07-21-2013 Sermon by The Rev. Dr. Brian K. Jensen

 

CHRISTIANITY 101:

YOU ARE THE ONLY BIBLE SOME PEOPLE WILL EVER READ

  Early last January, a man walked up to the ticket booth at Heinz Field – the place where the Pittsburgh Steelers play – and asked if he could buy some playoff tickets.  The ticket agent said to the man, “I’m sorry, sir.  The Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t make the playoffs this year.”  The man said, “Thank you,” and then slowly walked away.

  The very next day, that very same man walked up to that very same ticket booth and asked that very same woman if he could buy some playoff tickets.  Again, the ticket agent said to the man, “I’m sorry, sir.  The Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t make the playoffs this year.”  The man said, “Thank you,” and then slowly walked away.

  Then, for the third day in a row, that very same man walked up to that very same ticket booth and asked that very same woman if he could buy some playoff tickets.  The ticket agent said to the man, “I’m sorry, sir.  The Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t make the playoffs this year.”  Then she added, “Sir, this is the third day in a row you’ve come to ask me if you could buy playoff tickets, and I keep telling you that the Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t make the playoffs this year.  Why do you keep coming back?”  To which the man replied, “Ma’am, I’m a Cleveland Browns fan…and I just love hearing you say that the Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t make the playoffs this year!”

  It never ceases to amaze me how rabid some N.F.L. football fans really are.  They get all dressed up in face paint and jerseys, and abuse the fans of the opposing team.  Their emotions – even their very lives – seem to rise and fall based upon the performance of twenty-two men on a field of grass.  It seems as though we all need something for which we can hope, and – apparently lacking anything of greater substance – it seems a lot of people opt to place their hopes in the performance of some team.

  Fifteen years ago, my oldest son was playing little league football in Salem, Ohio.  Three of us fathers worked the chain gang…you know: the down and distance markers on the field.  What that meant was that, during the game, we stood with our markers on the opponent’s sideline.  We had a bird’s eye view of the field, which was great.  But we also had to listen to the ranting and the raving of the parents of the opposing team. 

  One time a controversial call went our way, and the parents on the sideline were up in arms.  They screamed at the referee as if he had robbed them of their souls.  The referee then walked to the side of the field, simply shaking his head.  I happened to catch his eye, and he said to me, “Can you believe these people?”  I said, “I think the problem is that every one of these parents thinks that their little Johnny or their little Bobby is going to become the next great N.F.L star.”  To which the referee replied, “I know…and that just ain’t-a-gonna happen!”

  Like I said, we all need something for which we can hope.  Sometimes it’s an N.F.L. football team.  Sometimes it has to do with living vicariously through our children.  Sometimes it has to do with a house or a job or a car.  The point is that we all need something for which we can hope.  We all need something upon which we can pin our aspirations for the future.  Keep that thought in mind as we move on. 

  Several months ago, we postulated that our spiritual lives are shaped by three basic things: our narratives, our practices, and our communities.  Our narratives frame our understanding of God and of ourselves.  Our practices are the things we do on a regular basis that help to form who and what we are.  Our communities are the places we go where we are surrounded by – and influenced by – other people…for better or for worse.

  Then we worked very hard to establish a few new narratives about God.  Looking at God through the lens of Jesus Christ, we determined that God is good, God is trustworthy, God is generous, God is love, God is holy, God is self-sacrificing, and God transforms.  Then we wrestled in turn with overcoming anger, lust, lying and the law of reciprocity.  We took a stab at defeating vainglory, avarice, worry and judgmentalism.

  The theory behind such an endeavor is that abiding in the kingdom of God is different than abiding in the kingdom of this world.  Those who abide in this world ask, “How can I get more?”  Those who abide in the kingdom ask, “How can I give more?”  Those who abide in this world ask, “How can I find myself?”  Those who abide in the kingdom ask, “How can I lose myself?”  Those who abide in this world ask, “How can I win friends and influence people?”  Those who abide in the kingdom ask, “How can I truly serve God?”  Ladies and gentlemen, there is a profound difference between abiding in the kingdom of this world…and abiding in the kingdom of God.

  Today we continue the process of considering the communities that are meant to influence us from a spiritual standpoint.  Obviously, the community we’re talking about here is the church.  Since we’ve clearly seen that people need something for which they can hope, my theory today is that the church needs to be a hopeful community.  The question now is: How do we get there?

  When people find out that my wife is married to a Presbyterian minister, they often start asking her theological questions.  You know, “How can a God of love allow evil in the world?  How do you know that Christianity is the only faith that’s right?  Do you really think there’s anything beyond this earthly life at all?”  It frustrates her to no end.  She’ll often say to me, “I wish I was as smart as you are!”  No, I’m kidding!  She’s never said that to me!  But she will say, “I wish you’d been there to answer their questions.  Sometimes I just don’t know what to say!” 

  Honestly, I’m not sure if my presence would help or hurt in a situation like that.  You see, maybe the questions these people are asking aren’t really the issue.  Maybe they’re actually smoke screens that hide what they really want to know.  Maybe what they really want to know is this: “Is it true?  Is there really something out there in which we can place our deepest, darkest hopes?”  Perhaps the best argument in favor of that is not an intellectual idea.  Perhaps the best argument in favor of that…is a well-lived Christian life.  As I said last week, sometimes Christianity is better caught than it is compelled.

  Consider the passage Bill read from the book of Colossians.  The Apostle Paul says something profound there that really caught my eye.  He says, “We thank God always, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you…because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and the love you have for all the saints – the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven, that you have heard about in the gospels.”

  Did you catch that?  Paul says here that faith and love spring from hope.  Hope is not usually considered to be the source of faith and love, but it would appear as though that’s exactly what Paul is saying.  Biblical scholar N.T. Wright puts it this way: “The solid fact about the future hope of Christians is a powerful motivation for constant faith and costly love in the present.”  Hope is defined as confidence in a good future.  What, then, is the future hope of Christians?  The future hope of Christians is that there is something beyond this earthly life.  That’s what keeps us from centering all our hope in a football team, or a child, or some material possession.  As Christians, our hope is in God…and the marvelous future he has prepared for us.

  Now there are actually two ways we can share this message.  One is verbally; the other is by example.  A lot of us don’t feel comfortable sharing the hope that is in us verbally.  We’re afraid we’ll offend someone, or that we don’t know enough about the subject matter and we’ll end up looking stupid…or worse, intolerant.  God forbid that we be labeled intolerant these days!  Of course, if we worship regularly, pray daily and study diligently, that’s a lot less likely to happen.  Yet the other way we can share the hope that is in us is by the way we live our lives.  As the Apostle Paul said, faith and love spring from the hope that is in us.  And that should necessarily impact the way we live our lives. 

  That which lies within us will always impact the way we live our lives.  Madonna, of rock-and- roll fame, once said, “My drive in life comes from a fear of being mediocre.  That is always pushing me.  I push past one spell of it, and discover myself as a special human being, but then feel I am still mediocre and uninteresting unless I do something else.  Because even though I have become somebody...I still have to prove that I am somebody.  My struggle has never ended, and I guess it never will.”

  Clinical psychologist Oliver James, in a book called Affluenza, describes very well what’s going on here.  He writes: “Constantly comparing your lot with others leads to insecurity.  You will have a nameless sense that there is always something you should be doing; call it a free-floating anxiety.  You will be obsessively running yourself down because you do not do as well as others, yet moving the goal posts if you DO succeed.”

  That sense of inadequacy is something we bring with us into church life.  Maybe we look around the church and think, “I’m not as successful as he is,” or, “I’m not as gifted as she is.”  At best, we fear being ordinary.  At worst, we fear being irrelevant.

  Whatever we wanted for our lives, if we’re Christian…we probably assumed that God wanted it for us as well.  We might not admit it – even to ourselves – but we we’re pretty sure that God was going to come down and provide for us as only God can do.  The problem, though, is that what we assumed was going to happen…is not necessarily what did happen.

