Day 405 - What Are You Looking For?

A sermon delivered at First Presbyterian Church, Soddy Daisy, TN January 19, 2014

OT Reading: Isaiah 49: 1- 6
NT reading: John 1:29-42

Do you ever envy those folks who always seem to know exactly what they are doing and why? I’m thinking about the people who seem to be on a mission and things always seem to work out for them. And there are the other people we may envy, the ones who always seem to know what and how to say something. Never nonplussed, shy or nervous talking to someone, they always say the right thing.

It can leave you wondering if you are thinking or working hard enough. Most of us at one time or another wonder what are we supposed to do with our life. We may fret over where we are going, and are we going to leave a mark on the world.

Haven’t we watched friends or young family members approaching graduation from high school struggling to figure out the answer to that question. Because we love them and worry about them, we might even try to help them along to a solution by asking them the question, “What are you looking for?” Who among us has ever been a little restless with the uncertainty or indecision at some point in our life, struggling with the same question, “What am I looking for?” We call it the quest for self actualization, it seems to be the mark of our age. People pay a lot of money for help with the answer when it is already under our nose.

The Revelation of Jesus by John the Baptist

The Gospel of John is preoccupied with two questions, “What am I looking for?” and “How do I talk or testify about my faith?”  The first 18 verses laid out the shape of the whole Christian landscape. The evangelist says the essence of Jesus is the Word, the sound and signs of speaking. He introduces John the Baptist who is looking for and proclaiming the coming of the Light of the Messiah. He was effective because the religious leaders of the Temple sent emissaries to him with the question, “Who are you?” They wondered is he a prophet, perhaps Elijah himself, or even the Messiah? John the Baptist could have said, “Yes, I’m Elijah,” to bring more attention to him like some broadcast evangelists do today.

The temple leaders’ question, “Who are you?” shows how easily people confused the proclaimer with the one proclaimed. He was in a difficult spot. The evangelist who wrote John’s Gospel goes out of the way to discourage thinking of John the Baptist in any role other than messenger of the coming Good News. That might be why he omits any account of the baptism of Jesus. The evangelist makes sure everyone hears this message from John the Baptist, “Someone greater than I is coming and I am not worthy even to untie his sandals.”

But, when Jesus does appear at the Jordan River (v29), John recognizes him. When we dig into the actual Greek we realize John the Baptist speaks in prophetic language of revelation to the crowds, “Look! Here is the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. I saw the Spirit of God descend upon him like a dove. And the one who sent me to baptize (we know he means the Lord) told me the one on whom that dove rests brings the baptism of the Holy Spirit, this is the Son of God.”

The Call of Ministry

The next day, Jesus returns again, walking toward John by the Jordan River. John repeats his prophetic cry to two of his own disciples that are standing with him (v36), “Look!” Here is the lamb of God.” Does Jesus stop and embrace John, or acknowledge him?  No he walks on, ignoring John. But John’s two disciples, Andrew and the unnamed (beloved?) disciple, follow Jesus who turns around and asks them, “What are you looking for?”

Let’s use our imagination here. John the Baptist is standing with two of his more trusted or reliable disciples (they are the only ones mentioned). Jesus walks by and recruits them! The Baptist might naturally be a little miffed at Jesus for recruiting his disciples but we find out in 3:29-30, that John understands the situation with humility, “My joy has been fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease.”

The Ministry Begins

This exchange with John’s disciples describes the actual beginning of the ministry of Jesus. Let’s take it apart to see how it unfolds because it is a model for effective ministry. First we hear John the Baptist proclaim the identity of Jesus to his disciples. Next, the listeners respond to Jesus by following him and he asked them the question, “What are you looking for?” How do they reply? “Where are you staying ?” What is the response of Jesus? “Come and see.”

Right here is a short and sweet lesson on effective ministry. It consists of a proclamation, or testimony that compels a response to follow and learn more. We hear the question of Jesus, “What are you looking for?” and a response, “Where are you staying (or tell us more)?” Finally we hear an invitation to “Come and see!”

