A Community Of…

Off lectionary sermon series on the body of Christ based upon Colossians 1:15-23a, 1 Corinthians 12:27-28, & F-1.0301

Good morning.  Today starts a three part sermon series on being the Church Alive.  You may or may not have noticed that for this sermon series, we’re going to be off the lectionary path.  And what you’re also about to find out is that I’m going to be weaving in pieces from the Presbyterian Church (USA)’s constitution.  But the hope is that all of this, the sermon, our worship time, and the weavings of the Holy Spirit, bring us to a place of looking with fresh eyes and renewed hope at how we can be the body of Christ and the church alive in the world.

So, today is just the beginning.  We’re going to focus on Christ as the head of the church.  But come back the next 2 weeks and we’ll be considering our various callings within the body and how we can be open to and participate in what God is calling us to right now… or if we’re already open to it, how we might make it even better.

Well, I said I’d be drawing from the constitution and I am.  I don’t know if you’ve ever taken the time to read some of this book but you should.  Sadly, what most Presbyterians know of this book is how to spew an alphabet soup of rules that work for or against an idea.  But there is some truly beautiful and amazing theology in here.  Given the history of this document, it makes it even more impressive just how clearly the love of Christ flows through its pages. 

So, hold our scripture readings from Colossians and 1 Corinthians together in your mind and let’s see what the foundations section has to say about how to understand it.  Section F-1.0301 “The Church Is the Body of Christ”:

The Church is the body of Christ. Christ gives to the Church all the gifts necessary to be his body. The Church strives to demonstrate these gifts in its life as a community in the world (1 Cor. 12:27–28):

·         The Church is to be a community of faith, entrusting itself to God alone, even at the risk of losing its life.

·         The Church is to be a community of hope, rejoicing in the sure and certain knowledge that, in Christ, God is making a new creation. This new creation is a new beginning for human life and for all things. The Church lives in the present on the strength of that promised new creation.

·         The Church is to be a community of love, where sin is forgiven, reconciliation is accomplished, and the dividing walls of hostility are torn down.

·         The Church is to be a community of witness, pointing beyond itself through word and work to the good news of God’s transforming grace in Christ Jesus its Lord.

This brief passage is really quite amazing.  I couldn’t preach a better sermon or hold out a better vision than that.  It’s a whole statement of faith… no really a statement of calling… no more like a statement of having been called and truly heard the word of God. 

So, tipping my hat to the years of history, tradition, and faithfulness that goes into this (F-1.0301), I’d like to use it as the outline for our thinking today.  See, this statement reminds us of just how deeply relational God and creation are.  God doesn’t stand in the distance like a puppet master and we are not islands unto ourselves.  The church is a community of:

·         faith - entrusting itself to God

·         hope - rejoicing in the prospect that God is making a new creation

·         love - forgiveness, reconciliation, restoration

·         witness - pointing beyond itself to the transforming work of God

So let’s start with the first marker of the church.  We are “a community of faith, entrusting itself to God alone, even at the risk of losing its life.”  That’s a pretty powerful statement.  Does it mean that we’re called to go out and be martyrs for the faith?  No, this statement is about the church as an institution verses the church as the body of Christ.  We, meaning all believers, are called to live as the body of Christ, no matter where that leads us, even if it means losing the institution we call the Presbyterian Church (USA) or it’s buildings or it’s holdings. 

We, the body of Christ, are not the stored up treasures of an institution and we should not be bound by them either.  So long as the organization of the PC(USA) is a wonderful and beneficial thing, it can support us, help us join together our resources in more useful ways, and be a true conduit for making Christ’s reign known in the world.  But the faithful wisdom built in these pages (The Book of Order), is that we are to live as if the institution doesn’t matter.

We do this because we are not only a community of faith but we are “a community of hope, rejoicing in the sure and certain knowledge that, in Christ, God is making a new creation.”  Our hope is not in our own ingenuity or cleverness.  It is not in politicians or even religious leaders.  No, our hope is in the way God works around and through us to transform life after life after life.

It is God who pours out gifts on us and then calls us to organize as a body so that they will be used in even more amazing ways.  We “strive to demonstrate these gifts” in the way we are together and in our workings in the world.  But it is because Christ is the only true head of the church, calling, guiding, proclaiming, that we have seen and felt the vision of something bigger when we join together in service. 

Now, take a look here at the statement “The Church lives in the present on the strength of that promised new creation.”  This is a pretty power packed sentence.  It does not say the church only lives in the present because we know that it has been, is, and ever will be alive.  Rather this is about how we can find our way to stay living in the present.  It is in the strength that hope provides us.  We can keep our work focused here because we are emboldened by our hope in the way Christ is timelessly working to make creation new.

And with experiences like that, we know that we are also “a community of love, where sin is forgiven, reconciliation is accomplished, and the dividing walls of hostility are torn down.”  Our lives individually, as families, as congregants, as coworkers, as sisters and brothers are bound in the quality of love we share… a love that we learned from the first lover of creation, God. 

When we are living as the true body of Christ, our work is that of building up each other, healing wounds, soothing anxieties, and even the big stuff of dismantling the walls that divide us from one another and the rest of creation.  The work of love in community is beautiful but it is demanding.  Yet, when we are living the love of God together, moments and lives and communities are forever made different… holy.

