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My heart beats for love. I want to be different. I want to be who I am called to be. WORTHY and LOVED!

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Marks of Discipleship: Justice Rev 1: 4-8


Today is a special day in the life of the church. The Sunday before Advent. Christ the King Sunday when the lordship of Jesus Christ is front and center. Today is the day when we remember that Jesus’s Lordship was not given haphazardly - that it was bought with a price and shown through the glory of the empty tomb. The day when we proclaim that we believe that Jesus is the firstborn from the dead and the ruler of the earth.
But what type of ruler is Jesus and is this the type of ruler that we want him to be? The first disciples struggled with these same questions. They imagined Jesus to be the type of ruler that they knew - a military leader who would rescue them by force from the grip of Roman rule. But Jesus did not come with an army or to conquer with the sword, leaving some of the disciples disillusioned and disappointed. 
If we do not take time to examine our own hearts and minds to see who we expect Jesus to be, we will often become disappointed and disillusioned as well. When we compare Jesus to the type of rulers that we see and know, we find that Jesus does not fit into these molds. And with our frame of reference tarnished, we don’t know how to define the lordship of Jesus the Christ.
John, the author of the book of Revelation, understands the need for Christ’s disciples to be able to wrap their minds around his lordship. For how can we be a disciple of someone whom we do not know? Cannot describe? So John wrote to the seven churches in the province of Asia to describe to them that Jesus is King and assert that no earthly ruler can ever compare to him. A firm testimony to stand upon during a time of persecution by earthly rulers. John penned his letter as an epistle that gives hope to those in present times of trial and an apocalypse, a vision of the future. And in his letter, he sought to bestow confidence on the disciples who were in danger by helping them understand who they have faith in and what they believe. 
John starts by telling the churches who Jesus Christ is. Jesus Christ is the one who witnesses to God on our behalf. He walked along the earth telling people about God, healing them of their ailments, and testifying to the power of the Divine. He showed people in tangible form the love of God from the moment of his conception until he was raised from the dead by the will of God in order to rule over all of the earth at God’s right hand. 
John went on to pen what Jesus Christ has done for us. He loved us enough, even before we knew him, to suffer death for us, spilling his own blood for our sins. He did this by choice as a sacrifice for us. 
Up until this point what John’s writing sounds like a shortened version of our apostles creed but John’s final point about Christ is what is left out of our creeds, he tells the followers in Asia what we are to do as disciples under the reign of Christ. He answers the question of how we are to be bearers of faithful witness. For he has made us to be priests in the kingdom of God in order to glorify God through our service. 
Who Christ is, what he has done, and our response. A powerful message found is four short verses of today’s scripture passage. John wants those readers to know that Jesus is so much more then the leadership they are suffering under now. Jesus brings more authority, more power, more dignity, and more transformation then they could ever imagine. Then we could ever imagine. Its hard for those of us who are living in the United States today to wrap our minds around what these early Christians were suffering for the name of Christ. The torture they endured. The blood they shed. The family they lost. All because they believed in Jesus Christ and in his lordship. All because they weren’t willing to put any earthly leader above the one who meant the most in their lives. The one who was truly their beginning and their end. The one who was and is and is to come. 
Do we share the vigor and strength of these early Christians today? Do we base our lives, the choices the make, on the belief that Jesus was and is the ruler of all and is yet to come again to bring even more transformation? Do we believe in the God who sent redemption to us through Jesus Christ and who will bring even more redemption? And do we find hope in that?
I have met some Christians throughout my life who focus on the cross. They only speak about the cross because for them, once they are freed from sin, the story is over. Jesus saved them and now they just need to wait for Heaven. But John is telling his audience about who Christ is and what our response is as well, not just what Christ did for us on the cross. The cross is neither the beginning nor the end of our faith. It is central, but calls us forward in accountability for how we live our lives. How do we live as if Jesus is our beginning and our end?
Christ’s lordship in our lives is one of justice. But not the type of justice that focuses on us and our sins but on God’s grandeur. How God’s love is so much bigger then any of our sins. Jesus’ justice is the type that acquits those who are truly sorry and then calls us to live a life of justice that brings hope to those around us.
We may not be facing the same injustices today that the church’s in Asia faced. We may not be dying for our faith. Losing all we have. Submitting ourselves to a corrupt rule. But today, in America, we still face issues of injustice around consumerism, self-indulgence, and isolation, which separate us from the love of God. 
As disciples of Christ we are called to be bearers of justice. Justice that speaks out when we witness an injustice. That tries to guide the system to a more loving way. That tells our neighbors of the justifying love of Christ. And that lives life with God being our first priority. The center of all we do. 
Today, on Christ the King Sunday, we conclude our series on the marks of discipleship. Over the past three weeks we have discussed how disciples lives are recognizable by devotion, worship, and acts of justice. As we prepare to enter to enter into a new year in the life of the Church, I would encourage you to pray about how you can live these marks out in your own life. How can you be active in your life as a Christian? How can people recognize you living out your faith? I would encourage you to participate weekly in worship in the coming year. Worship is the one communal thing that we do as the body of Christ. Through worship, we honor God and grow closer with God’s people. I would also encourage you to find a place where you can study the Bible, either on your own with accountability or in a small group, and a place to serve, and offer love to others through the grace of Jesus Christ. My hope and pray that this year we will each grow as disciples as we grow as a congregation. That we will be recognizable by our devotion to God and our service to others. The God who was and is and is to come wants to transform the world through you? Are you willing to be transformed? Amen. 

