Grace and Peace Episode 9

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Grace and Peace Episode 9
Presbyterian Church of Easton
October 27, 2020

Video of Episode 9

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:2

Heidelberg Catechism

18Q.  Then who is this mediator— true God and at the same time a true and righteous human?
A. Our Lord Jesus Christ, who was given to us to completely deliver us and make us right with God.

19Q.  How do you come to know this? 
A. The holy gospel tells me.  God began to reveal the gospel already in Paradise; later God proclaimed it by the holy patriarchs and prophets and foreshadowed it by the sacrifices and other ceremonies of the law; and finally, God fulfilled it through his own beloved Son.

We need a mediator because we are sinners and God is holy.  This mediator must be human to pay for our sins.  And this mediator must be God to forgive our sins.  Once our sins are paid for and forgiven we are right with God.   And our mediator is Jesus Christ.  All of this is really Good News - Gospel.  

But how do we know that this is true?  According to the Heidelberg Catechism, we know that it is true because God revealed its truth to us in scripture.  

God promised to send a deliverer to Abraham.  Genesis 22:18 “and by your offspring shall all the nations of the earth gain blessing for themselves, because you have obeyed my voice.”

God sent prophets to remind us that a deliverer was coming.   Romans 1:1 “Paul …  set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures.”  The prophets were talking about Jesus Christ.  John 5:46 “(Jesus said) If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me.”  

And God’s promise was fulfilled.  Galatians 4:4 “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. 6 And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.”

So our deliverer is Jesus Christ.  Jesus is the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy.   Jesus is fully human and paid for our sins on the cross.  Jesus is fully God and forgave us our sins making us right with God.   We know this because we trust what the Bible says.   All of this is really good news.  Let’s pray.  

Heavenly Father, we are so grateful that you sent your Son into the world to save us.   Lord Jesus, thank you for paying for our sins in your body on the cross.  And thank you for forgiving us.  Holy Spirit, thank you for inspiring the prophets to tell us of God’s promise of a deliverer and prepare us for the coming of Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray.  Amen.   

Sermon 1 Thessalonians 2:9-13 “Characteristics of a Pastor”

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Sermon 1 Thessalonians 2:9-13 “Characteristics of a Pastor”
Presbyterian Church of Easton
October 25, 2020

Watch our worship service.

Paul and Silas had a rough time in Thessalonica.   Their preaching faced great opposition, but they continued.   They wanted to be faithful to God.   And being faithful sometimes means being unpopular.   But when a preacher persists, even in the face of suffering for it, you know that the preacher is not doing it for selfish motives.   You know that the preacher is speaking for God.   Through ordination, God gives preachers a gospel to proclaim and a call to proclaim it.   And this is the most important thing that a pastor does, not to please people, but to faithfully proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.   We will get to 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)

As we get closer and closer to the election we hear many political words.  The news is filled with political talk.   Every day we hear the word of Trump.  Every day we hear the word of Biden.  Sometimes we hear from the candidates themselves.  Sometimes we hear from their surrogates.  Sometimes we hear from mumbling idiots.  For me, all the political words are mind-numbing.  So every day I take refuge in the word of God.

The Hebrew people had been wandering in the wilderness for 40 years.   During that time they had grown spiritually.  No longer did the grumble all the time.  No longer did they fear to enter the promised land.   They were ready to become God’s people.  The person who guided their spiritual growth was Moses.  We are told that Moses performed mighty deeds of power.  He must have been filled with the Holy Spirit.   We are told that Moses knew God face to face.   He must have had a strong prayer life.  And we are told that Moses was a great prophet.  He must have proclaimed the very word of God in his preaching.

But Moses was old and just about to go to God in heaven.   It was time to anoint a new pastor for this flock.  So God selected Joshua.  We are told that God filled Joshua with the Holy Spirit.  Moses laid his hands on him.  And the Hebrew people followed him.  Like Moses, Joshua must have proclaimed the word of God.

The reason a pastor proclaims the gospel is because he cares for his congregation.   He loves the congregation and wants its members to grow spiritually.   Like a mother providing milk for a child, a pastor proclaims the word of God to his congregation for their benefit.  He hopes to watch as his congregation grows into disciples of Jesus Christ.  And so sharing the gospel, for a pastor, is truly a delight and a calling.

Let’s turn now to the second chapter of the Book of 1 Thessalonians to hear from Paul about the characteristics of a pastor.

1 Thessalonians 2:9 Surely you remember, brothers and sisters, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you. 10 You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous, and blameless we were among you who believed. 11 For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, 12 encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.

