Sermon - Luke 10:38-42 - Women in Ministry

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Sermon - Luke 10:38-42 - Women in Ministry

First Presbyterian Church of Ocean City

July 17, 2016

            This summer two different Presbyterian denominations met separately to set a course for their futures.  Our denomination, the Presbyterian Church (USA), elected two young women, one black and one white, but both pastors to serve us as co-moderators for the next two years.   This year we celebrate 60 years of women serving as pastors.  Another denomination, the Presbyterian Church in America, also met.  Their meeting consisted exclusively of men.  In their denomination women cannot be ordained as pastors, elders and deacons.  But to chart their future they appointed a committee to look at scripture to see what it says about women in ministry.  We both share the same Bible.  We are both Presbyterians. But we have radically different views about whether or not women should be able to serve in leadership in the church.  Today we will examine for ourselves what the Bible says about 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)

            Today we offer public education for all boys and girls.  We want everyone to receive a quality education.  But this has not always been the case.  In the first century little Jewish boys received an education.  They would be sent to local rabbi and would begin with them the process of memorizing the Law, the first five books of our Old Testament.  Some of the little boys did not do so well.  Eventually they would be sent home to learn from their fathers to be fishermen, or carpenters, or shepherds, or something like that.  The good students would advance in their studies and could, through hard work, become rabbis themselves.   But little girls had no opportunity for education.  They stayed home with their mothers and learned how to care for the family.

            There can be many problems in a culture where only the men receive an education.  One problem is that an uneducated wife might say something stupid in public which could embarrass her husband.  To deal with this problem a social norm was established:  Women should be silent in public and hold their questions until they got home and could ask their husbands in private.  By remaining silent in public a uneducated woman could avoid embarrassing her husband. 

            We see this happening in the Corinthian church to whom Paul writes this:

1 Corinthians 14:³⁴ Women^[f] should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says. ³⁵ If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.^[g]

            So the church is to deal with the problem of uneducated women asking embarrassing questions the same way the general culture did.  Women were to remain silent and hold their questions until they got home and could privately ask their husbands.  This was an accommodation to a culture that refused to educate little girls.

            But today our little girls go to school.  They are educated.  They don’t ask stupid questions that embarrass their husbands.  And so today educated little girls grow up to be church leaders, elders and pastors.  There is no longer a cultural need for women to be silent in church. 

            Another problem with not educating girls is that they get into trouble especially if they have not yet found of maybe lost a husband.  Here are some of the problems according to the apostle Paul in his letter to his co-worker Timothy: 

1 Timothy 5:¹¹ As for younger widows, do not put them on such a list. For when their sensual desires overcome their dedication to Christ, they want to marry.¹² Thus they bring judgment on themselves, because they have broken their first pledge. ¹³ Besides, they get into the habit of being idle and going about from house to house. And not only do they become idlers, but also busybodies who talk nonsense, saying things they ought not to.¹⁴ So I counsel younger widows to marry, to have children, to manage their homes and to give the enemy no opportunity for slander. ¹⁵ Some have in fact already turned away to follow Satan.

            So young uneducated unmarried women were having promiscuous sex, and engaging in gossip.  According to Paul, it is better for young women to get married than to follow Satan down wrong pathways.  But something worse is happening.  Young women have been coming to church and saying that sex outside of marriage is ok.  Paul’s response to this is to say that young women should learn in ‘quietness and full submission”.  Listen as Paul is tells them to stop leading other women astray.

1 Timothy 2:¹¹ A woman^[a] should learn in quietness and full submission. ¹² I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man;^[b] she must be quiet.  

           

            At no point does Paul say that women should not lead a church.  What he is saying is that they must first be educated and behave in the proper way.  Women may be preachers and teachers if they proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ and not some false teaching.  If women do this then they could become leaders in ministry.

            So let’s turn now to see what Jesus thinks about educating women.  His views, as you might expect are quite radical.  And what he does is so shocking that his friend Martha is agitated and begins to yell at him.  Here is what happened. 

Luke 10:³⁸ As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. ³⁹ She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said.⁴⁰ But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

⁴¹ “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, ⁴² but few things are needed—or indeed only one.^[f]Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

            Martha is doing what women were supposed to be doing in the first century.  She is in the kitchen preparing the meal.  She asks Jesus to send Mary, her sister, into the kitchen where she can also do what women are supposed to do.  But Mary is doing something so shocking that it has worried and upset Martha.  Mary is doing something young women are not permitted to do. What was it that Mary did to upset her dear sister so much?  What Mary did was to sit at the feet of a rabbi.  Mary was receiving an education.  And this was not to be.  Only boys were to be educated in their culture.  And here was Mary receiving an education, something girls should not receive.  But Jesus would have none of that.  Jesus welcomed boys and girls to study the scripture at his feet.  Jesus wanted both boys and girls to be educated.

            We know that Jesus had 12 male disciples.  We have the names of 17 men who filled important roles in his ministry.  But Jesus also had female disciples:  Mary the mother[1], Mary Magdalene[2], the “other” Mary[3], Mary of Bethany[4], Joanna[5], Susanna[6], and Salome[7]. These women partnered with the men to lead the church of Jesus Christ.

            In the Book of Acts we see a church with significant female leadership.  In Acts 2 we hear of the coming of the Holy Spirit with these words quoting the Prophet Joel. 

Acts 2:17 “‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.  Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.
¹⁸ Even on my servants, both men and women,  I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.  

            The Holy Spirit came to women and men and provided gifts to both.  At least three women went out and started new churches, Chloe[8], Nympha[9], and Apphia[10], and Lydia[11] led a church started by Paul.  Paul commended four women for their hard work for the Lord, Mary,  Tryphena, Tryphosa, and Persis[12].  There were also couples who led churches, the most famous of these was Priscilla and Aquila[13].  Paul referred to them as “fellow workers in Christ.”  The church in Philippi had two women leaders, Eudia and Syntyche[14].  Phoebe[15] was a leader in the church of Cenchrea.  And the women in the church who achieved the highest position were two apostles, Junia and Andronicus[16].