And that’s why we are “a community of witness, pointing beyond itself through word and work to the good news of God’s transforming grace in Christ Jesus its Lord.”  Our time together is for the cultivation of and fellowship in the love of God.  But our calling is not to come into the church walls and hang out.  Our lives together should be pointing to something bigger, to God, all along the way.  Our words and works should not be pointing to us to say, “look what I’ve done.”  They point to God to say, “look at the never ending, always faith inspiring works of God.”

See, the point of all of this is that we are living in a body of faith, hope, and love… and a body with a calling to share those and other gifts with the world.  We are all called to be nurtured by and serve in the body of Christ.  We don’t have to worry about the future of it or how it will sustain itself because Christ, as the head, is in charge of that.  But we are called to be the living body of Christ.

The reformed tradition has a way of talking about that called the Priesthood of Believers and Baptismal Calling.  See, we are called to honor all works in the body because they all serve as witness in different ways.  All believers are ministers, just of different callings.  The words “lay leader” or “clergy” and “teaching elder” or “ruling elder” are words of the institution for how it orders itself.  But our work transcends such language, no matter our title or calling.

The person who unlocks the doors and scrubs the toilets is as deeply honored in the body of Christ as the person who leads worship.  Does that offend me?  That I compared the work of a sexton with the work of a pastor?  No, and it shouldn’t offend you either.  Membership and witness in the body of Christ is about commitment in covenant, not status.  And ministry and ministering is about service, not privilege.  My ordination is about my function, not my rank or prestige. 

The things that should offend us are when we stand in the way of that witness and become stumbling blocks to one another’s callings.  The things we should feel anxious about are when we stop loving and working together or become indifferent to the needs around us.  Our real work is to hear and respond to the cries of those in need of the body of Christ.  Our focus need not be on solving every problem but it should be on the call of Christ in each one of us and living that each and every day.  Everything else is in God’s hands.  And thanks be to God for that.  Amen.

A Brief Encounter

Ordinary 22A – A sermon based upon Exodus 3:1-15

Good morning.  It is a true blessing to be back with you and I’ll be here for the next few weeks.  I’ve missed you but you’ve remained in my prayers.  And you’re never far from my heart, either.

Well, today’s scripture from Exodus is another one of those treasure troves of God’s wisdom.  I have chewed on it all week and kept hearing more revelation from God even though I knew I needed to narrow the focus.  So who knows, maybe I’ll preach this text again in a few weeks with a different focus.  But for now, we’ve got enough to chew on.

It’s that amazing story of Moses and the burning bush.  Moses was on his way to work and worried that he would be late but he turned to see what was happening up the hillside.  What was this fire that burned but did not consume the bush?  It turns out it was a message from God and a calling to do something remarkable.  God had heard the cry of the Israelites and wanted Moses to help in the work of spreading God’s liberation and justice.  Moses insisted that he would be too afraid to do this task.  He protested and told of reasons he could not do it but God’s call was still the same.   He wanted to know how this could be done.  And you know what?  God was not explicit on how this would happen even when asked.  God never offered a detailed roadmap of how to overthrow an empire.  But God’s promise to be with Moses through it all was loud and clear.

It’s a great story isn’t it?  It has all these amazing ways of thinking about it.  For example, we could ask what can we learn about God through this story.  What about what we can learn about Moses or human nature?  We could even ask about what we can learn about the life of people 3500 years ago.  But for this day, I think we might be well served by asking what we can learn about our lives today through this story.

What is it that we need to know so that we to can experience a life changing moment with God?  For Moses, this was just a brief encounter but it definitely changed the whole direction of his life.  So what are a few of the take-a-ways for our lives?

Well, for today, we’re going to focus in on three… how very three point sermon of me.  First, there are all kinds of burning bushes.  Second, we just might be missing some burning bushes around us already.  And third, following God’s call on our lives is not about having all the answers or always being fearless.

First, are there all kinds of burning bushes?  I know we read the stories of the bible and often wonder why doesn’t God light up a bush and talk to us sometime?  It would be much easier to have faith if God just spoke more loudly and clearly.  But even though we might like a burning bush or at least a nice email from God, God has already filled our lives with life changing messages that came in all kinds of forms.

For those of you who have felt the call to be involved in some sort of ministry or cause, how did you know that was the right thing to do?  Or when you were looking for a church home, how did you know this was the one?  And when you were struggling to find meaning, direction, or vocation, what led you down the path the fulfillment? 

See, I doubt it was a burning bush.  The answers to any one of those questions are going to be so varied among us.  It could have been a series of seemingly unrelated events that collided that made you see a certain direction… providence, if you will.  It might have been a still small voice that kept whispering the same thing to you over and over.  Perhaps it was a large event that happened long ago that changed you in a way that has altered your decision making ever since.  Regardless of what it looked like, if it was the right decision, it was God. 

God speaks to us in all kinds of ways.  God used Moses to speak to the Israelites and encourage them to believe that they would not always have to suffer.  God used passersby to tend to the wounds of an injured person.  God speaks through moments and whispers and people and God speaks to us in this time and place. 

It may not be a burning bush but unlocked, this bible has set lives on fire.  Social time between services may consume more donuts than a non-consuming flame but lives are transformed and the face of God is seen.  Vacation bible school, reaching out to one another as neighbors, community events, meals with loved ones, and ALL the countless ways we “hear” and “are” God’s voice in the world… oh yes, there are all kinds of burning bushes in our lives that set us on a path and guide us all the way.


