Doubt and Faith - Where the Rubber Meets the Road

This message was first delivered at Providence United Methodist and White's United Methodist in Rustburg, Virginia on April 8, 2018. It is based on the lectionary text of John 20:19-31.

Doubt and Faith

“When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”

A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

There is a lot going on in this passage of scripture prescribed by the lectionary for the first Sunday after Easter! It is a continuation of the resurrection story of last week – this astounding turn of events in the lives of the disciples, Jesus is alive? Have you heard that Mary SAW him and spoke with him? Jesus is alive? The followers of Jesus were reeling. It has been an incredible week from the high of the parade in Jerusalem with Jesus riding on the back of a donkey and the people raising their voices and waving palm branches to the unbelievable betrayal of Judas and that mockery of a trial? And when Pilate gave the people an opportunity to set Jesus free as his token of respect for the Passover...the people picked Barabbas, a known murderer? It was only a few days ago that the disciples had suffered through the horror of Friday...watching their teacher, leader and friend nailed to a cross and hung between two common criminals to die. The disciples saw the sky grow dark and when Jesus breathed his last – the curtain in the temple tore in two! Incredible stories of tombs opening up and the dead being raised and walking around the holy city. Yes...this has been an incredible week for the followers of Jesus. And just when they are beginning to wrap their heads around the death of Jesus...now Mary says that she has seen Jesus and he is alive. I think we all would be feeling some doubt. That evening – answers arrive.

Jesus drops by. And he drops by with style...he appears among them in a locked room. Shazam. These are folks on edge. They are behind locked doors for a very good reason – the Jewish leaders are to be feared. There is no reason to believe that the disciples aren't going to be next – clearly the establishment is planning to eradicate this rebellion. Suddenly, Jesus is THERE. And he shows them his hands and side – they don't even have to ask! And they are exuberant. I can only imagine. This is amazing. And I'm sure they were freaked out! The first thing Jesus says is “peace be with you.”

Peace? Impossible! But Jesus isn't calling for quiet – he's calming and reassuring the followers that this is real. They aren't hallucinating, he is really there with them. And John tells us that Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit on them. And he gave them an instruction - If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained. And before they get to ask him “what do you mean when you say that?” - in John's gospel, he is gone.

And later, Thomas shows up and is treated to the most incredible news. The rumors are true, Jesus is alive – he was here! Thomas wants proof. This is too much...it isn't possible according to all of the human laws of physics and logic. Thomas has seen miracles performed by Jesus that defy those scientific realities. He was there at the feeding of the 5000. He's been part of Jesus' posse for a couple years – astounding is kind of what Jesus did. But Thomas and the other followers have had their world shattered.

In the space of a week things have turned upside down. And now folks are trying to tell Thomas that it really is ok...Jesus is risen from the dead. Thomas can't shift gears that fast. I totally relate. Even when there is good news at the end of a tough situation it is difficult for me to shake off the dark stuff and embrace the light. Lost my key last week and even after it turned up, the evening felt broken. I understand that it is human nature and that I'm apparently responding to years of evolution of the human experience. This tendency to focus on the negative is part of what kept our ancestors alive. Watching out for predators and dangers was once key to survival. Somebody needs to inform my reptilian brain that I'm not likely to be attacked in the wilds of Madison Heights.

I relate to Thomas more than just his inability to rapidly embrace new information. I completely relate to the doubt. And Thomas and I aren't alone. Thomas may be the most famous doubter – but he's just an example of all our humanity. We doubt. We ask for proof. Sometimes we demand it. We feel entitled to uncover “the truth” - we want the whole story. Show me.

Thomas says, “Unless I see the nail holes in his hands, put my finger in the nail holes, and stick my hand in his side, I won’t believe it.” And a week passes by and the disciples are again together locked away behind closed doors. Jesus appears. And again he calmly reassures the group by saying, “Peace be with you.” Then he focuses on Thomas. “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.”

Thomas didn't even have to ask. Jesus knew. Look carefully at how Jesus treats Thomas. John does not report that Jesus was angry. He encourages Thomas to seek the assurance that he seeks. And the dam in Thomas bursts and he declares immediately, “My Lord and my God.” The doubt is washed away. Can you feel the relief of knowing that Thomas experienced?

