Sermons From Meadville FPC

02-23-2014 Sermon by Rev. Larry Peters

2014-02-25T08:09:00.001-08:00

WHEN THERE ARE ENEMIES

Rev. Larry Peters

February 23, 2014

Genesis 45:1-11, 15

Luke 6:27-42

I want to talk today about something that you might not expect to hear much of in church. It is, however, an important issue that affects all of us. What are we to do when there are enemies? I’m not saying if there are enemies, but when there are enemies. We all have one, or two, or perhaps more than we would like to consider. At the very least, I’d venture to say that there is somebody who doesn’t like you very much. This may or may not come as a surprise to you.

Why do some people not like us, even hate us? Let’s allow the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to explain it in his own words. He certainly knew something about all this. He has much to say about this in a sermon delivered at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama on 17 November 1957. I was just about five months old then. I didn’t know about what was happening at the time involving racial segregation, espionage and sabotage at home and between countries, censorship and lack of trust between peoples and ideologies.

Rev. King says; “Now, I’m aware of the fact that some people will not like you, not because of something you have done to them, but they just won’t like you. I’m quite aware of that. Some people aren’t going to like the way you walk; some people aren’t going to like the way you talk. Some people aren’t going to like you because you can do your job better than they can do theirs. Some people aren’t going to like you because other people like you, and because you’re popular, and because you’re well-liked, they aren’t going to like you. Some people aren’t going to like you because your hair is a little shorter than theirs or your hair is a little longer than theirs. Some people aren’t going to like you because your skin is a little brighter than theirs; and others aren’t going to like you because your skin is a little darker than theirs. So that some people aren’t going to like you, they’re going to dislike you, not because of something that you’ve done to them, but because of various jealous reactions and other reactions that are so prevalent in human nature.”

There’s still a lot of that going on today, isn’t there? And it seems that this has always been going on. Can we attribute it to human nature? Is there some evil, destructive force that would raise up fear, distrust, and various jealous reactions within us that we would dislike, even hate one another?

It was such a jealous reaction that caused Joseph to be sold into slavery by his brothers, his own flesh and blood. And what about Joseph, was he completely innocent in all this? It seems that Joseph said something to his brothers that caused them to be angry toward him. This is not to say that Joseph’s brothers were right in doing what they did, even though Joseph would later say that it was for a purpose. It is amazing how God can take our mistakes and turn them around, and make something good come of it! God’s love overcomes the evil, destructive tendencies of hate. God’s love is to be our example of how we are to treat others.

We hear Jesus say to us, “love your enemies”. Many people would say that this is extremely difficult to do. We need to realize that this teaching, this command to love others, is for our own good. It would be even more difficult for us if we were to choose not to follow this command and live in a world where hate rules. It is love that will save us and our world. Love is our only way and means of survival.

Joseph’s brothers went to Egypt because there was a famine in the land. They went looking for food. They were hungry. They were looking for a way and means of survival. They found it through love. Joseph saw, recognized and loved his brothers. And he told them; “do not be distressed because you sold me here. God sent me here to preserve life and to keep you alive”. God’s love is to be our way of life!

When there are enemies, God wants us to deal with them in a certain way. We need to understand how to love. We need to understand and love our enemies. We also need to understand and have love for ourselves. Military strategists say “know your enemy”. It would also be good for us to know what contentions there are between us and who would be our enemy.

So, we need to take a good look at both our enemy and our self. Looking at ourselves, we have to admit that there may be some things about us that would cause another to dislike us. Maybe there was something that we did, or didn’t do. Who knows what pushes someone’s buttons? The point is that we should make the effort to consider someone else before we are so quick to defend ourselves. And this is what Jesus means when he said: “Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye?” (Luke 6:41). When we see clearly, we may discover that we are not as bad as some people think. And neither are some people as bad as we think them to be.

One of Abraham Lincoln’s famous quotes was when observing another person he said; “I don’t like that man. I will have to get to know him better”. It can also be said that within the best of us, there is some evil, and within the worst of us, there is some good. And when you are able to look at someone and see some good, you can begin to love that person in spite of all that is bad. Jesus is out to change people in the way we live our lives in love for one another. We hope to see this change happening both in ourselves and our enemies.

Jesus says to us, “love your enemies”. When and if it is too difficult for us, let God do it. Let God work the change. But be sure to thank God and give him the glory for all the good things that you see happening! But it is not too hard for us really. Don’t we do good to those we love? Let’s even do good to those who hate us! We can bless and pray for others. Those who curse us need our blessing and prayer as well. We must be willing to do that which is difficult to do. People will see, and it will make a difference.

If we do the same old thing, we will get the same old results. As Rev. King spoke about in his message of over half a century ago: “We must see that force begets force, hate begets hate, toughness begets toughness. And it is all a descending spiral, ultimately ending in destruction for all and everybody. Somebody must have sense enough and morality enough to cut off the chain of hate and the chain of evil in the universe. And you do that by love.”

What better way is there to deal with enemies? A reporter was interviewing a man on his 100^th birthday. “What are you most proud of?” he asked. “Well,” said the man, “I don’t have an enemy in the world.” “What a beautiful thought! How inspirational,” said the reporter. “Yep,” said the old man, “I outlived every last one of them.” That would be good, if we could live that long.

What about a young person’s point of view? A little girl wrote to her pastor: “Dear Pastor, I heard you say to love our enemies. I am only six and do not have any yet. I hope to have some when I am seven. Love, Jennifer.” She may not realize yet just how difficult life can be when there are enemies.

Another story has to do with a feisty old frontiersman. He was a Rooster Cogburn type of guy who had fought several opponents and defeated every one. Now, on his death bed, he was asked by his minister: “Have you forgiven all your enemies?” “Don’t have any,” said the old man. “Remarkable,” said the minister. “But how did an old fighter like you go through life without having any enemies?” His reply: “I shot ‘em.” This method of dealing with enemies seems to only result in a tragic ending.

I’m reminded of an epitaph on a simple wooden grave marker at Boothill outside the famous frontier town of Tombstone, Arizona. It reads: “Here lies Lester Moore. Four slugs from a 44. No Les. No More.” But there is more to the story. It was in the late 1880s and Lester Moore worked as a Wells Fargo Station Agent. One day a man named Hank Dunstan arrived at the Wells Fargo station to pick up a package he was expecting. When Moore handed him a badly battered and mangled package, Dunstan became enraged over the condition of it and an argument ensued. The argument quickly became heated and both men reached for their guns. Moore was shot four times from Hank Dunstan’s gun. Before Moore died, he managed to fire off one shot of his own, hitting Dunstan in the chest and Dunstan died from his injury. One mangled package. Two dead men. Nothing good came of this.

We should want to know the best way to deal with enemies that has the best results. President Abraham Lincoln was challenged on the way that he dealt with the southern states just after the Civil War. President Lincoln wanted to do things that would restore the South and mend the wounds of this nation. Others wanted to punish them further. They asked: “Why do you want to do good to them? You should destroy our enemies!” President Lincoln responded: “Am I not destroying my enemies when I make them my friends?” What can you actively do to help bring about an opportunity for renewal that can restore a relationship? When there are enemies, is there a way that they can be our friends? That is the way Jesus is training his disciples to think.

Still there are problems, mainly because people do not understand Jesus’ teaching to think and act and love like he does. We should always try to do the right thing. However, enemies can even be made because we try to do the right thing. We need to remember that there is a true distinction between good and evil. The two do not like each other. There is no compatibility between them. There is a constant battle going on between the two. Evil does not like to see anything good happen. And good should not allow evil to have its way. Is there ever a time to become angry? The answer is yes.

I’ve heard the story of a pastor who was concerned about some disreputable businesses that had opened near a school. His protests lead to a court case, and there the defense attorney did all he could to defuse the pastor and to make him feel out of place. “Are you not a pastor?” the lawyer asked. “And doesn’t the word pastor mean ‘shepherd?” To this definition the minister agreed. “Well, if you are a shepherd, why aren’t you out taking care of the sheep?” “Because today,” said the pastor, “I’m fighting wolves!” When we turn the other cheek, as Jesus taught, it does not mean that we turn our back on what we should stand toe to toe against! When we see injustice, wrongdoing, abuse and various other crimes against humanity; the wrong thing to do would be to stand idly by. In circumstances like these, it is a right thing to do to get angry and fight. There will always be certain battles to fight.

At the same time, we should positively look at the ways things could be different. We should always look for the best response that will bring about the best result. We should always look to see how love, prayer, and active good will toward others are better than hatred and wrongdoing. Here are a few more quotes from Rev. King that illustrate the human ordeal we find ourselves in between love and hate. He says: “Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it.” Again he says: “Mankind must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression, and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.” Once more he says: “I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.”

Here I’ll tell one more little story. There was a man who was informed by his doctor that he had rabies. The man had waited so long to go to the doctor that nothing could be done about his condition. After telling the sad news, the doctor left. Later, he stopped back to check on the patient who was writing something on a piece of paper. “Are you writing a will?” the doctor asked. “No,” said the man. “I’m making a list of all the people I’m going to bite!”

We hear all the time of people who have enemies and then respond with revenge, aggression, and retaliation. Isn’t it wonderful to hear the Good News today with the teachings of how to respond to our enemies through love and forgiveness? Love and forgiveness is the real antidote that we need. Jesus says to us; “love your enemies.” It is a radical teaching that has the potential to produce radical results. It has the potential and the promise to bless and transform lives, and to make the world a better place. To be lifted up out of our prejudices, anger, mistrust, jealousy, hostility, envy, competition and adversity of any kind is to be released, restored, resurrected! And it is God who does it! God gives us new life!

Our life and our life decisions and directions come down to whether we trust God’s law of love for our lives. It is the law of love and forgiveness that has the power to make brothers out of enemies! It is the power of renewal and resurrection that we hear proclaimed in Revelation when we hear our Lord say: “See, I am making all things new!” (Rev. 21:5) We see this Good News happening, or about to happen, in our enemies, our friends, our families, our schools, our workplaces, our churches, everywhere love is. Love is the hope of the world. Love gives us the opportunity for renewal. Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend.

Prayer:

Gracious and loving God; you have walked with us and beside us, and in our most difficult times you have carried us. Grant us, we pray, a greater measure of faith, that we may follow your guidance in our daily living. Forgive us when we have hated our enemies instead of seeking opportunities for renewal. Give us the courage and love to break the cycles of revenge and selfishness. Although the decisions may be difficult, may we trust you to guide us. In Jesus, name we pray. Amen.

09-15-2013 Sermon by The Rev. Dr. Brian K. Jensen

2013-09-16T11:21:00.001-07:00

CHRISTIANITY 101: THE SEVEN LAST WORDS OF THE SOUL

Once upon a time, a very wealthy man approached the minister of his church and said, “I want to send you and your wife on a three-month sabbatical to the Holy Land. When you come back, I’m going to have a very big surprise in store for you.” What could they say? The minister and his wife graciously accepted the offer, and the two of them set off for the Holy Land.

Eventually they returned to their parish and were met by their benefactor, who showed them the surprise he had in mind. While they were gone, he had had a fabulous new church built in their honor. “This is the finest building money can buy,” he said. “I spared absolutely no expense.”

He was right. It was a magnificent edifice, inside and out. Yet once they got to the sanctuary, they were surprised to discover that it only had one pew, and that pew was in the very back of the church. “I don’t want to sound unappreciative,” the minister said, “but why is there only one pew?” The wealthy man replied, “You know how everyone likes to sit in the back of the church, and no one wants to sit up front. Just wait ‘til you see what happens on Sunday morning.”

When the time came for the Sunday service, the early arrivals entered the church, filed into the one pew, and sat down. When the pew was full, a switch silently clicked, and – automatically – the pew began to slide forward. When it reached the front of the church, it came to an abrupt halt. At the very same time, another empty pew arose from below in the back, and more people sat down. And so it continued – pews filling and moving forward – until finally the church was full from front to back. The minister was truly in awe. “That’s incredible,” he cried. “I do believe it’s a dream come true!”

The service began and the minister eventually started to preach. He launched into his text and – when 12:00 noon arrived – he was still going strong with no clear end in sight. Suddenly, a bell rang, a trap door in the floor behind the pulpit dropped open, and the minister disappeared. “That’s incredible,” the congregation cried. “I do believe it’s a dream come true!”

Yeah, I thought you’d like that one. God forbid that a worship service should last any more than an hour. How else are we going to beat the Methodists to Perkins? Truth be told, however, I haven’t really gotten too bad a time from people when the worship service lasts a little more than an hour since I left Minnesota. You see, in Minnesota we were on Central Standard Time…so the Vikings kicked off at noon. Here in Pennsylvania – since we’re on Eastern Standard Time – the Steelers and the Browns don’t kick off until 1:00. Maybe that’s why people don’t complain when the worship service lasts a little more than an hour. The issue, however, is this. I will be proposing this morning that worship is an integral part of the Christian life. What exactly is worship…that we should practice it and prioritize it? Keep that thought in mind as we move on.

Several months ago, we postulated that our spiritual lives are shaped by three basic things: our narratives, our practices, and our communities. Our narratives frame our understanding of God and of ourselves. Our practices are the things we do on a regular basis that help to form who and what we are. Our communities are the places we go where we are surrounded by, and influenced by, other people…for better or for worse.

Then we worked hard to establish a few new narratives about God. Looking at God through the lens of Jesus Christ, we determined that God is good, God is trustworthy, God is generous, God is love, God is holy, God is self-sacrificing, and God transforms. Then we wrestled in turn with overcoming anger, lust, lying and the law of reciprocity. We took a stab at defeating vainglory, avarice, worry and judgmentalism.

The theory behind such an endeavor is that abiding in the kingdom of God is different than abiding in the kingdom of this world. Those who abide in this world ask, “How can I get more?” Those who abide in the kingdom ask, “How can I give more?” Those who abide in this world ask, “How can I find myself?” Those who abide in the kingdom ask, “How can I lose myself?” Those who abide in this world ask, “How can I win friends and influence people?” Those who abide in the kingdom ask, “How can I truly serve God?” Ladies and gentlemen, there is a profound difference between abiding in the kingdom of this world…and abiding in the kingdom of God. Our goal in this series of sermons is learning to abide in the kingdom of God.

Today we continue the process of considering the communities that are meant to influence us from a spiritual standpoint. Obviously, the community were talking about here is the church. The issue we’ll be dealing with today is worship. More specifically, what exactly is worship… that we should practice it and prioritize it?

Many years ago, I was on a campout with some fathers and sons from my student pastorate in Manchester, Kentucky. Early one morning, we were in canoes on a mountain lake as a blazing, orange sun slowly rose in the east. It’s hard to see such a sight and not believe in God. One of the fathers who rarely came to church said, “This is my kind of church right here. I find that I can worship God far, far better in nature than I ever can in a church.” After witnessing that magnificent sunrise, it was hard to argue with him. Yet that statement brings to mind two incredibly important theological points. Those points are: revelation and narrative.

Let’s deal with the issue of revelation first. Like I said, it’s hard to see a magnificent sunrise and not believe in God. The color, the grandeur, the wonder of it all…it truly leads one to believe that there’s something greater than one’s self. God is revealed in a sunrise. God is revealed in a lot of things in nature. We call it general revelation. When we witness a magnificent sunrise; when we gaze upon the intricacy of the human eye; when we observe the miracle of birth; we truly come to contemplate and experience God. That, my friends, is the definition of general revelation. The problem, however, is that there is no salvation in a sunrise. No forgiveness is found in the human eye, and there is no divine guidance in the miracle of birth. For those kinds of things we need special revelation…and special revelation is found only in the person of Jesus Christ. Thus, worshipping God in nature may help one to sense the wonder and the awe and the majesty of God, but it will never produce a transformed life…and it cannot provide eternal life.

Then there’s the issue of narrative. As I mentioned a moment ago, our narratives frame our understanding of God and of ourselves. There is a false narrative at work when we worship God only in nature. That false narrative is this: Worship is a personal matter; one basically meant to inspire no one but me. Again, the false narrative is: worship is a personal matter; one basically meant to inspire no one but me.

One can readily see how worshipping God in nature is a personal matter, one basically meant to inspire no one but ourselves. Yet perhaps this particular false narrative is also at work in many who worship God in the church. For example, you’re heard me mention the seven last words of the church, have you not? The seven last words of the church are: We’ve never done it that way before. Along those lines – thinking of our false narrative about worship – I came up with what I call the seven last words of the soul. The seven last words of the soul are: I didn’t get anything out of it. When we say of a worship service, “I didn’t get anything out of it,” we are displaying the power of the false narrative that lies within us. We are assuming that worship is all about us. And that, my friends, is a grave theological error.

It’s this grave theological error that has led to what we call the worship wars that have occurred over the course of the last twenty years. Musically, it’s been a debate as to whether to go with contemporary music or traditional music. A lot of people prefer more modern tunes played on drum sets and guitars to the time-honored hymns of the church played on an organ…so many churches give in to the pressure. Theologically, it’s been a debate as to whether to go with motivational speaking or prophetic preaching. A lot of people prefer a message that insinuates that God has a miracle in store for them…as opposed to Jesus’ instructions to, “Take up your cross and follow me,” so once again…many churches give in to the pressure. Is worship really meant to be about us, or is in somehow meant to be about God?

What lies at the heart of the problem here is a false narrative that insinuates that worship is a personal matter, one basically meant to inspire no one but me. Perhaps it’s time we sought to establish a true narrative of worship. A true narrative of worship might go a little more like this: Worship is a communal activity meant to shape and instruct a people of God. Again, worship is a communal activity meant to shape and instruct a people of God.

Have you ever actually considered what we do in worship here? First of all, we center our hour of worship around four basic themes. They are: “We Gather Around God’s Word,” “God’s Word Is Spoken to Us,” “God Moves Us to Respond,” and, “God Sends Us Forth to Serve.” In the first section, we begin with a call to worship, usually centered around a Psalm. Then we proceed to pray what we call a prayer of adoration. Note that it is not called a prayer of invocation. It is heresy to assume that we have the power to invoke God’s presence. Our assumption is that God is already here, for as Jesus himself once put it, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

After that, we sing a rousing opening hymn meant to stir our souls and – ideally – get us thinking along the lines of a particular theme. Believe it or not, Kevin and I put a lot of thought into the hymns we sing. Then we confess our sin – both corporately and individually – and hear God’s words of forgiveness. I suspect that, these days, a lot of people view the confession of sin and the assurance of pardon as archaic and unnecessary elements of a bygone era. After all, it’s considered politically incorrect these days to insinuate that someone might be a sinner. I would argue, however, that the confession of sin and the assurance of pardon are integral elements of worship, and that without them, we completely misunderstand the meaning of the Christ event. I mean, if we were not sinners, then Christ came for nothing…and died to no avail. Then, of course, we respond to our newfound condition with what we call the Hymn to the Glory of God.

In the next section, we hear God’s word spoken to us. We hear words from the pages of Scripture, a message for young disciples, we sing a hymn – again designed to set the tone for what lies ahead – and we listen to God’s word proclaimed. In the Reformed tradition, of which we are a part, the sermon is deliberately designed to be at the center of the worship service. Yet this is the point where people are most likely to respond with the seven last words of the soul. You know, “I didn’t get anything out of it.”

What we often forget is that, while there is a great deal of responsibility laid upon the shoulders of the preacher in the preaching event, there is also a great deal of responsibility laid upon the shoulders of those who hear. Theologically speaking, the preached word is the word of God. It’s not my words that are the word of God, but rather, it’s the Holy Spirit working through my words…and in the minds of those who hear it. Thus, if the sermon is bad, it just might be my fault. Yet it is also entirely possible that the fault lies in the heart of the one who hears. Thus, we must always come to church with a sense of what spiritual writer Richard Foster calls holy expectancy. By that he means that we should approach the sermon not as a speech designed to meet my needs, but rather, as the word of God designed to shape my soul. I have a sneaking suspicion there’d be far fewer bad sermons if a few more people developed a sense of holy expectancy.

We call the next section of worship, “God Moves Us to Respond.” There we affirm our faith, make our offering to God, listen to an anthem, and lift our prayers to God. It’s important to note that we do those things after we have encountered God’s word. After hearing God’s word, our own sense of generosity is impacted, and I suspect our prayer requests are somewhat transformed, as well.

Finally we come to the part entitled, “God Sends Us Forth to Serve.” The point is that we are not called to be Christians for only an hour on Sunday mornings. Instead, we are called to live our faith outside the doors of the church. The Christian faith is not meant to be a private matter…it never was. The Christian faith is meant to impact and transform us – and – the world in which we live. Yet how can it possibly do so if we keep our faith to ourselves? And that, my friends, is why worship is defined as a communal activity meant to shape and instruct a people of God.

On the 7^th of July of this past year, our youngest son Travis was flown to Quantico, Virginia for Office Candidate School in the United States Marine Corps. Honestly, I was worried sick as to how he’d fare in the face of hard-core, Marine Corps drill sergeants. Travis tends to be a bit hot-headed, high-strung and temperamental…just like his mother. (Why does everyone laugh when I say that?)

In any case, I had a sneaking suspicion that the young man we sent down there would not be the same young man we got back…and I was right. Travis has a flight contract with the Marine Corps. Eventually he’s going to learn to fly jets from some of the finest instructors in the world. That’s why he went to Officer Candidate School in the first place. He went because it was the ideal way to help him achieve the end he ultimately wants to achieve. Do you see what I’m getting at here? He initially went to Officer Candidate School to fulfill his own personal dreams, ambitions, and goals.

On the 17^th of August, my wife and I were in Quantico to witness his graduation. As we sat in the grandstand and the Marine Corps marching band played on the parade deck, we saw 416 United States Marine Corps officer candidates come marching down the street in unison. It was truly an awe-inspiring sight. I thought of how terrifying it must be to an opposing army to witness the precision of the United States Marine Corps.

Four hundred and sixteen young men and women – each likely coming initially with his or her own individual aspirations – had become as one. Each would be willing to give his or her life for the sake of their comrades in arms, or for the sake of the United States of America. My point is that they may have come for some of the wrong reasons, but they were graduating for all of the right reasons. What’s more, I suspect they had gotten far more out of it that any one of them could have possibly imagined. Now granted, they had the help of drill sergeants poking and prodding them each and every step of the way. Yet we have the help of the Holy Spirit of God. Are we willing to let the Spirit guide us to where we need to be, as well?

The seven last words of the soul are: “I didn’t get anything out of it.” If we feel as if that is indeed the case with us, then perhaps we’re operating out of a false narrative. Worship is not a personal matter, basically meant to inspire no one but me. Worship is a communal activity meant to shape and inspire a people of God. Come to worship with an open heart, with an open mind, and with a sense of holy expectancy. If you can manage that, I suspect that – in the end – you will find that you’ve gotten far more out of it than you could possibly have imagined. Amen.

09-08-2013 Sermon by The Rev. Dr. Brian K. Jensen

2013-09-10T07:51:00.001-07:00

CHRISTIANITY 101: THE LORD HELPS THOSE…

Leighton Farrell was the senior minister of the Highland Park United Methodist Church in Dallas, Texas from 1972 until 1995. He tells the story of a man in his church who made a covenant with a former minister to tithe 10% of his income to the church every year. When the man initially made this covenant, he was young and didn’t have a whole lot of money. Thus, he gladly gave the church a check for $1000.00 when he was only making about $10,000.00 a year.

Things quickly changed, however. It was a little more difficult for him to write out a $10,000.00 check to the church the year he made $100,000.00. It was a little more difficult still for him to write out a $100,000.00 check to the church the year he made a million dollars. Then one year, his income topped out at six million dollars. He simply could not bring himself to write out a check to the church for $600,000.00. That’s when he went to see the Rev. Dr. Leighton Farrell.

“Dr. Farrell,” he said, “this tithing business has got to stop. It was fine when my tithe was only about a thousand dollars a year, but…I can’t afford to give the church six hundred thousand dollars! Dr. Farrell, I want you to let me out of the covenant I made with that old minister.” At that, Dr. Farrell knelt on the floor and began to pray. A few minutes later, the man interrupted him. “Dr. Farrell,” he said, “what are you doing? Are you praying that God will let me out of my covenant to tithe?” Dr. Farrell replied, “No. So you won’t feel so bad about tithing, I’m praying that God will reduce your income back down to $10,000.00 a year!” Needless to say, that was not exactly what that man wanted Dr. Farrell to do. Generosity can certainly be a challenge, and sometimes it seems as though the more we have the more difficult it becomes. Keep that thought in mind as we move on.

Today we continue the process of considering the communities that are meant to influence us from a spiritual standpoint. Obviously, the community we’re talking about here is the church. The issue we’ll be dealing with today is how the church becomes a generous community. More specifically, the issue we’ll be dealing with today is this: How do I become generous myself?

Perhaps in order to consider what it takes for us to become generous, we ought first to consider what it is that keeps us from being generous. In this series of sermons, we’ve talked a lot about our narratives. As I mentioned a moment ago, our narratives frame our understanding of God and of ourselves. Thus, what might be the narrative that keeps us from being generous? I suspect there are three, actually. They are: a judgmental narrative, an entitlement narrative, and a scarcity narrative…a judgmental narrative, an entitlement narrative, and a scarcity narrative.

Let’s consider our judgmental narrative first. Perhaps we come by our judgmental narrative naturally because we think it’s really quite biblical. Most of us are pretty sure that somewhere in the Bible it says, “The Lord helps those,” – say it with me now because I know you know it – “the Lord helps those…who help themselves.” Do you know where it says that in the Bible? It doesn’t say that in the Bible. That phrase is actually found in a 1757 edition of Poor Richard’s Almanac, written by Benjamin Franklin. Now, Benjamin Franklin said a lot of brilliant things, but this may not have been one of them. Because the fact of the matter is, the Lord does not help those who help themselves. The Lord helps those…who can’t help themselves.

The Old Testament is full of stories where God intervened in people’s lives when they had exhausted all of their other options. Case in point: Abraham when he longed for an heir; the Israelites when they were in bondage in Egypt; Elijah when Queen Jezebel vowed to put him to death. The list goes on and on. And truth be told, aren’t we more likely to turn to God for help when our own resources are exhausted…when we have nowhere left to turn? The Lord doesn’t help those who help themselves. The Lord helps those who can’t help themselves.

Then there’s our entitlement narrative. An entitlement narrative teaches us that the things we possess – be they time, talent or money – are ours to use as we see fit. They are ours; we have earned them; we are entitled to them. I think Scripture teaches us a slightly different narrative. As I often say, “All that we have – and all that we are – are but products of God’s benevolence.” Thus, nothing is necessarily ours. We are stewards of God’s creation, not owners of God’s creation. We may have worked hard to get where we are, but it was God who gave us the talent, it was God who gave us the drive, and it was God who provided the end result.

If you have any doubt as to whether or not what I’m saying is true, think of this. God and an atheist were having a debate. God said, “Look at the world I have created. Isn’t it marvelous?” The atheist said, “I could do the very same thing. Science has provided me with incredible capabilities.” So God said, “Go ahead. Let’s see you make a man out of the dust of the earth.” At that, the atheist bent down and scooped up a handful of dirt. And God said, “No, no. You have to make your own dirt.” It’s all about perspective. Like I said, God is the source of all that we have and all that we are. We are merely stewards of God’s creation, we are not the owners.

Yet perhaps the greatest narrative that hinders generosity is what some authors have termed the myth of scarcity. We have this deep-seated, irrational fear that there may not be enough to go around. When it comes to the issue of generosity, the theory is that whatever I give away is lost. Whatever I provide for the needs of others contributes to my own potential lack of resources.

Gordon Bloomendaal was a minister friend of mine in the Dutch Reformed Church in Luverne, Minnesota. Gordon’s motto was: If you ain’t Dutch, you ain’t much! He reminded me of it often. When Gordon was in seminary, he was serving a little church in rural Minnesota. Now this was back in the 1950s, so – as you might suspect – his salary was exceedingly small. What’s more, he had a wife and two children at the time. Providing for his family and paying for seminary was an extremely difficult proposition for him.

