The Livonia Preacher

Lesson #1: The Christian and Politics

2008-10-29T14:33:00.000-07:00

Who’s in charge here?
Rom 13:1-2; Dan 4:17

These next several weeks in my sermons I will be dealing with a sensitive and dangerous topic, politics. It is dangerous because people’s emotions and feelings run high during times like this. We are told this is a monumental election but then we are told that every four years. The hype, the excitement, the anxiety have been building for months and essentially each party, each candidate tries to make you believe that voting them will change the world and their opponent winning will bring the apocalypse. This series will not be about me telling you how to vote in the up coming elections but we will be looking at a Christian perspective on this process. We will be discussing how we should act toward our government and others who disagree with us.

I. God’s Purpose
As we look at the concept of governments we see something of God’s purposes. Scripture tells us, “For God is not a God of disorder but of peace.” (1 Corinthians 14:33) We see this in creation with its order and predictability. There are basic laws that govern nature and our ability to learn those laws have improved our lives.

The same is true in how we organize ourselves as human beings. As we study scripture we see increasing complexity in government. We see tribal cultures and rule by kings. That is very different than how we organize governments today. Nation states control every part of the world. Some are democratic republics, some have monarchies, and some are theocracies. But the basic tasks of government are the same, to provide a safe environment for their people to live their lives with a measure of security and safety.

While there are many examples of this let’s use one that impacts everyone here, traffic laws. People complain about the speed limit, long traffic lights and on and on. And we are free to complain as long as we obey and for good reason, the laws are there to make the roads safe for all. Have a close call at a stoplight as someone disobeys the law and you will be shouting for stricter enforcement. Those laws and the process of enforcement are part of the role of government and a good role it is. Without the law, without the police and courts our streets would become chaos. I’ve lived in places like that and it is no fun. The stress of driving becomes unbelievable.

This is just an illustration of the God ordained role of government in our lives. Government is the way God works to bring order to the world. God wants us to have good government but we also live in a world afflicted by sin and so bad government is also present. At times we see corruption, greed and arrogance among those who rule. So how does this impact our relationship to government?

II. God’s Hand
Daniel lived under a completely totalitarian government. King Nebuchadnezzar had total power over his kingdom and millions of people. As free Americans we bridle at the thought of living under such conditions and yet Daniel and thousands of other Jews discovered ways to live out their faith. In the process Daniel helped King Nebuchadnezzar to come to know a little bit about Yahweh who made the heavens and the earth. The king wrote concerning a vision he received, “The decision is announced by messengers, the holy ones declare the verdict, so that the living may know that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes and sets over them the lowliest of men.” (Daniel 4:17) The picture here is one common through much of history as a king grants position and territory to those under him. No matter what King Nebuchadnezzar thought, God had given him his kingdom and God was going to take it away from him for a time to teach him a lesson and then give it back to him again. God does this within his will and purpose.

Paul wrote during his day, “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” (Romans 13:1) Pagan leaders led Rome, some who demanded to be worshipped as gods yet Paul wrote these words to Christians. I don’t think Paul was indifferent to those leaders but he recognized that they were fulfilling God given responsibilities even though they did not know God.

Who chooses our president? The media will tells us this group or that group was key in helping the president win. But as a Christian I believe God is sovereign and “gives them to anyone he wishes.”

III. How Do We Live?
This brings us to a real dilemma; does God put evil leaders in place? Here we come up against a problem that may make us angry with God. Why does a Hitler, or a Stalin or some other dictator come on our world scene to produce such evil? Were they worse than Nebuchadnezzar whom Daniel faithfully served for decades? Paul called on Christians to submit to a Roman authority that put Jesus to death and would eventually put Paul and many other Christians to death.

This stuff gives me a headache and it will you too if you try to figure it out. One of the wisest people who every lived wrote these words, “No one can comprehend what goes on under the sun. Despite all his efforts to search it out, man cannot discover its meaning. Even if a wise man claims he knows, he cannot really comprehend it.” (Ecclesiastes 8:17) I hate to admit it but this beyond me, beyond people a lot smarter than me too, even it they won’t admit it.

So do we become apathetic fatalists in the face of God’s sovereignty? I don’t think so. God has given us the responsibility of living and choosing in the area of politics. We live in a country and society where we do have a voice, one that was not available to people of earlier ages. So we vote, we make choices that I hope are honest and informed. We should be doing that right now and I don’t mean through the junk emails that unfortunately get forwarded to us. I’m not even sure how helpful TV news is. I suggest you read what the candidates are saying about what they hope to do with the understanding that it rarely gets done as they state they want. Don’t allow their opponents to tell you what the other person is saying or believes.

But we also need to calm ourselves. God is in control of our election. The world will not end if your candidate loses and the world is not necessarily going to change for the better if your candidate wins. While we try to elect good people to rule us our trust and security is not in the president or congress or the courts or the military, it is in God, the maker of heaven and earth who is sovereign over the nations.

Let us pray for our nation and this election.

Livonia Church of Christ September 14, 2008

Lesson #2: The Christian and Politics

2008-10-29T14:23:00.000-07:00

How Would Jesus Vote?
Matt 4:8-11; Jn 18:33-37; 19:7-16

A few weeks ago I was reading an editorial in one of the papers. This person was making the argument that if Martin Luther King Jr. were living today he wouldn’t vote for Barak Obama. I thought the whole thing was rather strange, to think that you could know the mind of a person dead for forty years. Of course they are not around to contradict you either.

I. Jesus and Politics
How would Jesus vote? The question is of course ridiculous. The modern concept of elections and voting, while based in ancient Greece was extremely limited even in Greece. But besides that point is the fact that Jesus had a particular view of worldly powers.
Jesus first experience with political powers took place around his birth. A group of philosopher-mystics called magi came looking for Jesus as a result of their study of the heavens and possibly Jewish prophecy. Their search so upset a paranoid King Herod that he murdered dozens of innocent baby boys in an attempt to kill Jesus.

While Jesus would not have remembered the incident his parents surely did and he probably was told the story as he grew older. How would it make you feel to know a powerful king tried to assassinate you and that only intervention of angels saved your life? That was an early lesson in how politics works. People in power will often do almost anything to protect that power. The death of innocents is often the price paid for power.

The second incident where we see Jesus dealing with the political system is before his ministry begins with the temptation in the wilderness. We read, “Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. ‘All this I will give you,’ he said, ‘if you will bow down and worship me.’” (Matthew 4:8-9) It is interesting that Jesus doesn’t dispute the devil’s power to do this. This really does mix things up when we consider what we studied a couple of weeks ago that God raises up rulers and casts them down as he pleases. This whole thing about government is more complicated than we realize.
But what is Jesus being offered? It is a way that didn’t include a cross for one thing. What would you choose? Power, wealth, glory, a name in the history books or a horrible tortured death on a cross? Jesus was also being offered authority to rule. No need to persuade people, no rejection because if you have the power people can’t reject you. No need for people to love you, they just have to respect and obey you.

I could think of a lot of reasons to say yes to this offer but it required disobedience to one, just one command, to worship only God. I wonder how this temptation worked? Was it visions about what existed or what could be if Jesus said, “Yes”? Did Jesus see what awaited him if he chose the cross? I don’t know but I do know Jesus rejected the offer and so set his feet on the path to the cross. Jesus knew how tempting the path of power was but he also knew where that path ended and it was not with the Father.

Not too long into Jesus’ ministry he received another lesson, his cousin John the Baptist was arrested and later killed on the whim of the King. There is every indication that Jesus was upset by this murder. I don’t think it was just the death of John but the senseless killing of a man of God. The reality is that when you live and speak for God in opposition to the world and its powers you will face persecution.

Jesus later faced a political question when asked, “Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” (Matthew 22:17) The question was trap to destroy his credibility with the people or paint him as a rebel against Rome. His answer, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's,” (Matthew 22:21) was totally unexpected as Jesus recognized the authority of Rome but also our obligation to God.

Jesus last interaction with the political structures of the day took place on the day of his trial. Jesus stood before Pilate to be judged and either live or die. I don’t believe Pilate was necessarily a bad person but whatever his personal feelings he followed the road of political expediency. Pilate asked Jesus a number of questions, “Are you the king of the Jews?” “What is it you have done?” “What is truth?” “Where do you come from?” “Don't you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?” Jesus knows how this dialog is going to turn out. He even shows some sympathy for Pilate by telling him his sin in this matter is not as bad as those who handed him over. Eventually, in spite of Pilate’s maneuvering Jesus is condemned and crucified.

Jesus says several things in this dialog but two are important concerning government and politics. First, Jesus is a king but his kingdom is not of this world, meaning the physical world. Pilate seems comfortable with this statement and is ready to release Jesus. Jesus presented no direct threat to Roman power. Jesus’ kingdom was not a political kingdom.
Second, Jesus recognized that Pilate’s power and authority was given from above, that is from God. I don’t think this is an endorsement of Pilate himself as it is of the position of authority that Pilate occupied.

So how interested was Jesus in the political dealings of his own people and Rome? He was aware of his world and what was going on but Jesus was focused on other things, things that had eternal importance.

II. How Would Jesus Vote?
How would Jesus vote? I don’t know and I suggest we need to be cautious of anyone who says that they know. Would Jesus vote? I don’t know, I suppose he might but then again he might not. His attention was on a kingdom that is not of this world. Would he be any more interested in our political shenanigans that he was in his own day?

Jesus walked lightly through this world. He didn’t own any property. He never had much money. He didn’t hold any office religious, political or otherwise. He never married or had children. In terms of what the world finds important Jesus should be a forgotten man except for one thing, he changed the world like no other person has ever done.

What does all of this say to us? We live and work in a physical world and so we own homes, have jobs and families, we might even hold political office or work for or be those in authority. But Jesus tells us to hold these things lightly because they will all pass away. We love the United States but some day, if Jesus does not return, the United States will be no more. People will study about us like we study about the Romans. We cannot imagine such a day but people of Jesus’ day could not imagine a world without Rome.

Paul wrote this to a church that probably had a number of Roman citizens in it, “Their mind is on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 3:19-20) So live, work, have families, vote, participate in our communities and our nation but remember what is really important, what is eternal.

Livonia Church of Christ September 21, 2008

Lesson #3: The Christian and Politics

2008-10-29T14:14:00.000-07:00

How Do We Decide?
Rom 13:8-10

We are about a month away from our election. There will be more and more media vying for our attention trying to influence our vote. There are a lot of things I don’t like about this time of year, the incessant phone calls, and the attack ads by both sides, and every attempt to influence how I will vote. But this raises an important question, how do we decide? It is not just who to vote for but what to vote for. Every election has issues that call for us to vote.

I. Influences
This past week I read about a number of church leaders who are coming out very publicly for a particular candidate. Those church leaders are trying to influence how people in their communities vote. One pastor even said that to vote for the opposing candidate is to question whether you are a Christian or not. I am not going to tell you whom to vote for so you can quit asking. I do want us to think about how we will decide how to vote.

Where you stand in the world has a lot to do with how you view an election like this, what influences you to vote in a particular way. So what will influence you? For some it will be the race of the candidates. Some will vote for Barak Obama because he is African-America and others will refuse to vote for him for the same reason. It is amazing that in a country that has in its declaration of independence that “all men are created equal” (and women too) that race is such a large issue to many. If you don’t think it is a factor then ask the person who had his Obama signs spray-painted with swastikas. Hopefully this is not a factor for Christians but I confess it probably is for some.

Another big influence that raised its head this past week is the economy. Dire predictions of doom and gloom filled the airways this past week. People have always considered economic factors in whom they vote for. Will this person raise or lower my taxes? Will they help or hurt my business, my job? Those are important questions but we need to remember what people say and what people do are often not the same. But still people vote for those who promise to help them economically.

In this election the war in Iraq and Afghanistan is big for many of us. What should the nation do? Should we try and disengage from these conflicts or continue to pursue them? No matter who is elected the issues raised by this conflict will continue for a long time.

There are also social issues that for some are the controlling factor. Where do the candidates stand on the pro-life or pro-choice issue? That is a big one and yet I have observed there doesn’t seem to be much difference in what happens whatever the party. Then there are issues such as poverty and hunger around the world or the devastating AIDS epidemic in Africa that are the focus of some voters. What about the environment?

The media is always trying to influence our votes it seems. In this I include not just news programs but also comedy programs and the like. We could also include the Internet and political blogs, Youtube, and political emails.
All these different appeals are made to our prejudices, our pocketbooks, our emotions, our faith, and in the end our self-interest. What is in it for me? What is good for me?

II. Another Perspective
It is tough deciding how you will vote, no doubt about it. But I would like to add one more voice for our consideration. In Romans 13 Paul wrote about the Christian’s relationship to government. But before and after this passage Paul writes about how we should live in the world. “Love. . . Honor one another above yourselves . . . Bless those who persecute you. . . Don’t take revenge. . . Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:9-21) Then after the government passage he wrote, “Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law.” (Romans 13:8) And, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Romans 13:9)
I want to suggest that maybe this needs to have a place in our decision-making. Maybe we need to consider voting with our neighbor in view rather than ourselves. Of course this give rise to the question, “Who is my neighbor?”

That question is answer directly by Jesus with one of the most well known parables, The Good Samaritan or as one person said the Parable of the Good Neighbor. The parable is familiar to us. A person is in terrible trouble, beaten, impoverished, totally unable to help himself. Two religious type people see him and ignore him but finally a third person, an unexpected person stops and helps him. In fact he does more than help, he puts his life at risk, he uses his provisions, and he pays for the man’s upkeep until he is able to go on. Jesus asked, “Who was the good neighbor?” It was an interesting way to answer the question. You will notice Jesus really didn’t answer the man’s question instead he asked him and us, are you a good neighbor?
What would it mean to vote hearing this voice? I’m not sure exactly but I think it would begin by asking who is lying wounded by the road? It might be the poor and dispossessed in our society. Would our vote help or hurt our neighbors in Detroit? What about our neighbors who are unemployed or working minimum wage jobs? Are we going to elect people who will pay attention to their needs? As much as we are hurting from all this economic mess it really is a lot worse for those who are poor. What about people who can’t afford health insurance and are forced into bankruptcy? Are those who are suffering in Africa or Asia our neighbors? What do we do about environmental issues because those affect our neighbors also?

You might have been thinking I was going to make it easier for you to decide how to vote today; instead I have made it more difficult. I don’t think there are any easy answers or and perfect candidates. All of us will cast our votes and then pray for whoever wins to be guided by wisdom and justice. But I do want us to think, to consider that maybe God wants us, even in our voting, to consider our neighbor.

Ultimately being a good neighbor comes down to how we treat those around us, those we see in need because that is how we would like to be treated if we are ever wounded and helpless. It is easy to walk through the world oblivious to those around us. But God has called us to be his children and that means looking at the world through God’s eyes, God’s concerns, and God’s love.

Livonia Church of Christ October 5, 2008

Lesson #4: Being Christian in a Political World

2008-10-29T14:03:00.000-07:00

Being Respectful in a Disrespectful World
Romans 13:6-7; 1 Timothy 2:1-3

We only have a few days to go before our election and I know we all want it to end as soon as possible. You have probably already decided whom you will vote for and I am not going to try and influence your vote one way or the other. Instead I want to focus on our actions and attitudes as Christians. We are Christians aren’t we? And that means acting that way even in elections as difficult as this one.

I. Disrespect
Our text today is about showing respect, honoring people who are in the political system. It is important to realize whom Paul is writing about. They were pagan people, unbelievers who ruled with the authority of the Roman empire. Let’s jump ahead to today and ask, “If McCain and Obama were pagans how should we as Christians talk about them and relate to them?” What if they were both Muslims? What do you thing Paul would say to us about how to treat our public officials?

Whom do you respect? We could all name several people whom we have respect for. We respect people for many reasons. Sometimes it is the life that person has lived. It may be how successful that person has been in business. We may respect a person for their education and knowledge about a particular area.

For most of us respect is a mixed bag. We may be respected for certain things and not others. We may admire and respect an athlete for skill and ability to win but have little respect for how they conduct their personal lives. I have known people I loved and respected but I wouldn’t loan them my car because they seemed very accident-prone.

Then there are people we show respect to even though we may know nothing about them. A police officer is one example. I may know nothing of his or her personal life, what kind of father or mother or husband or wife the officer is but I will show him respect because of his position and the authority of government he represents.

This is what Paul is writing about in Romans. It doesn’t matter if the person is a pagan who lives a morally reprehensible life; we show that person respect for their authority.
Of course in our society where free speech is protected by law people don’t have to show respect and in fact there are probably more reasons not to respect a person than to respect that person. A person may have lied and been caught in a lie. Or maybe an official has not been faithful to their spouse. The list is endless. People can disrespect others for the length of their hair or the clothes they wear.

Jesus faced this kind of thing. He was disrespected because of the people he associated with, people who could easily been called traitors to the Jewish people or collaborators at best. He was criticized and disrespected because he didn’t follow the social customs of the day such as how to wash his hands. He said things that offended people. How do you think Jesus would do in our electoral process?

It is possible to criticize a person without being disrespectful. Diane has at times had to point out some things I needed to change in my life. As difficult as that is to accept I appreciate it because I know she loves me. Disrespect or dishonor of a person is aimed at destroying the person and that is at the heart of this lesson. As Christians we are called to something different. We treat people, saint and sinner, Democrat or Republican, male or female, black or white, Muslim or Jew, we treat them with respect.

II. Respect
Why do we show a person respect? Why should we show respect to the person who bags our groceries? Why should we show respect to a homeless person or someone who has made a lot of bad choices in life? To answer those questions we need to go back to the beginning.
The respect we show any person is the fact that they are created in the image of God, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” (Gen 1:27) At heart this is why murder is such a terrible crime; it destroys a person made in God’s image. It is also why verbal slander and lies about a person are an abomination to God (Proverbs 6:16-19).

Every person we meet is made in God’s image no matter how terribly deformed that image may be. And because of God’s grace the potential is there, no matter how remote, for that person to be changed and transformed into a glorious child of God.

So how should we show respect? The first area is in our speech. We need to guard how we talk about public leaders. Is our speech respectful of who they are as human beings as well as the office they occupy? We can be critical of positions they hold or even things they have done but we should never devalue them as human beings. The former mayor of Detroit is a good example. Was it wrong for him to lie under oath? Yes. Was it wrong for him to be unfaithful to his wife? Yes. Does God love him less than you? Have you ever lied to protect yourself? Have ever broken a promise, been unfaithful to a friend? Are his sins worse than yours? We need to guard our language so that we don’t put less value on a person than God places.

Another area is our actions. Is it ever right to be rude? Unkind? Do our actions show contempt rather than respect? Sometimes we allow our emotions to direct how we act toward others rather than the spirit of God. Jesus words to us are applicable here also, “whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:40)

What do we believe about others? Someone forwards an email or a link to some web page and if it is about a politician we don’t like we accept it as truth. Why is that? The thing about so much of this even when it is partially true is that it always skewed to the worst about a person.
The devil speaks a language. Jesus told us in John 8:44 that the devil’s language is lies. When we believe a lie we listen to the devil and when we spread a lie, even if we think it is true, we speak with the devil’s voice. This is why we need to be discerning in what we believe and what we say.

We live in a world that constantly pulls in directions away from God and his will. We are called to be a different people, to talk different, to live different, to act different, and to be different. Let us do our best to be God’s people this week.

Livonia Church of Christ October 19, 2008

Yes, we survived Bolivia

2008-10-29T13:13:00.000-07:00

I've had several people ask whether we survived the second week in Bolivia since I haven't posted since the first week. Yes, we survived and had a great time. Since then we have been busy with church stuff as well as having Josh, Julie and the girls in our home for about a month during the summer while they were on furlough. We had a week of vacation with the whole family at a rented cottage up on Lake Huron and that was great. It was a great summer and has been a busy fall.

My reason for posting now is that I want to post a series of sermons I just completed that have to do with the Christian and politics. When I started the series several people asked if I knew what I was doing. When I finished many commented that it was very helpful. Part of the impetus for the series was how unchristian ways so many people act during this political season. The series is nonpartisan so if want to know how I voted you will be disappointed. However, I have tried to deal with how we as Christians should act in a time like this. I hope you find the sermons helpful.

Our First Week in Bolivia

2008-02-06T02:30:00.000-08:00

We had an eventful week in Cochabamba that ended with our newest granddaughter coming home from the hospital.

We arrived in Cochabamba on January 30th about 2 PM, right on time. On our trip last year both Diane and I experienced altitude sickness in La Paz which is over 13,000 ft elevation just sitting on the plane. This time we didn't get sick so that was a plus. Last year they were also having riots in Cochabamba and three people were killed the day before we arrived. This time everything was peaceful. So a good start to our trip.

Diane and I were tired after traveling for about 24 hours but we unpacked all the gifts and goodies that we had brought. We loved being with Michaela and Eliana and seeing how they have grown and changed over the past year. Of course we were all anticipating the birth of Jana and we thought she would already be here before we arrived but we had a week to wait.

The next day we went out to lunch at very nice restaurant. However, I ate some local salsa and that night was sick and laid up the next day, Thursday. On Friday we went to town to buy some postcards and stamps and Diane had her wallet stolen out of her purse. She didn't have a lot of money in it, just her debit card and drivers license. Her biggest regret was losing the pictures she carries. Because she lost her money I got to go to the post office and buy stamps. For those of you who gripe about our postal system in the US, get over it! We have the best, most efficient postal system in the world and if you think otherwise come to Cochabamba and buy stamps. There is a certain entertainment value in the experience if you have the time and the patience. The next day Diane accidentally plugged her curling iron into a 220v outlet and melted the curling iron. Oh, well.

This is also the season of Carnival, the celebration coming up to Lent, and so there is a lot of activity including lots of firecrackers and the like. The custom here is to soak each other with water balloons or buckets of water. People stand on the side of the road with water balloons, buckets, and super soaker water guns. The favorite places to wait are the speed bumps, of which there are many in Cochabamba, and toss water balloons into the car. Women are especially targets of choice for some reason but no one is safe from getting wet. Monday, on the way to the hospital to visit Julie and Jana, our car was hit several times with water balloons and one bucket of water. Josh drives with the windows up and the AC on so we didn't get wet. This is not just kids who do this either. I saw mature women and men down to little children all getting in on the fun.

Sunday I preached and that was enjoyable. It was great to see how the church had grown and matured in the last year. Sunday night we watched the Super Bowl. The commentary was in Spanish but the game was the same one you saw. We had to get on-line to see the commercials but that was okay. We have even been following the election coverage since the US election has grabbed the attention of the world. And I thought we were going to escape that for a while.

You might think that after these minor disasters we are not enjoying our trip and that would be wrong. We love being with our children and grandchildren. They are gracious hosts and we feel very much at home. It is also beautiful here. This is the rainy season so things are very green. It has been cooler than normal. The temperature on Sunday only got to 59f. Both Diane and I wish we had brought warmer clothes. The last couple of days the weather has been perfect so things even out. We are having a great trip. The little disasters just make it interesting.

Good News

2008-02-04T17:42:00.001-08:00

Diane and I arrived in Cochabamba, Bolivia on January 30th to see our newest grandchild. We had thought she might arrived before we got there but Julie was still very pregnant when we arrived. Today, Feb. 4th, Jana Faith Marcum made her arrival. She weighted seven pounds and has reddish blond hair like her sisters. Diane and I stayed home with Michaela and Eliana while Josh and Julie went to the hospital in the morning about 8:30. Jana arrived at about 12:30 and everything went very well. We are so very pleased that we could be here for Jana's birth. Here are a some pictures

The Situation in Kenya

2008-01-10T10:56:00.000-08:00

Many people are aware of all the problems going on in Kenya at this time. It is a complex issue and one that is difficult for Americans to understand. The report that follows is from Shawn Tyler, a form coworker in Kenya and a good friend. Shawn is a missionary in Uganda and I thought his analysis was quite good. I hope you find it enlightening.

A Comprehensive Report on Kenya

Letter 357 from Uganda – 10 January 2008

The following pieces of information have been pulled together from Internet News Sources and mixed with a little personal insight.

One news agency reports that the decision to return Kenya's 76-year-old incumbent president, Mwai Kibaki, to office was not made by the Kenyan people but by a small group of hard line leaders from Mr. Kibaki's Kikuyu tribe even before the result was announced, perhaps even before the opposition candidate, Raila Odinga, had opened up a lead in early returns from the December 27th election. The news agency called it “a civil coup”.
The planning was meticulous. All that was needed were the extra votes to squeak past Mr. Odinga in what had been among the most closely contested elections Africa had ever seen. That was why returns from Central Province, Mr. Kibaki's fiercely loyal Kikuyu heartland, were inexplicably held back. It was why, in some constituencies, a large number of voters seemed mysteriously to vote only in the presidential race and ignore the parliamentary ballot—despite waiting hours in the blazing sun. But the real damage was done in Nairobi, by simply crossing out the number of votes as announced in the constituency and scribbling in a higher number. Election monitors were turned away while the tallying went on. Monitors from the European Union saw tens of thousands of votes created in this way.
Mr. Odinga's supporters were not innocent either. There were irregularities in his home province of Nyanza. Still, it was the meddling in Central Province that was decisive. Officially, Mr. Kibaki won 4.58 million votes to Mr. Odinga's 4.35 million. A third candidate, Kalonzo Musyoka, won 880,000 votes. Unofficially, Mr. Odinga may have won, albeit by a similarly narrow margin.
The tragedy for Kenya, and what threatens to rip the nation apart, is that no one will know for sure. The EU's preliminary report on the election was scathing. Although the parliamentary election had gone off well, the European observers said the presidential one had fallen short of “international standards”.
The role of the electoral commission was particularly dodgy. On the afternoon of December 30th its head, Samuel Kivuitu, was announcing the results of several constituencies, when he was interrupted by representatives from the Molo area. They argued that his numbers were not correct claiming more than 30,000 votes had been added for Mr. Kibaki than the official report gave. They produced the official report along with the chairman overseeing the tallying. Mr. Kivuitu became so angry that he left the room without commenting on the accusations. Less than a half later, he declared Mr. Kibaki president. The news went out only on KBC, the state broadcaster. Other camera crews were led out of the building. The security forces sealed off the city center against the angry poor, most of whom had voted for Mr. Odinga. A few minutes later, in the twilight, Mr. Kibaki was sworn in as president at the State House. In contrast to Mr. Kibaki's first term, when the inauguration took place in a stadium heaving with jubilant supporters, there were no dignitaries or diplomats, just a few dozen loyalists and civil servants. Some questioned whether in fact the whole event had been staged earlier and pre-recorded.
The reaction to Mr. Kibaki’s swearing-in was immediate. Nairobi's slums exploded in rage. The poor killed each other. Across the country came a swelling up of tribal violence, sometimes Kikuyu against Mr. Odinga's Luo tribe, more often Luo and Kalenjin tribes against Kikuyu. The official figure given is that more than 700 have been killed so far in clashes through out the country and 500,000 have been displaced. Unofficial estimates place the number killed as much higher. Gang rapes and mutilations have been reported in numerous places. Police had orders to shoot to kill. There has been looting in Kisumu, riots in Mombasa and pitched battles in Eldoret. Kikuyu hiding in a church near Eldoret were burned alive by a mob.
Taken together, this amounts to a pulling apart of Kenya's rich national fabric. Some 97% of Kikuyu voted for Mr. Kibaki. Everywhere else he was soundly defeated. Muslims, for instance, voted against Mr. Kibaki by 70% or more. The Kikuyu highlands encircling the glaciers of Mount Kenya increasingly feel like a state within a state. The division is even more troubling when the parliamentary vote is taken into account. Mr. Kibaki lost half his cabinet, including his vice-president Mr. Moody Awouri, as well as a large number of seemingly unassailable members of parliament including Nicholas Biwott, Moi’s three sons, the finance minister, foreign affairs minister, agricultural minister, etc. This government may find it impossible to pass a budget. In fact there is the possibility that the first act of the opposition in Parliament is to seek a vote of no confidence in the President. Since the opposition party holds 101 of the 210 total parliamentary seats but way more than Mr. Kibaki’s party which holds only 35, Mr. Kibaki will have a hard time fighting it off.
The hardliners' instincts will be to use the security services to reverse the freedoms of Mr. Kibaki's first term—anything to avoid power slipping into Mr. Odinga's hands. One example of this has been the government’s takeover of the radio and television stations. Heavy censorship, no criticism of the government and no live broadcasts of demonstrations were allowed. Kenyans may not stand for this. The government pressured the country's mobile-phone operators to suspend text messages for “security reasons”, without success. The army's strong apolitical tradition, with staff officers drawn from several tribes, looks to be holding though some claim plain clothes military men used machine guns in the streets of Eldoret to repel street gangs.
Mr. Odinga has demanded Mr. Kibaki's resignation ever since he was secretly sworn in as president. Mr. Odinga is calling for a campaign of civil action, peaceable, but determined. On January 3rd, thousands of opposition supporters tried to converge on the center of Nairobi for a protest rally but were dispersed by the police. Attorney General Amos Wako called for an independent probe into the election. Later the same day Mr. Kibaki said, for the first time, that he was willing to talk to the opposition “once the nation is calm”.
The EU had at first been reluctant to send observers, arguing that resources for Africa were slim and Kenya was “too stable”. During the orderly voting, the mission did indeed look like an extravagance. A week later the country was teetering on the brink of civil war. A chastened Mr. Kivuitu now says he is not sure Mr. Kibaki won the election. The Americans and the British have been twisting arms, as has the African Union's head, John Kufuor. Well-connected Kikuyu business leaders are trying to persuade Mr. Kibaki to give in and form a government of national unity. In the meantime, Kenya burns.
Just this past week, the chairman of the Kenyan Electoral Commission (ECK), Samuel Kivuitu, has said he announced the presidential election results under pressure.
When asked if indeed President Mwai Kibaki won the elections, Kivuitu told journalists at his Nairobi residence on Tuesday night: "I do not know whether Kibaki won the election".
Kivuitu continued with his stunning revelations when he said he took the presidential election winner's certificate to State House, Nairobi, after "some people threatened to collect it while I'm the one mandated by law to do so. I had thought of resigning, but thought against it because I don't want people to say I'm a coward," he said. The embattled chairman made the revelations shortly after meeting with 22 ECK commissioners. "We are culprits as a commission. We have to leave it to an independent group to investigate what actually went wrong," the chairman said.
The 2007 general elections have fallen short of key international and regional standards for democratic elections. Most significantly, they were marred by a lack of transparency in the processing and tallying of presidential results, which raises concerns about the accuracy of the final result of this election.
In a large number, almost a third, of polling stations visited, party agents were not given a copy of the result sheets. Furthermore, in more than a third of polling stations visited, the results were not posted at the polling station level, fundamentally undermining transparency measures in the process.
In Central Province (Mr. Kibaki’s home area), the majority of EU observer teams experienced difficulties in obtaining the results for each polling station from returning officers during the tally process.
In several constituencies, including Mathioya, Koleleni, Mvita, Kisauni, Changamwe, Likoni and Central/North Imenti, the returning officers refused to provide constituency results to the EU observers before these results were confirmed in Nairobi. The constituency results form in Kangema showed to EU observers was only signed by a party agent of PNU (Mr. Kibaki’s party).
Serious inconsistencies and anomalies were identified in the results announced by the ECK. For example, in Molo and Kieni, there were significant differences between presidential election results reported by EU observers at the constituency level and results announced by the ECK at national level.
Additionally, at the ECK headquarters, the EU Chief Observer was shown forms on which the election results for constituencies 205 (Lari) and 96 (Kandara) had been changed. Furthermore, for Kerugoya, EU observers reported a discrepancy of more than 10,000 votes in the official turnout given for presidential and legislative elections.
While the result of the elections were announced, the official figures for all the constituencies are still not available and adequate measures have not been taken at all levels to ensure the results can be correlated in the public domain.
Mr. Mwai Kibaki on January 8th, appointed half his cabinet minutes before an African Union mediator landed in Nairobi, enraging the opposition and ending hopes of a swift end to the country's political and social crisis. Kenyan law demands that ministers of parliament be sworn in first before they can be appointed to cabinet post. Mr. Kibaki named cabinet members even before parliament has opened. This raises serious questions about the legality of his cabinet and his own actions.
Protests broke out immediately in the opposition stronghold of Kisumu and in Nairobi's slums, where hundreds of people have already been killed over election rigging charges. Western diplomats, who on Monday had persuaded the opposition leader Raila Odinga to call off his campaign of mass action, were angered by Kibaki's decision to fill all the key ministries as peace talks were about to begin.
Jendayi Frazer, the top US diplomat for Africa, who is in Nairobi trying to encourage a power-sharing deal between Kibaki and Odinga, immediately sought an audience with the president at his State House residence to register her disapproval. "This is a complete reversal of what the government had led us to believe would happen," one western diplomat said in Nairobi last night. "The level of tension is going to be ratcheted up instantly."
Kibaki appointed 15 ministers, including finance, defense, internal security and justice, from within his own party. Kalonzo Musyoka, leader of a third, smaller opposition party, ODM-Kenya, was named vice-president and minister for home affairs, while his fellow party member Samuel Poghisio was made minister of information. Mr. Kalonzo came in third in the national elections as president, but his agreement to become vice president has angered many of his own supporters.
Mr. Kibaki signaled his intention to ignore attempts for outside help earlier when a government spokesman, Alfred Mutua, told the Standard newspaper that there was "nothing to be mediated".
Salim Lone, Odinga's spokesman, said last night: "This is simply another attempt to undermine the mission of John Kufuor (the African Union Mediator and president of Ghana). It's not only a blow to the peace process; it shows that Kibaki has no intention of even starting the process."
On January 9th, Mr. Kibaki flew by helicopter to camps of Kikuyu in Molo, Burnt Forest, Eldoret, and Cherengani. Instead of speaking words of conciliation, Mr. Kibaki promised protection to his fellow Kikuyu while he sought punishment on those who had initiated the violence. He also promised that the government would restore their land and rebuild their houses. Such defiance and bold promises angered even more the opposition because Mr. Kibaki is putting all the blame on them for the country’s current situation.

