Over-Bearing, Never-Ending Moms

1 Corinthians 13

 

 

          It’s been an official U.S. holiday since 1911. Last year, over twenty one billion dollars were spent on it. Today, the second Sunday in May, is Mother’s Day. A lot of flowers and candy has been bought. A lot of meals will be prepared in restaurants to honor Mom. Mother’s day is a great commercial success. It’s good for our economy. But whether it’s a commercial success or not, it’s a good idea. Mothers are well---Mothers! It’s hard to explain, but easy to understand the importance to us of our Mothers.

          I searched around for appropriate Scripture for this day. There is, of course, the famous Proverbs 31 passage that describes a hard-working, always unselfish woman.  And there is the Fourth Commandment, which mandates children to honor their parents, that their own days on the earth might be long in number. But what passage for Mother’s Day? What passage for the social institution whose job description defies a short definition? How do we thank, even talk about, mothers? The subject is at once too big, too wide, too deep, too important, for just some textbook definition.  How do you thank a mother?  I think I know what my mom might say if she were here. I think she might say: “Act like my son.”

          Some things don’t need interpretation. Such is the case with 1 Corinthians 13.  It may be the prettiest piece of prose in the Bible, certainly the best that Paul wrote. It is sublime, so good that no one would want to change a word. Its meaning, however, still requires context to mine that which Paul was trying to say.

          Paul was writing to the church in Corinth. It was a group of proud people who were pretty sure they had cornered the market on spirituality. Chapter twelve talks about spiritual gifts, what they are, where they come from; how all gifts come from the Spirit. Then Paul talks about the church as the body of Christ: one Spirit from whom the body emanates; one multi-membered body of Christ projecting in all directions. None is capable of function without the others. Such is the Church. It emanates from the Spirit and functions as the body of Christ.

          The Corinthians were proud. They had folks who were speaking in tongues. They had wisdom. They had knowledge. They were high Christians. When it came to spirituality, they had it going on. But when Paul looked at the set of facts of which the Corinthians were boasting, he held a strikingly opposing view. For the Corinthians, the presence of spirituality was found in “speaking in tongues” and having wisdom and knowledge. Paul saw this as nothing more than pride. Paul looked beyond the trappings of spirituality to the behavior of the Corinthians and found them sadly wanting. All through this letter, Paul has been talking to the church about its behavior. In chapter 8, there is the reference to a brother being destroyed by the so-called “knowledge” of other members. In chapter 1, their so-called “wisdom” is leading to quarrels and rivalry. Paul says that such faith is based on pride and works rather than a faith based on ethics and the gospel itself.

          Paul says it this way. If I do this or that or the other, but don’t do it for the glory of God, then I don’t have love. This is an empty. works-based spirituality. If you speak with eloquence, if you know everything, if you give your money, if you teach, sacrifice, whatever you do, it’s all just a bunch of noise if it doesn’t come from your love of Jesus. Theologian Gordon Fee says that “to ‘have love’ means to be toward others the way God in Christ has been toward us.”

          What is love? Paul gives us the answer by telling us what it is and what it isn’t. Love is patient and kind. It doesn’t envy or boast; it isn’t proud; it doesn’t dishonor others. Love isn’t self-seeking or easily angered, nor does it keep score or delight in evil. Love rejoices in the truth. Love protects, trusts, hopes, perseveres. When does love do these things? Always. Fifteen verbs that give us the essence of Christian behavior.  Condense them into a mixture and call it love, but never characterize it as just a feeling, for love does. Love is a way to behave, a way to live.

          It has often been said that in this paragraph full of what love is, that Paul best captures what the life of Jesus is. It is a life full of that behavior. Notice we are saying behavior, not virtues. Yes, this kind of love is virtuous, but to leave it at that is to put it on a shelf like a trophy. That is not love. Love does. Love acts. Love lives in and defines the real spirituality of us.

          If only we had someone who modeled that kind of love for us today. Yes, this passage may well capture the life and ministry of Jesus, but wouldn’t it be nice to have a living, breathing, tangible example of that kind of sacrificial, selfless love in our midst. If only we had that…

          We do, of course. Most of us do not have to hesitate to know of such a person. It’s Mom. Mom is patient and kind. Mom doesn’t envy or boast, except about us. Mom doesn’t get mad easily. Mom doesn’t act selfish or smart. Mom protects, trusts, hopes and perseveres. And Mom is always – always there.  That’s a God thing, don’t you think? Maybe that’s the biggest reason God made Moms. Sometimes they can act an awful lot like Jesus.

