The scriptures for this sermon are:
Micah 6:1-8
Matthew 5: 1-12
Three sons left home, went out on their own and prospered. Getting back together, they discussed the gifts they were able to give their elderly mother.
The first said, “I built a big house for our mother.”
The second said, “I sent her a BMW with a driver.”
The third smiled and said, “I’ve got you both beat. You remember how Mom enjoyed reading the Bible? And you know she can’t see very well. So I sent her a remarkable parrot that recites the entire Bible. It took elders in the church 12 years to teach him. He’s one of a kind. Mama just has to name the chapter and verse, and the parrot recites it.”
Soon thereafter, mom sent out her letters of thanks:
“Milton,” she wrote one son, “The house you built is so huge. I live in only one room, but I have to clean the whole house.”
“Gerald,” she wrote to another, “I am too old to travel. I stay most of the time at home, so I rarely use the BMW. And the driver is so rude!”
“Dearest Donald,” she wrote to her third son, “You have the good sense to know what your mother likes. The chicken was delicious”.
Outside of my mother’s house there is a tree that has been growing for over fifty years at least. It is massive, the trunk thick and strong and the branches extending to the heavens filled with big, green leaves. However, sometimes I have noticed that after winter has gone and spring begins not all of the branches bud. Sometimes there is a branch here or there that has nothing on it and it becomes dry and frail. The rest of the tree is beautiful but if someone doesn’t prune the dead branches, it will damage the rest of the tree as it dies.
This process isn’t so very different from what we have to do as good Christians. If we want to be healthy and strong we have to constantly reassess our lives and consider what needs to be different about ourselves. Sometimes we fall into bad habits that drag us down and take over our lives. That’s why it is important to pay attention to the advice we are often given in the bible such as verse 8 in Micah 6 where we are told to “Act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with God”.
Humility is one of the biggest stumbling blocks in a Christian’s life. Many of us want to be humble and try to be, but it is so much harder than Jesus makes it seem. One of my favorite Steelers player is Troy Polamalu, a Greek Orthodox Christian is considered one of the most humble football players in the NFL. However, about six weeks ago in a game he forced a fumble and when he saw he was about to be tackled, he did a backward pass to try to pick up more yards and the guy he threw it too just managed to catch it. After the game when he was asked about it, he answered, “The play at the end of the game was incredibly arrogant and selfish and foolish of me. I represent something bigger than myself: my faith, my family, and my team. I’ll try to never let that happen again.”
First of all, it takes a lot of guts to admit you are wrong. Second, even someone who tries to be humble and faithful can have moments of pride and selfishness. The lesson Troy learned is one that comes to all of us at some point in our lives. God does not enjoy a prideful person and from personal experience when you ask God to teach you to be more humble – he takes you up on that offer pretty quickly!
But the main reason we should be humble is because we are only here through God’s power and grace. We are told often in the Old Testament and in the New Testament that it is those who suffer who hold God’s favor. It is those people who understand how sinful, arrogant and selfish they are as human beings who receive God’s mercy and grace. Those people inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus tells us, “Blessed are the meek, the poor in spirit, blessed are those who mourn.” The Lord tells us how to be humble as well, the more we thank God and give him praise, the more aware we become of how little we have done to earn what we enjoy in life.
Humility and a passion for praise are the way we grow in grace. The Bible is full of self-humbling people who bow down before God, and people giving praise to God for their blessings. The healthy heart is one that bows down in humility and rises in praise and adoration. The Psalms strike both these notes again and again. Also, Paul in his letters both articulates humility and breaks into many praises. As the years pass Paul mentions in several letters to churches how he is the last of the apostles, the least of all saints and the foremost of sinners! And as his self-esteem sinks, so his rapture of praise and adoration for the God who so wonderfully saved him rises.
Without a doubt, learning to praise God all the time, for everything that is good is a mark that we are growing in grace. One of my professors who had once been in stage four of prostate cancer often told us how painful both the cancer and the treatment was during that time of his life. He told us that between bouts of agony and fear, in which he had to stuff his mouth with bedclothes to avoid biting his tongue, he would say aloud over and over again: "I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth" (Ps. 34:1). He said that the only way he knew of to get through the pain was to find joy in the Lord who is always good and beautiful.
If we want to grow in grace, we are to acknowledge that it is only with the Lord that we are able to do anything. It seems like such a simple thing, but all of us are tempted to take credit for what God has brought about in our lives. But if you want to grow in grace, try to be humble and always remember to praise the Lord for what you have been given.
Amen.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Monday, January 17, 2011
Blessed are Those Who Trust
The Scriptures are Psalm 40, and John 1: 29-42
A man fell off a cliff, but managed to grab a tree limb on the way down. The following conversation happened after he fell:
"Is anyone up there?"