            Before Jesus women were uneducated.  They had to remain silent in public so not to embarrass their husbands.  But with Jesus the church women began to be educated.  Capable women with the proper education then served the church as leaders, preachers and teachers at all levels.  There is no biblical reason to exclude women from leadership in churches.

            This church is looking for a new pastor.  And I know that women pastors are being considered for this position.  If a woman pastor is educated, leads a moral life, then the Bible says that they may pastor a church.  If the Holy Spirit gives them the gifts of preaching and teaching and leadership then the Bible says that they are equipped to lead the church.  And if a qualified woman pastor is called by God to serve this church, then you should welcome her as your pastor. 

            The Presbyterian Church has had women deacons for 110 years and women elders for 85 years.  On October 24, 1956, almost 60 years ago, the Rev. Margaret Towner was ordained as the first woman pastor of a Presbyterian church.  Although she became famous and her picture was on the cover of Life magazine, Rev. Towner remained a humble pastor shepherding a congregation.  Today Rev. Towner is 91, honorably retired, but still serving her presbytery.  In 1974 Katie Geneva became the first African American woman to be ordained as a pastor.  In 1979 Rebecca Reyes became the first Hispanic woman and Elizabeth Kwon became the first Korean woman ordained as pastors.  And in 1987 Holly Haile Smith Davis became the first Native American woman ordained as a pastor.  And last month the Presbyterian Church (USA) selected Denise Anderson and Jan Edmiston to serve as co-moderators for the 222nd General Assembly. 

            Today we educate little girls so they can grow up to be leaders, following the lead of Jesus who was the first to educate a young woman named Mary.  The early church had many outstanding women leaders.  There is no reason why women today should be denied leadership positions in churches.  Let’s pray.

            God of prophets and apostles, you have chosen leaders to train your people in the way of Jesus Christ.  We thank you that in our day you are still claiming men and women for special work within the church. We pray that men and women in ministry will be surrounded by affection and hope, grow in wisdom, mature in love, and become faithful workers approved by Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.  (adapted from Book of Common Worship p.813) 

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[1] Matthew 27:56 Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph,^[a] and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.

[2] Matthew 27:56 Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.

[3] Matthew 27:61Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.

[4] John 11:1 Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.

[5] Luke 24:10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles.

[6] Luke 8:3 Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.

[7] Mark 16:1 [ Jesus Has Risen ] When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body.

[8] 1 Corinthians 1:11 My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you.

[9] Colossians 4:15 Give my greetings to the brothers and sisters at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house.

[10] Philemon 1:2 also to Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier—and to the church that meets in your home:

[11] Acts 16:40 After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house, where they met with the brothers and sisters and encouraged them. Then they left.

[12] Romans 16:12 Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, those women who work hard in the Lord. Greet my dear friend Persis, another woman who has worked very hard in the Lord.

[13] Romans 16:3 Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in Christ Jesus.

[14] Philippians 4:2 I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord.

[15] Romans 16:1 [ Personal Greetings ] I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church in Cenchreae.

[16] Romans 16:7 Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was.

Adapted from:  http://fuller.edu/women-in-ministry-download/?icn=Women-In-Ministry&ici=CTA_Women-In-Ministry-Pages-Related-Content

http://www.pcusa.org/news/2016/5/24/pcusa-celebrates-60-years-womens-ordination/

Sermon – Luke 10:25-37 – Who is My Neighbor

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Sermon – Luke 10:25-37 – Who is My Neighbor

First Presbyterian Church of Ocean City

July 10, 2016

            I was privileged to attend the recent 222^nd General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA).  During this assembly we had numerous times to engage in worship and prayer.  Before one session we held a prayer vigil for the victims of the nightclub shooting in Orlando.  Joining us in our prayers that day were our ecumenical partners.  Ecumenical partners are the leaders of other denominations in this country and around the world.  We engage with our ecumenical partners on issues that affect all Christians. We also prayed with our interfaith partners.  Interfaith partners are the leaders of other faith groups with whom we talk about issues facing the entire world.  For example, in trying to find solutions for the violence in the Middle East, it is helpful to have conversations with leaders of Jewish and Islamic groups.  Both ecumenical and interfaith partners joined us in a prayer vigil for the victims in Orlando.

            When I returned from the General Assembly the first question I was asked was why we allowed a Muslim to pray to Allah during prayers.  And this did happen during the prayer vigil.  This prompted me to think about what our relationship should be with people of other faiths.  Of course we have really good news to tell them:  For all who believe in Jesus Christ and make him their Lord there is a promise of eternal life.  We want to share with everyone the saving grace of Jesus Christ.

            But when we look at what God is doing in the world around us we see something more is going on beyond saving grace.  God sends the rain and sunshine on people of all faiths.  God provides food and water and shelter and children to all people of all faiths.  God blesses the whole world.  This is called general grace.  It is the grace of God for everyone.  So as Christians we want to bring saving grace of Jesus Christ to all people.  But we also have obligations to all those who receive the general grace of God.  We will see this in today’s scripture, 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)

            I have for you today the most familiar of all Bible stories:  The Parable of the Good Samaritan.

Luke10: ²⁵ On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

²⁶ “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

²⁷ He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’^[c]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^[d]”

²⁸ “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

²⁹ But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

³⁰ In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. ³¹ A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. ³² So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. ³³ But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. ³⁴ He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. ³⁵ The next day he took out two denarii^[e] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

³⁶ “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

³⁷ The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

            If you grew up in church, like me, you have heard this parable many times.  Most of the time it is explained this way:  The priest and the Levite were bad people.  They should have stopped to help the poor guy out, but they didn’t.  You should not be like them.  Rather you should be like the Good Samaritan and help people in need.  This is certainly true.  It is an important lesson.  But I think Jesus is telling us something deeper.  Let me explain.

