Where is God? (Psalms 42 and 43)

Posted by Chris on June 20, 2004 under Sermons

Psalm 42 As the deer pants for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. I thirst for God, the living God. When can I come and stand before him? Day and night, I have only tears for food, while my enemies continually taunt me, saying, "Where is this God of yours?" My heart is breaking as I remember how it used to be: I walked among the crowds of worshipers, leading a great procession to the house of God, singing for joy and giving thanks- it was the sound of a great celebration! Why am I discouraged? Why so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again- my Savior and my God!

Psalm 43 O God, take up my cause! Defend me against these ungodly people. Rescue me from these unjust liars. For you are God, my only safe haven. Why have you tossed me aside? Why must I wander around in darkness, oppressed by my enemies? Send out your light and your truth; let them guide me. Let them lead me to your holy mountain, to the place where you live. There I will go to the altar of God, to God-the source of all my joy. I will praise you with my harp, O God, my God! Why am I discouraged? Why so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again- my Savior and my God

Do you remember a really special worship service? What we might call a mountain top worship? I do.

All of the mountain top experiences have something in common: I was sure I was in the presence of God.
Worship was good not because it was entertaining or emotional but because the spirit of the Lord – his grace, mercy, and mysterious majesty surrounded the assembly.

The psalmist remembers mountain top experiences – They were celebrations! He led groups of people to the worship singing songs of thanks! They were marching up the hill singing songs of joy. They were on their way to God’s house. Those were special times – but the psalmist is singing a different song today. Today his heart is broken because worship isn’t much of a celebration. He’s not on the mountain top and he doesn’t know where God is.

We always want mountain top experiences to last, but they don’t. Just as you can remember really special worship services, maybe you also know about times of worship that seem routine and stale. Maybe you even remember days you didn’t bother to worship because you just didn’t have it in you. Not that you were lazy or wanted to do something else – no, you just felt numb and cold inside. No matter how loud you sang or how catchy the songs – even if the preaching was better than usual – something was missing. You felt like a deer, panting for water and unable to find even a trickle of a stream to quench your thirst.

That’s the way the psalmist describes it. He is dry and parched. He longs to be near God but instead of the mountaintop – he’s in the desert. No songs of praise come from his parched lips. His swollen, red eyes see no sign of God’s face. He is only blinded by the sun. And there isn’t even an edifying voice of a fellow worshipper speaking a psalm, hymn, or spiritual song to spur him on to love and good works.

In the desert, he faces questions about God – "So, where is your God? Why do you think he abandoned you like this? Maybe it is something you did? Maybe there is some unresolved sin or pride in your life? What is God trying to teach you through all this suffering? How is it you have fallen out of favor with him? If you don’t feel close to God, then who moved?"

That last one is a good question. If you ask the Psalmist he might surprise you and say – well it seems to me that God did!

The psalmist feels abandoned and forgotten. Being forgotten is one of the worst feelings: rejection can hurt worse than punishment. Being forgotten means being alone – defenseless before enemies and the forces of nature. Being forgotten means losing stability and security – nowhere is safe, darkness surrounds.

Military remembrance – Never Forget – The only thing worse than dying is being forgotten in death, as if our sacrifice was meaningless, as if our life meant nothing – As if we had a throw-away life.
The hostages in Saudi Arabia and Iraq – The terror of being a hostage is additional to the threat of harm and death. It is in part the fear that you will be forgotten. Waiting for a rescue that never comes. Waiting for the tables to turn on your captors – and it never does. What if no one cares? What if your life isn’t much to bargain with? What if you have a throw-away life?

The psalmist wants to know why God has thrown him aside. He is lost in darkness, enemies have taken advantage of his misfortune. And he feels shame – an embarrassment for God. He has praised God like an adoring child praises a Father – confident in the Father’s goodness and boasting that the Father can do anything! "My dad is stronger than your dad!" And then in the moment he is needed most, the Father isn’t there. And the child is – abandoned. All the praise and boasting about the Father becomes embarrassing.

Whose Psalm is this? Who are the children of Korah? Maybe they are among us. Maybe our names, along with the names of Job, Jacob, David, and Jesus belong in that title line. Any of us who feel thirsty for God’s presence.
Those who hear people say "Where is Your God?" because something terrible has happened and they are put to shame by it. It calls into question their relationship with God. Those who find themselves in oppressive surroundings as family members or co-workers insult them for their faith. And those who feel stressed and disappointed because God hasn’t seemed to do much to help them out of a difficult situation.

This song is for the thirsty, parched souls who long for God – those who long to be immersed in his mercy and rescuing grace. The chorus of the song doesn’t appear in our contemporary song "As the Deer" – but maybe you will remember it from now on. It is a chorus that admits to the sadness and despair we feel. It starts off with a little self-talk …
Why am I discouraged? Why so sad?
(Despair is a vicious thing. It is a sort of auto-immune disorder of the soul. It attacks your soul then turns your soul against you for feeling sad.)

But the chorus caves in to hope. The thirsty soul in the desert decides to become a pilgrim. He calls for God to send the light from his mountain. To lead him out of the darkness. To bring him to the source of his joy. Like the deer he is going to sniff out the source of water. He will trace it back to the head waters and his hope is that he will be plunged into the deep!

I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again- my Savior and my God!

Being a pilgrim means accepting the wilderness, but settling for nothing on the journey except the deep waters of God. That’s why we need this song – to send us on our pilgrim journey. Too many people settle for poison in the wilderness. "Feeling better has become more important to us than finding God.”

In his autobiography, "When You Can’t Come Back," Dave Drevecky (pitcher for the San Francisco Giants lost his pitching arm to cancer – www.davedravecky.org) says that he "learned that the wilderness is part of the landscape of faith, and every bit as essential as the mountaintop. On the mountaintop we are overwhelmed by God’s presence. In the wilderness we are overwhelmed by his absence. Both places should bring us to our knees; the one, in utter awe; the other, in utter dependence."

Jesus once spoke to a thirsty woman in the wilderness of Samaria (John 4). She felt far from God and so it isn’t strange that she asked "Where is God?" She had heard from her family – the generations before her – that God is on his holy mountain – Mount Gerazim. But she’s heard from her enemies that God lives in a big house in Jerusalem. Where is God? She’s thirsty. Jesus isn’t surprised by the fact that she’s had five husbands and the man she is with now isn’t her husband. Like many of us who long for God, she’s turned to other people to satisfy what only God can. She is thirsty and so when Jesus speaks of living water – deep water – that not only satisfies thirst but taps a spring of gushing water in their soul – she wants it! Like a deer panting for water!

To those who are in the wilderness aching with thirst: You are invited to join the pilgrim journey. There is a beam of light we are heading for – it leads to God’s mountain. The source of his kindness and joy is there – deep waters to wash over us and soak us. On the journey we sing the song left to us by the sons of Korah …

Why are you so discouraged? Why are you so sad? Put your hope in God! You will praise him again – your Savior and your God!

The View from Worship (Psalm 73)

Posted by Chris on June 13, 2004 under Sermons

Orientation – The Way it is Supposed to be (principle)
v.1 – Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.

Now surely …

• If we do well in school, treat others as you would like to be treated, always tell the truth, be honest in your business dealings, respect authority, respect yourself and others with modesty and good manners, help those in need then we will be blessed – surely.
• Those who do these things will succeed in life, surely.
• Those who do these things will be blessed by God, surely.
• Isn’t this what we were taught?

Disorientation – The Way it really Seems to be (experience)
² But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. ³ For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

But I …
1. ¹² This is what the wicked are like- always carefree, they increase in wealth.
Why do good things happen to bad people? (vss. 4-11)

• Why are the crimes of the worst politicians ignored by justice?
• Why are athletes and celebrities who commit acts of violence more popular than the ones that play fair? Why do they continue to get the endorsements? Why do they get to play the game?
• Why is it that young girls – celebrities – get rich and popular – by acting crude and nasty and get applauded as role models and pioneers for women?
• Why do Enron traders get incredibly wealthy and seem to skate past justice by cheating customers in California? We have caught a few, but how many more are out there and how did they get to be so powerful?

Why do good things happen to bad people? Is God paying attention?

2. ¹³ Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence.
Why do bad things happen to good people? (vss. 14-15)
I have done my best to keep the rules and be honest and I have suffered. Maybe living by the principles we were taught is a waste of time.

My life isn’t carefree. In fact it is more difficult because I am trying to do the right thing. And additionally, there is the burden of worrying about what others think – especially our children. Some days the only thing that keeps us from doing the wrong thing is that we think about our children.
Maybe we should assert ourselves by any means necessary if our cause is just? Can that be right? This is just too difficult and it is hard to know what’s right.
Why do bad things happen to good people? Is God paying attention?

New Orientation – The Way it Will Be (Hope)
¹⁶ When tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me ¹⁷ till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny.

Now surely …
1. ¹⁸ Surely you place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin.

