Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC's - First Sunday of Advent/UMC Student Sunday - 11/29/15 Sermon - “The time is coming, declares LORD" ("Hope is coming" series: Part 1 of 5)

Sunday 11/29/15 Freeville/Homer Ave UMC’s

Sermon Title: “The time is coming, declares the LORD”

(“Hope is coming” series: Part 1 of 5)          

                            

Old Testament Lesson: Jeremiah 33:14-16

                                            

New Testament Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13

Gospel Lesson: Luke 21:25-36

          Friends, brothers and sisters, welcome once again on this the First Sunday of Advent. This first Sunday in this season of hope, of joy, and of love. This season that we await a baby named Jesus Christ. This season that so many Christians also await the return or the second coming of Jesus Christ.

The word Advent itself has many different meanings. In looking at www.dictionary.com, the definitions of Advent are the following:

1. A coming into place, view, or being; arrival.

2. The coming of Christ into the world.

3. The period beginning four Sundays before Christmas, observed in commemoration of the coming of Christ into the world.

4. Second coming.

          This season of Advent is not the season of Christmas then, but the season leading up to Christmas. It is a season of anticipation, and a season of hope. For what was the birth of Christ, if not hope itself? This is the season that we celebrate a baby named Jesus.

How many of us have ever held a new born baby and thought about what that baby could become one day? Would she become a lawyer, a doctor, or a school teacher? Would he become a pastor, an architect, or an engineer?

          How many of us remember looking at a baby and holding a baby that was only days, hours, or minutes old? Did we have wonder, hope, joy, and love, as we looked upon and held that child?

          To me, we continue to live in a world with so much pain, so much inequality, and so much injustice. We have a world where some people are oppressed, harmed, or even killed for being different. We have a world where most persons and families are attempting to earn enough money daily or weekly just to be able to have enough food to eat, and shelter over their head. We certainly have many people in this world now more than ever then, that desperately need hope. The message of Jesus Christ, the birth of Jesus Christ, is a story about hope.

          As a result of this, through this Advent Season and on this coming Christmas Eve, I will be preaching a five week series on hope coming. Maybe where you are sitting this morning, you are in need of great hope? Advent is about hope. The birth of Christ is about hope.

          You know I have talked with so many parents and grandparents about their children, as Melissa and I have no children of our own yet. Some of these parents and grandparents that I have talked with, are worried about the world that they will one day give over to their children, and their children’s children. There are worries about the economic, social, political, spiritual, and even environmental future of the world we live in.

          Given all of this then, how can one baby named Jesus challenge the entirety of our day to day realities? This is certainly a hard question, but I have seen so many parents and grandparents hold their children and grandchildren looking upon them with great hope. It gives them hope for a better world. A world of love, justice, fairness, and a world were all people have what they need to live. A world were terrorist organizations like ISIS don’t exist, and a world where brotherly and sisterly love prevails.

          For this is why Jesus Christ came, this is why he died, so that we may have life and have it abundantly. The story of Advent and Christ, are stories of hope. So as I asked a few moments ago then, what difference does one baby named Jesus mean to the totality of all of the problems of the world?

          As I said, this is a very hard and even a complex question. Imagine for a minute though, that we all knew that one day someone could come to this place and set us free. Imagine if we knew that one day a savior would come to teach us, to guide us, and to save us from ourselves. If we had that sort of hope, if we believed in a savior like that, would it change us? Would it change the community? Would it change the world?

          I would submit to you two ideas this morning, one the belief that Jesus Christ was God that came down to earth, to save us, redeem us, and to heal us. The second idea, is that the power of the message of Jesus Christ is life changing. Meaning, that in this season of Advent, even if you are not completely sure about everything you believe about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I would still submit to you that it is very powerful and transformative.

          For through the hope of Jesus Christ, and through the power of his gospel, the world has been and will continue to be changed. The Christian Church, and so many Christian people make the world a little better every day, because of the great hope that they have in Jesus Christ. They make the world better every day, because they believe that God came to earth, to love, to heal, to forgive, and to die for us. Many of them believe that this same Jesus will return one day in glory. The power this gospel of Jesus Christ, has provided billions and billions of people hope, and it has compelled them to change the world.

          So what hope can one baby named Jesus have? I say that the hope of this baby, of this Messiah, is immeasurable. For hope is coming my brothers and sisters. Hope is coming, and its name is Jesus Christ.

          To me then, Advent isn’t just about what God does, and it isn’t just about what we are waiting for God to do, it is about what God is doing in us, and through us. If the coming of Christ is really as hopeful as I am proclaiming it to be, then what can we do together with that hope?

          Could we send millions and millions of shoe boxes of Christmas gifts to children all over the world? Could we stop Malaria? Could we feed the world, and make it better? Could we educate girls and teach them that they have a future? Could we provide housing to the homeless? Could love our neighbor as ourselves? Oh brothers, oh sisters, hope is coming. Hope is coming, and his name is Jesus Christ.

          How many of us then, as this season of Advent begins in 2015, need some hope? Does anyone here today need some hope? Brothers and sisters, hope is coming, and his name is Jesus Christ.

