Sermon for July 1

Acts 8:26-40

Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch

 Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, ‘Get up and go towards the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.’ (This is a wilderness road.) So he got up and went. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning home; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. Then the Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go over to this chariot and join it.’ So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ He replied, ‘How can I, unless someone guides me?’ And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him. 

Now the passage of the scripture that he was reading was this:
‘Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter,
   and like a lamb silent before its shearer,
     so he does not open his mouth.
In his humiliation justice was denied him.
   Who can describe his generation?
     For his life is taken away from the earth.’ 

The eunuch asked Philip, ‘About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?’ Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture, he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus. As they were going along the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch said, ‘Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?’ He commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he was passing through the region, he proclaimed the good news to all the towns until he came to Caesarea. 

**********************

How many of you were in a hurry this morning?

How about last week?

Last month?

We've become a nation filled with people in a hurry. We hurry from one obligation to the next, running ourselves ragged because we're afraid we're not going to make it in time. We're in a hurry to get out the door in the morning, and then we're in a hurry to get home and get dinner on the table. In between we're going, going, going, and then only time we rest is when we crash into bed in the evening. Sound familiar? I'm waiting for the day I get to Caleb's daycare and realize that, in my rush to get out the door, I forgot to put him in his car seat and left him sitting on the living room floor. Rest assured, when that day happens, Rachel will NOT hear about it!

Friends, I've arrived at the place where I'm worried about our constant rush, for several reasons. The first is the obvious toll it takes on our bodies and our relationships. We're stressed out, and as a result we don't eat right, we don't sleep right, we don't rest well. We're exhausted, and then we get sick. Also, it sickens our relationships. We don't have the time and the energy to invest in our relationships, and while we promise to eventually catch up, we seldom do, and the distance between us grows, and our isolation increases. It's not healthy to be constantly rushing.

From a theological perspective, though, our rush is not good. It's not healthy spiritually for us to be going constantly, to rush from one thing to the next, day after day after day. God believes our rest is so important he dedicated 10% of the commandments to a call to rest. Sabbath is a constant theme running throughout the Bible, a call for us to slow down and exercise our trust in God by resting. When we fail to rest, we get out of touch with God.

Also, what happens when we're constantly rushing places is that we fail to notice what is going on that isn't directly in front of us. I want you to try a little experiment. Take your bulletin... and tear it in two. It's ok—I promise we'll have new ones next week. Tear it in two, and hold half of it on either side of your face. You can only see directly ahead of you—this will serve as an illustration of what happens when you're rushed, when you're going from place to place—you don't have the time or the energy to look around. All you can think about is yourself—surviving the current situation and making it to the next one. You lose track of the people around you. More importantly, you lose track of what God is doing around you—in your life and in the lives of others. You become so wrapped up in yourself that the rest of the world falls away.

This is a really big problem for American Christians—when we're so busy and we lose track of what God is doing in the world, we're completely disconnected from the heart of our faith. What we believe is that God's mission is to have the entire world worship him as Lord and Savior. What we believe is that God is constantly at work, in our lives, in our hearts, in the world. God is up to something. But when we're completely wrapped up in ourselves, we miss it.

Notice the pattern in today's Scripture reading—God is doing something, and Philip responds to it. It's God who leads Philip out to the wilderness road. It's God who calls Philip up to the eunuch's chariot. It's God who has been at work in the heart and mind of the eunuch, preparing him for this encounter with the eunuch. God is the principle actor in the story here, just as God is the principle actor in your story, in our story. It's God who is at work—we respond. The remarkable thing about this story is that Philip is so tuned in to paying attention to what God is doing that Philip is able to respond to the Holy Spirit's leadership. Philip is able to discern God's voice and follow his command, wherever it might lead. Even when God leads Philip out into the wilderness, Philip is so completely focused on following God that he finds the right thing to do. Philip is searching God's will, rather than his own. This isn't Philip's plan or his church growth strategy—he's simply obeying God's will by paying attention to the world. This isn't a man wrapped up in himself. As a result of Philip's outward-focused attention, the eunuch benefits.

This is the same pattern that Jesus followed in his teaching ministry. So many of the stories in the Gospels are based on interruptions. But rather than view them as disturbances to be ignored, Jesus welcomed them. He was busy paying attention to what was going on around him, so when opportunities for mission presented themselves, he was ready. He didn't breeze by them because he was too focused on where he was going—he was ready to serve whomever crossed his path, and in so doing the others benefited.

Our lifestyle needs to be the same. We need to slow down. We need to sit down, to take a deep breath, and examine our lifestyles. We're in such a hurry—rushing constantly from place to place, and for what? When do we rest? When do we take sabbath? When do we slow down enough to notice what God is doing in the world?