Paul gives us three characteristics of a good pastor.   First, he tells us that pastors work hard, day, and night.   Pastors put in long hours.   They rise early to pray for the church.   They meet people, design worship services, proof bulletins, prepare for classes, and write sermons.   The one hour or so you see on Sunday mornings and at Bible studies requires preparation.   The preparation is crucial for a pastor to be both faithful to God and helpful to the congregation.   So when you call a new pastor for the Presbyterian Church of Easton,  remember that he or she will spend long hours, sometimes late into the night preparing for the important, God-given, task of proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ to you.

Jesus put in long hours in preparation.  When a lawyer asked Jesus about which commandment is the greatest, Jesus demonstrated his great knowledge of scripture.  He responded, from memory, by quoting Deuteronomy 6:5 “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”   Then he quoted Leviticus 19:18 “Love your neighbor as yourself”.  And later Jesus taught, from memory, from Psalm 110:1 The Lord says to my lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”   Jesus had prepared for his ministry with long hours of study of scripture.

The second characteristic of a good pastor is that he or she is, as Paul says, “holy, righteous and blameless.”   This is an important characteristic.    You want your pastor to be someone you can follow.   Only a person who allows the Holy Spirit to guide his or her actions is suitable for this work.   A pastor who steals from the church or is unfaithful to his wife cannot lead others into discipleship of Christ.   So when you call a pastor, check references, and make sure that he or she is a good person.   And remember that we do believe in change, transformation, and growth.   A person’s past should not be held against them if their present is pleasing to God.

Jesus was the perfect role model.  He was totally without sin.   The Apostle Peter said this, in 1 Peter 2:21 leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps.  22 “He committed no sin and no deceit was found in his mouth.”  The author of Hebrews tells us,  Hebrews 4:15  “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin.” And Paul told in 2 Corinthians 5 21 “God made him (Christ) who had no sin to be sin for us so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”   So Jesus Christ sets for us a perfect example to follow.

And the third characteristic of a good pastor is that she or he will encourage others to live lives worthy to God.   A pastor lives a good life and urges others to follow her or his example.   If you are not living lives pleasing to God, expect the pastor to admonish you, trying to help you do better.  Jesus encouraged his followers to lead blameless lives.  He told them this in Matthew 5:14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

When a pastor diligently prepares, lives an exemplary life, and encourages others to do the same,  something extraordinary happens.   The word he or she preaches becomes the word of God.  According to the Protestant Reformer Heinrich Bullinger,  “Wherefore when this Word of God is now preached in the church by preachers lawfully called, we believe that the very Word of God is proclaimed, and received by the faithful.”

 Listen as Paul explains this.

1 Thessalonians 2:13 And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe. 

This is the most important thing that a pastor does.   By faithfully preaching the gospel it becomes the word of God in you when you hear it.   That is why a pastor’s preparation is so important.   Only through prayer and study can a pastor preach a faithful sermon which becomes the word of God for you.

But for a sermon to become the word of God for someone that person must hear it.   That is why it is so important to be in church, or watch our stream, every Sunday.  Only through worship can you be fed the spiritual food of the word of God.  Only in the church will you grow as a disciple of Jesus Christ.   Because only in the church do you hear the word of God spoken by a pastor who loves you and desires your spiritual growth.  When a qualified pastor faithfully proclaims the gospel and you hear it as the word of God something amazing happens.   The Holy Spirit comes into you bringing you to faith in Jesus Christ.  Let's go back to Paul.

14 For you, brothers and sisters, became imitators of God’s churches in Judea, which are in Christ Jesus.

Paul told the Thessalonian church to be more like the Judean churches.  They are to be “in Christ Jesus.”   So how would a church be “in Christ Jesus.”   A church would do this by calling a pastor who diligently prepares his or her preaching and teaching.  A church would do this by calling a pastor who leads an exemplary lifestyle.   A church would do this by calling a pastor who encourages them to lead lives pleasing to God.   And a church would do this by attending worship and Bible studies in order to hear the word of God faithfully proclaimed and experience spiritual growth in Christ.  

So as the Apostle Paul pastored the church in Thessalonica he saw them grow spiritually.   All Paul did was to faithfully proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.   He did this through preparation, prayer, and study.  He did this by living an exemplary life and encouraging others to do the same.   And through the proclamation of the gospel, he watched the church grow spiritually into disciples of Jesus Christ. Let’s pray.  

Heavenly Father, Bless the Presbyterian Church of Easton as it begins the process of calling a new pastor.   Prepare this pastor, whom you have chosen, to serve this church.   Guide this person into a life of prayer and study.   Break whatever power sin has in this person's life.   Help this person lead a lifestyle pleasing to you.   And when this person comes to Easton, help us to follow him and listen to her sermons.   Make those sermons, for us, the word of God.  Amen.

Grace and Peace Episode 8

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Grace and Peace Episode 8

Presbyterian Church of Easton

October 20, 2020

Grace and Peace Episode 8

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:2

Heidelberg Catechism

16Q.  Why must the mediator be a true and righteous human?