          They’re everywhere, these Moms. They are over-bearing, in the sense that they just keep on bearing whatever it takes to keep us safe.  They are never-ending in what they do for us. The day for them starts long before they wake us up, and doesn’t end for them when they tuck us in bed. Their prayer life usually starts and ends with us. They give, bear, believe and hope because they start and end with love.   

          There is nothing normal about what a mother does for her children, except that it is repeated daily around the world by almost all mothers.  The fact that there are a few exceptions takes nothing away from the overwhelming number of mothers who make personal sacrifice and perseverance look like normal. But it isn’t. Don’t be fooled by the numbers. What mothers do as a matter of course is nothing short of supernatural.

          Like so many other biblical passages, the target of the writer, in this case Paul, is usually somewhat narrow. But when God takes aim, sometimes over history, that target becomes wide. Paul talked then to the church at Corinth. We read now of a church that needs to be rooted in the love and care of the Spirit. And today, we celebrate the mothers of our lives who have brought the love of Christ to bear in our lives. What can we give them in return? We can act like the sons and daughters they raised us to be.

Despising Our Birthright

Genesis 19: 25-34

 

 

         “Why is this happening to me,” moans Rebekah, the wife of Isaac. Why? Why is this happening to me?  In the book of Genesis, we find the story of Jacob and Esau. You remember Jacob, later named Israel, the father of the twelve tribes of Israel. And of course, there is Esau, father of the Edomites, a nation with which the people of Israel had a long and colorful history. There is first the story of their conception and birth. Then there is the story of Esau surrendering his birthright. The birth story is fascinating, for in this case, it is really a foreshadowing of what their relationship will look like well into adulthood. They are twins. They give their mother a fit in the womb, so much so that she actually complains to God. It must have been pretty bad, for Rebekah has been barren and has waited many years for this pregnancy, yet she goes to God and asks: “Why is this happening to me?” Gordon Wenham says that their first battlefield is their mother’s womb.  God answers her. “Two nations are in your womb…the older shall serve the younger.”  This will come as no great surprise. It happened with Cain and Abel. It happened again with Isaac, Rebekah’s husband, and Ishmael, his older brother.

          Then there is the birth. Esau arrives first, but barely, reddish in look and hairy. His name actually means hairy or rough. His twin brother comes out clutching Esau’s heel for all he is worth, desperately trying to catch up. He is to be called Jacob, meaning supplanter. The pattern for their future is set.

          Isn’t it ironic how much difference timing and position can make? One hundredth of a second sooner or later, One tenth of an inch on the bat, and a pitch becomes a foul ball rather than a game winning homer. You’ve heard the old saw:

For want of a nail, the shoe was lost.

For want of a shoe, the horse was lost.

For want of a horse, the rider was lost.

For want of a rider, the battle was lost.

For want of a battle, the war was lost.

 

Just a little position and it would have been Jacob who was the firstborn son. Twins, and yet the first to be born was considered the eldest. This was huge in that culture. The firstborn son received not only the birthright, but also the blessing. The birthright alone was a double share of the inheritance left to the sons. For want of an inch…

          Fast forward to perhaps a hot summer day. Esau has been hunting. He comes in from the field exhausted, perhaps without a kill that day. Even if he was successful, the game must be dressed and he is famished. He smells the aroma of his brother’s stew and he wants something to quench his thirst and sate his hunger. Jacob has been waiting for this moment. The stage is set.

          Have you ever been reminded that your family name has value? To do something one way would be less than the family standard and could bring dishonor. My father would say something like: “Remember who you are.”  Over time, I came to understand what he meant.  I came to understand that I had choices. I could go my own way, but that had consequences.  I could go the way I had been taught. That too had consequences. I had to learn to live in a world where choice is a way of life…and so is consequence.

          When I became a Christian, I slowly began to realize that I had been adopted into a new family. Even more than with my earthly family, there are consequences for my decisions and my choices reflect on my family. And there are some choices that can’t be taken back. The story of Esau’s surrender of his birthright is such a choice.

          There are only two players in the story, but just one verse previous, we are reminded of two more players, the parents of these twins. Yes, there are problems between the boys. One is a hunter, the other a quiet man who tends to spend more time at home. They have little in common. Unfortunately for these twins, the favoritism exhibited by their parents is all too transparent. Isaac is taken by the game that Esau brings home, while Rebekah loves Jacob. Neither disguises his or her preferences, and so the unwise behavior of the parents contributes to the dissension among the twins.  

