Sunday, December 18, 2011

Joy


Focus: Joy
Function: To help us praise the Lord.
Form: Story Telling

Intro:
I had an acquaintance once in the Ministry who did nothing but prison ministry. He was in the employ of Chuck Colson ministries.
And he was in preaching class with me. Now, in preaching class, we all learned the basics, and then we had to experiment on each other.
And, let us call him: “Brother John,” well brother John did his practice sermon as if he were in a prison. And what he decided to do was to re-frame the story of the Good Samaritan.
Instead of a Priest, a Levite and the Good Samaritan, he used a preacher, a worship leader and a gang member. The robbers were members of a gang that represented one race, the victim represented a second race and the hero represented a gang member from another race who, because he knew Jesus, helped out his mortal enemy.
It was a memorable sermon. Very Good. I can almost repeat it. He used all the language, of the time, that one might hear on the mean streets or in the prison. I remember the line, the robbers pulled out their heaters, that used to be slang for gun and drilled the Krypt (the rival gang member) full of holes.
I suppose that he did a great job connecting with his imaginary audience. And that is important, when we were at the last Kairos Weekend, I remember one of the guys at our table saying this, after one of our team members, who had been locked up previously for some sort of violent crime say: “I figured that you were all just a bunch of Sunday School boys coming here to set us straight. But I appreciate that you brought in people who could relate to prison life.”
Anyway, my friend got an “A” on his trial sermon, but there was one thing that really bothered me and the professor.
Every time “Brother John” wanted to stop, catch his breath, collect his thoughts, or segue into another aspect of the sermon, he interjected one of two phrases. They were “glory to God” or “Praise the Lord.”
Now, one might think that there is nothing wrong with that, but the funny thing was in the placement.
For example, he said: “and the guys jumped him and filled him full of holes, glory to God.” And then something like, “and the guy laid bleeding to death on the ground, praise the Lord.” “The preacher had nothing to do with the victim, so he crossed to the other side of the road, glory to God...”
He kept saying “praise the Lord” and “Glory to God” whenever something terrible happened.
Inappropriate.
Yesterday we were locked out of a car, it was freezing cold and we were trying to get a piece of metal on the lock button by wedging the door open a little with a crowbar and running a coat-hanger in it.
I remember muttering under my breath, To God, “Lord, we could use a little help here.”
All of a sudden my son looks inside the car and notices that the passenger door was unlocked. We had tried it earlier, and maybe, once when that metal hit the power lock something did happen.
But my son was quick to say, appropriately: “Praise the Lord.”
Praise the Lord!
In this letter to the Romans, Brother Paul has just laid out what salvation means, he has laid out the mystery of Jesus death and resurrection, he has addressed the question as to whether or not the Jewish people are still God's own people, he has explained how we, the gentiles fit into this mystery. He speaks of sin, atonement, forgiveness, reconciliation with God, living by faith, the power of the Holy Spirit to help us pray, both with our minds and with the Spiritual gift of tongues, if one is so blessed.
A lot is in the book of Romans.
I can image that at the end of the book, Paul is just sitting back and saying to Himself: So what?
And it isn't a mocking “so what?”
No, he realizes that what God has done is an incredible miracle.
He repeats how the Old Testament prophets could not really understand the mystery of knowing God and the way God has redeemed us and brought us back into His own family.
And he gives the appropriate response. Praise the Lord.
PRAISE THE LORD!!!!
It wasn't like my friend who may have been using the name of the Lord in a vain way. No!
He has something to rejoice in.
Jesus' coming is a cause for great joy!
Although these mysteries are clear in Brother Paul's mind. Although scholars pour over his writings and still try to delve into the incredible nature of what he teaches. Although our salvation is spelled out in a beautiful way in the book he has just written. Although he understands the mysteries well enough to write it out clearly for us.
He is still amazed at the wonder of what it meant for all of humanity that Jesus Christ was born!
And his response is simple and wonderful: Praise the Lord!
Listen, brothers and sisters, as Christians, Joy is an important part of our lives.
Sometimes circumstances can get in the way. So, I was reflecting on it this week.
