Weekly Sermon
THE FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY
January 29, 2012 * Pastor Ed Foster
Scripture: Deuteronomy 18:15-20; Psalm 111; 1 Corinthians 8:1-13; Mark 1:21-28
You may have noticed during our baptismal service this phrase: “Let your light so shine before others that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven.”
What a wonderful blessing that is. We tell this person who has just received the gift of God’s Spirit in whom now God’s fire, the light of Christ now burns. We tell them that this is now their destiny; to shine with that light that burns within them; to shine with that light for the glory of God, so that others may see their good works.
It is an Epiphany blessing, isn’t it? It is a blessing that this light of Christ which has come into our lives will shine from us to illuminate the whole world. We are indeed, not to hide our light under a bushel basket but instead, lift it up where all of the world can see it.
It is a wonderful blessing. It is only when we get down to the nuts and bolts, the knitty gritty of how is it that we let our light shine that it becomes more difficult. To be sure, the hard sell no longer works in our world. We’ve had enough door to door salesmen. We’ve had enough robo calls. We’ve had enough spam emails. The hard sell doesn’t work. People don’t want to hear us come to their front door or stand on the street corner and say, “The time is growing short. Get saved or you’ll burn!” Thank goodness, most of us didn’t want to do that anyway.
Indeed, if our lights are going to shine; if the light of Christ is going to be seen in us, it is going to be seen in our deeds. It’s going to be seen in how we live. But, how are we going to live?
Paul takes up that question, which was asked him by the church in Corinth. The church in Corinth wrote him a letter describing all of the problems they had in their church, and they were many. One of the problems was that there was a disagreement about whether or not it was right to eat meat offered to idols.
That doesn’t seem, I suppose, like that big of a deal, but it was bigger than we probably can imagine this far away. Back in those days, meat was a luxury. It was expensive and hard to find, especially in the cities, except for the meat that had been offered to the idols. All over town, there were temples to this god and that god. Whenever they had one of their offerings, the priests would take whatever meat they needed and would sell the rest. It was affordable and available. If you wanted a steak, that’s where you were probably going to get it.
If you were a Christian, could you eat that meat? It had been offered to an idol. Some Christians said, “No way! You can’t eat that stuff! It’s tainted! If you eat that, it’s the same as saying that you believe in that God and you worship him.” Others said, “There aren’t any other gods! That’s just meat. It doesn’t matter if they’ve offered it up to some stone statue! I like my steak. I’m going to eat it.” The battle ensued.
Paul’s answer is where I think this ability to shine begins. He said, “Eat or don’t. What is most important is what that effect has on your neighbor.”
The beginning question for our lives of Christian freedom isn’t “What can I do or what do I want to do?” The question is, “How does what I do affect those around me?” The beginning of our life in Christian freedom begins with recognizing that what we do affects someone else and caring about that effect. We no longer live for ourselves. We live for God and for our neighbor.
Should we eat meat, or not? Well, it depends. If eating that meat will cause my neighbor to stumble and fall; to lose their faith or to believe its okay to worship some other god, then Paul says, “I will not eat any more meat.”
“But—but Pastor…maybe it would work the other way. What if my refusing to eat makes people think that I believe there are other gods, or what if it makes people believe that if you eat the wrong stuff that you’re going to go to hell?”
That’s right. It’s not an easy question, is it? Some people will be hurt if you don’t eat, and some people will be hurt if you do. This is the life of Christian freedom that God has given us, especially with this command to let our light shine. It is not easy. It’s not as easy as having a book of rules that tells us what we can do and what we can’t. But oh, what a life it is!
God has called us to let our light shine; to realize that indeed people are watching what we are doing; that how we live affects them; that how we live can either be a blessing or a curse.
We don’t worry too much about whether or not to eat meat offered to idols. I haven’t seen the King Zeus meat market anywhere in Salina. There are probably a few food related things that are beginning to have some of those kinds of implications. We’re being told that eating meat is horrible, awful, and bad, or that we should only eat food that is organic or maybe that is raised in ways that are socially and ecologically sound. Those probably don’t rise to this level.
