"Sharing the Vision" Revelation 9: 13-19; Ezra 5: 6-11

This week's sermon brings to mind a couple of thoughts:  1. The challenge of going from topic to text, instead of text to topic.  I was taught to start with the text and go where it goes, but when preaching topical sermons, you try to find a text for the topic.  This is Vision Sunday for the "Shining Our Light" capital campaign, so I started with the topic of vision and then looked for texts.  When searching for texts, I discovered lots of visions, but most had to do with prophets or visions people had in the night (i.e. - Peter and Cornelius having visions in Acts that led to the early church's decision to no longer require that dietary restrictions be maintained by new Christians).  Thus, a challenge to build on the vision motif.

2.  I was reminded of how much I loved my Hebrew exegesis class on Ezra and Nehemiah.  It is such a powerful story. As I recall, I preached a whole series on Ezra and Nehemiah quite a few years ago when we were involved the first building project.  It's a powerful story of God's people encountering lots of challenges and issues as they seek to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem.

I picked the Revelation passage as a context for having a vision.  The specifics of the vision do not fit our situation, but it serves as a reminder that when we envision what God would have us do, we are making a powerful statement.  I have been thinking this week about the power behind our vision of a renovated sanctuary that is ready for the next century of worship.

The Ezra passage is a portion of a letter from those who do not like what the returning exiles are doing in rebuilding the temple.  It's sort of a tattle-tale letter to the king.  We read the portion where it is reported that when they asked the returning Israelites who decreed they could rebuild and what their name was. The Israelites answer, "We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the house that was built many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and finished."  At least that's the first part of their answer.  I am struck by their sense that being servant of God gives them permission to build and is their name.
A rather bold claim.  it also stands as a high responsibility to live out that calling in their rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem.

I do not equate our project with the historical significance of rebuilding the Temple after generations of exile, but I believe we make that same claim -- we are God's people -- and we take on that same responsibility -- to engage in projects that reflect that truth.

I'm not sure what these thoughts will look like when they arrive at the point of being preached, but it's not Sunday morning yet.

Peace,

Richard

Reflections on "Desperate People" Mark 5: 21-34; Psalm 130

I realized Saturday night that on Pentecost I preached about the desperate people wanting to hear about the resurrected Christ; then last week I used a quote about being desperate when going to church; now I have desperate people in the title and mention desperate people coming to our Lord's Table.  Not sure what to make of the recurrence of that image.

I like the image from the introduction.  Not sure if the transition to the rest of the sermon worked.  The Archbishop of Canterbury quote and the Sara Miles quote probably work better in print when being read than when spoken.  They both were fairly subtle.

I thought the image of a baby crying that I used in the Time with Young Disciples was a good one to describe "out of the depths I cry" from Psalm 130.  That was a last minute thought, but I wish I had included it in the sermon.  

“Desperate People” FPC, Troy; Mark 5: 21-34; Psalm 130; October 2, 2011; World Communion Sunday

Introduction: World Communion Sunday – a Sunday when we gather around our Lord's Table and declare our connectedness with our brothers and sisters in Christ and imagine that we all are coming to our Lord's Table together.

We know that we do not arrive at our Lord's Table together. Some Christian traditions do not acknowledge this connectedness; but, we look toward the day when all our brothers and sisters in Christ will be united around our Lord's Table.

Imagine what it would be like to come forward to receive the elements today with brothers and sisters in Christ from all over the world.

You might see the minister wearing a stole like I am this morning that was a gift from Mar Inong, our minister friend from the Philippines.

Or wearing a cross like the one I wear from the Presbyterian Church in Cuba.

In front of you might be a Korean man. Good chance he would be a Presbyterian. Notice how differently he looks and when he speaks how strange his native language sounds to our ears.

Directly behind you might be an African woman, dressed in brightly colored clothing. Perhaps she is from the desert areas of Africa with her black skin well worn from the blowing sands.

