“THE EVIL AMONG US”
Matthew 13: 24-30, 36-43 (NRSV)

If you’d give me several hours of your time and a good chair I’d be glad to discuss with you why evil exists and why it is not a contradiction of an “All Powerful, All Knowing God.”

When asked why God created man when He knew he would sin, Martin Luther replied, "Let us keep clear of these abstract questions and consider the will of God such as it has been revealed to us."

In our scripture passage for today Jesus will give us a view of how we are to live and deal with the evil among us. Jesus tells us that we, those who have responded to God and the Son of Man, will face evil among us. Jesus calls them “tares.”

Tares are more specifically called “the bearded darnel.” It is mentioned only here in Matthew chapter 13. It is a species of rye-grass, and the seeds are a strong poison. It bears a close resemblance to wheat till the ear appears, and then the difference is discovered. It grows plentifully in Syria and Palestine.

Tares are present in the church as well, as we have many folks who look like Christians until we see their fruit. Mainline churches are especially full of tares, but every church has its share. The Christian-claiming tare is responsible for much pain and suffering among the believers. Even Jesus had a tare among His disciples that He had to tolerate.

Tares are also present in America as well. While many people feel as if America was set up as a practicing Christian Nation, dedicated to the freedoms endowed by the Creator as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, many do not and will do what they can to destroy or undermine it.

Just like the church America has never been perfect but her system of laws, care and concern for the least among us, and a willingness to share the burdens of woes was and I pray, still is a shining example and testimony to the exceptionalism of its people.

Over the years many have challenged and failed to destroy our union but the attacks on our culture are reaching overwhelming heights.

Let me give you an example. A man I will call a tare was David Saul Alinsky, born in Russia in 1909, who came to America, settled in Chicago to become a “community organizer.”

His philosophies for undermining society are recorded in his book, Rules for Radicals, which has become the basis, for a popular political movement aimed at “fundamentally transforming the United States of America.”

Many current politicians and political action groups operating in our country mark Alinsky as their “hero and mentor.”

Alinsky developed his ideas as a professor at the University of Chicago and as a community organizer in Chicago.The dedication page of his book is quite revealing: 

“Lest we forget at least an over-the-shoulder acknowledgment to the very first radical: from all our legends, mythology, and history... the first radical known to man who rebelled against the establishment and did it so effectively that he at least won his own kingdom — Lucifer.”

His instructions for “how to create a social state” include 8 areas he said must be manipulated and controlled: Healthcare – Poverty – Debt – Gun Control – Welfare – Education – Religion – Class Warfare. Look around church – sound familiar?

Jesus knew about people like Alinsky. Listen to Jesus’ words in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 13, verses 24-30 and 36-43:

He put before them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; ²⁵but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away.

²⁶So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. ²⁷And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, “Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?”

²⁸He answered, “An enemy has done this.” The slaves said to him, “Then do you want us to go and gather them?” ²⁹But he replied, “No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. ³⁰Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’

Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, ‘Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.’ ³⁷He answered, ‘The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; ³⁸the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, ³⁹and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.

⁴⁰Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. ⁴¹The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, ⁴²and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

⁴³Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears^* listen!

So much for Christians and “we the church” living in time of peace and prosperity. Instead we are being choked out and fighting for resources and our very existence.

Many of you wonder why some churches aren’t prospering or why people don’t come to church, or what’s going on. The answer is simple for those with ears who listen to Jesus.

Sadly, many Christians spend most of every day with their heads in the sand, blissfully unaware, or strongly avoiding, the war raging around them.

And partially they are right, for God is the judge who will remove the tares and settle the debts. Jesus tells us that. But we have to tend to ourselves and make our preparation for the coming harvest! We are to listen with our ears and see tares.

The story is told of a farmer in a Midwestern state who had a strong disdain for "religious" things. As he plowed his field on Sunday morning, he would shake his fist at the church people who passed by on their way to worship. October came and the farmer had his finest crop ever--the best in the entire county.

When the harvest was complete, he placed an advertisement in the local paper which belittled the Christians for their faith in God. Near the end of his diatribe he wrote, "Faith in God must not mean much if someone like me can prosper."

The response from the Christians in the community was quiet and polite. In the next edition of the town paper, a small ad appeared. It read simply, "God doesn't always settle His accounts in October." 

It would be wonderful to live separate from evil and troubles, wouldn’t it? But Jesus cautions us about judging and taking His justice into our hands. Instead we are to pray.

Alexandr Solzhenitsyn wrote: “If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?”  In the end we don’t have the guts or heart to weed out evil.

We can ask all we want but Nigel Wright wrote in 1990 that “There is a fundamental sense in which evil is not something that can be made sense of. The essence of evil is that it is something which is absurd, bizarre and irrational. It is the nature of evil to be inexplicable, an enigma and a stupidity.”

