January 2019

Lay Reader = Micah 6:8

He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Matthew 22:36-40

36 “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” 37 He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the greatest and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

[Stories from Lynda and Ben]

What Story?

Thank you Lynda, and thank you Ben. It takes great courage to stand up here and share your story.

Our denomination has a group associated with it that builds and manages Christ-like care for the elderly. It’s called Presbyterian Senior Living. And a number of years ago, Presbyterian Senior Living was debating whether they could serve more people if they dropped the word “Presbyterian.” Does it discourage, for example, a Methodist from living at the Presbyterian Senior Living facility? Or what about – GASP – an atheist?

So PSL conducted a survey to see what people associate with the word “Presbyterian.” And this is fascinating. Any guesses what they found out, the #1 association people have with the word “Presbyterian?” Any guesses? “They handle their money well.”

Of course, I wonder if the people responding to that survey had seen the finances of a Presbyterian church before…

But is that the association you want? That actually works totally fine for a senior living facility. But what about a church? Is “they handle their money well” the story we want to tell? Is that our Gospel story?

A pastor friend of mine had a church-goer who was a doctor. And this doctor cared deeply about his faith, he was very involved at the church. But my pastor friend found out from a nurse that the nurses kept a hidden picture of this doctor in their nurse station. It was their dart board. The way he treated the nurses meant he was “the guy on the dartboard.” Is that the story we want to tell?

What’s your story? What story do others tell about you? And what story does God tell about you? A lot of times that story isn’t based on what you’ve done but on how you did it.

One of my favorite authors wrote a pithy little saying to capture this. He wrote, “If you do something stupid and it works, it was still stupid and you were lucky.”

Community Dinner

When Lynda came to me a few years ago with this vision for the Community Dinner, I loved her vision not just because of the what but especially the how. We’re not using disposable plates, because we aren’t serving disposable people. They have value.

We aren’t just presenting people with a serve-yourself buffet and you better be grateful. We’re serving them food. And we have people who sit down and eat with them. Talk with them. Show that they’re valuable as people, not just another faceless person in need.

That’s a big difference. That matters. That’s what makes the Community Dinner not just another story of serving. That’s what makes the Community Dinner a Gospel story. Jesus didn’t just hand out food. He sat down and ate with people. Talked with them. Valued them.

That’s a way better story.

So I love that the Community Dinner isn’t just doing what Jesus wants us to do, but doing it in a way that reflects the very heart of Jesus. How we do it is essential.

We’re going to hear from other groups throughout the year, and it’s the same story with them. I don’t just want to lift up what we’re doing, I want to celebrate how we are reflecting the heart of Christ. That’s a better story.

Love Is the Why

So that’s the what – do the things Jesus wants us to do.

That’s the how – do things in a way that reflects the very heart of Christ.

What about the why? Why do we do things like the Community Dinner and why do we do them in a way that reflects the heart of Christ even if it makes it harder or more expensive?

Well let’s circle back to the passage Lynda read. How does Jesus summarize the entire Bible? Love God with all you’ve got, and love your neighbor as yourself.

Why serve? Why serve in a more difficult manner that requires more volunteers to sit at tables and wash plates and utensils instead of just throwing it all away?

Love. That’s why.

Love for the cash-strapped family.

Love for the quiet widow or widower.

Love for the person who could afford their own meal but was too lonely to go home.

Love for those who are grateful…and love for those who aren’t.

Love for the person who easily converses…and love for the person who sits silently or says things that are abrasive.

Love for the person who brings a smile to our face…and love for the person that makes us internally dread the evening.

Love.

That’s the greatest commandment according to Jesus.

Love.

And so we don’t serve people food because it’s a nice service project. We don’t tutor the Whiz Kids because it’s a way to keep our math skills fresh. We don’t spend time with our youth group or the Boy Scout troops at this church because we want more families here. We don’t get to know our neighbors and invite them to church because we need more members.

We do these things out of love. We do these things because we care. We do these things because we want to know and support and encourage these real people – not just statistics, not just another feather in our cap. Real. Loved. People.

That’s the greatest commandment. Love.

Hopefully that’s the story people associate with this church.

And hopefully that’s the story people associate with you personally.

What’s your Gospel story? How are you BEING the Good News of Jesus Christ to someone? That’s a story worth telling. And it doesn’t have to be all that complicated.

Henri Nouwen, a well-known author and priest at a facility for people with developmental and intellectual disabilities, told about an encounter he had with Mother Teresa. I think it was Carol that shared this at one of our staff meeting devotionals.