Behind her is a Colombian. Maybe he looks something like Mario and he is from the North Coast presbytery in Colombia, our sister presbytery. His rhythmic Spanish rolls of his lips.

Up ahead are two Italian Catholic girls. They have recently celebrated their first communion and today is their first time to come forward during a regular mass. They anxiously look around to make sure they are doing it correctly. The excitement of youthfulness flows out of them.

As far as you can see, the parade of people coming to our Lord's Table broadens the image of God in which we were created beyond anything we could imagine.

World Communion is about claiming our connection to all those people.

Move 1: But I want to reflect for a few moments on a subset of that larger group.  A group not connected by their common look or language, but a group connected by their hunger.

a. A group of people who, to quote the Archbishop of Canterbury, are “really hungry and can smell fresh bread a mile a way.” (59) Take This Bread: A Radical Conversion, Sara Miles

1. People who are coming to our Lord's Table because they are starving to find some hope.

2. People who come to our Lord's Table desperately seeking the Risen Christ.

3. Maybe you know someone like that.

4. Maybe you are someone like that.

b. Someone like the hemorrhaging woman we read about in the Gospel of Mark.

1. She has tried all the physicians, and none of them can heal her.

2. She has used all her money to find help, but has not found it yet.
   
   
   3.  I suspect that Jesus is not the first person whom she has visited in hopes that they could heal her.

100. maybe she has heard about Christ.

1. that he is the son of God.

2. that he has been performing miracles and healing people.
   
   
   3.  We do not know why she has chosen Jesus, but there she is pushing through the crowds, desperately seeking his healing powers,.

4.  She is not even asking for him to lay on hands or perform some ritual. She just wants to touch his clothes.

5. And she does. And she is healed.

Move 2: This is his Table.

a. This the Table of the one who heals her.

1. This is the place where we meet the Risen Christ.

2. This is where we receive by the power of the Holy Spirit, the life transforming gift of Christ's body and blood.

b. We cannot explain it.

1. I cannot explain to you how the hemorrhaging woman was healed.

2. I cannot tell you how the Risen Christ will transform the lives of those who meet him at this Table.

3. But I can invite you to join with other people who desperately need the power of our Risen Lord to transform their live; to join with them as we come to our Lord's Table.

Conclusion: For some, the journey to the Table is merely an exercise.

I suspect for some who stood in the crowds that day with Jesus, it was just an afternoon wasted.

But, for some, the journey to our Lord's Table will bring them healing and hope.

Let me finish with Ara Miles description of the first time she came to our Lord's Table. She writes: “I still can't explain my first communion. It made no sense. I was in tears and physically unbalanced.: I felt as if I had just stepped off a curb or been knocked over, painlessly, from behind. The disconnect between what I thought was happening – I was eating a piece of bread; what I heard someone else say was happening – the piece of bread was the “body” of “Christ,” a patently untrue or at best metaphorical statement; and what I knew was happening – God, named “Christ,” or “Jesus,” was real, and in my mouth – utterly short-circuited my ability to do anything but cry”(59) Take This Bread: A Radical Conversion, Sara Miles

come, the risen Lord invites you to his Table.

Amen.

"Desperate People" Mark 5: 21-34; Psalm 130

When I picked this title, I was thinking of Nevada Barr's comment about being desperate when she went to church.  Of course, I ended up using the quote in last week's sermon, so it's not doing me much good this week!  I sometimes have that problem when I do the newsletter and pick the texts for several sermons in a row -- I forget to segregate the different sermons when I start writing them.

When I read the Mark text, I wonder if the woman (and Jairus for that matter) had gone to other people hoping they could solve her problem.  I imagine if I had her condition I would be desperately going anywhere to see anyone who I thought could solve my problem.  I'm not sure if it matters or not (what do you think).  But, it certainly matters that Jesus is the one who healed her.

