PEAKLAND BAPTIST CHURCH, LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA
Sermon Outline
March 14
Encounters with Jesus – Neither Do I Condemn You
(John 8:2-11) [3/14/10]
1. Everyone did not like Jesus then; everyone does not like Jesus now. Since not everyone likes Jesus, do not be surprised when not everyone likes you. Some people will like you regardless of what you do. Some people will not like you regardless of what you do. Our best choice is to be true to what seems best, and let people decide as they will. Jesus had enemies – people who were out to get him. Last week we watched as Jesus responded to an adversary by turning the other cheek and inviting, “Will you be my neighbor,” modeling neighbor love, even to adversaries. Counted among Jesus enemies are powerful and righteous community leaders. The Temple authorities do not like this “stump preacher” who sits at the Temple gates daily and teaches ideas that they find revolutionary; for example, echoing the deluded prophet Hosea, claiming “God desires mercy and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” (Hosea 6:6; Matthew 9:13,12:7) Such misguided teaching is not good for business; therefore, they send the Temple police to arrest Jesus. However, these spellbound simpletons return without him, excusing their failure to arrest Jesus by saying, “No one has ever spoken like this man.”(John 7:46) With one or two exceptions, the righteous Pharisees also oppose Jesus, for he is soft on sin and undermines the moral standards of the community. Therefore, they devise a plot to humiliate him for his low moral standards. The story unfolds . . .
2. Early one morning, Jesus sits at his usual place in the outer court of the Temple, “the Court of Gentiles,” for this is the only place in the Temple complex where animals and unclean Gentiles come. The Temple has one primary purpose – it is the place on earth where Divine Mercy is extended to lawbreakers and other sinners. With this icon of mercy as his backdrop, Jesus teaches anyone who listens – male or female, young or old, righteous or sinner, ritually clean or ritually unclean, Jew or Greek – the knowledge of God. Into this crowd whose attention is rapt in what Jesus says, a righteous parade drags a partially dressed woman and stands her before him. It is an awkward moment for all and a humiliating moment for this woman who pulls her robe together to cover herself before angry and curious eyes. The spokesman interrupts Jesus and declares, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of committing adultery. In the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” So that we don’t miss the game, our narrator tells us that this is a “trap play” or “fishing expedition,” an effort by Jesus’ adversaries to find a charge against him. Let us note some of what is wrong in this scene:
(a) Jesus’ adversaries dehumanize this woman. Making her a pawn in their chess game, they humiliate her in an effort to humiliate Jesus. Her sin is a wounding betrayal, and I do not seek to minimize what she has done; however, two wrongs do not make right. Even a lawbreaker still bears the image of his/her Creator and is worthy of respect. Even when we press for justice, we treat the accused with dignity and honor their basic humanity, lest we diminish our own humanity and become worse than the ones whom we prosecute.
(b) They are guilty of a double standard. If a woman were caught in the very act of adultery, where is the man? Her accusers quote the strictest law of Moses to say, “stone such women,” but the law actually specifies that both man and woman are to be stoned (Lev. 20:10; Deut. 22:22). The law knows no double standard, but the application of human justice often applies the law in an uneven way, favoring some and burdening others. One partner in this crime is set free while the other is humiliated and presented for capital punishment. Is this justice? Isn’t practicing a double standard also a sin?
3. Jesus responds to this interruption by bending down and writing with his finger on the ground. Why?
(a) Maybe Jesus is embarrassed – for modestly’s sake he looks down rather than add to this woman’s humiliation by staring at her. Maybe simple human decency and a desire to restore some respect to this ugly crowd scene motivates Jesus to look down.
(b) Maybe Jesus is angry – he takes a deep breath and calms himself, so that he will act and not react. What if this were Jesus’ sister? How do you think he would feel about his adversaries using a member of his family to get him? No, I am not suggesting that this woman were Jesus’ sister by birth, but he regularly treated the people he met as sisters and brothers, because his desire was that all whom he met would trust in his message and become children of God, “born not of blood or of the will of man but of God.”(John 1:13) What if she were your sister? How would you feel? When a member of the family is involved in criminal behavior our first priority is to redeem the life of the person whom we love. We may want unbending justice for a stranger, but we want restoring mercy for one whom we love. “Jesus loves me, this I know for the Bible tells me so;” I learned as a child; therefore, Jesus loves this lawbreaker and wants her to find a better way. Jesus’ adversaries see her as a lawbreaker, one who must be punished. Jesus sees her as a woman who has dishonored her Creator, diminished herself as the image-bearer of God, and damaged another human being. (Remember the “Three D’s of Sin”?) Yes, she is a sinner; but she is also a sister in need of mercy.
c) Maybe Jesus wants to open the eyes of his adversaries, so he writes on the ground: “It takes 2 to Tango;” “Where is the man?” Maybe he wrote “#5, You shall not commit adultery,” and “# 7, You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” Maybe Jesus scribbles a message to convict his accusers of the sin of a double standard, endorsing a woman’s death while letting her male partner off without consequence. As Jesus scribbles on the ground, most of his accusers become restless and press him for an answer, but one or two may read their sin in the writing on the ground.