• The “wicked” have no foundation – They cannot escape death. When terror strikes, the carefree lifestyle and wealth of the rich is worthless.

Do you remember "the news" before 9/11? Here’s what Larry King Live was zeroing in on before 9/11 – Can John Edwards speak to the dead? Oprah Winfrey’s success, Gary Condit and the Chandra Levy scandal. After Tuesday, September 11 many of these side-show attractions seemed to disappear – why is that?

• Am I judging others? – we are the ones who ought to be judged because we give in to the spirit of the age that makes us envious of one another – the spirit of the age that turns success into an idol – we try and justify it, but we still give into it. We lose perspective and act like animals growling and clawing for our territory or a morsel of food. We get bitter and lose our sense of identity, our sense of community, our sense of spirituality – Our attitude needs to be as mature and confessional as Asaph and Chesterton …

  G. K. Chesterton, the famous philosopher/theologian, after seeing a series of articles on “What’s Wrong with the World?” Chesterton sent a short letter to the editor. “Dear Sir: Regarding your article ‘What’s Wrong with the World?’ I am. Yours truly, G. K. Chesterton.”

But I …
2. ²³ But I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. ²⁴ You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory.

We have something great even in distress. When we tune in to our internal desire for something that this world cannot offer we get a glimpse of the big picture.
Now where do we get such a perspective? What high ground gives us that kind of view?
¹⁶ When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me ¹⁷ till I entered the sanctuary of God …

Only in worship do we get a view of the big picture.
In worship – in the presence of God – we bring both our principles and our experience.
In worship there is a place for the lessons we’ve always been taught and the reality that never seems to match up to those lessons.

Tell Me a Story (Deuteronomy 6)

Posted by Chris on June 6, 2004 under Sermons

Three years ago when my family traveled to New York state we were prepared to see some of the well-known sights along the way. We were prepared to go to Hershey, Penn., Gettysburg, even the Cane Ridge Meeting House where Barton W. Stone preached. But these were not the sights I was most excited to see. Most of all I enjoyed touring my father’s hometown and having him point out to me the house where old man Pussyfoot lived. I wanted to see the porch where he would jump out stomping mad after the neighborhood kids had egged his window. I wanted to see the house of the lady next door who was so scared of ghosts and called him up exasperated one night because the gang of kids had put one of their friends in a sheet and stuck him in her window. I wanted to see the field where they had left Pussyfoot’s Nash Rambler after shifting it into neutral and rolling it down the hill with a nail stuck in the horn. And I wanted to see the old church building – yes, the old, old chapel. Not that it was a place of our family’s faith – no, I wanted to see the roof of the old church building where my grandfather and his friends had left the sheriff’s Model T after hoisting it up there one Halloween night.

These places had been real to me for over 20 years, but I only saw them with my own eyes three years ago. How is that possible? Because these places were real and living to me – I was connected to them through my father’s stories.

Stories invite us to participate in community – stories connect us over the generations.

• Stories are more than entertainment and trivia.
• Stories can communicate truth much more effectively and powerfully than "facts" because stories appeal to our experience of life.
• Facts engage our intellect, but stories involve our intellect, imagination, experience, and senses.

Think about it: Even a made up story can speak the truth. For over 25 years, Garrison Keillor has been telling the stories of Lake Wobegon, Minnesota. People listen and say, "I know these people." But how is that possible when Lake Wobegon is an invention of Keillor’s imagination? Perhaps it is because Keillor’s stories contain universal truths of human experience?

Some of us had the privilege and benefit yesterday of attending the Marriage Seminar at the Convention Center. We were there to learn about marriage and how to communicate effectively and even thought the speakers presented a few principle statements, the bulk of the presentation was stories. Now why did they do that? Why spend all that time telling stories about their own families and their own experiences and mistakes? (Well, perhaps they do that so you will come away saying, "Well at least we’re not that bad off!") Perhaps it is because their story connects with our experience and that invites us to imagine ourselves in similar situations. Through connection, we learn and grow.

From the lesser to the greater:
If married couples can be connected to core principles by listening to the stories of a marriage counselor …
If people across our nation can feel connected to something universal by listening to the stories of Garrison Keillor …
If I can feel connected, rooted, and inspired to my family by the simple stories of my father’s hometown and his misadventures …

Then shouldn’t we be all the more connected, inspired, and formed by the stories of God and his mighty acts?

• This is the message of Deuteronomy 6: Our community of faith, our identity, is formed by the story of what God has done. We are connected to the people of God through this story and most importantly we are connected to God.
• When I refer to Scripture as story, I do not mean to suggest that it is unreal or untrue. Quite the opposite.
• When Moses instructs the Israelites to tell their children the story of what God did to save them, he is suggesting that this story is the basis for what the people do, what they believe, and what they shall do.
• The story of what God has done is rich and thick. It cannot be reduced to a simple motto or slogan. Mottos and slogan cannot give us a sense of rootedness and belonging.
• The story of God’s acts is not something that comes to us as antiseptic sterile facts. You cannot scroll them across the bottom of a news channel broadcast. They cannot be reduced to four spiritual laws or five simple steps. No, says Moses, they must be proclaimed in word and deed. You have to write them into your life. This story has to be part of your family life – it is part of everything you do. (When you are getting up and traveling) It is written into the way you order your home life. (Inscribed on the walls and doorposts.)

We must be vivid and capable "storytellers" who live by the script God writes. Only by entering into the story of God’s mighty acts (for Israel it was the Exodus, for us it is the cross) will we live in such a way that the next generation will ask the really important questions.

Have you ever been around a real storyteller? My great-grandfather was known for that.
He could tell stories in ways that would command attention. Everyone would get quiet when he would sit there with his Styrofoam spittoon and say ”this is like the day up near Huntsville when the sawmill blade got loose" -and you were hooked! You listened and weren’t distracted when he told you how the blade sawed right a house at dinner time and cut the steaks in half. These were living tales – but more than that they made connections and they created community.

Stories command our attention and connect us …
The failure of our news/reality show age is that it has nothing to do with what happened yesterday and has very little to say about what’s possible tomorrow. And such disconnected blurbs of "info-tainment" cannot connect us to one another and certainly don’t do much to connect us to the God who is the same yesterday, today and forever …

The stories of God we tell our children are "connected" stories and they answer the WHY questions. What do we mean by "connected" stories – the are connected to our life (the way we live), the things we do, they are connected to church, family and world (throughout time – past and future), and most of all they are connected to God.

1. Why do we eat crackers and grape juice?
2. Why don’t we go to the lake every Sunday?
3. Why are those people going far away and leaving their home here?
4. Why ado we sing and smile when those people come from behind the pulpit dripping wet?

An explanation might placate a child’s curiosity, but a story invites them into the tradition and practice of real faith. It invites them into a future, a life, in which our God is their God too and they will know him as we know him.

Our children want us to Tell them a story Can we tell them a story of God and what God has done Or are we going to give them a doctrinal proposition about God?

Dedicating our Children to God demands that we be dedicated also. Are the stories, commands, statutes, teachings of God written on our hearts? Do we wear them on our sleeves? Are the so written so clearly on our heads and hands that everything we think and do is guided naturally by God’s ways? Do the stories written into our homes tell about our faith? What about the stories written into these walls here at West-Ark? Is there enough there to invite a child to ask us "What’s this all about?"

And will we be able to answer:

"We were slaves to sin and God powerfully intervened and got us out of sin. We watched and listened as God did miracles and wonders through his Son Jesus Christ. We were amazed that he suffered on the cross. We were grieved when he was laid in the tomb. We were stunned when he rose from the dead. And now that he rules over heaven and earth, he pulled us out of the dominion of sin so he could bring us into his rule. That’s why God instructs us to keep his feast and share his good news and to sing with gladness and to share our blessings. He gives us everything good in life and it just makes sense that we should do what he says"

In the Name of Christ

Posted by Chris on May 30, 2004 under Sermons

IN THE NAME OF CHRIST

Read Acts 4:1-22
What is it that makes the Sanhedrin so nervous that they are asking "By what authority did you do this?"

1. Was it Peter and John, the two fishermen from the hill country up north? Surely the well-placed, privileged blue-bloods of the Sanhedrin wouldn’t be intimidated by these yokels who still stink of salt air and fish. Annas, Caiaphas, and the inner circle of have the air of education about them. The grooming of the finest schools, the robes and laurels of hard-earned study and scholarship. Peter and John don’t even have a change of clothes. Annas, Caiaphas and the religious blue-bloods speak proper Aramaic with a distinguished tone of confidence. Surely they are not threatened by the burly tongued talk of these rubes with the thick Galilean twang.
   • Maybe it wasn’t Peter and John themselves, but they did notice that these men had been with Jesus.
2. And like Jesus, Peter and John are at the center of unauthorized teaching and healing activity. Peter and John didn’t study with the Sanhedrin to earn their Biblical degree. They never filled out a doctrinal questionnaire. They didn’t even offer the courtesy of a meeting with the local religious leaders before beginning their ministry. The only credentials they have to offer evident would be the well-known temple paraplegic who has never walked in all his 40 years – and now he’s not only walking – he’s bouncing up and down the marble steps of Solomon’s Porch! And what makes this so unnerving for the "keepers of the authorized truth" in Jerusalem is all this troublesome talk about Jesus being involved in this undeniable healing – yes, the same Jesus they had executed as a heretic and blasphemer.
   • And like everyone else, the Sanhedrin noted that these men had been with Jesus.

