What on Earth Am I Here For (5): Does God Suffer?

Preached Sunday, October 14, 2018

For context read Exodus 3:1-10 and Luke 9:18-27

 

Does God suffer? Theologians have been debating this question for centuries. Does God suffer? Historically theologians have argued that God cannot suffer. If God is pure light, utterly perfect, and all goodness then there can be no darkness in God; and if there is no darkness in God then there is no suffering in God.  As far back as the 2^nd century, people have argued that God is holy, eternal, perfect, and unchanging. Therefore God cannot suffer.

You may wonder, as I did, about the cross. Didn’t God suffer in Jesus Christ on the cross? Theologians have gotten around this by saying it is the humanity of Christ that suffers and not his divinity. I, personally, cannot readily separate Christ’s humanity from his divinity. If Jesus is fully human and fully divine then God suffered on the cross. Some might argue that it is only God the Son who suffered. But I simply cannot imagine God the Father being unmoved as God the Son suffered and died. Without denying that God is holy and eternal and perfect, I believe God suffers – I believe God not only witnesses, but experiences suffering. After all, our God is a deeply relational God. How can God be unmoved by the suffering of humanity?

Just look at our Old Testament lesson for today. God is speaking to Moses, saying in verse 7, “I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed I know their sufferings.” God not only sees and hears our misery, God knows our sufferings. This isn’t just head knowledge; God’s heart has been deeply touched by the suffering of God’s people, moving God to action. God has chosen to come down and deliver God’s people through Moses. God suffers when humanity suffers and longs to diminish our suffering.

I share this argument with you because our fifth and final purpose for being here on this earth is mission. Rick Warren says that as a Christian our fifth purpose is to be sent into the world to share the good news of Jesus Christ with others. But what exactly does this mean? What does it look like? How are we called to participate in God’s mission here on earth today? How is God coming down to deliver God’s people through us today?

My mission professor at Duke, Bishop Kenneth Carder, asked us this question: What if our motive for mission is to help diminish the suffering of God? What if Moses’ motive for going back to Egypt was to help diminish the suffering of God by freeing God’s people from captivity? What if the reason we are here on this earth is to help diminish the suffering of God?

Let me turn this into a mission statement: We are here on this earth to help diminish the suffering of God so that God’s kingdom will come on earth as it is in heaven. How would we live our lives differently if these words were printed in the bulletin each week? We are here on this earth to help diminish the suffering of God so that God’s kingdom will come on earth as it is in heaven.

I suspect this resonates with many of us. This is the reason we opened a food pantry. This is the reason we provide snack packs for kids at BEJ. This is the reason for the Pastor’s Discretionary Fund. This is the reason we support orphans in Zimbabwe and Malawi. This is the reason we are partnering with Cokesbury United Methodist Church in Stedman following Hurricane Florence. We long to diminish the suffering of God by alleviating the suffering of God’s people. We long for that day described in Revelation 21 when the home of God will be among mortals and God will dwell with us and we will be God’s people. And God “will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more.” In other words, God’s kingdom will be here, on earth as it is in heaven.

This is our goal. This is God’s mission for us on earth. We long to diminish the suffering of God as we seek God’s kingdom.

So. This led me to pull out Walter Brueggemann’s book on mission.[1] Walter Brueggemann is an Old Testament scholar and theologian. I’ve heard him speak several times and I deeply respect his wisdom. He is quick to point out that mission is so much more social action. When we embrace God’s mission – when we truly let God work in us and through us as Moses did – we must hold together in tension both evangelism and social action. We must hold together in tension both proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ and loving our neighbors. I love this. Mission is both evangelism and social action. Diminishing the suffering of God takes both evangelism and social action.

There is no question that evangelism is a vital part of God’s mission. Just look at the Great Commission in Matthew 28: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded.”  Evangelism is a command, not an option. Go! Proclaim the gospel. Share the good news of Jesus Christ. Invite people to repent, be baptized, and embrace the new life we have found in Jesus.

And there is no question that mission as evangelism diminishes the suffering of God. When we proclaim release to the captives and set at liberty those who are oppressed – when by the grace of God an alcoholic is set free from the chains of addiction – when by God’s grace someone who is tormented by demons is set free to be fully alive – when the waters of baptism truly wash away sin and bring us into new life – then the suffering of God is clearly diminished. Indeed, God delights every time a person is brought from death to life – as we sing, “My chains are gone, I’ve been set free! My God, my Savior, has ransomed me.” This is abundant life! Our mission is to proclaim this good news.

And yet, diminishing the suffering of God takes both evangelism and social action. As James writes “If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,” and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that?” Proclaiming the gospel without meeting the basic needs of others is faith without works – and faith without works is dead. (James 2:15-17)

Which brings me back to Walter Brueggemann. He argues that the conservative churches too readily reduce mission to evangelism risking, in his words, “reducing the danger of the Bible to confessional safety.” In other words, salvation is simplified to believing on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ! And liberal churches too readily reduce mission to social action attempting, in his words, “to avoid the dramatic system-shattering claim of the gospel.” At an extreme, liberals embrace works without faith, meeting needs without transforming lives.  He goes on to say that so-called conservatives and so-called liberals might both do well to embrace the radical, subversive, risk-taking nature of the gospel of Jesus Christ – embracing the both/and nature of God’s mission here on earth. After all, we all long for suffering to come to an end. We all long for the victory of God over death to be a victory over all creation. We all long for nothing less than the transformation of the world.

