Sermon Matthew 16:21-28 “Following God”

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Pittsgrove Presbyterian Church
Sermon Matthew 16:21-28 “Following God”
August 30, 2020

Order of Worship

Video of the Worship Service

This is my last Sunday with you and your Interim Pastor.   I turn this church over to Christ who will continue to lead you.   Your Session will guide your reopening.   Your Pastor Nominating Committee will find you a wonderful new pastor.   Your Deacons will continue to care for the congregation.  Your Trustees will continue to care for the buildings and grounds.  I urge all of you to remain grounded in scripture and follow Christ where he may lead this church.   Let’s pray.

Father in Heaven, we know that you are present with us when we need you.  We thank you for your Holy Spirit which is with us and in our hearts strengthening us for the difficult tasks we find ourselves in.  We know, through your son Jesus, how much you love us.   We ask that you let us follow you into a glorious future. And may the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight O Lord our rock and redeemer. Amen.

Matthew 16:21-28   21 From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.  22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, "God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you."  23 But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things."  24 Then Jesus told his disciples, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.  25 For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.  26 For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life?  27 "For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done.  28 Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."

Moses grew up in two different cultures.  On the one hand, he was a Hebrew and his Hebrew servants always let him know that he was mashea, the one pulled from the water.  On the other hand, he knew the privilege and power as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.  Eventually, the stress of belonging to both the privileged class and a despised minority became too much.  Moses grieved over the oppression of his people.  And one day when he saw a Hebrew being beaten by an Egyptian, Moses reacted violently and killed the Egyptian taskmaster.  When his crime was discovered Moses fled to the wilderness to hide, and with God’s blessing, to survive.

The wilderness is where we go to deal with the enormous problems in our lives.  Jesus knew something about the wilderness.  He spent forty days and nights without food and water in the wilderness.  Jesus knew that an even greater wilderness was in his future, the cross.  And he knew that his followers would also experience a wilderness with their own crosses on their backs.  Followers of Jesus, it seems, are not immune from the wilderness.

Moses adjusted to his new life in the wilderness by getting married to the daughter of the Priest of Midian and caring for the priest’s sheep.  Moses got to know the wilderness real well as he guided the sheep in search of grazing land and water.  

This led Moses to the mountain of the gods, Horeb.  There Moses saw a remarkable sight:  a fire burned in the midst of a bush, but the bush itself was not consumed.  “Was this one of the gods of Horeb?” Moses must have thought as he stared at this incredible sight.  And Moses knew that this must be a very powerful god because it knew his name.    

Moses had to be greatly relieved when the god of the fire in the midst of the bush identified itself as the god of his own people.  The god of the fire in the midst of the bush was none other than the God we have been reading about for the last few weeks, the God of Abraham and Sarah, the God of Isaac and Rebecca, and the God of Jacob and Rebecca and Leah.  Moses had seen an awesome sight and it turned out to be none other than the Lord, God of Israel.

After meeting the god of the fire in the midst of the bush, Moses was given an important task.  He was to use his skill as a shepherd for the last forty years in the wilderness, his upbringing in the Egyptian court, and his love for his own people to lead the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt, through the wilderness, to the Promised Land.  

This was not going to be an easy task.  Moses didn’t think he could do it.  After all, the Egyptians had a death warrant out for his head, and his only experience for the last forty years had been tending sheep.  How could Moses convince Pharaoh to let the Hebrews go?  And where would they go once they were freed?  These questions must have been racing through Moses' head as he pondered what God was asking him to do.  And thankfully Moses had no idea, at this point, that the task God was giving him would take another forty years to accomplish.

But Moses followed God.   He followed God back to Egypt where Pharaoh was persuaded to let the Hebrews go to worship God.   He followed God, a pillar of smoke by day and a pillar of fire at night, through the wilderness.  Moses followed God all the way to the Promised Land.

When we embark on a task given to us by God we should not expect that the task will be easy to do or that it will be accomplished quickly.  We have to trust that God is at work guiding us and helping us to do what God wants us to do even though we can’t see the whole picture as God does.  So we have to act on faith and trust that in God the work will be finished.

This is where Pittsgrove church is right now.   You have embarked on a new journey of finding a new pastor.   No one knows how long this may take.   But if you always keep your eyes on Jesus and follow him everything will turn out alright.

Doing the work of God is like taking up a cross.  We have to deny our own wants and desires to focus on what God wants.  We have to trust that God will provide for us and our needs as we do God’s work of loving others.  We are called to obedience and love supported by a strong faith.

Jesus had a long and difficult road ahead of him.   He was on his way to Jerusalem where he will be arrested, tried, and executed by the authorities.   When the disciples heard this they became quite upset.   Peter was so angry he rebuked Jesus and reminded him that as the Messiah, Jesus had the responsibility to lead a revolution and take control of the world.   This must have been very tempting for Jesus.  It was the same temptation that Jesus was offered by the Devil in the wilderness.

Matthew 4:8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

At that moment Jesus realized that Peter was now following the Devil.  So Jesus rebuked Peter, as he had the Devil earlier.   Jesus told him to focus his mind on divine things rather than human things.

