Sermon Text for February 26, 2023 - "Free Restoration"

“Free Restoration”

February 26, 2023

 

            Dear brothers and sisters, grace and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen.

            Just out of curiosity, has anyone been experiencing more car trouble than usual in this winter weather we’ve been having? I actually have the last few years. A few years ago, I was in between vehicles: this was actually shortly before I’d gotten my truck, and I had a van at the time, which I later ended up trading away. One particularly freezing night, it was so cold, I not only couldn’t get my van started, but I ended up breaking my starter, so I had to have that be fixed. Fast forward a few years, to last year about this time of year during our really bad snowstorm, actually. After that snowstorm, my truck started overheating, and mysteriously leaking coolant. I took it in, and it turned out there was a small plastic covering underneath the truck which had cracked, causing the coolant to leak. Turned out to be a really expensive fix as well. And now, just this last month, I went outside one morning to start my truck after one of the extreme freezing and snowy days we had, turned the key, heard some whirring, then a few clicks, then nothing. Hoping and praying – literally – that it wasn’t my starter or alternator, I called my insurance company, who sent someone to give me a charge, and get my started up again. Turns out, and to my relief, all I needed was a new battery – simple fix, thank God. But living here and experiencing more and more extreme winters every year has kind of reminded me that, every so often, things break down and need to be fixed.

            A lot of times, that’s what Lent has turned into: a focus on being broken and needing to be fixed. Traditionally, Lent has been a time for us to focus on how sinful we are, how much we need a Savior, and how God sent His Son to be our Savior. And while all that is true, the problem is that, after a while, if that’s all we focus on, our whole religion becomes guilt and shame-based. That means our whole relationship with God becomes based on our “badness,” and we are continually beating ourselves up over how we can never measure up to God’s standards. In other words, God becomes someone we have to be afraid of because we have to feel ashamed of who we are compared to God, and, like Adam and Eve, we are always trying to hide from Him, and cover up ourselves and whatever we do because we are afraid of God. But that’s not the kind of relationship God wants us to have with Him. Instead, the whole reason He sent His Son in the first place, as we hear in today’s Second Reading from Romans, was to restore us to a close, personal, comfortable relationship with Him. So instead of thinking we have to punish ourselves because of what we think we’ve done wrong, we instead can see and experience God as being our friend, who accepts and loves us just as we are, and who, through gentle and patient guidance, leads us to live the kind of life He wants us to live – in peace with ourselves, our neighbors, and the world.

We have to realize, God originally created the world as a good place. The problem is not that the world itself is a bad place, because it’s really not. There is actually a lot of good in this world, if we are willing to look for it and accept it. God has made the world for us to enjoy, just as He did right at the beginning, and He has given us life to enjoy. He has especially given us a lot of things in this life to celebrate, as good gifts to make us happy and show how much He loves us. While we tend to focus on everything going wrong in our lives and in the world, God wants something more: to see that He has made this world for us and for our pleasure. So the world is not a bad and evil place: sin has made it so at times.

It would be easy for us to try to identify certain political or social trends or tendencies with “good” or “evil,” or even “sinful,” but the problem when we do so is that we are imposing our own views and opinions, without being willing to hear the experience of those on the side we oppose, and perhaps learn from each other. Furthermore, we end up vilifying those whom God has given us to be our friends and neighbors, whom we are to love, accept, and live with. For example, it would be easy for me to stand up here in the pulpit and try to point fingers at certain people, or groups of people, and try to place blame for what I think are the ills and evils in society. It would also be easy to try to guilt trip everyone, and try to make everyone feel bad because of sin. And, it would be even easier to try to target people over personal petty arguments or differences, and to confuse those differences with God’s commands; in other words, it would be easy to “name and shame.” But the easiest way is not always the best, and that is also not what the purpose of preaching ought to be. Instead, it is to speak God’s words of encouragement and hope, especially to us who are struggling to deal with problems caused by imperfections in the world. The words God wants us to speak, whether up here in the pulpit, or down in our homes, neighborhoods, schools, work places, anywhere else we happen to be, ought to be ones which build up, rather than tear down; help, rather than harm; affirm, rather than destroy; and encourage, rather than discourage.

