“ONE MORE CHANCE, LORD”

Luke 13: 1-9, NRSV

Contemplate the word philosophy: the rational investigation of the truths and principles of living, being, behavior, conduct, and knowledge. If you have the right to be called a “philosopher,” than you may be labeled as wise in the ways of the world.

You would know the causes and effects of things; how and why things happen, and would have the ability to at least ask the significant questions regarding life, death, and human existence. We know that all of us ask these questions or should.

 

I use to know a guy when I was in the Navy that contemplated His "place in the celetrial universe" when he chipped paint.

Other significant questions we ask:

Why does the sun lighten our hair, but darken our skin?

Why can't women put on mascara with their mouth closed?

Why don't you ever see the headline "Psychic Wins Lottery"?

Why is "abbreviated" such a long word?

Why is a boxing ring square?

Why is it called lipstick if you can still move your lips?

Why is it considered necessary to nail down the lid of a coffin?

Why is it that doctors call what they do "practice"?

Why is it that rain drops but snow falls?

Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?

Why is the third hand on the watch called a second hand?

Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?

Why is the word dictionary in the dictionary?

Why isn't there a special name for the tops of your feet?

If Fed Ex and UPS were to merge, would they call it Fed UP?

Do Lipton Tea employees take coffee breaks?

What hair color do they put on the driver's licenses of bald men?

But one of the most important issues philosophers and especially we “amateur” philosophers ask is about God and/or the idea of human existence. 

Today’s scriptural passage should cause each of us to approach God’s word with some questions about what it means and what its claim on us is. 

At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.  

He asked them, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them – do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did. 

Then he told this parable; A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. So he said to the gardener, ‘See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I found none, Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?’ 

He replied, ‘Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’”

Jesus interaction with these folks give us more information regarding His thinking and journey toward the upcoming Easter experience and the price it is going to cost in order to provide the world a second chance at relationship with God. 

Ulrich Zwingli, founder of what became the “Reformed Church” felt that the whole notion of Christianity and life itself could be best described as a search for “ardent personal communion with God in Christ!” Nowhere is that more apparent than in these verses from Luke.                               

These verses contain an amazing vision of hope for each and every person in God’s creation because we see that God has given His creation more time to recognize Him as Creator and Lord of all.  

Instead of figuratively crumpling it all up in a ball and tossing it in the trash can God instead continues to work with His creation. 

If we realize the heartbreaking reality it must be for God to be rejected by so many people we may get just a small glimpse of the greatness of God’s Grace. Imagine, as God, knowing that, even though He gave all, not all will respond, how sad and frustrating it all must be. 

Think of this: an all powerful God, who has done everything possible to show His love and desires for intimate relationship, has rendered Himself powerless to “force” that love on anyone.

God has one relationship rule. And it is a rule that is natural to you and I humans, but not for God. Love must be freely given and freely received. We are to love unconditionally as He loves us.  

But that doesn’t mean we are forced to accept that love. God is persistent, through the Holy Spirit, in reminding us of His love, but God is not a stalker. But His presence is everywhere so it’s hard not to see Him.

 

I think that those who claim to be atheists, with their constant desire for "separation" of church and state are doing nothing more than trying to swear out protection orders against God. 

Some people have asked me why I continue in the ministry with such apparent lack of success. Our attendance is decreasing, our funds are decreasing, people lack enthusiasm for Bible Study, attending services, and it seems at times as if no one wants to have the church involved in their lives. 

I tell them this: “I ask myself why I think I am better than Jesus? After all, he was so singularly unsuccessful with so many people. Then I remind myself that following Jesus has nothing to do with success as the world values it and everything to do with love.”  

It is Jesus’ love for us that makes all the difference and His willingness to sacrifice for us that matters. 

A little girl in England, Josie Caven, was born totally deaf.

She felt isolated as a child because of her inability to hear, but that changed after she received a cochlear implant during the Christmas season. At the age of twelve, she heard clearly for the first time. The first sound she heard was the song “Jingle Bells” coming from the radio. 

Was Josie’s hearing restored? Yes — completely. Did she hear well immediately? Not exactly. Her mother said, “She is having to learn what each new sound is and what it means. She will ask, ‘Was that a door closing?’ and has realized for the first time that the light in her room hums when it is switched on.

She even knows what her name sounds like now, because before she could not hear the soft s sound in the middle of the word. Seeing her face light up as she hears everything around her is all I could have wished for this Christmas.” 

