Sermon Audio

“Ancient Anchors in Choppy Times:  Love Anyway”

For the next little while I want you to gather with me your hearts’ affection and your minds attention around a Solomon Proverb so significant in the life of the early church it was borrowed and repeated verbatim at least twice and then recorded in the pages of the New Testament.  Here’s the Proverb:

Hatred stirs up dissension,
but lover covers over all wrongs.

James borrowed it, Peter did to too, and whether repeated verbatim or not in the other books of the NT the entire early church, from Jerusalem to Rome, was asked to live their lives under its gospel umbrella.

Hatred stirs up dissension,
but love covers over all wrongs.

I have in mind this morning a few kinds of people.  I have in mind a wife who grows increasingly frustrated with the seeming callousness of her husband, he doesn’t pay as much attention, he seems a bit distant, he’s not making time.  And I have in the mind the husband who grows increasingly distracted by his wife who always seems to be looking over his shoulder, always making little comments, won’t let him breathe.  I have a wife and I have husband in mind, if you’re that wife or you’re that husband I want you to listen carefully, and I want you to embrace in the deep down quietness of your soul, our proverb:

Hatred stirs up dissension,
but love covers over all wrongs.

I have in mind a parent whose patience for the child runs extremely thin, whose heart is aching for their son but whose mind is baffled by his behavior.  And I have in mind the daughter or that son who grows increasingly angry at her dad or her mom for their insistence on a certain kind of behavior, who with each roll of her eyes is one step closer to doing it all anyway.  I have a mother and I have a daughter in mind, if you’re that mother or you’re that daughter I want you to listen carefully and embrace in the deep down quietness of your soul our proverb:

Hatred stirs up dissension,
but love covers over all wrongs.

I have in mind a friend who has been so wounded by the actions of another they’re not sure if “friend” is the right word to describe their relationship anymore.  I have I mind a church goer, a solid Christian believer, who just can’t believe a certain person not too many seats over on a Sunday morning can behave a certain way and still call themselves a believer.  I have in mind the one whose heart has been broken and whose tears have run dry not because of sticks and stones but all the other ways we hurt each other.  If you’re that friend, or you’re that church goer, or you’re the one whose heart breaks, I want you to listen carefully and embrace in the deep down quietness of your soul our proverb:

Hatred stirs up dissension,
but love covers over all wrongs.

The great theologian Winnie the Pooh, known for his love of honey, is also known to have said, “It’s more fun to talk with someone who doesn’t use long, difficult words but rather short, easy words like “What about lunch?”  there are a few really short words I’d like us to spend our morning with, they’re short and they’re really easy to say but with respect to Winnie the Pooh they can’t be short lived and they’re not easy to carry out.  Here are the short easy words I have in mind:

Love covers over all wrongs…

Love covers over all wrongs…

Love covers over all wrongs….

We’re going to spend our time around the three movements in the second part of Solomon’s Proverb, first “love”, then “covers over” and finally “all wrongs.”  But before we get too far along would any gospel conversation about love be worth its time if it didn’t include the teaching of one of the greatest teachers on love of all time.  I think you’ll like this (oh and by the way, if you’re one of the people I mentioned earlier you might find this helpful):

If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. ²And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. ³If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast,^* but do not have love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant ⁵or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; ⁶it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. ⁷It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

8 Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. ⁹For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part; ¹⁰but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end. ¹¹When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways. ¹²For now we see in a mirror, dimly,^* but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. ¹³And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.

Which one of us doesn’t need to hear that again?  Which one of us doesn’t need to recalibrate relationships on that scale?  I want you to allow those words to the church to be alive and well in your hearts and minds as we move forward with our short, easy words from the Proverbs, so feel to turn to them in your Bibles, you can find them in first Corinthians 13.

Love covers over all wrongs…

Love.

That’s the first.

I

Love.

Love is what makes us, love is what marks us, love is what moves us from the sidelines of the gospel to the very heart of the kingdom where we experience the real, the true, the power that the God of love intends for his people of love.   Like it or not, easy or not, simple or complex love is the way of Christ, love is the way of the kingdom, love is meant to be the way of the church. I counted, with a little help from the web, the Bible uses the word love or some derivation of it 578 times, second only to “God”, “Lord” and “Jesus”.  You tell me is the way of our faith, the way of love?

Jesus said, “they will know you are my disciples if you love one another.”

Paul wrote and you just heard a minute ago, “These three remain, faith hope and love and the greatest of these is love.”

And then, among my personal favorites, heard so often when the waters of baptism roll, “We love because God first loved us.”

Love, love, it is what makes us, it is what marks us, it is what moves us from the sidelines of the gospel to the heart of the kingdom.  Love is not a wonderful virtue of the exceptionally kind, it’s the call on the Christian’s life.  Love is not the happy coincidence that occurs because a few like-minded people happen to get along, its God’s intention for our lives.

Love.  Love. Love.

We throw around the word “love” fairly indiscriminately.  I use one and the same word to refer to the kind of love God has for me, “I have loved you with an everlasting love says the Lord”, as I do to describe my commitment to my wife, “I love Kristyn” as I do to describe my relationship with my girls, “I love sweet Lydia and sweet Tabitha and Miriah” as I to describe my relationship to a friend, “I love that guy” as I do to describe my affection for Michigan football, “I love the Wolverines,” as I do to describe my favorite food, “I love pizza” or my new cell phone, “I love this thing.”  We understand, of course, what we mean, what kind of love we’re using according to the context.  No one wonders if my love of pizza and Kristyn are the same kind of love.  The Greeks, the world and language in which the NT was birthed, actually had different words to describe those different kinds of love.  There are four of them, I became most familiar with “The Four Loves” through C.S. Lewis who wrote a book titled the four loves.  I don’t want to bore with some sort of Greek grammar lesson, but I do want to make a fairly important point so hang with me.

The first Greek word we use for “love” sounds like this, “Storge.”  Lewis translates it as “affection,” the indiscriminate affection that anything or anyone might have for another.  The affection a boyfriend has for a girlfriend, the affection a dog has for its master.  Storge.  The only thing that limits “Storge” is familiarity, you have to be in proximity of the object of affection to have affection for it.

Eros is the second greek word we use for love.  It is the love enjoyed between a husband and a wife , it may include physicality, but doesn’t have to.  We mean “eros” when we speak of being “in love”, eros is attracted to its object.  Plato, the Greek Philosopher, defined this love as aspiring for and delighting in the value of its object; loving that which is lovable.

And then there’s Philia, Lewis speaks of it as friendship, but he means more than the enjoyment one has in being with another.  Philia is the “selfless concern for the welfare of others that is not called forth by any quality of lovableness in the person loved.”  This love, at least in part is the kind of love the Navy is worried about, so there are rules about fraternization, because Navy knows when this love is experienced, when this friendship is known, its commitment will transcend the rules.  Philia.

And then of course there is the famous “agape.”  It is what you think it is, it is the unconditional love, it is the love God has for us, the love we’re dependant on but so undeserving of.  “I have loved you with an everlasting love says the Lord…”  “For God so loved the world…”

Guess which one of those our Proverb uses: Storge, Eros, Philia or Agape?  Philia, philia is the kind of love Solomon had in mind when he said, “Love covers over all wrongs.”  Philia is the kind of love Jesus spoke about when he asked Peter, “Do you love me?”  Philia – “a selfless cocern for the welfare of others that is not called forth by the quality of lovableness in the person loved.”

The four loves aren’t always clearly distinguished from one other, the lines blur, there is more than one of them at play in any given relationship at any given time.

The kind of love the Christian faith calls forth from us is rooted in philia pushing towards agape.  Solomon uses philia Paul uses agape, each are meant for us, to define us and the way interact, to describe us and the way we treat each other, to mark us and the way we behave.

Love.  Love.

Love covers over all wrongs.

II

Covers over….

That’s where we’re going now.  Covers over.

Which upon first read at least to me sounds like somehow we’re supposed to just look past “all wrongs.  Isn’t that denial?  Doesn’t that enable people to continue in their wrong?  I don’t think it calls for denial, and I don’t think gospel love wants people in their wrong.

The kind of love Christ calls for from us is not dependant on the one we love.  The kind of love the gospel asks of us doesn’t rise and fall on the appearance on the behavior on the attitude of the one we love.  Philia is the selfless concern for the welfare of another not based the lovableness of the other.  Love covers over all wrongs, in this, the one we love doesn’t dictate our love, the one we love doesn’t make us love, our love for that one comes from something other than that one.  Are you with me?

Love covers over all wrongs in that despite the wrongs one may be committing we love any, we’re committed to them anyway, we’re selflessly concerned for their welfare anyway, we don’t stop loving them, caring for them, pursuing their health and wholeness and faith because they’re doing wrong.  If that were the case could we love anyone?

And yet Solomon says and James agree and Peter repeats, “Love covers over all wrongs.”

And wasn’t it Paul who said, “Love does not rejoice in wrong doing, but rejoices in the truth.”  Love, gospel love, the sort of love the kingdom calls for, loves through wrong doing, loves in spite of wrong doing, doesn’t let wrong doing rule and go on and continue in its wrong while at the same time insisting from us that we’re patient, and that we’re kind, and that we’re not self-seeking, that we persevere and push through and love anyway.

I have a friend who as a kid sowed his wild oats, as they say.  His parents were so good to him and kind to him and they took care of him but he floundered his freedom, he floundered their kindness, he ran away with their goodness.  He lived the life, reckless abandon, no concern for anyone but his own flesh.  The more pursued his own satisfaction the less satisfied he became.  And one day he woke up realizing he had lost it all.  He had lost his freedom, he had lost his parents goodness, he was a burnout, nothing left, no one to turn to except himself and he was empty, lonely.  So he did the only thing he thought he could do, he took the only chance he saw for survival.  He returned home, he returned to his mom and his dad, he returned to the place that had nurtured him and loved him but he so completely abused.  He was fully expecting the wrath of his dad when he got home, he was expecting and explosion, hoping though maybe just maybe when his dad settled down, he at least let him stay for a while, at least let him eat a little.  Do you know what happened when he got home, his dad who was out in the yard for one reason or another saw him coming.  He stopped what he was doing, he peered a little harder because he couldn’t believe his eyes and he absolutely started on a dead run to the end of the driveway where he met his son, where he embraced his son, where he covered over the years of wrong, loved him anyway.

Love covers over all wrongs.

I should come clean, he’s not actually a personal friend of mine, I do know him, at least I know his story, it’s the story Jesus told, its been called the Prodigal Son.  I think it gives us a glimpse into what the scriptures mean when they commend to us:

Love covers over all wrongs.

Our love is not dependant on the ones we love, we love because we’re called to love.  We love because the gospels ask us to love.  We love because God loves us.

Here’s  a way for you to discern if your love is the gospel, if your love tracks with the kind of love the Christian faith calls for from us.  Ask yourself these simple questions:

Ask yourself these simple questions when considering the one you  know you’re called to love.

Have I been patient?

Am I being kind?

Is there anything in me envious, boastful, arrogant or rude?

Am I insisting on my own way?

Am I rejoicing in wrongdoing, or I am celebrating the truth?

You get my point.

Love covers over all wrongs.  That is not say, love doesn’t identify wrong, but is to say love is dependant on whether or not the one loved does right or wrong.

III

And then before we call it a morning, “All wrongs.”

Love covers over all wrongs.

Really, all of them?  You mean everything, anything, all things?  I had a hard time believing that’s actually what the Proverb said, “all” so I looked it up in Hebrew, I dusted off my Hebrew Bible, I opened up my Hebrew lexicon, I found the word in Hebrew sounds like this, “Call” and you know what it actually means, “all”, “Everything” “anything.”  And you know what else?  The Hebrew language doesn’t have punctuation, there are no commas, colons or exclamation points.  So the way the Hebrew writers would add emphasis was by the order in which they placed the words in a sentence, the first words being the most important.  We rearrange in our English translations for readability and add punctuation to maintain emphasis.  Guess what word is first in the second half of proverbs 10:12?  You guessed it, “all”, “all wrongs.”

All wrongs are covered over by love.

All, every, any.

And the stunning thing to me, about this Proverb and so much of the NT, that’s kind of love we’re called to embody, that’s the kind of love we’re meant to show, that’s the kind of love that’s meant to mark us, a love that covers over anything and everything.

So will you love your child through his wrong, not just the occasional detention for showing up late to class though that too, but the deeper stuff they do that wounds you significantly.

Love covers over all wrongs.

Will you love your wife even when she looks over your shoulder and keeps offering comments, not to excuse over anxiety, but because we’re called to love anyway, Love covers over all wrongs.

Will you love your husband even as he is distant or callousness, not because that’s ok and he shouldn’t work on it and change, and not because you can’t bring it up, but because we’re called to love anyway, love covers over all wrongs.

Will you love the person down the pew even though they behave in way you think is simply put, wrong, love them because you’re called to love them, “Love covers over all wrongs.”

Will you love the friend who has wounded and the colleague who has stepped on you and the classmate who has ignored you not because they deserve love, not because you their behavior ought to be excused but because we’re called to love, “love covers over all wrongs.”

That’s the kind of love that makes us and marks us and moves from the periphery of the gospel to the heart of the kingdom.

Let’s take a deep breath, lets calm down, lets feel the weight of what the faith asks for from us.  Can any of us stand, do any of us have a chance, is there a single one of us who doesn’t fall miserably short?   Is there a person here who even knocks on the door  of the home our Proverb built:

Love covers over all wrongs.

I know a lot of people who are good at covering over some wrongs, I know handful of people who do well covering many wrongs, but “all, every, any.”

Is there anyone, anywhere, ever to bear the weight of that expectation?  Can you think of one?  Do you know of one?

There is one, and only one, who bears the weight of that Proverb, there is one and only who has ever lived up to and lived out of that call, “Love covers over all wrong.”  There is one who has expressed it perfectly, fully, beautifully, and because he has we can keep trying, because he has loved us despite our lovability we pursue love, because he gave up of himself for our sake we can give up of ourselves for love.

And his name is Jesus.   And through his life and by his death and because of his resurrection all of our wrongs have been covered over by a warm blanket of his love.  That’s what Trenton meant when he read for us earlier, “God showed his great love for us in this, while we were still sinners Christ died for us.”

That’s Austin was getting when he read from the Psalmist, “As far as the east is from the west so far has God removed our transgressions from us.”

So go ahead, I dare you, I dare you to think long enough and hard enough about your life and come up the wrong Christ can’t forgive, Christ won’t forgive, Christ’s love won’t cover over in a sea of grace.

Love covers over all wrongs.

And because his love covers over all of our wrongs, and because his love inspires our love and we love because God first loved us, we pursue the kind of love that covers wrongs too.  We pursue the kind of love he offered, we pursue the sort of love he gave, the kind of love that’s willing to give up  of oneself, the kind of love that’s willing to stay in it even through the tough stuff, the kind of love doesn’t depend on how I behave.

You know the name Augustine.  Fourth century theologian who has shaped and formed Christian theology more than anyone outside the NT.  Augustine wasn’t always saint Augustine.  You name the sickness, the sin, the brokenness he lived into and out of it.  First of all, he wasn’t a believer for much of his life.  In fact he was a pagan, he was apart a cult known as the Manicheans.  He had a child by a women who was not his wife.  He was really only interested in becoming the greatest speaker in the history of the world.  So he pursued a man named Cicero was considered at the time the greatest orator of all time.  His pursuit of being the best orator ever lead him into a relationship with a Christian man named Ambrose.  Ambrose was a pastor, he was actually the bishop of Milan.  Listen to Augustine speak of Ambrose:

“That man of God received me in fatherly fashion, and welcomed me.  I began to love him, at first not as a teacher of the truth, which I utterly despaired of finding in the church, but as a man who was kindly disposed towards me.”…. as a man who was kindly disposed to me.”

And from there Augustine was converted and the Christian faith is different because of him.  Sounds to me like:

Love covers over all wrongs.

I received an email yesterday from a friend.  I’ve told you about this friend of mine before, he’s a pastor at Hope Reformed Church in Kalamazoo, MI.  We prayed for him and for his family a few years ago when his daughter was born 8 weeks premature.  He’s doing really good at Hope Reformed Church.  I’ll begin reading in the middle of his email, listen:

A couple years ago a young man from our congregation (Shayne) was released from prison for multiple meth charges.  He was a child of the church and many faithful folks stuck with him for decades of terrible behavior and resistance to the gospel.   While in the prison, Forgotten Man Ministries got a hold of him and the Spirit grew a faith out of the faithful sowing of efforts of his family and church.  A year or so after his release, Shayne asked the church for permission to host a Meth Anonymous Group here on Monday nights.  It has been up and running for a few years now.  This past year Shayne (who is now chairperson of the deacons) felt an impulse to make the gathering much more uniquely Christian.  I guess you could say he realized he could no longer be silent about Jesus.  God is doing some wonderful work through this group.  Two other men recently out of jail have been baptized here within the last month and one of their mothers.  Plus, dad is coming and he said that might never happen.  It only took a couple months.  A family who lives at the mission because their house was condemned due to operating a meth lab (3 young kids and mom and dad) are now with us week in and week out and growing more and more in Christ.  I will be heading to Jackson today to visit another young man who was recently sentenced for meth charges.  He is also hugely open to the gospel.  Plus, his mom is coming to a new members gathering next week after being away from the Catholic church for decades.  We have had a significant season of growth at Hope in 2009 and the beginning of 2010 and much of God’s new believer/ disciple work among us is happening through this faithful crew of former users getting serious about recovery in Jesus’ name for other users.

Wait a minute, wait a minute, that sounds like something I read recently, oh yeah:

Love covers over all wrongs.

Love covers over all wrongs.

Love covers over all wrongs.

So love, love not because its easy, not because its deserved, not because you want to, but because you’ve been loved and because it covers over wrongs.

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Sermon Audio

“Ancient Anchors in Choppy Times: Proverbs 10:2″

Though our hearts remain sinking from the images we’ve seen all week-long picturing the horror that is happening in Haiti we still wake up on a Monday morning with the same sets of challenges, the same sets of concerns, the same call to live faithfully in the midst of our everyday lives that has been greeting us for weeks.

One of the longest held beliefs about the Bible is that it interprets itself.  Or said differently, “Scripture interprets Scripture.”  It’s not always a very good idea to take a single passage or a single verse from the Bible out of the Bible and build an entire moral code off of it or a theological system from it.  That’s the danger in what is called “proof texting”, borrowing a single verse from the Bible and then accusing someone of something from it, or rationalizing a certain behavior because of it.  When you remove from the word single verses you remove them from their context and their context always informs their meaning, and the context of every Bible verse is the whole Bible.  You need the whole Bible to understand most fully any part of the Bible.

This morning we’re going to spend our time around a single verse.  This verse:

Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit,
but righteousness delivers from death.

That’s Proverbs 10:2, and it’s absolutely loaded with gospel direction,

Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit,
but righteousness delivers from death.

But I don’t want that single verse to stand on its own, I think it’s understood most fully, mostly completely, when surrounded by the larger witness of the scriptures.  So keep the verse in mind:

Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit,
but righteousness delivers from death.

And listen to this, we’ll return to our verse in a minute:

Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi, and on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?”  And they answered him, “John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.”  He asked them, “But who you do say that I am?”  Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah.”  And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him.

Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He said all this quite openly.  And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.  But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan!  For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”

He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If they want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.  For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.  For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life?  Indeed, what can they give in return for their life?  Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

That was Mark 8 v. 27 through 38.  Were you able to hear how Mark’s Gospel called out to Solomon’s Proverb:

Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit,
but righteousness delivers from death.

