Tuesday, January 24, 2012

February Newsletter Letter


Friends in Christ,
Did you know that KFC no longer stands for anything? Recently, they decided to move away from the apparently cumbersome 'Kentucky Fried Chicken' and have the official name be 'KFC'. In a similar manner, the YMCA officially changed its name to just be the 'Y'. Companies across the country are selecting this option as a way of streamlining their brand name in hopes of attracting new customers. They're getting rid of what is difficult or inconvenient to make their brand more mainstream.
When we think about the church and its 'brand', what comes to mind? How does the world view us? Is it cumbersome and complicated? Or streamlined and sleek?
I think its tempting to water-down Christianity in the hopes of appealing to the masses. But what that produces is a church that may be wide but is rather shallow in its discipleship. Since the aim of the church is to help disciples grow, a process that takes hard work and deep commitment, we do seekers a disservice if we try to make the church more appealing by de-emphasizing the difficult call of Christ.
I believe the more faithful call is for each of us to ensure that we are daily dying to Christ, daily emptying ourselves, daily being filled with Christ. When we walk as disciples, humble about our shortcomings but committed to growth in Christ, we live a life that preaches the Gospel. We offer an example to the world of what discipleship looks like, and we're enabled to invite others into a walk with Christ that is honest and deep.
So may we each be committed to a life of discipleship, and in so doing may we look for opportunities to invite others into that walk. Maybe it looks like inviting someone to pray with you, or to church, or to a dinner at your house to talk about things of faith. May we keep our eyes open for windows the Spirit opens, and may we be growing in faith while we wait.

In Christ,
Keith

Monday, January 23, 2012

Sermon for 1/22/2012


Luke 23:26-56

The Crucifixion of Jesus

 As they led him away, they seized a man, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming from the country, and they laid the cross on him, and made him carry it behind Jesus. A great number of the people followed him, and among them were women who were beating their breasts and wailing for him. But Jesus turned to them and said, ‘Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For the days are surely coming when they will say, “Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.” Then they will begin to say to the mountains, “Fall on us”; and to the hills, “Cover us.” For if they do this when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?’
 Two others also, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. [[ Then Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.’]] And they cast lots to divide his clothing. And the people stood by, watching; but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, ‘He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!’ The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine, and saying, ‘If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!’There was also an inscription over him, ‘This is the King of the Jews.’
 One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, ‘Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!’ But the other rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.’ Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ He replied, ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.’

The Death of Jesus

 It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, while the sun’s light failed; and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, ‘Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.’ Having said this, he breathed his last. When the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God and said, ‘Certainly this man was innocent.’ And when all the crowds who had gathered there for this spectacle saw what had taken place, they returned home, beating their breasts. But all his acquaintances, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.

The Burial of Jesus

 Now there was a good and righteous man named Joseph, who, though a member of the council, had not agreed to their plan and action. He came from the Jewish town of Arimathea, and he was waiting expectantly for the kingdom of God. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then he took it down, wrapped it in a linen cloth, and laid it in a rock-hewn tomb where no one had ever been laid. It was the day of Preparation, and the sabbath was beginning. The women who had come with him from Galilee followed, and they saw the tomb and how his body was laid. Then they returned, and prepared spices and ointments.
On the sabbath they rested according to the commandment.



Much of our culture depends on us wanting to be like those who are more famous than us. Last weekend there was another Hollywood awards show, and I have no doubt that countless celebrities traipsed the red carpet with breathless onlookers commenting on their attire for the evening. Designers count on this—they depend on people like you and me rushing out to the store and buying similar clothes so that we might at least look like our favorite celebrities. Often you'll see a celebrity endorsing a product that you can be certain they have never used—but the company depends on you believing that their word makes the product more appealing.