            The Samaritan in the story was not Jewish.  He did not accept the entire Hebrew Bible as scripture but used only a portion of the first five books.  He did not worship in the Jerusalem temple, but his ancestors had their own temple on Mount Gerazim.   He was not ethnically Jewish because his ancestors in the 8^th century before Christ had been part of a forced migration.  Because of all of this there was great animosity and fear between Jews and Samaritans. And sometimes there was violence. 

            The Samaritan Temple was located on Mt. Gerizim.  During the time of Greek rule the Samaritan Temple was dedicated to the Greek god Zeus.  This angered the Jews so much they destroyed the Samaritan Temple.  Around the time of Jesus’ birth a group of Samaritans got into the Jerusalem temple and scatted bones throughout thus desecrating the temple just before a Passover celebration.  The Samaritans had problems with the Romans too.  In 36AD a large crowd of Samaritans assembled on Mt. Gerizim to view artifacts that Moses has supposedly hidden on the mountain.  Many of the Samaritan worshipers were massacred by Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor.  I don’t know, but maybe they were referred to as “radical Samaritan terrorists.

            So who might be our Samaritans today?  Who are the terrorists we are facing?  Which faith group do we fear the most?  Today we have political discussions concerning the immigration of Muslims into this country.  Muslims do not worship our God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Muslims are not like us ethnically or culturally.  Muslims have not received the saving grace of faith in Jesus Christ.  It sure looks like Muslims are our contemporary Samaritans.  But Muslims have received the general grace of God with which God blesses all creation.  So how should we as Christians treat them?

            In today’s scripture someone had been beaten up and left for dead on the side of the road.  Possibly he was one of the 72 followers of Jesus who had been sent ahead to prepare people for Jesus’ coming into their communities.  Remember, Jesus warned them to avoid strangers on the side of the road.  Possibly one of them, a follower of Jesus, was robbed and beaten.  And who helped this follower of Jesus?  Did the priest help?  No!  Did the Levite help?  No!  Only the Samaritan stopped to help.  Only the hated Samaritan, who worshiped the wrong God with the wrong Bible in the wrong way, was kind to a person he found of the side of the road.  And both the legal scholar and Jesus said that makes the Samaritan your neighbor.  And if the Samaritan is your neighbor then you have the obligation to love Samaritan as yourself.

            We can apply this principle today in our pluralistic neighborhoods.  If Muslim immigrants are kind to you, then they are your neighbor, and you must love them as you love yourself. 

            Around thirty years ago I moved into a new community in Northern Virginia.  Living next to me was a mixed race couple with two children.  She was a white American.  He was a refuge from Iran, who fled oppression in 1978.  He was Muslim.   We had frequent conversations in our back yards.  He usually talked about work and family.  I usually talked about my business and my growing participation in church. We didn’t talk much about religion.  He was interested in the hymns I played the piano and some of the thing I was learning in Bible study.  He wasn’t active in any mosque.  He told me that the best thing about being a Muslim is that you can have many wives.  Of course he gave this up when he married an American woman.  I invited him, several times, to come with me to church.  I thought it would be good for his kids.  But he always said no.  Then one day he surprised me.  He asked me to go to his church.  That’s right, his church!  One Sunday he had decided to take his family a visit the Reston Bible Church.  He loved it.  So, I went with him the next Sunday.  It was a large church with a band and lots of things for kids to do. And he became a member of that church and a follower of Jesus Christ.  He and his family have received the saving grace of faith in Jesus Christ which leads to eternal life.

            When a non-Christian is kind, as they often are, your responsibility is to love them as you love you yourself because they are your neighbor.  Be kind to them.  Do unto them as you would have them do unto you.  Always be ready to pray for them and their families.  And be ready to talk with them about what God is doing in your life.  Then watch as the Holy Spirit acts to bring about conversion.  The Holy Spirit uses our love and the general grace of God to bring people to a saving grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

            So how does all of this inform our reaction to the Muslim who prayed to Allah at the recent General Assembly.  When the Muslim prayed for the families of the victims of the Orlando shooting he was being kind.  He became our neighbor.  And therefore we have an obligation to love him as we love ourselves.  We should pray that the Holy Spirit will use our love and God’s general grace to bring that Muslim to faith in Jesus Christ and the saving grace which leads to eternal life.  Let’s pray.

            “Lord, as you have taught us, we bow down before you in all humility, gentleness and

patience, supporting each other with love and trying to keep the unity of the spirit by the

bonds of peace, that we may become “one body and one spirit,” according to our common

calling and vocation. With one voice, repenting of our divisions, we commit ourselves to working together for reconciliation, peace, and justice, and we stand together in imploring you: help us to live as your disciples, overcoming selfishness and arrogance, hatred and violence; give us the strength to forgive. Inspire our witness in the world, that we might foster a culture of

dialogue, and be bearers of the hope which your gospel has implanted in us. Make us instruments of your peace, so that our homes and communities, our parishes, churches, and nations might resonate more fully with the peace you have long desired to bestow upon us. Amen.”

(From the World Council of Churches’ liturgies for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, 2004.)

Sermon – Luke 10:1-11, 16-20 Sent as Laborers

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Sermon – Luke 10:1-11, 16-20  Sent as Laborers

First Presbyterian Church of Ocean City

July 3, 2016

            It is good to be back with you this morning.  I want to thank you for your prayers as I attended the 222^nd General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).  594 commissioners dealt with almost 100 overtures sent from Presbyteries all over the country.  We heard from ecumenical and interfaith partners.  Our seminary students prayed for us every day.  Our Young Adult Advisory Delegates were everywhere and full of energy.  We worshiped, studied the Bible and prayed.  And when a bad storm was approaching Ocean City I requested the entire Assembly to pray for you.  We did some really good work.  You will see some of our accomplishments on the insert in the bulletin today. 

