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July 2017

When Worlds Collide _ FULL

“When Worlds Collide: Missing the Truth at Pergamum” by Rev. Cody Sandahl – July 23, 2017

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"When Worlds Collide: Missing the Truth at Pergamum" by Rev. Cody Sandahl - July 23, 2017
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Introduction

Thank you Kati and Kate for sharing your experiences on the youth trip. It’s great to hear where the Holy Spirit has been at work in our midst.

We wanted to give the students the spotlight, but we are going to take a little time to continue our series looking at the seven churches mentioned in the book of Revelation and what they can teach us today. We heard last week about suffering Smyrna, and we were encouraged to see the miracles around us, not just the suffering.

This week we have Pergamum, a city that is in many ways similar to our culture today. If I were going to use one word to describe the culture of Pergamum, I would say “options.” They had a lot of options. They had a thriving group worshiping Zeus. They were the first city in Asia to build temples for worshiping Caesar. They were one of the centers of worship for Asclepius – the god of healing. Have you ever noticed how ambulances have a staff with a snake wrapped around it as a symbol of medicine? That was the symbol of Asclepius. So if you’re an EMT, you’re clearly engaging in idolatry parading that sign of Asclepius around – just kidding.

Pergamum was also quite good at worshiping itself. The word “Pergamum” means “citadel,” reflecting the location of the city nestled between two insurmountable mountains. In fact, Pergamum wasn’t conquered by the Romans, they chose to join the Empire when one of their kings died. They were very proud of their strong city.

So the Christians were in a culture that said, “You wanna worship Zeus? That’s great. You wanna worship Asclepius? That’s great. You wanna worship Caesar? That’s great. You wanna worship yourself? That’s great.” You know what wasn’t great? Christians. Because they didn’t think it was great to worship Zeus or Asclepius or Caesar or yourself. A religion that claimed to know what was right and what was wrong? That was just intolerant to the cosmopolitan Pergaminians, Pergamites, or whatever they called themselves.

They were so offended by how intolerant the Christians were that they killed Antipas – one of the earliest martyrs. They could tolerate anyone as long as they agreed with the dominant culture, and they killed the Christians who didn’t just parrot the cultural norms.

In fact, there were so many options in Pergamum that led people away from the True Living God that in our text today John calls it “the throne of Satan.” That nickname probably isn’t going to make it on the tourist publications.

Revelation 2:12-17

12“And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword: 13“I know where you are living, where Satan’s throne is. Yet you are holding fast to my name, and you did not deny your faith in me even in the days of Antipas my witness, my faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan lives.14But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the people of Israel, so that they would eat food sacrificed to idols and practice fornication. 15So you also have some who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16Repent then. If not, I will come to you soon and make war against them with the sword of my mouth. 17Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. To everyone who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give a white stone, and on the white stone is written a new name that no one knows except the one who receives it.

Options

When I was seventeen, I spent the best $60 of my life. I was at my orientation week before going to the University of Texas, and they offered a number of placement exams. These weren’t AP tests, they were much smaller tests that were specific to UT that let you test out of courses. And so a group of us incoming freshmen decided to fork over the $60 and give the Spanish placement exam a whirl, even though none of us had more than two years’ worth of high school Spanish.

And sure enough, the first guy read his results aloud – big fat F. No credits. Up next was a girl, and she did a little bit better, but still no credits. Then it came to me – sixteen credits, including ten with an automatic A. That’s one class short of a minor in Spanish. For some reason my compatriots weren’t all that pleased with me.

But let me tell you a little secret. I don’t know Spanish that well. But I am a 3rd degree black belt in taking multiple choice exams! Give me some options, and I can weed out two or three and get the right answer most of the time. But I’ve known people who are exactly the opposite. Give them a fill-in-the-blank test and they’re money. But put a bunch of options in front of them and they start doubting themselves and they do WORSE.

Which one are you? Do you do better with options, or are you better just filling in the blank from memory?