This is a truly the example of Christian vocation and attitude. There is no fire and brimstone preaching, no loud sermons, just the testimony of John the Baptist to his disciples about the Word. We can substitute “us” for John the Baptist and “our friends” for “disciples.” We testify about the Word to our friends and invite the interested ones to “come and see.”

What would you say are the most important things that happened in this ministry narrative? The first is a proclamation of the identity of Jesus, and the second is the invitation of hospitality to the people who responded to the proclamation. We can overlook a third thing of importance, the reaction by John the Baptist over the loss of his disciples. He did not object that Jesus was stealing his disciples, nor did he try to out-preach Jesus to win them back, rather he adopted a humble attitude that acknowledged that he must diminish as Jesus increases in stature and his ministry increases.

This narrative is the prototype of effective ministry but I’ve left out the last step of ministry. After Andrew spent time and discovered who Jesus is, immediately he goes to his brother, Simon Peter, tells him, “We have found the Messiah,” and brings him to meet Jesus. Now, two thousand years after starting with Andrew and the other disciple, here we are with 3 billion or so Christians…

All started by a simple question , …“What are you looking for?”

That ought to be the question on the tip of every Christians’ tongue if we believe our Christian vocation is to follow that model of ministry proclaiming the Good News and teaching those who hear to do the same. Our vocation is to proclaim the Good News.

Of course, the challenge we all face is not “What are you looking for?” but “How do I do it?” We face barriers. Some say, “I’m not comfortable ‘preaching’ or publically proclaiming my faith. I don’t know what to say.”

We get all tangled up in those words, “testimony” and “preaching.” We think testimony literally must be standing up and telling people how you came to understand your Christian faith.  But that idea of testimony has two pitfalls. The first trap comes when we believe giving the testimony is more important that having the testimony heard. This is my main complaint with our street preachers. The other pitfall is to think testimony always means giving a sermon or speech.

Isn’t the most powerful testimony no more than sharing one’s experiences of simply living one’s life with a Christian focus? This is why I regularly return to the lesson Jesus taught the temple lawyer who sought to entrap Jesus. When asked what is the greatest commandment Jesus responded “To love the Lord with all your heart, mind soul and strength and the second is to love your neighbor as you love yourself.”

Jesus really acknowledged those two commandments define his and our vocation. When we live in conformity to them we are giving the world the most powerful testimony about the Good News. No fancy speech is necessary.

In the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew, in the Sermon on the Plain in Luke, Jesus has a single message, “My life is a testimony to the glory of God and I invite you to live the same way that I do.” Christian life really is the best testimony of faith that we have.  When we walk out the front door of this sanctuary we carry a sign that says, “Look at me, I’m a Christian. I invite you to live the same way I do.”

It isn’t always easy at first. We are not perfect. We get mad and say hurtful things. We argue when we should forgive. We are hesitant to help someone we think might be freeloading. We value our possessions and our status. No one likes to be embarrassed or humiliated. We all do it. When we stumble we ask for forgiveness knowing that too is part of the actual act of proclaiming what we believe. Being a Christian is the hard work of practice, practice, practice remembering that a Christian is always in the testifying mode.

John the Evangelist tells us there is another part of ministry after testimony, the first commandment. It is that second commandment: hospitality.

Hospitality has always been something special to Christians. Jesus was criticized for his hospitality. He entertained thieves, the physical and spiritual unclean, prostitutes, tax collectors and the like. In the first centuries hospitality practiced the way Jesus understood it set Christians apart.

In the Roman era, power was the great virtue. One way to power is through those you know. Such hospitality is a strategy of discrimination. Only invite to your home those that you can curry favor and help you get power. You’ve heard the expression, “It is all in who you know.”

Hospitality is more challenging than testimony. Jesus said it is easiest to love your friends. We may not be as discriminating as Roman, but how many of us turn down an opportunity or contact to help us get something done?

Often we rely on our contacts for the noblest of reasons and depth of compassion. That is what friendship is about. We find the child’s indiscriminant hospitality inside that second commandment to love others as we love our self. Children usually invite a new-found friend over to play at their house just to play. They usually don’t go through all the scheming and thinking about is this a good person to know or not, they simply invite someone over because the like them. We do need to teach our children to be careful with hospitality so they do not endanger themselves, but how careful are we to display Christ’s hospitality as adults?