            One of the things we did was to think and pray about our polarized society.  When I was growing up we all seemed to think alike.  There were problems, but we always seemed to find middle ground for a solution.  But times have changed.  Today we not only have disagreements between Democrats and Republicans, but we also have disagreements among Republicans and among Democrats.  Everyone has their one view.  No one seems willing to compromise.  There seems to be no solution to our problems.  So the fighting goes on and on.

            On this Independence Day weekend I have been wondering about what we as Christians could do for our fractured society.  We are called to a ministry of reconciliation.  As Christians we are to bring people together in the bonds of love and peace.  The Presbyterian Church dealt with this issue of reconciliation and approved the Belhar Confession for our Book of Confessions.  Belhar was written at a time of deep divisions in South Africa.  The government had instituted a policy of apartheid, official discrimination based on skin color.  The reformed church in South Africa prayerfully considered a response.  And so they wrote the Belhar Confession.   Listen as I read the first part of this important theological document.

We believe

• that Christ's work of reconciliation is made manifest in the church as the

community of believers who have been reconciled with God and with one

another;

• that unity is, therefore, both a gift and an obligation for the church of Jesus

Christ; that through the working of God's Spirit it is a binding force, yet

simultaneously a reality which must be earnestly pursued and sought: one

which the people of God must continually be built up to attain;

• that this unity must become visible so that the world may believe that

separation, enmity and hatred between people and groups is sin which

Christ has already conquered, and accordingly that anything which

threatens this unity may have no place in the church and must be resisted;

• that this unity of the people of God must be manifested and be active in a

variety of ways: in that we love one another; that we experience, practice

and pursue community with one another; that we are obligated to give

ourselves willingly and joyfully to be of benefit and blessing to one

another; that we share one faith, have one calling, are of one soul and one

mind; have one God and Father, are filled with one Spirit, are baptized

with one baptism, eat of one bread and drink of one cup, confess one

name, are obedient to one Lord, work for one cause, and share one hope;

together come to know the height and the breadth and the depth of the love

of Christ; together are built up to the stature of Christ, to the new

humanity; together know and bear one another's burdens, thereby fulfilling

the law of Christ that we need one another and upbuild one another,

admonishing and comforting one another; that we suffer with one another

for the sake of righteousness; pray together; together serve God in this

world; and together fight against all which may threaten or hinder this

unity;

• that this unity can be established only in freedom and not under constraint;

that the variety of spiritual gifts, opportunities, backgrounds, convictions,

as well as the various languages and cultures, are by virtue of the

reconciliation in Christ, opportunities for mutual service and enrichment

within the one visible people of God;

• that true faith in Jesus Christ is the only condition for membership of this

church;

Let’s pray.

            We beg you, Lord, to help and defend us. Deliver the oppressed, have compassion on the despised, raise the fallen, reveal yourself to the needy, heal the sick, bring back those who have strayed from you, feed the hungry, lift up the weak, remove the prisoners’ chains. May every nation come to know that you are God alone, that Jesus is your Son, that we are your people, the sheep of your pasture.  I Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen. (Clement, Third Bishop of Rome)

            Jesus was also concerned with reconciliation in his day.  He wanted people to be reconciled through him.  In the 10^th chapter of the gospel of Luke Jesus commissioned seventy-two people with the anointing of the Holy Spirit to go into villages and prepare people for his coming.  Let’s hear what he told them.

Luke 10:1 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two[a] others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2 He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 3 Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4 Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.

            Here we have a glimpse of the first church established by Jesus himself.  Jesus has given them some training and they have watched Jesus in action.  Now they are ready to go into the world and prepare it for the coming of the kingdom of God, but there is a problem.  There are not enough evangelists; 72 is not enough.  So Jesus wants them to pray for more.  So too with us.  We need to pray for people who talk about faith with others.  We need to pray for missionaries around the world.  And we need to pray for evangelists right here with us.  We need to pray because Satan will establish roadblocks. 

             But the 72 are told not to worry.  They are not to worry about money and clothing.  And they are not to speak to strangers on the road.  As we will see next week talking to strangers on the road could be dangerous.  And Jesus equipped them to do what needed to be done.  So let’s now listen to Jesus as he gives them the nut and bolts of evangelism.

5 “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ 6 If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. 7 Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.

            According to Jesus evangelism should be done in the context of hospitality.  Invite people into you house for a meal.  Or get together in a restaurant.  You could also do this around a bridge table or a on a golf course.  And what do you do when you meet people this way?  Jesus says pray for their peace.  Pray for God’s blessings to pour down on them.  If anyone in the family is sick, pray for healing.  If anyone is suffering from evil or addictions, pray for deliverance.  Pray for whatever they need.  And the enjoy the meal and conversation. Let’s get back to Jesus.

8 “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. 9 Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 10 But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, 11 ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.’

            When people respond favorably to your prayers for them, tell them the good news that the kingdom of God is near.  You do this by sharing your testimony.  You tell the people you are dining with the good news of what God is doing in your life.  This summer we are hosting activities for CRU.  Each week a CRU member shares testimony with you.  Learn from this what testimony sounds like.  And then develop your own short testimony.  You will be surprised by what happens when you pray for God’s blessings on someone and then share the story of God has blessed you.  They will want some of what you have.  And they will probably ask what church you attend.          But sadly not everyone will respond positively. Listen to Jesus’ instructions.

16 “Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.”

            Those who reject God’s blessings, and those don’t want to listen to your testimony are not rejecting you.  They are rejecting the God you believe in.  When that happen there is not much you can do.  Next time, invite someone else to have lunch with you, and see what happens when you pray for God’s blessings on their families and share your testimony of what God has done for you.  You will be amazed.  Let’s see what happens when the seventy-two that Jesus sent returned to church.

17 The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”  18 He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. 20 However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

            When you pray for healing or for deliverance from evil God hears your prayers and will pour blessings on the people you pray for.  Sometimes the results of your prayer won’t be obvious.  Sometimes you will be amazed at what happens.  It doesn’t matter what happens when you pray.  All that matters is that God knows that you are praying.  And when you pray for others to be blessed, your name is written in that Book of Life in heaven.

