March 18, 2018            Written on our Hearts                               

You may have noticed this morning, that our prayer of confession came from Psalm 51. Psalm 51 is probably the best known prayer of confession in the bible. It is the prayer of confession that David prayed before God, after the he had Uriah killed so that he could take Bathsheba as one of his wives. The prophet Nathan let David know, that in his pride and arrogance, he had strayed from God, and done what was evil in God’s sight.

Psalm 51 shows us a David who is truly repentant. A person who understands that his actions have separated himself from God, and that only by acknowledging that separation, and turning back to total reliance on God, for the living of his life, and for his behavior towards others, can he be forgiven. And that is why Psalm 51 is such a powerful prayer of confession for those who pray this prayer regularly, because all of us have some guilt about how we have acted in our lives, how we have treated others, how we have gone astray. All of us, in our lives, whether we know it or not, are seeking forgiveness.

This past week, at our DeKalb Clergy Meeting, our Prairie Association Minister Kathy Lawes, asked me about my being from the more confessional side of the UCC. And I talked to her about the german pietistic tradition of recognizing our sins, so that we might turn from them and live – as in the story of Moses and the serpents. I also noted this week’s Psalm 51, as an example of our need to confess our separation from God, so that we can turn and live anew. This confessional theology, is not an attempt to riddle us with guilt, but is in fact an attempt to free us from the stranglehold that guilt has on our lives, so that we can be the people God calls us to be.

Perhaps the most important part of this confessional theology, is that in order to accept forgiveness, we must believe in a God who has the authority to forgive us. And that is where our reading from Hebrews this morning comes in. It speaks of our high priest, and who became our high priest not through an election, or through money or power. Our high priest came into power through obedience, through humility, through suffering, and even death upon a cross – for us! Our high priest lived his life, showing forth the glory of God’s love for each and every one of us, and that is what give Jesus the authority to forgive our sins. For in Jesus we have the example of one who met sin in the world, and time and time again, in obedience to the God who loves each one of us, turned from it. Only through faith in this one who was worthy, who lived in a sinful world and was without sin, can we accept forgiveness for our sins, find peace in our lives, and live anew.

Now some skeptics may argue that this whole forgiveness thing is a scam. They will point to priests and pastors and politicians, and laugh at those who are willing to give a “mulligan” to these people for past deeds. But those are political arguments, in which we find men forgiving other men for politics or power, without repentance, and acceptance of Jesus Christ. What I am talking about is the genuine spiritual experience of  accepting God’s love for us in Jesus Christ, being freed of the guilt and fear of past actions, and turning to live a new life. And that is where we meet our reading from the book of Jeremiah this morning.

 Jeremiah is writing to an Israelite people who had forgotten their God, trusted in themselves, and for it, were being deported to Babylon. Jeremiah tells them, that even now, after all they have done to break the covenant, their God still loves them, and is still willing to make promises to them. One day, God’s law will be written on their hearts – they will act in humility and obedience to God.  One day, all people will know God, and they will act in love towards one another. One day, God will remember their sin no more – they will accept God’s forgiveness and not allow the sins of the past to rule their lives.

    In every church, including this one, I meet people in whom God’s promise has already been fulfilled. You know them as faithful, humble, God fearing, compassionate, caring people, who are willing to suffer themselves for the work of the church, for those who are struggling, and even for those who are new to our community. They are amazing people who have made God’s love for us known in our lives when we most needed it. God’s promise is that one day all of us will be like this, and what a wonderful day that will be! And I encourage all of you to seek this day, by accepting God’s forgiveness of your sins, and becoming disciples of Jesus Christ! 

March 11, 2018                        Lifted Up                                                

Way back in the 80’s, there was a pop song called “Man in the Mirror”. It talked about the problems in the world, hunger, sickness, poverty, and a growing feeling that people had that nothing could be done about it. But the song came to the realization that  a great deal of the suffering in the world, came from our all individually pursuing our own self interest, and that if we wanted to make a difference in the world, then we all had to take a look in the mirror, and choose to change our ways, to live in ways that would overcome this suffering, through our thoughtfulness for others.