One Sunday morning, it came time for the offering. He opened his wallet and all he found was a single one-dollar bill. As he pulled that single one-dollar bill out of his wallet and placed it in the offering plate, he said a little prayer. He said, “Lord, this is all that I have and we’re out of groceries. I am trusting that – somehow – you will take care of things.” That very afternoon – I kid you not – three families from the church each brought a carload of groceries to Gordon Bloomendaal’s house. We may think that that which we give away is lost and that it contributes to our own potential lack of resources. Yet when it comes to God, there’s no such thing as a myth of scarcity. In fact, when it comes to God…there’s no such thing as scarcity at all.

We’ve tried to shoot a few holes in that which keeps us from being generous. Perhaps now it’s time to consider what it is that helps us become generous. In the passage Dan read a moment ago from the book of Exodus, Moses had just led the Hebrew people out of bondage in Egypt. There they were in the wilderness, and they found they had nothing to eat. When Moses beseeched the Lord, God sent manna from heaven. I can’t tell you exactly what that manna was. The word “manna” itself is a Hebrew word that means, “What is it?” In any case, the people found themselves to be in want and God provided...because the Lord helps those who can’t help themselves.

Note also, however, that God instructed the people as to just how much they should gather. “Gather as much of it as each of you needs,” God said, “an omer to a person.” How much is an omer? Well, an omer is one-tenth of an ephah. Does that help? Actually, an omer would work out to be just a little less than a gallon. In God’s mind, that was all that a person would need. Thus, the lesson here is clear. In order for a person to actually become generous, that person must only take what he or she needs.

Perhaps the word we’re looking for here is frugality. Frugality means being careful about our resources. It’s not the same as being stingy. It does not mean that we have to be cheap. Frugality means that we take what we need, but not necessarily everything we want. As spiritual writer Dallas Willard once put it, “Practicing frugality means we stay within the bounds of what general good judgment would designate as necessary for the kind of life to which God has led us to live.” Note that he says, “…for the kind of life to which God has led us to live,” not to the kind of life we may have fancied for ourselves. The key to generosity is frugality, and the key to frugality…is discerning the kind of life we believe God is calling us to live. What thus remains for us, I suspect, is discerning just exactly what kind of life we believe God is calling us to live. That, my friends, you must do for yourselves.

Yet one more thing still needs to be said. Consider the passage I read a moment ago from the gospel according to Luke. There once was a rich man who dressed in purple and fine linen, and who feasted sumptuously every day. At his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus – covered with sores – who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table. Apparently, however, the rich man would not even give Lazarus that.

It came to pass that both men died. As a wise man once said, “No one gets out of here alive.” The poor man was carried away by angels to be with Abraham. The rich man found that he was in not quite so pleasant a place. He begged Abraham to dispatch Lazarus to bring him some water, yet Abraham would not do so. “During your lifetime,” he said to the rich man, “you received your good things, and Lazarus – in like manner – evil things. But now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. Besides all this, between you and us, a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so…and no one can cross from there to here either.” Where do you suppose it was that the rich man found himself?

Lest we think our generosity does not matter, Jesus provides us with a stern warning. Greediness, or stinginess, or even a lack of generosity…can have eternal consequences. We have but one lifetime to get it right. Jesus means to imply that generosity is important, but I think he also means to imply a bit of importunity. Put another way, Jesus seems to be saying, “Live your life as you should…and you’d best be starting right now!”

Erma Bombeck was a newspaper columnist who achieved fame in the 70s and 80s for writing down-to-earth books on humor in life. She died of cancer in 1996. Shortly after she was diagnosed with her disease, she wrote an essay entitled, “If I Had My Life to Live Over.” I think it pertains to that about which we have been speaking. Listen closely to her words.

· If I had my life to live over, I would have talked less and listened more.

· I would have invited friends over to dinner, even if the carpet was stained and the sofa faded.

· I would have eaten the popcorn in the good living room, and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace.

· I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.

· I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.

· I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage.

· I would have sat on the lawn with my children and not worried about grass stains.

· I would have cried and laughed less while watching television – and more while watching life.

· Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I’d have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.

· There would have been more, “I love you’s,” and more, “I’m sorry’s.”

· I would perhaps have had more actual troubles, but I’d have had fewer imaginary ones.

· If I had my life to live over, I would start barefoot earlier in the spring, and stay that way later in the fall.

· If I had it to do over again, I would travel lighter next time. I would go to more dances. I would ride more merry-go-rounds. I would pick more daisies. I would try to give so much more than I ever received.

We need to discern what it is that we really need in life, and what it is that we can do without. And as Jesus seems to indicate, we’d best be doing so as soon as possible. The Lord helps those who can’t help themselves. Thus, we have the opportunity to assist God in that process…and we have the assurance that God will be there for us when we need him, as well. Amen.

09-01-2013 Sermon by The Rev. Dr. Brian K. Jensen

2013-09-10T07:13:00.001-07:00

BREAD FOR THE JOURNEY

There are many different translations of the Bible and – although each one may offer a slightly altered rendition of certain words – they all tend to basically agree on the important things. In the year 1631, however, the Kings Printing House in London was authorized to reprint the King James Version of the Bible. They provided a slightly different translation of the seventh commandment. Instead of printing, “Thou shalt not commit adultery,” they printed, “Thou shalt commit adultery.”

This was considered quite scandalous at the time. Head Printer Robert Barker was fined three hundred pounds. That would be about four hundred and fifty dollars, and while that may not seem like much to us, four hundred years ago…I suspect it was a bit more significant. In any case, after the error was discovered, the roughly one thousand Bibles that had already been printed were tracked down and destroyed. Eleven copies survived. One is on display at The Living Word National Bible Museum in Branson, Missouri. I’ll bet you didn’t even know there was a Living Word National Bible Museum in Branson, Missouri! Another can be purchased online, if the price is right. As of the 5^th of August, I see that the going rate was $99,500.00. How much would you be willing to pay to have your baser instincts justified biblically?

Generally speaking, however, most of our translations of the Bible are in agreement on the important things. For example, we all have four gospels in the New Testament of our Bibles, do we not? They are: the gospel according to Matthew, the gospel according to Mark, the gospel according to Luke, and the gospel according to John. Matthew, Mark and Luke are referred to as the synoptic gospels because they – in essence – provide a “synopsis” of Jesus’ life. Not so with the gospel according to John. The gospel according to John reads more like an extended statement of faith. Thus, in a nutshell, we could say that the synoptic gospels tell us what Jesus did, while the gospel of John attempts to tell us what Jesus means. Are you with me? Matthew, Mark and Luke tell us what Jesus did, while the gospel of John tries to tell us what Jesus means.

Now immediately preceding the passage I read from the gospel according to John is the story of Jesus feeding the five thousand with but five loaves of bread and two fish. That is the only miracle story recorded in all four gospels. After Jesus fed the five thousand, the synoptic gospels go off in a different direction. The gospel of John, however, proceeds to tell us how the people reacted.

Jesus fed five thousand people with but five loaves of bread and two fish. It was a miracle that greatly impressed these people. In fact, it impressed them so much that they didn’t even go home that night. They camped out on the hillside where they had been fed. When morning came, they set out in search of Jesus themselves. When they were unable to find him on the east side of the Sea of Galilee, they crossed the sea in boats and found him in a town called Capernaum. The first thing they said to Jesus was, “Rabbi, when did you come here?”

Now, unbeknownst to them, Jesus had walked across the Sea of Galilee, but that’s another story. Jesus had impressed these people so much that they went to great lengths to find him. So when they found him, they said, “Rabbi, when did you come here?”

Jesus did not even bother to answer their question. Instead, he got right to the heart of the matter as to why they were looking for him in the first place. Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you: you seek me – not because you saw signs – but because you ate your fill of the loaves.” In other words, “You’re not looking for signs of the coming kingdom of God. You only want another free meal.”

Jesus’ words to his peers seem a little bit harsh, do they not? Perhaps they are harsh words for us to hear in this day and age, as well. For example, we come to church – more or less on a regular basis – in search of Jesus as well, do we not? But why do we come? Why do we come to church? Are we looking for signs of the coming kingdom of God? Or are we – like the people of Jesus’ day – only looking for another free meal? Put another way: Are we really looking for Jesus, or are we only looking for what Jesus can do for us? Let me explain.

I had a friend quite a number of years ago who was raised in the Presbyterian Church. Yet once he reached adulthood, he joined the Methodist Church. Why did he join the Methodist Church when he’d been raised a Presbyterian? Was the Methodist preacher better? Was the Methodist music more contemporary? Was he struggling with the theological concepts of Arminianism versus the Reformed faith? No, he joined the Methodist Church because it was the biggest church in town.

You see, he owned a furniture store downtown, so – if he was a member of the biggest church in town – he felt it would increase his customer base. I am not making this up; he told me that him-self. My friend came to church in search of something. Yet perhaps he came not looking for signs of the coming kingdom of God, but rather, he came because he was looking for that free meal. Perhaps he came not looking for Jesus so much as he was looking for what Jesus could do for him.

As is sometimes the case with us, so it was with the people who crossed the Sea of Galilee in search of Jesus. They weren’t looking for Jesus so much as they were looking for what Jesus could do for them. So Jesus, in essence, told them that they were wrong. He said, “Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life.” In other words, don’t try to build up treasures on earth, but rather, try to build up treasures in heaven. You see, the distinction here is really quite clear. When we are in search of what Jesus can do for us, our goal tends to lean toward building up treasures for ourselves. Yet when we are really in search of Jesus Christ, our goal tends to lean toward building up treasures in heaven. Do you see the difference? One has the aim of building our personal kingdoms, while the other has the aim of building the kingdom of God. Which one do you suppose Christ had in mind?

Ah, but we can’t help but be a little bit selfish, can we? After all, what’s the point of building up the kingdom of God if there’s nothing in it for us? Bombarded as we are by buy now, pay later schemes, our “wants” quickly come to be perceived as “needs.” And we’ve always been led to believe that Jesus provides for our needs, have we not? So how do we come to look for Jesus…instead of what Jesus can do for us?

I think it begins by looking at what Jesus has done for us. Consider what Jesus says in verse 35. “I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst.” In other words, Jesus is the bread of eternal life. Those who partake of him are the blessed recipients of life everlasting. Ladies and gentlemen, that’s what Jesus has done for us. Our response should be one of gratitude, rather than constantly searching for something else Jesus can do for us.

Later in this passage, Jesus indicates that we must eat his flesh and drink his blood. He was making reference to the sacrament of communion, of course, but it was a concept that utterly appalled those who heard him. John clearly indicates that this became a dividing line for Christ’s followers. As he notes in a later verse, “After this, many of his disciples drew back and no longer went about with him.”

Why did many of Jesus’ followers draw back and no longer go about with him? Was it because they were appalled at Jesus’ graphic description of the sacrament of communion? Or was it perhaps because they began to realize that Jesus had nothing to offer them but himself? Personally, I think the latter is true.

People quit following Jesus because he would not do for them what they wanted him to do. Perhaps that’s true for us today, as well. For example, the churches that tend to be booming these days are the churches that give people what they want. We call it the Prosperity Gospel. The churches that are struggling these days are the churches that teach Christians that they have a role to play in the coming kingdom of God. Put another way, they ask: Does God exist to serve us, or do we exist to serve God? I know that’s not necessarily what we want to hear…but it does have to do with our response to what Jesus Christ has already done for us.

Jesus said, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst.” Jesus is talking about eternal life. Those who have a part of him are the blessed recipients of eternal life. Still, we tend to reply, “What about the present life? As the bread of life, can Jesus sustain us in the here and now as well?”

Rabbi Harold Kushner has written a book entitled, When All You’ve Ever Wanted Isn’t Enough. That’s a pertinent title for the Baby Boomer generation…and perhaps for Baby Busters and Gen Xers and Millennial Kids, as well. Acquisition becomes the key as we spend our lives keeping up with the Joneses – as we try to earn enough money to have everything our hearts desire. Then what happens? We end up feeling empty inside…because all we’ve ever wanted – somehow – isn’t enough. As Saint Augustine put it some sixteen hundred years ago, “Thou hast made us for thyself, O God, and our hearts are restless until they rest in thee.”

This is where Jesus Christ – as the bread of life – can truly sustain us. He provides bread for the journey…this journey we call life. By taking part in the life of Christ, we find that peace and contentment we so desperately seek. Yet how do we take part in the life of Christ? How do we get our fill of bread for the journey? Honestly, I think we get our fill of bread for the journey when we stop and take inventory of our lives so far. Think for a moment about what you have …instead of what you lack. Have you got your health? Have you got a loving family? Have you got a source of income? Is there food on your table? Are you surrounded by caring friends? The list goes on and on. The point is this: If you can say “yes” to any or all of the aforementioned questions, then you indeed know that God is in your life. You have received bread for the journey so far. Why, then, would you ever think…that it might run out? Amen.

08-25-2013 Sermon by The Rev. Dr. Brian K. Jensen

2013-08-26T09:58:00.001-07:00

WHAT GOD HAS HAD IN MIND ALL ALONG

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” You’ve heard those words before, have you not? Those words are found in the first verse of the first chapter of the first book of the Bible. You know: the creation story in the book of Genesis. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”

Then about 150 years ago, a man named Charles Darwin came along and upset the apple cart. He proposed a theory of evolution that insinuates that we human beings evolved from apes. I must admit, in fairness to Darwin, that I have indeed met people who didn’t seem to be quite as far along on the evolutionary scale as the rest of us. But I digress.

Now, my friends, a third story of creation has finally been uncovered. I think it helps to explain just why life is the way it is. Listen now to the recently discovered third story of creation:

On the first day, God created the cow. God said to the cow, “You must go to the field with the farmer all day long and suffer under the sun. You will have calves and provide milk to support the farmer. I will give you a life span of 60 years.” The cow replied, “Lord, that’s kind of a tough life you want me to live for 60 years. Let me have 20 years, and I’ll give back the other 40.” And God agreed.

On the second day, God created the monkey. God said to the monkey, “Entertain people, do monkey tricks and make them laugh. I’ll give you a life span of 20 years.” The monkey replied, “How boring. Monkey tricks for 20 years? I don’t think so. Give me 10 years and I’ll give you back the other 10.” And God agreed.

On the third day, God created the dog. God said to the dog, “Sit all day long by the door of your house and bark at anyone who tries to come in or walk past. I’ll give you a life span of 20 years.” The dog replied, “That’s a little too long to be barking and sitting. Give me 10 years and I’ll give you back the other 10.” And God agreed.

On the fourth day, God created man. God said to the man, “Eat, sleep, play, have fun and enjoy your life. Do nothing but have a good time. I’ll give you a life span of 20 years.” The man replied, “What? Only 20 years? No way, Lord! I’ll tell you what. I’ll take my 20, plus the 40 the cow gave back, plus the 10 the monkey gave back, plus the 10 the dog gave back. That makes 80, okay?” And again, God agreed.

So that is why – for the first 20 years of our lives – we eat, sleep, play, enjoy life and have fun. For the next 40 years, we slave in the sun to support our families. For the next 10 years, we do monkey tricks to entertain our grandchildren. And for the last 10 years…we sit in front of the house and bark and anyone who walks by! As the new creation story concludes, “Life has now been explained.”

Chances are – since I found this third creation story on the Internet – it may not be entirely true. But like this third creation story, doesn’t the creation story in Genesis leave us with a feeling of being profoundly special? After all, we are the crowning achievement in God’s good creation.

If you take the Genesis story literally, of course, humanity was created on the sixth day. Adam and Eve were placed in the Garden of Eden. They were given every plant yielding fruit for food. They were given dominion over all creation. Human beings are the crowning achievement in God’s act of creation, and that should leave us feeling quite special, indeed.

Then consider how the Old Testament proceeds. God makes a covenant with Abraham to make of him a great nation. Through his grandson, Jacob, they become the nation of Israel. Later, when God’s people find themselves in bondage in Egypt, God sends a deliverer by the name of Moses. Under King David, they become the most powerful nation in the world. In later years, following their conquest by other nations, God remains faithful through various prophets and promises them ultimate deliverance.

That deliverance came to fruition in the person of Jesus Christ. They were delivered from the greatest enemy of all…the enemy we call death. Now, through Jesus Christ, we are the chosen people of God. God sent his Son that we might receive adoption as the children of God. How’s that for leaving us with a feeling of being special?

Is it any wonder, then, that individualism runs so rampant in our society today? After all, we’re the chosen people of God. Who on earth matters more than us? Unfortunately, that often comes to be translated further into being, “Who on earth matters more than me?” Who on earth… matters more than me?

Actually, it was an eerily similar phenomenon that the Apostle Paul was dealing with in the passage we read from the book of Ephesians. Christians at Ephesus were well aware that Christ had died for them, and that they were now numbered among the chosen people of God. That led to rampant individualism and selfishness. Since they were now children of God, they came to believe that they were quite special. And in the process, they became a bit self-indulgent.

Paul reminded the Christians at Ephesus – these Ephesians – that they were indeed very special. “You are a part of the body of Christ we call the church,” he says…a tremendous privilege. Yet as most of us know – and as Paul gently reminds the Ephesians – with great privilege comes great responsibility.

For example, what greater privilege is there than the privilege of parenthood? Yet as Paul reminds us, with great privilege comes great responsibility. I think that great responsibility is summed up quite well in a poem called, “The Little Chap Who Follows Me.” Listen closely to the words.

A careful man I ought to be;

A little fellow follows me.

I do not dare to go astray,

For fear he’ll go the self-same way.

I must not madly step aside,

Where pleasure’s paths are smooth and wide,

And join in wine’s red revelry –

A little fellow follows me.

I cannot once escape his eyes;

Whate’er he sees me do, he tries.

Like me, he says, he’s going to be;

The little chap who follows me.

He thinks that I am good and fine,

Believes in every word of mine;

The base in me he must not see,

The little chap who follows me.

I must remember as I go,

Through summer’s sun and winter’s snow,

I’m building for the years to be:

A little fellow follows me.

There is no greater privilege than parenthood, yet perhaps there is no greater responsibility either. Like I said, with great privilege comes great responsibility. To the Ephesians, Paul is quite clear that they have great privilege. They are the proud recipients of the grace of God in Jesus Christ, and – because of that – they have received adoption as the children of God. Yet Paul explicitly adds that with great privilege comes great responsibility.

“Put off your old nature,” he says, “which belongs to your former manner of life…and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new nature, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” In other words, with great privilege comes great responsibility. Once you were frivolous and self-centered. Yet now that you belong to Christ, you are to live as a transformed people. You are to intentionally exert some self-discipline, and some self-control.

In the passage I read earlier, Paul becomes a bit more specific. “Put away falsehood,” he says. In other words, do not lie. “Be angry but do not sin,” he says. In other words, people may grieve you and upset you, but you are called to not respond in kind. “Let no evil talk come out of your mouths,” Paul says, “but only such as is good for edifying…that it may impart grace to those who hear it.” In other words, don’t gossip. And before you tell someone what you heard someone else say about them, think about it. Is this going to make them feel better about themselves, or is it only going to hurt them?

Finally, Paul says, “Be kind to one another: tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Paul actually goes one step further than saying, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Paul seems to say instead, “Do unto others as God has already done unto you.”

Paul really lays it on the line here. Why, it’s as if he was saying, “You are the blessed recipients of the grace of God. Yet with great privilege comes great responsibility. You are thus called to live your lives as if the grace of God really means something.”

Like the Ephesians before us, we are the blessed recipients of the grace of God in Christ Jesus, our Lord. We are adopted as children of God and have come to be known as the chosen people of God. Yet this beneficent status necessarily begs an important question. And that question is: “What difference does it make?” Honestly, what difference does it make in the way we live our lives?

Much has been written of late that due to the rampant individualism in the world today, there is precious little difference between the behavior of Christians and the behavior of non-Christians. Christians spend their money just as selfishly as non-Christians. Christians sue one another just as often as non-Christians. Christians hold grudges against one another just as often as non-Christians. Christians gossip – Christians lie – just as much as non-Christians. Christians seek vengeance upon one another just as often as non-Christians. Christians watch exploitative movies and T.V. shows just as often as non-Christians. What difference does our chosen status as Christians really make?

Let me tell you something that I think we often overlook. Jesus Christ died for you, which makes you very special in the eyes of God. But he also died for me. He died for the Methodists down the street. He died for those ruffians who hang out in Diamond Park. He died for the homeless people we try to overlook on our city streets. He died for the Mexicans who try to sneak across our borders when no one is looking. He died for the Muslims in foreign lands who hate us with a passion. He died that everyone in the world might one day be numbered among the chosen people of God. That is not universalism…but rather, that is universality.

You are special in the eyes of God, but so is everyone else. I think what Paul is really getting at is that it’s not all about us. As Christians, we need to put off the old nature and put on the new nature. Why? Because everyone has the potential to be a child of God. What God really wants is for all of his children to live in peace and harmony. And the way it begins…is when God’s own children learn how to get along.

Ladies and gentlemen, the new nature of which Paul speaks exercises a measure of self-control. Why? Because other people matter to God just as much as we do. Christianity has everything to do with getting along with others as if they were our brothers and sisters. And that, my friends, is what God has had in mind all along. Amen.

08-18-2013 Sermon by Rev. Larry Peters

2013-08-26T08:03:00.001-07:00

A SIMPLE FRUIT STORY

Rev. Larry Peters

August 18, 2013

Psalm 67:1-2, 4-7

1 John 4:7-21

John 15:1-8

In all of our lessons for today, we are being taught the way to live our life. Our teacher is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Life is a classroom. We are the students of life. We learn many things in life. There is literally something new for us to learn each day, if and when we pay attention. We must attend class. We must pay attention in class; pay attention to what is happening, what is around us, what God has given us in life, and the lessons we learn.

One thing that we should learn is that we all have something to give. God has given each of us certain talents and abilities. We should learn to see them in ourselves, and learn to see them in others. We should see the benefit of sharing together what we have learned; what we have worked on; who we are; what we can do; what we can give. These are the fruits of our produce.

In addition to our talents and abilities, we are given fruit of the Spirit that Paul describes in Galatians as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These are character qualities of Jesus that God intends every believer to have. This fruit is not produced by us, but only produced in us. They are produced by the Holy Spirit who himself lives in us. This truth is made known to us in 1 John 4:13 where it reads; “By this we know that we abide in him and he in us because he has given us of his Spirit.” Living by faith in the Son of God who indwells us in what the fruit of the Holy Spirit is all about.

To fully appreciate just how precious these words are, we need to see them in the larger context of Paul’s letter to the church in Galatia. This is written at a time when believers in Galatia were falling away from the simple message of the gospel. They were abandoning the message that a sinner is declared righteous before God as a free gift of his grace through faith in Jesus Christ and what he did for us on the cross. Instead, they were falling for the lie that they could make themselves righteous before God through obedience to the Old Testament law. It comes down to this: What do you believe, if you believe anything at all? Dietrich Bonhoeffer said it this way; “Only he who believes is obedient, and only he who is obedient believes.” Or put still another way; “If you don’t believe in something, you will fall for anything.”

False teachers had been misleading the Galatian believers into thinking that they could be more righteous and acceptable before God on the basis of the law of Moses (that is law put forth by human beings). And this message isn’t for the Galatian believers alone. It is a message intended for you and for me. It is a message of great encouragement for those who believe in and follow the teachings of Jesus Christ as Lord; and is a warning to those who would choose to put something else in place of him.

There is the question of what to do with the law of God. If we choose to turn away—what then? Do we simply ignore the need to be holy in the way we live? Do we reject God’s law altogether? Do we forget about following the pattern of Jesus’ own holiness, and to grow into his likeness? Are we to be our own guide, following our own way, our own standards—would that, in any way, save us? No! The standard of holiness has not changed. Neither has the way toward holiness. We are to cease trying to make ourselves holy on the basis of our own human efforts. Instead, we are to allow God’s Holy Spirit to live the life of Jesus Christ through us.

God’s Holy Spirit is our guide. God’s Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ is our teacher along life’s way. We need to pay attention! As followers of Christ, his disciples, we acknowledge Jesus to be our Lord and Savior. There is no other way! We receive him into our life, and he shows us and teaches us how to live! Jesus said: “I have come that you may have life, and have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). Do you want to have an abundant life? Do you want to live a fruitful life? Then you want Jesus Christ!

You must have Jesus Christ in your life, so that you can live through him. For unless you are a Christian, a follower of Christ and a confessor of him as Lord, there is little chance that you have any idea of what it is like to live the abundant life in Christ! People in Galatia began to measure their spirituality by their own belief, performance and standards. True believers measure their spirituality only through Jesus Christ who blesses us in great measure!

We live to love and serve God and our fellow human beings. Through God’s grace, we are able to be a blessing to someone in need. May we be able to live out the perfect character qualities of Jesus in us, to be his disciples, to glorify God, and by bearing much good fruit.

I’d like to share with you today a simple fruit story. My grandfather was a farmer. He was an educated man. He graduated from Edinboro State Normal School. I later graduated from this school when it was no longer “normal”, but when it became a university. My grandfather loved to teach and everybody thought he was going to be a school teacher. Instead, he learned about life and taught what he knew in a different way. He was an apple farmer and he was good at it. His love was to produce good fruit, and he was always ready to help others.

The local farmers would take their best fruit to sell at the grand old Market House here in Meadville. There was friendly competition among the farmers and each year they would “crown” and “apple king.” I don’t know if this was any more than a title. I do remember that he would often hand out pencils with “apple king” printed on the side. We grandkids were always proud to get one. My grandfather found a way to use his talent and ability. He also seemed to pay attention to what was around him and to the needs of other people. He was a student of life, learning life lessons and seeing the benefit of sharing together what we have learned.

My father was born and raised in Meadville. He was a city kid. He knew very little about farming. But he liked the farmer’s daughter. Later on he married her and she became my mom. Still later, when I was a boy, we were all surprised when dad decided to move us out to live on a farm. This is the same guy who would run from my grandfather’s cows when they came walking up to him—some of them had horns! Well, our farm on Route 86 near Saegertown didn’t have any cows. We mostly had fruit; red and black raspberries, strawberries and apples.

I remember that my grandfather was very helpful in sharing what he knew to get dad started. In particular, I remember when he taught my dad how to graft a branch of one type of apple tree onto the trunk of a different type of apple tree. In his own orchard, grandpa had many strange looking trees that grew different types of apples. One of the benefits of grafting is that varieties of fruit ripen at different times which can stretch out a fruit season over months. I also think that my grandpa liked experimenting with what he could do as a fruit farmer. My dad, in turn, was mechanically inclined and was good at repairing his and my grandfather’s farming equipment. This was something that my grandfather was not always able to do.

When we pay attention to what is around us and to the needs to which we can design our purpose, when we strive to use the talents and abilities that God has given us in life, and when we see the benefit of sharing together what we have learned, what we can do, what we have worked on—these are the fruits of our produce, the very best of who we are and what we have to give!

One of the favorite ways of teaching or telling a story is to do so in a way that connects with the people who hear the story. Jesus, when teaching, was a master at reaching out to people. The people were amazed at what he taught and the way, the authority, in which he taught it. One of the more familiar analogies or parables that Jesus used to teach was that of fruit and fruit-bearing. Many people were farmers. The climate of the land is such that with irrigation, cultivation and proper care, a broad assortment of fruits were able to be produced. The Bible repeatedly mentions such fruits as figs, plums, grapes, melons and several kinds, pomegranates, olives, pears and apples.

The people knew about fruit and the vines, branches and trees on which they grew. The people knew, for example, that if a fig tree failed to bear figs for three straight years, as in Jesus’ parable of the unfruitful fig tree, it was unlikely to ever do so again. So the tree would be cut down and burned, and something would be planted in its place—something that was sure to bear fruit. They understood how no branch can bear fruit by itself, that it is only healthy when it is attached to a good tree or vine. And they understood about grafting, how branches of various types could be grafted onto a single host plant. Even so, sometimes the grafts held and succeeded, and sometimes they did not. Sometimes they fell off and withered away.