The Psalms are often a cry from seemingly desperate people to the God they hope will be faithful to them.  As I reflected on whether the woman had tried other people, I was reminded that of the Israelites in the wilderness, who turned away from God while Moses was up on Mt. Sinai because they were afraid and were willing to turn to anything in their fear.  I wonder if the Israelites had some sidebar psalms to offer up to other gods?

I landed on the idea of desperate people for World Communion Sunday, because I have this image of people all over the world who desperately need hope and change arriving at the Lord's Table, believing that this is the only place they can turn where they can discover real hope and change.  What are you looking for when you come to the Lord's Table?

Peace,

Richard

"What to Expect" Acts 6: 1-; Deuteronomy 10: 12-22

this is another sermon (like last week's) that I've been thinking about for some time. I find it hard to stay focused in a sermon that has been brewing for a long time.  So much time lends itself to too many ideas!

This might be a good time to give a shout out to Karl in Salt Lake City and Christie in Seattle, with whom I worshiped at two of the places mentioned in the sermon.  Not only were they both gracious hosts, but their willingness to talk about their church experiences helped me as I reflected on being in worship at the churches they now attend.  

The unanswered question in the sermon is what happens next for people who arrive for worship desperately seeking answers when they find answers.  Does that satisfy just in the moment?  How do we as a church help them grow into discipleship? 

It struck me that we have lost a sense of awe and reverence in our world today -- not just in the church context, but in most areas of life.  Maybe the sense that we can figure anything out takes some of the mystery and awe out of life; maybe we settle for what gratification we can find and never look beyond it; or maybe we so want God to be accessible to people that we de-emphasize the awesome nature of God.  For example, I want kids growing up in the church to view the sanctuary as a safe, welcoming place where they want to go to  worship God.  In creating that environment, however, I think I have not communicated the awe and reverence  that God deserves.

“What to Expect” Sept. 25, 2011; Acts 6: 1-7; Deuteronomy 10: 12-22; FPC, Troy; clergy Renewal series

Introduction: As I prepared for my during my Clergy Renewal time, I looked forward to the opportunities I would have to worship in different congregations and other settings. And, in fact, I worshiped on average at least once a week, although not every Sunday.

I thought I would be like a sponge – soaking up different styles of worship and sermons, gaining insights into how churches worshiped that would be helpful to me as a worship leader.

I discovered I was not much of a sponge; that when I left the each worship experience I had this feeling of met or unmet expectations. Instead of a sponge, I enter worship with expectations, and left with those met or unmet in varying degrees.

I began to ponder what expectations people bring to worship.

Why are you here this morning? What do you expect to happen that will make it worth having been here?

I have always found this passage in Acts to be a fascinating one. It takes place early in the development of the church. The followers of Christ are running around living out what it means to follow the resurrected Christ and the Hellenists challenge what they are doing.

The Hellenists, the Greeks, the outsiders, the ones who do not follow Christ critique the Christians and ask if they are actually doing what the followers of Christ should do. Turns out the Hellenists have expectations of Christians.

And these early followers of Christ do not deny the unmet expectations or dismiss them or argue against them. Instead, they recognize the truth of those expectations and make changes to meet them.

Move 1: Reflect for a moment about how the church can meet the expectations of those who arrive for worship.

a. People arrive seeking to discover the truth.

1. Nevada Barr, Seeking Enlightenment Hat by Hat (190-191): “I didn’t come to the Episcopal Church because I believed in the unbroken lineage of bishops or because I believed in the the god to whom they were said to have dedicated themselves. I chose the Episcopal church over a temple, mosque, or churches inhabited by Presbyterians, Catholics, or Baptists because it was close to my apartment and, the evening the whim came upon me to turn to God, the front doors were unlocked. I didn’t come to worship. I came because I was lonely, frightened and desperately unhappy.”
2. Gather to worship God as people who need God.
   b. Our worship needs to witness to the gospel.