Second, are there already burning bushes around us that we may have missed?  Well, let’s see.  There is a tale told by rabbis about why the bush was burning but not consumed.  I mean, for the purposes of delivering a message, does it really matter if the bush is left in ashes or not?  Well, as the story goes, the rabbis argued about this until one of them said, “The bush was burning but not consumed so that one day when Moses passed by he would finally notice it!”

If we re-read this passage, stopping to think that Moses might have missed it before, suddenly some of the language makes sense.  God put out this sign waiting for Moses to turn away from what he was doing long enough to notice it.  So, this bush needed to not be burned up by the flame.  It needed to last.

Now, whether or not the bush had been burning for years or just that afternoon doesn’t really matter. The point is that God did not put it right in front of Moses but rather it was off to the side and took some intentionality on Moses’ part to go to it.  The scripture says he had to turn aside from what he was doing to go over to the bush.

So, coming back to the idea that there are already burning bushes in our midst, how often are our lives like this? (walk past communion table in a hurry) Or this? (walk past communion table reading) Or this? (walk past communion table meandering) Or this? (walk past communion table on phone) Or this? (walk past communion table with a hurt back) Or this? (walk past communion table laughing) (Turn and finally notice the communion table)

The joys, the tears, and everything in between are always going on in our lives.  How often do we walk past the same thing and then finally one day see it?  I venture to guess, quite a bit.  And God knows that too.  Sometimes we probably do miss out on a message.  But for the big stuff, God keeps a bush lit for us.  That bush may have to be moved from place to place or time to time to keep up with us but it stays lit.

What do I mean by this?  Well, what would happen if we all took a bit to talk about the direction of this church?  I bet that conversation would end with some pretty amazing ideas about invigorating existing relationships or maybe starting new ministries.  It’s not that these are new ideas.  It’s just that we didn’t stop to notice them before now.

It only takes pausing for a bit and being willing to see something new or different to realize that God has set fire to a bush near each of us.  Maybe the message we’ve been missing is that of embracing something we weren’t sure we could handle.  It could be a message to forgive someone.  It might even be a calling to do something entirely different in our lives.  But the point is that when we are intentional to pause, look, and change course even a little, we always find a place God is speaking to us that we didn’t recognize before. 


So, to the final point, following God’s call on our lives is not about having all the answers or always being fearless.  If we know anything about Moses’ story, we know that he was plagued by repeated doubts, fears, and was nearly always asking God to “Prove it.”  And repeatedly God addressed the doubts, fears, and pleas to prove it with the reply “I will be with you.”

God’s greatest gift to Moses and to us is that we are never alone.  We are going to have fears and we are most definitely going to have doubts.  We are even going to be dissatisfied with the unclear plan we have in front of us and ask God to show us more of the road map.  But God’s constant answer is “I am with you.”  And then in due time, more is revealed.

So what does that mean in practical terms for us?  We need to keep our focus on what God has called us to do today and not let our anxiety and fear about the how all this is going to work out distract us.  And how does that happen?  We keep living as the body of Christ, watching and responding to burning bushes as they appear. 

Consider what the Pastor Nominating Committee does.  They join together seeking the voice of God each week.  Now I am positive they might prefer an obvious burning bush but the fact of the matter is that their ongoing relationship with one another makes them more and more aware of God’s presence and work in this place.  Their work is hard and produces a lot of fear and anxiety. I bet every one of them worry “what if we get it wrong?”  Have they missed a few burning bushes?  In this case, I doubt it.  But I am absolutely sure that God is with them.  They need only keep on the path before them until a new burning bush illuminates God’s way.  And we need to support them by offering encouragement and reminding them that God’s guidance will be present in this church, no matter what.

But the practical part of knowing God is with us even though we fear doesn’t end there.  When John Karins died last month, the presence of God was felt by his family because this congregation responded with love and support.  When the church needs juice boxes for vacation bible school, we bring them in.  When a hurricane strikes the east coast, we donate to the Red Cross.  When there is a new birth in our midst, we celebrate with one another. 

All of these things we do as the body of Christ, Emmanuel… God with us, are a constant reminder that we are not alone.  Our fears will find comfort in God and one another.  The path we should take will be made known if we hold together as a body.  Even the future of this church, it’s members, and it’s leadership are secure in the workings of God.  Our job is to keep moving forward as a body and being ever watchful for that next burning bush.  Amen.

Peace for What?

Peace for What? <–- audio file of sermon. A sermon based upon John 20:19-31

Good morning. First off, let me go ahead and acknowledge that you might have noticed something different about me today. Is it new glasses? No. Perhaps a new outfit? No. The answer is I shaved my head 2 days ago at a charity event raising money for and awareness of childhood cancers. Some of you know that I do this every year and it’s always a wonderful event. Actually, the child we honored at the event was in the hospital and unable to attend. But like I said, it was still a wonderful occasion and such a great cause.

And just so you know, it is okay to ask me questions about it. It is okay to stare. And if you ask, I’ll even let you rub my head. But when you look at my head, please remember all those who struggle with cancer and need our support and then say a prayer for them.

Okay, now back to the task at hand. What do we make of these disciples and of good ole doubting Thomas? This is a story that a week and a half ago, I was going to preach pretty much the same thing we usually do. I thought we were going to look at the struggle between intuition and fact and of the different ways of knowing. I thought we might focus on how Christ comes to us no matter what our needs are so we need not vilify Thomas for being slow to believe.