            So what are we to do as Americans who want our nation to come together in the bonds of love and peace?  Well, have an active social life.  Invite others to join you in doing something you enjoy.  And when you do this remember to pray for you guests to be blessed, and be ready with a story of how God has blessed you.  You will be amazed at what happens because the Holy Spirit will do the rest.  Let’s pray.

            Father in heaven, 

We pray for our country.  We pray for reconciliation, peace and mutual love.  Send us out as you laborers.  Help us to pray for your blessings to pour down on the people we meet.  And help us to talk about the blessings we have received from you.  This we pray in the name you son, Jesus.  Amen. 

Sermon – Luke 7:36–8:3 – A Forgiven Sinner

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Sermon – Luke 7:36–8:3 – A Forgiven Sinner

First Presbyterian Church of Ocean City

June 12, 2016

            Jesus often dined with sinners and people you ordinarily wouldn’t associate with. But Jesus saw inherent worth in all people and was not afraid to share bread with people living on the margin.  Today we will see a dinner when Jesus got a break from all this.  A nice, respectable Pharisee invited him over.  It promised to be a pleasant meal until an unfortunate incident occurred.  This gave Jesus an important teaching moment. We will get to this, 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 7:36  When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. ³⁷ A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. ³⁸ As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.

³⁹ When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”

⁴⁰ Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”

“Tell me, teacher,” he said.

⁴¹ “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii,^[a] and the other fifty. ⁴² Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”

⁴³ Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.”

“You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.

⁴⁴ Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. ⁴⁵ You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. ⁴⁶ You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. ⁴⁷ Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”

⁴⁸ Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

⁴⁹ The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”

⁵⁰ Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

8 After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, ² and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; ³ Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.

            Luke has given us a story with three characters.  First, there is Jesus, who has been invited to dinner at a formal party.  The second character is Simon, the host for the party and a distinguished Pharisee.  And the third character is an unnamed woman with a dubious reputation.  Jesus uses this situation to tell us a story about God’s love for us as manifested in forgiveness, and our love for God as manifested in gratitude, adoration and worship.

            Since the protestant reformation the church has argued over which comes first?  There are Christians who say that first we love God and show this love with our adoration and worship.  Then God responds with love for us and the forgiveness of our sins.  But I believe, along with the protestant reformers that the Bible clearly teaches that God loves us first and forgives our sin.  Then, in gratitude, we love God with adoration and worship.  We believe that God’s love always comes first.

            But Jesus was not concerned with the question of which comes first.  His message was that the love we receive from God and the love we return to God with adoration and worship are proportional.  The more love we receive from God, the more love we return to God.

            We can see this in Luke’s story.  Simon has little love for Jesus.  He has forgotten the basic elements of hospitality.  He failed to provide Jesus with a bucket of water to clean up from his dusty journey before reclining for dinner.  And he failed to greet Jesus appropriately with a kiss on the cheek.  Simon clearly hasn’t much love for Jesus. But, what about the woman? She certainly has affection for Jesus.  She cleans his feet with her tears, her hair, her kisses and her perfume.  I wouldn’t be going too far out on a limb to suggest that the woman loves Jesus far more than Simon.  And if our love for God is proportional to God’s love for us, as Jesus taught, then the woman must have received far more love from God, as manifested in forgiveness, than Simon did.

            So what would account for this?  Why would the woman experience far more of God’s love than Simon?  One possible answer is that God loves her more than he loves Simon.  But this can’t be the case because God loves the world, everyone the same.  God’s love is infinite.  His forgiveness is complete.  So there would be no difference in the love God offers to either Simon or the woman.

            Another possible answer is that the woman received more of God’s love than Simon because she needed it.  Maybe she needed far more of God’s love and forgiveness than did Simon. That might explain it.  Luke, Simon and Jesus all agreed that she was a “sinner”.  So she certainly needed a lot of forgiveness.  But so did Simon.  We have already seen how mean he was to Jesus.  My guess is that he was as much a “sinner” as the woman.  In fact, all of us are “sinners”.  We all need enormous amounts of God’s gracious forgiveness.  Both Simon and the woman needed God’s loving forgiveness and God was ready to love and forgive both of them.  This does not explain why Simon loved Jesus far less than the woman.

            But there is another possibility.  Both Simon and the woman needed God’s love and forgiveness.  God loved and forgave both of them.  The difference is that the woman realized that she needed forgiveness, but Simon had no idea he needed it too.  And since she knew she needed God’s love and forgiveness she recognized it when it came, and responded with love for Jesus.  Simon on the other hand had no idea that he needed forgiveness, and therefore didn’t recognize the gift when it came.  Without recognition of God’s love for him, Simon had little love for Jesus. 

            Why did the woman know that she needed forgiveness when Simon did not?  The difference between the two of them is the sin of pride.  Pride blinded Simon to his sin.  He thought so much of himself, that he truly believed that he was free from sin. And since he was free from sin he thought he had no need for forgiveness.  But he was deluding himself.  The truth was far from him.  In reality he was totally stained with sin.  And the sin of pride blinded him from realizing his need for forgiveness.

            The woman, on the other hand, wasn’t blinded by sin.  She knew her sin all too well.  People kept reminding her that she was a sinner.  So she had no problem with pride.  And without the sin of pride she saw her need for forgiveness.  And when she received it she was overwhelmed with gratitude which poured out of her in love for Jesus.

            We see from all of this that our love for Jesus is inversely proportional to our pride.  If we have high levels of pride, we can’t see our need for forgiveness.  And when it comes we don’t feel particularly grateful.  Our love for Jesus manifest in adoration and worship is low.  But if our pride is low, then we see our own sin clearly and rejoice when God’s love and forgiveness arrives.

            So where do people today fit on this spectrum?  Are people in America high in pride and low in love for God or the other way around?  The people outside of church have extremely high pride and no regard for God at all.  And increasingly our culture values pride over love for God.  People in churches are somewhere in the middle of the spectrum.  We love Jesus with adoration and worship, but pride still limits our acceptance of our own sin and our love of God.  We need to pray for less pride so that our love and adoration of God, who forgives our sin, will grow.

