How To Spot A Christian

These were my sermon notes from Sunday morning. I don't guarantee spelling, grammar, etc. are used correctly since these were only my speaking notes.

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Gospel Reading:        John 13:31-35

Scripture Text:           1 Corinthians 13

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On June 13, 2003, I was ordained as an elder in the United Methodist Church.

A lot had to happen in order to get that far, but one of the tougher ones was the series of theological questions I had to give written answers for.

One of the questions:

“What are the marks of the Christian life?”

How will you know if someone else is an authentic, real Christian and not just faking it?

How will someone else know if YOU are an authentic, real Christian and not just faking it?

Scripture speaks of a multitude of “marks” signifying the authentic Christian life.

James 1:27...   keeping oneself ‘unpolluted’ is one mark of the Christian life that I see throughout Scripture… the idea of holiness.

“Do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance,” Peter explains in I Peter 1:14-16, and then calls us all to “be holy.”

For me, holiness boils down to Christians making personal choices about their personal behaviors based on the choices God would make as described in the Scriptural record.

One mark of a Christian when they obey the principles of the Bible. I John 5:3  reads: “This is love for God: to obey his commands.” Jesus said “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord’ and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46).  

We also read that in Matthew 7:22 where Jesus says, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord.’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in Heaven.”

As a United Methodist, I believe other marks of the Christian life include meeting together in worship (Hebrews 10:25), active participation in worship by singing, praying, listening, giving, and such (I Cor. 14:26-27), baptism (Matt. 28:19), sharing Holy Communion (I Cor. 11:17-33), hearing the “instruction of the apostles” (Acts 2:42), studying the Scriptures (II Tim. 2:15),  discipleship (Matt. 28:19), and being witnesses of Jesus Christ (Acts 1:8).

But let’s take it a step further, shall we? 

Paul spoke of the “fruit of the Spirit” (Gal. 5: 22-23) that would be natural by-products of a Christian life:

·      love,

·      joy,

·      peace,

·      patience,

·      kindness,

·      goodness,

·      faithfulness,

·      gentleness, and

·      self-control.

Ultimately though, I think it boils down to what Jesus says in John 13:35, when he clarifies that love is the determining mark of who is or isn’t Christian… “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” Years later, his disciples would reiterate that delineating mark of a Christian in passages like First John 4:7-8: “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

And the love that marks a Christian life is evidenced by our willingness “to lay down our lives for our brothers…” including sharing our material possessions.

HOW DO WE DO THIS?

HOW DO WE KNOW IF WE HAVE THIS KIND OF LOVE THAT SHOWS THAT WE ARE TRULY CHRISTIANS?

John cautioned the church to “not love with words or tongue, but with actions and in truth” (I John 3:18).

James explained that this action- and truth-based form of love would be seen by believers caring for those in distress… even orphans and widows…. (James 1:27).

Peter encouraged the believers to “Live such good lives…” that “they may see your good deeds and glorify God…” (I Peter 2:12).

Jesus Himself spoke of the importance of action-based love when he explained that reward and punishment for those who claimed to be his followers would be based on what people had done “to the least of these” because that was the same as doing (or not doing) for him.

Therefore, If I am TRULY a Christian, then I “love my neighbor” (Matt. 19:19) in such a way that I reach out and help with what I have as much as possible to the hungry, thirsty, sick, imprisoned, orphaned, widowed, and needy… physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually.

HOW DO I LOVE MY NEIGHBOR?

I Cor. 13:4-8   Love is…

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable, and keeps no record of when it has been wronged. It is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Love will last forever.

Not that any of us does this perfectly, but we know it's what we are to strive for.

O God, help us to love those you've put in our path... that we have the "mark" that shows others that we are YOUR disciples!

The HEART of the Team

These are my sermon notes for this past Sunday (January 1, 2012) at the Clarks Mills UMC. This is primarily an expanded outline from which I then preached. 

JUST A FEW WEEKS FROM NOW…

 

Super Bowl!

TEAMWORK…Establish a team that can work together and knows the same playbook…

AS CHRISTIANS……..

Christ wants to establish a team WITH US!

Not just those who SAY they’re Christian or those who go to church… but those who know the same playbook, have the same ground rules for working together with each other and with Christ.

 

1 Samuel 16:7

“Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

It is in our hearts that we will be Christian.

In our hearts we will make the choices to be a part of the team, set out to make disciples for Jesus Christ.

It is through our hearts that we will show

Matthew 7:16

“By their fruit you shall recognize them.”

What will people around us recognize by the “fruit” the grows from our hearts?