Many Christian writers say the modern church is losing the habit of hospitality because we are too uncomfortable with the religious invitation, not to our Christian friends attending church somewhere else but to others. I’m thinking about people who have stopped attending church because they were bored or had their feelings hurt, who are alienated against the church because we have excluded them, who feel an emptiness and hunger and are looking at our smiling faces wondering, “Where are you going?”

I challenge us all to let our life be real ministry - the testimony of our belief. Listen for people asking, “Where are you going?” You may not hear those words, but only find an inquisitive conversation or smile that gives the idea a person is interested. Keep those three words at the tip of your tongue so you can use them, “Come and see!”  That is really what ministry and Christian vocation is all about. Amen.

Day 398 - To Fulfill All Righteousness

A Sermon delivered at First Presbyterian Church, Soddy Daisy, TN

OT reading: Isaiah 43:1 - 4

NT reading: Matthew 3: 13 - 17

Do you ever wonder about the childhood of Jesus? The recognized Scriptures ("the Canon") are silent with the exception of Luke’s account of Mary and Joseph losing Jesus and finding him in the temple talking with the elders. Mark begins with adult Jesus walking up to John the Baptist who baptized him. John gives us much the same account as Mark, except he is not very clear that John baptizes Jesus. Luke just tells us "Jesus was baptized.” In this passage from Matthew, Jesus speaks for the first time in Matthew's account and it is the most detailed description of his baptism.

It is a passage rich with meaning. Matthew intimates Jesus is aware of the necessity of his baptism and makes it clear we are dealing with the human Jesus, not the God Jesus. This is important because the essential parts of human salvation are represented in the humanity of Jesus; namely, his righteousness that resisted temptation is all human forms, and his death and resurrection.

All the synoptic Gospels agree that the heavens opened and the Holy spirit like a dove descended on Jesus as a voice said, “This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.” Luke suggests everyone heard this. The Gospel of John says John the Baptist testifies to hearing the words. Matthew and Mark indicate very clearly this was a voice heard only by Jesus. The words “The heaven’s opening up” are a Semitic construction for a revelation communicated by God which is why this is one of the epiphany Sundays.

We might to ask, “What do Matthew (and Mark) tell us spiritually about the baptism of Jesus?”  “How is the act of baptism an important part of our own spiritual lives?”

In Matthew John the Baptist argues with Jesus about baptizing him until Jesus tells him, “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” “To fulfill all righteousness” does not mean to achieve fully moral behavior; it means to achieve the complete will of God for humanity. (God is always acting on humanity, never the other way around.)

These words of Jesus telegraph to the listening Jews God’s interaction with Abram before the time that his faith was tested with Isaac and before he was told to circumcise his children and certainly before the Law existed. God reckoned Abram righteous solely because of his obedience in following God’s command to leave his native land and go to Canaan. Genesis 15:5-6 says, “(God) brought (Abram) outside and said, ‘Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them.’ Then he said to him, ‘So shall your descendants be.’ And Abram believed the LORD; and the LORD reckoned (it to him) Abram as righteousness.”

The physical act of the baptism of Jesus also recalls our OT reading, Isaiah 43:2-3, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; … For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. “You are my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” Matthew’s words tell us God did something special here. “You are my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased” is the revelation to a fully spiritually awakened Jesus. It is the epiphany of his divine identity and vocation.

Matthew suggests the baptism of Jesus culminated his spiritual maturity (Luke: at age 30). It flowered fully at his self-recognition of his divinity and humanity. The importance of the gift of the Holy Spirit in the baptism of Jesus is its presence in each gospel, and his very next actions, going into the desert and experiencing the temptations, and beginning of his ministry afterwards. both support the importance of this baptism as the epiphany of Jesus.

Scriptures such as Acts 8:14-17, where Philip converted many Samaritans, say they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus and had not yet received the Holy Spirit that came only when Peter and John laid hands on them. Later (8:36-39) when Philip baptized the Eunuch the Holy Spirit came and took Philip away. These Scriptures show that as happened with Jesus, baptism is subordinate to the reception of the Holy Spirit.