In Christianity, this takes on a bit of a different spin. There aren't, as far as I know, reporters who announce what brand of suit Joel Osteen is wearing, in the hopes that other Christians will rush out and buy the same. There aren't brands of Billy Graham endorsed clothing, because there isn't a market for people to buy similar clothing in the hopes that it might help us become like him.
But we are guilty, I think, of having a bit of envy for those 'super-Christians' that are lifted up in society and in Scripture. We read the stories of David and Gideon and Abraham and Noah and we wonder why our lives don't more closely mimic their radical dependence on faith. In ways, we can learn from them, and their faith can show us how to live, even though we are separated by many years.
There's a common story told that reflects on this common idea that we are called to emulate the giants of the faith.
A classic story tells about the great Chassidic Rabbi Zusha, who was found agitated and upset as he lay on deathbed. His students asked, “Rebbe, why are you so sad? After all the the great things you have accomplished, your place in heaven is assured!”
“I’m afraid!” Zusha replied, “Because when I get to heaven, God won’t ask me ‘Why weren’t you more like Moses?’ or ‘Why weren’t you more like King David?’ God will ask ‘Zusha, why weren’t you more like Zusha?’ And then what will I say!?”
The reality of the Christian life is that each of us is a unique individual, made in the image of God, but called and gifted in ways that have never been seen before and never shall grace this earth once more. You, and you alone, have the combination of brains and brawn for a very certain reason—because God has called you to something unique.
Now, perhaps the Christian church, perhaps this very church, has been guilty of trying to prescribe a one-size-fits-all calling. And while I will say, in our defense, that many of the attributes of our lives in faith are held in common, our lives themselves are so unique that we could never capture a full picture of them in the same way that you do. You have been uniquely gifted, called and placed in your situation, and only you can minister the way you do to the people in your life. If I tried to minister in the same situation and way you did, it wouldn't work, just as your gifts and callings wouldn't work in my life. We are each differently gifted, thanks be to God. God loves variety, and God uses us in different ways, in different places, differently.

In today's text, this sad, sad tale of death and despair, we come face to face with this fact in the way only a story-teller could capture. We find ourselves wandering the path to Golgotha, to the cross, along with Jesus, and on the road we meet people as different as one could imagine.

First, we meet Simon of Cyrene, a man of mystery who appears for the purpose of aiding Jesus on his long journey. Simon is there to carry the cross—so he is a strong man. Perhaps he had spent his life wondering why God made him so strong, only to discover on this day that it was for the purpose of helping his Savior. Perhaps, after this day, he recognized his calling as being a man of help to others with burdens too great for one. Simon shouldered his brother's load.

Next come the women. Now, these women probably weren't given the gift of strength as Simon was. I don't want to say that for certain, for plenty of women in this world are stronger than I am, but these women had a role to play, too, but it was different than Simon's. How much worse this story would be if everyone assumed their role was the same as Simon's! Instead, they are called to weep, to mourn for the depth of despair in the world, to cry for the presence of sin. And I will say with boldness that there are people this very day who need someone to cry with them, who need someone to sit with them in their sorrow and discuss the deep wrongs of their lives, of the world. They don't need someone to fix their problems, they just want someone to listen. So the women, in their own way, wept.

Next, we come to the soldiers, men oblivious to the fact that their gifts could be used for God's glory. They are more concerned with enriching themselves and being entertained by this sad scene than they are in helping anyone. Sounds like much of the world, doesn't it? More interested in being enriched and entertained than in growing faith—may we be careful not to fall into this rut.

Finally, we have the two soldiers on the cross—one is caught up in the soldiers' mockery, but the other recognizes that he has missed his life's calling, wasted his terrible years, and in his dismay and anger he cries out to the Savior, desperate to hear if it is too late. The good news for him, for me, for you, is that it isn't too late. The Savior's arms are always open for another sinner to run home.

Even after the death of Jesus, we see people putting their gifts to use. Joseph of Arimithea has influence and he has wealth, and both of these he puts at the service of God so that the body of a King may have a place to lie. He doesn't try to carry the cross, and he doesn't come weeping, but rather comes with the gifts that he has, that no one else has, and does what he can. It's all Jesus asks—that we do what we can to be faithful in our lives.

At the end of the scene we encounter once more the women, waiting to embalm the body of Jesus, desperate to offer one more service to their Lord. They know that they can't do everything, but this once thing they can do, and so they will return.

