Reputation

 

I have preached this message repeatedly through the years but have never actually gotten the words down on paper in any constructive way. This message has taken many forms and has included material from many different parts of my life, and churches I have served, and places I have been. The bulk of this message has drawn inspiration from a favorite author of mine, Ken Gire. He has authored more than 20 books, but his Moments with the Savior series has been my absolute go-to for a look into the scriptural world of the Gospels with some well intention-ed liberties taken on his part to fill in the gaps and paint the background around the stories of Jesus that we know so well. On one such occasion, Gire even steps into the Old Testament, for a moment, to explain one such reference that is made in an illustration used from Luke 17. I have visited this text when I first enter a church. I have come back to it when I am at a place for a few years. And, I have tried to make sure I stop here again one last time before I move on from a pulpit. While I have drawn heavily from the work of Ken Gire in delivering the message, I have only attempted to manuscript this message once (back in 2012 in my Fried Chicken and Burritos blog). 

It's time for an update.

A bit of scriptural history is needed before we arrive at the place mentioned by Jesus. The story that our Savior references comes from Genesis 19. If we back up a few chapters, we see Lot and Abraham having a conversation about who is going to settle where. Both of their camps have grown so large that they cannot find ample ground in which to sustain both of their families and servants and animals. So, they choose. Abram headed to more rocky, hilly, desert like country. Lot eyes the lush, green area known as Sodom in the Jezreel Valley. What do we know about the land and area here simply by hearing it's name?

The words Sin and Sodom could easily be exchanged in the course of a sentence. This region sat in the southern most portion of the Jordan Valley. To call a place or area "Sodom", in comparative likeness, is said to have begun around 1594 as people would have called other cities out for being living in similar practices. Sodom was well known for it's location, it's excesses and it's growing population. The ways of making money here brought people from all over. It is exactly what brings Lot. He would raise his family here. He would grow his livestock business and become a leader in the community. They thought well enough of him to make Lot a judge, presiding over the civic affairs of the people. 

The scripture in Genesis 19 recalls the two angelic men who come to the city that day. They find Lot "sitting in the gate", an equivalent for "being a judge". In past years I have used the video series "That The World May Know" - a resource funded and produced by Focus On The Family with the help of Dr James Dobson. Bible teacher and historian, Ray van der Laan, led a crew of students through different places of interest in the Holy Land seeing dig sites and places of historical significance. One such video shows the unearthing of a small city that is believed to have been from the time of King Solomon. There were three chambers on each side, a total of six chambers in the gate, leading archeologists to believe that it came from the Solomonic period. It is easy to see here the possibility of someone like Lot "sitting in the gate" of a city. As people are coming and going through the entrance of a city like this they would have need of answers to their questions. They would need advice. They would need someone to provide judgment on matters of business or personal affairs. That is where we find Lot. 

In years past, this is where I have stopped and turned the gaze of the scriptures toward the people in whatever church I have served and asked them to put themselves into the pages of history. What does the world around us think of our lives? What do they know about us? Would our towns and villages ask us to "sit in the gate"? (Most of us would probably run from the notion.) Few of us would want to be put in a place of this stature. As a child, I grew tired of being told what to do. I wanted to spread my own wings, make my own mistakes, answer my own questions. I never got to be a leader. I never got to be in charge. As I progressed through my twenties and into my thirties, I finally got my chance to be up front in the church. Now, after 25 years of pastoral ministry, I can tell you that it's not all it's cracked up to be. There are days I don't even want to darken the doorway.

Before I get sidetracked with my own historical perspective, let me say that what we need to focus on here is what the world around us thinks of us. Better yet, what they know about us. I've seen many a thought posted across Facebook and on pages listed under "inspirational quotes" that would suggest that it doesn't matter what others think about us. Just live your life and don't worry about what others think of you seems to be the push these days. That is unless you do something or say something that would leave a bitter taste in the mouth of someone who mentions your name. The focus of this Christian life to to lead other people to Christ. What would people say about you? What do people think of you? As they pass you in the grocery store? As they see you walking your dog down the street? As they shake your hand at a football game or community festival? What is going through their mind when they lay their eyeballs on you? I could project a few unsavory thoughts out there. You should get the point by now. What people think of us does matter. Especially when the matter is trying to help people find their way to Christ and become disciples and followers of Jesus. 

