Nov. 24, 2019           Shepherd/King                                      

    (I introduced this sermon, by noting that the President of the United States that I used in my story, was not intended to be any particular president, but the idea of what the president was supposed to be.)

Imagine yourself, standing outside on your front lawn, when a dark four door sedan pulls up in front of your house. A man in dark suit gets out of one of the back seat doors and walks up to you, asks you your name, and when you answer, he informs you that the President of the United States has taken an interest in you, and that in the next few days, you will receive an invitation to the White House.

Two days pass, and when you go out to get your mail, you find a manilla envelope, with an official seal of the President on it in your mail, and inside is an invitation, a plane ticket to Washington DC., and a note that a limosine will pick you up the next morning so that you can meet with the president. The next day arrives, the limosine comes, you get in and you are whisked off to the airport. You then board the plane, it takes off, and then lands in Washington. Another limosine picks you up and takes you to the White House, and within an hour you find yourself, sitting in the oval office, waiting to meet with the President.

As you are sitting there in the office you notice that there is a picture of you and your family, sitting on the mantel of the fireplace. And just then, the door opens and in comes the president of the United States, pushing a coffee cart. “Don’t get up he says, just thought we might have a cup of coffee together.” He pours you a cup of coffee, asks you how you like it, hands you the cup and offers you some coffee cake. Then he sits down and spends the next hour, asking about you, where you grew up, how your family was doing, what he could do as president to make life easier for people like me. He seems genuinely interested and concerned, and after a while, you begin to get the feeling that he actually cares about you, and cares about the problems that everyday people have.

At the conclusion of the meeting he stands up, and shakes your hand, and promises that he will follow up on the things “we” talked about, in the weeks to come, you find out that he really is trying to follow through on those things. And when you ask him, why me? why did you invite me to the White House?, he replies, because I am a servant of the people, and I just wanted to get to know you, to know what I could do for you.

In our reading from Jeremiah this morning, Jeremiah rails against the leaders of Israel, whose only concern is for themselves. Who in seeking their own political interests and pursuit of power, divide the people and “scatter the sheep” of Israel. It seems to me, that that is a pretty good description of many of our leaders today. For them it’s all about getting power, or about maintaining power, and at times it seems they really don’t care much about the everyday people of America.

But in my story this morning, of the visit to the white house, I hoped to give us a sense of what it would look like if our elected leaders genuinely cared about us, wanted to know us, wanted to help us. I told that story, because I wanted to envision how a leader, a shepherd who cared for us, would behave. How, rather than be lords and kings over us, they would be servants. And I believe that is the kind of leadership that Jeremiah talks about this morning. The LORD, the LORD of LORDS, will raise up a shepherd, in the line of King David, who will execute justice and righteousness, the righteousness of the LORD God, and that is very different from the righteousness of men. That is our hope, and that hope has been realized in Jesus Christ.

As disciples of Jesus Christ, we are called to recognize that the righteousness of men is the will to power, the desire to rule over one another, but the righteousness of God is the call to be servants of one another. This is difficult, it takes patience, understanding, and even a bit of suffering one another in love, just like we do with our children. This is what we are called to do with other people, even other people whose behavior is not so good. Instead of being lords over one another and judging them, we should be servants, seeking to encourage them towards something better. Not just something better as we see it, but something better for them, and that means getting to know them, and genuinely caring about them.

As the criminal on the cross recognizes, as long as we seek to be lords and kings over one another, we are all under the same condemnation of sin, but through Jesus Christ, through the righteousness of the servant king, we can escape the judgement of sin, the division, violence, and death it brings, and we can be together with Christ and one another in paradise. And that is the Good News of Jesus Christ. 

Nov. 17, 2019    Do not Weary of Doing What is Right                 

This past Saturday morning, the doorbell at the parsonage rang about 9:30 am. It was a couple of Jehovah’s witnesses. Now they didn’t identify themselves immediately, so I introduced myself, “This is the parsonage of Union Congregational UCC, and I am the pastor.” I guess they thought that I would be a challenge, so they began to tell me some of the things Jesus had said about the end of the world, and of course, I knew the passage, in fact, we read it this morning.