So, what kinds of things in our lives do rise to that level? What is it that people are watching us wondering, “Just what is it that is different about those Christians?” Where is it that our light shines or maybe not?
I’m sure that one of those places that people watch is how we use our money. Do we really use our money the way we say that we do? Do we support the causes that as Christians we say are important to us, or do we just talk about them? Of course, that’s one of those things that’s an either or kind of thing, isn’t it?
If you toot your own horn too much about where you give your money, it certainly turns people off. If you come off as stingy and hypocritical, people see that too.
Maybe more than that is how we use this thing in the middle of our face. The words we use, how we speak and how we communicate with one another certainly tells people a lot about our faith.
I heard a well-known, and you would know him if I mentioned his name, radio/TV religious personality yelling at one of his employees. He was using language that was not only flowery but offensive. It told a message, didn’t it? I can’t listen to him anymore. I find him offensive, because I remember that he would use those words to talk about an employee.
Maybe it’s that funny joke that isn’t so neat that we send out over an email. How do people see us? What do they think? Is that how Christians act? Is that how Christians feel?
To be sure, that’s another one of those places that can go the other way. If we’re too stodgy; if we’re so up-tight that we can’t laugh at anything, people will think that’s what Christians are about. “Let your light so shine…”
Almost always when we have this discussion, the issue of drinking alcohol comes up. For the Christian church, that has been the issue since Jesus’ time. Can a Christian consume alcohol? To be sure, the church has come down on both extremes. There are folks on the one extreme who say that is the one sin for which there is no redemption. There are folks on the other extreme who not only drink but drink a lot. Lutherans have been in this as well. I think some of that comes from which part of the world your group of Lutherans came from. I know plenty of Lutherans for whom the consumption of alcohol is right up there near the top of sins. I know some who frequently have their Oktoberfest and serve lots and lots of beer.
What about it? Especially in this day and age when we know about alcoholism and the effects it has on not just the alcoholic but their family and society as well. Should Christians drink? Is it okay? Maybe my drinking will cause an alcoholic to slip, or someone who is going down that road to think that it doesn’t matter whether or not we overuse or abuse alcohol. Maybe it’s the other way around. Maybe if we are teetotalers it will tell people that that is the one way you can make sure you get into heaven.
I had a friend who grew up in a very strict fundamentalist Christian family. That family believed that alcohol was the root of almost all evils. Of course, you know that his way of rebelling was to drink lots of beer. That drinking lots of beer and rebelling came with a price. It came with a real sense of guilt.
One day after church, the Bishop was in town. We went to lunch with the Bishop at a nice little Italian restaurant. He had a glass of wine with his lunch. My friend was flabbergasted. “The Bishop drinks wine!” Then it finally hit him. “Oh yeah, maybe it’s not an either or kind of thing.”
I don’t know if the Bishop thought about that before he had his glass of wine. Surely Jim was watching to see what he did. In that instance, his light shined.How we live and what we do make a difference. It isn’t what is going to save us, but indeed it might be what saves someone else.
“Let your light so shine before others that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”
We’ve been practicing sharing little bits about our faith and how our faith works, so that maybe it won’t be quite so scary out there in the real world. Our discussion topic this morning is, if someone did open up Zeus’ Meat Market in Salina, and the meat was half the price of anywhere else in Salina, would you shop there? Feel free to share that with those around you. (Time is taken for sharing.)
In one of the very Lutheran, very anti-drinking communities that I have lived in, it was quite well known that all of the people in that community went two counties over to buy their alcohol, except for the preacher, he went three.
I would probably buy meat at the Zeus’ Meat Market, but I would be very careful about who I let see me go in.