A. God’s justice demands that human nature, which has sinned, must pay for sin; but a sinful human could never pay for others.

17Q.  Why must the mediator also be true God? 

A. So that the mediator, by the power of his divinity, might bear the weight of God’s wrath in his humanity and earn for us and restore to us righteousness and life.

In ancient times your identity was tied to your family.  If the family prospered then everyone in the family enjoyed that prosperity.   If, however, the family suffered then everyone suffered.   And so it is not surprising that if the leader of the family sins, then everyone in the family must pay the price of the sin.   And since Adam sinned, all of Adam’s descendants pay the price.   We are condemned to sin and required to pay for it.

This payment must be paid by us.   No one else can pay for our sins because everyone has their own sin to pay for.   So we must pay the price, but the price is so high we can never pay it all.   So, we need a deliverer, someone who will pay for our sin.

This deliverer must be a human, like us, because only a human can pay for human sin.   This person must also be God because only God can forgive sin.   So our deliverer must be both human and God.   Our deliverer must be able to both pay for our sin and forgive us.   Who might this be?

We read in 1 John 4:2 “This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God.”  So Jesus is fully human.  And we read in John 10:30 “I and the Father are one.”  So Jesus is fully God.  Our deliverer is Jesus Christ. He paid the debt for our sin in his human body on the cross.   He came from heaven to earth to proclaim us forgiven and free us from sin.   Because Jesus is both fully human and fully God we receive great comfort by belonging to him, body and soul.  Let’s pray.

Heavenly Father, we thank you for forgiving our debts and freeing us from sin.   We thank you for sending a deliverer who paid our debt and delivered your forgiveness.   We thank you for Jesus who by being human paid that debt and by being God brought us forgiveness.  And so we pray this in Jesus’ glorious name.   Amen.

Sermon 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 “Evangelism”

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Sermon 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 “Evangelism”
Presbyterian Church of Easton
October 18, 2020

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This morning I would like to talk with you about a church that grew to have an important ministry in its community and region.  This church was small and was part of a very diverse community just like us.  One day a famous preacher and missionary came to town and began a very powerful ministry reaching out to people who were not Christian.  But just three weeks later dissent within the church forced the preacher to leave.  What are the odds that such a church would survive much less thrive after such an occurrence?  Not much.  And yet it did.  

    The church that the Apostle Paul started in Thessalonica, around 50AD, grew rapidly and became one of the leading churches.  What happened in those three weeks that literally turned the world upside down?  We have a clue about what happened then and there.  It is contained in a letter Paul wrote from Corinth just months after leaving the Thessalonian church.  Today we will begin looking at that letter to see how we can turn the world upside down in Easton today.  But first, let’s pray.

    Father in heaven, we ask for your blessings to pour down upon our church this day.  Help us to reach out to our community to bring the good news of your son Jesus to people who desperately need to hear it.  Help us to be a welcoming community where people of all ethnic groups and income levels can worship together as we all will one day in heaven.  We pray all of this in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.

 1 Thessalonians 1:1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace.  2 We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly  3 remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 

 4 For we know, brothers and sisters beloved by God, that he has chosen you,  5 because our message of the gospel came to you not in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of persons we proved to be among you for your sake.  6 And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for in spite of persecution you received the word with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit,  7 so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.  

8 For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place your faith in God has become known, so that we have no need to speak about it.  9 For the people of those regions report about us what kind of welcome we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God,  10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead-- Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath that is coming.

In the first chapter of Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians he gave us seven important lessons that we need to learn to be effective in following Jesus’ command to “go into the world and make disciples”.  Let’s look carefully and prayerfully at each of these.  Here is the first.

The first lesson we learn from Paul is that effective evangelism starts with prayer.  We need to pray for the people in our community.  And we need to be thankful for everyone who comes into our doors.  I have heard of a church that goes into the community and knocks on doors offering prayer for whatever concerns the family inside.  They use no sales pitch to get people to come to worship.  Rather they just want to pray for the community and they keep doing it.  If we prayed for all the people in Easton, if we prayed for our neighbors, if we knocked on their door and prayed with them, we would quickly become the most powerful church this community has ever seen.  I urge everyone here to pray each day for this community, it is the most important thing we can do.  So prayer is where we start.  Let’s now move to the second lesson.

In this second lesson, the Apostle teaches us to always remember the virtues of the people who come to our church.  Too often people in the church are concerned about how someone looks or what kind of job someone has.   We naturally want to be with people who dress like us and have incomes like us.  Sometimes this leads to a condescending attitude when someone unlike us comes to church.  When this happens we subtly criticize people for how they appear or the kind of job they have or where they live or how much money they make.  

