Sermon – Coming to Jesus – Rachel – Matthew 2:13-23

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Pitts Creek and Beaver Dam Presbyterian Church
Sermon – Coming to Jesus – Rachel – Matthew 2:13-23
December 11, 2010

I am continuing today with my series of sermon on Coming to Jesus. We have been looking at those who came to Jesus two thousand years ago as recorded in the Gospel of Matthew. Two weeks ago we watched as Joseph heard the bad news that Mary was pregnant. And this led us to the genealogy in the first chapter in Matthew which demonstrated to Joseph and us that he was a descendant of David and was needed to adopt Jesus to make him the Messiah. Last week we watched as a wise men east of the Jordan saw a star and the oracle of Balaam guided them to Judah to search for a new king. Today we will look at a text we would rather avoid. It is a text of inexplicable evil. I warn you that children are about to die and women will experience inconsolable grief. And yet it is an important part of the Christmas story. Let us pray.

Father in heaven, in anticipation of the shalom Christ brings to all people we come now before your throne of grace to give you our praise and thanksgiving. Amen. (adapted from When We Gather p.3)

Matthew 2:13-23 13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up," he said, "take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him." 14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: "Out of Egypt I called my son." 16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. 17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: 18 "A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more." 19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 20 and said, "Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child's life are dead." 21 So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, 23 and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets: "He will be called a Nazarene."

In the common lectionary that most pastors use for preaching texts, this passage from Matthew is usually assigned for the Sunday after Christmas when most preachers take vacation and someone else has to preach this difficult text. We all enjoy Joseph’s dilemma and rejoice with him as he embarks on his new life with Christ as his adopted son. We also enjoy the historical research and careful thinking of the wise men. But we run away at the thought of dead children in the streets and grieving mothers.

The reason that this story is in Matthew’s account is that not all of us come to Christmas rejoicing. Some of us come filled with grief. Maybe a loved one has died this year and you are approaching your first Christmas alone. Maybe your health is not good and you won’t make it to the family festivities at all this year. Maybe your finances are so terrible that little will be under the tree for the children. So approach Christmas annoyed by all the rejoicing and hoping just to get through it. Grief is a part of Christmas for many of us, but none more so than Rachel.

Rachel was the pretty one who could have anything she wanted. When Jacob came to town looking for a wife he immediately spotted Rachel. She was the one he really wanted. So he worked seven hard years to get her and then was tricked into marring her sister Leah. So Jacob worked another seven hard years to get the sister he really wanted, Rachel.

But Rachel’s life was difficult. Her role was to bear sons, and in this she was a complete failure. Sister Leah had one kid after another, ten sons and some daughters. But Rachel had nothing. She grew so desperate she asked her husband, Jacob, to sleep with her servant so that at least she would have a child to care for. And she prayed over and over again asking for a son. Those prayers were heard and she called her son Joseph, which in Hebrew means “give me another.” So every time she said her son’s name she was praying for another son. Those prayers also were heard and Rachel became pregnant a second time. But she died in child birth, and she named her new son with her dying breath, “son of my sorrows.” Rachel died but was not forgotten. Her story stands today in the Book of Genesis.

Centuries later the prophet Jeremiah watched as the Israelites, naked and ashamed were forced to march to exile in Babylon. The prophet said that the matriarch Rachel must be weeping over the humiliation of her descendants. As Jeremiah watch the destruction of a once great nation and he spoke these words of hope.
Jeremiah 31:15-17 15 This is what the LORD says: "A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because her children are no more." 16 This is what the LORD says: "Restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for your work will be rewarded," declares the LORD. "They will return from the land of the enemy. 17 So there is hope for your future," declares the LORD. "Your children will return to their own land.

The ancient rabbis explained this passage in Jeremiah by saying that God was so moved by the exile of his children that God began to weep. And God did not wish to grieve alone so he asked Abraham so grief with him. But Abraham said to God, “why did you let this happen? You stopped my hand before the knife plunged in Isaac’s heart. Why did you not stop this?” So God kept looking for someone to grieve with and found Rachel. The two of them wept over the exile of God’s people, and it was Rachel who was comforted by God’s words that her children would one day return to their land.

According to Matthew this prophecy was fulfilled in Jesus Christ. By the divine care of God, Jesus was protected from Herod’s evil act. Egypt became a sanctuary just as it had for Rachel’s children. And in Jesus’ return to Galilee the son of God returned to the Promised Land. This is Good News for all who are experiencing grief this Christmas. You are never alone. Rachel and God are always there weeping with you. And they will comfort and remind you that your grief will come to an end because Jesus is coming to restore all things.

So how are we as church to help those who are grieving this Christmas? The author Philip Yancey tells a story about a woman named Claudia. Claudia was a young newlywed married to a hospital chaplain. Suddenly her world was turned upside down with she was diagnosed with cancer. A deacon of her church visited her in the hospital and told her to reflect on her life because she must have done something displeasing to God. A few days later a woman from the church arrived with flowers and began reading some happy psalms; she avoided any talk of illness. A friend dropped in one afternoon and told her about a television evangelist who does faith healing. Finally her pastor arrived and told her that she was on a special mission from God. All of these people were trying to be helpful, but none of them gave Claudia what she really needed. She needed to know that God still loved her. (Yancey, Where is God When it Hurts ch1)

There is another story about Saint Francis. One day Francis, a nobleman, was riding his horse. This was at a time in his life when he was bitter toward God. As he rode he saw a leper lying on the side of the road. Francis could have cursed the man for being sick. He could have cursed God for allowing the illness. But what Francis did was to get off his horse and embrace the leper kissing him on the lips. (Yancey p. 242)

What Francis did was to show God’s love to those who are suffering. And that is what we are called to do. We are to weep with those who grief joining our tears with their’s and Rachel’s and God’s demonstrating God’s faithfulness and love no matter what happens.

So I ask you to go out into the community this Christmas and visit those who grieve, those who have lost or are loosing a spouse, those who are sick, those whose children are in trouble, those with no money in the bank and creditors at the door. Visit them. Cry with them. Pray with them. And assure them that no matter what happens God will always be there to love them.

Lord God, be with all who grieve this Christmas. Comfort them and assure them of your great love. Weep with those who grieve as you did with Rachel for those mothers in Bethlehem. And prepare us for the coming of our savior who will redeem us from our grief. We pray all this in the name of your son whom you lost on the cross. Amen.

