Sermon: “What does the Bible Say about Evolution and Creation?”
First Presbyterian Church(USA) — Tolono, IL
June 24, 2012 – 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

Text: Genesis 1-2

Well, this is going to be one of my easier sermons. You’ve already just heard a lot of what the Bible says about Creation. And now here’s what the Bible says about evolution: __________________________________________________. Nothing. Nada. ‘Nary a peep.

And this shouldn’t surprise us, as Charles’ Darwin didn’t start publishing his theories about evolution until the 1800s. His famous Origin of the Species, for example, came out in print in 1859. That’s more than 17 centuries later than the last of the books of the New Testament were being written and compiled as scripture. And the New Testament is at least 7 centuries newer than Genesis. That is a whole lot of time for people to look at nature and the world and the universe and begin to postulate ideas about the way things are and how they got to be that way. Of course, over time, the theories of the investigators and scientists did not always agree with what is found in the pages of the Bible. And thus the problems began. “In the beginning… there was an argument.

Many thoughtful Christians today are caught on the horns of a dilemma. Permit me to demonstrate on those of us gathered here today. By a show of hands, how many of us would affirm this statement: “I believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God.” Now, how about this statement: “I believe that the current science relating to the origin of the world and all that lives on it is honestly and fairly accurate.” If you raised your hand both times, welcome to the dilemma. You see, our challenge as contemporary Christians isn’t just with what the Bible says about how the world and how all of us living organisms came about, it’s also about our belief in the authority of the Bible.

And so officially, this sermon is no longer easy, but very, very difficult. Because we are about to chart some highly-emotionally charged waters of belief here. And I will lay out the arguments as fairly and accurately as I can. But these topics- the creation of the world and the authority of the Bible, for many people, are foundational to their religious beliefs. And so we tread as lightly and carefully as possible.

As we’ve said in previous sermons, the classical worldview of the Bible had the earth as the center of a chummy little universe. The sun and stars and moon all traced their paths across the sky, perhaps held up there by an invisible dome. Just on the other side of the dome was heaven. Just below the earth, at least by the time the New Testament is written, Hades lies deep in the earth full of fire and nastiness. How did this all come to be? God made it so. We have heard two accounts from Genesis about how God did this. There is nothing but darkness and watery chaos, and after God speaks, in a matter of days there is order and beauty and creation. Hot on the heels of the Creation account comes the story of the Garden of Eden, where man and woman live until they mess everything up for everyone. And that is the start of human history.

Now it is relatively easy to use the Bible to sort of kind of count back the years to Adam and Eve (and thus the start of the world). And if you do, you’ll get some number around 4,000 years. Add two thousand years since the time of Jesus, and you get a big, fat approximation of about 6,000 years. (By the way you can get different answers to these calculations. There is a webpage called scienceandgod.org that re-calibrates all the variables and comes up with an age of earth closer to 40,000 or 50,000 years.)

Those are some old rocks. And in those rocks are fossils that are tens of millions of years old. And we continue to find bones of creatures-like dinosaurs- that lived millions of years before human beings even thought about watching So You Think You Can Dance. Switching to astronomy, the best current estimate for the age of the universe is 14.5 billion years. That’s older than the Rolling Stones. (But not older than that joke!)

Ancient rocks exceeding 3.5 billion years in age are found on all of Earth's continents. The oldest rocks on Earth found so far are the Acasta Gneisses in northwestern Canada near Great Slave Lake (4.03 Ga) and the Isua Supracrustal rocks in West Greenland (3.7 to 3.8 Ga), but well-studied rocks nearly as old are also found in the Minnesota River Valley and northern Michigan (3.5-3.7 billion years), in Swaziland (3.4-3.5 billion years), and in Western Australia (3.4-3.6 billion years). These ancient rocks have been dated by a number of radiometric dating methods and the consistency of the results give scientists confidence that the ages are correct to within a few percent. An interesting feature of these ancient rocks is that they are not from any sort of "primordial crust" but are lava flows and sediments deposited in shallow water, an indication that Earth history began well before these rocks were deposited. (usgs.gov 7/2007)

Now a side note here. There are plenty of very reputable scholars who say that the characterization that I’m making between the biblical story of creation and the wealth of scientific data is much too simplistic and even mistaken. And don’t worry, I’ll come back to that. The fact of the matter is that people during the time of the bible were pretty smart cookies when it came to a lot of scientific pursuits: they could follow and predict the courses of the stars with great accuracy, for instance. There were great engineers, too: try building the Pyramids or the Temple of Solomon without some pretty fancy understandings of architecture, engineering, and plain old physics. The people of the bible weren’t dumb, they just didn’t have access to the same depth of information nor much of the equipment (like telescopes and microscopes and carbon dating, etc.) that we use all the time these days. But still… the bible does say that God created the world in such and such a fashion, and no where does it talk about big bangs, missing links, or the adaptability of species. . .

Here’s is the crux of the difficulty for us. We believe and affirm that the Bible is the inspired Word of God. Therefore, we believe that what is contained in it is true. But what happens when science comes along and shows that what the Bible says may not be factually correct? Take, for instance, the great flood of the earth at the time of Noah - also in Genesis. For decades or even centuries now, archeologists and geologists have been looking for evidence that there was a cataclysmic flood that covered the entire surface of the earth and they’ve never found it. And, of course, astronomy since the times of Copernicus and Galileo has asserted that the earth orbits the sun not vice versa . . .

How do we get out of this tight place? Well, it requires either coming to some really uncomfortable conclusions or doing what I like to call “spiritual gymnastics”. For instance, we might conclude that science is wrong. I long ago read a religious tract that claimed that scientists once carbon-dated a clam and concluded that it was 1.5 million years old when in fact it was still alive. And, of course, there’s always the popular “science as conspiracy” explanation. That says that not only is science anti-religion, it also creates its own findings so that can continue support itself financially and authoritatively. (If you ever saw an incredibly bad movie back in the 1970s called “Capricorn One”, you know what I mean. The story goes that a landing by astronauts on Mars is actually faked in a television studio.) That sort of thing.

Personally, I think it’s pretty unreasonable to believe that millions of scientists through the ages and all over the world are part of grand conspiracy to refute the findings of the Bible and other religious teachings. I think someone would’ve spilled the beans by now if that was the case. . .

Perhaps you are ready for some of those spiritual gymnastics now. What I mean by that is trying to reconcile what the Bible teaches with what science continues to discover about the nature of life, the universe, and everything. For instance, perhaps the Bible doesn’t literally mean six “days” when God created the world. Maybe a day for God is like a million years or so? Obviously that’s not what it says, but it requires some interpretation for us to get at the real truth of the matter. I, personally, think that we must interpret the bible in terms of what we continue to learn in other areas of human experience. For instance, I would like (I’ve said before) to believe that we can all agree that slavery is morally repugnant and wrong, even if we can find verses in the bible to support slavery. I think it’s perfectly wonderful that women can teach men in church even though the Apostle Paul would disagree with me. I think we all take scripture and try to hear God speaking through it and as we do so we listen more closely to some parts than others. There simply are dietary restrictions and ways of treating our animals and Sabbath regulations that we don’t pay as much attention to as we do Jesus’ teachings to forgive and show compassion and love extravagantly.

Now this way of living with the scripture has its own dangers. One is called relativism. In other words, if I get to choose what is true and right in scripture for me and you get to choose what is true and right in scripture for you then how will we ever know what the truth actually is? If you believe (to jump ahead a couple of sermons) that the bible speaks about homosexuality as sin while I believe the bible tells us that God created everything and everyone good (which would include gay and lesbian folks) then how do we know what is right, for heaven’s sake? Did God create the world a few millennia ago or not? Was there a world-wide flood or not? Was there an Adam and an Eve living in the Garden of Eden 6000 years ago or are in fact the monkeys our uncles? Are men automatically head of the household or not? Do you have to be Christian to be saved for eternity or not? And on and on our questions go. . .

Perhaps it is easiest of all to try and take the Bible as literally as possible and do your best to ignore such nagging interpretive questions - and to dismiss science as intrinsically flawed. But then how are you going to answer the age-old questions of where Cain got his wife or if Adam and Eve had navels?

Here’s how I try to make it all work for me and my spiritual journey of faith. I think in terms of relatively superficial truths- that is, the stuff we call facts or physical phenomena- and relatively deeper, more spiritual truths. These deep truths are beyond the grasp of reason or science. For instance, it may that the universe began with a big bang 14.5 billion years ago. But I will still believe that God caused that big bang to go “bang.” So if you were to pin me down and ask if I think that God made the world in six actual days, I’d say, no. But I do believe that God is the Creator and that God created with a plan and purpose, and that God is still active in the Creation right this minute. Do I believe in evolution? Yes I do because I believe that all the scientific evidence points to that. Did we come from monkeys? Maybe. And if so, I have no problem with that. Because when Genesis says that we are made in the image of God I believe that means that we don’t look like God but that we have spirits and souls like God.

Here’s how I try to make it all work for me and my spiritual journey of faith. I think in terms of relatively superficial truths- that is, the stuff we call facts or physical phenomena- and relatively deeper, more spiritual truths. These deep truths are beyond the grasp of reason or science. For instance, it may that the universe began with a big bang 14.5 billion years ago. But I will still believe that God caused that big bang to go “bang.” So if you were to pin me down and ask if I think that God made the world in six actual days, I’d say, no. But I do believe that God is the Creator and that God created with a plan and purpose, and that God is still active in the Creation right this minute. Do I believe in evolution? Yes I do because I believe that all the scientific evidence points to that. Did we come from monkeys? Maybe. And if so, I have no problem with that. Because when Genesis says that we are made in the image of God I believe that means that we don’t look like God but that we have spirits and souls like God.

And so it goes. There are facts and facts can change. But there are also deep spiritual truths and the words of scripture still and always will teach about those deep spiritual truths. About God, about Christ and the Holy Spirit, about us, about the world, about life, about eternal life, about hope, faith, and love. And that’s what I have to say about that.

So you know, when it comes right down to it, I guess Staples is right: “That was easy.” (Not!)

Questions, anyone?

Sermon: “What does the Bible Say about Money?”
First Presbyterian Church(USA) — Tolono, IL
June 10, 2012 – 10th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

Various texts. . .

Here’s a little humor from Readers’ Digest.com:

No one likes coughing up rent. But at least these tenants gave landlords creative reasons for avoiding it.

"With my daughter’s graduation, our new boat, and our trip to Europe this year, we’re a little strapped."

"I’m getting real tired of paying this rent every month! You’ll have to wait a few more days."

"I didn’t pay the rent because I’m saving up to move."

"It’s your fault the check bounced. Why didn’t you tell me you were going to run to the bank the very same day!"

Our series of the “sermons on what the Bible says” moves on today to another topic full of fun and frivolity: money. Money is a part of our everyday lives. It’s a very important tool that we human beings have developed to make life easier. If you have something that I want, I can give you money instead of 87 sheep or instead of clubbing you on the head and stealing it from you. So in that respect, money is good thing. But, on the other hand, of course, we often misuse money and can end up in seriously difficult situations because we do. Wars have been fought over money, marriages have crashed and burned because of money, friendships ruined, and lives wrecked because of money. You know how the bible puts it: “The love of money is the root of all evil.”

I think it’s pretty safe to say that the bible has the same complex, situational-based understanding of money as we do today. But let’s take a look just to be sure. . .

The first references to money can be found in association with slavery. Father Abraham had many sons, but he also had many slaves, some of which he had bought with his own money. By the way, slavery is another one of those morally ambiguous issues in the bible: bad if you’re the slave but not so bad if you’re the slave owner. And you’d think we human beings would have learned over 4000 years, but human trafficking in slavery, especially sex slavery, continues to be a multi-billion dollar industry throughout the world and nowhere is it a bigger business than here in the good old USA. I don’t think it is any longer a morally ambiguous issue, but it continues because many people benefit financially from the revenues trafficking generates.

