Sermon - Romans 1:1-7 - Belonging to Christ

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Pitts Creek and Beaver Dam Churches

Sermon - Romans 1:1-7 - Belonging to Christ

December 22, 2013

Four candles on the Advent wreath have been lit. The light of Christ is burning even brighter in our hearts. We have been clothed with Christ by worshiping, studying our Bibles and praying every day. We are trying to live harmoniously treating those with whom we disagree with dignity and respect. We are patiently waiting, keeping our grumbling to a minimum and helping the poor in our community by doing our best to get the world ready for Jesus' return. We don't know when this will happen, but we are almost ready. Let's pray.

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

One thing that happens at Christmas is that we often meet someone new. Maybe your daughter brings home her new boyfriend. Maybe you meet yet another great grandchild. Maybe you are celebrating Christmas for the first time in a new community. Christmas is a great time to meet new people and make new friends. And when we meet new people we must first introduce ourselves.

The Apostle Paul met new people in the church of Rome through a letter. He had never been to Rome, but he wanted to visit. And so he wrote a letter to the church introducing himself. Today we will be looking at the introduction of that letter and hear how Paul describes himself.  Let's see what he has to say.

Romans 1:1-7 ^IV Romans 1:1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God-- ² the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures ³ regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, ⁴ and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. ⁵ Through him and for his name's sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith. ⁶ And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ. ⁷ To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul wants the church in Rome, to “belong to Jesus Christ”. He describes himself as a servant or slave of Jesus. And so the Roman church too must become slaves of Christ. This is a difficult message for Americans. We abolished slavery. We believe in rugged individualism with each person making his or her own way. We believe in liberty and freedom. We don't want to be slaves.

In ancient times slaves were usually prisoners of war. They had been captured in battle and could be bought and sold. Some slaves were thieves who could not make restitution of what they had stolen. Others were sold by their parents in payment of some debt. Occasionally people would sell themselves into slavery to escape poverty. Slaves could be redeemed, usually by family members, who would buy their freedom. And on the year of Jubilee all Hebrew slaves were freed. In New Testament times early churches would include household slaves in worship. But today we no have slavery. So what would it mean to be slaves to Christ?

Paul tells us that we are all slaves to something. There is no way to avoid it. We are either slaves to sin or slaves to Jesus Christ. If we are slaves to sin then we will engage in sinful behavior. We have no ability to avoid sin if we are slaves to it. And without Jesus in our lives sin will take over. But if we belong to Jesus Christ then we become more holy and one day we will be called saints.

Belonging to Jesus Christ begins with a call from God. God decides if we should belong to Jesus or not. And then God gives the ones he chooses the gift of faith. We come to belief in Jesus Christ. The content of this belief is twofold. First, we believe that Jesus is the Christ, the anointed one, whom the prophets of the Old Testament said would come. Jesus was a flesh and blood human being descended from King David. Second, we believe that Jesus is the Son of God whose divinity was proven in his resurrection from the dead. In Jesus, God and man come together. This is the foundation of our faith. Faith is something we receive. And there is no cost. Faith comes to us as free gift from God.

Once we receive this gift and believe in Jesus Christ we are redeemed. Jesus paid the price for our redemption on the cross. Redemption also is a free gift of a gracious God. As redeemed people we are no longer slaves to sin. We are enabled to turn from our sinful ways and turn to Christ. And we become slaves of Christ, doing what he wants us to do. 

 And what is it the Christ wants us to do? According to Paul we receive yet another gift. God gives us the gift of apostleship. An apostle is one who is sent out to tell others the good news that God has come at Christmas with gifts: the gift of faith, the gift of redemption, and the gift of apostleship. These gifts come to us in the form of a baby lying in manger who is the savior of the world.

And so what are we to do? It's Christmas and it's time to give and receive presents. So receive the gift of faith in Jesus Christ. Receive the gift of redemption from sin through forgiveness. And receive the gift of apostleship.

One question we have at Christmas is whether or not to re-gift the presents we receive. You get that fruitcake from you uncle. Is it socially acceptable to give it away to someone else? According to a university study re-gifting is very commonplace. It was one of Oprah's Favorite Things. In general re-gifting is socially acceptable if you re-wrap the gift, don't use it yourself, and avoid giving it back to the person who gave it to you in the first place.

So is it acceptable to re-give the gifts that God gives us? The answer to that one is easy. The gift of apostleship is what enables us to re-give the gifts God has given us. All we have to do to use this gift of apostleship is to tell others that we belong to Christ, and offer them the gift of faith in Jesus Christ which is free and comes with no strings attached. And once they have received this gift of faith offer them the gift of redemption where they will be freed from their slavery to sin. Tell them about the birth at Christmas when God and humans were brought together in a person named Jesus as foretold by the ancient prophets and confirmed by Jesus' resurrection from the dead.

So as you give and receive present this Christmas remember what you have been given. You have received the gift of faith in Jesus Christ. You have been given the gift of redemption from slavery to sin. And you have been given the gift of apostleship which enables you to re-give the gifts you have received from God. So re-give these gifts to bless others with gifts from our gracious God. Let us pray.

