Reflections on "Hear....and...." Deuteronomy 6:1-9

One of the challenges I tried to address at the beginning of the sermon was how on-members or people who have no desire to be members anywhere should interface with the sermon.  As I noted, I think the membership claims we have speak to how we are called to be disciples, which should speak to all of us who are seeking to follow Christ.

I learned a lot about mezuzahs in preparing this sermon, which was informative and enjoyable.  I never quite got the "Hear and obey" section done, which is where the sermon started (note the title).    I do not yet have a clear sense of how this series is doing and where it is going exactly!

 “hear…And…” Deuteronomy 6: 1-9: SAPC, Denton; June 19, 2022; Church membership series; Richard B. Culp 

Deuteronomy 6: 1-9  Now this is the commandment—the statutes and the ordinances—that the Lord your God charged me to teach you to observe in the land that you are about to cross into and occupy, so that you and your children and your children’s children may fear the Lord your God all the days of your life, and keep all his decrees and his commandments that I am commanding you, so that your days may be long. Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe them diligently, so that it may go well with you, and so that you may multiply greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has promised you.

Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Introduction:   We continue our preaching series, ‘I’m a member, now what?” in which we are reflecting on the different aspects of being a member.

I had someone ask me this week if they had to listen to the sermon, or since they were not a member of St. Andrew could they use the sermon time to check their email?

I think it was asked in jest?  But, it’s a fair question.  

so please note that everyone here in person or on the internet is invited to listen to the sermon. 

When we speak about membership claims or expectations we have in the Presbyterian church, we are talking about membership in the church of Jesus Christ, what it means to be a disciple of Christ, and the claim that has on us.

so any and all of us who are learning and growing about disciples of Christ may find the sermon applicable to our lives, regardless of where we are a church member, or even we are a church member.

Or, you can check your email!

this week -  we reflect on the importance of studying Scripture and the issues of Christian faith and life, 

Move 1: We begin by noting the importance of connecting our faith with the world around us.

a.  Our story from Deuteronomy this morning takes us back to the wilderness.

1. God has led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt.

2. they have been wandering in the wilderness.

3. They have had moments of great unfaithfulness and they have had moments of clarity when they knew God was in their midst and they trusted completely in God.

4. Now, they are about to enter the Promised Land.  

5.  AS they engage in new ways of living, new opportunities, new understandings, how are they to remember who they are, whose they are, and how they are called to act?

6.  like the ribbon you might tie around your finger to remind yourself of something important, the Israelites are told to take the foundational words of their faith and “Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

7.  God’s word will stand ever before them to remind them of their calling.

b. Today, as you enter the homes of some practicing Jews, you can see on their door a mezuzah case - typically, a  leather case with a parchment inside it.

1. The word “mezuzah” actually means “doorpost”. 

2. The parchment it holds has written on one side the words of Scripture: Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. 

and, of course, as we hear those words, we automatically add Jesus’ addition to love our neighbors as ourselves

3. On the other side is the often the word Shaddai, one of God’s names in Hebrew, which is also an acronym in Hebrew for the phrase “Guardian of the doors of Israel”.

4.  As one Jewish historian notes, “The purpose of the mezuzah is, of course, to help us maintain an awareness of God and of our purpose in the world, every time we enter or exit a room.”  (http://www.letterstojosep.com/2014/12/26/on-the-doorposts-of-your-home-all-about-mezuzot/; blog Letters to Josep: Judaism as told to a Christian friend” December 26, 2014)

Move 2:  I suspect most of us do not affix a mezuzah on our door entry, but as we are reminded, studying Scripture is a critical part of who we are disciples of Christ and members of the Presbyterian church.

a.  As we study the biblical text, make it the lens through which we view the world.

1.  Our Presbyterian heritage takes us back to the Reformation and its emphasis on people reading the Bible.

2.  Bible was translated into the language the people spoke.

3.  Scotland, the home of Presbyterianism, pushed education until every county in the country had a public school - why?  Because the Bible was so important people needed to know how to read it.

4. as you may know, one of the things the Reformers did was clear out of sanctuaries things like statues, organs, and stained glass windows.

5.  Stained glass windows were replaced with clear glass so that the light came in and people could read their Bibles!

b.  No doubt, the world understands and approaches the Bible from a variety of vantage points. 

1. We cannot solve the issue of how different traditions interpret the biblical texts, but we can make sure that we are studying God’s Word so we can see how God sends us into the world to act.  