The two sort of interact with one another, they help us understand each other.  We’re going to spend some time with Proverbs 10:2, we’ll ask Mark 8:27 through 39 to help us understand it most fully.  You may want to turn to each in your Bibles.

Here we go:

Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit,
but righteousness delivers from death.

I

Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit,

That’s where we’ll begin and that sounds to me, if I’m listening well, like how we get what we have is as important as, maybe even more important than, getting what we have.

Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit….

What strikes me as interesting about the beginning of that Proverb is the combination of verbs: gained and profit.  The Proverbs acknowledges treasures may be gained, things may be accumulated, success may cover the surface, but don’t be misled those treasures don’t profit, those things don’t last, that success isn’t success at all.  How we get what we have is as important as, if not more important than, getting what we have.

Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit…

When I was 8^th grade I cheated on a Science test.  Question # 14 Mr. Sanderson’s Physical Science class.  It’s a long story, I think I’ve bored you with the details before, I won’t do that again.  Because I had cheated, I had the correct answer, and when he returned my test the next day, I saw on top in big red letters “A”.  There was no joy in that “A”, there was no accomplishment in cheating.

But how many other ways do we do the same sort of thing, cut a few corners, offer just a small word of untruth, not so much step on anyone in our pursuit of success just disregard them.

Treasure gained by wickedness do not profit….

So return with me to Jesus and his disciples in the villages of Ceaserrea Philippi.  Ceasarrea Philippi was named in honor of the Roman Emperor who was also called Caesar and its distinguished from the other Ceasarea on the coast, where Herod had one of his palaces, by the name Philippi named after Herod’s son Herod Philip.  To honor Caesar, Philip built a large, white marble palace dedicated to him and used to worship him, the emperor.  The town itself was built on a sizable hill and overlooked a large valley.  Dotting the landscape of Ceasarra Philippi were all sorts of other temples dedicated to the god Pan, from whom we get our word “Panic”, between the Greeks believed the god Pan prompted irrational fear.  Pan was depicted by a statue of a half human half goat looking thing, legs of a goat, upper body and face of a man, with horns.  Pan was the primary god of Cessarea Philippi.  He was the god of wilderness, a fertility god, worshipped in ways I’m not comfortable mentioning this morning.  I’ll allow you to connect the dots–he’s the god of fertility and was worshipped accordingly.  Here are a few pictures of what Jesus and his disciples would have seen on that day standing just outside of that town.

So to this beautiful city, decked in white marble, with glorious temples devoted to Pan, a center of Roman power, and Greek religion, Jesus brings his disciples.  And listen again to what he says to them:

Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. .  He said all this quite openly.  And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.  But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”

Peter, trying to argue for Jesus’ honor, “Jesus Messiah’s don’t die, Jesus what are these Pan worshippers going to think of all this talk of suffering, rejection and death.  Tell a different story today Jesus.  You are the Messiah.”  Jesus not only says to Peter, you’re not thinking right Peter, but then speaks in a louder voice, calling the crowds from Ceasserrea Philippi closer and says:

If any want to be my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.  For those who want to save their life will lose it and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel will save it.  What does it profit them to gain the whole world but forfeit their life?

Jesus wasn’t messing around, “What does it profit a person to gain the world but forfeit their life?”  What does it profit a person to satisfy themselves fully all their lives only then to die a beggar’s death?  How you get what you have is as important, if not more important than, getting what you have. Or:

Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit.

Jesus’ way of salvation does not include self satisfaction, self fulfillment, though the world with its gods will suggest satisfaction and fulfillment are all that really matter in life, the way of Christ, they way of the gospel, the way of our faith is the life marked by a willingness to serve rather than be served, to find life for ourselves by giving up of ourselves, to experience profit and gain not by accumulation but by sacrifice and selflessness.

Against the backdrop of Caesar power and Pan promises Jesus says, follow me to get you want but beware getting what you want is costly, saving your lives will mean losing your lives, getting what you want means giving all you have.

The Christian faith calls us to say “No.”  No to ourselves, no to only ever satisfying ourselves, and somehow, someway, just as Jesus suffered, was rejected and died only then to come back to life, to offer, so it is for those who follow him, by saying no to ourselves, we say “yes” to Christ, by giving up of ourselves, we gain the world and heaven.

If you don’t mind a Eugene Peterson quote, this is from a book titled “Subversive Spirituality,” “No is a freedom word, only humans can say no.  animals can’t say no.

So say no, besides “What does it profit a person if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life?”

Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit….

II

But we’re moving along, we’re moving along to this:

But righteousness delivers from death.

Righteousness delivers from death.

You know, just to be honest, on the surface of things, I don’t know that I agree with that, can I say that?

Righteousness delivers from death.

If that were altogether true then why do bad things happen to good people?  If that were entirely true than why are Christian brothers and sisters suffering in Haiti today?  If that were true than how come the one you know and love, well, I better slow down…

Righteousness delivers from death.

In the Proverbial sense it is true, rules are set up for our health, and strength, for our order and when we abide by them we do avoid death.  The chances of being in an accident increase significantly when you speed, or run a red light.  The rules are set up for our safety, “righteousness delivers from death.”

But I can’t help but read that proverb without thinking about Jesus:

Righteousness delivers from death.

Listen again to Jesus calling out to his disciples and the crowd:

If they want to become my followers, let them deny themselves, take up their cross and follow me.  For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake and for the sake for the sake of the gospel will save it.  What does it profit them to gain the whole world but forfeit their life?  Indeed what can they give in return for their life?

There you go, there it is:

Indeed what can they give in return for their life?

The question is rhetorical because the answer is obvious, nothing.  You can’t give anything in return for your life.  No matter how much you have, no matter how much you’ve done, it will not, cannot, and simply does not gain for you salvation.

And the wonderful promise of the Christian faith is this, Christ by his life, through his death, from his resurrection has obtained for us righteousness and gives it to us, covering us with his righteousness.

That’s why Paul can say, “since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are now justified (made righteous) by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”

That’s why the Christian faith can promise, “If, because of one man’s trespass, death exercised dominion through that one, much more surely will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness exercise dominion in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.”

All of which is why I can’t read Proverbs 10:2 and not think about Jesus,

Righteousness delivers from death.

Righteousness delivers from death.

And Christ is our righteousness, and Christ delivers from death.

I had an interesting opportunity this week.  On Thursday afternoon I visited an inmate at the Oak Harbor jail, I had never met the man I was going to visit.  It’s a long story and I won’t go into the details of how I got there, and I won’t give you the name of the person I was visiting just because I haven’t asked his permission.  But I will tell he was there for some traffic offenses that accumulated in his life that he tended to combined with some bad habits that were wreaking havoc on his life.  He was just about to go into rehab when the cops knocked on his door.  He is serving 120 days.  I found it kind of an intimidating thing, I haven’t had a lot of experience in jails.   I walked in to the OHPD, nervous, asked if I could visit an inmate, they told it be about 20 minutes, I wondered why.  I sat in the lobby of the police department trying not to look suspicious (what if they kept me there), trying to act like I knew what I was doing (what if someone noticed I was a rookie).  After about fifteen minutes a police offer said, “Come with me.”  I thought, “really?”  He told me to wait in a different waiting room, just down the hall, each steel door closing and locking behind us a reminder I’m not in control now, I can’t go where I want to go now.  The police officer asked me for ID, I gave it to him and started thinking “Did I pay that parking ticket from last year?”  he gave it back to me and had me wait a little longer.  As I was sitting there he escorted out another visitor, a real big man with a stud stuck through his lip, and a tattoo on his forearm.  I tried to look like I wasn’t intimated but I was.  After a few more minutes the police officer escorted me into what felt like a 3 by 4 foot concrete room with a glass window in front of me with those steel grid lines to protect me, I wasn’t if that was comforting, a steal chair to sit on, a table to rest my elbows on and a phone to talk through.  The inmate made his way to the same set up on the other side of the window.  Behind him were shelves of orange outfits.  He sat down said, “hello, thanks for coming.”  I said, “Hi, thanks for letting me visit.”  (I wasn’t sure if I meant it though).  With visions of Chuck Colson’s Prison Fellowship Ministry running through my mind we proceeded in conversation.  He pulled out from behind him, I guess it must have been stuffed in his back pocket or something, a Bible.  He said, “Is this the right one to read?”  I said, “Looks good,” looked a little closer it was the King James version, said it was great, if he wanted a different version I’d find one for him.  He went on to describe for me “the tank” as he called it, the 10 by 10, I think he said, room, where he and three other guys spent their time, other than each other a tv was their only companion . He’s been reading the Bible, he’s been working through the Gospel of Mark and the book of Psalms, his grandma suggested it.  He said, “This thing really works.  It’s the only way I can find any calm in here.”  We went on to talk a little bit more, asked if I’d lead a Bible Study, I told him of course I would, I’d be honored.  So on Tuesdays at least for now, if you’re looking for me I’ll be in jail.

I left the jail, grateful that I could, and went on with the rest of my evening.  Two things stood out me as I left my inmate friend, in the tank, his only source of comfort is the Word, being delivered in small ways while in the midst of confinement.  Christ meeting him there in that 10 by 10 concrete blocked room with steel doors and a tv, delivering him.  And then, I than I started think, you know he and I aren’t really all that different.  He’s in jail, wanting to get out of the tank, having done some things he shouldn’t have done, but each of us are in as desperate need of deliverance as the other, and the only way either of us will ever experience deliverance is through Christ himself.

I he said, “I want to get out of the tank.”  I thought “So do I.”

Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit,
but righteousness delivers from death.

I want to get out of the tank.

Righteousness delivers from death.

Jesus Christ is our righteousness.

So with my inmate friends story as the backdrop listen again to Christ’s call:

Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi, and on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?”  And they answered him, “John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.”  He asked them, “But who you do say that I am?”  Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah.”  And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him.

Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He said all this quite openly.  And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.  But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan!  For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”

He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If they want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.  For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.  For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life?  Indeed, what can they give in return for their life?  Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

I want to give you the chance today to accept Christ’s invitation.  If you want to follow Jesus, and you haven’t committed yourself to him yet in life, signal my attention in the lobby after the service and we’ll talk more about what that means.

If you want to get out of the tank, listen:

Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit,
but righteousness delivers from death.

Amen.

Discussion Questions

1. Jon suggested, “The danger in proof texting is in removing single verses from the context of the overall scriptural witness and thereby running the risk of misinterpreting them.” Do you agree? And, what is the overall witness of the scriptures, ie what is the “larger” story of the Bible?
2. Though Jon didn’t note it all in the sermon, what does Jesus calling out to the crowds near Ceassarea Philippi, “Deny yourself… take up your cross…”, say to us about engaging non-believers with the message of the gospel?
3. The sermon highlighted the importance of saying “no” (see Peterson quote). Why is saying “no to ourselves” so difficult?
4. If Christ is our righteousness, and there is nothing we can do to “achieve” salvation how do we continue to impress upon people, particularly our young ones, the importance of obedience?

Sermon Audio

“Ancient Anchors in Choppy Times:  the book that we love”

Is everyone settled back in?  I don’t mean into your sanctuary seat I mean back into the everyday rhythms of post holiday life, back into the rhythm of wakeup, hurry up, settle down, sleep.  We’re going to find our way back into rhythm here this morning too.  Do you remember a long, long time ago, sometime in the last decade, I think it was 2009, we were working through the book of Proverbs together?  We were calling it “Ancient Anchors in Choppy Times.”  We never finished Proverbs, we hardly made it a quarter of the way through that treasure trove of wisdom insights and poetry songs.  So today we return, and for the next little while, we return, we return to the ancient anchors that have steadied God followers for the longest time.

What you’re about to here from the book of Proverbs requires a little prefatory caution and information, a caution and some information that will help you listen more carefully, experience more deeply what God has in mind for you from it.

Here’s the caution: what you are about to here is not tame.  It is not Sunday School flannel graph material, you are likely to become a bit uncomfortable as you listen, saying to yourself “I didn’t know that was in the Bible,” while thinking to yourself, “I sure hope my kids not listening.”  If this were a movie it would be rated R.

That’s the caution here’s the information.  One of the 4^th C. desert mystics named John Cassian became famous for his fourfold methodology of understanding the Bible in all its depth. The four methods are: 1. Historical; 2. Allegorical; 3. Analogical; and 4.  Tropological.  I’m going to steal this as a teaching opportunity and the screens are going to be my aids.   You might want to write it down and use it in your own study of scripture.  The historical method of reading the scriptures refers to the most basic and most literal meaning.  Allegorical refers to the deeper meaning of the passage, where the passage is meant for just a historical audience, that existed somewhere, at sometime in the life of Israel or the church, but is meant for all of us at all times.  The analogical method refers to the heavenly meaning of a passage, such as the “new Jerusalem” refers to heaven.  And the tropological method, from the Greek word “tropos” meaning “the way” refers to the moral meaning or implications of the passage.  Here is how Cassian said it himself:

“The four figures that have been mentioned converge in such a way that, if we want, one and the same Jerusalem can be understood in a fourfold manner.  According to history it is the city of the Jews.  According to allegory it is the church of Christ.  According to analogy it is the heavenly city of God ‘which is the mother of us all.’  According to tropology it is the soul of the human being, which under this name is frequently reproached  or praised by the Lord…  Now revelation pertains to allegory, by which the things that the historical narrative conceals are laid bare by a spiritual understanding and explanation.

I know that’s a lot to take in.  You need to know that though because we’re going to borrow the allegorical methodology of understanding this Proverb.  Without the allegorical meaning you’re left with a young man who shouldn’t have gone into that woman’s house, but allegorically it means so much more to us, now, here.

So listen carefully, listen well, try not to become too nervous, I have two things I want to point out with you about it in a minute.

From the book breathes life:

My child, keep my words and store up my commandments with you;
keep my commandments and live,
keep my teachings as the apple of your eye;
bind them on your fingers,
write them on the tablet of your heart.
Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
and call insight your intimate friend,
that they may keep you from the loose woman,
from the adulteress with her smooth words.

For at the window of my house
I looked out through the lattice,
and I saw among the simple ones,
I observed among the youths,
a young man without sense,
passing along the street near her corner,
taking the road to her house
in the twilight, in the evening,
at the time of night and darkness.

Then the woman comes toward him,
decked out like a prostitute,
wily of heart.
She is loud and wayward;
her feet do not stay at home;
now in the street, now in the squares,
and at every corner she lies in wait.
She seizes him and kisses him,
and with impudent face she says to him:
“I had to offer sacrifices,
and today I have paid my vows;
so now I have come out to meet you,
to seek you eagerly, and I have found you!
I have decked my couch with coverings,
colored spreads of Egyptian linen;
I have perfumed my bed with myrrh,
aloes, and cinnamon.
Come, let us take our fill of love
until morning;
let us delight ourselves with love.
For my husband is not at home;
he has gone on a long journey.
He took a bag of money with him;
he will not come home until full moon.”

With much seductive speech she persuades him;
with her smooth talk she compels him.
Right away he follows her,
and goes like an ox to the slaughter,
or bound like a stag toward the trap
until an arrow pierces its entrails.
He is like a bird rushing into a snare,
not knowing that it will cost him his life.

And now, my children, listen to me,
be attentive to the words of my mouth.
Do not let your hearts turn aside to her ways;
do not stray into her paths,
for many are those whom she has laid low,
and numerous are her victims.
Her house is the way to Sheol,
going down to the chambers of death.

There you have it, that’s Proverbs 7 in its entirety.  Not exactly the tame, cozy, comfortable scriptures we can sometimes make them out to be, that was edgy, that was intense, I felt a little uncomfortable evening uttering some of those words.  But it’s there, you can see it for yourself.

I want to draw your attention with me back to the beginning, back to this:

My child, keep my words and store up my commandments with you, keep my commandments and live.  Keep my teachings as the apple of your eye, bind them on your fingers, write them on the tablets of your heart.  Say to wisdom, “You are my sister” and call intimacy your intimate friend that they may keep you from the loose woman from the adulteress with her smooth words.

Two things:  keeping and being kept.

I

Did you notice how many times, Solomon, the author of the book of Proverbs used that word, “Keep.”  I counted four times, three of them as imperatives,

My child keep my words…

Keep my commandments…

Keep my teachings as the apple of your eye….

Keep, keep, keep, the Bible is allows seems to be inviting, commanding, urging, pleading, insisting that we keep it.

“Keep” the word itself is most often used now in terms of possession, “I will keep that for myself” or “keep that away from me.”  But in this case in its much better sense, the word has to do with maintain, preserving, watching, guarding.  Keeping.  In this way its more meant in the same way that we speak of food, “How long will it keep?”  “How long will it be preserved?”  “How long will it maintain?”  and we all know what happens when food doesn’t keep.  One of the benefits of a pregnant wife, she knows quickly when food is not keeping, the bummer of course is that I have to find that unkept food and take care of it.

Keep.

Keep my words.

Keep my commands.

Keep my teachings as the apple of your eye.

The scriptures invite us, command us, urge, plead, and insist to us that we keep them, that we guard them and preserve them and maintain them, not merely keep them in our possession, you know in the living room on the shelf, but that we live them out, we maintain them, we preserve their intentions with our lives.

Could that be why Solomon adds, “Bind them on your fingers…”?  Could that be why he says, “Write them on the tablet of your heart…”?

Could that be why Paul says, “All scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction and training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work”?

Maybe that’s what Jesus was thinking when he said, “Whoever hears these words of mine and puts them into practice ….”

Keep my words…

Keep my commandments…

Keep my teachings….

Proverbs 7 mirrors impressively Deuteronomy 6, which you heard Austin read just a few minutes ago.  Deuteronomy 6 is the passage Jesus pointed when asked, “Teacher which commandment in the law is the greatest?”  Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and love your neighbor as yourself.”  Deuteronomy 6 has travelled down the corridors of faith known as the Shema, recited morning and evening by God followers for centuries.  Before their feet hit the floor in the morning they would recite, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and strength.”  Before their head hit the pillow at night, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and strength.” Deuteronomy 6 includes, “Bind them as a sign on your hand” what did Solomon say, “Bind them on your fingers.”  Deuteronomy 6 includes, “Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart.”  What did Solomon, “Write them on the tablet of your heart.”  Solomon is echoing Deuteronomy.  Ancient God followers, now known as Orthodox Jews took Deuteronomy 6 literally.  They would wrap their hands with leather cords called, “Tefillin” or “Phylacteries”  on which Deuteronomy 6 was written.  I have a picture of that very thing.  My folks got this for me when I graduated from seminary.  Since Austin read Deuteronomy 6, I’ll have in walk around and show you my picture.

Pretty cool isn’t it.  Their hands bound in leather, with the scriptures written on them was their way of taking seriously the call to

Keep my words…

Keep my commandments….

Keep my teachings as the apple of your eye….

I’m not urging for you to bind your hands with leather, I’m asking you to keep, guard, preserve, maintain, the word with your lives.  Walk around not with the word wrapped around your finger but written on your heart affecting the way you act.  Walk around the world with the word not bound on your forearm but tied tightly to your intentions so that you might live it out.

We know what happens when we don’t keep food, it stinks, I wonder what happens when we don’t keep the word?

I was asked recently by somebody, I don’t even remember who, what I thought the greatest challenge facing the church today was.  A fairly broad in scope question to quick ask and answer in conversations.  I’ll tell you what I said in a minute but what would you say?  I mean think of the options, morality, or the lack thereof that some suggest exists in the church.  The watering down of our worship into inspirational speeches surrounded by some catchy tunes.  The general competition for time that exists between the church and everyone’s lives.  All I suppose could have been decent answers.  I don’t know how you would answer, but my answer was this, our theology, people generally don’t know what we believe, we’re generally good on Jesus as Savior and God as love, but after that it seems to get really foggy, and how are we ever going to be clear on our theology if we’re not keeping our book.

