"A Night to Remember"     delivered Holy Thursday, April 1, 2010          

     Tonight is a night to remember.  We have gathered in worship on a Thursday night to remember Jesus.  Specifically, tonight we remember the loving sacrifice of his life through the sacrament of Holy Communion.  We do this because Jesus commanded us to do this in remembrance of him.

      But another reason for us gathering to worship here tonight is for us to remember who we are now because of what Jesus did for us so long ago.  Part of the remembering of what Jesus did for us tonight reminds us of who we are, which is forgiven and redeemed sinners who are now children of God.

      It is important for us to remember who we are because we can easily forget.  Sometimes we forget who we are because we get lost and caught up in the world around us.   Sometimes we forget who we are because we try to run away or hide from our past.  Sometimes we forget who we are because we try to lose our real identity by trying to be somebody else.

      One of my favorite movies is Disney’s The Lion King.  The young lion, Prince Simba had tried to run away from a terrible event in his past.  Unable to forgive himself, and unable to believe that anyone else could ever forgive him, he intentionally tried to forget who he was.  The sad and tragic consequence of that decision was that he left behind all the wonders and blessings of a glorious kingdom that were meant to be his.  But in the turning point scene of the movie, the prodigal lion has a vision of his dead father, King Mufasa.  Through that vision Simba hears his father say to him, “Remember who you are.”  Like that character in the movie, tonight’s worship service can help call us back to remember who we are, and that is children of the King.

      About 1900 years before Jesus was born, the people of God had also left behind the wonders and blessings of a glorious kingdom.  Unlike Prince Simba, they were not running away from a terrible past, but, rather, they were fleeing from a terrible world-wide famine.  By the hand of God, and through the generosity of the Pharaoh of the time, they were granted a safe and prosperous place to live in northern Egypt.  However, while they were there, things changed.  They became oppressed and were enslaved by the Egyptians.  Over the next 400 years the Israelites slowly forgot both God and who they were as the people of God.

      But God had not forgotten them.  God eventually responded to their cries of despair and pleas for deliverance by sending a man named Moses to lead the people out of slavery and bondage and into freedom.  The turning point in the exodus story was when God sent an angel of death to kill all the firstborn in the land of Egypt.

      The reading from Exodus 12 described what the Israelites had to do to be spared from the final plague of judgment that God sent upon Pharaoh and the people of Egypt.  The Israelites were to eat a special meal that night.  The main course of that meal was to be an unblemished, innocent lamb.  But before it was eaten, the blood of that lamb was to be smeared on the doorposts.  God’s angel of death and judgment would pass over every house where the blood was so smeared.  That night, not only were they delivered from their slavery to the Egyptians, but the shedding of the innocent blood of a lamb would also deliver them from the touch of death.

      Now, the Passover in Egypt and the meal the Israelites ate that night was a one time event, never to be repeated like that in history again.  However, the Israelites were instructed to re-create and eat that special meal once each and every year thereafter as a memorial so that they would never forget God’s mighty deliverance of them.  And, in eating that special meal, they would also remember who they were as the people of God, indebted to God for their salvation and deliverance from slavery and death.

      That ancient Passover meal of the Israelites forms the basis of what we celebrate tonight and on other occasions as Holy Communion.  Just as the Passover in Egypt was a one time event, never to be repeated, Jesus died once, and only once, to deliver us from our slavery to sin and to save us from eternal death.  Every time we eat this sacred meal, we not only remember what Jesus did, but we are also reminded that we, too, are the people of God, indebted to God for our salvation and our deliverance.

      Holy Communion helps us to remember the incredible grace and mercy that God continues to show to us even today.  Reflecting on the grace and mercy we all have received from God, we are helped to remember who we truly are.  In the broken body and the shed blood of Jesus, we remember, in the words of the Psalmist, that the Lord has delivered our souls from death, our eyes from tears, and our feet from stumbling.

      Friends, who we are is a people who are loved by God.  God loves us so much that he allowed his own Son to die so that we would be saved from eternal death.  Sometimes when we read the passion of Jesus, but more so when we see re-creations of the suffering and abuse he endured, it brings tears to our eyes.  But when we remember that the suffering that Jesus endured on the way to and on the cross was done out of love, our tears of sadness are turned into tears of joy and thanksgiving.  The love that Jesus brought into our world can help to keep us from stumbling around through life whenever we must walk through dark times.

      And so tonight is a night to remember.  Taking that ancient Passover meal remembrance, Jesus transformed it into a meal for Christians to remember.  What we remember tonight is how the Lord delivered our souls from death by becoming the innocent lamb to be sacrificed so that God’s eternal judgment would pass over us.  In the broken bread we remember the broken body of Jesus.  In the cup of juice we remember the blood of Jesus that confirmed the new covenant between God and people.  That new covenant is that God will grant eternal life to everyone who is willing to believe in Jesus as Savior and follow him as Lord.

      In the turning point scene from The Lion King movie, the baboon priest, Rafiki, literally had to get Simba to take a look at himself as he had become, so that he would remember who he was born to be.  Tonight, as we remember Jesus in the bread and juice of communion, let us take a good hard look at ourselves, too.  May we see who we have become so we can repent of whatever it is in our lives that is keeping us from being the person God created us to be.  But, looking at ourselves through the lenses of who Jesus has redeemed us to be, may we also see who we are now – forgiven and redeemed sisters and brothers of the King.

      One more thing.  In the Lion King movie, Simba was not told to remember who he was, just for memory’s sake.  Rather he was told to remember who he was – the son of a king! – so that he would move forward and live the life he was born to live.  Just so, we don’t celebrate communion every once in a while just for memory’s sake, either.  Rather, by sharing together in this holy sacrament, we remember who we are – sisters and brothers of the King! – so that we might move forward and live the life we were born again to live.

      Jesus gave us the example of the life we were born again to live.  From the foot washing in John, chapter 13, Jesus made it clear that the life we were born again to live is a life of service.  Having been served by the very Son of God, no less, we, in turn, are to serve each other.  On this night of all nights, we remember the command of Jesus to follow his example by loving each other as we have been loved.

      So, what we do here tonight and what we remember here tonight, are not to be left here tonight.  Instead, let us carry our memories of Jesus and our identities as redeemed children of God with us out into the world.