You may wonder what this has to do with outsiders. Friends, it has everything to do with outsiders. When we're rushing through life so quickly, we don't take the time to notice those who can't help us survive the day. We don't pay attention to the lives of those around us. We don't bother with anything but ourselves. We become selfish as a defense mechanism. When we slow down, we begin to notice more. We notice the people who surround us, and we begin to notice their needs, rather than just our own. We see how broken and hurting the people surrounding us are. It can be your neighbors, your friends, or even your spouse—we work ourselves into such a frenzy that we fail to notice anyone but ourselves, and we neglect the community with which God has surrounded us. We have to slow down and be like Philip—we need to be paying attention, to listening to what God is doing. It's not for our direct benefit—but it is how we serve others. It's not something to rush through, but a life of service is one in which we slow down and love each other, serve each other, and bother to pay attention to the needs of the people around us. In so doing, we reveal the resurrected Christ to them. Notice how Philip, in responding to the needs of the eunuch, leads him to Christ. We can do the same—but we have to slow down enough to notice the needs of the people around us.

Friends, our hectic way of life is only leading us farther from God. It is not good. We need to rest, to relax, to take the time to notice the beloved children of God around us. When we rush, we fail to notice anyone except those that are already on the inside, those who help us get through the day. Life isn't about winning the rat race, and there isn't some grand finish line with a ribbon across us. The Kingdom of God is already here—let's live by its way of life, by its pace, the one that values loving and serving our neighbors above getting ahead of them. Let's pay attention to what God is up to.

Let us pray  

6/29 E-News

Announcements

Hot Dogs!—Hard to believe, but the 4^th of July is Wednesday! To celebrate, we'll be having an informal hot dog cookout after church this Sunday. Plan to join us!

Family Camp—I know that Labor Day seems like a long way away, but we're already making plans for Family Camp at John Knox Center. We've got some exciting things planned for the year, so be sure to sign up early! Registration forms are in the Narthex.

VBS—It's almost that time! VBS will be from July 23-27.

New Hope News

Sermon Series—We've got four sermons left in the series What the New Testament says about... This week we're focusing on outsiders.

Sunday School—We'll explore Esther this Sunday @ 9:45.

Sunday Evening Prayer Service—We're back this week! 6:00

Pray for:

Lynn Meyer

David Smith

Links

A great article from Sunday's paper regarding a struggle with homosexuality

What would Jesus brew?

Is prayer at city council meetings coming to an end?

Want to get involved?

"Hours of playing on a smartphone can be just as effective at hiding God..."

One former health care employee talks about how his faith impacts his views on health insurance

Book Recommendation

I love biographies. There's something wonderful about having in-depth knowledge of people about whom I previously knew very little. I'd highly recommend a biography of David Livingstone, the Scottish missionary to Africa. His life is fascinating, and his devotion to Christ is inspiring. I've read David Livingstone: The Truth behind the Legend, (used copies can be had for $7. I wouldn't recommend paying $80 for it. It's not THAT good) but any reputable biography of Livingstone should challenge your own faith in exciting ways.

Random Thoughts

I've had all sorts of random thoughts over the past two weeks, and if I were to record them all it would be a bit wordy. It'd also probably be very boring.

I spent most of last week doing some serious housecleaning at mom's. I hauled several carloads of nothing but collapsed cardboard boxes to a recycling center. Just like most houses, there were things that had gotten put in a corner to store and ended up staying there for years. These things were no longer useful to anyone and needed to be thrown away—all they needed was someone to take the time to do it. Because of the busy-ness of life, it simply took years to get around to actually cleaning these things out.

It's a fairly simple analogy to make for our own spiritual lives—the difficult thing is to actually follow up on it. We all need to devote time to our inner life. It doesn't have to be an extensive process every day, but once or twice a year it is wise to set some time aside to spend retreating, focusing on the inner life, thinking about what kind of cleaning needs to be done—habits that need to be dropped, old routines that were lost that need to be re-discovered. Most of us think it's a good idea to set time aside to do this. I doubt that many of us actually follow through and do it.

It doesn't have to be a month spent at a mountain retreat. A day walking in the woods might be what works for you. Perhaps an overnight sojourn to a motel somewhere, or a weekend at home offered to God. Your spiritual cleaning and renewal could take any form—just let it form in your mind and take shape in your life, that it might be a gift to you going forward.

Text for Sunday, July 1

Acts 8:26-40

Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch

 Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, ‘Get up and go towards the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.’ (This is a wilderness road.) So he got up and went. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning home; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. Then the Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go over to this chariot and join it.’ So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ He replied, ‘How can I, unless someone guides me?’ And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him. 

Now the passage of the scripture that he was reading was this:
‘Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter,
   and like a lamb silent before its shearer,
     so he does not open his mouth.
In his humiliation justice was denied him.
   Who can describe his generation?
     For his life is taken away from the earth.’ 

The eunuch asked Philip, ‘About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?’ Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture, he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus. As they were going along the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch said, ‘Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?’ He commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he was passing through the region, he proclaimed the good news to all the towns until he came to Caesarea. 