Let your light shine before others for they will see your works. Through them, they will indeed glorify your Father in heaven. Amen
THE THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY
January 22, 2012 * Pastor Ed Foster
Scripture: Jonah 3:1-5, 10; Psalm 62:5-12; 1 Corinthians 7:29-31; Mark 1:14-20
When I read the lessons for this week, I thought that you might think “Oh no, we’re going to have to sit through another one of Pastor’s fishing stories!” Well, no you’re not; not this time.
Indeed, this call of the disciples is about us going out and fishing for people. It is about us going out and sharing this light of Christ with the world; about sharing what it is that God has given us.
Instead of thinking about that in terms of fishing today, let’s look at it from a different angle. Jesus is walking along the Sea of Galilee, and he comes upon Simon and Andrew. He says to them, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men. I will make you fish for people.” The Bible says that immediately, and that’s an important word, immediately they left their nets and followed Jesus.
A little farther along the coast, they come across James and John. They are in the boat mending their nets. Jesus says, “Follow me”, and again immediately they leave their nets and their father. They start to follow Jesus. It’s really a remarkable story, isn’t it? Jesus comes and says to them, “Follow me”, and immediately they stand up and follow Jesus. What would make them do that? They don’t stand and ask Jesus questions about, “What will you give us if we do this; what will we get out of it, or what will we even be doing?” They don’t ponder it for awhile. They don’t discuss it with one another. They don’t even run home to kiss Mom goodbye. Immediately they stand up and leave their entire life behind to follow Jesus. What would make them do that? It’s got to be something, doesn’t it?
Indeed, what does make someone leave all they know and go and do something different? What is it that is motivation enough to cause someone to give up the life they know and to take a new life? I’m sure many of you can think of examples in your life, when you had to make a monumental decision like that. For some people, it is getting married. For some people, it’s picking up and moving from one place to another, relocating their family. For others it’s maybe joining the military. What could motivate you to make such a large change in your life?
Indeed, the change that Jesus was asking of these disciples was a monumental change. They would leave behind their homes, their families, and their work. They would change the way they related with their community and their society forever. It was a complete change of their lives. Yet, immediately without question and without argument, they stood up and they followed Jesus. What could make them do that? It’s got to be something, doesn’t it?
Now, most of us in Lutheran churches don’t go through that big transformation experience. Our conversion is usually when we are tiny, little babies and Mom and Dad bring us to be baptized. From that moment on, we are set on that path of following Jesus. We don’t have that moment of decision that we are going to leave everything behind and follow Jesus. More and more, that is becoming the norm again. More and more folks aren’t growing up in the church. More and more folks don’t really know what goes on here. More and more people are told that following Jesus is going to be a huge change in their life; one that is not worth making. What would cause them to give up everything that the world promises to follow Jesus?
You know, you know what it is, because you are following Jesus. You know, because there is something about Jesus that brings you here each and every Sunday; something that causes you to change the way you use your money. There is something about Jesus that causes you to change the things you think are valuable; that causes you to change the way you treat people. There is something about Jesus; something that draws us, almost like it is irresistible.
The disciples saw something in Jesus. Who knows exactly what it was. Maybe they heard something in his voice, saw something in his eyes, or felt that presence of the Holy Spirit that had come into him in last week’s lesson. Something caused them to believe that this was the right thing to do; the only thing to do; that Jesus’ call was irresistible for them. They began to follow Jesus.
I’m always interested, when I meet someone who has drifted not just away from the church but away from their faith; to find out what it was that caused that to happen. I’m even more interested in those folks who come back. What was it that caused them to leave? What was it that drew them back to their faith and back to God? What did they miss the most when they were away?
I asked one lady that question. She told me that the thing that she missed most was the sense that Jesus was smiling on her. I wondered about that, and she must have known that, because she said, “When I was a part of the church and when I was close to Jesus, I always felt like he was smiling at me; that he loved me and approved of me. When I was away, I didn’t have that feeling anymore. That’s what I missed the most. That’s what I wanted when I came back.”