This is good advice.   I get upset, sometimes, when I see violence in our streets and growing racial divisions.   I get upset when our political process seems to be falling apart.   When this happens I begin to realize that it is harmful to focus so much on human things.  It is so much better to focus your mind on divine things.  

That is why I have been trying to teach you to read scripture and pray every day.   You have received from me, via email, a link for daily scripture readings.   Bookmark this link and go to it every day to keep yourselves grounded in divine things.

This is what Jesus meant when he urged his disciples to take up their crosses and follow him.   You are to walk away from your focus on the cares of the world.  Your cross is to focus on Christ.   Read scripture every day.   Watch sermons on Youtube.   Worship with your church every week.   Pray when you get up, at meals, and when you go to bed.   Focus your mind on Jesus, this is the cross you must carry.

And if you carry this cross there is an enormous promise and benefit for you.  Jesus has promised to return, with the angels, to bring about justice and righteousness.  What a glorious promise!   But we have an important question to ask.   When will this happen?   How long must we wait?

There are some who say that they will happen sometime in the future.   But I think it has already happened, at least in part.   Jesus did say that he would return with the angels before some of his original disciples tasted death.  I think that Jesus was referring to Pentecost when he did return as the Holy Spirit to empower the church.   And this is really good news because it means that Christ is here, with us now.   

This is the spiritual reality on which we should focus.   Jesus was a historical person.  Jesus is alive today.   Jesus is with us, empowering us to be church.   Pittsgrove Presbyterian Church, take up your crosses and follow him.   Let’s pray.

God of the fire in the midst of the bush, we come to you today expecting miracles in our lives.  We come expecting restored relationships.  We come confident that you will be with us as our God as we travel through the wilderness with crosses on our backs.  But we are also confident that in your time, your will be fully accomplished on Earth, and for that, we are most grateful. Amen.

Sermon: Matthew 16:13-20 “Build upon Rock”

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Pittsgrove Presbyterian Church
Sermon: Matthew 16:13-20 “Build upon Rock”
August 23, 2020

Order of Worship

Worship Video

“Who am I?”  This is a question we all ask.  We want to know our own identity.  We need to know who we are, why we are here, and what our purpose is.  Our identity is tied to the names given to us by our parents, the educational degrees we have earned, the work we do, and the families we have.  But since we are all children of God our identity ultimately comes from our creator.  Today we will be exploring the issue of who we are by looking at the naming of two important biblical characters, Moses and Peter.  But first, will you pray with me?

Holy Spirit, be with us as we read and interpret the Holy Scripture that has been preserved for us by the church for two thousand years.  Help us to understand not only the original meaning of the verses we read but what you are saying to us through them today.  And may the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight our rock and our redeemer. Amen.

When Moses was born his identity was already established.  The Egyptians saw him as part of a despised minority of foreigners that had grown too large and had to be stamped out; this put Moses' life in jeopardy as soon as he was born.  His mother saw him as a beloved son who had to be saved from death.  To Pharaoh’s daughter, he was seen as a gift of a beautiful baby whom she gave the name common to Egyptian royalty, Moses.  And his own people, when they heard the name “Moses” thought of the Hebrew word “mashea” and remembered that Moses was one of their own, the one pulled from the water.  From God’s perspective Moses was the one who would lead the Hebrew people out of slavery, through the waters of the Red Sea, and eventually to the Promised Land.  So it was God who really named him Moses, mashea because he was to be the one who would pull the Hebrews out of the water to safety and freedom.

Today our names are given to us by our mothers and fathers.  This ability to name was given to us by God at creation when Adam gave names to the creatures God had created.  I have studied my own genealogy and discovered that in the eighteenth century my ancestors were named after family members; then in the nineteenth century biblical names were used; and in the twentieth century, we went back to family names so my middle name, Thomas, is my grandmother’s maiden name.

We all have names from our parents but our name is not the same thing as our identity.  In Washington DC, where I am from, most people are identified by the work they do and where you are from.  Where you work is important because Washington is a place of power and where your work indicates your proximity to that power.  Where you are from is important because almost everyone in Washington is from someplace else.   So in casual conversations, the first thing we always ask is “Where do you work?” and “Where are you from?”

I have found that Koreans approach identity in a very different way.  They often seem surprised when I ask them where they work or which city in Korea they come from.  For Koreans identity is determined not by what you do or where you are from, but by title and age.  One’s title and age determine the respect that someone is owed.  For example, I am a “moxa”, or pastor.  Because the title “moxa” is considered very prestigious in Korean culture the respect suffix “nim” is usually attached so I am called respectfully “moxanim”.   When addressing each other Koreans usually use titles rather than names.  

The second aspect of Korean identity is age.  The older you are the more respect you receive.  So in casual conversations, you will be asked how old you are.  Although determining one’s age is vitally important in Korean culture you can see how offensive that would be in American culture.  Just ask the typical American woman how old she is and see what happens.

