Wisdom From the Spirit (1 Cor. 2: 1-16) 11/18/12

We are in the information age.  Technological advances of the last two decades are mind boggling. Today we can calculate, process data, see each other through webcams, access music, books, even entire libraries on a wireless cellphone. We can read a book on an electronic tablet. We can buy groceries, have pizza delivered, check our bank accounts, pay our bills and much more without leaving our den. Television broadcasts hundreds of channels from all over the globe. You can make quality photographs on your printer, get news almost instantly from around the planet on your laptop. Information is at our fingertips.

Medical science has made huge advances. Dozens of diseases have been almost entirely eradicated. Hip and knee replacements are common. Organ transplants occur routinely. We can get lung, liver, kidney, cornea, even heart transplants. We know lots more about health and hygiene, what’s healthy for us to eat, what food portions are good for us, the importance of regular exercise. We are taller and stronger and live years longer than we used to.

We can propel vehicles with gasoline, ethanol, electricity and in the not too distant future, even solar power. We can produce energy not just with fossil fuels, natural gas and water, but also through wind and solar cells. Eight countries now have nuclear weapons capability, each with the power to blow up whole cities.

We have nations rich in foodstuffs, other nations rich in oil reserves, yet others rich with plentiful workforces. As a planet, we have enough resources to feed and clothe and heat and cool the world.

With all the information now available to us, we must be more educated. Well, at least more informed, more savvy. We have so much information at our disposal; we should be in the age of wisdom.

And yet, on any given day, 25,000 men, women and children die from hunger. Another 1.6 million die every year from poor drinking water. At least a dozen nations are in some stage of war at any given time. AIDS is in epidemic proportions in many African nations. One person dies from AIDS every 15 seconds. Measles kills a million people every year, even though a measles vaccination can be obtained for less than $1.00.  Human rights are trampled upon in much of the world. In the United States, almost 37 million people are on the welfare rolls, and we still have soldiers on the battle line in at least three countries. Many countries view the U.S. as the deliverer of democracy with a rifle.  Even in the information age, poverty and war remain familiar companions to our society.

So, where do we find wisdom? Is it in our elected leaders, or the stock market, or our personal banker? Sadly, we have many resources to inform us of the state of the world, but few who advocate the true road to wisdom. Often, we draw upon the wisdom of the world in which we live and work to get our answers about what to do with our time, and our talents, and our money. Is there wisdom in this approach?

1^st Corinthians is a letter from the apostle Paul to the Corinthian Christians. There is more Pauline correspondence to Corinth than to any other place. Corinth was multi-ethnic, multi-racial and cross-cultural. In other words, it was a lot like a modern U.S. city. The Pauline letters to the church in Corinth have much in common with issues in the church today. Paul had come to Corinth from Athens, where he had tried philosophical arguments to make his point. He was unsuccessful. In fact, he was run out of town. He changed his tactics in Corinth. By his own words, he preached “Christ crucified” [1:22].  In other words, he relied on Christ’s message to put the right thoughts in his head and the right words in his mouth.

 In today’s Scripture, Paul writes a message to the members of the new church in Corinth. Although almost two thousand years have elapsed since he set pen in hand, his advice to the church is still as timely as it was in the first century.

Paul says this: “We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing” [v.6]. Paul reminds us that worldly wisdom is virtually useless to us when trying to discern the ways of the Spirit. He goes on to say that this “wisdom” is hidden, secret to God, revealed only from God, and only to those who believe. If one does not hear through the Spirit of God, then one cannot hear the message… or gain the wisdom, of the Spirit.

Now, doesn’t that sound like circular reasoning? If you don’t believe in God, then you can’t get the message. If you can’t get the message, you can’t become wise in the Spirit. If you can’t acquire Spiritual wisdom, how can you deal with this world spiritually? If you can’t deal with this world spiritually, how can you really say that you believe in God?

Paul’s answer is deceptively simple. Believe in God, and seek the truths of the Spirit in order to find Spiritual wisdom and direction.