What are those words? What we hear in today’s Second Reading, Romans 5:17: “For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.” God has given us a lot of grace, and He has given us a new life and a new way of living in Jesus. Ultimately, the words we are to speak to others is, God loves you. Even though you may be struggling, you may be under attack, you may be having to deal with something you’ve done, or something someone’s done to you, God still loves you, and He is there to give you victory. Just as He caused victory over sin through His Son Jesus, He will give you whatever victory you need.

Are there ills and evils in society going on right now? Absolutely. But what is needed today are not words which try to lay excess guilt, or shame, but which help soothe the hurts caused by those ills, and which help to restore what was lost a long time ago, because of Adam and Eve’s sin. What their sin was was not simply disobeying a command, or even eating a certain piece of fruit: it was wanting to be like God, and put themselves in God’s place, trying to live without Him. And that’s what’s actually responsible for a lot of the world’s ills right now: trying to think that we know better than God. Wars are caused by leaders and nations trying to conquer each other; crimes are committed because people think they deserve something more than another person; murders happen because people think they have the power of life and death over others. All of these are ways in which people try to be in the place of God, and damage what God originally had in mind.

            There was a lot that was lost in the Garden of Eden. But we always have to remember that the God of the Old Testament is the same as the God of the New Testament: one who fixes what was broken, makes whole what was shattered, and restores what was damaged. The restoration is already taking place – just as it has ever since the world began. God is always personally involved at every moment: He did not simply create the world, and then stand back and watch everything unfold, but He is actively involved at all times. God doesn’t view the world as being like a machine, or even a toy: He values us, and is always acting in our best interest. He is right where there is war, disaster, hurt, or injury, working to restore things to how they were before, even making things better. Even though things may not be the same as they were before, and even though some things may not be able to be restored completely, God will still bring everyone safely through.

            And why is this? Because Jesus has already overcome the power of the devil. He was able to sidestep and outwit the devil’s temptations in the desert. And, when He died on the cross and rose again, He defeated the power of Satan once and for all. Even though sin may rear its head every so often, it ultimately will not win, because Jesus has defeated it. But we still have to be careful: if we focus on the sin and evil going on, we will succumb to its influence and think that it will win. But if we focus on Jesus, and remember that He has won the ultimate victory over sin, evil, and Satan, then we too can be able to say, “Away from me, Satan!” We have to remember that Satan is a liar, and that any threats he makes are completely empty. If anything Satan threatens us with actually happens, it is because we’ve chosen to believe Him. But if we believe God instead, then we can defeat Satan.

            Today God is giving every one of us – and you personally – an invitation. That invitation is to come to Him to be healed and restored. If you have been struggling with something in your life that has been dragging you down, and keeping you from living a fulfilling life, then come to God today, turn it over to Him, and receive His peace. If you have been broken in any way, whether by something you have done, or what has been done to you, then come to God, and be made whole by Him again. If you have been under attack, especially from Satan or anyone else, then ask God for help, for patience, and for victory over your attacks. If you are frustrated by anything going on in your life right now, and you don’t know whether it’s worth it to keep on going, then come to God, let Him take control of what’s going on and causing you to be frustrated, and let Him comfort you by telling you He’s got everything well in hand. Or, to talk about cars again, just like we have to bring in our cars for maintenance checks every so often, maybe you just need some kind of maintenance check, and there is something genuinely broken in your life that needs to be fixed. Or maybe there’s something you’ve been laying off to the side that would help your relationship with God, like praying regularly, reading your Bible, or something else that would help you keep connected with God on a daily basis. God wants to heal and restore you today – come to Him to accept what He wants for you.

            Now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen. 

Weekly Word Podcast - Full Worship Service for February 26, 2023 - First Sunday in Lent

 

02/26/2023 Full Worship Service - First Sunday in Lent

Sermon Text for February 19, 2023 - "Turn On the Light!"

 “Turn On the Light!”

February 19, 2023

 

            Dear brothers and sisters, grace and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen.

            Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about the fact that, first of all, as of this coming December, and only by the grace of God, I will have been involved in ordained ministry for twenty years. Of course, I’m still trying to figure out where the time went, since it seems to have gone by so fast. A lot of the reason it’s gone by so fast is because so much has happened thick and quick just within those twenty years. And I’ve personally seen a lot of things happen: I’ve seen, and gotten in the middle of, denominational battles over controversial theological, moral, political, and social issues of the day; splits in churches and denominations over those battles; churches leave denominations, and in some cases, change denominations again; the covid pandemic derail congregational plans for the future, and leading to decreases in attendance and finances; churches having to figure out identity and mission in the midst of changing realities and attitudes towards religion; and churches also attempting to reach out to people who, for a various growing number of reasons, have been turned off by church. All of these have basically obscured – that is, put into the darkness – the real purpose for being church, and have crippled the life and health of the church in this country in the process. But despite all these challenges seeming to stack the odds against churches these days, there is actually hope: what all of these are a challenge to us to is to, after everything that’s happened, come back to what we’re really all about: Jesus.

            Because, when it comes right down to it, it’s all about Jesus. The trouble is, we’ve been focusing all along on our own efforts, what we should or shouldn’t be doing, and desperately looking around for answers, when the best answer has been right in front of us all along: focus on Jesus and let Him lead. But it’s been hard for us to see Jesus because all we’ve pretty much been looking at is how things used to be, lamenting over how things have changed, and believing that things will never be better because they’re not the same as they were before – when nothing could be farther from the truth. We look back on the “monuments” of the past – how things used to be – when today God is giving us the same call as He did in today’s Gospel reading: Listen to Jesus. The wonderful thing about this day and age is that we are constantly gaining new insights, new ways of thinking, new ways of being church; and we are also able to learn from each other, and even other Christians, about how to be God’s family. Through listening to Jesus and following His direction, Jesus has been making us into something new, and better than we were before. Instead of thinking that things are getting worse, we can instead look at them as opportunities for us to go back to what we’re really all about: worshipping and following Jesus.

            The fact that we’ve had to worship here in the Fellowship Hall while waiting for the furnace to get fixed has been the beginning of such an opportunity. Some of you have said you think it’s been a really good thing, and we’ve felt like a church again, because we’ve been closer together than we’ve been in the sanctuary. And, I have to agree with you. I’ve really appreciated us being this close together, and I’ve personally felt a lot more comfortable in this different kind of atmosphere we’ve had. I wouldn’t say God caused our furnace to break down; the fact that it’s at least twenty years old and was bound to need major repair eventually did that. However, God did give us a wonderful opportunity in the midst something that could have been crippling. For me, Communion a couple of weeks ago, when we started doing this, was especially meaningful because it felt so informal, and it felt more like we were eating together rather than just going through a ritual. And I hope, once, God willing, we’re able to start worshipping in the sanctuary again next week, we can take the way things have been in here back into the sanctuary – I’ll certainly do my best as best I can to take what’s happened in here back in there. Even though, by the grace of God, as we found out at last week’s emergency meeting, we have the money available to pay for replacing the furnace, we hopefully can keep the great thing we’ve had going. With God’s help, we’re also going to be finding more opportunities for fellowship throughout this coming year. Why is all that important? We’ve needed, after all the struggles we’ve had as a church family the past couple of years, to refocus and regroup, and get back to Jesus again. Because the closer we feel together again, the more we can keep moving forward in our real purpose: believing in Jesus, following Jesus, bringing Him to people, and bringing people to Him.

            Because that’s ultimately what we’re here to offer people: Jesus. What makes us different from any other organization is that we can do something more than just be a place to gather and collect money or do things to help people: we can give Jesus freely to everyone. We can also offer something more than just helpful and practical advice for how to live a good and healthy life: we can bring people to Jesus, who, through trusting and following Him, brings healing and meaning to life. We also have the true path to salvation, because it is only through believing in Jesus that anyone is guaranteed to be saved and live with God for eternity. There are many people who are still stumbling around in darkness, looking for answers, looking for some kind of meaning and purpose. But we’ve been keeping the best thing we have to offer hidden from them: Jesus. We’ve been stumbling around in darkness ourselves, trying to find our way, yet in the process, we’ve also been keeping the best gift we have in the dark. But now it’s time to turn the light back on, see Jesus who has been helping and saving us all along, and show Him plainly and obviously to people again. While we can certainly keep giving people money and other assistance, we have something even more valuable and helpful to give: the faith we have in Jesus. Our message is plain and simple: Jesus died and rose again for us, and for all people, and that changes everything. We can try to bring people to church, but we always have to remember the reason we do so: to come to a personal, life-changing, transforming, and solid saving relationship with Jesus. We can offer something more than just temporary assistance: we can bring people to eternal life. And what you believe in in this life really does matter: if you believe and trust in Jesus Christ as your personal Lord, God, and Savior, and He died and rose again for you, then you will live with God forever. That’s something we’ve been keeping hidden for a while, but we need to bring back out into the open again: salvation does matter. Heaven is not a cleverly-devised myth, any more than God is a myth: heaven is a real place, where we want people to be able to go, just as we will. And the only way that will happen is by believing in Jesus. So that’s what we want for everyone: to believe in Jesus, and be saved. In this upcoming Lenten season, we will be hearing the call over and over again to come back to Jesus – and that’s the same call we are to give to everyone: come to Jesus to find life, forgiveness, restoration, acceptance, and salvation.

