A Hot Mess-it’s Our Story

 Sermon Joshua 2:1-14; 6:15-16,20,22-25; 2 Thessalonians 2:13-16

A Hot Mess-it’s Our Story   

Our faith story is always told in ways of wonder and excitement. Our ancestors in faith are heroes and larger than life figures. We are in awe about who they are and how they have carried on the faith to us. They are champions. They are people of wonder for us to look up to. They are people of our story. It’s so important for us to get to know them. It’s so important for us to recognize the adversities they faced, their courage to overcome; their incredible faith; and their complete trust in the power of God to prevail.

What we don’t need to do though, is clean up the stories. We don’t need to sanitize them. We don’t need to embellish the nature of the characters who God chose to be our ancestors of faith. Because when we do that we deny ourselves from being not so perfect to carry on the faith for the next generation. If we could share the truth of the hot mess that Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Rebekah, Moses, Miriam, Joshua, Rahab, the disciples, Mary, Joseph, Peter and all the others really were; then perhaps we’d be a little kinder, gracious, and loving to ourselves and our family as we walk this path of life with Jesus.

Rahab was a prostitute living within the walls of the city of Jericho. The city of Jericho still stands. Jericho and Bethlehem are within the walls of Palestine. Many Palestinian Christians live there. Jericho is a city that is over ten thousand years old. It is an amazing place filled with markets selling colorful cloth, souvenirs, delicious fruits and vegetables. They have preserved the site of the ancient walls. One can see layers upon layers of early civilizations. Looking down upon the archaeological site we can imagine the story of Joshua’s army marching around and tooting their trumpets until the walls collapsed.

With all that Joshua and his army did to prevail over this city on their way to the Land of Promise, it would not and could not have happened had it not been for the intervention of Rahab. She was a vulnerable woman of poverty. She was an unsuspecting woman. And yet she is the one who took the risk of her life for the sake of her family. She lied to the authorities about the where the spies were and where they were headed. She knew the ramifications of her actions would lead to death is she was caught. Yet, she knew her life and her family’s life would be in peril if she didn’t.

It begs the question, as to when is it ok to lie or to go against the system that has the power? It begs the question when is it ok to go against what you believe in for the sake of the safety of your family? It puts to the test the moral fabric of our way of life to determine the future for those who we love.

One of the essentials of our faith that states, “God alone is Lord of the conscience.” I honestly think if we really believe this we would be a lot better in the way we live as brothers and sisters in Jesus. We can relax as we disagree over issues inside and outside the church. We could trust that we all pray asking for the guidance of our Lord as we make choices and struggle through ideas and ideals. Life is hard! Yet, as we trust the Lord to guide us on our path, the one for our family, the one you, the one for me, the one for the church, we’ll discover being of like mind in Jesus opens us up to a variety of different paths.

If we think we were from an ancestral line of perfection we got it all wrong. Our perfection is in Jesus and only in Him. Thank you God! When the Ancestry lines became easier to research we discovered some exciting family history. Those commercials on TV show how intriguing the stories are that people found out. Ancestry.com has all kinds of ways to woo us into thinking that we'll discover the details of our family. Yet, those records don’t talk about the grandpa who had a hot temper. Or the gramma who ran a moonshine business. Or…

The writers of Scripture didn’t even sugar coat the incarnation. Jesus was born into a hot mess of family turmoil. We are the ones who make his birth story so angelic. God wants us to hang on to the truths around us for all of history. 

Yes, our nation’s leaders had and have flaws. But, when we learn to look at the cultural references to those times we don’t disregard their whole life as invaluable. Imagine if we did that to Mary the mother of Jesus, or David the king of Israel, or Peter, the apostle? We seem to have taken people’s lives and destroyed them over one act made 30 years prior or 100 years prior and judged them by today’s cultural standards.

Think about the fact that in the Bible there are so many things written that draw our frustration with war, with genocide, with patriarchal societies, with slavery, with false leaders, with paganism, with debauchery, with lying, cheating, stealing, and every commandment under the sun broken. And these were done by people GOD chose. They were ALL a Hot Mess!!

Which is exactly why it’s time we recognize the saints from whom we came. Because we are the saints from which our children and grandchildren will come. So, if we have some fear that we are too much of a hot mess for family to accept as a saint called by God to do the work of Jesus in the world, we can relax. God is the one who takes us and grabs us in the grip of grace and puts us on a path of purpose.

Neither Rahab nor the spies had any idea of how their interaction with each other was setting the stage for the lineage of the messiah.