            We see this in the comments given recently by Donald Trump.  Trump told Cal Thomas, “I will be asking for forgiveness, but hopefully I won’t have to be asking for much forgiveness. As you know, I am Presbyterian and Protestant. I’ve had great relationships and developed even greater relationships with ministers.” (http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2016/06/08/donald-trump-is-asked-who-do-you-say-jesus-is-and-heres-his-response/) 

            I think Mr. Trump pretty describes us in the Presbyterian Church today.  We realize that we are stained by sin and need God’s forgiveness.  But our pride limits our realization of the extent of our own sin.  This limits the love and forgiveness we are aware of coming from God.  And so our love and adoration of God is also limited.  We need to confess our sin of pride, accept God’s forgiveness, and free ourselves to love and worship God with our whole hearts.

            So examine your own lives.  Are you more like Simon?  Do you think you have control of sin; it’s not really a problem?  If so you probably have the sin of pride.  It is blinding you to your sin.  And you’re not experiencing God’s love manifested in forgiveness.  Pray that God will take away your pride so that you can clearly see the sin that stains your life.  Then receive God’s gracious offer of love and forgiveness.  Gratitude will overflow from you in love, adoration and worship of God. Let’s pray.

            We confess O Lord that our pride keeps us from seeing our sin.  Help us to limit our pride so that we can see our sin and the true magnitude of your love and forgiveness.  Then we can respond with a full measure of gratitude, love and adoration.  In Jesus’ name, amen. 

Sermon – Luke 7:11-16 – Jesus’ Heart Went Out to Her

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Sermon – Luke 7:11-16 – Jesus’ Heart Went Out to Her

First Presbyterian Church of Ocean City

June 5, 2016

            Before we begin I would like to give you an interim update.  Almost a year and a half ago I came to Ocean City as your interim pastor to help you with the transition to a new pastor.  You had just said goodbye to Rev. Ayers when we started on our journey together.  As an interim pastor my job is to bring adaptive change to the congregation.  I saw that the church focused inwardly on what it did, breakfasts, rummage sales, fellowship groups and worship.  The church needed to focus outward toward the community to see who lives here and what God is up to in their lives.  To that end I provided training in evangelism and started the new praise and healing service.  We are already seeing increased attendance, increased giving, and balanced budgets.

            The congregation of the church has approved a mission study and has selected a Pastor Nominating Committee, PNC.  Your PNC has been hard at work finding suitable candidates, and interviewing finalists.  There is still more work to do, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

            This transition period also provides Grace and me with an opportunity to see where God is calling us.  My Dad just turned 89 and lives alone in a retirement home in northern Virginia.  I would love to live closer to him by serving a church in the Washington DC area.  I haven’t found a church there yet, but as soon as I do Grace and I will hope to there.  Because of this I have told your PNC that I will not be available as your installed pastor.  It just wouldn’t be fair to you for me to be installed as this church pastor when where I really need to be is back home near my father.

            So on behalf of the PNC and myself I ask you to be patient and pray that God will send to you a great pastor and will send me to a church near my Dad.  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)

            Last week we heard the story of the healing of a centurion’s slave.  Jesus was amazed at the faith of the centurion who got the people he worshiped with and his friends to take his concerns to Jesus.  We learned from this that we too can ask our church and friends to pray for our concerns.  Today we will again see faithfulness and concern, but the person with concern for someone else and filled with great faith is Jesus.  (Luke 7:11-17)

11 Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. 12 As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. 13 When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.”

14 Then he went up and touched the bier they were carrying him on, and the bearers stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” 15 The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.

16 They were all filled with awe and praised God. “A great prophet has appeared among us,” they said. “God has come to help his people.” 17 This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country. 

            To recap the story. Jesus and his people have made a journey a few miles from Nazareth to a village called Nain.  As they are about the enter the village they see a funeral procession.  A young man has died and his widowed mother is overcome with grief.  Jesus is overcome with emotion when he sees this widow who has lost her only son.  And so he brings her dead son back to life.

            Why did Jesus have such compassion for this woman?  I think it was because she had lost her only means of support.  Without a husband or son to support her she would be destitute.  She would literally live on the margins of society eating food she gleaned from the edges of fields owned by generous and faithful farmers.  When Jesus saw such gut wrenching poverty he was moved and reached out his hand to raise her son back to life.

            1.2 billion people live in this gut wrenching poverty in the world today.  What would it look like to live like one of them?  They live in shacks with little more than a wood table and a chair.  They might have a change of clothes, but only the head of household would have any shoes.  In place of kitchen appliances they would have a box of matches.  In the panty there would be a small bag of flour, some salt and sugar, onions and a box of dried beans.  There is no running water or electricity.  There is one radio in the village.  The nearest clinic is ten miles away attended by a midwife.  The nearest doctor and hospital is 200 miles away.  They have about $5.00 in savings and make around $2.00 a day. (from Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger, Ronald J. Sider, pp.1,2)

            None of us could live this way.  What does Jesus thinks when he sees this on earth?  I think Jesus’ heart would go out to them.  The problem is not that God created a world of shortages and scarcity.  God created a world of abundance where everyone can proper.  The reason that 1.2 billion people live in grinding poverty is the sin of economic injustice.  God commanded us to treat the poor with justice.  (Exodus 23:6) 

“Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits.”

The Psalmist asked God to help the king provide justice for the poor. (Psalm 72:1-4)

1“Endow the king with your justice, O God,

    the royal son with your righteousness.

2 May he judge your people in righteousness,

    your afflicted ones with justice.

3 May the mountains bring prosperity to the people,

    the hills the fruit of righteousness.

4 May he defend the afflicted among the people

    and save the children of the needy;

    may he crush the oppressor. 