Dr. Roy Trueblood, in his book Partners in Ministry, used that word HEART as an acrostic to identify 5 key ground rules that teams, especially ministry teams, HAVE TO HAVE in order to be GREAT teams.

H

HEAR AND UNDERSTAND ME

Jesus said repeatedly, Let him who has ears to hear, hear.

Don’t let this message go in one ear and out the other….

PAY ATTENTION… HEAR ME AND UNDERSTAND ME!

Jesus showed us the importance of this and gave us the example…

John 4… Woman at the well.

He’s tired, and sits down to rest while the disciples go on…

He hears the woman… understands the rejection and pain that she’s operating out of, and meets her right there where she is.

So often we Christians look at where the world around us & the people around us OUGHT to be and get upset , angry, or depressed because they don’t seem to get it.

Jesus showed us the better way… Stop. Hear them and REALLY listen. Understand where they’re coming from. Meet them where they are.

E

EVEN IF YOU DISAGREE, PLEASE DON’T MAKE ME WRONG

Again, Jesus is our example:

John 8…woman taken in adultery…

Who accuses you?

Go and sin no more.

A

ACKNOWLEDGE THE GREATNESS WITHIN ME

Jesus affirmed the greatness and worth of those around him.

Example:

·       Ate & drank with sinners and even prostitutes mk 2.16

·       Nathaniel… I saw you under the fig tree… john 1:48

R

REMEMBER TO LOOK FOR MY LOVING INTENTIONS

John 12:1-18

Mary & Martha’s home

Mary broke box of ointment, disciples complained about impracticality. 

Jesus saw her loving intentions.

T

TELL ME THE TRUTH WITH COMPASSION

Ephesians 4.15

Paul teaches that it is as we speak “the truth in love” that “we will in all things grow up into him who is the head, that is, Christ.”

Truth, without love, without compassion, tears down and wounds the one to whom you speak.

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In many organizations, at their first meeting of the year, they install their new officers. And, in essence, so do we today. BUT, I want us to be MORE than just a roster of officers… It is my hope, my prayer, and my goal, that we be a MINISTRY TEAM.

Officers have authority to do their job and are responsible to go do their job and carry out their assigned tasks.

A Ministry TEAM, has team members who do have specific tasks and areas that are their responsibility, but they are dependant upon everyone else in the team doing their jobs as well.

So, I don’t talk about “officers” of the church “organization,” but rather we work as a “team” each of us doing our job but completely ineffective unless we’re doing it WITH the rest of the team as a part of that team.

One final word…

All of these things we’ve talked about today are built upon the assumption that you KNOW Jesus Christ first!

These are not qualities that you’re going to be able to work on alone. You MUST have Jesus Christ as your foundation you or it won’t make a difference.

That’s why one of the United Methodist Book of Discipline, (the “play book” if you will of the United Methodist Church) includes a requirement that those serving in positions of leadership and responsibility must have Jesus Christ as their Lord and their Savior first or else they are NOT eligible to lead in our church.

As we work together in 2012, let’s remember the HEART of the team!

--All Scripture references from The Holy Bible, New International Version, 1984 (NIV).

The Homecoming

This was the second of the two part series I preached looking at the parable of the prodigal son.

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"The Homecoming"

Luke 15:14-20a

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Last week, we visited this text in Luke 15, where Jesus uses parables, and particularly, this parable of the prodigal son, to emphasize our relationships to the Father, God, and to our fellow believers, the Father's family. Our visit then, focused more on the older son; our focus today will be on the younger son... the one that walked away, and eventually, repented and returned.

Let me start with a definition of repentance. It is one of those words that we all would probably claim to know the meaning of. Yet, I have found it hard to give a definition, and I suspect I'm not the only one. So… I looked it up.


Repentance comes from the Greek word METANOEô which means literally "to perceive afterwards, ... in contrast to pronoeô, to perceive beforehand, hence METANOEô signifies to change one's mind or purpose... involving a change for the better...and ...of repentance from sin."


The best definition I have found wasn't in a dictionary, it was in story in Leadership Journal. There, Brian Weatherdon, tells how:

Wabush, a town in a remote portion of Labrador, Canada, was completely isolated for some time. But recently a road was cut through the wilderness to reach it. Wabush now has one road leading into it, and thus, only one road leading out. If someone would travel the unpaved road for six to eight hours to get into Wabush, there is only one way he or she could leave--by turning around. Each of us, by birth, arrives in a town called Sin. As in Wabush, there is only one way out--a road built by God himself. But in order to take that road, one must first turn around. That complete about-face is what the Bible calls repentance, and without it, there's no way out of town.

