NO FEAR

                                                Matthew 10: 24-33

 

 

 

          In the 1990’s a small clothing apparel company sprang up in the Midwest. Its owners hoped to capitalize on the motocross extreme sports image. The name of the company was “No Fear.” The website shows a motocross biker high in the air about to vault a rock formation and the saying reads: “This is my comfort zone.” It looks really cool and really dangerous. The idea is that living on the edge and doing the extreme can get you high on life, that fear can hold you back from experiencing life.

          That’s one marketing jingle that is right on point. Fear can hold you back. But fear comes in an assorted package and everyone has some. Christians have certainly had their share. It’s hard to believe that there was a time when vaulting rock formations on a motorcycle was like a walk in the park compared to witnessing the gospel to a group gathered by the city gate, but it’s true. In Matthew, Jesus assembles his apostles to give them authority over unclean spirits. First, they are sent to their own people, the nation of Israel. Later there will be a much bigger commission, but for now, Jesus starts them out in more familiar territory.

          Even in this friendly arena, Jesus warns his disciples of the persecution that is to come. Jesus warns of bad religious leadership and uncaring, de-sensitized politicians. Sound familiar? He warns further that even families will be split, that the followers of Jesus will be hated for their message. They will have to flee for their very lives from village to village, all because they follow Jesus.

          “Have no fear of them,” says Jesus to his disciples. There was much to fear, but Jesus wasn’t talking about whether there was reason to fear. He was talking about what to do with it. Suspicion and misinformation ran so deep that Jesus had actually been accused of being Satan because of his power to perform mighty acts. Jesus pointed out to his followers that if it’s possible to get that far removed from the truth when in the presence of Jesus himself, how much more easy will it be to confuse the message of the disciples! They should expect no less than Jesus himself was accused of. Jesus was warning his followers of the cost of discipleship. He was persecuted and killed and his disciples suffered the same fate. The danger was real.

          But that was then and this is now. Surely in the 21^st century, there is really nothing to fear from practicing Christianity, right?  Wrong. In Minya, Egypt, the Bishop Mousa Coptic Church was destroyed by pro-Morsi supporters who blamed Christians for his overthrow. In Cirebeum, Indonesia, a Christian church was bulldozed by state authorities. North Korea has Christian labor camps. In fact, the World Watch List, an organization dedicated to tracking the abuse of Christians, reports that over sixty countries actively persecute Christians. One watch group has reported that a Christian is killed every eleven minutes for practicing his faith in Christ. Persecution of Christians is alive and well, particularly in Africa, the Middle East, China, North Korea and parts of India.

          But Jesus said to have no fear. What did he mean? Jesus was talking about why it was important to control the fear. In the tenth chapter of Matthew, Jesus gives his disciples several reasons why they should not let their fear control their actions. First, Jesus says, the truth will out. No matter what is covered or veiled now, the time will come when the real truth of the matter will come to light.

Secondly, Jesus reminds us of the value of comparison shopping. It’s bad to die, but it’s even worse to die on the wrong side of history and salvation. I saw a saying on a soccer shirt once that read something like “He who dies with the most toys, still dies.” I’ll leave it for you to work out what meaning that may convey to you, but for me, it’s a practical reminder that there is only one way out of this place. Jesus reminds us that when judgment day comes, there will be a resurrection for all of us, regardless of our beliefs. We are all accountable, and the wages of unredeemed lives and unforgiven sin will be paid. So it would seem that one of the things that Jesus reminds us through his disciples is that while death is unattractive, it is also inevitable, and a believer’s death reaps a great reward. Not so for the selfish. Not so for those who compromised their way out of the truth.

Last, and my personal favorite, is this. Jesus reminds us that the very hairs of our heads are numbered and identifiable to God. He says that not even a sparrow will fall to the ground unbeknownst to God. Jesus is saying that the providence of God extends not only to the big picture, but also to the very smallest details of each and every life he creates. God’s providence, his care and concern for all his creation, is as personal and all-encompassing as it is worldly.

So Jesus says to those who would follow him: Have no fear of those who would do you harm, of those who would lie about you and slander you. The truth will come out. Don’t fear death for the cause of Christ, for it is only the body that man can touch. God is the owner of the soul and it is immortal. And remember, God knows where you are, whom you’re with, whose side you’re on and he cares about you, right down to the toothpaste you use.

Even in this land of religious freedom, there are decisions to make for God every day. How will we be known? Where will we draw the line? There are truths contained within the Word of God, immutable truths that cannot and should not be compromised. The laws of the state are just that. They have a different design, a different purpose. The law of God and his design of the Church are precious jewels of truth to be protected, cherished and preserved. In these days of modern persecution of the church, we in the West can be lulled into a false sense of security, of entitlement. But we too should understand that our desire to be popular cannot govern our duty to be obedient to God. We cannot be all things to all people.We must be on our guard to see that we do not implode from our desire to be inclusive and tolerant. Such characteristics are admirable, even virtuous, but they are not now and have never been substitutes for the truths our Savior taught us. Religious freedom does not give us license to re-write the Word of God in the name of social change. There are truths contained within God’s Word that will never be subject to change and cannot be “interpreted” away.