That’s kind of it, isn’t it? There is something about Jesus. It may be different for each and every one of us. In some way, it’s the same. There is something about Jesus that is almost irresistible to us; something about his love, his grace, or his forgiveness; his promise that he will be with us forever; his promise that he will love us. It’s not something far off in the future, but it is something that touches us now; that draws us to him; that gets us out of bed on Sunday mornings and brings us here on Wednesday evenings; that causes us to be a part of service projects and Vacation Bible Schools.
What is it about Jesus that brings you here? What is it about Jesus that touches your hearts? How can we share that thing with someone else?
It is a difficult question on at least a couple of levels. One of those is that it is hard to put into words, isn’t it? It’s hard to say exactly what it is about Jesus that we find so irresistible. The other part is equally if not more true. It is that this is amongst the most intimate parts of us; that Jesus has touched us somewhere that is so close to our heart, that it is frightening to share it with someone. If we were to tell someone that Jesus makes us feel like we’re being hugged or Jesus makes us feel safe in a world that is dangerous and scary, they may make fun of us. They might laugh at us. They might tell us that we are being childish or silly.
Last week we took a moment to share something kind of personal, but not too personal. We discussed with one another what brand of toothpaste that we used. I didn’t realize that I forgot to tell you that I use regular flavored Crest.
There is something that all of us feel about Jesus that brings us here. For many folks that something is found in or at least is related to music. When we hear Aine sing, it’s like the angels themselves have come and begun singing to us.
What hymn is it that most typifies that feeling for you? If you were going to sing a song or a hymn to someone to share what it is that you feel about Jesus, which hymn would you sing? Maybe it’s not your favorite hymn or maybe it is. What hymn is it that really touches you? You have two minutes to find someone to share that hymn with. (Pastor pauses to let the congregation share with each other.)
The one for me is “My Hope is Built on Nothing Less”. When I realize what those words say; that I can trust Jesus; that as bad as I mess up sometimes and I mess up big sometimes, that my hope isn’t on me but on Jesus. That’s the feeling that I come here to get. That’s the message that Jesus somehow gives to me that is irresistible.
God has sent us out to be fishers of people. The bait we are going to use isn’t hundred dollar bills. It isn’t some fancy argument that some theologian of philosopher thought of. It is going to be that thing about Jesus that touches our hearts; that we find irresistible; that would make it so that we would stand up immediately and follow him. Amen
THE SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY
January 15, 2012 * Pastor Ed Foster
Scripture: 1 Samuel 3:1-10 [11-20]; Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18; 1 Corinthians 6:12-20; John 1:43-51
We’ve been talking about the church year; the seasons, colors, etc. and why they are meaningful and what the point of them is.
We spoke during Lent about how the purpose of that season of the church year is to help us focus on why it is that we need Jesus to save us.
During that season of the Sundays after Easter, we talked about what difference does it make that Jesus is resurrected; that he has promised that we too will rise to live with him forever.
During that long season of the umpteen Sundays after Pentecost, we talked about what it is that the Christian life ought to look like; how is it that being Christians; how is it that being saved by Christ changes the way we live and what we do.
During the season of Advent, we discussed how it is that we are both preparing ourselves to celebrate Christmas and at the same time, preparing ourselves for Christ to come again.
Now during the season of Epiphany we have another theme. The question for Epiphany is, “How is it that the glory of God is revealed in the world? How is it that the world will come to know that Jesus is their Lord and Savior?”
The Christ child was born, but how is the world going to know that their Lord and Savior, their King was now in the world? God didn’t send chariots through the sky or put great big flashing lights up that said, “Jesus is here! The Messiah has come!” He sent angels to a small group of shepherds. They came and saw the child and then went away. Then he put a star in the sky. The only ones who saw the star and understood what it meant were those three wise men who came to see Jesus. How would the world come to know that Jesus was its Messiah, its King, its Savior? How would the world come to see the glory of God in Jesus?
It remains an important question, doesn’t it? We live in a world that needs to know that Jesus loves it. We live in a world that needs to know that they have a Savior and a King; that there is something more to this life than what they see on television and what they get every day.
