God's Last Words

IN GOD WE WON’T TRUST

Mark 6: 1-6 (NRSV)

As a caring Christian sometimes its not hard to remember that God’s wrath manifests itself occasionally to those who seek to stick their fingers in God’s eye. The story of Elisha and the “youths” seeking to tease and terrorize him come to mind (from 2 Kings chapter 2).

Yet despite God wielding a “holy hammer” the Holy Scriptures are full of stories about how human beings deal and dwell with God’s presence. We contemplate that God isn’t very active in our world so for the most part, other than seeking lukewarm spiritual and moral support, God’s presence becomes a philosophical one. What if God is truly smarter than man?

But what about those humans who had God close to hand - for the most part the story becomes the same – people begin to ignore or become spiteful in God’s presence if exposed too long to it. It’s like we seem to grow too use to Him, and since familiarity breeds contempt we think we can ignore Him.

They build altars to other gods, pray and praise other gods, ignore the teaching and precepts of God and engage in behaviors counter to or even forbidden by God. In fact, they seem to go out of their way to blaspheme, deny, or discredit God.

They make laws that mock God’s natural law and created order.

This is certainly true of the Israelites hanging with Moses and it is certainly true of those present when Jesus walked the Holy Lands during His ministry, and we are now also living in a such a world, even after a few hundred years of receiving blessings and favored status as a country who sought His will for a long time.

We have thrown away almost every blessing America was given for blessing Israel, committing to Judeo-Christian values and ethics, and being a beacon of love-your -neighbor-based hope in the world.

As we stand here none of us can really say if America will have another birthday next year or not. Is this extreme? What’s next: Churches have been told that their tax-exempt status will be challenged, group marriage is coming, flags/symbols of hate will be gone.

You see, the Supreme Court ruling also rewrote law so that they may interpret “rights” in the future without worrying about a precedent of constitutionality now. It may be a bigger decision than the same-sex marriage ruling. Trust in the court, not God their rulings seem to say.

You and I will be made to care and be forced to accommodate and assimilate some aspect of “gay pride recognition” in our lives.

We use to say we’d die defending our country if it were attacked or threatened, instead we have sat in our own corners, whimpering away at the loss of our freedoms and the indignities we see around us, suffered at the hands of judges, politicians, and community activists who hate the very thought of America.

And sadly, it is us that is doing it to ourselves; we voted for change, we voted for a fundamental transformation, and boy have we got it.

I love America, I love who we were and who we are – I remember the first time I saw that flag flying on American soil after I returned from a not too nice place where people weren’t like us and didn’t have peace and safety to go about their lives. How I felt about that flag!

But now there are already people circulating petitions to abolish the American Flag just as they have recently got the Confederate Battle Flag outlawed. They want group marriage too.

Our own families, friends, communities are doing this to each other in the name of human dignity and not mom, apple pie, and the American way. We live in a culture of fear, loathing,  distrust, over religion and politics.

America was built on trust in God, trust in each other, and trust in the past and the future. Instead because the past has been subject to ridicule the future is being recast, and that future has been visualized by evil and unbelief in God as Creator and source of ultimate love. The future isn’t tolerant of anything Godly.

How did it happen? Three factors come to mind: Evolution, the Personalization of Politics, and that our children are now slaves to a culture that provides more input into who they are becoming then what impact parents can teach.

Evolution has touched almost every facet of society since the 1850’s; suggesting that science and knowledge explains or at the very least questions everything, especially God and anything of faith. The irony being of course, that little if any scientific evidence exists that proves evolutionary theory is anything more than just a theory.

Since WWI politicians and judges have turned every item of politics, every issue of right and wrong, every vote into a personal demand from everyone to shape the world as interest groups desire and not for the common good.

Wins and losses were tallied according to race, gender, sexual orientation, influence is pedaled, and lobbyists’ are valued members of society. We have weasels like James Carvelle and Karl Rove who manipulate and fuel political hate.

All designed to play up to individual wants and needs, over what’s good for people, society, and country. Wedges are driven between ideas and differences are high- lighted between groups for personal and political advantage. This has destroyed American pride, identity, nationalism, and our exceptionalism.

