“What is Wisdom?”
September 25, 2022
Dear brothers and sisters, grace and
peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus
Christ, Amen.
Some of you have probably noticed,
for the past five and a half years or so, that I have a rather unique way of
pronouncing the word for the sister of one’s father or mother. Specifically, I
tend to say “Ahnt” rather than “Ant.” The reason is because the first parish I
was privileged to be called to serve as a pastor almost twenty years ago was
located in southwestern Minnesota, where that is the pronunciation for that
word. So that’s something from Minnesota, besides having been born there, that,
for purely personal reasons, I have still chosen to hang on to at this point in
my life. Now, the reason that that is the pronunciation for that particular
word is because, especially in the rural areas, Minnesota was predominantly
settled by immigrants from Scandinavia. These immigrants were taught English by
schoolteachers from New England, who passed along their own accent to their
students – which is why people from the upper Midwest tend to sound like
they’re from New England even today.
But the story I want to tell is
about these immigrants, especially those who populated southwestern Minnesota.
As I said, my first parish was located there, and was made up primarily of
people of Norwegian descent, many of whose families who, much like our church
family, had lived in the area for at least four or five generations. So, while
I was there, I had a chance to learn a bit more about the Norwegian background
of the people. Jeg lærte også litt Norsk. But then, as it happened, the second
parish I was called to serve was located in north central Montana, and was also
primarily made up of people of Norwegian descent. And one thing I learned about
the Norwegians who settled in Minnesota and Montana is that they were an
incredibly resilient and resourceful people. Many of them had come over to this
country with next to nothing, and even struggled to make it upon arriving. But
a lot of them became farmers and ranchers, and, even despite the tremendous difficulties
from farming and ranching on the prairie, were able to build lives for
themselves and their families. The Montana Norwegians in particular were
frequently described to me as being “survivors,” people who had been able to make
it through virtually any hardship, and, in many cases, come out in even better
shape than before.
And the primary reason for this
was because their faith in God enabled them to be able to do so. Even despite
all the difficulties they had to endure, they trusted in God to be able to help
them keep going, remained committed to Him, and relied on His guidance and
power to enable them to overcome all the troubles they faced. Frequently, the
first building that would be erected in any area, even before any houses were
built, would be the church. The church was the place where people came to
worship God each Sunday, but even during the week, the church was also the central
point where people would gather together to socialize and receive support from
each other. They would also regularly read the Bible and pray together in their
homes, as families and as communities. Especially in the earliest days, when
pastors would only be able to be at the church once a month, if even that, the
people would be required to worship and study the Bible on their own, which
helped them to rely on God and each other even more closely. It was also this
strong faith and reliance on God that they passed along to their descendants,
which also helped the churches I was eventually called to pastor to be able to
survive even into the twenty-first century – and which, even after covid, still
continue to remain open and worship regularly. These spiritual ancestors, and
current brothers and sisters of ours, are wonderful examples of how to follow
God in a hard world.
All of this is a demonstration of
what we hear in today’s First Reading, from Proverbs 9:10: “The fear of the
LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is
understanding.” Right away, we have to clarify something which is frequently
misunderstood: the word fear would make us think that we have to be afraid
of God. That is the usual meaning of the word “fear” – being afraid of
something – but it actually has another, more positive meaning. The Hebrew word
for fear, “Yirah,” has more the sense not of being scared of something, but of
being in awe of something – of being so overcome with wonder, amazement, and
even happiness at something that is happening, or what someone is doing. In
this case, when we realize who God really is, what He’s like, and everything
He’s done for us, we can’t help but be in awe of Him. Especially when we think
about how loving and caring He is towards us, every single day; and how He
accepts us and who we are. Really, if we consider it, God hasn’t given us any
reason to be afraid of Him. If we are afraid of Him, it’s because we’ve been
fed false messages, which tell us that God is threatening us if we step out of
line; we should be scared because God is so powerful that He causes disasters
to happen; or that God hates us and we should feel guilty and be ashamed of who
we are. None of which are true. God is not angry with us, He’s not threatening
us in any way, and He certainly doesn’t hate us, nor is He ashamed of us for
any reason. In fact, if we really take the time to think, it is people, not
God, who have said these things. People have told us that God hates us and is
threatening us with punishment for various reasons. And there’s been one main
reason we’ve been told this, which is that certain people want to create fear,
for purpose of trying to control in God’s name – which is itself a lack
of wisdom, because it is claiming to speak on God’s behalf, but not even doing
so. What God really wants for us is to remember who He really is for us, and be
in such wonder of everything He’s done to show who He is, that we can’t help
but trust and follow Him – because we know He always has our best interest in
mind.
