Sermon - Luke 11:1-13 Jesus’ Prayer

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Sermon - Luke 11:1-13 Jesus’ Prayer
First Presbyterian Church of Ocean City
July 24, 2016

This summer we have been walking with Jesus as he visited several communities in the regions of Galilee and Judea.  We watched as Jesus sent out 72 disciples to visit villages and to prepare the people for Jesus’ coming into their communities.  These disciples were to avoid strangers on the road and enjoy the hospitality of the people they would meet.  Then we heard a terrifying story of someone, maybe one of the 72, who was beaten up to within an inch of his life by a stranger on the side of the road.  Jesus used this story to teach us that even people from other faith groups, people we fear like Samaritans or Muslims, are our neighbors if they are kind.  And we are to love neighbors.  And last week we watched Jesus enjoy the hospitality of two women, Martha and Mary.  There, surprisingly, Jesus recruited Mary as a disciple to receive an education at his feet.  By educating young women Jesus was able to have female leadership in all areas of his ministry and later his church. Today we will be part of a group who will ask Jesus for instructions on prayer.  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)

Luke 11:1  One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

What this disciple is asking for is a simple prayer that they could all memorize and repeat whenever they needed to pray.  Rabbis would often teach their students prayers like this.  And we have a prayer, The Lord’s Prayer, that many of us have memorized and we repeat every Sunday in worship.  But Jesus wasn’t interested in teaching them a prayer to memorize.  He wanted them to know how to pray.  And so he said this:

2 He said to them, “When you pray, say:
“‘Father,[a]hallowed be your name, your kingdom come.[b]
3 Give us each day our daily bread.
4 Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.[c]
And lead us not into temptation.[d]’”

Of course this is our Lord’s Prayer, Luke’s version, which is a little different from the one in Matthew we memorize.  This one is shorter, but says pretty much the same thing.  Let’s look at this one closely.

“‘Father,[a]hallowed be your name, your kingdom come.[b]

Our prayers are to be said to Father, God, the Father of Jesus Christ.  Prayers to any other deity would be idolatry and for Christians would be forbidden.  In our prayer we are to hallow God’s name.  What could hallowing a name possibly mean?  To hallow something mean to make it holy, set aside for God’s purposes.  This time and place for worship is hallowed because it is set aside for the purpose of glorifying God.  Also in our prayers we must only use God’s name for Gods’ purposes.

Let’s talk a little bit about magic.  In magic, a spell is cast by invoking the name of a deity and asking that deity to do something for you.  You make a voodoo doll, and pray to a spirit that your enemy will be hurt in his leg by a pin stuck in the doll’s leg.  To make this work you pray to the spirit invoking the spirit’s name in order to control the spirit for your purposes.

Sadly, many people try to do this with God’s name.  They invoke the name of God as a magical spell, a way of controlling God to get Him to do what we want.  We say, “God give me this, and God give me that … In the name of Jesus. Amen.”  We are trying to control God by invoking Jesus’ name. But Jesus wants us to hallow God’s name.  That means we only use it for God’s purposes not ours.  And so we are to pray something like this, “Heavenly father use me to accomplish your will this day…In the name of Jesus.  Amen.”  And we know what God’s will is.  He wants to have complete devotion from everyone on earth just as He has from everyone in heaven.

Jesus then gave his disciples three petitions that they could use when praying for God’s kingdom to come to earth.

3 Give us each day our daily bread.
4 Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.[c]
And lead us not into temptation.[d]’”

“Give us our daily bread.”  We are to pray not for ourselves but for “us” all people.  We are to pray that everyone on earth receives what they need each day.  No one should be hungry.  No one should be without shelter.  Christians must work with churches, mission agencies, non-government organizations, and governments to ensure that the basic needs of everyone are met.  And so let’s fill up the shelves in the dining room with food for Shepherds Crook and Samaritan Shelter.  Let’s volunteer to distribute food and cook meals for the needy. And let us contribute to the Presbyterian Hunger Program.  No one should ever be hungry in the kingdom of God.

“Forgive us our sins.”  Again we are not to pray for ourselves.  We are to pray for everyone, “us”, who are burdened by guilt and debt.  We are to ask for and grant forgiveness.  No one should be burdened by past mistakes to the point that they now find it difficult to survive.  Christians should help people with excessive debt to find relief.  We need to help people find affordable housing.  We need to help prisoners find redemption and return to their family.  And we need to forgive people who owe us money, or owe us an apology for something they have done.  We need to forgive others, just as God has forgiven us.    

“And lead us not into temptation.”  We are to pray that everyone will find God.  We are to pray every day, worship every Sunday, and attend Bible studies as a way of strengthening our own faith.  And we should encourage others to do the same.  Everyone should have the opportunity to grow in faith.  And we should pray for this spiritual growth so that people can withstand the forces that challenge their belief.
After hearing Jesus’ instructions on prayer one of the disciples may have asked Jesus, “How can we know for sure that God will hear these prayers and answer them?”  To which Jesus replied.

