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.

What Would You Give?

 

We are taking a closer look at the subject of Salvation as we approach this 4th Sunday in Lent. 

Today, we tie in with the subject of Sacrifice as part of what our Salvation in Jesus means to our faith.

We touched on a bit of the sacrificial system of atoning for ones sins as we covered Israel's history last week while we were "Learning From The Past". We want to think deeper about what it is that we can give up during this season of Lent. If you ask any good Christina person on the street what they gave up for Lent this year, you might get a variety of responses. "Ha Ha, no i didn't give up anything." to "What in the world are you talking about?" Some folks have never heard of such ridiculous behavior before and would scoff at the idea. 

Some might ask if Christians should observe Lent; especially those in a Protestant tradition. The means and practice of Lent truly come from our Catholic background. This time of the year is a special means of trying to draw closer to the Lord through means of sacrificing something that is near and dear to us; something we could go without. Some from the Protestant tradition would see the ritual as a means of control put upon the people by the hierarchy in the Church, and maybe that is true. However, the scriptural presentation of Jesus calling the disciples and asking them to drop what was in their hands and follow Him is a powerful display of what is means to follow in the footsteps of our Savior. This Christian faith is about following Christ and allowing God to make us into people who resemble the same dedication that His Son put into following the Father. So, maybe, we should take this Lenten tradition a bit more serious as we think about what this season culminates in - the death of Jesus on the cross. The ultimate sacrifice as a sign of Love being shared with all of mankind. 

What would you give up is asked to do so in order to be closer to God?

If you had a chance to lay something down that would take a weight off your shoulders and lessen the burden of this life, what would it be? I'm going throw three ideas at you this morning. They are not three suggestions of things you give up. They are three simple ideas to think about as you continue this thought in your prayer and devotional life. Whatever you give up is between you and the Lord. 

The first bit of inspiration comes from Matthew 6. I am not suggesting that you fast. I am saying that if you choose to give something up, this bit of scripture might be a good way to approach it. In our world today, with talk shows allowing people to put their face and emotions on display, it is more common place than ever to flaunt and throw our discontent around. Giving up something is never easy and I truly believe our Lord understands the human way more than we know. Change is never easy and for many the subject of giving something up and sacrificing is a huge difference from what we were raised to believe about life. American life can be a big blessing to unfold. Yet, there are those who go without on a daily basis. Without food, or home or family to help and sustain them. it can be a tremendous way to carry on in this world. What could we learn from the life of Jesus about leaving all we knew behind and venturing forward, just clinging to faith and trust in the Father? It is a powerful image that deserve more of our attention.

Much if the Psalms is either King David or another writer sharing their heart over what is going on in their world on a personal level. It truly is a person sharing their full self with God over whatever is going on in front of them at the moment. Whatever we choose let go of and follow God on should be done with a "broken and contrite heart". In fact, the Psalmist here says that is exactly the sacrifice he is making. His own heart. He puts it all in the Lord's hands and say "Here I am". And, God does not despise that offering. That is exactly the offering God is looking for. He wants us. All of us. All of you. Everything that makes up YOU, God wants it in his hands. There are many situations in life where we hang on to issues, people, hardships, control and we keep it in our own hands instead letting God take it all away. How heavy does the load need to become before we find out we cannot carry it by ourselves, or even at all? "Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy burdened and I will give you rest." God doesn't want us to be burdened with the cares of this life. He wants us to walk in the joy and grace of Jesus. There is no better way to carry on in this world. 

Do you want to be a follower of Jesus? There is no doubt that many people believe in Jesus. They believe he exists. They believe in the name of Jesus. The believe the bible and what it presents. They believe the history and authenticity of the scriptures. Do you believe to give up what you have in front of you and follow Jesus with all your heart? John Wesley covered our salvation through a series of steps moments. Wesley would preach a sermon on sacrifice. He would bring a message on repentance. Wesley would talk in another about seeking forgiveness. All seperate items and ideas that needed to be addressed and presented. In all, he covered more than 30 topics in a series of messages all having to do with our salvation. This subject of sacrifice is simply a part of our salvation. Some might look on it as a journey. A journey into a deeper commitment and fulfillment of what it means to become like Jesus. 

What will you give up for Lent? 

God loves you so much that he gave his One and Only Son so that you might know what life is like with God, forever.