Then Jesus simply says, “Have you come to believe because you've seen me? It would have been even better if you had believed without proof.” Eugene Peterson's The Message phrases that part of verse 29 as “Even better blessings are in store for those who believe without seeing.” Nowhere does it say there is punishment for doubt – it says “even better” if you believe without demanding proof. Jesus understood Thomas and he understands us.

I think that I am fortunate to teach the youth Sunday School class at Centenary. They are an energetic bunch of middle and high schoolers who are in the first Sunday school class where the teacher says on a regular basis “I don't have all the answers.” (Truth be told, I don't even have all the questions!) Encouraging them to explore what their faith means to them as individuals is a tricky transition from the “reading bible stories and coloring pictures of Jesus” Christian education to “what does this mean for ME today?” One of those youth asked me one day if I ever had any doubts about whether all this is real or something somebody made up.

Ever? Oh yes honey...yes...and I'm not alone.

Mother Teresa of Calcutta, now Saint Teresa, was known for dedicating her life to the poor, sick and dying in India. When people are asked about modern day saints – she is the example that more people point to than any other 20th century figure. Even though she has been dead for a little over 20 years, most of us can picture her stooped figure. Her faith is so celebrated that the Catholic church canonized her in 2016 (that is, declared her a saint). So there were some that were stunned when a book of her letters was published in 2007. Because those letters revealed a side of Mother Teresa that only her closest confidants knew...she felt doubt.

A few excerpts from those letters reveal a heart that I understand. In September 1979 she wrote to a friend, “Jesus has a very special love for you. As for me, the silence and the emptiness is so great that I look and do not see, listen and do not hear.” Even soon after she began the Missionaries of Charity in 1950 she wrote “Please pray specially for me that I may not spoil His work and that Our Lord may show Himself — for there is such terrible darkness within me, as if everything was dead,” “It has been like this more or less from the time I started ‘the work.’” At times she even found it hard to pray. “I utter words of community prayers — and try my utmost to get out of every word the sweetness it has to give — but my prayer of union is not there any longer — I no longer pray.”

There were some who found these dark letters disturbing and wished the publishers had not included them in the collection. I'm glad they are there.

They give ME immeasurable comfort. Finally a saint I can relate to! Because I relate to Thomas and Teresa – I have times of doubt. Because this isn't logical! I have one friend that I see when I visit the Outer Banks who is agnostic. We've spent SO many hours debating the existence of God that I have lost track. He has said many times, “you are one of the most intelligent people I know. How can you believe in something so unbelievable?” We've gone through the whole Bible as literary device supported by other writings of the early church and Eusebius and Pliny the Elder and Josephus... but it always comes back to the question of belief in absence of proof. “Why wouldn't a God make it more clear that he exists...write it in the sky?”

Well, Thomas...because that is the easy way. As Jesus said to him, “how much better it would be if you believed without seeing.” Jesus knew the early church was going to have to dig down and rely on their faith during the coming times – it was going to be tested and he needed it to be stronger than just believing what you can see, what you can prove. Because that is fleeting, depending on your level of trust in the proofs. How much better it is to be able to believe when you can't see. That takes trust. Jesus was encouraging his followers to hang tough in the face of a world that was already questioning if he was truly the Messiah or just another prophet. They were going to need faith.

But here's the thing – we've come to equate doubt with a lack of faith. And that's not accurate. Paul Tillich, German-American theologian and philosopher said, “Doubt is not the opposite of faith; it is one element of faith.” Doubt is an element of faith? The dictionary defines doubt as “to be uncertain about something” and it defines faith as “belief that is not based on proof.” How is doubt PART of faith? Well, ask yourself, “what do Doubting Thomas, Doubting Teresa and Doubting Chris all have in common?”

They kept showing up.

The scripture from John says that it is a week after Jesus first appeared to Mary, the followers on the road to Emmaus and the group in the locked room. Plenty of time for Thomas to get out of town before the Jewish leadership decide it is time for more of Jesus' crowd to die. After all, they are already having to deal with these rumors that he has returned from the dead – in Matthew's account the chief priests have paid off a contingent of the Roman guard. Matthew 28:11-15 from The Message, “Meanwhile, the guards had scattered, but a few of them went into the city and told the high priests everything that had happened. They called a meeting of the religious leaders and came up with a plan: They took a large sum of money and gave it to the soldiers, bribing them to say, “His disciples came in the night and stole the body while we were sleeping.” They assured them, “If the governor hears about your sleeping on duty, we will make sure you don’t get blamed.” The soldiers took the bribe and did as they were told. That story, cooked up in the Jewish High Council, is still going around.” But even a week after Thomas declares he doesn't believe it unless he sees it...he's there. Why?

