Day 1868 - Are You Listening?

A sermon shared with First Presbyterian Church, Spring City, TN, Jan. 14, 2018

The last couple weeks, I’ve begun the sermon by sharing directly the idea of the sermon with our young people, hopefully making the sermon more interesting to you and everyone.

This week, I have a question for you, “What do you want to be?”  Why?

Now let’s share a story about how a young man called Samuel and his mother named Hannah discovered what he was to become:

Story of Hannah and Samuel

Hannah’s husband was a man named Elkanah.  In those days, it wasn't unusual for a man to have two wives and Hannah was one of two.  Hannah was not able to have children because the Lord had decided to prevent her from having children.  This made her life very sad.  Although her husband was very religious and always took both wives to worship, his other wife would give Hannah a very hard time because she had no children.

This went on for a long time and finally one day Hannah decided she was so sad she must go to go to the House of the Lord to pray. The priest Eli was sitting there on a seat while Hannah prayed.  Hannah was deeply upset, and prayed to the Lord all the while weeping bitterly.  She made a promise that if the Lord will look favorably upon her and gave her a son that she would dedicate his son to service of the Lord. Her son wouldn't drink any wine or anything was intoxicating and he would not shave as was the custom for priests.

Eli the priest saw her mouth moving as she was praying silently and decided because he heard no voice she must be drunk.  He confronted her, asking why she was so drunk in front of the temple and told her to put her wine away. Hannah said she was not drunk, but was a deeply troubled woman pouring her prayers to the Lord.  “I am openly speaking out about my grief and anxiety all this time over my lack of a son,” she said.

And so Eli realized the situation and told her to go in peace because the God of Israel will grant the petition/prayer that she made to him. She went home and was no longer sad, and in due time she had a son who she called Samuel.  Samuel in Hebrew means, “I have asked him of the Lord.”

When Samuel was old enough to go to the temple to be weaned she took in there and dedicated him to the service of the Lord.  She brought him to Eli and said to him, “I am the woman who was standing in her presence praying to the Lord for a son who has granted my wish.  I am here fulfilling my promise to the Lord that as long as my son lives, he belongs to the Lord.  She left him Samuel with Eli for the Lord.

And then we pick up the Old Testament reading for the sermon which is the story of how God called Samuel to his service.  We describe this as “Samuel’s call satory.” Here it is:

1 Samuel 3:1-10, (11-20)

1   Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord under Eli (taking care of the Temple).  The word of the Lord was rare in those days; visions were not widespread.  (explain a little history of Judges)

2   At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his room; 3 the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was. 4 Then the Lord called, “Samuel!  Samuel!” and he said, “Here I am!” 5 and ran to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But Eli said, “I did not call; lie down again.”  So he went and lay down. 6 The Lord called again, “Samuel!” Samuel got up and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.” 7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. 8 The Lord called Samuel again, a third time. And he got up and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. 9 Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down; and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’”  So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

10   Now the Lord came and stood there, calling as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” 11 Then the Lord said to Samuel, “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make both ears of anyone who hears of it tingle. 12 On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. 13 For I have told him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them. 14 Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be expiated(erased/forgiven) by sacrifice or offering forever.”

15   Samuel lay there until morning; then he opened the doors of the house of the Lord.  Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli.  16 But Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son.” He said, “Here I am.” 17 Eli said, “What was it that he told you? Do not hide it from me. May God do so to you and more also, if you hide anything from me of all that he told you.” 18 So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. Then Eli said, “It is the Lord; let him do what seems good to him.”

19   As Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground (people listened to him). 20 And all Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was a trustworthy prophet of the Lord.

This is how Samuel was called to be the great prophet who anointed Saul, the first king of Israel, and the second, King David.

End YP, start main

John 1:43-51

43   The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee.  He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.  45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.” 46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” 47 When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, “Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!” 48 Nathanael asked him, “Where did you get to know me?” Jesus answered, “I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.” 49 Nathanael replied, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” 50 Jesus answered, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.” 51 And he said to him, “Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”

On one of my earliest days with you, after the worship service Mason came up to me and asked me a question.  He asked about God, I think he asked, “How did I know God existed?” (Do you remember, Mason? If so, what did you ask?)

His question struck me for a number of reasons.  First, I thought it was a very perceptive question from a young man.  And then as I thought about it as I prepared this sermon, it occurred to me that I he must've asked me, not out of curiosity but also perhaps because like Samuel he had been listening and God prompted the question to me as much as to Mason.  As I prepared this sermon it occurred to me that perhaps that is the appropriate question, "Was God speaking through Mason?" And that prompted my sermon title: “Are we listening?”

I am certain that many of us it one time or another wonder exactly what does God want to do with us, or maybe even is God out there?  It surely would be nice if God just took us by the shoulders and shook us gently and said, “Listen to me,  Go do this!” After all, that’s what happened to Samuel.

