From the Pastor |
Luke 4:21-30
In his 1960 memoir telling of his experiences during the Holocaust, Elie Wiesel (El ee Vee ZEL) tells of an unwelcome prophet named Moishe (moy sheh) the Beadle. In 1942, they both lived in a village in Hungary. One day, all of the foreign Jews were rounded up to be deported. Rumors were spread through town that they were safe and content in their now location. However, months later, Moishe returned… and he told a much different story. According to Moishe, they had been sent by train to Poland, and there all the Jews were taken by the Gestapo out into the forest. “They were forced to dig huge trenches. When they had finished their work, the men from the Gestapo began theirs. Without passion or haste, they shot their prisoners, who were forced to approach the trench one by one… Infants were tossed into the air and used as targets for the machine guns.” Wiesel, Elie. Night p.6 Moishe was injured but survived by pretending to be dead. He slowly made his way back to the village warning all the Jews he encountered along the way. He said “I wanted to return… to describe to you my death so that you might ready yourselves while there is still time.” “But people not only refused to believe his tales, they refused to listen.” Wiesel, Elie. Night p.7 It was easier for the townspeople to dismiss Moishe as being crazy than it was to acknowledge the very real evil that was about to descend upon them… and they suffered greatly as a result. There is definitely truth to the saying “familiarity breeds contempt” … or as Jesus put it, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s hometown…” [Luke 4:24] That was certainly the case for Jesus in today’s reading. He had left home some time ago… he was baptized by both John and the Holy Spirit… he spent 40 days in the desert… he has received a vision of a new world… of God’s Holy Kingdom and now he has found his way back to his hometown of Nazareth. On the Sabbath, he enters the synagogue and stands up to read from the scroll of Isaiah. Then he sits down and announces “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” [Luke 4:21] The message was a simple message of Good News… the time had come… The new age of God’s reign was beginning and Jesus was there to kick things off… The people are amazed… if not a bit patronizing. After all… they knew him. This was Joseph’s boy. One of their own. And he offered some good news for them. If only Jesus had stopped there… they probably would have accepted him… After all… They wanted to hear that they were blessed… they wanted to witness miracles like they heard he had performed in other towns… His reputation had preceded him and they were looking for a performance. But Jesus refused. He knew they hadn’t really listened. They felt that as God’s Chosen People… they were entitled to all the blessings God could offer, but Jesus decided to challenge them instead… Instead of leaving them with a feel good message he demanded they take responsibility for their lives and to change. Jesus lets them know that their status does not ensure their prosperity… that the Good News… fulfilled in their hearing was not solely for them. He uses the scriptures to remind them that throughout Israel’s history, God’s goodness and mercy often went to those who were on the outside… like the non-Jewish widow and a commander of the Syrian army… not to the Chosen… the privileged… NOT to those who felt they has a special claim on God’s favor. But even with scripture backing up his statements… this was not the message they wanted to hear. So they got angry and drove him out of the synagogue… and out of town. Wow… things certainly changed quickly, didn’t they? Like I said… there is truth to the saying that familiarity breeds contempt. You see, they thought they knew Jesus… who he was… what he was all about. They were wrong! It makes me wonder, though… what about us? We… Christians… Those of us who faithfully worship Our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ. What do we think about this man named Jesus? In fact, I have often wondered what would happen if Jesus showed up one day… physically… here where we are? What if he showed up to preach in our churches on a Sunday morning? What kind of response would he receive? Sadly, I often imagine him being driven out of town by an angry mob calling him a heretic or something because he would most likely be delivering a message we simply do not want to hear or accept… an unwelcome prophet in his own hometown. After all… We are now the “hometown crowd.” We are very familiar with Jesus… we have come to know him… and maybe that thought alone should give us pause: What assumptions do we make about Jesus? Do we think we have him figured out when we say “We know Jesus”? If so… we need to be careful because there is far more to Jesus than we can ever know. Like the people of Nazareth, Christians tend to think we “know” Jesus… That we know who he is and what he is all about… what he wants and what HE can do for us. Too many in our society and our churches have actually edited his message to fit their own narrative… taming the Gospel and making it easy… cheap… able to serve their own wants and desires… to fit their agendas. Too often we feel entitled simply because we claim the name of Christian… feeling this gives us a special place in the world… a place solely of Good News and prosperity. The truth is… too many times throughout history to this very day… Christians have tried to control Jesus… to make him their own. Nations have used him to as a justification for war. Political parties invoke his name to attempt to rally people to their cause. Even churches have failed to follow him, instead they excluded others… denied and persecuted those who are different… deciding who is worthy and who is not… ignoring the marginalized whom Jesus came to serve… all in the name of Jesus. Even in our personal lives, we have the tendency to try and bend Jesus to our control… to make him fit the mold we think he belongs in; often being disappointed when we find we cannot do so. But Jesus will not be used, tamed or pigeon holed. He will not water down his message to make it palatable for us. He speaks the truth of his mission and of God even if we do not want to hear it... even if it convicts us and tells us we are wrong. We need to be careful, whenever we catch ourselves claiming to know Jesus… thinking we know his heart and his mind… Because Jesus knows more than we do… his vision is bigger… greater… more glorious that anything we could ever imagine… and nothing we can do will alter that vision. Too often… especially here in America… the church seems to want to act like we are special and privileged… and it tries to maintain that privilege for itself. Its business is to nurture its own life… Its own special interests. We see this time and time again. Our wants… Our needs come first. The suggestion that those on the outside are important in God’s sight is pushed aside and met with anger. But Jesus made it very clear to the people in Nazareth that he had not come to make them feel good as the chosen and privileged people… He came… “to bring Good News to the poor.” [Luke 4:18] Not simply to the economically destitute, but those who lived on the margins of society… those excluded from the social and religious circles… whether by nationality, gender, age, economics, illness or injury or even religious impurity… and that includes those on the outside. Jesus clearly reminds us that God's love extends to those who are most vulnerable, the outsiders, those who are most in need. He declares that the people of Nazareth… and we ourselves, do not have a lock on God’s love and favor. God loves us… this is a fact… but God also loves those we deem unworthy and our enemies as well. Salvation is by God’s grace alone… not by who we are and what we are doing… not even by which denomination or church we belong to. But today’s scripture also offers us a gracious invitation. We are invited to go beyond a superficial knowledge of Jesus, and come to know him as he really is… not simply as we want him to be. How do we do this? By opening ourselves to the Holy Spirit AND to one another. Studying God’s word… Listening, learning… especially from those we least expect to serve as prophets of the Lord. By not allowing our familiarity with them to cause us to dismiss what they might say. They are the ones who will speak hard words we need to hear and show us the way we need to follow. We need to strive to make our communities inclusive… Welcoming friend and stranger alike… refusing to shut the door on anyone… serving those on the margins of society to the best of our abilities. It is too easy to remain silent when Jesus is used to justify injustice, abuse, greed, or hatred. But, Jesus calls us to speak out against these things… fighting against all that would hurt or destroy. We also need to pray. To take the time to be with Christ and truly get to know him. Discerning how to distinguish his voice from our own, and from the voices of our society, which is not easy. And we accept Christ’s invitation to truly know him through love… by opening our hearts and allowing God’s love to fill us… teaching us how to truly love. To love God and our neighbor… and all of creation. For it is love that will end injustice and hostility… that will allow the poor to receive good news… the captives to be set free... that will let the blind see, and it is love that will make it so that God’s favor will ring out for all people. Amen.