          Well since the first Sunday of Advent is often one where begin a season of waiting for the birth of Christ, and his second coming, we have scriptures this morning that speak to both of these things. In our reading from the Gospel of Luke from this morning, we hear a scripture on not the birth of Christ, but the return of Christ. The gospel says, “Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory” (Luke 21:27, NRSV). Jesus then gives the parable of the fig tree, and talked about how “God’s kingdom is near” (Luke 21:31b, NRSV). In general, in this gospel reading, Jesus is preparing us and telling us, about his second coming or return to earth (Luke 21:25-36, NRSV).

          The New Testament Scripture from the Apostle Paul’s First Epistle or first letter to the church in Thessalonica, or the Thessalonians, talks about having love, hope, and the belief that Christ will return to earth one day (1 Thess. 3:9-13, NRSV). Or as the scripture says, “when our Lord Jesus comes with all his people” (1 Thess. 3:13b, NRSV). This season of Advent for many Christians then, is a season of the hope of the birth of Christ, and also the return of Christ.

The scripture that I want to hone in a little bit on this morning though, is our lectionary scripture from the Old Testament prophet of Jeremiah. In this lectionary reading, the prophet Jeremiah is making the prediction of the coming birth of the Messiah. The coming birth of Jesus Christ. Given the brutal conditions that many lived under for many years in Judea and the surrounding areas, hope was sometimes in short supply. Yet Jeremiah this morning speaks about the hope of the Messiah coming to us.

          In looking at the scripture from the prophet Jeremiah, it begins by saying, “The time is coming, declares the LORD, when I will fulfill my gracious promise with the people of Israel and Judah” (Jer. 33:14, NRSV). Jeremiah is saying, that “the promise,” that the Christ, that hope itself is coming (Jer. 33:14, NRSV).

          This reading from Jeremiah continues on to say, “In those days and at that time, I will raise up a righteous branch from David’s line, who will do what is just and right in the land” (Jer. 33:15, NRSV). A descendent from the great King David is coming. This descendent will rule forever, and according to this verse of scripture, he will “do what is just and right in the land” (Jer. 33:15, NRSV). This Messiah will not only die for us, but he will also teach us a better way to love each other, and to care for each other. This Messiah will show us “what is just and right in the land” (Jer. 33:15, NRSV). I don’t know about you, but this sounds like hope to me.

          This short scripture reading from the prophet Jeremiah for this morning, ends with this verse: “In those days, Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this is what he will be called: The LORD is Our Righteousness” (Jer. 33:16, NRSV). This term “The LORD is Our Righteousness,” translated from Hebrew, is another name for the Messiah (Jer. 33:16, NRSV). The verse also says, “will live in safety” (Jer. 33:16b, NRSV). So many parents and grandparents that I talk to, want to leave a world for their children and grandchildren where they “will live in safety,” as we have hope in Christ, and in our children (Jer. 33:16b, NRSV).  

          In this Advent Season then, should we simply sit back, and wait for hope to come to us? Or should would we go out into the world, and bring light, hope, and love, to people who have none of these things. While we await the birth of Christ in this season of Advent, we do so only symbolically, as Christ has already been born. Christmas is to remember, not have Jesus actually be born this year. Further, Christ has already died for our sins, and has already been raised to new life. While we await Christ’s return, how can we as God’s children bring hope to this world? How can God use us to take the gospel of Jesus Christ into a broken and a hurting world? Perhaps then, not only is hope coming, but maybe, just maybe, hope has already been here. May this hope is in us if we allow it to be. What could we do for this world, with this hope that Jesus Christ has given us all?

          I would like to close this morning with a story called, “1984. A Future Without Hope?” This story is taken from George Orwell’s famous novel 1984. Here is how the story goes:

“George Orwell’s novel Nineteen Eighty Four was written in the aftermath of WW2, a time when Hitler had been defeated and the Soviet Union was on the rise. Orwell imagines what the world would be like under the control of authoritarian regimes. In this world “Big Brother” controls everything – where people live, what they do, where they work, what they say, even how they think. “thought crime”, to think thoughts that are against the ideology of the Party, is a heinous wrong.”

“The central character in Orwell’s book is a man named Winston. He works at the Ministry of Truth, rewriting history so that it fits with Big Brother’s view of the world. But he despises what he does and the regime that makes him do it. Winston begins rebelling against the “Big Brother”, small but deliberate acts of defiance. He finds an alcove in his house where the cameras of Big Brother cannot observe him, he begins an illicit affair with a woman named Julia, and in his own thoughts he questions the way the world is. As each small act of rebellion occurs the likelihood Winston will be caught increases.”

“The tension rises until the fateful moment when Winston’s resistance is exposed. He is sent to prison to be “rehabilitated”. This means breaking him emotionally and physically and then turning him once more into a party drone. His interrogator is a man named O’Brien. He wants to convince Winston that resistance is futile, that the party will never be defeated, that the present will stretch unending into the future. At one point O’Brien chillingly says to Winston: “If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face – forever.”

“If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face – forever.” It’s a depressing image. The future no more than a repeat of the past. To this the gospel screams a loud “NO!”. It declares that death, disease and distress will not be the last word, that the risen Christ will return to restore the universe too goodness and justice. This is the Christian hope.”

My brothers and sisters, in this season of Advent, hope is coming. Let us embrace this hope, and let us share it with each other. Imagine a world filled with hope? Imagine what we could do if we allowed God to bring hope to the world through us? In this season of Advent, let us be filled with love, joy, and hope. Come Lord Jesus. Amen.

Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC's - Christ the King Sunday - 11/22/15 Sermon - “My kingdom doesn't originate from this world"

Sunday 11/22/15 Freeville/Homer Ave UMC’s

Sermon Title: “My kingdom doesn’t originate from this world”

                            

Old Testament Lesson: 2 Samuel 23:1-7

                                            

New Testament Scripture: Revelation 1:4b-8

Gospel Lesson: John 18:33-37

          Brothers and sisters, welcome once again on this our “Christ the King” Sunday, which is the last Sunday of the season after Pentecost, also known as “Ordinary Time.” The season after Pentecost, is sometimes called “Ordinary Time,” as we do not celebrate any significant Christian holidays after Pentecost, until we reach the season of Advent. As sort of a bridge, “Christ the King” Sunday is a way to prepare us and to transition us into the coming season of Advent. The season of Advent is a season that we wait in wonder for the birth of Jesus Christ. The season of Advent is one where we await hope itself coming down from heaven.

          On this “Christ the King” Sunday, Jesus speaks in our Gospel of John reading for this morning, about his kingdom, about the kingdom of God. In the Book of Revelation 19:16, it says of Jesus, “On his robe and on his thigh he has a name inscribed, “King of kings and Lord of lords” (Rev. 19:16, NRSV). Well to be a king that would mean that you would need to have a kingdom to rule over. If Jesus Christ is a king then, then he needs to have a kingdom. Yet in the scripture that I just read from the Book of Revelation, not only is Jesus a king, but he is “King of kings and Lord of lords” (Rev. 19:16b, NRSV). This would mean then, that Christ is above all earthly leaders or rules. That people might occupy positions of leadership or authority, but that only God reigns forever.

          In fact, in the Book of Revelation 4:10, it speaks of rulers, or elders, or kings, seeing Christ’s return to earth (Rev. 4:10, NRSV). The scripture says, “the twenty-four elders fall before the one who is seated on the throne and worship the one who lives forever and ever; they cast their crowns before the throne” (Rev. 4:10, NRSV).

          This “Christ the King” Sunday then, is a Sunday that we celebrate who we believe Jesus Christ to be. Further, the notion of Jesus Christ having a kingdom and being a king, is in the gospel of Luke 22:29. In the gospel of Luke 22:29, Jesus tells his disciples, “and I confer on you, just as my Father has conferred on me, a kingdom” (Luke 22:29, NRSV).

This morning on this “Christ the King” Sunday, Jesus stands before the Roman Governor or Prefect, Pontius Pilate, and Pilate is questioning Jesus Christ about his kingdom (John 18:33-37, NRSV). Now some biblical scholars would argue that Pilate didn’t really care if Jesus Christ was the Messiah, but that instead he was more worried about Jesus’ challenge to his own leadership in Judea (African Bible Commentary). I mean, it was the religious leaders that brought Jesus to Pilate, and asked him to try Jesus (Africa Bible Commentary). I don’t know if Pilate really understood who Jesus was, or cared about him being the Messiah. Pilate I believe was more concerned about maintaining his own power.

          In looking at the five verses of scripture that we have been given from the Gospel of John from this morning, Pontius Pilate takes Jesus in his palace to question him. I mean after all, Pilate must do something, as the religious leaders of Judea are up in arms about Jesus. Jesus Christ is speaking of his kingdom, but is he a king?

The gospel lesson for this morning begins by saying “Pilate went back into the palace. He summoned Jesus and asked, “Are you the king of the Jews?” (John 18:33, NRSV). In reply, Jesus then says to Pontius Pilate, “Do you say this on your own or have others spoken to you about me?” (John 18:34, NRSV). To me Jesus is essentially asking Pilate, “So you have heard of me huh Pilate?” Perhaps Pilate heard all about Jesus, about who people claimed him to be, and about the miracles that he performed (Africa Bible Commentary).

          It would seem again that Pilate couldn’t have cared less about Jesus being the “king of the Jews,” or Jesus’ kingdom, as Pilate then says to Jesus, “I am not a Jew, am I? (John 18:33b, 35a). Pilate then says, “Your nation and it chief priests handed you over to me. What have you done?” (John 18:35b, NRSV). I think then, that Pilate does not care at all if Jesus is the Messiah, or about Jesus’ kingdom. Pilate just wants to know what all the commotion is about.

          Now where I am going will all of this, on this “Christ the King Sunday” is this, kings have kingdom. Jesus is a king, so where is his kingdom? In response to Pilate wanting to know what Jesus has done, Jesus says next in the gospel, “My kingdom doesn’t originate from this world. If it did, my guards would fight so that I wouldn’t have been arrested by the Jewish leaders. My kingdom isn’t from here” (John 18:36, CEB). Pilate then says to Jesus to end this gospel reading, “So you are a king? Pilate said” (John 18:37).

          So it is “Christ the King” Sunday. The Book of Revelation declares that Jesus Christ is the “King of kings and Lord of lords” (Rev. 19:16b, NRSV). In the gospel of Luke, Jesus then confers this kingdom on his disciples. This morning in our gospel of John reading, Jesus Christ says, “My kingdom doesn’t originate from this world” (John 18:36A, CEB).