Friends, you have each been given a unique combination of gifts for the purpose of playing a role in God's unfolding drama of redemption. You are an agent of hope, of light, of the Kingdom, and if you play your part to the best of your abilities, you can trust God to do the rest. So let us set aside our comparisons, our self-abuse, for not being someone else, and let us discover who we are and how we are to live. Let us do this as individuals, claiming our singular role in God's Kingdom, and let us do this as a congregation—may we not regret that we aren't Christ United Methodist or Rivermont Presbyterian or any of the other mega-churches around us. We have a unique role to play as New Hope Presbyterian Church, and we betray our true identity if we don't live into that and trust God to do something powerful with that. Let us claim our identity with passionate hearts and be faithful to that call.
Each of us follows the King in our own way, and we follow Him to the cross, where he fulfilled his unique role as the lamb led to the slaughter, the perfect sacrifice to atone for the sins of humanity. He laid down his life for us, that we might have life, and so we follow him, and in his life we have our own life, lived for his glory, so that we may spread the message to all of humanity—Christ is Risen!

Let us pray!

Thursday, January 19, 2012

1/19 E-News


Announcements

Snack PacksThis month we are collecting granola bars for the snack packs we are making for East Brainerd Elementary. Please continue to bring these every Sunday, that we may meet our goal of 250! Also, we could use some more ready-to-prepare chilis/mac & cheese/bean dishes (microwaveable, preferably).

Wednesday Suppers—Next Wednesday we will revert to our usual Wednesday Evening patterns--$4/person, with a maximum of $15/family. We'll be studying 2 Timothy.

New Hope News
Only 4 more Sundays in Luke! Any suggestions/longings for sermon series in the future? (That don't include 2.5 year commitments!)

Pray for:
Lynn Meyer, who is currently in Memorial Hospital

David Smith

Russel & Donna Mabry

Peter Savard, for healing in his foot

Lina Hart, our associate executive in the Presbytery, who had surgery yesterday

Peggy Hamby, who is fighting cancer

Links







Text for this Sunday

Luke 23:26-56

The Crucifixion of Jesus

 As they led him away, they seized a man, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming from the country, and they laid the cross on him, and made him carry it behind Jesus. A great number of the people followed him, and among them were women who were beating their breasts and wailing for him. But Jesus turned to them and said, ‘Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For the days are surely coming when they will say, “Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.” Then they will begin to say to the mountains, “Fall on us”; and to the hills, “Cover us.” For if they do this when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?’

 Two others also, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. [[ Then Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.’]] And they cast lots to divide his clothing. And the people stood by, watching; but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, ‘He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!’ The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine, and saying, ‘If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!’There was also an inscription over him, ‘This is the King of the Jews.’

 One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, ‘Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!’ But the other rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.’ Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ He replied, ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.’

The Death of Jesus

 It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, while the sun’s light failed; and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, ‘Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.’ Having said this, he breathed his last. When the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God and said, ‘Certainly this man was innocent.’ And when all the crowds who had gathered there for this spectacle saw what had taken place, they returned home, beating their breasts. But all his acquaintances, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.

The Burial of Jesus

 Now there was a good and righteous man named Joseph, who, though a member of the council, had not agreed to their plan and action. He came from the Jewish town of Arimathea, and he was waiting expectantly for the kingdom of God. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then he took it down, wrapped it in a linen cloth, and laid it in a rock-hewn tomb where no one had ever been laid. It was the day of Preparation, and the sabbath was beginning. The women who had come with him from Galilee followed, and they saw the tomb and how his body was laid. Then they returned, and prepared spices and ointments.
On the sabbath they rested according to the commandment.



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Monday, January 16, 2012

1/16/2012

Everlasting God,

  From age to age, you are King.  From the peak of the highest mountains to the depths of the sea, all of creation proclaims your glory.  You have made this earth and all that is in it, and you proclaimed it good.

  At the height of human folly, we chose sin over you.  We chose to worship ourselves, to proclaim that we are wiser than you, and we turned from you to self.  Forgive us, Lord, and break our habit of sinning, that we might remain on the road that leads to life, following the footsteps of Christ.

  This day is a blank slate, an opportunity to praise you, to live for you, to proclaim your name.  Empower us by your Spirit, that we might not fill this day with self-centered actions, but rather would be focused on worshiping you as we were made to do.

