Sunday Messages from the Presbyterian Church of Jasper

A Lord's Day Message for February 19, 2012

2012-02-19T10:30:00.000-08:00

“Witnesses and Witnessing”

Mark 9:2-9 and Psalm 50:1-6

“And there appeared to them (Jesus, Peter, James and John), Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus…Peter did not know what to say, for they (Peter, James and John) were terrified.” (Mark 9:4,6)

(Sermon preached by Rev. Larry A. Langer, First Presbyterian Church, Jasper, IN, February 19, 2012)

Think with me about the highest place you have been and been able to stand. (Being in an airplane doesn’t count!) What have you stood on that somehow connected you to good ol’ terra firma?

Perhaps you have stood atop a mountain and looked at the vista. There are even places in Jasper where you can stand and see a lot of the city. In Oklahoma City, where the entire area is on flat ground, I have been to the roof of a thirty-seven story building and looked all around at the vista. I have been to the top of the Sears Tower in Chicago and been able to take in that vista.

Anyone been to the top of the Empire State Building? It used to be that when a person wanted to talk about a vista, one would talk about “going up in the Empire State Building.”

Any of you been up in the Arch, the Gateway to the West, in St. Louis? There are great views of St. Louis to the west and the Mississippi River and Illinois to the east.

You know that one of my favorite poems is the one by Michael Quoist, a Catholic priest, entitled “I would like to Rise Very High.” It says, in part:

I would like to rise very high, Lord; above my city, Above the world, Above time.

I would like to purify my glance and borrow your eyes.

I would then see the universe, humanity, history, as the Father sees them.

I would see in the prodigious transformation of matter, In the perpetual seething of life, Your great body that is born of the breath of the Spirit.

I would see the beautiful, the eternal thought of your Father’s Love taking form, step by step:

Everything summed up in you, things on earth and things in heaven.

And I would see that today, like yesterday, the most minute details are part of it.

Everyone in their place, Every group and every object…

I would like to rise very high, Lord,

Above my city, Above the world, Above time.

I would like to purify my glance and borrow your eyes.

What about us? Wouldn’t we love to have our eyesight “purified” and borrow God’s eyes?

Actually, this is one of our desires as a Christian. As a Christians we desire to “grow in the grace and the knowledge of the Lord.” Our growth in the Lord is indicated as we feel more and more like an adult in God’s world, yet like children with each other in God’s world, and even more humble as we realize the more God has forgiven us.

Having eyesight purified by God does not mean that we could ever be like God, but it does mean that we would be one with the Lord in seeing and knowing the way the world is and what the world needs – and help the Lord carry it out. This could lead to our own prayer:

We would like to rise very high, Lord, Above our city, Above our world (however large or small “our world” is), Above time (especially the tyranny of time constraints) and see and act in the world as you do, Lord.

As Christians, wouldn’t we like to believe and behave this way?

Now, I don’t about you, but I have always been jealous of Peter, James and John. They got to rise very high, above their city, world and time, and see the world as God sees it. They got to see the very foundation of God’s world – the representatives of the Law of God in Moses, the Prophets of God in Elijah, and the grace of God in Jesus Christ.

And, as we would expect, they were “terrified.” Think about times that things were extremely unusual in your life. Think about when something was so shocking that it terrified you – a bump in the night, that split second before that other car hit you, the sound of the gun shot and zing of the bullet, the telephone call that summoned you to the hospital emergency room, the severe chest pains of the sudden inability to move. These are the times in our lives that terrify us.

But, I have never known anyone who has been terrified by seeing the Lord. Have you? We have read about this and other encounters with our Holy God in Scripture. But we don’t often say that we have seen a direct manifestation of God. I can testify that I have seen manifestations of the devil among us and among others and even participated in healings from these evil spirits and have seen the glory of God at work in that way.

I have heard the “still, small voice of God” when God invited me to be a pastor and when God invited me to be the pastor in the churches I have served. And, God has shown me, usually gently, but also very vividly, when I have been “going astray,” so to speak.

What about you? If you were asked to give a “spiritual autobiography” of your faith life, your life living as a child of God, what would you have to say?

As we think about the passage we have today, the passage we refer to as the “Transfiguration” passage, we can use it to help us formulate a spiritual autobiography of our life. Doing this doesn’t have to terrify us! In fact, the only reason it might terrify us is if we couldn’t describe the different aspects of our life that we have had with God. It might terrify us to realize that most of our life has been lived without really living it with God. It might terrify us to realize that even though we have been “church members” all our lives we haven’t been “God members” much at all. And, realizing this, it might terrify us to think about standing before God on judgment day.

So, what if we were to set off to write our spiritual autobiography? We could do so in three sections. We could use the outline that is displayed for us on the Mount of Transfiguration as we see Moses, Elijah and Jesus, the three examples of our spiritual life there.

As a matter of course, though, the very first thing we would want to do as we begin to consider our spiritual autobiography is we would want to pray. We would want to pray, not perfunctorily, but sincerely and honestly, even something like what we use as a “Prayer of Illumination” in our worship services. We might pay:

Lord, open to me:

Open to me – Light for my darkness.

Open to me – Hope for my despair.

Open to me – Peace for my turmoil.

Open to me – Joy for my sorrow.

Open to me – Strength for my weakness.

Open to me – Wisdom for my confusion.

Open to me – Forgiveness for my sin.

Open to me - Love for my hates.

Open to me – Thy Self for myself.

Lord, open to me! (Howard Thurman, 1900-1981)

Or, we could pray simply, “Remind me, O Lord, of my walk with you! Amen.

Then we could begin to recall, write, and relate.

First, we could think of Moses the Law Giver and recall the times, the specific times, we were aware of the Ten commandments and using them.

Perhaps we chose not to cuss, and we taught our children not to cuss, because it was “taking the Lord’s name in vain.” Perhaps we chose not to work or cause others to work, and we came to church because it was the Sabbath, and we were “remembering the Sabbath to keep it holy.” Perhaps we didn’t steal that package of gum off the counter, even as our friends dared us to, because the Commandment said, “Thou shalt not steal.” Perhaps we fended off an admirer who was attracted to us, because the commandment said, “Thou shalt not commit adultery.”

Perhaps we rejoiced and helped our neighbor celebrate her new job or new car or new house without any jealousy, because the commandment said, “Thou shalt not covet.”

The only question to ask for this part of your spiritual autobiography is when did I follow the Ten commandments?

Then, the question to ask is, when did I listen to the prophecies of the Bible calling me home to God? This is what Elijah represents – the words that remind us of the holiness of God, the ungodliness of humankind, and the efforts at coming back to God. Here, part of what we would write about is those times when we did not follow the Ten Commandments, did feel God working in our lives and how we reacted and acted?

When did another believer cross our path and reminded us of how we weren’t being Christian? When did we sit with a friend who was troubled and convince him or her that God was a better way? When did we pray for something or someone to change – and it happened – or didn’t. Both successes and failures are part of our spiritual autobiography.

The third section in our spiritual autobiography is when did we see Jesus? When have we experienced the grace of God in Jesus Christ? We believe and say that he is “at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, from there he shall judge the living and the dead.” But, when have we experienced Jesus in, through and to us?

How about in his grace greater than all our sins? How about in his peace that passes our understanding? How about in accepting our real anger at him because of the great disappointment we have experienced, and loving us until we aren’t angry anymore? How about Jesus sticking with us when everyone – everyone else - around us goes away? Can we write about these times? Can we write about the deep, deep love of Jesus?

O the deep, deep love of Jesus, Vast, unmeasured, boundless, free,

Rolling as a mighty ocean, In its fullness over me.

Underneath me, all around me, Is the current of Thy love;

Leading onward, leading homeward To my glorious rest above.

O the deep, deep love of Jesus,

Leading onward, leading homeward to our glorious rest above.

Does this terrify us or does it comfort us? Does it terrify us to think about our spiritual autobiography, or does it strengthen our faith to recognize the times we have walked with God?

You know, it seems that we have just gotten out of the Christmas season. Oh, we have just had Valentine Day, but in the church it feels to me like we have just finished Christmas. But this Wednesday we start the season of Lent already, the season that leads to Holy Week, with Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday. This is why the Lord led me to speak about us writing our spiritual autobiography.

The season of Lent is THE season for our personal introspection of how our walk with the Lord is going. It is THE season of self-examination in the light of the Law of Moses, the prophets like Elijah, and the saving grace of God in Jesus Christ.

As your spiritual leader, then, and as a fellow traveler on this journey through Lent, I would encourage us to especially consider our spiritual autobiography this year. I would also encourage us to be in church each Sunday, but also each Wednesday evening at 6:30 for our Lenten Vesper time, a time of quiet consideration of the book of James and the things of God. We will use the Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs as we worship, pray and ask God for healing and increase.

We will also have a theme song, “Now the Day is Over,” which we will use each week.

I believe this is what we are called to do, even by the Lord God himself: Be together each week during Lent for His word. Won’t we join together for such a time as this?

Wouldn’t you like to rise very high, Above our city, Above our world and Above time and purify your glance and borrow God’s eyes?

A Lord's Day Message for September 11, 2011

2011-09-14T06:59:00.000-07:00

“Three Babies, Three Blessings, Two Nations, One Savior”

Genesis 16:1-12, 17:1-8, 15-22 and I Corinthians 11:23-26

“…an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’” (Matthew 1:20-21)

(Sermon preached by Rev. Larry A. Langer, First Presbyterian Church, Jasper, IN, September 11, 2011)

As we begin today, there are a few things we have to know as our foundations. The first and most important thing to always and forever remember is that God is “Sovereign.” God always has been, God is, and God will always be “in charge.” As such, God is always in control.

Even when it seems that there is no God, or that God has left us, or that we are being treated badly or even punished by God, God is sovereign. God is always in control. This is the bedrock foundation on which all else is built.

The second thing that we must know as we build on God’s foundation is that God has a plan for each individual life, and that God has known this plan since before we were even conceived, since before we were even “in the womb.” And, even though many, many human beings don’t act like it, Psalm 8:5 and 6 tells us, “Yet, God, you have made them a little lower than the angels, and have crowned them with glory and honor. You have given them dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under their feet…”

The third thing we need to know and believe is that, on the one hand, God desires that all people come to love God and live up to their fullest potential as a Child of God by “glorifying God and enjoying God forever.” On the other hand, however, in God’s sovereignty, in God’s plan for each person, God has given what the Bible calls “a Blessing.” And, this “blessing” is pretty much the guide as to what a person will be and do in life.

We will see three specific blessings from Scripture in a moment, but we first want to know of what a Scriptural blessing consisted. I have used and shared this resource before. It behooves us to be reminded of the parts of a Biblical blessing as we talk to our children, no matter their ages and as we talk to our friends and our co-workers.

We often say “we want the best for someone.” If we follow five simple steps, we will go a long way to helping a person be the best they can be, and if we are wanting God’s best for the person, what we say using the five steps from Scripture will help a person be the best Godly person he or she can be.

Gary Smalley and John Trent have summarized from Scripture in their book The Blessing[1] these five steps:

One, give “a meaningful touch.” For a child, this is usually a hug. For an adult, it can be a hug, a held hand, a warm hand shake, a joyful pat on the back, just almost any kind of warm, appropriate, physical contact.

Two, a blessing consists of “a spoken message.” These can be just chit-chats with each other. These can be the “Hi, how are you” kinds. These can be the “How was your trip” kind of message. Smalley and Trent advise, “To see the blessing bloom and grow in the life of a child, spouse, or friend, we need to verbalize our message. Good intentions aside, good works are necessary to provide genuine acceptance.”

Three, a blessing consists of “attaching a ‘high valley’ to the one being blessed.” Says Smalley and Trent,

In Hebrew, the word bless literally means ‘to bow the knee’…words of blessing should carry with them the recognition that this person is valuable and has redeeming qualities. In the Scriptures, recognition is based on who they are, not simply on their performance.

Four, a blessing pictures “a special future” for the one being blessed. I think this begins for us with our children by saying, “You can become anything you want to become!”

Five, is to have “an active commitment” to help fulfill the blessing. When we say, “You can become anything you want to become,” out of caring and love we add, “And I will help you achieve it.” With children, we see to their education and moral upbringing. With employees, we see to training and mentoring. With faith matters, we help teach the Word of God and its applications.

So, five steps to a biblical blessing: A meaningful touch; a spoken message; attaching a high value; picturing a special future; and, helping to reach that future.

Now, let’s think about these steps in relation to our relationship to God. But with God, we may receive these steps in reverse order.

First, God says, “Lo, I am with you always even to the end of the age.”

Second, God pictures a very special future for us; God says, “I want you to live with me, in a house not made with human hands, eternal in heaven.

Third, God attaches a very high value to us by giving us the words, “do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. For your life is more than food, the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: They neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouses nor barns, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more values are you than the birds! (Luke 12:22)

Fourth, God’s spoken message to us is, “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him will not perish, but have ever lasting life.”

And, fifth, God does touch us in many meaningful ways. God touches us in sensory ways through touch, sight, sound, taste, and smell. God touches us in emotional ways: With human love between two people; with the bonds of love between parents and children; with the joy and companionship between friends. God even touches us with God’s still, small voice through our prayers.

God’s greatest desire for our lives is that we be blessed. But we must also remember that God is sovereign, and God’s ways are often mysterious, and we are not necessarily supposed to spend our time trying to figure God out, but are supposed to spend our time making sure our “names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.”

Specifically, today on this September 11^th “Day of Remembrance” of what happened 10 years ago, I want us to consider these blessings that our Bible records. I think they shed light on why the tragedy occurred.

The first blessing is the blessing given to Ishmael. Ishmael, the first son of Abraham and Sarah’s mistress Hagar. Ishmael, the first born of what would become the Ishmaelites, of what would become the religion of Islam.

Listen to what the “messenger,’ the angel of the Lord said to Hagar, after she ran away because Sarah was mistreating her:

Return to your mistress, and submit to her. I will so greatly multiply your offspring that they cannot be counted for the multitude…Now you have conceived and shall bear a son; you shall call him Ishmael, for the Lord has given heed to your affliction. He shall be a wild ass of a man, with his hand against everyone and everyone’s hand against him; and he shall live at odds with all his kin.

Remember what we said at the beginning. God is sovereign; God has known us even before we were in the womb; God knows the design of our life before we live it out.

Ishmael was a blessing to Hagar because of the name, “The Lord has Given Heed.” But the future part of the blessing did not picture a very positive one: “A wild ass of a man; against everyone and everyone against him, including his kin.” As we know, this is the truth today.

The second is the blessing given to Isaac. Isaac, also the son of Abraham, but the first born of Sarah his wife. First, came the blessing to Abraham and Sarah:

Then the Lord said, “I will bless Sarah, and moreover I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and he shall give rise to nations; kings of people shall come from her…You shall name him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him.

Included in this word to Abraham also comes an additional word about Abraham's first son, Ishmael:

God says, “I will bless him and make him fruitful and exceedingly numerous; he shall be the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. But (and this is a huge “but”), but, my covenant I will establish with Isaac.

Ishmael received – and I say – only a blessing from God for his life. Isaac received the promise of interaction with God for his life. In a covenant from God, God is bound for life to do what God promises, and in this covenant, the one called throughout Scripture as the “Abrahamic Covenant,” is the model for all other covenants God made with biblical characters; for example, Moses, Noah, David, and others.

But if I can be so bold and simplistic, the difference between what Ishmael and Isaac received is that Ishmael was blessed and turned loose in and on the world. Isaac was not only blessed by God, but God promised to be with him throughout his life. In a covenant, God promises the future and walks with the recipient into it.

True to the two blessings of God, both have come to fruition with the nation of Islam and the Jewish nation. Can't we see this? Do we believe this?

Then, comes the last blessing and the last covenant we want to be reminded of, that in this day and age would make all the difference in and for the world.

