A Few Good Words

Matthew 16:13-20

God of revelation, mere flesh and blood cannot reveal divine truth; only your Spirit can give that gift. Be in my breath and voice; be in our ears and understanding, that through these words your Word may be known. In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

A few good words can inspire us to achieve our wildest dreams.

One example is from Martin Luther King, Jr., in 1963, saying, "I have a dream." This was the right vision for a nation in which children would someday be judged not by the "color of their skin but by the content of their character."

Another example is Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. He offers the right understanding of America as a nation "dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal."

Same for Mel Gibson in the movie Braveheart: "They may take our lives, but they'll never take our freedom!" These words are spoken at the right moment, when the Scottish army is losing heart in the face of the English forces.

One of my favorites is from Kurt Russell as Coach Herb Brooks in the movie Miracle, "Great moments are born from great opportunity." It tells the story of the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team's victory over the seemingly invincible Soviet Union. "And that's what you have here, tonight, boys," he tells his team. Great opportunity. "That's what you've earned here tonight. One game. If we played 'em 10 times, they might win nine. But not this game. Not tonight. Tonight, we skate with them. Tonight, we stay with them. And we shut them down because we can! Tonight, we are the greatest hockey team in the world." They go on to win.

A few good words can inspire us to achieve our wildest dreams.

Jesus creates an opportunity for his disciples in the district of Caesarea Philippi, where King Herod had built a temple to Caesar Augustus. As they travel, Jesus asks them, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" The disciples say, "Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets" (vv. 13-14). That's the word on the street. Jesus -- the Son of Man -- is believed to be John, Elijah, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.

"But who do you say that I am?" says Jesus, making the question personal (v. 15). Simon Peter answers, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God" (v. 16). A great moment; born from a great opportunity. Peter makes a declaration about Jesus that changes the course of his life and the history of the entire Christian community. It begins with a few good words, spoken at precisely the right moment.

So what makes Peter's statement so great? The greatest of speeches are given by the right person, at the right moment, with the right vision and the right understanding. All of this is true for Peter when he makes his declaration about Jesus. And it can be true for us as well.

For starters, Peter is the right person. He's not an extraordinary person -- he has the same strengths and weaknesses as the other disciples. He will protest forcefully when Jesus speaks of his suffering and death (v. 22), and will stumble badly when he denies Jesus on the night before the crucifixion (26:69-75). But because Peter is so very human, so much like any one of us, he's the right person to make a declaration about Jesus.

Peter also speaks at the right moment. At this point in the gospel of Matthew, Jesus is nearing the completion of his ministry in Galilee. Soon, he will head toward Jerusalem and face the suffering and death that awaits him there. But first, he needs to make sure that his disciples are clear about who he is, and what the community of his followers will look like. This time on the road to Caesarea Philippi is the right moment for Peter to speak.

When he makes his statement, Peter also has the right vision. He senses Jesus is no mere prophet, a man like John, Elijah, Jeremiah and others before him. No, Peter sees that Jesus is the Messiah, the one who has been anointed by God to rule (v. 16). Literally, that's what Messiah means in Hebrew, "anointed," a title usually attached to a king. Peter considers Jesus to be his king, the one who brings the kingdom of God into the middle of human life.

On top of this, Peter has the right understanding. He grasps that Jesus is "the Son of the living God" (v. 16), the one who shows God's divine power and love more clearly than anyone else. In the very next chapter, Peter will hear God's voice boom out of a cloud, confirming the accuracy of this understanding, "This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!" (17:5).

Jesus is impressed. So impressed, in fact that he says to Peter "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven" (v. 17). Jesus sees that Peter's declaration is a pure gift of God, and he's thankful for it.

"You are Peter," he says, "and on this rock I will build my church" (v. 18). Jesus gives him a name which means "rock," saying that Peter will be the rock on which the Christian church will be built. "The gates of Hades will not prevail against it," predicts Jesus (v. 18). The church will be so strong that death itself will not be able to overcome it. Jesus concludes by giving Peter the "keys of the kingdom of heaven," with authority to bind and to loose, which means that Peter now has authority to be the chief teacher in the church (v. 19). He has the weapons of war in the struggle with the forces of death. Whatever the church binds, death cannot loosen. And whatever the church loosens, death cannot bind. The keys come to symbolize God’s ultimate victory over death.