We are so thankful, O Lord, for all you have given us. We are grateful for the gift of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you for the gift of redemption freeing us from slavery to sin. And thank you for giving the gift of apostleship so that we can share these gifts with everyone we meet this Christmas. This we pray in the name of Jesus, the Christ and our Lord and Savior. Amen.

Sermon James 5:7-10 Being Patient

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Pitts Creek and Beaver Dam Churches

Sermon James 5:7-10 Being Patient

December 15, 2013

I can remember a time, not that long ago, when if you wanted to talk with me on phone you had to wait until I got home. If you called before I got home you heard the phone ring and ring and ring with no answer. If you knew my business number you could try me there, but if not you had to be patient. As the years past I added an answering machine so that people could leave a message and I would get right back to them when I got home. Then I got a pager so that I would know that someone had left a message, and I could listen to that message wherever I was. This allowed me to respond to calls sooner.

If you wanted to send me something in writing you had to mail it through the post office. Several days could pass before I received it. After a while I got a fax machine and email so you could send me a message and it would be waiting for me when I got home. I no longer had to wait days for the letter carrier to bring me the mail.

Today I carry around a smart phone. You can call me anytime you want, and unless I am doing a church thing, I will answer it almost every time. I have email, but use it less and less. For young people email and voice mail on your phone are too slow. They like to use text messaging which allows information to be sent and received instantly without having to wait for someone to read his email or listen to her voice mail.

I love having instant access to news, sports and weather. I used to wait for the morning newspaper for the evening TV news. But now I find all of this information instantly on my phone. I have become someone who expects things to happen right now. And I do not have any patience to wait. This is nothing new. Men and women have always wanted things now, not later. We find waiting difficult. And yet God wants us to wait until Jesus' return. James tells us to “be patient.” We will get to this, but first let's pray.

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

James 5:7-10 ⁷ Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. ⁸ You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near. ⁹ Don't grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door! ¹⁰ Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

The early church expected Jesus to return at any moment. They certainly thought that he would return in their lifetimes. But the years went by they were still waiting. They had been praying, and worshiping and studying their Bibles. They had been serving the poor and needy in their communities. They wanted everything to be right when Jesus returned. But he hadn't returned and so they were still waiting.

So too with us. We worship every Sunday. We have Bible studies and prayer groups. We collect offerings for the poor at the White Gifts services. We support Samaritan shelter and deliver food baskets to needy families. We have been doing all this for many years trying to get the world right, and we are still waiting for Jesus to return.

The Apostle James, probably the brother of Jesus and the leader of the church in Jerusalem, wanted his church to be patient until Jesus comes again. He gave as his example of patience a farmer who patiently waits for his crops to grow.

The farmers in Jerusalem in the first century had to practice dry weather agriculture. Some of the farmers, those in valleys, could irrigate their fields from the Jordan river. But those who farmed on the hillsides could not. They were dependent on the limited rainfall that fell on Judah. These farmers expected rain twice a year. In the Fall, October and November rains would come that would break up soil which had baked for months in desert heat. This was needed so that crops could be planted. Without they Autumn rains nothing could be planted because the soil was as hard as a rock. Planting would occur in the early Spring and would be completed by Easter. The Passover was a celebration that the crops were in the field. Then the Spring rains would fall in March and April watering the crops. Harvest would occur 50 days later. The crops had to harvested by early June so not to be scorched by the hot Summer sun. They would celebrate the June harvest with the feast of Pentecost. Beginning with the new year in September the farmers would patiently wait for the Autumn rains to start the process that hopefully would lead to an abundant harvest.

So too with us. Just as farmers patiently wait for God to send the rain, so too must we patiently wait for Jesus' return. But how do we do this? We don't like to wait for things. We don't want to wait for Jesus. We want him to come right now. James has a few ideas about how we can wait.

First, James suggests that we strengthen our hearts. This means that we grow spiritually. We continue doing what we have been doing. We continue worshiping and studying the Bible every week. We continue praying and meditating on scripture every day. We continue providing resources for the poor through White Gifts, gift baskets, and the work of various groups in the church. As we do these things our hearts are strengthened for what might be a long wait for Jesus' return. And a strong heart gives us patience.

The second thing James wants us to do is to not grumble about the wait. Grumbling is what we usually do when we wait. “Why doesn't he return my call?” “My children haven't visited for a long time.” “I've been on session for years; why isn't Jesus here already?” You have heard people grumble, and I'm sure you have grumbled yourselves. But James wants us to cut it out because grumbling makes us impatient. The more we grumble, the more unpleasant is our wait. And this leads us to grumble even more. But if we stop grumbling and always say good things about our wait then we break the cycle, waiting is more pleasant, and seems to pass more quickly. So don't grumble as you wait for Jesus' return and become more patient.