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Marks of Discipleship: Devotion - Mark 12: 38-44


Its an all too familiar story isn’t it - the scribe are ch for being unfaithful and the widow is upheld for being faithful in what she gave. But I would invite you to approach today’s scripture passage with open hearts and ears, to see if there is something new to be found in the text.
What does it truly mean to sacrifice? To give something up so that others do not go without. We are a country that honors and upholds sacrifice. We praise our service men and women for being willing to lay down their lives and those who leave their homes to go clean up after natural disasters or are life long missionaries to other countries, leaving behind everything they know for the sake of the gospel. We smile when we hear stories in the news about children giving up every penny they had in their piggy bank to help other children in need. We honor and praise sacrifice as long as it isn’t incovient to us. As long as we are not the ones being called to sacrifice.
For if we are honest with ourselves, this Bible passage probably frightens us a bit. Is Jesus really asking us to give up everything we have? Isn’t this type of sacrifice dangerous? When we dwell on the widow’s sacrifice itself, Jesus’ call to us can seem too daunting. Too risky. So we don’t try to sacrifice anything at all - at least not anything that means something to us. But what if the story isn’t about the widow or the gift she brought? What if it wasn’t so much about how much she gave but rather her attitude behind it? For the next few weeks we are going to be focusing on what it truly means to be a disciple of Christ, what are the distinguishing marks or acts we have as disciples. What the widow shows us today is what it means for a disciple to have a heart of devotion.
The dictionary defines devotion as a profound dedication, consecration, or an appropriation to a person or cause. In lay man’s terms when one is devoted they are sold out, all in, or dedicated to with all they have. But in order to be devoted we must sacrifice - sacrifice of our time, money, and talents. For our sacrifice is an act of worship.
One common leap we make in this passage is to think that Jesus is warning against all of the scribes. Scribes were people who had knowledge of the scripture and the laws who were able to discipher legal and political documents. Jesus wasn’t warning against the whole group, rather he was warning against those who didn’t follow the laws they were discphering for others. Jesus was speaking out against those scribes who told others that scripture demanded that they take care of the widow, when they devour her themselves. Jesus is warning agains those who mask their unfaithfulness under a veneer of faithfulness and paraded their pretense as piety. 
Jesus was warning against those scribes who were not devoted to what they taught. For devotion is not so much a matter of the head, or knowing something, but a matter of the heart. Devotion cannot be hidden for long under the guise of long prayers or other acts of worship that are meant to make you appear a certain way. Devotion is about what we believe becoming the way that we live. 
And that brothers and sisters is why Jesus pointed out the widow bringing her offering to the temple. Not so much for what she gave, but the heart that was behind it. For while the woman gave a lot less then the scribes that Jesus was warning against, she gave her offering as a sacrifice and as an act of faith. She was so faithful that some would call her foolish. She gave absolutely everything she had - not knowing where the money would come from for her next meal let alone anything down the road. She simply trusted that God would provide and she gave. She didn’t give just what she could, she gave more then what anyone thought she should, and isn’t that what we admire about the sacrifices that others make? We admire how much others are willing to risk for what they believe in.
The widow offering was also an act of devotion because of how she gave. She didn’t give so that others would notice her or in such a manner where she would draw all of the attention to herself. Instead she gave in such a way that would bring the honor and praise to God, not herself. How often have you found that some of the most devoted people you know are the unsung heroes? The people who do things in the church you never even knew about until one day they are no longer with us to give of their time and talents?  Devotion is about shedding all egotism or greed that we may have, any desire we may possess for bringing attention to ourselves, and taking on the characteristics or God, chiefly those of humility, love, and sacrifice. 
All too often this Bible passage is used to shame congregations into giving more - and preachers tell people that they need to be all in. But honestly, we don’t go from being skeptical to being all in over night. Our devotion should grow with our faith in God, for they are inextricably linked together. Our devotion to Christ flows out of our relationship with him. So today I ask you, what are you doing to help you grow in your relationship with Christ? Sometimes when we hear the word devotion the first thought that comes to our mind is not dedication but the devotions we do - that quiet time that we have with God. By having a plan for prayer and study, even if you cannot do it every day, we give ourselves the gift of being positioned to be open with God. Positioned to grow in relationship with God. How are you placing yourself in a position to listen to God, soak up God’s love, and respond to the grace being offered?
Secondly, this passage gives us the opportunity to think about what offering truly means. Are we offering ourselves in devotion to God? As we grow with God are we finding ourselves being able to more readily sacrifice those things that we hold most dear to us - be it money, time, or something else? How is offering an act of faith? And how does seeing offering as an act of devotion change us? 
While devotion literally means giving of your whole self, your whole life, this doesn’t necessarily mean that it comes easily. Devotion requires faith and trust. But just because it is hard does not give us an excuse not to try. As Christian disciples we strive to be growing deeper in love with God and our neighbor every day. And that striving is an act of devotion itself. There are going to be times when others will think our devotion is misplaced or foolish. But brothers and sisters we know the truth, that which is foolish to man is priceless in the eyes of God. For it is in ability to love Christ so deeply that we are willing to risk it all that we can truly begin to understand the love that Christ showed for us on the cross and the devotion he had to the kingdom of God. May we try each day to fall a little more deeply in love with God and live a life that reflects that the kingdom of God is our first priority. Amen. 