Rumors
Several rumors are floating around Kenya that give rise to speculation and may reflect national turmoil. The first suggests two of Mr. Kivuitu’s sons have been killed in mob violence. The second rumor suggests former president and close friend of Mr. Kibaki, Mr. Daniel Arap Moi, is said to have left the country and is currently in either America or Australia.

My Analysis
While political parties were mostly formed along tribal lines, the protests, burnings, and violence has been more politically targeted than tribally targeted. It is too simplistic to say that this is tribal violence only. Prominent Kikuyu leaders are in Odinga’s party and some of the violence reported was against fellow tribesmen who were PNU supporters especially in south Rift Valley Province. Additionally, Kikuyu critics such as Professor Wangare Mathai, the Nobel Peace Prize winner in 2002, said Mr. Kibaki had lost the elections and he should accept them as she had accepted her own loss of a parliamentary seat.

My Projections (best guesses)
I am not an expert on Kenya, but based upon the advice and insights of Kenyan friends and my own personal experience, I give the following projections:
1. Mr. Kibaki is not going to step down easily.
2. Mr. Odinga is not going to accept Kibaki’s presidency.
3. Neither will accept a power sharing plan for government.
4. Kikuyu (Mr. Kibaki’s supporters) in areas outside their home land will continue to move into camps for protection in numbers.
5. Economic difficulties will continue if not increase. Remember that Kikuyu hold a large portion (perhaps up to half) the business interests in Kenya including many of the taxis, trucking, vegetable supplies for Nairobi, small businesses, and many government held positions of authority. Continued violence targeting Kikuyu will undermine all these sectors.
6. A power sharing government will be almost an impossible option. The opposition party has too large of a voice to remain inactive and feel they have been robbed of the presidency. They will work to undermine the president and his supporters.
7. Kikuyu leaders may ask Mr. Kibaki to step down in order to diffuse hostility toward them. If this happens, Mr. Kibaki’s power base will crumble.
8. If Mr. Kibaki continues to push hard against the will of the people, Kikuyu in camps may be targeted for killing as well as other PNU supporters.
9. Prolonged tension may create food, fuel, and basic commodities shortages throughout Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Southern Sudan, and parts of Tanzania.
10. There is a possibility that parliament will refuse to convene until the issue of the presidency has been decided.
Shawn Tyler

Mbale Mission TeamNew Testament Churches of ChristPO Box 1790Mbale, Uganda E. Africa

int+256-772-441504 Shawn cellint+256-772-537533 Linda cell

www.mbalemissionteam.org

More than Friends

2007-12-24T16:46:00.001-08:00

Curtis, Sandra and Hayward Burton

One of the great things about the Christmas season is getting together with old friends and that is what we did last Sunday just before Christmas. We invited the Burtons over to share a traditional (for our family) pre-Christmas dinner of lamb. Hayward is an elder at the Livonia church and has been for over thirty years. He was also the elder over missions most of the time I was in Kenya and he and Sandra visited us several times over the years. They have a big house and everytime we came back on furlough we stayed at the Burtons. Our kids looked at the Burton's house as our home in America and still have many fond memories of our staying there.

Hayward and Sandra were more than friends to Diane and me, they were often sources of wisdom and advice when we faced various challenges in Kenya. They were our advocates at the Livonia church and were staunch supporters of missions. One summer while we were on furlough they came and took a course at the ACU Summer Seminar in Missions with us. It is hard to describe how much they mean to Diane and me and our life and ministry with and in the Livonia church but we are very thankful to the Father for their love, support and influence in our lives. Every missionary ought to have someone like them here in the States and yet so many that I knew didn't and their lives were harder as a result. It is great to have friends, it is even better to have friends in the Lord like the Burtons.

What to Preach

2007-12-13T10:38:00.000-08:00

One of the challenges that preaching presents is the continuing question of what to preach. I've been at Livonia for seven and a half years and that means over 300 sermons preached during that time. There are always several issues to deal with. One issue is balance. It is fairly easy to neglect parts of scripture such as the prophets in the Old Testament. The narrative parts are usually easier to prepare lessons from but I have also done series from the Psalms and Proverbs. I have been looking at Zacharia and asking, "How would I preach from that book?" I still don't have an answer so I probably am not doing anything from there any time soon. But I'd like to. For me the prophets present maybe the biggest challenge for preaching. I will preach at least one series from the Old Testament this next year but I'm not sure what it will be or when.

The second challenge is preaching to the needs of the congregation. There are always various problems certain people face. Some issues are simply life issues that we all face such as sickness or why bad things happen to us. Some needs are things I see that the congregation does not see. Certain idols that we construct that we are not even aware of present one of the biggest challenges to preaching. For example in this country security has become an idol both individually and nationally. The desire to be secure causes us to avoid the very areas where we should be ministering and serving. Nationally our leaders make decisions that put security above justice and basic human rights. This is just one example of an area where preachers need to speak but often people don't want the listen.

There is also an even more important question, what does God want to say to the church? I am constantly aware that when I preach I don't speak for myself but I am God's spokesperson. What a privilage and responsibility that is. As I prepare a series of lessons this is the one question I pray the most about. So I read and study and pray that God will give me a message for his people at Livonia. I love what I do but the challenge is always before me.

Memphis Trip

2007-12-13T09:58:00.000-08:00

This past week Diane and I traveled to Memphis for me to work in the library at Harding University Graduate School of Religion (HUGSR) and also to spend time with Laura, Rusty and Alex. We had a great time and actually stayed with Evertt and Ilene Huffard. The Huffards are long time friends from our first stay at HUGSR from 1972-75. Diane and Ilene are friends from our Lubbock Christian days. Evertt is now dean at the school and has been a friend and mentor to my two sons-in-law as they have prepared and entered into ministry. I always come away from time with Evertt encouraged.

We spent as much time as possible with the Campbells. Alex broke his arm a few weeks ago but it didn't slow him down. Grandkids are a blast! Rusty and Laura have a two bedroom apartment on the HUGSR campus. Diane stayed with Alex while Laura and Rusty worked and I was in the library. We had a lot of fun.

Couples Retreat

2007-11-17T11:00:00.000-08:00

We had Dean's funeral on Tuesday and then Friday Diane and I led a couples retreat for the Livonia church. When we started planning the retreat we hoped to get eight couples, we ended up with sixteen so we were very pleased with the response. We met at a retreat center just a few miles from the Livonia building. Since it was a Catholic retreat center the rooms had no TVs which was a shock for several who came. I mean, a couples retreat and no TV so what do you do? I think most figured it out.

Even though we were tired the reteat was a real blessing for us as it helped to take our minds off the sad events of the previous weeks. We had a great time laughing and talking about how to understand our mates better. This was the third time we have led this particular retreat. The first time was for the team in Cochabamba, Bolivia and then again for the church in Windsor, Ontario Canada.

Alex

2007-11-17T10:49:00.000-08:00

While the funeral was stressful one blessing was the chance to see Rusty, Laura and Alex. They came up for the funeral and then stayed a couple of days with us before driving back to Memphis. We really appreciated their presence and support and of course the chance to spend some time with Alex is always special. Here are a few pictures.

Here is Alex with his cousin Ashley and in his Halloween costume dressed as a lion .

Pictures from the Funeral

2007-11-17T10:44:00.000-08:00

Here a few pictures from Dean's funeral on November 6th. These were taken a Custer National Cemetary where Dean was laid to rest.

Dean's Funeral

2007-11-07T12:37:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was Dean's funeral. It was an emotional time for all of us as we said good bye to a wonderful father and friend. Visitation took place Sunday and Monday with people coming from fairly long distances. It was a real encouragement to the family and I was introduced to some of Diane's relatives for the first time. Despite the sadness of the occasion it was a time of renewal of friendships and relationships.

I did the eulogy and centered my thoughts around Luke's comment about Barnabas, "He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord." (Acts 11:24 NIV) I really think this is a good summation of Dean's life. It would be great if all of us could have this said about us.

Since Dean was a veteran of WWII he was buried at Custer National Cemetery near Battle Creek, MI about an hour's drive from Coldwater. It was my first time to do a funeral with military honors and that was interesting. We came home yesterday evening and are quite exhausted. There is much before us in helping Diane's mother, Ruth, as she adjusts to life alone. She faces some limitations since her eyesight is very poor. Still, I believe she will do okay though I know it will be difficult.

To those of you who have been praying for us, thank you. I know it has helped us through a difficult time. We are thankful that Dean is with the Father and our prayer is that we will join him as we too live out faithful lives to our God.

Matthew Remembers Granddaddy

2007-11-02T17:36:00.000-07:00

Matt doesn't blog so he wanted me to post his comments. The picture is of last Christmas. Matt is standing directly behind Granddaddy.

My Grandfather,

One of the disadvantages of growing up in Kenya was the fact that I never got to know my grandparents very well. Despite this fact when I think of my Grandfather there is so much that I love and admire about him. I remember the first time that I met him and mom warned me that he liked to tease people. When I met him I remember looking up into his warm smiling face and the first thing he said was "There's a bug on your nose!" I remember watching him laugh as I finally caught on to the joke.

I remember going fishing with Granddaddy every time we came back on furlough. On the way back into shore he would let me drive the boat. I remember the shelves he made for me and my sisters. Mine are still hanging in my room in Michigan and I will take those with me wherever I go when I graduate from college. I remember learning to play pool in his basement. I remember his blue eyes as they sparkled with joy and laughter in everything they did.

There were so many wonderful things about him. The thing that I am the most appreciative of, however, is his faith. I cannot imagine what my life would be like without that. He was a devoted Christian in everything that he did. He raised my mother to be a Godly woman. She married my father and helped pass on that same faith to me and my two sisters. His devoted preaching and working for the Kingdom of God for over 60 years was and is an inspiration to me. His life as a humble servant of God is an example to me everyday in what I do. It is humbling, inspiring, and a bit intimidating for me to look back upon the life that my Grandfather lived.

I am so thankful for my Grandfather. I am even more thankful for the promise we have in God of eternal salvation and the fact that I will see him again someday. I know that he is with Christ in Heaven right now and has been received with a "Well done good and faithful servant." The hope we have in Christ is incredibly powerful. "So it will be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable, it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory, it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power, it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body." 1 Corinthians 15:42-44 I love you Granddaddy.

Matthew Stephens

Goodbye to Dean

2007-10-31T17:06:00.001-07:00

This picture is of Dean and Ruth, Diane's parents, taken last summer at Lake Erie. Dean returned to his Creator Monday evening 7:12 PM. Diane and I were there along with Ruth, Cindy, Diane's sister and her daughter Rochelle and Cindy's husband Gary. It was sad to see Dean go but we are thankful for his life and his over 60 years of service to the Kingdom. The funeral is November 6th.

Besides Ruth and his family Dean loved two things, preaching and fishing. He was active in both right up until this illness put him in the hospital. Ruth thought the more he fished the better he preached so he was improving right up to the end. I've never known someone who took fishing as seriously as Dean. The result was it was rare when he didn't make his limit. He loved fishing for Walleye though he would fish for anything that could be eaten. No catch and release for Dean. We could be certain of a constant supply of Walleye just about year round.

As much as Dean was a fisherman he was even more a fisher of men. He loved ministry and touch countless people for the Lord. He was involved in prison ministry in Coldwater as well as his church work. I've started going through his library and I believe he has copies of every sermon or lesson he ever taught, over 60 years worth. It is overwhelmning. I have been truely blessed by his example of faithful service and his encouragement in my ministry.

We really don't know a lot about what heaven will be like but I have to believe that we will serving and working. I believe that this life is preparation for greater responsibilites there though I have no idea what those will be. I do know that Dean has prepared himself for whatever the Lord wants him to do. Dean, we will miss you.

There are times

2007-10-18T07:08:00.000-07:00

It is funny how different things strike you. Diane was speaking to one of our members here at Livonia just inquiring if they were okay since they weren't at worship on Sunday. She was told they had been very tired from things on Saturday and had decided to sleep in on Sunday. I guess I just didn't expect that of this particular person. The result was I told Diane I was ready to go back to Africa. It is just discouraging to see how low a priority so many Christians in the United States place worship and Bible study. If that person had said they were sick, or their children were sick I wouldn't have thought about it. Maybe I shouldn't judge fatigue as an illegitimate excuse but it did hit me wrong.

I don't know that I'm ready to run away to Africa over this. There were plenty of problems there, Christians who were not very committed, but I also saw a lot of enthusiasm for God and for his word. Just as people are hungry physically in Africa there is a spiritual hunger that makes them want to study God's work, want to know what God wants in their lives. It seems that people in the US are bloated not just with fast food but everything that fills up their lives and leaves little space for God.

Dean's Surgery

2007-10-18T06:51:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was another busy day. Diane called me at 5:30 AM to tell me that Dean's surgery had been moved from noon to 6:30 AM. Since she and Ruth were staying in Kalamazoo they were able to go over and see him before they took him to begin the prep for the surgery. I drove over (it is about a two hour drive from Livonia) and got there about 9:30. The surgery ended at 12:30 and he came through in good shape. The doctor did three bypasses because there were some complication including an enlarged heart and hardening of the aorta. For those reasons they were unable to stop the heart as they typically do in this type of surgery so they did the work on a beating heart, amazing. Dean was still unconscious when I returned to Livonia that afternoon but his color was good and the doctor was very pleased with the surgery. Thank you for your prayers. Please continue to pray for his recovery.

A Busy Weekend

2007-10-15T13:54:00.000-07:00

This past Thursday (Oct. 11) we received a call that Diane's father, Dean Clutter, had been taken to the hospital with heart problems. Dean is an active 82 years old, still preaching at the church in Coldwater, MI and is a walleye's worst nightmare. The doctors discovered four blockages and so Dean is to have by-pass surgery. We have made several quick trips to Kalamazoo where the hospital is. The surgery has been postponed once due to some lung issues and so we still do not have a definite date for the surgery. We ask your prayers on his behalf and for his wife of 60+ years, Ruth. It promises to be a stressful time but Dean is in the Lord's hands, as we all are. Whatever the physcial outcome the spiritual outcome is already decided and in that we take comfort.

We also just found out that we will have another granddaughter sometime in January or early February next year. Julie and Josh will have three girls less than three years (thanks to Josh and Julie who caught my typo 'months') apart. We are excited for them and rejoice in our fourth grandchild in less than three years. Diane and I will be traveling to Bolivia in late January to visit the family. You can visit their blog blog to see the first picture of Baby Marcum #3.

I Repent

2007-10-07T06:36:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,
This past week I was reminded twice that I have a blog and than I haven't posted anything in a year. Shame on me and apologies to you who occasionally check to see if I have added anything. Life is good and it is not because anything bad has happened that I have failed to post anything, just procrastination. Since my last posting we took a three week trip to Bolivia to visit Julie, Josh, and our two granddaughters Michaela and Eliana. Diane and I went on a five day spiritual retreat to a retreat center in the Amish country of Ohio. It was free for full time ministers so if there are any reading this contact me and I will provide the information. I have continued to preach at the Livonia congregation and have started my eighth year in that role. Julie is expecting and we will have our fourth grandchild sometime in late January. Diane and I are planning another trip to Bolivia around the time the new baby is due. So all in all life is good.

I am currently preaching a series from the Beatitudes in Matthew 5 using material from Tim Woodruff's book, "Walk this Way". I really like the material that Tim puts out and highly recommend him as a writer and thinker.

Thank you to those who reminded me of my blog and asking why I never post any more. God's blessings on all you.

We Love You Elianna

2006-11-19T06:35:00.000-08:00

We have a new grandchild, Elianna Joy Marcum, born October 24th in Cochabamba, Bolivia. You can read the Marcum blog to get more details about the birth and how the family is doing. We will be visiting the Marcum in January and are looking forward to meeting Elianna and seeing the rest of the family. This is a picture of Elianna and her family. May God bless your life and may you grow to become God's servant. We love you.

Why We Give: Love

2006-10-24T09:10:00.000-07:00

Why We Give:
Love
2 Corinthians: 8:8-9, 24; 1 John 3:17-18

Sweetest Day is coming up this next Saturday. You may or may not be aware of Sweetest Day as if we needed another day to buy candy but it evidently is popular in the Detroit area. It has become sort of fall Valentine’s Day.

Giving gifts to people we love has a long history and most of us enjoy the gift giving if not necessarily the gift shopping (I am speaking as a guy). In a sense it is a test of our love for another. Extravagance and expense say one thing but most of the time it is thought and concern behind the gift that speak the loudest.

I. Testing Love
The passage from Paul is rather blunt. The Corinthian gift that they agreed to is a test of their sincerity of love. We talked a few weeks ago about giving as a test of our faith, that is what we believe about God and his promises concerning giving. It is probably easier to think about testing our faith. Usually we think that trials are the test of our faith. How will we respond in a crisis? What will I say if someone attacks what I believe? There are many different ways that our faith is tested.

But I believe testing love is different. For sure love is tested in crisis. Can I forgive when a loved one betrays me? Can I continue to love someone who isn’t very lovable? Those are tests. But I believe love is tested in a more positive way by our desire to do or to give to the object of our love and affection. We smile at the rather sometimes silly and extravagant ways people demonstrate love when they are building a relationship. Giving gifts is part of this. It is not necessarily the cost of the gift but the thought and sentiment behind it that is important.
Love is also tested in our giving of time and attention to the one we love. This is probably one area where couples that have been together for many years slip. It is easy to slip into patterns of only giving partial attention when we really should give total attention to the one we love. I learned, long ago, that I needed to put down the book, turn off the TV, pause the game and really listen to Diane. Multi-tasking may work at work or in some areas of life but it doesn’t work in relationships.

Love is also tested in character. Who and what we love changes us. This is something that people often overlook as they consider friends and even marriage. It is true about hobbies and passions that we love and enjoy. All these things change us for good and bad. If you are around cynical people you will become cynical. This is part of the reason I rarely watch things like the “Daily Show”. If you are around angry and abusive people you will probably become angry and abusive. In the same way if you are around friendly people, loving people, or devoted people that association will change you.

II. Whom Do We Love?
Paul describes giving as a test of love but the question is love of whom? I believe there are two answers. First, it is love of others. For the Corinthians it was love for Christians living in Jerusalem, in other words Jewish Christians. How do you love someone you have never met? After all, in Paul’s day there were no pictures to show of needy Jews. The pictures of suffering weren’t on the TV to be caught as you channel surf.

It sometimes takes people a while to understand what becoming a Christian does to us. We often focus on salvation, forgiveness of sins, and a new relationship to God but becoming a Christian connects us to a body and every other member in that body. How many Christians do you know? We might know a few hundred Christians if we have traveled or lived in other parts of the country. Many of those Christians are probably a lot like you in terms of ethnicity and background. But Christ connects us to millions of Christians of every color and culture imaginable. Of course it is humanly impossible to do this but we are no longer simply human, we are children of God. The result is that we give. John makes this point when he writes, “If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.” (1 John 3:17-18) The test of our love is our generosity towards people around us and people we will never see. Most of you will never meet people who are reached by the team in Cochabamba, Bolivia. You have never met people you provided food for in Kenya during floods and famine. Generosity was a test of love for the Corinthians; it is a test of love for us too.

There is another aspect of this test. Our giving is a reflection of our character. There is a story about a man who came to his minister with a problem. “When I was young and only making $20,000 a year I committed to giving a tithe which was $2000. But now I’m making $500,000 and my tithe is $50,000. I just can’t afford to give that much.” So the minister prayed, “Lord, help this man make less so he can afford to give his tithe.” Over and over it has been shown that the more people make, the less they give in terms of percentage of their income. As Jesus said, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!" (Mark 10:23) This, of course, is possible with God. There are many who are rich and extremely generous but it is because the Spirit of God is working to change their hearts.

We are called to reflect God’s character and God is generous. The psalmist writes, “The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.” (Psalms 145:9) If you want to grow spiritually then you must learn to be generous like God. We grow this way when we walk with God. It is easy to trust him when you have tested God and found him faithful.

We began this series several weeks ago as we talked about the budget problems facing the church. As a leader in this congregation I want to see our church do more, not less. But I think it is more critical than just doing more. It is about becoming like our Father in heaven. It is about loving others more than I love the convenience and ease that my prosperity can give me. This is the challenge we all face as God tries to form us into a people who reflect his glory.

Livonia Church of Christ: October 15, 2006

Why We Give: Hope

2006-10-24T09:08:00.000-07:00

Why We Give: Hope
2 Corinthians 9:6-7; Luke 6:38

I know a lot of people who love the fall season; it is one of my favorite times of year. One of the reasons is it is a time of harvest. Here in Michigan it is a time for fresh apples, cider, and pumpkins. We enjoy the fruit of our world’s bounty. It is one of the basics of the creation, planting, cultivation, and harvest. The bounty of the harvest depends on the first two.

I. Jesus and the Harvest
Jesus had a lot to say about life in our world and our relationship to it. He makes some rather extravagant promises to those who follow him. He tells his disciples, “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Luke 6:38) Jesus brought spiritual blessing to those who believe in him but also promises physical blessing. Another statement is, “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.” (Matthew 19:29) The last statement is made in the context of the road to Jerusalem and the cross.

This principle is related the concept of ‘shalom’, which is often, translated ‘peace’. No one word in English captures the sense of the word. It means peace or the absence of conflict but it also means prosperity, fruitfulness, and joyful contentment. While we tend to emphasize the spiritual blessing we sometimes forget that God created a good earth for his children to enjoy and prosper in.

Jesus teaching reflects something that is common in the Old Testament; God blesses his people with physical blessings. This is a general truth, one that probably plays out over generations rather than years. It has often been observed in missions but is true of our own experience here in the United States. Three or four generations ago most members of the Church of Christ were “other-side-of-the-tracks” people. There are many in our church today who were the first in their families to earn a college degree. In missions this is called “lift”; the almost inevitable improvement of people who become faithful Christians. Of course the downside is that as people become more prosperous they often forget the Lord. It is one of the sad things about doing funerals for some of our elderly members where few of their descendents are Christians of any church. They are reaping the benefits of their ancestor’s faithfulness but the same road that goes up can also go down.

II. Joyful Planting
The principle that Paul articulates in 2 Corinthians 9:6, “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously,” is one that is true in many areas of life. Paul applies it to financial giving but it is true in every important arena of life. God blesses the life that is given to him. As a parent this does not mean investing everything in your children. It means giving our children to God and serving our children in God’s name. As a marriage partner it means giving your marriage to God and loving each other, as God desires. Marriage and children are vitally important relationships that God blesses us with, but when God is forgotten then they can never become what God intended, a blessing to the world.

While we enjoy the harvest there is tremendous joy and satisfaction in planting and cultivation. God created us for work in his world, to join him in his purposes, his mission. I have great joy in the harvest God is bringing in Africa but those years of work, hardship, and discouragement are precious experiences that I treasure.

Imbedded in this principle is the concept that there is waiting between planting and harvest. Some things we do will not directly benefit us because there is always a wait between planting and harvest. Our society is caught up in the urgent and immediate, the need for instant results. It is like the instructions for microwaving pop tarts because we are too much in a hurry to wait for the toaster. We want what we want and we want it now. Not only is such an attitude infantile, it is of the devil.

III. Abundant Harvest
We give because we hope to see a reward. Of course for many that is only seen in material possessions and physical blessings. Our world measures success in such terms and many Christians do also. If we don’t have the physical blessings then God must not love us as much as the guy with the new car and the bigger house.

The promise of Jesus is to give ‘abundant life’ (John 10:10). The New Testament has two different words for life. One is “bios”, a word we see in our language as in biology, the study of life. It refers to the physical life that every living creature has. But the other word that is used here is ‘zoe’ refers to something beyond the biological life. A drug addict can have ‘bios’ but very little ‘zoe’. A person can be rich in material things and have little ‘zoe’ as Jesus said, “a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” (Luke 12:15) God does care for and bless his people physically but that can mean different things in different contexts.
So if life is not about possessions and wealth what is the harvest that we can expect from God as we give not only our money but also our lives in his service? First and foremost is what Jesus said, “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” (John 17:3) Eternal life begins when you become a Christian. How much we experience in this life depends on how much we pursue God and knowledge of him.
But that is only part of it. We gain a wealth of relationships. Jesus promised his followers, “I tell you the truth," Jesus replied, "no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields — and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life.” (Mark 10:29-30) This is true wealth, the love and relationships we experience as we live for Christ.

The question is what are we giving? What do we hope for as we give? As a church we depend on each member’s fiscal faithfulness. We also depend on your willingness to give time and effort to reach out to our community. But as you faithful give know that God is a generous God who blesses far more than we can think or imagine, “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Luke 6:38)

Livonia Church of Christ: October 1, 2006

Why We Give: Faith

2006-10-24T09:03:00.000-07:00

Why Do We Give? Faith
Hebrews 11:6,17-19; Malachi 3:8-10

Introduction: There are things people don’t like to talk about and most of them need discussion. We tend to avoid topics like sexuality as embarrassing or too personal. Things associated with death like funeral arrangements or wills are another area. And finally money and finances are often off limits for openness and discussion. As a preacher I have hesitated to preach on money for the simple reason people accuses churches of only being interested in money. If you have been here any length of time you know that is not the case. If you are a visitor or an occasional attendee you may draw that conclusion but again it is a wrong conclusion. Jesus never apologized for talking about money or finances. He knew how we view and spend our money is a reflection of our spiritual heart.

I. The Importance of Faith
We all know about faith. We all have to have some faith to become a Christian. There are several different understandings of what faith is. Most people understand faith to have something to do with what a person believes to be true. Of course we believe many different things, some of them true, some of them not true. But the main test of any belief or faith is what one does with that belief. If I believe it is more dangerous to fly than it is to drive then I won’t fly, even though it has been shown over and over that flying is one of the safest forms of travel.
So what do we believe about God? The Hebrew writer gives us some basics, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6) First God is looking for faith. Do you think God could provide irrefutable proof of his existence if he so desired? He could without a doubt. So why doesn’t he? Because God desires to be with people who seek him and people who have faith. Faith is always based on evidence but must inevitably go beyond the evidence. That is why true faith is hard to come by. It is rare or at least Jesus found it rare in his day and time. I don’t imagine he would find it that different today.

II. The Test
I believe that this is why we have tests. A lot of people have jitters about tests. We often see them as obstacles to overcome or barriers that keep us from what we want to do. The pressure from tests like the ACT or SAT are high stress events in our children’s lives. It can be devastating to fail a test.

But another purpose of tests is to help us see where we are, how well we are doing. Of course we may fail more often than we pass but we often learn more in our failures. I believe this is why Paul had such a unique philosophy, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Cor. 12:9-10)

There are many kinds of tests. Many of those tests are found in marriage or other close relationships with people. We are tested when things don’t go our way or when we have power over people and then how we treat them. In a sense almost every thing is a test.
But one of the big tests for us as Christians is our money. It doesn’t matter if you have a lot or a little, but how we relate to money and how we use it. (This type of test is not always about money, some things are more valuable like a child.) That is what the Hebrew writer brings to mind as he writes about faith. He mentions Abraham and the test of offering Isaac as a sacrifice to God. God was testing Abraham’s faith in him and he passed the test.

The Israelites in Malachi’s day were also being tested and they weren’t doing well. The law clearly stated what offering should be made and they were not fulfilling their covenant promise to God. Why? They didn’t trust God to provide for them, to fulfill his covenant promises to them.

We face the same test when it comes to our finances. We do not find in the New Testament a percentage as we see in the Old Testament. The tithe was a tenth of what they received though many have concluded it was higher. The question is how is our faith?

The New Testament takes giving out of the realm of law and puts it in the realm of grace; that it is a gift of free will that comes from the heart of gratitude. It would be so much easier if we had a percentage to say, “Do this and you are okay.” But this is a faith test and part of the test is how you decide to give as well as how much. It is time for us to take this test with some seriousness. We develop our faith by exercising that faith therefore I would encourage you to do several things.
1. Look at your finances.
2. Decide how much you want to give.
3. Make giving to God a priority.
4. Be faithful.
Will God take care of you? God responds to faith, he rewards those who seek him. Our finances are one area where we need to seek God.

Livonia Church of Christ: September 24, 2006

A Friend for the Journey

2006-10-04T13:00:00.000-07:00

A Friend for the Journey
Eccl. 4:9-12

Introduction: I hate to travel alone. I know those of you with small children are thinking, “Is he kidding?” Or maybe you had a rather tense road trip with you kids this past summer and dreamed about a nice, peaceful vacation without that tension. There are times when we just want to get away from people. But in the end we know we need others. Kids may drive parents crazy and parents do the same thing to their kids. But take them away for a while, let one get lost on a camp out and suddenly all that irritation drops off the map.

I. We Need People
The reading this morning comes from a book of wisdom in the Old Testament called Ecclesiastes. The writer makes the observation that being alone is tough, “But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!” (Ecclesiastes 4:10) I don’t know if you have ever observed trees when we get a heavy snow. The lone tree has a big problem because heavy snow can topple it over. Trees in a group tend to support each other and it is more difficult for that to happen. Most of us realize it is that way with people also. We are like that; we can go along quite okay on our own but when the pressure of a crisis happens then we realize we need others.

That is why one trend in our society is so troubling. A recent study showed a steep decline in close personal relationships here in the US. Ten years ago 10% said they had no close friend or confidante. Today 25% said they had no close confidante. Another 19% said they had only one close friend they could confide in. We have a lot of lone trees in our society. Some years ago Robert Putnam wrote a book called "Bowling Alone" in which he observed the collapse of the sense of community in our country.

No matter how smooth things may be going in your life right now you will face a crisis, all of us will. You will lose someone close to you. You will face a health crisis of some kind. There could be a crisis of employment or money problems. In Michigan the number of foreclosures have doubled in the past two years. Quite a number of them are in this area. There will probably be some national crisis that will take our breath away just as 9/11 did five years ago.
We are aware of the problem. The question is what will we do about?

II. Looking for Answers
There are many ways people try to answer this problem. Women are probably better suited to building friendships than are men though the decline in relationship is across the board for men and women. We may find friends in areas of common interest. There are clubs and organizations that we can join or serve in. Some find a sense of community on-line. A church is another place where people come looking for an answer to loneliness.

Of course a church might be the last place some would choose. As one person once remarked, “Why would I go there? I already feel bad enough about myself.” I suppose as long as people are in churches you will find imperfection. The church has never been all that Jesus wanted it to be. Yet I think he knew this even while he was here. He knew how messy friendships could be and how disappointing. He knew the pain of betrayal and the joy of fellowship that comes through friendship. In spite of the imperfections he called his people into communities called churches.

There are all kinds of churches with a variety of shapes and sizes. Some churches are alive and active and others seem asleep or even dead. And, unfortunately some churches are toxic and poisonous to the soul. You might find levels of all the above in every church to some extent. Churches are imperfect just as people are imperfect.

But the church Jesus wants will try to reflect certain things however imperfectly. The apostle Paul described the church with these words, “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” (1 Corinthians 12:27) There are many organizations in the world that are doing good works but there is only one body of Christ. To be the body of Christ is to commit to being the hands, feet and voice of Jesus in our world today. That means several things.
First, it means we are to reflect the grace of Jesus towards people. This is a concept that is easily misunderstood. Grace is expressed in acceptance of others where they are. Jesus reflected this constantly in his ministry. He welcomed a common fisherman like Peter. He welcomed a rich corrupt tax collector like Zacchaeus. He welcomed a woman divorced and remarried several times at a well in Samaria. He welcomed people with leprosy. The reason Jesus did this is that he could see the image of God in each and every person no matter how clouded or marred with sin or disease. Becoming a Christian means starting to see people in this way. Paul wrote, “So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:16-17)

This brings us to another aspect of grace as Jesus displayed it; grace is there to change people. Jesus never left people where they were. Jesus would forgive people but then call on them, in the light of that forgiveness, to live differently. He wanted people to live their lives pleasing God. So Jesus forgave the woman caught in adultery when others were condemning her. The Jesus said these words, "Go now and leave your life of sin." Sin deforms people’s hearts and minds and it is only by Jesus’ grace that people can be healed and changed.