And they asked me, what I thought that people could do in the midst of all of the chaos of the world. So I of course responded from the Evangelical Catechism, “believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, Love God with all your heart, strength, soul and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself,…” and because I had been studying this morning’ passage all week, I added, “Do not be weary in doing what is right.” I guess this answer satisfied them, because they thanked me for my time and left.

After they left, I thought about our interaction. You know, the world does seem pretty chaotic right now. And I think people would like to know what they should be doing today in response to all that Chaos. And I like my answer, believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, means we believe in resurrection, life springing forth from the midst of death. And I think that loving God with all our heart, strength, soul, and mind, sets us on a solid path in life, and loving our neighbor as ourselves is the first step in a journey towards peace, fellowship, and hope for the future. And finally, not wearying of doing what is right, keeps us focused and moving forward towards our salvation, and towards God’s kingdom becoming real in our lives.

Now some might say, that’s easy stuff, we did it our whole lives, and indeed many of you, raised in the church, when it was the center of people’s lives, have indeed the joy of looking back on a lifetime of commitment to Christ’s church, to the focus of loving God, and doing what is right. You have the joy of a wonderful fellowship and family in Christ, that continues to sustain you now, especially in times of loss and grief.

But the world is a good bit different now days. Not so much because we are approaching the end of the world, people have been saying that for the last two thousand years, but because so many people in our world have given their lives over to other pursuits, they have lost their focus, and been distracted by so many other things in life. Many of your children and grandchildren have given themselves over to hobbies and interests that consume their lives. Many of them, have been tempted to think that life is all about them and their experiences, or all about their kids, and raising them.

Yeah, those things are important, but what is even more important, is having a spiritual center, a faith in the Lord Jesus Christ that sustains them when the world is all falling apart, when their world’s are all falling apart. And that faith, becomes real, in doing what is right, loving God, and loving their neighbor as themselves. This is what keeps us grounded, this is what keeps us focused, so that our lives might bear the fruit of faith, and we might enjoy the life that God intends for all of us.

This morning’s gospel lesson, speaks of endurance in the face of the end times, in the face of rejection by the world, in the face of rejection even by those closest to us. Our epistle lesson talks about people who have given up on faith, stopped doing what is right, believing God will do whatever no matter what we do. The difference is simple, we can lose our focus, become distracted by the chaos of the world, and be alone in our sufferings. Or we can remain focused, doing what is right, and share in the salvation God has prepared for us. And that is the good news of Jesus Christ!  

Nov. 10, 2019         Shelters or Fences                                       

Once upon a time there was an American sheep rancher who traveled to Australia to learn about how they raised sheep. The Australian rancher welcome the American rancher, and took him on a tour of his ranch pointing out all the things that were done, from the grazing to the feeding to the sheering, and on and on. At the end of the tour the Australian rancher asked if the American rancher noticed any differences between the two, perhaps something that might help him in his raising of sheep. The American though about it and said that he could only fine one difference, there were no fences on the Australian ranchers farm, and he wondered how the Australian kept his sheep from wandering away.

The Australian rancher said, well, we provide the sheep with a shelter from the weather, and at these shelters, we feed them daily. For the most part, the sheep don’t wander to far astray, because they have both food and shelter. And then, after a brief pause for reflection, the Australian rancher said, I guess that’s the difference between our ranches, we focus on shelter, and you focus on fences.

Our reading from the gospel doesn’t talk a lot about sheep, but if you give me a few minutes, I think we can get there. Our gospel reading has Jesus answering a question about the resurrection. Now Jesus has just entered the temple the day before, drove the moneychangers and sellers of sacrifices out of the temple, and come back the next day to teach and answer questions. There are four questions in Luke and each one of them deals with whether we are putting God first in our lives, or something else.