Abraham and Sarah are a good couple for us to begin our exploration, actually. They are the ones who receive God’s promise of many children and a new land if they will pack up and leave their home in Mesopotamia. But they are also very wealthy. Genesis goes into great detail about how many head of cattle and sheep and goats and camels they have. And they just get richer as times goes on. And so we see this important biblical theme: a sure sign of God’s favor is wealth and prosperity. It’s a very primitive religious way of thinking: if you do well in God’s eyes, then God will bless you. And how do we know that God blesses us: with children, with land, with livestock, with power, and with money.

This is true of Abraham and Sarah, it’s true of King David and King Solomon, and it’s true of Job. Remember the story of Job? It focuses on this notion that God blesses the righteous and punishes the unrighteous. One day Satan walks up to God in Heaven. (This is when Satan is more of an employee of God’s and less of an enemy.) And God says, “Where have you been?” And Satan says that he’s been walking to and fro on the earth and hasn’t found a single righteous person on it. Not one.

“Wait a minute,” says God. “What about Job? I know he’s a good guy. He follows my laws, he prays regularly, and he leaves generous tips.” Satan snorts, “He doesn’t count! You’ve given him so much wealth and livestock and so many children that he only loves You because of his wealth. Take away all his possessions and he’ll be like all the rest- an ungrateful sinner.” God says, “Let’s put this theory of yours to the test.”

So then the unthinkable happens. In the span of just a few verses, Job loses everything: his children, his animals, his property, and even his health. Job is reduced to sitting in an ash heap scraping pussy sores all over his body with shards of pottery. Not a pretty picture.

Now people often talk about the patience of Job, but really isn’t very long before Job is demanding that God answer for this horrific change of fate. Eventually God does talk to Job- out of a whirlwind- and says, “Guess what, Bucko? I’m God and you’re not. And I will do whatever I please. Live with it.” And then- and this is the interesting part for our purposes this morning- God gives Job back even more than he had before: more children, livestock, etc.

The book of Job takes the notion that wealth is a blessing from righteous obedience to God and sets it on its ear. Perhaps there really is serendipity at foot in the universe. Perhaps just random acts of fortune and misfortune simply occur in these lives of ours. Or, in other words, stuff happens. Whether we’re good or bad or a healthy mixture of both.

One of things that happen a lot in human living is that we become too concerned with money and all the things it can buy. Take King Saul. Please. King Saul lost favor with God when he and his warriors kept some of the booty from a raid that God specifically told him to destroy. Like King Midas from the old legend, Saul loses his kingdom from his greed- unwilling to keep obedience to God as a higher priority than accumulating wealth.

And so now we have really come upon one of the most foundational principles of what the bible says about money: There is nothing wrong with money until there is.

Do you remember the numero uno commandment from the 10 great commandments, the one at the very top of the list? “You shall have no other gods before me.” And that, my friends, includes money. I can’t speak for all of you, but I know that I have been guilty more than once of place my money concerns as the primary focus of my life. Especially when I didn’t have what I perceived to be “enough”. I can’t tell you how much wrestling I have done with Jesus’ lesson about not worrying about tomorrow, because God will provide. “Look at the birds of the air and flowers of the field. God provides for them in abundance,” says Jesus. And all the while I’m thinking, “Yeah, but the birds of the air and flowers of field don’t have mortgage payments and utility bills like I do.”

But Jesus, especially, is pretty consistent in his teaching when it comes to money. He keeps reminding us that there simply are more important things than money and we forget that at our own peril. What does Jesus say that we’re supposed to do when someone asks for your coat? Give them your cloak as well. Who does Jesus get so upset with in the Temple in Jerusalem? The money changers. They are making a house of prayer into a den of thieves. What did Judas Iscariot betray Jesus for? Thirty pieces of silver. And on it goes. Money is important in the bible, but when it becomes more important to us than God or our neighbor, then we have crossed a line and that line is what we in the religion business call “sin”.

Can you hear the words of First Timothy echoing through the halls of human history and your own life? “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.”

One of the reasons that we’re so hesitant to talk about money in the church is that touches on all kinds of insecurities that we have. We are insecure that we won’t have enough money to meet our needs, and we’re insecure that other folks- like the preacher- will call us lacking in faith or (even worse) greedy if we make money an important matter.

And, then, of course, someone- most likely the preacher again- is going to bring up the “t” word. Tithing. Never has there been a word that plays at our sense of guilt like “tithing”. (Well, okay, I can think of a few other words, but you get my point.) The bible introduces the practice of tithing in the legal books like Deuteronomy and Numbers. And yes, basically, it boils down to giving to the Lord one-tenth of all your wealth on a yearly basis. And yes, the Church throughout the ages has recommended, cajoled, insisted, urged, plead with, and sermonized at its members to honor a yearly tithe to God through… wait for it… the Church. And you’re not going to hear any different from me. I think it’s a swell idea. But I also know that statistics show that the average Presbyterian gives about 3.5% of yearly income to the church in gifts and offerings. And Presbyterians give at a higher rate than any other American denomination. So my advice to you today: if you’re meeting that average, awesome, but keep working towards the tithe. If you’re not yet at that average, now you know where to set your giving goals. But, and this is very important, you do not have to give any money to the church to be a full and valued member of the church. It is still much more important that you give little things like your heart and your life and your future to Jesus Christ first. The money stuff will then follow.

When it comes to the Bible and money, the old saying is true: the main thing is to keep the main thing as the main thing. And the main thing is to love the Lord our God with all our hearts and strength and mind- and to love our neighbors as ourselves. Everything is simply less of a priority. . .

Money is important in our lives, it’s true, but no matter how important we make it, we cannot buy ourselves a Stairway to Heaven. Not even on sale. Not even on credit.

Let’s see now if you have any questions. . .

Amen.

Sermon: “What does the Bible say about the Holy Spirit?”
First Presbyterian Church(USA) — Tolono, IL
May 27, 2012 – Pentecost Sunday (Year B)

Various Texts including Acts 2

Believe it or not, it was Catherine the Great who once said, “A great wind is blowing, and that gives you either imagination or a headache.” I’m not really quite sure what that means, but it’s a nice way to start this, the third sermon in our series What Does the Bible Say About. . .? This morning, we’re going to explore what the Bible says about the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God. And since both the Old Testament Hebrew word and the New Testament Greek word for Spirit also can be translated as “wind”, it turns out that Catherine’s quote is just as great as she was.

And, it turns out, that like the wind in Central Illinois, the Spirit of God can be unpredictable, absolutely essential, and at times more than just a little wild. Let’s start at the very beginning, which, as we know, is a very good place to start.

Genesis 1 starts off by telling us that God created the heavens and the earth. But before that happens everything is pretty much a dark, watery chaos. And Someone is brooding over that watery chaos. Guess who? That’s right: the Spirit of God. Now our pew bible interprets that same verse as saying a wind from God was blowing over the water. Which one is right, you ask? The answer is “Yes!” Both are totally legitimate ways of translating the Hebrew into English. The Hebrew word is “ruach” and it does mean both Spirit and wind. Call me crazy, but I somehow don’t think that’s accidental. Another cool thing to note about “ruach”: many classical languages designate whether words are masculine or feminine. Ruach is a feminine word. And I may return to that later. . .

Have you ever had to clean up a room that’s really trashed? Remember how much energy that took? Well, try cleaning up an entire universe sometime. That’s what the Spirit of God was up to. Bringing order out of disorder. So the first thing we can surmise about a biblical understand of the Holy Spirit is that the Spirit is powerful because it takes a lot power to set billions of stars on their courses and put all that dark matter wherever it is. (Whatever it is.)

When we try to wrap our brain around who God is and what God is, I think it’s pretty natural that we start with ourselves. I think a lot of people sort of picture God like Michelangelo portrayed him on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel: an older white guy who’s really buff. As kind and friendly as your grandpa taking you fishing and still strong enough to kick an entire galaxy’s butt if a galaxy would ever need a butt-kicking. . .

But the bible refers to God in all sorts of ways. And the Spirit of God is one of the most frequent references to God, especially in the Old Testament. So as much as we might be tempted to think of God in super-human terms (I mean after all, Jesus calls God “Father” all the time, doesn’t he?), we also need to keep in mind the image, the idea of God being like the wind. Like the wind, we can’t really see God. But we can see the result of God at work. It is the wind that moves the great clipper ship on the ocean or drives the hurricane or even gently rustles in the leaves on a early summer evening. Likewise the bible talks about God speaking in the great whirlwind in Job and in the gentle breeze to Elijah… God is a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire at night. God is in the flame of the burning bush that tells Moses “I am who I am” or “I will be who I will be.” In the New Testament we are most familiar with the Spirit of God appearing like a dove at Jesus’ baptism and as tongues of flame during Pentecost. So, it’s pretty safe to assume that God can be who God will be. The Spirit of God can take the shape it needs to take to fit the situation, even though such amazing demonstrations of the Spirit’s presence seem to be fairly rare.

When the Spirit acts with power and direction in people’s lives we usually refer to that as inspiration. And we almost always think of that as a positive thing. But like the wind, the Spirit is not always predictable. There is fascinating story in I Samuel when God and King Saul are sort of at odds with one another because Saul disobeyed God’s commands about which spoils of war should be saved and which should be destroyed. The long and short of it is that Saul comes looking for God’s newly chosen King, David, in order to kill him and when Saul arrives- God’s spirit comes upon him and pretty much possesses him and drives him crazy for a while. There is Saul, the King of Israel, naked and rolling around in the road, babbling and foaming at the mouth. It’s not a pretty picture.

At other times, though, when the Spirit of God goes into action, amazing- even miraculous things happen in the bible. Samson, for instance, regains his strength and is able to pull down an entire building. Warriors win great battles. Dry bones are brought back together and come to life. Prophets prophecy. Healers heal. Disciples speak in languages they do not know. The Spirit of God guides the faithful and protects the endangered. The Spirit of God is how we understand God to be in all places at all times.

In the years during the popularity of the Stars Wars movies, a lot debate centered around George Lucas’ idea of The Force. The Force, for those who remember is a life force that binds all living creatures together. By those properly trained, the Force can be manipulated to suspend the usual laws of nature: items can be levitated and pushed around. Remember little Yoda using the Force to lift Luke’s x-wing space craft out of the swamps of Dagoba? (“When 800 years old are you, not so good will you look!”) Or you can sort of telepathically communicate over great distances with others who are properly trained. What concerned some Christian folk about the Force was that it was essentially morally neutral. The Force could be used for great good or terrible evil. The Force has a light side and a dark side. Do we really want to think about God having a light side and a dark side? Probably not, but that quality of the Force being everywhere and binding all living things together is definitely drawn from a biblical understanding of who the Spirit is and what the Spirit does . . .

There is no doubt that the Spirit of God is most mysterious aspect of God for us. In our usual Affirmation of Faith, the Apostles’ Creed, we define God the Father clearly as the Creator of all things and therefore we can gain a good understanding of the Creator by the Creation that he has made. . .

And for Jesus, we affirm many things about who he is and what he has done, for an entire paragraph. As for the Holy Spirit, it’s “I believe in the Holy Spirit.” That’s it. No description of what the Spirit does, how the Spirit affects our lives, nothing. I think the fact of the matter is, the Spirit of God kind of worries us. You never know what She might be up to next. (And yes, I said “She” and yes that’s biblical, and yes, I recognize that not everybody is comfortable referring to God like that. And yes, we’ll come back and talk all about that in another sermon someday. . .)

The Holy Spirit worries us because our friends who primarily relate to God through the Holy Spirit do some strange and wonderful things. Strange and wonderful things like speaking in tongues and interpreting tongues. Strange and wonderful things like laying on of hands for healings and even handling snakes. I once attended a Four Square Gospel Church, which was very Pentecostal- when I was in college. It didn’t take long before I knew how Dorothy felt. I definitely wasn’t in Kansas anymore. Between the charismatic preaching and several people loudly speaking in tongues, I wasn’t sure that I wasn’t having an out of body experience. Strange and wonderful.