Sunday, November 4, 2012

John 11: 32-44


Today’s Biblical passage presents a paradox between the grief of death and the joy of new life. The difference between grief having the final word and Jesus having victory over death. But in order to fully appreciate the joy of the resurrection, we need to face the sting of death. 
Mary and Martha believed that Jesus was the Messiah and believed that he could bring healing and perform miracles. And now that their brother’s health was quickly failing they sent word to their master and friend  to come quickly to them and restore wellness to Lazarus. But Jesus didn’t make it in time. In fact he didn’t even make it to them the immediate days after Lazarus’ passing. Now four days have passed and he has finally arrived at their home in Bethany. Mary was the first to see him and the words that exited her mouth rang with grief and accusation, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 
How many times have we said a similar thing to God, especially in our times of grief. Oh God, if only. If only you would have been here. If only you would have intervened. If only you would have stopped the car. If only you wouldn’t have allowed this to happen. If only you would have answered my prayer. If only. We, like Mary, look to Jesus for answers, but instead find something else, perhaps of greater worth then any answer could be. We find a companion.
Notice that Jesus did not answer Mary’s statement, he did not explain or defend himself. Instead, he went to where Lazarus body was laid and wept. He was so moved by Mary’s grief and the grief of those who were gathered with her, that words would not suffice. For centuries Jesus grief has perplexed scholars - what could Jesus’ weeping mean? Why would he cry if he knew that Lazarus was going to be resurrected? Is this showing of emotion simply his humanness coming through or was he deeply troubled by the crowds lack of understanding at what was about to take place? Was Jesus just weeping to trick the crowd into thinking that he was sympathetic or did he truly love Lazarus and grieve his death? 
Scholars can debate what these tears meant as much as they want, but we believe that Jesus was truly human and truly divine. That he came in the form of a helpless baby in order to experience the human life to understand us more fully. And brothers and sisters, our lives involve loss and grief at times. We have a Savior who chose to freely enter into our suffering with us and walk with us through the shadow of the valley of death. When Jesus wept at the tomb of his friend, gone was the idea of a God who was far removed from our heartaches and trials. No, this God who walked among us, understands what it feels like to have someone close to him die. 
Jesus tears are not the only perplexing part of today’s narrative. Today’s translation says twice that Jesus was greatly disturbed. But the Greek wording could better be translated as angry. We don’t like to think of Jesus as being angry. What did Jesus even have to be angry at in this passage? Was Jesus mad at himself for not making it to Lazarus sooner? Or at the crowds for their lack of faith? Jesus was angry at death itself. Death that was not in God’s plan for humankind. Death that is a tool of the Advisory. Death that has tricked us into thinking that it is the final end. And death that effects us so deeply. Remember way back to the Garden of Eden when God told Adam and Eve that if they ate from the trees which they were forbidden to touch they would surely die. God did not say when they would die, only that they would. And is that not now each of our fates - to eventually fight life’s final battle at an undermined time and die? But thankfully today’s story, and the story of our faith, does not end with death being victorious. Jesus had those gathered roll away the stone to the grave and prayed to God before crying for Lazarus to come out of the tomb. And the dead man came out! Jesus took this opportunity to proclaim that God would have victory over death and that he is the resurrection and the life. 