Sometimes it is easier to deal with the enemy when he shows his face and takes aim directly at you. Then you are sure of where you stand. But sometimes the enemy is barely recognizable. He is disguised as inevitability or progress or even tolerance. Remember what Jesus taught the disciples. The truth will come out. Make sure you are on its side and not that of some fad or social movement.

 Are you standing up for the Church? Are you controlling the fear or is it controlling you? Is your silence an act of courage or an act of acquiescence? The price of discipleship is high and the standard of vigilance is as well. Our Savior calls upon us to protect his bride.  We cannot deny him. If we do, he will deny us. So have no fear. His truth is worth any price to protect.  Amen.

         Commissioning

                                   Matthew 28: 16-20

 

 

          When we think of vacations or great escapes, we usually think of either the beach or the mountains. Maybe that’s because at either location, we stand in the presence of more natural beauty and raw power that we are used to seeing in more civilized areas.  The oceans and the mountains have an untamed taste to them that makes us more aware of our limitations, more attuned, perhaps, to the fact that there really is a big picture and that we are not completely in control of our destinies after all.

          Jesus had a thing for the beach and the mountains himself. They were two of his favorite venues for preaching, for praying, even for promising. He picked up several of his disciples on a stroll down the beach one day. Later, we see him doing everything from preaching in a boat to calming the sea in a tempest. After his resurrection, he even made breakfast on the beach for seven of the disciples.

          As for the mountains, there are at least five mountaintop appearances by Jesus, and one more that is promised. More about that one later. Jesus came up from the desert during his temptation and met Satan on a mountaintop where they could see for miles. He preached to the people on a mountaintop in Galilee. He met with Moses and Elijah on a high mountaintop for the Transfiguration. In Jerusalem he climbed a hill carrying a cross to a place called Mount Calvary. The last time was after the resurrection. Jesus directed his disciples to come to a mountain in Galilee. We know that event as the Great Commission, but that’s really only half the story. It could also be known as the Great Promise, for indeed our Savior gave us that in addition to a commissioning.

          To receive a commission is to be granted certain powers or maybe to authorize a group to undertake a certain task. For instance, I was commissioned as a U.S. Naval officer. My ship was as new as I was and it was commissioned a U.S. Naval vessel at a big ceremony. Even my current job operates through a commission. I am commissioned as the pastor of this church to do all those things that pastors do, but I am to do them only at this church because that’s the way my commission is defined. Jesus did that in Matthew 28. He called his disciples together and he defined their commission. They were to go, to make disciples, to baptize and to teach. They were to do so pursuant to the authority given them by Jesus. Their commission was not limited by geography, but it was limited in its application. They were to do these things in the name of the Father, the Son and of the Holy Spirit. They were not to create their own agenda, but rather to work within the scope of their commission.

          So the eleven disciples come to the mountain at Jesus’ invitation. By this time, Jesus has made at least two other post-resurrection appearances to them. When they see him again, they worship him. And yet, Matthew tells us that some doubted. Some who? Some of the eleven? Some of the other, unnamed disciples? Who is it that doubted him? Bible scholars will argue about who they were, but the text of Matthew is pretty plain. It says that the eleven disciples went to the mountain and some doubted. To me, this means that some of the eleven disciples doubted. This in spite of the fact that they had already seen the risen Christ! Now what’s that all about?  It could be a number of things. Maybe they doubted what good they could do now. The Jesus movement was apparently over.  There was to be no overthrow of the Roman government.  The Messiah was not going to save his people. Or maybe they just still doubted who or what they saw. Was it really Jesus? Was he really alive?  It was a lot to take in. Maybe they were just paralyzed by being in the presence of a supernatural, totally holy being. They still didn’t know what to do or even what Jesus wanted them to do.

          So he told them. I have the authority, he said. I have it in heaven and I have it here on earth, he said. Go, he said, meaning: don’t stay home. Instead, he meant get off this mountain. Leave the upper room and Go. Make disciples, he said.  Here, the mission of all followers of Jesus becomes clear. It is now a global commission. Jesus wants to make disciples of all nations. No more Jews or Greeks or Samaritans or hippies or strangers or any other man made classes.  Just Christians. Baptize, he said, referring not so much to the physical act as to the spiritual conversion of people to the gospel message. It is a baptism that clearly mentions the Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, though the word itself is not used. Teach, he said, and he meant everyone. He wanted them to tell others of all his teachings, all his commands.