What we must come to understand, as taught by Jesus, is the last few verses of this passage: “The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, ⁴²and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

We need to make sure our own house, our own relationship with God, is filled with prayer, petition, and repentance. We need to do everything to honor God, and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, then we need have no fear of the future or eternity.

An American writer named Wilson Mizner was a boxer who socialized with other boxers. One night Mizner and boxer "Mysterious" Billy Smith visited a San Francisco bar, where Mizner started a fight with some longshoremen.

At the end of the fight only one longshoreman was left standing. Although Mizner threw every punch he knew at the man, he wouldn’t go down. Suddenly, Smith noticed what was happening. "Leave him alone, Wilson!" he shouted. "I knocked him out five minutes ago."

Taking a closer look it turned out that a punch from Smith had indeed knocked the longshoreman out cold, but had also wedged him standing up between two pieces of furniture.

Jesus assures us that evil was defeated on the Cross, and is only being tolerated up until the Heavenly Harvest. This story of Smith and Wilson give us an accurate picture of our already-defeated but still standing enemy Satan!

So how then do we live until then? St. Paul’s joint Sunday School recently conducted a weeklong VBS/Bible Boot Camp.

If you attended then you’d know. Listen to Ephesians 6: 10-17:

Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by His vast strength.  Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the tactics of the Devil.  For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the uthorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens. 

This is why you must take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand. 

Stand, therefore, with truth like a belt around your waist, righteousness like armor on your chest, and your feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace.

In every situation take the shield of faith, and with it you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is God’s word.

Some of you think these are “Sunday School” words good just for children – but we as followers of Christ have never needed them more. We need to cling to the old rugged Cross, the Truth and Light of Christ, and the Love of God if we are going to keep growing and avoid being choked out by the evil and vileness all around us that seeks to poison everything God created.

WE can’t put on the “belt of compromise,” “the breastplate of tolerance,” “the earth shoes of progressive evolution,” “the shield of political correctness,” “the helmet of ecumenical salvation,” or “the sword of human experience” and remain safe from evil and temptation.We just can’t do it anymore.

 
Each of us needs to re-read and study the first^t three chapters of the Book of Revelation and take heed to the warnings listed there about “lukewarm” Christians from Laodicea who  were happy as clams with their “no commitment, no real responsibility” religion. So it is in much of the emergent and progressive churches today.

Listen to the words of Jesus from Revelation 3: 19-20 – “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.”

Don’t be lukewarm Christians. Only the full armor, the WHOLE armor, of God will do! Amen.

 

Farmers Lottery

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

Two farmers each won a million dollars in the state lottery. The first farmer said he was going to use his money to retire, move to Florida, and live the good life. When the second farmer was asked what he was going to do he replied, “I don’t know, I think I’ll just keep on farming until it’s all used up!”

I don’t know if you’ve ever thought of it this way before but I’ve talked to many farmers who look at planting and harvesting as the ultimate gamble. They never know how the reaping will go in the end until it’s over, hoping that it will be profitable. They know that many things including the weather are beyond their control.

But there is always one fact that matters: you have to invest in the seed and prepare the land before you sow.

Two old men were sitting around talking and the first one said, “Let’s go get some lottery tickets. The jackpot is up around 400 million dollars.” The second old guy said, “I don’t buy those things.”  

“But that’s a whole pile of money. Don’t you think it’s worth spending five bucks to win?” said the first guy. The second old guy replied, “No! You’ve only got 1 in about 5.4 million chances to win. That puts the odds of proving you are a loser to almost 100 percent.”

“Well, not playing at all makes you an automatic loser,” was the retort of the first old guy.  “That’s okay,” was the reply, “At least I’ll still have my five bucks!”

A Texan farmer goes to Australia for a vacation. There he meets an Aussie farmer and gets talking. The Aussie shows off his big wheat field and the Texan says, "Oh! We have wheat fields that are at least twice as large".

Then they walk around the ranch a little and the Aussie shows off his herd of cattle. The Texan immediately says, "We have longhorns that are at least twice as large as your cows."

The conversation has, meanwhile, almost died when the Texan sees a herd of kangaroos hopping through the field. He asks, "And what are those?" The Aussie asks with an incredulous look, "Don't you have any grasshoppers in Texas?”

Jesus used farming, or at least the concept of planting and harvesting as metaphors of the Kingdom of God. Let’s hear the first of three (from Matthew 13: 1-9, 18-23):

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea.  Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. 

And he told them many things in parables, saying: "Listen! A sower went out to sow.  And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. 

Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen!"

"Hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. 

As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away.

As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty."

Jesus tells us that only those seeds sown in good soil will bear fruit. Notice that He doesn’t make any distinction between the seeds themselves, but discusses only the type of ground the seed interacts with. This confirms the concept of “free will” in humanity and tells us that God loves the sinner but hates the sin.