The blessing came in the form of the foretelling of the birth of Jesus to Joseph and Mary. First, the angel said to Joseph,

Mary will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what had been said by the Lord through the prophet: “Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means. “God is with us.”

Then the angel said to Mary,

Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now you will conceive and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.

And then - and then - comes Christ’s covenant with us, and we will listen to the Matthew version:

While Jesus and the disciples were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to his disciples, and said, ‘Take eat; this is my body.’ Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from this all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

And we add from I Corinthians, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”

So, on this 10^th year anniversary of when Muslims acted on what they insisted was their faith, I think we can understand some of what was going on in their souls. They were living up to what God said they would be. It is in the DNA of their faith.

The Hebrew nation, in many ways, is living up to their DNA blessing. They are being faithful to the promise of the Messiah. They are claiming the land of Israel that they believe has been promised from the beginning.

And we, we Christians, what about us? Are we living up to Christ’s covenant with us? Are we remembering him until he comes again? Do we love the Lord our God with all our hearts, all our souls and with all our mind…and our neighbors as our selves? Are we going out into all the world and making disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them everything God has commanded?

Herein lies the difference! We, as the song says,

…Serve a risen Savior; He’s in the world today.

We know that He is living, whatever men may say.

We see His hand of mercy; we hear His voice of cheer.

And just the time we need Him, He’s always near.

So…

Rejoice, rejoice, O Christian. Lift up your voice and sing –

Eternal hallelujahs to Jesus Christ, the King!

The hope of all who seek Him, the Help of all who find,

None other is so loving, so good and kind.

He lives, he lives, Christ Jesus lives today!

He walks with me and talks with me along life’s narrow way.

He lives, he lives, salvation to impart!

You ask me how I know he lives.

He lives within my heart![2]

And this has made, does make and will make, all the difference.

Amen.

[1] Gary Smalley and John Trent, PhD., The Blessing (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1986), p.24

[2] “He Lives” text and music by Alfred H. Ackley, ©Rodeheaver Co. (a div. of WORD MUSIC).

A Lord's Day Message for Sunday, May 1, 2011

2011-05-01T05:45:00.000-07:00

“Though You Do Not See Him...”

I Peter 1:1-9 and John 20:19-31

“Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” (I Peter 1:8-9)

(Sermon preached by Rev. Larry A. Langer, First Presbyterian Church, Jasper, IN, May 1, 2011)

What would you have given to have an invitation to the Royal Wedding on Friday? It probably would have taken someone to give us an all-expense paid trip to jolly ol’ London, including the formal wedding wear! But none of us were invited, so we didn’t have to worry about getting there or what to wear.

However, we may have tuned in to one of the networks that carried the wedding live on Friday morning. I have to admit that as I was doing my Friday morning chores, I had the television on. I enjoyed seeing the British precision, the pomp and circumstance, and the vows. I also appreciate it when couples who have been living together off and on decide to be married and ask for God’s blessing. So, may the Lord bless William and Catherine for a lifetime commitment in the bonds of marriage.

But, perhaps, many of us didn’t watch the celebration, for whatever reason. Even though we didn’t, this doesn’t make William and Kate less married. Just because we didn’t see it doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. If we need proof, we can ask to see the videos of the ceremony. Then we probably for sure would believe it happened, just as the various reports said it did.

Coming back over to this side of the pond now, I wonder how many folks do still not believe that President Obama was born in the United States. Supposedly this week, we have seen the “Official ‘Long Form’ Certificate of Live Birth” from Hawaii. But, it could be a fake, couldn’t it?

Some folks still say it is because his father is listed as being “African,” rather than then more common for that day, “Negro.” What we will believe, we will believe, though. We weren’t around in 1961 and neither were a lot of folks, and a lot of those who were are not around anymore. What will we believe?

This question brings us to our question of faith for this day: What do we believe about Jesus Christ? Do we believe there was a baby born in Bethlehem to parents named Mary and Joseph? Do we believe that he had the life that has been written about in the Bible and in other documents, especially the document by Jewish historian Josephus? Do we believe the report of the death he suffered?

Remember, now, we weren’t there. Conspiracy theorists believe that it wasn’t Jesus that was on the cross, nor that it wasn’t Jesus put into that tomb, nor that if Jesus was put into the tomb, he was taken out of it sometime during the night.

Then, we have the reports that he “appeared” to many people after he supposedly was killed, so maybe he wasn’t killed after all. Finally, there are the reports written in the Bible that his disciples watched as he ascended from earth into the sky, until he disappeared from sight. Oh, my, what do we believe about that?!

It would be nice, wouldn’t it, if this room was the “upper room,” and Christ would come stand in our midst, right now, today? Wouldn’t it be easier for our faith if we could see the nail holes and the side scar and the scabs from the crown of thorns? But, no, we have to rely on the gift God has given us, the gift of faith.

We need to hear the very direct and loving words of how Peter assures us. He really names it for us when he says,

Although you haven’t seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

The phrases “although you haven’t seen him” and “even though you do not see him now” go even deeper than just not having been around during Jesus’ life. The folks to whom Peter was writing were not well-satisfied, problems solved people. They were having a hard time, a very hard time, in life because of their faith. They were in exile; they had been dispersed. They had been abandoned by their families, whether Jewish families or Greco-Roman families because of their faith in Jesus. Both cultures had rejected Christianity. Families were split. Christianity was a despised, foreign religion by the authorities and by friends and families.

So, Peter once again lays out the bedrock of our faith. Here it is from The Message transliteration:

What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we have been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven – and the future starts now! God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. The Day is coming when you’ll have it all – life healed and whole.

Do we think that folks down in Tuscaloosa feel that they have “everything to life for” today? Probably more than a few will be adamantly insisting, “We have nothing to live for; it is all gone!”

Perhaps we have seen the report that the Chinese government outlawed the Christian Church’s Easter celebrations last weekend. Perhaps the Christians in China said, “We have noting to live for if we can’t worship on Easter Sunday!”

Peter’s letter makes the point, “You have everything to live for anyway and always!”

Let’s think back over our lives. There have been times, haven’t there, when we have thought, “We have nothing to live for,” yet here we still are. But are we really living?

Perhaps for some of us, it is often just putting one foot in front of another, day by day. Perhaps it is difficult for us to consider that we have “everything to live for”; yet, somehow we hear the words of Peter’s letter, and we continue on, even begin to feel more unburdened as we go along.

A great part of feeling less and less burdened is that we believe and say that Jesus also experienced the pain and agony that we face, and if we believe it, to a much greater degree than we. And, we can remember that even Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble, but (what did he say?) fear not, for I have overcome the world!”

Peter doesn’t try to sugarcoat things, but says things that give us strength. Again from The Message:

I know how great this makes you feel (that is, the belief of faith that we have everything to live for), even though you have to put up with every kind of aggravation in the meantime.

I love this: “Even though you have to put up with every kind of aggravation in the meantime!” These ‘aggravations’ are the things that make us stronger, as we handle them with our faith. Peter reminds us that “Pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure; genuine faith put through this suffering comes our proved genuine. When Jesus wraps all of this up, it’s your faith, not your gold that God will have on display as evidence of his victory.”

So, the question for us today is can God put our faith on display and be proud of it because our faith is evidence of his victory? Here’s the check list of questions:

One, “Although we haven’t seen Jesus (and this not with our eyes, but with the full comprehension of our minds), do we still love him? The word for ‘love’ here is the agape form of love. In other words, even though we don’t fully comprehend the whole idea of faith, are we still willing to live our life and give up our life for Jesus? Yes or no?

Two: “Since we can’t see him now (and this refers to actually seeing him with our two eyes), do we believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable joy” that we do? When we heard the words last Sunday “Christ is risen!” how did we respond? Some of you responded with a great look of assurance, “He is risen indeed!”

Do we believe it with joy when we say it in both the Nicene Creed and the Apostles’ Creed: “On the third day he rose again from then dead in accordance with the Scripture; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come again to judge the living and the dead.” The Nicene adds. “He will come again in glory,” and “His kingdom shall now no end.” Yes or No?

This is our good news, my friends; Christ is risen; he’s on his throne; he will come again; and, his kingdom will never end! We can get into this!

Third, and this is our blessed assurance: Peter says, “For you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” The Message puts is this way:

You never saw him, yet you love him. You still don’t see him, yet you trust him – with laughter and singing. (And) because you kept on believing, you’ll get what you are looking forward to: total salvation.

Jesus himself said we ‘are blessed.’ He said it to Doubting Thomas when Thomas made his great profession, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe”

We are the blessed, my friends, because we haven’t seen Jesus, either with our eyes nor our brains. But we have come to believe because of faith alone gifted to us by God’s grace. Yes or no?

Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift of Jesus Christ for us and his indescribable gift of faith to us. Glory to God! Amen.

A Lord's Day Message for Sunday, April 24, 2011

2011-04-30T06:36:00.000-07:00

“Seven Who Encountered Jesus: (7) Us!”

Matthew 28:1-10 and John 20:1-18

“Do not be afraid; I know you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come; see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples.” (Matthew 28:5b-6)

(Sermon preached by Rev. Larry A. Langer, First Presbyterian Church, Jasper, IN, April 24, 2011)

What in the world are all of us doing here, outside, in this weather, at 7:00 on a Sunday morning? Are we crazy or something? I mean, it is enough, isn’t it, that we come to church at 10:30, 9:30 if we are in Sunday school on a Sunday morning. 7:00 AM on a Sunday? What it is all about? What are our reasons?

Are we here to “get church over with” so we can have the rest of the day? Are we here because it is just a different kind of service? Are we here because it is our tradition? OR, are we here because it makes our faith seem more real to us?

Perhaps we are here to somewhat feel what it was like for Mary Magdalene and the other Mary (and the other women) when they went to the tomb “very early in the morning” as the text says. Perhaps we want to close our eyes and picture the rough ground with the hewn-out cave with first the stone in front of it, then the stone “rolled away.” Perhaps we are imagining what it would be like to hear the news, as did Peter and John, and run to the tomb and experience its emptiness.

Knowing what we believe and know now, I think it would be wonderful to run to the tomb, find it empty with the folded grave clothes, have Jesus appear to us, and have our faith in the promises of God validated!

Anyway, this is what I dream and think about when this day comes around every year. How about you? We want to “see” the resurrection so we can more deeply believe. So, we re-enact going to the tomb on Resurrection Day, very early in the morning. We go back to the stage, we see the setting, and we place ourselves in the shoes of the actresses and actors. We see ourselves in the roles. We hear the dialogue in our mind’s ear. So, let us hear and see for ourselves, once again, this morning.

The first thing we hear at the tomb is, “Don’t be afraid.” The angel says to Mary, “Don’t be afraid.” Remember the scripture we read at Christmas time? The angel says to both Mary and Joseph, “Don’t be afraid.” Remember clear back in the Old Testament the many times when God or an angel said to a person of God, “Don’t be afraid”? If there is a practical, everyday part to our faith, it is the wise counsel, “Don’t be afraid.”

Don’t be afraid of what? We aren’t to be afraid of the “unknown,” because God is already there. We have the Bible to tell us that God is already there in any circumstance we can imagine and how God resolves any circumstance we can imagine.

In our Good Friday service, we read the very pastoral verse from John 19:27, where Jesus is hanging on the cross with his mother and “the disciple Jesus loved” standing there. Jesus “says to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciples took her into his own home.”

Then we heard Kyrstan sing beautifully the wonderful words of assurance from the hymn, ‘Be Still, My Soul.” Remember?

Be still, my soul! The Lord is on thy side;

Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.

Leave to thy God to order and provided,

in every change He faithful will remain.

Be still my soul, thy best, thy heavenly friend

through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.”

Be still, my soul! Thy God doth undertake

to guide the future as He has the past.

Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;

All now mysterious shall be bright at last.

Be still, my soul! The waves and winds still know

His voice who ruled them while He dwelt below.”

There is no greater instruction that we can hear from God through our faith than “be not afraid.” Then, there is no greater instruction we can tell ourselves in response than “Be still, my soul, in every change, God faithful will remain.” We come to the tomb to believe this is true once again.

The second thing we hear at the tomb is “Come and see…come and see the place where he lay.”

It is an interesting thing that when we go to Israel on a tour, the place people want to see the most is the place that is said to be where Jesus was born. People throng to the depths under the Church of the Nativity. There are long lines just to see (actually, two places, depending on one’s faith perspective) where they say Jesus was born.

But there are smaller lines to see Golgotha, the upper room, or the cave in the garden in the Church of the Holy Seplecur. On the tours, we will walk the Via Del La Rosa, the path Jesus walked through Jerusalem, but we won’t go to the cave. We might even enjoy the shade and cool breezes in the Garden of Gethsemane, but we won’t go to the cave. Yet, the angel invited the Marys and Peter and John to check it out on their own, to see that the cave was empty. Mary originally thought that some “they” had taken Jesus, and she “didn’t know where they had taken him.”

There is a strong sense in which we have to “see” the resurrection before we can “see” what is really going on in the world, now that God has risen crucified Jesus from the dead. We can see the empty tomb, but we can’t really “see” the resurrection. We have to believe the resurrection before we can see.

The women show us that it is only as we venture forth- dare to come out to the tomb in our darkness, willing to be surprised, willing to obey the messenger of God, willing to see the risen Christ, willing to go back to Galilee, expecting to meet him there – that we will see.

The good news for us is that when we hear “come and see”,” it can be about what God is doing and wants to be doing in our lives now! Remember when John sent his disciples to Jesus to ask Jesus if he was the one they had been waiting for or did they need to wait for someone else?

Jesus said, “Go and tell John what you see and hear: The blind receive their sight; the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me” (Luke 7:22-23).

We really don’t have to have “blind faith’ to accept that the Lord is present and active in our lives. What we do require, though, is to have a faith that believes in, listens for and to, and follows and gives glory to God. Seeing the empty tomb, even if only through the eyes of faith on Easter Sunday morning, is part of this for us. So, the angel’s instructions are important for us: We should always try to come and see things through eyes of faith. Our prayer should be

Open my eyes that I may see,

glimpses of truth Thou hast for me.

Place in my hands the wonderful key

that shall unclasp and set me free.

Silently now, I wait for Thee.

Ready, my God, Thy will to see.

Open my eyes, illumine me, Spirit divine.

The third instruction we hear at the tomb is, “Go and tell…Go quickly and tell others.” Tell the others what – that the tomb is empty? No, tell others that “Jesus has been raised from the dead and goes ahead of you…”

This is the crux of our faith and the promise of the resurrection: Jesus has been raised from the dead and goes ahead of us. Remember what he said to his disciples?

Do not let you hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go and prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you do know the place where I am going, because you know me, and I am the way, the truth and the life.

You know, Mathew’s Gospel stresses these necessities: Not only loving Jesus, but obeying Jesus. Not only admiring Jesus, but following Jesus. He stresses that faith in Jesus requires active participation, obedience and discipleship: Be not afraid, come and see, go and tell.

And, haven’t we found over the years that we more fully believe the more we venture out in faith, risk, obey, are surprised and mix up the fear and joy? The truth of Easter and the Resurrection is a truth that we cannot understand in arguments, nor detached, measured reflection and consideration.

The truth of Easter is known only as we are in motion, going out to obey and to tell.

We often hear that Jesus came to “turn the world upside down.” Really, he came to turn the world right side up! The world, especially these days, is shaking, figuratively and literally. The world shook back then, too. Matthew says there was an earthquake. Back then, it was the sign of a beginning. We have had shakes lately, as well as winds and waves and fires. Are these signs of the end of things as we know them and the beginning or the promised things? Are these the birth pangs of Christ’s second coming? Some say so. If so, it will fulfill the scriptures that Christ will come again.