          Then there was the promise, and what a promise it was! Jesus said to his followers: “Ánd behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”  Look at Jesus’ promise. After he commissions us to do the work of evangelism, he gives us all the motivation…and all the support, we should ever need. Jesus, the risen Christ, the Son of God, will be with us. He will be at our side. No days off. He will be with us always. Always means all the time for all time. It was and is, the Great Promise from the Master. I’ve got your back…all the time.

          I mentioned earlier that the New Testament contains at least one more promised mountaintop appearance. In the fourteenth chapter of Revelation, the Lamb of God stands with a godly army on Mount Zion, God’s holy hill in heaven. God’s heavenly choir sings a new song. Only the redeemed can sing this new song. This is our promise as God’s people that one day, the Lamb of God will return from Mount Zion to claim those of us who have been redeemed. Just like the Great Promise in Matthew, we have this vision of God’s promise for the end of the age.

          It’s a great thing to be a disciple of Jesus. Being a disciple means first that we follow him. But it doesn’t stop there. He has led us, taught us, convicted us for a reason. We are his arms and legs, his hands and feet…yes, even his spokespersons. We are the church, the gathering of God’s people. As surely as we gather here for worship and fellowship, we must disperse to our homes and schools and neighborhoods and places of work as disciples commissioned to make disciples, to make known the Savior who has made himself known to us. Yes, we too may doubt. We may doubt our ability or our conviction or our readiness. When we do, we are in good company, for Matthew reminds us that even Jesus’ handpicked disciples shared such doubts. But we are armed…armed with the written Word of God, and with the Great Promise of Jesus himself. “And behold, I am with you always…”

       The Breath of Life

                                        John 20: 19-23

 

 

          I sat in the hospital room and watched. When she was semi-awake, I just stole glances at her because I didn’t want to make her nervous. After all, her parents were right there. She was lying in the hospital bed sprawled across her mother’s arm and her dad sat in the rocker only a couple feet away. Her hand was bandaged in an attempt to keep her from pulling out the IV line bringing nourishment and antibiotics to her eighteen month old body.

          No matter how necessary hospitals are to our society, they are nevertheless disconcerting, and when the patient is so young, it is even more true. The rhythm of normal life is interrupted by tests and needles and gowns with no backs. Our normal pace is replaced by the sounds of diagnostic machines and stethoscopes and doctors in white gowns who never seem to get to us soon enough.

          I watched as the medicine began to do its work…as her troubled face began to relax. Her fitful attempt at sleep became effortless as she sighed and slipped into a comfortable rest. Her mother lovingly tidied her matted hair and she sighed and slept, her breath coming easily now. As she began to rest, I could even see a more rested look on the faces of her parents.

          Breath. We take it for granted until it is in short supply. Whenever we swim and test the limits of our lungs, we long for the luxury of one simple breath. When respiratory problems affect our health, we would give anything for one long, deep breath. I can still remember the first deep breaths I was able to take when I quit smoking.  Breath. It seems almost like it is the source of life. Maybe that’s because in a very real sense, it is.

          In Genesis 2, we are told that God formed man from the dust of the ground and that he breathed the breath of life into his nostrils.  In Ezekiel 37, God invokes the four winds to come and breathe on the slain nation of Israel and a valley of dry bones takes life from dust in Ezekiel’s vision.  Today, we look at the gospel of John, at the appearance of the resurrected Jesus in the upper room, and we see yet another example of the breath of life that comes only from God.

          The Greeks called it pneuma. We translate it as breath, but it can also mean spirit or soul. Perhaps the best translation is the combinations of breath and spirit. That might come out as breath of life. Look at our three examples. In Genesis the breath comes from God. In Ezekiel, God calls the winds of the earth to do his bidding. In John, it is the risen Jesus who breathes life into the inhabitants of the upper room. In every case, new life is the outcome. In every case, that which did not exist or had expired is brought to new life.

          You might say that is not the case in John. Everyone was already alive. Were they? Certainly they were not dead, but they were hiding in that room in fear of their lives. They were paralyzed into inaction. Then Jesus came and everything changed.

          It was the evening of the day of the resurrection. Jesus was missing from the tomb. He had already appeared to Mary Magdalene and she had told the disciples, but what did a hysterical woman know? Now it was late in the day and the disciples were gathered behind locked doors. Three days before, an angry mob had called for the death of Jesus and it had gotten its wish. Now Jesus’ body was missing and the religious leaders were going to be in a foul mood. The disciples had good reason to stay behind locked doors. They could most certainly be next. They were scared for their lives.

          Then Jesus is standing among them. No door has been unlocked, but there he is in the flesh. As they gasp in disbelief, he shows them the nail holes in his hands and the sword wound in his side. Twice he says “Peace be with you.” William Barclay translates the phrase as: “May God give you every good thing.”