So how can you come to believe in God when you are raised not in heaven but in this flawed world? Again, Paul’s answer is simple: Believe in God and seek His face. How? God will give you what you need to seek Him. God has already equipped every one of us with the grace required to seek Him, with the heart necessary to find Him, with the Word written to reveal Him. What do we have to do? Listen. Christian wisdom comes not from human discovery, but from divine disclosure.

 Watch or read the news or listen to it on the radio, and you read or hear about the issues of the country from the media. The major issues before us are how to get the economy going again or healthcare reform or illegal immigration or pro-life or pro-choice, to name a few.

Depending upon which political party or which media center or which state they are in at the time, our elected leaders offer us various solutions. No matter who we elect, our problems aren’t going away. Our country has got to get along with the rest of the world because we have become interdependent upon one another, and sadly, it has become out of vogue to look toward divine guidance as a source of direction. The concept of separation of church and state, designed to protect us from a state controlled church, has wrongly become separation of governmental policy from Christian policy.    

The real policy that God’s people should endorse is found in the 21^st chapter of John. Jesus has risen from the grave and has joined the disciples on the shore of the Sea of Tiberias.  Jesus asks Peter three different times if Peter loves Him. Each time Peter says yes. As if to answer Peter on how to show his love, Jesus says three straight times: “Feed my sheep.”

          What was Peter told to do? Feed the hungry, shelter the poor and the widows. These are the mandates of the early church. These are the mandates of Jesus Himself. Jesus never said: Go ye therefore and build buildings. He said “teach all nations.” He never said: And now I am with you, even until the end of worship service. He said “even until the end of this age.” The job of the Church has never changed. It is the same, whether the church has 40 members or 400 or 4000 members. Feed my sheep. Jesus was referring not only to food for the belly, but also food for the soul.  Jesus wed himself to the Church through His disciples in order that they, and we, would feed the world with the Good News of Jesus Christ. That Good News is his life, death, resurrection, ascension to heaven and the saving grace he made freely available to every single one of us.

          “We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing,” says Paul. What is this message of wisdom? “Christ is our righteousness, holiness and redemption” [v.1:30]. Paul says that the only person who can tell us about God is the Spirit of God. This by no means frees us from the responsibility of human effort. If you want to receive the full measure of great teaching, you have to work at it. We must pray to have the mind of Christ, for only when he dwells within us can we deal effectively with the influence of this material world upon our thoughts and our actions. By prayer, by time spent in God’s Word, by cultivating relationships with other Christians, we come to the wisdom that is Christian maturity.

 If, according to Paul, only God’s people can understand Spiritual wisdom, then how do we convey our understanding to others not yet so inclined? Not everyone grows up in church, and even of those who do, the Church has been losing them in record numbers. So how do we talk to people who don’t as yet have the Spiritual wisdom to hear us?  

First, we don’t need to “talk” people into belief in Christ; we need to “live” them into it. Ever tried to make a green bean? Can’t be done. But you can plant bean seeds. And if you do, chances are you’ll have more green beans than you can eat. The harvest belongs to God. Always has. But the planting: now that’s a different story. God has given that task to us, the people of God. In Matthew 5: 16, Jesus says: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

Secondly, we do not know who God’s people are. God created every one of us.  Everyone is a child of God. My job is not to identify. My job is to go, teach and baptize, and that is the job of every Christian.

Do you believe in the Good News of Jesus Christ? Has that belief changed your life? If is hasn’t, you need to seriously re-examine your commitments. If it has, then please, for God’s sake, don’t keep it a secret. Don’t be fooled by our material world. Wisdom is much, much more than knowledge. Walk the walk. Plant the seeds.  That, brothers and sisters, is Spiritual wisdom.