But back then, the world shook. The powerful soldiers shook in their boots, so afraid that they were like dead men. In fact, they had absolutely no explanation for what happened, such that they had to be bought off to keep quiet and the officials had to put a spin on things. But the women who previously were powerless are now the bearer of the experience, the teller of the story, and the relaters of the truth.

So, the important thing for us today is to also obey the risen Christ: “Do not be afraid; come and see; go and tell my brothers and sisters to meet me; they will see me, to!” If we obey, if we overcome our own doubts and fears, if we go and tell, out in Galilee or wherever we find ourselves, then we, too, will see the risen Christ, raised so that he might return to us, encourage us, and reveal himself to us.

This is the message of Easter: Be not afraid…come and see…go quickly and tell…Christ is risen; Christ is risen indeed.

Hallelujah! Amen!

A Lord's Day Message for Sunday, April 17, 2011

2011-04-17T05:45:00.000-07:00

“Seven Who Encountered Jesus: (6) The Crowd”

Matthew 21:1-17 and Romans 13:1-10

“When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, ‘Who is this?’ The crowds were saying, ‘This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.’” (Matthew 21:10-11)

I was at McDonald’s the other morning eating breakfast after a “fasting” blood test. As I sat there eating my “Cholesterol Special” of hot cakes, hash browns, biscuit, scrambled eggs and sausage (do know that I usually eat oatmeal and fruit every day at home!), I was next to a group of ten or so of Jasper’s finest men. I couldn’t help by overhear them speaking about the Integra bank Trust Department being bought by Old National and about other such current events.

What I observed about these men was that each of them sat back as if they already knew everything, such that it seemed that it all was just a “re-cap.” It seemed that each man could shrug his shoulders and say, “That’s the way it was; that’s the way it goes.”

Eventually, some of the men got up and went on their ways, perhaps to other errands, perhaps to work, perhaps to home. And, I suppose, each man who had been there and part of the conversation felt that they were up on the current news.

What I also know is that there are other groups just like this all over town: At Hardies, at Headquarters, at the other Mc Donald’s, at Denney’s. All of these groups share the news and their analysis of it, and have a common fellowship: “Going for Coffee!” The thing I wonder about is what impact these “coffee” times have on the day for these men – and women – who have gathered? Does it make a difference in what they do? Does it change their life? Does it make them a better person? Does it help them with their decisions throughout the day and beyond?

These same questions could be asked of those who experienced what we label “Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem.” We read of the instructions to the disciples; the preparation by the disciples. We read of the reactions of the crowd; we read about what they said. We read, then, about what Jesus did, and who saw, heard and reacted to it. Finally, we read of where and how Jesus went – to the temple to cleanse it.

Yes, we read all of these things, probably for the umpteenth time, right? Ever since we have been in church, this passage, this recollection, comes around every year. We always get the passage about “Jesus’ Triumphal Entry” on what we call “Palm Sunday,” because it begins Holy Week, the days leading up to Jesus’ last Supper, his crucifixion, his death, and his resurrection. We always get it, perhaps so much so that it has become old hat to us, and we sit back like so many men and women at coffee and think, “I know that.”

Then we get up and go for another week.

But what if we really tried to contemplate this triumphal entry as if we were there? Of course, this is what I hope we do after each Sunday’s Worship Service and message: I hope we think about it and it somehow changes what we do and who we are during the week!

What if we were one of the disciples, one of the chosen twelve? We have been with Jesus pretty much full time for three years now. We are pretty much used to his sometimes strange actions. So, when he tells us to go into town and get the donkey and her colt, we might shrug and think, “Okay, the Lord has need of them. We don’t know why, but the Lord has need of them.”

Not even John’s Gospel, which always fills in the details, fills in the cracks that would have Jesus telling the disciples that he was about to enter Jerusalem on one of those animals. No, there were no questions or explanations, just “Go into town, get the animals, and if anyone says anything, say, “The Lord has needs them.”

So, as Jesus’ disciples, what do we say when someone asks us to do something, because of our faith, because we are Christian, because we are church members, because we are trying to be good, Godly people? I can tell you what most of us do: We say, “Why?” Most of us want an explanation of why we might be asked to do something, especially if it seems to be as obtuse as going into town and getting a donkey and her colt. I mean, Jesus and his disciples seemingly have gotten by without one for three years; they have walked every place. So, why a donkey and her colt now? The answer is, “The Lord has a need…The Lord has a need.” (It also fulfills the Old Testament prophecy about how the “King of the Jews” will come into power!)

However, now, the Lord has a need for us to be his disciples, and there has never been a greater time to meet the needs as Jesus’ disciples.

I bet that when we think of “meeting needs,” we think of “money issues.” But there is so much more than just supplying monetary needs. Particularly at the age and stage most of us are, there is the need of time and tender loving care, not only to our own people, but to those around us.

There is also our own need to be helped. We might even say, “I don’t want to be a bother,” or “I’d hate to ask someone to do that.” But, sometime, perhaps a lot of the times, people who want to meet needs are available; they just don’t know what needs to meet. If we have needs, and we let others know, there are usually people around to meet those needs.

The best habit to get into as a disciple of Christ is to develop the attitude of saying “sure” to requests. “Sure, I’ll do that for you, if at all possible.” “Can you give me a ride?” “Sure, when?” “Can you help me at my house?” “Sure, what can I do?” “Would you be willing to (fill in the blank)?” “Sure, I’d love to!”

Again, Jesus’ disciples weren’t told any more than “The Lord has need of it,” when asked to go into town. They trusted that they could do what Jesus asked, and it would be for the good. If someone asks us to do something good, especially a fellow believer, there is no reason not to acquiesce to the request.

What if we were who I would call the “cheerleaders” that day? These were the folks who were around Jesus, but not officially “disciples.” These were the people who listened to his teachings, who followed him around, and who now were the cheerleaders, shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” They were creating quite the stir!

What do we think Jesus was doing, though, While the crowds were cheering? What do we think was the expression on Jesus’ face? What do we think were the expressions on the twelve disciples’ faces? Somehow, I just can’t see Jesus waving and grinning to the crowds as he rode that donkey into town.

Perhaps he did look resolute. Perhaps he had a look of satisfaction on his face, because this was the way things were supposed to be. Perhaps he was thinking ahead to the rest of the week.

We know that other recollections of this Palm Sunday entrance make this “Passion Sunday” rather than “Palm, Sunday.” I have always thought that it is important to see this as “Palm Sunday” to get the full impact of the juxtaposition between the joyful celebration that the Messiah of the peoples’ dreams has come, and the sadness that Jesus wasn’t truly the “King of the Jews.”

Have we ever thought of the look on Jesus’ face as he rode into town on the donkey, with the crowd of cheerleaders in front and behind?

Have we ever been a cheerleader for Jesus?

Some of us may say, “Not really, we’re Presbyterians. We’re called the “Frozen Chosen.” If we want to jump and shout, we would be something else!” Yet, we don’t have to put the “jump and shout” into “Hosanna to the Son of David. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.”

It really is also effective when we say it with great surety: “Jesus is Lord; Jesus is the promised Messiah; Jesus is the Son of David; the Son of Man; the Son of God. Thanks be to God!”

Are we cheerleaders for Jesus? Do we ask people if they believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior? Do we ask people if their life would be better with forgiveness and love and knowing for certain God loves them? Do we ever ask folks if we could tell them about our Savior? Are we cheerleaders for Jesus?

Are we “the others” in the crowd, part of the “Whole city (that) was in turmoil” crowd? There was probably a very large group, probably the majority, who wondered, “Who the heck is this anyway? The streets are blocked, there is what appears to be a riot on the main street, and it is being led by some guy on a donkey. What is going on; it really is a real pain!”

Oh, my friends, if only the world knew and believed what we know and believe: That Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, and yes, he disrupts lives, but for eternal purposes! Unfortunately, in our present age, politics has become our main means of salvation – or not, our main means of protection – or not – from cradle to grace, our main source of security and well-being – or not. As someone has said, “We raise armies to produce peace. There was a time when we fought wars for national expansion or for the good name of the king. Now we fight wars for security.”

Do we dare say that we Americans will soon be fighting wars for our financial security? I haven’t seen any seriously non-political commentary on the budget proposals that aren’t negative. The Wall Street Journal had a blistering article this past week, though. My gut feelings are that we are quickly becoming a socialist nation. We are a long way from responding the way the Middle East countries are responding, but we will get there sooner than those countries have. You see, we have known the “good life,” the prosperous life, so much so that we have gotten very used to it. I’m afraid we are about to lose it – and we don’t know that we are, and if we did, we wouldn’t know what to do about it.

I know this is a political statement, but most of the citizenry of this great country depend on politics, not the Lord Jesus Christ, for prosperity, health, and well-being. If we chose to be the followers of Jesus, we would give our fullest effort to answering the age-old question with our lives, as much as it depends on us. We would constantly be asking “What does the Lord require of us?” We know the Biblical answer: “Only this, to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with the Lord.”

When we see the guy on the donkey named Jesus, are we seeing him from the perspective of the disciples, the cheerleaders or the townspeople? Hopefully, we are at least the cheerleaders, preferably we are the disciples!

What if Jesus asked us to get him a donkey?

Amen.

A Lord's Day Message for Sunday, April 10, 2011

2011-04-10T05:45:00.000-07:00

(Message © by Rev. Larry A. Langer, First Presbyterian Church, Jasper, IN, April 10, 2011)

“Seven Who Encountered Jesus: (5) Lazarus, Mary, Martha and the Jews”

John 11:1-45 and Romans 8:6-11

“So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.’ But when Jesus heard it, he said, ‘this illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.’” (John 11 4, 5)

Is there any among us who hasn’t had the experience of hearing our text for today and wishing we had been the one standing next to Jesus that day, hearing Jesus calling our loved one by name, commanding him or her to “come out,” and have our loved one come back to life? Oh, we might say we wouldn’t want our loved one back if he or she couldn’t be totally well, but if he or she could be full of health, what a joy that would be for us!

I have wished for the power of the Lord to say to my loved ones and, as your pastor, to your loved ones, “In the name of Jesus, come out!” But all of our experiences thus far give indication of the finality of our physical death. So far, there hasn’t been a “Lazarus” among our loved ones.

Church Swindoll quoted Joseph Bayly from the book The Last Thing We Talk About,

There are two fixed points in our lives: birth and death. Death is especially unbendable. One astute writer used these words to describe what we have all felt.

This frustrates us, especially in a time of scientific breakthrough and exploding knowledge, that we should be able to break out of earth’s environment and yet be stopped cold by death’s unyielding mystery.

An electroencephalogram may replace a mirror held before the mouth, autopsies may become more sophisticated, cosmetic embalming may take the place of pennies on the eyelids and canvas shrouds, but death continues to confront us with its bleak wall. Everything changes; death is changeless.

We may postpone it, we may tame its violence, but death is still there waiting for us. Death always waits. The door of the hearse is never closed.

Dairy farmers and sales executive live in death’s shadow, with Nobel Prize winners and prostitute, mother, infant, teen, and old man. The hearse stands waiting for the surgeon who transplants heart as well as the hopeful recipient, for the funeral director as well as the corpse he manipulates. Death spares no one.

This is very somber, and we know this. Somber and sobering, we know these things. This is all there is to life as we know it: Death – all there is, that is, unless Jesus stands among us. But, if Jesus stands among us, we may have more of a child-like view of death:

Alan, age 7, “God doesn’t tell you when you are going to die because he wants it to be a big surprise.”

Aaron, age 8, “The hospital is the place where people go on their way to heaven.”

Stephanie, age 9, “Doctors help you so you won’t die until you pay all their bills.”

Marsha, age 9, “When you die, you don’t have to do homework in heaven unless your teacher is there, too.”

Kevin, age 10, “I’m not afraid to die because I am a Boy Scout, and Boy Scouts are brave.”

Ralph, age 8, “When birds are ready to die, they just fly to heaven.”

What about adults? What do they say about death? What do some of our spiritual writers say?

St. Ambrose: “The foolish fear death as the greatest of evils, the wise desire it as a rest after labors and the end of ills.”

William Barclay: “When I die, I should like to slip out of the room without a fuss – for what matters is not what I am leaving, but where I am going.”

Dietrich Bonheoffer: “Death is the supreme festival on the road to freedom.”

John Bunyan: “Death is but a passage out of a prison into a palace.”

Dwight L. Moody: “This is my coronation day; I have been looking forward to it for years.”

James Dobson: “The final heartbeat for the Christian is not the mysterious conclusion to a meaningless existence. It is rather, the grand beginning to a life that will never end.”

St. Francis of Assisi: “It is in dying that we are born to eternal life.”

Abbe Henri de Trouville: “Death is the following of life, the consummation of union with God.”

George Whitefield: “Take care of your life and the Lord will take care of your death.”

Arthur Sherrington Wood: “My happiest moment will be when God puts his hand on my heart and stops it beating.”

It is interesting, isn’t it, that none of these great figures in the Christian faith said, “I wish Jesus would stand in front of my tomb after I die and tell me to ‘come out!’ No, each of these great figures in the Christian faith is ready for Jesus to stand in front of them and say, “Come home!” They are ready to hear and believe the words of the spiritual song,

Come home, come home,

you who are weary, come home.

Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,

Calling “O sinner, come home!”

This is what our text is all about: Jesus calling us home, not our hoping with the power and love of Jesus Christ that we or our loved one will be called back to this life from the grave! It is about believing in the One and only Person, Jesus Christ, who did die, but how was brought forth from the grave to live forever!

The salient question before all of us now is as it was asked of Martha, “Do you believe this?” “Do you believe, Martha, that I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” Do we believe this, my friends?

This passage from John 11:25-26 is one of the main, usual passages that we read at a funeral, but as I re-looked at my funeral liturgy book, I discovered that it was the third passage listed to read. What were the first two that, if they are listed in order of chronology or importance, are they foundations to our faith? Here they are; what do we think about these texts and their order?

First comes Psalm 124:8, “Our help is in the name of the Lord who made heaven and earth.”

Second comes Romans 6:3-5, “When we were baptized in Christ Jesus, we were baptized into his death. We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that, as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live a new life. For if we have been united with Christ in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.”

Third, then comes John 11:25-26, “I am the resurrection and the life, says the Lord. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.”

But there are two more after these that are words of assurance and invitation, also.

First, the assurance from Revelation 21 and John 14:19, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. I was dead and behold I am alive forever and ever; and I have the keys of Death and Hades. Because I live, you also will live.”

Then the invitation from Matthew 11:28, “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give your rest,” invites Jesus the Christ, Jesus is the Son of God, Jesus the Good Shepherd, Jesus our Savior.

But, going back to our text for today, did you notice? Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life…” He didn’t say, “I will be” or “As soon as I die, I am going to be…” No, Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life.”

In John’s Gospel, “Eternal Life” is now. Into the world of sin and death, a Savior has come. John writes at the very beginning of his Gospel, “The Word has become flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth.” Heaven has come down to earth. In the midst of death, there is life, because Jesus is the Lord of life. Even though, in this part of the Gospel, Jesus is on his way to the cross, he won’t let the forces of evil and death determine his direction or his life. In the Gospel of John, Jesus’ death is spoken of as his “hour of glory.” One has commented, “Jesus’ strange, upside-down way of looking at things, death and glory are linked. As he told Mary and Martha, Lazarus’ illness and this whole thing, in fact his whole earthly ministry that led to his cross, is “for God’s glory, “so that Jesus might be thereby “glorified through it.”

You know, when we or someone we love are on the way to “Glory Land,” if we will, God is usually glorified through us because of our faith in Jesus. First of all, “Since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died…so we may not grieve as those who have no hope.”

When we pray here in the Sanctuary or at our table at home or at the bedside of our loved one, we pray in Jesus’ name as people with hope that God will heal as God has healed before. But then we can faithfully say at the end of the prayer what Jesus said in the midst of his, “Nevertheless, Lord, not my will but Thine be done.”