4. Jesus looks at the quarrelsome crowd and charges, “Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to thrown a stone at her.” Then he bends over and again writes on the ground. Some people suggest that Jesus writes the sins of his accusers in the dirt. How clever that would have been, for Jesus’ accusers would then be afraid that Jesus might publicly humiliate them for their sins as they have humiliated this woman for her sin. What goes around comes around! But I don’t think intimidation and humiliation are Jesus’ way, so my best bet is that he scribbles something about the sin of a double standard. At any rate, Jesus’ accusers slip away, one by one, from oldest to youngest. By slipping away, they acknowledge that they too are sinners. Human beings have many things in common – for example, we all breathe air, need love, search for significance, and sin. This woman has betrayed her own husband and participated in her partner’s betrayal of his wife. But, you know, Tiger Woods is no greater sinner than you or I. He just got caught and publicly humiliated. Everyone in his network of betrayal has been wounded by the whole sorry mess. But perhaps you are offended when I suggest that Tiger Woods is no greater sinner than we. The Pharisees in our story would be offended when I say that there are just as much sinners as this woman whom they accuse. They have not committed adultery (or been caught), so how dare I call them sinners! No, they are merely willing to stone another human being to make a theological point and to make a case against a teacher they hate. Such behavior will surely make a better world. (I know sarcasm is a sin, but I have already said I am a sinner.) Let me quote the Bible, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”(I John 1:9-10) Everyone has weakness and dominating needs. Where are you weak and needy? Where have you made foolish choices? Everyone makes foolish choices that dishonor our Creator, diminish ourselves, and damage other people. Even those who climb up on pedestals of self-righteousness. Some people say that human beings are all bad. I tend to think that we are more broken and bent than bad. Whatever your diagnosis of the human heart, everyone sins. Everyone needs forgiveness. Everyone needs another chance to try again and rise out of the muck of our mistakes. Thank God that Jesus is in the forgiving business. He is the junior partner in a divine enterprise that has always been more interested in your future than your past. Jesus is in the Fresh Start business, “Go and sin no more.” To me the saddest aspect of this story is that many sinners slipped quietly away and missed the opportunity to confess their sins and find forgiveness and hear the words of penance, “Go and sin no more.” Everyone sins, but some run and hide and miss the forgiveness that creates a fresh hope for tomorrow.
5. Only one sinner finds forgiveness that day. The rest steal away and hide what can only be forgiven when it is brought to light in the presence of a God who loves us more than he hates our sin. Jesus and the woman stand alone before the Temple, that icon of mercy. Jesus asks, “Does no one condemn you?”
a) She says, “No one, Lord.” Ah, a turning point! The most enduring repentance is not when I get caught and turn away from my sin but when I am found and turn to an enduring relationship with Jesus, my Lord, who helps me to find a better way. She acknowledges him as her Lord, the master of her life! I wonder if she opens the door of her heart to his influence? Emmet Fox wrote, “The door of the soul opens inward.” With these words on her lips, she seems to open her soul to Jesus as her Lord. “Neither do I condemn you,” he says. The irony of the story is that Jesus is the only one without sin; therefore, the only one qualified to throw a stone, yet he forgives her. For you see, Jesus is not so much soft on sin as he is high on mercy. He is the agent of divine mercy, responding to our brokenness and foolish decisions with mercy that releases us from the past and inspires us to reach for a new future.
b) There is no forgiveness until we release the past, for we cannot walk into a new future until we let go the past. Releasing the past means releasing those whose injuries still scar us, those we do not want to forgive. Until we are able to forgive, we are not able fully to receive our forgiveness; therefore, we must keep releasing to God our hurts and painful memories in the hope that God will forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Until we release the past, we are not fully ready to “Go and sin no more.” When we drag the past with us, it is impossible to walk into a better future. This woman named Jesus as her Lord. If she means what she says, she will have a better future. If she is just playing games to make Jesus like her, she is only fooling herself. Our character is chiseled not by what we say but by what we do, as we release the past and step into the future.
c) Ironically Jesus and his adversaries desire the same outcome – that people sin no more. His righteous accusers think that the world will be a better place if we stone the sinners. I suppose it is true that when I am dead I will sin no more. Jesus thinks that the world will be a better place when sinners are forgiven, accepted by God, and given another chance to life a better life. It is more of a risk for a forgiven sinner to go and sin no more, because I may stumble and fall again. But God gives me a second chance, and a third, as I stumble heavenward. “Grace greater than all our sin” – what a precious resource for us sinners as we bow at the feet of our Lord and Savior to confess our brokenness and bad behavior, to be lifted to our feet and sent forth to live again – “Go and sin no more.”
6. I wonder where you find yourself in this story?
a) Condemning another – holding someone tightly in the fist of your vengeance until they pay the consequence for their bad behavior?
b) Receiving forgiveness – opening your weakness, your brokenness, your habitual bad behavior to Jesus and receiving divine mercy which releases you, which gives you strength to walk away from your past mistakes into a better tomorrow.
c) Granting forgiveness – Finding in the mercy you have received the grace to release someone who has wronged you, placing them in the hands of God, who may show them as much mercy as he has shown you.
d) Resolving to “Go and sin no more” - Deciding to call Jesus, “Lord,” and follow his way to a better outcome for your life.
Wherever you find yourself in this story, may the “marvelous, infinite, matchless grace” of God in Christ Jesus take your hand and lead you into a transforming tomorrow.
Last Update 03/12/2010
March 7
Encounters with Jesus – Will You Be My Neighbor?
Luke 10:25-37 (3/07/10)
1. “Will You Be My Neighbor?” Lest you think you have stumbled onto an old episode of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood, I assure you that this is the house of God and we are seeking another encounter with Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ of God. For many of us this old parable of the Good Samaritan is as familiar as the neighborly music of the Mr. Rogers TV series. As Clif read the story earlier, some of us could complete his lines as easily as we could sing back up to Mr. Rogers’ opening song. A story that shocked its first listeners has become so predictable as to be boring in Christian circles. However, knowing the words is not the same as living them. Most people would say that the world is not as neighborly a place today as when Mr. Rogers was an icon of children’s TV. Some would say that even as familiar as Christians are with the concept of neighbor love, we still could improve our practice of this kingdom discipline. Let us see if Jesus’ story may still inspire and direct the shaping of our spiritual lives.
2. So far this Lenten season, our encounters with Jesus have been pleasant, people like Andrew and Zacchaeus who seek and find their heart’s desire in Jesus. Today the encounter turns adversarial, for people are not always nice, even in our neighborhood. Sometimes religious people are not nice, especially when they think others are not measuring up to their standards. You may have noticed that Good Sam’s story begins with some unneighborly behavior, “A lawyer stood up to test Jesus.” Let me protect the good name of lawyers by clarifying that the man who encountered Jesus was a religious expert, not an attorney. He was an expert in God’s laws, a professor of theology. This theologian seeks Jesus not to engage him in dialogue but to test him, publicly to prove he is smarter than Jesus. When I taught in seminary, I encountered three types of questions: (1) I want to know more; (2) I want to impress you with what I know masked as a question; (3) I want to show you are not as smart as some people say you are. The religious expert’s question to Jesus is the third kind. Behind the question is an attitude: “I have a Ph.D. in Theology, so I will examine this ill-trained, redneck stump preacher with a Galilean accent to see what he knows.” If we could hear the voice behind the text, we would hear a tone of disdain, maybe a sneer, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? What do you teach on this subject?”