And the third thing that James wants us to do as we wait is to focus on the people in the Bible who also had to wait. The example James gives of a biblical character who had to wait was Job. Job was a wealthy farmer with a large a family, everything you could ever want. But through no fault of his own he lost everything, his health, his wealth and his family. His faith was strong and sustained him throughout the bad times. He grumbled to God about his plight, and received a rebuke. But he remained faithful, and his health, wealth and family were eventually restored. Job became patient and his waiting led to blessing.

So what should we do, those who have been waiting for thousands of years? Should we be impatient and like Job grumble about our long wait? I think not. Jesus will come. Jesus might come tomorrow. Jesus might come a thousand years from now. We don't know. All we can do is wait. And while we are waiting we can build patience by worshiping, and praying, and studying the Bible (especially the waiting prophets of old). And we can stop grumbling about our long wait, and accept the blessing of God through this waiting time. 

Let's pray.

Lord Jesus, we have been waiting for you for so long. Waiting is difficult and we are tempted to start grumbling about it. Grant us the gift of patience as you did for the prophets. And strengthen us with your spirit. This we pray in your glorious name. Come Lord Jesus. Amen.

Sermon - Romans 15:4-13 Living in Harmony

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Pitts Creek and Beaver Dam Churches

Sermon - Romans 15:4-13 Living in Harmony

December 8, 2013

We are arrived at the second Sunday of Advent. We are still waiting for a savior. But are wait is one week shorter. Even though the days are getting shorter and the nights getting longer the light of Christ is burning in our hearts with the intensity of two candles. Today we will see how scripture and the church working together helps us to have the light of Christ burning even more intensely. We will get to this, but first let's pray.

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

We live in a highly polarized culture. We focus on what divides us, and have great difficulty finding middle ground. Politically we line up as Democrats and Republicans, and sometime it seems the two parties don't even speak the same language. The church has long been divided by race and denomination. Today in the Presbyterian church we are separating from each other on the issue of ordination and marriage for homosexuals. We line up on one side or the other and see no common ground.

Last Tuesday the Moderator of the 220^th General Assembly of Presbyterian Church U.S.A., the Rev. Dr. Neal Presa spoke to New Castle Presbytery on the subject of divisions within the church. He called for “dignity of difference”. This means that we can hold different beliefs, but rather than fight or run away, we treat those with whom we have a disagreement with dignity. We uphold them as children of God. We worship and pray with them. We love them as Christ loves us. Dr. Presa calls this “feasting”. It the Philippians, where he is from, whenever something special happens they have a feast. If a visitor comes from far away, if someone gets married, if there is a significant birthday then they have a party. Everyone within a two block radius is invited. They all bring food to share. And even though they have their differences they can put these differences away in order to feast. No one stays away because of disagreements. No one comes to fight over differences. They feast together affirming their friendships.

Nelson Mandela, who died this week, embodied this ideal. We spent 27 years in prison during a time of Apartheid in South Africa. Apartheid was a governmental policy of radical racial discrimination. The president of South Africa realized that this policy could not continue and he feared that it would end in a violent racial way. So he went to Mandela in prison and asked for his help. When Mandela was released he drew on his Christian background and told people to forgive. Forgiveness was the only way to peacefully build South Africa into a multiracial nation.

Contrast this approach with the way the world deals with differences. We shun people we disagree with. When we come together we fight. We personalize our differences by demonizing others and calling them names. Not only do we disagree with their ideas, we think they are evil for just thinking in a different way from us.

Paul was dealing with a similar situation in Rome. The Roman church was undergoing a conflict of power. The church was started by Jews who kept their Jewish customs while worshiping Jesus Christ. Gradually, pagan Gentiles, came to faith in Jesus. These Gentile Christians did not adopt the Jewish customs. The did not keep the Jewish holidays. And they were not circumcised. As the number of Gentiles grew they had more impact on the church. And when the Jews were expelled from Rome the Gentiles had the church to themselves. When the Jewish Christians returned they found Gentiles running their church and conflicts started. To deal with these conflicts Paul sent a letter to the Roman church. Here is his conclusion.

Romans 15:4-13 ⁴ For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. ⁵ May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, ⁶ so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁷ Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. ⁸ For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God's truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs ⁹ so that the Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy, as it is written: "Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing hymns to your name." ¹⁰ Again, it says, "Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people." ¹¹ And again, "Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and sing praises to him, all you peoples." ¹² And again, Isaiah says, "The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; the Gentiles will hope in him." ¹³ May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Paul wanted the Jewish and Gentile Christians in the Church of Rome to “dignify their differences.” He wanted them to live in harmony. Harmony is not a monotone. Rather it is a collection of different tones that come together to make a beautiful sound. Jane and Gloria masterfully produce harmony on the piano and organ. And we are to work harmoniously together, not just playing one note, but bringing our differences together in a beautiful whole.