Keep my words…

Keep my commandments…

Keep my teachings as the apple of your eye…

So here’s what I want you to do, if you would, if you’d allow me to intrude on the rhythm of your lives.  Starting next Sunday and for the four Sundays after next Sunday, I’m going to post in the bulletin the following weeks Scripture passage which will be from Proverbs.  I want you to take some time during the week to read what you’ll hear on Sunday.  You can memorize if you choose, you can study it if you want, I just want you to carve out time to read it, to keep it, to guard it, maintain, preserve it, allow it inform who you are, who you become and how you behave.  And I’ll tell you now, because I just thought of this yesterday, next Sunday’s sermon will be from Proverbs 10 v. 2.

Keep my words…

Keep my commandments….

Keep my teaching as the apple of your eye…

II

That’s the first thing I wanted to highlight, “keeping”, here’s the second, “Being kept.”

Listen again:

My child, keep my words and store up my commandments with you, keep my commandments and live.  Keep my teachings as the apple of your eye, bind them on your fingers, write them on the tablets of your heart.  Say to wisdom, “You are my sister” and call intimacy your intimate friend that they may keep you from the loose woman from the adulteress with her smooth words.

Did you hear that:

Say to wisdom, “You are my sister” and call intimacy your intimate friend that they may keep you…

That they may keep you …

The wonderful thing about the word and keeping it is that it’s a reciprocal relationship, you keep it, it keeps you.

That they may keep you…

And which one of us doesn’t need a little keeping, which one of us doesn’t need a little preserving, maintenance, being guarded, protected, watched, cared for, tended to, loved on, kept.

So just out of curiosity and you don’t actually have to answer out loud what did you think of Proverbs 7?  This talk of an adulteress and loose women and things I’m embarrassed to say again now.  Proverbs 7 depicts a young man, wandering purposeless, aimless, he wasn’t looking out looking for debauchery, for someone else’s wife, he was just wandering without a direction, and debauchery found him, someone else’s wife seized him.  It’s the image, the picture, the story of a man who had not been keeping the word, who had not been preserving the teachings, who had not been maintaining the commandments, he wasn’t out to pursue evil, but he wasn’t filling his mind with things of God and so another voice began to chime in, another voice began to sound in his heart, an alluring voice, an attractive voice, a compelling voice, and like an ox to the slaughter he followed, like a stag to the trap he went.

On the one hand Solomon may just be urging men to stay away from other people’s wives, to avoid adultery.  Which is true, but on the other hand, on a deeper level, this is not meant merely for the realm of morality but it meant for each one of us as we make our way in this way in which so many voices, call us, compel us, urge us down a way we should not go.

Maybe it’d be helpful if you turned with me to Proverbs 7.  It’s just after the book of Psalms which is basically right in the middle of your Bible.  Open your Bible to the middle your likely to be close to the book of Psalms, Proverbs is right after it.  Find Proverbs 7 and let me show you something.

Proverbs 7 v. 1 begins:  My child, keep my words…

Proverbs 7 v. 5 which is the end of the call to keep the word and precedes the story of a wandering man and a loose women goes like this:

That they may keep you from the loose women, from the adulteress and her smooth words.

Proverbs 7:1 and Proverbs 7:5 are pit against each other:

Keep my words…. That they may keep you from her smooth words.

My words…. Vs. her words.

Do you see that?

This aimlessly wandering young man, not out to do evil, but found in evil is meant to tell a much larger story that each of us needs to listen to carefully when we wander through life without keeping the word.  Without keeping the word, we leave room open for all the other voices, alluring and tempting as they are to call us, urge us, and invite us down the road we’re not meant to go.  But when we keep the word, when we maintain it, guard it, watch over it, it keeps us, it guards us, it preserves and protects us from all the voices seeking to call us in so many wayward directions.  Sometimes you’ll get the benefit of a seeing exactly how it keeps you, and guards you, most of the time you don’t and won’t but to be sure it is and does keep guard, and watch.

I should be more clear than I am, I don’t mean the Bible as a book is going to somehow watch over you, I mean the God of the Bible, Christ who is the word, watches over you.

That’s Psalmist says, “I lift my eyes to the hills from where does my help come, my help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth.”

That’s why he cries out, “You are my refuge and strength a very present help in trouble…”

That’s why we pray, “Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil…”

My child, keep my words…. That they may keep you from the loose women, from the adulteress and her smooth words.

My words … her words.

Keeping and being kept.

Yesterday was a wonderful day. Not only was the sun shining beautifully, a mild 45 degrees in OH while the rest of the country freezes under ice and snow but one of our dearest, and longest members Ed Boonstra came home from the hospital after 40 days.  Forty days.  I couldn’t help but think of the Israelites in the wilderness.  He went into the hospital the Monday after Thanksgiving if I’ve got it all straight in my head in order to have a tumor removed from his esophagus near his stomach.  He had esophageal cancer.  It was a 7 hour surgery.  He remained in the hospital through Advent, over Christmas, past New Year’s Eve and now into 2010.   Now a 7 hour surgery is not easy for the youngest and healthiest among us but when you’re in your 80s and have hard time walking around the block without stopping to rest because of back pain, a 7 hour surgery seems even longer, is even more precarious.  It was the better option though than doing nothing.  So they went for it.  His dear wife Willie by his side through it all.  I visited them before they went down to Seattle to Virginia Mason hospital for their 40 day stay.  You might want to join me around their dining room table.  Its Sunday afternoon November 29, 2009.  Their Sunday morning coffee crew has all left and it’s just the two of them, Willie was reading mail I think, Ed was drinking coffee if I remember. Now if you know Ed and Willie you love them like I do, if you don’t you need to know they travelled here from Holland, not Michigan but the Netherlands 50 some years ago, and though they’ve been here for longer than I’ve been alive they maintain their heritage through their brogue, ,they have as thick an accent as someone just stepping off the boat.  It’s almost like a whole other language.  You have to listen carefully when they talk.  We gathered around their dining room table it was Kristyn and mean and our girls.  Willie was quick to give Lydia and Tabitha candy, they were quick to eat and find the jar of candy in the living room.  Then they found her Dutch trinkets sitting on the window sill, I was agitated, they didn’t seem bothered at all.  In the midst of all the movement of my girls, Willie offered us coffee and baked goods, Ed sat quietly to my right.  I finally asked, “How you feeling, Ed, about tomorrow,” Ed shrugged his shoulders Willie answered, when they planned to leave in the morning, some of the things that doctor had been saying to them to expect.   After getting some of the details clear I asked if I could pray, Ed said, “Sure” in his really Dutch voice.  Just before I began to pray he interrupted me, he said, “We want it to go good, of course, but…” and he paused, he smiled, not a smile but a smirk, he winked, he pointed to the heavens, and said, “we trust, and that’s it.”

We trust and that’s it.

This 80 some year old man on the eve of 7 hour surgery that very possibly could take his life, and if the surgery didn’t the process of recovery might, smiles, winks, points to the heavens and says, “We trust and that’s it.”

We trust and that’s it.

On the one hand that’s the remarkable testimony of a man of faith, on the other hand it’s the wonderful reality that is ours in Christ, “We are kept, we preserved, we are maintained, guarded, sustained, tended to, loved on, cared for…”

When we keep the word, we are kept by the Word, Jesus Christ.

Keep and being kept.

We trust and that’s it.

Keeping and being kept.

Keeping and being kept.

That’s what I want for you, that’s what God intends for you.

In the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Discussion Questions

1. How do we most appropriately “keep” the Word?
2. What does it mean that we are “kept by” the Word?  How does that show up in our lives?  Can you point to a time in your life when the Word “kept” you?
3. What was your “reaction” to Proverbs 7?  How does a passage like Proverbs 7 fit into your understanding of what the scriptures are, what’s in them, and how they should be used/preached/studied?
4. What are John Cassian’s four fold method for understanding the scriptures?  Which do you most naturally tend to use?  Do you see vlue in the ones you haven’t used as often?  How might you use a different method in your scripture study?

Sermon Audio

Christmas Eve

With candles flickering, there really quite small light, reminding us, assuring us “The (really very bright) light shines in the darkness…”.  With the songs we’ve been singing still ringing, at least in our hearts, a celebration tune this day deserves.  And with the warmth and deep joy of a people who have gathered for one reason, to proclaim “a child has been born for us, a son has been given to us.”  I want you to listen to the way one of the earliest Christians tells of this most amazing event, this unprecedented God-act that acts still:

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David.  The virgin’s name was Mary.  And he came to her and he said, “Greetings favored one, the Lord is with you.”  But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.  The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid Mary for you have found favor with God.  And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus.  He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High.  The Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David.  He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”  Mary said to the angel, “How can this be since I am a virgin?”  The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will over shadow you, therefore the child to be born will be holy, he will called Son of God.  And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren for nothing will be impossible with God.”  Then Mary said, “Here am I, servant of the Lord, let it be to me according to your word.”  And the angel departed from her.

… (now)

In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that the whole world should be registered.  This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria.  Everyone went to their own towns to be registered.  Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David.  He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child.  While they were there the time came for her to deliver her child.  And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

That’s how it happened, that’s how it went, that’s how Luke, one of those earliest Christ followers, proclaimed, “a child has been born for us…”

Maybe you noticed, Mary asked a question, a question I want you to be able to ask.  And her question is then greeted with an angel response I wouldn’t want you to miss, a faith question with a Christmas answer.

The question Mary asked was, “How can this be?”

Seems to me like a fairly pertinent question in light of Mary’s circumstances.  She was after all just a young girl.   Though she was engaged, she and her fiancée had not yet consummated their marriage relationship making conception, at the very least a little difficult.  And as if all of that weren’t enough she was from Nazareth, Nazareth like “the other side of the tracks,” Nazareth, nothing good comes from Nazareth, Mary was from Nazareth.  And to this unlikely candidate an angel shows up, and the angel shows up talking big, talking about God, and kingdoms, and forever, the angel shows up telling her “Mary you will bear the Son of God.”  And with the heat of an angel lamp shining directly on her, and with the weight of a God decree weighing on her she asks a really good question:

How can this be?  I am a virgin.

How can this be?  the circumstances of my life don’t leave that open as a possibility, I’m a virgin.

How can this be?

I want you to be able to ask Mary’s question.   It’s not a question born from a lack of faith in the God who promises, but rather it’s a question born out of faith in the midst of some circumstances that appear to proclaim a very different story.  The question cracks open the door of possibility hanging on the hinges of faith in the middle of craziness, “really?  How?  How can this be?”

How can this be?  How is it God that you’re going to accomplish this amazing thing in me, through me, for me?  I’m for it God, I’m for you God, I’m looking around though and not really seeing that as a likelihood.

Just out of curiosity, and I don’t mean to get too personal on Christmas Eve, have you ever found yourself asking that question?  When the circumstances in your life are crazy, overwhelming, frustrating, everything about them seem to shout louder than any God promise you’ve ever heard.  And because you believe, or would like to believe, but you just can’t see, you find yourself asking, “How can this be?”

How can this be?

The story of Christ’s birth includes a question, a question I want you to feel very free to ask when life is hard, when pain is present, when the circumstances rise against you and all the evidence stacks up against God making good on his promises and all you’re left with is, “How …”

The question is expectant, the question is hopeful, the question implies belief in a God who accomplishes things that otherwise don’t appear likely to be accomplished.

I was chatting with a dear, dear friend the other day.  I won’t give you his name, it really doesn’t matter, it could be anyone of you really.  By all appearances he’s got a good life, nice job, not worried about losing it, nice wife, they love each other, plenty of friends and family to fill up a Christmas season.  A storm has been brewing in his family, a storm he saw on the horizon of his life but underestimated its strength.  One of his daughters, whose grown now with a family of her own, has been distant, difficult, hard to be with.  He wanted to head off the storm before it hit them unsuspecting so he called his dear daughter, asked if they could talk, wanted to apologize if he had done something he hadn’t realized and express a few hurts that he had known himself that she had caused.  They got together and the storm began to rage, his daughter, said not once, not twice, but three times, “My family hates me.”  “My family hates me.”  “My family hates me.”  He couldn’t believe his ears, surely that’s not what she thinks, that’s not how she feels.  To hear the little one he raised, whom he cried with, cried for, whom he nourished and nurtured and upheld in his prayers for so long now says, “My family hates me.”  His heart sank and mind went spinning.

Their conversation went on for a while longer, it didn’t get much easier from its painful beginning.  But he left that conversation asking:

How can this be?

Not only, “how did we get here – how can this be?” but how are the promises of God going to show up in the middle of these circumstances – how can this be?

How is the God who promises good to him going to make good for him on that promise with his daughter?  How can this be?

How is the God of reconciliation going to make reconciliation a reality for him and his family?  How can this be?

The question gives us permission to be honest with ourselves not all is as we’d like it to be, not all is how we think it should be, and the God promises we’re waiting for don’t line up all that well with the circumstances we’re living in, but we ask anyway, we ask in faith, we ask believing “How can this be?”

Because, with Christ’s birth as a prime example, God isn’t bound by your circumstances, God isn’t confined to what you see as possible, God isn’t limited to the five senses that we depend on to define our existence.

I want to give you permission to ask that question.  Christ’s birth gives us permission.

So what is it, what is it for you, what are the circumstances in which you need to ask the question, “How can this be?”

Is it a situation like my dear friends, family storm is brewing, family relationships are breaking and rather than throwing in the towel, giving up, and giving in, you’re going to wait on God and ask “How can this be?”

Is it something entirely different, something I can only guess, you’re an alcoholic and no matter how many times you say to yourself, “that’s the last one,” there’s always another one, rather quitting on breaking the addiction, wait on God and ask, “How can this be?”

You’re the Navy wife and the fatigue of sending a husband off to war every few months for several months is getting really old, and you’re thinking about shutting down, calling it a marriage, before you call it anything, wait on God and ask “How can this be?”

Do you see what I’m saying?  Christmas gives us permission to be honest about our circumstances and still believe in a God of promises.

That’s the question Mary asks, now listen to the response her question receives.

It’s an angel response, it’s a beautiful response, it goes like this:

Nothing will be impossible with God.

Nothing will be impossible with God.

Nothing.  Name it, imagine it, nothing will be impossible with God.

Mary asks, quite appropriately I’d say, “How can this be?  I’m a virgin.”  And the angel says,

The holy spirit will come upon you and the power of the most high will overshadow you, therefore the child will be holy, and will be called Son of God.  And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren.  For nothing will be impossible with God.

Nothing will be impossible with God.

Christmas assures us, despite the circumstances, whatever the circumstances may be, despite what I can see as a possible, nothing is impossible with God.

So wake up tomorrow, open your gifts, have fun, celebrate time together, eat some coffee cake, you know, do it all right, and let each moment of that day tomorrow stand as one colossally glorious God reminder, “Nothing will be impossible with God.”

And the most amazing thing, I think about this God promise, it’s not meant just for you personally, but its meant for all of us together.  Christmas is more than a private promise, Christmas is universe shaking, stratosphere stunning, world promise God will make good on his salvation intentions.  God will not leave this world spinning in the darkness of its own chaos, God will not sit back saying to himself in glory, “ooh that’s too bad for them.”

Remember the angel was talking big, the angel was talking larger than just you and me and our own circumstances, the angel said, This child, this one will be a king, and “Of his kingdom there will be no end.”  Christmas is about something large and grand and expansive that includes you personally but is always so much more than just merely you personally.

And nothing will be impossible with God.  God will accomplish peace on earth.  God will accomplish reconciliation in the world.  God will make happen the redemption he intends for his good creation.

Nothing will be impossible with God.

God in Christ will send injustice on the run, oppression will no longer have a room, abuse doesn’t get to sit at the dinner table in God’s kingdom.

Nothing will be impossible with God.

God in Christ will break the systems of sin that chain us, make sure the hungry child has a meal, and provide a bottomless well full of water for all those who are thirsty.

Nothing will be impossible with God.

Be careful though we can tend to misuse this promise.  We can tend take it to mean any one of us can leap tall buildings in a single bound, see through walls into the future, avoid difficult by wishing it away, because nothing is impossible with God.  Don’t misuse the promise by misunderstanding its context.  The angel responded to Mary, “Nothing is impossible with God” so far as it relates to God accomplishing his salvation intentions for the world and the people he loves.  And God is always  making good on that promise:

When his people were down and out and pushed under the heavy arm of an angry Pharoah in Egypt Moses made the waters part so God’s people might find freedom, nothing is impossible with God.

When the Baal prophets were laughing at silly little Elijah, mocking God and putting him to a God competition, fire came down from heaven, Elijah won the day, nothing will be impossible with God.

And finally, in the fullness of time, when God’s heart ached endlessly because of the sin that exists in the world he loves, he took on flesh in Jesus Christ, so that anyone, anywhere can be freed from the grip of sin and the burden of guilt and set free in the land of grace, nothing will be impossible with God.

God’s promise is connected with God’s purpose, to redeem and restore and make new.

I don’t know about you but the folks who shared a few minutes ago were pretty brave and their willingness to share was quite moving.

I listen to Alice speak of her beloved Unc and my heart begins to melt.  And I think how does she do it, how does she make it through a day without the love her lifetime, how does she endure the grief that never really gets any easier, and then I remember, oh yeah, nothing is impossible with God.

I listen to Doug acknowledge the unspeakable pain that comes from losing a son, and I think “no, how can that happen?  How can you make it another day?”  And then I remember, oh year, Nothing is impossible with God.

I listen to Tony, and Tracy in the middle of financial challenge, and another deployment goodbye, and I wonder how, how do they do it, how do they make it, how do they get through a day, and then I remember, oh year, nothing will be impossible with God.

God who broke into the world impossibly, through some young virgin girl, from some backwater town, breaks in still doing the impossible.  Christmas assures us you can’t name a circumstance, you can’t find a situation, you can’t imagine a moment that forces God to throw up his hands in defeat.  God’s salvation purposes will be realized, nothing will be impossible with God.

Let’s pray.

Sermon Audio

“When the Word Becomes Flesh:  Light”

In only five days, count em friends, in five days coffee pots will be brewing and tea pots will be singing a Christmas morning tune while coffee cakes bake and children rise from their Christmas Eve sleep only then to dive into wrapped boxes of Christmas glory.  Christmas is on its way.  Remember now you promised me that on Christmas morning when the bounteous gifts hide the once prominent tree in your living room before you open anyone of those gifts, you’d open this gift, John 1: 1-18, the prologue, as its called.  I guess you didn’t actually verbally promise but I could see it in your eyes, you wanted to.  Since this is the last Sunday in the season of Advent I want you to listen again to what you’ll read on Christmas morning.

In the beginning was the Word, and the word was with God….

Wait, wait, wait…  I forgot I’m sorry.  That’s not how I wanted this sermon to begin.   I wanted to begin with something Jesus once said, about us, to us.

You can find it nestled comfortably in a sermon he once preached, it goes like this:

You… Are… The Light… of the world.

You, he said, and when he said “you” he meant “you”, “all you”, me and you, the church, us, you.

You are, not “you do” but “you are” it’s not a function, its not an activity, it’s an identity, “You are”.

You are the light of the world.

You are the light of the world.

Whoa.  You are the light of the world.

My oh my, it’s a good thing that’s an identity not a function because I don’t think we could do that, we have to be that for it to work at all:

You are the light of the world.

