True Riches

1 Timothy 6:6-19

It is amazing the amount of attention the Bible gives to material possessions. It warns about the delusions that wealth brings; how we humans make idols of our dollars. The Bible also directs our attention over and over again to the poor and the destitute. It asks brazen questions about how we earn and spend our income. So brash is the Bible about material possessions that any preacher who tries to reflect on this will be accused of “talking too much about money.”

I have heard this complaint before.

I was in the grocery store one day back in Philadelphia where I encountered a woman from my former congregation who I hadn’t seen in a long time. It was awkward for both of us because she and her kids had suddenly stopped attending church and I never learned exactly why.

After we exchanged pleasantries, I said, “We miss you. Is there anything that our church can do for you?”

The woman replied, “Yes, there is. You could stop asking for money all the time.”

I didn't know what to say. She had caught me by surprise and I didn’t have time to organize a reply. But I kept thinking about it. She was right: the church is always asking for money, but how would the church fund all the ministries and missions it is engaged in?

Some people do grow weary of being asked to give, but perhaps they would prefer the sort of church where the members aren’t asked for money. Instead, they take turns doing everything in the church, including cleaning the building, providing the music, preparing the bulletin, doing the preaching and teaching, and spending a year each in the mission field (because they have no money to give to missions). In winter, they dress warmly for worship because they don’t run the furnace and in summer, well, the bulletin would serve the dual purpose of bulletin and personal cooling device. They offer no child care, no children’s church and no youth ministry.

Quite frankly, a church that needs no money wouldn’t be much of a church at all. I’m glad to be part of a church that always needs money. It means we’re doing something, going somewhere, making a difference. What kind of church would the church be if it wasn’t always reaching out to help others in need? And the local church is, I would argue, the best place to open our pocketbooks.

We should recognize, however, that this isn’t the whole response. The argument that the church should be asking for money because of all the good stuff it does has merit, but any worthy charity can make that case. The church isn’t simply a charity with a religious sheen on it. Christians aren’t simply do-gooders who also pray. We should give not only to do good for others but also because it’s necessary for our own spiritual well-being. It’s part of the way we love God with all our heart, soul and mind.

The apostle Paul gets at this in the first letter to Timothy, when he addresses the negative impact money can have on our souls. Those who want to be rich and desire to be wealthy bring misery upon themselves and others. One of the early church fathers, John Chrysostom, describes the love of money as, “a plague that so seizes all, some more, some less, but all in a degree. Like a fire catching a wood, that desolates and destroys all around, this passion has laid waste the world…desires are thorns, and as when one touches thorns, in goes his hand, and gets him wounds, so he that falls into these lusts will be wounded by them, and pierce his soul with griefs…But since the love of money is a matter that is willed, not fated, its cure lies in a rebirth of willing, for did not our own choice cause it, and will not the same choice avail to extinguish it?”

We deceive ourselves when we yearn for carefree security that we try to imagine riches and wealth will bring us. This promise is constantly held out to us throughout our culture – winning the lottery, cutting the big business deal, the get rich Ponzi schemes, and the countless ploys for wealth constantly being fed to us through the media. St. Augustine described the irony of one who “by lusting after something more, is made less” (On the Trinity, XII.9, NPNF 1 III, 160). We are caught in the snare like a fish caught in a net.

Our folly for the desire for wealth creates a host of idols that keep us away from God, that essentially take God’s proper place in our lives. The temptation we face each day is tremendous. Perhaps the supreme temptation that any of us as believers face is trying to fit in. We crave acceptance and approval no matter what our age may be. Paul shares with Timothy that food and clothing are necessary. But the world grabs hold and yanks us into a fierce competition to look like one another. In striving for more and better, we become more and more like those around us who have “gained the whole world and forfeited their life” (Mark 8:36). Whether it’s wearing the right brand and style of clothing at school or buying a new truck with all the bells and whistles, when we allow ourselves to be preoccupied with these temptations, we hurt our relationships with others, ourselves and God. As the character Lou Mannheim said in the film Wall Street, “The main thing about money, Bud, is that it makes you do things you don’t want to do.” Because money and possessions become idols we lust after; desires we long for.

In verse eleven, the text shift gears. In verses 11-16, Paul presents a positive challenge to Timothy in contrast to his many warnings on wealth. Paul reminds him that Christians are empowered to resist greed because of their grounding in their faith. The challenge Paul lays out represents the life of faithfulness as a dynamic and vigorous engagement in the pursuit of what is good. We don’t do this on our own or by our own initiative. We cannot secure our own personal salvation. That has been done for us in Jesus Christ since God loved us first. Any pursuit of the good, of what is holy, of what is righteous, follows God’s initial action.

Beginning in verse seventeen, Paul shifts back to addressing those within and outside the Christian community, sharing ways the wealthy need to live; how the wealthy are to use their wealth to further the Kingdom of God so they will not be corrupted by their wealth. We, the wealthy ones of the world, are to be rich in good deeds, for that is where our true riches will be.

True riches are found in serving God, drawing closer to God through our merciful service to the poor. Paul tells them not to allow their wealth to make them “haughty, or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches.” Rather, Paul says, they should set their hope “on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.” And lest they miss the point, he spells it out: “They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life.”

Notice he doesn’t say they should be generous and ready to share because that’s good for others, though no doubt Paul would agree with that. No, he says they should be “rich in good works, generous, and ready to share” because by so doing they “take hold of the life that really is life.” They should be generous because it’s one of the things that makes them, the givers, spiritually healthy.