How will the world know? Of course, this Epiphany season often leads us to that least favorite of all words spoken in the church—evangelism. Somehow or another, we are supposed to be involved in this sharing of the good news of Jesus. Somehow or another, we are the ones who will show the glory of our Lord in the world. Somehow or another, we need to share, show, and tell.
It’s always been that way. It’s been that way even from the very beginning. Jesus called Philip. When Philip saw him, he knew that this was the Messiah. So, he ran and told his friend Nathanael. “Nathanael, we have found the Messiah. It’s Jesus, son of Joseph from Nazareth.” Nathanael was skeptical. “Really, from Nazareth? Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”
Now, we don’t want to get into too much as to why Nazareth was so poorly thought of. Almost everyone knows of a town close by where they live that’s thought of just a little lower than the rest. That’s Nazareth. Nathaniel was skeptical. Could this really be the Messiah, coming from Nazareth?
Indeed, many were skeptical in those days. They had waited for hundreds of years since the promise of the Messiah had been made. Would the Messiah really come? What would he look like and how would he act? It certainly wasn’t like Jesus, they thought.
I don’t know about you, but when I run across one of those folks that is so skeptical, maybe even a little bit hostile to the idea of Jesus; my initial reaction is to get defensive; to try to explain to them why it is that maybe they should believe in Jesus too; to argue with them or to be a little bit snotty in return.
Philip is much wiser than I am. His answer was, “Come and see. We have found the Messiah. Come and see.” Ultimately, I think that is all any of us can ever say. We are intimidated by this idea of telling people about our faith; about telling people that we believe that Jesus is our Lord and Savior. There are lots of reasons for that. We’ve seen all of the bad examples; all the ways that people have been pushy and obnoxious. Deep down inside, it’s kind of scary for us. It is intimidating to share our faith; to share maybe the most intimate and personal things about ourselves.
It is not our job to bring people to faith. It isn’t our job to argue them into believing or shove our faith down their throats. Our job is to invite people to come and see if Jesus is real. When they come and see, he will make himself known to them.
Nathanael came and Jesus says, “Ah, there is an Israelite in which there is no deceit.” Nathanael was amazed. “How did you know that about me?” “I saw you under the tree.” “Lord, you must be the King of Israel!”
It is an intimidating thing; thinking about how we would share our faith with someone else; to say “Jesus loves you or Jesus is your Lord.” Indeed, we live in a time where lots of people are skeptical.
Luckily, those of us who are Broncos fans are now out of our misery. They took care of that last night. I would guess that there is no one in this sanctuary and very few people in the United States, who doesn’t know the name of Denver’s quarterback, Tim Tebow. Now, there are lots of reasons why people know about Tim Tebow. One of those is people question whether he is really good enough to be a quarterback in the NFL. Others wonder whether this is just some hype that has been cooked up by the Broncos or the NFL. To be honest with you, I’m sure that you know it’s true, that’s really not the reason that people know about Tim Tebow.
The reason that people know about this young man is because he shows his faith in public. After every game, his first words at every interview are “I want to give thanks to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.” After every game, he gets down on one knee and prays in that now popular and well recognized pose known as “Tebowing”. People have come to recognize his faith. Some think it’s the greatest thing in the world and others are skeptical. “Why is he doing that?” they wonder. “Is he trying to force his faith on us? Is he trying to make himself a spectacle or make himself popular? Why is he doing this and showing off his faith in public?”
That’s an interesting question, isn’t it? Is he promoting faith or is he driving people away? Certainly, it must take great courage to do what he is doing. People are criticizing him on the sports shows all day long. It will be an interesting question over the next few months and years to see whether or not his extravagant demonstrations of his faith truly bring people to come and see Christ. It will be interesting to hear if there are stories about people who said, “I wonder why he did that, so I went to church to see.” Ultimately, it won’t be Tim Tebow and all of the things that he does that brings people to faith. Ultimately, all that he can do is invite people to come and see.
