Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Sermon Isaiah 40:1-11 Prepare the Way of the Lord
Eagle Rock Presbyterian Church
December 7, 2008
On this second Sunday of Advent we are continuing in our study of Isaiah. Last Sunday we heard from the preacher of the late 6th century before Christ writing in Isaiah as the people of God made their way back to Jerusalem. When they saw the destruction of their beloved city they wondered if God had abandoned them. They asked if God would ever return to Jerusalem. Last Wednesday night we listened as the 8th century prophet in Isaiah spoke to King Ahaz trying to assure him and us that there is no reason to fear because God is with us. Today we will hear the decree of God concerning his people and the task given to the poet writing in Isaiah during the Babylonian exile. But before we hear from God will you pray with me?
Lord Jesus Christ we await your coming in glory at Christmas. Prepare us for your arrival by filling the valleys in our hearts and setting us on the straight paths. We ask that your comfort us with your love. Amen.
NRS Isaiah 40:1 Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. 2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that she has served her term, that her penalty is paid, that she has received from the LORD's hand double for all her sins. 3 A voice cries out: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. 5 Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken." 6 A voice says, "Cry out!" And I said, "What shall I cry?" All people are grass, their constancy is like the flower of the field. 7 The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of the LORD blows upon it; surely the people are grass. 8 The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand forever. 9 Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good tidings; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good tidings, lift it up, do not fear; say to the cities of Judah, "Here is your God!" 10 See, the Lord GOD comes with might, and his arm rules for him; his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. 11 He will feed his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead the mother sheep.
God has convened a grand council in heaven. All of the heavenly host have been summoned to God’s throne to hear God’s decree concerning his people. All of the angels are ready to take God’s decree and proclaim it to the four corners of the world. Everyone is ready for God to come, ascend the throne, and speak the words that will transform all of creation
The prayers of God’s people have been pouring into heaven for years. Some of these have been prayers of anger because God has permitted his own city, Jerusalem, and his own temple to be destroyed by the Babylonians. Others have been prayers of disillusionment because God’s people have questioned if the God of Israel is really God, or is it time to worship Marduk, the Babylonian god instead. Still other prayers are of repentance; people are begging God for forgiveness and restoration of their city. These prayers and so many more have come to heaven and now God is ready to make a new decree.
God enters the council and sits on the throne in his majesty and power and speaks:
NRS Isaiah 40:1 Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. 2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that she has served her term, that her penalty is paid, that she has received from the LORD's hand double for all her sins.
God has decreed that the time of punishment for Judah’s idolatry is over. Now, all of heaven is directed to bring comfort to God’s people. The angels are told to stop bringing messages of condemnation and begin speaking tenderly and gently to God’s people in exile. They are to tell the people that God has forgiven their sins, and is once again ready to bless them richly. This is the day to put away the sackcloth and ashes and rejoice for the Lord has come to redeem them. God is on the way back to Jerusalem.
The angels take this great message of hope and proclaim it to God’s people. Hear what they had to say:
NRS Isaiah 40: 3 …"In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. 5 Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken."
All of the people of God living in exile, separated from their nation and their city and their God were symbolically wandering in the wilderness just as their ancestors had centuries before. But as a result of God’s decree that the people should be comforted, a highway will be built from Babylon back to Jerusalem so God’s people could return home and God’s glory could return to Mount Zion, Jerusalem. Through this restoration God’s glory would be displayed so brightly that God would be revealed to all people of all nations of the earth.
Then one of the angels saw a poet living with the exiles in Babylon. The angel approached the poet and said:
NRS Isaiah 40: 6 … "Cry out!" And (the poet) replied, "What shall I cry?" All people are grass, their constancy is like the flower of the field. 7 The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of the LORD blows upon it; surely the people are grass.
The poet in the Isaiah sees the suffering of God’s people in exile. She sees how a once great people are now servants in another land. They are bowed over. Their glory has faded. Repeated proclamations from God communicated through the prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel have convinced the people that the exile and destruction of Jerusalem was their fault. Their idolatry was the reason for their suffering. The people just can’t take another proclamation of judgment from God.
But the angel replied:
NRS Isaiah 40: 8 “The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand forever.”
Even though the people of God have been humbled by God’s judgment the new decree must be heard and obeyed. They need to know, and the poet needs to tell them that God has decreed comfort for all of his people. They are forgiven and will be restored to their city and their country. They need to know that God is returning to Jerusalem and they have to rebuild and be ready for God’s return.
Then the angel told the poet that she is to return to Jerusalem to proclaim to the people who remain there that God is returning:
NRS Isaiah 40: 9 “Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good tidings; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good tidings, lift it up, do not fear; say to the cities of Judah, "Here is your God!" 10 See, the Lord GOD comes with might, and his arm rules for him; his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. 11 He will feed his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead the mother sheep.
The people who remained in Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile were the poor, the mentally ill, the aged, and disabled, all the people that Babylon did not want in their city. These marginalized people were left behind to eke out whatever kind of living they could from the rubble of the city. It is to these people that the poet is to return proclaiming the new decree of God. The poet is to proclaim that God is returning for them. God will return in might to protect them from those who would do them harm. And God will protect them, heal their wounds, and feed them just as a shepherd would care for his sheep. This gospel of good news to the poor was the message that the angel of God wanted the poet to proclaim to God’s people in Jerusalem and to all the people of the world.
Eventually, Jerusalem and the temple were rebuilt. By the time of King Herod, Jerusalem was a large city in the Roman Empire and the Temple had been expanded to dimensions that even exceeded the magnificent structure Solomon had built, but the poor, the mentally ill, the aged, and the disabled remained. The God of justice and righteousness had not yet returned. The people longed for the day when God would come like a good shepherd to care for his people.
Then one day a man appeared in the wilderness. And like the poet before him he proclaimed the good news that God had decreed comfort for all his people and forgiveness for all who repented. The Good Shepherd was about to return to Jerusalem. Luke talks about it in this way:
Luke 3:2-6 …the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3 He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, 4 as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, "The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 5 Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth; 6 and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'"
In Jesus Christ, God has finally returned to Jerusalem to heal the sick, clothe the naked, and feed the hungry. In Jesus Christ, all of our sins have been forgiven. In Jesus Christ, we have been restored and renewed and ready to rebuild our fallen world.
So here is the good news that I have for you this morning. God has decreed that you are to be comforted. All of your sins have been forgiven. Your God has come to care for you, to heal your illnesses, to give you something to eat and a place to stay. You are to proclaim this good news of God’s love to everyone you meet. You are to lead then out of the wilderness were they now live, and bring them to new life in Jesus Christ.
Father in Heaven, we thank you for all the comfort we have received in Jesus Christ. We thank you for feeding us and binding our wounds as our shepherd. We thank you for forgiving our sins and restoring us to new life. We pray all of this in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Sermon Isaiah 64:1-9 We are your People
Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Eagle Rock Presbyterian Church
Sermon Isaiah 64:1-9 We are your People
November 30, 2008
This morning I am beginning a series of sermons from Isaiah. During Advent we will be looking at this important Old Testament book. Isaiah was in the Bible that Jesus read and taught from. A Greek translation of Isaiah had been distributed all over the known world by the first century. And Isaiah had enormous influence on New Testament authors who quoted from it frequently. For all of these reasons it is important for Christians to understand what Isaiah says about God.
Isaiah speaks to us in four voices. The first was the voice of a prophet. His name was Isaiah, the son of Amoz. He lived in Jerusalem in the first half of the eighth century before Christ. The prophet spoke at of time of great international conflict. The Assyrian Empire was growing stronger and was becoming a threat to its neighbors. The military alliance between Judah, Israel and Aram was dissolving. During the prophet’s lifetime the kingdoms of Israel and Aram were destroyed by the Assyrians. Judah and its magnificent capitol of Jerusalem were threatened. The prophet called on the people of God to turn away from their worship of foreign gods and return to worship of the Holy One of Israel.