At a church in a very dangerous neighborhood in New York City, a Puerto Rican woman, after getting baptized, came to the pastor with an urgent request. She didn’t speak a word of English, but through her interpreter she said, “I want to do something for God, please.”

“I don’t know what you can do,” the pastor responded.

“Please, let me do something,” she said in Spanish.

“Okay, I’ll put you on a bus. Ride a different bus every week and just love the kids.”

So every week she rode a different bus – there were fifty of them – and loved the children. She would find the worst-looking kid on the bus, put him on her lap, and whisper over and over the only words she had learned in English: “I love you. Jesus loves you.”

The boy didn’t speak. He came to Sunday School every week with his sister and sat on the woman’s lap, but he never made a sound. Each week she would tell him all the way to Sunday school and all the way home, “I love and Jesus loves you.”

One day, to her amazement, the little boy turned around and stammered, “I – I love you, too.” Then he put his arms around her and gave her a big hug.

That was 2:30pm Saturday afternoon. At 6:30pm that night, the boy was found dead in a garbage bag under a fire escape. His mother had beaten him to death and thrown his body in the trash.

“I love you and Jesus loves you.” Those were some of the last words he heard in his short life – from the lips of a Puerto Rican woman who could barely speak English. She brought the grace and love of God to a young boy who never asked for new toys, but probably would have liked one; new clothes, but probably could have used some; or anything else in the world, except love, the one thing money can’t buy.

Money will buy a bed but not sleep; books but not brains; food but not appetite; finery but not beauty; a house but not a home; medicine but not health; luxuries but not culture; amusements but not happiness; religion but not salvation – a passport to everywhere but heaven.

To be truly rich is to be ready to distribute and share what we have with the needy. I remind myself of this, along with our Session and Deacons, through a prayer by St. Ignatius Loyola that says, “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 other than that of knowing we do your will.”

What treasure do you have to share with others? We know the best things in life are free: loving family and friends, the satisfaction we get from helping others, and the blessing of good health. As stewards we trust that God provides and because of that trust we are free to create a legacy that cannot be consumed, destroyed or used up, but one that will grow, flourish and last for generations to come.

Generosity is a spiritual discipline, which means it’s one practice that helps us avoid developing a superficial faith. In fact, when we present the offering plates to God after the collection has been taken, the gist of our offertory prayer should be, “No matter what else we say or do here this morning, O Lord, this tells you what we really think of you.”

So yes, the church is always asking for money. But it’s also always asking you to pray, read the Bible, confess your sins, do good deeds and attend worship. All those things are good for our souls and help us go deeper into our faith. Thus, one blessing of attending church is that it provides us with an opportunity to give generously, for our own good.

Persistent Pursuit!

Luke 15:1-10

A famous evangelist was in town to hold an evangelistic crusade. On the way to the stadium where the crusade was being held, the evangelist wanted to stop at the post office and mail a letter. But he got hopelessly lost and finally decided to ask someone for directions.

He noticed a little boy walking on the sidewalk, so he pulled over and said, “Excuse me, son, can you tell me where the post office is?”

The little boy said, “Sure. Turn around and go back down the street to the first light, turn left and it’s a block or two on your right.”

“Thank you very much, young man,” said the evangelist. “By the way,” he added, handing the boy an announcement for the crusade, “I’d like to invite you to come to a meeting later today where I’ll tell you how you can find Jesus Christ as your personal Savior.”

“Fat chance,” said the little boy. “You can’t even find the post office.”

Fortunately for us, we don’t have to find God.  God searches and finds us.  God is in persistent pursuit of wayward persons like us; we who have gone astray; the lost.  God doesn’t just wait for people to return.  God goes after them.  He seeks them out.  He searches and searches and searches until he finds what is lost. 

In our text this morning, Jesus describes God as a shepherd watching over his flock.  To be a shepherd was hard and dangerous work.  In Judaea, in Jesus’ time, pasture was scarce.  The narrow central plateau was only a few miles wide, and then it plunged down to the wild cliffs and the terrible devastation of the desert.  There were no fences or walls to help keep the sheep together.  When you met a shepherd, you’d see a sleepless, far-sighted, weather-beaten, armed man, leaning on his staff and looking out over his scattered sheep, every one of them a burden on his heart. 

The shepherd was personally responsible for the sheep.  When one of them died, they had to bring the fleece to the owner to show how it died.  They were experts at tracking sheep following footprints in the soil for miles.  There was not a single shepherd who did not risk his life for his sheep every day.

Like the shepherd, our God does the same; to risk everything he has.  An even more crazy risk is the shepherd leaving the 99 untended in the wilderness, leaving them vulnerable to attack and robbery.  Either the shepherd is foolish or the shepherd loves the lost sheep and will risk everything, including his own life, and that flock, until he finds it. 

Jesus also describes God as a common woman of his time.  The woman lights a lamp and gets a broom and begins her frantic search for her missing coin in what would have been difficult circumstances.  The houses were very dark, for they were lit by one little circular window not much more than about eighteen inches across.  The floor was beaten earth covered with dried reeds and rushes; and to look for a coin on a floor like that was very much like looking for a needle in a haystack.  But she will not give up until she finds it.  She will sweep the floor in hope that she might see the coin shine or hear it “ting” as it moves.    All the furniture will be turned upside down and pushed aside.  No crack in the wall is overlooked.  She’ll dig through the trash if she has to.

