Who Is This King of Glory?

A sermon delivered by the Reverend Scott D. Nowack on November 20, 2011

at First Presbyterian Church, Kilgore, Texas.

 

"Who Is This King of Glory?"

Jeremiah 23:1-6

Luke 23:33-43

Many years ago, a young woman was working as a volunteer at Community General Hospital.  While she was there, she got to know a little girl named Erica who was suffering from a rare and serious disease.  Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her five-year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness. 

The doctor explained the situation to her little brother and asked the boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister.  He hesitated for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, “Yes, I’ll do it if it will save Erica.”  As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, seeing the color returning to her cheeks.  Then his face grew pale and his smile faded.  He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, “Will I start to die right away?”

Being young, the boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all his blood.

Do you know anyone who is willing to die for you?  Do you know anyone who is willing to put your life ahead of their own?  Who are you willing to die for?

This little boy showed great courage and love putting his sister’s life ahead of his own.  Jesus demonstrated the love God has for each of us by taking upon himself the sin of all humanity and enduring the pain and suffering of the cross on our behalf. 

Jesus was called many things: Rabbi, Teacher, Messiah, Son of God to name a few.  Another one I wish to highlight today is Jesus Christ as a king.  After all, Jesus came to earth to usher in the Kingdom of God.  The Gospel of Mark has Jesus going to Galilee to proclaim the good news of God saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent and believe in the good news.” (Mark 1:15) 

What kind of king was Jesus?  Did he have a fancy palace to live in, or servants caring for his every need or the wealth or the army of an earthly king?

This is the kind of king people in his day wanted him to be and expected him to be; one who would lead a revolt against the Roman occupation; one who would restore the Kingdom of Israel raising up a new Jewish nation.

He was perceived as a threat to a lot of people, especially those entrenched in the political and religious power structure of his day.  He must be held up as an example to others to not revolt against the powers that be.  What better way to do this than by crucifixion. 

To die by crucifixion was one hundred percent pure torture.  There was nothing good about it, except to kill people.  It was the electric chair of the first century.  Brutality at its most brutal.

Add to it the mocking words of the leaders, the soldiers, the unrepentant criminal and the inscription put on top of the cross.  It is here that we are confronted with the true nature of Jesus’ Kingship.  On one hand, we hear the repeated demand, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” and “Are you not the Messiah, save yourself and us!”  They offer another temptation for Jesus to take the easy way out by saving himself and avoiding the cross.  But Jesus clearly remains focused on the goal of fulfilling God’s divine will. 

On the other hand, the words of the scoffers offer us an ironic twist about his kingly mission.  He is a Messiah, a king who saves others only by not saving himself. (v.35)  What kind of king is Jesus?  He’s the kind that refuses to obey the voices of temptation, even in his most desperate hour, to fulfill his calling as the Messiah.  Jesus stood the meaning of kingship and what a kingdom is on its head, upside down.

The crucifixion event is no political power play following the logic of most power plays we know: retaliation, competition, self-protectiveness and the like.  It is the event in which Jesus dares us to trust and obey the will of God that takes him to the cross and beyond. 

As the religious leaders lead the scoffing and mocking of Jesus, the second criminal is the one person here who gets it, who understands the truth of Jesus and dares to speak.  He’s the only one who witnesses the torture and death of Jesus and understands what God is doing here.  He realizes that Jesus will enter his kingdom not by coming down from the cross, but by suffering and dying for you and me.  He realizes that Jesus will enter the kingdom of God only by dying on the cross. 

When the repentant criminal says to Jesus, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom” (v.42), he is making a confession of faith.  It’s an indication that he understands the gospel; he understands that the mocking, insults, floggings, and crucifixion are all necessary parts that when fit together lead to resurrection. 

Do you know anyone who is willing to die for you?  Do you know anyone who is willing to put your life ahead of their own?  Who are you willing to die for?

We are called as Christians to not live for ourselves but for those around us no matter who they are and no matter what the circumstances.  Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “If a man has not found something he is willing to die for, he isn’t fit to live”.  If a person has not found something they are willing to suffer for, they aren’t fit to live.  If a person has not experienced the forgiveness and peace of God in Jesus Christ, then they are not fit to live the life they are called by God to live.

Who will die for you?  Who are you willing to die for? 

Stephen Neill, an Anglican bishop who served in southern India during the 20^th century, said, “We all have some dying to do.  Jesus showed us how it should be done through his work on the cross.”  Jesus died for you, enduring the pain and humiliation of death on the cross, so we can live for him and not for ourselves. 