What if our mission here on this earth is to help diminish the suffering of God so that God’s kingdom will come on earth as it is in heaven? Do you hear how radical and subversive and risk-taking this mission really is? It is so much more than telling the world about Jesus. And it is so much more than feeding the hungry and clothing the naked and visiting those who are in prison. Genuine transformation – change that shatters the systems of fear and injustice and power that dominate our world – authentic conversion to the way of Jesus, the way of the cross, the way of suffering – holds together both evangelism and social action.

And we aren’t very good at this. Our hearts are in the right place – we want to diminish the suffering of God – but we aren’t really willing to take up our cross. Speaking for myself, self-sacrifice is far from easy. Taking risks is, well, awfully risky. Standing up for what I believe inevitably upsets someone, and I’d rather be a peacemaker than a rabble rouser. In addition, I’m much too attached to my lifestyle and my stuff to truly deny myself and take up my cross and follow Jesus on this road marked with suffering. 

While I really do want to diminish the suffering of God, I want this work to be relatively risk-free. While I gladly pray, Thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven, it is much harder for me to actually enter into the suffering of others as God did in the Exodus through Moses, and as God did through so many of the prophets, and as God did by taking on flesh in Jesus Christ. The truth is that God will work in me and through me and even in spite of me – if I will only remember that God is in charge, not me. God is in the driver’s seat, not me. And God longs to diminish the suffering of each and every person I meet. If only I would get out of the way and let Him!

We are here on this earth to help diminish the suffering of God so that God’s kingdom will come on earth as it is in heaven. This is our mission. This is our goal.  How is God calling you to participate in this mission? What does embracing this mission mean for your ordinary everyday life?

Let me leave you with an observation from Brueggemann: “The issue [of mission] is that the life of creation, the fabric of human community, is deeply in jeopardy among us. The crisis concerning [mission] is a ‘world question’ and not a ‘church question.’ Our common jeopardy is very large in terms of arms and chemicals, terror, and massive international indebtedness. The jeopardy is very local in terms of drugs and violence, fear, greed, and isolation. That old world of alienation can not much longer be propped up, either by the military will of the super-powers, or by the economic coercion of the markets, nor by well-meaning ideology that passes for religion.” No, we have been shown a more excellent way – the way of the cross – where “word becomes flesh, sovereignty becomes compassion, weakness becomes strength, foolishness becomes wisdom, suffering becomes hope, vulnerability becomes energy, death becomes life” (46-47).

And when we embrace this all encompassing view of mission the suffering of God is diminished. Thanks be to God!

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[1] Biblical Perspectives on Evangelism

What on Earth Am I Here For (4): Shaped to Serve

Preached Sunday, October 7, 2018

For context read John 13:1-17 and Philippians 2:1-13

 

We are shaped for service. This is Rick Warren’s fourth reason for our being here on this earth, and yet in my mind service is the door – the gateway – the window into our purpose for being. What on earth are we here for? We are here to serve. We are shaped for service.

Think about it. Most mothers, when they first lay eyes on their newborn, feel called to serve. They give of their time and their energy – even when they are utterly exhausted – to serve the needs of their child. As their children grow the character of their service changes. Still parents have this desire to meet the needs of their children, sometimes serving to the point of spoiling them!

We are shaped for service. As a young adult I felt this in my bones. My job working in a lab had meaning to me because I was doing research on schizophrenia. My work had the potential to help others. And in my spare time I loved helping out with the Eno River Association, keeping trails clean and volunteering with their annual fundraiser. I felt like my small contributions helped sustain our beautiful park systems.

We are shaped for service. Consider the number of professions that are service oriented. Teachers, counselors, therapists, nurses, doctors, pastors, aides, plumbers, repairmen, and housekeepers, just to name a few. Most people in service professions choose to be there because they want to serve. They want to make a difference in the lives of others. They find meaning as they touch lives, extend a helping hand, offer healing, and bring joy into the lives of others.

We are shaped for service. When the mainline church in the United States started losing sight of this deep truth, people found other ways to serve. From the mid 1800’s to the early 1900’s all sorts of service organizations sprung up – from the YMCA and the Boys and Girls Club to service organizations like Kiwanis and the Ruritans and the Lions.

And the church remained involved in service through other organizations. Dorothy Day started the Catholic Worker Movement to deal with hunger and homelessness in New York City, and the Methodist Women were formed in response to women’s issues both at home and abroad.

I believe this desire to serve is in our cumulative bones. It’s God’s prevenient grace – that grace that precedes human action and reflects God’s love for all of creation. It’s the seed God planted in all of us – a longing to make the world a better place, not just for ourselves, but for all of God’s creatures.