Sermon – Coming to Jesus: Magi – Matthew 2:1-12

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Sermon – Coming to Jesus: Magi – Matthew 2:1-12
Beaver Dam and Pitts Creek Presbyterian Church
December 5, 2010

I am continuing today with a series of Christmas sermons on the theme of coming to Jesus. Last week we started with Joseph and saw that sometimes coming to Jesus begins with God interrupting our lives and us taking a bold step into a new life that God has created for us. Today we will be journeying with some Wise Men from the East as they travel to pay homage and worship a new king. We will find that to be wise means to bless and not curse others. But before beginning all of this please pray with me.

Father in heaven, in anticipation of the shalom Christ brings to all people we come now before your throne of grace to give your our praise and thanksgiving. Amen. (adapted from When We Gather p.3)

Matthew 2:1-12 NIV Matthew 2:1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him." 3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. 5 "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written: 6 "'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.'" 7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him." 9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

This is the familiar story of the Magi. Some traditions say that these were kings bringing treasure. Some traditions say that since there are three gifts there must be three kings. Other traditions say that there were twelve kings. Some traditions call these “wise men”. The NIV translation that I just read simply transliterates the Greek word “ma,goi” into “Magi” from which we get the English word “magic” or “magician”. The text from Matthew tells us little about the Magi, except that they came from the east with gifts following a star and looking for a new king. Why would they do such a curious thing?

I think that the answer for this question lies in a odd story found in the Old Testament book of Numbers. In Chapters 22-24 of Numbers we find story of a wise man living east of the Jordan River in the land of Moab. His name was Balaam. Balaam was a wise man. He lived alone, probably high in the mountains. From there he could observe the world around him. He watched the heavens and saw the patterns of the rising and setting of the sun, and thus could tell the farmers when to plant and when to harvest. He measured rainfall and attempted to predict the weather. He taught young men to be wise. And he learned to write so that his observations of the world and his wisdom could be preserved for future generation.

The story in Number about Balaam goes this way. The Israelites, who had been wondering in the wilderness for forty years, were ready to go into the Promised Land. They assembled on the east bank of the Jordan River and prepared to cross the river and occupy the land. As you might expect, the king of Moab, on the east side of the river,was more than a little concerned. If he wasn’t careful the Israelites might turn on him and his kingdom would be in jeopardy. So he sent his advisers to see the wise man, Balaam, to tell him to come to the king to pronounce a curse on the Israelites.

When the advisers of the king arrived, they told Balaam what the king had in mind. Balaam decided to sleep on it. And that night the Lord, God of Israel, spoke to him in a dream and told him not to go to see the king. So the next morning Balaam told the king’s advisers that he was not going anywhere and he sent them back to the king empty handed. The king of Moab was, as you would expect, not happy with Balaam’s response. So he sent the advisers back, this time with more men, with instructions that Balaam must obey the king’s command and come to curse the Israelites.

While Balaam was on his way down the narrow mountain path to see the king his donkey suddenly stopped. Balaam was so upset with the donkey he began beating him with a stick. And an extraordinary thing happened. The donkey began to talk. “Why are you hitting me, Balaam? I haven’t done anything to you. I carried you all the way here.” And then the usually observant Balaam saw something that he had missed. There in front of the donkey was a angel with a drawn sword blocking the way. And the angel told Balaam that he was not to obey the king of Moab, but should listen for and obey the word of God.

So Balaam made his way to the king who wanted the Israelites cursed. Balaam raised his arms and prayed a blessing not a curse. This infuriated the king who told him to pray again and curse the Israelites. But again Balaam raised his hands and blessed them. And then Balaam spoke on oracle that will be remembered for all time. He said, "The oracle of Balaam son of Beor, the oracle of one whose eye sees clearly, the oracle of one who hears the words of God, who has knowledge from the Most High, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who falls prostrate, and whose eyes are opened: "I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel.” (Numbers 24:15-17)

Centuries later a group of wise men east of the Jordan River saw a star rising over Judah. They consulted their ancient scrolls and found the oracle of Balaam. The star which they saw rising over Judah meant that a new king had been born. This king would be powerful enough to destroy Moab. So they decided to travel to this new king with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh and to prostrate themselves before his throne. They made their way to Jerusalem for an audience with the king where they found out that the Wise Men of Israel were expecting a messiah, descended from David and born in Bethlehem. So the wise men continued on their way following the star and they came to a house in Bethlehem and a baby held by his mother, Mary. They prostrated themselves before the baby and presented him with their gifts. And this is the story of the wise men coming to Jesus.

We continue to have wise men and women today, wise people who are observant of the world around them, wise people who listen for God's word. Today’s wise people are the farmers who watch the calendar and measure the rainfall so they know when to plant and when to harvest. Today’s wise people teach students in our schools how to be wise. Today’s wise people pass on their wisdom to their children, grand children and great grand children. As we have seen one characteristic of a wise person is being receptive to what God is saying today.

One wise person we have today is Bill Gates. His development of Windows and other applications for the Personal Computer have revolutionized information flow around the world. Bill made billions of dollars and is one of the richest men in the world. Today he works full time blessing others as God has blessed him. He and his wife are giving their money away through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundations. This foundation is guided by the wise principle that “every person deserves the chance to live a healthy, productive life.” So they fund programs to improve the health and productivity of people throughout the world. A wise visionary who saw the impact that a computer on every desk on the productivity and well being of everyone on the planet is now putting his wisdom to work blessing people who need it the most.

So if you are a wise person, and I know that many of you are very wise, then I urge you during this Christmas season to watch and listen for what God is doing in the world. Use your powers of observation to see God at work in the world around us, and listen carefully to what God is saying to us and how God is guiding us into our future. Your wise ancestor, Balaam, did this and realized that God was calling him not as a curse to Moab’s enemies, but as a blessing for everyone. So this Christmas season be a blessing to others just as God has blessed you. Amen.

