Gospel for June 5, 2022 Pentecost Sunday

 

William Carey’s motto on a hanging in St. James Church, Paulerspury, Northamptonshire, where Carey attended as a boy

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
John 14:8-17
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

This passage is part of a larger dialogue between Jesus and his disciples that reveals profound truths about the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Jesus makes definitive statements about himself in John 14, and his disciples have grown bold enough to ask him follow-up questions.  Jesus has said just prior to our passage:

I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know  my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him(John 14:6-7).

But Philip asks for more to be revealed:

 “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.”

The answer Jesus gives is a clear statement about his intimate relationship with the Father:

Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

This reminds us of the Prologue to John, when we are told that Jesus, as the Word made flesh, is one with God:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1).

Jesus asks his own question in this interrogative dialogue:  

Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works.

We are reminded again of Charles Williams’ doctrine of co-inherence — that the Father and the Son are interwoven with one another in unity, and are yet distinct persons.

But if  the disciples can’t believe based on Jesus’ witness that he is one with the Father, then they need only look at his works:

Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves.

The disciples have been hanging out with Jesus for almost three years, by some accounts.  They have seen him heal, cast out demons, feed the multitudes, raise the dead.  What more do they need to confirm his identity?

And then Jesus makes an astounding statement:

Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.

Even considering that this conversation in the narrative in John’s Gospel takes place prior to the death and resurrection of Jesus, this is a high bar to set.

And Jesus explains how the disciples are to accomplish these greater works.  He explains that he will be doing whatever they ask, if they ask according to his name:

I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If in my name you ask me  for anything, I will do it.

The power of a name rests in the authority of the person who is named.  If Jesus is one with the Father, he has absolute authority, and his name invokes power.  So when they ask in his name, they are asking according to his nature, and Jesus is the one who is accomplishing what they ask.

Jesus reminds his disciples of the moral imperative of love:

If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

Above all else, Jesus is offering comfort and encouragement to his disciples.  He began this discourse by saying:

Do not let your hearts be troubled (John 14:1).

So he offers another word of encouragement — though he will be absent from them in the body, God will be with the disciples through the Spirit:

I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.

Just as Jesus himself will be interceding on behalf of the disciples as an Advocate, so the Spirit will be another Advocate who will abide with them forever and dwell within them!

Among his many roles, the Holy Spirit will continue to guide the disciples into the truth:

But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you (John 14:26).

APPLY:  

How can we know anyone?  One quick answer is these two things —  by their words and by their works.  Another answer is to say, “come hang out with me, and you’ll find out who I am.”

Jesus tells Philip that he has fulfilled all three of these criteria.  The disciples have spent time with Jesus; they have heard his teachings and his claims; and they have seen those claims backed up by his deeds.

All together, those criteria lead to an inescapable conclusion —  Jesus is one with the Father.

So, when Jesus promises to fulfill our requests in his name, and when he promises to send his Holy Spirit to dwell in us, he either has the authority and power to do so, or he doesn’t.

So, have his words come to pass, that his followers have done greater works than he has done?

Within 300 years of the Ascension of Jesus, the Gospel had been preached throughout the Roman Empire and in territories beyond, and had been sanctioned by the Emperor Constantine. Christianity had become the official world view of the Roman Empire, despite the fact that prior to this time the Roman Empire had been relentlessly hostile to the church.

Now, it is true that there have been many abuses committed in the name of Christ, but I would argue that these are a distortion and corruption of the Gospel.

So what positive difference has the Christian Gospel made in two thousand years?

According to the research of Dr. James Kennedy and Jerry Newcombe in What if Jesus Had Never Been Born?, Jesus, his Gospel, and his church have made:

“more changes on earth for the good than any other movement or force in history.”