NewHopeChattanooga.org

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Sermon for 6/17/2012

I am sure you are wondering why I didn't choose to do the sermon on being a parent today. Well, today's a special day for this married man. It's our anniversary. Which means that around 6:00 I'll have been married for six years, assuming that I don't tell too many embarrassing stories over the rest of this sermon. That's 2,190 days. Over 52,000 hours. Over 3,000,000 minutes. But who's counting?

In thinking about what passage to begin with when we talk about what the New Testament has to say about marriage, my thoughts immediately turned to Revelation. See, there's this part about a dragon with seven heads...

But in all seriousness, Revelation is all about God's love—it's about God emerging victorious over all the things in creation that oppose him. It's about love conquering all. If we're going to love others, we first need to love God and receive God's love, because our love originates in God's love. Our love points to God's love. Every act of love reflects, somewhat imperfectly, God's perfect love for us. 1 John talks about how God is love and that our love reveals God's love to the world.

Revelation concludes with an image that is very helpful for us as we think about marriage. Here now the words of Revelation 21:1-6.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.’

 And the one who was seated on the throne said, ‘See, I am making all things new.’ Also he said, ‘Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.’ Then he said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life.

It's amazing to think of Christ as the bride of the church, but that's exactly the way He is described here, and when we think about it, it's an image laced throughout the Bible. God chooses to marry the church—and from the moment he calls Abraham to leave behind his family and everything he knows to live in an eternal relationship with him alone, God has been nurturing this marriage, committed to us for all of time. And the commitment isn't just a promise that can be easily broken. It's something bigger than just a promise—it's a covenant. The language of covenant streams throughout the Bible, and Christ is described as the New Covenant, a renewal of vows of a sort. God re-commits to the church, changing the way that life is supposed to live out, but commiting all the same, regardless of whether or not we are perfect.

Think about this for a second—look back over the history of the church, and even the disciples, and we wonder what God was thinking. These are the people God has chosen to marry forever? We wonder why God didn't choose an organization, a people, more qualified and up to the task of being married to God. We wonder why God didn't hold out for someone better. We look at the church, then at Jesus, and we wonder why Jesus hasn't left us yet. We're not a very outstanding bunch.

But God has made a covenant, and God is committed to this covenant, regardless of our sin. In Matthew 26 Jesus is telling the disciples that they will abandon him, and he's making plans to be with them after his resurrection, even though they'll abandon him. He doesn't give up on them.

In the same way, we're called to make that kind of commitment to our marriages. It's not always going to be easy. We make a promise to love through better or worse, and we're called to live up to that commitment. Sometimes we may not feel like being married. Some days we may not like the person we're married to very much. But we don't give up the first time our partner makes a mistake, do we? We've made a big commitment, and we're called to live up to it.

Now, this doesn't mean that every marriage always works out. Trust me, I know. My parents divorced after over 30 years of marriage, and I was right there as the pieces were falling apart. I know that every marriage doesn't work out, and I know that this isn't the end of the world. It's a painful, difficult process, as some of you know. Just because a marriage doesn't work out doesn't mean that God gives up on us. Sometimes, for various reasons, these things don't work out. But in the midst of every trial and every difficulty that arises in marriage, we're called to commit to it, to strive to overlook faults and work for the marriage. We don't enter into the commitment with the knowledge that if things don't work out, then there is a way out. If God did that He would have abandoned the church a long time ago. Divorce should always be a last resort. Marriage takes work—and we have to be willing to overlook a lot of faults and recognize the huge size of the commitment if we're going to have faithful marriages.

Another thing Christ's commitment to the church reveals to us is the patience we need to have for one another. Think about Christ with the disciples—in Luke, during the Emmaus walk, Christ calls two of these particular disciples 'slow of heart'. Time and time again he grows frustrated with the disciples and their lack of understanding about what it means to follow God. He calls Peter 'Satan'! But he remains by their side, continuing to urge them to grow, even though this may be far slower than he would like.

In the same way, we need to remember to be patient with one another. The married life isn't a race. No judge will decide whether Rachel or I have won our marriage. We're committed to each other, in the hopes that each of us will grow throughout the process. I once heard of a person who was afraid to get married because they didn't want the other person to change. I hope Rachel does change, and I want to encourage her along the way as she grows. But this means that everything is not going to be a smooth process. There may be some rough patches—but if we're patient with one another, I think what comes out in the end is a beautiful relationship that can stand many challenges. But this takes a lot of patience.

Finally, Christ shows us that marriage demands selflessness. It's not about us. Think about Christ, emptying himself, taking on the form of a servant. Paul does the same thing, describing himself as a servant of the church. We, too, need to serve one another. For our love to be a true reflection of Christ's love, it has to be selfless. Christ didn't come to earth to enrich himself—he came to enrich his beloved, his bride, the church. We, too, have to focus on our spouses, on the other people in our relationships—and we need to love them selflessly, sacrificially. It's not about us. It's not about you. It's about the other, the marriage, and it's going to cost you something. There are things that you are not able to do in marriage out of consideration for your spouse. You'll have to give some things up. Rather than complaining about this or looking for a way out, remember that Christ gave his life for the sake of his beloved, the church. May we have the strength to do the same.