The long winded question by the Sadducees, is of course, meant to trip Jesus up, by pointing out how ridiculous faith in the resurrection is, but really, it only shows the foolishness of the Sadducees. I would compare the Sadducees question to the fences above, and Jesus answer about the resurrection to the shelters. Through faith in the resurrection, there is life for those who believe here in this world, and in the life that is to come.

Jesus notes that in this age, marriage is a construction, and a good construction at that. It is a covenant in which a man and a woman, pledge themselves to one another, act in faithfulness to one another, speak the truth to one another, suffer with one another in times of hardship, forgive one another when they have gone astray. Marriage in a way, is a way to teach us how to love one another, and indeed prepares us for that day, in the life to come, when we are called to love all others. Those who see marriage as a ball and chain, are looking at the fences of marriage, rather than the shelter and nurture that a loving marriage provides us in life, and the blessing it can be for those who truly embrace it.

Side note, one does not have to be married, to develop this love for others that is found in marriage. There are people who have this same depth of love and strength of spirit in their lives and relationships with others as well. They are alive to those they love, and live on in their hearts and minds, even after they have passed from this world. And indeed, is in the church, where we hear the good news of the gospel, and through our faith in the resurrection, that we practice this love not just for our fellow members, but through our mission and ministry to those throughout the world.

 And I think that is Jesus point when he speaks about God being a God of the living. The dead and dying, those who do not know God’s love in their lives, pass away and are forgotten. Those who know God’s love in their lives continue to give life to those who remember them. This was my contribution to our text study, because God is not bound by past, present and future, all of those who love God are alive before him, both now and forever.  And that is the Good News of Jesus Christ. Amen. 

                   All Saints Remembrances                                           

Della Rohrer was born August 19^th, 1916 and passed away December 24^th, 2018. In my eulogy, I compared Della to Lady Wisdom from the book of Proverbs, she was a strong spiritual woman, who laid a solid foundation for her children, her family and her home. She was active in the community, and especially her church. She worked both as a farm wife and later for almost 20 years at the Sandwich hospital. Della understood her role as a servant in the church, volunteering, baking, helping to clean the church, as member of the Sunshine Band, and attending regularly, even over the age of 100.

Harry W. Watts, passed away on March 29^th, 2019, at the age of 83, in Florida. I visited Harry twice, at his home on lake Holiday before he moved to Florida. I have been told that he attended Union Congregational and even served on the Trustees. He welcomed me into his home, and we enjoyed mostly small talk about his work, and commuting back and forth to his office, life in Lake Holiday, and his family.  Each time I left his home, he would tell me I could come by any time. We thank God for his gifts and his presence and time with Union Congregational.

Richard C. McInturf was born May 11, 1948 and passed away on Wednesday, May 29, 2019. It was Richard’s wish that his life be allowed to speak for itself, and so he asked that there be no funeral or memorial service for him. So we will respect his wishes, and only say that he was much loved by his wife, his friends, and his church family and is missed by them.

Deb Matthews was born October 5, 1954 and passed away September 21, 2019. Just the other day, someone was talking about how we more often see the rough edges of other people’s lives, rather than the solid person they were in life. Deb had some rough edges, but her commitment to her church, to music, to her community, and her country were solid. Almost every other day, with being our organist, with community choir, with being our moderator, choir practices, collecting aluminum cans, Sunshine band, and on and on, I am reminded how much a part of the Church Deb was, and what a huge contribution she made in her life – and that doesn’t even cover all that she accomplished in life beyond that. We already miss her contributions to Union Congregational, and to our lives.

Thomas Egan, was born December 28, 1930 and passed away, October 19, 2019. Thomas grew up in world of hardship and war, and served in the Army during WW2, and then worked at Caterpillar for most of his life. Having lived through these times, Thomas was very grateful for the blessings he had, and for the people who did things for him. Thomas was devoted to two women in his life, he lived with and cared for his mother when she fell ill and passed. Then he met Maureen and was just as devoted to her during her lifetime. Tom and Maureen each cared for each other through their illnesses, and were inseparable during their life together. Tom joined the church when he married Maureen and would often talk about it’s unique architecture, and how he liked the people here. 