Even I can understand that. Repentance is like I'm going one direction and then realize I'm going the wrong way and so I turn completely around and face the other direction. And start moving away from my previous destination.

So that's repentance. But turning around can be hard. Just think back (or ahead) to your driver's license exam. And the three-point turn. It's not always quick and easy. And if you happen to be in a big vehicle, say a school bus or a semi, and on a small road, say one made of dirt, it takes a lot of time and careful deliberation and consideration of what will happen if I turn this way or angle the wheels that way. And it requires a complete, 180° turn. You cannot go both ways. And you cannot stop halfway through the turn-around.


Sandwiched in the middle of this parable, Jesus tells of the process of how the prodigal son came to repentance... and had a homecoming with his father's family. And I believe the principles of repentance are included there for our benefit as well.


First, how does this repentance start? The prodigal son has been heading down the road of sin and separation from the family. The more time that passes, the more things turn sour. He finally realizes he's on the wrong road. How? What was the occasion that caused him to realize this was the wrong road? It wasn't running out of money and it wasn't the famine. Jesus tells us that "After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need." But still he didn't want to leave the independent life he had chosen. He still thought he could take care of the problems all on his own. He did want not feel he needed his father's help nor counsel. The next verse tells us his response to his new poverty and the famine: "So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country."


How many times do we, the people who claim Jesus Christ as our Savior, how many times do we struggle on in a desperate situation and remain convinced that we don't need help? And all the while, Jesus is ready to help and waiting patiently until we are ready to allow him to help us.


How many times, especially as parents, do we see our children trying so hard to accomplish something, and we can see that they are not going to be successful, but they are convinced they can do it on their own. And even if we offer to help, they adamantly refuse. You cannot help someone who is convinced they do not need help.


But we don't need to throw up our hands in despair, for where there is life, there is hope. The grace of God can soften the hardest heart. But we have to come to that frustration moment when we cry out in desperation.


I remember as a child being so intent that I could do something that I would become almost obsessed with it. One time in particular comes to mind, when I was probably about eight years old and I wanted to find out how this mechanical type toy of my little brother's worked. I remember intently working on that thing, removing screws, springs, gizmos, and gadgets in order to find out how it did what it did. When I got it all apart, it still didn't make much sense to me. Well, I couldn't put it back together properly. There were more springs to put back in than what I remembered taking out. And there weren't enough holes for all the screws I had. I tried and tried and tried. And became more and more frustrated and angry and teary eyed... and scared that my folks would find out.


I was just like that prodigal son headed down the wrong road and didn't know it. My error began when I decided I was going to secretly do something I knew was wrong. But all the way through the tearing apart process, I wasn't worried, nor afraid. I was convinced I could take care of any problem and still fix everything like it was supposed to be…as does this prodigal as well.


He runs out of money and he's still convinced he's OK. He encounters a famine and runs out of food and he's still convinced he's OK. It wasn't until he had to wallow with pigs and found that NO ONE was willing to help, that he realizes there's a problem. Just like I didn't realize that I had a problem, until I tried to put that dumb toy back together.


The prodigal's desperate situation causes him to begin examining his situation and considering the options. THAT'S when we begin to change. When we consider how bad our situation is and how much better it could be if we repented and returned to the family.


Notice in verse 17, he doesn't start considering his return because he's hungry. It's because, as the King James says: "I perish with hunger." He's not just hungry. He's hungry and no longer sees any way of changing that situation. That's when he remembers his father's house and how he had had it good there, although he hadn't realized it at the time.


What follows in the next three verses is the crux of my message this morning. It follows the boy's train of thought from the moment where he realizes that there is a place where he wouldn't have to live in such a bad situation to where he decides to return to his father's house.


Look with me at verses 17-19 in Luke 15:


14 About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. 15 He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. 16 The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything.


17 “When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! 18 I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, 19 and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”’


20 “So he returned home to his father.


The King James Version puts the boy's decision like this: "I will arise and go to my father." He will not spend any longer in this deplorable condition, but will immediately arise and return. Even though he's in a far country, a long way away from his father's house, yet he will return. When we walk away from our Father's house, and our heavenly family, we too will find that there are many long walks ahead before we undo the damage we've done.


The son begins to determine what to say and how to approach the father when he gets back. Let's look at what he purposed in his heart to say:


"Father, I have sinned..."


The first step after we recognize our need to return to the family and the father, is to admit that we have sinned. Without that confession, no matter how much we try, we will not be able to return. And we will be stuck in our sin, even though we won't admit it. And we'll pay the consequences.