2.  This morning as I was putting some finishing touches on this sermon, I received a text from a member in the church I served in OH.  

his kids had gathered with him for Father’s day and were looking over old photos.

they sent me one  -  there I was staring in my robe after church, my arm around his daughter who was in first grade at the time.  She was holding the New Adventure Bible the church had given her.

it went joined her collection of Bibles that began with the children’s Bible given to her at her baptism.

During confirmation, she would read daily from the Bible.

Just like we do here at St. Andrew.

c.  My predecessor, Rev. Plunkett, liked to remind the congregation of Karl Barth’s admonition to have the newspaper in one hand and the Bible in the other

1.  We might have to amend that to include twitter and Facebook or Internet news or news on TV.  

2.  Watch your Fox or CNN while holding your Bible. Is it to turn to the Bible to justify what you have just heard, or to start with the Bible and use it as a lens for the news?

b.  The Karl Barth quote is from a 1966 Time magazine article.  

1.  Karl Barth:  “Take your Bible and take your newspaper, and read both. 

2.  But interpret newspapers from your Bible.” (Time Magazine, May 1, 1966.) https://sinibaldo.wordpress.com/2015/03/05/on-barth-the-bible-and-the-newspaper/)

4.  I won’t ask how many of us are involved in daily Bible study, but at the core of how we are as Presbyterians is God’s word.

Move 3:  Study of the biblical texts leads to a response.

a.  If I ask the question, “did you hear me?” most of you would understand the question as a logistical one.

1.  Was the volume out enough for you to hear.

2. did I enunciate?

3. Could you literally hear me.

b.  Hebrew word “Hear” carries with it the implication of “obey.”

1.  To hear is to obey.

2.  Our actions ought to be guided by our study of the biblical text.

c.  One of the most famous French rabbis of the twelfth century was Rabbi Solomon ben Isaac, also known as Rashi. His grandson, Rabbenu Tam, felt that mezuzot should be affixed horizontally for the sake of tradition, because the scrolls in their leather cases were originally pushed horizontally into the crevices between the stones around the doorways of homes.

Rashi argued that mezuzot should be affixed vertically, in such a way that the top pointed toward the Almighty. They eventually compromised, and agreed that a mezuzah should be hung on the diagonal, with its top inclined toward the inside. The decision, allowing peace to rein in a Jewish home in 12th century France, is part of the message of the mezuzah.( https://www.jfedgmw.org/the-mezuzah-why-isnt-it-straight/)

1. Point straight up to God?

2.  Point into the house to look inward?

3. Point out to the world?

Yes, to all.  God’s Word points us to God to know whose we are;  God’s Word points us inward to know who we are;  God’s Word points us into the world.

Conclusion:  Harvey Cox, who is a professor of Divinity at Harvard University and the Harvard Divinity School tells the story of being jailed during the civil rights movement.

The jail practiced segregation, so the white protestors were in a cell at one end of the jail and the black protestors were in a cell at the other end of the jail.  

They were arrested on that Saturday and there were no plans for their release until at least Monday.

Cox notes that the jail warden happened by his cell on Saturday night and shared that the black prisoners had asked for a Bible so that they could have Sunday School and church services in their cell the next morning.  The warden agreed to get them a Bible and told Cox, “Can't do no harm” to let them have a Bible.

The next morning the whole jail filled with singing of gospel songs, preaching from the Exodus story about being led out of bondage, and prayers for deliverance and strength coming from the young, black protestors who were holding church.

As Cox reflected, he realized the warden was correct.

the Bible can’t do no harm.  (How to Read the Bible, Harvey Cox, 7-8). 

But it can change the world.

Reflections on “Buying In” Matthew 13:44-49

This was the first sermon focused fully on our summer preaching series on membership (last week, I mentioned it briefly in the Pentecost sermon).  I discovered a couple of pitfalls to the sermon series:  1. It is going to be hard to find biblical texts that speak to membership since that was not really a thing in the stories from the Israelites or Jesus' followers.  So, I am going to have to do some interpreting.  This week, I had to explain how a "kingdom of heaven" parable connected to membership.  2. What is the point of connection for people in worship who are not members and are not planning on becoming members?  I am going to address that in the introduction to next Sunday's sermon.

I did not like this sermon very much.  Did not have a single comment from anyone about the sermon, so I would say the congregation confirmed the "ho-hum" nature of the sermon.

 “Buying In” Matthew 13:44-49; SAPC, Denton; June 12, 2022; Church membership series; Richard B. Culp 

Matthew 13:44 "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. 45 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; 46 on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. :47 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; 48 when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad.