As I pen this message, I find myself working in a direction I had not contemplated before. It seems like I have pushed it here before only to say that our reputation is of utmost importance. What people know about us needs to lead the way into a life of evangelism where we share Jesus with other people. But, what do we do when our reputation has been tarnished? How can we fix it and restore it if what people know about us has been polluted? Is there any way to make things right? My affinity for superhero movies did not disappoint as I sought for an illustration. The recent blockbuster Dr Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was an inspiration to the soul and the senses. The idea that there are many different universes across space and time is one that can confuse our minds. The notion that redemption is possible is one that transcends both time and space across any universal format. In the course of the movie we find our hero confronted with several characters that fans would find themselves familiar with from the comics. One of them is Professor Charles Xavier, or Professor X, as fans of the X-Men franchise would call him. Many characters in the world of the X-Men seem to have "lost their way" as the good Professor would say. But, the popular ideal that transcends its way into this newest movie is a line that we have heard the leader of the X-Men say repeatedly through the years. "Just because someone stumbles or loses their way, it doesn't mean they are lost forever." Even the friend and enemy of the Professor, the evil Magneto - Erik Lehnsherr, who swore to bring down the world and tear everything in his path apart with his ability to control all thing made of metal, comes back to his friend at the end of the movie franchise in a redemptive role. 

The imaginative world of movies aside, what makes anyone think that someone can change their reputation? Can we really change what people think they know about us? Although it was made into a movie, the real life events surrounding the life of a New Jersey man named Joe Clark come to the forefront. I have referenced him countless times through the years and quite often in this message on reputation. Joe was known as an angry man. Some called him "Crazy Joe". As a teacher at East Side High in Patterson, NJ the hot headed Clark was known for his tirades against the school district and state government. After walking out of the high school during a heated exchange with the teachers union, we find the central character in his latter years serving as principal of one of the elementary schools in the district. His friend and colleague, Frank Naper, who taught with Joe at Eastside, is then the school district suprintendent. Big changes need to happen at the high school and all over the school district or the state is planning to step in and take over the education system. The only person that Napier sees right for the job is his old pal, Joe Clark. The day Napier comes to talk to Joe as school lets out at the elementary is a focal point of the movie. Frank explains to Joe the situation and wonders if this is the chance to turn things around. Get things going in a direction at Eastside and all over the school district. Joe is less than enthused at Frank's idea. 

 

 

After a heated exchange. Frank levels with Joe over the truth of the matter. "The truth is for all your talk and all your 'Crazy Joe' routine what have you ever done? Nothing! You're nothing but an insignificant man. It's as if you were never born. Your life hasn't made one bit of difference, and neither has mine. Want to take that to the grave?" For the record, Joe does take the job at Eastside. They do succeed in turning test scores around and making change. But, lasting change is hard. While Clark's tough nosed, rage filled (at times) approach kept tough-to-deal-with students in line, percentages in certain areas - like, reading or math, didn't show any sign of improvement. In fact, they turned worse in some respects. While Clark's methods sought to instill school pride and ownership over one's life, his methods were scrutinized by many. Some said if he hadn't been dealing with poor, black kids in an inner-city situation that his tactics would have never been tolerated. Other praised him for his courage and strength. Joe truly lived by the idea of not caring what other people thought of him. And, yet, after an exchange late in the film with his female vice-principal, Joe does soften a bit and lightens his harsh demeanor.

 

I tend to make a central point of personal reputation throughout this message. Today I want to truly focus on what we can do to make things different and better concerning our outward display toward others. How can we fix our reputation? How can we turn a corner and start afresh? One of the most telling ways is finding out how hard it is to say you're sorry. Joe Clark actually reaches that place late in the movie. How late in life do we need to find ourselves before the words leave our lips? Another question would be, will the person we need to make things right with actually allow us to make things right? If they will not, then we need to take another approach. Just do the right thing. Begin now with the emphasis to say the right things, act the right way, live life as the person you are supposed to be. Be the husband or wife your spouse needs you to be. Be the father or mother your kids need you to be. Be the brother or sister your family needs you to be. Maybe the door will finally open to allow you to make things right with the other person. Maybe it never will. The desire to fix one's reputation needs to be as important to us as life itself. The need to share Jesus with others depends on it. The need to love your family and church as Jesus loves you if what matters the most. Author and pastor Max Lucado said it best. "God loves you just the way you are. But, he refuses to leave you that way. He wants us to be just like Jesus." Jesus loved other people regardless of their shortcomings, their sins, their attitudes. If we want love and forgiveness for ourselves then we must love other people with that same intention.

 

Now we find ourselves focusing on the church in general. While I have taken the avenue of speaking about our personal lives through much of this message, it is at this point that I bring it around to the life of the church as a whole. The subject of reputation is one that is woven through the scriptures. We see it prominently in Revelation as Jesus speaks with seven different churches about what they are all know for in their regions. Jesus speaks directly to each church about what he already knows of them. The church at Sardis might be the most pertinent for all of us. 

Joe Clark would have brought the point home. "They say, 'One bad apples spoils the bunch!'" Jesus says the church at Sardis has "a reputation for being alive". Some of the people are awake and focused. By the time we get to verse 4 we see some people who have had their morning coffee. Their eyes are open. They know what's going on. But, the ones that are not are making the whole situation harder for the entire group. Our Lord is more direct here than he is with any of the other churches. If our hearts are in the right place, if our focus is where it needs to be, our names will be in "the book of life". If we don't seek to make things right, to repent and turn our hearts, He will come and we won't even realize what is going on. Its that stark and direct. No middle ground there. It is one way or the other. 

