Merry Christmas!
It has been nice having Missy home for Christmas. She is leaving next week to take the bus down to Orlando with the marching band for the Orange Bowl game. I’ve eaten too much turkey and stuffing. I preached a funeral for a woman who got her Christmas wish to go to heaven for Christmas. She was 96 years old! Her name was Ernestine Davis.
I’m touched by the story of the three wise men or magi who saw the Christmas Star and traveled to see the Christ child. The Bible mentions them briefly. Matthew 2:1-12 tells the story of the Visit of the Magi.
“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him."
These few scriptures tell us a lot. The magi studied the scriptures like Isaiah 61 which we will read later. They learned that a messiah would be born who would be the King of the Jews. They did more than just study. They took action. They learned what to expect when Jesus was born. They prepared themselves so that they would be ready to make the journey to see the Christ child. We don’t know who they were, where they came from, and even their religious background.
We don’t have their names. The Bible doesn’t really tell us that there were even three wise men. Tradition places the number at three wise men because three gifts were given to the baby Jesus. They were not Jewish priests and they came from afar. Historians believe that they were from Persia or modern day Iran. Israelites were exiled to Persia as documented in Daniel’s exile story. Scholars were also exiled who would have brought the Hebrew Scriptures with them. We also know that they were men, because women would’ve found the Christ child without having to stop to ask directions from so many people. They probably stopped at every street corner to ask directions which got the attention of the first King Herod.
3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written: 'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.'
King Herod was afraid that his reign as ruler was threatened. He was king because of the Roman authority. Jesus was just an infant, but he had God’s authority. Jesus was foretold to be the shepherd of the people of Israel. The quote here is from Micah 5:2. The word ruler indicates someone who will be harsh king, but the term shepherd clarifies that Jesus will be a king of peace and love who looks after his flock.
"Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him."
King Herod wanted to learn about the Christ child, but it was for a selfish reason. He wanted to preserve his kingdom. King Herod rebuilt the temple built by Solomon. King Herod spent his time building a big, beautiful temple. He hired a lot of priests and lawyers to make sure that people obeyed the Jewish law. King Herod looked good, he smelled good, but his heart was not into worshipping God. King Herod was focused on the things of this world – wealth, power, prestige, big monuments to himself, and a future for his sons to become king after him.
After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of frankincense and of myrrh.
The wise men were overjoyed to see the signs of baby Jesus. The wise men actually bowed down and worshipped Jesus. Here’s a key phrase. They opened their treasures and presented Jesus with gifts. We need to open up our treasures and present Jesus with gifts. Are we willing to open up our earthly treasures? Are we willing to worship Jesus instead of following the example of King Herod? King Herod was threatened by a messiah given to us by God. The Christ child is born in Bethlehem. We can choose to look for the signs that show us the way to Jesus Christ or we can put our eyes onto early treasures.
And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.”
The final verse is a warning to the wise men to avoid the ways of King Herod. Not only did the wise men listen, but they acted on that warning. Are we going to go back to our old way or are we going to return to God using a new way?
We have to be careful that we worship God in church instead of worshiping the church as a God. King Herod was building physical monuments to God, but he forgot that he was a servant of God first. King Herod did not have a place in his heart for the Christ Child. In fact, he killed an entire generation of baby boys so that he could be assured that the Christ Child was dead.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Who is Jesus?
Our first scripture is from Isaiah 35:1-10. It describes the change that takes place when Jesus Christ blesses a place and what the place is like without God’s presence in a place.
“The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, 2 it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the LORD, the splendor of our God. Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, "Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you." Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs. In the haunts where jackals once lay, grass and reeds and papyrus will grow. And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in that Way; wicked fools will not go about on it. No lion will be there, nor will any ferocious beast get up on it; they will not be found there. But only the redeemed will walk there, and the ransomed of the LORD will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.”
Who is Jesus? That was the question that John the Baptist wanted to know when he was in prison. Jesus also asked his disciples “Who do you say that I am?” The Bible takes a lot of time to explain, describe, and show who Jesus Christ was, is, and will be.
I think it is useful to start at the beginning with John 1:1-5 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.”
There’s a lot of detail in those few words. First, it tells us that Jesus is the Word. The Word is scripture, our Bible. It also says that Jesus was with God in the beginning. Through Jesus all things were made. It says that without Jesus nothing would be made. Jesus is life. It is so simple. Jesus is life. It also says that Jesus shines in the darkness. There’s two ways to think about darkness. The first, is the darkness that covered the earth because of an absence of the sun, moon, and the stars. The other, is the spiritual darkness that exists because of an absence of the Son of God.
I’ve preached in places that were in spiritual darkness. I’ve preached that Jesus Christ is the light of this world. That his light will shine in the darkness. In fact, I preached under a big tree at night with just a kerosene lantern in a place that was totally dark both physically and spiritually. [Tell the story of preaching in Diani in 2006] Africa is the dark continent because there’s very few lights on after dark.
The light of Jesus Christ is the light of faith, hope, and love. The darkness will never understand faith, hope, love, and peace. The darkness only knows fear, evil, lies, death, and sin. It is important for us this Christmas season to understand who Jesus Christ is to us personally and as a people.
In Matthew 16:15-20 Jesus asked “But what about you? Who do you say I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." In Mark 8:27-29 , the disciples replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets." "But what about you?" Jesus asked. "Who do you say I am?" Peter answered, "You are the Christ."
Jesus wanted his disciples to understand who he was. Peter says that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Jesus also explains that Peter’s knowledge requires Peter to know about the Father to understand the Son. Jesus is also explaining that Jesus is the church. Jesus is the body of Christian believers. Later, Jesus also states that you need to know the Son in order to know God the Father.
Ok. So, let’s talk about what we know about Jesus so far:
- Jesus is the Son of God
- Jesus is the Word
- Jesus is the Church
- Jesus is the light of this World.