Sermon – Matthew 1:18-25 – Coming to Jesus: Joseph

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Sermon – Matthew 1:18-25 – Coming to Jesus: Joseph
Pitts Creek and Beaver Dam Presbyterian Church
November 28, 2010

Today we begin a new church year with the start of the season of Advent. Advent is a transliteration of the Latin word adventus which mean coming or arrival. It is a period of time when we prepare ourselves for the coming of our savior, Jesus Christ at Christmas. Advent gives us a time to be reflective while the rest of the world goes about the hustle and bustle of shopping for presents, cooking family meals, decorating the house, and listening to Christmas carols over and over again. Advent is a time for waiting, not just for the jolly old man in the red suit, but for our savior who will come again.

One thing seems to happen each Advent; God interrupts our lives. We all live carefully planned lives. We like to be in control of our futures. But with the coming of a Savior into our lives we sometime experience unexpected change; our lives are interrupted. And when this happens we can either step out into the new life God is creating for us, or we can cower in fear trying to hold onto the old life we are losing. Let us pray.

In anticipation of the shalom Christ brings to all people we come now before your throne of grace to give your our praise and thanksgiving. Amen. (When We Gather p.3)

Matthew 1:18-25 18 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. 20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"--which means, "God with us." 24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

Joseph was having a bad day, a really bad day. Joseph was the sort of boy who did everything right. He studied the Hebrew Bible with a local rabbi and understood God’s law. He always tried to obey God’s laws and stay out of trouble. His family had gone about the process of finding him a suitable wife. A neighboring family had a young woman, named Mary, probably around thirteen years old, who would make a nice match for Joseph. So the two families entered into a contract: Mary’s family was excited that she would marry into the house of David, their great ancestor king who lived centuries ago; such a marriage would be very prestigious. So they offered their virgin daughter and a sizable dowry to seal the deal. Joseph’s family knew that they had something special in him so they held out for a high price. A deal was made and the year long preparation for a wedding was begun. And everything seemed to be fine until Joseph got the bad news that interrupted his life.

We’ve been there with Joseph. Everything seems to going well and all of a sudden our lives are interrupted. A lover says you’re not loved. A doctor says you’re not well. A manager says you’re not needed. And suddenly your world is upside down. This is what happened to Joseph. His well planned, respectable, orderly life came to a crashing halt when someone told him the devastating news, “Did you hear? Mary is pregnant.” Imagine the sleepless night that followed: the tossing and turning, the pacing back and forward. Joseph knew what he had to do. Divorce was the only answer. Joseph had the right to demand a trial. Mary would be forced to admit her adultery or testify against the man who raped her. Either way she would be disgraced. But Joseph, being the kind man that he was decided not have the trial, but to quietly divorce her preserving what was left of her honor. And with that decision Joseph could finally close his eyes and get a little sleep. Or so he hoped, but then came the dreams: the ghosts of Christmases past.

There was the ghost of Abraham, the father of Isaac, and the ghost of Isaac the father of Jacob, and the ghost of Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers. And then there was a terrifying sight: the ghost of Tamar hold a small baby. Tamar came beside Joseph’s bed and said, “Look at my baby. This is the son of Judah, the ancestor of King David. I was married to one of his sons. When he died his brother followed the law and married me. But when he died too his younger brother refused to marry me as he was required and I was destitute. I needed a son to take care of me. So I pretended to be a prostitute and seduced my father-in-law Judah. This is our baby, Perez”.

Then Joseph saw was the ghost of Perez the father of Hezron, and the ghost of Hezron the father of Ram, the ghost of Ram the father of Amminadab, and the ghost of Amminadab the father of Nahshon, the ghost of Nahshon the father of Salmon, and the ghost of Salmon the father of Boaz. Then there was an even more terrifying sight, the ghost of Ruth. Ruth hovered above Judah’s bed with a baby in her arms and said, “Look at my baby. I was a foreigner married to a Jew. When he died I had no one to care for me. So I seduced his relative Boaz and here is our son, Obed. He will be the grandfather of King David”.

Joseph tried to get back to sleep, but the ghosts of Christmases past continued. There was the ghost of Obed, the father of Jesse, and the ghost of Jesse the father of King David. Then Joseph, dreamed that he went up to the roof of his house and as he looked over the city he the most terrifying ghost he had seen yet, the ghost of Bathsheba. Bathsheba flew to him carrying a small baby in her arms and said, “Look, this is Solomon, the son King David. I slept with the king when my husband was still alive. My husband was later killed in battle and my child died at birth. I have had a hard life. But this baby is Solomon and he will inherit David’s crown.”

As the dreams went on Joseph saw even more ghosts: the ghost of Solomon the father of Rehoboam, the ghost of Rehoboam the father of Abijah, the ghost of Abijah the father of Asa, the ghost of Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, the ghost of Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram, the ghost of Jehoram the father of Uzziah, the ghost of Uzziah the father of Jotham, the ghost of Jotham the father of Ahaz, and the ghosts of Hezekiah, Manasseh Amon, and Josiah and all of his ancestors right down to the ghost of his father Mattan.

It was very late that night. Joseph continued to toss and turn. The appearance of Tamar, Ruth and Bathsheba had terrified him. He was exhausted. And as he closed his eves and fell asleep he had one more dream. Joseph saw Mary carrying a small baby. With her was an angel from God who said, “ God is sending his son into the world. That son is born by the creative action of the Holy Spirit. This son needs to be the Christ, a descendant of King David, and so a man is needed, descended from David, who will adopt the Son of God into his own family. Joseph, you have been chosen by God to adopt his son into your family. The Lord, the God of your ancestors, commands you to take Mary as your wife and name her son.

Joseph, looked at the angel and Mary in amazement. “I can’t do that,” he said. “If I marry Mary and name her son I will be saying that I am the baby’s father!” With that Joseph woke up.
Joseph was faced with a decision. Should he try to hold onto his old life as best he could, or should he embrace the new life God was creating for him? This is the choice we all face whenever we experience interruptions in our lives. When a spouse dies, when a job is lost, when a relationship ends we have the choice to either try to hold on to what little we have left, or to boldly move forward confident that God has a planned a new life for us.

In a couple of weeks I will be spending two days on a presbytery assignment talking with a pastor and a church in the northern part of the presbytery. The church no longer can afford a pastor and is running out of resources. The pastor needs to be able to support his family. The presbytery has an exciting new plan which might revitalize several churches in that area. So I am going up to see if the church will try to hold on to what little they have left, or if will they boldly move into the new life that God is creating for them.