"I am here. I am the Lord. Do you believe me?"
"Yes, Lord, I believe. I really believe, but I can't hang on much longer."
"That's all right, if you really believe you have nothing to worry about. I will save you. Just let go of the branch."
A moment of pause, then: "Is anyone else up there?"
How much trust must it have taken for Simon Peter to believe that Andrew truly had found the Messiah? How much trust did Andrew have to believe John when he witnessed that this Jesus was God’s Chosen One? And then there is John, who trusted in the Lord’s promise that the Messiah would come after him.
Is there a way to measure trust? Is there a way to measure faith so that all may know how faithful and trusting these men were? No. There is no measurable way other than to look at them and to see their actions and know that these men were all of God’s Chosen Ones. Chosen because they had room in their hearts for God’s Word. Chosen because they were willing to open their heart and spirit to God so that His Son might become their leader.
And just to prove how trusting these men were, we see throughout the New Testament how often people did not believe in Jesus. How often he was mocked and how much people loved to hate him. There are very few times when someone is not trying to trick Jesus into saying something wrong or when they are not trying to hurt his body. But still these men would follow Jesus right up to the very end because they trusted Him as their Messiah.
A few years ago in Afghanistan, a father, holding his small son by the hand, ran from a building that had been struck by a bomb. In the front yard was a shell hole. Seeking shelter as quickly as possible, the father jumped into the hole and held up his arms for his son to follow. Terrified, yet hearing his father's voice telling him to jump, the boy replied, "I can't see you!"
The father, looking up against the sky tinted red by the burning buildings, called to the silhouette of his son, "But I can see you. Jump!" The boy jumped, because he trusted his father. The Christian faith enables us to face life or meet death, not because we can see, but with the certainty that we are seen; not that we know all the answers, but that we are known.
The title of my sermon today is Blessed are those who trust. Blessed because their faith sets them free. Blessed because when a person stops doubting and fearing, room opens up in their soul for new things to happen. What am I talking about? The Holy Spirit of course! From the time we are children we are told to invite Jesus Christ into our heart. The Sunday school teachers tell us to, our parents and then when we are older the preacher says the same thing. We are all constantly harping on this because when a person invites Jesus into their heart, the Lord actually does say that he will live in us as we live in him.
John 15: 5-8 says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”
Think about those words. For us to bear fruit, for us to bring glory to God, we must invite Jesus into our hearts and there the Holy Spirit rests within us and that is where the really fun part begins. Because God doesn’t just sit idly by, the Lord doesn’t wait for us to change ourselves, but God helps us to change. It’s not an easy process either because I don’t think God believes in taking shortcuts to anything. When God decides it is time for us to change, he takes the long, hard road.
So that is the scary part of asking the Lord to live in us and for us to live in him. We are constantly urged by the Holy Spirit to open ourselves up to changing our sinful ways for Godly ones. The little voice in the back of our head that is constantly urging us to spend more time with our family, the voice that says the person who wronged you has a side in this argument too. The little voice that whispers maybe it is time to forgive your mother or father for what they did to hurt you. The little voice that says you are not the person you see in the mirror, but that you are the beloved child of God.
And let me tell you something else, if the little voice isn’t saying you’re loved by God then you better not listen to it anymore! The only way God speaks to us is with love. He may be firm and he may become angry with us at times, but he always, always loves us. So if you have a voice that is telling you that you are no good or that you aren’t worth anything, if you have a voice that mocks you – that’s not God. That voice is you, sabotaging yourself.
God truly is like a stern parent who will tell their child they have to be home by midnight and no, they cannot pierce that part of their body. They don’t do it because they are mean or hate their child, they do it so that their child will be safe and protected. God, wants you to be safe and protected. What would be the point of sending His Son to save us if God is going to tell you that you’re worthless? Hasn’t he already proven that you are worth His Son’s LIFE?
Do not listen to the lies that sinfulness will try to feed you. Do not listen to your own cynicism and bitterness. Instead, listen to the voice that urges you to forgive, to reconcile your differences, to be more honest in your communication with family and friends and coworkers. That is the voice of God. God is the voice of the baseball coach that tells his losing team, “You CAN do this. I believe in you!”
It all comes down to trust and what we choose to believe. Are we a people that are willing to jump into God’s arms even though we cannot see him and trust that he will catch us? Or are we a people that when God tells us to let go of the branch because he will save us, instead we ask if anyone else is up there? Only you can decide which group you fall into, but I will leave you with these words from 2Cor 5:7 “For we live by faith, not by sight”.
Amen.