- Jesus can shine in the darkness
- Jesus is the Creator. He was with God in the beginning
- Jesus is love.
- Jesus is the Son of the Virgin Mary.
- Jesus was a Jewish Rabbi – a pastor
- Jesus was a Teacher
- Jesus was a Preacher
We also know that Jesus brought the love of God to us so that we might be able to grasp the love of God in a personal way. Romans 8:39 says “Neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” That is just another way to say that Jesus Christ Loves this world. Shouldn’t we be looking for Christ’s love at Christmas time?
The next fact is that Jesus is our salvation. We know that from Romans 10:9 “That if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” We just need to believe and confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord in our lives. We need to ask in prayer for God to reveal Jesus to us.
First Corinthians 8:6 talks about the relationship between God the father and God the Son: “Yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.” The baptism of Jesus by John Baptist also sheds some light on the Holy Trinity. In Matthew 3:16-17, it says “As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
We talk about believing in the Father, and in the Son, and in the Holy Spirit. It is hard to understand that God is the trinity and yet we worship just one God. I think of God the Father as God in Heaven who is all powerful and all knowing. I think of Jesus Christ as my best friend who can pick me up when I’m weak. I think of the Holy Spirit as God’s helper who is within me and making me a better man. God is all powerful and all knowing. God can take whatever form he needs to enable us to know Him better. God uses the trinity to show his love. In fact, the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.
Christ Jesus himself is the chief cornerstone of our church and our lives. The cornerstone is the one stone that is essential to have a strong building. Jesus is our cornerstone. The Apostle Paul spent a lot of time talking about Jesus Christ, In Ephesians 3:4-13, Paul writes In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets. This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus. I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God's grace given me through the working of his power. Although I am less than the least of all God's people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.
Ok, what is Paul talking about in Ephesians? Paul tells us that Jesus helps us to approach God with freedom and confidence. We are better able to understand God because Jesus was flesh and blood like us. Jesus lived like us. Jesus was tempted like us. Jesus was someone that we could understand because God sent Jesus to us to explain the mysteries of God.
Matthew 11: says: After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee. When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples to ask him, "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?" Jesus replied, "Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me." As John's disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: "What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings' palaces. Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written: " 'I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.' I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
Matthew 16:21-23 says: From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. "Never, Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!" Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."
Philippians 2:1-11 If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Gift of Christmas
Isaiah talks about the hope, the dream, and the promise of Jesus. He talks about a root that will bear fruit. It doesn’t make sense at this time of year when most of the growth is happening underground where we can’t see it. There’s so much that God gives us that we can’t see like the roots of a tree. If the tree did not have roots it would not have a foundation and it could stand tall and strong. There’s a lot of talk about knowing a good tree by the good fruit that it bears.
During the Jewish exile, it was the hope of the Messiah that kept people going. We have the promise of Jesus Christ in our lives. We don’t have to wait to see Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. We just have to make a choice to invite Jesus Christ into our lives and into our hearts.
Isaiah 11:1-3: 1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD - and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.
The faithful people of Israel felt more like a beautiful tree that had been cut down and that all that was left was a rotting stump. It was hard to imagine that a tree stump would grow --- much less bear good fruit again, but that was the promise of Jesus Christ. There are so many nuggets in these words. I love the word “rest.” The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him. The Spirit of the Lord is like a warm down quilt on a cold winter’s night. It covers us up with God’s grace.
There are times that we also feel like tree stumps. If Jesus was able to redeem the Jewish people who were in exile in a foreign land, then he can redeem us, too. The stump also alludes to Christ on the cross and his resurrection. Isaiah describes a lot of characteristics of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Isaiah also talks about the example Jesus makes for us to follow. The prophet continues:
Isaiah 11:1-10 The Branch From Jesse
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist.
This scripture is describing a new way of seeing and hearing the world. We will no longer see with our eyes, but we will see with the eyes of God. We will no longer hear with our ears, but we will hear with the faith of God. We will have the gifts of discernment and understanding. We will have compassion for our fellow man and we will share the love of Jesus Christ. We are going to be a faithful people.
All of that is wonderful, and Isaiah continues with a promise:
The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling [a] together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper's nest.
This scripture has so many meanings. It talks about peace without war. It talks about the time when we no longer hate and our enemy is our friend. This scripture describes Jesus as the Prince of Peace who will cause the wolf to live with the lamb. It also describes Jesus as the good shepherd who protects and cares for his people.
9 They will neither harm nor destroy on my entire holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious.
It talks about a time when all of the nations of the world know about God. The earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. In Ghana, on this trip they told me that Walter stands for water. They said that I am everywhere because water flows everywhere. If you are sailing in the ocean, it looks like water covers the earth. If you look in every direction, the only thing that you see is water. Just imagine a time when everyone knows and loves God. That is the promise of Isaiah 11.
Today, we love to read the gospels. In fact, the gospels are almost a must at Christmas time, but I love looking at the Old Testament scriptures that describe Jesus as the Messiah. Have you ever gone to Dairy Queen and seen all of the ice cream. It looks sooooo good! As a child, I daydreamed about a banana split, a hot fudge sundae, or a strawberry shake. I also had a hard time waiting for the hand cranked homemade ice cream to harden. I can almost taste that first bite of ice cream. That is what Isaiah was trying to do. He was trying to get you to take that first bite of Jesus Christ as our Messiah. He was trying to get you to want to taste the future messiah who was coming to change the world.
The message that the Prophet Isaiah gives is still a great message today. He is telling us that Jesus is still our future. Jesus Christ is better than a banana split or hot fudge sundae. Jesus Christ can change our lives instead of just our waist. We have a month to anticipate Jesus Christ’s birth in our lives again this year.
Let’s stop running around long enough trying to find Christmas presents to find the true gift of Christmas. The gift of Christmas is Jesus Christ. The gift of Jesus Christ is to realize the promise that the Prophet Isaiah was describing for us. Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life.