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Ephesians 1:3-14 & John 1: 10-18
It is easy for us to get caught up in the cynicism, negativity, and despair that is commonly reflected in the world around us. It is just as easy to embrace a faith has us looking only to some distant future when the end will come and a small remnant of believers will live forever in heaven. But, neither of these attitudes world for us if we take our scripture readings this week to heart. I mean… here we are… at the 2nd and last Sunday of the Christmas season… and we are being reminded of why our God deemed to enter this world in the form of a baby… why we celebrate Christmas… Why this is considered a time of joy and hope. The Gospel of John boldly proclaims the incarnation. Jesus… the very Word of God… entered the world… became flesh and blood and loved among us… as one of us. He came to reveal God’s heart to the people… revealing the full extent of the love God has for all of creation… bringing the fullness of God’s grace and truth into our world that the world might be reconciled back to the Lord… to reestablish the relationship human beings once had with God. This is the whole reason for the incarnation… for the coming of Jesus…who also came offering the greatest gift possible: “…to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God…” [John 1: 12b] “In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ…” [Ephesians 1:5] For all who believe… all who accept the grace and truth freely offered by Christ… are adopted and called God’s own children. Through this “adoption” we are brought back into relationship with God… a relationship we did not know before. The ultimate goal is to bring unity to all of creation. We know this to be true because as Paul and John both point out… Jesus came, first to God’s Chosen People… to His own… and then to the rest of the world… looking to reconcile ALL people… Jew and Gentile alike… to God… to one another… and to all of creation. It is through the birth of a tiny baby in a small, fairly insignificant town that God entered out world bringing redemption and forgiveness… revealing knowledge of God… of God’s amazing love and God’s will… adopting us all into ONE family of faith and sealing us with the power of the Holy Spirit. This is what we celebrate during these holidays… In this world of great division, suffering, injustice, corruption, poverty, violence, and inequality it may seem difficult to even think about celebration. Some might even consider us delusional for talking about peace, security, and abundance for God’s people when we know that even our faith is no guarantee of these things. But we have to remember that Christmas is not simply a birthday celebration… not only a celebration of the birth of a king… or even the coming of our savior. It is a celebration of a dream… a vision for a world-made-whole in Christ… of our being united by the never-ending, never-failing love of God. We celebrate not just God’s incarnation in the baby Jesus, but also the grace and truth that, even though we are undeserving of mercy… we all are offered forgiveness and reconciliation with the Lord our God… who continuously works to bring us all back into a good and right relationship with God and one another. We celebrate our adoption as daughters and sons of God… of becoming God’s own children… not simply by virtue of being human beings… but adopted by faith… being born anew in the Spirit. Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus because he had heard of their faith and their love for God’s people. What do people hear about us? Can they see our faith? Is it visible? Do others notice our love for one another or does it seem to be kept on the “down-low”? When we look at the church… especially in our society… it is almost impossible to recognize that we are in any way “united”. I mean… one of the goals of the incarnation of Jesus was to bring unity to heaven and earth… yet even Christians… believers… those adopted as God’s children… cannot seem to get along. We argue and fight amongst ourselves to the point that we seem like the most dysfunctional family on the planet. As God’s children… adopted into God’s family by our faith… we are called to live… united as people of hope… as people who have come to know and experience the presence and wisdom of God in our daily lives… people who know that our strength, hope, and joy come from the Spirit of God that is always with us. To remember the hope we find in Christ… keeping it alive in our hearts. This means that we are called to replace cynicism with optimism, negativity with possibility, and despair with joy and hope. To allow our experience of God to keep us connected to the vision of restoration and hope… not just in the future… but as a lived reality in the world here and now… a reality we seek to embody in our own lives on a daily basis. It means that we live in the faith that God’s Reign is at work within and among us each and every day… that in every interaction, every moment, and every situation we are to be bearers of God’s joy, peace, love, and hope and in so doing be the embodiment of God’s light in the world today. What all this means is that … as God’s children… we must act like it. It is our faith… AND our love… working together that will bring unity. We can disagree with one another, but if we keep our focus on loving and caring for one another… we can break down the walls that divide us and reclaim our unity. The message that stands out this week is one of great joy and celebration for God’s provision and love for us, and for God’s gracious adoption of us as God’s own children who receive great blessing in Christ through the Holy Spirit. But if we cannot begin to work together… striving for justice, love and compassion… if we cannot find the joy in our unity as a global family of faith… we will never find the strength, faith, hope and love to sustain us We need more than a proclamation of faith… we need to embody that love, joy, hope and peace that we preach during the advent and Christmas seasons… bringing the kingdom of God into our reality by sharing God’s light and love with all of creation. The story we have come to hear on this Christmas Eve is a very familiar one. It is over 2000 years old… and is told and retold every year… The angel Gabriel tells Mary that her life is going to be far different than she imagined… she is going to have a child… a very special child who “… will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” [Luke 1: 32-33]