In all true acts of love, we are reflecting God's love for us. Our love should be the type of love that makes other people thirsty for God's love. Notice that the end of the reading from Revelation talks about how God will give the thirsty something to drink from the spring of the water of life. May our love be of the quality that directs others to God's love, that people see us and hunger for the love of God.

Let us pray

Beef--it's what's for dinner

  Yup, he's the cutest kid ever.

  Just an update from this week--Caleb's test at the hospital went fine.  And by fine, I mean they didn't find any obstructions in his intestines.  He did not appreciate the test.  Not one little bit.  We'll scratch that off the list of options for his first birthday party.  They said he has some reflux, but they don't see any other problems.  As to what that means about him throwing up rice cereal, I have no idea.  I guess we'll just wait and see...

6/14 E-News

Announcements

Bridal Shower—The church will celebrate with Elea Geerlings next Saturday, June 23^rd, from 2-4 in the McMillan Building.

Family Camp—I know that Labor Day seems like a long way away, but we're already making plans for Family Camp at John Knox Center. We've got some exciting things planned for the year, so be sure to sign up early! Registration forms are in the Narthex.

VBS—It's almost that time! VBS will be from July 23-27.

New Hope News

Sermon Series—This Sunday we'll begin a two month sermon series on what the New Testament has to say regarding different topics. This week we'll tackle relationships.

Sunday School—We'll explore Nehemiah this Sunday @ 9:45.

Sunday Evening Prayer Service—Canceled for the next two weeks.

Pray for:

Lynn Meyer

David Smith

Darryl Brock

Links

Finding your purpose (This is the best article I've read in some time.)

Hopefully, this will make you think.

Can Jesus be separated from religion?

Some thoughts on time

Book Recommendation

Feel overwhelmed? What if I told you it was possible to live a simpler life? I know—it sounds too good to be true. Each of us longs for things to be simpler, to be single-mindedly focused on Christ as Lord of all. I don't pretend that it is easy—it if was, we'd all be living the ideal life. But I believe it is possible for us to simplify. Richard Foster has written a great little book called Freedom of Simplicity (used copies abound) to help us along the way. I'm about 2/3 of the way through it, and it's a great little volume to encourage us to take seriously the call of discipleship.

Random Thoughts

So this Sunday is my first Father's Day. In eight shorts months, I have learned quite a bit about being a parent. Caleb has also learned quite a bit about my parenting, too. You can tell this because every time I pick him up he looks around for mom to save him!

There's something incredible about the love a parent has for a child. It changes the way I understand unconditional love. I'm not sure there are adequate words to explain exactly how this change has taken place, but I know that from the moment Caleb was born, I have loved him more immensely than I ever thought possible. His every smile brings joy to my heart, and when he is hurting my very soul aches for him. I pray that he will grow to be faithful, that he will be good, that he will wander down the road of Christian maturity far more wisely than I.

In all of this, I begin to see more clearly the love of our Father in heaven. His love has no bounds, no edge, no bottom. It is as boundless as he, and we will never reach the limits. He has told us that hell itself shall not prevent his love from being separated from us. He, too, longs for us to choose the faithful path, as hard as it may be. His love is willing to go to such an extent that his own Son was not too high a price to show us his love, to demonstrate his willingness to sacrifice. I believe God's own heart aches as he sees our sin and the human brokenness that is a result of it. God could very well have created the oceans through tears shed at the thought of our neglect of his Lordship over life.

But God does not abandon us, even in our sin. Jesus knew the disciples would abandon him in the hour of his arrest, and yet even then he was making provisions to meet them after his resurrection. (Matt. 26:32) The invitation to an embrace of God's love is always standing. What it takes on our part is the courage and humility to come and bow low before the throne, accepting his love and grace as something we can never earn, and allowing that love to light our path.

In the same way that Caleb does not have to earn my love, I do not have to earn God's love. It is a free gift. May my choices be made in light of that gift, and may I turn back to God and shout songs of love with my whole heart.

Text for Sunday, June 17

Revelation 21:1-6

The New Heaven and the New Earth

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.’

 And the one who was seated on the throne said, ‘See, I am making all things new.’ Also he said, ‘Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.’ Then he said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life.



NewHopeChattanooga.org

New Hope on Facebook & Twitter

New Hope on iTunes

Keith's Blog & Devotionals for your Kindle

Caleb's big day

  Being a parent requires coming to terms with helplessness.  I don't like it, but I don't have much choice in the matter.  Every little cough is a reminder of the fact that I can do nothing to cure him physically.  Rachel and I usually look at each other with faces full of pity each time he coughs, wishing we could wipe away every illness from his body.  But we can't...

  This point is being driven home rather forcefully right now.  Caleb had a tough time with rice cereal when he first started with it, and at the time we simply assumed that he hated rice cereal.  The doctor wasn't concerned about it, and considering the way the stuff tastes, I couldn't really blame him for throwing it back up.

