This sermon was heard at the First Presbyterian Church in Berryville, Arkansas on Sunday March 29, 2009, the 5th Sunday in Lent.
Jeremiah 31:31-34
Psalm 51:1-12
Hebrews 5:5-10
John 12:20-33
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer. Amen.
Next week we celebrate Palm Sunday. So this is the time of year when we break out the DVD’s of “The Passion of the Christ,” “Jesus Christ Superstar,” and “Godspell.” Marie agrees with this statement so strongly that she is singing “Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord” to herself right now. That’s fine with me; any of you who wish to sing along with her are welcome to go right ahead. Of the three, “Godspell” is my favorite film of the Passion genre. In their own way, each of these movies is a recreation of the final day of life of Jesus on earth. Well, let’s just say it’s the first-last day. We’ll get to that in a couple of weeks.
The scene in our gospel reading comes immediately after the events we will celebrate next week, Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem. Jesus came to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. This isn’t the first celebration of the Passover in John’s gospel. John 2 contains the earliest account of Jesus at the Passover festival. John 5 has Jesus coming to Jerusalem for a festival, but it could have been First Fruits or Tabernacles or Passover. Jesus made other trips for other festivals during his life too.
The point here is that Jesus knew his way around the temple and since he would teach while he was there, the temple knew him too. But this time, something different is going on, there is a charge in the air like before a storm. There is a feeling that something new is about to happen, and it begins with the arrival of some Greeks. The Greeks who had come to see the festival were also there to see Jesus. So they sought Philip and Andrew, the Apostles with Greek names, to make the introduction.
What’s so important about the arrival of the Greeks? The Greeks were travelers, not just tourists. The cosmopolitan Greeks would come, learn, and take the cultures they encounter with them. This is how the most important transcripts of the New Testament came to be written in Greek. According to a reference on Greece, “Not only is the New Testament a Greek book, but all Christian literature down to the early third century, even in Rome and the West, and to this day in the East, is in Greek.”[1]
Greek was the language of art and culture. This is how so many of the works of Ancient Greece have survived when so many works of other cultures have been lost to antiquity. The Greeks were the travelers and philosophers of the day, constantly moving from place to place drinking in the culture of the world.
So when Jesus gets the news that the Greeks had arrived from Philip and Andrew, Jesus knew that his time, his hour, had come. Where in every prior instance in the gospel Jesus had kept the “messianic secret,” now there was no need. His time had come; he is to be lifted up.
Jesus told everyone who was around him “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” He used a story with an agricultural base to show them explosive growth. He told them when a single seed dies in the proper way and time it produces much fruit. He lets them know this death is necessary.
He tells them that people who love their life will lose it and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Such a twisted statement would be confusing but it is ultimately comforting. It is joyful when we realize what is gained by eternal life; a life of plenty to be lived today, life where those who serve the Lord will be honored by the Father.
Then Jesus tells us a story that doesn’t seem quite right coming from the mouth of the Son of Man, his soul is troubled. Yes, the Lord our Savior is disturbed by what he knows is to come. God Incarnate is in personal turmoil over what will follow oh so soon. But he knows that it is for this reason that he has come to this very hour.
Jesus knows his own story. Jesus knows what is to come and what is to follow. He knows of the pain and the mocking and the torture and the death. He knows what is to come, what is to follow. He knows he will be betrayed by one of his followers, his Apostle Judas Iscariot.
It is this scene the betrayal that I find the most touching in “Godspell.” Jesus has just finished teaching his disciples the final lessons. There is a sense of hurry. Jesus is rushed, but not panicked. Then Judas arrives with the garrison. Judas comes to give the kiss that will separate Jesus from everyone else.
When Judas stands before the messiah, he cannot do it. He cannot betray Jesus with a holy kiss. Jesus stands before Judas and says, “Do what you have come to do.” Judas balks. Maybe Judas is even reconsidering the whole plan; maybe he can’t betray Jesus after all. Jesus says “Do what you have come to do.” Judas is frozen. So Jesus suddenly and quickly leans in and kisses Judas… and smiles. Then the chaos of the arrest begins.
Jesus knows his story. He knows what has to happen. He knows his destiny and he both dreads and embraces it. To me, this is the glory of the scene from “Godspell.” Jesus knows what has to happen and when the scene’s other principal cannot bring himself to do it, Jesus does. Jesus knows his own story so well that when others don’t follow the script, Jesus takes over and ensures that what must happen happens.
There are very few movie scenes that make me cry, but that one does it every time.
Jesus came to glorify the Father and the Father glorifies the Son. This is affirmed by the voice of God who says for all with ears to hear “I have glorified my name and I will glorify it again.” Jesus tells the people what they heard was for their sake, not his own. Jesus doesn’t need to hear the story, he knows it well enough. We need to know the story. We need the affirmation of the Word of God, so we hear it for our sake. We hear it to affirm the story of faith in the world.
We have our stories too. Take a moment out of this busy day and ask God to remind you of an important story in your life with God. Let me share this example from the beginning of my life in this part of the body of Christ.
Four years ago in Conway, Arkansas, I was examined by the Committee on Preparation for Ministry at a meeting of the Presbytery. I had preached a sermon. I was questioned by the committee. When it was finished, as is the tradition in this Presbytery, I left the sanctuary as the Presbytery discussed the issue. When it was over, Marie and I reentered the assembly to applause and rejoicing. The moderator then asked members of the Berryville congregation to stand and be recognized. Wayne and Janet were there standing, so was Shelly. Carolyn was with her.
I smiled with the love of God coursing in my very being. It was a glorious moment. I went over to the corner of the sanctuary where Shelly and Carolyn were. Carolyn was beginning to tire, it had been a long day, and she and Shelly were getting ready to return home.
I leaned over and hugged Carolyn. She said, “I love you.” And I said “I love you too.” By the grace and love of God, at that moment, I became her pastor. At that moment I began to love her as a pastor loves every member of the church, with the love God calls all of us to share with one another. In that moment, I went from being a candidate for ministry to being a minister, her minister. It was a wonderful moment, and it came only by the love and grace of God.
Jesus had a story to tell and an audience to take it with them. And when they left Palestine, after the Passover, after the crucifixion, after the resurrection; the Greeks would take word of Jesus with them.
We too have stories to tell, stories of how the Lord has lifted our lives. Take a moment here and now, and consider the question. Ask God to remind you of an important story in your life with God. Our lives in God are filled with wonderful stories, stories of peace, mercy, and joy; stories of power and might, stories of sorrow and redemption. Be reminded of these stories and do yourself a favor, share them at lunch today. Share the stories of God as you break bread. Then you will taste and see that the Lord is good.
Take a couple of minutes to contemplate your story.
Amen
[1] The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, “Greece,” part 9, Age of Hellenism.
Showing posts with label ordination. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ordination. Show all posts
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Stay in the Boat
This sermon was heard at the First Presbyterian Church in Berryville, Arkansas on Sunday August 10, 2008, the 19th Sunday of Ordinary Time.
Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28
Psalm 105:1-6, 16-22, 45b
Romans 10:5-15
Matthew 14:22-33
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer. Amen
This week I have been reading the fallout from the last General Assembly in San Jose. Fallout is a horribly appropriate word because some of the responses I have read from denominational and independent Presbyterian publications have been nuclear. In some, you’d think the sky was falling and with it radiation that will kill us all, the unfaithful at least.
Some say the church isn’t interested enough in mission. Others say the church isn’t interested enough in evangelism. Some say it doesn’t use the gifts of its members. Others say some members aren’t pure enough to share their gifts. Presbyterian ordination vows call Deacons, Elders, and Ministers of the Word and Sacrament to work for the peace, purity, and unity of the church; though the church can’t agree on how to do this, or in what order.
As for me, I believe that the Lord our God, God in three persons, the blessed trinity is sovereign over all creation. There is nothing we can do to separate God’s love from us. All that we have comes from the Lord.
I want to preach a cheery and light sermon; instead I am asking you to pull out your radiation suits and head off to the Fallout Shelter with me.
Jesus made the disciples, the twelve apostles along with other believers, go to the other side of the sea, shipping them off in a boat while he saw off the rest of the crowds. For the first time in Matthew’s gospel Jesus sent the disciples off on their own.
For the disciples, it must have been like kids being sent off to camp for the first time. For Jesus, it must have been like being the parent. No wonder Jesus went off to pray.
So later in the evening, early in the morning really, the boat was being buffeted by the waves. Headway was difficult and the sea was dangerous. Jesus didn’t promise them an easy journey, he just told them to get going.
The sea holds a special meaning for the Jewish disciples. To them, the sea was a place of danger. Not only did they know the dangers of the sea fishermen knew first hand; they also knew from the creation story that the waters were the place of chaos. The waters were a place of danger and death. Their worst known and unknown fears were before their very eyes in the pre-dawn darkness.
Without Jesus their lives were in chaos, and they feared dying without him.
In their rain soaked wind battered vessel, suddenly, they see their Lord, Jesus Christ, walking toward them on the water.
“Is it a ghost?” “Nope” Jesus responds, “it’s just little ole me.” That’s the way it reads in English, but the people heard him say “I AM,” not “It’s me.” They heard him invoke the holiest of holy names for himself. That might have been even scarier than a ghost.
One of the speeches given at the General Assembly was from the new Stated Clerk of the General Assembly, the Reverend Gradye Parsons. Using this story from Luke’s gospel, he told the assembly, “Get into the boat. Go across the lake. There will be a storm. You will not die.”
The latest issue of “The Layman,”[1] a publication of the conservative Presbyterian Lay Committee, arrived at the church on Thursday. A letter to the editor from Elder Marilyn Arledge, Clerk of Session from the Presbyterian Church in Fallbrook, California, took issue with part of Reverend Parsons’ statement. She takes issue with the phrase, “you will not die.” She asks “where have we heard that before? In Genesis 3:4 the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die.’”