The keys of the kingdom are about teaching, not about who gets in the Pearly Gates. Peter's given authority is to teach in the name of Jesus and to share his grace and truth with the world, just as the church continues to do today.

So what can we do to follow the example of Peter in being the right people in the right moments, sharing the right vision and the right understandings?

"Great moments are born from great opportunity." Each of us has a great opportunity to play the role of Peter in the world today, since we share his strengths and weaknesses and face similar opportunities to declare in a few good words that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God.

We are the right people to say that Jesus is our Messiah. We are the health care providers who know that Jesus is the Great Physician. We are the soldiers and sailors who honor Jesus as Prince of Peace. We are the students and teachers who grasp that Jesus is the Truth. We are the politicians who see him as King of Kings and we are the astrophysicists who look up to him as the Bright Morning Star.

We speak at the right moments, when a child is struggling and needs a word of encouragement, when a conflict erupts and can be defused by a message of reconciliation, when a colleague is wandering and needs a word of guidance, and when a friend is dying and needs to hear that Jesus has conquered death.

The right vision focuses on Jesus as our sovereign -- the one who rules our faith and life. We look up to Jesus as the one who rules over us with perfect guidance, grace and love. He is the Master we serve with our time, abilities and money; he is the Lord who gives us direction as we make decisions about relationships, careers and family life. To say that Jesus is Messiah is to say that he is "King of the Hill, A number 1, the Big Kahuna."

Finally, a right understanding grasps that Jesus is the Son of the Living God. We understand him when we "stand under" him, seeing that he's in a close and intimate relationship with a God who is alive and well and active in human life. Because Jesus is God's Son, he puts a human face on the grace and truth of our Creator. When we understand Jesus, we understand God.

Peter was given an opportunity to give a speech about Jesus, and it turned into the greatest ever. He didn't miss his moment. Neither should we.

*Inspiration for this sermon came from Bob Kaylor, our Senior Writer, and Senior Minister of the Park City United Methodist Church in Park City, Utah.

Be Merciful

Matthew 15:21-28

Merciful Savior, your suffering has saved our lives, secured our future, and restored us to relationship with God. Remove the shame and fear that cause us to cower in your presence. By the power of your Spirit, open our eyes and hearts to your Word of love, mercy, healing, and blessing; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Racial identity has been one of the great moral issues of the last hundred years. During the Armenian Genocide from 1915-1918, it is estimated that 1.5 million Armenians were exterminated from the surface of the earth at the hands of the Ottoman Empire. The world was later horrified to learn that six million Jews died at the hands of the German Nazis during World War II. The world watched in horror as the apartheid system in South Africa discriminated against the majority of its population because of the color of their skin. Change finally came to overcome these shameful events through hard work and political pressure. And yet there are still areas of the world today where deep-rooted distinctions still exist between people of different races and ethnicities.

We see it today more and more the challenge in many countries to overcome racism with the belief that all humankind is equal no matter what their race or color may be. The challenge is set before different parts of the world to work toward bringing together different people of different backgrounds to live and work together in peace and harmony. There is much racism and prejudice to still overcome.

So when we hear this story in Matthew about Jesus’ encounter with a Canaanite woman, we may find it quite shocking, offensive and out of place. It appears at first glance that Jesus refuses to help someone in need because she is not Jewish. Imagine if a doctor or nurse refused to treat a patient because of their ethnicity or race. Wouldn’t be right, would it? It would sound so strange. What’s happening here with Jesus?

What’s happening is that Jesus’ mission and purpose are being defined. He has a very specific calling and God was now at last fulfilling those promises; that the kingdom they longed for was coming to pass. It was always aimed at Israel because the people of Israel were to serve as the catalysts to bring God’s word, love, faith and mercy to the rest of the world. If God’s mercy was to come to the world, it would come through Israel. That’s why they needed to hear the message first.