Amen

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Sermon for 1/15/2012


Luke 23:13-25

  Pilate then called together the chief priests, the leaders, and the people, and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was perverting the people; and here I have examined him in your presence and have not found this man guilty of any of your charges against him.  Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us. Indeed, he has done nothing to deserve death. I will therefore have him flogged and release him.” 

  Then they all shouted out together, “Away with this fellow! Release Barabbas for us!” (This was a man who had been put in prison for an insurrection that had taken place in the city, and for murder.)  

  Pilate, wanting to release Jesus, addressed them again; but they kept shouting, “Crucify, crucify him!” A third time he said to them, “Why, what evil has he done? I have found in him no ground for the sentence of death; I will therefore have him flogged and then release him.” 

  But they kept urgently demanding with loud shouts that he should be crucified; and their voices prevailed. So Pilate gave his verdict that their demand should be granted. He released the man they asked for, the one who had been put in prison for insurrection and murder, and he handed Jesus over as they wished.



************************
Often in life, we get exactly what we deserve. Those who work hard are rewarded, and those who don't are not. Lately, there has been much discussion about this, much of it sparked by the Occupy Wall Street protests—people don't feel like they get what they deserve. They see a system tilted against them, so that no matter how hard they work, they will never get ahead. They see a corrupt system, in need of serious reform. We rebel against the times we do not get what we deserve—when we've worked hard, we want to see rewards offered. It's what is fair.
I have had a lifelong tendency to disobey the speed limit. It's simply part of my identity—I can come up with all sorts of people and cities and other things to blame, but the simple fact is that my right foot seems heavier than my left. Guilty. So it wasn't too shocking when I was driving across Alabama quicker than the state of Alabama would prefer and I saw a trooper coming the other way cross the median and head my way. I knew I was caught red-handed, so I had pulled over before he had even managed to turn his lights on. He told me how fast he had clocked me and asked if I knew what the speed limit was, and I replied that I did, and soon I had a very expensive souvenir of my trip to Clean Water U. But I couldn't protest too much—I earned it.
Every once in a while, though, we are given a gift of grace, something that we do not deserve, and it should startle us. When I was sixteen, and had been driving for several months, I worked in a large subdivision with many stop signs and a low speed limit. I had been told by my parents that if I ever received a speeding ticket, I'd lose my license for six months. Soon, however, that fear wore off, and I drove faster and faster and coasted through more and more of those stop signs. Wasn't long before those same blue lights were behind me, and an officer was asking me if I knew what I had done.
Perhaps it was the abject fear he saw in my face, or maybe he was just feeling merciful that morning, but for some reason he let me off with a warning, and the sense of relief and gratitude that washed over me was immense. I was so grateful to not have to face my parents' collective wrath for being punished for something I was absolutely guilty of doing.
Perhaps you, too, have a similar story of not being punished for something you deserved. If you do, you can relate, in some small way, to the relief Barabbas faces today in our Gospel reading.
The question of Barabbas' guilt is never raised—the people of the crowd don't even seem too concerned with who he is and what he is done—they are just doing as they are told by their leaders, chanting for the death of Jesus while also crying out for the release of Barabbas. In other Gospels, we are told that it was the custom of Pilate to release one prisoner, and the people choose this guilty insurrectionist over the teacher who challenges them to love God more than they love anything else in the world. Barabbas certainly isn't going to argue too much—he gets freedom instead of a death he might have deserved, while Jesus receives a death he does not deserve. Never has such a perfect man had such an unfair fate cast upon him. But he doesn't say a word, doesn't cry out against the unfairness of the system, doesn't try and convince the people, or Pilate, of his innocence. Like a lamb before the slaughter, Jesus says nothing.
It's so unfair.
And we are the beneficieres of this unfair story. For we, just like Barabbas, stand guilty as charged of sin, of loving other things more than we love God. We have plenty of things to blame, but at the end of the day we are responsible for the sinful choices we have made, and we are guilty, just like Barabbas. Each of us is guilty of a different crime, but at the end of the day, we have chosen self, chosen world, over God.
It's not to say that we're terrible people, that we deserve a public death—but it does mean that if we had to stand before God just as we are, we would have no claim to eternal life.