    But Paul always focused his attention on the strengths of his community.  No matter what obstacles Paul faced or the dissension he found in the church Paul always focused on their great faith, works and hope in Jesus Christ.  So when we talk about this church to others don’t talk about our problems or the obstacles we face.  Rather always talk about the faith of our members, the love we have for one another, and our hope in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  That way people will be drawn to our church and the church’s ministries can grow.  This leads us to the third lesson that Paul gives us. 

The third lesson we learn from Paul is to proclaim the good news that we have received: that we have been chosen by God.  Too many churches reverse this when they do evangelism.  They demand that people choose God.  Some Christians even threaten others that failure to choose God will lead to eternal damnation.  But Paul tells us that God has already chosen us.  And therefore all we need to ask others to do is to respond in gratitude.  We can proclaim this good news to our friends and neighbors without fear and threats.  All we have to do is to invite people to enjoy the blessings of God and respond in gratitude.  And this takes us to our fourth lesson.

The reading and proclamation of God’s Holy Word are essential in any evangelism effort. That is why it is so important to read scripture every day, attend Christian education classes, and listen as the Gospel is proclaimed every Sunday.  But just reading and studying scripture is not enough.  For us to engage in evangelism we must not only be firmly grounded in scripture, but we must also be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit empowers us to do evangelism and precedes us into the community where it is already preparing the hearts of people who live in our neighborhood.   All we need to do is to share with our friends and neighbors the good news we have heard and the blessings we have received.  The Holy Spirit will do the rest to convict people of their sins and give them the desire to respond to the forgiving love of Jesus Christ leading us to our fifth lesson.

Even though we experience obstacles, problems, lack of money, and dissension we must always be people of great joy.  Others will be attracted to this church only when they see that we are a joyous people.  Our joy comes from the good news of the Bible where we read of our salvation in Jesus Christ.  And this joy is ours because of our faith which is a gift of the Holy Spirit.  So whenever we talk to others about this church always tell them about the great joy you experience when you come here.  Your experience of joy is the magnetic force that will attract people in our community to our fellowship.  Now, we just have two more lessons to learn from Paul.   Here is number six.

When we follow these lessons that Paul has given us we become a model of faith for others to follow.  The Presbyterian Church has had declining membership for half a century because we have forgotten these basic principles.  We need to follow the simple strategy that Paul developed two thousand years ago.  If we, in this church, follow these seven simple steps of evangelism then we will not only grow, but we will be the model for other churches to follow.  And this leads to our final lesson from Paul.

Our seventh and final lesson is that we have to take all of this outside of the walls of the church.  We have to offer others a personal relationship with our loving creator God through Jesus Christ and our hope of eternal life through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.  So with the power of the Holy Spirit and truth of the Gospel go out into your world, your family, your clubs, your neighbors, your associations, your friends, and tell them of the joy you have found in the Presbyterian Church of Easton.  Invite people to our worship and Bible study and choir and bells and Taize group and Boy Scouts and preschool and everything else we do.   Each of you is empowered to be evangelists for this church.  Though you, the Holy Spirit will work bringing others in our community to salvation in Jesus Christ.  You are the chosen ones of God selected to bring the good news to all people in Easton.

So what are the seven steps of evangelism that caused the Thessalonian church to grow and become a significant church in its city and region?

Pray for the people in the community

Accept everyone and focus on the strengths of the church

Proclaim to our neighbors the good news that they have been chosen by God.

Focus on the Word of God in the power of the Holy Spirit

Be a people filled with joy

Be a model for other churches to follow

Bring the good news we have heard to our family, friends, and neighbors

I would like to conclude with a true story.   In 1958, the Reverend Philip Kyle Foster came to Easton to establish a church. He put these principles into practice.  And on August 3, 1958, in a store on Talbottown Way in Talbottown, ninety people assembled for worship.  Rev. Foster recruited from this group a steering team.   Over the next few weeks, attendance averaged 75 people a Sunday.   The store they met in was too small.   So they moved to a new location at 105 N Harrison Street.  The church continued to grow.  And on December 7, 1958, the Presbyterian Church of Easton was formed by New Castle Presbytery.   In four months, the Holy Spirit, working through Rev. Foster, who implemented the above steps, formed this church.   And just three years later they built this sanctuary.  It happened then.   It can happen again. Let’s pray.

    Holy Spirit, empower us as we go out into the world as your apostles.  Fill us with joy and the assurance that you are already at work in our community.  Allow us to assist you in this work to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ to the people in Easton and the surrounding areas.  And we pray this in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Amen. 

Grace and Peace Episode 7

 Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Grace and Peace Episode 7
Presbyterian Church of Easton
October 13, 2020

Grace and Peace Episode 7

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:2

Heidelberg Catechism

14Q.  Can another creature—any at all— pay this debt for us?

A. No.   To begin with, God will not punish any other creature for what a human is guilty of.  Furthermore, no mere creature can bear the weight of God’s eternal wrath against sin and deliver others from it.