    That’s what happened to Paul on Road to Damascus. Acts 9:1-9

    That’s what happened to Moses. Exodus 3:7-12

    That’s what happened to Jeremiah. Jeremiah 1:4-10

    That’s what happened to Isaiah. Isaiah 6:1-13

    I could go on, Jonah, Daniel, Ezekiel, Hosea

But it isn’t always that way…call of Nathanael

And Nathaniel's call because Jesus was walking along and told Nathanael he knew who he was.  When Jesus acknowledged him by name, Nathaniel believed who Jesus was. Even that was some kind of a divine act that required Nathanael’s attention to see.

Sometimes we may feel as a hand is on our shoulder or back and is slowly nudging us. You may push back, you might not even be fully aware, you might spend years doing something else and ignore that push for years until you start listening.

That’s pretty much what happened to me in Mississippi.  I found myself in a situation where I had a life with pretty much everything I wanted, and was faced with thousands of people who had lost everything and had nothing but hope, an unreasonable hope, or faith to hold onto. That experience turned out to be life changing for me.  I remember driving back to Chattanooga after a week of service unable to put that experience out of my mind even though I did not understand it.  I kept thinking, I knew, that something had happened to me that changed my life entirely.  That's why I am standing you before you today. I listened to my calling and in great fear and uncertainty I left everything behind and I responded. My life has never been better.

Probably that fear and uncertainty is what’s going to be the case for many of us.  It puts us in a somewhat scary situation, just like having that “on the road to Damascus experience.” But isn’t fear and uncertainty trying to get to a goal the norm?

It would be so easy for us and so simplify our lives to have that lightning bolt out of the blue slam on the ground in front of us in a low voice from heaven saying, "Henry, this is what I want you to do!"

Unfortunately, or fortunately, we seldom get a precise roadmap.  What happens is we do realize over time that a hand is on our shoulder nudging us in a new direction.  It might be a push that we unconsciously or intentionally resist.

But what is important for our congregation is to never stop listening for God.  We are growing this congregation.  I’d like to be prideful and say we, ourselves, are growing this congregation, but we aren’t, at least not directly. God is growing our congregation because many of us are listening to His call, a call from the Holy Spirit – “Come be a part of a congregation that is trying its best to walk in the world as Christ did, trying its best to spread the love and grace of the Lord, supporting each other and remembering the words Jesus spoke from Isaiah 61. Those words apply to us all:

1    The spirit of the Lord God is upon me,

                  because the Lord has anointed me;

      he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed,

                  to bind up the brokenhearted,

      to proclaim liberty to the captives,

                  and release to the prisoners;

2    to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor,

                  and the day of vengeance of our God;

                  to comfort all who mourn;

3    to provide for those who mourn in Zion—

                  to give them a garland instead of ashes,

      the oil of gladness instead of mourning,

                  the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit.

      They will be called oaks of righteousness,

                  the planting of the Lord, to display his glory.

4    They shall build up the ancient ruins,

                  they shall raise up the former devastations;

      they shall repair the ruined cities,

                  the devastations of many generations.

8       For I the Lord love justice,

                  I hate robbery and wrongdoing;

      I will faithfully give them their recompense,

                  and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.

9    Their descendants shall be known among the nations,

                  and their offspring among the peoples;

      all who see them shall acknowledge

                  that they are a people whom the Lord has blessed.

10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord,

                  my whole being shall exult in my God;

      for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation,

                  he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,

      as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland,

                  and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

So, I close with my title, “Are you listening?”

We are all wealthy with the gifts of God.  We all have great gifts to share with the world, the wealth of our compassion, the wealth of our thanksgiving for being loved by our Creator so dearly that all our sins and transgressions are wiped away as if they never occurred, and faith that he will lead us by the Spirit. That is why we can say, “God is good, All the time.” If we are listening for his call, we will discover and do his will.

Amen.

Day 1854 - The Greening of the Wilderness

A sermon on the Epiphany shared with First Presbyterian Church, Spring City, TN, January 7, 2018

Genesis 1:1-5

John 1:1-9

Mark 1:4-11

Today is Epiphany Sunday.  Epiphany means revelation or special insight.  In the context of the gospel it means the revelation to the world of who Jesus is.  The epiphany of the gospel reveals the cosmic, or divine context of the “Christ Event.” For most of us, we associate Epiphany with the three wise men that we place in the crèche under the Christmas tree.  

Today, I’m going to explore with you how the gospels put this event of Jesus entering the world that we call “The Epiphany” in a cosmic, or divine context. Although I’m not going to go deeply into it, I think this approach also gives us an insight into the Apostle Paul’s understanding on what we academically call the “Christ Event.”