We all know in our hearts that there is very often healing for what ails us in this life. But we also know in our hearts that sometimes there is the perfect healing, the healing unto eternal life with the Lord.

Have we ever noticed that Jesus so rarely prayed for sick people? If we look at the Lord’s Prayer that Jesus taught his disciples to pray, we will find Jesus praying for forgiveness, for daily bread, for the coming kingdom, but he doesn’t mention sickness, nor does he mention death, either.

Sickness, sudden accidents, even “living,” all of the things that result in death are the great challenges in life. But Jesus says, “Come with me, come on towards the death you are avoiding, lay your life into the hands of the living and loving God, let God give you the life that you cannot earn for yourself. In facing your death with me, in walking the way to the cross that I walk, you shall have eternal life, life, and that abundantly, but first, we have to go out to the cemetery.

As I wrote this, I was reminded of my own illnesses about a year and a half ago; my pneumonia where I was septic and my blood clot which filled my right leg. Turns out I should have stopped at the nearest hospital somewhere between Challis, Idaho, and here. Doc said that I only had about 24 more hours to get help for my sepsis, and then it might have been too late to help me.

Doc also said, when I presented him with my blood clot, that he had to put me in the hospital, because if the clot broke loose, no one could get to me fast enough.

What is interesting to me are my reactions to both. Yes, I could have stopped at a hospital in several good-sized towns along the way home from Idaho, but what if I had had to stay there? I would have been there alone; I really wanted to be near loved ones, so I drove on home.

But when I was in the hospital here with my clot, I was very much at peace, so much so that my Martha got upset and made me think. She said, “You absolutely don’t understand the seriousness of your situation. You very much could die, and you are acting as if nothing is happening!”

I have thought about these things and have decided that I didn’t want to be alone between here and Idaho, but I did have the comfort of loving, caring people around me here. I really did believe and know that whether I lived or died, I belonged to the Lord. What more does a person need this side of heaven and that side of earth: People who love, first of all, and then a God who loves us so much that he gave his only Son that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”

Jesus, the Resurrection and the Life; Our only true comfort in life and in death. Amen.

A Lord's Day Message for April 3, 2011

2011-04-05T10:14:00.000-07:00

(Message © by Rev. Larry A. Langer, First Presbyterian Church, Jasper, IN, April 3, 2011)

“Seven Who Encountered Jesus: (4) The Man Born Blind”

Ephesians 5:8-14 and John 9:1-41

“His disciples asked him, ‘Who sinned, this man or his parents, the he was born blind?’ Jesus answered, ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him.’” (John 9:2-3)

Where we left Jesus and the disciples last week, the men and women from Sychar were going out to see the man who had changed the town’s “woman of shame” into a “woman of forgiveness.” The last statement made in the text about this day in the life of sinners was said to the woman: “it is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world!”

I made the comment that it seemed that the disciples were also beginning to “get it,” because they didn’t question Jesus about going through Samaria in the first place, didn’t ask any questions when they came back to the well and found Jesus with the woman, nor had anything to say when Jesus taught them right then and there about how “the fields were ripe for a spiritual harvest.”

So, we could assume that the disciples would be really moving along in their faith. Apparently, this is not so, because just five chapters later, we get the recollection of the day Jesus and the disciples were walking along and encountered “the man born blind.” If we remember what the woman at the well said about worship and what Jesus said in return can be applied here.

The woman, drawing on her history, said, “Our ancestors worshipped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.” Jesus responded with, “You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him.”

The key phrase here is “you worship what you do not know; we worship what we know.”

Now, let’s get back to today’s story. The disciples thought they knew what to ask Jesus as they were walking along that day in Jerusalem. They wanted a theological answer to a physical question. They wanted to be able to put into a nice little box and tie up with a bow, “Who sinned, this man or his parents, the he was born blind?”

Perhaps this is the first question we ask when a baby comes out handicapped, or is diagnosed “Down’s Syndrome,” or “Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.” “Who sinned?” “What happened”? “Who screwed up?” “Who do I sue?”

I will always appreciate Dr. Ruff here in town when Peter was finally diagnosed with his malady. You know that all along we thought that Peter was ADHD. We thought all along that Peter just need more discipline. And, actually as we were considering whether or not Peter may have a gene that would make him amoral – inhibit his ability to know right from wrong – we discovered his chromosomal defect that is put under the title of “Klienfelter’s Syndrome.”

This is not an “amoral gene.” It is a genetic issue that causes delayed development, super height, a large girth, and possible sterility. As Peter has aged, he has been able to mature, has been able to begin making good and wise choices, has been able to be more of the son parents would like to have, a “normal kid,” if you will.

But applicable to today’s text is what Dr. Ruff said as soon as he received the results back from the genetic testing, and even before we asked, although we were probably thinking it. Dr. Ruff said, “Please do not blame yourselves for Peter’s genetic disorder. We aren’t sure why the genes came together like they did, but we are pretty sure that neither of you are at fault. Don’t spend time trying to figure out the cause or who to blame. Spend your time and energy on raising your son as best you can.”

We could sit around all day trying to answer the question the disciples asked Jesus: “Who sinned; this man or his parents?” “Who sinned; Peter or Larry or Martha?” But Dr. Ruff and Jesus said, “That’s not a question that needs to be asked. Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born the way he was so that God’s works might be revealed in him.”

In the blind man’s story then, Jesus spit on the ground, made mud, placed it on the man’s eyes, told him to go wash in the Pool of Siloam (which means, “He who has been sent”). “Then he washed and came back able to see.”

In Peter’s story, we have worked with the school, the Southwest Dubois Community Schools Coop, the doctors, the counselors, and SIRS and the BDDS to get Peter where he is today. He is a good and valued employee at Pizza Hut. He has been hired to work at the new Wendy’s in Dale. He is going to fill out apps in other places for a full time position. People really like him at the Hut and other places.

Even my mother, who really couldn’t stand to be around him, is now complimenting him on how nice, polite, helpful and funny he is. All the folks at my mother’s retirement place like him. Peter can never be healed from Klienfelter’s, unless Jesus comes along and changes his chromosomal make-up. But Peter can be brought along to enjoy a good life, even a productive life.

That is, unless like the man born blind but who now sees, we keep dwelling on trying to figure things out, especially keep trying to figure out the sin involved. Jesus sees a blind man and thinks about healing him. Jesus’ disciples (and us) also see the blind man and immediately begin a theological discussion with, “Who sinned?”

You see, it is our human thinking side that would have us try to explain sadness and tragedy – we want the rational explanation. If God is good and righteous, then if there is bad, then the bad must be punishment for our badness, right?

When Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast four years ago, a State Senator from Alabama said that it hit where it did because Mississippi and Louisiana had legalized gambling, that God had sent the hurricane to punish those states for their sin.

A preacher in Alabama retorted, “Well, if the Lord was aiming for those casinos, then the Lord needs to improve his aim. The hurricane took out about eight casinos and nearly a hundred Methodist Churches!”

At least in today’s Gospel, Jesus won’t make a direct correlation between sin and a person’s circumstances in life – at least this isn’t what is important to Jesus. What is important to Jesus (and to us) is what he and we are going to do with it and about it. The thing is, unless we are believers in Jesus Christ, we will dwell on the sin, rather than seeing what we can do with the life. If we are believers in Jesus Christ, we will do what Jesus said to do: “Give thanks that God’s works are being revealed!”

I don’t know how much any of us know about the Alcoholics Anonymous program or any of the other 12-step programs that take their foundation from A.A., and that take it all from the Bible, really, but the one thing I have always thought was missing from the 12-step program was a “Celebration Step.”

Now, I have been by the AA meeting that meets here; I have been around other AA meetings that have met in other churches I have pastored. I hear them applauding each other’s testimonies. I hear them applauding a new milestone in their soberness – 30 days, six months, 5 years, etc. But I would think that celebrating one’s sobriety would be one of the 12 steps. Rather it seems that the person going through AA always remains beaten down, sometimes seems to be going through life feeling worthless rather than worthwhile – especially worthwhile as a child of God.

But, I guess, maybe our root problem is thinking too much of ourselves – such as the Pharisees were literally too full of themselves – rather than thinking little enough of ourselves. When we are so quick to judge, so quick to find fault, so quick to discard, so unwilling to even recognize that “there for the grace of God go I,” we are too full of ourselves and not full enough of Jesus Christ.

I don’t really need to remind us we ought to be feeling the empty pangs in our souls today. This is the first Sunday of the month when we would usually be celebrating the Holy Meal, Holy Communion. We haven’t had the bread and the cup to eat and drink for a month now. But we are in the midst of Lent, the “Season of Sin,” This is the season we are encouraged to spend forty days for honest meditation upon our sin, looking forward to Resurrection Day once again, when we can breathe a sigh of relief that we don’t have to live in our sin forever, that we are forgiven because of our faith in the grace of God in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Let me suggest that the twelve steps of AA are useful for us to use as we meditate during Lent:

Step one, we admit that we are powerless over our own lives, over any sin; "the things we want to do righteously we cannot do, and the things we don’t want to do we do – and there is no health in us," says Paul.

Step two, we do believe that a Power greater than ourselves can restore our lives to living and being righteous. This Power is God, with the Holy Spirit being God’s power in us.

Step three, we make the decision, as tough as it is, to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God, as we understand Him. We may not all understand God the same, but when we believe that there is a Higher Power named God who can handle all, we can make the decision to turn our will over to God.

Step four, we make a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. What often happens, though, is we look at the splinter in another’s eye and not see the log in our own. Besides, it is scary and hurtful when we do give credence to the log. We’d much rather ignore it.

Step five, we admit to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. Being Presbyterians, we do try to do this. We have our Prayers of Confession; we have our opportunities to not ignore the things that are wrong in our lives. We can admit the things that are wrong. We can admit them and be healed from them.

Step six, we can be entirely ready to have God remove all our defects of character. It is interesting that step six just says, “We are ready to have God remove our defects of character.” Here is where the “yeah, buts…” come in. We may know our failures; we may feel that we want to get rid of them; but we have to get to the point that we want to get rid of them.

Step seven, has us humbly asking God to remove our shortcomings. And, what are we promised in Scripture? I John 1: 8-9 says, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth in not in us. But if we confess our sins, God who is faithful and just will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” In humility and faith let us confess our sin to God, then.

Step eight, is to make a list of all the people we have harmed and become willing to make amends to them all. Again, we make this list without the “yeah, but…” Be ready to admit that careless word, that crass comment, that unavailability, that embarrassment you caused. Be ready to admit all of them.

Step nine, go do it! Go, make amends to such people wherever possible, except where to do so would injure them or others. Matthew 5:23 says, “When you are offering your gifts at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift…When you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, first be reconciled to them.”

Step ten, keep on practicing steps 8 and 9 constantly.

Step eleven, seek through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out. Can we ask for any more than to know God’s will and carry it out?

Step twelve, having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we try to carry this message to all others and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

As I reminded us earlier, this is the season of Lent. But rather than being dour and somber, it can we a very joyful season. We are sinners, to be sure, but in Christ something decisive and wonderful is being done to heal our sinful state. Martin Luther said that we ought to confess our sin and throw a mantle of charity over the sins of others!

So, during Lent our time is best spent not in theorizing about sin, nor by zealously rooting our the sins of others, but rather in humbly confessing our own sin – perhaps the way we callously walk past those in need on our way to church to worship a God who reaches out in mercy to those in need, the way we can always see the sin of others more clearly that our own sin, the way we get confused into thinking that Jesus is among us as a judge and jury rather than as a Savior and healer. Lent ought to be a time not so much for prophetic, searing honesty about sin, but rather for modesty and for celebration of our God who comes to us and heals us in love, despite our sin.

Praise God! Hallelujah! Amen.

A Lord's Day Message for Sunday, March 6, 2011

2011-03-31T13:55:00.000-07:00

“7 Churches: Brickbats and Bouquets”

“7. God’s Message to Laodicea: The Delusion of Self-Sufficiency; the Solution of Christ-Sufficiency”

Revelation 3:14-22 and Luke 16:19-31

“For you say, ‘I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing.’ You do not realize that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind and naked.” (Revelation 3:17)

And Jesus said, “Ptui!”

We preachers are encouraged to begin our sermons with a vivid, attention-grabbing illustration. I know of none more attention-getting than, “And Jesus said, “Ptui! I know your works; you are neither hot nor cold. So, because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I am about to spit you out of my mouth. For you say, ‘I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing.’ You do not realize that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind and naked. Ptui!”

Lest you think I exaggerate Jesus’ words here, rest assured this is exactly what he meant: “Ptui.”

As we know from Jesus’ teachings while he was on earth and from his letters to the other 6 churches to which he had letters written, Jesus uses common, everyday illustrations to make his point. The “Ptui” is no exception.

The physical problem that the town of Laodicea had was that they had absolutely lousy water. They didn’t have any wells of their own, either by choice or necessity, but they had built an aqueduct six miles long to bring water in from the town of Hierapolis. The water came either from hot springs and was cooled to lukewarm or came from a cool source and warmed up in the aqueduct on the way.[1] My guess is that especially if it came from the hot springs is that it had a very high sulfur content and smelled and tasted like rotten eggs. We can imagine what it would be like to smell and taste tepid, rotten egg water. (And we think it is bad when Patoka Lake turns over!) Ptui!

Do you think this example would get the attention of the members of the LCC, the Laodicea Christian Church? Something had to, and this was the strongest example Jesus could use. If we look back at the other six churches Jesus had John write to, no letter was as strong as this.

To the church at Ephesus, the letter was about returning to their first love. To the church at Smyrna, the letter spoke of being spiritually rich in their economic poverty and standing firm in their trials. To the church of Pergamum, the letter was about expelling those in the church who were falsely teaching heresy. To the church at Thyatira, the letter was about expelling from the church “a Jezebel” who had been teaching satanic stuff. To the church at Sardis, the letter was about waking up and being an alive church once again. To the church at Philadelphia, the letter was about going out through the “open door” that God had given them and evangelizing in the name of Jesus.

As direct as these letters were, none was as harsh as being compared to the tepid, stinking water that would cause a person to vomit, that they were forced to drink. Why would Jesus dictate such a letter to church people? Listen to this:

These Christians have become lukewarm because they perceived virtues within themselves, and because of that confident self-understanding, they were blinded to the steady deterioration that had already turned them into hollow shells reaching out to hollow shells. Here is the tragedy of a person who has gone soft and indolent by overestimating his or her wealth far too long. It is the person who has always intended to get started and was certain that time was on his or her mind. . . What we have in this poetic description is the raw material of human decadence and the tragedy of adriftedness. It is like the inner deception of the chemical assault on the brain, so that by imperceptible inches a man or woman is robbed of a clear mind and vigorous imagination, while all the time self-assured that cocaine or marijuana or alcohol was enhancing perception, feeling and well-being.[2]

Basically, they had been deluding themselves that all was well – and it was physically and financially. They had everything money could buy. They were a wealthy church in a wealthy town. Interestingly, while they had terrible water, they were located in a fertile valley. (Were they too lazy to dig their own well?) Laodicea was an important town for trade and communication. The great Roman road ran through it from Ephesus on the coast to inland Asia to the east. They produced a famous, glossy, black wool – whether dyed or natural in color. They had a famous school of medicine and developed special eye and ear ointment. They had a market place where all sorts of goods from all over were traded and sold. The city’s banking assets were so large that Cicero (a Roman philosopher, statesman, lawyer, political theorist and Roman constitutionalist, who came from a wealthy family) used to cash his huge bank drafts there. The town was so wealthy that after the earthquake of A.D. 17, they refused physical and financial bailout money from Rome to rebuild, saying instead, “We can do it ourselves.”[3] Therein lay the problem: They were too much into themselves. They were quite content, thank you, just “going along to get along.” The church was like the town: Just going along to get along.