My brother is really sick. He is fighting stage 4 cancer and on top of that, he fell and broke his leg in 3 places and his ankle in 1. He laid on the ice for 45 minutes and had extensive surgery on Thursday to remove necrotic tissue.
I wondered, what does he have to rejoice in? He is going to spend Christmas in a nursing home and he is only 60.
On top of that, he lost his job in 2008, his extended benefits have run out, the business venture he tried didn't pan out and now all he has to go on is his disability.
People could sit back and say there is another person who may be able to say, along with the Great sufferer, Job; “Oh woe is me!”
Yet joy is a common place in the heart and life of a believer.
One could ask, just what does a person who is suffering have to be thankful for? Just what do they have to rejoice in?
Well, brother Paul who wrote these words was no stranger to hardship either.
On 3 occasions they attempted to kill him by stoning him, and somehow he survived.
He spent a day and a night swimming in the ocean until he was rescued.
He was persecuted, placed in chains, arrested, and beaten for his faith on many occasions.
And still, he stops to write these words.
He says: “Praise the Lord!”
He says: “What God has done for us by sending Jesus Christ to this earth is worth everything!”
He remembers to keep his focus, even when he is suffering.
I remember preaching in Haiti during the food embargo in the early 90's. While I was there, the mission compound was broken in to and the guard was murdered by black marketeers who stole the food that we were freely distributing to the poor. They stole it so that they could take advantage of the poor and sell them what we intended to give them for free.
And during that time, we went to a village that was particularly hard hit.
The people, like so many of the world's poor had to walk 3 miles each way to obtain water that was suitable for drinking.
They were desperate. Their children were starving to death.
And at the same time, all of a sudden, after 30+ years of preaching Jesus, over half the village turned away from Voodoo to trust in Jesus.
Although they were desperate, and we were doing all we could to relieve their desperation, as well as preach the good news to them. Although they seemed to be people who had nothing to be thankful for.
We started out the worship service with a song, song in Creole.
And the joy of the Lord fell on to that place.
The translator gave me the words, it went something like this: “When I die, I am going to live again!”
And there was genuine joy in that little church building.
I suppose some may say that it was merely some sort of psychological frenzy brought on by hope, a sense of mutual suffering and a religious experience.
But look again at the text, it says: “God is able to strengthen you according to the Good news (the word is gospel) about Jesus.”
Joy is one of those fruits of the Holy Spirit given to all believers that takes them through even the most desperate of times.
And I think about the transformation that was taking place in that community in Haiti.
While I was preaching, the Voodoo witch doctors had set up stations around the Church and they were attempting some sort of curse against us.
But the inside of that building was just like it was in the book of Acts, Chapter 2 when the Holy Spirit broke out in the midst of the Church and the people were filled with joy and power.
Voodoo has the power to keep people in bondage due to fear. Some of it is real, some of it is imaginary.
But the fear grips the heart.
And Paul tells us that there is something completely different in Jesus. There is freedom. It is good news!
It is not the bad news of fear and bondage that had been keeping those people depressed for generations.
But, as the text says, It is the good news that changes the lives of people, brings them into obedience to Jesus.
We watched that village change.
People started hoping again. People started trying again. And in the effort, some success was made. People in the midst of desperate situations experienced real joy, something to be happy about.
Good news was breaking out among them. Through the connections of the mission board, a Mennonite Missionary team agreed to bring their well drilling rig to the village to give them drinking water. Through the good news of Jesus, they were given living water that bore them up during their suffering.
This was life or death to them.
So. I go back to my brother. One could say “well, at least his children are not starving to death, he should be happy he has health care and 3 square meals a day.”
But that isn't the joy that God is talking about here.
It is the joy the Haitians experienced when they sang that song: “When I die, I will live again.”
Jesus came to set us free. Jesus came to bring us Good News. Jesus came to bring us back into the family of God.
For them, it was freedom from the fear of their voodoo witch doctors.
It was also freedom from the hard toil of walking 3 miles one way to get water.
And more than anything, it was the freedom, the good news, that we can be brought back into the family of God.
And that, is why my own brother has to be thankful for.
His name is written down in the book of Life. He has been restored to the family of God by faith in Jesus.

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Peace!