Introduction:  Last week, we began the summer preaching series on church membership.

Each week, we will reflect on aspects of church membership as described in the Book of Order.  If you are thinking about how the sermon series will build,

 or maybe you are already counting the weeks until it’s is finished!

the sermon series will go until Rally Day on September 11, a day on which we will give everyone an opportunity to renew their baptismal vows in worship.

An ending to the preaching series and a kick-off to the fall.

Last week on Pentecost, we reflected briefly on how the church welcomes all people into membership.

This week, we reflect on the phrase, ”Membership in the Church of Jesus Christ is a joy and a privilege" (G-1.0304, Book of Order).

Move 1:  We read about joy this morning in a unique parable in Matthew;  

one in a series of quick hitters in this section of Matthew; 

not found in the other gospels.

a.  Jesus is describing what the kingdom of heaven is like.

1.  I am not saying membership in the church is like getting into the kingdom of heaven.

2. as I say that, I am reminded of a story Ted Wardlaw, the soon-to-be-retired president of Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary,  tells about a man who had been on the outs with the church since his adolescent days.  The church, he argued, was too concerned about the rules, so he left and said he was finished with it.  

his mother worked on him, begging him to give the church another chance, and finally, the man agreed that we would go again. 

 he got up one Sunday and wandered into a Presbyterian church a bit late.  He got there right as the congregation has just begun the prayer of confession, and he heard the congregation pray: “we have done those things which we ought not to have done and we have left undone those things which we ought to have done, and there is no health in us.”  the sampled to himself and sat down saying, “Good, these sound like my kind of people.”  (Feasting on the Word, Year A, Vol 3, Ted Wardlaw, 289).

3. The church is not the kingdom of heaven, although in the kingdom of heaven we are in the presence of the Triune God.

God the creator who calls us into a relationship with God and each other;

God the Son, Jesus Christ, who invites us into the church e call the body of Christ.

God the Holy Spirit, who guides and directs us as the church.

b. Despite the church not being the kingdom of heaven,  we turn to this parable because of the joy we discover in it.

1.  Imagine the joy the man has after discovering the treasure in the field.

 

2.  Can you see the man walking back home with a smile on his face.

not too big a smile because he does not want to give away his secret, but a smile he cannot wipe off his face.

3.  Can you hear him as he tells his wife, excitedly sharing with her this joy that has taken over his life, 

And what he wants to do - sell everything!

4. maybe she has doubts about what he tells her; 

she has not seen this treasure;

but, how can she restrain this joy?

c. why are you a member of hits congregation?

1. Why do you show up each week for worship?  

Or live stream?

Or participate in the choir?

or go to Sunday School?

Or join in the mission efforts?

2. I suspect we have a wide variety of reasons for becoming a member.

3. One of the fun parts of the Session meeting with potential new members is hearing why they want to join with us here at St. Andrew.

4. AS evidenced by the reception of new members later in the service, that happened again last week.

5. I always leave those meetings feeling uplifted because of what our new members see in St. Andrew.  

and listening as the Session members are spurred on to reflect on why they are members here.

6.  I hope you find joy in being a member of St. Andrew.  

The kind of joy the man felt when he found the treasure in the field.

 Move 2:  Notice what the joy does to the man

a.  His joy leads to buy-in, literally.

1.  everything he has is sold to purchase the land.  

2. total commitment.

3.   his joy at finding the treasure is so great he is willing to make it the sole focus of his life. 

4. As Matthew has already told us back in Chapter 6, ²¹For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:21).

b.  The joy changes the man’s life.

1.  Imagine how the man’s life has now changed?

2.  he owns a field he had not owned before;  

he has this treasure that he has never had before;

his tomorrow will be markedly different than the day before;

c.  His joy even makes the man engage in subversive action.

1.  It is not really the focus of my thoughts this morning, but did you notice that to make all this happen, to get the treasure, the man has to not tell the owner of the field what is there.

2.  that sounds like the topic of another sermon for another day, but do not miss how this joy dictates who the man will act.

d. How has the joy of being a member of St. Andrew changed you?

move 3: A final thought - Membership is a joy and privilege.

a.  Privilege begins with the invitation Jesus offers us.

1. Jesus invites you to be part of the body of Christ.

2. did you ever play the kids' game, Red Rover?

You know, where you had two teams and they would hold hands and form a line and then invite someone from the other side to run across and try to break through their line.

Sort of silly, I guess, but I still remember how great it felt when they shouted, “Red Rover, Red Rover, let Richard come over.”