"The Servant of Faith"     delivered Palm Sunday, March 28, 2010     

     H W Beecher told the story of a Moravian missionary who went to the West Indies to preach to the slaves.  But as long he was nothing more than a missionary to them, his work was proving futile.  You see, as slaves they were driven out to the field very early in the morning.  They returned late at night with scarcely strength enough to roll themselves into their cabins.  And so, they were in no mood to be taught anything by anyone, but especially by someone of the same race and rank as their masters. 

      Rather than give up or despair, this wise missionary with a genuine love and burden for those lost souls determined to reach the slaves by becoming a slave himself.  He actually sold himself into slavery that he might he the privilege of working by their sides.  He was able, then, to preach to them as he worked with them.  No master nor any pastor could have been more effective in touching the hearts of those slaves than the man who placed himself in their condition, who lived among them, suffered and toiled as they did.  That unnamed missionary was only following the example of the Lord Jesus Christ who took on himself the nature of humankind, came and lived among us, suffered and toiled as we do, all so that he might save us from our sins. 

      That truth was beautifully written for us by the Apostle Paul in chapter 2, verses 5-11 of the Letter to the Philippians.  

 

      You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.  Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.  Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being.  When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

      Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 

      Paul marveled at the humility of Jesus, a humbleness that enabled Jesus to be willing to follow the path of servanthood all the way to death by crucifixion.  Although God himself, Jesus was willing to put all that glory, power and authority aside for a time to live as a frail human being surrounded by sinful, selfish people who would treat him shamefully.  What’s even more remarkable is that Jesus was willing to obey the will of God his Father even though it cost him dearly. 

      In Jewish theology the one who was to be chosen by God to bring justice and hope to Israel was called a servant.  There are four passages in the Book of the prophet Isaiah that tell of this servant and so are called Servant Songs.  In 42:1-9, this servant will assume the role Israel originally had but left unfulfilled - and that was to bring justice and be a light to the nations.  Verse 1-6 of chapter 49 reveal that the ministry of this servant would be extended beyond Israel to all nations and people.  Isaiah 50:4-9a tells how this servant's work will also sustain the people of Israel who felt separated by God.  And lastly, 52:13-53:12 describe a suffering servant, the fate that befalls him, and the impact his life and ministry would have upon people.  Hear a portion of those words describing the mission of God’s Suffering Servant. 

      He was despised and rejected—a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.  We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.  He was despised, and we did not care.  Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down.  And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins!

      But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins.  He was beaten so we could be whole.  He was whipped so we could be healed.  All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.  We have left God’s paths to follow our own.  Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all.  He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word.  He was led like a lamb to the slaughter.  And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth.  Unjustly condemned, he was led away.

      From the Gospel accounts of what is called the passion of Jesus, Christians have come to understand that Jesus was the fulfillment of those servant prophecies in Isaiah.  Just listen to how Mark describes just a small portion of what Jesus suffered before he died. 

      Then the soldiers led Him away into the hall called Praetorium, and they called together the whole garrison.  And they clothed Him with purple; and they twisted a crown of thorns, put it on His head, and began to salute Him, “Hail, King of the Jews!”  Then they struck Him on the head with a reed and spat on Him; and bowing the knee, they worshiped Him.  And when they had mocked Him, they took the purple off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him out to crucify Him.  Mark 15:16-20 New King James Version. 

  And just like the Isaiah passages foretold, Jesus did not complain about his pain, nor about God’s response to it - which was to allow it to happen.  All that Jesus did for you and for me, because he loves us. 

      As we contemplate how Jesus served us and what it cost him to do so, let us consider our response.  The Apostle Paul saw in Jesus the perfect example that all Christians, all believers are to follow - and that is the attitude and lifestyle of a servant.  That is why Paul began the section in Philippians 2 about Christ’s attitude or servitude with this challenge: “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus...”   

      We’ve talked throughout this season of Lent about different aspects of faith.  Today I’ve talked mainly about Jesus as the Servant of Faith.  But I close today’s message with an article I once read in the periodical Pulpit Helps.  May these words challenge us to consider how we can follow the example of Jesus and adopt the attitude of servitude, or become a servant of faith. 

      “Throughout the ages God has referred to His faithful people as His servants.  The Bible even calls Jesus ‘His holy servant.’ 

      “Unlike the religious leaders who exercised unquestioned authority over the people, Jesus came not as a ruler, but as a servant.  From the example of His own life He teaches, ‘But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you shall be your minister and whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all.  For even the Son of man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.’ 

      “Christ ransomed us that we, too, might serve God and man.  In our zeal to serve, we often overlook a critical truth: The servant does not choose his tasks.  Our concept of serving God may be doing what we would like to do – for God.  We tell God what we will do for Him, and what we will not do; where we will go for Him, and where we will not.  We even tell Him what must not interfere with our plans.  In doing this, we forget He is the Master, and that the Master assigns the task.  Our part is to give ourselves to Him, accepting the assignment He bestows.

      “A servant is not free to serve on his own terms.  Jesus said, ‘You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you to go and bring forth fruit.”  So, we have been chosen to ‘run with patience the race that is set before us.”  The race set before us may not be on the track we would choose.  Perhaps we would not choose the people God has placed around us, or the location or the circumstances we find ourselves in, but the servant is nor above his Master.  (Jesus said) ‘A disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.  It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord.’ 

      “Christ’s life was one of sacrifice and doing the Father’s will.  Though he was rich, for our sakes He became poor.  He counted equality with God a thing not to be grasped but emptied Himself and became a servant.  He came to do God’s will. 

      “As servants following in the footsteps of Christ, we must present our bodies as ‘living sacrifices’ and say, ‘Here I am – I have come to do your will,’ regardless of what the task may be.”

      How will you respond to what Jesus, the Servant of Faith, has done for you?  How will you respond to the wondrous love shown on the wondrous cross?

"The Gift of Faith"  delivered March 21, 2010

       Christianity is all about new life.  In three short weeks we’ll celebrate the greatest and biggest event in the life of the Church: the resurrection of Jesus.  Because of Easter, believers can make a new beginning in faith because of the hope and promise of new life after death.  In addition, the resurrection of Jesus also gives us the hope and confidence that we can have new life in Christ here and now in our day-to-day lives, a daily deepening of our faith, if you will.   All of this is a gift that comes by faith, a gift that trusts the wisdom of faith that through the resurrection of Jesus we can rise above the immorality of this world and live new and better lives than we are living.  