Because Thomas was faithful. Despite the lack of tangible proof, he's there. Even though Mother Teresa couldn't always feel the presence of God...she showed up. And she continued to serve the God that she believed in – despite the doubt...because that is where faith kicks in.

It isn't hard to believe in the stuff that is right there in front of our eyes – belief in the face of doubt is where the rubber hits the road. Are we in this for the long haul or are we just going to fall away when confronted with the challenges of the world? Because the world is always going to challenge our belief – going to encourage our doubts...are we going to show up for God anyway?

There is a website that I discovered during my study and preparation for this message – roomfordoubt.com – which has a section called Stories of Doubt. I really resonated with a story from Bob about his journey. Bob grew up in an inner city neighborhood. In junior high he attended church with an uncle and soon accepted Christ. He was in a racially charged junior high and high school, with a riot closing his high school a month before graduation. During that time he relied on God and was in constant prayer. Then he went to a Bible college. And the environment changed and he said without the imminent dangers he found himself with the “luxury of doubt” and his mind was soon asking serious questions about Christianity. (1) Is God even there? (2) If there is a God, why should I believe the Bible? (3) If there is a God, why should I believe God really cares about me?

And it took time and effort but Bob continued to seek answers. He talked with professors and read a lot of books and came to these conclusions with that period of growth: “By then I had decided that God is real. I had decided that the Bible is reliable. I had discovered that great intellectuals believed, and I had decided that the evidence was strong enough that I must also believe. But I still wondered about my own place before God. Then I read Francis Schaeffer’s True Spirituality. There I decided that God cares personally about me because God says so. I remember crossing the threshold to decide to take God at God’s word. In the face of demanding evidence, I chose to believe and to reinforce the decision of surrender I had made years earlier. I believe that the Holy Spirit is always working with all of us, either from the outside or from within. I believe that even then God was leading me through times of question and encounter, always giving me opportunity to draw closer, but also leaving me the option to go the other direction. God’s grace protected me, led me, and stimulated me, allowing attacks and doubts to give me opportunity to choose to believe. To God be the glory!”

John completes Chapter 20 by revealing why he wrote the gospel - Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

Have you come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah? Are you willing to follow even when you don't have all the answers? There are a lot of people, including professing Christians, who do have doubts about God and the identity of Jesus. One option is just to tell them to stop doubting, because it’s totally incompatible with having “true faith” and therefore wrong.

Another option is to give them an opportunity to talk about their questions and doubts and help them work through it. I've decided to practice what Jude commands in Jude 1:22 “And have mercy on some, who are doubting.” Because this isn't a sprint – it is a marathon. We've got to keep showing up, making an impact on a hurting world and through the journey we find these kindred souls all struggling with something...also continuing to show up.

And in those periods of time when we feel like we have all the answers – let us be humbled to recognize that Jesus meets us where we are. On the journey, not just at the destination.

I'll close with a poem I discovered by Norman Shirk of the Dallas Theological Society - 

DOUBT

Let me meet you on the mountain, Lord,
Just once.
You wouldn't have to burn a whole bush.
Just a few smoking branches
And I would surely be ...your Moses.

Let me meet you on the water, Lord,

Just once.
It wouldn't have to be on White Rock Lake.
Just on a puddle after the annual Dallas rain
And I would surely be...your Peter.

Let me meet you on the road, Lord,
Just once.
You wouldn't have to blind me on North Central Expressway.
Just a few bright lights on the way to chapel
And I would surely be...your Paul.

Let me meet you, Lord,
Just once.
Anywhere. Anytime.
Just meeting you in the Word is so hard sometimes
Must I always be...your Thomas?

Yes, we all go through times of doubt and questioning just like Thomas. If we didn't have any doubts, we would have nothing but an empty hollow faith. Embrace these chances to grow in faith. It's when we overcome those doubts and see God's grace that we truly learn to believe.

Promise Keeping

This message was first delivered at Mt. Zion United Methodist Church in Rustburg, Virginia on December 31, 2017. It is based on the lectionary text of Luke 2:22-40.

Promise Keeping

“Then when the days stipulated by Moses for purification were complete, they took him [Jesus] up to Jerusalem to offer him to God as commanded in God’s Law: “Every firstborn male shall be a holy offering to God,” and also to sacrifice the “pair of doves or two young pigeons” prescribed in God’s Law.