            There are also many other opportunities for us, as Christians, to be able to bring Jesus to people, even far away from here. The earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, and the devastation caused by them, have been dominating the news a lot the past couple of weeks. We’ve seen pictures of the extreme destruction in that region, and every day we’ve been hearing the death count going up as more bodies are found. Yet, despite all the bad news and darkness that’s been coming out of there, there have also been stories of hope and light. Just a couple days ago on the news, there was one such story about people in Turkey who, after being trapped under the rubble for days, have finally been rescued. In one particular case, a young girl was found, miraculously alive, after being trapped for a long time without food or water. Her aunt said that her family had prayed to God the whole time that she would be found and rescued – and, sure enough, that’s what happened. Which actually brings up a fair question: does this mean God hears and answers the prayers of people who aren’t Christian? It would certainly seem so. There have been many cases before of people who aren’t Christian praying in earnest faith for God to do something, and, that’s exactly what goes on – God does something for them. We have to remember that God is not absent from anywhere, and He does not abandon or refuse help from anyone. The fact that things like this happen, even in the midst of disaster, shows that He’s still very much showing His love and compassion to all people, no matter who they are. And, once again, even hearing and answering the prayers of all people who cry out to Him in desperation for help. What else does this mean? Well, it’s also a reminder to us that we are guaranteed to have our prayers heard and answered if we not only pray to God, but if we pray in the name of Jesus. If we pray believing that Jesus is our true God and Savior, then it is a sure thing that our prayers will be answered. Which means, that, although God certainly hears and answers the prayers of all people, praying in the name of Jesus and out of faith in Jesus makes concrete the promise that all our prayers will be heard and answered. So, here’s actually something we can do: in addition to giving donations to send to help everyone suffering, we can also be praying that people who have had their prayers answered by God would come to believe in Jesus, and realize that, whether they’ve known it or not, it is really because of Jesus that God has shown such love to them and answered them. There are doubtless people who have been going over with food and clothing, and also bringing Bibles and prayer with them. We can be praying that God would work through our brothers and sisters who are working to bring people who have already been rescued by God to accept and believe in Jesus. Even in the darkness of disaster, God brings light, love, restoration, compassion, and healing. We believe He does the same for the people of Turkey and Syria, just as He is doing right now for those affected by the train wreck and chemical fallout in East Palestine, and even those in our area who have been affected by acid rain; the Michigan State University campus after the shooting there this past week, as well as many other places shootings have taken place; and many other places where there has been any other kind of disaster or crime. Even though all those things may try to hide God from view, those are actually times when He shines through the brightest. We hold on to this hope, and we witness to this hope: we proclaim it boldly for all to hear – this is our prophetic message. Yes, we are prophets, people who have been personally called by God to shout out the truth. We are to be lamps in the darkness for people to follow. We can’t keep what we know and believe in the dark any more – we have to bring it out into the light for everyone to see and hear. We have a Savior who wants to save today’s world – let’s bring Him out of the shadows and shining back into the world where He belongs. It’s time for us – and this is a call to the whole church – to stop discussing and arguing about issues and controversies, and start proclaiming what really matters – Jesus, without any strings attached. It’s also time for us to stop keeping Jesus to ourselves, and give Him unconditionally to all the rest of the world. Let’s stop stumbling around ourselves, and turn on the light again, to shine a light for us and everyone to go in the right direction – to come back to Jesus.

            Now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.

Weekly Word Podcast - Full Worship Service for February 19, 2023 - The Transfiguration of Our Lord

 

Sermon Text for February 12, 2023 - "True Righteousness"

 “True Righteousness”

February 12, 2023

 

            Dear brothers and sisters, grace and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.