Another characteristic where churches try to reflect Jesus is in love. Jesus told his followers, “As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35) Jesus was the ultimate friend. He was someone who would give everything for his friends, even his own life. Admittedly Christians fail here more often than they succeed. But we hold love as a goal because we need friends. We need people to walk beside us and help us when we fall. We need the warmth of friendship in the harsh realities of this life. We need the strength that comes from standing with others in a dangerous and unpredictable world.

The lone tree is vulnerable to wind and elements. But scientists have discovered something remarkable in forest with diverse trees. When the roots begin to contact the roots of other trees a fierce competition begins for resources. But where a certain fungus is present instead of competing the trees share resources of sunlight, water, and minerals among the group. It is an amazing example of interdependence. Churches are like that. We have people from all kinds of different backgrounds. It would be easy to get into conflict much like we see in our world. But there is one different element, our Lord Jesus. With him in our midst things change, we change. We become the kind of people God intended us to be, a community of Christ. If you want to know more about us and become a follower of Christ then just ask. We love to talk about Jesus.

Livonia Church of Christ: September 10, 2006

Being a Friend Like Jesus

2006-10-04T12:55:00.000-07:00

Being a Friend Like Jesus
John 15:9-17

Introduction: Next Sunday is Friend Day and our annual picnic so I hope you are planning to invite someone to join us that Sunday. Friendship is a glorious thing. It is something that brings sweetness to life that we all want more of. I especially treasure friendship that I made in Kenya with both my American and Kenyan brothers. Part of it grew out of the common goals we had there as well as sharing the victories and adversity of that time. I think there is that sense of friendship found in today’s passage. It tells us something of what it means to be Jesus’ friend but also it tells us something of how Jesus wants us to be friends.

I. Acceptance
These words of Jesus were spoken at the end of his ministry with and to his disciples. Jesus used the word ‘friend’ in casual ways but this time it is different. It is after three years of his constant presence and the hardships of ministry that Jesus calls them friends. How did Jesus form these friendships?

The first step in friendship is acceptance. One of the outstanding things about Jesus was his ability to accept people where they were. This was certainly true of the disciples. They were men of various backgrounds, learning, abilities and prejudices. Jesus was constantly calling people to follow him and yet there were other callings and levels to the relationship Jesus had with people. At one point in his ministry Jesus went out and prayed all night before choosing twelve men to be in a special relationship with him. Why these twelve? Anything we say is speculation but they were men Jesus could teach and would accept his teaching. But more than that, I think Jesus chose them because they would be his friends.

Of course Jesus accepted more than just these few men. Jesus accepted the unacceptable, at least unacceptable to the standards of the day. Many churches might not accept such people today. Jesus accepted prostitutes, the greedy; he even ate with religious people. He accepted people with socially isolating diseases. It was this acceptance that marked the early church. It shaped the church’s evangelism to the point where slaves and women found such acceptance. The early church was criticized and scorned for its acceptance of such people. Paul put in it this way; “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.” (Romans 15:7) To be a friend like Jesus is to accept others no matter what. Our human tendency is to reject those we don’t approve of; those not like us, or those that don’t agree with us. It is interesting that such a heart of acceptance of others will lead some people to exclude us. Why did some accept Jesus and others reject him? Why did some follow and some walk away in sadness? There is a price to be paid for friendship, especially friendship with God.

II. Expectation
While Jesus accepted people where they were, he also has expectations if people were to walk with him, if they were to become his friends. Jesus put it plainly; “You are my friends if you do what I command.” (John 15:14) That at first glance seems an extreme condition for friendship. Yet every friendship has expectations and commitments. My closest friendship is with Diane and there are mutual expectations and commitments that are very exclusive to that relationship. This may be another factor in the decline of close friendships in the United States, the fear of commitment. Friendship demands time. We commit to honesty with each other. It means doing things together. The depth of the friendship is measured in the depth of commitment to these things.

Who were these men whom Jesus called friends? They were the ones who went with Jesus to the next town when they could have stayed at home. They were the ones who went into dangerous unfriendly places like Samaria when Jesus said, “I’m going there.” They stayed with him when others got angry with Jesus and walked away. They were the ones who committed to doing what Jesus taught and Jesus called them his friends.

We are here today as friends because our main desire is to be Jesus’ friend. Would Diane and I be here among you this morning without our friendship to Jesus? It is unlikely that we would have ever come to Livonia let alone met or become friends with any of you. That is probably true for all of us. That is why Jesus’ command makes sense, “This is my command: Love each other.” (John 15:17) Jesus wants all of his friends, those who love him and keep his commands to love all those who have made the same commitment to Jesus’ friendship. As we consider what that means to our invitation to those we invite to our church this means we want them to meet the one who is the reason for our being here, Jesus the Son of God. The Livonia church has a lot to offer people but it is this relationship, this commitment that is primary.

III. Friend of God
We become like our friends. It is natural that we do that. We become like people we admire and are with on a consistent basis. That is why being a friend of God is such an incredible invitation, opportunity, and responsibility. It was that way for Abraham who is referred in scripture as “friend of God”. Now we are invited to be friends of Jesus, friends of God.
Do you ever become jealous of your friends especially if you have a close friendship? I suppose this is a natural reaction because we have such a limited capacity for relationships. But God is not that way. The infinite God has an infinite capacity for friendship and he has invited each one us to be his friend. How close a friend we become depends to a certain extent on our love for him and our obedience to him.

That is why we invite people to join us, a fellowship of Jesus’ friends. Being a friend like Jesus means we learn to accept others as he did. It means we call people to follow Jesus, to walk a different direction from where they have been going. Following Jesus is an adventure that can lead you to places you never dreamed of being. If you don’t think this is true then talk to Paula, Jill, and Karen about their trip to Nigeria. Talk to Diane and me about Kenya or about coming back to Livonia. Jesus is willing to become as close a friend, as we will allow him to become.
Being a friend like Jesus means loving like Jesus also. That means loving people into the image of God and not anything less. It means loving to point of laying ourselves out on behalf of our friends. Being a friend is not some light commitment but a willingness to give everything for our friend Jesus, and all of Jesus friends.

If you are not Jesus friend why don’t you join us in the adventure of a lifetime, of an eternity.

Livonia Church of Christ: September 3, 2006

Being a Friend

2006-08-28T09:46:00.000-07:00

Being a Friend
Proverbs 17:17; 18:24; 27:6-9

In the next few weeks we will have two events that are important for our church. First, on September 10th we will be having our Friend Day and annual picnic. This is a great time to invite our family and friends, especially those who don’t know Jesus or have a church home. Second, on the next Sunday the 17th we will begin our home groups again. There will be sign up sheets and I want to encourage you to sign up or at least visit a few of the groups. This is a vital part of our church and important to your individual growth as a Christian.

I. Loneliness
The reason our groups are important is evident in the increasing loneliness that is plaguing our society. Recently studies have shown a decline in close friends for both men and women in the last ten years. One fourth of our nation’s households consist of just one person. Ten years ago 10% said they had no close friend or confidante. Today 25% said they had no close confidante. Another 19% said they had only one close friend they could confide in. These are amazing statistics and point to an underlying dysfunction in our society.

There are many reasons given for this but I want to focus on a couple that I think are overlooked. Sometimes people make choices that isolate themselves. A friend of mine in California works with people struggling with drug problems. One woman came to him for help and he talked with her for a short period of time. Several weeks later the police called him. She had been arrested and needed someone to take her child and he was the only person she could think of. Her drug habit had cut her off from family and friends to the point where Jon, almost a complete stranger who had shown her kindness, was the only person she could think to turn to. Sin does that to people. Addictive behavior isolates people. Other types of sin isolate people also. Pride can do it to the point where people will not ask for help or reach out to others. Fear is another isolating factor.

However, one factor that I don’t see mentioned is our desire for privacy. It has become so mandated by government we hesitate to put details of why a person is on the prayer list in the bulletin. In a sense this is a western idol related to the idol of individualism. It is what causes a person to keep others at a distance and keeps a person alone and often lonely. It is a barrier to committing to a community because commitment requires us to lower some of our barriers and our masks and allow others to know us.

II. A Church of Friends
That is the setting for our church today. We have people who come to our church looking for something and they are not sure what it is. I believe they are looking for a connection to other people and even more a connection to God.

I know that we as a church view ourselves as ‘friendly’ and we are. We work hard at greeting guests who walk through our doors and try to make them feel welcome. Yet friendliness is not enough. People can get a friendly greeting at Walmart. We are not inviting people into our fellowship to sell a product but to meet our savior, Jesus Christ. We don’t just want to be friendly but to offer friendship. How can we do that?

The first step on our part is to be open to new relationships and new people. It is wonderful that we have such great relationships with people in our congregation. There is a lot of joy in seeing a friend we have not seen in a few days. But it is very easy to see a friend and ignore the person who is not. We may feel like we have enough friends and therefore do not need to reach out to someone new. Sometimes we may feel like it isn’t worth the effort to get to know a new person. All of these attitudes keep us closed to new people in our midst. I want to encourage you to meet new people who come through our doors. This doesn’t mean they will become a close friend but then again they might. This does not mean we won’t be disappointed or even hurt by others we offer friendship to. But the Christian life is not about avoiding pain but in risking our selves for others.

The book of Proverbs gives us some wisdom when it comes to being a friend. One verse is, “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” (Proverbs 17:17) Friendship can be formed in all kinds of circumstances but true friendship will last through difficult and trying times. The key here is that friendship shares both good times and bad. I have had people who came into my life when they had problems and wanted me to help but then disappeared after the crisis was over. I have also had people who disappeared when I had a need. We all desire relationships that can share everything. This is why our home groups are so important. You cannot form a friendship just seeing people here on Sunday morning. Our home groups are where we pray together, talk about our joys and sorrows, and join hands to help others. If we want others to connect to our church and become a part of us then we need to invite them to our home group. If we want to connect and grow then becoming a part of a home group is necessary.

Another point from Proverbs is,
Wounds from a friend can be trusted,
but an enemy multiplies kisses.

Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart,
and the pleasantness of one's friend springs from his earnest counsel.
(Proverbs 27:6, 9)

Sometimes people think friendship is just ignoring things that are wrong in a person’s life. The writer of Proverbs doesn’t see it that way. Instead true friendship makes a person better. We see that in a good marriage. Diane has made me a better person because she has helped me recognize and deal with weaknesses in my life. There are things she overlooks because she is my friend and she does love me but her gentle rebukes and insights have helped me for over 35 years. I hope that I have done the same thing for her. The friendship we offer people is acceptance and love but also a desire to see them become what God desires them to be.

This is not an easy thing to do. Not everyone wants that kind of friendship. People rejected Jesus’ friendship and they will reject ours also. But there are many people who are looking not just for a connection to other people but a connection to God. We need to remember we are not a social club or a service club or a self-help club. We are people of God whose desire and task is to introduce people to our Lord Jesus Christ and to know God. That task is well defined by Jesus in his commission to Saul,
“’I'm sending you off to open the eyes of the outsiders so they can see the difference between dark and light, and choose light, see the difference between Satan and God, and choose God. I'm sending you off to present my offer of sins forgiven, and a place in the family, inviting them into the company of those who begin real living by believing in me.’”
THE MESSAGE)

This week look around you. Who can you invite to Friend Day? Take several invitations on the way out this morning, pray over those invitations and give them out. Let’s pray for our neighbors and friends so that we can introduce them to the greatest friend we have, Jesus.

Livonia Church of Christ: August 27, 2006

A Break from Preaching

2006-08-24T04:24:00.002-07:00

The previous two Sundays we have had guest speakers at Livonia. On August 13th Drew Fralick preached and gave a report about a mission survey trip he took to Peru and Bolivia. On August 20th I prevailed on Matthew to preach. He is pictured here with his grandparents Dean and Ruth Clutter of Coldwater, Michigan. Dean is approaching 60 years as a gospel preacher. I believe this is the second time Matt has preached at Livonia and he did an excellent job both times. While he is on a different career path than full time ministry I know that he will be blessing the Lord's church through his talents no matter what vocation he chooses. He is returning to Abilene Christian University August 25th for his second year as a political science major. We are proud of the man he is becoming.

The Journey: Blessing

2006-08-16T06:42:00.000-07:00

The Journey
Blessing
Psalm 134

Introduction: I like to travel and visit new places. You may have had an experience like mine where you read about a place, it looks so attractive and interesting so you plan and save to go. But when you get there you’ve been fooled. The glowing description doesn’t measure up. You’re disappointed and a little angry at falling for their tricks. Sometimes people wonder about that with our spiritual journey. Is it worth the hardship of the journey? What awaits us? Will we be disappointed?

I. The Invitation
The journey through the psalms of ascent has reached its destination. It began with repentance, a turning from something so we could travel and reach a place where God can be worshipped. Along the way there has been trial, suffering, joy, fellowship, all the good and bad that life can throw at us. Now we are invited to “bless the Lord”.

The word “bless” is central to this short closing psalm. We use the word in various ways from what we say when someone sneezes to a way to say good-bye. I often close my letters with “God bless.” But for people on the journey toward God the psalmist invites them, invites us to bless the Lord. The question is how do you bless God?

Blessing, at least in biblical terms, is an act of giving. In scripture we see parents giving a blessing to their children by laying their hands on them and then saying words that in one sense predict or declare their future. Blessing is given in many ways by action but also by our words. Paul is clear that what we say has tremendous impact on those around us, Eph. 4:29. As parents we either bless our children or curse them. Too many parents do not realize the power of their words on their children. Their words become in some ways self-fulfilling prophecies. Tell a child that they are bad long enough and they will become what you tell them.

But the invitation in the psalm is to bless the Lord. How do you do that? After all God is supposed to bless us. God is the one with all the power. How can a weak creature like me bless God? The word in the NIV translation is “praise” but that is not very good way to translate this word. The word is used of what God does for us. But God does not just bless us with things, however good they may be. God ultimately wants to share himself with us, share his grace and generosity. As one person observed blessing is a sharing of what is in the soul.

The picture of parent and child is one we may be able to best relate. How does a parent bless a child? Providing food, clothing and shelter is part of it but a child wants and needs more. The child needs the parent to come down to their level, to stoop down and be interested in toy cars and dolls, to forget about jobs, sports, and house keeping and to enter their world and share ourselves with them. God does that, has done that in Jesus and even now continues to enter our world in order to be with us.

Then we are invited to bless God. How do children bless their parents? They give back to us what we have shared with them. If we have shared love and patience then, most of the time, that is what we will receive. Children bless their parents in the lives they live, or at times they do not bless us, Prov. 15:20; 19:26.

We have made the journey toward God and now we are called to bless the Lord. What is in our soul? What have we learned from his discipline? How has God blessed us? The answer is in how we live, the choices we make, the love we share with others. It comes in how we speak about God to others.

II. The Command
The psalmist and other pilgrims had traveled days or even months to reach Jerusalem to worship. For many the experience must have been overwhelming with tens of thousands of pilgrims and the magnificent temple. They must have had countless stories to share about the journey and its hardships and blessings. But this was not the reason they had made the journey. They may have been tired and not wanted to bless the Lord but that is why they had come.

There is probably no more difficult time to praise God than the middle of the night. There were priests on duty around the clock but those with the midnight shift must have found it difficult. The command is to lift your hands and bless the Lord, a physical act that helped the worshipper to worship. We can find all kinds of reasons not to bless the Lord. We are tired. We had a fight with our spouse or the kids or the parents. We want to talk to our friends because the journey is hard. But worship does not depend on our emotions. They are a part of worship to be sure but if we only worshipped when we felt like it then we would rarely do so. Some think it is hypocritical to come to worship when we don’t feel like it but that is not hypocrisy. God does not demand that we come with our smiley face in place; he only asks that we come with what we have. If blessing another is a sharing what is in our soul then we bless the Lord when we share our sorrows as wells as our joys, our defeats as well as our victories. When we share with God it is not that the sorrow or joy is taken away but that God shares in it with us. God wants us to share what is in our souls and he will share what is in his soul.

III. God’s Blessing
The psalm begins calling us to bless the Lord and ends with, “May the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth, bless you from Zion.” The Lord desires to bless people. As Maker of heaven and earth we often place blessing in the categories of physical and spiritual blessings. While we recognize the value of the spiritual it is usually the physical that we are most concerned about. God is concerned also about the physical, after all he created it and he created us with the physical needs that we have. God created the spirit in us also and he answers those needs primarily through Jesus. God’s heart is filled with love that is expressed in grace and generosity.

But God’s blessing is more than these things that we are often focused on. God wants to share himself with us. This is beyond our comprehension. Why would the maker of heaven and earth desire to share himself with me when I am so small and so insignificant? The fact is God creates us so he can share himself with us and we with him. Jesus said it this way, “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” (John 17:3) When God shares his soul with us then we are changed, transformed by that sharing. What is in God’s soul? We often think of love, grace, and mercy as being the soul of God. But there is also sorrow in God’s soul. If we shared in God’s sorrow then maybe our vision would be more like God’s.

The Journey of the Psalms of Ascent is a journey to God. It is a journey that God invites all to join. You won’t be disappointed when you arrive because it will be beyond all that you can express or imagine. God invites you to begin; we invite you to join us in the way.

Livonia Church of Christ: August 6, 2006

No More Teenagers!

2006-08-07T08:18:00.000-07:00

Matt with Laura and Julie at his high school graduation in 2005.

August 1st was a momentous day for Diane and me, Matthew celebrated his 20th birthday and this meant that our time as parents to teens, which began in 1990, was over. I must admit that we had great fun with our teens and it was much more a blessing than it was a problem. Our kids continue to make us proud. We have had a great summer with Matt at home and he will be leaving August 25th to start his second year at Abilene Christian University. He is a political science major and is doing great with his studies. Our prayer is that God will continue to lead him in the way he should go.

The Journey: Obedience

2006-08-07T08:15:00.000-07:00

The Journey:
Obedience
Psalm 132

Introduction: Have you ever prayed intensely to God in the midst of a crisis? Did you promise God something in return for his help? Did you keep the promise? Such times are filled with fervor for God but more frequently our obedience and our fervor are more like background music to our daily activities. This psalm reminds us of both kinds of obedience because both are part of the journey.

I. The Ark
The psalm is built around the coming of the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. The Ark was built under Moses’ direction during the time at Sinai. It was a symbol of God’s presence in Israel and was referred to as the footstool of God’s throne. The priests carried it during the wilderness wandering and during the time of the conquest of Canaan. After years of wandering the tabernacle was set up in Shilo.

The story of the ark flows throughout the history of Israel. Israel tried to use it as a magic charm to assure victory and found out that God could not be manipulated when the ark was captured. Of course the Philistines who captured the ark found out that God didn’t like their idols and quickly sent it back. The psalm refers to the time when David brought the ark to Jerusalem and place where the temple would be built.

David had finally been made king and his kingdom was stable. The first time David attempted to bring the Ark to Jerusalem was a disaster. (2 Sam. 6:1-11) David had not consulted the law and as a result God struck down a man named Uzzah for touching the Ark. This scared David and the Ark was left in the care of a family along the way. Several months later, after consulting the Law and probably the Levites David had the Ark brought into Jerusalem with great rejoicing. (2 Sam. 6:12-19) Scripture recorded that David danced before the Lord with all his might as he had sacrifices made every few feet.

In a sense this was the pinnacle of David’s spiritual life. David had endured years of abuse and hardship waiting on God to fulfill his promise to him and God did do as he promised. Now David as king was going to have the Ark, the symbol of God’s presence with his people close at hand. David could go up to the tabernacle and pray and worship at any hour. His obedience brought him close to God and it was filled with excitement and fervor. His fervor touched an entire nation as people came to Jerusalem to celebrate with David. His obedience set an example that must have caused people to take seriously their covenant with God and to live in faithfulness. And David desired to do more, to build a house for the Ark that was glorious and worth of God. God refused David that honor but even though we refer to the temple that was built as the Temple of Solomon, David’s son, David made extensive preparations in planning and materials so that the young Solomon simply had to give the word for the work to begin.
So the temple was built and Israel began the trips to Jerusalem to worship and sacrifice. This psalm was sung as part of the journey to the temple. People could imagine what it must have been like that day as the Ark made the journey, what the celebration must have been like and now they were making the journey, they were rejoicing as they entered Jerusalem.

It strikes me that sometimes our remembrance, our worship, is more solemn that it is celebratory. Certainly, solemnity is one aspect of our worship as we come to the table but there is so much more that we seem to overlook. For the early church the Lord’s supper was more about Sunday than Friday, the glory of the resurrection than the darkness of the crucifixion. Celebration is more about community. Celebration is done with others, it is shared, and you can’t keep it in or to yourself. It is like welcoming the Ark into Jerusalem with feasting, songs, and dance. This psalm is about the joy that comes from faithful obedience.

II. The Covenant
Because of David’s tremendous heart God made a covenant with him that he would have a descendent on the throne forever. Many of us know how the story continued with David. From the pinnacle of joy that comes from obedience came the pit of death and despair from disobedience. It wasn’t just David who fell, invariably all who followed him fell. Eventual the kingdom was sent into exile. But verse 10 is an appeal to God to remember his covenant even in the face of Israel’s unfaithfulness.

God remembers. We often think of this in negative terms, “How could God forgive, not remember my sin?” But the positive side of this is God remembers. He remembers your faith, your baptism, your stumbling progress, the times you tried to help someone or share your faith with a friend. God remembers the covenant he made with you whether it was fifty years ago or yesterday. We have a history with God and he remembers and so should we. When a couple marries they have started a history together and that is part of their love. As the years pass good and bad happens, they share joy and sorrow, victory and loss. Every anniversary is a remembrance of the covenant and the history. Couples that grow apart often begin building a history separate from each other. They forget their history and their covenant and why they had such love for each other in the beginning.

We need to remember our history with God and what that means. We journey toward God each day that we live. Others have gone before us on the journey, David, Peter, Paul, maybe parents or a friend, even Jesus. This psalm was one to help the pilgrim remember and to be filled with joy.

“The Lord has chosen Zion.” The Lord has also chosen you to be his dwelling place. You didn’t just choose to follow God, he chose you. You are the place where God sits enthroned. The words of Jesus are astounding in John 14:23, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” Paul describes us as God’s temple where God’s spirit dwells, 1 Cor. 3:16.

The last part of the psalm is, “I will bless.” God will give physical blessing, clothe his people with salvation, and give strength and victory. That is what God did for David because of his obedience. Discipline came because of David’s disobedience. Discipline came when Israel failed to keep the covenant, when they failed to remember God. But discipline is not what God desires to give us, he wants to bless but his blessing is tied in many ways to our faithfulness. This is one lesson of David’s life. David did not have perfect obedience, in fact he was a long way from that, but David was faithful. His heart was turned toward God so that when his sin was revealed he turned back toward the God he loved so much. God did bless David and he blesses all who journey toward him.

Livonia Church of Christ: July 30, 2006

The Journey: Security

2006-07-24T06:25:00.000-07:00

The Journey
Security
Psalm 125

Introduction: How much do you spend on security? We have locks on our houses, firewalls and virus protection on our computers, alarms and security companies, the police, the military, and probably more that we are not aware of. The budget for Homeland Security was over $40 billion in 2005 and is undoubtedly more for this year. Security seems to be something we lack as enter the journey we have been talking about these past few weeks. Sometimes it seems like our journey is more like walking a tightrope rather than a path. Is our journey really that uncertain?

I. Like Mt. Zion
We do so much to be secure in our world and yet that security often fails us. But what is the basis of our security on our journey? The psalmist compares us to Mt. Zion, Jerusalem. In ancient times Jerusalem was in an ideal location surrounded by mountains that provided a natural barrier to enemies. The walls of Jerusalem were strong and needed in a time when there were powerful enemies and great lawlessness. Within Jerusalem there was a sense of safety and protection. The world was a dangerous place but inside the city, people could relax a bit.

But what men worked so hard to obtain the psalmist sees as something God gives to those who trust him. The Lord surrounds his people providing protection to those who trust in him. It is not something we do or create but something we receive as his people. Those who abide in God will not be shaken or moved.

II. The Problem
All of that sounds great but reality is a bit different. We are shaken; we are moved by the anxiety and uncertainty of our time. Some days we are full of faith and confidence but the next day something may happen that fills us with fear and dread. Recently I was talking with a former missionary friend who shared something I had forgotten. It was in August 1982 when an attempted coup occurred in Kenya. We were several hundred kilometers from Nairobi where most of the trouble took place but what we heard was not good. I had come down with malaria and had gone into downtown Kisumu to see the doctor when suddenly everyone started running away from the downtown area. It was scary and I got home as quickly as I could. Steve said when I came in to tell everyone what had happened I was extremely pale, probably due to the malaria as much as the experience. We are never as unmoved as we think we are.

That is always true of God’s people. We can experience great victory and then be plunged into sin and despair. Israel experienced what one person described as the saw-tooth of history. One day they marched through the Red Sea to victory and a week later they are full of doubts and complaints about Moses and his God. One day they are marching around Jericho in obedience to God’s command and days later are defeated because of their disobedience. This history of Israel is a constant up and down. It is our history also. There is one constant however, it is God who never wavers in his commitment to his people. Whatever our feelings, whatever our fears, God does not change in his heart toward us. If we have a loved one who is sick or depressed we don’t abandon them or love them less. How much more so with our God. As Paul wrote,
if we are faithless,
he will remain faithful,
for he cannot disown himself. 2 Timothy 2:13
We need to live in the reality of God’s promises not out emotions and feelings. Our security is in God who loves us and has made sacred promises to us.

There is another area that causes us to waver, and that is when pain, sickness and death touch the lives of those we love and ourselves. As we grow older it is so easy to fall prey to worry over health and security. The psalmist knew this also. He lived in a world without hospitals, anesthesia, aspirin, and all the things we take for granted. It is difficult when the pain of life grabs us and doesn’t seem to want to let us go. The phrase the psalmist uses is, “The scepter of the wicked will not remain over the land allotted to the righteous,” Psalms 125:3. There is no doubt that there is evil in our world but this is not how it will always be. Evil is a temporary thing even if it seems things never change. God is moving toward a time when evil will be forgotten and tears and sorrow will be no more. God surrounds us. “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?” (Romans 8:35-36) Paul’s answer is, “Nothing.” Nothing can separate us from God’s love.

But there is one more area that unsettles us as we think about the journey and our security in it--backsliding. I didn’t do much mountain climbing when I was in Kenya. All three of my children climbed Mt. Kenya to Pt. Lenana but I never attempted it. We did as a family climb a volcano about an hour drive out of Nairobi, Mt. Longonot. Lots of people climbed it and then would hike around the rim of the crater. It wasn’t a terribly difficult climb except for one thing, the loose rock and shale that you had to go over to get to the top. If you weren’t careful you would slide back down the mountain.

We know people who have backslidden and maybe there have been times in your life when you that word would fit you. The psalmist describes them as, “those who turn to crooked ways,” Psalm 125:5. A lot of Christians worry about this and live lives of doubt and insecurity because they are so afraid of falling. But the Christian life is not like walking a tightrope. It is not possible to unknowingly wander away from God. God is relentless in his desire for you and for me. I do believe it is possible to reject the way of faith if that person so chooses. But we are all sinners. We are all lost sheep who have gone astray. We have times of weakness and doubt. We break our promises to God. We never quite live up to our potential. We may break our covenant with God but he does not break it with us.

The last phrase of the psalm tells us, “Peace be upon Israel,” Psalms 125:5. In other words, “Relax,” you are secure in God. All kinds of things may threaten us on the journey. We may stumble and fall innumerable times. But our security doesn’t rest in our performance. It doesn’t rest in the fact that things always go our way. It rests in our mighty God in whom we have put our trust. We are secure.

Livonia Church of Christ: July 23, 2006

The Journey: Psalm 130

2006-07-18T07:20:00.000-07:00

The Journey
Hope
Psalm 130

Introduction: What do you hope for? ‘Hope’ is a word that has come to mean various things. We hope something happens, sort of like wishful thinking, “I hope the Lions win.” We hope for things that don’t seem likely to happen though we wish they would. ‘Hope’ seems like a rather weak word in our day and yet it is a powerful word in our faith. Paul writes, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:13) While we often focus on love, the greatest, it is good to remember how much hope is valued.

I. The Good News of Sin
It seems that for many people hope is a rather weak thing. Hope is about the future not the present. As Paul writes, “Who hopes for what he already has?” (Romans 8:24) The problem is that many people are very content with life. That is not to say they don’t hope for things like a new car or a bigger house but materially they are quite comfortable. Hope is weak because if they don’t get what they hope or wish for they may be disappointed but life will continue.
But the psalmist is not there. The psalmist is in the depths. That image is one that most of us can relate to in some fashion. I’ve been lost deep in a jungle. I’ve been stuck in the mud. I’ve also been buried in problems that seemed unsolvable. Most of us have had situations like that in our lives.

But the psalmist is in a deep more hopeless than that. He is in a pit of sin. There is probably no more helpless feeling than when we are caught in sin. You would think when we make the decision to follow Jesus, to make the journey to God that somehow sin would not be so great a problem. Do you remember when you were baptized? You placed your faith in Jesus, stood before other Christians and confessed him as Lord and Savior and then went down into the water to be buried with him. I don’t know about you but when I came up out of the water I felt wonderful, freed, forgiven. The journey began for me many years ago in Spokane, Washington. But on my journey there have been times when I’ve been trapped again by sin. How could I have fallen so far when I was saved so wonderfully? How could Jesus forgive me again, and again, again? I think that is how the psalmist must have felt.

Sin is amazing in its power. It is not just missing the mark or breaking the law; it is a power that binds and entraps us and robs us of hope. Our society has tried to help us with sin by saying that there isn’t any sin. We are messed up by society, by our parents, by repressive religious belief. We are confused, mixed up and we just need to accept ourselves. The problem with all of this is that there is no mercy, no grace, no forgiveness, and no hope.
In one sense sin is good news and the psalmist tell us why,
If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins,
O Lord, who could stand?
But with you there is forgiveness;
therefore you are feared. Psalms 130:3-4

God is a forgiving God and that is the good news of scripture. It amazing how often that fact becomes obscured. God wanted to forgive us so much that he was willing to become human and die to redeem us. The scripture uses many metaphors to help us understand the death and resurrection of Jesus. We ask, “Why did Jesus have to die?” Jesus gives one answer in John 12:24, “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” Jesus had to die in order for a new kind of life to come into the world, a life a spiritually dead humanity could share in. With God there is forgiveness and so we fear, revere the one who blesses us in this wonderful way.

Sin is good news in that you can repent, you can turn, and you can continue on your journey. The forgiving God will give you another chance. There is no “three strikes” law that limits the number of times you can fall. Do you need another chance? Then repent and turn to God and he will give you that chance. In a world without God there is no forgiveness, no way to start over and begin a new life because there is no ‘new life’. A story goes that a leading British humanist was being interviewed on a religious program and said, "What I envy most about you Christians is your forgiveness. I have nobody to forgive me." Because we have a forgiving God it does not matter how deep we are stuck, how dark things may seem, we always have hope because of our God.

II. Waiting and Hoping
While hope is a blessing it is always tied to waiting and waiting is never easy. Just ask a watchman who is waiting for the sun to come up so that he can go home. People who do shift work know what I am talking about. The hours can seem to drag and last forever. I think it must have been worse for a watchman, however. There were no watches to tell him how long till the dawn, how long darkness will endure. What is true for the watchman is true for people in the depths. How long will the darkness, the oppression endure? How long must I wait for relief?

The psalmist writes, “I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope.” (Psalms 130:5) In his word I put my hope. Our hope is in the promises of God. The psalmist knew what God had done in the past. He knew what God had promised his people and so he could wait, maybe not always patiently but he would wait and hope. Part of our difficulty in waiting is our ignorance. If we don’t know what God has done, if we don’t know what God has promised then it is difficult to wait and hope.

“Put your hope in the Lord” the psalmist writes because his love will not fail. We look at scripture and know that this is true. It did not fail Abraham who waited and hoped for a son. It did not fail David who endured hardship and oppression waiting for God to fulfill his promise to make David king. God’s love did not fail Israel who endured 70 years of enslavement in Babylon before God restored them to their land. God’s love did not fail Jesus who went to a cross and died only to rise to life. All of these could have sung this psalm on their journey. We need to sing it also because we have hope in God whose promises, whose love, whose forgiveness will not fail.

Livonia Church of Christ: July 16, 2006

The Journey: Psalm 129

2006-07-11T08:46:00.000-07:00

The Journey
Perseverance
Psalm 129

Introduction: Do you ever have a problem finishing a project? I do. Now Diane gets great satisfaction when she is able to check something off her “to do” list. I never have gotten much satisfaction from that kind of thing. It is so easy to start something, difficult to finish it and yet no one remembers a good beginning if the finish doesn’t happen. No one remembers who is fastest at 95 meters, it is the last five meters that make a difference in who wins or not. That’s true not just with races but half finished quilts, or anything else we start but have trouble finishing. The Christian life is like that also. It is easy to start with a burst of enthusiasm and dedication but the way is difficult; the gate is narrow.