Enter Jesus, the lamb to the slaughter, the perfect Son of God. He doesn't say anything before Pilate, before Herod, before the crowd, because this is how it was always going to go. From the time God spoke the world into being, from the time God spoke to Abraham, from the time the angel spoke to Mary, it was always heading here, to a violent death on the cross, taken on behalf of every sinner who has ever lived. In dying on the cross, Jesus opened up a door to life that we do not deserve—he made eternal life possible with God, even though we cannot make a case for it based on our own actions—Jesus makes our case for it, and when we stand before God upon Judgment Day, we will not be seen as a tarnished, guilty sinner, but rather we will be covered by Christ. We are worthy because He is worthy. Each sin disappears, and we are made new.
So, like Barabbas, we have been freed from the weight of our sin. It would be nice if we could live a perfect life from this point forward, but we can't—we'll continue to sin, but because we are in Christ, we still have hope for eternal life.
The so-what of all this, the purpose of it all, is not simply to get us into eternal life with God. The point of it all is that each one of you has been transformed by the grace of God. Christ is our Lord and Savior, the only way to salvation, and we are called to live a life that reflects that.
We don't know how Barabbas lived, but we know that he had the chance to re-write the end of his story.
I don't know where you go from here, but I will leave you with this question: Are you living a life that reflects the freedom, the life, the hope that you have found in Christ taking the punishment you deserve and leaving you the gift of eternal life in its place? Does everything you do, in every moment of your life, re-tell the story of Christ's offer of salvation and redemption? Or does it keep telling the story of the prison of sin from which you have been freed?


Let us pray.

Thursday, January 12, 2012

1/12 E-News


Announcements

Snack PacksThis month we are collecting granola bars for the snack packs we are making for East Brainerd Elementary. Please continue to bring these every Sunday, that we may meet our goal of 250! Also, we could use some more ready-to-prepare chilis/mac & cheese/bean dishes (microwaveable, preferably).

Free Wednesday SuppersThe next Wednesday will once again be free suppers for anyone who shows up. Please invite your friends, neighbors and casual acquaintances, whoever could use a free meal! Join us at 6.

New Hope News
Only 5 more Sundays in Luke! Any suggestions/longings for sermon series in the future? (That don't include 2.5 year commitments!)

Pray for:
David Smith

Russel & Donna Mabry

Madeline

Peter Savard, for healing in his foot

Roger & Lynn Meyer

Links





Text for this Sunday

Luke 23:13-25

Jesus Sentenced to Death

  Pilate then called together the chief priests, the leaders, and the people, and said to them, ‘You brought me this man as one who was perverting the people; and here I have examined him in your presence and have not found this man guilty of any of your charges against him. Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us. Indeed, he has done nothing to deserve death. I will therefore have him flogged and release him.’

  Then they all shouted out together, ‘Away with this fellow! Release Barabbas for us!’ (This was a man who had been put in prison for an insurrection that had taken place in the city, and for murder.) Pilate, wanting to release Jesus, addressed them again; but they kept shouting, ‘Crucify, crucify him!’ A third time he said to them, ‘Why, what evil has he done? I have found in him no ground for the sentence of death; I will therefore have him flogged and then release him.’

  But they kept urgently demanding with loud shouts that he should be crucified; and their voices prevailed. So Pilate gave his verdict that their demand should be granted. He released the man they asked for, the one who had been put in prison for insurrection and murder, and he handed Jesus over as they wished.





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Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Reading

  Sometimes it feels as though I'm trying to read my way into the Kingdom of Heaven.  I'm constantly in search of the one book that will illumine the Christian life for me, that I will suddenly come forward into a clearing of understanding and grasp exactly how the Holy Spirit wants me to live.

  In doing so, I underestimate the Bible's transformational powers.  And I expect too much for other authors, too.

  The mistake I make when I read for spiritual growth is that I read to learn more about myself.  Instead, the purpose of so much reading is that I am learning more about God--only by learning about God first do I begin to understand who and how I truly am.  When I begin to grasp that all of creation is God's gracious outreach and that God has made me out of his generous love, I can be transformed as someone who has been claimed by God despite the fact that I am unworthy.  No matter how much I learn about myself, if I do not base my self-image on God's view of me, I am misaligned from the beginning.