The truth for us to remember is God carefully and meticulously pursues confused and rebellious creatures like ourselves.  Such pursuit gives value to those being sought.  The pursued become treasured and significant because they are not left lost in the universe, but made objects of divine concern. 

In the 2003 movie, “Finding Nemo”, a clown fish named Marlin, who lives in the Great Barrier Reef, loses his son, Nemo, after he ventures into the open sea, despite his father's constant warnings about many of the ocean's dangers.  Nemo is caught by a diver and ends up in the fish tank of a dentist's office in Sydney, Australia.  Marlin decides to go and search for Nemo; to get him back home safely.  As he searches the ocean, Marlin meets a fish named Dory, a blue tang suffering from short-term memory loss, who offers to help. The companions travel a great distance, searching everywhere, asking if anyone has seen Nemo, encountering dangerous and fascinating sea creatures such as sharks, anglerfish, jellyfish and sea turtles all in an effort to rescue Nemo from the dentist's office, situated by Sydney Harbor.[i]

Nemo’s Dad, Marlin, goes to great lengths, risking everything, even his own life, in search of his beloved son, Nemo.  And he won’t stop until he finds him.  God does the same.  God is a persistent pursuer of pandemic proportions!  We don’t have to find our way back to the fold. Jesus is teaching us that God is pursuing us. All we need to do is stop running and let him take us back.

Why? Why does the all-powerful God of the universe do this?  In a world of over seven billion people, who am I that I would matter to Him?  To God everybody matters.  Everybody counts.  Jesus understands that those on the fringe of the community, the outcast, the abused, the oppressed, are integral for the whole community to be complete, to be what it ought to be.  So we, the community, the body of Christ, are called to practice a Christ-like hospitality that searches and seeks to forgive and restore broken relationships; to open our doors and rejoice with the outcast, the misused and the voices long silenced. 

Sinners and tax-collectors gather at table with Jesus?  Woo Hoo!  Rejoice!  Celebrate, for they have returned home and now sit in the presence of God.  The one sheep wandered away from the rest of the flock, thought to be lost and gone for good, but it is found safe and sound.  Again, Woo Hoo!  Celebration Time!  The coin that fell to the floor lost in the dark house could have been easily forgotten, but it is retrieved.  Again, Woo Hoo!  Hallelujah!  Hope has come to this place again. 

I recently saw a video about an Army soldier, Staff Sargent Roy Benavidez.  He is from El Campo, Texas, and D’Anna went to grade school with one of his sons.  The video is of Sgt. Benavidez speaking to a group of servicemen and women about how he earned his Congressional Medal of Honor.  It was in honor of his actions west of Loch Ninh, South Vietnam in May, 1968.

Here’s the story:

“When word came that a squad was pinned down by enemy gunfire deep in the jungle, Roy immediately volunteered to exact their rescue.  During the course of the effort, he subjected himself to constant enemy fire and suffered numerous injuries, but still led the remaining soldiers to protect and defend the position even after their first, second and third rescue helicopters were shot down.  The fourth one did the trick.  In fact, he was so concerned about leaving someone behind, about losing anybody, he loaded three dead enemy soldiers on the helicopter by mistake.  During his speaking engagement, he said, ‘I didn’t want to leave anyone behind.’”[ii]

In the household of God, the lost are found.  In the household of God, nobody is left behind, tossed aside, thrown away.  In the household of God, everybody counts, everybody matters, everybody is equal in the eyes of God.  Rich and poor, liberal and conservative, Republican and Democrat, black and white; male and female: we are all equal in the eyes of God.  If you are one of those who feels you are so lost you are unredeemable, you can take delight in a God who patiently searches for everyone. You can run but you can’t hide from God.

 What a generous God we serve!  This is a message that the world needs to hear at a time such as this.  Now is not the time to retreat, to cowardly shrink from the challenges that lay before us.  Now is the time to press forward for the highest quality educational opportunities for the children, youth and adults of every community, including the global community, where they learn not just what to think but how to think.  Now is the time to give every person the opportunity to claim or reclaim their dignity and self-respect by speaking out against the growing economic inequality within our nation today.  Now is the time for us to take a chance, to take a risk, to sail beyond the sunset; to strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield to the old fears and old slogans of former years.  To take a risk and search for the lost sheep and sweep the floor for the lost coin, to make the effort to grow and learn as disciples of Jesus Christ directed by the Spirit of God.

This is the Good News.  Believe it and live it because it’s the truth.  Trust me! I know the way to the post office!

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[i] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0266543/plotsummary?ref_=tt_stry_pl

[ii] http://www.greatamericans.com/video/Portraits-of-Valor-Roy-Benavidez

Havin' a Party!

Luke 15:1-10

Some people are always looking for a reason to have a party.  They will come up with the craziest ideas of things that can be celebrated.  You receive a message from a friend who just met her goal weight on Jenny Craig and she wants to celebrate over a big chocolate cake and gallons of Blue Bell chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream.  A bunch of us got together and had a Kilgore Pizza Tasting Pool Party this summer.  Everyone brought a whole pizza pie from one of the pizza places in town to find out which one was the best tasting. 