1. Witness swears to tell the truth.
2. We gather to tell the truth.
3. To declare good news.
4. To announce to the world God's saving love that we discover in Jesus Christ.
5. To proclaim that by the power of the Holy Spirit god sends us into the world.
   c. Clergy renewal examples of discovering the truth.
   1. Lutheran Church in Salt Lake City; attended with a friend of mine from college; he is a lifelong Presbyterian and his wife has been a Presbyterian for many years after growing up Catholic; they have both been elders in the Presbyterian church, but too much internal conflict in their Presbyterian Church has led them to become Lutherans; or at least Presbyterian who are members of a Lutheran church!
   When I told my friend I wanted to go to the church he attends, he noted it would be kind of different. “Different?” I asked? “Well, they pray.” “We pray, too.” “Not like they do.”
   loose service; lots of coming and going; free flow of people coming in and out of the service (I even left and came back at one point!);
   We were there for confirmation Sunday, so things were a little bit different. When it came time to pray, they invited the confirmands down, and then they invited people to come down and lay on hands and pray for the confirmands; and since they normally offer that for anyone who needs pray, the minister invited people in need of prayer to go to the back of the sanctuary so others could lay on hands and pray for them.
   They prayed. Some out loud; some silently; some people stayed for the whole time; others went down and back; it went on for a chaotic 10-12 minutes you got to pray; left there believing that God was in their midst
   the service really did not work for me; I'm not sure I'd join there if I lived there.
   But anyone who left that worship that morning had to believe the truth that God was alive in their midst and answering prayer.
   2. Culpeper Presbyterian Church in VA. Formal. Liturgy a bit different. Instead of the minister preaching, people were sharing about the just completed mission trip. You know what it's like to show up expecting normal worship and something else is happening;
   I wasn't that interested in hearing stories instead of the sermon I wanted to hear, but then they told the stories. Stories that revealed how God had been at work in the lives of the people they served and in the lives of those who went on the mission trip. A tear or two was shed.
   The truth had been told – God is alive and at work.
   Every church develops its own identity in its worship. What do we people discover about God when they worship with us?
   Move 2: Role of members

a. McDonald's drive through; apparently during the morning rush they put a person in the drive through to take your order, instead of ordering at the big menu with the speaker. I find it hard to believe that it's faster talking to a person than a speaker, but I trust that McDonalds knows about efficiency.

I probably didn't help speed things up that morning because my curiosity overwhelmed me. “Why are you taking orders in person?” “Because it's faster during the rush time to do it this way.” “Really?” “Yep.” “how do people know what to order since they can't see the menu.” “Most people who come here know what they want. If they don't, I'm here to help them.”

1. some people are self-sufficient as they arrive for worship; they know why they are here; they know where to find what they need
2. they can find it for themselves.
   b. Others need help, and we are here to help them.
   1. Not a clear distinction between visitors and members on this issue.
   2. some of us who frequent these pews every week need help sometimes to hear the gospel.
   3. Some of the people who visit with us need guidance.
   4. We need to have others pray for us; we need that smile; we need to shed a tear in the company of people who understand

b. Welcoming people

1. Bellevue, WA church – 2500 member Presbyterian church; 3 traditional services and 2 contemporary services each Sunday morning; Leslie and I were there early so we probably mingled with 800 or more people, all of whom basically ignored our presence;
   we still worshiped; still heard God's word proclaimed; still celebrated the Lord's Supper; but we did so outside of the community that gathered there.
2. We gather to worship together. A smile is the starter. Look someone in the eyes.
3. Real conversation. Brief, but authentic.. Show an openness to those who are with us. Help them discover that gospel.

Move 3: More than the mechanics of worship; we worship God

a. Being Disciples of Christ in a Dot.com World (89): “One eccentric practice of the church is worship. Worship is an ineffective use of time and resources. Worship does not exist simply so the community can gather together, nor does it exist to meet our emotional needs.”