One commentator notes “that Laodicea is difficult to describe because no one thing stands out. There were no excesses or notable achievements to describe it. It was a city with a people who had learned to compromise and accommodate themselves to the needs and wishes of others.[4] They did not zealously stand for anything.[5]

This is what displeased the Lord so much and caused him to say “Ptui!” And, the Lord’s verdict is the exact opposite of the Laodicean church’s evaluation of themselves. But, “they were useless to Jesus because they were complacent, self-satisfied, and indifferent to the real issues of faith in Christ and of discipleship.”[6]

So, Jesus reduces his plea to the LCC to three words the members could understand: “Buy from me…buy from me.” Remember that Laodicea had an international marketplace where a person could buy anything they wanted from goods produced locally to good brought in from afar. Jesus put his faith in himself and discipleship into this context, put faith in himself and discipleship “up for sale,” if we will.

(You know, it saddens me greatly that Jesus seemingly has to reduce what is so valuable, so pure, so special, down to what the people can comprehend and understand. But he does this all the time, doesn’t he?)

Gold, a source of the wealthy of the city, was to be bought from Christ and to become the spiritually poverty-strickened’s true wealth. Their shameful nakedness was to be clothed, not by purchasing the sleek, black wool of Laodicea, but by buying from Christ the white clothing that alone can cover shameful nakedness. For those who were blind to their true condition, the “Phrygian powder” was useless. They needed to buy salve from Christ so that they could truly see.[7]

These three “products” that the members of the LCC needed to “buy” with the currency of their souls were all “ingredients” of what would be a true salvation for their souls.

To adapt for our days what another writer has said about those days,

the only cure for spiritually poverty-stricken disciples is to purchase from Christ gold which is refined in the agonies of the shared passion. For our nakedness the only recourse is to buy such clothes as the naked Christ had worn on the cross. The blindness of self-deception can be cured only by understanding the correlation between Christ’s love and his discipline. These three purchases constitute a substantial definition of the kind of zeal and repentance which is the burned of all John’s prophecies in the letters dictated through him. The thrust of these commands moves in the direction of rigorous warning. They are tantamount to saying, “Open your eyes” and “Carry your cross.”[8]

Again, these three “products” all point to our need of authentic salvation through Christ.[9]

Have we taken stock of the condition of our faith lately? Do we have enough of Jesus’ refined gold? Does the white robe that only Jesus can offer still fit and is it still clean, white, and pure? Are our eyes open to seeing our true, earthly condition: Wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked, who but for Jesus’ love for us are as condemned to Hades as was the one we read about from Luke’s gospel today?

You may say, “But, Pastor, don’t speak of us this way. We aren’t like those we see on the news in the slums of India or the refugee camps of Egypt or in the bombed-out villages of Libya. We live in Jasper, America.

Ah, yes, we do, so how is our spiritual condition? Is it pure with Christ? Do we wear it so others can tell? Do we see areas we need more spirituality and more faith? How can we become better disciples of Jesus, rather than just hearing the same stuff over again, only in a little different way?

Jesus' invitation to the Laodiceans is his invitation to us who seek spiritual food along with all our physical and mental blessings. “It is an invitation to the most important, main meal of the day. It is the meal to which one would dine with one’s most intimate, closest of friends.”[10] This wasn’t a quick lunch at McDonalds or Subway or even Shoney’s. Picture in your mind’s eye where you would go for a peaceful, long-lasting, well-attended to, scrumptious meal with the one you love or with your most intimate friends. This is the invitation Jesus is offering. His invitation reads:

“Behold, I stand at the door and Knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and dine with them and they with me.”

You know, I don’t know the condition of your souls. It isn’t for me to judge or even guess. I can really only judge mine, and I know that my soul gets awfully hungry for Jesus. I know I could stand Christ’s meal every Sunday. I know I will get hungry for him during Lent when we fast from his meal. I know I need other spiritual things to feed upon during Lent to feel Jesus’ presence with me. So, would we, first of all, really savor this meal we are having today and the one we will have Wednesday evening, then each of us make a solemn promise to the Lord that we will seek to become so much more rich in our souls over the next weeks of Lent, until we feast with Jesus again on Maundy Thursday?

Jesus said, “I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire so that you may be rich; and white robes to clothe you and to keep the shame of your nakedness from being seen; and salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.”

Let our next hymn be our response to Jesus’ invitation:

Open my eyes that I may see

Glimpses of truth Thou hast for me.

Place in my hand that wonderful key

That shall unclasp and set me free.

Silently now, I wait for Thee

Ready my God, Thy will to see.

Open my eyes, illumine me, Spirit divine.

Open my ears and let me hear

Voices of truth Thou sendest clear;

And while the wave notes fall on my ears,

Everything false will disappear.

Silently now, I wait for Thee

Ready my God, Thy will to see.

Open my ears, illumine me, Spirit divine.

Open my mouth and let me bear

Gladly the warm truth everywhere;

Open my heart and let me prepare

Love with Thy children thus to share.

Silently now, I wait for Thee

Ready my God, Thy will to see.

Open my heart, illumine me, Spirit divine.

(Public Domain)

Amen.

[1] Alan Johnson, Revelation, (The Expositor’s Bible Commentary. Frank, Gaebelein, Gen. Ed: Zondervin Publishing House, Grand Rapids, MI, 1981). P. 457

[2] Earl Palmer, Revelation, (The Communicator’s Commentary, Lloyd J. Oglivie, Gen. Ed.: Word Publishing Co., Waco, TX, 1982). P. 154

[3] Johnson, op. cit., p. 456

[4] Johnson, op. cit., p. 456, quoting Ramsay, Seven Churches, p. 417

[5] Johnson, ibid.

[6] Johnson, ibid, p. 457

[7] Johnson, ibid, p. 458

[8] Minear, I Saw a New Earth, p. 57, as quoted by Johnson, op.cit., p. 459

[9] Johnson, op.cit., p. 459

[10] Johnson, ibid., p. 459

A Lord's Day Message for Sunday, March 27, 2011

2011-03-27T05:45:00.000-07:00

“Seven Who Encountered Jesus: (3) the Woman at the Well”

John 4:1-42 and Psalm 95

“But Jesus had to go through Samaria…A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” (John 4:4, 7)

Our sermon today begins with “hatred.” We wouldn’t expect a sermon to begin with such, would we? We expect all of our sermons to begin with at least the premise of love, then conclude with the actuality of love, the love of God in Jesus Christ and our love for our neighbors.

But today’s sermon begins with hatred. It is a hatred between the Jews and the Samaritans. It had been going on for about seven and a half centuries, since 722 B.C. Without going into the detail of the “two kingdoms” of the Jews, the Northern and the Southern, let us be satisfied that when the Northern Kingdom fell in 722 B.C., the Jewish survivors intermarried with those described as “heathen colonists brought in from Babylonia by the Assyrian conquerors.”[1]

So, if we remember our teaching from the Torah, the first five books of the bible, one of the requirements God had for the Jewish nation to be strong and for a Jew to be a good Jew, was that they would always marry a Jew and never marry anyone who wasn’t a Jew. So, to a “good Jew,” one who tried to “live by the rules,” these Samaritans were looked upon as “unclean traitors to Jewish blood.”[2]

Furthermore, the Samaritans were confused, even heretical in their religious beliefs. Even though they earlier worshipped many gods caused by the strangers bringing in their own gods, they did begin worshipping “Jehovah,” but only accepted the first five books of the Bible, cutting off the rest of the Hebrew Scriptures.[3]

Plus, they hated the Jews! They had offered to help rebuild the temple in Jerusalem after the Jews returned from Babylonian exile – and were refused. It made the Samaritans bitter. And, as we know (and hear in the dialogue between Jesus and the woman at the well) the Jews say that the true place to worship God is in the temple in Jerusalem. The Samaritans adamantly refused, though, and said that their place of worship was in their own temple on Mount Gerizim in Samaria, which had been built about 400 B.C.

Then, when the Jews burned this temple at Mount Gerizim in 128 B.C. because they said it was “heretical,” the relationship between the “good and right Jews” and the Samaritans deteriorated even further!

Samaritans, in turn, would on occasion even stop and detain “Jews” traveling though the territory of Samaria. So, the “good” Jews would add hours to their trip traveling from Galilee to Jerusalem going around Samaria, rather than take the high road straight through Samaria. Says one commentator, “Little wonder then that a Jew would attempt to avoid any contact with these unclean dogs.”[4]

Let’s pause for a moment and think about whom we avoid at any and all costs and why we avoid them. Who do we laugh and sneer at and think, “I am certainly glad I am not like them!” Who would it concern us if our child married “someone different”? Did the person our child married concern us, especially to the point of hatred?

I mean, really, every last one of us has someone or some group of people or some absolute prejudice that causes us to harbor and exhibit feelings of hatred. And you know we all have heard the great prejudicial “but,” even from “good” church people: “I know I am supposed to love everyone, but…”

There are people we won‘t talk to, have business dealings with, eat at the same restaurant with, shop in the same store with, speak with if they move in next door, treat them for a physical ailment, accept them in the pulpit, or even if they somehow become a relative of ours.

There are people we hate! And we might not even have the same reasons as the ones between the Jews and the Samaritans: Not worshipping God and God alone; not accepting help when it is offered; and ruining something we hold dear (like when the Jews burned the Samaritan temple, for example).

Is it any wonder, then, that the text says in verse 4, seven little words, “But Jesus had to go through Samaria…But Jesus had to go through Samaria.” Remember, Jesus and the disciples could have taken the longer way around, but now, “Jesus had to go through Samaria.” The New International Version of the Bible says, “But Jesus needed to go through Samaria.”

One commentator writes:

What a world of meaning there is in that phrase! He did not need to save the three days He could gain by passing through this ill-regarded province rather than crossing the river and going up the eastern desert route. There did not seem to be urgent needs in Galilee that would cause Him to shorten the journey.

No, there is a deeper reason, an inner constraint of love and obedience. He knew the ignorance and spiritual hunger of the Samaritan people, and the Father had sent him into the whole world – not just part of it. He (simply) could not avoid these people in spite of the long history of resentment and antagonism between Jews and Samaritans.[5]

“Jesus had to go through Samaria.”

What runs through our minds – or rather who runs through our minds – as we think of this verse? Where does the Lord say we have to go? To whom does the Lord say we have to go?

We all know the hymn; we sing it, but do we do it?

It may not be on a mountain height

Or over the stormy sea;

It may not be at the battle’s front

My Lord will have need of me.

But if by a still, small voice He calls

To paths that I do not know,

I’ll answer, dear Lord, with my hand in Thine,

“I’ll go where You want me to go.”

(That verse is relatively easy; I think that is what any of us would say. Verse two is a bit tougher.)

Perhaps today there are loving words

Which Jesus would have me speak;

There may be now, in the paths of sin,

Some wanderer whom I should seek.

O Savior, if thou wilt be my Guide,

Tho’ dark and rugged the way,

My voice shall echo the message sweet.

I’ll say what you want me to say.

(And then the refrain, which perhaps you can say with me)

I’ll go where you want me to go, dear Lord,

Over mountain, or plain, or sea.

I’ll say what you want me to say, dear Lord.

I’ll be what you want me to be.

Jesus was compelled to go through Samaria. Is there somewhere today that Jesus is compelling us to go?

We are compelled to come to church today. Even if we came “out of habit,” we still had “a choice”; at least we would say we did. But when it comes right down to it, we were compelled to come here at 10:30 am on this Sunday morning, because this is where Jesus wants to meet us. For the woman at the well Jesus had to show up at noon. He had to be there. He had to come here at 10:30, and we did, too.

Like Jesus and the woman, Jesus and we begin the “small talk” conversations – You know, “the hi’s” and “how are you’s” and “gee, you are looking well today,” and “that sure is a pretty sweater.” We also might converse about some project here or how a friend or relative is or make a joke at someone’s expense or talk about a trip we have taken or are going to take. Sometimes Jesus can and will meet us in these conversations and/or snippets of dialogue, but I wonder. Maybe if we take the time and interest to stop and go a bit more in depth, because we felt there was something just under the surface waiting to come out, Jesus will meet us.

Yes, Jesus had to go through Samaria because he had to minister to the woman one-on-one. And, did you notice that when the disciples returned and were “surprised to find Jesus speaking to the woman,” no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking to her?” And, did we notice that there wasn’t any lead-in story with the disciples arguing with Jesus that they shouldn’t go through Samaria; that “good Jews just don’t do that?” No, the ministry of Jesus Christ and the necessity of the ministry of Jesus Christ had begun to infect the disciples and they were beginning to realize what Jesus’ ministry meant to people.

Anyway, Jesus and the woman sparred at first, talking about well water versus living water, the temple in Jerusalem where the “real Jews” went versus the temple at Mount Gerizim where the Samaritans worshipped. I am sure that these details were important to someone, but truthfully, they weren’t important to the woman or Jesus. The woman had a heart-hunger that needed to be met and Jesus had a heart-hunger to meet it. That is why Jesus was compelled to go through Samaria: To fill a heart-hunger.

He also wants to fill our heart-hunger, too. So, we have the recap of the encounter in our Bible, the very word of God. In it, Jesus says, “I tell you there will be a day when people will worship in spirit and in truth.”

Don’t we worship in spirit and in truth? Or, do we really wonder what this means? In one sense, isn’t Jesus merely stating the obvious? Worship should be “spiritual.” It ought to be appropriately religious and uplifting. And of course, worship ought to be about truth. But one preacher said, “(Just) gathering to celebrate our collective illusions and lies is not worship – it is a sad delusion.”[6] So, two quick thoughts.

One, when we worship in “spirit,” it is not so much a “place” as it is wherever the Holy Spirit of God blows upon us. We get true worship when we are “blown together” in one place by the Holy Spirit of God. This “one place” doesn’t have to be a physical place. In fact, it is “in one place” where people are “in agreement,” in harmony, and believing and working together in the same way and for the same purposes.

The word about God in the Old Testament comes from Genesis 1, “And the spirit of God ‘brooded’ over the water; it brought forth something out of nothing.” In the New Testament the word is pneuma, meaning simply “wind.” The wind is air in motion. This implies the Holy Sprit is God in motion. Therefore, worship is wherever the Holy spirit of God blows through, blows strange people together (or moves together people strangely!), moves us to someplace we wouldn’t be had there not been given the gift of the Holy Spirit.

And truth? John’s Gospel has a very particular view of truth. In our definitions truth tends to be an idea, a proposition, some statement that we make like “this idea is truth,” we say. But in John’s Gospel, Jesus makes statements like, “I am the truth.” Now the truth about God has become a person, has become personal. God is no longer an abstraction, a vague generality. God has a face and a name – Jesus the Christ.

Every time we Christians gather for worship, blown in by the wind of God, we believe that we are able and do worship in “spirit and truth.” Why? Because worship is a gift of the Holy Spirit. Worship occurs in those wonderful moments when the Spirit of God blows through our dead, dark and infertile world and brings life (or through our weak, sad and non-productive lives and brings life). And, worship is also in truth. It is not some vague, pie-in-the-sky, incomprehensible imaginative spiritual high in which we have a strange and other-worldly feeling.

Worship is when we are encountered by Jesus, (and he changes our life. We do something different because of him!). It really isn’t worship, worship in spirit and in truth, until Jesus shows up. Worship in truth is when we have a sense that Jesus has intruded, arrived, and taken a seat beside us. Worship for us is to be encountered by Jesus Christ our Savior whose love is not the love we expected, whose way is not the way we expected to walk.[7]

And, by the way, when we are worshipping in the spirit and in the truth of God through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, just like the men and women of Sychar who went to see Jesus, a Jew, we truly cannot hate anyone, either.

Amen.