Learning From The Past

 

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The past is an area that sometimes lacks the proper way to define it.
Our pasts can make us or break us. Our choices have a way of sticking around and affecting the outcome of the future. We are looking at our salvation right now as part of our United Methodist beliefs and we find ourselves in Romans 10 as the Apostle Paul uses Israel's history as part of the his explanation of what Salvation in Jesus means to their faith. It is a natural part of reading the scriptures to try and find some sort of correlation to our own lives as we seek to make sense of what we are reading. What does it mean to us? How does it apply to us? Lets begin by looking at Romans 10.

 Concerning the past, Jesus would say, "Whoever puts his hand to the plow and looks back is unfit for the kingdom of heaven." There is the matter of context to take into account. Sometimes things get lost in translation. Our English language is so definite sometimes and yet so vague at other points. Jesus wants his hearers to leave behind their old lives and follow the Lord. To go back and get wrapped up in ones old sins while trying to forge ahead toward the Kingdom is going to leave the person with a back and forth looking neck that would be comparable to spiritual whiplash. We do need to keep our focus on what is ahead. Then, there is the need to study and learn for the past in order to know what we are dealing with in the future. You've probably heard the old adage, "History has a tendency to repeat itself." We can develop a fear of the past because we are so intent on the idea that we will just repeat all our old mistakes. We need not be afraid. Jesus has us in his hands. There is much he wants to teach us and that includes how to overcome our mishaps and errors. That requires taking a look back at what we have done in order to learn how to do it right the next time. The Apostle Paul isn't afraid to site and quote Israel's history in order to help them understand where they are now in the person of Jesus Christ. 

History. The past. It's where we are today as we think about what salvation in Jesus means for us.

The word, past, is multi faceted. You should be able to click on any of the pictures in my blog page today and take a look at the meanings behind how the word is used in our English language. What I found more intriguing as I prepared for this message is how the word was used and not so much how it is defined. It's used an adjective, primarily. Meaning its a description word for the most part. Our past sins are things people might remember about us. A preposition is a word we use when we want to modify a noun and change it's outlook or meaning. "We drove past the house." Meaning, we were planning to go to that house but instead we changed what we were going to do. Noun should be self explanatory. It's possessive. It's my past. It's your past. We own it. And, lastly, it's used as an adverb. An adverb is a connector word. These kinds of words bring two things together. We want to take where we have been and connect it to where we are now.

 

  The past gives us history if we have been in one place long enough. Just this morning as I picked up the church mail for our PO Box in Glenford ( a weekly, Sunday morning ritual for me as I come out the Hopewell church early) there was a letter with the return address for Don Wineman. How long has Don been living in this area? Long enough that all he had to do was write the word "OFFERING" on his envelope and get it stuck into our PO Box. There was no address for the church on the envelope. There was no stamp either. But, there it was in the box today as it got right where it needed to be. He might have walked in and asked them to place it in the PO Box for him.And, they did it for him. I know I tried to get that done once when we lived over in Baltimore. I was told I needed to purchase a stamp. "You mean to tell me that this envelope has to go all the way to Columbus to be processed and then sent back out here, with a stamp on it, just so you can walk it over there and put it in this lady's PO Box?" Yep. I'm not Don Wineman. I'm not well known. I can't make that request. I had no past or history with the post office clerk. She wasn't going to help me with that thing.

 

learningfromthepast.net
 

Our past can come into play when it comes to our salvation, as it is described here in Romans 10 by the Apostle Paul. What do we know about the Israelites? Paul makes it clear that they were very in tune with what the law was all about. They sought into it to find the means to be righteous - i.e. be in a right standing or right relationship with God. So much so, that they missed the coming of the Messiah that they knew was going to come and bring them salvation. For us, in modern America, the past may have taught us that being here in this sanctuary is the right thing to do. We are supposed to get up and go to church. That's what we have been taught to do. Where is the connection Jesus? It is a name we have heard over and over. But, do we know Him? Have we given our hearts and lives to Him? Paul is encouraging his audience to not just listen to the past and follow the law, but to actually call upon his name. "Whoever calls upon the name of Jesus will be saved." 

Have you called upon Him? Do you know Him?
Do you know what forgiveness means? Have you confessed your sins and surrendered your past?

It is something to consider as we travel through Lent. 

What will you give up for Lent?
Lets start with giving our hearts to Jesus.