  This is the gift of reading the Bible--it illumines from the beginning God's outpourings of selfless love.  It shows how God, through the ages, has been generously pouring out grace on his creation.  It shows, too, what proper (and improper) human responses are to that love, but the Bible is God's story, first, just as my life should be an unfolding of God working through me, rather than me trying to figure out how God fits into my life.

  In my reading, I too often put myself first, in the hopes of then figuring out God's place in my life.  A better way to go about this would be to read for the intention of trying to learn more about God, so that in knowing God better, I can recognize that he has already claimed my entire life.

  And then, well, something you just need to read a wonderful tale for the sheer joy of it.  I just finished The Hobbit, and the not nearly as wonderful Moby Dick, and I'm better for reading both of them.

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Sermon for 1/8/2012

Luke 23:1-12

Jesus before Pilate

Then the assembly rose as a body and brought Jesus before Pilate.They began to accuse him, saying, ‘We found this man perverting our nation, forbidding us to pay taxes to the emperor, and saying that he himself is the Messiah, a king.’ Then Pilate asked him, ‘Are you the king of the Jews?’ He answered, ‘You say so.’ Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, ‘I find no basis for an accusation against this man.’ But they were insistent and said, ‘He stirs up the people by teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee where he began even to this place.’

Jesus before Herod

 When Pilate heard this, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. And when he learned that he was under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him off to Herod, who was himself in Jerusalem at that time. When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had been wanting to see him for a long time, because he had heard about him and was hoping to see him perform some sign. He questioned him at some length, but Jesus gave him no answer. The chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing him. Even Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him; then he put an elegant robe on him, and sent him back to Pilate. That same day Herod and Pilate became friends with each other; before this they had been enemies.