Here is a partial list of their claims:

• Hospitals as institutions, which began during the Middle Ages.
• Universities as institutions, which began during the Middle Ages.
• Literacy and education for the masses.
• Representative government.
• Civil liberties.
• The abolition of slavery, both in antiquity and in modern times.
• Modern science.
• The elevation of women.
• Benevolence and charity; the Good Samaritan ethic.
• Higher standards of justice.
• High regard for human life.
• The codifying and setting to writing of many of the world’s languages.
• The inspiration for some of the great works of art and music.
• Countless changed lives transformed from liabilities into assets to society because of the Gospel.
• The eternal salvation of countless souls.

I’m sure that there are many who would be willing to debate some of these claims.  But even they would have to agree that these claims must be seriously considered.

In my opinion, these and countless other contributions by Christians and the church are evidence of the greater works  that Jesus makes possible through his intercession even now at the right hand of the Father, and through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.

RESPOND: 

I have to ask myself the hard question — am I a better person for having come to faith in Jesus Christ? Have I done some of the greater things that he speaks of?

Well, there are objective and subjective answers to that.

Objectively, I know that turning to Christ when I was 19 caused me to turn away from drugs and hedonism, and turned me toward a more disciplined life.  I saw the value of studying harder because I was doing so to the glory of God, and I graduated with honors.

I have seen the benefits of the moral life of following Christ in my faithfulness to my wife and family despite living in a narcissistic, “me first” culture.

I have been able to serve God in ministry for over 35 years — and even when my income was below the poverty level, have never been truly anxious about my finances.  And God has blessed me with more than I need at this stage of my life, so I am able to share.

And though I am inclined toward introversion and solitude, the church has provided a place of fellowship and rich friendships over the years. That has been an important balance to my natural tendencies.

Subjectively, I know what it is to know that my sins are forgiven. I know what it is to have a constant companion, who understands me better than I understand myself, and who loves me despite the less than savory aspects of my inclinations.  And he is not content that I remain as I am, but challenges me to be more than I am.

I know that when God came into my life, life became meaningful and I was given a purpose.

I also know very little fear when it comes to facing the future.  Death holds no terror for me, because I know that my Redeemer lives.

So, while I am not great by cultural or even ecclesiastical standards, I can truly say that my life has been greater by far than it would have been without Christ.

Lord, when we pray in your name, according to your authority, you promise to hear us.  Thank you that you discern what we need, and that is what you give.  And thank you that you choose to work through us despite our frailties and failures.  Amen. 

PHOTOS:
"Attempt Great Things for God - Expect Great Things from God" by Terese Bird is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0) license.

Epistle for June 5, 2022 Pentecost Sunday

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Romans 8:12-17
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

Note from Celeste: Even though the Lectionary selection for Pentecost the 7th Sunday after Easter Year C begins with verse 14, Tom started with verse 12. This is a copy of his post for May 15, 2016 (Pentecost the 7th Sunday after Easter Year C).

OBSERVE:

This passage explores the dynamic nature of God in relationship with human beings.

Paul begins with a reminder of human nature — that:

 if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.

This conflict between flesh and Spirit requires some unpacking.

The flesh is the corrupt and corruptible aspect of human character.  Paul is not a dualist who believes that the material world is by nature evil and the spiritual realm alone is good. Rather, the flesh is the craving, selfish heart turned in upon itself.  Just a few sentences prior to our passage, Paul writes that:

Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.  The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace (Romans 8:5-6).

So what he’s exploring here is how the Spirit moves the believer from death to life; from slaves of their fleshly nature to children of God.  The answer, he believes, is to:

 put to death the misdeeds of the body.

Except that the sinner cannot do that for him/herself.  The execution of sin can only be accomplished vicariously through Christ:

through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit (Romans 8:2-4)

And how do human beings appropriate what God has done for them by Christ’s vicarious death on their behalf?  This is where the entire dynamic nature of God is revealed in relationship within God and with human beings.

God’s Spirit testifies with the spirits of those who have been adopted by God for the sake of his Son, and the Spirit declares that they are no longer slaves of sin and death, but now are children of God.  Now these children of God can also declare that God is their Father — their Abba.  Some scholars believe that this Aramaic word is intended to express an intimacy between Father and child, like the child calling God “Daddy!”