I agree with her. If we were locked in a room together she and I may find that we don’t have much in common, but I agree with her on this point. Reverend Parsons’ wording harkens back to the serpent. I’m sure he didn’t mean it this way, but all we have to judge his message by are his words.
Jesus tells the disciples not to be afraid. Jesus tells them He is who he is, as the Lord God told Moses I AM WHO I AM. So Peter, the rock (and with a nickname like that shouldn’t we have seen what’s coming next), he says, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” Jesus says, “Come” and Peter does.
It’s all good for a couple of steps; but when pummeled by the wind and the rain and the waves; the chaos of water and life overwhelm Peter and he begins sink. He cries again, “Lord, save me!” Jesus immediately reaches out to Peter saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”
The traditional reading of these last words of Jesus on the water is taken to tell the world that with a little more faith, Peter would have made it to Jesus. Imagine my surprise to find this is not what the commentaries say.[2] The commentaries say this passage is about the church, the church represented by the ship.
Jesus sends the church onto the chaotic sea of creation. As then, we are called to do the work the Lord has sent us to do. We are to faithfully live our vocation as the people of Christ. This has been the call of the church since the days of Moses, since the days of Jesus, and this is the call we are still called to fulfill today.
But as usual, Peter has his own ideas. He sees the Lord on the sea and says, “If it is you, then command me to come to you,” and the Lord replies “Come.” People see Peter’s subsequent sinking as a sign that his faith isn’t strong enough. With just a little more faith, Peter could have made it to Jesus and they could have walked together in victory to the boat. Well, that’s not it.
First of all, this command to come is not a case of Jesus testing Peter’s faith. This is Peter testing Jesus. “If it is you, then command me to come to you.” Jesus won’t tell a lie. He’s Lord, it is he, and he is who he is. Jesus is answering Peter’s question, “is it you?” the way he asked it be answered, “Command me to come!”
You gotta give it to Jesus; he answers our prayers even when it makes us look foolish.
So Peter leaves the relative safety of the boat and tries to get to Jesus on his own. And when Peter does, the treacherous world drops on his head and he begins to sink. Only to be plucked out of chaos by Jesus, the gracious Lord who takes Peter by the hand and returns him to the boat.
In the allegory, Peter not only leaves the boat, he leaves the church and tries to get to Jesus on his own. When we try to get to God on our own, inevitably chaos overwhelms us and we sink. When we leave the church, the church as the body of Christ, to find God on our own, we ultimately find ourselves sinking in the morass of chaos.
Peter’s little faith is not that he couldn’t get to Jesus. His little faith was that he thought leaving the boat, the church, was the way to get to Jesus.
Reverend Parsons told the church “get on the boat, you will not die.”
Hear now this word for the body of Christ: “Stay in the boat, Jesus is coming.” He is in the word and in the world. He may not be coming quickly enough to suit us. The ride is going to be bumpy, but that’s the way it is on the sea. Still Jesus tells us to take heart, be courageous, do not be afraid. The promise remains; in the Lord Jesus we receive eternal life.
Stay in the boat; Jesus is coming. He shows us as he walks on the water to the vessel. We don’t have to leave what he has ordained; the church which is his body.
Out of seminary, a friend of mine was called to a church in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He was on staff at a large church which serves as a training ground for many new church leaders. After the last General Assembly, the Senior Pastor told my friend that he thinks the PC (USA) will be completely different in fifty years, and he is pessimistic about it. Looking at history I agree, but I am optimistic.
It has been less than fifty years since the church accepted divorced persons into ordained ministry.[3] Fifty years ago, the first women had just been ordained as Ministers of Word and Sacrament. Fifty years before that, women had just begun to be ordained as deacons and elders.[4] Fifty years before that, the first African American was ordained to ministry in the denomination that became the PC (USA). Just before this time, the church split completely over slavery.
Faithful biblical scholars, theologians, and church leaders were absolutely certain that ordination of women, divorced persons, and African Americans was contrary to scripture and the will of God.
Paul’s letters and the words of the Old Testament support these views. Yet the church has made it past these injunctions to encompass a broader view of ordination. The church isn’t the same as it was 50 years ago, or 100 or 150 for that matter; and in the ministry of those formerly excluded the church has made wondrous glorious strides. So the church reformed and always being reformed will probably be different fifty years from now too.
While this may be a lament to some, I wonder if this lament has changed since the days of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. As pessimistic as the nay-sayers were then, the church survives. And I am optimistic that it will continue and thrive.
In this same issue of the Layman, Stephen Brown, an elder at First Presbyterian Church in Haines City, Florida and Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of the Presbyterian Lay Committee wrote an editorial about the absurdity of battles over church property and the authority of Scripture. He writes:[5]
Upon examination, any reasonable, objective observer will conclude there are at least two faiths within the Presbyterian Church (USA). And only one of them is Christian. Of course, this assumes we define a Christian as one who believes in the authority of Scripture and believes Jesus is who He said He is.
While I may be putting words into the editorial; the “authority of Scripture” he refers to is the scriptural witness about homosexuality. From this I also make the assumption that he believes himself to be a Christian, and he believes I am not; nor is this part of the body of Christ because we do not dismiss homosexuality out of hand as an abomination before God.
The Reverend Ted Foote[6] once said that that people who believe as Elder Brown does are whole heartedly seeking to advance the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He just doesn’t think, in his words, “They believe the same about us.” Judging from Elder Brown’s quote, Reverend Foote’s assessment is true.
Yet there is a problem with Reverend Foote’s statement, he had a very specific “they” in mind when he spoke which was lost when I repeated it. Regardless of who uses labels and accusations, they are too broad to speak the truth.
Elder Brown is saying I am not on the boat. I say we are on the same boat, different decks perhaps, but still the same boat. I believe Jesus is who He said then and still says today he is; the Son of God and the Son of Man. He is sovereign over all creation.
His sovereignty is found in Genesis when the wind, the Spirit of God, swept over the waters and in a word God said “Let there be light, and there was light. We find evidence of his sovereignty when God said, “Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters,” separating the waters of chaos from the waters of life.
Our reading brings Jesus enforcing his sovereignty over the waters of chaos walking above them and stilling them, causing the people to bow and worship saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
We find his sovereignty affirmed in the words of Paul in Romans when he writes “there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
If Paul had been asked to make a better list of those in whom there is no distinction, I don’t think he would have written a disclaimer worthy of a car ad on TV. Something like: “there is no distinction between people; including but not limited to Jew and Greek, Israelite and gentile, slave and free, men and women, black and white, rich and poor, homosexual and heterosexual, oppressor and oppressed, western and eastern, Middle Eastern and European, Catholic and Protestant, ninety days same as cash with approved credit, dealer retains all incentives.” Though the denomination did just that creating a list in “A Brief Statement of Faith,” the confession we use for today’s affirmation of faith.[7]
Paul would have told us to be like Jesus, the one who ate with prostitutes, tax collectors, scribes, Pharisees, and other sinners. He would have reminded us God is our refuge and our strength. He would have told us the world will know we are Christians by our love. Paul would have told us all and Paul tells the world, not just to get on the boat as Jesus commanded, but stay in the boat. He’s coming.
Paul says, righteousness that comes from faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” It is not for either Elder Brown or me for that matter to say whether someone is on the boat. The Lord knows.
Jesus called the disciples to the boat. Some had been ordained as apostles, others had not. Yesterday, today, and tomorrow, ordination comes from God in three persons and from nobody else. And let’s be completely honest, there are some of the original twelve apostles none of us would ever want to see in church much less leading it; loud men, honor-seeking men, fickle men, doubting men, and the most notorious clergy killer in history.
Many of us would not have picked these people, but the Lord did. It’s amazing what the Lord is able to do with all of us sinners on board.
Much in the same way he sent the disciples across the sea, Jesus sent the church into the world. He didn’t tell the people he would meet them on the water, but he promises us that where the church comes together he is present. He called the church into existence to be his body and do his work. He excluded nobody from becoming his disciple and showed us the way to be together in him. The Lord uses sinners of all stripes to be his people, bringing the kingdom of heaven on earth. He didn’t say it would be an easy journey, he just says to get going.
Let’s all, all of us stay on the boat. The word is coming. Let’s all be here when he gets on board. For when he comes, as happened two thousand years ago, those in the boat will worship him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
[1] “The Layman,” Vol. 41, No. 4, July 2008, page 22
[2] New Interpreter’s Bible. Volume VIII. Leander Keck, General Editor. Abingdon: Nashville, 1995 pages 322-326. Interpretation. Matthew. James Mays, Series Editor. John Knox Press: Louisville, 1993, pages 167-171.
[3] Rogers, Jack, “Jesus, the Bible, and Homosexuality; Explode the Myths, Heal the Church.” Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2006, page 43.
[4] “Celebrating Turning Points in Women’s Ordination,” http://www.pcusa.org/pcnews/2006/06538.htm, retrieved August 9, 2008.
[5] “Layman,” ibid, page 7
[6] These comments were made during a plenary at a Presbytery of Arkansas Christian Education Committee workshop featuring Foote in 2006. He is the author of “Being Presbyterian in the Bible Belt” and “Being Disciples in a Dot Com World.” Formerly Pastor at John Calvin Presbyterian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, he is now Senior Pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Bryan, Texas.
[7] Our Affirmation of Faith came from the PC (USA)’s A Brief Statement of Faith, lines 27-36 and 39-40
We trust in God,
whom Jesus called Abba, Father.
In sovereign love God created the world good
and makes everyone equally in God's image,
male and female, of every race and people,
to live as one community.
But we rebel against God; we hide from our Creator.
Ignoring God's commandments,
we violate the image of God in others and ourselves,
accept lies as truth,
We deserve God's condemnation.
Yet God acts with justice and mercy to redeem creation.
Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28
Psalm 105:1-6, 16-22, 45b
Romans 10:5-15
Matthew 14:22-33
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer. Amen
This week I have been reading the fallout from the last General Assembly in San Jose. Fallout is a horribly appropriate word because some of the responses I have read from denominational and independent Presbyterian publications have been nuclear. In some, you’d think the sky was falling and with it radiation that will kill us all, the unfaithful at least.
Some say the church isn’t interested enough in mission. Others say the church isn’t interested enough in evangelism. Some say it doesn’t use the gifts of its members. Others say some members aren’t pure enough to share their gifts. Presbyterian ordination vows call Deacons, Elders, and Ministers of the Word and Sacrament to work for the peace, purity, and unity of the church; though the church can’t agree on how to do this, or in what order.
As for me, I believe that the Lord our God, God in three persons, the blessed trinity is sovereign over all creation. There is nothing we can do to separate God’s love from us. All that we have comes from the Lord.
I want to preach a cheery and light sermon; instead I am asking you to pull out your radiation suits and head off to the Fallout Shelter with me.
Jesus made the disciples, the twelve apostles along with other believers, go to the other side of the sea, shipping them off in a boat while he saw off the rest of the crowds. For the first time in Matthew’s gospel Jesus sent the disciples off on their own.
For the disciples, it must have been like kids being sent off to camp for the first time. For Jesus, it must have been like being the parent. No wonder Jesus went off to pray.
So later in the evening, early in the morning really, the boat was being buffeted by the waves. Headway was difficult and the sea was dangerous. Jesus didn’t promise them an easy journey, he just told them to get going.
The sea holds a special meaning for the Jewish disciples. To them, the sea was a place of danger. Not only did they know the dangers of the sea fishermen knew first hand; they also knew from the creation story that the waters were the place of chaos. The waters were a place of danger and death. Their worst known and unknown fears were before their very eyes in the pre-dawn darkness.
Without Jesus their lives were in chaos, and they feared dying without him.
In their rain soaked wind battered vessel, suddenly, they see their Lord, Jesus Christ, walking toward them on the water.
“Is it a ghost?” “Nope” Jesus responds, “it’s just little ole me.” That’s the way it reads in English, but the people heard him say “I AM,” not “It’s me.” They heard him invoke the holiest of holy names for himself. That might have been even scarier than a ghost.
One of the speeches given at the General Assembly was from the new Stated Clerk of the General Assembly, the Reverend Gradye Parsons. Using this story from Luke’s gospel, he told the assembly, “Get into the boat. Go across the lake. There will be a storm. You will not die.”
The latest issue of “The Layman,”[1] a publication of the conservative Presbyterian Lay Committee, arrived at the church on Thursday. A letter to the editor from Elder Marilyn Arledge, Clerk of Session from the Presbyterian Church in Fallbrook, California, took issue with part of Reverend Parsons’ statement. She takes issue with the phrase, “you will not die.” She asks “where have we heard that before? In Genesis 3:4 the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die.’”
I agree with her. If we were locked in a room together she and I may find that we don’t have much in common, but I agree with her on this point. Reverend Parsons’ wording harkens back to the serpent. I’m sure he didn’t mean it this way, but all we have to judge his message by are his words.
Jesus tells the disciples not to be afraid. Jesus tells them He is who he is, as the Lord God told Moses I AM WHO I AM. So Peter, the rock (and with a nickname like that shouldn’t we have seen what’s coming next), he says, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” Jesus says, “Come” and Peter does.
It’s all good for a couple of steps; but when pummeled by the wind and the rain and the waves; the chaos of water and life overwhelm Peter and he begins sink. He cries again, “Lord, save me!” Jesus immediately reaches out to Peter saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”
The traditional reading of these last words of Jesus on the water is taken to tell the world that with a little more faith, Peter would have made it to Jesus. Imagine my surprise to find this is not what the commentaries say.[2] The commentaries say this passage is about the church, the church represented by the ship.
Jesus sends the church onto the chaotic sea of creation. As then, we are called to do the work the Lord has sent us to do. We are to faithfully live our vocation as the people of Christ. This has been the call of the church since the days of Moses, since the days of Jesus, and this is the call we are still called to fulfill today.
But as usual, Peter has his own ideas. He sees the Lord on the sea and says, “If it is you, then command me to come to you,” and the Lord replies “Come.” People see Peter’s subsequent sinking as a sign that his faith isn’t strong enough. With just a little more faith, Peter could have made it to Jesus and they could have walked together in victory to the boat. Well, that’s not it.
First of all, this command to come is not a case of Jesus testing Peter’s faith. This is Peter testing Jesus. “If it is you, then command me to come to you.” Jesus won’t tell a lie. He’s Lord, it is he, and he is who he is. Jesus is answering Peter’s question, “is it you?” the way he asked it be answered, “Command me to come!”
You gotta give it to Jesus; he answers our prayers even when it makes us look foolish.
So Peter leaves the relative safety of the boat and tries to get to Jesus on his own. And when Peter does, the treacherous world drops on his head and he begins to sink. Only to be plucked out of chaos by Jesus, the gracious Lord who takes Peter by the hand and returns him to the boat.
In the allegory, Peter not only leaves the boat, he leaves the church and tries to get to Jesus on his own. When we try to get to God on our own, inevitably chaos overwhelms us and we sink. When we leave the church, the church as the body of Christ, to find God on our own, we ultimately find ourselves sinking in the morass of chaos.
Peter’s little faith is not that he couldn’t get to Jesus. His little faith was that he thought leaving the boat, the church, was the way to get to Jesus.
Reverend Parsons told the church “get on the boat, you will not die.”
Hear now this word for the body of Christ: “Stay in the boat, Jesus is coming.” He is in the word and in the world. He may not be coming quickly enough to suit us. The ride is going to be bumpy, but that’s the way it is on the sea. Still Jesus tells us to take heart, be courageous, do not be afraid. The promise remains; in the Lord Jesus we receive eternal life.
Stay in the boat; Jesus is coming. He shows us as he walks on the water to the vessel. We don’t have to leave what he has ordained; the church which is his body.
Out of seminary, a friend of mine was called to a church in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He was on staff at a large church which serves as a training ground for many new church leaders. After the last General Assembly, the Senior Pastor told my friend that he thinks the PC (USA) will be completely different in fifty years, and he is pessimistic about it. Looking at history I agree, but I am optimistic.
It has been less than fifty years since the church accepted divorced persons into ordained ministry.[3] Fifty years ago, the first women had just been ordained as Ministers of Word and Sacrament. Fifty years before that, women had just begun to be ordained as deacons and elders.[4] Fifty years before that, the first African American was ordained to ministry in the denomination that became the PC (USA). Just before this time, the church split completely over slavery.
Faithful biblical scholars, theologians, and church leaders were absolutely certain that ordination of women, divorced persons, and African Americans was contrary to scripture and the will of God.
Paul’s letters and the words of the Old Testament support these views. Yet the church has made it past these injunctions to encompass a broader view of ordination. The church isn’t the same as it was 50 years ago, or 100 or 150 for that matter; and in the ministry of those formerly excluded the church has made wondrous glorious strides. So the church reformed and always being reformed will probably be different fifty years from now too.
While this may be a lament to some, I wonder if this lament has changed since the days of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. As pessimistic as the nay-sayers were then, the church survives. And I am optimistic that it will continue and thrive.
In this same issue of the Layman, Stephen Brown, an elder at First Presbyterian Church in Haines City, Florida and Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of the Presbyterian Lay Committee wrote an editorial about the absurdity of battles over church property and the authority of Scripture. He writes:[5]
Upon examination, any reasonable, objective observer will conclude there are at least two faiths within the Presbyterian Church (USA). And only one of them is Christian. Of course, this assumes we define a Christian as one who believes in the authority of Scripture and believes Jesus is who He said He is.
While I may be putting words into the editorial; the “authority of Scripture” he refers to is the scriptural witness about homosexuality. From this I also make the assumption that he believes himself to be a Christian, and he believes I am not; nor is this part of the body of Christ because we do not dismiss homosexuality out of hand as an abomination before God.
The Reverend Ted Foote[6] once said that that people who believe as Elder Brown does are whole heartedly seeking to advance the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He just doesn’t think, in his words, “They believe the same about us.” Judging from Elder Brown’s quote, Reverend Foote’s assessment is true.
Yet there is a problem with Reverend Foote’s statement, he had a very specific “they” in mind when he spoke which was lost when I repeated it. Regardless of who uses labels and accusations, they are too broad to speak the truth.
Elder Brown is saying I am not on the boat. I say we are on the same boat, different decks perhaps, but still the same boat. I believe Jesus is who He said then and still says today he is; the Son of God and the Son of Man. He is sovereign over all creation.
His sovereignty is found in Genesis when the wind, the Spirit of God, swept over the waters and in a word God said “Let there be light, and there was light. We find evidence of his sovereignty when God said, “Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters,” separating the waters of chaos from the waters of life.
Our reading brings Jesus enforcing his sovereignty over the waters of chaos walking above them and stilling them, causing the people to bow and worship saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
We find his sovereignty affirmed in the words of Paul in Romans when he writes “there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
If Paul had been asked to make a better list of those in whom there is no distinction, I don’t think he would have written a disclaimer worthy of a car ad on TV. Something like: “there is no distinction between people; including but not limited to Jew and Greek, Israelite and gentile, slave and free, men and women, black and white, rich and poor, homosexual and heterosexual, oppressor and oppressed, western and eastern, Middle Eastern and European, Catholic and Protestant, ninety days same as cash with approved credit, dealer retains all incentives.” Though the denomination did just that creating a list in “A Brief Statement of Faith,” the confession we use for today’s affirmation of faith.[7]
Paul would have told us to be like Jesus, the one who ate with prostitutes, tax collectors, scribes, Pharisees, and other sinners. He would have reminded us God is our refuge and our strength. He would have told us the world will know we are Christians by our love. Paul would have told us all and Paul tells the world, not just to get on the boat as Jesus commanded, but stay in the boat. He’s coming.