           No one is innocent. This is not a Bible story to which we point to find the hero. There are no heroes in the story of Esau’s loss of birthright. Jacob is downright crooked and conniving. Notice that while Esau says please to Jacob in his request for stew, Jacob does not return the favor. Jacob says: “Sell me your birthright now.” Jacob is in the driver’s seat and he knows it. It has been suggested that the way the demand is stated indicates careful premeditation and exploitation of Esau at his moment of weakness. This is not a random event. Jacob even seeks to insure his advantage by making Esau swear an oath. Jacob is dead serious and he means to profit from his plotting. He is cold and calculating, this future father of the twelve tribes of Israel.

          And then, there is Esau. How immature and selfish can you get! I want it and I want it now. Forget the consequences. Give it to me. Such is the attitude of this future leader of the nation of Edom. It’s all about Esau. What does Esau want.

          I and many of you are part of a generation called the baby boomers.  We are the war babies of World War II. We are also known as the “Me” generation because of our cultural move away from spiritual realization towards “self-realization.” Many in this generation protested anything establishment.  The 1970’s and beyond have witnessed the demise of traditional faiths centered on work and delayed gratification, and the emergence of a consumer-oriented culture centered on the immediacy of daily lifestyle choices.

           From that culture, we have spawned the current crop, the Millennials, also known as the “Me, Me, Me” generation. A Time Magazine article describes Millennials (those born since the year 2000) as a generation that has “come of age in the era of the quantified self, recording their daily steps on FitBit, their whereabouts every hour of every day on PlaceMe and their genetic data on 23 and Me. They have less civic engagement and lower political participation than any previous group.”  They are self-centered like no other generation. They send and receive an average of 88 texts a day. They are much connected to their peers, less connected to their elders than any generation before them, and they have little clue in what it means to wait for anything.

         I think Esau would have been right at home with the Millennials. He wanted what he wanted because he wanted it. That was good enough for him. In the story of the selling of the birthright, there are several sub themes. There are doting, unwise parents. There is the scheming and treachery of a brother who takes advantage of a situation. But they are just the supporting cast. The real story for us is Esau, who exhibits immature, careless indifference to a custom and privilege that the ancient world held dear. He held the right of a firstborn and he gave it away for a bowl of stew. Like so many other people have done since, his act not only hurt him, but also paved the way to an even greater loss, the loss of his blessing from his father. For want of a nail… For want of just an inch of restraint.

          It seems incongruous to us that such a great gift might be squandered for a Happy Meal. How can a man make such a mistake? Perhaps part of the lesson here is for the Millennials, that many of the choices they have today were earned not by them, but by the blood, sweat and tears of those who came before and did without; that material blessing is still something deferred rather than something immediate. Perhaps part of the lesson is that we really have little if any right to bargain away that which was gifted to us by others. Why should we profit from that custom and that sacrifice? Esau took something of great worth, a gift from his father, and tossed it as if it were something of no value. Even in his heartless exploitation of his brother, Jacob at least grasped that the future blessings to which Esau was so indifferent had great value. The time would come soon enough when Jacob would have to pay for his misadventure.

          But what does a birthright have to do with me and you? That is not an American custom. We don’t think that way anymore. We should though, because the real birthright is not material blessings, but the promise of God’s favor upon us and our lives. Esau couldn’t see the promise. Hebrews 11 and 12 talk about those who could and couldn’t see God’s promise. It’s not hard to see which group Esau landed in.

          In the fourth chapter of Galatians, the apostle Paul lays down what it means for Christ to have been sent by the Father to redeem those who believe in his story, the story of salvation. What does it mean? It means that we believers “might receive adoption as sons…and if a son, then an heir through God” [Gal. 4: 5-7].  Here Paul lays out the path whereby we become literally the children of God. This is the promise that the writer of Hebrews was talking about—the promise of becoming heirs, children of the promise.

          “Thus Esau despised his birthright.” He spurned it. He repudiated it. He walked away from his future for a moment, just a moment, in the present.  Esau had a value system that began and ended with what he wanted right now. He cared nothing for the cost. He thought nothing of the consequences of his choice. How sad.How short-sighted!

          Why is this story in the Bible? If you think it’s just a history lesson, think again. If you think it’s not about you, think again. The story comes from God. What is he saying to you? Never let the present circumstances or your need for something right now cloud your judgment so much that you can’t see the long view. We are not here for the present. We are here to glorify God.