      But we must realize that nothing can be resurrected to new life unless it first dies.  In God’s wisdom, to gain any new life involves going through a death.  For instance, when a child is born into this life, that child must die to the life it lived in the womb.  It must leave behind life as a fetus in order to come to life as a baby.  That example helps us understand the Biblical teaching that when a person is born again or born anew into a spiritual life with Jesus, that person must die to the old life that was lived in the world.  Like a fetus to a baby, people must leave behind the worldly person in order to come to life as a spiritual person. 

      The same truths apply to the churches.  Churches can celebrate resurrection to new life in Christ as surely as can individual people.  Churches may need to leave behind an old way of life in order to be born anew into the life God called and created that congregation to be.  We usually refer to such occurrences as reformations or renewals rather than resurrections.  Nonetheless, churches may be called to leave behind old ways in order to accept the gift of faith offered in Jesus the Christ.

      For any living thing to move to a new life or to grow into a renewed life, some things must die.  Seeds die so that new plants can grow.  Skin cells die and are replaced by new cells all the time.  In that case, we must get rid of the old so that the new remains healthy.  When we fail to wash off the old cells every day, pretty soon they will cause us to stink.  When we fail to wash off the ways of our old, worldly lives, they will cause us to stink spiritually to God, to others, and ultimately to ourselves, too. 

      Such cleansing, such putting to death, is necessary for us to grow and to live spiritually healthy lives.  Sometimes the putting to death can be painful.  Scrubbing dirt off the skin can hurt.  Spiritually, enduring withdrawal from a drug or alcohol addiction, for example, can be painful both physically and emotionally.  But the rewards of a cleansed and renewed life, physically and spiritually, far outweigh the temporary pain.  If you’re going through a personal time of cleansing or putting to death of something in your life, cling to this verse from the Bible: “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us.”   Romans 8:18 New Revised Standard Version 

      But what about when the cleansing or the putting to death seems so difficult or so prolonged that we might consider it to be cruel and unusual punishment?  That’s when this strange and perplexing story from the often-overlooked book of Numbers can be helpful.    

      Then the people of Israel set out from Mount Hor, taking the road to the Red Sea to go around the land of Edom.  But the people grew impatient with the long journey, and they began to speak against God and Moses.  “Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die here in the wilderness?” they complained.  “There is nothing to eat here and nothing to drink.  And we hate this horrible manna!”

      So the Lord sent poisonous snakes among the people, and many were bitten and died.  Then the people came to Moses and cried out, “We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you.  Pray that the Lord will take away the snakes.”  So Moses prayed for the people. 

      Then the Lord told him, “Make a replica of a poisonous snake and attach it to a pole.  All who are bitten will live if they simply look at it!”  So Moses made a snake out of bronze and attached it to a pole.  Then anyone who was bitten by a snake could look at the bronze snake and be healed!    Numbers 21:4-9  New Living Translation

      Strange story, isn’t it?  God’s people griped and complained about what God was doing.  “We hate this horrible manna!”  Talk about biting the hand that feeds you!  So, God sent poisonous snakes to afflict the people.  When the people confessed their sinfulness and cried out for deliverance from the snakes, God didn’t take away the snakes like they asked.  Instead, God’s method to bring healing was for the people to look at an image of the poisonous snakes that were causing their pain!  Strange. 

       Well, one of the lessons from this story is that God will rescue us from problems of our own doing.  Sometimes we need to be cleansed because we got ourselves dirty through our own sinful behaviors and attitudes.  This episode was the final one of a series of six doubts and complaints the people voiced against God when they encountered obstacles along the way to the Promised Land.  Those words and attitudes of the Israelites brought divine judgment upon themselves in the form of poisonous snakes.  That’s a lesson in and of itself, - be careful what we complain about.  But a deeper message is that in the midst of the judgment they brought on themselves, God provided a means of salvation.  God didn’t take away the judgment – the snakes remained.   Rather, God provided a way for them to escape from the judgment’s consequences. 

      As such, this story foreshadows the means of salvation from the judgment of eternal death that God would provide through Jesus centuries later.  The judgment of eternal death as the consequence of sin is still in place.  However, God has provided a means of escape from that judgment through the death and resurrection of Jesus, which we will celebrate on Easter Sunday.  Our faith in Jesus allows us to receive that gift of God. 

      There is a second important lesson in this story though:  Unwavering trust in God will see us through when the putting to death of what needs cleansed from our lives seems overly difficult or prolonged.   The snakes were a painful and terrifying method of cleansing sin from the lives of the Israelites.  But, maintaining faith in God’s plan of salvation would enable anyone and everyone to escape the fatal consequences.   

      Because the people repeatedly spoke out against God and Moses, God considered wiping them out, on more than one occasion.  Instead, God sent poisonous serpents to afflict the people.  Why?  To get their attention. God was telling them, rather dramatically, Either you acknowledge and repent of your wicked and foolish ways, or you will perish.  Hear this carefully: God’s ultimate purpose in sending the snakes was not to kill the people – God could have just done that outright with a thought.  

      Instead, God’s ultimate goal was redemption of the people, a cleansing and putting to death that which was souring the people’s relationship with God.  God wanted the people to lead new lives of faithful commitment and obedience, not lives of selfish whining and complaining.  That makes me wonder - could God be permitting the serpents and poisons in our lives right now to exist so that we might come to repentance and lead the new lives that God wants us to lead?  Could that have been was has happened in our church family recently?  Whether individually or as a church family, we better sit up and pay attention to what God has to say.

      Anyway, it took faith to trust and follow the cure that God prescribed.  Bit by a snake?  Just look at a bronze snake on a pole to be healed.  Amazing.  Today we have trouble following instructions to take medicine, adjust diet and exercise, or eliminate unhealthy actions to cure us of our ills.  Imagine the faith it took to obey that instruction!  But the result of such faith was a gift of healing.  And you know what?  Faith bred faith - the more people who acted faithfully and obediently and were healed, the more who became willing to step out in faith and find the same healing. 

      What a wonderful example for us in the Church today.  The more each of us in the church act and lead lives of faithful obedience, the more others will begin to do the same, too.  For example, one of the yearnings in the Church today is for more commitment from church members.  The example of this story tells us that if a few church members begin living more committed lives, others will follow their example as they see the changes that take place in their lives and in the life of the church.  If a few people begin trusting God and living their lives and making decisions based upon what God would have them do, more and more folks will begin to trust God and live their lives and make decisions based upon what God would have them do, too.     

      Did you know that this story of the snakes from Numbers was referenced by Jesus?  Listen for how these words from John, chapter 3, link the serpent story of Numbers to the cross.   

      “And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.  For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.  God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.