Paul says, righteousness that comes from faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” It is not for either Elder Brown or me for that matter to say whether someone is on the boat. The Lord knows.
Jesus called the disciples to the boat. Some had been ordained as apostles, others had not. Yesterday, today, and tomorrow, ordination comes from God in three persons and from nobody else. And let’s be completely honest, there are some of the original twelve apostles none of us would ever want to see in church much less leading it; loud men, honor-seeking men, fickle men, doubting men, and the most notorious clergy killer in history.
Many of us would not have picked these people, but the Lord did. It’s amazing what the Lord is able to do with all of us sinners on board.
Much in the same way he sent the disciples across the sea, Jesus sent the church into the world. He didn’t tell the people he would meet them on the water, but he promises us that where the church comes together he is present. He called the church into existence to be his body and do his work. He excluded nobody from becoming his disciple and showed us the way to be together in him. The Lord uses sinners of all stripes to be his people, bringing the kingdom of heaven on earth. He didn’t say it would be an easy journey, he just says to get going.
Let’s all, all of us stay on the boat. The word is coming. Let’s all be here when he gets on board. For when he comes, as happened two thousand years ago, those in the boat will worship him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
[1] “The Layman,” Vol. 41, No. 4, July 2008, page 22
[2] New Interpreter’s Bible. Volume VIII. Leander Keck, General Editor. Abingdon: Nashville, 1995 pages 322-326. Interpretation. Matthew. James Mays, Series Editor. John Knox Press: Louisville, 1993, pages 167-171.
[3] Rogers, Jack, “Jesus, the Bible, and Homosexuality; Explode the Myths, Heal the Church.” Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2006, page 43.
[4] “Celebrating Turning Points in Women’s Ordination,” http://www.pcusa.org/pcnews/2006/06538.htm, retrieved August 9, 2008.
[5] “Layman,” ibid, page 7
[6] These comments were made during a plenary at a Presbytery of Arkansas Christian Education Committee workshop featuring Foote in 2006. He is the author of “Being Presbyterian in the Bible Belt” and “Being Disciples in a Dot Com World.” Formerly Pastor at John Calvin Presbyterian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, he is now Senior Pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Bryan, Texas.
[7] Our Affirmation of Faith came from the PC (USA)’s A Brief Statement of Faith, lines 27-36 and 39-40
We trust in God,
whom Jesus called Abba, Father.
In sovereign love God created the world good
and makes everyone equally in God's image,
male and female, of every race and people,
to live as one community.
But we rebel against God; we hide from our Creator.
Ignoring God's commandments,
we violate the image of God in others and ourselves,
accept lies as truth,
We deserve God's condemnation.
Yet God acts with justice and mercy to redeem creation.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Let's Start at the Very Beginning, A Very Good Place to Start
This sermon was heard at the First Presbyterian Church in Berryville, Arkansas on Sunday June 15, 2008, the 11th Sunday of Ordinary Time.
Genesis 18:1-15
Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19
Romans 5:1-8
Matthew 9:30-10:8
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer. Amen
“Let’s start at the very beginning; a very good place to start; when you read you begin with A, B, C; when you sing you begin with do, re mi.” This is the very beginning (a very good place to start) of the song “Do, Re, Mi” from “The Sound of Music.”[1] Sage advice in any situation, and a model for our gospel reading this morning.
The wonder of the beginning of this passage is the way it starts with a recap of Jesus’ ministry to date. It’s like watching the tube and hearing the phrase “previously on …”
Jesus went all about the cities and villages and teaching in their synagogues. Jesus is not traveling willy-nilly through the countryside. He is traveling with a purpose; he is going to cities with Jewish populations. He is going to synagogues to teach. He is not in the city square or in the marketplace speaking to the world, not yet. He is in the synagogues speaking with the people of God.
Remember, this is Matthew’s gospel, the gospel written to the nation of Israel. It makes sense that Jesus brings his message to the people of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob first; after all, it’s his community, these are his people. He’s starting at the beginning, with his people, God’s chosen people.
He goes and teaches in the synagogues. He brings the proclamation of the good news of the kingdom. He shares again and again the teachings of the Sermon on the Mount. He shares again and again his grace healing disease and sickness. He restores people to their families and to right relationship with the Lord God.
He sees the people as sheep, harassed and helpless, distressed and dispirited. Without a shepherd, they are a people scattered, hungry for leadership. And Jesus has compassion for them. He cares for them more than they could ever hope or imagine. This is when he calls to his disciples “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.”
In this one swift motion, Jesus goes from describing the people of God as a listless flock of sheep, to a bountiful crop ready to be collected. This is not an image of sheep to the slaughter; it is the picture of the people of God being called to worship. It is an image of the inbreaking of the kingdom Jesus promises his people. It is a look what is happening at that moment, happening in this moment, and still to happen in the future.
Jesus then makes a specific request of the disciples. He charges, he calls them to ask the Lord of the harvest to send out the laborers. He doesn’t tell the synagogue to go out and grab a scythe and start bringing in the crop. He tells the people to pray that the Lord to send out laborers.
This is an important turn; it isn’t a request to ask the Lord “what are you going to do with me?” It’s a solemn prayer that the Lord do what the Lord will do. This isn’t the prayer of Monty Hall and “Let’s Make a Deal” screaming “Pick me! Pick me!” This is the Lord’s Prayer, “thy will be done.” This is the call from Isaiah 6 asking “Is it I Lord?” Jesus doesn’t ask us to begin by giving directions; we are to pray to receive direction and to follow.
This is when Jesus makes the important distinction between disciples and apostles. In the gospel, most of the time when we read the word disciple, it points to any adherent of a particular movement or leader.[2] Even in the gospels, “disciple” probably doesn’t point just to the twelve unless the text specifically says so. So in the verse where Jesus tells the disciples to pray, he surely is calling on the twelve, but he also includes the multitude in the synagogue. Now, Jesus summons his twelve disciples and sends them out as apostles. After all, that is what “apostle” means, the one who is sent out.
He sends them out giving them authority, his authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and sickness. He sends them out to proclaim the good news saying the kingdom is at hand, the kingdom has come near. This is where starting our reading where we did was beneficial. We begin our reading with Jesus going out and about proclaiming the gospel and healing every kind of disease and sickness. Then he commissions, he ordains the twelve to do the same work giving them the same authority.
He calls and commissions the apostles. He doesn’t call just anybody; on second thought, yes he does. Jesus calls very ordinary people. He calls Simon and James and John who are partners in a fishing business with Simon’s father. John would become known as the beloved disciple and Simon would become known as Peter, the rock upon which the church is built.
Matthew the Roman collaborator was called to go out as was Simon the Cananaean, or as he was more commonly known the Zealot. Of course, this list wouldn’t be complete without Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him.[3] He too was sent to tell the people of God that the kingdom is at hand.
The only qualification they share is that they are following Jesus. They not are called out because they are special. What makes them special is the one who called them out. He calls together people who probably would not share a meal together much less a mission if it were not for the one who calls them. They were very ordinary men, being called to do extraordinary things with the only authority that makes it possible.
Qualifications are an element of our Old Testament reading this morning too. It begs the question “What makes Abraham and Sarah so special?” Why are they selected to violate the rules of biology and bear children long after their tender years have passed them? We might assume it was because they followed the hospitality codes of the day, providing food and drink to weary travelers. As much as both of these statements are true, scripture makes no connection between the two. These are just as likely to be completely unrelated events as they are cause and effect.
But Abraham and Sarah can claim only one special status, they were chosen. They were chosen to go to from their homes. They were chosen to see the Lord appear at the Oaks of Mamre. They were chosen to entertain visitors. They were chosen to learn through experience that there is nothing too wonderful for the Lord.
The twelve were chosen, and this is what makes them special. They were ordinary work-a-day guys with day jobs and families. They had no special nature that caused them to be chosen. There was no glow. We need to remember this.
They were the twelve, no better or worse than any other human being. Yet while one of them was certainly willing to perform one of the most horrific acts of betrayal recorded in history, others became the first leaders of the church.
Returning to the reading, once chosen, they were given their commission. The commission gives them their call, their authority, and the power to fulfill his instructions. They were given what they needed to do the work of the Lord, including one additional instruction, they were also given limitations.
It seems odd to talk about the limitations, but their commission only went so far. They were told not to go among the Gentiles and they were told not to go to the cities of the Samaritans. In the end there are some reasons for this we can glean from history. The first, again, the Gospel of Matthew was the missive to the nation of Israel. It is only logical that the twelve would not send the Good News to the Gentiles, not yet.
Since the twelve were all practicing Jews, it would have further been unlikely that they would even want to go to the Gentiles. In Acts when Peter finally goes to the home of Cornelius and eats, it is only after a vision from the Lord repeats itself three times telling him to go and eat.[4]
Also in Acts, we learn of a third reason Jesus expressly limits the twelve from going to the Gentiles and Samaritans. Jesus sends another; this mission field belongs to Saul of Tarsus, the one who becomes the Apostle Paul.[5] The mission to the Gentiles and Samaritans wasn’t the work of the twelve because it belonged to someone else, someone who would come later. And as the Pharisee of Pharisees, Paul was more unlikely to go to the Gentiles than any of the other twelve apostles.
So it is only one more indication of the sovereignty of the Lord that the one who would be sent is the most unlikely one of them all.
So let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start. Let us begin by remembering, knowing the Lord Jesus. We need to come together and share the joy of knowing who he is and what he has done. As the people of God we further need to see the people he sees, and see them, see us as both the scattered sheep looking for a shepherd and as the harvest ready to be gathered to the house of the Lord.