Jesus, in highlighting the “soil,” or ground, and is telling us that we must ever be careful of the temptations, snares, and tarrasso’s surrounding us in the larger culture and/or society around us. It is from these, that bad fruit and stunted growth come from.

Remember what Jesus means in Matt. 15: 11 by saying it isn’t what goes into a man’s mouth that defiles him but what comes out of it?

This discussion began when the Pharisees wondered why the Lord’s disciples didn’t conduct a ceremonial hand washing before eating (Matt. 15: 2).  The Lord’s point is clear that observing such a ritual would not in and of itself make a person ceremonially clean, because many of the words we speak with our mouth originate as feelings in our heart. And that’s where any spiritual uncleanliness we harbor resides, not on our hands. Jesus explained this more fully in Matthew 15: 18-20;

“But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them.  For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.  These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.”

The “soil” of a person is their heart. And it is here that the word of God, the “seed” of God must take root.

Sam was in dire trouble. His business had gone bust and he was in serious financial trouble. He was so desperate he decided to pray for help. He began, ‘God, please help me. I've lost my business and if I don't get some money, I'm going to lose my house as well. Please let me win the lottery.’ Lottery night came and Sam didn’t win.

Again Sam prays, ‘God, please let me win the lottery! I've lost my business, my house and I'm going to lose my car as well.’ Lotto night comes and Sam still has no luck.

Once again, he prays, ‘My God, why have you forsaken me?? I've lost my business, my house, and my car. My wife and children are starving. I don't often ask you for help and I have always been a good servant to you. PLEASE just let me win the lottery this one time so I can get my life back in order.’

Suddenly there is a blinding flash of light as the heavens open. Sam is confronted by the voice of God Himself: ‘Sam,’ says God, ‘meet Me halfway on this. Buy a lottery ticket.’

You get the idea – just like the saying goes – you got to submit yourself to God to receive His Blessings and reap the harvest of good fruit in His Kingdom. Amen. 

Politically Incorrect US History

Matthew 11: 16-19, 25-30

Once, in the 1820's, a little boy called Sam Grant was playing in the yard behind his house.  While playing, he accidently knocked over the outhouse.  Sam was upset and worried that he would get into trouble so he ran into the woods and didn't come out until after it got dark.  When he arrived back home, his pappy was waiting for him.  He asked suspiciously, "Son, did you knock over the outhouse this afternoon?"

"No, pappy," Sam lied.

"Well, let me tell you a story," said the father. "Once, not that long ago, George Washington received a shiny new axe from his father.  Excited, he tried it out on a tree, swiftly cutting it down.  But as he looked at the tree, with dismay he realized it was his mother's favorite cherry tree," his pappy paused." just like you, he ran into the woods.

When he returned, his pappy asked, 'George, did you cut down the cherry tree?”  

George answered, 'Father, I cannot tell a lie. I did indeed chop down the tree.' Then his father said, 'Well, since you were honest with me, you will not be punished. I hope you have learned your lesson, though.'” Then Sam's father asked again, "Did you knock down the outhouse?"

"Pappy, I cannot tell a lie any more." said the little boy. "I did indeed knock down the outhouse." Then his pappy spanked Sam until he was red, white, and blue. The boy whimpered, "Pappy, I told you the truth! Why did you spank me?"

The father of future President, U. S. Grant answered, "That's because George Washington’s father wasn't in the tree when he chopped it down!"

This past week we’ve been celebrating the July 4^th Holiday and our country’s birthday. Unlike the probably mythic story I just told you our country’s roots and founding were Christian and God fearing.

There are some in our country today who would deny the United States was ever a nation founded on the premise of Inalienable rights granted by a Creator, and that the manifestation of our Country’s greatness demonstrates the blessings from Almighty God. Many would rather forget the past because it is deemed politically incorrect today to be patriotic, nationalistic, or even believe America is “special.”

Of course if you don’t believe that then you can’t understand that our current tarassos (troubles), come from our turning our backs on Him in the thoroughfares and byways of this once great land that feared God.

Instead we have become a country of hyphenated individuals more concerned with entitlements than freedoms. We care little about what type of government we have and rather want government to serve only our own interests; each day we rely more on the government to provide us our daily “bread and circus” rather than do anything that actually matters morally or ethically.

Jesus knew that mentality. He knew about people’s desires to be entertained with the next newest thing, and how human loyalty and fidelity fly in the wind of celebrity and fashion trends. He spoke about it in Matthew’s Gospel, 11: 16-19, and verses 25-30:

“But to what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn.’

