Freeville/Homer Ave. UMC's - "One Great Hour of Sharing"/Fourth Sunday in Lent - 03/30/14 Sermon - “I was blind, now I see"

Sunday 03/30/14 Freeville/Homer Ave UMC’s

Sermon Title: “I was blind, now I see”

Old Testament Scripture Lesson: Psalm 23

                                            

New Testament Scripture Lesson: Ephesians 5:8-14

Gospel Lesson: John 9:1-41

                            

          Brothers and sisters, welcome again on this Sunday, which is both our “One Great Hour of Sharing” Sunday, and the Fourth Sunday of this Holy Lenten Season.

          We celebrate this “One Great Hour of Sharing” Sunday, and as a part of our tithes and offering collection today. During our tithes and offerings, I invite all of you to make a special offering in addition to your normal offering, for this cause, by designating on your check or some other means that your gift is for the “One Great Hour of Sharing.” In doing this, you will be giving to help fund the United Methodist Committee on Relief or “UMCOR’s” operating expenses. This offering then, is to help UMCOR to pay its bills, to then do all of the work that it does to help suffering people in this country and all around the world. To help people who are in darkness, to see, to see light.

In addition to this, in this Lenten Season we are invited to continue to examine our hearts, our minds, and our souls, as we prepare for the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Lord. In this season, while we can give up something, let us also seek to root out of ourselves all that separates us from God, and all that keeps us from being more holy. Let us also seek to give the love and kindness of Jesus Christ away in this Lenten Season, as he loves us so much, that he is coming soon to die, so that we may live.

In one way of putting it, in this season of Lent let us seek to remove our “blinders.” You see when we have on “blinders” we can hear, we can feel, but we cannot see. Some people, and some people that we might even know are blind. Some people are blind from birth, but others become blind at some point during their lives. Others are blind in their souls. For they are draped in darkness, and the light never shines in their hearts.

In this way, there are people right here in our own community that cannot see. Perhaps they have a guide dog, or a walking cane, so that they can navigate around there homes and the city. For they are blind and without sight. Some people we know are also blind inside, in their souls, they are hurting, they are in darkness, and they need to see light.

I remember when I was attending the State University of New York or SUNY Potsdam, that there was a student there my first year, who was completely blind. I don’t remember her name, but she was completely blind from birth, and was pursuing her bachelor’s degree. She had special accommodations, she had books in braille, books on audio-tape, and people that were hired to help her be able to do her class work. She even had a machine that had braille keys, so that she could type all of her papers.

One Saturday afternoon, she was asked to speak in a meeting area of our dormitory about her experiences as a student and as a person, who was born blind. I remember that she said, that when she would exit the dormitory in the morning, that she would approach another student and ask them what class building that they were heading to. If that person was headed to the building that she needed to go to, she would then ask if she could clasp onto that person and be led to the class building that she needed to go to. You see, like our faith in Jesus, she could in a matter of speaking now see, through the person leading her. We can also see, when Jesus leads us.

This student was a top performing student, and graduated from the college, I believe with high honors. You see while she could not see with her eyes, she was able to see in other ways. She was able to have vision in ways other than her eyes. She taught me that there are many types of blindness, and only one type is in our eyes.

With this in mind, the message I am giving this morning is called “I was blind, now I see.” For in our gospel reading from this morning, Jesus heals a man who had been blind from birth. While some people have physical blindness, there are many that also have spiritual blindness.

In this way, Jesus calls to us this morning, and he tells us that if we put our faith and trust in him, that he will restore us. That a fountain of living water will well up within us, and we will be given sight and light from within.

In the Old Testament reading from this morning, from Psalm 23, it says, that “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.” The Psalm then continues, “He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul.” With Jesus, and the power of the Holy Spirit, our souls are restored, and our spirits are awakened. This classic Psalm, also reminds us of the great love and faithfulness of God.

The Apostle Paul in his Epistle or letter to the church in Ephesus or the Ephesians from this morning, spoke of spiritual blindness. For the man in today’s gospel reading was physically blind, but he was also spiritually blind, as well. In this reading though, the Apostle Paul said, “For once you were in darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of the light.” You see brothers and sisters, to be blind, is to be in darkness. For how can we see if we are in darkness?

The Apostle Paul continues on saying, “for the fruit of the Light is found in all that is good and right and true.” Given this, are we blind in anyway here this morning? Are we blinded or in darkness in our own ways, or are we living and seeing the light?

The Apostle Paul then tells us to “Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord.” He then says, “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.” The Apostle goes on further, that “everything exposed by the light becomes visible.”

In our gospel reading, from the gospel of John from this morning, we begin with Jesus walking along. The gospel says that, “As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth.” The gospel then says that, “His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Then “Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed to him.” Jesus then said, “We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work.” The Jesus said, “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

After saying this, Jesus “spat on the ground and made mud with the salvia and spread the mud on the man’s eyes, saying to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent).” The gospel then tells us, that this man did this, “and came back able to see.”

The people that knew this man for years or his whole life were confused and amazed that he could see. Some wondered if it wasn’t him, but just someone who looked like him. Once the people were convinced that was indeed the man who had been blind from birth, they then wanted to know how it was that he could now see. He told them, “The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.” He told the people, that he then came back being able to see.

The people still suspicious and perplexed by all of this, took this man before the Jewish Pharisees or priests. The Pharisees questioned the man on what happened. The formerly blind man then told the Pharisees that Jesus the “prophet” did this. The Pharisees not believing that this man was truly blind from birth and could now see, then called the man’s parents before them. The parents told the Pharisees that they did not know how this happened but that it did happen. They then encouraged the Pharisees to further question there son alone as they said, “he is of age.”