Hybrid Faith

As I mentioned before, the church in Pergamum faced a deluge of options. John writes to them and says that some of them “hold to the teaching of Balaam.” This is a reference to the Old Testament where Balaam undermines the Israelites by slowly getting them to compromise more and more in their faith. He tricks them into eating some forbidden food, then gradually convinces them that it’s just OK to eat that food intentionally, and then eventually he convinces them to start worshiping Baal in addition to God. Notice how sneaky he was – he didn’t even ask them to stop worshiping God, he just wanted them to stop seeing God as UNIQUE.

This would be like saying, “I’m a Christian with some Buddhist flair,” or “I believe in Jesus, just like I believe in other holy figures,” or “I’m a New Age Christian.” Something like that, where you’re mashing up several religious beliefs. That’s what John is saying about the church in Pergamum. They were trying to make hybrid faiths.

Some went so far as holding “to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.” This isn’t a formal religion, but a general belief that heaven is wide open, so it doesn’t matter what I do or what I believe. That’s like saying, “I like all the comforting parts of the Bible, but I don’t believe in any of the hard stuff. I’m not into ‘thou shalt not.’”

Faith is much easier when you don’t have too many other options. But Pergamum had a plethora of options. And it was eroding their faith.

I once had a really good friend who was trying to do some innovating things with his church, and he was trying to reach people who had been burned by their past church experiences. Not an easy group to reach. And one of the things he tried was highlighting how much Jesus had in common with other religious figures. So the lessons featured quotes from the Isalmic poet Rumi, and some teachings of Buddha. He was trying to help people see what we had in COMMON, not just our differences. Not a bad motivation.

But it had some side effects. Before that little experiment, he was one of the most Jesus-like people I knew. After that experiment, he started fading. He became more self-focused. Without the focus on Jesus, as he became more hybrid in his faith, he stopped living out his faith. Without focus, without bounds, with too many options, he lost the faith that made him special.

In Bounds vs Out of Bounds

John writes to the church in Pergamum, who were doing the same thing as my friend, “Repent then. If not, I will come to you soon and make war against them with the sword of my mouth.” The “sword of my mouth” is a rather evocative way of talking about the Word of God. John is saying that God’s sharp truth will be revealed.

When we had the Hot Button Theology class, I talked about how I have my interpretations of Scripture AND I have a range of other interpretations I can live with. In other words, you don’t have to agree with me. But I don’t have an infinite range. There are limits.

One of my limits has to do with attitude. If you think you have everything figured out, and you can’t see how anyone would disagree with you, and in fact you wonder if anyone can actually be a CHRISTIAN AT ALL without agreeing with you, then I think you’re being a modern-day judgmental Pharisee. I know Pharisees of the right who don’t see how anyone could see the Bible differently than the plain truth they see in it. And I know Pharisees of the left who don’t see how anyone could miss the infinite grace that they see in Jesus. The judgmental attitude that comes with the Pharisees of the right or the Pharisees of the left – that’s not in my bounds. I can’t stand that. I prefer a little more humility. I know I’m going to find out I had some things wrong about Jesus. I just don’t know which parts I have wrong.

Another one of my limits has to do with God’s Word – that sharp sword of truth. Basically, for me it boils down to the question, “Is Jesus Lord, or is he just your friend or teacher?” In other words, can Jesus say something to you through the Bible that makes you uncomfortable? Can God’s Word challenge you and make you wonder if you need to change your mind or change your behavior? If God’s Word can challenge you and not JUST re-affirm what you already believe, then we’re good. If the Bible is just something you quote from on occasion to reinforce your point and you ignore the parts you don’t like or disagree with, that’s not in my bounds anymore.

Summary

If there are no bounds, if every spiritual opinion is OK, then it’s all too easy to be deceived as the Israelites were by Balaam. As the Christians in Pergamum were by the Nicolaitans. As my friend was when he moved away from just focusing on Jesus. Our text says that Jesus is ready to share painful truth if we allow ourselves to erode in our faith.

It’s not easy to find the right bounds. I’ve told you mine. What are your bounds for faith? What beliefs are out of bounds? What attitudes are out of bounds? What behaviors are out of bounds? It’s hard to find the right bounds, but the church in Pergamum found out it is essential. Where’s the Goldilocks zone of faith for you? Not too large where anything goes. But not too small where only your friends and family get in. Shoot for just right – the Goldilocks zone. “Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.”