And yet, sometimes we forget to water that seed. Sometimes the noise of the world is too loud. No wonder we need to sing, Tune my heart to sing thy grace.

Rick Warren wrote, way back on Day 5, “The way you see your life shapes your life” (44). He then asked, “How do you see your life?” He goes on to say, “I’ve been told life is a circus, a minefield, a roller coaster, a puzzle, a symphony, a journey, and a dance. People have said, ‘Life is a carousel: sometimes you’re up, sometimes you’re down, and sometimes you just go round and round.’”

How do you see your life? Where do you find meaning in your life? Does your life feel purposeful? Or does it feel more like a minefield? Or a carousel? Are you using your God-given gifts and talents? Or have you gotten lost in the midst of our power-hungry, consumer-driven, “it’s all about me” society?

Unfortunately, while many people embark on a career path with a desire to serve, the day-to-day reality often feels more like an endless and thankless to-do list. Others embark on a career path for all the wrong reasons – money, power, prestige. Sadly, their daily work may feel more like a necessary evil to be endured so that the bills can be paid.  Still others get lost – thinking their gifts are inadequate, their talents are not good enough – that they have nothing to offer, no skills for service. They’ve completely lost sight of the reality that God has uniquely gifted each one of us for service.

So: How do we re-capture that desire to serve? How do we discover that passion and excitement for service? How do we uncover our God-given gifts?

In a sense it all starts with a simple question: How do you see your life?

Jesus, knowing that he had come from God and was going to God, got up from the table on that night when he knew he would be betrayed, took off his outer robe, tied a towel around himself, and poured water into a basin. Then, with a smile on his face, he began to wash the disciples’ feet. One at a time, he washed their feet, drying them with the towel tied around his waist.

I imagine the fear and uncertainty he might have felt as he washed the feet of Judas, his betrayer. I imagine his frustration as he washed the feet of Peter, the rock, who didn’t understand what was happening. I imagine his awareness of the dark night that still lay ahead of him – arrest, trials, beatings, humiliation. At the same time, in that moment I imagine the intimacy of his touch, the look of love on his face, his sheer joy in making his last act on earth an act of service. In the assurance of God’s promises, he took on a task that only the lowliest of the low would have ever done; in joy he washed the dusty and smelly feet of those he loved the most. Truly loving them to the end.

Even as he faced death, Jesus so clearly saw his life as a life of service. Jesus chose this path. As the Christ Hymn reminds us, Jesus, though he was in the form of God, emptied himself, taking the form of a servant. Jesus came, not to be served but to serve. And he served with joy all the way to the end.

Years ago I went to visit Pansy Riley when she was in a small assisted living facility. That particular day, as I walked into the small living room, almost every woman in the facility was sitting there with her socks and shoes off. And this woman was washing their feet and trimming their nails – taking her time with each woman, with each foot. There was this joy on her face as she lovingly cared for each woman. And this energy filled the room as the women talked and laughed together.

As we age it gets harder and harder for us to reach our own feet. And our nails and calluses get thick and tough. Taking care of our own feet becomes a real chore, and even an impossibility. And truthfully, taking care of old feet is unpleasant work. But this angel of a woman felt called to serve the elderly in this way. She loved these women by caring for their feet. Just like Jesus.

We are shaped for service. Not all of us are called to wash feet. But all of us are called to serve. All of us are shaped for service. And Jesus has shown us the way through love and humble service – through self-sacrifice and commitment to something bigger than ourselves – by dying to ourselves so that the whole body can truly thrive. It’s all right there for us to see in Jesus.

Brothers and sisters, we already know all of this. We already know that it is in serving others that we feel the most alive. I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know, deep in your bones. So my question for you is, “How is the way you see your life shaped by your service to God and neighbor?”

To make this more practical, think about what you will be doing tomorrow. Are you getting on the treadmill that is your job and just waiting for 5 o’clock so you can go home? Will you spend the day complaining about your to-do list, fretting about politics, and feeling immobilized by a sense of helplessness? Will you just go through the motions? Or will you see every person you meet and every task you are given as an opportunity to serve? The truth is that an attitude of service can transform an ordinary day into a joy-filled, life-giving day. We were made to more than just survive. We were made to thrive!

And service can take so many different forms – from simply meeting someone’s eyes as you talk with them so that they know you care, to dropping everything on your to-do list to help someone in need, to intentionally using your gifts to make a difference in the world.  When we see our lives through the lens of service we can’t help but see every human being as a beloved child of God and every situation as an opportunity to share the love of Jesus Christ. When we see ourselves as God’s helpers here on earth, no task is too small and no obstacle is too large. When we see ourselves as servants of the Master the answer to the question, “What on earth am I here for?” might be as simple as “To let you know that you are deeply loved.”

We are shaped for service. How do you see service shaping your life?

What On Earth Am I Here For (3): Comm-Unity

Community. When we break this word apart we have comm– and –unity.  The prefix “com” means with or together. So community means “with unity” or “together in unity.” We were made for community – to be together, in unity.