If I were to challenge you to read the four gospels (the three synoptic gospels - synoptic means “summary” or “overview” -Mark, Luke and Matthew and the fourth gospel of John) to decide where does one find “the” epiphany" of the identity of Jesus, what would you find?    

You would likely read the gospel of Matthew and find the passage about the Magi, or wise men, Matthew 2:1-12. You will not find this account in Luke, but you will find a couple of candidates, Simeon’s song, the subject of last week’s post, or you might decide Luke 4:14-21, or perhaps a few verses earlier when Jesus was baptized.  If you go to Mark’s gospel, you find not birth narrative or childhood stories.   Mark begins with a short introduction of John the Baptist and the baptism of Jesus that read today. John the Baptist is out in the wilderness proclaiming the repentance of forgiveness of sins and the coming of the Lord to the people of Jerusalem and Judah, when seemingly out of nowhere Jesus appears walking out of the wilderness of Galilee towards John. John baptizes Jesus and we hear this voice from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved, with you I am well pleased." And so begins the ministry of Jesus according to the gospel of Mark. No birth story, no Magi or wise men, just this supernatural experience of the heavens opening at the baptism.

A search of John’s gospel may stump you unless you decide it is the account of the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptizer.

Let’s step back and look at how many Biblical studies place the gospels in time. Personally, I believe the differences within the synoptic gospels have a lot to do with their relative age, Mark the earliest, Matthew the latest, but not with the message, though.

Like many people who have written about the gospels and explored the similarities of Matthew, Luke and Mark, I believe Mark is likely the original or earliest gospel, and both Matthew and Luke were written later to believers adding information, perhaps oral traditions, that fill in the missing blanks in the origin of Jesus given in the Gospel of Mark.  It is tempting to think the elaboration in Luke and Matthew uses oral tradition to fill in the gap about the human questions about the origin of Jesus that Mark expects us to accept on faith alone.

But, is there more to it than this?  The emphasis of each of the three synoptic gospels and the gospel of John is different. It is a balance between two views from Mark that is “believe by faith alone,” to John who says, “believe because of the signs or miracles.” Mark focusses on faith and urgency, while Luke focuses on how Jesus fulfills scripture and how materiality (money and wealth) challenge our faith. Luke makes no bones about the fact they do challenge faith that the kingdom of God is at hand inaugurated by Jesus.

Matthew, at least in my mind, seems to be the latest of the three Gospels.  Matthew reads as if it were written in a place and time when an early church was already in existence. It offers many teachings and guidance for how members of the congregation should live together under the teachings of Jesus. Matthew is also the only source of the Magi, or three wise men that form our common view of the Epiphany. They Magi formally identify to the world that Jesus is the Messiah, the King of the Jews.

If we use only Matthew’s account of the Epiphany, are we missing a message coming from other scripture and gospels?  That is the question we are exploring today.

Why did we introduce this discussion of the Epiphany using the first five verses of Genesis creation that describe God's creation of the world and of the separation of light and darkness in our scripture readings?

The creation story almost demands that we look at John’s gospel.  We did this not too long ago when we explored the first eighteen verses of John that we often call the prologue. Remember?

John’s gospel is unusual.  If you compare his prologue (1:1-18) and these verses in Genesis you find a remarkable parallel.  John’s message is that “the entrance of Jesus into the world is a consummation of a new creation, or the completion of the original creation.”  It is a new creation in the sense that the light of God has entered our world and defeated darkness (sin). (You may recall Simeon's song from last week in which he observed that Jesus was the light to nations(Gentiles) trapped in deepest darkness.)

And so, I suggest that we consider the entrance of Jesus into the world (Christmas) in that context, and the revelation of this fact as the Epiphany.

You may see where I'm going.  How does the gospel of Mark describe the entry of Jesus into the world?  It simply says beginning in 1:9, "in those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.  And as he was coming up out of the water Jesus saw the heavens torn apart and the spirit descending like a dove on him and a voice came from heaven saying, "you are my son, the Beloved, with you I am well pleased." And so begins the ministry of Jesus. The message (epiphany) is, “You hear, now believe.”

To me, it's very difficult not to read these powerful words of Mark without the words of creation in the book of Genesis and the prologue of John lingering in the air as an echo.  God has inaugurated (begun) a new world and a new life for humanity.  The appearance of Jesus changed everything forever.

In Mark’s gospel, Jesus’ proof of this fact is expected to be received on faith by the event of his baptism.  Every time someone asked or says that Jesus is the Son of Man, Jesus chides the person and says to be quiet not repeat that.

But John’s prologue or Epiphany is a bright neon billboard proclaiming the divinity of Jesus, the very thing that Jesus in Mark sought to keep silent. John goes far beyond the synoptic gospels and connects the presence of Jesus to the fulfillment of the original creation.