You are the light of the world

Keep that in mind ok, and listen again to what you’ll read on Christmas morning.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things came into being through him and without him not one thing came into being, what came into being in him was life and the life was the light of the world.  The light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it.

There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light so that all might believe through him.  He himself was not the light, he came to testify to the light, the true light which enlightens everyone was coming into the world.

He was in the world and the world came into being through him but the world did not know him.  He came to what was his own and his own people did not accept him but to those who received him who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God who were born not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.

And the word became flesh and lived among us and we have seen his glory the glory as of a Father’s only Son fully of grace and truth.  John testified to him and cried out, “This is the one of whom I said, ‘he who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’”  And from his fullness we have all received grace upon grace.  Indeed the law came through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.  No one has ever seen God, it is God the only Son who is close to the Father’s heart who has made him known.

That’s the fourth time you’ve heard that in four weeks not because I can’t think of anything else to say but because it says so much even four weeks isn’t enough time to fully absorb it all.

I want you to return to just a portion of John’s call to Christmas with me for a minute, this portion:

The true light which enlightens everyone was coming into the world.

That’s where I’d like to spend our time this morning.

The true light which enlightens everyone was coming into the world.

First, for a few minutes, I’d like to pay attention to the “True light.”  Then, secondly, I want to send you on your Christmas way read to shine, because remember “You are the light of the world.”

I

First, lets pay attention to the “true light.”

John proclaims, The true light which enlightens everyone was coming into the world.

The true light.

Not true as opposed to false, but the best light, the brightest light, the greatest of lights, the lightiest of lights.

The true light.

For the record, the true light, the real light, the greatest light, is, always has been, and always will be, Jesus Christ, scandalously born to a teenage virgin, in a tiny little Podunk town in the shadow of some really impressive people, like kings and Caesars.

Lets pay attention to the true light.  You may want to open your Bibles to John 1:1-18, there are Bibles in the seat backs in front of you that you can use too.

John’s Gospel begins like this:

In the beginning…

And John’s beginning, “In the beginning” is intended to call us back to the very beginning, and at the very beginning, I’m talking Genesis, I’m talking the moment of creation, at the very beginning before God spoke existence into existence nothing at all existed.  God’s unprecedented act of creating the world is called creation ex nihilo which is just a really fancy way of saying God made everything out of nothing.  There was nothing before there was light and life.  God didn’t manipulate a few dirt molecules that were floating around the universe and glue them together with gravity to make earth.  There were no dirt molecules God made everything out of nothing.  And the way Bible’s beginning describes the chaos that was nothing is this:

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was formless, void, and darkness covered the face of the deep.

That’s how God describes what he saw before he made the light.

Formless, void, darkness.

Formlessness, emptiness, darkness, that’s a way to describe the chaos of pre-creation nothingness.

Formlessness, emptiness, darkness.

And as John’s Gospel retells creation’s beginning it responds to the three words used to describe the nothingness of pre-creation.  Remember?  John proclaims:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God, he was in the beginning with God.  All things came into being through him and with him not one thing came into being.  What came into being in him was life and the life was the light of all people.

Formlessness was met by “all things came into being through him.”

Emptiness was overcome by “What came into being in him was life.”

And darkness was conquered by, “and the life was the light of all people.”

Formlessness, emptiness and darkness overcome by order, life and light.  That’s what God did in the beginning.  But Eve and Adams disobedience cracked creation’s door a bit to the formlessness, emptiness and darkness again so that they rear their ugly heads around us again.

The chaos of formlessness, emptiness, and darkness which God dealt with at creation show up again in our lives in all the ways brokenness wreaks havoc in our world.  The systems of sin, the patterns of brokenness, the cycles of evil that exist around us, the stuff that happens to us that are not a direct result of the choices we make, or the things we do, or the mistakes we make, it’s not the brokenness in us, it’s the brokenness around us.

But John calls Christ, “The true light.”

The true light.

The true light.

The formless and emptiness and darkness that swirl all around us because of the first Adam’s disobedience has been overcome definitively at Christmas.  The true light, came to deal with, overcome, and annihilate the systems, the cycles, the patterns of oppression and injustice and evil that exist all around.  This Christ is not merely my personal savior who rescues me from my own personal version of sin, he is the true light come into the world to deal with the swirling darkness around us.

but there’s more.  Not only did Christ come to conquer the sin that exists around us he came to conquer the sin that exists in us.

The true light, Jesus Christ, did come to deal with you personally, and overcome in you all the ways formlessness, emptiness and darkness have made their bed in your soul.  Remember, John’s call to Christmas includes this unfortunate insertion about the law?  He says:

Indeed the law came through Moses…

Don’t do that John, this is Christmas, don’t bring up the law, because the law is always the reminder to us that we didn’t get it done, we don’t get it done, we aren’t who we ought to be, we aren’t who we need to be, we aren’t even who we want to be.

But God in Christ at Christmas, when the Word became flesh, dealt with all the ways formlessness, emptiness and darkness show up in us and has set us free and released us into the vast expanse of God’s grace to live according to the truth.

The true light, Jesus Christ, came to conquer the darkness in us.

But there’s more.  The intended consequence of the formlessness, emptiness, and darkness that exists around us combined with the formlessness, emptiness and darkness that exist in us is isolation, separation, or as Brennan Manning puts it, “Sin is a short-circuit.  Every sin resembles, at least character the primal sin of Adam and Eve, a cutting off from God and one another.

All of this darkness around us and all of this darkness in us keep us from God and keep us from one another.

Remember the first thing Adam and Eve do after they gnaw on the fruit, there are eyes are opened they realize they’re naked, didn’t bother them before but not they’re ashamed by it, and so they cover themselves and then when confronted by their disobedience they blame each other.  They cover themselves from one another and they blame each other.   And they hide from God.  God can be heard walking through garden at the time of the evening breeze calling out “where are you” “where are you.”

Sin is a cutting off from God and one another.

But this is Christmas, we celebrate, the true light, Jesus Christ, shining into all of the versions of darkness that keep us from one another and keep us from God.

That’s what happening at Christmas, that’s what we’re celebrating when we gather around the Christmas tree, that God, the infinite, God the transcendent, God the wholly other than, the one who was before there was, who brought all things into existence by merely speaking their name, that God became one among us, became like us, in order to confront the darkness around us and darkness in us that leads us into isolation, separation.

That’s what John is saying when he proclaims, “The true light…”

And this true light will never go out, this true light shines in the darkness and darkness did not, will not, cannot, ever overcome it.The true light, the best light, the greatest, the lightiest of lights, has enlightened us, has turned its glorious beam on our lives and sent all the darkness, all the forms of darkness, running, running away from the light and from us, because the true light, enlightens us.

I want us to pay attention to the true light, and now I want to send you on your Christmas way ready to shine.

II

Now let me send you on your Christmas way.

Ready?

You, Jesus said, “you” and when he said “you” he meant “you”, “all you”, me and you, the church, us, you, and to borrow from the brilliant theologian Dr. Seuss, “There has never been anyone youier than you.”  You.

You are, not “you do” but “you are” it’s not a function, it’s not an activity, its an identity, “You are”.

You are the light of the world.

You are the light of the world.

That’s also what we’re celebrating this Christmas.  That’s also what’s going on this Friday.  That’s also what this season all about, You are the light of the world.

John says it differently, but says it still:

The true light, which enlightens everyone was coming into the world.

Or as the true light puts it, “You are the light of the world.”

And if you’re the light of the world that means me and you, and all of us together ought to shine in the same way, into the same places that true light shines.  And the true light shines into the darkness, the darkness that exists around us, all the cycles and systems and patterns of darkness that exist in our world, and the darkness that exists in us, all the ways sin rears its nastiness in my soul.  That’s where the true light shines, and we’re the true light, enlightened by the true light, so that’s where we shine too.

We shine the light into the darkness that exists around us, that’s who we are.  We do not claim ourselves as Christ followers and then remain apathetic, disinterested or otherwise unconcerned with the larger systems of darkness that exist in the world.  That’s why reducing the Christian faith to merely a personal salvation proposition is so dangerous, because while its true Christ’s purposes are to save you personally, to redeem you and make you whole, it’s so much more than merely making sure you have a really nice place to go when you die.  Christ’s purposes are about redeeming and renewing broken systems now.

Christmas insists that the formlessness, emptiness and darkness that swirls in our worlds be confronted by the light, the true, Jesus Christ, and the light in us, “You are the light of the world.”

And Christmas insists that we shine the true light’s light into the darkness of our own existence too.  All the ways formlessness, and emptiness and darkness marry themselves to my daily activities, and my personal ponderings, and my quiet impulses.  Because the true light enlightens everyone, because you are the light of the world, we are called to turn the high beams onto ourselves and shine into the darkness.

I like this line from John Donne:

That’s just another way of saying, You are the light of the world, so shine the light into the formlessness, emptiness and darkness that exists in us.

Because the true light enlightens everyone, because you are the light of the world, we shine the light into the darkness that exists around us, we shine the light into the darkness that exists in us and we confront all the ways the intended consequences of the darkness lead us into isolation, it’s not ok to leave people.  At the very beginning Adam was alone, and God said, “Its not good that man should be alone.”  So he made all the animals of the earth but none of them were found as the perfect complement to Adam.  So God made Eve and when Adam saw Eve he said “at last.”  “At last”  “At last bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh.”  What God saw in the beginning, “Its not good that man should be alone” that resulted in the glorious coming together of a husband and a wife, is not meant merely to be about marriage, it’s not good that we should be alone at all.  We’re not meant to be alone, we’re meant and made for community.  But darkness tries to keep us from community, darkness tries to dupe into us into hiding behind lies and evil and sickness, but this is Christmas, we’re called together.

You are the light of the world.  – the true light which enlightens everyone….

Christmas calls us to confront the darkness.

You are the light of the world.

If you think you noticed the sanctuary ceiling sagging this morning, its not a figment of your imagination.  One of FRC’s pillars came tumbling down on Thursday morning at 8:15.  A long full life of health and joy and faith finally embraced death on Thursday, and by embracing death was welcomed into the resurrection.  Jessie Eerkes on Thursday, she was 96 years, if she wasn’t the longest standing member in the history of our church I don’t know who was.  She was baptized, she was married here, and tomorrow at 2:00 pm we’ll gather to praise God for her here.

When you live to be 96 years old life leads you to a centuries worth of experiences some wonderful of course, but the ones that mark your life tend to be the challenges.  Her sister Bessie died when Jessie was just a young girl. Jessie’s husband died 26 years before she did.  The lost a son to cancer when he was only 3, she knew the hurt and the heartache, the darkness that can push against the light of life.  She lived a remarkably healthy life, so that it was only about a  year ago that she moved out of her own home into Regency, and only about a month ago that she moved into a more intensive care facility called Harbor Care.  I would visit Jessie fairly regularly over the last few years.  I so enjoyed my time with her, she like to call me her “little domini”, I considered in an honor.  I’d ask her how she was doing but she rarely ever seemed interested in talking about herself.  She said, her sweet raspy voice, “oh I’m ok, sleep a lot”  and then she’d make some sort of joke to divert attention elsewhere.  And invariably in our conversations she’d ask about the church, she’d say something nice about me as her “little domini”, then we’d read a psalm, say a prayer, and I’d head on my way.  I visited more frequently in the last few weeks.  She had been moved into a room with another member of our church, Jo VanKal, it was almost like bunking together in those old camp days when Aunt Jessie would make food for the hungry masses of little ones at Orcas Island.  She lay on her bed with an oxygen tube covering her face.  She was weak, she looked frail, but her eyes were still that deep beautiful blue.  She was still, even at the very end of her life, so sweet, so kind, so interested in other people.  I’d ask her how she was doing, she’d close her eyes, it was almost like slow motion, her body couldn’t do anything quickly, she’d close her eyes and muster a deep breath and say, “I’m tired.”  Then she’d open her eyes again and say “How are the girls.”  She was asking about Lydia and Tabitha, even in death I couldn’t get Jessie to talk about herself.  I told them they were well, a handful you know, told her we’re expecting a third, she’d smile close her eyes again, delight written all over her face.  She said in her sweet voice, “a few years ago we didn’t what the future looked like at church” she paused to rest, talking took a lot of energy, then she went on, “Its so good to see all the little ones, the future looks good.”  Or something like that.

That stood out to me as fairly amazing, as the hallway of life was narrowing for Jessie.  As her world was shrinking, shrinking towards its end she was interested, and even excited, about the future of the church.  Now why do you think that is.  Why do you think Aunt Jessie, 96 years old, in her death, was more interested in talking about the future of the church than she was about any ache or pain she knew then or had ever known.

I suppose that’s the natural inclination to someone who has given so much to a place.  I suppose I shouldn’t have expected anything different from one on whose back this sanctuary is held.  But I think its more than that actually.  I think Jessie is interested in the future of the church because she knows well

You are the light of the world.

You are the light of the world.

And if you’re light won’t shine, if you’re light doesn’t address the darkness, what will become of the people she loves, what will become of the town that raised her way, she said, “Its good to see all the little ones, the future looks good.”

You are the light of the world.

When you wake up on Christmas morning, when you open your Bibles to John 1:1-18 to celebrate the glorious proclamation “The Word Became Flesh” when you wake up to “The light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it” don’t miss this –

The true light which enlightens everyone…

You are the light of the world.

You are the light of the world.

Amen.

Sermon Audio

“When the Word Becomes Flesh: Isolation”
The Third Sunday in Advent

As is becoming more and more obvious by the advent wreath readings you’ve heard each Sunday and the small but sure flicker of these candles each week we’re borrowing the imagery this season is famous for: darkness, or actually darkness and light.  Just before John’s glorious Gospel promise:

And the word became flesh and lived among us

Is this equally arousing proclamation:

The light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it.

Darkness.  Darkness, it’s what was before there was anything  at the turn of creation when light shone into the darkness for the first time.

Darkness.  Darkness its one of the words we use to describe the sad realities that exist in us, not just around us, the other words to say the same thing are: sin, sickness, brokenness, evil, they all hang in the shadows of darkness.

Darkness.  Darkness.  December 21^st is the darkest day of the year.

Well, the intended consequence of the darkness that exists around us and the darkness that exists in us is isolation, darkness keeps us from one another, darkness keeps us from God.  Can you name a form of darkness, a sin behavior that doesn’t have a direct implication on relationship?  The consequence of sin not just that we don’t measure to a standard, the consequence of sin shows up in relationships.  Take the ten commandments for instance they’re all intended to protect our relationships, with one another and with God.

Darkness.

The intended consequence of darkness is isolation.

Brennan Manning, the theologian and spiritual mentor, says this same thing only more effectively,

“Sin is a closed circuit.  Regardless of species, every sin resembles (at least in character) the primal sin of Adam and Eve, which was a closing off from God and one another.”

A closing off from God and one another.

Darkness

A closing off from God and one another.   Have you experienced in reality the intended consequence of darkness?  Sure you have.  You want so badly for your relationship with your son, or daughter, the one you raised and reared and urged on in life and faith to be what you always hoped it would be but instead its hard, its awkward, you’re constantly missing each other.  It’s not your fault, it’s not entirely her fault, it’s just the intended consequences of darkness.  Have you experienced that?  Or, if I’ve once I heard it once I’ve heard it 5 times in the last two weeks, something that goes like this: “No matter how hard I try, no matter what I do, God just seems absent to me.”  The intended consequence of darkness.  Do you know that reality?  Or what about the cutting word from one you thought was friend, but now one you don’t think you can trust, the intended consequence of darkness.

A closing off from God and one another.

If you know what I’m talking about, I think you’ll want to listen to a familiar Christmas story.  And a not so familiar one, they call out to each other and to you.

First the familiar story of Christmas:

In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God he was in the beginning with God.  All things came into being through him and without him not one thing came into being.  What came into being in him was life and the life was the light of all people.  The light shines in the darkness but the darkness did not overcome it.

There was a man sent from God whose name was John.  He came as a witness to testify to the light so that all might believe through him.  He himself was not the light, he came to testify to the light.  The true light which enlightens everyone was coming into the world.  He was in the world and the world came into being through him but the world did not know him.  He came to what was his own and his own people did not accept him.  But to those who received him, who believed in his name he gave power to become children of God who were born not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.

And the Word became flesh and lived among us and we have seen his glory the glory as of a Father’s only Son full of grace and truth.  (John testified to him and cried out, ‘This is the one of whom I said, “he who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.”)  And from his fullness we have all received grace upon grace.  Indeed the law came through Moses grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.  No one has ever seen God it is God the only Son who is close to the Father’s heart who has made him known.

That’s John’s Gospel version of Christ’s birth.  Its called the Prologue to John’s Gospel, it’s the first chapter.

That’s the familiar Christmas story that’s the one you’ve heard for three straight weeks.  Keep it in mind, and listen to this not so familiar Christmas story.

This is the message that we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all.  If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; but if we walk in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.  If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

That’s 1 John 1:5-10 if you’d like to take a look at it.

Did you notice how this familiar Christmas story from John’s Gospel, and the not so familiar Christmas story from 1 John sort of call back and forth to one another?  John’s letter borrows the same sort of language John’s Gospel uses to proclaim Christmas is coming?   This might be sort of fun, why don’t you open your Bibles and turn with me to John 1:1-18.  And then at the same time turn to 1 John 1: 5-10, and I’ll point out for you just a few of the similarities.

Look at this, John 1: 5 proclaims: “The light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it.”

Keep your finger there and look at this from John’s letter proclaims, “God is light and in him there is no darkness at all.”

Do you hear the one calling out to the other?  And how about this John’s Gospel, in v. 17 says, “Indeed the law came through Moses grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”

And then John’s letter says, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”

Do you see how one echoes the other?  And why stop there, how about John’s Gospel promise from v. 14, “And the Word became flesh and lived among us”

And then John’s letter warns, v. 10, “If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar and his word is not in us.”

It’s almost as if John’s letter, written sometime after John’s Gospel, is reflecting on it and preaching from it.  And John’s sermon on John’s Gospel is about relationships, and particularly it’s about the intended consequence the darkness has on our relationships, remember “A closing from God and one another.”

Darkness.

Darkness.

But this is Christmas.  This season is about the Word becoming, flesh.  This time of year we celebrate the light that shines in the darkness, a country beam of light shining so bright into the darkness, darkness has no chance, darkness has no choice but to run, and the intended consequences of darkness, the difficult realities we know in relationships, have no choice but to run with the darkness.  Christmas is one loud gospel celebration, “you’re not alone anymore, you don’t exist in isolation any longer, no longer closed off, no longer cut off.”

So let’s enjoy together for a few minutes a sermon on the sermon on Christmas.  John’s sermon on Christmas says more than I intend to say this morning, here’s what I want to say, Christmas calls us out of the darkness of isolation into to the light of relationship.  That’s the first thing, and here’s the second, Christmas assures no matter how alone you may otherwise, you’re not alone.

I

First though, Christmas calls us out of the darkness of isolation into the light of relationship.  The call of Christmas, among all of its other redemption intentions, is a call to be together.

Why is it that we all spend so much of our holiday energy around writing a one page review of family events that took place that year?  The Browns do (well Kristyn did) and we even send a little Christmas picture to go with it.  Why do we do that, why do that at this time of year, reach out to people we haven’t seen in nearly a decade who live over 2000 miles away.  What is it about Christmas that prompts that sort of activity?  We get letters and pictures from people I’m not sure I even know.  I’ll tell you why we do that, because Christmas calls us out of the darkness of isolation into the light of relationship.

Why is that we fill this season with gatherings?  We fill the next few weeks so full of people we need a vacation from our Christmas vacation.  I’ll tell you why, because Christmas commands community.