          What is your birthright? Where is God sending you? What is he saying to you, his sons and daughters? Don’t despise your birthright. It was bought at great price.

Message in a Basin

                                            Maundy Thursday

                 John 13: 1-9, 12-16

 

 

          It is Thursday and the week of Passover. In fact, Thursday is the evening of the Passover meal. At least, that’s the way it was that night two thousand years ago when Jesus gathered with his disciples to break bread together. Since then, the events of that night have been enshrined by Christians as the Last Supper, or Holy Communion. The night is referred to as Maundy Thursday, derived from the Latin word for “command.” Our Scriptural text for this message is taken from the opening verses of Chapter 13 of John’s gospel. This passage introduces a discourse with Jesus and his disciples that spans five full chapters of John. In chapter 15, we find the words which inspired the name of the day, as Jesus gives his disciples a final commandment: “that you love one another as I have loved you” [12].

          Perhaps the most important word in that command might be that little word “as.” Love as… Why is it so important? Because what Jesus is doing in these five chapters is telling his disciples how to love. Jesus wants them to love in a certain way…his way. Love as I have loved you.

          John tells us that it is before the Feast of the Passover. The group is getting ready to partake of the evening meal. There are almost certainly no chairs. In accordance with the custom of the day, the disciples and Jesus would be reclining on thin mats around a low table, most resting on their left arm in order to reach and eat with their right. John tells us that Jesus rose from supper and took off his outer garments.

          But there is a little more stage to be set. Look at the opening verses. Twice, John tells us that Jesus knows. What is it that Jesus knows? He knows that his hour has come. It is time for him to depart this world to the Father, says John. Secondly, Jesus knows that the Father has given him all things into his hands. There is huge significance here. Jesus is aware that he has all things, all people, the whole of the creation, at his disposal. He does not have to go to the cross. He has complete power to rescue himself. This puts an entirely different light upon the events that are about to transpire.       

          So now, knowing that God has given him the power to do what he will, Jesus rises and takes off his outer garments. He is now dressed like a slave, dressed ready to do menial work. To clarify that, he takes a towel and wraps it around his waist. This is culturally unacceptable. Peers did not wash each others’ feet. This task was left to slaves and servants. Only in an act of great love would one wash the feet of one’s peer, and Jesus was not their peer; he was their teacher, which elevated him to an even higher status.

          And yet, here is Jesus, dressed as a menial servant, washing the feet of his disciples. He does not change. He does lose his divine nature. Rather, he robes himself in the flesh and blood of mankind, and mankind at its most unselfish, and challenges us to find the deity in this dress, in these acts. It is the manifestation of matchless selflessness. He is empty of pride and full of love.

          Peter, as he is prone to do, expresses aloud the thoughts silently pervading the minds of the other disciples. You can’t do this. It’s beneath you.  Jesus responds not just to Peter but also to us. I must do it and you must let me. To deny me this is to deny your entry into my presence. This is the ultimate truth. D.A. Carson puts it this way: “unless the Lamb of God had taken away a person’s sin, has washed that person, he or she can have no part with him.”

          Peter then responds in faith, as do the other disciples. But note that Jesus even washes the feet of Judas. Is this another chance for Judas to redeem himself, or just proof that an overt act of faith is not necessarily proof of that faith?

          Jesus asks the disciples if they understand. Do they understand what he has done to them? The answer is no. They do not understand. But they participate in faith. The understanding will come later.

          The last night of his freedom, Jesus brought the lesson in a basin. It was a simple lesson, but forever profound. In the implements of service, a basin, a towel, are found our faith. In the tools of simple humility, caring for one another, are found our salvation.

          It is Maundy Thursday, Commandment Thursday. And here is his commandment: “Love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no man than he lay down his life for his friends.”

          How do we love one another? As he loved us. No holding back.

                                         Walking With God

                                                                          Ephesians 4: 1-3

 

 

          Today is the last in a series of messages dealing with the Essential Tenets of ECO, the Presbyterian movement with which we have become affiliated.  Today is also Palm Sunday, the day Christ entered the city of Jerusalem at the beginning of his last week here on earth. We call it Palm Sunday because many of those who met Jesus at the gates of the city were laying down palm leaves in the same way they might have done to a conquering emperor coming home from war. They were showing homage and obedience to their leader. How fitting that the last of our essential tenets should fall on this day, for the last of those tenets has to do with living in obedience to the Word of God.