Acts 2 tells us about one of the most wonderful things that the Holy Spirit does: it powerfully falls upon the disciples as they are hiding in Jerusalem. Suddenly they are inspired to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ in the Temple- speaking in a dozen different lanaguages- which they did not themselves know. And the preaching is so compelling that suddenly 5000 devout Jews have become new disciples themselves. And so the church- our church- was born. This community of faith, gathered together to worship God, here on this warm summer morning, all began with the strange, wonderful, unpredictable, and unstoppable work of the God through the Holy Spirit. We began with a bang not a whimper. (A big bang, actually. But that’s another sermon as well.)

Here’s the point: if you really want to be a more spiritual person and you want our church to be a more spiritual church, there is one very simple thing you can do: genuinely pray Jesus’ prayer: God, your will be done. Pray it over and over. And untie your boat from its moorings and let the wind blow you wherever it wills. . .

I guarantee you one thing: it will be a wild ride. So hold tight - and may the Force be you.

Amen.

Sermon: “Bath Time!”
First Presbyterian Church(USA) — Tolono, IL
January 8, 2012 – Baptism of the Lord Sunday (B)

Text: Mark 1:4-11

(So) John appeared in the desert, baptizing and preaching. "Turn away from your sins and be baptized" he told the people, "and God will forgive your sins." Many people from the province of Judea and the city of Jerusalem went out to hear John. They confessed their sins, and he baptized them in the Jordan River.

John wore clothes made of camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. He announced to the people, "The man who will come after me is much greater than I am. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

Not long afterward Jesus came from Nazareth in the province of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. As soon as Jesus came up out of the water, he saw heaven opening and the Spirit coming down on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, "You are my own dear Son. I am pleased with you." (TEV)

I know you may find this hard to believe, but I can, on some rare occasions, be a little absent-minded- or as I prefer to call it: "creatively pre-occupied". I've been known to look up the same phone number three or four times in the space of about two minutes because I keep forgetting it. Of course, I've also been known to pick up the phone book and carry it with me to the car and drop it off in there while I'm searching for the flashlight I misplaced the night before while I was looking for my house keys. So it's not too unusual for me to discover that I've locked myself out with only a phone book I can't read because it's too dark. Yes, we do have spare house key hidden somewhere, but I can't remember. . . Well, you get the picture.

Anyway, you may be thinking that I've again been struck with my absent-minded malady because I just last week I was preaching about Jesus as a baby, and here I am about to launch into the beginning of his ministry. What about the boy Jesus playing baseball or trading Pokemon cards? What happened on the might of Jesus’ prom or when he first learned to drive the family donkey? What college did Jesus go to? When he went to work in the family carpentry business, did he know his dado cutters from his rounded router bits? Maybe you’ve think I’ve gone and forgotten about 28 or so years of Jesus’ life. And I understand your concern.

But, at least this one remarkable time, it’s not my fault nor my absent-mindedness. It is the Bible itself that jumps from Jesus’ childhood to his early 30’s, with, as we shall see, one brief exception. What happened during all those years in between? We don’t know. Your guess is as good as anyone’s. Although I do have trouble imagining Jesus sitting around the house watching “Jersey Shore”.

Instead, ...let’s concentrate on what we do know, and pick up story where we left it....

The baby Jesus was taken by his parents to the Temple in Jerusalem and dedicated to Lord as the first born male. While at the Temple, the old, wise Simeon and Anna see the child and begin to praise God that the long-promised Messiah has finally come. They predict that Jesus will do many great things in his lifetime, but they also see trouble and suffering. Remember that Simeon tells Mary, "a sword shall pierce your own heart, too "Matthew's gospel tells us that the Holy family then headed south to Egypt while King Herod searched for the child to kill him. It was only after Herod's death that Joseph, Mary, and Jesus go back to their home in the hill country of Galilee. The Bible then tells us of only one more event during Jesus' youth and early adulthood: the time when Jesus returns to Jerusalem when he is twelve, worrying his parents sick when they can't find him and calling the Temple "my Father's house". That's it.

The next scene is the one which unfolds before our eyes today, and it's the one that both John and Mark use to begin their stories of Christ's life. John the Baptist appears in the wilderness just to the east of Jerusalem near the Jordan River. He preaches to the people: "Repent! The Messiah is coming soon!" And there is something so authentic, so real about John that the people respond to him like he's the Pope and Tim Tebow and Justin Beiber all rolled into one. And John says to the people: "Watch! There is One coming who is so great that I'm not even worthy to untie his shoes! When he comes, he will do God's work: baptizing with the Holy Spirit to purify you." And many of the people believed John, and they were baptized in the river as a sign of turning away from their sins.

Now perhaps you have always pictured this scene taking place in the woods next to a clean mountain river in the Pacific Northwest. Well, forget it. The area around the Jordan really is a wilderness. There are lots and lots of rocks and dust and not much plant life to speak of. And the Jordan itself is muddy and narrow. You can throw a rock across it in the place that John most likely baptized. The point is, that there was nothing glamorous about the baptism that John was calling the people to.

Instead it was a stark, honest public confession of your sinfulness. It was your commitment to repent of those sins. You were now getting ready for something life-changing and something holy. You knelt down on your knees in the water and John grabbed you by the shoulder and pushed your head under the water. For a few moments you were "buried" in the dark cool water, experiencing a sort of mini-death, cut off from the light and air. Then John pulled you up, up upon your feet, and the water came running off you, down out your hair and across your face and neck and body. And you found yourself as new person, ready for what God was about to do.

Jesus, of course, heard what John was doing. And so he came, also to be baptized. He came not to be cleansed from sin, but to get ready for what was next. Jesus' baptism was a part of his preparation for his ministry- a long, demanding three years of ministry which would end in his death and resurrection.

Jesus is baptized to prepare for the rest of his life, and his death, and his life again. As he comes up out of the water, the Holy Spirit descends upon him and he sees heaven open up and all who are there hear a voice from heaven which says, “You are my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased." This is why we call this season "Epiphany". God makes visible who Jesus really is: the Son of God. And then God the Father gives God the Son a powerful affirmation that he is doing the right thing, the thing to which he is called.

Baptism is like that for us as well. It is a powerful way of saying to a new Christian that by joining the body of Christ you are doing the right thing. You are called to be a part of the Church. You are called to join us in Christ's ministry and in the promise of salvation and everlasting life. We are one in the Spirit, and one in the Lord.

The Presbyterian Book of Order spends four pages in the worship section alone discussing what baptism is and what it means to us. I would recommend this section to you for your own reading and learning. But right now, I just want to share with you two paragraphs from the Book of Order, because they remind us of what an amazing thing we believe baptism to be:

In Baptism, the Holy Spirit binds the Church in covenant to God. The water of Baptism symbolizes the waters of Creation, of the Flood, and of the Exodus from Egypt. Thus, the water of Baptism links us to the goodness of God's creation and to the grace of God's covenants with Noah and Israel... In his ministry, Jesus offered the gift of living water. So Baptism is the sign and seal of God's grace and covenant in Christ...

As an identifying mark, Baptism signifies:

• the faithfulness of God
• the washing away of sin
• rebirth
• putting on the fresh garment of Christ
• being sealed into the covenant family of the Church
• and resurrection and illumination in Christ.

Now that's a lot to take in and think about, I know. And you even be wondering why I'm going on and on about Baptism anyway. It's a fair question, and my answer is this: That if we don't take the time to really explore and learn about what we do in our worship- and in our life as the church- then those things like baptism and communion and the church calendar and the ordination of church officers are really robbed of their fullest and deepest meanings. Almost all of us here in this church building have been baptized. Well so what? Will that somehow affect the outcome of today's football games? No. Will it help you earn more money or get you a better looking date for the prom? No. Will being baptized give you a free admission to heaven, like a press pass or season ticket? No.

What Baptism means for you and me is that we are bound together with God, and with Christ, and with each other. When we are baptized, we as a whole church celebrate God's power to cleanse us of the sin which separated us from God.

Baptism is a spiritual, powerful way of saying that God loves us and has made us good. And in these days of bad self-image and poor self-esteem, we can use all the positive uplifting affirmations that we can get. We are good. We are made in God's image, and even though we have a tendency to sin and separate ourselves from God, baptism reminds us that God takes away those sins like industrial strength Mr. Bubble. Baptism celebrates that we are always a part of the body of Christ. We belong here and we are loved.

Baptism is not simply a mysterious rite of passage that includes some fancy words and the preacher dumping water on somebody's head. If we take the time and energy to think about it, Baptism can be for us what it was for Jesus: a spiritual preparation for a life of joyously serving God. It's life-changing thing, a celebration of community thing and self-affirming thing. Simply put, like Martha Stewart says, "It's a good thing."

Now, I'm sure that I wrote another four or five pages to this sermon, but I've forgotten where I put them. However, I did find my keys! Amen

Sermon: "Have You Had Your Vision Checked Lately"
First Presbyterian Church(USA) — Tolono, IL
April 3, 2011 – 4th Sunday in Lent

Text: John 9:1-41

Wasn’t it David Bowie who sang about turning and facing the strange ch-changes? Yes, I believe it was. One of the strange changes that many of us have to face as we age is that our vision loses a little of its clarity. Maybe you could read without the aid of bifocals or contacts just fine on your 40th birthday, but by your 50th suddenly your life has become one long search for those blasted reading glasses-and a cloth to clean them off with.

All of us need to have our vision checked periodically. Folks with glasses will tell you that their prescription needs to be adjusted every couple of years. It’s the same way with our faith. At least Jesus thought so. And it’s rarely a good idea to argue with him. Our faith grows and goes through changes as we mature and age. The further we go on our life journeys, we discover that certain things come into clearer focus.

Now that’s not to say that there aren’t times when our faith can get blurrier. There are. Sometimes we might even worry that we’re losing our faith all together. So periodically, we need to make adjustments to our faith. This is one way that our eyesight and our faith are like.

Here’s another. When our vision first starts getting blurry, we start wondering what we are doing wrong. Or even better yet, what are other people doing that sabotages our ability to see clearly? The easier the explanation and the quicker the fix, the better. Take those silly people who print the newspaper. Why do they keep making the newsprint smaller and smaller? Or, who went around the house and changed all the bulbs to a lower wattage? All this dim light is hard on my eyes!

Sometimes we get lucky and are able to find an actual simple explanation to our vision problems. My wife (Cindy) used to be a synchronized swimmer and she practiced several hours a day with swim goggles over her eyes. She started having headaches and the eye doctor told me that not only did she need glasses, she needed two different pairs to correct the type of astigmatism she had. Well, when she stopped swimming, she didn’t need the glasses anymore. All the suction from the goggles had misshapen her eyes- and when she stopped wearing them her eyes returned to their normal shape and to their 20-20 vision.

Again, vision and faith are alike in this way, too. Sometimes we place things over our eyes of faith that can distort our vision. We have so many things that suck the life out of us- that create extra pressure on us- just like my old goggles did. As a result our faith can become a little blurry. When we tell ourselves that we’re too tired to make it to worship, for instance. Or when we’re afraid that others might think we’re hypocrites. Or caving into peer pressure because being a faithful Christian is unpopular or uncool.

Those sorts of blurriness issues don’t much to fix. Just a little prayer and determination. But sometimes faith issues need more than a quick fix, just like total blindness is a very serious condition. The day that tragedy comes knocking on your door-or the door of someone you know and love- then it is difficult to stay focused on your faith in God and Christ. You can’t imagine that there is any way to make everything seem right again. And you start to ask why.

Suffering, tragedies-like the earthquake and tsunami in Japan- seem like the greatest challenges to our faith and can make us blind to God. This question of why do bad things happen to good people and what is God’s role in all of it is as old as belief in God in the first place.

In the Old Testament, the Hebrew people asked the question. And this was the answer that they heard. It comes back from the 2^nd commandment. God “visits the iniquities of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation.” This is a most disheartening answer, for it means that misfortune and suffering come from God as punishment for sin. This explanation was to the Israelites and to their descendents the Jews for generations.