Josie’s hearing was restored, but that restoration introduced her to the daily adventure of learning to distinguish each new sound in the hearing world.  

It’s the already and the not yet — a phrase that aptly describes the perspective of believers in Christ who have not yet experienced the fullness of redemption that will one day be realized in heaven.

Friends this is what regeneration in Christ’s love is like. The trials and tribulations and struggles of life is the fertilizer that grows us closer to Jesus and God the Father, and helps us bear the fruit of His Kingdom. Amen.

“Yesterday-Today-Tomorrow”

LUKE 13: 31-35 (NRSV)

A social worker asks a colleague: "What time is it?" The other one answers: "Sorry, don't know, I have no watch" The first one: "Never mind! The main thing is that we talked about it."  

That’s an inside joke about social workers from a psychologist.  

On some air bases the Air Force is on one side of the field and civilian aircraft use the other side of the field, with the control tower in the middle.

One day the tower received a call from an aircraft asking, "What time is it?" The tower responded, "Who is calling?" The aircraft replied, "What difference does it make?" The tower replied "It makes a lot of difference.

1) If it is an American Airlines flight, it is 3 o'clock.
2) If it is an Air Force plane, it is 1500 hours.
3) If it is a Navy aircraft, it is 6 bells.
4) If it is an Army aircraft, the big hand is on the 12 and the little hand is on

     the 3.
5) If it is a Marine Corps aircraft, it's Thursday afternoon and 120 minutes to "Happy Hour."

 

I know it's an oldy - but it's still funny!

A man is strolling past the mental hospital and suddenly remembers an important meeting. Unfortunately, his watch has stopped, and he cannot tell if he is late or not. Then, he notices a patient similarly strolling about within the hospital fence.  

Calling out to the patient, the man says, “Pardon me, sir, but do you have the time?” 

The patient calls back, “One moment!” and throws himself upon the ground, pulling out a short stick as he does. He pushes the stick into the ground, and, pulling out a carpenter’s level, assures himself that the stick is vertical.

The using a compass, the patient locates north and with a steel ruler, measures the precise length of the shadow cast by the stick. 

Withdrawing a slide rule from his pocket, the patient calculates rapidly, then swiftly packs up all his tools and turns back to the pedestrian, saying, “It is now precisely 3:29 pm, provided today is August 16th, which I believe it is.”

The man is impressed by this demonstration, and sets his watch accordingly.  

Before he leaves, he says to the patient, “That was really remarkable, but tell me, what do you do on a cloudy day, or at night, when the stick casts no shadow?” 

The patient holds up his wrist and says, “I suppose I’d just look at my watch.” 

One of the hardest parts of understanding God is learning that He is beyond time as human’s recon it. Sometimes Jesus made references that we miss because we look at his human side and forget he has an eternal side as well. 

 Hear our Gospel lesson from Luke 13: 31-35: 

At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.” He said to them, “Go and tell that fox for me, ‘Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed outside of Jerusalem.’ 

Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See your house is left to you.  

And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, ‘blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’” 

One of the things that make it difficult for us to understand scripture is that Jesus often mixes past, present, and future when preaching, teaching, or interacting with the people around him. This passage from Luke has Jesus recalling biblical events and prophecy to deal with “his here and now” and “what is to come.” 

If we look at the Old Testament references used here the meanings become a little clearer. We begin to see that these verses are rooted in prophecy and are not to be taken literally. It’s another case of scripture interpreting scripture.  

Essentially Jesus is telling these well meaning Pharisees that everything will work out as God has ordained despite the schemes of humanity. God’s word will be spoken, prophecy will be fulfilled, and God’s judgment will be given. 

Granted, Jesus may be treating the Pharisees a little sarcastically because they are acting as if they’re on His side by warning him against Herod – who was their enemy as well. Jesus wasn’t fooled by their sudden assistance. 

Jesus is shifting his metaphors and allusions (how about that as a bad sentence from the bad author's Hall of Fame?) to mix what has been, what is, and what is to come in these verses. 

Jesus is saying His time will come and no amount of manipulation by Herod or the Pharisees will change it. Even the reference to gathering the people of Jerusalem under His wings like a mother hen is a pointed promise of a coming judgment of the city and its peoples.   

It’s much like the following story: A man had been driving all night and by morning was still far from his destination. He decided to stop at the next town he came to and park somewhere quiet so he could get an hour or two of sleep. 