The Mighty Mite (Mark 12; 39-44) 11/11/12

In the 1950’s and ‘60’s, one of the most beloved super heroes on Saturday morning television was an animated character produced by Terrytoons. He was about as small as one could get, but he could fly and he could fight. His name was Mighty Mouse. The theme song started out “Here I come to save the day. That means that Mighty Mouse is on the way.” Mighty Mouse was a mouse; he was tiny; he was a cartoon character. But I watched that little guy take on the bad guys over and over. He never quit and he never lost. That little cartoon mouse was a serious role model for me. It always fascinated me that something so small could possess so much power. Such is the lesson to be learned from Jesus’ teaching in Mark 12 about the scribes and the widow.

Walking through the grounds of the temple in Jerusalem, Jesus is engaging the Pharisees and scribes on a number of subjects. A scribe questions Jesus about the greatest commandment. Jesus tells the scribe about love of God and neighbor. Then Jesus turns to the subject of kingdom behavior. To make his point, he tells two stories. Each is instructive about true Godly leadership; true Godly obedience.

Jesus first warns those who would listen to beware of the scribes. Jesus says they walk around in long robes that prevent them from working, that they sit in the best seats in the synagogue, in the places of honor at feasts, that they devour widow’s houses, that they make long prayers for the pretense of being important. This is quite an indictment.  The scribes are among the best educated religious people in Israel and yet Jesus says to be wary of them. Notice that Jesus does not condemn all the scribes. Indeed, he has just complimented a scribe in the previous passage for being not that far from the kingdom of heaven. But for those who practice the kind of behavior to which Jesus is calling attention, Jesus says that they will receive the greater condemnation.

It was typical of the time for scribes to wear long, flowing robes which swept the ground. This was the sign of importance. You can’t hurry or work when your clothing is dragging the ground. The same kind of thing is true for the seats of honor which the scribes demanded. On the right hand of the host at dinner. Up front in a place of prominence at the synagogue. Everything said “Look at me. I’m important.” The charge about the widow’s houses is also mentioned by the Jewish historian Josephus, in connection with the Pharisees’ taking advantage of gullible widows and literally taking over their homes. They were Rabbis, and they conveyed the thought that nothing could be more rewarding than to put up and feed a man of God so that he could concentrate on his studies.

So Jesus says beware. Beware of those who would have you believe they are men of God. His indictment says look to their behavior. Do they act like men of God? He has only just finished talking about the greatest commandments. Then he turns his attention to the so-called religious leaders of the nation, and he says watch out. Do these men act with love? What is their real motive? The loudest prayers and the slowest walkers and the people always up front are not necessarily who they say they are. They are using religion for self-advancement. They are using their religious connections for personal gain. This is not the kind of leadership or example that Jesus teaches.

Then Jesus takes a seat in the courtyard. He is people-watching. I love to do that, don’t you? You can learn so much if you camp out on a park bench or sit on a towel on the sand at the beach. It’s better than going to the movies.  Jesus does it in the temple courtyard.  William Barclay says that Jesus was probably sitting at a place called the Gate Beautiful, a spot between the Court of the Gentiles, where he had been speaking, and the Court of the Women. This makes good sense, because Mark describes a donation being made by a woman. Both men and women were allowed in the Court of the Women, but this is where women would have made their donations. The temple treasury was also located there, and there were thirteen different trumpet-shaped boxes used for collecting those donations.   

While Jesus watches, many rich people are coming by and making large contributions.  Then Jesus spots a woman making a donation. She is a widow, and she is obviously poor. She puts in two mites, or two copper coins, the value of which is about a half of a penny.  We know this as the story of the Widow’s Mite.

How powerful! Less than a penny, and Jesus calls over his disciples to tell them of this major contribution, for the widow has given all that she had. The widow didn’t hold back anything. While others gave from their excess, the widow gave from her essence. The smallest gift became packed with power.

In this story, the final incident in Jesus’ public ministry, we can clearly see a foreshadowing of what Jesus was about to do for us. The widow gave all she had for her Lord; Jesus gave all he had for humankind. Mark uses a poor widow to make his point, that it’s not the market value of the gift, but rather the cost to the donor, that counts.