But the son doesn't stop there. He says "Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you." He not only admits he has sinned, he acknowledges that he has sinned against his father and against God. It is important to remember that when we offend someone else, or treat them wrong, we are also sinning against God.


Next, this son acknowledges that by his own choice, he has forfeited any right to the privileges of the family. Verse 19 reads: "I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men." He had already demanded, and received, all the portion of the inheritance that would rightfully belong to him. To return does not guarantee that he will receive more of the same. But he hopes that he can at least serve his father as a hired man for no reward other than his daily provisions.


And, still, the story of his repentance is not finished.


He has finally realized, through his frustration and anguish, that he needs to repent and return to the father. Then he purposes what he needs to do. And then, in the beginning of verse 20, he finally does it: "So he got up and went to his father. "


So many times we make a decision to respond to the Lord in one way or another, but then don't ever quite get around to actually doing what he's asked us to do. Unlike us, this prodigal decides what he'll do, and then gets up and does it right away.


And the father, while the prodigal is still far off, sees him coming and runs to meet him. God, our Father, as soon as we start back to the family, runs to meet us and welcome us home as well. And as the story continues, not only is there provision for the son, there is a feast as well.


When we first addressed this parable last week, we emphasized the fact that this boy was already a member of the family before he walked away from it all into his sin. And we spoke of how there are many of us in the Christian family, and even in our local church family, who have, by their own choice, chosen to walk away from both God and the family of God.


I want to stress that. Because the whole turn around in this story today, is not limited to sinners who have never known the Lord. They cannot remember how great it was in the Father's house, because they've never been to the Father's house; Never known the Father; Never eaten at the Father's table.

There's still a need for non-Christians to repent, and they too must realize their need, confess their sin, and go to the Lord. But this story is an even stronger message for those of us who are already in the family. Because we may come to the place sometime where we feel we want to walk away from the family, because of whatever imagined reason. And, according to what this story seems to say, God the Father will let us go and do what we want. And will let us reap the rewards and consequences of sin. And will allow us to rot and starve in a far away land until we, like that prodigal, acknowledge that we need the Father, and the Father's household, and then confess our sins and return to the family.


And, according to statistics, there are many of us in Christianity that have already walked away, even though we are still in the pews on a lot of Sundays. Leadership magazine quotes George Gallup, the famous pollster as saying, "There's little difference in... behavior between the churched and the unchurched. There's as much pilferage and dishonesty among the churched as the unchurched."


How many of us have already hired our souls out to evil in a far country, far from the spiritual realm of the Father and the Father's house? How many of us say we believe this and that, but yet, our hearts are full of the pleasures of sin and the telltale signs of bitterness, anger, judgmentalism, and hatred?


We need to willingly return to the Father and the family, BEFORE we face afflictions, or it becomes too late.

For the Father is just waiting for us to turn around so that he can welcome us for our coming home.

The Rest of the Story

My notes from my Sunday sermons at Reynoldsville: First UMC yesterday.