I thought of this song, because of our Old testament lesson this morning. The Israelites find themselves in the wilderness, and they are grumbling against God. Now when most people hear the story of the Israelites being slaves in Egypt, they think of the poverty of slaves in movies like Roots, eating gruel and knowing only hardship. But in the book of Exodus, we often hear the slaves in the wilderness, crying about how they wanted to go back to Egypt, to sit beside their cooking pots, where they plenty to eat. How they would gladly give up the terrible freedom God had won for them, for a good pot of beans.

Anyway, many of you know what grumbling can do to a community, it can destroy morale, make people act solely for themselves, create disagreements, and become even violent. Moses is often caught saying that the Israelites were out to overthrow him. So what does God do about this? God sends serpents among the people, who bite the people, and spread poison among them. And God commands Moses to create a bronze serpent, and lift it up before the Israelites, so that those who look upon it may recognize their sin, and turn and live.

So what does this have to do with the song, “Man in the Mirror”. Well, the Jewish interpretation of this scripture is that the serpents came because of the grumbling of the Israelites, and the poison spread by that grumbling against Moses and God. And so by having Moses raise up the bronze serpent on the pole, God was confronting them and calling them to repent of their grumbling, and those that did, lived. Like the “Man in the Mirror” song, they had to look in the mirror, and see that they were the cause of their suffering.  

In our gospel lesson this morning, Jesus reminds Nicodemus of this story of the serpents and the bronze snake that Moses lifted up in the wilderness for their salvation. Now Nicodemus is a leader of the Jews, and in the 3^rd chapter of John, Jesus confronts him about turning Judaism into a religion concerned only about the flesh, about the keeping of moral law and punishing or excluding those who go astray. By using the image of the serpents in the wilderness, Jesus is attempting to tell Nicodemus, that the moralistic religion of the Jews, is what has poisoned the Jewish faith, and made if fruitless in the lives of the Jewish people.

And so, Jesus tells Nicodemus that in the same way, the Son of Man will be lifted up on the cross. And in seeing Jesus upon the cross and recognizing him as the Son of God, we will see the destructive power of sin in our lives. We will see how living  for the flesh, rather than the spirit, creates our own suffering and death. Only in recognizing Jesus humility, obedience to God, and love for us, will we be able to turn and live as disciples of Christ, to overcome sin, suffering, and death in our lives.  

March 4, 2018         We Preach Christ Crucified                             

This morning, our gospel lesson from John tells us about Jesus coming to the temple and becoming enraged at what he sees, grabs a whip of cords and drives the sellers and the money changers out of the temple. Jesus is angry at these people who have turned the Jewish religion into some kind of for profit business, and used the name of God to do so.

And so it is appropriate this morning, that this gospel reading is paired with the reading of the ten commandments in the old testament, so that we might look at some examples of how they had been corrupted by the Jewish leaders and even how we have corrupted them today.   

The first example of this is the 3^rd commandment. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. Many people understand this to mean we shouldn’t use God’s name as an expletive. God this and Jesus that. But the real intention of this law is that one should not use God’s name to justify themselves or their pursuits. Business people who say they are good Christians in order to sell a product. Politicians who claim Christian values to get elected. And Christian groups that support behaviors that are decidedly not that of Christ. Yet the Jewish leaders had little problem with people using God’s name to come to the temple to sell their products.

Another example is the 4^th commandment. Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy. God gave this commandment because in Egypt the Israelites were forced to work 24/7. The intention was that in taking a day to honor God, they would be freed from this grind. In our world today, this isn’t just about our work hours, we face a 24/7 grind of living for ourselves, we work for our living, then we work for ourselves on weeknights and weekdays. Even taking a day for ourselves has become work. And that’s why we are to take a day to honor God, to love our neighbors, to realize our lives won’t fall apart if we think of someone besides ourselves. But the Jewish leaders boiled this down to not doing any work on the Sabbath, even work that might help a neighbor.