I admit that I’ve been running around this week. I’m working on a new Rotary grant to give more people clean water in Africa. It is never easy. There’s always a huge challenge trying to figure out what to do and how to do it. We thought about buying a drill rig so that we could drill more wells at a cheaper price. We thought about using solar power to pump water into cities. We’ve thought about fixing pumps that have died and digging more wells. It takes a lot of time to figure out what to do, where to do it, and how much it will cost next year to do it. We finally decided not buy a drill rig. We decided to avoid solar energy in the African bush for now. We finally decided to dig hand dug wells, fix broken wells, and drill deep wells.
God has given me the gift to tell the story of people in pain, people who are hungry, and people who are thirsty. God uses me to share the message to share the gospel of peace and to share the message that we should love our neighbor as our self regardless of where in the world our neighbor may live.
I love being your pastor. I’ve got so much to learn. The gift of being your Pastor is that it makes me stop doing the “busyness of life” so that I can be in the presence of God to study the scriptures and to write your sermon.
Our next scripture is talking about the man who came to prepare the way for Jesus Christ and his ministry here on earth. Last week, we learned how Zechariah and Elizabeth learned that they would be parents of John the Baptist. In the Gospel of Matthew, we start to learn about
Matthew 3:1-12 says: In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea 2and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." 3This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: "A voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.' John's clothes were made of camel's hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. 5People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. 6Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. John the Baptist followed the path that the Angel Gabriel had prophesied in our scripture reading last week. He definitely would be someone unusual in most churches today. His heart was baptizing as many people as possible and telling them about God. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
The gift this Christmas is the gift of baptism with the Holy Spirit. Baptism with the Holy Spirit is salvation that begins at that moment when we accept Jesus Christ into our lives as our Lord and Savior. Eternity doesn’t start when we die. Eternity starts when God rests on our heart and fills us with his knowledge, wisdom, and love.
John the Baptist was one of those preachers who loved to tell the wonders of God. I imagine he was a guy that on a good day he preached and baptized until he couldn’t baptize people anymore. I’ve only experienced that once in my life. It was on my first trip to Ghana in 2003. I didn’t know about God’s power and the power of the Holy Spirit until that trip.
Talk about Gbani, praying, witch doctor, taking 150 people to the riverside and baptizing 81 people from Gbani and Sagadugu. That was the first time I saw a glimpse into why John the Baptist was driven to baptize as many people as possible and bring them to the full knowledge of God. The full power of the Holy Spirit rested on John the Baptist and Jesus Christ.
John the Baptist wasn’t the message. He just wanted to tell as many people as possible about God and that Jesus would come and baptize with the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist is an inspiration to us that we should share the gift of Christmas to as many people as possible. To be able to share the gift of Christmas we need to love God with all of our heart, our soul, our mind, and our strength and love our neighbor as our self.
The gift of Jesus Christ is free. He paid our price in full on the cross. If we spend our time trying to buy our happiness at Christmas, we are looking in the wrong place. We need to turn our eyes, our ears, and heart so that we can see with the eyes of God.
During the Jewish exile, it was the hope of the Messiah that kept people going. We have the promise of Jesus Christ in our lives. We don’t have to wait to see Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. We just have to make a choice to invite Jesus Christ into our lives and into our hearts.
Isaiah 11:1-3: 1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD - and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.
The faithful people of Israel felt more like a beautiful tree that had been cut down and that all that was left was a rotting stump. It was hard to imagine that a tree stump would grow --- much less bear good fruit again, but that was the promise of Jesus Christ. There are so many nuggets in these words. I love the word “rest.” The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him. The Spirit of the Lord is like a warm down quilt on a cold winter’s night. It covers us up with God’s grace.
There are times that we also feel like tree stumps. If Jesus was able to redeem the Jewish people who were in exile in a foreign land, then he can redeem us, too. The stump also alludes to Christ on the cross and his resurrection. Isaiah describes a lot of characteristics of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Isaiah also talks about the example Jesus makes for us to follow. The prophet continues:
Isaiah 11:1-10 The Branch From Jesse
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist.
This scripture is describing a new way of seeing and hearing the world. We will no longer see with our eyes, but we will see with the eyes of God. We will no longer hear with our ears, but we will hear with the faith of God. We will have the gifts of discernment and understanding. We will have compassion for our fellow man and we will share the love of Jesus Christ. We are going to be a faithful people.
All of that is wonderful, and Isaiah continues with a promise:
The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling [a] together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper's nest.
This scripture has so many meanings. It talks about peace without war. It talks about the time when we no longer hate and our enemy is our friend. This scripture describes Jesus as the Prince of Peace who will cause the wolf to live with the lamb. It also describes Jesus as the good shepherd who protects and cares for his people.
9 They will neither harm nor destroy on my entire holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious.
It talks about a time when all of the nations of the world know about God. The earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. In Ghana, on this trip they told me that Walter stands for water. They said that I am everywhere because water flows everywhere. If you are sailing in the ocean, it looks like water covers the earth. If you look in every direction, the only thing that you see is water. Just imagine a time when everyone knows and loves God. That is the promise of Isaiah 11.
Today, we love to read the gospels. In fact, the gospels are almost a must at Christmas time, but I love looking at the Old Testament scriptures that describe Jesus as the Messiah. Have you ever gone to Dairy Queen and seen all of the ice cream. It looks sooooo good! As a child, I daydreamed about a banana split, a hot fudge sundae, or a strawberry shake. I also had a hard time waiting for the hand cranked homemade ice cream to harden. I can almost taste that first bite of ice cream. That is what Isaiah was trying to do. He was trying to get you to take that first bite of Jesus Christ as our Messiah. He was trying to get you to want to taste the future messiah who was coming to change the world.
The message that the Prophet Isaiah gives is still a great message today. He is telling us that Jesus is still our future. Jesus Christ is better than a banana split or hot fudge sundae. Jesus Christ can change our lives instead of just our waist. We have a month to anticipate Jesus Christ’s birth in our lives again this year.
