Sermon Notes for March 4, 2007

March 4, 2007
The Hidden Treasure
Mark 4:30-32, Mathew 13:44

1. Before we get into discussing the two parables for today, I would like to say some basic things about parables in general and about Jesus use of parables in his teaching.

First of all, we must ask ourselves: “What is a parable? Well, by definition, a parable is a brief, succinct story, in prose or verse, that illustrates a moral or religious lesson. For instance, it differs from a fable -- in that it excludes animals, plants, inanimate objects, and forces of nature as actors that assume speech and other powers of mankind.

For instance, for the sake of comparison, we might consider one of Aesop’s famous fables like the one about the ant and the grasshopper. How many of you remember the story of The Ant and the Grasshopper? It goes like this:

In a field one summer's day a Grasshopper was hopping about, chirping and singing to its heart's content. An Ant passed by, bearing along with great toil an ear of corn he was taking to the nest. "Why not come and chat with me," said the Grasshopper, "instead of toiling and moiling in that way?" "I am helping to lay up food for the winter," said the Ant, "and recommend you to do the same." "Why bother about winter?" said the Grasshopper; we have got plenty of food at present." But the Ant went on its way and continued its toil. When the winter came the Grasshopper had no food and found itself dying of hunger, while it saw the ants distributing every day corn and grain from the stores they had collected in the summer.

Then the Grasshopper knew: It is best to prepare for the days of necessity.

2. Now, we must realize that lots of religious teachers all over the world have taught with stories and parables. For instance here is a story about the Buddha who used a similar image of the mustard seed to get a point across: It goes like this:

There was a young woman name Kisa Gotami. She had an only son, and he died. In her grief she carried the dead child to all her neighbors, asking them for medicine, and the people said: "She has lost her senses. The boy is dead.” At length Kisa Gotami met a man who replied to her request: "I cannot give thee medicine for thy child, but I know a physician who can." The girl said: "Pray tell me, sir; who is it?" And the man replied: "Go to Sakyamuni, the Buddha."

Kisa Gotami went to the Buddha and cried: "Lord and Master, give me the medicine that will cure my boy." The Buddha answered: "I want a handful of mustard-seed." And when the girl in her joy promised to procure it, the Buddha added: "The mustard-seed must be taken from a house where no one has lost a child, husband, parent, or friend." Poor Kisa Gotami now went from house to house, and the people pitied her and said: "Here is mustard-seed; take it!" But when she asked “Did a son or daughter, a father or mother, die in your family?" They all answered her: "Alas the living are few, but the dead are many. Do not remind us of our deepest grief." And, so, Kisa discovered that there was no house but some beloved one had died in it.

Now, Kisa Gotami became very weary and hopeless, and she sat down at the wayside, watching the lights of the city, as they flickered up and were extinguished again. At last the darkness of the night reigned everywhere. And she considered the fate of men, that their lives flicker up and are extinguished. And she thought to herself: "How selfish am I in my grief! Death is common to all; yet in this valley of desolation there is a path that leads to immortality to those who have surrendered all selfishness."

And then it goes on to give the Buddhist answer to all suffering. It’s no exactly the Christian answer, but my point is that it is a good story which teaches wisdom in the face of sorrow and grief all from the Buddhist perspective. And we don’t need to become Buddhists to learn from other religions from time to time.

3. But my main point is that, when Jesus told parables, he did not create a whole new literary genre. Rather, he made use of a genre which was already of long tradition and which was familiar to all throughout the Mediterranean and the whole world. In fact, in Greece and Rome, parables were often employed by rhetoricians, politicians and philosophers like Socrates and Aristotle. For instance, Aristotle even talks about parables in his famous book on Rhetoric. And, in Israel parables were uttered by prophets and wise men and they even appear in the oldest books of the Old Testament.

4. So, as did many religious teachers and the rabbis of his time, Jesus also used simple word-pictures, called parables, to help people understand who God is and what his kingdom or reign is like. Jesus’ images and characters were taken from everyday life in order to create a miniature play or drama to illustrate his message. His stories appealed to the young and old, poor and rich, and to the learned and unlearned as well. In fact, over a third of the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke contain parables told by Jesus.

5. Jesus’ parables are therefore clever word-pictures which are designed to challenge the mind to discover anew what God is like and to emotionally move the heart to make a response to God's love and truth. And so Jesus used the ordinary everyday things of life to point to another order of reality which is “hidden, yet visible” to those who had "eyes to see" and "ears to hear". His parables are therefore much like the buried treasure waiting to be discovered in the field (Matt. 13:44).

So, we may ask, “How can ordinary everyday images and stories, such as hidden treasure, a tiny mustard seed, a determined woman looking for her lost coin, a barren fig tree, the pearl of great price, the uninvited wedding guests, portray timeless and extraordinary truths?”

6. Well, Jesus taught primarily by the use of comparisons like the parable of the mustard seed:
To what shall we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use for it? It is like a mustard seed... (Mark 4:30-31).

From this we see that God's kingdom or reign is like what happens in Jesus' stories. And it is important to realize that Jesus’ comparisons have to do with the whole process, and not simply with an object or person alone. This is because, while his parables are rooted in a specific time and place, they nonetheless speak of timeless realities to people of every time and place – even to us today.

So, Jesus' parables often have a double meaning. First, there is the literal meaning, apparent to anyone who has experience with the subject matter. But beyond the literal meaning lies a deeper meaning -- a beneath-the-surface lesson about God's truth and his kingdom.
For example, the parable of the leaven (see Matthew 13:33) describes the simple transformation of dough into bread by the inclusion of the yeast. Simple enough and this, then, points to the deeper reality that we are being transformed by God's love when we allow his word and Spirit to take root in our hearts. And, in turn, we are called to become the leaven that transforms the society in which we live and work.

For instance, Jerome, an early church father and biblical scholar wrote that: "The marrow of a parable is different from the promise of its surface, and like as gold is sought for in the earth, the kernel in a nut and the hidden fruit in the prickly covering of chestnuts, so in parables we must search more deeply after the divine meaning."

