Mark 2:23 - 3:6
Wow, apologies to all my blog followers for this very late posting. I had computer issues during the week, getting all my stuff transferred over to a new system, and thus was not as connected as usual.
In this sermon I address two questions I am often asked about the Sabbath--which is the right day and what is appropriate for me to do on the Sabbath.
In the sermon I make a big deal over the fact that as Christians, we do not really celebrate the Sabbath, since that is an Old Testament concept which is rooted in the Law and set for the seventh day of the week. Rather, we celebrate the Lord's Day. We keep the principle of a sabbath, but we do it on a specific day, in honor of the Resurrection of Jesus.
Sometimes Sabbatarians (those who insist that the Christian Sabbath must be observed on Saturday) try to make a point that it was not until Constantine, the Roman Emperor, converted to Christianity that the church began to worship on Sunday. That is not the case, as this article shows.
Actually, except for the fact that we want to honor the Resurrection of Jesus--the event that changed the world--it does not really matter what day we set aside for sabbath. Paul was clear that we should not get hung up on special days. See Galatians 4:8-10. There are millions of people who cannot take Sunday as their day of worship and rest, at least not every week--medical personnel and caregivers, pastors, air traffic controllers, first responders, etc. But take a day we must, for God order our bodies to function in this way, and we need sabbath to worship, refresh and rejuvenate.
In the sermon I speak a bit to the principles that I understand to govern the Christian sabbath. If you have not heard it, give it a listen (linked from the side of this page).
Thanks for digging deeper.
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Friday, July 13, 2012
Not About Us
Though I was not preaching last week due to attending our Annual Conference, I was still writing. Here is an article I wrote for the pastor's column in the Ephrata Review, our local weekly newspaper. It was published in this week's edition (July 11, 2012).
The apparent shrinking of our world defines one of the great developments in this age in which we live. Just a bit over 20 years ago my family and I moved to Africa to serve the church there. Our means of communication consisted of letters that took anywhere from a month to a half year to reach home or a telephone located several hours away that worked intermittently. Now I can pick up my cell phone and call my friends there as easily as I call across the street. Colleagues that served a generation before me tell of long journeys lasting many months to reach their destination, while my family and I flew to Nigeria in a matter of hours. And now Facebook, Skype and other technologies enable us to have face to face conversations with loved ones living half a world away. Clearly things have changed.
And yet, with all this technology that links our world, we are lonelier than ever. We cast about seeking meaning and purpose. Many of us aimlessly wander through life, searching for an elusive happiness in the things we can accumulate or the activities in which engage. We are told that life is all about us, that finding the right partner, landing the right job, making a big enough salary or acquiring notoriety, will bring us the inner worth we crave. But it never works. As we sit by ourselves in the twilight of evening, we find ourselves asking, “Is this all there is?”
A wise sage once said, “If you want to find your life, you first have to lose it,”(Matt. 10:39) and another ancient voice says, “You are not your own; you have been bought with a high price” (1 Cor. 6:19). The root of our desperation stems from an error in our thinking. It is a fundamental mistake. One that all of us make, initially, and, even after realizing it, from time to time. It is the human condition. The mistake is the belief that life is all about us. It is not, and to think it is marks the gravest error anyone can make. To assume life is about us sets us on a self-centered quest for which there is no satisfaction. Rather, we are not our own; we were made for something else. Until we lose ourselves in the “else” we will strive endlessly to find rest from our labor.
What is the “else?” The “Else” we really seek is our Creator. He made us with intention. Though we rebel against him, he buys us back by his grace and seeks to call us to a place where we fulfill the purpose for which He created us. And when we do—when we lose our lives in His purpose—we find the abundant life, a life so full we need nothing else.
So what is life about if it is not about me? Well, simply put, life is about God. It is about bringing God honor and praise and glory in all I am and all I do. Life is about honoring God in my home; not about having my needs met. Life is about honoring God through my job as I provide a service to my community; not about acquiring wealth to spend on myself. Life is about honoring God in my relationships, as I learn to be gracious and righteous and kind and devoted.