All this is different from what our
usual definition of fear is: being frightened of something. And this kind of
fear frequently causes us to stumble: when we are afraid, we don’t think as
clearly or as wisely as we ought to, because we’re so focused on our fear that
we become stressed. And this means we make decisions, or react to situations,
in ways that may seem like the best solution, but are usually unwise, because
they end up causing more damage. For example, we may act out in anger or
frustration towards someone because we are afraid of what might happen, but we
hurt our relationship with them, their feelings, and ultimately ourselves in
the process. Since we know what the truth is – that God actually wants the best
for us – this means we have another way. If we want peace and calm in our
lives, we have to let God take charge of us. What we will find when we trust in
God, ask Him for guidance, and turn our worries and problems over to Him, is
that we will be able to think more clearly – and with greater wisdom. We will
also be make better decisions, since God will provide us with the answers. But
we have to abandon the fear of what we are having to deal with, and adopt the
true fear – or trusting faith in – God instead, and let Him take charge.
Yet this faith also requires a
strong commitment – even at a cost. In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus emphasizes
that following Him can often come at a high cost. Often we have to be reminded
of how much it can cost to follow Jesus, because just as often we tend to
forget. Jesus compares this to someone who started building a tower, but lacked
the funds to finish it. Also, He talks about a king who tries to consider
whether he has a large enough army to try to defeat an enemy, and if he doesn’t
he tries to defuse the situation by making peace. We also have to remember that
all of this is not only about our commitment – it is about God’s solid and
unbreakable commitment to us. So much so that He sent His Son to die on the
cross and rise again for us – to demonstrate what kind of God He is. And it is
that cost which we are to consider, as, especially in this day and age, our
faith is frequently challenged. And by our faith, I don’t just mean the things
we say we agree with intellectually as Christians - I mean being able to trust
in God with our hearts, follow Jesus, and become like Jesus even though there
continue to be many distractions. Recently we heard stories about how
Christians continue to be persecuted in many parts of the world, but still remain
committed to their faith, even under pressure to convert to another religion. While
we may not face the same pressures here, we still have problems, especially
with things remaining uncertain and tense – and while society may want us to be
one way, God wants us to be another. He wants us to be like Him. So today we
have to ask ourselves honestly: with God’s help, are we able to commit
ourselves to ignoring fear and trusting Him instead? Can we live in such a way
where how we act is not out of being scared, but instead become peaceful out of
trust in God? Can we be wise, asking God to guide us in making decisions, and
acting in a calm way whatever might happen? Even though it may not be easy,
with God’s help, we can continue to overcome what we are going through, and, as
He has demonstrated in the past, and will continue to show us in the present,
if we trust God, He will help us become wise.
Now may the peace of God, which
passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Amen.
“Role Reversal”
September 18,
2022
Dear brothers and sisters, grace and
peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus
Christ, Amen.
Have you ever wondered where many of
the expressions we use on regular basis come from? Well, one of my particular favorites
is describing someone as trying to be the “top dog.”
When we call someone the “top dog,”
we’re referring to someone as trying to be above, or be in control, of everyone
else. But, surprisingly, and despite what the slide shows, the expression actually
has nothing to do with dogs.
In fact, it actually goes back to the days of lumberjacking.
Back in the old days, and still in many parts of the world, like Malawi,
Africa, where this picture was taken, larger logs were sawed over a pit. The saw
operators, called sawyers, which is actually where the last name “Sawyer” comes
from, would
work in teams of two, one on the top, and one on the bottom. For reasons which no
one seems to know, the sawyers were called “dogs.” So there would be a “top dog”
and a “bottom dog” sawing the log. The person on top would have the advantage
of being able to determine when the sawing would start and stop; how fast the
saw would go; be mostly pushing down so there was a bit less work involved; and
decide when the job was over. The person on the bottom had to follow along with
whatever the person on top did. Also, if you were on the bottom, you had to
work harder because you were pushing up, you had wood shavings falling on you,
you would get dirtier from being in the pit, and you would run the risk of
having the wood fall on you. So being on top, or being the “top dog,” meant
that you had a greater position of privilege over everyone else. Which,
of course, meant that everyone wanted to be the “top dog,” because of the privilege
that came with the job – and being “top dog” meant that you had earned that
position, you were special, and you were better than everyone else.