7. Jesus' parables often also involve an element of surprise or an unexpected twist. We are sometimes taken off guard by the progression of the story. The parable moves from the very familiar and understandable aspects of experience to a sudden turn of events or a remarkable comparison which challenges the hearer and invites further reflection.

For example, why should a shepherd go through a lot of bother and even risk his life to find one lost sheep when ninety-nine are in his safe keeping? Well, this illustrates the shepherd's concern for one lost sheep and his willingness to risk his own life for it -- tells us a lot about God's concern for his each of us – no matter how lost we may feel at times.

In addition, Jesus told his disciples that not everyone would understand his parables.

"To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God; but for others they are in parables, so that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not hear (Luke 8:10)."

Did Jesus mean to say that he was deliberately confusing his listeners? Very likely not -- because Jesus was speaking from experience and was aware that some of those who heard his parables refused to understand them. It was not that they could not intellectually understand them, but rather, their hearts were closed to what Jesus was saying. They had already made up their minds to not believe.

And so, Jesus knew that God can only reveal the secrets of his kingdom to the humble and trusting person who acknowledges the need for God and for his truth. As a result, the parables of Jesus will only enlighten us if we approach them with an open mind and heart and are ready to let them challenge us. But, if we approach them with the conviction that we already know the answer, then we, too, may look but not see, listen but not hear or understand.

7. So, for us today, when reading the parables it is important to not get bogged down to much in the details of the story. The main point is what counts. In addition, we should be aware that Jesus often throws in a surprise or unexpected twist. These challenge the hearer and invite us to reflect. Jesus meant for his parables to provoke a response. If we listen with faith and humility then each will understand as we are able -- to receive what Jesus wishes to speak to each of us individually and therefore they will obviously mean different things to different people. In short, we may not entirely agree about the meaning of each parable. That’s okay.

8. So, much for the background on parables. Let’s move on to the parable of the Mustard Seed.

PASS AROUND MUSTARD SEEDS

Now, to understand this parable we need to know a couple of things about mustard seeds and plants.
a. The seed IS very small (but so is an acorn compared to an oak tree. So the size of the seed is not critical.
b. The mustard plant is not extraordinarily large – like the famous Cedars of Lebanon which grow to over 100 feet high and are mentioned in the Bible over 75 times. So, size is not critical.
c. The mustard seed does, however, grow fast and tends to get out of control and birds do like the seeds.

So, for the listeners to Jesus' parable, a mustard seed could only grow into a small bush-not more than four feet high and only a few birds would be able to make a bedraggled nest in its branches.

As a symbol, therefore, the mustard seed is the reverse of what the Israelites at the time had in mind when they envisaged the Kingdom of God. They believed that, through Israel, God would establish his sovereignty and rule over all the nations of the world (like the mighty Cedars of Lebanon). Yet, the parable clearly states that the Kingdom of God has nothing to do with a vindictive triumph over one's enemies or worldly success as was expected by Jesus’ listeners (or by us).

9. One interpretation of this parable might be then that, if you think that your church, your nation, or your ethnic group is going to be delivered by God, and enjoy a magnificent triumph--or if you expect that the whole world is going to be converted to Jesus Christ--you are mistaken; it isn't going to happen. What the Gospel is interested in -- is you. Not what you can do; just plain you.


In the bulletin I have also included other possible suggestions. Such as the mustard seed being a metaphor for the growth of the Christian faith – from such a small beginning. Or the fact that
The mustard seed rapidly goes to seed and continues growing and often can get out of control. Could this mean that God’s word is not something that is under our control? In other words, is the church merely what we want it to be – or is to be what God wants it to be?

Or, as I first suggested is it just about you or me? Is it how something which appears to be insignificant – such as the power of God’s love … has the ability to transform people’s lives?

In other words, is it about growth? Is faith something that grows like a plant – mysteriously within us? Does it have a life of its own? If so, how should we take care of our faith and keep it going?

10. We will come back to the mustard seed parable again next week.
Now, let us touch briefly on the parable of the hidden treasure.

On surface it seems pretty straight forward. Except that it
appears to be a little extreme, perhaps. Give up everything you have? What on earth would be so valuable that you would give up everything you have? Wouldn’t that involve a pretty big risk? It must, then be something very valuable indeed! What is this kingdom of God which is a buried treasure?

Now, part of the problem, as I have said before, is that we do not live in a kingdom today in America. Hence, the word kingdom is a bit unfamiliar to us today. So, I would like to substitute another word: reality. For, in Jesus times, kingdoms were reality for most people. Not just political reality but also religious. And, as one biblical commentator has said, “When Jesus said in the K of G the ‘last shall be first’ he was saying something very radical.” Because the only kingdom everyone knew was the Roman Empire. And in the Roman Empire the last were not first!

11. How many kingdoms do you live in? How many realities do you live in?

TALK ABOUT THE REALITIES:

FAMILY
SCHOOL
WORK
COMMUNITY – BEMIDJI
STATE – MINNESOTA
NATION – AMERICA
RELATIONSHIPS/MARRIAGE – FRIENDS
MONEY
CHURCH

How important are these realities in your life? Which is
the most important? How do they affect your life?

Now, what is the kingdom of God? What is the reality of
God in this life?

Is it: Faith in God?
Trust in God?
A relationship with God?
A spiritual life?
A relationship with other people of faith who love
And care about us?
Is it: inner peace?
Is it salvation and forgiveness for sin?
Is it: knowing God loves and cares about you?

Or is it all of these things?

12. Now let us suppose that something bad happened to you?

Suppose you lost your job or went broke?
Suppose your marriage failed?
Suppose your health failed?
Suppose you lose a loved on?
Suppose your friend desert you or you discover they weren’t
Really your friends?
Suppose you commit a crime or sin or become addicted to
Drugs?
Suppose you even die?

What then? Will God forsake you? Will God stop loving you?
Well, Jesus’ answer is “No!” Not even if we are the lost sheep.