3. Jesus does not compete with this expert. He does not rise to the testosterone challenge; rather he turns the other check, “Neighbor, what do you read in the Law about this? What to you think about your question?” Instead of defending himself or attacking, Jesus lowers his guard, inviting the expert to teach him. What a disarming way to respond to an adversary! With this response, Jesus is inviting, “Will you be my neighbor? Let’s not argue over this issue but share viewpoints.” Evidently this scholar has done his homework, for he knows what Jesus teaches about the way to eternal life. It is public knowledge, for wherever Jesus goes he teaches people to follow the Great Commandment, joining the Shema of Jewish faith with the admonition to love your neighbor as yourself. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself,” the religious expert says, smiling like a fox, for he has given Jesus’ own answer to the question, leaving him with nothing more to say. There is no way Jesus can top this! But again Jesus refuses to rise to the testosterone challenge. He smiles and says, “Neighbor, you have given the right answer! We seem to agree on this subject. Do this and you will live.” For the second time, Jesus responds with an invitation, “Will you be my neighbor? Instead of wasting time arguing over where we may disagree can we build on where we agree?”
4. Now the religious expert is embarrassed. Why? I don’t know. Maybe he thinks he looks stupid for trying to trap Jesus into looking stupid? Maybe he thinks he looks stupid for asking a question to which he already has the answer. I don’t know why he feels a need to justify himself, but I know that people who are puffed up with pride and self-importance often need to prove something, to put other people down because they think that makes them look better. So he says, “This is not as simple as you assume. Who is my neighbor? Who qualifies for this category?” Apparently if your categories are “ill-equipped” “redneck” “stump preacher” “from Galilee,” you do not fit his definition of neighbor, for this theologian has not treated Jesus as a neighbor. Before we listen to Jesus’ response, I want to emphasize that this religious expert has made a tragic turn down a spiritual dead end. He has made the Great Commandment into a rule over which we can argue instead of a relationship which rules our behavior. In Jesus’ time, religion focused on making and keeping rules as a way of measuring personal per-formance and establishing community standards. This way of religion tended toward a burdensome legalism, as one rule demanded more rules to clarify and apply to changing situations. Some people became experts in the rules/law, earning status as masters of the rules. Those not trained in the finer points of the law go to a religious experts who will have an answer for you, one that will probably make you feel even more burdened after you have paid your fee. Jesus preached the Kingdom/Rule of God, for his goal was not that we would perfectly master the rules but that God would rule in us. When Jesus taught people to love God with all of who they are and to love neighbor as self, he was not giving another rule but inviting people to a divine relationship which energizes, guides, and sustains human relationships. What God requires has always been about relationship more than rules. “What does God require of you but to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”(Micah 6:8) If we want to know what is just, seek to know the nature and actions of God! If we seek to know what mercy is, seek to know our neighbor and what he/she needs. For mercy is simply offering to someone what they desperately need. From Abraham to Jesus, God’s way has been more about relationship than rules. Jesus did not follow the way of legalistic rule-making, rather he invited people to enter a relationship with God which would inform their relationships with others. Instead of setting up more rules to determine who qualifies for neighbor status, he tells a story about a relationship between a group of strangers on the road to Jericho.
5. One day a man traveled from Jerusalem to Jericho and ran into unneighborly people. Our neighborhood may not be what it used to be, for some folk become adversaries of those they meet. Whether it be ridicule (the theologian’s agenda), cyber-bullying, stealing, gang violence, or physical intimidation, the neighbor-hood is a dangerous place to walk alone, as one stranger found. There is no excuse for such behavior, and if you find yourself in the company of people who do violence to others through words or actions it is time to stand up and say, “I won’t be part of this.” You may influence the group to find something better to do. If not, it is time to walk away and find better friends.
a) A priest and a Levite pass down this road, walking alone just as did the first man. They see the man, half-dead, lying in a ditch, and pass by on the other side. Why? They choose rules over the risk of relationship. Jesus chose a priest and Levite because they are people who have very clear role and rules to follow in their Temple service to God. Rule #1 for them is to stay clean, to avoid bodily fluids or other unclean things, so that they will be pure when they enter the Temple and lead worship. Leviticus explains the special set of rules that they followed, rules the average Joe did not obey. One way they showed their love of God was to keep the rules and keep their hands clean. When they see this stranger, they may see a conflict between loving God and loving neighbor. If they take care of him, they may become ritually unclean and be unable to lead worship for a while. Therefore, they follow the rules and keep their distance. The way people interpret rules about God can cause them to keep their distance from others. But notice, they were going down to Jericho, not going up to Jerusalem for Temple service. They could have helped this man and still been clean in time for their Temple duty, although showing mercy might have interfered with a vacation in Jericho. I think they were just hiding behind the rules. They stayed in their holy role, even on vacation, instead of laying aside their role to show mercy on a neighbor.
b) Then a Samaritan draws near. The crowd may hiss at mention of his category, for Samaritans and Jews had a long-standing adversarial relationship. But that is their history, not ours. If we want to enter this story, we need to think of a religious or ethnic category that we dislike. About whom do you tell ridiculing jokes? If you were walking down the street, who would you avoid, either because of fear or dislike. When you name your category of outsider, you have identified your “Samaritan.” This outsider draws near, looks at the victim, and feels his pain. So he opens his back-pack and does what he can to treat the wounds. Then he puts the man on his donkey and gives him a ride to an inn where he cares for him. Next morning, he says, “Here is two nights lodging for this man. Take care of him, and if he needs more than two days to recover, I will pay you back the next time I am along this road.”