          In previous messages, we have looked at the other essential tenets. They include:

·       God’s Word, both living and written

·       The Trinity

·       The Incarnation

·       God’s grace in Christ

·       Election for salvation and service

·       Covenant life in the Church

·       Faithful stewardship in life

 

To that list, we now add Living in Obedience to God’s Word. If you want to get an idea of how to live in obedience to God’s Word, you might want to dig in to the first seven of our essential tenets. They offer plenty of illumination as to why that obedience is not only called for, but essential to the Christian life.

          What does it mean to live in obedience? Why, it means to obey. That’s simple enough. But if you’re anything like the millennials of today in America, you want to know why. It’s not enough to say that your parents told you or that your teacher said its right. You want to know why in a way with which you can identify. If that’s the way you look at life, or if that’s the way your children or grandchildren look at it, then perhaps it would help to look to that written word of God we call the Bible and see if it offers up some examples. There are many. Here are a few.

          There are several people in the Old Testament who are described as having walked with God. Can you imagine? I’ve never walked with God. Have you walked with God? I can point to many times when I was aware of God’s presence in my life, but walk with God? I can’t say that has happened to me. But in the Book of Genesis, there are three different instances of people who walked with God.

          Ever hear of Enoch? Enoch is famous for not dying. According to the book of Genesis, Enoch lived for three hundred sixty five years. He was the father of Methuselah, the oldest recorded life in the Bible. Enoch is famous not so much for being the father of Methuselah, but for the fact that he walked with God, and he was not; for God took him [5: 21-24]. So Enoch didn’t die. He just was not. God took him. We are not told why, but one might surmise that God liked Enoch. It was no punishment for Enoch to be taken up by God. And Enoch walked with God; and he was not. We tend to overlook the walking with God part because of our fascination with the departure of Enoch without death. We should not do that. Enoch walked with God.

          Turn now to the story of Noah [Gen. 6: 5-13 in pertinent part]. In this famous story, God notes the wickedness of man. He was grieved and thought to destroy his creation. Then the Bible says this: But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. He was a just man and perfect in his generations. And Noah walked with God. How much time has passed between Enoch and Noah, I do not claim to know, but here again is God taking a walk with a man. He is about to destroy the world by flood, leaving only a remnant. Noah’s family is to become that remnant. Noah walked with God. The book of Hebrews says that Noah became heir of the righteousness which is by faith [11: 7].

          Yet another man walked with God. His name was Abram, later to be renamed Abraham. He was the ripe young age of 99 when God appeared to him and said to him: I am the almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect [Gen 17: 1-2]. Again in Hebrews, the writer says that by faith, Abraham obeyed, went out, not knowing where he was to go but going at God’s behest [11:8].

          That’s a lot of faith. Enoch was lifted up without death. Noah built an ark bigger than this church on dry land and populated it with animals. Abraham started a family at 100 and, by the way, left home to go over there, all because God said to. Abraham walked with God.

          Now, I’m looking for common threads in these Genesis stories, and I think I see at least two. First, all these men were obedient. When God asked them to do something, they did what they were asked. They didn’t question; they just acted. They had faith and they acted on that faith. The stories of Noah and Abraham are considerably more detailed than that of Enoch, and all the details show their obedient faith. Secondly, their reward was beyond their wildest imagination. Enoch’s reward was literally out of this world!

          The ECO movement suggests that we that we progress in holiness. We have talked about this before when we covered God’s grace in Christ. Paul called this sanctification, growing closer to God. God draws us, sustains us and fulfills us through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. It is not so much us as it is the presence of God in us that brings us to God. The Bible also calls it walking with God.

        But isn’t Walking with God like prophecy and the miracles of Jesus and his disciples? Isn’t walking with God something reserved for that time of special revelation when God really did come down to earth and walk with people? Wasn’t that just a Genesis thing? He doesn’t do that anymore, does he?

          The truly correct answer to that is that I don’t know. Flash forward several thousand years to first century Israel just before the birth of Christ. Take a look at the family of Zacharias and Elizabeth. Luke tells us that they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord [1:5]. Did this couple walk any less faithfully before the Lord in that spiritual connection than did those patriarchs from Genesis? Was it physical presence in Genesis and spiritual presence in Luke’s gospel?  And if there is that difference, does that matter? Which is less real?