So, once these children of God are “adopted” into the family of God, they now enjoy all of the privileges of an heir.  In fact, they are co-heirs with Christ:

Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

APPLY:  

These few verses pack a huge wallop!  They tell us about our status as children of God and much, much more — that God is for us in ways that we can’t even begin to comprehend.

What becomes increasingly clear is that the doctrine of the Trinity is far more than a theological construct, or an abstract notion.  The Triune God certainly exists within a unity that is experienced as diversity, One God in Three Persons.  But it is also very true that each Person of the Triune God is dynamically involved in the salvation and restoration not only of human beings but of creation itself!

God the Father sends forth his only begotten Son, the Second Person of the Trinity, as the perfect Man who lives the perfect, sin-free life. This God-Man condescends to our level as humbly as is possible — even becoming sin on the cross for our sake; and then re-ascends to the very highest place, even at the right hand of the Father.  And because he has identified with our fleshly nature, he has restored God’s image in us and raised us up with him.  We are adopted as his own brothers and sisters, and therefore become heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ. 

That means that whatever Christ inherits, we inherit.  This is made even more clear in Ephesians 2:4-7:

because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,  made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,  in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

In other words, whatever Christ inherits we inherit — eternal life, a throne alongside him, and the incomparable riches of grace!  Incredible!

And how is all of this activated?  Obviously, we are taught deeply by Paul, again and again:

that it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— (Ephesians 2:8).

But we know this because of the Spirit of God, the Third Person of the Trinity.  The Holy Spirit puts to death the sinful nature in us, which we receive by repentance; the Holy Spirit breathes the gift of faith; the Holy Spirit enables us to be adopted as children of God; the Holy Spirit whispers in our spirits that we are children of God and are made bold enough to cry out “Abba, Father.”

The one thing that may give us pause is that one phrase included in this passage:

Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

We certainly like the first part!  But the second part, about sharing in his sufferings?  Ouch.  Not so much.

Maybe Dietrich Bonhoeffer can help us understand this a little better:

To endure the cross is not a tragedy; it is the suffering which is the fruit of an exclusive allegiance to Jesus Christ . . . The cross means sharing the suffering of Christ to the last and to the fullest. Only a man (or woman) totally committed to discipleship can experience the meaning of the cross. . . Jesus says that every Christian has his(or her) own cross waiting for him, a cross destined and appointed by God. Each must endure his allotted share of suffering and rejection. But each has a different share: some God deems worthy of the highest form of suffering, and gives them the grace of martyrdom, while others he does not allow to be tempted above what they are able to bear.   But it is one and the same cross in every case (The Cost of Discipleship, pp. 78,79).

And maybe, just maybe, when we identify so fully with the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord by placing our faith in him completely, then we vicariously suffer with him and are raised with him.  As Paul says in Galatians 2:20  

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

And only God can accomplish that in us!

RESPOND: 

Years ago,  I happened to preach on this doctrine that all Christians are adopted into the family of God because of our faith in Jesus Christ.  Jesus is the only “natural” child of the Father, based on our understanding of the Trinity.  He is the “only begotten Son of the Father.”

But because of what he has done in his life, death and resurrection, Jesus has introduced us to the Father as his adopted brothers and sisters.  Whatever he  gets from the Father, we also will get, because the Father shows no partiality between his children.

After I had finished the sermon, and said the benediction, a woman who was visiting the church that Sunday made a bee-line to me.  At first I thought I was in trouble.  But she told me that she was visiting with a family member, and she had her two adopted daughters with her.

These girls, as adopted children sometimes do, had been going through an identity crisis.  They wondered about their biological parents, and why they hadn’t been kept by them.  And somehow the sermon had spoken right to their feelings.

Some years later, I came across a testimonial from a retired pastor who said that he and his wife had a few kids of their own by birth, and a few by adoption, “but we can’t remember which is which.”