Let’s stop running around long enough trying to find Christmas presents to find the true gift of Christmas. The gift of Christmas is Jesus Christ. The gift of Jesus Christ is to realize the promise that the Prophet Isaiah was describing for us. Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life.
I admit that I’ve been running around this week. I’m working on a new Rotary grant to give more people clean water in Africa. It is never easy. There’s always a huge challenge trying to figure out what to do and how to do it. We thought about buying a drill rig so that we could drill more wells at a cheaper price. We thought about using solar power to pump water into cities. We’ve thought about fixing pumps that have died and digging more wells. It takes a lot of time to figure out what to do, where to do it, and how much it will cost next year to do it. We finally decided not buy a drill rig. We decided to avoid solar energy in the African bush for now. We finally decided to dig hand dug wells, fix broken wells, and drill deep wells.
God has given me the gift to tell the story of people in pain, people who are hungry, and people who are thirsty. God uses me to share the message to share the gospel of peace and to share the message that we should love our neighbor as our self regardless of where in the world our neighbor may live.
I love being your pastor. I’ve got so much to learn. The gift of being your Pastor is that it makes me stop doing the “busyness of life” so that I can be in the presence of God to study the scriptures and to write your sermon.
Our next scripture is talking about the man who came to prepare the way for Jesus Christ and his ministry here on earth. Last week, we learned how Zechariah and Elizabeth learned that they would be parents of John the Baptist. In the Gospel of Matthew, we start to learn about
Matthew 3:1-12 says: In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea 2and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." 3This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: "A voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.' John's clothes were made of camel's hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. 5People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. 6Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. John the Baptist followed the path that the Angel Gabriel had prophesied in our scripture reading last week. He definitely would be someone unusual in most churches today. His heart was baptizing as many people as possible and telling them about God. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
The gift this Christmas is the gift of baptism with the Holy Spirit. Baptism with the Holy Spirit is salvation that begins at that moment when we accept Jesus Christ into our lives as our Lord and Savior. Eternity doesn’t start when we die. Eternity starts when God rests on our heart and fills us with his knowledge, wisdom, and love.
John the Baptist was one of those preachers who loved to tell the wonders of God. I imagine he was a guy that on a good day he preached and baptized until he couldn’t baptize people anymore. I’ve only experienced that once in my life. It was on my first trip to Ghana in 2003. I didn’t know about God’s power and the power of the Holy Spirit until that trip.
Talk about Gbani, praying, witch doctor, taking 150 people to the riverside and baptizing 81 people from Gbani and Sagadugu. That was the first time I saw a glimpse into why John the Baptist was driven to baptize as many people as possible and bring them to the full knowledge of God. The full power of the Holy Spirit rested on John the Baptist and Jesus Christ.
John the Baptist wasn’t the message. He just wanted to tell as many people as possible about God and that Jesus would come and baptize with the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist is an inspiration to us that we should share the gift of Christmas to as many people as possible. To be able to share the gift of Christmas we need to love God with all of our heart, our soul, our mind, and our strength and love our neighbor as our self.
The gift of Jesus Christ is free. He paid our price in full on the cross. If we spend our time trying to buy our happiness at Christmas, we are looking in the wrong place. We need to turn our eyes, our ears, and heart so that we can see with the eyes of God.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Blessing of Family
I love the words from a song: “You gave me your love Lord and a fine family. Thank you Lord, for your blessings on me.” There’s one thing that is near and dear to our hearts. The gift of a family is one of the greatest blessings that God can give us. Today, we are discussing how two different people learned that they would become parents: Zechariah and the Virgin Mary. Both of them learned about their future sons from the Angel Gabriel.
The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold
The story of the parents of John the Baptist is a good one. Zechariah and Elizabeth had prayed their entire lives for children that had never come. For this couple it was the dream of a family. Elizabeth and Zachariah prayed to God to give them a child. Zachariah was priest in the Jewish temple.
They stayed faithful to God, but it was still painful not to have any children. They thought that children were a blessing from God. Each year they prayed for children and each year they still did not hear the laughter of children in their home. Here’s their story. It is told in Luke 1:5-25;
In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. 6Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's commandments and regulations blamelessly. 7But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren; and they were both well along in years.
Moses determined that the tribe of Aaron would serve as the priests. Zechariah belonged to the tribe of Aaron. Zechariah was well regarded as a priest. There were 24 different groups of priests. Each group were assigned a different time to serve in the temple. Zechariah’s group was called Abijah.
The priests were responsible for maintaining the temple, teaching, and preaching. The Jewish temple was split into different sections. The outer section of the temple was entered through the Gate Beautiful. The women were only allowed into the outer court called the “Court of Women.” The priests were allowed to go into the inner rooms of the temple. Zechariah was selected to go into the “Alter of Incense” which is right before the Holy of Holies which is behind the Veil.
11Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13But the angel said to him: "Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John. 14He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth.[b] 16Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God. 17And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." 18Zechariah asked the angel, "How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years."
Zechariah was a very religious man, but he still had a hard time believing the angel sent by God to tell him that he was becoming a father. Zechariah and his wife, Elizabeth, were extremely old. He was using his logic and not his faith. His logic told him that it was impossible for an old couple to have children. His faith should have won out especially when he was in the inner temple talking to an angel.
The angel answered, "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. 20And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their proper time." Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. 22When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.
23When his time of service was completed, he returned home. 24After this, Zechariah’s wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. 25"The Lord has done this for me," she said. "In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people."
Elizabeth wasn’t sure what people would say so she stayed in seclusion. Elizabeth was the cousin of the Virgin Mary.
Luke 1:26-38 The Birth of Jesus Foretold
26In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. 28The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."
29Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.