          Walking with God, whether literally or spiritually is a way or manner of life. It’s how we conduct ourselves. It is the spiritual discipline or practice of seeing ourselves as part of God’s kingdom, as participants rather than observers. It’s not checking in or reading your mail. It’s walking with God, making what we do and how we do it interlaced with our creator.

          Although it would be wonderful to be like Noah or Abraham, it is equally wonderful to be like Elizabeth and Zecharias. We too can walk with God. We pray, we meditate; we act out our confession. ECO reminds us that the Ten Commandments are still instructive. So too is the Lord’s Prayer: “Thy will be done, thy kingdom come…forgive us our debts…lead us not into temptation…for thine is the kingdom.” Walking with God is that which we strive for as Christians. Sometimes the walk is peaceful and serene. Sometimes it is uphill and strains our very fiber. But always…always, we are not alone. How does the prophet Micah put it: “What does the Lord require of us, but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly before our Lord” [6: 8].

        So let us end this look at the Essential Tenets of ECO with this thought: From God’s Word to the mysteries of Trinity and Incarnation to God’s Grace to Election to Covenant Church Life to Stewardship, we seek to live in obedience to him who will keep us from falling and love us now and forever.  This is our act of worship. This is our love gift to our Heavenly Father. The words of Paul echo our aspirations and direct our path:  “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called” [Eph. 4: 1].

Chosen to Proclaim

                                                                          1 Peter 2: 1-10

 

 

         The last few weeks, we have been traveling through a review of the Essential Tenets of ECO, our new denomination. We actually have new signage up around town and on the church campus declaring us as this new Presbyterian entity. But what do we believe? What sets us apart? What do we have in common with other Presbyterians, other Reformed churches? It has been the goal of these messages to acquaint us with the answers to some of those questions. Today, we look at the principle of stewardship. ECO characterizes it as stewardship of all of life.

          ECO asserts that the ministries of the church reflect the threefold office of Christ as prophet, priest and king-reflected in the church’s ordered ministries of teaching elders, deacons and ruling elders. While true, do not attempt to draw straight line connections between the offices of Christ and the offices of the church. Even if you could, you would be omitting something elemental to the church and its mission—its members. That is not ECO’s intention. That is not the Bible’s intention. Quite the contrary.

          ECO literature goes on to add that every member is called to share in all Christ’s offices within the world beyond the church, called to a prophetic life, called to proclaim and enact the good news, called to share in Christ’s priestly work.

          That’s quite a handful for someone just looking to join the church. What if we told all our prospective members that they would have to be involved in duties as prophets, priests and kings? How would that look on a recruiting brochure? And yet, that is exactly what members of the bride of Christ are called upon to do. We don’t use the labels, but we need to be about the work.

          Was Jesus a prophet? He never actually claimed to be a prophet,  though he referred to himself that way indirectly a couple times. For instance, when warned to flee for his life by some friendly Pharisees, Jesus said he had to keep on his way because it couldn’t be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem [Luke 13: 33]. He was referring to himself as a prophet. But what is a prophet? There were many in the Old Testament, sixteen in all. They were speaking for God. That’s part of being a biblical prophet. They spoke of the future, most often in terms of what bad tidings awaited those who would not turn from sinful ways. They also spoke of what good things awaited those who were faithful. The messianic prophecies of Isaiah are like that, pointing to a time when God’s servant would come to save. So Jesus was a prophet by his own admission and by the fact that he spoke for God and warned both of consequence for those who did not follow and of salvation for those who did.

          How do we do that in the church? Jesus calls us to that. Our servant savior, the man who washed his disciples’ feet as an expression of that servanthood, sends us to do the same. The most famous sending is the Great Commission in Matthew 28, to go, teach and baptize all who will hear. Jesus called on his disciples to carry on that mission.  They did. Their effort is what is now known as the church.

          I like the way ECO puts this: “Every Christian is called to a prophetic life, proclaiming the good news to the world and enacting that good news.” You don’t have to go to seminary or climb in a pulpit or teach Sunday school. You just live your life in a Godly manner. This for many is their proclamation. They let their actions speak. They are in good company. Hundreds of years ago, Francis of Assisi is credited with having said: “Preach the Gospel at all times. Use words if necessary.” Assisi never said it. We aren’t sure who did. And some preachers have a hard time with the concept. I don’t. Even the gospel of Matthew spends several chapters on the mighty deeds and acts of Jesus. His actions gave his words credibility. They do so for us today as well.