We need to begin by praying for those who will bring in the harvest. We need to pray for the people and organizations of the church that do missionary work both works of proclamation and works of service in the nation and around the world. Pray for the groups that have signed what is known as the Dallas Covenant, a group of Presbyterian Mission organizations from all political stripes of the church who have come together to do the work of mission in the church.[6]
Pray too for the nominating committee. It is their job to discern who will be called to shepherd this part of the body of Christ; to lead the church, local and universal, into the future. It will be their job to search from among us to discern who will be called to continue God’s work in the world. And as we pray, don’t be shy to pray “Is it I Lord?”
The last information Jesus gives the disciples before they are sent is that they received their call, their Christian vocation without payment and so they must give without payment. Honestly, I don’t like this translation because of our economic mindset toward payment.
Other translations say “freely you have received, freely give.”[7] And as they have freely received the freely given gift of grace through Jesus Christ our Lord, this is the message the apostles take with them. It is the message we have received and we take with us. Whether into the soul, the session, or the world, this is the word we are called to take with us.
As we have freely received, remember to pray for those who will be sent into the harvest. And also remember the Lord takes pleasure in having us respond, “I will go Lord, if you lead me.”
[1] Rogers and Hammerstein
[2] Disciple, Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible
[3] Random thought that doesn’t belong in this sermon: Often in the church and in church work you hear about individuals or even congregations with way too much conflict being called “clergy killers.” Every pastor wants to avoid the clergy killing congregation. Strangely, Jesus called a “clergy killer” to be one of his apostles. Honestly, I don’t know what this means, but I believe it must be considered—clergy killers exist and Jesus knows it better than any of us ever will. And no, I am fortunate—I have not met a clergy killer in my present posting.
[4] Acts 10:1-33
[5] Acts 9:1-18
[6] For more information about the Dallas Covenant, check out http://www.pcusa.org/pcnews/2008/08450.htm, retrieved June 14, 2008.
[7] New International Version, New American Standard Bible, New Living Translation among others.
Genesis 18:1-15
Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19
Romans 5:1-8
Matthew 9:30-10:8
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer. Amen
“Let’s start at the very beginning; a very good place to start; when you read you begin with A, B, C; when you sing you begin with do, re mi.” This is the very beginning (a very good place to start) of the song “Do, Re, Mi” from “The Sound of Music.”[1] Sage advice in any situation, and a model for our gospel reading this morning.
The wonder of the beginning of this passage is the way it starts with a recap of Jesus’ ministry to date. It’s like watching the tube and hearing the phrase “previously on …”
Jesus went all about the cities and villages and teaching in their synagogues. Jesus is not traveling willy-nilly through the countryside. He is traveling with a purpose; he is going to cities with Jewish populations. He is going to synagogues to teach. He is not in the city square or in the marketplace speaking to the world, not yet. He is in the synagogues speaking with the people of God.
Remember, this is Matthew’s gospel, the gospel written to the nation of Israel. It makes sense that Jesus brings his message to the people of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob first; after all, it’s his community, these are his people. He’s starting at the beginning, with his people, God’s chosen people.
He goes and teaches in the synagogues. He brings the proclamation of the good news of the kingdom. He shares again and again the teachings of the Sermon on the Mount. He shares again and again his grace healing disease and sickness. He restores people to their families and to right relationship with the Lord God.
He sees the people as sheep, harassed and helpless, distressed and dispirited. Without a shepherd, they are a people scattered, hungry for leadership. And Jesus has compassion for them. He cares for them more than they could ever hope or imagine. This is when he calls to his disciples “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.”
In this one swift motion, Jesus goes from describing the people of God as a listless flock of sheep, to a bountiful crop ready to be collected. This is not an image of sheep to the slaughter; it is the picture of the people of God being called to worship. It is an image of the inbreaking of the kingdom Jesus promises his people. It is a look what is happening at that moment, happening in this moment, and still to happen in the future.
Jesus then makes a specific request of the disciples. He charges, he calls them to ask the Lord of the harvest to send out the laborers. He doesn’t tell the synagogue to go out and grab a scythe and start bringing in the crop. He tells the people to pray that the Lord to send out laborers.
This is an important turn; it isn’t a request to ask the Lord “what are you going to do with me?” It’s a solemn prayer that the Lord do what the Lord will do. This isn’t the prayer of Monty Hall and “Let’s Make a Deal” screaming “Pick me! Pick me!” This is the Lord’s Prayer, “thy will be done.” This is the call from Isaiah 6 asking “Is it I Lord?” Jesus doesn’t ask us to begin by giving directions; we are to pray to receive direction and to follow.
This is when Jesus makes the important distinction between disciples and apostles. In the gospel, most of the time when we read the word disciple, it points to any adherent of a particular movement or leader.[2] Even in the gospels, “disciple” probably doesn’t point just to the twelve unless the text specifically says so. So in the verse where Jesus tells the disciples to pray, he surely is calling on the twelve, but he also includes the multitude in the synagogue. Now, Jesus summons his twelve disciples and sends them out as apostles. After all, that is what “apostle” means, the one who is sent out.
He sends them out giving them authority, his authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and sickness. He sends them out to proclaim the good news saying the kingdom is at hand, the kingdom has come near. This is where starting our reading where we did was beneficial. We begin our reading with Jesus going out and about proclaiming the gospel and healing every kind of disease and sickness. Then he commissions, he ordains the twelve to do the same work giving them the same authority.
He calls and commissions the apostles. He doesn’t call just anybody; on second thought, yes he does. Jesus calls very ordinary people. He calls Simon and James and John who are partners in a fishing business with Simon’s father. John would become known as the beloved disciple and Simon would become known as Peter, the rock upon which the church is built.
Matthew the Roman collaborator was called to go out as was Simon the Cananaean, or as he was more commonly known the Zealot. Of course, this list wouldn’t be complete without Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him.[3] He too was sent to tell the people of God that the kingdom is at hand.
The only qualification they share is that they are following Jesus. They not are called out because they are special. What makes them special is the one who called them out. He calls together people who probably would not share a meal together much less a mission if it were not for the one who calls them. They were very ordinary men, being called to do extraordinary things with the only authority that makes it possible.
Qualifications are an element of our Old Testament reading this morning too. It begs the question “What makes Abraham and Sarah so special?” Why are they selected to violate the rules of biology and bear children long after their tender years have passed them? We might assume it was because they followed the hospitality codes of the day, providing food and drink to weary travelers. As much as both of these statements are true, scripture makes no connection between the two. These are just as likely to be completely unrelated events as they are cause and effect.
But Abraham and Sarah can claim only one special status, they were chosen. They were chosen to go to from their homes. They were chosen to see the Lord appear at the Oaks of Mamre. They were chosen to entertain visitors. They were chosen to learn through experience that there is nothing too wonderful for the Lord.
The twelve were chosen, and this is what makes them special. They were ordinary work-a-day guys with day jobs and families. They had no special nature that caused them to be chosen. There was no glow. We need to remember this.
They were the twelve, no better or worse than any other human being. Yet while one of them was certainly willing to perform one of the most horrific acts of betrayal recorded in history, others became the first leaders of the church.
Returning to the reading, once chosen, they were given their commission. The commission gives them their call, their authority, and the power to fulfill his instructions. They were given what they needed to do the work of the Lord, including one additional instruction, they were also given limitations.
It seems odd to talk about the limitations, but their commission only went so far. They were told not to go among the Gentiles and they were told not to go to the cities of the Samaritans. In the end there are some reasons for this we can glean from history. The first, again, the Gospel of Matthew was the missive to the nation of Israel. It is only logical that the twelve would not send the Good News to the Gentiles, not yet.
Since the twelve were all practicing Jews, it would have further been unlikely that they would even want to go to the Gentiles. In Acts when Peter finally goes to the home of Cornelius and eats, it is only after a vision from the Lord repeats itself three times telling him to go and eat.[4]
Also in Acts, we learn of a third reason Jesus expressly limits the twelve from going to the Gentiles and Samaritans. Jesus sends another; this mission field belongs to Saul of Tarsus, the one who becomes the Apostle Paul.[5] The mission to the Gentiles and Samaritans wasn’t the work of the twelve because it belonged to someone else, someone who would come later. And as the Pharisee of Pharisees, Paul was more unlikely to go to the Gentiles than any of the other twelve apostles.
So it is only one more indication of the sovereignty of the Lord that the one who would be sent is the most unlikely one of them all.
So let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start. Let us begin by remembering, knowing the Lord Jesus. We need to come together and share the joy of knowing who he is and what he has done. As the people of God we further need to see the people he sees, and see them, see us as both the scattered sheep looking for a shepherd and as the harvest ready to be gathered to the house of the Lord.
We need to begin by praying for those who will bring in the harvest. We need to pray for the people and organizations of the church that do missionary work both works of proclamation and works of service in the nation and around the world. Pray for the groups that have signed what is known as the Dallas Covenant, a group of Presbyterian Mission organizations from all political stripes of the church who have come together to do the work of mission in the church.[6]
Pray too for the nominating committee. It is their job to discern who will be called to shepherd this part of the body of Christ; to lead the church, local and universal, into the future. It will be their job to search from among us to discern who will be called to continue God’s work in the world. And as we pray, don’t be shy to pray “Is it I Lord?”
The last information Jesus gives the disciples before they are sent is that they received their call, their Christian vocation without payment and so they must give without payment. Honestly, I don’t like this translation because of our economic mindset toward payment.
Other translations say “freely you have received, freely give.”[7] And as they have freely received the freely given gift of grace through Jesus Christ our Lord, this is the message the apostles take with them. It is the message we have received and we take with us. Whether into the soul, the session, or the world, this is the word we are called to take with us.
