Sermon Mark 14:12-25 - The Law of God

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Presbyterian Church of Easton

Sermon Mark 14:12-25 - The Law of God

February 28, 2021

Watch this morning's worship service.

I’d like to begin this morning with an Interim Update.   Almost a year ago your pastor, the Reverend Duke Dixon, accepted a new call from God to serve the Presbyterian Church of Dover.    A thirteen-year bond between you and your pastor was broken.  And a transition began.  New Castle Presbytery sent in a bridge pastor, the Reverend Susan Bennett, and she shepherded you through the summer.   In September I arrived as your Interim Pastor.

This month, the session of the church has appointed a committee to begin the process of writing a Mission Study.   In this Mission Study, there will be sections concerning the history of the church, a description of the operation of the church and the demographics of the surrounding community today, and your hopes for how the church will develop over the next 5-8 years.   Once this Mission Study is written and approved by both session and presbytery you will be ready to start looking for a new pastor.  This new pastor has already been chosen by God.   All we have to do is to discern whom God has chosen.   Let’s pray.

Father in heaven, bless us as we begin the process of writing a Mission Study.  Help us to remember our past and celebrate our present.   Help us to dream of a future and find a pastor who will lead us there.   We pray all this in the name of the head of the church, our Lord, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

This is the second Sunday in the season of Lent and we have already started on our way with Jesus, to the cross, with the Gospel of Mark leading us.  We saw last week how the High Priests and scribes wanted to arrest and kill Jesus, and how one of Jesus’ followers, Judas, decided to help them after being disillusioned with Jesus who had started on the road to the cross after being anointed for death in Bethany.  Today we will gather with the 12 as they eat their last supper with Jesus and are confronted with the reality of Jesus’ upcoming death. 

You have probably noticed that we have been saying the Ten Commandments in worship each week during Lent.  And some of you have been wondering why we say them after the Prayer of Confession and the Assurance of Pardon.  Wouldn’t the Ten Commandments make more sense if we said them before the Prayer of Confession to convict ourselves as sinners with our need for forgiveness?  Of shouldn’t we place the Ten Commandments at the end of the service where they would be a warning to us that if we did not keep them in the coming week we could expect God’s wrath to come upon us?  Why worry about the law after we have confessed and have been forgiven; isn’t that too late?  Others may be wondering why we say the Ten Commandments at all.  Aren’t they in the Old Testament?  We are not a people of the law anymore.  We are a people of the new covenant of grace; graciously forgiven by God.  So why are we worrying about God’s law anyway?

All of these questions are reasonable.  And they can be answered with the understanding of how God’s law is used.  Accord to John Calvin (Institutes II-VII-6-12) there are three uses of the law.  First, the law convicts us of our sin.  It shows us how far we have fallen below God’s expectations.  Through this, we realize that we are sinners in need of a forgiving God.  With this use of the law, we are humbled ready to confess and receive the grace of God.   To use the law in this way in worship we would say the Ten Commandments before the Prayer of Confession so that we would realize the reality of our sinful nature and willingly fall on our knees in confession.  

The second use of the law, according to Calvin, is to teach people what God requires and the consequences of disobedience.  This is especially useful when teaching children so that they learn what God expects and they develop appropriate attitudes and behaviors.  It also helps us to repent, amend our lives, and cooperate with the work of the Holy Spirit in restoring God’s image within us.  To use the law in this way in worship, I would preach on the Ten Commandment telling you concrete ways that you could live lives pleasing to God.

The third and final use of the law is that it helps us, the forgiven and restored believers, to have the knowledge of what the will of God is for us each day. This helps us to conform our lives to the wishes of God.  In this way, the law becomes an instrument of God’s grace helping believers to lead holy lives.  To use the law in this way we would recite it with joy after hearing of how God has graciously forgiven our sins and offers us the opportunity to start over with new lives.  This is why I have put the Ten Commandments after the Assurance of Pardon to help you to know what God expects of you as His forgiven children.

Today we will see that Jesus uses the law of God in all three of these ways.  Let’s look at Jesus’ use of God’s law during his last supper with his disciples.

 Mark 14  12 On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed, his disciples said to him, "Where do you want us to go and make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?"  13 So he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, "Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you; follow him,  14 and wherever he enters, say to the owner of the house, 'The Teacher asks, Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?'  15 He will show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there."  16 So the disciples set out and went to the city, and found everything as he had told them; and they prepared the Passover meal.  

Jesus commanded two of his disciples to go into Jerusalem, find a man with a water jar, follow him into a house, ask the owner a question, find the room, and then prepare the Passover meal.  Jesus is giving commands.   This is the law of God.  Jesus is using law as a way of teaching the disciples what he wants them to do.  The disciples now know what Jesus wants and they can choose to either obey or disobey the law.  In this instance, they obeyed the law by doing exactly what Jesus wanted them to do.  Jesus was using the law as a teaching tool for his disciples, Calvin’s second use of the law.  Let’s go back to Mark.

17 When it was evening, he came with the twelve.  18 And when they had taken their places and were eating, Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me."  19 They began to be distressed and to say to him one after another, "Surely, not I?"  20 He said to them, "It is one of the twelve, one who is dipping bread into the bowl with me.  21 For the Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that one by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that one not to have been born."

Here, the scene shifts to the Passover dinner. Jesus uses the law in a very different way.  During dinner, Jesus informed his disciples that one of them was going to betray him.  Of course, we have already heard of Judas’ decision to betray Jesus to the authorities. We know that Judas is the guilty one.   Certainly, this was what Jesus was talking about.  But only Jesus and Judas knew that.  All of the others began a self-examination to determine if they too were capable of betraying Jesus.  Each one was worried that Jesus was talking about him.  So Jesus was using the law to convict each of his disciples of their sin, humbling them to the point of confession and repentance in preparation for what was to follow.  Jesus was convicting the disciples of their own sin, Calvin’s first use of the law.  Let’s return to Mark’s story.

22 While they were eating, he took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to them, and said, "Take; this is my body."  23 Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, and all of them drank from it.  24 He said to them, "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.  25 Truly I tell you, I will never again drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God."

The third episode is a scene most familiar to us.  We repeat it each month as we gather around this table for the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper.  The twelve disciples have gathered around the table with Jesus.  Here Jesus explained his death.  Just as bread can be torn in two so too will Jesus’ body be torn in his crucifixion.  And just as wine is poured from a pitcher into a cup, so too will Jesus’ blood be poured on the ground in his death.  And just as the bread and wine are symbols of the death of Jesus Christ, so too will his death be a symbol of the covenant between God and us.  In this new covenant, God promises to forgive us all of our sins through the death of his son, and give us new life in the kingdom of God.  