15Q.  What kind of mediator and deliverer should we look for then?

A. One who is a true and righteous human, yet more powerful than all creatures, that is, one who is also true God.

The sin in our lives requires payment.  God’s perfect justice requires that our debt be paid.   But who can pay it?  Certainly not us!   How could we ever get out of the hole we have dug for ourselves when we keep digging deeper every day?  We can’t.   We need a savior.  Who might this savior be.

If you are single your savior might be a spouse.   If you are childless your savior might be a child.   If you are sick your savior might be a doctor.  If you are unemployed your savior might be someone who will hire you.  If you are concerned about the country your savior might be the next president.  If you are concerned about your immortal soul your savior might be a new pastor.  We always hope that someone will save us from the problems we have.

But we find that those we hope will be our savior need saviors themselves.  All of our potential spouses, all of our children, all of our doctors, all of our employers, all of our politicians, and all of our pastors are sinners.  They have dug their own holes.   They are digging their own holes every day.   They all need saviors for themselves.   How could they ever save us?

So we seem to be in a helpless situation.   Because of our sin we can never repay the debt we owe God.   And no one will come to save us because everyone else also has a debt that cannot be repaid.   And this debt gets bigger and bigger every day.  What can we do?

The palmist gives us an answer.  “Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord.  Lord, hear my voice!  Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications!  If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand?  But there is forgiveness with you, so that you may be revered.” (Psalm 130:1-3)

There is someone who can save us.  There is someone who can pay our debt.   There is someone who can get us out of the hole we are in.  There is someone without sin.  There is someone with no debt to pay.   There is someone who can save us.   And that someone is our savior, Jesus Christ.  Through Jesus, God forgives our sin, cancels our debt, and gently lifts us out of the hole we have dug.   Let's pray. 

Heavenly Father, we thank you for sending your son to pay our debts and forgive our sin. We thank you for lifting us up from the depths.  In your son’s name we pray.  Amen.

Sermon Philippians 4:1-9 “Joy”

 Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Presbyterian Church of Easton

Sermon Philippians 4:1-9 “Joy”

October 11, 2020

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C.S. Lewis’ book, The Screwtape Letters, consists of a series of letters supposedly written by the devil, or Screwtape, to his assistant Wormwood for the purpose of discouraging people from becoming Christians.  So the letters are from the perspective of the devil and must be read by us in reverse.  In one chapter we can see the frustration of the devil when Christians experience great joy in worship.  The devil, it seems, has no idea where joy comes from; it is a total mystery to him. So today I will be talking about where joy originates and if the devil would like to listen in, he is welcome to do so.  But first, let’s pray.  

Father in heaven bless us this day with your presence and give us the great joy of your kingdom.  We have brought our concerns with us this morning and we ask that you quiet our minds so that we may experience your peace.  We pray this in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Philippians 4:1 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved.

2 I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. 3 Yes, and I ask you also, my loyal companion,  help these women, for they have struggled beside me in the work of the gospel, together with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life.

4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.  5 Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6 Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, beloved,  whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.

According to scripture, all Christians should be experiencing great joy.  Joy, after all, came in the world with our blessed savior Jesus Christ.  Every Christmas we sing “Joy to the World the Savior Comes.”  Scripture also teaches us that the reason why Jesus came into the world and taught us as he did was for us to have joy in its fullness. 

We first experience this joy when we realize that our sins are forgiven and the salvation of our souls is assured.  And this joy continues as we continue in faith in Jesus Christ.  Whenever Christians come together this joy is present and whenever a sinner repents heaven too is filled with joy.  Peter tells us that the joy we experience is both indescribable and glorious.  The Apostle Paul experienced this joy whenever he saw his churches growing with new believers.  And he tells us that joy is a gift from God brought to us by the Holy Spirit.  Joy is an integral part of the Kingdom of God.  Certainly, joy is to be our experience whenever we come into contact with God in worship and prayer.

But I suspect that many of us today in worship are not experiencing joy.  We have come into this sanctuary with heavy hearts.  We have a lot on our minds.  We have all experienced troubling times when we experience sadness and grief and turn to God in prayer hoping to receive a little of the joy scripture promises.  Many of us are concerned about the virus and its effect on the economy.  Others are concerned about health and family.  We have so many things to think about that our minds are often overwhelmed.  And when this happens it is very difficult to experience the joy God wants us to have.

In our Old Testament reading this morning the Hebrews had come into the presence of God.  They stood before an exploding volcano surrounded by a great hurricane.  Their God was right there with them.  This was a time for great joy.  Yet they experienced fear.  They feared that Moses was dead.  They feared for their own lives.  So they decided that their joy rested not in the God of their ancestors, but in the god of their wealth.  They thought that joy could be found in their gold and this joy would be magnified if all their gold and wealth were molded into a golden calf.  Surely a festival around the most beautiful and expensive object humanity had ever created would be the source of their greatest joy.  But they were wrong because gold and wealth can never bring us great joy.  