Of course, God gives us our real identity.  We are Christians, followers of Jesus Christ the Son of God.  And this brings us to someone named “Peter”.

Matthew 16:13-20  13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?"  14 And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."  15 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  16 Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God."  17 And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven.  18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.  19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."  20 Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

Just before beginning his journey to Jerusalem and the cross, Jesus took his disciples to the northern part of Galilee near Lebanon and Mt. Hermon.  They went to a new city built by the Tetrarch Philip and dedicated to Emperor Tiberius.   Notice these important people are identified by their titles.

While they were traveling Jesus was talking to his disciples and asking them questions.  One question was about identity.  “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”  All educated Hebrews would know about the Son of Man.  The prophet Daniel predicted that a human being would come directly from heaven to rule the earth with power given to him by God.    Their expectation was that this person would come to lead God’s people from slavery to Rome to the promised land of the Kingdom of Heaven.   Some were even speculating that this person had already arrived on earth.  Could it be that Elijah, Jeremiah, or another of the prophets was about to return to earth from heaven?  Could a great leader and prophet like John the Baptist be resurrected from the dead to rule God’s kingdom on earth?  And as Jesus’ miracles became well known some were beginning to think that he might be the Son of Man.

Another question from Jesus to the disciples was: “Who do you say that I am”.  This is a question we are still asking.  Who is Jesus?  Some say that Jesus was a good teacher of morality.  Others say that Jesus was a prophet.  And still, others say that Jesus was a historical figure of minor importance in the first century.  But for Christians, the answer to this question defines who we are and gives us our identity.  So let's look at the identity of the first Christian, Simon Peter.

Simon was given the Aramaic name Cephas by his parents.  English speakers pronounce Cephas as Simon.  Simon was a fisherman on the Sea of Galilee as his father and grandfather had been.  His identity was tied to his family and their work for generations.  Changing identities in this culture was nearly impossible.  You were expected to do what your father did and your son was expected to follow you.  Your identity was tied to your family.  

         But when Simon left his fishing nets to follow Jesus he left behind his identity and took on a new one as a disciple of Jesus.  And now Jesus was asking him to identify who Jesus himself was.   Simon identified Jesus as the anointed one, the messiah, the Christ, and as the Son of the living God.   With this confession, Simon identified himself as a Christian, one who believes that Jesus of Nazareth was truly the long-expected messiah and God’s own son.  

        Whenever Jesus hears this confession from the lips of his people he knows that we are his followers and have assembled into his church.  And that is why we confess in the Apostle’s Creed that we believe in Jesus Christ our Lord.

When Simon made this confession, Jesus knew that Simon now had a new identity as a Christian.  So Jesus gave Simon a new name symbolizing his new identity.  Jesus called him in Greek, “Petros” which sounds, to Greek speakers, a lot like “petras” which means “rock”.  Simon became Peter the rock upon which Jesus Christ would build his church.  

Church history tells us that Simon Peter became the Bishop of Rome, and in that role, he collected and preserved the writings which one day would become the New Testament.  Peter and the bishops, priests, pastors, and teachers who would follow would preserve these writings as authentic presentations of orthodox faith in Jesus Christ, always protecting them from heretical teachings.  It is upon this rock, the Word of God, that the church of Jesus Christ is built.  This rock, the Word of God, will never be shaken in an earthquake; it will support the church forever.

As Christians, we are identified as people who stand on the solid foundation of the Word of God.  The Word of God contains the keys that unlock the Kingdom of Heaven.  That is why it is so important to be in church every Sunday to hear the Word of God read, preached, and taught.  As we hear faithful preaching and teaching the Word of God enters our hearts changing us into disciples of Jesus Christ and unlocking the gates of heaven which lead to eternal life.

        If Christ were to come back right now and visit Pittsgrove Church what would he call us?  Pittsgrove is our historic name.   But what name would Christ call us that would describe who and what we are right now?   I’ll leave this question open.   But think about it.     

        We are Christians who confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and the Son of the living God.  Our identity is built on the solid foundation of the Word of God which, through faithful preaching and teaching, unlocks for us the promise of eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven.  Let’s pray.

Lord Jesus Christ, we confess that you are the Christ, the Son of God.  We thank you for blessing us with the church that has preserved the Word of God for two millennia.  Open us to receive this Word into our lives through the preaching and teaching of this church today.  And give us the new name “Christian”, as those who follow you.  Amen.

Sermon Matthew 15:21-28 “Strangers at the Table”

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Pittsgrove Presbyterian Church
Sermon Matthew 15:21-28 “Strangers at the Table”
August 16, 2020

Order of Worship

Worship Video

Fifteen years ago I met and married Grace and began a new multicultural life. Since then I have had one foot in one culture and another foot in another culture.  And most of the distinctions between those cultures center on what my mother would call table manners.  We are going to look at table manners from a biblical perspective this morning.  But first, will you pray with me?

Heavenly Father, we come to you this day as we have week after week for years and years and years.    In that time little has changed.   The way we do church is unchanged since our beginning in the 19th century.   Bless us Lord with change. Help us, Lord, to try something new.  In Jesus’ name, we pray.  Amen.   