            How many of you have noticed the potholes we have on our roads around here? You know the routine: you’re driving along, going at a safe speed, not suspecting a thing, when all of a sudden – bump! – you hit a pothole, jarring you out. Lately it seems like, especially to me, it’s been happening a lot more than usual. Well, that’s kind of how today’s Gospel reading is. Lately it seems like we’ve been cruising along, enjoying the ride, when all of a sudden, hard, direct passages like these come up, and jar us out of our senses. We’ve been talking a lot about God’s love, but, almost out of nowhere, Jesus uses some rather shocking imagery, and blunt, almost uncompromising language, to impart some hard counsel. So what’s going on? 

            As it happens, what Jesus is talking about is actually consistent with today’s Old Testament reading from Deuteronomy chapter 30, which says particularly in verses 19-20: “Choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” As has been said before, and will continue to be said, our faith as Christians is not based on following rules, or seeing how closely or literally we can follow the commandments. Instead, what we seek is the best kind of relationships – with ourselves, each other, in our families, and with those with whom we come in contact on a regular basis. It is also by seeking the best kind of life together possible that we are to be have the best kind of life. God wants us to have a good life, and it is when we are connected to each other and living together that we really do enjoy the best years God gives us where we are.

Notice that in each of these cases, Jesus begins His teaching by saying, “You have heard that it was said…” What He is doing is encouraging us actually to think beyond simple “rules.” We actually have to be careful not to fall into a literal interpretation of these passages, because such an approach can be dangerous and harmful, to ourselves and our relationships with other people. Instead, we are to think of the spirit in which they are said. This is also what Paul encourages in today’s Second Reading from First Corinthians: to think not about the bare legal requirements of what is said, but instead to consider that they express God’s overall desire for us to bless each other, and improve each other’s lives, by how we live.

First of all, Jesus says that anyone who even harbors a negative thought towards someone is the same as if they were to think of committing murder. What He’s warning about is any kind of harmful feelings about anyone that would kill a relationship. Disagreements happen, and no one gets along perfectly all the time. Conflicts also arise. What matters is how we handle them. If the purpose of a discussion is to win, then it ends up being a losing situation for everyone. If, however, we seek to remain in a grudge or conflict against anyone, it is as though we were holding ourselves, or them, in prison, begin captive to anger, resentment and bitterness. While we love to hold grudges against people, it ends up being hurtful to us, as the anger we hold inside consumes us, and causes us to become hostile and bitter in our interactions with others. Which also means, as we know from our families, that conflicts even between two individuals can affect everyone else, and just create even more conflict, often without any awareness of what is really happening. So, especially in places which are meant to be oases of peace, such as the church, we are to address conflict in a healthy manner which takes everyone’s concerns into account, and move forward from them with the goal of restoration of what has been broken or lost. In this way, we are faithful to the spirit of Jesus’ admonition.

Next, Jesus talks about gouging out eyes and cutting off limbs. Is Jesus advocating self-harm, or self-mutilation? Absolutely not! Jesus does not want us to hurt ourselves in any way, whether physically, mentally, or emotionally. What He is doing is using a metaphor for the purpose of getting us, His listeners to pay attention. If there is something that is causing to hurt ourselves or other people, then we have to remove it from our lives, out of our sight, as though we were cutting it off from our eyes. If there is a habit we’ve fallen into, which is damaging us, our relationships, or our quality of life in general, then we are to – literally – cut it out, stop doing it. While I do realize something I said last week, about what I feel qualified to comment or not comment on, I do feel that, in light of what Jesus urges us to remember about lustful viewing, we do have to acknowledge that pornography, whether overt or subtle, has become more widespread in recent years, and is harmful both because it victimizes the subjects involved. In some cases, the participants are victims of human trafficking, being forced to perform against their will. Furthermore, it is a misuse of something God has created to be enjoyed between two people, and reduces it to self-centered exploitation rather than mutual enjoyment. It can also damage the physical relationship of a couple, because it creates unhealthy expectations, and draws attraction away from the partner. This is just one of many examples of things that can be habits which hurt the kind of relationship and interaction God desires between people, which need to be gotten rid of in order for health and true love to prevail.