          Okay, maybe we can live a prophetic life, but we can’t be priests or preachers. That’s for the professionals. I don’t think so. The professionals have their place in the church. They are called to a different form of service. Do not mistake your own calling. It is not a lesser, but a different, calling. ECO says that every Christian is called to participate in the work of Christ, sharing in the world’s suffering and even offering intercession to God on behalf of the world. That too is a tall order.  But nothing is too big for God.  In Acts 2 in the early beginnings of the church, the members ate together, prayed together, devoting themselves to the teaching of the leaders and to their fellowship. They looked after those in need. They praised God…daily. And the church grew.

          Isn’t this the same task we face? We collect cans of food. We fill boxes for Samaritan’s Purse. We donate our blood. We take up offerings and spend part of our tithes on others. We help people in all walks of life. We pray. We even cry. We participate in the work of Christ, sharing in his suffering, offering intercession to God on behalf of the people we encounter.  This is priestly work.

The book of Hebrews tells us that Christ appeared at a high priest of the good things that have come…entering into the holy places by means of his own blood, securing eternal redemption. Listen carefully to the next verse: if the flesh is sanctified by the blood of animals, how much more will Christ’s blood, offered through the eternal Spirit, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God [Heb. 9: 11-14]. That’s how we can become priests. Our consciences are pure through the work of Christ manifested in us through the Holy Spirit, and our works come alive in Christ!

          What about kingship? The ECO literature is not helpful on this score. I like the passage in Mathew [21:5], borrowed from Zechariah {9:9]. Jesus quotes the prophet, who says:

 Behold, your king is coming to you,

 humble and mounted on a donkey,

 and on a colt, on the foal of a beast of burden.

 

I like it because it is our Savior quoting scripture which continues a description of a servant King. Great enough for royalty, humble enough for a donkey. This is royalty fit for the King of Kings, yet wearable enough for the least of his disciples.  If the earthly form of our King is that of a servant, then we too can fulfill that kingly example.

          The text for today’s lesson comes from 1 Peter. The letter is thought to have been written to Gentiles in the dispersion, in other words, to the churches spread all over Asia Minor. These are the church plants, the same types of churches that ECO wants so much to be part of in spreading the gospel. In this very poetic paragraph, Peter compares new Christians to living stones being built up as a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood. Peter calls these Christians a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for Christ’s own possession. Peter is talking about the church, about Christianity. It is the high calling of every Christian to become a member of the body of Christ. When we do so, we in turn begin to engage in discipleship. We follow Christ’s example and that example is servanthood.

          That brings us to ECO’s second component of faithful stewardship. It says that Jesus teaches us not only the Great Commission, but also the Great Commandment. That can be found in all the synoptic gospels and it originates in the book of Deuteronomy. We are to love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our mind.  There is nothing else. We don’t get to hold something back for ourselves. It all belongs to God and we are to give all our love and commitment to that end. The thing is, when we give it up, we get it all back and then some.

          About this time, you might be asking yourself: How in the world can I do such a thing? How can I give up all of me? I just don’t know how to do that. If you’re asking yourself those questions, then come back next week. There is an answer, and it involves us, but a different brand of us, sort of a new and improved version. Here’s a hint. Discipleship cannot be done alone. Think about that.

          In the meantime, focus on the words of Peter. We are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, called from the darkness to his light. We are chosen to proclaim the gospel of salvation. It is not just our good news. It is the good news!  It has been said that the church is the only “club” in the world that accepts as members only those who are not qualified to belong to it. But that doesn’t hold God’s grace back from its healing, salvific power to bring us into God’s work. Servanthood is discipleship, and that is our inheritance. It is meant to be given away.                 

A Plan For the Fullness of Time

                                                                     Ephesians 1: 1-10

 

 

          Today, in our introduction to the Essential Tenets of ECO, we turn to another well-accepted doctrine of the Reformed Tradition; that of Election, both for salvation and for service.

          Presbyterians are identified with election, or predestination as it is also called, more than any other denomination. We particularly get credit ot blame, depending on who is critiquing, for double predestination. There are historical reasons for that. John Calvin, one of our church fathers, wrote about it in his great work called The Institutes. The Westminster Confession of Faith, an important Presbyterian confession, affirms it. But double predestination, the doctrine that God preordains people for both heaven and hell, is only one of several major views about election. It is beyond the scope of this message to consider the details of each. Suffice it to say that each view is supported by Scripture, and that it takes study and discernment to find what God is saying. But what should be said at the outset is that election is a Biblical doctrine. It is not optional. It is as much a part of Biblical teaching as grace and sin and covenant.