It is in this new life, free from sin, where we have the strong desire to obey God.  God’s law for us is a great blessing because it tells us how to lead our new, forgiven, and restored lives; the way God wants us to live them.  Therefore the covenant that Jesus proclaimed at the Lord’s Supper paved the way for Calvin’s third use of the law as a joyous response to the grace of God. 

So where do we fit in all of this?  We need to use God’s law in all three ways.  The law should humble us because it shows us how far we fall short of what God expects of us.  We were created in the image of God, free from sin and enjoying the fruits of the tree of life, but as a result of sin our very nature has been corrupted; the image of God in us has been defaced.   We deserve punishment for our disobedience.  We, therefore, have a need to approach God and ask for forgiveness.  And we satisfy this need by coming to church and confessing our sins before God.  

We come to church filled with guilt for the sin in our lives.   We realize that there is nothing we can do to justify ourselves.   So we humbly confess our sin corporately and then silently.  The law of God convicts us of our sin.  Then, when we receive God’s grace and the full forgiveness of sin through the death of Jesus Christ, we express our great joy by desiring to obey God and by living according to God’s laws.  So we remind ourselves of God’s law and use it to live new lives in Christ.

As forgiven sinners, we attend worship and Bible studies where we learn more about God and how we are to obey our creator.   The law becomes, for us, a teaching tool.

So the law of God benefits us in three ways.   It shines a light on our sin so that we may confess and repent.   As we receive God’s forgiveness it gives us a way to joyfully lead new lives in Christ.   And as we grow as Christian we use the law to see how God created us and our world to be obedient.   Let’s pray.

Lord Jesus, we are grateful for the sacrifice you made for us.  In your death on the cross, your body was broken and your blood spilled to the ground.  Through this, all of our sins have been forgiven.  You have offered us new lives in your kingdom, which we joyfully accept.  And we now desire to follow you and obey God’s will.  So we thank you for the law which blesses us with the knowledge of what God requires of us.  In great joy we praise you! Amen.

Grace and Peace Episode 24

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Grace and Peace Episode 24
Presbyterian Church of Easton
February 23, 2021

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

Heidelberg Catechism

48Q.  If his humanity is not present wherever his divinity is, then aren’t the two natures of Christ separated from each other?
A. Certainly not. Since divinity is not limited and is present everywhere, it is evident that Christ’s divinity is surely beyond the bounds of the humanity that has been taken on, but at the same time, his divinity is in and remains personally united to his humanity.

49Q.  How does Christ’s ascension to heaven benefit us?
A. First, he is our advocate in heaven in the presence of his Father.  Second, we have our own flesh in heaven as a sure pledge that Christ our head will also take us, his members, up to himself.  Third, he sends his Spirit to us on earth as a corresponding pledge.  By the Spirit’s power, we seek not earthly things but the things above, where Christ is, sitting at God’s right hand.

“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” Colossians 3:1-2

I love to watch the news and see what is happening in the world.   Many people are addicted to cable news and watch all of the recent political drama.   We had a mob at the Capitol and the impeachment of a former president.  For news junkies, it doesn’t get any better.

But I have found that watching endless news is not helpful.  The same stories get repeated over and over again.  I just seem to get angrier the longer I watch.   So a few years ago I canceled my cable subscription.  I cut the cord.  

Since then I have had more time for reading.  Although I still watch some political shows on the internet I can now pick up a Christian book and have time to read it.  I have been reading some classics like The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan and some newer works by I J Packer and N T Wright.   I love the writings of C S Lewis.   I have found that I am much happier focusing on Jesus in heaven than on whatever is happening in Washington.

So I urge you to turn off the cable news and focus on spiritual things.  Read your Bible instead.  Attend our Wednesday morning Bible studies.   Worship with us on Sundays.  Focus on what Jesus is doing right now in heaven rather than what the politicians are doing in Washington.  You will be happier if you do.  Let’s pray.

Heavenly Father, help us to set our minds on Jesus in heaven rather than on earthly things.   Help us to turn off the news and start learning more about you.  This we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Sermon Mark 14:1-11 “Judas’ Confession”

 Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Presbyterian Church of Easton
Sermon Mark 14:1-11 “Judas’ Confession”
February 21, 2021

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Today is the first Sunday of Lent.  Lent is traditionally a time when we prepare ourselves for the great celebration of Easter which comes in 40 days excluding Sundays.   For us sinners, this means that Lent is the time for confession and change of behavior in preparation for the forgiveness of sin through the death of Jesus.  It is also a time of education in preparation for baptism.  And, it is a time of realizing our own wandering in the wilderness, in preparation for our new lives we receive through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  All of us are anticipating the joy of Easter, but first, we must travel through Lent which leads us directly to the cross.

Today I am beginning a series of sermons that will take us on this journey to the cross and through it.  Our guide for this journey is the Gospel of Mark.  Mark will take us from the gathering of friends in Bethany, to a dinner in Jerusalem, to a sleepless night on the Mount of Olives, to a trial, to an execution on a cross, and finally to the amazement of an empty tomb.  Today we begin with the confession of Judas Iscariot.   But before we begin our journey, please pray with me.  

Lord Jesus, accept us as your disciples, and let us join you as you make your final journey into Jerusalem and your confrontation with death.  Through this, help us to know exactly who you are.  And as we realize your true identity forgive our sins and bless us with your Spirit.  We pray this in your glorious name. Amen.

Mark 14:1-11 It was two days before the Passover and the festival of Unleavened Bread. The chief priests and the scribes were looking for a way to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him;  2 for they said, "Not during the festival, or there may be a riot among the people." 

  3 While he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at the table, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very costly ointment of nard, and she broke open the jar and poured the ointment on his head.  

4 But some were there who said to one another in anger, "Why was the ointment wasted in this way?  5 For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii, and the money given to the poor." And they scolded her.  

6 But Jesus said, "Let her alone; why do you trouble her? She has performed a good service for me.  7 For you always have the poor with you, and you can show kindness to them whenever you wish; but you will not always have me.  8 She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for its burial.  9 Truly I tell you, wherever the good news is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in remembrance of her."  

10 Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them.  11 When they heard it, they were greatly pleased, and promised to give him money. So he began to look for an opportunity to betray him.

My name is Judas, Judas the son of Simon, Judas Iscariot.  I am a follower of Jesus, one of the inner core of disciples, one of the 12.  When I first met Jesus, I couldn’t quite figure out who he was.   But as I watched him teach in synagogues, heal the sick, and cast out demons I realized that Jesus was a great teacher and I decided to follow him wherever he went to learn as much as I could about him.  

I was astounded when he showed such compassion for the poor and taught that it was easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God.   It was a real honor to be with a teacher like Jesus, whose heart was for the poor.