“Once, quite a few years ago, I had the opportunity of meeting Mother Teresa of Calcutta. I was struggling with many things at the time and decided to use the occasion to ask Mother Teresa’s advice. As soon as we sat down I started explaining all my problems and difficulties – trying to convince her of how complicated it all was! When, after ten minutes of elaborate explanation, I finally became silent, Mother Teresa looked at me quietly and said,: “Well, when you spend one hour a day adoring your Lord and never do anything which you know is wrong . . . you will be fine!” . . . Reflecting on this brief but decisive encounter, I realize that I had raised a question from below and that she had given an answer from above. At first, her answer didn’t seem to fit my question, but then I began to see that her answer came from God’s place and not from the place of my complaints. Most of the time we respond to questions from below with answers from below. The result is more questions and more answers and, often, more confusion. Mother Teresa’s answer was like a flash of lightning in my darkness. I suddenly knew the truth about myself.”

Spend time adoring God. Don’t do things you know are wrong. Show love, not self-interest, toward other people. That’s the good news of Jesus Christ, and that’s a story worth telling. May it be true of us. Amen.

Lay Reader = Acts 7:2-37 (selections)

2And Stephen replied: “Brothers and fathers, listen to me. The God of glory appeared to our ancestor Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, 3and said to him, ‘Leave your country and your relatives and go to the land that I will show you.’

5[God] did not give him any of it as a heritage, not even a foot’s length, but promised to give it to him as his possession and to his descendants after him, even though he had no child. 6And God spoke in these terms, that his descendants would be resident aliens in a country belonging to others, who would enslave them and mistreat them during four hundred years. 7‘But I will judge the nation that they serve,’ said God, ‘and after that they shall come out and worship me in this place.’ 8Then he gave him the covenant of circumcision. And so Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day; and Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs. 9“The patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt; but God was with him.

14Then Joseph sent and invited his father Jacob and all his relatives to come to him, seventy-five in all; 15so Jacob went down to Egypt. He himself died there as well as our ancestors.

17“But as the time drew near for the fulfillment of the promise that God had made to Abraham, our people in Egypt increased and multiplied 18until another king who had not known Joseph ruled over Egypt. 19He dealt craftily with our race and forced our ancestors to abandon their infants so that they would die. 20At this time Moses was born, and he was beautiful before God. For three months he was brought up in his father’s house; 21and when he was abandoned, Pharaoh’s daughter adopted him and brought him up as her own son.

30“Now when forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning bush. 31When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight; and as he approached to look, there came the voice of the Lord: 32‘I am the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’

34I have surely seen the mistreatment of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their groaning, and I have come down to rescue them. Come now, I will send you to Egypt.

36He led them out, having performed wonders and signs in Egypt, at the Red Sea, and in the wilderness for forty years. 37This is the Moses who said to the Israelites, ‘God will raise up a prophet for you from your own people as he raised me up.’

Introduction

We are continuing our series looking at the Gospel. Last week we heard that Gospel literally means “good news,” and we thought about how Jesus is actually good news in our lives. This week we are looking at the big picture story. Jesus is the climax of that story, but the story stretches far into the past and far into the future as well.

If I asked you to summarize the entire Bible, and it has to fit in a single tweet or text message, what would you write?

Here’s my brief summary. God created everything. We messed it up. God chose Israel as his followers, but they messed it up. Jesus, the Son of God, came to save us from ourselves. The church tries to live like Jesus, but we still mess it up. Jesus will come again to renew everything. That still leaves me 22 characters to spare if I tweeted that, though that would require two text messages.

If you just want the bullet points, I think about the Bible as Creation, Fall, Israel, Jesus, Church, Final Redemption.

What’s your summary? How do you think about God’s big picture story?

Our text today takes place after Jesus’ death and resurrection. After he stuck around for a while. After he commissioned his followers and disappeared into heaven. After the Holy Spirit empowered the early church on Pentecost. After 3000 people joined the church. After the early church became large enough to be a threat.

And some of the religious leaders capture Stephen and get people to make this accusation against him: “This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us.”

That accusation is based somewhat in reality, though the first part is definitely a misunderstanding. One time Jesus and his disciples were walking through Jerusalem, and his disciples were in awe of the Temple’s beauty and majesty. It was a place truly worthy of the presence of God, they thought. And Jesus told them that a day would come when not one stone was left upon another. People didn’t like that.

And they really didn’t like it when people asked Jesus what sign he would perform to justify his radical statements about the nature of God. And he said that his sign was “destroy this temple and I will rebuild it in three days.” People thought he was talking about the actual, physical, literal Temple, but we know he was talking about his death and resurrection.

So the first part of the accusation against Stephen is correct, but misunderstood. Jesus did talk about destroying the Temple and rebuilding it in three days, and Stephen did in fact talk about that with people. But he meant something very different than what he was accused of.

But what’s really fascinating to me is that he’s accused of blasphemy – misrepresenting God. And for evidence they cite Stephen saying bad things about the Temple and wanting to change some of their customs. Did you notice that? They didn’t accuse him of changing the law of Moses – they accused him of wanting to change the customs.

In other words, they’re assuming that because Stephen wants to change some of their customs, he is insulting God. That is some serious commitment to your customs and your worship building!

