Sunday
05/29/16 Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC’s
Sermon Title: “Anyone can come to Jesus”
Old Testament
Scripture: Psalm 96
New Testament
Scripture: Galatians 1:1-12
Gospel Lesson:
Luke 7:1-10
Friends, my brothers and sisters, welcome again on this the
Second Sunday after Pentecost, and this Memorial Day Weekend. Two Sundays ago
we celebrated the holiday of Pentecost, which was that day so long ago that the
Holy Spirit moved like a mighty fire or a mighty wind, and showed up to the
disciples. On the day of Pentecost, the disciples were filled with the power
and the love of God, and the Christian Church was officially born. Those
followers of Jesus Christ preached and spread the gospel of Christ, and we who
are here today are a part of that continued story.
In inching ever closer to the summer months, we also now find
ourselves now in season in the church that we call “Ordinary Time,” or “Common
Time”. During these many weeks to come we will see green paraments adorn the
pulpit, the lectern, and the altar. These many weeks will culminate with All
Saints Sunday, and then Advent at the end of November, which will take us out
of “Ordinary Time,” or “Common Time”. We also have some “Ordinary Time,” or “Common
Time” that falls in January through the beginning of Lent, but this stretch of “Ordinary
Time” or “Common Time” that we now find ourselves in currently, is by far the
biggest stretch in the church calendar.
I remember when I was attending my first seminary on
Rochester, I joked with the head of the seminary that Jesus must have been a
teacher. The head of the seminary said, “Well Paul, one of Jesus’ titles was “Rabbi,”
so yes among other things, he was a teacher”. I then said to the head of the
seminary, “No, I mean that I think that Jesus was public school teacher”. The
head of the seminary then looked at me perplexed and said, “Why would you think
that Jesus was a public school teacher?” I then said, “because everything
powerful, exciting, and important that Jesus did was during the school year,
like most teachers”. The head of the seminary then said, “What do you mean?” I
then said, “Well in the summer we are in “Ordinary Time” and everything is
green all summer long with no major holidays, so Jesus must have taken the
summers off”!
The head of my first seminary in Rochester thought that
this was absolutely hilarious. What I was getting at was that every year in the
late spring, through every summer, and into the late fall, we find ourselves in
“Ordinary Time” or “Common Time”. No major Christian holidays occur at this
time of the year.
Given this though, this does not mean that church or our
faith is unimportant during “Ordinary Time” or “Common Time”, it generally just
means that some things slow down a bit. This is a season for renewal and
growing in our faith with God, and hopefully not a season of excessive busyness.
This Sunday is also part of Memorial Day Weekend, which
means tomorrow, on Memorial Day, many of you will have the day off of work and
or other obligations. In considering Memorial Day tomorrow, it is a day that we
should remember all of those men and women who died in wars, struggles, and or in
the line of duty, while serving this country. I would ask that this day,
tomorrow, and always, that we remember these men and women who died in the
service of our country. I have something brief that I want to read to you
regarding Memorial Day before I get into the main part of my sermon for this morning.
What I am about read to you was written by President Abraham Lincoln to a Ms.
Bixby of Boston in 1864, during the Civil War. This is what it says: “Dear
Madam,--
I have
been shown in the files of the War Department a statement of the Adjutant
General of Massachusetts that you are the mother of five sons who have died
gloriously on the field of battle. I feel how
weak and fruitless must be any word of mine which should attempt to beguile you
from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering
you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died
to save.
I pray
that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave
you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that
must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom.
Yours,
very sincerely and respectfully, A. Lincoln”.
Friends, brothers and sisters, let us remember all those who have fallen on
Memorial Day.
This morning, with this being Memorial Day Weekend, we have
a gospel lesson from the Gospel of Luke about a solider. This soldier was not
just any soldier. This soldier was not a low level enlisted soldier. This
soldier was not a sergeant, not a master sergeant, but instead was an officer.
More specifically, this gospel lesson from this morning talks about a Roman Centurion,
who was an officer in the army of the Roman Empire. A Roman Centurion would likely
be the equivalent in our military to a captain, and a Roman Centurion often had
60-100 solider beneath his leadership.
We might remember that the one who oversaw the crucifixion
of Jesus Christ was a Roman Centurion. The equivalency of a Captain in our own
military, oversaw and led the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
It
is important to remember that the Roman Army were the occupiers of much of the
known world at the time of Jesus, including Judea, which is part of the country
of Israel today. The world that Jesus grew up in was under the power and the
control of the Roman Empire, and the governor that was put in charge that
allowed Jesus to be crucified was Pontius Pilate. Pontius Pilate was the man
who famously washed his hands of blame for the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, yet
as one of Caesar’s leaders, he allowed the crucifixion to be carried out.
Since the Roman Army was the occupying power that
controlled Judea, they were not liked and were very unpopular in Judea or Israel.
Most people saw them as occupiers, oppressors, and the enemy. While all of the
Roman soldiers were disliked, the officers, the centurions, the generals, we
often disliked the most, as they were the leaders. It is interesting then, that
on this Memorial Day Weekend that we have a gospel lesson from the gospel of
Luke about a soldier, and officer, a Roman Centurion.
In the gospels, many people came to Jesus Christ, and Jesus
Christ likewise went to many people. Jesus went to the lepers, to the woman at
the well, and to many others. Jesus also had many people come to him. Anyone
that came to Jesus, or anyone that showed faith to Jesus, was never turned
away.