And, so, if God will not forsake you … then maybe all is not lost, right? Maybe if God loves you – then all things are possible asSt. Paul says, “What shall separate me from the love of God …

Nothing!”

How important is this to us – how valuable is it?

Now, then, the question is if you discover that God loves you …(and remember the treasure is not something you made or caused to happen … it is something that is discovered) …? Well, it would be the greatest reality in all the world, would it not?

And what would Jesus say? “Think about it!” “Think about it!”

And so we will come back to these two parables next week and more as well – I hope you are keeping up with your Lenten Bible study.

Let us pray …

Sermon Notes for February 25, 2007

February 25, 2007
“The True Vine”
John 15:1-5

FIRST READ THE PARABLE OF THE UNCLEAN SPIRIT.

1. To begin with, since we are doing the parables for Lent and not all of you were here on Ash Wednesday, I want to say a few more words about the parable of the “Return of the Unclean Spirit” which I found to be quite enlightening. In fact, I am actually finding this whole process a lot more interesting than I expected. I guess, like many of you, when it came to the parables I either didn’t get it … or I had heard them before and wasn’t interested.

But, perhaps, as we get older, we find new insights and things that previously didn’t make sense – suddenly take on new meaning. Isn’t that the way it goes sometimes?

Or, perhaps since I have been taking time off to be involved in prayer and meditation … at least twice a year … I find myself coming at things in a new way. And I hope that this can somehow be conveyed to you as well. And I am hopeful that some or all of you will take time to be involved as we go along.

2. Now, as I have been saying, as we know, the whole emphasis on Lent has traditionally been on self-denial, penitence, and confession of sins. And while this is not a bad idea and while we should always be always reminded of the meaning of Christ’s sacrifice at Easter…it gets old at times.

And so, people’s enthusiasm for repeating the same old phrases loses some of its impact. As a result, I think that what is needed is some fresh look at things from time to time.

Which is what we are trying to do during Lent: namely get involved in understanding Jesus parables as a way of deepening our understanding of God’s Kingdom, our place in it, and what God’s purpose is for our lives.



3. In this light, the parable of the “Unclean Spirit” is not difficult to understand if we take a good look at it.

The direct meaning of the parable is that a man who is struggling with some demon or difficulty in life … and finally it leaves him. Feeling that he has rid himself of this problem the man does nothing. His house is in perfect order, clean as a whistle. However, there is only one problem – the house is empty. In short, having gotten rid of the problem – the man is content to do nothing.

Ever have that happen to you? You know, you are struggling with some problem, some worry, some anxiety in your life and finally, finally, it gets solved and you say, “Great, now I am just going to sit back and relax.” And, boom! What happens? A new set of problems show up and you are back in the soup again.

In a way, it is kind of like retirement. People think after working all their lives that retirement will just be a piece of cake. Don’t have to get up in the morning until you feel like it, no particular place to go, nothing to worry about … and what happens? Life can suddenly become so boring you can’t stand it. Right?

4. No unfortunately, life is not just about doing nothing; it has to have a purpose. And the purpose cannot be just about satisfying our own desires. Life is not about doing nothing…it is about doing SOMETHING.

And, SO, in our religious life, being a good person or a good Christian is not just about doing nothing BAD. It’s about doing SOMETHING GOOD.

And, yet, this is just what many people are led to think. You know, simply to be a good religious person all you have to do is “be good.” Meaning: don’t do anything bad. Don’t break the law, don’t smoke or drink, don’t swear, don’t tell lies, and so on…

These are, of course, the don’ts of religion. Don’t do this, don’t do that etc. Kind of like the Ten Commandments as in “Thou Shalt not … etc.

5. But Jesus parable raises an important question … which is that just avoiding doing anything bad … and trying to rid ourselves of evil spirits (while good in itself) is not enough. Because, if we don’t go on to do “good things” our house simply remains empty and sooner or later … the bad things return, and sometimes in greater number.

In other words, Jesus view of human nature is that we live in a spiritual world … of good and evil forces … sometimes powerful forces … and being complacent about evil things is to be naïve.

No, instead we must always be on guard. We must not just be on the defensive … we must go on the offense. We must not give bad things a chance to catch us off guard, so to speak.

6. So, this is one of the reasons for studying the parables … to develop or improve on our spiritual practice of prayer and meditation … to seek to grow in understanding of God’s Kingdom … and to gain insight into how God can lead us to becoming stronger more compassionate people …

And another part of living a spiritual life is to understand where the source of our life comes from. This is the meaning of the second parable for today: The True Vine in John 15:1-5.

Grape growing was common in the Mediterranean – and Jesus understood that people were very familiar with this subject. Hence, the grape vine becomes an important metaphor for something else” namely our spiritual life in relation to Jesus Christ – God’s revelation of Himself.

7. In the Old Testament the nation of Israel is likened to a vineyard which God has planted. But, in Jeremiah (Chapter Two) something bad has happened. The grapevine has turned away from God and now produces bitter fruit. The same message appears in Isaiah (Chapter Five) where the grapes become wild grapes of inferior quality. In these prophecies it is revealed that God (who is the Gardner) will no longer protect them (which is what a good Gardner does) but will leave them unpruned and overgrown by brambles.

But, in Jesus parable, God is no longer just the Gardner. God is now also the Vine itself.

The new meaning of Jesus’ parable is now that we are the branches (which are to bear fruit). So, in order to bear fruit we must be connected to the vine otherwise we will wither and die and be pruned to make room for new branches so the plant will continue to grow.

8. In other words, our task as spiritual people is to stay connected to the vine which is our true life. And this is the task of the church -- to help us stay connected and to grow in our ability to bear fruit. And, as a church, we are to help each other to grow, as well.

But, the ultimate responsibility is ours to bear. We cannot borrow someone else’s spiritual life!

Now there is a warning in this parable – and that is this: if we do not take care of our spiritual life we will lose our connection to the vine – to God. If this happens, we will wither away -- for God will prune away the unproductive branches. In fact, we might say that, at times, God even prunes away the unproductive side to our nature in order to protect us and to help us to grow.