 

      “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him.  But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son.  And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil.  All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed.  But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.”                        John 3:14-21    New Living Translation 

      Faith in a bronze snake brought the gift of physical life to those who were dying because of a snake’s venom.  Faith in Jesus gives the gift of eternal life to those who are dying because of the venom of sin.  Jesus offers us the gift of new life from the condemning bite of sin through his death on the cross.  Although the Bible tells us that God is the only one who can truly make condemnation, the Bible also tells us that God sent his Son into the world not to condemn the world, but that we might have new life through Him.  

      It is so hard for us to let the job of condemnation up to God.  Many people are led to the brink of suicide because they relentlessly condemn themselves and refuse to forgive themselves or they consider themselves to be unworthy of anyone’s love, but especially of God’s love.  Others ruin relationships or their own souls because they refuse to forgive other people and instead hold on to hurt and pain and condemnation.  Like a snake bite, a spirit of bitterness poisons and eventually consumes them.   

      Let the work of condemnation to God.  We have enough trouble when we realize the enormity of the task of trying to clean up the sin from our lives or of putting to death what is wicked in our lives.  The job is so big that we despair of ever being successful.  This is especially true when we think that we have to fix ourselves spiritually all on our own.  But we can’t fix it ourselves, nor do we have to try to. 

      Such thinking goes contrary to one of the hallmarks of our American culture and heritage: ingenuity and inventiveness born out of independence.  “Necessity is the mother of invention” is a popular truism.  However, some people’s ingenuity and inventiveness are just plain scary, especially when it comes to trying to fix things by ourselves.     

      (Several photographs of clever, but dangerous or silly solutions people used to fix a problem they had were shown.)  Folks, the results of our efforts to fix the sin problem in our lives by ourselves will be just as fruitless and ridiculous, like trying to replace bricks with Lego’s.  God freely gave the Israelites a means of escape and of healing through the bronze serpent image raised on a pole.  Just so God has given us the free gift of salvation through the broken body of his Son, Jesus, who was raised on the pole we call the cross.  The Israelites needed to demonstrate faith that believed that the bronze serpent would bring them salvation from the death caused by a snake bite.  Likewise all we need to do receive salvation from the eternal death caused by our sin is to place our faith in what God did on the cross.  Jesus paid the price so we don’t have to. 

      The free gifts of faith and salvation are offered not because we deserve it, but because God wants to give it.  Like Israelites bitten by poisonous snakes facing the bronze image of a serpent on a pole, we can choose to accept the gift that was lifted for us on a cross through faith and live - or we can choose to put our faith in a solution of our choosing, thereby refusing God’s gift, and die.   

      Rev. Dr. Philip Bence, free-lance writer and teacher for Fuller Seminary Northwest and Seattle Pacific University, wrote: “Why do people choose evil when an infinitely better good is available?  Many factors can motivate people in this direction.  Perhaps, going their own way, rather than following God’s wisdom, looks better in the short run.  Or, these people pridefully refuse to admit their need, their wrongdoing.  They hope to hide in the darkness, so that no one will see them as they truly are.  Perhaps they feel that not even a God of love can accept them.” 

      God has made the choice to offer us redemption, salvation, new life here and now as well as for all eternity by sending his Son to die on a cross.  Will you accept that gift through your response of faith? 

   

"The Wisdom of Faith"     delivered March 14, 2010       

      We question the wisdom of others all the time.  No where is that more true than with weather forecasters.  Any more you wait to see what does or doesn’t fall from the sky.  All last week I’d heard that The Farmer’s Almanac was predicting 40” of snow for today.  Thankfully, it didn’t happen.  

 

      But, what is the wisdom in becoming a person of faith?  More specifically, what is the wisdom in choosing to become a person who has faith in Jesus the Christ?  Often the practices and claims of Christian believers seem foolish to the rest of the world.

 

      A little boy was waiting for his mother to come out of the grocery store.  As he waited, he was approached by a man who asked, "Son, can you tell me where the Post Office is?"

      The little boy replied, "Sure!  Just go straight down this street a coupla blocks and turn to your right."

      The man thanked the boy kindly and said, "I'm the new pastor in town.  I'd like for you to come to church on Sunday.  I'll show you how to get to Heaven."

      The little boy replied with a chuckle.  "Awww, come on... you don't even know the way to the Post Office."  

      Much of what we in the church preach and teach doesn’t make sense to those outside of the church.  Unfortunately, many of our actions and behaviors don’t coincide with what we say either.  So it’s no wonder non-believers look at Christians with skepticism. 

      Consider.  We encourage and try to convince people that they should make a new beginning in their lives by coming to faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.  To do that for the first time we tell folks that they need to turn away from what is evil in the world and what is harmful in their lives.  Basically we tell people that in order to save their life, they must lose their life, or, in order to live, they must put to death their present self.  Where is the wisdom in that? 

      Now, on the surface it sounds pretty wise to turn away from what is evil in the world and what is harmful in our lives.  But as people begin to realize that to do so would mean giving up many things that have been pleasurable, exciting and fun for them – well, what’s the wisdom in that?, they ask. 

      The wisdom of making a new beginning in faith, whether for the first time, or each time after we sin and repent, is believing and accepting that there is a better way to live life than the way we currently live it.  Even though many of the lifestyles of this life and this world can bring pleasure, excitement and fun, a lifestyle following the ways of God is better.  For one, it is better because the godly lifestyle brings longer lasting fulfillment.  Plus, that lifestyle is less prone to the harmful consequences and side effects of this world’s lifestyles.  Lastly, the Christian lifestyle is the only lifestyle that produces benefits in this life and the next life. 

      Beyond making a new beginning in faith, though, Christians also spend a considerable amount of time teaching and preaching that we should deepen our faith.  There are many ways and opportunities for believers to deepen their faith, but one of them is through demonstrating trust in God through loyal obedience to God.  Basically, we say that the way to true freedom is to restrict our choices of behavior.  Again people ask, where is the wisdom in that?

      Consider the Ten Commandments: Ten simple rules for living life God’s way.  But many people reject the wisdom in those commandments because they us what not to do.  Thou shalt not.  No one likes to have a finger waved in their face telling them “no”.  But the commandments are phrased in negative language to make clear to us God’s absolute rejection of harmful choices.   

      It is hard for us to understand the wisdom that prohibitions and bans can actually make life better for us.  Our first reaction is to think that they take away from or diminish our lives.    