  Nobody ever grew up thinking, “I’m going to get cancer at age forty-one.”  Nobody ever grew up thinking, “I’m going to get fired at age fifty-seven.”  Nobody ever planned to be divorced twice by age forty-five, or alone and depressed at age thirty-two.  Nobody thought their son would end up in prison at the age of twenty.  Nobody ever imagined they would not be able to have a child.  Nobody planned to be caught in a dead-end job.  Nobody assumed their marriage would be mediocre at best.  But sometimes it happens, and we end up being frustrated, or hurt, or

mad.  Yet it’s times like these when the light that is in us can truly shine the brightest.

  If you truly have faith in God, you have the hope of a brighter tomorrow…regardless of your present circumstances.  Hope like that can become contagious.  It impacts other people to the point that they want to have what you have.  Thus, living a life of hope can become the greatest tool for evangelism there is.  Why?  Because you are the only Bible some people will ever read.  Amen.

07-14-2013 Sermon by The Rev. Dr. Brian K. Jensen

 

CHRISTIANITY 101: ARE YOU PECULIAR?

  God has the unique ability to provide us with exactly what we need…exactly when we need it.  For example, I recently encountered a story about how God provided Adam and Eve with exactly what they needed, exactly when they needed it.  The story takes place shortly after Adam and Eve had been banished from the Garden of Eden for eating from the tree of knowledge.  Adam and Eve were lamenting the fact that they no longer enjoyed the intimate communion with God they had once enjoyed.

  Adam said to God, “Lord, when we were in the Garden, you walked with us every day.  Now we don’t see you nearly as often.  We’re lonesome here, and sometimes it’s difficult for us to remember just how much you love us.  Isn’t there something you can do?”

  God replied, “No problem.  I will create a companion for you who will be with you in good times and in bad.  He will be a reflection of my love for you so that – even when you do not see me – you will know that I still love you.  Regardless of how selfish or childish or unlovable you may be, this new companion will accept you as you are.  He will love you unconditionally, in spite of yourselves.”

  So God created a new animal to be a companion to Adam and Eve.  It was a good animal, and God was pleased.  What’s more, the new animal was pleased to be with Adam and Eve, as well…so pleased, in fact, that he wagged his tail whenever they came around. 

  Yet still, there was a small problem.  Adam said, “Lord, I have named all the animals in the kingdom, but I cannot think of a name for this new animal.”  God said, “Because I have created this new animal to be a reflection of my love for you, its name will be a reflection of my own name.  Thus, you will call him DOG.”  So the dog lived with Adam and Eve, and loved them, and was a perfect reflection of God’s unconditional love.  Thus, Adam and Eve were comforted, God was pleased…and the dog was content and wagged his tail.

  After a while, however, it came to pass that an angel appeared before God and said, “Lord, Adam and Eve have become filled with pride.  They strut and preen like peacocks, and they believe they are worthy of adoration.  Dog has indeed taught them that they are loved, yet perhaps he has taught them too well.”

  God said, “No problem.  I will create a companion for them who will see them as they truly are.  This new companion will remind them of their limitations, so they will know that they are not always worthy of adoration.”  So God created CAT to be a companion for Adam and Eve…and Cat would not obey them.  And when Adam and Eve gazed into Cat’s eyes, they were reminded that they were not the supreme beings they fancied themselves to be.

  Adam and Eve learned humility, and they were greatly improved.  God was pleased, the dog wagged his tail…and the cat did not care one way or the other.  Like I said at the beginning of this sermon, God has the unique ability to provide us with exactly what we need…exactly when we need it.  Keep that thought in mind as we move on.

  Several months ago, we postulated that our spiritual lives are shaped by three basic things: our narratives, our practices, and our communities.  Our narratives frame our understanding of God and of ourselves.  Our practices are the things we do on a regular basis that help to form who and what we are.  Our communities are the places we go where we are surrounded by – and influenced by – other people…for better or for worse.

  Then we worked very hard to establish a few new narratives about God.  Looking at God through the lens of Jesus Christ, we determined that God is good, God is trustworthy, God is generous, God is love, God is holy, God is self-sacrificing, and God transforms.  Then we wrestled in turn with overcoming anger, lust, lying, and the law of reciprocity.  We took a stab at defeating vainglory, avarice, worry, and judgmentalism.

  The theory behind such an endeavor is that abiding in the kingdom of God is different than abiding in the kingdom of this world.  Those who abide in this world ask, “How can I get more?”  Those who abide in the kingdom ask, “How can I give more?”  Those who abide in this world ask, “How can I find myself?”  Those who abide in the kingdom ask, “How can I lose myself?”  Those who abide in this world ask, “How can I win friends and influence people?”  Those who abide in the kingdom ask, “How can I truly serve God?”  Ladies and gentlemen, there is a profound difference between abiding in the kingdom of this world…and abiding in the kingdom of God.  And if you still fail to comprehend exactly what that difference is, at least you’re in the right place to begin to do so now.

  Today we begin the process of considering the communities that are meant to influence us from a spiritual standpoint.  In the passage Henry read from the book of Isaiah, we get a sense of just what God expects that community to be.  God says, “Seek the Lord where he may be found; call upon him while he is near.  Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts.  For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.  For as the heavens are high above the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways…and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”

  Then God showed us exactly how he thinks in the person of Jesus Christ.  Jesus told of a father who got taken advantage of by a wayward son, yet all the while longed for him to come back home.  Jesus told of a Samaritan – looked down upon by the people of his day – who perfectly revealed what it meant to be a good neighbor.  Jesus allowed his own people to scorn him, mock him, and put him to death…thereby revealing the love God had for all of humanity.  Jesus revealed a God who was like no other god the world had ever seen.  The Greeks and the Romans had created a pantheon of gods and goddesses who acted a lot like humans act…often at their worst.  Their gods lied, cheated and killed.  Their gods committed adultery and punished each other out of jealousy and rage. 

  Jesus revealed a God who was like no other god the world had ever seen.  His thoughts were not our thoughts, nor were his ways our ways.  Truth be told, this God of ours seems to be a bit…peculiar.  And it would appear as though that’s exactly what he wants from us, as well.  He wants us to be peculiar.  Perhaps the question now is: Are you…peculiar?

  From what I understand, the statistics these days seem to indicate that Christians are not peculiar.  By that I mean that there tends to be precious little difference between the behavior of Christians and the behavior of those who are not.  Christian and non-Christian divorce rates are now quite similar.  Christians are just as likely to end up in prison as non-Christians, as well…although Presbyterians typically prefer what we call “white-collar” crimes.  Christians are just as likely to abuse drugs, step on others to get ahead, or suffer from hopelessness as non-Christians, as well.  Shouldn’t there be at least a little bit of difference?  Shouldn’t we be a bit more peculiar?

  As I said at the very beginning of this sermon, God has the unique ability to provide us with exactly what we need, exactly when we need it.  I recently encountered an interesting article entitled, “Being the Church Today,” that I think very much pertains to this.  Listen closely. 

  According to the article, the numerical height of the mainline Protestant Church in the United States occurred in the year 1965.  That was the year the largest percentage of American people affiliated with – and attended – church.  More Americans were going to church in 1965 than at any other time in U.S. history.  Nineteen sixty-five was the year The Sound of Music premiered on film, Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Social Security Act, and A Charlie Brown Christmas was first shown on T.V.  In other words, it wasn’t all that long ago.  In the living memory of many of us are the days when the church was more popular than at any other time in U. S. history.

  We tend to be a bit nostalgic when we think back on the church’s role in American society.  Perhaps the change in the church’s social status from being at the center of culture, to moving toward the periphery, has clouded our vision.  We think that – once upon a time – all of our churches were big, bustling centers of activity: filled with children, distinguished by selfless service to the community, and immersed in happy, loving relationships between people. 

  We used to be the popular kid in class, but now…not so much.  One response to these changing circumstances has been the creation of an unrealistic mental picture.  We think we were once a great and glorious church, but now we fear we’re doomed to the dustbin of history.  Perhaps this delusion keeps us from seeing the ministry that is right in front of us.  The problem is not that we’re getting smaller and more peripheral.  The problem is a lack of imaginative faith…and a lackluster sense of commitment.  Like I said earlier, maybe God is giving us exactly what we need exactly when we need it.  Wistful complaints about declining membership rolls and budgets do not offer a prophetic word to anyone.  Yet perhaps paying a bit closer attention to the people in our communities does.  The question now is: How do we get there?