1. Worship is a God thing.

1. “Worship” comes from the Old English words meaning “honor” or “worthiness” and “to create”(Reaching Out without Dumbing Down, Marva J. Dawn, 76).
2. Create honor for God.
3. Witness to the gospel that saves, but also the God who brings us salvation.
4. God alone is worthy of our worship.
5. Deuteronomy – reminder of what's important; obey commandments; serve others; worship.
6. At times in Exodus we could be led to believe that the primary reason God leads the Israelites out of slavery is so that they can worship God.
   Move 4: Worship is about God means that worship is Counter cultural.
   a. Worship connects us with the God who is always critiquing and challenging our worldly ways.

b. Corporate worship in a world that often pushes self, self, self.
1. Greet one another.
2. Pray for each other. Share our difficult challenges. Invite others to celebrate with you.
3. Pass the communion elements to one another – gift of Christ for me, but also for that other person down the pew. We are connected in Christ.
4. Be in community in a world that preaches worrying about one's self first.
c. Time
1. I know, we shoot for an hour. I confess that sometimes when we have a whole bunch of different elements added to worship and we still get done in an hour I pat myself on the back and consider it a real gift to my worship skills that we somehow met the time allotted to worship.
2. Do we limit our prayer concerns because time is running short – yeah, sometimes, do.
3. Laura Noftle, a long -tenured member who died last year. One day she asked me, “why do you rush?” “what?” “every time we have communion you start talking faster the minute you get behind the Lord's Table. I know you are worried about time, but I don't care. I want to experience communion with God.”
4. time does matter; not because time is money; not because every minute has to have a productive purpose; time matters because it is God's time.
5. Our worship reminds us of that.
6. It's hard to quantify reverence and awe.

Conclusion: It is reputed that Karl Barth once remarked that people came to the sanctuary on Sunday mornings with one question: “Is it true?”

It is true that God loves us; that God sent Jesus Christ to save us; that Christ was raised from the dead;

How does our worship answer that question.

"What to Expect" Acts 6: 1-7a; Deuteronomy 10: 12-22

While on Clergy Renewal, I visited several churches.  In some, I was a complete stranger; in others, I had a prior relationship with the congregation.  I discovered that when I left the worship services, I had some sense that the service had worked, or not worked. or partly worked for me.  It made me realize that when I attend worship I have an expectation of what will transpire during that time.

What expectations do you have when you come to worship?  How do those expectations get me or go unmet?

I wonder what expectations visitors have when they arrive at our sanctuary?  Or the parking lot?  At one of the churches I visited I was greeted as I shut my car door in the parking lot.  An older woman must have figured I looked lost, or I looked like a stranger, or maybe she was just that friendly.  Regardless of why, she welcomed me before I even got inside the church.  Let me tell you, that made me much more receptive to what happened in worship and made me expect to have a good experience in worship.  I actually do not remember the sermon, but I did get invited to lunch with a group from the church.  no surprise, I suppose, that I recall that service as one of my best experiences of worship last summer.

The Acts passage notes the expectations of the early church.  It does not specifically deal with worship expectations, but serves as a reminder that when we gather in places that identify us as Christians, people have expectations of us.

The Deuteronomy passage reminds us of the importance that worship played in the life of the Israelites and the importance God placed on worship.  At times in Exodus the reader could be left with the impression that the sole reason God led the Israelites out of bondage was so that they could worship God.  Makes worship a big deal, doesn't it? How big a deal do you expect worship to be each week?

Peace,

Richard

Peace,

Richard

Reflections on "A Surprising God" Matthew 19: 16-30; 2 Corinthians 5: 12-21

I have been reflecting on this sermon topic most of the sermon.  It's highly anticipated moment floundered a bit in the chapel service.  In addition to having my notes in the wrong page order and jumping a page before working back to the original order, I did not feel like I was ready for the chapel service.  Maybe I was a bit scared of it.  This sermon seems a bit radical to me, at least in terms of pushing beyond the salvation question.  