I. Oppression
The psalmist had found the way difficult, filled with oppression. And not just himself, the whole nation had faced tremendous periods of opposition. Israel’s history was marked with long periods of slavery and captivity so that the metaphor of a plowman leaving furrows on their backs was almost literally true.

Sometimes people have seen the way of Christ as something weak and fragile, a way that can only be lived when things are good, when the blessing are rolling in. Somehow I don’t think Jesus saw it that way. What appears weak can have great strength. Isaiah described Jesus in these words, “He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.” (Isaiah 53:2) It is difficult to think of something less significant than a little plant growing up through cracked, dry soil and yet that is how Jesus is described. Some years ago we visited Mt. St. Helens in Washington State. You may remember in 1980 the volcano exploded and devastated a beautiful part of the Northwest. In the aftermath of the eruption it looked like a barren lunar landscape. Scientist weren’t sure how long it would take the area to recover but thought it would be decades. Today the devastation is still evident but within months life began to recover. Jesus was like that. That Friday night after the crucifixion the world was buried in ash, death reigned. But Sunday morning life appeared where all hope was lost.

We have all heard the old saying, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” For a lot of us when the going gets tough we start asking questions. Is this really what the Lord wants me to do? If this is the right path why is it so hard? Maybe I’m on the wrong path. If people ridicule my faith then maybe something is wrong with what I believe? It almost seems that Jesus struggled with these all too human questions in Gethsemane as he faced the cross. His back was plowed on the way to the cross. It looked like he was crushed and destroyed, ground into the earth only for the earth to break open to allow new life to appear.

Paul is another whose back was plowed. His list of trials in 2 Corinthians 11:24-28 staggers me and yet more trials were in front of Paul. Our list could go on and on. Not every Christian has faced the kinds of trials Paul faced. Instead we each face trials that test our faithfulness to God.

II. But . . .
Oppression and trial are terrible times. The key to this psalm is found in one small word, “but”. “But they have not gained the victory over me.” (Psalms 129:2) Again, the psalmist writes, “But the LORD is righteous.” (Psalms 129:4). Why in the midst of adversity does the pilgrim survive? Why doesn’t the adversary gain victory when he has such great strength and power and the pilgrim is so weak and powerless? It is because God is righteous. We often slide over the statement “God is righteous” because it seems self-evident. God is always right isn’t He? But that is not what is being stated here. God’s righteousness has to do with his relationship to his people. God will not abandon his covenant, his relationship with his people, with you and me. God is committed to us no matter what happens. It is in this sense I am “righteous” in my relationship to Diane when I faithfully keep my marriage promises to her. Those promises are for “better or worse, in sickness and in health.” God is like that for us; he is righteous.

It is hard to believe God is with us when times are bad. We feel abandoned, that God has some how disappeared from our lives. It would be easy to look at Jesus’ life, at Paul’s life and say, “If God is with them then why did they face such trials?” But the righteousness of God is seen in the fact the Jesus was not abandoned to the grave but rose to life. Paul was martyred for his faith in Jesus and he believed he would share in Jesus’ resurrection just as he shared in his sufferings. (Philippians 3:10) God is righteous; therefore, we are not overcome.

III. Anger
The last part of this psalm makes some Christians uncomfortable. After all we are to love our enemies and bless those who persecute us. But the psalmist doesn’t want God to bless his persecutors. This makes us uncomfortable because we understand his feelings, we have felt this way about people who have done wrong to us and we know as Christians that these feelings are not what God wants us to act on. The thing about anger is that it is real and everyone has felt it. The psalmist had reason to feel anger towards those who had persecuted him because it was wrong. Those people were enemies of God. The psalms are very genuine in that they express the emotions we feel, whether it is anger or grief.

Jesus could express strong emotions about things. He displayed anger (Mark 3:5) and expressed some harsh judgments on the most stubborn unrepentant hearts of people who opposed him. Paul also could express strong emotions when he saw things were not right.
While I am not recommending anger as a response to persecution there is one thing about the psalmist we need to emulate, his passion. What arouses your emotions? What do you feel passionate about? What are you willing to lay your life on the line for? I’m not talking about getting angry and doing something to someone but what moves you to action? Injustice? Poverty? Lostness? Children? The elderly? Racial prejudice? Abortion? Marriage breakup? World missions? The problem is that often we aren’t very passionate about anything that matters. It is not that cars, sports, gardening and crafting are bad hobbies but our faith is about people and helping people find God. If you are not passionate about something that is close to the heart of God then do some self-examination and ask why aren’t you? We need to stoke and encourage the fires of passion in each other for the things of God.

This psalm points to one quality that is important if we are to complete the journey, perseverance. The journey is not always easy but in the end the Lord is righteous and we will win through if we don’t give up.

Livonia Church of Christ: July 2, 2006

Psalm 133: Community

2006-07-03T06:52:00.000-07:00

The Journey
Community
Psalm 133

Introduction: This is the time of year most of us take vacations. As parents we plan vacations for our kids. We may take them to some place fun. We may go camping or to some educational historic sight. And I think as we plan we have sort of an ideal in mind. Everyone is going to have fun and enjoy what we plan. Everyone is going to get along and we are going to be that happy family that really enjoys each other. Then the vacation happens and reality sets in. There are complaints of boredom. There are fights and arguments and disagreements over every little nit-picky thing. Vacations may be memorable but they are not always pleasant.

I. Children? Unity?
We read these psalms and we think, “That’s a nice picture.” But then we really think about it. Brothers? Siblings? Living in unity? Does the psalmist know what families are like? Since he was knowledgeable in the Scripture then I have to believe he does. Fratricide has a long history beginning with the story of Cain and Able. That wasn’t just a fight between siblings; it was a religious fight. It sometimes seems the closer people are to each other the more likely they are to fight.

I have often wondered at describing the church as a family. I know it is biblical because we are part of God’s family, Ephesians 3:15. God has made us his children, John 1:12-13. But too often we fight like family also and family fights can be terrible.

But in spite of the difficulty of living with others we are commanded to do so. The Bible knows nothing of the solitary Christian, those who love Jesus but hate the church, who worships God on their boats or golf carts. The journey we are on is communal, not solitary, and we will not make it alone. So much of scripture is about living with each other. The Hebrew writer warns those Christians, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another — and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:25) Each of the gospels emphasizes what Jesus calls the second great command of scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:39) John tells us that Jesus put it in even stronger terms to his disciples, “As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” (John 13:34) The context for love is the church, the community and the family gathering is Sunday morning at 11 AM when we gather around the table. It is good when brothers dwell together in unity. When the peace of God is truly present God's Spirit is in charge.

II. Avoiding Community
The problem that we encounter, however, is that we are good at avoiding community. When we fight we fight to win, since we are right. We fight like siblings. The story of Cain and Abel happens early in Genesis because it doesn’t take sin long to infect our closest relationships.
Church fights often devolve into contests of will that have little to do with God’s will. It is easy to find something over which to make a stand, something that is worth fratricide. I don’t mean physically, though that has happened, but spiritually we kill our brothers and sisters in our hearts (Matthew 5:21-22).

We also get in modes of avoidance by only coming to those required family gatherings. People may move away from the area. They may quit talking to a family member, ignore them and pretend they don’t exist. We know all about these creative ways of dealing with family. In the end though, we are still part of the family. It even seems to work in some fashion. It keeps people from fighting which for many passes for peace but it doesn’t build relationship or bring about true peace, the true shalom of God.

There are many examples of this but one of the most disturbing to me is the relationship between Black and White churches in our area. As I have been meeting with leaders from other churches in our area in planning for the Unity event in August we have all become aware that we are like two separate church bodies. This needs to change and to do so our attitudes need to change. Most of us say we don’t have a problem with people of other races and ethnic background. So why do we have two churches so disconnected, so separate, so divided? We know our Bibles well enough to know this is not what Jesus wanted of his people. Jesus died to break down the barriers that separate people (Ephesians 2:14). It is time for us to become faithful to Jesus’ vision for us as his people. That means we can’t just sit back and say we don’t have a problem. It doesn’t matter where the problem came from, what caused it or why. The way things are now is wrong, sinful, and ungodly and we must begin to act. It does matter what we do about it. We need to find ways to work with and learn from others who are different from us. No matter what we think, we need each other just like the left hand needs the right. We need to quit avoiding each other and calling it peace. That is why this unity event in August is important for us to attend and participate in. It won’t solve the problem but it may begin to bring us together as God desires.

III. Unity Because of Christ
The psalmist uses two images to express the beauty of God’s people united. The first is oil being poured on Aaron’s head. The reference is to the time Aaron was chosen as priest and the oil was a sign of his calling to be priest to his brothers (Exodus 29:7).

One of the most radical teachings of the New Testament is that we are all priests to each other (1 Peter 2:9). When you become a Christian you become a priest but not a priest like Aaron or a priest as in some Christian denominations but a priest like Jesus. Jesus is a priest different from any priest in history. To become like him does not mean putting on special robes and acting spiritual but to minister to others in God’s name. Do I need a priest? You bet I do! I need every person in this church to be my priest. This is not an option; it is who we are. It also means that we need all our brothers and sisters, no matter what color or background, to be priests to us. That is the basis of unity. We all have the oil pouring down our heads; we are all chosen as priests and need the ministry of others.

The second image is of dew on Mt. Hermon. This is the highest mountain in the region. In a dry desert region heavy wet dew must have been seen as an almost magical gift of moisture. I believe that kind of blessing is what we experience when God’s children are united. The blessings that others bring into our lives are amazing and unexpected. People we have been alienated from add things to our lives we didn’t even know we were missing. Every culture I have ever visited has blessed me in unexpected ways. This is what God desires and why we will be blessed if we are faithful to God’s vision of unity for his people.

Livonia Church of Christ: June 25, 2006

The Journey: Psalm 127

2006-06-28T10:34:00.000-07:00

Work
Psalm 127

Introduction: Today is Fathers Day and a day to honor people who have influenced us in countless ways. The psalm we are looking at today is one that speaks to fathers because it is about work. Work, in many ways, defines and shapes us.

I. God the Worker
The psalm states something we often forget, God is a worker. Genesis 1 tells us a lot about our world and ourselves but it also tells us something about God, he is creative and he is a worker. The establishment of the Sabbath rest after the six days of creation is for people a day to rest from physical work and to regain our strength. But God didn’t need to rest on the seventh day. Instead the idea is that God created the day to enjoy what he had made. You might think of it as a gardener who has labored to landscape a beautiful garden but then takes a day, not to work but instead to just enjoy the garden. God enjoyed the world he had made and especially the people he had created in his image.

It is before sinful disobedience that God gave people their work, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground." Genesis 1:28. God created people so that we could work with him. Everything God wanted to do was not complete but now he had partners to work with him.

Jesus makes a similar point in his ministry when he said, "My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working." (John 5:17) A bit later he said, "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” (John 5:19) Jesus knew something that we either don’t know or forget; work without God is futile. Jesus is what Adam was supposed to be, a coworker with God.

II. Working With God, or Not
The psalmist knew this secret to work; unless the Lord is involved then work will never accomplish what we desire. One example is a story we don’t often look at is found in Genesis 11, the story of Babel. The language used by the writer of Genesis is revealing, “They said to each other, "Come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly." They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth." (Genesis 11:3-4) The language reflects Genesis 1 where God ‘makes’. There is an arrogance that is part of work without God.

The word the psalmist uses for ‘vain’ is used also of the vanity of idolatry. Work without God becomes an idol that somehow by our effort, our sweat, we can create something that will last, that by our effort we can make our name ‘great’.

This stands in contrast to what happens next in Genesis 12 when God calls Abram and promises, “I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.” (Genesis 12:2) There are many things about these promises of God but how well was Abram known during his lifetime? He was a wealthy nomad but not that significant a figure. Yet today billions of people know his name. Christians, Jews, and Muslims all acknowledge him as a great friend of God. What made the difference is that Abram worked with God.

How many people today want to be ‘great’, to have a name that is known and recognized? Maybe our desire is just to be known in our field of work. We want to be recognized by our coworkers. Preachers are hardly immune from such thoughts and desires.

Security is the second aspect of this psalm, “the watchman stands guard in vain.” This is another great idol of our day. We work hard at being secure. Security was a big thing in Kenya. We had metal grates over the outside doors and windows. We had watchdogs and a night watchman. Yet we had things stolen by people in our own home that we trusted. Our nation spends incredible amounts on national security and before 9/11 an American carried out the worst terrorist attack in American history. Idols cannot make us great. Idols cannot make us secure. They won’t give us a good night sleep. Idols cannot love and give us sleep. God does love those who trust him and grants sleep, rest to his people.

As pilgrims sang this psalm on the journey to Jerusalem they were reminded of where greatness and security come from, God. A journey requires that we travel light. We cannot travel with the same security we have when we stay in one place. The journey takes us to places where we are unknown, where we are strangers traveling through and thus seen as insignificant and possibly as people to be taken advantage of.

III. Labor of Love
The second half of the psalm seems to jump in a totally different direction. Some scholars think that these were once two different psalms. But I don’t think so. We need to go back to Abram and ask, “How did Abram become ‘great’?” He was a wealthy and prosperous man of his day but we don’t remember that. The things he did were not that outstanding or memorable. What we remember about Abram is that he had a son and from that son God worked to cause Abram’s name to be remembered and honored for all eternity.

There is a difference between productivity and fruitfulness. Productivity is about what we do, how efficient we are in the tasks given. I believe God wants us to be productive and useful to our world no matter what role we have whether engineer or short order cook. When we work with God even the most mundane of jobs are used by him to bless others and accomplish his will in the world. But that is not fruitfulness.

Fruitfulness grows out of who we are not just what we do. It is seen in what Paul describes as the fruit of the spirit, Galatians 5:22-24. But the psalmist is talking about the fruit of our bodies and spirits, bringing children into the world, becoming parents. This is a gift of God to us. It is one of those blessings God gives to the just and unjust, to the person of God and to the atheist. As God’s people we see this as a gift but not just a gift to us but also a gift to the world.
More than any other role we have, work we do, being a father, being a parent, is a partnership between men and women and the God who works, the God who gives life. The more we join God in our work and in the lives of our children the more God blesses us, the more fruitful lives we will live.

Livonia Church of Christ: June 19, 2006

Sixty Amazing Years!

2006-06-20T16:00:00.000-07:00

On May 27th my wife Diane's parents, Dean and Ruth Clutter, celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. They married just after WWII and then moved to Abilene TX where Dean trained to be a preacher. They have been in ministry nearly their entire married life. It has had its ups and downs for them but they continue to serve the Coldwater, MI Church of Christ. We are so thankful for their example and the encouragement they have been to us as we entered ministry and went to Kenya. God has blessed many people through them over the years and I am sure will continue to bless in the future.

Psalm 126: Reaping Joy

2006-06-20T06:53:00.000-07:00

The Journey
Reaping Joy
Psalm 126

Introduction: Christianity has often been depicted as grim and joyless much like this famous painting “American Gothic”. While me might think that is unfair it is often how Christians are perceived.

I. Looking for Joy
People look for joy in many different places. We like to have fun so we go to Cedar Point and enjoy the thrill of the rides there. There are lots of places we find enjoyment that are good and wholesome. As we move into the summer season many of us will travel, camp, fish, swim, ride our bikes, the list goes on and on. One thing we sometimes forget is that God created this world for us to enjoy and so we should do that, enjoy good food, beautiful scenery, and all that God has made. The Preacher in Ecclesiastes put it this way; “I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil — this is the gift of God,” Ecclesiastes 3:12-13.

Of course there are many ways people seek joy that are not good. Often it is in the over indulgence in food and drink. Looking for thrills in drugs and alcohol is another way people seek joy. There are many who are experience addicts, adrenaline addicts who look for ways to get that rush. We have an entertainment industry that tries to give people joy and laughter, often at the expense of others.

Some Christians think that instead of a frown we should have a smile, no matter what. For some sadness becomes a sin. It is as if we must live life denying that there are times when joy is sucked from our lives by illness, accident and death. That kind of denial of life (because these experiences are part of life) is not found in scripture. We see people weeping and sad at personal loss. Even our lord wept over many things to the point that he was compared with Jeremiah the weeping prophet (Matthew 16:14). Denial of life’s bitter experiences is not joy but deception. Joy is not a requirement of discipleship, of following Jesus, but a result. Even though the psalmist wrote from his perspective he knew that joy was the journey that took people to God.

II. Joy: Past and Present
The hinge of the psalm is found in the second half of verse three, “We are filled with joy.” Before those words the psalmist is looking back and shouts, “The Lord has done great things for us.” The psalm appears to be written after the return from exile. Israel had been destroyed and Judah carried into exile in Babylon. Jerusalem and the temple had been destroyed. Those who survived lived as slaves and servants to the empire. Their nation was only a memory and their faith, well how could their faith in God survive? They remembered the God who had rescued them from slavery in Egypt. Was that God real? Could he rescue them again? Yet after seventy years thousands of them returned to the land of their fathers to rebuild a city and a nation. The Lord had fulfilled his promise and they were filled with joy.

For most of us the past is filled with triumph and defeat. Life can crush us at times and yet we are here this morning. You may not be filled with joy this morning but one answer to that is to look back. What has God done for you? How has he rescued you? If you cannot answer then look further back. What has our God done in the past for his people? Think about Israel rescued twice from slavery. Think about Peter rescued from a death sentence in Herod’s prison. Think about Jesus who died but did not stay in the tomb but defeated death.
“The Lord has done great things for us!”
“And we are filled with joy!”

III. Joy: Future
But joy is not just about the past or even the present, it’s about the future. “Restore our fortunes, O Lord.” The image is of a desert, the Negev. Most people don’t like deserts. I prefer the forest or the ocean. Deserts are dry and hot. The desert impacts people who live there. I remember meeting some Turkana people in northern Kenya. We had to carry logs about half a mile to a shaded area for our church meeting. The people were dark skinned not just because of pigment but also because of the sun. Their skin was like leather. Water was scarce. Deserts are not pleasant places.

One of the great lies that often comes through in religious talk is that there is no desert for the Christian. The psalmist knew the desert and we will also. If you are not in a desert now you will be. You may feel like you are in a desert now struggling to survive. Tears may be the only seed you are sowing but God’s promise is that you will reap something different.

Imagine what it was like for the psalmist to be one of those who left their homes in captivity to make the long journey back to Israel. They must have been filled with excitement and hope, straining to get the first glimpse of Mt. Zion where the temple had sat. But when they arrived all they found was a ruin covered in fifty years worth of over growth. The land had become a wilderness and all that excitement and enthusiasm was quenched. Tears must have been shed. Some probably complained, “We left our comfortable homes for this?”

There is something in us that knows there should be something more. God did not create people for suffering but for eternity, for a life filled with joy in His presence. This is why the early Christians could rejoice in the face of tears and suffering, why Paul could write, “Rejoice in the Lord always!” (Philippians 4:4)

As Christians we live in a strange in between time that began when Jesus began his ministry. At times it is like we experience a taste of heaven, a time of worship that makes us feel close to God and each other, a time of fellowship with other Christians that is easily described as sweet fellowship, a time when a friend or loved one comes to the Lord and joins us in the journey. When I experience times like that I don’t want them to end. I cherish the memory of those times and want more of them. Those are times when heaven breaks into our world just a little bit, just for brief period. The prayer, “Restore our fortunes Lord,” is a prayer for heaven when the tears are dried and the joy will last forever. The psalmist longed for that and so do we. So what do we do? We remember. We pray. We wait on God because the harvest of joy is coming if we are faithful.

Livonia Church of Christ: May 11, 2006

Psalm 131: Quieting the Soul

2006-06-19T07:29:00.000-07:00

The Journey
Quieting the Soul
Psalm 131

Introduction: The image of mother and child in this psalm is a powerful one and especially appropriate on Mother’s day. It is a picture of a relationship where contentment, peace and rest are primary. While most of the time we think about God as Father scripture does not shy from using pictures of women to express something about God’s nature and God’s desire. On our journey to God we need to realize what God ultimately desires for us; that is to be with Him. Along with that we need to realize what can frustrate God’s purposes for us.

Spring is such a wonderful time of year. People get out in their yards and the gardens begin to bloom. We have two rose bushes on the south side of our house and every spring Diane cuts them way back from all the growth the previous year. You don’t have to cut them back if you prefer thorny branches rather than beautiful flowers. But pruning is essential if you want healthy blooms through the summer. If a rose bush gets too large the quality of the blooms decreases. This psalm is about the same type of thing in our lives. The journey we are on is about growth but sometimes grow is in the wrong direction, sometimes we need to decrease in one area in order to bloom in another.

I. Living Large
We travel with a purpose and yet there are things on the path that hinder and can even stop us in our tracks. The imagery of this psalm suggests two opposite problems. One source is the infantile dependence that we see in a child before it is weaned. The child is interested in the mother as a source of food.

The psalmist is not interested in mothers and infants but about our relationship to God. Everyone starts out as an infant; we know that even if we don’t remember that time of our lives. Infants are the most selfish creatures on earth, they are helpless and everything revolves around them. Fortunately we don’t stay at that point. We grow, develop, learn, and move from infantile dependence to a measure of independence and self-sufficiency. Children who at one time depended on parents for everything begin to relate to those parents not as dependents but as equals. I think most parents look forward to the day when they can relate to their children as adults.

Our spiritual lives move in a similar trajectory. We are born as spiritual infants into God’s family. In the beginning people serve and minister to us but we learn and grow and begin to serve and minister to others. But sometimes our relationship to God remains stuck. Many people see God as the one provides, the one they turn to in trouble. Their relationship with God is about what they get from the relationship. When things are good then God doesn’t receive much attention but when something is needed then God comes back into the picture.
Somehow, I think God wants more from his relationship with us. The spiritual journey we are on is about growth and change. God wants to become more than just a source of blessing, help in times of trouble. The picture of a weaned child sitting contentedly with her mother, not demanding anything but simply happy to be with the mother is a picture of what God desires in our relationship with Him.

But it is the other side of this picture that is the real focus for the psalmist. This is the picture of the haughty and proud person who refuses to come to God. This is the more serious affliction and one that is epidemic in our society. Unbridled ambition is the way many people live their lives. The heroes, the people held up as successful, are praised for their ambition and unwillingness to take a back seat to anyone or anything.

In sports the use of steroids and other performance enhancing drugs is seen as a way to greatness. Athletes will give years off their lives to achieve momentary sports greatness, to be an Olympic champion or to win a championship. Even when people are caught cheating for many there is still admiration because they were willing to take a chance for greatness.

The phrase, “living large” has come to characterize what many people desire, to live like royalty, or like a movie star, or like the super wealthy. It drives everything from “American Idol” to the lottery. I mean, “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” What a no brainer, everyone is that answer. To live large is to be large, or so we think. It is easy to point a finger at the sports and entertainment industries but we are all susceptible. We have goals in our careers. Preachers gravitate to bigger churches; business people strive to make more money, be more profitable. Parents want their children to be successful and liked by their peers. Of course not all ambition is deadly to our spiritual journey but how do we know when we have gone too far down that road?

This is, of course, the original problem according to Genesis. The hook that gets both Adam and Eve is, “you will be like God,” Genesis 3:5. The key in this passage is knowledge and we know how important that is in the Information Age. Later in Genesis at Babel people unite so that as a group they can become like God. “Living large” characterizes both stories.

II. The Quieted Soul
“My heart is not proud,” the psalmist writes. How troublesome pride is to the spiritual journey. There are plenty of warnings about pride and arrogance in scripture. James quotes Proverbs when he writes,
"God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble." James 4:6
Why does God oppose the proud? It is not that God is somehow threatened by our success, beauty or excellence. It is that the proud person fails to give God what he desires, a relationship with us. Pride in some ways is an insurmountable barrier because it keeps us from the quiet soul that finds contentment in God.

I love reading and learning. I see myself as an intelligent person but I know there are a lot of things I don’t get and will never get. But God doesn’t love me because I am intelligent or because I understand the Bible or theology. He doesn’t love me because I am good enough. He loves me because I am his child. The thing that allows me to get close to God is a humble heart, a quiet soul that has ceased to strive but finds contentment in God. In a sense this psalm is like pruning shears. Gardeners trim back bushes like roses because what they desire is not a big bush but beautiful flowers. If you soul is not quiet then ask your self, “Why?”

Luke provides us a commentary on this psalm in one story. Jesus is at the home of Mary and Martha. Listen to the story in Luke 10:38-42. Jesus said it to Martha but he also says it to us, “Only one thing is needed.” A quiet soul that is content to be with God.

Livonia Church of Christ: May 14, 2006

Psalm 124: We Have Escaped

2006-06-19T07:12:00.000-07:00

The Journey
“We Have Escaped”
Psalm 124

Introduction: Last weeks psalm ended with, “We have endured much ridicule from the proud, much contempt from the arrogant.” (Psalms 123:4) Some think that this psalm was put in this place as a response to Psalm 123. It does make sense. This is a psalm celebrating God’s deliverance.

Enemies. Who are your enemies? Most of us don’t think in those terms do we? We might talk about have a conflict with someone, not liking this person or that, but we usually don’t refer them as enemies.

I. Enemies on the Journey
Journeys are inherently dangerous. It doesn’t seem that way these days but in the days of the psalmist it was especially true. There were plenty of natural dangers and in a dry arid country flashfloods could change a pleasant day into a struggle for survival. In a sense these were worse than the tornados that we experience because if the rainfall occurred far enough away there would be little or no warning before a wall of water was rushing toward you.

While danger from natural disaster is always troubling, that is not what is in view for the psalmist. The problem is people just as it was in Psalm 123. Nature may hurt us but it doesn’t show us contempt and ridicule. We may talk about nature being angry but it is nothing in comparison to the rage of a human being. And human rage almost always catches us by surprise.

As a nation we were surprised by the rage that perpetrated the events of 9/11. We still struggle to understand it. I remember the feelings of that day and Psalm 124 expresses it very well, it felt like a flashflood that threatened to sweep us away.

I am sure the psalmist felt that for his people. This psalm is communal in nature rather than individual. There were plenty of times in Israel’s history where they felt they were being swept away. Israel was a buffer country between the two great superpowers of the day and thus a battleground. One of the great battlefields in history is still remembered in our language today, Armageddon. Those superpowers no longer exist but the people of Israel do, and I am not talking about the nation state we know as Israel.

When we think of this in our own context we can see this psalm in both communal and individual terms. Communities go through crisis at various points of existence. Sometimes it is something like a natural disaster. It can be tough to lose a building through fire, flood, or tornado. But the most difficult crises are human. A preacher’s wife murders her husband. A trusted person embezzles church funds. A church leader is caught in sexual infidelity. Church conflict destroys church unity. All of these seem like a flood, unexpected and threatening to the point of destruction.

It can happen in our individual walk also. It can be a crisis of health or accident. No one expects to get cancer or to be in an accident that leaves you paralyzed. The death of someone we love and depend on comes out of the blue. Those are terrible times. But worse than these are the human crises that devastate our lives. The betrayal of a spouse destroys our future. A beloved child commits a crime. Gossip and slander at work or at church or in the neighborhood destroys our name. Like a flood these things cut the ground out from under our feet and threaten to swallow us up.

II. Where is God?
Of course the question in all of this is, “Where is God?” “Why is this happening to me?” Preachers tend to get both questions thrown at them as if we are God’s defenders or explainers of God’s actions. God, of course, is where God has always been, on the throne and as close as our own skin. People who are hurting want answers and unfortunately the answer is, “I don’t know.” I do wonder at people who want to blame God for everything bad in the world. People often forget that their own sin or the sins of others is responsible for much of the suffering we see and we suffer. If someone is betrayed by a spouse then is that God’s will? If a child becomes involved with drugs then is that God’s will? I think we realize the answer is “No.” God is not the only one involved in our world. We are free moral agents and there are spiritual beings that have an impact that we are often completely unaware of.

The psalm points out something we don’t like to consider, God does not protect us from all the problems, all the crises that life throws at us. The psalmist writes this psalm as a survivor. The crisis came and threatened to overwhelm God’s people. Hope was gone. There was no way out. Yet they survived. They escaped.

III. The Maker of Heaven and Earth
A cynic might say, “Only a survivor could write a psalm. What about those who don’t survive?” Godly people die in tornados and floods. Evil people kill good people all the time. I believe it is the last verse of the psalm where we need to look for an answer, “Our help is in the name of the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.” (Psalms 124:8) Considering the questions of pain and suffering are always difficult especially in view of the God we worship, “the maker of heaven and earth.” We can never completely understand the purposes of God in the world. We will never make sense of God with our human sense. It does begin to make some sense if we view life on this earth as a beginning rather than an end. Sometimes God delivers through death and not from it.

There are two stories in the Old Testament that may give us some insight. The first is in 1 Kings 14. The prophet is pronouncing judgment on the house of King Jeroboam who has been unfaithful to God. Jeroboam’s child becomes ill and his wife goes to God’s prophet to ask for help. Instead the prophet says this, “As for you, go back home. When you set foot in your city, the boy will die. All Israel will mourn for him and bury him. He is the only one belonging to Jeroboam who will be buried, because he is the only one in the house of Jeroboam in whom the LORD, the God of Israel, has found anything good,” 1 Kings 14:12-13. Death in this case was not a punishment. Only the maker of heaven and earth has power beyond death.

The second story comes from Daniel. Three Hebrew officials in the Babylonian government have defied the king by refusing to worship his idol. The king threatened death by fire and they refused with this answer, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up,” (Daniel 3:16-18). The ‘maker of heaven and earth” has the last word whether in life or death. No matter what happens, “We have escaped” because “Our help is in the name of the Lord,” (Psalm 124:7,8).

Livonia Church of Christ: April 30, 2006

Psalm 123: The Eyes of a Servant

2006-06-15T12:55:00.000-07:00

The Journey
The Eyes of a Servant
Psalm 123

Introduction: Most of us know what it means to be employed by a person or a company. There is the interview, negotiation, and then finally a contract is signed. We usually discover that there is some kind of pecking order and where we fit in that order. We usually feel a measure of loyalty to our employer but we realize we can quit if we so desire and the company can terminate our employment if they choose. This is how things are done. But that makes our psalm difficult for us to understand.

I. Servants on a Journey
What did it mean to be a servant? The words used in the psalm can refer to people who were slaves as the Israelites were slaves in Egypt. This type of chattel slavery was a dehumanizing state where a person had no rights. But there was another type of servitude where one Israelite became the servant of another. This was a free choice though often the alternative was starvation and destitution. But the person who became a servant could choose whom he or she would serve. Once that service was accepted the servant was submissive to the will of his or her master.

As Americans we don’t like this picture and don’t understand it. “All men (what about women?) are created equal.” No person is better than anyone else. Of course we know this isn’t true. People with money, position, education, or even certain skin color often have an edge. But even so the picture in this psalm is foreign to us.

The journey toward God is a journey that brings us into a particular relationship to God. When we begin the journey as if we are distant from some great mountain. The closer we get the more we must elevate our eyes until we come so close it dominates our vision. We lift up our eyes to the one who sits on the throne. If we are to be successful in our journey we must not lose focus on the destination, the throne of God.

So much of the language of the psalms is found in Revelation. “Throne” is one of the powerful images in that book, Revelation 4:2-11. One reason the psalmist has no trouble in humbly serving is that he recognizes greatness. The difficulty many people have is they know of nothing greater than themselves.

The image of servant and service is something we talk about in our congregation. Serving is something we honor, or try to honor and recognize and encourage. Of course, serving God is one thing, serving the people around us is something else. But Jesus made a point to his disciples that he came to serve, Matthew 20:28. How did Jesus do that with men so weak and sinful as the Twelve? Jesus had the ability to see greatness in every human being because each one was made in the image of God. Our service to each other, our service to the weak and sinful of our world is ultimately serving God.

II. Waiting on God
If the concept of service is difficult for us then the next part is worse, waiting. Americans hate to wait. Yet the language of the psalm, “look to the hand” of the master or mistress carries with it the idea of waiting and being ready when the master indicates a need. One of the cable stations I get shows Japanese samurai movies every week. One I was watching this week showed servants who knelt quietly to the side but sprang into action at the smallest hint from the master. They could stay there a long time waiting for that signal. Maybe the closest modern equivalent are the boys and girls who collect the tennis balls during a tennis match where they must stay perfectly still until a ball comes their way.

Waiting on God is difficult and yet almost every servant of God has had long periods of waiting and trial before given a way to serve. Abraham, Joseph, Moses, David, even Jesus had long periods of waiting and preparing for a coming ministry. If you mark the place where Jesus first understood God’s calling in his life at age 12, Luke 2:49, until he began his ministry at age 30 Jesus had a period of 18 years waiting. Moses had a 40-year wait, Abraham 25 years, David at least ten years waiting on God.