Now, in the short run, this can be painful, can it not? And yet, stop and think for a moment, how something or some event in your life … painful though it was … actually helped you (in the long run) to be a stronger more productive person. Does this make sense? Does it make sense that God can use our misfortune or even our mistakes to make us stronger? This is because, to follow the metaphor, God is a good and caring Gardner.

9. What this means is that we live in a dynamic and often conflicted world. And just as the parable of the unclean spirit and the empty house reminds us that being good is not just about NOT BEING BAD – we cannot be led to believe that when we fail to stay connected to the Vine … and do not live up to the purposes that God wants us to fulfill … God will be some kind of overly tolerant parent who puts up with all kind of childishness on our part. No more so, we can say, than a good parent tries to raise a child to bear fruit and not merely run wild. Do you see the connection? The good parent disciplines the child out of love like the gardner weeds the garden. On the other hand, the bad parent either abuses the plants or neglects them because he really doesn’t care what happens.

If God “seems” to be harsh it is because God seeks to combat that which is evil and unsound and unwholesome. This is the power of goodness which is God. And we are to respect God for His love and goodness and not to see God as angry and revengeful and punishing. For, if you think about it, the person who truly fears God is the one who seeks to do wrong, who is self centered, and lives only for himself. On the other hand, it is really the power of evil which is out to destroy that which is good. God, therefore, we must understand, is on the side of good.

10. Now, we often like to consider ourselves more learned, more advanced as people than in previous generations. But listen to these words from one of the Church Fathers – Clement of Alexandria:

Some, who think themselves naturally gifted, do not wish to touch either philosophy or logic; nay more, they do not wish to learn natural science. They demand bare faith alone, as if they wished, without bestowing any care on the vine, straightway to gather clusters from the first. Now the Lord is figuratively described as the vine, from which, with pains and the art of husbandry, according to the word, the fruit is to be gathered.

No, Clements writes that …

We must lop, dig, bind, and perform the other operations. The pruning-knife, I should think, and the pick-axe, and the other agricultural implements, are necessary for the culture of the vine, so that it may produce eatable fruit. And as in husbandry, so also in medicine: he has learned to purpose, who has practised the various lessons, so as to be able to cultivate and to heal. So also here, I call him truly learned who brings everything to bear on the truth; so that, from geometry, and music, and grammar, and philosophy itself, culling what is useful, he guards the faith against assault.

Who was Clement of Alexandria (a.ka. - Titus Flavius Clemens)? We only know that he was the first member of the Church of Alexandria to be more than a name, and he was one of its most distinguished teachers and writers. He was born about the middle of the 2nd century, and died between 211 and 216.

11. What we do know is that in his interpretation, blind faith is not enough, as some people think. For how can we be skillful or productive in any aspect of our life … without practice and guidance… correct? Who among us here has not achieved some level of ability in some aspect of life which came from training, discipline, practice, patience, trial and error, and hard work?

And yet some people think that in matters of religion we can just “have faith” and – wa-laah! – instant results.

Or, to use example of John Wesley about the porch, the door, and house … we get to the doorway and think … "hey, this is it? This is all there is..."

And, as I have been saying … that is kind of what we were all taught, wasn’t it? “Just have faith and you will be all right.”

And then there are those who are still out on the porch … getting saved again and again … when God calls us to go on into the house – and live out their faith.

12. Well, enough for today … We will continue next Sunday by discussing the first two parables in your Lenten Bible Study … the parable of the mustard seed … and the parable of the hidden treasure. My suggestion is that you follow the directions on page two and three. Choose one of them to mediate about. Then spend a little quiet time in contemplation (at least five minutes). Then ask “What does this parable have to do with me in my life today?”

Now maybe nothing will come to you. Or, maybe nothing will happen right away. But, you just might be surprised. For, God is much closer to each of us than we have any idea. But, first we have to be quiet and listen. And this is just one way of staying connected. And if we stay connected … we WILL BEAR FRUIT.

Sermon Notes for February 18, 2007

February 18, 2007
“I have found my lost Sheep”
Luke 15:1-10

1. If I were to say, “Let’s have a Bible study” – what images would come to your mind?

Would you say “Great?”
Would you say “Interesting – Maybe?”
Would you say, “I’m interested – but I don’t have time?”
Would you say, “No, I am not interested, it doesn’t sound like
Something I want to do.”

Or, would you say, “I don’t know, I have never been to a
a Bible study”
Or, would you ask, “What kind of Bible study is it?”

2. Now the problem is today, as Protestants, we are supposed to
Take the bible seriously. The doctrinal standards of the Methodist Church state that:

Our forebears in the faith reaffirmed the ancient Christian message as found in the apostolic witness even as they applied it anew in their own circumstances. Their preaching and teaching were grounded in Scripture, informed by Christian tradition, enlivened in experience, and tested by reason.

And there you have again – the four principles of Methodism which I keep pointing out. For in our religious life we are to be grounded in Scripture, informed by Christian tradition, enlivened in experience, and tested by reason.

So, what does it mean to be grounded in Scripture?

3. Does it mean that we should know the Bible backwards and forwards? Does it mean that we should have it memorized? Does it mean that we should take it literally and believe that every word and period is the actual unalterable word of God? Or, in the words of theologian Marcus Borg – we are to take the Bible “seriously but not literally.”
Just how important is understanding the Bible to our faith and our lives today?

This reminds me of the time I was taking a class on Russian history in college. The professor was well respected and always assigned a lot of books to read. On the last day of class one of the students ask if it would be necessary to have read Isaac Deutscher’s biography of Joseph Stalin (600 pages long!). The professor, who was a devout Easter Orthodox Christian, replied: “Let me just say this – he who has not read Deutscher’s Stalin before the final will be like he who goes before the Last Judgment without reading the Bible on earth!”

Well that sent a chill through the crowd, as they say!