Why is it that the song, “I’ll be home for Christmas” leaves a lump in my throat?  Because Christmas commands community.

Why is it that for those who have lost ones they love this season, among all of the other seasons, is a particularly difficult one.  Is it some sort of seasonal disorder, what should we expect with it being dark for so long so early in the day?  I suppose maybe it has to do with shortened days, but also because this season, Christmas, commands community.

There is simply something about Christmas, unlike any other time of the year, that calls us together, that expects us to be with people.  And I don’t think it’s just sociological, I think its gospel.

Look with me at John’s sermon on Christmas.  1 John 1:  6:

If we say we have fellowship with him, while walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true but if we walk in the light, as he himself is in the light we have fellowship with one another.

If we are in the light,

And I’m pretty sure John’s got in his mind at this point a Christmas story, “The light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it”

If we are in the light, as he himself is in the light we have fellowship with one another

We have fellowship with one another.

Christmas calls us out of the darkness of isolation into the light of relationship.

Fellowship, as John calls it.

Fellowship is not casual conversation about the weather, the performance or the football game, while those things may became the avenue to fellowship, they themselves do not make fellowship.   Fellowship is the honest, intimate, authentic opening of one to another in such a way that even though you know some sad truth about me, you know the existence of some darkness in me, you stick with me anyway.

And John, reflecting on Christ’s birth says,

If we walk in the light, as he himself is in the light we have fellowship with one another.

If Christmas is about anything at all, as John puts it, it’s about the light shining in the darkness, and the light shining dissolves the darkness that leads away from one another, that leads us into ourselves and out of fellowship.

Or as the atheist John Paul Sartre puts it, “in myself and for myself”.

Do you remember what happened in Genesis?  Forgive me this is the third week in a row our Christmas preparations have landed us smack dab back at the beginning of time.  In beginning of time God created it all, out of nothing God created it, the best way to describe non-existence was formlessness, emptiness and darkness.  And into it God spoke order and life and light.  Adam and Eve enjoyed the glory of order and life and light until the serpent slipped up behind Eve pointed to the one tree she wasn’t supposed to touch.  And not only did she touch it, she took some of its fruit and she ate, she gave some to her husband and he ate, and from that moment on the order, life and light of God’s glorious creation has been fighting the formlessness, emptiness and darkness of brokenness again.

The first consequence of their decision to eat the fruit, to disobey, the first consequence of sin was isolation, isolation from God we’ll get to that in a minute, and isolation from one another.  The first thing Adam and Eve do is look at one another, see the nakedness of the other, and cover themselves.  They had lived unashamed before one another in total transparency only then for their sin to prompt to cover themselves, ashamed, embarrassed, hiding.  And of course the story goes, the evidence mounts, God finds Adam and Eve hiding in the garden, asks Adam what happened, and he says’ quickly as if he’d rehearsed them for days, “The women, the one gave me, she gave me the fruit, and I ate.”  He blames, he divides himself from her, he isolates himself from her again.  The consequence of sin is isolation.  And then God turns to her and she blames someone else too, “The serpent he tricked me and I ate.”  The confessions, their admissions were all wrapped up in blame.

Sin keeps us from one another, sin leads us away from true community and into the darkness of isolation.

But Christmas is about the light, the light shines in the darkness, and when we’re walking in the light we have fellowship with one another.

I think you might find this from Dietrich Boenhoffer helpful.  I read this for you a few months ago, it’s so good, and so appropriate I’m going to read it again.  This is from his book titled “Life Together”.  I’ll try to read it slowly, and post on the screens behind me so you can see it too:

“Those who remain alone with their evil are left utterly alone.  It is possible that Christians may remain lonely in spite of daily worship together, prayer together, and all their community through service – that the final breakthrough to community does not occur precisely because they enjoy community with one another as pious believers, but not with one another as those lacking piety, as sinners.  For the pious community permits no one to be a sinner.  Hence all have to conceal their sins from themselves and from the community.  We are not allowed to be sinners.  Many Christians would be unimaginably horrified if a real sinner were suddenly to turn up among the pious.  So we remain alone with our sin, trapped in our lies and hypocrisy, for we are in fact sinners.”

Christ came to save us from our sins, Christ came to shine in the darkness, and because he did we don’t have to hide anymore, we don’t have to blame anymore, we don’t have to remain utterly alone in our evil anymore, we can have fellowship with one another because we walk in the light.

Christmas is call out of the darkness of isolation and into the light of relationship.  And the way, if’ I’m hearing John’s sermon on Christmas clearly, into the light of relationship, is to honestly, humbly acknowledge I’m not all I should be, I’m not what you need me to be, I’m not even what I want to be.

If we are in the light as he himself is in the light we have fellowship with one another.  If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us, but if we confess our sins,

If we honestly, humbly, openly acknowledge our own versions of darkness, rather than spend all of our time pointing out how I’ve been wronged, how we’ve been offended, how someone else is guilty we will find ourselves wonderfully mysteriously, moving from the darkness of isolation to the light of relationship.

If we are in the light as he himself is in the light we have fellowship with one another.

I’ve gone on, so now let’s move on.

II

Christmas is a call out of the darkness of isolation into the light of relationship.  And, Christmas assures us no matter how alone you may feel, you’re not alone.  The promise of Christmas, is not necessarily that they’ll be people around the table for Christmas brunch, that’s the call of Christmas, the promise of Christmas is that God will be with you on Christmas morning, whether you wake up to house full of relatives or you wake up to the quietness of no one, you are not alone.  Christmas is the promise God is with you.

If we are in the light as he is in the light.

If we are in the light as he is in the light.

Oh sure, you remember how John’s Gospel begins, “and the Word became flesh and lived among us.”

If we are in the light as he is in the light.

You remember what the angel said to Joseph , “You are to call him Emmanuel, which means God is with us.”

If we are in the light as he is in the light.

Christmas assures us no matter how alone you may otherwise think yourself to be, you’re not alone.

Lets return to the beginning again.  Adam and Eve eat the fruit, they realize they’re naked.  They’ve always been naked but now, after sin, they’re ashamed of it, so they cover themselves and they hide, they hide from God.  God takes his usual walk in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and pays attention to the fact that his two prized creatures aren’t where they normally are, aren’t behaving as they normally do, and God calls out for them, as if he didn’t know, “Where are you?”

Where are you?

And that question sounded first in the garden after the fall, sounds still in our lives, “where are you?”

Where have you gone, what are you doing, that’s not the way its supposed to be, where are you?

Our way of hiding of course is different from theirs.  We don’t hide behind trees and bushes like they did, we hide behind a few good intentions and hope that that’s enough to satisfy the God who wants every part of us.  We hold hard and fast to a few important moral claims and think that insistence on that moral high ground will cover over all the other ways we fall on the dark side of morality.  We hide by creating a scene over someone else’s shortcomings thinking the diversion will give us enough time to sneak out the back door unnoticed.  We hide differently but we hide all the same and the question remains, “Where are you?”

“Where are you?”

“Where are you?”

When was the last time you played hide and seek.  It’s a near daily experience in our home.  Do you remember what thrills the child most about the game of hide and seek?  They enjoy the hiding, that’s fun, they enjoy the thump of footsteps as their seeker inches closer, they enjoy duping a parent for a minute or two.  But do you recall what really thrills the child most about the game?  It’s not the hiding that they enjoy so much, its being found; when you hug and you laugh and you roll around on the ground in celebration because you’ve been found.  The thrill of the game is when you’re finally drawn from the darkness of hiding and embraced in the light of being found.  What kind of a game would it be if a parent left their child hiding forever?

Salvation’s version of hide and seek is not a game, but it comes complete with saving realities of being found.

Christmas assures us we’ve been found.

Go ahead if you dare, think of the things you’ve done that distance you from the living God.  The things you’ve said that keep you from his glorious presence.  The sometimes active, but I think most o the time passive ways we remain apathetic to and disinterested in the one who created us.  Go ahead, think about it.  And now realize, In Christ, the question that has echoed down the corridors of time and into our hearts, “Where are you” “where are you” has been answered, not by you, not by me, but the Son of God, the eternal word made flesh for us and for our salvation.  From whom the light of redemption shines, a light so bright no darkness will ever overcome, a glorious light that in fact shines on us,

if we are in the light as he is in the light.

And believe it, we’re in the light, we’ve been found, and because we’re in the light, no matter how alone you may otherwise think yourself to be you’re not alone.

Would you remind if I returned to Bonhoeffer.  He didn’t end where I stopped reading earlier, listen to more:

“The grace of the gospel, which is so hard for the pious to comprehend, confronts us with the truth.  It says to us, you are a sinner, a great, unholy sinner.  Now come, as the sinner that you are, to your God who loves you.  For God wants you as you are…  You cannot hide from God.  The mask you wear in the presence of other people won’t get you anywhere in the presence of God.  God wants to see you as you are, wants to be gracious to you.  You do not have to go on lying to yourself and to other Christians as if you were without sin.  You are allowed to be a sinner.”

You cannot hide from God because God in Christ has found you, God in Christ shines the light into the darkness of all our hiding places.

If we are in the light, as he is in the light..

Kristyn and I with Tabitha and Lydia consider it a fairly sizable Christmas gift to have my parents here this weekend.  They got here Wednesday and won’t leave until Tuesday.  Pretty special for us.  Its kind of business trip for my dad, working on behalf of the seminary, he’s up in Lynden today preaching at First Reformed Church there this morning (Sorry they asked first) and then Faith Reformed Church tonight.  And just for the record anyone who skips our Christmas concert tonight to go him preach is going to have some serious explaining to do.  My mom, is here on business too in a way, Grandma business first of course, but she’s also speaking tomorrow night at the women’s and young ladies’ Christmas party.  Which I think is awesome.  On Friday they were in Seattle.  My dad was speaking to a group of pastor’s there, they were Christian Reformed Church pastors I think.

Apparently one of these CRC pastors was an Iranian named La Dan.  La Dan left Iran some time ago and travelled to our country.  Iran is not interested in the things of the Christian faith, they’re only interest in it they’re only interest in it is to get it out of the their country.  So some years back my dad and Dave Bast travelled to Turkey where a group of underground Iranian Christians met them for a week of discipleship classes.  It was a wonderful week as my dad retells of his time.  Seeing La Dan in Seattle reminded him of his trip to Turkey and the Iranian brothers and sisters he met there, and prompted him to tell a few of their stories to these CRC pastors.  Apparently, because the borders of Iran are closed to the gospel, Christ reveals himself to people through dreams.  My dad was telling this class of CRC pastors in Seattle the story of a Muslim man named Machmood, who had met Christ in a dream, was converted, and now is being disciple in the faith.

As my dad was telling me the story of his time in Seattle, he said that La Dan could hardly sit still.  And one point, I don’t know if she interrupted or just sort of chimed in but she said, ‘What he speaks, its true.  I know this.”  She went on to tell he story.  She had dreams too.  Her dream was of a man his back turned to her, he wore a long robe. She did not know who he was, nor did she ever see his face.  She had this dream over and over and over again, a man, wearing a robe with his back turned to her, never seeing his face.  Somehow, somewhere, La Dan met a Christian, shared with this Christian her dream, this Christian told her the man she sees whose back is turned to her is the living Christ.  Pointed it out to her from the Scriptures, I don’t exactly know how but I can imagine maybe Revelation, “I saw seven golden lampstands and in the midst of the lampstands one standing like the son of man, clothed with a  long robe and a golden sash across his chest.”  I don’t know exactly which scripture this Christian pointed but La Dan became convinced the person in her dream was Christ.  That night, she laid to sleep, and she had her dream again.  A man, wearing a long robe, this time though, his back was not turned, this time his face was not hid, rather this time, in this dream the man turned to her, he showed her his face, it was the face of Jesus, the man in her dream was the beloved.  And she became a Christian.

I share all of this with you because Christmas assures us no matter how alone you may think you are, you’re not alone.  Christmas assures us what La Dan saw, he has turned around, he faces us, he shows himself to us, he comes us, his light shines on us, and we are in the light as he is in the light.

Believe it friends.  Amen.

Discussion Questions

1. Brennan Manning states, “Sin is a short circuit.  Every sin, at least in character, resembles the primal sin of Adam and Eve, a cutting off from God and one another” (The Wisdom of Tenderness).  How do you respond to this statement?  Can you think of a type of sin behavior that does not have real ramifications on actual relationship?
2. The sermon suggests that Christmas is a call out of the darkness of isolation into the light of relationship.  Are there real ways that you can do pursue deepened relationships this Christmas?
3. The sermon also suggested Christmas assures us that we’re not alone, no matter how lonely we may otherwise think we are.  How do you experience the presence of God in your life?  Are the ways you experience His presence or lack of presence reflective of  how He has chosen to make himself known?  Asked differently, are you looking for Him in the right places in the right ways?
4. John’s sermon (1 John 1:5-11) on John’s Christmas story (John 1:1-18) invites us to “Confess our sins…”  Does John merely mean “confess our sins” to God in the quietness of our hearts and minds?  Is there value in confessing our sins to other people too?

Sermon Audio

“When the Word Becomes Flesh: Failure”
2^nd Sunday in Advent

And the Word became flesh and lived among us….

That’s been the rally cry calling us to Christmas this Advent.

And the Word became flesh and lived among us…

John, the Gospel writer who made that proclamation, tends to be a little mystical and his mysticism can sometimes elude our rather practical perspectives, so think about that with me for a second, feel that with me:

And the Word became flesh and lived among us…

The one who has existed from before there was a beginning, with the Word, Jesus Christ, and the Spirit took on, entered into, clothed themselves with sinew and tissue and cells and DNA, took up residence in our neighborhood to make our plight his mission in life.  That’s what we mean when we say:

And the Word became flesh and lived among us….

A rather stunning move by a staggeringly extravagant God, wouldn’t you agree?

And the Word became flesh and lived among us…

I want you to listen just for a minute to what surrounds our glorious invitation to Christmas.  Last week we listened for John’s response to the formlessness and the emptiness and the darkness that existed before creation (you can hop on iTunes if you missed it) this week I want you to listen for John’s response to the formlessness, emptiness and darkness that exists in us.  Listen carefully, listen closely, I, for one, can’t get enough of this:

In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things came into being through him and without him not one thing came into being, what came into being in him was life and the life was the light of all people.  The light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it.

There was a man sent from God whose name was John, he came as a witness to the light so that all might believe through him.  He himself was not the light, he came to witness to the light.  The true light which enlightens everyone was coming into the world.

He was in the world and the world came into being through him but the world did not know him.  He came to what was his own and his own people did not accept him but to those who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God who were born not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man but of God.

And the Word became flesh and lived among us and we have seen his glory the glory as of a Father’s only son, full of grace and truth.  (John testified to him and cried, this is the one of whom I said, “he who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.”) and from his fullness we have all received grace upon grace.  Indeed the law came through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.  No one has ever seen God, it is God the only Son who is close to the Father’s heart who has made him known.

There you go, that’s John 1:1-18.  You can turn to it with me if you’d like.

In the next few minutes, I want to emphasize what this season makes clear.  I want to celebrate what this season proclaims.  And I want to urge you in the way this season implies.  Does that sound fair?  All of that and the chance to come around this table before morning coffee too.  Should be a good morning.

I

I want to emphasize with you what this season makes clear.  And what this season makes clear, among other things, is the stunning necessity of the incarnation.  We needed God to make an unprecedented grace move.   We need Christ to be born.  We needed the Word to become flesh.  And we needed the Word to become flesh, and I don’t mean this personally offensive, just unfortunately true, because we are and always have been colossal failures.  You heard it here, from your previously considered fairly kind pastor, you (and me too) are stunning failures.  I guess no one can accuse me any more of feel good preaching.

But of course, you know, I’m only trying to say a little differently, a little more pointedly, what I think John was saying himself, when he said:

Indeed the law the came through Moses…

The mere mention of the word might send shivers down your spine.  The law, the law.  Why do you think John had to go there on Christmas morning?  I mean we were doing so well, having so much fun, the light was shining in the darkness, and the Word had become flesh, and we’re just basking in the glory of this great proclamation, “From his fullness we have all received grace upon grace” (and hold tight we’ll get to that in just a minute), only then for John to catch us off guard to hit us below the belt with this:

Indeed the law came through Moses….

No, John no, no don’t go there, don’t do that, don’t bring up the law, not on Christmas.  But he does, he does go there, he does do that, you can see it for yourself its verse 17:

Indeed the law came through Moses…

I want to emphasize this morning what this season makes clear, we are and we always have been failures.  I don’t mean everything you do is bad, and there’s no glimmer of goodness in you, or that you didn’t play a really good game, or do really well at the recital, or score really high on the test, or even that you’re not really quite nice.  What I mean, and I think you know what I mean, when it comes to salvation, when it comes to living right before God, when it comes to the faith, we fail.  And this season makes sure we don’t miss that:

Indeed the law came through Moses.

You remember how it all happened.  God created the world in a particular order, investing into creation a certain sort of universal law of existence.  Adam and Eve and Cain (they’re son) didn’t need to check the rule book to see if Cain’s killing of Abel was ok.  They didn’t need a commandment, “Thou shalt not murder” to know what Cain had done was atrocious.  And the Apostle Paul points to this natural law invested in creation in Romans 1, when he accuses us of doing things that are “contrary to nature.”  The story of humankind continues such that God, because he wants his people to live the good life, and remain healthy, whole and ordered he calls Moses to the top of a mountain, where he essentially says, “Alright, here’s the deal, lets boil it down to these ten ok, there easy to remember and they ought to be fairly obvious. I’ll even write them down for you, in stone.”  Ironically of course Moses drops the stone tablets, a foreshadowing of what the rest of us would spend all our lives doing to them, break them.  And because those ten were sort of, well, harder to remember than was first assumed, they were boiled down even farther, to just 2, just two things.  Everyone agreed these two rules will guide, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with your mind and with all your strength.  And you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  Love God, love neighbor, it’s that simple.

We failed to live up to the natural law, the order invested into creation.  We failed to follow the ten commandments, set up for our health and actually our salvation.  And even when it was reduced to two, just two rules to live by, we can’t seem to get it right then either, we fail still.

I want to emphasize what this season makes clear.  We just aren’t getting it done.  If we were the head coach of a football team, we’d be fired.

Despite what we may want, and sometimes decide, and even know we should do, we don’t love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength.  Rather more often than not we use God and his unending love for us and extravagant mercy on us like a really long leash to get away with things we pretty just want to do because we love ourselves.  I’m really interested in me.  Despite some occasional really wonderful humanitarian impulses to look out for the less fortunate among us, to love our neighbor, we still don’t love our wives the way Christ calls us to love them, and we avoid the complexities of the crazy neighbors across the street, and we’re way too often satisfied taking a baby step in the neighbors direction so long as it doesn’t require too much out of me.

My point is, well it’s not really my point, I’m just borrowing it from John, whose actually only calling things like he sees things.  We fail.  Its called sin, the formlessness and emptiness and the darkness that existed before creation, resides somewhere in us too.

Indeed the law the came through Moses…

In this otherwise wonderful proclamation of God’s unending love for us such that the Word became flesh and lived among us, John had to include that not so subtle reminder:

Indeed the law came through Moses…

Indeed the law.

Christ didn’t come because everything was just fine.  God didn’t take on flesh because we were doing ok.  The incarnation didn’t happen for any other reason than it had to happen.  I want to emphasize with you what this season makes clear. 

II

I want to celebrate with you what this season proclaims.