God undoubtedly has many lessons he is teaching us in the waiting periods of our lives but I think learning to focus on him, on his hand, so that we know when to act is the most critical. How do we know when God wants us to act? The only way is to learn the master and focus on him.

III. Ridicule
The last part of the psalm brings us to even a more difficult aspect of serving God, contempt and ridicule. The cry for mercy is understandable for no one wants that kind of treatment. Our feeling is, “I’m a Christian, one of the good guys.” And yet others don’t see us that way. The increasing contempt some people show toward Christians shouldn’t surprise us because it is not us they oppose but God. Jesus warned his disciples, "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. . . If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. . . They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me.” John 15:18, 20, 21.

The response God wants his servant to have is surprising. God does not call on us to defend Him or His name but instead He wants us to call on him to defend us. God doesn’t want defenders but obedient servants. Part of that obedience is crying out to God and waiting (again) on his mercy. Defensiveness is a response that often grows out of pride, a desire to defend my rights. Yet defensiveness is not seen in Jesus. Instead “he entrusted himself to him who judges justly,” 1 Peter 2:23.

The journey we are on is one that Jesus also traveled. His eyes were on the Father. He waited patiently for God and acted when God commanded. He accepted what the world dished out and looked to God for mercy and justice.

The journey we are on shapes us in unusual ways. If we continue and don’t turn back it will purge us of self-sufficiency and pride. We will be wounded and hurt but if we don’t stop, if we keep our eyes fixed on the throne and the one who sits there then we will come to a place where all that we have suffered matters not at all. “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:17-18

If you want to start the journey toward God, toward what will last forever then we invite you to join us, to confess Jesus as Lord and Savior and put him on in baptism.

Livonia Church of Christ: April 23, 2006

Psalm 122: Going Up to Worship

2006-06-15T12:45:00.000-07:00

The Journey:
Going Up to Worship
Psalm 122

Introduction: Pilgrims probably sang this group of Psalm, as they traveled to Jerusalem. We can picture Jesus singing this psalm as they prepared to go up to the temple to worship.
Excuses for not worshipping are funny things. We have all made them at one time or another and we have all accepted excuses even knowing what we know about them. “My parents forced me to go as a child.” “The church is full of hypocrites.” “Sunday is my only day to sleep in.” Even if you answer one excuse it is not difficult to find another.

On the other side it is interesting the justifications people have created for worship or church. One study found that people live longer if they are regular worshipers. This week in the Free Press was a section about the health benefits of spirituality. From these points of view I guess worship is like taking your vitamins, you do it because it is good for you.

People can come to worship because their friends are there. They can refuse to come because of some excuse. But in reality the only reason to worship is to meet God. It isn’t that God is not present with us every place and time, it is that worship whets our appetite for God.

I. Enthusiasm
The enthusiasm of the psalmist sounds strange to our ears. I mean who gets excited about going to church? And yet worship is one of the most popular voluntary activities in our nation. More people are in worship services than attend professional sports events. While there are some who come to worship because they “have to” such as children, the majority of us are here because we chose to do so. No one forced you to come today.

Worship in many ways is the foundational event of Christian community. If people are a church, they gather for worship. We might even say it is a foundational event for the individual Christian life. Those who say, “I can worship God on the golf course or on my fishing boat” have caused me to wonder whom they encourage other than the golf ball or the fish. Do they pray much or sing? The concept of solitary Christianity is not one found in scripture, Christianity is lived in community or it is not lived.

Part of the sense of this psalm may also be the excitement of starting a journey with friends to a special place, Jerusalem. But there is also the aspect of worshipping with those with whom we share the journey. The path is one that is taken with others.

II. The City
The language used here is again unusual to our ears. We are used to spread out cities; urban sprawl is a very modern problem. But the ancient city of Jerusalem, like other cities of that day, was tightly packed together. Everything was interlocked with everything else. Houses and business often formed parts of the protective wall that surrounded the city and gave safety to residents and visitors. Cities like Jerusalem were places of all kinds of people, people who dressed differently or spoke in strange languages or in odd sounding accents. Jerusalem was where the 12 tribes gathered together to honor the covenant God had made with them.
What does worship do for us? In a very real sense it brings us together. One of the great images from Revelation is found in Rev. 7:9. It is easy for us to get a wrong impression that everyone worships like we do. I’ve known some people who get upset when even the slightest change happens in worship. But God has created us with great diversity and that diversity is reflected in our worship. The unity is found in the cleansing of the Lamb of God, Jesus.

But the image of the compact, interconnected city also shows us something else; worship provides a frame, a boundary for our lives. Our world is constantly tells us we can live without rules, without boundaries, “No rules, just right” is one advertising slogan. For those who do needle work there is an important piece of equipment that makes it so much easier, the frame. To work without it is much more difficult but to work with it means the end product is going to look better. Our lives need a frame and worship, the community of faith, gives frame in which to build life. In a similar way any game people play has rules and boundaries. Without them the game could not exist. If we don’t have such a frame our lives begin to unravel and we fail to become what we desire and what God desires.

III. The Word of the Lord
We worship also because of God’s command, “to praise the name of the LORD according to the statute given to Israel.” For Israel the command to worship at the temple was a privilege and an obligation as part of the covenant between God and Israel.

Worship is something we chose to do. I want to worship but I may not necessarily feel like worshipping. Feelings are fickle things and if we only follow our feelings we will miss many good things. Last Sunday was our last Bible bowl competition of the season. I am the question reader so after preaching here we go and I read questions for an hour and a half. It makes for a long day. We got home and I had about 30 minutes to rest before we got back in the car for home group. I didn’t feel like going. I was tired. But after home group was over I realized I felt better. I had been blessed because I went.

Our worship is a blessing where we come together with other believers. Our assembly is also a place where we hear God’s word, where, “the thrones of judgment stand.” We often see judgment as a negative thing, something we want to avoid. When I hear the words, “Love your neighbor as you love yourself,” and realize that I have failed again to love my neighbor in this way I am judged. Yet as terrible as judgment is, there could be no grace, no mercy without it. Worship is a place where we are challenged to grow and change, to become more like God in our hearts, attitudes and values. Without the word of God we will never grow in the directions that God wants us to grow.

The last part of the psalm is a prayer, a prayer for the peace of Jerusalem. The concept of peace, or ‘shalom’, in the Old Testament is broad and complex. It not simply the absence of conflict but it contains the concepts of wholeness, health, prosperity and contentment.
We live in a world where peace is allusive at best and often seems nonexistent. But worship as God intends is a taste of something better, something that whets our appetite for that which cannot be found anywhere outside of God himself. It is no wonder that the psalmist says, “I rejoiced with those who said to me, "Let us go to the house of the LORD," Psalms 122:1. I confess I am not always rejoicing when I come to worship but often I am as I leave.
Life’s journey is always better when we can walk it with others rather than by ourselves. We invite you to join us in our journey to God.

Livonia Church of Christ: April 2, 2006

Psalm 121: Help for the Journey

2006-06-15T12:34:00.000-07:00

The Journey
Help for the Journey
Psalm 121

Introduction: I remember the first LOTR movie where Frodo and Sam are leaving the Shire. Sam stops and remarks that if he takes one more step he will have traveled farther from home than he ever had. Their journey began easily but they quickly discovered hazards on the journey.

One thing we know about traveling, it has a number of hazards no matter what means of travel you use. As a result we take precautions. Over the past several years cell phones have changed the way we look at hazards. One study has shown it gives people a false sense of confidence and they take chances they wouldn’t otherwise take. They think help is only a phone call away.
The psalmist did not have a cell phone, AAA, or any of the things that protect and aid us when we travel. I suppose this is part of the reason so few people traveled very far from home.

I. Hazards on the Journey
The journey to Jerusalem was not easy and the psalmist mentions three different hazards in the psalm. The first is having the foot to slip. In flat Michigan having your foot slip is not too dangerous, you might turn an ankle or break something but it is not likely to kill you. Not so on a trip to Jerusalem. A trip to Jerusalem was steep and could be treacherous. A slip of the foot could lead to serious injury or death.

The sun and the moon were seen as hazards. The sun is an obvious danger in a hot climate like Palestine. We learned very quickly in Kenya to be cautious of the sun and its intense rays. Heat stroke and sunstroke were always a danger. The moonlight would not seem to be such a danger but in ancient times it was felt that moonlight could induce mental illness. Nighttime had its own hazards with attack from human and animals.

The problem with hazards such as these is that they were very discouraging and could cause a person to turn back. Fear of the dangers or even the potential dangers could paralyze a person. It takes real persistence to push on in the face of such obstacles.

Of course we are not talking about an actual physical journey as we consider these psalms. Instead we are looking at a spiritual journey, possibly even an inward journey as we open our hearts up to God. Stumbling on our spiritual journey is a real danger. There are many things that can cause us to stumble and it can be different for each person. Events that come into our lives can cause us to stumble. The loss of a parent, a child, or a job is traumatic and often so unexpected. We are walking along and suddenly we are tumbling in free fall and the ground comes up fast and hard. Sometimes the biggest stumbling blocks are people we love and depend on. Suddenly they let us down or even betray us in some fashion and we find ourselves lying in the dirt wondering if we can get up or if we even want to get up and try again.

It is not just the sudden and unexpected that makes the journey hard. The constant pressure of life, the day after day grind can be like the fierce sun that bakes us, dries us out, and saps us of the will to go on.

We might think the night would be better. We are so use to electricity and public lighting that often in our society we forget there is a ‘night’. But take those things away and even with a bright moon the dark presses in, the slightest sound paralyzes us with fear. The night can be dark and lonely. The journey is hard; the hazards are great; maybe we should just stay home.

II. Where Does Our Help Come From?
The psalmist looked up at the hills. Now, to us hills are hills but that was not so during much of the Old Testament. The hills were places of idols and places pagan ceremonies took place. Hills were places where the sun and moon were worshipped. The pagan god Baal was worshipped on the hills. Lots of people looked to the hills for their help. Of course to get the help in the hills you had to leave the path and go up to the worship place. In other words it distracted the traveler from the destination. It confused them and made it difficult to find the way again.

Of course we don’t look to the hills for help but that doesn’t mean we don’t look for help in places where such help is faulty at best. Our hills are named Oprah or Dr. Phil. People may look to the latest real estate infomercial and the promised financial security. Israel was a land of many hills but only one Mt. Zion. “I lift up my eyes to the hills-where does my help come from?”

Our help is not in the creation but “the Maker of heaven and earth,” our help is from the Lord. There is a Hebrew word used six times in this short psalm that is translated ‘watch’ or one time ‘keep’. All of these refer to the Lord who watches over us and will keep us from harm. The Lord doesn’t sleep in drunken slumber like the pagan gods.

It might be easy to read this psalm and think, “If I’m really in the way I won’t stumble, suffer from the sun, or be afraid in the dark.” Sometimes when people become Christians, when they start the journey, they believe they will never have doubts or problems. Anyone who has traveled the road more than a few days realizes this is not the case.

The promise of God is not a life free from pain and suffering on the journey but that he will always be with us, that nothing can separate us from his love and providence. So often our reaction to the problems we face is, “God has abandoned me.” It is easy to conclude that God has given up on us when we consider how badly we have stumbled on the road. Instead the psalmist pictures God as one who is with us in the way. When we sleep, he doesn’t. When we stumble, he enables us to stand and continue. When the sun becomes too much for us, his presence gives us shade and refreshment. God is not just the God of Mt. Zion, a god who stays in his temple. He is the God who “will watch over your life,” night and day and provide what we need to complete the journey. Paul put it plainly in Romans 8:35-39, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:
‘For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Livonia Church of Christ: April 2, 2006

A Gentle Rebuke

2006-06-15T12:30:00.000-07:00

I apologize to those of you who read this blog because I have not been adding my sermons. I received two gentle rebukes from different people in the last day and I repent. No reason other than laziness on my part. Thanks to Kari and Mary to getting me going again. God's blessings to you all.

Our Visit to Nikko, Japan

2006-03-28T10:57:00.000-08:00

One of the things we were able to do while in Japan was to visit Nikko, a site of many Shinto and Buddist temples. We are standing here before the Sacred Bridge that in earlier times was crossed to enter the area of the temples. We spent several hours visiting the area which is about two and a half hours from Hitachi. Nikko is considered the second most important religious site in Japan after Kyoto. We have many special memories from our trip.

Sermon March 26, 2006

2006-03-27T12:17:00.000-08:00

This week I am beginning a new series based on the Songs of Ascents (Psalms 120-134). Much of the foder for this series comes from Eugene Peterson's book A Long Obedience in the Same Direction which is based on these psalms. I highly recommend the book.

The Journey
The First Step
Psalm 120

Introduction: Some people like to travel and others don’t. Since we returned from Japan several people have said, “How can you stand the long plane ride?” Every journey has its difficulties and challenges as well as its joys and rewards. This week we begin a series about our journey toward God.

The texts that we will be looking at are the Songs of Ascents, Psalms 120-134. These Psalms have been grouped together and were probably used by Jewish pilgrims as they made the journey to Jerusalem and the temple. They were psalms of the journey. I hope as we look at them they will also become psalms of our journey to God.

I. Where We Begin
Distress. That is where the psalmist begins and where we begin also. We live in a world full of lies and violence and so did the psalmist. You would think after over 2000 more years of history things would have changed. “Save me from lying lips and deceitful tongues” is his prayer and we can easily pray the same thing. We seem to live in a world where any kind of truth is under attack, that distortion and “spin doctors” rule the day. It is hard not to become cynical about everything and everyone.

The psalmist was distressed by the violence also. People want war; they hate peace he writes. The psalmist refers to two places, Meshech and Kedar. These were two very distant places beyond the edges of civilization and was a poetic way of saying I live among pagans and barbarians. The psalmist was not in a good place.

I’m a fairly optimistic person and look for good in the world and find it most of the time. But even I have to say the world is not a good place. One of the advantages of living outside the US is that for over 20 years we did not have to experience the US political season. We know that after the mid-term election this fall the presidential campaigns will begin in earnest for the next two years. Let’s all groan together. It is so . . . distressing. I tire of the half- truths, slander, innuendo, the spinning and slanting, the hidden agendas that infect every aspect of our news and media. It is a brutal war that in some ways is worse than the physical violence that surrounds us.

We live in a world where people always seem to be looking for a fight, quick to take offense, to defend my rights even if it tramples yours. Each week brings stories that just make us shake our head. This past week it was a man in Ohio who killed a young teen for walking on his grass. Next week it will be something just as outrageous. We see violence against children, women, the poor, and the aged. Even for an optimist it is too much; I don’t like this world we live in.
Of course, it is not just the world ‘out there’ that is the problem; it is the world ‘in here,’ in my heart. It is so easy to locate our problems outside ourselves but if we are really honest it is our own hearts and minds. Jesus understood that the sin, lies, and violence are generated in human hearts (Mark 7:21). In our distress we cry out, “Save me, O Lord!” Save us from a world filled with deceit, hatred, and violence. Save us from ourselves.

II. The First Step
I don’t know when pilgrims read this psalm. Maybe it was before they set a foot outside their door. But the psalm points out something critical for us to understand; you won’t start the journey if you are happy where you are. You won’t start the journey if you really don’t want to meet God face to face. We begin the journey because we are dissatisfied with the way things are in the world and in our lives. But once we come to this realization where do we go?

The first word of the gospel is “repent”. It was the first word of John the Baptist, Matthew 3:1. It was Jesus’ first word to be preached, Matthew 4:17. It was Peter’s first word in proclaiming how to respond to the gospel, Acts 2:38. Repentance is the first step on the journey. Without it we step out the door, wander around and come back to where we began. A journey should take us some place new and different from where we began.

Repentance is a ‘no’ word, a denial word and that makes it a word people don’t like. It is not a feeling of sorrow for our sins (though sorrow is a feeling we do experience with sin). Repentance is a decision we make about what we are doing, where we are going, and where we want to end up. Repentance is the realization that if I keep doing and thinking the same old things I am going to keep getting the same old results, lies and violence. Repentance is deciding to follow Jesus, to be his disciple, to follow his path.

Any time we change there is pain involved. There is a humbling of our spirit in repentance that is painful. It hurts to admit we are wrong, sinful, and weak. How painful was it for Saul of Tarsus to admit he was a murderer and rebel against the God he thought he was honoring? How painful was it for Peter to admit he was wrong in his prejudice against the non-Jew?
It hurts to walk away from things that are comfortable and easy, even if they are deadly. Changing ingrained habits of body and mind are struggles no matter who you are. People who have quit smoking know how painful it is to change that habit. Our minds can recycle old angers, bitter thoughts, and self-defeating attitudes. The lies the world tells us, the lies we tell ourselves are difficult to leave. The pain of change means leaving what is, in order to gain what is of ultimate worth.

Jesus tells us the truth about ourselves. We are fallen; we are sinners, but we are of incalculable worth to God and by His grace He has given us another way. It is the way of discipleship. It is a journey that will take us into the very presence of God.

Here in the United States we could probably make the case that almost all of us have immigrant roots, our ancestors came from somewhere else whether it was Europe, Africa, or Asia. Why did they come? For many the journey was difficult and dangerous. They came because where they were was oppressive. Some came for religious freedom, others for economic opportunities, and other to escape repression. Those immigrant stories are part of the story of America. We are here because they suffered the journey. They risked their lives for hope and a chance at a better life.

For the psalmist, as he began his journey to Jerusalem there was a realization that he must leave where he was. We must come to that realization also. If we like where we are, the life we have, we will never make the journey.

I have been on my journey for over 40 years. It began with repentance and it continues with it also. I haven’t found a place I want to stop short of the goal of God’s presence. The journey is always saying “no” to something in order to say “yes” to what is of the highest ultimate worth. I pray that you will join us in the journey.

Livonia Church of Christ: March 26, 2006

Sermon for March 19,2006

2006-03-21T12:03:00.000-08:00

This is the last sermon in this series.

The Faith Full Family:
The Idol of Complacency
Revelation 3:14-22; Amos 6:1-6

Introduction: You have probably had the experience of losing your electricity. This would often happen to us in Kenya and we would light candles and lamps. Your eyes adjust and the light seems more than adequate after a while. That is until the electricity comes back and suddenly you realize how dim those little lights were.
There are two concepts that are very similar. One is good and the other can be trouble. The good concept is “contentment”. Scripture often encourages us to be content with what we have. The other concept is complacency, the idea of being self-satisfied.

I. Discontent and Complacency
It might seem that these two ideas of discontent and complacency are two opposite ends of the spectrum and contentment is right in the middle. Yet when we really consider it these are two sides of the same coin.

If we look at discontent we see people who are never satisfied, people who think that “more” will make them more whatever “more” is. Discontent affects our relationship with God. As one person wrote, "The person with the discontented heart has the attitude that everything he does for God is too much, and everything God does for him is too little."[1] That certainly seems to be the case with discontented people in scripture. We see the Israelite people refusing to enter the promise land because God has not made it easy enough for them. Discontent says, “God needs to give me more to be happy, content. I don’t deserve these problems, this sickness, or this relationship. Why doesn’t God do anything?” Discontent is focused on self.

While it may seem that discontent is a big problem in our society, I came across an interesting statistic. A survey done in 2003 asked people in America, “How satisfied are you with life?” I found it amazing that 57% answered “very satisfied”. Only 8% said, “Not satisfied”.[2]
It may seem that complacency is at the opposite end from discontent. A complacent person is someone who is satisfied, their needs are met, they just don’t want anything to change because any change would be to the worst. It is this attitude that we see in Laodicia in Revelation, “You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.'” Revelation 3:17. Complacency is an idol of the rich whether it is rich in money, pride, or self-righteousness.

This is why I feel that complacency is an idol that is dangerous to us as American Christians and as American families. We are a materially blessed people and we often thank God for those blessings in our prayers, and that is good and proper. While we have some members in our church who are struggling with various economic issues we have adequate shelter, food and clothing. We have access to things beyond the basic necessities; in a word we “do not need a thing.” But like the Laodicians complacency leads to blindness.

Sometimes the blindness comes from the insulating power of wealth. I believe this is part of the problem with the rich man in the story of Lazarus (Luke 16:19-21). The rich man is not evil in the sense we often think, he is just blind to Lazarus, the poor man living at his gate. It is easy to forget about the problems so many people face just a few miles from our church building. It takes a concerted effort on our part just to see such people let alone help in any way.

Complacency has a numbing effect also; we call this apathy. The word “empathy” means to feel with another person. Apathy is to not feel. An example of this is the apathy many white Christians feel concerning racial issues in our society. Our response is, “I don’t have a problem.” While the civil rights movement helped to answer some of the inequalities in our society many problems still remain. Yet white churches often ignore the issues. It has come to be referred to as “white apathy”, in other words we don’t care, we don’t feel with our non-white brothers and sisters.

Complacency impacts churches in another important way. Why don’t we reach out to our friends and neighbors with the gospel? There are lots of excuses, no time, embarrassment, don’t know enough, etc. But maybe part of it is we like our church the way it is. New people can be disruptive, just ask a family with a new baby. Growing families are a lot of work and so are growing churches.

The biggest problem with complacency whether it is in people, families, or churches is that it shuts the door on Jesus. The picture of the Laodicia church is one where Jesus is standing outside, knocking and wanting to come in. “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me,” Revelation 3:20. He has to keep knocking because the people inside are a sleep.

II. Waking Up
Casting out the idol of complacency is not easy because it is so comfortable. When we read some of Jesus harshest words he is confronting religious complacency or greed. You have to knock loudly to wake the sleeping.

Jesus has some advice for the complacent, “I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see,” Revelation 3:18. We have to change our perceptions in order to see what we are missing. Complacency does that to us, we become content with what is dim, what is ragged, and what is ultimately worthless.

Complacency leaves Jesus outside of our lives, our homes, and our churches. That is what the Christians at Laodicia did not realize. It is what we may discover if we look at our lives.
The other remedy is one we may not like, rebukes and discipline. As a man I used to dread those words that Diane would say to me occasionally, “We need to talk.” My automatic thought was, “What have I done now?” Diane’s ultimate concern was for our relationship and those talks led to changes that have made me a better husband and father and deepened our relationship. When God’s rebukes and discipline comes into our lives it is God saying to us, “We need to talk.” God wants our attention; he wants to deepen our relationship. Casting out this idol requires us to examine our hearts and attitudes. It requires us to wake up and see things as God sees them.

Livonia Church of Christ: March 19, 2006

[1] Don Kistler, Tabletalk (9-18-01), p.15.
[2] Shannon Reilly and Keith Carter, USA Today Snapshots; source: Harris Interactive, April 1-15, 20.

Sermon Feb. 26, 2006

2006-03-21T09:03:00.000-08:00

This sermon was preached just before we left for Japan so I am late getting it posted.

The Faith Full Family:
The Idol of Security
John 15:18-20; Matt. 10:37-39

Introduction: The world is a dangerous place. It doesn’t take a great observer of our world to come to that conclusion. Is it more dangerous for us today than for our grandparents or great grandparents? Probably not. The world doesn’t seem all that dangerous until we begin to have children. When we are young and unattached then the world is exciting and challenging. But parenthood changes us in profound ways. You start thinking about safety ratings and the advantages of minivans over sports cars.

Security, it is something we all want and need. No one wants to live in fear and yet it seems that people who worry about security live in constant fear, a fear that can make them prisoners in the fortresses they build.

I. Fortress Christianity
Fortresses are built out of fear and a desire for security. High walls and moats characterized ancient fortresses. Today we find alarm systems and other high tech means of protection. Security, it seems, has become an obsession in America. Certainly, since 9/11 it has become one of the greatest concerns of our government. The recent controversy over the Arab Emirates running some of our major ports shows how critical it is. Some of you remember the Star Wars missile defense system that was to protect us. Our state legislature is now considering laws that would allow citizens to use guns and deadly force if they feel threatened. More guns mean greater security doesn’t it?

Christians and churches build fortresses also. Some of it grows out of fear of the world and its contamination. We live in a world of drug dealers and predators, where violence seems too close to the surface in our society. Our children are vulnerable and as parents and as a church we want to protect them. And let’s face it; fortresses make our job as parents easier. When we build a safe place then we don’t have to pay so much attention to our children.

The thing about much of this, whether it is our national, personal or spiritual security, is that it is driven by fear. Fear cannot only paralyze us but it can also lead us to do things that are ungodly at best and evil at worst. Fear can cause us to neglect people who are poorer than us. Fear can cause us to avoid people who are different than us, whose customs make us feel funny. Fear can stop us from doing the work to which God is trying to lead us. Fear causes us to not trust God, to say, “God can’t protect us so we build fortresses that can.”

I want you to understand; I am not saying we should not protect our children. We should and need to protect them, which is part of the task God has given parents. But when we do it out of fear, out of a lack of trust in God, we fall into the trap of giving the enemy more credit than we do God. This is when security becomes an idol that keeps us from following God.

II. A Different Kind of Security
The problem with fortresses is that they not only keep things out, they keep things in also. We are not meant to live our lives in prisons. I think this is one reason children sometimes rebel; they want out; they want to experience life. Yes, life is sometimes scary and dangerous but it is also exciting. Some years ago a family that lived in the borderland between Russia and Germany had a son. During WWII the Germans first occupied the land and later the Russians. Each time they were looking for young men to work in their factories or fight in their wars. So the family hid the son in the attic. They hid him so well that no one, even people in the village, knew the son existed. His parents died and his sister cared for him. Finally she died and he was forced to leave the attic. The danger that had forced him into hiding had long passed but fear had kept him there. He exited the attic after 57 years, an old man whose life had literally passed him by.

Stanley Hauerwas said this shortly after 9/11, "It's hard to remember that Jesus did not come to make us safe, but rather to make us disciples.”[1] It is easy for us to forget this, to glaze over the words of Jesus, "Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 10:37-39) Discipleship is about following Jesus, not safety and security. Following Jesus is down right dangerous and he warned his followers, "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.” (John 15:18-19)

This does not mean we are without protection or that God does not care for us. Paul understood that our lives are the most secure in the world, “For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” (Colossians 3:3) That knowledge allowed Christians to dare and to risk in ways that the world has difficulty understanding. Every attempt the Roman Empire made to intimidate and kill Christians failed to stop them from following Jesus. It wasn’t that they were stronger than us or smarter. They did have a faith, a love that had no place for fear. As John later wrote, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear,” (1 John 4:18).
We are meant to live in the world in order to serve the world, minister and teach just like Jesus. His prayer for the disciples and for us is, “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.” (John 17:15) God provides the protection we need from the evil one but he doesn’t take us out of the world, we are here for the salvation of the world. We don’t do our children or ourselves any favors when we build fortresses that keep us from the world God wants us to serve.

No one was meant to live his or her life in an attic. Yet fear causes many people to live that way. It may be fear of the world, fear of failure, fear of others’ opinions, or any fear that binds our hearts. God desires so much for us, to bless us, to use us for his purposes. But faith is required; faith to serve and minister to a world that desperately needs Jesus.

An unknown missionary penned these words, “Our greatest fear should not be of failure, but of succeeding at something that doesn't really matter.”[2] Let’s not allow the idol of security to imprison us, limit us to things that don’t really matter. Let’s make our lives count for God.

Livonia Church of Christ: February 26, 2006

[1] Religion News Service, "Book Probes Post-Sept. 11 Spirituality," by Douglas Todd, (8-27-02)
[2] New Tribes Missionary (author unknown), Eternal Perspectives Newsletter (Fall 2003), p. 15

More Pictures of Alex

2006-03-20T08:33:00.000-08:00

We returned from Japan on Thursday (Mar. 16th) at about 8 PM. It was a wonderful trip that Diane and I enjoyed. Laura and Rusty are having computer problems and have been unable to post any pictures so I guess I will HAVE to post more pictures. I hope they will get things sorted out soon because he is changing so quickly right now.

Alex and Babu

2006-03-05T05:21:00.000-08:00

Diane has been insisting that she get some pictures of me with Alex. It seems I am usually behind the camera. Alex seems to be a very good natured baby and seems very alert for being less than a week old. Laura seems to be doing great. Diane is enjoying cooking and helping Laura with things around the house.

This morning we went to the Taga Church of Christ and enjoyed the experience even though we didn't understand about 90% of what was going on. I will be preaching next Sunday so I am looking forward to that. Our trip is going well and we are thankful that we have the ability to be here. God is good, all the time.

A New Grandson

2006-03-03T13:18:00.000-08:00

I am writing this post from Japan where we arrived on Wednesday (March 1st). We received word on Saturday afternoon (Livonia time) that our daughter Laura had gone into labor. We felt confident that we would know if we had a grandson or granddaughter before we left on Tuesday morning for Japan. But Tuesday morning when we got up at 5:30 AM to leave the house at 7:30 we still did not know. Laura was in labor for 64 hours and so at about 5:30 AM we received a call saying that Alexander John Campbell had been born about 40 minutes earlier. We were thrilled and things were a bit hectic getting ready to go since we had to make several phone calls to let family and friends know. We arrived Wednesday evening in Japan and went directly to the hospital and held Alex for the first time. God is good! We are now getting over jet lag and Laura and Alex are coming home from the clinic today (Saturday). Rejoice with us and this new blessing God has brought into our lives. We will be returning to the States March. 16th.

Sermon February 19,2006

2006-02-20T08:21:00.000-08:00

The Faith Full Family:
The Idol of Selfishness
Luke 12:13-15

Introduction: We have had several newborns come into our family in the last few months. What a joy that is to see those babies in church and their proud parents. We love babies but there is one thing we know about babies, they are selfish and as a result the parents’ lives come to revolve around the baby and his or her needs. Selfishness is an infantile characteristic described by that maxim, “I want what I want when I want it.” We all started life in the same place but maturity is growing beyond the infantile selfishness that we begin with.

On Sunday, June 13, 2004, Matt Starr was at Ameriquest Field in Arlington, Texas, watching the home team Rangers take on the St. Louis Cardinals. When a foul ball was hit toward where he was sitting, the 28-year-old landscaper leapt over the seat in front of him. Even though the ball had landed at the feet of 4-year-old Nicholas O'Brien, Starr knocked the boy against the seats and pounced on the ball. The boy's mother, insulted by the aggressive behavior, swatted him with her program, while fans chanted, "Give the boy the ball." But, clutching the ball to himself, Starr returned to his seat unwilling to part with his new souvenir.[1]

I. A Selfish Culture
It is pretty easy to see selfishness in others but much more difficult to see it in ourselves. We look at actors who play selfish, self-centered characters such as Bill Murray in “Ground Hog Day” or “Scrooged”. We laugh at such characters and their foolish choices but we also see ourselves in them.

In essence selfishness is putting our needs, wants and desires ahead of everyone else. We live in a paradoxical society where we see acts of generosity alongside acts of greed and selfishness. The corruption story of the week concerned Katrina government relief where people used relief funds for gambling and strip clubs. Compare that to the giving of private organizations that continue to provide for the needs of those who lost everything.

Why are people selfish? I don’t know if we can always answer that question. I believe one factor is that we believe we will become less if we don’t get what we want. Sometimes people feel like their life is over when they don’t get their way. The man who asked Jesus to arbitrate the inheritance with his brother made this mistake. Jesus said, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." (Lk 12:15). The same could probably be said of the prodigal son who demands his inheritance from his father in Luke 15. The selfish person thinks only of himself until everything is lost.
Of course it is easy to find examples of selfishness “out there” but the focus of my lessons is our homes and our families. In one sense selfishness is an individual idol, not a family one. And yet, it is a family idol, one that often gets passed from one generation to the next. A story I read described a man explaining why he wouldn’t marry a woman he was dating- she just wouldn’t make him happy. The man listening then wrote this,

“Finally I interrupted and asked, "What kind of wife would make you happy?" The more he described what he was looking for in a wife, the more convinced I became that what he really needed was not a wife. He needed a goldfish, the pretty kind with the long tail that floats around, or maybe a Golden Retriever—but even a dog will make demands on you emotionally. A goldfish, though, just sits there and looks pretty and doesn't ask you to communicate. It doesn't ask you how your day was or expect you to listen to how its day was. The last thing he needed was a wife, because his whole understanding of why the world existed was to meet his needs.”[2]

Men often are painted with the brush of selfishness and we probably deserve it. But the push in our society to look out for your own happiness, to look out for your own needs, is not just a male weakness. Both men and women have walked away from years of marriage and all its promises, obligations, and responsibilities in order to find that elusive bird of happiness, ‘If a person, a marriage is not meeting your needs then walk away, be true to yourself.’

As parents we see and understand that children come into the world selfish and part of our task is to help them move beyond the narrow world of self because a selfish person is a lonely person. When we read the story of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15) we see the end result of selfishness is a life cut off from everything good. Even if the young man had not lost his fortune the result would have been the same, a life cut off from meaningful relationships and love.
We fight, we scrap, we do everything we can to get our own way, to impose our will, to win. The result is what James described, “But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such ‘wisdom’ does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice,” James 3:14-16. It is the life we see around us every day and it is life that is filled with unhappy, lonely, dissatisfied people.

