Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC's - Reformation Sunday/Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost - 10/30/16 Sermon - “What if Zacchaeus ran for President?"

Sunday 10/30/16 Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC’s

Sermon Title: “What if Zacchaeus ran for President?”

                            

Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 119:137-144

                                            

New Testament Scripture: 2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12

Gospel Lesson: Luke 19:1-10

          My sisters and brothers, my friends, welcome once again on this the Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost, and this our Reformation Sunday. Twenty-Four Sundays after the Holy Spirit moved on the day of Pentecost, and the Christian Church was born.

          By most accounts the early Christian Church was loving, was caring, and it did its best to take care of the poor, the sick, and the vulnerable. At different times in the history of the Christian Church though, some church leaders have become corrupt. What is one to do then, if a pastor, or a priest, or a lay person is corrupting the Christian Church? The answer to this for many of the great church leaders throughout history has been to seek reform and changes within the Christian Church. This is why we call this Sunday Reformation Sunday. We are talking about reformers.

          These church reformers are many, and they have existed since the beginning of the Christian Church. These men and women loved Jesus, and they wanted the Christian Church to reflect the beliefs and the teachings of Jesus Christ.

          In the modern day, when we read of pastors that are stealing money, living lavish lifestyles, or doing other corrupt things, it often causes us to recoil from the Christian Church, as we know that is not what Jesus Christ taught us.

          Of all of the great church reformers, probably the most famous of all the reformers, was a young Roman Catholic priest named Martin Luther. Martin Luther lived in the Fifteen-Hundreds in Germany, and during his lifetime he saw a Christian Church that was selling for the forgiveness of sins, for various sums of money. Luther, being a good Roman Catholic priest was disgusted by this, as well as other practices that were going on within the church hierarchy. Luther called for reforms with his famous 95-Thesis, and was eventually kicked out or excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church. His large band of followers that numbered in the thousands, became known as Lutherans. Luther wasn’t perfect, but God used him to effectively begin to reform corruption in the Christian Church.

          Around this time in the Fifteen-Hundreds, the then king of England, King Henry VIII decided to take England out of the Roman Catholic Church. The new church that formed in England was called the Church of England, and King Henry was in charge of it, instead of the Pope. Today in the United States, we refer to the Church of England here, as the Episcopal Church, or the Anglican Church.

          In the 1700’s, a young Church of England or Anglican priest named John Wesley saw a church in England that had become wealthy, corrupt, self-serving, and elitist. As a result, Wesley was determined to have the church once again serve the poor, the lesser-thans, and to bring the gospel of Jesus to all persons. The movement that John Wesley began was called the Methodist movement. The present day United Methodist Church is the continuation of John Wesley’s movement.

          If we were to study many other non-Roman Catholic and non-Orthodox churches, we would soon discover that many of those churches were founded by other great Christian Church reformers to.

Reformation Sunday then, isn’t a day to celebrate the Christian Church fracturing and breaking into pieces, but rather today, to me, is a day to celebrate the many Christian reformers who sought to make the Christian Church into what Jesus Christ designed it to be. Today we honor these reformers, including the great reformer Martin Luther, as well as the many other church reformers like John Wesley. Today we honor our traditions, and our Christians denominations.

          With that said, you may have noticed that the title of my sermon for this morning is “What if Zacchaeus ran for president?” Now I don’t know if you know this or not, but we have a president election coming up next Tuesday, November 8th. I am sure that this comes as a shock for many of you! How many of us will be glad when this election is over?

          For me, I don’t know about you, I am really let down by how politics in this country have continued to get uglier and more sinister. It seems to me, that in every election cycle many of us are asking, “Can the mudslinging get any worse?” Yet it always seems to get even worse! All across television and on every other media source we are inundated with commercial after commercial telling us to vote for him or her, and how their opponents are the incarnation of Satan. All of the candidates seem to talk as if they have all the answers and know just what this county, this state, or this country needs.

          In addition to all of this, many candidates for political office make a variety of promises to us the voters, of what they will do if and when they win. I can’t tell you how many commercials I have seen over the years that say “vote for so and so, as they are going to clean up Washington!” We have been told “read my lips, no more new taxes”. We have candidates that change their positions, their views, and sometimes even change their political parties. Yet when they are campaigning we are told that we should vote for them, as they know what is best for us.

          Not only this, in this election cycle hundreds of millions, and even billions of dollars are and have been spent. In the great state of New York, we have as many as twenty-million people. Yet I heard on a recent radio report that about 2.5 million New Yorkers regularly visit food pantries and food banks for food, yet billions are spent on ads, commercials, and etc. Anyone just sick of politics? Sick of all of the promises? The constant barrage on television, the newspapers, and the internet? I know that I am. I wish we would spend all of this money on feeding the poor.