Years ago when I put up my first bird feeder I expected to see Cardinals – the beautiful North Carolina red bird. But I had never paid enough attention to notice anything about the rest of the birds. There were Cardinals and there were brown birds. But then the brown birds started coming – Chickadees and House Finches and Tufted Titmouses and Nuthatches and Wrens and Gold Finches and Woodpeckers. And I’ve even seen a Baltimore Oriole!

As I paid attention I discovered that even the Cardinals weren’t all the same. Some males are more vibrantly red than others. Some females are more brown. And they have their own personalities. Some birds chase everyone away from the feeder before they eat. Some birds hop from one hole to the next, looking for the tastiest morsel. God’s diversity is displayed every day right at my bird feeder.

We all know that human beings are equally diverse. We are black and white, tall and short, big and small, female and male. We are rich and poor, country folks and city folks, blue and red. God’s diversity is displayed for us every day right before our eyes. And, we are all created in the image of God!

Community. With unity.

Here’s the thing. We humans have a tendency to see our differences and divide into factions. You like light blue, I like Duke blue. And some of you like red. You like vanilla, I like chocolate. And some of you like strawberry or butter pecan. And while our ice cream preference may not divide us, the way we read scripture can. You say the Bible is inerrant; I say the Bible is the inspired word of God. You say “Thou shalt not kill” means even the ants deserve to live; I say it is okay to eat meat.

Friends, if we let our differences divide us we will eventually be left standing alone without community. Just consider all the greens in the crayon box. There’s bright green and bottle green and Christmas green; there’s pine green and sea foam green and pea green.  Crayola has 50 different greens! We are all different. Uniquely gifted. Created for a purpose. No two people are the same.

Community. With unity. Paul writes, “I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, ² with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, ³ making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” He goes on to remind us, “⁴ There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, ⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism, ⁶ one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.”

The truth is that being in community is hard. Making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace is hard. Too often we are like children – we insist that we are right. It’s my way or the highway! And, because we are grown ups, instead of throwing a tantrum we simply choose to ignore the person who disagrees with us.

No wonder there are more than 3000 different denominations in the United States – never mind all the non-denominational churches. Martin Luther never set out to form a new church. He wanted to reform the Catholic Church. In the same way, John Wesley never set out to create a new denomination. He wanted to reform the Church of England. But our human tendency is to cling tightly to what we know. Our human tendency leads us to go our separate ways. And then we point our finger at “them” and say that “they” are wrong.

And here’s the thing. All of us are guilty of pointing a finger at the other. Of thinking of ourselves more highly than we ought. Of undoing the very thing we were created for. Community. With unity.

One Lord, one faith, one baptism. Lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called. There is nothing more rewarding. And there is nothing more difficult. Leading a life that is worthy of Jesus Christ calls for humility, not pride. It calls for gentleness, not arrogance. It calls for patience, not intolerance. It calls for love, not hate. One God and Father of us all.

Paul challenges us, “We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro,” choosing sides and building walls. As Christians, as followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to a higher standard. We are called to work for peace and unity. We are called to grow up in every way into Christ, promoting the growth of the body of Christ and building one another up in love.

There’s nothing easy about this. Just consider speaking the truth in love to someone. Say, for example, that you have noticed that someone is making a poor choice. Why is it that we are more likely to go tell our friend about the poor choice that person is making than to go to the person and, with gentleness and in all humility, point out what they are doing? Why do we choose gossip over the hard work of speaking the truth in love? And why, when someone offends us, do we sometimes feel like we have the right to bully them instead of engaging them in meaningful conversation that is mutually edifying? Why do we tear down instead of building up? We all know there is nothing easy about speaking the truth in love. It takes practice. It takes trust. It takes humility. It takes discernment and prayer. It takes courage. It takes being in a loving relationship – and that takes time.

Christian maturity is a life-long journey. God wants us to grow up in every way to be like Christ. Martin Luther described maturity in this way: “This life, therefore, is not godliness but the process of becoming godly, not health but getting well, not being but becoming, not rest but exercise. We are not now what we shall be, but we are on the way.”

Christian maturity is a life-long journey. We are becoming more and more like Christ. We are on the way. And, we are not alone. We have been given a community of people to share this journey – to love us – to cry with us – to hold us accountable. And we have each been given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Some of us are prophets; others are teachers. Some of us are good with numbers; others of us are good with people. Some of us love working with children; others of us love working with tools. Some of us have the wisdom that comes with experience; others of us are at the beginning of our Christian journey. And it takes all of us to be the body of Christ.

After worship today I have a meeting with the Lay Leadership Team. Our task is to prayerfully consider the leadership of this congregation for 2019. In a small church some people end up wearing several hats and sometimes we are missing the gifts we need. It sometimes feels like we are the body of Christ, but we have two hearts and we are missing a kidney or a foot. And we all know that if a foot is severed from the body it will shrivel up and die.

This brings me to our devotions for this week. You were formed for God’s family. On day 17, Rick Warren writes, “We are created for community, fashioned for fellowship, and formed for a family, and none of us can fulfill God’s purposes by ourselves” (132). He goes on to say “a Christian without a church home is like an organ without a body, a sheep without a flock, or a child without a family. It is an unnatural state” (134).