Paul said that the church should be harmonious for two reasons. The first is that scripture teaches us that Jew and Gentile must come together. Here are the verse sPaul has quoted. Psalm 18:49 ⁴⁹ “Therefore I will praise you among the nations, O LORD; I will sing praises to your name.” Psalm 18 teaches us that people with ethnic differences, Jews and Gentiles will come together in praising God. Deuteronomy 32:43 ⁴³ “Rejoice, O nations, with his people,” Deuteronomy teaches that Jews and Gentiles will get together in great joy. Psalm 117:1-2 ^NIV Psalm 117:1 “Praise the LORD, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples. ² For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD.” Psalm 117 tells us the Jews and Gentiles will praise God together because of God's great faithfulness. Isaiah 11:10 “In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious.” And the Prophet Isaiah tells us that in Jesus Christ all the nations of the earth will be reconciled. We learn from these scriptures that all God's people, regardless of our differences, should come together in Jesus Christ to praise God with great joy. What a feast!

So scripture teaches us that we should come together with our differences to produce a harmonious whole. But there is more. Paul says that there is a second reason to come together. That reason is that we all share a common hope. We all anticipate the day resurrection when there will be no more liberal or conservative churches. There will be no more denominations. There will be no more black and white churches. In the resurrection we will all be children of God and disciples of Jesus Christ.

So, if our Bible says that we should be harmonious in the church, and if our hope is that one day all differences will be wiped away, then what should we do now? Should we fight with each other and separate into different churches and denominations? I think not. Our scripture wants us to come together and our hope is that this will happen. But we need help in overcoming our differences. And the good news of Advent is that help is on the way. The savior is coming in whom all differences will be reconciled. And he has sent his Holy Spirit to equip us and empower us to treat those with whom we disagree with the dignity they deserve. So rejoice because the end to conflict and division is at hand. Our savior is coming. Let us pray.

Father in heaven we confess that we usually fight or flee over the differences we have with each other. We know from you word that you want us to live harmoniously with each other. Send you Spirit so that we may treat those with whom we disagree with dignity. And send your Son to reconcile all differences. This we pray in his name. Amen.

Sermon - Romans 13:11-14 Putting On Christ

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Pitts Creek and Beaver Dam Churches

Sermon - Romans 13:11-14 Putting On Christ

December 1, 2013

This is the first Sunday of Advent. Advent is a time of waiting. We are waiting for our savior to come. While we do this, we remember what God has done in the past, what he is doing now, and anticipate what he will be doing in the future. We hear from the prophets with the expectation of Jesus coming again. We await his coming anticipating the fulfillment of biblical prophesy. And we consider God's overall plan for salvation. This all starts for us this morning by just waking up and getting dressed. We will get to all this, but first let's pray.

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

Romans 13:11-14 ¹¹ And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. ¹² The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. ¹³ Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. ¹⁴ Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

The Apostle Paul has used what we do every day as a metaphor for coming to faith. Just as God makes the sun rise` every day covering the world in light so too does God make the light of faith shine in our hearts. Faith comes to us as a gift from God. We don't earn it or even make it happen. Faith rises in our hearts just as the sun rises each day. Every morning we respond to the rising of the sun by waking up. We get out bed and begin our day. Likewise when we experience the light of faith coming into our hearts we wake up from a long night of unbelief into the glorious dawn of belief in Jesus Christ. And every morning when we wake up we get out of bed and get dressed. So too when the light of faith wakes us up into belief we get dressed with the Spirit of Jesus Christ. This begins the process, with the Spirit's help, of our becoming more and more like Christ leaving behind our old lives of sin.

Let me tell you a story about a man who woke up to belief in Jesus and got dressed with the Spirit.

Last Sunday I told you about a bishop living at the end of the 4^th and early 5^th centuries after Christ. His name was Augustine. Augustine's mother was Christian and tried to raise him as a good and faithful boy. But Augustine had other ideas. He was bad kid. He didn't want to go to school. He didn't want to do his homework. He stole things from his parents. He read immoral books and saw immoral shows. He called people names. And he was a petty thief.

As Augustine grew older he was sent away to school. His mother wanted him to marry hoping that this would help him settle down. He was engaged to a young women, but had to wait two years for her to be old enough to marry. Augustine's lusts were so great he couldn't wait for marriage, so he lived with another women and she gave him a son.

Augustine found his life spinning out of control. He turned to other religions and philosophies, but never found anything that could help. He was descending further and further into darkness. He was a slave to sin, and there was nothing he could do about it. Augustine was miserable. One evening Augustine's misery turned into despair. He didn't know where to turn or what to do. And there was no one to help. He cried out to the God of his mother, “How long, how long? Tomorrow and tomorrow? Why not now? Why not this very hour an end to my uncleanness?”¹

It was then that Augustine heard a voice. It sounded like a child's voice coming from a neighboring house. It said over and over, “Take up and read”. Augustine knew that this was the voice of God commanding him to open a Bible and read the first thing he saw. He opened his Bible and his eyes rested on these words from Romans 13, “Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” Upon reading these words Augustine knew that they were true. He said it was like “a peaceful light streaming into my heart, all the dark shadows of doubt passed away”.