          We live in a democracy though, and since this is true, we get to vote for our leaders. Not all countries on the earth today have that luxury. We in the United States though, we get to vote for all of our elected officials.

          With this presidential election coming up, I have heard more reporters, more commentators, and more opinions than I have ever heard about most things in my life time. Yet, I we to vote for our leaders.

          We have two main political candidates running for president, along with two or more other candidates. Many of us next Tuesday, November 8th will go and cast our votes for president, and perhaps many other elected positions. For many of us, we will vote in part based upon what we think that the various political candidates can do for us, and for our country.

          Some folks might also vote based upon other interests that they have, such as what their job is, there values, their religious beliefs, or perhaps some always vote a strict party line.

          I guess that I couldn’t allow a president election season to occur though, and not preach at least one sermon about it. Next Sunday is All Saint’s Sunday, so next Sunday wouldn’t work well for this sermon, so I decided to talk about the election this Sunday.

          In the gospels, much like many politicians do to us, different people made different promises to Jesus, to God. Some of these promises we know were fulfilled, yet some of these promises were not fulfilled, or we don’t know if they were fulfilled. Since many of us might think that many politicians make big promises to us, I called this morning’s sermon, “What if Zacchaeus ran for president?”

          Well depending on who you are, you might be asking yourself one of two things right now. One question you might be asking yourself is, “Who is Zacchaeus?” Or you might be saying to yourself, “Pastor Paul, I have followed this election closely, I have seen Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, Gary Johnson, and Jill Stein, but I haven’t seen Zacchaeus”! If you are saying the second thing to yourself, you are right, as Zacchaeus is the subject of this morning’s gospel reading. Zacchaeus is not on the ballot for next Tuesday, November 8^th.

          This morning, like many politicians do to us, a man named Zacchaeus makes promises to Jesus Christ. The interesting thing about the promises that Zacchaeus makes, is we don’t know if he ever made good on them, as the bible doesn’t tell us this. Let’s look at the gospel reading from this morning again. Here is what it says speaking of Jesus:

“He entered Jericho and was passing through it. A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way” (Lk. 19:1-4, NRSV).

          The gospel then says:

“When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.” So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. All who saw it began to grumble and said, “He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner” (Lk. 19:5-7, NRSV).

          The gospel then ends by saying:

“Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.” Then Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost” (Lk. 19:8-10).

          So in this gospel story for this morning, a Jewish man named Zacchaeus has grown quite wealthy working as a tax collector for the Roman Empire. Remember that the Romans occupied what is today Israel, and the Jewish people and many others were living under oppressive Roman rule. Yet Zacchaeus is tax collector working for the Romans, and he has grown quite rich off the backs of his own people.

          So in review, Jesus come to Jericho where Zacchaeus lives, and Zacchaeus feels like that he just has to meet this Jesus. Since Zacchaeus is on the shorter side, he climbs up a sycamore tree, so that he will be able to see Jesus coming.

          Jesus then does in fact come by the tree, and as he passes, he stops, looks up at the tree, and tells Zacchaeus that he wants to stay in his house today. Zacchaeus might be wondering at this point, “How did Jesus know my name?”

          Zacchaeus then hurries down the sycamore tree, and then promptly tells Jesus that he will give away half of his possessions to the poor, and that he will pay back to anyone he has defrauded four-times what he took from them.

          Jesus then praises him, and tells him that he and his house now has salvation, and one day will see heaven.

          I suppose that since Jesus said these words to Zacchaeus, we can assume that Zacchaeus did in fact do what he promised Jesus he would do. Yet right after Jesus tells Zacchaeus that salvation has come to him and his house, Jesus then immediately goes right into telling the parable or story of the ten pounds or ten minas. After telling this parable or story, Jesus then heads right to Jerusalem. As a result, we technically don’t know if Zacchaeus made good on his promises to Jesus.

          What we do know, is that Zacchaeus was a corrupt person, and a person who was getting rich off of harming his own people. We also know that Zacchaeus’ own people didn’t like him for doing this, and that they even regarded him as a sinner.

          So Zacchaeus tells Jesus he has changed, that he will be different, and that he will give away much of his wealth. We can assume that Zacchaeus did this, but as I said, we just don’t know for sure.

          So like the promises that Zacchaeus made to Jesus Christ this morning, do we believe in the promises that the people running for elected office are making? Further, if Zacchaeus was alive today, would you vote for him? What if Zacchaeus ran for president?

          My brothers and sisters, as I said, this is probably the roughest and the most sinister election cycle that I have even seen in my lifetime. So what do we do?