Gabriel was the same angel who gave the news to Zechariah about his son, John, the Baptist. Mary was very young. She was engaged to be married to Joseph. Gabriel told her that she was highly favored. What does that mean? God’s favor is discussed throughout the Bible. God’s favor is the gift of God’s grace. If you are highly favored by God the impossible becomes possible. If you are favored by God, then God will bless you and protect you. If we study God’s Word, walk in His Ways, and share the love of Jesus Christ with others, we can also have God’s favor.
God’s favor is available to all of us. God’s favor allows things that are impossible to be possible.
31You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end." 34"How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"
35The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. 37For nothing is impossible with God." 38"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.
Mary didn’t understand the concept of “immaculate conception.” Her reaction was of trust and faith. She said, “I am the Lord’s servant.” That shows her faith even if she didn’t understand how it would all happen. She said, “May it be to me as you have said.” Mary’s faith was evident at a very young age. She wasn’t a priest like Zechariah, but she was a faithful servant of God who was willing to trust God with her life and future. It was very risky to have a child outside of marriage. She was engaged, but at no time did she stop to ask about these issues. She just said “May it be to me as you have said.” She had faith in God before she could see the results.
Both Zechariah and the Virgin Mary found out in a very unusual way that they would become parents. I didn’t hear about becoming a father in the same way as they did. There’s a lot we can learn from the Virgin Mary. She trusted God with her life and her future family. She had faith that God would take care of her if she put her faith and trust in God. Zechariah was also a faithful servant who obeyed God’s commandments. God choose them to be parents of the man who would prepare the way and for the Son of God, Jesus Christ.
God has also given us a family to teach and train in the ways of God. Our families are gifts from God as well. We need to be thankful that God has provided us with family, friends, our church, and Jesus Christ.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Who is Welcome at the Thanksgiving Table?
There’s always a lot of work to do to get ready for our Thanksgiving feast. I remember holidays at my grandparents when I was growing up. Mom is one of nine children. We had at least fifteen cousins. Grandma would also invite friends and distant relatives to celebrate Thanksgiving dinner with the family. We also thought of neighbors and those who may be alone for the holiday. It was a lot of work to cook for that many people for Grandma, my aunts, and my Mom. Everyone would have a job to help get the food on the table.
We all got together to eat at a really long table on the back porch of Grandma’s house. Over time, we had to eat all over the house. A lot of the men would find an excuse to eat and watch a football game. Grandma always cooked more food than we needed just in case there was one more person who came to join us at the Thanksgiving feast.
Jesus tells us in a parable of the great banquet in Luke 14:15-23. "A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, 'Come, for everything is now ready.' "But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, 'I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.' "Another said, 'I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I'm on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.' "Still another said, 'I just got married, so I can't come.' "The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.' "'Sir,' the servant said, 'what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.' "Then the master told his servant, 'Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full.’
Jesus wants us to go out to the streets and bring in the people that are not obvious to invite to our table. He wants us to go out to the back roads and country lanes in Ferrum, Rocky Mount, and Callaway and make them come in so that New Hope will be full. In fact, the people who were on the first invitation list made excuses why they couldn’t come to the Thanksgiving Banquet. Jesus said that we should invite those who are the least, the lost, and the unloved.
I was inspired by a friend of mine. His name is Gary Ellis. He realized that there were a lot of people who wouldn’t have a thanksgiving dinner this year because money is tight in Franklin County. He started talking to friends to get contributions. He talked to Kroger to negotiate a good price for 500 turkeys. He saw a need to feed families this year. He saw the need and found a way to welcome people who would have been forgotten at the banquet table.
Jesus reached out during his entire time to those that were forgotten. He loved the smelly fishermen. He ate with the despised tax collectors. He ministered to the invisible children. Jesus told the apostles: “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” This is from Luke 18:16
There’s a lesson here this Thanksgiving season that we should not hinder people from coming to God’s banquet table. In fact, we need to search out those that need God’s spiritual food.
Okay, so who should we invite to God’s banquet table here at New Hope United Methodist Church? Let’s look for some ideas from the faith chapter, Hebrews 11. Hebrews 11 tells how people changed when they stepped out on faith. The tough point is we cannot recognize the people God will use. They don’t look or act anything like the “mighty men and women of faith” that they become.
So who are the people that God invited to his banquet table in Hebrews 11? The first is an elderly couple who wasn’t sure that God would give them a child so they took things in their own hands. That couple was Abraham and Sarah. Two men committed murder. The two men were David and Moses. God used Moses for the first time years after he murdered the Egyptian overseer. David was faithful before and after he had a man killed in battle. A prostitute, Rahab, protected the men spying on Jericho. Sampson was a prideful man. Paul killed and persecuted many Christians before God blinded him to get his attention. Jesus told stories about the woman at the well who committed adultery. Jesus told about a woman with a bad reputation who washed his feet with her tears and dried his feet with her hair.
Jesus fought the Sadducees and Pharisees because they only wanted to welcome the wealthy and the powerful. I love Hebrews 11 because it gives me hope that God can use even me. Jesus fought to invite EVERYONE to his banquet table. God turned murderers, adulterers and prostitutes into amazing men and women of faith. We tell stories about the faith of Moses and the faith of the boy shepherd who became King David. We tell stories about Sampson’s strength and we love the Apostle Paul.
If God can use these men and women, why can’t we have faith in them, too? Hebrews 11:1 says “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.” We need to love the same people that Jesus loves.
God is the judge. We are not the judge and jury. We need to look at people through the eyes of faith instead of the eyes of doubt. We need to see what is possible in people before it is seen in those people. We need to have faith and love people with the love of Jesus Christ. We must welcome them into our church, our lives, and our Thanksgiving banquet table.
The Bible has wonderful stories of people who were transformed. God can take us and transform us today as well. We need to have faith in our church family that God can use each and every one of us.
I visited Gwin Phillips this week. She saw God using me as a pastor before I saw it for myself. Many times, children will strive to live up to the words spoken about them.