For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon’; the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”

At that time Jesus said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

209 years ago Francis Scott Key initially wrote a poem that was inspired by a battle and a war we seldom remember. The poem was entitled “When the Warrior Returns.” This poem, written to honor the Marines and Navy heroes of the Barbary war that was fought in Libya from 1801-05.

The war started when Muslims from the Ottoman Empire burned the U.S. Flag at the U. S. consulate at Tripoli and declared jihad on the America, just because we  refused to pay “a tribute” of 20% of the U.S. Budget to prevent American ships and sailors from being kidnapped and sold into the Muslim slave markets. (The entire world including England was paying it!)

The Ottoman Empire was considered the number 2 world power at the time. The end result was that the United States would defeat the two most powerful militaries in the world in its first twenty years of existence. Certainly not something you’d expect from a bunch of citizen colonists unless God had truly blessed us.

Think of our Star Spangled Banner, our National Anthem. The banner is where our national motto “In God we trust,” originates and gives us a glimpse of the original mindset of Americans as they celebrated these monumental victories 200 years ago.

Our anthem tells us three things Americans believed at the start of the 19^th century that are in doubt today: 1) God made America, 2) God rescued America, and 3) God preserved America!

There is no doubt that those who fought were empowered by God just as Joshua, Gideon, and David are in the Old Testament. There was no doubt that Americans knew that God was to be thanked for saving and assisting America in its fight.

We seldom sing all the verses to our Anthem yet the message is there and clear: It urges us to “Praise the Power that made and preserved us as a nation.”

Ironically, the founders of our country did one small thing that showed us where their hearts were: They engraved “In God we trust” on our money to be a reminder of where our priorities should lie.

Instead, our society and world now trust money and human ideas and experience before they’d even consider, let alone, trust God. The only option our country has is to remember the central theme of our national anthem:

Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."

Amen.

The Star Spangled Banner by Francis Scott Key:

Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion,
A home and a country should leave us no more!
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

“Wrong Questions”

Matthew 10: 40-42

A man sitting under a walnut tree was wondering why God had placed a large pumpkin on a small vine and such a small walnut on such a big tree. While he was lost in thought, a walnut fell from the tree and hit the man on the head.

The man rubbed his head and said, “I’m glad there aren’t pumpkins up there!”

A man went to a psychiatrist. He said, “I’ve got two problems.” The psychiatrist said, “Okay, tell me all about it.” The man began, “Well, I think I am a Coke Vending Machine.” The shrink sat the man right down and started going through his usual assessment techniques, but nothing seemed to help.

Finally, out of ideas, the doctor jumped to his feet, took three quarters from his pocket, forced them down the man’s throat, grabbed the man’s head and shook him until he swallowed the coins, and said, “Okay, now give me a Coke.”

The man smiled at the doctor, shook his head and replied, “I can’t Doc. That’s my second problem; I’m out of order.”

When we look at God we need to see that His priorities are not ours. We need to hear Jesus teach us what is important. We need to see that God thinks eternally.

“Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of the prophet will receive a prophet’s reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous; and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple – truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.”

Jesus is telling us of the logic of being a believer is eternal and not based on frail human ideology. Sometimes our problems come because we ask the wrong questions or concentrate on just being human. A few examples of the wrong question:

Why do people ask a person digging a car out of a snow-bank, “Are you stuck?” If they answer, “No, my car died, and I’m giving it a decent burial,” probably wouldn’t make sense.

Nor would being asked if you have a flat tire, when you’re wet, disgusted and irritated while changing said tire on a stormy night on a dark highway;

“Oh no,” you feel like replying, “of course not. I always rotate my tires at night on a busy road when it’s raining.”

Or, “Can you get cavities in your dentures if you use artificial sweetener?” Since there is a speed of light and a speed of sound, is there a speed of smell? Or, “The Scarecrow got a brain, Tin Man got a heart, Lion got courage, Dorothy got home, what did Toto get?” Lastly: What is a "free" gift? Aren't all gifts free?

In our text “welcome” and “welcomes” (hu-po-lam-bano) means “to greet and make at home, to extend the protection and hospitality of your home to others." (It can also be translated “receive” and receives.) It is meant as an extension of the commands to be both a good and loving neighbor to others.

But (ever notice in the Kingdom of God there is always a “but?”) the welcome must be in Jesus’ name. You can do all kinds of good things for people but it won’t be noticed in God’s Kingdom unless you’ve already given everything to God in submission to His will.

There isn’t some kind of reward program that returns parts of good deeds to be used in the future like some “heavenly reward club.” Butch is right in his message.

This passage speaks to both welcoming and supporting those whose who do God’s work and those who are learning it through instruction, example and faith. The idea is expressed in the Greek word “ge-nos-co” or learning by experience.

Tarassos (troubles), lead to genosco (learning by experience).

Jesus tells us that our first experience in His Kingdom will be by attempting to live it here on earth first. It will matter in how we treat others and ourselves.