          What follows is nothing less than the commission of the Church. Jesus said: “As the Father is sending me, even so I am sending you.” It was the marching orders of the Church, orders for which the Church has never been de-commissioned. When Jesus had said this, John’s gospel tells us that “he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’”

          We know that the event that we now call Pentecost was about fifty days after the resurrection. We associate that event with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon those disciples present. This event takes place the day of Christ’s resurrection, long before Pentecost. Though this narrative is focused on resurrection appearances, nevertheless here is Jesus breathing the Holy Spirit upon the disciples. We are not given any specifics of what actions the disciples took. That is not John’s focus.

          Is there conflict between John’s account and Luke’s account in Acts? I don’t see any. It was the initial announcement from our risen Savior. The events surrounding Pentecost were to give life to this announcement. Besides, I can look to my own life and to those of others and I see various deposits of the Holy Spirit at different times in different degrees in different places. Sometimes it has come with the fire of Pentecost into my heart and other times it has come with a whisper not unlike the easy breathing of that little girl in the hospital bed. No matter how it comes, it is always profound and it is always life changing. The Holy Spirit is God’s breath and it is the breath of life.

          Each of us has or will experience our “Aha” moments with our Savior. All of us can relate those moments when something changed, when we knew that we were in one of those “thin” places where we were closer to God than usual. For Christians, it is our lot that such moments must remain both lost and found until our sanctification, our walk with God in this time and place, is complete. But when we want to get closer, we have the written revelation at our fingertips. Paul reminds us in 1Timothy that all Scripture is “God-breathed.” We have but to open God’s Word to find the breath we are seeking, the new life that is promised us.

          Jesus comes to us. He comes to us even behind locked doors and penetrates our hearts and he breathes the breath of life right into us. All we have to do is believe…and receive. So…inhale… and receive the blessing!

Fighting a Roaring Lion

                                1 Peter 4:12-14,  5: 6-11

 

 

          Lions are scary animals. They are the second biggest members of the big cat family on earth and are impressive to look at. They are prolific hunters and live at the top of the food chain. Their only natural rival is a crocodile. Crocs have been known to attack lions in rivers, but then lions have been known to return the favor on land. A lion has an amazing roar. A lion’s roar has been measured at being heard at six miles. That’s a lot of firepower. Lions pretty much live to eat. They kill their prey, devour it and then rest and digest until they hunt again. They are designed to attack, kill and devour.

          Peter, speaking probably to Gentiles, new members of the early church scattered through and all around the Holy Land, warns them that the devil is their adversary; that he prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Peter warns that we will have to be watchful, sober- minded. One would think that if a roaring lion were in the vicinity, we would know what to do. We would seek safety, gather around one another, turn on the lights or build a bigger fire.  We would make sure our weapons were at the ready.

          And yet, lions don’t always roar, do they? They also stalk their prey. And they hunt together for maximum effect. They don’t just kill to eat, either. Sometimes, they kill just to kill.

          Peter tells us that the devil is like a lion. He might add that the devil is also like a chameleon. The devil is described in many ways in Scripture. He is a slanderer, a liar, the evil one, a masquerader, the Prince of the Power of the Air, the Prince of this world, the Ruler of this world, to name a few.

The one that worries me the most is the masquerader. Scriptures say the devil can masquerade as the Angel of Light. That means that he can look like a Clerk of the Session or a really good new book or even a teacher. The devil can use and hide behind all the things and all the people and all the ideas we encounter every day. He can make us feel like we’re doing the right thing even as we really are being hurtful to someone.

Not too long ago, I saw a great example of that masquerading devil. I was at a church gathering. There was an issue to be resolved.  A minister had apparently had some problems with stress and he may have handled them less than wisely. Words were exchanged with church leaders. In the aftermath of the confrontation, his employment was terminated. It was not clear whether he quit or was fired. The remaining matter was how to deal with financial issues that arose from the termination. The complaining church made its case. It didn’t want to pay anything. The negotiators made their case. Something ought to be done financially to help. A room full of Christians were at an impasse. The lion was roaring and looking for someone to devour.

And Peter says to us to not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes. It will come. Don’t be surprised. It only comes to real Christians. Think about it. Suffering in the name of God doesn’t come to lukewarm Christians. If they’re lukewarm, then when the going gets tough, they will compromise. Compromise isn’t suffering. It is the very avoidance of it. Real suffering for God only comes to real Christians. Real suffering is no fun, but it is restorative. It is strengthening. It is that which will ultimately help establish and define us as Christians. We wonder at those whose eyes seem to soften at just the right time. We marvel at voices that sing God’s praises in some special way that transcends talent. Usually we have only to look behind those eyes or that voice to find a test or a loss that took that person to a new level of understanding. They are at a different place than we are and it shows in their behavior. William Barclay says that suffering is meant by God to add the grace notes to life. Musicians will know that term as those notes which enhance the melody. How appropriate that they be termed “grace” notes, as that is precisely what God does to us when he refines us by suffering to receive his grace.