c) Jesus then asks the religious expert, “Which of these three acted like a neighbor?” Notice how Jesus changes the original question, “Who qualifies as my neighbor? For Jesus “love your neighbor as yourself” means that we respond to people according to their need and our ability, not according to their category. When the religious experts put people in categories, one of the first to be excluded would be this Samaritan! Jesus turns the question from rules to relationship – who will enter into relationship with a stranger and make him a neighbor? The point of the Great Commandment is not to add one more rule to our list and define it by adding more rules but to open our lives to God and to reflect who God is in our relationships with others. When we know God, we discover that God is merciful; therefore, we reflect God’s mercy in our daily lives and engage-ments with other people. “Have mercy as you are able” is a rule that reveals God’s nature and brings us in harmony with the rule of God in our neighborhood.
d) The religious expert answers wisely, “The one who showed him mercy.” Notice that he refuses to speak the word, “Samaritan.” But at least he acknowledges that neighbor love means to show mercy to others. “Mercy” means to give to someone in need what they need, as we are able. So Jesus concludes, “Go and be a neighbor in this way.” I hope he does. My neighbor is not an interruption in my relationship with God, but an opportunity to express what I know about God.
6) A theological expert encounters Jesus in an unneighborly way, yet Jesus consistently treats him as a neighbor anyway. Why? Because he is the Son of God and reflects his relationship with God in his relationship with other people. That’s what all children of God do. Fred Rogers was a child of God and an ordained Presbyterian minister who put aside his clerical collar to practice neighbor love through the ministry of a television program. As he invited children to be his neighbor, he shaped young lives. When we open our eyes and use our imaginations, we will find predictable and unpredictable ways to express our love toward God with those whom we meet in our own neighborhood. At the end of the story, Jesus looks at the religious expert . . . and at us . . . and asks, “Will you be a neighbor in this way?” If so, we will discover that our encounter with neighbor is regularly a God Moment, an encounter with the One whom we seek to love with all our heart, mind, and soul, just another way of working on this divine relationship.
February 28
Encounters with Jesus – Will You Rise to a Higher Level? (Luke 19:1-10) [2/28/10]
1. Today we encounter another story from the Gospel, a story about seeking and finding, finding what we are looking for. At first, we are outsiders to this story. We do not understand aspects of the language and culture; for example, how a person is labeled a sinner because he has a job collecting taxes. We are outsiders who can only guess at what is happening inside the story – inside the heart of Zacchaeus, inside the home where he offers hospitality to Jesus. Often when Jesus shares “table talk” with disciples and friends, we are allowed to listen in; but in this story we are outside until the final dialogue in which both Zacchaeus and Jesus find what they are looking for. Let us encounter this story, as we try to get inside the heart and soul of the main characters and discover if we have a part to play in this divine drama that invites us to rise to a higher level. As we listen from the outside, may this story get inside us.
2. First we see Jesus, who is passing through Jericho. He will not stay long, for he is on the road to Jerusalem where he will face an unjust, merciless religious and political establishment that will murder him with the false accusation that he is a rebel and blasphemer. He is in the last weeks of his life, preparing to give himself completely to claim a lost world for God’s love. He is the Christ of God, the Son of Man who has come to seek and save all lost souls. As he scans the crowds of onlookers, Jesus is always alert for any who seek God, not merely the entertainment of a passing parade. One reason we read these old stories is because Christ still lives in them, entering our experience, walking among us, seeking to find those who seek God, not just another predictable worship service. Today the Living Christ is in this room, seeking anyone who seeks God, especially those who feel like lost souls.
3. Next we see Zacchaeus, who is identified as a chief tax collector and rich. Zach’s name means “upright one,” but you may wonder at his name. Rather like meeting “Honest Joe,” used car salesman? Since he is a tax collector, we know that he is an entrepreneur who decided to side with the Roman oppressor and make his profit by taxing his fellow Jews. Zack is an outsider, a public sinner, one who has chosen the profit of the Roman protection racket over his primary allegiance to God. His business is “rendering unto Caesar what is Caesar’s,” with all bonuses to Zack. Of course, my opinion judges Zacchaeus’ heart, and I do not really know why he does what he does. Today in Don’s monologue we imagined that Zach’s is a “rags to riches” story. But this is merely our imagination, for I do not know his real story until he tells it. I have lived long enough to know that everyone has a story, and that within their story is the kernel of the truth about who they are and what they are really looking for. Zach is a social climber, an entrepreneur who did what he must to rise to a higher level of success. As he says, “I was as honest as I could be and still make a profit.” Now that you know more of his story, you may still dislike him, especially if you think you have paid more than your fair share of taxes. Socially Zack is an outcast, and the crowd will remind him that he is a “sinner,” as though he could ever forget.
4. Zack wants to see Jesus. “Why?” we wonder. Boredom? Simple curiosity? Spiritual desire? Zack knows that Jesus is a spiritual entrepreneur who has built his movement by unconventional means. For example, Jesus has even welcomed a tax collector to his inner circle of Twelve. The day before he told a parable in which a tax collector is praised. Remember Jesus’ story? Two men went to temple to pray: (1) a Pharisee stood before God and complimented himself on being so much better than other people, miserable sinners all. (2) a tax collector drew near but could only beat his chest and cry, “God, me merciful to me, a sinner!” Jesus declared that the tax collector, not the Pharisee, was acceptable in God’s sight, for “all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.”(Luke 18:14) Whatever his motive, Zacchaeus “is trying to see who Jesus is.” However, the crowd gets in his way, pushing him back. But Zack has practiced persistence for decades, so he is not going to let a hostile crowd stand between him and what he wants, whether it is success or a Savior. Always a clear thinker, Zack tracks Jesus’ parade route and finds a strategic sycamore tree which he climbs before the crowd arrives or someone else claims his perch. As they say, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” I wonder if this social climber may become a spiritual climber before the story is over? He climbs a sycamore tree and finds what he’s looking for – he sees Jesus from a bird’s eye perspective. I wonder how much you want to see Jesus? How hard have you worked to accomplish this goal? Have you found him looking back at you? Zach does!