For
us to say that Jesus never turned anyone away ,can be an easy statement for us
to make, as Jesus was often called upon, or went to the least, the lost, and
lesser-thans. Yet this morning, on this Memorial Day Weekend, a Roman Officer,
not an enlisted man, but an officer, requests Jesus’ help. Now if you remember,
the Romans were the enemies of Judea, of Israel. The people of Judea, or Israel
did not like occupying Romans. The Romans and their army had all the power, yet
a centurion sends for Jesus’s help.
It would seem to me that if Jesus said no to the Centurion,
that most people in Judea or Israel, wouldn’t blame him. Yet remember, I said
that in the gospels Jesus Christ, our Lord, turned away nobody, not one person.
Jesus Christ invited all people, and still invites us into relationship with
him. For this reason, my sermon title this morning is “Anyone can come to Jesus”.
Friends, Jesus Christ, the son of the loving God, will never turn your away.
Imagine for minute if this country was under the control of
another occupying country, the way we were when the British controlled us as the
13-colonies. Imagine if a British officer sent someone to ask for your help,
knowing that the British were oppressing us, and keeping us in bondage. Would
want to help the British? The “Red Coats”? In Jesus Christ being the savior, he
answers the request that was asked of him by the Centurion’s messengers, as
Jesus Christ never did or never will turn anyone away. For my sisters and
brothers, “Anyone can come to Jesus”.
In looking more closely at the gospel lesson from this
morning, we begin after Jesus was teaching. The gospel starts by saying, “After
Jesus finished presenting all his words among the people, he entered Capernaum”
(Lk. 7:1, CEB). The gospel then says, “A centurion had a servant who was very
important to him, but the servant was ill and about die. When the centurion
heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to Jesus to ask him to come and
heal his servant” (Lk. 7:2-3, CEB). So the Centurion had a sick servant, and
wanted Jesus to save his life.
The gospel then says, “When the centurion heard about
Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to Jesus to ask him to come and heal his
servant. When they came to Jesus, they earnestly pleaded with Jesus, “He
deserves to have you do this for him,” they said (Lk. 7:3-4, CEB). The reason
that Jewish elders said this to Jesus, was because they then tell Jesus, “He
loves our people and he built our synagogue for us” (Lk. 7:5, CEB).
In Jesus turning away no one, the gospel says, “Jesus went
with them. He had almost reached the house when the centurion sent friends to
say to Jesus, “Lord, don’t be bothered. I don’t deserve to have you come under
roof. In fact, I didn’t even consider myself worthy to come to you. Just say
the word and my servant will be healed” (Lk. 7:6-7, CEB). So this is a message
to Jesus, from a Roman Centurion, a Roman officer. This occupier, this Roman
officer feels inferior to Jesus, the one in who he has power over. In fact, the
rest of the message from the Centurion is, “I’m also a man appointed under
authority, with soldiers under me. I say to one, ‘Go,” and he goes, and to
another, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and the servant
does it” (Lk. 7:8, CEB). The Roman Centurion is reemphasizing his power and
authority.
The gospel reading on this Memorial Day Weekend then
concludes with this, “When Jesus heard these words, he was impressed with the
centurion. He turned to the crowd following him and said, “I tell you, even in
Israel I haven’t found faith like this.” When the centurion’s friends returned
to his house, they found the servant restored to health” (Lk. 7:9-10, CEB).
What I find compelling about this story is the reality that
anyone is open and allowed to come to the saving grace of Jesus Christ. It
doesn’t matter if you are considered an enemy, Jesus wants you to come to him.
This story this morning then, shows us that “Anyone can come to Jesus”. This
story shows us that the faith we have in Jesus Christ, that the power and the
love that we are offered through Jesus Christ is available to all people.
Since we live in a world with so much suffering, how can we
love and caring for each other? If we carry the light and love of Jesus Christ,
then how do we share that and love each other? Beyond just this church
building, we can love each, and build relationships with each other. These
relationships, this love, and this faith, that crosses all lines, is how Jesus
Christ came to me, to you, and to us all. The Christian Church then is charged
with bringing the hope and the love of Jesus Christ to broke and hurting world,
so that we transform it.
If this gospel lesson from this morning has taught me
anything then, it is that “Anyone can come to Jesus”. Further, that we are no
better than anyone else. We are all created by God, made to be in relationship
to God, and to love and care for one another. When people feel deeply loved and
cared for, well that is when the gospel of Jesus Christ becomes powerful. I
remember hearing the old quote, “people don’t care how much you know, until
they know how much you care”. This is true with our Christian faith. Many of us
want the church to grow, to be “revitalized”. We have conference programs like “Hand
to Plow,” and other ideas. The reality though, is that radical love and
hospitality has always been how Jesus’ church grew and expanded. That my
sisters and brothers is the million dollar secret to church growth. When we
love each other and everyone radically, when we engage people in conversations
and relationships, we work to go out among them, loving, healing, and caring,
we are living the mission of our church. If Jesus Christ, the savior of the
world, can do this for the servant of an enemy officer, a Roman Centurion, then
I am quite confident that we can build loving and authentic relationships here
in Freeville and all over.
You see my sisters and brothers, when people truly know how
much you care about them, they will see the power of Jesus Christ and his
gospel in you, and then after they know much you care, they will be more likely
to want to hear what you know. Friends, brothers and sisters, may the living
God be with us all, and I pray that you have a happy Memorial Day Weekend.
Amen.
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