The second voice in Isaiah is that of a poet. We don’t know his or her name. But we do know of the great love and respect that this poet had for the prophet called Isaiah. The poet lived in Babylon with other Jews who had been exiled after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians. The poet spoke at a time of relative peace, but the people longed for a return to their city and farms. The poet called the people of God to return to the faith of their ancestors in the Holy One of Israel. The poet told them to put away their idols of wood and clay and worship the LORD.
The third voice in Isaiah is that of a preacher. The preacher had great love and respect for both the prophet and poet. The preacher spoke during the time of the return from exile. Babylon had been defeated by the Persian Empire and King Cyrus had permitted the Jews to return to their land and to rebuild their city. The preacher called the people of God to faith in the Holy One of Israel. Even though the magnificent Temple of Solomon had been burned to the ground, the preacher told the people that the LORD was still their God.
The fourth and final voice in Isaiah was that of the editor who in the fifth century before Christ took the writings of the prophet, the poet and the preacher and put them into a scroll which we know as Isaiah. This scroll has been faithfully preserved from then until now, twenty five centuries, by the faithful people of God.
Today we read from the preacher in Isaiah 64:1-9.
NRS Isaiah 64:1 O that you would tear open the heavens and come down, so that the mountains would quake at your presence-- 2 as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil-- to make your name known to your adversaries, so that the nations might tremble at your presence! 3 When you did awesome deeds that we did not expect, you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence. 4 From ages past no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who works for those who wait for him. 5 You meet those who gladly do right, those who remember you in your ways. But you were angry, and we sinned; because you hid yourself we transgressed.
6 We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy cloth. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. 7 There is no one who calls on your name, or attempts to take hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us, and have delivered us into the hand of our iniquity.
8 Yet, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand. 9 Do not be exceedingly angry, O LORD, and do not remember iniquity forever. Now consider, we are all your people.
As the Jews made their way back to Jerusalem the sight they saw was devastating. Their beloved city was in ruins and their Temple was burned to the ground, no more Holy of Holies, no more Arc of the Covenant, no more God. It must have felt like God had abandoned them.
We have all experienced these times when God is not to be found. After a night of prayers you go to the hospital and doctor says that your mother did not make it through the night. Where is God when it hurts so much? After dinner with the woman you love and want to marry she says “I don’t love you. The relationship is over.” Where is God when it hurts so much? You lose your job and can’t pay this months rent; you may have to live in your car. Where, oh where, is God? Even Jesus experienced the absence of God when he cried out from the cross, “My God, My God why have you forsaken me? The absence of God is not something we ever want to experience but from time to time we do.
When the Jews experienced the absence of God they remembered what God had done for them in the past. God had protected the nation time and again. It was God that had freed the people from slavery in Egypt and gave them the Promised Land. It was God who had protected them from the Philistines and the Assyrians. God could always be counted on, until now. And that made the feeling of abandonment even worse. Why had God blessed their ancestors so much but turned his back on them when the Babylonians came? They knew deep down that it was their own fault; they had turned their backs to God by worshiping idols. But in their anger they blamed God for all that had happened to them.
The Jews finally realized that God was not something that they could control. God was not a good luck charm. Not all prayers are answered. They also realized that the protection from the consequence of sin, that they had always enjoyed, had been removed. Now they had to experience the consequences of what they had done themselves. But they still had one perplexing question: Why had God acted in history to save his people but failed to do the same for them?
We face this same question today. Why did God deliver Israel from Egypt but did nothing to prevent the slaughter of six million Jews in the holocaust? Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German theologian writing from a concentration camp in 1944 said, “God would have us know that we are men who manage our lives without him. The God who is with us is the God who will forsake us.” Bonhoeffer was reminding us of the Christ who came not as a super hero to solve all the world problems, but as a vulnerable suffering servant.
The Jews returning to Jerusalem experienced the absence of God but were not
driven to despair. Rather they were filled with hope. This hope rested on their belief that God had formed them from the dust of the earth and had breathed life into their lungs. God was their creator, and they were all God’s people. So filled with hope they cried out for God to break open the heavens and return to Jerusalem. And confident that God would return one day, they began the hard work of rebuilding their city and their temple.
God did come back to Jerusalem in a spectacular way. The heavens were literally ripped open and God descended back to earth. Listen to what happened from the Gospel of Mark:
Mark 1:9-11 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. 11 And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."
This is what Advent is all about. Even though we may experience the absence of God in our lives and all the suffering that entails, Jesus Christ is coming at Christmas. In Jesus Christ, God loves us as much as a potter loves the clay pot he has created. In Jesus Christ, God loves us as much as parent loves a child. In Jesus Christ, God will never leave or abandon us. God is always with us. We read in Isaiah. “You shall call him Immanuel”, God is with us.
Father in Heaven as we await the coming of your son at Christmas we ask that you forgive our sins and pardon us for turning our backs on you. We ask that you never abandon us nor forsake us. We ask that you care for us as your creatures, your children and your people. Send your Holy Spirit to be with us always. And we pray this in the name of our coming Lord, Jesus Christ. Come Lord Jesus. Amen.
Eagle Rock Presbyterian Church
Sermon Isaiah 64:1-9 We are your People
November 30, 2008
This morning I am beginning a series of sermons from Isaiah. During Advent we will be looking at this important Old Testament book. Isaiah was in the Bible that Jesus read and taught from. A Greek translation of Isaiah had been distributed all over the known world by the first century. And Isaiah had enormous influence on New Testament authors who quoted from it frequently. For all of these reasons it is important for Christians to understand what Isaiah says about God.
Isaiah speaks to us in four voices. The first was the voice of a prophet. His name was Isaiah, the son of Amoz. He lived in Jerusalem in the first half of the eighth century before Christ. The prophet spoke at of time of great international conflict. The Assyrian Empire was growing stronger and was becoming a threat to its neighbors. The military alliance between Judah, Israel and Aram was dissolving. During the prophet’s lifetime the kingdoms of Israel and Aram were destroyed by the Assyrians. Judah and its magnificent capitol of Jerusalem were threatened. The prophet called on the people of God to turn away from their worship of foreign gods and return to worship of the Holy One of Israel.
The second voice in Isaiah is that of a poet. We don’t know his or her name. But we do know of the great love and respect that this poet had for the prophet called Isaiah. The poet lived in Babylon with other Jews who had been exiled after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians. The poet spoke at a time of relative peace, but the people longed for a return to their city and farms. The poet called the people of God to return to the faith of their ancestors in the Holy One of Israel. The poet told them to put away their idols of wood and clay and worship the LORD.
The third voice in Isaiah is that of a preacher. The preacher had great love and respect for both the prophet and poet. The preacher spoke during the time of the return from exile. Babylon had been defeated by the Persian Empire and King Cyrus had permitted the Jews to return to their land and to rebuild their city. The preacher called the people of God to faith in the Holy One of Israel. Even though the magnificent Temple of Solomon had been burned to the ground, the preacher told the people that the LORD was still their God.
The fourth and final voice in Isaiah was that of the editor who in the fifth century before Christ took the writings of the prophet, the poet and the preacher and put them into a scroll which we know as Isaiah. This scroll has been faithfully preserved from then until now, twenty five centuries, by the faithful people of God.
Today we read from the preacher in Isaiah 64:1-9.