      But the commandments may be as much about developing Christian character as they are about shaping Christian behavior – in other words, as much about who we are as about what we do or don’t do.  Do we keep them in public but break them in secret? 

      United Methodist diaconal minister Janet Porfilio Westlake wrote,   “The law is not about legalism but about faith.”  How can that be?  For starters, being obedient to the law is to show respect for the lawgiver.  But more than that, obeying the law is a response of faith to God’s grace and love.  Believers choose to obey God’s laws and live by God’s ways because of the way God has treated us - namely because God has loved us and redeemed us.  Seen this way, obeying the commandments is not a restrictive obligation, but, rather, is a choice we make that frees us to be the kind of people God wants us to be.  It trusts God’s wisdom for our lives. 

      Restricting our choices of behavior in order to be free sounds like foolishness.  What’s the wisdom in that?  Part of the wisdom in that is that if there is a better way to live, the wise person will strive for it, even if it means they restrict or restrain themselves from what they otherwise could choose to do. 

      But seems to me that in today’s world, and especially in our scientifically minded culture, the basic question that is asked is this: Where is the wisdom in being a person of faith as opposed to a person of facts? 

      To be a person of faith may make us appear foolish to others.  The debate rages today between science and faith.  At the heart of the debate is proof versus belief.  Most people in our society and culture will put their trust in what can be proven scientifically rather than in what is to be believed on faith.   

      Friends, what it boils down to is this: The wisdom of faith is believing that God knows best, despite appearances to the contrary.  The Bible teaches this truth this way. 

      The message about the cross doesn't make any sense to lost people.  But for those of us who are being saved, it is God's power at work.  As God says in the Scriptures, "I will destroy the wisdom of all who claim to be wise.  I will confuse those who think they know so much." 

      What happened to those wise people?  What happened to those experts in the Scriptures?  What happened to the ones who think they have all the answers?  Didn't God show that the wisdom of this world is foolish?  God was wise and decided not to let the people of this world use their wisdom to learn about him.

      Instead, God chose to save only those who believe the foolish message we preach.  Jews ask for miracles, and Greeks want something that sounds wise.  But we preach that Christ was nailed to a cross.  Most Jews have problems with this, and most Gentiles think it is foolish.  Our message is God's power and wisdom for the Jews and the Greeks that he has chosen.  Even when God is foolish, he is wiser than everyone else, and even when God is weak, he is stronger than everyone else.         I Corinthians 1:18-25 Contemporary English Version 

      Faith is believing that God knows best, despite appearances to the contrary.  Appearances do not always reveal reality.  One of the classic plots of TV sitcoms is where the characters jump to erroneous conclusions about something they saw or heard.  More recently, remember Susan Boyle, the British sensation whose ordinary looks fooled judges and audiences alike as to the depth of her beautiful singing voice. 

      How many times has what appeared to us to be a wise course of action actually turn out to be quite foolish?  Financially ruined stock investors remember the dot.com fiasco.  Who among us hasn’t purchased a product that didn’t come close to measuring up to the hype it was given? 

      Just so, God almost always seems to act in ways that are contrary to our human understandings and expectations.  Sometimes it is an action of God that seems foolish.  Surely to save and redeem God’s people God would use force and violence against the oppressors.  Instead God sent the Redeemer to be the victim of violence at the hands of the oppressors and die on a cross.  When there is sin or wrongdoing, human wisdom and justice demands punishment and sometimes retribution, even when the offender is repentant.  God’s wisdom, though, demands forgiveness and mercy. 

      At other times, it is inaction by God that seems foolish at the time.  For instance, why did God allow Joseph to be sold into slavery by his brothers?  The wisdom of that action wasn’t proven until years later when Joseph was able to save his brothers and their families because of where he ended up. 

      Again, it takes belief and faith to trust God’s wisdom in those matters, in all matters, really.  Pastor Westlake also wrote, “The message of the cross is that salvation is not based upon common sense or reason.  It comes from belief in the crucified Christ, which is seen in self-denial and obedience to God.” 

      Folks, faith is trust in what we cannot or do not see.  The wisdom of faith is believing in more than we can see.  And so, as we make new beginnings in faith and as we deepen our existing faith, we are called to seek out God’s wisdom and plan and direction for every aspect of our lives.   

      When we have to make judgments or decisions, we need to seek out God’s wisdom prayerfully in those matters, no matter how big or small those judgments or decisions may be. We need to seek out God’s wisdom as well, especially when appearances make the choice seem like a no-brainer.  Remember Isaiah 55:8 in which God reminds us:  “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD.” 

      The bottom line is this:  We need to choose, to decide, which wisdom we will follow.  It takes more faith than facts to follow God’s wisdom.  Let us be bold to step out in faith, confidently trusting God to guide our steps in those places where we cannot see clearly what lies ahead, but are called to go nonetheless. 

"The Deepening of Faith"  - delivered February 28, 2010       

      Although obedience is a virtue and is expected of Christian believers, sometimes it can be hard to practice.  This is the story of three men who married wives from different states.  

      The first man married a woman from Michigan.  He told her that she was to do the dishes and house cleaning.  It took a couple of days, but on the third day, he came home to see a clean house and dishes washed and put away. 

      The second man married a woman from Missouri.  He gave his wife orders that she was to do all the cleaning, dishes and the cooking.  The first day he didn't see any results, but the next day he saw it was better.  By the third day, he saw his house was clean, the dishes were done and there was a huge dinner on the table. 

      The third man married a girl from Pennsylvania.  He ordered her to keep the house cleaned, dishes washed, lawn mowed, laundry done, and hot meals on the table for every meal.  He said the first day he didn't see anything, the second day he didn't see anything but by the third day, some of the swelling had gone down and he could see a little out of his left eye, and his arm was healed enough that he could fix himself a sandwich and load the dishwasher. 

      As we prepare ourselves spiritually to celebrate Easter, our Sunday morning worship services are focusing on themes of renewing our faith.  Last week’s message dealt with new beginnings in faith.  This period of time before Easter is a special time when believers are encouraged to make new beginnings in our faith walk with God. 

      Perhaps someone here today will make a new beginning in a faith walk with God by putting their faith and trust in Jesus for the first time.  Those of us who already believe in Jesus as our Lord and Savior are invited to make repeated new beginnings in faith with God every time we repent of our sin.  Repentance simply means to turn away from our sinful lifestyles and turn to a godly lifestyle instead.  God desires that we make such new beginnings in our faith walk with God after every time we spiritually stumble, fall, or turn away from God. 

