God Is Bigger Than You Think

This message was first delivered at Centenary United Methodist Church in Lynchburg, Virginia on July 30, 2017. It is based on the lectionary texts of Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52 and Romans 8:26-39.

God Is Bigger Than You Think

He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”

He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.”

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

“Have you understood all this?” They answered, “Yes.” And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”

Once upon a time, there lived six blind men in a village. One day the villagers told them, "Hey, there is an elephant in the village today." They had no idea what an elephant is. They decided, "Even though we would not be able to see it, let us go and feel it anyway." All of them went where the elephant was. Everyone of them touched the elephant.

"Hey, the elephant is a pillar," said the first man who touched his leg. "Oh, no! it is like a rope," said the second man who touched the tail. "Oh, no! it is like a thick branch of a tree," said the third man who touched the trunk of the elephant. "It is like a big hand fan" said the fourth man who touched the ear of the elephant. "It is like a huge wall," said the fifth man who touched the belly of the elephant. "It is like a solid pipe," Said the sixth man who touched the tusk of the elephant.

They began to argue about the elephant and everyone of them insisted that he was right. It looked like they were getting agitated. A wise man was passing by and he saw this. He stopped and asked them, "What is the matter?" They said, "We cannot agree to what the elephant is like." Each one of them told what he thought the elephant was like. The wise man calmly explained to them, "All of you are right. The reason every one of you is telling it differently because each one of you touched the different part of the elephant. So, actually the elephant has all those features what you all said." "Oh!" everyone said. There was no more fight. They felt happy that they were all right.

You see, the way we know what things are like depends a lot on our experiences and point of view. And that changes from person to person and even can change over time as an individual has different life changes. When Jesus told these parables about what the kingdom of heaven is like – he knew that they would be relevant to the listener in different ways. He isn't describing seven different kingdoms – but approaching it from a variety of perspectives.

Matthew 13 begins with the parable of the sower that Pastor Doug preached on 2 weeks ago – you remember? Seeds on the path, seeds in rocky soil, seeds in thorns, good soil? The second parable has another farmer coping with weeds this time. The third is where we began with today's gospel reading. The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed. It's like yeast. It's a treasure hidden in a field. It's like a pearl of great value. No, it's like sorting fish?

When Pastor Doug asked me to speak today, one of the first things that I did was to look up the lectionary scriptures for today. And when I read the four passages, Matthew made me stop and stare at my computer screen. During a recent lay servant training session I elected to take a class called “Go, Preach.” It was described as a class that would help me, a lay person, prepare a message. There were seven lay people and one pastor teaching us. Although he said several times that he wasn't saying that his way was the only way – I still had the impression he considered his sermon preparation process to be the best way. And we did not always see eye-to-eye on the process. First he said that he rarely uses the lectionary – and I nearly always preach from the lectionary! It is the connected worship of many denominations. A great many pastors look to those four weekly scriptures to determine their message topic for the week. Of course, there are also a great many who choose other topics to "preach on."

If you think about it though...if even 1% of the Christian congregations in the world preach on the same set of scriptures...that is 37,000 congregations all focusing on a particular aspect of our relationship with God and with each other. That can be very powerful, especially if we are intentional in the way we communicate with God - and with each other.

Then our instructor said that he rarely writes his sermons out. And I ALWAYS do! I'm a pretty good extemporaneous speaker but I am not going to walk into the sanctuary on Sunday morning and just wing it. I take this opportunity seriously and want you to leave today with some food for thought or insight or interesting perspective. I'll even settle for healthy disagreement with my interpretation! You can see that I'm heading for some head butting with this pastor.

So...we get our class assignment. We are going to work as a group to illuminate this scripture: He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.”

I must warn you – if you are going to craft a message...doing it by committee is a BAD idea. But the brainstorming commenced. And the elephant touching began right away. “Who does the woman represent?” Is it God? Is it the church? Is it me? Am I mixing the bread? “What is the bread?” Is it my life? Is it the world? Is the yeast the Word? Is the yeast the outreach of disciples? Why THREE measures of flour? Is this a trinity reference? Over the course of about eight hours we came up with a couple dozen different permutations – if the woman is God and the yeast is the church's influence then the bread is the realization of the kingdom. On more than one occasion I was even told my somewhat out-of-the-box thoughts were wrong!

Thirty words total. Hours of perspectives. Because we each brought to the discussion different points of view and experiences. I lost track of how many times I thought to myself - “oh, I hadn't considered it like that.” So it should be no surprise that Matthew 13 has seven stories of what the kingdom of heaven is like.

I don't think it is about a location, more about a belonging. Being part of something. Heaven is where “The King” reigns from, but His kingdom describes where His people live. It’s here and now –not somewhere that we go after we die.

The parables all begin with a phrase such as: “the kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed…” They can be better understood by reading this as “The kingdom of heaven can be described by the story in which a man who sowed good seed…” It’s the entire story (told in seven different ways) that represents the kingdom. Each parable has a different context: a farmer, a gardener, a cook, a treasure seeker, a merchant, a fisherman. The intent is for the reader to identify himself with at least one of these so that the message is relevant to him.

The comparison to the mustard seed has always intrigued me. Just like our call to worship said today, why would something so tiny and insignificant be compared to the kingdom of God? But I've learned that there's a lot packed into the tiny seed. Tremendous potential.

As I showed the kids in the children's sermon – mustard seeds are little itty bitty things. But any of them who tasted the seeds can tell you, there is a burst of flavor when you chew them. Not quite like the potency of French's yellow mustard – because most of that tang comes from copious amounts of vinegar! But for such a small seed, it packs a punch. And the power doesn't stop there!