If you have found that God is interrupting you life this Advent you too have a choice. You can try to hold on to you old lives as long as possible. Or you can move forward and embrace the new life God is offering you through the savior who is coming into the world.

Joseph decided not to just hang on to what he had left. Rather he boldly stepped forward into the new life that God had prepared for him. He married Mary, adopted the Son of God into his own Davidic line, and boldly proclaimed his faith in God by naming his son Jesus, which means God is my Salvation. Joseph, whose life had been interrupted, left it behind and stepped into the new life God had created for him through Jesus Christ.

Lord Jesus, we need you to come to save us from the interruptions which are a part of our lives. We await your coming and your promise of new life. And we ask for sufficient faith that when that new life is offered we will boldly embrace it. Come – Lord Jesus – Come. Amen.

Sermon – Malachi 3:6-12 – The Tithe

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Pitts Creek and Beaver Dam Presbyterian Churches
Sermon – Malachi 3:6-12 – The Tithe
November 14, 2010

This morning we will be talking about money. I won’t be talking about the budget of the church or what you need to give to keep all of this going. That is important and the session of the church wants you to at least think about these issues, but what I will be doing this morning is talking about our relationship with God and how God wants us to use our money. This is a very different topic, but somewhat related to the church budget. So I will ask you to be generous when you give to the church, but I will ask this out of the larger question of how God wants you to use your resources. Before we get to this please pray with me.

“Grant unto us, O Lord, to be occupied in the mysteries of thy heavenly wisdom, with true progress in piety, to thy glory and our own edification. Amen.” (Calvin)

Today we will be looking at Malachi 3:6-12.
Malachi 3:6-7a 6 "I the LORD do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. 7 Ever since the time of your forefathers you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you," says the LORD Almighty. "But you ask, 'How are we to return?' 8 "Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. "But you ask, 'How do we rob you?' "In tithes and offerings. 9 You are under a curse-- the whole nation of you-- because you are robbing me. 10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. 11 I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit," says the LORD Almighty. 12 "Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land," says the LORD Almighty.


It’s the fifth century before Christ. The people of God are living in a province of the Persian Empire named Yehud. A governor was appointed by the imperial government, and taxes were very high. The empire needed high taxes to fund building projects and military expeditions. The people of Yehud were not prosperous and not content. It looked to them like the only way get ahead was by lying and cheating. God seemed to be missing.

The Temple of God had been rebuilt in Jerusalem. This was to inaugurate a new age of glory and peace. The Empire had permitted the reconstruction of the temple as a token of autonomy and so the people could maintain their identity as followers of Yahweh. But the new age of glory and peace had yet to arrive. The people found themselves just trying to maintain their religious traditions while living difficult lives.

In this context the prophet Malachi delivered a difficult message from God. He told the people that by their actions they had turned away from God. Justice demanded that they be punished for their disobedience. But the prophet assured them that God is faithful, and will return to Jerusalem if the people repent, turn from their evil ways and turn toward God.

Malachi’s words confused the people and they asked him: “How are we to return to God?”

The prophet’s response was that the people were robbing God. God’s covenant with the people was clear. God provided land to the farmers. They had everything they needed from God, sun, rain, good soil and seed, to grow plentiful crops. And the farmers were to bring ten percent of the harvest to the storehouses so that those with no land could eat. The church workers, the widows, the orphans, the poor, the needy, the aliens in the land all needed to eat. And the only way they could eat was if the ten percent, the tithe, was delivered to the storehouses. But given the economic conditions of the times, the high imperial taxes, and the poverty of the farmers, who could spare another ten percent? So the farmers delivered what they could. But God said that was not enough. Ten percent was the deal. God had blessed the farmers with land, sunshine and rain so that the crops would grow and the farmers should bless those without land with food to eat. Ten percent of the farm output was needed in the storehouse to do this. So Malachi told them to go back to their farms and bring the full tithe.

The people told Malachi, “We can’t do this. After we pay our taxes we barely have enough to feed our own families. How can we bring even more. You can’t squeeze blood out of a turnip.” And Malachi told them. “Do it anyway. Bring your tithe. Test God. See what happens.”

God’s promise was that if they returned to him, by obeying his command of the tithe, then blessings of heaven would pour down upon them. The windows of heaven would be opened, not with a devastating flood, but with a gentle rain to water the crops. The brown stink bugs wouldn’t mess with their soybeans and wheat. The dear wouldn’t eat their corn. The chickens would be free from disease. And all would prosper in the land that God has given them.

For many years I didn’t give ten percent to the church. I figured that I needed to invest in my business to make it grow. And I rationalized that there were many people in my church who made a lot more than me. “They had plenty of resources to support the church”, I thought. For many years I gave just a token.

But as my relationship with God became closer I realized that I had to give ten percent. It was the least I should do. So for several years now I have been giving 10%. Every month I send 5% of my take home pay to Beaver Dam and 5% to Pitts Creek. Every month I also have to pay for rent, food, utilities, gas and a student loan which paid for my seminary education at Fuller. Recently I took in two exchange students from Korea. Their parents help us financially, but our expenses have gone up too. So our monthly budget is very tight. We would live more comfortably if I did not tithe to the church. But we keep our expenses down and live frugally because I fully expect that God will bless us more than we could ever imagine.

It is difficult to tithe to the church, especially today in modern America because we have forgotten the virtue of thrift. We once believed in living below our means. John Wesley told us to “Make all you can; save all you can; give all you can.” Benjamin Franklin said, “If you would be wealthy, think of saving as well as getting.” Thrift is the virtue of spending less than your income and saving what’s left over. Today, “thrift” is confused with “cheap” and low quality as in “thrift stores.” But that is a misuse of the word. God wants us to be thrifty and live within our means.

Our culture tries to make the accumulation of wealth synonymous with greed. Making money and showing a profit is somehow evil and a sign of corruption. It’s true that the virtue of thrift can be twisted into the sin of greed by hoarding what we have. But if we use what we have accumulated to care for others, if we obey the law of the tithe, then thrift never becomes greed.

A few years ago I read a biography of Andrew Carnegie. My grandfather worked for a Frick coal mine which was owned by Carnegie. Carnegie was thrifty and always kept his costs below his revenue. By doing this he became one of the wealthiest people in the world. And before he died he gave away 90% of his fortune. He built 1,700 libraries across America, sponsor programs for peace, and funded schools all over the country.