Life is not about you or me. After all, we did not choose to be here. Life, the abundant life, is found in knowing our Creator and enjoying a life-long relationship with Him through the gift of life received through faith in his Son, the Lord Jesus.
The apparent shrinking of our world defines one of the great developments in this age in which we live. Just a bit over 20 years ago my family and I moved to Africa to serve the church there. Our means of communication consisted of letters that took anywhere from a month to a half year to reach home or a telephone located several hours away that worked intermittently. Now I can pick up my cell phone and call my friends there as easily as I call across the street. Colleagues that served a generation before me tell of long journeys lasting many months to reach their destination, while my family and I flew to Nigeria in a matter of hours. And now Facebook, Skype and other technologies enable us to have face to face conversations with loved ones living half a world away. Clearly things have changed.
And yet, with all this technology that links our world, we are lonelier than ever. We cast about seeking meaning and purpose. Many of us aimlessly wander through life, searching for an elusive happiness in the things we can accumulate or the activities in which engage. We are told that life is all about us, that finding the right partner, landing the right job, making a big enough salary or acquiring notoriety, will bring us the inner worth we crave. But it never works. As we sit by ourselves in the twilight of evening, we find ourselves asking, “Is this all there is?”
A wise sage once said, “If you want to find your life, you first have to lose it,”(Matt. 10:39) and another ancient voice says, “You are not your own; you have been bought with a high price” (1 Cor. 6:19). The root of our desperation stems from an error in our thinking. It is a fundamental mistake. One that all of us make, initially, and, even after realizing it, from time to time. It is the human condition. The mistake is the belief that life is all about us. It is not, and to think it is marks the gravest error anyone can make. To assume life is about us sets us on a self-centered quest for which there is no satisfaction. Rather, we are not our own; we were made for something else. Until we lose ourselves in the “else” we will strive endlessly to find rest from our labor.
What is the “else?” The “Else” we really seek is our Creator. He made us with intention. Though we rebel against him, he buys us back by his grace and seeks to call us to a place where we fulfill the purpose for which He created us. And when we do—when we lose our lives in His purpose—we find the abundant life, a life so full we need nothing else.
So what is life about if it is not about me? Well, simply put, life is about God. It is about bringing God honor and praise and glory in all I am and all I do. Life is about honoring God in my home; not about having my needs met. Life is about honoring God through my job as I provide a service to my community; not about acquiring wealth to spend on myself. Life is about honoring God in my relationships, as I learn to be gracious and righteous and kind and devoted.
Life is not about you or me. After all, we did not choose to be here. Life, the abundant life, is found in knowing our Creator and enjoying a life-long relationship with Him through the gift of life received through faith in his Son, the Lord Jesus.
Sunday, July 1, 2012
The Church: Who we need to be
Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
This sermon is a follow up the last week's sermon, "The Church: what it was, is and is becoming.
About a year ago I had the privilege of hearing Dallas Willard speak in person. Dallas is one of the key Christian leaders today. He is a professor of Philosophy at the University of Southern California who has also specialized in the the area of Christian spiritual formation. Read whatever you of what he wrote, and if you ever get a chance to hear him speak, do it. Here is his website.
Anyway, that day Dallas was talking about the human soul and he defined it as "that part of us that integrates all other parts." (He explores this some in his book, Renovation of the Heart). I was fascinated by this and discussed it with him a bit, and have been thinking it through ever since. I also mention in my sermon that Paul Grout has been saying that "our current manner of living is destroying our soul." So if our soul's are being destroyed by contemporary life, then we are losing our ability to integrate life--we are becoming more animal-like and less human. It is no wonder that human nature is degenerating, which is the fulfillment of one of the three prophecies I discuss in the sermon.
Pollster George Barna discusses what he believes are "four common barriers to transformation, including lack of commitment, unwillingness to fully repent, confusing activity for growth, and failure to engage in genuine, accountable community." Read it here.
If you google around the statistics related to Christian faith in the USA, you find a lot of interesting stuff. One fact is that those who self-identity as Christian are decreasing by 1% a year, and this while the population is increasing each year, meaning that there are less of us, by percentage of our society, each year. This is one reason our influence is waning. Despite the prevalence of mega-churches (more now than ever, and larger ones each year), there is no county in the USA where the percentage of Christians has grown.