Between services I add the bit about this is an important question, which somehow seemed to all me to preach the sermon more easily.  The sanctuary service sermon went much better, at least from my perspective. 

This is one of those sermons that I wish I could preach from a different angle for several weeks to really explore it, but I am not going to do that.

“A Surprising God” September 18, 2011; Matthew 19: 16-30; 2 Corinthians 5: 12-20; clergy renewal series

Introduction: The musical “Big River” details the escapades of Huckleberry Finn.

One of the songs is entitled “Do Ya Wanta Get to Heaven.” the chorus goes like this: “Looka Hear Huck, do you wanna go to heaven? do you want to go to heaven well I'll tell you right now. You better learn to read and you better learn your writin or you'll never get to heaven cause you won't know how”

Huck is given lots of advice, including not growing up to be a “loafer like your pappy” and “If you can't read your Bible, then you'll never get to heaven cause you won't know how;”

Widow Douglass and Miss Watson were “so regular and decent in all their ways” (sounds like they were Presbyterian)

Judge and Tom Sawyer were not above puttin in their two cents worth. Everyone in town, it seemed, had their idea of how Huck Finn ought to act or something he should do to get into heaven.

That was not the first time this question was asked. Historically, lots of things have been suggested for people to do so that they can get into heaven.

Perhaps you might have mentioned a thing or two over the years about what someone needs to do to get into heaven.

Move 2: Young man with many possessions has this question in mind when he approaches Jesus.

a. “What good deed must I do to have eternal life?”

1. Maybe you have wondered that once or twice yourself.

2. We certainly live in a world where many Christians ask that question.

3. Surely I am not the only one who has had someone ask “have you been saved?” or “if you died today, where you would you go?”
4. Or have seen the bumper sticker that reads “In case of rapture, this car will be empty” and wondered who would be left driving your car if the end of time arrived suddenly while you were out running errands!

5. Someone recently shared with me the story of a woman who lost her Bible. She frantically looked for it. As she looked for it, the real story came out – her hysterics were not for the Bible per se, but for the piece of paper in the Bible which had a statement detailing the day and time she was saved, signed by her minister; sort of her ticket into heaven.

b. Jesus returns the question with a pretty challenging answer – obey the commandments.

1. The young ruler must be a pretty good guy, or at least he has a pretty good sense of himself because he tells Jesus that he has done just that.

2. So what's next he wants to know.
3. I bet he soon wished that he had skipped that last question because Jesus pushes the envelope – not only obey all the commandments, but sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor.

the young man goes away knowing he has failed Jesus' test, and I suspect hopeful that he can find another way to get to eternal life.
4. In a way, Jesus seems to be on the same page as Huckleberry Finn's aunts and friends as he tells the young man the things he must do to get eternal life.

b. On the other hand, Jesus' tone and demeanor suggests that he will keep on raising the demands until a threshold is reached that the young man cannot pass.

1. If the rich young ruler had said, “okay, I'm off to sell my possessions to give to the poor,” I imagine Jesus would have had something else for him to do.

2. The point Jesus seems intent on making is that no one, the young man with lots of possessions, or anyone else can can achieve eternal life, at least of their own accord.

3. the question of salvation cannot be answered by mortals, it can only be answered by God.
4. Maybe, just maybe, the story of the young man who tries to figure out what he can do to earn eternal life will allow everyone, including us, to hear the surprising good news that God that sends Christ to save sinners, to save even us.

Move 3: During my Clergy Renewal time, I had the chance to read Love Wins by Rob Bell

1. In part, he argues that Christians have put too much emphasis on the question “Are you saved?”

2. He suggests that Jesus does not spend much time on that question.

3. Instead, Jesus emphasizes how to live our lives as his followers.

4. We recognize that in the exchange he has with the rich young ruler.

5. We have already noted that when the young man asks Jesus about getting to eternal life, Jesus puts forth some difficult challenges.
   