It has been ten years here at Thornville and only a couple years with Hopewell. Sometimes it seems like we haven't accomplished much. "I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God." What is theres till to do? So much! Will anyone be willing to take the Slide show presentation over after Gabby is done in a couple weeks? You ladies who have enjoyed the bible study on Thursday nights; will you continue on and bring others into the fold or will you let it die? I'm not going to be here to pass out hot dogs this fall. Did the notion that we were sharing God's Love with people walking by rub off on anyone? Will the Night live on or will it go by the wayside? There is so much possibility here. 

The scriptural and historical focus from Luke 17 centers on the character of Lot's wife.

The subject of reputation truly comes to rest on the matter of looking backwards. This is what we know about Lot's wife. When confronted with the truth that she would lose all she had in Sodom, when told that she needed to press onward and go forth to a new future, she does what any sad and depressed person might do.  She turns and looks back. 

Everything she knew was back there. She raised her family back there. The story from Genesis says that her daughters were planning to get married. There were grandkids in the future. There was a nice comfortable life they had made for themselves. Now, she is being told to leave it all behind. Many a church person finds themselves in the same place. Maybe you have been right where Lot's wife is in this scripture. Maybe you have to learn how to deal with the future. Maybe things change in your congregation. We have to accept ways of doing church differently. We have to say goodbye to pastors and welcome new families into the fold. There are new songs and new ways to worship. Or, we could hunker down and get all cemented into a way we think things have to be because we are in league with the seven sure words that will kill a church. "We have always done it that way." 

Seventeen words paint the picture we are looking at today. "Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it."

Three words put a caption underneath it. "Remember Lot's wife."

And, remember our Savior. Who gave his life for all of us. Who dies for our sins. Who left behind all he had for the sake of others. 

Reputation Means Everything.

New Blog

 

https://blindspottheology.blogspot.com

 

As I get ready to transition to the Thurston church, I want to make you aware that I will be working with a new blog. You'll find links on this current site that take you over to it. Life in the Blind Spot will be the place you will find my sermon work as I begin afresh at Thurston UMC. Please feel free to share any of my material across Facebook and other social media sites. Please tell everyone about the Blind Spot blog. I'll see you over there 😀

Black or Cream & Sugar

 Pentecost Sunday

It's time to look again at that incredible day when the church began.

This special moment, however, is hard for some to handle. It's even more delicate when you deal with all the mitigating factors of worship and spiritual gifts and how people have chosen to handle themselves concerning their own natural inclinations toward expressions and emotional outburst. 

 

Yes, Pentecost is a tricky time for the Church in general. 

 

I liken the whole experience to a cup of coffee.

 

Either you like coffee or you don't.  There's really no middle of the road there. Either you have to have that brown , murky liquid rolling down your throat in the morning or the very smell or thought of being near it just turns your stomach. My wife doesn't even care for the aroma of it. I didn't used to be a heavy coffee drinker, but in my latter years I have come to find it comforting and helpful. 

Now, if you do like a cup of joe, that opens things up to a much widen discussion.  How do you like your coffee? Do you drink it straight black? Do you have to add some cream or sugar or both? (Dear Lord, help us all) I am a decidedly black coffee drinker. It doesn't need anything else put in it. Some old farts would nod their heads in acceptance of this. Some of those same people would never put A-1 on a steak. Never put any condiment on their burger. (Those are separate discussions that we could have later on. I do like my A-1.) 

 

For some, looking at the day of Pentecost is no easier than looking at the day Christ died on the cross. Some folks just cannot handle the gore and the bloodshed of the day and would rather that we not even talk about the subject matter. However, just like the day of the Pentecost, the future doesn't happen without the miracle of love and life that God extends to us all in this expression. We have no salvation if Christ doesn't complete the work that is needed at the Cross. The Church, also, has no beginnings without this day of Pentecost. We need it. We need to talk about it. We need to deal with it. Even if it's uncomfortable. 

 

Some would take the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on this scriptural day to mean that we can be demonstrative in our human expression. If you've veer been in a Pentecostal or Apostolic worship service, you know that the emotional side of ourselves comes out full force. (And, Pentecost is something shared and used all year round.) That cup of coffee has so much sugar in it I can't even imagine how anyone can drink it. But, that it how some would choose to explain and share their Pentecostal experience. I come from a church background where seeing the day of Pentecost was minimal and without enunciation. I do not recall much of any fanfare or theological importance put on the moment. Then came my time with the Holiness churches. Nazarenes would be your black coffee drinkers. There was no speaking in tongues because people have abused that spiritual gift. We might stand and share a testimony. We might clap our hands occasionally. At camp meeting on the yearly basis, we might see someone run the aisle when "I'm a Child of the King" was sung. But, the whole experience seemed controlled. We made sure our human expression was kept in check. 