This is what we are waiting for in Advent. We are waiting for the light of Christ to enter our hearts, dispelling the darkness of our lives. Just as we wake up when God makes the sun rise each day, so too does your spirit wake up when the light of Christ enters your heart.

The light of Christ entered Augustine's heart that day. He went to visit his mother to tell her the good news. She was overjoyed because all of her tearful prayers had been answered. Her mourning turned in joy. Augustine left his old life behind and traveled to Milan where he was baptized and nurtured by Ambrose, the Bishop of Milan. Eventually Augustine sold all of his possessions and entered the priesthood. He sailed to North Africa to serve the church in Hippo.

What Augustine realized was the light of Christ was a free gift from God. There was nothing he had done or could do that would earn him this light. He had received the light by God's grace. Just as the light of the sun comes to us each morning with no effort our part so too does the light of Christ come to us. The light of Christ does two things for us. First, all of the sin we have participated in is forgiven. And second, we are empowered to live lives pleasing to God. We do this by “putting on Christ”, living as Christ would have us live.

Immediately after Augustine experienced his conversion he opened his Bible a second time and placed his finger on the first scripture he saw and made a note of it. Later that day he visited his best friend who saw that something had changed. Augustine told him about his experience of hearing God and what the Bible said when he opened it. And when Augustine got to the part of opening the Bible a second time Alypius asked him what it said. Augustine read the following to him ^NIV Romans 14:1 Accept him whose faith is weak. When Alypius heard this he realized that the Bible was speaking to him too and he too came to faith.

So when we experience that light of Christ coming into our lives when we wake up and get dressed in the Spirit then we need to share our faith with others. And all it takes is a prayer, or kind act, or scripture verse to kindle the light of Christ in someone's heart. And another believer is born.

On Wednesday nights during Advent we will have a communion vesper service at Pitts Creek. It begins at 7pm. During these vespers we will experience simplicity and silence. There will be a sense of timelessness. We will empty our minds of distractions and feel the presence of God. Our goal is to experience the light of Christ coming into our lives just as Augustine had experienced it. This will cause us to wake up into belief and we will put on the Spirit of Christ. My prayer today is that you will experience the light of Christ yourselves. I hope you will experience God's forgiveness. And I hope that you will put on Christ and live the life you were created to live. Let us pray.

Father in heaven we ask that you send the light of Christ into our hearts this Advent. Help us to wake up from unbelief into the dawn of faith. Help us to get dressed with the Spirit of Christ so that we leave our sinful lives behind and our more able to share our faith with others. This we pray in your son's name. Amen.

1St. Augustine, The Confessions of Saint Augustine (image Books), Image ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Image, 1960),  202.

Sermon – Psalm 46 – God Is Our Refuge

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Pitts Creek and Beaver Dam Churches

Sermon – Psalm 46 – God Is Our Refuge

November 24, 2013

This week Americans will be gathering with family and friends to celebrate the feast of Thanksgiving. This is a time when we express to God our appreciation for all that God does for us. And God does bless us richly every day in many small things. God also blesses in large things too. Whenever we are faced with problems that can't be solved, a serious disease, the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, the end of a relationship, terrorism and war, whenever we face these things there is only one refuge. We can turn to God, and this is what we are thankful for on Thanksgiving. Let's pray.

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

Psalm 46:1-11 ^NIV Psalm 46:1 For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. According to alamoth. A song. God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. ² Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, ³ though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Selah ⁴ There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. ⁵ God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. ⁶ Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. ⁷ The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah ⁸ Come and see the works of the LORD, the desolations he has brought on the earth. ⁹ He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear, he burns the shields with fire. ¹⁰ "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." ¹¹ The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

Psalm 46 has been used by God's people for thousands of years as a source of comfort when trouble arises. Even today when we experience problems beyond our control we can turn to this psalm for comfort and strength. We hear that “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” And we are commanded to “be still, and know that I am God.”

Early in the 5^th century after Christ, the Roman Empire was crumbling. Corruption from within and enemies from without had caused the empire to fall. The people of the Roman Empire experienced great fear. They had lived under its protection for centuries. And now there was no protection any more. They were vulnerable.

A bishop of the church in North Africa, named Augustine, saw what was happening. He told his people that they were not citizens of the City of Rome. Rather they were citizens of the City of God. And he used psalm 46 to tell them this. He told them not to put their faith in the military or political power or even in their own abilities. Instead they were to put their faith solely in God. And for those who do this God will be their refuge. The answer was not to struggle against the changes that were happening, rather they were to remember God's command, “be still, and know that I am God.”

A thousand years later the people of God again experienced the crumbling of an empire. The Middle Ages were coming to a end. And with its demise the power that the Bishop of Rome used through the Holy Roman Empire also ceased. This new age was frightening for many people. Many people wanted to fight to keep what they had. Religious wars spread throughout Europe. In the midst of this, a former Augustinian Monk and Protestant Reformer named Martin Luther realized that our safety could never be protected by armies. Are only refuge was God. He turned to Psalm 46 and wrote these words.