Jared and his dad were playing a game of catch one afternoon, when Jared asked, “Dad, is there a God?”

The dad, named Joe, had the same helpless feeling he experienced on the high school baseball team when he lost sight of a fly ball in the blazing sun. He didn’t know whether to move forward, backward, or just stay put. A string of answers raced through his mind. In the end Joe went for honesty, “I don’t know,” he replied.

Yet Joe’s agnosticism failed to stifle his son’s curiosity. Jared dug a little deeper, “If there is a God, how would you know him?” “I have no idea, Jared. I only went to church a couple of times when I was a kid, so I don’t know a lot about God.”

Jared seemed deep in thought for a few minutes as the game continued.

Suddenly, he headed for the house. “I’ll be right, back,” he yelled over his shoulder. “I have to get something.” Jared soon returned with a balloon fresh he had gotten from the circus along with a pen and an index card.

“Jared, what in the world are you doing?” Joe asked. “I’m going to send a message to God – airmail,” the boy replied. Before Joe could protest, Jared started writing on the index card, “Dear God, if you are real and if you are there, send people who know you to Dad and me.”

Joe kept his mouth shut, not wanting to dampen his son’s enthusiasm. This is silly, he thought as he helped Jared fasten the card to the balloon’s string. “But God, I hope you’re watching,” he added to his silent petition. After Jared let go of the balloon, father and son stood with their faces to the sky and watched it sail away.

Two days later, Joe and Jared pulled into a free car wash that a church was holding as part of their outreach into the community on a Saturday morning. “How much?” Joe asked as they neared the line of buckets, sponges and hoses. “It’s free,” the guy told him. “No strings attached.”

“Really!” Joe exclaimed. He was intrigued by getting something for nothing. “But why are you doing this?” “We just want to show you God’s love in a practical way.”

It was as if that simple statement opened a hidden door to Joe’s heart. The look on his face was incredible, “Wait a minute,” he practically shouted. “Do you know God?” “Yeah, we’re Christians,” the man replied. “I guess you’re the answer to one of the strangest prayers God’s ever received,” Joe said.

Yesterday nobody asked who the money was for, they pitched in to help, no strings or conditions. Just welcoming others in Jesus name; the Grace of God.

Jesus said, “Go and do likewise!”

We welcome others in Christ’s name and support the work of His Kingdom.

Amen

VALUE ADDED

Matthew 10: 24-39

Last week I was amazed at how long a fly hung onto my windshield wiper as I was driving down the National Pike. It led me to “google” houseflies.

I learned that the housefly is the most talented flyer on the planet — superior to any bird, bat, or bee. According to a scientist, “a housefly can make six turns a second, hover, fly straight up, fly straight down, fly backwards, do somersaults, land on the ceiling, and perform various other show-off maneuvers. And it has a brain smaller than a sesame seed.”

Flies are also loaded with sensors. In addition to their compound eyes, which permit panoramic imagery and are excellent at detecting motion, flies have wind-sensitive hairs and antennae. They also have three light sensors, called ocelli, on the tops of their heads, which tell them which way is up. Roughly two-thirds of a fly’s entire nervous system is devoted to processing visual images.

If God put so much information processing into ordinary houseflies, imagine what it means for each of us to know that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made.”

Think for a second - If I offered you a dollar bill, would you take it? What if I wadded up the bill and threw it on the ground — would you still want it? What if I stepped on it, kicked it, and even spit on it? Could you still go to the store and spend it?

The answer is yes. That bill has value because of what it is, not because of how it looks, where it’s been, or what it has been used for. A crisp, clean dollar bill is worth the same amount as an ugly, old, abused one.

Jesus tells us many times that even though you may feel like you’ve been stepped on, beat up, or kicked around, even though you may feel dirty, unworthy, or useless,  be encouraged, that like the twenty-dollar bill I just talked about — no matter what you’ve been through, you still have value to God!

Let’s hear Jesus teaching on how much value we have (Matthew 10: 24-39):

"A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master; it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master.

If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household!

"So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops. Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.  And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.

"Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven. "Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.

For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one's foes will be members of one's own household.

Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.

Jesus has made the greatest offer known to humanity; but in order to receive it you have to commit to never ever accepting any other offers again from anyone else.

I will admit that my admiration for Senator John McCain has decreased over the years since I served under him in the Navy. But he once said, “Courage is like a muscle. The more we exercise it, the stronger it gets. I sometimes worry that our collective courage is growing weaker from disuse.”

He went on to say, “We don’t demand it from our leaders, and our leaders don’t demand it from us. The courage deficit is both our problem and our fault. As a result, too many leaders in the public and private sectors lack the courage necessary to honor their obligations to others and to uphold the essential values of leadership.”