If Moses came to our church would he be welcomed? If a single Mom brought a baby to church she found floating in the Blackwater River, would we welcome her or call social services? If a Jewish boy educated in a Muslim school came from Egypt would we welcome him? If a young man came to church who tried to get a slave overseer to stop whipping a slave, but instead killed the slave overseer. Would we welcome that murderer to our banquet table? Would we say what people said in Exodus 2:14 “Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?”
If Moses hid in our church because Pharaoh’s men were trying to find him and kill him because he was a murderer, would we hide Moses and protect him or turn Moses over to Pharaoh?
If Moses had spent the summer in the mountain pastures and smelled like dirty sheep and cattle, would we tell him to come in or would we tell him to go home, take a bath, get new clothes, and come back to church next week?
If Moses came to our church to talk about a bush that burned but never burned up, would we ask him about God or would we call the hospital to ask for a psychiatrist. If Moses came to us to tell us that he wanted our help to free the Jewish slaves in Egypt, would we believe him and go with him on his journey. God hates the sin, but loves the sinner. God’s grace is sufficient.
We need to be willing to welcome Moses into our church, our lives, and our banquet table BEFORE he becomes the man of God who brought the Jewish people out of Egypt, BEOFRE he performed so many miracles in the name of God, and before he inspired the Jewish people to turn toward God. It is our job to see people with the eyes of faith and love. We need to see the potential in people to be used by God before that potential is visible and realized.
We need to speak about a person’s potential to them and to others BEFORE it happens so that the potential in that person can be realized. Deuteronomy 6:4-9 says “Hear O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”
God is asking us to impress our faith on the children of God. In Matthew 18:2-4, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself life this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me.”
It is our duty “to search for the strays, care for the injured, strengthen the weak,” and to welcome all of God’s children to our Thanksgiving banquet table. We are God’s people and we will enter his arms with thanksgiving this year and every year. Amen! (paraphrase of Ezekiel 34:16 and Psalm 100)
We all got together to eat at a really long table on the back porch of Grandma’s house. Over time, we had to eat all over the house. A lot of the men would find an excuse to eat and watch a football game. Grandma always cooked more food than we needed just in case there was one more person who came to join us at the Thanksgiving feast.
Jesus tells us in a parable of the great banquet in Luke 14:15-23. "A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, 'Come, for everything is now ready.' "But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, 'I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.' "Another said, 'I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I'm on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.' "Still another said, 'I just got married, so I can't come.' "The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.' "'Sir,' the servant said, 'what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.' "Then the master told his servant, 'Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full.’
Jesus wants us to go out to the streets and bring in the people that are not obvious to invite to our table. He wants us to go out to the back roads and country lanes in Ferrum, Rocky Mount, and Callaway and make them come in so that New Hope will be full. In fact, the people who were on the first invitation list made excuses why they couldn’t come to the Thanksgiving Banquet. Jesus said that we should invite those who are the least, the lost, and the unloved.
I was inspired by a friend of mine. His name is Gary Ellis. He realized that there were a lot of people who wouldn’t have a thanksgiving dinner this year because money is tight in Franklin County. He started talking to friends to get contributions. He talked to Kroger to negotiate a good price for 500 turkeys. He saw a need to feed families this year. He saw the need and found a way to welcome people who would have been forgotten at the banquet table.
Jesus reached out during his entire time to those that were forgotten. He loved the smelly fishermen. He ate with the despised tax collectors. He ministered to the invisible children. Jesus told the apostles: “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” This is from Luke 18:16
There’s a lesson here this Thanksgiving season that we should not hinder people from coming to God’s banquet table. In fact, we need to search out those that need God’s spiritual food.
Okay, so who should we invite to God’s banquet table here at New Hope United Methodist Church? Let’s look for some ideas from the faith chapter, Hebrews 11. Hebrews 11 tells how people changed when they stepped out on faith. The tough point is we cannot recognize the people God will use. They don’t look or act anything like the “mighty men and women of faith” that they become.
So who are the people that God invited to his banquet table in Hebrews 11? The first is an elderly couple who wasn’t sure that God would give them a child so they took things in their own hands. That couple was Abraham and Sarah. Two men committed murder. The two men were David and Moses. God used Moses for the first time years after he murdered the Egyptian overseer. David was faithful before and after he had a man killed in battle. A prostitute, Rahab, protected the men spying on Jericho. Sampson was a prideful man. Paul killed and persecuted many Christians before God blinded him to get his attention. Jesus told stories about the woman at the well who committed adultery. Jesus told about a woman with a bad reputation who washed his feet with her tears and dried his feet with her hair.
Jesus fought the Sadducees and Pharisees because they only wanted to welcome the wealthy and the powerful. I love Hebrews 11 because it gives me hope that God can use even me. Jesus fought to invite EVERYONE to his banquet table. God turned murderers, adulterers and prostitutes into amazing men and women of faith. We tell stories about the faith of Moses and the faith of the boy shepherd who became King David. We tell stories about Sampson’s strength and we love the Apostle Paul.
If God can use these men and women, why can’t we have faith in them, too? Hebrews 11:1 says “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.” We need to love the same people that Jesus loves.
God is the judge. We are not the judge and jury. We need to look at people through the eyes of faith instead of the eyes of doubt. We need to see what is possible in people before it is seen in those people. We need to have faith and love people with the love of Jesus Christ. We must welcome them into our church, our lives, and our Thanksgiving banquet table.
The Bible has wonderful stories of people who were transformed. God can take us and transform us today as well. We need to have faith in our church family that God can use each and every one of us.
I visited Gwin Phillips this week. She saw God using me as a pastor before I saw it for myself. Many times, children will strive to live up to the words spoken about them.
If Moses came to our church would he be welcomed? If a single Mom brought a baby to church she found floating in the Blackwater River, would we welcome her or call social services? If a Jewish boy educated in a Muslim school came from Egypt would we welcome him? If a young man came to church who tried to get a slave overseer to stop whipping a slave, but instead killed the slave overseer. Would we welcome that murderer to our banquet table? Would we say what people said in Exodus 2:14 “Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?”