Clearly, not a popularity contest.  Probably inviting me over because they figure they could hold me off.

But it didn’t matter.  it felt good to be invited by name to run across and try to break through.

b. .  church membership is lived out in a local contest, but it is Jesus calling you by name to be part of what he is doing in the world.

1.  . We may be reflecting on church membership as described in the Presbyterian Church, USA, but it is not about following a bunch of Presbyterians; 

2.  it is about following Jesus Christ.

3. what greater privilege is there than to be invited by Christ to join with him as the body of Christ.

Conclusion:  Clinton Marsh, former moderator of PCUSA, on entering Peaks Presbytery late in his life was asked how they could serve him after his long years of faithful service to the church.  He replied, “find me places to preach, places to serve with you.”

the joy and privilege of church membership.

“Who’s Up Next?” 2 Kings 2:1-15

This sermon was preached the week of the shooting at the elementary school at Uvalde.  I have been struggling with how to articulate how our Christian responsibility should guide us on the issue of gun violence.  is it a mental health issue, as some argue?  Is it a gun issue, as others argue?  It seems to me that regardless of how we label the problem, we should be able to do better as a country.

 “Who’s Up Next?” 2 Kings 2:1-15; SAPC, Denton; May 29, 2022; Richard B. Culp 

Now when the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. ²Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Stay here; for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel.’ But Elisha said, ‘As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.’ So they went down to Bethel. ³The company of prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha, and said to him, ‘Do you know that today the Lord will take your master away from you?’ And he said, ‘Yes, I know; keep silent.’

4 Elijah said to him, ‘Elisha, stay here; for the Lord has sent me to Jericho.’ But he said, ‘As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.’ So they came to Jericho. ⁵The company of prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha, and said to him, ‘Do you know that today the Lord will take your master away from you?’ And he answered, ‘Yes, I know; be silent.’

6 Then Elijah said to him, ‘Stay here; for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.’ But he said, ‘As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.’ So the two of them went on. ⁷Fifty men of the company of prophets also went, and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. ⁸Then Elijah took his mantle and rolled it up, and struck the water; the water was parted to the one side and to the other, until the two of them crossed on dry ground.

9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Tell me what I may do for you, before I am taken from you.’ Elisha said, ‘Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit.’ ¹⁰He responded, ‘You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it will be granted you; if not, it will not.’ ¹¹As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven. ¹²Elisha kept watching and crying out, ‘Father, father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!’ But when he could no longer see him, he grasped his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.

13 He picked up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. ¹⁴He took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and struck the water, saying, ‘Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?’ When he had struck the water, the water was parted to the one side and to the other, and Elisha went over.

15 When the company of prophets who were at Jericho saw him at a distance, they declared, ‘The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.’ They came to meet him and bowed to the ground before him.

Introduction: Spent the last two weeks parading around castles and palaces in England and Scotland, which means hearing quite a bit about how the kings succeed one another.

I’m not talking about one king defeating another king so they take over a country.  I’m talking about how the throne passes down from king to son, about the pecking order of the sons, and then throw in a daughter or two as well.

Not to mention the changing titles - King James the 6th of Scotland becomes James the I of the United Kingdom.

My wife has watched the Crown so she is an expert on this stuff, but I never quite figured it out.  

Give me a presidential election any day!

We have a story of leadership succession today in the passage we read from 2 Kings.  

Not quite the tracing of lineage through kings and queens - more like next week’s Pentecost story with fire and whirlwinds leading to heaven.

A few thoughts on leadership from this succession story.

Move 1:  hard to give up the mantle of leadership.

a.  Elijah has been arguably one of the greatest leaders of the Israelite people; a great prophet.

1.  Yet as his time comes to an end, he does want to give up his role.

2.  No surprise - Elijah had not exactly welcomed Elisha on board when Elijah was told by God to anoint Elisha back in chapter 19 of I Kings.  in fact, we were told that Elijah reluctantly “threw the mantle” on Elisha,” 

and we notice that Elisha is continually referred to as a servant of Elijah.

3.  as Elijah’s time on earth seems about to end, he continues to push Elisha away.

4.  Three times Elijah announces he is going to Bethel, Jericho, or Jordan.

Three times, he tells Elisha, “you stay here.”  in other words, do not come with me to this next place.

5. Elijah is not ready to give up his mantle of leadership, even though he knows his time is coming to a close.

b.  One of the challenges of leadership is recognizing and welcoming the need to expand leadership,

to include others,

to develop the next generation of leaders.