Did you know that today, September 15^th, is National Linguini Day.  If you love pasta, and who doesn’t, this is the holiday for you.  It’s time to celebrate our favorite pastas.  Tomorrow is Wife Appreciation Day, in case you missed celebrating your anniversary last year.  “Wife Appreciation Day is a day to honor and celebrate the ways that your wife enhances your life. This is a day for husbands to express their appreciation for all the things that their wife does. To show your appreciation for all the tasks that you may overlook that she completes. Roll up those sleeves and surprise her with some gestures to express your appreciation for her hard work.”[i] 

Here are some other reasons to celebrate and have a party.  There’s National Honesty Day on April 30^th.  I’m not kidding.  It’s the truth.  May 18^th is designated at National Visit your Relatives Day.  September is National Chicken Month, November 7^th is Sadie Hawkins Day when the girls ask the guys to dance or go out on a date.  There really are so many things to celebrate in life.

I believe one of the best reasons to celebrate and have a party is found in our scripture reading today: God celebrates after finding someone or something that had been lost.  Jesus tells two parables about this comparing God to an ordinary shepherd and a common woman.  In both parables, we can imagine their excitement, joy, happiness and relief when they find their lost sheep and their lost coin.  I have seen the same expression of joy on the faces of those who have found a beloved pet who had gone missing or a parent reunited with their child at an amusement park who had been lost wandering around on the opposite end of the park.  That’s the kind of crazy God we serve. 

God is in pursuit of wayward persons.  God doesn’t just wait for people to return.  God goes after them.  He seeks them out.  He searches and searches and searches until he finds what is lost. 

In these parables, we see two vivid images.  The first one is the compassionate concern of a searching God.  Jesus describes God as a shepherd watching over his flock.  To be a shepherd was hard and dangerous work.  In Judaea, in Jesus’ time, pasture was scarce.  The narrow central plateau was only a few miles wide, and then it plunged down to the wild cliffs and the terrible devastation of the desert.  There were no fences or walls to help keep the sheep together.  When you met a shepherd, you’d see a sleepless, far-sighted, weather-beaten, armed, leaning on his staff and looking out over his scattered sheep, every one of them on his heart.  That’s why the shepherd name was given to Christ.

The shepherd was personally responsible for the sheep.  They had to bring home the fleece to show how it died.  They were experts at tracking sheep following footprints in the soil for miles.  There was not a single shepherd who did not risk his life for his sheep every day.

Like the shepherd, our God is willing to do the same; to risk everything he has for the lost sheep even his own son Jesus Christ.  An even more crazy risk is the shepherd leaving the 99 untended in the wilderness, leaving them vulnerable to attack and robbery.  Either the shepherd is foolish or the shepherd loves the lost sheep and will risk everything, including his own life, until he finds it. 

The woman lights a lamp, gets a broom and begins her frantic search for her missing coin in what would have been difficult circumstances.  The houses were very dark, for they were lit by one little circular window not much more than about eighteen inches in diameter.  The floor was beaten earth covered with dried reeds and rushes; and to look for a coin on a floor like that was very much like looking for a needle in a haystack.  But she will not give up until she finds it.  She will sweep the floor in hope that she might see the coin shine or hear it tinkle as it moved.    All the furniture will be turned upside down and pushed aside.  No crack in the wall is overlooked.  She’ll dig through the trash if she has to.

The truth for us to remember is God meticulously pursues confused and rebellious creatures like ourselves.  Such pursuit gives value to those being sought.  They become treasured and significant because they are not left lost in the universe, but made objects of divine concern. 

The second image is heaven’s delight in the recovery of the lost.  God is as glad when a lost sinner is found as a shepherd is when a strayed sheep is brought home.  The shepherd and the woman call all their friends and neighbors to come for a party.  The joy of finding is so abundant and so lavish that it cannot be contained; one person alone cannot adequately celebrate it; there must be a party to which others are invited.  Jesus invites even those who yet do not understand and serve as his critics to join him and all of heaven in celebrating the finding of the lost. 

In the 2003 movie, “Finding Nemo”, a clown fish named Marlin, who lives in the Great Barrier Reef, loses his son, Nemo, after he ventures into the open sea, despite his father's constant warnings about many of the ocean's dangers. Nemo is caught by a diver and ends up in the fish tank of a dentist's office in Sydney, Australia.  Marlin decides to go and search for Nemo; to get him back home safely.  As he searches the ocean, Marlin meets a fish named Dory, a blue tang suffering from short-term memory loss, who offers to help. The companions travel a great distance, searching everywhere, asking if anyone has seen Nemo, encountering various dangerous and fascinating sea creatures such as sharks, anglerfish, jellyfish and sea turtles all in an effort to rescue Nemo from the dentist's office, situated by Sydney Harbor.[ii]

Nemo’s Dad, Marlin, goes to great lengths, risking everything, in search of his beloved son, Nemo.  And he won’t stop until he finds him.  This is how God works.  God is a persistent pursuer of pandemic proportions!  We don’t have to find our way back to the fold. Jesus is teaching us that God is pursuing us. All we need to do is stop running and let him take us back.

God is crazy in love with us and searches endlessly for us.  The Pharisees and the scribes would write off the tax collectors and the sinners as deserving of nothing but destruction; not so for God.  People may give up hope for a sinner; not so for God.  God loves the people who never stray away; but in his heart there is the joy of joys when a lost one is found and comes home.  God, too, knows the joy of finding things that have gone lost.  And that’s worth celebrating!

