Sunday
10/11/15 Freeville/Homer Ave UMC’s
Sermon Title: “My God! My God, why have you left me
all
alone?”
Old Testament
Lesson: Psalm 22:1-15
New Testament
Scripture: Hebrews 4:12-16
Gospel Lesson:
Mark 10:17-31
Friends, brothers and sisters, I want to welcome you once
again, on this the Twentieth Sunday after the day of Pentecost. On the day Pentecost,
the Apostles of Jesus Christ, and the other early Christians waited upon God’s
light and love. For Jesus Christ had told them in Luke 24:49, “And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here
in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high” (Luke 24:49,
NRSV). This power that Christ spoke of was the Holy Spirit, the fire,
the light of God. When the day of Pentecost came, the Holy Spirit did indeed
show up, and the Apostles and the early Christians were finally empowered and
emboldened to go forth preaching the gospel and bringing light where there was
much darkness. The day of Pentecost then, is the day that Christian Church was
officially born.
Yet I have often wondered what the waiting for the Holy
Spirit, the fire, the light of God, was like? I mean Jesus said in Luke 24:49b,
“so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with
power from on high” (Luke 24:49, NRSV). I wonder what the waiting was like. I
mean didn’t musician Tom Petty say, “Waiting is the hardest part?” What is like
to wait for the fire and the light of God?
Further, if we are waiting upon God,
are we always expected to have rock solid faith, every minute of every day? Or
is it normal to struggle with our faith? It is normal to ask questions, and
have doubts? To sometimes lose the light of God?
I mean for example, what do we say to
a person in a hospital who is dying and struggling their faith? What do we say
to a family that has just suddenly lost a loved one? Do we just say, “Believe and
have faith?” For those of us who bear the name Christian, we believe in God, we
believe in Jesus Christ, and we believe in the power of the Holy Spirit. Yet,
aren’t we human? Don’t we in our weaknesses sometimes struggle to see where God
is? It doesn’t mean that God has left us, but it means that sometimes that we are
in such pain, that we are having trouble seeing the light of God.
In the gospels, the Apostle Thomas
doubted that Christ had risen, the Apostle Paul, who was formally Saul of
Tarsus, persecuted the Christians, as he did not believe in Jesus Christ.
If this is not enough, what if I told
you that even Jesus Christ himself had a moment of weakness? You see in the
gospel of Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34, Jesus is on that cross on Calvary. As
Christ is near to breathing his last breath on the cross, he quotes Psalm 22:1a,
from this morning, which says “My God! My God, why have you left me alone?”
(Ps. 22:1a, CEB). Some biblical scholars have used this scripture to say that
Jesus was just a man only. That he was not divine. For how could God in the flesh,
they say, say “My God! My God, why have you left me alone?” (Ps. 22:1a, CEB).
Well I believe that Jesus Christ on
earth, was the fullness of almighty God, and the fullness of a human. For God
is his abundant love, and after sending prophet after prophet, like Isaiah,
Ezekiel, and Jeremiah, came down to earth. God took on flesh in the form of
Jesus Christ. Yet if I believe that this is true, which I do, then why would
Jesus Christ in the gospel of Matthew and Mark quote Psalm 22:1a, by saying “My
God! My God, why have you left me alone?” (Ps. 22:1a, CEB).
Well here is what I think, we are fallen humanity. We live
a world with much sin and suffering. Now don’t get me wrong, we have a world
that has much love, joy, and many good things happening to. Yet on the day that
Christ was crucified, Judas Iscariot had betrayed him the night before. The
Apostle Peter had denied him three times. In fact, of the eleven remaining
Apostles, after Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus, only one was at his cross when he
was being crucified. On this day, Jesus was beaten, stripped, mocked, spat
upon, cursed, and to boot, all but one of his friends had abandoned him. Jesus
felt alone.
So how can I claim that Jesus was God in the flesh then? I
can, because there was still flesh, and flesh sisters and brothers is very
weak. Our bodies, these capsules, are very weak indeed. Sure we puff ourselves up
to convince ourselves that we can do anything, but we can be hurt, get sick,
and people can turn on us in an instant.