A man fell off a cliff, but managed to grab a tree limb on the way down. The following conversation happened after he fell:
"Is anyone up there?"
"I am here. I am the Lord. Do you believe me?"
"Yes, Lord, I believe. I really believe, but I can't hang on much longer."
"That's all right, if you really believe you have nothing to worry about. I will save you. Just let go of the branch."
A moment of pause, then: "Is anyone else up there?"
How much trust must it have taken for Simon Peter to believe that Andrew truly had found the Messiah? How much trust did Andrew have to believe John when he witnessed that this Jesus was God’s Chosen One? And then there is John, who trusted in the Lord’s promise that the Messiah would come after him.
Is there a way to measure trust? Is there a way to measure faith so that all may know how faithful and trusting these men were? No. There is no measurable way other than to look at them and to see their actions and know that these men were all of God’s Chosen Ones. Chosen because they had room in their hearts for God’s Word. Chosen because they were willing to open their heart and spirit to God so that His Son might become their leader.
And just to prove how trusting these men were, we see throughout the New Testament how often people did not believe in Jesus. How often he was mocked and how much people loved to hate him. There are very few times when someone is not trying to trick Jesus into saying something wrong or when they are not trying to hurt his body. But still these men would follow Jesus right up to the very end because they trusted Him as their Messiah.
A few years ago in Afghanistan, a father, holding his small son by the hand, ran from a building that had been struck by a bomb. In the front yard was a shell hole. Seeking shelter as quickly as possible, the father jumped into the hole and held up his arms for his son to follow. Terrified, yet hearing his father's voice telling him to jump, the boy replied, "I can't see you!"
The father, looking up against the sky tinted red by the burning buildings, called to the silhouette of his son, "But I can see you. Jump!" The boy jumped, because he trusted his father. The Christian faith enables us to face life or meet death, not because we can see, but with the certainty that we are seen; not that we know all the answers, but that we are known.
The title of my sermon today is Blessed are those who trust. Blessed because their faith sets them free. Blessed because when a person stops doubting and fearing, room opens up in their soul for new things to happen. What am I talking about? The Holy Spirit of course! From the time we are children we are told to invite Jesus Christ into our heart. The Sunday school teachers tell us to, our parents and then when we are older the preacher says the same thing. We are all constantly harping on this because when a person invites Jesus into their heart, the Lord actually does say that he will live in us as we live in him.
John 15: 5-8 says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”
Think about those words. For us to bear fruit, for us to bring glory to God, we must invite Jesus into our hearts and there the Holy Spirit rests within us and that is where the really fun part begins. Because God doesn’t just sit idly by, the Lord doesn’t wait for us to change ourselves, but God helps us to change. It’s not an easy process either because I don’t think God believes in taking shortcuts to anything. When God decides it is time for us to change, he takes the long, hard road.
So that is the scary part of asking the Lord to live in us and for us to live in him. We are constantly urged by the Holy Spirit to open ourselves up to changing our sinful ways for Godly ones. The little voice in the back of our head that is constantly urging us to spend more time with our family, the voice that says the person who wronged you has a side in this argument too. The little voice that whispers maybe it is time to forgive your mother or father for what they did to hurt you. The little voice that says you are not the person you see in the mirror, but that you are the beloved child of God.
And let me tell you something else, if the little voice isn’t saying you’re loved by God then you better not listen to it anymore! The only way God speaks to us is with love. He may be firm and he may become angry with us at times, but he always, always loves us. So if you have a voice that is telling you that you are no good or that you aren’t worth anything, if you have a voice that mocks you – that’s not God. That voice is you, sabotaging yourself.
God truly is like a stern parent who will tell their child they have to be home by midnight and no, they cannot pierce that part of their body. They don’t do it because they are mean or hate their child, they do it so that their child will be safe and protected. God, wants you to be safe and protected. What would be the point of sending His Son to save us if God is going to tell you that you’re worthless? Hasn’t he already proven that you are worth His Son’s LIFE?
Do not listen to the lies that sinfulness will try to feed you. Do not listen to your own cynicism and bitterness. Instead, listen to the voice that urges you to forgive, to reconcile your differences, to be more honest in your communication with family and friends and coworkers. That is the voice of God. God is the voice of the baseball coach that tells his losing team, “You CAN do this. I believe in you!”
It all comes down to trust and what we choose to believe. Are we a people that are willing to jump into God’s arms even though we cannot see him and trust that he will catch us? Or are we a people that when God tells us to let go of the branch because he will save us, instead we ask if anyone else is up there? Only you can decide which group you fall into, but I will leave you with these words from 2Cor 5:7 “For we live by faith, not by sight”.
Amen.
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