NRS Isaiah 64:1 O that you would tear open the heavens and come down, so that the mountains would quake at your presence-- 2 as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil-- to make your name known to your adversaries, so that the nations might tremble at your presence! 3 When you did awesome deeds that we did not expect, you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence. 4 From ages past no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who works for those who wait for him. 5 You meet those who gladly do right, those who remember you in your ways. But you were angry, and we sinned; because you hid yourself we transgressed.
6 We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy cloth. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. 7 There is no one who calls on your name, or attempts to take hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us, and have delivered us into the hand of our iniquity.
8 Yet, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand. 9 Do not be exceedingly angry, O LORD, and do not remember iniquity forever. Now consider, we are all your people.
As the Jews made their way back to Jerusalem the sight they saw was devastating. Their beloved city was in ruins and their Temple was burned to the ground, no more Holy of Holies, no more Arc of the Covenant, no more God. It must have felt like God had abandoned them.
We have all experienced these times when God is not to be found. After a night of prayers you go to the hospital and doctor says that your mother did not make it through the night. Where is God when it hurts so much? After dinner with the woman you love and want to marry she says “I don’t love you. The relationship is over.” Where is God when it hurts so much? You lose your job and can’t pay this months rent; you may have to live in your car. Where, oh where, is God? Even Jesus experienced the absence of God when he cried out from the cross, “My God, My God why have you forsaken me? The absence of God is not something we ever want to experience but from time to time we do.
When the Jews experienced the absence of God they remembered what God had done for them in the past. God had protected the nation time and again. It was God that had freed the people from slavery in Egypt and gave them the Promised Land. It was God who had protected them from the Philistines and the Assyrians. God could always be counted on, until now. And that made the feeling of abandonment even worse. Why had God blessed their ancestors so much but turned his back on them when the Babylonians came? They knew deep down that it was their own fault; they had turned their backs to God by worshiping idols. But in their anger they blamed God for all that had happened to them.
The Jews finally realized that God was not something that they could control. God was not a good luck charm. Not all prayers are answered. They also realized that the protection from the consequence of sin, that they had always enjoyed, had been removed. Now they had to experience the consequences of what they had done themselves. But they still had one perplexing question: Why had God acted in history to save his people but failed to do the same for them?
We face this same question today. Why did God deliver Israel from Egypt but did nothing to prevent the slaughter of six million Jews in the holocaust? Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German theologian writing from a concentration camp in 1944 said, “God would have us know that we are men who manage our lives without him. The God who is with us is the God who will forsake us.” Bonhoeffer was reminding us of the Christ who came not as a super hero to solve all the world problems, but as a vulnerable suffering servant.
The Jews returning to Jerusalem experienced the absence of God but were not
driven to despair. Rather they were filled with hope. This hope rested on their belief that God had formed them from the dust of the earth and had breathed life into their lungs. God was their creator, and they were all God’s people. So filled with hope they cried out for God to break open the heavens and return to Jerusalem. And confident that God would return one day, they began the hard work of rebuilding their city and their temple.
God did come back to Jerusalem in a spectacular way. The heavens were literally ripped open and God descended back to earth. Listen to what happened from the Gospel of Mark:
Mark 1:9-11 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. 11 And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."
This is what Advent is all about. Even though we may experience the absence of God in our lives and all the suffering that entails, Jesus Christ is coming at Christmas. In Jesus Christ, God loves us as much as a potter loves the clay pot he has created. In Jesus Christ, God loves us as much as parent loves a child. In Jesus Christ, God will never leave or abandon us. God is always with us. We read in Isaiah. “You shall call him Immanuel”, God is with us.
Father in Heaven as we await the coming of your son at Christmas we ask that you forgive our sins and pardon us for turning our backs on you. We ask that you never abandon us nor forsake us. We ask that you care for us as your creatures, your children and your people. Send your Holy Spirit to be with us always. And we pray this in the name of our coming Lord, Jesus Christ. Come Lord Jesus. Amen.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
From the Pastor's Desk
From the Pastor’s Desk
“In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem … When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” (Matthew 2:1, 9-11)
At this time of year we are all wondering what gifts we should give to family and friends. Since passing on our faith is the greatest gift that you can give someone I suggest that you give gifts that express your faith in Jesus Christ and I have some recommendations for you.
The author Anne Rice has recently written three books which would be very appropriate for anyone on your gift list. Her newest book is called Called out of Darkness, a spiritual confession. This is her autobiography where she tells her fans about her growing up as a Roman Catholic child, her loss of faith as an adult, and her return to the faith she had lost. As a result of her reclaimed faith she wrote two novels about the life of Jesus. These are: Christ the Lord, out of Egypt, and Christ the Lord, the road to Cana. Any of these three books would be perfect gifts for your friends and family. And they would be wonderful treats for you to read this Christmas season.
Reading these books, for me, has been like discovering an old friend. Many years ago I read and loved Anne’s books about vampires and witches. As my relationship with Jesus Christ grew I stopped reading her books. Little did I know that Anne Rice was making a similar return to the faith that I was experiencing. And now I can rejoice because an old friend has returned and I can read and enjoy Anne Rice novels once again.
Merry Christmas
Pastor Jeff Howard
“In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem … When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” (Matthew 2:1, 9-11)
At this time of year we are all wondering what gifts we should give to family and friends. Since passing on our faith is the greatest gift that you can give someone I suggest that you give gifts that express your faith in Jesus Christ and I have some recommendations for you.
The author Anne Rice has recently written three books which would be very appropriate for anyone on your gift list. Her newest book is called Called out of Darkness, a spiritual confession. This is her autobiography where she tells her fans about her growing up as a Roman Catholic child, her loss of faith as an adult, and her return to the faith she had lost. As a result of her reclaimed faith she wrote two novels about the life of Jesus. These are: Christ the Lord, out of Egypt, and Christ the Lord, the road to Cana. Any of these three books would be perfect gifts for your friends and family. And they would be wonderful treats for you to read this Christmas season.
Reading these books, for me, has been like discovering an old friend. Many years ago I read and loved Anne’s books about vampires and witches. As my relationship with Jesus Christ grew I stopped reading her books. Little did I know that Anne Rice was making a similar return to the faith that I was experiencing. And now I can rejoice because an old friend has returned and I can read and enjoy Anne Rice novels once again.
Merry Christmas
Pastor Jeff Howard
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Sermon – Matthew 6:25-33 Don’t Worry be Thankful
Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Eagle Rock Presbyterian Church
Sermon – Matthew 6:25-33 Don’t Worry be Thankful
November 23, 2008
This morning we will be remembering all of the blessings that we have received in our lifetimes: the blessings of our birth and loving parents, the blessing of our youth, education, and moral development, the blessings of our spouses, families, jobs and church, the blessings of retirement, travel, and lifelong friendships. We have so much to be thankful for. So God has given us this week to be thankful for all of our blessings.
Will you pray with me? Father in heaven, we approach your throne this morning thankful for all you have done for us. Purge from our minds the worries that often overwhelm us. Help us to focus this week on all that you have provided for us, especially our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.
If you are anything like me you worry most of the time. I worry about the stock market going down and what is happening to my retirement funds. I worry about my parents getting older and how they will be cared for. I worry about this church and the problems each of you face. I worry, like so many others, about paying the bills each month. Worry is a part of my life and I am sure that worry is a part of your lives too.
The Israelites were worried as they wandered in the wilderness. Just a few days after God freed them from slavery in Egypt with the miraculous parting of the Red Sea they ran out of water. Moses, who had been a shepherd in this desert for forty years, guided them to a watering hole, but the water was bitter and people were worried. “O Moses, what have you done? We had plenty of water in Egypt. It would have been better to die there than die here in the desert of thirst.” God knew they were worried so God led them to an area with twelve springs, one for each tribe.