  But then the sweet potatoes started coming back up.  That could just be an allergy, right?

  He's continued to struggle with solid food.  We tried rice cereal again, because he needed the iron, but it came right back up.  As new parents, we had always held onto the dream that nothing would be wrong, that his infancy would have nothing more than a cold or a stomach virus here or there.

  But tomorrow morning he goes to Children's Hospital to have his intestines x-rayed to see if there isn't some bigger explanation for his problems with solid food.  It's probably nothing, they say... but just to be sure.  It's probably food allergies.  Probably.

  Again, we can do nothing.  Nothing but sit and wait, sit and hope.  I try not to worry... but helplessness lends itself well to worrying.

  How is Caleb doing, you ask?  Clearly, he's worried:

Nehemiah's Occupation

  I've struggled with knowing what to make of the Occupy movement.  I've written about it in the past, and I'm still not sure entirely how to think about it.  In many ways, I hope their call to accountability and the hope of corporations thinking not purely in terms of profits are heeded and help transform the way businesses view their responsibilities.  If corporations are going to be viewed as individuals with the right to free speech and affect elections in such powerful ways, I hope they begin to think like individuals in the way they love and care for their neighbors.  Obviously, corporations have no ability to think, but if the individuals that run them begin to wonder about how they might help transform society for the better, some amazing things might happen.

  As I was preparing my Bible study on Nehemiah, I couldn't help but linger over Nehemiah 5.  To set the scene a little, Nehemiah has left his position as cup-bearer to the king, a position of importance that would have  granted him considerable influence over the Persian king.  This is no easy position to give up, but Nehemiah felt called to lead the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem, and so he has gone to Jerusalem, organized the work and thwarted plans to derail the effort.

  Then, in Nehemiah 5, there is an outcry of the people against their own kin.  A food shortage has caused many of the people to enter into overwhelming debt.  They have pledged their houses in order to get grain, giving up their fields and their vineyards in order to survive.  They mortgaged the future out of pressure to survive today.  They borrowed money to pay their taxes, and they have sold their children into slavery in the hopes of raising the money needed to survive.  The mood in the nation is fear, anger, distrust.

  Does any of this sound familiar?  How many people have mortgaged the future in the hopes of surviving the present?  Aren't many individuals angry with those to whom they are in debt, feeling like they are being taken advantage of?  How many don't believe that the system works, that the rich get richer while those at the bottom hope to merely eke out an existence?  How many children have had their hopes and dreams dashed because parents cannot get by?

  What did Nehemiah do?

  He got angry.

  He went to the nobles and officials and said, "The thing that you are doing is not good.  Should you not walk in the fear of our God, to prevent the taunts of the nations our enemies?  Moreover I and my brothers and my servants are lending them money and grain.  Let us stop this taking of interest.  Restore to them, this very day, their fields, their vineyards, their olive orchards, and their houses, and the interest on money, grain, wine, and oil that you have been exacting from them." (Neh. 5:9-11)

  Nehemiah was angry because he felt like people were taking advantage of others.  It was against the law to charge interest, but it was not illegal to take pledges.  Nehemiah isn't charging the people with breaking the law--he's telling that it is not good.  It is not good for the individuals, and it is not good for the nation.  Change is needed.

  Remember, too, that Israel is called to be a model to the world, to demonstrate how God's people should live.  How they live, how they interact, should show the Lordship of God to the rest of the world.  Nehemiah believes that their enemies, other nations, will look upon these practices and not see a people worshiping God and, as a result, not have much respect for God.

  The people in this case respond.  They see the wisdom of Nehemiah's argument and promise to "restore everything and demand nothing more from them."  And then they do as they promised.

  So what does this mean for today's world?  What does it mean for the church?

  I think the first step is to discover our voices as Christians.  How do we find the structures in our society that are destroying hope, that are crushing dreams, that are leaving the people lost, broken and afraid, and how do we say "This is not good"?  What does that look like for the church?  How do we go out and meet our neighbors, discovering what the ills of society are and paying attention to the ways they are contributing to the breakdown of our society?  What does it look like for the church to focus more on serving those who are crushed under the wheels of 'progress' than it does on enriching itself?

  And then how do we model the type of love we want all of society to show?

  Nehemiah was a generous man.  He wasn't all talk.  Nehemiah 5:14-19 illustrates how Nehemiah lived his own message with integrity.  He stopped taking an allowance and refused any benefit that might hurt the people.  He didn't want to enrich himself while others suffered.  He didn't want the poor to pay for his lavish lifestyle.  He rolled up his sleeves and worked.

  Let each of us do the same, with humility and integrity.  May we lead a life in which we look for the places in society where unfair practices are exploiting others, and may we step in with our own lifestyles and offer help.  May we roll up our sleeves and get to work, restoring hope in society, pointing to God's love in all we do.  May we follow Nehemiah's example and call attention to the places in society that are not good, and may we do so with integrity, engaging our hearts and minds in God's mission in the world.