  Before we get to that, allow me to give you a brief history lesson.  According to Rodney Stark in his book, The Rise of Christianity, in the year 40 A.D. – shortly after the death of Jesus Christ – there were only about 1000 Christians in the world.  That amounted to roughly .0017% of the world’s population.  Yet by the year 350 A.D., there were 33,882,008 Christians.  That amounted to 56.5% of the world’s population.  How did such a dramatic transformation take place in such a relatively short amount of time?

  The most compelling explanation is this: The lives that Christians were living were so different, so hopeful, and so appealing…that others wanted to have what they had.  The early Christians were peculiar.  The lives they lived were different – and many obviously thought better – than the lives the general populace was living.  Thus, people were simply drawn to the Christian faith.  In other words, Christianity was not so much compelled…as it was caught.

  Perhaps we need to become peculiar once again.  We need to become more focused on the kingdom of God than we are on the kingdom of this world.  Now I know what you want at this point.  You want six simple steps to living in the kingdom of God.  Then you can simply follow the rules, feel as though you have mastered them, and then get on with your life.  But I’m not going to give you that today.  Because I think that living in the kingdom of God is more of a process than it is a procedure.  Let me show you what I mean.

  George Fox was the founder of the Quakers, a Christian movement in 17^th century England.  William Penn became one of Fox’s most dedicated and successful followers.  William Penn grew up in a wealthy household and received the best education available.  In those days, it was customary for upper class folk to wear a sword at their side.  The sword was not intended to harm anyone; it simply distinguished one as a member of the upper class.

  After Penn became a Quaker, he began to struggle with whether or not he should continue to wear the sword.  After all, it was a symbol of war, as well as a symbol of class distinction: two things that Quakers stood firmly against.  So William Penn went to see George Fox to seek his guidance on the matter.  “May I continue to wear the sword?” he asked.  George Fox’s answer was a bit surprising.  We might expect him to say, “No, you may not continue to wear the sword!  It represents everything we stand against!”  Instead, George Fox said to William Penn, “Wear it as long as you can, William.  Wear it as long as you can.”

  George Fox was laying out an important principal in the Christian life.  When it comes to our practices, or when it comes to our behavior...we need to avoid making hard and fast rules.  What we really need to do is rely upon the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  As you might guess, William Penn gave up wearing the sword…but not right away.  It took a little while for the Spirit to lay hold of him and convince him how he really ought to live.  Yet William Penn came to this conclusion on his own, with the help of the Holy Spirit.  It was a life-lesson caught, not compelled.

  How do we learn such lessons?  How do we catch such a Christianity that is not compelled?  Perhaps Mother Teresa put it best in her book, A Gift for God.  She wrote:

Love to pray.  Feel often during the day the need for prayer, and take the trouble to pray.  Prayer enlarges the heart until it is capable of containing God’s gift of himself.  Ask and seek…and your heart will grow big enough to receive him, and keep him as your own.

  Ladies and gentlemen, the lesson here is clear.  God takes a day to grow a mushroom, but God takes a lifetime to grow an oak tree.  God takes a lifetime to grow a soul, as well.  Our dedication to our prayer lives will shape us over the course of a lifetime.  It will not happen overnight.  So begin the process of drawing near to this peculiar God of ours.  It may make us peculiar, and it may make the world peculiar as well.  But in this case, that might not be a bad thing at all.  Amen.

 

07-07-2013 Sermon by Rev. Larry Peters

 

FIXING THE FOCUS

Rev. Larry Peters

Psalm 105:1-5, 7

Romans 10:5-15

Matthew 14: 22-33

  Let’s think for a moment, about drawing a circle.  We may not be able to draw a perfect circle, so we will be using a compass to help us.  The first thing that we do is to decide on a focal point.  We determine this to be the center of our circle.  This is important, because the center (and determining where that will be) is what the completion of the circle depends on.  We will call this fixing the focus.

  The center of the circle is the place where we start and we can then extend the radius outward.  We place the point of our compass at the place we have determined to be our focal point.  This will be our center.  Then, by extending outward, we can make our circle as big or small as we want.  We then draw the perimeter or circumference.  Finally, we have our completed and perfect circle along with our center.

  “Interesting”, you might say, “But what place does this have in church?  And what has this to do with me?”  Well, this is a Christian circle.  You may remember that Rev. Jensen talked last Sunday about a Christian bear.  Today I offer you the concept of the Christian circle.  My apologies to Rev. Jensen, and I ask you to please bear with me.  I’d like to make the analogy that this perfect circle represents a Christian life, each one of us.  Christ should be at the center of our life, our focal point, our sure foundation upon whom our life can be drawn around and made complete.

  There is nothing more important for us than to fix the focus of our lives.  What is central for us?  What is foundational for us?  What is it that shapes our identity, our perception, our values, our decisions?  What is the core reality at the center of our life out of which everything else extends and depends on?

  Some people do not place Christ at the center of their life.  They put something else there.  That something else could be just about anything.  Anything else that you would put, in the matter of importance, ahead of Christ.  Something or anything that you think is more important.

  Now we have already determined that a more perfect circle needs a center, a focal point.  This circle (an imperfect circle) needs some help.  If this were a wheel we would be in for a rough ride!  If this represents our life, then the road we travel is a bumpy one.  As represented by this imperfect circle, we might be bent out of shape, flat or deflated, or pulled in different directions.  There is no control to our life.  A more perfect circle needs a center, a focal point.

  Again, if we think of our life as the drawing of a circle, we do not have a choice as to whether or not there is something at the center of our life; something is.  Somewhere in this imperfect circle there is a center.  There is a focal point; it’s just not easy for us to determine what it is.  We do have a choice, though, as to where and what it will be.  We can determine for ourselves what is at the center of our life shaping us.

  It becomes obvious that not just any center of meaning will do.  Life will be good, fulfilling, meaningful, wholesome and more perfect-or, life will be less than good, less than perfect, depending on what we place at the center of life; the center of our life, our center of meaning.  And the Gospel makes it clear that only God made known in Christ is worthy of that all-important position!

  How do we get to the center?  How do we fix our focus and become centered on Christ?  Let’s look at our lesson today from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans.  Here Paul says that the answer is within you.  It is how you perceive Christ and receive the Word of God.  Paul says that “righteousness comes from faith” (Rom. 10:6).  This lesson declares that “the word is near you, on your lips and in your heart” (v.8).

  But what will you do with it?  Will you hide it, suppress it, ignore it?  Or-will you receive it, believe it, proclaim it?  Hear this message and decide what you will do!  “If you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (v.9).  This means that you will be put right with God.  You will be saved from your imperfect past, and saved for a more perfect life with Christ at the center.  You have made the all-important decision to believe and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord of your life!

  Believing and confessing-part of what we see happening in a life dedicated to Jesus Christ.  As we review the lesson in the Gospel according to Matthew, we will see more.  (I’ve made a list; watch for these).

  Just after the feeding of the multitudes of people on the lake shore, Jesus sent the disciples across the lake by boat.  Here is one example where we see that those who follow Christ are obedient to him.  Jesus had wanted this time to be with his disciples.  A large crowd gathered and Jesus taught his disciples to have compassion for the needs of others and to minister to them.  Jesus then dismissed the crowds of people and he went up the mountain by himself to be in prayer.  There was time with God’s people, and time with God.  Praying is a time for fixing the focus.  Jesus repeatedly acknowledged that God is the source of all goodness and power in his life, and so prayer is going to the source!

  Meanwhile, back at the lake, things were starting to get out of focus.  Jesus was not with the disciples on the boat, and so they began to get distracted.  A storm had come and was threatening them and their small boat with disaster.  There were many storms of life.  We are often in trouble and tossed about, weary from the struggle and about to give up.  Here the lesson teaches us to always be of good hope and to have courage.  “Take heart,” Jesus says, “Do not be afraid” (Matt. 14:27).

  Remember that “the word of God is near you, on your lips and in your heart” (Rom. 10:8).  The Lord of your life will see your distress and hear your cries for help, and moves ever closer!  Christ come to us!, and we are invited to come to Christ!  Notice that the Christian is constantly in movement.  Constantly overcoming obstacles, coming to faith, fixing our focus on Christ our Lord, building upon the close relationship that we have, and seeking to move ever close!  “Righteousness comes from faith” (v.6), so Christ our Lord calls us to come forward an ever stronger faith!