First Scripture Reading: Mark 1:4-11

Second Scripture Reading: Acts 19:1-7

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This morning, we look at a short passage from the book of Acts, where Luke has recorded details impressed upon him as important by the Holy Spirit of God, as he follows the ministry of Paul and the early church. But it’s part of a bigger story…
In the chapter before this, Paul has been on an extended tour, preaching and teaching about how to faithfully live life as a disciple of Jesus Christ. Paul’s travels, in that one chapter alone included stops in Athens, Corinth, Syria, Ephesus, Caesarea, Jerusalem, Antioch, Galatia, and Phrygia… and the Bible says that he “held discussions” (18:4,19), and he was “preaching the message” and “testifying” (18:5), “teaching” (18:11), “greeted the church” (18:22), and “strengthening all the believers” (18:23).
And we know that this took a while, first of all because there were no turnpikes… or airports… or taxis, but also because we know that he spent at least a year and a half in one spot alone, Corinth (18:11).
And in our text this morning, he’s at it again and ends up back in the city of Ephesus, where he had stopped briefly in his last set of travels (18:19-21).
And the first thing Luke tells us… is that Paul gets there to Ephesus… “while Apollos was in Corinth…”
OK… so who’s Apollos… and why do we care that he’s in Corinth when Paul gets to Ephesus?
Well, at the end of the chapter before this, in verse 24, we find that Apollos was a Jew who was “eloquent” when he spoke and had a “thorough knowledge” of the Scriptures.
Verse 25 of chapter 18 then lets us know that he had received instruction in “the Way of the Lord” and was able to teach others the facts about Jesus… correctly in fact.
In fact, he ends up teaching and preaching in Ephesus, where Paul had stopped back in verses 19, 20, and 21, but where Paul had not been able to stay long enough to do any long term explanations or teaching or discipleship.
And here comes Apollos, filling in the gap… teaching what he knows… and doing it really well.
But, the Bible goes on to say that Apollos “knew only the baptism of John.” (18:25)
And then here we are now in chapter 19 with Paul encountering Christians from that very same Ephesus and he finds that they “haven’t heard” that there even was a Holy Spirit, let alone received the Holy Spirit.
They, like Apollos before them, had only received a piece of the story… and had followed the form of what they thought was good religious practice… they were baptized in the way that John the Baptist had done… a baptism of repentance.
Folks, without stepping too deeply into the deep waters of baptismal theology, I think there are a couple of things God might be saying through these verses for you and me as we minister here in this place.
First of all, we, like Apollos and the Ephesian Christians Paul encounters, may have all of the instruction and training about Jesus and still be missing a major piece of the life of a Christian disciple.
The head knowledge about Jesus is good, and it’s a great place to start… that’s why we spend so much time and effort and money in having Sunday Schools… We want our children (and even us as adults) to have the godly, Christ-centered head knowledge to make informed and godly decisions… about salvation, about discipleship, about living in the midst of the world as an ambassador for Christ…
But that’s can’t be where it ends… Like Apollos, it’s not enough to simply be knowledgeable, or even eloquent and convincing…
Luke spends several verses, over the course of two chapters, explaining the difference and the incompleteness of Apollos and these Ephesian Christians who only had the baptism of John… Their baptism was simply a response on their part to symbolize their own repentance… And twice, Scripture emphasizes that that simply isn’t enough…
Christian baptism isn’t just a symbolic representation of your repentance or mine… that became clear when Jesus insisted on John baptizing him… Jesus had nothing to repent of… and John knew it… If you remember, John didn’t want to baptize Jesus and said ‘no Lord, I need you to baptize me…’ Because in John’s mind, baptism was a matter of repentance.
But, as would be the case so often in Christ’s ministry, Jesus turned John’s whole idea of baptism on its head… It could no longer be just about repentance. Jesus refused to baptize John in a baptism of repentance and insisted that John baptize him… and Christian baptism changed from that moment on.
John found out from Jesus, Apollos found out from Aquila and Priscilla, and these Ephesian disciples found out from Paul. Christian baptism doesn’t represent what you and I do or decide…
That’s why we, as United Methodists, don’t get all hung up about baptizing children and infants… because it’s not about their repentance, it’s about God choosing to pour his grace and mercy out on people who were still sinners and don’t deserve the gift of salvation… and yet God chooses them anyways.
And babies, toddlers, children, teens, adults, and even senior citizens all need God’s grace equally… and God pours out his grace on each one… whether they’ve repented yet or not… Baptism is a visible sign of what GOD has already done and is still doing… Offering and grace and mercy to all…
In fact, Scripture teaches that God’s grace is what enables us to even experience the gift of repentance so that we can respond to Christ’s offer of salvation…
Baptism represents God’s grace…
“Well, preacher,” you may be thinking, “I don’t see why this is so important… what difference does it really make anyways?”
Well, enough of a difference that it was included in the Scriptural text as part of the words of God that are for our instruction, doctrine, correction, and training in righteousness. God Himself felt this was important enough to make it into the book…
It makes enough of a difference that the Ephesians were then baptized as Christians in the name of Jesus… because the baptism of repentance simply wasn’t good enough… not for a Christian who had freely experienced the grace of God poured out on him through no effort of his own.
So what do we see here that we can specifically apply, in our day and age, in our situation, in our lives?
First, On this day when we remember Jesus’ baptism, let’s not get baptism and repentance confused… repentance is US recognizing our sin and US choosing to give up that sin. However, baptism is all about what GOD does… not what we do.
Second, let’s take a lesson from Paul, and make sure that we leave people like Aquila and Priscilla, good and mature Christians who can follow up and disciple newer Christians… It’s not enough to have Sunday School training and head knowledge, but rather we want to entrust our young in age and young in faith to people who are living out the Christian walk of faith… and can lead by example as well as by words…
Third, let’s remember that our journey of faith, including our baptism, and also times when we respond to God, are nothing until we allow God to pour out His Holy Spirit on us… filling us and immersing us in His presence and His power through His Spirit.

This morning, I want to encourage each of us to ask ourselves a question…
Where do we find ourselves in these passages?
Are we like these twelve Ephesian disciples? Trying to be faithful, doing all of the right things as best as we can understand them? And yet, still basing our entire Christian walk on our efforts and our decisions and our rational choices and logical understandings?