          I believe that we should be praying for our current leaders, for our candidates to be leaders, for our people, for our country, and for our world. I also believe that democracy is a great gift, and I would encourage us all to vote next Tuesday on November 8^th. May we all pray, may we all trust, and me we all do our best to strengthen this experiment in democracy that we call the United States of America. May we vote the way that we feel God calling us to vote. Amen.

Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC's - Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost - 10/23/16 Sermon - “Humble before God"

Sunday 10/23/16 Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC’s

Sermon Title: “Humble before God”

                            

Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 65

                                            

New Testament Scripture: 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18

Gospel Lesson: Luke 18:9-14

          My friends, my brothers and sisters, welcome again on this the Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost. Twenty-Three Sundays after the Holy Spirit moved on the day of Pentecost, and the Christian Church was born.

Since the day of Pentecost, one of the strongest spiritual disciplines of the Christian Church has been prayer. How many of us here this morning pray once a day, or maybe many times a day? How many of us pray for our church, for our families, for our communities, and for our world? Due to the significant importance that prayer plays in the Christian faith and the Jewish faith, this morning I want to talk about prayer.

So as I just asked, do we pray every day? When we pray, what do we pray for? Who do we pray for? Why do we pray the way that we do? Further, how do we pray to God? What is our attitude towards God when we pray? Do we pray with a spirit of humility, or do we pray to God with a different attitude? To sum this up, when we pray to God, how, for whom, and in what ways do we pray?

One of the things that I get asked a lot as a pastor, and maybe you get asked often to, is to pray someone. How many of us have been asked to keep someone in our prayers? How many of us are part of prayer chains? Meaning, if there is a problem with someone, or something else, we are called to pray to our God that will listen and hear our prayers. This is why in some Christian Churches after telling God our prayers, we then respond by saying, “Lord in your mercy, hear our prayers”.

For me, when I am asked to keep someone in my prayers, I do my best to actually take time to pray for them, instead of just telling someone I will pray for them. I also don’t pray just out of a pastoral obligation, as I prayed long before I became a pastor. When I pray, I pray first and foremost, because I believe that God hears me and hears you. I believe that our God is personal and can do all things. I pray because I believe in what God can do through Jesus Christ.

For many of us, our prayers can be reflective of what is going in our lives, or how we are feeling right then when we pray. The broad spectrum of our human experience can often mean that we communicate to God in different ways at different times. Our worship and our singing on Sunday mornings, or at other times for example, can be different based upon where we are at on a given day. If we are angry for example, perhaps we pray to God angry. If we are joyous for example, perhaps we pray to God in a joyous way. What is the right way to pray? Again then, when we pray to God, how, for whom, and in what ways do we pray?

This morning we have a reading from Psalm 65. As you may have heard me say before, the Book of Psalms in the Bible is a massive book that contains many beautiful writings, and the mood of the Psalms are different dependent on the situation that the writer was facing when the actual Psalm was written. Some Psalms therefore, sound like a person who is crying out to God in brokenness and desperation, and some Psalms are Psalms of great praise.

Many of the Psalms are songs, or prayers, or other writings. The Psalms are not written to be historical accounts with facts and figures, but are instead written to communicate the personal relationships and praise of God through the ups and downs of the lives of the Jewish people. Perhaps our prayers lives are like the Psalms then? So when, how, for whom, and in what ways do we pray to God?

In our Psalm reading from Psalm 65 for this morning, the Psalmist writes, “Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion; and to you shall vows be performed, O you who answer prayer!” (Ps. 65:1-2a, NRSV). Would you say in this instance that the Psalmist in Psalm 65 has a positive and a joyous view towards God, or a broken and hurting view towards God?

This Psalm to me, is very clearly a song or a writing of praise to God. The Psalmist doesn’t feel abandoned, forgotten, or desperate in this Psalm, but rather full of hope and joy.

I can imagine that we all would hope to pray like this every single time that we pray to God. The reality of life though, like the Book of Psalms, is that in our prayer lives our prayers can vary depending on how are feeling and what we are experiencing.

I have talked to many people who depending on their life circumstances told me that they prayed to God angrily in some instances, or with joy in other instances.

When we look at our reading from this morning from the Apostle Paul’s second Epistle or letter to Timothy, we find Paul speaking a little different than normal. In this portion of Second Timothy, Paul is telling Timothy he believes that he is to die his earthly death soon. According to church tradition, the Apostle Paul was beheaded in Rome for preaching and propagating the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

It would seem that the Apostle Paul knew something here that we didn’t, in that he seemed somehow to know that he was going to be killed soon. It is believed that the Apostle Paul was in the prison in Rome at this point, and some experts believe that the Apostle Paul wrote his Epistle or letter to the Romans while in prison in Rome to.