1.  One of the gifts the Presbyterian church offers to the world is the example of shared leadership.

2. We may laugh about all the committee meetings, but we also understand the importance of sharing in the leadership task.

3. Not just one strong leader, but a Session and a Board of Deacons.

4.  Ministers and lay leaders working together to vision and do pastoral care.

5.  One of the important tasks of leadership is preparing the leaders for the future.

Move 2:  this story also shows off the Next person up approach.

a.  We hear that phrase, “next person up” in the world of sports.

1.  Sort of the phrase of the day:  how did you overcome the injury to the star player?

Next man up.

how did you overcome the retirement of so many key people on the UWWNT? 

 next person up.  

2.  As Elijah departs in the whirlwind, it is 

Next person up, or next prophet up.  

Elisha.

b.  To his credit, Elisha has been persistent and prepared himself.

1.  We see his persistence as he rebuffs Elijah.

Remember those three times Elijah tells Elisha to say behind?  Elisha ignores Elijah and persists in going with him.

2. We see Elisha’s desire.  

When Elijah asks him what he wants, Elisha knows:  “a double portion of your spirit.”

When Elijah makes it a challenge - you must see me being taken away to receive the double portion, Elisha hangs in and watches and gets his double portion.

3.  If we were writing a manual on leadership, we could find several chapters worth of material from how Elisha made himself ready for the role of prophet.

b.  But, the story also asks the question is it the person or the God who equips the person?

2.  The Wounded Healer, Henri Nouwen:  A Christian leader is a man [person] of hope whose strength, in the final analysis, is based neither on self-confidence derived from his personality, nor on specific expectations for the future, but on a promise given to him.”

3. Strong, faithful leadership begins with faith in God and a commitment to serving God.

4. The God who calls us into leadership is also the God who equips us for the tasks before us.

5.   Perhaps you remember Peter Marshall,  a Scottish Presbyterian who came to the United States and became a well-known preacher and later Chaplain of the US Senate. 

His wife Catherine wrote about him:  "Always Peter felt inadequate for the tasks to which God called him,”

But as Catherine Marshall went on to note about her husband – “because he knew God had called him, he also knew he would get the help he needed" (The Best of Peter Marshall, Catherine Marshall, xi).

Elijah was a great leader; Elisha can be a great leader because God has called them and equipped them.

Move 3:  We live in a Critical time for leadership.

a.  The world is crying out for good, faithful, creative leadership.

1.  on a global front, we see the need for strong leadership.

2. how do we confront and deal with conflicting claims of nations;

or the use of force of to impose one nation’s will on another.

2.  In our own country, we see the need for leadership.

3.  the shootings in recent weeks in another school (this one close to home in S. Texas)  a grocery store in the northeast, and a Presbyterian church in CA remind us that we are a nation full of anger and violence that stretches from coast to coast.

4.  in the church setting, we look at failing churches, and falling numbers of members in most denominations, and we struggle to see a way forward.

5.  we are at a critical time for leadership.

b.  so we read of Elijah passing on the mantle of leadership to Elisha and we wonder who is going to step up in our world and our time to provide strong, faithful leadership.

1.  Father Elias Chacour, a Melikite Catholic Priest, an Arab citizen of Israel of Palestinian descent, an author, and a leader in the Peace Movement in Israel, wrote the following memory of his seminary experience:

Father Longere, touched a deeply resonant note, like a voice out of
eternity. I had come to value his wisdom, his remarkable way of challenging us, spurring us to deeper thought on any subject in which we were certain of our opinions. During one of his final lectures, I found myself riveted to his words. "If there is a problem somewhere," he said with his dry chuckle, "this is what happens. Three people will try to do something concrete to settle the issues. Ten people will give a lecture analyzing what the three are doing. One hundred people will commend or condemn the ten for their
lecture. One thousand people will argue about the problem. And one person - only one - will involve himself so deeply in the true solution that he is too busy to listen to any of it." "Now," he asked gently, his penetrating eyes meeting each of ours in turn, "which person are you ?” (Page 129 - Blood Brothers by Elias Chacour. Chosen Books 1984)

2.  who among us is hearing God’s call to step forward in leadership, to join with others to tackle the issues before us.

3. the task is not small or easy, but the God of Elijah and Elisha is calling.

Conclusion:  did you notice the first thing Elisha did?  He picked up Elijah’s mantle and touched the ground.

He did not know yet if God was going to be with him.

But he stepped forward in faith to lead.

The water was parted.

Being the next person up is an act of faith.

you’re up next.