5. Jesus stops. He looks up and says, “Zacchaeus, come on down, for I must stay at your house today.” Apparently, Zack is seeking one who is also seeking him! Jesus even knows his name – could he also know the hungers of his heart? Who would ever imagine that the one Zack is looking for is looking for him? Jesus says, “I must stay with you,” selecting a word that he uses only when referring to the divine necessity that motivates his mission. For God so loved the world, even the “Zacks” of the world, that God sent Jesus so that they may not perish but have life with God, now and forever! Jesus’ main mission was to seek and to save the lost ones, to restore all the lost and straying children of God. Zack was Jesus’ eureka – “I found one!” Whether it be Jesus of Nazareth with arms to embrace or the Living Lord in this very room with a Spirit to fill every heart, Jesus is still in the lost and found business. If you have been found, you know that you were one whom the Savior was looking for. If you have not yet been found, may this be the day that you seek the one who is seeking you! Let us observe two different responses to Jesus’ remarkable statement:
a) “Zacchaeus hurried down and was glad to welcome Jesus.” Hallelujah – Zack accepts his acceptance! He doesn’t even suggest that Jesus give him some time to go home and clean up any embarrassing magazines or empty bottles that might litter the living room. He is happy to open his home and heart to Jesus. “Behold, I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me.”(Revelation 3:19-20) To trust Jesus as Savior and Lord simply means that we offer the hospitality of our heart and home to him. He accepts me, “just as I am.” In fact, he has already been seeking for me and merely waits for me to seek him and make room for what I have learned about him so far. Yes, it looks more and more like Zach, the social climber, may also become a spiritual climber.
b) The crowd grumbles, judgmentally, “Jesus accepts the hospitality of a sinner!” The crowd is offended, for Jesus honors an outsider and accepts the hospitality of a public sinner. Jesus may enter this sinner’s house, but they will stay outside this untouchable’s home! They reject Jesus and his way of welcoming people. This is, in part, a story about acceptance and rejection. Jesus is known for accepting people, both honorable and dishonorable. In fact, the gossip is that he prefers the company of sinners to the company of righteous people. He is a mystery. But if he is truly the walking embodiment of the Creator/Redeemer, then this little drama gives us quite a lesson in acceptance, about honoring the desires of the heart rather than shutting the door on someone because of their previous choices. Jesus always was more interested in a person’s future than in his past. And he still is. Jesus always was more interested in how high a person can reach, not how low they have fallen. And he still is. If we are the exalted righteous persons, we may not like God’s way of doing business. But who elected us God?
6. So the crowd is left outside the action, and we are also. We do not know what happens when Jesus enters Zack’s house. But I can make an informed guess on the basis of other Gospel stories. One of Jesus’ predictable ways of teaching was to engage in table dialogue with anyone who offered him hospitality. This “table-talk” was always customized to the desires and needs of the hosts and guests. Jesus told stories about lost things and people, about forgiveness, about managing God’s resources, about seeking what is highest in life – all according to the needs of his host. At some point, I imagine he asks Zack, “Would God be pleased with your success? Are you satisfied with what you have achieved? If so, why were you seeking me?” I can imagine that Jesus would talk about success and failure, how those who gain the world sometimes lose their most precious possession – their own souls. He would speak about God, a generous and just Creator who blesses our lives so that we can be a blessing to other people. And he would probably speak of the only thing that endures death – the love that we have shown for God and for our neighbor. In the silence after Jesus finished, I can imagine that he would turn to ask, “Zack, are you ready to rise a little higher and fulfill your destiny as a child of God? Will you become an entrepreneur for the Kingdom of God?” Again, I am on the outside of this story, so I only guess about what went on inside – the house and Zack’s heart/soul. Just as when I deliver a sermon, I am pretty much on the outside of what is happening in the hearts and souls of those listening. I only know what happens on the inside by what is demonstrated in words and actions. When Zack speaks, I hear his witness to a change of heart. “Master, I want to be part of your movement. I want to redeem my wasted success. Lord, half of my possessions I give to aid the poor. And if I have cheated anyone, I will pay the maximum that the law demands, 400% return on any unjust earnings. From this day forward, I choose to live on a higher level. I will serve God by doing justice and giving generously with my life and my resources. And, if you will have me, I will be your disciple.” Hallelujah! Zack rises to a higher spiritual level, in which he will demonstrate his new desires by giving first priority to generosity and second priority to justice.
7. Jesus responds to Zack’s commitment with joy (a typical companion of repentance in Luke), “Today salvation has come to this house, because Zack also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” A tax collector’s prayer is now answered, “Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner,” He has found the mercy he was looking for! The name of the mercy-giver is Jesus. Jesus’ mission was to seek and save the lost, to restore Zack and me and you to our true identity as children of God, so that we can rise to a higher level. We know we have risen to a higher level as children of God when our priorities and behavior change. From now on, Zack will be an entrepreneur for the kingdom of God, in which generosity and justice are the primary measures of success. Will he keep his job as tax collector? I don’t know, but I know that if he does, he will not be the same tax agent he used to be. His life and way of doing business have been changed by an encounter with Jesus, his Savior and Lord. When we seek Jesus, we may not climb a sycamore tree, but when we find him, I guarantee that we will rise higher and higher, for this is the endless call of God’s amazing grace. The Secret Place had an appropriate poem last Thursday: “My Lord, my love,/ Keeper of my heart’s desire,/ Consume all self-love/In your holy fire./Clothe me in pure robes-/Your radiant attire./Lift me on wings of love,/Higher, ever higher!
February 21
Encounters with Jesus – What Are You Looking For?
