jesus sings their praise, and then says, “But this one thing I have against you. You’ve forgotten your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen. Repent, and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place” (2:1-7).
Faith no longer fresh and clean …
Like dried flowers … the color, the form, but no fragrance; brittle to the touch.
The other day, at Togos – under wraps a four-foot deli sandwich – I sat right next to it – bread, lettuce, luncheon meat, tomatoes and sweet peppers – it looked real, but hard as a rock; just a plastic mockup.
Every believer has to fight this battle from time-to-time.
God isn’t interested in our religion; God wants to have a relationship with us.
It’s not duty that counts, but devotion.
I kissed Donna the other morning and said, “Well, I did my duty.”
Two hours later I woke up with a knot on my head and a black eye.
The enemy of a living faith - religion … religion, cold and calculating … religion, dry and barren … we go through the motions, but the soul no longer sings; the name of Jesus no longer intrigues us; amazing grace is no longer a sweet sound to us.
But God gives a second chance!
I’ve needed that second chance a number of times.
Three times in my life I walked right out of the faith.
Questions overwhelmed my mind and my soul no longer believed.
Three times I entered the desert … I was still a pastor, still prayed and preached - I doubt if anyone could really see the wasteland of my soul.
Religion is a great cover.
Being a preacher one of the best covers …
I’ve know preachers who’ve gone through the motions for years without the love and grace of Christ … it’s a terrible place to be, and a terrible price is paid.
God gave me second chance, a third and fourth chance … lots of chances.
My specific recovery was simple: I closed my theology books and opened my Bible.
Without commentaries; without thought …
Just read it!
I needed to born again!
The simple things of faith, hope and love:
God is real.
God’s unconditional love gets us through those terrible times.
Grace is always amazing and always there …
Take our time; trust God … through the wilderness!
The Second Chance!
There are questions here for all of us – especially for those who’ve been Christians for a long time.
Have we turned this into routine?
Do we know the drill so well that we can throw our mind into neutral?
Are all the answers pat?
The fires of faith banked and burning low?
What’s the state of our faith today?
Now’s a good time to come to Jesus … nighttime, daytime, when we’re on top of our game, or slugging it out in the trenches …
Jesus will not waste our time … He’ll cut to the chase and get to the point …
Start over … that’s always possible … no matter what, no matter who, no matter where … the journey can always start anew … because God is God of the Second Chance.
Amen!
Life is a journey …
A series of twists and turns …
A little of this and a little of that …
Going somewhere … and going nowhere at all.
Light and dark;
Hot and cold;
Fast and slow;
Moving and stopping …
Seeking and finding;
Wondering and wandering;
Asking and receiving;
Knock and the door opens …
And sometimes the doors close, right in our face …
The unexpected setback, the slowdown, the downturn, the upset and the setup …
Barry Bonds doesn’t hit a homerun at every bat …
Tiger Woods doesn’t make par every game …
Even the best bowlers throw a gutter ball now and then.
Who doesn’t need a second chance?
That’s what Jesus offers to Nicodemus … a second chance … a chance to start all over again … because Nicodemus was on a road leading to nowhere!
“What do you mean Jesus? What’s all this about?”
“I’m a member of the ruling class … I’m one of the teachers of Israel … I’m an important man … I say ‘jump,’ and folks say, ‘How high?’”
But why was Nicodemus paying a late-night visit to Jesus?
Under cover of darkness …
Nic at Night, if you will …
Not wanting his colleagues to know …
He addresses Jesus with respect … and says, “We know that you are a teacher who has come from God, because of the signs you do.”
“Houston, we have a problem!”
If you have your Bible open, just at the end of chapter 2, it says, “Many believed because they saw the signs.”
But Jesus didn’t trust them … “because he knew them” … fair weather faith, unpredictable and self-serving.
So here’s Nic at night - “We know,” he says.
What do they know?
We’ll soon find out, they know nothing!
Jesus doesn’t waste time … no invitation to have coffee next week and talk about it.
No “thank you” for the compliment …
Because Jesus knew that Nic at night was a spiritual mess in spite of his outward success … inside of Nic, it was “Nic at night” … Nic lived in a land of shadows and shades.
Who is Nicodemus?
He’s a leader, a man of influence and position … a teacher of Israel … to all outward appearances, he’s powerful and successful … but Jesus sees the empty heart.
Nic is searching … I doubt if Nic could have put his finger on it, but Nic knows something is missing … that much can be said for him, and that’s where Jesus goes.
Jesus doesn’t waste time with Nic … “You must be born again.”
Now that’s a phrase that’s been lifted out of context and turned into an evangelical war cry … “You must be born again.”
The “you” is plural – Marj from Texas might say, “Y’all” – “Y’all must be born again” referring to Nic and to all of Nic’s cohorts – the ruling elite of Jerusalem, the powerbrokers, the royalty and the hangers-on, on a collision course with Rome, heading for disaster “Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem, if only you had known.”
You’ve been on the wrong path Nic, and a mid-course correction won’t do … something a little more radical is needed … a fresh beginning, a second chance.
“But how can I do it?” asks Nic.
“Is it possible for a man to go back to his mother’s womb and start all over again?”
Jesus pushes hard: “You’re a teacher of Israel and you don’t understand spiritual rebirth? What’s up with you Nic. You ought to know this, but you don’t.”
Why is Jesus so tough on Nic?
Because Nic is a man who has spent a lifetime hiding from God, and hiding in one of the best places – hiding in religion!
Everyone who’s been religious for a long time needs to pay careful attention to this provocative story … the story of a religious man, well-respected and powerful … but Jesus sees the heart … Jesus sees a room without furniture, an empty spirit, a soul without a clue.
Religion is a good place to hide from God.
Have you ever thought about that?
Religion, a good place to hide from God.
Form without substance …
Creed without conviction …
The sounds of faith without the surrender of faith …
It easy for religious folk to fall into the trap that engulfed Nicodemus … it was a long time since his heart felt the love of God.
A long time without joy …
Years without delight …
A dutiful man without devotion.
A religious man without a relationship to God!
“Nic, you’ve got to be born again.”
The Holy Spirit will help you Nic.
There’s no telling when, and no telling where, but the Holy Spirit will help you on a second chance.
The story ends abruptly … what happens to Nic?
Nic appears twice more in the story.
Chapter 7: Nic counsels caution when the ruling elite begin to formulate plans to arrest Jesus and put a stop to His preaching.
Chapter 19: after Jesus is crucified, Nic goes to Pilate with Joseph of Arimathea to claim the body and give it proper burial.
Does Nic connect all the dots?
Does he become a believer?
A follower of Jesus?
This we know for sure … God is the God of the Second Chance … the third, the fourth, the fifth … and as many as it takes. God never gives up on us.
God is a God of patience and unconditional love …
God seeks the lost and finds them …
God touches the eyes of the blind and they see.
Nic at night is on his way …
Robert Frost’s poem, “Stopping by a Woods on a Snowy Evening:”
Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
It’s a long journey … what counts is that we don’t hide from God … we let God correct us, guide us, confront us and change us.
I think it’s tough for religious folk … we get into the habit, we turn it into routine, we go through the motions, we know the hymns, we say the creed backwards and forwards … we’ve been a church member our whole life … a Presbyterian forever; we’re on the cradle roll; we’re elders and deacons, Sunday school teachers and choir members … we’ve been there and done that ten thousand times.
All of us need to be born again! And again and again!
One of the saddest moments in the Bible … the Book of Revelation … Jesus addresses the seven churches, reviews their character, lifts up their victories and illumines their issues.
Of the church at Ephesus, Jesus sings their praise, and then says, “But this one thing I have against you. You’ve forgotten your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen. Repent, and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place” (2:1-7).
Faith no longer fresh and clean …
Like dried flowers … the color, the form, but no fragrance; brittle to the touch.
The other day, at Togos – under wraps a four-foot deli sandwich – I sat right next to it – bread, lettuce, luncheon meat, tomatoes and sweet peppers – it looked real, but hard as a rock; just a plastic mockup.
Every believer has to fight this battle from time-to-time.
God isn’t interested in our religion; God wants to have a relationship with us.
It’s not duty that counts, but devotion.
I kissed Donna the other morning and said, “Well, I did my duty.”
Two hours later I woke up with a knot on my head and a black eye.
The enemy of a living faith - religion … religion, cold and calculating … religion, dry and barren … we go through the motions, but the soul no longer sings; the name of Jesus no longer intrigues us; amazing grace is no longer a sweet sound to us.
But God gives a second chance!
I’ve needed that second chance a number of times.
Three times in my life I walked right out of the faith.
Questions overwhelmed my mind and my soul no longer believed.
Three times I entered the desert … I was still a pastor, still prayed and preached - I doubt if anyone could really see the wasteland of my soul.
Religion is a great cover.
Being a preacher one of the best covers …
I’ve know preachers who’ve gone through the motions for years without the love and grace of Christ … it’s a terrible place to be, and a terrible price is paid.
God gave me second chance, a third and fourth chance … lots of chances.
My specific recovery was simple: I closed my theology books and opened my Bible.
Without commentaries; without thought …
Just read it!
I needed to born again!
The simple things of faith, hope and love:
God is real.
God’s unconditional love gets us through those terrible times.
Grace is always amazing and always there …
Take our time; trust God … through the wilderness!
The Second Chance!
There are questions here for all of us – especially for those who’ve been Christians for a long time.
Have we turned this into routine?
Do we know the drill so well that we can throw our mind into neutral?
Are all the answers pat?
The fires of faith banked and burning low?
What’s the state of our faith today?
Now’s a good time to come to Jesus … nighttime, daytime, when we’re on top of our game, or slugging it out in the trenches …
Jesus will not waste our time … He’ll cut to the chase and get to the point …
Start over … that’s always possible … no matter what, no matter who, no matter where … the journey can always start anew … because God is God of the Second Chance.
Amen!
Monday, February 11, 2008
Evolution - February 10, 2008
Genesis 1:1-8, 26-28; John 1:1-9; Hebrews 11:1-7
Ever since Darwin suggested that life evolves upward from simpler forms, faith and science have butted heads … and a lot of folks have made monkeys out of themselves.
That’s too bad.
It’s an unnecessary conflict!
There is but one world, and one God, and one truth …
Truth in different forms … like colored lights on a Christmas Tree, or flowers in a garden … or like hands and feet, eyes and noses – a million varieties – but the green light isn’t better than the red; the tulip isn’t inferior to the rose … and the hand cannot say to the foot, “I have no need of you.”
Scientific truth … observation and experiment, verification and repeatability … I can prove to you that hot water burns the hand.
Stick your hand beneath a spigot of hot water and we’ll find out that hot water burns the hand … we can verify it; we can repeat the experiment.
But lots of things can’t be proved in a scientific way.
Can I prove to you that my father lived?
I could show you pictures, birth certificate, social security documents, and you could dismiss it all as an elaborate fabrication, or some kind of mistake.
Can I prove that Aristotle lived, or Plato?
There’s no verifiability for history … no repeating the lives of anyone …
History doesn’t yield to scientific examination.
Nor can I prove to you that I love my children …
Or they love me.
I know they love me, and I know that they know I love them, too.
And I know that whatever it is I feel for them, it’s love, deep and abiding love!
