Sunday
09/11/16 Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC’s
Sermon Title: “Mercy” (“Spiritual Gifts” Series –
Part 2 of 7)
Old Testament
Scripture: Psalm 14:1-7
New Testament
Scripture: 1 Timothy 1:12-17
Gospel Lesson:
Luke 15:1-10
My sisters and brothers, my friends, welcome once again on
this the Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost. Seventeen Sundays after the Holy
Spirit moved in that Upper Room so long ago, and the Christian Church was born.
On that day, those first disciples of Jesus Christ went
forth loving, healing, and forgiving in Jesus Christ’s name. All of those first
disciples and the many more to come had different gifts and abilities, just
like we do today. When we come together as God’s people, as the church, we are then
able to use our God given gifts and abilities, and our God given spiritual
gifts, for the glory of God. It is important therefore, to know what our God
given gifts are. Perhaps you already know what your God given gifts are, as
well as your God given spiritual gifts.
Of the many spiritual gifts, or gifts that God gives us all
to grow and serve God through the church and in general, I started a sermon
series last week that discusses seven of the many possible spiritual gifts.
Two
weeks ago, I also gave out a spiritual gifts survey, and I also have a
scriptural chart of spiritual gifts, as well. If you haven’t already taken the
spiritual gifts survey, or picked up a spiritual gifts chart, I would encourage
you to do so. In taking the spiritual gifts survey, perhaps you will just be reaffirming
what you already know, or perhaps you will be discovering your spiritual gifts
from God for the first time. Also, in beginning a new school year, and in many
things picking up in these fall months, I thought that it would be a good time to
see, or to re-see where God has spiritually gifted us.
Once again, the scriptures that discuss spiritual gifts,
are largely listed in the Apostle Paul’s letters, and are Romans 12:6-8, 1
Corinthians 12:8-10, 1 Corinthians 12:28, Ephesians 4:11, and also 1 Peter
4:11. There are also a couple of potential references to spiritual gifts in the
Old Testament, as well. For example, it says in Joel 2:28, “Then afterward I
will pour out my spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall
prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions
(Joel 2:28, NRSV). These few Old Testament references though are not nearly as
clear and or straight forward as the ones in the New Testament, but do
indirectly discuss spiritual gifts.
While the list of spiritual gifts can be debated as in how
many of them there are, and while our spiritual gifts survey lists sixteen
spiritual gifts, I have decided as I said, to focus on just the seven spiritual
gifts that Apostle Paul lays out in Romans 12:6-8.
Last week, I first discussed the spiritual gift of “giving”
or “generosity,” and how “giving” is a spiritual gift from God. In giving, we
get to decide how we will give of our time, our talent, and our resources, and
in doing this, we must trust God to honor and bless our various types of
giving. To really have the spiritual gift of “giving” or “generosity”, is to
give very generously, and to trust in God in doing so.
The spiritual gift that I want to discuss this morning that
the Apostle Paul lays out in Romans 12:6-8, is the spiritual gift of “mercy”.
According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, the definition of the word
“mercy” means:
1a. Compassion or forbearance shown
especially to an offender or to one subject to one's power; also: lenient or compassionate
treatment.
1b. Imprisonment rather than death
imposed as penalty for first-degree murder.
2a. A blessing that is an act of divine
favor or compassion.
2b.
A fortunate circumstance.
3. Compassionate treatment of those in distress.
(http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mercy)
To
show someone unexpected love, forgiveness, compassion, and or empathy, can be, based
on the circumstances, the gift of “mercy”. Another definition of “mercy” is
that it is: “Possibly identical to the gift of helping or serving, the
mercy-shower possesses a ministry of visitation, prayer, and compassion to the
poor and sick” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiritual_gift).
I suppose another way to define the spiritual gift of “mercy”
is to show the kindness, love, and forgiveness that I just explained, but doing
this when it is hard, or when it is unexpected.
In the gospel of Luke 6:36 Jesus tells us: “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” (Lk.