Given all this, what does baptism mean to us? Is our baptism different that the one Jesus had? Where does the Holy Spirit come into play?

Calvin originated most Presbyterian Reformed Protestant thought. Calvin focused almost entirely on Baptism as the mark of the new covenant. He was literally dead set on refuting the arguments of the Anabaptists who believed baptism was a conscious act of will to accept faith, and on differentiating his ideas from Catholicism but not abandoning infant baptism. Calvin said circumcision marks God’s first covenant with the Hebrews. Both OT and Paul’s writing in Romans justify him on this. Calvin concluded Christian baptism is like Jewish circumcision. It marks the second covenant of Christ with all humanity.

According to Calvin, if the new covenant and the old covenant bear an analogous religious connection with God, then we must understand baptism the same way Jews understand circumcision. It is the act that marks a child of the covenant signifies selection of God’s chosen people and subservience to God.

Calvin concludes that baptism is completely connected to preexisting grace or election of Christians by God, just like God reckoned Abram righteous. (Abram did not actively embrace righteousness, he was reckoned righteous.) Calvin then concludes all Christians are similarly preordained and since baptism is the sign of the covenant and being “set aside as righteous from before the womb,” we should baptize all Christian children as the mark of grace. He said even though infants cannot understand the nature of the act, it can’t hurt them. He even went on to say in his Geneva Catechism of the Church of Geneva (see ref 1), " It is not necessary that faith and repentance always precede baptism" as justification of this position.  In spite of his interest in the Holy Spirit, the weakness of Calvin's argument is that it downplays the revelatory nature of the Holy Spirit in baptism.

Infant baptism upsets a lot of our Protestant friends for this very reason. They believe baptism is a public act signifying faith and repentance; namely, that we have voluntarily accepted God's salvation of our lives. Some take it to the extreme and deny universal Christian baptism saying it marks membership and affirmation of belief of a particular congregation or denomination. I am not interested in arguing these issues today. I only want to emphasize the sacramental nature of baptism.

I hope we all believe baptism is a sacramental sign of our relationship to God. I want to explore how baptism is related to the epiphany of God’s grace poured out upon us.

For Presbyterians, baptism is a much broader symbol of belief. It is a sign of rebirth. It is a public personal promise made by parents and congregation to provide Christian nurture to the baptized child or adult. It is sign of the unity of membership in the Church universal. The baptismal vow emphasizes that our own relationship to God places the responsibility on us for our children’s and unbaptized adults’ spiritual life.  (If you first publically professed your faith in the Presbyterian Church as an adult, you would have been baptized. If you are a professing Christian and have not been baptized you ought to consider it.) If we are loyal to that baptismal vow, we accomplish the same end, if not more, as a profession of faith and baptism in the church that does not baptize infants.

For those of you who were baptized, do you remember your own baptism? A lot of us former Baptists and Pentecostals who came to the Presbyterian denomination probably do.

I grew up in the Southern Baptist Church. I remember getting up during the invitation at the end of the service and announcing to my pastor I wanted to be baptized. It must have been in late elementary school I am not sure, but I remember it quite well. I remember standing in the pews and feeling an urge to go down, but I cannot remember any real conscious reason fort hat decision. God seemed to move me. For reasons I did not understand, it seemed the right thing to do. I remember many of the details of my baptism down to the robe I wore, the handkerchief over my mouth and nose, and the words of institution as I was immersed.

Matthew points out the revelatory power of baptism. It should invoke the Holy Spirit to reveal our obligation to God to fulfill the whole of righteousness. What is the whole of righteousness? It is everything I have preached over the weeks. It is the whole work of God in the universe. It is awareness of our call to a Christian vocation. It is our awareness of the demand to apply the greatest two commandments to the n^th degree in our personal life. It is a reminder that adherence to the Law serves no purpose if our heart is not obedient to the Lord. Jeremiah in 4:4 proclaimed God’s command, “Circumcise your heart to the Lord.” Isaiah said much the same thing.  Paul said we are condemned if we choose to follow to the Law. Paul repeated Genesis: God reckoned Abram righteous before the law existed, so Christ reckons us righteous before there were denominations. We have the same obligation Jesus had at his baptism, to fulfill all righteousness; that is, to work to effect God’s will on earth, as he desires us to do.