  When Peter asked to come forward to be with Jesus; Christ our Lord said “Come!”  Who could deny it?!  So Peter was obedient to the call.  He went believing that he could walk on water because the One who he confessed to be Lord said that he could!  This was his prayer, and Jesus answered!  It took courage to move out from the boat and over the water.  He went forward on faith!

  As long as Peter kept his focus on Jesus, all was well.  But, then he became distracted; and we know how easily that can happen.  We often don’t need a raging water below and a stormy sky above to lose our focus.  And we see how important it is to fix and keep our focus on Jesus!  Fear took the place of faith, and Peter began to sink.  He cried out “Lord, save me!” (v.30).  The scripture that we read today reassures us that the Lord “is generous to all who call on him.  For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Rom. 10:12-13).  Christ was there for Peter, as he is for us, reaching out his hand of salvation.  This we should celebrate and trust in always, not only in times when we desperately need to be assured of it.

  We cannot fault Peter.  He was doing so well.  By faith and trust and courage, he was walking on the water!  But we may find that it is often true in life that we have a tendency, when things are going well, to take our focus off center and we may seem to have little need for faith.  But then, when the storms of life come and we begin to sink, is it then only that we seek Christ?  We should be reminded to seek Christ every day!  Come forward on a faith that we pray increases and becomes stronger every day!  Let Christ take you by the hand today!  Let Christ be the center of your life.  Fix and keep your focus on Jesus.

  The Gospel lesson concludes by saying, “they got into the boat and the wind ceased.  And those in the boat worshiped him” (Matt. 14:32-33).  Faith, hope, trust, courage, obedience and prayer had been restored!  And they believed in their hearts and confessed with their lips that Jesus is Lord!  Their great proclamation of faith being said was; “Truly you are the Son of God!” (v. 33).

  We are all in the same boat.  We recognize and worship the Lord our God.  So doing-let us be about living the Christian life!  Believing, confessing, worshipping and constantly moving toward an ever stronger faith.  The scripture teaches that “the person who does these things will live by them” (Rom. 10:5).

  Keep in mind these lessons of fixing the focus, with Christ the center of our lives, our focal point, our sure foundation upon whom our lives can be drawn around and made complete.  Amen.

 

 

    

 

 

06-30-2013 Sermon by The Rev. Dr. Brian K. Jensen

 

CHRISTIANITY 101: THE HEART OF THE MATTER

  The season of Advent is certainly a hectic time of year around the office of a church.  At the end of one particularly busy Advent season, a minister had had his fill of responsibility, so he headed off to the great white North to do some bow hunting the week after Christmas.  He packed only the basic necessities, rented a cabin, and went off to spend some quality time alone.

  The very next day he was out in the woods with his bow and arrows in search of that elusive trophy buck, when suddenly…he encountered a giant grizzly bear.  Standing up on its hind legs, massive paws outstretched, the bear looked to be at least nine feet tall.  The minister, realizing that his bow and arrows were useless against such a creature, simply tossed them aside.  Then he dropped to his knees, folded his hands, and began to pray.  “Dear Lord,” he cried, “you know I don’t ask you for much, but please…make this bear a Christian!”

  At that, the bear dropped to all fours and began to charge.  Then, right before he was upon the minister, the bear dropped to his knees, brought those massive paws together, and began to pray himself.  “Dear Lord,” the bear said, “bless these gifts which we are about to receive.”

  Ah, the minister got what he wanted, did he not?  God answered that minister’s prayer, but it didn’t really solve his problem, did it?  Yet the question I want to pose to you today is this: Was that bear really a Christian?  Does the fact that one lifts a few desultory prayers, or worships God when one has the time, qualify one as a Christian?  Or, if one is in fact, a Christian…is one’s behavior necessarily impacted as well?  Keep that thought in mind as we move on.

  Quite some time ago now, we postulated that our spiritual lives are shaped by three basic things: our narratives, our practices, and our communities.  Our narratives frame our understanding of God and of ourselves.  Our practices are the things we do on a regular basis that help to form who and what we are.  Our communities are the places we go where we are surrounded by – and influenced by – other people…for better or for worse.

  Then we worked very hard to establish a few new narratives about God.  Looking at God through the lens of Jesus Christ we determined that God is good, God is trustworthy, God is generous, God is love, God is holy, God is self-sacrificing, and God transforms.  Then we wrestled in turn with overcoming anger, lust, lying and the law of reciprocity.  We took a stab at defeating vainglory, avarice, worry, and judgmentalism.

  The theory behind such an endeavor is that abiding in the kingdom of God is different than abiding in the kingdom of this world.  Those who abide in this world ask, “How can I get more?”  Those who abide in the kingdom ask, “How can I give more?”  Those who abide in this world ask, “How can I find myself?”  Those who abide in the kingdom ask, “How can I lose myself?”  Those who abide in this world ask, “How can I win friends and influence people?”  Those who abide in the kingdom ask, “How can I truly serve God?”  Ladies and gentlemen, there is a profound difference between abiding in the kingdom of this world…and abiding in the kingdom of God.

  Today we begin the process of considering the communities that are meant to influence us from a spiritual standpoint.  Yet before we get to that, perhaps we need to examine what our lives, as Christians, should really be.  In the opening illustration of this sermon, we talked about a bear who said grace before a meal.  Yet still, he planned to devour the man who was standing right in front of him.  Is that kind of behavior consistent with one who professes faith in Jesus Christ?

  To that you likely say, “But that was just a joke.  A bear can’t really be a Christian!”  And, of course, you would be right….but that does not change the point.  As Christians, our behavior must be consistent with our profession of faith, or it’s all for naught.  We are called to live the life of faith we claim to profess.  The question now is: Do we?

  For example, allow me to tell you about our dog, Zeke.  Zeke is a 127-pound German Shepherd/Great Pyrenees mix.  He is a big, intimidating dog.  Now a dog instinctually has a pack mentality, so naturally – in his mind – there is a clear family hierarchy.  From the time he was young, I honestly believe his hierarchy was this.  First there was me, because I was the primary disciplinarian…then there was our son Rob, then there was my wife, then there was our son Travis, then there was Zeke…then there was our daughter, Mariah.  Zeke truly believed he was higher on the pecking order than Mariah was, so he used to push her around a little bit.  Oh, he never hurt her, but you could just tell that he thought he ranked above her in the family pecking order.  Thus, he occasionally took advantage of the situation.

  People can be a lot like that as well.  When one person feels as though they outrank someone else in the grand scheme of things, they tend to take advantage of certain situations.  For example, how would you fare if God judged you based upon the way you treat waiters and waitresses?  How would you fare if God judged you based upon the way you treat telemarketers?  How would you fare if God judged you based upon the way you treat the people who work for you?  How would you fare if God judged you based upon the way you treat the policeman who just pulled you over for speeding?  How would you fare if God judged you based upon the way you treat your husband or your wife?  How would you fare if God judged you based upon the way you treat your children?  The sad thing here is: sometimes we treat the people who are closest to us the worst.  It’s true what they say, you know: “You only hurt the ones you love.”

  You see, in our personal lives, we come into contact with the lives of a hundred people or more on a daily basis.  Do we reflect the fact that we are a child of God, in whom Christ dwells, to each and every one of them?  Or do we reflect the fact that we believe those people are somehow there to serve us?  Ladies and gentlemen, people are the most important thing in the world to God…and it matters how we treat each and every one of them.

  I think Jesus addresses this topic in the passage we read from the gospel according to Matthew.  Jesus says, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.  You will know them by their fruits.  Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles?  In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit.  A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.  Thus, you will know them by their fruits.”

  Jesus begins his statement by saying, “Beware of false prophets.”  Yet it’s a bit unclear as to exactly what he means by false prophets.  The Greek word translated false prophet here is: pseudo-prophetone.  Yet could we not conceivably say that a prophet is anyone who claims to represent, or to speak, for God?  So in other words, we’re not just talking about misguided preachers here. We’re talking about anyone who claims to follow Jesus Christ, yet fails to adequately represent him.  Thus, the false prophet can be anyone whose behavior is not consistent with their beliefs.