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[i] http://www.giftypedia.com/Wife_Appreciation_Day

[ii] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0266543/plotsummary?ref_=tt_stry_pl

Counting the Cost

Luke 14:25-33

I think it is safe to say we’ve all heard the expression, “there is no such thing as a free lunch.” Everything has a cost of some kind whether it’s measured in dollars and cents, days, hours and minutes, or by talent and natural ability. When I played a sport in high school, the cost I paid was the free time I once had after school to play, relax, watch TV or do whatever. That time was used for practice, of course. And once I was home, what time I had was used for doing homework and studying for exams. Every decision we make each and every day has a cost involved from the trivial to the significant. 

Our text today confronts us with hard choices and jars us of any notion that being a Christian leads to social or worldly benefit. “For when Christ calls a person”, says Dietrich Bonhoeffer, “he bids him come and die.” Jesus knows he is on the way to the cross, while those listening thought he was on his way to overthrow the Roman occupation and build a new nation. That’s why he spoke to people the way he did. While there are scripture texts that comfort the disturbed, this one disturbs the comfortable.

Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem, but for what reason? Is it a funeral procession? It appears that Jesus is the only one who has seriously considered the issue of his death. His disciples haven’t done so. Is it a march? Some think so, imagining a clash of epic proportions: Galilee vs. Jerusalem, peasants vs. power, laity vs. clergy, Jews vs. Romans, Jesus vs. the religious and political establishment. Is it a parade? Obviously this crowd thinks so, oblivious to any conflict, any price to pay, any cross to bear. The crowds grow because everyone loves a parade. What does Jesus have to say to these hasty volunteers? Think about what you are doing and decide if you are willing to stay with me all the way. To answer the call of the cross, you must be willing to count the cost.

There are many of us who are willing to count the cost while there are so many of us who are not. Those who are not willing to count the cost want to follow Christ with their words but are not willing to be one of his disciples with their actions. You can be a member of a group, team or committee entrusted to do some given work or a specific project without pulling your own weight; that is without doing your part. It’s like the student who attends the lectures, but is not a true student in the eyes of the professor because they don’t actively engage the course material. It’s a hardship for the church universal – so many distant followers and a few real disciples.

In order to truly follow Christ and claim we are one of his disciples, we must understand the demands and priorities of discipleship. Imagine you are on a great expedition forging a way through a high and dangerous mountain pass to bring urgent medical aid to a village isolated from the rest of the world. The leader of the trip says, “If you want to come any further, you’ll have to leave your packs behind. From here on the path is too steep to carry all that stuff. You probably won’t find it again. And you’d better send your last postcards home; this is a dangerous route and it’s very likely that several of us won’t make it back.” We can understand this. We may not like the sound of it, but we get it and it makes some sense. There is a cost involved here. To count the cost of following Christ as one of his disciples is to surrender everything to Him; to be prepared to lose it all, and abandon it all for the sake of the call to follow Christ. The one who follows Jesus is not going to receive power and glory, “but must be ready for a loyalty, which would sacrifice the dearest things in life, for a suffering which would be like the agony of a man upon a cross.”

In his book, “The Cost of Discipleship”, Dietrich Bonhoeffer writes, “Every moment and every situation challenges us to action and to obedience. We have literally no time to sit down and ask ourselves whether so-and-so is our neighbor or not. We must get into action and obey — we must behave like a neighbor to him. But perhaps this shocks you. Perhaps you still think you ought to think out beforehand and know what you ought to do. To that, there is only one answer. You can only know and think about it by actually doing it. It is no use asking questions; for it is only through obedience that you come to learn the truth.”

It is not enough to talk the talk of faith. We must walk the walk of discipleship. We must make our commitment to Christ with our eyes wide open to the cost whether it involves building a tower or preparing an army to go to war. Who would fail to make a proper assessment before building a tower? Who would ignore reconnaissance before starting a war? None of us would for we know it is not enough to talk about helping feed the poor, we must put our words into action by setting up a food closet or a soup kitchen. It is not enough to talk about helping fight ignorance, hatred and terrorism in a nation like Pakistan, we must support missionary efforts to educate the young people there so that true peace may become a reality. We must ask ourselves does this cost more than I am able or willing to pay? Do I possess the resources to carry it through to completion? 

In 1977 Oscar Romero, a quiet, traditional cleric, was consecrated Arch bishop of San Salvador. Deemed a safe bet by government authorities, his installation service was even used as an excuse for more government- sanctioned murders. The killings radicalized Romero, prompting him to agree with the sentiment circulated by the priests aligned with the poor people of the country: The church is where it always should have been: with the people, surrounded by wolves.

The martyrdom of a rural priest furthered Romero's radicalism. Against official policies Romero began to support new liturgies and worship services more relevant to the poor and oppressed. He called for the church to become the voice of those whose voices were stopped up. Romero became more and more of a thorn in the government's side.

On March 24, 1980, Archbishop Oscar Romero celebrated Mass from behind the altar of the Chapel of the Divine Providence in San Salvador. As he raised the elements and proclaimed, This is my body given for you ... this is my blood shed for you, a single shot was fired. Romero collapsed, his heart pierced by an assassin's bullet.

The word sacrament comes from a Latin word used for the loyalty oath a Roman soldier took to the emperor. A soldier took a sacramentum to serve the emperor faithfully, even to death. Similarly, when we drink the cup and eat the bread, are we not renewing our vows to be faithful to Christ, until death? Archbishop Romero knew the meaning of discipleship. He stands as one of the great Christian martyrs of our time.[i]

Being disciples in the world today is challenging. It implies a commitment on our part to be in our world what Jesus was for his: healer and prophet, voice and heart, call and sign of the God whose design for this world is justice and love. It infers, implies, and requires of us the confirming love Jesus had for everyone, everywhere — regardless of who might try to draw limits around the love of God. 