But a few days later the Israelites ran out of food. They worried again. “O Moses, what have you done? We had plenty of food in Egypt. It would have been better to die there with full stomachs that to die out here in the wilderness of hunger.” God knew that they were worried so he rained down bread from heaven each morning and had quails fly by every evening so that the Israelites would never be hungry.
You would think that with all these blessings from God the Israelites would never worry again. After all time after time God had provided for them. But when the spies returned from the Promised Land with a report that the people of Canaan where powerful, and descended from giants the Israelites were worried, really worried. “O Moses, what have you done? In Egypt we weren’t facing slaughter. It would have been better to remain slaves than to all be killed in this strange place.” With that their God, who was slow to anger and abiding in steadfast love had enough. God was ready to wipe out his people and start over. But Moses intervened and reminded God of God’s love for God’s people. So God relented, and permitted the Israelites to wander around the desert for forty years where they could worry all the time until a new generation, free from worry, could take what was being offered, a land flowing with milk and honey.
Worry is part of our lives. We do it well because we practice it all the time. We are worried about the economy and the values of our retirement investments and homes. We are worried about keeping our jobs, or finding a job. We are worried about our health and what will happen to us as we age. We are worried about our families and their future.
The Christians of the Protestant Reformation were also filled with worry. As William of Orange organized the rebel forces in the Netherlands to fight for political independence from Spain and religious independence from Rome the Reformed Christians worried about their churches, their country and their lives. They gathered into churches and confessed their faith which sustained them through these most dangerous times. In the midst of their worry here is what they confessed.
“We gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing; He chastens and hastens His will to make known; the wicked oppressing now cease from distressing, sing praises to His name; he forgets not His own. Beside us to guide us our God with us joining, ordaining, maintaining His kingdom divine; so from the beginning the fight we are winning; Thou, Lord wast at our side; all glory be Thine! We all do extol Thee, Thou leader triumphant, and pray that Thou still our defender wilt be, let thy congregation escape tribulation; thy name be ever praised! O Lord, make us free!”
Whenever we are overwhelmed by worry there is a simple solution. All we have to do is to turn to God with praise and thanksgiving. By praising God our faith increases, which allows us to withstand anything that world might throw at us. We are able to face our worries with confidence only when we have first approach God in praise.
And this brings us to this morning’s scripture and Jesus’ teachings on worry.
Matthew 6:25-33 25 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? 28 And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you-- you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear?' 32 For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
According to Jesus, the antidote for worrying all the time is service to others. If we feed someone who is hungry today then we will not be worried about being hungry tomorrow. If we clothe someone who is naked today then we will not be concerned with what we will wear tomorrow. This is how the Kingdom of Heaven works. God provides us with everything we need and all God asks us to do is to provide for the needs of others. By caring for others we realize all the blessings that we have received and become a thankful people praising God in the highest.
Craig Barnes, a prominent Presbyterian pastor, tells a story about one Thanksgiving. On Thanksgiving morning at about 11AM while his family was preparing for a great feast the telephone rang. It was a nurse at a local hospital saying that a member of his church was dying. Craig was worried about the interruption this would cause in his family’s plans for the day. He arrived at the hospital to find Jean, a seventy-eight year old member of the congregation surrounded by her family. She had had another heart attack and was not expected to make it through the day. Jean was about to die. After Craig prayed with the family and read some scripture someone mentioned that it was sad for Jean to die on Thanksgiving. But Jean replied that it was a glorious Thanksgiving because she would soon be with the Lord. She then prayed for everyone in the room and died. While driving home Craig realized that Jean was a saint. She had taught Sunday School for thirty-five years until her eyesight failed and then settled into a ministry of prayer for others. Jean had no worry about her fate because of her service to others in the kingdom. She was grateful for all that God had done for her. Craig arrived home just in time to carve the Thanksgiving turkey, but Jean was on his mind, and all he could say as he carved the bird was that this truly was a glorious Thanksgiving.
When we live lives of service to others we stop worrying about what the future will bring and become thankful people who praise God of our blessings. As Christians we are thankful for all the blessings God has provided for us: the blue sky and bright sunshine, families coming together for the Thanksgiving feast, the food, water and clothing that our planet provides, and our saving faith in Jesus Christ. All these and so much more have been provided to us by our loving God. So we have come here today to thank God for all that God has done for us, to express our gratitude for all the blessings we have received, and to commit ourselves to lives of service to others. As we gather together lets give our worries to God and be thankful for all the blessings we have received.
Gracious and loving God, we are a people who gather around tables. On Thanksgiving Day, many of us will gather around dining tables or kitchen tables or tray tables and share a meal with our family and friends. We give thanks to you, O God, for food and the time to enjoy it together. As we are seated at our tables, help us also remember the table where we gather in worship to celebrate the Lord’s Supper. At this table we are all God’s people gathered in communion with Christ. May our joy-filled celebrations of Thanksgiving Day remind us of the joyful feast of the people of God. Thank you, God! Amen.
Eagle Rock Presbyterian Church
Sermon – Matthew 6:25-33 Don’t Worry be Thankful
November 23, 2008
This morning we will be remembering all of the blessings that we have received in our lifetimes: the blessings of our birth and loving parents, the blessing of our youth, education, and moral development, the blessings of our spouses, families, jobs and church, the blessings of retirement, travel, and lifelong friendships. We have so much to be thankful for. So God has given us this week to be thankful for all of our blessings.
Will you pray with me? Father in heaven, we approach your throne this morning thankful for all you have done for us. Purge from our minds the worries that often overwhelm us. Help us to focus this week on all that you have provided for us, especially our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.
If you are anything like me you worry most of the time. I worry about the stock market going down and what is happening to my retirement funds. I worry about my parents getting older and how they will be cared for. I worry about this church and the problems each of you face. I worry, like so many others, about paying the bills each month. Worry is a part of my life and I am sure that worry is a part of your lives too.
The Israelites were worried as they wandered in the wilderness. Just a few days after God freed them from slavery in Egypt with the miraculous parting of the Red Sea they ran out of water. Moses, who had been a shepherd in this desert for forty years, guided them to a watering hole, but the water was bitter and people were worried. “O Moses, what have you done? We had plenty of water in Egypt. It would have been better to die there than die here in the desert of thirst.” God knew they were worried so God led them to an area with twelve springs, one for each tribe.
But a few days later the Israelites ran out of food. They worried again. “O Moses, what have you done? We had plenty of food in Egypt. It would have been better to die there with full stomachs that to die out here in the wilderness of hunger.” God knew that they were worried so he rained down bread from heaven each morning and had quails fly by every evening so that the Israelites would never be hungry.
You would think that with all these blessings from God the Israelites would never worry again. After all time after time God had provided for them. But when the spies returned from the Promised Land with a report that the people of Canaan where powerful, and descended from giants the Israelites were worried, really worried. “O Moses, what have you done? In Egypt we weren’t facing slaughter. It would have been better to remain slaves than to all be killed in this strange place.” With that their God, who was slow to anger and abiding in steadfast love had enough. God was ready to wipe out his people and start over. But Moses intervened and reminded God of God’s love for God’s people. So God relented, and permitted the Israelites to wander around the desert for forty years where they could worry all the time until a new generation, free from worry, could take what was being offered, a land flowing with milk and honey.
Worry is part of our lives. We do it well because we practice it all the time. We are worried about the economy and the values of our retirement investments and homes. We are worried about keeping our jobs, or finding a job. We are worried about our health and what will happen to us as we age. We are worried about our families and their future.