Earlier you heard a wonderful story from Genesis 43.  Joseph was the eldest son born to Jacob and Rachel.   And when Rachel died, during the birth of her second son, the two boys were all that Jacob had to remember his family with Rachel.

Jacob loved these two boys very much.   And he spoiled them.   Jacob’s other sons became very jealous.   And so when they had the opportunity they sold Joseph into slavery and lied to their father saying that Joseph was dead.   

Joseph was taken to Egypt where, with God’s help, he became a famous dream interpreter and correctly predicted the seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine that  Egypt and the surrounding countries were then experiencing.  Joseph, wisely, had the Egyptians store up extra food during the years of plenty so that there would be enough in the years of famine.  

Jacob and his family experienced this famine and his sons were sent to Egypt for food.  There they were recognized by Joseph as his brothers.    Joseph had already forgiven his brothers for what they had done to him because he knew that God had used their evil actions for good.  So when his eleven brothers arrived in Egypt,  Joseph honored them with a great feast.  

Eating together is how we celebrate important times in our lives.  I can remember the great feasts my mother would prepare for holidays and when the grandparents visited.  Roast beef, turkey, or meatloaf with all the trimmings were on the table.  

I can also remember pot luck dinners when families would gather in church every month.  We sampled dishes from all the other families.  My mother’s scalloped potatoes were always in high demand.  I am so thankful that Ruth makes those same potatoes for our dinners here at Pittsgrove.  

Fifteen years ago my eating habits changed.  I met and married a wonderful Korean woman whose ministry for international students involved cooking Korean meals.   I loved those meals.   I loved eating with international students.   So I decided to marry Grace and enjoy her cooking for the rest of my life.  

Once I was eating in a Thai restaurant with a mixed group of Americans and Koreans.  Although Thais do not use chopsticks, some were provided for the benefit of the Koreans who do use them.  The waitress brought out platters of food that were served American style.  They were passed from person to person who scooped out what they wanted on their own individual plates.  We then ate from our own plates refilling them as desired.  

Near the end of the dinner, I saw a single shrimp sitting on a serving dish across the table.  Using chopsticks I reached across the table, grabbed the shrimp, and ate it.  Immediately I was scolded by an American woman sitting across from me who yelled “Jeff, what are you doing?”  I explained that in Korean culture food is placed in shared bowls all over the table and you use chopsticks to eat whatever you want directly from the shared bowls.  At a Korean meal, there is no need for a plate.  A Korean man sitting next to her was amused that an American man was getting into the same kind of trouble that he experienced as a new immigrant.  These are the kinds of multicultural experiences I have had in the fifteen years that I have known Grace.

In Genesis, we see how the Egyptians handled multicultural experiences at dinner. They were avoided.  No Egyptian would ever eat at the same table as a Hebrew. So the Egyptians ate at a table by themselves.  The Hebrews ate at a table by themselves.  And Joseph who had one foot in each culture ate all by himself.  The rule was that strangers were not welcome at the table.  And this brings us to an unusual and somewhat disturbing story about strangers at the table in the gospel of Matthew. 

Matthew 15:21-28   21 Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon.  22 Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, "Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon."  23 But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, "Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us."  24 He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."  25 But she came and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, help me."  26 He answered, "It is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs."  27 She said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table."  28 Then Jesus answered her, "Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish." And her daughter was healed instantly.

Many of us are disturbed by the words of Jesus.  Why would Jesus not talk to the Canaanite women who came to Jesus to heal her daughter?  Why would Jesus call her a “dog”? This does not square with our picture of a loving Jesus who welcomes everyone to the table.  

To understand this passage we must first understand Jesus’ teaching style.  Jesus usually began teaching by referring to the Law of Moses.  Here the Law of Moses clearly states that a Hebrew man should not speak with a Canaanite woman.  The reason was simple, according to Moses when the people of God entered into the Promised Land, the Hebrew men were not to marry Canaanite women because those women would take their children not to God’s tabernacle but to pagan shrines.  To prevent this, Hebrew men were told to marry good Hebrew women.   This Mosaic Law was what Jesus was referring to when he refused to speak with the Canaanite woman.

But after fifteen hundred years the laws of Moses had been perverted.   A once sensible law that encouraged men to ensure that their children would worship Yahweh had been twisted into a rationale for hatred against the Canaanites.  It was this racism that Jesus referred to when he said that sharing food with a Canaanite was like giving it to the dogs.  This was a mean spirited perversion of the Mosaic Law which Jesus had come to condemn.   Jesus was not going to tolerate racist attitudes against anyone and would not allow the Law of Moses to be twisted for that purpose.

Jesus, speaking from the position of authority as the Son of God, told his followers that no longer would race, ethnicity, nationality, or language, be used in deciding who would gather at his table.  Everyone who places their faith in our Lord Jesus Christ is welcome to share in his fellowship.  

