All Cleaned Up

 

Text: Hebrews 9:11-14

Focus: Cleansing

Function: To celebrate our new life in Christ

¹¹But when Christ came as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation), ¹²he entered once for all into the holy place, not with the blood of goats and calves but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. ¹³For if the blood of goats and bulls and the sprinkling of the ashes of a heifer sanctifies those who have been defiled so that their flesh is purified, ¹⁴how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to worship the living God!

Praise God and Good morning!

Today, we are celebrating our new life in Christ.

At first, I thought that the scripture that I chose to read, which is actually next week’s lectionary text, was a little bit heavy, or heady, for us to wrap our heads around as a means to celebrate the baptism and power of the Holy Spirit in the lives of 5 people today. Praise God!

The book of Hebrews is a pretty deep book of theology that talks a lot about the way Jesus’ allowed himself to die. He was killed for his message of loving the other regardless of whom and what they are. He embodied the love and selfless generosity that stands in the face of greed and selfishness, so they killed him to silence him.

But he did it as the Priest of God and through his death and resurrection, he proved that living the in what the early church called “The Way” is living the way of God. And God gives us the hope we need through the fact the Christ rose from the dead. I believe that we will as well.

And here is a simple thing that the book of Hebrews is trying to address: What were they supposed to do with all that ancient religion that they knew for generations.

He speaks of the sacrificial system built up around the Ancient Jewish religion and how those sacrifices ended now that we have Christ.

The sacrificial system had to do with the way they butchered meat and didn’t use the blood and expressed gratitude to God. It was a constant reminder that they were dependent on God.

It was a visual system. It was highly symbolic.

The author, is talking about Jesus when we come to the last verse of our text. It reads: “who through the eternal Spirit… ...(to) purify our conscience from dead works to worship the living God.”

Praise God that we are free from dead works!

We are free from trying to earn God’s favor.

Now, We are all cleaned up and forgiven by trusting in Jesus.

He promises that the Spirit of God will cleanse and restore our conscience to God.

Some call it salvation. I call it restoration. Because the Spirit of God restores us to God through our conscience.

Our baptism symbolizes a both a death, or an end to selfishness, and a birth to the new life in love. Through Christ’s love and forgiveness, we are healed and restored.

We rest in the leading of God’s Spirit to help us follow Christ as he leads us. Through the Spirit of Christ, we follow God.

Servanthood

Text: Mark 10:35-37,41-45

Focus: Servanthood

Function: to help people lead by serving

³⁵James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” ³⁶And he said to them, “What is it you want me to do for you?” ³⁷And they said to him, “Appoint us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.”

⁴¹When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John. ⁴²So Jesus called them and said to them, “You know that among the gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. ⁴³But it is not so among you; instead, whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, ⁴⁴and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. ⁴⁵For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many.”

Good morning beloved church family!

First, and as an introduction to my sermon, I want to commend you all for leaving politics out of our worship services.

We are diverse here and I recognize that we are of different minds when it comes to the way we vote.

But we are of one mind when it comes to the desire that we have to live lives that reflect the love of Jesus to the world around us.

I encourage you to vote your faith, I try to vote according to the teachings of Jesus.

However, I want us to understand that the problems we face are Spiritual and they are not going to be solved merely by voting. I believe they are going to be solved when the Church takes on its responsibility to teach the unconditional love that Jesus demonstrated.

I remember all the way back in 2008 when President Obama was running for office, and I was at the prison getting ready to go in for my first Kairos weekend. And I parked next to a man who had hinted that his vote was not the same as mine. And his bumper sticker read “I vote the Bible” and didn’t name a party. And my bumper sticker listed a party and I told him I wanted one just like his to put above mine because we both were passionate about our faith. And instead of it being a disagreement, we both just laughed because we knew that in the prison, we were there to give hope to people who are oftentimes without hope and that was much more important than our political differences. I thank God that it is true here as well. We have a deeper purpose than human politics.

Jesus loves both Democrats and Republicans and all of us, both Republicans and Democrats bear the image of Christ and we should respect that in the other person. Respect is important. When we feel the patriotic passions that might keep us divided even though we have a bond that is much more important because it is eternal, formed in the heavens by God’s own hand through the sacrifice of Christ.

We are first members of the family, or the kingdom, of God through Jesus Christ.

And this bond of Christian love is indeed possible through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Today’s passage is about leadership, specifically Servant leadership. And I find the subject relevant since we are a few weeks away from an election.

In today’s passage we read of a power squabble between the apostles. And Jesus gives us some spiritual teaching about leadership in the passage.

These disciples were a diverse group of men. Notably so, is the contrast between Simon the Jewish Zealot and Matthew the Tax Collector for the Romans. They were mortal enemies in the political realm. Matthew was seen by Simon to be a collaborator with the Roman Occupation and Simon would have been seen by Matthew as a terrorist. Both sides considered the other as worthy of death.

And yet in Christ’s love and presence there is never a mention of any rivalry or disunity between the two men in the scriptures. They found something more important.