In Philippi, two important women of the church were quarreling over some issue.  We don’t know what the issue was, but we know that the argument was preventing them and probably the entire church from experiencing the great joy that comes from the Holy Spirit whenever we come into the presence of God in worship and prayer.   Paul addressed this situation in the passage I read earlier.  He asked his loyal friend Syzygus to help these women to leave behind their cares and worries so that they could experience great joy in the Lord. 

According to Paul whenever we come into the presence of God in prayer or worship we should feel and act appropriately.  Our feelings should be joyous and our actions should be gentle.  Gentleness is how we signal to others that the Lord has come near us.  Often when we are upset, angry, or grieving we become surly, aggressive, or uncaring.  This prevents us from experiencing joy as we should.  So the first step in finding joy is to become gentle and caring demonstrating to others the love that God is giving you.  When you act gently your feelings of sadness and grief will be lessened and you are on the road to joy.

But being gentle is just a beginning.  It is not enough to bring you all the way to joy.  Something more is needed.  And this something more is called prayer.  Whatever is troubling you and preventing you from experiencing the promised joy, you should take to God in prayer.  Express all your fears, your needs, and your worries to God.  And as you pray always remember to thank God for all the blessings you have received.  This is the second step on our way to joy, always approach God with a thankful heart for taking our cares and concerns away and leading us to joy.

When you do these two things, act gently and approach God with gratitude, a miracle will occur.  We receive a gift from God.  This gift is in the form of new thoughts.  Here’s how it works.  We are all thinking all the time.  It is as if we have a tape in our heads that runs over and over again.  We remember past hurts and past grieving.  The same thoughts just keep coming.   We can’t get them out of our minds.  The tape loops on and on.  I know of people still grieving the death of loved ones decades ago.  I know others still reliving the awful hurts of a troubled childhood or a broken relationship.  Once you begin thinking negative thoughts it is very difficult to stop.  And negative thinking is incompatible with joy.   

But when we act in gentleness, pray with gratitude, and receive the gift of God’s peace, new thoughts will replace the old ones that have tormented us for so long.   This is why it is so important to fill our thinking with Christ Jesus.  Thoughts about Christ will replace the negative thoughts we have had for years.  This is why Paul exhorts us to fill our thoughts with what is true, honorable, pure, holy, pleasing, and praiseworthy.  These are all attributes of Christ.  As we think about these things God gives us the gift of His peace.   

So, how do we change our thoughts from our own problems to Christ?  We do this by reading and hearing scripture and learning from it to change what we think and do.  That is why it is essential to place yourself in the presence of God each day by reading and meditating on scripture.  Then take what you read in the Bible and use it in your daily life.  Your regular scripture reading and prayer will be used by the Holy Spirit to transform you into what God created you to be: a joyous person.

Paul’s promise is that as we act with gentleness, as we offer up our worries in prayer and thanksgiving, as we engage in regular spiritual practices like daily scripture reading, our thoughts will begin to change.  We will leave behind all the thoughts of grief and hurt that has plagued us for years.  In their place, we will begin to think thoughts of Christ with their transformational power.  When our minds are filled with thoughts of Jesus Christ then we can experience the presence of God in worship and prayer.  And we know that whenever we come into the presence of God the gift we receive is joy.  

So today I urge you to trade in your old thoughts for new thoughts and begin to think in news ways in Christ.  Then you will be able to “rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice”.  Let’s pray. 

Heavenly Father, we ask for the gift of joy.   Purge from us the sour thoughts that have plagued us for so long.   Help us to focus our minds on Christ through worship and daily practices of prayer and scripture reading.  Heal our minds and give us the mind of Christ.  And then let us experience the great joy you have promised.  In Christ’s name, we pray.  Amen.

Grace and Peace Episode 6

 Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Grace and Peace Episode 6

Presbyterian Church of Easton

October 6, 2020

Grace and Peace Episode 6

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:2

Heidelberg Catechism

12Q.  According to God’s righteous judgment we deserve punishment both now and in eternity:  how then can we escape this punishment and return to God’s favor?

A. God requires that his justice be satisfied. Therefore the claims of this justice must be paid in full, either by ourselves or by another

13Q.  Can we make this payment ourselves?

A. Certainly not.  Actually, we increase our debt every day.

Can we ever be good enough to achieve God’s demand for perfect obedience?  Of course not.   God demands perfection.  We are commanded to do what God wants in all of our actions and thoughts.   But we substitute our own ideas of right and wrong.   We decide for ourselves where the line is and, like magic, we are always on the right side of the line.   But the line between right and wrong is not set by us.  It is set by God.   And God’s line is so far away that we can never get to it much less cross it.  The gap between what we do and what God wants us to do is so large we can never close it.  We can never pay the debt we owe to God.

