Sermon from October 16

Luke 20:27-44

The Question about the Resurrection

 Some Sadducees, those who say there is no resurrection, came to himand asked him a question, ‘Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, leaving a wife but no children, the man shall marry the widow and raise up children for his brother. Now there were seven brothers; the first married, and died childless; then the second and the third married her, and so in the same way all seven died childless.Finally the woman also died. In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had married her.’

 Jesus said to them, ‘Those who belong to this age marry and are given in marriage; but those who are considered worthy of a place in that age and in the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. Indeed they cannot die any more, because they are like angels and are children of God, being children of the resurrection. And the fact that the dead are raised Moses himself showed, in the story about the bush, where he speaks of the Lord as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Now he is God not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all of them are alive.’ Then some of the scribes answered, ‘Teacher, you have spoken well.’ For they no longer dared to ask him another question.

The Question about David’s Son

 Then he said to them, ‘How can they say that the Messiah is David’s son? For David himself says in the book of Psalms,
“The Lord said to my Lord,
‘Sit at my right hand,
   until I make your enemies your footstool.’ ”
David thus calls him Lord; so how can he be his son?’

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This coming Friday, I will reach the ripe old age of 30, a number that seems to have far more significance than 20 or 10 did.  As I begin my fourth decade of life, I can hear the AARP beating down my door already…

Rachel and I have been talking for some time about proper ways to commemorate such an occasion.  At least we were, until we discovered that she would be having a baby shortly beforehand, and our collective energies would be mostly focused towards the baby.  Last Tuesday, just after she had given birth to baby Caleb, she looked at me and said, “This counts as your birthday present, right?” 

So, I probably won’t be celebrating my 30^th birthday by going out and painting the town.  I’m probably going to stay in and stare with wonder at Caleb, the miracle that has fallen into our laps, the gift from God we received about two weeks ago.

And what a gift Caleb is.  I’ve been amazed at how readily I sit and stare at him—he’s incredible.  He has little tiny fingers and toes, and his eyes dart around the room, trying to take in all he sees, which is impressive considering he can probably only see about six inches right now.  It’s amazing to look at him and know that ten months ago he was made up of only a couple of cells, and that he has been growing like crazy, and will continue to grow.  God is only getting started with him, and he has placed this gift, this enormous responsibility, into our laps, so that we might invest ourselves in raising him as a Christian, in teaching him well.  Each of you will also be a part of his life, and we all have a responsibility to Caleb, just as we do to Joseph and Sarah and every other child in this congregation.

All of life is a gift.  New babies remind us of that, but it’s not something we should ever forget—life is a gift from God.  Each day is a gift from God.  When the sun rises on a new day, it does so because God has made the choice to give us a gift of another day, and it’s our responsibility to use that gift well.  No matter how we use it, we may not get another one. 

In our Scripture passage today, some Sadducees, religious leaders of the day, come to Jesus with a hypothetical question.  They pose this instance of a woman who marries a man with six brothers.  In the instance of her husband’s death, it is a requirement that the oldest brother marry her so that she may be cared for.  The instance the Sadducees suggest is that all seven brothers die, and then the woman finally dies.  They want to know who she will be married to in heaven—surely, they imagine, she can’t have seven husbands in heaven!

Jesus, however, turns from the nuts and bolts of their ridiculous question to address the heart of the matter—their anxiety over the life to come that he promises.  They are wrestling with how the resurrection works, and who among us hasn’t done that?  Who among us hasn’t spent some time wondering if the streets are really paved with gold, or what kind of bodies we will have, or how all those people will fit in heaven?  We’re curious about heaven and we wonder what it will be like.  Jesus addresses the heart of the question—and reminds us that it is a gift, one to be received with gratitude. 

“But those who are considered worthy of a place in that age,” He begins. It’s not for those who are worthy, because Jesus knows that none of us are worthy—it’s for those who are considered worthy.  And how are we considered worthy?  We become, as Jesus says, ‘children of the resurrection.’  This is the reality we join when we believe in Jesus Christ.  When we give our lives over to Him, when we direct our efforts and our love to Him and Him alone, we become children of God, children of the resurrection, who cannot die. 

As children of God, we have no need to fear or worry.  Don Kaller talked about this last week in his sermon—we have hope, and we trust that the future is in good hands.  We often try to assure Caleb that he is in good hands, that he has nothing to fear.  He cannot understand that just yet, being two weeks old, but Rachel and I will do everything possible to give him the best future we can.  We want him to know that he can trust us, that we will not put him in danger.  Now, there will be times in his life when he may be curious about our methods, like when he is at the doctor or when we put him down for a nap and he’s not tired.  But all these things are for our good—we are trustworthy.

In the same way, God has prepared a future for you, and God is trustworthy.  No matter what the resurrection looks like, we don’t have to worry about it—it’s in good hands.  We may wonder at times about God’s trustworthiness, especially when we come to challenges in life, but God has assured us that He is trustworthy, so we can be free from our anxiety about that.  Jesus is reminding us that the resurrection is a gift from our good Father in heaven.  We have no need to be anxious about it.

Freed from anxieties about the future, we can return to the present, to the gift we have here and now.  Jesus is trying to urge the Sadducees to stop worry about the future and live in the present.  We don’t need to waste our lives worrying about what is to come.  We can live in the present, the here and now.  It’s so tempting for me to spend my time wondering what Caleb will be when he grows up, what he will look like and what kind of life he might lead.  I wonder if he’ll be a doctor or a pastor, if he’ll glorify God in all he does, if he’ll be honorable and live with integrity.  But I have to stop myself—I am called to simply enjoy Caleb now, to wonder at his little arms and tiny fingers, to give thanks for the gift of now and do whatever I can to love him now.

We are called to do the same.  Do not worry about the future.  Look around you—there is a world to love now.  The people who surround you—I promise you that they need your love.  Your family needs your love and attention just as surely as the children of this church do.  Your neighbors, your friends, strangers in the pew, each one needs your love and attention.  We are all broken—we need someone to show us the love of Christ. 

That brings us to the theme of Bread for the World Sunday.  Around the world, people are hungry.  Around the country, people are hungry.  Here, in Chattanooga, here, in East Brainerd, people are hungry.  In the church office, we give out food boxes to those in need.  We send food to East Brainerd Elementary to help feed the needy, and still, people are hungry.  Friends, I’m tired of hearing about hunger, especially when I know it’s a problem that we can solve.  Over 20,000 people are fed by our Food Bank every week.  Every week.  In this country, in Chattanooga, we have the money and the resources to feed one another.  Let’s find a way to do this.  We can end hunger here in Chattanooga.  I believe that God can do this.  Let’s give our hearts, let’s give our lives, to this problem, that we may not sit by the sidelines while thousands go hungry.  We are called to serve something greater than ourselves—life is a gift, and may we use that gift well, in service to our friends and neighbors.  Let us use our gifts to improve the community.  Let us spread the gift of Christ’s love through food.

Let us pray.