5 Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6 a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ 7 And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity[e] he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.

Everything we do is to bring glory to God.  If we do what God says to do, if we pray that everyone’s needs will be met, if we pray that people will be forgiven and start with a clean slate, if we pray that people’s faith will be strong, then do you think that God would allow himself to be shamed by not answering your prayer?  Of course not!  If you pray in accordance with God’s will, then your prayers will be answered, because in answering those prayers God is glorified.  So pray for needs to be met, forgiveness to be granted and for faith to grow and your prayers will be heard and answered.   Jesus put it this way.

9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

Then, another disciple possibly asked Jesus if God could really be trusted.  Doesn’t the God we worship bless some and curse others?  To which Jesus replied with a story.

11 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for[f] a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

And there is the answer.  God hears our prayers and answers them with blessing because God is like a loving parent.  A loving parent always provides for the needs of his children.  A loving parent always forgives and wipes the slate clean for a misbehaving child.  And a loving parent will always bring children to faith in Jesus Christ.  Since God is like a loving parent he will grant these things to us if we ask for them in prayer.
A disciple then might have asked yet another question.  “We know that we are to pray that others receive daily bread, forgiveness, and strong faith.  But what about us?  Is there anything we can pray for ourselves?  To which Jesus replied.

Your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

And so the answer is yes.  There is something we can pray for ourselves.  We can pray that the Holy Spirit will fill us with comfort and wisdom and strength and power.  And our loving God for his own glory will answer this prayer and give us his own Spirit.

Prayer is not magic.  It is not a way to get God to give us what we want.  It is a way for us to do what God wants.  And so we are to pray that everyone’s needs will be satisfied, everyone will experience forgiveness, and everyone will be strengthen in faith.  God hears and responds to these prayers as a loving parent responds to the request of a child.  God answers prayer for his glory.  And we have the privilege of praying for his Spirit to be in us to bless us.  Let’s pray.

Father in heaven we pray for your kingdom to come where all people will be blessed.  We ask for blessings so that the needs of everyone will be satisfied.  We pray for forgiveness for ourselves and help to forgive others.  And we ask that you fill us with your Holy Spirit so that we may grow spiritually and withstand all evil.  This we pray in the name of your son, Jesus, who taught us how to pray.  Amen.

Sermon - Luke 10:38-42 - Women in Ministry

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Sermon - Luke 10:38-42 - Women in Ministry

First Presbyterian Church of Ocean City

July 17, 2016

            This summer two different Presbyterian denominations met separately to set a course for their futures.  Our denomination, the Presbyterian Church (USA), elected two young women, one black and one white, but both pastors to serve us as co-moderators for the next two years.   This year we celebrate 60 years of women serving as pastors.  Another denomination, the Presbyterian Church in America, also met.  Their meeting consisted exclusively of men.  In their denomination women cannot be ordained as pastors, elders and deacons.  But to chart their future they appointed a committee to look at scripture to see what it says about women in ministry.  We both share the same Bible.  We are both Presbyterians. But we have radically different views about whether or not women should be able to serve in leadership in the church.  Today we will examine for ourselves what the Bible says about all 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)

            Today we offer public education for all boys and girls.  We want everyone to receive a quality education.  But this has not always been the case.  In the first century little Jewish boys received an education.  They would be sent to local rabbi and would begin with them the process of memorizing the Law, the first five books of our Old Testament.  Some of the little boys did not do so well.  Eventually they would be sent home to learn from their fathers to be fishermen, or carpenters, or shepherds, or something like that.  The good students would advance in their studies and could, through hard work, become rabbis themselves.   But little girls had no opportunity for education.  They stayed home with their mothers and learned how to care for the family.

            There can be many problems in a culture where only the men receive an education.  One problem is that an uneducated wife might say something stupid in public which could embarrass her husband.  To deal with this problem a social norm was established:  Women should be silent in public and hold their questions until they got home and could ask their husbands in private.  By remaining silent in public a uneducated woman could avoid embarrassing her husband. 

            We see this happening in the Corinthian church to whom Paul writes this:

1 Corinthians 14:³⁴ Women^[f] should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says. ³⁵ If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.^[g]

            So the church is to deal with the problem of uneducated women asking embarrassing questions the same way the general culture did.  Women were to remain silent and hold their questions until they got home and could privately ask their husbands.  This was an accommodation to a culture that refused to educate little girls.

            But today our little girls go to school.  They are educated.  They don’t ask stupid questions that embarrass their husbands.  And so today educated little girls grow up to be church leaders, elders and pastors.  There is no longer a cultural need for women to be silent in church. 