Today, we come to donate not only our tithes and offerings, but also shoeboxes—shoeboxes filled with socks and shoes and pencils and tee shirts and school supplies. To that will be added a little tract called “The Greatest Gift of All.” The booklet will tell the story of Jesus and his love for all of us. It will tell how he died for us; how he gave all that he had for us. Operation Christmas Child is a Christian effort to reach those who have nothing. They can relate to the widow better than we can. The shoeboxes we have packed will find their way to countries and villages we have never heard of, to children we will never see. But God will. God will count the smiles that this effort reaches, the lives that it touches. These gifts that seem so small are packed with God’s power.

The cost for Jesus was supreme. There was nothing held back. Today on this day that we remember those who have served our country, some with the last full measure of devotion, it is a day to also remember the cost of giving that our Lord spent for us. Today as we celebrate this truly American holiday commemorating harder times survived and thanking God for our abundance, it is also a day to remember that it is not that way for many of our fellow man all over our world. They not only do not have the abundance; they lack the very necessities we have come to take for granted; plentiful food, warmth and shelter, basic nutrition, running water, sanitation.  It is a day to understand how mighty even a widow’s mite can be…when given at the cost she paid.

While we carve the Thanksgiving turkey and dine on the dressing and all the other trappings of our feast, let us give pause to remember why we filled those shoeboxes and where they are headed. Let us give pause to remember the sentry walking his post, the sailor standing his watch, the airman doing the maintenance. Let us give pause to remember the might of the widow’s gift, the cost of salvation to our Lord…and the power of love that each of us has been given to give away. Let us all find the power of God that lies within us, and let that be our gift to our Lord this day…and every day. 

It's Not That Far (Mark 12: 28-34) 11/4/12

             It’s Not That Far

               Mark 12: 28-34

          In the Sinai desert at the base of the mountain, Moses assembled the people of Israel. He had been on the mountain for several days communing with God and came down bearing the tablets of the Law. The people had sent him up the mountain because they were afraid to hear the voice of the Lord. So Moses went for them. After reading them the Ten Commandments, Moses says “Hear, O Israel.” What comes next is known as the Shema, from the Hebrew meaning “Hear.” The Shema says this: “The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart” You can find these words in the sixth chapter of Deuteronomy (6: 4, 5).

          The 19^th chapter of Leviticus is a call to Holiness and refers often to the Ten Commandments. In verse 18, it is said that “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.”

          Both of these statements are directed to God’s people of the Exodus, the nation of Israel. In the intervening years from the Exodus to the life of Jesus, about 1200 to 1400 years depending on which scholar is doing the counting, the Jewish leadership managed to turn the Ten Commandments into 613 laws, 365 negative and 248 positive. The Pharisees of Jesus’ time were the proud guardians of those laws. They were the meticulous observers of each and every law. The scribes, those entrusted with the interpretation and writing of the law, were also involved in this observation of ritual legalism. No wonder that even among a sea of questions designed to trap Jesus, a scribe would come forward with a legitimate question. What’s the most important? In a book full of laws, which is the one that surpasses the rest?

          Others had a similar idea. David recited eleven precepts in Psalm 15, from walking blamelessly to not taking a bribe.  Isaiah cut the list to six (Is 33:15) and later to two (Is 56: 1). Micah is my personal favorite. His list of three included to “do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly before your Lord.” (Mi 6: 8). And Habakkuk said simply: “The righteous shall live by faith” (Ha 2: 4).  But in the Synoptic Gospels, Jesus quotes Deuteronomy and Leviticus, calling them the Great Commandments (Mk 12: 28-34, Mt 22: 34-40, Lk 10: 25-28).

Does it take 613 laws to follow God? Hardly! Jesus didn’t negate the law of the Old Testament. He told us that he came not to do away with it, but to fulfill it. But Jesus wasn’t talking about 613 regulations designed by men as interpretation of what it takes to be obedient to God. Jesus knew full well the law of God and how to be obedient to its spirit. What Jesus did in our passage today was to prioritize the law. Love the Lord with all you have and love your neighbor as yourself.