Today we will celebrate All Saints Day, our time to remember our loved ones who have passed away and to proclaim, as the church, that we believe that death is not the final end. That Jesus is our resurrection and our life.  This is the time to honor those saints, both whom we know and those whom we don’t, who have left this life of great ordeal and have joined those who are in God’s presence, worshipping daily. As Methodists we believe that all Christians are “saints”, not simply martyrs or forefathers and mothers of the faith. So today we celebrate all those who are deceased, and honor their memory. We honor those whom we know. We grieve our loses. We celebrate the lives they lived. We strive to embrace what they have taught us, so we can pass on the lessons of the faith. And we praise God for their lives on this earth and their lives eternal. 
Brothers and sisters, who do you miss this day? Who do you grieve over, like Mary? Whose memory do you want to uphold and recognize as being a blessing in your life and the lives of others? They do not have to be someone who has passed this year, for often our grief cannot be contained by human time frames. Who do you both want to mourn and celebrate?
Last year we had an All Saints Service for the students at the Wesley Foundation at Penn State, many of whom had never celebrated this day in the church before. One of the young men got up, with tears glistening, and lit a candle for a loved one whom was still alive, but who had died to his old habits that separated him from the love of Christ. Friends, do you have anyone whom you want to lift up in prayer today, celebrating that they have come one step closer to recognizing the grace and love of Christ? Light a candle for them as well.
We have gather together to celebrate the lives of those who have went on before us into eternity. To remember each of them – to re-member. To continue to live our lives in a different way in the absence of those we care about. When we remember those whom we have lost, we are reminded that while they have died, they are still part of us gathered here, the living. They are still part of our fellowship. And we have hope that we have fellowship with them again around the heavenly banquet table!
Brothers and sisters may we now prepare to honor those whom we love, knowing that whatever the circumstances are, this, the first day of the week, and particularly this day, as we celebrate All Saints Day, we have gathered to worship a God who has conquered the grave and has had victory over death. We gather in the presence of our God who is angry at death and grieves with us. Though we may have come to worship today with weary and heavy hearts, we have a hope in Jesus that cannot be contained. A hope in the one who cries for us to be unbound from our death clothes and freed. For in the words of scholar Cynthia Jarvis “The miracle is this: that united in his death by his grace, you may wake from the death that is life without him and live unbound, now and eternally, to God’s glory”. May it be so. Amen.