And through that suffering we become prepared. We are more able to recognize the lion in the grass and do not have to wait until he mounts his charge. Peter tells us to be sober-minded, to be watchful. It reminds me of what Oliver Cromwell is said to have told his troops during the invasion of Ireland: “Trust in the Lord and keep your powder dry.” Our heavenly Father will test us and refine us so that we may be found ready for what will come.  

Peter also reminds us Christians to stand firm in our faith, and to take heart from knowing that we do not do so alone. We are joined in such resistance to Satan by our brotherhood throughout the world. The church stands as the bride of Christ and we Christians stand together as the body of Christ, holding hands with our brothers and sisters in faith across party lines and denominations and spanning oceans around the globe. And we are blessed. The trials we bear, the test we face, pale in comparison to that which is promised by God, nothing less than the spirit of glory and of God which Peter says will rest upon us.

In that gathering of church leaders, I saw one rise to ask this question of the dismissing church: When your leader stumbled, what did you do to administer to him? How did you go about fulfilling the vows you had taken to give care to one among you? There was no answer. The silence that followed the question was deafening. It was a telling indictment on the people of God that they had become the voice of the lion rather than the grace notes of our Lord.

Why do we do such things to each other? Why do we so often insist on judging instead of nurturing? Why can we not see that we are being tested? The liar, the slanderer, the masquerader is always there, waiting to trap us, to make fools of us, to devour us.

We cannot defeat him alone. He is the ruler of this earth. Yes, God has dominion over Satan, but God has permitted his presence among us. We cannot resist Satan by ourselves, but he will does us no harm if we are firm in our faith, grounded in our suffering and calling on the name of God to turn away the lion. The still, small voice of God will drown out the roar of the lion that is Satan and will leave us restored and established in Him. He cares for us. We can take our worries and our fears and place them in his hands. We need not be trapped by the deceit of Satan. All we have to do is fill ourselves with the Spirit of God. So much more awaits than that for which we suffer now.   

Prepared For the Defense

                                        1 Peter 3: 13-16

 

 

          Memorial Day used to be just a holiday to me. Mostly, it was the last holiday before school let out, the day we used for makeup day if it snowed too much that winter. I knew, of course, that it was a patriotic day.  It was a day we always recognized veterans and the mothers of veterans. Later, when I was serving in the Navy, it came to mean more to me. Now, when I have a Naval Aviator for a son and a Coast Guard non-commissioned officer in Guam for a son in law, it means a lot more to me. In recent years, people have begun saying nice things about veterans, like “Thank you for your service.” Coming from the Vietnam era, that still sounds strange, but it sounds absolutely wonderful when they say it about my son and son in law. I always add to that a silent thank you for the service my baby daughter renders those young men and women when she works abroad in base recreation activities.

Memorial Day is a day to remember. While we thank those whom we can for their service, we remember those whom we can no longer thank for their sacrifice. Remembering is a good thing. It helps us to keep from revisiting bad places, whether they are places on a map or places in the heart.

In America, we talk a lot about God and country. As America has grown, it has come to be home to the practice of many religions by many subcultures represented in this land of religious freedom. For Christians, we sometimes look around and wonder what has happened to our Christian nation. The answer is remarkably simple. In our desire to be ethical and our ambition to be great, in our yearning to be fair and our mantle of world protector, we have opened the door to all faiths and creeds. Have we forsaken our God? Of course not. Can we still worship in a nation of plurality where no one religion dominates? Absolutely!

But how do we remember? How do we find our way in a land with so many choices? We follow the example of Peter, Peter who had to find Christ in the middle of a Greco-Roman culture which not only tolerated but even encouraged the worship of many pagan gods. Our society is not unique in its challenges to find God’s path.

Peter had this to say: Be zealous for what is good. If you do, if you occupy yourself with this task, who can hurt you? Who can really impact your thoughts if they are full of goodness? The goodness itself will pervade your mind and you will be blessed. Peter sounds like a Motocross commercial. “No Fear!”  This from the guy who betrayed his Lord three times in a matter of minutes when he let the fear overtake him. But Peter learned from his mistakes. He went on to become one of the great leaders of the early church. How, we ask, and Peter answers: Honor Christ in your heart and always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who challenges your belief.

The first dozen years of my legal career were largely devoted to trial practice. I saw and worked against all kinds of lawyers. Some were incredibly talented. Some were brilliant. I was probably neither, but I was one thing, and that thing won a lot of cases. I was prepared. I don’t think I ever got beaten based on my lack of preparation and I’m sure that a lot of cases went my way for the simple reason that I came to court knowing my case. I knew the facts. I knew the law. I knew my client.