The Pharisees then recalled the formerly blind man saying, speaking of Jesus, “We know that this man is a sinner,” and because of this, they wanted the now seeing man to explain to them, how it was that Jesus made him see. The now seeing man then said this, “I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” They then wanted to know again how Jesus made him see. The now seeing man then said, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples?” The Pharisees then answered him, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses.” The now seeing man then said of Jesus, “If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” Angered, the Pharisees then drove the now seeing many out of the synagogue.

Jesus shortly after heard about this whole story with the now seeing man and the Pharisees, and he then found the now seeing man and said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” The man then asked who that is. Jesus then tells him, that he himself is the Son of Man. The now seeing man then said, “Lord, I believe.” He then worshipped Jesus. Jesus then said, “I came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see may see, and those do see may become blind.”   

Some of the Pharisees that were listening nearby then said to Jesus, “Surely we are not blind, are we?” Then “Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would not sin. But now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.”

          You see brothers and sisters, in this season of Holy Lent, Jesus offers us sight. The sight he offers us though, is the sight of our souls. For if Jesus had made the man from birth physically see, and if that man still did not believe in Jesus, then he was still blind. For while we can see or not see physically, we all can be made to see spiritually.

          In this way, in this season of Lent, Jesus asks us to receive his love, and to receive the spirit of God, so that we can say, “I was blind, now I see.”

I would like to close this message this morning with a poem called, “If Jesus came to your House.” Here is how it goes: “If Jesus came to your house, to spend some time with you, if He came unexpected, I wonder what you’d do. Oh, I know you’d give your nicest room, to such an honored guest, and all the food you’d give to Him, would be the very best. And you would keep assuring Him, you’re glad to have Him there– That serving Him in your home, is joy beyond compare. But when you saw Him coming, would you meet Him at the door, with arms outstretched in welcome, to your heavenly visitor? Or would you have to change your clothes before you let Him in, or hide some magazines, and put the Bible where they’d been, would you hide your worldly music, and put some hymn books out? Could you let Jesus walk right in, or would you rush about? And I wonder – if the Savior spent a day or two with you, would you go right on doing, the things you always do? Would you go right on saying, the things you always say? Or would life for you continue as it does from day to day? Would you take Jesus with you everywhere you go? Or would you maybe change your
plans for just a day or so? Would you be glad to have Him meet your closest friends? Or would you hope they stay away, until His visit ends? Would you be glad to have Him stay forever on and on? Or would you sigh with great
relief when He at last was gone? It might be interesting to know, the things that you would do, If Jesus came in person, to spend some time with you.

You see my brothers and sisters, at the core our faith, and at the core of this Lenten Season, Jesus asks us in love, can I come in to your heart and your soul? He says, I love you so much, that I am going to die for you. Will you let me? When you do, he will give you great light, and you will then see from the inside to the outside. Sometimes we can’t always articulate what Jesus has done for us. Sometime all we are able to say is all I know is, “I was blind, now I see.” Amen.

Freeville/Homer Ave. UMC's - Third Sunday in Lent - 03/23/14 Sermon - “Jesus offers us living water"

Sunday 03/23/14 Freeville/Homer Ave UMC’s

Sermon Title: “Jesus offers us living water”

Old Testament Scripture Lesson: Psalm 95

                                            

New Testament Scripture Lesson: Romans 5:1-11

Gospel Lesson: John 4:5-42

                          

          Brothers and sisters, welcome on this the Third Sunday in this season of Holy Lent. This is the season where we prepare our hearts, our minds, and our bodies, for the death and the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In this season, we a challenged to root out of ourselves all that keeps us from God, and all that keeps us from being more holy. In this season, Jesus calls us to draw closer to his love, and to give his love away to others.

          In this way, in this brief sermon that I will give this morning, I will discuss how “Jesus offers us living water.”

          In first looking at the Old Testament reading from Psalm 95 from this morning, the Psalmist begins the Psalm by writing, “O Come, let us sing to the LORD, let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!” The Psalmist then says, “Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!” For brothers and sisters, God is good, and Jesus Christ, the Lord of life, “offers us living water” in the form of salvation and eternal life through him. The Psalmist goes on to say in Psalm 95, “O that today you would listen to his voice! Do not harden your hearts.” If we are open to the saving grace of God, of Jesus Christ, then we will receive “living water.”

          In the Apostle Paul’s letter to the church in Rome, or Romans from this morning, the Apostle Paul begins by saying in 5:1-2, “Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God.” “Jesus offers us living water.” The Apostle Paul tells us further that in our sufferings, that they produce “endurance,” and that “endurance produces character,” and that “character produces hope,” and that “hope does not disappoint us.”

          The Apostle Paul then says in 5:8, “But God proves his loves for us in that while we still sinners Christ died for us.” The Apostle Paul then concludes this piece of his letter to the church in Rome, by telling the church, “we even boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” “Jesus offers us living water.”

          In our rather lengthy gospel reading from the gospel of John for this morning, Jesus comes to a city in Samaria called “Sychar.” Once in the city of Sychar, the gospel tells us that Jesus was sitting by the well around the time of 12:00 pm noon, when a Samaritan woman came to draw water. Jesus asked this woman to give him a drink of water.  The gospel then says that the Samaritan woman said to Jesus, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?” The gospel then says, “Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”

          This woman taking Jesus literally, then asks Jesus how to obtain this “living water” that he spoke of. Jesus then tells the woman that everyone who drinks of this water from the well, from this well of Jacob, will be thirsty again. Jesus then says but, “The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” The Samaritan woman, then asked Jesus for some of this water.