      But once we make a new beginning in faith, what then?  Then God desires and expects that we will deepen and strengthen our faith walk with God.  At any time, but especially during this season of Lent, believers are encouraged to consider ways in which they might reach in to grow spiritually and so deepen their faith. 

      After we repent our faith is strengthened and deepened each time we make a conscious and determined effort, with God’s help, to move farther away from our sinful lifestyle and to move closer to God.  Such actions increase the level of our faith.  One gauge for measuring how deep our faith is becoming is the extent of our obedience to God and our trust in God.  Another way to look at it would be that the more trusting and obedient we are to God, the deeper our faith becomes.  To help us understand this concept better, today we’re going to look at the faith response of one of the greatest men of God in the Bible – Abraham. 

      God is easily pleased.  Now that statement is a far cry from what was said last week.  Last week the story of Noah and the Great Flood revealed that God was not pleased at all.  In fact, God was so displeased with humankind’s sinfulness that God chose to wipe out all flesh and make a new beginning in faith through the family of one righteous man, Noah. 

      But really, God is easily pleased.  The story of Abraham shows that what so easily pleases God is faith that believes God’s Word to be true.  What so easily pleases God is faith that is so trusting that it evokes loyal obedience.  What so easily pleases God is faith like that demonstrated by this man named Abraham. 

      Abraham was a very obedient man.  But the Bible records that because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous.  I guess we could ask, which came first Abraham’s faith or his obedience?  It’s a fair question, one that the Apostle Paul would try to answer two thousands years later in a letter he wrote to the Christian Church in Rome. 

      "Clearly, God’s promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God’s law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith.   If God’s promise is only for those who obey the law, then faith is not necessary and the promise is pointless.  For the law always brings punishment on those who try to obey it.  (The only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no law to break!)

 

      "So the promise is received by faith.  It is given as a free gift.  And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham’s.  For Abraham is the father of all who believe.  That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, “I have made you the father of many nations.”  This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing.

 

      "Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations.  For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!”  And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb.  Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise.  In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God.   He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises.  And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous.  And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead."             Roman 4:13-24   New Living Translation 

      Although Abraham was a very obedient man, it wasn’t his obedience that made him righteous in God’s eyes.  It was his faith, for Abraham’s faith was deep enough to enable him to trust God completely and to obey God loyally. 

      The Bible records several instances in the life of Abraham where his obedience demonstrated his faith in God.  When Abraham, then known as Abram, was 75 years old, God instructed him to leave his homeland and move to a place he knew nothing about, where God said he would make him the father of many nations.   Although he was old and childless at the time, Abraham believed God when God promised that Abraham would inherit the new land and fill it with descendants.  Abraham demonstrated his faith and trust in God by loyally obeying, even though the promise seemed impossible to fulfill. 

      Twenty-five to thirty years passed.  During that time Abraham had fathered a son, Ishmael, by one of his servants and then a second son, Isaac, by his own wife.  Equally devoted to both sons, that proud papa was instructed by God to send Ishmael away, effectively putting his first born son out of his life.  Abraham again demonstrated his trusting faith in God, who had promised to watch over, protect and bless his first-born child, by loyally obeying, even though he had nothing but God’s word to back up the promise. 

      Then, some time afterwards, that loving father was instructed by God to offer Isaac, his only remaining heir, the child of God’s promise, on an altar of sacrifice.  Once more Abraham demonstrated his trusting faith in the goodness and greatness of God by loyally obeying, even though it seemed to go against everything God had done and promised him so far. 

      You know, we think that we first need to have a super-strong faith like Abraham’s in order to be as faithful and loyal in our obedience to God.  But in that passage from Romans 4 we heard these words.  Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise.  In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. 

      What made Abraham’s faith stronger and deeper?  I’m convinced it was his obedience.  Each time he trusted and obeyed God, the stronger his faith became.  So, the more we loyally and trustingly obey God, the deeper our faith will grow, too.  And, like Abraham, the deeper our faith grows, the easier and more automatically we will find it to be loyally obedient. 

      Notice, though, that the Bible describes Abraham as the father of all who believe, not obey.  Obedience is important, but without faith it is not enough.  Without faith, the motivation to obey is to be saved by our works or to stay out of trouble.  With faith, the motivations to obey God are love of God and trust in God. 

      Beyond obedience, what pleased God about Abraham was that he made it a priority to develop a right relationship with God that comes by faith.  God was pleased with Abraham’s faith because even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping.   God was pleased with his trust because Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise.  He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. 

      Folks, God desires to be just as pleased with us and with our faith and trust.  And, with God’s help, we can please God by intentionally striving to deepen our faith constantly.  One easy way to do that is to reach up to God regularly in worship.  Making worship the priority of each week, rather than sandwiching it in between recreational or other activities, keeps us connected and firmly rooted in our faith walk with God. 

      In addition, Abraham’s trusting faith and loyal obedience are examples to us of the importance of us reaching in within ourselves to connect with the presence of God in our lives.  In so doing we will also grow spiritually in obedience and in trust.  Whenever Abraham was faced with a difficult choice or a test of his faith, he reached in within himself and was reminded of the presence of his loving God with him.  Thus, even when there was no reason for hope, he could keep hoping.  That is the kind of faith that enables us to remain obedient when we see no point in what we’re doing.  That is the kind of trust that enables us to remain obedient when we see no fruit from our labors of obedience.  That is the kind of spiritual growth that enables us to remain obedient when others mock us or don’t understand why we believers do what we do. 

      What’s more, Abraham’s faith did not weaken in spite of the overwhelming physical evidence against what God had said would come to be.  Become the father of many nations when he was childless?  Have a son with his wife Sarah when they were 100 and 90 years old?  Kill Isaac, the child through whom the promise would be fulfilled?  Instead of wavering in his faith, through his continued obedience, Abraham’s faith grew stronger.  Whenever difficult situations arose in his life, Abraham did not turn away from God.  Whenever it seemed that God was distant or had even turned away from him, Abraham chose to remain close to God through his trust and faith in God’s character.  When faced with impossible choices, Abraham chose to believe that God would provide and see him through.