6:36, NRSV). In the Apostle Paul’s Epistle or letter to Titus in the New
Testament, he said 3:5 of Jesus Christ, “he saved us, not because of any works
of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy, through the
water of rebirth and renewal by the
Holy Spirit” (Tit. 3:5, NRSV).
When Jesus Christ was hanging and
dying on the cross, he said of those killing him in the gospel of Luke 23:34a:
“Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing” (Lk. 23:34a,
NRSV).
“Mercy” my brothers and sisters.
Showing people kindness, love, compassion, empathy, and concern, and sometimes
when it is undeserved and not expected. Last Sunday in the Roman Catholic
Church, Pope Francis formally made Mother Theresa into a saint of the church. For
me, when I think of the now Saint Mother Theresa, I think of among other
spiritual gifts, the gift of “mercy”. This was a woman who gave all that she
had, and who showed incredible kindness, love, compassion, and empathy. Since
she did this, is was transformative, and it change countless lives.
I also think of the great sacrifice
made by so many men and women on and after September 11, 2001. I remember fire
fighters, police, and civilians working tirelessly to save lives. I remember
the fire fighters who died trying to get people to safety. Friends, I am
talking about the spiritual gift of “mercy”. Do you have the spiritual gift of
“mercy”?
The reality my brothers and sisters,
is that Jesus Christ is the embodiment of all of the spiritual gifts, as he had
and has all of them, at the fullest of levels. If you haven’t gotten the scores
on your spiritual gifts surveys in some of the categories that you hoped for,
realize that the only one who had all of these spiritual gifts perfectly was
Jesus Christ. Since Jesus Christ modeled and lived great “mercy”, love, and
compassion, we are called to do our best to do the same. As it is, some of us
have been given by God a great amount of the gift of “mercy,” and some of us
have not. Do you, do I, and have the spiritual gift of “mercy”? If yes or no,
how much of the spiritual gift of “mercy” has God given you? Further, do we not
realize that when come together as the church, that all of the gifts of God, of
Jesus Christ are present? This is why coming together as the church is so
important, and is so vital, as we need all of the spiritual gifts of God to
fully complete our mission.
In the Apostle Paul’s Epistle or
letter to the Hebrews, he said in 4:16: “Let us therefore approach the throne
of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in
time of need” (Heb. 4:16, NRSV). Friends, when we sinners, come to Jesus Christ
in our brokenness, when we come to Jesus Christ with all the mistakes and
troubles that we have, and when we repent ask him for forgiveness, he will show
us “mecry”. When we tell Jesus that we have put our full faith and trust in
him, and that we want him to be the Lord of our lives, then Jesus promises us
forgiveness. Through the Holy Spirit, we can then be filled, renewed,
regenerated, and forgiven, and through this, Jesus Christ has said that he will
not only show us forgiveness, love, compassion, but also great “mercy”. Has God
given you the spiritual gift of “mercy” like this? For as the Apostle Peter
writes in his first Epistle or letter in 1:3: “Blessed be the God and Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a
living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,” (1 Pet.
1:3, NRSV).
Brothers and sisters, Jesus Christ,
the living God in the flesh came to earth to love, heal, and forgive. In doing
so he showed us and still shows us great mercy. Jesus wants to forgive and show
us all great mercy, and all we have to do is say yes to Jesus Christ. In doing
this, we will be shown great mercy and love.
In effort to connect our gospel of
Luke reading this morning with the spiritual gift of “mercy,” the gospel begins
by saying: “Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen
to him. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This
fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them” (Lk. 15:1-2, CEB). Jesus was being criticized for showing love
and mercy.
Yet, don’t all sinners need
forgiveness? Don’t we need forgivness? Shouldn’t we want to eat with sinners,
as we want them to know the freedom that we have found through Jesus Christ? Jesus
Christ had love, compassion, kindness, and “mercy” for all people. Jesus showed
“mercy” to the woman at the well, to the lepers, to the blind man, to the man with
the withered hand, and so many others. Do we show that kind of forgiveness,
love, compassion, and “mercy”? Do you have the spiritual gift of “mercy”? Being
able to forgive, to “turn the other cheek,” and to show love when it isn’t
easy.