Focus: Peace
Function: To help people live at peace with God
Form: Bible study
Intro:
I love these first two verses. In The Living Bible we read it like this: Comfort. YES! Comfort my people!
Speak tenderly to them. Let them know that their sad days are gone.
Isaiah is the preacher. But he is much more than just a preacher.
A sermon is the Word of God, filtered through the lens of the pastor, to help the congregation understand the Word of God.
Sometimes the sermon is best explained in a personal story as to how the preacher lived out the passage. Sometimes it is in the story of another, or someone close to the preacher.
Sometimes, it is in the heart of what seems important at the time.
But this sermon is different from the mind of the preacher trying to help a congregation make sense of God's word.
This sermon is the Word of God being created. This message was for these people in this time. It wasn't the preacher's opinion, it was the direct word of God to the people.
And the message was, and the message still is: Comfort my people.
And here is the kicker. The people knew that they had been in the wrong and God says to them: “The punishments for your sins are over.”
God is saying to them. Take a breath. Think positive. Look ahead. I am the God who forgives you!
So, the time of God's favor for them is near.
God is saying to them. Get ready for it. Good News is coming.
Get ready for it, gospel is coming. Gospel means “good news!”
So how do you get ready for good news?
Well, the prophet gives them clear instructions.
He tells them to build a ceremonial highway to announce the coming of their hope.
What does a ceremonial highway look like?
Well, in this passage it is symbolic.
Shave off the tops of the mountains, and fill in the depths of the valleys. Make the road smooth. Make it easier to walk on. Make it easy for everyone to follow. Keep the stumbling blocks away from people.
Let this be a highway that goes out of its way to ensure that everyone is welcome.
I love the song: “The Holy City.” I love the line in the song: “And all who would might enter and no one be denied.”
Isaiah is telling the leaders to establish a just religion for the people of Israel.
It is like they are commanded to make a path that is handicapped accessible.
Make sure that this is a place where everyone can find their way to the Lord.
This is a command from the Lord, and it is not only for the ancient Jews who heard this message, It is a message for the Church.
Because this prophecy is about the coming of Jesus.
It is about the fact that Jesus comes to take away our sins.
The price has been paid, not by us, but by God Himself.
God paved the way for our salvation. And, in order for us be ready for His appearance, we need to be sure that the message is given in such a way that everyone can hear.
And the idea of a “ceremonial highway” reminds me of Advent.
Advent. It is a season in the Christian calendar where we take the time to prepare for what it means that God came to earth to save all the people of the earth from their sins.
It is symbolic.
And, it is important.
Someone sent me a thought this week. It was a comment written by a woman, Rebecca Duke. She is a Christian but she said something to me that is haunting. She said: “I've begun to realize that Christmas is about, among other things, the conditioning of children to consumerism.”
Repeat about the conditioning of our children to consumerism.
I might add, the god of consumerism.
And yet, God calls us to this ceremony. God calls us to this time of preparation for the coming of the King.
And it is important that we remember what it is really about.
That highway, making the road smooth is at times at odds with what actually happens in our culture, even the culture of Churches.
I am glad that we are accessible here for persons with disabilities.
But I believe that God is talking about spiritual handicaps. God is talking about creating a place, in church, where sinners and people who are struggling can find hope.
LuLu Roman was a famous Country singer. She starred on the show He Haw. Her fame went to her head and she became a drug addict. Because of her addiction, her career and what appeared to her to be her life, were over.
She wandered into the back of a little church. A church that I picture that is exactly like this one.
Her scandal had hit the papers and she was drug through the mud. At that time, Country Music was working hard to establish a family friendly, wholesome reputation. And she sinned against Country Music. She let her cast members down. And in Nashville, she was scandal.
She had a spiritual handicap that seemed insurmountable.
And that churched loved on her. Accepted her. Lowered the bar and let her in. And God did the clean up work.
When I hear those words, lower the mountain tops, raise up the valleys, make the road easier to climb, I hear a call from God to make the church an hospital for sinners instead of a museum for saints.
During the season of advent, we are more generous than at other times. I hope that is because of the influence of what it truly means to be a Christian.
But I see a spiritual generosity called for in this scripture.
We look for people to give to. I spent a few hours this week tracking down people for our deacon's fund to minister to.