Father, I thank you that I have been adopted into your holy family for the sake of Jesus your Son.  For all that he has endured for me in order to accomplish this, I am truly humbled and amazed; empower me, through your Holy Spirit, to live as your child in this world.  Amen. 

 PHOTOS:
“Hold me Daddy” by Matthew Miller is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.
Matthew Miller says this about his pencil drawing “Hold me Daddy”:
“This picture was inspired by a little girl being held by her dad in front of me at church. She just looked so content and safe in her daddy's arms that began thinking of my heavenly Father.”

Psalm Reading for June 5, 2022 Pentecost Sunday

Yahweh, how many are your works!
In wisdom have you made them all.
…both small and large animals.
Psalm 104:24-25 (WEB)

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Psalm 104:24-34, 35b
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

This is a Psalm celebrating Yahweh as Creator and giver of life. The Psalmist recognizes the wide diversity of God’s creation, from the vast sea teeming with life to the seismic activity of earthquakes and smoking volcanoes.  The Psalmist’s scope covers the creatures that swim in the seas — from the largest in the world as well as the microscopically small.

In between his boundaries of the seas and the mountains, the Psalmist acknowledges that Yahweh is the Provider of everything that is required for life. Yahweh gives food to all creatures that live, and the breath of life itself comes from God.

All living beings are directly dependent on the life-giving power of Yahweh.

And, in a conscious reference to Genesis and the creation account, the Psalmist recognizes the role of God’s Spirit in creating and renewing life:

You send out your Spirit and they are created.
You renew the face of the ground.

We are reminded of Genesis 1:1-2:

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty. Darkness was on the surface of the deep and God’s Spirit was hovering over the surface of the waters.

The Psalmist has been addressing Yahweh directly in the second person:

Yahweh, how many are your works!
In wisdom have you made them all.
The earth is full of your riches.

But in verse 31 he transitions to the third person as he speaks of God.

The Psalmist declares his praise for the glory of God that he sees in creation, and finally exults in his own sense of praise and worship:

I will sing to Yahweh as long as I live.
I will sing praise to my God while I have any being.
Let your meditation be sweet to him.
I will rejoice in Yahweh.

APPLY:  

Meditation on creation itself can prompt a sense of awe for those who worship the Creator.  Not only are we moved by the majesty of mountains and the turbulence of the seas that are all God’s works, we also become aware of the deep sense of dependence and interdependence that exists in all nature.

The complex food chain that feeds all creatures begins with God’s design of interdependency.  And life itself exists solely in God.

We are wise to see that we are a part of the creatureliness of all nature. We also depend on climate and weather and crops and livestock and seafood (with all of their complex interactions) for the food that ends up on our table.  We do well to say grace over our food every time we eat!

But on an even deeper level, existence itself depends upon God’s gracious permission.  As Paul will tell the Athenians about God:

he himself gives to all life and breath, and all things. He made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the surface of the earth, having determined appointed seasons, and the boundaries of their dwellings,  that they should seek the Lord, if perhaps they might reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. ‘For in him we live, and move, and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also his offspring.’ (Acts 17:25-28).

Like the Psalmist, we praise God because as Creator of all, we depend completely upon him; and his gift of food and breath is a fundamental expression of his love and mercy for us.

RESPOND: 

Some time ago, I climbed about a mile into the mountains of North Carolina and looked out over the mountains and valleys beyond me.  The mountains followed one after another after another as though they were blue, billowing waves shrouded in mist.  And all I could say was “Glory!”

The woods, with their choirs of birds, and the blue canopy of the sky, were as sacred a temple for me as a cathedral.

When I feel my faith wavering a bit, I go outside to look at the trees or take a walk in the park.  It strikes me that believing that creation is a mere, random accident requires far more “faith” than is required to believe that God is the Creator of all.

Lord, I see your creative power and delight in every mountain, every creature, every leaf around me.  You sustain all of us on this round earth, and I praise you.  Amen. 