Jesus wants to make this point very clear. He says in our lesson today that “whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned” (John 15:6). Jesus Christ came to give us life! Apart from him there is only death! When I was a boy, I tried my own experiment with grafting. I cut off a branch from an apple tree and stuck it in the ground. I thought that maybe I could grow a new tree and produce my own apples. Well, it didn’t happen. It does not work that way. I guess I thought that the power to produce apples was in the branch. But I learned that the branch only bore the fruit, it did not produce the fruit. And now, no longer part of the tree, it was lifeless. It would only dry up, wither and only be good for firewood. Apart from the tree, the branch could do nothing.

Jesus is our source of life. We need to remain connected to Jesus! Jesus says, “Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:4,5).

And Jesus says that God is the vinegrower. God is the one who removes every branch that bears no fruit. This is not only to remove the branches that no longer bear fruit, but to enhance the fruit-bearing possibilities of the branches that do. This is weeding out the garden! And there is also mention of pruning. God prunes every branch that does bear fruit. Pruning is another way of caring for the branch. Pruning encourages new growth so that the branch can bear even more fruit. And God looks upon his garden and calls it good! God is glorified when we bear good fruit!

As Jesus taught the people, he connected with them. They understood what he was talking about when he told his fruit stories. They knew that Jesus is concerned not just about branches and fruit—but about people’s lives. In all of our lessons today we are being taught the way to live our life. The way to live our life is to love and serve God and our fellow human beings, and to glorify God by bearing much good fruit.

Nourished by God’s love, we grow. We learn how to love because God loves us. This love stimulates us in a life-transforming way that we cannot help but love others as God loves us. Love is one of those good fruits of the Spirit, that the Holy Spirit of God produces in us and that we are to share with others. As we grow in the Lord, and as we grow more and more to be instructed in the Scriptures, we grow increasingly to perceive the leading and direction of the Holy Spirit in our lives. As Paul says, “Since we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit” (Romans 8). And as we do, we discover a way to live life that is abundant and fruitful.

What a great privilege we have! God the Father has placed God the Holy Spirit in us when we believed and confessed Jesus Christ as Lord! And God the Holy Spirit, who has taken up residence in us, lives the very life of God the Son through us!

May Jesus Christ be praised! May we increasingly allow the Holy Spirit to produce fruit in us; and may God be glorified as a result! Amen.

08-11-2013 Sermon by The Rev. Dr. Brian K. Jensen

2013-08-12T10:49:00.001-07:00

CHRISTIANITY 101: TWENTY-TWENTY HINDSIGHT

Gary and Linda had been married for nearly twenty years when things began to go awry. Facebook had just come into vogue as a computer pastime, and Linda had established her own account. Over the course of the next few months, she reconnected with an old college boyfriend. He was living in the state of Mississippi, and Linda wanted to go down there and see him. In Linda’s mind, the visit would be perfectly innocent. In Gary’s mind, however, the visit seemed a bit suspicious.

That’s when they came to see me. The funny thing is: it was actually Linda’s idea to come and see me. I suppose she thought I was cool, and that I would understand. Yet as all three of my children would quickly tell you, I am not cool…and I don’t always understand. Now I don’t normally tell people what to do in a counseling situation, yet after hearing of their dilemma, the first thing I said was this: “Linda, you need to cut off all contact with that old college boyfriend immediately. You’re playing with fire here, and people who play with fire…often times get burned.” I knew right away that my counsel would go unheeded because Linda was extremely disillusioned when they left my office that day.

Linda did go down to Mississippi to see that old college boyfriend. And as Gary suspected all along, the visit was not as innocent as Linda let on. Linda and her old boyfriend rekindled an old flame – a decision that would eventually cost Linda her marriage. Yet the boyfriend was married himself and – believe it or not – he had absolutely no intention of leaving his wife. In the end, Linda lost her husband, she lost her old college boyfriend, and she lost the respect of her daughters, as well.

As often happens in a situation like this, neither party tends to feel terribly comfortable in the church any more. I never saw Linda again – at least not in church – yet Gary did come to see me one more time. He was angry and bitter about what had happened. You might even say that he had become a bit vindictive. He was withholding alimony checks, he did what he could to turn his daughters against their mother…in short, he was making her life as miserable as he possibly could. Yet in the process, he was making his own life miserable, as well.

I suggested that what he really needed to do…was to somehow find it in his heart to forgive her. His forgiveness would not be for her sake, but rather, his forgiveness would be for his own well-being. It would help bring peace to his sorely troubled soul. Yet the question I have for you now is this: Was that really the proper thing for me to advise? Should he forgive her for his own well-being, or should he forgive her for another reason entirely? Keep that thought in mind as we move on.

Today we continue the process of considering the communities that are meant to influence us from a spiritual standpoint. Obviously, the community we’re talking about here is the church. The issue we’ll be dealing with today is how the church becomes a reconciling community. More specifically, the issue we’ll be dealing with today is this: How does one come to truly forgive?

Forgiveness is perhaps the most difficult thing with which Christians have to deal. For example, Dr. James Bryan Smith is a professor of theology at Friends University in Wichita, Kansas. In a book called, The Good and Beautiful Community, he makes mention of how often he comes face-to-face with the issue of forgiveness. He writes:

I have had the privilege of being a guest on many Christian radio talk shows. Typically, the host of the show interviews me about the content or the ideas from one of my books. Many of the shows allow listeners to call in and ask questions. Initially, I expected the callers to join in the discussion, perhaps even raising a question or two about the topic at hand. I quickly learned, however, that that seldom happens. Instead listeners often share their own stories that end with a very similar plea: “I have been terribly hurt by someone. Please, tell me how to forgive them.” No matter what the topic of the program was supposed to be, I could count on at least two of the calls being about forgiveness. What people seem to want to know is: “Can I forgive? Should I forgive? How do I forgive?”

Like I said, forgiveness is perhaps the most difficult thing with which Christians have to deal. We’re all painfully aware of what we say in the Lord’s Prayer every week. You know, “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” Deep down inside of us there seems to be a tremendous fear that if we do not forgive, we will not be forgiven. We all know that we need to forgive. What we don’t seem to know…is how.

I think of what I said to Gary in the opening illustration of this sermon. I told him that he needed to forgive his wife for the sake of his own peace of mind. Yet to say that to someone implies that forgiveness is an act of the will. And, as we said a number of weeks ago, the will actually has no power in and of itself. The will is merely the capacity to choose. Thus, the will is neither strong nor weak. Like a horse, the will only has one task: to do what the rider – in this case, the mind influenced by the body and/or the social realm – tells it to do. Therefore change – or a lack thereof – is not an issue of the will at all. Change happens when other influencers are modified. Perhaps forgiveness, too, happens when other influencers are modified. The question now is: What exactly is it that needs to be modified in order for us to have the capacity to forgive?

I think Jesus lays out what needs to be modified in the passage we read from the gospel according to Matthew. Jesus says that, once upon a time, a king wished to settle accounts with his slaves. A slave who owed ten thousand talents was brought before the king. A talent was the equivalent of fifteen years wages for a laborer. Thus, in today’s terms, if a laborer earns $30,000.00 a year, ten thousand talents would come to exactly four billion, five hundred million dollars. In other words, this slave owed his king a great deal of money.

As the slave could not pay, the king prepared to sell him, his wife and his children...that payment might be made. The slave then dropped to his knees and begged the king not to do so, swearing up and down that eventually he would repay the debt. The king then had mercy upon that slave, and forgave him of his debt. Remember: that slave owed his king 4.5 billion dollars.

That very same day, that very same slave encountered another slave who owed him a hundred denarii. A denarius was the usual day’s wage for a laborer. Again, if the average laborer earns $30,000.00 a year, a day’s wage would be about a hundred and fifteen dollars. Thus, the second slave owed the first slave about $11,500.00. The first slave then grabbed the second slave by the throat and cried, “Pay what you owe!” The second slave begged the first slave for mercy, but the first slave would hear none of it. He then threw that man into prison until he could pay his debt. Yet think about it: Can one really repay a debt from prison? Thus, the first slave essentially threw the second slave into prison for life.

When the king caught wind of what that slave had done, he was furious. “You wicked slave,” he cried. “I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?” And in anger, he sent that slave off to be tortured until he could pay his debt. Then Jesus adds, “So my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or your sister from your heart.”

Okay, that story ends rather unpleasantly, does it not? For the sake of our argument today, we’re simply going to pretend we didn’t hear that part of the story. Because I think the greater point is that each and every one of us is a whole lot more like the first slave than we are like the second. Jesus’ point is this: Each and every one of us has been forgiven far more than we can imagine. And because we have been forgiven so very, very much…we come to forgive others out of gratitude to God. So you see: forgiveness is not a matter of the will. Forgiveness…is a matter of the heart.

The problem today, however, is that most people have been conditioned to not see themselves as sinners. No matter what sort of evil or transgression we commit, we are conditioned to believe that somehow…it’s not our fault. Either that, or we find a creative way to rationalize our behavior. Ladies and gentlemen, God does not look at it that way. God created a perfect world, and God created a way for people to be perfect in it. Thus, in God’s eyes, any transgression – apart from the grace of God in Jesus Christ – is enough to send us into the abyss of hell.

For example, I do not see a hierarchy in the Ten Commandments. Each sin mentioned seems to be equally egregious in the eyes of God. The sixth commandment says, “Thou shalt not kill.” Thus, murder is enough to get us banished from God’s presence forever. The seventh commandment says, “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” Thus, adultery is enough to get us banished from God’s presence forever. The fourth commandment is, “Honor the Sabbath day and keep it holy.” Thus, skipping church is enough to get us banished from God’s presence forever. The tenth commandment is, “Thou shalt not covet.” Thus, wanting what someone else has is enough to get us banished from God’s presence forever.

Are you starting to get the picture? While we may not think that our little sins are any big deal, I assure you…God thinks differently. Yet thanks to the grace of God in Jesus Christ, God forgives us and remembers our sins no more. Thus, perhaps we are a lot more like that first slave than we would like to think. Our debt is a whole lot closer to 4.5 billion than it is to eleven thousand. And because we have been forgiven so great a debt, we can come to forgive the debt of another. Forgiveness is not a matter of the will. Forgiveness…is a matter of the heart.

Yet one more thing still needs to be said. Mary read the story of the Patriarch Joseph a moment ago. Joseph was his father’s favorite son, and he made no bones about it. Joseph lorded his privileged status over his brothers, and it brought about some serious sibling rivalry. When Joseph told his brothers about a dream he had had – one in which they all bowed down to him – that was the last straw. They sold him as a slave and told their father he had been devoured by a wild animal.

Joseph was carted against his will to Egypt, where he became the slave of an Egyptian military man. When that man’s wife made a play for Joseph, and Joseph ran away, she accused him of accosting her. That landed Joseph in prison. Yet possessing a unique ability to interpret dreams, Joseph interpreted one of Pharaoh’s dreams and saved Egypt from a deadly famine. That got Joseph promoted to second in command over all of Egypt.

The famine came anyway, yet Egypt had stores of grain aplenty. Joseph’s brothers later found themselves to be in want, and they went to Egypt to purchase food. It was there that Joseph revealed to them who he really was. As you might suspect, his brothers fell silent…knowing in their hearts exactly what they had done. Yet Joseph replied, “Do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here. For God sent me before you to preserve life.”

Joseph possessed what I like to call twenty-twenty hindsight. Looking back over his life – as difficult as it had been – he knew that everything that happened to him had to happen to him, in order for him to arrive at the place he found himself now. Joseph knew that the pain and suffering he had endured had helped to build his character. Joseph knew that the hardships he had endured had taught him perseverance. Yet most of all, Joseph knew that the afflictions he had encountered had developed a profound faith within him. That’s how he could forgive his brothers. He was grateful for all that God had forgiven him, and he knew that it was through his afflictions…that God had brought him to the place he was destined to be.

Remember Gary? Gary has since remarried a wonderful woman and he cannot imagine life without her. Had he not gone through what he did go through, he would not be in that situation. Gary possesses the gift of twenty-twenty hindsight. He can look back on his life and see that everything that happened had to happen…in order for him to arrive at where he is today. No doubt, it was painful at the time. But, like Joseph, he can now look back on his life and see that God was able to turn what was very, very, bad into something very, very good. What’s more, in the process, he has finally found in his heart the capacity to forgive his first wife, as well.

Forgiveness is not a matter of the will. Forgiveness is a matter of the heart. When we come to realize how much God has forgiven us, how can we not forgive the transgression of another? What’s more, through twenty-twenty hindsight, we come to realize that those transgressions may have been necessary for us to arrive at where we are today. Thus, I ask you a question: Are you grateful to God for where he has brought you, or are you still bitter about what might have been? I suspect the answer to that question says a great deal about our own capacity to forgive. Amen.

08-04-2013 Sermon by The Rev. Dr. Brian K. Jensen

2013-08-05T10:38:00.001-07:00

CHRISTIANITY 101:

HOW MANY PRESBYTERIANS DOES IT TAKE TO CHANGE A LIGHT BULB?

What I’m about to discuss this morning is what has been described as denominational light bulb issues, to which there just may be more truth than meets the eye. Each one pokes fun at a different Christian denomination – including our own – so I can fulfill my calling as an equal opportunity offender here…and not be accused of being intolerant. In any case, listen now to a few denominational light bulb issues.

· How many Methodists does it take to change a light bulb? The answer is: Undetermined. Whether your light is bright, or dull, or completely out…know that you are loved. You can be a light bulb, a turnip bulb, or a tulip bulb. A church-wide light bulb service is planned for next Sunday morning. Bring the bulb of your choice, along with a covered dish.

· How many Pentecostals does it take to change a light bulb? Ten. One to change the light bulb, and nine to pray against the spirit of darkness.

· How many T.V. evangelists does it take to change a light bulb? One…but for the message of light to continue, be sure to send in your donation today.

· How many Catholics does it take to change a light bulb? None. Catholics use candles.

· How many Lutherans does it take to change a light bulb? What do you mean, change?

· How many Disciples of Christ does it take to change a light bulb? Ten. One to change the light bulb, and nine to say how much they liked the old light bulb better.

· How many Amish does it take to change a light bulb? What’s a light bulb?

· How many Unitarians does it take to change a light bulb? We choose not to make a statement either in favor of, or against, the need for a light bulb. However, if you in your own journey have found that light bulbs work for you, that’s wonderful. You are invited to write a poem or compose a modern dance about your personal relationship to your light bulb…and present it next month at our annual light bulb service, in which we will explore a number of light bulb traditions – including incandescent, fluorescent, three-way, and tinted – all of which are equally valid paths of illumination.

· And last, but not least: How many Presbyterians does it take to change a light bulb? Forty-four. One person to notice that the light bulb is out. Eighteen to sit on the Session, who will refer it to the Board of Trustees. Nine to sit on the board of Trustees, who will refer it to the Personnel and Property Committee. Ten to sit on the Personnel and Property Committee, who will refer it to a sub-committee for further review. The sub-committee will secure three estimates to determine the most cost-effective bulb. They will then refer it back to the Personnel and Property Committee, who will refer it back to the Board of Trustees, who will refer it back to the Session. The Session will then authorize the minister to tell the Administrative Assistant to tell the custodian…to change the light bulb.

You think I’m kidding, don’t you? I’m not so sure I am. The aforementioned light bulb jokes reveal an element of truth about many different denominations in the Christian faith. The point is that there are many different kinds of denominations because there are many different kinds of people in the world. Perhaps the issue now is: Is one denomination better than another? Is one form of faith more correct than another? Or have we, as Christians, muddied the waters of the simple faith that Jesus Christ came to deliver? Keep that thought in mind as we move on.

Several months ago, we postulated that our spiritual lives are shaped by three basic things: our narratives, our practices, and our communities. Our narratives frame our understanding of God and of ourselves. Our practices are the things we do on a regular basis that help to form who and what we are. Our communities are the places we go where we are surrounded by – and influenced by – other people…for better or for worse.

Then we worked hard to establish a few new narratives about God. Looking at God through the lens of Jesus Christ, we determined that God is good, God is trustworthy, God is generous, God is love, God is holy, God is self-sacrificing, and God transforms. Then we wrestled in turn with overcoming anger, lust, lying, and the law of reciprocity. We took a stab at defeating vainglory, avarice, worry, and judgmentalism.

Today we continue the process of considering the communities that are meant to influence us from a spiritual standpoint. Obviously, the community we’re talking about here is the church. The issue we’ll be dealing with today is church unity. With such a vast array of denominations in our world today, how do we know which one is right? How do we choose from such a varied assortment?

Jesus makes a rather profound statement about just such a thing in the passage we read from the gospel according to John. The scene is the Last Supper. Shortly after washing his disciples’ feet – and shortly before departing for the Garden of Gethsemane – Jesus begins to pray for his disciples. He says, “I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word…that they may all be one.” In other words, Jesus is praying for the unity of his disciples. Yet he is also praying for unity among those who will come to follow him in the future. Ladies and gentlemen, that would be us. Jesus prays for unity in the Church.

We seem to come up a little bit short in fulfilling Jesus’ desires here, do we not? For example, do you know how many Christian denominations there are in the world today? According to the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life – as of December 19^th, 2011 – there were approximately 41,000 different Christian denominations in the world. That’s a far cry from the vision Jesus had when he celebrated the Last Supper with his disciples, wouldn’t you say? Thus, how are we to determine who is right and who is wrong? Or, should we even seek to determine who is right and who is wrong?

Regarding this matter, I recently encountered a quote that is often attributed to a fourth century theologian by the name of Augustine, although it cannot be proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was the one who first said it. Regardless of who gets the credit, the quote goes like this: “In essentials, unity; in doubtful matters, liberty; in all things, charity.” What does that mean?

I think what that means is that in the important things – in what Augustine calls the essentials – Christians should be of one heart and one mind. What are the essentials? The essentials are that Jesus Christ is the Son of God…and that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are one. The Apostles’ Creed is a pretty good summation. The Nicene Creed may be a slightly better summation. The point is that when it comes to the essentials, Christians need to be united. A divided Christianity makes all of us look bad. The last thing on earth we should be trying to decide for ourselves is who gets to go to heaven, and who does not.

What, then, are doubtful matters? It’s because of doubtful matters that we have 41,000 different Christian denominations. For example, what we call the “Great Schism” of the church occurred in roughly 1054 A.D. That’s when the Eastern Orthodox Church in the east split from the Roman Catholic Church in the west. While the actual split had been brewing for years, the essential issue for the split was what we call the Filioque. Filioque is a Latin word that means, “and from the Son.” The root of the problem was this. The Western Church added the Filioque to the Nicene Creed, regarding the Holy Spirit. They said, “We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life, who proceedeth from the Father and the Son.” The Eastern Church said, “No, no! The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father only!” And that’s what split the church right down the middle.

I am somewhat oversimplifying the matter, but not a great deal. Many of us would find such a disagreement to be ludicrous. “They split the church over that?” we might say. To us, such a thing might be seen as a nonessential. To them it was seen as an essential…and all it accomplished was to split the church in two.

Many years ago, I was guilty of attempting to do just such a thing, as well. Shortly after David Koresh and the Branch Davidians made news in Waco, Texas, I did a sermon series on cults. Now it just so happened that at about that time, I was lifting weights with a friend at his house. Two Jehovah’s Witnesses came by to evangelize his household, and he turned them over to me. Let’s just say that I kind of tied them up in knots. What I did not realize at the time, however, was that those two Jehovah’s Witnesses were merely teenagers.

Shortly thereafter, the father of those two girls came over to my house. To make a long story short, he actually threatened to bring some friends with him the next time in order to beat me up. So in my very next sermon, I told my congregation all about what had transpired with that Jehovah’s Witness. Then I said, “I can almost see the newspaper headlines now: ‘Presbyterian Minister Assaulted by Witnesses.’ Then the first line of the article would read: ‘Six Jehovah’s Witnesses remain hospitalized…’”

Okay, I got in a little trouble for that. But hey, that was twenty years ago. I was young, impulsive and immature. Shortly thereafter, however, I was reading my Bible when it was like I was hit between the eyes with a two-by-four. I read of how the disciples were proudly telling Jesus of how they had forbade certain people from casting out demons in Jesus’ name. Jesus said to them, “He who is not against us…is for us.” I was convicted by the very gospel God had called me to proclaim. While we may not agree with the Jehovah’s Witnesses – or a lot of other church denominations, for that matter – are they really against us? As Augustine once put it, “In essentials, unity; in doubtful matters, liberty; in all things, charity.”

Dallas Willard was one of the leading spiritual writers of the twentieth century. At a conference in California, he once said, “I am going to tell you what is the single most important task of a Christian.” You could have heard a pin drop as the audience waited to hear what Dallas Willard thought was the single most important task of a Christian. Willard then leaned into the microphone and said, “The most important task of a Christian…is to pray for the success of your neighboring churches.” Trust me…that was not at all what anyone in the audience expected.

Yet maybe he was right. For you see, when we pray – genuinely pray – for the success of other churches in our community, we are breaking the narrative of selfishness, and entering into the mind of God…who is also striving for the success of those churches. You see, it’s not just about us. It’s about the essentials…and it’s about the kingdom of God.

So…how many Presbyterians does it take to change a light bulb? Quite a few. And that’s all right, because that’s what works for us. Our God must be a God who loves diversity, or he never would have created such a thing as a giraffe. What works for us may not work for everyone else, but that does not mean that we are not in agreement on the essentials. So, pray for the success of our church, and pray for the success of the churches in our community. After all, the only thing that really matters…is the coming kingdom of God. Amen.

07-28-2013 Sermon by The Rev. Dr. Brian K. Jensen

2013-07-29T10:54:00.001-07:00

CHRISTIANITY 101: THE ABCs OF THE CHURCH

Several weeks ago, I was at one of the banks in town and got to talking to the bank manager. She knows I’m a minister and – as often happens with ministers – the subject of church became the focus of our conversation. She asked me if we were getting a lot of young people at our worship services on Sunday mornings. I said that society has changed, that we worship out of a traditional format, and that young people simply don’t attend church that much anymore. We’ve got a number of devout, young families in our church…but we’re certainly not seeing an abundance of them.

Then she told me about the church her son and his wife attend. Apparently, that church is booming, and it’s packed to the gills with new, young families every week. As you might suspect, the music in that church is what we call contemporary…but then she went on to tell me about the minister. She said, “We just hate having to listen to him! He is so incredibly boring!”

I’ve got to tell you…that crushed me. It shattered an image I have long tried to foster about the preached word. You see, to me, a sermon is a work of art…and I try to paint a masterpiece every week. Okay, maybe I don’t paint a masterpiece every week, but that does not mean that I don’t try. My philosophy has always been: Give people something they can sink their teeth into – something they can take home with them – and they’ll be back the next week. Yet as the aforementioned story seems to indicate, that philosophy may not be right.

In my devastation – and I do mean devastation – I turned to God in contemplative prayer. In the process, I received a message that could only have come from up above. The message was this: If you plant the seed deeply, it takes a little longer to grow. Again, if you plant the seed deeply, it takes a little longer to grow. Perhaps the question now is, “How do we plant the seed deeply?” Keep that thought in mind as we move on.

Several months ago, we postulated that our spiritual lives are shaped by three basic things: our narratives, our practices, and our communities. Our narratives frame our understanding of God and of ourselves. Our practices are the things we do on a regular basis that help to form who and what we are. Our communities are the places we go where we are surrounded by – and influenced by – other people…for better or for worse.

Then we worked very hard to establish a few new narratives about God. Looking at God through the lens of Jesus Christ, we determined that God is good, God is trustworthy, God is generous, God is love, God is holy, God is self-sacrificing, and God transforms. Then we wrestled in turn with overcoming anger, lust, lying and the law of reciprocity. We took a stab at defeating vainglory, avarice, worry and judgmentalism.

of God.

Today we continue the process of considering the communities that are meant to influence us from a spiritual standpoint. Obviously, the community we’re talking about here is the church. The issue we will essentially be dealing with today is substance. More specifically, how do we plant the seed deeply?

Jesus addresses just such a thing in the passage we read from the gospel according to Matthew. He says, “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Some seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly. Yet having no depth of soil, when the sun rose, they were scorched. Some seeds fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Some seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain…some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”

The disciples failed to understand the point of Jesus’ story, so he explained it to them this way. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in the heart. This is what was sown on the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy. Yet such a person has no root, and when trouble or persecution arises, they quickly fall away. As for what was sown among the thorns, this is the one who hears God’s word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word…and it yields no fruit. But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and yields – in one case – a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.

That’s fairly self-explanatory, I suspect. The question now is: How do we get there? How do we ensure that we – and by “we” I mean the church – are planted in good soil? How do we ensure that the seed is planted deeply? But then again, do we even want to plant the seed deeply? I mean, if you look at what the results are when one aims to be significant these days, planting the seed deeply just might be the last thing a preacher would want to do.

For example, let’s consider what many people call the ABCs of the church. The ABCs of the church are how one typically measures success in the church. The ABCs of the church is an acronym that stands for: Attendance, Buildings, and Cash. We tend to measure the success of a church – or the lack thereof – based upon the number of people who are in attendance on Sunday mornings, the condition the building is in, and the amount of cash coming in on a weekly basis. There you have it: The ABCs of the church. Yet do prolific ABCs truly represent a successful church?

Loren Mead takes issue with that in a book entitled, More Than Numbers: The Way Churches Grow. In it, as you might suspect, he addresses the question: What does it really mean for a church to grow? He then outlines four specific categories of church growth. They are: Numerical growth, Maturational growth, Organic growth, and Incarnational growth.

Numerical growth is exactly what you think it is. It’s growth in the ways we ordinarily describe it: growth in Sunday worship attendance, growth in the size of the budget, growth in activities and programs, and growth in active membership. Maturational growth has to do with growth in the spiritual maturity and stature of church members. Organic growth is the growth of the congregation as a functioning community. Incarnational growth is growth in the ability to take the meanings and values of the faith story…and make them real in the community outside of the congregation. Thus, the ABCs of the church are not just Attendance, Buildings and Cash. Perhaps the real ABCs of the church are: Attention to God and what he is still trying to do in the world; Building the kingdom of God in our little corner of the world; and Caring for the community in which we live. In my mind, those ABCs are better. What remains for us at this point in time is to find a path that will lead us there.

Perhaps the path the church must take is similar to the path that Jesus took. Jesus came to show us how to live and how to love. Yet the path Jesus took was that of a suffering servant. Think about it. Jesus always took the lower place. Jesus always displayed humility. And when it came time to offer himself as a living sacrifice, did he call upon a legion of angels to squash the hated Romans and preserve his own life…or did he willingly go to the cross to die? As Jesus once said, “He who seeks his life will lose it; and he who loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s…will find it.” Perhaps the secret here is not self-preservation, but rather, going so far as to offer up one’s very life for the sake of others.

All too often, the church is primarily concerned with itself. We worry more about Attendance, Buildings, and Cash than we do about Attention to God, Building the kingdom, or Caring for the community in which we live. Perhaps at this point, we should ask ourselves a question. What difference would it make in our community if our church was no longer here? Would our community be greatly diminished, or would life go on pretty much as usual? If the answer is the former, we’re on the right track. Yet if the answer is the latter...we’ve got some serious soul-searching to do.

The way we plant the seed deeply is by proclaiming a message of self-sacrifice. The way we reveal that the seed is planted deeply within us is by living a life of self-sacrifice. The more the church aims at self-preservation, the more likely it is to die off completely…or at least come to be irrelevant. Yet the more the church aims at self-sacrifice – like Jesus did – the more likely it is to encounter the resurrection that Jesus himself encountered.