Then the time comes for this child to be born and again… things don’t go as planned. 1st Mary and her betrothed, Joseph, are forced to journey from their home to Bethlehem… then when they arrive, there is no rooms available because the place is packed. They have to spend the night in a structure similar to a stable. The child is born and wrapped up and a cradle is made from the manger… a feeding trough for the animals. But as most mothers will tell you… once that baby is born… the circumstances surrounding the birth seem like no big deal. However… this child was CLEARLY a big deal because the birth announcement goes out… delivered to some shepherds in a field… shared by an angel who is then joined by “great company of the heavenly host”… some translations say a “multitude”… either way… it had to be a great number… a wondrous, awe inspiring sight… as they all began to praise God saying “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” It must have seemed like Heaven itself was so overcome with joy and anticipation at the wonder of the incarnation of God being born into the world that the angels cannot contain themselves… their joy spilling over into the earthly realm. But tonight I would like us to really look at the message those angels bring: “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” We often simplify it in word and song to “Peace on earth… Goodwill to men!” Isaiah said the Messiah would be called the Prince of Peace… In a little while we will sing Silent Night where we tell the Christ child to “Sleep in Heavenly Peace.” What is this peace? Honestly, it seems that people know nothing about peace at all! In over 3,400 years of human history, there have only been between 200 - 300 years where peace seemed to reign. Look at our propensity for war… consider how many people die each year from violence across the globe. It almost seems like humankind loves conflict. Peace on earth seems like a pipe dream, doesn’t it? Well… things were not much different during the times when Jesus was born. Taxes were high, unemployment was high, morals were slipping lower, and Israel was being occupied and ruled by a military state. The Romans kept the peace through intimidation and threats… But was that really peace? Maybe, part of the problem is that we are looking for the wrong thing. In English, we define peace as the absence of conflict or war, but the Hebrew word Shalom means so much more. Shalom is referred to as the peace of the Lord. It is about wholeness, peace, harmony, tranquility, wellbeing, health, complete reconciliation. It is more about internal circumstances than the absence of external conflict. Scripture tells us that shalom, true shalom, will be a restoration of the peace… the wholeness, tranquility, harmony and wellbeing that existed in the beginning… it is what is promised for all of creation when Christ returns and God’s kingdom reigns on earth as it is in heaven... In the OT, a wonderful promise was given, and prophetic words of hope emerge telling of One who would come to bring God’s peace back into the world. The blessed gift of Christmas is that through Jesus… whose birth we celebrate this night… Peace has come… God has sent God’s unending Love into the world that we might learn and live God’s peace… Shalom. True peace, peace with God, and peace within ourselves. That’s what the angels proclaimed that night to shepherds in a field…telling them to go and find the child and you will find true peace. In a world filled of conflict, fear, anger and hatred... in a world full of selfishness, greed and sin… it is possible for us to find peace. We can experience true peace, inner peace, wellbeing, harmony and wholeness. Peace on earth cannot be found in this world… As Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote in his poem Christmas Bells: And in despair I bowed my head: "There is no peace on earth," I said, "For hate is strong, and mocks the song Of peace on earth, good will to men." The world does not offer peace on earth, but God does… through the child born in Bethlehem… we can find the peace on earth which passes understanding... if we but trust in the promises of Our Lord… we can find ourselves filled with peace of heart, soul and mind. Because we have the knowledge and the assurance that it is a God’s shalom, is real, it is present with us, and greater than anything the world has to offer. The peace of God is a gift; it is the result of letting God into your heart and your life… trusting in the Love, wisdom, and power of God to bring you the Peace, Hope, and Joy you so desperately need. So this Christmas, let not your heart be troubled. Let the peace of God flood your life. “Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: "God is not dead, nor doth He sleep; The wrong shall fail, the right prevail, With peace on earth, good will to men."” Once again, we have gathered together to celebrate Christmas… to remember and honor the birth of a very special baby. We have come to listen to the well-known story once again.
It was during the difficult times in Israel’s history that the prophets foretold of the coming of the Messiah. They did not know when he would come, but they were told that there would be a prophet… a messenger who would prepare the way.
Isaiah told of one who would be a voice in the wilderness crying out for the people to “Prepare the way of the Lord.” [Isaiah 40:3] And today we heard Malachi’s prediction: “See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me…” For centuries they waited… watching and hoping… longing for the day that the Lord said was surely coming. This morning, the Gospel of Luke tells us that the wait would soon be over. The messenger was born. Following the birth of his son, whom Elizabeth named “John”… Zechariah found his voice and offered a song of praise that included… “And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins…” Zechariah was a priest… he knew the writings of the prophets and he recognized that his son would be the one to herald the good news that the Messiah was here. And that is what John grew up to do… He became known as John the Baptist… he preached “a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins…” He issued warnings and called the people to repent of their sins… he not only proclaimed the coming of the Lord, but he truly fulfilled Malachi’s word… “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver.” John spent a great deal of time in the wilderness by the Jordan River, preaching, teaching and baptizing… trying to bring a refining transformation of heart, mind and soul… He was the messenger who heralded the need for GREAT change and his message was clear… Repent! Get Ready! Prepare! For the Day HAS come! But the interesting thing? John was not the first messenger… the first person to share this great good news… that the Messiah had finally arrived. Right after Jesus was born, a group of lowly shepherds were told of this amazing event and went to Bethlehem to “see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” And then, “When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child…” [Luke 2: 15b, 17] When he was brought to the Temple for the first time as an infant, Simeon and the Prophet Anna both recognized him and not only openly declared it for all around to hear, but we are told that Anna “spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.” Wise Men from the east came looking for the child and alerted Herod and the religious scholars to the possibility that the Messiah had come. Word was out… the message was being shared, but it was John who, about 30 years later, truly began to prepare the way. He was the voice crying out in the wilderness that the prophets spoke of so long ago… He prepared the way… prepared the people for Jesus to begin his ministry… It is truly amazing the way God works… I mean, John was a virtual no-body. A small town boy who grew up and lived in the wilderness, and yet… “the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness.” God’s word bypassed the heads of state and the religious leaders… and instead was heard by a strange man named John … who had an odd sense of fashion, and strange dietary habits… who lived out in the wilderness. John’s work took place in the shadow of the powers of earthly authority… He called for the world to be transformed… spiritually… politically… socially… all in preparation for the coming of the Lord. It was a call to return to a world that is marked by peace, love and joy… of righteousness and holiness. This is the reason John is so important during Advent. John’s message lives on today. But just as he was not the first herald of the coming of the Lord… he was not the last. Throughout history, people have been called by God to “Prepare the way of the Lord…” to call