Are you ready, in the midst of your failing?  I’m about to say it, the best news you’ll ever hear, better than the doctor saying “It’s a boy… or a girl”.  Are you ready?  I’ll say it slowly and I’ll say quietly so as not to startle anyone:

And the Word became flesh…

And the Word became flesh…

And the Word became flesh…

And from his fullness we have all received grace upon grace.

From his fullness we have all received grace upon grace.

not just grace, but grace upon grace.

Admittedly, sadly, we do fail, we didn’t live up to the law of ten and we don’t live up to the law of two, and yet, and still, anyway:

The word became flesh and lived among us… and from his fullness we have all received grace upon grace.

I want to celebrate what this season proclaims, God in Jesus Christ took on flesh in order to rescue us from the depths of failure that we know.  Just as God spoke order and life and light into the formlessness and the emptiness and the darkness that existed before creation, so God in Christ speaks grace upon grace into the formless, emptiness and darkness that exists in our lives still.

Grace upon grace, upon grace upon grace.

Grace unending, grace unlimited, grace made available to you in Jesus Christ.

The word “grace”, in the Bible’s heart language, is the same word as “Gift.”  I know they sound different in English, but they’re the same in Greek.  Grace is Gift, Gift is Grace.

All of which reminds me: what do you want for Christmas?  Have you asked for anything special?  I can remember as a boy waking up early, early, early on Christmas morning.  My sister Becky and I would grab our bed spreads off our beds, drag them into the family room, and wrap ourselves in warmth at the foot of the Christmas tree staring at these wrapped boxes of glory now hiding that Christmas tree we were sitting around.  My parents had a rule we couldn’t touch any of the presents until they were handed to us.  We obeyed that rule for the first couple of years until we figured out, hey wait a minute how are they ever going to know.  So instead, we’d play with the ornaments, all sorts of reindeer games, snowman races, and candy cane fences.  We’d look at the gifts and guess what they were, some were easier than others, its hard to wrap cross-country skis, you kind of know when you’re getting bike, and my mom loved to drape the new wool socks out of the top of the stocking.  Times have changed for us, Kristyn and I agreed we weren’t going to get each other anything this year, don’t tell her though I’m going to get her something anyway.  Most of our gift attention is going to the girls.  Lydia wants some bitty baby clothes, Tabitha wants a bitty baby stroller, actually Lydia wants Tabitha to have a bitty baby stroller so Tabitha doesn’t take hers anymore.  We’ll buy them some gifts and then grandmas and grandpas will overwhelm them with this gifts.  It promises to be a full Christmas morning at the Brown lodge.

What are you hoping for on Christmas morning?  The new Nintendo DSi, a flatscreen TV, a new outfit to go with the new earrings you’re hoping to see under the tree?   All of its fun, apparently Black Friday sales were up this year so it’s looking good for you.  Would you do me a favor, actually would you do yourself a favor.  On Christmas morning would you open your Bibles to John 1?  Would you read John 1:1-18?  And when you’re done reading would you return to v. 16?

From his fullness we have all received grace upon grace.

Gift upon grace, grace upon gift.

Grace is gift, gift is grace.  And would you share with your children or your grandchildren or whomever you’re with, as much for their sake as for your own reminder, these gifts, the ones around tree are a mere symbol, token, sing of the much more significant gift this season proclaims.

The Word became flesh and lived among us…. And from his fullness we have all received grace upon grace.

It’s all gift friends.  Despite what we otherwise deserve, despite the colossal failings that we so regularly participate in, despite the fact that even on our best days we don’t muster the strength and we can’t muster the courage to live up to the two laws that summarize all the laws, “Love God, Love your neighbor.”  And yet even so, even still,

The word became flesh and from his fullness we have all received grace upon grace.

I’ve been reading the book “The Wisdom of Tenderness” by Brennan Manning with some friends.  He offers this question, on self-reflection, which I think is really good.  Listen:

Will be gentle with myself, as the Master is, humbly acknowledge that the Word hasn’t taken sovereign possession of my life, accept my own need for further conversion, quickly repent, ask forgiveness, waste no time in self-recrimination, and smile at my own frailty?

To “smile at my own frailty” is not to dismiss it casually but to take it seriously only then to live fully in the good news of the gospel in Christ there is grace upon grace

Grace upon grace

Grace upon grace.

Whatever failing hounds you, and lets just break through the façade of self-righteousness for  a minute, there’s no one of us exempt from failure, my failure and your failure may not look the same, sound the same, or act the same, but it all stems from the same sick impulse that exists in all broken people, whatever failures hound you, whatever sins wreak havoc on you, whatever brokenness controls you, you think defines you and keeps you from living in the land of grace Christ purchased for you will listen carefully and will you listen closely, I’ll say it quietly and I’ll say it slowly:

And the word became flesh and lived among us and from his fullness we have all received grace upon grace.

Grace upon grace

Grace upon grace.

It’s all gift friends, it’s all gift.

I want to celebrate what this season proclaims.

III

And I want to urge you in the way this season implies.

Listen again:

And the Word became flesh and lived among us and we have seen his glory the glory as of a Father’s only Son full of grace and truth.

Full of grace and truth.

The implicit call of Christmas is into the way of grace and truth.  The celebration of course is grace upon grace, but not at the exclusion of a call to truth.  Because the Word became flesh we’re called into the way of grace and truth.

Grace without truth is cheap, grace without truth isn’t grace it’s a blind eye, it’s a failure to acknowledge what’s actually true, it’s denial, you don’t want to be in denial that’s not healthy.  But, truth without grace is mean, it’s condemning, its judgmental, condescending, it doesn’t take into account the full picture of Christ’s person and Christ’s purposes.

And the word became flesh and lived among us and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a Father’s only Son full of grace and truth.

John’s Gospel is different than the other three Gospels.  The other three, Matthew, Mark, and Luke are called Synoptic Gospels, synoptic meaning “same eyes” or similar.  They’re more alike than they are different.  But then John, still a Gospel in that it proclaims the life of Christ, does it all very differently.  Whereas Matthew and Luke have angels arriving declaring “the virgin shall conceive” John has this “eternal made Word made flesh.” Same story just told very differently.  Matthew, Mark, and Luke all tell of Jesus’ baptism, each shares the way they saw Jesus go into the waters and the spirit come down from heaven and the voice God echo from glory, “This is my Son the beloved, I whom I am well pleased.” John’s Gospel on the other hand does not record Jesus’ baptism, it does not tell of Jesus’ as if it John were seeing it happen.  Differently than the other three John’s Gospel speaks of Jesus’ baptism as if it’s already happened.  But no where in the Gospel does it describe it happening.  I think the end of the prologue of the Gospel of John is meant to be the hint, John’s figurative way of telling of Christ’s baptism.  And he does it by using Father – Son language, just like Matthew, Mark and Luke did as they told of Jesus’ baptism.  All of which is my way getting to this, at Jesus baptism, the spirit descended, the voice from heaven was heard and then Jesus having just been baptized, at least as Mark proclaims it, “The time is fulfilled the kingdom of God has come near, Repent and believe the good news.”  “Repent and believe the good news.”  That’s the proclamation associated with Christ’s ministry that I think John says differently when he says, “and the word became fleshed and lived among us and we have seen his glory the glory as of a Father’s only Son full of grace and truth.

Grace and truth

Grace and truth

Repent and believe

Repent and believe.

I want to urge you in the way this season implies, the way of grace and truth, the way of repentance and believing.

Christ’s coming, which is grace upon grace, gift on top of gift, is more than merely grace upon grace it’s a call to grace and truth.  It’s a call to stop travelling down the road of faithlessness or disobedience or apathy, but to turn around and go down the road called truth held by the hand of grace.

The word becoming flesh is not meant to be a free pass, it’s not meant to be “ah forget about it” its meant to be the keep that doesn’t stop giving and calls us to a different way of living marked by truth.

Grace and truth

Grace and truth

Grace and truth

And what better place to come on a Sunday morning when the words grace and truth sing in harmony than this table of grace and truth.  This table where we remember Christ has obtained for us a new covenant of grace and reconciliation.  This table where Christ meets us again, heals us again, forgives us again, and calls us to follow him in truth again.  This table where we come in hope that one day all the failing that exists in us and around us will be overwhelmed by a glorious kingdom that you and I cannot now imagine.

Friends this morning you’ve invited to the table where grace and truth meet you.  If you believe Jesus is Lord you are welcome at this table.

Discussion Questions

1. The sermon invited us to name the sad realities of our lives, which was prompted by John’s inclusion of “the law” in his Christmas story.  What is the posture a Christian is called to take when it comes to “The law”?
2. The sermon also invited us to celebrate the really good news of the season, “Grace upon grace.”  How would you define grace?
3. The sermon asked us to live the balance between grace and truth, but emphasized truth and tried to highlight that John’s talk of truth is not meant to be a return to a new law with a different name but the call to follow a person.  How do you understand the truth as person and how then does we live in the truth?

Sermon Audio.

“When the Word Becomes Flesh: Loss”
1^st Sunday in Advent

Because some of you may still be reeling from the numbing effects a Thanksgiving Day turkey, I thought we’d better dive headfirst into this glorious season of Advent.  Join me if you’d like, or just listen if you prefer, it’ll sound a lot better though if we do this together.

Away in a Manger
Silent Night
O Little Town of Bethlehem

I love this time of year.  I love the music, I love the food, I love the lights.  I love the festive gatherings, and all the nice outfits people where, I love gift giving, I love gift getting, I love, at least out here in the NW, that smidgen of a chance that it might snow, and when it does, when snow does gently fall onto our lives everyone stops, everything shuts down, school is canceled, businesses are closed, and we rest, we quiet down, we stay in, we realize what we thought we had to do, what we had laid awake the night before worrying,  maybe wasn’t all that important, it gets buried beneath and forgotten behind that light blanket of snow.  I love this time of year.

I have to be careful though, this time of year isn’t everyone’s all everything.  After the Thanksgiving Day service on Thursday I was chatting with one of you, I asked what the day had in store, if you’d gather with the tribe?  My question didn’t evoke out of you the smile that question sometimes can but rather your eyes welled up, your voice choked up, and you said, “This is my first one without her.”  Just so you know, my heart choked up with you.

“This is my first one without her,” he said.  For him this season hangs like a neon sign in a convenience store window blinking:  Loss.  Loss.  Loss.   Loss can be found here.

Does this season do the same for you?  Underline for you not just what it is, but what isn’t anymore, this season comes like a stinging wind whipping through your soul, uncovering the scars of loss.

No matter how many parties you attend, no matter how many cards you send, gifts you give, or songs you sing, the baseline melody rings: loss.

In a way, this is season is as much about loss as it is yuletide cheer and peace.  Christ didn’t take on flesh because everything was just fine.

In a way, this season hurt, heartache, sickness and sadness, Jesus didn’t enter in to the world because the world was doing well.

You get my point, in a way, this season is about loss.

So if any of you know loss personally, are feel it empathetically, or are sensitive to its harsh realities whipping around our world, I want you to listen very carefully, I want you to listen very closely, I want you to listen as much with your heart as you do with head, ready:

The Word became flesh and lived among us…

The Word became flesh and lived among us…

The Word became flesh and lived among us…

That may not mean to you all it can mean just now, but if you’re willing to listen closely for just a little bit longer I think it will mean all the world to you.

Listen:

In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things came into being through him and without him not one thing came into being, what came into being in him was life and the life was light of all people.  The light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it.

There was a man sent from God whose name was John, he came to testify to the light, though he himself was not the light, he came to witness to the light.  The true light which enlightens everyone was coming into the world.

He was in the world and the world came into being through him but the world did not know him. He came to what was his own and his own people did not accept him.  But to those who received him who believed in his name he gave power to become children of God who were born not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man but of God.

And the Word became flesh and lived among us and we have seen his glory the glory as of a Fathers only son full of grace and truth.  (John testified to him and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, “he who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.”)  From his fullness we have all received grace upon grace.  The law indeed came through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.  No one has ever seen God, is God the only Son who is close to the Father’s heart who has made him known.

This is the first Sunday in the season of Advent.  The next four Sundays that precede Christmas we’re going to gather our hearts and our minds around these few words:

And the Word became flesh and lived among us…

And the Word became flesh and lived among us…

And the Word became flesh and lived among us…

I’d like to organize the next few minutes this way:  something ancient, something modern, and something we all hoped might happen.

Something ancient.  John’s Gospel beginning (by the way what you just heard is John 1:1-18, it’s called the Prologue to the Gospel of John) John’s Gospel beginning returns to the very beginning.  So I thought we might return to the beginning for a minute with him.  If you’d like to open your Bibles, turn to John 1, keep your finger there and then also turn with me to Genesis 1.

John 1 begins like this:

In the beginning ….

Genesis 1 begins like this:

In the beginning…

John 1 starts:

In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God he was in the beginning with God, all things came into being through him….

Genesis 1 starts:

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth the earth was formless and void and darkness covered the face of the deep…

John 1, the story of Jesus’ beginning (and the Word became flesh), invites us to pay careful attention to Genesis 1, the story of very beginning, the very beginning of it all.  Keeping your finger on John 1 look with me at Genesis 1, it goes like this:

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was formless and void and darkness covered the face of the deep …

The earth was formless and void and darkness covered the face of the deep

Formless, void, darkness, those are the words used to describe what existed before existence.  Formless, void, darkness.

The earth was formless and void and darkness covered the face of the deep.

Formless, void, darkness.  And out of the chaos of that nothingness God brought form, and life and light.

Hang with me now because I’m going to make a point you don’t want to miss.

In the beginning, into the formlessness of existence God made form, not just form as in substance, matter, stuff, material life, but form as in order.  God created order out of the formlessness of nothingness.  If we were to continue on through the Genesis creation account, we would see that God creates days, there is the refrain to Genesis like a really good song that goes like this, “And there was evening and there was morning” and “There was evening and there was morning” and “there was evening and there was morning”.  Order out of nothingness.  And more than just the order that comes from telling time, but on day 1 God said, “Let there be light” and on day 4, three days later, God created sun and moon and stars.  On day 2 God created sea and sky on day 5 God  created birds and fish, on day 3 God created earth and trees on day 6, three days later, God created animals and human beings.  Do you see how one day’s creation happens and the creation that takes place 3 days later responds to it?  Order out of formlessness.

Genesis 1 begins:  In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was formless and void and darkness covered the face of the deep.

John 1 begins: in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God…

Are you still hanging?  Ok.

Formless and void.  Void, you know, empty, nonexistence, nothingness.  And into that void, God brought life.  Oxygen breathing animals and people, photosynthesizing plants and trees, procreating and regenerating birds and amoebas.  Life, life and more life.  Out of the vacuum of nothingness God created something-ness and the something-ness that he created was life, life, life abundant, the glorious interplay between created existence.  Crabs crawling and salmon jumping and birds flying and bunnies hopping and people talking life, stars burning, and sun shining and moon glowing life, wind breezing, and rain watering and snow freezing life, mountains climbing and hills rolling and babies crying life.

Genesis 1 begin, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was formless and void and darkness covered the face of the deep…

But John 1 begins, “In the beginning was the Word …. All things came into being through him and without him not one thing came into being.

Formless, Void and darkness existed before God spoke being into being.  Into the darkness God brought light, it’s the first thing he did, create light, he pierced the darkness with the light of his voice on day 1 and then gave it substance on day 4 in sun and moon, but broke up the darkness with light, sent darkness running into  endless universe of space and time until darkness runs out of breath and finally stops trying to get away.  Darkness existed as the rule of life but God said “let there be light.”  And there was light.

Genesis 1 begins, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was formless and void, and darkness covered the face of the deep…”

John 1 begins, “In the beginning the Word …. All things came into being through him and without him not one thing came into being.

That’s something ancient.  Formless, void, darkness, met by order, substance the light of God’s creative intentions.

Now something modern.

But something happened, something horrible happened, the formless, void and darkness of non-creation weaseled their way back into creation.  They fought back against the order and the substance and the light of God’s creation.  Like a scared animal with nothing left to do it fought, it scratched it clawed, it drew blood when the serpent said to Eve, “ah come on, you won’t die, in fact be like God.”  And Eve, intrigued by formless, void and darkness, interested in the unknown of that chaos opened the door to it again, and ate, she gave some to her husband and he ate.  And from that moment on the world has absolutely been spinning in chaos.  You know the story, Adam and Even have sons, one kills the other, and it happens, “formless, void, darkness.”  You know the story, flood happens, babel takes place, a golden calf, “Formless, void, darkness”.  You know the story, it’s not the pages in the OT, its written all of the over the pages of our lives too, formless, void, darkness.

It’s bigger than just you and I with failed ability to make all the right decisions all the time, its worse than that, its creations groaning, natures longing, to what God’s heart desired in the first place.  It certainly shows up when you and I in the decisions we make and the things we do return to the formless and void and darkness of non-creation, but I thinks it ultimately experienced in us by us as loss.

Loss of order, things happen that aren’t supposed to happen, planes crash, bombs explode people die, its out of order again, formless.

Loss of the something-ness of creation, such that some have plenty, tables of abundance but most have very little and a few have none at all, so wars rage in an attempt to get what was lost, terrorists blow themselves up as a fight against what they weren’t given, people lie, cheat and steal to satisfy their own belly.

Loss, loss of the light, darkness hovers again, the one you love isn’t here, darkness, no ones singing “I’ll be home for Christmas with you in mind”, darkness, darkness, darkness.

The fall, Adam and Eve’s inability to remain in the good order of God’s glorious creation shows up in our unwillingness and inability to make the right decisions, to walk in the light, to love the way we’re meant to love and to live the way we’re supposed to live, and I think ultimately its experienced as loss, things aren’t the way they’re supposed to be, formless, void, darkness.

I got this issue of Time magazine earlier this week.  (for those of you who wonder I don’t gain my worldview by reading Time magazine I read Time magazine to see my worldview is at being questioned, ridiculed and demeaned.  Just so you know).  I received this issue on the front cover was picture of Nadal Malik Hasan, the terrorist who attacked at Fort Hood just a few weeks ago.  The main title of the issue is “Terrorist” with a question mark, the subtitle goes like this, “Is Fort Hood and aberration or a sign of things to come?”  What struck me about the title was not the changing face of terrorism in the world, but our failed attempts of trying to stay ahead of the darkness, I don’t just mean terrorism, I mean all the ways “formless, void and darkness” scratch and claw their horror back into existence.  We focus our attention in Iraq only to see Afghanistan kick up its heals, we pay attention to Afghanistan only to watch Iran seize its opportunity when no one’s looking, we turn our gaze on Iran only to have North Korea make some noise, we warn N. Korea only to watch the stock market plummet and the housing market dwindle and gas prices go up.  We work hard to address those things only to hear of a plane crashing somewhere or a terrorist attacking somewhere.  All of that happening while you and I go about our daily existence with smaller versions of hurt, heartache, formless, void, and darkness loss.

That’s something modern.   Now something we hoped might happen.

Listen again:

In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God he was in the beginning with God all things came into being through him and without him not one thing came into being.  What came into being in him was life and the life was the light of all people.  The light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it.

John’s Gospel beginning holds us by the hand and walks us back to the very beginning.  You didn’t need a preacher with a seminary education to tell you John’s Gospel beginning borrows from the very beginning.  But now let me show you something else that I think is cool.

Genesis 1 begins like this, “In the beginning….”

John 1 begins like this too, “In the beginning…”

Not a mere coincidence, nor is it simply retelling a story that’s already been told.

Genesis goes on, “In the beginning God…”

John 1 goes on too, “In the beginning the Word,” and then adds this clarifying clause, “and the Word was with God and the Word was God, he was in the beginning with God.”