I think McCain’s words serve as a wonderful summary of Jesus’ words from this passage from Matthew 10: 24-39. The value we have to God remains in being a true and reflective witness and disciple of Jesus.

As long as we have the courage to be a disciple we grow in love and value!

No compromise, no slacking off, no excuses, no allowances for “well, just this once…” The courage to hold to the truth and what’s right.

God doesn’t expect us to be perfect but He expects us to be consistently faithful and true to the values of His Kingdom and truth. In a funny way God expects us to live in such a way that we wouldn’t be ashamed to sell the family parrot to the town gossip!

A psychology professor at the University of Maryland knew his students expected a  long, difficult, final exam. To play with their minds a little (what do you expect from a psychology professor?) he put ONE question on the final exam. He watched the reactions of the students as they all opened the exams and saw the one question. Initially they all looked relieved, but as the difficulty of the question began to sink in, those relieved faces sagged to confusion and consternation.

All, that is, except for one student. He read the question, tapped his pencil into his palm a few times, then quickly wrote something down on the test paper. He walked up to the professor, handed him the final, and walked out. The professor blinked in surprise, looked at what the student wrote, and smiled. The professor wrote "100%" on the top of that student's test.

The question: What is courage? The student's answer: “This is.” That’s what God wants – actions not promises. Reconciliation takes change – change takes courage.

If we do this we will close the distance between ourselves and God’s Kingdom. The Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:18 that “Now everything is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.”

We should never forget that Jesus has taught us:

The foundation of ministry is character;

The nature of ministry is Service;

The motive for ministry is love;

The measure of ministry is sacrifice;

The authority of ministry is submission;

The purpose of ministry is the glory of God;

The tools of ministry are the Word of God and prayer;

The privilege of ministry is growth;

The power of ministry is the Holy Spirit;

And The model for ministry is Jesus Christ.

Have courage in Christ. Amen.

“The Blessing of Children”

Matthew 28: 16-20

The family children talked their mother into getting a hamster as long as they agreed to take care of the animal. Two months later, when Mother was caring for Denny the hamster, she made some phone calls and found a new home for him.

When they got home from school she broke the news to them and they seemed to take it well, but they did offer some comments. One of the children said, “He’s been around here a long time and we’ll miss him.” Mom agreed, saying, “Yes, but he’s too much work for one person, and since I’m that one person, I say he goes.”

Another child offered, “Well, maybe if he wouldn’t eat so much, and wouldn’t be so messy, we could keep him.” But she insisted, “Go and get his cage.”

With one voice and in tearful outrage the children shouted, “Denny? We thought you said Daddy!”

A 5 year old boy had a very precocious interest in motorcycles. Whenever he saw one, he would let out a howl of joy, accompanied by remarks like, “Look at that! Look at that motorcycle! I’m going to get a motorcycle someday.”

His father’s answer was always the same, “Not so long as I’m alive, you won’t.”

         One day, while the boy was talking to a friend, a brand new stylish bike zoomed by. He excitedly pointed it out to his friend and exclaimed, “Look at that! Look at that motorcycle! I’m getting one of those – as soon as my dad dies!”

Happy Father’s Day! Let’s read our Gospel lesson for today (Matthew 28: 16-20):

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.  When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.

And  Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go thereforeand make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Several years ago I was asked to help raise money for a child who had cancer. He was one of four children to a mother who had 3 different men as fathers of her children, of whom none lived with her.

I remember asking her, “How do you keep them straight?” She said, “Luckily, I named each boy after their father.” Not quite the way God envisioned it. I can’t imagine how difficult it would be at that house on Father’s Day! And think of the problems that might occur when one father does something for a child that none of the other children got. It sounds like a recipe for heartbreak.

Because of circumstances like this there has been an effort to minimize the importance of, and impact on fathers within families. Over the last 15 years or so most social and psychological research has been designed to suggest that fathers are a “non-essential” part of families.

Recent studies are showing that at least 24 million children in the U. S. will go to bed tonight without their father present in the home. In addition, 45-50 % of all children born are to unmarried couples (it’s at least 70 % among African-American children). And studies report that 70 % of all adults 18-29 think having a child outside of marriage is okay.

There is a reason why God made it necessary to have both a male and a female to create a new life and raise children as a family. Fathers, as do every member of the family, offer a unique and irreplaceable contribution to a child’s development.

Today since its Father’s day we’ll focus on Fathers. Let’s look at 8 reasons fathers are good for Families:

(One) A good father provides financial stability.  (1 Timothy 5: 8) God has given FATHERS the mandate to provide for their family. In fact, children growing up in father-absent homes are 5 times more likelyto be poor.

(Two) A good father provides emotional security. You may heard it said that there is no such thing as "illegitimate" children – just illegitimate parents. In one very real sense that is true:  no child is morally responsible for the circumstances of his or her birth.  No child is to blame for the decisions of a parent.