Jesus told Pilate that his kingdom was not of this world. Our kingdom is divine, spiritual and eternal.

So, here is this group of guys following the master and they get led into a petty squabble about their own power and prestige.

So Jesus tells them what a true leader looks like.

A true leader, a godly leader, is a servant leader.

And Jesus does say something about politicians in the passage. He explains that the politicians of the world find it to their advantage to lord their power over others.

Without criticizing the notion, he states the reality that we still see in politicians today.

It is almost as if Jesus is stating the necessary evil that it is.

But in God’s kingdom, in the place where eternity matters, we have a different standard to follow. Praise God!

We don’t have to lord our power and authority over others. We recognize that it is worldly to do so. That is one of the reasons for a hundred years or so that us plain folk didn’t participate in the elections because they saw both sides as worldly.

Jesus is refocusing the disciples in this lesson into what it takes follow him.

And Jesus tells them that to follow him is to serve others.

And the last symbolic act that Jesus did was Last Supper, the upper room, where they celebrated the Passover and the emphasis was on Jesus washing the disciples feet.

Let me read from John 13 in the Message:

13^1-2Just before the Passover Feast, Jesus knew that the time had come to leave this world to go to the Father. Having loved his dear companions, he continued to love them right to the end. It was suppertime. The Devil by now had Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot, firmly in his grip, all set for the betrayal.

^3-6Jesus knew that the Father had put him in complete charge of everything, that he came from God and was on his way back to God. So he got up from the supper table, set aside his robe, and put on an apron. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the feet of the disciples, drying them with his apron. When he got to Simon Peter, Peter said, “Master, you wash my feet?”

⁷Jesus answered, “You don’t understand now what I’m doing, but it will be clear enough to you later.”

⁸Peter persisted, “You’re not going to wash my feet—ever!”

Jesus said, “If I don’t wash you, you can’t be part of what I’m doing.”

⁹ “Master!” said Peter. “Not only my feet, then. Wash my hands! Wash my head!”

¹¹After he had finished washing their feet, he took his robe, put it back on, and went back to his place at the table.

In obedience to Christ, we wash feet once a year. So I am just going to end with the rest of that scripture:

^12-17Then he said, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You address me as ‘Teacher’ and ‘Master,’ and rightly so. That is what I am. So if I, the Master and Teacher, washed your feet, you must now wash each other’s feet. I’ve laid down a pattern for you. What I’ve done, you do. I’m only pointing out the obvious. A servant is not ranked above his master; an employee doesn’t give orders to the employer. If you understand what I’m telling you, act like it—and live a blessed life.

Generosity

 

Text: Mark 10:17-31

Focus: Greed

Function: to help people rest in God’s provision

¹⁷As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” ¹⁸Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. ¹⁹You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness. You shall not defraud. Honor your father and mother.’ ” ²⁰He said to him, “Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.” ²¹Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” ²²When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.

²³Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” ²⁴And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! ²⁵It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” ²⁶They were greatly astounded and said to one another, “Then who can be saved?” ²⁷Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.”

²⁸Peter began to say to him, “Look, we have left everything and followed you.” ²⁹Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for my sake and for the sake of the good news ³⁰who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age—houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields, with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. ³¹But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”

Good Morning!

The title Generosity might seem a little bit odd for this passage.

It might have served us just as well for me to title the sermon: “Where are you living for?” and talk about the way believers are people who are different because they believe that some day they will indeed meet God and will face God’s judgment for their own reward.

It might even be titled “Faith in the after life” because the thing that separates us believers while living for an eternal reward is actually believing that there is some sort of life after death.

Bible scholars see the underlying influence that living with respect to the fact that God will judge our actions someday is really the difference between the people of faith and what the book of Proverbs calls them: “Scoffers.”

I love the verse in Ecclesiastes that says that God has placed eternity in the hearts of humanity.

We sense that there is more to life than just this here on earth. The comfort that we feel when we know that someone is in a better place is real to me and spiritual. I mean, we feel it and we know it in our spirits. Faith in God springs from that sense of God inside of us, the Holy Spirit who draws us to God and leads us to follow Jesus.

So, we have the story of the rich young ruler who believed in life after death and was asking Jesus if his obeying the commandments that teach us to love each, which are six of the ten commandments, was good enough for him to get to heaven.

And Jesus’ answer is very disturbing to all of us. He asks a question that gets to the heart of whether or not he really believed in an heavenly reward. He asks him to give up his possessions to prove it.

And the man choose earthly reward over heavenly reward.

It is kind of a scary thought.

But God saved us through Jesus Christ. And we are not working anymore to escape the concept of eternal punishment, but we are living to be part of God’s kingdom here on earth. And Jesus comforts the disciples with the knowledge that even though it was difficult for that rich young man, it isn’t impossible with God.

Jesus said, do not work for earthy reward, but lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven. For where our treasure is, there will our hearts be also.

By having confidence in God’s reward is one of thw ways that people find the passion to live sacrificially for others. One of my favorites saints is Saint Francis of Assisi. He was born to nobility and wealth. But through study of the scripture he gave it all away and lived among the poor and learned joy through suffering. He was a real man of peace and founded a movement that is still going strong and it reaches now beyond Roman Catholicism and is partnered with believers like us.