          Let’s talk for a minute about what election is not. Election is not some God ordained fatalism that whatever good or bad that happens is God’s will. Election is not why you lost that job or your boyfriend broke up with you. It’s not about the ongoing conflict in the Middle East or any other war. Election is about God’s plan of salvation.

          In Romans 10 and 11, Paul talks about righteousness; about the path to it. He points out the difference between Israel’s pursuit of righteousness through the law, and the Gentiles’ pursuit of righteousness by faith. It is only faith which will succeed.  He says that God makes no distinction between Jew and Greek. Paul says the distinction is drawn by who calls upon the name of the Lord. He speaks that now famous passage about how to be saved: “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” [10: 9].

          In Ephesians 1, our passage for today, Paul addresses his letter to the saints who are in Ephesus. In other words, he is writing to the Christian community in that town or region. He goes on to talk about God blessing us in Christ, how we (the church) were predestined for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ. He ends this passage by talking about God’s purpose as set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time [1:10].

          In the passage from Romans, Paul is writing about two people groups, the Jews, those chosen by God in the Old Testament, and the Gentiles, which is everyone else. Specifically, Paul is writing about those among the Gentiles who believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ. In the passage from Ephesians, Paul is again targeting Gentile Christians, specifically those in the church in Ephesus. In the book of Galatians, Paul closes out his letter by addressing that community as the Israel of God. The point is this: in all three books, predestination as Paul explains it has to do with the election of a community to be the people of God. In every case, Paul is writing to churches, not individuals.  

          ECO states that we lost our freedom in the fall, meaning the fall of Adam, or mankind, into sin. From that, we are incapable in and of ourselves of turning away from sin. Paul reminds us in Romans 3 that all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. So now what? How can we be reconciled? In Christ. The grace of Jesus Christ makes that reconciliation possible. How does it start? God draws us to him and opens our hearts.   Jesus tells us in John’s gospel: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him” [Jn.6: 44]. God draws us because he loves us. We, the Christian church, are part of the grand design. We are elected in love to be free, no longer bound by sin.

          Guthrie puts it this way, “According to scripture, individuals are indeed loved and chosen by God, but only as they participate in the whole community of God’s people.” We need not fear election. Indeed, we need to embrace it. Election is an assurance, not a threat. If we believe in the saving grace of God in Christ, we will be saved. God predestined us, Christianity, for that salvation. As surely as God’s grace through Jesus Christ is the reason for our election, it is also our assurance for that election (Guthrie, p. 136). Who does God want? Listen to the words of Paul in 1 Timothy: “God our Savior…desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” [2:4]. Who is elected? Listen to the words of the apostle John: “So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him ‘If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’” [8:31, 32].

          So we see that election provides a way to salvation for us. But election is a two sided coin.  We need also to recognize that election, while a gift from God, is a form of commission from him as well. ECO’s essential tenets state that the Holy Spirit gives faith, enables holiness through His sanctifying and regenerating work, thereby making us witnesses of God’s gracious presence to the lost. 

          In the servant songs of Isaiah, the prophet hearkens to a time of deliverance by a servant leader. We know these passages as Messianic prophecy. Look how they connect with the subject of election to service. God says; “I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness. I will take you by the hand and keep you. I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations” [42: 6].  Later in chapter 49, God says again that he will make this servant “a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach the end of the earth” [v. 6]. Does this sound like election that limits or election that includes? It is not God, but ourselves, who in our deluded idea of freedom, opt out of God’s plan for our salvation. He not only wants us in his kingdom; he wants us to help him usher it in. He wants us as his witnesses.

            To come to a saving knowledge of God is to receive the Holy Spirit. Jesus promised his disciples that “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” [Acts 1: 8]. You, you who believe—will be my witnesses—to the ends of the earth!

           In his letter to the church in Corinth, the apostle Paul projects the mission of every Christian, the task of every member of the body of Christ. He talks about spiritual gifts, and how each of us has been gifted in our own way to serve the Lord. It is in those gifts singular to us that we are afforded our particular calling for service. And Paul goes on to say that each is essential. “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized in one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit…Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it” [12: 12, 13, 27].

          We are indeed elected. We are chosen, chosen by God himself. We are elected for salvation, elected for service. How do we know?  We confess with our mouths; we believe in our hearts, that Jesus is our Savior. And we are saved. God calls us to community with him. This is election, “God’s plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.”