Christian preparation is a lot like trial preparation. You don’t just wander in to Christianity. Once you accept Christ, there is a lot of preparation to get ready for what will come. There is prayer. There is Bible study. There is fellowship and worship and witness as you grow in the faith.

And there is challenge. Oh yes, there is plenty of challenge. Along with challenge will eventually come suffering. Peter reminds us of that. He says that we will suffer for righteousness’ sake, but he adds that we will be blessed. Peter came to know exactly what suffering for Christ could ultimately mean. When his time came to be martyred for Christ, legend has it that he requested that he be crucified upside down, in order not to even pretend that he could suffer the same fate as did his Lord.

Peter has some more advice for his followers and for us. He says that being prepared is a number of things. It is an “always” thing. In other words, being prepared doesn’t last for a season or a year. It lasts a lifetime. Being prepared involves knowing the facts and being able to reason them to another. It involves tact and gentleness. No one ever paid much attention to a bully. And being prepared involves respect, respect in a couple of ways. Not only do we respect the ways of people who come from another place and another way of looking at things; we also respect the ability of our Almighty God to use us as tools and messengers to carry the word. If we will honor him and plant the seeds, he will show us his harvest.

Peter is talking about witness. If we do not spend time in preparation, then what will be our witness? We will be given the time necessary for preparation. Of that, you may rest assured. The question is not whether God will provide for our preparation, but whether we will exercise the discipline to prepare. The soldiers and sailors we remember today spent much of their time in preparation. Many soldiers spend years preparing for what may be only one life defining event. They want to be ready to defend.

Many of us worry about what we will say if confronted with questions about our faith.  And yet, so much of the time, we will need no words. I saw plenty of Christian witness this past Wednesday as Johnny Clark, a career soldier himself, planted new flags in our cemetery to commemorate the veterans buried here. Johnny didn’t say a word. His actions spoke for him. A couple hours later, a baker’s dozen more gathered to assemble playground equipment for children to play on for years to come. They didn’t need to witness with words. Their Christianity was speaking volumes in the care to which they came to their task. The church narthex always seems to contain a signup sheet for something or another and miraculously, it always seems to get filled in by folks whose simple witness through food or clothing or meals or some other anonymous offering sends that witness forward with or without words.

Sometimes it will take words. That’s why we read and pray and have fellowship with one another. That’s why we gather to worship our Lord. That’s why we sing praises to him. We are in relationship with our Lord Jesus. So when someone asks us why, we have answers. The God of all that ever was or ever will be sent him, his only son, down to us. God became a man and lived with us. He faced our temptation, bled our blood, ate and drank with us and voluntarily died for us.  He told us he would do what he did and then he did what he told us he would do. And he did it because he loved us that much! He promised that if we believe in him that we will be joining him for eternity.

Why do we believe? Why do any Christians believe? Because the Holy Spirit that he sent to us, that lives within us, enables us to see him, to feel him, to be in relationship with him. We defend that which is real! Jesus is the reason for our hope. He lives! He lives just as much now as he did when he walked among us. When we tell that good news to those who do not know, when we suffer for the righteousness that God gives to us, we defend that which knows no boundary and transcends all time and space.

He is the reason for our hope. Nations will fall. Civilizations will pass away, but Jesus lives. Defend him and all else will fall away.   Do as Peter says: “Let your hearts honor Christ the Lord.”

            Growing Into Salvation

                                       1 Peter 2: 1-10

 

 

          Ever built a house? Watched a multi-story building going up? Maybe you have built a tree house. A couple weeks ago, many church members took part in constructing our new playground set. In every instance, without exception, none of these projects started at the top. Even a tree house has to have some sort of anchoring for the floor or it will never be finished. 
In the second chapter of 1 Peter, our friend Peter talks a lot about foundations. He talks about cornerstones, rocks, even living stones.  Everyone understands that sort of analogy. Cornerstones are essential to the integrity of buildings. Without a solid foundation, everything that is built afterward is suspect.

Every building starts at the bottom. In fact, it really starts below the bottom. If you’re building something big and you want it to last, you will go down until you hit bedrock to start your project. Remember the hymn: On Christ the solid rock I stand. All other ground is sinking sand. It’s true.

If you have built anything substantial, you know that it takes time, usually more time than you initially thought. A building project takes planning and cooperation. No matter how much thought goes into it, there will still be delays, there will still be surprises and there will still be setbacks.

The Christian life is strikingly similar to a building project. Peter gives us some very helpful hints as to what is going to happen along the way to salvation. We are “saved” by grace at the moment we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, but Sanctification, that process of growing into grace, is a lifetime proposition.  There are things we have to do, things we have to leave behind, things we have to adopt as our way of life, if we are to enjoy the life that God has planned for us.