If Moses hid in our church because Pharaoh’s men were trying to find him and kill him because he was a murderer, would we hide Moses and protect him or turn Moses over to Pharaoh?
If Moses had spent the summer in the mountain pastures and smelled like dirty sheep and cattle, would we tell him to come in or would we tell him to go home, take a bath, get new clothes, and come back to church next week?
If Moses came to our church to talk about a bush that burned but never burned up, would we ask him about God or would we call the hospital to ask for a psychiatrist. If Moses came to us to tell us that he wanted our help to free the Jewish slaves in Egypt, would we believe him and go with him on his journey. God hates the sin, but loves the sinner. God’s grace is sufficient.
We need to be willing to welcome Moses into our church, our lives, and our banquet table BEFORE he becomes the man of God who brought the Jewish people out of Egypt, BEOFRE he performed so many miracles in the name of God, and before he inspired the Jewish people to turn toward God. It is our job to see people with the eyes of faith and love. We need to see the potential in people to be used by God before that potential is visible and realized.
We need to speak about a person’s potential to them and to others BEFORE it happens so that the potential in that person can be realized. Deuteronomy 6:4-9 says “Hear O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”
God is asking us to impress our faith on the children of God. In Matthew 18:2-4, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself life this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me.”
It is our duty “to search for the strays, care for the injured, strengthen the weak,” and to welcome all of God’s children to our Thanksgiving banquet table. We are God’s people and we will enter his arms with thanksgiving this year and every year. Amen! (paraphrase of Ezekiel 34:16 and Psalm 100)
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Why Do We Serve God?
Matthew 7:13 says “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction and many may enter through it.” There are a lot of reasons why people take the wide and easier path in life. Here’s a few possible reasons:
- W need rest on Sunday
- I had to go to church as a child and now I want to choose my own path.
- We are too busy earning a living, watching football games, and kids to do anything elseGod is not popular anymore. People make fun of religious fanatics.
- I’m a good person who doesn’t need to waste time in church to learn what is right.
- I’m not important enough for God to care about so why should I care about Him?
- This is the 21st Century and it is time to take a new course.
- Need to believe in things that are real that can be proved by science or the TV newsI’ll start thinking about God after He proves to me that He exists.
The Bible instructs us to serve our Lord with joy, gladness, and our whole heart. (1 Chronicles 28:9) We need to acknowledge God, and serve him with devotion and with a willing mind. God searches our hearts and understands our motives. If we seek God, we will be able to find God.
Now, why do we serve God? The Bible is full of examples of people who choose God when it wasn’t easy. A good story is of Daniel and his friends when they were taken into slavery by the Babylonians. They were taken away from their home, their family, and their friends. Daniel was young enough to be trained and to learn the Babylonian ways, wisdom, and gods. Daniel and his friends were even given new names to go with their new lives, but they decided to serve only God. Daniel had a strong prayer life and the support of faithful friends.
God saved Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the fiery furnace. (Daniel 3:28 NIV) Then King Nebuchadnezzar said, "Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king's command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.”
It is a wonderful story to tell our children. It is also a strong example how childlike faith can serve us as adults, too. Deuteronomy 11:13-15 says “So if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today--to love the LORD your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul-- then I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and oil. I will provide grass in the fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied. Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other gods and bow down to them.”
A lawyer asked Jesus: “What must I do to inherit eternal life? The lawyer realized that the answer was “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all of your mind and love your neighbor as yourself. (Luke 10:25-27) Jesus told him that he answered correctly and Jesus said, “Do this and you will live.”
Part of the search for Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior requires us to understand the spiritual gifts that God has given us to better serve Him. There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. The Holy Spirit gives us the gifts of wisdom, knowledge, teaching, preaching, gifts of healing, encouragement, and so much more. All of these gifts are the work of the Holy Spirit and he gives them to each one of us just as he determines.
There’s so much we can’t do on our own. We start growing in our relationship with God when we admit that we are not enough on our own. I love the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Corinthians where God said to Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:8b-10)
It’s okay to admit to God that we are afraid and that we need him to lead us. Jesus knows the way when we are lost. God picks us up. God fills us with the Holy Spirit and enables us to do so much in the name of Jesus Christ, that it is hard for us to imagine that it could’ve been possible. The impossible becomes possible when we let God into our lives.
I was afraid to go to Tamale, Ghana in February 2007 because I was afraid of the Muslims and the stories that I had heard about a chief and his elders who were beheaded in 2000. The central mosque is in the middle of town. The city is about 80% Muslim. We are taught to be afraid of people who are different from ourselves on the evening news reports. We hear about terrorists who kill in the name of Allah. I was afraid to meet these people, but I asked God to protect and watch over me. Now, I realize that so much love would not have been shared, if I had allowed my fear to overcome my faith.
There’s power in God’s word. We have to open up the Bible and start learning about the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ died on the cross so that we could live life abundantly here on earth and have eternal life. God gave his only son for us on cross. We were also given the gift of the Holy Spirit so that God would be with us every day as our helper, our redeemer, and our strength.
Today’s scripture reading from Matthew 25 tells us how to serve God. Each servant is given five talents, two talents, or one talent of money. The talents represent any kind of resource we are given such as our time, our gifts, our love, or our money. The first servant who was given five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more talents. The first servant was not afraid to serve God. He served with joy, gladness, and his whole heart. The first servant thought that if he tried to serve God that God would help him accomplish his goal. He was right. The second servant doubled his two talents so that they become four talents.
The third servant who received one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. The third servant is like the person who hides God’s love under a bushel basket and doesn’t share God’s love and light to the rest of the world. The third servant was afraid of trying to serve God so he decided not even to make an attempt.