II. A Different Way
As pervasive as selfishness is in our society and in ourselves, it is difficult to see how we can cast out this particular idol. Some religions teach followers denial of desire, to treat the body with harshness. But Jesus showed us a different way when he said, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it,” Matthew 16:24-25. This is the exact opposite of what our instincts tell us.

Jesus tells us if we live selfishly we will lose. One writer put it this way,

“If we look at our life as some precious treasure we must hoard, the demands made by others of our life are like losses. And death is a final loss, a final failure to hold on to our life. But if we look at our life as a treasure we must share, every service we give to others is a fulfillment of our life's purpose. And death is the final giving, the total giving.”[3]

Jesus understood that this was the biggest obstacle to people following him. Life is not made up of possessions, of getting our way. That is true whether it is big things or small, a selfish life causes us to fill our stomachs with husks so we starve to death with full bellies.
It is not just that we give, but to whom we give. You have probably given yourself to something or someone and come away disappointed. Jesus is the only one who promises you that you will find what you desire when you give yourself to him. He is the only one that can keep that promise.

Livonia Church of Christ: February 19, 2006
[1] Greg Asimakoupoulos, Naperville, Illinois; source: Matt Curry, "Man Will Give Foul Ball to Boy Who He Knocked Aside, AP Sports
[2] Craig Barnes, from the sermon "Learning to Speak Multiculturally," National Presbyterian Church, Washington, D.C., (10-3-99)

[3] Edicio de la Torre, Leadership, Vol. 7, no. 4.

Sermon for February 5, 2006

2006-02-05T16:23:00.000-08:00

The Faith Full Family:
The Idol of Anger
1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Introduction: I don’t know how many of you are or were comic book fans in your life. I was when I was a young person and when I was a teenager a lot of great comic book characters came into being. Spiderman, the X-Men, and the Hulk are several that have become cultural icons to a certain extent now that movies are being made about them. The Hulk always fascinated me as well as many others. For those that don’t know the Hulk is a man who was exposed to some strange radiation and when ever he becomes angry he grows into this incredibly strong green monster. You don’t mess with the Hulk and you don’t want to make his human alter ego, Bruce Banner angry.

Today as we examine anger as an idol it is important to note that we all have experienced anger. It is an emotion that is human and universal. It is not so much that anger itself is an idol as it is what we do with anger and what it becomes to us is the idol.

I. Looking at Anger
Anger grows out of many different causes. It can arise out of jealousy and envy as it did with Cain and led to Abel’s murder. People can get angry when they are afraid and so sometimes someone who has been abused can turn from fear and cowering to do some amazing and terrible things. People get angry when they are wrong, when they have been wronged, when they see wrong and injustice. Anger can come from selfishness when we don’t get our way.

Anger, as an emotion, does things to our body. When we are angry our senses become sharper, our tolerance of pain become greater. A person can do physical things requiring strength that they could not do otherwise. It not only does things to our bodies and minds it does things to other people. When we are confronted with an angry person we will try to get out of the way, give in to their demands. With all of this in mind it is easy to see why people can become addicted to anger. It is physically addictive, many people feel more alive and in control when they are angry and it is psychologically addictive, we find we can get our way, control people with our anger. Since we all get angry sometimes we learn strategies for dealing with it.

II. Anger in the Family
The idol that we really want to look at today is anger in the family. In one sense the idol is not anger itself. Anger is sometimes called a secondary emotion; that is, it is almost always in reaction to something else. Anger is inevitable in a fallen world that hurts and disappoints us. What we do with our anger, how we handle our anger determines whether it becomes an idol or not. Can anger keep a family from following God? Yes, and it can hinder the growth and development of family members in the ways of God.

Anger appears early in scripture in the story of Cain and Abel (Genesis 4:5-7) but we see it in many forms and in many people. Even meek, godly people like Moses become angry (Exodus 32:19). God is described as becoming angry, sometimes very angry with his people. So from that standpoint we know anger in and of itself is not sinful. But anger is a powerful emotion that can come upon us suddenly and can lead us to words and actions that we can regret.

It seems we have an anger problem in our society and in our families. It is easy to pick on men because I think we often struggle with anger. The difficulty is that violence seems to have become more acceptable in our society as an outlet to anger. We hear more about violence against women in domestic settings. There are disturbing images of violence against children, the aged, and innocent by-standers. It is not just happening “out there” either; levels of domestic violence among church people happen all too frequently. And anger is often at the heart of the violence.

As I consider this whole issue of anger and violence I believe that much of it comes back to the decline of self-control in our society. Hedonistic self-fulfillment has become the value by which many, including some Christians, live their lives. We are told we really can’t control our sexual appetites and really don’t need to. Why should I deny myself luxuries today when credit is so easily available? Such attitudes are easy to carry over to other over whelming emotions like anger. Of course people can be very controlled when the police are present. That fact points to the fallacy of this type of thinking and living. We can and do control our emotions and appetites when we want to. A man or woman may come home after a bad day at work and abuse their spouse but they controlled their anger in front of the boss.

III. Anger and Idolatry
Paul helps us to see a biblical view of anger when he writes, "In your anger do not sin," Ephesians 4:26. The implication is that we can be angry and it not be idolatrous. The idolatrous aspect of anger is what we do with that anger. It becomes an idol when our goal becomes revenge and payback. We see this when an argument or insult becomes a death sentence and a person is killed. Someone hurts and we want to hurt them back, with interest. Paul’s command to not sin when we are angry is difficult if not impossible when we act out of anger.

Peter gives us the example of Jesus who had every right to be angry with those who were hurting him and would eventually kill him. But Jesus knew something we often overlook, only God can ‘payback’ with any justice, “When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly,” 1 Peter 2:23. One idol associated with anger that we need to cast out is the desire for vengeance. Paul wrote, “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse,” Romans 12:14. It is only by yielding to the Spirit and allowing the Spirit’s fruit of self-control to be born in our lives that we are able to act in this way.

But we are not talking about enemies here but family. Paul wrote these words, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs,” 1 Corinthians 13:4-5.
I don’t get angry with Diane very often. There were times early in our marriage where I did become angry but the difference now is that my love for her has grown and become more what Paul described in these verses. Paul is directing these words not just at husbands and wives but also at the church. When people live and work together anger is going to erupt at times. It is inevitable. Sometimes the anger has good cause, sometimes not but the result of anger should be blessing and not cursing. The rest of Paul’s words in Ephesians are, "’In your anger do not sin’: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold,” Ephesians 4:26-27. Holding on to anger is more dangerous that we can imagine. Anger may make us feel powerful, it may get us what we think we want but in the end only the devil wins. Choose whom you will serve but if you choose the Lord then examine your heart, scrutinize your life and cast out the idols that keep you from following the Lord.

Livonia Church of Christ: February 5, 2006

Sermon for January 29, 2006

2006-01-31T09:16:00.000-08:00

The Faith Full Family: The Idol of Unforgiveness
Matthew 6:14-15

Introduction: Sometimes idols can be quite large as we see in this picture. But the idols Israel carried through the wilderness were small, private, and possibly hidden. Hidden, forgotten things can be deadly.

Some years ago an environmental tragedy began to rise in the public awareness. Years earlier a canal was dug but never completed and it became a dumpsite for toxic waste. The dump was not properly maintained but was covered with soil and then sold to the city of Niagara Falls, NY for $1. It was then developed into a working class housing community. Some years later the toxic waste leached through the soil and began to enter homes, backyards and school playgrounds. There were birth defects and cancer discovered way to frequently in the small population. This place was called Love Canal and is infamous as an environmental tragedy. Sometimes what you don’t see can be quite deadly.

I. Toxic Unforgiveness
I don’t think any of us would choose to live in a toxic environment like the Love Canal. Yet sometimes things get buried in our lives that years later begin to deform our spirits and poison our lives. One of the most toxic things buried in people’s lives is unforgiveness. Unforgiveness comes from things that shouldn’t happen. I know we love our families and yet things happen in families, terrible things sometimes, things that lead to anger, resentment, jealousy and envy. The actions and words that arise out of this lead to things that are difficult to forgive.
We don’t have to look far in scripture to see these things happening. The problems that developed between brothers, Esau and Jacob, was a matter of one brother cheating the other out of what was rightfully his. Even though an uneasy peace came to exist between them the rivalry led to continued conflict between their descendants. Or look at the conflict and abuse that arose out of the rivalry between Joseph and his eleven brothers that led them to fake his death and sell him into slavery. Almost every family in scripture exhibited actions that caused hard feelings between family members.

As toxic as these sinful actions and attitudes are it is often unforgiveness that is the carrier virus that infects the next generation. The Hebrew writer describes it, “See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many,” (Hebrews 12:15). Unforgiveness seems to be such a little thing, a human thing but as with all sin it leads to death both spiritually and in relationships with others.

These events become little idols to those who hold them, precious and deadly. We see it frequently in marriages because, after all, who has the power to wound us more than those we love the most? Husbands wound wives and wives wound husbands. Parents wound their children and children parents. Brothers, sisters, in-laws and outlaws they all can do things, say things that are difficult to forgive. All of this is only on a personal level. Unforgiveness and revenge drive so many of the conflicts in our world whether it is Ireland, the Middle East or Africa. We look at these things and wonder where it will all end.

II. The Possibility of Forgiveness
It was William Blake who said, “It is easier to forgive an enemy than it is a friend,” or we might add family member. One parable Jesus told helps us see this. It is the parable of the Prodigal Son. The story is familiar so we don’t need to look at the details except at the end. The father forgives the wayward son, almost too easily. It is the older brother who struggles with his father’s decision and actions. How could he just accept this son back with no cost or demands? How could he forgive? The anger and bitterness of the older brother keeps him from welcoming his brother, from enjoying the blessing of his father.

We have all heard the little proverb, “To err is human, forgive divine.” That may be what is at work in this parable. Forgiveness takes strength; possibly divine strength, for a person to forgive. The father forgives out of the depth of love for the younger son. The older brother wants justice. He wants to see the younger son cursed, not blessed.

This is the problem we face when we are confronted with those who wrong us or wrong those we love. How can we allow a person who violated us, violated the laws of God to profit from their actions and not pay any price? When we lay aside the command to forgive we enter into the land of vendetta and vengeance, a land where people must pay for their sins. Of course we must pay for our sins in such a land.

It is amazing how much Jesus and the New Testament discuss forgiveness and in such uncompromising language.

“But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
Matt 6:15

"This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart." Matt 18:35

“Because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!” James 2:13

I don’t know about you but verses like this scare me. In many ways forgiveness is the bottom line for Christian behavior. There doesn’t seem to be much wiggle room here. Forgive if you want to be forgiven. “Forgive as the Lord forgave you” (Col 3:13) is what Paul commands Christians.

The words of Joshua seem appropriate here, “Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD,” Josh 24:14. If we see those grudges, those unforgiven offenses, those terrible wrongs we have suffered as idols big and small then we may realize they need to be thrown out in order to serve God. This is tough. Some of those idols we have held for a long time. Sometimes we define our lives and ourselves by those sins done against us. We hold our violators in the prison of our thoughts and minds. Forgiveness calls on us to open the doors and let them go. If we do we will discover that the person in prison was us.

We have not talked about the process of forgiveness and the steps that need to be taken to make forgiveness a reality. But the process begins with a decision to throw out the idol. The place to begin the process is right where we live, at home. Husbands and wives, parents and children, brothers and sisters, these are all people where we live and the people who most often need our forgiveness. The great thing for us as Christians is that we have access to God’s love, a love that helps us to forgive. It may be in this area where we can become more like God’s character than any other. As John wrote, “We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother,” 1 John 4:19-21.

If we love we will forgive.

Livonia Church of Christ: January 29, 2006

Sermon January 22, 2006

2006-01-30T10:57:00.000-08:00

The Faith Full Family:
The Idol of Control
Romans 14:10

Introduction: There are many popular video and computer games on the market but one type of game is very popular. These are called ‘god games’. This is where the gamer has control over the characters on the screen. Many games have different levels of control. One of these is called “The Sims” a family you create and make decisions for. What is it about this kind of control that is so addictive and popular? It is that sense of power and control, of being ‘god’.

Of course the temptation is not just in video games but also in real life. To be “like God” is at the root of all kinds of sinful behavior.

I. The Struggle for Control
It is interesting that as the desire to control others grows there seems to be less and less emphasis on self-control. The reason may be that we learn how difficult it is to control ourselves. Yet this is where the emphasis of scripture is. Paul, Peter, and others encourage the Christian to learn self-control. It is a gift, a fruit of the Spirit that is born in the life surrendered to God. Being self-controlled allows us to choose what is right, what pleases God.

Something or someone else controls a person who is not self-controlled. As parents we are called to control our children and yet this is not a permanent thing. Parental control must give way to the child learning to control and decide for herself. Self-control is one of the prime goals of parenting.

Our society is one where so many are addicted to something, in other words controlled by something. Addiction is a thief of freedom. It is ironic that in a nation that values freedom so much, that so few are free.

II. Judging
It is much easier to focus on controlling someone else. There are many books about getting our way, controlling others. Yet scripture is about freedom, about self-control. One area in scripture where this battle for control of others is seen is in judging others by a standard we set. It is accepting and rejecting others on the basis of how they live up to our expectations.
This is one of those battles that often occur early in a marriage-who is in control? That control is often based on our expectations. Romantic love often blinds people to the reality of another person. When reality sets in then the battle begins. Who will control the finances? What is the division of labor in the home? Every couple has gone through these or similar battles. Couples that stay together eventually come to some kind of accommodation, sometimes healthy and sometimes not. But too often a person is rejected because of some unfulfilled expectation and judged inadequate as a wife or husband. This is a type of idolatry that keeps marriages from becoming what God intended.

This occurs in parenting also. All parents have expectations for their children, some realistic and some not. The real question is how do we deal with them when they fail to meet what we expect.

Jesus speaks of this in Matt. 7:1-5. The religious context of Jesus’ day was filled with censoring and condemnation. The religious authorities were adept at making rules and regulations and then excluding anyone who would not honor those rules. See Matthew 15:1-3. Jesus’ harshest words were for those religious leaders who had made an idol of their rules, their expectations, and condemned those who would not follow them, Matthew 23:4, 13. The religious authorities wanted to control their people and used fear, intimidation and power to do so. They set themselves in the place of God.

Paul follows Jesus’ lead when he writes to the Roman church. Christians were falling into the same trap that had ensnared religious leaders in Jesus’ day, Rom. 14:10-13. The drive to exclude others who were different, who believed differently, is one that has inflicted the church from the beginning. How easy it is to slip into God’s judgment seat.

Jesus had expectations of those who followed him. We often focus on Jesus’ words about discipleship, Matthew 16:24. Those expectations were high and I believe many people started to follow but turned back at some point. The interesting thing about this is that Jesus never sent someone away. Disciples failed often and sometimes spectacularly. Yet there is no hint that Jesus ever lowered his expectations. However, he always gave people who wanted it another chance to follow. Do you think that Jesus would have turned Judas away if he had not killed himself? Peter, the man who denied Jesus, was given another chance to follow, even another chance to lead. Jesus never shamed, did not embarrass or humiliate those who came to him no matter how much or how badly they had failed.

III. Throwing Out the Idol
The idol that we need to cast out today is not expectations, though they sometimes can become an idol. Like the Pharisees we can sometimes make rules that are not of God. The idol we are looking at is really acting like God, excluding and rejecting people because they are not good enough, because they don’t meet our expectations. The only problem is that this is not how God acts. God acts like Jesus. Like Jesus we need to maintain high expectations of others and ourselves. There should be no lowering of the standards that Jesus set for us. But when we fail, when others fail, we also need to act like Jesus.

The idol we need to cast out is the desire to be God; we become the idol. This may be the hardest idol of all to get rid of because it is so difficult for us to see. I want to close with the words of Jesus as translated in the Message because I think the translator has the sense of what Jesus was saying,

"Don't pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults — unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It's easy to see a smudge on your neighbor's face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, 'Let me wash your face for you,' when your own face is distorted by contempt? It's this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor.”

The call for us is to throw out the idol of wanting to be God, and follow Jesus.

Livonia Church of Christ: January 22, 2006

Sermon January 15, 2006

2006-01-26T13:52:00.000-08:00

The Faith Full Family:
Choosing the Lord
Joshua 24:14-24

Introduction: Families can be wonderful things. If you survive the holidays you can look back and see the good family time you had. Families can also drive you crazy and sometimes we don’t even know why. Families give gifts to their descendents. We sometimes marvel at the ways family members resemble one another. Matt is the tallest person in my immediate family going back a couple of generations at least and that is a gift, probably, from a great-great grandfather who was exceptionally tall.
But families also give gifts that are not so good; we might even refer to them as curses. What do we do with such ‘gifts’?

I. A Journey’s End
Our text in Joshua comes at the end of a journey that had lasted over forty years. Only a few people remained who remembered Egypt and the harsh slavery they had lived under. Most could only remember the harsh life of the desert and the fulfillment of God’s promise to give them a land and a home.

Joshua is an old man at the end of the book that bears his name. All the tribes have come to Shechem to renew the covenant that had first been established at Sinai. Like Moses before him, Joshua was concerned about the future of his people. Would they be faithful to the covenant promises they had made to Yahweh, the maker of heaven and earth? Joshua issues a challenge to the families of Israel, “Choose!” Choose whom you will serve.

It would seem that the choice would be a ‘no-brainer’. God had delivered them from slavery, saved them from the Egyptian army, sustained them for forty years in the wilderness, and given them victory over their enemies. Of course they would serve Yahweh. I mean what were the other choices? The people of Israel made the right choices, at least with their mouths. But other choices still pulled at them.
II. Family gods
Joshua makes a surprising and amazing statement when he commands them, “Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt. For forty years the Israelites had been wandering in the desert, under the Lord’s leadership and discipline and yet they continued to carry ‘gods’ that had been in their families for generations.

I don’t know how many times you have moved in your married life. We moved four times in Kenya before we returned to Livonia. Right after we first arrived in Kenya we bought an old cassette stereo. By the time we moved to Nairobi we had replaced it but we carried it with us every time we moved. Finally in 2000 when we moved back to the States we sold it in a garage sale. Why did we move that four times? I don’t know. We could probably ask the same question of other things we carry with us from our families.

The Israelites had carried ‘gods’ with them for many generations. ‘Beyond the river’ refers to where Abraham had come from or possibly the ‘gods’ that Rachel had stolen from her father when Jacob returned to Canaan. They had been in Egypt for 400 years and collected other ‘gods’ and now forty years after Sinai they are still carrying those ‘gods’. Joshua calls for a house cleaning, a choosing between those worthless ‘gods’ and God the savior.

III. Cleaning House
You don’t have any ‘gods’ hidden in your closet do you? We have moved beyond graven images for the most part but the principle is still quite true, to allow Yahweh to be our God we must remove some things, some of the baggage that we carry with us.

This is not easy to do. I would imagine that some of those ‘gods’ that Israel had carried had been forgotten about for the most part. They carried them, were burdened by them but were unaware of the impact. Not only were these things a burden they were also a curse. Their continued presence disrupted their relationship with God. It’s like keeping an old picture of a girlfriend of long ago in your wallet.

So much of this comes back to one of the basic laws of the universe, you reap what you sow. Paul writes of this to the Galatian Christians, Gal. 6:7-8. But there is a corollary to this concept; you often sow what you reap. Think about a person who has been abused as a child. Too often that person becomes an abuser. A father cheats on his wife, years later his son cheats on his wife. This is part of the curse of sin; the family idols that are hidden and forgotten but still bear fruit in the life of a family. It is true also of righteousness but the harvest of sin in our world is something we have all seen and experienced. We don’t have to be slaves to the past. Paul understood that we don’t have to keep sowing death and destruction in our lives and in the lives of our children and grandchildren, Rom 8:1-2. The curse of sin has been broken because Jesus became cursed for us, Gal. 3:13. But for the curse to be broken the idol has to be cast out.
Joshua presented the challenge to his people, “Choose whom you will serve.” To us the choice seems obvious but I doubt it was so easy or obvious to them. The cycle of failure that continued to follow them is proof of how difficult it can be. It is probably obvious to us also, but not easy. The question we need to ask is what do we need to put away from our lives. Peter reminded the church, “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.” 1 Peter 1:18-19. All of us have received both good and worthless gifts from our ancestors. What will we keep? What needs to be put away? I pray that we can learn to bless our children and grandchildren with good seed to plant.

Livonia Church of Christ: January 15, 2006

A Wonderful Holiday

2006-01-25T10:45:00.000-08:00

We are well past the Christmas holiday but it was a wonderful time for Diane and me. Our daughter, Julie Marcum and her husband Josh along with Michaela were with us for about five weeks. Josh and Julie are now in Cochabamba, Bolivia beginning their church planting effort in that city. The Livonia Church of Christ is providing half their personal support and that is the reason for their long stay with us. Long stays like that can be difficult but we weathered it all just fine, including my backing into Josh's car and putting it in the shop. It was a special Christmas with Michaela and we enjoyed it all. Matt came home from ACU the middle of December and we enjoyed having him with us for the long holiday.

Things are now back to normal, or for what passes as normal. Josh, Julie, and Michaela left for Bolivia January 9th. Matt has returned to ACU and Diane and I are busy with our work and ministry here. I hope to start posting my sermons again in a few day. Please pray for the Marcums and especially for our other daughter Laura who is expecting her first child (a boy) in early March. We will be going to Japan around the time of the birth for two weeks. God's blessings on you and yours in the New Year.

Christmas Newsletter 2005

2005-12-12T16:50:00.000-08:00

December 2005

Greetings from the Stephens household, still in Livonia, Michigan!!

We pray that God has blessed you and your families this year with everything needed for life and health. The Stephens family is growing and changing and God continues to guide us every step of the way.

We’re trying something a little new for us this year, and including some pictures of momentous happenings for us. We hope you enjoy this small update.

We passed several milestones in 2005. The first was becoming grandparents to Michaela Grace Marcum on April 30. And the second was becoming empty nesters in August after we left Matthew at Abilene Christian University. We are enjoying both new stages of our lives and continue to count the many ways that God leads us through them. 2006 promises to be just as exciting as we are expecting grandchild #2 in March, this time from Laura and Rusty in Hitachi, Japan. We plan to be there for that little one’s arrival.

Our ministries here at the Livonia Church continue to challenge us and confirm that this is where God wants to use us for the time being. Larry has agreed to be an adjunct professor at Rochester College next semester, teaching a master’s level class on congregational studies. He’s looking forward to that as well as his pulpit and teaching duties and continuing to work on his dissertation for his Doctor of Ministry degree.

2006 will challenge our faith as we send Julie, Josh and Michaela off to the mission field in Cochabamba, Bolivia in January. Their first furlough is planned for 2008. Now we will experience first hand what we did to our own parents when we kept their grandchildren in Africa for so long.

We hope you enjoy the pictures. There are more pictures in earlier blogs. God’s blessings on each and every one of you in 2006.

Thank you for your friendship and partnership in the gospel.

With love,
Larry and Diane

The Way of Thanksgiving

2005-11-22T10:08:00.000-08:00

The Way of Thanksgiving
Philippians 4:4-7
It is amazing that we are coming close to the end of another year. The leaves are down, the Christmas decorations are going up, and we come to Thanksgiving Day, a unique day where we celebrate God’s goodness toward us. It is one of my favorite times of the year. But 2005 has been a tough year.

I. It’s tough giving thanks.
When we start thinking about 2005 there is a lot that makes it hard to be thankful. We started the year off with the tsunami in Southeast Asia that killed so many people. We have had terrorist attacks, people dying in conflicts, and then the hurricanes that caused so much havoc in this country. When we look at Michigan it seems that tough times abound for many people. Some of our number had to find new jobs this year. Some have been successful and others have not. Some families have faced illness; injury and even the loss of loved ones. Some workers have had to take pay cuts to keep their jobs and many people are worried about the economy and where it is going.

I have learned to limit my news intake just because of the unrelenting negativity of the news we receive. I heard an idea floated for a new news service, BNN, the Breaking News Network, with the logo “All disaster, all the time.” I don’t think our age or our world is worse than those of the past, it is just that we know more about what is going on and as a result people worry and are consumed with anxiety. The result is that people sometimes have difficulty in being thankful to God. After all we tend to blame God for many of the bad things that happen.

Of course the good in the world we take credit for. One study showed,
The Percentage of senior corporate executives with a high net worth (defined as having a net worth of $1 million or more, not including primary residence) who credit their current financial status to
Hard Work — 99Intelligence and good sense — 97Higher-than-average I.Q. — 83Being the best in every situation — 62Luck — 32[1]
No mention of God in the list. We might think that such thinking just applies to rich executives but too often we fall into that kind of thinking.

Too often our thanksgiving can take on the tint of thanksgiving seen in Luke 18:11-12, “The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men — robbers, evildoers, adulterers — or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.'” Jesus didn’t include a traditional part of the prayer thanking God that he wasn’t a woman but you get the idea. I’m glad I am an American and that I live in this land but my thankfulness is not based on that or on how prosperous I feel at the end of the year.

II. Paul and Thanksgiving
That is why Paul is so amazing as he writes these words in Philippians. He is in jail, under house arrest at the very least. He has no monitoring collar but instead is chained to a Roman soldier. It must have been difficult for someone who had been constantly on the move for the Lord. And yet joy is the theme of Philippians. There seems to be plenty of indication that joy was one factor that attracted non-Christians to Jesus. Joy as an evangelistic strategy in seen in the start of the church in Philippi. Paul and Silas were in prison and singing praises to God while recovering from beatings and in chains. Is it any wonder that the jailer asks how he can share in the joy, Acts 16:16-40. While it is not mentioned often I believe that the faith of early Christians was very winsome in the face of the spiritual darkness that most people lived in. How could those early Christians be so joyful, so thankful in the midst of such suffering and oppression? How can we find that kind of heart in the midst of our trials and a dark world that needs our joy?

III. Becoming Thankful
I believe that it takes more than just counting up our blessings. We need to do that but we need something more. One thing we need to do is to reclaim eternity. Hurriedness is one of the great curses of modern life. You may have plenty of money, a comfortable house, a wonderful family but you probably don’t have enough time. We rush to get everything done on our “to do” list and we feel constantly under pressure. In fact when we come to times where the pressure is off for a minute we collapse; it is almost like the pressure keeps us going and without it nothing is there. It is much like the inflatables we see in people’s yards, monstrous in size one day and flat on the ground the next. I can understand people in the world being like that but Christians are to have a different perspective.

It is the perspective of eternity that Jesus came to give his people. Jesus wants us to live our lives in light of eternity, not the constant present. This is not an easy thing to do. The world, through media and other ways is constantly telling us to rush. One thing that helps me is what I call the 100-year question, “Will this make a difference 100 years from now?” In one sense this is impossible to predict, who will even remember our names 100 years from now? But who knows what a word of encouragement will do in the life of a child? Or what sharing your faith will do in the direction a person will take? A view of time from eternity may help us to quit stressing and hurrying over things that are really insignificant. When we realize we do have time, we can do things that make a difference.

Paul had the perspective of eternity. He wrote the following words several years before he wrote Philippians,
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal,” 2 Cor 4:16-18.
When we have this view of life suddenly all the things that distract and weigh us down seem less intense, less threatening. Paul’s words, “Do not be anxious,” seem like a natural consequence of such thinking. Thanksgiving then focuses on what God is doing, our true blessings in the midst of trials, troubles, sickness, and loss because those things don’t amount to much viewed from eternity.

True thanksgiving leads to peace, the peace of God. Do you think God worries? I think God hurts and suffers with his creation, but worry? I don’t think so. So let’s celebrate Thanksgiving and let God’s peace reign in us.

Livonia Church of Christ: November 20, 2005
[1] 2000 Phoenix Wealth Management Survey; USA Today "Snapshots" (11-13-00), B1

The Spirit Who is in Us

2005-11-17T12:25:00.000-08:00

The God We Worship:
The Spirit Who is in Us
Acts 2:38; Rom. 8:26-27

What makes a person a Christian? We could answer, “Faith,” or “Faith and obedience,” or, well there could be a lot of answers along that line. But I think if you were talking to Paul he would have pointed to the presence of the Spirit in the life of a believer,
“For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body — whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free — and we were all given the one Spirit to drink,” 1 Cor 12:13.

I. The Promise
The promise that Jesus made to his disciples was that he would send the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, John 14:16-17. I don’t think the disciples at that point had a clue about what Jesus was talking about or what it would mean. When the day of Pentecost finally arrived and they experienced the coming of the Spirit they understood that as long as the Spirit is present so is Jesus. The Spirit becomes a part of the proclamation of the gospel, “Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit,’” Acts 2:38. In the churches of Christ we have often put the emphasis on “baptism for the remission of sins,” but we would have done better to give equal emphasis to “the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

What a difference the Holy Spirit made for those early Christians. He provided them matchless courage to stand and proclaim Jesus as Messiah and Lord. He gave them the grace to forgive their murderers just like Jesus. The Spirit was constantly teaching, guiding, and empowering the church to fulfill the mission that Jesus gave his followers.

II. The Spirit’s Mission
The work of the Spirit is varied just as Jesus’ mission in the world had many aspects. The Spirit is to “convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment,” John 16:8. Jesus told his disciples that the Spirit “will guide you into all truth,” John 16:13. The Spirit works through the written word and through the Christian community as well as in ways we may not perceive or understand.

As Christians we need the Spirit. We cannot understand what God is doing in our lives and the life of the world, 1 Cor. 2:12. We could not understand spiritual things except by the empowering and enlightening work of the Spirit in us.

The Spirit helps us in ways we do not understand. We receive gifts from the Spirit that allow us to serve and build up the body of Christ, 1 Cor. 12:7-11. The Spirit also assists us when we pray. I don’t know how this works but I am so thankful that at the worst or the best moments of my life when I am overwhelmed and do not know what to pray or how to pray, the Spirit is there to speak to God just what needs to be said, Rom 8:26-27.

The Spirit also produces in us the character of God, the fruit of the Spirit, Gal. 5:22-23. And yet the Spirit doesn’t take over, possess us in some demonic sense, but instead the Spirit works with us. God does not violate our will, our ability to choose and decide. The Spirit of God does not make us less human but instead frees us to become human beings God created us to be.

III. Grieving the Spirit
The Spirit’s presence in us makes change possible but that doesn’t mean it is easy. Each day we must choose whether we will listen to the Spirit, whether we will follow God’s gentle leading. We can resist the Spirit; we can grieve the Spirit.

It is fairly easy to see how we resist the Spirit. Stephen as he stood before the Jewish counsel said, “You always resist the Holy Spirit!” Acts 7:51. They resisted basically by not listening to God’s messengers, the Prophets. How many prophets did God send to his people? He sent many more that those whose prophecies were recorded and preserved. How many sermons have you heard? How many Bible classes have you attended? Possibly a better question is how many have you skipped or sat through without really paying attention? We can be quite critical of the Israelites but I wonder how we would stand under a similar criteria.
Paul writes about grieving the Holy Spirit. One grief that the Spirit must feel is disappointment and sorrow when we fail to grow. In Ephesians 4:29-32 grieving the Holy Spirit is put in the context of actions. Almost all of those actions concern how we treat one another. The unwholesome talk that Paul writes of is not cursing but words that tear down instead of encourage and build up. When we destroy the hearts of people because they don’t measure up to our standards then we grieve the Holy Spirit.

We live in a world where anger and rage seems to be a pandemic worse than any bird flu threatening our world. It is one thing to see these things in the world; it is another to see them among God’s people. When anger, rage, malice and bitterness rule in God’s people then the Holy Spirit is grieved, the Holy Spirit is resisted. Jesus walked a different path and the Spirit will lead us in that path when we quit resisting him.

It is not possible to be God’s people without God’s Holy Spirit living in us. I believe that each of us as individuals and as a congregation needs to look at our hearts and lives. Am I resisting the Spirit by not forgiving my brother or sister of something they have done against me? Does anger rather than the fruit of the Spirit characterize my life? Are we truly in step with the Spirit of God? Paul had a warning for a church that was struggling to walk the walk. He wrote,
"Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life." Gal 6:7-8
What are we sowing? What will we reap?

Livonia Church of Christ: November 13, 2005

The Great Lakes Christian College Lectureship

2005-11-17T09:30:00.000-08:00

The last two sermons in my series on "The God We Worship" were delayed in being posted because Diane and I attended the GLCC lectureship in Beamsville, Ontario. This was my first time to visit that school and many years ago for Diane who visited the school when she was in high school. Diane's parents, Dean and Ruth Clutter, went with us as saw many people they had known from their work in Ottawa. I was able to meet many wonderful Canadian Christians who warmly welcomed us.

Diane and I both taught classes on "Raising Children in a Pagan Culture." I also delivered one of the keynotes Tuesday evening. The lectureship was of high quality and we were very blessed by attending and being a part of the program.