Today, we live in a society where monoethnic churches are the norm. Whites go to white churches.  Koreans go to Korean churches.  African Americans go to African American churches.   The wealthy gather in wealthy churches, and the poor gather in poor churches.  But the church of Jesus Christ should be multicultural.   We should be inviting everyone to church.   

Let me tell you a true story that happened to me.  A black homeless man was living on the streets in Los Angeles.  I saw him as I walked through the community.   I recognized him but I didn’t know when or where we had met.  

I saw him one morning and invited him to come to a prayer group that was about to meet.  After the prayer service, we all went over to Burger King for breakfast.  It was there that Joseph, the man we met, pulled out a sketch pad and showed us some drawings.  That is when I remembered when and where I had met him before.  

Ten years before I participated in a ministry serving lunch to homeless men in Washington DC at the Church of the Pilgrims.  Joseph was coming for lunch each Sunday and I remember looking at his beautiful drawings.  He got a job and we didn’t see him for lunch anymore. Eventually, Joseph took a bus from Washington DC to Los Angeles.  He worked for a while in California but was now living on the streets.  He started coming to my church.

I believe that a church that welcomes into its doors people from all ethnic groups and economic levels will be richly blessed by God.  A church that welcomes everyone even the poorest, even the most despised, is a church that will be blessed with new members and increased giving.  God is just waiting for the church of Jesus Christ to wake up and realize that it's separate ways must end and all must come together around one table.  When the people of all nations, ethnic groups, and economic classes come together around the Lord’s Table then truly the Kingdom of Heaven has come near.

So what about Pittsgrove Church?   How will this church take up this challenge and become multicultural?   One place you could start is with the selection of a new pastor.  According to the Church Leadership Connection of the 1700 pastors looking for churches 300 are racial-ethnic.   So, there are 300 Black, Hispanic, Korean, or something else pastors looking for churches.  But there are only 30 racial-ethnic congregations looking for pastors.  So the racial-ethnic pastors must look for calls in white churches.  

This would be a great opportunity for you.   You could bring in a Korean pastor or a Hispanic pastor and begin to experience the richness of cultural diversity that I have experienced for these 15 years.   

You have already experienced multiculturalism through my wife, Grace.  Grace is a Korean racial-ethnic pastor.  Remember what she did for you last year with a Christmas Open House in the manse.   And remember the great party we had in the manse during our Lenten study.   These were all wonderful multicultural experiences.

So I urge you to look for a pastor that will help you to become multicultural.   Take a chance on a racial-ethnic pastor.  You will be blessed far more than you can even imagine.  Let’s pray. 

Lord Jesus, we ask that you help us to become multicultural.   Help us to welcome everyone into our fellowship.   And bless us with a pastor who will help us experience the great joy of diversity.   We pray all this in your glorious name.  Amen.

Sermon - Acts 3:1-10 “A Little Touch of God’s Grace”

 Jeffrey T. Howard

Pittsgrove Presbyterian Church

Sermon - Acts 3:1-10 “A Little Touch of God’s Grace”

August 9, 2020

Order of Worship

Watch the Service Video

During Jesus’s life and ministry, there was a man who may have seen him over and over again as Jesus grew up and went in and out of the Jerusalem temple.  Each time the man saw Jesus he must have wondered if Jesus could help him.   This man had been lame from birth and needed a little touch of God’s grace.   We will take a look at this man’s life, but first, let’s pray.

Heavenly Father, we all need a little touch of your grace.   I ask that you respond to our needs here in this congregation today.  Amen.

Acts 3:1-10  One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, at three o'clock in the afternoon.  2 And a man lame from birth was being carried in. People would lay him daily at the gate of the temple called the Beautiful Gate so that he could ask for alms from those entering the temple.  3 When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked them for alms.  4 Peter looked intently at him, as did John, and said, "Look at us."  5 And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them.  6 But Peter said, "I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk."  7 And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong.  8 Jumping up, he stood and began to walk, and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.  9 All the people saw him walking and praising God,  10 and they recognized him as the one who used to sit and ask for alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

8 Years Old

In the last year of Herod the Great, a young couple came to Jerusalem to have their baby dedicated to God.  They named their baby Jesus.  Possibly, they entered the temple through the beautiful gate and saw another young couple asking for alms with a little boy, about 8, sitting outside the gate.  They may have noticed that this boy could not enter the temple grounds because of his bad feet.  

The rules were very clear on this.  The temple was the place where God met humanity.  Since God was holy the men and women who approached God must also be holy.  A strict set of rules was developed that determined who was holy enough to enter the temple grounds.  And the closer you approached God the holier you had to be.  

The boy’s bad feet was a clear indication that he was not holy enough.  So the little boy sat outside of the big bronze gate of the temple that everyone called “beautiful” hoping to receive what he really needed, a little touch of God’s grace.  He wanted to hear the words of God saying, “I love you and forgive you.” He wanted to be healed.

20 Years Old

Twelve years later a young couple from Nazareth returned to the temple with their almost teenage boy, named Jesus.  Possibly they noticed a woman asking for alms with a grown son sitting beside the gate called “beautiful”.  This woman’s son could not walk and had to be carried to the gate by family and friends every day.  As she sat there she hoped somehow, someway, her son would get what he truly needed, a little touch of God’s grace.  