Peter seems to be talking to new believers, but he may as well be talking to each of us, for most of us continue to have our problems with the underbelly of our emotions. We still do battle with malice and deceit and hypocrisy and envy and slander. They are still part of that which we struggle to put away for good. Peter suggests that we need to taste the milk of the Spirit. When we do so, it tastes so good that we will want more of it. He is so right. Have you ever tried to put away some bad habit? One of the great strategies to quitting something is replacement.  Don’t leave a void. Replace bad thoughts with good thoughts. Replace bad habits with good habits. Don’t spend all your time quitting something. Instead, spend it learning and doing something good.

An infant baptism like the one today gives pause for parents to renew vows to God and the church and for the church members to also renew similar vows. We pledge to help young parents bring up their child in Christian faith. We do so as the body of Christ, acknowledging our interdependence on one another as members of that body. Peter reminds us of just such a commitment when he characterizes us as “living stones” who “are being built up as a spiritual house.” He says we are to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. We are “being built up.” We are “being” a holy priesthood. We are in action, moving the body of Christ forward as it ministers to community and world. Peter is not just talking about what has happened, as in finding our belief. He is also talking about what we do with that faith. Christianity is not just the finite act of conversion, but rather the dynamic action of mission and ministry and witness. 

Wow. That’s a lot to lay on believers. Isn’t that what our ministers are supposed to do? Yes, they do or try to do. But the job is not confined to ministers. Or put another way, it is the job of the minister, but everyone is a minister. That’s what Peter means when he calls us a chosen race and a royal priesthood in v. 9. Peter is talking about the priesthood of believers and that is one of the cornerstones of our belief. We believe, and because of our belief, we minister. That is the calling of the Christian. We are saved by God’s grace and in grace we serve our Lord.

Let’s talk about those living stones for a moment. That’s what Peter calls us. He refers to us as the building blocks of a structure because that is precisely what we are. We are nothing less than the spiritual house of God. Please note the pronoun. It is “we.” The great poet John Donne once wrote, that no man is an island. Nothing could be more true in the church. Christianity is community in the fullest sense of the word.

There is a great story about a Spartan king who was bragging to a visiting monarch about the walls of Sparta. The visitor looked around but found no walls in sight. The king pointed to his body guard of troops. He said: “These are the walls of Sparta, every man a brick.” What the Spartan king meant was that the men of Sparta stood as one. In so doing, they were able to accomplish great things. Standing alone, they were virtually useless, but together they were a magnificent force. The Church is the same. It is a wall of faith made up of the hands and feet and hearts of Christians.

In this wonderful passage, Peter also refers to Christians as a priesthood. In today’s world, we are long removed from the priesthood as it was understood in the days of Peter, so it helps to understand that word in its first century context. Theologian William Barclay points out that priests of old had two very important characteristics: they had access to God and they brought the offering to God. Christians now enjoy both such characteristics. We are a priesthood of believers and we minister to God’s children as the body of Christ. We are the living stones that comprise the church. This is the priesthood to which Peter refers.

As God partially revealed himself to humanity through the patriarchs and the nation of Israel, the full revelation was saved for the time when he came down and lived among us. Jesus Christ was the ultimate revelation, that all who believe in him become God’s chosen people. As he formed the true cornerstone for all life, we as Christians now act as living stones from the same building. We are that spiritual house. We are the bricks of that wall of Christianity that Jesus named the church. We cannot do this alone. God designed us to live and work and worship in community.

As we give thanks for this new life here dedicated today, let us remember how much we are designed to lean upon one another. Peter understood. The church is not a building or a creed. The church is us…you and me. As Peter asks then and now, let us offer ourselves as those spiritual sacrifices acceptable to Jesus Christ.

Won Without A Word

                                       1 Peter 3: 1-9

 

 

          “You can be anything you want to be. You can do anything you set your mind to do.” That’s what my mom told me, not once or twice, but like a litany. I heard it so much that by the time I left high school, I think it was part of my DNA. Chances are you had a mother like that. Chances are you are a mother like that, because in addition to a thousand other similar exhortations, that’s what mothers say. They are the world’s original cheerleaders and they are still the best at it because they believe what they are saying. They believe in us.

As amazing as motherhood is, I could almost believe that it is something one can be taught like any other teachable skill. But then it would be a job, and Lord knows, motherhood is not a job. Motherhood is lots of things, but job is not one of its descriptions. Oh, it’s labor, all right, but that should not be confused with the term job. And besides, for most women in America today, motherhood is accomplished in tandem with an actual wage-paying job, a husband to whom that mother is a wife, and so many more unnamed tasks.

Proverbs 31 talks about a woman whose days start early and end late, about a woman who is trusted by her husband, who provides for her household, who reaches out her hands to the needy, whose strength and dignity are her clothing. Many generations have passed since the writing of that proverb, but such women are still found in abundance. Look around. Find a successful man. In most cases, you won’t have to look far to find a good woman, either his wife or his mother or both.

