Sunday
08/28/16 Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC’s
Sermon Title: “Invite the poor, crippled, lame, and
blind”
(“Pursuing God’s
Kingdom” Series – Part 4 of 4)
Old Testament
Scripture: Psalm 81:1, 10-16
New Testament
Scripture: Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16
Gospel Lesson:
Luke 14:1, 7-14
My sisters and brothers, my friends, welcome again on this
the Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost. Fifteen Sundays after the Holy Spirit
moved in that Upper Room in Jerusalem, and the Christian Church was born. On
that day, the first disciples went forth spreading the Good News of the Gospel
of Jesus Christ. On that day, the disciples and the first Christians went forth
loving, healing, forgiving, and “Pursuing God’s Kingdom”.
Our historic
Christian belief is that Jesus Christ came to earth, as God in the flesh, to
love, heal, and forgive. More than this though, our historic Christian believe
is that Jesus Christ died on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins. In
Jesus’ dying on the cross, he overcame death, sin, and life itself. Since we
cannot free ourselves from sin by ourselves, Jesus came to overcome sin and
death, and through faith in him we can be forgiven. We can be washed white as
snow, and all our previous wrong doings can we wiped away. We can start anew
through Jesus Christ, and we can stand before God one day, justified as
forgiven sinners, through the blood of Jesus Christ.
Our belief in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, and us
asking God, Jesus Christ, to forgive us of all of our sins and wrong doings,
results in us being forgiven. We receive the free gift of salvation, of eternal
life, because we, as sinners, are forgiven, through the cross of Jesus Christ.
This means one day when we stand before God, even though we have erred, even
though we have sinned, even though we have wronged, Jesus Christ consumed our
sins on the cross, and we have been forgiven. On the day we stand before God
then, we are justified and our sin has been covered and cleansed.
I often used to hear this sort of gospel message when
watching an old Rev. Billy Graham “Crusade for Christ” on television. I
remember when Rev. Billy Graham would tell folks that your hurts, your pains,
your regrets, can be forgiven by Jesus Christ. That you can be made anew in
Jesus. I remember watching these “Crusades for Christ,” and seeing people
repent. Seeing them pray to God for forgiveness for everything that they had
ever done that is sinful and wicked. I then saw the joy and the tears as they
felt that feeling of release, or forgiveness, of newness of life in Jesus
Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit.
One of the big questions that I have studied in seminary
and independently though, is what do people do after we have had that faith
conversion? What do people do after that moment of repentance and the
acceptance of Jesus Christ? What I mean by this, is we can say that we are
forgiven by God, and that we believe in Jesus Christ, and because of this, we
can say that one day we will go to heaven. Yet, is that all the Christian faith
is? Are we simply to repent of our sins, accept Jesus Christ, and then just go
on our merry way?
The answer to this, is that the gospel of Jesus Christ
calls us to much more than just salvation. As part of the spiritual change that
occurs in our hearts and in our souls, we are called by God, by Jesus Christ, to
live out our faith. This means, that we are called to change the world in the
here and the now, to engage it, to heal it, and to pursue justice. This is why the
sermon series that I have been preaching on is called, “Pursuing God’s
Kingdom”.
In
the first week of this sermon series called the “Pursuing God’s Kingdom”, Jesus
challenged us to more than just repentance and salvation. Jesus challenged us
to live like him, while we are here on earth. Jesus told us in this first week
of this series, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be too” (Lk. 12:34, CEB). More than just heaven when we
die someday, Jesus said what do you with your time, your talent, and your money
here on earth matters. Do we help and serve others, or do we only help and
serve ourselves?
In the second week of
this series, Jesus tells us that to follow him means we must really mean it.
That to follow Jesus Christ is more than to just believe, it is how we live our
day to day lives.
Last week, Jesus challenged us to do the right thing, even
it is on the Sabbath Day. God, Jesus Christ, encourages us to take a day of
rest, but Jesus also encourages us to have love for each other, no matter what
day it is. For it is never the wrong time to do the right thing.
In the last week of my “Pursuing God’s Kingdom” sermon
series, Jesus tells another way that we can “Pursue God’s Kingdom”. Now there
are more than four ways to “Pursue God’s Kingdom,” but the first three that I
presented, and the last one that I am about present this Sunday, while not all
of the ways to “Pursue God’s Kingdom,” will certainly help us to grow closer to
God and the Kingdom of God.
In this last week of this series, Jesus encourages us in this
morning’s gospel of Luke reading, to “invite the poor, the crippled, lame, and
blind” (Lk. 14:13, CEB). You see when Jesus Christ came to earth to love, heal,
forgive, and to die for the sins of humanity, this includes everyone. You see
my sisters and brothers, God loves all of us equally. When Jesus came, he came
for all people, not just the rich, not just the famous, and not just the
powerful. Jesus came to love, heal, forgive, and die for all people, both past
and present.
If Jesus came for everyone, and if Jesus turned no one away,
then who is welcomed in this church? Do we welcome just some people, or is everyone
welcome?
The founder of the Methodist Movement John Wesley, believed
in what is called the “Unlimited Atonement Theory”. In this theory, John
Wesley, Martin Luther, and most Christians, believe that when Jesus Christ died
on the cross that he died for all people, both past and present. In saying that
Jesus Christ died for all people, this means all people. This also includes
“the poor, the crippled, lame, and blind” (Lk. 14:13, CEB). In the gospel this
morning, Jesus tell us to invite the poor, the crippled, lame, and blind” to
the feast, to the church, to this family of faith (Lk. 14:13, CEB). For all
people need to repent and know Jesus Christ.