Sermon on Money

When it comes to money, we like simplicity, right? There are countless products in the world that offer to manage money for us, to make it simple to have a budget, keep a budget, and know when we're going over budget. Part of what makes paying taxes so frustrating is the complications involved in it—the tax code is over seven times longer than the Bible. We want it to be simple.

When it comes to Biblical teachings about money, we want that to be simple, too. We want a blanket statement that will help us manage our money faithfully. That's what makes the tithe such a great thing—it's simple—10%, off the top, don't have to think about it. Done.

The thing is that it's never simple with Christianity, especially when it comes to money. See, once we make something a rule, we're trending back towards legalism, and Christ has fulfilled the law, set us free from it, since the Law cannot save us. In exchange, Christ asks for us to give our hearts and minds over to him. This requires a lifetime's worth of effort, of dying to ourselves daily, of giving a full life over to God. It's not easy. Maybe it looks simple from the outside, but it's quite complicated on the inside. Christianity demands total discipleship, and even when it comes to money, it's not simple. The tithe can be a wonderful thing, but it shouldn't be a law that you have to follow, because then we've legislated the joy and the heart out of the thing. How we deal with money is intimately connected with what kind of faith we have—a joyous faith rooted in gratitude that sees all of life as a gift, or a faith in which we're looking for the easy way out, for the simple solution to our questions.

Let's just take a quick overview of some of the New Testament's teachings about money.

In Matthew 19, a rich young ruler comes before Jesus and asks him how to obtain eternal life. In response, Jesus tells him to sell everything he has, give the money to the poor, and follow him.

So we can rightly assume that everything is to be sold and given to the poor, right?

Well, in Matthew 26 a woman anoints Jesus with some very costly perfume, and the disciples ask Jesus why this wasn't sold so the money could be given to the poor. Jesus replies by stating that this woman has performed a good service for Jesus.

So we can then make an exception to our rule, allowing us to use some things for worship, right?

Well, there is the story of Zaccheaus in Luke 19. Following his conversion, he gives half of his possessions to the poor, also promising to recompense anyone he has defrauded. Jesus takes the opportunity to announce that salvation has come to his house.

So we get to keep half, right?

Well, there was the case of the landowner in Matthew 20 who kept hiring workers throughout the day, clearly indicating that he had quite a bit of money since he could be so generous with it. And even our rich fool in Luke 12 doesn't seem to be reprimanded for having full barns, rather for choosing to not be satisfied with the barns he has. And what do we do with Joseph of Arimathea, one of the few heroes of Good Friday, who was a wealthy man also described as a disciple of Jesus?

So it's a mess, right?

Well, it's only a mess if you're looking for a blanket rule, one flat thing you can apply to everyone in every situation. If that's what you want than yes, this is a mess. But when we set our desire for rules aside and see what Jesus is trying to teach us, than we actually see something beautiful that transcends rules, that treats us like mature individuals, that expects something far bigger from us than a mere toeing of the line.

Think back to when you were learning to write. Each of us had to learn first how to hold a pencil. Now, the teacher probably had a time of general teaching of instructing everyone on how best to hold a pencil, but then the teacher had to go around to every single student and correct the way they held a pencil. Each of us got something wrong, and we all probably got a different thing wrong—we each needed individual instruction, and only then were we free to write—and each of us wrote something completely different.

Jesus is the same way in his instruction with money. Each of us holds money a little differently—but we each hold it wrongly, and so Jesus has to come to each of us and offer instruction. Jesus issues some general guidelines, but we all need correction, but we don't all need the same correction, or the same rule. Some people spend too freely, while some hoard money. Some try to purchase security with money, while others try to buy happiness. We each have our flaws.

And Jesus comes to each of us a little differently. To some, there is an instruction to leave it all behind, while some need to give half, while still others may not need to give as much. The purpose of all of this is for each of us to be single-mindedly focused on Christ. This is the goal of our life—to be disciples with a singular focus on Christ and how we can partake in his mission in the world. To the extent that money interferes with our focus, we need to root it our tirelessly. Money itself isn't the sin—it's the love of it, and this is what we need to avoid. There's nothing wrong with having money—the sin comes from falling in love with it, with trying to purchase security and love with it, when those things actually can only come from God.

We believe that all money, like all things in life, is a gift from God. The money you make when you work is earned thanks to the gifts God has given you, so even this is a gift. How, then, can we be good stewards of this money?

I'd like to begin with an example. Rich Mullins was a songwriter some years ago—he wrote the song Awesome God. Now, if I wrote the song Awesome God and received royalties from it, I'd probably go buy a large house with a fancy car. What did Rich do? He told his accountant he needed $24,000 each year, and instructed his accountant to give the rest to his church and to various charities. Believe me, he earned far more than $24,000 a year. But he knew what he needed, and the rest was merely an opportunity to share his blessings with others. Who knows how many lives were touched by his generosity?

I think it would be wise for each and every one of us to follow his example. We don't have to follow it to the letter, but I'd recommend you sit down and write down how much money you need each month, each year, to live on. The number will be different for each of us, as we'll define our needs differently. Think for a moment about what's on the list—do you really need those things? Or have you just become accustomed to them?