But there are some children who very keenly feel that they have never been emotionally "legitimized":  that is, no father has stepped forward to claim them as his own, to say "This is my son, my daughter, and I care about them."  And the absence of that connection can create lasting psychic wounds.

(Three) A good father can provide a model of a healthy marriage. When we get our priorities straight, when our children understand that they are deeply loved but they do not come before our wife, they are given three invaluable gifts:

SECURITY; CONSISTENCY; and A HEALTHY MODEL OF MARRIAGE.

(Four) An active father provides parental partnership. Here's the dirty little secret of parenting:  if you do it right and responsibly, it is hard, time-consuming, exhausting work!  And any parent – dad or mom – who is trying to do it by themselves is operating under a terrible burden.

(Five) A model of masculinity. Young men and young boys need to know what a mature, responsible man looks like – how he think – how he acts.  Fathers offer their sons a uniquely masculine model that young men desperately need. 

But young ladies also need dads:  specifically, they need to experience the healthy love of a good father. If a young woman doesn't receive love and physical affection from a dad, she'll attempt to find it in the arms of a male who doesn't have her best interests at heart. A young lady who grows up in a female-headed home is 7 times more likely to have a child out of wedlock. 

(Six) A launching pad for the teen years. Teens are "in between" – they are temporarily stuck in an ambiguous, confusing state of being no longer a kid, but not quite an adult. They are developing and preparing to accept responsibility for their own life, building their maturity muscles.  And what makes this particular stage of life so maddening for parents is that in order to build those maturity muscles, teens need something to "push" against.  Guess what it is?  Their parents!

(Seven) Christian faith.  As a Father it is our privilege and responsibility to bring our children up "in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." (Ephesians 6: 4). 

(Eight) The capacity to trust God. (Matthew 6)Jesus was especially fond of the image of God as a "Father:" that term is used only 3 times in all of the Old Testament to refer to God, but it is used over 300 times in the New Testament! 

In Luke 15 Jesus told the story of the Prodigal Son and his loving Father. In Matthew 6 (Sermon on the Mount) he refers to God as our "Father" some ten times in the first 18 verses. How can you know God as “Father” if you don’t know your own Father?

How do you start being a Father? What can set you on the right road?

Becoming a Father is much like learning to juggle and engage a balancing act!Ask yourself: What do I want to accomplish as a Father and what do I want to give my children?

It starts with the right relationship with God and asking “What does God tell us is important as a parent?” That is the bestowing of a blessing.

The Hebrew words for blessing is “berek,” “Baruk,” and “Berakah.” The primary Greek words are “eulogia,” and “makarious.”  These words mean extending good fortune, good faith, good prospects, and becoming a blessing for others. The words generally serve as a synergistic catalyst for good. The ultimate blessing is God’s Salvation through the Grace of His Son.

Fathers, Mothers, and Grandparents bestow blessings in Scripture, but the ones most sought are from the Father. There are at least 23 occasions that God or Jesus speaks direct blessings of favor on a person or a group of people. The earliest blessing from Genesis:

Genesis 1:22 - God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth."

Blessings includes words and physical affirmation. It can also include inspiration, wisdom, and a sense of acknowledging the child with an eye to the future (“you are our future and we …”).

The blessing may be financial, it may be through loving support, encouragement, nurturing, and it may just simply be presence. Regardless the child will know you love and care and will be there with them.

The greatest gift we can give others is time and children need that time.

But another blessing we also need to share with children is the simplest blessing of all – Heaven’s Blessing:

Romans 5:6-8 says “ For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Lastly, remember that your reputation, just as Jesus’ Glory was received from His Father, affects your children. You become responsible to your children for who you are as an indicator of your child’s potential. Don’t we often say “like father, like son?” What you do and who you are affect your children.

Keep that in mind as you go about the joy and challenge of being a father. AMEN.

“The Danger of UNITY”  

John 17: 1-11 (NRSV)

In the 17^th Chapter of John’s Gospel Jesus is praying to God for 4 things: Jesus’ impending death and sacrifice; Jesus’ concern for His disciples, that they may be unified in Truth; He is praying for blessing for all future believers; and in expectation of a final end to the “world system” in the age to come.

We believers and non-believers alike need to listen to this prayer closely as it holds the key to eternity.

A Teaching Doctor is doing the morning rounds with his students in tow. He pauses before a patient and says, "This man limps because his fibula and tibia are badly arched. Bernie, what would you do in a case like this?" Bernie said, "Yeah, well, um...Yes, I think I'd limp too."

The little girl was sitting in her father's lap as he read her a goodnight story. From time to time, she would take her eyes off the book and reach up to touch his wrinkled cheek. By and by she was alternately stroking her own cheek, then his again.