That is our job. That is what we are called to do. I know that almost all of us really want to do that. We feel nervous about it. We feel scared. Most of us feel a little bit embarrassed. Maybe we feel even a little guilty, because we want to do it, but we don’t.
Last year, Michael Clouse and I made a couple of videos to show folks that maybe it’s not as scary as we think; that you can say, “Why don’t you come to church, or boy, my faith sure means a lot to me.” Still, I think maybe it takes a little practice. How about you? Ultimately, if we are ever going to say, “Come and see”, maybe we’ll have to practice saying it.
I’m half afraid to say this, because no one may show up in church next week. We are going to practice. We’re going to start small with something that isn’t too scary. Turn to someone close to you and share with them what kind of toothpaste that you use. It’s a little personal, but not too personal. Next week, maybe we’ll try something a little more difficult. I’ll give you one minute. (Congregation shares with one another.) I like regular flavored Crest myself.
“Come and see” Philip said. He didn’t argue with his friend. He didn’t try to prove anything to his friend. He didn’t try to force his faith down his throat. Making Christians isn’t our job. God will do that. Our job is to say, “Come and see”; to bring people to the presence of their Lord. He will make Christians. He will make faith. Come and see. Come and see what the Lord will do. Amen
THE BAPTISM OF OUR LORD
January 8, 2012 * Pastor Ed Foster
Scripture: Genesis 1:1-5; Psalm 29; Acts 19:1-7; Mark 1:4-11
In the beginning.
In the beginning of this sermon, we need to do a little Bible Study. If you read the lesson today out of our normal translation, the New Revised Standard Version, you heard that in the beginning that a wind from God was moving over the waters of the formless and void earth, but that probably isn’t the way you remember that verse reading. No, I would venture a bet that what you remember is that Spirit of God, or the Holy Spirit, was moving over the waters. So why the change?
The word translated wind here, are in other places spirit, is the Hebrew word “ruach.” Ruach can indeed mean wind. It can also be translated spirit, and it can even be translated breath. I don’t know why the translators of this version chose wind, which seems to be the least satisfying of the possibilities here, but the picture here is pretty clear. In the beginning the spirit of God was moving over the waters, the very breath of God, the very life of God.
Indeed, in just the next chapter we will read that it is the breath of God that gave life to the man God created, and that from the very beginning, from the first moment of creation this spirit, this wind, this breath of God was in the world, creating, moving, bringing life out of death and light out of the darkness.
In our second lesson, we hear about Paul. He is out on one of his visits. He stops in the town of Ephesus. There, along come some folks who call themselves Christians. He asks them, “When you became Christians, did you receive the Holy Spirit?” They said, “Holy Spirit? We’ve never even heard of that!” He asked them, “Well, what kind of baptism did you get?” “John’s baptism, of course.” Paul said, “Well, John’s baptism is just a baptism of repentance. A baptism of Jesus gives you the Holy Spirit.” So, they were baptized, and the Holy Spirit, the breath, the power, the life of God came upon them. They began to speak in tongues and prophesy.
Finally, we come to Jesus. Jesus goes to the Jordan River and is baptized by his cousin John. While he is being baptized, just as he comes up out of the water, the heavens are torn apart. That barrier between God and humanity is ripped asunder and through the gash comes the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit comes through that rift between God and humanity in the form of a dove. Mark says that it came into Jesus. Again, it says in our translation “on”. That’s what Matthew and Luke say. Mark says that the Spirit came into Jesus; that Jesus was possessed by the Spirit of God; that living within him was the power, the life, the very breath of God himself.
We, in our baptisms are given that Spirit. When we are baptized, it is that Spirit of God that is given to us. It comes to rest upon us and to live within us.
It is the power of God that was there from the beginning. The Spirit, the breath, the very life of God lives within us, moving us, leading us, and enlightening us.Many of us find that image a little bit disturbing. We are possessed by the Spirit of God. I don’t want to be possessed. I don’t want anybody, even God’s Spirit running around inside of me, making me do things that I didn’t choose to do; think things or feel things. Others of us are not so disturbed as we are skeptical. “Really, Pastor…the Spirit of God is in me? Well, where is the evidence? Show me where this Spirit is moving me, changing me, enlightening me.”