 

Leads me back to an earlier phrase. How did the term "cup of joe" come to be a thing?

Well, the origin of this phrase is uncertain. However, there are a few theories. One of them is as follows: Josephus Daniels, who was Secretary of the Navy, banned U.S. Navy ships from serving alcoholic beverages in the year 1914. This ban led to sailors consuming more coffee (among other drinks) Since Josephus Daniels was responsible for the ban and thus perhaps being partly blamed for the growing intake of coffee, they (the sailors) nicknamed the drink after him, thus it became ‘a cup of joe,’ Joe being short for Josephus. If you come from a place in your own history where you have felt the controlling nature of the places and people around you, then maybe you see and can apply the illustration into what we think about Pentecost. 

A more plausible sounding theory is mentioned at Snopes, where it’s explained that the word ‘joe’ can simply mean ‘an ordinary man.’ For example, perhaps you’ve heard the term ‘an average joe.’ This term is used to describe someone who is thought of as being an everyday, ordinary kind of person. Thus, nicknaming coffee as ‘a cup of joe’ would indicate that it’s a drink for the common man, or the average person. Here is where I think we miss the mark all over in Christendom concerning the day of Pentecost. It's not about us. Are we looking outward to the common, ordinary world? If you feel the need to express yourself with tongues and speaking, then I encourage you to look to the world around you and see where the message of Christ could be shared. Are you being called into the mission field? Are you being drawn to go serve in an outlying community abroad that could use your gift to help spread the message of Christ? Maybe we need to open up a little more. Maybe we need to add some cream and sugar to our coffee. (I didn't even mention the subject of iced coffee today.) Did you know that there are some where would drink their coffee cold? With ice cubes in it? (What are we Lutheran or something? Presbyterian?) How in the world did that tradition get started? 

 

Maybe that's exactly what we should be doing with this wild and crazy day.

 

Looking into all these other ways of drinking our coffee and asking why. Learning what makes other people tick and what their traditions are all about. There is so much to see and experience in this day that Church began. It is a day for all of us. A day we all can enjoy. 

 

Pour me a cup.

 

 

Behind Closed Doors (or Third Time's a Charm)

 

Behind Closed Doors

 

OR 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We are headed toward Pentecost coming up June 5th. 

We also have some ground to cover concerning Jesus' behind the scenes work. Speaking with disciples. Making public appearances. The usual, encouraging Jesus stuff.  It's how he works. God doesn't splash items across billboards or crash through a TV screen to get to us. Many times, God comes in the quiet. He comes when we aren't expecting him. He comes when we have the door locked and we are just trying to avoid everyone. I made mention a couple weeks ago from a resource that stated that Jesus made at least 10 appearances to his Disciples before making the Ascension. One of the most memorable is found in John 20. Three times in the Gospel of John we see this disciples rise to the forefront. We can learn much about our own faith as we take a look at the small discourse we hear from the one known as Thomas. 

John's Gospel is different in many ways. From the non-linear way that the life and ministry of Jesus can be compared to the other three accounts. There are conversations and explanations that can only be found here in John's story. These three mentions of Thomas are a part of that. Who was this man and why is his image one that sticks with us so deeply? There is no doubt that many in our world know the phrase "Doubting Thomas" even if they do not have a religious connection to the words. 

Nickel Creek - Doubting Thomas

The idea of someone who cannot accept the truth unless they see it with their own eyes is a concept that seems to go beyond its scriptural origins. Even the bluegrass Nickel Creek captured the spirit of dealing with doubt and faith without going into the full matter of gospel connections. Music seems to be a perfect medium for speaking and sharing this subject matter. Think of all the songs that seem to speak to the matters of struggling with life and truth. My mind immediately drifted back to James Taylor - "Fire and Rain". 

I've seen fire and I've seen rain
I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end
I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend
But I always thought that I'd see you again

Won't you look down upon me, Jesus?
You've got to help me make a stand
You've just got to see me through another day
My body's aching and my time is at hand
And I won't make it any other way

 

 Imagine being in the shoes of a person left out of a big moment. Just this past week my son was telling me that his friends left him out of a moment where they played on ahead without him in an online game. They were all supposed to work together and go take on the big dragon at the end of the game. Together. Only he got online to find that they had all beaten the big boss and he didn't get to be a part of the fun. Maybe you've been a part of something in your family or even at church. You wanted to help. You wanted to be a part of the planning and the execution of discussed ideas. Only you find out later that the group or family went on without you. It's a lonely, disconnecting thing to feel like you are on the outside looking in. 