Without a major spiritual revival, this will not change. The purpose of these two sermons was to help us understand what is happening, but to also left up what God is doing in the midst of it. During the era when Christendom reigned, the church got all entangled with the culture and the world and the government. It brought power, but power often corrupts. God is not taking us to a place where we have the opportunity to reexamine what we are, what we seek, and what we are called to. It is a good thing.
All this leads me to seek out from God, what this means for me and for the congregation I serve. Status quo no longer makes it. Being busy doing good things, no longer accomplishes much, if it ever did. Society is redefining normal; we need to "understand" (listen to the sermon), what God deems normal, and commit to it.
Do not fear. Rather, seek Jesus and the spiritual transformation only He can provide, and you will be fine in this post-modern, pre-Christian era. You will be fine, but you will be weird (in the world's eyes) and you will not remain the same. You will be God's person.
Thanks for digging deeper.
This sermon is a follow up the last week's sermon, "The Church: what it was, is and is becoming.
About a year ago I had the privilege of hearing Dallas Willard speak in person. Dallas is one of the key Christian leaders today. He is a professor of Philosophy at the University of Southern California who has also specialized in the the area of Christian spiritual formation. Read whatever you of what he wrote, and if you ever get a chance to hear him speak, do it. Here is his website.
Anyway, that day Dallas was talking about the human soul and he defined it as "that part of us that integrates all other parts." (He explores this some in his book, Renovation of the Heart). I was fascinated by this and discussed it with him a bit, and have been thinking it through ever since. I also mention in my sermon that Paul Grout has been saying that "our current manner of living is destroying our soul." So if our soul's are being destroyed by contemporary life, then we are losing our ability to integrate life--we are becoming more animal-like and less human. It is no wonder that human nature is degenerating, which is the fulfillment of one of the three prophecies I discuss in the sermon.
Pollster George Barna discusses what he believes are "four common barriers to transformation, including lack of commitment, unwillingness to fully repent, confusing activity for growth, and failure to engage in genuine, accountable community." Read it here.
If you google around the statistics related to Christian faith in the USA, you find a lot of interesting stuff. One fact is that those who self-identity as Christian are decreasing by 1% a year, and this while the population is increasing each year, meaning that there are less of us, by percentage of our society, each year. This is one reason our influence is waning. Despite the prevalence of mega-churches (more now than ever, and larger ones each year), there is no county in the USA where the percentage of Christians has grown.
Without a major spiritual revival, this will not change. The purpose of these two sermons was to help us understand what is happening, but to also left up what God is doing in the midst of it. During the era when Christendom reigned, the church got all entangled with the culture and the world and the government. It brought power, but power often corrupts. God is not taking us to a place where we have the opportunity to reexamine what we are, what we seek, and what we are called to. It is a good thing.
All this leads me to seek out from God, what this means for me and for the congregation I serve. Status quo no longer makes it. Being busy doing good things, no longer accomplishes much, if it ever did. Society is redefining normal; we need to "understand" (listen to the sermon), what God deems normal, and commit to it.
Do not fear. Rather, seek Jesus and the spiritual transformation only He can provide, and you will be fine in this post-modern, pre-Christian era. You will be fine, but you will be weird (in the world's eyes) and you will not remain the same. You will be God's person.
Thanks for digging deeper.
Friday, June 29, 2012
The Church: what it was, is and is becoming
Matthew 16:13-20; 13:31-32
Sorry of the delay in posting these notes.
This is a sermon I have been wanting to preach for sometime. The effect of post-modernity on our society has been studied from many perspectives and the impact on the church has been written about by many people with more specialized training in sociological stuff than I have. However, I am living it. Having been raised in the church and now having provided almost 40 years of leadership, has given me some perspective that I would not have otherwise. Also, having worked with the church in a non-western culture for a season has been extremely beneficial on a number of levels.