for repentance and change… to tell of the great good news that the Messiah has come. It is a message that extends beyond the borders of Israel to ALL people… covering all of God’s creation with the hope of peace. We need this… this call to repentance and preparation. This reminder of why we celebrate the coming of Jesus. But we have to remember that as Disciples of Christ we are also called to be the messengers of the Good News of grace and mercy… of forgiveness and salvation through Christ Our Lord. It is our time… we are now the messengers who are called to prepare the way of the Lord. This world we live in is a world of division that at times really lacks a sense of moral vision. We cry out against corrupt systems, whether political, religious, or corporate… but we participate and perhaps benefit from those systems. We want change, but we would rather not have any pain or inconvenience. It seems to be a never-ending cycle. The sad truth is, things are not as they should be… but God has promised that something will be done to set things right. People have been calling for God act, but perhaps they need to ready themselves first. The refining fire of God’s messenger might prove uncomfortable, but it is needed. We need to be transformed… refined… made more and more like Christ every day. So, as we move closer and closer to Christmas, we are faced with the question: are we ready for what is to come? What is the vision that moves us toward Bethlehem? What are we hearing from God that speaks to our souls? Are we ready to receive this call of repentance so that we can prepare ourselves for the coming of the Lord? John was the one who was sent to prepare God’s people for the coming of the Messiah… the Advent of God’s salvation… he was called to lead them into repentance for the forgiveness of their sins. Now it is our turn… It is time for us to GO and Tell the Good News… Christ came to offer salvation… Christ is here with us today… and Christ will come again… Through the Messiah, God is always working for restoration. But, receiving God’s Advent takes preparation, and the challenge is for us to not only embrace the work of preparation for ourselves – opening ourselves to God’s restoring, cleansing and disturbing work… but to embrace the call for us to become, in turn, messengers of God’s restorative justice and mercy to the world. Jeremiah 33: 14-16 & Psalm 33
Come, thou long expected Jesus, born to set thy people free…” For many of us, these words are a very familiar part of the Advent Season. The season of Advent, which gets its name from the Latin word adventus meaning "coming" or "visit," takes us from the fourth Sunday before Christmas (aka today) all the way to Christmas Eve. It is the time when we prepare for the Advent… the coming of Christ. It is during this time that we remember the longing… the desire that the people of Israel had for the coming of the Messiah…. The promised one of God who would lead Israel into times of blessing and promise… of justice and righteousness. The very one that Jeremiah spoke of: “In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line; he will do what is just and right in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The Lord Our Righteous Savior.” “Come, thou long expected Jesus, born to set thy people free…” The people of Israel, God’s Chosen People, had awaited the coming of the Messiah for centuries… He would be the one to set the people free from tyranny and reestablish Israel as a mighty nation once again. The anointed one of God was truly long-expected. As followers of Christ… we… like Charles Wesley when he wrote the words in 1744: “Come, thou long expected Jesus born to set thy people free…” We know that Jesus was the long expected… greatly anticipated Messiah… the branch from David’s line… It is the birth of Jesus the Christ that has provided a hope that has endured for over 2000 years. We remember the longing of Jews for a Messiah and our own longing for and need of forgiveness, salvation and a new beginning as we prepare to celebrate the fact that the Messiah came as a baby born in Bethlehem so very long ago. That baby… “born a child and yet a king”… was the realization of all the hopes and dreams of God’s people for a Messiah… and he was our own source of redemption and salvation. However… this song is not simply a Christmas hymn… it truly is a perfect hymn for the season of Advent because the opening words, “Come, thou long-expected Jesus”, not only point to the events of the past, but looks forward to the future. And that was Wesley’s intent. He found the homelessness, and poverty of 18th century England very upsetting. He recognized the division between the classes where, even within the church, there was so often a callous indifference to the suffering of the lower classes. So, Wesley wrote this hymn to express not only joy of Christ’s birth that we celebrate at Christmas, but also to express the tremendous hope for the world as we wait for Christ to come again and set all things right. Part of the inspiration for this hymn comes from the Prophet Haggai 2:7 which reads: “I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the Lord Almighty.” We hear this hope in the words: “Israel's strength and consolation, hope of all the earth thou art; dear desire of every nation, joy of every longing heart.” Advent beckons us to look beyond the manger to the glorious future as we anticipate Christ’s return as the fulfillment of all of the promises of God. Followers of Christ have been made into new creations through our faith and by the grace of God, and now we look forward to the time when Christ comes again, to make all things new. The pain of loss, the poverty and sickness of this world, every rebellion against our Lord, has an expiration date, known only to God. This is the sure hope that filled Wesley when he put his pen to paper and created this beautiful hymn… it is the same hope we share with all Christians everywhere this day. But Advent, and Wesley’s hymn… also reminds us that we need to always look inward. We need this season to remember that Jesus is the fulfillment of all our own longings and desires. “From our fears and sins release us, let us find our rest in thee.” Jesus is the Hope, the dear desire and the “joy of every longing heart.” Our reality is that there are times when we all are burdened with fears and worries… but it is Jesus who comes to free us from those things… and not only our fears and worries… but he comes to free us from sin and death as well, reuniting us to God… restoring us to a good and right relationship with the creator of all… opening the way for us to return to our true home... the kingdom of God. Which leads us to remember that our faith and hope needs to flow outward as well. Jesus is Our King… “born to reign in us forever, now thy gracious kingdom bring.” While the Lord came to be Emmanuel… God with us back then… not to reign within us in isolation… not to rule over us individually, but to reign openly and publicly in the world and we long for the day when his kingdom will reign on earth as it is in heaven: “now thy gracious Kingdom bring.” Charles Wesley longed for the true King to come to set all things right. To not only give us rest personally, but to bring restoration to the world… and like Wesley, we are called to be Christ’s physical body in the world… to be a part of all that he is doing. We know this from the fact that Christ not only came into the world some 2000 years ago… and Christ will not only come again in the future… but Christ is with us now through the ever-present power of the Holy Spirit. “By thine own eternal spirit rule in all our hearts alone; by thine all sufficient merit, raise us to thy glorious throne.” Christ has Come… Christ IS come and Christ will come again. So look to Jesus with great hope this Holiday season because he truly is the hope of the world. Let us take time to prepare our hearts and minds and look to Jesus with the same kind of expectation filled hope that the prophets had when they looked forward to the birth of the promised Messiah. Let’s look to Jesus — our Savior and King — the hope of the world. For as the psalmist wrote: “the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, 20 We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. 