Even Jesus was taught this. But Jesus made an adjustment to that answer. He put a new set of lenses on the eye of faith.

As John tells us, Jesus and his disciples were on the road to Jerusalem. Along the way they see a man who was blind from birth. The disciples, who remembered their Old Testament lessons from synagogue school, ask him: “Who sinned, this man or his parents?” Jesus answers, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned.”

This is the point where many of us still get hung up today. We don’t hear Jesus’ reply. It seems to be natural that when something goes wrong-like when a baby has cancer or a village gets wiped off the map and into the sea- that we stop, look at God, and ask why. “Who are you trying to punish, God, and why?” And, “Are you really being fair?” “Why, God did you cause this happen- or even let it happen?”

And at this point is where you will often see a real struggle with faith and often you will see people leave the church. They look to God as the cause of a tradgedy-or an accomplice-and say no thanks.

They never see Jesus reaching out for them saying, “No, God didn’t do this because you were bad.” They never see Jesus guiding them to take the next step in their journey. God didn’t do this to punish anybody. And no, it doesn’t seem fair. But watch. Even in the midst of tragedy, of a man being blind since birth, God can and will be working for good.

In the case of the blind man, Jesus is ready to prove his point and work God’s good immediately. What a gift. All Jesus has to do is lay his hands on the guy and say some potent words and he’ll be healed, right? Nope. Jesus makes the guy take action.

This might not seem like a big deal, but I think it is. What a moment of decision it is for him. Jesus has put mud on his eyes and now he’s supposed to find his way down to Siloam and wash them off- and then his whole life will possibly change. Wow. Would you do it? A lot of folks wouldn’t.

Imagine the internal questions. What if someone was trying to get a good laugh at his expense? What if it was a trap? And-if it worked-what would his life be like from now on? What would seeing be like?

Obviously, for the man born blind, everything will change. Not only his sight but his faith as well. And then what?

We sometimes have life-changing opportunities, too. Do we embraced them-or run from them? For some folks, such important moments don’t come until they’re older and they have to think about giving up the farm and moving. For other folks it comes wrapped in a career opportunity. For others, it arrives at the time of leaving high school- to college or not to college? For others, it comes in a marriage proposal.

Sometimes we take the leap and sometimes we don’t. Sometimes the change is for the best and sometimes it isn’t. Sometimes we don’t wash in the pool of Siloam because we’re afraid of all the changes.

Well, we know what this guy chose. He went and washed. And his life was changed. He could see and nothing as the same. We also know that he was hauled by the Pharisees for an interrogation and that was very difficult. And we know that his faith changed. He now knew who Jesus was- that he was the Messiah. It was amazing and it was good. God was working powerfully in this man’s life.

Jesus couldn’t prove his point any more clearly, could he? But still some folks didn’t believe it. It is easier to stay with the familiar dismal way of looking at the world. The Pharisees especially didn’t like the whole situation. Jesus hands them a new pair of glasses so they can see God more clearly and they continually say no thanks. Frustrated, he finally leaves them to their blindness-and tells them so.

As you know, in the church this is the season of Lent. We are all on the road to Jerusalem-to the cross- and to resurrection. It is the time when we are getting ready to celebrate the mystery of Easter- the mystery that Jesus died and is still with us. Lent is a time of preparation and reflection.

So let’s reflect, shall we? Are there times that we’re like the Pharisees? Well, no doubt that there are. Sometimes when changes happen in ways we don’t like, we refuse to believe that anything good can come of it. And we may even cynically laugh at the notion that God is work in the midst of it. The challenge for us, as maturing Christians, is to look at the situation again-from a different perspective- with a different set of glasses.

How is Christ intruding into our lives, prodding us to action own our own behalves? By asking that question-and by being willing to see some surprising answers-then we may find ourselves in the middle of a big ol’, faith adjustment.

God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are always busy, leading us, calling us on our faith journeys. And if you feel that they haven’t been active in your life lately-don’t worry. You can make adjustments. Some may be quick and easy. Some may not. But you can start with prayer, and bible reading, and participating in the life of this congregation. And if you’ve been doing that-good for you. Try making a different adjustment.

So, how is your faith-have you had your vision checked lately? Amen.

Sermon: "Daniel in the Lions’ Den"
First Presbyterian Church(USA) — Tolono, IL
November 7, 2010

Text: Daniel 6

Wasn’t it David Bowie who sang about turning and facing the strange ch-changes? Yes, I believe it was. One of the strange changes that many of us have to face as we age is that our vision loses a little of its clarity. Maybe you could read without the aid of bifocals or contacts just fine on your 40th birthday, but by your 50th suddenly your life has become one long search for those blasted reading glasses-and a cloth to clean them off with.

I don’t how many of you remember MAD magazine. And I don’t know if they still even publish MAD magazine. But if you do remember it, you’ll recall how much silliness and satire each issue contained. Think of it as a print version of Saturday Night Live with a few cartoons thrown in.

Anyway, in one issue MAD magazine parodied the headlines on the sports’ page by using stories from the bible as potential subjects. So one headline read: “David defeats Goliath in Giant Upset”. You get the idea. One of the most memorable headlines read: “God Ranked No. 1 in Final AP Poll”.

And that’s the point. One of the great lessons that the bible teaches us over and over again is that God’s will is always-ultimately- done. Not that we always make easy for God. What is the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden if not a reminder that God created the world to be a beautiful place with a few simple ground rules but we human beings decided that we knew better. And so we disobeyed and so God has to go to a plan B.

Later in the Old Testament when Job demands that God account for all the calamities that have befallen Job and his family, what does God do? God speaks out of a whirlwind and essentially says, “Who do you think you are to contend with me? Did you set the foundations of the earth or set the stars in their orbits? I don’t think so. Don’t get uppity with me, little man.” Job apologizes. God stays No. 1 in the polls.

The story of Daniel in the lions’ den is another example of God’s law bumping up against human law. And in the end God’s law triumphs. But the conflict is a costly one and the lesson learned from Chapter 6 should not be given short shrift.

As the passage tells us, Daniel is an important figure in the government of King Darius of Babylon. This is during one of the times that many of people of Israel and Judah are in exile from their homeland. They are, in fact, captives in Babylon. How remarkable it is then that Daniel, who is a Jew, should have ascended to such a high rank in the government!

Of course, on the other hand, all we have to do is remember the story of how the Hebrew slave and prisoner Joseph became the prime minister of Egypt. Joseph, like Daniel, was an interpreter of dreams. Both stories make it clear that God is the source of the men’s interpretative gifts. And in both accounts, after telling the king what his puzzling dreams mean, Joseph and Daniel are granted places of great power and authority. The stories diverge, however, in this way: Joseph apparently is unopposed in his meteoric rise to prominence, but Daniel is not. Joseph is seen as the savior of Egypt; Daniel as a great threat to the other members of King Darius’ court.

And so the other Babylonian officials- the “presidents” and “satraps”- devise a simple plan to fool the king and ensnare Daniel so that Daniel will never again threaten their quest for influence at court. They simply tell King Darius that he should proclaim a month-long, empire-wide moratorium on prayer to anyone or anything except him. The penalty will be severe: offenders will be thrown into a den of ravenous lions. Now, if Darius had been here last week to hear our sermon about King Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel, Chapter Three, he would have seen just how foolish a decision he was making. But sometimes in the Bible kings and pharaohs have about as much common sense as a fence post, and so it goes in this case, too.

The king signs the new law-a law that by law cannot be broken or changed. And before the ink is dry on the parchment, the jealous Babylonian officials have caught Daniel in the now illegal act of praying to his God. They haul him before King Darius-who instantly realizes what a knucklehead choice he has made- but the King’s hands are tied. The best that Darius can do is wish that the God that Daniel worships will intervene on his behalf. (Actually, it’s interesting to note that one ancient version of Daniel has Darius saying, “Your God will save you from the lion’s den.”)

But as I said, this is a story about God’s law-that those who follow God must honor no other god and that God is worthy of our prayers and thanksgiving- versus the human law of honoring the king above all. Daniel has been true to the higher law, to God’s law, and has also stayed true to his identity as a Jew, one of God’s chosen people.

If this is sounding very familiar to last Sunday’s passage about Shadrach, Meshach, and Adenego, it is. They were also Jews in exile in Babylon. They, too, were given the choice of worshiping the king- or at least a giant statue of him-or staying faithful to the Lord. They chose the Lord- and ended up in the fiery furnace- and they survived. Would Daniel fare as well? In a word, yes. Daniel is thrown into the lion’s den and a stone is rolled shut to seal his fate. But God has not forgotten Daniel and God is going to find a way to prevail.

The next morning after a sleepless night for the king, the stone is rolled away from the den. Darius cries out anxiously, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God whom you faithfully serve been able to deliver you from the lions?”

Daniel answers in the affirmative. He says that the Lord has sent an angel to stay shut the mouths of the lions and says it is because he has been blameless: blameless before the Lord and blameless before the king, too. And Darius orders Daniel to lifted out of the den and replaces him with the Babylonian officials and their families. Suddenly, it turns out, that the lions are hungry for breakfast and they devour the Babylonians instantly.

(Here’s a little sideline: when we teach this passage to children, we often skip the part about the families of the officials also being put to death. In fact when the good folks at Veggietales tell the story, the officials run away saying, “I hear they’re looking for wise men in Egypt!” This is nothing new, in first Greek version of the Old Testament- the Septuagint- only the two other presidents are killed.)

(I said it before but it bears repeating that there are number of places in the bible where foreigners–often foreign kings-learn from their foolishness and come to understand the greatness and authority of the true God. Darius is no exception and in a proclamation to the people of his empire he sends these words: I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion people should tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: For he is the living God, enduring forever. His kingdom shall never be destroyed, and his dominion has no end. He delivers and rescues, he works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth; for he has saved Daniel from the power of the lions.

God prevails. But it seems that we humans keep forgetting that lesson and must be re-taught over and over again. Take the people of Israel in Jesus’ time. They were waiting for the Messiah to come. And they were sure they had it all figured out. The Messiah would come, overthrow the oppressive Roman Empire by force and restore the kingdom of their great king- King David. But, that wasn’t God’s plan. God sent the Messiah all right, but this Messiah came with a different set of priorities. When this Messiah overthrew an oppressor, it was sin and it was death. When this Messiah restored a kingdom, it was the kingdom of God- a kingdom in which poor and the hungry and the marginalized of the world would be remembered and fed and honored. Because that is God’s will, and God’s will will be done.

Today it often seems like we all have landed splat into the lions’ den. For instance, we human beings are more practiced and proficient at the art of war than ever before. The great divide between the haves and the have-nots grows ever wider. We are so radically changing the climate and natural habitats of the world that plant and animal species are becoming extinct at a rate at least ten times faster than during pre-industrial era times. None of these situations, I believe, are in accordance with God’s will.

But, unlike Daniel, we don’t need God to send an angel to save us from such afflictions. We are only trapped by our unwillingness to go against the cultural tide of disposable consumerism and fear-mongering. For us, the lions of our own making-and we can spring forth from the den should we choose. Not unscathed. It’s too late for that. But, followers of Christ, we have the power to be free and to live in the Kingdom that Jesus helped established all those years ago. It just takes a Daniel-like faithfulness and Jesus-like zeal to do God’s will.

Because despite the despair and the immensity and the complexity of the problems we face today, I still believe that God will be ranked No. 1 in the final AP poll. Amen.

Sermon: "Woes and Blessings and the Kingdom of God"
First Presbyterian Church(USA) — Tolono, IL
October 31, 2010

Text: Luke 6:20-31

Let me share a secret with you. Sometimes writing a sermon really isn’t all that difficult. Call it being in the zone or being inspired, but sometimes the words come easily and it’s almost a challenge for your fingers to keep up as you type. Why? Well, sometimes it’s because the scripture passage is an easy one to open up and explore. Sometimes it’s because it’s a passage that is so familiar that it’s like having a conversation with an old friend. And sometimes… well, sometimes it just is. . .