The spies enter the city walls. Rahab hides them and protects them in exchange for the protection of her family. Her story is exalted in the New Testament in Hebrews and in James as one of a woman of faith who changed the course of the history of Israel. It is a reminder that it is God who chooses the most unlikely people to change the course of history. Rahab became the mother of Boaz who later married Ruth who became the mother of Obed, who became the father of Jesse and then David who became the ancestor of Jesus. All of us are worthy in the sight of God to be called to the work of salvation. In Jesus Christ we have new life, let us receive his grace and be on the move.

God chooses people who are not like us to move us in new directions and into new opportunities and lands of promise.

The opportunities lie within us now as we embrace our ancestors and the whole truth of their stories. Because every ounce of it is ours. We are on the next chapter of God’s story for the ones to come. Let’s be on the move! Blessed assurance Jesus is mine and yours and ours. Amen.

 Resources: NIB Joshua; Interpretation Joshua; NRSV Bible

The Cost of Faithfulness

 

Sermon Daniel 6:1-23 September 26, 2021

The Cost of Faithfulness

Once again, the bible sheds light on how the conflicts of this world are always present. The story of Daniel in the lion’s den is as relevant today as it was to the people in exile in Babylon. It is a story about how God’s faithfulness is present even and especially when laws, faith, and life collide.

There is a Christian song that has been a powerful testament to the struggle of the many changes in the church and the rapidly changing world. It encourages to stand firm in faith even when it collides with trends of the church, community, nation, or world. It is written by the Christian music group ‘4Him’. The song title is Future Generations. The first part goes: The signs are obvious, they are everywhere
All that we hear about is the gloom and despair
Too many would be prophets saying
It's the end of it all
…

So I won't bend and I won't break
I won't water down my faith
I won't compromise in a world of desperation
What has been I cannot change
But for tomorrow and today
I must be a light for future generations

If we could find a way to preserve our faith
So those who follow us
See the price that was paid
Then maybe when they question
What it's gonna take to survive
They'll find the strength to carry on
In what we leave behind

Daniel’s story reveals the wonder and miracle of God’s victory over death. It is a story that the people in exile clung to. It is a story the people of Israel carried with them into their future during more difficult times. It propels us toward Jesus who also was sent to his death and sealed with a stone. It reminds all of us of the salvation that God has for his people. God raises those who are in the deep and brings them to new life.

Against all odds God remains with us to get us through the adversities we face.

But, what about the times that make no sense? What about the wars? What about the murders, the abuse, the accidents? What about those who misuse power and those who manipulate justice?  What about the suffering we face at the hands of those who sin against us?

Daniel’s story reminds us that taking a stand makes a difference. It reminds us that God stood firm with grace with Daniel and through Jesus Christ and will continue through all future generations.

Because it is in those very moments when injustice seeks to destroy that we witness a God who overcomes the sin and dies with it in order to save it. Jesus went to his death, was raised up, and in his new life, we have new life in him.

God takes a stand for us when we can’t see it. God takes a stand for the sin even when all we see is the pit of lions. God takes a stand for us even when our men and women are going off to battle and we don’t know if they are coming back. God takes a stand for us when despair overtakes and overwhelms us.

No storm can shake our inmost heart when to the rock we’re clinging. Since love is Lord of heaven and earth, how can we keep from singing. The metaphor of the lion’s den and the tomb both point to the depth of the cost of faithfulness on our part and on God’s part.

Gary Sinise is an actor who played the lieutenant in the movie Forrest Gump. He has a foundation to reach out and provide opportunities for veterans. He recently said this at his speech at the 20^th anniversary of 9/11.  “I can most certainly say that what happened to our country on September 11, 2001 broke my heart and changed me forever. It forced me to rethink everything. What do I really believe? How do I want to raise my kids? What kind of example do I want to set for them? How can I use my good fortune to help? During this journey from self to service, along the way I’ve met heroic individuals whose actions left a profound effect on me.” A turning point occurred for him in the midst of tragedy. He chose to stand firm for the things that helped him answer the questions he had before him. For Gary it was the depth of patriotism that rose within him at the loss of so many on that day. It was his faith in God as he stood in prayer with his family at church that evening. It was in a moment of helplessness that he rose with determination to take a stand.

The story of Daniel sets the tone for those same questions for us as we live in this future generation. What are the stands we are willing to take in our journey from self to service?

Sometimes laws are made that trap the makers of the law more than those the law seeks to inhibit. Unchangeable human laws set the trap for the maker who is then held to a standard to uphold them even when there is evidence that puts more harm for the guilty than would ever be necessary. An example was the zero tolerance drug laws of the 90’s.

We know God’s law is absolute and unchangeable, but we have witnessed God is greater than his own law. Abraham was able to alter God’s actions. Moses was able to persuade God. Jacob was able to wrestle with God. Others were able to argue, bargain, and test God and challenge his immutable (absolute) laws.