If so, reach out in prayer to God and allow him to take you beyond mere religious response and fill you with His Spirit… that your life would be a life marked by the outpouring and experience of grace, not merely a religious set of ‘gottas’ and ‘can’ts’ based in your own understanding.
Perhaps, you have already come to that place where you’ve gone beyond the head knowledge and have experienced the power of God being poured out into your life… If so, then according to Scripture there is some gift of the Holy Spirit that He has also given you… for these twelve Ephesians it was tongues and prophesy… Do you know what spiritual gift (or gifts) He gave you when He poured out His Spirit on you?
Finally, are you one who’s experienced the maturing power of God in your life? Then, like Paul, and Aquila and Priscilla, we need you to be reaching out in ministry to those who are still en route… What ministry are you actively involved in… where you are using those spiritual gifts and helping to teach, preach, encourage, or strengthen those younger in the faith like Apollos or the Ephesian disciples?
Can we… WILL we… take that next step?

--Adapted from a sermon I preached Jan. 12, 2003 in Patton, PA



Whose Job Is It Anyway?

Here are my sermon notes from this morning's sermons at Reynoldsville: First UMC.

"WHOSE JOB IS IT ANYWAYS?"

Scripture Text: John 13: 3-17

 

I visited my home church, Shinglehouse UMC, a few years back and noticed this in their bulletin:

Pastor: Rev. Randy Headley
Organist: Barb Wheeler
Ministers: All The People

ALL THE PEOPLE are the ministers! It reminds me of the Scripture in Matthew 25 where Jesus tells the story of the sheep & the goats and how doing things like feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick & those in prison, are all ways of showing love to Jesus himself. His words there are "because you've done these things for the least of these my children, you've done them for me..."

That little church has captured that... the Pastor is there as a servant and an administrator and as a preacher, but most of the ministry of the church actually comes from the lay people who sit in the pews each and every Sunday. The ministry of the church comes primarily through them, even though most people will still speak of the pastor as “the minister.”

Well, what Jesus told in story form there in the end of Matthew, he retells the night before his death, in very easy to understand, hard to miss terms by using an example.

Read with me our Scripture passage for this morning: John 13:3-17 (New Living Translation)

Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God.  So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him.


When Jesus came to Simon Peter, Peter said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”


Jesus replied, “You don’t understand now what I am doing, but someday you will.”


“No,” Peter protested, “you will never ever wash my feet!” Jesus replied, “Unless I wash you, you won’t belong to me.”


Simon Peter exclaimed, “Then wash my hands and head as well, Lord, not just my feet!”


Jesus replied, “A person who has bathed all over does not need to wash, except for the feet, to be entirely clean. And you disciples are clean, but not all of you.” For Jesus knew who would betray him. That is what he meant when he said, “Not all of you are clean.”


After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing? You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am. And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message. Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them.

Even though the apostle John spends several more chapters on what Jesus did that final night, and what he taught, this teaching on service is the final night before his crucifixion. He wanted the disciples to remember these things, because they are some of the most important aspects of following Christ: the whole idea of service.

And Jesus goes about it in a way that they cannot forget.

He, the leader, the master, the teacher, the KING, starts acting like one of the lowest of slaves... He gets down and washes their feet. He serves them.

verse 4 "so he got up from the table..." Later in verse 26, he is back sitting at the table and dipping the bread.

‘So what?’ you might ask... ‘What you getting at preacher?’

Just this...
Jesus shows us here that service sometimes is inconvenient... maybe even in the middle of a meal. Yet, by his own example, we see that even a meal, the very meal that was to become the most famous meal in all of history, The Last Supper, even a meal is no excuse to keep us from serving others.

In my life, it was my grandmother who showed this behavior best. I'm thinking of the big Sunday dinners, or for that matter the everyday evening meals, where most of the way through the meal she is up & down, back & forth, making sure there were enough potatoes or meat or beverage or vegetable or whatever... but if she saw that one of us needed something, especially my grandpa, she would drop her fork, with food still on it, and get up to go get whatever was needed. Then she would return to her meal and the food on her plate.

Jesus does that here. Even though it's the middle of the meal, he stops eating and takes off his outside coat, rolls his sleeves up (so to speak), grabs a towel, and starts washing the disciples’ feet.

Sometimes service as a disciple of Jesus Christ will be equally inconvenient, yet still necessary. Yet how many times do we say, ‘Wait a few moments, or a few days, and then I'll be able to help?’