This passage is not one of those passages and this sermon is not one of those sermons. A commentator I looked up on this text calls it “powerful and simply profound.” She might have said unpacking the meaning from this passage feels something like dismantling a bomb in a briefcase.

All of this points to the fact that this is a hard passage for us to hear as well as to preach. Jesus is teaching his disciples, and as he is often wont to do, he turns the tables on our conventional way of thinking. He forces us to look at our lives and our faith in truly uncomfortable and unsettling ways. Instead of seriously engaging with Jesus this morning, it would be so much easier to check our watches and say, “My, look at the time. Those bowls of candy aren’t going to fill themselves. . .”

But it’s too late to turn back now. On we go. . .As the passage begins, Jesus is teaching his disciples. And he starts with a balance of four statements of “blessings” followed by four statements of “woes”. And as we first hear them we may be wondering Jesus has gotten his note cards switched. Can he seriously mean that it’s a blessing to be poor and hungry and to weep and to be hated-even for the sake of following Jesus? And should we really be woeful if we’re rich, and our stomachs are full, and if we’re laughing, and if people speak well of us? How can this be? Jesus’ teaching seems to fly in the face of pretty much everything we learn growing up: about working to attain our financial security and our right to the “pursuit of happiness”. As Mickey Mouse’s friend Goofy likes to say, “Somethin’s wrong here.”

About now it would be nice if we could find a way off the hook: to find some way to reconcile Jesus’ challenging blessings and woes with our ongoing quest to realize the American Dream. But, alas, I’m afraid that we shall stay on the hook just as uncomfortably as ever.

But it is important for us to remember when and where Jesus first said these words, because they give us a fuller understanding of his meaning. Like I said, Jesus has gathered his disciples around him and is teaching them about what to expect as they seek to follow him during his ministry. Jesus is trying to give them the ungarnished truth about what they were getting themselves into.

Luke also says that there was also a crowd gathered to hear these teachings. In that case, Jesus’ words seem to take on a broader meaning and apply to the people’s lives and their relationships with God. And I’ll bet that Jesus’ list of woes and blessings seemed just as surprising to the people of first century Galilee as they do to us. What could he possibly mean?

Now let us remember that Jesus always said that his mission was to bring good news to the poor and declare that kingdom of God is at hand. And if you are poor-what better news could there be than that the terrible, grinding sufferings of poverty and hunger were only temporary. And even better, that the time was coming when all their needs would be met and they would be full and they would laugh for joy! For those who would dare to believe what Jesus was saying, the message was loud and clear: “Rejoice! You have found favor with God! All, in its due time, shall be well for you.”

But here’s the rub: what if you’re not poor? What about those folks gathered around Jesus on that level place in Galilee who heard his words of woe-one commentator calls them his curses- and knew they all applied to them. What good news can be found for those who are doing well-with enough money in the bank and plenty of food in the pantry? What about those who have the leisure of laughter and the comfort of being well thought of? Apparently, the times are going to be a-changing. And not for the better. Hmmm. . .

But wait, there’s more! Jesus then tells those who are listening to him that following him gets even more challenging. He tells them to love their enemies and do good to those who do them harm. And give to everyone who begs from them. And- did you catch it-if someone takes away your goods not to ask for (or demand) them back again.

Can’t you just see their eyes getting bigger and their jaws dropping further and further open in disbelief? And here’s the thing-there is no punchline. Jesus is absolutely stone cold serious.

Not to leave you hanging, but let’s fast forward a few decades. The gospels, like Luke’s, are being written down and distributed to churches and small pockets of believers scattered throughout the Roman Empire. Many of those earliest of Christians are suffering terrible persecution- from the hands of the established religious authorities and from the Empire itself. And Jesus’ teachings are being passed on to early believers to encourage them and give them strength in the midst of these brutal persecutions. “We may be suffering now, fellow Christians, but the time is coming when all will be set right. Stand fast in your faith.”

Fast forward again to today. Today, of course is Halloween. That is, “All Hallows Eve”. That is, the day before All Saints Day. It is the day to remember and honor all those who gone before us in the Christian faith, including those first disciples who heard Jesus speak this powerful and simply profound passage-and those believers who suffered persecutions in the early centuries of the church. Many of the saints endured trials and tribulation for the sake of their faith. And to them Jesus says, “rejoice and leap for joy for your reward is great.”

Now, here’s where things get a little tricky for us. We find ourselves, perhaps, in two places at the same time. We, too, are following Jesus, striving to be disciples at a time when it is becoming increasingly more and more difficult to do so. And yet, we may also stand in the middle of our contemporary culture. And what does our culture teach us? That it is better to be rich than poor, to be full than to be hungry. It is better to laugh than to weep and to be well thought of than to be hated. That way of thinking has become so engrained in us that it seems almost crazy to hear Jesus’ words: “blessed are you who are poor and who weep and are hungry and are reviled.”

But what-and here’s a radical thought-if Jesus is right? And what if Jesus isn’t just talking about how things will be in heaven or at the end of ties? And what if Jesus really means that it can be a blessing to be downtrodden and a curse to be comfortable right here and right now?

As much as it may make us squirm on our pew cushions, let us try thinking outside- and I mean ‘way outside-our box. What if Jesus not only proclaimed good news to the poor and proclaimed the coming of the kingdom of God to people of his day and the saints of the first century? What if you and I are living in the kingdom of God right now? Our visions of the poor being fed and the weeping finding consolation shouldn’t be only on the distant horizon, but in this very moment.

So here we go. If there are poor people near us-and there are-perhaps Jesus really does expect us to help take care of them. And I know of idealistic this may sound- and how it runs contrary to the American notion that we all should be pulling ourselves up by own bootstraps- but there are times when Jesus simply calls us to live in a profoundly different way than we do. If there are people around us who are suffering deeply-and there are- then perhaps Jesus really does expect us to comfort them and care for them.

Now maybe you think I’m trying to appeal to your fear or guilt. That I’m saying that because we live the way we do that we are risking eternal punishment or that we should feel bad because we have nice home and food in our refrigerators. But that’s not really it.

It’s more like this. In this world of ours there is still enough to go around. Enough food and enough water. There are resources to provide shelter and security for everyone. There are means for all people to hear the Good News that God loves them and they do not need to feel helpless or hopeless. There is enough of God’s grace to be shared with all. That is the way the kingdom of God is supposed to be.

But as we all know, that’s not how things are. The gap between rich and poor gets ever wider. During this sermon, thousands of people around the world have died from hunger and malnutrition and lack of clean of water. Listening to the news for five minutes reminds us that people live in conditions that leave them in great danger when the weather turns violent. Next we hear that one group of people who hate another group of people believes they have the right to torture their enemies and destroy them. And on it goes.

My friends, here is the true and most uncomfortable paradox of all: that the kingdom of God has come and is here with us-and that far too often we live as if we have no idea what the kingdom of God is.

The challenge for those of us who walk in the ways of the saints is to see with new eyes, to hear with new ears, and live with new hearts. And, finally, to learn this one great lesson-that none of us are in this alone. God is with us all all the time. And God can move us and guide us to a deeper fulfillment of his kingdom right here right now. And not just as individuals but as the body of Christ and the communion of saints.

We are all in this together. Let us live our faith as if that’s true. Because it is. Amen.

Sermon: "Joshua fit the battle of Jericho"
First Presbyterian Church(USA) — Tolono, IL
August 13, 2010

Text: Joshua 6

So here we are. We stand with the Hebrew people. They have just wandered for forty years in the wilderness—after escaping from slavery in Egypt. Their great leader Moses has recently died and the mantle of leadership has passed to Joshua. Joshua is more of a general, a military leader, and less of a prophet than Moses was. But God speaks to Joshua, too. For example, Joshua has recently had a vision of an angel—of the commander of the armies of heaven- who tells Joshua that the land upon which he stands is sacred ground.

Before us stands the fortified city of Jericho. It is a large, imposing site. The stone city walls are several stories high, with stations for hundreds of archers built in. Thousands of Jericho's warriors stand ready to defend their home. The coming battle to capture this city promises to be difficult and bloody.

But there have been Hebrew spies sent into Jericho to discover its weaknesses. Joshua and his commanders are confident that they can take the city.

God knows that Jericho will fall as well. In fact God has a specific plan for taking the city. It is a plan that is amazingly unconventional and will require discipline—and patience—from the Hebrew people to follow.

The Lord said to Joshua, 'See, I have handed Jericho over to you, along with its king and soldiers. You shall march around the city, all the warriors circling the city once. Thus you shall do for six days, with seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. On the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, the priests blowing the trumpets. When they make a long blast with the ram's horn, as soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and all the people shall charge straight ahead.'

Now let's think about this for a moment, shall we?

Think how many months and even years the Israelites have been preparing for this moment. They are chaffing at the chance to start taking their homeland back. Many of them had been in the wilderness for more than twenty, maybe even thirty, years in search of the land that God had promised to them.

And of course they realized that in the 400 years since their ancestor Israel had moved his family to Egypt other people would have settled on the land and built cities. It is a long list: the Jebusites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Philistines, the Moabites, and the Kinglons. (Just to see if you're paying attention!)

So the Israelites knew that they must take the land back, often using brutal force. And finally the time has come. In our mind's eye, we can see them sharpening their swords and spear points getting ready for battle.

And then come these unusual directions from God. "Spend a week walking around the city, blowing rams' horns. On the seventh day, do it all over again seven times, and then. . . wait for it. . . those massive walls of stone will come crashing down flat as pancakes."

Now, the Israelites had plenty of evidence of God’s power to do the extraordinary. Most recently, when the Israelites needed to get across the Jordan River, they didn't have to ford it. They didn't have to build a bridge over it. They didn't even have to ferry themselves across in boats. No. In a scene very similar to Moses at the Red Sea, God parted the Jordan River for the Israelites. The ark of the covenant—that is, the sacred chest that carried the Ten Commandments— led the way across the dry land that appeared between the walls of river water. The people and their possessions followed, and soon they were standing in the Promised Land.

So, the Israelites knew that God could make the walls come tumblin' down. But why did they have to go round and round Jericho? Why did they have to wait a week to get the battle started? Just what was God thinking, anyway?

Well, here's the thing. The bible doesn't tell us why. It is one of the important aspects of religious faith that we often are called to believe things and do things without fully understanding why. We are to do them because somehow we just know that we’re supposed to. This can be a very tricky business.

Let’s take an example from our lives today. Supposed you became aware that God was calling you into the ministry-or maybe even just calling you to help teach Sunday School. This sort of thing happens all the time, actually. And more often than not, people simply dismiss the call because they cannot understand why on earth God would want them to help lead the church. “It just doesn’t make any sense to me,” they might say.

But the call keeps coming and gets more persistent. Some people get exasperated and essentially tell God to leave them alone. Other people remain undecided and confused, paralyzed into indecision.

But some-even though they may still feel unsure and confused-step forward and say to God, “Here I am, Lord. Your will be done.”

Some folks call this the leap of faith. And if you’ve ever jumped off the high dive at an aquatics center, you know that the leap can be both exhilarating and terrifying. And you never know if the leap is worth it until afterwards-sometimes even years afterwards.

The Israelites, ready to attack Jericho, were commanded by God to take a leap of faith. “Be patient and wait for God to act in an amazing way”. March around and blow your horns. Be willing to look a little foolish. And mostly, believe that God is working on your behalf. And so they did.

On the seventh day, they marched and they blew their trumpets and raised a great shout-and the mighty walls of Jericho came crashing down-just as God had promised. (I have read in certain commentaries that what most likely happened is that a great earthquake hit the region-including Jericho- and the walls of the city were unable to withstand its power. But that’s adding a layer of interpretation to the biblical text.)

The Israelites won a great victory that day. The citizens of Jericho must have been greatly confused and scared and their city was captured easily.