“A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing; our helper he amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing. For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe; his craft and power are great, and armed with cruel hate, on earth is not his equal. Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing, were not the right man on our side, the man of God's own choosing. Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is he; Lord Sabaoth, his name, from age to age the same, and he must win the battle.”

With these words Luther told those who were trying to reform the church that God alone would be their refuge. They were not to rely on the strength of armies and political power. Rather they were to trust God and listen to God's command “be still, and know that I am God.”

Another 500 years went by and still another threat came upon God's people. It was September 11, 2001 and planes crashed in the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon in Virginia, and a farm field in Pennsylvania. Terrorist had invaded our land. The immediate reaction was to respond with force and to depend on our military and political power to protect us. In the midst of this threat, the Rev. Billy Graham mounted the steps to the pulpit of the National Cathedral in Washington DC to speak to the nation. Here is what he said that day.

“We come together today to affirm our conviction that God cares for us, whatever our ethnic, religious or political background may be. The Bible says that He is "the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles." No matter how hard we try words simply cannot express the horror, the shock, and the revulsion we all feel over what took place in this nation on Tuesday morning. September 11 will go down in our history as a day to remember.

Today we say to those who masterminded this cruel plot, and to those who carried it out, that the spirit of this nation will not be defeated by their twisted and diabolical schemes. Some day those responsible will be brought to justice, as President Bush and our Congress have so forcefully stated.

But today we especially come together in this service to confess our need of God. We’ve always needed God from the very beginning of this nation but today we need Him especially. We’re facing a new kind of enemy. We’re involved in a new kind of warfare and we need the help of the Spirit of God. The Bible’s words are our hope: "God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea" (Psalm 46:1,2, NIV). http://www.nationalcathedral.org/worship/sermonTexts/bg010914.shtml

Reverend Graham told us that day that evil in the world is a reality, but the reason for its presence is shrouded in mystery. All we can do is trust that God is sovereign and just and will see that all thing work out for good. And therefore we should be filled with hope in God's faithfulness.

It is this hope that we should be thankful for this Thanksgiving. It is a hope that no matter how bad things may seem God is still with us. So as your gather around your tables this Thursday remember that we are thankful for our God who is our refuge and strength. And no matter what is happening to our lives and our families and our nation and world, we can take refuge in our loving God. Give thanks and listen again to his command, “be still, and know that I am God.” Let us pray.

“God of all blessings, source of all life, giver of all grace: We thank you for the gift of life: for the breath that sustains life, for the food of this earth that nurtures life, for the love of family and friends without which there would be no life. We thank you for the mystery of creation: for the beauty that the eye can see, for the joy that the ear may hear, for the unknown that we cannot behold filling the universe with wonder, for the expanse of space that draws us beyond the definitions of our selves. We thank you for setting us in communities: for families who nurture our becoming, for friends who love us by choice, for companions at work, who share our burdens and daily tasks, for strangers who welcome us into their midst, for people from other lands who call us to grow in understanding, for children who lighten our moments with delight, for the unborn, who offer us hope for the future. We thank you for this day: for life and one more day to love, for opportunity and one more day to work for justice and peace, for neighbors and one more person to love and by whom be loved, for your grace and one more experience of your presence, for your promise: to be with us, to be our God, and to give salvation. For these, and all blessings, we give you thanks, eternal, loving God, through Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.”

Source: Adapted from "Prayers of Our Hearts" © 1991 Vienna Cobb Anderson. Reprinted with the permission of the author http://www.beliefnet.com/Prayers/Christian/Gratitude/Prayer-Of-Thanksgiving.aspx

Sermon - 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15 Living in Idleness

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Pitts Creek and Beaver Dam Churches

Sermon - 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15 Living in Idleness

November 17, 2013

This is Stewardship Commitment Sunday, the Sunday each year when we remind ourselves that the entire world was created by God and is still owned by him. We have been given the right by God to have dominion over creation, but we also have the responsibility to care for it. This care is called stewardship. As good stewards we take care of what God has given us. Today we will take a look at a part of God's creation over which we have specific responsibility to care. This part of creation is called the church. And God's wants us to take care of it. We will get to this, but first let's pray.

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

2 Thessalonians 3.6-15 6Now we command you, beloved, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from believers who are living in idleness and not according to the tradition that they received from us. 7For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us; we were not idle when we were with you, 8and we did not eat anyone’s bread without paying for it; but with toil and labor we worked night and day, so that we might not burden any of you. 9This was not because we do not have that right, but in order to give you an example to imitate. 10For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: Anyone unwilling to work should not eat. 11For we hear that some of you are living in idleness, mere busybodies, not doing any work. 12Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living. 13Brothers and sisters, do not be weary in doing what is right. 14Take note of those who do not obey what we say in this letter; have nothing to do with them, so that they may be ashamed. 15Do not regard them as enemies, but warn them as believers.