“When Worlds Collide: Suffering Smyrna” by Rev. Cody Sandahl – July 16, 2017

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"When Worlds Collide: Suffering Smyrna" by Rev. Cody Sandahl - July 16, 2017
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Lay Reader = 2 Corinthians 6:1-11

As we work together with him, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain. 2For he says, “At an acceptable time I have listened to you, and on a day of salvation I have helped you.” See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation! 3We are putting no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry,4but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, 5beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; 6by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, 7truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; 8in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; 9as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and see—we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed; 10as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything. 11We have spoken frankly to you Corinthians; our heart is wide open to you.

Introduction

We are going to walk through the seven churches that are mentioned at the end of the Bible in the book of Revelation. Last week we heard from Pastor Carol about Ephesus, which was in danger of losing its love for Christ in the midst of their busy lives. This week we are looking at Smyrna, which I’m sure you are all intimately familiar with. Right? No?

Smyrna was similar to Ephesus in that it was a great port city in what we today call Turkey. It was often called the most beautiful of the Asian cities. It had distinct and noteworthy architecture. It had renowned schools of science and medicine. It was the birthplace of the poet Homer – or at least it was if you asked them. They are on a fairly long list of places claiming to be Homer’s birthplace, but they at least had the good sense to build a large, beautiful building to reinforce their claim. Smyrna had a 20,000 seat amphitheater. And, of particular note for the Christians at the time, Smyrna built a giant glorious temple to the Roman emperor Tiberius and his mother Julia.

Now, to help you wrap your mind around why this was a big deal, let’s teleport ourselves in our minds to New York City. And let’s go to a street on the water – one with a nice view of Liberty Island. What’s on Liberty Island? That’s right, the ugly, green, unfashionably dressed woman with spikes coming out of her head. Oh, and she looks like she’s at a rock concert with that flame held above her head. What would happen if you said THAT to one of the vendors selling little miniatures of the Statue of Liberty? How would most New Yorkers appreciate that description of Lady Liberty? I don’t think that would go very well. So when the Christians said that the Temple of Tiberius was idolatry, invalid, an offense to God – it was kind of like insulting the Statue of Liberty. And they didn’t like the great temple of Zeus in Smyrna either, so maybe throw in some insults about the Empire State Building for full effect.

Or what if someone you know moved to Denver and commented how the mountains just aren’t that impressive. And then they came into this Sanctuary and instead of noticing the charm of the stencils on the ceiling or the beautiful stained glass windows, they started saying how old and stuffy it is? Are you tracking with me? The Christians in Smyrna were swimming upstream. They were downright offensive to many of the constituencies in the city. And that left them vulnerable.

Revelation 2:8-11

8“And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of the first and the last, who was dead and came to life: 9“I know your affliction and your poverty, even though you are rich. I know the slander on the part of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Beware, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison so that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have affliction. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. 11Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. Whoever conquers will not be harmed by the second death.

Punched in the Gut

My brother and I had an unwritten rule: no punching in the face. Pretty much everything else was in-bounds, well, except one other area you can probably guess. But one day I was just fed up with my brother. I had to do chores and he didn’t – THE INJUSTICE (shake fist)! But to magnify the indignity, my brother filled his free time with a form of entertainment that involved water balloons and a certain younger brother who was mopping. And before you ask, no I don’t think he was trying to help me have enough water for the mop.

As the POPs and SPLASHes piled up, I eventually just snapped. With a war cry to rival the Texans at the Alamo I charged my brother with my dripping implement of destruction. And he thought this image was actually quite funny, right up until the point when I swung the mop with both hands with full intent of wiping that smug smile off his face.

I mean, the rule was no “punching” in the face. There was no clause about mops. But right at the end of my swing, I saw the suddenly surprised whites of my brother’s eyes, and I pulled back. The end of the mop whooshed about a millimeter from his face. We stood there for second that stretched into eternity (I think a tumbleweed blew by in the background), and then he nailed me in the gut with his fist and ran off.