We already heard in our first reading some of Stephen’s response. He started marching through the major events of the history of Israel. And let’s just do a little survey here. Get ready to raise your hand to vote. If you’ve ever read the Old Testament, raise your hand if you would characterize the people of Israel as really good followers of God. Raise your hand if, in reading the Old Testament, you think they did a good job following God. OK, now raise your hand if, in reading the Old Testament, you think they did a pretty lousy job of following God.

If you tally up every king listed in the Old Testament, we have 33 kings who the Bible says “did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.”. And we have 5 kings who “did what was pleasing in the sight of the Lord.” That’s a 13% approval rate. That’s lower than the approval rating for Congress!

So in the next section of Stephen’s speech, he points out what we already know: the people of Israel didn’t do a great job following God throughout their history. Prophets were ignored or killed. Kings were self-serving. The people went astray. Just like the rest of Stephen’s history lesson, this isn’t news.

But this generation of leaders thought they had it figured out. They thought they were better than their ancestors. Listen to how they respond when Stephen tells them they are just as unfaithful as those who came before them. Spoiler alert – it’s not a very pleasant reaction.

Acts 7:44-60

44“Our ancestors had the tent of testimony in the wilderness, as God directed when he spoke to Moses, ordering him to make it according to the pattern he had seen. 45Our ancestors in turn brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations that God drove out before our ancestors. And it was there until the time of David, 46who found favor with God and asked that he might find a dwelling place for the house of Jacob. 47But it was Solomon who built a house for him. 48Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made with human hands; as the prophet says, 49‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me, says the Lord, or what is the place of my rest? 50Did not my hand make all these things?’

51”You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you are forever opposing the Holy Spirit, just as your ancestors used to do. 52Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute? They killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, and now you have become his betrayers and murderers. 53You are the ones that received the law as ordained by angels, and yet you have not kept it.”

54When they heard these things, they became enraged and ground their teeth at Stephen. 55But filled with the Holy Spirit, he gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56“Look,” he said, “I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” 57But they covered their ears, and with a loud shout all rushed together against him. 58Then they dragged him out of the city and began to stone him; and the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59While they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60Then he knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he died.

Famous Last Words

“Oh wow. Oh wow. Oh wow.” According to his family who were with him when he died, those are the last words of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs as he died from pancreatic cancer.

I find people’s last words to be a fascinating study in human psychology. Would your last words change if you knew they were going to be your last words?

I remember a comic that dealt with this. The caption on the comic says, “sometimes I’m afraid that someone will die while they’re out, and I’ll never forget the last thing I said to them.” Then it shows a husband asking his wife, “while you’re out, can you pick up some spray cleaner that works on cat vomit?” Then he suddenly cries out, “Wait! Uh…you are in my heart always.”

If you want to lose an hour or two going down the great rabbit hole of the Internet, search famous last words and enjoy. Just wait until after my sermon to start your search, please.

A few that stood out to me. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the author of the Sherlock Holmes series, turned to his wife and told her, “You are wonderful” right before he died of a heart attack.

Groucho Marx, the famous comedian, reportedly told his wife before he died, “Die, my dear? Why, that’s the last thing I’ll do!” Think about it.

In our text today, Stephen’s last words are, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit” and “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And that’s while they’re killing him quite painfully.

You know, the text says that Saul was there. Saul eventually becomes Paul, the great church planter and writer of many of the letters in the New Testament. But before Jesus got him, Paul was Saul, and Saul saw it as his mission in life to destroy the Christian church and make sure the Christians changed their faith or they deserved to die.

I wonder, as Saul watched the death of Stephen, as he contrasted the vengeance of the crowd with the serenity of Stephen, as he heard Stephen’s last words, I wonder what he thought. You know he thought about it later when Jesus appeared to him. The way Stephen died – and what he said when he died – spoke volumes about the purpose and direction of Stephen’s life.

Contrast Stephen with Ahab’s last words from Moby Dick: “to the last I grapple with thee; from hell’s heart I stab at thee; for hate’s sake I spit my last breath at thee.” Uplifting, isn’t it?

Ahab saw himself as part of a story of vengeance against the great whale. His last words – even as he watches his ship sink in defeat – reflect that story of vengeance.

Stephen saw himself as part of a story of unexpected, radical forgiveness and love. His last words – even as he died a painful death – reflect that story of forgiveness and love.

That’s why I believe it is important for us to know God’s story – the big picture, whole-Bible, all of Creation, eternal story of God. Because when you know the story that you’re a part of, you know how to live your part of the story.

And I think it’s important to know some of the high points, not just say that God’s story is in the Bible. Imagine that I’ve recruited you to be in a play. And I tell you, it’s one of the plays of Shakespeare. “Well which one?” “Oh, I don’t know, I told everyone to just pick their favorite and go with it.” How well is that play going to work? When you know the story you’re a part of, you know how to live your part of the story.

What story are you living? Are you living God’s story?

Tuesday Story

And here’s where I move from preaching to meddling. Are you living the same story on Tuesday that you live for one hour on Sunday?