Yet such things are beyond the range of scientific tests … brain scans and other physiological measurements might scientifically indicate increased activity in the pleasure centers of the brain when I’m with my children – but what is love, and how can I prove it?
Nor can I prove to you that this world was created by a loving God. I confess and believe in a Creator, the God and Father of our LORD Jesus Christ, but I can’t prove the Creator’s existence; neither can I prove the hand of God in every ocean wave nor the love of God in a sunrise over the mountains!
Nor can anyone prove otherwise.
“Proof” for or against God doesn’t exist in the realm of scientific verifiability!
In recent years, however, some Christians have sought to establish a scientific basis for creation … called intelligent design or creationism.
Big money has been dumped into this project …
A multi-million dollar creation museum in Petersburg, Ky..
A lot of effort to establish a “creation science” that supports a literal reading of Genesis 1 & 2.
Law suits challenging text books.
Creationism folks elected to local school boards, forcing schools to teach creationism along side of evolution.
This is way beyond the boundary of faith … making faith say something that faith never intended to say … to force Genesis into a literal reading never intended by the poets who wrote it.
But if some Christians are way over the top, some scientists have gone over the top, as well.
Some have made a case against God …
Some say: “The universe has no meaning beyond itself. Human beings are a protoplasmic accident. That we’re here at all means nothing, and though we choose to love or hate, our choices mean nothing in any ultimate or moral sense.”
When scientists says such things, they’re no longer scientists … they’re human beings expressing a point of view – they’re making faith-statements.
To believe there is no God is not a fact of science, but a faith-statement of the heart.
A faith statement no different than my faith statement: I believe in God … God the Father Almighty creator of the heavens and the earth …
That’s a faith-statement.
If someone says: “I don’t believe in god,” that’s a faith-statement, too!
No one can prove their faith!
No one can prove there is a god, nor can anyone prove there isn’t!
Faith and science have natural boundaries beyond which they cannot pass … faith isn’t science, and science isn’t faith!
So, an impasse, if you will …
But such an impasse needn’t lead to conflict.
Let it be a delightful impasse …
Like two dance partners … each different, each with their own intelligence and passion … like waltz partners … the quick-changing lead of the waltz, “he goes, she goes” …
Science and faith … faith and science … mind and heart; heart and mind … “He goes; she goes.”
This weekend is Evolution Weekend …
Scientists and people of faith …
More than 750 congregations around the world celebrating the cooperation of science and faith …
Celebrating the waltz – two clever, determined, dance partners, dancing together … “he goes; she goes.”
And the dance is beautiful!
If I want to know how the universe came into being, I’ll read a science textbook.
If I want to know why I’m alive, what I should do when I get up in the morning, I’ll read the Bible.
Science tells me what.
Faith tells me why.
And I need both!
There is no conflict …
During my college days, I had the pleasure of some remarkable Bible teachers … one of whom introduced me to the term “theistic evolution.”
God-driven evolution …
Evolution the means; God the energy!
Theistic Evolution.
No conflict here.
No battle.
No need for Christians to huddle behind the walls of the church.
No need to be afraid of science … no need to manufacture pseudo-science.
The Bible says it well:
“By faith, we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command” (Hebrews 11:3).
By faith we believe what science can never prove or disprove.
By faith we believe these things!
Good faith is reasonable, thoughtful and coherent, but faith can’t be proven like I can prove hot water burns the hand.
So where so we go from here?
I have some concerns.
If a child is exposed to nothing but scientific materialism, and if some teachers happen to be angry atheists, it’s possible that a young student would acquire certain ideas:
- Life has no inherent meaning other than what I give to it.
- Death is the final fact.
- The universe is eternal, just a series of expansions and contractions – without purpose, without destiny, without moral underpinning or divine reference point.
- Morality is a human invention.
- Life belongs to survivors.
- And only the fittest survive.
That’s called nihilism … nothing-ism …
All that exists is me and you and the material world, and look out if you get in my way.
Some Christians have responded with home schooling …
I recently saw the documentary, “Jesus Camp,” and it’s frightening how some Christians manipulate the minds of their children with trumped up claims and fearful preaching.
But they have a point …
I know that some school districts are doing well when it comes to matters of faith and science …
But it’s been tough in America the last 40 years.
Religion has been leached out of our textbooks … as if one could teach history without reference to religion, or teach about the Pilgrims as if they were only political refugees rather than a religious community.
I remember when the Shah of Iran fell, 1979, displaced by radical Islamic rule.
Everyone was caught by surprise.
But one wise diplomat offered sage insight: “We were caught by surprise because we don’t have the tools any longer to understand the roll of religion in history.”
To remove religion from history is dishonest … about as dishonest as a homeschool parent filtering out science and telling the child that the world was created in six 24-hour days.
I was privileged to attend a Christian high school in Grand Rapids, Michigan … a school without scientific or faith prejudice … teachers who simply and easily taught the glory of God in everything … from a small stone in the ocean to a butterfly’s wing, from a majestic mountains to a child’s small hand … from the intricacies of molecular structure to a novel by Upton Sinclair … the glory of God everywhere.
Some months ago, George Burr said at staff meeting, “It’s my job to find God in the music.”
Because God is there in the music …
And we can find God in the music, too.
We have to redouble our efforts in the church, and we have to reinvent our public school curricula – there are some excellent curricula, and we can do a better job on all fronts to help our schools deal with religion, because religion is a huge part of the human story.
But let’s not rely on our schools for the moral and spiritual orientation of our children.
Most vitally, in the home – to give our children the eyes of faith … to see the world as God’s world … “this is my Father’s world” is one of the great confessions of faith … a confession of comfort and hope.
To give our children the heart of a poet … to see beyond the mere outlines of the material world … to see in all molecules and binary systems the intricacy of God’s love.
To hear Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, to see a sunset glimmering on the waves … to see the hand of God!
To live with one another well, to see one another as children of God.
And that makes us “our brother’s keeper,” and life is filled with meaning … eternal meaning – life filled with grace, filled with the glory of God … and death doesn’t have the last word … because Christ is risen from the dead.
One of my favorite poets, W.H. Auden, wrote to a seven-year old boy on his birthday:
So I wish you first a
Sense of theatre: only
Those who love illusion
And know it will go far:
Otherwise we spend our
Lives in a confusion
Of what we say and do with
Who we really are.
“Many Happy Returns”
A sense of theater … a poet’s heart … the eyes of faith … if all we see is what we can see, we’re blind … if all we know is what we know then we know nothing.
I choose to live by faith!
I wouldn’t have it any other way … and I’m no dummy, and I’m not naïve.
It’s all about love and kindness, grace and mercy … it’s all about God, in and through the material universe … God’s love in all things: our joys, our tears … our victories, our tragedies … a great and loving God moving this universe along its appointed course, getting us to the right place.
I choose to live by faith … it makes sense to me.
Faith isn’t stupid or weak … to the contrary, faith opens doors and stimulates the mind … faith can go places no other human faculty can venture … when the road comes to end, faith travels on … when we can no longer see with our physical eyes, the eyes of faith have it … when the heart stops beating, the heartbeat of faith remains forever strong!
I live by faith.
But I also choose to honor the thousands of scientists who labor in laboratories and teach in universities, striving to understand the material world – how it works, and how it came to be.
There is no conflict between faith and science.
No greater joy when these two realities shake hands and embrace … and the dance begins.
Both - servants of the Most High God! Amen!
Ever since Darwin suggested that life evolves upward from simpler forms, faith and science have butted heads … and a lot of folks have made monkeys out of themselves.
That’s too bad.
It’s an unnecessary conflict!
There is but one world, and one God, and one truth …
Truth in different forms … like colored lights on a Christmas Tree, or flowers in a garden … or like hands and feet, eyes and noses – a million varieties – but the green light isn’t better than the red; the tulip isn’t inferior to the rose … and the hand cannot say to the foot, “I have no need of you.”
Scientific truth … observation and experiment, verification and repeatability … I can prove to you that hot water burns the hand.
Stick your hand beneath a spigot of hot water and we’ll find out that hot water burns the hand … we can verify it; we can repeat the experiment.
But lots of things can’t be proved in a scientific way.
Can I prove to you that my father lived?
I could show you pictures, birth certificate, social security documents, and you could dismiss it all as an elaborate fabrication, or some kind of mistake.
Can I prove that Aristotle lived, or Plato?
There’s no verifiability for history … no repeating the lives of anyone …
History doesn’t yield to scientific examination.
Nor can I prove to you that I love my children …
Or they love me.
I know they love me, and I know that they know I love them, too.
And I know that whatever it is I feel for them, it’s love, deep and abiding love!
Yet such things are beyond the range of scientific tests … brain scans and other physiological measurements might scientifically indicate increased activity in the pleasure centers of the brain when I’m with my children – but what is love, and how can I prove it?
Nor can I prove to you that this world was created by a loving God. I confess and believe in a Creator, the God and Father of our LORD Jesus Christ, but I can’t prove the Creator’s existence; neither can I prove the hand of God in every ocean wave nor the love of God in a sunrise over the mountains!
Nor can anyone prove otherwise.
“Proof” for or against God doesn’t exist in the realm of scientific verifiability!
In recent years, however, some Christians have sought to establish a scientific basis for creation … called intelligent design or creationism.
Big money has been dumped into this project …
A multi-million dollar creation museum in Petersburg, Ky..
A lot of effort to establish a “creation science” that supports a literal reading of Genesis 1 & 2.
Law suits challenging text books.
Creationism folks elected to local school boards, forcing schools to teach creationism along side of evolution.
This is way beyond the boundary of faith … making faith say something that faith never intended to say … to force Genesis into a literal reading never intended by the poets who wrote it.
But if some Christians are way over the top, some scientists have gone over the top, as well.
Some have made a case against God …
Some say: “The universe has no meaning beyond itself. Human beings are a protoplasmic accident. That we’re here at all means nothing, and though we choose to love or hate, our choices mean nothing in any ultimate or moral sense.”
When scientists says such things, they’re no longer scientists … they’re human beings expressing a point of view – they’re making faith-statements.
To believe there is no God is not a fact of science, but a faith-statement of the heart.
A faith statement no different than my faith statement: I believe in God … God the Father Almighty creator of the heavens and the earth …
That’s a faith-statement.
If someone says: “I don’t believe in god,” that’s a faith-statement, too!
No one can prove their faith!
No one can prove there is a god, nor can anyone prove there isn’t!
Faith and science have natural boundaries beyond which they cannot pass … faith isn’t science, and science isn’t faith!
So, an impasse, if you will …
But such an impasse needn’t lead to conflict.
Let it be a delightful impasse …
Like two dance partners … each different, each with their own intelligence and passion … like waltz partners … the quick-changing lead of the waltz, “he goes, she goes” …
Science and faith … faith and science … mind and heart; heart and mind … “He goes; she goes.”
This weekend is Evolution Weekend …
Scientists and people of faith …
More than 750 congregations around the world celebrating the cooperation of science and faith …
Celebrating the waltz – two clever, determined, dance partners, dancing together … “he goes; she goes.”
And the dance is beautiful!
If I want to know how the universe came into being, I’ll read a science textbook.
If I want to know why I’m alive, what I should do when I get up in the morning, I’ll read the Bible.