Now this is not the kind of message that’s going to make us popular in the short run. But maybe in the long run, it will come to bear the fruit we desire. Someone recently sent an article to me that I believe was sent to them by none other than Ted Martin. It was written by a young woman by the name of Andrea Dilley, and it’s entitled: Change Wisely, Dude. She writes:

When I came back to church after a faith crisis in my early twenties, the first one I attended regularly was a place called Praxis. It was the kind of church where the music was contemporary, the message was affirming, and the atmosphere was soothing. In fact, one Sunday morning the young, hip pastor actually lifted an infant in the air and said, “Dude, I baptize you in the name of the Father, in the name of the Son, and in the name of the Holy Spirit.”

To Andrea Dilley’s credit, she was not impressed. Later she adds:

I’m not the first person ever to go low-church, and Praxis isn’t the first institution to pursue the hard-to-get demographic of young people. Across America today, thousands of clergy and congregations – even entire denominations – are running scared. They are desperately trying to convince their youth that faith and the church are culturally relevant, forward-looking, and alive. And the way they do it is to radically alter the old model. It’s out with the organ, and in with the guitars. It’s out with self-sacrifice, and in with self-fulfillment.

She says she was raised in a small Presbyterian church, but left it in her early twenties. When she came back, she wanted an anti-institutional church that looked less like a church than it did a coffee house. But after a couple of years of that, she says that the coffee began to taste thin. Now she’s back in a more traditional church because she found that she actually missed the hymns, the tradition, the sacraments, and the substance. She closes her article using these words:

So as you change – or as change is imposed upon you – keep your historical identity and your ecclesiastical soul. Fight the urge for perpetual reinvention, and don’t watch the roll books for young adults. We’re sometimes fickle. When we come – if we come – meet us where we are. Be present to our doubts, our fears, and our frustrations. Walk with us in the perplexing challenge of postmodern faith.

Even so, your church – and your denomination – might die. My generation and those following might take it apart…brick by brick, absence by absence. But the next generation just might rebuild it. They might unearth the altar, the chalice, and the vestments and find them not medieval, but enduring. They might uncover the Book of Common Prayer…and find it anything but common.

In other words, in spite of the direction society seems to be going these days, we need to maintain our theological integrity. We need to plant the seed deeply, and give it time to grow. The ABCs of the church are not Attendance, Buildings and Cash. The ABCs of the church are Attention to God and what he is trying to do in the world; Building the kingdom of God in our own little corner of the world; and Caring for the community in which we live. If we can do that, we will be placing our faith in God to resurrect us, rather than placing our faith in ourselves. And truth be told, isn’t that how a resurrection takes place anyway? Amen.

07-21-2013 Sermon by The Rev. Dr. Brian K. Jensen

2013-07-22T08:45:00.001-07:00

CHRISTIANITY 101:

YOU ARE THE ONLY BIBLE SOME PEOPLE WILL EVER READ

Early last January, a man walked up to the ticket booth at Heinz Field – the place where the Pittsburgh Steelers play – and asked if he could buy some playoff tickets. The ticket agent said to the man, “I’m sorry, sir. The Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t make the playoffs this year.” The man said, “Thank you,” and then slowly walked away.

The very next day, that very same man walked up to that very same ticket booth and asked that very same woman if he could buy some playoff tickets. Again, the ticket agent said to the man, “I’m sorry, sir. The Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t make the playoffs this year.” The man said, “Thank you,” and then slowly walked away.

Then, for the third day in a row, that very same man walked up to that very same ticket booth and asked that very same woman if he could buy some playoff tickets. The ticket agent said to the man, “I’m sorry, sir. The Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t make the playoffs this year.” Then she added, “Sir, this is the third day in a row you’ve come to ask me if you could buy playoff tickets, and I keep telling you that the Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t make the playoffs this year. Why do you keep coming back?” To which the man replied, “Ma’am, I’m a Cleveland Browns fan…and I just love hearing you say that the Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t make the playoffs this year!”

It never ceases to amaze me how rabid some N.F.L. football fans really are. They get all dressed up in face paint and jerseys, and abuse the fans of the opposing team. Their emotions – even their very lives – seem to rise and fall based upon the performance of twenty-two men on a field of grass. It seems as though we all need something for which we can hope, and – apparently lacking anything of greater substance – it seems a lot of people opt to place their hopes in the performance of some team.

Fifteen years ago, my oldest son was playing little league football in Salem, Ohio. Three of us fathers worked the chain gang…you know: the down and distance markers on the field. What that meant was that, during the game, we stood with our markers on the opponent’s sideline. We had a bird’s eye view of the field, which was great. But we also had to listen to the ranting and the raving of the parents of the opposing team.

One time a controversial call went our way, and the parents on the sideline were up in arms. They screamed at the referee as if he had robbed them of their souls. The referee then walked to the side of the field, simply shaking his head. I happened to catch his eye, and he said to me, “Can you believe these people?” I said, “I think the problem is that every one of these parents thinks that their little Johnny or their little Bobby is going to become the next great N.F.L star.” To which the referee replied, “I know…and that just ain’t-a-gonna happen!”

Like I said, we all need something for which we can hope. Sometimes it’s an N.F.L. football team. Sometimes it has to do with living vicariously through our children. Sometimes it has to do with a house or a job or a car. The point is that we all need something for which we can hope. We all need something upon which we can pin our aspirations for the future. Keep that thought in mind as we move on.

Several months ago, we postulated that our spiritual lives are shaped by three basic things: our narratives, our practices, and our communities. Our narratives frame our understanding of God and of ourselves. Our practices are the things we do on a regular basis that help to form who and what we are. Our communities are the places we go where we are surrounded by – and influenced by – other people…for better or for worse.

Today we continue the process of considering the communities that are meant to influence us from a spiritual standpoint. Obviously, the community we’re talking about here is the church. Since we’ve clearly seen that people need something for which they can hope, my theory today is that the church needs to be a hopeful community. The question now is: How do we get there?

When people find out that my wife is married to a Presbyterian minister, they often start asking her theological questions. You know, “How can a God of love allow evil in the world? How do you know that Christianity is the only faith that’s right? Do you really think there’s anything beyond this earthly life at all?” It frustrates her to no end. She’ll often say to me, “I wish I was as smart as you are!” No, I’m kidding! She’s never said that to me! But she will say, “I wish you’d been there to answer their questions. Sometimes I just don’t know what to say!”

Honestly, I’m not sure if my presence would help or hurt in a situation like that. You see, maybe the questions these people are asking aren’t really the issue. Maybe they’re actually smoke screens that hide what they really want to know. Maybe what they really want to know is this: “Is it true? Is there really something out there in which we can place our deepest, darkest hopes?” Perhaps the best argument in favor of that is not an intellectual idea. Perhaps the best argument in favor of that…is a well-lived Christian life. As I said last week, sometimes Christianity is better caught than it is compelled.

Consider the passage Bill read from the book of Colossians. The Apostle Paul says something profound there that really caught my eye. He says, “We thank God always, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you…because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and the love you have for all the saints – the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven, that you have heard about in the gospels.”

Did you catch that? Paul says here that faith and love spring from hope. Hope is not usually considered to be the source of faith and love, but it would appear as though that’s exactly what Paul is saying. Biblical scholar N.T. Wright puts it this way: “The solid fact about the future hope of Christians is a powerful motivation for constant faith and costly love in the present.” Hope is defined as confidence in a good future. What, then, is the future hope of Christians? The future hope of Christians is that there is something beyond this earthly life. That’s what keeps us from centering all our hope in a football team, or a child, or some material possession. As Christians, our hope is in God…and the marvelous future he has prepared for us.

Now there are actually two ways we can share this message. One is verbally; the other is by example. A lot of us don’t feel comfortable sharing the hope that is in us verbally. We’re afraid we’ll offend someone, or that we don’t know enough about the subject matter and we’ll end up looking stupid…or worse, intolerant. God forbid that we be labeled intolerant these days! Of course, if we worship regularly, pray daily and study diligently, that’s a lot less likely to happen. Yet the other way we can share the hope that is in us is by the way we live our lives. As the Apostle Paul said, faith and love spring from the hope that is in us. And that should necessarily impact the way we live our lives.

That which lies within us will always impact the way we live our lives. Madonna, of rock-and- roll fame, once said, “My drive in life comes from a fear of being mediocre. That is always pushing me. I push past one spell of it, and discover myself as a special human being, but then feel I am still mediocre and uninteresting unless I do something else. Because even though I have become somebody...I still have to prove that I am somebody. My struggle has never ended, and I guess it never will.”

Clinical psychologist Oliver James, in a book called Affluenza, describes very well what’s going on here. He writes: “Constantly comparing your lot with others leads to insecurity. You will have a nameless sense that there is always something you should be doing; call it a free-floating anxiety. You will be obsessively running yourself down because you do not do as well as others, yet moving the goal posts if you DO succeed.”

That sense of inadequacy is something we bring with us into church life. Maybe we look around the church and think, “I’m not as successful as he is,” or, “I’m not as gifted as she is.” At best, we fear being ordinary. At worst, we fear being irrelevant.

Whatever we wanted for our lives, if we’re Christian…we probably assumed that God wanted it for us as well. We might not admit it – even to ourselves – but we we’re pretty sure that God was going to come down and provide for us as only God can do. The problem, though, is that what we assumed was going to happen…is not necessarily what did happen.

Nobody ever grew up thinking, “I’m going to get cancer at age forty-one.” Nobody ever grew up thinking, “I’m going to get fired at age fifty-seven.” Nobody ever planned to be divorced twice by age forty-five, or alone and depressed at age thirty-two. Nobody thought their son would end up in prison at the age of twenty. Nobody ever imagined they would not be able to have a child. Nobody planned to be caught in a dead-end job. Nobody assumed their marriage would be mediocre at best. But sometimes it happens, and we end up being frustrated, or hurt, or

mad. Yet it’s times like these when the light that is in us can truly shine the brightest.

If you truly have faith in God, you have the hope of a brighter tomorrow…regardless of your present circumstances. Hope like that can become contagious. It impacts other people to the point that they want to have what you have. Thus, living a life of hope can become the greatest tool for evangelism there is. Why? Because you are the only Bible some people will ever read. Amen.

07-14-2013 Sermon by The Rev. Dr. Brian K. Jensen

2013-07-16T07:30:00.001-07:00

CHRISTIANITY 101: ARE YOU PECULIAR?

God has the unique ability to provide us with exactly what we need…exactly when we need it. For example, I recently encountered a story about how God provided Adam and Eve with exactly what they needed, exactly when they needed it. The story takes place shortly after Adam and Eve had been banished from the Garden of Eden for eating from the tree of knowledge. Adam and Eve were lamenting the fact that they no longer enjoyed the intimate communion with God they had once enjoyed.

Adam said to God, “Lord, when we were in the Garden, you walked with us every day. Now we don’t see you nearly as often. We’re lonesome here, and sometimes it’s difficult for us to remember just how much you love us. Isn’t there something you can do?”

God replied, “No problem. I will create a companion for you who will be with you in good times and in bad. He will be a reflection of my love for you so that – even when you do not see me – you will know that I still love you. Regardless of how selfish or childish or unlovable you may be, this new companion will accept you as you are. He will love you unconditionally, in spite of yourselves.”

So God created a new animal to be a companion to Adam and Eve. It was a good animal, and God was pleased. What’s more, the new animal was pleased to be with Adam and Eve, as well…so pleased, in fact, that he wagged his tail whenever they came around.

Yet still, there was a small problem. Adam said, “Lord, I have named all the animals in the kingdom, but I cannot think of a name for this new animal.” God said, “Because I have created this new animal to be a reflection of my love for you, its name will be a reflection of my own name. Thus, you will call him DOG.” So the dog lived with Adam and Eve, and loved them, and was a perfect reflection of God’s unconditional love. Thus, Adam and Eve were comforted, God was pleased…and the dog was content and wagged his tail.

After a while, however, it came to pass that an angel appeared before God and said, “Lord, Adam and Eve have become filled with pride. They strut and preen like peacocks, and they believe they are worthy of adoration. Dog has indeed taught them that they are loved, yet perhaps he has taught them too well.”

God said, “No problem. I will create a companion for them who will see them as they truly are. This new companion will remind them of their limitations, so they will know that they are not always worthy of adoration.” So God created CAT to be a companion for Adam and Eve…and Cat would not obey them. And when Adam and Eve gazed into Cat’s eyes, they were reminded that they were not the supreme beings they fancied themselves to be.

Adam and Eve learned humility, and they were greatly improved. God was pleased, the dog wagged his tail…and the cat did not care one way or the other. Like I said at the beginning of this sermon, God has the unique ability to provide us with exactly what we need…exactly when we need it. Keep that thought in mind as we move on.

Several months ago, we postulated that our spiritual lives are shaped by three basic things: our narratives, our practices, and our communities. Our narratives frame our understanding of God and of ourselves. Our practices are the things we do on a regular basis that help to form who and what we are. Our communities are the places we go where we are surrounded by – and influenced by – other people…for better or for worse.

Then we worked very hard to establish a few new narratives about God. Looking at God through the lens of Jesus Christ, we determined that God is good, God is trustworthy, God is generous, God is love, God is holy, God is self-sacrificing, and God transforms. Then we wrestled in turn with overcoming anger, lust, lying, and the law of reciprocity. We took a stab at defeating vainglory, avarice, worry, and judgmentalism.

The theory behind such an endeavor is that abiding in the kingdom of God is different than abiding in the kingdom of this world. Those who abide in this world ask, “How can I get more?” Those who abide in the kingdom ask, “How can I give more?” Those who abide in this world ask, “How can I find myself?” Those who abide in the kingdom ask, “How can I lose myself?” Those who abide in this world ask, “How can I win friends and influence people?” Those who abide in the kingdom ask, “How can I truly serve God?” Ladies and gentlemen, there is a profound difference between abiding in the kingdom of this world…and abiding in the kingdom of God. And if you still fail to comprehend exactly what that difference is, at least you’re in the right place to begin to do so now.

Today we begin the process of considering the communities that are meant to influence us from a spiritual standpoint. In the passage Henry read from the book of Isaiah, we get a sense of just what God expects that community to be. God says, “Seek the Lord where he may be found; call upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways…and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”

Then God showed us exactly how he thinks in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus told of a father who got taken advantage of by a wayward son, yet all the while longed for him to come back home. Jesus told of a Samaritan – looked down upon by the people of his day – who perfectly revealed what it meant to be a good neighbor. Jesus allowed his own people to scorn him, mock him, and put him to death…thereby revealing the love God had for all of humanity. Jesus revealed a God who was like no other god the world had ever seen. The Greeks and the Romans had created a pantheon of gods and goddesses who acted a lot like humans act…often at their worst. Their gods lied, cheated and killed. Their gods committed adultery and punished each other out of jealousy and rage.

Jesus revealed a God who was like no other god the world had ever seen. His thoughts were not our thoughts, nor were his ways our ways. Truth be told, this God of ours seems to be a bit…peculiar. And it would appear as though that’s exactly what he wants from us, as well. He wants us to be peculiar. Perhaps the question now is: Are you…peculiar?

From what I understand, the statistics these days seem to indicate that Christians are not peculiar. By that I mean that there tends to be precious little difference between the behavior of Christians and the behavior of those who are not. Christian and non-Christian divorce rates are now quite similar. Christians are just as likely to end up in prison as non-Christians, as well…although Presbyterians typically prefer what we call “white-collar” crimes. Christians are just as likely to abuse drugs, step on others to get ahead, or suffer from hopelessness as non-Christians, as well. Shouldn’t there be at least a little bit of difference? Shouldn’t we be a bit more peculiar?

As I said at the very beginning of this sermon, God has the unique ability to provide us with exactly what we need, exactly when we need it. I recently encountered an interesting article entitled, “Being the Church Today,” that I think very much pertains to this. Listen closely.

According to the article, the numerical height of the mainline Protestant Church in the United States occurred in the year 1965. That was the year the largest percentage of American people affiliated with – and attended – church. More Americans were going to church in 1965 than at any other time in U.S. history. Nineteen sixty-five was the year The Sound of Music premiered on film, Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Social Security Act, and A Charlie Brown Christmas was first shown on T.V. In other words, it wasn’t all that long ago. In the living memory of many of us are the days when the church was more popular than at any other time in U. S. history.

We tend to be a bit nostalgic when we think back on the church’s role in American society. Perhaps the change in the church’s social status from being at the center of culture, to moving toward the periphery, has clouded our vision. We think that – once upon a time – all of our churches were big, bustling centers of activity: filled with children, distinguished by selfless service to the community, and immersed in happy, loving relationships between people.

We used to be the popular kid in class, but now…not so much. One response to these changing circumstances has been the creation of an unrealistic mental picture. We think we were once a great and glorious church, but now we fear we’re doomed to the dustbin of history. Perhaps this delusion keeps us from seeing the ministry that is right in front of us. The problem is not that we’re getting smaller and more peripheral. The problem is a lack of imaginative faith…and a lackluster sense of commitment. Like I said earlier, maybe God is giving us exactly what we need exactly when we need it. Wistful complaints about declining membership rolls and budgets do not offer a prophetic word to anyone. Yet perhaps paying a bit closer attention to the people in our communities does. The question now is: How do we get there?

Before we get to that, allow me to give you a brief history lesson. According to Rodney Stark in his book, The Rise of Christianity, in the year 40 A.D. – shortly after the death of Jesus Christ – there were only about 1000 Christians in the world. That amounted to roughly .0017% of the world’s population. Yet by the year 350 A.D., there were 33,882,008 Christians. That amounted to 56.5% of the world’s population. How did such a dramatic transformation take place in such a relatively short amount of time?

The most compelling explanation is this: The lives that Christians were living were so different, so hopeful, and so appealing…that others wanted to have what they had. The early Christians were peculiar. The lives they lived were different – and many obviously thought better – than the lives the general populace was living. Thus, people were simply drawn to the Christian faith. In other words, Christianity was not so much compelled…as it was caught.

Perhaps we need to become peculiar once again. We need to become more focused on the kingdom of God than we are on the kingdom of this world. Now I know what you want at this point. You want six simple steps to living in the kingdom of God. Then you can simply follow the rules, feel as though you have mastered them, and then get on with your life. But I’m not going to give you that today. Because I think that living in the kingdom of God is more of a process than it is a procedure. Let me show you what I mean.

George Fox was the founder of the Quakers, a Christian movement in 17^th century England. William Penn became one of Fox’s most dedicated and successful followers. William Penn grew up in a wealthy household and received the best education available. In those days, it was customary for upper class folk to wear a sword at their side. The sword was not intended to harm anyone; it simply distinguished one as a member of the upper class.

After Penn became a Quaker, he began to struggle with whether or not he should continue to wear the sword. After all, it was a symbol of war, as well as a symbol of class distinction: two things that Quakers stood firmly against. So William Penn went to see George Fox to seek his guidance on the matter. “May I continue to wear the sword?” he asked. George Fox’s answer was a bit surprising. We might expect him to say, “No, you may not continue to wear the sword! It represents everything we stand against!” Instead, George Fox said to William Penn, “Wear it as long as you can, William. Wear it as long as you can.”

George Fox was laying out an important principal in the Christian life. When it comes to our practices, or when it comes to our behavior...we need to avoid making hard and fast rules. What we really need to do is rely upon the guidance of the Holy Spirit. As you might guess, William Penn gave up wearing the sword…but not right away. It took a little while for the Spirit to lay hold of him and convince him how he really ought to live. Yet William Penn came to this conclusion on his own, with the help of the Holy Spirit. It was a life-lesson caught, not compelled.

How do we learn such lessons? How do we catch such a Christianity that is not compelled? Perhaps Mother Teresa put it best in her book, A Gift for God. She wrote:

Love to pray. Feel often during the day the need for prayer, and take the trouble to pray. Prayer enlarges the heart until it is capable of containing God’s gift of himself. Ask and seek…and your heart will grow big enough to receive him, and keep him as your own.

Ladies and gentlemen, the lesson here is clear. God takes a day to grow a mushroom, but God takes a lifetime to grow an oak tree. God takes a lifetime to grow a soul, as well. Our dedication to our prayer lives will shape us over the course of a lifetime. It will not happen overnight. So begin the process of drawing near to this peculiar God of ours. It may make us peculiar, and it may make the world peculiar as well. But in this case, that might not be a bad thing at all. Amen.

07-07-2013 Sermon by Rev. Larry Peters

2013-07-09T08:21:00.001-07:00

FIXING THE FOCUS

Rev. Larry Peters

Psalm 105:1-5, 7

Romans 10:5-15

Matthew 14: 22-33

Let’s think for a moment, about drawing a circle. We may not be able to draw a perfect circle, so we will be using a compass to help us. The first thing that we do is to decide on a focal point. We determine this to be the center of our circle. This is important, because the center (and determining where that will be) is what the completion of the circle depends on. We will call this fixing the focus.

The center of the circle is the place where we start and we can then extend the radius outward. We place the point of our compass at the place we have determined to be our focal point. This will be our center. Then, by extending outward, we can make our circle as big or small as we want. We then draw the perimeter or circumference. Finally, we have our completed and perfect circle along with our center.

“Interesting”, you might say, “But what place does this have in church? And what has this to do with me?” Well, this is a Christian circle. You may remember that Rev. Jensen talked last Sunday about a Christian bear. Today I offer you the concept of the Christian circle. My apologies to Rev. Jensen, and I ask you to please bear with me. I’d like to make the analogy that this perfect circle represents a Christian life, each one of us. Christ should be at the center of our life, our focal point, our sure foundation upon whom our life can be drawn around and made complete.

There is nothing more important for us than to fix the focus of our lives. What is central for us? What is foundational for us? What is it that shapes our identity, our perception, our values, our decisions? What is the core reality at the center of our life out of which everything else extends and depends on?

Some people do not place Christ at the center of their life. They put something else there. That something else could be just about anything. Anything else that you would put, in the matter of importance, ahead of Christ. Something or anything that you think is more important.

Now we have already determined that a more perfect circle needs a center, a focal point. This circle (an imperfect circle) needs some help. If this were a wheel we would be in for a rough ride! If this represents our life, then the road we travel is a bumpy one. As represented by this imperfect circle, we might be bent out of shape, flat or deflated, or pulled in different directions. There is no control to our life. A more perfect circle needs a center, a focal point.

Again, if we think of our life as the drawing of a circle, we do not have a choice as to whether or not there is something at the center of our life; something is. Somewhere in this imperfect circle there is a center. There is a focal point; it’s just not easy for us to determine what it is. We do have a choice, though, as to where and what it will be. We can determine for ourselves what is at the center of our life shaping us.

It becomes obvious that not just any center of meaning will do. Life will be good, fulfilling, meaningful, wholesome and more perfect-or, life will be less than good, less than perfect, depending on what we place at the center of life; the center of our life, our center of meaning. And the Gospel makes it clear that only God made known in Christ is worthy of that all-important position!

How do we get to the center? How do we fix our focus and become centered on Christ? Let’s look at our lesson today from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans. Here Paul says that the answer is within you. It is how you perceive Christ and receive the Word of God. Paul says that “righteousness comes from faith” (Rom. 10:6). This lesson declares that “the word is near you, on your lips and in your heart” (v.8).

But what will you do with it? Will you hide it, suppress it, ignore it? Or-will you receive it, believe it, proclaim it? Hear this message and decide what you will do! “If you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (v.9). This means that you will be put right with God. You will be saved from your imperfect past, and saved for a more perfect life with Christ at the center. You have made the all-important decision to believe and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord of your life!

Believing and confessing-part of what we see happening in a life dedicated to Jesus Christ. As we review the lesson in the Gospel according to Matthew, we will see more. (I’ve made a list; watch for these).

Just after the feeding of the multitudes of people on the lake shore, Jesus sent the disciples across the lake by boat. Here is one example where we see that those who follow Christ are obedient to him. Jesus had wanted this time to be with his disciples. A large crowd gathered and Jesus taught his disciples to have compassion for the needs of others and to minister to them. Jesus then dismissed the crowds of people and he went up the mountain by himself to be in prayer. There was time with God’s people, and time with God. Praying is a time for fixing the focus. Jesus repeatedly acknowledged that God is the source of all goodness and power in his life, and so prayer is going to the source!

Meanwhile, back at the lake, things were starting to get out of focus. Jesus was not with the disciples on the boat, and so they began to get distracted. A storm had come and was threatening them and their small boat with disaster. There were many storms of life. We are often in trouble and tossed about, weary from the struggle and about to give up. Here the lesson teaches us to always be of good hope and to have courage. “Take heart,” Jesus says, “Do not be afraid” (Matt. 14:27).

Remember that “the word of God is near you, on your lips and in your heart” (Rom. 10:8). The Lord of your life will see your distress and hear your cries for help, and moves ever closer! Christ come to us!, and we are invited to come to Christ! Notice that the Christian is constantly in movement. Constantly overcoming obstacles, coming to faith, fixing our focus on Christ our Lord, building upon the close relationship that we have, and seeking to move ever close! “Righteousness comes from faith” (v.6), so Christ our Lord calls us to come forward an ever stronger faith!

When Peter asked to come forward to be with Jesus; Christ our Lord said “Come!” Who could deny it?! So Peter was obedient to the call. He went believing that he could walk on water because the One who he confessed to be Lord said that he could! This was his prayer, and Jesus answered! It took courage to move out from the boat and over the water. He went forward on faith!

As long as Peter kept his focus on Jesus, all was well. But, then he became distracted; and we know how easily that can happen. We often don’t need a raging water below and a stormy sky above to lose our focus. And we see how important it is to fix and keep our focus on Jesus! Fear took the place of faith, and Peter began to sink. He cried out “Lord, save me!” (v.30). The scripture that we read today reassures us that the Lord “is generous to all who call on him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Rom. 10:12-13). Christ was there for Peter, as he is for us, reaching out his hand of salvation. This we should celebrate and trust in always, not only in times when we desperately need to be assured of it.

We cannot fault Peter. He was doing so well. By faith and trust and courage, he was walking on the water! But we may find that it is often true in life that we have a tendency, when things are going well, to take our focus off center and we may seem to have little need for faith. But then, when the storms of life come and we begin to sink, is it then only that we seek Christ? We should be reminded to seek Christ every day! Come forward on a faith that we pray increases and becomes stronger every day! Let Christ take you by the hand today! Let Christ be the center of your life. Fix and keep your focus on Jesus.

The Gospel lesson concludes by saying, “they got into the boat and the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him” (Matt. 14:32-33). Faith, hope, trust, courage, obedience and prayer had been restored! And they believed in their hearts and confessed with their lips that Jesus is Lord! Their great proclamation of faith being said was; “Truly you are the Son of God!” (v. 33).

We are all in the same boat. We recognize and worship the Lord our God. So doing-let us be about living the Christian life! Believing, confessing, worshipping and constantly moving toward an ever stronger faith. The scripture teaches that “the person who does these things will live by them” (Rom. 10:5).

Keep in mind these lessons of fixing the focus, with Christ the center of our lives, our focal point, our sure foundation upon whom our lives can be drawn around and made complete. Amen.

06-30-2013 Sermon by The Rev. Dr. Brian K. Jensen

2013-07-01T08:16:00.001-07:00

CHRISTIANITY 101: THE HEART OF THE MATTER

The season of Advent is certainly a hectic time of year around the office of a church. At the end of one particularly busy Advent season, a minister had had his fill of responsibility, so he headed off to the great white North to do some bow hunting the week after Christmas. He packed only the basic necessities, rented a cabin, and went off to spend some quality time alone.

The very next day he was out in the woods with his bow and arrows in search of that elusive trophy buck, when suddenly…he encountered a giant grizzly bear. Standing up on its hind legs, massive paws outstretched, the bear looked to be at least nine feet tall. The minister, realizing that his bow and arrows were useless against such a creature, simply tossed them aside. Then he dropped to his knees, folded his hands, and began to pray. “Dear Lord,” he cried, “you know I don’t ask you for much, but please…make this bear a Christian!”