John’s prologue makes it perfectly clear up front who Jesus is and what his presence in the world means: the kingdom of God or the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

I know that I'm jumping around and you may not see how I’m connecting all this to Epiphany Sunday. The message of the epiphany in all four of the gospels is the same.  All four gospels announce the Lord of All has come, in one way or the other, but the baptism in Mark and John’s prologue profoundly connect Jesus to our new re-creation:

The kingdom of heaven is at hand.  God has changed the universe permanently in a new recreation.

So what does that mean for us? The answer is lying before us in the texts from Genesis, John and Mark that I read.  In Genesis light was separated from darkness.  In John light has entered the world shining in darkness.  In Mark, this man Jesus walks out of the wilderness, which is another way to describe desolation or darkness, into our world. In this way light and water of baptism serve the same purpose as the creation described in Genesis, God is the source of life, light and water. Just as in the creation story, God separated light and darkness, land and water and caused the wilderness to green with life. In Jesus, Light defeats darkness.

The question for us is how good a gardener of this green wilderness shall we be? How shall we green the wilderness?  Amen.

Day 1851 – Waiting, reprise

This is an explanation for my tardy publication of the advent sermons at First Presbyterian Church, Spring City, TN.  There are few links to scripture in this post. You will have to do the hard work of searching for them using my hints.

As I thought about the nature and shape of the sermons over the advent season, I realized that we so often overlook the meaning behind the Latin and Greek words for advent. (See Day 1833 for details.) We also are subliminally focused on Christmas as a commercial celebration of the birth of Jesus.

As I read the classic passages in Isaiah and recalled my study of the so-called minor prophets that talk of the coming Day of the Lord, I’ve come to appreciate in the most exquisite way how Jesus and Paul caution us that the Day of The Lord will come to us like a thief in the night.

After his death on the cross, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit as our guide, dictionary, encyclopedia, defender and interpreter of the Good News. Jesus promised it would serve us well until he comes again with the consummation of this great Kingdom of Heaven on Earth - if we listen with care, use it with prayer and careful consideration of its meaning,

My blessing, among the many I clearly do not deserve, is having preached on the good news, on Paul and 2 Peter and Revelation, the great prophets,  and now the “minor ones,” particularly Joel.  As many of you probably think also, I’ve always read that “thief in the night” as caution about the future, but never taken it really seriously as a warning because, really is it going to be like a thief in the night, like turning the light switch off, or stepping of the curb into the path of a truck?  Sure, I guess it is all possible but probable?

       Let me sober your thoughts about the thief in the night, whether you are 2, 12, 22, 32, 42 or 92 years old.

On November 21, I got some shocking news. Two days earlier I had my annual physical and a routine ultrasound discovered a lot of “spots” on my liver.  Subsequent CT scans verified I have a small mass in my pancreas, and all my liver but one lobe is full of tumors.  I also have three very small tumors in my left and right lung – all the while being asymptomatic, except for what I thought was a nervous stomach as I prepared to preside at the wedding of my younger son and fiancée. We went to DC and performed a wonderful wedding ceremony keeping all this disquieting information silent, praying for a great wedding – and boy did we have one!

The Monday a week after we returned (I think), a biopsy of my liver that verified the preliminary diagnosis.  I started my chemo treatment the next Thursday and felt ok until Saturday.  I had 1 more treatment over the next 2 Thursdays followed by a week off and face one or two more cycles before something else. I am exploring clinical trials of an immunotherapy method that is very successful for secondary “soft” tumors like lymphomas and melanomas, but harder to do on the kind I have. I have recovered from the very bad cold that magnified the unpleasant symptoms of the chemo treatment, and plan to shave what is left of my hair tomorrow. 

I intend to stay with First Presbyterian Church as long as constructively possible. (We have a new "new members class" of 6 people!) They are all a wonderful family. God-willing, I’ll beat this but I am a rational scientist who reads and understands the gravity of my condition.

So, as I began my advent series, I had to chuckle that my planned focus was that we should never forget that the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. I commend the previous three or four sermons (posts) to you, and urge you always to be working on your sanctification and being a leading citizen in the Kingdom of God.

So, my Friends, whether you are 2, or 12 or 22 or 32, 42, or even 92 years old, I encourage you to revisit and take the advent season seriously, as a special time to think about getting ready and refreshing your testimony. (Try listening to "People Get Ready " by The Blind Boys of Alabama.) Our testimony is our life, it is how we live glorifying our creator and redeemer, the one who loves us so much that he defeated death for us.

I’ll close with and commend to you Paul’s words to the Thessalonians from my post for  Day 1805 (1 Thessalonians 5:12-28), written a few days before this discovery.

“May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this.  Beloved, pray for us. Greet all the brothers and sisters with a holy kiss. I solemnly command you by the Lord that this letter be read to all of them. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.”

Grace and peace to you all!  And never stop dreaming and working for a better world, here and in the next.

Amen