Science tells me what.
Faith tells me why.
And I need both!
There is no conflict …
During my college days, I had the pleasure of some remarkable Bible teachers … one of whom introduced me to the term “theistic evolution.”
God-driven evolution …
Evolution the means; God the energy!
Theistic Evolution.
No conflict here.
No battle.
No need for Christians to huddle behind the walls of the church.
No need to be afraid of science … no need to manufacture pseudo-science.
The Bible says it well:
“By faith, we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command” (Hebrews 11:3).
By faith we believe what science can never prove or disprove.
By faith we believe these things!
Good faith is reasonable, thoughtful and coherent, but faith can’t be proven like I can prove hot water burns the hand.
So where so we go from here?
I have some concerns.
If a child is exposed to nothing but scientific materialism, and if some teachers happen to be angry atheists, it’s possible that a young student would acquire certain ideas:
- Life has no inherent meaning other than what I give to it.
- Death is the final fact.
- The universe is eternal, just a series of expansions and contractions – without purpose, without destiny, without moral underpinning or divine reference point.
- Morality is a human invention.
- Life belongs to survivors.
- And only the fittest survive.
That’s called nihilism … nothing-ism …
All that exists is me and you and the material world, and look out if you get in my way.
Some Christians have responded with home schooling …
I recently saw the documentary, “Jesus Camp,” and it’s frightening how some Christians manipulate the minds of their children with trumped up claims and fearful preaching.
But they have a point …
I know that some school districts are doing well when it comes to matters of faith and science …
But it’s been tough in America the last 40 years.
Religion has been leached out of our textbooks … as if one could teach history without reference to religion, or teach about the Pilgrims as if they were only political refugees rather than a religious community.
I remember when the Shah of Iran fell, 1979, displaced by radical Islamic rule.
Everyone was caught by surprise.
But one wise diplomat offered sage insight: “We were caught by surprise because we don’t have the tools any longer to understand the roll of religion in history.”
To remove religion from history is dishonest … about as dishonest as a homeschool parent filtering out science and telling the child that the world was created in six 24-hour days.
I was privileged to attend a Christian high school in Grand Rapids, Michigan … a school without scientific or faith prejudice … teachers who simply and easily taught the glory of God in everything … from a small stone in the ocean to a butterfly’s wing, from a majestic mountains to a child’s small hand … from the intricacies of molecular structure to a novel by Upton Sinclair … the glory of God everywhere.
Some months ago, George Burr said at staff meeting, “It’s my job to find God in the music.”
Because God is there in the music …
And we can find God in the music, too.
We have to redouble our efforts in the church, and we have to reinvent our public school curricula – there are some excellent curricula, and we can do a better job on all fronts to help our schools deal with religion, because religion is a huge part of the human story.
But let’s not rely on our schools for the moral and spiritual orientation of our children.
Most vitally, in the home – to give our children the eyes of faith … to see the world as God’s world … “this is my Father’s world” is one of the great confessions of faith … a confession of comfort and hope.
To give our children the heart of a poet … to see beyond the mere outlines of the material world … to see in all molecules and binary systems the intricacy of God’s love.
To hear Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, to see a sunset glimmering on the waves … to see the hand of God!
To live with one another well, to see one another as children of God.
And that makes us “our brother’s keeper,” and life is filled with meaning … eternal meaning – life filled with grace, filled with the glory of God … and death doesn’t have the last word … because Christ is risen from the dead.
One of my favorite poets, W.H. Auden, wrote to a seven-year old boy on his birthday:
So I wish you first a
Sense of theatre: only
Those who love illusion
And know it will go far:
Otherwise we spend our
Lives in a confusion
Of what we say and do with
Who we really are.
“Many Happy Returns”
A sense of theater … a poet’s heart … the eyes of faith … if all we see is what we can see, we’re blind … if all we know is what we know then we know nothing.
I choose to live by faith!
I wouldn’t have it any other way … and I’m no dummy, and I’m not naïve.
It’s all about love and kindness, grace and mercy … it’s all about God, in and through the material universe … God’s love in all things: our joys, our tears … our victories, our tragedies … a great and loving God moving this universe along its appointed course, getting us to the right place.
I choose to live by faith … it makes sense to me.
Faith isn’t stupid or weak … to the contrary, faith opens doors and stimulates the mind … faith can go places no other human faculty can venture … when the road comes to end, faith travels on … when we can no longer see with our physical eyes, the eyes of faith have it … when the heart stops beating, the heartbeat of faith remains forever strong!
I live by faith.
But I also choose to honor the thousands of scientists who labor in laboratories and teach in universities, striving to understand the material world – how it works, and how it came to be.
There is no conflict between faith and science.
No greater joy when these two realities shake hands and embrace … and the dance begins.
Both - servants of the Most High God! Amen!
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Follow Me - January 27, 2008
Matthew 4:12-18
Thanks to Rob Bell, Mars Hill Bible Church, Grandville, MI, who introduced me to the First Century world of the rabbi in a message seven years ago, entitled, “In the Dust of the Rabbi,” and then in his book, Velvet Elvis.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Come, follow me!” and they did; just like that.
Has that story ever struck you as odd?
Is this the way discipleship is supposed to happen? Jesus calls and away we go?
It hasn’t helped that too many movies portray Jesus as a dreamy-eyed mystic – white bathrobe, Miss America sash, beautiful hair, far-away voice: “Come follow me!”
The disciples look heavenward; light shines on their faces - ethereal music – they float off their boats and follow Jesus.
I don’t think so!
There’s a real story here.
About a Rabbi and His students – four fishermen from the Sea of Galilee.
Actually fishermen is a bit misleading – “fisher-teens” might be more accurate – late teens, early twenties at most.
Let’s get into our time machine and pay a visit to first century Palestine. Like Rod Taylor in the 1960 movie version of H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine – fasten your seat belt. Our next stop: the world in which Jesus lived.
The world of the rabbi.
I’ll move the lever – we can hear the whirling motors, we begin to spin, the clock ticks backward, 1950, 1900, 1500, 750, 325, and begins to slow, 150, 75 … and the year 30, when Jesus began His work.
Bright sun and hot winds.
Welcome to first century Palestine.
The world of the rabbi.
A rabbi is the most respected person in the Jewish community – the rabbi is the best of the best – Harvard, Stanford and Yale, Princeton, Duke and MIT – it’s a long and arduous road to become a rabbi.
A rabbi began his official work around the age 30, as Jesus did following His baptism.
But a rabbi’s education began at age five or six – to study the Torah!
What we call the Old Testament.
Genesis to the Italian book Malachi –
Every Jew lives with the text, morning to night, birth to death – a people of the book.
Memorizing it from beginning to end, discussing and debating it’s meaning – playing scripture games – someone recites a sentence from Isaiah, and others repeat what comes before and after.
The art of questions: a woman had seven husbands; whose wife will she be in the life to come? Is it lawful for a Jew to pay taxes to the Romans? What must I do to inherit eternal life?
And lots of parables – stories with a twist; images to tease heart and mind: the prodigal son; the pearl of great price; the vineyard.
It’s all about the text – Moses, the prophets, the Psalms - because the text is survival.
The text preserves and empowers the Jews in a hard world.
So began a child’s education.
How young should a child be to begin instruction in the Word of God?
One rabbi said: “Under the age of six, we do not receive a child as a pupil; from six upwards accept him and stuff him [with Torah] like an ox.”
Imagine the early morning hours in the synagogue of Nazareth – boys and girls fidgeting - scared and eager; the rabbi, wise and respected.
On the first day of class the rabbi would take honey and cover each student’s slate – a wonderful treat for every child.
Honey was a sign of God’s favor. There was nothing finer, nothing sweeter, nothing more full of pleasure than honey.
The rabbi would rub honey all over the slate. And then he would say, “Now class, lick the honey off the slate and off your fingers.”
As the students did this, the rabbi would say, “May the words of God be sweet to your taste, sweeter than honey to your mouth” (Psalm 119:103). May the words of God be the most pleasurable, the most enjoyable thing you could even comprehend.
First level: Bet Sefer – “House of the Book.”
By the time children finish Bet Sefer, around age 10, they know the Pentateuch by heart – the whole thing: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy.
Memorized.
Is this kind of memorizing possible today?
Watch a 14-year old plugged into her iPod – thousands of lyrics memorized.
Children who demonstrated ability with the text would be invited to the next level – Bet Talmud – “House of Learning.”
By age 13 or 14, the top students had the entire Bible memorized.
Think of Mary’s Magnificat – her song to the LORD is all Scripture – remember, Mary was about 14 when Gabriel paid her a visit – Mary, like all Hebrew children, knew the text well.
When Jesus’ parents found Him in the temple, how old was He? He was 12.
And what was He doing?
He was sitting among the teachers, listening to them, asking them questions – they were amazed at his understanding and His answers.
Around the age 14 or 15, the best of the best continued their studies. The rest are sent home to learn the family trade and begin their own families.
The best of the best ultimately apply to a well-known rabbi to become one of the rabbi’s talmadim – one of his disciples.
The goal of a disciple was more than just learning – the goal was to be just like the rabbi.
Guys, remember buying a pipe in college because your favorite professor smoked a pipe? How about that tweed jacket with the elbow patches?
Ladies, you did you hair the way she wore her hair and held a pencil to your lips as she did while lecturing.
More than learning, it was all about living.
When a student applied to a rabbi, he was asking to take the rabbi’s yoke upon him.
Remember when Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you”?
The “yoke” was the rabbi’s teaching – the rabbi’s way of life.
If the rabbi decided that a student had what it takes, he would say to the student: “Come, follow me!”
The equivalent of the “big envelope” in the mail from the university of your choice.
Rejection notices come in small envelopes: “Thanks for applying. Your strengths and abilities are better suited for another school. Good Luck.” Which simply means: “Get outta here and don’t bother us again!”
Acceptance comes in a large envelope.
“Welcome! We’re glad to have you as a student! Enclosed, please find housing applications, and financial aid forms.”
The big envelope.
“Come, and follow me!”
Let’s return to the Sea of Galilee.
Why were James and John, Peter and Andrew fishing?
They got the small envelope.
They didn’t make the cut.
The dream was over.
Jewish boys dreamed of being a rabbi … and girls did, too. But girls couldn’t, which makes the story of Mary and Martha so fascinating – when Jesus visited their home, where does Mary sit?
“At His feet” says the text.
Code language for being a student.
Martha’s consternation over Mary’s behavior is embarrassment – Mary’s audacity, behaving as if she were a rabbinical student, is improper and unbecoming for a woman.
Perhaps Martha was a wee bit envious.
Jesus affirmed Mary’s status that day – she got the big envelope!
Every family wanted their sons to be rabbis.
Like the Irish families of old Boston – to have a priest in the family, or a nun – a mark of distinction, a source of pride and gratitude.
“Yes, my son is priest. My daughter’s a nun.”
Every culture has “status” positions – a physician at the Mayo Clinic; an attorney with a Washington law firm – a poet or a painter (well, scratch those last two).
In Palestine, first century, “My son is a rabbi!”
James and Andrew, John and Peter were fishing because they weren’t the best of the best.
But on a memorable day, a rabbi walked the shore of the sea – his reputation already established – a rabbi of distinction and unusual insight.