As Presbyterians, our practice of infant baptism can put us in a little bind with that obligation. We baptize our children before they understand its significance for all the good reasons I’ve mentioned; but if we heed our baptismal vow, we will all provide a fully rich nurturing environment for our children. So do we need to do for our children?

Part of our obligation to nurture the children in Christian faith is to teach them so they may make a public confession of faith and accept the responsibility to participate in the life of the church. We call that process their confirmation. After confirmation they are no longer baptized members but active members in the full life of the church. It is not something to do lightly.

Confirmation is a process of Christian education of children and newly baptized members followed by an examination by the session that they enter our congregation as productive members. Did you know that every active member of the congregation agrees to 

(1) proclaim the good news in word and deed; 

(2) to take part in the common life of the congregation; 

(3) to lift up each other in prayer, mutual concern and active support; 

(4) to study Scripture and issues of Christian faith and life; 

(5) to support the ministry of the church though giving time, talents and money; 

(6) to demonstrate a new quality of life within and through the church; 

(7) to respond to God’s activity in the world through service to others; 

(8) to live responsibly in personal, family, vocational, political, cultural and social relationships of life; 

(9) to work in the world for peace, justice, freedom and human fulfillment; 

(10) to participate in the governing responsibilities of the church; 

(11) to review and evaluate one’s own integrity in membership, and to consider ways to increase ways to increase and make more meaningful one’s participation in worship and service? That is the syllabus for a confirmation class.

It is quite a list of tasks. We should always recall it when we read of the baptism of Jesus and when we participate in the baptism and confirmation of members.

Our baptism is a reminder of Christ’s baptism and our membership in the congregation of believers who have promised to bring their gifts to these eleven tasks. The most important of task in regard to our children is to be mindful when it is time for a confirmation class.

reference 1: John Calvin, Theological Treatises, edited by J.K. S. Reid, Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1954, page 134.

Day 391 - Decisions, Decisions

A Sermon given January 5, 2014 at First Presbyterian Church, Soddy Daisy, TN*
OT reading: Isaiah 60: 1-9
NT reading: Matthew 2: 1-12

Last week we heard the gospel of John (John 1:1-18, blog post) describe the light
of Christ shining in the darkness of the world. After I’d written most of this sermon,
I looked up the sermon I preached last year this time. It was my first sermon at First
Presbyterian Church and its title was “Every circumstance is an opportunity to
shine” (Day 28).  That's always a very good idea to keep in mind on Epiphany
(revelation)
Sunday.

Our passage today is a familiar one but its connection to Epiphany may be lost in 
its familiarity. We often only recall the figurines of the three wise men (or “three 
kings” as the hymn goes) bearing gifts in our Christmas manger scene. Their 
confrontation with Herod isn’t the first thing we remember.

It is interesting the way the story has grown over time and differs from Luke’s 
account that does not mention the Magi. Matthew does not tell us how many came
or tell us they are kings. He says the Magi entered the house not a barn/manger.
Luke says Joseph and Mary lived in Nazareth and returned to Bethlehem for the
census and Jesus was born or stayed in a stall of a barn but Mathew says they
lived in Bethlehem where the Magi entered their house because later after they had
fled to Egypt to escape Herod Joseph feared to return home to Bethlehem and went
to live Nazareth in Galilee.  The Magi probably traveled at least a couple weeks
from the eastern reach of Arabia, and Matthew. They are described as Magi from
the East, not wise men, literally Oriental scientists of the time, or probably sorcerers
and astrologers.

Matthew’s description of this visit by the Magi evokes the beginning of the Book of Exodus leading us to a parallel between Jesus and Moses:

The story in Ex. 1:8-22 tells us that although Joseph was welcomed by the Pharaoh and the Hebrews gave great benefit to Egyptian society, when the next Pharaoh came to power he only saw the Hebrews as a large internal threat that might side with the enemy if there was a war. Therefore, he decided to make their lives hard and oppress them ruthlessly into tasks of slavery.