          Jesus already knowing all that there was to know about the Samaritan woman asked her to get her husband and return to him. The Samaritan woman said, “I have no husband.” Jesus then agrees with her and says, “for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband.”

          Completely awestruck, the Samaritan woman said to Jesus, “Sir, I see that you are a prophet,” and Jesus then tells the Samaritan woman that, “the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship in spirit and truth.” Jesus then tells the Samaritan woman that he is the Messiah, the Savior.

          Many Samaritans in the city called Sychar came to believe because of the Samaritan woman’s testimony, as she said of Jesus, “He told me everything I have ever done.” Many of the people even said in the Samaritan city of Sychar that Jesus was “truly the savior of the word.”

          You see my brothers and sisters, like the Samaritan woman at the well, Jesus came and still comes to all manner of people to “offer us living water.” Whether these people are the most outcast and rejected people, or whether they be high and mighty, Jesus comes to us all equally.

          Our guest speaker today, Missionary and Campus Minister Kathleen Youngs, ministers to all manner of people. She preaches to all people that she meets that “Jesus offers us living water.” Let us now greet and hear from Sister Kathleen. Amen.

Freeville/Homer Ave. UMC's - Second Sunday in Lent - 03/16/14 Sermon - “Have you been spiritually re-born"

Sunday 03/16/14 Freeville/Homer Ave UMC’s

Sermon Title: “Have you been spiritually re-born?”

Old Testament Scripture Lesson: Psalm 121

                                            

New Testament Scripture Lesson: Romans 4:1-5, 13-17

Gospel Lesson: John 3:1-17

                             

          Brothers and sisters, welcome on this the Second Sunday in this season of Holy Lent. This is the season where we prepare for the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In this season we are challenged by God to prepare our hearts, our minds, and even our bodies, for the death and the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In this season of 40-days of reflection, we are challenged to look at ourselves, to look at our lives, to see where we are broken inside, and to see where we are sinful. We are challenged to see what we can give up for Lent to grow closer to God, but we are also challenged to see what we can give away to show our love for God and for others.

          So in this season of Lent, let us seek to ask God to root out of us all that is impure, all that is sinful, and all that separates us from him. Let us seek in this season of Lent to be more like Jesus Christ, to repent of all the sins that we have, and let us then seek as I said, to give away some of the love that God has so freely given us.

          You see at the very core of this season of Lent is love, sacrifice, and resurrection. Jesus Christ loves us so much that he is coming to die for us, and he will be resurrected on the third day proving he is indeed the Messiah, the Savior, the Living God.

          Since on Easter morning Jesus Christ will be resurrected and restored to life, let us seek to be restored to life in this season of Lent, as well. In this way, the title of message this morning is called, “Have you been spiritually re-born?”

          When we come to know Jesus Christ, and we receive the Holy Spirit, we go through a process of spiritual “re-birth.” Some people as a result of this, refer to themselves as “Born Again Christians.” For many of these mostly Protestant and Evangelical Christians they can likely tell you the day and the year that came to know the Lord. They will tell you how they were forgiven, and how Jesus washed them as clean as snow. Being spiritually “re-born” then is what Jesus talks to us about in today’s gospel reading.

          Before getting into our gospel reading however, I will first discuss the other scriptures that we had for this morning. Our first scripture is one of my favorite Psalms, Psalm 121. In this Psalm, the writer or the Psalmist begins by saying, “I lift my eyes to the hills—from where will my help come?” When we go through a process of spiritual “re-birth,” we are often at the point of conversion, very broken inside. Sometimes at the very point that we actually accept the Lord, we are trembling before God, we feel lost, and perhaps as the Psalm says, were lifting our “eyes to the hills” in hope. The next verse of this Psalm then says, “My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.”

          Spiritual “re-birth” in the Lord. The process of dying to the old self and being raised up to new life in Jesus Christ. This Psalm then continues to talk about how God is faithful. That God “will not let your foot be moved,” that “The LORD is your keeper,” that the “LORD will keep you from all evil.”

          In the New Testament reading from the Apostle Paul’s Epistle or Letter to the Church in Rome, the Apostle Paul asks the church in Rome, or the Romans, “What then are we to say was gained by Abraham, our ancestor according to the flesh?” The Apostle Paul asks this question, because he is trying to ask the church in Rome, did Abraham gain favor and righteousness from God by just doing good works? The Apostle Paul goes to say that we are not re-born and made righteous by works alone, but by faith in God. In fact, the Apostle Paul goes on to say, “one who works, wages are not reckoned as a gift but as something due.” Then the Apostle Paul says, “But to one who without works trusts him who justifies the ungodly, such faith is reckoned as righteousness.” So while doing good works is a good thing, and while they can be a way for God to bless us and grow us, true salvation and true “re-birth” occurs only by faith in Jesus Christ. In this way, the Apostle Paul then says that God’s promise that Abraham and his decedents would inherit the world came to them through the “righteousness of faith,” not works.

          Good works then, loving actions, are things that we should do, things that can bring us blessing from God, but real transformation, real “re-birth” occurs through faith in Jesus Christ. For if we do a million nice things for others, but have no real faith, and have no love, then we have nothing, and we are bankrupt.