Notice also that Jesus also washes Judas Iscariot's feet. They all sit down to the meal and are eating, when Jesus gets up and washes the feet of the disciples. Then he goes back to the meal and tells everyone that the one who will betray him is the one he gives the bread to. In fact, Scripture even records Jesus talking to Judas after the meal. There is no question about it... Judas was there when we are told that Jesus washed his disciples’ feet.

How many times do we say we want to serve Christ, but then when he deliberately puts us in a place where we need to serve him by serving others, we refuse to serve some just because they've been mean to us or hurt us in some way? We are more likely to say something like “If that's the way she's going to be, then see if I ever try to help her again!” Yet here is Jesus, who already knows what Judas is up to and what he's about to do, and still he is shown the love of Jesus like every other disciple.

And lest we think that this is just a message for just the “church leaders on how to serve their church and their God, look again at verses 12-17:

After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing? You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am. And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message. Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them.


ANY of us who call ourselves followers of Christ are his disciples and are called to serve him and follow his example. We are to be involved in service... through the local church and as individuals. It reminds me of the story I once read about “Who's Job Is It?”

"This is a story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that, because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn't do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done." (author unknown)

We are to be involved in service... through the local church and as individuals. We are called, like Jesus said in verse 17: “Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.”

Jesus is our example here. We are to serve, we are to serve even if it's inconvenient, and we are to serve even those whom we don't like or who hurt us. But how we serve speaks of how we love our Lord.

This morning we have dedicated our service of others, to the Lord by our acceptance of positions of service here in the church. The committee chairs and members, the secretaries, the communion stewards, the ushers, the musicians, the custodians, the historians, and the financial people.

Some of the positions may seem “important” or even “spiritual” while others may not. Yet, each job, from chairperson to committee member to the cooks to the custodians is an indispensible part of the way that we, as a united, unified group of believers, serve our community and our Lord.

As we prepare for our final hymn let me just remind you of what was said to people attending the little Quaker church as they were preparing to end their worship time and then go home: They were told: “The service starts when the meeting ends.”

We worship this morning, but our service is how we work together and individually for the kingdom of God.

(Adapted from a sermon I preached January 5, 1997)

Thoughts about Grappling With God

In early July I was looking ahead at the lectionary readings for August and was struck by the Old Testament readings. In particular, the August 3rd reading from Genesis 32:22-32 about Jacob wrestling. I knew that I knew I just had to preach this passage. And that God wanted to speak to me as well. (Actually, most of my preaching has been whatever God has been speaking to me from a text and the congregation just gets to listen in.)

With Mom getting sick, and then dying, I wasn't around for a Sunday morning until today... and I still felt I was supposed to preach that text. For lack of a super catchy title, I simply called it "God Grappler."

Even though I had an outline, what follows are more my notes, or perhaps reflections, from this morning.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

GENESIS 32:22-32

Jacob remembers how badly he had treated his brother Esau and gets worried when God sends messengers (angels!) to alert him that Esau is heading towards him. Jacob got really serious about needing to do some soul searching and seeking God for some help and I notice that Jacob starts clearing out any distractions... He makes arrangements for his kids (11 boys) and his wives (2 actual wives and 2 'significant others') and all of his stuff and servants to be in two different places. The text seems clear that he's trying to 'cut his losses' in case the worst happens and Esau actually attacks. But I remember Jesus talking about separating yourself away from others and 'getting alone' in order to seek out God. Isn't that where the idea of a prayer closet comes from?


So Jacob is alone... verses 9 through 12 talk of Jacob actually praying and asking God for help. No repentence is explicitly cited, but there's a definite seeking God! Little wonder that God shows up later in the story!


Verse 24 says that "a man" wrestled with him till daybreak. Verse 26 seems to hint that this is a human form of God and when the man renames Jacob, his rationale is "because you have struggled with God and with men..." Jacob, in verse 30, names the place Peniel "because I have seen God face to face and yet my life was spared." Hosea 12:3-4 says in one verse it was God and in the other that it was an angel.


In several other places throughout Scripture we read of God appearing in human form and being referred to as 'The Angel of the Lord' so I guess I don't see this as much of a problem... It appears to me that this is simply a pre-incarnation theophany of Jesus. And if so, it would make sense that Jesus would not want Jacob to see him in the light and then find out that he had wrestled with God because it would have decimated Jacob's understanding that to see God is to die. So to have encountered God face to face in the dark would do the work in Jacob's life that God was after without completely undoing him. (Perhaps sort of like today's cliche that God will only allow as much as you can handle.)


So, 'the man' says let me go because it's almost morning... The response Jacob gives is, not surprisingly, 'NO, not without your blessing!'

