Bible Study - April 10th

April 10th, 2005
"Their Eyes Were Opened"
Luke 24:13-35 (New International Version)

On the Road to Emmaus 13Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16but they were kept from recognizing him.
17He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”
They stood still, their faces downcast. 18One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?”
19“What things?” he asked.
“About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 20The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 21but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. 22In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning 23but didn't find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.”
25He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26Did not the Christ[b] have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” 27And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
28As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if he were going farther. 29But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them.
30When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. 32They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”
33They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together 34and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” 35Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.

Notes:

How many of us have been walking along totally oblivious to what is going on around us?
Totally oblivious to God who is right there....all the time. Not that we are always tuned in the spiritual realm - far from it. But, that is not the same as never been tuned in ...

No body knows how it happened that the disciples were suddenly made aware of Jesus presence following his crucifixion. No one knows what happened to St. Paul on the Road to Damascus.

Religious experiences are private and personal. And they are not rationally or psychologically explainable - although we should not be completely gullible just because someone says that "God spoke to them." Too often, as we know, religious visionaries play on people's superstition and fears in order to gain power or money. Some of the more blantant examples are various television evangelists who practice healing right on camera. While presenting themselves as very pious and well-meaning, they often take advantage of the poor and the elderly who send them money in hopes of regaining health and good fortune. This gives a bad name to legitmate religious experieces which many people have but never discuss for fear of being seen as being "mentally unstable."

In his book, Varieties of Religious Experience, the famous author William James gives many and varied accounts of religious experience in people's lives. Have you ever had a religious experience? Have you ever encountered extra-sensory experiences which were unexplainable and which you have never told anyone about or only a few? Have you ever been going along in life like the two persons on the road to Emmaus who suddenly "had their eyes opened?"

Has Jesus ever appeared to you in the guise of someone else - even an ordinary and unexpected person? Can God's word come to us in a variety of ways? How does the Holy Spirit act upon our hearts?

Sermon Notes - April 3rd

April 3rd, 2205
"More Precious than Gold."
1 Peter 1:3-9 (The Message)

1. What a difference a week makes. A few days ago we were trying to absorb the meaning of the death of Terri Schiavo and now that whole media event is overshadowed by the death of the Pope – who, fortunately, did not end up living in a persistent vegitative state …

It is difficult in times like this to give sermons that do not sound irrelevant on the one hand and like current events on the other. However, there is little doubt that religion has been in the news lately.

As I got up this morning I felt the mood had changed so much that I ended up revising this sermon. For there is little doubt that the death of Pope John Paul II is a huge and momentus event in this increasingly global world – whether you are Catholic or not. So, to our Catholic friends we offer our prayers and sympathy in the loss of this enormous figure in the life of all the church.

The Pope’s passing does not change, however, my thoughts about how undestand and deal with the question of death. After all, it is a very pertinent issue which is on everyones mind these days – even more so perhaps in that we realize that even Popes are mortal. In fact, I think I got more comments on my sermon last Sunday than I have in a long time.

2. I think this is because, like it or not, death is a universal experience which naturally raises everyone’s anxiety … particularly … in our society … which despite it’s emphasis on religious faith … is often no more secure about it than in other cultures and religious societies. And right, now because of the advances in modern medicine which can keep people alive (or sort of “alive”) longer than ever before we are confused about how long and in what condition we want to go on living or to have our loved ones go on living.

No one likes to talk about death and dying and, of course, even the President spoke in favor of a “culture of life” which is a pretty safe enough term that everyone can agree with … but, what does a “culture of life” actually mean when it comes down to having to make decisions which involve death? Such as:

a. decisions about abortion

b. decisions about the death penality or capital
punishment as it is called

c. decisions about war and the killing of American
soldiers and innocent civlians in Iraq

d. and, of course, decisions about whether
or not to prolong life by artificial medical
procedures

3. Part of the problem has to do with with how we define death: what?

a. Is death a natural part of the life process which
needs to be embraced and accepted?

b. Is death the ultimate enemy which needs to
be defeated as St. Paul suggests?

c. Is death the ultimate punishment for sin
as is implied by the story of Adam and Eve?

All the above, none of the above … which is it?

And, the other thing is that once we get into trying to define what death is … then we are inevitably right back to trying to understand the whole question of life. Are we not? Because, our attitudes about both Life and Death are inextricably connected.

What better subject, then, to discuss on the first Sunday after Easter – when we are also trying to understand the meaning of Jesus life, death, and resurrection?

And, as well shall see, once we start talking about life and death, sooner or later we end up dealing with life’s other uncertainties … and traumas … as well. In other words, as we say, it involves the whole “ball of wax.”

In short … what is the point of life if, as we know, we are only here one earth for a short time … to be born, live, perhaps marry, have children, grow old and then die … for what? Who has not asked that question? And what happens to us after we die? Whoaah! Big stuff for the Sunday after Easter.

So, what is the answer?