Nov. 3, 2019                    All Saints                                         

This past week, at our Sandwich/Somonauk minister’s text study, we tried to break down Luke’s version of the Beatitudes from Jesus sermon on the plain. I admit it was a bit like trying to threat a needle with mittens, but we made the attempt. I hope this is helpful.

Blessed are you…. This phrase is often used in psalms to denote a spiritual blessing which comes from faith in God, and from relying up God, or God’s word for the living of our lives.

Blessed are you who are poor for yours is the kingdom of heaven. As we know, the kingdom of heaven is one that is built on a foundation of relationships, friends, family. It is in these that the poor find a wealth of blessings, and comfort in time of loss. 

Blessed are you when you are hungry, for you will be filled. Hunger can certainly make you appreciate, even yearn for what you don’t have. This doesn’t just apply to food. Luke’s version of the Beatitudes is often called the spiritualized version. In this version one can hunger, as Matthew points out for justice, righteousness, and more. Hunger makes us appreciate what is necessary in life, and through faith, the promise is that in pursuing those things, we will be filled.

Blessed are you who weep now for you will laugh. As a recent movie once noted, “real sadness and loss doesn’t occur in a person’s life until they love someone more than they love themselves.”  Through our faith in Jesus Christ, we learn how to love, and that love can be painful, cause us sorrow and a sense of loss, but it also teaches us to be thankful for those in our lives, and to one day give thanks for them, and to rejoice and be happy at the blessings that love has brought to our lives.

Blessed are you when you are Reviled or Defamed – one of my favorite country songs has a line that goes, “to say the thing that everyone says, isn’t the way man.” When Jesus talks about people being reviled or defamed, it isn’t because of something they have done wrong, but because they have taken a stand, and said what they believe needed to be said. Like the prophets they testified to their faith in God, and were rejected by those who didn’t believe.

Now for the woes, one of the members of our group noted that the Greek translation for woes was more like a warning, watch out! proceed at your own risk! 

Woe to you who are rich, for you have received your reward. Those who rely upon wealth for their lives, will often find that they have fewer and fewer relationships in which they will find comfort. It is possible to have it all, wealth does not imply separation from God, but a wealthy life, has to be grounded in faith and in relationships with others, otherwise it becomes isolated and empty, and that is a difficult task.  

Woe to you that are full now, for you will be hungry. It’s ironic how the wealthy say, no one suffers more in poverty than a rich person. I imagine that might be true, no one knows hunger like someone who has always dined on the best in life. Also, no one hungers for justice and righteousness, more than the status quo, when it has been taken away from them. If we have empathy for others, and seek justice for all, we would all be much better off.

         Woe to you who laugh now for you will mourn and weep. I can only guess that Jesus is talking about the scoffers from Psalm 1. People who look upon the problems of others and laugh at their foolishness. In the psalms, these people really haven’t grown to love others, and make fun of even those closest to them. In time, when tragedy strikes them, they will truly mourn and weep, because basically, no one cares for them either.

Woe to you that are well spoken of… As I noted above, I believe that Jesus is speaking about those who say what everyone wants them to say. They are not boat rockers, trouble makers, and etc. They echo what their leaders say, and they expect others to admire them for it. Our scriptures tell us that God brings down the powerful and raises up the weak. If all we do is repeat what everyone else says, we will be remembered for that.

So, one of our pastor’s asked, what does this have to do with all saints Sunday? As I will note later in our Word’s of remembrance, our saints, whose lives we celebrate today, embodied many of these blessings, and avoided many of these woes. They built their lives on a solid foundation of relationships rather than things.  They appreciated the necessities of life that God provided for them and they hungered for justice and righteousness, through their work in the church, and their love for others. They understood sadness and loss, and were genuinely thankful in the living of their lives for others for others, rejoicing in them. And they were solid people who lived their faith without regard for condemnation or praise. They were truly people worth knowing, and following, as disciples of Jesus Christ. Amen.   

Oct0ber 27, 2019          Sola Gratia                                           

      Contempt. That’s the word that stood out to me, when I did my bible study of the text this week. So I thought about this for a few days this week, how does contempt separate us from God, and from each other? Let’s start with our lesson today.