          More specifically in this case, the Apostle Paul is saying that if we follow the Old Law of the Ten Commandments, and if we follow all of the Laws of the Old Testament or the Hebrew Bible perfectly, that this will not be enough to save us, as we need true faith and “re-birth.” In this way, we are not spiritual “re-born” by being perfect, but rather by having faith in Jesus Christ.

          The Apostle Paul therefore says to the Romans in reference to Abraham and his decedents, which is all people by the way, that to be spiritually re-born, to gain salvation that “it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all” of Abraham’s decedents”. So we are “re-born” and we gain new-life not through works, but rather through faith.

          In our gospel reading from the gospel of John from this morning, a Jewish Pharisee named Nicodemus had come to believe in Jesus. In fact, the gospel says that Nicodemus “came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” Then Jesus answered to Nicodemus and said, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.”

          After saying this, Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” Then Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is Spirit.”

          Jesus then said, “Do not be astonished that I said to you, “You must be born from above”. Jesus then goes on to tell Nicodemus that everyone must be “born in the Spirit.” Nicodemus then seems confused of how this can truly be the way to heaven, and how this can happen. Jesus then tells Nicodemus that until he has put his faith in him, and until he receives the Holy Spirit, that Nicodemus will not understand fully what he is really saying.

          Jesus then tells Nicodemus that “No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.”  Then Jesus said, that “whoever believes in him may have eternal life.”

          Then the next line that Christ spoke in John 3:16 is one that for many of us is timeless, when Jesus said, “For God so loved the world that he have his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” So as the Lord of life said, if we believe in him, we will “not perish buy may eternal life.”

          Now I would ask you to listen very carefully to how Jesus then ends this gospel reading in John 3:17. Jesus said, “Indeed, God did not the send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saves through him.” You see brothers and sisters, Jesus came to bring us life, not death. Jesus came to bring us hope, not sorrow, joy not pain, laughter not crying. Have we here been spiritually “re-born” in Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit?

Brothers and sisters I would like to close this morning’s message with a story by an unknown author called, “Have You Tasted My Jesus?” Here is how it goes: “At the University of Chicago Divinity School each year they have what is called “Baptist Day.” It is a day when all the Baptists in the area are invited to the school because they want the Baptist dollars to keep coming in.”

“On this day each one is to bring a lunch to be eaten outdoors in a grassy picnic area. Every “Baptist Day” the school would invite one of the greatest minds to lecture in the theological education center.”

“One year they invited Dr. Paul Tillich. Dr. Tillich spoke for 2 ½ hours proving that the resurrection of Jesus was false. He quoted scholar after scholar and book after book. He concluded that since there was no such thing as the historical resurrection the religious tradition of the church was groundless, emotional mumbo-jumbo, because it was based on a relationship with a risen Jesus, who in fact, never rose from the dead in any literal sense. He then asked if there were any questions.”

“After about 30 seconds, an old, dark skinned preacher with a head of short-cropped, woolly white hair stood up in the back of the auditorium.”

“Docta Tillich, I got one question, he said as all eyes turned toward him. He reached into his sack lunch and pulled out an apple and began eating it.”

“Docta Tillich (CRUNCH, MUNCH), My question is a simple question (CRUNCH, MUNCH). Now, I ain’t never read them books you read (CRUNCH, MUNCH) and I can’t recite the Scriptures in the original Greek (CRUNCH, MUNCH). I don’t know nothin’ about Niebuhr and Heidegger (CRUNCH, MUNCH)…” He finished the apple. “All I wanna know is: This apple I just ate, was it bitter or sweet?”

“Dr. Tillich paused for a moment and answered in exemplary scholarly fashion: I cannot possibly answer that question, for I haven’t tasted your apple.”

“The white-haired preacher dropped the core of his apple into his crumpled paper bag, looked up at Dr. Tillich and said calmly, “Neither have you tasted my Jesus.” “The 1000 plus in attendance could not contain themselves. The auditorium erupted with applause and cheers. Dr. Tillich thanked his audience and promptly left the platform.”

          Brothers and sisters, while there are many facets to the Christian faith, such as baptism and communion, Jesus teaches us that if we want to see heaven, all we must do, is put our faith and trust in him. For the path of salvation is the path of “re-birth,” where we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and we receive the Holy Spirit. While good works are things that we should do, as Jesus told Nicodemus in today’s gospel reading, until we are “re-born” and made new, we will not know eternity with Jesus Christ. Have you been spiritually “re-born?” Have you tasted my Jesus? Amen.

Freeville/Homer Ave. UMC's - First Sunday in Lent/Girl Scout Sunday - 03/09/14 Sermon - “Let Jesus deal with the Devil"

Sunday 03/09/14 Freeville/Homer Ave UMC’s

Sermon Title: “Let Jesus deal with the Devil”

Old Testament Scripture Lesson: Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7

                                            

New Testament Scripture Lesson: Romans 5:12-19

Gospel Lesson: Mathew 4:1-11

                            

          Brothers and sisters, welcome on this First Sunday in Lent, and also this Girl Scout Sunday. On this Sunday we continue moving forward through this season of Holy Lent, and on this day we also honor all those women past and present that have been in or involved with Girl Scouting.

          This morning though, I want to talk a little bit about evil. In fact, has anyone here ever been in the presence of evil? Have you ever been in one of those situations where the hair on the back of your neck stood up, and you just knew that evil was all around you? Perhaps you have met a person or seen something where you just saw pure evil?