Then one day an amazing thing happened.  We were all in a boat and got caught in a terrible storm.  As the boat was tossed up and down, we were afraid the boat might sink so we woke Jesus up.  And do you know he did?  He spoke to the wind and told it to stop blowing.  And that is exactly what happened.  Jesus speaks to the elements of nature and they obey him.  I knew that no teacher, no matter how good, could do something like that.  

It was then that I realized that Jesus was far more than a teacher. Indeed, he was a prophet, like Moses, who could command the elements of nature and they would obey.  Since we had a prophet in our midst I wanted even more to follow him.

But the 12 of us soon realized that Jesus was far more than a prophet.  A couple of times, large groups of people gathered to listen to Jesus.  Once we estimated 5000 were on the hillside.  Later that day they became hungry and all we had to feed them were five loves of bread and two fish.  I thought that we should send them all home to eat, but Jesus told us to feed them with what we had.  And amazingly, that was enough.  

As we watched this miraculous sight, we realized that Jesus cared for his people the way a shepherd cares for his sheep.  They were hungry and he fed them.  All the people of Israel have been waiting for a shepherd like David to come.  We are waiting for a Messiah.  One day Jesus asked us who we thought he was, and Peter blurted out what we had all been thinking.  He said that Jesus was the Messiah we had been waiting for.

But as we talked with Jesus we found out that his understanding of the Messiah was different from what we expected.  We expected the Messiah to be a military leader who would liberate us from the oppression of the Romans.  But Jesus called himself the Son of Man and said that the Messiah was to suffer and die.  How could anyone make sense of that?  How could a suffering messiah free us from the Romans?  

We were thinking about these things one day when we were leaving Jericho and were confronted by a blind beggar sitting on the side of the road.  This blind man kept calling Jesus the Son of David.  Suddenly, we all knew what this meant.  We knew exactly who Jesus was.  He was a descendant of King David, the rightful heir to the throne of Israel.  Jesus was the new king on his way to Jerusalem to overthrow the Romans and their Jewish puppets.  

The people on their way to the Passover celebration began lining the roads with branches and cloaks, just as Isaiah had prophesized, preparing a pathway in the desert for the rightful king to return to Jerusalem.  We were all so excited by the time we entered the city gates and went to the temple because we knew the revolution was about to begin.  With Jesus as our king, we would be able to overthrow the Roman Empire and reinstate our holy nation.  

I was confident that I knew exactly who Jesus was.  But now I am not so sure. I thought he was the Messiah, the new David, the new Moses who had come to free us from the Romans, but what I just saw has turned my stomach.  I can’t follow this Jesus anymore.  How could I have been so wrong about him?  Let me tell you what just happened.

We all went to Bethany to the home of Simon the Leper.  His daughter was there and had an extremely expensive vial of ointment, made from Indian nard. It must have cost more than a year’s salary for a common worker.  Just imagine all the good we could do with that money.  I expected Jesus to tell her to sell the ointment and give the money to the poor.  

But that’s not what Jesus did.  Jesus allowed her to use it to anoint his own body.   At first, I was angry.  How could Jesus be so wasteful when the needs of the poor were so great? The money could have provided food and shelter for a needy family.  How could Jesus be so insensitive to these needs?

Then I realized what Jesus was doing.  If Jesus was really the new king like David then he had to be anointed.  That’s what was happening, the anointing of the Messiah, the king.  But then Jesus said something I still don’t understand.  He said that the woman was not anointing a new king; rather she was anointing his body for burial.  Jesus had given up; he had decided to die.   Jesus was not going to lead a revolution against Rome.  Instead, he was ready to give up his own life, for what?  What good is a dead prophet?  What good is a dead king?  What good is a dead Messiah? 

I couldn’t stay there with Jesus any longer so I left.  I was so disappointed with him.  He was such a great teacher and prophet.  I was certain that he was the Messiah we had longed for.  Yet rather than take his rightful place as the son of David on the throne of Israel this Jesus was just going to give up and be led like a lamb to slaughter.

Well, I am not going with him.  There is no way I am going to be arrested and tried like a common criminal.  There is no way I will hang on a cross.  So I have decided to leave Bethany and go alone back to Jerusalem.

I know that I am doing a terrible thing.  I have been a follower of Jesus, one the 12.  And now I am going to betray him.  I am going to help the chief priests and scribes find Jesus so that he can be arrested.  People who know Jesus will think that I am a monster for doing this.  

I have heard that a reward is being offered for information about Jesus’ whereabouts.  Some will think that I am doing this for money.  But that is not my motivation.   Somehow I think that God is using me.  God wants me to betray Jesus to the authorities for some divine purpose.  Just as God had used that woman to anoint Jesus’ body for burial, God is now using me to start the process that will lead to Jesus’ death.  Our ancestor Joseph once said that God uses evil for good.  And that is what I think may be happening here.  At least I hope so.

I am still wondering who Jesus is.  I thought he was a teacher, a prophet, the Messiah, or maybe our new king.  Now with Jesus going to his certain death I just don’t know who he is.  But there is one thing still bothering me.  While I and the others in the 12 were out casting out demons we heard some of the demons call Jesus the “Son of God”.  I don’t know what this means.  But I know Jesus, and I suspect that something surprising will happen this week that will demonstrate to all of us who Jesus really is.  I am at least thankful that God has given me a part to play in the great drama.

Father in heaven, we thank you for Judas Iscariot.  Even though he did a terrible thing by betraying your Son he was still a part of your plan, and without Judas, Jesus would not have died for our sins.  So we thank you for Judas and what he did for us.  And as we pass through this season of Lent help us to learn who Jesus really is.  Amen.  

Grace and Peace Episode 23

 Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Grace and Peace Episode 23
Presbyterian Church of Easton
February 16, 2021

Watch Episode 23

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

Heidelberg Catechism
46 Q. What do you mean by saying, “He ascended to heaven”?
A. That Christ, while his disciples watched, was taken up from the earth into heaven and remains there on our behalf until he comes again to judge the living and the dead.
47 Q. But isn’t Christ with us until the end of the world as he promised us?
A. Christ is true human and true God. In his human nature Christ is not now on earth; but in his divinity, majesty, grace, and Spirit he is never absent from us.

Luke 24:50 When (Jesus) had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and
blessed them. 51 While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. 52 Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. 53 And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.

One day all believers will go to heaven. And when we do we will find that it is not a fearful
place. Rather, when we get there we will find Jesus, in His resurrected body, in charge. He has taken possession of it. Jesus is in control of heaven. And he will be speaking into God's ear, interceding on our behalf.

In heaven, Jesus is sitting at the right hand of God. In ancient times, when kings went into battle they carried their shields in their left hand and swords in their right. They could easily defend
themselves from any threat from the left. But they were vulnerable to attacks from the right. So the king would put his best warrior at his right hand. This warrior would protect the king from any threat from the right. This practice was continued in the king's court where he would put his most trusted advisor as his right hand. The person on the right would exert power at the will of the king. To say that Jesus is sitting at the right hand of God indicates that Jesus uses God's power to achieve God's will. 