When I was working on a message based on Luke 17 – where Jesus tells the disciples that if they had faith the size of a mustard seed they could get a tree to go jump in the sea – I learned a great deal about mustard weed. Do you know what mustard weed was like in Jesus' day? It was like the kudzu of Palestine. It grew wild. Birds ate it but didn't entirely digest the seeds – and the seeds were dropped everywhere. It would take over fields and crops. You could pull it up but more birds would eat more mustard weed and it would be back. It was persistent, irritating and fast-spreading.

This tiny seed has potential! It grows into the greatest of shrubs according to Matthew 13:32. Becomes a tree so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches. It can take over fields. It seems so insignificant in seed form – but given the basics of soil, sun and water...boom! It's now substantial!

Now – who or what is the mustard seed? Is it faith that grows to be substantial enough to protect? Is it the church reaching out and spreading the love of God like kudzu? Am I a mustard seed? Is Centenary a tiny powerhouse of potential just needing soil, sun and water to grow? Who is the sower and why in the world would he go and purposely sow a FIELD with mustard seed?

We could spend eight hours discussing and debating every possible meaning of every aspect of this very short parable. And just about any combination would hold meaning for someone in this room. And we could let it dissolve into an argument just like the blind villagers who touched the elephant. But I would invite you to listen to the wise man who told those villagers they all had a different perspective of the same animal – we come to our understanding of the kingdom in a multitude of ways. I am not qualified to judge that your pathway is right or wrong. I am just as blind as the next guy. I can only share how I've come to my conclusions and embrace the core truth – that God loves us and wants to be in direct relationship with each of us as individuals. And I can hope that we believers get to the same spirit that the six blind villagers came to – after the wise man explained that they were all right – they just had touched a different part of the elephant. "Oh!" everyone said. There was no more fight. They felt happy that they were all right. Even when we disagree, can we hear the other perspective? Can we still see what God sees in the other person?

God can get tiny if we're not careful. Too often we fall into the trap of God being made in our image – instead of the other way around. We relate to God in our human understanding, putting God in a box that he simply can't be contained in! The hope is that our sense of God will grow as expansive as our God is. Each tiny conception gets obliterated as we discover more and more the God who is always greater.

I'd like to read a story for you from Tattoos on the Heart, a book by Jesuit Gregory Boyle who began Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles, a gang intervention program in the gang capital of the world. Pastor G, as the homies call him, spends a great deal of time visiting with incarcerated youth – conducting services and just sitting and talking with these kids on the margins of society. In this instance he is at Camp Paige, a detention facility and is meeting with Rigo, a fifteen year old about to make his first communion. They have about ten minutes to kill and Pastor G asks him about his life and family. He gets around to asking about Rigo's father.

“Oh,” Rigo says, “he's a heroin addict and never really been in my life. Used to always beat me. Fact, he's in prison right now, barely ever lived with us.” Then something seemed to snap in him, an image brings him to attention.

Rigo continues, “I think I was in the fourth grade...I came home one day, sent home in the middle of the day. Got into some trouble at school Can't remember what. When I got home, my jefito was there. He was hardly ever there. My dad says, “Why they send you home?” And cuz my dad always beat me, I said. “If I tell you, promise you won't hit me?” He just said, “I'm your father. 'course I'm not gonna hit you.” So I told him.

Rigo is caught short in the telling. He bgins to cry, and in moments he's wailing and rocking back and forth. Father Greg put his arms around him. He was inconsolable. When Rigo is able to speak, and barely so, he says only, “He beat me with a pipe...with...a pipe.” When Rigo composes himself, Father Greg asked, “and your mother?” He points some distance across the room at a tiny woman standing by the gym's entrance.

“That's her over there.” He pauses for a beat. “There's no one like her.” Again, some image appears in his mind and a thought occurs to him. “I've been locked up for more than a year and a half. She comes to see me every Sunday. You know how many buses she takes to come here? To see my sorry self?”

Then he sobs again with the same ferocity as before. When he reclaims breath he gasps through his tears. “Seven buses. She takes... seven...buses. Imagine.”

Imagine. The expansive heart of this God – greater than God – who takes seven buses, just to arrive at us. Our image of who God is and what's on God's mind is limited to our understanding. Regardless, it doesn't change who God is – the wild, untamed God who created the universe can't be shut in our little box!

So when we feel discouraged or overwhelmed. When we feel at the end of our rope – God is there. Scripture promises that he will never leave us or forsake us. If we don't feel God's presence – it doesn't mean that he has left us to fend for ourselves. Usually it means we have fallen into the trap of humanity...and are relying on our understanding. We feel a distance that is not of God's making, but our own. All we have to do is turn back toward him, humble ourselves and recognize that we are not God.

I love the way the Eugene Peterson's The Message phrases Romans 8:26-27: Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our condition, and keeps us present before God.

The kingdom of heaven is like an elephant. And as I grow in understanding with every passing day help me to remember that there is one God – who loves us beyond measure – and I'm. Not. Him. 

Plenty of Problems

This message was first delivered at Centenary United Methodist Church in Lynchburg, Virginia on September 18, 2016. It is based on the lectionary text of 1 Timothy 2:1-7. An audio recording is available in the CUMC Internet Chapel.

As I saw that today is the 18^th Sunday after Pentecost, it made made me think back to my childhood. Many of you know that I'm one of 5 kids. There were a few times, especially on long car trips, that we would be less than well-behaved and Dad would call us down. Trouble was...in his frustration he'd almost always get the troublemaker's name wrong, and then wrong again... Karen, Den...Gord...whatever your name is! Stop doing that!! I think at times he would have liked the solution that George Foreman came up with – just name them all George! His five sons are all named George and he has a daughter named Georgetta.