Anyway, these are extremely stressful times for churches and church leaders. But my gut tells me it is good. As society falls apart around us, we are forced to return to our roots, which is Jesus and his teaching, and to be more focused, more radical, more clear and more intentional about who we are and what we are called to be. It is no longer enough for a church to simply be busy running programs--we must be focused on personal transformation so that we become strong in our faith to with stand the forces being imposed on us by an increasingly hostile world. Actually, churches that are busy with program that is not transformational in nature, will find themselves in worse shape, in my opinion, than those which don't do anything.
Maybe the most important point I make in the sermon is this: We do not go to church; we are the church!
In the sermon I quote Sky Jethani, who is an editor for Leadership Journal, a premier publication for church leaders. I am currently reading his book The Divine Commodity and With. I commend them both to you. The first discusses the impact of our current consumer culture on our lives, faith and church. The second explains why we changed our mission statement from Living for Jesus so others may know him to Living with Jesus so others may know him. I wish I had With back when we changed the slogan--it is a great read which also looks at what is wrong with the way we think about God and our faith today.
Next week's sermon will continue with this topic, with a closer look at what all this means for us as followers of Jesus.
Thanks for digging deeper.
Sorry of the delay in posting these notes.
This is a sermon I have been wanting to preach for sometime. The effect of post-modernity on our society has been studied from many perspectives and the impact on the church has been written about by many people with more specialized training in sociological stuff than I have. However, I am living it. Having been raised in the church and now having provided almost 40 years of leadership, has given me some perspective that I would not have otherwise. Also, having worked with the church in a non-western culture for a season has been extremely beneficial on a number of levels.
Anyway, these are extremely stressful times for churches and church leaders. But my gut tells me it is good. As society falls apart around us, we are forced to return to our roots, which is Jesus and his teaching, and to be more focused, more radical, more clear and more intentional about who we are and what we are called to be. It is no longer enough for a church to simply be busy running programs--we must be focused on personal transformation so that we become strong in our faith to with stand the forces being imposed on us by an increasingly hostile world. Actually, churches that are busy with program that is not transformational in nature, will find themselves in worse shape, in my opinion, than those which don't do anything.
Maybe the most important point I make in the sermon is this: We do not go to church; we are the church!
In the sermon I quote Sky Jethani, who is an editor for Leadership Journal, a premier publication for church leaders. I am currently reading his book The Divine Commodity and With. I commend them both to you. The first discusses the impact of our current consumer culture on our lives, faith and church. The second explains why we changed our mission statement from Living for Jesus so others may know him to Living with Jesus so others may know him. I wish I had With back when we changed the slogan--it is a great read which also looks at what is wrong with the way we think about God and our faith today.
Next week's sermon will continue with this topic, with a closer look at what all this means for us as followers of Jesus.
Thanks for digging deeper.
Sunday, June 3, 2012
What is that in your hand?
Exodus 4-1-5 (all of chapters 3 and 4).
I have always wanted to preach on this passage, but never have. As I considered what to share on this Sunday when we honor those graduating from various schools, I was led again to this text. I think for a number of reasons.
This is a great moment in the life of Moses. He's standing, as it were, at a crossroad in his life. Of course, right in front of him is the burning bush, and God is speaking to him from the midst of it. He could turn away, or he could stay. He chose to stay and hear God out.
God had a great task for Moses--go to the most powerful ruler on planet earth and tell him to let God's people go free. (Remember, the Israelites were providing untold hours of free labor for the Pharaoh.) It is no wonder that Moses had some excuses. The dialog between Moses and God, though somewhat anthropomorphic, shows God's extreme patience with us, his willingness to provide for our fears, and his awesome power which takes what little we have to offer and empowers that with his power.
And that is the message I hope to convey in this sermon.
Sort of related to this sermon, but not really, is the question of the location of Mount Sinai, where Moses first encountered the burning bush and later came with the Israelites and received the 10 Commandments. The traditional site is in the southern section of the Sinai Peninsula. If you are interested, here is a site that reviews the info, and another one that argues for a different location. I also like this Rabbi's conclusion.
Thanks for digging deeper.
(By the way, I will be on vacation the next to Sundays.)
I have always wanted to preach on this passage, but never have. As I considered what to share on this Sunday when we honor those graduating from various schools, I was led again to this text. I think for a number of reasons.
This is a great moment in the life of Moses. He's standing, as it were, at a crossroad in his life. Of course, right in front of him is the burning bush, and God is speaking to him from the midst of it. He could turn away, or he could stay. He chose to stay and hear God out.
God had a great task for Moses--go to the most powerful ruler on planet earth and tell him to let God's people go free. (Remember, the Israelites were providing untold hours of free labor for the Pharaoh.) It is no wonder that Moses had some excuses. The dialog between Moses and God, though somewhat anthropomorphic, shows God's extreme patience with us, his willingness to provide for our fears, and his awesome power which takes what little we have to offer and empowers that with his power.
And that is the message I hope to convey in this sermon.
Sort of related to this sermon, but not really, is the question of the location of Mount Sinai, where Moses first encountered the burning bush and later came with the Israelites and received the 10 Commandments. The traditional site is in the southern section of the Sinai Peninsula. If you are interested, here is a site that reviews the info, and another one that argues for a different location. I also like this Rabbi's conclusion.
Thanks for digging deeper.
(By the way, I will be on vacation the next to Sundays.)
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Choosing Where to be Planted
Psalm 1
I'm back after two weeks off from preaching (one week to attend our newest grandson's dedication and another to speak at the 100th anniversary celebration of a church I previously served as pastor).
Thanks for hanging in there. And its Memorial Day weekend, so many people are away for the weekend.
Anyway, I felt led to speak on Psalm 1, for several reasons which I mention in the sermon.
For background, it would be good to review some of the basic characteristics of Wisdom Literature, as it appears in the Bible. Here are two web sites that give good, general background. one two
The psalm uses images from the ancient agricultural practice of harvesting grain. You may be more or less familiar with the steps of harvesting and winnowing, depending on your background. Here is a good video that summarizes the process, as it would have been done in biblical times, and is still done today in many parts of the developing world.
In the sermon I state that we can each choose where to be planted; or we can choose to live among the godly or the ungodly. I mention that that choice is up to us to make; it is not chosen for us. The out come of this choice is predetermined and predestined, but the choice is not. Some readers may react to that statement, believing that sovereignty and predestination extend to the choice itself and are not limited to the outcomes of our choices. You may be right, however after years of contemplation on these topics, and the study of Scripture, I have rather made peace with this idea.
I think God has granted us fee will while, naturally, knowing full well the choices we will make. But knowing them and controlling them are two different things. If I offer you a million dollars, no strings attached, I know up front what choice you will make. You will take it. But I am not controlling your choice; you could reject the gift. If a human can make such a judgment on something so simple, why can't God know all things on all topics in advance, without even blinking an eye. I believe he can and he does.
However, the outcomes of choices we make are predetermined. If I choose to live in disregard of God and his ways, I am headed for a life of sadness that leads to judgment and a future alienated from God. No one can change that. Only by making a different choice in life, can I change the outcome.
People who choose well, live well and die well. This being Memorial Day weekend, let's honor those who have modeled the good life for us.
Thanks for digging deeper.
I'm back after two weeks off from preaching (one week to attend our newest grandson's dedication and another to speak at the 100th anniversary celebration of a church I previously served as pastor).
Thanks for hanging in there. And its Memorial Day weekend, so many people are away for the weekend.
Anyway, I felt led to speak on Psalm 1, for several reasons which I mention in the sermon.
For background, it would be good to review some of the basic characteristics of Wisdom Literature, as it appears in the Bible. Here are two web sites that give good, general background. one two
The psalm uses images from the ancient agricultural practice of harvesting grain. You may be more or less familiar with the steps of harvesting and winnowing, depending on your background. Here is a good video that summarizes the process, as it would have been done in biblical times, and is still done today in many parts of the developing world.
In the sermon I state that we can each choose where to be planted; or we can choose to live among the godly or the ungodly. I mention that that choice is up to us to make; it is not chosen for us. The out come of this choice is predetermined and predestined, but the choice is not. Some readers may react to that statement, believing that sovereignty and predestination extend to the choice itself and are not limited to the outcomes of our choices. You may be right, however after years of contemplation on these topics, and the study of Scripture, I have rather made peace with this idea.