12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name given under heaven by which we must be saved."

In whose name?

1. In whose name do we find salvation? In whose name do we offer salvation, healing, mercy, service and aid? Do we act and speak in the name of Jesus as plainly as Peter and John did? Do we speak the name of Jesus as if he is still able to speak and act for himself? Do we act on it with the diligence and responsibility of agents who pronounce the name of their superior officer? Do we cite the name of Jesus like students and disciples who mention the name of their teacher? Or do we get distracted by the reputation and influence of our name?

   • When the fire broke out next door to our church building in Lake Jackson on Acacia street we knew we had to do something to show we cared. So we raised funds. And since these folks were next door, and since these folks were our next door neighbors we felt some urgency to be the first church to act – for their sake of course and because we wanted people to know we genuinely cared – and we did! There’s fewer churches more benevolent and compassionate than Lake Jackson Church of Christ.
   • Later in that day, my Presbyterian colleague from down the road on “church row,” Alan, came by to ask what we were doing to help the victims of the fire. He asked if we might combine our efforts. Well, we’d already put our plans in effect, and I admit I was concerned that Alan might suggest we pool our efforts and in my mind that would just complicate things. I had it clearly figured out that I would take the check of our collected funds and present the family a gift on behalf of the good folks of the Lake Jackson Church of Christ.
   • Alan clarified wasn’t concerned with how the gifts were collected or given, he simply said "Whatever we give we must give it in the name of Christ." I had never thought about that ever! Alan was only concerned about acting in the name of the Risen Lord. His vision was larger than mine. (I shared this insight with the elders of LJCC and they wondered why I would proceed any other way).
   • That experience taught me about true authority and the source of real power. It’s not the amount of the check, but the name attached to it – and I don’t mean the account holder but the name of the one in whom a gift is given!

Enable Your Servants to Speak your Word with Great Boldness

1. Peter and John aren’t on trial because they dropped money in the crippled beggar’s plate. They aren’t even on trial because they healed – they are on trial because they claimed that the power on display is from Jesus. They named names – and the name behind the power is Jesus. And that threatened the leaders because it meant the leaders were wrong about Jesus – and that invalidates their teaching and authority.
2. Peter and John weren’t trying to discredit Annas, Caiaphas, Alexander and the other elites. They were just telling the story the way they remembered it. They were just telling the truth. Jesus is doing great things and Peter and John are there to talk about it – to name it!
3. The name we sign to our efforts makes all the difference …
   • When Alan charged me to give in the name of Christ it opened up new possibilities: I was no longer just the official representative or errand boy of a "good deeds institution." Suddenly I had become a spokesman for the Kingdom of Jesus.
   • The gift in my hand was more than the limit of LJCC’s generosity and capacity to give. It was a gift invested with spiritual authority of Jesus and therefore the possibilities remained endless for the name of the living Christ now backed that check (not just LJCC or FNB)

12 "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name given under heaven by which we must be saved."
19 But Peter and John replied, "Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! 20 As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard."

By Whose Authority do we speak and Act?

• Consider that question very concretely with all our ministries and even our management efforts: By whose authority do we distribute clothes on Community Outreach Day? By whose authority do we give out food under the bridge or in the office? By whose authority does CURE store up resources to be utilized compassionately? By whose authority do sing and worship at the Way? By whose authority do we teach our children at VBS? By whose authority do send missionaries to other nations? By whose authority do we seek out and hire a minister to lead our mission to the campus of UAFS? By whose authority do we administer a budget? By whose authority do we spend funds and cut checks for everything from curriculum, communion bread, and computer disks? By whose authority do we speak prayers for the healing and comfort of others? By whose authority do we baptize men and women who call on the name of Jesus of Christ?
• If the answer to any of these is the West-Ark Church of Christ – then we are at best limited to our own ability and understanding.
• If the answer to any of these is the elders of the church – then we are at best limited to what six honorable and prayerful men can do.
• If the answer to any of these is the ministers of the church – then we are at best limited to what seven learned and responsible men can do.
• If the answer to any of these is the name of any of the faithful servants who lead and serve our various ministries then we are limited at best by the extent of their abilities and passions.
• But if the answer is "by the authority of Jesus Christ" then we are limited to the saving power and authority of the one who conquered death and who reigns at the right hand of God Almighty!

This is why we acknowledge that our Guyana Medical Mission Team goes in Christ’s name just as we are all under the authority of Christ … Blessing the Guyana Team [… elder prays]

Read Acts 4:23-31 – Praying for Courage to Trust in Jesus

Who do we listen to? Whoever gets the last word with us is the source of our authority and the limit of our power
Who do we listen to? Whoever gets the last word with us is the one whose judgment we fear

• Peter has been with Jesus and he recognizes an authority greater than the Sanhedrin and a power greater than his fear.
• Peter and the church pray for boldness and Pentecost happens again! The spirit is poured out and shakes the church.

Can we as a church pray for such courage and boldness? How can we not?
Isn’t the alternative to pray for calmness rather than courage and to pray for timidity rather than temerity?

Serving Christ’s World

Posted by Chris on May 16, 2004 under Sermons

SERVING CHRIST’S WORLD

Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church–about three thousand in all. ⁴²They joined with the other believers and devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, sharing in the Lord’s Supper and in prayer. ⁴³A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. ⁴⁴And all the believers met together constantly and shared everything they had. ⁴⁵They sold their possessions and shared the proceeds with those in need. ⁴⁶They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity– ⁴⁷all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their group those who were being saved. (Acts 2:41-47)

What a fellowship …
Leaving the cozy, blessed confines of the fellowship of believers must have been intimidating. With over 3000, the people of God – the community of Christ – had a virtual city. Peter and John can remember how they began as 120 huddled together in prayer and waiting. And now the spirit has been poured out – their dreams and visions are made reality. This group of thousands is devoted to the highest of standards (the apostles teaching), they fellowship and observe the Lord’s Supper, they come together in prayer and worship because they recognize Jesus in their midst. And their relationships to one another and to possessions has changed – no one is lacking for anything he or she needs because this community shares. They are living out the spirit of Jesus.

Then something happened on the way to church …
¹Peter and John went to the Temple one afternoon to take part in the three o’clock prayer service. ²As they approached the Temple, a man lame from birth was being carried in. Each day he was put beside the Temple gate, the one called the Beautiful Gate, so he could beg from the people going into the Temple. ³When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for some money. (Acts 3:1-3)

But this new community of faith lives on the edge of the world somewhere between here and the heavenly kingdom to come. As Peter and John are off to worship, they encounter the brokenness and misfortune in the world when they meet a man crippled from birth at the gate of the temple. He is completely dependent on others – not only for money but also for transportation. He has no wheelchair and there are no access ramps to the Temple. The man is carried to the main entrance so he can seek help from the pious folk on their way to worship. As people head to worship are they filled with compassion or are they annoyed by this intrusion into their spiritual experience? In Peter and John’s world this man is not simply disabled – he would be considered misfortunate. His disease is not merely a physical ailment, but the result of divine judgment (keep in mind this is their view of their world and Jesus teaches us otherwise in the case of the man blind since birth) – but just consider what that means for this man crippled from birth: he is not only disabled, he is something of an outcast. No one in his world – including himself – would see him as "challenged" or "handicapped" in his world he would be consider "poor" which was not just an economic condition – but a condition of fortune and fate. So even the pious who plink coins in the man’s plate may be silently praying as they pass by "Thank you God that I am not like this poor misfortunate."

From Jerusalem to Winslow …
The church building where I worshipped as a young man in Winslow sits on Highway 71. Before I-540 opened it was common to come to church and find the misfortunates of our day and age waiting for us as we made our way to worship. They were hardly crippled, but we sometimes did wonder what misfortune and what bad decisions had led to their current state. We would sometimes invite them to worship but they would often decline. They just needed gas money or a little bit for food. And even though we were always glad to help, we often wondered if we had done anything worthwhile at all. Even if we doubted their story (which was not always the case) we acted out of Christian responsibility, but we wondered if we had really done anything at all to help. With a quick prayer on our lips for the misfortunate and with thanks for our own blessings, we quickly ducked through the glass doors of the church house to get a taste of the kingdom to come.