Even in a group of twelve men, there seems to be an outsider who doesn't fit in. I'm taking my liberties here painting a picture of Thomas as a person who might fill that role. He is called "Didymus" from the Greek. His name, Thomas, means the same thing in Arabic. Twin. There isn't a lot of explanation that goes with the title and it's connection to Thomas. Did he have a twin back home in his family? Was he being compared to one of the other disciples and shown to be similar to one of them? One commentator said that his actual name would have been Judas Thomas. Since there were already two Judas characters in the group - Judas the Zealot and the traitor Judas Iscariot, it seemed like a third mention of the name would only serve to confuse. Thomas was enough and the sharing of his special story cements in our minds a strong correlation to a subject matter we should easily be able to relate. 

The disciple only gets a simple recognition in the list of name for those following Jesus in three different places from the Synoptic gospels. (Matthew 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:15) Then there are three mentions of him in actual conversation from the Gospel of John. (John 11:16, 14:5, 20:24-28, 21:2) The first of John's mentions come from chapter 11 during the story of Lazarus at Bethany. It is easy for me to think of these men as little children when they make such outlandish statements, not fully knowing or understanding what they were getting themselves into at the time. Lazarus has died. His body in the tomb. Jesus stays a couple more days in the place where they were before heading in the direction of Mary and Martha. Jesus tells his disciples that Lazarus is "sleeping", trying to illustrate his death. The disciples are recorded as saying "If he sleeps, then he will get better." Have you had those moments where your speaking to your children and they don't get what your saying? You feel like crossing your arms and tapping your foot? Maybe you feel like beating your head against a wall! Then it says in John 11 that Jesus just tells them plainly, "Lazarus is dead." (Knuckleheads) Jesus is glad it went down this way so that he could show them the power of God. We know front the account that Lazarus will rise and many will believe. Thomas seems like he has to say something. "Let us go with him, that we may die also." It's one of those head scratching statements. Earlier in the passage there was talk of the Jews trying to kill Jesus in that region of Bethany. Now, Lazarus has died. What is Thomas referring to here? If they try to kill Jesus again, does he intended to put his life on the line and stand with Christ? It seems at that point in the passage that his words have more connection to the death of Lazarus. Does he wish they were all dead so that Jesus could raise them all up from the grave? 

 

It is in a moment like this that I see a different connection to the word Twin. Is Thomas more like a disciple known as Peter? Peter had this knack for blurting out things and making statements. Peter gets a lot of attention throughout John's account and the place in John 20 where we see Jesus coming to appear to the doubting disciple is right after the Savior has dealt with restoring his close friend. Maybe that is the place where our words come together. maybe Thomas is Peter's twin. It is in John 14 that we see a second mention of Thomas speaking right on point with one of the most well known statements Our Lord will make. It is after the Upper Room meal. Judas Iscariot is off finding and making trouble. Everyone's feet have been washed. Now they are walking toward Gethsemane. Chapters 14, 15 and 16 give us much to ponder as Jesus is having one last teaching moment with his followers. Thomas' words get overlooked in the course of such mighty words from our Master. Jesus is talking about being with the Father. None of them seems to understand what he is talking about and Thomas straight up asks, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" Maybe you can quote hat Jesus say to him by heart. Maybe those words have stuck with you through the years. Maybe they have gotten you out of a jam more than once. If I was in Thomas's shoes, I just know that they are words I would never forget. 

 

Imagine being a person who has seen it all. Except for the one thing that you didn't get to see. The one thing that everybody has gotten to see. Expect for you. You were present for all the events. You could probably write a book knowing all that you know. There's just one thing missing that could solidify the entire matter for you and make all that you have experienced truly real. That's where we find this name named Thomas. And, if we are real about it, it's where we find ourselves. Anybody here ever seen Jesus? Have you witnessed anything mighty or earth shattering? Do you have anything you can pull out and point to with certainty? The Apostle John would later write...

At that moment in John 20, Thomas is the one who hasn't done that. He hasn't placed his hands in Jesus' side. He hasn't seen the scars and the holes in his Savior's hands and feet. And, Thomas is calling out for it! He wants it. He demands it. He claims that he will not believe unless he gets to be a part of what everyone else has gotten to be included on. But, what God uses as a moment for all to share on, just like he did with the resurrection of Lazarus, he does here also. Didymus. The Twin. We are all Thomas. "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard..." (Isaiah 64.4, 1 Cor 2.9) We are still waiting. Longing. Wanting to be a part of what is to come. Wanting to see it with our own eyes. Hoping. Trusting. Believing. 

Thomas gets to be a part of both sides of it. He gets to partake in what his fellow disciples saw with their own eyes. He also gets to be a beacon for those who would come after. He is our Twin. We find ourselves in a place where Jesus could come anytime. We hold on to the belief that he will return. We opened with the hymn "Only Trust Him" this morning. 