The principle is that thriftiness allows us to be generous. So if we are careful not to accumulate too much debt, if we always live within our means, and if we save for the future we will have the resources we need to be generous.

Dr. John Templeton said in his book Thrift and Generosity: The Joy of Giving, “Thrift is not so much a matter of what we have, but of how we appreciate, value and use what we have. Everyone, regardless of income level, has opportunities to exercise the virtue of thrift. We practice thrift by monitoring how we spend our time and money and then by making better decisions.” This is good advice for America today. Thirty years ago our savings rate was between ten and twelve percent. Since 2005 the savings rate in America is below zero. We are consuming our wealth and losing our financial freedom. The late senator Everett Dirksen once said, “Let God give me strength, that I might help to get America back on the beam and elevate thrift to the pedestal it rightly deserves, because thrift and opportunity have been the great horsemen of progress in America.” So resist the allure of advertising that tells you to spend more than you have. Resist the call of government to spend our way out of economic problems. And remember that debt is toxic to you economic health.

So put you economic house in order. Live within you means. Get out of debt. Increase your savings. And tithe 10% to prevent your thrift from turning into greed. And the promise of scripture is that God will bless you with abundance, more than you could ever imagine.

Frank von Christierson was an international student from Finland who graduated from San Francisco Theological Seminary in 1930. In 1960 he was serving two small Presbyterian Churches in Southern California. They had small membership and great financial needs. He wanted the members to understand the meaning of stewardship. So he wrote a poem and put it to an English folk tune. The first verse of which, we sing as a doxology every Sunday. Here is what pastor Christierson wrote:

As those of old their first fruits brought
Of vineyard flock and field
To God the giver all of good
The source of bounteous yield
So we today our first fruits bring
The wealth of this good land
Of farm and market, shop and home,
Of mind and heart and hand.

A world in need now summons us
To labor, love and give,
To make our life an offerince
To God that all may live.
The church of Christ is calling us
To make the dream come true
A world redeemed by Christ-like love
All life in Christ made new

With gratitude and humble trust
We bring our best to you
Not just to serve Your cause
but share your love with neighbors too
O God who gave yourself to us
In Jesus Christ your son
Help us to give ourselves each day
Until life’s work is done.

Amen

Sermon – Ephesians 1:11-23 – Marked with the Seal

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Beaver Dam Presbyterian Church
Sermon – Ephesians 1:11-23 – Marked with the Seal
All Saints Day – November 7, 2010

In the ninth century Pope Gregory IV declared that the first day of November each year would be celebrated as the Feast of All Saints. Originally this was a time to remember a relatively small list of Christian celebrities. As the Middle Ages progressed more and more people were canonized as saints by the church. The biggest Christian celebrities had their own feast days leaving all the minor celebrities to be lumped together in the Feast of All Saints. The Protestant Reformers considered this to be dreadful and abolished most of the feast days. The Feast of All Saints was all but forgotten.

In recent years, however, we have rediscovered our need to remember those who have served the church during their lives. We have realized that the word “saint” does not refer to just Christian celebrities, but to all those who believe in Jesus Christ. Today we are participating in this new tradition by remembering the saints who have served Beaver Dam Presbyterian Church for over 300 years. So let’s bow our heads and close our eyes for a moment and remember those who have gone before us.

Picture in your minds families putting on their best clothes and going down to the river to ride the current and tide up the Pocomoke and Pitts Creek to come to church on Sundays. Picture in your mind families riding in their carts and buggies, and imagine their slaves climbing the stairs to the balcony in this church. Think about the men felling trees and sawing lumber to construct this building. Consider the women cooking meals and quilting together. Picture all the children learning Bible stores right here. Generation after generation we have inherited the gift of faith and the blessings of heaven. Let us pray.

Holy God, Lord of life and death, you made us in your image and hold us in your care. We thank you for your saints, for the gifts they shared with our church, and for the love and mercy they received from you and gave to us. Especially we praise you for your love in Jesus Christ, who died and rose from the grave to free us from evil, and give us life eternal. Grant that when our time on earth is ended, we may be united with all the saints in the joys of your eternal home, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Adapted from The Book of Common Worship p.907)

Ephesians 1:11-23 11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession-- to the praise of his glory. 15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, 20 which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

I once heard a story about a small country church in rural England. This church had an afternoon worship service where the tradition was that all who remained would be giving the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. One Sunday the pastor of this church looked out on the congregation. There were so few people in attendance he wondered if he should even bother with administering communion tonight. He decided to do it anyway and while reading the communion liturgy he saw these words, “with the angels and archangels and all the company in heaven.” He paused for a moment realizing that a much bigger crowd was attending worship than he thought. All the people of faith for two thousand years come together in worship. He apologized to God for not realizing what was happening in worship. And he continued the communion service conscious of the presence of all the saints. So we are here in worship at Beaver Dam Presbyterian Church in the presence of God and all the saints who have served this church since it began.

We have been using the word “saints” a lot this morning and you may be wondering what it means. This word is a translation of the Greek word hagio which means “holy ones”. We are talking about the “holy ones” of Beaver Dam church. So, how does someone become a “holy one” or a saint? Scripture is clear on this: God is holy. Holiness is a characteristic of God. We become holy by being in the presence of God. God’s holiness rubs off on us. In ancient times people thought that God lived in the temple in Jerusalem. So the temple was a holy place. And within the temple was the most holy place, the Holy of Holies, where God was. Pilgrims approaching the temple became holier and holier as they got closer to God. And the entire nation of Israel was considered holy because they all lived in the vicinity of the temple and thus near the presence of God.

Holiness is not just defined in terms of geographic proximity to God. It also has the meaning of something being set aside for God’s use. The temple could only be used for the worship of God and anything else would defile it. So too with people approaching God, they would be set aside for God’s use; everything they did would be for God’s glory.

As Christians we believe that whenever we come to worship we too are in the presence of God and are made holy. Worship that consists of the reading and proclamation of the word of God and the proper administration of the sacraments brings us to faith in Jesus Christ and assures us of God’s blessing of eternal life. And so those who attend worship are saints who live forever and join with us whenever we come here to Beaver Dam church in worship.