And the prophets issued warnings to those who would deny justice to the poor. (Amos 5:10-15)

10 There are those who hate the one who upholds justice in court
    and detest the one who tells the truth.

¹¹ You levy a straw tax on the poor
    and impose a tax on their grain.
Therefore, though you have built stone mansions,
    you will not live in them;
though you have planted lush vineyards,
    you will not drink their wine.
¹² For I know how many are your offenses
    and how great your sins.

There are those who oppress the innocent and take bribes
    and deprive the poor of justice in the courts.
¹³ Therefore the prudent keep quiet in such times,
    for the times are evil.

¹⁴ Seek good, not evil,
    that you may live.
Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you,
    just as you say he is.
¹⁵ Hate evil, love good;
    maintain justice in the courts.
Perhaps the Lord God Almighty will have mercy
    on the remnant of Joseph.

God is especially concerned about economic justice for the alien, the widow and the orphan. (Exodus 22:21-24)

²¹ “Do not mistreat or oppress a foreigner, for you were foreigners in Egypt.

²² “Do not take advantage of the widow or the fatherless. ²³ If you do and they cry out to me, I will certainly hear their cry. ²⁴ My anger will be aroused, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives will become widows and your children fatherless.

So what does Jesus want us to do about the poor?  He told us this. (Luke 14:12-14)

¹² Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. ¹³ But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, ¹⁴ and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

            We are to invite the poor into our homes for a meal.  How many of us have obeyed Jesus by doing this?  I know of one family in this church who has invited one of the ESL students who came here all winter into her home.  They tutor his children.  And I think they help the parents with their English.  They will be repaid for this service in the resurrection.

           

            And here is something else Jesus told us to do. (Luke 6 32-35)

³² “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. ³³ And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. ³⁴ And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full.³⁵ But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. ³⁶ Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

            Jesus says we are to lend to the poor without any expectation of getting the money back.  How many of us do this?  What if we treated the poor with abundant generosity?  Wouldn’t we live in a much better world?

            So what if we don’t do any of this?  What if we live our lives with the poor out of sight and out of mind?  What if we live our lives blessed with prosperity but denying justice for the poor?  Listen to the prophet Isaiah. (Isaiah 1:10-17)

10 Hear the word of the Lord,
    you rulers of Sodom;
listen to the instruction of our God,
    you people of Gomorrah!
¹¹ “The multitude of your sacrifices—
    what are they to me?” says the Lord.
“I have more than enough of burnt offerings,
    of rams and the fat of fattened animals;
I have no pleasure
    in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats.
¹² When you come to appear before me,
    who has asked this of you,
    this trampling of my courts?
¹³ Stop bringing meaningless offerings!
    Your incense is detestable to me.
New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations—
    I cannot bear your worthless assemblies.
¹⁴ Your New Moon feasts and your appointed festivals
    I hate with all my being.
They have become a burden to me;
    I am weary of bearing them.
¹⁵ When you spread out your hands in prayer,
    I hide my eyes from you;
even when you offer many prayers,
    I am not listening.

Your hands are full of blood!

¹⁶ Wash and make yourselves clean.
    Take your evil deeds out of my sight;
    stop doing wrong.
¹⁷ Learn to do right; seek justice.
    Defend the oppressed.^[a]
Take up the cause of the fatherless;
    plead the case of the widow.  (Isaiah 1:10-17)

And Jesus said: (Matthew 25:41-43)

⁴¹ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴² For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ 

Failure to care for the poor separates us from God.  But Jesus also said this.

³⁴ “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’  (Matthew 25:34-36)

            Jesus is concerned about economic justice.  He wants the poor cared for.  He wants their needs met.  Jesus’ heart goes out to them.  If we are to be his followers we must care for the poor and work for economic justice.  Our hearts must go out to the poor as well.  Let’s pray.

            Lord Jesus, we confess that sometimes we look away when a poor person approaches.  We fail to see economic injustice here in our own land.  And we ignore economic injustice around the world.  We know that we live in a created world of abundance.  And we confess that poverty is a result of the sin of injustice.  Help us to see the poor in our community.  Help us to understand their needs.  Help us to respond to their needs and work for economic justice.  We pray this in your name.  Amen.

Sermon Luke 7:1-10 Jesus was Amazed

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Sermon  Luke 7:1-10 Jesus was Amazed

First Presbyterian Church of Ocean City

May 29, 2016

            Before we begin this morning I would like to talk a little bit about liturgical colors.  People have asked me why the communion table is decorated in green this week, was white last week, and red the week before.  The answer is that we use color to help us remember the different phases of the church calendar.  Two weeks ago was Pentecost.  On Pentecost we remember the coming of the Holy Spirit as flying tongues of fire and so the color is red.  Last week was Trinity Sunday.  On Trinity Sunday we remember that the one God we worship exists as three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  For this Holy Trinity, we use white.  Today is green because we have entered into a period of ordinary time as opposed to the extraordinary time when we remember the important events of Jesus’ life.   Ordinary Time will continue until next Advent when we will once again decorate in purple to prepare for Jesus’ birth.  The color for Ordinary Time is green.  One final note, on the first Sunday of every month we have communion.  It is the tradition of this church to use white as we gather around the communion table.  I hope this helps you to understand the liturgical colors as we use them in this church.

            Usually you and I talk about what Jesus said and did.  But sometime Jesus’ words and deeds are not as important as his feelings about something.  And that is the case today.  Luke tells us that Jesus was amazed at something.  And we need to figure out what amazed him.  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)   

            Several centuries before Jesus, there existed in Israel a prophet named Elisha.  In the fifth chapter of the book of 2 Kings there is a story about a army general named Naaman who came to the prophet Elisha to be healed from leprosy.  Naaman washed himself seven times in the Jordan river and was healed.  This confirmed that Elisha was a great prophet.

            The question on everyone’s mind as Jesus traveled the Galilean countryside was whether or not Jesus was another great prophet like Elisha.  Jesus was a great prophet and proved it by healing the servant of another military officer.  Let’s hear what happened.