Stephen was killed for speaking an uncomfortable truth. That’s why I don’t allow any rocks in worship. No pointy sticks either.

The crowd covered their ears because they didn’t want to hear what he had to say. May we do better than that.

Are you living the same story on Tuesday that you live for one hour on Sunday?

That’s a question I have to ask myself, too. Am I living the story of Jesus when I’m annoyed at something my boys have done? Am I living the story of Jesus when I’m in traffic on I-25? Am I living the story of Jesus when I see or read troubling news? Am I living the story of Jesus when I respond to someone’s critical comment? Am I living the story of Jesus when I overhear something that offends me?

Am I living the same story on Tuesday that I live on Sunday? And are you?

We’re about halfway through our Hot Button Theology class, and our goal is to have the courage to discuss the issues that cause divisions. Our goal is to have the faith to base our conversations on our differing interpretations of the Bible. And our goal is to have the character to disagree without becoming disagreeable. Those are lofty goals, and so far we’re doing pretty well.

But that’s the classroom. That’s the practice. How are we doing when it’s live? How are we doing, not in practice, but on our practical exam? What does Tuesday look like? Do we have the same courage to engage in potentially uncomfortable conversations? Do we have the same faith to base our conversations on our different interpretations of the Bible? Do we have the same character to disagree without becoming disagreeable?

If you have a beef with something someone said or did in this church or at work or in your family or in your neighborhood, what story do you live? Do you contact them directly yet respectfully? That’s the story of Jesus. Go read Matthew 18 – that’s what he tells us to do. That’s the Sunday story. Or, do you get mad and tell your one or two or ten or twenty friends – none of whom are the person who upset you? That’s not the Sunday story! That’s not Jesus’ story! That’s not courage. That’s not faith. That’s not disagreeing without becoming disagreeable. That’s gossip or passive aggressive. Gossip isn’t Gospel.

There are times I have lived the Sunday story, and times I have not. How about you?

Or a different scenario. We are a church with a wide range of political and theological points of view. That’s something that makes us unique, and it makes things difficult, too. When you hear someone say something you disagree with, what do you do? If someone in this church – or at work, or in your family, or wherever – if someone offends you with their take on the world, what do you do?

The Sunday story – the Jesus story – is to speak the truth in love. If you hang onto your bitterness toward someone because of their viewpoint, that bitterness will poison the well of your own heart. You need to give it voice – and not just to your same-minded tribe. If you don’t tell the person that you disagree – and maybe all you say is “I disagree with you” – but if you don’t speak it somehow to them, then you’re hanging onto it in your heart. And gossiping about it with your same-minded tribe doesn’t make it go away – that amplifies it in your heart.

So here’s my challenge for all of us. Jesus told us to bless our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. Jesus told us to handle conflict one-on-one directly. Jesus told us to always always always forgive. Jesus told us to love our neighbors as ourselves. That’s Jesus’ story. Let’s live that story, and not just for an hour on Sunday – let’s live Jesus’ story on Monday, and Tuesday, and Wednesday, and Thursday, and Friday, and Saturday, and all day on Sunday. Let’s live Jesus’ story when we’re offended. Let’s live Jesus’ story when we’re angry. Let’s live Jesus’ story when we have a bone to pick. Let’s live Jesus’ story when we want to throw up our hands and give up on someone else. Let’s live Jesus’ story.

I don’t always live that story in those circumstances. Do you?

Summary

Sisters and brothers, Stephen had the courage to state his case. Stephen had the faith to base his conversation on how to interpret the Bible. Stephen had the character to disagree without becoming disagreeable – he even prayed for God to forgive those who were killing him. And he was able to do that because he knew Jesus’ story, and he knew how to live his part of Jesus’ story.

Can we do the same? And not just on Sunday, but every day of the week? Amen.

Lay Reader = Philippians 2:1-11

If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, 2 make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. 5 Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, 7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, 8he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Introduction

We are starting a new series looking at the Gospel. The word that we translate as “gospel” in the New Testament is “euangelion.” If you listen closely, maybe you hear the word “angel” in “euangelion.” An angel is a messenger, and this part of the word means “message” or “news.” The first part of the word “eu,” means “good” in Greek. So “euangelion” literally means “good news” or “good message.” That’s also where we get the English word “evangelism.” So the Gospel is the good news or good message about Jesus. And when we tell someone else about that good news, it’s evangelism.

Great. So what’s the good news about Jesus? Many of the letters in the New Testament were written to hash out the details of the good news about Jesus. For the first few hundred years, Christians had to gather on occasion to settle debates about the Gospel.

Was Jesus human? Was Jesus God? Was Jesus both? Did Jesus really die, or was he really good at holding his breath? Did Jesus really rise again? Are Christians supposed to be Jewish, or are we something related but new?

Have you heard the Randy Newman song, “Heaven Is My Home”? Is that true? Are we just passing through this world but our ultimate home is heaven? What is heaven? What does it mean for us to “live” in heaven? Do we have bodies, or just spirits? Does gravity exist in heaven? If heaven is my home, am I just passing time down here on earth or do my decisions in life matter?