As luck would have it, the quiet street next to the park he chose happened to be one of the city’s most popular jogging routes. No sooner had he settled back to snooze when there came a knocking on his window. He looked out and saw a jogger running in place. “Yes?” 

“Excuse me, sir,” the jogger said, “do you have the time?” The man looked at the car clock and answered, “7:15.” The jogger said thanks and left. The man settled back again, and was just dozing off when there was another knock on the window and another jogger. 

“Excuse me, sir, do you have the time?” “7:25!” The jogger said thanks and left. 

Now the man could see other joggers passing by and he knew it was only a matter of time before another one disturbed him. To avoid the problem, he got out a pen and paper and put a sign in his window saying, “I do not know the time!”  

Once again he settled back to sleep. He was just dozing off when there was another knock on the window. “Sir, sir?  It’s 7:45!"  

The world seeks to impose its will on Jesus but Jesus refuses. God’s time and our time isn’t the same. God’s plan isn’t our plan. God’s Will is not the world’s will. 

Some people think the end of the world is near. Some look at the recent  resigning of Pope Benedict and according to a 1100 year old Catholic Church prophecy (St. Malachy!) that the next pope will be the last one.

Again, as with the Mayan end of the world stuff – this is not Biblical Prophecy, Malachy was a Catholic Cardinal who lived in the 8^th or 9^th century who claimed to have had a dream about this. Malachy was and is not a Prophet of God. Some people have made his dreams true by stretching facts and presuppositions for the last 50 years.

Jesus ends this passage in Luke with cold hard God logic: “And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, ‘blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’” We are to live today in honor of the past with one eye on the future, praising God for the grace of His Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

“The Two Tests”  LUKE 4: 1-13 (NRSV)

Have you ever heard the Devil’s Beatitudes?

 

Blessed are those who are too tired, too busy, too distracted to spend an hour once aweek with their fellow Christians in Church ~ they are my best workers.

Blessed are those who wait to be asked and expect to be thanked ~ I can use

them in my business.

Blessed are those who are touchy. Soon they will stop going to church ~ verily,
they shall be my missionaries.

Blessed are those who sow gossip and trouble ~ they are my beloved children.

Blessed are those who have no time to pray ~ for they are MY prey.

Blessed are you who hear this and think it has everything to do with other people, and nothing to do with you. ~ I've got room for you at my inn. 

Of course when it comes to the devil we always think he has the power to make us do stuff. We've been blaming him since the Garden of Eden.

Some of you remember the comedian Flip Wilson who would tell a joke or story and end with the punch-line “The devil made me do it!”

 

Some of you remember Dana Carvey, another comedian, who had a character on “Saturday Night Live” named “the Church Lady” who tossed about wild accusations ending with “Could it be, …Satan?”

Dwight L. Moody once said, “I believe Satan to exist for two reasons: first, the Bible says so; and second, I’ve done business with him.” He knows each of us.

Our Gospel lesson introduces the devil to our Jesus story today. Just as our first parents Adam and Eve, had a run in with the devil as serpent, Jesus encounters the devil in the wilderness. The reason for the interaction is similar however the outcome is different.

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished.

The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’”

Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And the devil said to him, “To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. If you then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’”

Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’”Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”

When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time. 

Gary R. Collins, writing in the book “The Magnificent mind” said, “There is a battle going on for the minds of the people. We do need to be alert to the devil’s schemes and subtle teachings that masquerade as truth in our society. But the way to resist such mental error is not with emotional diatribes. Instead there needs to be a clear understanding of the Bible’s teaching about demonic error, accompanied by a committed submission to the commands of scripture.”

I don’t know if you’ve ever seen it this way before but the devil’s scorecard is one win and one loss. God has balanced the negative influence of the devil in the world with the Grace represented by Jesus’ birth, life, ministry, death, and resurrection.

Jesus in rejecting the devil’s urgings and advice, and quoting God’s word’s exactly as given, remained outside the sinful nature of the rest of humanity. He became the perfect sacrificial lamb, without blemish, who accepted and paid for the sins of all.

Eve, it should be noted, played into the devil’s game by manipulating and changing God’s word during her time of temptation. Adam also bought into that interaction as well and fell from his perfect relationship from his Creator.

Jesus, when tempted by the devil, stands on God’s word in answering. God’s word becomes his strength, shield, and safety net. God’s Will is done. That’s the message we get from this passage. Satan has no power on his own – it must be given to him.