What’s also happening is the future is breaking into the present. It catches us by surprise. Even here it seems to catch Jesus himself by surprise, too. Jesus is reluctant to respond to the prayerful requests of the Canaanite woman. This underscores and emphasizes the priority given to the Jewish people as God’s chosen people. But it is a Gentile woman, a Canaanite woman who understands why Jesus is here and what God is doing through the people of Israel. Her faith is so great that she has come to understand things such as Jesus as “son of David” that the disciples are just beginning to grasp and understand. She understands that the Kingdom of God is a kingdom that is, but not yet; present but not yet fulfilled to its completion.

The Canaanite woman gets the blessing for her ill daughter that she needs for three key reasons. First, she is persistent. She demonstrated great faith and persistence in a situation where she might easily have been intimidated by the Jewish rabbi and his disciples. She refuses to be deterred. The woman perseveres in her conviction that Jesus can meet her needs if Jesus chooses to do so. Her single-minded pursuit of Jesus’ blessing stands in sharp contrast with the legal hoops of the Pharisees and the disciples’ lack of understanding.

Second, the woman has no pretension. She is not arrogant or have a self-righteous attitude. She’s authentic and not putting on a façade or appearances. Jesus scolds her by comparing her to a dog. There were two classes of dogs in Jesus’ time. One was the street rat, scavenger, lean and mean, running wild. The other is a small household dogs that were cared for and treated well. Regardless, the Jews viewed all non-Jews as dogs. This is the old way of thinking, the old views of the world. The woman has every right to take offense at this. But again she knows it is through the people of Israel that God will save the rest of the world. So she is willing to wear the “dogs” label as long as she can share the scraps that fall from the master’s table. She accepts her secondary status as an outsider, a Gentile, but remains a petitioner nonetheless.

Third, the woman ministers to Jesus. She is the pure voice from beyond all racial and ethnic boundaries who stakes her claim on the mercy and generosity of God. She facilitates ministry to Jesus across ethnic borders. She has faith in God’s mission to the world that God’s mercy is long and wide reaching beyond the borders of the Jewish people to all peoples of the world. The woman’s faith broke through the waiting period, the period of time in which Jesus would come to Jerusalem as Israel’s messiah, be crucified and raised from the dead, and then send his disciples out into the world. The disciples are not ready for Calvary, while this Canaanite woman insists it is Easter.

What does this mean for us today? It means the Gospel, originally intended for God’s chosen people, also belongs to all the peoples of the world, to all those on the outside looking in. It means that God’s mercy is at work even in the dark, dismal and destructive moments of life as well as the bright, cheerful and constructive moments of life. It means God’s mercy is for all.

Author Anne Lamott describes it this way: “The mystery of God's love and mercy as I understand it is that God loves the man who was being mean to his dog just as much as he loves babies; God loves Susan Smith, who drowned her two sons, as much as he loves Desmond Tutu. And he loved her just as much when she was releasing the handbrake of her car that sent her boys into the river as he did when she first nursed them. So of course, he loves old ordinary me, even my most scared and petty and mean and obsessive. God loves me; chooses me.”[1]

God loves us and God chooses to show us mercy no matter what we’ve done, no matter where we’ve been, no matter what we look like. So let us in turn be merciful to one another.

May we rise to the challenge to overcome racism with the belief that all humankind is equal no matter what their race or color may be; working toward bringing together different people of different backgrounds to live and work together in peace and harmony. We have the example of the Canaanite woman whose faith and persistence surprised everybody, even Jesus and demonstrates God’s mercy is for all people.

I wish to close with the words of an old hymn: Let your beloved precious blood, be to my heart a cleansing flood; to wash my sins of guilt away, that pardoned by your grace I may; go to my house with peace from thee, be merciful to me. Oh God be merciful to me. Oh God be merciful that we may show mercy to one another. Amen.

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[1] Anne Lamott, Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith (Anchor, 2000), 255.