“You have heard it said, but I say unto you.” This rabbi teaches with an uncommon authority.
Of course they knew Him. Everyone knew the rabbis.
Rabbi Jesus says, “Come, follow me.”
They didn’t even have to apply!
He choose them!
The big envelope.
A second chance for them.
Remember sixth grade recess?
When the teacher would call on two of the best softball players to be captains, and then have them choose their teams.
I hated it.
I wasn’t much of an athlete – I couldn’t hit a ball if you’d paid me.
So, the teams are chosen – the best first, the rest, and finally, the leftovers only because the teacher made it so.
Without the teacher’s assignment, the least of the least would have been cleaning erasers.
“Come, follow me.”
Like Tiger Woods calling you up tonight to play golf with him next week at Pebble Beach.
Or George Clooney inviting you to his home in Italy, all expenses paid.
“Yes, of course, we’ll leave our nets, we’ll leave home, to follow a rabbi.”
And what about their Dad the next day?
At the Coffee Company – “Ah, you notice my boys aren’t here with me today? Well, I tell you, the rabbi Jesus invited them to follow Him.” And all the men give Dad a high-five and hoist their cups in salute.
And Mom at the bowling alley, “You’ll never believe what happened yesterday; my boys were invited by Rabbi Jesus to take up His yoke. We’ll miss them, of course, but we’re so proud. A dream come true.”
So began a three-year journey for Andrew and James, John and Peter – students of Rabbi Jesus – following Him closely, so closely that at the end of the day, they’re literally covered in the dust of the rabbi – wanting to be just like Him.
That’s why Peter got out of the boat and walked on water – if his rabbi could do it, he could do it, too.
And Peter did. Peter walked on water.
And when Peter grew frightened and began to sink into the angry sea, Jesus said, ”You of little of faith. Why did you doubt?”
Doubt?
Did Peter doubt Jesus?
Peter doubted himself.
“I can’t do this. I’m not capable!”
Self-doubt disturbs Jesus more than anything else.
Jesus knows what we’re capable of doing – that’s why He calls us –
“Come, follow me!”
“Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me.”
Our rabbi believes in us.
He knows we can be just like Him.” Amen!
Thanks to Rob Bell, Mars Hill Bible Church, Grandville, MI, who introduced me to the First Century world of the rabbi in a message seven years ago, entitled, “In the Dust of the Rabbi,” and then in his book, Velvet Elvis.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Come, follow me!” and they did; just like that.
Has that story ever struck you as odd?
Is this the way discipleship is supposed to happen? Jesus calls and away we go?
It hasn’t helped that too many movies portray Jesus as a dreamy-eyed mystic – white bathrobe, Miss America sash, beautiful hair, far-away voice: “Come follow me!”
The disciples look heavenward; light shines on their faces - ethereal music – they float off their boats and follow Jesus.
I don’t think so!
There’s a real story here.
About a Rabbi and His students – four fishermen from the Sea of Galilee.
Actually fishermen is a bit misleading – “fisher-teens” might be more accurate – late teens, early twenties at most.
Let’s get into our time machine and pay a visit to first century Palestine. Like Rod Taylor in the 1960 movie version of H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine – fasten your seat belt. Our next stop: the world in which Jesus lived.
The world of the rabbi.
I’ll move the lever – we can hear the whirling motors, we begin to spin, the clock ticks backward, 1950, 1900, 1500, 750, 325, and begins to slow, 150, 75 … and the year 30, when Jesus began His work.
Bright sun and hot winds.
Welcome to first century Palestine.
The world of the rabbi.
A rabbi is the most respected person in the Jewish community – the rabbi is the best of the best – Harvard, Stanford and Yale, Princeton, Duke and MIT – it’s a long and arduous road to become a rabbi.
A rabbi began his official work around the age 30, as Jesus did following His baptism.
But a rabbi’s education began at age five or six – to study the Torah!
What we call the Old Testament.
Genesis to the Italian book Malachi –
Every Jew lives with the text, morning to night, birth to death – a people of the book.
Memorizing it from beginning to end, discussing and debating it’s meaning – playing scripture games – someone recites a sentence from Isaiah, and others repeat what comes before and after.
The art of questions: a woman had seven husbands; whose wife will she be in the life to come? Is it lawful for a Jew to pay taxes to the Romans? What must I do to inherit eternal life?
And lots of parables – stories with a twist; images to tease heart and mind: the prodigal son; the pearl of great price; the vineyard.
It’s all about the text – Moses, the prophets, the Psalms - because the text is survival.
The text preserves and empowers the Jews in a hard world.
So began a child’s education.
How young should a child be to begin instruction in the Word of God?
One rabbi said: “Under the age of six, we do not receive a child as a pupil; from six upwards accept him and stuff him [with Torah] like an ox.”
Imagine the early morning hours in the synagogue of Nazareth – boys and girls fidgeting - scared and eager; the rabbi, wise and respected.
On the first day of class the rabbi would take honey and cover each student’s slate – a wonderful treat for every child.
Honey was a sign of God’s favor. There was nothing finer, nothing sweeter, nothing more full of pleasure than honey.
The rabbi would rub honey all over the slate. And then he would say, “Now class, lick the honey off the slate and off your fingers.”
As the students did this, the rabbi would say, “May the words of God be sweet to your taste, sweeter than honey to your mouth” (Psalm 119:103). May the words of God be the most pleasurable, the most enjoyable thing you could even comprehend.
First level: Bet Sefer – “House of the Book.”
By the time children finish Bet Sefer, around age 10, they know the Pentateuch by heart – the whole thing: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy.
Memorized.
Is this kind of memorizing possible today?
Watch a 14-year old plugged into her iPod – thousands of lyrics memorized.
Children who demonstrated ability with the text would be invited to the next level – Bet Talmud – “House of Learning.”
By age 13 or 14, the top students had the entire Bible memorized.
Think of Mary’s Magnificat – her song to the LORD is all Scripture – remember, Mary was about 14 when Gabriel paid her a visit – Mary, like all Hebrew children, knew the text well.
When Jesus’ parents found Him in the temple, how old was He? He was 12.
And what was He doing?
He was sitting among the teachers, listening to them, asking them questions – they were amazed at his understanding and His answers.
Around the age 14 or 15, the best of the best continued their studies. The rest are sent home to learn the family trade and begin their own families.
The best of the best ultimately apply to a well-known rabbi to become one of the rabbi’s talmadim – one of his disciples.
The goal of a disciple was more than just learning – the goal was to be just like the rabbi.
Guys, remember buying a pipe in college because your favorite professor smoked a pipe? How about that tweed jacket with the elbow patches?
Ladies, you did you hair the way she wore her hair and held a pencil to your lips as she did while lecturing.
More than learning, it was all about living.
When a student applied to a rabbi, he was asking to take the rabbi’s yoke upon him.
Remember when Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you”?
The “yoke” was the rabbi’s teaching – the rabbi’s way of life.
If the rabbi decided that a student had what it takes, he would say to the student: “Come, follow me!”
The equivalent of the “big envelope” in the mail from the university of your choice.
Rejection notices come in small envelopes: “Thanks for applying. Your strengths and abilities are better suited for another school. Good Luck.” Which simply means: “Get outta here and don’t bother us again!”
Acceptance comes in a large envelope.
“Welcome! We’re glad to have you as a student! Enclosed, please find housing applications, and financial aid forms.”
The big envelope.
“Come, and follow me!”
Let’s return to the Sea of Galilee.
Why were James and John, Peter and Andrew fishing?
They got the small envelope.
They didn’t make the cut.
The dream was over.
Jewish boys dreamed of being a rabbi … and girls did, too. But girls couldn’t, which makes the story of Mary and Martha so fascinating – when Jesus visited their home, where does Mary sit?
“At His feet” says the text.
Code language for being a student.
Martha’s consternation over Mary’s behavior is embarrassment – Mary’s audacity, behaving as if she were a rabbinical student, is improper and unbecoming for a woman.
Perhaps Martha was a wee bit envious.
Jesus affirmed Mary’s status that day – she got the big envelope!
Every family wanted their sons to be rabbis.
Like the Irish families of old Boston – to have a priest in the family, or a nun – a mark of distinction, a source of pride and gratitude.
“Yes, my son is priest. My daughter’s a nun.”
Every culture has “status” positions – a physician at the Mayo Clinic; an attorney with a Washington law firm – a poet or a painter (well, scratch those last two).
In Palestine, first century, “My son is a rabbi!”
James and Andrew, John and Peter were fishing because they weren’t the best of the best.
But on a memorable day, a rabbi walked the shore of the sea – his reputation already established – a rabbi of distinction and unusual insight.
“You have heard it said, but I say unto you.” This rabbi teaches with an uncommon authority.
Of course they knew Him. Everyone knew the rabbis.
Rabbi Jesus says, “Come, follow me.”
They didn’t even have to apply!
He choose them!
The big envelope.
A second chance for them.
Remember sixth grade recess?
When the teacher would call on two of the best softball players to be captains, and then have them choose their teams.
I hated it.
I wasn’t much of an athlete – I couldn’t hit a ball if you’d paid me.
So, the teams are chosen – the best first, the rest, and finally, the leftovers only because the teacher made it so.
Without the teacher’s assignment, the least of the least would have been cleaning erasers.
“Come, follow me.”
Like Tiger Woods calling you up tonight to play golf with him next week at Pebble Beach.
Or George Clooney inviting you to his home in Italy, all expenses paid.
“Yes, of course, we’ll leave our nets, we’ll leave home, to follow a rabbi.”
And what about their Dad the next day?
At the Coffee Company – “Ah, you notice my boys aren’t here with me today? Well, I tell you, the rabbi Jesus invited them to follow Him.” And all the men give Dad a high-five and hoist their cups in salute.
And Mom at the bowling alley, “You’ll never believe what happened yesterday; my boys were invited by Rabbi Jesus to take up His yoke. We’ll miss them, of course, but we’re so proud. A dream come true.”
So began a three-year journey for Andrew and James, John and Peter – students of Rabbi Jesus – following Him closely, so closely that at the end of the day, they’re literally covered in the dust of the rabbi – wanting to be just like Him.
That’s why Peter got out of the boat and walked on water – if his rabbi could do it, he could do it, too.
And Peter did. Peter walked on water.
And when Peter grew frightened and began to sink into the angry sea, Jesus said, ”You of little of faith. Why did you doubt?”
Doubt?
Did Peter doubt Jesus?
Peter doubted himself.
“I can’t do this. I’m not capable!”
Self-doubt disturbs Jesus more than anything else.
Jesus knows what we’re capable of doing – that’s why He calls us –
“Come, follow me!”
“Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me.”
Our rabbi believes in us.
He knows we can be just like Him.” Amen!
Sunday, January 20, 2008
God's Lamb - January 20, 2008
John 1:29-42
Can you see what I’m holding in my hand?
Yes, that’s right, a surgeon’s scalpel.
Not the most pleasant looking device, but an essential tool for health … as the expression puts it: we need to go under the knife now and then.
Some years ago, through routine testing, abnormal calcium levels in my blood were detected … further testing by an endocrinologist and a few sleepless nights, revealed a misbehaving parathyroid gland.