It’s amazing that evil has such a simple solution, isn’t it? If only we could use Jesus' simple and effective method without fear and stumbling. Evil has power only when we give it to him.

When we comprehend the temptations to stray from God’s will that the presence of evil and the influence of the devil poses we become afraid and think it’s an impossible task. Yet we need to remember we have the tools to overcome it.

Did you know that the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge was so risky that newspaper reporters called it “the Dance of Danger.”

Workers on top of the swaying catwalks and high towers, sometimes hundreds of feet in the air, would be often blown loose from handholds by powerful winds. Predictions were that for every $1 million spent, one life would be lost. The construction ngineers on the bridge, however, believed the risks could be lowered.

When construction began in 1932, numerous safety measures were put into place and strictly enforced: mandatory use of hard hats and prescription filtered eyeglasses, the implementation of a zero tolerance showboating policy (cause for automatic firing), use of tie-off lines, and establishment of an on-site hospital greatly reduced the casualty rate. After nearly four years of construction and $20 million spent, only one worker had died.

The most effective safety device, without question, was the use of a trapeze net.

This large net, costing $130,000, was draped sixty feet below the roadbed under construction, extending ten feet to either side. This net caught so many falling workers that the newspapers began running box scores on the total number of lives saved. Workers saved by the net joined the “Halfway to Hell Club.”

The most important impact of the net was that it freed many of the workers from an often-paralyzing sense of fear, which helped them work more productively.

The tools we have to overcome evil and its influence is simple to know and use.

Billy Graham wrote: “Whenever I am conscious of satan’s presence, I try to follow the formula once offered by a little girl: ‘When satan knocks, I just send Christ to the door.’”

Jesus sent God’s Word to answer the devil when He was tempted, why can’t you and I use the same method? Jesus is our safety net. Amen.

“Awesome Confidence”

Luke 5: 1-11  (NRSV)

Today’s scripture has “fishing” and “boats” in it. Since I am a big fan of “Swamp People” I couldn’t resist starting out with a joke that combines both of these things.

A Cajun was stopped by a game warden in South Louisiana recently with two ice chests of fish. He was leaving a bayou well known for its fishing. The game warden asked the man, "Do you have a license to catch those fish?"  "Naw, ma fren, I ain't got none of dem, no. Deez here are my pet fish."

"Pet fish?" “Ya. Avery night I take deez here fish down to de bayou and let dem swim 'round for a while. Den I whistle and dey jump rat back inta dis here ice chest and I take dem home." "That's a bunch of hooey! Fish can't do that!"

The Cajun looked at the game warden for a moment and then said, “It's de truth ma' fren. I'll show you. It really works." "Okay, I've GOT to see this!"

The Cajun poured the fish into the bayou and stood and waited. After several minutes, the game warden turned to him and said, "Well?" "Well, what?" said the Cajun " When are you going to call them back?" "Call who back?" "The FISH!"

"What fish?"

Folks in Louisiana may not be as smart as some, but they aren't as dumb as most and the thing I admire most about the guys (and girls) on the show is their confidence in going out and catching 1000 pound alligators. I don’t have that kind of confidence.

When I was in the Navy I remember the first time I was at the Helm of the ship when we went alongside an aircraft carrier. We were racing along at about 20 miles an hour about 80 feet apart. It meant that if I made a mistake I had about 2 seconds to correct and prevent two huge ships colliding and causing who knows how much damage and loss of life. I was extremely nervous, yet if I couldn’t do this I would never be promoted or respected.

The XO (executive officer) sensed my nervousness. He was a helicopter pilot who had served 3 tours of duty in Viet Nam as a medivac rescue pilot. He came over, smiled at me and said, “If it’ll make you feel better I could start shooting at you like they did when I learned to fly combat rescues?”

“Course,” he said as he went back out of the bridge, “Never did get the stains out but I found out they were using blanks when I landed!”

Having such steady leadership so close by settled me down and assured me things would work out. I became the most dependable “underway replenishment helmsman” around. It gave me confidence I never forgot or lost.

If you don’t have a clear vision, a clear mission, or lack of commitment it’s hard to have confidence and you get haphazard results. Let’s read about Jesus and His disciples one day when they were on the shores of Galilee (Luke 5: 1-11):

Once when Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fisherman had gone out of them and were washing their nets.