      How is it with us today?  Deep down inside, do we yearn to have an obedient and trusting faith like Abraham?  We can, by making a conscious and intentional choice to deepen our faith walk with God.  Through trust and obedience, our faith will deepen so that we will trust God enough to deny ourselves and follow the ways of Jesus.  As our faith deepens, we will discover the courage to step out in faith like Abraham did.  As our faith deepens, we will be inspired to humble ourselves as Jesus did when he allowed himself to be beaten, mocked and crucified by creatures he helped to create.  As our faith deepens, we will find the willingness to take up our cross, as Abraham did, to trust in a promise that humanly seems impossible to keep.  As our faith deepens, we will be loyally obedient to God’s will even though we may suffer for it, as did Jesus. 

      How is it with us today?  Do we wonder if God is pleased with us?  Remember, God is easily pleased and desires to be pleased with us.  Abraham’s life was forever changed because he believed that God was able to do what only God could do – cause two old people to have a baby.  Our lives will be forever changed when, with a deepened faith, we practice believing that God will do what only God can do in our lives – heal a disease, reconcile a broken relationship, forgive us and redeem us from all our faults, and love us for who we are. 

      When bad times hit, when things get tough, when all looks lost, then it is that God reveals God’s love for us even more.  In those times, when a deepened faith enables us to trust and refuse to give up on God, in turn God will show us just how much God loves us and hasn’t given up on us. 

"New Beginnings in Faith" - delivered February 21, 2010  

     The forty days and six Sundays before Easter is the period of time known in the Church as Lent.  Following the pattern of significant biblical events being associated with the number forty, it became the custom of the church to observe a forty-day period of spiritual preparation for the celebration of Easter. 

      This time was used to prepare new converts to Christianity for their baptism on Easter Sunday.  In those days, when church people committed serious sins, they either separated themselves or were separated from the community of faith.  The forty day period of Lent was also a time when these persons could be reconciled to the church by penitence on their part and forgiveness on the part of the church.  In this way, the whole congregation was reminded of the mercy and forgiveness proclaimed in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the need we all have to renew our faith.  

      And so, this Lent our Sunday worship services are going to focus on themes of renewing our faith.  In a very real sense, Lent was a time for the entire church family to make a new beginning in faith.  Those who had been alienated from the church made a new beginning by repenting and turning away from their sin and returning to God and to the Church.  Those who had remained in full participation in the life of the church made a new beginning by offering real forgiveness and truly being reconciled to their alienated sisters and brothers.  Everyone made a new beginning by renewing their faith and commitment to God. 

      Today we’ll look at three Bible passages that hopefully will inspire each of us to make a new beginning in our faith walk with God as well.  Following the worldwide destruction of life from the Great Flood, the first passage recounts God’s words of new beginnings in faith to Noah and all the creatures of the earth. 

      Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons who were with him. He said, "I am now making my covenant with you and with all of your children who will be born after you.  I am making it also with every living thing that was with you in the ark. I am making my covenant with the birds, the livestock and all of the wild animals.  I am making it with all of the creatures that came out of the ark with you. I am making it with every living thing on earth.

 

      "Here is my covenant that I am making with you.  The waters of a flood will never destroy all life again.  A flood will never destroy the earth again."

 

      God continued, "My covenant is between me and you and every living thing with you.  It is a covenant for all time to come.   Here is the sign of the covenant I am making.  I have put my rainbow in the clouds.  It will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.  Sometimes when I bring clouds over the earth, a rainbow will appear in them.  Then I will remember my covenant between me and you and every kind of living thing.  The waters will never become a flood to destroy all life again.

 

      "When the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it.  I will remember that my covenant will last forever.  It is a covenant between me and every kind of living thing on earth."

 

      So God said to Noah, "The rainbow is the sign of my covenant. I have made my covenant between me and all life on earth."   Genesis 9:8-17  New International Readers’ Version 

      God had gotten fed up with the actions and attitudes of humankind.  So sinful were they, that God elected to make a new beginning by destroying humankind and every living creature, except Noah and his family.  After the deed was done, God elected to make a new beginning with Noah and all his descendants, including us, through a covenant, the covenant of the rainbow. 

      Our Disciple Bible Study Class just studied this passage this past week.  One of the things we learned is that when a covenant is made between God and people, God dictates the terms.  When God makes a covenant with us there is no input from us and no negotiating the terms on our part.  This passage from Genesis makes those truths plain, when it says: 

      God said, "I am now making my covenant with you and with all of your children who will be born after you. 

 

      "Here is my covenant that I am making with you.  

 

      God continued, "My covenant is between me and you and every living thing with you.  It is a covenant for all time to come.”  

      On the surface that sounds like a bad business practice.  How do we know that our best interests are being served?  After all, God says this is the way it’s going to be – take it or leave it.  And sadly, most people would walk away from a good thing because they had no say in how the agreement was crafted. 

      But when it comes to God, God doesn’t offer harsh terms.  God doesn’t offer unfair terms; God doesn’t offer terms that contain anything hidden, sneaky or underhanded.  God only offers good.  When God makes a covenant with us, it is always to serve our best interests, even when we don’t always know what those best interests are. 

      In this case, God offered that never again would the waters of a flood destroy all life on the earth.  That’s good in and of itself.  But beyond that promise, God was also offering to take away our fear, our uncertainty that God might do that again.  Why would Noah or anyone else want to make a new beginning in faith with a God who could, at any moment, decide to wipe us all out again?  God knew that our interests in making a new beginning in faith with God would be best served by alleviating that fear.  I will never do that again, God promised.

      This same assurance from God carries over to us and our sinfulness today.  The consequences of the sin of the people in Noah’s day led to their destruction by the waters of a flood.  The consequences of our sin will lead to our destruction as well, not by a flood, but by God’s righteous, eternal judgment. 

      However, because God promised not to destroy all life by a flood ever again, we now can trust God, and not be afraid of God.  And so, when God promises to forgive our sin and spare us from eternal destruction through faith in Jesus Christ, we can believe God in hope and with confidence.  We don’t have to fear and wonder if what the Bible says about eternal life is true.  It is.  Every word of it.  And so, God’s covenant of the rainbow with Noah and us, his descendants, enables us to make new beginnings in faith with God without fear. 

      One of the ways the Church acknowledges and represents a new beginning in faith with God is through baptism.  I Peter 3:18-22 likens what the waters of the Great Flood did spiritually to the waters of baptism. 

      Christ died once for our sins.  An innocent person died for those who are guilty.  Christ did this to bring you to God, when his body was put to death and his spirit was made alive.

 

      Christ then preached to the spirits that were being kept in prison.  They had disobeyed God while Noah was building the boat, but God had been patient with them.  Eight people went into that boat and were brought safely through the flood.