But then Sunday night our televisions, radios, Facebook pages, and text messages starting buzzing with news that the President would speak. Soon the word came out that Osama Bin Laden was dead. And from that point forward broke a frenzy of praise, sorrow, questions, debate, and doubt. And somewhere in all this, a few people paused to ask, “what should the Christian response be?”

What should the Christian response be to the death of a man who apparently has masterminded the deaths of thousands of innocent lives? What should the Christian response be to the death of a man who struck fear in the hearts of so many? What should the Christian response be to the death of a man who was also a husband, father, grandfather, brother, and someone’s child? What should the Christian response be to the death of a man who had become so consumed by hate and fear that he could not see the humanity in others?

Sisters and brothers, I’m not going down a road toward telling you what you should believe politically or think about Osama Bin Laden. But I am going down a road that points to what happens when we live behind locked doors.

Let’s take another look at this passage. The passage begins, “When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’”

See, when we think about this passage in time, Jesus had just been crucified and died. That very morning Mary and Mary had discovered the empty tomb. Jesus had appeared to some of them on the road and they were sharing the news. But the general feeling amongst all of them was fear. They were afraid for their lives and afraid for their futures. They closed themselves off and locked the door. But Christ comes through the barriers and says, “Peace be with you.”

Later in the passage, we have the same disciples only this time Thomas is also there and he has not believed that Jesus was truly resurrected. The passage reads, “A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”

Here again we have the closed doors that are presumably locked. Even a week later, the disciples are hiding out rather than being out and about. And Jesus comes through the barriers to once again pronounce, “Peace be with you.”

So, what do we make of this? It would be easy to speed on past these verses and get to the story of Thomas’ disbelief. But I don’t think these verses are here by accident and I don’t think John went to the trouble of noting the closed doors if it weren’t an issue for us to learn from.

First of all I think we need to have grace and compassion in our hearts just as Christ did when we look at this story otherwise we get caught up in judgment. These people were scared. Jesus had been their companion and champion. They believed he was going to restore justice in the land. They hadn’t yet realized his justice would be of a more far reaching kind. So in their fear, they retreated to a home and hid out.

But Jesus came in and didn’t speak harsh words or judgment. He wanted them to be at ease and to release their fear. He greeted them with a wish and hope for peace in their lives. Christ wants them to not fear or to feel worse for their struggle. He wanted them to heal. His words were about understanding their experience and knowing that more than anything, they needed to let go of the fear and receive peace and the hope that springs from it.

This is truly an amazing model for our lives. It is an orientation toward people that begins with saying, “I want to know and understand you and your needs.” To have a starting place of grace and compassion in our hearts is a starting point of love rather than assessing, judging, categorizing, or any of the other countless ways we sum people up without first seeking to understand them and their experience.

When we are scared and either literally or metaphorically close ourselves off, what would it be like if someone who loves us came on in and spoke love and peace into our hearts, minds, and spirits? How would we react if that person looked at us with eyes of compassion that told us that our experiences and feelings are safe with them?

And looking outside of ourselves, what if we were the person who could be that voice of peace, love, and healing for the one who has walled themselves off? When we’re dealing with the person who lashes out at us, what if our starting place was that of looking into how someone got so overrun by fear rather than lashing back at them? What if our priority was to truly know and understand people and their experiences instead of quickly assessing what category they fit into?

Now coming back to where I started with the death of Bin Laden, I’m not saying that there isn’t a time to make people stand accountable for their crimes or that understanding why someone is fearful is an excuse for the way they may have hurt others. There is a time for that accountable justice. There is even a time and a place for those categories like liar, cheater, greedy, selfish, terrorist, and murderer. Those classifications can help us as a society understand who has been hurt and how to exact justice. But those categories should never be a substitute for seeking to know and understand one another. That’s just not what the Christian life is about.

The Christian life is found in our second point today. Christ’s peace and calling are to fling open the doors and live out in the world as agents of love and healing. Jesus said, “Peace be with you” not only as a way to still their anxious spirits but to clear the path to move beyond the fear and anxiety. Next, he breathed the Holy Spirit upon them and told them to go out and spread the Good News and extend the gift of the forgiveness of sins to all. Their job, their calling was to be out in the world. They had received the Spirit and the Spirit should not and cannot be contained behind closed doors.

So what does this mean to us? Well, more often than not, our fears come out in more subtle ways that are not directly damaging to others but cause harm we will never see. We wall ourselves off from certain “kinds” of people or places thereby cutting of relationship after relationship after relationship. We convince ourselves that our fears are actually wise judgments or well thought out beliefs so we don’t need to bother with this person or that group. We tell ourselves that “they” are sinners or liars or too uneducated to understand or too far beyond help. We convince ourselves that we need not worry about them because they don’t want our help anyway. We use words terms like “crazy liberal” and “snooty” to feel better about not looking at them as a whole person.

But maybe that’s just the problem. The message of Christ doesn’t start with figuring out what category someone fits in to or how to fix them. It starts with understanding. Instead of seeing “they” and “them” we need to see a person struggling or striving or searching and look more deeply into how that journey has shaped their life. When our starting point is that of trying to understand someone, the issue of helping will then naturally into place. And you know what else? We often find that we were helped in some way too.