Have you ever been punched in the gut when you weren’t expecting it? I literally couldn’t breathe. I stumbled around trying to choke in some air. I was totally incapacitated.

The church in Smyrna has been the recipient of multiple gut punches over the years. John writes in our text today, “Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Beware, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison so that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have affliction.”

These words were written to the whole church, but especially to its leader Polycarp. He had been personally discipled by John. And he most definitely did NOT die of natural causes. At age 86 he was sentenced by the Romans to be burned at the stake for his refusal to worship the emperor as a god. That was a gut punch for the church in Smyrna. And a wee bit unpleasant for Polycarp himself.

Later on, when Christians were doing much better in the Roman Empire, Smyrna got a gut punch from their fellow Christians. The Eastern churches celebrated Passover instead of Easter as we know it. But the Pope in Rome decided to flex his newly-found muscle and forced out the Smyrna bishop and required the church to change to celebrating Easter. Imagine if someone way back at Presbyterian headquarters in Louisville told First Pres Littleton that we couldn’t celebrate Christmas Eve anymore – we had to celebrate the Sunday after December 25 instead. How would you like being bossed around like that? That was a gut punch to be muscled around by their fellow Christians.

But the biggest gut punch in Smyrna came around the time of World War I. For a number of years around the end of the war and the founding of Turkey as we know it today, a series of genocides were carried out against Christians all around the country. Christians were about 20% of the population, but after more than three million were systematically killed, Turkey boasted the lowest Christian population of any country in their area. Gut punch doesn’t quite cut it for describing that.

That’s what the church in Smyrna has endured. Have you ever been punched in the gut? Have you ever had your life stopped in its tracks? Ever suffered like Smyrna?

One Has to Give

I think there are a couple of ways to see this. One way is righteous indignation. Anger – probably directed at God. I mean, he’s telling the church, which is called the bride of his Son Jesus, you’ll be afflicted for ten days (and that doesn’t literally mean ten days, it means a long time but not forever). And God’s not going to stop it.

Why doesn’t God prevent the suffering? Why doesn’t God avert the gut punch? Why would a supposedly loving supposedly all-powerful God sit on his hands while all of this stuff goes down? Surely God must not exist; surely God must not be loving; surely God must not be all-powerful, right? What other explanation could there be? That’s one way to see this suffering Smyrna or our own suffering.

But on the other hand, what does Jesus say to the church? “Do not fear what you are about to suffer…Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life…Whoever conquers will not be harmed by the second death.”

Basically, Jesus is telling them that their suffering doesn’t change who Jesus is, and it doesn’t change who they are. The fact that Jesus came down to us to heal our relationship with God – that’s still there. The fact that Jesus rose again from the dead to claim power over death – that’s still there. The promise of being united with God some day – that’s still there.

In case you’re wondering about that second death part, it’s referring to the final judgment. And for further details on that event, I encourage you to keep reading the book of Revelation. Simply put, Jesus is saying that having faith even through the gut punch of suffering shows that your eternal destination is secure.

So on one hand you could see the gut punch of suffering as clear evidence that God isn’t who you thought he was. Or on the other hand you could see faith in the midst of suffering as clear evidence that God is exactly who he says he is.

There’s a song on Christian radio called “Oh My Soul,” written by Mark Hall of Casting Crowns. And he shared that he wrote it from the tail end of his battle with cancer. He said that in the midst of the pain and the uncertainty his emotions were running away from him. He would yell at God, curse at God, doubt God’s love for him, doubt God’s existence, stoke the fires of fury within him. But each time his emotions started running away like that, they encountered stiff resistance. They smashed up against the faith that he had built over his life.

He was reminded of Psalm 42:11, where David had to give himself a pep talk – “Why so downcast, oh my soul? Put your hope in God.” It’s the proverbial unstoppable force of your emotions contending against the immovable object of your faith. One has to give.

Have you ever experienced your emotions crashing against your faith like a storm surge trying to overtop a levee?

Adam’s Camp

We just spent a week with a bunch of families dealing with that on a daily basis. Adam’s Camp is up near Granby just a couple hours away, but families from all over the country come here for it. It’s a week-long intensive therapy camp for kids with special needs, developmental delays, debilitating illnesses.