As we heard last week the church at Thessalonica was under the mistaken idea that Christ was just about to return. And as a result they were not doing the things they needed to do. Paul accused them of idleness. They know what work they should be doing, but they are avoiding it, going around it, and so the work of the church is being disrupted. They are not inviting their friends to church. They are not proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ. They are not coming around the communion table or passing through the waters of baptism. They are not greeting visitors with hospitality. They are not gathering for fellowship activities, Bible studies and prayer. They are not caring for their buildings and grounds. They are not paying their bills. And they are not tithing to support the work of the church. They are not doing anything the church needs to continue operating because they think Jesus will soon return, and make all things new. So why bother?

Paul wants none of this. He has told them that we just don't know when Christ will return so they must keep doing what he taught them to do. They are to do the work of evangelizing, and preaching, and teaching, and administering sacraments, and having coffee hours and Sunday school classes for all ages. They are to maintain their buildings, balance their books, and practice music for Sunday. And they are to tithe so that the church has the resources it needs to do what God wants.

Paul also talks, briefly, about compensation for pastors. Paul's practice was whenever he was starting a church he would not accept any pay. Instead he would find a job. In Corinth he worked with leather. But once the church was established it was required to pay someone who because of his education in the faith, under Paul, was qualified to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ and properly administer the sacraments. And so the church at Thessalonica, which had the benefit of having Paul himself start it, must now support their pastor.

As we have already seen, the problem in Thessalonica, was that people thought that because Jesus was to return soon and there was no need to support the ministry of the church and its pastor. Today churches also have difficulty doing these things. But I think the reason for our problems today is not that we think Christ's coming in immanent. No. The reason we have trouble supporting the church today is idolatry. Let me explain.

Whenever the nominating committee is at work recruiting people for boards, whenever we are looking for Sunday school teachers for kids, the response we hear over and over again is, “I'm too busy.” I'm too busy to lead the youth group. I'm too busy to clean up Sunday school rooms. I'm too busy to come to church every Sunday. I'm too busy to pray every day. I'm too busy to attend Bible studies. I'm too busy doing other things. And that's the problem. We value other things more than we value the God's church. And whenever we value something more than we value God that thing becomes our idol. So let's ask ourselves, “What keeps us from actively supporting the church”? What makes us so busy that we don't have time for church any more. Whatever it is, that is your idol. That is what you worship.

Let's take a closed look at (Pitts Creek) (Beaver Dam) church to see how well we are caring for God's church right here. According to public information on the PCUSA.ORG web site as submitted by the clerk of session for last year we have (51) (46) members. The average Presbyterian church has 180 members. So we are well below average. Part of this is due to the fact that we are in a small town with not much population. But other churches in this town are much bigger than us. And we were much bigger at one time. So this must indicate that we are not doing a good enough job telling our friends about all the blessings we have received from God. We have not done a good enough job inviting people to join us in worship. We have not done a good enough job welcoming visitors to the church with hospitality. We have not done a good enough job making this an attractive place for families to come for worship. And so we are far below average in the denomination and in this town in membership and attendance. We must be doing something else with our time rather than using it to build up the church.

Let's turn to how we use our money. We are to give to the church sufficient resources to allow it to accomplish what God is calling it to do. At minimum we have to pay the bills and maintain the building. The pastor also needs to be paid. According to PCUSA.ORG (Pitts Creek) (Beaver Dam) church gave a total of ($73,439) ($63,085) in gifts, tithes and offerings in 2012. The average church in the denomination gives $246,031. We are significantly below average in giving. Part of this is due to our low membership. So lets look at the giving per member and see how we compare. The average member at (Pitts Creek) (Beaver Dam) gives to the church ($1,440) ($1,370) last year. The average member of a Presbyterian church gave $1,366 last year. So we are about average in giving.

So we are below average in membership and about average in giving. As a result we struggle to maintain our building and pay a pastor for ½ of his time. Our problem, I think is we suffer from a lack of spiritual growth. We are just not praying every day. We are not studying scripture. We are not in worship every Sunday. And because we are not doing these things we have a very hard time talking about Jesus with our neighbors and inviting them to church. We also have a hard time committing our money for the work of God in our community through the church. We can clearly see the lack of spiritual growth in the congregation from attendance in Christian Education. In the average Presbyterian church 103 people attend Bible studies. 57% of the average congregation is in regular Bible study. But at (Pitts Creek) (Beaver Dam) we have only (19) (23) people attending Bible studies. We only have (37%) (50%) of our members in Christian Education. This too is below average.

So we are below average in evangelism and Christian education, and about average when it comes to giving. As a result of this we struggle to do what God is calling us to do in the community. We need to develop our gifts of evangelism and tithing. We do this by engaging in a program of spiritual development. This means we must pray and meditate on scripture every day. We must study the Bible in groups on a regular basis. And we must be in worship every Sunday praying for the gift of evangelism and responding to God's blessings with our own gifts, tithes and offerings. Let's pray.

Farther in heaven we are sorry that we do not tell others about the good news of Jesus Christ. We do not invite people to church. And so our church is too small to do all the things you want us to do. We are sorry that we do not attend Bible studies and daily prayers. As a result we have not grown very much. We are sorry for being only average in our sharing of all the resources you have given us. So we ask for forgiveness and promise to do better. This we pray in the name of our Lord Jesus. Amen.