          If Jesus Christ is truly “King of kings and Lord of lords” though, then where is his kingdom (Rev. 19:16b, NRSV)? I mean Jesus said that “My kingdom doesn’t originate from this world” (John 18:36A, CEB). So where is the kingdom? Where is the kingdom of God? When we die our earthly deaths one day, we who call upon the name of Lord believe that we will be in heaven. We believe in this eternal kingdom. A kingdom that Jesus Christ ushered in almost two-thousand years ago. Yet as I was preparing for this sermon, I thought, where is the eternal kingdom located?

          Sometimes when we have a loved one or a friend pass away, we tell others, “They are in a better place.” Now I believe this with all my heart, in this heaven, but where is it? One of the most powerful telescopes orbiting our planet is the Hubble Telescope. This telescope and others, have allowed scientists to see much deeper into space than we ever could before. Yet amidst there constant searching they have not discovered the heavenly realm. They have not discovered the kingdom that Jesus spoke about.

          Where is heaven then? So many people have had experiences where they died for a few minutes, and they have seen a beautiful light. They have seen past relatives, and they have felt warmth, and love. They felt their souls depart from their bodies, and when they came to back to life, they said that they had seen heaven. In fact, there is a book and a movie called “Heaven is For Real,” where a little boy claimed to have had an experience where he died and came back. This little boy claimed that his soul left his body, and that he went to the kingdom that Jesus Christ promised. Yet where is this eternal kingdom located?   

          In my ministry as your pastor, and as a Chaplain Intern at the hospital in Syracuse, I have been with many people when someone dies. While we are often so emotionally upset by the death, we often believe that this person is with God. We cannot prove where the heavenly realm is, but some people that have died and have come back, have seen it. Jesus Christ has also promised it to us.

          In the gospel of John 14:1-4, Jesus said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going” (John 14:1-4, NRSV). So do I know where heaven is? No, I don’t. Yet I believe with all my heart in heaven, even though I cannot tell someone exactly how to get there.

          I remember when my Grandpa Winkelman was dying, I got spend a good chunk of time with him, talking with him and just being with him. I remember that during our time together I prayed with him, and read him scriptures. One of the ones that I read him, was the gospel reading that I just cited from John 14:1-4. While my Grandpa believed with all of his heart in Jesus Christ, and the eternal kingdom of God, he something funny after I read this scripture. For Jesus said, “I go and prepare a place for you” (John 14:3A, NRSV). My Grandpa then said, “Well Paul, do you have a map”. Now my grandpa was a man who loved the Lord, but I think what he was saying to me was, “I believe in heaven Paul, but I don’t understand it fully. I also don’t know where it is”.

          This my brothers and sisters is where faith comes in. Where we trust in God, and in his kingdom. That we believe in Jesus Christ, and that believe that we will all see glory one day, when our time on earth is done.

          I also think that Jesus Christ has called us to build the kingdom of God here on earth, as we await the next kingdom. Whether we go to be with the Lord, or whether Christ returns, Christ calls us to build a more equitable and a more loving world, here and now. Christ calls us to build heaven on earth, as we await the eternal heaven.

          I must admit then, that I don’t have all the answers on heaven, where it is, or what it will looks like, but I believe in it. Further some of our historical ideas of heaven don’t make a lot of sense to me. For example, so we die, then we arrived at the “Pearly Gates” right? Who do we find sitting in front of the “Pearly Gates”? Well Saint Peter of course! He has the “Lambs Book of Life,” and he tells you whether you can come into heaven or not. Now the Book of Revelation 21:21 says of heaven, “The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass” (Rev. 21:21, NRSV). So we have “Pearly Gates” in scripture, but we just made up the whole thing about Saint Peter at the gate checking people. I don’t know about you, but checking people into heaven twenty-four seven, does not sound like heave to me! Now Jesus does say to Peter in Matthew 16:9A, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven,” but I don’t think that Jesus was offering Saint Peter a secretarial job when he said this (Matthew 16:9A, NRSV).

          I heard one Christian comedian say, “When we get to heaven, are we really going to lay on a cloud all day and play the harp”. The comedian then said, “Now how many people that you know would actually want to lay on a cloud all day, every day, and play a harp”?

          The reality for me is, is when Jesus Christ told Pontius Pilate this morning on this “Christ the King” Sunday, that “My kingdom doesn’t originate from this world,” I believe him (John 18:36A, CEB). Yet I don’t have all the answers. I believe that heaven is very real, but as my Grandpa Winkelman asked me to do, I can’t give you a map. Yet I believe that the kingdom of God is abundant, and that all of the people who call upon the name of the Lord will one day see heaven.

I want to close this morning, with a short story called “Heaven and Hell.” This story is by source unknown. Now once again, I don’t where heaven is, I can’t tell you what exactly it will looks like, but here is story that I like to think of when I think heaven. Here is how it goes: “A man spoke with the Lord about Heaven and Hell. “I will show you Hell,” said the Lord. And they went into a room which had a large pot of stew in the middle. The smell was delicious and around the pot sat people who were famished and desperate. All were holding spoons with very long handles which reached to the pot, but because the handles of the spoons were longer than their arms, it was impossible to get the stew into their mouths. Their suffering was terrible.”

“Now I will show you Heaven,” said the Lord, and they went into an identical room. There was a similar pot of stew and the people had the same identical spoons, but they were well nourished, talking and happy.

At first the man did not understand.” “It is simple,” said the Lord. “You see, they have learned to feed each other.”