She had carried her son in her womb for nine months. And she discovered, in horror, that he was born with a birth defect, bad feet.  So she carried him to the temple every day to sit next to the large bronze gate that everyone called “beautiful”.  As he grew she was unable to carry him alone.  So his uncles and brothers and friends helped out.  They brought him here every day hoping that the young man with the bad feet would find what he really needed, that a little of God’s grace would be brought out the gate and rub off.  Maybe he would experience healing.  It was the only hope he had.

40 years old

An additional 20 years have passed and the man with bad feet, now 40 years old, was still sitting next to the big bronze gate of the temple, the one everyone called “beautiful”.  He hoped that somehow someone would give what he truly needed.  He didn’t need money.  Rather, what he needed was a little touch of God’s grace.   He needed healing.

One day he heard a remarkable story.  A rabbi from Nazareth named Jesus had arrived in Jerusalem.  He was known as a great teacher and healer.  The rumor going around town was that a man with bad feet, who had been sitting next to the pool of Bethzatha for years, had been healed by Jesus.  What great news! This is what the man with bad feet had been waiting for, a little bit of God’s grace.  Maybe Jesus would see him too and he would be healed.

But no sooner had this good news reached his ears he heard that the rabbi from Nazareth named Jesus had been arrested and executed on a cross.  And with Jesus’ death, all of the hopes of the man with bad feet were buried in a tomb.

A little touch of God’s Grace

Jesus’ apostles, Peter and John, went to the temple every day for evening prayers.  The temple offered continuous sacrifices twice each day.  The first was at daybreak.  Then, nine hours later at around 3pm, they would have the evening sacrifices.  John and Peter usually came to these sacrifices for prayer.  Day after day they would enter through a large bronze gate that everyone called “beautiful” never noticing the forty-year-old man with bad feet sitting next to the gate.

This man was lovingly brought there each day to sit next to the gate hoping that someone somehow would give him what he really needed, a little touch of God’s grace.  But day after day everyone just ignored this man with bad feet.  So he just sat there and waited.

Then one day Peter and John came to the temple and were about to pass through the Beautiful gate.  Peter’s eyes had been opened by the Holy Spirit on Pentecost.  He saw the world in a new way.  Now he noticed people in need, like the man with bad feet sitting next to the gate.  So Peter went over to the man with the bad feet.

The man didn’t know who Peter was.  He had been there for so long.  Few people ever came over to talk.   Those who did usually gave him a few coins as charity.  But rarely did anyone talk with him.  Rarely did anyone want to know him or to help find what he really needed, a little bit of God’s grace.

But Peter with the help of the Holy Spirit saw the man as few others did.  He stared right at him for a few moments and was filled with compassion for the man, realizing his deep need.  And Peter knew why this man came to the temple every day.  He wanted a little touch of God’s grace.  

So Peter reached down and grabbed his hands.  Peter had been a fisherman all of his life.  He used his powerful arms and hands to reach over the side of the boat and pull in a net filled with fish.  Jesus had told him that one day he would be the fisher of people.  And this day, Peter reached down with those powerful arms and hands and pulled up the man with bad feet.

Peter realized that with the coming of the Holy Spirit everything has changed.  God was no longer just in the temple.  No longer did someone have to enter the temple to find God.  In the Holy Spirit, God had left the temple to come directly to his people.  God no longer will wait for us to make ourselves holy before we can enter into his presence.  Rather he comes to us as we are in our brokenness and sin.  The Holy Spirit prepares us with Christ’s holiness.  So clothed in Christ we are ready to meet God.

As soon as Peter grabbed the man, his bad feet began to heal.  Just as Ezekiel had prophesied centuries before, God created flesh and muscle and ligaments on the dry bones.  For the first time in his life, the man was able to stand.  And he did what he always wanted to do.  He walked through the big bronze gate everyone called “beautiful”.  The man’s joy was intense and he leaped into the air with joy.  The man who used to have bad feet jumped and danced and praised God for everything God had done.  

The people in the temple were amazed, astonished, bewildered by all they had seen.  Here was the man who had sat outside the gate with bad feet for as long as anyone could remember.  And now he was healed, jumping for joy and praising God for this great gift.   Five thousand people saw with their own eyes this miracle of God.

Miracles

But we as modern people have a hard time believing this story.  We have told over and over again that miracles do not happen.  Since the beginning of the Enlightenment, we have believed that science can give us answers to all questions.  If we just give the scientists enough time and enough resources they can find natural causes for everything that happens.  Belief in science is an element of faith for modern people.

The church has been divided as to how to handle this scientific world view.  Many Christians believe that miracles do not happen now.  Some accept that miracles did happen in Jesus’ time but stopped once the New Testament was written.   Others look at the miracles in the Bible as just helpful myths.  But I believe that we have been too quick to throw out the idea of miracles.  Just because science has been very successful in finding natural explanations for things does not mean that miracles do not happen.  In fact, there are many things that science just cannot answer.  Let me give you an example.