In Jerusalem at the time, there was a man, Simeon by name, a good man, a man who lived in the prayerful expectancy of help for Israel. And the Holy Spirit was on him. The Holy Spirit had shown him that he would see the Messiah of God before he died. Led by the Spirit, he entered the Temple. As the parents of the child Jesus brought him in to carry out the rituals of the Law, Simeon took him into his arms and blessed God:

God, you can now release your servant; release me in peace as you promised. With my own eyes I’ve seen your salvation; it’s now out in the open for everyone to see: A God-revealing light to the non-Jewish nations, and of glory for your people Israel.

Jesus’ father and mother were speechless with surprise at these words. Simeon went on to bless them, and said to Mary his mother,

This child marks both the failure and the recovery of many in Israel,
A figure misunderstood and contradicted— the pain of a sword-thrust through you— But the rejection will force honesty, as God reveals who they really are.

Anna the prophetess was also there, a daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher. She was by now a very old woman. She had been married seven years and a widow for eighty-four. She never left the Temple area, worshiping night and day with her fastings and prayers. At the very time Simeon was praying, she showed up, broke into an anthem of praise to God, and talked about the child to all who were waiting expectantly for the freeing of Jerusalem.

When they finished everything required by God in the Law, they returned to Galilee and their own town, Nazareth. There the child grew strong in body and wise in spirit. And the grace of God was on him."

Last year when my sister called my parents to wish them a happy New Year, my dad answered the phone. "Well, Dad, what’s your New Year’s resolution?" she asked. "To make your mother as happy as I can all year," he answered. In the background she heard mom yell, “and I'm going to make sure he keeps that resolution!”

It is the beginning of a New Year. Many people start the new year by making some New Year Resolutions. Usually it is a promise to do better next year than we did last year in some way. About 41% of Americans make resolutions but approximately 80% of them fail by the second week of February. The top ten resolutions for 2018 according to research by the research institute Statistic Brain are: Find a better job, Find the love of my life, Do more good deeds for others, Learn something new, Work out more often, Spend more time with family and friends, Do more exciting things, Quit smoking, Make better financial decisions, Eat healthier and lose weight.

No wonder the success rate is so low. These are some pretty ambitious goals!

But some people just don't take New Year's resolutions very seriously. After all, they are just promises to yourself. If you don't follow through, it's no big deal. Well, it is a big deal! A promise is a promise -- and it is important to keep your promises -- even if it is just a promise to yourself.

We see in today's gospel lesson that God is always faithful in keeping His promises. Simeon had lived in “prayerful expectancy” of the Messiah. And he witnessed the fulfillment of that promise. Anna was an elderly widow who had committed her left to constant worship, fasting and prayer in the temple. These two encounters with the infant Jesus (Leviticus 12 indicates this should take place 40 days after birth for a male child) are life-changing for each of them – although their reactions are different, it is clear that each of them immediately senses that there is something unique about Jesus. Something that connects with their very souls. Simeon gazes upon the Christ child and proclaims that he can now die in peace. Anna breaks into song!

Women are far less represented in the Bible than men, especially women with names. So whenever a woman with a name is part of the story, it is important to pay attention. Now, even though the Gospel of Luke has many women characters, as well as many passages that deal with women, in a lot of examples Luke presents women in parallel with a story about men. For example, in chapter one, there is an annunciation to Zechariah followed by an annunciation to Mary. In chapter seven, Jesus cures the dying son of the Centurion, and then raises the deceased son of the widow of Nain. In chapter eighteen there is a persistent widow paired with a humble tax collector. Often these women do not speak, and if they do, we are not privy to their actual words. Such is the case with Anna. But the scripture is quite clear about the her reaction to encountering Jesus. She responds by praising God. But she doesn’t just praise God. Luke says she also speaks about her experience to others, although he does not tell us what she said. He only describes her words as being offered to those who were looking for the redemption of Israel. In this way, Anna is the first evangelist in Luke. She is the first to go out and speak to others that the Messiah has been born!

Simeon's response is different but incredibly powerful in its own way: first he recognizes the fulfillment of God's promise. He had been led to the Temple and the Christ child by the Holy Spirit and he is awed. He speaks directly to God while gazing at the God Incarnate lying in his arms. “I can die happy now, because you have done what you promised. You have sent your salvation – for EVERYBODY!” And Joseph and Mary are stunned. Somehow their cover has been blown. You know they didn't check in at the temple front desk saying, “we're here with the Messiah for his 40 day purification.” But Simeon KNOWS. He doesn't have to be told who this is.