The gospel of Luke reading this
morning then continues with Jesus telling us a parable, or a story. Jesus first
tells us the parable of “the lost sheep,” and in this parable or story, Jesus
talks about if a person has a hundred sheep, and one becomes lost, how we
should go and find the lost sheep (Lk. 15:4-7, CEB). What Jesus is talking
about here is the need to extend love, kindness, compassion, and “mercy” to all
people. The idea that God loves us so much, that he will seek us out, even if
we are the one and only lost sheep. When we come Jesus, Jesus then says in the
gospel, “there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over
ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance” (Lk. 15:7, CEB).
You see sisters and brothers, Jesus
Christ came to seek out the least, the lost, and the lesser-thans, and he
showed them great “mercy”. The spiritual gift of “mercy” is a great gift
indeed. Do you have the spiritual gift of “mercy”?
The gospel of Luke reading concludes
this morning with Jesus telling another parable or story. This is the parable
of the “ten silver coins” (Lk. 15:8, CEB). In this parable, Jesus says, “What
woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp,
sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it?” (Lk. 15:8, CEB).
Jesus then says of the lost silver coin, “When she has found it, she calls
together her friends and neighbors, saying ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found
the coin that I had lost’ (Lk. 15:9, CEB).
Jesus then ends this reading by
saying, “Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God
over one sinner who repents” (Lk. 15:10, CEB). This gift of salvation, the gift
of Jesus Christ. Do we have the spiritual gift of “mercy”? Are we willing to
forgive, love, and show compassion, empathy, and “mercy” to those around us?
Are we will to show love and “mercy” even to people that have hurt us, or have
harmed us? Do you have the spiritual gift of “mercy”? Jesus Christ had to the
upmost.
To begin to bring this message to a
close this morning, I want to talk about one the greatest examples in the bible
of the spiritual gift of “mercy”. In the gospel of Luke 15, Jesus shares the
parable, or the story of “the prodigal son”. Most of us know this story well,
that a rich land owning man gave to his youngest of two sons his inheritance
early. This means that the rich land owning father gave his youngest son 50% of
his wealth.
This youngest son then squandered and
spent all of this money on wild and loose living. The youngest son was then down
to feeding pigs, and had nothing. He then decided that he could either starve
to death or go back home to his father and beg to live as one of his father’s
servants.
Now remember he had spent one-half of
the father’s life savings, and had now greatly embarrassed his family and his
town. According to the laws in the Jewish Torah, the folks in the town that
youngest son lived in would be well within their right to kill this young man
for his sinful and disgraceful behavior.
One would think that the father
himself would be angry at his youngest son, and would not want to see him
again. Perhaps some would think that the father would be glad if folks from the
town strung up and killed his youngest son as a punishment for his sinfulness,
if she should ever return.
Yet the father, like God the Father,
showed great “mercy” on the youngest son. God will also show us mercy, if we
ask for it. So the rich land owning man saw his youngest son saw his youngest
son coming up the road from a distance away. You know the one who had spent
half of his father’s life savings?
Yet his father must have known that his son at any point
could be killed by the folks in the town, and his father also probably saw how
skinny and depleted his son looked. Like God, who has great compassion for us,
the father saw his “prodigal son” and he ran to him. He ran to his son to
protect him, and to love, and to show him “mercy”. The father put a robe on his
son, a ring on his finger, sandals on his feet, and had his fatted cow buttered
for a feast for his “prodigal son”. The father then says in Luke 15:24, “for
this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ (Lk.
15:24, CEB).
Brothers and sisters, Jesus Christ is
the embodiment of “mercy” and he will embrace us and forgive us for anything
that we have done. All we have to do like the “prodigal son” is come to him.
When we do, like the “prodigal son’s” father, Jesus will say, Luke 15:24, “for
this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ (Lk.
15:24, CEB).
So friends, so we have the spiritual
gift of “mercy”? Has God blessed us in this way, or do we have other spiritual
gifts? Next week I will be talking about the spiritual gift of “Exhortation,”
also known as encouragement. May we all this day, and always find and give away
the great “mercy” of God offered to us through Jesus Christ. Amen.
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