So you might be wondering where you can get some of this holiness. Maybe you want to be closer to God. Maybe you have a special concern that you want God to know about. Maybe you need help with finances or finding a job. Maybe you need healing for yourself or a loved one suffering from a serious illness. Maybe you are just lonely and want to know that there is a God who listens. So you long to be closer to God and you wonder what to do. Scripture is also very clear about this. It is God who chooses to whom will be given the gift of holiness. And it is God who calls us to worship were we can receive the gift of faith, the assurance of eternal life, and come, each week, into the presence of God which makes us holy.

So, why are all of you here today? I know that I wrote a letter and people of the church mailed it out. I also know that many telephone calls went out to family and friends. But I suspect that a letter and some phone calls would not be enough to get many of you out of bed this early on a Sunday morning. Also there are many things you could do on Sunday mornings rather than come here. You could be reading the paper and drinking a latte at McDonald’s this morning. You could be sleeping in or taking a long walk through the woods or along the river. You could be out on a boat fishing or hunting dear in the woods. You could be doing any of these things, but you’re not. You have come here instead. Why?

I think that all of you are here today because God wants you here. God called you to be here though the voices of the members of this church. God wants you to be in his presence. God has chosen all of you to be holy. Through this church God has offered you an inheritance of faith in Jesus though the reading and proclaiming of God’s holy word. And you, all of you, have responded to this call from God and come. You have come into the presence of God. You are sealed with Holy Spirit. You are now holy. You are all saints.

As saints you have all been called by God to worship today and next week and the week after that and every week for the rest of your lives. Then you will join the saints who have preceded you in heaven. I urge you to respond to that call from God. If you are already belong to a church I urge you to go back there next Sunday. But if you are not active in another congregation I urge you to find a church where the word of God is faithfully read and proclaimed each Sunday. There you will find the God who is calling you and wants you to be near. And if you live near Pocomoke I invite you to come here next Sunday at 9:30am and be a part of our fellowship. Beaver Dam Presbyterian Church is a fellowship of saints who gather every Sunday to be in the presence of God, listen to proclamation of God’s word, are sealed with the Holy Spirit and become holy. Come join us.

So All Saints’ Day is a time for rejoicing with all the saints, the holy ones, who through the ages have faithfully served the church. This day reminds us that we are part of one continuing, living communion of saints. It is a time to express our gratitude for all who build and preserved the church so that it could be and continue to be a place where God is present in the reading and preaching of God’s word. To rejoice with all the Saints of every generation expands our awareness of the great company of witnesses that surrounds us like a cloud. It lifts us up from our preoccupation with our own worries and the discouragements of the present. In the knowledge that others have persevered, we are encouraged to endure against all odds. Reminded that God was with the faithful of the past, we are reassured that God is with us today, moving us and all creation toward God’s end in time. In this context, it is appropriate for us on All Saints’ Day to commemorate the lives of those who died over the last fifty years here at Beaver Dam Presbyterian Church. (Paragraph adapted from Companion to the Book of Common Worship p.151)

Eternal God, we bless you for the great company of all those who have kept the faith, finished their race, and who now rest from their labor. We praise you for those dear to us whom we name in our hearts before you. … Especially we thank you for the saints of Beaver Dam Presbyterian Church whom you have received into your presence.
Help us to believe where we have not seen, trusting you to lead us through our years.
Bring us at last with all your saints into the joy of your home, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Adapted from Book of Common Worship p.916)

Sermon – Salvation by Grace through Faith – Luke 19:1-10

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Beaver Dam and Pitts Creek Presbyterian Churches
Sermon – Salvation by Grace through Faith – Luke 19:1-10
Reformation Sunday - October 31, 2010

Today we celebrate Reformation Sunday. This is the day each year when we remember the Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century and our efforts to reform the church to glorify Jesus Christ. We are do things a little differently this morning so I can emphasize some of the reforms that were made in the Reformation. Let us begin with a prayer of Martin Luther’s.

“Lord God, You have appointed me as a pastor of Your Church, but you see how unsuited I am to meet so great and difficult task. If I had lacked Your help, I would have ruined everything long ago. Therefore I call upon You: I wish to devote my mouth and my heart to you; I shall teach the people. I myself will learn and ponder diligently upon Your Word. Use me as Your instrument, but do not forsake me for if ever I should be on my own, I would easily wreck it all.” “In the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen”. (Martin Luther)

In the Middle Ages churches were filled with painting, statues, frescoes, stained glass windows and other ornamentation. The purpose of this was to help people who could not read to learn and remember Bible stories. But with the invention of the printing press and the rise of general literacy people could read the scripture for themselves. The reformers wanted to emphasize the written Word of God so they placed the Bible in an elevated position in the sanctuary and got rid of all other ornamentation calling it idolatrous. So I have removed the picture of Jesus that usually hangs behind the pulpit at Beaver Dam.

Also I have removed the cross and candles. These make our table look like an altar
where Jesus could be sacrificed each Sunday. The reformers pointed out that Jesus was sacrificed many centuries before and there was no need for a sacrificial altar in a church. Rather, there should be a table where we share in the Lord's Supper as Christ commanded us. My place, as your pastor, is with you at the table so today I only come up here to proclaim the Word of God.

Finally, I am wearing a black robe today because this is what kept teachers warm in the 16th century; take a look at the front of you bulletin today. This is not some type of clerical garb. And I am no different than you. I am not closer to God than you. I just have a little more education in theology. The reformers taught us that we are all priests and all of us can pray directly to God. So please pray with me a prayer that John Calvin used every time he taught from the scriptures.

“Grant unto us, O Lord, to be occupied in the mysteries of thy heavenly wisdom, with true progress in piety, to thy glory and our own edification. Amen.” (Calvin)

Luke 19:1-10 NIV Luke 19:1 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. 5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. 7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, "He has gone to be the guest of a 'sinner.'" 8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount." 9 Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."

This morning I will be talking about one of our protestant reformers, Martin Luther. Martin Luther was born on November 10, 1483. His father had started as a miner, but went on to eventually own a series of foundries. Luther was sent to school to learn Latin. His father hoped that Luther would go into Law or Diplomacy and be able to support the family.