As we have freely received, remember to pray for those who will be sent into the harvest. And also remember the Lord takes pleasure in having us respond, “I will go Lord, if you lead me.”
[1] Rogers and Hammerstein
[2] Disciple, Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible
[3] Random thought that doesn’t belong in this sermon: Often in the church and in church work you hear about individuals or even congregations with way too much conflict being called “clergy killers.” Every pastor wants to avoid the clergy killing congregation. Strangely, Jesus called a “clergy killer” to be one of his apostles. Honestly, I don’t know what this means, but I believe it must be considered—clergy killers exist and Jesus knows it better than any of us ever will. And no, I am fortunate—I have not met a clergy killer in my present posting.
[4] Acts 10:1-33
[5] Acts 9:1-18
[6] For more information about the Dallas Covenant, check out http://www.pcusa.org/pcnews/2008/08450.htm, retrieved June 14, 2008.
[7] New International Version, New American Standard Bible, New Living Translation among others.
Sunday, January 06, 2008
One Coin-Two Sides
This sermon was delivered at the First Presbyterian Church in Berryville, Arkanas on Sunday January 6, 2008, Epiphany Sunday. This sermon is shorter than usual because we also celebrated the ordination and installation of new members to the Session.
Isaiah 60:1-6
Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14
Ephesians 3:1-12
Matthew 2:1-12
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer. Amen
There’s an old joke, I’ve probably told it here. There are two kinds of people in this world—those who divide everything into two categories and those who don’t. Duality has always intrigued me. So when I was thinking about King Herod in our gospel reading, I got this image of a very dualistic character in my mind.
Herod sits upon his throne, as confident as any king who is a prelate of Rome. This means he could well be expecting an uprising against his tyranny while seeking to keep the Roman overlords happy. Caught in the middle of a powerful and precarious situation that he has put himself into; he’s a dictator and a sycophant at the same time.
He’s a violent, vengeful, treacherous man. Just the kind of King Rome wants ruling Judah. He’s got a temper and just enough paranoia to keep everyone on their toes.
Two sides of the same man, Herod is a tyrant and a toady; he’s powerful and paranoid.
Herod accepts the visitors, the wise men from the East. As the king, this would have been a public event in the court of Herod. There would have been some sort of an elaborate presentation of the Magi. So in the middle of pomp and circumstance, without the least bit of guile, they ask a simple question, “Where is the child who has been born King of the Jews?”
They ask this as if they had popped into the Chamber of Commerce Visitor’s Center asking for directions to Eureka. “How do we get to Basin Spring from here?”
Herod might have tried to be as cool as a cucumber, but he was frightened. If there was a new king in town, even a new born baby King of the Jews, this was a rival to be dealt with, not a toddler to be worshipped. Herod was frightened, and all of Jerusalem was frightened with him.
If you’re wondering “was all of Jerusalem frightened because three wise guys from the East came for a baby shower or was all of Jerusalem frightened because Herod was frightened?” scripture doesn’t say, but I have an idea. To coin a phrase, “If Momma ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.” When Herod is frightened, everybody’s frightened.
But then later in our reading, Herod secretly called the three to ask them to send word when they find the child. King Herod is a very public man, as long as he sits on the throne of Judah, much of his life will be lived in the public. Yet as a guy who thinks the world is out to get him (and rightfully so), he calls the wise men for a secret meeting. Overt and covert, he lives in the public eye and hides his hand like a master poker player. He bluffs the Magi who come without guile or hidden agenda.
Epiphany is the time of year when the church celebrates the revelation to the wise men of the birth of the Christ child, the King of the Jews. Yet most of our reading, certainly the most dramatic part deals with King Herod and how he responds to these arrivals. This reading dealing with Herod and the wise men is actually the preface to our reading from last week which includes what Herod does with this information.
In our gospel we have the joy of Jesus the newborn King of the Jews combined with the terror of Herod the reigning King of Judah. Same story, two responses. One worships, the other fears.
In the Batman comics, one of the most dangerous villains is former District Attorney Harvey Dent.[1] Dent grew up an abused and schizophrenic child of a violent alcoholic father. He eventually learned to deal with his abuse and mental illness through a devotion to law and order.
Multiple personalities being dealt with through yet another dichotomy—law and order.
He was Gotham’s star District Attorney, becoming close allies with the Batman and with Lieutenant Jim Gordon long before Gordon became commissioner. The successes he experienced in his career were able to help him deal with and suppress his mental illness until the unspeakable happened. A vengeful mob boss threw a glass filled with acid into Dent’s face, horrifically scarring his left side. The trauma of the assault permanently unbalanced Dent who became the evil villain Two-Face.
Two-Face’s trademark was a two headed coin he always carried, with one of its faces deeply scarred. When confronted with a decision, he would flip the coin. If the normal face came up, Dent acted honorably. But when the scarred face rises, all evil would break loose.
What made him particularly feared by everyone was that he was once so much like them. If hero DA Harvey Dent can be so deeply scarred what does that mean for the rest of us?
Maybe that’s the message of Epiphany, a single story with different interpretations. The wise men come to worship without guile; the frightened duplicitous tyrant comes in fear and hidden agendas. Their response depends on how they interpret the events of the day. On one side of the coin is worship. On the other is a fear that will lead to much death and suffering.
We are given the free will to come to the Lord in faith through grace or we can choose the path of the scarred face of a coin. We can come in joy, or we can choose evil. We can come to worship or we can sit in fear. We can come in the joy and triumph of the Lord or we can run from the life God has intended for us since before the beginning. It’s a choice we make.
Today, this congregation celebrates Epiphany with two acts. We take and eat of the Lord’s Supper, the good gift of God for the people of God. We will come to the table as joyfully as the wise men came to worship. We will come to be fortified by the gifts he gives us.
Also today, we celebrate the ordination and installation of new Elders to the Session. Two members of this congregation step out in faith of being selected by the Lord, elected by this congregation, and ordained into leadership in this part of the body of Christ. They come faithfully in the name of the Lord to use their gifts for good of the church. And we come in faith and trust that through our acts and our words their ministry will be blessed by the glory that arrived in Bethlehem, was crucified at the place called the Skull, and arose from the tomb.
I said that there are two kinds of people, but what that joke does is create a false division, one that doesn’t exist in the Lord because in the end, regardless of our acts, regardless of our response, whether we come as the three from the East or like the one on the throne, Jesus comes first. Let us come in faithful, joyful response to the one who came to us first.
[1] Origins of Two-Face, http://www.dccomics.com/heroes_and_villains/?hv=origin_stories/two_face, retrieved January 5, 2008.
Isaiah 60:1-6
Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14
Ephesians 3:1-12
Matthew 2:1-12
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer. Amen
There’s an old joke, I’ve probably told it here. There are two kinds of people in this world—those who divide everything into two categories and those who don’t. Duality has always intrigued me. So when I was thinking about King Herod in our gospel reading, I got this image of a very dualistic character in my mind.
Herod sits upon his throne, as confident as any king who is a prelate of Rome. This means he could well be expecting an uprising against his tyranny while seeking to keep the Roman overlords happy. Caught in the middle of a powerful and precarious situation that he has put himself into; he’s a dictator and a sycophant at the same time.
He’s a violent, vengeful, treacherous man. Just the kind of King Rome wants ruling Judah. He’s got a temper and just enough paranoia to keep everyone on their toes.
Two sides of the same man, Herod is a tyrant and a toady; he’s powerful and paranoid.
Herod accepts the visitors, the wise men from the East. As the king, this would have been a public event in the court of Herod. There would have been some sort of an elaborate presentation of the Magi. So in the middle of pomp and circumstance, without the least bit of guile, they ask a simple question, “Where is the child who has been born King of the Jews?”
They ask this as if they had popped into the Chamber of Commerce Visitor’s Center asking for directions to Eureka. “How do we get to Basin Spring from here?”
Herod might have tried to be as cool as a cucumber, but he was frightened. If there was a new king in town, even a new born baby King of the Jews, this was a rival to be dealt with, not a toddler to be worshipped. Herod was frightened, and all of Jerusalem was frightened with him.
If you’re wondering “was all of Jerusalem frightened because three wise guys from the East came for a baby shower or was all of Jerusalem frightened because Herod was frightened?” scripture doesn’t say, but I have an idea. To coin a phrase, “If Momma ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.” When Herod is frightened, everybody’s frightened.
But then later in our reading, Herod secretly called the three to ask them to send word when they find the child. King Herod is a very public man, as long as he sits on the throne of Judah, much of his life will be lived in the public. Yet as a guy who thinks the world is out to get him (and rightfully so), he calls the wise men for a secret meeting. Overt and covert, he lives in the public eye and hides his hand like a master poker player. He bluffs the Magi who come without guile or hidden agenda.
Epiphany is the time of year when the church celebrates the revelation to the wise men of the birth of the Christ child, the King of the Jews. Yet most of our reading, certainly the most dramatic part deals with King Herod and how he responds to these arrivals. This reading dealing with Herod and the wise men is actually the preface to our reading from last week which includes what Herod does with this information.
In our gospel we have the joy of Jesus the newborn King of the Jews combined with the terror of Herod the reigning King of Judah. Same story, two responses. One worships, the other fears.
In the Batman comics, one of the most dangerous villains is former District Attorney Harvey Dent.[1] Dent grew up an abused and schizophrenic child of a violent alcoholic father. He eventually learned to deal with his abuse and mental illness through a devotion to law and order.
Multiple personalities being dealt with through yet another dichotomy—law and order.
He was Gotham’s star District Attorney, becoming close allies with the Batman and with Lieutenant Jim Gordon long before Gordon became commissioner. The successes he experienced in his career were able to help him deal with and suppress his mental illness until the unspeakable happened. A vengeful mob boss threw a glass filled with acid into Dent’s face, horrifically scarring his left side. The trauma of the assault permanently unbalanced Dent who became the evil villain Two-Face.