PHOTOS:

"Wattled Starling hitching a ride" by Becky Matsubara is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

Reading from Acts for June 5, 2022 Pentecost Sunday

“They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.” Acts 2:3

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Acts 2:1-21
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

What the nativity story in Bethlehem is to The Gospel According to Luke, the account of Pentecost is to The Acts of the Apostles.  As the birth of Jesus the Son of God is announced by the supernatural phenomenon of the heavenly host of angels, so the Spirit of God is poured out on the disciples with supernatural phenomena — first, the mighty wind; then what seemed to be tongues of fire; and finally the power given to the disciples in an instant to speak in languages that were not their own.

We are reminded that the Hebrew and Greek words for wind are the same words for spirit (ruach in the Hebrew; pneuma in Greek); and we are reminded of the prophecy of John the Baptist in Luke 3:16-17:

I indeed baptize you with water, but he comes who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to loosen. He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire,  whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing floor, and will gather the wheat into his barn; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

We take notice that the disciples were all together in one place.  The scattering that had taken place after the crucifixion had been reversed by the magnetic pull of the Risen Lord — they were gathered now as often as possible for prayer.

Not only were the disciples gathered in the Upper Room; Jews from around the Roman empire were also gathered in the city of Jerusalem for the feast of Pentecost, which was fifty days after Passover.  This was one of the “big three” feasts in the Jewish liturgical calendar.  Of course there were others, but the Feast of Tabernacles in the fall, Passover in the Spring, and Pentecost on the outset of summer were all a draw for Jewish pilgrims to Jerusalem.

Pentecost, or the Feast of Weeks (Shavout in the Hebrew language) was originally a harvest festival; but according to Jewish tradition, it had also come to commemorate the giving of the Law (the Torah) on Sinai. Now, instead of the law, it would become for the church a day for the giving of the Holy Spirit.

So it should be no surprise that a diverse crowd could easily be gathered with folks who hailed from all over the Roman empire.  In fact, the languages spoken by the disciples through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit even extended beyond the Roman empire, to lands the Romans never conquered or occupied, such as Parthia, Media, Elam, and Mesopotamia.  We know, though, that there was a Jewish presence in those lands ever since the exile of the Jews there in the 6th century B.C.

Also represented were areas of Asia Minor (Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia), North Africa (Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene); the center of imperial political and military power in Rome; the Mediterranean (Crete) and tribes to the south of Palestine (Arabia).

Although glossalalia (speaking in tongues) becomes a language of prayer both corporately and privately in the early church (see 1 Corinthians, chapters 12 to 14), here it is for the purpose of witness to these people from diverse lands.

Needless to say, this is a startling phenomenon; and, human nature being what it is, there were scoffers who ascribed all of this to drunkenness.  Peter’s response to this is pointed — it’s just 9:00 o’clock in the morning!  Evidently, even in the ancient world there were social boundaries to bar hopping before a decent hour!

Peter further interprets these events by declaring that all of this fulfills the prophecies of Joel 2:28-32.  In this prophecy, we see that the apostles understand that the message of the Hebrew prophets is fulfilled in the events unfolding before their eyes.  Moreover, this outpouring of the Holy Spirit is not merely for Jewish men, but for all people:

It will be in the last days, says God,
that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh.

In these Spirit-filled days, there are no barriers to those who may be called to testify to the living God — whether they be men or women, young or old:

Your sons and your daughters will prophesy.
Your young men will see visions.
Your old men will dream dreams.

Moreover, the declaration is made that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. This is in keeping with the diversity of the languages that represent so many different nations and ethnic groups.  Although these first converts are Jews, the ground is being prepared for Gentiles to come to faith as well.  Paul quotes this same passage from Joel to illustrate that God’s grace revealed in Christ is available to all who believe:

For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, and is rich to all who call on him.  For, “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:12-13).

APPLY:  

The church, and our faith, were born at Pentecost with wind, fire and strange tongues.  This made for an ecstatic and enthusiastic worship experience. Most of us who worship in reserved mainline churches may find this disturbing.  Yet how passionate we grow when watching the NCAA Final Four, or a college football game!