Don’t we often feel ill-equipped to deal with the level of pain and suffering in this world? I admit I am overwhelmed by the depth of human sinfulness and sorrow in this world. I feel weak and inadequate. I can barely manage my own sinfulness and I am struggling with my own brokenness and the consequences of my sins. How am I to take on the burden of others?

Needy people can be quite insistent and they seem to have hard time helping you to help them. Out of self-protection from the depth of human suffering, it stands to reason that we try to build a fence – a barrier or buffer – between the church we worship in and the world we live in. We try to keep ourselves in here and we try to keep the pain and trouble out there.

Back at Winslow when we would call an impromptu "men’s business meeting" to discuss the request of a misfortunate traveler asking for a "loan that he would pay back when he started his new job," we were torn between helping the needy and "being good stewards of the Lord’s money." (That’s where I recall first hearing that statement.)
It was an awesome responsibility to find yourself a steward of God’s money. Our men’s business meetings were quite Rabbinical because we would debate both sides of the issue – "What if these folks are angels sent to test our generosity?" "We can’t throw our pearls before swine – if we give them cash they’ll spend it on booze and cigarettes." It was difficult, because we knew that there was no end to human need and if we cashed out all the "Lord’s money" and handed out $20 bills to every needy person it still wouldn’t be enough. Our little conferences were prayerful moments of discernment, but they were also a plank in our fence set up to manage the boundary between the church we worshipped in and the world we lived in …

Without the fence, the burden of need would overwhelm us. In Winslow, we knew we just weren’t able to serve at that level. And don’t we feel that here? Although West-Ark is ten times as large as the Winslow congregation of my youth, do you really think we can serve all of Fort Smith, much less Western Arkansas with the depth of brokenness and suffering out there? And this says nothing of the world at large! It seems impossible and overwhelming. None of us – not even all of us together – are adequate to the need!

But hold on. Our diagnosis of our weakness and inadequacy may be correct. (Even Peter and John admit that their pockets are empty), but maybe we need a different perspective on what it means to be the church of Christ. The question "How are we supposed to carry the burden" isn’t the best question to ask. It focuses on our limited resources and abilities. It concentrates on the "Lord’s money" but overlooks the Lord:

Thomas Aquinas once visited Pope Innocent II and the Pope showed Thomas the abundance of funds in the church treasury, the works of art, the extravagant decorations and ornaments in the chapel.
“You see, Thomas,” said the Pope, “the church can no longer say, ?Silver and gold have I none.’ “
“True,” Thomas replied, “but neither can she now say, ?Rise and walk.’ “

Haven’t we traded in the presence of Christ and the power of the Spirit for "silver and gold?" If we let silver and gold represent our own ability to solve problems and our own resources and our stewardship of the Lord’s gifts then I think you’ll see what I mean.

Why don’t we defer the need to Jesus? Why don’t we concede to his authority and power? Maybe because we ignore his presence?

We ought to thank God for our weakness and inadequacy to serve a world he loves. For if we are confronted with our weakness, then we might actually GIVE the world what it REALLY needs.

Peter and John, steward’s of the Lord’s might …

⁴Peter and John looked at him intently, and Peter said, “Look at us!” ⁵The lame man looked at them eagerly, expecting a gift. ⁶But Peter said, “I don’t have any money for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!” ⁷Then Peter took the lame man by the right hand and helped him up. And as he did, the man’s feet and anklebones were healed and strengthened. ⁸He jumped up, stood on his feet, and began to walk! Then, walking, leaping, and praising God, he went into the Temple with them. ⁹All the people saw him walking and heard him praising God. ¹⁰When they realized he was the lame beggar they had seen so often at the Beautiful Gate, they were absolutely astounded! ¹¹They all rushed out to Solomon’s Colonnade, where he was holding tightly to Peter and John. Everyone stood there in awe of the wonderful thing that had happened. (Acts 3:4-11)

• Notice that Peter and John freely admit their limitations and weakness – We don’t have any silver and gold.
• Notice that Peter and John don’t have any discussion about being stewards of the Lord’s money … in fact they realize that they are stewards of something much greater. Peter and John do not hoard the spirit of Jesus rather they give it away. (The spirit of Jesus – that power – is not a commodity that we can hoard or keep to ourselves.)

They freely take the name of Jesus with them from the church they worship in to the world they live in …

The name of Jesus has healed this man–and you know how lame he was before. Faith in Jesus’ name has caused this healing before your very eyes. (Acts 3:16)

• Because this is who they are not just what they do. What they do flows from who they are. They are servants to the world in the name of Jesus – not their own name.
• Peter’s speech – Why are you surprised? We didn’t do this – the living Jesus did!
• You will notice that there are great similarities between the miracle which we find in our text and the miracles performed by Jesus (Matthew 21) and by Paul (Acts 14). That is because, as I understand it, the Lord Jesus was at work in each case, fulfilling the Messianic promise of healing(s) of the lame, as found in Isaiah 35. Thus, when John the Baptist wavered in his faith as to whether or not Jesus was the Messiah, He pointed to the healing of the lame (for one thing) as evidence to the fact that He was the Messiah (Matthew 11). – Robert Deffinbaugh at the Biblical Studies Foundation. See http://www.bible.org/docs/nt/books/act/deffin/acts-07.htm
• Healing this man is not charity. It is not good works. They are witnesses to the presence and power of Jesus.

They freely take the name of Jesus with them from the church they worship in to the world they live in …

• Because Jesus is not confined to the kingdom and absent in the world. God made the risen Christ Lord over all creation – over the church, the kingdom and the world. Now the world may not always act as if it is under Christ’s rule – but you’d better believe it is! There is no domain or territory outside the reach of his rule.
• So Peter and John aren’t concerned about confining the presence of Christ and the power of the Spirit to the church they worship in and keeping it out of the world they live in. Because they know that Christ is alive and he goes where he wills.
• That’s the gospel message Peter preaches to the wonderstruck crowd. And the power of the gospel brings healing and restoration.

Serving Christ’s World: What is our experience of the gospel?

Because he is present among us and active among us then . . .

• … we don’t have to worry about not having enough silver and gold, or enough bread, or the right kind of credentials – our inadequacies are not the end of service …
• … we don’t have to maintain a fence between the church and the world. It is not our calling to keep the realms separate but to let the kingdom of God pour into this world like a flood.

And when we try to separate the brokenness of the world from the presence of Christ we not only do a disservice to others, but also to ourselves:

• How often do we speak of "leaving our cares and burdens outside so that we can focus on Jesus?" You can try to leave them out there, but when we go back outside those cares and burdens jump on us like hungry ticks in a field of high grass!
  • Some of us are struggling with burdens we will never share here because we are conditioned to think that it doesn’t belong here – Jesus never said you had to that.
  • Some of us dread the burdens (maybe those of others) that we leave out there. I imagine that many of you dread tomorrow because you have to face problems, pressures, and pain that you try to lay aside for just a while when you gather here – Jesus says "Take me with you."
• Why would we think that the risen Lord who heals a man crippled from birth and who restores the fortunes of the needy and who gives his spirit freely to those who call on his name. Why do we think he is honored by keeping our burdens hidden from his presence? Why do we think we have to keep the needy people from taking up his precious time?

The good news is not just physical healing. It is that the presence of Jesus among us (in his name) allows for new possibilities that are unknown to the world. The community of the resurrected Messiah lives in the presence of the one who conquered death. So, sickness and disease, pain and suffering will not get the final word either. The good news is about the restoration of truthful, human community – we can serve one another as Jesus did. He is described as a servant – and so are we.

When we serve a broken world full of pain and suffering in the name of Jesus we are doing more than just good works. We serve the world that Christ created and the world he loves. We serve the world for which he died. So our service is a sharing of the presence and power of the risen Christ. It is IN HIS NAME. And salvation and restoration follows.

May God give us his spirit and may we never hoard it or manage it, but give it away freely – like Peter and John.

Proclaiming Christ’s Reign

Posted by Chris on May 2, 2004 under Sermons

PROCLAIMING CHRIST’S REIGN

Intro to Acts 2

• The church is waiting and praying. Now the gift of empowerment that Jesuspromised is delivered. It is noticed by the crowd
• The spirit enables them to speak out boldly and proclaim
• But even more – The crowd is enabled to hear in their own languages. It is not thatthe apostles preach it in various languages. People from every nation. Each onehears in own dialect
• In their own language they hear the Greatness of God. They were amazed. Speaking to each other about this: What does this mean? Some critics say -They’re drunk!