            Another problem with not educating girls is that they get into trouble especially if they have not yet found of maybe lost a husband.  Here are some of the problems according to the apostle Paul in his letter to his co-worker Timothy: 

1 Timothy 5:¹¹ As for younger widows, do not put them on such a list. For when their sensual desires overcome their dedication to Christ, they want to marry.¹² Thus they bring judgment on themselves, because they have broken their first pledge. ¹³ Besides, they get into the habit of being idle and going about from house to house. And not only do they become idlers, but also busybodies who talk nonsense, saying things they ought not to.¹⁴ So I counsel younger widows to marry, to have children, to manage their homes and to give the enemy no opportunity for slander. ¹⁵ Some have in fact already turned away to follow Satan.

            So young uneducated unmarried women were having promiscuous sex, and engaging in gossip.  According to Paul, it is better for young women to get married than to follow Satan down wrong pathways.  But something worse is happening.  Young women have been coming to church and saying that sex outside of marriage is ok.  Paul’s response to this is to say that young women should learn in ‘quietness and full submission”.  Listen as Paul is tells them to stop leading other women astray.

1 Timothy 2:¹¹ A woman^[a] should learn in quietness and full submission. ¹² I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man;^[b] she must be quiet.  

           

            At no point does Paul say that women should not lead a church.  What he is saying is that they must first be educated and behave in the proper way.  Women may be preachers and teachers if they proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ and not some false teaching.  If women do this then they could become leaders in ministry.

            So let’s turn now to see what Jesus thinks about educating women.  His views, as you might expect are quite radical.  And what he does is so shocking that his friend Martha is agitated and begins to yell at him.  Here is what happened. 

Luke 10:³⁸ As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. ³⁹ She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said.⁴⁰ But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

⁴¹ “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, ⁴² but few things are needed—or indeed only one.^[f]Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

            Martha is doing what women were supposed to be doing in the first century.  She is in the kitchen preparing the meal.  She asks Jesus to send Mary, her sister, into the kitchen where she can also do what women are supposed to do.  But Mary is doing something so shocking that it has worried and upset Martha.  Mary is doing something young women are not permitted to do. What was it that Mary did to upset her dear sister so much?  What Mary did was to sit at the feet of a rabbi.  Mary was receiving an education.  And this was not to be.  Only boys were to be educated in their culture.  And here was Mary receiving an education, something girls should not receive.  But Jesus would have none of that.  Jesus welcomed boys and girls to study the scripture at his feet.  Jesus wanted both boys and girls to be educated.

            We know that Jesus had 12 male disciples.  We have the names of 17 men who filled important roles in his ministry.  But Jesus also had female disciples:  Mary the mother[1], Mary Magdalene[2], the “other” Mary[3], Mary of Bethany[4], Joanna[5], Susanna[6], and Salome[7]. These women partnered with the men to lead the church of Jesus Christ.

            In the Book of Acts we see a church with significant female leadership.  In Acts 2 we hear of the coming of the Holy Spirit with these words quoting the Prophet Joel. 

Acts 2:17 “‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.  Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.
¹⁸ Even on my servants, both men and women,  I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.  

            The Holy Spirit came to women and men and provided gifts to both.  At least three women went out and started new churches, Chloe[8], Nympha[9], and Apphia[10], and Lydia[11] led a church started by Paul.  Paul commended four women for their hard work for the Lord, Mary,  Tryphena, Tryphosa, and Persis[12].  There were also couples who led churches, the most famous of these was Priscilla and Aquila[13].  Paul referred to them as “fellow workers in Christ.”  The church in Philippi had two women leaders, Eudia and Syntyche[14].  Phoebe[15] was a leader in the church of Cenchrea.  And the women in the church who achieved the highest position were two apostles, Junia and Andronicus[16].

            Before Jesus women were uneducated.  They had to remain silent in public so not to embarrass their husbands.  But with Jesus the church women began to be educated.  Capable women with the proper education then served the church as leaders, preachers and teachers at all levels.  There is no biblical reason to exclude women from leadership in churches.

            This church is looking for a new pastor.  And I know that women pastors are being considered for this position.  If a woman pastor is educated, leads a moral life, then the Bible says that they may pastor a church.  If the Holy Spirit gives them the gifts of preaching and teaching and leadership then the Bible says that they are equipped to lead the church.  And if a qualified woman pastor is called by God to serve this church, then you should welcome her as your pastor. 

            The Presbyterian Church has had women deacons for 110 years and women elders for 85 years.  On October 24, 1956, almost 60 years ago, the Rev. Margaret Towner was ordained as the first woman pastor of a Presbyterian church.  Although she became famous and her picture was on the cover of Life magazine, Rev. Towner remained a humble pastor shepherding a congregation.  Today Rev. Towner is 91, honorably retired, but still serving her presbytery.  In 1974 Katie Geneva became the first African American woman to be ordained as a pastor.  In 1979 Rebecca Reyes became the first Hispanic woman and Elizabeth Kwon became the first Korean woman ordained as pastors.  And in 1987 Holly Haile Smith Davis became the first Native American woman ordained as a pastor.  And last month the Presbyterian Church (USA) selected Denise Anderson and Jan Edmiston to serve as co-moderators for the 222nd General Assembly. 