He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.

When he had finished speaking he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.”

Simon answered, “Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.”

When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink.

But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon.

Then Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.

This scripture would probably have a different outcome if the would-be disciples had been successful in their fishing efforts on their own. They would have been content, and not needing Jesus, refused His instructions and ordered Him out of the boat.

Think about it for a minute: If we’re comfortable and safe why should we go out on a limb to try something different and risk failure?

Jesus gives the fishermen confidence in His leadership and vision that they discover they can do anything. Simon Peter is so moved he confesses his weakness and undeserving nature to Jesus.

Notice that these fishermen now had boats full of fish which meant a lot of money but the fishermen still left everything to follow Jesus.

What kind of success/blessing must Jesus give you to have it change your life?

For the disciples it was fish. For us it may vary: Notice how Jesus gives great success to the disciples in what they do well, only to tell them to take those skills and apply them to another endeavor. Confidence in Jesus becomes trust in Jesus. We know that as Christians we can do anything with the help of God.

It’s as if we go to a restaurant, have a wonderful meal, and then have the waitress give us a bill that has “paid in full” on it. We have the choice to disagree, and repay the bill on our own, or to accept the grace that has been given to us.

In order to accept the grace of having an already paid bill means trusting that there is someone who had the means to pay, the desire to pay, and the opportunity to pay.

To accept the grace means allowing that payer to take responsibility for your meal.

Likewise this analogy applies to our lives and our Creator. Not only has he allowed us the freedom to choose, He is willing to reconcile the difference between the meal He wanted for us and the one we choose for ourselves.

Now that’s pretty awesome if you ask me! Amen.

“JUST A FAN?” --- LUKE 4: 22-30  (NRSV)

Joe Paterno said, “Sport is a product of human culture. America seems to need football at this state of our social development. When you get ninety million people watching a single game on television, it … shows you that people need something to identify with.” 

Today is Superbowl Sunday – a wonderful day if you’re a football fan. Everybody’s a fan on Superbowl Sunday. Have you ever thought of the type of fan you are and who you root for in your life? 

Growing up I was a Philadelphia Phillies fan listening to games on the radio starting at about age 6. I suffered through the ‘64 season and I remember when the World Series was played only during the day and you’d have to sneak earphones and a transistor radio into school to listen. 

Baseball had great players in the 60’s, Ted Williams was still playing, Gil Hodges, Sandy Koufax, Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente, Mickey Mantle, Hank Aaron, Al Kaline, Harmon Killibrew, the Robinsons, and my favorite Johnny Callison. 

 

I got to meet Johnny in Philadelphia in the middle 70's  and told me a little about his story after I told him he was my idol and that I was a fan.

 

Did you know who Callison replaced in the Phillies’ lineup? Del Ennis. Ennis played for the Phillies for 12 years and was known as a home run/RBI hitter. He hit home runs in 4 consecutive games twice and retired with 2,100 hits, over 1,200 RBI’s, averaged at least 20 game-winning hits per year, and had a lifetime Batting Average of .285, stats that would get you in the Hall of Fame today. W/O steroids! 

But he’s not there. Ennis grew up in Philadelphia and played before his hometown folks yet he was “booed” during every at bat and while in the field. You see the fans felt they couldn’t depend on him to consistently play well. In the top of an inning Del would drop a fly ball that would allow three runs to score and in the bottom he’d hit a 3 run homer. The fans labeled him a loser they couldn’t trust.

As a consequence of the dislike of his his hometown fans Del never got any good press or recognition despite finishing in the top ten in every hitting category for 10 straight years. You could say Del never got any respect in his hometown after his first game when 35,000 people came to see his debut when he came home from the War in 1946. He homered in his first at bat and it was downhill after that. 

He was forgotten after he retired, and got few votes for the Hall of Fame. 

Jesus’ hometown would not have voted to put Him in the Hebrew hall of fame either. Let’s hear why (NRSV):  

All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, ‘Is not this Joseph’s son?’ He said to them, ‘Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, “Doctor, cure yourself!” And you will say, “Do here also in your home town the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.” ’   

And he said, ‘Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s home town. But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up for three years and six months, and there was a severe famine over all the land; yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.’  

When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff. But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way.

We are not prepared for this passage. The previous verses seem to suggest that Jesus will take his home town by storm. He had received a God-approved baptism, had emerged victoriously from wilderness testing, and had just finished a whirlwind preaching and teaching tour that brought commendations from all.