The Christians of the Protestant Reformation were also filled with worry. As William of Orange organized the rebel forces in the Netherlands to fight for political independence from Spain and religious independence from Rome the Reformed Christians worried about their churches, their country and their lives. They gathered into churches and confessed their faith which sustained them through these most dangerous times. In the midst of their worry here is what they confessed.
“We gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing; He chastens and hastens His will to make known; the wicked oppressing now cease from distressing, sing praises to His name; he forgets not His own. Beside us to guide us our God with us joining, ordaining, maintaining His kingdom divine; so from the beginning the fight we are winning; Thou, Lord wast at our side; all glory be Thine! We all do extol Thee, Thou leader triumphant, and pray that Thou still our defender wilt be, let thy congregation escape tribulation; thy name be ever praised! O Lord, make us free!”
Whenever we are overwhelmed by worry there is a simple solution. All we have to do is to turn to God with praise and thanksgiving. By praising God our faith increases, which allows us to withstand anything that world might throw at us. We are able to face our worries with confidence only when we have first approach God in praise.
And this brings us to this morning’s scripture and Jesus’ teachings on worry.
Matthew 6:25-33 25 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? 28 And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you-- you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear?' 32 For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
According to Jesus, the antidote for worrying all the time is service to others. If we feed someone who is hungry today then we will not be worried about being hungry tomorrow. If we clothe someone who is naked today then we will not be concerned with what we will wear tomorrow. This is how the Kingdom of Heaven works. God provides us with everything we need and all God asks us to do is to provide for the needs of others. By caring for others we realize all the blessings that we have received and become a thankful people praising God in the highest.
Craig Barnes, a prominent Presbyterian pastor, tells a story about one Thanksgiving. On Thanksgiving morning at about 11AM while his family was preparing for a great feast the telephone rang. It was a nurse at a local hospital saying that a member of his church was dying. Craig was worried about the interruption this would cause in his family’s plans for the day. He arrived at the hospital to find Jean, a seventy-eight year old member of the congregation surrounded by her family. She had had another heart attack and was not expected to make it through the day. Jean was about to die. After Craig prayed with the family and read some scripture someone mentioned that it was sad for Jean to die on Thanksgiving. But Jean replied that it was a glorious Thanksgiving because she would soon be with the Lord. She then prayed for everyone in the room and died. While driving home Craig realized that Jean was a saint. She had taught Sunday School for thirty-five years until her eyesight failed and then settled into a ministry of prayer for others. Jean had no worry about her fate because of her service to others in the kingdom. She was grateful for all that God had done for her. Craig arrived home just in time to carve the Thanksgiving turkey, but Jean was on his mind, and all he could say as he carved the bird was that this truly was a glorious Thanksgiving.
When we live lives of service to others we stop worrying about what the future will bring and become thankful people who praise God of our blessings. As Christians we are thankful for all the blessings God has provided for us: the blue sky and bright sunshine, families coming together for the Thanksgiving feast, the food, water and clothing that our planet provides, and our saving faith in Jesus Christ. All these and so much more have been provided to us by our loving God. So we have come here today to thank God for all that God has done for us, to express our gratitude for all the blessings we have received, and to commit ourselves to lives of service to others. As we gather together lets give our worries to God and be thankful for all the blessings we have received.
Gracious and loving God, we are a people who gather around tables. On Thanksgiving Day, many of us will gather around dining tables or kitchen tables or tray tables and share a meal with our family and friends. We give thanks to you, O God, for food and the time to enjoy it together. As we are seated at our tables, help us also remember the table where we gather in worship to celebrate the Lord’s Supper. At this table we are all God’s people gathered in communion with Christ. May our joy-filled celebrations of Thanksgiving Day remind us of the joyful feast of the people of God. Thank you, God! Amen.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Sermon Matthew 25:14-30 Well Done Good and Faithful Servant
Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Sermon Matthew 25:14-30 Well Done Good and Faithful Servant
Eagle Rock Presbyterian Church
November 16, 2008
This morning we are celebrating Stewardship Sunday. Now I know that “celebrating” in not the usual term applied to this day. Most of us think of Stewardship Sunday as a time when the church hits us up for more money. How could this be a celebration? But the reality is that today we are celebrating all the gifts that God has provided to us and the response that God has expects from us, the sharing our blessings with others. As we prepare for this celebration will you pray with me?
Holy Spirit fill our heart this day with God’s love. Help us to remember all the blessings we have received throughout our lifetimes. Help us to share the blessings God has given us with others in the kingdom. We pray all of this in the name of the greatest gift God has given us, our savior, Jesus Christ.
Matthew 25:14-30 14 "For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; 15 to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16 The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. 17 In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. 18 But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money. 19 After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. 20 Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, 'Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.' 21 His master said to him, 'Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.' 22 And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, 'Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.' 23 His master said to him, 'Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.' 24 Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, 'Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.' 26 But his master replied, 'You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? 27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. 29 For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. 30 As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'
Years ago I went to business school and studied economics. One of the important concepts in economics is the “velocity of money”. Here is how it works. Suppose Vern owns a bank and Lewrene deposits her savings in Vern’s bank. Then Cora borrows some money from Vern’s bank, that originally came from Lewrene, to open a business and then places her profits back in the bank. Ellory then wants to buy a car so he borrows the money from Vern’s bank that had been originally deposited by Lewrene and has already been used by Cora. You see the same money was used over and over again, it was multiplied. This is called the velocity of money and is essential for the well working of the economy.
One of the major reasons our economy is in trouble is that the velocity of money has slowed down. Because of all the bad mortgages in the system banks are unwilling to lend the money they have. So there is no multiplication of money. The government has made sufficient money available, but it has to be used over and over again and this has not yet happened. Eventually money will begin to move once again and our economy will begin to grow but no one knows when this will happen.
The velocity of money is a concept that can be applied to God’s economy as well. Remember that the underlying principle in God’s economy comes to us from the promise of God to Abraham when God said “I will bless you … so that you will be a blessing”. Suppose that someone in the congregation is richly blessed with good health, and loving family. In God’s economy these blessing are to be shared with others. Those who have been blessed are to share these blessings by blessings others in need. We are to care for the poor and needy in our community. In this way the blessings we receive are multiplied benefiting the entire kingdom of God.
Let’s look how God’s economy works in today’s scripture. The first slave received five talents. In ancient times a talent was a heavy gold coin. It was the largest denomination of ancient currency. It was a lot of money. Five talents equaled the total wages a laborer could possibly earn in about eighty years, a lifetime. So in this parable five talents represent all the blessings that God has provided us over our life times, all of the food that we have enjoyed, all of the love we have received from family and friends, and, of course the church God has provided for us for worship. God had provided this first servant a lifetime of blessings. And what did this slave do with all of these blessings? She shared every one of those blessings with others though countless acts of love and compassion. Every blessing invested by God in this slave had been multiplied as blessings for others. You see the velocity of blessings at work. The blessings we receive from God are used to bless others, and those who are blessed by us blessed still others, on and on, until the whole world is blessed. And when this slave appeared in heaven after a long lifetime of shared blessings Christ said, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
The second slave received two talents of blessings from God. This represented all of the blessings that those of us in middle age have received. We realize that although the world presents many challenges for us we have been greatly blessed by God. We have been blessed with loving families, good jobs, and promise of a glorious future. The second slave recognized all the blessings that he had received and decided to share all those blessings with others. Although his family budget was limited, he still found what was needed to give to his church to maintain Christian worship and serve the poor in the community. Although his time was limited, he still made time for worship, prayer and volunteer service. And through his efforts more and more people received God’s blessings and were able to bless others. So when Christ looks down from heaven and sees this saint he says, “Well done good and faithful servant”.