Two-Face’s trademark was a two headed coin he always carried, with one of its faces deeply scarred. When confronted with a decision, he would flip the coin. If the normal face came up, Dent acted honorably. But when the scarred face rises, all evil would break loose.
What made him particularly feared by everyone was that he was once so much like them. If hero DA Harvey Dent can be so deeply scarred what does that mean for the rest of us?
Maybe that’s the message of Epiphany, a single story with different interpretations. The wise men come to worship without guile; the frightened duplicitous tyrant comes in fear and hidden agendas. Their response depends on how they interpret the events of the day. On one side of the coin is worship. On the other is a fear that will lead to much death and suffering.
We are given the free will to come to the Lord in faith through grace or we can choose the path of the scarred face of a coin. We can come in joy, or we can choose evil. We can come to worship or we can sit in fear. We can come in the joy and triumph of the Lord or we can run from the life God has intended for us since before the beginning. It’s a choice we make.
Today, this congregation celebrates Epiphany with two acts. We take and eat of the Lord’s Supper, the good gift of God for the people of God. We will come to the table as joyfully as the wise men came to worship. We will come to be fortified by the gifts he gives us.
Also today, we celebrate the ordination and installation of new Elders to the Session. Two members of this congregation step out in faith of being selected by the Lord, elected by this congregation, and ordained into leadership in this part of the body of Christ. They come faithfully in the name of the Lord to use their gifts for good of the church. And we come in faith and trust that through our acts and our words their ministry will be blessed by the glory that arrived in Bethlehem, was crucified at the place called the Skull, and arose from the tomb.
I said that there are two kinds of people, but what that joke does is create a false division, one that doesn’t exist in the Lord because in the end, regardless of our acts, regardless of our response, whether we come as the three from the East or like the one on the throne, Jesus comes first. Let us come in faithful, joyful response to the one who came to us first.
[1] Origins of Two-Face, http://www.dccomics.com/heroes_and_villains/?hv=origin_stories/two_face, retrieved January 5, 2008.
Saturday, January 13, 2007
Gifts
This sermon was delivered on Sunday January 14, 2006 at the First Presbyterian Church in Berryville, Arkansas.
Isaiah 62:1-5
Psalm 36:5-10
1 Corinthians 12:1-11
John 2:1-11
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer. Amen.
Ten years ago, about nine months before Marie and I got married, we were invited to the wedding of our friends, Nicole Hernandez and Greg Young.[1] Nicole was the Director of Student Activities and Greg was the Head Basketball Coach at the community college where I worked in Colorado. Marie asked me to be sure to find out where they were registered so that we could get them something nice. So I went down to Nicole’s office and asked where she was registered. She was in a hurry to get to a meeting so she said, “Oh, don’t worry, we have what we want and need,” and she was off. Well, it’s just plain rude to go to a wedding empty handed, we had to get something.
I had an idea, so I checked with Marie and we decided to do something a little different. Instead of getting china, or a setting of the silver, or some serving bowl, we got them a Black and Decker VersaPak Drill. This was one of the first generation of cordless tools made for the home market. It had those removable rechargeable power cells that you could put into any number of different tools.
So imagine if you will… it’s a couple of weeks or so after the wedding, and Nicole and her sister and her mother and Greg were sitting around the house opening the presents. Greg was thrilled. For a guy, there was nothing like sitting around opening wedding presents because you never knew when you would get china, or a setting of the silver, or some serving bowl. Then Nicole opened the drill. She knew what it was, of course, but she was surprised. After all, it wasn't china, or a setting of the silver, or some serving bowl. Greg was overjoyed! Suddenly there was a gift for him! He could hardly wait for the batteries to charge so that he could begin to assemble the buffet cabinet. He was so happy, after a long afternoon of stuff for her; there was finally a gift for him.
Wedding gifts can be a tricky thing. I love a bride who registers and hope that there is still something left on the list by the time we get to the store. The custom of wedding presents was important during Jesus time, maybe even more important than it is today because of the hospitality codes. Jesus had begun his ministry and had just commissioned his disciples. When you get down to brass tacks, an itinerant preacher who has just begun his ministry and commissioned his disciples was probably quite poor. Not bringing a gift did not seem to bother Jesus, it sure bothered his mother. Social graces and hospitality are motherly things to worry about. Anyway, the lack of wine left an opening for Jesus to provide a gift. After motherly prompting, the miracle happens, water becomes wine, and Jesus’ wedding gift is given not just to the wedding party, but to the world. Not just for that day, but for all time. The banquet master is the first to discover this gift. He declares to the groom that his fine taste in wine is a delight, even though he was wasting it on the late hour when no one would be able to appreciate it. It was the custom in that day to bring out the good wine first and when the guests could not tell the difference, bring out the lesser stuff. But anyway, it is a treat; a treat which will be enjoyed.
What strikes me in this passage is the role of the servants, the word we translate as deacon. The way the passage is written, the servants who drew the water into the pitchers, the ones who drew it for the banquet master, drew the liquid with consequences that extend far into the future. And so it is we still talk about “changing water to wine.” I wonder if they knew just how important what they were doing was? I wonder if they could have imagined that the one for whom they are drawing water was the Messiah? How could they?
Giving good gifts is important, and it is important for us that the Lord God is the giver of the greatest gifts. The Lord our God has given us his Son, Jesus Christ, and from them both come the Holy Spirit. This gift is followed by more gifts, the gifts of the Spirit mentioned here in 1Corinthians. And while there are many gifts, there is only one who gives them. There are many different types of service, but only one Lord. There are many different types of activities, but only one God who activates them. According to scripture, each of us is gifted, but there is only one gives such wondrous gifts. Yet the gifts God gives are not only the charismatic signs; the gift is in the work done with the gift as well.
If you remember the story from earlier, a Black and Decker drill is a petty good gift, but it wasn’t until it built the buffet that it begins to meet its potential. Wisdom is not just to be wise and saying, "I would have done that differently." So too the gift to prophesy isn’t just about the ability, it is about the prophecy that follows. Faith and healing are about more than just the ability, it is about the work the gifts require for the benefit of the church and the world.
In the next couple of weeks, we will ordain and install new Elders to the Session. When they are ordained, we will ask if they will fulfill their office in obedience to Jesus Christ, under the authority of Scripture, guided by the confessions. We will then ask them if they will be faithful elders, watching over the people, providing for their worship, nurture, and service sharing in government and discipline, serving in governing bodies of the church, trying to show the love and justice of Jesus Christ.[2] This is a high calling, and a desperately important one. Surely these new elders are gifted, the nominating committee prays about this during its discernment process. It is not a responsibility taken lightly.
It is tempting to say that there is no higher calling; it would certainly honor both the office and those who serve in it. But that isn't where the honor belongs. We must remember…all service is honored by God, and given to glorify God. So imagine taking these vows: professing Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, renouncing all evil, and declaring the intent to participate actively and responsibly in the worship and mission of the church. These vows are weighty, important, and substantial. And these are the vows we accepted ourselves, or were accepted on our behalf, when we were baptized.[3] These are the same vows taken when joining this or any other PC (USA) Church.[4] Ordained ministry is a high calling, but we need to remember our first call is to be a Christian, professing Christ, renouncing evil, and working in the worship and mission of the church. There is no higher calling than this.
As foreboding as this sounds, here's the good news, all are gifted. Paul was writing to the church when he said each is gifted. He did not say the pastor is gifted. He did not say the ordained Elders are gifted. He said each is gifted as the Spirit chooses. And the gifts are given to the church for the common good.
About five months before we were married, Marie took me to Pier 1 and Target where we registered. When we went to the hardware section at Target and we registered for a Black and Decker VersaPak drill and VersaPak flash light. While I was looking at some other tools, she asked if I needed one of these. She was holding the VersaPak reciprocating saw. As I have told you before, I love watching “This Old House;” it's one of my favorite shows. And these guys cut things with reciprocating saws I only dream about.
They take down decks. They cut openings through interior and exterior walls. They cut timbers and plumbing. I once saw Master Carpenter Norm Abram demolish an old bump-out kitchen using just a reciprocating saw. I could imagine the damage I could do with one of those things. I looked at the saw and I looked at Marie and I said, "No, and if I ever tell you I need a reciprocating saw, then ask me a lot of questions." There is no good reason for me to have a saw like that. I can work a drill without causing harm, but I have no business with that saw. There are those of you here today that could use that saw, but not me. If we had given that saw to Greg and Nicole, it would have been used, but not to build a buffet. The Spiritual gifts are given this way too; the Spirit gives the church the necessary gifts. And they are given for an intended purpose. If misused, they are not effective. But when God gives a gift, the gift is perfect.
The Spirit then makes people capable of using the gift putting us in places to use the gifts. Not only are all gifted, but the Spirit prepares us, enables us to use those gifts. For some, this leads to ordained ministry, but for many it does not. If this seems difficult, don’t worry. If Jesus can change water to wine, imagine what he can do with us.
As a part of this church, I see people pray, and sing, and play. I have seen people serving at times of joy and times of grief. I have seen people work at Loaves and Fishes. I have seen people act with great compassion, and most of the time this isn’t done by active session members, it is done by members acting with might exercising the gifts of the spirit to fortify the church and to glorify God. The gifts are given to the entire church for the world by God for God’s glory.
Earlier I mentioned the servants at the banquet. While their roles seem quite limited, they were in direct service to Jesus, delivering the fruit of his first public miracle. Imagine the banquet master: Not only did he announce the miracle; he announced it to the groom with joy and bravado. But he makes the announcement with qualification; the gift will not be fully appreciated by those who receive it. This reigns true for us today. We receive gifts that we don't expect or don't recognize—and we aren't fully aware of what they are, or their value, or what to do with them. But Jesus accounts for this. He knew the wine would be perfect and he knew it would not be properly appreciated. And he gave, Jesus gave.