          In such an instance though, what do we do about this evil? Do we run and hide? Do we fight the evil? Do we think that we can defeat pure evil all by ourselves?

          For some of us, we might have had a time in our lives where we feel like that we took on pure evil, and that maybe we won a couple of battles against this evil. Often for many of us though, we find that evil can overtake us. That despite our best efforts, that we just cannot defeat evil on our own. If this is true then, do we have a way of defeating evil?

          What I would say to you this morning, is that the one thing that can defeat darkness, the one thing that can defeat evil, the one thing that can put the devil in his place, is Jesus Christ. So with this said, I will be talking about this morning how we should “Let Jesus deal with the Devil,” as we should not seek to take on evil or the devil all by ourselves. For we are only flesh and blood, but Jesus is the living God, who has overcome all evil.

          In our scripture readings and our gospel readings for this morning, we see various examples of evil. For example, in our reading from the book of Genesis from this morning, it talks about how “The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it”. God then tells Adam or “man” as it is translated from the Hebrew, that he can “freely eat of every tree of the garden,” except for the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil”.

          Yet pure evil, the devil himself, who came in the form of a “serpent” or a “snake,” said to Adam’s wife Eve, “Did God say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree in the garden’?” Then Eve said, “We may eat of the fruit of trees in the garden; but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor touch it, or you shall die.’ When Eve said this though, the crafty and evil “serpent,” the devil said, “You will not die; for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing of good and evil”. Instead of calling upon God though, and instead of asking God to defend her from the evil one, Eve took the fruit and ate. After all, the fruit looked tasty, and Eve thought that it would make her wise. The scripture says that speaking of the fruit, “she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.”

          God of course figured out in no time, that both Adam and Eve had taken on the devil, the “serpent” all on their own, and as a result, the devil overcame them. You see brothers and sisters, even from the very beginning, if the devil came after any human, we did not possess the power to defeat this pure evil all by ourselves. When evil and the devil comes after us, we must “Let Jesus deal with the Devil”.

          For as much as we would like to think that we can outwit, outfox, or overcome the devil, we cannot. The devil is more powerful than any of us, and in order to defeat evil and to be protected from evil, we need Jesus, the only one who has ever fully overcome the devil.

          This fall of humankind that started so long ago with Adam and Eve occurred, because we did not “Let God deal with the Devil”. You see whenever we take on pure evil we cannot defeat it on our own, and as a result, we need Jesus Christ.

          In the times in my life that I have felt the presence of pure evil, sometimes I wanted to fight back, or even think that I could outwit or outdo the devil. Yet, when I called upon Jesus Christ, then and only then did I have the power and the authority to cast out evil, doubt, and darkness.

          In the Apostle Paul’s Epistle or letter to the Romans reading from this morning, Paul talked about how “sin came into the world through one man, and death came through sin, and so death spread to all because all have sinned”. The Apostle Paul here is speaking of the original sin of Adam, then Paul said, “Yet death exercised dominion from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sins were not like the transgression of Adam, who is a type of the one who was to come”.

          You see the Apostle Paul is saying here, that sin and giving into evil began with Adam and Eve, but it has pervaded us since that time. That all of the prophets, even the mighty Moses himself, had sin. You see instead of being able to defeat evil and defeat darkness on our own, the prophets of old could not fully overcome sin evil on their own.

          So we see a cycle here then of sin, of succumbing to evil, going all of the way back to Adam and Eve. Yet the Apostle Paul then says, “But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died through one man’s trespass, much more surely have the grace of God and the free gift in the grace of the one, Jesus Christ, abounded for the many.”

          You see brothers and sisters, when evil tempts us, when the devil is looking at us squarely in the eyes, this is when we call upon Lord Jesus. For Lord Jesus overcame the devil, overcame darkness, and through him all evil is dissolved and pushed back.

          In fact, I remember reading a quote once, from the founder of Lutheran Church, Martin Luther. Luther said about the devil, “The devil is God’s devil,” meaning that the devil and evil is more powerful than us as humans, but not more powerful than Lord Jesus. Lord Jesus in union with God and the Holy Spirit is the ultimate form of love, truth, and power.

          Another good quote that I recently put on my Facebook page from a man named Tom King is, “It is when we are at our darkest hour, when we can see no evidence that God loves us or that he is even there to listen to our prayers, much less answer them...and yet, we still obey. It is then that the devil is reminded that his cause is lost.” 

            So the Apostle Paul reminds us in this Epistle or letter that the “abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness” comes only through Jesus Christ. That through Jesus we will have constant forgiveness if we repent, and through Jesus we will have the power to overcome the evils of this world.

          Given this, the Apostle is telling us that Adam and Eve’s sin and actions lead to death, but Jesus’s saving grace, death, and resurrection leads to life and is the only thing that can fully overcome the sins and the evils of this world. So brothers and sisters, “Let Jesus deal with the Devil” in your life.

          We have a very interesting gospel reading from the gospel according to Mathew for this morning. In this gospel reading, it says that “Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” Once again brothers and sisters, how many times have we all felt “tempted” by the devil.

          So Jesus is in the wilderness for 40-days and nights of fasting, and as you can imagine after 40-days and nights of fasting, as the gospel reading says, “he was famished”. Then the devil or the “tempter” as he is referred to in this gospel reading came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” Yet Jesus Christ the Lord said, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God”.

          The gospel then says, “Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command his angles concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone”.

          Then Jesus responded to the devil by saying, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test”. So brothers and sisters, “Let Jesus deal with the devil”.