Daniel’s story though is not about challenging God’s law but how his faithfulness to God’s law comes in direct conflict with the newly made king’s law. It is a testimony of the cost of faithfulness. He is placed in the position that if he continues his daily routine of praying three times a day, he will face death if he is caught. Daniel chooses to continue his routine without interruption despite the law. He doesn’t go out in public and protest. He doesn’t argue before the king. He does nothing publicly to challenge the law. He just quietly carries out civil disobedience in the privacy of his home. What was once legal has now become illegal. What is worse for Daniel is that those who wish him harm have invaded his privacy and called him out. The king at this point is full of grief as he discovers the impact of his new law. He calls on Daniel’s God to save him.

Daniel descends to the lion pit and it is sealed. The king despairs for Daniel. It is his conversion that becomes as much a miracle as the salvation of Daniel. The king spends the night in prayer and fasting and runs the next morning to find out if Daniel’s God has saved him. Daniel emerged from the pit completely unharmed. His faith in God had not only saved him but also the king. The king ends up making a new decree declaring that the living God of Daniel endures forever and his kingdom shall have no end. The king continues the declaration that Daniel’s God delivers and rescues, he works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth; for he has saved Daniel from the power of the lions. Jesus also could not be kept in the pit by a stone to seal it. Jesus rose from the grave and in him we have new life.

As we continue into this season of emerging and reuniting, we have had much time to ponder the things that matter most. It is important for us to choose the questions that will turn the tide for us as we seek God’s guidance to be faithful. How do we discover God’s call upon us as we move from self to service? We witness in Paul’s life how he met the conflict to his faith as a turning point that changed the course of his religious convictions to a stand for love and grace in Jesus.

Daniel and so many after him took a stand, a costly stand of faith. They did it not for themselves but for future generations. It is so wonderful to be among you and all you do for this community and set the example for others to do the same.

These final words of the song, “ Lookin' in the eyes of the children
Knowing that tomorrow is at stake
When the choice is up to them
Will they have the strength to say

We won't bend and we won't break
We won't water down our faith
We won't compromise in a world of desperation
What has been we cannot change
For tomorrow and today
We must be a light for future generations

We are walking in the light of joy and wonderful things are occurring around us. Let us continue to be on the move with them. Amen.

 

Resources: Interpretation Daniel-Sibley Towner; NIB Daniel-Daniel L. Smith-Christopher; Working Preacher Daniel Nov 29, 2020 Roger Nam; Gary Sinise Foundation-Garysinisefoundation.org

Stirring Hearts to Action

 

Sermon James 2:1-10; 14-17 September 12, 2021 Commissioning Sunday

Stirring Hearts to Action

Today is the official start to the church year as we rev up with activities. It sure does feel good to be back to planning and doing and being church in familiar ways.

James is revving up his church in chapter two telling them about how to act with the rich and the poor. He’s telling them to not be taken by glamor and glitz. He’s telling them about the folks who really matter. The poor, the vulnerable, the ones who are hungry need us to show them that we care. James puts grace to the test. He says if we say we have faith but don’t show it in our actions then our faith is dead.

Ouch!! We Christians have loved the grace card so much that it’s become our excuse for not doing stuff. We hide behind excuses of being too busy, or the need to care for ourselves because our lives are overwhelming, or we dare not go near crowds or strangers or people we don’t know because we may be hurt by them, or get ill, or…

We use those excuses and then comfort ourselves with the fact that we know God’s grace through Jesus Christ has been poured out upon us and therefore all is well. We have a tendency to use grace in the way Dietrich Bonhoeffer called it, ‘Cheap Grace.’ We’re covered by the grace of God and his love. We forget we belong to a community of believers. We belong to a community of faith. We belong to the body of Christ. And all that is bigger than ourselves.

If we read and reread James carefully we become aware of something so powerful and so important in the life of our faith and our faith community. That Grace, real grace lived out has substance.

This letter is filled with the ‘what’ of our love for Jesus. You see we are here today because we love Jesus. We are here today because we are curious to learn more about the Christian life. We are here today because someone dragged us out of bed and made us come. We are here today because we know we get food afterward. We are here today because there is this constant nudge in our heart that is stirring us toward something we do not yet understand; yet to be revealed. We are here today because we recognize that as the body of Christ gathers we are nourished and fed through word and sacrament.

James gives us the ‘what’ to do with our faith in Jesus. We can seriously ask ourselves when we said that we believe in Jesus and we made the commitment to follow him all the days of our lives, did any of us really understand what that looked like? I didn’t.