How many of you have ever played the game 'Telephone'? I imagine that most of you, at some point in life, played this fairly simple game. In it, people sit in a circle and one person whispers a statement into the ear of the person next to them, who then relays it to the next, and so on until the bit of information has traveled around the circle. The final message is then compared to the original, often with humorous results. Rarely, if ever, are the two the same. The reason for this is that the original message gets distorted at some point along the way, and then that message gets distorted, and each succeeding message is farther from the truth.
Now, if you were not in the middle of a game, and you heard a garbled message, the best thing to do would be to ask the originator what the message was to be sure you knew exactly what had been said. This would make sure your knowledge was accurate, and just as importantly, it would ensure that what you were passing on to the next person was accurate. If you fail to do so, you simply compound the error. As they say, a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing.
In Christianity, a little knowledge can be downright scary. In the Presbyterian church, we encourage each individual member to take up their own independent study of the Bible. We want you to take responsibility for your faith—we want you to have your own knowledge. If you never open the Bible in your house, your faith becomes like a game of telephone—you're listening to my interpretation of it. Now, I'm trying to be as faithful as possible in relaying the truth of the Bible. But I am human, and I make mistakes. It's important for you to be involved in your own study of the Bible so that you can double-check what I'm saying—so that you can go back to the source and be sure that your faith is based on the firm foundation of Christ. There are plenty of leaders in the world who will maliciously twist the words of the Bible for their own benefit, and thousands of followers go along blindly, never opening their own Bibles to fact-check their leaders. They simply follow a distorted Gospel.
In Jerusalem, the Jewish leaders had developed their own distorted faith, passed down through generations of church leaders like a big game of telephone. Only this was no party game—this is the single most important thing going on in the world, and the leaders were leading the church astray. They weren't going back to the text and seeing the God who wants all of their hearts and lives offered to him and him alone—they were simply following along in a distorted, rules-based faith that depended on works alone to save them. They'd forgotten the God who stood behind the story. Their distorted faith didn't simply affect them—they passed it along to others, and to the leaders who came after them, so generations of believers were affected by their refusal to allow God to dwell within their hearts. The leaders led the church astray, and it went farther off course with each successive leader.
Enter Jesus.
He came to transform all of this. He invited the leaders back to the truth of God's love, back into the fold of what it means to follow God. He invited them to take off the blinders, to see the distortions for what they were, and to lead the people back from the wilderness into the promised land. He wanted them to understand that their hearts were astray, that they had fallen prey to generations of distortions, and to return to a life of worship. Jesus came to save everyone—that included the Pharisees, the chief priests and the scribes. Jesus loved them just as much as he loved the disciples, as much as he loved those he healed, and he desperately wanted to see them come to a saving faith in Him alone.
But they resisted. Boy, did they ever resist. Three years of public ministry by Christ did nothing to soften their hearts. Countless exchanges with the Word made flesh didn't weaken their defenses—they had bought into their distorted faith, and they would not be shaken. Eventually, they had him arrested, and here we are today in Luke 23, with Jesus on trial and this crowd accusing him of all sorts of things, most of them lies, in the hopes of having him put to death, thus enabling them to continue in their comfortable distortions. They distort the ministry of Jesus to Pilate in the hopes that it will buy them a conviction. They want this problem solved.
Now, I don't believe that Pilate and Herod are very important to this text. I think Pilate sees Jesus as a curiosity, someone not worth his time. When Jesus refuses to reveal anything self-incriminating before him, Pilate is hesitant to join into this inter-family squabble. When the assembly refers to him as a Galilean, Pilate sees this as golden ticket—suddenly, Jesus is not his problem.
It's a glorious realization for Pilate—Jesus is someone else's problem, and so Pilate passes the buck, sending Jesus off to Herod, who has his own distorted view of Jesus. Herod wants to be entertained, wants to have some great story of seeing Jesus perform a miracle before his very eyes, not so that he will believe, but rather so he'll have a story to share at cocktail parties. He wants to see Jesus perform—but Jesus remains silent, so Herod and his soldiers mock this Jewish carpenter and send him back to Pilate. The King of Kings has nothing to say to the king. The one who heals beggars and dines with sinners and prostitutes has nothing to say to the king with an empty heart.
So back Jesus goes to Pilate, along with the assembly and their hatred for his challenges of his difficult faith, his calls to a hard road of discipleship. They hate him for how he pushes them to give everything, to give their comfort and their hearts to God. They hate him for challenging the distorted faith to which they have grown accustomed. They hate him for calling them to change.
And so here we have before us the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords—how do we respond? Is our own faith a distortion? Or do we live the kind of faith that Christ calls us to?
The best way to know for certain what kind of faith Christ calls us to is to be in constant study of Scripture. It's where the answers are for each of us. We need to be in church, and sermons and worship certainly play a large part in our spiritual formation—but you need to be working on your own, studying on your own, because you have a book with every answer in it. Only by reading it for yourself do you grasp the complete call of Christ's discipleship. Only by spending hours and hours in its pages do we understand how complete the call to discipleship is. Christ wants all of your life, all of your heart, all of your energy. Christ wants every single day to be an offering to Him—Christ wants all that you do, in work and play, every second of every hour, to be lived for His glory. If we believe that Christ's call to discipleship is not a call on all of our lives, we are no better than those who had him put on trial—we our attempting to live our own distorted version of Christianity, and Christ calls us back to him, to worship with heart, body, mind and soul. He calls us to complete discipleship.
The scribes and the Pharisees allowed their faith to grow distorted over the years, and when Christ called them to change, they refused.
What kind of faith will you have? One based on a love of and study of Scripture, where you are constantly aligning yourself with God's call on your life? One rooted in listening to the Holy Spirit direct your feet?
In Jesus Christ, God came to earth to save you. On the cross and in the garden where the stone was rolled away, a message was sent to all people that nothing on this world will ever be the same. May we live a life that is constantly reminding ourselves and others that we have been transformed in Christ, and that we will not allow ourselves to live a distorted version of the Gospel based on our comfort and unwillingness to change.
Let us pray.

Challenges



  I promised myself that I'd spend this past week examining my life, letting the Gospel challenge me, that I might prepare myself to go forward into 2012 as a more faithful Christian.

  It's been a tough week.