When Jesus quoted Psalm 22:1a, I believe that Jesus, felt
weak. While Jesus was God in the flesh, he allowed himself to feel what we
feel. This is why I believe that when we are suffering, when we have doubts,
when we are confused, that God is with us. For Jesus Christ, God in the flesh,
has suffered with us, and for us. Our God understands our sufferings therefore,
as in his humanness, Jesus Christ said, “My God! My God, why
have you left me alone?” (Ps. 22:1a, CEB).
How many of us ourselves, have ever
honestly said, “My God! My God, why have you left me alone?” (Ps. 22:1a, CEB).
Well Jesus Christ, the savior of the world, God in the flesh, did. I don’t
about you, but if Jesus Christ himself had a moment like this, then I can to once
in a while.
Some still
ask though, “well pastor, why do we suffer? Why does a loving God let us
suffer?” Well sisters and brothers, I think that if we were to ask God that
same question, he would respond by saying, “why do you allow people to suffer?”
You see, God can intervene wherever he chooses, but God has empowered us to be
his hands and his feet in a broken, hurting, and dying world. As one of my bible
commentaries, the “Africa Bible Commentary” says, “Those who are suffering
greatly need our love and care” (ABC, page 634).
Christianity then, is much bigger than just an hour on
Sunday morning. Christianity is who we are every day. Our faith in God, our
walk with Jesus Christ, and us calling upon the Holy Spirit, to fill us with
God’s light.
To me then, this is why the church is so important. It isn’t
that we just go to worship on Sunday morning, it’s that we are family of
believers. Sometimes many of us have a fiery faith and God’s light, and
sometimes we fall and struggle. Yet if we have no church family, then who is
there to pick us up in the name of Jesus Christ? Sure anyone can help us, no
matter who they are, but God’s people are supposed to be together, calling upon
God.
My brothers and sisters, we are God’s people, we are the
followers of the risen Christ, and we are called to love all people, in a world
that has so much hurt, suffering, and darkness.
Now
the reading from Psalm 22 from this morning is one of great distress and despair,
but the second half of Psalm 22 is one of great deliverance. Let me share
another excerpt from the same bible commentary for you. This is what is says, “We
need to remember that faith is not a vaccine which prevents disease or
suffering. But faith does mean when we go through suffering, the hand of the
faithful God is there to rescue is. This is why Psalm 22 starts with a cry of
despair but ends with praise for deliverance (ABC, page 634).
I would tell you a story, that I created,
called “Three candles of faith”. This is a story about having faith, struggling
with faith, and recapturing faith. Here is how my story goes: * Light the first
candle *
There was once a missionary named John
with incredible faith. Everywhere John went, people remarked that they saw the
light of God in him. John went to places that were filled with darkness, and while
he was there, the light of God spread. Whenever the light of God spread, John
claimed that this light came from his savior Jesus Christ.
Well
one day as it turns out, God led John to a town that seemed to have so much
darkness in it. While in this town, John met another man named Arthur at the
dinner in the middle of town. In talking with Arthur, John noticed that Arthur was
filled with remorse, pain, and suffering. It seemed to John that Arthur had
none of the light of God in him.
John then decided to spend the day
with Arthur. They ended up sitting and talking in the coffee shop across the
street. They prayed together, laughed together, John heard Arthur’s story, and they
even cried together. By the days’ end, something happened in John’s new friend
Arthur. John began to see the light of God in Arthur. * Light second candle *
Since it had gotten so late, and the coffee shop was
closing soon, John told Arthur that he was going to check into a nearby hotel
for the night. Yet Arthur wouldn’t hear of it. Arthur had a guest room in his
house about a mile away, and he insisted that his new friend John spend the
night.
Well John was tired and feel asleep quickly in Arthur’s
guest room, from a full day of ministering to Arthur. Yet Arthur again, had the
light of God in him. Arthur stayed up most of that night, while John slept, and
that night he rededicated his life to Jesus Christ.
When John awoke the next morning, he smelled coffee and
food. When he left the room he had slept in, and he noticed that Arthur had made
coffee and breakfast. He also noticed that Arthur had packed a suitcase. Arthur
then asked John, if could take the light of God, of Jesus Christ with him to
other dark places, as a missionary like him? John very excitedly agreed.
John and Arthur then got into John’s car, and headed to
next place that needed God’s light and love. John and Arthur then arrived in a
large city. As they did, they saw a man sleeping on a park bench. Due to this,
John and Arthur, full of God’s light, decided to get some food for this man.