And so there’s the story of the founder of the camp, who was so excited after a long, long battle with infertility to hear the news that she had triplets! She and her husband were young and naïve enough to be confused by the look of horror on their parents’ faces at the prospect of that many babies at once. But that dream turned into a nightmare when they came very early and all three of their two-pound babies had to fight for their lives. After ten days they had to make the heart-rending decision to remove one from life support. One of their sons came out OK. And the third had significant brain bleeding and cerebral palsy. That’s a gut punch.

In our group there was a family who adopted a kid with special needs from overseas, but they thought they could handle it. They were up for the challenge. They knew what they were signing up for. Until he choked one day, had massive loss of oxygen to the brain, and took them on a huge downward spiral. His already dim prospects plummeted after that. That’s a gut punch.

Another family in our group had to spend a couple years essentially living apart because their daughter couldn’t get any help, any services, or any good doctors in their home state. They were essentially medical refugees within the US. That’s a gut punch.

So looking around the room at Adam’s Camp, maybe you could wonder if there’s a God. Maybe you could wonder if God is really loving. Maybe you could wonder if God is really able to do anything. Because it’s a room full of suffering children and strung out families.

But then the founder told about the impact of that first camp 30 years ago. They were being told that their son Adam would probably be confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life. But after that week of intensive therapy and being surrounded by some other kids to inspire him, he took his first steps and never looked back.

So maybe instead of wondering if there’s a God who is loving and capable of doing things in our world, maybe instead of just seeing all the suffering children, maybe you also see the miracles in the room. Maybe you see moments of impossible grace that change those kids lives forever. Maybe you see therapists from all over the country clamoring to be a part of this. Maybe you see the families getting a break for maybe the first time in years and you see the incredible capacity for good represented by this camp.

Both of those viewpoints are available. Fist-shaking anger or eye-watering grace. The unstoppable force of emotion versus the immovable object of faith. That’s a battle that goes both ways depending on the person. There’s no guarantee that your personal faith will stand the rising tide of suffering. That’s why Jesus says, “whoever conquers” – it’s a war that can be won or lost.

To illustrate the choice, take a look at the photo I included in your bulletin today. The little girl on the left was in my son Charlie’s group at Adam’s Camp. The boy she’s pushing in the little walker was another Adam’s Camper, and every single person in the background that’s wearing a light blue shirt. That was a free concert where the city of Winter Park sets up a special area for the Adam’s Campers to come.

So on the one hand, maybe in this photo you see how many blue shirts there are and you shake your fist at God. Maybe you see a boy who needs a walker and you question God’s existence. The little girl has a rare genetic disorder that results in developmental delays, and a host of lifelong issues. Maybe you see her and you wonder if a loving God would let that happen. After all, DNA is in God’s purview right? That’s part of the design! All of those things are the undeniable suffering in this photo.

But I see a few other things as well. That wonderful little girl has trouble walking, and she couldn’t walk on her own until fairly recently. And yet here she is with a big grin on her face, pushing around a little boy in his walker. She is experiencing joy doing something that her suffering makes very difficult. I see that as grace.

You can’t see it, but just off the frame to the left is the little boy’s father walking a few paces behind. They were really hoping their son would get a chance to interact and socialize with other kids. Here’s his chance. I see that as grace.

The kids in blue in the background. Yeah, they all have developmental delays and most of them will have lifelong problems. But here they are dancing with all their might to the bluegrassy tunes of this band from Wisconsin. In the Bible it says “David danced before the Lord with all his might.” David ain’t got nothing on these Adam’s Campers, Charlie included. I sent a video to my mom of Charlie dancing, and she said if she was going to name his moves, it would be called, “The Joyful.” I see that as grace.

Suffering and grace. Pain and miracle. You can see all of that in this photo.

Summary

But if you spend all your time focusing on the suffering, you’ll be blind to the grace and miracles around you. Because suffering doesn’t change who God is.