After doing this, see what's left over. Maybe there is nothing left over and you have to consider some serious changes to your cost of living. If you do have something left over, what are you going to do with this blessing? Many of us are tempted to save or spend all of it, and I don't want to dissuade you from saving and spending some of it. It's just as easy to be obsessed with not having too much money as it is with having great wealth. The danger is investing our energy in thinking too much about money and letting this tool ruin our lives. It's just a tool—think back to our pencil analogy. When you sit down to write something, how much time do you spend contemplating the writing instrument? None, probably. You're focused on the story. In the same way, when you spend your time thinking about money, you're focusing on the tool, rather than the story you should be telling—and that story should be a love story in which you're constantly growing in your love for God, and seeking to share that love with others. Money is a tool that can help you do that—if you have money left over, how can you share this blessing? Maybe you give it to a charity or to a needy individual. Maybe you invest it in a great feast, a party to bring together friends, neighbors and family. Maybe you travel and seek out beauty or Sabbath rest. Maybe you do save some of it for the future. Maybe you go buy a nice dinner and enjoy the gift of good food. I'd recommend the tithe—not as a lawful way to earn God's love, but as a challenge, to strive to share your blessings, to see how many ways you can spread God's love. Giving money to charity, to church, is important—it makes a statement about what we value, and it demonstrates our trust in God to provide for us. In charitable giving we display our gratitude—but let's also be sure that we don't just give money, that the money we give to charity leads us to give time, to give love as well.

The point is that we don't try to purchase security with our money—that we see it as a gift from God, that we don't fall in love with it, because if we do, it will not love us back. It will try and take over our minds to the point that we become double-minded. We will lose our singular focus on Christ and focus on money. Let's see money as a tool to advance the kingdom of God.

In all things, let's remember that money cannot purchase security. The rich fool tried to do this, but God reminded him that money cannot buy this. Our true security comes from God. This is exactly what Jesus was teaching the disciples when he sent them out with precious little—they needed to learn to depend on God to provide, often through others. Trusting God can be a scary thing—it's far easier to trust ourselves, to trust money saved in the bank. But we will fail. That money cannot save us. Only God can save us in the face of life's biggest questions, so we need to trust completely in God, and when we do so, we will see money as a gift to be shared, as an opportunity to spread the Good News of God's kingdom.

Let us pray

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What difference does the resurrection make to you?


 

Sermon on Parenting

Luke 11:9-13

 ‘So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for a fish, will give a snake instead of a fish? Or if the child asks for an egg, will give a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!’

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As of today, I have been a parent for exactly 8 months. Which means I am not completely unqualified to give a sermon about what the New Testament has to say about being a parent. Only mostly unqualified, as I am in the enviable position of being able to meet almost all of my child's needs and wants without much trouble. Caleb doesn't know much beyond the desire to eat, sleep, and be stimulated by sticking any and every nearby object into his mouth. He knows nothing of turmoil and chaos, except for the chaos he might cause by deciding not to sleep at the time when Rachel and I encourage such behavior. He has never met a person who does not love him unconditionally, and the world is a wondrous and exciting place. The reports he hears on the radio of violence and strife mean as little to him as my desperate pleas for him to go to sleep. Parenting, for this father, is nothing compared to the tribulations of a parent with a child constantly asking questions, or a teenager, or even an adult child, for I know that you never stop worrying about your children. All that changes is what you worry about. The parent of an infant worries about their child when they sleep. The parent of an adult worries about their child when they're awake. It's all worry and love, love and worry.

What we're here to talk about today is what the New Testament has to say about parenting, what we can learn. Not that the Old Testament isn't valid and filled with instructions and wisdom. It is. We just needed a particular window, and the New Testament will serve as that window. And this also doesn't mean that those of you without children can tune this out, because when the church makes promises in the baptism of a child, the entire church promises to help raise that child up, and that includes biological parents and everyone else. Each of you has a responsibility to each and every child that has been baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. So we're all parents, in some manner. Let's see what we can learn. We're not going to cover everything, and I doubt we'll even manage to scrape the surface of what we can learn, but I think it's worth our time.

I chose this passage from Luke to begin with because I think it describes perfectly our role as parents. It begins with our imperfections—or, as Jesus describes it, our evil nature. Jesus is talking about how imperfect we are, and yet even in our imperfections, even when we let sin reign in our lives, we occasionally get things right. Maybe not all the time, but more often than not, we get it right. Jesus is telling us that we know how to give good gifts to our children. What we do as parents is a reflection of what God does for us—as God is a loving parent to us, giving us good gifts that we don't always deserve, that we haven't earned, so do we pour out love and affection on our children, even if they haven't earned it. We don't tell our children that we'll love them if they are good—we love them in the hopes that they will learn about love from us and be good in response. Just as Jesus calls us to model his love, we try to live a loving witness and hope that our children will also be loving children.