(John 1:35-42) [2/21/10]
1. What are you looking for? What is your heart’s desire? Can you name it easily, like an Olympic athlete, or is this a difficult question for you to answer? Do you know what you are looking for? Are you willing to speak it to God right now in a prayer?
a) Our topic today is the spiritual devotion of desire. Whether your desire is like that of Shelley’s moth, “the desire of the moth for the stars” or a lesser aspiration, desire is one of the good gifts wired into human beings by our Creator. Desire is the heart of all spirituality, the energy that powers our faith. How can we cleanse, clarify, and Christ-size our desires so that we use the upward energy of desire to help us grow truly as children of God? All religious do not look favorably on desire. A major Easter religion teaches that desire is the main problem of existence and that relinquishment of all desire is the path to peace. Often Christian voices have also taken a negative approach to desire, focusing on the need to repent of our evil desires. Once upon a Lent a church formed a circle for the practice of prayer. The pastor joined the circle each week and prayed as pastors sometimes do in the rhetoric or ritual rather than real life – the way you might speak to your Senior English teacher but not to someone you loved. Each week, he would end his prayer with the pious phrase, “And, Lord, clean the cobwebs of our heart.” One week, the next prayer in the circle finally blurted out, “Lord, forget those cobwebs and get that spider!” We do better with our spiritual lives when we cleanse the spider of unworthy desires and replace it with a songbird that brings light and music to our heart’s longings. I have found it a better pursuit to upgrade my desires rather than to focus on constantly cleaning up the cobwebs my unworthy desires leave behind. A heart empty of all unworthy desires is like a vacuum, but a heart full of the fruit of the spirit leaves no space for unworthy clutter.
b) What are you looking for? I think that there are three responses to this question – I am satisfied, settled, or seeking. Some people are satisfied with life; they have found what they are looking for and live with a high level of contentment. Some of you may be such people. Some people have settled; they are resigned, “I’ll never find what I am looking for. I have given up.” Or “I once had what I desired but it is gone now.” Some of you may be such people. Some people are seeking; whether their cup is half-full or half-empty, the desires of their hearts give energy to their lives. Some of us who are seeking know what we are looking for. We can name it. For example, some are seniors in high school looking for the right college; some are looking for a companion; some are looking for God. John Ortberg writes of a time when he knew what he was looking for. He and his family were on vacation one summer and stopped to eat at Bob Evans, where he had a serving of the best peach cobbler in the universe. Every day after, he would drive miles out of their way to find another Bob Evans so he could feast his desire on the object of his affection. Sometimes it is easier to know our stomach’s desire than our heart’s desire, isn’t it? Sometimes we do not know what we seek until it finds us. We know that there is an emptiness in our heart or a yearning in our soul, but we have trouble naming it until we stumble upon it. We do not know exactly what we are looking for until we bump into it. This is the plot of today’s story from John’s Gospel.
2. Our story is about a lesser known New Testament character – Andrew Johnson (in his day they said “bar Jonah,” meaning “son of John, so I offer his name as we would call it today.) Andrew is the younger brother of Simon Peter, a New Testament character who often takes center stage. As our story begins, Andrew seems to be a young man who has found what he is looking for. He appears to be satisfied, not seeking, but you cannot always tell what is in the heart by appearances. Who knows, maybe he is humming the tune to U2’s song, “I still haven’t found what I looking for.” Andrew is a disciple of John the Baptizer, a young man seeking a worthy purpose in life who has hitched his cart to John’s train. When we first meet him, he stands with another unnamed disciple of John. Maybe this anonymous disciple is our opportunity to step into the story? When Andrew hears John describe Jesus as God’s Anointed One, his heart beats a little faster, as a desire grows in him to know more about Jesus; therefore he walks away from John and follows Jesus. (I am impressed that John shows no jealousy, for he knows that devoted desire leads people ever higher.) When Jesus sees Andrew (and you) following, he turns and asks, “What are you looking for?” There is that question again. We name him, “Teacher,” and ask where he is staying. In Jesus’ culture this is a way of saying, “I want to be with you and learn your way with God.” Jesus responds, “Come and see.” We do. And we like what we see, so we remain with him. I do not know what Andrew was looking for – I do not read hearts – but I can read the story, as he brings his heart-felt desires to Jesus and finds them fulfilled in a way that keeps him coming back for more. Jesus is the fulfillment of his spiritual quest, the place where God breaks through for Andrew. Eureka! Later he finds his older brother, Simon, saying, “Brother, I have found the One I have been looking for, the Messiah! His name is Jesus. I wonder if he is the one you are looking for? Come and see for yourself.” Simon follows after his brother and meets Jesus who greets him, “You’re Simon Johnson. From now on I nickname you Rocky (Peter).” Simon is not accustomed to tagging after his little brother, so he does not become Jesus’ disciple immediately. For the rest of Peter’s story, you need to read Luke’s account, Luke 5:1-11. Do you know who is called the patron saint of fishermen according to early church tradition? Andrew! Yes, the younger brother was considered a better “fisher of people” than Peter, who gets better press coverage. Andrew pointed his older brother to Jesus. Later when Jesus wants to offer lunch to a crowd, Andrews finds the boy with a bag lunch and brings him to Jesus(John 6:8ff). When Greeks are looking for Jesus, Andrew brings them to Jesus(John 12:20ff). Whenever Andrew meets people who have not yet found what they were looking for, he brings them to Jesus saying, “Come and see for yourself. Jesus may be the one you are looking for.”
3. I do not pretend to be an expert on desire. I know enough to admit how little I know about the depths of human psychology and how our true desires are so often twisted by sin (our own and what others have done to us), anxiety, and fear, so that we too often desire the very things that hold us in bondage and keep us from becoming free and faithful child of God.
a) From Andrew’s story I learn to bring what I’m looking for to Jesus for cleansing, clarifying, and Christ-sizing. Today I cannot have a direct encounter with Jesus in the flesh, but I can have a spiritual encounter. One of the verses I have claimed is Psalm 37:4, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” One way of interpreting this verse says, “If I can do enough to make God happy, he will finally give me what I am really looking for – winning lottery ticket on the way!” Of course, this is a foolish way to claim this verse, for I am simply trying to manipulate God into giving me what I am really looking for. Andrew’s way is truer and better – if I bring what I am looking for and offer it to God in a relationship of abiding trust and love, I will engage a process in which my desires are cleansed, clarified, and Christ-sized. “Lord, here’s what I’m looking for. What do you think about what is in my heart? As the light of your Word illumines me, as your love fills my heart, as your Spirit inspires my imagination, what desires do you want me to release? What desires do you want me to nourish and exercise? Lord, help me to find what I’m looking for – the fulfillment of my deepest and truest desire as your child.” I feel so glib giving such simple directions, for the process is not as simple and self-evident as my words. But trust and openness are simple virtues. When God becomes our “Eureka,” we open our deepest, even our darkest desires, to the God who knows us better than we know ourselves, who helps us claim the future he sees before we see it.
