“Remold Us and Make us in You”

 Scripture:   Isaiah 64:1-9

As Advent 2022 begins, so does the celebration that this season so richly deserves.  The unfortunate thing though, is that many people throughout the earth have no idea as to what they should truly be rejoicing over!  As our Advent reading this morning reminds us, the world has chosen to ignore the coming of Jesus throughout all of their grand preparations.  And ostensibly, in forgetting to prepare to celebrate the first coming of the Christ, they also forget to celebrate the very reason that He came to us in the first place – and that is to prepare us to rejoice in Him when He comes to this world the next time.

 And that preparation involves change – a change that allows worthiness and righteousness to fill our lives.  But what change is it that has to occur?  It all hinges on how we see God in Jesus.  It will no longer be a vision of choice.  It will no longer be a vision based in human understanding.  It can no longer be a mind-based faith – it must now become a heart-felt, spirit-filled, soul-changing, life-empowering discovery of what divine purpose and Godly passion should truly mean for us.

 During the next several weeks, as successive candles are lit at the beginning of worship, think of them as reminders of the growth that each of us experiences in faith – that faith can never be seen as being stoic, but that it is a never-ending purification, an ongoing strengthening, a focusing that brings us ever closer to the truth of Jesus Christ in our lives. 

 It is, if you will, a cleansing of our soul, especially through the rejection of worldly ways, so that we might draw closer to Jesus in true faith, a faith that will only come from God Himself. 

 Read Isaiah 64:1-5

 Throughout the Old Testament, we see God at work on Israel’s behalf.  In 1Samuel 1:15-22, we read of Hannah’s faith and commitment to Jehovah God, that if she could just once give birth to a child, she would dedicate that child to service for her Lord.  That child would become the prophet, Samuel.

When the people needed a new source of nourishment during their wilderness years, God would send them manna and quail every day. (Exodus 16:6-12) 

When they came up against enemies who were more powerful than they were, God became their victory. 

When a plot developed against the people while they were in captivity, the Lord exposed the danger through the only person who could be trusted by the King – his Queen Esther – and the people were saved (Esther 7).

And the examples continue throughout scripture, with each and every time occurring when God opened the way to join them, and in every time, the very foundation of the earth was shaken.  And when the Lord God Jehovah came to earth in the form of a Human Man, nothing would ever be the same again. 

When Jesus gave His life for all who would believe in Him, the curtain in the temple, the separation that divided God from the people, would be torn from top to bottom, opening the way to the Lord for all who would come to Him in faith. (Matthew 27:50-54).

 Whenever the heavens open, and God comes down to our lives, the incredible will always happen, and nothing within the power of humanity will ever be able to hold it back.  But the one problem that everyone will have to be aware of is the issue of sin.  Sin is the dividing line that separates goodness from wickedness, and anyone who has not followed Jesus across that line will discover that there is nothing that they can do on their own to know the goodness of the one and perfect God.

 On that day, will you know the gladness of our Lord?  Or will you know His divine anger?  This is the one decision in faith that we all have control over!

 Read Isaiah 64:6-7

 These two verses show the effect that sin will always have on our life.  It makes us unclean in God’s sight; it makes us shrivel up and shrink before Almighty God, and remove all hope of life in Him; sin sweeps us away from the presence of God, which only goes to further our journey into the ways of death.  Without the Lord’s mercy, there is no hope, and mercy comes by faith in Christ, which restores our ability to call on His holy name once again.

 Jesus is the manna that nourishes us and strengthens us in faith.  Jesus is the Guide for our existence in this life and place.  Jesus is the life that will be our eternal blessing.  Jesus is the gate that allows those who believe to enter into the divine presence of God, and keeps those who have not followed Him outside of that glory.  Jesus is the light that exposes the difference between the truth of God and the lies of earth.

 Could it get any easier?  God has done it all, and by faith, the gates of heaven will open in glory.  And it is Jesus who will make all the difference in our lives.

 John 6:35, John 8:12, John10:9, John 10:11, John 11:25-26, John 14:6, John 15:5

 Read Isaiah 64:8-9

 My cousin’s husband is a potter, and he is one of the most creative people I have ever known.  He not only makes dinnerware as well as distinctive single pieces, he is also known for the chess sets that he creates, with each piece contributing to a story that comes together through observing the entire set.  He is an artist, a musician, and is, as far as I’m concerned, a creative genius.