Now, I’m not saying living the Christian life means to blindly walk up to a person who’s fear may have built to the point of violence. But I am saying that it means unlocking the doors of fear we’ve constructed for ourselves. It means gently challenging the fears of others by seeking to understand them and being open so that they can understand us. It means challenging our own fears by trusting in the peace of Christ to overcome all.

Does all this sound too big? Well, it starts here. The church is the proving grounds for how we’ll live in the world. We start with the people around us and let go of seeing the labels and the judgments and the walls that keep us from seeing the whole person.

With Christ’s peace, we can let go of seeing the person who snubbed us when we needed a friend or the person who complains instead of helping or the person who boasts instead of listening. And when we let go of the categories of judgment we might understand that we weren’t actually snubbed because the other person was deeply depressed at the time. And those complaints are just a mask for loneliness. And the boasting was just a mask for fear. If we can let the walls we have between us down long enough to understand one another, we’ll cultivate such a deep community we’ll have the strength to go out into the world and do this with others.

And we already do. Look at the Kairos ministry. That’s an amazing example of understanding that leads to healing. And I could stand here and name ministries and individual actions in this congrigation that over and over reflect the triumph of Christ’s peace and the healing of understanding. But today’s passage reminds us that there’s always more to be done.

The Christian response to Bid Laden’s death is not as simple as cheering or grieving. We must seek to be thoughtful and compassionate, appreciating justice yet seeking greater reconciliation. Christ’s call in the world always begins with peace that breaks down fear. That peace leads to understanding. And understanding leads to healing.

Sisters and brothers, whatever fears we are hiding behind or keep locked away, Christ breaks in past them and says, “Peace be with you.” As we leave here today, let us be bold to hear and receive that peace. Let us be brave to understand and be understood. Let us be trusting in Christ’s calling and be agents of healing and reconciliation in the world. Amen.

Left Behind or Called Ahead?

Sermon based upon Matthew 24:36-44 <-- Audio file of sermon

Good morning. It’s great to be back with you and I’m going to be here for the next few weeks. Given that we’re going into Epiphany, which means “divine manifestation,” I thought I’d do a sermon series on apocalyptic literature in the bible and see what “divine manifestation” we could unearth. This week we’re looking at a text from Matthew, next week is from Revelation, and the following week is from Daniel. All three texts represent different eras and forms of apocalyptic literature.

This from of writing has been used for thousands of years and many people believe it is telling about a literal time and place to come. Personally, I’m not sure that’s true. The word apocalypse comes from a Greek word that means “revelation” and what God has repeatedly shown is that we don’t have to play guessing games about how to live because God reveals what we need to know. The point of the writers of apocalyptic texts was not to speak to a generation sometime down the line in a code that no one would understand until that time had passed. The biblical writers were speaking to their people in that time in a way that was supposed to make a difference to them in their daily lives. Often times, I feel that the real miracle of the bible is that it still speaks to us across all this time and continues to offer relevant revelation to us here and now.

But before we go further, let me tell you that I’m a very humble person when it comes to the bible and all the ways God reveals God’s self in the world. I assure you that anything I share with you is #1 faithful and #2 represents an earnest effort of study and reflection. But are there more or different things that can be said that what I share? Most definitely, YES!

All this buildup leads into today’s biblical passage. I don’t know about you but when I read this text I immediately thought of the Left Behind book series. Now, I’ve not actually read those books but I felt compelled to find out a bit more about them because I suspect that I’m not the only one who thought of the connection. So, I started with an editorial synopsis of the first book in the series entitled Left Behind. Let me share with you what I read:

Piloting his 747, Rayford Steele is musing about his wife Irene’s irritating religiosity and contemplating the charms of his “drop-dead gorgeous” flight attendant, Hattie. First Irene was into Amway, then Tupperware, and now it’s the Rapture of the Saints. Steele believes he’ll put the plane on autopilot and go visit Hattie. But Hattie’s in a panic: some of the passengers have disappeared! The Rapture has happened, abruptly driverless cars are crashing all over, and the slick, sinister Romanian Nicolae Carpathia plans to use the UN to establish one world government and religion. Meanwhile, Steele teams up with Buck Williams, a buck-the-system newshound, to form the Tribulation Force, an underground of left-behind penitents battling the Antichrist.

Now, when I finished this reading, I couldn’t figure out what the deal was with these books. Is this the same book that a decade ago was causing people to change their lives and get “right” with God? To me, it sounds much more like a dark comedy than a call to Christ.

So, what’s up with this thing we call “the rapture?” Where did we get this idea and is this what the scripture is telling us? Well, most biblical scholars say that this passage is not about a rapturing of the saints. The idea of rapture is a fairly young one in the history of Christianity. It only dates back to the 1800’s and even scholars who believe in it admit there’s no biblical evidence for their belief.

And if we are talking about biblical evidence, why would Jesus go from consistently talking to people in a way that was about their present lives to suddenly talking about something that would not happen or make sense for thousands of years? Well, he didn’t. This passage is part of a larger text where Jesus is talking about recognizing the Messiah, something which he said to them would happen in their generation and would be ongoing. In the 2 verses prior, he says, “Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not.”

Most biblical scholars say this passage is about eschatology and eschatology is nothing more than a fancy word that means the God’s ultimate destiny of humanity. So what is the ultimate destiny of humanity? Some people do think rapture is a part of God’s ultimate vision for the world but there are many other beliefs as well. Let me offer up a couple of other visions for you to consider.