The Apostle Paul tells young Timothy here in this morning’s reading his experiences with his faith, which includes prayer. The Apostle Paul tells Timothy, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on the last day…” (2 Tim. 4:7-8a, NRSV). It would seem clear that the Apostle Paul, while in prison in Rome, while being persecuted, is praying, and is closer than ever to God.

In fact, the Apostle Paul then tells Timothy of this persecution. He says, “At my defense no one came to my support, but all deserted me. May it not be counted against them! But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it” (2 Tim. 4:16-17a, NRSV). The Apostle Paul then finishes by saying that he trusts God, and that God is with him. It would seem clear that the Apostle Paul has strong faith, and is likely praying fervently to God.

In our gospel reading for this morning from the Gospel of Luke, Jesus tells us a parable or a story about how to pray to God. This is what the parable says: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector” (Lk. 18:10-11, NRSV). Near the Pharisee who was praying, was a man who was a tax collector that was also praying.

The Pharisee then continues his prayer by saying to God, “I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income” (Lk. 18:12, NRSV).

The tax collector praying near the Pharisee pray differently though. The gospel says, “But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and say, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” (Lk. 18:13, NRSV).

Jesus then says of the tax collector not the Pharisee that, “I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalt” (Lk. 18:14, NRSV).

So my sisters and brothers, when we pray to God, do we pray like the Pharisee prayed, or do we pray like the tax collector prayed? Are we more like the Pharisee, or more like the tax collector?

I wonder if at some points in our lives we have all in some ways been more like the Pharisee when we pray, or more like the tax collector when we pray. Our goal in our faith is to pray to God with humility, but depending on our mood or the day, do we sometimes not go to God with as much humility as we could?

This is a hard thing, as Jesus this morning gives us a parable or a story on what attitude we should have towards God when we pray. So when you pray to God, how, for whom, and in what ways do we pray? What is your attitude when you pray?

I want to share a short story with you called, “Prayer Changes Me”. This is a story about the famous Christian author and scholar CS Lewis, and is taken from a “Film quote found at Internet Movie Database”. Here is the story: “CS Lewis was the author of the widely read children’s books, The Narnia Chronicles, as well as many novels for grown-ups and books on issues surrounding the Christian faith. The movie Shadowlands (directed by Richard Attenborough and produced in 1993) tells Lewis’ story, focusing in particular on his relationship with his wife, Joy Gresham. Gresham and Lewis meet while Lewis is a don at Oxford University.”

“After Joy is diagnosed with cancer the couple marry. The movie invites us to witness their love, their pain, their grief, their struggles with faith and God. Eventually Joy dies”.

“At one point in the story a friend says to Lewis, “Christopher can scoff, Jack, but I know how hard you’ve been praying; and now God is answering your prayers.”

“Lewis replies “That’s not why I pray, Harry. I pray because I can’t help myself. I pray because I’m helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time, waking and sleeping. It doesn’t change God, it changes me.”

So friends when you pray, how, for whom, and in what ways do we pray? What is your attitude when you pray? When we pray, are we more like the Pharisee in this morning’s gospel reading? Or when we pray, are we more like the tax collector in this morning’s gospel reading? Perhaps sometimes we are like both.

What is true though, is that when we pray, God hears us, and therefore may we do as it says in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, ^“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thess. 5:16-18, NRSV). So my sisters and brothers may we continue praying this day, and always. Amen.

Homer Avenue UMC - Laity Sunday/Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost - 10/16/16 Sermon - “Serving" "Spiritual Gifts" Series (Part 7 of 7)

Sunday 10/16/16 Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC’s

Sermon Title: “Serving” (“Spiritual Gifts” Series – Part 7 of 7)

                            

Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 119:97-104

                                            

New Testament Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5

Gospel Lesson: Luke 18:1-8

          My sisters and brothers, my friends, welcome again on this our annual Laity Sunday, and on this the Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost. Twenty-two Sundays after the Holy Spirit moved on the day of Pentecost, and the Christian Church was born.

          This Sunday is also as I said, our annual Laity Sunday in the United Methodist Church. On this Sunday, we celebrate you the laity, and your gift of “serving,” among other gifts. The laity of the church, are all the folks that are not clergy, but are serving God right alongside of us clergy. As pastors, we could not do this thing called church alone, as our pastors and laity work together to make the mission of the church successful.