These are just some of the many questions we have to answer when we think about the Gospel. And my contention is that the answers to these Gospel questions aren’t mere curiosities. The answers to these Gospel questions can change our outlook on our struggles. The answers to these Gospel questions can change how we seek purpose and meaning in life. The answers to these Gospel questions can change how we live because they change why we live.

The answers to these Gospel questions determine our perspective, our vantage point for life.

Our son has been trying to figure out geography. He knows that Colorado, Michigan, and Texas are all places where his family live. But from his perspective we get on an airplane, fly in the air, and land in a totally new place. He was confused about how these places are connected. He asked me if they’re all on the earth. So I dug through my dusty box of electronics and found a set of virtual reality goggles. I fired up a virtual reality model of the Earth, zoomed out to space, handed him the goggles, and told him to look down while wearing the goggles. “Dada! It’s the earth!” Viewing from space, he could see Colorado and Michigan and Texas, and where they are in relation to each other. He could see all the land between them. That new vantage point, that new perspective helps him understand this world we live in. The Gospel gives us that new vantage point, that new perspective to understand this world we live in, too. The Gospel helps us see how our knowledge, our hearts, our souls, our decisions, our motivations are all connected as part of a bigger picture.

In our text today, Paul is writing to the church in Corinth. In the chapter before our text today, the churchgoers are competing with each other to see who’s the most important. Everyone was trying to be the most impressive, the most important. The smart person felt smugly superior. The emotional person felt they had more authentic passion for Christ. The person who received guidance from the Holy Spirit felt others didn’t have their holy insight.

Paul writes in this chapter that they need a new perspective, a new vantage point. They need to refocus on the Gospel of Jesus Christ in their hearts, souls, minds, and lives. Maybe we need to return to the Gospel as well.

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.

3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.

9 For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 11 Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.

Event or Process

It was and still is the only time this has ever happened to me. I received an email from a company offering me money…and it was actually TRUE! I ignored the first two attempts, because the success rate on money offers from emails is infinitesimally small. But something seemed plausible this time, so I looked into it on the third attempt. A couple years prior I had left computer programming to be come a pastor, and this email claimed that my last employer still owed me some money. It wasn’t thousands of dollars, but it was hundreds. I contacted my employer, found out it was true, and sure enough I got the money. What a pleasant surprise! That was good news! That was a good day!

Another good day was August 11, 2007. I was up in Michigan by a lake. Some of my best friends were there. My family was there. I was in a suit. Becca was in a white dress. It was our wedding day! That was a good news day, too!

Both of those days were good news days, but with some key distinctions. The biggest difference between those two good news days? Getting some extra money was a nice day, but it has literally zero impact on my life today. Even if it had been thousands instead of hundreds of dollars, it was a one-time event. My wedding day, though, very much affects my life every single day. That good news started on a particular day, but it’s still active and in-process today.

In our text today, the Corinthian churchgoers thought the good news about Jesus Christ, the Gospel, the “euangelion,” was a one-time event. It was good news. Great news, even. But it was a one-and-done bit of good news.

Have you ever heard about the most important comma? There’s a comma that contains more value than any other comma in history. Any idea which comma that is? It’s in the Apostle’s Creed. “I believe in Jesus Christ, His only son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary <COMMA> suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried.” Everything Jesus did between his birth and his death is represented by one comma in the Apostle’s Creed. Every teaching. Every healing. Every life transformed. Every Old Testament commandment given a new interpretation. Everything you’ve ever heard about Jesus outside of Christmas and Easter – one comma.

So how important is that comma? Is Jesus just about a miraculous birth, a death on our behalf, and a saving resurrection? Or did the rest of his life matter, too?

And in the same way, do our lives matter? When we are baptized, something good happens. The details are a little fuzzy, but it’s spiritually good. When we die, we are promised that something good awaits us. The details are a little fuzzy, but it’s eternally good for people who believe in Jesus. What about the space between? Does the Good News of Jesus apply to our lives between those moments? Do our lives matter between those two moments? Is the Gospel, the Good News about Jesus a one-time event like that unexpected money, or an ongoing process like a marriage?

Paul thought that the comma was very important. He thought his own comma was very important, too. The Gospel of Jesus Christ led him to travel around the Mediterranean telling people about Jesus. The Gospel of Jesus Christ led him to keep at it even when he was imprisoned or beaten or thrown out of towns. If the Gospel were just about being saved in baptism and receiving an eternal reward in death, none of that would have made sense. But if the Gospel is like a marriage that changes how we see the world, how we live in the world, then that makes all the sense in the world.

Is the Gospel like a picture of a good memory – oh that’s nice? Or is the Gospel like the googles that let my son see the world from space – a whole new perspective on the world?