 But an interesting thing about a potter, is that each piece that comes from his hands seems to reflect the heart and inspiration of the creator who formed them.  And the point that is most evident in a potter’s life is that He may spend many precious hours making, and remaking a piece until it perfectly represents the vision that he had for it when he began.  And the final image will never resemble the original piece of clay that began to take on “life” in his hands.

 So why all of this discussion regarding Bill Kirner?  In no way am I suggesting that he is just like our Creator God, but it is true that the heart of a potter works in similar ways, no matter who he may be.  In this passage, we read that we are like clay in the hands of our Creative God, who shapes us and reshapes us, and we will never have any say in the shaping, except to be malleable in the Hands who works us into the perfect image that reflects His desire for our life.  And it will always be that unique reforming that allows each of us to be the Lord’s Church together.

 Unfortunately, the difference between a hunk of clay, and the person who we are right now, is that we have the will to either allow God to remake and remold us into His precious Image, or to refuse His remolding to change us from a “sinful hunk” into a forgiven and eternal life who honors and rejoices in the One who is reforming us into a worthy life in Christ.

 That is what faith in Jesus is all about, and how confession, obedience, and forgiveness can bring about a total change our lives.  Are you willing to let God work His way in you today?  Will this Advent season become a season of remaking and refocusing your life in Jesus?

 May it be so for us all.

 

"A Cheerful Harvest"

 Scripture:   2 Corinthians 9:6-15

Today, we are celebrating Thanksgiving.  Even though the holiday doesn’t actually occur until Thursday, I believe that we should be giving the Lord our thanks for all of His bounty every day of our life.  The early Church was very intentional in the support and love that they showed to areas of the region that may have been going through a difficult time, and it was always seen as an opportunity to show their gratitude to the Lord for all that He did for them. 

 In Acts 4:32-35, we read that the faithful of that day believed that “No one [should] claim that any of their possessions were their own, but they shared everything they had.”  Even those who owned property would, from time to time, sell a field and bring the proceeds to the apostles for distribution to those who were in need.

 The first century church took thanksgiving to a whole new level!  They never took pride in the giving, they never accepted glory for their generosity – it was always about giving honor to their Mighty and Worthy Lord Jesus who had already done so much for them.  How could they not take some of the resources that had come to them from God, and give them to others who weren’t nearly as fortunate as they had been! 

 And it wasn’t just the wealthy who were so intentionally generous in their giving to others.  In 2 Corinthians 8:1-4, we discover that even those who were living in poverty would, at times, beg to be allowed to give whatever they were able to scrape up, as little as it might be, to share with others to alleviate their even greater needs.  Tithing?  The early Church never let that command constrain them from giving as much as they could possibly give. 

 In our passage for today, Paul is rejoicing over the current generosity that the church in Corinth was showing to those who were struggling.  It had been a while since they had been so generous, but now, they were being encouraged to step up and share as they had been taught to.  For Paul, it was important that every church should meet their responsibilities as part of The Way of Jesus.

 Read 2 Corinthians 9:6-9

 As the apostle opens this lesson for the church, he wants the people to understand that God can be just as generous as they are, but that the blessings that they receive will hinge on the generosity that they have also shown. 

 In Jesus’ Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30), He tells of 3 servants who had been entrusted with great responsibility over huge portions of the master’s estate.  1 servant received 5 talents (a talent being valued at many times more than the wages a man might expect to earn during his entire lifetime!), another received 2 talents, and a third received 1 talent.  Each servant was expected to manage the finances that they had been given, and each had been entrusted with an obligation that matched their abilities.  The first two servants did what they were expected to do, and when the master returned, they were recognized for their faithful service.

 But the third, the one who had kept his responsibility safely hidden away, was a great disappointment to his master, and not only received no reward, but he lost all that he had been given in the first place.  The only thing he received from the effort was to be sent away from the master’s presence, with nothing to his credit.

 I expect that we all are familiar with this parable, but this is exactly what Paul was teaching the Corinth church – that depending on how you use the gifts and blessings and resources that the Lord brings into your life, that is exactly how God will respond to your life.

 If we are generous with the time, treasure and talents that we have, the Lord will see to it that we will always have enough to give as much as we are able to!  And as our kindness to others increases, our needs, not our desires but our needs, will also be met.

 Read 2 Corinthians 9:10-12

 So what is this “harvest of righteousness” that Paul speaks about?  In the prophet Hosea, 10:12, we are told that if we sow in righteousness, we will reap mercy, and when we choose to reach out to previously unmet missional opportunities, we need to do so through the guidance of our God, and not at our own volition. 

 The point is that the Lord is always prepared to walk with us in those times that we are willing to take a step to celebrate Him through some new way.  But it can’t be our way that is chosen – it has to be the way that God calls us to take.  And how do we know?  It is always best when prayer becomes our means to hear His desires for our lives.  And the way that God leads us will be the way of righteous living.

 But it’s important to understand that when Paul writes that we will be made "rich in every way", he is not promising that we will receive more than we need!  As in all scripture, we need to consider the message that the entire passage is offering.  And in this case, the apostle is saying that we will never be hampered or limited in the mission that God calls us to serve.  And the appreciation that comes from it?  It is all for the glory and honor of Almighty God, and our reward will be in the blessing that Christ will give to those who come to Him by faith.

 Specifically, Paul is speaking directly to the Corinthian church, as well as to us. He is encouraging both of us to be faithful in the giving and not to let success in the effort to lead us into a worldly attitude, to begin patting ourselves on the back for a job well done!  It must never be seen as ours to rejoice in!

 Read 2 Corinthians 9:13-15

 It’s all about giving thanks to God for the victories, and recognizing that our part in every endeavor is more a matter of being the hands and feet and voice that gives a human presence to the Lord’s great works.  Our involvement will simply put a face on the mission, but always to the honor and thanksgiving for the one who truly deserves it all - our Lord and our Savior, Jesus Christ.

 Have you ever thought of yourself as an example to others of how to be a Christian disciple?  Others are watching us all the time, you know!  I’ve personally had friends or pastoral colleagues or business associates comment on something that I’ve done or said, with the implication being that it was different from what they might have expected from others in a similar situation – and their comments always seems to surprise me.  The difficult part of receiving a compliment is to keep from believing that you really deserve it!  The truth is that we have little to do with touching another life – it will always be God allowing us to witness His grace at work through us. 

 And what should our reaction be?  It’s in the final verse for today – “Thanks be to God for His incredible gift.”  As we gather around the table with family and friends on Thursday this week, remember to give God thanks for all that He has blessed your life with, all that he has revealed through your faithful and obedient service, all that He has accomplished when you choose to follow His grand and glorious way, and especially for all that He has done to prepare our lives for service and witness to this lost and hurting world.

 May our lives be one continuous and joyful Thanksgiving to the One and Only Almighty God.

The Eternal Word

Scripture:   Romans 15:1-13

Today’s lesson from the Book of Romans is #12, and will be our last in this series.  Paul had written this letter as a preparation for the journey that he was planning to take to visit the church in Rome’s capital city, and as we have seen, it not only presents a case for faithful living, but also a warning of those things that stand in direct contrast to the way of Jesus Christ.

 And in Chapter 16, the conclusion to his letter he offers a piece of advice that is especially important in today’s cultural atmosphere of “anything goes”!  He wrote:

¹⁷ I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. ¹⁸ For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people. ¹⁹ Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice because of you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil. (Romans 16:17-19)

 When Paul wrote this he wanted the church to be “innocent about what is evil”.  He wasn’t implying that they should be ignorant of the difference between faithful living and the world’s wicked ways, but rather, that they should never gain any experience with the world’s evil ways, and would, instead, be filled with the goodness that living in Christ would bring.

 In today’s Roman’s lesson, we receive Paul’s call to live in God’s goodness in several specific ways from Jesus’ teaching - 1) love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:39-40), 2) love one another as I first loved you (John 13:34-35), 3) love your enemies and pray for them (Luke 6:27-28)

 Read Romans 15:1-4

 This portion of our opening passage seems to have a strong call for unity in the Church.  But we have to ask the question, what is the basis for that unity?  I have heard many others call for unity during the current situation that the  United Methodist Church is embroiled in, but I never quite hear the Lord mentioned as the source of that unity.  Instead, it appears that their unity is more of a human process that is based on their individual desires and understandings, and has little, if any, basis in faith.

 Paul, on the other hand, sets this issue in the proper perspective – that it can never be a human or worldly unity that guides us, but rather one that is divine in nature.  Verse 1 calls the strong to put those who are “weak” in the first position for consideration, and to do all that we can possibly do to strengthen their life.  Verse 2 calls the strong in faith to reach out to our “neighbors” to build them up in faith and Godly goodness!  And the last two verses remind us that our Triune God has taken the first step in bringing these commands into reality and to be the example of Christian living and loving for all who would love Him.