But just like Jesus can't ultimately control us, we can't control our children. We can't will them to make the right choices, and we can't draw up a design for their lives. I can't make sure that Caleb never does the wrong thing, and I know that there will be moments when I'll be stunned by some dumb choice that he makes. I won't stop loving him, but I'll be disappointed in him.

But just because I know he'll make wrong choices doesn't mean I have the ability to stop trying to make him choose the right things. One of the parent's most important responsibilities is the opportunity to teach a child the difference between right and wrong. We begin early, by teaching kids to share and be polite. It becomes more complicated as kids grow older and the world around them becomes more complicated—we try to keep our kids from being prejudiced, from falling in with the wrong crowd, from choosing things that are not right. It's a constant struggle, especially as the world around us changes—Caleb will face different situations than I did when I was a kid, and I have the responsibility to teach him how to react to that, how to decide what is wrong and what is right. For all of these situations, I have Scripture to fall back on—Jesus is constantly teaching us how to live, how to love, how to treat others, insiders and outsiders. He's teaching us to be compassionate, to be graceful, and yet not to be afraid to name wrongs, to point out the errors of others. Listen to the way he describes the Pharisees:

Matthew 23:23-28

23 ‘Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. It is these you ought to have practised without neglecting the others. 24You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel!
25 ‘Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup,*so that the outside also may become clean.
27 ‘Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which on the outside look beautiful, but inside they are full of the bones of the dead and of all kinds of filth. 28So you also on the outside look righteous to others, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

That sounds a bit like an exasperated parent, doesn't it? We often paint Jesus as an opponent of the Pharisees, when the reality is more like a parent of teenagers—Jesus is trying to get the Pharisees to change, but the Pharisees think they know everything, and so Jesus stops using nice and polite language and confronts them, explaining to them that they are wrong. They are not called to live like they think—their hearts and minds are supposed to be focused on God, when their hearts and minds are focused on themselves. Jesus is trying to open their eyes that how they are living is wrong, and that the right path is to follow Jesus. One of our biggest responsibilities is to teach our kids right and wrong—they won't always choose rightly, but they should know the difference. We aren't supposed to teach them to do what feels right, to do whatever makes them happy—happiness is our not our end goal. Faithfulness is, and that will often mean going against the grain, and might make them unpopular. Discipleship can be a difficult road to walk. Teaching your kids about right and wrong won't always be easy—they may not like you for some of the lessons. That's ok—kids don't need parents to be their best friends. Jesus and the Pharisees hardly sound like they were best friends—but some of the Pharisees heard the message. In Luke 7, Jesus goes to eat dinner with a Pharisee. John 3, probably the most famous chapter of the Bible, occurs when Nicodemus, a Pharisee, goes to visit Jesus by night. Just because Jesus wasn't always nice to the Pharisees, trying to make them feel good, doesn't mean that he wasn't serving like a parent. He was trying to disciple them, not friend them.

Speaking of discipleship, the most important thing we can do as parents is to set an example for our children by living with integrity. Children learn far more from what they see than what they hear, and that can either be a frightening thing for us or it can be exciting. If we're living our faith with integrity, we will pass on a faith to our children by our actions. If all we do is talk about our faith, and it isn't real for us between Sundays, then it is doubtful that their faith will be robust. What example will they have to follow? The disciples followed Jesus everywhere—they learned by watching him interact with others just as they learned by listening to him teach. Your children are watching you—and they'll mimic everything you do. What will your actions preach?

Listen to 2 Timothy 1:5: I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you.

Sounds like Timothy's faith is something that has been passed down from one family member to the next—and it's a sincere faith. Timothy learned it at his mother's knee, and she learned it from her mother. These women have left legacies—not because they set out to lead famous lives, not because they hoped to have famous children—but they wanted to raise children who had integrity, who had faith, and their own sincere faith was passed along.

So let your own faith be sincere—it's the best gift you can give your child, and it's a gift you give by living out your own faith, each and every day. Be honest about your failings, and be humble about your success. And in all things, point to God above, for your children will see this, and they'll begin to imitate you. Be sure that your own life is worthy of imitation. This doesn't mean that children will not stray, that they will be the type of adults we want them to be—but it means that we do everything we can to help them grow into a life of faith and integrity.

There are tons of ways to pass faith along to children. One thing we can learn from the Mormons is that they are required to have a time of family devotions each week. I don't think it'd be a bad idea for each family in our church to do daily devotions, or to set aside some time each week to discuss faith and how we live it out. It gives us one more way to teach our children faith. It's also important that we pray together, for how else will our children learn how to pray? Jesus taught the disciples how to pray—let us follow his example and teach our young disciples how to pray.

I will not pretend to be an expert on raising children. I will make mistakes. My child will do things I will wish he had not. I will love him anyway.

In the same vein, I will do things Jesus Christ wishes I had not. I will choose the wrong thing. Thankfully, Jesus promises to love me anyway. May we do everything we can to reflect that love to the world.

Let us pray.