So we have seen that Jesus, in his physical body, has ascended into heaven where he now exercises all authority and power from the right hand of God.  Jesus is in heaven in a human, resurrected body to rule heaven and earth as God's right-hand man.  Let’s pray.

Lord Jesus, we thank you that even though you sit at the right hand of God you are still mindful of us, and you still love us.   We wait for the day when we will see you in heaven.   And long for the day when you will return.   We pray all this, confident of your protection.  Amen.

Sermon – Matthew 6:1-21 “Spring Cleaning”

 Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Presbyterian Church of Easton

Sermon – Matthew 6:1-21 “Spring Cleaning” 

Ash Wednesday, February 17, 2021

Ash Wednesday Service

When I was young my family would visit my grandparent’s home in Pennsylvania.  My grandfather was a coal miner and most of the people in his town heated their homes with coal.  So whenever we went there in winter the first thing I always noticed was the aroma of coal burning in those furnaces.  All of those coal fires sent soot into the air which settled over everything.  Our car would be covered with ash the next morning.

My grandmother would get up at 4 a.m. to hang the clean clothes in the back yard to dry.   She got us so early in order to bring the dry clothes back into the house before everyone else woke up and stoked their fires releasing ash into the air.   She did not want her clean clothes covered with coal ash. 

Once a year a day would come which we called “spring cleaning”. During spring cleaning all of the coal ash that had accumulated during the cold winter months had to be swept out of the house.  Rugs were beaten in the backyard, walls were scrubbed, porches swept, and windows shined inside and out.  The house was made spic and span for summer.  

This is what Ash Wednesday is all about.  It is spring cleaning for our souls.  Tonight the soot of sin which has built up over the months and years is swept out leaving behind forgiveness and a spic and span clean heart ready for a restored relationship with God.  We will get to this, but first, let’s pray.  

Lord Jesus, we come to you today covered by the ashes of our sin.  Cleanse us and renew us so that we may come closer to you.  Amen.

Tonight we will be looking at the soot of sin which has penetrated our souls and needs to be cleaned up.  Specifically, I will look at three sins that separate us from our creator.  These sins are prayer, fasting, and giving money to the poor.

You are probably thinking right now that it is time to find a new interim pastor.  Whenever a pastor says that prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are sins then it is clearly time for a change.  Prayer, fasting, and giving are all spiritual practices.  How can you call them sins?

The Bible tells us to pray.  Daily prayer is essential for spiritual growth.  Prayer connects us with God and allows us to mold our will around his will.  How in the world could prayer be a sin?  Listen to what Jesus says:

 

Matthew 6:5-8   5 "And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward.  6 But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.  7 When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words.  8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

Several years ago I was visiting a church in rural Mississippi.  A young woman rushed into the room and said that we have to pray for Eunice.  Everyone immediately bowed their heads as this young woman prayed for Eunice whose husband had been seen with another woman.  At the conclusion of the prayer, the pastor of the church took the young woman aside and told her that prayer should not be used as a way of spreading gossip.

This is the way sin works.  We take something good that God has provided for us and we twist it. We pervert it into something bad.  We think that we are not sinning because we are doing what we are supposed to do.  But because sin is so much a part of our nature we turn good works into abominable things.  Even praying becomes something we are ashamed of.

And what about fasting?  Certainly, fasting couldn’t be a sin.  Does not the Bible tell us that we should fast?  Does not a fast intensify our experience of prayer and meditation?  Should we as a church not fast when we have an important decision to make and need to know God’s will?  Of course, fasting is an important part of our spirituality.  It heightens our experience of listening for God in prayer and helps us to understand where God is leading us. But listen to what Jesus has to say about fasting.

Matthew 6:16-18  16 "And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward.  17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

The medieval church knew about the importance of fasting.  Monks would use it to intensify their spiritual experiences.  Whenever the church experienced persecution or schism a period of fasting was needed to focus the church on God.  But over the years fasting was tied to the church calendar and became a hollow expression of faith.  Ash Wednesday kicked off the forty-day Lenten fast leading up to Easter.  By the time of the Protestant Reformation, the Lenten fast consisted of doing trivial things like not eating meat on Fridays.  The Reformers abolished Ash Wednesday and the Lenten fast in an effort to restore fasting to its proper place in the church.

Sin has a way of taking spiritual practices that God has given us to bring us closer to him and twisting them for our own uses.  Rather than allowing a fast to increase our sense of humility before God, we turn it into a way of puffing up our own sense of pride.  We boast to others about our higher level of spirituality.  Our focus is on ourselves rather than God.  Fasting becomes useless because we use it to exalt ourselves rather than bow down at the feet of Jesus.

So prayer and fasting can be turned into sin.  But certainly giving money to the poor must be good.  How could sin ever mess up something like that?  God demands righteousness for the poor throughout scripture.  Listen to what Jesus says.

 Matthew 6:2-4  2 "So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward.  3 But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,  4 so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.  

As the nineteenth century came to a close many of the great industrialists who had made fortunes in banking, steel, and oil were approaching retirement.  They were plagued with the concern of what to do with all their money.  Philanthropy was the answer.  Capitalists like Carnegie, Mellon, and Rockefeller formed foundations to distribute their vast sums.  Their names went up on buildings and they became very well known.  They became better known for their giving than they ever were while leading corporations.  And they really enjoyed their notoriety.  

All of this is being repeated today with the internet tycoons and Hollywood celebrities.  But they forget that all of the wealth that they have was given to them by God and it is God, not them, who was at work using them to help the poor.  So even if we give money to the poor we sin if we do not acknowledge that we can love the poor only because God loves us first.

It would be nice if sin was just about sex and alcohol.  Sex and alcohol are things we can deal with.  We can stop having sex outside of marriage.  We can stop drinking inappropriately.  But sin is far more than this.  Sin is buried so deep in our hearts we cannot get it out.  Sin is like dandelions with roots that go so deep in your lawn they cannot be pulled out completely.  Trying to clean up your life by doing a little better has no chance at all of eradicating something as pervasive as sin.  For that, we need much stronger medicine.

That is why we have come here tonight for a little spring cleaning.  It is time to get the brooms and mops and begin cleaning up the ashes of our sin.  This can only be done by approaching God humbly in confession and asking God to create in us clean hearts.  We need to admit our fallenness and ask for forgiveness.  This will prepare us for Lent as we pray each day, fast, and give to the poor with a spirit of humility and an acknowledgment of God’s love and power.  And then, we will then be ready for Easter when we will receive in abundance the grace and mercy of God.  Let’s pray.