4. So, are we supposed to read the “Good Book” from cover to cover before we die? Is that what it is all about?

Well, I once had a friend who one summer while he was in college read the whole Bible cover to cover – and never went to church again! Better than most people, I guess. But, just reading it didn’t do it for him. In fact, because he didn’t understand it (I assume) or didn’t want to understand it – it never came alive for him. It was just words on a page. An interesting book – no doubt – but not a book that had any personal relevance for him. In short, He didn’t understand what he was reading because God wasn’t real for him.

So, the Bible alone, we realize, is not enough. And when I drive by some church which says they are a “Bible Based Church” – I always want to ask, “What is it you mean? Since all Christian Churches are based on the Bible – after all the whole story about Jesus and how it all go started and everything else comes to us from the Bible – Right?

And so the United Methodist Church is also a Bible Based Church, too.

5. The difference is in how we interpret the Bible, I guess. And this requires Bible Study. But how to do it?

Ideally, according to John Wesley, everyone in this church should be engaged in some kind of Bible study either in a group or on their own. Isn’t that right? But, we don’t do it. So, what happens is that main contact we have with the Bible is on Sunday morning when we read the scripture and I comment on it in the sermon. But, is that enough? Can we, from time to time, do more? But how to do it?

And, if we did do it, what kind of Bible study would it be? How would we interpret the Bible when there are so many different people in this congregation with different backgrounds, experiences, and ideas about what the Bible means and doesn’t mean. I mean, what if we don’t all agree on what the Bible says, what then?

I remember back in my church in St. Paul we tried to have a bible study with some of the younger families. It was a disaster. One couple said that they started coming back to church after seeing “Star Wars!” You know, the part about “may the force be with you!” That just about did it for some of the more conservative folks in the bible study. So, we quit, and just focused on raising our kids and getting along – which worked out much better.

And, along those lines, I suspect that most people in this Congregation really don’t want to go back to the old days when the minister mainly did all the talking and explained what it all meant and you just parked your brains outside the door on the way in.

Well, enough objections you might say, maybe it would be better if we leave the Bible alone for now.

6. However, I have another plan and since this is the beginning of Lent … what better time than to take another look at the Bible.

Now, in the old days, Lent was supposed to be a time of penitence, self examination and spoke about guilt, sin, repentance and all that stuff. We have all been there – right? Got it down, memorized it … and, at least for most people, it no longer creates much enthusiasm. Now, I am not saying these are bad ideas in themselves – but if you have already done it … it doesn’t make sense to keep beating them to death – which means that maybe we are ready to move on to something else – maybe God is ready for us to take it to another level.

TALK ABOUT WESLEY 3 STAGES
PORCH – CONVERSION, BEING SAVED
DOORWAY - FAITH

HOUSE – GROWING IN SPIRITUAL WHOLENESS


7. Now I suspect that most people here believe in one way or
Another that they are saved, that God loves them, their sins
Are forgiven, and things like that. Right? If not, then I think
It would be good for you to come and see me – in fact I would
Welcome it.

Secondly, I suspect that most people here have in some way, lesser or greater, faith in God. And if trouble happens, you are capable of some form of prayer … and you trust, deep down, that God will see you through whatever is happening … and, on the other hand, if life is going good, you take time to give thanks to God and to share your good things with others. This, then, is the doorway … of faith. And this is what we were all taught growing up. “Just have faith” … how many times did you hear that?

And yet I wonder if, at one time or another, it has ever occurred to you to ask the question -- now that I “have faith” – “Is that all there is to it?” Or, to wonder "isn’t there more to my religious life than this?”

8. Now, as we all know, or would like to believe, America is a very religious country … and it is my observation that it just might be that in the last 40 years a lot of people in this country, who were raised in the church and who were taught to have faith … and have faith … have asked the same question. Isn’t there more?

But, for the most part the church has left it at that … except of course for enlisting people in various social causes to help the poor and fight racial prejudice. And I am not knocking those causes at all. But, without spiritual growth, one can just get burned trying to help people out (which is what happens a lot of the time). And because the church has not been challenging people to grow spiritually they are going other places. Why, for instance, do we have people doing yoga, Zen meditation, and going on monastic retreats? Why, because they want something more in their spiritual life.

So, I suggest that what is going on is that a lot of us are inside the house and wondering what to do now – and the church isn’t helping much. Or, we are just going along with the way it is … because we, too, can’t think of what to do about it. Or, outside of Sunday morning we are pursuing a lot of other things …in our life looking for answers. But, I wish to point out; you can’t indefinitely meet your spiritual need for God by just doing hobbies or trying to entertain yourself in other ways. God is, after all, God. And substitutes won’t really cut it when it gets right down to it.

9. So, back to the plan. And, this is something I have given quite a bit of thought … over some length of time. How to involve a diverse group of Christian people in some kind of Bible study that will be interesting, challenging, and valuable … and won’t require a huge amount of effort on anyone’s part. In short, something that can be done by each person – on your own – at your leisure – and yet can be pulled together on a weekly basis on Sunday morning.

One way, of course, would be to do it online. And I think this is not a bad idea … but not enough people in this church are into blogging so that will have to wait for a while.

No, instead, what I am proposing is a self study project which will include personal Bible reading, prayer, meditation, and even a little contemplation – all taking about 20-30 minutes per week.

Can it be done? Well I have a lot of confidence in this congregation. I am not bragging when I tell people, to use the words of Garrison Keller, “Well above average.”

And, yet, as we know, that can be a danger -- because we can become complacent – and spiritual complacency is not a good thing.

Secondly, this past year I have seen people respond to new ideas and challenges -- such as the “prayer partners” idea. Lots of people jumped right on that one – and it works.

10. So, I am guessing that you are ready for another challenge. And here it is:

Eric’s Lenten Bible Study – Based on the Parables

EXPLAIN THE PROCESS.

EXPLAIN THE SCRIPTURE READING – AND THE
THE LOST SHEEP

11. Now, I have a lot more to say about meditation, prayer, contemplation, the parables, and a whole lot more … but, for now let’s get started. We have 4 – 5 more weeks to get into all of it in more detail. So, this is not a one shot deal. This is a process which, if you follow along, will leave you with a much better understanding of who God is and help you to be aware of how God is involved in your life and other people’s as well.