The Christian calendar is winding toward Advent, which will be the shortest Advent season possible since Christmas falls on Sunday this year. That is an interesting time in the Christian calendar...it seems for a while that every week has a different and exciting title – the Fourth Sunday in Advent, Christmas, Epiphany... But since Pentecost, it kind of seems like the people giving Sundays names were just phoning it in by now. “Dude, we're already up to the 17th Sunday After Pentecost. You seriously are suggesting we just call this one #18?” But upon closer examination, I find the logic in the pattern of the lectionary. Advent is our new year and we spend time in preparation for the miracle of Christ's birth. We celebrate and learn of different aspects of his time on Earth. And then Lent prepares us for the sacrifice. We ponder and come to an appreciation of the magnitude of the cross. Then Easter! Oh, how we love Easter! It is what sets Christianity apart – the fact that we serve a Risen Savior. And the Christian calendar continues on toward the Ascension. When Jesus departs from us in body but promises something more to come. And on Pentecost, the gift of the Holy Spirit is realized. And you couldn't ask for a bigger party. This is the beginning of the movement. The beginning of the church. And then the sending forth. And now we are 18 weeks into the season that follows Pentecost. I like to think of this as the “get to work” phase. The purpose of this season is to live out our ministries as disciples of Jesus in Christ’s name, the Spirit’s power, and with the accountability and support of the church.

This is where the rubber starts to hit the road. And in the scripture readings that the lectionary suggests during this season...there are some hard-hitting truths. We, as the body of Christ, get told that we have to put family, friends and self second place to Jesus. THAT was a message I was called to deliver as a lay speaker two weeks ago. Walk into a church as a guest and tell them that if they do not “hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, [they] cannot be [Christ's] disciple.” Thank you Luke 14.

We get told that heaven rejoices when one lost sheep is found or one coin out of ten is found...that when the brother that foolishly squandered his inheritance drags his sorry self home Dad is going to throw him a party. What about us other good kids? What about the 99 sheep that stayed where they were supposed to be? Thank you Luke 15.

The work phase is challenging. We'd much rather be back in the joy of Christmas or even the self-reflection of Lent. This following Christ stuff is challenging. Even today's passage from Luke that was the basis for Belva's lesson for the kids isn't a softball. We get called out on a core ethic – honesty. And it gets pointed out that dishonesty is a slippery slope that we ALL slide down as humans. Untrustworthy with the small things makes us untrustworthy in all things.

Hey, Jesus...back off. You're getting awfully close to meddling. You're making me uncomfortable. I don't want to look at all my actions so closely. I'm only human, what do you expect from me? Aha! We're going to circle back around to answer this in few minutes.

Troubles. We gots 'em. It seems as though the world is headed to Hades in the proverbial handbasket faster than a speeding bullet. Turn on the news and you hear nothing but troubles – natural disasters like flooding and hurricanes; war and political unrest; poverty and the consequences of poverty like addiction and desperation; leaders too busy attacking each other to be bothered with seeking solutions. Trouble all around. And people overwhelmed with a feeling that it is all too much to overcome. Then helplessness...and we, as humans, wonder if we can make any difference at all in this broken world. We could easily relate to Jeremiah's crying out that Mike read earlier – a few verses from that reading as paraphrased in Eugene Peterson's The Message: “I drown in grief. I’m heartsick. Oh, listen! Please listen! It’s the cry of my dear people reverberating through the country. Is God no longer in Zion? Has the King gone away? The crops are in, summer is over, but for us nothing’s changed. We’re still waiting to be rescued. Are there no healing ointments in Gilead? Isn’t there a doctor in the house? why can’t something be done to heal and save my dear, dear people?”

Oh yes, we've got troubles. Perhaps some of you already have a song running through your heads...we've got trouble, right here in River City...Trouble with a capital “T” and that rhymes with “P” and that stands for pool!

Well...maybe not...the song You Got Trouble is part of the 1957 Tony award winning musical The Music Man. Slick con man “professor” Harold Hill has come to the Iowa town of River City and he is there to sell the townfolk musical instruments and band uniforms. Then he'll skip town before they realize he has no musical talent! But in order to get them to believe that they NEED instruments and uniforms, he's got to get them to believe that they need a boy's band. So he decides to tell them that their town is in huge trouble. They are on the sliding board to degeneration because the local billiard hall has added a pool table! Gasp! In reality the pool table is no more a threat to the peace and goodness of this town than the billiard tables that have graced that establishment for years. But Harold Hill is shrewd and knows how to play his audience. He gathers quite a crowd as he sings his warnings to a growing crowd:

Friend, either you're closing your eyes

To a situation you do not wish to acknowledge

Or you are not aware of the caliber of disaster indicated

By the presence of a pool table in your community . Well, ya got trouble, my friend, right here, I say, trouble right here in River City.

As the crowd is sucked into his message...the tales of potential woe grow...

Mothers of River City!

Heed the warning before it's too late!

Watch for the tell-tale sign of corruption!

The moment your son leaves the house,

Does he rebuckle his knickerbockers below the knee?

Is there a nicotine stain on his index finger?

A dime novel hidden in the corn crib?

Is he starting to memorize jokes from Capt.

Billy's Whiz Bang?

Are certain words creeping into his conversation?

Words like 'swell?"

And 'so's your old man?"

Well, if so my friends,

Ya got trouble,

Right here in River city!

With a capital "T"

And that rhymes with "P"

And that stands for Pool.

Suddenly the mothers are all looking at their sons with suspicion and distrust. They have just been enlightened to the truth – their fine young men are all degenerates and gamblers and worse! How in the world will we be saved?

Is there no balm in Gilead?

But there is a solution. And it isn't Professor Harold Hill. The solution is in us. We only have to look back to the list of woes from earlier. Natural disasters? Horrific events. Devastation and despair. But then the dawn after the night – we see people and organizations mobilize immediately to provide assistance. Not just food, water and shelter...but comfort, support and hope. Wars and political unrest? Opportunities for coming together, for rebuilding and seeking common ground for peace. It's slow work. Sometimes it seems impossible...but I remember when the Berlin Wall came down, I remember when peace in Northern Ireland seemed utterly impossible. And 18 years have passed since the Good Friday agreement. Peace is possible. Lasting peace is even possible...we must not lose hope.