          The gospel goes on to say, “Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me”. Then, “Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only”.

          The gospel reading then concludes by saying that, “Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him”.

I would like to close with a story called “Satan’s Garage Sale,” with author listed as unknown. Here is how the story goes: “Once upon a time, Satan was having a garage sale. There, standing in little groups were all of his bright, shiny trinkets. Here were tools that make it easy to tear others down for use as stepping stones. And over there were some lenses for magnifying one’s own importance, which, if you looked through them the other way, you could also use to belittle others, or even one’s self. Against the wall was the usual assortment of gardening implements guaranteed to help your pride grow by leaps and bounds: the rake of scorn, the shovel of jealousy for digging a pit for your neighbor, the tools of gossip and backbiting, of selfishness and apathy. All of these were pleasing to the eye and came complete with fabulous promises and guarantees of prosperity. Prices, of course, were steep; but not to worry! Free credit was extended to one and all. “Take it home, use it, and you won’t have to pay until later!” old Satan cried, as he hawked his wares.”

“The visitor, as he browsed, noticed two well worn, non-descript tools standing in one corner. Not being nearly as tempting as the other items, he found it curious that these two tools had price tags higher than any other. When he asked why, Satan just laughed and said, “Well, that’s because I use them so much. If they weren’t so plain looking, people might see them for what they were.” Satan pointed to the two tools, saying, “You see, that one’s Doubt and that one’s Discouragement — and those will work when nothing else will.”

Brothers and sisters, we serve a Lord that overcame all evil, all darkness, all sin, and stood toe to toe with the devil himself, and defeated him. Jesus Christ is the only one who has ever overcome the devil, and if we feel that the devil or any form of evil is seeking to attack us, then we must say, “Let Jesus deal with the devil”. For when we feel the presence of evil, then we need to call upon Lord Jesus, the one in whom the devil trembles and flees. Amen.

Freeville/Homer Ave. UMC's - Ash Wednesday - 03/05/14 Sermon - “Lent is about renewal, not shame and guilt"

Sunday 03/05/14 Freeville/Homer Ave UMC’s (Ash Wednesday)

Sermon Title: “Lent is about renewal, not shame and guilt”

Old Testament Scripture Lesson: Psalm 51:1-17           

                                            

New Testament Scripture Lesson: 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10

Gospel Lesson: Mathew 6:1-6, 16-21

                            

          Brothers and sisters, welcome on this night, on this Ash Wednesday. Welcome on this first day of Holy Lent, the season where we prepare our hearts, our minds, and our souls for the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Lord. In this 40-day Lenten Season we are called to be introspective, and to look at our lives, and to see where we are falling short before God. We are called in this season to look at those areas where we are still in the bondage of sin. Whether our sin is doubting the power of God, jealousy, envy, greed, or etc., we all have sin.

          Lent then is a time to be repentant and penitent before almighty God. A time to ask for forgiveness, to admit our own brokenness, and to come to the realization that we need God’s love and grace in our lives, in order to be complete and to be whole. Given all of this, I say to you on this night that “Lent is about renewal, not shame and guilt.”

          You see what I mean by this, is in this season we are called to explore the areas of our lives that need to be more like God, but Jesus Christ does not want us to be miserable during this season. For when we realize our own brokenness, and our own need and thirst for God, it is then that we throw ourselves down before the Lord, and we say, “We repent, won’t you fill us Lord?” Then our pain, our brokenness, and any shame and guilt that we have put on ourselves, turns into joy, turns into laughter, and then all of this turns into spiritual renewal.

          I wonder though if what I am describing is how you experienced Lent as a child, or maybe even how you experience Lent now? Or perhaps you never adhered to the Lenten Season before?

          For me growing up, I did not remember Lent as a fun time. It was a time where I felt like God was angry with me. That I was an awful sinner, and that I needed to be miserable for these 40-days of Lent, as the Sundays between now and Easter don’t count as part of the 40-Days of Lent.

          I remember some of the women of my family in particular sitting around the dining room table and talking about what they were giving up for Lent. Yet as they talked, sometimes it almost seemed like that they were discussing a chore that they had to check off on their “to do list”.

          The reality though brothers and sisters, is that Lent is a time to repent and ask God for forgiveness, but more than this, Lent is a time for renewal. You see when we examine our hearts and our minds, we can see where we are broken and lacking, and then we can let Jesus Christ forgive us, heal us, and restore us.

          The Psalm reading for tonight says, “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.” You see brothers and sisters, God knows you. He knows your “transgressions,” both inside and out, and in this Lenten Season, Jesus says to us all, won’t you come back to me with a full-heart? Won’t you repent and follow me? Our repentance, our surrender to Jesus is the pathway to our spiritual renewal in Jesus Christ.

          We will soon wear ashes on this night to display our brokenness before God, and our need for Him. We will soon wear ashes on this night to show us and the world that we are but broken vessels, seeking to be made whole by Jesus Christ. That were are but ashes and dust. That this life is a moment, but that God is forever.

          In his second Epistle or letter to Corinthians, the Apostle Paul tells the church in Corinth, to “be reconciled to God.” Tonight let us all seek to “be reconciled to God”. The Apostle Paul than says, “We are treated as impostors, and yet we are true; as unknown, and yet are well known, as dying, and see—we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.”