  Here’s the problem, though.  Jesus says a good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.  Perhaps from that analogy we could go so far as to say that sound and ethical Christian behavior cannot be faked.  Sound and ethical Christian behavior flows from the inside.  Thus, the heart of the matter…is the matter of the heart.

  Malcolm Muggeridge was a journalist who referred to himself as an agnostic for much of his early adult life.  Later, he was profoundly influenced by Mother Theresa while researching a book about her called, Something Beautiful for God.  In the process, obviously, he spent a great deal of time with her.  One day, as they were walking the streets of Calcutta, he saw her kneel beside a sickly leper, embrace him, and gently tend to his seeping wounds.  Malcolm Muggeridge said to her, “I wouldn’t do that for a million dollars!”  Mother Teresa looked right at him and said, “Neither would I.”  The heart of the matter is the matter of the heart.

  How do we develop a heart from which compassion naturally flows?  How do we become the kind of tree that produces only good fruit?  How do we become the kind of Christians where our actions are consistent with our beliefs?  Join me over the course of the next few weeks as we explore exactly how that is done.  The heart of the matter is the matter of the heart…and it does matter.  Amen.

 

6-23-2013 Sermon by The Rev. Dr. Brian K. Jensen

 

CHRISTIANITY 101: KEEP THE HOME FIRES BURNING

  There was a time when our nation’s economy was booming, hope sprung eternal, and American ingenuity took a back seat to no one.  Along those lines, allow me to give you a little quiz designed to take you back to what we might call the good old days.  For example, who was the innovator who opened the very first drive-in gas station?  The very first drive-in gas station was opened in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1913 by the Gulf Oil Company. 

  What was the first city to use the dreaded parking meter?  The first parking meters were used in Oklahoma City in July of 1935.  Where was the first drive-in restaurant?  The first drive-in restaurant was Royce Hailey’s Pig Stand, opened in Dallas, Texas in 1921.  Where was the world’s first three-color traffic light installed?  It was installed in Detroit, Michigan in 1919.  What car had the distinction of being General Motors’ one hundred millionth car built in the United States?  It was a 1966 Olds Tornado.  They don’t even make Oldsmobiles anymore. 

  Where and when was the first drive-in movie theater opened?  It was opened in Camden, New Jersey in 1933.  What was the lowest priced American car on record?  It was the 1925 Ford Model T, and it cost a grand total of two hundred and sixty dollars.  What automaker’s first logo incorporated the Jewish Star of David?  That would be the Dodge.  And finally, what car was designed on the back of a Northwest Airlines airsickness bag, and released on April Fools’ Day in 1970?  That would be the A.M.C. Gremlin.  How appropriate is that?

  Alas, times have changed.  The American economy is not what it once was, and people are having a harder and harder time simply making ends meet.  Hope no longer springs eternal, and drug abuse, suicide rates, and depression are on the rise.  It’s not like it was in the good old days any more.

  A man named George Packer is the author of a new book entitled, The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America.  He notes that if you were born in 1960, or shortly thereafter, you have spent your entire life in what he calls the “vertigo” of the unwinding of America.  In other words, you have watched structures that had been in place since before your birth collapse like pillars of salt across a vast and tumultuous landscape.  Some of the more obvious collapses he mentions are the farms of the Carolina Piedmont, the factories of the Mahoning Valley, Florida subdivisions, and California schools.  Some of the less obvious collapses he mentions are ethics in Washington D.C. and integrity on the New York Stock Exchange…along with morals and manners and simple human decency.  As Packer puts it, “The norms that made the old institutions useful began to unwind, and the leaders abandoned their posts.”

  No one knows exactly when the unwinding of America began – when the coil that held Americans together in a secure and sometimes stifling grip – began to give way.  Yet the unwinding did occur, and the country we all know and love…somehow became irretrievably different.  Packer then cites a number of human interest stories in an attempt to prove his point.

  Tammy Thomas was born in Youngstown, Ohio to a drug-addled mother.  Raised by her grandmother, she managed to graduate from college and to land a job in an electric factory.  Then Youngstown began to unwind all around her.  Street gangs emerged, violence increased, and homes were foreclosed by banks.  Businesses collapsed, the population declined, and hope became quite scarce.  Tammy Thomas had the values of hard work, saving money, and planning ahead instilled within her – all those quintessentially American values that are supposed to guarantee success in life – yet it all went up in a puff of smoke.  Her hopes, her dreams, and her job quickly vanished in the vertigo of the unwinding of America.

  Dean Price grew up in North Carolina; the son of a tobacco farmer.  His journey reflects the unwinding of America, too.  He lost land, business partners, and a restaurant chain he tried to begin.  Dean Price reflects on the impact of what he calls “big box” stores that come in and wipe out small local businesses.  He says, “If you think about it, the people who ran the hardware store, the shoe store, and the little family restaurant that used to be here…they were the fabric of the community.  They were the leaders.  They were the Little League baseball coaches, they were the town council members, and they were the people everyone looked up to.  Not anymore.  We’ve lost that now.”

  George Packer convincingly describes the unwinding of America.  Yet perhaps he vividly illustrates a dire situation without illuminating it.  In other words, he tells us what’s gone wrong, but he doesn’t really tell us what we can do about it.  Perhaps we don’t need illustrations so much as we need illumination.  What can be done to stem the tide of the unwinding of America?  Keep that thought in mind as we move on.

   A number of weeks ago we noted how – each and every day – we make decisions that move us closer to a life of virtue, or closer to a life of ruin.  Though the past may be written in stone, the future is more like wet cement…pliable, soft, and ready to be shaped by the decisions we make.  Our goal is to develop a more godly life narrative.  Our goal is to discover what it means to live a life of virtue.  Our goal is to seek to discern where our deep happiness may truly be found.

  We suggested that our deepest happiness is found in the kingdom of God.  We noted that the kingdom of God is not just something we hope to attain in the future.  As Jesus clearly stated, the kingdom of God is also a very present reality.  Thus, the kingdom of God of which we speak is not a place.  The kingdom of God of which we speak is an interactive relationship with God…an interactive relationship that brings us peace of heart and mind.

  We noted how many of us will not even consider a more godly life narrative – many of us will not even begin to seek out an interactive relationship with God – until we encounter a drought in life…until we come up against something that we cannot control.  So what we did was consider a social problem that appears to be beyond human resolution: bullying in the classroom.  We postulated that while we may not be able to resolve all the social ills that surround us, God is able to resolve the un-resolvable.  What we need to do is recognize that fact, and be open to the movement of God’s Holy Spirit.  That, my friends, is where our own transformation truly begins.

  Then we wrestled in turn with overcoming anger, lust, lying and the law of reciprocity.  We took a stab at defeating vainglory, avarice, worry and judgmentalism.  The theory behind such an endeavor is that abiding in the kingdom of God is different than abiding in the kingdom of this world.  Those who abide in this world ask, “How can I get more?”  Those who abide in the kingdom ask, “How can I do without?”  Those who abide in this world ask, “How can I find myself?”  Those who abide in the kingdom ask, “How can I lose myself?”  Those who abide in this world ask, “How can I win friends and influence people?”  Those who abide in the kingdom ask, “How can I truly love God?”  Ladies and gentlemen, there is a profound difference between abiding in the kingdom of this world…and abiding in the kingdom of God.

  For those of you who’ve been paying attention in this series of sermons, you know that what we’ve really been doing is dissecting the Sermon on the Mount.  In today’s gospel lesson, we encounter the grand finale.  Jesus tells us to enter by the narrow gate, to beware of false prophets, that not everyone who calls upon him will enter the kingdom of heaven, and to hear his words and do them.  What Jesus is really talking about here is forming a relationship with God.

  As we’ve seen so far, there are a lot of false narratives out there about God and the Christian faith.  Perhaps there is no bigger false narrative out there than this: How does one attain eternal life?  The answer most commonly given is this: To attain eternal life, one must believe in Jesus Christ. 