Finally she spoke, "Daddy, did God make you?" "Yes, sweetheart" he answered, "God made me a long time ago." "Oh she said," then "daddy, did God make me too?" "Yes, indeed honey" he assured her. "God made you just a little while ago." "Oh" she said. Feeling their respective faces again, she observed, "God's getting better at it now isn't he?"

God created all of us – barefaced, bristle-faced, short hair, long hair and all. Yet we sometimes forget our common ground and seek to dwell on our diversity, which seems to be a distraction and a dividing line in the 21^st century. Jesus said:

After Jesus had spoken these words, he looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, ²since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him.

³And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. ⁴I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do.

⁵So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed.

⁶”I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. ⁷Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; ⁸for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me.

⁹I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. ¹⁰All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them.

¹¹And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.

The blessing Jesus prays for is: That we may be one as Jesus and God are one.

That is, the quality of companionship between Jesus and God should be the measure of our companionship with each other. Shortening the quotation to: That all may be one; misquotes the verse as it omits the defining quality of the oneness to which we are called. It distorts the source of unity.

In order to fully grasp the meaning of this prayer, we need to take a brief look at what the Gospel of John means by "the world."  Then we can look further at the two dimensions of Jesus' prayer.

Throughout the Gospel of John the way the words "the world" are used could be expressed as "humanity and evil powers as a system."  It is not the world in the sense of creation but a sense of conflict between Jesus and the world.

Three times the phrase "ruler of this world" is used in John’s Gospel with the sense that the Evil One is in control of this world system. The world will hate Jesus and his followers, and it will rejoice when Jesus is executed. In other words, "the world system" is a pretty grim reality. Jesus is glad to be "out of here", and at the same time he is concerned for those he must leave behind.

Jesus said, "I have overcome the world!"  And because he has overcome the world, we, in Jesus, have also overcome the world. Jesus' prayer opens up a window to heaven's purpose "in the world."

There are many examples in our past that show us the dangers of being yoked with those who have different standards and conduct of behavior, those in the world.

America used to be united by ideals that held us to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness as individuals first and as needed to gather to fend off threats to it. The rule of law was created to acknowledge those inalienable rights granted by a Creator.

Today most people ignore the Creator, ignore common values and laws designed to enhance freedom not deny some other person a free exercise of it because you think that the thoughts in their head condemn you.

Look around: Marriage is under attack – families are being destroyed – fathers are being called non-essential --- abortions are on-demand – the standards of behavior acceptable in society make a modest person blush in shame – alcohol and drug use are at an all-time high– politicians are celebrated not by what they have accomplished but the level to which they have destroyed their opponents.

Last week on memorial day weekend riots and black-on-white violence occurred in Miami Beach, Cincinnati, Chicago, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Memphis, Baltimore, Erie, Buffalo, Rochester, Providence, Detroit, Myrtle Beach, Ft. Lauderdale, and Tampa. It’s so bad in Baltimore that one hospital has hired two new K-9 units to patrol it’s parking lot directly outside the front entrance.

None of this was reported in the local or national media, and it especially wasn't reported citing the racial nature of the violence. In Obama's America race is only an issue if it is white on black.

“Educators” who wrote the common core curriculum are now admitting it was written to counter “white privilege.” This curriculum will be shoved down the throats of public schools just as other such history rewriting efforts have been. (BTW are your children common? Do you want them educated and tested commonly?)

Is this something we Christians should willingly unite with and endorse? Can we be one with a culture and a church that turns its back on faith in Jesus Christ to celebrate and uplift human values, goals, and experience?

Listen to what Charles A. Spurgeon said a long time ago: "To remain divided is sinful! Did not our Lord pray, that they may be one, even as we are one"? (John 17: 22). A chorus of ecumenical voices keep harping the unity tune. What they are saying is, "Christians of all doctrinal shades and beliefs must come together in one visible organization, regardless... Unite, unite!" 

Spurgeon goes on to say, "Such teaching is false, reckless and dangerous. Truth alone must determine our alignments. Truth comes before unity.  Unity without truth is hazardous. Our Lord's Prayer in John 17 must be read in its full context. Look at verse 17: "Sanctify them through thy truth; thy word is truth." Only those sanctified through the Word can be one in Christ. To teach otherwise is to betray the Gospel. When we choose to follow Jesus, it separates us from those who don't.”

Listen to this old Irish Benediction that suggests we need help to remember why we, as Christians, are called to a different standard:

May God bless those who love us. And for those who don't love us, may God turn their hearts. And for those whose hearts cannot be turned, May God turn their ankles, So that we may know them by their limping. 

Wouldn't it be nice for it to be that easy - to know those who don't Christ by their limping? But then on the other hand Jesus told us we'd know them by their fruit. Amen.