The question here is not whether we should experience these phenomena, or whether we should speak in tongues, but are we ready for whatever God chooses to do, however God chooses to do it?  The coming of the Holy Spirit is completely God’s doing, but we do note that the disciples were obeying what Jesus had told them to do earlier in Acts 1:4-5:

Don’t depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which you heard from me. For John indeed baptized in water, but you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit not many days from now.

And the disciples obeyed Jesus to the letter between his Ascension and the Day of Pentecost:

All these with one accord continued steadfastly in prayer and supplication, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. (Acts 1:14).

We hear much talk about the need for revival in the face of a recession of Christianity in the United States.  The number of those declaring they are Christians has dropped from 78% to 70% from 2007 to 2014. [CLICK HERE to read “America’s Changing Landscape” on the Pew Research Center’s website.]

Clearly, if the modern church is to emulate the church on the day of Pentecost, we will need to follow the example of the disciples:

• Be devoted constantly to prayer.
• Be open to the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
• Like the disciples, be able to articulate the Gospel in the language of contemporary people without distorting the message or bending it to the culture.

RESPOND: 

There are times in my life when I know that the breath of the Holy Spirit has whispered in my ear; and times when I have felt the fire of purification burn through my heart.

I believe that whatever the recession of Christian faith may be right now in our culture, the wind and fire of the Holy Spirit is still here.  And it’s just a matter of time until all Christians are receptive to the fullness of the Holy Spirit. And I join with other Christians everywhere in prayer for that day.  Then may we be able to speak the Gospel in language that this culture can understand, so that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Let the wind blow and the fire fall, Lord!  And may we be faithful to pray and to proclaim the Gospel, even in the face of scorn and ridicule.  Revive and renew your church! Amen. 

PHOTOS:
“32640 Pentecost Decorations First Presbyterian Church May 27, 2012” by Bill McChesney is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

Gospel for June 5, 2016

START WITH SCRIPTURE:

Luke 7:11-17

CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

There are two starkly different large processions of people in this passage that converge upon one another outside of the city of Nain. One is a procession of life, following Jesus the Lord of Life.  The other is a procession of death, the funeral procession taking a young man’s body on a bier to the cemetery where a rock tomb awaited him.

These two processions collide and the Lord of Life is the victor.

Although Nain was in the region of Galilee, it is roughly twenty miles south of Capernaum, where Jesus had only recently healed the servant of the Roman centurion.

We must put this situation in perspective — this woman of Nain is a widow who has now lost her only son.  Without a man in the household to make a living, a woman’s financial security in the ancient world was tenuous.

When Jesus encounters this grieving crowd coming out of the city, he exercises the same authority that healed the Roman’s servant.  His command to the widow, though, was given gently:

When the Lord saw her, he had compassion for her and said to her, “Do not weep.”

However, as we will see with the young daughter of Jairus in Luke 8:54, and in the resurrection of Lazarus after four days in the tomb (John 11:43), Jesus confronts death with absolute authority:

Then he came forward and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, rise!” The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother.

This is the first of three documented resurrections that Jesus performs in his ministry.

Note the response:

Fear seized all of them; and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has risen among us!” and “God has looked favorably on his people!” This word about him spread throughout Judea and all the surrounding country.

First, there is fear — not so much the fear that comes from danger, but the fear that one experiences with a sense of awe, and being in the presence of something far greater than oneself.  They demonstrate this by glorifying God.

Second, note that all of them are filled with fear — not merely the funeral crowd, but the festive crowd that had already gathered around Jesus, including his own disciples.  This miracle has definitely gotten their attention!

Third, the response is faith — and witness.  The people have come to believe that Jesus is a great prophet and that God is near, and the word begins to spread.

APPLY:  

Unlike preachers and priests throughout the centuries, Jesus never preached a funeral sermon.  Wherever he went he brought healing and resurrection.