       This week we have two people coming before God. The one a Pharisee, one of the more well off in the world, who gives a tenth of all his income, who strictly follows God’s laws, and fasts twice a week. The text says he stands by himself, probably at the front of the temple near the altar, not wanting to sully himself with those sinners, adulterers, or tax collectors near the back. As much as Luke has told us about the Pharisees, we are already ready to not like him very much, but the truth is, the Pharisee is not such a bad guy, by worldly standards. He probably does all that he says, and is a good Jew, and an upstanding member of the community, it’s just that contempt thing he has going on, that has him standing by himself, apart from God, and neighbor.

   The other person, coming before God is the tax collector. Now we all know how most people feel about taxes and those who collect them. But in Jesus day, they were liked even less, after all they were collecting taxes for a foreign power, and they had to take their incomes out of the taxes they collected, some took more, some took less. So the world looked upon them as mostly corrupt, and mostly traitors. Even worse, they had to associate themselves with foreigners on a daily basis, so they couldn’t keep the law, and were considered unclean. The tax collector knows he has not fulfilled the law, so stands at a distance.   

    Now here’s the kicker, it the tax collector who goes home justified. Now most of us have heard these parables of Jesus before, so we are expecting the arrogant Pharisee to be taken down a few pegs, but the tax collector, justified? Really?? Does such sincerity really work with God, forprostitutes, for sinners, for thieves, for traitors, for murderers? And how

about drug addicts, those who beat their spouses or kids, who drink tomuch, or even those who are just incompetent? Can they go home justified, if they sincerely confess their sins before God?? And if they can, what does that mean for us? Are we wasting our time with all this religious stuff? The answer of course to that is NO! we aren’t wasting our time.

In the church calendar, this Sunday is called reformation Sunday, the Sunday where we recall reformers like Martin Luther who said, “God does not need our good works, but our neighbors do.” And oddly enough, our scriptures tell us, love of neighbor is part of what it means to love God. Also, other parts of our scriptures tell us that it is far better for us to be a part of God’s plan, to know God walking beside us in our lives, and to share in the joy of God’s power and presence in our lives. But we can’t do that, without humility – like the tax collector, and we can’t do that with contempt in our hearts towards others – like the Pharisee.  

Contempt in our hearts towards others leads us to do some pretty horrible things. It leads us to ignore the poor – after all, it is their fault they are poor. It leads us to not care about those who are not as “good” as ourselves. It leads us to dismiss the rights of those who are not strangers, foreigners, non-citizen’s and certainly non-Christians. Worse than that, contempt in our hearts can lead us to dismiss coworkers we don’t like, family members who don’t agree with us, leaders who don’t live the life we think they should. Oh yeah, contempt in our hearts can lead us to undermine one another, destroy our relationships, and the social groups in which we live. And finally, of course contempt in our hearts can separate us from God.    

I’m sure that most of us, have at one time or another, experienced someone who dismisses us and our ideas, who are unwilling to help us in a time of trouble, who are always looking to find fault with us. These people are suffering from contempt. But here’s the real question, do we suffer from contempt as well?. Are there people in our lives that we treat that way? People that we ignore or dismiss, that we are looking to find fault with, that we are unwilling to help. Are we, like the Pharisee, separating ourselves from God, because of our contempt for someone in our lives?  And how does that affect our friends, our family, our neighbors, our social groups, and even our church?

Now the title of this sermon is Sola Gratia – it is the doctrine that we are saved by God’s grace alone. It was part of the reformer’s criticism of the Catholic church, which at the time, was telling people that by their good works, on behalf of the church, they would be saved. But it really is a spiritual doctrine of how to set ourselves right with God, first by acknowledging it is only by God’s grace and not our good works that save us, and second by recognizing that it is by God’s grace that others are justified, rather than by our opinions of them. When we can do this, we will act towards one another as God intended, and God will be present with us in our lives. And that is the Good News of Jesus Christ. Amen.