            Today we educate little girls so they can grow up to be leaders, following the lead of Jesus who was the first to educate a young woman named Mary.  The early church had many outstanding women leaders.  There is no reason why women today should be denied leadership positions in churches.  Let’s pray.

            God of prophets and apostles, you have chosen leaders to train your people in the way of Jesus Christ.  We thank you that in our day you are still claiming men and women for special work within the church. We pray that men and women in ministry will be surrounded by affection and hope, grow in wisdom, mature in love, and become faithful workers approved by Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.  (adapted from Book of Common Worship p.813) 

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[1] Matthew 27:56 Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph,^[a] and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.

[2] Matthew 27:56 Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.

[3] Matthew 27:61Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.

[4] John 11:1 Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.

[5] Luke 24:10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles.

[6] Luke 8:3 Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.

[7] Mark 16:1 [ Jesus Has Risen ] When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body.

[8] 1 Corinthians 1:11 My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you.

[9] Colossians 4:15 Give my greetings to the brothers and sisters at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house.

[10] Philemon 1:2 also to Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier—and to the church that meets in your home:

[11] Acts 16:40 After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house, where they met with the brothers and sisters and encouraged them. Then they left.

[12] Romans 16:12 Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, those women who work hard in the Lord. Greet my dear friend Persis, another woman who has worked very hard in the Lord.

[13] Romans 16:3 Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in Christ Jesus.

[14] Philippians 4:2 I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord.

[15] Romans 16:1 [ Personal Greetings ] I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church in Cenchreae.

[16] Romans 16:7 Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was.

Adapted from:  http://fuller.edu/women-in-ministry-download/?icn=Women-In-Ministry&ici=CTA_Women-In-Ministry-Pages-Related-Content

http://www.pcusa.org/news/2016/5/24/pcusa-celebrates-60-years-womens-ordination/

Sermon – Luke 10:25-37 – Who is My Neighbor

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Sermon – Luke 10:25-37 – Who is My Neighbor

First Presbyterian Church of Ocean City

July 10, 2016

            I was privileged to attend the recent 222^nd General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA).  During this assembly we had numerous times to engage in worship and prayer.  Before one session we held a prayer vigil for the victims of the nightclub shooting in Orlando.  Joining us in our prayers that day were our ecumenical partners.  Ecumenical partners are the leaders of other denominations in this country and around the world.  We engage with our ecumenical partners on issues that affect all Christians. We also prayed with our interfaith partners.  Interfaith partners are the leaders of other faith groups with whom we talk about issues facing the entire world.  For example, in trying to find solutions for the violence in the Middle East, it is helpful to have conversations with leaders of Jewish and Islamic groups.  Both ecumenical and interfaith partners joined us in a prayer vigil for the victims in Orlando.

            When I returned from the General Assembly the first question I was asked was why we allowed a Muslim to pray to Allah during prayers.  And this did happen during the prayer vigil.  This prompted me to think about what our relationship should be with people of other faiths.  Of course we have really good news to tell them:  For all who believe in Jesus Christ and make him their Lord there is a promise of eternal life.  We want to share with everyone the saving grace of Jesus Christ.

            But when we look at what God is doing in the world around us we see something more is going on beyond saving grace.  God sends the rain and sunshine on people of all faiths.  God provides food and water and shelter and children to all people of all faiths.  God blesses the whole world.  This is called general grace.  It is the grace of God for everyone.  So as Christians we want to bring saving grace of Jesus Christ to all people.  But we also have obligations to all those who receive the general grace of God.  We will see this in today’s scripture, 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)

            I have for you today the most familiar of all Bible stories:  The Parable of the Good Samaritan.

Luke10: ²⁵ On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

²⁶ “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

²⁷ He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’^[c]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^[d]”

²⁸ “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

²⁹ But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

³⁰ In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. ³¹ A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. ³² So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. ³³ But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. ³⁴ He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. ³⁵ The next day he took out two denarii^[e] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

³⁶ “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

³⁷ The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

            If you grew up in church, like me, you have heard this parable many times.  Most of the time it is explained this way:  The priest and the Levite were bad people.  They should have stopped to help the poor guy out, but they didn’t.  You should not be like them.  Rather you should be like the Good Samaritan and help people in need.  This is certainly true.  It is an important lesson.  But I think Jesus is telling us something deeper.  Let me explain.

            The Samaritan in the story was not Jewish.  He did not accept the entire Hebrew Bible as scripture but used only a portion of the first five books.  He did not worship in the Jerusalem temple, but his ancestors had their own temple on Mount Gerazim.   He was not ethnically Jewish because his ancestors in the 8^th century before Christ had been part of a forced migration.  Because of all of this there was great animosity and fear between Jews and Samaritans. And sometimes there was violence. 