          On this Laity Sunday, I am finishing my seven week preaching series on some of the various spiritual gifts that God gives us all. Once again, while there are many spiritual gifts, and while our spiritual gifts survey lists sixteen of them, I have been covering, as I said, just seven of these God given spiritual gifts. This list of seven spiritual gifts, comes to us from the Apostle Paul’s epistle or letter to the Romans 12:6-8.

          Since this is the last Sunday of this preaching series on spiritual gifts, let me re-read to you what Romans 12:6-8 says. It says: “We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness” (Rom. 12:6-8, NRSV).

Depending on the Bible translation that you use, the spiritual gifts that the Apostle Paul cited, might be named or labeled a little differently. The six spiritual gifts I have preached on so far are the gifts of: “giving” or generosity,” of “mercy,” of “exhortation” or “encouragement,” of “teaching,” of “leadership,” and last week the spiritual gift of “prophecy”.

This week to end this series, I want to talk about the spiritual gift of “serving,” or as the scripture of read from Romans 12:6-8 puts it, “ministering”. To serve others in the Christian context is in many ways to “minister” to them.

One definition of the spiritual gift of “serving,” or “ministering” is this: “The word translated as "ministry" is diakonia, which can also be translated "service". Since there are many types of ministries and service to the Church, this then describes a broad array of gifts rather than a single gift” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiritual_gift).

So the Greek word “diakonia” can be translated as meaning “ministry” or “service”. This is important as the original Christian New Testament was written in Greek. The word “diakonia” is also where we get the title of “deacon”.

In the United Methodist Church, if someone feels called by God to be a clergy person, they can be a licensed local pastor, which is what I used to be, or they can be an ordained elder, or an ordained deacon.

Generally speaking, ordained deacons in the United Methodist Church, and many churches, are called to a life of teaching and service. Ordained deacons in our church are sometimes called to special ministries, being chaplains, leading worship, and etc. While they are ordained they do not generally administer the sacraments of Holy Baptism, or Holy Communion/the Lord’s Supper, and they also don’t order the life of the church. Yet these clergy persons are servants that are called to love, teach, and serve.

I tell you all of this, to say that we have an entire order in the United Methodist Church of men and women called to service, teaching, and preaching. These folks who become ordained deacons do these things for life, but we all are called to be in service to God and the church. All of us in our own unique ways can serve God, the church, our community, and our world. Do you believe that God has given you or someone you know the gift of “serving?”

I would argue that we all have the gift of serving on different levels, but how is God calling you specifically to serve? Are you called to start a men’s or a women’s evening Bible Study? Are you called to start a quilting group that brings people to Jesus Christ? Are you called to pray for the church? My brothers and sisters, in our own ways we are all called to “service” for God, for the church, and for the world. Do you have the spiritual gift of “serving?”

Even though I am called to serve as your pastor, as your pastor I want all of you to be able to pursue whatever ministries that God has called you to. I don’t want a church where the only one who seen as being in ministry is the pastor. God has called us all according to his purposes. How has God called you? Do you have the spiritual gift of “serving” or “ministering”?

Just to explain the spiritual gift of ministering a little better, I want to read a broader definition that I found for this spiritual gift. This definition is: “The spiritual gift of service, or ministering, covers a wide range of activities in its application.  There are two Greek words for this gift.  The first one, found in Romans 12:7, is Diakonia. The basic meaning of this word is “to wait tables,” but it is most often translated in the Bible as “ministry.” It refers to any act of service done in genuine love for the edification of the community. The word Antilepsis is translated "helping" and is found in 1 Corinthians 12:28.  It has a similar meaning: to help or aid in love within the community” (http://www.spiritualgiftstest.com/spiritual-gift-of-serving-and-ministering).

So the spiritual gift of serving is broad and far reaching. How is God calling you to serve him and others? Do you have the spiritual gift of “serving”?

In our reading from the Apostle Paul’s second letter to Timothy from this morning, the Apostle Paul tells Timothy “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work (2 Tim. 3:16-17, NRSV). The Apostle Paul is telling his young friend Timothy that the Bible is God’s inspired word, and that in it we find everything we need to live a Godly and a Christian life. Part of this, is understanding the spiritual gift of “serving,” and helping us to understand how God has called us according to his purposes.

The Apostle Paul then tells Timothy to preach the truth of Jesus Christ, even if there are many doing the opposite (2 Tim. 4:1-5). He tells Timothy to stay faithful, truthful, and grounded in the gospel of Jesus Christ. While much of this scripture is about belief, doctrine, and how the Apostle Paul is instructing Timothy to teach, the spiritual gift of “serving” connects here. For we are called to live out our faith, and to show our faith in part, in “serving” others.