Come, then, and join this holy band
and on to glory go,

to dwell in that celestial land
where joys immortal flow

We are all doubting Thomas. We take our promises. We can feel safe knowing our Lord will return.

Who Knows What Will Happen

 

It's Easter Sunday and we know what happened. 

We've heard all about the Resurrection. How Jesus rose from the dead. How people came to the tomb and found nothing there but linens and wraps. But, what if you didn't know what was going to happen? Us in the 21st Century have a tendency to become complacent in our faith because we think we understand it all. We think we know what we need and that's all we need to know. We read text off a page. We see what we are told to see. We believe what we have been told to believe. It all becomes so mechanical. This tendency to simply do what we have always done. It becomes ritual. It becomes tradition. It's how we create legacy. It's how history is carried on. Doing the same thing over and over again. 

There's nothing wrong with that. We need repetition. It is how we learn. By doing a thing over and over we create a pattern. Muscle memory. Even habitual memory. The drive this morning is that we create a new appreciation for what happened today by putting ourselves in the shoes of those who had no idea what was going to happen. Oh, they had been told again and again. But, as we should know all to well about our human condition; we don't always get it right the first time. (Or, the twentieth time for that matter.) Sometimes it takes more than a ritual telling of the story for it to sink in. 

Might seem like a silly illustration to use on such a momentous occasion as Easter. But, entertain me for a moment. I am taken back to an interesting film from 1997 called "Men In Black". James Darrell Edwards III is an NYPD cop who has the haphazard chance of chasing an actual alien from another planet, on foot, through the streets of New York City. This encounter brings him into a world of people who have been protecting the planet for some time against threats and beings from other planets. In an offer to join the Men in Black group and become an agent, he is confronted with a mountain of knowledge and information that challenges what he thought he has always known. Agent K, a long time veteran in the organization, has one final talk with James before he makes up his mind about whether he actually wants to step in this world he has discovered. The next day his life is changed. Forever. 

What I want to do this morning is take things from the standpoint of a person who has no idea what is going to happen. A person who thinks he has all the answers and is convinced that things are going to happen a certain way. Even for the Christian who believes in Jesus and has heard the Resurrection story a million times, there are situations in life where the reality that God has everything under his hand and his control needs to become true. The scripture from the Gospel of John says that "the disciple whom Jesus loved" made it to the tomb first. It says that Peter went in first and then John came in after that. The report says that John "saw and believed". The scripture also goes on to share that they still did not understand that Jesus had to rise from the dead. We can believe in Jesus and still not know what we are supposed to know. We can believe that Jesus is Lord and Messiah and not know that fully in our own hearts. There are issues and matters that lie within our blind spots in life. Issues that we are not aware of and matters that we either are not ready to confront or willing to deal with at the moment. 

Driving a car is one of those situation in life that one of the parents in the house is going to have to come to terms with if the child who is of age is going to learn how to do it. More often that not, good ol' dad is the person who gets to be the one that handles the learning and teaching part. Mom, stereo-typically, gets the be the joy-riding person that the child gets to have fun with once they have learned some of the essentials and has a bit of confidence behind the wheel. According to the National Safety Council, one of the hardest concepts for a new driver to embrace is that of the blind spot. Just knowing that we should look back over our shoulder and then applying the concept and actually doing it is something that is difficult for a person to accept. The difficulty might come from the fact that we deal with what we can see. The old adage is "out of sight, out of mind". Everything in our blind spot is out of our sight. Who knows what will happen back there. Most of the time we don't see it so we don't even know what is going on. 

The Christian singer/songwriter Larry Norman knew how to deal with just such an issue. Many times people get distracted by everything going on around them. It's not that they have a blind spot to deal with, it is that they are distracted by everything going on around them. What they need is to come back to the central focus of what Jesus has done. Larry was avid about singing in bars. He would witness to people right there in their own comfortable surroundings. A beer in hand or a drink of some kind did not stop him from sharing what needed to be said. However, in the midst of a conversation about Jesus, when the truth about the Savior was bringing their head to turn to that place and see what they needed to see, the person he was witnessing to might ask something along the lines of, "Yea, well what about UFOs?" It's a question that really doesn't have anything to do with what was being discussed. It's a distraction question, meant to do exactly that, and keep a person from having to focus on that glaring item sitting in the blind spot. Well, Larry went and penned a song that addressed that very problem and brought the focus back to a center on Jesus himself.. 