The master asked the servant with one talent how he had done. The servant blamed his lack of trying on the statement the master is a hard man. He told the master that he was afraid and hid the master’s talent in the ground. We will be judged whether we shared God’s love with our fellow man. There’s no limit to God’s love, compassion, and grace. It is definitely a sin to hide God and not share God’s spiritual gifts, love, and talents with others.
It is my hope that God will one day tell us “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness.” My hope is that others will see the love of Jesus Christ in me as I am serving them.
As we serve God by helping those in need, we learn the secrets of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We also experience the grace of Jesus Christ in our lives. We don’t serve God to earn our way into Heaven. We serve God out of gratitude that he has blessed our lives with love, family, and friends. Jesus showed his love to us by teaching, preaching, healing the sick, and caring for the least and the lost. Jesus showed us how to serve God by setting the example. Let’s learn how to love directly from Jesus Christ Our Lord and Savior.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Listening to God's Call
Hannah prayed to God for a son. She could not have kids, but she believed if nswered. She promised to dedicate her son to God if He would answer her prayer. Samuel was born.
It is good to be here at New Hope UMC.
How many times have we heard God calling us and not notice? Do we recognize his voice? Do we recognize the many ways in which God talks to us? God talks to us directly, through scripture, through praise songs and music, through nature, through friends and family, through our church, and through the Holy Spirit working in our lives.
The Bible gives us a story about a young man named Samuel who did not realize that God was calling him until he was told that if God calls you to say “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” It was easier for Samuel to believe that someone he knew was calling him instead of God. 1 Samuel 3:19 said “The Lord was with Samuel as he grew up, and Samuel let none of God’s words fall to the ground.”
We all grow in our faith at a different pace. Samuel learned to listen and to answer God.
In 1999, I read the scripture from Luke 12:48b which said “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” I thanked God for my wife, Susan, and our four kids. I asked God what he expected in return, but God took four years to answer my question.
I noticed that Mom’s brother, Uncle B ill Barker, had become a much stronger pastor after he had gone to West Africa on a mission trip. I asked him if I could go. He asked me if I was serious and I said yes. Uncle Bill took me on my first mission trip to Africa in 2003. It was on that first trip that I learned that if I prayed the way Hannah prayed that God would answer my prayers. It was the children who taught me how to pray because they kept coming back for prayers. The kids kept coming back to be blessed. It was during that first trip that we baptized eighty-one at the riverside from two villages. It was during that first trip that I prayed and felt God’s presence.
We preached in a village where they had never heard about God. Imagine giving out Bibles that had just been translated into the local Mampruli language for the first time. We gave to the chief, elders, and the parents. The first thing they did was to give the Bibles to the children. I asked them why. They said the greatest gift that you could ever give your child was a Bible. Wow!
I went to Africa to tell people there about God. Instead, they taught me about walking in faith. We grew an elementary school, middle, and high school from 200 to 700 children. I fell in love with the children of the school. I really respected the school cook who cooked food for all of those children. She is called Sister Dora. We worked with an independent church in the slums of Kumasi called Come Preach Christ Church.
Imagine being able to teach about God’s love, faith, peace, salvation, and power of prayer around the world. Imagine seeing God’s love. Imagine praying for a mother and grandmother. Man sees the Love of Jesus Christ. Imagine taking food to 35 villages last year. Imagine seeing the village of Nabari celebrate three new wells on Thursday and a new church on Saturday. I feel God’s call to serve the least and the lost around the world. I also feel God’s call to preach God’s word here at home.
What can you imagine?
It is good to be here at New Hope UMC.
How many times have we heard God calling us and not notice? Do we recognize his voice? Do we recognize the many ways in which God talks to us? God talks to us directly, through scripture, through praise songs and music, through nature, through friends and family, through our church, and through the Holy Spirit working in our lives.
The Bible gives us a story about a young man named Samuel who did not realize that God was calling him until he was told that if God calls you to say “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” It was easier for Samuel to believe that someone he knew was calling him instead of God. 1 Samuel 3:19 said “The Lord was with Samuel as he grew up, and Samuel let none of God’s words fall to the ground.”
We all grow in our faith at a different pace. Samuel learned to listen and to answer God.
In 1999, I read the scripture from Luke 12:48b which said “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” I thanked God for my wife, Susan, and our four kids. I asked God what he expected in return, but God took four years to answer my question.
I noticed that Mom’s brother, Uncle B ill Barker, had become a much stronger pastor after he had gone to West Africa on a mission trip. I asked him if I could go. He asked me if I was serious and I said yes. Uncle Bill took me on my first mission trip to Africa in 2003. It was on that first trip that I learned that if I prayed the way Hannah prayed that God would answer my prayers. It was the children who taught me how to pray because they kept coming back for prayers. The kids kept coming back to be blessed. It was during that first trip that we baptized eighty-one at the riverside from two villages. It was during that first trip that I prayed and felt God’s presence.
We preached in a village where they had never heard about God. Imagine giving out Bibles that had just been translated into the local Mampruli language for the first time. We gave to the chief, elders, and the parents. The first thing they did was to give the Bibles to the children. I asked them why. They said the greatest gift that you could ever give your child was a Bible. Wow!
I went to Africa to tell people there about God. Instead, they taught me about walking in faith. We grew an elementary school, middle, and high school from 200 to 700 children. I fell in love with the children of the school. I really respected the school cook who cooked food for all of those children. She is called Sister Dora. We worked with an independent church in the slums of Kumasi called Come Preach Christ Church.
Imagine being able to teach about God’s love, faith, peace, salvation, and power of prayer around the world. Imagine seeing God’s love. Imagine praying for a mother and grandmother. Man sees the Love of Jesus Christ. Imagine taking food to 35 villages last year. Imagine seeing the village of Nabari celebrate three new wells on Thursday and a new church on Saturday. I feel God’s call to serve the least and the lost around the world. I also feel God’s call to preach God’s word here at home.
What can you imagine?
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