 In our gospel of Luke reading for this morning, we have a fascinating parable or story told to us by Jesus. This story begins in the gospel by saying: “Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray and not to lose heart” (Lk. 18:1, NRSV). Now admittedly, this is a parable about persistence and justice, more than it is about service, but I am preaching this morning on the spiritual gift of “serving”. Given this, I will try to make some connections to the spiritual gift of “serving” with this morning’s gospel reading.

So let me tell you again quick this parable that Jesus tells us this morning. Jesus said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Grant me justice against my opponent’ (Lk. 18:2-3, NRSV).

The gospel then says: “For awhile he refused; but later he said to himself, ‘Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming’ (Lk. 18:4-5, NRSV).

The gospel then says: “And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust says. And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (Lk. 18:6-8, NRSV).

So this is definitely a parable or a story about persistence and about justice. This isn’t really then a parable about the spiritual gift of “serving,” but the parallel that I will draw here to the spiritual gift of “serving” is a good one. The parallel I want to draw is this, sometimes in our lives we are called to serve and love people that are grumpy, who don’t love God, and don’t seem to love other people. Yet when we serve and love others over and over, God can change them. The love of Christ that we have, and that we show others through the spiritual gift of “serving” can sometimes change a person with the hardest of hearts, to a loving heart of flesh.

I think that the judge in this parable or story might have just felt constantly pestered by the widow, but I also think that if we love and serve others, that God does and can use us to break down barriers of anger, frustration, disbelief, and bitterness. So my sisters and brothers, we are all called to “serve” God in our own ways. Do you have the spiritual gift of “serving”?

In bringing this service to a close, I want to give an example of a special way that one can have the spiritual gift of “serving”. This example is taken from a story that has been made into a book, and now a movie called “Hacksaw Ridge”. This movie will be opening in theaters on Friday November 4^th, and Melissa and I are very excited to see this movie.

So you might be asking what is this movie about, and how does this movie connect to the spiritual gift of “serving”?

Well here is how, as this is the plot for the upcoming movie called “Hacksaw Ridge”: “The film is based on the true story about US Army medic Desmond T. Doss, a Seventh-day Adventist conscientious objector who refused to bear arms, yet was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Harry S. Truman for single-handedly saving the lives of over 75 of his comrades while under constant enemy fire during the Battle of Okinawa in World War II.”

While many in World War II were called to fight, Desmond T. Doss went into combat with no gun, and his objective was save his injured brothers. Not only did he achieve this objective, but he saved over 75 of his brothers, and is now a decorated American hero. Desmond T. Doss felt called by God to “serve,” not to fight.

Now if this isn’t the spiritual gift of “serving”, I don’t what is. A man called by God to risk his life, in order to serve others. My friends, the spiritual gift of “serving” is an amazing and a wonderful gift. How has God called you serve him and others? Do you have the spiritual gift of “serving”?

I pray that this day, this week, and always, that we might continue to live the love of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and that we might accomplish this in part by “serving” others. In Jesus name, Amen. 

Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC's - Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost - 10/09/16 Sermon - “Prophecy" "Spiritual Gifts" Series (Part 6 of 7)

Sunday 10/09/16 Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC’s

Sermon Title: “Prophecy” (“Spiritual Gifts” Series – Part 6 of 7)

                            

Old Testament Scripture: Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7

                                            

New Testament Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:8-15

Gospel Lesson: Luke 17:11-19

          My friends, my sisters and brothers, welcome again on this Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost. Twenty one Sundays after the Holy Spirit moved so long ago on the day of Pentecost and the Christian Church was born.

          This morning, I am continuing my preaching series on spiritual gifts. While the Bible lists as many as twenty-five spiritual gifts, based on your own reading of scripture, our spiritual gifts survey lists sixteen spiritual gifts. While there are many spiritual gifts, I have been preaching about the seven spiritual gifts that Apostle Paul presents in Romans 12:6-8.

In the first five weeks of this preaching series, I have discussed the spiritual gifts of “giving” or generosity,” of “mercy,” of “exhortation” or “encouragement,” of “teaching,” and of “leadership”.

This morning I am going to discuss a hard, challenging, and perhaps even mysterious spiritual gift, the gift of prophecy. The spiritual gift of prophecy is an amazing, scary, and I believe sometimes manipulated spiritual gift.

In defining the spiritual gift of prophecy, one definition of a “prophet” is this: “In the New Testament, the office of prophet is to equip the saints for the work of service through exhortation, edification, and consolation (1 Corinthians 12:28; 1 Corinthians 14:3 Ephesians 4:11). The prophet's corresponding gift is prophecy. Prophecy is "reporting something that God spontaneously brings to your mind". Many, particularly Pentecostals and charismatics, distinguish between the "office of prophet" and the "gift of prophecy", believing that a Christian can possess the gift of prophecy without holding the prophetic office^” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiritual_gift).