Of course, because of the resurrection power of Jesus, those who preach at funerals and those grieving family members who trust in Christ may also smile through their tears.

Jesus tells Martha as he approaches the tomb of her brother Lazarus:

 “I am the resurrection and the life.  Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live,  and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26).

In a sense, we may be able to identify more closely with the faith of Martha than with the widow of Nain and the crowd that gathered around the young man’s bier in Luke 7.  Martha was asked to believe before she saw her brother raised — the widow and the crowd believed in response to the resurrection of the young man.

We know that Christ has been raised because we believe the Scriptures, we believe the witness of the church for two thousand years, and because of personal faith.  But believing that we will see our dead loved ones in the resurrection is an act of faith in the future.

RESPOND: 

As I drove away from a graveside service for a dead church member, I was meditative.  We would not see him again on this side of the resurrection.

However, as I drove it occurred to me — on Easter Sunday morning, we would be out at that same cemetery for a Sunrise Service, celebrating the Risen Christ!

My heart soared, and I could say “because Jesus lives, we will live also.”

Our Lord, wherever you go, whenever you encounter death and sin, you bring life and hope.  May you so fill me with faith that wherever I go I bear witness to your life and hope as well.  Amen.

PHOTOS:
"The Resurrection of the son of the widow of Nain" by Wilhelm Kotarbinski is in the Public Domain.

Psalm Reading for June 5, 2016

START WITH SCRIPTURE:

Psalm 146

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OBSERVE:

This Psalm of praise provides perspective.  The Psalmist praises God with his whole being and his whole life, but cautions against trust in the political powers of this world.

The contrast is stark — princes are mortals whose plans and visions, even for the good, are terminated the moment of their death.

The Lord, on the other hand, has been the source of strength for Israel since the days of Jacob.  The Lord’s power is demonstrated by his creation of heaven, earth and the sea.  And unlike the transient power of princes, the Lord’s power endures forever.  The Lord is the one who:

keeps faith forever.

And the Lord’s power is never used for selfish purposes, but for those who are weak and powerless.  He is the one who:

executes justice for the oppressed;
who gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets the prisoners free;
the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
the Lord loves the righteous.
The Lord watches over the strangers;
he upholds the orphan and the widow,

However, the Lord’s justice does have consequences for the unjust:

the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

Unlike the princes of the earthly kingdoms, and the wicked, the Lord is everlasting:

The Lord will reign forever,
your God, O Zion, for all generations.
Praise the Lord!

APPLY:  

Human beings have a difficult time maintaining an eternal perspective, let alone a divine perspective.  We tend to get caught up in the politics of current events, and define our values as Republican, Democratic, socialist, capitalist, and on and on.

However, our world has seen political systems come and go.  Kings and queens and princes tend not to have the power that they once did.  The Iron Curtain in East Europe fell in 1989, exposing the frailties of Communism.  Even western democracies reveal serious fissures and a failure to deliver justice and well-being and freedom for all.

This Psalm reminds us that ultimately we have a Monarch — the Lord.  He will lift up the weak and the oppressed, and he will judge the wicked and the oppressor.  And his kingdom will have no end.

RESPOND: 

Currently, the United States is engaged in a controversial political contest.  Three prominent and well-known candidates are competing for the presidency of the United States — a billionaire, a socialist, and a former president’s wife.

I would be dishonest if I didn’t admit I’m not sure I have a clear conscience about voting for any one of them.

But I am reminded that the political powers of any president, prince, prime minister, or tyrant are temporary.  Ultimately we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.  May those who govern always be mindful that they will also be accountable for how they discharged their duties.

Our Lord, when I grow anxious about politics and the next elections, remind me that you alone are King.  We will all bow the knee before your throne.  And I am grateful that because of your grace, I may hope for mercy and not justice.  Amen. 

PHOTOS: “Bibel (Stuttgart-West)” by Ph Urban is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.