Diane and I stayed with Art and Ruby Ford. Art is the current president of GLCC and it was a real blessing to get to know Art and Ruby. They are former missionaries from Papua New Guinea. There were many parallels between their mission experience and ours in Kenya. Their son, Craig, and his wife, Jerri, and child are also getting ready to leave on a mission as is our daughter, son-in-law, and grandchild. Like us, they are proud of their children as they dedicate themselves to God's mission. God is good and blesses the faithfulness of His people.

The God We Worship: The Holy Spirit of God

2005-11-17T09:21:00.000-08:00

The God We Worship:
The Holy Spirit of God
John 15:26; 16:13-14

As we have gone through these lessons the past few weeks I have often been overwhelmed by the magnificence of God. God has done so much for us, shown us such incredible love that it is much like Paul said to the Athenians, “he (God) is not far from each one of us,” Acts 17:27. Today as we continue to look at God we want today to start looking at the person of God that we know the least about, the Holy Spirit.

I. The Unknown Spirit
Some people get nervous when we start talking about the Spirit. I’m not sure why this is. Certainly the abuses of some who have extreme views of the Spirit are part of the reason. But I believe it probably has more to do with the immediacy and unpredictability that the Spirit represents.

Jesus came and lived and died and was raised from the dead nearly two thousand years ago. Have you ever imagined what it was like to walk with Jesus as his disciples did? It is easy to imagine how wonderful it was to hear Jesus teach, to see Jesus work. But what comes through in the gospels is a bit different. The disciples were awed by Jesus but often confused, full of doubt about what they were hearing, troubled by the constant controversy that surrounded Jesus to the point they started carrying weapons. Jesus seemed to walk into danger without a thought for his own safety or the safety of his disciples. In a word, Jesus was unpredictable.
Of course God was like that in the Old Testament also. God was constantly doing things, using people that were overlooked, calling on people to do dangerous missions. I believe that if the God you pray to is safe and predictable then you are praying to a false God.

Jesus returned to the Father’s side and sent the Spirit and suddenly all kinds of wonderful, unpredictable things began to happen. People were healed, leaders were thrown in jail, the poor were fed, and Christians were killed for their faith. The Spirit delivered Peter from prison and certain death in Acts 12 and yet allowed James to die. The Spirit chose a murderer and persecutor of the church to be the lead missionary to the Gentiles. Life with the Spirit was never boring or predictable.

II. The Person of the Spirit
There is an attempt by some to depersonalize the Spirit, to simple make the Spirit an impersonal force. Such an idea would have been foreign to the early church. The Spirit’s coming was prophesied in the Old Testament and promised by Jesus after his ascension (Acts 1:8). The book of Acts, often called “Acts of the Apostles” could be better described as “Acts of the Holy Spirit.”

We see the Spirit actively directing God’s ministers. The Spirit filled those early believers and moved them to proclaim the gospel of Jesus for the first on Pentecost. Thousands believed and wanted not just forgiveness but the promised Holy Spirit. The Spirit directed Philip to meet the Ethiopian in the desert, Acts 8:26-29. This led not only to the baptism of the Ethiopian but the beginning of Christianity in Africa among its most powerful civilization. We see the Spirit acting on Peter, directing him to go to the home of a Gentile, Cornelius, thus opening the gospel to the non-Jew, Acts 10:9-20. The Spirit spoke and appointed Barnabas and Saul as the first missionaries to the non-Jew, Act 13:2.

When Ananias and Sapphira lied to Peter about the amount of money they received from selling a parcel of land Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit. . . . You have not lied to men but to God," Acts 5:3-4. The Spirit acts, directs, speaks, and can be lied to, even if deception is not possible.

The Spirit was a personal presence with those early Christians. They looked to him for guidance and strength. The promise of the Holy Spirit was the fact that the Spirit would dwell in God’s people, John 14:16-17. Jesus departed this plane of existence but the Spirit would be sent, the Comforter or Counselor.

III. The Spirit of Revelation
Jesus speaks more about the Holy Spirit in the gospel of John. Jesus refers to the Spirit as Counselor. The word is unique to John’s writing and means intercessor or consoler. Part of the reason the Holy Spirit remains in the background and partially unknown is his purpose.
One purpose that Jesus mentions is that the Spirit is to testify concerning Jesus, John 15:26. The Spirit, “will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you, John 14:26. A primary way the Spirit is a witness about Jesus to us today is through the Scriptures that we study and teach. If you have been a Christian for very long you are aware of how powerful scripture can be. The Spirit is not just trying to teach us facts about Jesus but to show us how we should live in the light of Christ. God can use other means to teach and convict us. Every parent has had the experience of being convicted by a question from a child or a simple comment. Is that simply chance or has the Holy Spirit used a child to teach us? This is only one example. I believe the Holy Spirit is constantly trying to teach us, if we are paying attention.
The Spirit is the revealer. He points to Jesus and what Jesus has done. The Spirit spoke through the prophets in the Old Testament (1 Peter 1:19-21) pointing to the coming Messiah. The Spirit continued to speak in the New Testament again pointing to Jesus the Messiah and what he did. As Peter said we would do well to pay attention.

But the Spirit is more than a guide; the Spirit is a presence. The Spirit is just as much present and involved in our world as it was in Acts. The promise of Jesus is seen in John 14:16, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever.” Just as Jesus was with the disciples as counselor the Spirit is with us. Like the disciples we are called to listen and follow. The way is unpredictable, it may be dangerous but it will never be boring.

Livonia Church of Christ: November 6, 2005

The God We Worship: The God Who is a Servant

2005-10-30T17:23:00.000-08:00

The God We Worship:
God Who Is a Servant
Philippians 2:5-11

We live in a world that where “big” people make a big show. The stretch limo, the red carpet, the adoring fans are part and parcel of what it means to be a celebrity whether the person is a politician or an entertainer. That’s how important people act.

We have looked at Jesus and the incredible claims made about him and made by him. And yet to today we want to examine something about Jesus, the Word of God that runs so counter to our world and the way we think important people should act. We want to look at God who became a servant (Matthew 20:28).

I. God Becomes a Man
There are many profound passages in the New Testament about Jesus but none more important than this one in Philippians 2:5-11. Scholars think this was hymn that was sung by the early church to honor the sacrifice that Jesus made.

Jesus did not cling to equality with God. Most of us have had the experience of giving up something in order achieve some goal. I know several in our congregation have been in the Marines. It takes a sacrifice of personal freedom, comfort, and physical safety for a person to become a Marine. We also have a number of women in our church who are about to become mothers. They share their body with a new life for nine months and in the end give birth at some personal risk. Of course that is just the beginning of life change for the mother and the father. Many things in life are that way. We give up and we sacrifice in order to gain something.
Jesus did not cling to equality with God because there was something to be gained. What did Jesus give up to become human? Everything, he gave up power, glory and majesty. He gave up fellowship with God and was limited to what could be experienced through a human body like yours and mine. Jesus knew the cost of becoming human and paid that cost.

II. God Becomes a Servant
Even if Jesus had been born into the highest of royal families with every advantage of power and wealth it still would have been as becoming ‘nothing’ as the hymn states. Instead Jesus was born into the most humble of circumstances. But even more than becoming human he took the form of a servant. We sometimes sing a song, “Make me a servant, Lord make me like you.” Yet the word is not just that of servant but the word for slave.

Slavery was just as ugly an institution in Paul’s day as it is in ours. Lest we think that our world has done away with slavery there are an estimated 50,000 people in the United States who are trafficked as slaves each year. Such abuse is worse in Africa and Asia and as Christians we need to do what we can to oppose such human abuse.

But there is a different kind of slavery, a slavery that is accepted and done willingly. Many of us are involved in it; it’s called parenting. How many of you have changed a dirty diaper? Sat up all night with a sick child? Helped with homework? Most of you know what I am talking about. Are parents slaves of their children? Most of us would not put it that way but the reality is that we labor and sacrifice, sometimes in incredible ways for our children. Why do we do it? What motivates such sacrifice and devotion? It is love. Sometimes that love is abused, even rejected, but parents invariably keep on giving, keep on sacrificing. We hope that someday our children will appreciate what we have done for them and many times that happens.

Why did Jesus become a human being? Why did he become a servant of smelly fishermen, greedy tax collectors, doctors, lawyers, prostitutes, engineers, housewives, teachers, and on and on it could go? The answer is simple, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) Jesus became a servant because he loved people, he loved the creation, and he had to become a slave to what he had made in order for us to become what God intended. We can speculate a lot about how God did this but we don’t have to speculate about why. We love our children and will do just about anything for them. God loved his creation and us even more.

Jesus followed a path of humility and obedience. He who had been equal with God had to pray, read the scriptures, struggle with temptation and take care of everyday human physical need. He bore what life offered with grace and thankfulness. He loved people, cared for their needs, and taught all of us how life should be lived.

III. Have This Mind
Paul understood what God was doing in Christ when he wrote, “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son,” Romans 8:29. We see this also in the words, “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus,” Phil 2:5.

We talk about people who are “full of themselves.” It seems that we all are to some extent. But if we are to become what God desires then there must be an emptying that takes place. God does not ask anything of us that he has not already done for us. God desires that we become like Jesus for the sake of others.

Our service must be done in love with humility. Too often our service is self-serving, arising from ulterior motives rather than a desire for what is best for those we serve. It is not just what we do but our attitude as we do acts of service.

Becoming a servant like Jesus doesn’t mean we become a doormat for anyone who desires to use us. Parents who allow their children to treat them that way are poor parents. Our task is not only to serve but also to teach people how to live, just like Jesus.
This is why the words of Paul that precede this hymn are important for Christians to hear and follow,

“If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others,” Philippians 2:1-4.

God became a servant. In reality God has always been a servant of His creation desiring for it to become “very good” again as it was in Genesis 1. As Christians, God wants us to be part of the solution to this world’s problems, not in the way the world solves problems through power and force but through love, humility and service. This is the God we worship. This is what it means to be a follower and a worshipper of Jesus.

Livonia Church of Christ: October 30, 2005

The God We Worship: Jesus and "I AM"

2005-10-24T10:43:00.000-07:00

The God We Worship:
Jesus and “I AM”
John 8:48-58

There are many different opinions about Jesus and who he was and is. Many would say he is a great religious and moral teacher. In his own day, many saw Jesus as a great prophet. The opinions are many and varied. But many of these opinions are not based on what Jesus claimed for himself, who Jesus understood himself to be.

I. God’s Name
To understand what Jesus said about himself we go back to an encounter between Moses and God. Moses was tending sheep and saw a bush on fire. Not that unusual except that the bush was not burned up. Moses met God at this bush. It is an interesting conversation as Moses tried to evade the mission God had chosen for him. Then Moses asked a question, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?" Ex 3:13. God’s answer is the name that God gives himself, the name that Israel will know him by, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'" Ex 3:14. It is from these words that the personal name of God, Yahweh or Jehovah, came to be derived. God is “I AM”, the one who exists before time. It is this personal name of God by which Israel addressed God.

Israel considered this name so holy they would not pronounce it. Instead when they came to this word they learned to pronounce an entirely different word, usually the word for ‘Lord’ in Hebrew. As the Hebrew scripture was translated into other languages different principles were used. Some translations transliterated the word into the language and so in the ASV we read Jehovah in the OT text. Others translated the word with LORD in all capital letters. “I AM” was translated with a similar phrase. This was true in the Greek translation of Hebrew scripture called the Septuagint. It was this Greek translation of the Old Testament that was the Bible of the 1st century church. Many writers of our New Testament books quoted from this translation. The early church would have been familiar with the Greek “I AM” language that John uses in his gospel.

II. Jesus in John’s Gospel
John’s gospel is probably the last gospel to be written. He writes it about fifty years after Jesus’ ministry and resurrection. We don’t know if John had read any of the other gospel accounts but his gospel is so different from the other three that it seems unlikely. What John had done for the last fifty years was think about Jesus. John meditated on Jesus’ actions and his words and, by guidance of the Holy Spirit, gained a deeper insight into who Jesus is. As we saw last week as we looked briefly at John 1:1-18, John had come to understand that Jesus was the divine Word of God who had become flesh in the man Jesus.

Jesus got into trouble with the Jewish authorities because he identified himself closely with God. When Jesus was questioned about healing on the Sabbath he answered, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working," John 5:17. The response of the Jewish authorities is seen in the next verse, “For this reason the Jews tried all the harder to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God,” John 5:18. They recognized that Jesus was making claims that no prophet, priest or religious leader had ever made. It was blasphemy, unless it was true.
John recorded Jesus using this “I am” language in many ways. Jesus made seven statements such as “I am the bread of life” or “I am the vine”. But Jesus went even farther and used the “I AM” name for himself. One of the clearest instances is in John 8. I have always found this exchange interesting because it is with “Jews who had believed in him.” John 8:31. The conversation ends when these same Jews try to kill Jesus. The reason they try to kill him is found in this last exchange,
“Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad."
"You are not yet fifty years old," the Jews said to him, "and you have seen Abraham!"
"I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!"
John 8:56-58
There is no doubt about what Jesus is saying. He is identifying himself with the “I AM” who spoke to Abraham, who spoke to Moses in the burning bush. As some author observed either Jesus was speaking the truth or he was the biggest egomaniac that has ever lived.

Why would anyone believe such a statement except that Jesus backed up what he said with actions? Again, Jesus is attacked when he said,
“I and the Father are one."
Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, "I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?" "We are not stoning you for any of these," replied the Jews, "but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God." John 10:30-33
Here is the dilemma that John presents. Jesus is more than a prophet, more than a great teacher, he is the “I AM” who has become human. If he is not then what do we do about his miracles?

At Jesus’ arrest we see Jesus using this language to confront his opponents. We read,
Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, "Who is it you want?"
"Jesus of Nazareth," they replied.
"I am he," Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) When Jesus said, "I am he," they drew back and fell to the ground.
John 18:4-6
Every English translation I know of inserts “he” with the “I AM” of the original Greek. Of course why would they fall back at such a simple statement? Why would John repeat it for emphasis?

Later while the Jewish authorities are questioning Jesus we read this account in Mark,
Again the high priest asked him, "Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?"
"I am," said Jesus. "And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven." Mark 14:61-62
Jesus is condemned for blasphemy but it is only blasphemy if it is not true.

The identity of Jesus is at the heart of Christianity. It is what gets us in trouble because the claims of Jesus are outrageous, unless they are true. I want to close with another outrageous statement of Jesus. Jesus again is in a discussion with his opponents and he said,
"You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am [the one I claim to be], you will indeed die in your sins." John 8:23-24. The translator added words in the parentheses. I am not a Greek scholar so I’m not going to argue with them but I think Jesus is saying something more. His words are, “if you do not believe that I am you will indeed die in your sins.” We believe that Jesus is more than a prophet, more than a great religious teacher. Jesus is “I AM”.

Livonia Church of Christ: October 23, 2005

The God We Worship: The Son Who is God

2005-10-17T11:00:00.000-07:00

The God We Worship:
The Son Who is God
John 1:1-18

It is mind stretching to think about God. As we looked at God the Father last week something became obvious, you cannot talk about the Father without talking about the Son. We would not know about the Father without the revelation brought by the Son. Today we want to begin looking at the Son.
I. The Word
Christianity revolves around Jesus and who he is. There is no simple answer and we shouldn’t expect one, we are after all looking at God and who he is and what he has done. The answer depends as much on faith as it does on understanding.

John gives us a picture of Jesus. In language that obviously reflects Genesis 1:1 we read about the Word. Who and what is this Word that John is writing about? He tells us the Word is God and even more the Word is with God. How can this be? There is no claim here that there are two gods but there are two persons who are one God. The Word is the source of creation. The Word is life and the Word is light.

Are you confused? Don’t feel bad because it is confusing. How can this be? Why is this being revealed to us? When we are confronted with mysteries like this we tend to throw up our hands in frustration. I hope you won’t do that because there is an important reason God reveals this to us. It is found in verse 14.

II. The Word Became Flesh
John writes, “The Word became flesh.” I suppose it would not be necessary for us to know about the Son or the Father if it weren’t for this. God must have known how confusing this would be for us with our limited knowledge and perspective and yet we need to come to grips with this amazing knowledge. The Word that was with God and is God became a human being and lived among us.

Every December much of the world celebrates Christmas though few seem to recognize why the birth of Jesus is so significant. God, the maker of heaven and earth became a man, was born as a small, helpless infant. How could even God accomplish such a thing? Paul writes later that Jesus, “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing”, (Philippians 2:6-7). The concept here is that Jesus emptied himself in order to become a human being. This was not a coerced action but the Son chose to take the role of redeemer and submit himself to the Father.

What would it take for you to become someone other than who you are? I thought about this as a missionary and tried to enter into another culture and understand it. If I were to become a Luo I would have to change my parents and that would change my skin color. I would have to give up being an American. I would have to give up most of my education, how to drive a car. I wouldn’t be married to Diane. I would gain some things in return but life would be very different.

What did Jesus give up to become a human being? He gave up equality with the Father for a start and we can go on from there. We can only imagine and then realize it is probably beyond our imagination. Scripture says that he was “made a little lower than the angels” (Hebrews 2:7); he became a human.

There is a critical truth in trying to understand the relationship of Father, Son, and Spirit. It is this, “Difference in function does not indicate inferiority of nature.”[1] The Son is not the Father but the divine nature is one. The fact that Jesus became human and took a position of submission to the Father does not mean inferiority in his nature.

The analogy of us as humans gives us a glimpse into this. When God created human beings scripture says that God created them male and female (Genesis 1:27). Men and women have different functions. Many times those functions are culturally defined but they are also defined by biology; we have different functions but male and female are equally human. Even though culture has often given greater value to men we know as Christians that before God there is no difference as Paul wrote in Gal. 3:28. Difference in function does not mean inferiority in nature.

When Jesus became a human being he gave up equality with God but he did not give up his nature, he is still God. It is this incredible fact that John communicates in his gospel. All the gospels are revelation of the man Jesus as he goes through the world and the dawning awareness of those who know him that he is not only man but also God. This awareness is revealed in the confession of Thomas in John 20. Thomas had seen the miracles. He had heard his teaching. He had seen his death. Now he is confronted with the resurrected Christ and he cries out, “My Lord and my God!” John 20:28.

III. The One and Only
John uses a particular word in referring to the Son. In older translations it is translated “only begotten” but in the translation I use it is translated “One and Only”. This is probably a better translation of this word. It carries with it the idea of uniqueness. If you remember my first lesson in this series we talked about this very quality of God. It is no surprise that John uses such a word to describe the Son who is God. It is this unique “one and only” Son who came from the Father “full of grace and truth.” The Son can reveal the Father because he has existed at the Father’s side and knows the Father. It is this “One and Only” Son that the Father has given to the world as a gift to save the world because the Father loves the world.

What a marvel this is. The Word became flesh for us because of the love of the Father. These few verses of John are heavy with meaning and we can barely scratch the surface in this lesson. I want to close with John’s words in John 1:12-13, “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.” To those who receive the Son, believe in the Son, God grants that we can become children of God. We are all God’s creation but we are not all His children. That right belongs to those who receive the Son.
John, later in one of his letters, writes these words for us, “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life,” 1 John 5:11-12. We struggle to understand and yet in the end what is important is to believe what God has said. That is the way of the life that God desires us to share with Him.

Livonia Church of Christ: October 16, 2005

[1] James R. White, The Forgotten Trinity, Bethany House Publishers: Minneapolis, 1998, 66.

The God We Worship: The Father

2005-10-11T11:16:00.000-07:00

The God We Worship: The Father
John 1:18; 1 Cor. 8:4-6; John 14:23

Introduction: Over the past couple of Sundays we have looked at, what I believe are some challenging concepts. You may have been stretched by thinking about our God as one above and beyond time and space. I have been stretched trying to preach about those things. But in a sense these have just been a warm-up for entering into the heart of the mystery we call God.

I. Learning About the Father
At the heart of the mystery are three persons that scripture calls the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. We begin today by looking at some of what scripture tells us about the Father. Because of the association of fathers with authority it is not surprising that we call God “Father”. Yet this has not always been the case. In the Old Testament you find God referred to as creator, king, mighty warrior, and other powerful descriptive words but few references to God as Father. When God is referred to as “Father” in the Older Testament he is seen as father of the nation or the people of Israel but the idea of God as “my” father is not developed.

This changes dramatically when we come to the New Testament. The books of the New Testament began to be written about 20 years or so after the resurrection. In those letters we find Christians referring to “God the Father” in a way that shows a great shift in understanding who God is. Jesus taught many things but nothing more radical than God as the Father, not just of himself, but all who faithfully follow Jesus.

The only way Christians know God as Father is because Jesus revealed it to us. John wrote, “No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known,” John 1:18. Jesus’ coming into the world had many facets but John tells us that one primary purpose was to reveal the Father to us so we could know him.
In the past couple of weeks we have looked at some rather dense concepts about God, his uniqueness and the invisible God who is beyond time and space. While these things are true about God, he is more than these things. Jesus came to show us God who is our creator but also who wants to be our Father.

It is the task of the Son to reveal the Father to us. We will begin to look at the Son more closely next week but today we want to see a small part of what the Son has revealed about the Father.

II. The Father Who Loves
Early in the gospel of John we read one of the great verses in all of scripture, John 3:16; "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Jesus wants us to know that the Father is the one who gave and sent His Son to save the world. Love in the heart of the Father is the motivation that drives divine action. There are so many scriptures that point to divine love, demonstrated in Jesus coming into the world, Rm. 5:8. The Father sends, empowers and glorifies Jesus as His Son who has come into the world to save us, rebellious humankind.

As Christians, followers of Jesus, we focus our attention on Jesus. He is the one who came, who died for us, the one who explains the Father to us. But it is the Father who sends, the Father who appoints, the Father who raises the Son from the dead, and gives authority to the Son, Eph. 1:18-22.

In fact it is difficult to talk about the Father without talking about the Son also. The relationship is so intimate and complex. We know a bit about relationships like that. We see married couples that have been together many years like Hayward and Sandra Burton. Couples learn that it is always wise to communicate but if I talk to Sandra and she says, “Yes, we will do that.” I know she speaks not just for herself but also for Hayward. When we think of the Burtons we think of both of them. Even when we think of one we know the other is there, part of what is going on. They can do this because of their marriage of over fifty years. Now imagine the Father and Son who exist together in perfect harmony and unity from eternity. God loves the world and gives his Son but just a bit later in this passage we read, “The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands,” John 3:35. Again, in John 5:20 Jesus says, “For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, to your amazement he will show him even greater things than these.”

One of the key beliefs that we have about God’s nature and character is that God is love. The thing about love is that for it to exist there must be an object of love. We hear a lot about “self” love and I think I know what is often meant by the term but “self” love in the end is narcissism. This is from the Greek legend of Narcissus who wastes away and dies because he is so enraptured by his own reflection in a pond. God is love because there is Father, Son, and Spirit existing together in love and harmony. God could not be love otherwise. The wonder, the mystery is that God created us and has invited us to enter in and participate in his love. Jesus expresses this in the plainest terms in John 14:20-23,

On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him." Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, "But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?" Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.

The context of Jesus’ statement is that of the new commandment given just a few moments before, "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another,” John 13:34. It is our obedience to this command that makes our hearts a fit home for the Father, Son, and Spirit. Is there any mystery greater than this?

I hope that all of us can enter deeper into the heart of God. I want to close with a prayer for you and me. It is Paul’s prayer but one that speaks to our desire.
I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge — that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
May we, by God’s grace, enter into the fullness of His love.

Livonia Church of Christ: October 9, 2005

Sermon for October 2, 2005

2005-10-03T12:03:00.000-07:00

The God We Worship: “God is spirit.”
John. 4:24; 2 Corinthians 3:17
Introduction: God is such a mystery to us. True mysteries are difficult to understand and it is hard to gain more than a certain level of knowledge. We speak of the mystery of the universe. In pop culture I think “The X Files” represents that sense of mystery that is never really resolved.
In a sense that mood of mystery is conveyed by the words chosen to describe God in scripture. It is not surprising that people in biblical times, both in Hebrew and Greek, used the terms for “breath” or “wind” to describe spirit. We cannot see the wind but we can see the effects of wind. Wind can be refreshing and life giving. It can also be one of the most destructive forces of nature. It is no wonder that these words are used to describe God who is invisible and yet has a profound impact on our physical world.
I. The Invisible God
One obvious thing about saying God is spirit is that He cannot be perceived with our senses. This is a great problem for people with a materialistic mind set. God is not physical as we are. As created beings we exist in a world of sight, sound, taste, touch and smell. We have a soul created in God’s image. We are like God but he is not like us.
There are basically two ways we can learn about this invisible God. We can observe how God works and impacts our natural world. Paul makes this point in Romans saying that something of God can be learned from creation, his eternal power and divine nature, Rom. 1:20. There has always been evidence in nature pointing to God but people must look for it, be willing to see it. But even so, what we can learn of God is limited.
The second way we learn about this invisible God is by his revealing himself to us; that is by revelation. The different ways God has revealed himself to us is varied. He has spoken to people in dreams and visions. He has sent messengers both human and angelic. He has spoken in thunder and in whispers. The revelation of scripture is all about God revealing himself to humanity.
The great thing about this is God wants us to know him. God has gone to unbelievable lengths to reveal himself in ways we can perceive. Yet to find God, to know God, requires that we seek him, that we desire to know him. Some of us have studied different areas of learning. If a person studies biology they can learn some superficial things fairly easily. But many things require hard work to learn, meticulous research and observation. Every discipline of learning is that way. How much more true it is for learning about God. Jeremiah put it this way, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart,” Jer. 29:13.
II. God Transcends Space
The fact that God is spirit has other implications. When we talk about creation we often think in material terms but it goes further than that. God created the space in which our universe exists and, as spirit, is present in every place. This is another of those areas we have difficulty imagining. After all we can only be in one place at a time. You may have seen that silly commercial about the man who clones himself so that he can do everything he wants. It proves a bit confusing and frightening to his wife. Again, we don’t have the words or the ability to understand how this takes place but the more we delve into these lessons the more we will realize that much of God is mystery to us.
To the psalmist this aspect of God was a great comfort:
Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
Ps 139:7-10
God’s presence is a constant no matter where we are or the terribleness of the circumstances. Jeremiah writes
“Can anyone hide in secret places
so that I cannot see him?"
declares the LORD.
"Do not I fill heaven and earth?"
declares the LORD.
Jer. 23:24
God is present because God is spirit.
In our privacy culture this aspect of God is troubling to some. He was there when David committed adultery. We cannot hide from God the evil that we do.
But for us as God’s people it is a fact of great comfort. No matter where we are, no matter how terrible the circumstance, God is with us. God was in the lion’s den, in the fiery furnace, at the bottom of the well, on a hill with three crosses. But he was also at the pit when Stephen was stoned to death and the chopping block when James was killed. God is with us also, no matter the circumstance.
III. God Transcends Time
Another aspect of the creation that God transcends is time. It is hard for us to imagine a place of “no time” and yet that is what eternity is, that is where God dwells. God is above and in time in ways that we struggle to comprehend. Some years back there was a popular romantic comedy called “Groundhog Day”. The main character lived the same day, Groundhog Day, February 2, over and over again. He reaches a point where he knows everything that will happen that day. He knows the people of the town and every like, dislike, and foible. This is nothing like what time is to God but it does give a sense of timelessness that may give us insight into God. How can God hear all the prayers that are offered to Him? How can he be concerned about the details of my life? To God, who is timeless from all eternity, time is no consideration or limit. The psalmist puts it this way,
For a thousand years in your sight
are like a day that has just gone by,
or like a watch in the night. Psalm 90:4
It is difficult, perhaps impossible for us to imagine a world without time and yet that is the place God exists and where we will exist in the future.
Time is such a precious commodity to us that we often feel time pressure. It is the source of much of our impatience in life. Then once in a while we come across someone and the phrase we use to describe him or her is, “They act like they have all the time in world.” God does have all the time in the world. He has time for us and our joys, sorrows, victories and defeats. I believe that one reason we have difficulty understanding God is just that, God has all time. That is frustrating for us because we want God to fit our time frame. The good side of this is that God has time for all of us. Faith is trusting God with time. The Hebrew writer concluded his chapter on faith with these words,
These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. Heb. 11:39-40
The promises of God are not bound by human time. God keeps his promises and we will witness every promise fulfilled in God’s timeless eternity.
Is it any wonder that we struggle with understanding God? As Isaiah wrote,
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways ,"
declares the LORD.
"As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Isa. 55:8-9
This is why faith is so critical to our relationship with God, we must trust even when we don’t understand.
There is a difference between a mystery and a puzzle. Puzzles are solved and that’s the end. But a better understanding of a mystery doesn’t decrease the mystery and that is why knowing God is a lifetime journey. Let’s go as far as we can.

A New Sermon Series: The God We Worship

2005-09-27T16:08:00.000-07:00

This is a new series I began September 25, 2005. I want to help the church to look at the mystery of God and to see more clearly who we worship and why. It is one of the most challenging series that I have prepared. I hope those of you reading find it helpful. God bless.
Larry

The God We Worship: “I am God, and there is none like me.“
Isaiah 46:9-10; 40:25-26

Introduction: In Kenya we lived just a few miles from the equator and one of the events that occurred several times in our years there were partial and even a full eclipse. These are rare events and people came from all over the world to witness it. One of things that they warn people about is looking directly at the sun during the eclipse; it can blind you completely in a very short time. In Exodus 33:18-20 Moses asks to see God but cannot and live. In a sense that is what we are going to try and do these next few weeks, look at God. We can’t do it directly but God has revealed himself in ways that we can perceive. That is what we want to try to do. It will be difficult because God is a difficult being for limited people like us to understand.
I. Why This Study?
Some of you may be thinking this sounds difficult and I confess that it is. This will not be easy material but it will be enriching. The more understanding we have of God and his character the more we will appreciate the God we worship. A lot of people have difficulty in believing in God. As one Bible professor who frequently had students come to talk to him about their doubts about God said, “Tell me about the God you don’t believe in. I probably don’t believe in him either.” Our misunderstanding of God is not inconsequential. If our view of God is off then our worship will be off because we will be worshipping a false “god.”
Another aspect of this is that the better we understand God the better we will understand ourselves. We are a people created in the image of God (Gen. 1:26). As we understand God we understand what God’s goal is. It is his desire for us to become as his children. Such an understanding can be transformative.
It also helps to understand how we should interact with each other. The revelation of God that Jesus brought and the Holy Spirit continues to teach is that God is community, one God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. How we as people and as Christians are to treat and deal with one another is based on the relationship between Father, Son, and Spirit.
II. God is Unique
The text that was read this morning tells us something important about God, “I am God, and there is none like me.“ Isa.46:9. God is completely and totally unique. When something is unique it is unlikely anything else. Comparisons can be made but are always inadequate. Imagine for a moment you are talking to someone who has been blind all their life and they ask you, “What is ‘red’?” What would you say? This in a small way describes our difficulty in talking about God.
Language and culture is made up of shared experience and images. In most things it is easy to communicate but some are more difficult than others and this is true with God. God asks the question, "’To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?’ says the Holy One.” Isa 40:25. Words are inadequate to describe God and yet we try, God even uses our language to describe himself. Words like “Father” and “Son” bring images to our minds and yet even though the Bible uses these words they are limited. God is like a father in many ways and yet He is unlike any father we have ever known. Even the pronouns we use such as “he” imply certain gender connotations which are incorrect. While it is possible to go overboard with “politically correct” language we need to recognize the limitations of any language to describe our God who is totally unique.
The difficulty of describing God is seen in one of God’s early encounters with the man Moses in Ex. 3:13-14. Moses wants to know what God’s name is. The answer is, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'" The words could also be translated, “I WIL BE WHAT I WILL BE.” This seems odd to us until we understand that “I AM” constitutes the name “Yahweh” or “Jehovah”. God is saying to Moses, “I exist, I am God.” God is not some local deity, some idol made of wood or stone. The burning bush where Moses encountered God should have been consumed by the fire but was not. God is unique, unlike anything Moses had encountered before.
III. What Does It Mean?
There are some real implications for us as people of God when we consider his uniqueness. Walking with the “I AM” of the Bible will always be an unpredictable adventure. We will never understand God. We will understand some things about God but even those things we think we know can, and often are, challenged by realities we face in life. Job found that out. This righteous, godly man who humbly obeyed God had his life turned upside down in the blink of an eye. Job challenged God to explain what had happened to him yet when God spoke it was not a defense, not an explanation, but an expanded version of “I AM WHAT I AM.” Job was overwhelmed by his encounter with God and could only say,
"I know that you can do all things;
no plan of yours can be thwarted.
[You asked,] 'Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?'
Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me to know.
["You said,] 'Listen now, and I will speak;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.'
My ears had heard of you
but now my eyes have seen you.
Therefore I despise myself
and repent in dust and ashes."
Job 42:2-6

Some people want a predictable God, a ‘safe’ God. If that is what you want then you are in the wrong place. Following this God is an adventure of a lifetime. Our God will bless us and let us suffer. He will call on us to do difficult, impossible things. He will lead us into dark places if we would follow him. He will take us in the midst of our most terrible failures and find ways redeem us and to use us for his purposes. In the words of C.S. Lewis, our God is not safe but he is good. God’s ‘good’ is not always safe or comfortable or easy or understandable.
We worship God because we have a relationship with him. To worship God in truth it is necessary to acknowledge God’s uniqueness, to stand in awe of God we cannot understand but desire to know. When we ‘see’ this God we, like Job, are struck silent. Our worship is like that of Paul who wrote,
Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments,
and his paths beyond tracing out!
"Who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been his counselor?"
"Who has ever given to God,
that God should repay him?"
For from him and through him and to him are all things.
To him be the glory forever! Amen.
Rom 11:33-36

Livonia Church of Christ: September 25, 2005

Dan and Beverly Bell

2005-09-13T16:15:00.000-07:00

This past Friday we had dinner with Dan and Bev Bell, coworkers of ours during the 1980's. We lived across the street from each other and had many experiences working for the Lord in the Lake Victoria region of Kenya. They have just moved back to the States after 20 years of service in Kenya. For the next several months they will be located in Flint, MI with the Bristol Road Church of Christ but they will be looking for a new place to serve the Lord here in the States. Through the years we have been blessed with great coworkers and Dan and Bev are in that group.