            And now we come to probably one of the other most difficult verses in the entire Gospels. So let’s address the elephant in the room: here, Jesus is talking about divorce. Once again, however, we have to be very careful not to fall into an overly literal interpretation. Even today, there are denominations which forbid divorce and remarriage, on penalty of being expelled from the church. Certain denominations also forbid divorced and/or remarried individuals from serving in ordained ministry, and have been known to remove people from the ministry for going through a divorce. There are even some churches which do not permit divorced and/or remarried individuals from serving in positions of lay leadership. This approach, based on human standards, is also not us, and is not our attitude. As a church family, we welcome, support, accept, include, all people regardless of relationship status; we do not condemn anyone who is divorced; and we especially welcome and fully embrace everyone who has gone through a divorce, and has chosen to remarry; which in turn means we also permit remarriage in our church and place no limit on the number of times a person can be remarried. We do not regard any specific relationship status as being a requirement for full participation in the life and ministry of the congregation, nor do we certainly see it as being a bar to seeking after a close, loving relationship with God. We also recognize, and fully validate, the pain which those who have gone through a divorce have experienced, because, divorce is painful, for everyone involved. We also seek to be of any support or help in any way we can to those who have gone through a divorce, and are seeking a family to belong to for comfort and compassion. Furthermore, we also acknowledge that divorce can also, while painful, be a necessity, especially in order to be free from an abusive, harmful, dangerous, or neglectful marriage, for it is not God’s will that anyone be forced to submit to any such relationship. Our association, Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ, also does not view divorce and remarriage as being cause for excluding anyone from actively serving in parish ministry; indeed, over the years we have accepted many people as Pastors who have been divorced and remarried, some of whom have been removed from ministry in their previous denominations for being divorced. I myself, being a divorced and remarried person who is also an ordained Pastor, have greatly appreciated the support and acceptance I have experienced both from our church family and from LCMC. So what’s the point Jesus is really trying to make? He is urging us to remember that people, in any kind of relationship, are not disposable. When Jesus says that the normal rule is for the husband to write the wife a letter of dismissal, Jesus, again, urges us to think about how it affects everyone involved. What He also does is elevate the status of both people in the relationship, especially as women were considered property or chattel back in Jesus’ time, to be disposed of at will. But what Jesus is telling us to remember is that no one, in any kind of relationship, is to be taken for granted: God wants us to value and appreciate each other. Everyone in any kind of committed relationship, marriage in particular, is to celebrate and encourage both each other’s uniqueness and what they both contribute to make each other whole. Should conflicts arise, they are to be addressed, and if the parties refuse to address them, they are unsolvable, and have caused permanent damage, then, especially for the sake of other family members involved, particularly children, divorce is sadly inevitable in these cases, to avoid further harm and unhappiness.

            Then, finally, Jesus urges us to mean what we say, and let our yes be yes, and no be no. Even though this passage has been interpreted as forbidding taking oaths, whether made as part of job duties, testifying in court, or even as a requirement for joining an organization or club, nothing could be farther from the truth. In fact, as Christians, we are encouraged to take such oaths, because what Jesus is saying is that we are to mean what we say. When we swear an oath, make a promise, especially to be faithful, helpful, and merciful to those with whom we work, live, serve, or belong to an organization with. Furthermore, whenever we take an oath in court, we are promising that we are helping justice to be carried in the proper and fair way. Making an oath as part of a fraternal or service organization demonstrates that we are committed to the aims and goals of that organization, especially as they express themselves in the betterment of the local community and wider world. So that is why, in general, whenever we make some sort of promise, whether informal or solemn, we demonstrate that we intend to keep that promise, and that we are faithful, just as God is faithful to us. Again, what Jesus is encouraging us is to remember that, as Christians, we live in relationship with other people, and our word determines what kinds of relationships we desire and have. If we are truthful and honest with each other, then we will have peace among ourselves, our families, our workplaces, our schools, and in our communities.

            What all this is leading up to is that if we seek to be righteous, then we have to remember, firstly, that our righteousness doesn’t come from how perfect we try to be, but simply from the fact Jesus died as a sacrifice for us, and because of His death and resurrection, we are declared righteous already. In response to our being declared righteous, out of thankfulness for what God has done for us, we live as He lives toward us: with compassion, mercy, forgiveness, and love for others. By being committed to truth and love in our lives with others, we will be helping everyone live the kind of life God wants for all of us. And in this way, we really will be carrying out the commandments of our righteous God.

            Now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.