Old Testament for June 5, 2016

Start with Scripture:

1 Kings 17:8-24

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OBSERVE:

The lectionary texts inexplicably have not presented the texts from 1 Kings in a chronological order.  Last Sunday’s reading from 1 Kings 18:20-39 actually follows the Old Testament reading for this week, from 1 Kings 17:8-24.

Last week we saw the contest on Mt. Carmel between the 450 prophets of Baal and Elijah, the prophet of the Lord.  This week, we see the consequences of the drought that Elijah has prophesied to King Ahab.

Curiously, the focus is not only on just one ordinary household affected by the drought, this household doesn’t even belong to the people of Israel!

In the midst of this famine, Elijah is instructed to go — of all places — to Zarephath, which is part of the kingdom of Sidon.  This is interesting because Jezebel is the daughter of the king of Sidon!  And we will remember that Jezebel becomes the arch-enemy of Elijah and all of the prophets of the Lord.

So, Elijah goes to Zarephath and encounters the widow that the Lord had predicted — who is gathering sticks so she can bake the last little bit of bread for herself and her son with the little bit of meal and oil that she has left.  And Elijah asks her to give it to him instead!

To appreciate just how presumptuous this might seem, let’s put it in perspective — Elijah is an Israelite, and the widow is a Sidonian. They have nothing in common in nationality, culture, or religion.  She is a widow, which means that she and her son are at risk financially because there is not a man in the house.  We get the impression the boy is too young to be of much help in the fields.  And we mustn’t forget the fact that nobody really has anything to eat because of the drought and the consequent famine.

When Elijah asks the widow to make him bread, she acknowledges that they are from different religions:

But she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of meal in a jar, and a little oil in a jug.”

And yet, the Lord has sent Elijah to her, and he encourages her to take a leap of faith:

Elijah said to her, “Do not be afraid; go and do as you have said; but first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterwards make something for yourself and your son.  For thus says the Lord the God of Israel: The jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail until the day that the Lord sends rain on the earth.”

She follows his instructions, and her faith and obedience are rewarded, because her provisions will hold out against all odds until the drought ends.

However, the real test of her faith comes when her son dies.  There she is, a widow who has lost her husband who represents her source of security; and now she has lost her son who represents her hope for the future.

In her bitter grief she blames Elijah, whom she thinks has come to punish her sin and take her son.  But Elijah intercedes.  He too seems to think that the Lord is responsible for the boy’s death:

He took him from her bosom, carried him up into the upper chamber where he was lodging, and laid him on his own bed. He cried out to the Lord, “O Lord my God, have you brought calamity even upon the widow with whom I am staying, by killing her son?”

Elijah’s method of prayer may seem strange to us, but it seems to represent his earnest entreaty to the Lord:

 Then he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried out to the Lord, “O Lord my God, let this child’s life come into him again.”

When the boy revives, it inspires the faith of this widow of Zarephath:

 So the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth.”

APPLY:  

How curious that in a region widely affected by drought, Elijah is told to single out one widow for assistance.  And to top that off, she is a non-Israelite.

We are reminded that even in the Old Testament there are signs of God’s impartiality.  A person’s race, nationality, culture are irrelevant.  What really matters is how we respond to the Lord.

This widow not only trusts the word of Elijah, she obeys — and she is blessed as a result.

RESPOND: 

When I read the Scriptures, I’m struck by the fact that God focuses on particular people in particular places.

I remember a comic strip from Peanuts in which Linus says “I love mankind; its people I can’t stand.”  God loves humanity, but unlike Linus he loves us and cares for us as individuals.

When we begin to obey God as Elijah does we begin to find that God is interested in individual people, without discrimination.

And we also begin to realize that such stories help us to develop compassion for real people — we pay closer attention when we can identify with what others may be going through.

Our Lord, your mercy extends beyond the boundaries that we tend to draw. Thank you for grace that includes every race, nation, and ethnicity. And for grace that includes me!  Amen. 

PHOTOS:
“Elijah and the widow of Zarephath” by Jan Victors is in the Public Domain.