We must actually BE hope. What are we called to do? Are we like the people of River City hearing the negative message from Harold Hill and figuring it's all hopeless? Are we going to put our faith in false prophets who tell us they've got the solution and we should just let them figure it out for us? We were not called to be a quivering mass of worriers! We are the church! We are a mobilized army! We are empowered by a Risen Savior! Why are we sitting here shaking our heads and mourning the loss of goodness in the world? Hey! Jeremiah! It's great that you care so much about the pain of the people. Verse 1 of Chapter 9 says, “I wish my head were a well of water, and my eyes fountains of tears. So I could weep day and night for casualties among my dear, dear people.” Well, that's real nice...but enough with tears and sadness. It's time for action!

When Paul wrote to Timothy, he was communicating to one of his key staffers. The book of Acts is full of references to Paul being with Timothy and sending Timothy and waiting for Timothy to return to him with his input. He sends Timothy to Corinth, to the church at Rome, to Thessalonica. Timothy is referenced as being with Paul in other Epistles. So when we read Paul's letters to him, we know that he is giving instruction and advice to a key part of the early church. They are both peers in faith – but also have the relationship of mentor to student and leader to worker.

Timothy the evangelist has been sent by Paul to the church at Ephesus. This is some time after Paul himself converted Timothy – and he is like a trusted son. Paul sent him to reside at Ephesus, to perfect the good work that Paul started there. The church planter handing off the watering to his son in the faith. But that assignment doesn't come without support. The first chapter of 1 Timothy lays out the reason that Ephesus needs him, because frankly...Timothy wanted to stay with Paul. Paul has urged (but not ordered) him to go because there's troubles. Troubles in Ephesus City.

There are attempts by outside forces to corrupt Christianity. There is the issue of Jews bringing Judaism traditions into the new church – but on the other side of the aisle Gentiles are bringing elements of paganism! Ministers are bringing their own stuff into the doctrine that they are preaching...no longer the pure truth of Jesus... People using the law to divide. Forgetting that Jesus came for all – Jew and Gentile, Slave and Free, Rich and Poor, Red and Yellow Black and White...Things must have been a real mess for Paul to send his right hand man.

Paul makes sure that his letter reminds Timothy that he knows that he, Paul, isn't perfect. He reminds him that he was saved by the grace of Jesus Christ and invites us all to remember the same. And he wants Timothy to observe what is going on and if he needs to enter into spiritual warfare – to know that it is good warfare against sin and Satan. He tells him that we must hold faith and good conscience. He points out that there will be challenges, oppositions and discouragements. He warns about particular blasphemers. But it is in the beginning of the second chapter that he is given an instruction that seems like a no-brainer to us today – and yet, it is the area I struggle with the most. Prayer.

If there is a balm in Gilead, the access point is clearly about prayer. Connecting to God and seeking his wisdom. But there is an underlying warning that is easy to miss. Who do we pray for?

The passage from 1 Timothy 2 is a charge to pray. Notice that Paul doesn't send some sort of prescribed prayer – and contrary to the rumors I heard as a teenager, the bishop and district superintendent don't send the sermons that preachers deliver each week either! His instructions are: “The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. This is the way our Savior God wants us to live.”

I like the way The Message puts that. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. Bishop Cho, who officially handed over the role of leadership yesterday to Bishop Sharma Lewis, focused his entire time as bishop on encouraging the church in the area of prayer. He wanted us to be in prayer. Intentional prayer. I heard him speak several times, including here at Centenary a couple years ago. His passion for prayer was incredible. He believes it is key – not only for personal growth and guidance. The thing I gleaned from him was that prayer could be a transforming force outside of self-transformation. During one of his talks he suggested that we think of a person that we encounter that we know needs healing. Whether it be physical or emotional or financial or in the way that person interacts with us or others. Some healing of some need. And then he challenged that it be a person outside of my “comfort zone.” Not a family member that I already love, not a co-worker I already care about...but a person I encounter regularly.

So I settled on a person that I didn't have a very good relationship with – not exactly an enemy...just someone I didn't have much desire to spend time with. And I felt charged to pray for them intentionally every day. Not just for God to swoop in and FIX them. I needed to thank God for that person being in my life, pray for healing for wounds that I knew about, pray for those wounds that I didn't know about or understand, and then to hand over the situation to God. And each day was a little different. Sometimes it was all I could do to come up with a positive thing to thank God for about them. There were days when I felt empathy and days when I felt like I was drawing from an empty well where compassion was concerned.

Prayer transformed the relationship. Through intentional prayer I found myself examining judgments that I had made about the other person's intents and actions. I humbled myself to recognize that they came from a wholly different set of circumstances and life experiences. I came to accept our differences and even embraced the possibility that sometimes their way of accomplishing a task wasn't stupid or inefficient...it was just different.

I'd love to say that the end result was this person recognizing the changed relationship, asking me why and me being able to say that prayer and faith and good Methodist upbringing were the cause. Then I could invite them to church and we'd have a new giving unit and the problems would all be solved! But instead, it's just a seed that was sowed. And I have to trust in the slow work of God.

Now we come back to that question from before – when I was pointing out that we are in the work phase. That we're being reminded of what we need to do, what we need to let go of, who we are supposed to love. The job at hand and the job description that seems so limiting that we are tempted to say, “Jesus...back off. You're getting awfully close to meddling. You're making me uncomfortable. I don't want to look at all my actions so closely. I'm only human, what do you expect from me?”

He wants us to do our best! He wants our first fruits! He wants us to be in harmony. He wants us to love each other. He knows us inside and out – he KNOWS we are going to falter. He knows we are going to fall short and that we will do things that we are going to regret! And just like Paul, I can tell you that I am the chief sinner of all! I don't stand up here to tell you how to be from a place of completeness. Only a week ago I burned with road rage and made a rather rude gesture to a fellow motorist while part of a funeral procession! Who does that?