If we want to “Pursue God’s Kingdom” then brothers and
sisters, Jesus tells us to bring into the family of faith, all persons. This
means that in this church we have to be comfortable with people from all walks
of life coming in, so that they might know the saving grace of Jesus Christ. So
that we can fully pursue our mission “to make disciples of Jesus Christ, for
the transformation of the world”.
In the gospel of Luke, Jesus says in 15:4-7:
“Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of
them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one
that is lost until he finds it? When
he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and
neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was
lost.’
Just so, I tell you,
there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over
ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance” (Lk. 15:4-7, CEB).
My sisters and
brothers, we are in the “lost sheep” business, and this morning Jesus Christ
says, “invite the poor, the crippled, lame, and blind”
(Lk. 14:13, CEB).
In diving into this gospel reading from the Gospel of Luke
for this morning, Jesus has just been invited to share a meal at the home of
one of Pharisees (Lk. 14:1a, CEB). Now the reason for this invite according to
the scripture, does not seem to be pure and loving in nature, as the scripture
says of the Pharisee and his friends that, “they were watching him closely…”
(Lk. 14:1b, CEB). For those who remember my sermon from last week, we are
encouraged to take a Sabbath Day each week, a day of rest. On our Sabbath Day
though, what counts as work, and what doesn’t?
Well apparently in this gospel lesson from Luke this
morning, having a large meal on the Sabbath Day is not work, but when Jesus
heals another person on the Sabbath Day, he is then accused of doing work
again. Instead of tackling the concept of keeping the Sabbath holy this morning
though, we are given a gospel reading from the gospel of Luke 14:1 and then
7-14. You see in the gospel of Luke 14:2-6, Jesus heals a man, and is then
challenged again in doing this on the Sabbath. Our lectionary reading for Luke
for today doesn’t have this though, because the focus of this morning’s
scripture is not working on the Sabbath Day, but instead is focused on who is
welcomed, who is loved, and who is the most important to God.
So again, Jesus is invited over to a Pharisee’s house for a
meal on this Sabbath Day. I would expect it would be a larger and more ornate
house. I would expect that the quality of the food to be high. After being
judged for healing on the Sabbath Day, Jesus then immediately notices the
seating arrangements, as I said it must have been a large house.
The gospel of Luke reading says,
“When
Jesus noticed how the guests sought out the best seats at the table, he told
them a parable” (Lk. 14:7, CEB). In this parable or story Jesus said,
“When
someone invites you to a wedding celebration, don’t take your seat in the place
of honor. Someone more highly regarded than you could have been invited by your
host. The host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give your
seat to this other person.’ Embarrassed, you will take your seat in the least
important place. Instead, when you receive an invitation, go and sit in the
least important place. When your host approaches you, he will say, ‘Friend,
move up here to a better seat.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of your
fellow guests. All who lift themselves up will be brought low, and those who
make themselves low will be lifted up” (Lk. 14:8-11, CEB).
I suppose these are good words for us, the next time we
tell a visitor to church that they are sitting in our church pew. Jesus encourages
us to sit in the lowliest of places, so that we make room for all people. For
the real treasure that we have is in God, and in his people.
The gospel reading for this morning ends with where I got
my sermon title for this morning. It says,
“Then
Jesus said to the person who had invited him, “When you host a lunch or dinner,
don’t invite your friends, your brothers and sisters, your relatives, or rich
neighbors. If you do, they will invite you in return and that will be your
reward. Instead, when you give a banquet, invite the poor, crippled, lame, and
blind. And you will be blessed because they can’t repay you. Instead, you will
be repaid when the just are resurrected” (Lk. 14:12-14, CEB).
This morning brothers and sisters, Jesus challenges us to
welcome in all people, as all people need to repent of their sins, as all
people need God’s grace, and as Jesus Christ died for all persons, both past
and present.
In bringing this sermon to a close, I want to share a short
story with you about Saint Lawrence. You know the guy they named that
university after up in Canton, NY. This story is about what Saint Lawrence saw
as the God’s treasure. This story is called of course “St. Lawrence,” and it
comes from Wikipedia, and www.americancatholic.org. Here is what the story says
of Saint Lawrence: “Lawrence was a deacon serving in Rome in the third century
when a wave of persecution broke out. When Pope Sixtus and others were killed
Lawrence knew it was only a matter of time before they came for him. As keeper
of the Church’s goods, he had already been responsible for giving alms to the
poor. Now he started giving them even more. Soon Lawrence was called before
Roman officials who demanded he hand over the church’s treasure.
He replied that indeed the church was rich and asked for three days to get
everything in order. The days passed and the Roman officials arrived not to a
church filled with silver and gold but one filled with the poor, blind, lame
and leprous. “Here are the treasures of the church” declared Lawrence. The
officials were furious and in the year 258 had Lawrence executed. Lawrence was
right about the treasures of the church was he not?”
Friends, I think that Saint Lawrence University is a well
named university. This morning Jesus tells us “invite the poor, the crippled,
lame, and blind,” as we all need Jesus, and as we are all treasures to God and
the church (Lk. 14:13, CEB).
The
future of the Christian Church is dependent on our wiliness to live the mission
of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, us seeking the power of God, and our willingness
to boldly love each other. Let us this day and always, let us seek out the
least, the lost, and lesser-thans, as Jesus came for all and died for all.
Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment