“The Truth Is Never Easy”

Scripture: Luke 4:14-22

Much of Jesus’ life was spent in Galilee. He was raised in Nazareth and would spend much of his adult life in that town. This small village wasn’t any great shakes as far as metropolises were concerned, but it would be home. Think about it – aren’t we most comfortable in the area we are most familiar with? When Diane and I first moved to Western New York, we lived in the town of Clarence. It was a very nice community, but there was just something about it that wasn’t quite what we were used to. Later we would realize that it was because the area was flat – we had both grown up living in the hills, and Clarence just wasn’t hilly.
Nazareth was a village of only about 150 people in those days, but it was home. But I’m certain that you’ve heard the old saying “You can never go home again!”? When we eventually moved back to Apalachin, I naturally re-joined the fire department. I was coming home, in every way! But I quickly discovered that over half of the members had joined the department after we move away, and they didn’t know me. My home coming was hardly glorious! But that’s another story.

How about Jesus’ home coming? Would it be any more magnanimous than mine would one day be?

Read Luke 4:14-16

Jesus had already become a recognized name in Israel. Within the past two months, he had been baptized, and had been in the wilderness for his 40 days of fasting and temptations by the Satan, and ministry was now beginning in earnest. But he was being seen as the “home town boy made good” - the returning rabbi, the boy who everyone remembered, the man who everyone liked. And the news of his arrival to the region spread like wildfire.
He would be invited to teach in the region’s synagogues, which was a distinct honor. It is comparable to a member of our congregation who left to study at a Bible College or Seminary, and when he came home for a visit, we might invite him to preach a message, or to lead a Bible study on a topic that he was well versed in. In several of the gospel accounts, we read that the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority. (Matthew 7:28-29, Matthew 9:8, Mark 1:22-27, Luke 4:32-36) The people wanted to hear more of what he had to say –and it was to be a teaching unlike anything they had heard before.

And then he arrived in Nazareth, to a similar outpouring of welcome and admiration.

Read Luke 4:17-22

He didn’t get to choose which scroll to read from, but he does choose the passage. And when he finishes, every eye in the room is on him. The men were enthralled with his approach to the scriptures, and they didn’t quite know what to make of this. “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.” He obviously had been anointed to preach – no one would doubt that one bit – but to the poor? Everyone knew that God’s good news was for the righteous, the learned, the holy men, the leaders of Israel. The poor had no sense whatsoever of good news for their lives. They were used by the upper classes of Judah, they were abused by the Romans, they could barely scrape out a living for themselves and their families, and much of what they did have would be taken for taxes. The only good news would be if they died young, and avoided much of the misery that life held for them.
But then, maybe this Jesus knew something that really could benefit their lives! How was he anointed by the Spirit? They may have heard of his baptism by John, and his trials in the wilderness. Could this baptism have lead to his anointing? Could it have been the anointing? And maybe he had been anointed to be more than just a rabbi – maybe God had spoken a Divine message to him, and the prophecy would bring a blessing to their lives. It had been 400 years since the nation had received a prophet – maybe the time had come for a new one! But what could God’s message be for them?

“He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind”. They were prisoners, all right! They were confined in a society that held them captive to a singular way of life. Could Isaiah have been speaking about this man? Might Jesus be speaking about them? Would he be the means for freedom from the oppressive Romans? Was God about to free them from the miserable existence that they called “life”? And recovery of sight? Was this Jesus a healer, too?

“to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” The year of the Lord’s favor? They had waited for that day – the day when they would know the goodwill and kindness of Jehovah once more. Unfortunately, most, if not all of those present that day missed the fact that Jesus left out the last few words of the passage – “and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn.” He was also sent to proclaim the day of vengeance, of judgment, but the people weren’t to hear that message yet. And he sat down with the words “Today, this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” (Isaiah 61:1-2)

The people didn’t realize it yet, but Jesus wasn’t simply reiterating the words and thoughts that the people had clung to for centuries. They thought that this passage meant that everything was about to change in their lives, that the oppressive weight of life was going to be lifted from their shoulders, that their nation would once again be a power in the world, and that they, too, would be able to know God in an intimate way. They thought that finally, there would be no doubt that God truly loved them.

But that wasn’t to be the type of “fulfillment” that Jesus was bringing. The Spirit hadn’t come on him in the conventional sense that it had to Isaiah, or Elijah, or Jeremiah, or any of the other prophets. It was on him, not by a “bestowing”, but by inheritance. This was no ordinary son of man – he was the Son of God. His authority was not granted to him for a period of time – it was ingrained in his Being from before the beginning of time! And the good news that he was bringing to the poor? It wouldn’t necessarily make their lives in this realm any easier – as a matter of fact, it would make them more difficult. But rather, it was about a newness of life that would fill them now as well as in that future life with Jesus.
When he spoke of freedom for the prisoners, it wasn’t earthly oppression that he was referring to. He was talking about the prison of eternal darkness, the prison of ceaseless condemnation, the prison of everlasting death. And he was to be the source of this freedom.
When he spoke of the recovery of sight for the blind, it wasn’t physical sight that he was referring to, even though he would restore sight to many. He was speaking of their vision of truth that would be made clear once more. It would be a vision of Jesus, not as a child of Nazareth, not as a man of earth, not even as a gifted and anointed prophet, but as the Redeemer and Savior of the world. Humanity’s vision has always been clouded when it comes to seeing the truth of God, and we are no different. The power of the Lord’s mind, the depth of his words, the grace in his soul, the mercy in his heart, and the promise of his resurrection is all so far beyond us that we can never fully comprehend it all.
But the truth of Christ is such that we don’t have to understand it – we simply need to claim it and live it. And when he uttered the words “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing”, they were being given the first inkling that this Messenger had a whole new promise for their lives. It wasn’t easy then, and it isn’t easy today. Those men who were gathered in the Nazarean synagogue were trying to hear Jesus’ words in a context that they could feel comfortable with. Their vision was still clouded by the influence of a thousand years of “religion”, and so is ours. Theologians, from the Pharisees of Jesus’ day to the scholars of our day, try to make it far too complicated.
They want to try to put God into a context that fits with human thought, and it will never happen! They want to explain how and what the “good news” is for us, when all we really have to do is rejoice in his “gospel”. They want to dig into the depth of humanity that has created spiritual “prisons” in this life, to explain how they have come to be, to discover ways that good works can help us to dig our way out of our “pits”, to “help” God along with the process of release. They debate ad infinitum as to what the “Lord’s favor” is all about, what it means for us, who it is for and who it isn’t for, how it is received, and even if it is a real thing. And they are all missing out on the truth of Jesus.

The truth of Christ is hard enough to understand without the learned of our land making it all the more complicated. And that that includes the sermons that you hear from this pulpit. My logical mind wants to understand the depth of faith, while my spirit wants to just enjoy it. My mind wants to delve into the complexities of the Lord’s Being and Purpose, while my soul just wants to love and rejoice in the Lord’s Being and Purpose. And my advice to you today is this – read and hear the Good News of Jesus Christ and all that it says for our lives, and then simply live it out in the presence and to the benefit of earth’s people. And if I seem to make it too involved or complicated or detailed some days, I encourage you to remind me of my own words – “read and hear … and simply live.”

I will continue to challenge you to hear his call, to live his ways, to love his commands, and rejoice in his promise, but I will also try to not make it too difficult to claim.

"Never Silent, Always His"

Scripture: Isaiah 62:1-9

Here is Mother Teresa of Calcutta:

We need to find God and God cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature - trees, flowers, grass - grow in silence; see the stars, the moon, the sun, how they move in silence. Is not our mission to give God to the poor in the slums? Not a dead God, but a living, loving God. The more we receive in silent prayer, the more we can give in our active life. We need silence to be able to touch souls. The essential thing is not what we say, but what God says to us and through us. All our words will be useless unless they come from within - words which do not give the light of Christ increase the darkness.
(quoted in James Roose-Evans, The Inner Stage [Cambridge, Mass.: Cowley Publications, 1990], 130)

Mother Teresa had such a marvelous faith, and praise God that she let others experience God thought the revelations that were given to her. And what does she give us this time? That we must receive in silence, but then let it end when we begin to share what God has given us.

And why do we need silence? Have you ever tried to carry on a conversation with someone who keeps interrupting you? Or try to visit in a room that is so noisy you can hardly think? The words get lost, don’t they. The same thing is true when God is trying to get through to us. If our clamor doesn’t stop long enough to hear all that God wants us to know, how will we ever learn what the Lord has in store for us?
But I think a lot of people understand this, and go out of their way to find a quiet place on a regular basis for prayer. But what are we to do once we get the message? Quietly reflect on the revelation of God? Treasure it up in our hearts as Mary did after the shepherds’ visit? Or do we break the silence with a resounding witness to the world around us?

Read Isaiah 62:1-5

God’s word is not ours to keep – it’s given to us for others! But the problem is that the word that is given isn’t always one that everyone will want to hear. The prophet Isaiah received many words of warning for Judah, and he never kept them to himself. He made sure that the nation would never miss God’s message, and they were not received very warmly. And we tend to remember Isaiah for the warnings.
But the prophet also offered the people words of hope and promise and encouragement. Isaiah is generally acknowledged as the one who spoke the Messianic message more than any other. His 9th chapter (9:1-7) is a marvelous message of hope, and when we combine that with today’s text, we have a word of such great significance that it just has to be shared.

“For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent … till her righteousness shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch”. The message isn’t for his sake, and it isn’t even for the Lord Jehovah’s sake that it must be proclaimed – it is for the nation, its for the Church, it's for the world, that all might know that God is their God, and wants only the best for their lives. And that best? What is the Lord’s best? It’s no less than the glory of his salvation that is poised to rain down on those who love his Son. That’s the Father’s greatest desire, you know. He doesn’t want us to experience condemnation, he doesn’t want us to be separated from him, he doesn’t want us to wander aimlessly in the wilderness of earth. He wants us to be bathed in the glow of his righteousness.
Why wouldn’t anyone want to hear that, and to receive that? Many don’t, you know, and I struggle in wondering just what the reason might be. Is it because they think there are divine strings attached? Is it because they don’t trust the promise? Is it because they don’t trust the one who is carrying the message? Is it because the words just sound too good to be true? Or is it that they just don’t want to give up what they already know?
That 10 year old faded cap that has NY Giants printed on it, instead of a divine “crown of splendor”?
The name your parents gave you a few years ago instead of the new one that God has saved for you since before time began?
Alone and lost in the world instead of walking in a loving relationship filled with the majesty of Almighty God?
We will no longer have any reason to feel deserted, to reason to feel desolate – the promise is in the Lord - he is offering us a new start, a new relationship, a new way, a new name of “Delight”!

How can anyone possibly keep silent with a word like that in their hearts?

Read Isaiah 62:6-9

“You who call on the Lord, give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth.” Now, you may be focused on those words “give yourselves no rest”, and think that this might not be all that great a thing! “I get tired, you know!” Tiredness is a very real issue for humans. After 10 days in Israel, and a 12 hour flight home, and a 4 hour bus ride to Binghamton on Tuesday, and no water in the house when we got there and none until after I left on Thursday (but that’s another story!), and a seminary paper that still wasn’t done, and a 6 hour trip to Washington, and a late night and early morning getting the paper in shape for class on Friday, and then after 8 hours of theology and philosophical thought that went until 9:00 at night, I was a little tired when my head finally hit the pillow.
But the prophet isn’t talking about that kind of tired. I believe that he’s talking about spiritual fatigue, our desire to give up trying because the Lord isn’t responding to us in the way we expect him to. Isaiah wrote in chapter 40:31 “… those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” And Matthew wrote these words from Jesus (11:28) “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” It’s not about getting a nap, it’s not about settling back into a time of nothingness – it’s about giving the Lord all that we have to give, and then receiving more of his strength to continue with the task that is at hand.

The Lord God Almighty wants his people to know that he wants the very best for them, and is ready, willing, and able to go the distance with us and for us. But the question is - are we willing to do the same for him?

The theologian Andrew Lincoln writes:
So good works are not the source, but the goal of the new relationship between humanity and God. Salvation is not by works but for works.
--Andrew T. Lincoln, Ephesians: Volume 42, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word Books, 1990), 114.

And that is why Isaiah is calling us to never be silent after we receive the revelation of God. We are to do something with it! In Romans 1:15-17, Paul writes that he “is not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.” And this is why he is so enthusiastic about preaching it. Paul never seemed to have a problem with being silent - not before his meeting with Christ on the Damascus Road, and definitely not after.

How about us? Do any of us have a hesitation in sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with those who the Lord brings into our life? He has such incredible words of hope for us – have you heard them? Have you taken the time to listen for him? If you have, are you trying to do this while you were rushing through a busy day, or have you given your complete attention to God, and listened intently for his voice in the silence of your expectant soul?
Listen in silence for what the Lord wants you to know, but then let it all out, silent no more, and proclaim to the roof tops that we are his and he is ours, and that nothing can damage the relationship that comes to us through faith in Jesus Christ. “Salvation is not by works, but for works.” Silence is never an expression of faith, it does not say who and whose we are, and it is not a Christian witness in any way, shape or form.

So let’s all get to work, silent no more, always in him, and let others know that he can be theirs, too, but only by faith in the One who is always faithful – Jesus the Christ.

“Called and Named”

Scripture: Isaiah 43:1-7

One of Christianity’s core beliefs revolves around creation. We believe that all that ever was, all that is, and all that ever will be, was created by God. Others may think that the physical universe came to be in a random way with starts and stops and restarts, but Christians cannot. If we believe that God is all powerful, and that he is a God of order, and that creation exists solely because of his plan, it must also be inconceivable that his hand was never in this.
The duration of his creating can be debated; was it 6 literal days, or 6 billion years? If we remember that all comes to be in God’s time, and that his time has nothing to do with our standard of measurement, it could even have been in 6 seconds. But does it really matter?
The process and order of his creating can also be debated; Genesis 1 & 2 give us two very different views of both creation and the Creator. Chapter 1 provides a view of logic, order, and design being made by a Heavenly Architect (scholars refer to this view of God as “Transcendent”, or high above), while chapter 2 shows us a gentle, personal, thoughtful but not very logical God (they call this style “Immanent”, or personal). How God came to create, though it may be interesting, is immaterial.

The point of all this is that creation isn’t for the Almighty – it is solely for you and me. Humanity is unique in the created order, and this is a place and time for us to come to know our Lord.

Read Isaiah 43:1-2

In Matthew 6:28-34, in a portion of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, we are told that while creation has great beauty and that the Lord provides for all aspects of it, we are to put our trust and hope in God. Animals don’t know Jesus, hills and plains and fields and oceans have no concept of God – only we can come to know him.
Isaiah’s words, when taken in this context, show that we alone are the redeemed, that we alone are called, we alone are guided and protected. Genesis is a book that shows just how special and unique humanity truly is. In Genesis 1:27, we discover that humanity is the only part of creation that holds the image of God, and is the only one that the Lord “breaths the Breath of Life into” (Genesis 2:7). And in Genesis 2:19-23, we see the first occurrence of the two words of today’s message – Named and Called, and they have specific meanings for us.
The word “named” is only used in identifying the birds and animals. It means that humanity has authority over the lesser part of creation. But when Eve comes on the scene, Adam “calls” her woman. “Call” implies a relationship. And this is important in our reading from Isaiah.

In verse 1, we read that God has “summoned” us by “name”. We have a relationship with him, even while he has authority over our lives. “You are mine.” he says. But verse 2, at first glance, doesn’t seem to say why he has called us. It only describes how those who come to him will be protected, and how the Lord will always be near us. He will lead us through the obstacles of life, he will save us from the floods of destructive power, and he will protect us from the fiery attacks that will come against us.
It appears that we are “called” into relationship with our Creator in order to receive his grace and mercy! Those who answer the call will receive, while those who don’t, apparently, won’t.

Read Isaiah 43:3-7

After Jacob wrestled with the Being at Peniel, his name is changed to Israel, which means “he struggles with God” (Genesis 32:22-32). The name Israel, the struggle, implies a close and intimate relationship that doesn’t always go well. When we take the name “Christian”, it implies that we are part of the Lord’s family – again, in a close relationship. In verses 3 and 4, God is telling the people that he will give others up if it means that his own, those who have come to him, can be freed to live in him. And why would he do that? Because they, his own, are “precious and honored in his sight, and because he loves us”. And it is for “Everyone who is called by my name”. The Lord wants us to know that everyone who is part of his family, everyone who will honor him, everyone who will take his name, will be glorified.

It seems pretty clear as to what the prophet’s message is – to put the things of earth aside, and to put ourselves in God! But we still need to consider what it means to be called by God, and to respond to his call on our lives.

Perhaps a more humanistic view of relationship might be a place to start. Each of us has two types of relatives – those by birth and those by marriage. The marriage type is similar to our call from God.
My wife and I met on a blind date. A mutual friend made the arrangements for us to contact each other, which we did. But then it was totally up to both of us as to where the relationship would go. With God, the call is on the lives of all people everywhere, but it is still up to each of us if we will respond.
Diane and I decided to have that first date, and we enjoyed each other’s company. We decided to continue to explore the relationship, and 7 months later, we were married. With God, our response to his call isn’t the last step, either – it is just the first. We study to learn more about him, and if we like what we discover, we decide to make the arrangement permanent. And by the way, the Lord’s desire is always that he would have a relationship with us! If it doesn’t happen, it’s because of our decision.
Diane’s and my wedding day wasn’t the end. We had a lot of growing to do, we had to work to understand each other’s desires and needs, we had to examine and reexamine our relationship, and there were a few times that it needed repairing with apologies because of selfishness. Accepting Christ as Lord and Savior isn’t the end – we need to grow, and understand, and maintain a closeness, and seek forgiveness to repair and develop the relationship.
After a good number of years together, and a good number of lessons learned, our marriage is better today than it has ever been, even though it still isn’t quite perfect. And as we study the word of God, and serve in his name, and come to know the reasons that he has called us to be part of his Body, his family, we will discover that even thought the relationship may not be perfect yet, it is still a wonderful way to live, and that it’s better than any other!

How is your relationship with the Lord? Have you heard his call? Have you responded? Have you begun spending time with him? Have you made a commitment to a lifelong relationship with him? Have you taken his name for your own? Are you discovering new things about the bond that you have with him? Is it growing stronger? Is it leading you into a greater trust and faith? Do you get discouraged when it seems as though the relationship is strained? Do you persist just the same? How much time has passed since you last had a real heartfelt conversation with him, since you gave him a life filled hug, since you told him that you loved him?

How is your relationship? Imperfect but getting better?

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; / you are mine.” says the Lord. He wants this relationship so badly that he suffered and died and rose again, just for you. Will you say “Yes, Lord. I want it too.”?