The Gospel Is At Hand

I went and looked at every time the word “gospel” appears in the Bible, and a couple of them are from Jesus. So what did Jesus say about his own Gospel – his own good news? When Jesus refers to the gospel, it’s when he’s traveling around, teaching in the synagogues, proclaiming that the kingdom of God is at hand, and healing diseases and afflictions. That’s the context for Jesus talking about the gospel.

This is powerful, and it answers some questions for me.

Is God far away or nearby? Well, Jesus walked among us, and he traveled around to be near people. God is with us – very nearby. That’s good news. God doesn’t just care about humanity in general, he cares about you individually.

Do our lives matter, or are we just treading water while we wait to get to heaven? Well, Jesus healed people. He didn’t say just bide your time, don’t worry it’ll all be better later. He healed them. God doesn’t heal everyone, but God cares about our lives and our situations right now. Our lives matter right now.

Does Jesus’ Good News affect us now, or just when we die? Well, the kingdom of Heaven is “at hand,” Jesus said. Not just in heaven. At hand. Right here. Right now.

The Gospel of Jesus isn’t about a “get out of hell free” card. The Gospel of Jesus is about finding as much heaven on earth as we can. AND we have the eternal promises, too. We have both.

Where do you want to experience some heaven on earth?

And where might God want you to make some heaven on earth?

First Importance

Paul gives us the Cliff’s Notes version of the Gospel in this text. This is the bullet point summary of the good news that applies to our lives today AND secures our eternal future, too. These are the things Paul says are of “first importance.”

The first thing on the list, “that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.” Let’s imagine that you are in prison for a crime you absolutely committed. But after a couple of years in prison, the governor grants you a pardon and you are free to go. And your first, natural response is to say, “Thank you Governor, but I still feel guilty about my crime, so I’m going to stay in prison for a while longer.” Anyone here going to do that? No way! Or what if you’re pulled over for speeding and the police officer says they’re just going to give you a warning this time. Are you going to say, “No thank you. I was really speeding and I deserve a full citation?” No way!

If Jesus died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, then we are free! We don’t have to be imprisoned by our guilt every time do something wrong. When you feel persistently, inescapably guilty about a sin, you aren’t making God happy. God released you. God forgave you. You’re free from prison. Go live a better life. Keep trying to do better, but you’re free. That’s good news!

The next important thing on Paul’s list: “that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.” It’s good news for us that Jesus was buried and raised because it means God has entered into and overcome death.

During the Civil War, the North had a draft – did you know that? Each Congressional district had a quota of troops to deliver by any means necessary. Sometimes people volunteered – and received a nice little bonus from the government. But that wasn’t always enough. So some districts supplemented their volunteers with a draft. But if you were a person of means, you could either pay someone to take your place or pay the government to leave you alone and find someone else.

So let’s imagine a conversation between two Northern families after the Civil War. They’re sharing their experiences with each other. One family is wealthy and the other is middle class. The wealthy family says, “We were so fortunate. We had just sold our vacation home in Vermont, so when uncle Jim was drafted we had the cash to pay off the government and save him. It was such a blessing.”

The middle class family has a moment of silence and then replies, “We pooled our resources, but we still didn’t have enough to buy out Uncle Thomas when he was drafted. He died at Gettysburg. But that’s nice that you were able to save your uncle. I wish we could’ve done the same.”

In that story, we are the middle class family. No matter what we do, we can’t avoid death. We can’t buy our way out. We can’t resurrect ourselves. God is rich and powerful. God is eternal. God can avoid death. But he didn’t. If Jesus faked his death, then Jesus was just powerful enough to avoid death – that’s nice for him, but it doesn’t mean squat for us because we can’t do that. But if Jesus was both God and human – if Jesus really died – then that means God volunteered to go to the one place we can’t escape – death. That means Jesus is one of us. That means that Jesus’ story isn’t one of unattainable power. That means Jesus’ story affects our story, too.

So when Jesus rose again from death, that became our good news, too. Paul writes later in this chapter, “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” We can’t avoid death. But death isn’t the last word. Jesus is the last word. He could have bought his way out of it, but he didn’t. He entered it and overcame it. And since he was one of us, who really died, was really buried, and then was really resurrected, that changes our perspective on death, too.

You don’t have to be afraid of death. It’s going to happen. But you don’t have to be defined by it. You don’t have to be afraid of it. It’s just the next chapter, not the end of the story.

Finally, Paul writes about all the appearances of Jesus. Over five hundred people. And each one’s a little different. Paul had to be struck blind to finally hear the call of Jesus on his life. Each appearance of Jesus was a little different. And that’s good news because it means each of us has a purpose. Paul calls himself an “apostle.” This is another Greek word that literally means, “one who is sent.”

Each person is sent with a different specific purpose, but each person is sent. Some people are literally sent like Paul – missionaries. Some people are sent to volunteer – maybe with the youth or the children or with adult classes. Some people are sent to serve – tutoring the Whiz Kids, filling backpacks with school supplies, table hosts and cooks at the Community Dinner. Some people are sent to lead teams and committees and ministries.

