Sunday
11/11/18 - Sidney UMC
Sermon Title: “Offered once to bear the sins of many”
Old Testament
Scripture: Psalm 127
New Testament
Scripture: Hebrews 9:24-28
Gospel Lesson:
Mark 12:38-44
Once again, happy Veteran’s Day, and happy Twenty-Fifth
Sunday after Pentecost.
On this Sunday, it is always a joy and a pleasure for me to
honor, to remember, and to celebrate the veterans of our armed services, as
well as all of the other men and women who suit up and serve.
Some might ask, how long have we celebrated Veteran’s Day?
Where did the Veteran’s Day holiday come from? Well according to one source
that I looked up, Veteran’s Day is:
“Is an official United States public holiday, observed annually on November 11, that honors military veterans; that is, persons who served in the United States Armed Forces. It
coincides with other holidays, including Armistice Day and Remembrance Day, celebrated in other countries that mark the
anniversary of the end of World War I; major hostilities of World War I were formally ended
at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, when the Armistice
with Germany went into effect.
The United States previously observed Armistice Day. The U.S. holiday was
renamed Veterans Day in 1954”
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veterans_Day).
So today we honor our veterans and their sacrifice, and my hope
this morning, is that I will be able to connect their sacrifice to the
sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for us all.
When we look at the history of our country and many
countries there are many wars that were fought. For some of us, we might say
that a certain war was or was not needed. Yet, whatever our view of certain war
happens to be, it is only right that we honor those who have served. So often
our brave men and women served without knowing where they would serve, they
only knew that they would serve. War is a terrible thing, and I hope and pray
that we never have a war ever again. Since we have so many brave men and women
who are willing to serve though, today we honor them and their families.
Of the many that have served over the years, some soldiers
have even taken it upon themselves to risk and or lay down their very lives to
save and to protect others. I have read and have heard so many stories about soldiers
who literally ran into gun fire to pull a wounded soldier off the battle field.
As that soldier scooped up that wounded soldier and put him over his shoulders,
he then ran that wounded soldier to safety, still under fire.
In the gospel of John 15:13 Jesus tells us:
“No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life
for one’s friends”
(Jn.
15:13, NRSV).
Living in a family where my step-dad Mike is a retired Air
Force Master Sergeant, I have learned through him a little bit about what it
means to serve. I still remember after the 9/11 attacks, Mike getting called up
to coordinate help with everything there. I thought it was pretty awesome as a
kid to see Mike, who was Chaplain Assistant helping and doing church services
on the base. The fact that I am standing here today is in part due to him, and
yes he is still trying to talk me into being an Air Force Chaplain.
Now don’t get me wrong, not every soldier wins a medal for
pulling someone wounded out of combat, not all soldiers died protecting their
fellow soldiers. This morning though, we hear about Jesus’ commitment to us in
our reading from the Book of Hebrews. The commitment of Christ laying himself
down to save us.
A really good movie that has come out in the past couple of
years is a movie called “Hacksaw Ridge”. This movie, that was directed by Mel
Gibson depicts the:
“World War II experiences of Desmond Doss, an American pacifist combat medic who, as a Seventh-day Adventist Christian,
refused to carry or use a weapon or firearm of any kind. Doss became the
first conscientious
objector to be awarded the Medal of Honor, for service above and beyond the call of duty during
the Battle of Okinawa”
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hacksaw_Ridge).
In
this battle, Desmond Doss, who was a real person by the way, rescued
75-soldiers during the Battle of Okinawa, in World War II, on a place called
“Hacksaw Ridge”. Not only did Mr. Doss serve selflessly, but his faith in Jesus
Christ guided him. He joined the army to save lives, and he was willing to lay
down his own life to save the lives of people he had just met. Sounds like what
Jesus would do.
I
like to honor our veterans, our police officers, our fire fighters, our EMT’s,
our first responders, and etc., because they have served and continue to serve
every day. Sure we hear about the couple of bad eggs here or there, but the vast
majority of these men and women serve and protect every single day.