But He Saves You Anyway

Matthew 14:22-33

God of our present trouble and promised triumph, 

open our eyes to see you in the midst of our struggles. Open our ears to hear your words of invitation and assurance.  Open our minds to recall your wonderful works and miracles.  Open our hearts to glory in your name and seek strength in your Word; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The story is told of a great circus performer by the name of Blondin who stretched a long steel cable across Niagara Falls. During high winds and without a safety net, he walked, ran, and even danced across the tightrope to the amazement and delight of the large crowd of people who watched.

Once he took a wheelbarrow full of bricks and amazed the crowd by pushing it effortlessly across the cable, from one side of the falls to the other. Blondin then turned to the crowd and asked, “Now, how many of you believe that I could push a person across the wire in the wheelbarrow?”

The vote was unanimous. Everyone cheered and held their hands high. They all believed he could do it!

“Then,” asked Blondin, “would one of you please volunteer?”

As quickly as the hands went up, they went back down. Not a single person would volunteer to ride in the wheelbarrow and to trust their life to Blondin.

Many people say to Jesus, “Yes, I believe!” If you are among those who say that, are you willing to demonstrate your belief by trusting your life to him? Are you willing to get in the wheelbarrow and to risk everything on your faith? Would you be willing to walk to Jesus on the water and risk it all for Christ? That’s what it means to have faith.

The story of Jesus & Peter walking on the water is a story about the life of faith; one mixed with doubt where many of us find ourselves, including the disciples. The disciples have been at sea all night and find themselves wrapped up in a terrible, violent storm. They are blown to and fro by the gale force winds and tumultuous surf. This morning let us put ourselves in that fishing boat floating upon the stormy seas of life; let us put ourselves in the shoes of Jesus’ disciples. The disciples in the boat had witnessed so much of Jesus’ power; they heard his teachings and prayed his prayers. Now they are stuck. They are professional fishermen who having experienced many a terrifying storm were unable to steer and move against this storm and its prevailing winds and currents. They are stuck in a moment they can’t get out of.

We today have discovered, learned, and invented so many things and ideas, but we still lack the power to do many things that really matter in making the world a better place. We have machines and weapons for making war, but none for making peace. We can listen to whales sing, but we can’t hear our neighbors cry out for help a block away. We are able to put a man on the moon, but can’t put food in hungry stomachs of children.

And in the midst of the storms of life, we see someone across the water. A mysterious figure doing the impossible walking on the water headed in our direction. Many see Jesus as a ghost-like figure; a mirage or a fantasy who cannot relate to us and our problems. Some find Jesus frightening while others want Jesus to go away and leave us alone. The disciples who knew Jesus as well as anyone else didn’t recognize him at first. They didn’t know what to expect from him. By walking on the water he appears to do the impossible. And there are many, like Peter, who wish to copy him; who want to be like Jesus. If Jesus can do it, then certainly I can, too. Peter knows that whatever Jesus commands, Jesus makes possible. Jesus’ commands create miracles. When the command is spoken, Peter gets out of the boat and begins to walk toward Jesus. Pastor and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer analyzed Peter’s response to Jesus’ command citing that, “Peter had to leave the ship and risk his life on the sea, in order to learn both his own weakness and the almighty power of his Lord. If Peter had not taken the risk, he would never have learned the meaning of faith…The road to faith passes through obedience to the call of Jesus.” Bonhoeffer goes on to say, “only the one who believes is obedient, and only the one who is obedient believes. Faith is only real where there is obedience, never without it, and faith only becomes faith in the act of obedience”. [1]

But all too often we slip off track; get distracted; we like Peter become frightened by the wind, begin to sink, cry out to Jesus and get rescued. Our eyes drop for a moment to see the waves churning at our feet. Imagine for a moment you’re a surfer on a California beach, when suddenly a gigantic wave rises and threatens the shoreline. Now replace the surf-board, the sunshine and the sand of the shoreline with darkness, fear and a roaring wind. It becomes one person against the elements. This is often how it feels to bring God’s love and grace into the cold, dark night of the world. It’s at times such as these when we need to hear Jesus’ words, a combination of rebuke and encouragement. When we are ready to give up and throw in the towel, that’s the moment when help is just a step away.

