Thursday, June 25, 2009

July Vision Column

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
July Vision Column
Eagle Rock Presbyterian Church
June 25, 2009


When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my lambs." A second time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Tend my sheep." He said to him the third time, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, "Do you love me?" And he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep.” (John 21:15-17)

Recently, Sue Kinsler, a PCUSA Missionary from South Korea, preached at our 5:30 worship. She gave an impassioned plea for Christians to feed the hungry people of North Korea.

Sue first went to North Korea in 1999. Earlier in that decade a devastating flood killed many. Then two years of drought led to starvation. A million North Koreans died in these disasters, and Sue was determined to obey Christ’s command to feed his sheep.

One hundred years ago the Holy Spirit began a Christian revival in the city of Pyongyang, the current capitol of North Korea. Christianity spread from there all over the Korean Peninsula. Sue’s father-in-law was a Presbyterian missionary in Pyongyang assisting in the growth of the church. But after World War II, Korea was divided and the communist government in North Korea banned all religions including Christianity. No one knows how many of the faithful are still worshiping in secret. But we do know that when the people of North Korea are hungry we must feed them because they are Christ’s sheep.

Sue has been active in supporting orphanages in North Korea. She started soy milk factories to provide nourishing food for hungry children. And she is currently working on a project to build a facility for the disabled in Pyongyang.

With the current tensions in the world caused by North Korean missile and nuclear tests governments are unwilling to provide basic aid, food and medicines, for the desperately poor in North Korea. So now, more than ever, it is the responsibility of the churches to help those in need. The Presbyterian Church USA has a long history supporting the churches of Korea. Now with a desperate need for humanitarian aid in North Korea we have to act again.

Our Session has approved, as a special giving opportunity, contributions to Sue Kinsler and her mission work in North Korea. Your help is needed and will be greatly appreciated. Please make your check payable to Eagle Rock Presbyterian Church, and write “Sue Kinsler” on the memo line.

Blessings,
Pastor Jeff

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Sermon Mark 4:38-41 The Sovereignty of God

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Sermon Mark 4:38-41 The Sovereignty of God
Eagle Rock Presbyterian Church
June 21, 2009

Listen to this sermon.

We are continuing our celebration of the 500th anniversary of the birth of a great reformer of the church, John Calvin. As we saw last week Calvin, who was born on July 10, 1509, went on to reform the church at Geneva and his influence has been felt all over the world. His way of interpreting scripture is still being taught in seminaries. His way of organizing the church is still used in the Presbyterian churches. And his ideas about God still cause us to think. Today we will be looking at an important doctrine of the church that Calvin gave us. This doctrine is called the Sovereignty of God. But first, let’s pray.

Father in heaven, creator of the universe, our King and Lord, we bow before you as your faithful subjects. We acknowledge that you are in control of the world and our lives. And since you are a God of love we trust that you rule with our best interests in mind. In this we take great comfort. Amen.
Mark 4:35-41 35 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, "Let us go across to the other side." 36 And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. 37 A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. 38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" 39 He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. 40 He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?" 41 And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?"

How do we know God? And how to we know ourselves? These were the central questions in Calvin’s thinking. Calvin believed that if you try to know yourself you are immediately confronted with a problem. Sin so stains us that we cannot fully know ourselves until we first know God. And Calvin said we know God in two ways. First everyone knows God from creation, the work of God. We see God in the beauty of creation. This is why we have religions, and why, at times, our consciences are troubled. Calvin called this the “general knowledge of God” and is shared by all of us. But because of sin our knowledge of God in this way is limited. So we need help to fully know God. And God gives us this help by revealing himself in scripture by using language that we can understand.

As God reveals himself in scripture we find God’s providential nature. God did not create the world and then leave it to go someplace else. Scripture teaches us that God remains with all of creation and uses his power for its benefit. This gives us great comfort knowing that there is nothing that we have to worry about because the God, who created us, still loves us and is in control. Every week we sing these words, “I cast all my cares upon you. I lay all of my burdens down at your feet, and anytime that I don’t know what to do, I will cast all my cares upon you.” Every week we pray, “For Thine is the kingdom and the power and glory forever.” Every week we confess, “I believe in God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth.” When we do these things we are affirming our belief in doctrine of the Sovereignty of God.

But is God in total control of the world and our lives? Current events cause us to ask some very important questions: If God is in control how could the Holocaust happen and 6 million Jews die in Europe? If God is in control how could the killing fields happen in Cambodia? If God is in control why would thousands die in a terrorist strike on the World Trade Center? If God is in control why are members of this congregation sick, in hospitals, or living on the street? Our recent history has shaken our confidence in the doctrine of the Sovereignty of God. So we no longer take comfort in God’s providence because we just don’t trust it anymore. And when we lose confidence that God will care for us, our only choice seems to be to care for ourselves.

The problem is not about God and God’s apparent lack of control over or indifference to the problems of the world. No, God is a God of love and passionately wants the best for all of creation. What is flawed is our understanding of the relationship between God and the world.

The Bible teaches us that God is a loving parent, and we are told to call God abba. God is responsive to our needs but does not exert dictatorial control. There is a give and take between us and our God. It is within this give and take relationship that history is made. God does not determine everything, but everything is determined in the interaction of God with humankind. Of course God is free to create whatever world God wants to make. But it looks like God has chosen to create a world where creation occurs in God’s relationship with us and thus not completely determined by God. God has given us freedom, and has given us power over a portion of creation. Evidently, God’s desire is to interact with people who have the ability and freedom to exercise dominion over some part of the created world. The Bible confirms this in Genesis:

Genesis 1:26-28 26 Then God said, "Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth." 27 So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth."

So God did not want us to just sit back and watch history develop on television. Rather we were created to be active participants with God as we move toward the future. God was not forced to give us the gift of freedom and ability of autonomous action. Rather, God wanted us to have these things because God loves us and wants us to have the freedom to choose to love God.

Of course in giving us freedom God was taking a risk. God chose to be vulnerable by allowing us to choose to work against God’s own purposes. God permits us to disrupt God’s plans by our disobedience. God did this because by giving us this freedom God has an opportunity to genuinely have a relationship with us.

And this leads us to the question of why evil exists. Why did God create a world with evil in it? Why would God create a world with nuclear weapons? Why would God create a world with grinding poverty? The answer is that God created a world where evil was not necessary but possible. God did not create evil, we did by misusing our freedoms. So even though God created us, God is not to blame for what we do in our freedom, we are the ones responsible. Therefore we, not God, are accountable for the evil in the world.

But God is not satisfied with this situation. God wants evil to go away and to bless us richly. So God has offered us a deal. Turn from our evil ways and go back to how we were created. Remember that we were created in God’s image and required to obey God’s will. If we all stopped sinning evil would disappear from the world and God would be back in control. But, sadly, all of this is easier said than done. We may want to stop sinning, but try to do it and you will find it is extremely difficult if not impossible. We need help to stop sinning and be restored to a right relationship with God.

Our help has come in the person of Jesus Christ, who in his life and death exemplified the sacrificial lives God is calling us to live, and who in his resurrection from the dead gives us hope that we can trust that God will provide for us. I can’t prove any of this to you. The missiles in North Korea and demonstrations in Iran indicate that the Kingdom of God is a long way off. But I can tell you that our only hope for a better world is in our faith in Jesus Christ. And though faith we will experience the comfort of a loving God who has the power to control of all of nature and bless us richly.

Lord Jesus, as you settled the storm that day with your disciples, settle the storms of our lives. Help the leaders of the world to find peace. Help us to find hope as we face difficulties. And we praise you and honor you as our Lord and King. Amen.

Friday, June 19, 2009

Sermon – Mark 4:26-34 – A Mustard Seed, John Calvin

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Sermon – Mark 4:26-34 – A Mustard Seed, John Calvin
Eagle Rock Presbyterian Church
June 14, 2009

Listen to this sermon.

This morning is an important day for our church. We will be ordaining and installing new elders and deacons as our leaders. This coming year the elders will have many important decisions to make as this church moves into the future. And as we all get older, the deacons will have more and more people to care for. So God has provided us with these leaders to guide the church and to serve those in need. To prepare for this ordination and installation of new officers we need to begin in prayer.

Father in heaven we pray that the people we ordain and install as our leaders this day will be mustard seeds that will grow into ministers of your church. We pray this with you, your son Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Mark 4:26-34 26 He also said, "The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, 27 and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. 28 The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. 29 But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come." 30 He also said, "With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; 32 yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade." 33 With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it; 34 he did not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything in private to his disciples.

This morning I will be talking about a mustard seed, planted by God five hundred years ago, and still growing into a mighty church. That mustard seed was named John Calvin.

Calvin was born on July 10, 1509. His father was the attorney for the local bishop and served on the city council of Noyon, France. When he was 12, Calvin was sent by the bishop to Paris to learn Latin and become a clerk. Calvin hoped to study moral and natural philosophy before beginning graduate work in theology. By age 16 Calvin had earned both his bachelors and his masters degree. But Calvin’s father wanted him to become a lawyer rather than engage in graduate theological work. So Calvin went to law school at the University of Orleans.

Sometime around 1529 Calvin converted to the new Reformation. He developed a strong desire to know as much about God as he could. He studied Greek and Hebrew so that he could read the Bible in it original languages. He studied history, philosophy and theology to provide a scholarly context for what he was reading in scripture. But in 1533 he forced to flee Paris for his life as the persecution of Protestants swept France. Calvin went into hiding and began writing the first edition of his monumental work of theology, the Institutes of the Christian Religion.

Calvin then decided to go to Strasburg, but while on the way he spent a night in Geneva and met a reformer named William Farrel. Farrel persuaded Calvin to stay in Geneva and help him with his efforts in reforming the city. Specifically he needed to define a new relationship between the city council and the church now that the domination of the Church of Rome had been removed and the city government was now independent of the church. This meant that a new structure was needed for the church and Calvin was the perfect person as both a lawyer and theologian to accomplish this task.

Calvin designed a plan for the organization of a reformed church using offices which he found in the Bible. The first office he proposed was that of Pastor. The Pastor was to give moral direction to the church and do those things the medieval priests used to do such as weddings, baptisms and funerals. The Pastor was to administer the sacraments and give spiritual leadership to the church. The second office was that of Doctor. The Doctor of the church was its teacher. The Doctor would read the Bible in it original languages, interpret it using the tools of history, philosophy and theology, and expound upon it for the benefit of the church. The third office was that of Elder. The Elder was to enforce moral discipline on the members of the church. If a member drank too much alcohol, or got in fights, or gambled money, or cheated on a spouse the Elder was responsible for doing something about it. And the fourth office was that of Deacon. The Deacon was to collect money for the poor during worship and see to it that the needy in the community were cared for.

The Pastors and senior Doctors were organized by Calvin into a Company of Pastor. The purpose of this group was to lead the church and ordain new Pastors and Doctors. This was a source of conflict with the city council which wanted to appoint Pastors and Doctors themselves. The Company of Pastors once decided that the Lord’s Supper would be served monthly, but the city council overruled this decision and scheduled communion quarterly.

Calvin organized the Elders into the Consistory. The Consistory would enforce Christian law and anyone who was deemed unworthy could not participate in the Lord’s Supper. This too created conflict with the city council which wanted to make these decisions themselves. As a result of these and other conflicts, Calvin was asked to leave Geneva, and he went as to Strasburg to join another reformer, Martin Bucer. At Strasburg, Calvin preached, taught, got married, and revised his Institutes.

But in 1541 the church and city council in Geneva realized that they had made a mistake in getting rid of Calvin and they asked him to return, which he did, reluctantly.

Back in Geneva Calvin went to work creating what he believed would be a Holy Commonwealth based on Christian morality. He taught in the church every day and twice on Sundays. He wrote commentaries on nearly every book of the Bible. And he again revised his Institutes.

A large number of foreign immigrants were coming to Geneva to escape persecution of the reformed church is many parts of Europe. Calvin established a school where Pastors and Doctors were educated with his technique for interpreting scripture and his way of organizing the church. These students were then sent out to churches all over Europe. One young student from Scotland was the pastor of an English congregation in Geneva. John Knox was trained by Calvin and sent back to start the Church of Scotland called the Presbyterian Church. A Reformed wave that started in Geneva swept across Europe, it landed with a group of reformed pilgrims on Plymouth Rock and with a group of Dutch settlers in New Amsterdam, present day New York, and from there it crossed the continent of North America arriving in Eagle Rock in 1914, and crossed the Pacific landing in Asia.

Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion grew into a massive work that has been extremely influential in churches and schools around the world. It is organized into four books. In the first Calvin talks about God and how we come to know God. In the second book Calvin talks about us and our need for God. In the third book Calvin talks about our union with God through the grace of Jesus Christ. And in the forth book Calvin talks about the work of the Holy Spirit in guiding the church.

Over the next three Sundays, as we approach Calvin’s 500th birthday, I will be preaching three sermons based on Calvin’s theology as written in the Institutes. Next Sunday we will be looking at the doctrine of the Sovereignty of God. The following Sunday we will consider the doctrine of the Total Depravity of Humankind. And on the third Sunday we look at the doctrine of Divine Election.

As we look back on the life of John Calvin and growth of the Reformed church we realize that this is just what Jesus was talking about when he described the kingdom of God. God planted a small seed of reformation in Geneva that grew into a reformed church that covers the world. We are still studying scripture using the tools of biblical languages, history, philosophy and theology. This church still governs itself with Pastors, Doctors, Elders and Deacons. The seed planted 500 years ago has grown into a church that is still reformed and reforming. Amen.

Friday, June 12, 2009

Sermon – Romans 8:22-27 – Praying in the Spirit

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Sermon – Romans 8:22-27 – Praying in the Spirit
Eagle Rock Presbyterian Church
May 31, 2009

Listen to this sermon.


This morning we celebrate Pentecost Sunday. We are all wearing red stoles signifying the coming of the Holy Spirit, as tongues of fire, on the first Pentecost, after Jesus ascended to heaven.

Pentecost was an ancient festival celebrating the first barley harvest of the season. Barley was planted at the Passover and the seven weeks or 50 days later it was ready for harvest. This festival became know as the festival of weeks and became a holy convocation when no work was to be done and everyone was to come for worship. It was there that the congregation gave thanks for the grain harvest.

So as Christians we approach Pentecost in thanksgiving for the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. And it is this work of the Spirit of God that we will be looking at today.

But first let’s pray. Holy Spirit come upon us as you did that day with the disciples of Jesus. Make my tongue proclaim God’s words for this congregation. May our ears be receptive to what God is saying to us today. And help us to proclaim these words to others in our community. We pray this with you, the Son and the Father. Amen.

Romans 8:22-27 22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; 23 and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. 26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. 27 And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

Upstairs in my office I have a computer which I use on the internet. Inside the computer is an adapter that allows the computer to attach to the internet. The computer itself cannot connect to the internet without this adapter which attaches the computer to ATT and the internet. Most of the time, it works. In addition to the adapter which connects it to the internet, my computer must also be able to communicate properly. It has to use what is called a protocol, or way of communicating. All computers that want to use the internet must use the internet protocol or IP. There is still one more thing that has to happen for my computer to connect to the internet. It must have the permission of an internet service provider, in our case it is ATT. When my computer has the appropriate connection, is communicating properly, and has permission to use the internet I am then able to check my email, read today’s news, and do research for Bible studies and sermons.