The young Luther was torn between the emotion of love and fear. He feared going to hell. The medieval church painted a portrait of God with two heads: an angry wrathful God who sent people to hell, and a merciful God who let people into heaven. Luther worried about how to get past the wrathful God to the merciful one. The church taught that Jesus was an implacable judge. So people were afraid to pray to either God or Jesus. But people could pray to Mary hoping that she could influence Jesus' decisions. And if this didn't work people could always pray to Mary's mother, Saint Anne.

One day Luther was riding through a violent storm. A lightening bolt struck nearby and he fell off his horse. Fearing for his own life, Luther prayed to Saint Anne and promised to enter a monastery if she would save his life. His life was spared and within two weeks, at age 22, Luther entered an Augustinian monastery over the objection of his father. Luther went on to become a priest and celebrated his first Mass in May of 1507.

In November of 1510 Luther was sent to Rome as a legal representative. He remained in Rome for six months. There he found the Roman clergy to be ignorant and frivolous. Their masses were mass produced and sold for money. Greed, not faith, ruled the religion of the day.

Luther moved to Wittenberg in 1511 where he received his doctorate in theology. There he began a series of lectures on the Bible. He realized that righteousness was not something that we had to achieve. Rather righteousness was a characteristic of God which comes to all who believe. With God's righteousness, which we receive though Jesus Christ, we become righteousness. Or using the words of the Apostle Paul, we are justified by the grace of God through our faith in Jesus Christ.

While Luther was lecturing on scripture the Pope was looking for a way to pay his bills. A Dominican preacher, named Johann Tetzel was a master marketer. He had the ability to make money, large amounts of money. And this is just what the Church of Rome needed. The cost of building St. Peter's was running too high, Michelangelo’s bill for painting the ceiling of the Sistine chapel was due, and the church needed money quickly. So they hired Tetzel to do fundraising throughout the Holy Roman Empire.

Tetzel's fundraising centered on the selling of indulgences. He told people that the church was like a bank. Saints had made deposits of righteousness over the centuries. These righteous deposits could be used by sinners today to placate an angry God. All a sinner had to do was to buy an indulgence from the church for money and the righteousness of the saints would balance the sinner’s account with God. Tetzel promoted this scam all over Europe and raised a mountain of money for the church.

By October 31, 1517, Luther was finally fed up with what Tetzel was doing. Luther wanted to start a discussion among Christian scholars on the topic of indulgences. So he invited them to a debate in the usual manner. He wrote 95 Theses and attached them to the door of Castle Church. In these 95 Theses Luther said that repentance is an act of the faithful not a sacrament of the church. And the Pope had no right to remit guilt and the just penalty for sin. Therefore the preaching of indulgences by the church was in error. He argued that Christians should be taught that salvation comes only from the mercy of God, and he stated that Christians should be instructed that it is better to give to the poor than to buy indulgences from the church. He argued that preachers should focus not on preaching indulgences to raise money, but on the Word of God and the grace of God that promises us the inheritance of heaven.

Luther began writing prolifically. He supplied the printers with much new material which was purchased by people who had just learned how to read. A concerned Pope Leo X tried to get him to stop criticizing the church. When this did not work he declared Luther's writing heretical in 1520 and finally excommunicated Luther in 1521. Emperor, Charles V then summoned Luther to appear before the Diet of Worms to get him to recant his teachings. When this didn’t work, Charles issued the Edict of Worms which banned Luther's writings throughout the empire. Luther, once again fearing for his life, fled to the safety of his friend Frederick III and Warburg Castle. There, Luther translated the New Testament from its original Greek into German so that the people could read it for themselves. In 1522, Luther returned to Wittenberg and married a former nun, Catherine von Bora. They had six children. In the 1520's Luther's literary output was extraordinary. The Edict of Worms was found to be unenforceable and a decision was made to allow local princes to have whatever religion they wanted. Southern Germany remained Catholic, but northern Germany became Lutheran. The Protestant reformation spread to surrounding countries. Luther continued to shape it through his writings. He argued that worship services should not be in Latin, but rather in a language that people could understand. And he participated in the Reformed discussion regarding what happens during communion arguing that since the risen Christ is everywhere he must be with us in the bread and wine of the Eucharist. Luther continued to write until 1545 and died on February 18, 1546.

The central thesis in Luther's thinking was salvation by grace through faith. We see this in today's scripture. Zacchaeus, was a tax collector, and as we saw last week, tax collector are sinners. He showed his faith in Jesus Christ by climbing a tree. Jesus told him that by the grace of God he was adopted as a child of Abraham. And in gratitude for all that God has done for him Zacchaeus was gracious to the others whom he had cheated. Jonah was a sinner running away from God. He showed his faith by praying from the belly of a fish. And God saved his life by having the fish spit Jonah on dry land. In gratitude for all that God had done for him, Jonah followed God’s commands and became a missionary to people who did not know God. Both Jonah and Zacchaeus were saved by God's grace through their faith.

So when we die we will approach the throne of God. We will have to answer for all we have done. And Jesus will decide if we go to heaven or hell. What will you bring with you? Will you bring your statement of giving to the church? Will you bring you attendance record at worship, Sunday school and early morning prayers? Will you bring your record of the volunteer work you did serving the poor? Well, it would be good to bring all of these things with you when you meet Jesus. All by themselves they are not enough to convince Jesus to let you into heaven. But taken together they are evidence of your faith in Jesus Christ. And through this faith the promise of scripture is that a gracious God will forgive you all of your sins and will invite you into his presence in heaven.

So I urge you today to believe in Jesus Christ. Believe that he died for your sins on the cross. And as a result if you believe this then a merciful God will forgive you, your guilt will disappear, and you will enjoy eternity in heaven. The choice is yours, but I exhort you to have faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Sermon – Luke 18:9-14 – Called to Humility

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Sermon – Luke 18:9-14 – Called to Humility
Pitts Creek and Beaver Dam Churches
October 24, 2010

We have seen over the last few weeks how God calls us in many different ways: a call to discipleship and it costs, a call to repentance resulting in joy, a call to faith with a lifelong commitment to prayer, worship and Bible study, a call to service with the requirement that we love our neighbors, a call to thanksgiving which motivates us to cross barriers, and a call to prayer which transforms us into a people who hunger and thirst for justice. And today we look at our call to humility and the blessing of forgiveness that we receive as a result. But first lets pray.