Right now, I’m looking at a room loaded with Proverbs 31 women. This church is full of women who have raised or are raising families, looking after husbands, holding down jobs, teaching Sunday school, doing community volunteering and performing a host of other tasks. They too rise early and go to bed late, filling their days well into the night with the tending to those whom they love.

It seems the special task of women to set the tone of families, to spin their energy in such a way that houses become homes, that the supper table becomes the confessional, that the den becomes sanctuary from the cruelties of the world outside. It is the peculiar province of the woman to make her man feel able to handle the world, to instill in her children the confidence that comes from unconditional love. If the family unit were shaped like a wheel with spokes, I suspect the lady of the house would be the hub.

Is such activity important in the family of God? The Apostle Paul thought so much of the value of wives that he listed rules for them in four different letters. In today’s scripture, the Apostle Peter does likewise. Many point to this passage as an example of prohibition of outward adornment by women. I would suggest that they read it again. Certainly Peter is concerned with adornment, but his emphasis is on internal adornment. He talks about character, about the beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit. He says that such a spirit is very precious in God’s sight. He points out that by being subject to their husbands, women convey to their men that strength that comes from voluntarily submitting in love. Such conduct will not go unnoticed. It is infectious. This degree of respect and purity is practically irresistible. Peter says that even for the man who is disobedient to God’s calling, such behavior by women can win [such men] without a word. This should come as no surprise to the Christian, for it is Jesus himself who set the benchmark for selfless submission born from love.

This week, I became a grandfather for the second time. On this Mother’s Day week, my youngest daughter gave birth to her first child, a son. I have had to watch her from afar this last eighteen months, as she traveled halfway around the world to marry the man she loved and to start their lives together. Through the miracle of modern technology, Cindy and I have been able to visit with them almost as though we were there. This week, I watched in amazement as my daughter did something so pure and tender in her first days of motherhood. She was resting in her hospital bed and her husband was awkwardly holding his new son. The baby was crying and wouldn’t stop. My son in law was anxious.  My daughter told him to remove his shirt. He did so and pulled his newborn son into the warmth of his naked skin. The baby settled down instantly. It was such a simple, yet profoundly humble act.

I saw the snapshot of my new grandson resting peacefully in the arms of my son in law and I was moved by such tenderness. Where did that wisdom come from? No one told my daughter to do that. That was such a thoughtful, instinctive suggestion. My son-in-law was also wise to follow it. That’s what Peter was talking about. Won without a word.

Most of you, particularly the men, may have heard the comments of Kevin Durant in his acceptance speech this week after he was named the consensus choice for MVP of the NBA. This twenty five year old man is blessed with physical gifts. He is seven feet tall and yet has made his career as a perimeter shooter. As unusual as this is, the fact that Durant is even in the NBA is much more improbable. He grew up in a Washington DC suburb with his older brother, the son of a single mother who had two children before the age of twenty one. Their entire existence was a struggle to put food on the table and shelter over their heads.

In his speech, Durant gave credit to God for his success. He said he understands that basketball is just a platform for him to inspire others to use their God-given talents. He also gave credit to his teammates and his coaches. But he reserved the best comments for last. They were all about his mother. Durant was emotional as he thanked his mother publicly for her drive, for her sacrifice and for her never ending love and belief in him. He called her the real MVP.

At first, it might seem telling that the Apostle Peter says six times as much to women as he does to men. But note that he begins verse 7 with the word “likewise.” It’s about the same as repeating the first six verses to the men. And Peter adds that the men are to live with these women in an understanding way, showing honor to them. He points out that they are weaker, but he is talking about physical, not emotional or intellectual, strength. Peter reminds the men that when it comes to God’s grace, women are co-heirs and suffer none of the prejudice found in the culture of the day.

The Greek language assigns gender to its nouns. We use pronouns to accomplish that purpose, but Greek uses pronouns sparingly. While God and Jesus are masculine in gender, the Holy Spirit is feminine. It’s just a language thing, but think about it. When you are conceived, it is the womb of your mother that nurses you to term. When you come into this world, it is the warmth and comfort of your mother that you first experience. And now, in your yearnings on this earth, when you are looking for the answers, searching for some comfort, it is the Holy Spirit who comes to your side, who pervades your heart, who calms your spirit. It seems appropriate for me to think of that spirit in the female form.

In the end, Peter reminds us, whether men or women, that it is God’s blessing to which we aspire. He gives us all five guidelines for life: unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. When you think about it, none of these things really require a lot of words. They are behaviors. They are attitudes. They are ways to live. They can keep us close to God, and they can win hearts to God. And really, just like Peter teaches us, they can win those hearts without a word by the conduct of their lives.