21 In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. 22 May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put our hope in you.” As this season of Advent begins I encourage you to take some time to reflect on where you place your faith and hope. What will you put your hope in this Holiday season? Will you focus your heart and mind on the only hope that’s sure to last… the hope offered to us in our Savior who was born in Bethlehem… the One who is the hope of the world… the hope that’s found in Jesus. “Come Thou Long Expected Jesus.” Mark 10: 35-45
Can you imagine the audacity of James and John? They are walking along with Jesus, and actually say to him “do for us whatever we ask.” Then they issue their request “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.” In today’s world of politics it is as if they are saying “Lord, when you are elected Messiah, we want you to put us on your Cabinet!” They obviously felt that they were worthy to make such a request… they must have felt pretty special. I mean… they had left their father, their jobs… their lives… everything they knew and have been faithfully following Jesus for quite a while now. They believe that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah, the great leader who would come in, and lift up Israel… out of oppression to once again be a great nation under God. But Jesus replies to this request by saying: “You don't know what you're asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink? Are you able to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” To which, James and John answer “We are able.” They felt that they would be able to endure whatever was coming… they could follow wherever Jesus was going. Looking back, we know that the disciples just don't yet get it. The road that Jesus was walking was a road that led to torture, humiliation, pain and death. The "cup" that Jesus was to drink was the cup of horrible suffering. The "baptism" that he was to be baptized with was not found in the Jordan River, but on a hillside… on a cross. James and John did not yet realize just how great the cost of following Jesus can be. Jesus does not promise his disciples easy, safe lives… Instead he warns them that, regardless of what position they will eventually gain, they will inevitably suffer, perhaps even die, for following him. That’s the meaning of drinking the cup and being baptized with Jesus’ baptism. It turns out that all the apostles suffered terribly for the sake of the gospel. In fact, James was to be the first, among the faithful 11, to lose his life for Christ (Acts 12:2). It is believed that John was probably the last; still the Bible tells us that every Christian will suffer to some degree in this world, if he or she seeks to follow Christ instead of the ways of the world. This reminds me of the hymn Are Ye Able? Where we sing: “Yes,” sturdy dreamers answered, “to the death we follow thee.” But how often do we really reflect on those words? Are you able to receive the peace, the benefits, the joy, the sense of deeper meaning, the reassurance or whatever it is that Jesus is giving out this week? "Oh, sure! We are able!" we answer. "Are you able to be crucified like I am to be crucified, to suffer, to be rejected and disappointed like I am to suffer and be rejected?" Jesus asks. That answer is a little harder for most of us. Following Christ in all his glory is something we all would like to get in on -- entering into his suffering is another matter entirely. Mark Twain once said, "It's not what I don't understand in the Bible that bothers me; it's what I understand too well." Sometimes we have a tendency to try and transform Jesus into what we want him to be. We can be active in the church, hear many sermons and Bible lessons, we can read the Scriptures but still miss the point. How many times are we guilty of expecting special treatment because we call ourselves Christian? Just like James and John, we expect a special place because we believe. We often think in terms of privilege, not sacrifice… being served, not serving. But our gospel lesson today calls us to task. He reminds us we must be servants. He reminds us that we are on a journey; that faith is in the following. God calls, we answer. That call may involve trouble, pain, and suffering -- but the glory is God's. God calls us to follow Him. It is not an easy way, it is not a painless path, and it is not smooth sailing. Jesus’ way is the Way of the Cross. But the joyous paradox and mystery of the Gospel is – the way of the cross leads home. Think about this: Whatever is the worst that you have been through; no matter how scared, lonely, lost and forsaken you have been; Jesus has been there! If you ever felt abandoned by God… Jesus has been there! Have you ever wondered how you were going to make it one more day? Jesus has been there! Jesus is our great example As Disciples of Christ we need to remember that Jesus is not a technique for getting what we want out of God; Jesus is God's way of getting what He wants out of us. God wants a world that is redeemed, restored to God. And the way God gets that is with ordinary people like us who are willing to walk like Jesus, talk like Jesus, yes, and even if need be to suffer like Jesus. In the circle of God’s reign, in the community of believers, the great one must be a servant and the one who covets first place must be a slave -- of ALL. “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve...” Greatness is not about power and prestige…but about service and self-giving love. The challenge for us in this life is to become the person God wants us to be, not necessarily the person we want to be, to find our place of service in his kingdom, not his protection in this world. To learn that if we listen, truly listen, we will hear the command to love one another, not to expect others to do for us. We will hear the challenge to seek, to serve, and not to be served--to give with no expectation of return. We, too, are challenged with the question, "Are ye able?" Still the master whispers down eternity, and heroic spirits answer, now as then in Galilee. Lord, we are able, our spirits are thine. Remold them, make us, like thee, divine. Thy guiding radiance above us shall be a beacon to God, to love, to loyalty. Wisdom 7:25-8:1 & Proverbs 1: 20-33