[1] Roger L. Fredrikson, John, (The Communicator’s Commentary ,Lloyd J. Oglivie, ed. Word Books, Waco, Tx) p. 95

[2] Op. cit.

[3] Op. cit.

[4] Op. cit.

[5] Op. cit., p. 94

[6] William H. Willimon, “Spirit and Truth,” (Pulpit Resource, vol. 39, No.1) p. 55

[7] Op. cit.

A Lord's Day Message for March 20, 2011

2011-03-20T06:00:00.000-07:00

(©Rev. Larry A. Langer, First Presbyterian Church, Jasper, IN, March 13, 2011)

“Seven Who Encountered Jesus (2) Nicodemus”

John 2:23-3:21 and Psalm 121

“Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night…..” (John 3:1-2a)

(Sermon preached by Rev. Larry A. Langer, First Presbyterian Church, Jasper, IN, March 20, 2011)

Perhaps you have had some of these experiences.

You got a personally addressed letter in the mail inviting you to a “free dinner” at the Schnitzelbank, and all you have to do is listen to a schpiel about a financial opportunity. “There’s nothing to buy, no pressure, no commitment, except to come, enjoy a meal and listen to a presentation,” reads the invitation. Do you go? Does the prospect of a free meal at the Schnitz entice you to go?

Or, you got another personally addressed letter in the mail, inviting you to a steak dinner at the Mill House, and all you have to do is taste the well-prepared angus prime steak dinner, and listen to a schpiel about how “you can have steaks like this every month in your own home. All you have to do is sign up, and the steaks will be delivered right to your door. And, if you sign up this very night, we will throw in some ground beef, to boot!” Do you go for the free steak dinner? Does the prospect of a free meal at the Mill House entice you to check out the steaks?

Or, perhaps, you are watching television and one of those “19.95 plus shipping and handling” advertisements comes on. Or, the advertisement for Nationwide Insurance and their “Vanishing Deductibles” comes on. Or, the advertisement for relatively inexpensive home loans appears. Or, for E-trade, or for any number of products and services. Do you call, write or go on-line and check it out? Why or why not? It’s a quandary!

Nicodemus was a man in such a quandary; such a quandary that “he went to Jesus by night.” The verbiage here doesn’t mean that “he went to Jesus in the evening after work.” No, the language here means that Nicodemus “went to Jesus in secret, under the cover of darkness, hoping that no one else would see him.”

Jesus was probably in Jerusalem during the day; the verses before the ones we read give indication that he was in Jerusalem for the Passover festival. Other places in scripture seem to indicate that Jesus would be in town during the days, but outside of town at night. It doesn’t matter here where Jesus was; Nicodemus came to Jesus under the cover of darkness.

Nicodemus had thought of a way to try to get his questions answered without involving his peers. Nicodemus had thought of a plan to speak with Jesus one-on-one to try to get the answers to the questions that had been niggling in his mind. So, he gets to Jesus at night.

As I was writing this, I thought of how could he catch Jesus alone? If, in fact, this was when Jesus was in town for the Passover, within the context of the Gospel we read, Jesus had just “cleansed the temple.” He had just had the discussion of saying of himself, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The people thought he meant the stone-and-mortar temple; Jesus meant, of course, his body. On top of all of this, Jesus had been doing miracles and healing people, and “many believed in his name because they saw the signs he was doing.”

But with Nicodemus, the man who came by night, it was like that old commercial for some insurance company, “When the company speaks, people listen,” and everything stops except for the two central characters. That night in the darkness, everything stopped except for Nicodemus and Jesus. There was no crowd; there were no disciples. There were only Nicodemus and Jesus.

You know, our Lord always has been and always is that way. Jesus is always ready to be one-on-one with someone needing healing or to talk or to question or to examine their faith and what they believe in. Jesus has the over-all ability to speak to very large crowds and to the individual person.

Just think of all the other folks Jesus met one-on-one in the scripture stories. We will be looking at a couple of these – the man born blind, the woman at the well. We will also look at a trio – Lazarus, Mary, and Martha. But there also were the Rich Young Ruler, the woman with the hemorrhage, the centurion’s servant, Jesus’ own mother at the crucifixion, and John the disciple at the crucifixion. All of these had Jesus’ attention one-on-one to experience what they needed of Jesus’ ministry.

Haven’t we each experienced Jesus one-on-one at some time or another? Perhaps we have met Jesus while flat on our back on our bed at night. The darkness was all around. The silence was deafening. The trouble was real. We did what we are instructed to do at those times – We prayed and met Jesus.

Perhaps we met Jesus while we were sitting by the bedside of someone we loved. That person was dozing or in a coma, and we were left to our thoughts. The lights may have been on and the sun may have been shining, but our sadness was causing our soul to be dark. We did what we are supposed to do at those times – We turned our hearts to Jesus in prayer, and he met us there.

Perhaps we met Jesus while we were trying to deal with a crisis with a family member or our closest friend. You know the things that might happen: The discovery of an affair, the arrest of someone, the sudden death of a loved one, a devastating fire, a runaway child, you name any crisis, and some one of us has experienced it.

And in the darkness and gloom that surrounded the crisis, we did the only thing left to do to find peace – We turned our hearts to Jesus and he met us where we were and how we were.

Jesus met Nicodemus where he was and how he was. Nicodemus was having a crisis in his religion. It wasn’t so much a crisis of faith – yet – but it was a crisis in his religious beliefs and his religious practices.

If we were to analyze Nicodemus’ personality type, he would probably test out as an introvert rather than an extrovert, a person who has to see it to believe it rather than just intuitively knowing something, a person who was a deep thinker who sought answers, and a person who wanted to be precise and have answers so he could make a decision about this Jesus.

Nicodemus was in the perfect job for his personality. He was a very prominent Jewish religious official. He is identified as a “ruler of the Jews.” This made him “upper class.” He was conservative in his Jewish beliefs, but also very curios, which made him definitely interested in Jesus’ teachings. He was a Pharisee and as such belonged to the strict religious sect of Judaism, rather than the Sadducees, who were less rigid in their Jewish beliefs and more politically minded. As a member of the Sanhedrin or ruling council, Nicodemus would have been up on the doctrinal trends of the time, which by now was probably including discussions about this guy Jesus.

According to the scripture, Nicodemus’ interest in Jesus had been prompted by the miracles he had witnessed, and he came for more information, trying to put two and two together, for his own faith and the faith of the people. But, he came at night, which causes us to think that he came really trying to figure it out for himself.

We all have to do this. We all have to figure out who Jesus is for ourselves. Oh, we can go to church and hear the messages, sing the hymns and say the prayers and responses. But deep within us is our soul, which longs for us to answer in our head “who is this Jesus for me?”

So, don’t we say pretty much what Nicodemus said? We know that Jesus came from God. All of us come from God. We know that Jesus possessed some gifts of faith to share and some powers of healing. We know this is possible; we have seen people and know people like this. We also know Jesus as a very good teacher of matters of faith and practice. We wouldn’t call him “rabbi,” but we might call him “professor” or “pastor” or an “expert of things religious.”

Shucks, almost every other religion in the world has all of these things to say about Jesus! Almost no religion denies that Jesus existed, that he taught with authority, that he performed some miraculous healings, that he had quite a following, and that he more than likely suffered death by crucifixion. Most religions of the world believe this.

But what only the Christian faith believes is that Jesus is the Son of God, even God himself. This is what Nicodemus was trying to figure out. This is what all of us have tried or are trying to figure out. Who is Jesus, really, and what does he mean for me?

So, Jesus gives Nicodemus the foundation of faith in Jesus: “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above…Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.”

Nicodemus says, “I just don’t know. How in the world can this be?” His thinking mind couldn’t make the “leap of faith” to being “born again” or being “born from above.” He had heard of John’s baptizing in the River Jordan, which was also a new thing, but really okay as an extension of faith. But Nicodemus had not really heard of being baptized in the Spirit, also. Nicodemus’ own religious beliefs were based on being born into the Jewish faith, being the best Jew he could be personally, and doing the best job he could do as a Jewish leader of the people.

What Jesus was saying is that the entrance into the kingdom of God that Nicodemus desired could not be achieved by legalism or outward conformity. It requires an inner change. It is given only by the direct act of God. Our text for today says that even as the origin and the destination of the wind are unknown to the one who feels it and acknowledges its reality, so also the new life of a person born of the Spirit is unexplainable by ordinary, every day reasoning. It is a matter of faith. It is a matter of thinking and saying “yes” to just about the craziest thing in the world: Saying “yes” to being “born from above,” being “born again,” being born into God’s realm.

Nicodemus was searching for the direction to go to do this. The Spirit had drawn him to Jesus, gotten him to ask questions of Jesus, and gotten him to wonder how this experience could become his. Nothing in Judaism nor his experiences so far in life had offered anything like this.

So, Jesus gives Nicodemus the verse of scripture that all of us know and believe: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but have eternal life.”

The question is did Nicodemus believe then? We don’t know directly, because the dialogue with him stopped some verses back. We do encounter Nicodemus twice more in the scriptures, though, and this gives us clues that he did respond.

The first time is recorded in John 7:50 and following, when Nicodemus is meeting with the Sanhedrin and recommends that they not judge Jesus for blasphemy until they let Jesus testify on his own behalf. The rest of the Sanhedrin replied, “Surely you are not also from Galilee, are you? Search and you will see that no prophet is to arise from Galilee.”

I am convinced that Nicodemus had come to faith, but he couldn’t overcome the peer pressure without tipping his hand, losing his job, and being accused, also.

The last we hear of Nicodemus is in John 19:39 and following where it says, “Nicodemus, who had first come to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and allows, weighing about a hundred pounds. They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in the cloth, according to the burial custom of the Jews.”

Nicodemus brought about 100 pounds of spices and aloes for Jesus. Only a wealthy man could afford such; only a man who loved the deceased would spend it on a dead person. Only a man of faith would spend it on Jesus Christ.

Nicodemus had been born from above. Nicodemus loved Jesus. Nicodemus had come to faith in Jesus, most likely to the detriment of his Jewish status.

The question is what is our status with the Lord Jesus Christ? What have we given up or what do we need to give up for Jesus? Do we need to say “yes” to Jesus today?

“God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.” Amen.

A Lord's Day Message for March 13, 2011

2011-03-13T06:00:00.000-07:00

(©Rev. Larry A. Langer, First Presbyterian Church, Jasper, IN, March 13, 2011)
“Seven Who Encountered Jesus: (1) the Devil”

Matthew 4:1-11 and Genesis 2:15-17, 3:1-13

“The Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. (Matthew 4:1)

(Sermon preached by Rev. Larry A. Langer, First Presbyterian Church, Jasper, IN, March 13, 2011)

A couple of weeks ago, a young man stood up for his religious principles. His name was Joel Northrup. He was a wrestler from Linn-Mar High School in the Iowa State Wrestling Tournament. In the first round of the tournament, he was scheduled to wrestler Cassy Herkleman from Cedar Falls High School. He chose, instead, to forfeit the match.

Why? “Cassy” was a 14-year old girl. His explanation? “He didn’t think it appropriate to engage with a girl in a combat sport that could get violent.” (I think one has to add, “It may not be deemed appropriate for young men and young women to be touching each other where wrestlers have to touch each other, either, even though one could say that ‘it’s only a sport’.”)

Cassy, for her part, said she “didn’t feel slighted because Joel refused to wrestle me, but I do hate to win by default.” And, in fact, if we look at the picture of the referee holding up Cassy’s arm in the traditional victory fashion, Cassy’s face doesn’t reflect that she has just won a match and gets to move on in the tournament.

It seems to me that there are two of life’s ultimate principles at work here. The first is, do we have principles and do we stand up for them? The second is, do we want to compete at any cost and are we disappointed when we can’t?

It was mentioned in the sports story (almost in passing) that the young man was “home schooled.” Very often home schooled students are home schooled because of religious convictions against public high schools. However, home schooled students are given a chance to participate in sports through public schools; in fact, there has to be some overlap of certain graduation requirements. This young man’s reticence about wrestling a young woman stems from his religious conviction. He stood by his conviction. Not only this, but he apparently was allowed to by the coaches, etc., without any detrimental effect.

These two things – standing for one’s principles and not being punished for it says a lot more about life the way it is supposed to be, than whether or not one wins or loses a wrestling match.

The second issue involves our desire to be all we can be, no matter what. Now, I’m not criticizing the young woman for wanting to compete in the sport of wrestling. I’m not criticizing her for looking disappointed when she won by default. All I am saying is that she is an example of how we often are disappointed when things don’t go the way we want them to go, and we want to deal with the issue, do the best we can, and hopefully come out on top. God made us this way – to actually enjoy the testing and the trying until we come out on top!

The problem with both of these issues is when we are wrestling with God on God issues. It is usually okay to wrestle with each other – as long as we agree to disagree agreeably. But when we wrestle with God, we better be sure of our moves, our holds, and our escape options. God is not an opponent we want to mess with. Yet, most of our troubles come from wrestling with God issues – and losing.

Take our first reading from the very first book of the Bible, the very first three chapters:

And the Lord God commanded the man, “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree or the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat it you shall die.”

Or, as Nancy put on our church yard sign the other week, something like, “Eating forbidden fruit leads to many jams.”

Why is it that when we have everything else, we want what we know God doesn’t want us to have? Why is it that we have to gain the knowledge of good and evil on our own? It because we are all just children before a Godly life, experimenting, making excuses, denying God’s Commandments.

We might tell a child, “Honey, don’t touch the stove; it is very hot.” What does the child do? The child approaches the stove, begins to feel its warmth (but continues anyway), until the child can feel its heat, but reaches out to touch it, anyway!

God might have told us, “Honey, don’t kill anybody; life is precious to me.” But what do we do? On a large scale we approve killing unborn babies by abortion. On a smaller scale, we acquiesce to killing each other with gossip, selfishness, anger, threats, snobbery, snootiness, and shunning. We might never think about firing a bullet or stabbing with a knife or striking someone with a fist, but we might spew words that pierce the heart and if they don’t kill, at least leave bruises and scars as black and blue and long and ugly.

Oh, but because we are human, we will excuse ourselves by saying that we are just “exercising” the gifts God gave us to use. Besides this excuse, we also use the excuse that this is the way things are today – we are told that we shouldn’t hold back, that we should “tell it like it is,” that we should “express ourselves.”

But God still says, “Thou shalt not kill.”

We can apply the same criteria to any and all of the other Commandments of our God. We do have the knowledge of good and evil; we do. The forever question of our faith is what choices are we going to make with the knowledge? How much and how often are we going to blame our own choices of behavior on someone else – or even on the devil? We often defer to the devil and say, “The devil made me so it!”

In actuality, the devil is only the personification of the evil in the world that we know because of our knowledge of good and evil. We love to blame our sinful choices on the snake, but if we will notice, it really was Eve’s and Adam’s choices that caused the fall, not the snake!

I love the words of Martin Luther’s great, great hymn, “A Mighty Fortress is Our God.” Luther was divinely inspired when he penned this hymn. It gives a great testimony to our plight in this perfect world God created, a world so perfect that it even includes evil. Listen to verses two and three, only in the order of three, then two:

And though this world with devils filled

Should threaten to undo us.

We will not fear for God hath willed

His truth to triumph through us.

The prince of darkness grim,

We tremble not for him.

His rage we can endure,

For lo, his doom is sure.

One little word shall fell him.

Of course, that “one little word” is really huge: it is Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit and our spiritual gifts and God’s truth. So we take this “one little word” and apply it to verse two:

Did we in our own strength confide,

Our striving would be losing.

Were not the right man on our side,

The man of God’s own choosing.

Dost ask who that may be?

Christ Jesus, it is he.

Lord Sabboth His name,

From age to age the same,

And he must win the battle!

“And he must win the battle!” He did win the battle; he does win the battle; he will win the battle, and we have the season of Lent to help us remember this, and hopefully have our lives changed to be more Godly and strengthened to be more Godly in the future.