Heavenly Father, we admit that we are completely stained by sin.  Even when we try to do what you want us to do, we twist it to our sinful purposes.  Forgive us we pray.   Wash the ashes of sin out of our lives.   And restore us as your faithful children.   All this we pray in your Son’s name.   Amen.   

Sermon Mark 1:39-45 "Encountering a Monster"

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Presbyterian Church of Easton
Sermon Mark 1:39-45 "Encountering a Monster"
February 14, 2020

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Today is Valentine’s Day and I would like to start with a love story.   Sixteen years ago today I was scheduled to attend a committee meeting at the Pasadena Presbyterian Church in Pasadena, California.   I had been invited to attend the meeting by a young Korean woman I had recently met.  Her name was Grace.

Grace had invited me to this meeting because they were discussing an idea she had to start a ministry for international students.   I was to attend the meeting because I had already agreed to volunteer for this ministry.  

I wanted to learn a little more about what I was getting into.   So I suggested to Grace that we meet for happy hour at a local seminary hangout operated by the Mccormiks and Schmidt's Restaurant across the street.  My idea was that she could tell me about the ministry before the committee meeting over a couple of cheap burgers.

On the morning of Valentine’s Day, Grace called me with the news that the committee meeting was canceled.   The chairman’s wife wanted him home for Valentine’s Day.   And this gave me an idea.   I had already made arrangements to meet Grace at Mccormick’s and Schmidt’s for some cheap burgers.   So I told her that since the committee meeting was canceled, and we had more time, let’s go to the main restaurant and I will treat you to a nice meal.   She agreed.   And Grace and I had our very first date on Valentines’s Day sixteen years ago today.  Let’s pray.

Holy Spirit, we ask that you enter our hearts and our minds this day to help us to understand what God is speaking to us through the Holy Scripture.  Lift us up into the presence of the Father as worship today.  And deliver our prayers to our savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Today I will be completing my series of sermons on the early ministry of Jesus as recorded in the first chapter of the gospel of Mark.  We have watched four fishermen be transformed, by the power of the gospel, into followers of Jesus.  We have witnessed demons cast out by Jesus.  And we have heard about Simon’s mother-in-law who was healed by the power of Jesus’ touch and began a life of service to other followers of Jesus.  Today we will be following Jesus as he confronts a monster with the power of the Word of God. 

Why does the horror genre of movies and books fascinate us so much?  Why do we watch Frankenstein and Dracula on the silver screen or read Stephen King novels?  I have to confess that I love Stephen King novels.  I probably shouldn’t admit this as a pastor, but I think that I have read almost everything Stephen King has written.  Why do we love these things so much? The reason is, I believe, that we see in monsters a little bit of ourselves.  

Stephen King creates monsters by creating characters who are ordinary people like you or me and then, because of unusual circumstances, they become monsters.  We are fascinated by this because it could happen to us under the right circumstances.  

As we watch TV news or read the newspaper we are horrified by the people losing their jobs and their homes.  And we realize that these people who have lost everything and many of whom now live on the streets are people just like us.  A divorce, a health problem, the loss of a job, the foreclosure on a home, and suddenly we are monsters, living on the street, unclean, and not welcomed into polite society.  We are frightened by the horror of homelessness, and yet we are fascinated by it because it could happen to us.   

In ancient horror literature, a common monster was the leper.  Now a leper is worse than anything Stephen King could invent.  Lepers had contagious skin diseases.  Two full chapters in the book of Leviticus were devoted to protecting the Hebrews from lepers.  Every Hebrew mother taught her children to avoid lepers because their touch could be deadly.  The law required lepers to have their hair a mess, their clothes torn, their upper lip covered, and to cry out “unclean, unclean” whenever they saw someone.  And lepers were required to live in the wilderness, far from the city (Leviticus 13:45).  Lepers were more frightening than anything Hollywood could dream of.  

There is an ancient horror story about a leper in the book of 2 Kings.  His name was Naaman and he was a great general of Israel’s enemy Aram.  Naaman was truly an ancient monster frequently invading villages in Israel.  He married a young girl his army had carried off as a slave after one of their numerous raids.  Not only was Naaman a brutal general terrorizing the Israelites, he was also a leper.  

One day his wife told him about a prophet in Israel named Elisha who might be able to cure his leprosy.  So Naaman assembled his army, horses, and chariots and went to see this prophet.  Elisha told Naaman to wash seven times in the Jordan, which, of course, made the general angry because he thought Elisha’s God would show far more respect and heal him on the spot.  But Naaman’s wife urged him to follow the prophet’s advice and Naaman went down to the Jordan river.  He dove into the water seven times and his leprosy was healed.  Naaman proclaimed to everyone who would listen that the God of Israel was stronger than any other god.

And that brings us to today’s scripture reading. I am reading from my own translation of Mark 1:39-45.

Now Jesus was preaching and casting out demons in synagogues all over Galilee. Suddenly there was a leper.  The leper should have stayed away and warned Jesus that he was unclean,  but he came right at him, falling on his knees, and pleading with Jesus saying “If you want, you have the power to make me clean.”

Jesus’ stomach turned over at the sight of the leper.   Then he did the unthinkable; he reached out his hand.  The leper and Jesus touched each other. And Jesus said, “Yes that’s what I want, be cleansed.”

Suddenly, the leprosy was gone and the leper was cleansed.  

And Jesus warned him, sternly, as he was sending him away to say nothing to anyone about what had happened.  He was to go straight to the priest for an examination as proof of his cleansing as Moses had commanded.  But the leper, as he was going to the priest, preached about Jesus to many people.

Jesus, now ritually unclean, was unable to return to the city.  So he remained in the desert with the lepers, and people came to Jesus in the wilderness from everywhere.

So far in the book of Mark, we have heard about the first followers of Jesus, the four fishermen, the first evangelists of Jesus, the man with the unclean spirit, the first deacon of Jesus, Simon’s mother-in-law who was healed; and now the first preacher of Jesus, the cleansed leper.  

Let me repeat this, the first preacher was a monster, a leper.  Jesus healed him by laying his hand on him and making him clean.  This still happens today.  Preachers are sinners like everyone else.   We have our own fears that were a few circumstances to change we could become monsters.  We have the same fears as all of you.   But we are touched by Jesus through the laying on of hands at our ordination.  This touch makes us ritually clean and allows us to proclaim the good news that the kingdom of God has come near.  Of course, we still have to pass examinations and submit to the authority of the church.  But our passion is to preach and proclaim what Jesus has done for us to as many people as we can.

When Jesus touches us, you and me, he makes us clean by taking our uncleanliness upon himself.  Jesus takes our sin into his sinless body.  Jesus frees us from the wilderness by taking our place in the desert.  This is the offer Jesus makes to his people.  So this is the message preachers are to proclaim. 