There are many people who believe that you don’t have to come to church to be a Christian… They say that God can be found and experienced other places and in other ways. Now… that is true. Psalm 19 reminds us that “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” However… there is a trick to it… You have to actually be looking for God. You see… We are all called to seek God… not just in church… but all throughout God’s glorious creation. But we also have to listen to God… Hear God’s word and then live by it. I mean… we are saved by grace alone… there is no doubt about it… but that grace comes by our faith… and through faithfulness… the faithfulness of God toward us AND our faithfulness towards God. Our faithfulness comes through wisdom. And today’s scriptures tell us just how important wisdom is… especially the Book of Proverbs. Proverbs is an interesting book of scripture. A Proverb is defined as “a simple and insightful, traditional saying that expresses a perceived truth based on common sense or experience.” The biblical book of Proverbs is an anthology – a collection of poems, sayings and other pieces of what we call “wisdom literature.” The Wisdom texts are meant to be educational… to offer guidance in the way one can experience abundant life as well as how one is meant to act. Proverbs contain insight into everyday human life and provides wisdom on how to live a happy and peaceful life, by honoring and respecting God. Its teachings are grounded in creation and are meant to help people to discern the order of creation and learn to live within that order with wisdom and righteousness. So, what is Wisdom? The dictionary defines Wisdom as the ability to understand what is right, true or enduring. Good judgment; knowledge. Well… that seems simple enough… So why is our scripture from Proverbs today so harsh? Probably because biblical wisdom is so much more than knowledge and good judgement… Wisdom is so important that it is actually personified as a woman... teaching, admonishing, guiding… The task of Lady Wisdom is to instruct the people so they will learn to avoid her counterpart, Folly or Foolishness. Folly leads to destruction while Wisdom leads to life. Wisdom is less about knowledge and more about righteousness…wisdom is “a reflection of eternal light, a spotless mirror of the working of God, and an image of his goodness… she can do all things… she renews all things…” {Wisdom 7: 26-27] She is beautiful and eternal… she enters in and makes the “holy souls” friends and prophets of God. In human beings, wisdom is a practical attribute that includes technical skill, shrewdness, and even military prowess. Wisdom can be shown in getting desired results by effective means. However, in God, wisdom is the infinite perfect comprehension of all that is or might be. God is the source of wisdom. Power and wisdom are given to human beings through ‘fear of the Lord.’ That is, for us, wisdom is bound up a reverent awe of the Lord and with doing God’s will. Today… we hear Wisdom’s call and warnings… and it really does sound like she might be speaking directly to us… doesn’t it? When I read through the verses from Proverbs… it seemed to explain a great deal: “…since you disregard all my advice and do not accept my rebuke, I in turn will laugh when disaster strikes you; I will mock when calamity overtakes you… when distress and trouble overwhelm you.” [Proverbs 1:25-27] When disaster strikes… when calamity overtakes us… when distress and trouble overwhelms us…that certainly sounds like recent years, right? Especially the last year and a half. But why? Why is wisdom calling out so harshly… laughing at our misery? Because Wisdom is shown as a prophet… standing on the street corners… calling out… proclaiming the message to heed her words… to change their ways… to repent… but like most of those street corner preachers… we… if we are to be honest… we tend to walk on by… giving her a wide berth and ignoring her message. But… we are God-fearing Christians! Are we? Really? Throughout the scriptures, we read stories that reveal what God is like and how God operates in our lives. These stories all point to the need for us to have a radical trust in God. But how many of us can honestly say we do that… that we have a radical trust in God? Instead, we doubt… we put our trust in others… even in ourselves and we leave God on the back burner of our lives… only taking Him out when we need Him. We read and hear the word of God… we can even recite a few Bible verses… but do we truly heed the word… the wisdom of God? How long before Wisdom’s call will be answered? We need to heed the words of Wisdom. The failure to heed the call of wisdom has important consequences. The Wisdom of God calls to the “simple”… those who do not know any better… She calls to the “mockers” who excel in cynicism and laugh at the people of faith… She calls to the “fools”… those who despise knowledge… she calls to all who reject wisdom. If only they would change their ways, she would make God’s ways known to them… But, the truth is that they have not and they will pay the price… But what of us… those of us who believe… those who have heard and accept the Word of God? Those of us who have faith but still tend to ignore the words of wisdom? Wisdom rebukes us as well… calling us to repent and heed the wisdom of the Lord. The divine Wisdom found in God’s word tells us over and over again that we to be wise, we must walk in the way of Christ if we are to receive the abundant life God longs to provide. It is by hearing the voice of Wisdom… by putting our trust in the Lord and actually doing what God tells us to do… that we live with Wisdom. “…for God loves nothing so much as the person who lives with wisdom.” [Wisdom 7:28] That is the Good news my friends… If we take the time to stop and hear the words of Wisdom… if we heed Wisdom’s call “Then you will understand what is right and just and fair—every good path. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.” [Proverbs 2:9-10] and you will be able to live in peace “without fear of harm”. [Proverbs 1:33] That does not mean our lives will suddenly become smooth sailing with no issues or problems… what it means is that when we live in reverent awe of God and turn away from the foolishness of the world… if we but put our trust in the God of light and love… then God will see us through whatever this world can throw at us. We will never be alone. Today, we hear the voice of Wisdom calling… and we have a choice to make. Do we simply go about our daily routine and ignore the words of Wisdom? Do we allow the call of others… of our society… of this world to pull us away from all Wisdom would impart? Or do we choose life? Do we commit ourselves to living the life God wants to give to us? Let us listen to the counsel of Wisdom and apply her words to all areas of our lives. Through the voice of Lady Wisdom and then through the life and teachings of Jesus… God calls us to hear AND listen to all that God would speak to us... to follow in God’s way… to live by God’s wisdom. Our Lord has promised that when we do this then we will find all that we seek and we will enjoy the fullness of what a relationship with the creator of the world is meant to be. If we are to be faithful and wise we MUST follow Jesus… we must heed the words of Wisdom and refocus our hearts and minds… putting our trust in the Lord. Take some time this week and consider this… think about what needs to change in your life in order to answer the call of wisdom; the call to repent and follow the Word of God that is Christ Our Lord? 2 Samuel 11:26 – 12:13