            The Samaritan Temple was located on Mt. Gerizim.  During the time of Greek rule the Samaritan Temple was dedicated to the Greek god Zeus.  This angered the Jews so much they destroyed the Samaritan Temple.  Around the time of Jesus’ birth a group of Samaritans got into the Jerusalem temple and scatted bones throughout thus desecrating the temple just before a Passover celebration.  The Samaritans had problems with the Romans too.  In 36AD a large crowd of Samaritans assembled on Mt. Gerizim to view artifacts that Moses has supposedly hidden on the mountain.  Many of the Samaritan worshipers were massacred by Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor.  I don’t know, but maybe they were referred to as “radical Samaritan terrorists.

            So who might be our Samaritans today?  Who are the terrorists we are facing?  Which faith group do we fear the most?  Today we have political discussions concerning the immigration of Muslims into this country.  Muslims do not worship our God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Muslims are not like us ethnically or culturally.  Muslims have not received the saving grace of faith in Jesus Christ.  It sure looks like Muslims are our contemporary Samaritans.  But Muslims have received the general grace of God with which God blesses all creation.  So how should we as Christians treat them?

            In today’s scripture someone had been beaten up and left for dead on the side of the road.  Possibly he was one of the 72 followers of Jesus who had been sent ahead to prepare people for Jesus’ coming into their communities.  Remember, Jesus warned them to avoid strangers on the side of the road.  Possibly one of them, a follower of Jesus, was robbed and beaten.  And who helped this follower of Jesus?  Did the priest help?  No!  Did the Levite help?  No!  Only the Samaritan stopped to help.  Only the hated Samaritan, who worshiped the wrong God with the wrong Bible in the wrong way, was kind to a person he found of the side of the road.  And both the legal scholar and Jesus said that makes the Samaritan your neighbor.  And if the Samaritan is your neighbor then you have the obligation to love Samaritan as yourself.

            We can apply this principle today in our pluralistic neighborhoods.  If Muslim immigrants are kind to you, then they are your neighbor, and you must love them as you love yourself. 

            Around thirty years ago I moved into a new community in Northern Virginia.  Living next to me was a mixed race couple with two children.  She was a white American.  He was a refuge from Iran, who fled oppression in 1978.  He was Muslim.   We had frequent conversations in our back yards.  He usually talked about work and family.  I usually talked about my business and my growing participation in church. We didn’t talk much about religion.  He was interested in the hymns I played the piano and some of the thing I was learning in Bible study.  He wasn’t active in any mosque.  He told me that the best thing about being a Muslim is that you can have many wives.  Of course he gave this up when he married an American woman.  I invited him, several times, to come with me to church.  I thought it would be good for his kids.  But he always said no.  Then one day he surprised me.  He asked me to go to his church.  That’s right, his church!  One Sunday he had decided to take his family a visit the Reston Bible Church.  He loved it.  So, I went with him the next Sunday.  It was a large church with a band and lots of things for kids to do. And he became a member of that church and a follower of Jesus Christ.  He and his family have received the saving grace of faith in Jesus Christ which leads to eternal life.

            When a non-Christian is kind, as they often are, your responsibility is to love them as you love you yourself because they are your neighbor.  Be kind to them.  Do unto them as you would have them do unto you.  Always be ready to pray for them and their families.  And be ready to talk with them about what God is doing in your life.  Then watch as the Holy Spirit acts to bring about conversion.  The Holy Spirit uses our love and the general grace of God to bring people to a saving grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

            So how does all of this inform our reaction to the Muslim who prayed to Allah at the recent General Assembly.  When the Muslim prayed for the families of the victims of the Orlando shooting he was being kind.  He became our neighbor.  And therefore we have an obligation to love him as we love ourselves.  We should pray that the Holy Spirit will use our love and God’s general grace to bring that Muslim to faith in Jesus Christ and the saving grace which leads to eternal life.  Let’s pray.

            “Lord, as you have taught us, we bow down before you in all humility, gentleness and

patience, supporting each other with love and trying to keep the unity of the spirit by the

bonds of peace, that we may become “one body and one spirit,” according to our common

calling and vocation. With one voice, repenting of our divisions, we commit ourselves to working together for reconciliation, peace, and justice, and we stand together in imploring you: help us to live as your disciples, overcoming selfishness and arrogance, hatred and violence; give us the strength to forgive. Inspire our witness in the world, that we might foster a culture of

dialogue, and be bearers of the hope which your gospel has implanted in us. Make us instruments of your peace, so that our homes and communities, our parishes, churches, and nations might resonate more fully with the peace you have long desired to bestow upon us. Amen.”

(From the World Council of Churches’ liturgies for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, 2004.)