Simeon blesses the astonished couple and addresses Mary – his next sentences are pure prophesy. The New Revised Standard Version phrases his proclamation this way: “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too.” Now replace the generic concept of the people of Israel with the rock solid concept of ALL PEOPLE. Jesus is going to cause some to fall and some to rise. He will be opposed and the inner thoughts of many will be revealed. Including your thoughts. Hear verses 34 and 35 again – this time from the King James Version: “Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

For some, this is threatening. Imagine you are part of the religious elite of that day. Your very comfortable lifestyle of temple priest is built upon the structure of temple offerings, sacrifices, payment for access to forgiveness and ritual purification. WE know the rest of the story. We can see the foreshadowing of the next chapter...Jesus is about to turn this old system on its head. And we know that the religious establishment is not going to be happy with this new system. After all, if the people get to be in direct relationship with God...who is going to bring us lambs and calves and pigeons and gold and robes? If the people get to seek forgiveness from God, then I'm gonna be out of a job. AND, even more important...if we are ALL loved by God then how will I qualify for my super special snowflake bonus blessings? But on this 40^th day of Jesus' life, Simeon simply indicates that this baby is going to shake the world up. Does he know that this baby will grow up to heal the sick or feed over 5000 people with a few loaves and fishes? Does Simeon's crystal ball reveal the scenes of the future? Jesus calling fishermen and a tax collector and regular guys to be his closest followers, Jesus by the well talking with a WOMAN who was a known SINNER, Jesus flipping tables over in the temple, Jesus on trial...

Simeon may not have had the details, but he knew what was promised. He was a righteous man and would have heard the words of the prophets in the temple all his life. The words from Isaiah were familiar to him and he was prepared for “my whole being shall exult in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness.” He knew “The nations shall see your vindication, and all the kings your glory.” Simeon not only had HEARD the words of promise, he was prayerfully EXPECTANT. He believed this promise would come true.

Not that this was necessarily what the world expected. Nope. Many expected a powerful military leader to swoop in and reclaim lost lands and territories. They thought the Messiah would save Israel by might. Others might have expected some sort of high priest or prophet. A mighty king would have fit the bill. A baby born in a stable was not on anyone's radar. What kind of savior comes in such humility? Crusaders in cradles? Nonsense.

But we know...this truth is real. God came down to Earth to be WITH us. To be our advocate, to be our friend, our guide, example. And it was more radical than any warlord could ever hope to be.

Jesus came to get us back to the original program. To get things back on track, because humans had derailed this God-Man relationship train pretty seriously. The Old Testament is one long saga of God's people taking simple rules and complicating things. Garden of Eden? One simple rule, don't eat from THAT tree. Give humans a little time...FAIL. Ate from the tree, got kicked out of paradise. Later we see the people of Israel freed from captivity in Egypt – one simple rule, only gather enough manna for that day except when you get extra for Sabbath. People of Israel can't listen...they gather too much, and it gets worms! God gives Moses ten pretty simple rules...which he has to do TWICE because the first time Moses brings the tablets to the people he finds they've decided to worship a calf they made out of gold. What the heck people of Israel?

Ten commandments: Four are about our relationship to God. No other Gods before me. No idols. No misusing my name. Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy. The other six are about our relationship to others. One thing to DO: Honor your parents. Five things NOT to do: murder, commit adultery, steal, bear false witness or covet other people's stuff. And what do the people of Israel do with that? Look for loopholes and exceptions – so now we've got to define how to act in every possible situation.

Many years ago I was part of the staff of Lynchburg Cablevision, employed at the public access station. Although there were just two of us running Channel 6, we were part of the cable company staff and were required to attend monthly meetings which included such thrilling topics as how many truck rolls the repair crews had done and what equipment was expected to be going out for the latest Pay Per View wrestling extravaganza. Usually there were donuts, so I generally sat quietly and behaved myself. One month we were given notice of a new company policy handed down from Time Warner. It was now against policy for there to be any alcohol on or in company buildings or vehicles. Not a big problem...I rarely day drink on the job! Seriously though, this just seemed like a quick FYI but the General Manager asked if there were any questions. For 20 minutes the most unusual and unlikely scenarios were tossed out. “What if I have beer in my personal car?” “What if I want to brink someone a bottle of wine as a birthday present?” “Since the GM drives a company vehicle, does that mean you can't pick up a bottle at the ABC store on your way home?” On and on – and if they had to write a policy to spell it all out, it would span six pages and take fifteen lawyers to review. Just don't drink alcohol when you're working and driving our equipment would be too accusatory, I guess. Act like a grownup who needs their job is clearly too unclear. Humans.