Now, just take your time. Don’t expect miracles. Don’t expect everything to fall into place right away. It’s like riding a bicycle for the first time. You might fall off. Don’t go too fast at first.

In fact, the whole point is to not go fast at all. After all, this is a process which is basically about slowing down – even coming to a stop … and listening to God … the still small voice within you that is trying to get your attention in the midst of your busy life.

12. So, I am giving you a two week head start. Because, next week, Rev. Alan Bolte will be here and we will be hearing from him. This means that you have two weeks to work on your first assignment … which will be discussed in church on March 4th. Then after that we will continue through Palm Sunday.

Lastly, if you decide this is not for you … or it doesn’t work … then you don’t have to do it. And, you can still come to church on Sunday and get in on the discussion just the same as always. In fact, some of you may want to wait before doing the exercise until after it is discussed on Sunday. But either way, I hope you will give it a try and in a few weeks we will see where we are along the way.

And in the meantime, “may the force be with you!”

Let us pray

Sermon Notes for February 11, 2007

NOT AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME, SORRY.

Sermon Notes for February 4, 2007

February 4, 2007
Isaiah 6:1-8
“Whom Shall I Send?”

1. Have you ever been sent somewhere? Have you ever been asked to do something by someone? Have you ever been called upon to perform some task or to carry out some responsibility?

I suppose our first experience with being sent somewhere is as
A child. For instance, we may have been sent on an errand to get something for our mother – such as to pick up the mail or buy something at the story.

Or we may have been sent to our room for being disobedient.

So, I suppose, the experience of being sent some where, or called upon to do something can have both positive and negative connotations when we are growing up. It may be that we are being disciplined for something we did, or it maybe that in being sent that we come to feel important – a sign that we are growing up.

2. Being called, usually means that we are subject to some higher authority, whether it is a parent, a teacher, or an employer or supervisor.

It may be that we have been sitting on the bench watching the game and waiting for the coach to notice us … when suddenly he calls out our name – and we are suddenly sent into the action. A moment of happiness that we are now going to get to play and a moment of anxiety as we wonder “am I ready – can I do it?”

Now, of course, we all like to think we are in control of our lives. We like to make our own decisions in life. We have all subscribed more or less to the idea that we should “do our own thing.”

After all, nobody likes to be told “what to do” – do we?

Nobody likes the idea that we are subject to higher authorities. And yet,. That is the way it is much of the time, isn’t it?

3. It starts early. For instance, everybody remembers their first job. What was it? Probably some relatively simple task … like making hamburgers at the drive in restaurant – as it did in high school – or sweeping out the barbershop – which I also did.

Mostly repetitive work and mostly boring wasn’t it? And mostly there was someone older than us who was there making sure we did the job responsibly.

But it was a learning experience that probably taught us something about obeying orders and being on time. And we learned from it didn’t we?

Tell story about being a copy boy at the Star Tribune.

4. But, of course, as we grow up, the work gets more complicated.
The responsibilities increase and eventually we may even be put in a position where we get to give orders and tell other people what to do. We may even be a coach like in the superbowl today. Or a quarterback like Peyton Manning or Rex Grossman and get paid a lot of money and get all the glory if you win and get all the blame if you lose.

Mostly, we see this whole business of giving and receiving orders and accepting responsibility in terms of everyday life. For, in fact, it is the reality in which we live. After all, if we act irresponsibly we can end up “paying the price” – as we say. Only it is a lot worse than being “sent to our room.” We all understand that. We all understand that we have to be accountable in life and sometimes it is not all fun…

In fact, when I interviewed people for the Red Cross we had a question which we asked everyone which went something like this:

Tell us about a time when your supervisor asked you
To do a job or perform a task which you did not exactly agree with. How did you handle it?



5. So, now we are going to jump from the more mundane aspects of the life to the existential or the religious level and ask the same
Question. Only in a different way.

The question now is: How do you handle life? Your life?

What do you like about it? What don’t you like about it? What tasks in life do you perform joyfully and with excitement and with a sense of fulfillment … and what tasks are tiresome, worrisome, and leave you worn out and exhausted?

6. For in the final analysis, we all must ask the really big questions. Such as: What is life all about? Is it all an accident? Or is there some higher purpose? Is it all just a matter of getting through it, of gratifying our appetites, of making a lot of money, of achieving some kind of reputation? Or is there something more? Are we accountable to some higher power? Are we accountable to God?

And if there is a higher purpose to life – what is it? And what does it have to do with me?

Now, this is a rather profound question. Maybe we would rather shrug our shoulders and say … I don’t really know. It is too much for me to comprehend. And so we despair of ever knowing what life is all about. We don’t know if we have been sent and we don’t know if we have been called. And we look around and see what other people are doing – but that is of no help either. And is that not the condition of many people today? They have no higher power in life.

So, let us turn now to Isaiah, who was, in many ways, not unlike people today. He was going along, like everyone else, wondering what life is really all about. He was worried about the world conditions. And he was shaken up by the recent death of King Uzziah. And in the midst of this, he wanted some answers.




7. Now, Isaiah, who became one of the most well known prophets in the Bible was probably born in Jerusalem. A Jewish tradition says he was the cousin of King Uzziah. In his early years, he worked as an official of the king (2Ch 26:22). We can therefore say that he was very close to the king.

So Isaiah was deeply affected by the death of the king. But it wasn’t only because Uzziah had been personally close to him. There were also dark clouds hanging over his people, and he was concerned about the future of his nation. Before his death, Uzziah (aka Azariah; 787-735 B.C.) had ruled the country for 52 years, longer than any other king. He was only sixteen years old when he became king. He was an able and powerful king. Under his rule, his nation enjoyed peace and prosperity. Upon his success, however, he became proud. Against the advice of the 81 priests, he entered the temple to burn incense, the duty reserved only for priests. He did so well in everything that he thought he could be a high priest as well (2Ch 26:16). Then God struck him with leprosy. And he had leprosy until the day he died.