I’m sure that I’ve told this story before. It’s one of my favorites, so I’m going to do it again. In the movie Tender Mercies, Robert Duvall plays a beaten, worn-out, alcoholic country singer. He finally hits bottom in a little West Texas town at a motel run by a beautiful, widow woman. Of course, we know what happens next. The beautiful, widow woman starts to change and affect this broken, worn-down, alcoholic country singer. They fall in love. She takes him and her young son to the local Baptist church and has them baptized. In the pickup truck on the way back, Robert Duvall leans over and asks the little boy, “Do you feel any different?” The little boy says, “Not much.” “Me neither” says Robert Duvall. They were different. Even in that Hollywood movie, from that point on, they were different. The Spirit of God was living in them. It changed everything.
When we are baptized, the Holy Spirit is given to us to reside with us, to live with us, and to live inside of us.
Now, to be sure, I think most of us, most of the time really aren’t aware of that Spirit’s presence in us. We are too busy living our lives, doing the things that we are called to do. The Spirit is there, none-the-less.
I remember that when I was in seminary, I had a classmate. He was a wonderful guy. He was always cheerful, always helpful and caring. He was one of those people that was working his way through seminary. Even though he was so busy, he was almost always happy. One day, I saw him, and he wasn’t happy. He was kind of moping around and looking sad. I asked him, “Are you okay?” He gave me the obligatory, “Yeah, I’m fine.” Not being able to leave well enough alone, I said, “Really? You don’t look okay to me.” He told me, “If I wanted to tell you how I was, I would have come and told you.” The next day, he came and apologized and thanked me. What he really needed to hear that day was that someone cared enough to ask twice. Now, that wasn’t me that someone cared enough to ask twice. Now, that wasn’t me. I had no idea. I thought I was just being obnoxious. The Spirit of God knew that he needed someone to show that he cared that day.
In our baptisms, God’s Holy Spirit is given to us; to reside with us; to live within us. Sure, most of the time, we don’t recognize God’s presence. We are too busy. The Spirit is there leading us, guiding us, and changing us. To be sure, it isn’t just the Spirit that is working on us.
If we are going to buy this spiritual reality stuff at all, then we have to admit that there are other forces in the world that would like to drag us in other ways.
Martin Luther liked to describe our Christian predicament as being like a horse with two riders; the Holy Spirit on one side and the Devil on the other trying to lead us this way and that.
I think often in that struggle is where we find the Spirit’s presence. When we feel that pull one way and the other, it is the Spirit of God speaking to us, leading us, guiding us, and loving us.
In our baptisms, God gives us his Holy Spirit. It is the very Spirit that moved over the waters in the very beginning. It is the very breath of God that breathed life into Adam and into each and every one of us. It is the Spirit of God that still moves in the world today doing God’s work both out there in the world but also in our lives.
For your homework today, if we choose to do it, is on our way home, discuss and share with one another, “Where is it that we have felt the Spirit of God working inside of us? When have we said that word that we didn’t know was going to be a blessing to someone? When have we been moved to help someone and we really didn’t know why? When have we felt the power of God leading us, pulling us from temptation? Where has that blessing of our baptism shown itself, not just in theory but in our real lives?” Amen
THE NAME OF JESUS
January 1, 2012 * Pastor Ed Foster
Scripture: Numbers 6:22-27; Psalm 8; Galatians 4:4-7; Luke 2:22-40
Simeon told Jesus’ parents that this child of theirs is going to be opposed. He’s going to cause many to rise and others to fall. Because of him, a sword will pierce Mary’s own soul.
With that wonderful image in mind, how was your Christmas? Did you have one of those wonderful kinds of Christmases that just felt like a fairy tale, filled with all of the joy and wonder that Christmas Eve and Christmas day promise? Did you have one of those kinds of Christmases that just fill you with joy and warmth? I hope that most of you did.
