“Rescued for More than Paradise”
November 20, 2022
Dear brothers and sisters, grace and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.
What are you looking forward to? Actually, in this coming month or two, what are you looking forward to the most? With this holiday season continuing on, there are probably a lot of things we are waiting for – some of them we’ve probably been waiting all year for. We’re probably expecting to get what we want for Christmas. This very week, we’re going to be getting together with friends and family for Thanksgiving, something we’ve been planning for, especially getting our meals together. But there’s something else we have to be waiting for, or looking forward to: the Kingdom of Jesus.
But it’s not even something we have to wait for the future to come. Jesus’ Kingdom is here with us, right here, right now! Yet no matter how hard we try, we cannot show that anything going on right now is bringing in the Kingdom. For the Kingdom cannot be identified with any one particular country, political party, or movement. It also is not limited to any one particular denomination or church, as no one church can rightfully claim to be the true Church. Nor can any religious leader apart from Jesus claim to be the head of the Church, or say that where they are, the true Church exists.
As Paul plainly says in today’s Second Reading from Colossians, “He is head of the body, the church; he is the firstborn among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.” Jesus alone is supreme, and is our head, guide, leader, example, and mentor. He surpasses and outranks all human teachers, because all people are to seek advice and what to say from Him. As God, speaking through the Prophet Jeremiah in today’s First Reading, says, He will look for and gather those who have been scattered. And there is no doubt: many people have been driven away from God by religion, especially those who have claimed to speak for God, but have instead spoken words of fear, control, coercion, or abuse. Such teachers have used the threat of exclusion from a church family, a denomination, or even eternal punishment in hell, as a way of trying to get people to conform to a certain ideology or opinion. These are the shepherds who have scattered the flock. The true words of Jesus, however, invite, comfort, calm, assure, and include. He continues to speak to us today, through His Word, the Bible. He also leads us in the direction He would have us go through His Holy Spirit. And where He leads us, as individuals and as a church family, is to become His Kingdom. And how do we become part of the Kingdom? Very simple, actually.
Because of God’s love, we are saved! That is a simple truth. It is one we can believe in, because Jesus Himself declares it to be true. And nothing can revoke what He commands: it cannot be taken away from us.
As Paul further says in Colossians, “For God as pleased to have all his fulness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.” If anyone asks you, “how do you know you are saved?”, you can give them a very simple answer: “I’m saved because Jesus says I am. The fact that I am baptized is a visible sign of God’s promise that I am saved. God laid His claim on me long ago, and He hasn’t let go of me since.” Our being saved is also not something which we earn, or we need to work for, but instead has already been won by Jesus’ death and resurrection. It is not even something we work for to continue to make sure it’s still in place; our lifestyle, habits, or choices do not determine whether or not we are saved. Who we are in no way contributes to our being saved. Even though we may want to try to feel like we’ve achieved it in some way, that we’ve checked off all the requirements and are living according to a certain standard in order to make sure God still accepts us, none of that matters – God still loves us and saves us no matter what. So if anyone tries to challenge your being saved because you live or don’t live a certain way, or even didn’t say a certain prayer, what you can say, with absolute confidence is: “I am not saved because of what I do. I am saved only by the grace of God. God tells me I am saved, therefore I am saved, and I believe it.” If anyone wants to try to challenge you further and insist that obedience ensures you will continue to be saved, you can answer, with just as much security, “Yes – the obedience of Jesus, and only Jesus, guarantees my salvation. Jesus lived a perfect life, following the law of God, and offered Himself as a sacrifice for my sins – that means what He has done, not what I do, promises that God saves me.” Even the thief on the cross, whom we hear about in today’s Gospel reading, was saved just because Jesus said he was. He didn’t have to go through a membership class, be baptized, or even promise he would give something up – Jesus simply said, “Today you will be with me in paradise,” and that was enough. So if we ever want to doubt that we are destined for heaven, all we have to do is look to the cross, on which Jesus died, and which is now empty because He lives forever– and that is our guarantee. As one of the church families I previously served had as their slogan in their weekly local newspaper ad, “Whenever you feel lost, look to the empty cross.” Also, as the late Billy Graham once said, “From the cross, God declares, ‘I love you.’” And because we are loved, we are wanted. For no other reason than God desires us. No ifs, ands, or buts about it, and nothing will ever change it – you are saved!