                So according to this definition of prophecy, some are uniquely called “to equip the saints for the work of service through exhortation, edification, and consolation” (1 Corinthians 12:28; 1 Corinthians 14:3 Ephesians 4:11). This is the work of an actual prophet. Yet the spiritual gift of prophecy itself is often seen as one who “is "reporting something that God spontaneously brings to your mind".

Many of us have heard the old statement, “The Devil made me do it,” or “The Devil is in the details”. Well does God ever tell us something, that we are in fact supposed to share with others? If such a thing is truly of God, then it can be the gift or prophecy.

I have to admit when I first hear such things from people sometimes, I can get a little defensive, in that I worry if the person who is “speaking for God,” is in fact “speaking for God”. Or is there message from themselves only.

We certainly have many examples of people who clearly did not have the spiritual gift of prophecy, and as a result have caused great harm. An example of this is Jim Jones, who had the famous Jonestown forced mass suicide at Jonestown in Guyana South America in 1978. Jim Jones lead this group of people both in the United States and then in Guyana South America. In doing so, Jim Jones claimed that he was receiving special revelation, messages, and knowledge from God. More specifically, that God was talking to him directly, and that the things he said were not only true, but were true even if they conflicted with the Bible.

We have had pastors throughout history that have claimed to be the second coming of Jesus Christ, or to possess special powers that only God has. I remember watching Benny Hinn when I was child touch people on the head and heal them, only to find out later that most of these people were told what to do and how to do it ahead of time. We have seen pastors who time and again have claimed to know the year and the day that Jesus Christ will return to this earth, and such years and days come to pass, without the Lord returning. So is the spiritual gift of prophecy not a true gift? Do people not have this gift?

I believe that the gift of prophecy is a true gift, but I also believe that God will not tell us anything that is in direct contradiction to the Bible. I believe that God can speak to someone sometimes to warn them, to inform them, or to do other things.

Where I get off of this wagon though, is when a pastor or a person tells me that have special powers, authority, and or abilities that not in the Bible, or that only belong to God. If a person where to tell me that they were the second coming of Jesus Christ, I would ask them to show me scripturally how this is true. If they were to then tell me that God is speaking to them in a way that supersedes or cancels out scripture, then I would believe them to be in error. For if the Bible is God’s revealed truth and word to us, then how can anyone speaking for God differ from the truth of God?

Let me give you another set of definitions of prophecy from the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, under the definition of prophecy. Here is what it says prophecy is:

1. An inspired utterance of a prophet.

2:  The function or vocation of a prophet; specifically: the inspired declaration of divine will and purpose.

3:  A prediction of something to come.

          So being a prophet is speaking for God, and having the gift of prophecy is telling people what God said or showed you. So does God speak to us? Does God speak to you? Does God ever give us a message for us only, for others, or for the church? I believe that God does in fact do this, but which ones are real, and which ones are made up. This can be the hard thing about the gift of prophecy.

          For those who have the spiritual gift of prophecy sometimes God can speak to those people in dreams, visions, in giving them a sense of direction or calling, or in some measure of awareness regarding current events closely related to the individual (http://www.theopedia.com/gift-of-prophecy). Has God ever spoken to you in a dream, a vision, called you to do something, or given you a heightened sense of spiritual awareness?

          As I said, I believe in the spiritual gift of prophecy, but there certainly have been and continue to be men and women who claim to have this gift, and they pretty clearly to me don’t. These men and women who have chosen to lie, deceive, and slander, claiming to have the gift prophecy to gain power, prestige, and money. If you a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ for example, and you amass millions of dollars, live in mansion like a king, while the poor suffer all around, you had better believe that I will challenge that you in fact do not have the spiritual gift of prophecy. True prophets, true people that speak prophetically do not do it do to manipulate people, to get wealthy, or only for themselves. Such things are not of God.

Due to all of this, I don’t think that we should reject people having the spiritual gift of prophecy, I just believe that we measure what someone is saying with Biblical truth, and what their intended outcome is.

          So if a pastor or any religious leader claims to have power, authority, and gifts that are not biblical, that make claims that they have power that only God can have, then run away from them, and fast. It is possible for God to speak to us though, but we just need to measure this with what the Bible says.

          Within the Bible itself, we have many examples of prophets and the spiritual gifts of prophecy. In the Old Testament or Hebrew Bible, prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel talked to God, had dreams, or visions, or other experiences, where God told them what to say, or what to do. The spiritual gift of prophecy is a real gift, but we just have to make sure that this is a gift from God and not just us doing what we want to do.