Martin Luther put it this way: “Love God, and do as you please.” Could it possibly be that simple? Of course it can. It’s mankind which makes it hard to follow God. God’s law couldn’t be more simple. But simple is not the same as easy. In his blueprint for mankind, God chose to make us in his image. In the bundle of gifts that go with that design, he included free will. After all, that’s part of his image, too. Free will in the garden meant the ability to turn away just as much as it allowed Adam and Eve to follow. They chose to disobey, and here we are. We are still making those choices, still flexing our disobedience. In our God-instilled consciences, we reach out to him, make laws and erect traffic lights to regulate ourselves. In our God-breathed free will, we turn our backs on him, on our families, his church, our fellow man. Following God’s law couldn’t be more simple, but easy? No.

Ever been on the way to church and passed a car in distress, only to keep on going? Stopping to help would make you late for church and you have to teach. Ever stood in front of church and watched some one walk down the sidewalk looking hungry, homeless and lost? Maybe you thought about helping, about inviting him or her in, but she would probably just say no. And what would you do with her after church? The kingdom of heaven is beautiful, but planet earth is just plain messy.

In John Bunyan’s great classic, Pilgrim’s Progress, our hero Christian embarks on a journey from his home (earth), to the Celestial City (heaven). He is seeking deliverance from the sin he discovered about himself by reading the Bible. Along the way, Mr. Worldly Wiseman and Mr. Legality divert Christian from his path, persuading him that he will find his deliverance through the Law. Christian barely escapes the crushing burden of the law, being pulled back on the right path just in time by Evangelist.  Back on the King’s Highway, it is Goodwill who directs Christian down the straight and narrow path to the Celestial City. It should come as no surprise that Goodwill turns out to be none other than Christ himself.

It’s not that far, you see. If you walk down the straight and narrow and listen to and obey the urging of Goodwill, you will be on the King’s Highway, and it is a much more level climb to the top. Like the Pilgrim of John Bunyan, you too will find deliverance at the Cross of Calvary. Just like that Christian of old, you will climb the Hill of Difficulty, pass through the Valley of the Shadow and have many other experiences on your way to the Holy City. Hopefully, like Bunyan’s Christian, you will find the House Beautiful, which is the church, and there you will find fellowship and comfort in your pilgrimage. You will learn to turn away from would-be friends like Ignorance, who would have you to believe that good deeds are enough to get you to heaven, only to arrive without a passport and be turned away.

If Christian’s character sounds familiar, he should. He is the allegorical Everyman of literature. We all have hills to climb and valleys to cross and rivers to ford. But in the twelfth chapter of Mark, Jesus points us to the King’s Highway. “…and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” Live by that rule and the kingdom of heaven will be close enough to touch.

Jesus added another commandment. I think the love of neighbor is implicit in the first commandment to love God. I expect that Jesus thought so too. So why did he add it? I think he did it to clarify that which was commanded in Leviticus. In that Old Testament command, it was directed to the people of Israel. “You shall not take vengeance…against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus removes the condition about one’s own people. He says simply: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” No restrictions, no conditions.  With Jesus, the question is not who your neighbor is, but who your neighbor isn’t. He doesn’t limit his interpretation of the commandment. And neither should we.

Can you see the King’s Highway now? Look for the road signs. They are in the eyes of the people you meet. They are in the open hands you present to them. They are in the hugs and embraces you give to them and in the time you take with them. This is worth much more than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices the scribe could make. This is worth much more than all the tithes and offerings you will ever make.

God’s kingdom is not just where you end up. It’s in the journey, too. Don’t work for your reward. You can’t earn it. Instead, experience the journey. Let grace be your watchword, both in how you extend a helping hand and in what you hope for in return. Make your pilgrimage be a kingdom experience. “And when Jesus saw that the scribe answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not that far from the kingdom of God.”

Let us pray.     11/4/12