Sermon – Psalm 62 – Trusting in God

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Sermon – Psalm 62 – Trusting in God

Pitts Creek and Beaver Dam Churches

January 22, 2012

I am continuing today with my series of sermons for the season after Epiphany about the character of God. These sermons are drawn from the Book of Psalms which are prayerful meditations on God and what God is like. First, we saw that our God is the creator of all that is, and so all that is should praise their creator, God. Then, we saw that our God is all powerful, and so all who worship him should pledge complete loyalty and total obedience to his commands. Last week we saw that God knows us intimately, he knows our names, he knows our feelings and thoughts and so we can express our joy, concerns, protests, and thanksgivings knowing that God is there and hears them. Today we will see that God can always be trusted even when nothing else can. Let's pray.

“Grant unto us, O Lord, to be occupied in the mysteries of thy heavenly wisdom, with true progress in piety, to thy glory and our own edification. Amen.” (John Calvin)

Three thousand years ago the most powerful man in the world was named David. He had united the twelve tribes of Israel into one nation. None of the local kingdoms could threaten him, neither could the once great nations of Egypt or Babylon. His capitol city, Jerusalem, was getting rich from international trade. He had just built a magnificent palace for himself and brought the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem so that the worship of God could take place right there. But then, the most powerful man on earth discovered that there was one thing he lacked. That one thing was trust. He had lost trust in everyone.

David's son was named Absalom. This name is a combination of two Hebrew words meaning “father” and “peace”. David was a man of war. He hoped that his son would be the father of kings of peace, shalom. But this was not to be. Absalom was a violent man who killed his brother to avenge the rape of his sister. He rebelled against his father, raised an army, and was marching on Jerusalem. At a time like this who could David trust? He couldn't trust his family because his own son had betrayed him. He couldn't trust his military officers, many of them had joined the rebels. He didn't know if he could trust his advisers and friends. He couldn't trust anyone in a situation like that.

We have all experienced times when we are not sure whom we can trust. Maybe you trusted a parent who broke that trust by abusing you. Maybe you trusted a spouse who broke that trust by divorcing you. Maybe you trusted in your retirement accounts which broke that trust by dropping in value. Maybe you trusted your mortgage bank which broke that trust with a foreclosure. Maybe you trusted your employer who broke that trust by eliminating your job. Maybe you trusted your health which broke that trust be getting sick. Whatever it is that we trust eventually that trust will be broken and we will wonder if anyone or anything can be trusted.

When David experienced this loss of trust he wrote a psalm to express what he was feeling. We still have it in Psalm 62.

For the director of music. For Jeduthun. A psalm of David.

1 Truly my soul finds rest in God;
my salvation comes from him.
2 Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

3 How long will you assault me?
Would all of you throw me down—
this leaning wall, this tottering fence?
4 Surely they intend to topple me
from my lofty place;
they take delight in lies.
With their mouths they bless,
but in their hearts they curse.[b]

5 Yes, my soul, find rest in God;
my hope comes from him.
6 Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
7 My salvation and my honor depend on God[c];
he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
8 Trust in him at all times, you people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge.

9 Surely the lowborn are but a breath,
the highborn are but a lie.
If weighed on a balance, they are nothing;
together they are only a breath.
10 Do not trust in extortion
or put vain hope in stolen goods;
though your riches increase,
do not set your heart on them.

11 One thing God has spoken,
two things I have heard:
“Power belongs to you, God,
12 and with you, Lord, is unfailing love”;
and, “You reward everyone
according to what they have done.”

David realized that even though no one and nothing on earth could be trusted there was one thing, only one thing, one person who could always be trusted and that was God. As the army of Absalom came closer to Jerusalem David realized that the city walls he had trusted for protection would become his prison. So he left his fortress with his army and trusted God, only God for his protection. God would be his rock and strength. God would be his fortress and shield. David decided to depend solely on God and fled from Jerusalem into the desert. And David told his people to put their trust in God as well. He said don't trust gold and money. Don't trust unethical business dealings. Don't trust your family and business connections. Put your trust only in God.

In our first reading this morning Simon and Andrew trusted in their boat, nets and ability to catch fish to make a living. Maybe the fish weren't biting. Maybe they hadn't caught any fish for a long time. Maybe they lost faith in their ability to catch fish and make a living. So when they heard God's voice from the mouth of Jesus they knew that the only thing they could really trust was God. So they dropped their nets and followed Jesus.

In the fifth century after Christ the Roman empire was crumbling. A bishop in North Africa saw that trust in an empire and in an established church was broken. In the year 410 Rome was attacked by the Visigoths. No enemy had done this for 800 years, The people lost their trust in the imperial government and the Roman legions. They needed something they could hold onto in the midst of change. They needed something to trust. Augustine told them to trust God. He wrote this prayer: “our hearts are restless until we find our rest in you. (Confessions opening paragraph)”

In the sixteenth century Martin Luther found himself excommunicated from the church he loved and was hunted by people who wanted him dead. The Protestant Reformation had turned violent. Facing death Luther realized the only thing he could trust was God. He said, “Faith is a living and unshakable confidence, a belief in the grace of God so assured that a man would die a thousand deaths for its sake. This kind of confidence in God's grace, this sort of knowledge of it, makes us joyful, high-spirited, and eager in our relations with all mankind” (Preface to Romans). Later that century, John Calvin said, “piety is that reverence joined with the love of God which the knowledge of his benefits induces. For until men recognize that they owe everything to God, that they are nourished by his fatherly care, that he is the author of their every good, that they should seek nothing beyond him – they will never yield him willing service” (Institutes 1.1.1). For both Luther and Calvin faith or piety deals with our orientation to God. What is important is not, “What do you believe?”, rather “Whom do you trust?”  Faith is what allows us to put our trust in God.

In the 19^th century America was in the grips of a Civil War. Brother was fighting brother and it was hard to know whom to trust. In 1861 the Reverend M. R. Watkinson wanted the nation to be reminded that ultimately the only person we can trust is God. So he wrote a letter to the Treasury Department in Washington asking them to add a statement recognizing "Almighty God in some form in our coins." In 1863 the motto “In God We Trust” was added to our coins. Last year the House of Representatives affirmed “In God We Trust” as the motto of the United States in a resolution which passed by a 396-9 vote.

A contemporary theologian, Jurgen Moltman, has said, “Fish need water in which to swim, birds need air in which to fly, and we human beings need trust in order to develop our humanity. Trust is the basic element in which human life exists. - Trust is always a mutual affair, and this is true of our trust in God, because God trusts us.” (“Control Is Good – Trust is Better, Freedom and security in a Free World” Theology Today 62 no. 4 January 2006, 473.) So whenever their seems to be nothing we can trust we can always trust God because God trusts us first.

David trusted God and was restored as the king of Israel. Andrew and Simon trusted God and became fishers of men and women for Christ. Augustine trusted God and guided the people of God as the Roman Empire fell. Luther and Calvin trusted God and led their churches through religious wars that followed the protestant reformation. America trusted God and the Civil Way came to a end. So I urge you to not put you trust in material things or in relationships with others, or in the power of government or money. In a fallen world these things will eventually betray you. Put your trust only in God. Pour out to this God whatever distress you experience. Rest in his arms. Count on his protection. Allow God to provide security and stability in your lives. Remember that God is powerful, but he is not distant. God trusts you. God is faithful. God's love is steadfast. God is a rock you can stand on. God is our only source of hope and peace. You can always trust God.

Father in heaven, we come to you this day as our only hope. We know that the material things of this world and the relationships we have with others are but temporary. So they can never be fully trusted. But you are with us forever. We can always count on you. We trust you because you created us. We trust you because of your great power. We trust you because you have always loved us and care for us. And because of this trust we build our lives on you. You are our foundation, the rock upon which we stand. We pray this in your son's name. Amen.

Sermon – Psalm 139 – God Knows Who You Are

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Sermon – Psalm 139 – God Knows Who You Are

Pitts Creek and Beaver Dam Churches

January 15, 2012

I have a good friend who pastors a church in Korea. I met him six years ago when he arrived in Los Angeles to study English. He tells a story about his first day in America. He arrived at the Bradley International Terminal of Los Angeles International Airport. His cousin was to pick him up, but was delayed in traffic. His plane landed and he went through customs. He emerged into a vast space filled with people all speaking languages he didn't know. He was bewildered, confused and frightened. How could he ever find his cousin in this crowd?, he thought. He had no idea how to make a telephone call or find a taxi. He felt completely alone in a very strange place. And then he remembered that someone was with him in that crowd who knew him. God was there. God knew his name and was going to care of him. Let us remember that God is always with us too as we pray.

“Grant unto us, O Lord, to be occupied in the mysteries of thy heavenly wisdom, with true progress in piety, to thy glory and our own edification. Amen.” (John Calvin)

Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18 (My Translation)

To the director a psalm of David

Yahweh

You know me and you search me

You know when I sit down and you know when I stand up

You know my thoughts from a distance

You know my goings and my lying down

You know my ways and habits

Without a word on my tongue

Yahweh knows everything

You are behind me and in front of me surrounding me

You place your hand on me

Your knowledge is wonderful

But it is too high for me to obtain

Because you made my internal organs

And knitted me together in my mother's womb

I praise you because

I am fearfully, distinctly and wonderfully made

And my soul knows it well

My bones are not hidden from you

Who made me in secret

I have been woven from the ground

As an embryo you saw me with your eyes

And in your book was written all my days

When as yet none had been formed

And regarding your precious purposes, God

How many of them!

If I were to count them they would out number all the grains of sand

And when I wake up you are still with me.

For the last two weeks weeks we have been talking about God as portrayed in the Book of Psalms. First we saw that God was the creator of all that is, and so all of creation is to praise him. Then we saw that God is all powerful, and so his people are to worship him with total loyalty and full obedience. But it must be surprising to find out that the creator of the universe, this all powerful God, knows each of us, individually, as well as our own parents did. God is with us always, and is concerned for our welfare.

But from time to time God seems to take a leave of absence. Maybe he is in Florida on winter vacation or driving to Arizona right at the moment you need his presence the most. You pray and no one seems to be there to listen. You wonder if prayers are really heard at all. When this happens we all wonder what good is having a God when he is out there somewhere when we need him right here. And since we believe that God exists we feel hurt and abandoned when he doesn't respond to our prayers.

When this happens it's OK to ask God where he is. David asked, “My God, why have you forsaken me” (Psalm 22). Even Jesus experienced the absence of God and sang David's psalm from the cross. Some fear that to question God in this way is to lose your faith, but this would be wrong. Questioning God is always a sign of deep faith, acknowledging God existence even when he seems to be so far away, but it is always hard to question someone you trust who you think has let you down.

Whenever we question where God is our questions come from the heart. When your world seems to be falling apart and God seems far away the questions you ask are not academic, they are intensely meaningful because they deal with matters of life and death. When a granddaughter has cancer, or a parent goes into a nursing home, or you lose your job, or your home and God does not seem to be listening to your prayers you question God not with a need to know something, but to express the intense feeling of betrayal that God is not there when you need him.

So when we question God about his seeming absence we are voicing a protest. We feel that we have a right to have God with us at all times. And when God seems to be missing we have the need to complain about God's inaction. I once heard a story about the funeral of young woman. She had just graduated from university and was on the cusp of an extremely bright future. But cancer struck and she died before her potential could be realized. The pastor at her funeral began with a prayer, “We gather today, dear friends, to protest the death of Suzanne.” Some have said that this is not the right thing to say at a funeral. But I disagree. When a 22 year dies it is an act of faith to protest what has happened. When people of no faith perceive that God is far away they have no reason to complain. But we, people of faith, can look God straight in the eye and ask him where he has been. Consider this, only a child who believes that her father will be there when he is needed will complain if he is not. Only a person who trusts God will protest when God seems not to be around.

And this leads us to one final thought. When God seem to be far away, when we need him the most the only thing that will satisfy us is to experience his presence. I know of someone who experienced the absence of God when he needed it the most. This man was a man of great faith. He protested to God asking God where he was. And this man died before he ever got a response. But three days later, in the morning before most people where awake, God got into the grave where Jesus was and moved within his dead body, restoring life to his corpse, and Jesus was alive.

So whenever you experience that God is far away and seems to be absent, call to him in prayer and ask him to come. Protest his absence. Ask God why he is letting you down. And then do the hardest job of all, wait, wait until God returns like Jesus waited, for God to give you your own resurrection. Waiting is hard. It is much easier to act, to do something. But if it ever feels that God is far away and you ask him why he is gone, you may have to wait for him to return. And this is where faith comes it. Your faith that God will return is your source of hope. And hope is what allows you to wait for God to return.

So remember that God is always with you. The creator, our all powerful God, is over you and under you and behind you and in front of you. God knows your name, knows who you are, and is concerned with everything you feel, think, do or say. But sometimes God seems so far away. And when this happens ask God where he is. Protest his absence. And wait for his coming. He promises to always love you and give you eternal life.

My faithful friend from Korea experienced the absence of God in that airport. He felt all alone. But because of his faith he knew he could trust God so as he waited he was filled with hope. Eventually his cousin arrived and found him. And my friend realized that God had never left and was with him the whole time he wandered around that airport. Even though no one else knew his name, God did and that's really what matters.

Almighty God, we thank you for you presence among us. And even though we sometimes feel that you are far away, we still trust in you and anticipate with hope your return. Amen.

Adapted from "When God Goes on Leave of Absence" by Lewis Smedes http://www.csec.org/csec/sermon/smedes_4005.htm  

Sermon – Psalm 29 - Worship the Lord

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Sermon – Psalm 29 - Worship the Lord

Pitts Creek and Beaver Dam Churches

Baptism of the Lord

January 8, 2012

Last Sunday we talked about how all of creation is called to praise the Lord. Praising God is what we were created for. And we praise God by doing what God created us to do. And so we come to church to hear scripture read and proclaimed and we attend Bible studies to find out exactly how God created us so that we may appropriately praise God as we were created to do.

Praise is something all of creation does. But today we will look at something that is reserved for believers. Only the faithful believer can worship the Lord. And that is why evangelism is so important. We invite people to come with us to church and Bible study so that they may praise their creator and come to belief that in Jesus the creator is worthy of our full worship. Today we will talk about what worship is and how we, as believers can worship God. But first let's pray.

“Grant unto us, O Lord, to be occupied in the mysteries of thy heavenly wisdom, with true progress in piety, to thy glory and our own edification. Amen.” (John Calvin)

There is no more misunderstood word in the American church than the word “worship”. There are those who think that worship is the same thing as music. Many churches have what they call “worship leaders” who are in fact musicians leading contemporary music. People in these churches enjoy the music and confuse this enjoyment with worship. As we will see worship is very different from singing praise songs.

Other churches believe that worship involves the use of rituals. People in these churches love the ancient prayers in Latin or Elizabethan English. They love the beautiful liturgies for communion. They love the old hymns. All these things are wonderful, I love them too, but they are not the same thing as worship.

Still other churches believe that worship affects us emotionally. In worship we experience a warming of the heart, or we exhibit our spiritual gifts. In these churches it is not uncommon to hear people equate speaking in tongues with worship. An inner experience of the Spirit and manifestation of gifts is important, but it is not worship.

In our tradition we believe that worship starts in praise for God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We believe that God is with us in worship. And we believe that we are renewed and transformed by the Holy Spirit in worship. This enables us to respond to God in worship and align ourselves with God's mission in the world.

Let's turn to Psalm 29 and it's description of heavenly worship.

A psalm of David.

1 Ascribe to the LORD, you heavenly beings,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
2 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.

3 The voice of the LORD is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
the LORD thunders over the mighty waters.
4 The voice of the LORD is powerful;
the voice of the LORD is majestic.
5 The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars;
the LORD breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes Lebanon leap like a calf,
Sirion[b] like a young wild ox.
7 The voice of the LORD strikes
with flashes of lightning.
8 The voice of the LORD shakes the desert;
the LORD shakes the Desert of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the LORD twists the oaks[c]
and strips the forests bare.
And in his temple all cry, “Glory!”

10 The LORD sits enthroned over the flood;
the LORD is enthroned as King forever.
11 The LORD gives strength to his people;
the LORD blesses his people with peace.

Suppose that you are an officer in the king's army, and you have just been defeated in battle. You king is dead and the new king can do with you whatever he pleases. He can kill you if he wants to. He can make you a slave. He has all power over you. Your only hope for survival is that the king will choose you for his service. And the king will only choose you if he is confident of your loyalty to him and has a reasonable expectation that you will obey his commands. How will you convince the king of your loyalty and promise of obedience? The only way you can do this is if you worship the king.

To worship the king you lie face down in front of him. You mouth and nose are buried in the ground he walks on. Though this act you demonstrate your total loyalty. You will serve no other king but him. And you promise your total obedience, you will fully obey all of the king's commands. If the king receives your worship your life will be spared and you will enter into service for the king. This is worship, bowing before the king and pledging your total loyalty and full obedience.

This is what the worship of God is all about. We worship God by pledging our loyalty to him. We pledge to follow no other god. God will be the sovereign of our lives. And in worship we promise that we will fully obey all of God commands.

You can see from this that worship is very different from just coming to church. People come to church for many reasons: They like singing, they find prayers comforting, maybe the sermons are interesting, and they are able to meet friends and family. Church satisfies a variety of needs and all of these are good. But coming to church to satisfy a need or out of habit is very different from worship. Coming to church is pleasant and nonthreatening. You can come to church every Sunday without having any affect on what you worship, whom you are loyal to, and whose laws you obey. But as believers we are called to do far more than just come to church. We are to worship the Lord.

In today's psalm the angels and all the heavenly beings have gathered before the throne of God for worship. They have pledged their total loyalty to God and have promised to obey all of God's decrees. God has responded to their worship by speaking with the voice that created the world. This voice was so powerful it caused a category 5 hurricane to form in the Mediterranean. This storm came ashore in the forests of Lebanon ripping giant cedars from the ground and tossing them in the air. The storm twisted massive oaks into corkscrews, and shook up the sand of the desert like it was in a blender. The picture we have is of a mighty, powerful God. This is the God we are called to worship. This is God we are to bow down before. This is the God to whom we are to pledge our total loyalty. This is the God whose laws we are to obey.

The voice of God that can trigger a massive storm, the voice that created all that is, is the same voice that came from heaven and said, “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” (Mark 1:11b) And so we know that the one we are to worship is Jesus. We are to bow at Jesus' feet, pledge our total loyalty to Jesus and promise to do everything Jesus commands us to do. This is the essence of Christian worship.

I hope you all enjoy coming to church this morning. We have all the old stuff. We are singing the familiar hymns. We are reciting familiar prayers. We hear familiar texts read and proclaimed. Your old friends and family members are here. I love coming to church. But I invite you to experience the power of the sound of God's voice which you will only hear if you are ready to bow down before God in worship. So I urge you to pledge your total loyalty to Jesus Christ. Decide that you will follow no one and nothing else in you life. And do this by promising with your whole heart to obey everything that Christ commands you to do. This is worship.

Almighty and powerful God we approach you in worship this morning. We know that one word of your voice could end our existence, and we tremble as we come before you. Bless us this day with the gift of faith in your son so that we may approach him, engaged fully in worship, pledging our total loyalty and promising our total obedience. We ask for the gift of the Holy Spirit to strengthen us as we worship. And we offer up this prayer to you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit in worship. Amen.

Sermon – Psalm 148 – Praise the Lord

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Sermon – Psalm 148 – Praise the Lord

Pitts Creek and Beaver Dam Churches

January 1, 2012

We are now celebrating Christmas. The long wait for a messiah is over. The anointed one was born in Bethlehem. The savior of the world is lying in a manger. And we are here to praise the Lord in worship. This is what we do every Sunday. We come to church praising God for his being with us in every way possible. So this is a glorious time to think a little about what it means to praise the Lord.

The Hebrew word for praise is Halelu. A shortened form of the name of God is jah. So the way to say “praise the Lord” in Hebrew is Hallelujah. Let's say it together, halelujah. Let's pray.

“Grant unto us, O Lord, to be occupied in the mysteries of thy heavenly wisdom, with true progress in piety, to thy glory and our own edification. Amen.” (John Calvin)

Psalm 148:1-14 ^NIV Psalm 148:1 Praise the LORD. Praise the LORD from the heavens, praise him in the heights above. ² Praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his heavenly hosts. ³ Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars. ⁴ Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies. ⁵ Let them praise the name of the LORD, for he commanded and they were created. ⁶ He set them in place for ever and ever; he gave a decree that will never pass away. ⁷ Praise the LORD from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, ⁸ lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding, ⁹ you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, ¹⁰ wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds, ¹¹ kings of the earth and all nations, you princes and all rulers on earth, ¹² young men and maidens, old men and children. ¹³ Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted; his splendor is above the earth and the heavens. ¹⁴ He has raised up for his people a horn, the praise of all his saints, of Israel, the people close to his heart. Praise the LORD.

According to the psalmist all of creation is to praise the Lord. Everything in heaven and on earth is called to praise God. We already know how the angels praise God. We heard them just last week praise God in a proclamation, “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2: 10-11)” And the angel praise God in song, ¹⁴ "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests. (Luke 2:14)"

But its not clear how the heavenly host, the mighty army of God, might praise the Lord. And how exactly do the sun, the moon and the stars praise the Lord? And how do the water droplets in the clouds praise the Lord? Remember that every in heaven praises the Lord, but how do they do it?

These question don't go away when we consider the fact the everything on earth praise the Lord too. How do chickens praise the Lord? Certainly some of you who work in chicken houses everyday know how chickens praise the Lord. So how do they do it? Or how about potatoes, how do potatoes praise the Lord? Or corn? Or books in your library? Or dairy cows? Or the blackboards in you classrooms? How do all these things on earth praise the Lord? I have never seen a group of chickens organize a praise band. Nor have I seen dairy cows come to church. I have never seen potatoes recite a psalm responsively. How exactly does all creation praise the Lord?

The answer to this question comes from the way God created the world. In the first chapter of Genesis we read, “And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. (Genesis 1:3) So God created the world by commanding it into being. All of heaven and earth were created by the decrees of God. Everything that was created was given both existence and function. God created each thing with a purpose. And therefore each thing praised God by fulling the purpose God created it for.

So the sun praises the Lord by rising in the east each day and giving the earth light a warmth before setting in west. The moon praises the Lord by reflecting the suns light and controlling the tides. The clouds praise the Lord by dropping rain on our fields. Chickens praise the Lord by being food on our dinner tables. Dairy cows praise the Lord in ice cream and cheese. And potatoes praise the Lord every time someone opens a bag of potato chips.

So praising the Lord involves doing what we were created to do, and we do this by following God's commands. That's why we study the Bible, to find out what we can do to praise the Lord. Coming to church and singing songs of praise is only a portion of what we were created to do. We search the Bible for God's commands and learn from them what God created us to do. And we do these things not to get God to like us, or let us in heaven. We do these things because we were created to praise the Lord.

But the world stopped praising the Lord. It was caught in a cycle of sin and praises no longer reached heaven. God noticed that the praises had stopped. So he sent his son into the world to teach us how to break free from the viscous cycles of sin and live our lives in a way that praises God. Jesus taught us that it is possible to obey God's commands, once we are delivered from sin, and our praises would be heard once again in heaven.

This Wednesday evening we will begin a journey of discovery. We will be looking for practical ways that we can live our lives in obedience to God's law and offer praise to God. Our teacher will be Jesus Christ who will gather us on a mountain and teach us how to live our lives in a way that praises the Lord. Please join us on Wednesdays at 7 at Pitts Creek church when we will take a special look at Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. Since the protestant reformation we have been taught the Jesus' teaching are ideal and cannot be completely achieved in our lifetimes. But Dr. Glen Stassen, professor of ethics at Fuller Seminary disagrees, He thinks that Jesus' teachings are doable if we correctly understand what Jesus is saying. In his book Living the Sermon on the Mount, Dr. Stassen will show us how Jesus' teachings are really practical ways that we can live our lives as we were created to live them. So through this Bible study we will discover what we were created for and by doing what Christ says we will praise the Lord.

So how do we praise the Lord? How do we do what we were created to do? We praise the Lord whenever we love and care for one another. We praise the Lord when we live in peace with our neighbors. We praise the Lord when we act justly. So praise the Lord all the men and women of God. Praise the Lord this pulpit that those pews. Praise the Lord the cars that will take us home. Praise the Lord our houses, and farms and schools and families. Let all the earth and all of heaven praise the Lord.

O Lord we sing psalms of adoration and praise each time we gather in your name. Send your Spirit to kindle within us new life and make us glow with the light of Christ that shines on us this day. Be with us as we learn what we were created to do and help us to do what will praise you. Praise the Lord. Hallelujah! Amen.

Sermon – John 1:1-14 – Seeing God in the Coming of Jesus

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Sermon – John 1:1-14 – Seeing God in the Coming of Jesus

Pitts Creek and Beaver Dam Churches

Christmas Day

December 25, 2011

Today is a day for opening presents. Last Monday I went home and had lunch with my parents and sister. I can remember arguing with my brother and sister about when to open presents. I wanted to wait until Christmas morning when I would be rested and could play with the toys all day. They couldn't wait for morning and wanted to open presents after church on Christmas eve. Our parents compromised and let each of us open one presents on Christmas eve but told us to save the rest for morning after Santa Clause came. This morning we will be looking at some the the gifts we have received as a result of what happened last night.

Last night we celebrated the birth of a baby in Bethlehem. We saw the reaction of his mother and some shepherds who came to visit. We heard the voices of angels and heavenly choirs. And we saw the shepherds leave the young family to tell the world what they had witnessed. Something extraordinary had happened. But what was it? The answer to this question is tied to the identity of that baby in the manger. Who is he? And why did he cause such excitement? We will try to answer these questions but first let's pray.

“O God, before whom mountains melt like wax, the earth trembles, and idols are humbled, we proclaim your righteousness as we behold your glory. You have sought out a people and proclaimed them holy. You have sent your chosen one, Jesus, to prepare your way. We have passed through the gates of salvation, which he opened for us, and now gather to worship you with our praise and thanksgiving.” (When We Gather 15)

John 1:1-14 ^NIV John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³ Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. ⁴ In him was life, and that life was the light of men. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. ⁶ There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. ⁷ He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. ⁸ He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. ⁹ The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. ¹⁰ He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. ¹¹ He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. ¹² Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-- ¹³ children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. ¹⁴ The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Who was the baby in the manger? Accord to the Gospel of John that baby was the Word of God who was present when God first created the world and has now been born of a woman as a human. We know his name as Jesus and he is both God and man.

We believe this by faith, faith that leads us to eternal life. But believing something and understanding something are two different things. Faith is a gift from God that allows us to believe the Jesus is both human and divine. Understanding is a product of our own minds and it is very difficult to understand with our minds how someone can be both human and divine.

Christians have struggled to understand Jesus' humanity and divinity since the beginning. Some have suggested the Jesus was just a man with God's spirit, but if Jesus was just a man how could he have been with God at creation? This would be impossible. Others have suggest that Jesus is God and just appeared to be a man. But if this were so how do you explain what happened in Bethlehem last night with the birth of a baby. The church has always taught that you cannot believe one or the other; you must believe that Jesus is both fully God and fully man.

But understanding that Jesus is both God and man has created other problems for us because we believe in one God and with Jesus and the Father we seem to have two. Some Christians suggested that Jesus was not really God, just like God in many respects, but if Jesus is only like God he is not really God, of the same stuff. Is he?

These debates raged for the first four centuries of the church. The church consistently taught the faith that Jesus was fully man and fully God, and that Jesus and God were one, but our understanding fell further behind until the great work of a church father, Gregory of Nazianzus. Gregory realized that sin touches every part of us. Nothing in us is ever free from the stain of sin. And so a savior must be fully one of us to remove all the sin. But the only one who can forgive sin is God. And so a savior must be fully God to forgive us. Thus our savior must be both fully man and fully God. Jesus Christ, the savior, and must be fully God, the one who saves, and fully man, able to touch every part of us and heal all of our sins.

So the baby born last night was truly God with us. Jesus was fully a human, he dirtied his diapers and cried though the night. He grew up experiencing all the joys and problems we experience. He died experiencing the pain of rejection and death. He was a man in every sense of the word. But through his death and resurrection he proved that he was truly the Word made flesh, fully God and fully man who dwelt among us and saved us from our sins. This is what you are to believe to receive eternal life, and your Christmas gift from God this day is this gift of faith and life in his presence forever.

Saving us from our sins is a very important gift, but Jesus being both God and man gives us an even greater benefit. In Jesus, God reveals himself to us. Through Jesus' life and teaching we have a glimpse of what God is like. We have seen God for ourselves. Another great church father, Athanasius of Alexandria said that Jesus “became human that we might become God. He manifested himself by a body by means of a body in order that we might perceive the mind of the unseen Father … (and) endure shame from men that we might inherit immortality.” And so in Jesus Christ we see God, we know what God is like, and we can develop a relationship with God that will last forever.

We see that though our faith in Jesus, the baby in that manger, we believe that he is both fully human and fully God. Through this belief, which itself is a gift from God, we begin to understand that Jesus being fully man can save us from our sins, and Jesus being fully God can reveal the Father to us. With this faith we are granted by God the additional gift of eternal life.

So as you open your presents this morning remember that the best Christmas gift of all is the gift of faith the God gives you. As you unwrap this faith you will believe that Jesus is fully man and fully God. You will discover other gifts in the box. One is the gift of knowing God in Jesus Christ. Another gift is the forgiveness of you sins. And, of course, there is the gift of eternal life through through your faith. These are glorious gifts so rejoice, give thanks and pray.

“With “hosannas” we herald the birth of our Savior; we sing of glad tidings, O God our Redeemer. Through a child you have come to bring peace among us; we are reborn with the hope of new life. We hear the angels proclaiming that we need have no fear, for henceforth you shall be with us in Christ, your begotten. We give thanks for your gift of salvation and hope. We glorify and praise you for making your will known to us. You have opened the gates of heaven to pilgrims such as we. From Jesus we have caught sight of your righteousness and truth. By him we have been taught your commandments and been called to follow in the way of justice and service. You have not forsaken us when we have strayed from his paths of obedience. Through him we give thanks for your forbearance and forgiveness. On this day when all the earth is bathed in the dazzling light of your presence, we give thanks for your Holy Spirit, who continues to guide us. When we are confused, you grant us clarity. In the midst of ambiguity, we can discern the direction you would have us take. When perplexed, you empower us to rise above those forces that would subdue us. Your gifts are immeasurable and will endure when all else fails. You are the cause of joy that abounds, the source of our righteousness, and the author of hope that dispels shadows of lingering doubt. With the multitude of the heavenly host, we praise you, saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those whom God favors.” Amen. (When We Gather 16)