We all have stuff in our lives that we want to get rid of: past behavior, bad relationships, regrets, memories, words and moments we’ve shared and didn’t share.  When you confess Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you have someplace to dump all that baggage weighing you down.  Jesus takes it away.  It’s gone.  Like yesterday, it’s gone.  Like history, it’s gone.  Like last Sunday, it’s gone.  Like the bullying you suffered from grade school, gone.  The baggage is gone if you are willing to let it go and give it to God.  God has unlimited storage capacity.

As we die to ourselves and live more and more for Jesus Christ, we have the ultimate example of how to live in this world: to suffer alongside those who suffer, to practice forgiveness no matter what, and to bring peace and love to others, even our enemies, through the amazing grace of God in Christ Jesus.

I want to close with this prayer written by St. Ignatius Loyola: Teach us, Lord, to serve you as you deserve, to give and not to count the cost, to fight and not to heed the wounds, to toil and not to seek for rest, to labor and not to ask for any reward save that of knowing that we do your will.  Amen.

Overcoming Obstacles: The Top 5 Reasons Why I Don't Tithe Yet

A sermon preached by The Rev. Scott D. Nowack on November 6, 2011

at the First Presbyterian Church, Kilgore, Texas.

[i]Overcoming Obstacles:

The Top 5 Reasons Why I Don’t Tithe Yet

II Chronicles 31:1-10

From an early age, the word, “tithe” confused me a great deal.  I remember as a small boy wearing my first real tie to church.  It wasn’t a clip-on, but rather one I had to learn to tie by hand just like what my dad wore.  I was so proud that I had graduated from the clip-on ties to the real thing.  But one Sunday morning I was completely surprised by what I heard the pastor say.  So I asked my dad with a panicked whisper, “Dad, why did the pastor say they’re going to collect the ties and offerings?” 

What exactly is a “tithe”?  Unless I’ve missed my guess, there is someone here today who has never heard this word before.  Unless I’ve missed my guess, there are many of us who find ourselves wrestling with God and making excuses for not tithing as I do.  Is there someone here today who finds themselves stuck in the tension between giving to God, paying bills and doing what you want to do?  To set a tithe is a big challenge.

The “tithe” still poses a challenge in my life.  Not every pastor can say that he or she does NOT tithe, but I sure can.  I admit that God has not finished converting my bank account yet.  And since this week we all received the stewardship team’s color brochure and commitment card, I find myself once again wrestling with God, challenged by God through my own study and prayer, working through a myriad of excuses and reasons on how much to give.

I whittled down my myriad of excuses to the top five reasons why I don’t tithe yet.

Number 5: I don’t tithe yet because my church hasn’t talked about tithing very much and that includes me, the pastor.  I do not talk about tithing from the pulpit.  I never have.  I haven’t heard many other pastors talk about it either over the years.  And I find myself asking why not.  Why don’t we talk about it?  What are we afraid of?  Are we assuming everyone already knows what tithing is?  Are we embarrassed to talk about it because we ourselves are not tithing?  Pastors and church leaders tend to promote the church budget as paramount, as our first priority.  By doing so, we put the cart in front of the horse.  We end up ignoring the bible’s regular invitation for each of us to enter into financial communion with the Giver of every perfect gift.  Do we form our budget for the coming year and then give to meet that budget?  Or do we give to God all that we can with an attitude of gratitude for all God has given us and then form the budget based on what’s been given accordingly?  Give first what you feel God is calling you to give, hopefully it will a tithe of some kind, and the church sets the budget second.  Put the horse before the cart and oh the places we will go! 

Number 4: I am stuck in the mindset that giving ought to be useful.  I need to see that my gift is not being wasted.  How often do we hear stories about non-profit institutions that betray their donors through the misuse of funds.  There are many churches, too, that have betrayed the trust of their givers through a general lack of financial transperancy and muted the understanding of the various items that make up the budget each year.  In our text this morning, the Israelites didn’t worry about whether what they gave would be useful, helpful or functional.  The people of Israel responded graciously to God, giving a tithe of their possessions as a gift of love to God.  The first fruits of their crops were piled in heaps before the Lord by the priests.  These piles grew for over three months.  All that food was not good, a lot of it went bad and had to be thrown away.  All those heaps and piles of food and produce are about as useful as singing a hymn.  The best reason to sing and give is because we are in love with the God who made us and created us and loves us without end. 

Number 3: I regularly forget my entire life is a gift from God.  We are told that the Israelites gave grain, oil, wine, honey, produce and farm animals as worthy gifts to offer to God.  They knew that everything they had came from the gracious hand of God: gracious living through gracious giving. 

Pastor and writer Warren W. Wiersbe puts it this way.  “If life is to have meaning, and if God’s will is to be done, all of us have to accept who we are and what we are, give it back to God and thank him for the way he made us.  What I am is God’s gift to me; what I do is my gift to him.”