Humans. And then we, like David in the Psalm cry out - God, take my side! Once, in a tight place, you gave me room; Now I’m in trouble again: grace me! hear me! And then I bow in humility, accept my failures and work to be better. With God's help. Because without God, I am nothing.

Yes, we've got Troubles. It starts with T which rhymes with P and that stands for Prayer. There is a balm in Gilead – and we are part of the solution. With God's help we can bring hope and transformation to a hurting world. Intentionally turn toward God, pray for everyone – especially the leaders in our world. We are warriors! We serve a Risen Savior. No need to meekly accept the idea that the world is too far gone...the church does make a difference. WE can change the world. One prayer, one small kindness, one hug, one smile, a cool drink of water, a sandwich for a hungry person, one glimmer of hope at a time. Show the world that we don't just GO to church, that we ARE the church and are following God's orders – to love God and love who God loves. No chance of failure if we stick with God.

Amen.

They'll Know

This message was first delivered at Centenary United Methodist Church in Lynchburg, Virginia on February 16, 2014. It is based on the lectionary texts Deuteronomy 30:15-20, 1 Corinthians 3:1-9, and Matthew 5:21-37. 

The choir's anthem They'll Know We Are Christians by Our Love is the basis for my message today. And when you look at each of the scriptures that are part of today's lectionary – you will see that they are all about love. The passage from Deuteronomy is part of Moses' farewell to his people as they are about to enter the promised land. He is not allowed to enter and he is trying to leave them with words that will stick with them during this next chapter of their story. He wants it to be both a blessing and a call to covenant faithfulness to the God who rescued the people of Israel from bondage in Egypt. He knows this is his last chance to reach them. That is a lot to consider – what would you say to a group of people you had been leading if you knew that these were likely to be your last words to them?

Moses chooses a powerful reminder to love. Eugene Peterson's The Message phrases Chapter 30 verse 16 this way: And I command you today, Love God, your God. Walk in his ways. Keep his commandments, regulations and rules so that you will live, really live. Live Exuberantly, blessed by God, your God, in the land you are about to enter and possess.

That's really how we start. Loving God and glimpsing how much he loves us. Once we can wrap our heads around that – then we can get down to living how he wants us to live. Exuberantly.

Love is the key.

Jerome, in his commentary on Galatians, tells that St. John continued preaching in Ephesus even when he was in his 90s. Even when he was so enfeebled that he had to be carried in on a stretcher, he would lean up on one elbow and deliver his message, “Little children, love one another.” Then he would lie back down and be carried out. One day, the story goes, someone asked him why he said the same thing week after week. John replied, “Because it is enough.” It is Christianity in a nutshell.

We are called to love one another. To show that we are Christians by our love. Because They'll know. First of all, they are going to know we are Christians by the love we show to THEM. Who them? Who are THEY? Who is my neighbor?

With the recent snowfall, I've heard a lot (and read a lot on Facebook) about neighbors taking care of each other. People shoveling each others' walks, giving rides to people, checking on each other to be sure they are okay. These neighbors are important. But we know from scripture that our neighbor is more than the guy who lives next door with the snowblower. In our Thursday evening after-school program JIFF we are currently studying this idea of neighbors. The kids are learning that the whole world is our neighborhood.

So, suddenly – They and them are more clearly defined. They are the people on the outside who are just waiting to be invited in. I've been reading the most incredible book, I hope that you will all take them time to pick it up...Tattoos on the Heart by Gregory Boyle, a Jesuit who began Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles. The book is a collection of stories from the gang-intervention program that was started in the poorest parish in LA, center of the gang capital of the world. You don't get much more “they” than that.

In this book, Pastor G (as the homies call him) tells about the instance in scripture where Jesus is in a house so packed that no one can come through the door anymore. So the people open the roof and lower this paralytic down through it so Jesus can heal him. Although the focus of the story is, understandably, the healing of the paralytic...there is something more significant happening. They're ripping the roof off the place, and those outside are being let in.

We need to rip some roofs off. We need to go outside and see the people who are hurting and need Jesus. We need to find every way possible to get them connected to the one who loves them – and let them know that he does.

Centenary has a rich history of reaching out. The JIFF program is about 20 years old. We send teams to the Sager Brown Depot to prepare relief supplies that travel the globe, we reach out in a lot of ways. Are we doing all we can?

There are people who are hurting out there. People who need to see the love of God. We have neighbors who don't have enough to eat, who need a listening ear, who need a helping hand to get back on their feet, neighbors who face barriers that we can dismantle. They are counting on us.

We have the power to show them God's love. But we have to understand something very important. They will experience God's love through the love we show. And they will be able to tell if it is genuine. I had one of Pastor Rick's Stewardship Thoughts from last year that I carried in my Bible until I passed it on to a friend. So, I don't have the exact wording...but the gist of it was...they'll know. They will know if we are helping them out of a sense of obligation or if our helping them is just an extension of the joy we have in being loved so much by God.

The scripture from Matthew reminds us though, that this love thing is tricky and that we, as humans, will take this simple command and screw it up. We will carelessly call our brother 'idiot' and thoughtlessly yell 'stupid' at a sister. Even in the church. Did God really leave this important work to us? Yep.

And we can be reassured by the fact that the difficulties we face as members of the body of Christ are not so different than those difficulties faced by the early church. In Colossians 3:13-14 Paul tells that church (and us) that we need to “be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It's your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.” After listing all the ways we can bless each other, Paul wrote these words because he recognizes that sometimes we fall short. We're going to irritate each other, so we'll need to put up with each other.