Now I wish I could say that the Israelites then treated the Jerichonians humanely and simply asked them to go and find a new neighborhood. But that’s not what happened.

Instead they killed everyone and everything in the city (except for the family of Rahab-who had hidden the Israelite spies before the attack), running them through with the sword. And then they burned the city to the ground.

It is very difficult for me to read about and understand a slaughter like that. But, to ask the people of the Bible to act with the values and the sensibilities that we’ve developed thousands of years later is an exercise in frustration and futility. The Israelites’ understanding of who God was and what God wanted them to do is not the same as our American understanding of God here in the 21st century.

I think we should feel free to ask the Bible why does God allow, even condone, such violence in his name’s sake? But we must also be prepared to live with the fact that there may not be an answer to our question. When it comes to religious faith, one of the best and most honest answers remains, “we just don’t know”.

Now the Israelites had a great thing going for them: they heard directly what God expected of them-through Joshua. The bible is not shy about it: God spoke, Joshua listened. Joshua then went out and told the people.

Wouldn’t it be nice if it still was that simple for us today? If you all just came here on Sunday morning and I told you exactly what God had said to me over breakfast the other day and you believed that I was telling you word for word exactly what God said? But, of course, that can be really hard to do. Throw in the fact that God seems to speak through a whole variety of ways. . . God speaks through the scriptures, through our lives and the lives of others, through the thoughts and ideas of writers and speakers and through children and it gets darn near impossible to feel really sure.

And so the last the question I want to explore this morning is “how do we know what God is calling us to do today?” It’s a very good question. . .

Over the past few decades the concept of discernment has again become important. Our current practices of discernment are based upon some old teachings and practices of communities of believers-like the Benedictine monks, say, and the mystics like Hildegard of Bingen. To discern means to listen and learn direction from God. For most faith communities, this means lots of prayer and talking to and listening to one another. And it takes time. As we often see in the Bible, God works on a schedule that we sometimes find exasperatingly slow: seven days of marching around Jericho; forty years wandering in the wilderness; four hundred years of captivity in Egypt. But that gives believers the time to ask and discern what part God is calling us to play in the story.

As I said, the true hallmarks of discernment are prayer and sharing with others. This deep kind of prayer can be learned over time-and it’s often best done with a small group of others (who are also intent on discerning God’s will). I will be glad to teach you what I know about discerning prayer.

And sharing with others can be a surprisingly powerful way of hearing God speak in your life. But let me warn you: you’ve got to be willing to listen. God does speak in some unexpected ways sometimes-and even says things we don’t want to hear. But stay with it. Trying to walk your journey of faith by yourself for too long is a pretty sure invitation to getting lost in the wilderness without a compass. God calls us to walk and talk and pray with others and figure out the way together and God does that for really good reasons that we still may not understand.

Following God is not for the faint of heart. Well, actually it is, as long as we remember to keep asking God for the courage to take the next leap of faith-and the leap after that. My hope for us this week is that we practice the faithful discipline of prayer and discernment as our relationship with God-and one another-deepens. Amen.

Sermon: Basic Bible Story: The Conversion of Saul to Paul
First Presbyterian Church(USA) — Tolono, IL
August 1, 2010

Text: Exodus 1-2, condensed . . .

We begin today the central story of the Hebrew scriptures, the Old Testament. All the Genesis accounts of Abraham and Sarah and their family-through Isaac and Rebekah-and Esau-and Jacob and his wives and their children-have led us to this point. The Hebrew people have left the land promised to them by God (because of a terrible drought) and have settled instead in Egypt, under the protection of Joseph, who is Pharaoh’s second in command. And there they thrive and become powerful.

But in time Joseph and his brothers die and the memories of them fade. And new Pharaoh comes to the throne who does not remember Joseph. And in fact he fears how powerful the Hebrew people have become. And so the Egyptians enslave the Hebrews and for the next 400 years, the descendents of Abraham and Sarah are forced into hard labor, building cities and supporting the economy of Egypt.

Until one day, a Hebrew baby boy is born. By law, he’s supposed to be killed. But his mother and the midwives were clever and keep the boy hidden.

The story of Moses being put in a basket and discovered by Pharaoh’s daughter is one of the best known in the Bible. Why? Because second only to God, Moses is the central commanding figure in the Old Testament. The first five books of the Bible, the Torah, are ascribed to Moses hand, even though he dies before the Torah is over. It is Moses whom God will call to lead his people out of slavery. It is Moses who receives the Law and brings it to the people down off Mt. Sinai. Moses will guide the people through 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. It is through Moses that God parts the Red Sea, defeats the Egyptian army, and leads the people back to the brink of the Holy Land.

“Holy Moses!” you might say. “That’s a lot!” And you’d be right. And it all begins today in our first chapters of the book of Exodus.

Adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter but nursed by his real mother, Moses grows up as both Hebrew and Egyptian. It must have been strange to live in the great palace of the Pharaoh and look out into the streets of city, seeing how the people of his blood and heritage were being treated.

In fact, the paradox comes to head one day when an Egyptian taskmaster is severely beating a Hebrew slave and Moses intervenes. Well, he more than “intervenes”. He kills the taskmaster and hides the body in the sand. But Moses is found out, and soon has to flee to save his life. And to where does he flee? The wilderness. It might be first time; it won’t be the last. Much of Exodus Chapter Two is about how Moses gets his groove back.

He finds his way to Midian. Think the Sinai peninsula/Saudi Arabia neighborhood. He sits down by a well, helps the daughters of Reuel by fending off some nasty shepherds and then waters their flocks. (If you remember that we first heard about this whole well and watering animals episode ‘way back in the Jacob and Rachel part of the story, then you get a special gold star!) Next thing you know, Moses is married to Reuel’s daughter Zipporah. They have a boy of their own and Moses is all nice and settled in Midian for a nice long life of obscurity. . .

Except that God has a very good memory. And God has a heart for the Hebrew people. Here again is how Chapter 2 ends:

²³After a long time the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned under their slavery, and cried out. Out of the slavery their cry for help rose up to God. ²⁴God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. ²⁵God looked upon the Israelites, and God took notice of them.

And so now the stage is set for God to call Moses back into the fray. To call Moses to his true destiny and lead his people out of slavery and back towards the Promised Land.

Before we go though, I think it’s important to point out how the women in this passage are the ones who keep protecting Moses and helping him along his way. The midwives defy Pharaoh and let Moses live. His mother hides him and then puts him in the basket. Pharaoh’s daughter adopts him-again letting him live-and giving him invaluable knowledge and experience that will make Moses exactly the right person for God to call upon to free the people. And finally the daughters of Reuel bring him into the household so that he can settle in Midian in safety. We almost always hear this story from Moses’ perspective, but it is these many women whom God uses to prepare Moses for his destiny . . . Women rock!

So, as I said, the stage is set. Tune in next week when Moses comes upon a burning bush and hears the call that will change everything. . . Amen.

Sermon: Basic Bible Story: The Conversion of Saul to Paul
First Presbyterian Church(USA) — Tolono, IL
June 13, 2010

Text: Acts 9: 1—20
Also 1 Kings 19: 8—15a

Saul of Tarsus was called by God to become something special—a great servant in the Christian Way. Is there anyone here, having heard Saul's story—who would deny that he was authentically called? 'Call' is a great word we throw around in church circles. Like "mission" and "ministry". But we seldom take the time to define what a "call" really is.

When I hear the word 'call'—at least a call from God—I immediately think of the Old Testament prophet Elijah. I think of his classic story. Some of you will remember it, too.

Elijah is on the run from Queen Jezebel. She had killed all of God's prophets. But even so, she was very angry because Elijah had just won a contest against Jezebel's priests and prophets. He made her faith in the Ba'al's look foolish and second rate compared to the God of Israel. Elijah made her look foolish—and Queen Jezebel could not stand for that! So now she wants his blood too. So Elijah does the sensible thing—he runs for it!

Elijah is on the run from Queen Jezebel. She had killed all of God's prophets. But even so, she was very angry because Elijah had just won a contest against Jezebel's priests and prophets. He made her faith in the Ba'al's look foolish and second rate compared to the God of Israel. Elijah made her look foolish—and Queen Jezebel could not stand for that! So now she wants his blood too. So Elijah does the sensible thing—he runs for it!

Elijah travels for 40 days and 40 nights. Along the way, God (miraculously) provides some shelter and some food and some safe sleep. Finally, he arrives at Mt. Horeb and there he hears God speaking to him. God says, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" If Elijah had been asking himself that very question, he didn't let on. Instead Elijah says, "I have been very zealous for the Lord and now the Israelites want to kill me." Or in other words, "Working for you, Lord, has been no picnic. The least you can do is to offer me some protection."

God listens, and then tells Elijah to go stand out on the mountain because the Lord is about to pass by. Soon, a wind comes by that is so strong that it splits rocks—but God isn't there. Then there is an earthquake and then a fire, but God isn't in them, either. Finally, there is a sheer, deep silence. And it is in the silence that a voice comes to Elijah. It says, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" And Elijah again says, I have been very zealous for the Lord and now the Israelites want to kill me."

Then God lays out the big picture for him. God gives him a big assignment that will keep Elijah busy for quite a while. So Elijah has a pretty good idea what his future looks like — at least in the short term. And Elijah answers the call — he does what God tells him to do. He takes on the big assignment.

That, my friends, is the call process. People listen—often in moments of silence, God is understood in that silence. God gives out the assignments and then the people respond.

Many of us (I fear) suffer from the misconception that such calls are only for people in the bible—or for ministers. We don't make the connection between God's hopes for us and our vocations—our life—works. If I pressed the point with you, would you respond, "Oh, God couldn't possibly be calling me to my job as a farmer, as a teacher, as a nurse, as a factory worker or a miner or a housewife." And would you say that because you believe that you're not important enough—or because your work isn—t important enough?

Well, pardon me for being so blunt, but you are wrong if you think that way. God absolutely better be calling you to those things, otherwise — why are you doing them? Seriously, do you really think that God loves only ministers enough to give them guidance, but when it comes to lay folks, he doesn't have the time? Doesn't it sound silly when you put it into words?

That's not the way God works. God loves each of us and has a relationship with all of us. But—and this is important—we have to pay attention. Remember the whole listening step? The part where we find a little patch of quiet—of silence—in the midst of the busy—ness? When we give God the chance to be heard, then call involves all of us.

Even, big bad Saul of Tarsus. Saul was a feared enemy of Christ. He believes he's on a mission from God—to rid the world of followers of Jesus Christ. Christians—in Saul's mind—are perverting his beloved Jewish faith and must be stopped at all costs. And so he sets out with armed men to persecute and kill the believers in the Way.

We know the story. We heard in our scripture lesson. On the way to Damascus, Saul is blinded by a great light. Next, the men who are with him to kill the believers are left speechless as they hear a voice calling Saul to stop persecuting Jesus and his followers. Saul companions are religious men and they know God speaks. It could be a trick, but then again it could be real. So they say nothing. What is there to say?

They simply take Saul into to town. For three days they are there with him and he eats and drinks nothing and he is still blind. On the third day, there is a knock on the door and a strange man, someone who may be one of the believers in Christ, enters the house and heals Saul.

We don't really know what happens to the men, the designated killers who accompany Saul, but we could guess that they leave quietly in awe and amazement. Or perhaps they are converted, too! There is no account of a skirmish of any kind. I think they recognize that Saul is called by God to a huge change—a mind—boggling change—and they honor that. They support him. They look after him. Maybe even make sure that the transition goes well.

They could kill the Christian Ananias to prevent him from attending to Saul. They could try to prevent the change, to subvert the call, but they don't.

Saul himself could resist. He could forge on as a blind, bitter persecutor. Saul could tell Ananias to stop when he starts talking about Jesus, but he doesn't. Ananias could ignore his vision, his call from God, and let his fear hold him back. But he doesn't. The disciples could let cynicism and doubt rule the day and refuse to let this new member, their old enemy into their fold, but they don't.