          Perhaps the greatest book in the Bible that is filled with prophecy is the Book of Revelation. The Book or Revelation was written by the Apostle John while imprisoned on the Island of Patmos. The Roman authorities intentionally put the Apostle John on this uninhabited island, so that he couldn’t preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to anyone. The Apostle John apparently was quite an effective preacher. While there on the Island of Patmos, John received the vision that we now call the Book or Revelation. This book of scripture is about the second coming of Jesus Christ. This book is about Jesus’ returning, a new heaven, a new earth, and the end of days.

          Prophecy therefore, is all throughout the Bible, and we have a strong tradition in Jewish history and Christian history of prophets and the gift of prophecy. Remember though what Jesus said Matthew 7:15, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves” (Mt. 7:15, NRSV). Prophets of God and the spiritual gift of prophecy are real, but beware of the wolves in sheep’s clothing (Mt. 7:15, NRSV). Do you have the spiritual gift of prophecy? If so, what is God telling you, or what has God already told you?

          In our reading from the prophet Jeremiah from this morning, Jeremiah is speaking what he claims that the living God told him. The prophet Jeremiah claims to have the spiritual gift or prophecy. In this reading, Jeremiah is speaking to the people of Israel who are living in Babylonian exile. Here is what Jeremiah says to the people of Israel that God told him to say: “Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease” (Jer. 29:4-7, NRSV).

          Jeremiah then concludes this reading by saying, “But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare” (Jer. 29:7, NRSV).

          In this reading from Jeremiah, Jeremiah, the prophet, is telling the people of Israel who are in exile in Babylon that God told him to tell them the things that I just told you, so that they could survive while in exile. Do you believe in the spiritual gift of prophecy? Do you have this spiritual gift?

          In the reading this morning from the Apostle Paul’s second epistle or letter to Timothy, he first connects the Old Testament with the New Testament. He says to Timothy, “Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendent of David—that is my gospel, for which I suffer hardship, even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But the word of God is not chained” (2 Tim. 2:9a, NRSV). The Apostle Paul is saying that prophets in the Old Testament or the Hebrew Bible in part prophesized about the coming of Jesus Christ, prophesized that he would be a decedent of the mighty King David, and that Jesus was resurrected from the dead.

          The Apostle Paul then repeats some of the same prophetic words similar to that which Jesus spoke: “The saying is sure: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he will also deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself” (2 Tim. 11-13, NRSV). The Apostle Paul is telling Timothy here that he believes the prophetic words of Jesus Christ to be true. That he believes that Christ is the savior, and that we are saved through our faith in him.

          In the gospel lesson form the gospel of Luke from this morning, Jesus heals ten people with the painful and debilitating condition of leprosy. As Jesus was traveling to Jerusalem, we went through the region between Samaria and Galilee, and during this journey, these ten lepers yelled to Jesus, “Jesus, Mater, have mercy on us!” (Lk. 17:11-13, NRSV).

          Jesus instead of healing them himself directly tells them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests”. And as they went, they were made clean” (Lk. 17:14, NRSV). Now they were all excited that they were healed, but one man came back to thank Jesus. While Jesus didn’t make a prophecy here directly, he told these ten sick people where to go, and they listened. He knew they would be healed through his power, and they were. They had to trust that he was speaking for God when he sent them to the priests. This is in general how it works when prophets speak prophesies. It is a little different with Jesus though, as he was God in the flesh, but everything he predicted has or will come true.

As I said in this gospel reading, one of the ten cleansed lepers came back to Jesus. At this point in the gospel reading from Luke, Jesus seems pleased that one of now cleansed leper return to him, and Jesus said to him, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well” (Lk. 17:15-19).

          So do you have the spiritual gift of prophecy? This spiritual gift is all throughout the Bible, as seen with the many prophets in the Old Testament or Hebrew Bible, and in the New Testament with Books like the Book of Revelation. Jesus himself also made predictions, as others did to. This gift of being a prophet or the spiritual gift of prophecy is real, but we just need to be cautious in determining who in fact really has this gift, and who is wolf in sheep’s clothing (Mt. 7:15, NRSV). Do you have the spiritual gift of prophecy?

          Today, this week, and always, may we be aware of the prophecies that people are making, their claims to predict the future, their claims to be speaking for God, and let us through the Bible, our faith, our reason, and our experience, determine if those people truly have the spiritual gift of prophecy.

          Next week, this series will end with the spiritual gift of “serving”. Until then, may listen for the voice of God, and if we hear God talking to us, may we use first the Bible, and then faith, reason, and experience to determine if we are truly hearing God’s voice, or if we are hearing a different voice. In Christ’s name, Amen.