But of course we have to look at the third slave too. This slave was young with a bright future ahead. Already she had already received one talent of blessings from God. But she was afraid. She feared that if she gave food to the hungry she would have no food for herself. She feared that if she clothed the naked she would have no clothes to wear. She feared that if she contributed to charity or the church there would not be enough money left over for her needs. So she received blessings from God every day, but because of fear, she failed to bless others. And when Christ looked down from heaven he said to her, “You wicked and lazy slave.”
In God’s economy whenever God’s blessings are not being shared those blessings are removed and given to someone else. In order to keep receiving blessings from God we have to give them away. Only after we have given blessings away will God bless us more and more. Take a look at what has happened in this church over the last year. We began to offer a meal for the community after our evening service. We were willing to share our blessings with others. This has blessed the poor and needy in our community. Now they are beginning to use their gifts to bless others even poorer than themselves. And more and more people are being blessed by this church. This is the velocity of blessings at work in God’s economy. The more we share the blessings God has given us the more this church will grow and the more blessings we will have to share. The blessings of God will be multiplied in the Eagle Rock community.
This is why Stewardship Sunday is a time of great celebration. We celebrate the many blessings and gifts God has given us. We celebrate the use of these gifts to bless others in our community. We celebrate the church that blesses the people of this community and encourages those gifts to be shared with others. We celebrate our ability to share our gifts through the church with others in the community. We celebrate the wonders of God’s economy where blessings are multiplied. And we celebrate when we hear the words of Christ, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
We thank you Lord for all the blessings we have received in our lifetimes. Help us to share those gifts with others in their time of need. Multiply these gifts throughout our community. Help our church to grow as we share our blessings with our community. Let us be your good and faithful servants. Amen.
Sermon Matthew 25:14-30 Well Done Good and Faithful Servant
Eagle Rock Presbyterian Church
November 16, 2008
This morning we are celebrating Stewardship Sunday. Now I know that “celebrating” in not the usual term applied to this day. Most of us think of Stewardship Sunday as a time when the church hits us up for more money. How could this be a celebration? But the reality is that today we are celebrating all the gifts that God has provided to us and the response that God has expects from us, the sharing our blessings with others. As we prepare for this celebration will you pray with me?
Holy Spirit fill our heart this day with God’s love. Help us to remember all the blessings we have received throughout our lifetimes. Help us to share the blessings God has given us with others in the kingdom. We pray all of this in the name of the greatest gift God has given us, our savior, Jesus Christ.
Matthew 25:14-30 14 "For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; 15 to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16 The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. 17 In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. 18 But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money. 19 After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. 20 Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, 'Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.' 21 His master said to him, 'Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.' 22 And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, 'Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.' 23 His master said to him, 'Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.' 24 Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, 'Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.' 26 But his master replied, 'You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? 27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. 29 For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. 30 As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'
Years ago I went to business school and studied economics. One of the important concepts in economics is the “velocity of money”. Here is how it works. Suppose Vern owns a bank and Lewrene deposits her savings in Vern’s bank. Then Cora borrows some money from Vern’s bank, that originally came from Lewrene, to open a business and then places her profits back in the bank. Ellory then wants to buy a car so he borrows the money from Vern’s bank that had been originally deposited by Lewrene and has already been used by Cora. You see the same money was used over and over again, it was multiplied. This is called the velocity of money and is essential for the well working of the economy.
One of the major reasons our economy is in trouble is that the velocity of money has slowed down. Because of all the bad mortgages in the system banks are unwilling to lend the money they have. So there is no multiplication of money. The government has made sufficient money available, but it has to be used over and over again and this has not yet happened. Eventually money will begin to move once again and our economy will begin to grow but no one knows when this will happen.
The velocity of money is a concept that can be applied to God’s economy as well. Remember that the underlying principle in God’s economy comes to us from the promise of God to Abraham when God said “I will bless you … so that you will be a blessing”. Suppose that someone in the congregation is richly blessed with good health, and loving family. In God’s economy these blessing are to be shared with others. Those who have been blessed are to share these blessings by blessings others in need. We are to care for the poor and needy in our community. In this way the blessings we receive are multiplied benefiting the entire kingdom of God.
Let’s look how God’s economy works in today’s scripture. The first slave received five talents. In ancient times a talent was a heavy gold coin. It was the largest denomination of ancient currency. It was a lot of money. Five talents equaled the total wages a laborer could possibly earn in about eighty years, a lifetime. So in this parable five talents represent all the blessings that God has provided us over our life times, all of the food that we have enjoyed, all of the love we have received from family and friends, and, of course the church God has provided for us for worship. God had provided this first servant a lifetime of blessings. And what did this slave do with all of these blessings? She shared every one of those blessings with others though countless acts of love and compassion. Every blessing invested by God in this slave had been multiplied as blessings for others. You see the velocity of blessings at work. The blessings we receive from God are used to bless others, and those who are blessed by us blessed still others, on and on, until the whole world is blessed. And when this slave appeared in heaven after a long lifetime of shared blessings Christ said, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
The second slave received two talents of blessings from God. This represented all of the blessings that those of us in middle age have received. We realize that although the world presents many challenges for us we have been greatly blessed by God. We have been blessed with loving families, good jobs, and promise of a glorious future. The second slave recognized all the blessings that he had received and decided to share all those blessings with others. Although his family budget was limited, he still found what was needed to give to his church to maintain Christian worship and serve the poor in the community. Although his time was limited, he still made time for worship, prayer and volunteer service. And through his efforts more and more people received God’s blessings and were able to bless others. So when Christ looks down from heaven and sees this saint he says, “Well done good and faithful servant”.
But of course we have to look at the third slave too. This slave was young with a bright future ahead. Already she had already received one talent of blessings from God. But she was afraid. She feared that if she gave food to the hungry she would have no food for herself. She feared that if she clothed the naked she would have no clothes to wear. She feared that if she contributed to charity or the church there would not be enough money left over for her needs. So she received blessings from God every day, but because of fear, she failed to bless others. And when Christ looked down from heaven he said to her, “You wicked and lazy slave.”
In God’s economy whenever God’s blessings are not being shared those blessings are removed and given to someone else. In order to keep receiving blessings from God we have to give them away. Only after we have given blessings away will God bless us more and more. Take a look at what has happened in this church over the last year. We began to offer a meal for the community after our evening service. We were willing to share our blessings with others. This has blessed the poor and needy in our community. Now they are beginning to use their gifts to bless others even poorer than themselves. And more and more people are being blessed by this church. This is the velocity of blessings at work in God’s economy. The more we share the blessings God has given us the more this church will grow and the more blessings we will have to share. The blessings of God will be multiplied in the Eagle Rock community.
This is why Stewardship Sunday is a time of great celebration. We celebrate the many blessings and gifts God has given us. We celebrate the use of these gifts to bless others in our community. We celebrate the church that blesses the people of this community and encourages those gifts to be shared with others. We celebrate our ability to share our gifts through the church with others in the community. We celebrate the wonders of God’s economy where blessings are multiplied. And we celebrate when we hear the words of Christ, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
We thank you Lord for all the blessings we have received in our lifetimes. Help us to share those gifts with others in their time of need. Multiply these gifts throughout our community. Help our church to grow as we share our blessings with our community. Let us be your good and faithful servants. Amen.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
November Vision Article
"Righteous God, you have taught us that the poor shall have your kingdom, and that the gentle-minded shall inherit the earth. Keep the church poor enough to preach to poor people, and humble enough to walk with the despised. Never weigh us down with property or accumulated funds. Save your church from vain display or lavish comforts, so that we may travel light and move through the world showing your generous love made known in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen"
This prayer, from the Presbyterian Book of Common Worship, reminds us to keep our stewardship campaign this month in perspective. As we fill out pledges card and make committee budgets we should remember that our goal is not to be a rich church. Rather we want to be a humble church that remembers that we are here to minister to the needs of the poorest people in our community.