I can’t begin to count how many monetary gifts have I received over the years where I kept the whole thing and didn’t give any part of it to God.  I made excuses that I needed the money because I was broke or the water bill was due or I wanted to buy the latest Van Halen CD.  How we handle our gifts, the resources we have at our disposal, is a reflection of our deepest values and commitments.  I am challenging myself to give to God a tithe of what I receive in gifts from others.  And I challenge all of us to do the same.  Christmas is just around the corner.  Will you give thanks to God for the gifts you receive at Christmas?  I am planning on it.  I hope you’ll join me.

And this leads to reason number 2:  Giving is not a first priority or a regular discipline in my life.  Yes, it’s true.  Unlike the Israelites who gave their first fruits to God, I give my money first to my creditors and save some of the leftovers for God.  In the age of on-line bill pay, debit cards and on-line giving, how do we insure we give to God first?  I was talking with a colleague in ministry about this who does tithe and he said, “When the first check I write each week goes to the commitment to the church, I affirm that I belong to God before anybody else gets a piece of me.”

And the Number 1 reason why I don’t tithe yet is: I don’t trust God enough.  If I tithe my first fruits, will I be headed for financial self-destruction?  Can I trust God that I won’t be ruined, bankrupt and fed to the poor?  Why don’t I trust God enough?  The principle that God shows generosity to the generous is found throughout Scripture.  Malachi challenged his community in chapter three, verse ten, “Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in my house, and thus put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts; see if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you an overflowing blessing.” (Mal. 3:10)  Jesus urged his followers to give, and it will be given to you.  A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.”(Luke 6:38 and 2 Cor. 9:6)  The Apostle Paul tells us that we are given the blessings we receive so that we might be able to give even more. (2 Cor. 9:8)  Everything we have, everything in the whole world and the entire universe is the Lord’s, so in truth we are only giving back to God what belongs to God.  In our scripture today, the people give generously, they find themselves generously blessed, so that they may in turn give all the more.[1]  So why is it so hard to tithe to God? 

What are your reasons for not tithing yet?  My hope is that every single one of us who does not tithe would commit to doing so, working your way up to ten percent for starters.  What did you give this year?  Challenge yourself to raise it a percentage point each year.  Or figure out what talent you can bring to the table to be used by God to his glory.  Are you a teacher?  Teach Church School or train others to teach church school.  Are you a health professional?  Volunteer as the parish nurse for the church sponsoring blood pressure screenings and other health and fitness-related events.  Are you an accountant or a financial advisor?  Are you a builder, a coach, an electrician, a manager, a homemaker: what time and talents can you tithe to Christ’s church?

I’m going to close with the life-story of the late John Templeton: Presbyterian elder, member of the board of trustees of Princeton Theological Seminary, investment guru and creator of the Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion. What many do not know about him is how he gained his billions. John Templeton began as a man of very modest means. When he and his wife were first married, they made a decision that would forever change the course of their lives: They would live on 50 percent of their income, and the rest they would invest. This was very difficult for them, in those early days. It was a spartan existence. Templeton liked to tell how they ate their first meals together sitting on wooden fruit crates.  It turned out that John Templeton was an absolute wizard at picking stocks. Yet, and this is the point so often missed in a debt-driven economy, he would have had no money with which to buy the stocks he picked, had it not been for the decision he and his wife made to live on 50 percent of their income: a quintuple tithe for purposes of investment.  He used those same skills to build up the endowment for Princeton Theological Seminary.  Thanks to John Templeton, the endowment fund at PTS is large enough that the school runs on the interest generated by their endowment, including providing financial aid to 90% of the students seeking a M.Div. degree.  His “tithing” of his finances and talents have helped thousands of pastors, teachers, chaplains and counselors from Princeton Seminary to fulfill God’s calling on their lives, including my own. 

May we not be afraid to talk about tithing here at First Presbyterian; may we forget the idea that giving ought to be useful; may we remember our entire life is a gift from God where giving is the first priority of our lives; and may we trust God enough so that every dollar we dedicate to God is a statement of allegiance and an essential response to the God who has given us everything.

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[1] Interpretation: A Biblical Commentary for Teaching and Preaching, First and Second Chronicles by Steven S. Tuell.  (Louisville: John Knox Press, 2001. P.224.

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[i] The main theme of this sermon was informed, motivated and encouraged by the writing and ministry of the Rev. William G. Carter, pastor of First Presbyterian Church, Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania, published in Stewardship Magazine for Congregational Leaders, September 2006.  I am greatly indebted to Rev. Carter for helping me give voice to my own struggles with being a good steward of the many gifts and blessings I have received.