Well, it looks like the love commandment that Jesus gave us. Ok. But, how does that love commandment play out? How does it work when two children are arguing over the same toy? How does it work out when a husband wants to buy a lawnmower and the wife wants to buy a washing machine and they only have money for one and they need both? You could say the love commandment doesn’t play into a situation like this. But, it does.  Everything is spiritual. Everything is influenced through the love of Jesus in our life. Everything.

When our faith is fueled through the overpowering presence of Jesus in our everyday breath, it makes it easier to face the mundane of everyday. Authors have told us this. From recent Rob Bell statements in his book “Everything is Spiritual” to as far back as Brother Lawrence, ‘all things are spiritual even washing dishes.’

 

We hear about how we should read our Bible more to get to know Jesus more. But in today’s schedules that’s really a hard thing to ask. It’s also a hard question to know where to start. There are some really useful apps such as YouVersion Bible app. It has audible reading programs of the Bible and daily plans for devotions. On the YouVersion app it has segments that take off to videos and to kid podcasts that teach about living the life of faith as a kid. There is also the online version of Our Daily Bread and the Upper Room which are simple daily devotionals written by regular folks, not scholars with big words, a scripture and a prayer. Living the life of faith in practical ways needs practical tips.

It’s up to us as the church to help guide that process.

That’s why we’re really excited that we can do so many of our faith activities again in-person.

-I diverge for a moment-I must say that the amazing experience of not missing any of our mission goals even while in isolation or in hybrid worship is a testament to the way we value the words of James about putting our faith to the test with the works of good for others. This year we are spring boarding from our success with the youth leadership and providing opportunities for them on several more projects throughout the coming year.

I guess where I really want to go today is to speak to you from the heart. I want you to know that it’s less about the why we believe or why we come to church.

It is more about the what that brings us to church.

What draws us into a life of faith.

What excites us about living with Jesus.

Why forces us to analyze and dissect. Why throws us into a quandary of right or wrong. Are we believing in the right God.

Are we going to the right church.

Are we going to be ok.

But the what of our life puts us into the sacrifice of action.

The what of life and faith stirs our hearts into doing the work without agonizing over it. The what instead of the why takes away the worry and the anxiety.

 

When I was a teenager, I was searching for something beyond my comprehension. I knew I wasn’t satisfied with the way I was living out my journey of life. I had two very best, most precious and wonderful friends. They were devout Catholics. Their families were deeply involved in their churches. I remember I used to mock them for the waste of time it was for them to ruin perfectly good weekends going to mass.

They and two of their friends invited me to come with them to mass one Sunday. I did. And that invitation changed my life.

I stand before you today because my friends loved me enough to introduce me to a life of faith and a faith community who loved me as I was. They were not about the why I was there.

They were about the what.

They said come.

They said, just join us.

They said, we’ll go together.

They never bothered me with why I should go, or why I should believe, or why it was good for me.

They just said come along with us, my friend.

I responded to their invitation and they demonstrated in real concrete ways that they cared.  

 

This Jesus that came into my life during that time with my precious friends wasn’t a Catholic Jesus or a Baptist Jesus or a Presbyterian one. This Jesus was a real loving caring presence that took me to a place of faith.

I was stirred to a life of purpose that allowed me to think beyond myself and care about others. My parents had already instilled incredible strong values of  honesty, integrity, duty to country and fellowman. Those values translated into the love commandment of Jesus and helped all of life find its purpose.

As we go forward in this new Christian calendar year, let’s consider the ways our faith feeds us and excite us. Let’s begin to be fueled by the strength of who we are with one another. Let’s feel the fire of the Spirit at work within us.

James is stirring the hearts of the people of his church to figure out how to put that faith they believe into some practical action. Sometimes that’s what we’re asking for; some guidance on this path of life.

I’d like to offer you a few tips as you go from here today.

1. Be blessed.

2. Be assured that God loves you.

3. Don’t let guilt rule your life.

4. Take 30 seconds as a start to whisper a prayer asking Jesus if he hears you and then wait 30 seconds in quiet.

5. Breathe

6. Hear Jesus calling your name.

7. Say to Him, Here I AM.

8. Do one thing for someone else.

9. Do one thing for yourself.

10. Don’t go to bed angry.

11. Go to church-it doesn’t matter which church or where, but go to church. Enter into worship, pick up the hymnals, sing the songs, say the prayers-participate.

12. Ask for forgiveness-it doesn’t matter who was right or wrong-you both had a part in it.

13. Plant a tree, a flower, a bulb, a seed-start something new.

14. Don’t give up on anybody, including yourself, ever.

15. Believe in the resurrection-every day is Easter-a new beginning-God gave us new life, so let’s live it.

Friends, we are one in the Spirit, we are One in the Lord. Let’s be stirred to action in the name of Jesus. Amen.