Now I feel a bit like I’m preaching to the choir, because you are here. You are participating in our daily devotions. You are part of a small group. You are doing your best to grow up in Christ – to become spiritually mature. But we all know people who are missing. People who have severed themselves from the body permanently. People who feel like an appendix – as if the body can take them or leave them. (By the way, there are no appendixes in the body of Christ!) People who go from one body to the next, never fully committing themselves to one body, one church home. People who fail to recognize that when they are missing we are incomplete.

Preached Sunday, September 23, 2018

For context read Ephesians 4:1-16

 

Consider this. You can’t really draw a tree with one green crayon. Every tree is made up of dozens of shades of green. And we can’t really be the body of Christ without all the diversity God has created.

I started today by talking about community. With unity. Together in unity. Notice the word isn’t com-uniformity. Unity is not uniformity. We are strongest when we embrace all of our God given gifts.

Eugene Petersen writes in The Message translation, “God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love—like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do. He keeps us in step with each other. His very breath and blood flow through us, nourishing us so that we will grow up healthy in God, robust in love.”

Friends, here is the good news. Christ is the source of everything we do. Christ keeps us in step with each other. His very breath – the Holy Spirit, the wind from God – fills us and inspires us.  His very blood flows in us and through us. And together, as the body of Christ, each and every one of us can grow up, building one another up, becoming more godly, getting healthy, and growing into the body – the family – the community God has called us to become. Thanks be to God!

What On Earth Am I Here For (2): Spirit and Truth

Preached September 16, 2018

For context read John 4:1-26 and Deuteronomy 6:4-9

 

What is worship? I think we often misunderstand this word, thinking that it refers to a particular style of music or liturgy or preaching. People will say, “Our worship is a blend of traditional and contemporary music.” And this is an accurate description of what happens at 11 o’clock on Sunday. But worship is so much more than music. Worship is so much more than what we do on Sunday morning. Rick Warren says, “Anything you do that brings pleasure to God is an act of worship” (66). My worship professor at Duke said, “Faithful worship is the way God forms us through the story of Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit in the practice of living according to the Truth. Worship begins with what God does in us” (Phillips, 2006, 17). What I hear when I hold these two perspectives together is that true worship includes both embracing what God is already doing in us – the ways God is shaping and forming us through the story of Jesus Christ – and responding faithfully, which brings pleasure to God.

So, what is worship? Worship includes every act that deepens our relationship with God. Years ago, when I first participated in Disciple Bible Study, I remember talking about worship. At that time I had a very concrete understanding of worship as something that happens at 11 o’clock on Sunday morning. I’m not even sure I saw prayer as an act of worship at that time. Someone in the group shared an image that stuck with me. He said, worship actually begins when we open our eyes Sunday morning and continues throughout the day. We worship as we prepare our minds and bodies to come to church. We worship as we give thanks for the food that nourishes us. We worship as we travel to church – especially when we are able to experience God’s creation on our way. We worship as we greet one another before the opening hymn. And then we worship through singing together, hearing God’s word read and proclaimed, and sharing a meal. And then, when we leave this place, we worship around dinner tables with family and friends. And through the afternoon we worship by giving our bodies rest or by gardening or by reading a good book. And at the end of the day as we crawl into bed we worship as we give thanks for a day of Sabbath rest.

The intentionality of this practice truly sets Sunday apart, marking it as the Sabbath. It also opens the door to understanding worship as something we can participate in at any time and in any place.  This is what drew me to the story of the woman at the well.

Contrary to all custom, this woman is not only talking with Jesus, she is debating with him. She points out “You say that the place where people must worship is Jerusalem” (Jn 4:20). And there is truth in this. Jews were expected to travel to Jerusalem for high holy days – it was as if God could only be found in the Temple. It strikes me that sometimes we still do this today. We limit God to this sanctuary and this hour, or we limit God to our daily devotion and our time of prayer. We fail to see that God wants to be in our lives 24/7.

Jesus replies to the woman, “The hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem... The hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as those who worship him” (4:21-23).

Jesus is turning the concept of worship upside down with this statement. First, notice that we don’t have to go to the temple or a mountain or any special place to worship. Instead, Jesus makes it clear that the Father is seeking us. Friends, this is good news! God pursues us. God constantly seeks to be in relationship with us. Rick Warren talks about this in terms of friendship – God longs to be our friend. I see this relationship as even more diverse and dynamic – God’s love for us is like the love of a friend, the love of a parent, and the love of a spouse all rolled into one. God loves us with a depth and breadth that cannot truly be expressed by any love we experience on earth. We can only begin to imagine the fullness of God’s love for us. And God deeply desires that we love – that we learn to love – that we practice this love – that we live this love – in return. As the Shema states, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.”

This brings me to the second point. True worshippers worship in spirit and truth. They don’t just worship at the Temple. Worship is so much bigger than that! We worship in response to God’s love for us. We worship when we delight in God. We worship when we invite the Holy Spirit to work in us and through us and even in spite of us. We worship when we seek the truth. Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life.” It is in and through Jesus – the living Word of God – that we are able to worship in spirit and in truth.