But God’s justice requires that we pay this debt.   Or we have to find someone who will pay it for us.   Who might that be?  We read this in the Book of Romans chapter 8, “ 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and to deal with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”  Jesus Christ paid the debt we owe to God.

Jesus was the only person ever born who lived his entire life in full obedience to God.   He did everything that God wanted him to do.  His every thought was God’s thought.  Jesus never crossed the line.  Jesus never had a debt to pay. 

So when Jesus suffered and died he paid not for his own sins, but for ours.   Jesus paid our debt.  Jesus carried us over the line.  Jesus bore our punishment.   Jesus made us right with God.  Jesus answered our prayer, “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”

For all of these, we should be extremely grateful.   And we show our gratitude for what Jesus has done for us by our joyful obedience of God's law.

Let’s pray.   Heavenly Father, we are grateful for what your Son has done for us.   He suffered and experienced death so that our sin would be forgiven.   Jesus paid the penalty we owe.   And so we are filled with joy and pledge our obedience.  This we pray in our savior’s name.  Amen.

Sermon Philippians 3:1-14 – "The Heavenly Call of God"

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Presbyterian Church of Easton
Sermon Philippians 3:1-14 – "The Heavenly Call of God"
October 4, 2020

Watch our Worship Service

Earlier you heard read the 10 Commandments given by God to Moses.   Today we have another set of 10 Commandments.

Worship at less than 75% capacity in the sanctuary.

Masks must be worn at all times.

Entrance will be through the glass doors opening into the Gathering Room near the coatroom.

Hand sanitizers are available prior to entering the sanctuary.

Ushers will seat members at socially safe distances, please listen to the direction of the ushers.

A basket for envelope collection will be available at the back of the sanctuary upon entering.

Other than the choir, church members should refrain from singing.

No gathering in the PCE facility after service, fellowship can be continued outside on the parking lot while maintaining appropriate precautions.

If you feel ill, please do not attend worship.

If you attend worship and are diagnosed with COVID within two weeks of the service, please let the church office know so we can contact other attendees from that service.

These are the 10 Commandments for protecting ourselves and our church from the coronavirus.

This morning we are gathering together with saints from around the world to celebrate World Communion Sunday.  Christians from every nation, race, and class are approaching God’s throne to be in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ.  All of us are responding to God’s call to be here today or to be at home watching the stream and to accept our own identities as Christians.  This is the most awesome experience because responding to God’s call is the most important we do in our lives.  So as we gather around this table today let us bow our heads and pray that today we will hear and respond to God’s heavenly call.  Let’s pray

Father in heaven your servants have come here today to approach you just as the Hebrews approached your mountain long ago.  We have come here today to listen for your voice so that we may respond to your call.  Call us, we ask, to lives of obedience and service so that we may glorify you.  And we pray all of this in the name of our Lord and our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Philippians 3:4-14   If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more:  5 circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee;  6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.  7 Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ.  8 More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ  9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith.  10 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death,  11 if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.  12 Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.  13 Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,  14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.

When God was ready to call the Hebrews to a life of obedience and service God did so in a big way.  God has already redeemed his people from slavery and humbled them by forcing them to depend on his divine providence for food and water while wandering in the wilderness.  Now God was really ready to get their attention.  The people were already aware of God because they saw the pillar of cloud and fire as they moved through the wilderness.  But now God had a far more spectacular show in store for them.  He appeared on the top of a mountain in the midst of an exploding volcano and hurricane.  It is hard to miss God’s call when he does something like that.

Once God got the people’s attention he blessed them by giving them instructions for leading a good life.  God has created us in very specific ways and as our creator, God knows exactly how we operate.  So God gave us the Ten Commandments as an instruction manual for humanity.  Just as the Ford Motor Company puts an owner’s manual in each car with instructions not to put transmission fluid where motor oil should go so too does God give us a manual for living our lives.  Lying, stealing, killing, adultery, drunkenness, and worshiping other gods have much the same effect on us that putting water in the gas tank would have on a car.  It gums up the works, and we don’t operate as planned.   From the top of the mountain, God called his people to lives of obedience and service because lives of obedience and service are exactly what God created us to have.

God’s call to Paul was a little more subtle.  There was no volcano or hurricane.  Paul was already supremely confident in his relationship with God.  He grew up in the care of obedient parents who took their eight-day-old baby for the required circumcision.  As Paul grew older he recognized that even though he was a citizen of Rome his heart was still with the Hebrews, the people of God.  Paul developed a strong love for God’s law and was sent to Jerusalem to continue his education under Gamaliel, one of the great teachers of Israel.  And with great zeal, Paul defended his faith against heretics from the new sect of Jesus followers called Christians.  Paul had done everything right.  He was always obedient to God’s law.  Paul saw all this as a great accomplishment and the wall of his office must have been filled with certificates and diplomas.  But when Paul heard God’s call through the voice of Jesus coming from a great light he realized that all of these achievements of his were worthless because of the great value of knowing Jesus Christ.