Michaela: a Beautiful Granddaugther

2005-09-07T06:46:00.000-07:00

We stayed with Julie, Josh and Michaela in August in Brownwood, Texas. She is growing and changing as little ones do. Julie and Josh are preparing with their team to go to Cochabamba, Bolivia in January 2006 for a church planting effort. Those of you who know our family know how important piano is with Diane and all three children being very talented musicians. Michaela is getting an early start with her Nyanya (Diane).

Praying God's Will

2005-09-06T09:23:00.000-07:00

Introduction: One of the challenges of parenting is when those cute little babies turn two. Sometimes it is referred to as the “terrible twos”. The reason it is such a challenge is that baby learns that it has a will and that will stands in opposition to the parents. This is the basic conflict of the teen years and it often comes down to a battle of wills.

I. The Uniquely Human Will
It is our human will in conjunction with our intelligence that makes each person unique. Sometimes our will is directed at our self. We talk about a person being self-willed in a negative sense. That person seems only interested in themselves and their needs. We all are like that sometimes, some most of the time. But self-will is not necessarily bad. We need to be concerned about our needs. A person who feeds others and yet starves to death would be considered foolish. Will allows us to say “no” to things that are not in our self-interest.
But will also allows us to defer our own needs for the sake of others. The needs of a child may cause us to choose those needs over our own. Much of the time our will is constrained by others and by circumstances but in the end we choose how we will respond.

It is will that in many ways makes us human, makes us different from the animals. Within the constraints of life we have choice. What will we choose? Much of the time we can predict what a person will choose in various circumstances. Wives and husbands do this all the time. “Does Larry want tea, water, or pop?” “Oh, I’m sure he will want water.” Then I come along and ask for pop. Diane is right most of the time about what I will choose but every now and then I surprise her. Human will makes us unpredictable.

Jesus had a human will. We see that will in conflict with the world around him. Just like us, people wanted him to be what they desired. Some wanted him to be a king. Others wanted a vending machine type messiah who would fill their physical needs. Jesus was a king but a king unlike any other king in history. Jesus did meet the needs of people but not the needs they wanted fulfilled.

II. The Will of God
Our will is part of the image of God. Like us God has a will, a purpose. As maker of heaven and earth God’s will cannot fail, it will be accomplished. God states this in Isa. 46:10. The will of the almighty God cannot be thwarted and yet we see things contrary to God’s will all around us. If God did not place limits on his will then we, and our world, would be nothing more than complex robots. There was a movie remade recently called “The Stepford Wives”. This was a community where wives were replaced with robot wives obedient and uncomplaining to their husband’s whims. There are some who probably think this would be an ideal situation but I think it would become very boring very quickly. God did create a world where things other than his will could be done, where human beings made in God’s image have will.

What is God’s will that will be accomplished? The goal that God is moving toward is redemption of all creation and in particular human beings. We often look at salvation as just involving people but scripture sees redemption in terms of the whole creation, Rom. 8:20-21.

But God has a specific goal for us as human beings. If you want to know what God’s will is for your life then it can be put in very simple terms, he wants you to be like his child Jesus. Paul put it simply in Romans 8:29. Our destiny is to be changed and become like Jesus. That is God’s will. God of course is not looking for clones; he is looking for obedient children. When Jesus taught his disciples to pray that “God’s will be done” he also prayed that in his prayer life. Being obedient to God’s will was a prime attitude in Jesus’ life. Even in his deepest crisis, as he faced death on a cross, he prayed, “Yet not as I will, but as you will”, Matt. 26:39.

III. Praying God’s Will
It seems that God’s will and the will of many human beings are in conflict and that may be why Jesus taught his disciples to pray “your will be done.” The conflict of wills is seen throughout the life of Jesus. People wanted Jesus to be something other than what God wanted Jesus to be. Many wanted a king, others a prophet, still others a miracle worker who would meet their needs. Peter stood in opposition to God’s will in Matt. 16:21-23.

We also struggle with God’s will and the will of those around us. People want us to be different things to them and God may want something else entirely. People often ask, “What is God’s will for my life?” I imagine we have all asked that question at some point or another. Most of us want to do God’s will, as long as it pretty much is what we want to do also. I differ from some people who seem to think God has one way he wants you to follow. I believe there are many things I could do that would serve God within his will. Some of those ways have greater blessing in them than others but all are in service to God. There may be times when there is a specific thing God desires me to do but most of the time I believe we have a range of choices that are within the will of God.

A better question to ask ourselves is, “Will this decision contribute or hinder my transformation into Jesus likeness?” One of the popular catch phrases for Christians is, “What would Jesus do?” But we may be better off asking, “What would Jesus be?” What would he be as a father or mother? What would Jesus be as a student? What would Jesus be as a business person? As an engineer? As a lawyer or doctor?

We do need to pray, “God, your will be done.” But even as we pray it we should be looking for the will of God. He will show us what he wants us to become, in fact he already has.

Livonia Church of Christ: August 21, 2005

Sermon for July 31, 2005

2005-09-01T12:36:00.000-07:00

This is the last sermon I preached before we began traveling. I didn't preach at Livonia at all in August and that is the longest period I have been out of the pulpit in the past five years. I am looking forward preaching this coming Sunday.

Weak Prayer
Mark 9:14-29

Introduction: One thing that almost everyone does is to compare themselves to others. Certain people set a standard that everyone else is held up to. This past week Lance Armstrong set a new record of seven Tour de France victories; something that some say will never be equaled. Basketball players are compared to Michael Jordan. We do that spiritually also. Sometimes it is a measure of progress to become like someone. Other times it becomes a source of spiritual pride.
Last week we looked at an example of strong faith and answered prayer. But today’s lesson is about weak prayer, weak faith. I think I can relate more to the father in this lesson today than I can the centurion of last week.
I. Welcome to the Circus
The story is a picture of confusion. Jesus, Peter, James and John are coming down from the mountain where Jesus was changed and the disciples saw his true nature, his glory. They come upon a scene where a large crowd has gathered not to be taught, but because a show is going on. The other disciples have tried to heal this boy who has convulsions and have failed. They are arguing with the teachers of the law and it is probably not a pretty sight. Then Jesus arrives and things get more exciting. You can almost hear people shouting comments and questions at Jesus. The disciples have to speak loudly to be heard. And in the midst of this is a father with a sick child.
We can only imagine what it must have been like for the father. As a father he had to be constantly on guard to keep his child from hurting or even killing himself. The constant concern and worry would have been wearing and discouraging. He had brought his child to see Jesus and had met the disciples instead. He had come hoping against hope that his child could be made well. Parents love their children and suffer when their children suffer. We know this because many of us are parents and we understand even if our child has not been in this situation.
II. Jesus and a Father
In the midst of this circus Jesus encounters this troubled father whose hopes have been dashed again. Jesus asks a question, “What are you arguing with them about?” He asks this of his disciples but before they can answer this father interrupts with his problem and the disciples’ failure.
Jesus’ response conveys a sense of tired frustration. This is taking place at least two years into his ministry. The words, “unbelieving generation” is directed as much to the disciples as it is to the father and the crowd. The boy is brought to Jesus and is immediately attacked by the demon. The father cries out, “If you can do anything have pity on us and help us.” The words are filled with doubt, “If you can” are words that say this is probably beyond your ability but do what you can. After all any improvement would be welcome.
“If you can.” How different that is from the faith of the centurion we looked at last week. It says I don’t know if you are who you claim to be. I don’t know if you have the power to help me, but have mercy and do what you can.
Jesus answer, “Everything is possible for him who believes,” is met with a cry, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” Most of us live here don’t we, the twilight zone between belief and unbelief. We struggle hoping that God will have mercy, that God will help us, help our child, and help our neighbor. We suffer, we worry, and we are burdened with anxiety because we don’t know what will happen. I believe, I want to believe but I am full of doubt and uncertainty.
This makes for weak prayer doesn’t it. In fact it is so weak we wonder why we bother because how can God hear such weak prayer as we have to offer? We don’t pray out of great faith but instead it is a faith that stumbles around in the dark bumping into things that make us cry out in pain.
III. The Answer
The end of the story is that the boy is healed. But the disciples are troubled. “Why couldn’t we cast out the demon?” Jesus answers, “This kind can come out only by prayer.” Have you ever tried to pray in a circus? Have you ever tried to pray while you were arguing with someone? The disciples were trying to do the right thing but they lost their focus, they got distracted.
Jesus doesn’t pray in this story. We might say he prayed before. After all he was coming down from a period of retreat on a mountain. But still, where is the prayer that caused this demon to leave?
There is a prayer in this passage. It is hidden and a bit hard to see because it is a very weak prayer. The prayer is, “If you can anything, take pity on us and help us.” It is a prayer of desperation and weakness filled with doubt. It is offered in hopelessness not hope. Yet it is heard and it is answered.
We sometimes think that our prayers are answered when we get that faith battery charged up, when we can get the words right and the intensity up. But the truth is God can answer the weakest pray. God answers not because of our prayer, though I do believe we need to pray, need to ask in order to receive. He answers because he is God.
I don’t know why that little boy had to suffer the way he did. I don’t know why God answers some prayers almost instantaneously and others seem to take forever. But the answer doesn’t depend on us, or our faith, it depends on God.
Sometimes weak prayer is all we have to offer, it is all we are capable of. We need to offer that prayer because God hears. God isn’t limited by our doubts and fears. He does want us to believe, he will help us with our unbelief.

Livonia Church of Christ: July 31, 2005

Sermon for July 24,2005

2005-09-01T11:32:00.000-07:00

I'm late posting this because of all our traveling. This is the second sermon of four on prayer.

Prayer and Faith
Luke 7:1-10

Introduction: When Diane, Matt and I went to Japan a few years ago one of the things that impressed me was all the vending machines. You could buy almost anything from a vending machine including beer. There were vending machines everywhere. The thing about vending machines is, you put money in and you get out something you want. If what we want doesn’t come out then we get angry. That results in several deaths a year in this country when people rock the vending machine to get something out. But what if vending machines were more like slot machines, you put money in and you may get something back once in a while. Would you use the machine?
I. The Problem of Faith and Prayer
In a crude way this is the problem many people see with prayer. You can’t rely on consistent results. Of course this attitude comes out of our western pragmatic view of how things “should” work. Or people may see prayer as a lottery game, if you play often enough you will win sometime. Is faith the golden coin of prayer, the thing that makes it work?
It is not hard to find people who think this way. There are all kinds of people who tell you a miracle is possible if you just have enough, or the right kind of faith. And if you don’t get the miracle then something is defective in your faith. People sometimes even use this miracle story to support such views. I think we will learn something different.
I will not be answering all the questions about faith and prayer in this lesson but I hope that what we read here can tell us something about prayer and about faith.
Today’s story is amazing in several ways. First, the healing takes place at a distance without Jesus ever seeing the sick person. This was unusual in Jesus’ day as it is in our day. Jesus hadn’t seen the person, evidently didn’t know the servant’s name but those things are not limits on God’s power.
But even more remarkable is the fact that the person petitioning Jesus is a Roman soldier, a Gentile. Luke’s gospel is constantly finding faith in unusual places with unusual people. I think Luke, being a Gentile himself, was attracted to those kinds of stories. It was, however, shocking to many Jewish people who thought they had a corner on faith and on God’s power.
II. The Faith of a Soldier
What is the faith of this soldier that Jesus thinks is ‘great’? One thing we learn is that the centurion had heard about Jesus. Every indication is that this man may have been a “God fearer”, a non-Jew who was coming to believe in the Israelite God. Where did he hear about Jesus? Since he had helped build the synagogue he may have gone there to pray and to hear scripture read. People were talking about this unusual rabbi and his amazing power and teaching. The centurion also asked others to intervene, to petition Jesus on his behalf. He felt unworthy to approach Jesus directly but his need was great.
But I believe his faith is seen best in his understanding of Jesus and his power and authority. He saw a parallel between his position and authority and that of Jesus. Jesus had already done many miracles in Capernaum. At Jesus’ word demons had been cast out of people, sicknesses had been healed, and paralyzed people had been made whole. The authority to command is what the centurion saw in Jesus. He has no doubt about Jesus’ ability to do what he asks. But he wasn’t certain what Jesus would do. Once Jesus agreed to help he knew there was no reason for Jesus to come physically, that Jesus’ word, his command, would be sufficient.
The centurion was a man under authority. What does that mean? He was used to giving commands and being obeyed. He was also used to receiving commands and obeying them. I imagine he understood what it was like to obey orders that he could not see a reason for. He knew what it was like to be petitioned by people around him. He had probably see it all: favors asked by friends and strangers, bribes offered, promises made, and on and on. The centurion seems like a good person, not corrupt or arrogant but he knew sometimes he could grant people’s requests and other times he couldn’t, because he was a person under authority. Now it was his turn to ask, to petition, and to see if his request would be granted.
Jesus was amazed. He was amazed at his understanding of the workings of a spiritual realm that his fellow Jews had difficulty grasping. He was amazed at his humility. He was amazed at his faith. He had not found this kind of faith in Israel, and remember his disciples were standing there also when he said this.
III. Prayer and Faith
We can observe several things about this story of prayer and faith. The centurion approached Jesus in an attitude of humility. As one of the most powerful men in that area we might almost expect an approach that was full of demands, pride and flaunting of position but we don’t see that. Such approaches and attitudes have little influence on those with true power.
The faith of the centurion was also one recognizing the conditional nature of prayer. He had no doubt that Jesus could heal his servant but the question was: would Jesus do so? He understood the possibility of a “no” to his request. This is hard for us to understand from where we stand. Why does God answer some requests and not others? Is there something wrong with me, with my faith? These are the wrong questions. The real question is, “Can I trust God even when the answer is not what I want?” Or an even a better question is, “Will I obey God no matter what happens in my life?” That takes a mature understanding of God and prayer, something the Centurion had, but most in Israel did not.
I wish I had an answer to prayer but maybe the answer is to see God as more than a heavenly vending machine. God, the creator of heaven and earth, is merciful and generous but we can’t manipulate him, we can’t control him, we can only trust him and obey him, Isa. 50:10.

On the Road

2005-08-31T12:51:00.000-07:00

Today is the last day of August and it has been a month of travel. We left Livonia on August 5th and drove for two days to Brownwood, Texas where we stayed with our daughter Julie and her husband Josh and our first grandchild, Michaela. We had a fun time needless to say. We made quick trip to Lubbock to see my Aunt Dickie and her family. Then on August 13th we moved Matthew into the dorms at Abilene Christian University. He is now a student there and having a great time as of our last report. I think he will do well and he seems to be enjoying his classes so far. We got to see my cousin Tim Stephens as he entered his daughter, Kaila, in ACU. I hadn't seem Tim in years and years and Kaila since she was a baby.

On our trip home we went through Memphis and stayed with Evertt and Ilene Huffard. Our friendship is many years old and it is always a joy to be with them. We also got to seen Dr. Jack Lewis and Annie May while we were there. They had a profound influence on us while at Harding University Graduate School of Religion many years ago.

We made it back to Livonia on Friday the 19th but I had Sunday off as the Livonia Honduras mission team gave their report. We then left the following Wednesday for Portland, Oregon where I performed the wedding for my niece on Saturday the 27th. Diane and I were able to visit with my Mom, sister and brother as well as other relatives and friends. Dean and Karen Moyer hosted us and that was a lot of fun. Dean and I were in the same high school class and have stayed in contact over the years. Not only did they give us a place to stay but they loaned us a car to use while we were there. What a blessing that was!

We are home and broke but thankful for safety in all our travels and the chance to see so many people these past few weeks. God is good!

Simple Prayer: Luke 18:9-14

2005-07-21T13:20:00.000-07:00

We are going to spend some time over the next several weeks studying about prayer. It is a paradox to me that prayer in one sense is so simple that a child can pray quite effectively and yet we adults frequently struggle with prayer. It is easy to feel guilty about prayer. No one feels like they pray enough. Our prayers often can seem self centered asking, asking, and asking God for all types of things.

It is not my desire to add to the guilt. I would like us to pray more, to pray more fruitfully but not as some act of self-control and self-will. I hope our understanding of prayer will increase as well as making prayer something more natural than something that is forced.

I. The Simplicity of Prayer
What is prayer? There are all kinds of definitions but today we begin with a simple one-- a definition defined in this short parable in Luke 18:9-14. The parable is simple, a comparison of two men’s prayers. One prayer is lengthy and seems to be reminding God about the man’s dedication and faithfulness. The other man’s prayer is short, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”
Most of us have never met a Pharisee or a tax collector, for that matter. Maybe we should modernize the parable a bit. “Two people went into the airport chapel to pray. One person was on the last leg of a mission trip. The other person wore a biker jacket, had a huge gut and smelled of beer and cigarettes. The first person prayed, ‘God, praise your name for that awesome mission trip. We were able to do so much good in your name, help so many people. We worked hard and I am tired but at least I haven’t wasted my life like some people. God bless me on this trip home, Amen.’ The other person prayed, ‘God, I blew it again. Please have mercy on me.’ Guess what? This person went home right before God and not the first.” How does that parable make you feel? Are you a little offended?

The parable is directed toward religious people and that should make us sit up and pay attention, after all we are religious people. I don’t know about you but it is hard not to feel better than some people. I like watching those police video shows. Livonia even gets on there once in a while. As I watch some moronic episode I think, “people are so stupid.” The implication being I’m not. Of course my stupidity has never been caught on videotape and shown to millions of people.

A story of two prayers-- one is heard and the other doesn’t make it to the ceiling. As we think about prayer today we need to try and understand what we can learn about prayer from this parable.

The definition I see here is, “Prayer is a human heart crying out to God.” It is a simple definition for a simple prayer. All of us have prayed prayers like this. It may have been about some sin in our lives. It may have been about a crisis of health, relationship, or loss. This is the prayer of desperation, the end-of-your-rope prayer. Why would God listen to this prayer and not the other? It seems wrong doesn’t it? When was the last time the tax collector prayed to God? Days? Months? Years? The other man may have been a Pharisee but he prayed often. He was serious about his faith. What’s wrong with this picture?

II. Learning from Simple Prayer
The main point Jesus is making in the parable has to do with pride and humility. But there are other lessons we can observe from this parable. Prayer doesn’t have to be long or elaborate to be heard by God. Children can pray some profound prayers, as those of us who are parents know. Even though we know this, our prayers do seem to become more complicated as we grow older. God is looking for more than length and beautiful language.

Another thing we see is that anyone can pray. You don’t have to be a good person for God to hear your prayer. You don’t have to have a Bible degree. This is simple prayer, not difficult, not complicated, not even profound. There are other examples of simple prayer in scripture. Peter crying out, “Lord, save me!” (Mat 14:30) as he sinks into the sea. Another simple prayer is the thief who prays, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” (Lk 23:42)
To say that prayer is simple does not mean that it is easy. The simple prayer, the cry of the human heart comes in desperation and intense emotion. It may be the emotion of fear or despair or anger or awe. Whatever the emotion, it is that emotion that drives a person to cry out to God in a moment of intense crisis. I don’t like those intense emotions myself. Like most people I want to avoid the painful situations that drive me to simple prayer.

The thing about simple prayer is that it is honest. As I read this week, researchers have found at least three situations where we are not ourselves. The average person tends to put on airs when they are in the lobby of a fancy hotel. Another is when a person enters a showroom to buy a new car. And the third is on Sunday morning when try to get God to believe that we have been good all week. God is not looking for perfection when we pray; he is looking for honesty.
Jesus’ point in the parable is that there is humility in simple prayer. Simple prayer is a recognition that who I am, what I do, is totally inadequate in the face of my need. The barrier that pride represents in prayer is enormous. To truly pray a simple prayer we must abandon pride to come to God.

In Luke, this parable is followed by the story of children being brought to Jesus and the story of the rich young ruler. I don’t think this is accidental. The children and the ruler make requests of Jesus. The children are blessed and the ruler turns away in disappointment. Jesus wanted to bless the ruler but couldn’t. The children just held out their arms to Jesus to receive whatever he wanted to give them. It was a simple prayer.

Livonia Church of Christ: July 17,2005

Faith That Produces: Love

2005-07-14T14:40:00.000-07:00

2 Peter 1:5-9; Colossians 3:14

Introduction: Today we come to the end of Peter’s list of things to add to our faith. You might think this would be an easy lesson, love. The Bible is full of statements about love. It is one of the central themes of scripture. While it is good to study and know about love today we want to listen to what Peter is saying to us.

I. A Divine Word
The Greek language had three basic words that we would translate “love”. The word frequently used in pre-Christian literature was “Eros”. Our word erotic derives from Eros. As in our day and time the Greeks had a lot more interest in the Eros type of love than agape. Another word for love that we looked at last week could be described by our word for friendship or love in a family.

Judaism and Christianity chose another word that became frequently used in scripture for love, the word “agape”. The word “Eros” is not used in scripture and “philo” is used only a few times while the root word “agape” is used over 200 times. While “Eros” described sexual or what we would call romantic love, the word “agape” was used for a love that was more focused on another rather than satisfying one’s own desire or needs. Agape love is action oriented seeking the good of the one who is loved.

How do we define love? While the Greeks did have words with enough flexibility to describe different types of love the Christian community still had to fill the word with meanings that communicated what God’s love is.

Scripture puts it plainly; God is love, 1 Jn. 4:16. God is revealed as a God of love in the Old Testament where the word “hesed” or “loving kindness” is key to understanding God. God is faithful and loving in the face of his people’s sin and disobedience, Lam 3:22-24.
In the New Testament God’s love can only be understood in light of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. John defines God’s love as God giving his Son for the world, Jn 3:16. It is this act of giving and ultimate sacrifice for you and me that defines love in the Christian context. God shows us what love is, Rm 5:8; 1 Jn 4:9-10.

II. Adding Love
In this series we began with faith and end with love. When we love we participate in the divine nature. We are created in the image of God and we are truer to that image when we love more than any other time. The goal of goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, and brotherly love is godlike agape love. A failure to add agape love to our faith is to make these things empty as Paul showed, 1 Cor. 13:1-3.

Since this kind of love is action oriented then what actions arise out of agape love? First, agape love is giving but giving in a special sense. Most of us are giving people. We enjoy giving to people we love, our children, our family and friends. We talk about this characteristic of giving in relationship to God who is overwhelmingly generous to us. But that is not agape love.
Jesus puts it plainly in the Sermon on the Mount in Matt 5:43-47. God’s giving is not just toward us but toward all people, good, bad, or indifferent. “Love your enemies,” Jesus tells his followers because that is what God does. That love is shown in giving and blessing those who are against us. What? Love the people who bombed the London subways this past week? Our desire is to destroy them, hate them, and not love them. I don’t know what your feelings were as the story unfolded this week but my feelings weren’t love for the bombers. I hope we can begin to understand how far we are from what God desires us to be.

As a church we set a goal to grow to be more like Jesus. We view ourselves as a friendly church, a loving church. And we are, among ourselves. It becomes more difficult when we think about people different from us and even more difficult when we think about those who may not like Christians. The fact is, we need to be adding love to our faith because the measure of our faith is not how we are but how God is.

Another aspect of agape love related to giving is our word, for-giving. Again, the cross becomes the measure of what this means as Jesus prays, “Father, forgive them,” Lk 23:34. The call for us to forgive is as plain as scripture can make it--as we forgive so we are forgiven.
The forgiveness of God is something we proclaim and celebrate. There is nothing that lifts our hearts more than to know that forgiveness. People who come up from the waters of baptism find a burden lifted that often they were not even aware of. God forgives; God gives life; God loves us.

We know this but how often are we burdened with unforgiveness, not God toward us but us towards others? Christians carry around offenses and anger toward those who have wronged them. Sometimes these are serious sins and betrayals but sometimes the offenses are petty and forgiveness is denied. We cannot love those we hate and fear. We cannot have agape love towards those we do not forgive. We cannot love God without loving the people around us, people who oppose us, people who may hate us, or just people who rub us the wrong way.
When Peter calls on Christians to add agape love to their Christian walk he is not asking us to do an easy thing, he is asking us to partake in the divine nature, to grow and produce the fruit that God desires to see in his people.

All the things that Peter lists here, from faith to love, are necessary for us to live productive lives in God’s house. Yet the challenge to add agape love to our lives may be the greatest challenge of all.

Livonia Church of Christ: July 10, 2005

Faith That Produces: Brotherly Love

2005-07-05T08:00:00.000-07:00

2 Peter 1:5-9

Introduction: We have been looking at what we add to our faith in order to be effective in our spiritual walk. This week’s lesson and next week will be somewhat of a contrast. Both will deal with love and yet we often breeze over the word and concept of brotherly kindness or love to get to the more serious word for love, agape. Peter didn’t do that.
We live in a world that needs brotherly love, brotherly kindness.
I. A Neglected Concept
We live in a world where the concept of brotherly love or kindness is decreasing it seems. One example is a trend in architecture that separates family members. The children don’t fight as much because they can avoid each other. They don’t fight but they also don’t learn to be kind, to love in spite of the differences. As one person lamented, “People don’t even gather in the same spot to watch TV anymore.”
The decline in Christian brotherly love is seen also in the decline in civility towards people who differ with us. Opponents are shouted down, insulted, and called names. Only ugliness seems to be seen on the news, only the outrageous gets people’s attention and a hearing.
I wish I could say this was only outside the church community but in truth Christians do much the same. Instead of kindness we see the tactics of the world when Christians disagree and fight.
While we might want to rush on and talk about “agape” love I don’t think we can until we have some idea about brotherly love. The implication from Peter’s list is that brotherly love comes before the agape love that we will consider next week.
The word that Peter uses here is “philadelphia” which we know as the name of a city. It is made up of two Greek words, “phileo” which is love or affection, “adelphia” a word for brothers. “Phileo” is used less frequently in Scripture than “agape” even though it was a more common word in that day and time. It was often joined with other words. For example philosophy is to love wisdom. The word Peter uses here describes the love between family members.
II. A Human Word
Brotherly love is a very human concept, one that focuses on our relationships in the here and now. It is easy to forget how vital these relationships are. This is a word for community or family or church. The question is, “How do we add brotherly love to our faith?”
This doesn’t come naturally but it has to be purposefully worked at. I saw this in Kenya when we were at the Koma Rock church. We had about eight different tribes among our members and some were traditional enemies. It might be easy to settle for a false community in such cases much like the home I mentioned earlier. Everyone could go into their corner and avoid those that they don’t like or disagree with. It might be a type of peace but it isn’t brotherly love. Conflict doesn’t negate community and can even make a community stronger if brotherly love is present.
I don’t know your level of brotherly love. Some may feel like they are on the outside here. Others may feel I have my circle of friends and that is enough for me. We must add brotherly love, in increasing measure in order to remain productive in our faith. Complacency in this area is poison to our spiritual life.
Adding brotherly love begins with a decision, a decision to reach out, to build relationships with people. So many of us sit back and wait on others to take the initiative. Peter calls on Christians to add to their faith. That means action on our part, not passivity. It means taking an interest in others, learning about them, doing things they like to do in order to spend time with them.
We build brotherly love by listening to each other. James put it well when he wrote, James 1:19. Listening is a skill that often seems in short supply in our world of endless words. We need to listen to each other. Dietrich Bonhoeffer put it this way, “He who can no longer listen to his brother will soon no longer be listening to God, either.”[1]
One of the best ways to build brotherly love is working together. Our mission team is in Honduras for two weeks. They will come back closer to each other because of those two weeks. If you want to add brotherly love to your faith then join in some work or ministry that is going on. Vacation Bible school is coming up. People are still needed to do all kinds of things. Maybe working with children is not your thing but there are lots of other tasks that need doing and you will get to know the person you work with better.
We build brotherly love through our home groups. Those will be starting again the end of September. These groups study together, eat together, work together, and pray together. The result is they add brotherly love to their faith as well as other qualities that Peter has listed in this passage.
Lee Iacocca once asked legendary football coach Vince Lombardi what it took to make a winning team. The book records Lombardi's answer: "There are a lot of coaches with good ball clubs who know the fundamentals and have plenty of discipline but still don't win the game. Then you come to the third ingredient: if you're going to play together as a team, you've got to care for one another. You've got to love each other. Each player has to be thinking about the next guy and saying to himself: 'If I don't block that man, Paul is going to get his legs broken. I have to do my job well in order that he can do his.'
"The difference between mediocrity and greatness," Lombardi said that night, "is the feeling these guys have for each other."2]
Brotherly love isn't just an afterthought for Peter. It is vitally important to faith that is productive. If we add it, in increasing measure, as Peter commands we will grow and so will our church.

Livonia Church of Christ: July 3, 2005
[1] Leadership, vol. 16.4
[2] From Leadership vol. 15.3

Rusty and Laura Campbell

2005-06-28T09:08:00.000-07:00

We said goodbye to Laura and Rusty a bit over a week ago. They returned to Mississippi where they packed a trailer and started the long journey to Portland, OR last Saturday. In a few weeks they will be returning to Japan where they will work as vocational missionaries in Hitachi.

These past three years have been a wonderful blessing. They, along with our other daughter Julie and her husband Josh, have been living in Memphis, TN where the guys have been in school. This has allowed us to see them fairly frequently and to get to know both couples. Laura and Rusty served three years in Japan just after they were married. They have a love for that country and the people there. Their work as English teachers brings them into contact with many different people and allows them to build relationships for sharing the gospel. I am sure the Lord will use them in His kingdom building.

It also gives us an excuse for going back to Japan again. We had such an enjoyable time there and found Japan a fascinating culture. Diane and I continue to be excited to see what God will do through them. Please keep them in your prayers as they travel and make the transition to a new work.

World Christian Literature Outreach

2005-06-28T08:50:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday at the Livonia Church of Christ we had a guest speaker, Russ Lawson. Russ is a missionary coworker from Kenya. Back in the 1990's we were both supported and overseen by the Livonia church. Russ replaced me in Kisumu after we moved to Nairobi in 1989. While in Kisumu Russ, along with some others, started the World Christian Literature Outreach. It began as an attempt to help young Christians in new churches come to maturity in Christ. When Russ and Melody returned to the States about 1995 Russ, who is a printer, began producing materials here for churches in Kenya and other parts of East Africa. The work has grown and now World Bible School wants to partner with WCLO to distribute these materials around the world to young Christians. I found it very exciting and encouraging to here what the Lord is doing through Russ and this ministry. If you would like to learn more please visit their wedsite: http://www.wclo.net/.

Russ is now trying to raise funds so that they can expland this ministry. The Livonia church has been involved with this work from the beginning and will be taking more of an oversight role in the future. I want to highly recommend this work. God bless you Russ and may He expand your influence.

2005-06-24T15:49:00.000-07:00

Our son, Matthew, graduated from Plymouth Christian Academy on June 9th. He has been such a joy to have in our home these past 18 years. In a few weeks he will be leaving for Abilene Christian University. Diane and I are looking forward to what he will do with his life and how he will serve the Lord.

Matthew has shown great patience with me using him and family situations as sermon illustrations. I try not to over do it but he has taught me many things through the years. I hope I have passed a few things on to him also.

2005-06-22T09:23:00.000-07:00

This is Michaela Grace, born April 30, 2005 to Josh and Julie Marcum. Diane and I are so happy with our first grandchild. This picture was taken on Monday May 2 after I arrived from Michigan. Josh graduated with his M.Div. degree on May 7th so we were able to be there the entire week. God has blessed our family in so many ways through the years and Michaela is the latest blessing. Josh, Julie and Michaela will be moving to Bolivia in January 2006 and be involved in a church planting effort in that country. What a blessing to have children who love the Lord and desire to serve Him.
A proud Babu with his granddaughter.