Being a disciple means working to make life better for others, going beyond our lives to improve the lives of others. “To follow Jesus is to follow the one who turns the world upside down”. 

May we renew our commitment as disciples of Jesus Christ today to answer the call of the cross knowing we must be willing to count the cost. Amen.

[i] Christopher C. Walker, Connecting with the Spirit of Christ, Evangelism for a Secular Age (Nashville: Discipleship Resources, 1988), 104.

Humbly Exalted (Sanctuary)

For the 11am Sanctuary Service on September 1, 2013

Hebrews 13:1-8; 15-16
Luke 14:1, 7-14

On Christmas afternoon, the Pastor’s wife dropped into an easy chair saying, "Boy! Am I so tired." Her husband looked over at her & said without thinking, "I conducted two special services last night, three today, & give a total of five sermons. Why are you so tired?" 

"Sweetheart," she replied, "I had to listen to all of them."

For all who humble themselves will be exalted, and all who exalt themselves will be humbled. 

We all need a good dose of humility from time to time, especially when you come to learn you are now eligible for membership in the AARP. The letter came in the mail just last week with membership cards and everything. I can’t make this stuff up. It’s totally true. 

Now more than ever the world needs a good dose of humility and modesty because it seems to me that everybody wants to be a show off these days! At the Ironman 70.3 Brazil race last weekend, Jeremy Jurkiewicz of France was the first one finished with the race, but for some inexplicable reason he stopped short of the finish line. Nobody knows why. Maybe he thought he was so far ahead of the person in second place he could just mess around a little. Little did he realize was that Brazil’s Igor Amorelli, who was in second place in the race, came around the corner, saw what Jeremy was doing and broke into a full sprint. At the last second, Jeremy noticed Amorelli coming in fast and quickly pushed himself in front of him to actually win the race. The excessive pride and arrogance of this guy is too much. What led Jeremy to think nothing bad would happen if he simply stopped short and chilled out just before the end of the race? He just swam, biked and ran 70.3 miles, but now he feels like pulling up for a quick visit with the pretty people gathered at the finish line. We see this happening more and more these days. We live in a culture that thrives on this kind of behavior and approach to life where we exalt ourselves at the expense of others.

It’s September! School is in session and football is back! And do we love football. Not just here in Texas, but across the nation. The NFL in recent years has worked tirelessly on doing away with excessive celebrations by teams after they score a touchdown. It started years ago with a simple, one-handed spike of the ball, but it snowballed into group high-fives, sack dances, push-ups, cartwheels, sit-ups, boat-rowing, snow angels, and worm crawls. The arrogance of these athletes has become so bad that excessive celebrations have been prohibited and players’ teams are penalized fifteen yards on the ensuing kick-off. The excessive, in-your-face celebrations say more about the person’s character than anything else. The push for excessive celebrations is a sign poor sportsmanship and is demeaning to ones’ opponent. It is condescending and humiliating to the opponent. In the words of D.L. Moody, “Be humble or you’ll stumble.”

Muhammad Ali, the world famous boxer, wasn’t familiar with humility. He is reported to have boarded a plane at the height of his career, and resisted the instructions of a stewardess (as they were called then). The stewardess told him to buckle up (repeatedly) and Ali said, "Superman don't need no seat belt." 

The stewardess, without missing a beat, replied, "Superman don't need no airplane, either. Buckle up." Ali swallowed his pride and buckled up. 

Jesus had no patience with prolonged, premeditated and excessive granduear and self-promotion. When going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal on the Sabbath, he said, "When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit down in the place of honor" (v. 8). Don't assume that you are all that. Don’t assume you’re the greatest thing since sliced bread. Don’t assume you’re the greatest singer in the world, the greatest fighter in the world, or the greatest athlete in the world, or the greatest anything in the world as too many of us seem to think. Jesus knows that someone more distinguished than you might show up, which would cause your host to come to you and say, "Give this person your place," forcing you to take a walk of shame and go to the lowest place (vv. 8-9). Talk about your awkward moments.

Instead, says Jesus, "When you are invited, go and sit down at the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he may say to you, 'Friend, move up higher'; then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at the table with you" (v. 10). 

This kind of behavior is not a sign of arrogance. It's a sign of humility. In the words of C.S. Lewis, "Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less." It’s thinking of yourself less and others more. We are to walk with humble hearts; we are to walk in humility, a humble spirit.

Jesus’ parable summarizes the way God’s kingdom turns our world upside down. This passage in Luke is a call for commitment to the ways of God rather than to the ways of the world.

The ways of the world instill a sense of entitlement in our children and parents, who want trophies for participating in sports, not just for winning tournaments. Many parents expect their kids to be admitted to Ivy League colleges, even though only one in ten will get in. College students want A's, not because they have studied hard and learned a lot, but because they have simply showed up for class and paid $3,000 for it. Basketball players go to prestigious universities not necessarily because they want a first-class education, but because they want to play a year and then jump to the NBA.

And let's not forget the arrogant antics and unapologetic self-promotion on reality television. Reality TV is full of people who become famous for being outrageous, not for any specific skills or talents or achievements: The Real Housewives of Orange County, Jersey Shore, The Bachelor, Big Brother, and Keeping Up with the Kardashians. 