A famous theologian named Paul Tillich says that our destiny is to finally see and understand our incredible brokenness and disconnect from God and one another fully. And that when we see this, we’re then open to truly living in the presence of God. Jürgen Moltmann says that faith is found in hope. He feels that our ultimate destiny is not about the last days but rather the Christian hope and living fully into God’s vision for us here and now. Even Jesus shared an eschatological perspective during his ministry by talking about things that were of final and supreme importance. He spoke about the coming of the Kingdom of God in present and ongoing tenses and demanded a new and higher righteousness here and now.

As you can tell, there are more visions for the ultimate destiny of humanity than just the Left Behind books. So, what is this text about? Well, it is about Jesus coming into our lives. And quite clearly something significant happens when Jesus comes into our lives. Let’s reread part of this text thinking that Jesus wants us to know something about our destiny.

36“But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, 39and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. 41Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. 42Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.

When read it that way, it seems much more like the “when and where” of Christ’s revelation will be a part of our everyday life and everyday function. We won’t know it or know what it looks like until it happens.

Now don’t get hung up on the fact that this passage mentions the flood story. It’s not saying anything about sinfulness or judgment. Jesus was just using a familiar story that people would know to say that people were going about their business unaware of what would happen next.

And it’s the same today. This passage is telling us that we simply do not know when experiencing the presence of Jesus is going to happen. Much like the time of Noah, we’ll be going about our daily business when Jesus’ presence is revealed to us. But here comes the key to all of this. When that happens, when we really see and understand what Jesus Christ and the Gospel are truly about, we’re transformed and rather than being left behind… we might even be called ahead.

So, again, we need to ask, what is this ultimate destiny in Christ’s presence that we need to be watching for? Simply put, it is the salvation we find in Christ. To really find Jesus and get the Gospel is to finally see and understand the freedom, grace, and deliverance we experience in Christ. Christ shows us a way of understanding ourselves, of connecting with the other, and of knowing our place in the universe. Knowing the presence of Christ shows us the way to a meaningful life and connects us to our purpose in the world today.

You know what that’s like don’t you? You know, it’s the sensation of recognizing and embracing the reality that we each have value. It’s realizing that there are purposes larger than ourselves and that we’re supposed to be a part of them. It’s waking up to see the needs around us and of claiming the power to make a difference in the world. It’s encountering deliverance and being called ahead to lay foundations for others rather than being left behind.

Christmas has come and gone and part of my holiday always includes watching the classic movie, It’s A Wonderful Life. You know, this movie is a great example of finally recognizing the presence of the Gospel in our lives. The main character George Bailey, is going about his daily life unaware of what his real purpose is. He’s focused on a vision of the future that will in fact never come. It’ll never come because he’ll soon be transformed when a series of events break through to George and he at last understands his purpose. In finding this, he experiences deliverance from his old ways of living. He then leaves behind his old notions of fumbling through life and then lives into new meaning with those around him. He realized that all along he was called ahead to pave the way for sustainable housing and to be an integral part of his community.

This brings me to the final point of the what I think the scripture is telling us, which is that when you get the Gospel, when you really experience the presence of Christ, you’re called out and called ahead, leaving behind your previous ways and focus. We’re told that: 40… two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. 41Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left.

This is the story of what it’s like when someone has awareness of purpose. They then have direction, a pull toward something else and then leave behind where they were to go out and live into their true purpose… a call if you will.

Call stories where one is called ahead and something is left behind are throughout the entire Bible. You don’t have to look very far to find these stories. Consider the story of Zacchaeus. When he encounters Jesus, he drops everything to go out and fulfill a new purpose. There’s also the story of Simon and his brother Andrew in the book of Mark. Jesus tells them follow me and you will become fishers of men. They immediately left their nets and followed him. Even a Donkey found new purpose and left behind its village when Jesus told his disciples to go into a certain village to find a specific donkey that he had use of. They did that and the donkey then bore Jesus into Jerusalem. So if even a donkey can find new purpose through Christ and leave behind an old life, then where does that leave us?

Well, it leaves us looking for what we are supposed to do with this purpose and meaning that’s been revealed to us. Trust me, I know that most of us don’t feel like we’ve been connected with our ultimate purpose or destiny in the world and many don’t have the privilege to follow inner desires. But we all have something in us… some cause or purpose that’s larger than ourselves that calls to us, pulling us toward it. And if we live into that purpose fully, there’s a feeling of being called ahead that leads us to go do the work of Christ in the world.

Look around you. We’re living examples of what it means to live out that call. I left behind a home, friends, and a career to go to seminary and become a minister. Also, many of us belong to ministries where we feel called out to share the Gospel with those around us. Look at the different ministries of this church. What about Soup and Serenity, the resale shop, the deacon’s food pantry, and countless other causes First Pres works with? Or outside the church, many are involved in scouting, the Bridges program, and much much more. These are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to all the ways we’ve encountered Christ’s call and were called ahead to make a way for others.

I suspect we leave behind lots of things as well. We sacrifice an afternoon of leisure to be with one another and help someone move or cope with tragedy or celebrate births. We let go of grudges because the hold us back from our work in the present. We leave behind old behaviors because we are called ahead to live into something bigger than what we have always known.

This is the real heart of the matter. Jesus’ presence shows us the way to live into something far more fulfilling and rewarding than anything we could have conjured on our own. What we’re talking about here is not just a J. O. B. We’re talking about vocation. So when this scripture passage tells us that we need to be vigilant and watch for Christ’s presence in our lives, it’s because this is of supreme importance. Embracing Jesus’ revelation says more about ultimate vision than the notion of rapture could ever express.