Suffering is still suffering, though. I won’t pretend to minimize what we have experienced or what you have experienced. I used to privately wish that Jesus’ return that is promised in the book of Revelation would hold off until at least the end of my life so I could truly live. Now, I’d take his return in about fifteen minutes. Just long enough for me to hit up the food on the hospitality table after church. That’d be great. I’ll take “every tear wiped away from our eyes.” I’ll take resurrected bodies that don’t have to contend with genetic disorders, that don’t have to contend with seizures, that don’t have to contend with cancer. Bring it on.

But in the meantime, there are glimpses of heaven all around us if we have eyes to see and ears to hear. That doesn’t take away the suffering. Smyrna suffered gut punch after gut punch. But those glimpses might be enough to sustain us where we would otherwise crumble. The fact that the parents of the Adam’s Campers are still standing is a miracle! The fact that such a camp exists is a miracle! Those moments of joy in the midst of suffering, like we see in the photo, those are a miracle!

Suffering doesn’t change what Jesus did for you. Suffering doesn’t change the Holy Spirit’s presence. See the grace. See the miracle. As Jesus said to suffering Smyrna, “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.”

Or as David had to remind himself in Psalm 42, “Why so downcast, oh my soul? Put your hope in God.” Even if it’s just a little glimmer in the darkness. Amen.

Sermon Story Python

Sermon Story Extractor

Have you ever been in church, and the preacher starts telling one of their stories that you heard six months ago? I am terrified of doing that! But I also know that I have no chance of remembering when and where I told a particular story. So I wrote a simple Python program to comb through my sermons and extract stories. All of my sermon Word documents follow a patterned naming scheme that uses the date. The program uses this fact to remember the last time I ran the story extractor and then grab stories from all of the sermons that are newer than that date. Inside the Word documents, I mark key phrases from my stories in bold, and the program extracts all bold text from the Word document and saves it to a text file (with a divider and the date and title of the sermon so I know which sermon contained the story). I copy and paste the output into Evernote so I can do a search for stories on my phone if needed. I’m sure I miss it every once in a while, but it gives me much greater peace of mind and hopefully keeps my congregation much greater engagement with fresh stories!

The program has a number of ways it could be improved, but it works for my purposes right now. Some ideas for improving it:

  • Add a simple GUI
  • Save the date of last run in a config file and update it automatically instead of having to update the date in the source code
  • LibreOffice randomly breaks up bolded text into different spans underneath the hood, so a single sentence can come out as multiple pieces instead of a contiguous sentence in the extractor. I would love to figure out the pattern here and find a way to automatically re-join those pieces. It works for me right now, so I haven’t made it a priority to fix that annoyance yet.
View on GitHub
The Faith We Sing _ FULL

“The Faith We Sing: In the Garden” by Rev. Cody Sandahl – July 2, 2017

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"The Faith We Sing: In the Garden" by Rev. Cody Sandahl - July 2, 2017
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Lay Reader = Psalm 5

1Give ear to my words, O Lord; give heed to my sighing. 2Listen to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you I pray. 3O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I plead my case to you, and watch. 4For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil will not sojourn with you. 5The boastful will not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers. 6You destroy those who speak lies; the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful. 7But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house, I will bow down toward your holy temple in awe of you.

Introduction

We’re going to approach sermons in the summer a little differently this year. On the first Sundays of the month, like today, I’m going to look closely at classic hymns and the stories and Scriptures behind them. On the other Sundays, like next week, we’re going to look at the seven churches listed in the book of Revelation and ask what they can teach us today – spoiler alert, it’s quite a bit.

This week we are using the hymn, “In the Garden” as our inspiration. It was written by C. Austin Miles in 1912, and he actually gave his own account of how the hymn came to be. He had a vision of a scene from John 20 where Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene on Easter. Here’s what he said.

“It was though I was in a trance, as I read it that day, I seemed to be part of the scene. I became a silent witness to that dramatic moment in Mary’s life, when she knelt before her Lord and cried, “Rabboni”. I rested my hands on the open Bible, as I stared at the light blue wall. As the light faded, I seemed to be standing at the entrance of a garden, looking down a gently winding path, shaded by olive branches. A woman in white, with head bowed, hand clasping her throat, as if to choke back her sobs, walked slowly into the shadows. It was Mary. As she came unto the tomb, upon which she placed her hand, she bent over to look in, and ran away.