b) From Andrew’s story, I learn that what I desire will change. At first, Andrew’s desire is to follow John, but then he discovers that there is something more for him to experience, so he releases his past with John and grasps a future with Jesus. Again, I am impressed that John is not threatened by Andrew’s growth. One sign that we are growing as children of God is when we desire something higher. When I was a child, I thought as a child, I desired as a child. When I became an adult, I put aside my childish desires. Did I really? I hope so. One of the proofs that we are growing as children of God is that we are climbing the ladder of desire. In a spiritual growth group years ago, Fred spoke of what he was looking for when he first joined a church. He had joined the staff of a funeral home in Florida and was seeking to make a successful career for himself. He found the right church to join – one, of course, with a number of elderly members – and he set about building a network of relationships that he planned to harvest as customers. A year passed, and his game plan was working beautifully. But then this Jesus whom the pastor kept talking about began to get under his skin. Fred began to hunger for something more than just a good business network. He joined a men’s Bible study group and was recruited to coach the church’s youth baseball team. He found growing within himself a desire to know God better, a desire to have a positive impact on the lives of the teenagers he was getting to know. One Sunday, as the congregation sang “I Want to Be a Christian in My Heart,” he found that the water in his eyes made if difficult for him to read the words. Then he found himself walking forward to tell the pastor that he meant the words he had been singing, that he wanted Jesus to be the Lord of his life. It was almost as though Jesus turned to him and asked, “Fred, what are you looking for?” And Fred answered, “I just realized that I have been looking for you, Lord.” “Come and see, Fred. Come to me and see what will be.” When we become a part of the community of Jesus’ disciples, the desires of our heart change.
c) From Andrew’s story I learn that it is natural to share what we find in Jesus with other people. After Andrew finds what he is looking for in Jesus, he starts looking for people with whom to share this good news. Whether it is his older (more famous) brother, a boy with a bag lunch, or outsiders who do not even speak his native tongue, Andrew has a desire to come along-side people and share, “I have found the one I am looking for! Jesus is where God has broken through for me. Come and see if this may be true also for you.” Whether it is a great restaurant or a great Savior, it is natural for us to share our “Eureka” with other people. Without our testimony some people may not find what they are looking for. Last week I read a Secret Place devotional by Lynn from Michigan: “At first glance there is no logical reason why I am a Christian. I grew up in a dysfunctional home with two alcoholic parents who wanted a drink more than they wanted to take me and my brothers to church. Our family script pointed us down the path of the bottle, not the path of God. How, then did we learn to love God? I believe it was because of my grandmother, who was a place of peace in our chaotic lives. I remember doing my homework on her living room floor while she sat at the desk in the corner reading her Bible. I know that she often prayed that we would invite Jesus to dwell in our hearts. Thanks to her faithful prayers, the unlikely happened, and my two brothers and I placed our faith in Jesus. Today we love God and are active in our local churches. Before they died, our parents also found what they were looking for in Jesus – all because our grandmother believed in God and believed in us.” Part of our joy as children of God is to help other children find their way home to God. As we continue to grow in our own faith, may we share our “Eureka” with others by prayer, by word, and by deed.
February 14
“Sharing God’s Love” – Our Common Mission
(James 2:8-17) [2/14/10]
1. Today is Mission Sunday – a day to refresh our mission and enhance our vision of some established channels through which our congregation “shares God’s love,” from our neighborhood to the world. It would be impossible in one service to capture all the ways that members of our church serve as agents of God’s love, so we have chosen to offer a more in depth focus on seven channels through which our love of God and neighbor flow. I thank each person who has shared from his/her experience today. If you want to know more about these opportunities for service, seek out today’s speakers around the punch bowl following this service. They will be glad to share more informa-tion and suggest ways you can become an active partner in the work of the organization they represent. Our church’s mission statement affirms, We will rejoice in God’s love in fellowship with one another, and we will share God’s love with family, community, and the world. This mission statement is an expression of our personal and congregational desire to fulfill Jesus’ Great Commandment, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength; and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mark 12:30-31) When you hear those words, you may wonder, “What is special about our mission? Isn’t that what every church says.” I hope so! “Sharing God’s Love” is not a unique claim for our church but rather the common mission for all Christians, even though each church expresses God’s love in ways that are distinctive, expressive of the unique character and style of a particular church. All families have a common mission of growth and nurture for its members, but each family fulfills its mission in distinctive ways. All Christians embrace a common mission of sharing God’s love, but as our brother James reminds us today, it is not what you say as much as what you do that counts!
2. In today’s text, James reminds us that the highest expectation of God is “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” He calls this the “royal law,” for it is the law that governs all of our attempts to understand and exemplify a moral life. It is the compass that helps us find “the Way” in all the foggy circumstances and uncertain intersections of life. It is also the highest expectation of the Creator of the universe and the Ruler of human history. In this text James applies the royal law to a problem in his congregation. When persons of wealth and status come to their services, members “fall all over themselves” making them feel welcome. When persons who are poor, whose need is manifest in their tattered clothing, come to services, people ignore them or say, “sit at my feet (like a servant).” James declares that this favoritism dishonors God as much as it does their neighbor. He declares that judging by appearances and showing favoritism is as much a disobedience of the law as it would be to murder or commit adultery. The royal law is “love your neighbor as yourself.” Would I want to be judged by appearances and have the value of my soul judged by the labels on my clothing? Asked and answered!