Each of us has now heard the proclamation by Jesus of the good news.  This makes us followers of Jesus like those four fishermen.  We have experienced the casting out of demons in Jesus’ name.  This makes us evangelists of Jesus ready to tell others about the good news we have experienced.  We have experienced healing from Jesus.  This makes us ready, like Simon’s mother,  to serve others who are in need.  And now whatever we fear is cleansed away and we are now ready to proclaim to many others that the kingdom of God is near and extraordinary things are happening.

We have also learned from Mark a little about who Jesus is.  Jesus was a preacher who made followers by proclaiming the good news.  Jesus was an exorcist who had power over unclean spirits.  Jesus was a healer who helped people suffering from illness.  And now we see that Jesus is a prophet like Elisha with the power to cleanse away whatever we fear.  

Jesus, therefore, is a superhero who slays the monsters within us.  Like Batman or Superman, Jesus calms our fears.  But Jesus is far more powerful than any of these fictional characters because we know something else about Jesus from the first chapter of Mark.  We know that Jesus is the Son of God.  Let’s pray.

Lord Jesus, we are troubled today by our fears of the monsters within us.  Be with us as we wander in the desert.  We ask that you cleanse us of our fears and slay the monsters that menace us.  Set us free to proclaim to everyone we meet all that you have done for us.  We pray that God’s kingdom will come.  Amen.

Grace and Peace Episode 22

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Grace and Peace Episode 22
Presbyterian Church of Easton
February 9, 2021

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

Heidelberg Catechism

45Q. How does Christ’s resurrection benefit us?

A. First, by his resurrection he has overcome death so that he might make us share in the righteousness he obtained for us by his death. Second, by His power, we too are already raised to a new life. Third, Christ’s resurrection is a sure pledge to us of our blessed resurrection.

Sometime around the year 30, some of Jesus’ disciples found an empty tomb where Jesus’ body should have been.   Later they met Jesus, resurrected from the dead.   They began meeting on Sunday mornings to talk about all that Jesus said and did.   Some of these groups began writing down the stories and teachings of Jesus.   The leaders of the groups started writing letters to each other and to churches.  What they were trying to do was to explain the reality they had experienced.   There was no question about it.   They had seen and heard and ate with and even touched the resurrected Jesus.  In their meetings and stories and letters they talked about and wrote down their thoughts about the meaning of the resurrection. 

One of them wrote, “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.  When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory.’  ‘Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?’”  As Christians, we are promised forgiveness of sin.  Death is no longer feared. (1 Corinthians 15:17,54-55) 

Paul also wrote, “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”   As Christians, we are baptized into new life.  Our old lives are washed away in the baptismal waters.   We emerge from the water with new identities as children of God. (Romans 6:4)

And Paul wrote this, “And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.”  As Christians, we are promised that when Jesus returns we will be resurrected from the dead with new bodies that will “belong— body and soul, in life and in death—to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ”. (Romans 8:11) (Heidelberg Catechism A1)

Let’s pray.  Lord Jesus, we are so grateful for your suffering, death, and resurrection.   We thank you for making us right with God.   We thank you for the transformation in our lives that we have experienced.  And we thank you for the promise of eternal life.   Amen.

Sermon Mark 1:29-39 Healing Prayers

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Presbyterian Church of Easton
Sermon Mark 1:29-39 Healing Prayers
(Adapted from Ken Blue, Authority to Heal)
February 7, 2021

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Today we are continuing our journey as we accompany Jesus and four disciples through Jesus’ early ministry as recorded in the first chapter of Mark.  Jesus proclaimed the good news that the kingdom of God was near which had an immediate transformative effect on four ordinary fishermen who then followed Jesus.  Last week we entered into the synagogue with these five and witnessed Jesus rebuke and cast out unclean spirits that were tormenting one of God’s people.  Today we will follow Jesus as he heals the sick.

Before we continue this journey please close your eyes, bow your heads and pray with me.  Lord Jesus, we ask that keep our joys and concerns in your prayers.  As you talk with the Father we ask that you intercede for us and heal our illnesses and the illnesses of those we care about.  We pray knowing your desire to heal the sick and your great love and compassion for us.  Amen.

Mark 1:29-39  29 As soon as they left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.  30 Now Simon's mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once.  31 He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.  32 That evening, at sundown, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons.  33 And the whole city was gathered around the door.  34 And he cured many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.  

35 In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed.  36 And Simon and his companions hunted for him.  37 When they found him, they said to him, "Everyone is searching for you."  38 He answered, "Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do."  39 And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.

Every Sunday we gather here with our joys and concerns and we pray for each other.  Everyday Grace and I, meet here in this sanctuary in the morning to pray for the church.  Just like Jesus, we gather early in the morning and we pray for all of your joys and concerns that I hear about each week.   And each day in morning prayers I pray for each of you by going through our portrait directory. 

During these prayers, we pray for healing.  If you are in the hospital we pray for you.  If your son’s addiction has returned we pray for his healing.  If your niece's cancer has returned we pray for healing.  If you and your family have COVID we pray for healing.  Prayers for healing dominate our morning prayers.  But do they work?  Does prayer actually lead to healing?  Many Christians today are skeptical while others pray for healing with great confidence.

Take, for example, Richard.  Richard is a seminary student pursuing ordination.  He came to the decision to enter the ministry after experiencing a stroke that essentially paralyzed the right side of his body.  After months of physical therapy, he decided to enter seminary.  While working as an intern at a small church he went into the pastor’s study for his weekly supervision.  The pastor asked Richard if he could pray for his paralysis to be healed.  Richard said “no”.  His suffering had brought him so close to God.  Richard was certain that God had used the paralysis to bring him into the ministry.  The paralysis was the thorn in the flesh described by the apostle Paul which brought Richard closer to God.  So Richard left the pastor’s office without prayers for healing.

This is the attitude many of us take.   As Christians, we are called to follow Christ in his suffering.   So illness is the cross we have to bear.   And we don’t pray for healing.

Or consider Carole:  Carole has been a devoted Christian her whole life.  She volunteered in the church for decades working with children.  And as she got older she led the women’s group.  One day Carole was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.  The pastor went to see her in the hospital and asked if he could pray for her.  Carole said “no”.  Carole believed that the cancer was part of God’s plan for her life.  God had decided before she was born that her life would end because of this cancer.  If God wanted to cure cancer he was perfectly welcome to do so.  But if God wanted Carole to die of cancer, then, she thought, let God’s will be done.  So the pastor prayed for comfort and for the reduction of pain but not for healing.

This describes many of us.   We believe strongly in the providence of God.  God is in control of all things.  Illness must be part of God’s plan for the world.  So we pray “Thy will be done”  but we don’t pray for healing.