This new Pharaoh told the Egyptian midwives to kill all the new males as they were born but the midwives feared God and refused, so he ordered all Egyptians to kill all the males born to the Hebrews.

This Pharaoh faced a decision. He could welcome the Hebrews as constructive members of Egyptian society and his predecessor did, or he could decide they were a threat and do something about it.  You know the rest of that history, the baby Moses was spared and the Hebrews made it to the promised land.

In the same way, Herod faced a decision some time after the birth of baby Jesus 
when these Magi from the East of Arabia arrived at his door looking for the Messiah.
They surprised him with their quest for the new king.

Herod as you know was a Judean and the local ruler of the Roman province of Palestine. As far as Rome was concerned, Jew and Judean were synonymous. 
Judah and Jerusalem were the center of Palestinian society where the wealth, the Temple and society existed. The poor in the hinterlands such as Galilee were irrelevant to Rome. When the Gospel writers refer to “The Jews” they really are referring to the Judeans who were the religious and governmental elite.  Ignoring
this subtle distinction between the Judeans and Jewish population at large caused centuries of anti-Semitism.

This meeting between Herod and the Magi does pose an interesting question. 
When a Jewish leader hears the Jewish Messiah may have been born, should he rejoice, fear for his loss, or just be curious?  An observant Jew thinks the Hebrew’s return from exile and rebuilding the Temple is the most powerful action and gift of 
God to the Jewish people in Palestine. When Alexander the Great and later Rome subjugated Palestine a few years later, it ought to have made even the least 
observant Judean long for the Messiah.

But Herod and his family had quite the success as the ruling representatives of 
Rome in Palestine. They had elegant summer palaces and enjoyed the benefit of skimming the wealth taken from the people in taxes. These Magi posed a circumstance to Herod that required a decision. Herod had the choice to take this news of a new Messiah is an opportunity to shine, or as an opportunity to retreat 
into dark grip of fear.

He chose fear and the verses following our reading show how far he sunk into darkness. 
When the astrologers did not return and inform Herod where the child lived, he ordered the murder of all male children in Palestine who were under two years old.

I've also wondered what the astrologers were thinking when Herod questioned them about the time of the birth of this Messiah according to their reading of the stars and his desire to know where Jesus was located. The fact that Herod wanted to meet in secret should have give the Magi reason to be suspicious, even though Herod said 
he only wanted to go and pay homage to the baby Jesus. The Magi were going back home, why would they think this Jesus meant something to them. Whatever they thought, their dream caused a realization and decision not to betray the location of Jesus by returning home using a different route that avoided Herod. The Magi 
seized this opportunity to pay homage to the baby Jesus as an opportunity to shine 
by protecting the child.

My point with Pharaoh, Herod and the astrologers is that they faced a dramatic and extreme decision about honoring God’s desire or not. Pharaoh and Herod made the choice to dishonor God but the Magi decided to honor God.

Few of us think that we very often face dramatic circumstances where our decision affect the course of life for many people, are circumstances where we have the opportunity to honor God or abuse his grace…Yet I have to wonder, is that really 
true?

If we look over the past year here in First Presbyterian Church on this Epiphany Sunday, and ask what did we decide to do, what would we find out?

I think we find out we have made a difference through decisions.

I can’t speak for the year before, but last year we had two very good children's programs that brought into our midst both family and strangers, children and adults. We had a great Christmas music service, and a well-attended Christmas Eve 
service with a lot of new faces. We have had a great combined garage/rummage sale/music program. I know it was not as big we have had in the past but we did it 
and it was good. We have had a very good year of Sunday school program. We 
have also seen an increasing participation of young people both, new and old, in 
our Wednesday evening program.  Our Presbyterian women are searching for opportunities for us to make a difference in the community.

I noticed more parents and families of our junior high aged children who only come Wednesday evening at our Christmas program.  We have in this group of kids some late middle-school aged children that are hungry for positive role models.