  Now that would not be a false narrative if we acted like we really knew what it means to believe.  The problem is that not everyone knows what it really means to believe in Jesus Christ.  You see, belief is more than mere mental assent.  For example, I believe there’s a sun, but that doesn’t really impact the way I live my life.  I believe gasoline’s too expensive, but that doesn’t seem to affect my character.  I believe that at the end of this sermon someone’s going to tell me that I completely missed the mark, but has no bearing on what I try to say.  To believe in Jesus Christ is more than to merely assent to his existence.  To believe in Jesus Christ is to actively seek to form a relationship with him.

  Dr. James Bryan Smith, author of The Good and Beautiful Life, states that he believes that people who are close to Christ and his kingdom are the exception, not the rule.  In fact, he estimates that only 10% of Christians are actively trying to develop their relationship with God on a daily basis.  Why?  Too many people don’t really know what it means to believe in Jesus Christ.  They believe things like prayer, Bible study and worship are merely add-ons practiced by zealous and over-achieving Christians.  Those kinds of things are seen more as luxuries than they are as necessities.

  Perhaps the only way to nurture one’s relationship with Christ is to set one’s heart and mind on the kingdom of God.  And the only way to accomplish that is to work at it daily…not just for one hour a week or whenever we have the time.  Those of you who attend here regularly know the secret to forming a relationship with God.  The secret to forming a relationship with God is found in the seven covenants of a disciple of Jesus Christ.  You know: Worship regularly, pray daily, study diligently, live faithfully, serve joyously, give generously…and witness boldly.  The seven covenants are not mere add-ons for zealous Christians.  They are not mere luxuries for over-achievers.  They are absolute necessities for building a relationship with God.

  Let me try to show you what I mean.  There was a time when Americans did not have gas or electricity available in their homes at the flick of a switch or the turn of a dial.  To warm the house or to heat up water, someone had to get up and start a fire.  Then, throughout the day, someone had to stoke the flames.  Someone had to pile on fresh logs.  If they didn’t, the fire went out.  Someone had to invest a lot of time and energy to keep the home fires burning. 

  Could we go so far as to say that our spiritual lives are a lot like that?  Perhaps we need to begin each and every day in devotion to God.  Perhaps we need to pause at various times during the day to lift a prayer or two to God.  And perhaps we should go to sleep at night with the Lord’s Prayer on our lips.  It’s not that God requires this of us.  Rather, it’s that we are weak.  We have a tendency to relapse.  We get so caught up in the moment that we forget who we’re supposed to be on the inside.  Worship, prayer and daily devotions are how we keep our spiritual home fires burning.  For when one neglects a fire, it tends to flicker out.

  So what on earth does this have to do with the unwinding of America?  What on earth does this have to do with collapsing economies, increased violence, and the influx of despair?  I think it has everything to do with those things.  Because forming a relationship with God completely transforms who and what we essentially become.

  Think about it.  A Christian could not move his entire business production overseas because he could never devastate his community like that.  A Christian could not harm another human being because he knows that he must love his neighbor as he loves himself.  A Christian could not step on another human being in an effort to get ahead because she would see that person in a whole new light.  A Christian could not take from the system because Christians see themselves as givers, not takers.  A Christian could not hoard their possessions unto themselves because Christians are not consumers; they are producers. 

  I could go on and on, I suppose.  But do you see what we’ve accomplished in just a few simple statements?  By forming a relationship with God we’ve already eliminated violence, pride, vanity, entitlement, avarice and greed.  So you see, faith in God has to do with more than squeezing a few wretched souls into heaven.  It has to do with transforming the very world in which we live.

  I know, I know, I’m just a lowly preacher.  What do I know?  You know what they say about preachers, don’t you?  They’re heavenly minded, but of no earthly good.  Honestly, though, I think Jesus himself would say that if you can find a better way to draw near to God – or even a better way to run the world – by all means, take it!  So keep the home fires burning.  You’ll find that it transforms you, and in the process…it just might transform the world, as well.  Amen.

 

06-09-2013 Sermon by The Rev. Dr. Brian K. Jensen

 

CHRISTIANITY 101: A DEGREE IN CONDEMNATION ENGINEERING

  Are you aware of any young men or young women who have left the institutional church?  Do you wonder why the church doesn’t seem to have the enormous children’s choirs it once had?  Do you wonder why drug usage, depression and suicide rates are on the rise, while morality and decency seem to be on the decline?  Does your heart break as watch your own children fail to raise your grandchildren in the church, even though you were very faithful about raising your children in the church?  And if any of the aforementioned scenarios is true with you, do you feel as though this is something that someone should try to do something about?  Or, do you think we should simply stand idly by and watch…as the world charts a path to destruction?  What do you think?

  The fact of the matter is: the Christian Church is not what it once was.  People are leaving the institutional church in droves.  What’s more, over 71% of those who leave the church these days do so before they reach the age of thirty.  Perhaps the question now is: What might we learn if we took the time to listen to their stories?  What might we learn if we considered the church from a younger person’s point of view?

  A researcher by the name of David Kinnamon has taken the time to listen to what young people are saying about the church these days.  In a book called, unChristian, he made the profound point that to young people today, the church is known more for what it stands against…than it is known for what it stands for.  In a more recent book called, You Lost Me: Why Young Christians Are Leaving the Church and Rethinking Faith, Kinnamon outlines six basic concerns that young people seen to have about the church today.  They are:

1.      The church is perceived as being overprotective.  By that, they mean that the church seems to be more concerned about itself that it is about anything else.

2.      Their experience of church is typically rather shallow.  They tend not to know the “whys” or the “wherefores” of what it is we believe.

3.      They believe the church is anti-science.  It is inconsistent with – or antagonistic toward – modern scientific thought.

4.      They believe the church is exclusive in that they often have to choose between their faith and their friends. 

5.      They perceive the church to be repressive sexually, and that when it comes right down to it, the church is more concerned about rules and regulations than it is about anything else.

6.      The church is doubtless in that it simply will not deal with the genuine questions they have.  The church, in their minds, fails to leave room for divergent opinion.

  Please don’t misunderstand me here.  I am not insinuating that these concerns are all legitimate and that we need to rush out and change who and what we’ve been for 2000 years just to win back a few wayfaring souls.  I am simply saying that these are the concerns that young people seem to have.  Kinnamon then proposes three specific categories of young people who – greatly disturbed by these issues – choose to leave the church.  Using biblical terminology, Kinnamon calls them Nomads, Prodigals, and Exiles.  Now this is not to say that each individual who leaves the church doesn’t have his or her own unique story.  Still, he believes the basic categories of young people who choose to leave the church are Nomads, Prodigals and Exiles.

 Nomads are young adults who walk away from church involvement, but still consider themselves to be Christian.  They simply believe that personal involvement in a community of faith is optional.  Perhaps the importance of faith has faded a bit for the Nomad.  These are people who could also be described as being spiritual but not religious.  They want to be relatively close to God, but they don’t necessarily want to be close to you or to me…especially me!

  Exiles are young adults who are still invested in their Christian faith, but feel lost or stuck between church and culture.  They’re skeptical of institutions, but are not wholly disengaged from them.  They sense God moving outside the walls of the church.  They’re not completely disillusioned with religion…they’re simply frustrated with shallow expressions of religion.          In other words, they need the Christians they encounter on a daily basis to be genuine.

  Then there are the Prodigals.  Prodigals are young adults who have lost their faith and no longer describe themselves as Christian.  They often feel varying levels of resentment toward Christianity in general…and toward Christians in specific.  They have vowed not to return to the church and have – in their minds – moved beyond the confines of Christianity.  They genuinely believe they have found a better way.

  What do you think?  Can we learn anything from the concerns today’s young people express about the church?  Or should we simply abandon them and leave them to their own devices?  Do we reach out to them with love and compassion, or do we spurn them with disdain and judgmentalism?  I think you know how this is going to come out in the end.  In any case, keep that thought in mind as we move on.

  A number of weeks ago, we noted how – each and every day – we make decisions that move us closer to a life of virtue, or closer to a life of ruin.  Though the past may be written in stone, the future is more like wet cement…pliable, soft, and ready to be shaped by the decisions we make.  Our goal is to develop a more godly life narrative.  Our goal is to discover what it means to live a life of virtue.  Our goal is to seek to discern where our deep happiness may truly be found.