Maybe that is what is heaven will look like. A place where we learn to “feed each other.” As we celebrate this “Christ the King” Sunday this morning, Jesus tells Pontius Pilate, “My kingdom doesn’t originate from this world” (John 18:36A, CEB). While we might not know where this eternal kingdom is, may we believe in it with all of our hearts. May we build God’s kingdom here on earth, as we await the eternal kingdom of God to come. Amen.

Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC's - Twenty-Fifth Sunday after Pentecost - 11/15/15 Sermon - “All will be demolished"

Sunday 11/15/15 Freeville/Homer Ave UMC’s

Sermon Title: “All will be demolished”

                            

Old Testament Lesson: 1 Samuel 2:1-10

                                            

New Testament Scripture: Hebrews 10:11-14 (15-18) 19-25

Gospel Lesson: Mark 13:1-8

          Welcome once again on this the Twenty-Fifth Sunday after Pentecost. Twenty-Five Sundays after the Holy Spirit moved on that day of Pentecost so long ago. On that day, the Apostles and the early Christians went forth preaching the gospel and changing the world. Nearly two-thousand years later, we continue the mission of Jesus Christ and his church, here this morning.

          Yet, has this church building, or has Freeville or Cortland for that matter, existed for nearly two-thousand years, like the Christian Church has? I ask about Freeville and Cortland, as these are the two places that I serve as a pastor.

According to the research that I did to prepare for this sermon on www.Wikipedia.com, Freeville, NY was first settled in 1787, and was not incorporated until July 2, 1887. Cortland, NY was first settled in 1791, was made a village in 1853, and then was incorporated as a city in 1900.

          So why have I just given you these dates and these bench marks for Freeville and Cortland? This is why, to show you how young our places of residence are. You might also live outside of Freeville and Cortland, but my guess is that whatever town or city that you live in, is probably not much older than Freeville or Cortland. In the span of the length of the Christian faith, in the span of the length of God, our places of residence and our church buildings are babies.

          Imagine in your minds for a moment then, that it is the year 1781. It is over seventeen-hundred and fifty years after Jesus Christ was crucified and buried, yet what today is Cortland and Freeville was likely forest. Perhaps various Native American or indigenous tribes had lived here for years or centuries before the European settlers arrived. In this year of 1781, the British Army under General Cornwallis will officially surrender to the Continental or the American Army. This will officially make our thirteen colonies into thirteen independent states. We will then have a weak government in place, until we create our current constitution, and until we elect our first president in 1789, George Washington.

          Freeville and Cortland were only first settled by settlers within two years in either direction of our constitution and the election of our first president, George Washington. When George Washington was elected as our first president, Jesus had been crucified and raised about seventeen-hundred and fifty years before this even happened.

            I am sure at this point you are thinking, “yes, our pastor used to be a social studies teacher. Can’t you tell!” I give these bits of history though, to show us again how young our towns and cities are. I remember when I was in Israel last year standing in churches as early as the 300’s AD. In doing some research on www.Wikipedia.com again, I discovered that the oldest church in the United States is the Old Ship Church, built in Massachusetts in 1681 AD.

          All of this serves to teach us, the security that we think we have in our homes, in our church buildings, in our identities in places like Freeville and Cortland are young, and will not last forever.

          We do love these church buildings that we gather in don’t we? We are grateful to the saints that went before us, that gave us the opportunity to worship in a building like this. Yet these buildings were built over eighteen-hundred years after Christ walked the earth. I wonder then, will this building be here in 200-years? Or will we have a new church built somewhere else at that point? Will this building be here in 500-years? Will Freeville and Cortland still be called Freeville and Cortland in 500-years? After all were haven’t been here that long.

          Will our very infantile country still be called the United States of America in 200 or 500 years? Will this country still be here in 1,000 years? While we like certainty, and while we like stability, this is the one thing that I know, that only God was before everything, and only God will be after everything. God is the Alpha or beginning and the Omega or the end.

          In addition to this, many of us want to be remembered after our deaths. Perhaps we are recognized through the name of a room, a building, or a stained glass window, and or etc. For years maybe, people will speak of our names, and know who we were. Will people speak of us in 200-years though? Will people speak of us in 500-years, or a 1,000-years? Will the places where we are buried still be in active operation 500-years from now? Could the cemeteries that we get buried in, be consumed by nature 500-years from now? Perhaps 500-years from now, the cemeteries that we will all be buried in one day, will have faded into the landscape. The headstones will have sunken into the soil, and the ones visible will be faded and unreadable. Most people would not even know that the cemeteries that we are in, even used to be cemeteries. I remember coming across some cemeteries in the woods when I would be out with friends as a child. Did those folks realize that were buried in that cemetery, know that their cemetery would fade into the forest?

          The point is, is that so many of us put so much stock into the things of this world, into our legacies, Into our towns, our cities, yet I would argue that God existed long before Freeville and Cortland, and God will exist long after. This means then, that the only constant, the only enteral truth that we will have for eternity, is God. For if 1,000 years from now, if this place no longer exists, and if everyone who used to live here has been forgotten, than only God will know us.

          In this way my brothers and sisters, I don’t wish to be famous. I don’t even wish to even be remembered for hundreds or thousands of years. Instead, I just wish to be faithful to God. It doesn’t matter to me if people remember me for years after I have died on this earth. For as one pastor put it, I seek “to be nameless to history, but faithful for eternity.” For when it is all said and done, this church building may be here, or not. Your house that you live in, might be standing hundreds of years from now, or not, this town or city may be here or not, but God is eternal.