I am reminded of a story in Mark. One day Jesus was watching people make contributions, one rich person after another put in large amounts. Then a poor widow threw in a penny. Jesus remarked that she gave sacrificially, everything she had to live on. Often in our evening service homeless people will come and will put a penny or two in the collection plate. This is all they have to live on.
As the economy of our country sours and more and more people lose their jobs and their homes the church will be needed to show the love of Jesus Christ to those who have lost everything. Your contributions to this church allow us to continue the ministries God has given us here in Eagle Rock. For your contributions to these ministries your church humbly gives thanks.
Already God is blessing our church in many ways for our care of the poor in our community through our evening service. Trader Joes in Glendale is donating food that we can use both for the evening dinner and to pass out to the hungry in our community. This is a rich blessing for us as our church grows. Please visit Trader Joes on Glendale Ave. and thank them for what they are doing.
God bless,
Jeff
This prayer, from the Presbyterian Book of Common Worship, reminds us to keep our stewardship campaign this month in perspective. As we fill out pledges card and make committee budgets we should remember that our goal is not to be a rich church. Rather we want to be a humble church that remembers that we are here to minister to the needs of the poorest people in our community.
I am reminded of a story in Mark. One day Jesus was watching people make contributions, one rich person after another put in large amounts. Then a poor widow threw in a penny. Jesus remarked that she gave sacrificially, everything she had to live on. Often in our evening service homeless people will come and will put a penny or two in the collection plate. This is all they have to live on.
As the economy of our country sours and more and more people lose their jobs and their homes the church will be needed to show the love of Jesus Christ to those who have lost everything. Your contributions to this church allow us to continue the ministries God has given us here in Eagle Rock. For your contributions to these ministries your church humbly gives thanks.
Already God is blessing our church in many ways for our care of the poor in our community through our evening service. Trader Joes in Glendale is donating food that we can use both for the evening dinner and to pass out to the hungry in our community. This is a rich blessing for us as our church grows. Please visit Trader Joes on Glendale Ave. and thank them for what they are doing.
God bless,
Jeff
Sermon – John 17:1-11 – So That They May Be One
Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Eagle Rock Presbyterian Church
Sermon – John 17:1-11 – So That They May Be One
November 2, 2008
This morning I will be preaching from the Gospel of John. For over a year now a group in this church has been studying John chapter by chapter, verse by verse in our Sunday morning Bible class at 11:30. This morning we will be looking at John 17 and I decided that this passage should be shared not just with the Sunday School class but with the entire congregation. If you would like to talk about the scripture I will be reading and preaching on this morning please join us at 11:30 in Montgomery Hall.
But first please pray with me. Father, Son and Holy Spirit just as you are one help us to be one, one church, one faith, one body of Christ. Unite us in the bread and juice of communion. Unite us into one hope of eternal life as promised by Jesus, in whose name we pray this morning. Amen.
John 17:1-11 After Jesus had spoken these words, he looked up to heaven and said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, 2 since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 4 I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. 5 So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed. 6 "I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; 8 for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. 9 I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. 10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. 11 And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.
As our Bible study has looked at John we have detected a pattern in the gospel. Five times we have seen the same thing repeated. The pattern started with a sign, Jesus turned water into wine, healed a blind man, or raise Lazarus from the dead. Each sign was more spectacular than the previous and generated greater numbers of followers of Jesus and more excitement in the crowd. After each sign Jesus would try to explain the greater reality that the sign represented. But he would use cryptic language, words with double meanings, which both communicated what he was trying to say while still hiding the full implication of the sign. Jesus’ purpose was to preserve his life and ministry until the appropriate time when the full meaning of the signs would be revealed.
One way that Jesus hinted at the meaning of the signs was in his self description. Jesus said things like, “I am the living water” and “I am the light of the world”. In the Bible study group we scratched our heads as we wondered what this could possibly mean. The common words in all of these sayings were “I am”, the same words God used to describe himself to Moses at the burning bush. The implication was clear; Jesus was indirectly claiming to be God.
As people saw the signs and listened to what Jesus had to say some believed and some did not. Those who believed received the promise of eternal life. So what is it that we are to believe in order to receive the gift eternal life? The answer to this question finally comes in the 17th chapter of John where Jesus talked directly, not in riddles, to the Father in prayer.
Oneness with the Father
The first thing that I would like to talk about from our scripture today is that Jesus explicitly claims to be one with God. What does this oneness with God mean? For one thing it means that Jesus and God share the same glory. Glory comes from being in the presence of God. So Jesus reflects the Father’s glory because he was in the presence of God. Oneness also means that when Jesus spoke he was communicating the word of the Father. So both the signs and explanations that we read about in the Gospel of John are both not just from Jesus but also from God and in this sense Jesus and God are one. But oneness goes beyond what Jesus did and said. The scripture passage tells us that Jesus has been with God from before creation. In the beginning Jesus already existed with God. So oneness means that everything Jesus said and did was from God with whom Jesus has always existed and will exist forever. So, Jesus talks, acts, and exists in oneness with God.
Knowledge that lead to Eternal Life
Now I would like to talk about Jesus’ claim that he revealed God to humanity. Anyone conversant with the Hebrew Scriptures would know about God. It was a rabbi’s job to study the ancient scrolls that make up our Old Testament and teach others about God. But Jesus was more than just a rabbi. Jesus spoke not just from scripture, but from God himself. And it is through the knowledge of God that Jesus can provide what we need to receive the gift of eternal life. So Jesus not only reveals knowledge of God to us but reveals to all believers knowledge that results in eternal life. So what is this knowledge of God that Jesus reveals to all believers? The knowledge Jesus was giving the believers throughout the Gospel of John was contained in those two simple words, “I am”. So, If we believe that Jesus and God are one then we will have eternal life.
Oneness of Believers
What Jesus wants and asked the Father to do is to make all of his believers one just as Jesus and God are one. Here Jesus is calling for the unity of the church. But as we look around today we see that the church is anything but one. We are divided into denominations and are separated one from another over differences of theology and practice. Last week we celebrated the Protestant Reformation that separated us from the Roman Catholic Church over the meaning of sacraments and other issues. Much of my education was spent learning the distinctiveness of being a Presbyterian. It is hard to justify all of these different denominations around the world in the light of Jesus’ prayer that we should all be one.
There are divisions even within our own Presbyterian denomination. Last summer our General Assembly opened the door to the ordination of homosexuals to the ministry of Deacon, Elder and Pastor. Our Presbytery will be asked to ratify this decision in March and the expectation is that some churches will leave the denomination over this issue. How can schisms of the church promote the unity that Jesus prayed for?
That They May Be One
For too long the church has defined itself at our boundaries by highlighting the differences we have. This is not what Jesus prayed for at all. So we all have to change our definitions of church. Rather than defining ourselves by how we differ from each other we should now consider how we are similar to each other. Let us define ourselves by the center of our faith rather than by the margins. Let us acknowledge that all churches, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal, whatever are all one because of our core belief at the center of our faith that Jesus Christ is one with God. We need to remember that before there were denominations we were all simply Christian.
The oneness of the church is not something that we can do alone. We can’t have a oneness program here a Eagle Rock Presbyterian Church. And ecumenical meetings go on forever without a clear resolution. What we need is a gift. Unity in the church is a gift from God. So there is one thing we can all do. We can imitate Jesus and pray. Pray that the entire church will confess that Jesus is one with God and trust that one day God will make all of us one with Christ. And pray that the Presbytery will be given the gift of unity as it considers the important issue of ordination standards this spring.