We know as well that some of us didn’t have that kind of Christmas. Sometimes that joy of the Christmas season isn’t always quite there for everyone. Some of us were remembering a loved one that we were missing for the first time this year at Christmas. That grief and that pain may have made that day a little less bright and a little less sunny. Others of us may have been suffering from the knowledge that we have been diagnosed with a terrible illness, and it was just hard to conjure up that feeling of the Christmas spirit, as we had to deal with our own mortality. Some of us at Christmas find it hard to be very joyful. Our family is either far away or maybe we just don’t get along with them. During the Christmas season, we feel especially lonely, because we see those around us whose lives are filled with the joy and happiness of the season; and we miss it so much.
People and places where there is war; people who are especially poor; many folks come to this season and do not find the joy and the happiness that we seem to assume that everyone has. Of course, that’s kind of what it’s about, isn’t it?
Christmas is not a fairy tale. Christmas is the beginning of a love story. It isn’t one of those stories with a “happily ever after”. No, we are still waiting for happily ever after. It is the beginning; the beginning of something better than a fairy tale. It is the beginning of a love story; the love story between God and his people; the love story between God and us.
Mary and Joseph packed up Jesus and brought him to the temple. They had him circumcised. Then later, they packed him up again and brought him back to have him dedicated to the Lord as the law required.
As they came into the temple, here came this strange, old man. He picked up the baby and started saying all of these strange words. “This child has come, and now I can go off and die!” Then he turned to his mother and told her that this child was going to bring down powerful and rich people; that he would be opposed; that his life would cause her such great and terrible pain.
It’s not a fairy story, is it? No, indeed it is the beginning of a story that is going to end with pain and suffering. It is a story of love.
Many of us don’t get that warm and fuzzy Christmas feeling. Many of us, and I think maybe because we have such high expectations, come to Christmas and find that we don’t have that Christmas spirit. Maybe it’s for those of us who are in those places that this Christmas story, this love story should say the most and indeed the most important message.
God did not write a happily ever after ending yet. Instead, he came to be with us in the midst of our real lives; to love us when we’re suffering; to love us when we are sad; to be with us when we’re lonely.
I spent many years as a single pastor. Because of that, I spent many Christmases away from family and friends. So, I spent many of those Christmases with families from the congregation where I was serving.
One year I spent Christmas with a family whose tradition was to come together as an extended family. On Christmas Eve, they would have dinner, and then they would go to the 11:00 pm Christmas Eve service. Then they would come back to the house and eat cookies, sandwiches, and finally open their presents. There were two little boys in that family; a four year old and a five year old. It was late, and it had been a long and exciting day. They had probably eaten too much fudge and too many cookies. As they were sitting there opening their presents, the four year old decided that he wanted to play with the five year old’s brand new dump truck. You, see where this is going, don’t you? The five year old picked up the dump truck and smacked his brother on the head. Fisticuffs ensued. By the time we separated the boys, there were bloody noses, torn clothes, and broken toys. Grandma said, “Well, so much for peace on earth this year!”
It’s not a fairy tale, is it? It isn’t happily ever after. Jesus didn’t come and all of a sudden change us all into perfect little angels.
Grandma was wrong. After we cleaned up the bloody noses and put on our pajamas, the boys sat there on the couch on their parent’s lap. The four year old leaned over and put his head on the five year old’s lap. His brother grabbed his hand and they went to sleep, confident in the love and grace that that little Jesus brought to them.
It is a love story beginning with that Christmas morning. It is a love story that brings God’s love, God’s grace, and God’s peace to the world. It is a story that is especially important for us to hear when Christmas Eve doesn’t seem like a fairy tale; when we are worried or when we are lonely; when we are afraid. It is that Christ Child that promises to be “God with us”. He promises to love us, to walk with us, to experience all of the joy and pain of life with us.
On Christmas Eve God began a story that was no fairy tale. It was a love story of God saving us from the power of sin and of death; giving us life; promising to be with us always. Amen