This is what it’s like for each of us as Christian disciples day after day. We all face moments of hesitation and hard struggles of doubt. But he saves you anyway! Many times we struggle to do what Jesus asks us to do because it seems impossible or it’s too hard. But he saves you anyway! How can we think we might be able to develop a serious habit of prayer and study when we’re so frantic and disorganized? How can we imagine living without the sin Jesus asks us to give up? But he saves you anyway!

This story of Peter as the faithful follower becomes overwhelmed by the circumstances surrounding him, who begins to lose his nerve when he discovers the odds stacked against him, but who from Jesus finds a steadying, delivering hand. This is our story. We are called to simply keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and our ears open for his encouragement. May we be ready in mind, body and spirit to do what he says no matter how crazy it may sound. Amen.

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[1] The Cost of Discipleship. Dietrich Bonhoeffer.  (New York: Macmillan Co. 1960) pp.53-60.

The BUZZING Church: What We Gain

Philippians 3:4-9

Many weeks ago we started our journey together learning about what it takes to be “The Buzzing Church”, a church buzzing with enthusiasm, excitement, joy and love; a church that practices what it believes; a church willing to do a new thing in obedience to God.

We learned every one of us must integrate four core practices into the life of our church: instruction in God’s Word, fellowship with one another and the world, worship of God and a devotion to prayer. These practices provide the avenue for God to do a new thing in our lives and the life of our community. We learned we have all inherited the necessary tools of the trade in order to put these four practices into action; the full armor of God, as described in Ephesians 6. We learned for a team or a community to be successful and meet its goals, every player, every member has specific God-given gifts to be used to play their specific role on the team. Everyone has been given spiritual gifts from God through the Holy Spirit. Paul writes we are to “present our bodies to God”. Real worship is the offering of everyday life to God. Real worship is something which enables us to see the whole world as the temple of the living God, and every common deed an act of worship.

Today I wish to conclude this series on the BUZZING Church by examining the balance sheet of faith; the gains and losses of the life of faith in Christ. What do we gain through faith in Christ and what do we lose through faith in Christ?

D’Anna and I were recently visiting with one of our neighbors who works for Bank of America. We were talking about finances & money and how it doesn’t grow on trees anymore (not that it ever did!), the challenge of saving money for the future, and that it seems as if we don’t have enough money to do all the things we want to do. Our neighbor re-introduced to me to an old term I hadn’t heard or discussed since college: Opportunity cost. The New Oxford American Dictionary defines Opportunity Cost as "the loss of potential gain from other alternatives when one alternative is chosen".[1] The notion of opportunity cost plays a crucial part in ensuring that scarce resources are used efficiently. We all have limited time and money, so we must make choices every day choosing one thing over another. The cost is what we gain from our choice as well as what we lose from our choice. We use it to make routine decisions about how best to spend limited time or money.[2] We lose something, we gain something.

Paul writes in our scripture today about opportunity cost to the church in Philippi, an ancient Greek city in eastern Macedonia. He is writing to them from prison in Rome. The overall tone of the letter indicates that Paul loved the Philippians; he’s concerned for their welfare; he’s proud of them; he prays for them with joy for they had come to believe so readily the first time they heard the Gospel message. Paul has heard things about some false teachers whose teachings contradict the Gospel. These false teachers have distorted the idea of circumcision, as one commentator puts it, as nothing more than the useless, meaningless cutting of one’s body. According to Paul, true circumcision is no longer a physical one, but a spiritual one. It has a true, inner meaning realized only in believers, who worship God with genuine spiritual worship and who glory in Christ as their Savior rather than trusting in their own human effort. The false teachers have confidence in the flesh as their saving grace. But Paul, who once had confidence in the flesh, now has something more.

Paul’s Jewish pedigree is the real deal. Back in his day, Paul had it all! His pre-conversion confidence is rooted in his Jewish pedigree, privileges and attainments. His Jewish roots are deep and unambiguous. He was an All-Star, an All-Pro, the cream of the crop, the Big Kahuna, top of the class, king of the hill, A number 1! Paul counted it all as gain!