John, in a flowing robe, appeared looking at the tomb. Then came Peter, who entered the tomb, followed slowly by John. As they departed, Mary reappeared leaning her head upon her arm at the tomb, she wept. Turning herself, she saw Jesus standing there, so did I. I knew it was He. She knelt before Him, with arms outstretched, and looking into His face cried, “Rabboni”.

I awakened in sunlight, gripping my Bible with my muscles tense, and nerves vibrating, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. I wrote as quickly as the words could be formed the lyrics exactly as it is sung today. That same evening, I wrote the tune. It is sung today as it was written in 1912.”

That’s a powerful vision! The first two verses and the refrain to the hymn come from that vision, but the last verse seems to come more from John 10, which is our second text for today.

John 10:1-18

1“Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. 2The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them. 7So again Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. 9I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. 10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. 11“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. 14I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. 16I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again.18No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”

What You Need to Survive

As you know, I love Star Wars. But I like to branch out a little bit, too. I also love Space Balls, the parody movie that makes fun of Star Wars. I have range, you know. As I thought about shepherds, I was reminded of a scene where they’re in the desert after crash landing. The heroes are slowly trekking across the dunes with copious amounts of her royal highness’s matched luggage. The rescue of the princess isn’t going well. And finally the main character drops the large suitcase and kicks it open. He turns with an incredulous look on his face and demands of the princess, “What is this? I told you to only bring what you need to survive!” “It’s my industrial strength hair dryer. AND I CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT IT!” For some reason the starship captain didn’t think that fell into the “need” category.

Have you ever been confused between what you want and what you need? Do you have any industrial strength hair driers in your life that you’re toting around with you? Or making someone else carry?

In our text today, Jesus says that he is the shepherd, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. Now, I’ve shared several times before my disdain for sheep – an opinion born out of experience – but they are interesting nonetheless. For instance, sheep fall into the grazing category. That means they are fairly nonspecific about what they put into their mouths – whatever’s in front of them looks mighty tasty – they NEED that grass. Or that rock. Or that cable.

And as much as I like to deride sheep, I can’t claim that we’re much different. We just call it impulse buying. Oh look! It’s “as seen on TV!”

One of the jobs of the shepherd is to show the sheep what they really need. The sheep are focused on whatever is in front of their faces, but the shepherd knows whether this field is actually nourishing or if it’s just full of weeds. The sheep are mozying in a general direction, but the shepherd knows if that’s a smooth path or a steep cliff. The shepherd knows what the sheep really need, even if the sheep “BAAA” in protest when he wants them to move.

Jesus says that if we know his voice and follow it, that’s what we need. Trust in the good shepherd. The hymn says “he walks with me, and he talks with me, and he tells me I am His own.” Trusting that Jesus is walking with us, trusting that Jesus is talking with us, trusting that we belong to Jesus – that’s what we truly need. Not an industrial strength hair drier. Not this patch of grass we’re clinging to.

Wool Blindness

Sheep not only get stuck on getting whatever’s in front of them. They also try to avoid things that might help them. There are a fair number of sheep in New Zealand, and one of them disappeared in 1998. His name was Shrek. And after a while, his owners gave up the search and lamented the loss of their beloved Shrek. But in 2004, six years later, Shrek wandered back to the fold. In addition to the impressive feat of surviving that long on his own, Shrek also sported six years of unshorn wool – enough to make 20 men’s suits. Can you imagine walking around in the summer with 20 suits on? I’d die of heat stroke! His wool was so thick, he effectively had blinders on. It’s called wool blindness. He ran away to escape being shorn, it’s kind of like going to the dentist – you might know you need it but you’d rather avoid it, right? So he ran away to avoid four minutes of annoyance. And he accumulated 20 suits’ worth of insulation and wool blindness.