Solution: surgery!
It has to come out.
I had to have some knife time.
So, the early morning trip to the hospital … prep for surgery, onto a gurney … a couple of happy drugs later, I was ready … Donna gave me a kiss and I was wheeled down the hall to a bright room seriously cold.
The anesthesiologist put something into my intravenous, had me count backwards … ten … nine … eight … lights out.
Three and a half hours later, eyes open – bright lights again … cold … recovery room … a blood sample taken … the doc comes by – “Calcium levels back to normal, Tom, just like that.”
Thank God for the scalpel and the folks who know how to use them!
“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”
The scalpel of grace …
“The Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).
To take away the sin of the world!
What is sin?
Must be mighty important for the Son of God to be so utterly involved in its removal …
Must be something big … evidently we need lots of help on this one!
Nothing less than divine surgery … no one less than Jesus.
What’s sin?
Ever hear the term “original sin”?
The first one, the biggie … the source, the center … the one and only … original sin.
We associate “the big one” with the image of Eve plucking the fruit and Adam right with her.
But that’s not the “original sin.”
The “original sin” occurred prior to the fruit-picking … the “original sin” – believing a lie.
The Snake in the Grass suggested to Eve that she wasn’t quite up to snuff, suggested that God might have left a few things out of the equation, and further suggested that she misunderstood God’s plan … and it would be just fine to pluck the fruit – because the Tree offers what’s missing from your life.
She believed it … and so did Adam.
Though Eve is the principal actor here, the text is clear: it says pointedly, “Adam was with her” – cheering her on; “you go, girl!”
She believed the lie, and so did Adam – something is wrong with us, something is missing, and you can’t even count on God for it.
That’s the original sin … that’s original lie.
And if you know anything about lies, you know that once started, lies take on a life of their own … compounding themselves until a whole world has been created with lies …
But a lie is still a lie … without truth, without love, without hope and without peace … lies never work … though we often believe them with all our heart … because the first lies are always told to us … they come from people of the lie … parents who were lied to, teachers who were lied to, politicians and neighbors who were lied to, spouses and children who were lied to … the lies are passed on, and every permutation, they grow a little larger, a little stronger … until they have us in their grip.
Think of it …
You’re not up to snuff …
Something is wrong with you …
You’re not fit for the fight …
You’re a flub, you’re a flop, you’re a failure …
You’re a lousy Mom …
You’re a crummy Father …
You’re a terrible student …
You’re stupid, you’re dumb, you’re ugly …
You’re hair is all wrong …
You’re too fat … and too slow …
You’re clothes don’t fit …
Your teeth aren’t pretty …
Why can’t you look better?
Why do you have be so slow?
Why can’t cook better?
Why don’t you get better grades?
Why aren’t your prettier?
Why don’t you lose some weight?
I won’t love until you do!
Serious business!
“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”
To take away the original sin was the toughest thing God ever did …
Creation was a breeze … God said, “Let it be” and it was … but take away the original lie, to free the soul … that’s a horse of another color … it took everything God had, and then some.
Wherever Jesus went, whomever He met, He told them the truth … because “The truth sets us free.”
The first miracle – at the Wedding of Cana – ran out of wine they thought; and to the human eye, the jugs were empty – Jesus said, “No, you didn’t run out of wine. Let me show you.”
Jesus clears the Temple – here’s what a Temple should look like, here’s what a Temple should stand for … too many lies about power and prestige … too many lies about money and influence.
Nicodemus comes to Jesus and says, “This is too much for me. I’m too old. I’ve believed this all my life. I can’t change.”
Jesus says, “Not true. You CAN change; you can start all over again. Sort of like being born all over again. Not easy! But you can do it! Life is resilient. Nicodemus, you can do it!”
The Samaritan woman goes to the well at noon – in the heat of the day, when no one else is there, because she can’t stand the haughty glares and the whispered gossip – she’s tired of their self-righteousness, so she goes to the well alone.
Jesus meets her there … she’s trapped in lies: “There’s no hope for me. A good man will never love me. I’m stuck in a rut, and that’s where it’s going be for me. No way out.”
“Not true,” says Jesus.
“Let me help you.”
The son of a royal officer is ill and dying … and the man comes to Jesus, “Sir, help me before my son dies.”
“He will not die,” says Jesus.
The human eye can only see death. Jesus sees life.
At the pool of Siloam, a man crippled for 38 years … begging …
Jesus asks, “Do you wanna get well?”
“But there’s no one to help me get into the healing water. Every time I try, others push me outta the way, and by the time I get there, the water has stopped bubbling.”
Jesus probes, because Jesus knows that the man has accepted the lie – “There’s no hope for me, no way out – it’ll be this way forever.”
“No you won’t,” says Jesus.
At every turn, Jesus sees the possibility … hope for a new day … the door that no one else can see … because God not only opens doors for us, God creates doors where none previously existed.
“God gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do no exist” (Romans 4:17).
“Takes away” the sin of the world, says the text.
God doesn’t wait for us to come around; God goes after it, tackles it by Himself – God intrudes, breaks in, enters the human heart … like a thief in the night, a smash and grab ruffian … God TAKES away the sin of the world
No self-help here … no self-healing at this point … something radical is needed … surgery … the scalpel of grace, and a skilled surgeon.
The Lamb of God who TAKES away the sin of the world.
And it’s “sin” not sins, did you notice that? … singular, not plural.
God goes for the root cause, the beginning, the source, the origin.
And leaves much of the clean-up work to us … with the help of the Holy Spirit.
But the root cause is removed … the original lie undone.
The truth be told!
There is nothing wrong with you.
There is nothing defective in you.
You can handle it … you will make it through … you’re a gifted and capable human being … you already have what it takes …
The original lie has been dispelled in Christ … so we get on with the task of healing … the cause of the wound is removed, but the healing takes time … and we heal with one another … that’s why Christian fellowship is so important … we heal in the company of others.
And we become little Lambs of God for one another …
Every time we encourage someone.
Every time someone wants to give up and give in, we help them take a deep breath and stay the course, and if need be, start all over again – we’re a little Lamb of God who takes away the lie from someone else.
Now, suddenly, we can read self-help books with profit … therapists can really help here.
To build upon the work of Christ!
We don’t believe the lie anymore … well, maybe, just a little bit now and then, but the Spirit intervenes … “Not true” cries the Spirit when we’re discouraged and ready to give up.
You’re a terrific human being …
You have what it takes …
You can manage the challenge … you can climb the mountain, you can solve the case, you can ford the rushing river …
You’re not a victim; you’re a victor.
You’re not a loser; you’re a winner!
You have great reservoirs of love …
You have intelligence and good character …
You have faith, hope and love … even if it’s just the size of a mustard seed, it’s good enough to move mountains!
At the end of the text, Jesus gives Peter a nickname … from now on, you’ll be called Cephas, the Rock!
To all of us, Jesus gives a nickname:
You’re Tom Terrific and Wally Wonderful.
You Susie Stupendous and Marlene Marvelous.
You’re all Servants of the Most High God!
Remember that … that’s the truth!
Amen!
Can you see what I’m holding in my hand?
Yes, that’s right, a surgeon’s scalpel.
Not the most pleasant looking device, but an essential tool for health … as the expression puts it: we need to go under the knife now and then.
Some years ago, through routine testing, abnormal calcium levels in my blood were detected … further testing by an endocrinologist and a few sleepless nights, revealed a misbehaving parathyroid gland.
Solution: surgery!
It has to come out.
I had to have some knife time.
So, the early morning trip to the hospital … prep for surgery, onto a gurney … a couple of happy drugs later, I was ready … Donna gave me a kiss and I was wheeled down the hall to a bright room seriously cold.
The anesthesiologist put something into my intravenous, had me count backwards … ten … nine … eight … lights out.
Three and a half hours later, eyes open – bright lights again … cold … recovery room … a blood sample taken … the doc comes by – “Calcium levels back to normal, Tom, just like that.”
Thank God for the scalpel and the folks who know how to use them!
“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”
The scalpel of grace …
“The Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).
To take away the sin of the world!
What is sin?
Must be mighty important for the Son of God to be so utterly involved in its removal …
Must be something big … evidently we need lots of help on this one!
Nothing less than divine surgery … no one less than Jesus.
What’s sin?
Ever hear the term “original sin”?
The first one, the biggie … the source, the center … the one and only … original sin.
We associate “the big one” with the image of Eve plucking the fruit and Adam right with her.
But that’s not the “original sin.”
The “original sin” occurred prior to the fruit-picking … the “original sin” – believing a lie.
The Snake in the Grass suggested to Eve that she wasn’t quite up to snuff, suggested that God might have left a few things out of the equation, and further suggested that she misunderstood God’s plan … and it would be just fine to pluck the fruit – because the Tree offers what’s missing from your life.
She believed it … and so did Adam.
Though Eve is the principal actor here, the text is clear: it says pointedly, “Adam was with her” – cheering her on; “you go, girl!”
She believed the lie, and so did Adam – something is wrong with us, something is missing, and you can’t even count on God for it.
That’s the original sin … that’s original lie.
And if you know anything about lies, you know that once started, lies take on a life of their own … compounding themselves until a whole world has been created with lies …
But a lie is still a lie … without truth, without love, without hope and without peace … lies never work … though we often believe them with all our heart … because the first lies are always told to us … they come from people of the lie … parents who were lied to, teachers who were lied to, politicians and neighbors who were lied to, spouses and children who were lied to … the lies are passed on, and every permutation, they grow a little larger, a little stronger … until they have us in their grip.
Think of it …
You’re not up to snuff …
Something is wrong with you …
You’re not fit for the fight …
You’re a flub, you’re a flop, you’re a failure …
You’re a lousy Mom …
You’re a crummy Father …
You’re a terrible student …
You’re stupid, you’re dumb, you’re ugly …
You’re hair is all wrong …
You’re too fat … and too slow …
You’re clothes don’t fit …
Your teeth aren’t pretty …
Why can’t you look better?
Why do you have be so slow?
Why can’t cook better?
Why don’t you get better grades?
Why aren’t your prettier?
Why don’t you lose some weight?
I won’t love until you do!
Serious business!
“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”
To take away the original sin was the toughest thing God ever did …
Creation was a breeze … God said, “Let it be” and it was … but take away the original lie, to free the soul … that’s a horse of another color … it took everything God had, and then some.
Wherever Jesus went, whomever He met, He told them the truth … because “The truth sets us free.”
The first miracle – at the Wedding of Cana – ran out of wine they thought; and to the human eye, the jugs were empty – Jesus said, “No, you didn’t run out of wine. Let me show you.”
Jesus clears the Temple – here’s what a Temple should look like, here’s what a Temple should stand for … too many lies about power and prestige … too many lies about money and influence.
Nicodemus comes to Jesus and says, “This is too much for me. I’m too old. I’ve believed this all my life. I can’t change.”
Jesus says, “Not true. You CAN change; you can start all over again. Sort of like being born all over again. Not easy! But you can do it! Life is resilient. Nicodemus, you can do it!”
The Samaritan woman goes to the well at noon – in the heat of the day, when no one else is there, because she can’t stand the haughty glares and the whispered gossip – she’s tired of their self-righteousness, so she goes to the well alone.
