After learning things in Sunday School and worship, our series on the things you can learn in church in just one day marches on through Confirmation class. We meet every other Sunday following worship.
The first lesson in last Sunday's class was how fun and tasty church could be. Following our Latin American themed service we had south of the border snacks for fellowship. Our Confirmation students got to sample fresh-made chips, salsas, and various dips and nachos. They saw plenty of people gathering and laughing and lining up to eat...a powerful lesson about the joy being together brings us! We had plenty of fun in the classroom seeing who could stand the super-hot salsa.
After that it was time to get down to work. After going through the Old Testament last year, this year we're talking about Jesus and the effect he had on the world. This Sunday we discussed his early ministry, the temptations in the wilderness and the Sermon on the Mount.
We learned how Satan tempted Jesus at his weakest point, after 40 days and nights of fasting in devotion to God. We heard about the three temptations: making bread from stones, bowing down to receive control over the world, leaping from the temple roof to prove God would save you. We heard Jesus reject all three, renouncing the devil three times just as we do at our baptism. We also covered the positive affirmations that Jesus showed us by his resistance: God will provide for us. We do not have to use our power selfishly, to feed our own desires or in slavery to our needs. We already have the gifts we need to live and prosper. We don't have to bow down to other powers to try and gain more. Those powers only bring us more emptiness and a longing that will never be filled. We do not have to prove God to ourselves or anyone. We can't. All we can do is trust him and live our lives accordingly, knowing that we are his.
We learned that after Jesus emerged from the wilderness he began doing four important things: preaching the Word of God, teaching people what it meant, healing their illnesses, and forgiving their sins. We still do those four things in his name when we gather together, especially in church!
In the section on the Sermon on the Mount we first learned that the story was told twice, in the gospels of Matthew and Luke. Matthew has Jesus preaching from a hilltop. Luke has him speaking from the bottom of a dell, like an amphitheater. It's probably called the "Sermon on the Mount" because that sounds better than "Sermon in the Dip".
In this sermon Jesus shared with his followers the basic things they'd need to know in order to live out God's Word.
1. The world considers certain people "blessed", or favored by God. God doesn't see things on the world's terms. He doesn't favor the rich more because they're rich or the powerful because of their influence. God reaches out to and takes care of the poor, the humble, those who cry and mourn, those who are picked on and reviled because they do good. His heart goes out to people in need.
2. We are to love our brothers and sisters. If we do not care about them we are not doing our best to serve God, for they are his children too. We are to love even our enemies, not with a mushy feeling but in Christ's name.
3. If someone does evil to us we are not to respond in kind, as if evil were powerful. Instead we are to respond to evil with good in order to show its power.
4. We are not to pray or live out our Christian lives with arrogance to show the world how good we are. Instead we are to talk to God humbly and pray that he will show the world how good he is.
5. We do not have to worry. God knows our needs and will provide, even as he provides for the lilys of the field and the birds of the air. God will uphold and comfort us.
6. In everything we are to do unto others as we'd want them to do unto us, not living by our selfish, base instincts and fears but living in God's mercy.
7. Those who hear these words and base their lives on them are building their house on a solid foundation. What they do will endure. Those who base their lives on anything else are building on sand. Whatever they construct will eventually fall apart.
We talked about the last moments of life, hearing people talk on their death bed. In all my years of sitting with people at their moment of passing, I have never heard anyone say, "I'm so proud I had that fancy car and made tons of money." The only thing people look back on--the only thing that matters--is whether they loved and were loved...whether they built grace-filled relationships and felt they did good in the world. The Sermon on the Mount shows us how to do that.
Confirmation class is always profound, but this session in particular always gets me. Jesus' words here are so heartfelt, simple yet far-reaching. It's a good reminder for us in a world that seems to pull us in a hundred different directions and gives us a million commitments to cement us to each. No matter where we go, no matter what we do, only one thing really matters: living out a godly life.
It's amazing how your life can change in just one day at church.
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
Showing posts with label Love. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Love. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Monday, April 29, 2013
Monday Morning Sermon: Final Instructions from Jesus
The Gospel this Sunday came from John 13: 31-35
On Sunday we asked folks to remember the first time their parents left them alone in the house. Jesus isn't ever going to leave his followers but the situation is analogous because one phase of his ministry--the most visible part--is coming to an end and the next phase is about to begin. That phase will include his crucifixion, resurrection, and the ascension into heaven. He's not leaving his followers but they're about to take on far more responsibility for the house!