7. With the death of the king, the geopolitical conditions surrounding the country seemed ominous. The neighboring Edomites and the Philistines would frequently attack and plunder his people. Only 18 years earlier, the northern kingdom of Israel fell to the invading Assyrians. Judah seemed to be at the brink of destruction as well. Things were not looking so good.

The most serious threat, however, came from within. His people were morally and spiritually corrupt (2Ch 27:2). In fact, the long and prosperous reign of Uzziah was a mixed blessing for the people of Judah. With the economy booming, many of his people turned away from God. People became selfish. The rich oppressed the poor. Everyone partied and people stayed up late at night. (5:11). Bars and nightclubs in Jerusalem were doing good business. You get the picture. Isaiah 1:5 says that the whole head of Israel was injured.



In this situation, Isaiah despaired. It seemed hopeless. In his eyes, the end of Judah, the end of God’s chosen people, was inevitable. It seemed to him that the question was not “how” but “when.” In his despair, he would say many negative things. Perhaps he told his friends and family, “I don’t see how we can get out of this situation. So what’s the point of struggling to live by faith? Anyway God doesn’t seem to care.” The king was dead, but Isaiah spoke as if God were dead.

9. One day, however, something happened to Isaiah to change his life forever. By chance, he strolled into the temple. There he had a vision. Through the vision, he discovered the truths about God, about the world, and about himself. Things he had not known before.

The first thing he discovered was that history is ultimately in God’s hands. Look at verse 1 again. In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. In a spectacular vision, God the King revealed himself to Isaiah, showing him that he was not only alive but also seated on a throne, high and exalted. This meant that God was in control of the universe. Isaiah thought that he and his people had no hope because of their human situations. He thought that the world was ruled by the superpower nations such as the Assyrian Empire. Other people seemed to think so as well. The pundits in Jerusalem paid a close attention to what was happening in the Assyrian Empire. The news media reported all troop movements in the Empire.

But Isaiah discovered that history is in God’s hand, not in the hands of the Assyrian Empire. When Isaiah saw that the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, he realized that God was ruling the world according to his purpose. The truth that God is the Ruler of history remained in Isaiah’s heart throughout the rest of his life. He later proclaimed to his people, “Your God reigns!” (52:7) “Your God reigns!” These three words gave hope to the hopeless people when things went bad in Israel.



10. And so, in the midst of the vision, Isaiah did what anyone would do. He felt overwhelmed. “I am not worthy,” he cried out. In other words, “Why Me?”

These are the same words that all the prophets, including Moses, said when God approached. “Why Me?”

And, so it is the same with each of us. We are going along feeling confused, worried about making a living, paying the bills, worried about the worth situation and all the rest. And we say, “Well, that’s just the way the world is, I guess.” Nothing I can do about it.

And then God calls us …and says, “Whom shall I send?

For the truth is that God calls us – in small ways and large. We are all called in one way or another. And how will we respond? Will it be like Isaiah. Will we say, “Here am I."

11. Today is communion Sunday. In the old days in the Methodist Church they didn’t have communion very often. Maybe only a few times a year. Instead, they had altar calls. People came down to kneel and prayer at the altar. In some parts of the country they still have them. Often, they are associated with evangelistic efforts and excessive emotionality and this makes some people uncomfortable.

But, you don’t have to be “saved” to take communion. This is not an evangelistic rally. However, this is a time to commit or recommit yourself to God and to accept for yourself the gift of God’s salvation and to hear once again God speaking to you in your heart. And a time to be refreshed, accepted, strengthened and prepared to be sent out into the world again knowing that in all things God is in charge – despite appearances to the contrary. This is God’s word of hope to Isaiah and to us – today, as well.

And so, at the end of the service, as we prepare to leave, we will sing these words:

Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord?I have heard you calling in the night.I will go, Lord, if you lead me.I will hold your people in my heart.

Sermon Notes for January 28, 2007

January 28, 2007
Luke 4: 21-30, Luke 19:1-10 (children’s puppet show – Zacchaeus)
“Doctor, Cure Yourself”

1. Last week we read from Luke 4: 14-21 about how Jesus returned to his native village of Nazareth and went to the Synagogue on the Sabbath and read from Isaiah about how he had been sent to proclaim good news to the poor, recovery of sight to the blind, release to the captives and set free the captives and announce that the Day of Lord was at hand.
Today’s reading picks up on the response to Jesus’ words on the part of the congregation and on Jesus response to their response. For it was the very first time that Jesus had been back in his village after beginning his ministry. No doubt this was a big deal because, prior to this, the people who had seen him grow up had no idea that he was going to be anything else than a carpenter – a common person like themselves. So, they were curious and skeptical and amazed at what they had heard about him (for word had traveled around the area).

In Mathew, Chapter 13 it describes it likes this:

54Coming to his hometown, Jesus began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. "Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?" they asked. 55"Isn't this the carpenter's son? Isn't his mother's name Mary, and aren't his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? 56 Aren't all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?" 57And they took offense at him.

2. The closest I can get to understanding this situation is to remember how back at the time I was the seminary I went back to my home town and how some people responded at first. Now of course, I was not known to have been particularly religious nor did my parents attend church very much. So, there was no expectation on anyone’s part that I was, of all people, destined for the ministry.

I especially remember going into the local pharmacy known as Dick’s Drug Store and having Dick the druggist, who I knew very well and who was a prominent member of the church we sometimes attended, stare at me with the strangest of looks – as if he were seeing a ghost or something!

What was happening? – He must have wondered. Something so out of the ordinary. Was it a sign from God – perhaps?

Something out of the ordinary, something unexpected, the work of the Holy Spirit, a mystery, a revelation, an epiphany – what was it. I am not sure that I understood it myself. But there I was standing there in the middle of the drugstore – the same flesh and blood as before – but somehow transformed by something invisible and unexplainable – or so it seemed.
Had it not been for my mothers illness I most likely would have gone to church – but I didn’t. If I had, that might have been quite a scene.