          To connect all of this, we have a challenging gospel of Mark reading for this morning, where Jesus tells the disciples that temple in Jerusalem will be “demolished” (Mark 13:2c, CEB). In fact, Jesus says, “Do you see these enormous buildings? Not even one stone will be left upon another. All will be demolished” (Mark 13:2, CEB). Jesus is saying to his disciples, don’t put you faith in this building, but rather put your faith in God.

          Well as some of us might know, even when Jesus was a child, what is today Israel was essentially a colony of the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire ruled over Israel, and the Jewish people had to pay taxes and tribute to Caesar. Jesus was even tried by the Roman appointed Governor Pontius Pilate. In general, the Jewish people wanted the Romans out, and they wanted their own independent country.

          Jesus was crucified around the year 33 AD, and this morning his disciples are swooning over the beauty of the temple, that was just being finished, by the way. The gospel begins by saying, “As Jesus left the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Teacher, look! What awesome stone and buildings?” (Mark 13:1, CEB). Jesus then says to his friends and brothers, this beautiful temple, and all the buildings that comprise it will be shattered into dust.

          To give just a little bit more history, in the year 66 AD, the Jewish people being tired of living under the oppressive rule of the Roman Empire, rebelled against the Romans. This rebellion was crushed in 70 AD, when the Roman army utterly destroyed the entire temple. Every building of the temple, every edifice of the temple, was destroyed, as Jesus told his disciples would happen. All that remains of this temple in Jerusalem today, is part of the Western or Wailing Wall. As Jesus Christ predicted though, all of the actual temple would be destroyed. He was telling his disciples then, don’t trust in the building, trust in me. For longer after this building is gone, “I AM.”

          To hear a different version of this, in the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, it says in Mark 13:2, “Then Jesus asked him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down” (Mark 13:2, NRSV). All that remains of the great temple is the Western Wall, which is like a fence remaining on the out perimeter of a destroyed house. Further, I have to agree with what the disciples said this morning when they said, “What awesome stones,” as the stones in the Western or wailing wall are huge (Mark 13:1b, CEB).

          So, I am saying lets abandon this building, or our towns and our cities? Of course I am not! In fact, I hope that this church building will be here for years and years and years to come. I hope that Freeville and Cortland will be here hundreds of years from now, but Jesus points out to us this morning, that only God is eternal. Memories fade, things change, but God is eternal.

          After Jesus told his disciples about the coming destruction of the temple, he then led them to the Mount of Olives. The Mount of Olives is a beautiful place in Jerusalem, and it overlooks the ancient city. At the bottom of the Mount of Olives is the Garden of Gethsemane and a church that was built there to commemorate it.

          At this point in the scripture the gospel says that, “Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, “Tell us when these things will happen? What sign will show that all these things are about to come to an end?” (Mark 13:3b-4, CEB). Peter, James, John, and Andrew were essentially saying then, “we believe you that the temple will be destroyed Lord.” What there were asking here though, is “how will we know that the destruction of the temple is coming?”

          Jesus then tells these four of disciples, “Watch out that no one deceives you. Many people will come in my name saying, ‘I’m the one!’ They will deceive many people” (Mark 13:5-6, CEB). Jesus is telling these four disciples, to trust in him, trust in God.

          Jesus then says, “When you hear of wars and reports of wars, don’t be alarmed. These things must happen, but his isn’t the end yet” (Mark 13:7, CEB). Jesus is saying then, these will be the signs of the coming destruction of the temple, but it is not end Jesus said. For Jesus’ return, his second coming to earth, is the end.

          In the last verse of gospel readings, Jesus then says, “Nations and kingdoms will fight against each other, and there will be earthquakes and famines in all sorts of places. These things are just the beginning of the sufferings associated with the end” (Mark 13:8, CEB). So not only is Jesus prophetically speaking of the signs that will trigger the destruction of the great temple, but he also seems to speaking of the signs that will one day usher in his return or “Second Coming,” or as he says, “the end” (Mark 13:8c, CEB).

          As I was writing this sermon, and as I was thinking about the words that Jesus spoke on the Mount of Olives to his four disciples, I thought about the recent attack in Paris. How many of us feel grief, anger, and sadness at the continued barbarity of terrorist and extremist groups. How some people, might even get angry with God, saying things like, “If we truly had a loving God, how could such things happen?”

          It would seem to me that in our own free will that we sometimes freely chose to harm others. That we sometimes freely chose to cause great human suffering. I heard at least a few times yesterday, different Christians saying “Come, Lord Jesus.” Most Christians say this not out of a desire to usher in a bloody and violent apocalypse, but instead to say, “God we need you now!” “God we need you to intervene in this world, and make things right!” When we say, “Come, Lord Jesus,” we are saying, “Jesus come and help us to build the world you called us to build.” We might even say, “We know that when it is all said and done, that all there is, is us and you God, but until then, won’t you come and help us set this whole things right.”

          While I will support bringing people to justice and protecting the weak and the innocent, to honor my French brothers and sisters in Paris this morning, I say, “Come, Lord Jesus.”