 Is there any indication whatsoever in these verses that can be interpreted as anything but God’s desire for our lives?  That the strong should never put themselves first, but should always work to help the weak and susceptible in their struggles.  That those who are strong in faith should help their neighbors to grow faithfully, as Jesus, in His parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) would have us know that a “neighbor” is not one who we are comfortable with, but rather one who is different than we are, and who is one that we may even fear or detest!   God Himself has set the bar pretty high for all of us, in that He has taken the lower position by removing the insults that are directed toward us, by humbling Himself to serve us, and provide for us, and sacrifice to ensure that salvation would be possible for all, simply through faith and trust in Him and His word.

 The entire intent of God’s commands, those that have been given throughout the centuries, is to teach us about His ways, to encourage us in following the steps that He has taken on our behalf, and to give us confidence and hope in the promise that Christ has demonstrated to the entire world.

 Read Romans 15:5-6

 We are called to have the same heart, and soul, and mind, and strength that Jesus showed us during His time among us (Luke 10:26-28), and when we do, we will then be able to show Christ-like love to our “neighbor”.  This, Paul tells us, will perfectly create a sense of unity, not only with other people, but especially with our Almighty God.

 The Lord has already done all that He will do, until we make the next move!  There will never be a time when God forces anyone to follow His commands, but there will always be the opportunity for all to welcome His ways and His presence in the heart of both the sinner and the righteous.  Unity, whether in the Church or in the world, will never exist until unity in Christ has been completed in the hearts and minds of humanity!

 The apostle applies the phrase “with one mind and one voice” to define what unity in Christ must involve.  In other words, if we are to live and serve through unified efforts, we must be thinking and speaking the same ideals as God does.  Anything less can never bring glory to our One and Almighty Lord and Savior -it will only honor the one who establishes the false “oneness”, and that will be a sin!

 Read Romans 15:7-9

 So what is our goal for unity in mind and voice?  To be able to proclaim that our Gracious God has finally won and that His victory has also become ours.  Until we walk and live in the life of Jesus Christ, there is nothing of God living within us! In John 7:18 we read ”¹⁸ Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory, but he who seeks the glory of the One who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him.”

 This is a truth for all of humanity, and not just for a select and minor few.

 Read Romans 15:10-13

 These quotations from scripture are all from the Hebrew Testament, and are nothing that Paul made up on his own.  The point of these verses is to confirm the Lord’s promise to all, that Jew and Gentile alike, or if you prefer, the Church as well as all who have yet to come to faith in Christ, are to come together to sing the praises of Jehovah God, through one voice and one heart.

 That level of faith has gone wanting for many years, but that doesn’t mean that it can never occur!  The Lord is welcoming of all who would come to Him by faith.  No one will be excluded from God’s mercy, regardless of the life they had been living, regardless of the sinfulness that they had allowed to control their mind and voice.  Faith and allegiance to the Son of God and His teaching is all that matters, and by that faith, we will be one.

 Remember that favorite old hymn – “TheChurch’s One Foundation”?  The first verse tells us that Jesus Christ is that foundation, and not humanity, and definitely not the desires that the world has raised up.  And without that “foundation”, that basis, that source of truth, the Church will never know a unified spirit, or a unified voice, or a unified heart and mind.  Without Jesus, there is no unified church – it will continue to be broken.

 May that never be so for each and every one of us – not this day, or any day until the day that our “foundation”, Jesus the Anointed One of God, returns to take His rightful Church to Himself.  

May each of us be part of His precious gathering.

 

“The Hour Approaches”

 Scripture:   Romans 13:8-14

As we venture into our 11^th lesson from Paul’s letter to the Romans, we are reminded that every Christian community is a little bit different from all of the rest.  We have different missional opportunities, different cities, towns and villages that we live in, different congregations in so many distinctive ways, and even some different styles of worship.  But in spite of all those things that make us individually unique, there is one aspect of our existence that we all have in common, in addition to our faith in Jesus Christ, and that is the command that Jesus gave to us all, ³⁴ “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ³⁵ By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35)

 The love that we show to each other, as well as the love that we show to all people, can never be based in the love that we know as human beings.  It is to be a Godly love, a divine love, a love that goes beyond all expectations, and a love that challenges description.  It is the love that we experienced when we first discovered that God loves us intimately and completely, in spite of the worldly life that we had been living. 

 In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul offers us a few words on what this Godly form of love is all about.  No matter what we do, no matter what we give to others, no matter how we obey and cherish and proclaim the promise of God, unless everything that we are and do is based in love of the Lord, they are all meaningless.  And in the apostle’s conclusion to that chapter, he writes “ ¹³ And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”  Greater than faith, greater than hope and greater than anything else we can ever imagine.  That is how important love is for our human lives, as well as for our life in Jesus Christ.