Jesus came on to the scene and things were all tangled up. The law of Moses had grown to include 613 commandments. 248 things TO do and a whopping 365 to NOT do. This has drifted a long way from the original program.

So Jesus starts his ministry and Simeon's prophesy is coming true...this sign is being opposed! He heals and the people in power want to know by WHOSE authority he does such a thing. He socializes with commoners and riff-raff, tax collectors, harlots, Samaritans... He talks of the destruction of the temple. He tells rich people they've got to give up their stuff. He suggests that a widows mite given with the right attitude is worth much more than a pile of gold given with the wrong attitude. Finally, somebody asks him what part of the law is the most important.

Matthew 22:36-40 - “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

Ten commandments become 613 do's and don'ts and Jesus takes it back down to two. Love God. Love who and what God loves. Because if you love God, you won't misuse his name, you won't want other idols, you won't even be able to stop with Sabbath because your adoration of the One is complete. And if you love who and what God loves, you'll naturally honor your parents and those who are your earthly foundation. You won't want to murder or steal or commit adultery and why covet their stuff? If I love you – I want YOU to have your stuff!! And I can't imagine bearing false witness...lying about someone who I love! It just doesn't compute.

And if that didn't simplify this God-Human relationship enough – after the Last Supper, before Jesus offered himself up for us he gave his disciples one more instruction. In John's Gospel – Judas has just left the gathering and is headed to commit the ultimate betrayal, offering up his teacher and friend to the religious leaders of the day. Jesus addresses the rest of his inner circle, “Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” He says, okay boneheads...humans...just love each other, that will make this work.

And then the promise of salvation was fulfilled. Not in the way the world would have expected it – some sort of battle victory, or a great political coup or even a supernatural show of power like when Moses and crew encountered God at Mt. Sinai. No, this promise was fulfilled in the most humble way imaginable. Death. On a cross. Between two thieves. And still, in the midst of that incredible suffering he still showed the example of generosity and forgiveness... When everyone else would have counted him out, the thief who repented was assured that it was not too late. He would be with Jesus in paradise. With God, it is never too late. He is patiently waiting for us to turn back toward him.

You see? He PROMISED! He'd never leave us or forsake us.

I'm afraid that it is us who does the leaving. Thousands of years and we humans....ah, me...we still get all cocky and say, God...I got this, you can go worry about something else. Until we don't got it anymore and we cry out “Where'd you go God? Why did you leave?” If I were God, I'd smack us on the nose with a rolled up magazine. But God is greater than that. He wipes away our tears and welcomes us back into his presence.

What about us? How are we doing at keeping our promises? Today at Centenary six young men and ladies will be confirmed as members of the body of Christ. Today they will be asked to make some promises. They will have the opportunity to say that “Yes. I'm deciding this is for me. I'm choosing to be a follower of Jesus Christ.” And then, hopefully, they'll spend the rest of their lives figuring out what that looks like. They may think that they are finally finishing something – a confirmation class that began on Easter! - but in reality, their journey is just beginning.

On this dawn of a new year, this is a chance for us to renew our promise. Are we ready to say – maybe for the first time, maybe for the hundreth time – yes. I'm deciding this is for me. I'm choosing to be a follower of Jesus. I'm going to do that by showing love to everyone that I encounter. I accept the challenge of loving those who act unlovable, and who I disagree with, and who are different from me.

And the kingdom of God will come upon the earth.

Cornerstone

This message was first delivered at St. James United Methodist Church in Gladstone, Virginia and Monroe United Methodist Church in Monroe, Virginia on October 8, 2017. It is based on the lectionary text of Matthew 21:33-46.

Cornerstone

“Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his produce. But the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other slaves, more than the first; and they treated them in the same way. Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his inheritance.’ So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time.”

Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the scriptures:

‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone;
this was the Lord’s doing, and it is amazing in our eyes’?

Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom. The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.”

When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them. They wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowds, because they regarded him as a prophet.