Many
of us know all too well about the recent Jewish Tree of Life Synagogue shooting
in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. What you might not know though is that four police
officers were wounded in apprehending the shooter in that incident. They were
wounded in trying to protect the innocent.
“No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life
for one’s friends”
(Jn.
15:13, NRSV).
So how does this connect to our reading from the Book of Hebrews
for this morning? Well once again the Apostle says in Hebrews 9:24-28:
“For Christ did not enter a
sanctuary made by human hands, a mere copy of the true one, but he entered into
heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it
to offer himself again and again, as the high priest enters the Holy Place year
after year with blood that is not his own; for then he would have had to suffer
again and again since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has
appeared once for all at the end of the age to remove sin by the sacrifice of
himself. And just as it is appointed for mortals to die once, and after that
the judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many,
will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are
eagerly waiting for him”.
(Heb. 9:24-28, NRSV)
So what is the
Apostle Paul saying? The Apostle Paul is saying that Jesus was not a sacrifice
in a sanctuary or a temple made by human hands, and further that entered into
heaven itself. The Apostle Paul says that Jesus appeared in the presence of God
on our behalf. He then says that unlike the animal sacrifices that were done
over and over again that Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for us was a one-time
shot.
Specifically
that Jesus left the side of his Heavenly Father to come to earth and be born of
a virgin named Mary. He would then live a sinless life, loving, healing,
forgiving, and teaching his gospel, and he would then die for the sins of the
world. As Paul says in this morning’s reading, Jesus sacrificed himself for us.
“No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life
for one’s friends”
(Jn.
15:13, NRSV).
The Apostle
then ends this reading in Hebrews 9:28 saying:
“so Christ, having been offered
once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin,
but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him”. (Heb. 9:28, NRSV)
The Apostle Paul is telling us that
only did Jesus die for us and for all people, but that one day that he will
turn to earth in glory.
Now the way that Apostle Paul talked
about Jesus sacrificing himself for us, struck a chord in me about what some of
our veterans have done. How some of them defended the weak, charged in to say
the wounded, or literally gave their lives to save others.
“No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life
for one’s friends”
(Jn. 15:13, NRSV).
The other thing is that on Veteran’s
Day, I don’t honor just the admirals or the generals and neglect the enlisted
soldiers. I do my best to honor all men and women who have served. It isn’t
about how much we have, it isn’t always about how much we give, it is more that
we are willing to serve, that we are willing to give.
So there is this equality on Veteran’s
Day that we honor men and women who have served, and regardless of their rank,
standing, or branch of the armed services, we honor them all equally.
Our gospel of Mark less for this
morning connects some with this idea. Once again Mark 12:38-40 says of Jesus:
“As he taught,
he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and to
be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have the best seats in the
synagogues and places of honor at banquets! They devour widows’ houses and for
the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater
condemnation.”
It’s not about who is the best, it’s about our
willingness to serve, to love, and to care. Mark 12:41-44 then ends once again
by saying:
“He sat down opposite the treasury, and
watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in
large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are
worth a penny. Then he called his disciples and said to them, “Truly I tell
you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the
treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out
of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.” (Mk.
12:41-44, NRSV).
It isn’t about how rich we are, how
important we are, or what rank we have, it is about our ability to serve, to
give, and the love.
In fact, the Apostle Paul said in
Roman 5:8:
“But God proves his love for us in that while we still were
sinners Christ died for us”. (Rom. 5:8, NRSV)
This means
that we are all equal at the foot of the cross of Christ. This means that Jesus
died for all people. Likewise on Veteran’s Day we honor not just the leaders,
but all those who have served whether they give large sums, or two small copper
coins. What matters is our willingness to show up, to serve, to give, and to
love. When we do that the church is renewed and healthy, and with this same
attitude on this day we honor our great veterans. Christ gave his life for us,
just like some of our veterans did the same. Amen.
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