All along the way, many people listen to the call that God has for them. The story is about Paul, but many people have to be true to God's call too.

Why? Because we are all interconnected. Our calls, our stories, our resistance to change, our fears are all interwoven. May each of us take the time to listen for God's call like Elijah. May each of us be open to a life altering call like Paul. May each of us have the courage to move beyond our fears to answer a call like Ananias. May each of us be supportive of our brothers and sisters as they change and leave us like the warriors traveling with Saul. May each of us be open to strangers and even old enemies who have been called to work beside us. May each of us understand that sometimes calls aren't only about us, but may be about the bigger picture in God's plan.

Let me finish with a quote from a saint who has gone before us named Hildegard from a town in Germany called Bingen. More than 900 years ago she wrote:

Humankind
Full of creative possibilities, is God's work.
Humankind alone, is called to assist God.
Humankind is called to co-create.
--(Hildegard of Bingen, 1098-1179, saint and theologian)

Seems to me that Hildegard was a pretty smart cookie.

My final wish for all of us is that we may be true to God each and every day. Amen.

Sermon: "The Faith of Stephen"
First Presbyterian Church(USA) — Tolono, IL
June 6, 2010

"Hey, quiet down and gather in real close. We can't make too much racket. The temple authorities have spies everywhere."

"Okay, I know you all have heard the latest news about what's been happening with the church in Jerusalem, so I. . . What? You haven't heard the news? You have no idea what I'm talking about? 'And this isn't the first time'? Oh, very funny. Just what I need—a room full of comedians.

All right, then. Let me tell you what's been happening at the church in Jerusalem. Of course it all started a little while back with that big hullabaloo at Pentecost…. Uh—oh. More glassy stares. "Pent—e—cost"? Big rushing wind? Tongues of flames on the disciples heads? Birthday of the church? Ah, now, the lights are clicking on for some of you. So…. What you need to know is what's been happening between when the church first got started—and today. . . Hmmm.

Okay. We can do this. Let me tell it to you like it's a story. Well, it is a story. It's a true story. In fact, it's being written down right now by Luke. Of course you all know Luke. . . You don't know Luke… Just where are you people from, anyway? It's good thing I'm around to set you all straight. Okay, pay attention. . .

Luke is one of the people who have written down a gospel—sort of the life story of Jesus. You all do know Jesus, right? Okay—now we're getting somewhere… Well, since Luke's finished his gospel, he's started writing down a second book – a history of what Jesus' followers, his disciples, have been doing. . .

What? Yes, that's right. We're like disciples, too. We believe that Jesus is—the Messiah—which means "Anointed One". He's the Savior—sent from God—that we've been waiting for so long.

What? Yes, that's right, too. The Greek word for Messiah is "Christ". That's why some of us believers are beginning to call ourselves "Christians".

No. No, we don't have big foam fingers that say "Jesus is number one". Maybe we'll work on that after these persecutions stop. Right now we have to be very careful. I'm sure you've all heard about the terrible things that Saul of Tarsus is doing to Christian families. . . You haven't heard. I cannot believe this. It's like you people are from—I don't know—two thousand years in the future! Sheesh.

Look. I've got a couple different versions of what Luke's been writing lately. I'll read some of it for you— and then maybe it'll help clear things up. Maybe we can all get on the same page. Okay? Remember, we're starting with the early days of the church in Jerusalem…

Here goes: "Now during those days, when the disciples were increasing in number, the Hellenists complained against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food."

What? You have a question? "What is a Hellenist?" It';s someone who really likes women named Helen. No, that was a joke. Not a particularly good joke, but still. . .

Okay. A Hellenist is a Jewish person who has a foreign heritage‐like a Greek, maybe. Lots of folks in the church at Jerusalem—weren't local folks but from abroad. They weren't originally born Jewish, but their families became Jewish. The other folks in the church were Hebrew; being Jewish is their faith and their heritage. Does that help? Good. . .

Okay. Back to the book. . .

And the twelve (main disciples) called together the whole community of believers and said, 'It is not right that we should neglect the word of God in order to wait at tables. Therefore, friends, select from among yourselves seven men of good standing, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this task, while we, for our part, will devote ourselves to prayer and to serving the word.' What they said pleased the whole community, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, together with Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. They had these men stand before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. The word of God continued to spread; the number of the disciples increased greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.

Okay, so you get what's going on? The twelve original disciples—you know, Peter, James, John—those guys—decided that they were being called to teaching about Jesus and to praying. That was going to be their full—time job. So someone had to take care of the other important stuff—like food distribution. So the church elected the very first board of Deacons, including Stephen, to take of important tasks that kept the community humming.

Now, the story shifts to Stephen. I'm going to read part of this section to you from a different version. Same story, different words telling the story. So, here we go again. . .

^8-10 Stephen, brimming with God's grace and energy, was doing wonderful things among the people, unmistakable signs that God was among them. But then some men from the meeting place whose membership was made up of freed slaves, Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and some others from Cilicia and Asia, went up against him trying to argue him down. But they were no match for his wisdom and spirit when he spoke.

¹¹ So in secret they bribed men to lie: "We heard him cursing Moses and God."

^12-14 That stirred up the people, the religious leaders, and religion scholars. They grabbed Stephen and took him before the High Council. They put forward their bribed witnesses to testify: "This man talks nonstop against this Holy Place and God's Law. We even heard him say that Jesus of Nazareth would tear this place down and throw out all the customs Moses gave us."

¹⁵ As all those who sat on the High Council looked at Stephen, they found they couldn't take their eyes off him—his face was like the face of an angel!

So Stephen is doing amazing things, probably like healing people and casting out demons. And he's telling people that he can do things because he follows Jesus. This makes the church grow that much more—but it makes the religious authorities in Jerusalem really jealous—and so they start arguing with him. But because God is with Stephen, he keeps winning the debates.

So they cheat—and they get witnesses to lie about Stephen, saying that he's teaching people that Jesus will destroy the Temple and will throw out all the important things that Moses taught the Hebrew people—including the Ten Commandments! This gets everybody riled up and so they grab Stephen and send him before the Council—the same council, you may remember, that sentenced Jesus to death only a few months before this!

So are you with me? Can you see why this is such a big deal yet? Well, hang on. It'll get clearer as we go along.

The Council members ask Stephen if the charges against him are true. You know—guilty or not guilty? But instead of giving them a simple answer, Stephen breaks into a long, powerful sermon. (And I know how much y'all like long sermons. . .)

Let me read you some of the highlights.

'Brothers and fathers, listen to me. The God of glory appeared to our ancestor Abraham… and said to him, "Leave your country and your relatives and go to the land that I will show you." God had him move. . . to this country in which you are now living, . . .promised to give it to him as his possession and to his descendants after him, even though he had no child. . . Then he gave him the covenant of circumcision. And so Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day; and Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs.

Stephen is giving the members of the council and the crowd a history lesson straight out of the Old Testament— and he starts at the beginning of their ancestors—with Abraham. God made Abraham the great—great—great—great grandfather of the Hebrew nation and from Abraham came Isaac, and from Isaac came Jacob and from Jacob came sons who become the twelve tribes Israel.

But even though Stephen starts there, he doesn't end there. He goes skipping through centuries of Old Testament. And he pays special attention to the story of how God sent Moses to save the Hebrew people from slavery in Egypt.

Here's another excerpt:

^30-32 "Forty years later, in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, an angel appeared to him in the guise of flames of a burning bush. Moses, not believing his eyes, went up to take a closer look. He heard God's voice: 'I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.' Frightened nearly out of his skin, Moses shut his eyes and turned away.

^33-34 "God said, 'Kneel and pray. You are in a holy place, on holy ground. I've seen the agony of my people in Egypt. I've heard their groans. I've come to help them. So get yourself ready; I'm sending you back to Egypt.'

^35-39 "This is the same Moses whom they earlier rejected, saying, 'Who put you in charge of us?' This is the Moses that God, using the angel flaming in the burning bush, sent back as ruler and redeemer. He led them out of their slavery. He did wonderful things, setting up Godmdash;signs all through Egypt, down at the Red Sea, and out in the wilderness for forty years. This is the Moses who said to his congregation, 'God will raise up a prophet just like me from your descendants.' This is the Moses who stood between the angel speaking at Sinai and your fathers assembled in the wilderness and took the life—giving words given to him and handed them over to us, words our fathers would have nothing to do with.

What Stephen goes on to tell them about is how their ancestors rejected Moses and the words he brought them from God. How they worshiped a golden idol shaped like a calf and disregarded God's commands. And the point he makes—the point he hits them between the eyes with is—that they are rejecting Jesus—the Son of Godmdash;just like their ancestors rejected Moses—the great prophet of God. They are just as guilty and reckless and wrong. Here's how Stephen ends his sermon:

'You stiff—necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you are forever opposing the Holy Spirit, just as your ancestors used to do. Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute? They killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, and now you have become his betrayers and murderers. You are the ones that received the law as ordained by angels, and yet you have not kept it.'

Well, let me tell, the Council and the Crowd were not happy. Nor were they in a forgiving mood. You can probably guess what happens next. . . What? No they did not give Stephen a long "time out". . .What? No, they didn't even show him "tough love." Here's what they did. . .

When they heard these things, they became enraged and ground their teeth at Stephen. But filled with the Holy Spirit, he gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 'Look,' he said, 'I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God?' But they covered their ears, and with a loud shout all rushed together against him. Then they dragged him out of the city and began to stone him; and the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. While they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, 'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.' Then he knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, 'Lord, do not hold this sin against them.' When he had said this, he died.

They stoned him. They killed him a blind rage. And now that rage has spilled over into a house—by—house hunt for Christians like us. None of us are safe. That's why we have to be so quiet now. Let me read you one final from Luke's book:

¹ Saul was right there, congratulating the killers.

Saul of Tarsus is spear—heading vicious persecutions against the church. He drags believers out of their homes and throws them into jail. Or has them beaten. Or killed.

That is the cost of being a disciple right now here in shadows of Jerusalem in 29AD. That is why we are hiding. But this I know—that the harder these people try to kill the church, the further and faster God will spread it to the four corners of the world. In these days, the church has to endure the anger of a world that does not believe it or believe in it.

I wonder if it will always be this way. You know? Amen.

Sermon: "The Great Feast"
First Presbyterian Church(USA) — Tolono, IL
April 25, 2010 – 4th Sunday of Easter (Year C)

Text: Luke 14:15—24

The Parable of the Great Dinner

¹⁵ One of the dinner guests, on hearing this, said to him, &39;Blessed is anyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!' ¹⁶Then Jesus* said to him, 'Someone gave a great dinner and invited many. ¹⁷At the time for the dinner he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, "Come; for everything is ready now." ¹⁸But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, "I have bought a piece of land, and I must go out and see it; please accept my apologies.” 19Another said, “I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; please accept my apologies." ²⁰Another said, "I have just been married, and therefore I cannot come." ²¹So the slave returned and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and said to his slave, "Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame." ²²And the slave said, "Sir, what you ordered has been done, and there is still room." ²³Then the master said to the slave, "Go out into the roads and lanes, and compel people to come in, so that my house may be filled. ²⁴For I tell you,* none of those who were invited will taste my dinner." '

It was Oscar Wilde who famously said, "The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about." I wonder if the same thing may not be true about certain dinner parties—only in reverse: the only thing worse than not being invited is being invited.

I'll bet most of us here have made some excuse for not attending a party or dinner or even a date that we just didn't want to go to. And our excuses were probably just about as lame as the ones offered in Jesus' parable for today. The excuse of having to go "see a piece of land" is especially weak. First, how many people buy a piece of land sight unseen? And second, won't the land still be there tomorrow? It's not likely to be moving anywhere soon, is it?

Whenever we choose not to accept an invitation, we think we have a good reason. Perhaps we have a previous commitment. Or we're just too busy. Or maybe the last time we ate at their house we felt so sick afterwards that we prayed that God would "just take us now and put us out of our misery". Or, maybe to be perfectly blunt, we just don't like the hosts that much. They play the wrong music and serve the wrong food and laugh at the wrong jokes. Plus their dog smells funny.