But what is truth? In a world of fake news, where we disagree on just about everything, and question everything else, worshipping in truth is anything but clear. What does it mean to worship in truth?

First of all, it means worshiping with our hearts and our minds. God-pleasing worship is deeply emotional and deeply thoughtful. And this means that worshipping in truth is slightly different for each one of us. Rick Warren writes on Day 13, “If God intentionally made us all different, why should everyone be expected to love God in the same way?” In other words, the best style of worship for you is the one that most authentically represents your love for God.

Certainly, there are truths we all share. We believe in God the creator. We believe in Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh. We believe in the resurrection. We believe in the power of the Holy Spirit. We believe that we are the body of Christ. And we believe that these truths draw us together in love and send us forth to serve.

And yet each of us lives out these truths differently. I want to share Gary Thomas’s nine ways people draw near to God. This is also drawn from Day 13. Listen for the ones that best describe you. He writes: “Naturalists are most inspired to love God out-of-doors, in natural settings. Sensates love God with their senses and appreciate beautiful worship services that involve their sight, taste, smell, and touch, not just their ears. Traditionalists draw closer to God through rituals, liturgies, symbols, and unchanging structures. Ascetics prefer to love God in solitude and simplicity. Activists love God through confronting evil, battling injustice, and working to make the world a better place. Caregivers love God by loving others and meeting their needs. Enthusiasts love God through celebration. Contemplatives love God through adoration. Intellectuals love God by studying with their minds” (105).

I love this because it makes it okay that I love God through nature, and I love God through our liturgies, and I love God by studying God’s Word. There is a naturalist and a traditionalist and an intellectual in me. And I love that some of you love God by being an activist or a caregiver, and others of you love God through solitude or contemplation. And that together, with all of these different gifts and approaches, we love God in Spirit and Truth. This is our worship. This is what leads us to be the body of Christ in this place.

This brings me back to the question that is shaping our church-wide, 40-day spiritual journey: What on earth am I here for? The most basic answer is that you are here, on this earth, to worship God – to bring pleasure to God.

So I wonder, what does this look like for you? How might God be inviting you to worship in spirit and truth? What might you need to let go of so that you can worship God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength? What hurts and fears keep you from loving God completely? In addition, what practices do you need to pick up or do more faithfully? Are you open to letting God work in you to bring about the kingdom and in the process discovering God’s will for you?

John Wesley wrote this wonderful prayer called the Covenant Prayer. This week, as I have reflected on God’s desire to be in an intimate and life-giving relationship with us, and as I have reflected on the obstacles that keep me from worshiping in spirit and truth, I remembered this prayer. I hear in this prayer a deep surrender to God that opens the door and creates space for infinite possibilities. Will you stand and pray this with me?

I am no longer my own, but thine.

Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.

Put me to doing, put me to suffering.

Let me be employed by thee or laid aside for thee,

exalted for thee or brought low for thee.

Let me be full, let me be empty.

Let me have all things, let me have nothing.

I freely and heartily yield all things to thy pleasure and disposal.

And now, O glorious and blessed God,

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,

thou art mine, and I am thine. So be it.

And the covenant which I have made on earth,

let it be ratified in heaven. Amen.

What On Earth Am I Here For (1): Ordinary Lives

Preached September 9, 2018

For context read Romans 12:1-6 from The Message Bible

 

What on earth am I here for? What is my purpose on this earth? When I look at my everyday, ordinary life – my sleeping, eating, going-to-work, walking-around life – when I take the time to really look at my life, I wonder, “Am I on the right track? Am I fulfilling my God-given purpose on this earth?”

I wish the answer to this question was simple or obvious – but it isn’t. I hope and pray that the intentionality of this 40-day spiritual journey will shed some light on my God-given purpose, and on yours. I hope and pray God will lead us in new directions. At the same time, I believe we will spend our entire lives discerning God’s will for our lives and discovering deeper meaning.

And this isn’t a bad thing! In fact, this is perfectly normal. There’s a reason we call this a spiritual journey. From birth to death we are all seeking God. And along the way life inevitably happens. And each season of life brings with it its own challenges and blessings, struggles and joys. Each season of life gives us the opportunity to follow Jesus in new ways. Not surprisingly, following Jesus will most likely look very different for the 80 year old than it does for the 20 year old or the 50 year old.

Today, as we begin this intentional 40-day spiritual journey, I invite you to reflect on where you are in your walk with God. While this certainly begins with our everyday, ordinary lives, it very quickly moves below the surface, beyond our actions and our doing to our thinking and our being. Before we can ask God what God wants us to do with our lives, we need to understand more deeply how God is already at work in our lives. To this end I want to talk about three defined stages on life’s journey. They are never distinct or clear cut and there is often much overlap. Still, as we age, as we journey with God, we inevitably journey through all three stages. So I invite you to listen for where you are on your journey, and as you listen I encourage you to invite the Holy Spirit to open up doors to deeper reflection and new insights.