  We suggested that our deepest happiness is found in the kingdom of God.  We noted that the kingdom of God is not just something we hope to attain in the future.  As Jesus clearly stated, the kingdom of God is also a very present reality.  Thus, the kingdom of God of which we speak is not a place.  The kingdom of God of which we speak is an interactive relationship with God…an interactive relationship that brings us peace of heart and mind.

  We noted how many of us will not even consider a more godly life narrative – many of us will not even begin to seek out an interactive relationship with God – until we encounter a drought in life…until we come up against something that we cannot control.  So what we did was consider a social problem that appears to be beyond human resolution: bullying in the classroom.  We postulated that while we may not be able to resolve all the social ills that surround us, God is able to resolve the un-resolvable.  What we need to do is recognize that fact, and be open to the movement of God’s Holy Spirit.  That, my friends, is where our own transformation truly begins.

  Then we wrestled in turn with overcoming anger, lust, lying, and the law of reciprocity.  We took a stab at defeating vainglory, avarice and worry.  The theory behind such an endeavor is that abiding in the kingdom of God is different than abiding in the kingdom of this world.  Those who abide in this world ask, “How can I get more?”  Those who abide in the kingdom ask, “How can I do without?”  Those who abide in the world ask, “How can I find myself?”  Those who abide in the kingdom ask, “How can I lose myself?”  Those who abide in the world ask, “How can I win friends and influence people?”  Those who abide in the kingdom ask, “How can I truly love God?”  Ladies and gentlemen, there is a profound difference between abiding in the kingdom of this world and abiding in the kingdom of God. 

  Today our goal is to overcome judgmentalism.  Let’s be honest here.  There is a measure of judgmentalism in all of us.  How do most of us respond to pierced noses, pierced tongues, pierced eyebrows or pierced…you fill in the blank?  How do most of us respond to tattoos on every body part imaginable, or hair that’s been dyed a bright shade of pink?  How do most of us respond to those who walk around town all day, talking or texting on their cell phones, but lack the resources to feed their families?  How do most of us respond to Nomads, Exiles and Prodigals when they leave the church and then live pain-filled lives replete with drug abuse, depression and meaninglessness?  What many of us would really like to do is tell them off and straighten them out with our wealth of wisdom on the folly of their ways.  Ah, perhaps there’s a measure of judgmentalism in all of us.

  Judging another person has to do with making a negative assessment of them…without standing in solidarity with them.  Thus, when we judge someone, we are criticizing them, but not as a caring friend who simply wants to help.  So what is the difference between constructive criticism and judgmentalism?  Perhaps the difference lies in the heart of the assessor.

  You see, there are two primary reasons why we come to judge another human being.  Number one, we feel as though we have a deep-seated need to fix them; and number two, it also tends to make us feel better about ourselves.  Dr. James Bryan Smith calls this condemnation engineering in a book called The Good and Beautiful Life.  I think a lot of us have a degree in condemnation engineering.  We know just what we should say to set those around us who displease us right – be it a stranger, be it a spouse, or be it a child – as if it was somehow our job to set them straight.  The main problem here is that condemnation engineering – in spite of our noble intentions – tends not to be terribly well received.  Nobody likes to be criticized.

  Jesus addresses this issue in the first passage we read from the gospel according to Matthew.    He says, “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?  First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”

  Jesus is using hyperbole here…or is he?  Typically we do not see ourselves as being nearly as sinful as those we aim to engineer.  To that I say: Think of this.  When we evaluate our own sinfulness – or perceived lack thereof – basic theology teaches us not to compare ourselves to our neighbors.  We tend to feel pretty good about ourselves when we do that.  Instead, we are to compare ourselves to none other than Jesus Christ.  And when we do that, we don’t seem so high and mighty any more.  Perhaps there is a log in our own eye that keeps us from seeing clearly, and that log…is judgmentalism.  As Mother Teresa once put it, “When you judge people, you have no time to love them.”  And as Philo of Alexandria once put it, “Be kind to everyone, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle.” 

  Perhaps that’s why Jesus went on to address judgmentalism in greater detail.  In the second passage we read from Matthew, Jesus adds, “Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.”  Perhaps therein lies the answer to our judgmentalism.  Perhaps the answer is found in the simple words: ask, seek and knock.

  Here’s the point.  The first thing we need to do when we really want to help someone else…is pray for them.  Yet in that regard, I think of one of my favorite descriptions of prayer.  It has been said that prayer does not change God; prayer changes us.  Thus, when we actually begin to pray for someone else, our hearts tend to shift to consider that person’s own well-being.  It is almost impossible to pray for someone and to not begin to feel compassion for him or for her.  So the first thing we do is invite God into the situation.  In the process, we come to feel less critical, and more compassionate.  What’s more, we then come to have the wisdom of God at our disposal.  Praying for another person can bring us to see many a situation in a whole new light.

  Jesus then says we are to seek and to knock.  In other words, we need to be persistent in our prayer.  God seems so often to require persistence in prayer.  Perhaps that’s because persistence in prayer is not a sign of a lack of faith, but rather, persistence in prayer is a sign of the depth of our commitment.  What’s more, persistence gives prayer more time to change not God…but us.  Thus, we show our love for another human being by praying for them, and by letting that person know that he or she is not alone.

  Our world is becoming more and more filled with church dropouts all the time.  In the meantime, drug usage, depression and suicide rates are on the rise.  You see, the problem with leaving God behind and abandoning the community of faith is that it quickly dissipates any semblance of hope.  Perhaps there is no hope apart from God.  I mean, can one really find hope at the end of a needle, or at the mouth of a bottle, or in a bigger bank account?  Those kinds of hope tend not to last…and need to be replenished time and time again because they never seem to satisfy. 

  God is the source of our greatest hope because – as I’ve said before – the kingdom of God is never in trouble.  Don’t you think the dropouts could use a dose of God?  Don’t you think the Nomads, the Exiles and the Prodigals would benefit from the community of faith?  And don’t you think praying for them just might be the best place to start?

  One of the biggest criticisms those who leave the church have is that Christians are not genuine.  They feel as if Christians do not live the life of faith they claim to profess.  Perhaps eliminating judgmentalism is the first step on the way to reflecting a genuine faith.  So I beg of you: Do not exercise your degree in condemnation engineering.  Pray for those who need it.  Pray persistently for those who need it.  And then, do whatever it is you have to do…to stand by their side.  Amen.

 

06-02-2013 Sermon by The Rev. Dr. Brian K. Jensen

 

CHRISIANITY 101: THE GOSPEL OF WHAT IF

  Some of the most devout and faithful people I have ever encountered are church secretaries.  They tend to be loyal, dedicated and true.  But they are human, and when they make a mistake – in the church bulletin, for example – their blunders become fodder for exploitation.  Listen now to a few of the more noteworthy church bulletin bloopers inadvertently made by devout and faithful secretaries of the church.

-          At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be, “What is Hell?”  Come early and listen to our choir practice.

-          The peacemaking conference, originally scheduled to take place today, has been cancelled due to a conflict.

-          This being Easter Sunday, we will ask Mrs. Jones to please come forward…and lay and egg on the altar.

-          Thursday at 5:00 p.m. there will be a meeting of the Little Mothers Club.  All those wishing to become Little Mothers, please see the pastor in his office.

-          For those of you who have children and don’t know it, we have a nursery downstairs.

-          The pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the congregation would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday morning.

-          The rosebud on the altar is in honor of the birth of David Alan Belzer, the sin of Reverend and Mrs. Belzer.

-          The ladies of the congregation have cast off clothing of all kinds.  They may be seen this afternoon in the fellowship hall.

-          Ladies, don’t forget the rummage sale.  It’s a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house.  Don’t forget to bring your husbands!

-          And last but not least, “Don’t let worry kill you.  Let the church help.”

  It’s that last bulletin blooper that I want to talk about today because the fact of the matter is: we worry all the time.  We worry about whether or not we’ll be able to pass all our final exams in school.  We worry about whether this girl or that guy will like us.  We worry about whether or not our kids will get into the right college.  And if they do, we worry about whether or not they’ll be able to pay back all that incredibly crushing debt.  We worry about that medical procedure we had to endure because the doctor found a spot that shouldn’t be there.  We worry about whether or not our savings accounts will last through our retirement years.  We worry about how we’ll survive after the loss of a husband or a wife to whom we’d been married for over fifty years.