          Holy Lent my brothers and sisters, is about “Renewal not shame and guilt.” So let this Lent be an opportunity for us all to root out of our hearts, our minds, and our souls all that separates us from God. Let us also seek to not just give up things in Lenten Season, just for the sake of giving then up, but rather let us give up something that will help us draw closer to God. Let us give up anger, envy, pride, greed, and etc. Further, let us give away some of the love and the mercy that God has given us to others.

          This is what Jesus teaches us in tonight’s gospel reading from Mathew. Jesus says, “Beware of practicing your piety before others in other to be seen by them; for you have no reward from you Father in heaven.” When we give up something for Lent, to just go through the motions of Lent, we miss the renewal. When we focus on the shame, the guilt, and the ritual only, we lose the growth of our faith in Jesus Christ.

          So in this gospel reading for this Ash Wednesday, Jesus asks us, “do you act pious, do give alms, do you pray, and do you fast.” Jesus then says, but why do you do those things? Do you do those things to seem as if you are being a good Christian, or because you truly want to know me more?

          Brothers and sisters, let us in this Lenten Season do as Jesus Christ said in our gospel reading for tonight, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and were thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, when neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal.”

          In this Lenten Season then, how can become more holy like Jesus? Will we repent to the Lord of life and ask for forgiveness? Will we allow the Holy Spirit to fill us? To give us joy, peace, and renewal? Will we then allow this renewal to well up inside of us so much that we go forth into a world that knows Jesus not, to give, love, and serve? You see Lent then isn’t just about what we give up, it is also about what give away to others, as “Lent is about renewal, not shame and guilt.” Amen.

Freeville/Homer Ave. UMC's - Transfiguration Sunday - 03/02/14 Sermon - “Get up and do not be afraid!” (The things that Jesus taught us series, Part 5 of 5)

Sunday 03/02/14 Freeville/Homer Ave UMC’s

Sermon Title: “Get up and do not be afraid!”

(The things that Jesus taught us series, Part 5 of 5)

Old Testament Scripture Lesson: Psalm 99           

                                            

New Testament Scripture Lesson: 2 Peter 1:16-21

Gospel Lesson: Mathew 17:1-9                

          Brothers and sisters, welcome again this morning, on this, our “Transfiguration Sunday.” This is the Sunday in the church calendar that we celebrate Jesus going up on a mountain and performing the miracle of being “Transfigured” or being physically changed and altered before some of the disciples. Of all of the miracles that Jesus performed, being “Transfigured” was unique in this instance, because Jesus didn’t just heal, didn’t just raise the dead, and didn’t just perform all manner of miracles, but in addition to this, he literally changed or “Transfigured” his appearance in front of some of the disciples.

          This great miracle is the one that we celebrate this morning, as we are about to enter into a time of Holy Lent in the Christian Calendar. In fact, Lent will begin this Wednesday with Ash Wednesday. On this Ash Wednesday, we are called to prepare our hearts and our minds for the coming death and then the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. This Ash Wednesday, I will be having a service at the Freeville United Methodist Church, and one of the traditions that the United Methodist Church has embraced in more recent years, is that of the imposition of ashes on people foreheads. We do this to be marked, to be humbled, and to be prepared to enter into a season of reflection and preparation for what Jesus Christ is about to do for all of us.

          You see as the Lenten Bible Study book that this church is going to study this Lenten Season is called, “He Set His Face to Jerusalem,” soon he is going to die for us all, to bring us to new life. He is going to Jerusalem to suffer, to die, and to be raised to new life.

          Today though as I said, he will change his very appearance before some of his followers, some of his disciples. He will show himself in dazzling white, and he will show once more, why he is the living God.

          In doing a five-week sermon on “the things that Jesus taught us,” we heard the first week of this series as Jesus gave the “Sermon on the Mount.” In this sermon commonly known as the “Beatitudes,” Jesus taught us that the poor, the lowly, and the down trodden are blessed in God’s eyes, if they but cry out to Jesus. In the second week of this series, Jesus taught us that we must be pure like salt, and that we must show the love of God like a bright light in a world with so much violence, oppression, and darkness. We need to be “Salt and Light.” On the third week of this series on the “things that Jesus taught us,” Jesus taught us to “Try to be Holy,” and to try to be like Him. Jesus taught us that when we fall and fail, that he will pick us back up, and that he will forgive us all of our sins and our transgressions. Last week Jesus taught us to “Love each other, and strive for perfection.” That we are to love all people, and to strive to be made more and more holy, like Jesus Christ. That over our lifetime we can become more and more pure, until we are as close to being like Jesus as possible. This week, and the last week of this series, Jesus teaches us to “Get up and do not be afraid!”

          In calling upon the Polish side of my ethnic heritage, during the time that Pope John Paul II was the head of the Roman Catholic Church, he took a strong stand against communism in Eastern Europe. The Polish side of my family was also excited that Pope John Paul II was Polish. While Pope John Paul II was leading the Roman Catholic Church, he would often say to Christians in Eastern Europe where he took a strong stand, “do not be afraid.” That we should not be afraid, for we are Children of God, and ours is the Lord. That even though a God-less dictatorship was ruling Eastern Europe, that as Christians we should “not be afraid,” for ours is the Lord.

          Sometimes in our lives we have fears, or even fears of God. Jesus says though, if you love and trust me, “Get up and do not be afraid,” for I will be with you until the end of the age. “Get up and do not be afraid!”

          When looking at our Old Testament reading from Psalm 99 for this morning, it begins with, “The LORD is king; let the peoples tremble!” You see when Jesus was up on the “high mountain,” as it says in today’s gospel reading, the Apostles that were there, were terrified. The Psalm goes on to say that “He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake! The LORD is great in Zion; he is exalted over all the peoples.”