Before your parents left you for the first time they went over a detailed set of instructions, right? "Remember to feed the dog, turn off the stove, call me if you go anywhere, and NO PARTIES!" The order and content may vary depending on your parents, but one thing's for sure: whatever they thought was most important they said last, right as they were going out the door. It doesn't matter if they had told you seven times before. "NO PARTIES!" made one more return as they were ducking into the car.
This gospel reading is the equivalent of Jesus' last instructions to the kids. And what did he say just as he was throwing his suitcase in the trunk? "Here's my command. Love one another just as I have loved you. This is how everybody will know you are my followers."
That's it! So simple! And yet it's every bit as important to God as "turn the stove off" was to your parents. Without this there's no security, continuity, responsibility, family life...in some ways no life at all.
It's funny how many ways people try to follow God. There are as many flavors of faith as there are stars in the sky. But Jesus' Big Instruction provides the litmus test for them all.
If understanding God were simple the Bible would only be a few pages long. We'd have a handy set of definitions and instructions and that would be it. It's nowhere near that clear. That's no accident! The Bible provides enough space and access points for millions and millions of people to find God's relationship with them. Those people have different opinions, follow different rules, operate in different environments. None of them are completely right. Few are completely wrong either. Everybody operates in ambiguity.
The test of faith isn't what you believe, it's how you use what you believe. We're thrown into conflict with each other not to prove who was right or wrong, but to see what we'll fall back on when we can't figure out who's right and wrong. Will we retreat into enemy camps, lobbing theological shells at each other, creating enemies and scorched earth all around us in God's name? Or, in the midst of these moments of confusion, will we opt to love? This is what God is watching for, not who got it right, but who loved the most even when they might have gotten it wrong.
None of us can be God. Jesus knew this when he told his disciples, "Where I go you cannot follow." We could not make the sacrifice he did, nor would it mean the same thing if we tried. There was only one Jesus. But this one thing we can do: we can love in his name. And when we do this, we become like Jesus in every way that matters. Even if we never walk on water or heal a leper, we have performed the act that stood at the root of his ministry, at the root of his very identity. Loving people echoes the act of Our Savior in their lives. Nothing else can substitute. If we do this, we have fulfilled our faith. If not we have no hope of doing so.
Return now to the moment when your parents left you in the house. Yes, they said, "NO PARTIES!" seven times, including in the last second in which they saw you. But for most of us that wasn't the absolute last thing they said, was it? After all the instructions and admonitions, after working through all the worry and fear, what did they really say last?
"I love you."
Maybe they understood more than we thought, even if we did throw that party anyway.
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified in him. 32 If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once.
33 “My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.
34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
On Sunday we asked folks to remember the first time their parents left them alone in the house. Jesus isn't ever going to leave his followers but the situation is analogous because one phase of his ministry--the most visible part--is coming to an end and the next phase is about to begin. That phase will include his crucifixion, resurrection, and the ascension into heaven. He's not leaving his followers but they're about to take on far more responsibility for the house!
Before your parents left you for the first time they went over a detailed set of instructions, right? "Remember to feed the dog, turn off the stove, call me if you go anywhere, and NO PARTIES!" The order and content may vary depending on your parents, but one thing's for sure: whatever they thought was most important they said last, right as they were going out the door. It doesn't matter if they had told you seven times before. "NO PARTIES!" made one more return as they were ducking into the car.
This gospel reading is the equivalent of Jesus' last instructions to the kids. And what did he say just as he was throwing his suitcase in the trunk? "Here's my command. Love one another just as I have loved you. This is how everybody will know you are my followers."
That's it! So simple! And yet it's every bit as important to God as "turn the stove off" was to your parents. Without this there's no security, continuity, responsibility, family life...in some ways no life at all.
It's funny how many ways people try to follow God. There are as many flavors of faith as there are stars in the sky. But Jesus' Big Instruction provides the litmus test for them all.
If understanding God were simple the Bible would only be a few pages long. We'd have a handy set of definitions and instructions and that would be it. It's nowhere near that clear. That's no accident! The Bible provides enough space and access points for millions and millions of people to find God's relationship with them. Those people have different opinions, follow different rules, operate in different environments. None of them are completely right. Few are completely wrong either. Everybody operates in ambiguity.
The test of faith isn't what you believe, it's how you use what you believe. We're thrown into conflict with each other not to prove who was right or wrong, but to see what we'll fall back on when we can't figure out who's right and wrong. Will we retreat into enemy camps, lobbing theological shells at each other, creating enemies and scorched earth all around us in God's name? Or, in the midst of these moments of confusion, will we opt to love? This is what God is watching for, not who got it right, but who loved the most even when they might have gotten it wrong.