Weekly Word Podcast - Full Worship Service for February 12, 2023 - Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany

 

Community Ash Wednesday Service - Wednesday, February 22nd, 6:30 P.M.

Our annual Community Ash Wednesday Service will take place this year at the Farmersville United Methodist Church on Wednesday, February 22nd, at 6:30 P.M. Join us as we gather together as one family of God to begin our Lenten observance and celebration!

Fellowship Dinner - Wednesday, February 15th, 6:30 P.M.

Our monthly Fellowship Dinner is coming up on Wednesday, February 15th, at 6:30 P.M., at Rob's in Brookville. Please RSVP to the church by Tuesday, February 14th, so we know how many to reserve for.

Movie Night - Saturday, February 18th, 7:00 P.M.!

Our next Movie Night is coming up soon! Join us on Saturday, February 18th, at 7:00 P.M. at the church! We will be showing "The Most Reluctant Convert," about the life of C.S. Lewis. Popcorn and pop will be provided.

Weekly Word Podcast - Full Worship Service for February 5, 2023 - Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany

 

Sermon Text for February 5, 2023 - "Nothing Except Jesus Christ"

 “Nothing Except Jesus Christ”

February 5, 2023

 

            Dear brothers and sisters, grace and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.

            I’ve been starting to notice something with the funerals we’ve had the last few times, particularly with Bob Colucci, Herb Erisman, and yesterday, Martha Erisman. That is that they’re really starting to feel like not so much St. Andrew funerals, or even just Lutheran funerals, but real community gatherings. They’ve been times when a large and diverse group of people from our community have been able to get together both to remember Bob, Herb, Martha, and others we’ve said our earthly farewells to, and also to gather and enjoy each other’s company. They’ve also been occasions to catch up with people, especially family members, we haven’t seen in a while, either because they’ve moved out of state, or just haven’t had a chance to come around for a long time. Either way, it’s been nice that such times have been opportunities for many of us just to gather together. 

What it’s also a reminder of is an even deeper truth, of what we all have in common: we believe in Jesus and follow Him. Even though we have specific church families we belong to, we still all belong to one large Church family: the family of Jesus. When we get together for funerals, that’s our main focus, what we remember: that because of Jesus, we are headed for eternal life, and it doesn’t matter which church we belong to, we’re all going to the same place, to live with Jesus. We are also all saved in the same way: by the death and resurrection of Jesus. We are also given the same promise that this is true by the same Baptism, done in water in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We can all learn from and be enriched by each other. And, when we have opportunities to take Communion together, as we do at least every August at the firehouse, we are reminded again of our one faith, in one Jesus, in one Savior, as part of one family, with one purpose. And that purpose is to make sure Jesus stays an important part of our community.

            Well, what does that mean? Isn’t Jesus here with us all the time? Isn’t He always a part of where we live? Well, yes, but the problem is, there have been a lot of things that have caused us to forget that. Especially for the past few years, it’s been like we’ve been in a dark room, stumbling around, trying to find our way, looking for some kind of purpose or meaning, or just any kind of direction. Especially as a lot of our purpose changed, as well as how we live, what we’ve taken for granted, and we’ve been trying to keep moving forward in life, even though way too much of life has changed. Fortunately, we’ve had glimmers of light which have shone into the room every so often, as we’ve been reminded that Jesus has still been with us and has been guiding us every step of the way. Yet we’ve still been succumbing to darkness, focusing on uncertainty and frustration. We’ve also been assuming that there’s no solution, that we have to be stuck where we are forever, and we’ve been focusing on everything that could go wrong, instead of being able to hope and dream about everything that could go right. We’ve been blinded by darkness.

But now, it’s time for us to realize what we’ve been living with, and say, “No, I don’t want to be stuck in the darkness any more! That’s not all there is, there’s got to be more!” And yes, there is more. Anything that’s saying we’re stuck in darkness is a lie. And if we’ve been believing that there’s no hope because nothing’s ever going to be the same as it was before, we’ve been living a lie. So it’s time for us to turn the lights back on and see the truth of how things really are. We’ve been blind for far too long: now it’s time for us to see what Jesus wants us to see – Himself. He is still with us, even right here among us right now. He will remind us of that in just a few minutes as we take Communion, where His body and blood is especially really and truly present with us. 