Whether or not we realize it, we’re
all trying to get the position of “top dog.” We work hard to try to get noticed
at our jobs, in our schools, and on our sports teams. We’re thinking about how
to get that scholarship, raise, or promotion, and how to show that we deserve
what we’re trying to earn. We’re trying to show how special and important we
are, or we may think we are. We want to achieve privileges, and show
that we deserve them.
Yet in today’s Old Testament reading
from Proverbs, as well as today’s Gospel reading, we are encouraged to look at
things in a different way. While the goal for life may seem to be to be constantly
trying to climb for the top, to become the “top dog,” we have another purpose
for which we exist, and that is to be humble. It is not to assume
privilege just because of who we are, but to recognize that what privileges we
are given are meant to be used to be of benefit to others.
Even though the word humble tends to get
used a lot, it actually has a specific meaning, especially for us as
Christians. C.S. Lewis once said that “Humility is not thinking less of yourself;
it is thinking of yourself less.” In other words, it is realizing that we live
not only for ourselves, but in relationship to other people, and we are to be
thinking about what our role in that relationship is. As it happens, and
whether or not we realize it, we are all dependent on each other – everything
we do affects those around us, often in ways we don’t suspect. So, in our
actions, we are to consider how what we say or do may cause another person to
feel, especially feel about themselves. If we are in a position of authority or
privilege, then our role is to help others feel just as important and
privileged. If we feel good about ourselves, but we notice someone who doesn’t,
then we are to help them realize how valued and needed they really are. But we also
have to remember that, in being humble, we are not just trying to be virtuous,
or “good people” – we are becoming like Jesus. Jesus was, and still is, humble.
He came to help us, and everyone, realize how important, privileged, special,
and valuable we are in the eyes of God. He lived among us as someone who was
just like us in every way; yet He also lived a perfect life to be able to offer
Himself as a sacrifice for us. The reason Jesus died on the cross and then rose
again was to help us become more like Him. In fact, that was the greatest
demonstration of His humility: the fact that He did not consider death on a
cross to be beneath Him, but instead was willing to do whatever it took to be
able to save us. Even though He had all the power of heaven on His side, and
was almighty and supreme as God, He still put Himself in a position to benefit
every one of us. He did not consider what the consequences for Himself would
be, but instead thought of how He would be a blessing for each of us because of
what He did. By doing so, He not only was exalted Himself, but He showed us how
we too can be exalted – by humbling ourselves in relation to others.
Incidentally, it is interesting that
in our reading from Proverbs, we hear about assuming one’s position before the
king after witnessing the death and lying in state of Queen Elizabeth for the
past couple of weeks. What we’ve seen is not only how important the Queen was,
especially to the people of Britain, but also what everyone’s position is in
relation to her even after her death. For example, someone was asked during a radio
interview recently whether the celebrities who joined the miles-long queue to
view the Queen’s body were allowed to jump the line, or if they had a separate line
of their own, and the answer was no – they still had to wait in the same line
for the same amount of time as everyone else. This is also a reminder that,
fundamentally, each one of us are equal. Whatever our position in life may be,
we are actually all the same. Someday we will graduate from school, change
jobs, relocate, retire – which means that even our life status will change. This
is all part of being human – the fact that nothing remains the same, and our
lives could change at any moment. Even Queen Elizabeth herself was ultimately
shown to be a human being because she eventually died. So we are all the same –
we share the same struggles and hopes. Which means we are to support each other
in everything that happens to us.
Now, does this mean that we ought not
to continue to strive to do our best in our positions? Of course not. Part of
being a Christian means that we always try our best, for the sake of those with
whom we work, study, or play. Jesus is also not saying that we ought to think
we are worth any less than we actually are. In fact, the reality is we are
worth a lot more we think – to our families, our work places, our schools, our
teams – we are special. What Jesus is encouraging us to remember is that, since
we are valued so highly, we ought to think of ourselves as being in a position
to be able to be of help – to care for our families in many ways; support and
assist our co-workers; be a friend and to our schoolmates, especially those who
are being bullied or ignored; and help our teammates, especially anyone who
might be struggling. Again, our very reason for existing is to humble
ourselves, where we are looking for ways where we can be of help to others. Like
Jesus, we are to put ourselves in positions where we are of service. And it is
when we do so that we actually become greater. By considering nothing to be
beneath us, we become more important. We gain more respect from others when we assist
them, because it is by showing how much we care that we gain notice. We are to
use the privileges of position or status we have earned, achieved, or simply
been given to help those who are less privileged than we are.