None of us can be God. Jesus knew this when he told his disciples, "Where I go you cannot follow." We could not make the sacrifice he did, nor would it mean the same thing if we tried. There was only one Jesus. But this one thing we can do: we can love in his name. And when we do this, we become like Jesus in every way that matters. Even if we never walk on water or heal a leper, we have performed the act that stood at the root of his ministry, at the root of his very identity. Loving people echoes the act of Our Savior in their lives. Nothing else can substitute. If we do this, we have fulfilled our faith. If not we have no hope of doing so.
Return now to the moment when your parents left you in the house. Yes, they said, "NO PARTIES!" seven times, including in the last second in which they saw you. But for most of us that wasn't the absolute last thing they said, was it? After all the instructions and admonitions, after working through all the worry and fear, what did they really say last?
"I love you."
Maybe they understood more than we thought, even if we did throw that party anyway.
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Monday Morning Sermon: The Power of Love
The text for the Fourth Sunday after Epiphany was the conclusion of the story from Luke 4 which we discussed fully last week. In this second installment the people of Nazareth, Jesus' hometown, responded to his claim that he was the fulfillment of scripture and prophecy by trying to throw him off a cliff. Having talked about the end of the story a week ago, we were free to explore the ramification of the second reading for the day on these proceedings. That text was 1 Corinthians 13: 1-13.
Not coincidentally, these verses from Corinthians also show what the people of Nazareth lacked, causing them to miss the Messiah in their rush to throw him off their hill.
We could talk about the intricacies of love all day. (Hint: It's not really a mushy emotion. That can be part of love but it's neither the most enduring nor the most powerful part. We see the strongest parts of love as we act it out even when we don't feel mushy and gushy towards the recipient.) But for our purposes in the sermon we distilled it down to a couple of basics.
Love means seeing the best in people and then holding on to that definition of them no matter what. We're always in a hurry to look for flaws, thinking that this will protect us from harm and make us stronger. Since everyone and everything on earth is imperfect we always find what we seek. This path does not lead to love, though. More often it leads to a life of loneliness and fear in which we never learn to trust others. This lack causes us to miss the beauty in each other and life.
Everybody you know will let you down in one way or another. Everybody you know also has amazing qualities. Love means holding onto the latter while forgiving the former as much and as often as possible. Love means seeing people through God's eyes, viewing neighbors as his beautiful, beloved children whether they happen to be acting like it at the moment or not. When you see the best in people--interpreting their words charitably instead of harshly, explaining their actions in the kindest possible way, welcoming them instead of suspecting them--you will naturally convey love. As Paul says, this takes patience, kindness, and a heaping dose of self-discipline.
But this approach to life also holds great rewards. When you see people in the best possible way and depend on them to be their best possible selves, they tend to live up to that. (Note that we said depend and not expect. "Expect" conveys the message that you're not something and need to conform to someone's standards in order to become it. "Depend" means you are already something which is meaningful and important to the people around you. "I expect you to be good" is far different than "I depend on you to be good".) Love is contagious. People love to be defined by it. When you see the good in people they start seeing it too. They act on it more often, which fills your environment with more good things. This goodness makes love even easier and begets yet more goodness. The simple act of holding on to the best view of your neighbors eventually changes your whole world.
If there's a secret to happy marriages, raising your kids well, having a great youth group or Bible Study in church, enjoying friendships, creating good working relationships, this is it. This is why we welcome every person who comes into our church with open arms. We start from moment one seeing and assuming the best in them, showing them love. We invite them to co-create with us, drawing inspiration from them as they draw from us, each of us seeing Christ in the other. This defines not only our individual relationships but our community. This is God's Spirit at work in a web of trust and Christ-colored glasses.
The people of Nazareth did not approach Jesus this way. They should have. They knew him better than anyone. Not seeing him in the best possible light led them straight into darkness. That's the way it goes, I'm afraid. There's no neutral in faith. Either trust or suspicion will eventually win out in your life. When you trust and love you see God everywhere. When you don't you can't see him anywhere, even if he shows up right in front of your eyes and holds up a sign.
I'm afraid the people of Nazareth weren't very patient or kind with Jesus. If you read Luke 4: 21-30 you'll actually find that they quickly turned envious, boastful, proud, disparaging, angry, and rude, leaving no room for God to work in their midst. Instead of shaking our heads and wondering how they could do that, we need to remember Christ's reminder that as we do to the least of the people in our lives, so we do to him. We re-enact this scene every day. We're led towards it inevitably the moment we start seeing less than the best in folks around us...the moment we turn away from love.