At that, the bear dropped to all fours and began to charge. Then, right before he was upon the minister, the bear dropped to his knees, brought those massive paws together, and began to pray himself. “Dear Lord,” the bear said, “bless these gifts which we are about to receive.”

Ah, the minister got what he wanted, did he not? God answered that minister’s prayer, but it didn’t really solve his problem, did it? Yet the question I want to pose to you today is this: Was that bear really a Christian? Does the fact that one lifts a few desultory prayers, or worships God when one has the time, qualify one as a Christian? Or, if one is in fact, a Christian…is one’s behavior necessarily impacted as well? Keep that thought in mind as we move on.

Quite some time ago now, we postulated that our spiritual lives are shaped by three basic things: our narratives, our practices, and our communities. Our narratives frame our understanding of God and of ourselves. Our practices are the things we do on a regular basis that help to form who and what we are. Our communities are the places we go where we are surrounded by – and influenced by – other people…for better or for worse.

Then we worked very hard to establish a few new narratives about God. Looking at God through the lens of Jesus Christ we determined that God is good, God is trustworthy, God is generous, God is love, God is holy, God is self-sacrificing, and God transforms. Then we wrestled in turn with overcoming anger, lust, lying and the law of reciprocity. We took a stab at defeating vainglory, avarice, worry, and judgmentalism.

The theory behind such an endeavor is that abiding in the kingdom of God is different than abiding in the kingdom of this world. Those who abide in this world ask, “How can I get more?” Those who abide in the kingdom ask, “How can I give more?” Those who abide in this world ask, “How can I find myself?” Those who abide in the kingdom ask, “How can I lose myself?” Those who abide in this world ask, “How can I win friends and influence people?” Those who abide in the kingdom ask, “How can I truly serve God?” Ladies and gentlemen, there is a profound difference between abiding in the kingdom of this world…and abiding in the kingdom of God.

Today we begin the process of considering the communities that are meant to influence us from a spiritual standpoint. Yet before we get to that, perhaps we need to examine what our lives, as Christians, should really be. In the opening illustration of this sermon, we talked about a bear who said grace before a meal. Yet still, he planned to devour the man who was standing right in front of him. Is that kind of behavior consistent with one who professes faith in Jesus Christ?

To that you likely say, “But that was just a joke. A bear can’t really be a Christian!” And, of course, you would be right….but that does not change the point. As Christians, our behavior must be consistent with our profession of faith, or it’s all for naught. We are called to live the life of faith we claim to profess. The question now is: Do we?

For example, allow me to tell you about our dog, Zeke. Zeke is a 127-pound German Shepherd/Great Pyrenees mix. He is a big, intimidating dog. Now a dog instinctually has a pack mentality, so naturally – in his mind – there is a clear family hierarchy. From the time he was young, I honestly believe his hierarchy was this. First there was me, because I was the primary disciplinarian…then there was our son Rob, then there was my wife, then there was our son Travis, then there was Zeke…then there was our daughter, Mariah. Zeke truly believed he was higher on the pecking order than Mariah was, so he used to push her around a little bit. Oh, he never hurt her, but you could just tell that he thought he ranked above her in the family pecking order. Thus, he occasionally took advantage of the situation.

People can be a lot like that as well. When one person feels as though they outrank someone else in the grand scheme of things, they tend to take advantage of certain situations. For example, how would you fare if God judged you based upon the way you treat waiters and waitresses? How would you fare if God judged you based upon the way you treat telemarketers? How would you fare if God judged you based upon the way you treat the people who work for you? How would you fare if God judged you based upon the way you treat the policeman who just pulled you over for speeding? How would you fare if God judged you based upon the way you treat your husband or your wife? How would you fare if God judged you based upon the way you treat your children? The sad thing here is: sometimes we treat the people who are closest to us the worst. It’s true what they say, you know: “You only hurt the ones you love.”

You see, in our personal lives, we come into contact with the lives of a hundred people or more on a daily basis. Do we reflect the fact that we are a child of God, in whom Christ dwells, to each and every one of them? Or do we reflect the fact that we believe those people are somehow there to serve us? Ladies and gentlemen, people are the most important thing in the world to God…and it matters how we treat each and every one of them.

I think Jesus addresses this topic in the passage we read from the gospel according to Matthew. Jesus says, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Thus, you will know them by their fruits.”

Jesus begins his statement by saying, “Beware of false prophets.” Yet it’s a bit unclear as to exactly what he means by false prophets. The Greek word translated false prophet here is: pseudo-prophetone. Yet could we not conceivably say that a prophet is anyone who claims to represent, or to speak, for God? So in other words, we’re not just talking about misguided preachers here. We’re talking about anyone who claims to follow Jesus Christ, yet fails to adequately represent him. Thus, the false prophet can be anyone whose behavior is not consistent with their beliefs.

Here’s the problem, though. Jesus says a good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Perhaps from that analogy we could go so far as to say that sound and ethical Christian behavior cannot be faked. Sound and ethical Christian behavior flows from the inside. Thus, the heart of the matter…is the matter of the heart.

Malcolm Muggeridge was a journalist who referred to himself as an agnostic for much of his early adult life. Later, he was profoundly influenced by Mother Theresa while researching a book about her called, Something Beautiful for God. In the process, obviously, he spent a great deal of time with her. One day, as they were walking the streets of Calcutta, he saw her kneel beside a sickly leper, embrace him, and gently tend to his seeping wounds. Malcolm Muggeridge said to her, “I wouldn’t do that for a million dollars!” Mother Teresa looked right at him and said, “Neither would I.” The heart of the matter is the matter of the heart.

How do we develop a heart from which compassion naturally flows? How do we become the kind of tree that produces only good fruit? How do we become the kind of Christians where our actions are consistent with our beliefs? Join me over the course of the next few weeks as we explore exactly how that is done. The heart of the matter is the matter of the heart…and it does matter. Amen.

6-23-2013 Sermon by The Rev. Dr. Brian K. Jensen

2013-06-24T10:38:00.001-07:00

CHRISTIANITY 101: KEEP THE HOME FIRES BURNING

There was a time when our nation’s economy was booming, hope sprung eternal, and American ingenuity took a back seat to no one. Along those lines, allow me to give you a little quiz designed to take you back to what we might call the good old days. For example, who was the innovator who opened the very first drive-in gas station? The very first drive-in gas station was opened in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1913 by the Gulf Oil Company.

What was the first city to use the dreaded parking meter? The first parking meters were used in Oklahoma City in July of 1935. Where was the first drive-in restaurant? The first drive-in restaurant was Royce Hailey’s Pig Stand, opened in Dallas, Texas in 1921. Where was the world’s first three-color traffic light installed? It was installed in Detroit, Michigan in 1919. What car had the distinction of being General Motors’ one hundred millionth car built in the United States? It was a 1966 Olds Tornado. They don’t even make Oldsmobiles anymore.

Where and when was the first drive-in movie theater opened? It was opened in Camden, New Jersey in 1933. What was the lowest priced American car on record? It was the 1925 Ford Model T, and it cost a grand total of two hundred and sixty dollars. What automaker’s first logo incorporated the Jewish Star of David? That would be the Dodge. And finally, what car was designed on the back of a Northwest Airlines airsickness bag, and released on April Fools’ Day in 1970? That would be the A.M.C. Gremlin. How appropriate is that?

Alas, times have changed. The American economy is not what it once was, and people are having a harder and harder time simply making ends meet. Hope no longer springs eternal, and drug abuse, suicide rates, and depression are on the rise. It’s not like it was in the good old days any more.

A man named George Packer is the author of a new book entitled, The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America. He notes that if you were born in 1960, or shortly thereafter, you have spent your entire life in what he calls the “vertigo” of the unwinding of America. In other words, you have watched structures that had been in place since before your birth collapse like pillars of salt across a vast and tumultuous landscape. Some of the more obvious collapses he mentions are the farms of the Carolina Piedmont, the factories of the Mahoning Valley, Florida subdivisions, and California schools. Some of the less obvious collapses he mentions are ethics in Washington D.C. and integrity on the New York Stock Exchange…along with morals and manners and simple human decency. As Packer puts it, “The norms that made the old institutions useful began to unwind, and the leaders abandoned their posts.”

No one knows exactly when the unwinding of America began – when the coil that held Americans together in a secure and sometimes stifling grip – began to give way. Yet the unwinding did occur, and the country we all know and love…somehow became irretrievably different. Packer then cites a number of human interest stories in an attempt to prove his point.

Tammy Thomas was born in Youngstown, Ohio to a drug-addled mother. Raised by her grandmother, she managed to graduate from college and to land a job in an electric factory. Then Youngstown began to unwind all around her. Street gangs emerged, violence increased, and homes were foreclosed by banks. Businesses collapsed, the population declined, and hope became quite scarce. Tammy Thomas had the values of hard work, saving money, and planning ahead instilled within her – all those quintessentially American values that are supposed to guarantee success in life – yet it all went up in a puff of smoke. Her hopes, her dreams, and her job quickly vanished in the vertigo of the unwinding of America.

Dean Price grew up in North Carolina; the son of a tobacco farmer. His journey reflects the unwinding of America, too. He lost land, business partners, and a restaurant chain he tried to begin. Dean Price reflects on the impact of what he calls “big box” stores that come in and wipe out small local businesses. He says, “If you think about it, the people who ran the hardware store, the shoe store, and the little family restaurant that used to be here…they were the fabric of the community. They were the leaders. They were the Little League baseball coaches, they were the town council members, and they were the people everyone looked up to. Not anymore. We’ve lost that now.”

George Packer convincingly describes the unwinding of America. Yet perhaps he vividly illustrates a dire situation without illuminating it. In other words, he tells us what’s gone wrong, but he doesn’t really tell us what we can do about it. Perhaps we don’t need illustrations so much as we need illumination. What can be done to stem the tide of the unwinding of America? Keep that thought in mind as we move on.

A number of weeks ago we noted how – each and every day – we make decisions that move us closer to a life of virtue, or closer to a life of ruin. Though the past may be written in stone, the future is more like wet cement…pliable, soft, and ready to be shaped by the decisions we make. Our goal is to develop a more godly life narrative. Our goal is to discover what it means to live a life of virtue. Our goal is to seek to discern where our deep happiness may truly be found.

We suggested that our deepest happiness is found in the kingdom of God. We noted that the kingdom of God is not just something we hope to attain in the future. As Jesus clearly stated, the kingdom of God is also a very present reality. Thus, the kingdom of God of which we speak is not a place. The kingdom of God of which we speak is an interactive relationship with God…an interactive relationship that brings us peace of heart and mind.

We noted how many of us will not even consider a more godly life narrative – many of us will not even begin to seek out an interactive relationship with God – until we encounter a drought in life…until we come up against something that we cannot control. So what we did was consider a social problem that appears to be beyond human resolution: bullying in the classroom. We postulated that while we may not be able to resolve all the social ills that surround us, God is able to resolve the un-resolvable. What we need to do is recognize that fact, and be open to the movement of God’s Holy Spirit. That, my friends, is where our own transformation truly begins.

Then we wrestled in turn with overcoming anger, lust, lying and the law of reciprocity. We took a stab at defeating vainglory, avarice, worry and judgmentalism. The theory behind such an endeavor is that abiding in the kingdom of God is different than abiding in the kingdom of this world. Those who abide in this world ask, “How can I get more?” Those who abide in the kingdom ask, “How can I do without?” Those who abide in this world ask, “How can I find myself?” Those who abide in the kingdom ask, “How can I lose myself?” Those who abide in this world ask, “How can I win friends and influence people?” Those who abide in the kingdom ask, “How can I truly love God?” Ladies and gentlemen, there is a profound difference between abiding in the kingdom of this world…and abiding in the kingdom of God.

For those of you who’ve been paying attention in this series of sermons, you know that what we’ve really been doing is dissecting the Sermon on the Mount. In today’s gospel lesson, we encounter the grand finale. Jesus tells us to enter by the narrow gate, to beware of false prophets, that not everyone who calls upon him will enter the kingdom of heaven, and to hear his words and do them. What Jesus is really talking about here is forming a relationship with God.

As we’ve seen so far, there are a lot of false narratives out there about God and the Christian faith. Perhaps there is no bigger false narrative out there than this: How does one attain eternal life? The answer most commonly given is this: To attain eternal life, one must believe in Jesus Christ.

Now that would not be a false narrative if we acted like we really knew what it means to believe. The problem is that not everyone knows what it really means to believe in Jesus Christ. You see, belief is more than mere mental assent. For example, I believe there’s a sun, but that doesn’t really impact the way I live my life. I believe gasoline’s too expensive, but that doesn’t seem to affect my character. I believe that at the end of this sermon someone’s going to tell me that I completely missed the mark, but has no bearing on what I try to say. To believe in Jesus Christ is more than to merely assent to his existence. To believe in Jesus Christ is to actively seek to form a relationship with him.

Dr. James Bryan Smith, author of The Good and Beautiful Life, states that he believes that people who are close to Christ and his kingdom are the exception, not the rule. In fact, he estimates that only 10% of Christians are actively trying to develop their relationship with God on a daily basis. Why? Too many people don’t really know what it means to believe in Jesus Christ. They believe things like prayer, Bible study and worship are merely add-ons practiced by zealous and over-achieving Christians. Those kinds of things are seen more as luxuries than they are as necessities.

Perhaps the only way to nurture one’s relationship with Christ is to set one’s heart and mind on the kingdom of God. And the only way to accomplish that is to work at it daily…not just for one hour a week or whenever we have the time. Those of you who attend here regularly know the secret to forming a relationship with God. The secret to forming a relationship with God is found in the seven covenants of a disciple of Jesus Christ. You know: Worship regularly, pray daily, study diligently, live faithfully, serve joyously, give generously…and witness boldly. The seven covenants are not mere add-ons for zealous Christians. They are not mere luxuries for over-achievers. They are absolute necessities for building a relationship with God.

Let me try to show you what I mean. There was a time when Americans did not have gas or electricity available in their homes at the flick of a switch or the turn of a dial. To warm the house or to heat up water, someone had to get up and start a fire. Then, throughout the day, someone had to stoke the flames. Someone had to pile on fresh logs. If they didn’t, the fire went out. Someone had to invest a lot of time and energy to keep the home fires burning.

Could we go so far as to say that our spiritual lives are a lot like that? Perhaps we need to begin each and every day in devotion to God. Perhaps we need to pause at various times during the day to lift a prayer or two to God. And perhaps we should go to sleep at night with the Lord’s Prayer on our lips. It’s not that God requires this of us. Rather, it’s that we are weak. We have a tendency to relapse. We get so caught up in the moment that we forget who we’re supposed to be on the inside. Worship, prayer and daily devotions are how we keep our spiritual home fires burning. For when one neglects a fire, it tends to flicker out.

So what on earth does this have to do with the unwinding of America? What on earth does this have to do with collapsing economies, increased violence, and the influx of despair? I think it has everything to do with those things. Because forming a relationship with God completely transforms who and what we essentially become.

Think about it. A Christian could not move his entire business production overseas because he could never devastate his community like that. A Christian could not harm another human being because he knows that he must love his neighbor as he loves himself. A Christian could not step on another human being in an effort to get ahead because she would see that person in a whole new light. A Christian could not take from the system because Christians see themselves as givers, not takers. A Christian could not hoard their possessions unto themselves because Christians are not consumers; they are producers.

I could go on and on, I suppose. But do you see what we’ve accomplished in just a few simple statements? By forming a relationship with God we’ve already eliminated violence, pride, vanity, entitlement, avarice and greed. So you see, faith in God has to do with more than squeezing a few wretched souls into heaven. It has to do with transforming the very world in which we live.

I know, I know, I’m just a lowly preacher. What do I know? You know what they say about preachers, don’t you? They’re heavenly minded, but of no earthly good. Honestly, though, I think Jesus himself would say that if you can find a better way to draw near to God – or even a better way to run the world – by all means, take it! So keep the home fires burning. You’ll find that it transforms you, and in the process…it just might transform the world, as well. Amen.

06-09-2013 Sermon by The Rev. Dr. Brian K. Jensen

2013-06-11T07:46:00.001-07:00

CHRISTIANITY 101: A DEGREE IN CONDEMNATION ENGINEERING

Are you aware of any young men or young women who have left the institutional church? Do you wonder why the church doesn’t seem to have the enormous children’s choirs it once had? Do you wonder why drug usage, depression and suicide rates are on the rise, while morality and decency seem to be on the decline? Does your heart break as watch your own children fail to raise your grandchildren in the church, even though you were very faithful about raising your children in the church? And if any of the aforementioned scenarios is true with you, do you feel as though this is something that someone should try to do something about? Or, do you think we should simply stand idly by and watch…as the world charts a path to destruction? What do you think?

The fact of the matter is: the Christian Church is not what it once was. People are leaving the institutional church in droves. What’s more, over 71% of those who leave the church these days do so before they reach the age of thirty. Perhaps the question now is: What might we learn if we took the time to listen to their stories? What might we learn if we considered the church from a younger person’s point of view?

A researcher by the name of David Kinnamon has taken the time to listen to what young people are saying about the church these days. In a book called, unChristian, he made the profound point that to young people today, the church is known more for what it stands against…than it is known for what it stands for. In a more recent book called, You Lost Me: Why Young Christians Are Leaving the Church and Rethinking Faith, Kinnamon outlines six basic concerns that young people seen to have about the church today. They are:

1. The church is perceived as being overprotective. By that, they mean that the church seems to be more concerned about itself that it is about anything else.

2. Their experience of church is typically rather shallow. They tend not to know the “whys” or the “wherefores” of what it is we believe.

3. They believe the church is anti-science. It is inconsistent with – or antagonistic toward – modern scientific thought.

4. They believe the church is exclusive in that they often have to choose between their faith and their friends.

5. They perceive the church to be repressive sexually, and that when it comes right down to it, the church is more concerned about rules and regulations than it is about anything else.

6. The church is doubtless in that it simply will not deal with the genuine questions they have. The church, in their minds, fails to leave room for divergent opinion.

Please don’t misunderstand me here. I am not insinuating that these concerns are all legitimate and that we need to rush out and change who and what we’ve been for 2000 years just to win back a few wayfaring souls. I am simply saying that these are the concerns that young people seem to have. Kinnamon then proposes three specific categories of young people who – greatly disturbed by these issues – choose to leave the church. Using biblical terminology, Kinnamon calls them Nomads, Prodigals, and Exiles. Now this is not to say that each individual who leaves the church doesn’t have his or her own unique story. Still, he believes the basic categories of young people who choose to leave the church are Nomads, Prodigals and Exiles.

Nomads are young adults who walk away from church involvement, but still consider themselves to be Christian. They simply believe that personal involvement in a community of faith is optional. Perhaps the importance of faith has faded a bit for the Nomad. These are people who could also be described as being spiritual but not religious. They want to be relatively close to God, but they don’t necessarily want to be close to you or to me…especially me!

Exiles are young adults who are still invested in their Christian faith, but feel lost or stuck between church and culture. They’re skeptical of institutions, but are not wholly disengaged from them. They sense God moving outside the walls of the church. They’re not completely disillusioned with religion…they’re simply frustrated with shallow expressions of religion. In other words, they need the Christians they encounter on a daily basis to be genuine.

Then there are the Prodigals. Prodigals are young adults who have lost their faith and no longer describe themselves as Christian. They often feel varying levels of resentment toward Christianity in general…and toward Christians in specific. They have vowed not to return to the church and have – in their minds – moved beyond the confines of Christianity. They genuinely believe they have found a better way.

What do you think? Can we learn anything from the concerns today’s young people express about the church? Or should we simply abandon them and leave them to their own devices? Do we reach out to them with love and compassion, or do we spurn them with disdain and judgmentalism? I think you know how this is going to come out in the end. In any case, keep that thought in mind as we move on.

A number of weeks ago, we noted how – each and every day – we make decisions that move us closer to a life of virtue, or closer to a life of ruin. Though the past may be written in stone, the future is more like wet cement…pliable, soft, and ready to be shaped by the decisions we make. Our goal is to develop a more godly life narrative. Our goal is to discover what it means to live a life of virtue. Our goal is to seek to discern where our deep happiness may truly be found.

Then we wrestled in turn with overcoming anger, lust, lying, and the law of reciprocity. We took a stab at defeating vainglory, avarice and worry. The theory behind such an endeavor is that abiding in the kingdom of God is different than abiding in the kingdom of this world. Those who abide in this world ask, “How can I get more?” Those who abide in the kingdom ask, “How can I do without?” Those who abide in the world ask, “How can I find myself?” Those who abide in the kingdom ask, “How can I lose myself?” Those who abide in the world ask, “How can I win friends and influence people?” Those who abide in the kingdom ask, “How can I truly love God?” Ladies and gentlemen, there is a profound difference between abiding in the kingdom of this world and abiding in the kingdom of God.

Today our goal is to overcome judgmentalism. Let’s be honest here. There is a measure of judgmentalism in all of us. How do most of us respond to pierced noses, pierced tongues, pierced eyebrows or pierced…you fill in the blank? How do most of us respond to tattoos on every body part imaginable, or hair that’s been dyed a bright shade of pink? How do most of us respond to those who walk around town all day, talking or texting on their cell phones, but lack the resources to feed their families? How do most of us respond to Nomads, Exiles and Prodigals when they leave the church and then live pain-filled lives replete with drug abuse, depression and meaninglessness? What many of us would really like to do is tell them off and straighten them out with our wealth of wisdom on the folly of their ways. Ah, perhaps there’s a measure of judgmentalism in all of us.

Judging another person has to do with making a negative assessment of them…without standing in solidarity with them. Thus, when we judge someone, we are criticizing them, but not as a caring friend who simply wants to help. So what is the difference between constructive criticism and judgmentalism? Perhaps the difference lies in the heart of the assessor.

You see, there are two primary reasons why we come to judge another human being. Number one, we feel as though we have a deep-seated need to fix them; and number two, it also tends to make us feel better about ourselves. Dr. James Bryan Smith calls this condemnation engineering in a book called The Good and Beautiful Life. I think a lot of us have a degree in condemnation engineering. We know just what we should say to set those around us who displease us right – be it a stranger, be it a spouse, or be it a child – as if it was somehow our job to set them straight. The main problem here is that condemnation engineering – in spite of our noble intentions – tends not to be terribly well received. Nobody likes to be criticized.

Jesus addresses this issue in the first passage we read from the gospel according to Matthew. He says, “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”

Jesus is using hyperbole here…or is he? Typically we do not see ourselves as being nearly as sinful as those we aim to engineer. To that I say: Think of this. When we evaluate our own sinfulness – or perceived lack thereof – basic theology teaches us not to compare ourselves to our neighbors. We tend to feel pretty good about ourselves when we do that. Instead, we are to compare ourselves to none other than Jesus Christ. And when we do that, we don’t seem so high and mighty any more. Perhaps there is a log in our own eye that keeps us from seeing clearly, and that log…is judgmentalism. As Mother Teresa once put it, “When you judge people, you have no time to love them.” And as Philo of Alexandria once put it, “Be kind to everyone, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle.”

Perhaps that’s why Jesus went on to address judgmentalism in greater detail. In the second passage we read from Matthew, Jesus adds, “Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” Perhaps therein lies the answer to our judgmentalism. Perhaps the answer is found in the simple words: ask, seek and knock.

Here’s the point. The first thing we need to do when we really want to help someone else…is pray for them. Yet in that regard, I think of one of my favorite descriptions of prayer. It has been said that prayer does not change God; prayer changes us. Thus, when we actually begin to pray for someone else, our hearts tend to shift to consider that person’s own well-being. It is almost impossible to pray for someone and to not begin to feel compassion for him or for her. So the first thing we do is invite God into the situation. In the process, we come to feel less critical, and more compassionate. What’s more, we then come to have the wisdom of God at our disposal. Praying for another person can bring us to see many a situation in a whole new light.

Jesus then says we are to seek and to knock. In other words, we need to be persistent in our prayer. God seems so often to require persistence in prayer. Perhaps that’s because persistence in prayer is not a sign of a lack of faith, but rather, persistence in prayer is a sign of the depth of our commitment. What’s more, persistence gives prayer more time to change not God…but us. Thus, we show our love for another human being by praying for them, and by letting that person know that he or she is not alone.

Our world is becoming more and more filled with church dropouts all the time. In the meantime, drug usage, depression and suicide rates are on the rise. You see, the problem with leaving God behind and abandoning the community of faith is that it quickly dissipates any semblance of hope. Perhaps there is no hope apart from God. I mean, can one really find hope at the end of a needle, or at the mouth of a bottle, or in a bigger bank account? Those kinds of hope tend not to last…and need to be replenished time and time again because they never seem to satisfy.

God is the source of our greatest hope because – as I’ve said before – the kingdom of God is never in trouble. Don’t you think the dropouts could use a dose of God? Don’t you think the Nomads, the Exiles and the Prodigals would benefit from the community of faith? And don’t you think praying for them just might be the best place to start?

One of the biggest criticisms those who leave the church have is that Christians are not genuine. They feel as if Christians do not live the life of faith they claim to profess. Perhaps eliminating judgmentalism is the first step on the way to reflecting a genuine faith. So I beg of you: Do not exercise your degree in condemnation engineering. Pray for those who need it. Pray persistently for those who need it. And then, do whatever it is you have to do…to stand by their side. Amen.

06-02-2013 Sermon by The Rev. Dr. Brian K. Jensen

2013-06-10T12:53:00.001-07:00

CHRISIANITY 101: THE GOSPEL OF WHAT IF

Some of the most devout and faithful people I have ever encountered are church secretaries. They tend to be loyal, dedicated and true. But they are human, and when they make a mistake – in the church bulletin, for example – their blunders become fodder for exploitation. Listen now to a few of the more noteworthy church bulletin bloopers inadvertently made by devout and faithful secretaries of the church.

- At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be, “What is Hell?” Come early and listen to our choir practice.

- The peacemaking conference, originally scheduled to take place today, has been cancelled due to a conflict.

- This being Easter Sunday, we will ask Mrs. Jones to please come forward…and lay and egg on the altar.

- Thursday at 5:00 p.m. there will be a meeting of the Little Mothers Club. All those wishing to become Little Mothers, please see the pastor in his office.

- For those of you who have children and don’t know it, we have a nursery downstairs.

- The pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the congregation would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday morning.

- The rosebud on the altar is in honor of the birth of David Alan Belzer, the sin of Reverend and Mrs. Belzer.

- The ladies of the congregation have cast off clothing of all kinds. They may be seen this afternoon in the fellowship hall.

- Ladies, don’t forget the rummage sale. It’s a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Don’t forget to bring your husbands!

- And last but not least, “Don’t let worry kill you. Let the church help.”

It’s that last bulletin blooper that I want to talk about today because the fact of the matter is: we worry all the time. We worry about whether or not we’ll be able to pass all our final exams in school. We worry about whether this girl or that guy will like us. We worry about whether or not our kids will get into the right college. And if they do, we worry about whether or not they’ll be able to pay back all that incredibly crushing debt. We worry about that medical procedure we had to endure because the doctor found a spot that shouldn’t be there. We worry about whether or not our savings accounts will last through our retirement years. We worry about how we’ll survive after the loss of a husband or a wife to whom we’d been married for over fifty years.

We really do have a lot to worry about, don’t we? What’s more, it’s my theory that we come by worry naturally. We tend to abide by the gospel of, “What if?” What if this happens, or what if that happens? What will I do then? For example, both of my parents were raised on farms in Iowa. They instilled within me what I call an old-fashioned Midwestern work ethic. Yet they also instilled what I call an old-fashioned Midwestern pessimism. What does that mean?