Furthermore, Jesus also encourages
us to look for those opportunities everywhere. And at every moment, there is a
chance – we just have to be open to it and act on it when God nudges us to do
so. Jesus tells us to think not about what sort of reward we might get from helping
certain people, or how we can be compensated, but instead to serve for serving’s
sake. He also reminds us to seek out those who would normally be ignored, and
especially those who would be thought of as being outside of being able to be
in any kind of relationship with God – what He’s saying is that no one is lost,
no one is beyond help. Not even addicts, or anyone else who may seem “stuck.”
No one is to be overlooked, because God overlooks no one. God regards no one as
being outside of His care, because He loves and values everyone just as they
are. God sees each person as being of equal worth, created in His image, with
whom He desires a relationship. God reaches out to everyone, invites them in, and
welcomes them as equals with each other, and so we ought to as well. So, if we
really do want to be the “top dog,” then we have to follow the words and example
of Jesus – think of others more, reach out to others, and be of assistance to
everyone.
Now may the peace of God, which
passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord,
Amen.
“God Nearby”
September 4, 2022
Dear brothers and sisters, grace and
peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus
Christ, Amen.
Today’s Gospel reading is, to say
the least, difficult. Especially since we’ve been talking a lot about how Jesus
desires peace and unity among people, in a divided world. But now, all of a
sudden, Jesus starts talking about division – even children against parents. So
what’s going on? Well, the answer is actually quite simple: Jesus is saying
that, first of all, when someone is a Christian, that doesn’t guarantee an easy
life. Hardships can come from following Jesus, especially if doing so involves
resisting peer pressure. In Jesus’ time and shortly afterwards, being a
Christian meant going against the state religion, worshipping Jesus as God instead
of the Emperor, and proclaiming Jesus as King and Messiah. And this means that
sometimes this might mean members of families going against each other. The baptism
Jesus refers to that He has to undergo is also His death: it will be by His
cross, and believing in the power of His death and resurrection, that people
will be able to identify as Christians. And it is for bearing the name of Christian
that individuals will be persecuted.
We have to be careful when we use
the word persecution, however. Lately it’s a word that’s gotten tossed around a
lot, especially as many people on various sides of various controversial issues
have claimed persecution by the other side for trying to express or exercise
their beliefs. The dictionary definition of persecution is “unfair or cruel treatment
over a long period of time because of race, religion, or political beliefs.”
Persecution is also such unfair or cruel treatment which is inflicted on one
group for undeserved reasons, where the group being persecuted is truly
undeserving of being treated unfairly. So what constitutes persecution is
actually very clear and specific.
That is not to say that genuine persecution
of Christians has never existed and doesn’t continue to exist. For example, many
years ago my dad was the pastor of a church in Southern California which sponsored
a Chinese ministry. One of the members of the Chinese congregation had been a
schoolteacher during the height of the Cultural Revolution in the People’s
Republic of China during the 60s and 70s. When the local authorities discovered
she was a Christian, they encouraged her students to rebel against her and humiliate
her for being a Christian by throwing their books on her feet, which they did.
As a result, both her feet were permanently damaged, and even later in life,
she walked with a pronounced limp. Even to this day in China, members of churches
which remain unregistered with the government are subject to imprisonment and
torture. In certain countries, while religious freedom is promised in the law,
conversion to Christianity is either frowned upon by society, or outright illegal:
those who do attempt to become Christian risk being disowned by their families,
fired from their jobs, put in jail, even being executed. Members of one of the
oldest Christian churches in the world, the Coptic Church in Egypt, are
discriminated against in employment, education, and opportunity for no reason
other than being Christian. But persecution doesn’t just take place at the
hands of non-Christian government or religious systems. In the former
Yugoslavia, Christians fought other Christians for territory and dominance. In
Rwanda in the 90s, Christians betrayed and killed other Christians in the name
of ethnic cleansing; even priests and pastors allowed their churches to be used
as places of mass murder. In certain other countries, such as Russia and Eritrea,
both of which are Christian-majority countries, members of Christian groups
which are not recognized as legal by the government risk being thrown in
prison.