It reassures me that Jesus seemed reluctant to exercise his power. When his mother tells him there is no more wine, he asks, "What’s that to you and to me?" Then he tells his mother that it's not his time, not yet. Yet his mother persists, telling the servers to do whatever Jesus tells them to do. Then he exercises the power and miracles happen. When we use the gifts of the Holy Spirit, we are able to do so much more than we can without these gifts. We can do miracles. They may not even be noticed. They certainly may not be appreciated on earth, but when they are exercised, miracles happen for the glory of God, not just by the ordained, but from all members of the church. Not just for the church, but for all of creation. Just as the banquet master proclaimed this wine to be the best, we must glorify the name of the one who provides the wine, and all that the wine represents. The gifts are important, what we do with them is also important, and thanking the one who gives them is vital.
[1] I was given permission to share this story by Greg Young in 2004. Here’s to good friends!
[2] PC(USA) Book of Order, 2005-2007 edition, Governance Section G-14.0207.
[3] Ibid, Directory for Worship, W-3.3603.
[4] Ibid.
Isaiah 62:1-5
Psalm 36:5-10
1 Corinthians 12:1-11
John 2:1-11
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer. Amen.
Ten years ago, about nine months before Marie and I got married, we were invited to the wedding of our friends, Nicole Hernandez and Greg Young.[1] Nicole was the Director of Student Activities and Greg was the Head Basketball Coach at the community college where I worked in Colorado. Marie asked me to be sure to find out where they were registered so that we could get them something nice. So I went down to Nicole’s office and asked where she was registered. She was in a hurry to get to a meeting so she said, “Oh, don’t worry, we have what we want and need,” and she was off. Well, it’s just plain rude to go to a wedding empty handed, we had to get something.
I had an idea, so I checked with Marie and we decided to do something a little different. Instead of getting china, or a setting of the silver, or some serving bowl, we got them a Black and Decker VersaPak Drill. This was one of the first generation of cordless tools made for the home market. It had those removable rechargeable power cells that you could put into any number of different tools.
So imagine if you will… it’s a couple of weeks or so after the wedding, and Nicole and her sister and her mother and Greg were sitting around the house opening the presents. Greg was thrilled. For a guy, there was nothing like sitting around opening wedding presents because you never knew when you would get china, or a setting of the silver, or some serving bowl. Then Nicole opened the drill. She knew what it was, of course, but she was surprised. After all, it wasn't china, or a setting of the silver, or some serving bowl. Greg was overjoyed! Suddenly there was a gift for him! He could hardly wait for the batteries to charge so that he could begin to assemble the buffet cabinet. He was so happy, after a long afternoon of stuff for her; there was finally a gift for him.
Wedding gifts can be a tricky thing. I love a bride who registers and hope that there is still something left on the list by the time we get to the store. The custom of wedding presents was important during Jesus time, maybe even more important than it is today because of the hospitality codes. Jesus had begun his ministry and had just commissioned his disciples. When you get down to brass tacks, an itinerant preacher who has just begun his ministry and commissioned his disciples was probably quite poor. Not bringing a gift did not seem to bother Jesus, it sure bothered his mother. Social graces and hospitality are motherly things to worry about. Anyway, the lack of wine left an opening for Jesus to provide a gift. After motherly prompting, the miracle happens, water becomes wine, and Jesus’ wedding gift is given not just to the wedding party, but to the world. Not just for that day, but for all time. The banquet master is the first to discover this gift. He declares to the groom that his fine taste in wine is a delight, even though he was wasting it on the late hour when no one would be able to appreciate it. It was the custom in that day to bring out the good wine first and when the guests could not tell the difference, bring out the lesser stuff. But anyway, it is a treat; a treat which will be enjoyed.
What strikes me in this passage is the role of the servants, the word we translate as deacon. The way the passage is written, the servants who drew the water into the pitchers, the ones who drew it for the banquet master, drew the liquid with consequences that extend far into the future. And so it is we still talk about “changing water to wine.” I wonder if they knew just how important what they were doing was? I wonder if they could have imagined that the one for whom they are drawing water was the Messiah? How could they?
Giving good gifts is important, and it is important for us that the Lord God is the giver of the greatest gifts. The Lord our God has given us his Son, Jesus Christ, and from them both come the Holy Spirit. This gift is followed by more gifts, the gifts of the Spirit mentioned here in 1Corinthians. And while there are many gifts, there is only one who gives them. There are many different types of service, but only one Lord. There are many different types of activities, but only one God who activates them. According to scripture, each of us is gifted, but there is only one gives such wondrous gifts. Yet the gifts God gives are not only the charismatic signs; the gift is in the work done with the gift as well.
If you remember the story from earlier, a Black and Decker drill is a petty good gift, but it wasn’t until it built the buffet that it begins to meet its potential. Wisdom is not just to be wise and saying, "I would have done that differently." So too the gift to prophesy isn’t just about the ability, it is about the prophecy that follows. Faith and healing are about more than just the ability, it is about the work the gifts require for the benefit of the church and the world.
In the next couple of weeks, we will ordain and install new Elders to the Session. When they are ordained, we will ask if they will fulfill their office in obedience to Jesus Christ, under the authority of Scripture, guided by the confessions. We will then ask them if they will be faithful elders, watching over the people, providing for their worship, nurture, and service sharing in government and discipline, serving in governing bodies of the church, trying to show the love and justice of Jesus Christ.[2] This is a high calling, and a desperately important one. Surely these new elders are gifted, the nominating committee prays about this during its discernment process. It is not a responsibility taken lightly.
It is tempting to say that there is no higher calling; it would certainly honor both the office and those who serve in it. But that isn't where the honor belongs. We must remember…all service is honored by God, and given to glorify God. So imagine taking these vows: professing Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, renouncing all evil, and declaring the intent to participate actively and responsibly in the worship and mission of the church. These vows are weighty, important, and substantial. And these are the vows we accepted ourselves, or were accepted on our behalf, when we were baptized.[3] These are the same vows taken when joining this or any other PC (USA) Church.[4] Ordained ministry is a high calling, but we need to remember our first call is to be a Christian, professing Christ, renouncing evil, and working in the worship and mission of the church. There is no higher calling than this.
As foreboding as this sounds, here's the good news, all are gifted. Paul was writing to the church when he said each is gifted. He did not say the pastor is gifted. He did not say the ordained Elders are gifted. He said each is gifted as the Spirit chooses. And the gifts are given to the church for the common good.
About five months before we were married, Marie took me to Pier 1 and Target where we registered. When we went to the hardware section at Target and we registered for a Black and Decker VersaPak drill and VersaPak flash light. While I was looking at some other tools, she asked if I needed one of these. She was holding the VersaPak reciprocating saw. As I have told you before, I love watching “This Old House;” it's one of my favorite shows. And these guys cut things with reciprocating saws I only dream about.
They take down decks. They cut openings through interior and exterior walls. They cut timbers and plumbing. I once saw Master Carpenter Norm Abram demolish an old bump-out kitchen using just a reciprocating saw. I could imagine the damage I could do with one of those things. I looked at the saw and I looked at Marie and I said, "No, and if I ever tell you I need a reciprocating saw, then ask me a lot of questions." There is no good reason for me to have a saw like that. I can work a drill without causing harm, but I have no business with that saw. There are those of you here today that could use that saw, but not me. If we had given that saw to Greg and Nicole, it would have been used, but not to build a buffet. The Spiritual gifts are given this way too; the Spirit gives the church the necessary gifts. And they are given for an intended purpose. If misused, they are not effective. But when God gives a gift, the gift is perfect.
The Spirit then makes people capable of using the gift putting us in places to use the gifts. Not only are all gifted, but the Spirit prepares us, enables us to use those gifts. For some, this leads to ordained ministry, but for many it does not. If this seems difficult, don’t worry. If Jesus can change water to wine, imagine what he can do with us.
As a part of this church, I see people pray, and sing, and play. I have seen people serving at times of joy and times of grief. I have seen people work at Loaves and Fishes. I have seen people act with great compassion, and most of the time this isn’t done by active session members, it is done by members acting with might exercising the gifts of the spirit to fortify the church and to glorify God. The gifts are given to the entire church for the world by God for God’s glory.
Earlier I mentioned the servants at the banquet. While their roles seem quite limited, they were in direct service to Jesus, delivering the fruit of his first public miracle. Imagine the banquet master: Not only did he announce the miracle; he announced it to the groom with joy and bravado. But he makes the announcement with qualification; the gift will not be fully appreciated by those who receive it. This reigns true for us today. We receive gifts that we don't expect or don't recognize—and we aren't fully aware of what they are, or their value, or what to do with them. But Jesus accounts for this. He knew the wine would be perfect and he knew it would not be properly appreciated. And he gave, Jesus gave.
It reassures me that Jesus seemed reluctant to exercise his power. When his mother tells him there is no more wine, he asks, "What’s that to you and to me?" Then he tells his mother that it's not his time, not yet. Yet his mother persists, telling the servers to do whatever Jesus tells them to do. Then he exercises the power and miracles happen. When we use the gifts of the Holy Spirit, we are able to do so much more than we can without these gifts. We can do miracles. They may not even be noticed. They certainly may not be appreciated on earth, but when they are exercised, miracles happen for the glory of God, not just by the ordained, but from all members of the church. Not just for the church, but for all of creation. Just as the banquet master proclaimed this wine to be the best, we must glorify the name of the one who provides the wine, and all that the wine represents. The gifts are important, what we do with them is also important, and thanking the one who gives them is vital.
[1] I was given permission to share this story by Greg Young in 2004. Here’s to good friends!
[2] PC(USA) Book of Order, 2005-2007 edition, Governance Section G-14.0207.
[3] Ibid, Directory for Worship, W-3.3603.
[4] Ibid.
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