Let’s start with those who are young. When we are young we struggle with the question: “Who am I? Who does God want me to be?” Youth and young adulthood is a time of searching and longing: we long for acceptance, we search for a circle of friends, we search for intimacy. We wonder about our calling, we search for the right place to live, we struggle to find financial security, we long for a life-long partner.... In other words, we are searching for something to give substance and meaning to our lives. We want to get our lives together and find stability.

Of course, this youthful restlessness can lead us into dangerous places. There are so many pressures placed on us by our culture! And our need for approval can be all tied up with peer pressure, self-image, finding the right job, and being successful. And the consumerism and materialism of our culture can lead us into tremendous debt. Being young is challenging! At the same time, this youthful energy can lead us to ask deep questions about personal integrity and moral living; we are hungry for peace and justice. And we learn to love deeply. This is a time when we strive for independence, experience deep loneliness, and discover the importance of community and family. And we inevitably realize that there must be more to life than meets the eye.

During this stage of our lives as we struggle to get our lives together, when we ask “What on earth am I here for?” we really are seeking meaning for our everyday, ordinary (or perhaps not so ordinary) lives. We want to know how God is at work in our sleeping, eating, going-to-work, walking-around lives.

As we age and start families and find careers our struggles change. We struggle less with issues of self-worth and more with a sense of inadequacy. The great dreams of our youth haven’t turned out exactly the way we thought they would, and the great energy of our youth has shifted. Consequently, we are more likely to struggle with disappointment, boredom, frustration, and resentment. Rick Warren asks the question, “What drives you?” When he answers by talking about resentment and anger, guilt and fear, I think he is speaking to those of us who have moved beyond that youthful restlessness and now find ourselves wrestling with a different sort of restlessness.

Ronald Rolheiser, a Catholic priest and contemporary spiritual writer, describes this season by writing: “We sense more and more how we have been wounded and how life has not been fair to us. New demons... emerge: bitterness, anger, jealousy, and a sense of having been cheated” (6). At the same time we begin to realize that meaning comes from something greater than ourselves. When we ask “What on earth am I here for?” we really are seeking meaning for our world. As followers of Jesus, we live more for others than ourselves – for our children, for our work, for our church, and for God. I recognize myself in this stage. I’m aware of my anger and frustration – there must be more to life than this! My “What on earth am I here for?” question is all tied up with, How can I give my life away? How, God, will you use me to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world?

Moving on to the third stage, Henri Nouwen suggested that at a certain point in our lives, the real question is no longer: What can I do so that my life makes a contribution? Rather, the question becomes: How can I now live so that my death will be an optimal blessing for my family, my church, and the world? (19) We see this shift in Jesus when he enters Jerusalem on a donkey. The active phase of his ministry gives way to preparation for the cross. Generosity, selflessness, humility and patience, help the seasoned traveler walk in the feet of Jesus and truly give glory to God at the end of life. “What on earth am I here for?” is all tied up with leaving the world a better place than you found it, and asking God just how to do this in today’s world.

What on earth are you here for? As we start this 40-day spiritual journey together, we each come with our own struggles, our own questions, and our own desires. We each come with our own experiences, our own insecurities, and our own success stories. We each come with our own awareness of how God is already at work in our lives. Consequently, the discoveries we make about ourselves and about God over the next 40 days will most likely be slightly different for each one of us.

On the other hand, our scriptures today point to some things that all of our spiritual journeys have in common. First of all, God longs for us to thrive. God longs for us to be like trees planted by the water. Let me re-read this small portion of Jeremiah 17: “Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream. It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit.”

This is a beautiful image of discipleship that can speak to each one of us, no matter where we are on our spiritual journey. May you be like a tree planted by water as you discover your purpose on this earth. May you live without fear or anxiety. May you bear much fruit – delicious, life-giving, beautiful fruit.

Secondly, Jesus invites us to remember that we glorify God when we love one another. When Jesus washed his disciples’ feet, God was glorified in him. When we love one another as Jesus loved us, God is glorified in us. May you glorify God in your life – your everyday, ordinary life. May we glorify God through this church and her ministries. May we choose every day the harder path, the path that gives glory to God instead of simply satisfying ourselves.

This leads me to my last point which comes from Romans 12: “So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out.”

Rick Warren writes, “Real life begins by committing yourself completely to Jesus Christ.” You will be changed from the inside out. Are you ready? Will you take your life and place it before God as an offering? Will you fix your attention on God? Will you offer yourself completely to Jesus Christ? It can all start with a simple prayer: Here I am, Lord; I offer myself to you. Use me so that I might glorify you with my life.

Once we offer ourselves to God, the Holy Spirit will give us the power and insight to fulfill our unique God-given purpose. Once we offer ourselves to God, it is much easier to trust that, like a tree planted by water, Jesus will give us everything we need to live for him. Real life begins when you give your life to Jesus. Are you ready?

Will you join me in singing “Take My Life” on page 399 in the hymnal and up on the screen? As you sing, make this your prayer:

Rise Up: Follow the Way

Sunday, January 7, 2018
Matthew 2:1-18 / Isaiah 60:1-6

We spend too much time sitting. Sitting in cars, sitting in front of the TV, sitting with our electronic devices in hand.  I am especially feeling that right now as I spent hours and hours sitting in buses and planes to get home on Friday. We spend too much time sitting. We even sit as we encounter Christ – through preaching and liturgy – in our private prayer lives – during our Bible and book studies.  We simply spend too much time sitting.