Thirdly, American culture has been taken over by media groups, marketing groups, and malicious cliques who strive to control, manipulate, and set values, attitudes, public outcry, and peer pressure to change behaviors. Judges mandate the definitions in America today..

Young people are being shaped, manipulated, and taught by teachers, professors, and celebrities instead of parents, families, and churches. It’s no wonder everything is possible; we have no limits, and nothing is going too far anymore.

Bread and circuses, peer comfort, concession, tolerance, moral and spiritual welfare, and evolution. The devil is appearing to win because these are all the things that brought the earth into its first judgment during the days of Noah.

Matthew 24:37-38 says, “As the days of Noah were, so the coming of the Son of Man will be. For in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah boarded the ark.”   

God’s idea of Marriage has become just as perverted as it was then, and it was one of the final nails on that condemned societies’ coffin. Is it ours? Have people come to hate God so much they no longer care? Hear our Gospel Lesson for today: Mark 6: 1-6

He left that place and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. 

On the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, "Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands! Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him. 

Then Jesus said to them, "Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house." And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them.  And he was amazed at their unbelief.

Just as Jesus had, we believers are known and not trusted by our friends, family, and neighbors because of our beliefs and goals. Do people look at us and say we’re so hypocritical that God can’t work through us?

In fact, official government documents say that evangelical Christians are potential terrorists. Some religious organizations are even called hate groups. Enormous persecution is coming to all believers.

Bakers, florists, pizza parlors, Wedding Chapels are being shut down and fined hundreds of thousands of dollars for discrimination. Christians are being forced to go through "rehabilitation" for their religious beliefs by their denominations.

And if your church and pastors resist to adjust under the “new normal” I predict you will feel it from your friends, neighbors, and co-workers who will persecute you and put pressure on you to conform.

I think it will especially come from the other churches, pastors, and communities of faith who have already sold out, and through their denominations and associations already support overthrowing God.

Some of you will become worried about your jobs, your children, and your reputation, some may have already caved I think. May God continue to bless you if He will.

In the movie “Man for All Seasons” Thomas More, the head of the English Church is eventually beheaded by the king because he will not sanction the actions of King Henry the VIII regarding a change in marriage laws and practices. (Divorce was the issue then)

Two interactions are telling from the movie of our future:

Cromwell: The King wants Sir Thomas to bless his marriage. If Sir Thomas appeared at the wedding, now, it might save us all a lot of trouble.

The Duke of Norfolk: Aaahh, he won't attend the wedding.

Cromwell: If I were you, I'd try and persuade him. I really would try... if I were you.

The Duke of Norfolk: Cromwell, are you threatening me?

Cromwell: My dear Norfolk... this isn't (add note: Infer the Spanish inquisition) Spain. This is England.

And then later on when the duke visits More to urge him to change his mind:

The Duke of Norfolk: Oh confound all this. I'm not a scholar, I don't know whether the marriage was lawful or not but Thomas, look at these names (of the people that attended)! Why can't you do as I did and come with us, for fellowship!

Sir Thomas More: And when we die… and I am sent to hell for not following my conscience, will you come with me, for fellowship?

Will we have the spiritual backbone to stand firm in our faith. Will we honor God? Can we spark a return to trusting God in our witness or is it too late?

Commenting on the White House being illuminated on Friday with gay-rainbow lights to celebrate homosexual marriage, Rev. Franklin Graham said it was "outrageous" and a "slap in the face" to millions of Americans who support real marriage, and added that because God gave the rainbow sign to Noah (in Genesis 9) following the flood, it is an image forever "associated with His judgment" and a sign of "God's judgment to come." 

"So, when we see the gay pride rainbow splashed on business advertisements and many people’s Facebook pages, may it remind all of us of God’s judgment to come," he said.  "Are you ready? Are your sins forgiven?"

God’s Rainbow – the reminder we need to know that God is still active in our world and has ready a coming judgment day. God’s keeps His promises.

Friends, maybe it’s time to turn the symbols of our enemies around and use them in witness to encourage a new American Revolution, a return to God. Let us use this Rainbow!

Maybe we can use it as a reminder to trust in God and remember that God keeps His promises, just like the early Christian church used the fish symbol to indicate they were believers in Christ.

A little thing can make a big difference. Amen.