Jesus meets her there … she’s trapped in lies: “There’s no hope for me. A good man will never love me. I’m stuck in a rut, and that’s where it’s going be for me. No way out.”
“Not true,” says Jesus.
“Let me help you.”
The son of a royal officer is ill and dying … and the man comes to Jesus, “Sir, help me before my son dies.”
“He will not die,” says Jesus.
The human eye can only see death. Jesus sees life.
At the pool of Siloam, a man crippled for 38 years … begging …
Jesus asks, “Do you wanna get well?”
“But there’s no one to help me get into the healing water. Every time I try, others push me outta the way, and by the time I get there, the water has stopped bubbling.”
Jesus probes, because Jesus knows that the man has accepted the lie – “There’s no hope for me, no way out – it’ll be this way forever.”
“No you won’t,” says Jesus.
At every turn, Jesus sees the possibility … hope for a new day … the door that no one else can see … because God not only opens doors for us, God creates doors where none previously existed.
“God gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do no exist” (Romans 4:17).
“Takes away” the sin of the world, says the text.
God doesn’t wait for us to come around; God goes after it, tackles it by Himself – God intrudes, breaks in, enters the human heart … like a thief in the night, a smash and grab ruffian … God TAKES away the sin of the world
No self-help here … no self-healing at this point … something radical is needed … surgery … the scalpel of grace, and a skilled surgeon.
The Lamb of God who TAKES away the sin of the world.
And it’s “sin” not sins, did you notice that? … singular, not plural.
God goes for the root cause, the beginning, the source, the origin.
And leaves much of the clean-up work to us … with the help of the Holy Spirit.
But the root cause is removed … the original lie undone.
The truth be told!
There is nothing wrong with you.
There is nothing defective in you.
You can handle it … you will make it through … you’re a gifted and capable human being … you already have what it takes …
The original lie has been dispelled in Christ … so we get on with the task of healing … the cause of the wound is removed, but the healing takes time … and we heal with one another … that’s why Christian fellowship is so important … we heal in the company of others.
And we become little Lambs of God for one another …
Every time we encourage someone.
Every time someone wants to give up and give in, we help them take a deep breath and stay the course, and if need be, start all over again – we’re a little Lamb of God who takes away the lie from someone else.
Now, suddenly, we can read self-help books with profit … therapists can really help here.
To build upon the work of Christ!
We don’t believe the lie anymore … well, maybe, just a little bit now and then, but the Spirit intervenes … “Not true” cries the Spirit when we’re discouraged and ready to give up.
You’re a terrific human being …
You have what it takes …
You can manage the challenge … you can climb the mountain, you can solve the case, you can ford the rushing river …
You’re not a victim; you’re a victor.
You’re not a loser; you’re a winner!
You have great reservoirs of love …
You have intelligence and good character …
You have faith, hope and love … even if it’s just the size of a mustard seed, it’s good enough to move mountains!
At the end of the text, Jesus gives Peter a nickname … from now on, you’ll be called Cephas, the Rock!
To all of us, Jesus gives a nickname:
You’re Tom Terrific and Wally Wonderful.
You Susie Stupendous and Marlene Marvelous.
You’re all Servants of the Most High God!
Remember that … that’s the truth!
Amen!
Sunday, January 13, 2008
My Son - January 13, 2007
A Texas preacher bought a horse, and trained it to respond to “Praise the LORD” meaning giddyup and “hallelujah” for whoa.
His friends were impressed.
Every time he said “praise the LORD,” the horse would take off running, and every time he’d say, “hallelujah,” the horse would stop.
Out riding one day, the horse was spooked and took off running full tilt toward a cliff … the preacher yelled out, “whoa, whoa,” but the horse didn’t respond; then he remembered he’d taught the horse something else, but couldn’t remember what it was.
He shouted: “Amen,” “glory,” “bless God,” and nothing happened, and finally, just as the horse reached the edge of the cliff, he shouted, “hallelujah,” and the horse came to a skidding halt.
He breathed a sigh of relief, wiped his brow and said, “Praise the LORD.”
Good morning and welcome to Covenant Presbyterian Church … Hallelujah and Praise the LORD … it’s a good day, God is here, we have the gift of life … and we’re baptized.
Today, we celebrate the baptism of our LORD Jesus …
Jesus steps into the water … Jesus stands with us … our life becomes His life, and His life flows into us!
The Father in heaven says with pride: My Son … my beloved Son … I’m well pleased.”
What does it mean to be baptized?
Let’s begin with John, because it’s his baptism that Jesus receives … John was surprised: “You should be baptizing me.”
Jesus stands in the Jordan with John - Jesus embraces John’s message, and sends a message to the world that John’s message is the right message … not the gospel according to Rome, nor the gospel according to Jerusalem, but the Gospel according to the fierce grace of God!
What does it mean to be baptized?
I’m reluctant to offer answers … because I’m tired of answers … I’m tired of religious talking heads who talk as if Jesus were a card-game buddy of theirs.
I’m weary of politicians who claim to have an inside edge with God, because they have faith, and not only do they have faith, but they have the right faith, the better faith, and the rest of us better get on board before it’s too late!
I love Jesus … He’s been my LORD and Savior all of my life … but I don’t own Jesus, I don’t have an inside edge with God … I don’t have any secret links to heaven … my faith doesn’t make me better than anyone else – I’m afraid of the all same things that frighten everyone … I have profound moments of doubt … I fail more often than I want to … things keep me awake sometimes, and like all the rest of humanity, I’m headed to the end of the trail, because the last time I checked, the mortality rate was still a hundred percent!
Yes, I love Jesus … He’s been my LORD and Savior all of my life … but I don’t own Him, and I have much to learn from Him … I’m still a work in progress.
So what does it mean to be baptized?
It’s a bit like loving one another …
Donna’s been trying to love me for forty-two years … what a trooper … she stays with it, and if Congress were ever to award medals for marital bravery, Donna’s name would be on top of the list.
Speaking of love … a group of children were asked their opinion about love … here’s what some of them said:
"Love is if you hold hands and sit beside each other in the cafeteria. That means you're in love. Otherwise, you can sit across from each other and be okay."
"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs."
"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday."
"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other."
"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you."
"You can break love, but it won't die."
For God so loved the world …
Love one another as I have loved you …
Love God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind … love your neighbor as yourself …
Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. (1 Corinthians 13)
What does it mean to be baptized, but to live in the love of God … a turbulent sea … fierce grace … “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so,” but Jesus says, “Take up your cross and follow me” … “deny yourself and put God first” … “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”
I’m reading Thomas Merton’s autobiography, The Seven Story Mountain … after graduating from Columbia University, Merton was in turmoil, the kind of turmoil only God can cause – wrestling with angels and fighting with demons …
After his conversion to faith and then his entry into the Roman Catholic Church by baptism, Merton decides to become a priest.
He begins the process of entering the Franciscan order … because he believed he could keep their way of life with some ease, without a whole lot of sacrifice.
For some months, it was all sunshine and light … and no little vanity as he imagined his monastic name … Fr. John Spaniard …
Then a crisis of conscience: “I’m not cut out for this; I’m not what I appear to be” … and finally, a Franciscan counselor closes the door on Merton’s dreams, and all seems lost … Merton secures a job at St. Bonaventure’s, teaching English … he’s faithful in prayer and study, but as far he’s concerned, God closed the door to the priesthood.
The love of God at work …
I’m reading the book on which the film, There Will Be Blood, is based - Upton Sinclair’s Oil … the story of a father and his son … the father, an oilman, a self-made man who rose through the labor ranks to become a man of wealth and influence … and his son, nicknamed Bunny, a boy of considerable conscience.
The father sees the world as it is and can only say, “that’s the way it is.”
Bunny looks at the same world and asks, “Why can’t it be different?”
Set in the oil boom days of Southern California at the turn of the 19th century, it’s all about wealth and power, unions and fair wages … the conflict between capital and labor … an oil man growing old and a young boy coming of age.
Many accept the way things are, like the boy’s father … and a few dream of the way things could be, like the son.
They live with conscience stirred and shaken soul.
Is that not love at work?
Jesus reminds us that love is tough and gritty, love dreams of a world that could be better, must be better, and will be better.
Love is harsh sometimes with those it touches …
Saul flung into the dust of the Damascus Road … Peter in prison … our very own LORD tried in a kangaroo court and crucified.
Merton’s conscience stricken … abandoned, alone, without compass … as Jesus on the cross: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Yet Merton reaches a point where he surrenders … what will be will be, and it’s all right, because “It was in the hands of One Who loved me far better than I could ever love mself: and my heart was filled with peace” (p. 314).
Spiritual writers all allude to the same realities … love has a harsh edge to it, a seeming cruelty … a dark night of the soul … until the soul surrenders and lifts its vision beyond itself to the glory of God.
The clay on the potter’s wheel …
The marble shaped by a sculpture’s chisel …
The grain of wheat ground to flour …
The soul seared in the fires of God’s love …
To live the baptized life …
To stand with Jesus in the Jordan …
To welcome the prophetic message of John: do not accept the world as it is, but strive for the world as it should be.
Live the baptized life …
I visited the Holy Land in 1998, I wanted to renew my baptism, as many do when they visit Israel
I was baptized as an infant …
54 years later I wanted to step into the Jordan.
The southern reaches of the Jordan are off limits to tourists, and it’s in the south where Jesus was baptized … the wilderness, desert, barren mountains, sand and stone, hot and dry … where the Jordan runs shallow as it enters the Dead Sea.
The landscape of the north is very different; green hills and verdant valleys; the Jordan runs deeper and muddier, with steep, overgrown banks.
In the north, where the river leaves the Sea of Galilee, there’s tourist center, with a large parking lot for the buses … you can go there, buy a simple plasticized paper robe (remember to take along your swimming suit) step into a dressing room, then down a winding sidewalk to a pool cut into the banks of the Jordan.
The bus parked … we all got out and walked over to the tourist center … aisles of kitsch: religious trinkets, statuary of every sort … and out around the back, the walkway to the Jordan.
Some of my tour-mates bought the paper robe, stepped to the dressing room and then down to the Jordan.
I walked outside … and there in the pool below me, 25 Pentecostals from Korea.
Splashing around and shouting in the Spirit, making more noise then a fourth grade birthday party … for them, a remarkable moment, I’m sure … for me, anything but.
I felt a deep sense of revulsion … the kitsch, the muddy water, the shouting, the tourists.
It wasn’t my cup of tea …
What does it mean to live the baptized life?
From 1978 to 1990, I was pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Sapulpa, Oklahoma, a suburb of Tulsa … I learned there of baptism renewal services for Presbyterians … giving folks a chance to renew their sense of baptism.
Roman Catholics remember their baptism with the sprinkling of Holy Water; every time a Roman Catholic enters a Roman Church, the first thing done is to dip a finger into small bowls of water affixed to the wall, making the sign of the cross on their forehead, reminding themselves, “I’m baptized.”
At the Abbey of Gethsemane, every evening at the end of mass, the monks and guests file forward to be sprinkled by the Abbot, to be reminded of their baptism … the last thing before bed: “I am baptized.”
Some things deserve to be remembered:
Every year, we remember our birthday; we throw a party, open gifts and sing “Happy Birthday” off key.
