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
Monday, June 19, 2006
Psalm 124: We Have Escaped
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
“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
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Psalm 123: The Eyes of a Servant
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Our Visit to Nikko, Japan
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.
Monday, March 27, 2006
Sermon March 26, 2006
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
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
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Sermon for March 19,2006
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.
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
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
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
Monday, March 20, 2006
More Pictures of Alex
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.
Sunday, March 05, 2006
Alex and Babu
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.
Friday, March 03, 2006
A New Grandson
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.
Monday, February 20, 2006
Sermon February 19,2006
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.
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.
Sunday, February 05, 2006
Sermon for February 5, 2006
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
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
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Sermon for January 29, 2006
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
Monday, January 30, 2006
Sermon January 22, 2006
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
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
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Sermon January 15, 2006
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
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
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
A Wonderful Holiday
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.
Monday, December 12, 2005
Christmas Newsletter 2005
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
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