Back in May, my husband went on a golf trip to Pennsylvania with our neighbor, Bruce. Greg drove, and on the way home, Bruce, who is in his 70’s dozed off. My husband, being the kind and caring friend that he is… looked over… saw Bruce was asleep and… naturally… drove over onto the shoulder and purposely hit the “rumble strip.” Bruce was startled awake and according to Greg, was none too pleased by that little joke. Now, if you have ever hit those “rumble strips” you know that they are pretty loud and they shake the car. It can be quite startling if you hit them by accident. But they serve an important purpose… those lines of small cuts in the pavement can keep you alive by making you refocus your attention back on the area of road you SHOULD be on. You hit the rumble strips and pretty quickly readjust your direction back onto the right path. God used the prophet Nathan as David’s “rumble strip.” Last week, we heard about how David had seriously strayed from God’s path. He coveted and slept with another man’s wife, then when he was afraid the news of that deed would get out, he plotted and schemed to try and cover it up. When that failed he had Uriah carry his own death warrant back to the front lines and was killed. This week, David continues with his cover up by taking Bathsheba as his wife… making the child she carried legitimate. Time passes and the baby is born. It seems that David’s plan to save his reputation (and himself) was complete. He had managed to avoid a great scandal. He was safe! Or was he? The torrid events of Chapter 11 end with a single ominous sentence: “But the thing David had done displeased the Lord.” So God sends the prophet Nathan to shake things up. It was time to let David know that he could not hide his sins from God, and that God was NOT happy. However, rather than simply confront David and put him on the defensive… Nathan takes a different approach. As King, David is the final judge over matters of justice in Israel. So Nathan tells him a tale of a great injustice. A rich man with much steals a poor man’s only lamb that “was like a daughter to him” and slaughtered it to feed a traveler rather than use one of his own. “David as greatly angered by this story and “said to Nathan, “As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this must die! He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity. Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man!” The wealthy man… the one to whom God has given everything… David… was the one who was guilty of forsaking the ways of God and has done this great evil. As a result calamity is promised on David’s house and family. David seems to have jolted at this… through Nathan… David hit those rumble strips and was startled awake. He recognizes how far he has fallen and admits his guilt. He says “I have sinned against the Lord.” To this Nathan assures him that the Lord has taken away his sin… he is forgiven… and although his punishment will not be the death David declared for the rich man in the story… his punishment… the consequences of his actions remain. Though David lives a long life… he eventually pays a bitter price by the implosion of his family and the horrors that follow. We too are sinners… we too have been given so much and yet we still seem to want more. The problem is that we fail... we are weak. We stumble along through life… never quite living up to our own standards, let alone anyone else's. We fail to follow God’s ways… failing to follow God’s laws… violating not only God’s laws but God’s love as well. Like David, we too need to stop… we need to hit that rumble strip and be startled out of our selfishness and complacency and turn back to the Lord to openly admit “I have sinned against the Lord… Forgive me.” This is the reason Psalm 51 is a wonderful prayer. It is a song of penitence… a reminder that we are… in fact… imperfect sinners. That we all need to cry out: “Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin. For I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night. Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight.” God loves us and graciously forgive us when we repent and turn back to him with penitent hearts. Like David… God will remove our sins from us… But also like David, we need to recognize that there will always be consequences to our words and actions. Even though we are forgiven… our sins can cause harm to others and the repercussions of our sins will linger on. 1 John 1:8-9 states it plainly, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” The good news is that God doesn’t give up on us. By Grace, God calls us to actively seek out what is best within us. If we, in humility, come before God in repentance, God will forgive us and work with us and within us. So we can rejoice because God is merciful and offers forgiveness. If we come before the Lord and ask for mercy, we will receive it. But this is more than simply saying “I’m Sorry!” We need to be willing to not only say, “Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me,” but to also be open to receive it… to allow God to cleanse our hearts. But what does that mean? Create in me a clean heart? It means to create within us a new life… a new life that comes from the creation of a new inner being… a clean heart. A new life that receives a right and loyal, steadfast and generous spirit. It is this new life that brings great joy. This… THIS is the new life we receive in Christ. Not simply the promise of eternal life in heaven at some future date… but a new life here and now… a cleansed… renewed… inner being… that brings transformation to our whole selves… our whole lives. Repentance is not just about what I have done… but WHO I am… Jesus came to offer new life… transform our hearts with the love of God. With clean hearts and right spirits, we are called to spread hope throughout the world, both individually and as a community. Cleansed by God’s grace and renewed in Christ’s love, we truly are capable of greatness. So today… as we come to the Lord’s Table of Grace… think about what is holding you back… what is getting in the way… what sins do YOU need to confess to the Lord? Then open yourself to the healing power of forgiveness and grace. Let Jesus into your heart to continue the transformation. Ask the Lord Our God… with humility and awe… to “Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me… Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you. Isaiah 11: 1-15
For most of her adult life, an older woman had worked as the cleaning woman for a fairly large company. She was very well-liked and her fellow employees decided to honor her on her birthday by planning a big surprise party to express their appreciation for her years of service. As often happens… news of the party was leaked and the woman found out about it… she pleaded for them not to throw the party. “That’s sweet of you,” said her boss, “but it’s not necessary for you to be so modest.” “Modest, my foot!” she exclaimed. “I just don’t want to have to clean up the mess afterwards!” Cleaning up the mess is what David was forced to do. David was the beloved king of Israel… God’s anointed one… the savior who slew the giant Goliath then led Israel through many successful battles. God was so pleased with him that God established a covenant with David and his descendants that God’s love would never be taken away as it had been taken away from Saul… and that David’s house and kingdom will endure forever. [2 Sam. 7: 15] Yet, as Psalm 14 stated “The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.” And that is a perfect description of the David we heard about this morning. For although David believed in God, it seems he turned away from God’s ways. Like any human being… David was FAR from perfect. But, today we heard of David at his worst. 