Okay, but what are we saved for? It’s one thing to be able to say we’re saved only because God says so, but what does that really mean? Well, usually we think of it as being a one-way ticket to heaven after we die – which stories like today’s Gospel tend to enforce. But that’s only partially true: instead, God has called us, and set us apart, for a purpose, right here in the present moment. As someone once said, “You have an appointment with life, an appointment that is in the here and now.” And more than ever, we Christians need to be focusing on the life we’re living here and now, not just for ourselves, but for everyone else. People need us right now – they need us to give them a better life, the kind God wants them to have. So, first, of all:
1. We are saved to love. We give what we have been given: unconditional love and acceptance. Many of you may recall that it was about this time six years ago I first came to interview here over a weekend, and met many of you for the first time. And what I taught in the Bible study that Saturday night, and what I preached at that Sunday morning service, I still believe, and will continue to proclaim: It’s all about love. Our starting point for everything is that God loves us. In fact, Francis Chan, whom I quoted six years ago in the first sermon here, said: “We are here to love. Not much else matters.” And that’s absolutely true: the reason we exist as Christians, and as a church family is because we are loved by God, and we share His love with all those around us, near and far. In fact, there’s a rather telling quote which says: “The world doesn’t want to be saved. It wants to be loved, that’s how we save it.” And the world is hurting right now: hatred, prejudice, division, war, disease, economic struggle, poverty, death, all run rampant, and are causing a lot of fear and uncertainty. And the best way to save the world from all these things is to show our love: by reaching out to, accepting, and welcoming as equals those of all backgrounds; giving food to the hungry and assistance to those who lack other basic needs; continuing to keep ourselves and all those around us safe from sicknesses; praying and working for an end to war between countries and peoples; and making sure that all people have the best quality of life. Which is all part of the next point:
2. We are saved to witness. If you are a Christian, you are called to be a witness. As our friends and neighbors at the UCC had on their church sign for a long time earlier this year, “Keep the faith – but not to yourself.” Witnessing, however, doesn’t mean trying to call people out for what we think is unacceptable. As I read somewhere earlier this week, “The Great Commission was not ‘Go tell everyone else they are wrong.’” Witnessing doesn’t mean trying to argue with someone to try to prove ourselves right. Rather, it’s just talking about how much God loves us, how good He is to us, how He has blessed and rescued us, and how He does the same thing for everyone. It’s relating to other people where they are at the moment, and telling our story about how God has helped us. Which then means:
3. We are saved to serve. Our witness isn’t just in words – it’s more in actions. And as the saying goes, actions speak louder than words. In this holiday season especially, what can we do to show we care? Even though our personal resources may be limited, what can we still share with others? Certainly we have a table almost full of food for our Ingathering Sunday today, but as you can see, there is still room for more, especially to meet a growing need in our community. We can also give gifts to families who may not be able to afford to give them this year. But even if we can’t provide anything material, is there someone we know who is going through a difficult time, and needs encouragement, to know they’re not alone, that we’re with them? The holidays especially tend to be hard for people, since they can be times for grieving, especially missing a loved one who has died; who maybe have no family or friends to spend the holidays with; being forced to deal with a difficult family situation; having just lost a job, or other plans being waylaid; or not having enough to be able to give what was expected for Christmas. So that’s where we come in: we can give comfort to everyone for whom the holidays are a time of trouble and sorrow, not by trying to fix the situation, but just listening and allowing people to grieve in their own way. We can also invite those who need someone to spend the holidays with to join us in our celebrations. These are love shown through service. In all these ways, we actually show Jesus is King – the King who cares deeply about His people, who is everyone in the whole world, and who wants to share all the gifts of His Kingdom with every person. So in this present moment, we are the Kingdom of God – and with Jesus as our leader, we can make this world a better place for everyone through love, witness, and service, and help it reflect, even more, the reign of King Jesus.
Now may the peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
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