And, as Paul reminds us in today’s Second Reading, all we need is just simple reminders that Jesus is here. Which the Holy Spirit gives us every single day – if we recognize them and accept them. Which means we have to be expecting Jesus to do something, even in the midst of the impossible. But that means believing: believing that Jesus is real, He is all-powerful, and He can do anything. Our faith rests not only on Jesus’ words, but even more importantly on His power.

Also in today’s Second Reading, Paul says that His messages weren’t based on wise or persuasive words, but simply talking about Jesus. And I personally believe that’s all preaching really needs to be – constantly and consistently talking about Jesus and letting the power of Jesus come through the words. Believe it or not, I don’t believe sermons have to be commentaries on everything going on in the world. While we certainly need to be aware of things, and celebrate that God is still at work even in the midst of world events, the authority with which we are given to speak is something different. I’m going to be straight up and say that, even though I try to keep informed about a lot of things, there are certain issues I really have no valid authority to speak about, especially from the pulpit. I’m not a trained or qualified medical professional, scientist, mental health counselor, psychologist, sociologist, politician, political scientist, economist, ethicist, lawyer, law enforcement officer, educator, community organizer, cultural commentator, sports commentator, or even academic theologian. We have plenty of people right here in our own church family with those particular kinds of expertise, and I would encourage us to use the rich resources we have with each other right here in our congregation. Because if I were to speak about any particular issue of the day, and even if I came prepared with pages of research, statistics, quotations from experts, even Bible verses, it would ultimately just be my own opinion and not necessarily common wisdom. While, admittedly, such passages as our reading from Isaiah encourage us to set the oppressed free, break every yoke, share food with the hungry, provide the homeless with shelter, clothe the naked, and provide for our relatives, we do so out of response to God’s love for us and His desire to have all people cared for, and not to advance a political or social agenda. It is also a reminder to us, as we talked about last week, that our faith, our Christian faith, is meant to be lived and expressed outside of our worship services and in our everyday lives with others – and that we are commanded to love as we are loved; more about that in a minute. But to try to bring in some sort of political vision would also be trying to lay down laws or commandments which God has neither permitted nor desired, and would be taking the focus off of Jesus and obscuring, or making dark, the true purpose of a sermon – and, ultimately, emptying the sermon of God’s power. But there is something I can say with authority, and which all of us, because we are Christians, can also say with absolute certainty, to each other and to everyone in our community:

Jesus loves you and so do I. And really, that’s all we need to say to anyone. Why can I, or any one of us, say that? Because Jesus has shown me. Yes, I’ve been told it over and over since the day I was born, but it’s especially been over the past few years, as I’ve gone through several different personal struggles. I’ve had my own periods of darkness, stumbling around trying to find my way, but Jesus has come through every time, turned on the light, and has shown me where to go and what to do. Which He’s done for many of us at different times. So, my authority, and our authority, comes not from expert knowledge or opinion, but from experience. Jesus is real for me, and for us, because He has shown Himself to be real. The kind of love He has shown us has been to reach out, rescue us, put us back in the direction we need to go, and keep on walking with us. 

That’s the promise God has given us all along, even before Jesus came into the world: in Isaiah 58:9, He says, “Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: ‘Here am I.’” Jesus has promised to be there for us at all times, and we are to be there for others as He is for us. In fact, what Jesus means when He says that He came to complete the law and the prophets is that He fulfills both the commands made by the law and the promises made by the prophets. He obeyed the commandments perfectly, offering Himself as a sacrifice to take our sins away, then rising again, to give us the eternal life we could not achieve on our own, without Him. God had promised to come to save and help His people, and the whole world, through the prophets. And Jesus is also right: the commandments have not been nullified, because, as He Himself says later on, the very essence of the law is love: we love God, and our neighbors as we love ourselves. 

            So we need to be the light. We need to make things clear and obvious again, and we do so not through what we say, but what we do. Such things as, again Isaiah encourages today, making sure that those who need special help receive it from us, back up with concrete action what we tell people: Jesus loves you and so do I. We are to be love in action, letting others see our good deeds, so they can know who God is, believe in Him, and be changed by Him. We are salt: just as salt makes certain foods tastier and easier to swallow, our actions of love make God’s Word and promises easier to believe and accept. Whenever we do good by showing love, help, and acceptance to someone, we are the demonstration of the Spirit’s power, because actions are a greater persuasion than words. So let’s reclaim our true purpose – following only Jesus, turning on the light, and being the light for everyone!

            Now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.