Luke 7:1 When Jesus had finished saying all this to the people who were listening, he entered Capernaum. 2 There a centurion’s servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. 3 The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. 4 When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, “This man deserves to have you do this, 5 because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.” 6 So Jesus went with them.

He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. 7 That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. 8 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

9 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.” 10 Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.

            Here is a brief recap of the story.  An officer in the Roman Army, a centurion, has a sick slave and wants Jesus to heal him.  So the officer sent elders of the synagogue and then some friends to Jesus to ask him to heal the servant.   Jesus healed the servant, but was amazed at the faith exhibited in this story.  Why was Jesus amazed?  What caused his amazement?

            One possibility was that Jesus was amazed at the faith of the centurion.  And it is true that the centurion had strong faith.  He was probably a God-fearer.  God-fearers believed in God, but they were not Jews because they were neither descended from Abraham nor circumcised.  Because of the this they were permitted only limited participation in the synagogue.  (By the way, they later flocked into churches because we had no requirement of lineage from Abraham or circumcism.)  Jesus would not have been surprised by the faith of a God-fearer because there were many of them in his day.  Nor would he be amazed at the faith of a centurion.  In Matthew’s gospel Jesus met with a faithful centurion asking for healing for his daughter.  So there is nothing about the faith of the centurion which would surprise Jesus.

            Another thing about faith:  Faith is not something we do.  Faith is something we receive.  Faith is a gift from God.  We could not believe unless God graciously allows us to believe.  So if we can declare with our mouths that Jesus is Lord, and believe in our hearts that Jesus was resurrected from the dead, then we have received the spiritual gift of faith.  If the faith of the centurion was gift from God then it would not have amazed God’s son.

            Another possibility is that Jesus was amazed at the faith of the synagogue elders who pleaded with him to heal the servant.  But Jesus couldn’t be amazed at the faith of the elders.  They had to already be extremely faithful people to become elders.  And an elder’s job is to measure and nurture the faith of the members of synagogue.  They did this by telling Jesus that the centurion’s faith was extremely strong because of his contribution to the building fund.  The faith of these elders would come as no surprise to Jesus. 

            So what about the centurion’s friends?  Maybe their faith amazed Jesus.  They told Jesus of the centurion’s humility, his feeling of unworthiness in coming into the presence of Jesus even though the centurion was a very powerful man.  But many people told Jesus about their friends and loved ones. The faith of the centurion’s friends was not remarkable in any way, and would not have amazed Jesus. 

            So what amazed Jesus?  Remember what he said.

9 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.”

            Jesus would not have been amazed at the Centurion’s faith, or elders’ faith or the friend’s, faith.  The faith of all these was gift from God that Jesus would have known about.  But, what was surprising was what the centurion did as a result of his faith.  This did surprise Jesus.  So let’s go back and see what happened.

            First, the centurion had great compassion for his slave.  Slavery, at this time was essentially a humane alternative to debtors prison.  Rather than going to prison for debts owed a debtor could pay off his obligations through the institution of slavery.  We don’t know much about the centurion’s slave.  We don’t know if the slave had any faith at all.  Neither do we know if he was a Hebrew or gentile.   All we know is that a faithful centurion had compassion for him and wanted Jesus to heal him.  And that was enough.  If we pray for someone’s healing, even if that person has no faith of his own, our faith is sufficient for Jesus to hear our prayers. The centurion’s compassion for his slave could have amazed Jesus as does our compassion for others.  So continue to pray for the people you know who need Jesus’ healing.  Jesus will hear you prayer and will be amazed at your compassion.

            The second thing the centurion did was to ask the elders of the community to ask Jesus for healing.  This also would have surprised Jesus.  Plenty of people asked for healing for themselves for a loved one.  But what the centurion did was to get the people he worshiped with in the synagogue to pray too.  And this amazed Jesus.  Of course we can do the same.  If we need healing, or if we know of someone who needs healing, we can bring this to the church and ask for prayers.  When the members of the church and the elders all pray for someone’s healing, Jesus is amazed at our faith.

            We do this well in this church.  Graison and Betty send out prayer requests on a regular basis through email.  And Pete works with our secretary to put prayer concerns in our bulletin.  We are doing exactly what the centurion did.  We are bringing prayer concerns to the people we worship with and all of us together offer these prayers to Jesus.  And this amazes Jesus.  Remember what he said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.”

            So the centurion amazed Jesus by his great compassion for his slave and by asking the elders to bring his concerns to Jesus.  There is one more thing that he did that amazed Jesus.  He asked his friends to take his concerns to Jesus.  And we can do this too.  We can ask our friends to pray for us or others when needs arise.  And this too will amaze Jesus.

            We see all of this at work in the church today.  Shirley Warren has great compassion for her granddaughter Kelsey.  Kelsey has Lyme disease after a tick bite years ago.  She is too sick to go to school, and needs a wheelchair to get around.  The doctors don’t seem to know what to do.  So Shirley prays for her granddaughter.  And Shirley askes us, the people she worships with, to also pray for Kelsey.  Shirley asks everyone to pray for Kelsey every week.  And if all of us take Shirley’s concerns to Jesus in our prayers then Jesus will be amazed at our faith.  And remember, Jesus can heal.

            Jesus heard the centurion’s prayers.  He heard prayers of the elders and prayers of his friends.  An amazed Jesus healed the centurion’s slave.  And by doing this Jesus established that he was a great prophet like Elisha. 

            So, if you know of someone who needs healing take you concerns to Jesus in prayer and ask for healing.  Also ask your church to pray.  Ask your friends to pray.  And when all these prayers, day after day, reach Jesus’ ears he will be amazed at your faith.  And like he did for the centurion’s slave, Jesus heals today too.  So keep praying.

            Lord Jesus we offer up to you today our prayer concerns.  We ask that you hear our prayers.  We ask for your healing touch on us and on those we love.  We are all praying together because we know this amazes you.  This we pray in your glorious name.  Amen.