4. Well, the Christian answer is basically contained in the scripture reading today. We’ve all heard it before in one way or another … but especially in light of the recent Schiavo event it bears repeating – and I will read to you from the Eugene Peterson translation:

What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we've been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven--and the future starts now! God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. The Day is coming when you'll have it all--life healed and whole.

I know how great this makes you feel, even though you have to put up with every kind of aggravation in the meantime. Pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure; genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine. When Jesus wraps this all up, it's your faith, not your gold, that God will have on display as evidence of his victory. You never saw him, yet you love him. You still don't see him, yet you trust him--with laughter and singing. Because you kept on believing, you'll get what you're looking forward to: total salvation.


That’s it … pretty straightforward and concise. Your version is printed in the bulletin. Take it home, read it over a couple of times. Maybe put it up on the refrigerator….

5. Now, of course, as we try to better understand these words of Peter we need to understand that back in those days the early Christians and most people in general did worry about things like the prolonging of life through aritificial means. They actually didn’t have to worry about a lot of things we deal with today in terms of technology and medicine and the media. So the situation was very different than ours today.

The world, as they knew it, was largely controlled by the Roman Empire which was really the first and only totally Globablized system ever achieved on earth. And, at the time this letter was written, the Roman Emperors were not particularly excited about the Christian message …

In fact, many people in Rome thought the Christians were a bizarre sect which should be just as well done away with … so being a Christian could be a risky business in some places. In fact, in 64 AD – a great fire broke out in Rome and burned for three days and nights. Most people suspected that it was the mad emperor Nero who started the fire. So, to avoid further social upheaval, Nero needed a scapegoat and therefore he conveniently blamed it on the Christians. We know all about this because Tacitus, the Roman historian told the story this way:

“…in hopes of dissapating the rumor, Nero falsely diverted the charge on to a set of people who were destested for the abominations they perpetuated. The founder of the sect, one Christus by name, had been executed by Pontius Pilate in the reign of Tiberius; but the dangerous superstition broke out again, not only in Judea, the original home of the pest, but also in Rome, where everything shameful and horrible collects and is practiced.”

As you can see, Tacitus, inspite of his honesty about what a creep Nero was, certainly wasn’t all that pleased about the Christian movement either.

6. So, with this in mind, we can understand that Peter’s letter was written primarily for one purpose only … namely, to strengthen men and women who had recently become Christians … in the face of the oncoming persecutions which would last for several hundred years.

Now, listen again to Peter’s words:

I know how great this makes you feel, even though you have to put up with every kind of aggravation in the meantime.

And …

The Day is coming when you'll have it all--life healed and whole.

Notice that there is very little emphasis on sin or guilt … or the need for forgiveness … only hope … hope for a better life in the world to come … which they believed would be coming fairly soon!

In short, the very early Christian message was simply this:


a. The New Age of fulfillment has happened … God has spoken and a new Kingdom is at hand.
b. The New age has come about through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ as it was foretold in the prophecies of the Old Testament prophets.
c. Through His resurrection, Jesus Christ has conquered death and returned to be with God.
d. Christ will return shortly and will judge the living and the dead and through repentence and the power of the Holy Spirit all who believe will receive the promise of eternal life.

Now, considering the generally sorry state of affairs that people were in at that time – the Christian message made a whole lot more sense than the religions of Greece and Rome and many people thought that this was really “Good News.” As a result, many people said, “Sounds good to me … sign me up!” So in spite of persecution and the opposition of the Roman government, the Christian movment soon began to spread far and wide.

7. So, considering that “that was then and this is now”-- how do we as Christians understand the message of Jesus Christ in terms of our own life, death, and future resurrection in our world today? Is this message of hope still “Good News for us today?

Well, first of all, while we must realize that in those earlier days life was very difficult, we too have our own trials and temptations in perhaps different ways today. For just as the early Christians had to stand up for their faith in the midst of trouble we too are tested in various ways – perhaps more than we think, sometimes.

So, what does it mean to be tested nowadays? And just what is the purpose of “being tested?”

We all have heard the familiar saying, "Whatever doesn't break you will make you stronger." Likewise, in Ist Peter, the question of suffering and misfortunate is compared to the purification of gold. And yet, he says that faith is revealed to be "more precious than gold."What things do we have to "stand up for?" What things in our life cause us suffering? What is it that gives us the strength to "stand it?" How is our faith involved and how does it give us “hope” in the face of adversity?

We also might ask ourselves how this message of Peter is different from some of the messages we get from the media and advertising and some TV evangelists who say that God intends to reward us with "earthly" things. Or, that through "positive thinking," we can all become healthier and wealthier. What is after all, in light of the words of 1st Peter, our real goal in life anyway?

8. I am going to get to that in a minute, but first a word about Leslie Weatherhead who was one of the most popular Methodist preachers in England from 1930 to 1960. Even though he remained a Methodist all his life, he actually served for 24 years at City Temple, a Congregationalist church in London, which was widely seen at the time as the greatest English Free Church pulpit, and ensured him a wide audience. For at a time when church attendance was declining, many came to hear Weatherhead preach.