We remember our anniversaries … we do Thanksgiving every year … we mark time and remember who we are by such things.
A renewal of baptism is much the same … a time to remember where it began for us … a little Jordan River; a baptismal font … “in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.”
The church in Oklahoma did a renewal of baptism service every other year, and I’ve continued doing that for the last 25 years … giving folks a chance to remember …
In a few moments, we’ll do a renewal of baptism … we’ll step to the chancel, kneel if we can … receive the water crossed on our forehead … remember our baptism … Yes, I belong to Christ, the beloved Son of God, and the beloved Son of God is my LORD and my Savior. By his love, I am baptized! Amen and Amen!
His friends were impressed.
Every time he said “praise the LORD,” the horse would take off running, and every time he’d say, “hallelujah,” the horse would stop.
Out riding one day, the horse was spooked and took off running full tilt toward a cliff … the preacher yelled out, “whoa, whoa,” but the horse didn’t respond; then he remembered he’d taught the horse something else, but couldn’t remember what it was.
He shouted: “Amen,” “glory,” “bless God,” and nothing happened, and finally, just as the horse reached the edge of the cliff, he shouted, “hallelujah,” and the horse came to a skidding halt.
He breathed a sigh of relief, wiped his brow and said, “Praise the LORD.”
Good morning and welcome to Covenant Presbyterian Church … Hallelujah and Praise the LORD … it’s a good day, God is here, we have the gift of life … and we’re baptized.
Today, we celebrate the baptism of our LORD Jesus …
Jesus steps into the water … Jesus stands with us … our life becomes His life, and His life flows into us!
The Father in heaven says with pride: My Son … my beloved Son … I’m well pleased.”
What does it mean to be baptized?
Let’s begin with John, because it’s his baptism that Jesus receives … John was surprised: “You should be baptizing me.”
Jesus stands in the Jordan with John - Jesus embraces John’s message, and sends a message to the world that John’s message is the right message … not the gospel according to Rome, nor the gospel according to Jerusalem, but the Gospel according to the fierce grace of God!
What does it mean to be baptized?
I’m reluctant to offer answers … because I’m tired of answers … I’m tired of religious talking heads who talk as if Jesus were a card-game buddy of theirs.
I’m weary of politicians who claim to have an inside edge with God, because they have faith, and not only do they have faith, but they have the right faith, the better faith, and the rest of us better get on board before it’s too late!
I love Jesus … He’s been my LORD and Savior all of my life … but I don’t own Jesus, I don’t have an inside edge with God … I don’t have any secret links to heaven … my faith doesn’t make me better than anyone else – I’m afraid of the all same things that frighten everyone … I have profound moments of doubt … I fail more often than I want to … things keep me awake sometimes, and like all the rest of humanity, I’m headed to the end of the trail, because the last time I checked, the mortality rate was still a hundred percent!
Yes, I love Jesus … He’s been my LORD and Savior all of my life … but I don’t own Him, and I have much to learn from Him … I’m still a work in progress.
So what does it mean to be baptized?
It’s a bit like loving one another …
Donna’s been trying to love me for forty-two years … what a trooper … she stays with it, and if Congress were ever to award medals for marital bravery, Donna’s name would be on top of the list.
Speaking of love … a group of children were asked their opinion about love … here’s what some of them said:
"Love is if you hold hands and sit beside each other in the cafeteria. That means you're in love. Otherwise, you can sit across from each other and be okay."
"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs."
"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday."
"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other."
"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you."
"You can break love, but it won't die."
For God so loved the world …
Love one another as I have loved you …
Love God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind … love your neighbor as yourself …
Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. (1 Corinthians 13)
What does it mean to be baptized, but to live in the love of God … a turbulent sea … fierce grace … “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so,” but Jesus says, “Take up your cross and follow me” … “deny yourself and put God first” … “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”
I’m reading Thomas Merton’s autobiography, The Seven Story Mountain … after graduating from Columbia University, Merton was in turmoil, the kind of turmoil only God can cause – wrestling with angels and fighting with demons …
After his conversion to faith and then his entry into the Roman Catholic Church by baptism, Merton decides to become a priest.
He begins the process of entering the Franciscan order … because he believed he could keep their way of life with some ease, without a whole lot of sacrifice.
For some months, it was all sunshine and light … and no little vanity as he imagined his monastic name … Fr. John Spaniard …
Then a crisis of conscience: “I’m not cut out for this; I’m not what I appear to be” … and finally, a Franciscan counselor closes the door on Merton’s dreams, and all seems lost … Merton secures a job at St. Bonaventure’s, teaching English … he’s faithful in prayer and study, but as far he’s concerned, God closed the door to the priesthood.
The love of God at work …
I’m reading the book on which the film, There Will Be Blood, is based - Upton Sinclair’s Oil … the story of a father and his son … the father, an oilman, a self-made man who rose through the labor ranks to become a man of wealth and influence … and his son, nicknamed Bunny, a boy of considerable conscience.
The father sees the world as it is and can only say, “that’s the way it is.”
Bunny looks at the same world and asks, “Why can’t it be different?”
Set in the oil boom days of Southern California at the turn of the 19th century, it’s all about wealth and power, unions and fair wages … the conflict between capital and labor … an oil man growing old and a young boy coming of age.
Many accept the way things are, like the boy’s father … and a few dream of the way things could be, like the son.
They live with conscience stirred and shaken soul.
Is that not love at work?
Jesus reminds us that love is tough and gritty, love dreams of a world that could be better, must be better, and will be better.
Love is harsh sometimes with those it touches …
Saul flung into the dust of the Damascus Road … Peter in prison … our very own LORD tried in a kangaroo court and crucified.
Merton’s conscience stricken … abandoned, alone, without compass … as Jesus on the cross: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Yet Merton reaches a point where he surrenders … what will be will be, and it’s all right, because “It was in the hands of One Who loved me far better than I could ever love mself: and my heart was filled with peace” (p. 314).
Spiritual writers all allude to the same realities … love has a harsh edge to it, a seeming cruelty … a dark night of the soul … until the soul surrenders and lifts its vision beyond itself to the glory of God.
The clay on the potter’s wheel …
The marble shaped by a sculpture’s chisel …
The grain of wheat ground to flour …
The soul seared in the fires of God’s love …
To live the baptized life …
To stand with Jesus in the Jordan …
To welcome the prophetic message of John: do not accept the world as it is, but strive for the world as it should be.
Live the baptized life …
I visited the Holy Land in 1998, I wanted to renew my baptism, as many do when they visit Israel
I was baptized as an infant …
54 years later I wanted to step into the Jordan.
The southern reaches of the Jordan are off limits to tourists, and it’s in the south where Jesus was baptized … the wilderness, desert, barren mountains, sand and stone, hot and dry … where the Jordan runs shallow as it enters the Dead Sea.
The landscape of the north is very different; green hills and verdant valleys; the Jordan runs deeper and muddier, with steep, overgrown banks.
In the north, where the river leaves the Sea of Galilee, there’s tourist center, with a large parking lot for the buses … you can go there, buy a simple plasticized paper robe (remember to take along your swimming suit) step into a dressing room, then down a winding sidewalk to a pool cut into the banks of the Jordan.
The bus parked … we all got out and walked over to the tourist center … aisles of kitsch: religious trinkets, statuary of every sort … and out around the back, the walkway to the Jordan.
Some of my tour-mates bought the paper robe, stepped to the dressing room and then down to the Jordan.
I walked outside … and there in the pool below me, 25 Pentecostals from Korea.
Splashing around and shouting in the Spirit, making more noise then a fourth grade birthday party … for them, a remarkable moment, I’m sure … for me, anything but.
I felt a deep sense of revulsion … the kitsch, the muddy water, the shouting, the tourists.
It wasn’t my cup of tea …
What does it mean to live the baptized life?
From 1978 to 1990, I was pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Sapulpa, Oklahoma, a suburb of Tulsa … I learned there of baptism renewal services for Presbyterians … giving folks a chance to renew their sense of baptism.
Roman Catholics remember their baptism with the sprinkling of Holy Water; every time a Roman Catholic enters a Roman Church, the first thing done is to dip a finger into small bowls of water affixed to the wall, making the sign of the cross on their forehead, reminding themselves, “I’m baptized.”
At the Abbey of Gethsemane, every evening at the end of mass, the monks and guests file forward to be sprinkled by the Abbot, to be reminded of their baptism … the last thing before bed: “I am baptized.”
Some things deserve to be remembered:
Every year, we remember our birthday; we throw a party, open gifts and sing “Happy Birthday” off key.
We remember our anniversaries … we do Thanksgiving every year … we mark time and remember who we are by such things.
A renewal of baptism is much the same … a time to remember where it began for us … a little Jordan River; a baptismal font … “in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.”
The church in Oklahoma did a renewal of baptism service every other year, and I’ve continued doing that for the last 25 years … giving folks a chance to remember …
In a few moments, we’ll do a renewal of baptism … we’ll step to the chancel, kneel if we can … receive the water crossed on our forehead … remember our baptism … Yes, I belong to Christ, the beloved Son of God, and the beloved Son of God is my LORD and my Savior. By his love, I am baptized! Amen and Amen!
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Star Gazing - January 6, 2008
“Merry Christmas,” we say.
“Happy New Year!”
How about “Exciting Epiphany!”
“I had an epiphany,” we say when surprised with a good idea.
Epiphany Sunday – a very good idea.
The word “epiphany” means … revealing; uncovering … making known … a disclosure, a discovery …
In this case, the revealing of the Son of God … and the love of God for all the world … everyone included … no one left behind!
An epiphany of capital order …
Epiphany Sunday … the journey of the magi … astrologers from the east … months of travel … all the way to Jerusalem; then to the little town of Bethlehem … to present their gifts to the King of the Jews.
Matthew is spare in his details … who were these magi, these magicians, these court astrologers?
Though the hymn sings, “we three kings,” kings they were not, but royal advisors … they came from the East, Babylon perhaps, or even Persia.
What was it they saw in the sky?
All sorts of suggestions over the years … a comet, a planetary conjunction, or a super nova ...
Whatever it was, they saw a portent in the sky – a king to be born, in lands to the west.
They go to Jerusalem to inquire of King Herod, thinking that an heir was born, and Herod would know.
But Herod hasn’t a clue … clever man that he is, he inquires of his royal advisors … they have the answer.
Bethlehem … that’s where it’s going to happen … the City of David … the House of Bread.
So the magi continue on to Bethlehem, another 6 miles or so … and looking to the sky, they know they’ve arrived.
They bow down and lay before the manger royal gifts: gold and rare spices … frankincense and myrrh …
And just as quickly, they return to their homeland … the end of the story … no more is said about the magi from the East.
In these few verses, Matthew creates a timeless pattern …
A Star in the night …
Journey & Discovery …
Gifts given …
Return home …
What’s your star? You have one you know!
Maybe a book you’re reading,
Maybe a stroll in the mountains, or a walk along the beach …
A movie image, a fragment of dialogue; music.
A chat with a friend and a glass of wine.
Watching a gull soar lazily in the blue.
A quiet afternoon, a strange constellation of swirling memories …
A great heartache, a longing, a hunger, a thirst … blessed are those who hunger and thirst for God for they will be satisfied.