You are sent with a specific purpose. Do you know what it is? If not, spend this week in prayer. Ask God to show were you’re being sent. Be warned, however, that it’s usually not what you would expect. You’ll probably be surprised.

Summary

Sisters and brothers, the Gospel, the good news of Jesus, is like a marriage that affects us every single day. It’s not just a baptism and waiting to reach heaven. Not just a “get out of hell free” card. It’s an every day thing.

And Paul says we should remember the things that are of first importance.

Jesus died for your sins – you’re free, so don’t stay in prison.

Jesus was one of us who really died and really overcame death – don’t let your fear of death drive your life.

And Jesus appeared to over five hundred people and sent them in very specific ways – you have a purpose that is unique to you.

Now that you know or have been reminded of these things of first importance, what will the Gospel do in your life? Amen.

Lay Reader = Ephesians 3:1-12

3This is the reason that I Paul am a prisoner for Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles— 2for surely you have already heard of the commission of God’s grace that was given me for you, 3and how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I wrote above in a few words, 4a reading of which will enable you to perceive my understanding of the mystery of Christ. 5In former generations this mystery was not made known to humankind, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: 6that is, the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. 7Of this gospel I have become a servant according to the gift of God’s grace that was given me by the working of his power. 8Although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to me to bring to the Gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ, 9and to make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things; 10so that through the church the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 11This was in accordance with the eternal purpose that he has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12in whom we have access to God in boldness and confidence through faith in him.

Introduction

This is our final week looking at how we can choose to have an attitude of gratitude. Next week we start a new series looking at the Gospel. If your neighbor or your child or your relative asked you, “What is the Gospel?” would you have an answer ready? How deep would it be? What has God done in your life, and how can you be ready to articulate that if asked?

But this week we are landing the plane on Christmas. The final pieces of your nativity scene are ready to arrive – the Wise Men from the East. I’ve mentioned this before, but I’m going to keep beating this drum until I finally win. If you have a nativity set, and if it comes with Wise Men, keep in mind that the Wise Men didn’t get there until almost two years after Jesus was born. That’s why Herod in our text today orders the boys under two to be killed. So if you put out the Wise Men in your nativity scene, at least put them over to the side so that they are just “on their way” instead of already arrived. Just humor me on this, please!

And who are the Wise Men from the East? Well…we don’t really know. Some say they were Persians. Some say they were Medes who were conquered by the Persians and they eventually became astrologers and advisers to the king – kind of like Daniel if you remember his story from the Old Testament. When Marco Polo journeyed through the Persian territory on his journey to China, he actually found a village that maintained they were the place of origin for these three Wise Men from the East. But really, to quote my New Testament professor, “we don’t know.”

We do know that they were similar to many other wise and learned people of the time. They studied the stars for signs from the gods about the present and the future. We’ll hear more about that later, but suffice it to say that they were big believers in astrology. Without further ado, Matthew 2.

Matthew 2:1-12

2In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” 3When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; 4and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 5They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: 6‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.’” 7Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 8Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.”

9When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

The Right Motivation

“I’ll take eating advice from him whenever I can’t beat him in a fight.” That was long my dad’s internal response when the doctor told him to change his diet to be healthier. And to my dad’s credit, he was in decent shape heading into retirement, even if he had a couple of hamburgers a week.

But as he entered retirement, he got a routine heart check and they found something. It had no symptoms but deadly consequences – they called it the “widowmaker.” The best course of action? Exercise more and change your diet.

This time, my dad didn’t size up the doctors in the room to see if any of them could best him with fisticuffs. He listened. Because he was motivated. My dad’s vegetable repertoire has increased seventeen thousand percent, though I think my mom only tells my dad about half of the veggies hidden in bigger dishes. That’ll be our little secret.

Why didn’t he change his diet and exercise more the first time his doctor told him to? I mean, all of you do what your doctor tells you to do all the time, right? It wasn’t due to a lack of knowledge. It wasn’t due to a lack of ability. It was due to a lack of motivation. Once the proper motivation was supplied, “presto chango!”

What does it take to motivate you with your health? With your family or relationships? With your faith? What does it take to motivate you?

As I mentioned before, the Wise Men from the East, the Magi, were experts in astrology. The basic concept in astrology is that the configuration of the stars at your birth has a strong influence on your destiny. Usually, the motion of the stars is pretty predictable, especially if you have good record-keeping.

So whenever something new appeared in the night sky, it signaled something important to the astrologers. The location of the new star was interpreted by the astrologers as a special message from the gods. A special person with a special destiny needed a special act by the gods to send a new object in the night sky to portend that special person’s destiny. For example, proximity to Jupiter in the sky might imply a new king. Proximity to Mars in the sky might imply a mighty warrior. Again, the basic idea is that the person being born is so special, the gods themselves moved celestial objects to mark the occasion. Some people smoke a cigar to mark a birth, some people put pink or blue balloons in their yard to mark a birth, other people have celestial objects moved by a deity. Whatever floats your boat, right?