Although his books and sermons are now over 40 years old … I find it helpful to reread them from time to time as I did this past week. A Methodist to the core, he stated his belief most concisely in saying,”I believe passionately that Christianity is a way of life, not a theological system with which one must be in intellectual agreement.”

One of the most unusual things about Weatherhead, contrary to his otherwise quite skeptical, modern, and liberal preaching, was his fervent belief in not only life after death but in psychic research. His lifelong pursuit of this subject eventually led him to believe that persons who die sometimes hang around for a time in a more or less ethereal state. If this seems rather strange, Weatherhead actually goes to some length to share numerous testimonies of people’s actual encounters with relatives who have recently died.

Quite unusual, we might say, for someone who in every other way was one of the most modern and progressive clergy in all of England. Were he to be correct, of course, in believing that at least some people exist in some physical form for a period shortly after death. I am not quite sure what to make of it. But, of course, if it were true, it would quite nicely explain the reported existence of Jesus after the crucifixion and prior to His ascension. Wouldn’t it? What do you think? Pretty interesting!


Now while I have never personally experienced anything of this sort, I am not totally opposed to the possibility of various forms of extra sensory perception and I can attest to having had some rather extraordinary spiritual experiences at times in my own life. None of which were, I should add, rationally provable or explainable. And from time to time I have also been told about such things by various people as well. At the same time, I am for the most part skeptical mainly because of the tendency for this to be a field ripe for quackery and deception. However, like my strong interest in dream interpretation (for which there is much more credibility), I am open to discussing this further if any of you would like to share it sometime. The same is true, I might add, with what we may call “religious experiences.”

9. Now despite the increased skepticism in England from overly rationalistic people like Bertrand Russell, Weatherhead continued to believe in eternal life. Although he no longer believed that it would be a place of golden streets, white robes and harps. Toward the end of his life he wrote:

“May we be delivered from a heaven that is anything like
an endless church service, and if I and some of my friends
are going to sing in the heavenly choir it will not be heaven for anyone!”

What, instead, would heaven be like? Weatherhead believed that it would be a place of joy, fellowship, and service to others – the greatest of all joys!!

But mostly, he believed that Heaven is the goal that makes this life meaningful. It is not just “pie in the sky when you die,” kind of thing.

CS Lewis, he wrote, said that “We are so afraid that heaven is a bribe … it is not so … Heaven offers nothing that a mercenary soul can desire. It is safe to tell the pure in heart that they shall see God, for the pure in heart want to.”

Jesus, he said, never seemed to scorn rewards either … for”Great is your reward in Heaven,” he quite often told his followers.

10. So, what it comes down to is … that life must have a goal … a purpose … a direction … otherwise there is no point to it.

If life is a journey … then where are we going? Where is it that we hope to end up?

For if, on this journey, there are troubles and hardships and misfortune as there is for everyone … what is the point? … is it all meaningless … or is it purposeful? Is it really a kind of test, as St. Peter suggests?

For a long time I thought that somehow the idea in life was to figure it all out … in order to arrive at some ultimate answer … and I have tried … and tried … and read many books and studied the Bible and philosophers and history … and psychology … and still it remains a mystery … Why is that?

Is it because, as I think now, the answer lies beyond this world … beyond my life … and therefore my search leads beyond this world … beyond my life … to God – who is the ultimate answer?

11. For if God is the answer … then our life here is all about learning what God has to tell us … and everything that happens to us is a process in our eventual salvation … as we grow in faith …

No doubt about it … life can be hard sometimes ….for there are, in fact, many things we are here in this life to learn about. For instance:

a. We all have to learn to be masters of our body … and not give in to every temptation …

b. We all have to learn to deal with pain and sorrow and frustration …

c. We all experience bitterness and apathy …

d. We all have to forgive and accept forgiveness and not wallow in guilt … and to move onward and learn from our mistakes …

That’s a lot to learn. A rather tough school we are in – wouldn’t you say? Lot’s of tests we have to pass in life. And everyone has a little different experience – of course.

Yet, when we keep the goal in mind … when we know where we are going … we accept the situation and we go forward joyfully … knowing that God goes with us …

12. Now, I think we are all a little superstitious and a little selfish sometimes about asking God for things. And yet God does not seem to mind. After all, God always knows anyway. Right?

Back when I was a student at the University I always made it a habit to go to church the Sunday before finals week.

Not that I specifically was hoping to influence God in getting a good grade … (although that certainly was on my mind).

But, I found it helped me to focus. To put things in perspective. To see the bigger picture.

It helped me to realize that there was more to life than just the exams and whether I did well or didn’t to well there life would go on …

That is one reason why we are here this morning …I suspect, Because we all have lots of tests we are facing in life … everyday of the week … at our work … in our families … with regard to
our health …

Lot’s of things …

And, it helps to have the big picture in mind … and to know where we are going … and that God is with us … on this journey we call life … and lastly, that death is not the final answer … but that Jesus died and was resurrected to show us that we, too, have this inheritance … which is more precious than gold.


Let us pray ….