A third example is the 10^th commandment, Thou shalt not covet. A few months ago, I wrote an article contrasting a table with roast beef and a table with salad greens. I spoke about the constant need people have to have the best in life. Part of this involves comparing ourselves to our neighbors, and not wanting to miss out on a better life. This kind of competition drives us to bigger houses, better clothes, better vacations, and etc. until we are like the guy in that commercial, mowing the lawn and moaning, “I’m in debt up to my eyeballs.” That’s where coveting gets us. Unfortunately, the Jewish leaders boiled this commandment down to stealing and adultery. 

And so, even before Jesus gets to the temple, he is already upset that the leaders of the jewish religion have reduced the law to a set of moralisms that they use for their own purposes to divide and rule over the Jewish people. And then he comes to the temple, and sees them breaking the commandments against taking the lord’s name in vain, honoring the Sabbath, and not coveting, and he loses it!

This morning in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, Paul says, “But we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews and folly to the Gentiles” This morning I have focused on the stumbling block to the Jews part of this. They have reduced their religion to a moralism that no longer serves God or benefits neighbor. The second part of this is that Jesus is folly to Gentiles, because the gentiles love winners, and see no reason for suffering one another in love.

Yet this past week, at our Wednesday morning devotion. Our speaker talked to us about suffering one another in love. He spoke about hearing the voices of those we disagree with, not to formulate an argument, but to actually listen so that we might understand their fears and frustrations. To listen in a way that makes them human to us, brothers and sisters, however we disagree. The Gentile way of thinking in modern times is that might makes right, that the winners write the rules, and the history. Yet this winner’s attitude pits us against one another, and divides, and conquers us. The value of suffering one another in love, is that it unites us, includes us, values us, and creates a community of faith, fellowship, friendship and love. The path of suffering one another in love is folly to the Gentiles, but it is the Wisdom of god for all of us.

And so we come to the last part of this sermon, We preach Christ Crucified. The crucifixion of Jesus Christ stands as a measure against both corrupt religion, and corrupt politics. For those who come to believe that Jesus was the Son of God, crucified by both of these forces, there is freedom for us, so that we many never be ruled by them anymore. And that’s the good news of Jesus Christ!  

February 25, 2018                      Reckoned as Righteousness

This has been a very disappointing week. It all began with the school shooting in Parkland Florida, where another 17 school students lost their lives to someone with an assault weapon. Another Columbine, another New Town, another Las Vegas, they just seem to come one after another.

And even more disappointing is that our leaders can’t seem to agree on anything that would change this situation. On Monday, a group of students and parents from Parkland, Columbine, and New Town, gathered and were listened to. They had wonderful ideas – recognizing that guns and people kill people – so both gun and people legislation has to be part of the solution. There were program ideas offered to help law enforcement and schools recognize and intervene to keep guns away from those emotionally or mentally disturbed. Many of these laws have already been written, but defeated by the special interests groups who are more invested in profits than our children’s lives.

And on top of that, we saw teens attacked for being used by media organizations, listened to but encouraged to embrace one particular political agenda, and once again national organizations defending the rights of Americans to own assault weapons, even if your 18 and mentally ill. Yes, it was a very disappointing week.

But you know what, if there’s a silver lining in this week, it was these kids, these families, these people who have committed their lives to protecting school children. They know the deck is stacked against them. They know their politicians take money from gun manufactures and gun organizations. They know that their leaders will find a way to tie up any legislation that might come their way. But they believe that their words and actions will make a difference. And they are gonna keep fighting no matter what until a change occurs. They have faith, faith that a change can happen, faith that in this valley of death, there can be life.

So what does this have to do with our scriptures this morning? Well, in our scripture lessons we have a theme. A theme of disappointment, promise, and faith. Abraham is a hundred years old, he and Sarah have no children, and no earthly hope of having any. Yet God makes a promise, that he will have an heir, and become the father of a multitude of nations. And Abraham believes. The apostle Paul compares Abraham’s faith, to our faith that Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead, and that there is new life to be found in that faith. And finally, Peter, having just confessed that Jesus is the Messiah, is rebuked when he objects to Jesus telling him, that he must die in order to bring about God’s plan of salvation for the world. Peter, I imagine was disappointed to hear Jesus tell him this, because he could not envision that one day, the risen Jesus would indeed overcome the Roman Empire.