After reading from the prophet Isaiah, he told the people in the synagogue that he was the one that Isaiah had written about who would be sent from God to preach the good news to the poor and heal the sick and give sight to the blind.

Everyone was quite impressed with the words of Jesus until some of them recognized that he was a hometown boy. "Isn't this Joseph's son?" they asked.

They demanded that Jesus perform some miracles such as the ones they had heard about that he had performed in other places. When Jesus refused to put on a show for the people, the crowd began to turn against him. They mobbed him and took him out to the edge of a hill on which the city was built.

They planned to throw him off the edge of a cliff (“death by stoning”), but Jesus slipped away from them and escaped through the crowd.

Most people make a fundamental mistake when they think Jesus is only love and warm fuzzies. His hometown folks could only see Him as Joseph’s son and not as both man and God. They wanted to sit back and enjoy His play in the Big leagues of Hebrew Religion and politics.

They can’t see the confrontation and contrast with human ways versus God’s way that comes about in any encounter with Jesus.

Folks Jesus is usually offensive to the world; I’ll say it real simply, so no one misunderstands. Jesus is God; Jesus; the only Son of God, the only human being who in the history of the world was and is God. Believe it and live – elsewise die! This is a harsh reality and it doesn't mean God doesn't love you.

 

God wants a relationship with you but if you choose not to have one with Him then He has no other choice but to give you what you want - a world without Him -- and a world without God is eternal death.

I always laugh when I encounter progressive pastors and laypeople: Jesus isn’t and wasn’t a liberal: He was the perfect incarnation of God and human – who has no time for sin or foolish use of His power. You are either with Him or you will be without Him. You don’t get to set back and evaluate His actions.

Jesus of Nazareth was the most radical person this world has ever seen. He is the way, truth, and life. No one will gain access to God except through Him.

Unlike the Philadelphia fans I talked about at the start of this message we don’t get the opportunity to be a fan of God or Jesus Christ and set on the sidelines. We must choose to serve and follow and be a part.

Jesus calls us to relationship and service: not to entertain spectators sitting in the out-of- bounds areas. 

 

 

“HE IS REALLY HERE!”

LUKE 4: 14-21 (NRSV)  

I was doing some cleaning at the office this past week and came across a rolled up sealed scroll that must have been written by one of St. Paul’s church’s first pastors. Inside was written:

“At a point in the time to come a short, balding, heavyset, bearded man will lead this church as pastor. He will proclaim a message which will solve all your problems, overcome your difficulties, and physically make you all feel wonderful. Through this man God will bless all of you. Listen to him.”

Well I want to let you know that I am the man that pastor predicted would come! Maybe I should find a tower somewhere like Jimmy Swaggert and climb it and not come down until you give me a lot of money!

Now that I have your full attention, I want you to know this isn’t true about me -- Can you imagine how you’d react if I actually claimed it was true? BUT did you know that it did happen to Jesus. Then imagine what the Jews felt when Jesus said it was true about him. Listen to the Gospel Message:

Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.

When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, as was his custom.

He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written; “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor, He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the repressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” 

And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing,”   

Jesus fulfilled at least 300 Old Testament prophecies on His way to the cross. How people continue to doubt who and what He is remains the greatest mystery of humankind. As we journey with Him let us seek out and hold to His promises and realities. Do not doubt or hesitate to see His presence among and around us. Amen.

“Paying The Bills”  JOHN 2: 1-11 (NRSV)

Watching children grow is one of the joys of being a parent. Kids learn so many things as they take on life’s challenges. Among those things they learn are:

 1) No matter how hard you try, you can't baptize cats.
2) When your mom is mad at your dad, don't let your mom brush your hair.
3) If your sister hits you, don't hit her back. They always catch the second person.
4) Never ask your 3-year old brother to hold a tomato.
5) You can't trust dogs to watch your food.
6) Reading what people write on desks can teach you a lot.
7) Don't sneeze when someone is cutting your hair.
8) Puppies still have bad breath even after eating a tic-tac.
9) Never hold a dustbuster and a dog at the same time.
10) School lunches stick to the wall.
11) You can't hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk.
12) Don't wear polka-dot underwear under white shorts.
13) The best place to be when you are sad is in Grandma's lap.