Jesus and his parables. Sometimes the meaning is very subtle but in this case, he is blunt enough that the chief priests and Pharisees are scared. They are stuck between a cornerstone and a hard place. They would love to arrest him but they fear the crowds who have come to know Jesus as a prophet. I think their fear is misplaced...I think I'd be more worried about the Stone in verse 44. it will crush anyone on whom it falls.

When people in authority challenged Jesus, he often responded to their challenges with a parable. If those challenging him didn't get the first parable, he'd give them a second one. Today's Gospel lesson is just such a second parable. The first was the parable of the two sons in verses 28-32 which addressed the challenge posed by the chief priests and elders about the source of Jesus' authority. They wanted to know by WHOSE authority he was doing things like healing, tossing the tables in the temple, and teaching in the temple. Jesus tells them he'll answer their question if they can answer one for him – then he asks who authorized the baptism of John, heaven or humans? Knowing that they are trapped – that if they say it was from heaven then Jesus will want to know why they didn't believe what John preached OR if they say it was authorized by humans then the crowds will be angry because they respect John as a prophet. So they use every student's favorite answer “I don't know.” I love Jesus' response to that – you got no answer for me, I got no answer for you! Then he tells the first parable, as paraphrased here by Eugene Peterson's The Message, “A man had two sons. He went up to the first and said, ‘Son, go out for the day and work in the vineyard.’ “The son answered, ‘I don’t want to.’ Later on he thought better of it and went.

“The father gave the same command to the second son. He answered, ‘Sure, glad to.’ But he never went. “Which of the two sons did what the father asked?” They said, “The first.”

And the Pharisees scratched their heads. What did this have to do with authority? Jesus tries to clarify – you knuckleheads heard what John was saying. He was pointing out the right pathway and you chose to continue doing what you wanted. You give great lip service to loving God but fall real short on the execution of the plan.

So he tried with the second parable that we began with today – the ungrateful, unruly tenants of the vineyard. It begins with a situation that was business as usual in Roman-occupied Palestine. A landowner established a vineyard complete with a fence, a winepress, and even a watchtower. He then became an absentee landowner, returning to his own country as often happened in the far-flung territories of the Roman Empire. Tenants were in charge of overseeing the productivity of the vineyard and paying their rent to the owner at harvest time, in the form of a share of the produce. So far, so good: business was working as usual. Then everything came apart!

When the owner's slaves arrived to collect his share of the produce, the tenants attacked them, even beating one and killing another. The owner of the vineyard then simply sent another delegation of slaves to collect the rent. Hmm... this is not normal!

Those slaves were treated even worse than the first. Surely by now the owner would send in troops or some form of armed enforcement of his rights! But no, instead he sends his son, thinking by some logic that the thugs who have abused two delegations of slaves will respect the owner's son and heir. How foolish! In parallel folly the tenants reason that if they kill the son, they will get his inheritance. Apparently unaware of how ridiculous their notion is, they kill the son.

Are you still playing along with the parable? I hope so, because the punch line is almost here. Jesus asks his audience, "Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?" The answer is obvious, and the chief priests and Pharisees offer it: "He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time".

Whether the answer is given in a gloating voice or as a lament in fear and trembling depends on where those listening see themselves -- us -- in the story, and therein lays the catch. The chief priests and elders probably see themselves in the role of the landowner, caught in his own merciful response to those in his charge. They would be able to actually own land, and to have others manage it for them while they were busy with their administrative tasks in Jerusalem. They would see the servants as their subordinates and themselves as the real victims of the unscrupulous tenants, and they would be ready and even eager to pronounce judgment on them.

Ah, not so fast boys...maybe you'd better examine who is playing who in this little scenario. I'm not sure that you can cast yourselves as the owner. Maybe (as usual) you are missing the point. So Jesus spells it out, tells them to look it up in their Bibles – and quotes scripture to them. Psalm 118:22-23 to be exact. Psalm 118 is the last of the Psalms that make up the Great Hallel which Jews sang at the end of Passover. This is a passage with great cultural significance. It was probably written by David and is known as a Song of Victory. The 29 verses tell a story of one who overcame battles and storms and who is thanking and praising God for answering prayers and providing salvation. These would have been familiar words but Jesus is giving them a new frame of reference.

The stone the masons discarded as flawed is now the capstone!
This is God’s work. We rub our eyes—we can hardly believe it!