          I hope that these church buildings may be used to bring glory to God for years, and even centuries to come. I hope that Freeville and Cortland, and the United States of America remain here and strong for many years to come. I hope that through God’s help that we can continue to build a world of peace, justice, prosperity, and human flourishing. I hope we can continue to build that kingdom of God that Jesus taught us about long before this town or city existed, long before this church existed, long before we were walking this earth. For when it is all said and done, Jesus tell us in Matthew 6:21, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Mt. 6:21, NRSV). I give to God, through his church, because as because since my heart is with God, so is my treasure is with God to.

          I would like to close with a quote from “St. Nicholas of Flue.” Here is what the quote says, “Seek to keep peace. Protect widows and orphans and you have done before. Such care gives the greatest joy possible on earth, since it is thanksgiving to God, and it give God greater joy in heaven. You must also prevent public sins and always personally insist on justice. You should carry the passion of God in your hearts, for it will be your consolations in your last hour.”

So this morning, I say to you in general, and I say for my brothers and sister in Paris, France, “Come, Lord Jesus.” I say again, “Come, Lord Jesus.” Amen.

Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC's - Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost/Veteran's Day Sunday - 11/08/15 Sermon - “two small copper coins worth a penny"

Sunday 11/08/15 Freeville/Homer Ave UMC’s

Sermon Title: “two small copper coins worth a penny”

                            

Old Testament Lesson: Psalm 127

                                            

New Testament Scripture: Hebrews 9:24-28

Gospel Lesson: Mark 12:38-44

          Friends, brothers and sisters, I want to welcome you once again, on this the Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost, and this Veteran’s Day Sunday. Twenty-Four Sundays after the first Christians and the Apostles went forth proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ, to a broken and a hurting world. Today, nearly two-thousand years later, we continue that mission of preaching the Good News of healing, of loving, and of building God’s Kingdom here on earth, as we await the coming kingdom of Jesus Christ.

          Today is also a day that we honor our Veteran’s. Specifically, today we honor not just the men and the women who have or are serving in one of the five branches of the armed forces, but we also honor all men and women who protect our rights and freedoms. Today, we honor fire fighters, police officers, first responders, EMT’s, 911 dispatchers, soldiers, and all of the men and women who keep us safe. For without them, we would not be here today. May we be immensely grateful for their service and their labors to our country.

          The call to protect and serve others, is a mighty call indeed. A call that urges us to defend the innocent, to defend the weak, and to defend the helpless. As a church, Jesus Christ has called us to serve the innocent, the weak, and the helpless.

          This means that while there are some places in the world where people are torn down and rejected, that the church must be a place of refuge, a place of peace, a place of Jesus Christ, and a place of healing. In a world that so often seems like that it is a sinking ship, the church must be the life boat.

          Yet the reality is that in order for the church to function, we have to give of our time, our talents, and our resources. Some people might say, “well pastor, the church just wants our money. They don’t care about us.” Yet there are others that may say, “my church is an extension of my family. They are here for me when my world is dark. I give, because when I do, I support the mission of my family.”

          If the Christian Church is a family, then we give of our time, of our talents, and of our resources, so that we, and all of our brothers and sisters may grow in faith. We give so that the church can fulfill its mission of “making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.”

          I like to think of it like this, I give not just because the bible tells me to tithe, but I also give in addition to that, because I believe in the church and in its mission. My hope then, is for people to not only give to the church, because of the biblical call to tithe, but it is my hope that people also give to the church, because they say, “in my church, lives are changed.” They say, “in my church, the suffering are comforted.” They say, “my church was there for me when all was lost.”

          You see Melissa and I give to this church and the other church that I serve, as well as to many other ministries, not just only because it’s biblical, but also because I believe in our mission. I give because I see what happens when I do. As I am getting older, I am also finding that I want less possessions, and instead I want to give more away to others.

          Some might challenge this and say, “well pastor what are the dividends that you draw from your giving?” They might say, “well what good has ever come from your giving?” Well I will answer my question by quoting something that my father said to me. He said, “Paul some people invest in stocks, some people invest in land and real-estate, but you Paul, you invest in people.” I give because the world changes when we come together. I give because I love my family, and I support them. I give, because I have seen lives changed in here, and because God is so good.

          So often, many of us see church giving as merely another bill that we have to account for. For some of us, when we pay bills like our car insurance bill, we might ask, “what do we get back in return for this?” Well when I give to the church, I get the love and blessings of God, I get to know that Malaria in Africa is being abolished. I get the joy of being there for you, for your family, for your children, and for your grandchildren. I get to be there when things are hard. I get to be there when things are impossible. I get to be there to see how God changes us. How we go from sinners to saints. Other than just the bible then, this is why I give. I give to God, because when I do, things happen. I give and trust him with everything that I am and everything that I have, because he is good all the time.

I remember when I was first a pastor in the Adirondack District of this United Methodist Church Conference. One Sunday morning, I almost tripped walking to the altar with the collection plates during a worship service. I did this because I didn’t want to look at the money. I didn’t want to know what people gave. The reason for this, was largely due to the gospel of Mark reading that we have from this morning. This story, also in the gospel of Luke, is the story of the poor widow who gives “two small copper coins worth a penny” as offering to God in the temple (Mk. 12:42b, CEB). In this story that I will get into a little more in a few minutes, a poor woman gave all that she had to God, while wealthy folks gave some of their excess. Yet she gave generously.