Larry Norman - "U.F.O." (1972)

So many of us think we know what is going to happen next. Yet, there are so many situations where we still don't understand. Just like the people Jesus speaks with after his resurrection, we find ourselves in mourning and grieving. We think this is the end and this how the story goes. Then we come across information that can transform our outlook. Do we take it seriously? Do want the answer? How many times do we have to hear it before we actually look into that blind spot and acknowledge the truth? Scripture suggests that Jesus appeared more than 10 times to his disciples in his resurrected body. Imagine being Thomas. He wasn't there when Jesus first appeared to ten of the disciples. How many of us have looked up at heaven, demanding a sign, and wanting an answer? I'm pushing the envelope beyond the simple matter of just believing in the Resurrection this morning, and I hope you see that. I hope you know that. Because many of us say we believe in the Resurrection, but we don't live like it. How many of us love to tell others what they should do and how they should do it, but can't follow our own advice? How many of us want to be strong, act like we are strong, but when it comes down to it we truly, really don't have the wherewithal to hold our head up when things get hard?

Peter. John. Mary. They have no idea what's going to happen. Some followers come to the tomb early. They report back that the place where his body was laid is wide open. The two guys who were closest to this Jesus are the ones who take off running. They get to the tomb, find it just as was told them. They see. They believe. But, they don't understand. For now, that's ok. But we know there's more. If you believe at all this morning, then believe this. You don't understand it all. You don't know it all. You don't have an answer for everything.What you have is an empty tomb, a risen Savior. 

And, that's enough. Understanding comes to those who are patient and wait. 

Just like Jesus taught. Seek. Ask. Find. Imagine what you'll know tomorrow.

Follow The Broken Heart

 

We call it Palm Sunday. The Triumphal Entry. 

Jesus comes to Jerusalem and the people want him to be King. The street is lined with palms as the people see Jesus riding in a colt, a young donkey. They want him to be king. They want him to be the "fixer". The person who makes all their problems go away. The person who rescues them in their hour of distress. But, what does Jesus want? What is it that God wants the people to see and understand? 

We have been covering the subject and doctrine of salvation through this Lenten season. We are almost at the end of that stretch as we come into Palm Sunday focusing on the tears that the Savior shed over a city who missed the point. Last week we were in Bethany seeing Jesus weep with a sister who had lost her brother. Now we see him crying as he looks over this great city of Jerusalem. When you spend all of your time walking through an area or country and become attached to the people it is natural to feel some remorse and discomfort when you know your time in that place is drawing to an end. Jesus knows. He knows that the end is coming and so is the cross. We will see later in the week the great drops of sweat and blood and tears he gives as he cries over the moment that will transpire. Jesus will give his life for our salvation. It is the only sacrifice that will suffice. It is the only proper means of covering our sins and putting things right with the Almighty. 

Jesus is the the bridge. If we thought of God and man being separated by a wide valley or gulf with no way to cross the expanse to the other side, Jesus would be the means to get there. If we are in touch with the moment here in Luke 19, I can't help but be impressed with the notion that Jesus must be feeling the weight of being that bridge. I see his tears as not having the bear the weight of the bridge, but knowing how few have actually take the trek across the expanse. "If you, even you, had known on this day what would bring you peace..." Jesus is bearing the weight of using all his energy and time to speak to a people that refuse to listen. Even the ones in his care as disciples don't fully understand what is about to transpire. It won't be until some time after the event of the next weekend that their eyes will be opened to what has happened. Only then will they see and hear and remember what Jesus has done for them. The washing of feet. The shedding of blood. All the lessons and teaching and scripture shared will come back tot hem in a flood. But, only after. 

Too often we find ourselves in a place of bearing the afterthought. "Hide-sight is 20/20" is the old adage. For many of us, we either can't see what is in our blind spot to acknowledge it and do something about it -or- we simply refuse to do anything about it. Then the moment comes upon us in a sweeping rush of regret and angst. We want to apologize, but it's too late. We want to make changes, but things have already changed and maybe not in a way that is good for anyone. Jesus knows that all of this could be avoided as he stands on the hill looking over Jerusalem. The religious hierarchy will explode with arrogance and pride. The Romans will eventually come and knock down the Temple. Many of the Israelites will be killed or drug away in slavery and servitude. The country will never be the same. The thought of being an independent state standing on its own two feet, governing itself, will be a pipe dream. "As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it"

There are so many shoes to put ourselves into as we reach through this stretch of scripture. For starters, we want to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. We want to be like him. We want to share in the saving of our world. We want to share the load of giving peace and forgiveness to a world that need to hear the message and understand what it means to know God. Too often, we find ourselves sharing the burden of the prophet Isaiah. 

All too often we find ourselves slipping into the shoes of the people. The ones who didn't listen in the first place. The ones who should have known better. The ones who find their land "utterly forsaken". The ones who should have apologized before all of the bad stuff transpired. The ones who should done what was right from the start instead waiting to give some lame apology after the moment has passed. God can see what is going on in our hearts. He knows all. He sees all. There is no escaping that. And, we wait too long, there might not be any way to correct the wrongs we have committed. 

To have eyes like Jesus.
To have a heart like Jesus.
To see what he sees. To know what he knows. 

To be like him. That is our Goal.
To bring salvation to a lost and hurting world.
 