Jesus gets right to the point. Verses 43 and 44 from The Message: “This is the way it is with you. God’s kingdom will be taken back from you and handed over to a people who will live out a kingdom life. Whoever stumbles on this Stone gets shattered; whoever the Stone falls on gets smashed.”

Wait, what? When you said “YOU” did you mean us? God's kingdom will be taken back and given over to someone else? And they got it – the chief priests and Pharisees KNEW this was about them and couldn't get back at Jesus without inciting the crowd.

Now we just need to figure out where WE are in the parable. I think most of us get that we aren't the landowner. If you think you might be the landowner then we'll have to address that in a different sermon. We could be one of the groups of slaves that tries to collect the rent. And maybe that is a noble place to be – approaching those who are misusing their position of power. We can be those people who stand up to the status quo and work to correct injustice. But I see those groups as more aligned with the prophets including John the Baptist – sent to convey a message but found themselves abused, ridiculed and murdered.

And I don't think that I'm the son. I think we know that Jesus is talking about himself here. And once again foreshadowing his death at the hands of those in power.

So that just leaves the current tenants and the future tenants. Which group are we in there? Are we part of the establishment so wrapped up in our way of doing things that we don't see how far away we've gotten from God's purpose or are we willing to do God's will and offer back to him his portion of the harvest? Are we the son who said, “sure I'll go do the work...but never showed up” or are we the one who said, “I don't really want to. But then thought better and DID show up”

I know who Jesus wants us to be. He wants us to be the ones that show up. Because there is a lot of work to be done.

We are living in a world that needs to know the miracle of grace. People who feel disconnected and searching so hard for a place to belong that they don't know where to turn. We can point them to the one who loves them so much that he knows them by name, can count the hairs on their head – who longs to be in a deep and abiding relationship with them. We need to show up and tell them God loves them. God is crazy about us!

Take one more look at the parable from today with that knowledge – the landowner is crazy. First of all – he creates the excellent vineyard with fences and a winepress and even a watchtower. As someone who has worked in Virginia's wine industry I can tell you, vines do not produce wine the first year. Or the year after that. Most landowners of that time would have planted, then dug the winepress a couple years later and a watchtower wouldn't have been needed until after that! But he builds a top-notch facility from the start.

Then he goes to another country leaving it in the hands of the tenants. That's a normal arrangement. And he sent some servants to collect the rent. But things don't go smoothly. At all. But when he hears that his servants have been abused and murdered – he does something strange. He sends more servants.

He doesn't send soldiers or guards – he sends another batch of servants. That doesn't make sense. What he does next is right on the edge of lunacy. He decides that they'll have to respect his son. But we know what happens to him. They crucify him. But why does the owner do something so risky? So crazy? I found one answer in a children's sermon based on today's Gospel lesson – a story about a light bulb.

When Thomas Edison was working to invent this crazy contraption called a "light bulb" it took a whole team of men working for twenty-four hours to put just one light bulb together. The story is told that when Edison's team was finished with one light bulb, he gave it to a young boy to carry upstairs. Step by step he carefully carried it, afraid that he might drop this priceless piece of work. You can probably guess what happened; the poor boy dropped the bulb at the top of the stairs. It took the team of men twenty-four more hours to make another bulb. Finally, tired and ready for a break, Edison was ready to have his bulb carried upstairs. He gave it to the same young boy who dropped the first one.

That's true forgiveness. Mr. Edison gave the boy another chance!

God offers that same kind of forgiveness. He offers man a second chance — and a third! In this story that Jesus told, the landowner was God. God first sent men such as Noah, Moses, David, the prophet Isaiah, John the Baptist and others to tell the people of his love for them and to call them to turn from their wicked ways, but many would not listen. Finally, he sent His own Son, Jesus. You know what they did to him, don't you? That's right, they crucified him. God gave them a chance. He even gave them a second chance — and a third. It may seem crazy on the outside – but that is what unfathomable love is all about. God love isn't like any other but maybe this will give a glimpse.

This story is 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. Who sent his Son to be our Savior.

Embrace that God and there's no question of what role we will take in the parable. We will show up. We will introduce everyone we meet to this God. We will be so full of gratitude that we will be ready to turn over God's portion of the harvest to him without complaint, without abusing his messengers. We will be the new tenants in the new kingdom built on the solid foundation of our cornerstone.

When Jesus asks, which son will we be? The one that says, “sure, I'll do the job” but doesn't show up? Let our story be of the one who – although reluctant at first, thinks better of it...and gets into the vineyard!