Acts 2:14 – 36 (Peter’s Sermon – Let’s give attention to this first proclamationof the church)

God gives the church its voice and message through Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Weare heralds of the kingdom rule of God emerging into the world. Peter’s sermon canshow us the basics of our continuing message and proclamation …

Borrowing statements from the letters of Paul and Peter, let us consider how wecontinue to proclaim Christ’s kingdom in the same way Peter did on Pentecost …

1. We Believe Therefore We Speak
   But just as we have the same spirit of faith that is in accordance withscripture–“I believed, and so I spoke”–we also believe, and so we speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also withJesus, and will bring us with you into his presence. – 2 Corinthians 4:13-14
   • When the apostles spoke, they spoke as witnesses. They were doing more thansimply articulating their personal convictions. They were doing more thanproposing a philosophy or theory. They spoke out of their experience of God’samazing deeds.
     • In 2 Peter 1:16, Peter grounds his message in the fact that he and the otherapostles were eyewitnesses of Christ’s majesty and that conforms to themessage of the prophets.
     • In I John, John says that he and the other apostles declare “what was fromthe beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, whatwe have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life.
     • Paul’s ministry and message are rooted in his experience on the road toDamascus where he encountered the Risen Christ.
     • These may be slightly different personal experiences, but they have onething in common – Christ, the crucified one, is risen from the dead andexalted as Lord. That reality is transforming. It’s implications are striking.
   • Usually when we experience something we try and fit that experience into one ofwell-known categories. But the experience of Jesus, the risen Lord, rearranges ourcategories. (Consider how radically Paul’s life is changed).
   • Consider what this means for us: Our proclamation of the gospel is more than justa debate with others about our personal beliefs versus theirs. (Remember thatPeter doesn’t spend much time refuting the critics who claim he is drunk). Ratherour proclamation is of something new.
     • The definition of news – We report, you decide. We can speak of the newsof God. We witness his actions, we report his work.
   • Is this objective or subjective? It is both. Certainly God has made Christ Lord -regardless of how you or I respond to that. This is objective. (Note: that Peter doesnot invite the crowd to make Jesus Lord of their Life but he affirms that God hasmade Christ Lord regardless of their response or invitation). Nevertheless, thereis a place for us to speak of our subjective experience of Christ’s lordship. How hasit changed me? How do I see the world differently? The apostles do this. This hasits place because we experience this news about God as something wonderfullygood!

2. We declare the praises of him who called us out of darkness into hismarvelous light.

   But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people,in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out ofdarkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you areGod’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.- 1 Peter 2:9-10

   • When the apostles claim that salvation is found in no other name than Jesus, theyare not being crude and intolerant. Their primary agenda is not to condemn otherviews. Rather, they first proclaim what is unique and exceptional about the gospel. They are speaking from experience of the mercy and goodness of what God hasdone. (Recall that Peter betrayed Christ and was restored. Recall that Paul wasa persecutor yet he was spared and received by others with forgiveness). Theysimply state that God has done something unique to overcome the powers of sinand evil. So, this is the only real hope. There just isn’t an alternative.
   • When Oprah Winfrey (among others) says that there are many paths to God, itassumes that God is out there waiting to be found by us. And even if we disagreewith many paths we sometimes operate under the assumption that God needs tobe found by us. But the reason why the apostolic news is so good is that God is nothiding while we seek him – he has arrived and revealed his grace in Jesus Christ. That’s why the Hebrew writer says these are such incredible days because Longago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but inthese last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things,through whom he also created the worlds. He is the reflection of God’s glory and theexact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word.When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of theMajesty on high … – Hebrews 1:1-4

   • Consider what this means for us: When we proclaim the uniqueness of God’skingdom rule it is not from arrogance (as though we found the path to God) but fromhumility – God has found all of us. Paul seems to express this humility when hesays to the Galatians (4:8-9) Formerly, when you did not know God, you wereenslaved to beings that by nature are not gods. Now, however, that you havecome to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back againto the weak and beggarly elemental spirits?
   • Our proclamation is not arrogant – it cannot be – for it isn’t about us, rather it isabout God. Although the news we proclaim is about the great things that areexclusive to God and that goodness is exceptional with God, we never have theright to claim this is exclusive among us! For God extends his grace to all who hearand respond in trust. The story of the book of Acts describes how Israel discoversthat God’s mercy and love includes the Gentiles. God has empowered us to sendout the invitation, but he hasn’t authorized us to make the guest list!

3. Speaking the Truth in Love

   But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is thehead, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by everyligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes thebody’s growth in building itself up in love. – Ephesians 4:15-16

   • Words have creative power. God spoke the world into being with words. Adam hadauthority to name creatures. Apostles are empowered to speak and the result ofthat empowerment is not just an argument to consider or a sermon to compliment,it is a new reality – this is Kingdom breaking in.
   • The result of Peter’s Spirit-Powered Sermon is new creation. Not only are languagebarriers overcome (reversal of Babel) but also social and political ones Lukedescribes the church as a new community quite different from anything we know -Acts 2:41-47
   • A witness to the power of words is marriage: “By the authority invested in me Ipronounce you man and wife” – that’s more than just flowery speech. That iswitness and proclamation of a new reality: two are now one! This is why discussionabout the meaning and definition of marriage are not primarily political issues theyare first Kingdom of God issues. May the law of the land conform to God’sproclamation (so I pray) but if not we still know who has the only final authority tocreate with words and speech.

This calls on us to do more that just speak out against what is not (wrong) it callson us to proclaim what is true and good. If we cannot do that, then we must remainsilent for we will not be proclaiming Christ’s Kingdom – no, we will just be griping. Unfortunately, there’s been too much griping passed off as “biblical preaching.” What’s the difference?

When Peter called the crowd to realize that they had crucified God’s Messiah itwould have been griping if his only goal was to make them feel bad or to prove howterrible they were. (And wouldn’t that have been hypocritical on Peter’s part – afterall where was he when Jesus was on trial?) Griping offers no hope. But to thepeople who were suddenly feeling hopeless and lost because they had crucifiedtheir rescuer and promised King Peter speaks for God when he says – “Repent, andbe baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may beforgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you,for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our Godcalls to him.” (Acts 2:38)

Being Christ’s Witnesses

Posted by Chris on April 25, 2004 under Sermons

BEING CHRIST’S WITNESSES

Intro: After Jesus’ resurrection, he spends forty days ofinstruction and fellowship with his disciples.Because he lives, he is able to form a truthful community of people whoare forever changed by being in the presence of the living Lord.
Read Acts 1:1-11

Q & A with Jesus
Luke summarizes what must have been a fascinating forty days by reporting one brief dialogue betweenJesus and the apostles just before his ascension.

1. The disciples have a question: Is it now that you’re goingto restore the Kingdom of God?
2. Jesus’ answer establishes the relationship that this new community has with the Creator Godand the living Lord, he gives them instructions about what they must do – butit is rooted in who they are because of their encounter with the Lord: Godwill restore his kingdom according to his plan. As for you …

Let us confirm and confess that God is incharge. He rules. His rule is over all the earth and in thechurch we live by that rule – that’s why the church is a visible representationof God’s kingdom – because he rules. Heestablished the kingdom in Christ through the cross and the resurrection.
If we can trust the kingdom establishment andrestoration to God, then let’s consider what it means to live as his communitygathered beneath the cross worshiping the crucified savior who is also therisen, living King. What does it meanfor us to BE his witnesses? We will explore this bytaking a look at three pairs of words …

Knowing and Being

1. Restoration is about people.
   • The restoration of kingdom is not establishment of an institution or political territory – it isabout the restoration of obedient people.The term kingdom when used of God’s kingdom does not refer to politicalterritory. His realm is the whole universe. Kingdoms are made up of people ruled by aLord – otherwise you just have land.
   • So, the term kingdom may also refer to “rule” or “reign” – If God is to restore his kingdom then it means more than people knowing about the boundaries and laws and it means more than knowing who is in and who is out. It calls for change – a change to our very being. The kind of change that happens when we encounter the good news about the kingdom.
2. “Being in the know” is not the goal.
   • We are not the keepers of truth and gospel. We are witnesses to the truth.This makes quite a difference, for truth and gospel are not commodities that we can hoard or market. God is nota secret waiting to be revealed. God reveals himself.
   • The DaVinci Code -A secret society keeps a secret about Jesus, and only those in the know andthose who can find the clues and secrets can be in on the truth – and accordingto the book, the church is aware of itand they keep it secret and promote a lie that suits their purposes.
   • We are not a group that initiated people into our “club” if they know allthe secret wisdom. We publiclydemonstrate a different kind of living that is based on the presence andexistence of the Risen Christ.   (See David Chadwell’s bulletin article below about what it means to BE Christ’s witnesses and the community beneath the cross.)  We are not the guardians of the truthfor the truth speaks for itself, we are witnesses to it and we stand convictedand changed by it.
3. Being who we know is the Kingdom way …
   • We are witnesses to the living Christ because we have “beheld him” andexperienced his presence – I mean this collectively – as a church, a peoplesurrounded by a cloud of witnesses trailing back to the first “eye-witnesses.”
   • Rather than being in the know we are called to BE who we know – JesusChrist.