Friday was Valentine's Day. A great many of you celebrated your relationships. My cat and I wished you well. We at least wished you no harm. :) How many of you have had times in those relationships when you needed to put up with each other? Church relationships are no different. Accepting each other is an important key to making this “marriage” work. At some point you say to yourself, you know what? I love him, I love her even though he/she is not perfect. There are things that cause pain and require a measure of grace to be dealt with. If we are to move beyond those things, we have to remember there are six words that are as important as any spoken in a marriage or relationship: Those six words are “I am sorry” and “I forgive you.” If you're unable to say those words, you have no chance of making a friendship, a family relationship, a marriage or a church last. It's that simple.

We have got to get our act together! They need us. They are counting on us. They'll know... They'll know we are Christians by the love we show for each other.

We have to exemplify God's love in every aspect of our lives, but it is critical that we show love within the church. This story was related to me and it hit so close to home, it felt like a story I could have told myself. “I became a Christian as a teenager, and I immediately wanted to be involved in my church. Hoping to channel that enthusiasm, the church leaders put me on the committee which was planning the promotion for the church's building fund. The adults were working on a brochure, which I was supposed to help them write. It was exciting to be performing an important service, and to be working along side a group of mature Christians-or so I thought.

After the first meeting it was clear that these "mature" believers were more concerned about whether or not to have an air conditioner in the new sanctuary than they were about spiritual matters. They argued and fought through the entire meeting. I got my eyes off the creator and onto the creation, and it was discouraging. For 6 years after that day I refused to go to church, read the Bible or even consider anything relating to Christianity. "If that's what Christians are like, why would I want to be one?" I reasoned.”

You see? They'll know! They will figure it out before we even get the chance to tell them about Jesus and the unfathomable love he has for every single person. Mahatma Ghandi said, “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” Do not let this be our story.

Let our story be about how we ripped off roofs to introduce a hurting world to the love of the one who knows our name. Who can't wait to see us face to face.

Chapter 3 of Paul's letter to the Corinthians shows us what church ISN'T supposed to be: He opens that chapter by saying “But for right now, friends, I'm completely frustrated by your unspiritual dealings with each other and with God. You're acting like infants in relation to Christ.” He goes on to say that if they are going to act like children then he will just have to treat them like children. They are suffering from an immature faith that leads to fighting, jealousy, selfishness and worshiping the leaders instead of God.

He says “Who do you think Paul is, anyway? Or Apollos, for that matter? Servants, both of us...” he continues in verse 6... “I planted the seed, Apollos watered the plants but God made you grow.”

The mission statement of the United Methodist Church states that we are “to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” Disciples, by biblical definition aren't simply worship attenders or financial givers, but people who answer the call to follow Jesus with their lives. And their love.

No message about love would be complete without you hearing about God's love toward us. If we can grasp that concept – then the rest is just making sure that light shines through you.

For those of you who celebrated a love relationship on Valentine's Day Friday, I want you to close your eyes and think back to the beginning of that love. Remember when your heart would beat a little faster when the phone rang because you knew it was your love on the other end? Remember times that you spent on the front porch because kisses were like potato chips, you couldn't stop until you ate the whole bag. Remember waking up and seeing your love asleep next to you and feeling the love so intensely that your breath caught in your throat and a tear came to your eye? Maybe it isn't a romantic love that you remember. Maybe it is the love for a child. Or a child for a parent. Just think right at this moment about an intense, heart-stopping love. Guess who loves you more than that?

A man named Bill was taking care of his father as he died of cancer. His father had become frail and depended on Bill to do everything for him. Although he was physically not what he had been, his mind remained alert and lively. In the role reversal common to adult children who care for their dying parents, Bill would put his father to bed and read him to sleep, exactly as his father had done for him in childhood. Bill would read from some novel and his father would lie there, staring at his son, smiling. Bill was exhausted from the day's care and work and would plead with his Dad, “look, here's the idea. I read to you, you fall asleep.” Bill's father would impishly apologize and dutifully close his eyes. But this wouldn't last long. Soon Bill's father would pop one eye open and smile at his son. Bill would catch him and whine, “now come on.” The father would again, oblige, until he couldn't anymore, and the other eye would open to catch a glimpse of his son. Bill knew that this evening ritual was really a story of a father who just couldn't take his eyes off his kid. How much more so God?

Anthony DeMello writes, “Behold the One beholding you, and smiling.”

I realized last night, after I thought this message was finished...There is one thing wrong with the choir's anthem. They. With all due respect to Peter Scholtes, that is part of the problem...us and them. We shouldn't be separated. We are one in the spirit. We are one in the Lord. It's about ALL of us. We'll know we are Christian by our love.

Let's pray for unity.

Let's walk with each other – hand in hand.

Spread the news that God is in our land.

Work with each other – side by side.

Guard each one's dignity and save each one's pride.

We'll know we are Christians by our love. Everyone needs to hear about this incredible. Unfathomable. Unconditional. Love. We need to hear this too. We need to come to the place of accepting this for ourselves. We need to know – we are wholly acceptable to God. And he loves us. Right here. Right now.

In Tattoos on the Heart, Pastor G relates a story about Willy. Willy has hit up G for a ride and 20 bucks. When Pastor G stops at the ATM to coax the 20 from his thin bank account Willy asks him for the keys so he can listen to the radio but G tells him to pray instead. When he returns to the car he finds Willy changed. Quiet and reflective and he knows that Willy has made a connection to God. Listen...(here I played a 30 second clip where Pastor G asks Willy how he sees God. Willy replies that “God is my dog.” (meaning his homie, good thing) Then he asks Willy how he thinks God sees him. After some thought Willy says, “He thinks I'm firme (spanish word).” In gang terms, it means “it could not be one bit better.”)

God thinks that we are all Firme. He loves us completely. When we recognize how much God loves us.

Right now.

Not when we do better.

Not when we get our checklist done: read bible daily, fast weekly, tithe, stop speeding, never lose our temper...

No, we are wholly acceptable. No conditions. Firme. Could not be one bit better.

When we dive into the depths of that unfathomable love, then we start to see the people around us differently. And this love thing starts to spread. And this just might catch on.