But the idea is not so much living for heaven as it is living for God. Because when we live in communion with the Holy Spirit, we are led to a life that serves others and loves others unconditionally and that brings to us an abundant spiritual life that brings peace.

We know this next truth, but the worldly influences around us deny the power of how it can bring us to a place of peace and joy regardless of the circumstances because we see the hand of God through the Spirit of God in our lives.

The truth weknow is that money cannot buy happiness. And yet, this poor soul, rich in money, but poor in his soul walked away from peace to hang on to what he believed would keep him safe.

Perhaps he was afraid to trust God to keep him and he believed that his money would.

And we believe that about money. The scripture even backs it up. In Ecclesiastes again we read that money along with wisdom protects us, but wisdom is better because it saves our souls.

We believe that if we have enough money we are safe and will be protected. The problem is fear.

Money itself isn’t evil. We need it. The Scripture says it is the love of money, or greed and hoarding that is the root of evil. And I believe it first comes from fear and then comes from pride.

The love of money is worldly. Having our confidence in our money is just as worldly.

What I mean is that faith in God is what we rest in here. We pray every week for the Lord to provide for us on a daily basis and we live by faith resting in God’s provision.

And when we rest in the fact that God will provide for us, we are no longer afraid to be generous.

We need money and would have to beg without it. We work, or worked hard for our provision and feel a sense of pride and accomplishment by getting there. God, we believe, has blessed and helped us. We thank God for that.

And in that thanksgiving, we know that God will provide for us. We rest in God.

And that gives us the faith to be generous instead of greedy. Greedy is evil, generous reflects the very nature of the love of God.

And it is the kindness of God that draws people to this new life in God.

We get to reflect that kindness.

May people see the love of Christ in us.

Another Way of Lliving

Text: Acts 4:32-35

Focus: Membership class

Function: to illustrate that we have another way of living.

³²Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common. ³³With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. ³⁴There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold.

Good morning and welcome again to our visitors!

It is appropriate that we baptized Addy this morning since we are in the middle of learning what we understand it to mean when we are held together in this Christian community at Painter Creek.

Baptism, as we saw two weeks ago is the outward sign of our inward decision to follow in the way of Christ. It symbolizes our covenant with God to give up selfishness and live to show God’s love.

And I hope you noticed that when we baptized Addy, we baptized him into the way of Christ. I did that because that was what the early church called itself and I want to be like the Brethren and try to restore us to the teachings of the early church.

The Church of the Brethren seeks to follow the teachings of Jesus beyond creeds and doctrines and emphasizes that worship of God is through service to others according to Romans 12:1.

I believe that the Jesus taught that the greatest commandment: “To Love God” is fulfilled in Jesus’ new commandment, Love Others. Matthew 25 bears it out that we love God by loving others.

I believe that the Christian journey is a journey with God through the Holy Spirit that explores the depths of what it means to love others as much as I love myself.

If you think about it, loving others as much as you love yourselves is difficult and requires sacrifice.

So, I emphasize that in my preaching here at Painter Creek.

In the Church of the Brethren, Our motto is: “to continue the work of Jesus, simply, peaceably and together. So let us look at those three things:

• We emphasize simple living.

  • Greed and extravagance are the result of selfish behavior.

    • Our culture values getting more for ourselves regardless of the impact of on others. It is called Materialism.

      • The early believers shared instead.

      • James says that if we have an excess and someone lacks basic sustenance, we must to share. So, instead of extravagance, we live simply and then our excess can be used to nurture others as well.

      • Throughout the scriptures we read about the need for us to be generous.

  • We are committed to caring for the earth.

    • In the Garden of Eden, God charged humanity with the responsibility to care for the earth.

    • Earth care is part of our service to God.

• We emphasize a commitment to peace.

  • Personal peace in Forgiveness

    • God wants to restore us to God and to each other.

  • Corporate peace in non resistance

    • Simply put, we believe that God is opposed to war.

    • Several scriptures: Turn the other cheek, love enemies, bless those who curse you

    • one of three peace churches

      • opposed the taking of another human life.

      • but also minister to the armed forces community.

        • Because we know that a Christian witness there will help set barriers to evil.

• We emphasize community.

  • Where two or three are gathered...

  • In community, we believe the Holy Spirit reveals God’s word to us.

    • Not for private interpretation

    • that is why I like to ask questions and see other expressions like poetry and art in our worship.

  • It is in community that we believe the power of Holy Spirit enables us to do the work of Jesus.

And finally, the beginning of our motto: “Continuing the work of Jesus…”

One of the last things Jesus said was for us to go into the world and teach what he taught the disciples.

Again, not an easy task given to us because Jesus’ teachings contradicted the status quo of their materialism and begged them to share. He kept that message up right until the killed him to silence him.

He did that to start the movement, the way, as it was called, where people gave up selfishness and treated others as well as they treat themselves.

May we love that way as well.