          When we hear the words “let the earth quake” many of us might have fear at hearing these words, but Jesus says, “Get up and do not be afraid!” Then the Psalm goes on to say however, “Let them praise your great and awesome name. Holy is he!” In general then, this Psalm is showing us the great and awesome power of God. It says, “Mighty King, lover of justice, you have established equity; you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.” God is fair and just. God is good, yet powerful.

          This scripture then talks about how “Moses and Aaron were among his priests,” and how when “They cried to the LORD” that the “LORD” answered them. In fact, the Psalm says that the LORD “spoke to them in the pillar of cloud,” and then goes on to say, “Extol the LORD our God, and worship at his mountain; for the LORD out God is holy.” So as we will hear in our gospel reading today, God spoke to Moses, Aaron, and ever Samuel “in the pillar of cloud,” and the Psalm says to “worship at his holy mountain,” as Jesus will go worship and be “Transfigured” on the mountain.

          When looking at the second epistle or letter of Peter, the Apostle Peter talked about the “coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,” and that they had been “eyewitnesses of his majesty.” The Apostle Peter then said, “For he received honor and glory from God the Father when that voice was conveyed to him by the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” Peter citing Jesus’ “Transfiguration” on the mountain, went on to say, “We ourselves heard his voice come from heaven, while were with him on the holy mountain.” This again, is the re-telling of the story of the “Transfiguration” of Jesus Christ.

          Within this, the Apostle Peter is telling some of the people of the early church, “So we have the prophetic message more fully confirmed. You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning start rises in your hearts.” The Apostle Peter then concludes this portion of his second letter by saying, that any piece of scripture is not “a matter of one’s interpretation,” because everything in scripture is from people moved by the Holy Spirit from God.

          When looking at the gospel reading this morning from the gospel of Mathew, it begins with, “Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up on a high mountain, by themselves.” Then the gospel said, “And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white.” Then the gospel said, “Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him.”

          Then the Apostle Peter being Peter said, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” As Peter was speaking though, as he said in the reading from his second letter from the morning God then spoke. In fact, the gospel says, “suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” Well of course the Apostle Peter failed to insert the part of this story where God said, “listen to him!”

          When God spoke these words, Peter, James, and James’ brother John “fell to ground and were overcome by fear.” The gospel then says, “But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Get up and do not be afraid.” Just then, “they looked up” and “they saw no one except Jesus himself alone.” Then as they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus said, “Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man had been raised from the dead.”

          The reality is that we all have times that we are afraid, and we might even have times that we feel inadequate before God. Times were we feel unworthy, and tremble and God’s power. Yet Jesus says, if you have faith in me, then get up and do not be afraid. Know that I love you to the end of age, and that you are my beloved.

          When thinking about Jesus teaching us to “Get up and do not be afraid,” I would like to close with a story. This story is about a German pastor, seminary professor, and theologian from World War II named Dr. Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Bonhoeffer was strongly opposed to Nazism, and would pay the ultimate price for resisting the evils of Hitler’s Germany.

          In Bonhoeffer being a devote Protestant Christian, he knew that Jesus meant it when he said, “Love you neighbor as yourself.” In fact, when Adolf Hitler became the chancellor, which is similar to a Prime Minister of Germany in 1933, Bonhoeffer realized that dark curtain had fallen over Germany. Bonhoeffer realized that this leader named Hitler meant to massacre millions of Jews and others, and that he knew that Jesus meant it when he said, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Bonhoeffer saw pastor and priest one after another swear allegiance to Hitler and the Nazis, yet in his heart, Bonhoeffer knew that God called him to love all people.

          As a result Dr. Dietrich Bonhoeffer preached a sermon in 1940 called, “God is my Fuhrer.” The word Fuhrer in German means leader. So, “God is my Fuhrer.” “Get up and do not be afraid!” When there is wickedness, and you are tempted to do the wrong thing, Jesus says trust me, and “Get up and do not be afraid!”

          Bonhoeffer would go on to spend some of the war in prison, some of it running a seminary in Northern Germany called Finkenwalde, all the while speaking out against the violence, oppression, and the genocide of Nazi Germany. “Get up and do not be afraid.”

          Ultimately Bonhoeffer was imprisoned, and he actually through codes in books helped in prison to coordinate “Operation Valkyrie” in 1944. What is “Operation Valkyrie” you might ask? In 1944, Adolf Hitler was almost killed by an exploding brief case that secret Nazi opposition planted to attempt to kill Hitler.

          A week before Hitler committed suicide in an act of total cowardice, and Nazi Germany was surrendered, Dr. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was marched out of his prison cell naked, was taken to the gallows, and was hung. You see Hitler before he cowardly took his own life, wanted to make sure that people like Bonhoeffer were killed first. Shortly before Bonhoeffer was killed, he was seen laughing, praying, and praising God. He died with Jesus in heart, for he knew where he was going. For Jesus had taught him to “Get up and do not be afraid!”

As a result of all this, Dr. Dietrich Bonhoeffer is a theologian studied a just about every seminary, his books are likely in the book stores you go into, and they even now offer entire seminary classes on his teaching. Why do we do this? We do this because people like Bonhoeffer stood fast and kept the faith, and believed in the power of Jesus Christ. Believed Jesus when said, “Get up and do not be afraid!”

Brothers and sisters, this week and always, let us seek God, and when we fall, let us “Get up” and “not be afraid.” Amen.