  We really do have a lot to worry about, don’t we?  What’s more, it’s my theory that we come by worry naturally.  We tend to abide by the gospel of, “What if?”  What if this happens, or what if that happens?  What will I do then?  For example, both of my parents were raised on farms in Iowa.  They instilled within me what I call an old-fashioned Midwestern work ethic.  Yet they also instilled what I call an old-fashioned Midwestern pessimism.  What does that mean?

  Think of this.  If you grew up on a farm, you were dependent upon the weather.  Good weather meant a bumper crop and ample food for the year.  Bad weather meant a poor crop and a long, hard winter ahead.  Here’s where my theory comes into play.  My parents tended to always expect the worst.  You see, when you always expect the worst, you’re never disappointed.  Sometimes, you’re even pleasantly surprised.  Pessimism – and the worry it entails – thus becomes a coping mechanism.  It becomes a coping mechanism for those whose livelihood is dependent upon something as precarious as the weather.  Thus, one’s personal narrative comes to be what might be called, “The Gospel of What If.”  Keep that thought in mind as we move on.

  A number of weeks ago, we noted how – each and every day – we make decisions that move us closer to a life of virtue, or closer to a life of ruin.  Though the past may be written in stone, the future is more like wet cement…pliable, soft, and ready to be shaped by the decisions we make.  Our goal is to develop a more godly life narrative.  Our goal is to discover what it means to live a life of virtue.  Our goal is to seek to discern where our deep happiness may truly be found.

  We suggested that our deepest happiness is found in the kingdom of God.  We noted that the kingdom of God is not just something we hope to attain in the future.  As Jesus clearly stated, the kingdom of God is also a very present reality.  Thus, the kingdom of God of which we speak is not a place.  The kingdom of God of which we speak is an interactive relationship with God…an interactive relationship that brings us peace of heart and mind.

  We noted how many of us will not even consider a more godly life narrative – many of us will not even begin to seek out an interactive relationship with God – until we encounter a drought in life…until we come up against something that we cannot control.  So what we did was consider a social problem that appears to be beyond human resolution: bullying in the classroom.  We postulated that while we may not be able to resolve all the social ills that surround us, God is able to resolve the un-resolvable.  What we need to do is recognize that fact, and be open to the movement of God’s Holy Spirit.  That, my friends, is where our own transformation truly begins.

  Then we got a bit more specific as to how we actually build an interactive relationship with God.  The first thing we aimed at was conquering anger.  We contrasted anger with Sabbath rest.  Anger is a result of our need to control; Sabbath teaches us to trust in God’s strength.  Anger is a result of the narrative that we need to be perfect; Sabbath reminds us that we are forgiven.  Anger is a result of our fear that God has somehow lost sight of us; Sabbath ensures us that God is watching over us at all times.

  Our subsequent goal was to overcome lust.  In the words of Harry Emerson Fosdick, “Only by a stronger passion can evil passions be expelled,” and, “A soul unoccupied by positive devotion is sure to be occupied by spiritual demons.”  What we sought was what we called the expulsive power of a new affection.  We determined that if our new affection was, in fact, the kingdom of God…then lust would simply lose its grip on us.  Thus, perhaps the solution to our problem here is prayer.

  The next thing we aimed at overcoming was lying.  What we determined was that as we move further and further into kingdom living – as our hearts become more and more transformed into the likeness and image of Christ – what we need to do is use our tongues to bless and encourage, rather than to harm or humiliate.  We need to learn to build up, rather than tear down.  In short, we use our tongues to speak words that bestow the grace of God upon others.  While that means, on the one hand, that we do not lie…it also means that our general tone is one of compassion, hope and kindness.

  Then we talked about learning to live above the law of reciprocity.  The law of reciprocity, of course, is an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.  Yet as Gandhi once put it, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth makes the whole world blind and toothless.”  Jesus proposed a better way.  He taught us to trust that God – in spite of the odds – can somehow turn that which is evil into good.  Why do we believe this?  Because our new kingdom narrative assures us that the kingdom of God is never in trouble.

  Then we tackled the sin of vainglory.  Vainglory, of course, is defined as the need to have others think well of us.  It’s a little like pride, but a bit more specific.  The secret to conquering vain-glory is to recognize that in the kingdom of God, we are not playing to an audience of many.  We are playing to an audience of One; and that One…is God.

  Finally, we considered the sin of avarice.  Avarice is a little like greed in that it has to do with excessive desire, yet avarice is more specifically defined as greed for money or for possessions.  We noted how kingdom economics have to do with simplicity.  In other words, that which we spend, and that which we aim to possess, should have more to do with our genuine need than it does with our insatiable desire.  If that were to actually become the case with us, we might finally come to understand the true meaning of generosity.

  Today our goal is to try to overcome worry.  Worry is defined as a disproportionate level of concern based upon an inappropriate measure of fear.  Unchecked levels of worry can actually cause health problems, impact relationships, and sap the joy right out of life.  What’s more, if we were to ask Jesus his opinion on worry, I think he’d tell us that it also represents a lack of faith in God.

  Consider the passage we read from the gospel according to Matthew.  There Jesus says, “Do not worry about your life – what you will eat or what you will drink – or about your body; what you will put on.  Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?”  Later he adds, “Can any of you, by worrying, add a single hour to your span of life?  So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own.  Seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.”

  The point here, I think, is that worry keeps us focused on our own limited resources.  Faith refocuses our attention onto God’s abundant resources.  Perhaps this is why Jesus seems to indicate that worry has no place in the kingdom of God.  Worry happens when we sit on the thrones of our lives.  Worry flourishes when we reside in the kingdom of this world...and not in the kingdom of God.

  A late 20^th century spiritual writer by the name of Henri Nouwen addresses the statement Jesus made here in a book called, Making All Things New.  He writes:

Jesus does not respond to our worry-filled way of living by saying that we should not be busy with worldly affairs.  He does not try to pull us away from the many events, activities, and people that make up our lives.  He does not tell us that what we do is unimportant, or valueless, or useless.  Nor does he suggest that we should withdraw from our involvements and live quiet, restful lives removed from the struggles of the world.

 

Jesus’ response to our worry-filled lives is really quite different.  He asks us to shift the point of gravity – to relocate the center of our attention – and to change our priorities.  Jesus wants us to move from the many things to the one necessary thing.  It is important for us to realize that Jesus in no way wants us to abandon our multi-faceted world.  Rather, he wants us to live in it, but to live in it firmly rooted in the center of all things.

 

Jesus does not speak about a change of activities, a change of contacts, or even a change of pace.  He speaks about a change of heart.  This change of heart makes everything different, even while everything appears to remain the same.  This is the true meaning of Jesus’ words, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.”  What counts is where our hearts are.  When we worry, we have our hearts in the wrong place.  Jesus asks us to move our hearts to the center, where all of the other things fall into place.

  So just exactly how do we move our hearts to the center so everything else can fall into place?  Just exactly what might our lives look like if we took Jesus’ advice?  I think Dr. Kent M. Keith paints an intriguing picture in a book called, Ten Paradoxical Commandments.  He writes:

1.      People are illogical, unreasonable and self-centered.  Love them anyway.

2.      If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.  Do good anyway.

3.      If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.  Succeed anyway.

4.      The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.  Do good anyway.

5.      Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.  Be honest and frank anyway.

6.      The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.  Think big anyway.

7.      People favor underdogs, but follow only top dogs.  Fight for a few underdogs anyway.

8.      What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.  Build anyway.

9.      People really need help, but may attack you if you help them.  Help people anyway.

10.  Give the world the best you have and you’ll get kicked in the teeth.  Give the world the best you have anyway.

  Mother Teresa added a line to the Ten Paradoxical Commandments in a prayer simply called, “Mother Teresa’s Prayer.”  She wrote: “In the final analysis, it’s between you and God.  It was never between you and anyone else anyway.”  That’s how we overcome worry, and that’s how we move beyond “The Gospel of What If.”  We come to realize that in the final analysis, it’s between us and God.  It was never meant to be between us and anyone else anyway.  Amen.