I think God has granted us fee will while, naturally, knowing full well the choices we will make. But knowing them and controlling them are two different things. If I offer you a million dollars, no strings attached, I know up front what choice you will make. You will take it. But I am not controlling your choice; you could reject the gift. If a human can make such a judgment on something so simple, why can't God know all things on all topics in advance, without even blinking an eye. I believe he can and he does.
However, the outcomes of choices we make are predetermined. If I choose to live in disregard of God and his ways, I am headed for a life of sadness that leads to judgment and a future alienated from God. No one can change that. Only by making a different choice in life, can I change the outcome.
People who choose well, live well and die well. This being Memorial Day weekend, let's honor those who have modeled the good life for us.
Thanks for digging deeper.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Nehemiah: Walking in the Fear of God
Nehemiah 5:1-13
This is the last sermon in this short series on Nehemiah. I finished it feeling like we could have just kept going.
As I developed this message, I was led to focus, at least in the last half, on the way in which we see Satan attacking the work of God in the book of Nehemiah, and how those tactics are still used today. If you missed the sermon, you will need to listen to it to catch all of that.
By stopping the series at this point in Nehemiah (basically through chapter 6), we miss the great celebration that ensured when the wall was completed. You can read that celebration in chapter 12:27-47. It is said that the "rejoicing in Jerusalem could be heard far away" (12:43).
In the sermon I spent some time talking about the heavy taxes people had to pay to the Persian government, which levied a huge burden on the individual families, especially considering there was a general famine going on and that most of their time was taken up working on the wall. What bears mention in all this, and which I did not take time to mention in the sermon, is the posture Nehemiah took as the Governor. As a Persian King appoint ruler, he could have demanded a tax from the people, but he did not, and he could have lived very well off the allotted rations that were his right as the Governor. Rather than indulge in all this for himself, he used it to feed 150 people a day at his table, as well as other visitors. He did not claim any land and he did not add to the burden of the people. What a man. Read 5:14-19 for this information.
Finally, I came across another great resource on the Book of Nehemiah in the course of this study. It is a book called Jerusalem in the time of Nehemiah by Leen and Kathleen Ritmeyer. Leen is a well-known archaeologist who has worked on any number of digs around Jerusalem. The book is not large, but is filled with color maps and reconstructions that really help you visualize what the city was like in Nehemiah's time. I got my copy through Christianbook.com. Amazon has it too.
Thanks for digging deeper
This is the last sermon in this short series on Nehemiah. I finished it feeling like we could have just kept going.
As I developed this message, I was led to focus, at least in the last half, on the way in which we see Satan attacking the work of God in the book of Nehemiah, and how those tactics are still used today. If you missed the sermon, you will need to listen to it to catch all of that.
By stopping the series at this point in Nehemiah (basically through chapter 6), we miss the great celebration that ensured when the wall was completed. You can read that celebration in chapter 12:27-47. It is said that the "rejoicing in Jerusalem could be heard far away" (12:43).
In the sermon I spent some time talking about the heavy taxes people had to pay to the Persian government, which levied a huge burden on the individual families, especially considering there was a general famine going on and that most of their time was taken up working on the wall. What bears mention in all this, and which I did not take time to mention in the sermon, is the posture Nehemiah took as the Governor. As a Persian King appoint ruler, he could have demanded a tax from the people, but he did not, and he could have lived very well off the allotted rations that were his right as the Governor. Rather than indulge in all this for himself, he used it to feed 150 people a day at his table, as well as other visitors. He did not claim any land and he did not add to the burden of the people. What a man. Read 5:14-19 for this information.
Finally, I came across another great resource on the Book of Nehemiah in the course of this study. It is a book called Jerusalem in the time of Nehemiah by Leen and Kathleen Ritmeyer. Leen is a well-known archaeologist who has worked on any number of digs around Jerusalem. The book is not large, but is filled with color maps and reconstructions that really help you visualize what the city was like in Nehemiah's time. I got my copy through Christianbook.com. Amazon has it too.
Thanks for digging deeper
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