So, I suppose, that is how the people, reacted with amazement, skepticism, and even disbelief to Jesus arrival in Nazareth … only much more so, of course.

3. Now it is really not clear what kind of training Jesus received prior to his ministry. One commentator has this to say:

By the time Jesus began his public ministry, he had not only received the thorough religious training typical of the average Jewish man of his day, he had probably spent years studying with one of the outstanding rabbis in the Galilee. Jesus thus appeared on the scene as a respected rabbi himself. He was recognized as such by his contemporaries, as certain passages in the New Testament illustrate like the following:

•A lawyer asked him a question to test him: "Rabbi, what is the greatest commandment in the Torah?" (Matthew 22:35-36)

•And behold, a [rich] man came up to him and said, "Rabbi, what good thing must I do to have eternal life?" (Matthew 19:16)

•And someone in the crowd said to him, "Rabbi, order my brother to divide the inheritance with me." (Luke 12:13)

On the other hand, many other scholars think that Jesus was more than likely self taught and that the term rabbi could have been used rather loosely for anyone who was a spiritual leader. We just don’t know for sure.

4. Whatever the case, whereas things seemed to start out on a positive note as Jesus proclaimed the good news – they soon took on a darker more confrontive tone.


Mathew and Mark do not go into much detail – all they say is that:
the crowd took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown and in his own house is a prophet without honor." And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.

But Luke goes into more detail as he tell how Jesus quotes the proverb “Doctor, heal yourself.” No doubt, Luke, who was a physician himself, would have remembered this saying more than the others.

Luke also describes Jesus telling the story of how God did not always favor the Jews … but, as in the story of Naaman the leper, Elisha the prophet cleanses a gentile while neglecting his own people.

At this point, the people became enraged and, according to Luke, they “were furious when they heard this. 29They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him down the cliff. 30But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.”

This should give us some idea about how volatile religious matters were in Jesus’ day.

5. Some commentators are not clear whether the crowd in the synagogue provoked Jesus or whether Jesus provoked the crowds. Most likely, I think it was probably a little of both, perhaps.

Why was this? It is hard to tell for sure, but religion is a powerful thing in people’s lives – sometimes for good reasons and sometimes for bad.

For some people religion is a private matter. For others it is a social function where they feel connected to friends and it is like a club. For others it is a psychological buffer which stands between themselves and the stresses of life. Some see religion as standing for high moral values and teachings. Others think the church should help the needy and the oppressed and help make our society a better place to live.

But the ultimate reason for religion is to promote our faith – our relationship with God. Which is what Jesus message was all about. No doubt, then, Jesus words was more than a little upsetting to the people in this little village. For he had challenged their little world and was calling them to look beyond their narrow prejudices.

6. The phrase, Doctor, Heal Thyself – has several possible meanings.
The most common one being that we should: Attend to our own faults, in preference to pointing out the faults of others.

In other words: Mind your own business!

But other scholars, in part because of what is said in Mark and Mathew, suspect that what the people wanted was for Jesus to perform a miracle of healing. And that only if he did that, would they believe. This is what it means when they tell Jesus to “do here also in your hometown what you did in Capernaum.”

In other words, “PUT ON SHOW FOR US.”

And probably that alone (as much as their skepticism) is what got Jesus upset. For here it is that he returns to his home village and all they want is a spectacle. In short there is no sincerity here. There is no acceptance … and so Jesus tells them … “God doesn’t always do miracles just because you want or expect them … and for an example – Jesus told them how, in 1st Kings, during a great famine God did not heal anyone in the land of Israel but instead sent Elijah to a widow in Sidon and he healed her son, instead. Point well taken. In other words, God doesn’t necessarily jump at our command just because we want him too. And, so, Jesus was saying to the Nazarenes, “I am not going to jump at your command! – either.”

7. In other words, Jesus saw through their narrow minded attitudes and once he had spoken as he did, they saw that he could see through them and so they reacted angrily.

Now, it was no doubt very disturbing scene. And we must wonder about Jesus to, provoking the crowd the way he did. In a way, a very human Jesus perhaps. Not at all the serene and passive Jesus we see in some pietistic paintings. Not exactly a Jesus, either, who merely conforms to our expectations and desires.

And yet Jesus could be very compassionate and understanding and go out of his way to help those who really needed help -- as our other story today reveals. For Jesus would go into the home of the despised Zacchaeus and the despised tax collector would come out a changed man. A miracle, too, for sure. A miracle not of physical healing but a miracle just the same – a miracle of the heart.

But, we must realize that while Zacchaeus was an angry and abusive man at first, he was also an unhappy man as well – and he knew it. For Zacchaeus, despite his faults, was an honest man – at least about his own condition. And he did not hide his despair -- for no amount of money could take away the fact that he was lonely and had no friends. And it was this honesty, not his religiosity or the lack of it, that made all the difference. For it was clear to Jesus that anyone who would climb up in a tree just to see him – was sincere in his desire to change.

8. And this is just another example of the unusual and uncanny ability which Jesus demonstrates over and over again … the ability to see past the surface and discern the inner spiritual affairs of people. Whether it is the Nazarenes whose hearts are clearly not in the right place on the one hand, or Zacchaeus who despite his outwardly appearance as a curmudgeon – deeply desired help on the other – Jesus seldom misses the mark.

No, the Nazarenes did not fool Jesus. And, on the other hand, neither did Zacchaeus – for Jesus looked through the gruff exterior and saw a soul that was hurting and willing to change – given the right chance. And the crowd, again, was amazed that of all the people there that day … Jesus chose Zacchaeus – the despised tax collector whom no one would have anything to do with … and how amazed they must have been when Zacchaeus became a changed man. And how must have this and other stories about Rabbi Jesus must have spread around the countryside.

So, if there is any wisdom to be gained this morning from these two stories it is that you can’t fool Jesus … or God. Sort of like the famous words of Abraham Lincoln: “You may fool all the people some of the time, you can even fool some of the people all of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all the time.”


Let us pray ….