Sermon – Luke 10:1-11, 16-20 Sent as Laborers

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Sermon – Luke 10:1-11, 16-20  Sent as Laborers

First Presbyterian Church of Ocean City

July 3, 2016

            It is good to be back with you this morning.  I want to thank you for your prayers as I attended the 222^nd General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).  594 commissioners dealt with almost 100 overtures sent from Presbyteries all over the country.  We heard from ecumenical and interfaith partners.  Our seminary students prayed for us every day.  Our Young Adult Advisory Delegates were everywhere and full of energy.  We worshiped, studied the Bible and prayed.  And when a bad storm was approaching Ocean City I requested the entire Assembly to pray for you.  We did some really good work.  You will see some of our accomplishments on the insert in the bulletin today. 

            One of the things we did was to think and pray about our polarized society.  When I was growing up we all seemed to think alike.  There were problems, but we always seemed to find middle ground for a solution.  But times have changed.  Today we not only have disagreements between Democrats and Republicans, but we also have disagreements among Republicans and among Democrats.  Everyone has their one view.  No one seems willing to compromise.  There seems to be no solution to our problems.  So the fighting goes on and on.

            On this Independence Day weekend I have been wondering about what we as Christians could do for our fractured society.  We are called to a ministry of reconciliation.  As Christians we are to bring people together in the bonds of love and peace.  The Presbyterian Church dealt with this issue of reconciliation and approved the Belhar Confession for our Book of Confessions.  Belhar was written at a time of deep divisions in South Africa.  The government had instituted a policy of apartheid, official discrimination based on skin color.  The reformed church in South Africa prayerfully considered a response.  And so they wrote the Belhar Confession.   Listen as I read the first part of this important theological document.

We believe

• that Christ's work of reconciliation is made manifest in the church as the

community of believers who have been reconciled with God and with one

another;

• that unity is, therefore, both a gift and an obligation for the church of Jesus

Christ; that through the working of God's Spirit it is a binding force, yet

simultaneously a reality which must be earnestly pursued and sought: one

which the people of God must continually be built up to attain;

• that this unity must become visible so that the world may believe that

separation, enmity and hatred between people and groups is sin which

Christ has already conquered, and accordingly that anything which

threatens this unity may have no place in the church and must be resisted;

• that this unity of the people of God must be manifested and be active in a

variety of ways: in that we love one another; that we experience, practice

and pursue community with one another; that we are obligated to give

ourselves willingly and joyfully to be of benefit and blessing to one

another; that we share one faith, have one calling, are of one soul and one

mind; have one God and Father, are filled with one Spirit, are baptized

with one baptism, eat of one bread and drink of one cup, confess one

name, are obedient to one Lord, work for one cause, and share one hope;

together come to know the height and the breadth and the depth of the love

of Christ; together are built up to the stature of Christ, to the new

humanity; together know and bear one another's burdens, thereby fulfilling

the law of Christ that we need one another and upbuild one another,

admonishing and comforting one another; that we suffer with one another

for the sake of righteousness; pray together; together serve God in this

world; and together fight against all which may threaten or hinder this

unity;

• that this unity can be established only in freedom and not under constraint;

that the variety of spiritual gifts, opportunities, backgrounds, convictions,

as well as the various languages and cultures, are by virtue of the

reconciliation in Christ, opportunities for mutual service and enrichment

within the one visible people of God;

• that true faith in Jesus Christ is the only condition for membership of this

church;

Let’s pray.

            We beg you, Lord, to help and defend us. Deliver the oppressed, have compassion on the despised, raise the fallen, reveal yourself to the needy, heal the sick, bring back those who have strayed from you, feed the hungry, lift up the weak, remove the prisoners’ chains. May every nation come to know that you are God alone, that Jesus is your Son, that we are your people, the sheep of your pasture.  I Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen. (Clement, Third Bishop of Rome)

            Jesus was also concerned with reconciliation in his day.  He wanted people to be reconciled through him.  In the 10^th chapter of the gospel of Luke Jesus commissioned seventy-two people with the anointing of the Holy Spirit to go into villages and prepare people for his coming.  Let’s hear what he told them.

Luke 10:1 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two[a] others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2 He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 3 Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4 Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.

            Here we have a glimpse of the first church established by Jesus himself.  Jesus has given them some training and they have watched Jesus in action.  Now they are ready to go into the world and prepare it for the coming of the kingdom of God, but there is a problem.  There are not enough evangelists; 72 is not enough.  So Jesus wants them to pray for more.  So too with us.  We need to pray for people who talk about faith with others.  We need to pray for missionaries around the world.  And we need to pray for evangelists right here with us.  We need to pray because Satan will establish roadblocks. 

             But the 72 are told not to worry.  They are not to worry about money and clothing.  And they are not to speak to strangers on the road.  As we will see next week talking to strangers on the road could be dangerous.  And Jesus equipped them to do what needed to be done.  So let’s now listen to Jesus as he gives them the nut and bolts of evangelism.