We all have a star, something beckons us onward … “Don’t give up” … “stay the course” … “you’ll make it” … “it’s going to be all right.”
A friend of mine is going to be ordained January 27 … the same date I was ordained 38 years ago.
She came to me 10 or 12 years ago and said, “God is calling me.”
She came to the church as a young mother, started teaching Sunday School, something laid hold of her … she couldn’t shake it, she didn’t know what it was … but she knew Who it was … “God is calling me,” she said.
She explored that calling for five years … numerous visits with me; she joined a small group of similar travelers … trying to put the pieces together … saying yes with all her heart, and then saying no.
My little mantra: “God will make it clear.”
During one particularly difficult time, she came to an Ash Wednesday service … bound and determined to “just sit there” … but as God would have it, she sat next to Donna.
When the invitation was given to receive the ashes, Donna got up, turned to Ruthanne, offered her hand, and said, “Let’s go.”
Ruthanne got up, came forward, received the ashes …
Ruthanne said, “Donna got me there. I wouldn’t have received the ashes were it not for Donna’s hand.”
God was in Donna’s hand that night.
For Ruthanne, that simple journey from pew to chancel was a decisive journey … something broke lose; a divide was crossed … from that moment on, though difficult days lay ahead, she was clear about the journey!
The Bible is a book of many journeys … Adam and Eve leave the garden; Abraham goes to the Promised Land; Moses to Midian and back again to Egypt … God’s people on their way through the wilderness and across the Jordan …
Jesus is a journey-man … restless and ready … on the move, on the go … preaching here and there … reaching everyone He can …
“Come and follow me” is the heart of our faith, restless and ready.
Always one more place to go,
A new idea to explore,
A new mission to undertake …
We never arrive; we never settle down …
We’re a people on the move,
Because the LORD we worship and
The God we serve are on the road
Ahead of us.
Ruthanne’s journey wasn’t easy … never is … wish it were, but it isn’t.
The clay on the wheel shaped by the potter’s hand must sometimes think: “There’s gotta be an easier way.”
In the dark places of the earth … pressure and heat transform soft carbon into hard diamond – the carbon must sometimes think: “There’s gotta be an easier way.”
You and I become servants of the Most High God, followers of Jesus Christ … it’s not an easy journey … we sometimes think, “There’s gotta be an easier way.”
But the clay becomes the pot … the carbon becomes the diamond … you and I become the Servants of the Most High God and the followers of Jesus.
We make it … love has a compass … though often feeling lost, we’re never lost, because God has an eye upon the sparrow!
God is beside us, within us … mostly hidden and obscure … but God will never let us go.
The magi make it … their journey a success … divine intervention here and there – who doesn’t need a little help now and then?
They make it to the manger; they find the Star-Child … they discover the glory.
Thirty years later Jesus said:
‘Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened (Matthew 7:7-8).
The magi find a place for their gifts … where every gift belongs … beside the manger.
We all have royal gifts to give … the golden gift of love … the sweet incense of mercy and kindness …
Gifts for the Master …
Life robs us sometimes of knowing our gifts … our spirits are mugged by folks who themselves were mugged …
Life hits hard … we hang our heads and declare ourselves worthless … “I’m no good. My life is a mess. I’m a failure.”
But every one of us is a magi!
We have gifts indelibly affixed to our lives … permanent gifts … slightly different for each of us … wonderfully shaped to fit the contours of our character … my gifts, your gifts … and we lay them down before the Star-Child, we lay them down at Bethlehem …
There by the manger, our gifts shine … the gold is brighter, the incense sweeter … the gifts find their rightful place …
The story ends simply: the magi return home!
I like that.
There’s something good and basic about that … simple and ordinary … nothing fancy or strange …
God takes us on a long and difficult journey … and in due time, we make our discovery, we find what we’re looking for, we lay our gifts by the manger.
Then, home again … back to where it started … ordinary life, but we’re different for the journey.
Journeys change us!
So many of my memories are journey-memories … a little boy in the backseat of a 1955 Dodge, sitting next to my brother, Mom and Dad in the front, on our way to Florida.
The college band tour … my friend, Freddie Cladder asks me to take his place in a Canasta game – I take his place at the table, and my partner is Donna, and, yup, she’s been my partner ever since …
My first trip to the Netherlands … getting off the plane, an overwhelming feeling of homecoming – roots, where it all began … going to the hotel, hearing the concierge pronounce my name correctly …
Our first trip to Greece to visit Rachel … the Parthenon … the boat to Mykonos … Rachel on the dock waving at us.
Journeys change us …
We come back home from the manger … oh so different … “you are the salt of the earth and the light of the world.”
Have an Exciting Epiphany!
Amen!
“Happy New Year!”
How about “Exciting Epiphany!”
“I had an epiphany,” we say when surprised with a good idea.
Epiphany Sunday – a very good idea.
The word “epiphany” means … revealing; uncovering … making known … a disclosure, a discovery …
In this case, the revealing of the Son of God … and the love of God for all the world … everyone included … no one left behind!
An epiphany of capital order …
Epiphany Sunday … the journey of the magi … astrologers from the east … months of travel … all the way to Jerusalem; then to the little town of Bethlehem … to present their gifts to the King of the Jews.
Matthew is spare in his details … who were these magi, these magicians, these court astrologers?
Though the hymn sings, “we three kings,” kings they were not, but royal advisors … they came from the East, Babylon perhaps, or even Persia.
What was it they saw in the sky?
All sorts of suggestions over the years … a comet, a planetary conjunction, or a super nova ...
Whatever it was, they saw a portent in the sky – a king to be born, in lands to the west.
They go to Jerusalem to inquire of King Herod, thinking that an heir was born, and Herod would know.
But Herod hasn’t a clue … clever man that he is, he inquires of his royal advisors … they have the answer.
Bethlehem … that’s where it’s going to happen … the City of David … the House of Bread.
So the magi continue on to Bethlehem, another 6 miles or so … and looking to the sky, they know they’ve arrived.
They bow down and lay before the manger royal gifts: gold and rare spices … frankincense and myrrh …
And just as quickly, they return to their homeland … the end of the story … no more is said about the magi from the East.
In these few verses, Matthew creates a timeless pattern …
A Star in the night …
Journey & Discovery …
Gifts given …
Return home …
What’s your star? You have one you know!
Maybe a book you’re reading,
Maybe a stroll in the mountains, or a walk along the beach …
A movie image, a fragment of dialogue; music.
A chat with a friend and a glass of wine.
Watching a gull soar lazily in the blue.
A quiet afternoon, a strange constellation of swirling memories …
A great heartache, a longing, a hunger, a thirst … blessed are those who hunger and thirst for God for they will be satisfied.
We all have a star, something beckons us onward … “Don’t give up” … “stay the course” … “you’ll make it” … “it’s going to be all right.”
A friend of mine is going to be ordained January 27 … the same date I was ordained 38 years ago.
She came to me 10 or 12 years ago and said, “God is calling me.”
She came to the church as a young mother, started teaching Sunday School, something laid hold of her … she couldn’t shake it, she didn’t know what it was … but she knew Who it was … “God is calling me,” she said.
She explored that calling for five years … numerous visits with me; she joined a small group of similar travelers … trying to put the pieces together … saying yes with all her heart, and then saying no.
My little mantra: “God will make it clear.”
During one particularly difficult time, she came to an Ash Wednesday service … bound and determined to “just sit there” … but as God would have it, she sat next to Donna.
When the invitation was given to receive the ashes, Donna got up, turned to Ruthanne, offered her hand, and said, “Let’s go.”
Ruthanne got up, came forward, received the ashes …
Ruthanne said, “Donna got me there. I wouldn’t have received the ashes were it not for Donna’s hand.”
God was in Donna’s hand that night.
For Ruthanne, that simple journey from pew to chancel was a decisive journey … something broke lose; a divide was crossed … from that moment on, though difficult days lay ahead, she was clear about the journey!
The Bible is a book of many journeys … Adam and Eve leave the garden; Abraham goes to the Promised Land; Moses to Midian and back again to Egypt … God’s people on their way through the wilderness and across the Jordan …
Jesus is a journey-man … restless and ready … on the move, on the go … preaching here and there … reaching everyone He can …
“Come and follow me” is the heart of our faith, restless and ready.
Always one more place to go,
A new idea to explore,
A new mission to undertake …
We never arrive; we never settle down …
We’re a people on the move,
Because the LORD we worship and
The God we serve are on the road
Ahead of us.
Ruthanne’s journey wasn’t easy … never is … wish it were, but it isn’t.
The clay on the wheel shaped by the potter’s hand must sometimes think: “There’s gotta be an easier way.”
In the dark places of the earth … pressure and heat transform soft carbon into hard diamond – the carbon must sometimes think: “There’s gotta be an easier way.”
You and I become servants of the Most High God, followers of Jesus Christ … it’s not an easy journey … we sometimes think, “There’s gotta be an easier way.”
But the clay becomes the pot … the carbon becomes the diamond … you and I become the Servants of the Most High God and the followers of Jesus.
We make it … love has a compass … though often feeling lost, we’re never lost, because God has an eye upon the sparrow!
God is beside us, within us … mostly hidden and obscure … but God will never let us go.
The magi make it … their journey a success … divine intervention here and there – who doesn’t need a little help now and then?
They make it to the manger; they find the Star-Child … they discover the glory.
Thirty years later Jesus said:
‘Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened (Matthew 7:7-8).
The magi find a place for their gifts … where every gift belongs … beside the manger.
We all have royal gifts to give … the golden gift of love … the sweet incense of mercy and kindness …
Gifts for the Master …
Life robs us sometimes of knowing our gifts … our spirits are mugged by folks who themselves were mugged …
Life hits hard … we hang our heads and declare ourselves worthless … “I’m no good. My life is a mess. I’m a failure.”
But every one of us is a magi!
We have gifts indelibly affixed to our lives … permanent gifts … slightly different for each of us … wonderfully shaped to fit the contours of our character … my gifts, your gifts … and we lay them down before the Star-Child, we lay them down at Bethlehem …
There by the manger, our gifts shine … the gold is brighter, the incense sweeter … the gifts find their rightful place …
The story ends simply: the magi return home!
I like that.
There’s something good and basic about that … simple and ordinary … nothing fancy or strange …
God takes us on a long and difficult journey … and in due time, we make our discovery, we find what we’re looking for, we lay our gifts by the manger.
Then, home again … back to where it started … ordinary life, but we’re different for the journey.
Journeys change us!
So many of my memories are journey-memories … a little boy in the backseat of a 1955 Dodge, sitting next to my brother, Mom and Dad in the front, on our way to Florida.
The college band tour … my friend, Freddie Cladder asks me to take his place in a Canasta game – I take his place at the table, and my partner is Donna, and, yup, she’s been my partner ever since …
My first trip to the Netherlands … getting off the plane, an overwhelming feeling of homecoming – roots, where it all began … going to the hotel, hearing the concierge pronounce my name correctly …
Our first trip to Greece to visit Rachel … the Parthenon … the boat to Mykonos … Rachel on the dock waving at us.
Journeys change us …
We come back home from the manger … oh so different … “you are the salt of the earth and the light of the world.”
Have an Exciting Epiphany!
Amen!
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