Shock and Awe

This message was first delivered at Centenary United Methodist Church in Lynchburg, Virginia on June 23, 2013. It is based on the lectionary text 1 Kings 19:1-15a. On that Sunday I also delivered the children's sermon which was a rousing telling of the contest between Elijah and the prophets of Baal.

A man appeared before St. Peter at the pearly gates. St. Peter asked the man if he had done anything of merit in his life. The man said that once when he was traveling in the Black Hills of South Dakota he found a group of bikers threatening a young woman. He told them to leave her alone, but they wouldn't listen. So he grabbed the biggest biker, punched him, kicked over his bike, ripped his nose ring out and threw it on the ground. Then he said, “back off or you'll answer to me!” St. Peter was impressed and asked the man when that had happened. The man said “about 5 minutes ago.”

That has to be a little like what Elijah felt – here he has this huge confrontation with 450 prophets of Baal...and he WINS...but now he is running for his life.

Ahab and Elijah have encountered each other before. They first meet when Elijah comes to tell Ahab that a drought is going to come over the land that will last for a long time. In the third year of the drought the Lord send him back to Ahab and Elijah tells him he needs to straighten up and decide whether he is going to worship the one true God or continue to worship false gods. Ahab is not a good king – in fact 1 Kings 16:33 says that he was a new champion of evil. He has made the God of Israel angrier than all the previous kings of Israel put together! And his wife, the Phoenician princess Jezebel doesn't help the situation. She actually supported the prophets of Baal from the royal treasury!

So when Ahab tells Jezebel what Elijah has done, she is shocked and greatly angered. Her response is: So may the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life like the life of one of them by this time tomorrow: Jezebel heard about all that Elijah had done, encompassing the great confrontation at Mount Carmel. Yet her response was not to say, "The silence of Baal and the fire from Yahweh proves that I am wrong and Yahweh is God." Instead, she responded with a vow to kill within 24 hours the man who exposed the lie of Baal worship and displayed the glory of Yahweh.

If Elijah thought that the miracle at Mount Carmel would have been the beginning of the conversion of the whole court and of the country, he was mistaken. And now he is greatly discouraged.

Then he was afraid; he got up and fled for his life, and came to Beersheba. We cannot say for certain if this was led of God or not. It is clear that God wanted to protect Elijah, but we cannot say if God wanted to protect him at Jezreel or protect him by getting him out of Jezreel. Nevertheless, Elijah went about 80 miles south to Beersheba. Maybe Elijah played into Jezebel's hand. After all, had she really wanted Elijah dead, she surely would have seized him without warning and slain him. What she desired was that Elijah and his God be discredited before the new converts what had aided Elijah by executing the prophets of Baal.

Regardless, he does flee and after leaving his servant in Beersheba, he goes another day into the wilderness finally coming to rest under a solitary broom tree. Further into seclusion. There – this mighty prayer warrior of God, the one only recently prayed fire from the skies to prove the power of Yaweh...prays that he might die.

It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors. Elijah is in a serious state of depression. He has had enough. He is saying “I can't do this any more Lord.” The work was stressful, exhausting, and it seemed to have accomplished nothing. The great miracle at Mount Carmel did not result in a lasting national revival or return to the Lord. Elijah probably hoped that the events on Mount Carmel would turn around Ahab and Jezebel and the leadership of Israel. But Elijah forgot that people reject God despite the evidence, not because of the evidence.

He says he is no better than his ancestors. When he looks at the apparent failure of his ministry he instinctively blames his own unworthiness.

I think we can all relate to Elijah's despair. At some point in our lives we've all gotten to the point where we say, “what's the point? I can't go on. I don't want to go on.” If you haven't, then praise the Lord! Because the rest of us have gotten to the end of our rope at some point in our lives. Maybe we were overwhelmed by a family issue or something at work or even felt burned out in our faith or church ministry. Perhaps you or someone you know has even lay under the broom tree and wanted to give up completely. Prayed for death.

God didn't grant Elijah's prayer for death. He gave him something else.

In the midst of this great despair, God sent an angel. Not with a pep talk...he took care of Elijah's physical needs first. Suddenly an angel touched him and said to him, “Get up and eat.” He looked, and there at his head was a cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. He ate and drank, and lay down again. The angel of the Lord came a second time, touched him, and said, “Get up and eat, otherwise the journey will be too much for you.”

God first ministered to Elijah's physical needs. This is not always His order, but physical needs are important. Sometimes the most spiritual thing a person can do is get enough rest and replenishment. And he received that repeatedly – one quick nap and one quick meal wasn't enough. Food and rest were the first elements needed to help this poor depressed servant of God.

It was very gracious of God to deal with Elijah in this way. Some of us might have expected a rebuke – but God didn't tell him to “walk it off” or “suck it up” - instead he allowed him respite, rest and renewal. Exactly what he needed before his long journey. And a long journey it was!

God sent Elijah on a 200 mile, 40 day trip to Mount Horeb, also known as Mount Sinai. God didn't demand an immediate recovery – he allowed his prophet time to recover from his spiritual depression. Although the trip could have been accomplished in about 2 weeks, Elijah spends 40 days traveling to Mount Horeb and upon arrival he spends the night in a cave. Literally, the Hebrew word is definite in describing “the cave.” The cave may well have been the specific “cleft of the rock” where God appeared to Moses rather than the cave-region in general. We do know that this was a sacred mount – perhaps no spot on Earth is more associated with the manifested presence of God.

Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” How often have we heard that? Sometimes when we think things are starting to smooth out – God says, “What are you doing here?” God knew the answer, but he allowed Elijah to speak freely and unburden his heart:

Elijah answered, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away. He sounds like the despair he felt back in the wilderness near Beersheba isn't completely healed! He protests to God, “I have faithfully served You and now look at the danger I'm in!” To Elijah – and many servants of God since – it seemed unfair that a faithful servant of God should be made to suffer. And strangely, the reasons that Elijah provided for wanting to give up, are actually the critical reasons he should stay alive! If he really was the last prophet or believer alive, should he not seek to live as long as possible? If the enemies of God like Jezebel wanted him dead, shouldn't he seek to defeat her wicked ways? But this is what fear and unbelief will cause in us!