Whether they will listen or not.

The Arc Of Salvation

 

As we draw closer to Easter and the end of Lent, we continue on with our look at Salvation as one of the central doctrines in our United Methodist system of beliefs. We have tied in with the subject many other issues such as Grace and Faith and Sacrifice. This morning, we look right at the doctrine itself and see it from the perspective of Wesley as we take a look into John 11; this familiar passage when Lazarus is raised from the dead and Jesus has some interaction with two sisters who approach him with different attitudes and words. 

Wesleyans and Methodists are not the only ones who seek to make some sense of our salvation through means of an "arc" nature. If you do a Google search with jut the words "salvation - sanctification - glorification" you will comes up with many diagrams and pictures as we will find Baptists and Lutherans and even Presbyterians seeking to explain what God has done for us in the incredible offering of Jesus on the Cross. (The pictures here might seem small but you should be able to click on them to enlarge.)

This "arc" I am referring to usually includes at least three major points on the road.
Our Justification - I usually like to use a reference here to one of my favorite TV shows. Timothy Olyphant plays Kentucky State marshall Raylan Givens who leads with his attitude and gun. After shooting a drug dealer in Florida which winds up sending him back to home state of Kentucky as punishment, he says that the shooting was "justified". The drug dealer pulled first. Givens shot him. In the matter of our salvation, are we justified at all on our own merits to approach God? No we are not. Christ makes it possible. In this case, God pulled first. He sends his one and only son into our world to save us. We need to believe and trust and it is on that basis we find any communion with God at all. 

Our Sanctification - You will hear in some Wesleyan circle of belief an explanation of "two means of grace" or two things that happen to us. We are "saved and sanctified" as some older folks might recal hearing from a testimony or two on a Sunday morning. I can still recall some senior Nazarene ladies who would wave the white hankey while crying and sharing about what God had done for them. There is a moment when we find forgiveness and there is a moment where we find separation from sin. It is a moment that deserves deeper explanation and I hope to give it between here and Pentecost. 

Our Glorification - It is finally over. We fins ourselves in the arms of Jesus. We stand before God and hear words like, "Well done, good and faithful servant." We want to be there and see God with a good standing . Our names written in the Lamb's book of Life. There is no more crying or hurting or pain. It is the culmination of our Salvation. 

The whole thing is Salvation. From the beginning where God starts speaking to our hearts. To the moment he begins to draw us in. Till we find forgiveness for our sins. The moment when we surrender and let him be in control. We start to work out all the areas where Jesus needs to lead the way. The three step idea is truly an oversimplification of the process. There is much more that goes into it. In John Wesley's sermons, he would go into much more detail about the process of salvation. Wesley would explain every steps through a series of sermons. If you can get your hands of Wesley 52 standard sermons, it is worth a read through. While diagrams don't necessarily do it justice, this is one of the best I have found. It is from the Taylor County Campmeeting in Butler, GA. 

What I want to do this morning is take a look at John 11 and try to see where we find the sisters, Mary and Martha, in this process. Maybe we can do a little introspection on ourselves and determine where we find own souls on this journey to glorification. 

Of course, Lazarus has died. Jesus seems to stay where he is in a nearby village for an extra two days before making the walk to Bethany, to the home of Mary and Martha. We see both sister coming out to meet Jesus on his way in. Both sister speak to him, but with much different tones. 

Many people believe in Jesus. How they carry out that belief and the internal struggle with the matters going on in the world around them can be a tricky road to navigate. A personal loss like a family member can be one of the hardest areas to overcome. From reading the scripture we can see that there was a closeness between all three members of Lazarus' family and Jesus. The sisters believe that he is the Messiah and Martha clearly states her belief. The picture that has been painted of Martha over the centuries is a gruff one. It is easy to picture her arms crossed, speaking to Jesus in rough tones. "If you have been here, my brother would not have died." Grace is a central element to our salvation as we see the word laid out in the diagram above. God reaches out to us. We, in turn, reach out to him. Often we don't reach out with the same grace that is extended to us. We reach out with shouts and anger and pleas. We demand and makes out wills be known. How we are approaching Christ is ultimately important to our salvation and it is something we learn how to do as we go along. 

As we look at Mary, we see someone who approaches Jesus with their tears instead of the gruff and rough. The scripture suggest that she runs to where Jesus is. The Savior is approaching Bethany but Mary cannot wait. Martha didn't wait either. They both go where he is at that moment. They just approach him with different emotional standings. Mary comes with her heart on her sleeve instead of her arms crossed. On this Arc of Salvation, where do we see ourselves? If we put ourselves in the shoes of these two sisters, would we say we are experiencing grace? Is there need for repentance? Would we find ourselves at a place where we should surrender all to the hands of Jesus? There are many things that go into that arc from the beginning of our journey until we finally arrive in front of God.