How far will we go to avoid discomfort? There are one-handed bottle openers for those times when it’s too hard to use two hands to open your beverage of choice.  There’s a tie with built-in water bladder and straw – like a camelback for your office – so you don’t have to get up from your desk to refill your water bottle. There’s a baby jumpsuit with microfibers on it so the crawling baby cleans your floors as it goes. OK, let’s be honest. That one’s genius! Maybe we’re superior to sheep after all!

But seriously, how much of your life is spent trying to avoid pain or discomfort in the future? How much time do you spend worrying about potential problems? Have you ever been tempted to lie because it would avoid pain in the moment? We do these things all the time!

Jesus says in our text today, “I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.” There are sheep who, like New Zealand Shrek, are running away from the Shepherd. But that wouldn’t include anyone here, right? No one here would ever try to avoid hearing the hard thing Jesus is saying to them? I know I’ve never done that. And I also have some oceanfront property in Arizona for you!

I think we avoid what Jesus says because we hear the hard part – we hear that we are to copy the good shepherd who “lays down his life for his sheep.” He risks for his sheep. That’s not safe. But our hymn today says, “He speaks, and the sound of His voice is so sweet the birds hush their singing, and the melody that he gave to me within my heart is ringing.” Following the voice of the shepherd isn’t easy – but it makes your heart ring. Would you rather sit around contemplating your fear of everything that could go wrong? Or would you rather have your heart ring as you follow the risky voice of the shepherd?

Outward

The last verse in the hymn really gets to the heart of the matter. It says, “I’d stay in the garden with Him, Though the night around me be falling, But He bids me go; through the voice of woe His voice to me is calling.” The author would rather just sit around enjoying the presence of Jesus in the garden. But Jesus tells him it’s time to move on. It’s time to do what needs to be done. It’s time to reach those sheep who aren’t in the fold.

This happened with Peter, James, and John when Jesus was transfigured on the mountain top and he was joined by Moses and Elijah. Remember that? Peter proposes making a camp on top of the mountain and staying there forever, but that’s when the vision ended and Jesus led them back down off the mountain and into the plain to continue their mission. The voice of the shepherd doesn’t JUST lead us to green pastures and still waters. The voice of the shepherd also calls us out to do the work of his Father.

The Tree Logo

So really there are three main points we see from this hymn and from Jesus being our good shepherd. First, we receive what we truly need from the shepherd, even though we’re distracted by whatever is in front of us. Second, we find our heart ringing when we follow the voice of the shepherd, even we would rather avoid the shears and just keep our wool. And finally, the shepherd leads us to nourishment and comfort BUT ALSO leads us to our most important places and tasks.

When we have TRUST in the shepherd, we receive the nourishment we need to be STRONG, so that we can make a DIFFERENCE in his name.

Are you with me?

Those are the main points behind the new church logo you’ve been seeing in our publications and emails. Take a look at the back of your bulletin and you’ll see the tree with the cross coming out of the trunk.

We were trying to communicate a few things with that logo. One is the need for strong roots. We need roots that are strong and deep. We need trust placed in the good shepherd, not our own abilities.

With those roots in place we can grow up healthy. We aren’t meant to be static. There was an ad many years ago where a guy is on his computer and he looks with amazement as he reaches, “the end of the Internet.” He’s done! But that’s only funny because we know that’s impossible. No one can read everything on the Internet because more content is added each day than you could read in a lifetime. In the same way we can’t reach the end of our growth in our faith. We are never finished. We never arrive. Just as a tree adds a ring each year it’s alive, we keep growing in our faith as long as we have those sturdy roots.

And finally, a tree branches out so it can help grow the forest. A single tree on its own will disappear someday, but a forest can last. We aren’t just about ourselves. We are about our community. We are about making a difference in Christ’s name. We are about helping new trees grow.

So you can think about this in your own life. How are my roots of faith? How visible is my faith in my family or at work or in my friendships? And finally how much of a difference am I making as I branch out in Christ’s name?

No sheep can do that on their own. But if the sheep are following the voice of the shepherd, they can get there. So what is the shepherd saying to you? It might be a word of comfort and nourishment. It might be a word of purpose and challenge. It might be a word prodding you to get out of the garden and into the world. Whatever he’s saying, follow the voice of the shepherd. Amen.