   
6. But we also notice that Jesus' answers direct the young man to consider how he is treating others.

7. Jesus recites commandments that dictate how we are to treat one another; then the great commandment that contains further amplification on how we are to treat one another; finally, Jesus tells the young man he has to show so much concern for the poor that he sell his possessions and give it all to the poor.

8. It is not only a seemingly impossible challenge, but it sends the message that the path to eternal life may not matter nearly as much as following Jesus into the world to serve.

9. In other words, Jesus shifts the question from “Am I saved?” to “Am I following my Savior?”

b. Bell also asks how we can believe in the sovereignty of God without believing that God will be true to those promise to save everyone?

1. In other words, when Paul tells the Corinthians that God is reconciling the whole world, is God true to that?

2. If we believe God is true to that promise, why are we so concerned about who is saved and who is not saved?

3. Or why do we have such trouble claiming that truth for ourselves.

4. It seems to me that the answer to those questions are intertwined.

5. To bolster our own uncertainty in salvation, we focus on the who is saved and who is not saved, usually including ourselves among the saved.
   
   
   6. The more unsure we are about others, the more certain we are that they have failed the salvation test, the better we look.
   7. as if the only way we can claim the good news of God's saving grace for ourselves is by noting that it is bad news for others.

100. With that in mind, Bell suggests Christians need to have a little more humility.

1. Instead of rejoicing in the certainty that we know what it takes to be saved, celebrate the God who time again acts in surprising, gracious ways to save people.

2. instead of narrowing Christ's saving act on the cross by seeing how we can limit that by a certain belief structure, rejoice in the surprising ways God continues to be at work in the world.
   
   
3. Not to say that the question “Do I get to heaven is unimportant.” I suspect Matthew told this story because he knew that there were others who had that question – that we would have that question.
   
   
   4.  But hear the Good news – it is impossible for mortals to answer that God; only God saves
   
   
   Conclusion: Back to Huck Finn – he lives in the fictional town of St. Petersburg, MO

Literally “St. Peter's town”

St. Peter, the one manning the gates of heaven in any story or joke about getting to heaven.

As if Twain's whole story is about the question of salvation.

Turns out Huck Finn finds himself too busy helping his slave friend Jim get to freedom to do the things he's told he needs to do to get to heaven.

“Do you want to get to heaven?” Is that a question we need to answer or an invitation to know the saving grace of God and to follow our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ?

"A Surprising God" Matthew 19: 16-30; 2 Corinthians 5: 12-21

This sermons grows out of my reading Rob Bell's Love Wins.  Bell tackles the question of eternal life in some interesting ways.  I resonate with his sense that Christians have put too much emphasis on "Are you saved?" instead of "Am I following the Savior?" (my words, not his).  I also like his suggestion that believing in the sovereignty of God might mean believing that when God says Christ comes to redeem the world God will be true to that despite human sinfulness.

I have been listening to the soundtrack from the musical "Big River" (another Clergy Renewal thing because I was reminded of how much I loved those songs when I had lunch with the friend who first gave me that tape).  The musical, which follows Huckleberry Finn's adventures, has a great song that has everyone in town asking Huck Finn "Do you want to get to heaven," and if he does he needs to learn to read and write or he'll "never learn how" to get to heaven.  I suspect that historically lots of things have been suggested for others to do so that they can get to heaven.

It also occurs to me that the judgmental side of humans make us like the question of eternal life because it can serve as a way to separate -- they're out, but of course, we're in!

The rich young ruler asks Jesus a question about eternal life and Jesus returns the question with a challenge that most of us cannot meet -- not only obey all the commandments, but sell everything and give it to the poor.  In a way, Jesus seems to be leading us into the trap of creating hoops to jump through to get to heaven.  On the other hand, his tone and demeanor suggest that he will keep raising the demand until it becomes obvious that no one can achieve eternal life, at least of their own accord.  Maybe, just maybe, that allows us to hear and claim the grace of God that sends Christ to save sinners, to save even us.

Peace,

Richard