Think of this. If you grew up on a farm, you were dependent upon the weather. Good weather meant a bumper crop and ample food for the year. Bad weather meant a poor crop and a long, hard winter ahead. Here’s where my theory comes into play. My parents tended to always expect the worst. You see, when you always expect the worst, you’re never disappointed. Sometimes, you’re even pleasantly surprised. Pessimism – and the worry it entails – thus becomes a coping mechanism. It becomes a coping mechanism for those whose livelihood is dependent upon something as precarious as the weather. Thus, one’s personal narrative comes to be what might be called, “The Gospel of What If.” Keep that thought in mind as we move on.

Then we got a bit more specific as to how we actually build an interactive relationship with God. The first thing we aimed at was conquering anger. We contrasted anger with Sabbath rest. Anger is a result of our need to control; Sabbath teaches us to trust in God’s strength. Anger is a result of the narrative that we need to be perfect; Sabbath reminds us that we are forgiven. Anger is a result of our fear that God has somehow lost sight of us; Sabbath ensures us that God is watching over us at all times.

Our subsequent goal was to overcome lust. In the words of Harry Emerson Fosdick, “Only by a stronger passion can evil passions be expelled,” and, “A soul unoccupied by positive devotion is sure to be occupied by spiritual demons.” What we sought was what we called the expulsive power of a new affection. We determined that if our new affection was, in fact, the kingdom of God…then lust would simply lose its grip on us. Thus, perhaps the solution to our problem here is prayer.

The next thing we aimed at overcoming was lying. What we determined was that as we move further and further into kingdom living – as our hearts become more and more transformed into the likeness and image of Christ – what we need to do is use our tongues to bless and encourage, rather than to harm or humiliate. We need to learn to build up, rather than tear down. In short, we use our tongues to speak words that bestow the grace of God upon others. While that means, on the one hand, that we do not lie…it also means that our general tone is one of compassion, hope and kindness.

Then we talked about learning to live above the law of reciprocity. The law of reciprocity, of course, is an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. Yet as Gandhi once put it, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth makes the whole world blind and toothless.” Jesus proposed a better way. He taught us to trust that God – in spite of the odds – can somehow turn that which is evil into good. Why do we believe this? Because our new kingdom narrative assures us that the kingdom of God is never in trouble.

Then we tackled the sin of vainglory. Vainglory, of course, is defined as the need to have others think well of us. It’s a little like pride, but a bit more specific. The secret to conquering vain-glory is to recognize that in the kingdom of God, we are not playing to an audience of many. We are playing to an audience of One; and that One…is God.

Finally, we considered the sin of avarice. Avarice is a little like greed in that it has to do with excessive desire, yet avarice is more specifically defined as greed for money or for possessions. We noted how kingdom economics have to do with simplicity. In other words, that which we spend, and that which we aim to possess, should have more to do with our genuine need than it does with our insatiable desire. If that were to actually become the case with us, we might finally come to understand the true meaning of generosity.

Today our goal is to try to overcome worry. Worry is defined as a disproportionate level of concern based upon an inappropriate measure of fear. Unchecked levels of worry can actually cause health problems, impact relationships, and sap the joy right out of life. What’s more, if we were to ask Jesus his opinion on worry, I think he’d tell us that it also represents a lack of faith in God.

Consider the passage we read from the gospel according to Matthew. There Jesus says, “Do not worry about your life – what you will eat or what you will drink – or about your body; what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” Later he adds, “Can any of you, by worrying, add a single hour to your span of life? So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.”

The point here, I think, is that worry keeps us focused on our own limited resources. Faith refocuses our attention onto God’s abundant resources. Perhaps this is why Jesus seems to indicate that worry has no place in the kingdom of God. Worry happens when we sit on the thrones of our lives. Worry flourishes when we reside in the kingdom of this world...and not in the kingdom of God.

A late 20^th century spiritual writer by the name of Henri Nouwen addresses the statement Jesus made here in a book called, Making All Things New. He writes:

Jesus does not respond to our worry-filled way of living by saying that we should not be busy with worldly affairs. He does not try to pull us away from the many events, activities, and people that make up our lives. He does not tell us that what we do is unimportant, or valueless, or useless. Nor does he suggest that we should withdraw from our involvements and live quiet, restful lives removed from the struggles of the world.

Jesus’ response to our worry-filled lives is really quite different. He asks us to shift the point of gravity – to relocate the center of our attention – and to change our priorities. Jesus wants us to move from the many things to the one necessary thing. It is important for us to realize that Jesus in no way wants us to abandon our multi-faceted world. Rather, he wants us to live in it, but to live in it firmly rooted in the center of all things.

Jesus does not speak about a change of activities, a change of contacts, or even a change of pace. He speaks about a change of heart. This change of heart makes everything different, even while everything appears to remain the same. This is the true meaning of Jesus’ words, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.” What counts is where our hearts are. When we worry, we have our hearts in the wrong place. Jesus asks us to move our hearts to the center, where all of the other things fall into place.

So just exactly how do we move our hearts to the center so everything else can fall into place? Just exactly what might our lives look like if we took Jesus’ advice? I think Dr. Kent M. Keith paints an intriguing picture in a book called, Ten Paradoxical Commandments. He writes:

1. People are illogical, unreasonable and self-centered. Love them anyway.

2. If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives. Do good anyway.

3. If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway.

4. The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.

5. Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable. Be honest and frank anyway.

6. The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds. Think big anyway.

7. People favor underdogs, but follow only top dogs. Fight for a few underdogs anyway.

8. What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway.

9. People really need help, but may attack you if you help them. Help people anyway.

10. Give the world the best you have and you’ll get kicked in the teeth. Give the world the best you have anyway.

Mother Teresa added a line to the Ten Paradoxical Commandments in a prayer simply called, “Mother Teresa’s Prayer.” She wrote: “In the final analysis, it’s between you and God. It was never between you and anyone else anyway.” That’s how we overcome worry, and that’s how we move beyond “The Gospel of What If.” We come to realize that in the final analysis, it’s between us and God. It was never meant to be between us and anyone else anyway. Amen.

5-19-2013 Sermon by The Rev. Dr. Brian K. Jensen

2013-05-20T10:51:00.001-07:00

CHRISTIANITY 101: WHAT WOULD JESUS DRIVE?

Once upon a time, there was a man who worked as hard as he possibly could to fulfill his vision of the American Dream. Unfortunately, if that meant stepping on one or two people along the way in order to get ahead, that’s exactly what he did. In the end, as you might suspect, he was indeed quite successful. He had a massive bank account, he owned several beautiful homes, and he drove nothing but the fanciest of automobiles.

Then one day, as ultimately happens to us all, he died. He was met at the Pearly Gates by none other than St. Peter himself. St. Peter said to the man, “Would you like to see the house in which you’ll be spending all eternity?” The man replied, “I can think of nothing I’d like better.”

Thus, St. Peter led him through the Pearly Gates and into the center of the kingdom of heaven. The homes there were absolutely beautiful three-story mansions. The man said, “I could get used to this.” To which St. Peter replied, “Just be patient. We’ve got a ways to go.” As they went a little further, the homes became less ornate. Still, they were two-story homes with neatly-trimmed yards. The man asked, “Is this where I’m going to be living?” To which St. Peter replied, “Just be patient. We’ve got a ways to go.”

As they went a little further, the homes became single-story ranch houses. Not bad, but not quite that to which the man was accustomed. The man asked, “Is this where I’m going to be living?” Again St. Peter replied, “Just be patient. We’ve got a ways to go.” Finally they reached the outskirts of town where the homes were little more than ramshackle huts. As they reached a particularly bad one, St. Peter abruptly stopped. “This is where you’ll be spending eternity,” he said to the man. “What? Here?” the man exclaimed. “I can’t live here!” To which St. Peter replied, “I’m truly sorry, but this is the best we could do with the materials you sent up.” Are there eternal consequences to the lives we live on earth? Keep that thought in mind as we move on.

We suggested that our deepest happiness is found in the kingdom of God. We noted that the kingdom of God is not just something we hope to attain in the future. As Jesus clearly stated, the kingdom of God is also a present reality. Thus, the kingdom of God of which we speak is not a place. The kingdom of God of which we speak is an interactive relationship with God…an interactive relationship that brings us peace of heart and mind.

We noted how many of us will not even consider a more godly life narrative – many of us will not even begin to seek out an interactive relationship with God – until we encounter a drought in life…until we come up against something that we cannot control. So what we did was consider a social problem that appears to be beyond human resolution: bullying in the classroom. We postulated that while we may not be able to resolve all the social ills that surround us, God is able to resolve the un-resolvable. What we need to do is recognize that fact and be open to the movement of God’s Holy Spirit. That, my friends, is where our own transformation truly begins.

Then we wrestled in turn with overcoming anger, lust, lying, and the law of reciprocity. We even took a stab at defeating vainglory. The theory behind these endeavors is that abiding in the kingdom of God is different than abiding in the kingdom of this world. We have different priorities. We aspire to a higher ideal. We seek to put behind us that which would hold us back.

Today our goal is to seek to overcome avarice. Avarice is a little like greed in that it has to do with excessive desire. Yet avarice is more specifically defined as greed for money or for possessions. Case in point, the man we described at the beginning of this sermon. Or, consider an urban legend about a reporter who once interviewed John D. Rockefeller. The wealthiest man in the world at the time, Rockefeller supposedly told the reporter that still, he was not satisfied. When the reporter asked him how much money it would take to make him feel satisfied, Rockefeller replied, “Just a little bit more.” That same sort of comment has been attributed more recently to Bill Gates. When a reporter once asked Bill Gates how much was enough, Gates supposedly replied, “You can never have enough.” That, my friends, is avarice.

Let me go on record here by saying that Jesus is against avarice. Consider the passage we read from the gospel according to Matthew. Jesus says, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

Jesus seems to indicate here that there are actually two kinds of treasures. There are earthly treasures, and there are heavenly treasures. What exactly is a treasure? Spiritual writer Dallas Willard defines a treasure this way: “We reveal what our treasures are by what we aim to protect, secure, and keep.” Thus, in Jesus’ mind, perhaps our real treasure should not be a house, or a car, or a bank account. Perhaps our real treasure should be our faith, or our friends, or our marriages, or our families. Those are the kinds of treasures that can last through all eternity.

Now believe me, I know that’s the last thing on earth that most people want to hear these days. People want to hear things like what an old televangelist by the name of Oral Roberts called, “The Miracle of Seed Faith.” You know, if you give God ten dollars, God will give you a hundred. If you give God a hundred dollars, God will give you a thousand. And, of course, Oral Roberts was more than willing to position himself as God’s investment banker. He was certainly more than willing to hold God’s money for you.

What “sells” in the pulpit these days is what we call the prosperity gospel. Preachers stand up in their pulpits and proclaim to their congregations, “God has a miracle in store for you. God wants you to have even more than what you have.” To the richest people in the history of the world – often suffering primarily from overextended credit – they are saying that God wants them to have even more…and people are flocking to their churches in droves. That’s the difference between motivational speaking and prophetic preaching. Motivational speaking has to do with telling people what they want to hear. Prophetic preaching has to do with telling people what they need to hear. I mean, which would you rather hear: “God has a miracle in store for you,” or “Take up your cross and follow me?” That, my friends, is why those who attempt to preach in a prophetic manner will never be popular. They may be right, but they will never be popular.

Jesus clearly advocates heavenly treasures over earthly treasures. “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also,” he says. He goes on to say, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

Mammon is a Semitic word that means money or riches. Let me take a moment here to explain why Jesus’ use of the word mammon would have been so disheveling to the people who heard him speak. Scholars have no record of the word mammon being used in a negative context in Hebrew culture. In fact, it was just the opposite. Mammon – or wealth – was seen as a sign of God’s blessing. Yet here Jesus refers to it as a rival God. Why on earth would he do that?

Consider this. Recently, some neurologists scanned the brains of people of faith as they recalled the times they felt close to God. Then the scientists exposed these people to stained glass, the smell of incense, and other religious images that make people feel connected to God. One particular area of the brain called the caudate nucleus lit up on the brain scans when these people felt close to God. Could this be evidence of how our brains are actually hard-wired for God?

Now listen to this. Those very same neurologists tested another group of people, but this time exposed them to desirous material possessions…what Jesus called mammon. When images of said desirous material possessions were shown to these people, the exact same area of the brain lit up on the brain scans. What these neurologists discovered was that people who encountered material goods they wanted…experienced the very same brain sensations as those who had deep religious experiences.

This research seems to explain two things. First, it explains why a trip to the mall can be such a cathartic experience for those who’ve had a really bad day! Second, it also explains why Jesus referred to mammon as a rival God. And as Jesus so succinctly put it, “You cannot serve both God and mammon…for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

Now don’t get me wrong. Jesus is not begrudging us a luxurious home, or a fancy car, or even a two-dollar cup of Starbucks coffee. Kingdom economics are not about financial stinginess or carelessness. Kingdom economics are about simplicity. Simplicity is an inner attitude that affects what we choose to purchase. According to spiritual writer Richard Foster, “Simplicity is an inward reality that results in an outward lifestyle.” Yet in order for it to become an outward lifestyle, it must first become an inward reality.

Perhaps the question thus becomes: What would Jesus drive? The politically correct answer these days, I suppose, is that Jesus would probably drive a Prius. That would certainly minimize his carbon footprint, right? But wasn’t Jesus a carpenter, and didn’t Jesus have to lug around twelve of his best friends wherever he went? In that case, Jesus probably would have driven a passenger van and pulled a great big trailer!

You see, that which we spend – and that which we aim to possess – should really have to do with our genuine need. What’s more, the longer we strive to live in the kingdom of God, the more we come to discover the needs of the world around us. In light of that fact, we just might find ourselves becoming more and more able to give with a cheerful heart…and our treasure will thus be in exactly the right place. Amen.

5-12-2013 Sermon by The Rev. Dr. Brian K. Jensen

2013-05-20T10:27:00.001-07:00

GO ASK YOUR MOTHER

Mother’s Day holds a very prominent place in the hearts of most Americans. The Hallmark card company estimates that 150 million Mother’s Day cards will be sent this year, compared to about 95 million Father’s Day cards. Americans spend an average of $105.00 on Mother’s Day gifts, while they spend an average of only $90.00 on Father’s Day gifts. The phone rings more often on Mother’s Day than it does on Father’s Day too, although the statistics do indicate that more collect calls are made on Father’s Day. I’m not exactly sure what that implies.

What do these statistics reveal? It seems to me as though they reveal that Mom is more popular than Dad. And why is that? Perhaps it’s due in part because – when our children come to us with difficult questions – we fathers tend to reply, “Go ask your mother.” Mom tends to be the primary go-to source for the questions that plague men’s minds…literally! Keep that thought in mind as we move on.

The scene in the passage I read from the gospel according to John is the Last Supper. Judas Iscariot has just arisen to go betray the Lord. Jesus Christ, the consummate teacher – fully aware of the fate about to befall him – continues to instruct his disciples. And what is the first thing he talks about, in spite of what’s about to transpire? Jesus speaks of love. “A new commandment I give you,” he says, “that you love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples.”

Love is a familiar theme for Jesus. Perhaps that’s because love seems to be so difficult for us. For example, how do we love the unlovable? How do we love someone we’d really rather strangle? How do we love the people who make themselves so incredibly difficult to love? Listen to the following two stories, and try to decide for yourselves which one better expresses love for the unlovable.

Apartment dwellers in New Zealand now have a brand new weapon to use against noisy neighbors. It seems a local man has recorded a compact disc that consists of 64 minutes of lawn mower noise. Thus, if your neighbors have a party that keeps you up really late, what you do is get up at six in the morning, put the lawn mowing C.D. in the stereo, crank up the volume, and go out for breakfast. The new compact disc offers listeners general lawn mowing sounds, along with special features like the emptying of the grass catcher and the blades clipping stones.

Believe it or not, this has become a huge seller in New Zealand. The lawn mower C.D. is actually the creator’s second. His first was entitled, “Urban Assault,” which consists of a car alarm, a revving motorcycle, and a crying baby. For some, love consists of what we might call “tough love,” and tough love seems to be all about getting even. Is this the love of which Jesus speaks?

Here’s another story that depicts loving the unlovable. The author is unknown. I found it in an old newsletter in my files entitled, From the Ranch. The author writes:

A friend of mine went to the County Clerk’s office to renew her driver’s license. The clerk said to her, “Do you have a job, or are you just a…” My friend – fuming – replied, “Of course I have a job! I’m a mother!” The clerk replied, “We don’t list ‘mother’ as an occupation. ‘Housewife’ pretty much covers it.”

I found myself in the very same situation one day when I was at our town hall. The clerk was obviously a career woman: poised, efficient, and possessing an impressive-sounding title like, “Town Registrar” or “Official Interrogator.” She asked me that very same question: “And what is your occupation?”

The words just popped out of my mouth: “I’m a Research Associate in the field of Child Development and Human Relations.” The clerk paused; pen frozen in mid-air. I repeated the title slowly: “I’m a Research Associate in the field of Child Development and Human Relations.” The clerk wrote my pompous title in bold, black ink on the official questionnaire. Then she asked, with a measure of suspicion in her voice, “Might I ask just what you do in your field?”

I replied, “I have a continuing program of research in the laboratory and in the field. I’m working for my Master’s – the whole family – and already have four credits…all daughters. Of course, the job is one of the most demanding in the humanities, and I often work 14 hours a day. But the job is more challenging than most run-of-the-mill careers, and the rewards are in satisfaction rather than just money.”

There was an increasing note of respect in the clerk’s voice. She completed the form, stood up, and personally ushered me to the door. As I later drove into our driveway, buoyed by my glamorous new title, I was greeted by my lab assistants – ages thirteen, seven and three. Upstairs I could hear our new experimental model – six months old – in the child development program, testing out a new vocal pattern.

I felt triumphant. I had scored a beat on bureaucracy. And I had gone down in the records as someone more distinguished and indispensable to society than “just another…”

Jesus gave his disciples a new commandment: that they love one another. He gives the very same commandment to us. Yet we know all-too-well how difficult some people make themselves to love. So, how do we love them? Do we love them by getting even? Or do we love them by instilling a gentle sense of humor? You be the judge.

Philip Gulley is the author of a book entitled, For Everything a Season. In it, he offers an intriguing philosophy as to what love really is. He writes:

Now I want to tell you a lie. Hate is an emotion we can’t help. Hate is a feeling we cannot overcome. If we hate someone, it’s because we just can’t help ourselves. We’re human; we have no choice but to hate. That is a lie. Unfortunately, it is a lie that many people believe. They believe this lie in order to excuse their hatred. After all, if we can’t help but hate – if hate is a feeling we simply cannot help – then hatred is never our fault, is it?

But we can help it. Hatred is a choice. We choose to hate, just as we choose to love. Oh, I know, there are people out there who believe love isn’t a choice…that love is primarily an emotion, a feeling, a stirring in the loins. Those are the same people who love the idea of love, but seem to be unable to stay in it. Love is a matter of the will – something we decide to do. Love, my friends, is a choice.

Now that’s a fine definition for those who need a definition of love. You know, I often say in wedding sermons myself, “Love is so much more than a fickle emotion. Love...is a state of being.” And that it is. Yet perhaps love defies description. Perhaps love is something that is better witnessed than discussed.

The following e-mail came to me last January. I saved it for Mother’s Day because it talks about mothers. But I think it also reveals true love. Love may be a choice – love may be a state of being – but love is also something much, much more. Listen to the following story, and I think you’ll see what I mean.

This is for all the mothers who froze their backsides off on metal bleachers at football games on Friday nights, instead of watching from the car, so that when their kids ask, “Did you see me?” they can say, “Of course I saw you. I wouldn’t have missed it for the world,” and mean it.

This is for all the mothers who have sat up all night with sick toddlers in their arms, wiping up sputum laced with Oscar Meyer wieners and cherry Kool-Aid saying, “It’s okay, honey. Mommy’s here.”

This is for all the mothers of the earthquake in China who fled in the night and can’t find their children. This is for all the mothers who gave birth to babies they’ll never see. And mothers who took those babies in and made homes for them.

This is for all the mothers of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, and the mother of the murderer. This is for the mothers of the survivors – and the mothers who sat in front of their T.V.s in horror – hugging their child who just came home from school safely. This is for all the mothers who run carpools and make cookies and sew Halloween costumes. And for all the mothers who don’t.

What makes a good mother anyway? Is it patience? Compassion? The ability to nurse a baby, cook dinner, and sew a button on a shirt, all at the same time? Or is it heart? Is it the ache you feel when you watch your son or daughter disappear down the street, walking to school for the very first time? The jolt that takes you from sleep to dread – from bed to crib – at 2:00 a.m. to put your hand on the back of a sleeping baby? The need to flee from wherever you are to hug your child when you hear news of a school shooting, a fire, a car accident, or a baby dying?

So this is for all the mothers who sat down with their children and explained all about making babies. And for all the mothers who wanted to, but just couldn’t. This is for reading Goodnight, Moon twice a night for a year. And then reading it again, “Just one more time.”

This is for all the mothers who mess up. Who yell at their kids in the grocery store, and swat them in frustration, and stomp their feet like a tired two-year-old who wants ice cream before dinner. This is for all the mothers who taught their daughters to tie their shoelaces before they started school. And for all the mothers who opted for Velcro instead. For all the mothers who bite their lips until they bleed when their 14-year-olds dye their hair green. Who lock themselves in the bathroom when babies keep crying and won’t stop.

This is for all the mothers who show up at work with spit-up in their hair, and milk stains on their blouses, and diapers in their purses. This is for all the mothers who teach their sons to cook dinner, and their daughters to sink a jump shot. This is for all the mothers whose heads automatically turn when a little voice calls, “Mom?” in a crowd, even though they know their own offspring are at home.

This is for all the mothers who put pinwheels and teddy bears on their children’s graves. This is for mothers whose children have gone astray, and who can’t find the words to reach them. This is for all the mothers who sent their sons to school with stomach aches, assuring them they’d be just FINE once they got there, only to get a call from the school nurse an hour later asking them to please pick them up. RIGHT AWAY.

This is for young mothers stumbling through diaper changes and sleep deprivation. And mature mothers learning how to let go. For working mothers and stay-at-home mothers. Single mothers and married mothers. Mothers with money, mothers without. This is for you all. Without precious mothers, children would flounder. Thank you for being the best mom you could be. Love is what catches us when we fall. And we all fall.

Jesus commanded us to love one another. We feel the need to define that love. We say, “Love is a choice.” We say, “Love is a state of being.” Yet love is really so much more. Love is what God is. Love is what we become when someone means more to us than we mean to ourselves. If that’s not clear enough…go ask your mother. Amen.

05-05-2013 Sermon by The Rev. Dr. Brian K. Jensen

2013-05-06T11:30:00.001-07:00

CHRISTIANITY 101: PLAYING TO AN AUDIENCE OF ONE

There’s a fascinating story that’s been making the rounds on the Internet for quite a while now. I honestly don’t know if the story is real or if it’s a myth. In any case, it reveals what I believe to be a profound and insightful truth. The story is called, “Life Is Like a Cup of Coffee,” and it goes like this.

Once upon a time, a group of college alumni – all upwardly mobile and well-established in their careers – got together for a reunion at the home of a beloved, old professor. The conversation soon turned into a litany of complaints about how stressed out they all were at work, and how their lives had not turned out at all the way they’d envisioned them in college. The professor then quietly offered his guests some coffee, and the distinguished alumni graciously accepted.

The professor went out to the kitchen to brew a pot of coffee. When he returned, he brought the coffee…and a varied assortment of cups. Some of the cups were made of porcelain, some of the cups were made of glass, some of the cups were made of crystal, and some of the cups were made of plastic. Some of the cups were very exquisite-looking, and some of the cups were really quite plain. After each of the alumni had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor began to speak.

He said, “I want you all to look around. Notice that all of the more expensive, nicer-looking cups have been taken…while the plainer, cheaper-looking cups have been left on the tray. While I suppose it’s only natural for you to want the best for yourselves, that just might be the source of all your problems and your stress. Rest assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the taste of the coffee. In most cases, it’s just a bit fancier and more expensive.

“What all of you really wanted was the coffee, not the cup…but you consciously went for the best of the cups. Then you even began eyeing each other’s cups in an effort to see who had the best one. Now consider this. Life is like a cup of coffee. The jobs, the money, the position in society…those are merely the cups. They’re just tools to hold and contain life, and the kind of cup we have does not define – or change – the quality of the life we live. In fact, sometimes – by concentrating only on the cup – we actually fail to enjoy the coffee. Savor the coffee, not the cup. The happiest people don’t necessarily have the best of everything. The happiest people simply make the best of everything. Live simply, love generously, speak kindly, and care deeply …because life is a lot like a cup of coffee.” Perhaps the question for us now is this: How do we get there? How do we get to the point where we seek not to have the best of everything, but instead seek to make the best of everything? Keep that thought in mind as we move on.

We suggested that our deepest happiness is found in the kingdom of God. We noted that the kingdom of God is not just something we hope to attain in the future. As Jesus clearly stated, the kingdom of God is also a present reality. Thus, the kingdom of God of which we speak is not a place. The kingdom of God of which we speak is an interactive relationship with God…an interactive relationship that brings us peace of heart and mind.

Then we got a bit more specific as to how we build an interactive relationship with God. The first thing we aimed at was conquering anger. We contrasted anger with Sabbath rest. Anger is a result of our need to control; Sabbath teaches us to trust in God’s strength. Anger is a result of the narrative that we need to be perfect; Sabbath reminds us that we are forgiven. Anger is a result of our fear that God has somehow lost sight of us; Sabbath ensures us that God is watching over us at all times.

Our subsequent goal was to overcome lust; certainly not an easy thing to do. In the words of one Harry Emerson Fosdick: “Only by a stronger passion can evil passions be expelled,” and, “a soul unoccupied by positive devotion is sure to be occupied by spiritual demons.” What we sought was what we called the expulsive power of a new affection. We determined that if our new affection was, in fact, the kingdom of God…then lust would simply lose its grip on us. Thus, perhaps the solution to our problem here…is prayer.

The next thing we aimed at overcoming was lying. What we determined was that as we move further and further into kingdom living – as our hearts become more and more transformed into the likeness and image of Christ – what we need to do is use our tongues to bless and encourage, rather than to harm or humiliate. We need to learn to build up, rather than tear down. In short, we use our tongues to speak words that bestow the grace of God upon others. While that means on the one hand, that we do not lie…it also means that our general tone is one of hope, compassion and kindness.

Then we talked about learning to live above the law of reciprocity. The law of reciprocity, of course, is an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. Yet as Gandhi once put it, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth makes the whole world blind and toothless.” Jesus proposed a better way. He taught us to trust that God, in spite of all odds, can somehow turn that which is evil into good. Why do we believe this? Because our new kingdom narrative assures us that the kingdom of God is never in trouble.

Today our goal is learning to seek not to have the best of everything, but rather, to make the best of everything. In short, we need to learn how to conquer a little sin we call vainglory. Vainglory is called the eighth deadly sin in the Eastern Orthodox Church. In the Western Church we have but seven deadly sins, which are usually described as: wrath, greed, pride, sloth, envy, lust and gluttony. The Eastern Orthodox Church adds an eighth deadly sin called vainglory. Vainglory is defined as the need to have others think well of us. It’s rooted in a basic insecurity that is driven by our need for affirmation from others. Thus, vainglory can be very subtle…and can often be very hard to detect.

We saw the perfect illustration of vainglory in the story I told at the beginning of this sermon. The distinguished alumni visiting their old professor scrambled to acquire the nicest coffee cups, then eyed the cups of their peers in an effort to see who was sipping from the fanciest one. Such behavior is rooted in the desire to receive the approval of others. Such behavior is rooted in the need to have more than what someone else has. And what does that get us? Nothing but a lot of pain and heartache and stress. That’s because when we are under the spell of vainglory, we are only as good as our next acquisition. When we live for the approval of others, we are only as good as our last performance.