 

      Those flood waters were like baptism that now saves you.  But baptism is more than just washing your body.  It means turning to God with a clear conscience, because Jesus Christ was raised from death.  Christ is now in heaven, where he sits at the right side of God. All angels, authorities, and powers are under his control.                       I Peter 3:18-22   Contemporary English Version 

      The waters of the Great Flood cleansed the world of sinful people.  The waters of baptism are a symbol of the cleansing of sin from our lives.  The rainbow was a sign of God’s covenant and commitment to offer a new beginning of our faith by restoring our relationship with God.  The Great Flood allowed for a new birth of faith and righteousness through godly Noah and his family.  Baptism acknowledges the exchange of an old sinful life for a new beginning in faith and righteousness through Jesus Christ. 

      And so, every baptism can be like a rainbow: a sign to remind us of God’s desire to be in relationship with sinful humanity rather than just destroy sinful humanity.  Afterwards, the lives of every person who is baptized should then be like the rainbow: our lives should be a sign to the world of God’s faithfulness.  Just as the rainbow reminds everyone of God’s promise not to destroy the world by a flood ever again, our lives as baptized believers should remind everyone of God’s promise not to destroy eternally those who have placed their faith and trust in Jesus. 

      Notice I said that our lives should reflect that hope and promise.  It’s not necessarily our words – what we say and teach and preach about God that will reflect that truth.  Every aspect of our lives should be so different from the rest of the world that people can’t help but see and notice the difference.  That’s why this verse from I Peter 3 is so important: But baptism is more than just washing your body.  It means turning to God with a clear conscience, because Jesus Christ was raised from death.  So, it doesn’t matter whether we were baptized as infants or children and cannot remember our baptism, or whether we were baptized as a youth or an adult and fully understood the vows we took.  Our baptism is a sign to us of God’s acceptance of us, of God’s desire for us to make new beginnings of faith in God after every time we sin and turn away from God.  And so, baptism is a constant reminder to us of our need to repent of and confess our sin to God, because baptism is also a sign of God’s promise to forgive us of our sin so that we can turn to God and follow God with a clear conscience. 

      As a human being, Jesus chose to affirm baptism as a sign of God’s desire to be in relationship with sinful humanity rather than just destroy sinful humanity by being baptized himself.  Hear again the story of Jesus’ baptism as told by St. Mark. 

      At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee.  John baptized him in the Jordan River.  Jesus was coming up out of the water.  Just then he saw heaven being torn open.  He saw the Holy Spirit coming down on him like a dove.  A voice spoke to him from heaven.  It said, "You are my Son, and I love you.  I am very pleased with you."  

      At once the Holy Spirit sent Jesus out into the desert.  He was in the desert 40 days.  There Satan tempted him.  The wild animals didn't harm Jesus.  Angels took care of him.  

      After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee.  He preached God's good news.  "The time has come," he said.  "The kingdom of God is near.  Turn away from your sins and believe the good news!"       Mark1:9-15   New International Readers’ Version 

      Jesus was baptized, not because ne needed it, but in order to identify with all the rest of us that do need it.  Because Jesus never sinned, ne could not identify with sinful humanity.  Instead, by being baptized Jesus was identifying with a repentant people, not a sinful people.  Jesus was identifying with people who desire and are willing to make new beginnings in faith with God through faith in Jesus. 

      There are a couple of churchy words that are used to describe what people do when they want to make a new beginning in faith.  One is penitence.  Penitence can be described as being sorrowful for the sins in one’s life and so attempting to clear one’s heart and life of the sin that is there.  People perform acts of penitence to try to atone or make up for the wrongs they done. 

      Penitence is good and helpful as far as it goes.  It helps to restore broken relationships and reconcile people.  Unfortunately, penitence by itself does not cleanse us of the sin that is in our lives.  Most of us commit the same sins over and over again.  A continual involvement in sinful behavior shows that full and complete penitence – the clearing of sin from one’s life – has not taken place.  What is needed, then, is repentance. 

      Repentance is an actual new beginning in faith.  Repentance is turning away from a sinful lifestyle and a turning to a godly lifestyle.  True repentance makes a permanent change in a person’s relationship with God.   Repentance is often the beginning of a total personal transformation of a person, physically, spiritually and in every other way. 

      All the Gospel writers agree: Jesus was baptized before he was tempted by Satan.  This makes it clear that Jesus did not come to be baptized for the forgiveness of any sin.  Jesus had nothing to repent of.

      But we do.  We are born in sin and so we are tainted by sin for the rest of our lives.  We constantly battle and struggle against sin, only to lose the skirmishes and get knocked down, over and over and over again. 

      But Jesus came and lowered himself to our level so that we might be raised to his heavenly level for all eternity.  Jesus, through his life as a human being and through the act of baptism, became one with us here so that we might be one with him over there in glory. 

      I invite you to make a new beginning in faith today.  Truly repent and turn away from whatever is sinful in your life, and turn to God, without fear, but in confidence that God loves you, asking God to help you be the kind of person God created you and wants you to be – a child of God who turns to God with a clear conscience.

Because We're Faithful and Wise"   - delivered February 14, 2010  

      Continuing in our study of the proper understanding of Christian stewardship, today we’re going to look at the role of gratitude in stewardship.  Last week we learned that the first indisputable biblical Truth of Stewardship is the Truth of Rightful Ownership.  That truth says, “Nothing truly belongs to us; everything actually belongs to God.”  I Chronicles 29:11 is one passage that teaches this truth.  There is it written, “Everything in heaven and earth is yours, O Lord.”

      Although we see ourselves as owners, God has created us to be caretakers or stewards of what God owns.  That means, that as Christian stewards, we are supervisors, managers or administrators of the people and possessions of God.  God expects us and trusts us with the responsibility to manage God’s creation wisely.  One side of that responsibility is that all our actions should help tend and care for all that God has created.  The other side of that responsibility is that we are to guard against any of our actions bringing harm to anything that God has made. 

      Human stewards in the time of Jesus were most often slaves.  God treats Christian stewards differently.  Even though there is great responsibility in being God’s steward, there is also a privilege and honor in being a steward of God’s things.  The honor is that God chose us over anything else in creation to be the stewards of what God has made.  The privilege is that God also allows us and even encourages us to use and enjoy what God owns.  As a result, faithful and effective Christian stewardship is guided by the attitude of generosity which is born out of a sense of gratitude.  That’s the message we’re going to try to unpack this morning.