Church and Witness

1. A witness is a witness because of something that has happened.
   • One cannot train to be a witness.It is not a role or a title. One is a witness because he/she has seen, heard, experienced something. Something has happened to the person or around the person and he/she experienced it.
   • It may have changed you – but you didn’t necessarily have anything to dowith it. [9/11- changed many who witnessed it]
2. The apostles witnessed the risen Lord.
   • And that is why they are “church.”
   • Recall that Christ appears to over 500 after his resurrection (1 Corinthians 15)
3. Good leaders stay true to this (Acts 1:22)
   • Eleven Witnesses wasn’t enough, why? Because this is a witnessing community – not just individuals.Many share in this common experience of the gospel event.
   • The criteria for leadership among the apostles is a witness to the risen Lord (Acts 1:12-15) -even Paul witnesses the risen Christ and it changes him (Acts 9).
   • We just “are” witnesses because we have believed in something revealed – something we witnessed and something affirmed since the time of the first eyewitnesses.

Power and Prayer

1. We continue to witness the active work of God among us. If he is living (and we affirm this) then he is still present. That means he is capable of action.
2. Jesus promises empowerment from God. It is a gift.
3. The first “work” of the church is prayer.
   • “I have so much to do that I cannot begin the day without three hours of prayer” – Martin Luther
   • This is our problem. Ourvalues are upside down – we believe that prayer is the seasoning for the maincourse. In reality, prayer is the root,stem and leaves – our effort is just a blossom.
   • We have a hard time believing that prayer actually gets anything done. We are a little too secular and we want things that we can chart and measure and plan. We want to meet needs and fix problems. We tend to believe prayer is good for the soul, but little else.

Be Still and Know That I Am God
When I ministered for the church in Lake Jackson, Texas, three of us attended a wonderful evangelism conference. We were heading home and buzzing about all of our ideas to take what we had learned and put it into action at Lake Jackson. Halfway home we ran out of gas. I was driving and I have only run out of gas twice in my whole life (and the first time it was the car’s fault – a bad gas guage). So now the three of us sat in a van with no gas on I-45 near Fairfield, TX.We were stopped in our tracks and this gave us time to recall that the first work of the church is prayer. All of our ideas and enthusiasm could not match the power available to us as a gift from the living Lord.
So my companions and I were brought before God in prayer. It was for the church that we prayed. It was for the lost that we prayed. It was for the future that we prayed. As the world rushed on at 70 mph, we sat and prayed. All of our talk about plans and programs (evangelism) and busy-ness were put aside. There was only one thing that we needed to do – and it wasn’t finding gasoline. We prayed.

Running out of fuel is so symbolic of where we often find ourselves in all of our “busy-ness.” Even our church busy-ness can be a distraction from letting God work, and paying attention to that so we can BE his witnesses. If only we would pray more and ask God to give us what we need and allow him to use us as he wants.

Will we stop to be changed in order to BE the witness he needs us to be? When we disregard or neglect prayer and worship, what are we saying? Do we believe the power and the work is up to us or God? When we bear all the responsibility aren’t we acting as if we have all the authority and ability – even if we would never admit that publicly? Our actions must be consistent with our belief because church is a matter of BEING Christ’s witnesses.

The Community Beneath the Cross

Posted by Chris on April 18, 2004 under Sermons

Order of Worship and Discipleship:

THE COMMUNITY BENEATH THE CROSS

During my college years I was involved with the Razorbacks for Christ campus ministry. Every semester we had a spiritual retreat and there was a popular retreat center we went to more than once in Oklahoma. The panorama window at the retreat conference room looked out on a field which ended at a river. Beyond the river was a low mountain ridge that would be multi-colored in the fall and green in the spring. But there was one constant feature on that mountain ridge – a huge white cross that stood up among the trees. It even glowed at night.

Not knowing what to expect, we got out of the car and walked up the road. As we climbed the hill with the gravel crunching beneath our feet we saw the top of the white cross rise up in our view. It was large and high. We pushed on more eagerly until we came to level ground. Now we had the whole cross in our field of view; it towered above us. But now we saw a new sight that amazed us – there was a little community built around the cross. The cross was actually a water tower. It was in the center of a little community that had two or three houses, a chapel, a barn, and a garage for trucks and equipment. The area directly under the cross was a small park with a bench and a little spire that had "Peace on Earth" inscribed on it in many languages. We lingered for some time in the community beneath the cross then we returned to the retreat center. Back at the retreat center we looked at the familiar cross on the mountain landscape with a new fascination. It looked the same as it always had, but now we knew that there was a community gathered beneath that cross. It made the cross seem alive somehow.

The community my friends and I saw that day was organized and formed around the cross. Using this story as a parable, let the symbol of the cross represent the gospel and the reign of Christ, and let the community represent the church. I believe the church is meant to be a community beneath the cross. The cross is the community’s source of existence; it is a sign for the community; and it gives the community its shape.

The Cross as the Source of Community – [Being the Gospel]
1 Corinthians 1:18 – For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
The cross – a water tower – was a source of life for the community. The good news of the cross and the resurrection is a source of life for those who are added to God’s community. We see this very vividly in baptism, which is a participation in the gospel event – there is a death and resurrection. Baptism is an anchor event in the life of a believer. Paul claimed that recalling one’s baptism was the reason for avoiding sin – the life of a believer is draws from a new set of values (Romans 6).
Against the powers of evil and conflict, the cross proclaims victory — Jesus our King is our champion.
In a world full of deceit and corruption, the cross proclaims truth — Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
During moments of doubt and emptiness, the cross proclaims fulfillment — Jesus is the Son of God who shows us who we really are.
In the midst of suffering and shame, the cross proclaims companionship — Jesus is the Suffering Servant who endures suffering with us.
Against the condemnation and failure of sin, the cross proclaims forgiveness – Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

The church is weakened when powers other than the power of the gospel function as its source of life. For instance, when tradition and custom eclipse the gospel, the church is fueled by a limited source. Paul says that wisdom and well-crafted arguments are not a worthy substitute for the gospel (1 Corinthians 2:1-2). When strong personalities and human effort eclipse the gospel, the church becomes confused about who is truly its Lord and founder. Paul says that his role in establishing congregations and their regard for his work really doesn’t amount to much. And for that matter, no one can single out a special role for himself or herself in church leadership since the church is the result of God’s effort and all of us are servants in that work (1 Corinthians 3:4-9). We get ahead of ourselves and make a claim for ourselves that even the apostles would not make when we claim that building the church is our responsibility. The message of Acts is that faithful disciples became the agents of God as they were empowered by God’s Holy Spirit. Is it arrogant or presumptuous to claim that we are empowered by God’s spirit? Well, one certainly can make spiritual claims in a presumptuous manner (and that often means making such claims individually rather than communally). But how much more presumptuous and arrogant is it to assume that we can do anything without God’s spiritual empowerment? If the cross and all it represents is not our source – then what is?

The Cross as the Sign of the Community [Saying the Gospel]
When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God to you in lofty words or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

The community beneath the cross never takes the attention away from Christ or the gospel. Remember from the parable that it was the cross that attracted us to that community. My friends and I began our quest to discover the meaning of the cross. We found the community by seeking the cross. In a culture in which people are urged to find the “the church of their choice,” we need to resist the temptation to become the most popular church by presenting ourselves. If our message is about who we are, then our message is off-topic. On the day of Pentecost, the church was established with power, but the topic of the sermon was the church – Peter’s message was about the Lordship of Christ (Acts 2:36). Paul came to Corinth resolved only to preach Christ (1 Corinthians 2:2). People’s tastes in “church” might change, but the message of Christ and his cross is a constant. People are seeking a church home because they are ultimately seeking God. We are the companions and community that meet and are gathered together as we are drawn to the cross. (John 12:32).

Of course, some people may encounter the community before they see the cross. Imagine if my friends and I were just hiking along through those hills and came upon this little community. In that case, the community would be the first thing we see and the cross would be noticeable as we moved closer. Sometimes, we are the sign for the cross. That’s not wrong. We do need to live up to our name – not simply for our sake but for the sake of the world. Jesus didn’t ignore the fact that our community would be a witness and we would be proclaimers in word and action.

The Cross as the Shape of the Community [Doing the Gospel]
John 13:34-35 “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

The love for one another is not simply directed inwardly. The church does what Jesus does. We demonstrate compassion, love and service to all – within the church and without. Our mission has all of creation in view. The parable of the community beneath the cross also suggests that the church is connected to the surrounding culture and world. That little community beneath the cross was part of the mountain landscape. It had not separated itself or isolated itself from the landscape in such a way that it was inaccessible. We are in the world, but not of the world.
Jesus describes the church as salt, light, and leaven. Each of these items effect a change: salt preserves and adds flavor, light illuminates, and leaven causes dough to rise. They effect change because they maintain their distinctiveness. This is why Jesus warned us not to lose our saltiness. However, maintaining our distinctiveness in isolation is not an option. Salt, light and leaven act within their environment – salt works within food, light works within darkness, leaven works within dough. As a community beneath the cross, the church is the community formed at the intersection of the gospel and the world that is reordered and transformed by that gospel. The church, like our Lord, is an incarnation of the gospel. What does the church of Christ look like, well very simply it looks like Christ. We act and serve in his name.