But that’s not all. Archaeologists have found writings from nations all around the Mediterranean and its environs. Around this time, we know the wise men of the Middle East were expecting the savior of the world to be born soon. The Egyptians were expecting the savior of the world to be born soon. The Greeks were expecting the savior of the world to be born soon. The Romans were expecting the savior of the world to be born soon. In fact, some thought Caesar Augustus was that savior.

So that’s the motivation for the Magi to journey from Persia, cross the desert, and give gifts to this new baby. Everyone was expecting a savior to be born soon, and this baby was going to be something special. This baby had a destiny – maybe the ultimate destiny. And they wanted in at the ground floor.

Side note here, and I warn you this is one of my theories that has literally zero backing in the Bible. So take this with a few scoops of salt. The Magi were probably employed by the Persian king, although the gap between “employed” and “enslaved” might have been pretty narrow in their case. So perhaps – perhaps – they crossed the desert to try to offer their services to this new king with a destiny? Maybe they wanted to switch kings? They didn’t get a new patron, but they did get to meet the Savior of the World, so it’s a win some, lose some kind of deal.

Responses to the Revelation

You know what one of the most annoying parts of parenting is? I bet every parent can identify with this. One of the most annoying parts of parenting is saying something to your kids…and nothing. No response. As if you had not spoken or did not exist. Or both. And my kids aren’t even teenagers yet.

So if the birth of Jesus is a message from God – if the birth of Jesus is a love letter from God – what’s our response? Ignoring the message is one response, but that one’s pretty annoying. What are some other responses?

The Magi had a definite response. “I will follow where God leads me.” Even if it’s across a desert. Even if I have to part with my gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Even if I have to trick the Roman governor to escape safely. I will follow where God leads me.

Where is God leading you? What journey or decision might God be leading you toward?

The Jewish scholars had a very different response. Their response is like this. Imagine two people. First person: “Did you know that Meghan Markle is pregnant? Oh my goodness, another royal baby! And she just updated us on her due date! Isn’t it exciting?!?”

Person two: <shrug> “Meh”

That’s what the Jewish scholars did. I mean, these Magi just crossed two year’s worth of desert to find this baby, and the scholars can tell them which city he was in. But…”Meh.”

They didn’t even bother to go with the Magi to see if they were right. The couldn’t be bothered to make the six mile journey from Jerusalem to Bethlehem. So their response was, “I will learn about God, but I won’t act on my knowledge.” They know all the little details about the Bible, but that knowledge never journeys from their head to their hearts or their hands or their feet. It just stagnates like a scummy pond.

How much have you learned about God or Jesus or the Holy Spirit? How much have you put it into practice? How much have you had the <shrug> “Meh” response?

If you keep reading the next few verses after our text today, Herod’s response is to try to kill Jesus by killing all the boys in the city who are less than two years old. That’s a bit intense, so let’s dial that knob back a little bit. Herod’s response to the birth of Jesus is, “I will overcome God’s threatening plan.”

Have you held any parts of your life apart from your faith because you’re afraid God’s plan will lead you where you don’t want to go? Do you have some exceptions carved out in your life where Jesus’ teachings don’t count? That’s opposing God’s plan – same thing as Herod, though admittedly with far less killing.

If you rewind to the birth of Jesus, we see two other responses from Mary and Joseph. If you remember, the text says that Mary’s response is, “I will treasure what God is doing in my heart.” She noticed and appreciated and treasured what God is doing. How’s your God-dar? How good are you at noticing and appreciating and treasuring what God is doing in your midst?

And then Joseph is told by an angel to keep Mary as his wife, that Jesus is from God. And his response is, “I will do what God tells me to do.” He was fine taking God’s orders. Has God ever given you marching orders? Did you march or did you run or delay?

One of my former students is a fellow tech geek, so we’ve stayed in touch over the years as we update each other on our projects. But a few years ago he developed a major health problem and he couldn’t attend college anymore. He was sure it was only a semester, and he could get back on track. That was three or four years ago, and his health issues haven’t abated yet. He can barely leave his house.

He just checked in a few weeks ago, and he wanted to know how Charlie was doing, how he should be praying. He told me how he was concerned for one of his relative’s waning faith. He sent me pictures of his latest projects. He updated me on how he was still connecting with people over video chat even though he can’t get out of the house.

Many people would feel defeated. He responded with hope. Many people would blame God. He responded by relying on his faith for that hope. Many people would give up their dreams. He responded by choosing new dreams that are still possible from his house. That, sisters and brothers, is a faithful response to Jesus.

The Magi responded with, “I will follow where God leads me.”

The Jewish scholars responded with, “I will learn about God, but I won’t act on it.”

Herod responded with, “I will oppose God’s threatening plan.”

Mary responded with, “I will treasure what God is doing in my heart.”

Joseph responded with, “I will do what God tells me to do.”

My former student responded with, “I will rely on my faith.”

How will you respond to the birth of Jesus? Amen.