We don't really know if those families have other people helping them.
Oftentimes, it doesn't really matter. Because the giving is about the act of generosity. It is a spirit within us that calls us to the noble concept of universal brotherhood and love.
It feels good to be generous.
And Isaiah is calling for this generosity to be both physical and spiritual.
Make it a place where everyone can come to God and find this same forgiveness.
And the ironic thing is this. Our generosity is a condition for this great revelation.
When we make this place level, then the glory of the Lord will be revealed.
When we are as willing to give the grace that we have been freely given, God's glory is revealed in us.
This is peace.
I love the Angels announcement at the birth of Jesus. Peace on earth to men of good will.
This lowering the mountains, raising up the valleys, helping people overcome their own spiritual inabilities to find access is what the angels were talking about.
This is peace because it isn't a tit for tat. It isn't about who gets more or who gets less. It isn't about giving the best present to prove to someone that you really love them. It isn't about getting a present that will truly make you happy. Presents can't bring peace. It is grace because it focuses on God's gift to us. When we get that in proper perspective, we begin to find a level of peace.
Listen to James 4: 1-2a: 1What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Isn't it because there is a whole army of evil desires within you? 2You want what you don't have, so you kill to get it. You long for what others have, and can't afford it, so you start a fight to take it away from them.
God is calling us to His peace. He is not calling us to be so materialistic that we bring a can of pepper spray to the Wal-Mart to ensure that we get to spend more than the next person.
And I know none of us would ever consider the extreme actions of someone else.
But during Advent. Let us ponder the God who gave His life to redeem us verses the god of consumerism. It is almost as if we worship at that altar. We sacrifice to it because if we don't our economy will go belly up.
It isn't much different that some of the idolatry that we find in the Old Testament.
The ancients practiced their own forms of idolatry. The Baal worshipers did perverse things thinking that it would increase their crops. Others paid sacrifices of even their own children in order to gain favor from the gods so that they too would have a good year.
Our hope and our peace come from God.
God has called us to peace. And although a Christmas tree, full of presents is a beautiful and peaceful image. Peace can never come from the presents that are purchased.
Kathy Hepner read something to us on Wednesday. She said: Love is the sound you hear when you stop unwrapping presents Christmas morning and just take time to listen.
There are two more images in this passage of scripture that bear witness for Advent.
In the next few verses. God commands the prophet to start shouting.
And the prophet is confused, so he answers back to God.
But what do I say? God?
And God says: Yell this. People are like grass. Grass grows, is cut down and dies, relatively quickly. And when a blade of grass dies, no one really misses it.
In comparison to eternity. You are more like a blade of grass than anything else.
Your place here is only temporary.
But then he is to shout that God's word is forever. God's Word is forever.
So. Don't place your hope in things that will perish, even people. Don't be caught up in the moment and in what feels good right now.
Because this truth, these truths last forever.
So. To make a road smooth, to make grace accessible to everyone is a truth that just keeps on being true.
Why mention that all flesh is like grass? Why point out the temporary nature of every person?
Well, when we think about peace, and we think about people, even those who oppose us, remember.
They are just as impermanent as we are. Why let a person, and hatred, or unforgiveness for that person stand between us and eternity.
All of human suffering, fighting and rejoicing is temporary. God, and His Word are eternal. So trust in Him.
We on the other hand, stop for a moment and say. But right now, it may not be convenient. Right now, we are fighting with this group of people, or that group of people.
But God tells the prophet to remind that that His word is indeed eternal. And for God, that is not an excuse.
God wants to save the world entire. Not just those we are comfortable with, not just those the most like us. This word. This Good News. This Gospel will never change.
And, today's lesson is about peace, it is about God's comfort.
That leads us to the final image from the passage.
Jesus the Great Shepherd.
Herald the Good News! Isaiah is commanded to keep on shouting it.
He shall feed His sheep like a shepherd. He shall carry them in his arms.
This is the promise of peace we have.
It comes at times when we feel like we are all alone and no one is there to care for us?
He is. He is here to carry and nurture you.
And we, we are here as well. We are imperfect and we are trying to make that road smooth.
But He will never fail.
GOOD NEWS IS COMING!