There is an image of a community beneath the cross that came out of the aftermath of 9/11. Rescue workers who risked their lives gathered beneath a cross formed out of the pain and suffering of tragedy. This little community didn’t think of itself – it thought of the lost. But in their mission to rescue the lost, they acknowledged that they too needed to be saved. The mission of the church in the world is not self-preservation. How could it be if our Lord’s mission was not self-preservation but sacrifice? In truth the church has no mission that it can call its own. The mission is God’s – he takes the initiative. He reaches out in love to create a world. He reaches out in love to transform that world when it is corrupted by sin. God is the first evangelist – he sends his son Jesus not to condemn the world but to seek and save that which is lost – which includes us.

We often call the sinners – the lost. I think we would do well to call ourselves the found so that we will remember that the church is the gathering of those who are being saved by the power of the gospel. We are not something special on our own. None of us arrived already saved. All of us were the lost who are now gathered in by God’s grace. So, the church moves through the world as a servant and a testimony of God’s power. Our mission is not to stride through the world as though we own it. We are not called to appear as people who have it all together, know all the answers, never make mistakes, and are always successful. Paul proclaimed his faults, weaknesses, and failures so that he could proclaim the power of God – and he urged us to do the same … (1 Corinthians 1:26-31). ²⁶ Consider your own call, brothers and sisters: not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. ²⁷ But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; ²⁸ God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are, ²⁹ so that no one might boast in the presence of God. ³⁰ He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, ³¹ in order that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

We, the found, are now empowered by God’s spirit and sent to participate in His mission. So our mission as the church is God’s mission. We are formed by the cross and we lift it up so that all will be drawn to it. If they come to Christ, they will come in among us – the Community Beneath the Cross.

20 Seconds That Make All the Difference

Posted by Chris on April 11, 2004 under Sermons

1. We anticipate many visitors this Easter Sunday. So please greet everyone you see – especially new faces!
2. The theme of worship and the sermon is a transition from the sermons responding to   The Passion of the Christ   and anticipating a series from April 18 – May 16 focusing on what it means to be Christ’s church. We have focused on the cross, now what does it mean to be a Community Beneath the Cross?
3. Remember in your prayers those on our published prayer lists.
4. Read the following Scriptures as you pray and prepare for worship: Psalm 118:15-24; Revelation 3:19-21; John 20-21; Luke 24; Mark 16; Matthew 28; 1 Corinthians 15.

Order of Worship and Discipleship:

TWENTY SECONDS THAT MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE
(John 20:19-23)

Critics of   The Passion of the Christ   have complained that the movie only gives 20 seconds to the resurrection …

• Without the 20 seconds of the resurrection the movie is an empty, meaningless tragedy. There is no hope, no justice, and very little meaning to Christ’s death on a cross.
• With the 20 seconds everything is changed. As Jesus says to Mary in the film, "Behold, I make all things new!"
• It is fitting that the titles do not roll until after the scene of the resurrection, for this truly is the beginning!

It makes a difference whether we regard someone as dead or alive

• We can revere, imitate, remember, memorialize a historical figure.
• We can learn about them, we can discover new things about them that we did not know before
• We can discuss their life and teaching.
• But we cannot interact with them. We cannot learn from them. [Hillary Clinton was criticized for conversing with Eleanor Roosevelt – Mrs. Roosevelt really cannot say anything to Mrs. Clinton that she doesn’t imagine for herself.]
• But if a person is alive, we can talk to them and learn from them.

If Jesus is dead …

• Then he is at best a revered figure from the past. A just man and noble teacher who died for his principles. He lives on in the memory of his followers and through his teaching. His immortality is not any different that that of Buddha or Socrates or Eleanor Roosevelt.
• And that means that the Lord’s Supper is nothing more than a memorial and the Bible is a collection of writings about Jesus.
• He cannot be Lord in any real authoritative sense

If Jesus is alive …

• The he’s still around. Perhaps his existence is different than what it was in a way I will not even attempt to explain here, but if he is alive then he is present. And he can interact with us.

In what sense is Jesus alive?
Not simply immortalized in his teaching
Not simply the endurance of his spiritual force
Not simply his memory and his legacy
He is the Living One
He is the new humanity, the firstborn from the dead.

It Makes a Difference for the Church …
The last image before the final 20 seconds in   The Passion of the Christ   seems to be of a group people gathered around the dead Jesus … It is a community beneath the cross and a worthy symbol of what it means to be “church.”

The community of faith – the church – is formed only because Jesus lives. Once again, those 20 seconds make all the difference. The resurrection of Jesus Makes a Difference not only for Jesus, but also for us. John 20 is case in point.
[Read John 20:19-23]

Consider the state of the disciples when they regard Jesus as dead . . .

• Locked away in fear of punishment and retaliation.
• Purposeless, giving up on their dreams. (They are ready to go back to business as usual when they once had enough courage and faith to leave everything – John 21.)
• They are riddled with guilt and suspicion. (One of their own that they trusted betrayed Jesus and he is now dead. They are painfully aware of their own weaknesses and emptiness.)

The memory of Jesus, the strength of his teaching, his noble example are not enough to make an adequate difference for this group. Not until they encounter the living Jesus.

1. The Living Jesus gives Peace and the Holy Spirit.
   • The spirit enables the disciples, the church to carry out their witness in a hostile world. They are instruments of his peace. What else explains the change we see in this community of believers? On the night of Christ’s arrest they are filled with fear but when they are brought before the Sanhedrin for preaching in his name they are filled with the Holy Spirit.
   • They are given new life. That is the gift of God’s Spirit (Genesis 2:7, Ezekiel 37:9-10).
   • Consider what this means for us: How shall we make disciples for Jesus? How shall we know peace and overcome the anxiety and discontent we feel as the world around us seems hostile and unsettling? We need the Holy Spirit if we want to live. We need to be "inspired."
   • Christ lives, he gives the Spirit. Those 20 seconds make all the difference

2. The Living Jesus sends the church.
   • He is not turning it over to them. "As the Father has sent me" implies a past sending that continues. This sending has permanence. Christ has a continuing mission – though the form of that mission has changed after the cross and tomb.
   • See John 14:12-14.
   • He is re-commissioning them to share in his work. They are allowed to be participants in the mission of Jesus that continues. [Peter is restored – John 21]
   • Think of what this means to us: In all our efforts we are never alone. Christ is with us. That ought to humble us and embolden us. Christ is not a CEO at some office far away who signs the checks so we can do the work. His presence surrounds every event. He is there before us, he is there behind us, he is always over us. We are not members who participate in the mission of the church – we are the church that participates in the mission of Christ.
   • Christ lives, he sends the church. Those 20 seconds make all the difference.

3. The Living Jesus forgives – and so also may we forgive.
   • The risen Christ forgives them and gives them they authority to forgive, thus giving them the key to truthful community [fellowship – eating together].
   • This is no subjective rule that gives us the authority to accept or reject whomever we please. It is an invitation to participate in the grace of God that endures sinfulness and offers hope of reconciliation. Christ’s mission was not to condemn the world, but to save it. Our mission cannot be to condemn. We proclaim the power that gave Jesus life, the mercy that made us his friends; those who reject this condemn themselves, those who accept it receive the kingdom of God.
   • If Jesus is dead then we can only work to achieve a sense of forgiveness and reconciliation. Like a child who harbors anger at a deceased parent. Often ministers and friends counsel people to reconcile with others while they are still alive. Why? So that one might hear the words "I forgive you" from a living person. Christ is alive. And his forgiveness is not the last will and testament of a dead teacher. It is a present voice and an active expression of love. He has chosen to express that forgiveness in his church.
   • So, when we forgive one another it is not our forgiveness that is most important. Rather the mercy that we have received from Jesus Christ compels us to be forgiving and merciful.
   • Think of what this means for us: When we struggle to forgive others (and let’s admit we do sometimes) we need to focus on Jesus forgiving us – for without that we have no right to even consider forgiving anyone else – much less hold a grudge! When we extend forgiveness and when we work to reconcile people – we are not just reconciling them to us, but to more importantly to Christ who reconciles all of us to God.
   • Christ lives, he forgives – and so must we. Those 20 seconds make all the difference.

This spectacular photo was taken in Lower Galilee in 1998 by Julie Martinez.
Used with permission.

The day that Christ rose is the first day of a new age. Jesus is the first of the new humanity – the new life. We get to sample it through the Holy Spirit.
The community beneath the cross does not gather around a dead savior. In his resurrected body he bears the marks of the crucifixion – affirming that his death had meaning. The crucified one is also the living one. The living one is Lord. This is our confession that makes us his church.
In baptism, we enact and participate in the gospel event: the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. With great conviction we have proclaimed what Peter did – that belief, repentance and baptism are essentials of salvation. Those who’ve experienced this can be sure that God has added them to the church.