Elijah was not really alone, but that is how he felt. Near the end of chapter 19 (verse 18), God states that there are seven thousand in Israel who have not bowed to Baal. But discouraging times make God's servants feel more isolated and alone than they are.

We all have times like these, don't we? Feeling like we're carrying the whole burden of a task alone? Why don't more people help out with teaching Sunday school? Where are all the volunteers for member visitation? Why doesn't everyone care about what I care about as much as I care about it?

Friends, we're going to have to face it – not everyone wants to work with children, not everyone wants to sing in the choir, not everyone has the skills to paint sets for the Christmas play. But when we look around, we see we're not really alone. Each person has to find their place. And we must learn to respect that.

Make no mistake though – we all have a responsibility as Christians. We are all under the same directive – to go forth and make disciples of Jesus Christ. I'm just saying that we won't all be moved to do that by volunteering in the nursery.

So, what did God do after he let Elijah vent? After Elijah said, “I've served you faithfully but now I'm running for my life and the children of Israel have broken their covenant, torn down your altars and killed your prophets and I'm all that's left...” “I'm really, really good and they're really, really bad. Life isn't fair. Nobody loves me, everybody hates me, I think I'll eat a worm....”

God says, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Oh man. Get ready. Daddy's home and now you're gonna get it. The last time God manifested himself on this mountain Moses' face glowed so much that people were frightened of him.

Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but theLord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence.

Note that the Lord was NOT in the wind, He was NOT in the earthquake and He was NOT in the fire. That seems to be the place that people expect to see God. In the big shows. In the shock and awe. People expect God to show himself in the big displays of power and might. And truly his power and might can be witnessed in those displays. But those dramatic manifestations are not the same as personal encounters with God. We often forget the lesson, “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord.”

after the fire a sound of sheer silence. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.

Elijah knew. He sensed the presence. He wrapped his face in his mantle and stood at the entrance of the cave. He knew that God was present in the still small voice, the gentle whisper – in a way that He was not in the more dramatic phenomenon. Because of that special presence of God, Elijah humbled himself by covering his face. He was subdued. He was awe-stricken. Full of reverence. Oh, what a wondrous thing. To be humble enough to admit that we are human. Sinners. In need of grace.

And then the voice of God asked again, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

I'm not sure that after a wind that was breaking rocks or an earthquake or fire...that I would have had the guts to give the same answer as before...but Elijah says again, perhaps more humbly? “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.”

There is nothing wrong with his answer. It is an honest answer. “I've been working for you faithfully, I feel all alone and I fear for my life.” I think we all agree that we have felt this way – maybe we don't have the death threat over our heads from Jezebel. Maybe we fear something else for our lives. Maybe we are afraid that our friends won't understand if we are a prophet for the Lord. Maybe we are afraid that our lives will change if we become zealous about our faith. Maybe there is something that we don't want to give up in our lives.

Perhaps we are feeling all alone in our walk. Perhaps we think nobody cares enough about the ministry of the church that we are most passionate about. Maybe we are still laying under the broom tree hoping for an angel to come and give us hope and encouragement.

God's answer to Elijah was not what I expected. If I were Elijah I would have been hoping for a “well done my good and faithful servant, here's your cushy arm chair and an unlimited supply of snacks.” I might have settled for “you poor thing. Why don't you take a vacation and go contemplate the stars and the vastness of the universe?” I sure wouldn't have wanted God's answer to Elijah.

“Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king over Aram”...and so on, and so on...

A work assignment? Really?

But that is exactly what Elijah needed. Something to do. He needed a task to focus on so he could avoid excessive introspection. He needed to stop looking at himself and his own (admittedly difficult) circumstances. He needed to get on with what God wanted him to do. He sent him off about his Master's business again. I will bet you that when he went back over that road, it was with a different step than what brought him down to Beersheba. He came along terrified and depressed; now he goes back having witnessed majesty. He's not going to be afraid of Jezebel now!

Elijah is like all of us – we can be overwhelmed and burned out. We can feel lost and alone. God provided exactly what Elijah needed. Rest and rejuvenation, time for reflection, a glimpse of his majesty and power – and then the last piece: a kick in the pants.

Get back to work! You're not done yet! He also send him to recruit Elisha, giving him a friend and successor. He informed him that there were 7000 faithful – that Elijah was not alone. That the worship of the true God was still being retained, though Elijah did not know that there was even one beside himself. That the still small voice was still doing for Israel what Elijah could not do alone.

How many of us need to rededicate ourselves to the work of the one true God? Are we feeling Elijah-ish? Maybe we burned out and got stuck in the rest and rejuvenation phase? Still wandering around on the path to Mount Horeb? Or are we sitting in our cave waiting for a big show of God's power? Or have we witnessed God's power and feel unworthy and unsure of what our work assignment is?

Today, start being in prayer about your role in God's church. Be encouraged. God is with us every step of the way. W. Macintosh Mackay wrote in Words of this Life: There are three kinds of Christian workers - canal barges, sailing ships, and Atlantic liners. The canal barges need to be dragged to the work. Often they do wonderfully well, but on the whole one volunteer is better than three pressed into service. The sailing ships make fine going as long as wind and tide are with them, but when things get hard, when 'the winds are contrary,' when the work is discouraging, they turn tail and sail away. But give me the Atlantic-liner type of worker, the person who can fight through wind and tempest, because within there burns the mighty furnace of the love of Christ.

Burn mighty. Fight through the wind and tempest. Spread the love of Jesus Christ.

In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen.