Sermon Psalm 80 – Make Your Face Shine on Us

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

First Presbyterian Church of Ocean City

Sermon Psalm 80 – Make Your Face Shine on Us

December 18, 2016

Today we have arrived at the fourth Sunday of Advent. The coming of a savior is just around the corner. So far we have learned much from the Book of Psalms. We joined with the psalmist as she entered Jerusalem and found the people of God were living in shalom, peace and harmony. And with the psalmist we saw the people of God caring for the poor and needy, the widows and orphans, and the aliens in the land with mishpat and tsedaqah, justice and righteousness. And last week we joined with the psalmist singing hallelujah, “praise the Lord.” Today we turn with the psalmist and consider what we all need the most, a savior.

At some point in our lives we will need a savior. Our problems will get out of hand. We won't be able to solve them. We will look to others for help but it won't be enough. And then we need a savior when there is no one else to turn to.

The list of problems we face as church are endless and growing. We have problems with ankles, knees, hips, and shoulders. We suffer from chronic pain, birth defects, and incurable diseases. We have friends and family with terminal diseases. We have floods, and droughts, and hurricanes which cause damage. We worry about our church, membership and finances. And are getting older every day. Sometimes we can solve our own problems. Sometimes we can solve our problems with the help of others. And sometimes we need a savior. Thankfully we have a savior who was born on Christmas. 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)

In the 8^th century before Christ the people of God were divided into two nations. The southern kingdom was called Judah. It's capital was Jerusalem. And in Jerusalem there was a temple for the worship of Yahweh, the Lord God of Israel. The northern kingdom was called Israel. It's capital was Samaria. The people of the northern kingdom worshiped golden calves erected by the king at religious shrines in Bethel and Dam. Israel had abandoned the worship of their God, Yahweh, and worshiped other pagan gods.

The northern kingdom, Israel, needed a savior. The Assyrian army arrived and encircled the capital. They were threatening to destroy the nation. Israel could not save itself. And there were no neighbors powerful enough to save them either. The gods they worshiped were completely ineffective. They needed someone to come and save them. They needed a savior, but who?

Then they remembered the God they had worshiped generations before. A God who had saved them in similar circumstances. Unfortunately they had abandoned this God years ago. But, maybe, he would remember his people. Perhaps this God could be persuaded to help them again. So a group was assembled to travel south to Jerusalem to ask Yahweh, the Lord God of Israel, for help.

When they arrived in Jerusalem, they made their way to temple to plead their case with God. It was believed that God resided in the temple in a room called the Holy of Holies. God's throne was a box, the arc of the covenant which the people of God had carried in the wilderness for 40 years. Inside was the Law of Moses. God sat on top of box between the cherubim. The group from the northern kingdom evidently entered the Holy of Holies to ask God for help. This is what they said.

Psalm 80: 1-3 NIV - Hear us, Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock. You who sit enthroned between the cherubim, shine forth before Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh. Awaken your might; come and save us. Restore us, O God; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved.

After generations of unfaithfulness the people of the northern kingdom have finally returned to the God of their ancestors. And they ask him for his presence with them as they face the Assyrian enemy.

We have this same hope for a savior. We know that our God does not prevent problems from happening. We have too many problems to believe that. Rather than prevent problems our God promises to be with us as we face our problems. The benefit of your faith is that whatever problem you face God will be there with you. His face will shine upon you. You have a savior who will come to your aid. All you have to do is to call on him in prayer.

Then the people from Israel presented to God the prayers of their people. Let's listen.

Psalm 80: 4-7 How long, Lord God Almighty, will your anger smolder against the prayers of your people? You have fed them with the bread of tears; you have made them drink tears by the bowlful. You have made us an object of derision to our neighbors, and our enemies mock us. Restore us, God Almighty; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved.

They offered up prayers to God asking that he remember that the people of the northern kingdom were still his people. They told God that his people were suffering. And therefore God's reputation would suffer when others saw the suffering of his people. God needed to come to save them to demonstrate his power to the world. Otherwise the Assyrians will defeat them and mock their God. And so they asked God to save his people and to remember what he done for them in the past.

Psalm 80:8-14a You transplanted a vine from Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it. You cleared the ground for it, and it took root and filled the land. The mountains were covered with its shade, the mighty cedars with its branches. Its branches reached as far as the Sea, its shoots as far as the River. Why have you broken down its walls so that all who pass by pick its grapes? Boars from the forest ravage it, and insects from the fields feed on it. Return to us, God Almighty! Look down from heaven and see!

They reminded God that he had saved his people from slavery in Egypt and had promised them the land they now occupy. But now that very land that God had promised to them is occupied by non-believers. The Assyrians now live in their cities and farm their farms. So they pleaded with God to uphold his end of the covenant. They begged God for his help.

Psalm 80 14c-19 Watch over this vine, the root your right hand has planted, the son you have raised up for yourself. Your vine is cut down, it is burned with fire; at your rebuke your people perish. Let your hand rest on the man at your right hand, the son of man you have raised up for yourself. Then we will not turn away from you; revive us, and we will call on your name. Restore us, Lord God Almighty; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved.

And so they are waiting for a savior: God's son, who sits at God's right hand and comes to earth as the Son of Man. The savior they were waiting for is the same one we long for this Advent, Jesus Christ.

Sadly, God ignored their plea and allowed the Assyrians to conquer the northern kingdom and resettle the people of Israel in other parts of their empire. God ignored their prayer. Why were their prayers ignored? I think I know why.

Nowhere in Psalm 80 is there a prayer of confession. At no time in their prayers to God did they admit that they had done wrong by worshiping other gods at the shrines of the golden calves in Bethel and Dan. And they made no promise to stop these evil ways and return to their God. All they did was to make demands on God and complain that he was not protecting them well enough. And God responded by ignoring them. God wants a confession, a change of heart, and a return of his people to obedience and he didn't hear it.

So, if we want a savior to come this Christmas we must confess our sin and change our behavior from evil to good. If we confess and repent and turn to him, then God will forgive us and send us a much needed savior.

And who is this savior that we wait for?. When the priests of Israel cried out “Restore us, Lord God Almighty; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved.”, they were using a Hebrew world “leshua.”, which mean save us. The name of the Lord God of Israel was, “jah”, which was shortened from Yahweh. So they put these together, “Jah shua”. They cried out “God save us, Jah shua. When this Hebrew word, Jah shua came into Latin became “Iesus”. And the Latin Iesus came into Early Middle English as “Jesus”. So the English name “Jesus” is the same as the Hebrew jah shua, God saves. So who is the savior that we are waiting for? Who is this Son of Man who sits at the right hand of God? Who is this anointed one who comes to earth? His name is Jah shua, Iesus, or Jesus. Jesus Christ is the savior who is coming. Let's pray.

Father in heaven we confess that we have turn from you to worship other gods. We worship the god of consumerism which causes us to worship money by working all the time and spending all we have. We have no time left over to serve your church. And we have no money left over to support the growth of your kingdom. We confess that this is our sin. We pledge to set our priorities aright and place the worship of you at the top. This we pray in the name of the savior who came at Christmas and will come again. Amen.

Sermon – Psalm 146 – God Remains Faithful Forever

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

First Presbyterian Church of Ocean City

Sermon – Psalm 146 – God Remains Faithful Forever

December 11, 2016

           

            We turn again today to the Psalm of Advent.  On the first Sunday of Advent we rejoiced with the psalmist as she found that the people of God lived together in peace and harmony.  Then on the second Sunday of Advent we heard God's command to the king and his people to care for the poor with justice and righteousness.  Today we look at the most important thing we do as God's people.  We praise God.  We will get to this, 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)

Psalm 146:1-10  NIV Psalm 146:1 Praise the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul.  2 I will praise the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.  3 Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save.  4 When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing.  5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God,  6 the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them-- the LORD, who remains faithful forever.  7 He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets prisoners free,  8 the LORD gives sight to the blind, the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down, the LORD loves the righteous.  9 The LORD watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.  10 The LORD reigns forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the LORD.

            Psalm 146 begins with the Hebrew word Hallelujah.   Hallelu means to praise someone or something.  Jah stands for Yahweh, the Lord God of Israel.  So we sing in English, “praise the Lord”, or in Hebrew hallelujah.  In worship we sing praises to God.

            The psalmist teaches us that praising God is a life long activity.  We praise God from the moment of birth until we die.  We do this because we were created to sing praises to God.  And we are engaging in praise whenever we are doing what God has created us to do. 

            All too often though we praise something other than God.  The psalmist says that we sometime praise “princes”.  This would be our political leaders and government.  We praise government whenever we believe that government will ultimately save us.  If we lose our jobs government will will care for us with unemployment checks.  If we lose our health and have no insurance government will give us the health care we need.  If we lose our homes and churches in a storm government will be there to help us rebuild.  If our parents are getting old and can no longer live in their homes, government will help them get into a nursing home.  Government is very seductive.  It will offer us what we need, but it will demand our praises.  And so we are greatly tempted to sing praises to and worship our government.

            But the psalmist points out that all princes and governments are mortal.  They will not go on forever.  And if history is a guide, the moment you need government the most it will not be there for you.  Government, like any human institution is stained by sin.  And so you should expect corruption.  And if government is corrupt then it cannot save you.  So don't sing its praises, don't worship it. 

            So if we should not be praising government, whom should we praise, and why?  The psalmist reminds us that the only object of our worship should be the Lord, God of Jacob.  But why?  The psalmist gives us two reasons.  First, the Lord is the creator of everyone and everything.  Therefore God is our creator.  And as creatures of that God we were created to worship him.  Singing praises to God is as natural to us as breathing and eating.  It takes enormous amounts of evil to keep us from worshiping.  The second reason we are to worship God is that he is faithful.  God did not create us and then leave us.  God is with us still, guiding, nurturing and protecting us.  And this God is faithful.  Unlike government He will always be there when we need him.  So when you need help turn to God and rest in His faithfulness.

            So how do we know that God is faithful?  What evidence is there that God cares for us and will never leave us alone?  Let's look at some of the evidence we have.

            Shakeela Bibi attends a small Presbyterian church in Pakistan.  Recently while preparing bread for a Bible study she heard a commotion in the street.  A group of boys with sticks was heading to the church.  She ran to the church to warn those inside of the coming mob.  This angered the mob.  She was beaten and shot.  Shakeel Bibi is a Christian martyr.   The psalmist said, “He upholds the cause of the oppressed.” http://www.opendoorsusa.org/persecution/christian-martyrs-stories/shakeela-bibi

            Lemi is a four year old girl living in Tanzania.  In Tanzania 46% of the population is malnourished.  Her grandmother became concerned as Lemi became thinner and thinner.   World Vision came to Lemi's village with a plan.  The rice farmers were organized into a group and are now able to get higher prices for their crops.  As a result Lemi now eats “rice, banana, milk, beans, fish, meat, and vegetables”, and is now getting fat.  The psalmist said, “(He) gives food to the hungry”. http://blog.worldvision.org/stories/reclaiming-the-garden-of-eden/

            In 2010 Jeremiah Zigwa found out that he had HIV/AIDS.  Shortly thereafter his wife died in childbirth leaving him to take care of his eight children alone.  Jeremiah had no idea of what to do, and seriously considered suicide.  He reached out to community based Christian counseling organization for help.  They got him the medicine he needed.  And Christians provided for him ten chickens so he could start an egg business.   Jeremiah was also given a couple of pigs, but found them too difficult to care for.  So he sold the pigs, and some piglets and bought a young cow and bull.  He now raises cattle, chickens and ducks.  The psalmist told us, “The LORD sets prisoners free,  the LORD gives sight to the blind, the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down, the LORD loves the righteous.” http://blog.worldvision.org/stories/jeremiah-dares-to-dream/

            Ferdoz lives in a tent in Lebanon.  She left her home in Syria with her five children to escape the violence of the civil war.  Her rent is $330 a year, which she cannot afford.  She owes $200 for plastic sheeting for the tent and another $40 to local shop keepers for food.  Dia is the wife of a shop keeper who gives eggs to Ferdoz when her husband is not looking.  But she know that her husband's business can't go on much longer.  Neither Ferdoz nor Dia know what to do.  Today a million refugees from Syria are in Lebanon and Jordan.  Another 300K are in Turkey.  It is estimated that if the conflict continues there could be another 6.8 million people fleeing Syria.  The United Nations says that it needs $1.5B, but this would not be nearly enough.  World Vision is raising $40M to feed as many children as they can.  The psalmist says, “The LORD watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow.”    http://blog.worldvision.org/disaster-relief/crisis-in-syria-part-6-debts-difficulties-rise-for-refugees/

            So we know what God is doing in the world.  God is relieving the oppressed, feeding the hungry, healing the sick, and is concerned for the poor.  This is the God we worship.  So how do we sing praises to a God like this?  We worship this God by doing what God created us to do.  And the implication is obvious.  We were created by God to participate in his work in this world.  And if God is concerned about the oppressed, the hungry, the sick and the poor then so should we.  So our work should be to find out what needs there our in this community, throughout the nation, and around the world.  And then we need to do something, even if it is just little, but something that advances God mission of Earth.  As a church we should look for ways to partner with Christian organizations doing God's work.  There are opportunities at Diakonia, Shepherd's Crook, the Cold Weather Shelter, and Ocean City Crises Coalition here in town.  We can partner with Presbyterian Disaster Assistance to care for the needs of people hurt in the storms.  Many of the international stories I have told you today came from World Vision International, which is doing wonderful work all over the world.  The psalmist wants you to remember that the reason you do these good works is because they are how you sing praises to the God who created you and will be with you forever.  Let's pray.

            Father in heaven, we thank you for caring for us and the world we live in.  We know that your heart breaks over the oppression, hunger, disease, and poverty which sin has produced.  Use us and use our church to rid these problems from the world.  This we pray in your son's name.  Amen.  

Sermon – Psalm 72 – Justice and Righteousness

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Sermon – Psalm 72 – Justice and Righteousness

First Presbyterian Church of Ocean City

December 4, 2016

I am continuing today with my sermon series entitled Psalms of Advent. Last week we accompanied a pilgrim coming to Jerusalem. She rejoiced because people in the city lived together harmoniously, they cared for the poor and needy, and were concerned with the shalom, the well-being of everyone. This is the vision of what a church should be like.

Today we will unpack the concept of caring for the poor and needy. There are four terms in the Bible, two in Hebrew and two in Greek, which refer to our responsibility to care for those in need. These terms appear in this context in scripture over 1000 times. By contrast, four terms that refer to sexual impropriety appear less than 100 times in the Bible. What do you think God is most concerned about? There is no question about it, God's primary concern is with how we treat the poor. We will get to this, 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)

The political and economic system established by God for his people was based on private property. This was done when the promised land was allocated to all the families and tribes of Israel. There was no need for a king in this system. All they needed was a system of rules that governed how to treat each other. Of course they also needed God. When they eventually acquired a king his responsibility was to protect the people from their enemies and see to it that the law of God was carried out, that the rule of law continued.

In a system based on private property it is the responsibility of everyone to work. Your ability to work is a blessing from God. And the fruit of your work blesses others. The was the covenant that God had established with Abraham. We are blessed to be a blessing. Money was established as the mechanism whereby you receive and give blessings. The world God created is a world of abundance so no one has to experience shortages of anything, provided they work. But some people refused to work. We read this in Proverbs 6

6 Go to the ant, you sluggard;
    consider its ways and be wise!7 It has no commander,
    no overseer or ruler,8 yet it stores its provisions in summer
    and gathers its food at harvest.

9 How long will you lie there, you sluggard?
    When will you get up from your sleep?10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
    a little folding of the hands to rest—11 and poverty will come on you like a thief
    and scarcity like an armed man.

In a system based on private property all are expected to work. You have no obligation to care for a person who can work but refuses to do so. If a person has capacity to work and work is available then he or she is under an obligation to work and support himself and family. But there are exceptions to this rule. And these exceptions bring us to Psalm 72.

Psalm 72

Of Solomon.

1 Endow the king with your justice, O God,
    the royal son with your righteousness.2 May he judge your people in righteousness,
    your afflicted ones with justice.

3 May the mountains bring prosperity to the people,
    the hills the fruit of righteousness.4 May he defend the afflicted among the people
    and save the children of the needy;
    may he crush the oppressor.5 May he endure[a] as long as the sun,
    as long as the moon, through all generations.6 May he be like rain falling on a mown field,
    like showers watering the earth.7 In his days may the righteous flourish
    and prosperity abound till the moon is no more.

12 For he will deliver the needy who cry out,
    the afflicted who have no one to help.13 He will take pity on the weak and the needy
    and save the needy from death.14 He will rescue them from oppression and violence,
    for precious is their blood in his sight.

Psalm 72 is a coronation Psalm. It was sung in Judah as the descendants of David were crowned king. And it reminded these kings of their responsibility to care for the poor and needy. In this prayer God was asked to give these kings the gifts of justice and righteousness. Let's look at what these terms mean.

Justice is how the NIV translated the Hebrew word mishpat. Mishpat refers to the obligation we have to care for people who have been impoverished because of a denial of their God given human rights. For example, when a man died without children it was the responsibility of his brother to marry the widow so that she will be cared for. A widow has the God given right to be cared for by her husband's family. But sometimes this right was denied, and widows were not cared for. Possibly the family had no sons and was financially unable to care for her. Maybe the family just didn't like her and threw her out. Whatever the reason, she would fine herself destitute, unable to work and support herself. When a situation like this occurred it was the obligation of the king to ensure that she was supported in some way. This responsibility was called mishpat, “justice”.

We have the same responsibility. If someone is poor because of some injustice we have an obligation as Christians to support that person. We must remove any authority or power that is causing that injustice. If someone is able to work and wants to work but cannot because of Government policies, Christians must seek to change those policies. If taxes or regulation or immigration policy prevent jobs from being available to those who wish to work, it is our responsibility to change those policies and get people to work. God created a world of abundance. There is no reason why everyone shouldn't have a job. If a person can work and wants to work but cannot find a job then we have an obligation to help. This obligation is called mishpat, “justice”.

When someone is poor because their rights have been denied mishpat requires that we help them in the short term with money and in the long term with changes in governmental policy to provide jobs. But these are not the only people we should help. There is another group of people that needs our assistance. These are the people with disabilitities, mental or physical which prevents them from working. Our responsibility to care for the most marginal in our society is called tsedaqah, which the NIV translators call “righteousness”. Tsedaqah refers to the delivering, community restoring care we are to give to the poor who have no capacity to work.

In ancient times the disabled where unable to earn a living. A person might be born with a mental or physical defect which prevented them from working. Or they may have suffered a disease, injury or just aging and now are unable to work. God's law required them to be supported by their families, but sometime this didn't happen. Some turned to begging. Tsedaqah requires us to care for these people. We are under an obligation from God to care for aged and the infirm and the disabled. We can do this through taxation and government programs. We can do this through the church and non-profit organizations. We can do this ourselves. We have the duty to help those who cannot help themselves.

The kings of Judah were reminded in their coronations that they were responsible for mishpat and tsedaqah, justice and righteousness. Those whose rights had been denied and those who where unable to work had to be cared if not by their family or community then by the king. This was the reason God allowed them to have a king. The king had to care for his people. So too today, we are responsible through our own resources, through our tithe at church and through our taxes to government to help the poor and needy in our community.

There are several ways that we can do this. People from this church help out at the Cold Weather Shelter, Diakonia and Shepherd's Crook Food Pantry. And we support with food and money the Samaritan Shelter in Pocomoke City. We bring hats and mittens for the tree in Fellowship Hall. And the Women of Worship are collecting gifts for children at Samaritan Shelter. Also this Christmas Eve, Grace and I will be hosting a Jesus Christ Birthday Party for children living around the church. Please see Grace if you would like to help. There are many ways you can care for the poor and needy this Christmas.

In God's economic system based of private property, all people are required to work to support themselves. We have no obligation to support a person who refuses to work. But if a person is prevented from working by unjust systems or if a person is incapable of working because of a physical or mental disability then we do have a responsibility to help. This responsibility applies to us personally, through the church and the government. We are to do whatever we can do to remove the unjust barriers to work and support those who are incapable of working. We are always to bless others just as we have been blessed by God. Let's pray.

Father in heaven, we know of your great concern for the poor. We see people in our community who cannot find jobs. We see people who are unable to work. We thank you for blessing us with a world of abundance, and we pledge to care for people who receive little of this abundance. Bless us in our ministry to the poor. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

Sermon – Psalm 122 Deep Well-being, Shalom

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Sermon – Psalm 122 Deep Well-being, Shalom
First Presbyterian  Church of Ocean City
November 27, 2016

Today is the first Sunday of Advent.  The word “advent” comes from a Latin word “adventus” which means “coming”.  We usually remember the coming of Christ at Advent.  Christ came as a baby named Jesus two thousand years ago.  Christ will come again in the resurrection.  And Christ comes into the hearts of all who believe.  But today we will look at coming in a different sense.  We will look at a song the people of God used to sing on their way to Jerusalem and the House of God, the Temple.  And will we ask if people can sing this same song today as they come to church.  We will get to this, 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)

Psalm 122  A song of ascents. Of  David.
1 I rejoiced with those who said to me,
    “Let us go to the house of the Lord.”

You can hear the great sense of anticipation in the voice of the psalmist.  She is so excited to be going to Jerusalem to worship in the temple.  It is almost like she is a kid anticipating Christmas morning and all the presents.  She just can't wait for the big event.  And she is almost there.  And then it happens:

2 Our feet are standing
    in your gates, Jerusalem.

And so the big day has arrived.  It's like Christmas morning.  The tree is trimmed.  Santa has left presents.  The family is all together.  You can hear the great joy in her voice.  So why is the psalmist so happy?  What is it about Jerusalem that brings such joy?  Let's get back to the psalmist.

3 Jerusalem is built like a city
    that is closely compacted together.

When the psalmist says that the city is “closely compacted” she is not talking about architecture or urban planning.  Rather, she is talking about the people in Jerusalem.  The people of Jerusalem are living in peace and unity.  They form a harmonious, loving community.  And the psalmist by coming to the House of the Lord experiences this love from everyone.

What would happen if the church was like this?  Suppose a visitor came to church and found a loving, harmonious community.  What if a church was a place of peace and unity?  I think any visitor who found a church like that would feel really blessed.  Coming into a church community where people care for each other and love each other would be a source of great joy.  That visitor would come again and again and would become a faithful member.  Let's get back to the psalmist.

4 That is where the tribes go up—
    the tribes of the Lord—
to praise the name of the Lord
    according to the statute given to Israel.

Another source of great joy for a pilgrim coming to Jerusalem is that the people of God are praising God in worship.  The law of Moses required people to come to Jerusalem three times a year for the great festivals.  But the people of God come to the House of God not out of obligation to a law, but out of a strong desire to praise their creator God.

What if a visitor came to a church and found a community of people who love God so much that they joyfully come together for worship, Bible study and prayer?  What if the church is focused on praising God in the highest?  That visitor would quickly experience great joy in joining others praising their creator God, and would return again and again for that experience.

So far we have seen that pilgrims to Jerusalem experience great joy because the people of Jerusalem have formed a harmonious, loving community which is constantly praising God.  But there is even more joy to be found.  Let's go back to the psalmist.

5 There stand the thrones for judgment,
    the thrones of the house of David.

Now judgment doesn't seem like something that would bring great joy to a pilgrim.   We  usually try to avoid judgment.  Recently, President Elect Trump avoided judgment by agreeing to a settlement of 25 Million Dollars.   He clearly did not see any joy in judgment.  Also those who disobey the law here in Ocean City are taken before Judge Mumford who puts them on probation or sends them to prison.  Criminals do not see any joy in judgment.

  But the psalmist sees great joy in coming to a place of judgment, because this judgment applies God's law.  In the Bible judgment is not used solely to reward good and punish evil.  Rather judgment is the vigorous application of God's law for the benefit of those living on the margins.  In God's law the needs of the poor and needy, the widows and orphans, and the aliens in the land are met.  And so those living on margins experience great joy when they receive economic justice.

  What if someone living in poverty came to church and received a hot meal, some food to take home, and maybe some help paying rent and utility bills?  What if church was where the people on the margins receive what they needed and were given an opportunity to move forward? I think that people would experience God's love in that church and would develop a strong desire to worship with that church again and again.

  So the pilgrim coming to Jerusalem has experienced great joy because the people of Jerusalem are living harmoniously in a loving community.  They are engaged in prayer and worship of the creator God.  And they care for the poor and needy and widowed and orphaned and alien.  Finding a community like that is a source of great joy for a pilgrim coming to the House of the Lord.  Let's go back to the psalm.

6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
    “May those who love you be secure.
7 May there be peace within your walls
    and security within your citadels.”

The peace the psalmist is talking about is not just the absence of war.  Rather this peace is “shalom”, which means “completeness”, “soundness”, and “well-being”.    Whenever we pray for the well-being of another we are asking for shalom.   Whenever we are in harmony and concord with one another we are experiencing shalom.  When we pray for peace, economic prosperity, or physical safety we are praying for shalom.  When we desire spiritual well-being, righteousness and truth we desire shalom.  Shalom is a gift from God.  Israel's hope was in a Messiah who would bring shalom into a wicked world.  Christian hope is centered in the coming of Christ's shalom.  The church is now the repository of shalom for the world.

What if someone came to church and found here a deep reservoir of shalom?  What if someone came to this church and found people concerned for the well-being of each other and world we live in?  What if people came and found a church where people truly cared for each other's well-being?  I know if I came to a church like that I would want to come again and again.

The psalmist put it this way.

8 For the sake of my family and friends,
    I will say, “Peace be within you.”
9 For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
    I will seek your prosperity.

The psalmist has prayed for shalom to be with us.  We do this each Sunday as we greet one another with the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ.  What if we really meant it when we say “peace be with you”?  What if we were really concerned with the well-being of each other the people in our community?  I think that if that would happen our pews would be full with people seeking God's shalom.

It was with great joy that the psalmist came to Jerusalem.  There she found people who formed a loving and harmonious community.  The need of the poor and needy, the widows and orphans, and the aliens in the land were all being met.  And the community was concerned with the well-being, the soundness, the completeness, the peace of everyone.  No wonder she experienced great joy.

So what if a visitor came to First Presbyterian church and found the same.  What if a visitor came to our church during this season of Advent and discovered a people who had built a loving harmonious community?  What if they found Christians with a strong desire to help people who are hungry and struggling to pay their bills.  What if they found people of God who truly desired that all people would find shalom, well-being, soundness, completeness, and peace in their lives?  If someone came to this church and found something like that they would rejoice, just as the psalmist did,  at receiving a blessing from God.

Psalm 122 – A Paraphrase
I was so happy when someone asked me to go to First Presbyterian Church.
I sang for joy all the way to 13th street.
The members of that church treat each other so well
And are so friendly with visitors.
They worship God on Sundays
And study God's word and pray
And they are concerned for the well-being of their neighbors
Helping those in need
God's peace can be felt there

Let's pray. Father in heaven, we ask for your Spirit to come upon us to form us into a loving community.  Fill our hearts with your love so that we may love those with physical and spiritual needs.  Help us to meet the needs of the people in the community around the church.  This we pray in your son's glorious name.  Amen.

Sermon – Isaiah 65:17-25 – New Heaven and Earth

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Sermon – Isaiah 65:17-25 – New Heaven and Earth

First Presbyterian Church of Ocean City

November 13, 2016

This week the American people elected a new president. New people will be going to Washington in leadership positions for the new Trump administration. We need to keep our nation's new leaders in our prayers. We must also must turn to scripture and ask God for a vision of what God wants our country to look like. God has told us what he would like to see in a new earth. And God has pledged that the spiritual world in heaven will also be changed to accommodate what he wants done on earth. We see God's vision of a new earth and a new heaven from the Book of Isaiah. We will get to this, 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)

The Book of Isaiah is a composite work from different authors writing at different times and different contexts. But it is all consistent with the work of the Prophet Isaiah, Son of Amoz, who lived in the eighth century before Christ. The final eleven chapters of the book were written to the exiles from Judah living in Babylon in middle of the sixth century BC.

God was about to do a new thing. He was about to use Cyrus, King of Persia, to save his people. Cyrus saved the people of God by defeating the Babylonians and allowing them to return to Judah and Jerusalem to rebuild the homes and farms and city and lives. But they would no longer by an independent kingdom. Rather they were now a province in the great Persian Empire.

God has swept away the old nation because it had not followed him. And now God is ready to reveal his vision for the new country. God wanted his people to remember this vision as they rebuilt their nation. This vision also inspired John, the author of Revelation, to see a new creation of heaven and earth when Jesus returns. I think the God's vision of the new earth and new heaven should inspire us as we work to make America a better place, because our mission as Christians is to implements God's vision of a new earth here and now. And so we offer to our nation God's vision from the Book of Isaiah.

Isaiah 65: 17 “See, I will create
new heavens and a new earth.
The former things will not be remembered,
nor will they come to mind.18 But be glad and rejoice forever
in what I will create,
for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight
and its people a joy.19 I will rejoice over Jerusalem
and take delight in my people;
the sound of weeping and of crying
will be heard in it no more.

God's vision is that the new earth would be a place of forgiveness. Nothing you have done in the past will matter any more. When you enter into God's new kingdom all your sins are forgiven. And your are free to experience great joy. This part of the new creation is already available for us. It has been available since Jesus' death on the cross and his resurrection. If we turn toward Christ and confess our sin, guilt and shame are instantly removed and we experience great joy and delight.

In God's vision we have some specific tasks we can work on to make joy and delight possible. Listen to the first.

20 “Never again will there be in it
an infant who lives but a few days,
or an old man who does not live out his years;
the one who dies at a hundred
will be thought a mere child;
the one who fails to reach[a] a hundred
will be considered accursed.

In God's new earth the most vulnerable are cared for. Until a century ago the biggest problem facing children was death. Few children lived to be five years old. Today, most children live into adulthood as a result of blessing we have received from God. This brings about great joy and delight. But problems remain. Today, many children grow up in poverty. Their parents lack stable employment. They have to move from town to town looking for work. Some are homeless. God's vision is that they will be care for.

To do this I ask that you bring non-perishable food and paper supplies to church for our Thanksgiving service next week. You will have an opportunity to bring these thing forward during worship. Also you may bring them to the community thanksgiving service at Ocean City Baptist Church next Sunday at 7pm. These gifts will be given to the cold weather shelter which cares for the most vulnerable people and families in our city on the coldest of days.

Also in God's vision, the elderly are cared for. It used to be that few people ever lived into their fifties. But today God has blessed us so that we can live much longer. Some have said that the first person to live to be 150 is already alive today. Our seniors experience great joy and delight, but some problems remain. Many seniors are lonely because their families live far away. They feel isolated and alone. That is why it is so important to visit our elders. I call my Dad every week and try to visit him each month. Remember your parent, aunts and uncles. Visit them as often as you can. And keep them in your prayers.

Let's keep looking at God's vision for a new earth.

21 They will build houses and dwell in them;
they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.22 No longer will they build houses and others live in them,
or plant and others eat.
For as the days of a tree,
so will be the days of my people;
my chosen ones will long enjoy
the work of their hands.

23 They will not labor in vain,
nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune;
for they will be a people blessed by the Lord,
they and their descendants with them.

In the ancient world people feared losing their land. An army might show up at any time, kill your family, and begin living in your home and farming your farm. Thankfully, God has blessed us in American with stable property right. No one can take our property away from us. And this gives us great comfort and security. But some people do not have housing security. We see many young families moving in Ocean City in November when the rents drop to affordable levels. But when they get here they find few opportunities for employment. Without consistent work they get behind on rent and utility bills and face eviction. This church generously supports the Ocean City Crises Coalition, which helps people when they fall behind paying their bills. I urge your to continue your support to them, and find new ways to help people find employment and affordable housing. Let's go back to God's vision for a new earth.

24 Before they call I will answer;
while they are still speaking I will hear.

This is the most important part of God's vision of a new earth. God will be in it with us. God will hear our prayers. This is the promise of the Holy Spirit in us to know what we need and take our needs to the Father. This is a great blessing because it means that in the new earth a relationship with Jesus is possible. This relationship is the source of our great joy and delight. So if you haven't yet accepted Jesus as Lord, and invited the Holy Spirit into your hearts please see me and I wii help you pray for these thing and receive all of God's blessings.

Once the Holy Spirit is in your heart and you have a relationship with Jesus you will become God's new creation. You will become a new person, transformed into what God created you to be. A new you is what the new earth is all about. And the new you will experience great joy and delight. Here is how Isaiah describes it.

25 The wolf and the lamb will feed together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox,
and dust will be the serpent’s food.
They will neither harm nor destroy
on all my holy mountain,”
says the Lord.

And so the new earth is a place of peace. People stop fighting with other. Wars come to an end. Our new President Trump cannot make this happen. The government can never bring all conflict to a end. The best it can do is to try to protect us from violence. But God can bring this about. For that to happen the nation must turn to God in prayer. We will do this here at First Presbyterian Church. I urge you and your family to pray for this nation. Get together with others and pray for America. As more and more people pray for the nation we will discover peace, joy and delight.

The vision of God is a world where the needs of the must vulnerable children and seniors are met. It is a world where people can find jobs and live in housing they can afford. It comes comes about as the nation turns to God in prayer. In this new earth we will live in peace and be filled with joy and delight. Let's do it.

Father in heaven we ask for a recreation of our world. Help us to be a world where the vulnerable are cared for, all receive economic justice, and violence is no more. Help us to build this world full of joy and delight. This we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

Sermon - Habakkuk – Righteousness by Faith

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Sermon - Habakkuk – Righteousness by Faith

First Presbyterian Church of Ocean City

November 6, 2016

This morning we turn to the Prophet Habakkuk. We don't know much about Habakkuk, but we do have an interesting story about him from rabbinic tradition. So listen to this story from Bel and the Dragon 1:33-39

33 Now the prophet Habakkuk was in Judea; he had made a stew and had broken bread into a bowl, and was going into the field to take it to the reapers. 34 But the angel of the Lord said to Habakkuk, “Take the food that you have to Babylon, to Daniel, in the lions’ den.” 35 Habakkuk said, “Sir, I have never seen Babylon, and I know nothing about the den.” 36 Then the angel of the Lord took him by the crown of his head and carried him by his hair; with the speed of the wind[d] he set him down in Babylon, right over the den.

37 Then Habakkuk shouted, “Daniel, Daniel! Take the food that God has sent you.” 38 Daniel said, “You have remembered me, O God, and have not forsaken those who love you.” 39 So Daniel got up and ate. And the angel of God immediately returned Habakkuk to his own place.

So Habakkuk seems to be a good person and useful to God. He must have been a pretty good cook. Let's pray and then we will hear what he has to say.

“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)

Habakkuk was a contemporary of the Prophet Jeremiah. So he clearly saw the moral decay of Judah and Jerusalem as it abandoned God's law. He also clearly saw the threat Babylon posed to all the nations in the region. But that is where the similarity with Jeremiah stopped. Jeremiah was an outsider who was called and empowered by God to proclaim a word of warning to the nations. Habakkuk was not an outsider. He was an insider, a temple musician and song writer. He was probably a Levite, an important church leader. And rather than God giving him a warning for the people, Habakkuk, like a priest, takes the people's concern to God in prayer. He asked God why he allowed this moral decay to continue. Listen to his prayer.

Habakkuk 1:2-4

2 How long, Lord, must I call for help,
    but you do not listen?
Or cry out to you, “Violence!”
    but you do not save?3 Why do you make me look at injustice?
    Why do you tolerate wrongdoing?
Destruction and violence are before me;
    there is strife, and conflict abounds.4 Therefore the law is paralyzed,
    and justice never prevails.
The wicked hem in the righteous,
    so that justice is perverted.

So from his position of leadership, Habakkuk has seen corruption at all levels of the government and temple leadership. God's law is ignored. People coming to court for justice are turned away with no satisfaction. The Government is engaging in violence against their own people. Official corruption has run amok. And the only place Habakkuk can turn is to God. But when he turns to God it is with a complaint. “2 How long, Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen?”

This is a prayer I have often prayed. I have prayed for many things in my life. Sometimes God answers quickly. But often my prayers seem to go unanswered. I have prayed for healing and watched people die. I have prayed for jobs, and watch people go through unemployment. I have prayed for reconciliation, and watched people go through divorse. But I keep praying and praying and hoping that God will hear my prayers and will act quickly.

Habakkuk is in the same the boat. He has been praying to God over and over to change the situation Judah is in before it is too late. He prays over and over for divine intervention. But with each prayer Habakkuk wonders when God will act. But after today's prayer, God is ready to deal with Habakkuk’s complaint. And here is God's answer.

5 “Look at the nations and watch—
    and be utterly amazed.
For I am going to do something in your days
    that you would not believe,
    even if you were told.6 I am raising up the Babylonians,[a]
    that ruthless and impetuous people,
who sweep across the whole earth
    to seize dwellings not their own.7 They are a feared and dreaded people;
    they are a law to themselves
    and promote their own honor.8 Their horses are swifter than leopards,
    fiercer than wolves at dusk.
Their cavalry gallops headlong;
    their horsemen come from afar.
They fly like an eagle swooping to devour;9     they all come intent on violence.
Their hordes[b] advance like a desert wind
    and gather prisoners like sand.10 They mock kings
    and scoff at rulers.
They laugh at all fortified cities;
    by building earthen ramps they capture them.11 Then they sweep past like the wind and go on—
    guilty people, whose own strength is their god.”

So God has told Habakkuk exactly what he is going to do. God is going to let Babylon to sweep away the corrupt government of Judah. But Habakkuk was not satisfied with this answer and he prayed again.

12 Lord, are you not from everlasting?
    My God, my Holy One, you[c] will never die.
You, Lord, have appointed them to execute judgment;
    you, my Rock, have ordained them to punish.13 Your eyes are too pure to look on evil;
    you cannot tolerate wrongdoing.
Why then do you tolerate the treacherous?
    Why are you silent while the wicked
    swallow up those more righteous than themselves?14 You have made people like the fish in the sea,
    like the sea creatures that have no ruler.15 The wicked foe pulls all of them up with hooks,
    he catches them in his net,
he gathers them up in his dragnet;
    and so he rejoices and is glad.16 Therefore he sacrifices to his net
    and burns incense to his dragnet,
for by his net he lives in luxury
    and enjoys the choicest food.17 Is he to keep on emptying his net,
    destroying nations without mercy?

Habakkuk 2

1 I will stand at my watch
    and station myself on the ramparts;
I will look to see what he will say to me,
    and what answer I am to give to this complaint.[a]

So Habakkuk is not satisfied with God's answer that he is sending the Babylonians to destroy them. Habakkuk wants to know why God has allowed this corruption to go on and on. Why didn't God act to solve these problems long ago before they got so bad that destruction was the only remedy? I don't know about you, but I have certainly prayed like this. I have been angry with God. Sometimes I want an explanation. Sometimes I need to know why God letting bad things happen. Habakkuk expressed this complaint to God and got an answer. Here it is.

2 Then the Lord replied:

“Write down the revelation
    and make it plain on tablets
    so that a herald[b] may run with it.3 For the revelation awaits an appointed time;
    it speaks of the end
    and will not prove false.
Though it linger, wait for it;
    it[c] will certainly come
    and will not delay.

4 “See, the enemy is puffed up;
    his desires are not upright—
    but the righteous person will live by his faithfulness[d]—

So God's answer to Habakkuk’s complaint that God did not act sooner to rid evil from the world was because evil exists because people desire it. Evil so permeates our hearts, and is so much a part of who we are, that we really have no choice but to be evil. We are totally depraved, unable to do good even if we wanted to, which of course we do not. This situation was caused by Adam and Eve's disobedience. Original sin so stains us that we are incapable of desiring or doing good. This was the problem in Jerusalem. The people had abandoned God and their own deprived natures were all that was left. So wickedness was the result. God didn't cause the wickedness; we did.

This is the situation we find ourselves in today. As people in our country abandon God, his law and his church the only thing we are left with is our own deprived natures. We see this in our current election. Both candidates are stained by sin. One Candidate and the other's husband have treated women atrociously. One candidate is being investigated by the FBI for corruption. And Christians are crying out “How long will this go on?” to Jesus

Habakkuk cried out God. And God responded to Habakkuk, “the righteous person will live by his faithfulness.”

By Jesus' time people had interpreted God's answer to Habakkuk to mean that by being faithful to God's law a person becomes righteous. So they held people to high personal standards of obedience. Jesus had numerous interactions with people who demanded strict adherence to the law. The Apostle Paul was trained as a pharisee and had first hand experience trying to get people to be righteous by obeying the law. But Paul saw that this didn't work because people were so depraved that they neither did nor desired to the good. They were all stained by original sin, and thus condemned by their nature as evil. Advocating faithful adherence to the law did not bring about righteousness among people totally depraved.

But God revealed to Paul what he really meant when he told Habakkuk “the righteous person will live by his faithfulness” God told Paul that the righteous will live by faith in Jesus Christ. That was God's answer. The answer to total depravity, our inability to be righteous as a result of original sin, is not by faithfully keeping God's law. That doesn't work. The answer to depravity, is to have faith in Jesus Christ.

It works this way. God makes faith available to you through his Holy Spirit. You can accept it or reject it. If you accept it the Holy Spirit begin the lifelong process in you of purging the stain of original sin from your heart. You are forgiven for the sins you have committed, You make Jesus your Lord. And you are free from slavery to sin. This frees you to live the life you were created to live as a righteous person. So, righteousness comes from the faith in Jesus Christ you received from the Holy Spirit.

So what is God's solution to evil in the world? We have been praying to God “How long will you let evil continue?” And God's answer is that evil will continue until all people on earth are made righteous by the saving faith in Jesus Christ. So if you want to make the world a better place, the only way is to help people receive faith in Jesus Christ. Here is what you do: Talk to people about Jesus, and demonstrate Jesus' love in your actions. Help people to see the blessing from God that our offered. And urged them to respond positively when the Spirit comes with the gift of faith. As more and more people accept Jesus as Lord and receive the Holy Spirit in their hearts, our nation will become more and more righteous.

Just as Habakkuk was lifted up by God to provide life sustaining food to Daniel in lion's den, so too does the Prophet Habakkuk provide us with the life sustaining food of the good news that righteousness comes from faith, in Jesus Christ. Let's pray.

How long, Lord Jesus, will you allow our nation to become more and more depraved. Help us, as your church, to bring your your love to people who don't know you, or have abandoned you. Help us to be your presence in the world through what we say and do. Use us and empower us to bring people to faith in you. This we pray in your glorious name. Amen.