Outside the kingdom of God, we have no way to determine our intrinsic value other than by what others say about us, or by what we think others think about us. For example, if we do something incredibly well – and no one even notices – it drives us crazy because we have failed to attain the things we wanted most…those things being: affirmation, adulation, and praise. We thus begin to suffer from vainglory. We thus begin to aim our goals in life toward pleasing others.

Vainglory is a sin that tends to afflict the pious, as well. For example, many years ago, my family and I were on vacation in Duluth, Minnesota. It was a sunny Sunday morning, and we’d all gone to church. Right after the worship service, we went to a restaurant for lunch. My family and I were all sitting there in our Sunday best. Others in the restaurant were sitting there in t-shirts and shorts and flip-flops. I honestly began to feel a little bit superior. My wife and I actually talked about it later. She said she’d had the very same feeling. That, my friends, is vainglory. That’s what people outside the church are complaining about when they use the phrase, “Holier than thou.”

John Cassian was a fourth century Christian monk who once wrote, “One who would not be taken in by the vices of the flesh can be all the more vulnerable to vainglory.” Because they are not defeated by the more carnal sins, they might be tempted to think they are better than others, and that their spiritual lives are superior to those who fail in more obvious ways. Vainglory is thus a sin that afflicts devout Christians in particular. Devout Christians pray daily, worship regularly, and study their Bibles diligently. And in the process, they often come to see themselves as being superior to those who do not. That, my friends, is the sin of vainglory.

I have a sneaking suspicion that it’s this sin of vainglory that is killing the Christian Church. People who are not involved in the life of the church tend to take offense at those who are involved in the life of the church when those people come to view themselves as being somehow superior. If you think about it, that’s a pretty harsh criticism of the Christian faith. In fact, I’d say it’s pretty much the opposite of the image we ought to be trying to project.

Jesus addresses the sin of vainglory in the passage we read from the gospel according to Matthew. He says, “Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven. So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogue, so that they may be praised by others…But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret…And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogue and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others…But whenever you pray, go into your room, shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

There’s more, but I think you get the picture. Jesus is addressing the sin of vainglory here. Do not do your good deeds in order to be seen by others, or to impress others. Do your good deeds in secret, and your Father will reward you in secret. Jesus is not speaking against devotional practices here; he is speaking against the ways in which they are being practiced. In other words, Jesus is not so much concerned about the method…as he is concerned about the motive.

What is our motive? Why do we take part in devotional activities? I think the fourth century theologian John Chrysostom lends some insight here. He once wrote, “Why do we pray? We pray not to instruct God, but to prevail with God; to be made intimate with him by continuance in supplication; to be humbled…and to be reminded of our sin.” In short, our devotional activities are aimed at attaining intimacy with God. If they are aimed at impressing others, they are all for naught…for we come to suffer from the sin of vainglory. Thus, in the kingdom of God, we are not playing to an audience of many. We are playing to an audience of one; and that one…is God.

Ladies and gentlemen, I firmly believe that if all of us could come to live our lives that way – not playing to an audience of many, but playing to an audience of one – many of the world’s problems would simply go away. If everyone lived their lives with the primary goal of pleasing God, there would be no more pride; there would be no more envy; there would be no more violence; there would be no more crime. Instead of needing to have the best of everything, we would thus be freed to make the best of everything. I think that in the long run, we’d find ourselves to be a whole lot happier. And truth be told, isn’t that what we really want? Amen.

04-28-2013 Sermon by The Rev. Dr. Brian K. Jensen

2013-04-29T08:02:00.001-07:00

CHRISTIANITY 101: LIVING ABOVE THE LAW OF RECIPROCITY

The Boston Marathon is an annual event that is always held on Patriot’s Day, which falls on the third Monday in April. Begun in 1897, the Boston Marathon is the world’s oldest marathon, and it attracts about half a million spectators every year. This year, there were 26,839 people registered to run the Boston Marathon. It’s a fabulous event that challenges the will and inspires the utmost in human endurance.

On Monday, April 15^th, this year’s Boston Marathon began like any other. Officials actually swept the area twice for bombs, finding nothing…so people were allowed to come and go freely. Then at 2:49 p.m. – about two hours after the winner had finished the race, but with more than 5700 runners still on the course – two bombs detonated on Boylston Street near the finish line. Three people were killed and 282 people were injured, some critically. One of the people killed was a 29-year-old female restaurant manager, one was a 23-year-old female grad student, and one was an eight-year-old boy.

The bombs were placed in pressure cookers. When they went off, many victims suffered lower leg injuries and shrapnel wounds. Doctors described removing ball-bearing-type metallic beads a little larger than BBs, and small carpentry nails about an inch long. One might be led to believe that – out of ignorance or out of malice – these bombs were intended to maim more than they were intended to kill. And perhaps that makes what happened even worse.

The FBI took over the investigation and soon released photos and videos of the two suspects. They were identified – with help from the public – as a pair of Muslim brothers from Chechnya. Shortly after the release of the photos, the suspects killed an MIT police officer, carjacked an SUV, and engaged in a shootout with police in Watertown. The older brother was killed, while the younger brother escaped on foot. He was eventually captured, cowering in the hull of a boat, badly wounded but still alive.

If you’re like me, as you watched these events unfold, you became more and more incensed. Sixty years ago, the fact that they were Russian might have invoked our ire. Today, the fact that they are Muslim is what seems to upset us most. Many of us have just about had it with these Muslim fanatics. We want them stopped, and we want them stopped now! When they hit us, we want to hit them back harder: an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth…what we call the law of reciprocity. Yet as disciples of Jesus Christ, is that really the appropriate way for us to respond? Is that really the appropriate way for us to feel? Keep that thought in mind as we move on.

We suggested that our deepest happiness is found in the kingdom of God. We noted that the kingdom of God is not just something we hope to attain the future. As Jesus clearly stated, the kingdom of God is also a present reality. Thus, the kingdom of God of which we speak is not a place. The kingdom of God of which we speak is an interactive relationship with God…an interactive relationship that brings us peace of heart and mind.

Then we got a bit more specific on how we build an interactive relationship with God. The first thing we aimed at was conquering anger. We contrasted anger with Sabbath rest. Anger is a result of our need to control; Sabbath teaches us to trust in God’s strength. Anger is a result of the narrative that we need to be perfect; Sabbath teaches us that we are forgiven. Anger is a result of our fear that God has lost sight of us; Sabbath ensures us that God is watching over us at all times.

Our subsequent goal was to overcome lust; certainly not an easy thing to do. In the words of Harry Emerson Fosdick, “Only by a stronger passion can evil passions be expelled,” and, “a soul unoccupied by positive devotion is sure to be occupied by spiritual demons.” What we sought was what we called the expulsive power of a new affection. We determined that if our new affection was, in fact, the kingdom of God…then lust would simply lose its grip on us. Thus, perhaps the solution to our problem here…is prayer.

Then next thing we aimed at was overcoming lying. What we determined was that as we move further into kingdom living – as our hearts become more and more transformed into the likeness and image of Christ – what we need to do is use our tongues to bless and encourage, rather than to harm or humiliate. We need to learn to build up, rather than tear down. In short, we use our tongues to speak words that bestow the grace of God upon others. While that means, on the one hand, that we do not lie…it also means that our general tone is one of compassion and kindness.

Today our goal is to learn to live above the law of reciprocity. In the kingdom of this world, people often feel disempowered, vulnerable, or exposed. The easiest way to deal with such an insecurity is to do what you can to reverse it. Do you feel like a 98-pound weakling? Go to the gym and build some muscle. Do you feel vulnerable financially? Do what you can to build your portfolio. Do you feel as though you’ve been treated unfairly by others? Fight back; take them to court; assert your rights. The dominant narrative here is: If someone hits you, you hit them back harder. When faced with injustice – whether it be public humiliation, unfair treatment or intentional harm – our natural inclination is to demand an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. That’s what the law of reciprocity is. Of course, as Gandhi once put it, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth…makes the whole world blind and toothless.”

Jesus addresses the law of reciprocity in the passage we read from the gospel according to Matthew. He does so by turning conventional wisdom on its ear. Jesus says, “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. If anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.”

Let’s try to take this statement apart. First of all, Jesus says, “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’” The people who were listening to Jesus would have more than just heard this statement. It was in the Torah! Read Leviticus 24, verses 19 and 20. It’s in our Old Testament as well.

Jesus is trying to tell us that in the kingdom of God, there is a better way than the law of reciprocity. He cites four specific examples. The first one has to do with turning the other cheek. Two thousand years ago, it was common to see a master slapping a slave on any city street. Since the right hand was used for slapping, to slap someone on the right cheek was to give them the back of your hand.

Usually when this happened, a slave would cower in submission. Unfortunately, that allowed the abuse to continue. Oh, a slave could hit his master back, but there were grave consequences for doing so. Jesus presents a stunning, new idea: offer the left cheek instead. This would leave the striker wondering what to do next. Don’t do it smugly; do it sincerely. It should completely diffuse the situation.

Then Jesus says, “If anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well.” In Jesus’ day, the poor were often at the mercy of the rich. Many people were so poor that they had nothing to offer as collateral for a loan except the clothes on their backs. A lender could ask for the money he had loaned to be repaid at any time, and if the borrower could not pay, the lender could take his tunic. That would leave the poor person with only his outer coat. Jesus says to offer that as well. Why? Because the guiding principal of the kingdom is love. If someone takes something from us, our natural reaction is to cling to it. Those who understand God’s abundant provision are able to take a different approach. We say, “You want my shirt? Here, you can have my coat as well.” In the kingdom of God, we are never in a position of scarcity. Thus, we can afford to freely give of our possessions.

Jesus then adds, “If anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile.” Two thousand years ago, a Roman soldier could force a Jew to carry his luggage. That such a privilege not be abused, the Roman government actually enacted a law that made it illegal for a soldier to force a Jew to carry his bags any more than a mile. Jesus asks his disciples to do the unthinkable: carry the bags another mile. Why? Because the guiding principal in the kingdom of God is love, and love seeks the good of another. That, my friends, is literally what it means to go the extra mile.

Finally Jesus says, “Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.” This one’s really hard. One time I put a transient person up in a motel room using what we call the Lindley Fund. Then I gave him twenty dollars out of my own pocket because he said he hadn’t had anything to eat. Believe it or not, I got a call from the motel clerk later on that day. He said, “Did you give so-and-so money?” I said, “Yes. He said he needed something to eat.” The motel clerk then said, “I just wanted you to know that he came back to the motel carrying a twelve-pack of beer and a carton of cigarettes!”

At that point, what could I do? My philosophy on those kinds of things is this: I do what I feel I am called to do as a Christian. If someone’s pulling the wool over my eyes, I figure they’ll have to answer for that themselves one day. At least I know I did the right thing…and I can sleep at night.

In each of the aforementioned situations, Jesus asks his disciples to do the unnatural; to do the unthinkable. Yet we are in a unique position when we abide in the kingdom of God. We believe the kingdom of God is unshakable. We believe the kingdom of God is never in trouble. And because of that belief, we can be bold enough to actually do the unthinkable.

Are you familiar with the story of the patriarch Joseph? Joseph was the 11^th born son of Jacob. Jacob loved Joseph more than his other sons and gave him what the Bible calls a coat of many colors. Broadway changed the name of it to the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. One day Jacob sent Joseph out to check on his older brothers who were tending the sheep. When he told them of a dream he’d had where they all bowed down to him, they were outraged. They sold him to a group of Midianite merchants, smeared blood all over his coat of many colors, and told their father that he’d been killed by a wild animal.

The Midianite merchants later sold Joseph to a military captain in Egypt named Potiphar. When Potiphar’s wife took a liking to Joseph and Joseph refused to commit adultery, she accused him of molesting her. This landed Joseph in prison. Yet Joseph had the unique ability to interpret dreams. When none other than Pharaoh himself had a perplexing dream, Joseph was called upon to interpret it for him, and essentially saved the nation of Egypt from a famine. This got Joseph promoted to second-in-command of all of Egypt.

Eventually the famine in the land was so severe that Joseph’s brothers had to come to Egypt to beg for food. They appeared before Joseph, but they did not recognize him as their brother. When he revealed to them who he was, they trembled in fear and begged his forgiveness. Joseph said in essence, “Fear not. For what you intended for evil, God intended for good.” Joseph forgave them, and they essentially lived happily ever after. Joseph had gone from riches, to rags, to riches again…and in Joseph’s mind, it was all God’s doing.

That’s what kingdom living looks like, and that’s how we live beyond the law of reciprocity. We trust that God – in spite of the odds – can somehow turn that which is evil into good. Why? Because our new kingdom narrative assures us that the kingdom of God…is never in trouble. Amen.

04-21-2013 Sermon by The Rev. Dr. Brian K. Jensen

2013-04-25T16:16:00.001-07:00

R. B. N. S.

Once upon a time, there were three ministers who were gathered together for coffee. Much to their chagrin, they discovered that they all suffered from the very same problem. They all had bats in their belfries…bats in the belfries of their churches, that is. The first minister said, “I tried shooting the bats with a B.B. gun, but those bats were so quick, I just couldn’t hit them. All I accomplished was to put a few holes in my stained glass windows. My bats are still there.”

The second minister said, “I tried trapping the bats alive. Then I drove five miles out into the country before I let them go. And wouldn’t you know it? Those doggone bats beat me back to the church! My bats are still there, as well.”

The third minister said, “I used to have bats in the belfry of my church too, but not anymore.” The other ministers said, “How on earth did you get rid of them?” The third minister said, “It was really quite simple. I baptized them, I confirmed them…and I haven’t seen them since!”

Although we may wish it were not so, sadly…that story reveals a great deal of truth. Out of a typical confirmation class, only about a third of them will remain active in the church throughout their high school years, and even fewer will remain active in the church throughout adulthood. We live in a changing world; one that would appear to prioritize its relationship with God less and less all the time.

The Pew Forum on Religion recently conducted a survey of faith in America today that seems to back that theory up. What they discovered is that one-fifth of the general public – and one-third of adults under the age of thirty – are religiously unaffiliated today. In other words, they have no part of the institutional church. That number represents the highest percentage in the history of the survey.

Yet lest we think the news is all bad, consider this. In a recent book entitled, God Is Alive and Well: The Future of Religion in America, editor-in-chief Frank Newport makes the case that religion is as alive and well in America today as it has ever been. In fact, Gallup Poll research projects that religion may become even more significant in the years that lie ahead. Newport writes, and I quote, “We may even be on the cusp of a religious renaissance.”

While the research appears to be conflicting, here’s what seems to be happening. Religion as we have known it for the last one hundred years may in fact be dying, but this death is not the result of the rise of outspoken atheists like Richard Dawkins or Christopher Hitchens. The Pew Forum research indicates that those who identify themselves as “atheists” or “agnostics” have grown by less than five percent over the course of last ten years. On the other hand, the religiously unaffiliated – those whom we refer to these days as the “nones” (that’s n-o-n-e-s, not n-u-n-s) – the “nones” have risen by twenty percent. Although the Gallup poll projects a rise in religious interest, it notes also that: “Increasingly, Americans do not have a religious identity, or they identify with broad religious labels…rather than with specific denominations.”

We live in an era called post-modernism where people are open to various forms of spirituality. These forms tend not to resemble organized religion. The Pew Forum research found that many of the forty-six million unaffiliated adults are in some way religious or spiritual. Two-thirds of them indicate that they do believe in God. They refer to themselves as what we call S.B.N.R. S.B.N.R., of course, is an acronym that means: Spiritual…But Not Religious.

We are seeing a sharp rise in people who are religiously unaffiliated, while also seeing a sharp rise in interest in God. Thus, when we ask the question: “Is faith in God dead or alive?” perhaps the answer is, “Yes.” Yes, faith in God as we have known it may be dying, but faith in God in general is still very much alive. Thus, the solution to our problem is not contemporary music in worship or the gospel of prosperity…far from it. Worship as entertainment is not the answer.

Harvey Cox is a professor at the Harvard Divinity School and the author of a book called, The Future of Faith. In it, he makes the point that our society is undergoing a major transformation regarding human experience of the divine. Cox believes we are moving from an era we might call, “The Age of Belief” to an era we might call, “The Age of the Spirit.” The Age of Belief was characterized by an emphasis on creeds and doctrines; it was an era where like-minded people gathered on Sunday mornings with others who shared similar beliefs. The Age of the Spirit is a little bit different. The Age of the Spirit is characterized as non-dogmatic, non-institutional, and non-hierarchical. These people are likely to be far less ordered – yet perhaps a bit more open – to the movement of God’s Holy Spirit.

Here’s how I would describe it if I were to attempt to put this theory into my own words. In days gone by, people wanted to know all about God. Today it seems as though people want to know God. Again, in days gone by, people wanted to know all about God. Today it seems as though people want to know God. Do you see the dramatic difference?

Let me try to explain how we got into this predicament in the first place. The Age of Enlightenment, or the Age of Reason, began in the 17^th century in Europe. Closely tied to the Age of Enlightenment was the Scientific Revolution. Science and its discoveries overturned many traditional beliefs, and introduced new perspectives on nature and humanity’s place in the grand scheme of things. Thus, when it came to religion, the Bible was demythologized. The Bible became a textbook to be studied, examined and understood…as opposed to a gift from God that studied, examined and understood us.

In short, the mystery of the Bible was summarily removed. As Max Weber once put it in a lecture at Munich University, “If you want to be part of the modern world, grow up and bear the burden of disenchantment.” For many, many years, people have done just that. The highest praise given to a modern person was that he or she was rational or scientific. The deepest insult given to a modern person was that he or she was, “spiritual…but of no earthly good.”

Christians – in particular, mainline Protestant Christians – quickly became products of the Age of Enlightenment. They worked hard to harmonize faith with this era by making it a rational and scientific enterprise. Christianity, during the period of the Age of Belief, emphasized the rational “truths” of the faith. Moreover, many Christian scholars worked hard to make Christianity a scientifically valid system of belief. By the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, much of the mystery of faith was gone. And in the process we became what we might call: R.B.N.S. R.B.N.S. is an acronym that I made up for this sermon. It means: Religious…But Not Spiritual.

Today we suffer from what a seminary professor by the name of Cheryl Johns calls: E.D.D. E.D.D. stands for Enchantment Deficit Disorder. Symptoms of Enchantment Deficit Disorder include a loss of a sense of wonder, and a skepticism of anything that smacks of the supernatural or the miraculous. Enchantment Deficit Disorder has left a generation of young people searching for the wondrous, for the miraculous, for the holy, and for the spiritual.

The Spiritual But Not Religious can be characterized as being open and hungry for personal spiritual experiences. In short, they long for enchantment. Consider the popularity of books and movies like: The Lord of the Rings, or Harry Potter, or the Twilight series. I think they reveal how deep their hunger for enchantment really is. Why else would an otherwise sophisticated, modern-day person read about hobbits and witches and vampires and werewolves? People long for the places where the veil between this world and the world of the Spirit becomes transparent.

A lot of people asked me recently if I was going to watch that T.V. show on the history of the Bible. I said, “No, I don’t like those T.V. shows on the Bible. They tend to demythologize or disenchant. My philosophy is: ‘Never destroy a person’s ideology unless you can replace it with a better one.’” What do I mean by destroying ideologies?

There is a long-running T.V. show called, Ancient Mysteries of the Bible. In a show about the Exodus, they tried to present archaeological evidence that suggested that Moses led the Hebrew people across the Reed Sea, not the Red Sea. The Reed Sea was a much shallower lake to the north that – due to certain wind currents – frequently parted on its own. In short, they were trying to explain away some of the mystery or enchantment of the Bible. And all they managed to accomplish was to shatter a lot of people’s ideologies. What does that accomplish?

Now listen to this. Further archaeological study reveals that the Red Sea is very deep, but there is a shelf that splits it that is not nearly so deep. What’s more, archaeologists have now found evidence of ancient Egyptian chariot wheels and spears and armor on that shelf. How do you suppose that got there? Archaeological study initially shattered our ideology. Yet further archaeological study suggests that our ideology may have been right all along.

Now don’t get me wrong. I am not advocating the cessation of archaeological research. Nor am I blessing the realm of the Spiritual But Not Religious. In my humble opinion, the Spiritual But Not Religious tend to turn to God only when they want something from him. What I am advocating is that we learn to move beyond the realm of the Religious But Not Spiritual. We need to learn to be open to wonder. We need to learn to be open to enchantment. We need to learn to be open to the movement of the Holy Spirit of God.

It all begins with how we view the Bible. Is the Bible simply a textbook to be studied, examined and understood? Or is the Bible a gift from God that studies, examines and understands us? Read it sometime…and be open to the mystery and the wonder and the enchantment of God revealed within its pages. You may even find yourself becoming spiritual in the process. Amen.

04-07-2013 Sermon by Rev. Larry Peters

2013-04-15T10:49:00.001-07:00

JESUS APPEARS TO THE DISCIPLES

Rev. Larry Peters

April 7, 2013

Psalm 118:14-17

Acts 5:27-32

John 20:19-31

What kind of a day is the Sunday after Easter? The mood and the events of Holy Week have both a depth and an excitement. There is a flurry of activities, and a wide range of emotions. We go from the tragedy of the Crucifixion to the triumph of the Resurrection. And then what? A lot of people seem to be at a loss as to what to do after Easter. The palm branches are gone. The lilies are gone. Some of the people who were with us last Sunday have gone. What is the significance of Easter, and how does it affect us as the church? We should want to find out.

I think that Jesus wanted to find out what was going on in the church when he came to visit the disciples. The Bible tells us that it was evening on that day. The scripture reading today is a continuation of the events that happened on the day of the Lord’s Resurrection and leads to today, the Sunday after Easter. Therefore, I would like to continue following the message we received last Sunday including some important points presented by Rev. Jensen. First of all, do we genuinely believe in the Resurrection? How has it changed us? How has it impacted and shaped our faith? All this is important to us because, as we heard last week, “faith in the Resurrection is what distinguishes Christianity from everything else. The essence of the Christian faith is faith in the Resurrection.”

We need to begin to understand just how great the importance of the Lord’s Resurrection is to us! We need to understand the difference this makes; what the Resurrection means. It means that everything is different now! Everything has changed! What kind of day is today? It is a new day, different from days previous. The events of this week are a change from what happened last week. But we need to see how those events have changed us, shaped us, made a difference in who we are and what we are to become as we move forward to live each new day.

What are the great events that have happened that distinguish the Christian faith from everything else? Death has been conquered! Jesus is alive! Jesus has been given all authority! Jesus is in charge! How does this make a difference to us? What does this mean? It means that we are to rejoice in the Risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! We give thanks that we have new life in Christ’s name! This new life and promise enables us to live differently than before! We have a great work to do! We have a great story to tell! And we need not live in fear anymore!

But when the Risen Lord Jesus came to visit the disciples he found them behind closed, locked doors because they were afraid. The moment Jesus was arrested, they fled. They once were disciples of Jesus, bound together by a common leader and a common mission. It was Jesus who called them together, Jesus who bound them together, Jesus who taught them, ate with them, walked mile after mile with them – together. But now that Jesus was gone, the only common thing among them was fear. Fear dominated them.

There was much to be afraid of. They had seen Jesus arrested, beaten, nailed to the cross and there he died. They were afraid that the ones who did that to Jesus could do it to them as well. Crucifixion was a particularly cruel way to put someone to death, and the point of hanging someone on the cross wasn’t just to kill the person, but to do so in a way that would intimidate everyone. It was meant to send a signal, loud and clear. The primary purpose of crucifixion wasn’t just to put someone to death, it was to produce fear. The disciples got the message.

So there they were, gathered together behind closed and locked doors. Nothing was getting in. Nothing was getting out. I want you to get this point. This was the early church. They were without hope, and therefore unable to offer hope to anyone else. The disciples didn’t know it yet, but they were about to get a new message. This is the joyful, life-giving, life-changing message of the Resurrection!

The strange thing is that the disciples had heard this message before. When Mary Magdalene and the other women first returned from the empty tomb with the good news of the Lord’s Resurrection; “The disciples thought that what the women said was nonsense, and they did not believe them” (Luke 24:11). And later, a report came from two disciples who said they had seen Jesus on the road to Emmaus. The other disciples “would not believe it” (Mark 16:13). And in Matthew’s Gospel, at the moment just before Jesus ascends into heaven, “those who gathered around Jesus saw him and worshiped him; but still some doubted” (28:17).

The point here is that Thomas was not the first, nor will he be the last to express some doubt or unreadiness to believe in the Resurrection. For these disciples, hand chosen by Jesus himself, it took the very real presence of the Risen Lord in their midst for them to believe. This is why Jesus says, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet come to believe” (John 20:29).

In the days after Easter, when our Lord Jesus Christ has risen and ascended, it is now our job as the church to make him known to others. For them to come to believe, we must be real in our witness to the very real and Risen Lord Jesus Christ! In other words, unless we, by the power of God’s Holy Spirit working in and through us, are able to convince others of the reality of Jesus Christ – they will not believe.

It is an awesome responsibility. And it may seem, at times, a task too much for us. But it is for this purpose that our Lord calls us and commissions us – to be the church. It is why he died, and why he is Risen – to cleanse us of our impurities and to make us righteous in God’s sight. By the work of God on our behalf, we have what it takes to witness to the Risen Lord and to share this Good News with others. And we can live in the peace of knowing that when we follow Christ, we are making a difference.

Jesus comes to offer that peace. Jesus came and stood among the disciples and said, “Peace be with you” (John 20:19). I can imagine that those disciples were very startled, can’t you? Jesus will sometimes enter our lives at a time, or a place, or in a way that we least expect. We may have in our minds a picture of Jesus standing at the door and knocking; but in this case he comes in unannounced. Jesus will certainly welcome our invitation to come in, but he is not dependent upon it. Therefore, be ready at all times. The Risen Lord has the authority to come as he chooses. Even if one is unwilling to receive him, a friend or a family member may be praying for that person. Be ready for Christ to enter in. As death cannot hold him, neither can a lock in any door. It is interesting to note here that when Jesus appears again to the disciples the following week (today) the doors were closed, but no mention of them being locked. The proof of the Resurrection is that something changed, and evidence of all things that will be changed. As we pointed out to us last week, “the Resurrection gives light in order for us to see who we are and what we can become.”

The disciples who gathered together in fear were about to be changed. Where they may have seen themselves as a poor example of the church, our Lord God saw in them what they could become. Rev. Jensen said last week that “we tend to be so afraid of what is outside of us that we lose our inner selves.” Jesus comes to show us that we are no longer to be held captive by fear; we are free to be all that God intends for us to be.

Those first disciples knew what they feared most. We also know what we fear. Some are announced in the headlines: a faltering economy, crime and violence, wars and rumors of wars. Other fears are more personal, more private: a bad medical report, a broken marriage, a career that crashes. We feel fear when there’s no money to pay on the mortgage, or when our child is having trouble at school, or with some other issue. These are but a few of our fears.

These fears are with us. It is not that fear is simply swept away; rather we are released from fear when something more powerful overrides it. For example, when a soldier faces enemy fire to save another who is wounded, it is not because he does not fear for his own life – but a stronger love for his friend takes over. Our Lord God so loves us that he willingly gave his life to save us from our sins. Yes, the fear is there; but it no longer dominates because there is a greater work to be done. As Rev. Jensen said last week; “Jesus was not afraid to do what needed to be done; and so we can now be unafraid to go out and do that good that we know needs to be done.”

The birthday of the church wasn’t just at Pentecost according to John’s Gospel. We see it also at this moment when Jesus enters in. He calms fears. He gives his peace. Jesus gives proof that he is real by showing them the wounds in his hands and side. The disciples are changed in an instant. They believe, and they rejoice! Once more Jesus calls them together, binds them together with a common purpose. He sends them forth with a mission. At this moment his followers are transformed from disciples (ones who are taught) into apostles (ones who are sent). Jesus breathes on them the Holy Spirit. They receive new life! They are commissioned and empowered to go out into the world bearing the Good News of peace and forgiveness to all people. No more closed and locked doors. People have to come in. Good news has to get out. A church is born!