  Rachel tells me that I'm my own toughest critic, but the reality (as I see it) is that I read the Gospels and then look around my own life for what the two have in common--and I think I have a lot to learn and a lot of room to grow.  I agree with the video above--I am sometimes guilty of rounding off the demanding corners of the Bible's demands of discipleship because they don't fit with the structures of my comfortable life.  I long to follow Jesus with my heart and soul, but I am loathe to give up some of my luxuries.

  I don't at all believe that I'm going to figure out Christ's call for my life in the first week of 2012.  I don't think I'm going to have it figured out by the last week of 2012, or 2021 for that matter.  But I believe I am being called into a deeper realm of discipleship, one that demands more of my heart and soul, and my energy and money, be turned over for Christ's use.  I don't want to reach the end of life and be left wishing I had spent more time at the beginning figuring out what radical discipleship looks like in my life--I'd like to begin to figure it out now, so that by the the time I reach the end, whenever that may be, I know that I ran my race well, that while I failed, I did so attempting to worship God in all my efforts.  Maybe that means selling all and giving it to the poor, maybe it doesn't--I think the call is different for each of us--but it means giving all I have to Christ and letting him set the agenda.

  That is my prayer for 2012--that I make time to listen quietly to the Spirit's calling, and that I have the courage and humility to obey.

Thursday, January 5, 2012

1/5 E-Newsletter


Announcements

PotluckThis Sunday!

Snack PacksThis month we are collecting granola bars for the snack packs we are making for East Brainerd Elementary. Please bring in some every Sunday, that we may meet our goal of 250!

Free Wednesday SuppersThe next two Wednesdays will once again be free suppers for anyone who shows up. Please invite your friends, neighbors and casual acquaintances, whoever could use a free meal! Join us at 6.

New Hope News
The memorial service for Evelyn Piatt will be tomorrow at 11.

Pray for:
Mark Barber (Elsyilyn's husband), who is having problems with his vision

Peter Savard, for healing in his foot

Roger & Lynn Meyer

Links






Text for this Sunday

Luke 23:1-12

Jesus before Pilate

Then the assembly rose as a body and brought Jesus before Pilate.They began to accuse him, saying, ‘We found this man perverting our nation, forbidding us to pay taxes to the emperor, and saying that he himself is the Messiah, a king.’ Then Pilate asked him, ‘Are you the king of the Jews?’ He answered, ‘You say so.’ Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, ‘I find no basis for an accusation against this man.’ But they were insistent and said, ‘He stirs up the people by teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee where he began even to this place.’

Jesus before Herod

 When Pilate heard this, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. And when he learned that he was under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him off to Herod, who was himself in Jerusalem at that time. When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had been wanting to see him for a long time, because he had heard about him and was hoping to see him perform some sign. He questioned him at some length, but Jesus gave him no answer. The chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing him. Even Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him; then he put an elegant robe on him, and sent him back to Pilate. That same day Herod and Pilate became friends with each other; before this they had been enemies.



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Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Wednesday Morning

Holy, gracious, most high God,

  You are my King.  From the moment you spoke the world into being, you have not stopped creating by your awesome and righteous Word.  You shaped mountains out of dust and gave the seas their place, then filled them with fish of every color and size.  Trees sprouted at your command, and they give shade to birds that only your imagination could conjure.  Each corner of this globe became reality because of you.

  And now, these same corners are covered in sin because we have exercised our free will and turned from you.  I, too, am a sinful man, a selfish being who does not live in constant adoration of you.  At some point, the wonders of this world stopped bringing me to a place of awe, for I was too wrapped up in my own thoughts to offer myself to you.  Forgive me, Lord, for the shameless way that I have lived, believing that I am more important than you.  For such selfish choices, I repent.

  I repent with boldness, knowing that you are a God of grace.  You have made the choice to pour out forgiveness and grace before I even realized the depths of my sin--and your Spirit quickens my heart to recognize that you have a plan for my life.  You are making a way in the wilderness of my sin, a light in the repressive darkness, and directing my eyes and my feet.  Grant me the wisdom to submit before your Spirit, that the life I lead may be one that glorifies you and you alone.  As John says, may I decrease while you increase.

  May this day be an offering to you, one that brings pleasure to you, my God and King.

Amen