Contemporary Miracle

Several years ago a dear friend of mine was not feeling well.  She went to the doctor to see what was wrong.  He found that she suffered from extremely high blood pressure.  It was so high she was in danger of a stroke.  So she was put on blood pressure medicine.  But it didn’t work.  The doctor changed the prescription.  But this one did not work any better.  So my friend went to the hospital for a complete set of tests to see what was wrong.  While in the hospital the doctors discovered a lump on her breast.  It was an early form of Breast Cancer. As soon as the diagnosis of breast cancer was made, her blood pressure went to normal.

The doctors were amazed and astonished.  They had no explanation for what had happened.  To their scientific minds, it did not make sense.  But they celebrated the great joy of their patient who was relieved to finally know what was wrong.  My friend strongly believes that her high blood pressure was a sign from God that helped the doctors to find cancer while it was still treatable.  My friend is happy and healthy today.  Her cancer is in complete remission.  And she is extremely thankful for all that God had done for her.  Miracles do happen today.  We just have to look for them with the eyes of Pentecost.

Of course, not everyone will experience a miracle.  Many people suffer from chronic diseases and disabilities. Sadly, many prayers for healing have been left unanswered.   Not everyone will be cured.  But we are comforted by the fact that God knows what we really need and genuinely desires our well being.  We will be provided with a little bit of God’s grace.

A Little bit of God’s Grace

So why do we come Sunday after Sunday to church?  Why do we sit here on Sunday morning when we could be at Starbucks reading the paper, or on the golf course or at the beach?  My guess is that there is something that we really, really need.   That is why we come to church.  No longer do we have to sit outside the gate.  Rather God has invited us here to his own church, which some call “beautiful”, to receive what we really need, a little touch of God’s grace.  Let’s pray.

Heavenly Father, we thank you for sending your spirit to clothe us in the righteousness of Christ so that we may approach you in holiness today.   We bring with us our brokenness and need.   Bless us with a little bit of your grace.   In Jesus' name, we pray.  Amen.

Sermon Matthew 14:13-21, Genesis 32:22-31 “Sleepless Night”

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Pittsgrove Presbyterian Church

Sermon Matthew 14:13-21, Genesis 32:22-31 “Sleepless Night”

August 2, 2020

Order of Worship

I’d like to begin this morning with an interim update.   One year ago I came to this church as your interim.   At our first session meeting together I asked the session to start work forming a PNC and writing a mission study.   I always do this, but no church ever gets started right away.   I’ve been in churches where it took almost a year to get started.  But Pittsgrove did it.   Your nominating committee, your mission study committee, and your session worked very hard.   And they accomplished something I didn’t think possible.  They began in September and everything was finished by November when your PNC started looking for a new pastor for this church.

Since November your Pastor Nominating Committee has been discerning God’s choice for a pastor of this church.   They have written a Ministry Information Form that is available to pastors all over the country.  They have been receiving Pastoral Information Forms from those pastors.   They have been watching sermons online and talking with references.   Although I don’t know for certain, I believe that they will find a new pastor for this church very soon.

As an interim pastor, I have to look for my next church as I get to the end of my interim work.   God has provided me with a new church much closer to my Dad.  On September 1 I will begin interim work for the Presbyterian Church of Easton, Maryland.

    Your worship committee is already lining up supply pastors for September.   And we must all pray that the Pastor Nominating Committee will complete their work quickly and a new pastor will arrive to guide this church into a glorious future.  Let’s pray.

    Heavenly Father, we know that you will provide Pittsgrove Presbyterian Church with a wonderful new pastor.   So today we ask that you pour down your Holy Spirit on our Pastor Nominating Committee as they complete their work and find us the pastor you have chosen.  We trust you Lord that in your providence and care you will provide for us a pastor who will lead us into a faithful future.   We pray this in the powerful name of Jesus.   Amen.   

Every now and then I can’t sleep.  I toss and turn in bed with my mind racing ahead thinking about some matter or another which keeps me up all night.  We all experience this inability to sleep at one time or another.  It usually happens at important transitions in our lives.  In today’s scripture lessons both Jesus and his ancestor Jacob experienced sleepless nights when they were confronting enormous issues.  Today we will see that during these times of distress both came closer to God.  

Matthew 14:13-21 - 13 Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. 

But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick.

 

15 When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” 

16 Jesus said to them, “They need not go away, you give them something to eat.” 17 They replied, “We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.” 18 And he said, “Bring them here to me.” 

19 Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 20 And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. 21 And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Jesus just heard some really bad news.  His friend, cousin, and ministry partner, John the Baptist was dead, brutally murdered by the Tetrarch himself, Herod Antipas.   John had been in one of Herod’s prisons because he had dared to criticize the king for his adulterous relationship with his brother’s wife, Herodias.  John would have been executed a long time ago, but the king was fearful of what might happen if he killed someone the people considered to be a prophet.  So John stayed in Herod’s prison until Herod’s birthday.  At the birthday celebration Herodias’ daughter, danced beautifully and the king offered to give her anything she wanted.  Her mother urged her to request John’s head on a platter, and it was immediately done.