Giving then, of our time, our talents, and our resources can be a hard and a stressful thing. Further, whose gifts to God are worth the most? Giving as much as we can to God, is what we are called to do.

          In looking at our reading from Psalm 127 from this morning, it begins by saying, “Unless it is the Lord who builds the house, the builder’s work is pointless” (Ps. 127:1, CEB). For some of us though, we seem to think that this church building and all of this just magically appeared. Further, do we realized what this church has survived through? I mean this church has existed through the Great Depression, World Wars, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, Disco, and every social and political movement that has occurred in the last one-hundred years. When Neil Armstrong walked on the moon in 1969, this church was here.

          Do we think that this church is here just because of our hard work only to keep it going? Don’t get me wrong, our work is a strong part of it, but has God been present in this place from day one? Did God’s love so change people in this place, that they in turn changed others? When these people’s lives and hearts were changed here, did those people not then become part of this church?

          You see we are capable of keeping the church surviving, but do we trust God enough to have a church that goes from surviving to thriving? When we do that, when we love each other like that, the church then becomes strong, we have all that we need, and we continue our mission. I mean how else is it logically possible that the church can still be here? This church has been through so much. I believe that this church is here, because people were loved, they were cared for, they met Jesus Christ as there Lord and savior, and they were changed here. This then unlocked something in them, and they became part of the church. They pursued God, and then God used them to bring others to Christ. These people in turn gave generously to the church, because the church became their family. They might not have had much to give, but they gave generously of what they had. You see God uses us to bring people from the sinking ship of this world, to the life boat of the church. That’s why we give. That’s why we do what we do.

          In looking more closely at the gospel lesson from Mark for this morning, we once again have the story of the “poor widow” who gave “two small copper coins worth a penny” as offering to God in the temple (Mk. 12:42b, CEB).

          Well first off, Jesus talks to us about fakers. In fact he said, “What out for the legal experts. They like to walk around in long robes. They want to be greeted with honor in the markets” (Mk. 12:38, CEB). Jesus then says, “They long for places of honor in the synagogues and at banquets. They are the one who cheat widows out of their homes, and to show off they say long prayers. They will judged most harshly.” (Mk. 12:39-40, CEB).  

          I sometimes joke that people like this are “playing church.” People that “play church, go to church so that it will make them look good. They give, so that they will praised by others. Yet the church continues because we are faithful to God. It continues because people come to know Jesus Christ

           Then the gospel says that, “Jesus sat across form the collection box for the temple treasury and observed how the crown gave their money. Many rich people were throwing in lots of money” (Mk. 12:41, CEB). After this, the gospel says, “One poor widow came forward and put in tow small copper coins worth a penny” (Mk. 12:42, CEB).

          Now I can guess that people who were in the synagogue or the temple to bring glory to themselves, may have looked down on this poor widow woman. They may have seen her as insignificant.  Yet the gospel then says, “Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I assure you that poor widow has put more that everyone who’s been putting money in the treasury. All of them are giving out of their spare change. But she from her hopeless poverty has given everything she had, even what she needed to live on” (Mk. 12:43-44, CEB).

          Now I don’t think that Jesus is calling us to give away the rent money, our gas money, and etc., but what he is saying is this, give because you want to give. Give because you love God, and give because you believe in the mission of the church. We are biblically supposed to give, but we should want to give.

Imagine a church then, where we gave because we are so in love with God, the church, and its mission. Imagine a church where we give because we are excited, we are blessed, and because we believe that God is doing great things in us and through us.

This is why I give. This is why, when Melissa and I finally sell our house this week, we will be planning to give even more next year. We give because God is good, and because he has blessed so much. The more we get, to more we give.

          So the next time that we walk into this church, the next time we fellowship with our Christian brothers and sisters, let’s remember that it has been prayer and faith in God that has brought us this far. For if we put our trust in the Lord, then the church cannot fail. In fact, Jesus said in Matthew 16:18, “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (Mt. 16:18, NKJV). To me then, this is why the church can be stronger than ever before, this is why we give, and this is why chose to be the church together. For God is good, and we give so that we can honor God, so that we can bring people to Jesus Christ, and so that we can bless others.

          I want to share a story with you about giving called, “Good Corn.” This story was reported in reported in James Bender How to Talk Well (New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., 1994). Here is how it goes:

“There was once a farmer who grew award-winning corn. Each year he entered his corn in the state fair where it won first prize. One year a newspaper reporter interviewed him and learned the farmer’s strategy for growing winning corn. What was it? Simply this: the farmer shared his seed corn with his neighbors.

“How can you afford to share your best seed corn with your neighbors when they are entering corn in competition with yours each year?” the reporter asked.”

“Why” said the farmer, “don’t you know? The wind picks up pollen from the ripening corn and swirls it from field to field. If my neighbors grow inferior corn, cross-pollination will steadily degrade the quality of my corn. If I am to grow good corn, I must help my neighbors grow good corn.”                                               

The lesson for each of us is this: if we are to grow good corn, we must help our neighbors grow good corn.

I believe my brothers and sisters that when we give to God, we all benefit from the giving. We all benefit from our salvation in Jesus Christ. I believe that we when give, we all become more blessed, that we are all feed, and that we are all cared for. So as we are in the midst of another stewardship season, I would ask us all to pray about and think about our giving to God. For God is so good. Amen.