The song we sang earlier captures this idea. “They’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love.” Do we really walk with each other, walk hand in hand? Do we really work with each other, work side by side? We will if all of praise, honor and glory is given the one Father, Son and Holy Spirit whom we worship today.
Shortly we will be gathered by God around the table for the Lord’s Supper. This table is the source of many of our differences. In the 16th century we fought over the meaning of the bread and wine. Today we are fighting over the requirements for those who administer and serve the meal as ordained ministers, deacons and elders. But Christ wants us to be unified around this table because it is here that the glory of God is revealed to all believers. This table is a foretaste of the heavenly table where we will all partake in our eternal lives. So this meal should be the source of unity for all churches. And that is why everyone who believes that Jesus Christ in one with God is welcomed to be one with with us.
O God, you are the giver of life. We pray for the church in the whole world. Sanctify her life, renew her worship, give power to her witnessing, restore her unity. Give strength to those who are searching together for that kind of obedience which creates unity. Heal the divisions separating your children one from another, so that they will make fast, with bonds of peace, the unity which the Spirit gives. Amen.
Eagle Rock Presbyterian Church
Sermon – John 17:1-11 – So That They May Be One
November 2, 2008
This morning I will be preaching from the Gospel of John. For over a year now a group in this church has been studying John chapter by chapter, verse by verse in our Sunday morning Bible class at 11:30. This morning we will be looking at John 17 and I decided that this passage should be shared not just with the Sunday School class but with the entire congregation. If you would like to talk about the scripture I will be reading and preaching on this morning please join us at 11:30 in Montgomery Hall.
But first please pray with me. Father, Son and Holy Spirit just as you are one help us to be one, one church, one faith, one body of Christ. Unite us in the bread and juice of communion. Unite us into one hope of eternal life as promised by Jesus, in whose name we pray this morning. Amen.
John 17:1-11 After Jesus had spoken these words, he looked up to heaven and said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, 2 since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 4 I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. 5 So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed. 6 "I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; 8 for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. 9 I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. 10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. 11 And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.
As our Bible study has looked at John we have detected a pattern in the gospel. Five times we have seen the same thing repeated. The pattern started with a sign, Jesus turned water into wine, healed a blind man, or raise Lazarus from the dead. Each sign was more spectacular than the previous and generated greater numbers of followers of Jesus and more excitement in the crowd. After each sign Jesus would try to explain the greater reality that the sign represented. But he would use cryptic language, words with double meanings, which both communicated what he was trying to say while still hiding the full implication of the sign. Jesus’ purpose was to preserve his life and ministry until the appropriate time when the full meaning of the signs would be revealed.
One way that Jesus hinted at the meaning of the signs was in his self description. Jesus said things like, “I am the living water” and “I am the light of the world”. In the Bible study group we scratched our heads as we wondered what this could possibly mean. The common words in all of these sayings were “I am”, the same words God used to describe himself to Moses at the burning bush. The implication was clear; Jesus was indirectly claiming to be God.
As people saw the signs and listened to what Jesus had to say some believed and some did not. Those who believed received the promise of eternal life. So what is it that we are to believe in order to receive the gift eternal life? The answer to this question finally comes in the 17th chapter of John where Jesus talked directly, not in riddles, to the Father in prayer.
Oneness with the Father
The first thing that I would like to talk about from our scripture today is that Jesus explicitly claims to be one with God. What does this oneness with God mean? For one thing it means that Jesus and God share the same glory. Glory comes from being in the presence of God. So Jesus reflects the Father’s glory because he was in the presence of God. Oneness also means that when Jesus spoke he was communicating the word of the Father. So both the signs and explanations that we read about in the Gospel of John are both not just from Jesus but also from God and in this sense Jesus and God are one. But oneness goes beyond what Jesus did and said. The scripture passage tells us that Jesus has been with God from before creation. In the beginning Jesus already existed with God. So oneness means that everything Jesus said and did was from God with whom Jesus has always existed and will exist forever. So, Jesus talks, acts, and exists in oneness with God.
Knowledge that lead to Eternal Life
Now I would like to talk about Jesus’ claim that he revealed God to humanity. Anyone conversant with the Hebrew Scriptures would know about God. It was a rabbi’s job to study the ancient scrolls that make up our Old Testament and teach others about God. But Jesus was more than just a rabbi. Jesus spoke not just from scripture, but from God himself. And it is through the knowledge of God that Jesus can provide what we need to receive the gift of eternal life. So Jesus not only reveals knowledge of God to us but reveals to all believers knowledge that results in eternal life. So what is this knowledge of God that Jesus reveals to all believers? The knowledge Jesus was giving the believers throughout the Gospel of John was contained in those two simple words, “I am”. So, If we believe that Jesus and God are one then we will have eternal life.
Oneness of Believers
What Jesus wants and asked the Father to do is to make all of his believers one just as Jesus and God are one. Here Jesus is calling for the unity of the church. But as we look around today we see that the church is anything but one. We are divided into denominations and are separated one from another over differences of theology and practice. Last week we celebrated the Protestant Reformation that separated us from the Roman Catholic Church over the meaning of sacraments and other issues. Much of my education was spent learning the distinctiveness of being a Presbyterian. It is hard to justify all of these different denominations around the world in the light of Jesus’ prayer that we should all be one.
There are divisions even within our own Presbyterian denomination. Last summer our General Assembly opened the door to the ordination of homosexuals to the ministry of Deacon, Elder and Pastor. Our Presbytery will be asked to ratify this decision in March and the expectation is that some churches will leave the denomination over this issue. How can schisms of the church promote the unity that Jesus prayed for?
That They May Be One
For too long the church has defined itself at our boundaries by highlighting the differences we have. This is not what Jesus prayed for at all. So we all have to change our definitions of church. Rather than defining ourselves by how we differ from each other we should now consider how we are similar to each other. Let us define ourselves by the center of our faith rather than by the margins. Let us acknowledge that all churches, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal, whatever are all one because of our core belief at the center of our faith that Jesus Christ is one with God. We need to remember that before there were denominations we were all simply Christian.
The oneness of the church is not something that we can do alone. We can’t have a oneness program here a Eagle Rock Presbyterian Church. And ecumenical meetings go on forever without a clear resolution. What we need is a gift. Unity in the church is a gift from God. So there is one thing we can all do. We can imitate Jesus and pray. Pray that the entire church will confess that Jesus is one with God and trust that one day God will make all of us one with Christ. And pray that the Presbytery will be given the gift of unity as it considers the important issue of ordination standards this spring.
The song we sang earlier captures this idea. “They’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love.” Do we really walk with each other, walk hand in hand? Do we really work with each other, work side by side? We will if all of praise, honor and glory is given the one Father, Son and Holy Spirit whom we worship today.
Shortly we will be gathered by God around the table for the Lord’s Supper. This table is the source of many of our differences. In the 16th century we fought over the meaning of the bread and wine. Today we are fighting over the requirements for those who administer and serve the meal as ordained ministers, deacons and elders. But Christ wants us to be unified around this table because it is here that the glory of God is revealed to all believers. This table is a foretaste of the heavenly table where we will all partake in our eternal lives. So this meal should be the source of unity for all churches. And that is why everyone who believes that Jesus Christ in one with God is welcomed to be one with with us.
O God, you are the giver of life. We pray for the church in the whole world. Sanctify her life, renew her worship, give power to her witnessing, restore her unity. Give strength to those who are searching together for that kind of obedience which creates unity. Heal the divisions separating your children one from another, so that they will make fast, with bonds of peace, the unity which the Spirit gives. Amen.
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