This procedure for connecting a computer to the internet is similar to what happens when we pray. We have to have the physical ability to communicate with God. We have to use the correct protocol. And we need God’s permission to communicate with him.
Physical Ability

Have you ever though about the absolute absurdity of being able to pray? We are finite creatures with very limited abilities. What makes us think that we have the ability to communicate with God, the creator of the universe? Would God pay attention to what comes out or our mouths? The theologian Paul Tillich said that it is humanly impossible to pray. Here is what he said.
“This we should never forget when we pray: We do something humanly impossible. We talk to somebody who is not somebody else, but who is nearer to us than we ourselves are. We address somebody who can never become an object of our address because he is always subject, always acting, always creating. We tell something to Him who knows not only what we tell Him but also all the unconscious tendencies out of which our conscious words grow. This is the reason why prayer is humanly impossible.” (http://www.religion-online.org/showchapter.asp?title=375&C=31)

But the Bible tells us that we must pray. Prayer is vital for our own spirituality. So how can we pray as we should when we are unable to pray at all? The Apostle Paul tells us that reason we can pray is because God is praying through us. God sends his own spirit the Holy Spirit to enter us and speak for us back to God. So the Holy Spirit is the adapter that allows us to connect to the God-net.

Communication Protocol

With the coming of the Holy Spirit we now have the physical ability to pray to God, but what protocol should we use? How should we talk with God? Humans have two ways of forming prayers. These are the liturgical and the improvisational prayer.

We use the liturgical prayers at the beginning of our worship services. A liturgical prayer is one that is written down and is often said in unison or responsively. Some of these prayers were written by great Christian writers and poets. They can communicate the great majesty and mystery of our God. They remind us our need to pray praises, thanksgivings, confessions, intercession, illuminations and dedications. Jesus gave us a liturgical prayer which we say every Sunday, The Lord’s Prayer. But if we use liturgical prayers over and over again they may become mechanical; we say the words but the words have no meaning. So we have to be careful when using this protocol to communicate on the God-net.

At the end of our worship services we use improvisational prayers. These prayers are not written down; rather they are spoken from the heart. These prayers are directed to a person called “God”. They are in the form of a conversation. In improvisational prayers we offer up our joys and concerns to God. We express our most fundamental needs and desires and we trust that our creator God will hear us. But if all we used were improvisational prayers we would be lowering God to the level of a best friend who listens to us. We need the liturgical prayers to remind us of the glory and honor that are do God.

So we use liturgical and improvisation prayers together to communicate with God. But what makes us think that God hears these prayers and acts upon them? Why would a group of finite humans reading some words from a piece of paper have any impact on God at all? Does God really want to be our best friend and listen as we ramble on and on?

The answer that Paul gives us is that these prayers are translated by the Holy Spirit into a God-net protocol describing this work as “sighs too deep for words.” So the Holy Spirit takes what we pray and converts those prayers into something we cannot understand, but makes perfect sense to God. Therefore we need the Holy Spirit in our hearts for our words, and thoughts, and feelings to be communicated to God.

Permission to Communicate

So God sent the Holy Spirit into our hearts giving us the ability to pray and connecting us to the God-net. And this Holy Spirit communicates our prayers over this God-net, and uses a protocol acceptable to God. But why would God bother listening to our prayers? Why would God give permission for our prayers to come over the God-net?

For my computer to work on the church’s internet service, I need permission from ATT. We get this permission by subscribing to ATT Digital Subscriber Line, or DSL. We have a router to connect to our DSL line. For my computer to work it has to connect to this router. My computer needs permission to use the router. The router needs permission to use the DSL. And these permissions are granted through the use of passwords. Just as we need permission to use the internet we also need permission to use the God-net.

Our permission to use the God-net and communicate with God was given to us by Jesus Christ. Jesus paid the cost of this connection with his life, and he ensured eternal God-net service with his resurrection. So the God-net will be always on. And Christ sent his Spirit to us to ensure that our connection with God will never go down. So all we have to do to pray is believe in Jesus Christ and accept his Spirit the rest is automatic and our prayers are heard by God.
Conclusion

So I urge you to order your God-net service today. To subscribe to this free service just believe in Jesus Christ. All that you need will be sent to you. The Holy Spirit will come and connect you to God-net. Pray by yourself or with others and the Holy Spirit will convert and transmit those prayers to God. It is that easy. Order today.

Father in heaven, we are testing the God-net we just ordered. Please have your Holy Spirit take the prayers of this congregation and bring them to you. We thank you and praise you for letting us pray to you. And we pray in the name of your son, our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.