Friends, Lent is really a time to so much more than remember all the things Jesus went through for us and say again, “Oh, how nice that he did this. No, Lent is really a time for us to intentionally come before the Lord, comparing ourselves to the characters around Jesus and asking ourselves how we are like those characters and their responses.

Now, we would never accuse anyone of being “the devil in disguise.” But how many of us would let evil thoughts and actions get the best of us and cause us to respond and act in ways that simply in no way honor our faith and Jesus Christ our Lord?

In this series of sermons leading up to Resurrection Day, we will also be with Nicodemus, the Woman at the Well, the Man born blind, and Lazarus, Mary and Martha, and their encounters with Jesus Christ, the author and perfector of our faith. Let’s look forward to being like these characters as Jesus encounters them.

Until each of these encounter, let’s give serious consideration to how we respond when the devil tempts us, as the devil surely will, and how the devil tempted Jesus. I even don’t doubt that the devil may be tempting some of us right now as to how we will react to this message. Shucks, Satan loves to be talked about; he even loves to be considered “The Enemy,” because it gives him credence and this gives him power. But Satan hates it when we stand against him with the power of Jesus Christ. Jesus did it to him the first time in that desert encounter, and believes in every time and place have continues to stand against him with the power of Jesus since.

So, once again this Lent, we find ourselves in the wilderness with a choice: Do we acquiesce to Satan or do we stand with Jesus? Listen to what one of my favorite preachers, The Reverend William H. Willimon, says:

But now, here in the wilderness, we find ourselves face to face with God as Jesus Christ. And it is right here that God gets complicated.

It might be possible to completely describe God with the words “love,” or “power” if we had never met Jesus. But as is so typical with scripture, when we really look at Jesus, things get complicated, not because we want them to get complicated, but because God is that way.

Look at the temptations Jesus refused. They’re all things that we would consider to be good, worthwhile, and desirable. The first temptation is bread.

Bread surely stands for all the material things in life. Jesus has been fasting for 40 days. He is very hungry. Satan says, “If you are the Son of God, turn these stones to bread.” What is more basic to life than the need for food? What is that which leads desperate people to desperate acts like war and revolution more than the need for bread? If one wanted to do some real good for humanity, wouldn’t it be wonderful if one could turn stones to bread and feed the earth’s hungry people?

But Jesus refuses. He said that one does not live by bread alone. Whatever he is about, Jesus is about more even than elevating human physical needs.

The second temptation takes us to the Holy City, to Jerusalem. This is the center of national pride and religious meaning. Satan takes Jesus to the temple where all the religious people are gathered. Satan proposes a spectacular spiritual demonstration – jump off the pinnacle of the temple and remain unscathed.

Jesus refuses. What sort of God is this who refuses spectacular spiritual tests? What sort of God is this? Wouldn’t it be wonderful, for us poor, struggling believers, if Jesus had agreed to do such a spectacular feat? It would certainly make believing in Jesus easier because who is God if not complete power to do anything God wants? But Jesus refuses.

Satan proposes a third temptation. Perhaps Jesus is just not into spiritual power. How about some show of political power, if he is really God as we expect God to be? Satan offers Jesus a view of all the kingdoms of the world and says that he will give him complete power over all these kingdoms. There are few powers that we modern people recognize more strongly than political power. We live in a world in which it is wrong to expect your child to die for religion, but it is not wrong to offer your child to die for the government. For most of us our government is the source of meaning, protection, and ultimate security. Wouldn’t this be wonderful power for Jesus to have? Jesus refuses.

Jesus refuses and Jesus isn’t the Savior that many would like. He refuses to be and to do the things that we would expect a deity to do to make things right. Jesus, the one whom we meet out here in the wilderness, the one who we meet in the scriptures, tends to disrupt and make complicated our simple views of God. We expect a God who meets our needs, who is complete power over the things that cause us pain in life, a God who orders the world and sets things right. And yet, here comes God in the flesh, as Jesus, who seems to believe that our sort of God is not really, truly God, but rather a temptation from Satan. (William H. Willimon, Complexity, a sermon quoted in Pulpit Resources, vol. 39, No. 1, Logos Productions Inc., Inver Grove, MN. p. 47)

The question for us as we begin Lent, then, is where do we stand? Do we stand with Jesus against every temptation, or do we expect Jesus to do it for us again while we go our merry way?

A Lord's Day Message for Sunday, February 27, 2011

2011-02-27T05:21:00.000-08:00

“7 Churches: Brickbats and Bouquets”

“6. God’s Message to Philadelphia: “Overcome!”

Revelation 3:7-13 and John 16:25-33

“If you conquer, I will make you a pillar in the temple of my God; you will never go out of it. I will write on you the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem that comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name.” (Revelation 3:12)

Is there any among us who hasn’t heard of the city of “Philadelphia” as the “City of Brotherly Love”? Do you know how this began? The name began in the Greek language sometime during 159 to 138 B.C. The one word “Philadelphia” breaks down into two words, “feelos” – a friend, someone we are fond of, an associate, a neighbor; and “adelphos” – lit., the womb, a brother (literally or figuratively). Together, it becomes a word that indicates a person who is “loved like a close brother,” almost like a twin, a “womb-mate.”

Sometime then, during 159 to 138 B.C., Attalus II was the ruler of the Pergamum area in which the town was located. Attalus had a brother whom he loved very much, and honored his brother by naming the town Philadelphia, “Brotherly Love.”

Philadelphia was an important city originally. It sat on a high plateau, becoming a strong fortress city. It was also a city through which a main highway ran. One might say that it was a “gateway city.” Smyrna lay a hundred miles due west and folks traveling to Asia, Phrygia and the east usually passed through Philadelphia. Also, the imperial post road of the first century A.D., which originated in Rome, passed through Philadelphia on its way to the East.

(We can picture Philadelphia as our own Indianapolis, with Interstates 65, 69, 70 and 74 all converging and passing through. Indiana and Indianapolis aren’t called “the Crossroads of America” for nothing! So, too, Philadelphia.)

Economically, Philadelphia was part of a huge wine-growing district, and had textile and leather industries.[1] Culturally, Philadelphia was to be a mission city for disseminating the Greek and Asian culture and language in the eastern part of Lydia and in Phrygia. Its success at this is attested by the fact that the Lydian language ceased to be spoken in Lydia by A.D. 19 and Greek took over. (Ramsey, Seven Churches, p.391). But beyond this language achievement, Philadelphia had not been successful in converting the Phrygians (Barclay, Seven Churches, p. 80).[2]

All of this would indicate a thriving, growing, continuing city of which the world then could be proud. But Philadelphia had what I would say was “an identity problem.” In A.D. 17 an earthquake destroyed Philadelphia and 11 other cities; in fact, the whole area was so earthquake-prone that many people preferred living in the rural areas surrounding Philadelphia, rather than in the town proper.

(We can think today of the devastation we can see because of the earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand. Will they rebuild? What will they rebuild? Will the great Cathedral, the TV station, the office buildings, the homes be rebuilt?)

After the earthquake in Philadelphia in A.D. 17, the Roman ruler Tiberius Caesar came to their aid and had the city rebuilt. Out of gratitude, the citizens then named the city “Neocaesarea,” which means “New Caesar.” Later, the town was named Flavia and Philadelphia. Later, yet, when the emperor cult was established in the town, the name became “Neokoros” or “Temple Warden.” In the fifth century, it was nicknamed “Little Athens” because of its proliferation of festivals and pagan cults.[3]

Basically over 400 years, the town had at least five names and/or nicknames, going from the “City of Brotherly Love,” to “Little Athens” because of the huge amount of pagan cults and festivals.

In this mix is the PCC, the Philadelphia Christian Church. Although nothing is known about its origin, we know it prospered under the ministry of a prophetess named Ammia for at least 60 years. (This was an early biblical recognition of the ministry of women pastors.) And here’s an interesting quote: “Long after all the surrounding country had succumbed to Muslim control under Turkey, Philadelphia held out as a Christian populace until 1392.”[4] Philadelphia, until 1392, apparently was regarded as a “Christian City,” much like we would say that “Jasper is a Christian City.”

For our purposes today, let’s consider Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love, also the City that Jesus Christ loved. We can consider this letter of Christ, as dictated through John, a love letter of encouragement to the Philadelphia Christian Church to overcome their challenges because they stand in favor with Christ and with God.

To this church there really wasn’t written a “brickbat.” We can remember that with the other five churches, there was usually the statement, “I know your works,” then a small bouquet, but then a pretty heavy brickbat. Not so with Philadelphia, and the bouquet came in the same form that we often send flowers or give attention.

Jesus basically says to the Philadelphia Christian Church, “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” I don’t know about you, but this is the greatest promise of Christ: “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

There are other great promises that we experience from Jesus. One is that “when we confess our sins, Jesus is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Another is “In life and in death nothing can ever separate us from his love.” Another is, “whoever believes in Jesus shall not perish but have everlasting life.” But, much like the promises that we make in marriages or the promises we make toward family members or the promises we make toward our dear, dearer and dearest friends, Christ “is with us always, even to the close of the age!”

So how did this letter assure the Philadelphia Christian Church of God’s love for them in Jesus Christ?

First, they were assured that Jesus was the real, genuine thing. Remember, their town had been through at least 5 name and nickname changes. Different rulers had come and gone. Cults had sprung up and grown.

We know how we get, don’t we, when our lives and living situations become unstable and/or inconsistent. Our lives, our bodies, our guts really like to be “settled.”

We don’t like constant change to the basics of life. We fear the unknown. Oh, we like variety in our lives, because we like a little “spice,” but we always like to return to what has been stable for us. When the life and area around us changes too much, we begin to doubt what is real, what is still our anchor point.

This is why Jesus says to the PCC, “These are the words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens.”

The people needed these authenticating words; we need to hear these authenticating words and remember them, also!

Of course, we believe that Jesus is the holy one, the true one, and we believe that this authenticates Jesus. But, most other religions, cults and sects have the same language for their leaders, their “holy one,” their “true one.” What really helps the PCC here is that they are reminded that this holy one, this true one “has the key of David.” These people would know this code phrase as referring to Christ as the Messiah, because Christ is from the “line of David.” We can remember this, also.

Because we ourselves don’t come from “the line of David,” we aren’t Jewish, so this wouldn’t be our authenticating key, our pass key. Our authenticating key would be and is: “Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except by me.”

The opening of the letter could read for us then,

These are the words of the holy one, the true one, who said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one will open.

Second, Jesus says in the letter, “I know your works. Look, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.”

What do we say to a person who is down and feeling worthless? “Look! Take a look at yourself. You have a lot to offer. “To the world you may be only one person, but to one person you may be the world.” You may have very little influence in the world, so “the best way to show love to the whole world is to love with a particular passion some little part of it.”” (William Placher, 1996)

It is the same way with a church: To the world we may be only one little church, but to one person we may be the world, and the best way to show the world the church’s influence is to show with a particular passion our influence in some little past of the world. We can be reminded that we have an open door out of which we can see our little part of the world. We can be reminded that we want to be a beacon of light to Jasper and beyond, from our little corner of the world. You see, I believe that this letter speaks to us. Jesus says to us, “I know your works. Look, I have set before you an open door.” I believe the question is not who will come in through the door, but how many of us will go out through the door, keeping Jesus’ word and not denying his name?

You see, our challenges are no different today than were the challenges in 100 A.D. We have those who claim they are Christian, yet only say this because they try to be “good people” and that Jesus was a “good person.” These are people who say that God is so good that he would never not accept anybody. What about all the “good people” in the world? Are they condemned because they don’t claim Jesus as their Savior?

Well, my friends, yes they are. If we believe this letter to the church of “Brotherly Love,” those who claimed to be staunch Jews still awaiting the Messiah were not only lost, but Jesus said they were a “synagogue of Satan.” Why? Because they denied who Jesus Christ was!

Third, Jesus also says to the faithful members at PCC, “I will make them come and bow down at your feet.” Jesus’ enemies will become Jesus’ footstool. Then Jesus says, “If you conquer, if you will take advantage of the open door, if you will stand firm in the faith of Jesus Christ, even though you are small, I will keep you from failing, and I will make you a pillar in the temple of my God and you will never go out of it!”

We really have no idea what it means to have our name on something while we are alive, especially something like a pillar that holds up a temple. We can imagine it for us, but what if we lived back in 100 A.D.? The buildings weren’t all that magnificent; only a few were big enough to be built with pillars. And, if you were a VIP, you got your name chiseled on a pillar. These pillars were strong enough to withstand earthquakes!

But this letter says that God’s promises are stronger than even these pillars! And, we are the pillars, not some building. Jesus said, “I will write on you the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the New Jerusalem that comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name.”

We know that later in the book of Revelation, we hear about the “Mark of the Beast,” the number 666, being written on people. We also hear about “the new Jerusalem coming down from God like a bride adorned for her husband.” And, here we hear about how Jesus says we are already pillars of his kingdom, because he knows our works, we use the open door, we keep his word with patient endurance, and we look forward to his coming. We will hold fast to what we have so that no one may seize our crown. We are a good church for Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

[1] Alan Johnson, Revelation (The Expositor’s Bible Commentary), (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing Co., 1981), p. 451

[2] op. cit., p. 451
[3] op. cit., p. 452

[4] op.cit., p. 453

2011-02-20T05:40:00.000-08:00

(Message © by Rev. Larry A. Langer, First Presbyterian Church, Jasper, IN, February 20, 2011)

“7 Churches: Brickbats and Bouquets”

“5. God’s Message to Sardis:

“Wake Up, Build Up, Dress Up!”

Revelation 3:1-6, Luke 12:13-32, and Matthew 24:36-44

“Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is on the pint of death, for I have not found your works perfect in the sight of my God. Remember then what you received and heard; obey it and repent…” (Revelation 3:2-3a)

An interesting thing happened on the way to this sermon. Our church this day is the Sardis Christian Church, the SCC. As we have read and will learn more about, it is a church – as is the town in which it is located – that has “gone to sleep” and is in danger of not “waking up.” Along with making the choice to not wake up, comes the warning from Jesus himself that he will come “like a thief in the night” and deal with them.

So, as I began to be inspired to write I thought, “It would be good to begin the sermon with a story about having “passion” for soemthing and using it, particularly having passion for one’s church, even our church, and the following of Jesus Christ and doing ministry in his name and spreading his word locally and globally.

Therefore, I went to my books of illustrations, looking for a great illustration on having “passion” for something. Alas, I went to four different books looking for the heading “passion.” I could find no such heading!

So, I thought, what’s the opposite of having passion; I’ll approach it from the negative, from the “brickbat” side. I found a heading “mediocrity” and this story:

Chuck Swindoll talks about “mediocrity,” yet “excellence” in his book, The finishing Touch.

Competitive excellence requires one hundred percent all the time. If you doubt that, try maintaining excellence by setting your standards at 92 percent. Or even 95 percent. People figure they’re doing fine as long as they get somewhere near it. Excellence gets reduced to acceptable, and before long, acceptable doesn’t seem worth the sweat if you can get by with adequate. After that, mediocrity is just a breath away.