Let this be a reminder to all of us in all of our many relationships. When Christ shows up among us and says, "Today the scripture is fulfilled in your hearing" (probably in the form of a little kid showing off a glitter-filled craft project in our fellowship hall or a stranger looking to us in need) may we be able to respond with celebration instead of hurrying to cast him out because he dared to challenge our perceptions and comfort.
We're always looking for new and interesting questions to talk about, so if you have any send them in to the e-mail address below!
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.These words are famous, of course, having been read at most every wedding since weddings were invented. That's appropriate, as they describe aptly the kind of self-sacrificing love a couple needs to make it through the rigors of matrimony. But in a way it's unfortunate that we've heard these passages so often in that context. They weren't intended to apply to weddings alone. Limiting our understanding of love to the bond between spouses also lets us duck responsibility for practicing it everywhere else. But Paul wrote these words to an entire community, not just paired couples within it. They weren't confined to two people. They were meant to be the bedrock of our life, the lens through which we view all of our actions and all the people those actions affect.
Not coincidentally, these verses from Corinthians also show what the people of Nazareth lacked, causing them to miss the Messiah in their rush to throw him off their hill.
We could talk about the intricacies of love all day. (Hint: It's not really a mushy emotion. That can be part of love but it's neither the most enduring nor the most powerful part. We see the strongest parts of love as we act it out even when we don't feel mushy and gushy towards the recipient.) But for our purposes in the sermon we distilled it down to a couple of basics.
Love means seeing the best in people and then holding on to that definition of them no matter what. We're always in a hurry to look for flaws, thinking that this will protect us from harm and make us stronger. Since everyone and everything on earth is imperfect we always find what we seek. This path does not lead to love, though. More often it leads to a life of loneliness and fear in which we never learn to trust others. This lack causes us to miss the beauty in each other and life.
Everybody you know will let you down in one way or another. Everybody you know also has amazing qualities. Love means holding onto the latter while forgiving the former as much and as often as possible. Love means seeing people through God's eyes, viewing neighbors as his beautiful, beloved children whether they happen to be acting like it at the moment or not. When you see the best in people--interpreting their words charitably instead of harshly, explaining their actions in the kindest possible way, welcoming them instead of suspecting them--you will naturally convey love. As Paul says, this takes patience, kindness, and a heaping dose of self-discipline.
But this approach to life also holds great rewards. When you see people in the best possible way and depend on them to be their best possible selves, they tend to live up to that. (Note that we said depend and not expect. "Expect" conveys the message that you're not something and need to conform to someone's standards in order to become it. "Depend" means you are already something which is meaningful and important to the people around you. "I expect you to be good" is far different than "I depend on you to be good".) Love is contagious. People love to be defined by it. When you see the good in people they start seeing it too. They act on it more often, which fills your environment with more good things. This goodness makes love even easier and begets yet more goodness. The simple act of holding on to the best view of your neighbors eventually changes your whole world.
If there's a secret to happy marriages, raising your kids well, having a great youth group or Bible Study in church, enjoying friendships, creating good working relationships, this is it. This is why we welcome every person who comes into our church with open arms. We start from moment one seeing and assuming the best in them, showing them love. We invite them to co-create with us, drawing inspiration from them as they draw from us, each of us seeing Christ in the other. This defines not only our individual relationships but our community. This is God's Spirit at work in a web of trust and Christ-colored glasses.
The people of Nazareth did not approach Jesus this way. They should have. They knew him better than anyone. Not seeing him in the best possible light led them straight into darkness. That's the way it goes, I'm afraid. There's no neutral in faith. Either trust or suspicion will eventually win out in your life. When you trust and love you see God everywhere. When you don't you can't see him anywhere, even if he shows up right in front of your eyes and holds up a sign.
I'm afraid the people of Nazareth weren't very patient or kind with Jesus. If you read Luke 4: 21-30 you'll actually find that they quickly turned envious, boastful, proud, disparaging, angry, and rude, leaving no room for God to work in their midst. Instead of shaking our heads and wondering how they could do that, we need to remember Christ's reminder that as we do to the least of the people in our lives, so we do to him. We re-enact this scene every day. We're led towards it inevitably the moment we start seeing less than the best in folks around us...the moment we turn away from love.
Let this be a reminder to all of us in all of our many relationships. When Christ shows up among us and says, "Today the scripture is fulfilled in your hearing" (probably in the form of a little kid showing off a glitter-filled craft project in our fellowship hall or a stranger looking to us in need) may we be able to respond with celebration instead of hurrying to cast him out because he dared to challenge our perceptions and comfort.
We're always looking for new and interesting questions to talk about, so if you have any send them in to the e-mail address below!
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)