When they approached the park bench, this man sat up. As he sat up, John and
Arthur introduced themselves. The man on the bench said his name was Thomas.
For most of the day, John and Arthur, who were filled with the light of God,
the light of Christ, sat with Thomas, talked, listened, laughed, ate, and
cried.
Well, like the night before, it was getting to the point
that the sun was almost going to down, and Thomas who had what seemed like none
of God’s light in him earlier that day, now seemed to have God’s abundant light
in him. * Light third candle *
Just like Arthur did to John, Thomas then
asked John and Arthur, if he could give up what little life he had, to come and
take God’s light to dark places with them as a missionary. John and Arthur excitedly
agreed to this, and then Thomas told John and Arthur that he would met them at
the park bench, first thing the next morning.
John and Arthur then got some hotel
rooms for the night, and went to sleep. Thomas, now filled with God’s light,
with the love of Jesus Christ, went back to the homeless shelter that he was
staying in. This homeless shelter allowed Thomas to keep a few possessions
there. When Thomas arrived all full of God’s love, he immediately packed up
what little he had, in an old worn out bag. Thomas then met a man named Jesse at
the homeless shelter. For part of the night, Thomas ministered to this man who
seemed to very little of God’s light in him. For about five or six hours,
Thomas and Jesse conversed, and Jesse told Thomas of his hurts and his
sufferings. They laughed together, they cried together, they ate together, and
prayed together. By this point, it was about two or three in the morning, when
Thomas, and Jesse, who was now himself filled with God’s love, headed to their
beds for the night. On their way though, Thomas stopped to tell a worker at the
homeless shelter that he was leaving the next morning to become a missionary
with his new friends John and Arthur. Thomas then told the worker that he was
going to meet them on a nearby park bench, first thing in the morning. Before
Thomas could head to his bed though, his new friend Jesse, asked if could become
a missionary to. Thomas agreed, and he thought, “Then there will be four of us
that will bring the light of God to dark places!”
While Thomas and Jesse slept that
night, another man, who was filled with darkness, and very little of God’s
light came into the homeless shelter. This man was looking for a man who owed
him money. This man was drunk and angry. He suddenly saw Thomas sleeping in
bed, and thinking that Thomas was someone else, this man thought, “There is
Phil, and I got him now!” This man then shot Thomas, thinking it was Phil, and
ran out of the homeless shelter.
Well as you can imagine, Thomas’s new
friend Jesse was devastated. Yet when the morning came, Jesse remembered that
Thomas’s friends John and Arthur would be waiting for him at a nearby park
bench. Well this huge city had what seemed to be a million park benches!
John
and Arthur, sure enough, got to the park bench early, and hour by hour began to
pass. Arthur who had a small radio with him, took it out, and turned it on, to pass
the time waiting for Thomas. As they were listening, they heard a news report that
Thomas had been shot and killed the night before, at a nearby homeless shelter.
At this point, the light of God that
was in John and Arthur temporarily went out of them. * Put out two candles *
John
and Arthur were crushed. For a long while, John and Arthur sat on that park
bench, and were grieved that their new friend Thomas had died. As they were
about to leave though, suddenly Jesse ran to the park bench. John and Arthur
said, who are you? He said, I am Jesse! Were you waiting for Thomas, Jesse said?
They said yes, we were.
Jesse
then told them what Thomas had done for him the night before. You see, John and
Arthur, when they heard about Thomas’ death, though in their heads, “My God! My
God, why have you left me alone?” (Ps. 22:1a, CEB). Yet as John and Arthur
heard Jesse talk about what Thomas had done for him, something happened inside
of them. Suddenly all three men were filled with God’s light. * Light two candles
*
Jesse then said, until last night, I
didn’t understand that God came to earth, and suffered and died for me. He then
said, my friend Thomas changed my life last night, so now I want to join you
two, and continue to change the lives of others. John and Arthur agreed, and
three men went to the next city to bring the light of God to places where there
was much darkness.
My brothers and sisters, even Jesus
Christ, in his humanness said, “My God! My God, why have you left me alone?”
(Ps. 22:1a, CEB). It is very hard when we feel all alone. This is why we need
each other. This is why we need the church. For if you cannot find God’s light
by yourself this morning, then maybe you can find it in one of his people
sitting amongst you. Amen.
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