Or maybe Bev and Mark:  Bev and Mark were very active in a large church on the edge of town.  They hosted a Tuesday evening covenant group in their home.  When Bev and Mark wanted to get pregnant they asked the covenant group to pray.  And within a few months, a beautiful baby named Brian was conceived.  Bev and Mark strongly believed in prayer.  So when the ten-month-old Brian came down with a fever they began to pray.  They believed that if their faith was strong enough Brian would be made well.  Their covenant group prayed, but Brian got worse.  Bev asked the prayer warriors at her church to pray for Brian.  Continuous prayers, 24 hours a day, were said for the sick baby.  But Brian got worse, his temperature rose, he lost his hearing and became blind.  On Sunday the pastor preached on the need for strong faith and that afternoon Brian died.  An autopsy revealed that he suffered from meningitis, which could have been easily cured with medicine.  Bev and Mark were filled with guilt, and a few months later they left the church.

These examples show the diversity of the misconceptions Christians have about healing.  Many of us believe that the suffering that comes from illness will bring us closer to God.  Others believe that the suffering that comes from illness is part of God’s plan for our lives.  And still others believe that if our faith is strong enough and if we pray in the right way healing is assured.  All of these ideas are wrong.  Let’s look at what Christian healing is all about.  

The New Testament tells us that suffering is sometimes used by God to make us more holy.  God uses suffering to refine the believer the way a blacksmith uses fire to refine metal.  But the suffering that God uses to improve us is always the suffering that results from persecutions because of our faith.  Suffering for our faith is our cross to bear, but suffering from illness is never used by God to improve us.  Rather it is clear from scripture that God desires that all illness be healed.  That is why Jesus healed those who suffered from disease. And that is why we pray for healing.  The Apostle James put it this way.

 James 5:13-16   13 Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise.  14 Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord.  15 The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up, and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven.  16 Therefore confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.

We know that everything in heaven and on earth is governed by the will of God. So when we get sick it may seem that it is God’s will that we suffer.  Our belief in God’s sovereignty often leads us to laziness and inaction.  We think:  “If God wants the church to grow he will grow it.”  Likewise, we think:  “If God wants the sick to be healed then God will heal the sick.”  But this kind of thinking ignores the fact that we have a role to play in the kingdom of God.   For the church to grow we all have to invite people to come to worship.  If we want healing to occur then we need to pray for healing.  But we have to remember that God is free to act and may not heal when our prayers request it.  The Apostle Paul said it like this, 

Romans 8:26-28  26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.  27 And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.  28 We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.

We know that prayer works, but some Christians believe that they have found a formula that ensures healing.  They believe that if you have sufficient faith then your prayers for healing will always be effective.  These Christian try to banish from their minds all negative thoughts, confess positively, speak the word of faith, and then name and claim the blessing of complete and total healing.  They believe that there is a causal link between sufficient faith and healing.  But when the healing they pray for does not occur they experience great guilt for having insufficient faith.  Prayer is not a magical spell and does not always yield the desired result even if done in the right way.  Since we live in an in-between time after Jesus’ first coming and before the final coming we should expect that the promises of the kingdom will not yet be fully realized.  People still suffer from disease and death regardless of what we do.  In our scripture today Peter’s mother did not come to Jesus in faith requesting healing.  Rather Jesus, out of his love and compassion healed her first, and then she followed Jesus by becoming the very first deacon and serving the other followers.

As we have been following Jesus through his early ministry we have seen that it consists of proclaiming that the kingdom of God is near.  The primary way that Jesus showed the world this reality was by healing the sick.  In healing, Jesus demonstrated his compassion for us.  Jesus also demonstrated God’s desire that everyone be healed.  Healing today serves this same function.  God heals the sick to demonstrate his compassionate love for all of us.  God has not abolished suffering and death yet.  But with healing, we have a foretaste of what the kingdom of God will be like.  Once God fully manifests his kingdom on earth there will no longer be disease and death.  And it is this faith in the coming kingdom that allows us to pray for healing here and now.  

I am not satisfied with the rate of healings here in the 21st century.  I would prefer to see everyone healed.  But if we trust the God who loves us and cares for us then we can approach that God in boldness and pray for healing.  And this faith in the kingdom of God will sustain us whether our prayers for healing are answered positively or not.  So have faith in the God who sent his son to heal the sick.

Our faith in a God who loves us and desires healing is why we pray for the congregation.  Join us at 7 PM Wednesdays and Sundays for this important work of the church.  Help us to pray for healing and to pray with Jesus the words “thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.”

Father in heaven, we long for the day when your kingdom will finally come and disease and death will go away.  We thank you for giving us a glimpse of what this kingdom will be like when you answer our prayers for healing.  Listen today to our prayers for healing for ourselves, our families, and our friends.  Amen.

Grace and Peace Episode 21

 Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Grace and Peace Episode 21
Presbyterian Church of Easton
February 2, 2021

Grace and Peace Epsode 21 Video

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

Heidelberg Catechism

43Q. What further benefit do we receive from Christ’s sacrifice and death on the cross?

A. By Christ’s power our old selves are crucified, put to death, and buried with him, so that the evil desires of the flesh may no longer rule us, but that instead, we may offer ourselves as a sacrifice of gratitude to him.

44Q. Why does the creed add, “He descended to hell”?

A. To assure me during attacks of deepest dread and temptation that Christ my Lord, by suffering unspeakable anguish, pain, and terror of soul, on the cross but also earlier, has delivered me from hellish anguish and torment.

1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. 19 After being made alive, he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits— 20 to those who were disobedient long ago.

When Jesus died a battle for our souls began.   The devil had had the upper hand from the moment Adam and Eve disobeyed God.   From then on all people were stained by sin.   And there was nothing anyone could do about it.  And because of this sin, we were alienated from God and condemned to hell.  

But then a savior arrived.  He had no sin because he was God.  And yet he accepted our penalty.  He paid the price.   He died on a cross so that we would no longer be condemned.   He defeated the Devil and freed us from the bondage of sin.  

As a result of what Jesus did for us, we are now reconciled with God.   We are free from the power of sin.   We are promised eternal life.  

All of this comes to us, not from anything we have done, but by the grace of God.  God sent his Son to die for us.   So that we are free from death and filled with the hope of heaven and future resurrection from death.  

When Jesus woke from death in the tomb the Devil was there to prevent all of this.   And for three days a battle raged.   But, Jesus defeated the Devil.   And he emerged victorious from the tomb.  And so we are filled with Easter hope and faith in our faithful savior, Jesus Christ.