When Paul has his conversion on the Damascus Road, he gives up his pedigree, his privileges and his attainments. He gave up his status as a Pharisee, the privilege of being a Jew, following the law, any wealth he may have had as a Pharisse and even his own name. He counts it all as loss. He sees it all as rubbish. Paul gave up everything he knew and had to gain Christ.

Paul has gained Christ. Paul has been crucified with Christ so therefore it is no longer Paul who lives but it is Christ who lives in Paul. Paul’s righteousness no longer comes from following the law of God. It comes to Paul from God through faith in Him. He gains Christ through faith in Him.

What do we lose through faith in Christ? I read a story about a young man from Florida named James Barnett, who gave up everything he owned to live on the streets and love the poor. He grew up in a solid Christian home. He was very involved in his church growing up. It was on a mission trip to Nicaragua when he met a woman named Ms. Ruby. Ms. Ruby would go and pray for the poor who were living in La Chureca, a city dump. They lived amongst mountains of fecal matter, toxic medical waste and battery acid. She prayed over them every day on God’s behalf. James Barnett met with Ms. Ruby on his last day in Nicaragua.

“As James kneeled on the floor of her home just outside the gates of the dump, she poured oil over his head and began speaking in tongues.

“I was expecting something transformational,” James said. “I mean, how often do you get outside of the country to be prayed over by a prophetess in the middle of a dump?”

Finally, the prophetess fell silent. She looked at James and said, “Child, the Lord wants you to know you haven’t been obedient.” James was furious. He had worked so hard to live a good life; he didn’t understand how he had not been obeying.

“My child,” she said calmly, “your obedience isn’t defined by what you don’t do, but by what you do for the world your God so loves.”[3]

In September, 2009, James decided to make a change. James quit his job, giving up a six figure salary position with J.P. Morgan Chase, sold all his belongings and lived on the streets to serve the poor and the homeless. He made some simple t-shirts to sell to raise money that simply read, “Clothe Your Neighbor as Yourself”. It has since become a non-profit organization raising money to help the hungry and the homeless.

What did James lose and what did James gain? Everything & everything. He gave up the status and wealth of his budding career path in the banking industry to live amongst the poor and homeless of Tallahassee, Florida and later Atlanta, Georgia. He counted it all as loss, but counted Christ as gain through faith alone.

Through faith in Christ, we have everything to lose and everything to gain. Through faith in Christ, we are no longer tethered to the Law of the Old Testament for our salvation for it has been fulfilled in the life, death and resurrection of Christ. Through faith in Christ, we are set free from the anxiety of an unknown future, the nostalgia of the past, and the expectations of tradition. Through faith in Christ, we are able to let go of the stale, tired and old traditions that hold us back; old jobs that have become monotonous, dull and tiring; and the old ways of living that are unsustainable and unmaintainable. We gain a new freedom; the freedom from ourselves; the freedom to let go of all the dead weight and baggage we’ve been carrying around for far too long. We gain a new righteousness through faith in Christ, a new grace that cannot be earned in any way or bought at any price. We gain a trust; a trust that God is in control and leading us where we are to go (if we only let him).

The BUZZING Church lives in the freedom gained by the righteousness of God through faith in Christ. Through faith and faith alone, we know who is ultimately the captain of this sea-worthy vessel we call the First Presbyterian Church of Kilgore, Texas. We see God’s face in everything, all around us; we feel his presence in our community life; and through the small, still voice of truth, we trust in his love for us. Everything is loss, but Christ is gain. This is the Good News. See it. Feel it. Trust it.[4] Amen.

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[1] www,wikipedia.org/wiki/Opportunity_cost
[2] Ibid.
[3] www.publicgoodreporting.wordpress.com/2012/04/23/james-barnett-a-man-who-gave-up-everything-he-owned-to-live-on-the-streets-and-love-the-poor
[4] Seven Days in Utopia. Directed by Matt Russell. Produced by Utopia Pictures and Prospect Park, 2011.