Now, it would be easy to go the
direction of blaming persecution of Christians on certain specific political or
religious systems, but the reality is that persecution is perpetrated by all kinds
of different people. It can also be blamed on one simple cause: human sinfulness,
especially the idea that one person or group is superior over another, and this
gives them the right to hurt and deny humanity to others. All that being said,
we Christians, especially those of us who live in this country where we enjoy a
great amount of freedom to worship, are to work for and advocate for the rights
of our Christian brothers and sisters in places where they are persecuted.
Groups such as Voice of the Martyrs, Open Doors, International Christian Concern,
and Christian Solidarity International have been involved in such efforts to
make the rest of the world aware of the plight of persecuted Christians, as
well as providing direct support by holding secret Baptisms, Bible studies, and
meetings; working to free imprisoned and enslaved Christians; smuggling Bibles
and other materials; and broadcasting radio and internet sermons and worship
services. We are encouraged to both be aware of and actively support the work
of those who help our persecuted brothers and sisters, and pray for an end to
their suffering.
A lot of this also begs the
question: why does God allow His people to be hurt? The answer is, He doesn’t. As
God, speaking through Jeremiah, says, He is a God who is nearby and is not far
away. He fills heaven and earth, so He is fully aware of what’s happening. He
is not standing by doing nothing while His people are being hurt: actually, he
is keeping them sustained to the very end, so they will remain faithful and
receive the reward of eternal life. Again, it’s human sinfulness, not God, that
causes suffering. But these examples we’ve just heard are also meant to
encourage us: that even though many of our brothers and sisters are persecuted,
they don’t give up their faith, belief, and trust in God. And they are also a
challenge for us to ask: how many of us, if we were in that same position,
would be able to stand firm and secure in what we believe? Would we also be able
to say, no matter what happens to me, I’ll never give up my faith in Jesus? These
are the “great cloud of witnesses” we hear about in Hebrews, who, by their
example, encourage us to focus on Jesus. Even though we may at times face
opposition for following Jesus, we can ignore it and cast it aside, looking
ahead to the greater reward of going the direction Jesus leads us.
Even though we don’t face
persecution in this country on the scale we’ve just been talking about, that’s
not to say that we still don’t face troubles. While we may not have to suffer
for being Christians, we also have to recognize that we have to work with
problems every single day: we have to deal with conflicts in our families and
communities; individual hardships; and pains. We also have to admit that there
are certain things that have happened to us because of things we have either done
to ourselves, or to other people, that have been harmful and hurtful, for which
we have had to endure consequences. In those cases, as Hebrews tells us, God is
disciplining us. Not punishing – there’s a difference – but instead, God is
making sure we learn from what we’ve done, and be able to grow and change. If something
has caused damage in our lives, then we learn to give it up and live a
different way. But God does that for us not out of vengeful angry punishment,
but instead out of His love for us: He wants the best for us, to be able to
live the best kind of life, so He helps us mature even through learning hard
lessons. The harvest of righteousness and peace is what comes from the maturity
and confidence from having realized how much better things are since God has helped
us learn valuable lessons. God’s Word, as Jeremiah says, is like a fire, and
like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces, because it smashes through all the
false ideas we would be forced to believe. Especially the ones that try to tell
us God is far away, He doesn’t care, and, most of all, He’s leaving us alone to
suffer and remain in pain. Again, since He fills heaven and earth, nothing is
secret from Him. He is aware of what is happening to us, and is doing something
in secret to turn things around and make things better for us.
In just a few minutes, we will be
receiving Communion, which is the greatest promise that God is here with us.
Jesus will give us His true body and blood to eat and drink, filling us with
His power, to strengthen us. Many of us are coming with feeble arms and weak
knees, as we are beaten down by many struggles from this past week, month, or even
year, and feel we no longer have the ability to continue fighting. We don’t know
if we can go on, because all our personal resources have been sapped. We’ve
also probably noticed that, during the day, it’s harder to face everything life
throws at us whenever we get hungry; but once we eat something, we’re able to
deal with things with greater strength and confidence again. So we will be
receiving spiritual food to help us be able to deal with everything we have to
face this week, and gain greater confidence, not in our own strength or only in
ourselves, but in God’s almighty and supreme power to fight for us and win. We
will be refreshed and able to look our problems square in the eye, and say, you
don’t frighten or intimidate me, because God has already dealt with you. God is
always near – let’s believe He is near to us and is with us, to make everything
peaceful again.
Now may the peace of God, which
passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord,
Amen.