I struggled with this for a while, but then, reflecting back on that Hosea passage again I realized that even from the womb, this guy has been trying to carve out a place for himself... He grabbed his brother's heel, he manipulated and schemed to get his brother to trade away the birthright, he tricked Isaac into bestowing Esau's blessing on him instead... and then all of the back and forth scheming between his uncle Laban and he in the ancient ancestral homeland. I think there's evidence here that this guy has a deeper unmet hunger for MORE than just the physical things like wives and herds and property. His hunger is for the blessings, the birthrights, the 'spiritual' dimensions of life. And he has tried to get that hunger met through his own scheming and manipulation.

Even when he encounters God as he flees from Esau, and we read the whole 'Jacob's ladder' narrative, Jacob tries to make a deal with God. IF you bring me back... THEN I will serve you... It sounds to me like He wants the blessings and gifts of God without having to commit to a relationship with Him.

Twenty years pass and he's met someone who's given him a run for his money in the lying and manipulating end of things. He barely gets out of that encounter with Laban in one piece.

Now he's here about to meet Esau. He's scared. He's invoked God Himself to come and intervene. And I believe God listens and answers... but not necessarily in the way Jacob had hoped or wanted. Instead of physical deliverance (which he DOES get later) from his brother, he gets a physical AND a spiritual intervention.

In verse 26 Jacob is still just trying to 'wrestle' a blessing out of this one who has engaged him in this struggle. The 'man' asks about his name and offers him a new one... 'One who has struggled with God and with men' and something CLICKS in Jacob's head... He knows of MANY times when he's struggled with men... but 'when have I struggled with God?' And I can see the lightbulb coming on and realizing this must be more than just some 'man' that he is struggling with now...

And Jacob does something he hasn't done before. He asks this 'man' what his name is. He's always wanted the things of God... but now he wants to KNOW more about this God Himself. And the Bible says THEN the mysterious wrestler gives Jacob his blessing.

It took the struggle to get Jacob where he needed to be to let go of his scheming ways and finally seek God. Many struggles with Esau and then Isaac, Laban, and now this 'traveler unknown' as Charles Wesley would word it in the 1700's.

SO... how are we like Jacob now-a-days?

I see LOTS of signs of spiritual hunger... spirituality in our marketplace, our businesses, our boardrooms, our televisions, our movies, and even in our children's literature. We want there to be more than just the physical reality. We want spiritual truths and spiritual realities. So Goosebumps books, and Harry Potter, and demonic horror movies, and even Disney shows, all try to capture us and enthrall us with the premise that there is some spiritual truth beyond what we see in the physical.

Like Jacob, we want a piece of that reality... but also like Jacob we have a past filled with unrepented sin and a desire to have the spiritual without getting to know the true God of the spiritual reality. And so we walk away from all those other spiritual things, still 'hungry.' Like Jacob, we're still looking for the right 'blessing' even after we've gotten everything we've tried to lay our hands on.

I believe the answer comes with Jesus' wprds in the Sermon on the Mount, when he admonished his listeners to "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened." (Matthew 7:7-8)

It's the act of asking and seeking and knocking and wrestling and struggling with God that defines us and strengthens us and matures us into who God wants us to be.

I think of the times I play hide and seek with my four year old son Josh... I may hide, but I WANT him to find me! I want him to SEEK me! Because the joy and excitement comes even more forcefully when he FINDS me!

Jacob never got the blessing he was looking for until he got past the 'give me' stage and grew into the 'What is your name?' stage. When he actually wanted to know this God... then the blessing came unasked for.

Jesus said that's how it is for us, too: "Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." (Matthew 6:33)

One of Jacob's later descendants, Jeremiah the prophet, would write God's prophetic words on this subject this way to Jacob's distant grandchildren who were about to face another defining struggle: "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you..." (Jeremiah 29:13-14a)

The Bible is supposed to be like a mirror... we ought to be able to see how we look by seeing ourselves in the mirror... and in the Bible. How do we find ourselves in Jacob's wrestling story? Where do we fit in? And how do we now respond?

One more thought... From that point on, Jacob, or now "Israel," was known by his limp... His wounding helped define who he was and helped people to know it was really him. Somewimes we have have been wounded or hurt, but yet found a blessing hidden in the midst of the pain... an unexpected positive in the midst of a whole slew of negatives... Perhaps, we carry the wound with us to remind us of how God can, and did, work in the middle of that difficult time. After all, even Jesus was 'known by his scars.'

What are our scars? Have we struggled long enough to keep at it, until we get to know God Himself in the midst of the struggle?

Or do we settle for whatever happens to tickle the spititual hunger and never seek HIM?