Isaiah starts this wonderful passage we just heard in chapter 60 with “Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.”   As we start 2018, I think it is time to sit less – it is time to rise up and move. And before you get out of your seats and start moving, let me tell you why.

Jesus says it most simply. “No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lamp stand, and it gives light to all in the house.” No one after seeing the Christ child just goes back to business as usual. It is hard for our light to shine if all we do is sit. And we are called to let that light shine.

The Magi saw a light shining in the east – a star that was filled with possibilities. We miss much when we call them Wise Men. They were priests of an ancient religion called Zoroastrianism; they were known internationally for their ability to read the stars – a highly regarded science at the time. Our word “magic” comes from the Greek word for “magi” – in a sense they were magicians and sorcerers. These Magi could have simply noted the star and affirmed the sign – “Oh look! Isn’t that interesting!” – and gone on with life. Instead they got up out of their seats and traveled all the way from Persia – modern day Iran – to see the child born King of the Jews.

It is interesting that the star didn’t guide them all the way to Bethlehem. Instead they went to Jerusalem – to the current King of the Jews – and asked Herod, “Where is this child who has been born King of the Jews?” We have heard the story so often that we miss how radical it is. Imagine for a minute that a group of Jewish Rabbis visited the Iranian Ayatollah today with compelling evidence about the child who would replace him as ruler. No wonder Herod was frightened – and rightfully so. He didn’t want a mutiny or an insurrection. It was hard enough to keep peace in the land. So Herod, who was not a Jew, asked the chief priests and scribes just where the Messiah was to be born. They knew their scripture and readily quoted the prophet Micah to him – the child would be born in Bethlehem.

Now notice something. Herod and the chief priests and the scribes did nothing with this information. They sat there while the Magi traveled the 8 miles to Bethlehem. If you knew someone was threatening your position would you stay put? If you were a chief priest and heard this news of the Messiah would you remain seated? Or would you act? I think too often we are like Herod and the priests – we adopt a “wait and see” approach instead of going ourselves. Of course we have legitimate excuses – like jobs and children and life that keeps happening. But they missed seeing Jesus, the light of the world.

The Magi, on the other hand, traveled to Bethlehem, following that star, until it stopped and stayed over the place where Jesus lay. And when they saw the Christ child they were filled with joy. And these foreign priests humbled themselves, kneeling before the child and his mother, offering gifts to this baby born King of the Jews. And then, being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they went home by another way.

I’m struck by the fact that God works in so many different ways. God speaks to the Magi – foreigners from a foreign land – through the signs in the stars. God speaks through Herod, and through chief priests and scribes. God even speaks through dreams. And the Magi have this way of listening deeply to God’s voice even as God speaks in so many different ways. The Magi have this way of responding with courage and insight. And they went home by another way.

The word “way” used here is the same word used to describe the first followers of Jesus. They were called followers of The Way (capital letters). Jesus tells us in John’s gospel, “I am the way.” John the Baptist was sent to “Prepare the way.” And Paul, after his conversion, found those who belonged to The Way. Interestingly, the word means the road traveled. It also means a way of thinking and feeling and being. The way can be a physical journey; the way can also be a spiritual journey. And we, who call ourselves Christian, are also followers of The Way.

After seeing the Christ child, the Magi went home by another way. And when Herod realized that they weren’t coming back, he followed his own way – the way of fear – the way of greed – the way of power – and had all of the children under the age of two massacred. To this day we can hear the cries of mothers weeping for their children, refusing to be consoled.

I wonder what way we will travel this year. Will we take the safe routes, the known routes, the easy routes? Will we take the routes we’ve always taken? Will we guard our hearts and rely on what we already know and believe?

Or are we willing to go another way? Are we receptive to being led on new paths – paths that may require soul searching, and reading scripture through a different lens, and opening ourselves to hear new voices? Are we willing to think outside the box as we seek to bring skeptics and agnostics to Christ? Can we accept that God might work through people who are spiritual but not religious to show us the way? Are we willing to see God working in and through people who are part of the LGBTQ community, people who are immigrants and refugees, people who worship different gods? Are we willing to listen for God’s voice showing us the way through a stranger?

Do we trust the God revealed in Christ Jesus enough to follow in his Way?

Jesus leads us in the way of life. And Jesus calls us to lead others into the way of life. This way is never easy. There is always risk. There is always the possibility of betrayal and denial. The way of life inevitably leads to a cross.

As we sit here on this Epiphany Sunday, we are already looking toward Easter Sunday – that glorious day when the women came to the tomb early in the morning and found it empty – that astonishing day when Jesus appeared to the disciples showing them the wounds in his hands and side – that wondrous day when Jesus broke bread in Emmaus and the disciples saw the light of resurrection life.

As we anticipate Easter Sunday and resurrection, I wonder how God might be calling you today. What way will you travel this year?