We thank you, O Lord, for this good news.  Your death means our life.  Your suffering means our freedom.  Your resurrection gives us hope in everlasting life.  Out of our gratitude, we will serve you.  We will love God with all of our hearts, souls, and minds.   And we will love our neighbors as we love ourselves.   This we pray in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Sermon Mark 1:21-28 “What is this? A new teaching”

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Presbyterian Church of Easton
Sermon Mark 1:21-28 “What is this? A new teaching”
January 31, 2021

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I am beginning today with a series of sermons on the early ministry of Jesus as recorded in the Book of Mark.  Jesus began his early ministry on the banks of a lake called the Sea of Galilee.  There, Jesus saw four fishermen and proclaimed the good news that the kingdom of God was near.  This proclamation of God’s word had an instant transformative effect on the four fishermen who immediately left their nets, boats, families, and businesses to follow Jesus.  

The Word of God can, with the assistance of the Holy Spirit, immediately transform a person receptive to it.  But today we are looking at the reverse of this.  What if the Word of God is proclaimed to someone who is not receptive to it, and in fact is downright hostile to it?  What if the Word of God is proclaimed to an evil spirit?

Before we begin this important work let us bow our heads and pray to Almighty God.  Father in heaven we thank you that your words are still proclaimed by your church.  Send your Spirit upon us, so that we may hear you though the words of scripture and the words I am speaking today.  Silence in us any spirit but your own.  Fill us with the Holy Spirit.  And may the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer.

Mark 1:21-28  21 They went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught.  22 They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. 

 23 Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit,  24 and he cried out, "What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God."  

25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be silent, and come out of him!"  26 And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him.  

27 They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, "What is this? A new teaching-- with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him."  28 At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.

Jesus and the four fishermen left the coastline and walked into a fishing village called Capernaum.  The sun was going down and all five knew that the Sabbath was almost there.  God had provided for his people a time of rest every week from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday.  At the Sabbath, the Hebrews remembered that their creator God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh.  Therefore the seventh day was set aside as a day of rest for all of God’s people.

As usual Jesus and his four followers entered the synagogue during the Sabbath.  They sat down with other men from the village.  Someone opened one of the scrolls and began to read from the Torah, the book of instruction.  We know the Torah; it is the first five books in our Old Testament.  After reading the scripture one of the men would then read from the Mishnah.   The Mishnah was a book containing an interpretation of the laws contained in the Torah.  For example, the following teaching might be heard in the synagogue concerning the Sabbath.

“If a person left his house and went to spend the Shabbat in another town, whether a non-Jew or an Israelite, then he restricts; so Rabbi Meir. Rabbi Yehudah says: he does not restrict. Rabbi Yose says: A non-Jew restricts, an Israeli does not restrict for it is not the custom of an Israelite to come on the Shabbat. Rabbi Shimon says: Even if he left his house and went to spend the Shabbat with his daughter in the same town, he does not restrict, because he had already dismissed it from his mind. (http://www.moreshet.net/oldsite/mishna/12-3-00/shabbat.htm)

This kind of detailed interpretation based on the opinions of previous rabbis would be read in the synagogue on the Sabbath.  But when Jesus entered the synagogue with the four fishermen that evening he spoke as one with the authority of his own.  Jesus had no need to quote his predecessor rabbis because Jesus’ interpretation of scripture was new and inspired directly by the Holy Spirit.  This just amazed the men sitting in the synagogue that night.

But among the men in the synagogue was one with an unclean spirit.  As I read this story in Mark I realized that the authority of Jesus was not what Jesus said in his sermon, but what Jesus did.  Jesus had great compassion for the man with an evil spirit because the man was ill and needed help.  He did not need a medical diagnosis or a magical spell.  What he needed was a God who loved him very much.  And it was this, God’s love expressed in Jesus Christ that satisfied his needs and drove out the evil spirit that tormented him.

Let’s talk for a moment about unclean spirits or demons.  The New Testament is very clear that in the first century people believed in the spirit world.  Spirits, both good and bad, coexisted with people on earth.  And these spirits could affect how people felt and behaved.  Today many people have a hard time believing in spirits.  The modern mind looks for natural explanations of things.  So what might have been interpreted as an evil spirit in the first century may now be explained as symptoms of a psychological problem.  

But increasingly we are seeing that modern psychology is having difficulty dealing with many of the problems that people face.  And sometimes the only relief that they can find is in prayer and the healing power of the Holy Spirit.  Because of this I believe that spirits do exist, whether scientists acknowledge them or not.   And the only way to deal with an evil spirit is with the power of prayer in the name of Jesus Christ.

The men in the synagogue that night knew Jesus as a teacher.  But the evil spirit knew exactly who Jesus really was; Jesus was the son of God.  Jesus ordered the spirit to be silent because Jesus was not ready to have his identity as God’s son revealed.  But Jesus was ready to reveal his great compassion and power by forcing the evil spirit out of the man it possessed.  Jesus’ power of exorcism combined with his authoritative teaching convinced the men in that synagogue that night that Jesus was a very special teacher indeed.  And Jesus’ fame spread throughout the region.

I have been wondering how this man with the evil spirit got into the synagogue in the first place.  The synagogue was a holy place and you had to be ritually clean to enter.  But as I look out at the congregation today I realize that many of you have brought evil spirits right here with you into this holy sanctuary.  Some of you have brought in the spirit of worry.  You are worried about your health, or worried about your job and finances, or worried about going into assisted living.  Some of you have brought in the spirit of addiction. You just can’t stop drinking alcohol or taking drugs.  Some of you have brought in the spirit of giving up.  You no longer try to find a job or make your life better. Others have brought in a spirit of anger because forgiveness seems so elusive. 

All of these spirits know that you have brought them into the presence of Jesus Christ and they know that Jesus is the Son of God.  These spirits are afraid that they might be destroyed right now and your worries, your addictions, your giving up, and your anger will go away.  So they remain hidden deep in your hearts fearing what might happen during this worship service.

What these evil spirits don’t know is that you are about to do something that has the power to destroy them.  You are about to pray that Jesus will bind them up and send them directly to hell where they belong.  The spirit of Jesus Christ will enter your hearts to silence, rebuke, and cast out the evil spirits that are lurking there. Then you will experience the peace of Jesus Christ’s spirit in your heart.  

It is time to bring to Jesus any spirit that has been bothering you.   It is time for you to ask Jesus to purge them away.   Beginning this Wednesday and again next Sunday, my wife, Grace, and I will be here in this sanctuary to pray with you.   At 7 pm on Wednesdays and Sundays, we will read scripture and pray.   We will pray for the church.   And whatever is bothering you, bring it with you, and we will ask Jesus to permanently send it away.  Let’s pray.

Lord Jesus Christ, like that day so many years ago when you entered the synagogue of Capernaum evil spirits, are right here in our hearts.  We ask that you send your spirit to our hearts to confront the spirits that have tormented us for so long.  Silence, rebuke, and cast out all the spirits that keep us from your love.  And bless us with your compassion and peace. Amen.