Sisters and Brothers, we truly are called ahead… but not so that others will be left behind. We are called ahead to pave the way for others to experience the revelation of Christ in their lives. So, when we ache for deliverance from meaninglessness, look for Christ. When we need direction, look for Christ. When we hunger for purpose, look for Christ. I assure you that we won’t know exactly when but we’ll find him in everyday places, showing us a new and more excellent way. This is our charge, to be watchful, open to seeing, and ready to embrace Christ’s revelation in the world. Amen.

Sing A New Song

Sing A New Song   <-- Audio File - Sermon based upon Psalm 98

Good morning. It’s wonderful to be here with you again in this sacred place for worship. So to start off, I hope you’ll be patient with me because I want to share a few questions that I begin with each and every time I prepare for worship.

You see, when I sit down to begin, I ask God in prayer what do we hope to get out of this time together? What do we hope to give to this time? What does God want us to experience? And how can we offer worship to God that is pleasing? But the question that I begin the whole process with, the question that holds my center of attention is why are we here?

Now I’m not trying to sound simplistic or sarcastic though it might sound that way. I earnestly know that we all have reasons for coming to worship. I’m here because you invited me and I felt called to be here. Some of you are here for the community or the spiritual growth or the beautiful music. Maybe you’ve been members here your whole life. Maybe this was the church home you found later in life. The reasons that bring us here to this church are endless. But I am specifically talking about worship. Why are we here?

I start with the question “why are we here” to keep me grounded in the belief that ALL worship is about God. We are here because God invited us. We are here because we responded to that invitation. We are here to worship God.

The bible repeatedly reminds us that we are to worship God and only God. Worship is always God centered in the bible. And if you look into the Presbyterian constitution, meaning The Confessions and the Book of Order, you’ll find that worship is held in the highest esteem there too. We are very intentional about reminding ourselves that worship is about God lest we fall into the idolatry of worshiping the church as an institution. Phrases like “The church gathers to praise God” and “God alone is to be adored and worshipped” echo throughout Presbyterian doctrine & governance.

This leads me back to our scripture reading for today that Cindy read from the book of Psalms.

“O sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things. His right hand and his holy arm have gotten him victory… He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness… All the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.”

It’s an amazing song of praise where David invites us to the space of worship. David knows that we are singing to God because God has already come before us and prepared a way. God is here now inviting our relationship. And God’s victory that he writes of is an ultimate gift. It’s seen throughout the entire history of faith. And it’s also in the everyday moments of blessing. And it’s also in the things yet unseen. God has been faithful and loving to us so we respond in grateful worship.

Now I feel the need to pause here and say something about this word “victory.” If you look at different translations of the bible, some translate it as victory while others use the word salvation. The original Hebrew word is a very nuanced word that is wrapped up in concepts of wholeness and integrity and atonement. It’s a word that describes an act that only God can do… make things as they should be. So when I said that the history of faith and our everyday lives reveal God’s victory, I’m talking about simple things like the experience of blessing. But I’m also talking about complex things like justice and miracles and the unexplainable mysteries around us. And I’m also talking about faith in the eternal promises of God. Victory is God’s work of creation in and amongst us, that comes before us and goes after us. And it’s in the presence of that victory that David stands in awe and tells us to turn our eyes toward the origin of that victory, God.

David doesn’t just stop at the invitation though. He tells us a good bit about what worship should be too.

“Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises. Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody. With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord.”

This image has always struck me because it seems so energetic compared to the stereotype of traditional worship. Some people call us the “frozen chosen” and other names to point to our “decently and in order” way of doing even worship. If you look at your bulletin for this service, it’s divided into these sections as if there was a particular formula for worship.

Well, in some ways, there is. The Book of Order offers guidance on a pathway to “ORDER” worship. It draws from our biblical and faith heritage to offer us a pathway to, yet again, stay focused on God.

But some people say, “well that’s just boring.” And you know what I say back? Yes, it could be but it should NEVER be. Friends, we are invited to sing a new song! Entering worship is about entering anew with a different experience of God from the last time we were here. So even though I’ve been through the lectionary many times in my life, the sermons are different or at least I hear them differently. The song selections change and have new meaning to me. I and those around me have entered the space of worship differently than the last time we were here.

So what does it mean to sing to the Lord a new song in this time and place? Well, the scripture describes this new song as joyous and gushing forth. To me, this seems like the invitation to throw off the cloak of our fears and inhibitions and let out our joy and light because it is God’s light beaming forth. The psalmist also tells us to use voice and instruments to make a melody. Now does that mean that worship should only be music and it should be only joyous? No, worship is not only song and there are most definitely times such as funerals when our worship is much more somber. Instead, the psalmist is telling us to do what will be meaningful and remembered.

You may ask, “Pastor Lavender, how did you get that from a passage that talks about making a joyful noise with instruments and song of praises?” So please bear with me and I’ll explain where I got that. Many of you may know that in the time when David was writing these Psalms, most people couldn’t read and writing tools were very expensive and scarce. So whether it was in gatherings of faith and worship or in a public square for entertainment, song was used as a storytelling device. David wrote in his poetic style because it was to be put to song. And if you read the bible in Hebrew, much of it has a melodious verse structure or repeating sounds that made it easier to sing… AND also easier to remember.