Grant unto us, O Lord, to be occupied in the mysteries of thy heavenly wisdom, with true progress in piety, to thy glory and our own edification. Amen. (Calvin)
Luke 18:9-14 9He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: 10"Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, 'God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.' 13But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!' 14I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted."

For those of us who have been coming to church for a long time we don't have a very high opinion of those Pharisees. Sunday School teachers and preachers often look at this parable and tell us not to make the mistakes of the Pharisees. The Pharisees, you see, believed that they would be saved by good works. And we all know that good works will never get us into heaven. We are saved solely by the grace of God which we obtain through our faith in Jesus Christ. So, we are taught, to be like the tax collector and depend only on God's mercy to get to heaven. This is solid reformed theology, but it would sound a little strange to a first century audience. Let me explain.

Suppose you were looking for a new home, and you wanted to live in a nice community. You would want a Pharisee for a neighbor. The lawn of a Pharisee's house would be cut and the bushes trimmed. There would be no loud music coming from the windows and their dog would not bark all night. Pharisees always try to obey the rules of the community so they are easy to get along with, model neighbors, except sometimes when they complain that others fail to live up to community expectations. You would want a Pharisee as a doctor or dentist because they would always try to make a good diagnosis of your problem and perform the right treatment. You want a Pharisee as a lawyer or judge because they would pay attention to detail and always try to do what is right.

You would want to avoid the tax collector as a neighbor. Tax collectors have loud parties
all night long, their front yard is covered with weeds, old cars are parked driveway. Beware of the tax collector financial deal, it might be a Bernie Madoff ponzi scheme or you might be investing in Nigerian gold mines that do not exist. I remember joining a church one time with a tax collector. He and his wife seemed nice enough, but they had joined the church in order to meet people and get them involved in a wine importing scam. They sold shares in a company that supposedly was importing wine from Italy, but there was no company, no wine, no profits, and this couple had joined the church just to swindle others. When all of this came to light the couple disappeared.

So the Pharisees are the nice people in the world. We want them for our friends and invite them to church. Pharisees are us. But we condemn those tax collectors and want to stay as far away from them as we can.

But Jesus knows something about the Pharisees, something they would prefer to keep hidden. You see, the Pharisees are really no better than the tax collectors. They are just more adept at keeping their sins hidden. Their lives were filled with white lies and the innocent mistakes: the little fling one night at a business conference nobody at home knows about, the cash deal that was never reported on a tax return, the addiction to prescription medicines that is carefully hidden from friends and family. A Pharisee wears a mask of holiness but underneath is really no better than a tax collector. Both the Pharisee and the tax collector have fallen short of God's expectations.

But according to our story today there is one big difference between the Pharisee and the tax collector. The Pharisee tries to hide behind his mask when approaching God in prayer while the tax collector comes to God honestly with no mask to hide behind. Humility is when you approach God with your mask removed.

This is what worship is all about. We wear our masks all week pretending that we are good people, but on Sunday morning we come to church and leave our masks at the door. For one hour each week we are honest with God. We bow our heads in confession and truthfully admit to God who we really are. When we humble ourselves before God in this way, Jesus' promise is that we will be exalted, spiritually lifted up, into the presence of God. That why we experience such joy in worship, because our hearts are lifted up into the presence of Jesus Christ.

Should we fast twice a week? That's a good start. Should we give 10% of our income to the
church? That's good too. Should we avoid lust and crooked business deals? Of course! But will any of these things bring us closer to God and lift us up into God's presence? Not really. What God wants is your honesty and your confession because no matter what you try to do, it is never good enough. You are called to approach God in humility.

Of course I hear your objections to all this. Aren't there bad and good people in the world? Shouldn't bad people try to be better if they want to go to heaven? Yes. Doesn't the Holy Spirit do something to help us clean up our own act? Well, yes. But even if we are candidates for sainthood if we parade our righteousness around criticizing others for not being holy enough, then we are no better than the Pharisee who disparaged the tax collector for being a sinner. This is a case of the pot calling the kettle black.

We are all sinners. We are all condemned to sin. It’s part of our fallen character. Even if we try really hard to be holy, we can’t get there. You go half way today. Then you go half the remainder tomorrow. You go half of what is left every day after that. And you still cannot get all the way to where you have to go. Your only hope is that God will take you all the way to the finish line.

This is what God’s grace is all about. We are unable to live holy lives. So we either hide behind a mask and pretend that we are ok, or we take off the mask, admit our failures, and ask God for forgiveness. The promise of scripture is that if we do take off the mask and confess God will respond with the free act of forgiveness.

I recently heard a delightful story about our need to rely on God's grace. (adapted from Erickson http://www.natpresch.org/sermon.php?d=2004-08-15%200000 )

God and Satan were locked up in a scoreless baseball game. It was the bottom of the ninth, and God's team was coming up to bat. Christian was in the stands, and he was worried that the game would go on forever, with neither side scoring the winning run. Faith stepped up to the plate, and Christian cheered, because if anyone could handle Satan's wicked curve ball it would be Faith. Sure enough, Faith led off with a solid single to right field. Then Hope singled to center and there were runners on first and second. Love followed with a single to shallow left, and the bases were loaded. Finally Grace strode to the plate to face a very angry Satan. The count quickly went to 3 and 2 and Christian was biting his nails. Did Grace have the right stuff? Satan reared back and threw the hardest fast ball he could muster. Grace promptly hit it out of the ballpark for a grand slam, and God's team won. After the game God asked Christian what he thought of his lineup. Christian admitted that he had a lot of confidence in Faith, Hope, and Love, but he wasn't sure about Grace. And God replied, "Faith, Hope, and Love have a lot on the ball to be sure, but it takes Grace to bring everybody home."

So when we pray do we hide behind masks hoping that God won’t notice who we really are? Or do we remove your masks and stand before the Lord admitting the reality of who we are and what we have done? The promise of scripture is that God loves us so much that God will forgive us if we remove our masks and admit the reality of our lives. This is God's grace.

Father in heaven, we come to you today as sinners. We have removed our masks. We acknowledge that we are no better than anyone else. Here we are, warts and all. Forgive us and let us return to your loving arms.

By the grace of God you are forgiven. Amen.