2 Samuel 11 is a story worthy of the best soap operas… a story of lust and deception and murder… For David… it was a truly horrible abuse of power that brings a terrible sense of foreboding for what is to come in the life and history of Israel, because it speaks so loudly of the consequences that arise when we fail to trust in God’s ways; when we, instead, look to our own self-interests and selfish desires. God had raised David to be the most powerful man of the kingdom. David had everything he could want: military victories, wealth, status… POWER and prestige. David must have felt powerful and invincible. So much so that when his army went off to war, he stayed behind in his palace in Jerusalem when most other kings would have gone off to war. Maybe he was bored… maybe he had become too full of himself… maybe like so many rich, powerful, successful people throughout history (even to this very day) he believed the rules… the laws did not apply to him. Whatever the reason, David found himself wanting something he had no right to take… but take he did. After David spies a beautiful woman bathing, he inquires as to who she is. He is informed that “She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” This is important because Bathsheba is not some nameless woman like so many of our bible stories portray… she is not a slave girl or a prostitute. She is a daughter and the wife of one of David’s loyal warriors. Bathsheba was the good, decent, respectable woman. Yet, as is so typical of these types of situations, people throughout history have blamed her for these events. Why was she bathing where David could see her? She was enticing him or other men by flaunting her beauty. However, I would like it noted that our scriptures make NO such claims. They do not condemn her in any way. David alone is responsible for David’s actions. After all… There is no excuse for what he does, especially after he learns of her being a respectable married woman. Nor does the Bible offer any excuse for him. David’s actions were a blatant misuse of power that… quite honestly… could be construed as rape. Bathsheba was summoned by the king… she was powerless to change what happened. She had NO CHOICE! So David takes what he has no right to take simply because he has the power to do so. However, the story does not end there. Bathsheba discovers she is pregnant from their “encounter” and alerts David to this fact. I read one commentators take on that point. He… yes HE… pointed out that we do not know her reasons for sending this message. He proposed that maybe she was thinking that she could find favor with the king and elevate her position… or maybe she thought it might give her some power to bear the child of the king. This gentleman scholar said… we can’t really speculate. Well… maybe he can’t, but as a woman… I think I can! I can only imagine it was fear that prompted her to send that message… Yes… fear. Think about it from her perspective. She never sought out the king or went looking to sleep with David. She endured what she had to because she had no choice and now HER life was on the line. Her husband has been away at war and she has become pregnant. There is no hiding the sin of adultery. It will soon be visible. So… what does the law say is the penalty for such a sin? Death! Her life will be forfeit when the news gets out. I think of the woman brought before Jesus centuries later… She too was caught in the act of adultery and the crowd wanted to stone her… where was the man she was with? Why was she alone charged? Bathsheba has to be afraid. What woman wouldn’t be? So she does the only thing she can think of… she tells David she is carrying his child. We know this is a fact because the scriptures make it clear that she was bathing as part of the purification ritual following her menstrual cycle. It could only be David’s child. So what does David do? This great and mighty king? He panics! He too knows the laws and the disgrace and condemnation he will face, so he plots and schemes and comes up with a cover-up so elaborate that today’s politicians would be proud… David orders her husband Uriah to come home from the war and tries to arrange for Uriah to go home and sleep with his wife to try and cover up the deed. However, David’s attempts are thwarted… by Uriah’s own sense of loyalty, patriotism and the laws surrounding holy wars. He will not go against the religious dictates that soldiers at war are not to engage in sexual activity. And even though he is back in Jerusalem, he will not even go to his comfortable home out of respect for his fellow soldiers still in the field. So, David sins even more when he orchestrates Uriah’s murder as a way to cover up his sin. This story reveals a dark side to David… the low point of his reign when he allowed his lust and power to pull him from God’s ways. This is not the David we often think of… the shepherd boy who bravely wielded stones at a giant… the good king who led his people to a time of prosperity… the pious poet and musician who wrote beautiful psalms to the Lord. No… this is a different side of David all together… What we see with this story is that even someone as great as David… one who has found favor with God… is capable of atrocious abuses of power and violence. Unfortunately, such abuses are still very common in our world today. There is truth to the phrase that “power corrupts.” We have ample examples with various government officials from all sides of the political spectrum… However, we also have a great deal of violence occurring in our streets, in homes and workplaces as the powerful continue to victimize the powerless. Just look at the terrible cases of sexual abuse and harassment that often take place… Today, sexual assaults are the most prevalent crimes in the US, yet also the most underreported. Over 80% of sexual assaults are committed, not by a stranger, but by an acquaintance. And let us not forget about the epidemic ravaging this world… not the virus but domestic violence cases… an epidemic that grew worse with the global pandemic. Did you know that around the world 37 women are killed in instances of domestic violence each day! So what does that mean for us? Well… You see… as David finds out… Secrets have a way of getting out, and sin always has consequences but we will look at that next week… Our scriptures this week lead us to the realization that no one is perfect, which is why we really need to learn to trust in God’s ways… living out the faith we have in every choice we make… every day. We are shown, through David’s story, what can happen when we turn our backs on faithfulness, integrity and self-restraint… There is so much suffering caused by fear, lust, greed and selfishness, but God’s ways lead us in a different direction. Paul teaches the church that the love of God in Christ is the greatest gift we can know. Success and power, wisdom and knowledge can easily lead to pride and the abuse of power, as we see with King David, but Christ’s love surpasses these things. Every person must make the choice… we each must decide what principles will guide us… In our relationships, our neighborhoods, our communities, our work and play we have the choice to either allow our own self-interest and desires to be primary or we can trust that following the ways of God’s Reign will truly lead us to life. One of the tragedies of the contemporary Christian church is that we have failed to live the faith we so loudly proclaim. We preach about forgiveness and grace, and act vindictively and offer condemnation. We talk love, trust and generosity, but act with greed and selfishness. We speak of courage and integrity, but act fearful and cowardly. If the world is to believe our message, we are going to have to demonstrate it in our lives and communities, and when we do, we may well discover that we contribute to wholeness and peace in our world. The goal for a follower of Christ is to be so filled with God’s love that there is no room for anything else… not another person, nor selfish desire… Being filled with “all the fullness of God” is being drawn into unity and harmony with Christ. This and only this can bring an end to our sinning. |
Yeon Shin
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