Johns up to something here, John’s not just retelling creations story he’s proclaiming creations story is happening again.

Genesis 1 continues, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was formless and void and darkness covered the face of the deep.”

John 1 effectively responds, “In the beginning the Word… all things came into being through him, what came into being in him was life and the life was the light of all people.”

Three words are used to describe non-creation, “formless, void, darkness” creations address them, “

Formless – all things came into being through him.

Void – what came into being in him was life.

Darkness – and the life was the light of all people.

And John’s Prologue of course culminates with these few words, “And the Word became flesh and lived among us.”  God is at it again, this time not creating new but creating to renew.

Listen carefully, listen closely, “And the Word became flesh and lived among us”

If you know loss, if this season highlights more what isn’t that what is, listen carefully and listen closely, “And the Word became flesh and lived among us.”  God is at it again, this time not creating new but creating to renew.

Because the formlessness and the voidness and the darkness that can so often exist in life has its effect on each of one us listen carefully and listen closely, “The Word became flesh and lived among us.” God is at it again this time not creating new but creating to renew.

John is not simply retelling the story of creation, John is proclaiming creation is happening again, the formless-ness and the void-ness and the darkness that we know in our lives, in our world, in our homes, in our hearts is being banished, final sentence, judgment proclaimed.

And the Word became flesh and lives among us.

I love this poem by Eugene Peterson,

For us who have only known approximate fathers
and mothers manqué, this child is a surprise:
a sudden coming true of all we hoped
might happen. Hoarded hopes
fed by prophecies, old sermons and
song fragments,
now cry coo and gurgle in the cradle,
a babbling proto-language which
as soon as it gets a tongue
(and we, of course, grow open ears)
will say the big nouns: joy, glory, peace;
and live the best verbs: love, forgive, save.
Along with the swaddling clothes
the words are washed of every soiling sentiment,
scrubbed clean of all failed promises,
then hung in the world’s backyard
dazzling white, billowing gospel.

I love that, that is so good.  This child is a surprise, a sudden coming true of all we’d hoped might happen.

All we hoped might happen.

All we hoped might happen.

All we hoped might happen has happened, is happening, and “the Word became flesh and lived among us.”  The Word becoming flesh is more than just a creative way to tell creation’s story and more than merely metaphor to tell that Jesus was born of a virgin.  John is insisting, what God did in the beginning in Christ God is doing again through Christ.

Creation restored, hearts renewed, formlessness, voidness, darkness, met by the eternal God of creation who will not stop, has not stopped, and does not intend to stop until all the losses we know, all the losses we experience, all the ways loss breaks into our everyday existences, experience the good news of the word becoming flesh and living among us.

Believe it on this first Sunday advent.  Claim it this season before Christmas.  Embrace it as the truth that defines our lives and our world, “And the Word became flesh and lived among us.”

Amen.

Discussion Questions

1. The sermon suggested that this season, in a way, is about loss, what did Jon have in mind and do you agree?
2. As you listened to the relationship between John 1 and Genesis 1 what were your reflections? What are the implications of John’s intentional echo of Genesis 1?
3. Jon suggested that in Christ’s birth God was at the work of creating again “order, life and light” into the “formlessness, emptyness, and darkness” of our lives. How does God recreating in Christ differ from the idea of “saving souls” that has permeated recent salvation talk?

Sermon audio.

“Ancient Anchors for Choppy Times:  Gratitude”

O give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his steadfast love endures forever.

That’s been refrain of our morning:

O give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his steadfast love endures forever.

That’s the way Psalm 118 both begins and ends:

O give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his steadfast love endures forever.

Psalm 118 is the last in a set of 6 Psalms called the Hallel that faithful God followers would have borrowed on their yearly pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the festival of Passover.

O give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his steadfast love endures forever.

Jesus, being a faithful God follower himself who made that journey up the narrow, steep, and treacherous Jericho road to Jerusalem, would have borrowed himself on his way this very Psalm and these very words:

O give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his steadfast love endures forever.

Tables are being set, hearts are being primed, and meals are being prepared for our national day of Thanksgiving.  I’m not now this morning intending to do a Sunday version of what we’ll do Thursday, what I’m wanting to do this morning is to invite you and encourage you not just to prepare a day of Thanksgiving but for a life lived in thanks.  Psalm 118 is going to be our refrain, but a story from Jesus, not coincidentally on his way to Jerusalem the words of our refrain near to his heart and mind, is going to be our context.  Listen to this familiar story, keep in mind our refrain:

O give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his steadfast love endures forever.

Now from the book that breathes life:

On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee.  As he entered the village, ten lepers approached him.  Keeping their distance, they called out, “Jesus, Master,  have mercy on us!”  When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.”  And as they went, they were made clean.  Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice.  He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him.  And he was a Samaritan.  Then Jesus asked, “Were not ten made clean?  But the other nine, where are they?  Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?”  Then he said to him, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.”

That’s the story I want to be the context that prepares us not for Thanksgiving Day but for a thanksgiving life.    There are a few things from the story I thing we need to know and frankly we need to do in order to live this thanksgiving life.  And remember now refrain,

O give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his steadfast love endures forever.

The story is told by Luke in his Gospel chapter 17 vv. 11 – 19, if you wanted to see it for yourselves.  Lets just work our way through it, I’ll stop occasionally and highlight a few things:

On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee.  As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him.  Keeping their distance, the called out, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”

Lets stop there for a bit.

Ten lepers approached him.  Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”

What strikes me as interesting, first, about these ten lepers, they knew who they were, “lepers,” and they knew where they belonged, “as a distance”.

Ten lepers approached him.  Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”

Leprosy is a generic name given to a kind of skin disease, no doctor had specifically diagnosed these and so no one was helping them in their unique pain.  But everyone knew, stay away from the lepers.  In fact, it was required by law that lepers themselves stay away so as not to infect.  If anyone came across a leper and touched them they couldn’t enter the temple until they had been cleaned.  It was a part of the holiness laws of the people of faith.  And all of that made it quite easy for these ten lepers to know who they were, “lepers,” and to know where they belonged, “at a distance.”   They weren’t acting shy or insecure or somehow reverent by keeping their distance and crying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”  Actually they were functioning out of what they knew to be true.

And I think for us to live a thankful life, more than just celebrating Thanksgiving Day, we need to function out of what we know to be true about ourselves.  We need to be really honest with ourselves about who we are (sick) where we belong (at a distance), and what we need (mercy).  A thankful life is not inspired by the person who thinks they’ve pretty well got it all together, who might appreciate an act of kindness, but for the most part could get by just fine without that act of kindness.

I wonder sometimes if that’s why people who have experienced some sort of dramatic conversation, a darkness to light story, seem to live their lives more expressively passionate about the faith than those of us who grew up in it.  The faith is no more or less authentic or real, it’s just that the person with the more dramatic conversion is more clear on who they are (sick), where they belong (at a distance), and what they need (mercy).  You know what I’m saying.

A thankful life begins with an honest assessment of ourselves.

Most of us don’t have a lot of physical needs, we might know a limitation or two, we might have to cut a recreational activity out of our lives every now and then, but we know pretty well they’ll be a roof over our heads, and a meal on the table.  So at first glance the honest assessment might leave us thinking I’m doing alright, and that assessment might leave us less grateful than we ought to be.  but beneath the surface of physical needs and material desires is a deeper truth about who we are that ought to leave us standing alongside of those ten lepers, at a distance, crying out for mercy.

I’m not now talking about some undiagnosable skin disease, I’m talking about our desperate our need to be cured of our insatiable desire to satisfy ourselves.  Why are we like that.  I’m not talking about some strange skin rash, I’m talking about our shocking inability to do anything other than return to the same sort of sins all the time.  Does it stun you as it does me how often you or I pray that same prayer of confession on Sunday morning.

In order to live the thankful we have to take an assessment of ourselves and the most honest assessment leaves us standing next to the lepers, at a desperate, begging for mercy.  And after you take that honest assessment of yourself I want you to borrow these words, say them with me now:

O give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his steadfast love endures forever.

Well done.

As he approached the village ten lepers approached him.  Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” When he saw them…

When he saw them…

I know that may not sound like the most impressive four words a Gospel writer could use but I sure them:

When he saw them…

When he saw them…

Jesus Christ, God in the flesh but God all the same, pays attention.  Jesus Christ, on his way to Jerusalem not to celebrate the Festival of Passover, but to become the lamb that led to the slaughter, stops along the way and sees them.  Jesus Christ, with the weight of the world on his shoulders and all that’s wrong with it in his heart, stops and notices.

When he saw them…

They may not be the most impressive words a Gospel writer could use but I’m sure glad he did, because those four words are just a detail of the story but the promise of God for us.

And doesn’t God always seem to stop and notice, to stop and see, to stop and pay attention to us.  Our to our needs, to our hear voices, to receive the cries our desperate hearts, to take notice of the heartaches and the sadnesses and the sicknesses that fill our days.  Doesn’t God always seem to be doing that.

I’ve been honest with you about the line of depression that runs through the tribe we call Brown.  It’s affected both of my Grandmas, its shown up in Uncles and Aunts, its wreaked havoc on my siblings and me too.  I’ve told you all of this before.  Part of the requirements of a first year student at Western Seminary is to receive a psychological evaluation.  Had I known I may not have enrolled.  I had my psychological evaluation and the post evaluation meeting with the psychiatrist.  We sat down ironically in my dad’s office.  I remember the psychiatrist was sitting across from me at one of those smaller round tables you’ve seen.  He was kind of a heavy-set guy, with a big beard, kind of orangish, he was balding in the front but had sort of longish hair in the back, kind of like a mullet, now that I think about it.  And he had dandruff on the shoulder pads of his sport coat.  I remember thinking to myself, I’m pretty sure one of us needs to meet with a psychiatrist I’m just not sure its me.  He went to diagnose me with two forms of depression.  I won’t bore you with all those details.   And he was right, I was.  And his diagnosis almost came as a relief, it sort of validated for me the heartsickness I was experiencing.  What was breaking my heart, I began to realize, was not so much my own hurts and sadnesses but the unending suffering of so many people in the world and my assumptions that God just wasn’t doing anything about it.

So many people hurt and never seem to get any better.  (It dawned on me later the people I was hurting for, the ones I considered to be suffering, rarely seem to blame God for their suffering like I had been.)  What began to lift me out of the depression of my depression were not the hours I spent with counselors, though that really helped, but actually an exegesis paper I had to write for my Hebrew class.  Exegesis papers normally make people depressed but when you already are I guess they have the opposite effect.  I wrote on paper Exodus 3.  Exodus 3 is the story of Moses and the burning bush.  The people of God were in Egypt, Joseph the man with the coat of many colors had led them there.  They knew prosperity with Joseph but then a new Pharoah took the throne and got nervous about all these Jews so decided to enslave, and he did, times ten.  Killed all of the newborn children, Moses, by a twist of God’s providence was played in a basket and set sail down the river where he was found and raised by Pharoah’s wife.  He grew strong and safe under the protection of Pharoah, but his heart began to break as he saw his fellow Jews suffering under the oppressive arm of Egypt.  He gets mad one day and kills a guy, he runs away.  To make a long story short, he meets a lady, marries her and is keeping the flock of his father in law Jethro when he sees a bush burning and calling his name.  He makes his way to the burning bush, talks off his shoes figuring that something holy is happening, and hears the voice of God.  And this is what he hears, this is what lifted me out of my depression.  “Moses, Moses… I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters.  Indeed I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them.

And you the rest of the story, the ten plagues, the parting of the sea, freedom.  That story became freedom for me too.  I have observed the misery of my people…. I have heard their cry… I know their suffering….

All of a sudden it dawned on me, the spirit of God dawned on me, God is not distant, dispassionate, or disinterested  in the suffering of his people in the world, quite on the contrary, God sees, hears, and knows, God sees, hears, and experiences in himself the suffering of his people in the world.

Ten lepers approached Jesus.  Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.”  When he saw them…

When he saw them…

When he saw them…

Friends the God of the universe sees, the God of universe hears, the God of the universe knows, experiences, feels in himself, the heartache, and the hurt and the sadness that oppresses us all, and he has come down in Jesus Christ to deliver.

To live a thankful life, not just celebrate Thanksgiving Day, begins with an honest assessment of ourselves and continues with an honest acknowledgment God is present in the midst of our pain, my pain, your pain.

So borrow with me these good words, I think you know them by heart by now: O give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his steadfast love endures forever.

When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were made clean.  Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice.

I’ve got to be honest, that whole exchanges sort of confuses me.

When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.”  And as they went, they were made clean.

I’m thinking the lepers would have thought to themselves or maybe even responded with something like, “Really?  Are you sure, Jesus?  Lets talk about this now.  The priests, you want us to go to the priests.  We’re not even allowed near a regular Jew, let alone near a priest of the Jews.  It’s not going to happen Jesus, they’re not going to let us.  The world is against that idea.   How about something better, something like what you did with the blind guy, when you just touched him real quick and he could see.”

That’s not the conversation that happened, that’s not the way it went.  Jesus said “Go” despite the oddity of his command, and the seeming unlikelihood that his mission had any chance at success, they went.  And as they went, they were made clean.

When Jesus says “Go” we go.  When Jesus says “Stay” we stay.  When Jesus says, “Wait” we wait.  Despite the likelihood of those commands resulting in any sort of success we follow them.  Despite the fact that those mission orders don’t abide by the social customs of the day we do them anyway.

Then one of them realizing he’s been made clean turns back, he turns around, he changes direction.  He stops moving in direction and starts moving in another.  A life lived in thanks is willing to change directions, is willing to stop doing one thing and start doing another.  A life lived in thanks is a life willing to be changed.  Oh wait, we’ve been over this, “Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed.”

Our thanks must always be more than merely words, it shows up in action, it shows up in what we do, it shows up when we’re willing to obey the commands that may seem seriously odd at the time and not abide by the social way of the day and is willing to change direction, turn back, turn around, change.

How odd would it be to gather around a feast on Thursday, with potatoes covered in gravy and stuffing out of a warm roasted turkey belly, and that red jello that everyone likes so much melting on your plate due to the warmth of the meal and the day, how strange would it be around that table to say aloud and proud, “I’m thankful for my family” only to wake up on Friday and disregard the needs requests and desires of your family.  It would make that word of thanks seem awfully (and I use that word carefully) awfully shallow.

How odd would it be to say on Thursday I’m so thankful to God for the provision he’s given us, a roof over my head, clothes on my back, money in my bank account allowing me travel to all sorts of places” and then turn around on Monday and misuse all that money for purposes wholly other than the one’s God might intend.

A life lived in thanks shows up in the way we live.

So borrow with me these words, but don’t let them ring hollow, back them up with your lives, you know them by now:

O give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his steadfast love endures forever.

He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him.  And he was a Samaritan.  Then Jesus asked, “Were not ten made clean?  But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?”

A life lived in thanks begins with an honest assessment of ourselves, continues with an honest acknowledgment that God is present in the pain, shows up in the way we live, and will often times leave us in the minority.

A life lived in thanks is likely to leave you swimming against the current, going against the flow, without a lot doing what you’re doing.

There’s no reason to believe the other nine weren’t thankful.  In fact I’m quite sure they were very pleased, and in fact one could make they argument they kept doing what Jesus told them to do, Jesus said, “Go show yourselves to the priests” and they did, mission accomplished, rule followed.  But only one returns, only one goes back, only one returns to the source of healing, not because he had too, not because he was ordered too, but because he wanted to, he wanted to say thank you.  And he was the only one.  Jesus says, “Were not ten made clean.  Where are they?”

Where are they?

Where are they?

A life lived in thanks may leave where are they, where did everybody go?  Am I alone, I am alone.

It’s quite easy to gather in the sanctuary on Sunday morning and sing the songs and say the prayers and confess with loudly and confidently “Jesus is Lord” but then there’s that deployment where not everybody is so Christian, not everybody is so willing to speak so loudly and confidently, will you say it alone, even if you’re alone?

It’s comfortable in the confines of our Bible Study to speak passionately about the call of Christ on our lives but what about at the Friday night gathering, when the call of Christ on our lives isn’t exactly cool, will you say it then too, even if you’re alone?

It’s popular I would think in the Sunday School classroom to give the right answer, to recite the verse, and proclaim the promise, but probably not very popular on the playground to give the right answer, to recite the verse or proclaim the promise, but will you do it anyway, even if you’re alone?

A life in thanks is likely to leave you in the minority.

Will you borrow these words with me even if someday you have to say them by yourself:

O give thanks to the Lord for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.

Jesus says to the one who returned, Get up and go on your way, your faith has made you well.

Interesting there’s more to healing than just deliverance from a disease.  Jesus has a deeper healing in mind, a greater healing in mind.  Jesus wants to make us well, not just healthier, he wants to make us well, whole, new.

Which brings me back to the amazing reality that Jesus himself borrowed the Psalm that has been our refrain this morning, “O give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his steadfast love endures forever.”

When Jesus interacted with the ten lepers, he was on his way to Jerusalem.  He travelled that same road before, likely every year of his life, he had travelled that same road.  He was a good and faithful Jew, and every faithful Jew would make the same pilgrimage Jesus made, up the winding way, along the steep cliffs of the Jericho Road .  Every year he would go to celebrate the Passover, the festival held in remembrance of God’s deliverance of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt.  They were ordered to kill a lamb and cover the door frames of their homes with blood a sign that they belonged to God and their lives would be spared.  Because of that amazing of deliverance they celebrated every year by travelling to Jerusalem.  And along the way, they would recite Psalms 113 through 118, called the Hallel.  You can read them at home if you’d like.  As they got nearer and nearer to the city they would recite the next Psalm.  Psalm 118, would likely have been recited at the city, in the city, it was final Psalm that marked the end of the journey.  Jesus would have borrowed Psalm 118 as he made his to Jerusalem this time too, this time though would be his last time, this time he would not go to celebrate the Passover festival to would become the sacrificial lamb.  And as he got to the city, as the crowd would have shouted Hosanna one day and Crucify the next day, Jesus would have been saying,

O give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his steadfast love endures forever.

The psalm goes on from there, I want you to listen to different portions of it, keeping in mind Jesus who would have had them on his heart and mind as the cross loomed large on the horizon of his life, as the shouts of crucify were growing louder.

Out of my distress I called on the Lord;
the Lord answered me, and set me in a broad place.
With the Lord on my side I do not fear.
What can mortals do to me?

All the nations surround me,
In the name of the Lord I cut them off!
they surrounded me,
surrounded me on every side;
in the name of the Lord I cut them off.

The stone that the builders rejected
has become the chief cornerstone.

Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord

O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
For his steadfast love endures forever.

As that as amazing to you as it is to me?  Jesus Christ in Jerusalem, the crowds gathering, the blades sharpening, soldiers scurrying, the Jews plotting, Jesus praying, “The stone the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.”

Crowds shouting, darkness hovering, anxiety swirling, Jesus praying, “they surrounded me, they surrounded me on every side.”

The cross rising, the soldiers mocking, the whip snapping, Jesus praying, “out of my distress, I called on the Lord.”

Tensions heightened, fear palpable, disciples running, Jesus praying, “O give thanks to the Lord for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.”

Jesus Christ had those words near his lips, on his heart, in his mind as he went to Jerusalem, as he neared the cross, as the grave began to call his name.  He did all of that not to make us nicer, but to make us new.  He did all of that not to heal our diseases but to make us well.  He did all of that not to make us happy but to make us whole.

A life lived in thanks imitates the one who died, not to make us nicer, but to make us new.