When Jesus heard this story he wanted to be alone.  He got into a boat and went off to a deserted place to be by himself, to pray, to think, and grieve.  We don’t know how long he was there, but it could have been a long sleepless night when Jesus wrestled with God over this injustice done to John.  

Jacob also spent a sleepless night worrying about meeting his brother, Esau as we heard in Genesis 32 read earlier.  As a youth, Jacob had been a schemer and a cheater often at the expense of Esau.  But now Jacob had two wives, twelve children, great wealth and the only thing he still needed to do was to repent and ask Esau for forgiveness.  But when he heard that Esau was coming with 400 men he divided his caravan into two parts and sent them into the hills.  Jacob spent the night alone.  

During that night Jacob couldn’t sleep.  He wrestled with God over his past sin.  He wrestled with God over his fears of tomorrow.  He wrestled with God over God’s promise that his descendant would form a great nation which like dust would cover the whole world.  He wrestled with God over a damaged hip and the chronic pain that would plague him for the rest of his life.  He wrestled with God the entire night never giving in to sleep.  And years later when people remember the night when Jacob wrestled with God, he and all of his descendants were called Israel, which in Hebrew means, “the ones who wrestle with God.” 

We have all spent sleepless nights worrying about tomorrow.  Maybe we have lost a loved one.  Maybe the doctor gave us a bad prognosis.  Maybe we didn’t get the job we wanted.  Maybe our business is not doing well.  Maybe we can’t pay the rent or the mortgage this month.  Maybe we are hungry and need something to eat.  Maybe we found out that someone we love does not love us.  Maybe we have done something wrong and fear the punishment we deserve.  Maybe we suffer from chronic pain.  

Whatever it is we toss and turn and cannot get to sleep.  We stare at the clock and watch the minutes go by.  We walk into the kitchen and remember something about warm milk.  We turn on the television or the radio.  For some of us, we take a sleeping pill, open a bottle of vodka, smoke a joint, or shoot narcotics into our veins.  We do whatever we have to do to lessen the pain and get a little rest.

King David had a long sleepless night.   He dealt with his sleeplessness by praying.

 Psalm 17:1 <A Prayer of David.> Hear a just cause, O LORD; attend to my cry; give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit.  2 From you let my vindication come; let your eyes see the right.  3 If you try my heart, if you visit me by night, if you test me, you will find no wickedness in me; my mouth does not transgress.  4 As for what others do, by the word of your lips I have avoided the ways of the violent.  5 My steps have held fast to your paths; my feet have not slipped.  6 I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God; incline your ear to me, hear my words.  7 Wondrously show your steadfast love, O savior of those who seek refuge from their adversaries at your right hand.  8 Guard me as the apple of the eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings.

    After saying this prayer David received God’s peace and was able to rest.  He knew that God would be with him no matter what.  David said, Psalm 17:15   15 As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake I shall be satisfied, beholding your likeness.

Jacob and Jesus both feared tomorrow.  What would Esau do to Jacob?  What would Herod do to Jesus?  Each of us has our own Herods and Esaus that plague us in the night.  But the promise of scripture is that God will be there to take care of our tomorrows.  When you can’t sleep at night just put your faith in God, and give all your fears to God in prayer. Trust that God will guide you through the pain you are experiencing and the difficulty ahead.

When Esau arrived and saw Jacob he ran to him, embraced, and kissed his brother.  Even though Jacob had been a schemer and had cheated Esau so many times Esau still loved and missed his brother.  Esau has long since forgiven Jacob and looked forward to the day when Jacob would return.  

    This is how God sees us.  God grieves that we have been away for so long and longs for the day we will return.  God is waiting to embrace us if we just turn back and accept God’s love.  So whatever you have done, whomever you have cheated, whatever schemes you have hatched return to God and say that you are sorry and our faithful God will forgive you just as Esau forgave Jacob.

After Jesus’ long night of grieving the death of John the Baptist, he was greeted by a crowd of people wishing to console him.  Jesus realized that they too had spent sleepless nights grieving over the loss of John or whatever else was on their minds.  Jesus, with great compassion in his heart, healed the sick and comforted the grieving.  And when evening came and they were all exhausted he refused to send them out alone to find food for themselves.  Rather Jesus fed them with the bread of heaven.  

So the next time you can’t get to sleep and toss and turn all night remember that whatever it is that you are ashamed of, whatever is keeping you up, God is ready to forgive you and welcome you home.  Remember that whatever it is that you fear, God will be there to sustain you with the bread of life.  Say a prayer of thanks, and get some sleep.  Let’s pray.

Lord Jesus, whenever we can’t sleep, remind us that in you all the bad things we have done are forgiven and washed away.  Remind us that you are waiting to welcome us into your arms when we return to you.  Remind us that God will provide for us when we awake into a fearful future.  And bless us so that we can bless others by being your instruments of forgiveness and provision.  We pray all of this in your strong name. Amen.