5 “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ 6 If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. 7 Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.

            According to Jesus evangelism should be done in the context of hospitality.  Invite people into you house for a meal.  Or get together in a restaurant.  You could also do this around a bridge table or a on a golf course.  And what do you do when you meet people this way?  Jesus says pray for their peace.  Pray for God’s blessings to pour down on them.  If anyone in the family is sick, pray for healing.  If anyone is suffering from evil or addictions, pray for deliverance.  Pray for whatever they need.  And the enjoy the meal and conversation. Let’s get back to Jesus.

8 “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. 9 Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 10 But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, 11 ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.’

            When people respond favorably to your prayers for them, tell them the good news that the kingdom of God is near.  You do this by sharing your testimony.  You tell the people you are dining with the good news of what God is doing in your life.  This summer we are hosting activities for CRU.  Each week a CRU member shares testimony with you.  Learn from this what testimony sounds like.  And then develop your own short testimony.  You will be surprised by what happens when you pray for God’s blessings on someone and then share the story of God has blessed you.  They will want some of what you have.  And they will probably ask what church you attend.          But sadly not everyone will respond positively. Listen to Jesus’ instructions.

16 “Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.”

            Those who reject God’s blessings, and those don’t want to listen to your testimony are not rejecting you.  They are rejecting the God you believe in.  When that happen there is not much you can do.  Next time, invite someone else to have lunch with you, and see what happens when you pray for God’s blessings on their families and share your testimony of what God has done for you.  You will be amazed.  Let’s see what happens when the seventy-two that Jesus sent returned to church.

17 The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”  18 He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. 20 However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

            When you pray for healing or for deliverance from evil God hears your prayers and will pour blessings on the people you pray for.  Sometimes the results of your prayer won’t be obvious.  Sometimes you will be amazed at what happens.  It doesn’t matter what happens when you pray.  All that matters is that God knows that you are praying.  And when you pray for others to be blessed, your name is written in that Book of Life in heaven.

            So what are we to do as Americans who want our nation to come together in the bonds of love and peace?  Well, have an active social life.  Invite others to join you in doing something you enjoy.  And when you do this remember to pray for you guests to be blessed, and be ready with a story of how God has blessed you.  You will be amazed at what happens because the Holy Spirit will do the rest.  Let’s pray.

            Father in heaven, 

We pray for our country.  We pray for reconciliation, peace and mutual love.  Send us out as you laborers.  Help us to pray for your blessings to pour down on the people we meet.  And help us to talk about the blessings we have received from you.  This we pray in the name you son, Jesus.  Amen. 

Sermon – Luke 7:36–8:3 – A Forgiven Sinner

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Sermon – Luke 7:36–8:3 – A Forgiven Sinner

First Presbyterian Church of Ocean City

June 12, 2016

            Jesus often dined with sinners and people you ordinarily wouldn’t associate with. But Jesus saw inherent worth in all people and was not afraid to share bread with people living on the margin.  Today we will see a dinner when Jesus got a break from all this.  A nice, respectable Pharisee invited him over.  It promised to be a pleasant meal until an unfortunate incident occurred.  This gave Jesus an important teaching moment. We will get to this, but first lets 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. (Calvin)

            Luke 7:36  When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. ³⁷ A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. ³⁸ As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.

³⁹ When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”

⁴⁰ Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”

“Tell me, teacher,” he said.

⁴¹ “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii,^[a] and the other fifty. ⁴² Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”

⁴³ Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.”

“You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.

⁴⁴ Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. ⁴⁵ You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. ⁴⁶ You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. ⁴⁷ Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”

⁴⁸ Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

⁴⁹ The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”

⁵⁰ Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

8 After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, ² and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; ³ Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.

            Luke has given us a story with three characters.  First, there is Jesus, who has been invited to dinner at a formal party.  The second character is Simon, the host for the party and a distinguished Pharisee.  And the third character is an unnamed woman with a dubious reputation.  Jesus uses this situation to tell us a story about God’s love for us as manifested in forgiveness, and our love for God as manifested in gratitude, adoration and worship.

            Since the protestant reformation the church has argued over which comes first?  There are Christians who say that first we love God and show this love with our adoration and worship.  Then God responds with love for us and the forgiveness of our sins.  But I believe, along with the protestant reformers that the Bible clearly teaches that God loves us first and forgives our sin.  Then, in gratitude, we love God with adoration and worship.  We believe that God’s love always comes first.

            But Jesus was not concerned with the question of which comes first.  His message was that the love we receive from God and the love we return to God with adoration and worship are proportional.  The more love we receive from God, the more love we return to God.