So borrow with me, the words of our Savior:

O give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his steadfast love endures forever.

Amen.

Sermon Recording

“Transformation”

For two months now, almost like a CD that keeps skipping, you’ve been hearing me say the same thing:

Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your minds…

I hope you don’t mind the repetition, its just that change can be so challenging I think its important to be reminded, its also gospel:

Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your minds…

A few Wednesday evenings ago I was standing in the hallway near the classrooms just before FFW when bumped into a young man, young like my age, whom I didn’t recognize.  So I introduced myself, welcomed him to FRC and asked him I could help him find his way around, he looked at me like sort of strangely and said, “I grew up here.”  I apologized for not realizing and then he said something that sort of disheartened  me, he said (sort of looking around like this), “Nothing has changed.”  You know when someone says something you don’t like to hear your heart sort of drops and your stomach starts to ache, that’s what happened to me.  I understand he didn’t mean anything about the interior of our life together, he meant the building looks the same.  I responded, sort of defensively to my embarrassment, “yeah, I suppose the walls look the same, but the people are changing.”  I wanted him to know we were experiencing here what Paul mandates, change:

Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your minds….

I love the fact that we have so many sailors with their families who worship with us.  And its been that way for a long time, long before I ever showed up here, sailors were docking themselves in the pews of this place.  Though its usually really hard to say goodbye to all the beloved sailors who have woven themselves into the fabric of our existence while stationed here only then to be sent elsewhere, the flip side is new people come, they come all the time, and on a rare occasion they come back after having been gone for a period.  Every now and then someone who is restationed at NAS Whidbey and shows up at FRC again, will say to me, “Wow, this place is so different.”  They may or may not be complementing us but I take it as encouragement, because Paul called us to change:

Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your minds…

This morning I want you to listen with me to a story of a changed life, actually a changed community.  I’m not going to tell you where its from just yet, I’ll tell you later.  I just want you to listen, I want you to listen carefully, and I want you to listen closely, because I think this story of change might continue to catalyze the change Christ is calling for from us.  Did what you need to do to listen most carefully:

Now those who were scattered went from place to place, proclaiming the word.  Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah to them.  The crowds with one accord listened eagerly to what was said by Philip, hearing and seeing the signs that he did, for unclean spirits, crying with loud shrieks, came out of many who were possessed; and many others who were paralyzed or lame were cured.  So there was great joy in that city.

Now a certain man named Simon had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he was someone great.  All of them, listened to him eagerly, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called Great.”  And they listened eagerly to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic.  But when they believed Philip, who was proclaiming the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.  Even Simon himself believed.  After being baptized, he stayed constantly with Philip and was amazed when he saw signs and great miracles that took place.

Now when the Apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them.  The two went down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit (for as yet the Spirit had not come upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus).  Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.  Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, saying, “Give me also this power so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.  But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain God’s gift with money!  Repent therefore of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you.  For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and the chains of wickedness.”  Simon answered, “Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may happen to me.”

Now after Peter and John had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, proclaiming the good news to many villages of the Samaritans.

This is the word of the Lord, its found in Acts  chapter 8, you may want to turn to it with me.  I kind of doubt the Apostle Paul had this specific story in mind when he said,

Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your minds…

but it sure does give us a window into what transformation looks like and what often accompanies it.

Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your minds….

Here’s how I’d like to organize ourselves for the next little while:  if we as a church are going to experience the kind of change Christ’s gospel calls for from us we’re going have be the kind of church that 1. talks a lot; 2. wherever we are and wherever we go; 3. about the best news imaginable; 4. We’re going to have to do it together; 5. And we’re going to have to do it often

I realize I’m usually good for 2 or 3 points but I can’t there’s at least 5 things that need to be noted this morning, so hang tight, here we go.

I

If we’re going to experience the kind of change Christ’s gospel calls for from us (because remember Paul did mandate “Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed…) then we’re going to have to be the kind of church that talks a lot….

How do you like that for the first point of a Sunday sermon?  But really, actually, I’m serious, I want you to talk a lot.  I want you to talk a lot at home, I want you to talk a lot at work, I want you to talk a lot with your friends on Friday nights and with your mom’s group on Thursday mornings, I want you to talk a lot in the classroom, I want you to talk a lot on the practice field, when you’re on vacation I want you to talk a lot, and when you’re raking leaves and the neighbor walks by I want you to talk a lot.  I want you to talk a lot.   I’m guessing for some of you this is welcomed invitation, you’ve got the gift of gab as they say, for others, and I’m going to guess from this crowd, probably most of you, not so much.  Whether you like it or not, I want you to talk a lot.

Here’s what I mean, look with me to Acts 8 v. 4:

Now those who were scattered went from place to place, proclaiming the word.  Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah to them.

The earliest Christians were always talking, they were talking about the word, they were talking about the Messiah.  And because they talk a lot change happens.  The whole of Samaria believes, Simon is converted, and then when they’re done there Samaria Peter and John travel on and keep talking, this is v. 25, Now after Peter and John had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, proclaiming the good news to many villages of the Samaritans.

Over and over again we hear about church talking, I’m not talking not chatting, but proclaiming, proclaiming the word of God and the messiah.  If we’re going to experience the change Christ calls for from us we’re going to have to be the kind of church that talks a lot.

And wouldn’t you agree with me the world needs us to talk a lot.

I’m now thinking of the single mom that you know she lives right up the road from you whose husband left her high and dry with bills to pay and kids to feed.  She needs you to talk a lot, you probably need to be quiet and listen for a while first, but when you’ve gained her trust be sure to tell her about the word of the Lord and Messiah.

Now I’m thinking about the elderly person whose facing all of those difficult end of life decisions, they’re body hurts, they’re mind is slowing, and they’re world is narrowing, don’t you think she want you to talk a lot, about the wide expanse of God’s mercy and grace in Jesus Christ.

Or what about the highschool teenager, whose not getting an ounce of positive attention at home, but figures if I act out at least someone will pay attention to me, so is constantly saying things and doing things that frustrate you not because he wants to be annoying but because he’s lonely, don’t you think he needs you to talk a lot, but the amazing grace in Christ’s love for and the exceptional care he has for the ones he loves.

I want you to talk a lot FRC.

Here’s the second thing, if we’re going to experience the change Christ’s gospel calls for from us (and remember Paul did mandate, “Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed…) we’re going to have to talk a lot, wherever we are and wherever we go…

Where ever we are and wherever we go.

Did this stand out to you as it did to me, this is still v. 4:

Now those who were scattered went from place to place proclaiming the word of God.  Philip went down to the city of Samaria.

Place and place and Samaria.

I want you to talk a lot wherever you are and wherever you go.

The reason they were scattered is because they were scared.  And they were scared because the Christ proclaiming was not a welcomed word where they were.  Stephen, one of the first Apostles’ had just been stoned to death because he proclaimed Christ.  And because the people in Jerusalem, particularly the Jews, were seriously tired of all this talk of the once dead now alive Jesus, an intense persecution broke out.  Christians abused, oppressed, put to death because they followed Christ and talked a lot, and many of them feared their own lives, they were afraid for their families, they were worried about their livelihood, so they scattered.  But amazingly they didn’t stop talking.

Among the places they go is the city of Samaria.  Remember Samaria?  The place the Good Samaritan called home, and the woman at the well encountered Christ.   There are a couple of Gospel stories that paint Samaria in a pretty good light, but don’t let those two fairly famous, fairly positive stories mislead you into thinking Samaria was a friendly place.  It wasn’t.  It was enemy territory, people of faith were not safe in Samaria, talk of one God was not welcome in Samaria, and proclamations of the God who took on flesh, died and rose again was insane in Samaria.  But that’s where they were, that’s where they found themselves, they where they were scattered so that’s where they talked a lot.

Now those who were scattered went from place to place proclaiming the word of God.  Philip went down to the city of Samaria.

And now I’m just wondering to myself where are you and where are you going.  Not now, not this moment, but later today or tomorrow.  Where are you going to find yourself, where ever you are that’s where you’re invited to talk a lot.

I know Mark Wernley is leaving his wife and new born daughter tomorrow for 4 month deployment.  He’s got a good spirit about him, but that’s no small thing, that’s no small task, to leave his home, his wife, his child for four months.  I don’t even like leaving for the weekend.  And Mark of course is only one of so many sailors in our midst who travel around the world.  Wherever you are, wherever you’ll be is the place you’re invited to talk a lot.  Think about the folks who might hear about the grace of Christ and the love of God because you’ll tell them while you’re on deployment.

Or the what about the students among us, who walk into the looming hallways of our local schools and interact with every kind of corner Oak Harbor has, wherever you are wherever you go is where you’re invited to talk a lot.

If you work you’re job description tells you to do one thing, do it, do it well, do it responsibly, do it excellently in the name of Jesus, but also realize, your job tells you to do one thing, your vocation, that is your calling in Christ, tells you to do still more, talk a lot.

Be kind, be gracious, don’t be obtrusive, or overbearing, listen as well as you talk, but don’t be afraid to talk, wherever you are, wherever you’re going.  Whether its in the comfortable confines of your circle of friends, or the scary places like Samaria, talk a lot.

III

If we’re going to experience the kind of change Christ calls for from us we’re going to have to be the kind of church that talks a lot, wherever we are and wherever we go, about the things we love the most.

The things we love the most, better said, the one we love the most.  And the one we love the most is the one who loves us first, Jesus Christ.

Look with me at v. 12:

But they believed Philip, who was proclaiming the good news about the kingdom and the name of Jesus Christ…

Philip was proclaiming the good news about the kingdom and the name of Jesus Christ.

There is so much for the church to talk about, there really is.  There are so many fronts from which the gospel is being attacked in our world and our culture.  There are so many angles that need to be addressed, so many moral issues that need to be discussed, so many religions that proclaim a different word and a different god.  There is so much for us to talk about.

But in the midst of all of th talking, please, please don’t forget to talk first, and don’t forget to talk most about the one we love, Jesus Christ.  Is there anything more magnificent to talk about to ones who don’t believe than the risen one.

Though the Christian faith has come to represent so many things, it first, foremost and always represents Christ.  Talk about him.

Talk about Jesus, who in God’s plan for the world, and for you, took on flesh so that he could know what it was like to be you, who lived among us and so experienced all the hopes and joys and hurts and heartaches that life doles out, who died for us so that any suffering you might ever suffer he suffers with you, and then rose again so that you and I can know completely and say confidently there is not a single power in this universe stronger than the one who overcome death.  Talk a lot and talk a lot about Jesus.

Talk about the one whose blood has been spilled for the forgiveness of our sins.

Talk about the one who promises “Behold I a making all things new.”

Talk about the one who calls the heartsick and the hurting to himself with these words, “Come to me all you are weary and carrying heavy burdens…”

Talk about the one who addresses addictions with these words, “I have come not for the healthy but for the sick.

Talk about the one who promises to the spiritually thristy, “I am the water of life.”

Talk about the one who to those who are trapped and chained and cornered, says, “I have come to proclaim release to the captives and set the prisoners free.”

Talk about the one who to those who are lost, and confused and attracted to so many misleading voices, says, “I am the way and truth and the life.”

Talk a lot, ok, and talk a lot about Jesus.

I  know there are so many other things to talk about too, and we should talk about them, but don’t let all the talk about all the others things keep us from talking about the one who loves us, who is the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, whose name we claim, whose life and death promises us life from death.

Are you with me?

There’s been a lot of talk in recent years about people who  are willing to engage Jesus but want nothing to do with the church.  I personally don’t think that’s possible, if you want to experience Christ eventually at least you’re going to have to engage his body, us.  But one of the reasons, I think, people even think such  a dichotomy exists is because in fact we talk so much about so many other things people aren’t hearing about the one we love.

Talk a lot, wherever you are and wherever you go about the one we love who loves us first, Jesus.

You saw the video that began the service.  A shameless attempt for you to celebrate the good and hard work our 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th graders are doing on Wednesday nights.  The video was meant to have little fun and clearly the students are but did you hear what they said, “I belong to Jesus” that’s my only comfort, I belong to Christ.  If that’s true for them and that’s true for you, talk about him.

You get the point.

IV

If we’re going to experience the kind of change Christ’s gospel calls for from us we’re going to have to be the kind of church that talks a lot, wherever we are and wherever we go, about the one we love and who loves us first, and we’re going to have to do it together.

We’re going to have to do it together.

Listen again, this is v. 12 ff.

But when they believed Philip who was proclaiming the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.  Even Simon himself believed.  After being baptized, he stayed constantly with Philip…

Let me say that again, “he stayed constantly with Philip…

Simon, the magician, made a living off his trade, magic.  But when he saw the power of Christ played out and heard the good news of the gospel he believed.  He gave up magic, he gave up his livelihood, he gave up his career to follow Christ.  And the first thing he did after being baptized was to

Stay constantly with Philip.

I suppose Simon may have stayed near Philip so he could witness some of the remarkable things accomplished through him.  I don’t know, or maybe, maybe Simon knew intuitively, what each of us must commit to actually, that is being together.  I’m not now talking just about the importance of the body of Christ as the gathering of the faithful, I mean the importance of finding some for you who will guide you, teach you, instruct you, care for you, help you, hold you accountable.  The Christian life was never meant to be lived alone, we need each other, and we need each other to keep each other moving in the right direction in life.

Simon stayed constantly with Philip.

Kristyn and I left the safe confines of Holland, MI 6 and ½ years ago and landed in foreign land of island country.  New people, new faces, a lot of new names though some were familiar, total and complete rookies.  If my hair was longer, my eyes were brighter, we had no children and we got a lot more sleep.  I don’t know if I’ve ever told you this but I was nervous.  Churches can be intimidating places especially when you’re a long way from the way embrace of your mother.  I knew what I was supposed to do in general, you know categorically, preach the gospel, visit the sick, teach the class, lead the meeting.  But the specifics of accomplishing those things were sort of intimidating.  I don’t know how to do a funeral, I had read about them, but I’d never done one.  I didn’t know how to lead a consistory meeting, I sat through a couple but had never set an agenda for one.  I really didn’t know what I was doing, so I committed myself to a couple of things, a couple of things I just flat out wasn’t going to miss on.  I committed, regardless of how good sermons were or how well I lead the meetings, I committed myself to proclaim who we are and whose we are.  That’s all I meant to do, stand up every Sunday and remind everyone who we are and whose we are.  That’s still all I try to do actually.  Second thing I committed myself to was this, I committed myself to say “I’m sorry.”  I wanted to be the kind of pastor who was willing to say, “I messed up.”  There aren’t very many things worse, in my mind, than making a mistake and not owning it.  I want to be able to say, “I’m sorry.”  Here’s the third commitment I made, I committed myself to sending every sermon I preach to my dad, I wanted someone other than my own eyes looking at the sermons I would preach as a way of helping me become a better preacher, and as part of that, I committed myself to meeting with two of our elders every week.  Every week I asked these two elders to guide me through the mostly wonderful but sometimes choppy waters of the pastoral life.  We meet differently now, but we still  meet every week.  Almost without fail, save illness or vacation, every week I get together with these two elders.   And I do that because I need them, without them I have a bad feeling this church would be in a very different place.   And when I meet with those elders I’m only doing what I want I you all to do if we’re going to experience the kind of change Christ’s gospel calls for we’re going to have to be the kind of church that talks a lot, wherever we are and wherever we go, about the one we love and who loves us first, and we’re going to have to do it together.

That’s one of the reasons I’m so committed to an innergenerational vision of the church, it’d be so much easier to niche market the church, just say “hey, our intended audience is the 30 somethings or the 70 somethings or whatever”  but we need each other.  We need to learn from one another.  You get my point.  I’m talking about finding a mentor.  If you don’t have a mentor in the faith, let me know I’ll try to connect you with someone.

Simon stayed constantly with Philip.

Here’s the last thing and then we’ll call it a morning

V

If we’re going to experience the kind of change Christ’s gospel calls for from us we’re going to have to be the kind of church that talks a lot, wherever we are and wherever we go, about the one we love and who loves us first, we’re going to have do it together, and we’re going to have to be open to change often.

We’re going to have to do it often.

Look with me at v. 18:

Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands he offered them money, saying, “Give me also this power so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”  But Peter said to him , “May your silver perish with you, because you thought that you could obtain God’s gift with money.  You have no part or share in this, for you heart is not right before God.  Repent therefore of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you.  For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and the chains of wickedness.”  Simon answered, “Pray for me to the Lord that nothing of what you have said may happen to me.”

I find that remarkable.  Simon, having heard the good news of the kingdom and of the name of Jesus Christ is converted, baptized and then d in the faith by Philip.  He witnesses the work of the spirit of God through Peter and John but is so wrapped up in his former way of life, in his old way of doing things, you know, selling a trick, he wants to buy the power of the spirit from Peter.  Who absolutely scolds and calls him to repent, to change, to be different than he currently.

What stands to me as really important for us, Simon’s conversion to the faith was not the last transformation required of him.  Because he belongs to Christ, he must continually change, continually give up the old self and the former way of life and enter into the new, the Christ way, the kingdom way.  And you and I are no different.  We may not be naïve enough to think we can buy the power of the spirit, but I do wonder what in us and what about us needs to change.

Isn’t that why Paul says, “Put to death therefore whatever in you is earthly…”

Isn’t that why the scriptures tell us, “Now I know in part, then I shall know fully…”

And oh sure, isn’t that why for two months now Paul’s proclamation has been echoing here, “Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed…”

The Christian faith calls us to become something other than we currently are.  God’s intentions for us do not stop at faith alone, as wonderful and as important as that is, Christ wants to keep on changing us.

Christ did not die for us rise for us and promise to return for us so that we could remain complacent in our comfortable lives but so that we could forever and always become more like him.

Do not be conformed but be transformed…

Christ did not suffer the crucifixion and the horror of death so that you and I could remain apathetic to the sins that still have a hold on us and the brokenness that still divides.

Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed….

Christ did not endure the agony of death that prompted him to cry out, “My God why have you forsaken me…” so that we could remain satisfied with ourselves as generally good, pretty nice, and basically believing.

Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed….

If we’re going to experience the kind of change Christ’s gospel calls for from us we’re going to have to be the kind of church that talks a lot, wherever we are and wherever we go, about the one we love  and who loves us first, we’re going to have to do it together and we’re going to have to change often.

Repent. Be transformed. Change.  That’s what Christ wants for us.

So here’s what I want you to do, every now and then we do this.  I’m going to invite the deacons forward to assist in worship by taking our tithes and our offerings.  As they do that and as you give your offering I want you also to take this sermon notes insert in your bulletin or a scrap piece of paper or on the ink and page of your heart and mind and I want you to write down how it is you think God might want you to change.  Maybe it has to do with the way you treat your wife, or maybe has to do with the addiction that has a hold on you, or the temptation that always seems to claim victory over you, or maybe its something I can’t imagine right now but the spirit of God has laid on your heart.  And then when you write it down, I want you to wad it up, rip it up, stuff somewhere and as a symbol, of your commitment to change.

Discussion Questions

1. The sermon made a big deal about Christ’s intentions to change us. How do you respond to the notion that “Christ’s died, rose again and promises to return for us to make us other than we are now”?
2. Peter reprimanded Simon saying, “May your silver perish with you, because you tried to obtain God’s gift with money…” Though we aren’t naive enough to think we can purchase the power of God we are rarely singly focused in our motivations. Is there something uniquely “sinful” about the intent of Simon’s heart that is differnet than our own intentions?
3. What are the obstacles you experience in following through on the 1st point of the sermon “to talk a lot,” that is to proclaim the good news of the Messiah?
4. Do you have a mentor in the faith?