Jesus makes a prediction that should be heeded by the stars of reality television and by all of us: "All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted" (v. 11).

George McGovern died last year. He was a United States Senator who will long be remembered as the Democrat who lost to Republican Richard Nixon in one of the most lopsided defeats in presidential history. Because he opposed the war in Vietnam, he was painted by some as a cowardly left-winger.

McGovern was no coward. In truth, he was a decorated bomber pilot in World War II, a man who served his country bravely and well. His staff urged him to talk more about his war experience, but like so many veterans he was reluctant to do so. He described himself as the son of a Methodist minister; a "good old South Dakota boy" who went off to war; a man who had been "married to the same woman forever." 

In short, he was humble.

Maybe that humility served him well, because at the end of his life he was awarded the World Food Prize along with Republican Senator Bob Dole. Writing in The Washington Post, Dole said that "our most important commonality -- the one that would unite us during and after our service on Capitol Hill -- was our shared desire to eliminate hunger in this country and around the world. As colleagues in the 1970s on the Senate Hunger and Human Needs Committee, we worked together to reform the Food Stamp Program, expand the domestic school lunch program and establish the Special Supplemental Program for Women, Infants, and Children."

Later, they worked together to strengthen global school feeding, nutrition and education programs. They jointly proposed a program to provide poor children with meals at schools in countries throughout Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe, one that was supported by presidents Clinton and Bush. That program has now succeeded in providing meals to 22 million children in 41 different countries.

George McGovern and Bob Dole. Democrat and Republican. Both fought in World War II. Both ran for president and lost. But they are not, in any sense, losers. Losers do not work together, quietly and effectively, to provide meals to 22 million hungry children.

Jesus certainly has concern for feeding the hungry, especially those who have no way to repay our generosity. He says, "When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid" (v. 12).

That hits close to home, doesn't it? Most of us give luncheons or dinners for precisely the groups that Jesus mentions: Friends, family members, relatives, neighbors. We enjoy feeding them and then being fed by them.

But Jesus says to go a different direction. Think of hungry children, whether they are two or 22 million. "When you give a banquet," he says, "invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous" (vv. 13-14).

Feed those who cannot repay you, commands Jesus: the poor who live in cheap motels without kitchens; the inmate in prison who has no visitors; the crippled who have trouble entering most rooms with their wheelchairs. The lame who need to have meals brought to them. The blind who are often stuck at home because travel is so difficult.

We make lunches every Saturday for those in need in our community, as Jesus suggests. Not for the folks who easily pay you back with a lunch or dinner of their own. And should it be more than a meal – maybe more of a banquet, a celebration.

We can never forget that no matter the situation God is the real actor here. God humbles the pretentious and exalts the humble. We are all on the same team. We must be humble or we will stumble. God’s direction for each of us is that we think of others more than ourselves because God’s kingdom includes everyone: male and female, protestant and catholic, black, white, latino, and asian; Jews, Christians and Muslims, gay and straight; those with disabilities both physical and mental; everyone is included at the banquet table in the kingdom of God, no matter what the culture says or thinks. Jesus came to turn the world upside down by extending hospitality to all and committing ourselves to the ways of God rather than the ways of the world. 

May we be God’s representatives to extend God’s hospitality to all whom we meet and know inviting them to come as they are to the table of grace.

Humbly Exalted (Chapel)

For the 9am Chapel Service on September 1, 2013

Hebrews 13:1-8; 15-16
Luke 14:1, 7-14

Nobody likes a show off!

You know the type: egotistical, haughty, condescending, arrogant, big-headed self-promoter, only looking out for their own interests and concerns at the expense of others. They can only see the world through their own eyes, not the eyes of others. At the Ironman 70.3 Brazil race last weekend, Jeremy Jurkiewicz of France was the first one finished with the race, but for some inexplicable reason he stopped short of the finish line. Nobody knows why. Maybe he thought he was so far ahead of the person in second place he could afford to just mess around a little. Little did he realize was that Brazil’s Igor Amorelli, who was in second place in the race, came around the corner, saw what Jeremy was doing and broke into a full sprint. At the last second, Jeremy noticed Amorelli coming up in fast and quickly pushed himself in front of him to actually win the race. The excessive pride and arrogance of this guy is too much. What led Jeremy to think nothing bad would happen if he simply stopped short and chilled out just before the end of the race? He just swam, biked and ran 70.3 miles, but now he feels like pulling up for a quick visit with the pretty people gathered at the finish line. We see this showboating behavior happening more and more these days. We live in a culture that thrives on this kind of behavior. It’s an approach to life where we exalt ourselves at the expense of others.

It’s September! School has started and football is back! And do we love football. Not just here in Texas, but across the nation. The NFL in recent years has worked tirelessly on how to do away with excessive celebrations by teams after they score a touchdown. It started years ago with a simple, harmless spike of the ball, but it snowballed into group high-fives, sack dances, push-ups, cartwheels, sit-ups, boat-rowing, snow angels, and worm crawls. The arrogance of these athletes has become so bad that excessive celebrations have been prohibited and players are penalized fifteen yards on the ensuing kick-off. The excessive, in-your-face celebrations say more about the person’s character than anything else. The push for excessive celebrations is a sign poor sportsmanship and is demeaning to ones’ opponent. It is condescending and humiliating to the opponent. In the words of D.L. Moody, “Be humble or you’ll stumble.”