Now, in light of all this, is it possible that there can be any complacency or indifference with us the church in these days following Easter? Really, just thing about it:

We are blessed!

We are empowered!

We are convinced, motivated, inspired, and equipped!

We go! And we tell others about the very real way that we have come to know the very real, Risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! And because we believe, our witness will be real! Amen!

03-24-2013 Sermon by The Rev. Dr. Brian K. Jensen

2013-03-25T11:00:00.001-07:00

CHRISTIANITY 101: NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH

Let me preface the story I’m about to tell you by saying that I am married to the only woman in the world who would have stayed married to me for the last 26 years. I know, I know…as hard as it may be for some of you to believe, I am not the easiest person in the world to live with. For example, about two years ago, my wife got her hair cut very, very short. Everyone told her how cute it was – how cute it made her look – but I didn’t like it at all. So, when she asked me how I liked her hair cut, I told her the truth. I told her in no uncertain terms that I did not like it.

Not long after that, we were at a high school volleyball game, sitting in the bleachers with the other parents. You know how it is when your kids play sports. You get pretty close to the parents of the other athletes. So my wife and I are sitting there with some of our closest friends. And all the mothers are gushing over my wife’s new haircut. My wife then says to all those mothers, “Brian doesn’t like it.” And every single one of those mothers immediately lit into me. “How can you say you don’t like her haircut? It’s not your hair!” To which I replied, “Yes, but I still have to look at it!” In retrospect, that probably wasn’t the best thing to say. And of course, all of the fathers are there, each one wearing a smirk on his face, pretending to watch the game, knowing better than to try to enter the fray…the cowards!

Sitting right in front of us was the grandmother of one of the boys. Let’s call her Mary Ellen. Mary Ellen is a very attractive older woman – very classy and very wise – whose husband died about ten years ago. Desperately trying to dig my way out of the hole I was in, I asked, “Mary Ellen, if you’d come home with a new haircut and your husband didn’t like it, would you want him to tell you the truth, or would you want him to lie?” She said, “Oh, I’d want him to lie!”

Alas, there was no way out for me. I had no alternative but to sit there and lick my wounds. What’s more, I suspect I’ll hear it from a few more women after church. Oh well, it won’t be the first time, and it probably won’t be the last! I believe it was Shakespeare who first said, “Honesty is the best policy.” The question now is, “Is honesty really the best policy?” Keep that thought in mind as we move on.

We suggested that our deepest happiness is found in the kingdom of God. We noted that the kingdom of God is not just something we hope to attain in the future. As Jesus clearly stated, the kingdom of God is also a present reality. Thus, the kingdom of God of which we speak is not a place. The kingdom of God of which we speak is an interactive relationship with God…an interactive relationship that brings us peace of heart and mind.

Then we got more specific on how we build an interactive relationship with God. The first thing we aimed at was conquering anger. We contrasted anger with Sabbath rest. Anger is a result of our need to control; Sabbath teaches us to trust in God’s strength. Anger is a result of the narrative that we need to be perfect; Sabbath teaches us that we are forgiven. Anger is a result of our fear that God has lost sight of us; Sabbath ensures us that God is watching over us at all times.

Last week our goal was to overcome lust; not an easy thing to do. In the words of Harry Emerson Fosdick, “Only by a stronger passion can evil passions be expelled,” and, “a soul unoccupied by positive devotion is sure to be occupied by spiritual demons.” What we sought was what we called the expulsive power of a new affection. We determined that if our new affection was, in fact, the kingdom of God…then lust would simply lose its grip on us. Perhaps the solution to our problem…is prayer.

Today our goal is to try to overcome lying. Robert Feldman is the author of a book entitled, The Liar in Your Life. In it, he notes that new acquaintances will lie to each other about three times in the course of a ten-minute conversation. What’s more, his research reveals that we are lied to about every five minutes, or an average of about two hundred times a day. More often than not, the lies to which we are exposed are not venomous, but rather, ways to make social interactions go more smoothly. People lie to be agreeable, or to make us feel better about ourselves. We call those kinds of lies little white lies. And there’s nothing wrong with a little white lie every now and again…or is there?

Last Wednesday afternoon, I went to Erie to see someone in the hospital. On the way home, since my oldest son had told me that my bushy sideburns made me look like Scrooge from A Christmas Carol, I decided to get a haircut. I stopped at a place called Famous Hair just off of Peach Street.

The girl who cut my hair was just bubbling with personality. It turns out, she was from Cambridge Springs. At one point in our conversation, she was telling me about how she and her family bail hay for a neighbor. I said, “You bail hay? I’ve bailed hay before. That’s the hardest work I’ve ever done in my life!” She said, “Sure, I bail hay. I’m a country girl.”

Then she added, “I even used to raise pigs. In fact, that’s why I quit eating pork.” I said, “What does raising pigs have to do with the fact that you quit eating pork?” She said, “I used to raise a new pig every year. Then my parents would tell me that they’d given the pig away. But what they really did was butcher it! When I found out I was eating the pigs I’d raised, I was devastated! That’s why I quit eating pork.”

I said to her, “Hey, my sermon this Sunday is on lying. Can I use that story?” She said, “Sure.” You see, her parents had told her a little white lie. And little white lies are okay, aren’t they? Apparently, in one little girl’s case, a little white lie had some rather devastating consequences. It ultimately came to affect the level of trust she had in her parents.

Some lies, of course, are not so innocent. Some people lie to build themselves up. Some people lie to gain some kind of advantage over us. Some people lie to cheat us out of what we’ve worked a lifetime to earn. Those kinds of lies can scar us for life. A time-honored adage says that honesty is the best policy. Thus, the question is: Is honesty really the best policy?

Jesus addressed that issue in the passage we read from the gospel according to Matthew. He said, “You have heard it said, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.’ But I say to you, ‘Do not swear at all, either by heaven or by earth.’ Let your word be, ‘Yes, yes,’ or ‘No, no.’ Anything more than this comes from the evil one.”

Years ago, some Quakers got into trouble in court when they refused to take the oath. You know, “Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?” They thought Jesus was speaking against taking such oaths in general. I really don’t think that’s the point. The nature of Jesus’ words was not that we should never take an oath, but that all of our speech should be honest, genuine, trustworthy and true. When we say, “Yes,” we should mean, “Yes;” when we say, “No,” we should mean, “No.” In Jesus’ mind, I suspect, honesty is, in fact, the best policy.

What is it that incites us to stretch the truth? There appear to be two main culprits. The first one is fear; the second one is desire. In other words, we fear what will happen if we do tell the truth, so we lie. Or, we hope to gain some kind of advantage for ourselves, so we lie. The primary reasons a person lies are fear and desire.

Lying is defined as a false statement – made knowingly – with a blatant intent to deceive another person. Thus, perhaps we could go so far as to say that lying is not so much about the correctness or the incorrectness of what a person says. Lying is really about the intentions of the heart. And if our hearts are not pure, we are a long ways off from the kingdom of God.

As the Apostle Paul once wrote in the book of Ephesians, “Speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head…into Christ Jesus, our Lord.” “Speaking the truth in love,” Paul says; “Speaking the truth in love.” Perhaps the question now is: What does it mean to love?

The best definition for love I have ever encountered in my life is this: To love someone is to will what’s best for them. Lying is the opposite of love, because lying has to do with willing what’s best for us. To love someone is to will what’s best for them. Thus, to will what’s best for another person has necessarily to do with telling the truth. Honesty is, in fact, the best policy. I might add at this point, however, that willing what’s best for someone sometimes does mean telling the unvarnished truth. And, sometimes willing what’s best for someone may mean withholding the truth…or at least withholding our opinions. I’d probably have done a lot better by my wife a few years back had I simply kept my mouth shut. Oh well, live and learn, I guess.

What it all comes down to is what’s in our hearts. Telling the truth is a wonderful start. Yet as we move further into kingdom living – as our hearts become more and more transformed into the likeness and image of Christ – what we really need to do is use our tongues to bless and encourage, rather than to harm or humiliate. We need to learn to build up, rather than tear down.

Mary Ann Bird, in a book entitled The Whisper Test, tells a story of the power of encouraging words in her life. She writes:

I grew up knowing I was different, and I hated it. I was born with multiple birth defects: deaf in one ear, a cleft palate, a disfigured face, a crooked nose and lopsided feet. When I started school, my classmates made it clear to me how I looked. When someone would ask, “What happened to your lip?” I’d tell them that I’d fallen and cut it on a piece of glass. Somehow it seemed more acceptable to have suffered an accident than to have been born different. I was convinced that no one outside my family could love me.

There was, however, a teacher in the second grade whom we all adored. Mrs. Leonard was her name. She was short, round and happy; a sparkling lady. Every student in her class wanted to be noticed by her and to be the teacher’s pet. Then came the day of the dreaded hearing test. The teacher would call each child to her desk, and the child would cover first one ear, then the other. The teacher would whisper something to the child like, “The sky is blue,” or, “Do you have new shoes?” This was the whisper test. If the teacher’s phrase was heard and repeated, the child passed the test.

I knew from years past that if I cheated, I could pass the test. So I would secretly cup my hand over my good ear to hear what she would say. As I cupped my hand over my ear, Mrs. Leonard leaned forward to whisper. Mrs. Leonard did not say to me, “The sky is blue,” or, “Do you have new shoes?” What she whispered was words that only God could have put in her mouth; those seven words that came to change my life. What she whispered was, “I wish you were my little girl.”

Nothing about Mary Ann Bird’s circumstances changed that day. She remained disfigured, deaf in one ear, and the object of her classmates’ painful ridicule. But everything else changed for her that day. She began to understand herself as loved and lovable, and dared to envision a future not constrained by her circumstances, but a future that could transcend them. Following in the footsteps of the teacher who set her free, Mary Ann Bird became an acclaimed teacher herself, known far and wide for her compassion and her kindness.

What it all comes down to is what’s in our hearts. Do we lie, or do we tell the truth? Do we tear others down, or do we build them up? God gave us tongues to speak, in part, that we might bestow grace upon others. Thus, from this point forward, do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth…so help you God? Amen.

03-17-2013 Sermon by The Rev. Dr. Brian K. Jensen

2013-03-18T11:39:00.001-07:00

CHRISTIANITY 101: TURKISH DELIGHT

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was a children’s book long before it became a movie. Written by a man named C.S. Lewis, there are some highly significant theological themes hidden between the lines. The story takes place during World War II when four siblings – Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy – are evacuated from London. They are sent to live with Professor Kirke, who lives in a house in the English countryside.

While the four children are exploring the house, Lucy looks into a wardrobe and discovers a doorway that leads to a magical place called Narnia. It’s a land of talking animals and mythical beings that has been ruled by the evil White Witch for one hundred years. Lucy enters the land of Narnia and is quite amazed at what she sees. After considerable effort, she finally convinces her brother Edmund to enter the land of Narnia as well. Lost, freezing, hungry and thirsty, Edmund encounters the White Witch himself. Knowing an ancient legend that four children are destined to rule the land of Narnia, the White Witch knows she must destroy them. Her plan is to use Edmund to lure them into a trap. After giving him something to drink, the White Witch says to Edmund:

“It is dull, Son of Adam, to drink without eating. What would you like best to eat?” To which Edmund replies, “Turkish Delight, please, Your Majesty.” The Queen let another drop fall from her bottle on to the snow, and instantly there appeared a round box, tied with a green silk ribbon, which, when opened, turned out to contain several pounds of the best Turkish Delight. Each piece was sweet and light to the very center, and Edmund had never tasted anything more delicious. He was quite warm now, and very comfortable.

While he was eating the Queen kept asking him questions. At first Edmund tried to remember that it is rude to speak with one’s mouth full, but soon he forgot about that and thought only of trying to shovel down as much Turkish Delight as he could, and the more he ate the more he wanted to eat, and he never asked himself why the Queen should be so inquisitive. She got him to tell her that he had one brother and two sisters, and that one of his sisters had already been to Narnia. She seemed especially interested in the fact that there were four of them, and kept on coming back to it. “You are sure there are just four of you?” she asked. And Edmund, with his mouth full of Turkish Delight, kept on saying, “Yes, I told you that before,” and forgetting to call her “Your Majesty,” but she didn’t seem to mind now.

At last the Turkish Delight was all finished, and Edmund was looking very hard at the empty box, wishing she would ask him if he would like some more. Probably the Queen knew quite well what he was thinking; for she knew, though Edmund did not, that this was enchanted Turkish Delight and that anyone who once tasted it would want more and more of it, and would even – if they were allowed – go on eating it until they killed themselves.

But she did not offer him any more. Instead, she said to him, “Son of Adam, I should so much like to see your brother and your two sisters. Will you bring them to me?” “I’ll try,” said Edmund, still looking at the empty box.

“Because if you did come again – bringing them with you, of course – I’d be able to give you some more Turkish Delight. I can’t do it now; the magic will only work once. In my own house, it would be another matter.” “Why can’t we go to your house now?” said Edmund.

“It is a lovely place, my house,” said the Queen. “I am sure you would like it. There are whole rooms full of Turkish Delight, and what’s more, I have no children of my own. I want a nice boy whom I could bring up as a Prince and who would be King of Narnia when I am gone. While he was Prince he would wear a gold crown and eat Turkish Delight all day long; and you are the cleverest and handsomest young man I’ve ever met. I think I would like to make you the Prince – some day…when you bring the others to visit me.”

“Why not now?” said Edmund. His face had become very red and his mouth and fingers were sticky. He did not look either clever or handsome…whatever the Queen might say.

Turkish Delight is highly enticing, yet it somehow fails to satisfy. The more one has of it, the more one wants. One can never get enough of it because one develops an insatiable craving for it. What do you suppose C.S. Lewis really had in mind when he described this Turkish Delight? What else is highly enticing, yet somehow fails to satisfy? Could C.S. Lewis be referring to sin? Keep that thought in mind as we move on.

We suggested that our deepest happiness is found in the kingdom of God. We noted that the kingdom of God is not just something we hope to attain in the future. As Jesus clearly stated, the kingdom of God is also a present reality. Thus, the kingdom of God of which we speak is not a place. The kingdom of God of which we speak is an interactive relationship with God…an interactive relationship that brings us peace of heart and mind.

Our goal is to build an interactive relationship with God. Last week we tackled anger. Today, we take on lust. What was it we said about Turkish Delight candy? We said that it was highly enticing, yet it somehow fails to satisfy. Could not the very same thing be said of lust? To build an interactive relationship with God, we must learn to conquer lust. The question now is: How?

In the passage we read from the gospel according to Matthew, Jesus addresses the topic of lust. He says, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust had already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Some of you are old enough to remember that this is the sin to which Jimmy Carter once confessed. So let’s take a look at what lust really is.

The Greek word translated “lust” here is epithumia. It literally means desire, longing, or craving. Thus, in this context, perhaps we could say that lust does not refer to healthy sexual attraction. Lust, rather, refers to objectifying another person for one’s own gratification. It fails to see another person as a human being created in the image of God. Perhaps we could go so far as to say that epithumia does not refer to the first look, but to the second. The first look may be simple attraction – appreciating the wonders of God’s good creation – but the second look…is leering. Lust does not value a person; lust only values parts of a person. Are you with me?

Lust is alive and well in our society today. The mantra these days seems to be: Sex sells. Over fourteen thousand sexual references are made by television advertisers every year. The average person will view over one hundred thousand of those references in his or her lifetime. If a group of men drink the right beer, beautiful women will be magically drawn to average-looking guys. If a woman wears the right perfume, the man of her dreams will mysteriously appear on the back of a white horse in a foggy field. In an age of tolerance, we have become desensitized.

What difference does it make? I’ll tell you what difference it makes. It has cheapened our relationships, sullied our souls, and produced some rather dire consequences. For example, conventional wisdom these days dictates that a man and a woman are in bed together by the third date. A few years back, there was a woman living in Cleveland who grew up in the First Presbyterian Church in Meadville, Pennsylvania. She was on her third date with this guy and at the end of the evening, he began to pressure her to spend the night at his apartment. When she refused, he said, “What’s the deal? I took you to dinner, I took you dancing…you owe me!” She clung to her values, and she never saw that guy again.

What’s more, I am absolutely convinced that it’s lust that plays a major role in the spiraling divorce rate. The typical couple is in bed together by the third date, and the sex is good. Then they move in together, and the sex is still good. Then they get married, and the sex is still good. Then five or six years down the road – when the thrill wears off a little bit – they discover that they are married to someone whom: a) they don’t really know, and b) they don’t really like! Don’t think for a minute that lust is just a little thing and that it doesn’t really matter.

So how do we get beyond it? How do we conquer the sin of lust? First of all, I think we have to really want to change. More often than not, the people who struggle with lust don’t really want to change. They merely dislike the consequences of failure…the guilt, the shame, the embarrassment. Thus, they end up trying to resolve the issue by sheer will power, and find themselves failing, time and again. Promises, pledges and resolutions are no match for a heart that secretly cherishes sin. Thus, first of all, we have to really want to change.

Second, I think that in order to conquer one passion, we have to replace it with a better passion. In the words of Harry Emerson Fosdick, “Only by a stronger passion can evil passions be expelled, and a soul unoccupied by positive devotion is sure to be occupied by spiritual demons.” The safety of Jesus Christ himself in the presence of temptation lay in his complete and positive devotion to his mission: there was no unoccupied room in his soul where evil could find a home. He knew what one biblical commentator called, “The expulsive power of a new affection.”

For example, when Ulysses passed the Isle of Sirens in ancient Greek lore, he had himself tied to the mast and had his ears stopped up with wax that he might not hear the sirens singing. This is a perfect picture of how many attempt to conquer the allure of sin. They do it by sheer will power. When Orpheus passed the Isle of Sirens, he sat on the deck of the ship – indifferent – for you see, he too was a musician. The fact of the matter was: he could make melody so much more beautiful than the Sirens that their alluring songs to him were mere discords. That, my friends, is the expulsive power of a new affection. You see, lust is really all about hunger. If our genuine hunger – if our new affection – is the kingdom of God, then lust will simply lose its grip on us. Thus, I believe the solution to our problem…is prayer. Amen.

02-24-2013 Sermon by The Rev. Dr. Brian K. Jensen

2013-02-25T12:18:00.001-08:00

CHRISTIANITY 101: IN SEARCH OF THE KINGDOM

On January 15^th, 2009, U.S. Airways Flight 1549 took off from LaGuardia Airport in New York City…bound for Charlotte, North Carolina. During its initial ascent, the plane struck a flock of Canadian Geese and lost engine power, forcing the plane to land in the Hudson River. The event came to be known as the “Miracle on the Hudson.” It made a hero and a household name out of a pilot known as Sully Sullenberger.

A man named Rick Elias was a passenger on that flight. He was sitting in seat number one-D. He later said that as the eerily silent plane descended toward the Hudson River, his mind was filled with thoughts about his life, his work, and his family. He said that he thought about all the people to whom he wished he could reach out – all the fences he wanted to mend – but couldn’t. He said that in that moment, he was sad about how often his priorities had gotten twisted around. He regretted the time he had wasted on things that didn’t really matter. He said that on that day – as the plane plunged toward the river – he knew he was going to die…and, while he was not afraid, he was sad. He was sad because he felt as though he had missed out on the most important things in life. Then, after the event was over, and he and the others survived, he said, “I was given the gift of two miracles that day. The first was that I survived. The second…was that I was afforded the opportunity to live my life differently.”

Along those lines, there’s a wonderful prayer that Jewish people often use on the Sabbath Day. It goes like this: “The days pass, and the years vanish; and we walk sightless among miracles.” Ah, some pretty wonderful things do happen in this lifetime…things we often fail to even notice. Keep that thought in mind as we move on.

Last week we noted how – each and every day – we make decisions that move us closer to a life of virtue, or closer to a life of ruin. Though the past may be written in stone, the future is more like wet cement…pliable, soft, and ready to be shaped by the decisions we make. Our goal is to develop a more godly life narrative. Our goal is to discover what it means to live a life of virtue. Our goal is to discern where our deep happiness may truly be found.

Today we’re going to begin by going in search of the kingdom of God. Suppose you took the time to read the gospels. If you did, you would find that Jesus mentions the kingdom of God more than one hundred times. As Dr. James Bryan Smith once put it, “It is much more difficult to find a teaching of Jesus that is not about the kingdom…than it is to find one that is.” Perhaps we could go so far as to say that the kingdom of God is a central tenet of the Christian faith.

Consider the passage we read from the gospel according to Matthew. Jesus had recently been baptized and was coming off of forty days of temptation in the wilderness. The passage we read marks the beginning of Jesus’ ministry in Galilee. And what were the very first words to come out of Jesus’ mouth? He said, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Now let me quickly clarify something here. The Greek words translated “kingdom of heaven” are basileia tone huranown. They literally mean, “kingdom of heaven.” The word huranown itself – translated heaven – literally means, “the dwelling place of God.” The Greek words translated “kingdom of God” are basileia tou Theou. My Greek lexicon says that the phrases basileia tone huranown and basileia tou Theou can be used interchangeably. In other words, the kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven…are the very same thing.

Now before Matthew tells us what Jesus said, he takes a moment to explain why Jesus said it. He tells us that Jesus did not begin his ministry in Galilee until John the Baptist had been arrested. Jesus then left his home town of Nazareth, some 65 miles north of Jerusalem, and made his home in Capernaum on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee. Now there’s a very specific and important reason why Jesus chose to make his home in Capernaum.

The town of Capernaum was situated in the old Jewish territories of Zebulun and Naphtali. What were the old Jewish territories of Zebulun and Naphtali? Zebulun and Naphtali were two of the twelve sons of the Hebrew patriarch, Jacob. Recall that during a time of famine, Jacob and his family were forced to move to Egypt, where next-to-youngest son Joseph had risen to become second in command. Finding themselves in bondage some four hundred years later, Moses led the twelve tribes of Israel out of Egypt – died before they reached the Promised Land – and then Joshua led the conquest of Canaan. Once the land was theirs, the Hebrew people divided it into twelve large parcels, giving one to each of the twelve tribes of Israel. The tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali received adjoining parcels of land on the north side of Canaan, and that’s where the town of Capernaum sat in Jesus’ day.

So why does it matter that the town of Capernaum sat in the land of Zebulun and Naphtali? It matters because of something the prophet Isaiah said nearly 800 years before. He said, “Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali – on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles – the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light. And for those who sat in the region and shadow of death, light has dawned.” In other words, Isaiah prophesied that the lands of Zebulun and Naphtali would be the first to encounter God’s Messiah.

Now when Isaiah said those words, the nation of Israel was enduring persecution at the hand of the nation of Assyria. The words Isaiah spoke reflected the promise of God’s deliverance. Ultimately, God delivered them by the hand of King Hezekiah. In Jesus’ day, the lands of Zebulun and Naphtali were enduring persecution from the nation of Rome. They sat in the region and shadow of death; they sat in the midst of taxation and occupation and oppression. This time, deliverance would come by the hand of Jesus Christ. Yet the deliverance would not be quite the same. It would not be a physical deliverance. It would be a spiritual deliverance.

After carefully setting the scene, Matthew records Jesus’ first proclamation, which was: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” The Greek word translated “repent” is metanoia. It literally means, “a change of heart or mind.” A lot of people think the word “repent” means, “shape up,” as in, “Shape up or ship out.” Thus, the proclamation of Jesus here appears to be a kind of threat. But the fact of the matter is: it is not a threat. It is…an invitation.

The story with which we introduced this sermon is a perfect example of what repentance really is. Rick Elias was a passenger on U.S. Airways flight 1549. As the plane was going down, he was convinced he was going to die. He was not afraid to die; he was sad about the way he’d lived his life. His priorities had been out of order. He had neglected time with God, he had neglected time for self-care, and he had neglected his investment in important relationships. Then, when he survived, he had a genuine change of heart. He felt he experienced two miracles that day. The first was that he survived. The second was that he was given the opportunity to live his life differently. That, my friends, is true repentance. That, my friends, is a genuine change of heart and mind.

Now most of us would probably rather avoid a near-death experience to motivate us to change our hearts and minds. Fortunately, Jesus gives us a few less death-defying ways it can be done. In Matthew 5:20, Jesus says, “I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” In Mark 10:15, Jesus says, “Very truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.” And finally, in John 3:5, Jesus adds, “Truly, truly, I say to you; no one can enter the kingdom of God…without being born of water and the Spirit.”

In the Matthew passage, Jesus indicates that our righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and the Pharisees. At first glance, that may seem like a bit of a daunting challenge. The scribes and the Pharisees were very good at abiding by the laws of God. Yet truth be told, Jesus was often critical of the scribes and the Pharisees because their righteousness was primarily external. They were more concerned with ritualistic hand-washing than they were with justice and mercy. The righteousness we need is humility, purity of heart, and a desire to work on those aspects of our souls that are most important: things like integrity, gentleness, mercy, and love. The scribes and the Pharisees were overly concerned with outward appearances. Jesus is saying that in order to encounter the kingdom of God, we need to work on our interior life.

In the Mark passage, the requirement for entering the kingdom of God is to become like a child. Let me point out here that there is a difference between child-like-ness and child-ish-ness. I think Jesus is aiming at child-like-ness. Children, by nature, are innocent and trusting. They do not naturally judge or hate other human beings. Those are learned behaviors. Love comes naturally to a child. Yet perhaps the most important thing of all about childlikeness is that children to not feel the need to be in control. And maybe that’s the key. As long as we insist upon maintaining control over every aspect of our lives, we will never enter the kingdom of God.

In the John passage, Jesus talks about being born of water and the Spirit. When the ancients spoke of being born of water, they were not speaking of baptism. They were speaking about natural birth. All of us – if we are alive – are born of water. Being born of the Spirit, however, is another matter entirely. To be born of the Spirit is to be guided by the Spirit. While this is not something we can control – while this is, in fact, something that happens in God’s good time – in order to enter the kingdom of God…we must surrender our lives to the Holy Spirit of God.

Yet perhaps the most important thing Jesus is indicating here is that the kingdom of God is not just something we hope to attain in the future. The kingdom of God is also a present reality. In other words, we can abide in the kingdom of God in the here and now. Thus, the kingdom of God of which Jesus speaks is not a place. The kingdom of God of which Jesus speaks…is an interactive relationship with God. Again, the kingdom of God of which Jesus speaks is not a place. The kingdom of God of which Jesus speaks is an interactive relationship with God.

A number of years ago there was a man who had a wonderful wife and four beautiful children. He lived in a quaint, small town and life for him was good. He and his wife could go out to dinner because they had lots of trustworthy babysitters around, and he got to spend a lot of time with his kids. His life was full because his life was perfectly balanced.

Then he came up for a big promotion in the company for which he worked. That man desperately wanted that big promotion. He and his family prayed for it. He even enlisted his small group Bible study to pray for it. In the end, he received that big promotion. He and his family picked up stakes and left the small town in which they had lived for many years to move to the big city. It was the answer to a prayer…or was it?

That man now lives in a community where “keeping up with the Joneses,” is of vital importance. He now has to commute nearly two hours to work each day. He gets up at five, leaves the house at six, and gets to work by seven. He seldom gets home before 9:00 at night. His wife and his kids are not up when he leaves, and the children are often in bed before he gets back home. His career is obviously tremendously successful. Unfortunately, his life is not. He longs for the days when life was simpler. He longs for the days when his life was more balanced.

How did that old Jewish saying go? “The days pass, and the years vanish; and we walk sightless among miracles?” One man was in possession of the kingdom of God, yet he was too blind to see it. The kingdom of God is not a place; the kingdom of God is an interactive relationship with God…an interactive relationship that brings us peace of heart and mind. May we be wise enough to see it when it’s right before our eyes. Amen.