Sermon - 2 Thessalonians 2 - Stand Firm to the Traditions

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Pitts Creek and Beaver Dam Churches

Sermon - 2 Thessalonians 2 - Stand Firm to the Traditions

November 10, 2013

I am beginning today with a look at the second letter Paul sent to the church at Thessalonica. This church had been established by Paul, Silas and Timothy around 50AD. Paul had been speaking in the synagogue explaining to the Jews how their scripture, our Old Testament, was fulfilled by Jesus, the Messiah. Some of the Jews were very receptive to this message, while others did not believe it. The synagogue threw Paul and his companions out. Whereupon they started a church. Many Jews attended this new church along with some gentiles. This infuriated the synagogue leadership so they whipped up a mob, started a riot, and had the leaders of the church arrested. The church leaders posted bond, and that night Paul, Timothy and Silas snuck out of town.

Sometime later Paul and his companions wondered what had happened to the Thessalonian church. Young Timothy was assigned the job to sneak back into town and find out. He returned with an amazing story that the church was flourishing. But they had some questions. What will happen to Christians, who are promised eternal life, when they die? When is Jesus returning? The book of First Thessalonians addresses these issues. But with the persecution of the Jews by the Roman government the Thessalonians begin to think that the end times, and Jesus' return was already happening. Paul needed to respond to this, and so he, Silas and Timothy wrote another letter to the Thessalonians. We will get to this letter, but first let's pray.

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

The scripture we are looking at today has been interpreted in many ways over the last 2000 years. People look at current events, see evil at work in the world, and conclude that Jesus will return very soon. He may do that. But let's look carefully at what Paul tells the Thessalonians.

^{2 Thessalonians 2:1-17 NIV 2 Thessalonians 2:1 Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, 2 not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come.}

^{The first thing Paul wants us to know is that Christ will return and all believers, including those who have died, will live forever in his presence. This is good news. We should not worry about the end times. Rather we should be comforted by the promises of God. But we should also realize that evil is at work in the world as it always has been. And the presence of evil in the world is not a sign of Christ's immanent return. But there are signs we should look for. Let's go back to Paul and this letter.}

^{3 Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 4 He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God.}

^{This is the sign that Jesus is about to return. The “man of lawlessness”, the Antichrist, will take over the church, exalting himself over Jesus for worship and controlling the church. This means that Satan will have full control of the church through him. There will be no proclamation of the gospel bringing people to faith. There will be no sacraments sealing God's promises on his people. There will be no one holding you accountable as the Holy Spirit makes you more and more holy. There will be no organization to do good works in the community. The devil will be in charge of the church and the church will cease to exist. This is the sign that Jesus is about to return. Let's get back to Paul.}

^{5 Don't you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? 6 And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. 7 For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way.}

^{According to Paul the devil is already trying to control the church, but he is being restrained. This is what is giving us the opportunity to proclaim the gospel, administer the sacraments, help each other to become holy, and do good things for our community. While we have this opportunity we should do these things to the best of our abilities bringing as many people to Christ as we possibly can before the day comes and we lose the church to Satan. But there is hope. Let's go back to Paul.}

^{8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.}

^{So the good news is that Jesus will not tolerate Satan controlling the church. The lawless man will be cast out. Satan will be permanently chained. And Christ will come, with all the saints who have died, to lead the church. Then the proclamation of the gospel will be restored. The sacraments will be sealed on believers. The Holy Spirit will make us more holy. And the church will do good works throughout the world in gratitude. But how will we know when all this is to take place? Let's go back to Paul.}

^{9 The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, 10 and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie 12 and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.}

^{And so when we see evil coming into the church, and when satanic lies replace the truth of the gospel, when this happens, sadly, there will be some who believe the lies and will perish with Satan. But the good news is that we will not perish. Let's go back to Paul.}

^{13 But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. 14 He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.}

^{And there we have our hope. We have been chosen by God for salvation. Even if the church no longer proclaims the gospel to bring people to faith, even if the church fails to administer the sacraments, even if the church does not encourage us to lead holy lives, even if the church does no good work, even if all of these thing happen, and they will, our salvation does not depend on the church. Our salvation depends only on the choice God made, decreeing before creation, that we would be saved. Hear then these words from Paul.}

^{15 So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter. 16 May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, 17 encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.}

^{So what are we to do? We are to keep doing what the church has done for 2000 years. Keep proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ. Keep sealing the promises of God through baptism and communion on believers. Keep participating in the work of the Holy Spirit to make us holy. And keep organizing ourselves to do good works in gratitude for all that God has done for us. Keep doing these things until the day Christ returns. Let us pray.}

^{Lord Jesus, we wait for your coming. We thank you for our salvation which comes from God's gracious choice. Prepare us for the day of evil by filling us with hope of a glorious future. We pledge to carry on the work of the church. This we pray in your name. Amen.}