 Read Romans 13:8-10

 “Love is the fulfillment of the Law”, but in addition, Jesus Himself tells us in Matthew 5:17 that He came, not to abolish the law, but to fulfill it!  So by association, we come to understand that faith in Christ is the Love that fulfills all that we do.  Without love, observance of the law falls short of glory, just as love without obedience to the word of God must also be seen as imperfect.

 And as an example of what he is referring to, Paul quotes several of the 10 commandments (Exodus 20:1-17), and tells us that all of God’s commands are completed and based in Jesus’ command to “love your neighbor as yourself”. (Matthew 22:38-40 & Leviticus 19:18) 

 Love of God and of others is the attitude, and approach, and the reason that we must incorporate into the life we live and serve through.  Legalistic obedience is never sufficient in the Lord’s eyes!  In Matthew 23:25-26, Jesus confronts the Pharisees with the thought that it will never be a righteous act as long as it is done simply out of obligation, neglecting the most important aspect of our acts in love.  It can never be about our own prestige and gain, but rather we must be focused on what our life will do and mean for the other person and for God. 

 Read Romans 13:11-14

 Time is one of those nebulous things that can be quite confusing when we read about “time” in scripture.  Some of you have heard me mention that in the Greek, there are two words used to describe “time”.  The first is what we know as “cronos”, which is the basis for our word “chronological”, and which refers to the daily and common time that we use to measure duration in our lives.  The second is “kairos” which refers to the time when God’s will is carried out within us.  The two almost never coincide, and for many of us, we’re never quite sure as to which one is at work within us at any given moment!

 In this passage, Paul is using the second meaning, reminding us that God’s “time” is running out for us, that it is “time” that we put the ways of our Lord first in our life, and to allow the ways of earth to fall far, far away.

 Later when Paul writes about dark and light times, we need to understand that night time is “Chronos” time – that time before we welcome the Lord into our life and faith.  Day time is “Kairos” time, when we look to our Almighty and Perfect God to guide us through the rest of this life and into the life He has prepared for us to live eternally in Him.  Paul is warning us that our “Chronos” is rapidly coming to an end, and that it is time for us to wait no longer, and begin living again in our Kairos.

 In Luke 8:16, Jesus offers the analogy of lighting a lamp and displaying it so that it will be obvious for others to see.  Do we celebrate and keep the light of our Kairos life evident for others to see, and to show them the way to discover the Light of Christ for themselves?  Our time in Kairos is about rejecting the ways that bring fulfilment and honor to our humanity, and instead to give God the honor and glory for all that He has done to make us whole in Him!

 And when we consider how these verses fit with the ones we read a few moments ago, we discover that it is the love we carry in our hearts for God and others that will make all the difference between the darkness that covers our human failures and the light that displays the grace and glory of our Precious Lord and Savior Jesus.

 But you may be wondering what it takes for us to be “clothed” with Christ?  What does it mean for our life?  In His parable of the Wedding Feast, (Matthew 22:1-14), Jesus tells us in verse 11-12 of that passage that a man had entered the wedding celebration without wearing the mandatory “wedding clothes”.  The parable itself is about salvation and the difference between those who will be welcomed into relationship with the Lord and those who have denied and rejected it.  The point is that the invitation includes everyone – from the most wealthy and prestigious of the area, to the lowest of strangers who were just passing by, but all who accepted the invitation to celebrate were expected to be properly attired.

 In Zechariah 3:1-9, we read of Joshua, the High Priest who is standing before the Judgment Seat, and the first order that the Judge Jesus gives is to remove the man’s filthy clothes and redress him with the finest of raiments.  The filthy clothes represent sin, and the finest clothes represent righteousness.  That is what being “clothed with Christ” means for our lives.  It is the loving and sacrificial act of Christ at Calvary that grants us, by faith, the means of living again in Almighty God.

 Loving others in the way that Jesus has loved us in His ultimate love for all time, is the greatest gift that we can ever give. 

- Reject your filthy clothes in favor of the finest ones that God provides.

- Step out of the world’s darkness and into the light of a new day in Christ.

- Fulfill the commands that God has provided us with, by living out each and every one as a loving offering of faith, hope and acceptance of Jesus as Lord and Savior.

 If you have never taken that step in faith, won’t you take it today, and give God the glory for what will come to you in the moment that you show the love of Christ in all that you do. 

 Your Chronos is getting shorter every day, you know!