            We can see this in Luke’s story.  Simon has little love for Jesus.  He has forgotten the basic elements of hospitality.  He failed to provide Jesus with a bucket of water to clean up from his dusty journey before reclining for dinner.  And he failed to greet Jesus appropriately with a kiss on the cheek.  Simon clearly hasn’t much love for Jesus. But, what about the woman? She certainly has affection for Jesus.  She cleans his feet with her tears, her hair, her kisses and her perfume.  I wouldn’t be going too far out on a limb to suggest that the woman loves Jesus far more than Simon.  And if our love for God is proportional to God’s love for us, as Jesus taught, then the woman must have received far more love from God, as manifested in forgiveness, than Simon did.

            So what would account for this?  Why would the woman experience far more of God’s love than Simon?  One possible answer is that God loves her more than he loves Simon.  But this can’t be the case because God loves the world, everyone the same.  God’s love is infinite.  His forgiveness is complete.  So there would be no difference in the love God offers to either Simon or the woman.

            Another possible answer is that the woman received more of God’s love than Simon because she needed it.  Maybe she needed far more of God’s love and forgiveness than did Simon. That might explain it.  Luke, Simon and Jesus all agreed that she was a “sinner”.  So she certainly needed a lot of forgiveness.  But so did Simon.  We have already seen how mean he was to Jesus.  My guess is that he was as much a “sinner” as the woman.  In fact, all of us are “sinners”.  We all need enormous amounts of God’s gracious forgiveness.  Both Simon and the woman needed God’s loving forgiveness and God was ready to love and forgive both of them.  This does not explain why Simon loved Jesus far less than the woman.

            But there is another possibility.  Both Simon and the woman needed God’s love and forgiveness.  God loved and forgave both of them.  The difference is that the woman realized that she needed forgiveness, but Simon had no idea he needed it too.  And since she knew she needed God’s love and forgiveness she recognized it when it came, and responded with love for Jesus.  Simon on the other hand had no idea that he needed forgiveness, and therefore didn’t recognize the gift when it came.  Without recognition of God’s love for him, Simon had little love for Jesus. 

            Why did the woman know that she needed forgiveness when Simon did not?  The difference between the two of them is the sin of pride.  Pride blinded Simon to his sin.  He thought so much of himself, that he truly believed that he was free from sin. And since he was free from sin he thought he had no need for forgiveness.  But he was deluding himself.  The truth was far from him.  In reality he was totally stained with sin.  And the sin of pride blinded him from realizing his need for forgiveness.

            The woman, on the other hand, wasn’t blinded by sin.  She knew her sin all too well.  People kept reminding her that she was a sinner.  So she had no problem with pride.  And without the sin of pride she saw her need for forgiveness.  And when she received it she was overwhelmed with gratitude which poured out of her in love for Jesus.

            We see from all of this that our love for Jesus is inversely proportional to our pride.  If we have high levels of pride, we can’t see our need for forgiveness.  And when it comes we don’t feel particularly grateful.  Our love for Jesus manifest in adoration and worship is low.  But if our pride is low, then we see our own sin clearly and rejoice when God’s love and forgiveness arrives.

            So where do people today fit on this spectrum?  Are people in America high in pride and low in love for God or the other way around?  The people outside of church have extremely high pride and no regard for God at all.  And increasingly our culture values pride over love for God.  People in churches are somewhere in the middle of the spectrum.  We love Jesus with adoration and worship, but pride still limits our acceptance of our own sin and our love of God.  We need to pray for less pride so that our love and adoration of God, who forgives our sin, will grow.

            We see this in the comments given recently by Donald Trump.  Trump told Cal Thomas, “I will be asking for forgiveness, but hopefully I won’t have to be asking for much forgiveness. As you know, I am Presbyterian and Protestant. I’ve had great relationships and developed even greater relationships with ministers.” (http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2016/06/08/donald-trump-is-asked-who-do-you-say-jesus-is-and-heres-his-response/) 

            I think Mr. Trump pretty describes us in the Presbyterian Church today.  We realize that we are stained by sin and need God’s forgiveness.  But our pride limits our realization of the extent of our own sin.  This limits the love and forgiveness we are aware of coming from God.  And so our love and adoration of God is also limited.  We need to confess our sin of pride, accept God’s forgiveness, and free ourselves to love and worship God with our whole hearts.

            So examine your own lives.  Are you more like Simon?  Do you think you have control of sin; it’s not really a problem?  If so you probably have the sin of pride.  It is blinding you to your sin.  And you’re not experiencing God’s love manifested in forgiveness.  Pray that God will take away your pride so that you can clearly see the sin that stains your life.  Then receive God’s gracious offer of love and forgiveness.  Gratitude will overflow from you in love, adoration and worship of God. Let’s pray.

            We confess O Lord that our pride keeps us from seeing our sin.  Help us to limit our pride so that we can see our sin and the true magnitude of your love and forgiveness.  Then we can respond with a full measure of gratitude, love and adoration.  In Jesus’ name, amen.