Think about it. When was the last time you had a famous speech stuck in your head? You never hear someone say, “Gosh, the Gettysburg address has just been stuck in my head all day long!” It just doesn’t happen! But very frequently, we all have these moments where we get songs stuck in our heads.

A song that tells a good story and has a good melody stays with us. And that’s what David wanted for people. David invited us to pour out our worship to God in a way that had beauty and meaning and would remain with us as a continuous reminder of the gift and presence of God.

So what does that mean today? Why are we here? How are we singing a new song? Well, this morning we are gathering in what’s called a traditional worship service because it’s a meaningful expression of our faith and hopefully we’ll experience God’s continued presence with us after it’s finished. We all have different preferences on what kinds of worship experiences feel more authentic to us. And what those things are sometimes changes with time.

For example, I know a woman who as a youth loved contemporary style worship services because the music connected more with her teenage life of constant change but as a young adult she longed for familiarity and a home so traditional worship became more meaningful. I know that sounds like I’m saying that choosing worship was about feeding her but I’m not. It’s about where she experienced God in her life. God was present with her in her time of flux and transition so for her to sing a new song at as a youth meant worship that spoke of how dynamic and powerful God is. And when she longed for stability God was guiding her in that too. So her expression of worship at that time felt more authentic in a setting that expressed her experience of God’s every presence and sovereignty. Personally, I go through periods of time when I crave contemplative worship that is meditative and reflects a calmness. I crave this because it is where I am in life and God is there too.

The people in the bible were much the same way. At times they brought God offering in the form of animal sacrifice to represent their trust that in such an unstable land, they knew God would provide. Other times they offered worship in the form of dance like Merriam’s dance of joy and gratitude after Moses led them out of Egypt. Still other times it was song and other times it was in the form of alters of remembrance. Regardless of when it was, the worship reflected their experience of God’s works in and around them. It reflected what was meaningful and memorable. It was authentic.

Sing to the Lord a new song! We have entered this space to worship God and our private inner expressions as well as our collective shared expressions are about reflecting where God has been, where God is, and our faith that God shall always be. So when we recognize that we like the music, that tells us about a way God speaks to us. And when we like to come to worship with our loved ones, it tells us about God’s work in community. And when we experience a sense of calling when a mission project is announced, it tells us that God has a future for us. And when we feel unable to connect with a particular element of worship it tells us about just how diverse and different our experiences of God are… which is also holy.

You see the sacred space and time of worship comes in all shapes and sizes. Presbyterians may have a documented formula for worship but it is not meant to limit worship. It is meant to keep us centered on what God is doing and what it means in our individual and collective lives as people of faith. Singing a new song is as much about how much we pay attention to God’s moving in and amongst us as it is about the literal format of worship.

Which brings me to the final part of the psalm…

“Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who live in it. Let the floods clap their hands; let the hills sing together for joy at the presence of the Lord, for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity.”

Now before I go too far into what this passage might mean to us, I want to look at the word “judge.” That’s a word that makes some us uncomfortable because we have bad experiences with others judging us. For some, the word brings comfort because it means justice. But much like the word victory from earlier, it is not a simple word at all. In this passage, David speaks of God coming to judge something that has already been made whole by God.

So you may ask why would God do that? When the bible talks about God judging and people judging it means two different things. People are repeatedly shown to be fallible in their judgment. Consider the parables of Jesus. They tell us of all kinds of ways that people foolishly assess what should be done or how we make assessments based only on the little picture. God’s judgment, however, is always expressed in a big picture context in the bible. Big picture, as in a way that we in our limited selves could never see. It is about seeing fully. And seeing fully goes along with this victory. God’s victory is bigger than our small selves can fully appreciate and so it takes God’s presence to also see fully and appreciate that splendor. We only catch glimpses of it’s wonder, but God takes in all of it.

So what does this have to do with our worship? Well, it has to do with us seeing more glimpses of God’s great works. The scripture tells us of all creation singing praises to God. And if we pay attention, we can hear, experience, and worship in those glimpses of God’s victory.

Worship is most definitely what we do together as a body of believers. But it also happens outside these walls. The scripture tells us of the singing mountains and clapping waters. Who among us has not felt God’s presence when sitting next to water listening to the waves rush in and out? How could anyone miss God’s might works when we lift our eyes to the mountains? Creation shouts with praises to God and when we honor God’s victory in creation we worship God too.

So in practical ways, what does that mean to us? Well, we most definitely worship God in our admiration of creation. But like I said, when we honor God’s victory we worship God. So whether we realize it or not, much of our life is an act of worship and truly holy. Consider our second scripture reading from today that talk of the gifts God has given us. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a yours is prophesying, then bring the word. If it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is encouraging, be an encourager.

Sisters and brothers, this is a holy time of worship where I pray we sing a new song. But our lives are holy times of worship as well. When we sit and have a cup of coffee with a struggling friend offering the compassion God has cultivated in us, we are being good stewards of that victory in us and our sharing is an act of worship. When take the skills we have and apply them to our career, we are honoring the way God made us thus making our work a holy act of worship. When we use the cheerfulness in our heart to offer a smile of encouragement, that is a sacred moment. When we bring who we are, our true selves, to each present moment, we celebrate God’s good works are on holy ground.

Sisters and brothers, worship is about God, it is about intentionality, and it is about singing a new song with each and every moment. Amen