It looks to me like there's really been quite a bit of the spirit of Christ’s light shining from First Presbyterian Church over the past year. We all can take comfort in being 
a part of it.

We also make many decisions that are known only between God and ourselves that have great spiritual impact. For example, we may make decisions that reflect the extent of our love for our own children. Sometimes those decisions are made 
painfully when we see our children make poor decisions that cause a lot of grief. Some parents could get angry and just write off the child, but others find a way to 
hang onto that love and be sure that children know it.

That kind of decision is perhaps the most important one we can make. It can have a profound and large impact on the world. Who knows when a child will hear and respond to a parent’s love and years hence make a positive life-changing decision 
that impacts us all. Perhaps it is something like encouraging them to finish high 
school, go to college, pursue a dream vocation, or pick up the pieces after a costly personal mistake and live a better life rather than stepping into a spiral of disaster, depression and failure.

We may decide to help with a youth Sunday school class or work with the youth in 
a particular age group on Wednesday evening even though we are not sure how to 
do it and we know it will take time away from other activities we might want to do. 
Such decisions have far-reaching consequences because the message it delivers 
is, “I care about you and Christ cares about you.”

In reality, we face many more opportunities for decisions that can have far-reaching positive consequences than we appreciate. Our challenge… often is recognizing the circumstance as the opportunity to shine.

For example, when someone decides to write a note to a visitor or invite a friend to worship with us, it can have far-reaching consequences that enhance and improve 
our circumstances. That invited person may become part of an empowered group 
who starts a cascade by inviting their friends to worship with us. Some times the 
child we love and teach ends up bringing parents along to worship weeks or months later. 

Opportunities abound.

We fret that the dark forces around us are debilitating or harming our religious 
practice and expression, or at least it appears that way to us. But as the message 
from John told us last week, if we possess the Light of Christ we cannot be extinguished. We really have no choice other than to walk in John’s world that is 
ruled by darkness.

There are many people among us here in Soddy Daisy, in Hixson, in Chattanooga who have an unmet yearning for comfort, solace, peace and fellowship - people who are hungry for the light that leads them from darkness to the light of Christ.  Most of the time our challenge is to be certain we present to those people the opportunity for them to find us. We can fight the darkness by struggling against the forces of it and changing laws. At times that is the thing to do. But… the best investment we can make is to be sure we have our lights turned on so those people can find us.

How can we do this? It takes decisions and risking failure. We have an elementary school next door and every day from August until May we have parents and students coming and going. You know as well as I that sadness, joy, frustration, anger and rebellion lurk in those cars and busses, be it children, parents or teachers. Is there a way for us to become involved in the school’s educational activities? Is there a way to attract attention of the parents to us, not by standing on the corner preaching and waving Bibles but perhaps by offering a cup of coffee to a frazzled mother on her way home after that race to get the kids dressed, fed and out the door. That is a friendly, non-threatening way to say hello and get to know each other.

We receive calls on the office phone on a regular basis from people in the community who are having difficulty with rent or utilities or school supplies. I am sure from my own experience working with the unemployed and homeless that some people are in that circumstance because of poor choices and bad judgment. Giving them money may only hurt them more but so does doing nothing. Some are there due to circumstances beyond their immediate control, they may have never learned how to avoid always being one step removed from catastrophe. With good role models and motivation they can learn how. The only way to find them is to get to involved and know them. They may be the opportunity sent by God (angels) to teach us to make a difference by inviting them to explore a path to a productive Christian vocation that can empower them to take control of their life.

It appears to me that our decision is not to find the opportunities that we should tackle. The decision is to overcome the barrier posed by our comfortable personal lives, and I speak for all of us, showing we have the light of Christ within and look outward around us with eager hearts and ears for the circumstances in our community that are an opportunity to shine with Christ’s light. The world is a dark place for many people who are searching for God, but not for us, we have the light of Christ. The real lesson we learn from Herod and Pharaoh is to decide to glorify God with that light within us.

* As usual Scripture is taken from NRSV, via Oremus Bible Browser unless otherwise noted.