Now I do not know of the faith of the people at Parkland, Columbine, or New Town – but they do have it. They believe in this land, where we are having one mass shooting after another, that enough people will be moved to do what is necessary for these shootings to end. It may not happen this time, but they will keep fighting this battle, until life overcomes death itself. And that is God’s promise to Abraham, and to all of us, that through faith there is life. 

February 18, 2018               Complaint Free                                    

Are you a complainer? Do you find yourself complaining about those around you, about how unfair life is to you, or even about yourself? Have you ever paid attention to how often you complain? Has it become a constant ritual for your life? When people have pointed out to your that you are a complainer, do you make excuses for your complaining, like – It’s because I am a perfectionist, or complaining is cathartic, if I didn’t complain then I’d get ulcers, or complaining is good – it’s just me being honest with you. Yes, honest, not constructive. Do you know a complainer? Nothing is ever their fault, it’s always you, or someone else, who is the reason for their troubles in life. Does it seem to you like they are really perfectionists, like their complaining really makes them healthier or happier? Do you feel better about them being so truthful with you. Probably not!

You see, the problem with complaining, is that it doesn’t solve any problems. That’s the definition of complaining – and by stopping our complaining, AND coming up with constructive ways to overcome the problems we complain about, we can solve the problems we have, and more importantly, find peace rather than frustration in our lives. And that includes the lives of those around you.  

So, why am I talking about complaining? Well, one of my colleagues read a book about changing our lives by stopping our complaining. The book was called “A Complaint Free World”, written by Will Bowen. In the book, Bowen challenges himself and the members of his congregation to go 21 days without complaining, criticizing, or gossiping. And to aid his church members in this pursuit, he took a bunch of mail rubber bands, - you know those thick ones and dyed them purple so they could be worn on the wrist. And each time you catch yourself complaining, you have to switch the band to the other wrist and restart your day at 0.

The theory is simple, when we change our words, we can change our thoughts, and when we can change our thoughts, we can change our lives! And that gives us hope for a better life, and a better world. Which is where we meet our story about Noah this morning!

You see, when we get to the story of Noah, God has been complaining about human beings for quite some time. The bible itself says, that human beings got to the point where they were continually doing evil in God’s sight, and so God decided to wipe them from the face of the earth with a great flood. But it seems that after the flood, God looked down on the destruction, and had a change of heart. God decided that never again would God do such a thing, and as a reminder, God set God’s war bow in the clouds, and made a promise not just to Noah but to all creation to never do this again. From now on, God would be a problem solver, not a destroyer. God would no longer act out of frustration towards humanity, but would act to offer them hope.

Now I hope you can see the parallel between my discussion of the book “A Complaint Free world”, and what God does after he destroyed the earth with a flood.  Both involve recognizing the difference between destructive acts, and acts that give hope. Both involve an intentional repentence of being destroyers, and becoming people who give life to one another. In fact, I think that’s what Jesus calls us to do when he starts his ministry, preaching “the kingdom of heaven is at hand, repent, and believe in the good news.” He could have just as easily said, there’s hope for this world, it can be a better place, if you would just turn from your destructive ways, and believe in God’s love for your lives.”

Now don’t misunderstand me. Complaining is not the only self-destructive thing human beings do. But it is a very practical, down to earth, Lenten discipline that could be life changing, for those who choose to give it up. On Ash Wednesday, I encouraged those who joined us, to all seek a Lenten discipline, whether almsgiving, prayer, or taking better care of our bodies, as a way to become better disciples of Jesus Christ, and to realize a better life for ourselves and those around us. Each of these would count as the kingdom of heaven being realized in our lives. And that’s the Good News of Jesus Christ.