a) But more – James also reminds us that God’s mercy either flows through us or is not real at all. James often echoes his brother Jesus’ uncomfortable words that being forgiven is a door that hinges on forgiving others (Matthew 5:7, 6:14-15, 18:32-35). We are to show mercy to others, for “mercy triumphs over judgment.” If we make a habit of judging others, we may fit into the pattern of the world around us, but we are preparing judgment for ourselves. If we make a habit of showing mercy, we may look peculiar to people who hold grudges and judge others by their outward circumstances, but we will shape our souls to flourish in the kingdom of God. Showing mercy is God’s way, and if we want God’s mercy to flow into our lives, we must allow it to flow through our lives. One of my favorite stories of heaven is a repeat. One night a man has a dream in which Jesus shows him heaven and hell. Jesus open one door . . . in the middle of the room is a large, round table. A mouth-watering aroma fills the room, rising from a huge pot of stew in the middle of the table. The people around this table are skeleton-thin, grim, and glaring at each other. They hold spoons with very long handles that are strapped to their arms, and each finds it impossible to reach into the pot and take a spoonful of stew. The man shudders at such suffering. Jesus says, “You have seen hell.” They go to another door which opens on a room exactly like the first. There is a large, round table with a huge pot of stew. The people are equipped with the same long-handled spoons, but they are well-nourished, laughing, and enjoying each other’s company. Jesus says, “This is heaven.” The man is confused, “I don’t understand; the two place are so similar!” Jesus responds, “It is simple. Those who live in hell think only of them-selves, while those who live in heaven have learned to feed each other, for no one can eat of the stew of God’s mercy unless s/he will also feed another.” Whether it be food or forgiveness, if we do not share, we do not find everlasting nourishment.
b) And last, James speaks to the timeless issue of faith and works. His truth is so blunt as to make us wince. “If your faith is only lip service, it is not real. If your faith is active in action, then it is real.” If I only sing, “God of Grace and God of Glory,” it does me no good. However, when I strive to make my life an expression of the grace and glory of God, then I am truly a person of faith whose relationship with God flows through my deeds. I prove who I am not by what I say but by what I do. As I exercise my identity as a child of God by sharing God’s love, I become more of who I say I am. I shape my character and destiny. What I seek to send out to bless my neighbor blesses me far more than the one who may receive benefit from my actions.
3. As we apply James’ message to our lives, may we focus on enhancing our vision of two realities:
a) In our human circles of relationship, we learn that if we love a parent (or grandparent), we love the child (or grandchild). For example, when a parent/grandparent shows you a photo, don’t you “ooh” and “aah” over it? Of course, for you are expected to cherish the little one whom they cherish. So it is in the Reign of God. Our neighbor is a child of God by the redemptive action of Jesus Christ. Some of our neighbors know who they are and are seeking to live into their identity as children of God. Some of our neighbors do not yet know the Good News of this glorious message, but the fact that they live in ignorance does not mean that they are any less valuable in God’s sight. As we know from reading the parables of Jesus and living our own family stories, often we long even more for the child/grand-child from whom we are alienated. If we love God, we will show love to all God’s children- such love is more important to our Heavenly Parent than all the lip service and holy rituals that we point toward heaven. God wants a self-aware relationship with each one of us. Once we accept our adoption in Christ, God desires that we look at our neighbor through another lens and see him/her as a child of God. The best way to love the Parent is to love the child. Therefore, there is really no separation between the service we offer in this time of worship and the service we offer in the neighborhood where we live. Here we focus on growing our relationship with God. There we focus on exercising our relationship with God by showing love to those who are just as important to God as we are.
b) The life of faith is essentially about expressing my relationship with God through my relationship with other people. It is surprising how often we become confused about our common mission. We fall into the misconception that being a faithful person means engaging in certain rituals in a timely manner or obeying certain rules or adding religious duties to a life that is already over-full of activities. Jesus’ Way is so clear: we are to develop a relationship with God that permeates our being, and we are to express who we are becoming through this Relationship in our relationship with other people (the Great Commandment). There is no real line of separation between God and others, just connected circles where our identity grows through relationship. When we know that the Creator of the universe and the Ruler of history loves us, when we learn to accept and nurture this love, when we start practicing what it means to have a love-relationship with God – who we are becoming must be expressed in some way. We need a channel for expressing who we are, and this channel is the relationship that we have with other people. If faith is just one more duty that you must fulfill, one more commitment (or list of commitments) that you must keep every week, I am deeply sorry. If you are like the rest of us, your life is complicated enough without another burden to add to the pile! I am deeply sorry that you are missing out on the vitality, even thrill, of real faith. Real faith is about an experience with God which flows through our relationships with the people whom we meet along the way. Real faith focuses not on what I “have” to do, but what I love to do. I hope that Mission Sunday is not a day to be reminded of what you “should” be doing and feel the push of guilt shoving you forward. That sounds more like walking the plank than being alive in Christ. What if the theme were “Love To Do Sunday.” What do you love about God? What do you love to do with people and for people? These are the golden questions which can lead us to a life of glad and fulfilling service. When the Holy Spirit inspires our imagina-tions, we become creative and think outside the forms of religion to find ways of expressing our love for God and our love for people in ways that channel our faith into practical and spiritual actions. The people who have spoken in this service have expressed how some of what they love to do is channeled through existing service organizations in our community. There are many established channels – Sunday School, Choir, Bible Study, Youth Group, worship, mission programs, etc. – through which what I love to do can flow, for it is often easier for my life to flow alongside other people down established channels than it is for me to be a separate stream of life. Such activities in church and neighborhood are not meant to be ends in themselves but means through which we can express a living faith and rejoice in how such faith helps the world around us to grow green and flower with hope and beauty. We speak often here about “being the church,” not merely going to church. One major purpose of Mission Sunday is for each of us to become more aware of some of the established channels of love and service through which our love of God can flow to refresh the earth. I hope that your awareness has been enhanced by this service and that some part of your heart/spirit is drawn to one of these channels that fits who you are as a unique child of God. There is an old story about stewardship that fits my theme. The pastor rises one Sunday and reports to her congregation the status of their campaign for a new furnace, “I have good news and bad news. The good news is that we have enough money to purchase our new furnace. The bad news is, it’s still out there in your pockets and purses.” My spin on this old story – “The good news is that we have enough love to heal our neighborhood, to give hope to broken lives, to bless all who need to receive a blessing. The bad news is that it is still in your hearts and hands, waiting to be shared.” Actually that is not bad news at all, but your opportunity - the intersection of your love of God and love of neighbor, who is a child of God. Whenever we share God’s love, it strengthens both our relationship with God and our relationship with our neighbor, for love of God and love of neighbor are inextricably united, on earth as it is in heaven. Thanks be to God for such a divine plan.