On that note did you know that Theologians have long wondered if Jesus always knew He was God’s Son, or if he developed a gradual awareness of it, or if it blossomed during His baptism, desert wanderings, or transfiguration? Others of course say it was on the cross itself after Jesus’ sacrifice, that God “adopted” Him.

When you consider this kind of stuff you have to look for clues in scripture that reveal what Jesus knew and when He knew it. This becomes an endless debate of religiosity that gets boring fairly quickly as people argue back and forth on the finer meaning of words and nuances of the Greek and Hebrew languages.

So when was Jesus mature?  

Some people say that maturity begins when you feel you are right about something without feeling the need to prove someone else wrong (Sydney J. Harris). Ethel Barrymore said, “You grow up the day you have your first real laugh at yourself.”

There is even an American Indian proverb that says, “If you want a place in the sun, you must leave the shade of the family tree.”Most families would agree that children become “mature” when they begin paying their own bills, making their own plans, and provide their own way in the world. Listen to John 2: 1-11 -

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding.

When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what concern is that to you and me? My hour has not yet come.”His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to them, “Fill the jars with water.”

And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, “Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward.” So they took it.

When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (through the servants who drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.”

Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him. 

When you think about Jesus there are two big events that stick out even beyond his death and resurrection to the common culture: His walking on water and turning water into wine. Doing these sorts of things separate Jesus from the usual human, and suggest He has supernatural abilities. 

This passage tells us that Jesus turned water into wine at a wedding banquet in Cana, in the Galilee region, at the insistence of His mother. It is Jesus’ first public sign of power and we are told His disciples believed in Him after seeing his revealed glory.

This is a familiar story for most of us, serves as great fodder for Sunday School, VBS stories, and it serves as a slightly “spicey” topic for a Sunday Morning Sermon, particularly given the churches’ stereotypical teachings about avoiding drinking strong beverages. Can you hear, “Well, if Jesus made wine…”

There are two things we need to hear and understand in order to see where Jesus’ head is at and why we’re reading this passage. One is the phrase “On the third day” and the second is, “My hour has not yet come.”

Friends, remember that at the simplest level of Biblical interpretation we always let scripture interpret scripture. Every other location or scenario in the Bible that uses the term “On the third day,” refers to Jesus’ death and resurrection. So we know that Jesus is speaking symbolically about His death and resurrection in this passage.  

Likewise, the term, “My hour has not yet come,” makes what Jesus says into a prophetic statement about a messianic condition or prediction He will fulfill such as His atoning death.  In providing wine for a wedding feast He is proclaiming His role as the upcoming Bridegroom “wooing” the church at the end of days.

This passage shows us that Jesus is in control of His own destiny, knows who He is, and is one with the Father in purpose. We need no longer concern ourselves with questions about when Jesus knew who He was and what He was doing. Rest assured – God is in control and it is His Will that will be done!  

I know that Jesus knew who He was, as fully human and fully divine, from the moment of conception. We know that Jesus was present at creation (God spoke His Word of Light), just as the Holy Spirit hovered over the surface of the waters as well. We see the doctrine of the Trinity from the beginning of our world’s time.  

It doesn’t make sense for God’s Son to have a period of amnesia in order to be born as a man. Jesus didn’t need to mature – the “My hour has not yet come,” refers to the immediacy of the actions conspiring to use Him as a sacrificial lamb.

The people and circumstances of Israel weren’t ready to put him to death yet!

A friend told me of an encounter he had a few years ago at the beginning of the New Year. He had received the first round of Christmas bills and was wondering how he could pay them off quickly so he’d be ready to pay the taxes, heating costs, and other expenses that seem to come so quickly in the early winter after the Holidays.

He was buying stamps at the Post Office to mail bills when the postal clerk asked him, almost in passing, “Is there anything else I can do for you?”

Before he thought about it he blurted back to her, “Not unless you want to help me pay for Christmas?” He said the clerk, without missing a beat, smiled, and said, “Isn’t that what Jesus already did?”

Friends, the Wedding at Cana is the first time Jesus begins to pay for Christmas, Easter, and our down payment on Eternity.   

January 19, 2013 was the 450^th Anniversary of the Heidelberg Catechism. Question 18 of the Catechism answers our initial question regarding Jesus’ nature.  

Listen to this timeless training tool for our faith:

 Question: Who then is that Mediator, who is in one person both very God, (a) and a real (b) righteous man?

 Answer: Our Lord Jesus Christ: "who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption."

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow, the bills are paid! Amen.