I wonder if it ever occurs to us that the folks we invite to our parties might be saying the same things to themselves. Hmmm . . .

It sure isn't a lot of fun to put the time and effort into planning a nice get together, send out invitations, and then get back a bunch of wimpy excuses why people can't come. Now, usually people are pretty gracious about telling us "no". But anyone who's been turned down for a date because their invitee "has to wash their hair" or "change their sparkplugs" knows that rejection can sting mightily.

The host of the great feast in Jesus' parable was definitely feeling the sting of rejection. And he didn't like it one bit. Putting together a big dinner party can be quite an undertaking. If it was always effortless, then all the caterers in the world would be out of business. But it's not effortless. There can be dozens of details to attend to—from menu choices to decorations to entertainment. And a big party—like the one Jesus is talking about—can cost a pretty shekel or two.

So, the host has gone to all the trouble of preparing his home, of getting the food purchased and prepared, of providing beverages, the whole nine yards. He sends out his servant to gather the guests and they all say "thanks but no thanks". How would you like to be the servant who has to come back to the host and deliver the bad news? Me, neither.

With each excuse he hears, the host gets angrier and angrier. Remember, these people must have accepted the invitations when they were initially offered, but are now changing their mind—and leaving the host and his household high and dry. But what can the host do? The food has been prepared. The wine is ready to be served. He can't just throw everything in the refrigerator or freezer. This is 1700 years before the discovery of electricity! Unless he wants to dig a big hole and bury the great feast, then he needs to find someone to eat it with him.

That's why the host tells his servant to go out into the streets and bring in everyone for the feast, including those people who never, ever get invited to anything: the poor and those people with challenging physical disabilities. And then the invitation goes out even further—to those who are outside the community—to travelers and strangers and foreigners.

Now this is a most remarkable thing, really. How many of us would open up our home to, as the text puts it, "the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame"? And then on top of that, go out to the local highway and flag down travelers—complete and utter strangers—to also come and join the party? Not many, I'm thinking.

And you might be thinking, "Well, this didn’t really happen. It's just a parable." And that&33;s a fair point. But Jesus loved to tell parables because they reveal to the listeners a great and important truth. And this parable is no exception.

Remember that Jesus himself is at a dinner and during the meal someone declares, 'Blessed is anyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!' Which sounds a lot like, "Boy, won't be great to be in heaven someday!" In response, Jesus tells the parable. And the great and important truth it reveals has several layers.

The top layer of truth is that there have always been and will always be people who would like to be followers of Jesus in theory, but then are, let's say, reluctant to practice what Christ preached. For example, in the next passage in this chapter he tells the crowds that he's teaching: "none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions." (14:33) That's Jesus' way of saying 'walk the walk, don't just talk the talk.'

Jesus is also telling this parable to those people who feel like they're somehow entitled to special treatment—maybe even heavenly rewards—by God, but really don't have the room for God in their everyday lives. This is whole "I'm one of the chosen people" attitude that Jesus was always railing against. At another time, Jesus says to the Pharisees, "Don';t tell me that (you're special) because you have Abraham as your father. God can raise up sons and daughters of Abraham right out of these rocks."

I’m afraid that this attitude may be more prevalent among us than we care to admit, though in a subtler form. For us, it may be something like, "I'm a good person, and I go to church when I can—so what more can God expect from me?" But sometimes God does expect more. And then there we are—with our fresh—from—the—oven excuses: "You know, God, I'd really love to come to your dinner party, but I simply have to get my stock portfolio straightened out." Or, "I just can't miss tonightŝs game—it's the playoffs!" Or, "You know, my yard isn't going to mow itself!"

Jesus is teaching us that we've all received the invitation into the Kingdom of God. But if we accept it, then we need to realize that God is going to take us seriously and expects us to show up when we're called.

Jesus is teaching us that we've all received the invitation into the Kingdom of God. But if we accept it, then we need to realize that God is going to take us seriously and expects us to show up when we're called.

Of course, the invitation into God's kingdom is for everyone, even those people who are extraordinarily different than we are. I think this still takes many of us by surprise. Let us remember than when Jesus is talking about the kingdom of God, that he's not just referring to a far—away heavenly paradise. No, he means this world right now but with more and more people living with compassion and love and mercy and working for justice and looking out for one another. So if that—s the kingdom of heaven, then of course everyone is invited—because everyone needs to be treated with compassion, everyone needs love and mercy, everyone deserves just treatment, and everyone wants to feel like somebody has got their back.

God never has intended for heaven—or earth—to be like an exclusive club that only a few are meant to enjoy. Maybe we should call this the parable of the great block party or the great town festival instead. Sure, God may be disappointed when some of us decide we're too busy to join in. Actually, if the parable is right, then God gets downright ticked off. But God will not be deterred. God will keep inviting everyone—even the forgotten, even the stranger, even the foreigner—until the place is packed and the party's jumping.

Now, there is a deeper layer to this parable that should make us stop and take notice. And that is the very end: ²⁴For I tell you,* none of those who were invited will taste my dinner." This is the part that says it is possible to miss the boat altogether. And like Noah's ark, this is one boat you don't want to miss, believe me.

We in the church teach that it's never too late to seek forgiveness and repent. We love the parable of the prodigal son for that very reason. We don't talk so much about the danger of trying God's patience—or assuming that our invitation to the great banquet is good forever. In C.S. Lewis' The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe one of the animals of Narnia is describing Aslan, the Christ—like main character and says, "He's not a tame lion, you know."

Our God speaks not only in small still voices, but also out of the whirlwind. Our God knows the number of hairs on our heads, but also "spins the whirling planets". Yes, God is love, and God's love is freely given, but once accepted then that love demands our attention and respect. And our hearts and our souls.

So here is another great and important truth from our parable this morning: the next time God invites you dinner, you better free up your calendar. Amen.

Sermon: "The Road to Emmaus"
First Presbyterian Church(USA) — Tolono, IL
April 18, 2010-Third Sunday of Easter

Text: Luke 24:13—35

This week we jump from the gospel according to John to the gospel according to Luke. Since each of the four gospels are different we need to quickly review what Luke tells us happens on Easter day. On Easter morning Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James and other women went to the tomb with spices they had prepared for the body and found the stone rolled away from the opening of the tomb. Suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them, scaring the women. The two ask "Why do you look for the living among the dead&63; He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again." Then the women remembered what Jesus had said. And then they left and told the disciples what happened and they didn’t believe the women. However, Peter got up and ran to the tomb and saw the linen cloths lying by themselves and was amazed.

That brings us to our text this morning. Hear the good news&33;

Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, #39;What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?' They stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, 'Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?' He asked them, 'What things?' They replied, ' The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.&39; Then he said to them, &39;Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?' Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.

As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. But they urged him strongly, saying, 'Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.' So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, 'Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?' That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. They were saying, 'The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!' Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

I am a fan of hockey. This was not always the case. It took someone tutoring me in watching the game to really appreciate it. At first I just noticed the puck traveling from one end of the rink to the other. Then I began to notice the times when the lines would change and most of the players from one team would leave the ice just as other ones were coming on. Then I noticed how teams would set up plays. And then I appreciated the fact that certain players didn't travel the whole length of the ice all the time. Then icing became something that I understood. Next thing you know — watching a hockey game was extremely fascinating. It was like a very lively puzzle or a fast moving chess game. Granted, hockey was fine when I first started watching it, but it was so much richer and seemed a whole lot less pointless when I understood it better.

Two men were walking to Emmaus discussing the recent events that confused them. Everything had done wrong. They were sure that Jesus was going to be the prophet that would finally set Israel free. But the crucifixion put an end to that dream. And the women tell them about the empty tomb and the angels, but Jesus didn't show up. This whole situation seems very confusing and defeating.

But Jesus shows up and begins tutoring them. He teaches them how the whole situation actually makes sense. He works his way through the Old Testament scriptures and tells them how everything that happened — the birth, the baptism, the teaching, the miracles, the Passover Supper, the betrayal, the trial, the crucifixion, the death, the empty tomb and the rising were all a part of God&39;s plan. All these events were necessary to fulfill the plan and reign of God.

Yes, these men knew what had happened because they saw most of it or had heard about it from their fellow disciples and Jesus' followers, but his tying it back to Scripture took them to a whole new level of understanding. It's like watching hockey. The story seemed pretty interesting as it was, but understanding how it fit with Scripture suddenly make everything seem like a really thrilling puzzle or a chess game.

But then Jesus tutors them even further when he continues on the way with them and takes bread and blesses it, breaks it and gives it to them. And it's at that moment that "their eyes were opened, and they recognized him". Cleopas and the other disciple finally clearly saw who Jesus was. They fully understood that they had become eye witnesses to Jesus resurrection. Do you see how fully we connect the idea of "seeing" and "understanding"? For many of us our sight is the primary sense we use to gather information about the world around us. Sometimes we'll say "Oh, now I see" when what we mean is "Oh, now I better understand."

We don't know for sure why the disciples walking along the road didn't recognize Jesus when they met him along the road, but we do know that after he had taught them—through his words and his actions—then they did recognize him. Did their eyes change or did their hearts change? Or maybe both? Again, we don't know for sure—but we do know that it was Jesus explaining the scriptures to them and breaking the bread with them that made all the difference. They saw that "the resurrection is not just a miracle or a revived corpse. In it the plan and reign of God are fulfilled." (Text for Preaching, p. 280)

Wouldn't be remarkable if you and I as Jesus' disciples today could have a deeper understanding of the ways that God is at work in our lives? Wouldn't it be great if we had the eyes to better recognize when Jesus is walking with us? Yes, of course, it would. And I have just the way for us to sharpen our vision without going anywhere near an eye doctor. In two words: Bible Study.

Our scriptures are a gift that keeps on giving: there's history, and poetry, and literature, and the law, and drama, and even romance. But the greatest gifts from scripture for us Christians are the gospel of Jesus Christ and a deepening understanding of how God works in the world—and in our lives.

If you watch enough hockey, you begin to understand things like the strategies that teams use during a power play (when one team has more players on the ice than the other). If you study the bible long enough—and with the proper help— then you begin to understand why the Exodus is the most pivotal event of the Old Testament, and why the Apostle Paul makes such a big deal about our being saved by grace alone. And you begin to see that scriptures have layer upon layer of meaning. That God's word and God's wisdom become richer the deeper you dig into them. Instead of just seeing words on a page, you can become immersed in a great story in which we are all characters.

Now maybe you've tried on more than one occasion to sit down and read the bible, and you just end up feeling more confused than when you started. Maybe you even get frustrated. Well, you may not remember, but there was a time when you didn't understand how a shotgun formation worked in football or how yeast worked to help bread rise or even how to change a lightbulb. We had to be taught all these things.

In many ways, it&39;s the same with the scriptures. A lot can be learned by sitting down and attentively reading through passages of the bible. But so much more is revealed when you study the scriptures with a good teacher and fellow students. Sometimes hearing the questions that others ask is enough to spark a new and deeper moment of understanding for you. Sometimes knowing that the bible was first written in Hebrew and Greek makes a difference. Sometimes knowing that the Hebrew word 'ruach'and the Greek word 'pnuema' both have the same exact two meanings — "wind" and "spirit&34;— really helps us to understand the powerful nature of the Holy Spirit.

Cleopas and his fellow disciple better understood Easter because Jesus explained the scriptures to them. And, if you think about, it took the events of Easter to fulfill those scriptures to their deepest level. So it works both ways. God teaches us through the bible and the teachings of the bible reveal more to us about God. Pretty sweet, eh?

So, I encourage you this morning to carve out the time for more bible study in your life. Join us here at the church, or get a good commentary and study on your own. It will be worth your time and worth your while. And you will gain a deeper understanding of the amazing ways that God is at work in your life through Jesus Christ.

And did I mention that the National Hockey League Playoffs start this week? Go, Redwings!

Amen.