Shortly we will gather around this table for World Communion.  Celebrating this sacrament with us today is a Doctor of the Church, an ordained pastor from Korea, my wife, Grace.   Like Paul, our walls are all filled with diplomas and certificates of achievement.  Like Paul, we have all tried our best to lead obedient lives.  And like Paul, we are discovering that all of our accomplishments are worthless when compared to the new lives given to us by Jesus Christ.

Twenty-five years ago I was living a comfortable life.  I had lots of friends, a successful business, and a loving family.  I was active in my church and taught adult Bible studies for many years.  But something was missing.  I didn’t have enough diplomas and certificates of achievement on my wall.  So I enrolled at Fuller Seminary to get an additional Masters diploma and a Certificate of Ordination from the Presbyterian Church.  After years of work, I finally got those two pieces of paper and they are proudly displayed on the wall of my office down the hall.  But as I have pursued ministry as a pastor, I have come to realize, like Paul, that those pieces of paper are worthless when compared to a life of obedience and service to Jesus Christ.  Let me tell you what has happened in my years of ministry that has caused me to think this.

I began my ministry, as a pastor, at Eagle Rock Presbyterian Church in Los Angeles with a call to make the church grow.  So I did all the things I was supposed to do.  I put banners on the building, started a new ESL program, passed out fliers, and launched an International and Contemporary Worship Service on Sunday evenings.  My hope was that families in Eagle Rock would start coming to this church.  What I did not know at that time was that Christ was calling me to a completely different kind of ministry than I had expected.

It started, the winter of 2008, when God began sending some of the poorest people in our community to our evening service.  I began to meet people who lived on the streets right there in Eagle Rock.  Others were living in a dormitory for people suffering from mental health issues.  Most of the people I met were desperately trying to find affordable housing.  At first, I worried that these people were coming just for the fellowship dinner we were serving after worship.  But I quickly realized that almost all were coming to worship as well.  They were participating in worship, small groups, and prayers.  Christ was calling those who live on the margins of society to worship God in this church.  And they were responding by volunteering their services to the church and with pennies in the collection plate.  I realized that Christ was calling me to be the pastor for the poorest people in that community.  How was I to respond?

Nothing in my experience or education had prepared me for a ministry to the poor, homeless, and marginalized of Northeast Los Angeles.  So I got involved with a group of people from area churches who gathered together to discuss homeless issues.  I talked with retired pastors and seminary professors about how to do this kind of ministry. I thought about how to finance this ministry because of the strain it puts on church and my personal finances.  

If there is anything that World Communion Sunday teaches us it is that we are all united in the one mission of Jesus Christ.  We are all called by God to a ministry of justice and righteousness.  This means that all of us are called to a ministry for the poor, the marginalized, the displaced, and the homeless in our community.  

We are all God’s people.  Our time of worship, the name of our church, and our ethnic group have no value in God’s eyes.  We are all called to lives of obedience and service.  We are all called to a ministry of service to those in need in our community.  So I challenge the Presbyterian Church of Easton, to respond to God’s call to serve the poor and needy here this town.   Respond to the needs of the neediest in our community with your money and your time and your prayers.   This is your heavenly calling from God.

This week I visited, by Zoom, the Talbot Interfaith Shelter.   They are doing good work and have a beautiful facility.   I know Mary Beth has done a lot for them.   And as soon as the virus subsides, you too can volunteer.   This week I hope to visit and learn more about the Chesapeake Multicultural Resource Center.  I’m sure they can use your help too.

When Paul responded to God’s call with a life of obedience and service he found that he was blessed more than he ever expected to be.  He experienced a new and restored relationship with God and the power that comes with the knowledge of the promise of resurrection from the dead and new life.  And even though he endured suffering because of his relationship with Christ he knew that Christ was faithful.  So, with supreme confidence, he could live a life of obedience and service suffering death if necessary because of the promise of eternal life in Jesus Christ.

This promise is sealed upon us as we gather around this table today.  Listen for the voice of  Jesus calling you to a life of obedience and service.  Be transformed as you eat the bread and drink the juice.  And then respond, confident that Christ will be with you every step of the way.   Let’s pray.

Holy Spirit, fill our hearts with your love and transforming power.  Help us to hear God’s Heavenly Call through the voice of Jesus Christ speaking to us through the sacrament today.  Guide us as we lead lives in obedience and service to those in need in our community.   Fill with confidence that even though we may experience suffering we will remember that we are heirs to the resurrection of the dead so that in Christ we have nothing to fear.  We pray this in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.