Muhammad Ali, the world famous boxer, is reported to have boarded a plane at the height of his career, and resisted the instructions of a stewardess (as they were called then). The stewardess told him to buckle up (repeatedly) and Ali said, "Superman don't need no seat belt." 

The stewardess, without missing a beat, replied, "Superman don't need no airplane, either. Buckle up." Ali swallowed his pride and buckled up. 

You can see this same arrogance in popular music. Most of you are familiar with the old country song by Mac Davis that goes, “Oh, Lord, it's hard to be humble, when you're perfect in every way, I can't wait to look in the mirror, 'Cause I get better lookin' each day.” Indeed it is hard to be humble, especially in a world that seems to value arrogance and self-promotion over humility and modesty.

Last Sunday night, Miley Cyrus gave the world her best “I’m not Hannah Montana anymore” routine while the older, married with children Robin Thicke gave us his best “no, she’s definitely not Hannah Montana anymore” routine. As blogger Bo Stern wrote, “How does a darling little girl go from Disney stardom to that moment where she finds herself nearly-naked on a stage in front of millions doing obscene things with a foam finger?” It’s another break in the wall of our cultural foundation where success is defined by how far you are willing to push the moral envelope and blur the ethical lines that were once so crystal clear. It’s all about how successful you appear to be to others, in order to gain publicity and attention, good and bad, no matter the cost. 

Jesus had no patience with prolonged, premeditated and excessive granduear and self-promotion. When going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal on the Sabbath, he said, "When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit down in the place of honor" (v. 8). Don't assume that you are all that. Don’t assume you’re the greatest thing since sliced bread. Don’t assume you’re the greatest singer in the world, the greatest fighter in the world, the greatest athlete in the world, or the greatest anything in the world as too many of us seem to think. Jesus knows that someone more distinguished than you might show up, which would cause your host to come to you and say, "Give this person your place," forcing you to take a walk of shame and go to the lowest place (vv. 8-9). Can you say, “Awkward!”

Instead, says Jesus, "When you are invited, go and sit down at the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he may say to you, 'Friend, move up higher'; then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at the table with you" (v. 10). 

This kind of behavior is not a sign of arrogance. It's a sign of humility. In the words of C.S. Lewis, "Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less." It’s thinking of yourself less and others more. We are to walk with humble hearts; we are to walk in humility, a humble spirit.

Jesus’ parable summarizes the way God’s kingdom turns our world upside down. This passage in Luke is a call for commitment to the ways of God rather than to the ways of the world.

The ways of the world instill a sense of entitlement in our children and parents, who want trophies for participating in sports, not just for winning tournaments. Many parents expect their kids to be admitted to Ivy League colleges, even though only one in ten will get in. College students want A's, not because they have studied hard and learned a lot, but because they have simply showed up for class and paid $3,000 for it. Basketball players go to prestigious universities not necessarily because they want a first-class education, but because they want to play a year and then jump to the NBA.

And let's not forget the arrogant antics and unapologetic self-promotion on reality television. Reality TV is full of people who become famous for being outrageous, not for any specific skills or talents or achievements: The Real Housewives of Orange County, Jersey Shore, The Bachelor, Big Brother, and Keeping Up with the Kardashians. 

Jesus makes a prediction that should be heeded by the stars of reality television and by all of us: "All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted" (v. 11).

The good news is that God has shown us the way: we are humbly exalted through our faith in Jesus Christ. The good news is turning the world upside down and reorienting our lives based on our faith in Christ. Every now and then, we see this reversal at work in the world.

Not every musician is arrogant, conceited or egotistical. I’ve always been a big fan of the music of Bruce Springsteen, since I was eleven or twelve years old. With all his success, he never let it go to his head. It didn’t change who he was; he stayed true to his roots. He has done so much over the years to help fight poverty and hunger and help those in need. I am sure you can think of a favorite musical artist who despite their successful careers have remained grounded and humble in whom they are.

And not every athlete is noted for brash boasting, bragging or self-promotion. On September 6, 1995, Cal Ripken, shortstop for the Baltimore Orioles, became baseball's new "Iron Man," breaking Lou Gehrig's all-time record of 2,130 consecutive games played. Ripken had not missed a game since May 30, 1982.

While a superb athlete, Ripken's Iron Man record is not based on flashy, prima donna behavior on or off the field. Players don't rack up a statistic like that unless they place very high value on faithful service, training and teamwork. 

On the night when he broke the record, Ripken said: "Tonight I stand here, overwhelmed, as my name is linked with the great and courageous Lou Gehrig. I'm truly humbled to have our names spoken in the same breath."

What's more, everyone who heard Ripken say those words, believed them to be true.

We cannot forget that no matter the situation God is the real actor here. God humbles the pretentious and exalts the humble. We are all on the same team. We must be humble or we will stumble. God’s direction for each of us is that we think of others more than ourselves because God’s kingdom includes everyone: male and female, protestant and catholic, black, white, latino, and asian; Jews, Christians and Muslims, gay and straight; those with disabilities both physical and mental; everyone is included at the banquet table in the kingdom of God, no matter what the culture says or thinks. Jesus came to turn the world upside down by extending hospitality to all and committing ourselves to God’s reign rather than the ways of the world. 

May we be God’s representatives to extend God’s hospitality to all whom we meet and know inviting them to come as they are to the table of grace.