But keep in mind that Peter and every evangelist worth his salt thereafter has proclaimed with equal conviction that the Jesus who was crucified is now the risen Lord. That proclamation makes all the difference. Without that conviction, the rest of it is meaningless.
If Jesus is not resurrected, then he is not Lord. But something happened that Sunday long ago that changed a timid group of believers into a cross-carrying community sent out in the name of Jesus. We believe it was the presence of the risen Lord. He still lives. His presence and Holy Spirit is no less powerful now than it was then.

“Can One Man Bear the Sins of the Whole World?”

Posted by Chris on April 4, 2004 under Sermons

You may want to study the following Scriptures in advance:John 1:29, John 8:1-11; Romans 3-8; 1 John 3

Order of Worship and Discipleship:

“CAN ONE MAN BEAR THE SINS
OF THE WHOLE WORLD?”

In the opening scene of   The Passion of the Christ  , Satan is attempting to persuade Jesus to abandon his mission. Satan’s strategy is to cause Jesus to doubt. Two weeks ago we looked at Satan’s attempt to cause Jesus to doubt himself (Whose Son Are You? – 3/21/2004). Satan also tries to make Jesus doubt the possibility of salvation. "Saving them is too costly," Satan muses. "Can one man really bear the sins of the whole world?"

Of course this scene is not presented in the gospels. It is the director’s artistic license. But those do seem like the sort of questions Satan would ask. Jesus, as God in the flesh, knows sin from heaven’s perspective and from the human perspective. Certainly he, more than anyone, would know how costly it would be to bear the burden of sin. Christ witnessed first hand the evil, immorality, and corruption that infect us. Even before the crucifixion Jesus experienced the cruelty of sin.

One such experience is recorded in John 8:1-11.
Sin oozes out of every corner of this event: A woman probably married or perhaps a prostitute has been caught in the act. Families have been betrayed by this act. Not only the marital partners are shamed by this offense – the community that honors marriage is also shamed. It is a horrible, scandalous event.
But there’s also the sin of her accusers. Their motives are not pure. This is not some neighborhood watch or good citizen’s brigade. The very set-up of this little scandal hints at their guilt. As my mother used to say, "Where’s the man involved and how did the rest of them know about this?"
The crowd is no better than a frenzied Jerry Springer audience who demonstrate their own wickedness by getting carried away in judgment. And the engineers of this little trap are even more devious. This whole scenario, for them, is not about righteousness – it is an attempt to discredit Jesus.

Let’s take a closer look at their trap – and more importantly Jesus’ response – so we can understand how Jesus, through his ministry and sacrifice, does indeed bear the sin of the world. Here’s how their trap works:

• If Jesus condemns the woman, then he discredits his teaching and ministry. Jesus has been proclaiming good news to the poor and sinners. He has been demonstrating the love and compassion of God by receiving them. He has proclaimed that his mission is one of love and salvation – not condemnation (John 3:16-18). Very well then, here’s a test for Jesus. A very real sinner caught in the act. If Jesus is going to be true to him message and ministry then let him accept her.
• If Jesus excuses the woman or shows compassion, then he is unjust and lawless. How can Jesus give this woman a pass? Actions like hers strike at the Ten Commandments. But it’s not simply "against the law." This isn’t just a legal problem or a result of unfortunate circumstances. This is a moral and personal offense against others and society. Jesus cannot make light of the insult and injury brought about by this woman’s sin, for if he does then his teaching is also discredited.

We’ll get to Jesus’ response in a moment, but to understand his response we need to understand some important points about sacrifice and how sacrifice is involved in bearing the sins of the world.
After all, if we think about Satan’s question "Can one man bear the sins of the whole world?" – Doesn’t it seem a bit unfair and perhaps simplistic that Jesus can take the punishment for my crimes?If some decent soul came forward to accept the punishment for the crimes of Saddam Hussein, and if the courts actually allowed this decent person to take on this punishment – would we call that grace? Would we really feel as if justice had been satisfied if another person suffered the punishment the Hussein deserved. Wouldn’t we rather feel that something is wrong with the system and wouldn’t we sympathize with those whom Hussein oppressed knowing that their oppressor gets away scot-free? I hope you feel there’s something wrong with that situation. If Jesus is just sacrificing himself so we can avoid the due penalty for our crimes then yes, there would be something wrong with the whole thing.
But sacrifice involves much more than that because the problem is not simply "legal." And our sins are not simply "crimes." Our sin involves personal, moral offense. The problem is more than legal – it is human. Our sin is rebellion and our "crime" is that of a child who insults decent parents. Our corruption hurts others and we have wounded one another – sometimes because we have been wounded. Jesus’ sacrifice is not merely a "legal" transaction or a sentence declared by a judge.

The purpose of sacrifice (even in the history of Israel) was not about changing God so he can live with us. God is not the problem in the relationship. We need to be careful that we don’t make pagan assumptions about sacrifice. In paganism, the sacrifice appeases or persuades the deity. Sacrifice is not giving God his pound of flesh so he can settle down. It’s not the ritual that allows Holy God to tolerate sinful us.

The purpose of sacrifice (in Israel’s history and in Jesus) is about God revealing his mercy and gracious initiative and that changes us. Confronted by the grace that God offers and the confession of our weakness we are called to holiness. Sacrifice isn’t holding off God so we won’t die – it is God arousing us to the problem so that we might live!
Consider that God chose Israel long before they sacrificed to him. Their frequent error was that they thought they could pursue life their way as long as they made the right sacrifices. And even we think that as long as we appeal to Jesus’ sacrifice the right way then we can pursue our own projects and our own desires. God himself said "I desire mercy, not sacrifice." (Hosea 6:6). Jesus, the one who sacrificed himself for us, indicated this same thing. He said it was something that we needed to learn.

We can say this about sacrifice:

• The focus of sacrifice is on God’s gracious action. He takes the initiative. He is merciful. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us! (Romans 3:23) The sacrifice of Jesus reveals God’s justice (Romans 3:26). Although he is the offended one, he takes the initiative in reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18-19).
• Sacrifice is connected to a change in how we live. The sacrifice of parents who love their children demands an appropriate response. The sacrifice of soldiers who liberate others demands an appropriate response. But these examples cannot be mistaken to suggest that manipulation is involved in sacrifice. If someone sacrifices to manipulate a response, then it is not sacrifice.

The sacrifice of Jesus Christ is a kingdom of God approach to taking away the sins of the world. Considering these two observations about sacrifice, let’s see how both of these are involved in Jesus’ response to the accusers in John 8

If any one of you is without sin …
To the crowd (the accusers) Jesus reveals that the problem is not simply the sinful woman. It is sinful humanity. Her sinfulness is part of the human condition. Jesus is saying to the crowd – Who among you is pure enough to throw the need for mercy out the window. If you want to start the blame game, then who among you will be blameless. Jesus gets the crowd to see their need for mercy by recognizing their sinfulness. As the people (oldest to youngest) turn and walk away, they are making a confession. They are admitting their sinfulness. Ironically, its our sinfulness that causes us to construct systems of punishment and judgment. We exclude others and we judge others. We look for people to blame. In the political world those who succeed by the scandal and blame game will die by it. For all are guilty of something. Jesus’ question to the crowd is not a bold stance for tolerance that rules out judgment. He’s not trying to save the woman, rather he is trying to save the crowd from its own cruelty and self-righteousness. Jesus’ sacrificial way of living and dying reminds us that each of us is damnable and we have need of mercy.

Go and Sin No More.
To the woman caught in sin Jesus offers mercy instead of condemnation. Why? Condemnation leads only to death. There is no hope, but it is easy. Mercy isn’t easy. It means forgiving and forgiving usually costs – but it does offer the hope of change. Some who want to excuse their behavior by repeating Jesus’ word that "He without sin should cast the first stone" should also hear this word: "Go and sin no more." When we cry out against the judgment of others (or even our self-judgment) we are trying to bear the burden of our own sin. We don’t want to let go or admit our weakness and sin. So we throw the blame on others. We justify our action. For new life to begin we have to confront our own sinfulness, but even that’s not enough, we have to confront the one who can take our sin away and replace it with his spirit.

Here’s the good news: Jesus mercifully takes up all our sin – he removes it and cleanses us so that we might be changed. And in being changed we have the possibility of living for him. "The one who was not sin became sin for us, so that we might become his righteousness." (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Like the woman caught in the act, you are not saved because you have a good lawyer, or because Jesus is soft and tender-hearted. You’re not saved because you know all the Scriptures and can find a loophole. You’re not saved because you have claim on God and know the proper rituals and prayers to appease his wrath.

You are saved because of the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. (John 1:29).

• God took the initiative in saving us. The sacrifice shows the extent of his mercy – he is willing to bear the offense.
• So, will we let go of our sins? (Whether we hold them out of shame, denial, or pride). Will we go and sin no more?