Ever tracked the consequences of “almost but not quite”? Thanks to some fine research by Natalie Gabal, I awoke to a whole new awareness of what would happen if 99.9 percent were considered good enough. If that were true, then this year alone…2,000,000 documents would be lost by the I.R.S.; 12 babies would be given to the wrong parents by mistake each day; 291 pacemaker operations would be performed incorrectly; 20,000 incorrect drug prescriptions would be written; 114,500 mismatched pairs of shoes would be shipped (to site just a few examples).[i]

Hearing this, I picked up on Swindoll’s opening sentence: “Competitive Excellence requires one hundred percent all the time.” Then, I next went to the word “excellence” as the opposite of “mediocrity” and found this idea:

In his book Lyrics, Oscar Hammerstein tells of the time he saw a picture of the top of the head of the Statue of Liberty, taken from a helicopter. He was amazed at the detail and painstaking work that was done on the lady’s coiffure. Hammerstein reflected that the sculpture could not have imagined, even in his wildest dreams, that one day there would be a device that could look on tip of the head of his creation. Yet he gave as much care to that part of the statue as he did to the face, arms, and legs. He wrote, “When you are creating a work of art, or any other kind of work, finish the job off perfectly. You never know when a helicopter, or some other instrument not at the moment invented, may come along and find you out.”[ii]

Hammerstein could have also said, “When I miss a week in practice, my audience knows it. When I miss a day, I know it.” [iii]

It is the very serious slippage from excellence to mediocrity for which the Sardis Christian Church was being chastised. And, as I said in the introduction, it had succumbed to the ways of the town in which it was located. It had succumbed to the ethos of the town of Sardis.

Sardis reminds me so very much of Jesus’ parable of the farmer who had had a great harvest and nowhere to store his harvest. So, he decided to tear down what he had and build bigger and better barns to store his abundance. This wasn’t necessarily the problem, though.

The problem was that his life then turned to mediocrity. His own statement condemned him: “And, I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” But God said, “You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you! And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:18-21)

The Sardis Christian Church and the entire town of Sardis were not rich toward God; they were so poor toward God that it was as if they had gone to sleep. They were so asleep that William Barclay commented, “Sardis was a city of peace, not the peace won through battle, but the peace of the man whose dreams are dead and whose mind is asleep, the peace of lethargy and evasion.”[iv]

What had happened? Partly, they seemed to celebrate and honor death more than they did life. They had three important areas in their town: An acropolis, a temple, and a necropolis.

The acropolis was a tall wall that towered 800 feet about the town on the north side to protect the town. It had only been ineffective twice and that was in 600 B.C. and 400 B.C., when someone came out of Sardis and went down a hidden stairway to get water, and was seen going back up. The enemy simply followed the water carrier back into Sardis and overcame the town. Once again, it was mediocrity – doing one’s job sloppily – that hurt the whole body, hurt the whole town: An 800 foot wall penetrated through a secret stairway and door due to mediocrity.

Sardis also had a temple to the god Artemis. However, as another example of their mediocrity, the temple was never finished. The “powers that be” in Sardis wanted to build their temple to Artemis to rival the temple in Ephesus and have it recognized as such, but, because of the mediocrity of the people, the temple was never finished.

Sardis had also begged Rome to let them build the temple to Caesar, but the honor went to Smyrna.

So, what was once an important, wealthy city ended up a mediocre one. One commentator said, “No city of Asia at that time showed such a melancholy contrast between past splendor and present decay as Sardis.”[v] And as Herodotus, in the fifth century B.C. wrote despairingly of Sardis and its people as “the tender-footed Lydians, who can only play on the cither, strike the guitar and sell by retail.”[vi]

But the main telling of Sardis was its “necropolis,” its cemetery, its “place of the dead.” It was huge, known for its “thousand hills,” its burial mounds. They seemed to have a special preoccupation with death – which will lead to mediocrity, won’t it; at least mediocrity toward life? The human soul, unless overtaken by mediocrity, has an inborn sense toward excellence, toward succeeding, toward building, toward doing something well, toward improving society, toward improving a church, toward growing one’s relationship with God!

So, Jesus, the one who holds every church in his hand and who sees every church as an invaluable golden lamp stand designed to give light to the world, calls the Sardis Christian Church out of its lethargy and mediocrity. Jesus said, “I’m not quibbling with what you have done in the past. I know your works, and you have made a name for yourselves. But, now, you have gone the way of your town; you are dead, also! But you still have a chance – your works are not perfect in my sight yet. So, wake up and strengthen what is left!”

You still have a few people there who still walk with me. They haven’t gotten their clothes and hands dirty with sin and the ways of the world. They are worthy; they will walk with me – and you can, too, if you will wake up, remember what following me all is about, obey it and repent of anything that isn’t of me.

You know and I know, because we read and hear the same news, that all of our mainline church denominations are losing members like crazy. These members are either going to the non-denominational churches or nowhere at all. Part of this decline is that our mainline churches have put our people to sleep with its mediocrity.

Coming out of the 50’s, we were strong and building bigger and bigger barns, read “churches”. In the 60’s we became pre-occupied with the Viet Nam War and the social and political agenda that we soon learned to distrust. But most churches didn’t give an alternative; it merely argued with the social agenda. They didn’t give Christ, but they spoke against Caesar. Then when the homosexual agenda began to be pressed by society in the 70’s, the church was very late in awakening, so late that it has been extremely weak in its gospel message against, not only this sin, but all other sins, as well.

The church at Sardis isn’t like the one we will have in two weeks, the Laodicea Church that is “neither hot nor cold.” No, the Sardis church is asleep and irrelevant!

But the Lord hasn’t given up on it. The Lord warns that he might, though: He said, “If you conquer, you will be clothed like them in white robes, and I will not blot your name out of the book of life; I will confess your name before my Father and before his angels.”

You know, back in those days, say the commentators, “In ancient cities the names of citizens were recorded in a register till their death; then their names were erased or marked out of the book of the living…There was also some evidence that a person’s name could be removed from the city register before death if he or she were convicted for a crime. In the first century, Christians who were loyal to Christ were under constant threat of being branded political and social rebels and stripped of their citizenship.

Jesus Christ himself says to his church and his people, “Wake up. Be the church you once were; be the church my Father desires. You have the faith and the leadership; follow both. Remember what you have received and heard; obey it and repent. Be worthy to carry the name “Christian” – of Christ. And, you will never be marked off, erased, nor forgotten out of the Book of Life.

As the letter to every church has ended thus far, so ends this one: “Let those with ears hear what the Spirit is saying to the Churches.” Amen.

[i] Charles R. Swindoll, Ultimate Book of Illustrations & Quotes (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1998), p. 372

[ii] Ben Patterson, The grand Essentials, as quoted in Swindoll, ibid, p. 185

[iii] Paderewski, quoted in Jacob Braude, Braude’s Handbook of Stories for Toastmasters and Speakers, quoted in Swindoll, ibid, p. 185

[iv][iv] William Barclay, Letters to the Seven Churches (New York: Abington, 1957) p. 71) as quoted by Earl Palmer, Revelation. (The Communicator’s Commentary), (Waco, TX, Word Books, 1982)

[v] William M. Ramsey, The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia (London: Hodder & Stroughton, 1904), p. 375, as quoted by Earl Palmer, ibid, p. 447

[vi] Barkley, ibid., p.71

2011-02-15T06:48:00.000-08:00

“7 churches: Brickbats and Bouquets”

“4. God’s Message to Thyratira: Counter the Culture”

Revelation 2:18-29 and Mark 9:38-49

“I know your works – your love, faith, service, and patient endurance. I know that your last works are greater than the first. But I have this against you: you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet, and is teaching and beguiling my servants…” (Revelation 2:19, 20)

For the past 3 weeks over one million people have been acting “counter-culturally” in Egypt. They have been going against a culture some say has been a severe dictatorship with now-former President Hosni Mubarak. The telling part of his rule has been that the country has been operating under so-called “emergency powers” for the past thirty years! These emergency powers have given the government, military and police officials very broad authority to disallow many of the human rights freedoms that people living in a freer society enjoy: Freedoms such as the right to free speech, free assembly, and freedom to choose the country’s leaders. It has been a real blessing, though, that even as the military began to show its force, there was not any violence, as the crowds did freely assemble, as the government fell and Mubarak resigned.

Once again, as it has often been the case in our own country, it has been the young folks, the twenty- and thirty-something crowd, who led the protests. Others followed and then over one million people went counter to the culture. They ended up changing the culture!

In our own town, a group of concerned citizens has chosen to be counter-cultural and protest against the prospect of having a 75 megawatt electricity generating facility in our town that will burn grass and natural gas and heat a lot more water in its process. The culture the citizens are going against is one of a governmental entity trying to make economic use of an old facility, and a business entity trying to make profits.

The counter-cultural folks are concerned about the air quality for our citizens; the cultural folks are concerned about the air quality, also; in fact, the Environmental Protection Agency has a lot to say about the particulate emissions, but are especially wanting to enhance the economy of our area and the company’s profits. So, we have a counter-cultural movement right here in our own town, one that has even seen a few protestors around our own town square.

Counter-cultural revelutions are nothing new! Our own country was founded upon a counter-cultural revolution:

When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bonds which have connected them with another, and to assume among the Powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among them are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just power from the consent of the governed, (etc., down through), “And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the Protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor…

Of course, we know this document in its entirety as the “Declaration of Independence.”

We also know of a document that has stood the test of time, actually of time immemorial. It has withstood wars between tribes and nations, between one people group and many people groups, and has withstood the murder of its leader. His name was Jesus, the document is the Bible, and the culture is the one in which we avow, “In life and in death we belong to God. Through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, we trust in the one triune God, the Holy One of Israel, whom alone we worship and serve.

We go on to avow,

We trust in Jesus Christ, fully human, fully God. Jesus proclaimed the reign of God: preaching good news to the poor and release to the captives, teaching by word and deed and blessing the children, healing the sick and binding up the brokenhearted, eating with outcasts, forgiving sinners, and calling all to repent and believe the gospel.

Don’t a lot of these sound counter-cultural?

Then we get to ourselves in our “A Brief Statement of Faith,” and we avow,

In a broken and fearful world the Holy Spirit gives us courage to pray without ceasing, to witness among all people to Christ as Lord and Savior, to unmask idolatries in church and culture, to hear the voices of people long silenced, and to work with others for justice, freedom, and peace.

Don’t a lot of these goals sound counter-cultural?

The question is, do we have the courage to always do what needs to be done counter-culturally in the world?

This is our challenge, even as it was the challenge to the TCC – the Thyratira Christian Church. In fact, the letter to the TCC ought to be read and acted upon by every Christian church today upon threat of death to its people and to the church. This letter is all about what happens when the Christian Church doesn’t stand up for Christian principles, the principles of Jesus Christ himself. But the truth is, to quote one theologian, “The Christian Church has so watered down the Gospel that we have inoculated the world against the real thing.”

The truth is, because a great number of the Churches of Jesus Christ have done and are doing this, the Christian faith is becoming more and more irrelevant. When there is no difference between what is said from the pulpit and what is said from a presidential or classroom podium, or what is accepted in the sanctuary mirrors what is accepted on main street, or what is taught in Bible Study classrooms and what is taught in politically-correct classrooms is the same, we Christians, the Christian church and the Christian faith become irrelevant. The Judeo-Christian faith has always been and always needs to be counter-cultural until Christ comes again and the culture becomes of Christ!

This is the brickbat thrown at the TCC. They had allowed a “Jezebel” into their midst, into their congregation, and this person was teaching the ways of the world in which the people were living. This person apparently had claimed to be a prophet, one bringing “a word from God.” This person could be believed in those days, because there really wasn’t any “official” way to determine whether or not a person was truly a prophet of God or a prophet of something or someone else.

The Apostle John, in his first letter of three (not his gospel, but the first of those little letters toward the end of the Bible) said,

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. And this is the spirit of the antichrist, (I John 4:1-3), of which you have heard that it is coming; and now it is already in the world.

These days, at least in the Presbyterian Church, USA, we ask for a Statement of Faith and a recounting of a person’s faith journey, as well as personal references, when we consider a person for ordination as pastors or commissioned lay pastors. Our hope is that what the candidate for a pulpit says about his or her faith will resonate in our hearts and minds by the power of the Holy Spirit as being an authentic expression of the true gospel of Jesus Christ.

If we who are charged with ascertaining the spirit of a person for ministry and the gifts of the Holy Spirit that that person has for ministry, merely smile sweetly and say, “Oh, isn’t it wonderful that so-and-so is going to be a minister; he or she is so sweet,” then we are as guilty as the folks of the TCC of which our letter today speaks.

In a local congregation, if we just want warm bodies as our elders and deacons, or we ever want elders and deacons in office for any other reason than they are believers in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior first and foremost, and then that they will work hard to ascertain how the Holy Spirit is seeking to guide the church through them, such officers might just be as the Jezebel of which the letter speaks.

The Jezebel of the letter basically was trying to bring the culture of the day into the church. While Thyratira wasn’t a major crossroads town or a major Roman government town, it was still an important manufacturing town.

It was originally a military outpost assigned to protect the road from Pergamum to Sardis. But now it was a town of more trade guilds (read “unions”) than any other Asian city. The trade guilds played an important religious role is the city, which was a commercial center of weavers, leather-workers, potters, and bronze workers. Furthermore and as a result, the Christians who were members of those commercial trades would have a difficult time holding to a non-compromised faith in view of the pressure from the guilds to worship at the various city temples, and attend the guild feasts, most of which have religious connotations.[1]

I mean, can’t we picture this today, even? We work for a company and feel that we must go to a certain church to be part of the “in crowd”? Or we work for a company and feel we have to do other things – play games, go to practices, hang out in bars, do anything other than church, to stay in good graces and get ahead. I have observed before from this pulpit, that corporate boards of large corporations usually and often have their important board meetings on Sundays, not during the workweek.

So, the Jezebel of the day was bringing into the church that it was politically correct to overlook some types of sin, including eating meat sacrificed to idols and having sex outside of marriage. But it really doesn’t matter what the sin or the sins are that anyone brings into the church; they are still sins and need to be dealt with by the church body. As Earl Palmer said,

The theological principle that underpins this passage is that the created order of God is moral, and the violation of that moral order does not go unpunished. Interpersonal immorality has always been destructive to human relationships, because such sins, just as the sins of false gods, pride, selfishness, etc., go cross grain to the grand design built by God into the very fabric of life.[2]

Now, here are the bouquets and a challenge to the TCC. The bouquets are, first, that the TCC had a faithful bunch of members that did very good church work – they loved (and this is the word agape), they had faith, service and patient endurance…and, they were getting even better and growing in it. The church had faithful folks who loved each other and who were growing in their faith, their service, and in their patient endurance.

Secondly, the bouquet was that there was a way out of the promised death for Jezebel and the followers: They could repent. As Earl Palmer said,

These are the three good-news words planted firmly within the judgment: “They could repent.” It is not too late for the TCC to reach out to the Lord of the grand design. Nevertheless, one warning remains true: because of God’s love, the grand plan for human life must judge sternly the injustice of sexual exploitation of human beings, the sins of pride, greed, anger, and every other transgression.[3]

Now, here’s the challenge. Earl Palmer says it well:

These Christians have a responsibility, a mandate toward the nations. What we must understand in this letter to the church at Thyratira is the fact that the temptations which these Christians faced in this city were interwoven into trade skills, the success in business and the economic survival of the Christians…If they stood against temptation in their very jobs, the real option they had to face was economic suffering as well as spiritual suffering…The most subtle challenge to faith does not usually originate in public amphitheaters but in the daily places where we earn the money we need to live…The approach of this letter is to place the daily lives of the Christians upon as larger stage and within a larger context. I must see my task, my daily deployment, as part of the larger goal of my life. This is the only way that I can correctly size up the demands of any job so that on the one hand I am a good and hard worker and yet on the other keep faith with my integrity and any greater loyalties… What the trades need, what professions need, what all deployments of our lives need is not our soul but our skill, not our worship but our hard work. When we once learn this vital alignment of values, we will do better in our work, (in our society and in our churches).[4]

These principles have been at work in Egypt these past few weeks. These principles should always be at work in our daily lives. And God will get our soul! May it be so! Amen.

[1] Earl Palmer, Revelation (The Communicator’s Commentary), (Waco, Texas, Word Books, 1982), p.140

[2] Palmer, 142

[3] Palmer, 142

[4] Palmer, 143