Sidney UMC - All Saints Sunday/Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost - 11/03/19 - Sermon - “We stand in a line of Heroes"

Sunday 11/03/19 - Sidney UMC

Sermon Title: “We stand in a line of Heroes”

Old Testament Scripture: Daniel 7:1-3, 15-18

                                            

New Testament Scripture: Ephesians 1:11-23

                                                   

Gospel Lesson: Luke 6:20-31

          Welcome again on this the Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost, and this our All Saints Sunday. Twenty one Sundays after the Holy Spirit moved nearly two-thousand years ago, giving birth to the Christian Church, and also again this is our All Saints Sunday.

          This past Thursday was Halloween or All Hallows Eve, and this past Friday was All Saints Day. The village of Sidney, due to the terrible weather that we got on Thursday night however, moved the village-wide trick or treating to yesterday, Saturday November 2^nd. As a result, our church also moved our trunk or treat to yesterday November 2^nd, as well. This has never happened to me in my lifetime. I thought about therefore, what to call yesterday. It was Halloween or All Hallows Eve on Thursday, and it was All Saints Day on Friday. So, I decided to call yesterday “trick or saints,” or “saint or treats”.

          The reason that we are celebrating All Saint Sunday today, is that we generally don’t have a worship service on Friday. As a result, this is our All Saints Sunday. Our scripture readings for this morning are in fact, the Friday November 1^st All Saints Day scriptures.

          So what is All Saints Day, and why do we celebrate this holiday of tradition within many Christian Churches?

          Here is a brief explanation of All Saint’s Day:

“All Saints' Day, also known as All Hallows' Day, Hallowmas, the Feast of All Saints, or Solemnity of All Saints, is a Christian festival celebrated in honour of all the saints, known and unknown. In Western Christianity, it is celebrated on 1 November by the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion, the Methodist Church, the Church of the Nazarene, the Lutheran Church, the Reformed Church, and other Protestant churches. The Eastern Orthodox Church and associated Eastern Catholic Churches and Byzantine Lutheran Churches celebrate it on the first Sunday after Pentecost. Oriental Orthodox churches of Chaldea and associated Eastern Catholic churches celebrate All Saints' Day on the first Friday after Easter” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Saints%27_Day).

          Going a little further, this source says:

“The Christian celebration of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day stems from a belief that there is a powerful spiritual bond between those in heaven (the "Church triumphant"), and the living (the "Church militant"). In Catholic theology, the day commemorates all those who have attained the beatific vision in Heaven. In Methodist theology, All Saints Day revolves around "giving God solemn thanks for the lives and deaths of his saints", including those who are "famous or obscure". As such, individuals throughout the Church Universal are honoured, such as Paul the Apostle, Augustine of Hippo and John Wesley, in addition to individuals who have personally led one to faith in Jesus, such as one's grandmother or friend” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Saints%27_Day).

          So All Saints Day, or today, All Saints Sunday, is the day that we honor the saints. In the Methodist Tradition, we view this day as celebrating those that have went before us that are alive in Christ in eternity. Those people that have died in Christ, and our now reigning with Christ.

          In reading the names that we read and spoke aloud earlier in this service, we were speaking aloud and remembering just some of the many millions upon millions of the saints of the church. This is a great day in the life of the church that shows us the strength of the church, the size of the church, and as my sermon title says, “We stand in line of Heroes”.

          All Saints Sunday, or All Saints Day, isn’t just about celebrating some good men and women that preceded us. It isn’t just that they were good Christians and sacrificed so much for others. Part of it also, is that they paved the road for us. Through their blood, sweat, and tears, we have the church today.

          Do we really believe that churches like this simply just came up out the ground? Do we not realize the legacy that has brought us from back then to the present? People that began worshipping in their homes hundreds of years ago, gathered funds, and built a church. Some of the same people that when they passed on to glory, left some of those funds to the church, for a stained glass window or something else. These are saints that gave and contributed, likely not to bring praise to themselves, but solely to bring praise to the God of heaven. People that loved Jesus, were changed by his grace, and who wanted the world to know who he was and is.

          As I stand here on this our 2019 All Saints Sunday, I believe that we all here “stand in a line of Heroes,” and that we stand of the shoulders of giants. I remember that the first Christians were oppressed, killed, persecuted, fed to lions, and crucified upside, never ceasing to proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord.

          These same Christians created schools, hospitals, and did so many things. We are the legacy of all of those saints, all of those great men and women, who have gone before us. Today we heard just a handful of the names, of the great cloud of witnesses in heaven.

          The question then is, what will we do with this legacy? We will pass this faith and this love on to the next generations? Or will we let the faith that we have shared for centuries just fade off? Don’t get me wrong the gates of hell cannot overcome the church, but I believe that we shouldn’t take from granted the fact that “We stand in a line of Heroes,” and that we stand on the shoulders of giants.

          We are reminded of this morning once again in the Apostle Paul’s Epistle or letter to the Ephesians. Once again this scripture says:

“In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will, so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit; this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God’s own people, to the praise of his glory” (Eph. 1:11-14, NRSV).

          The Apostle Paul tells us that through Jesus we have an inheritance, everlasting life, forgiveness, and new hope. We are to live for and like Jesus. We know Jesus because someone told us about him, as the Apostle Paul says “the word of the truth, the gospel of your salvation.” We were forgiven, transformed, and thus we are able to be equipped to transform the world. We are to seek Christ, but also to share Christ and live for Christ.

          So many of us were taught about Jesus, learned the Bible, and the love of God through Jesus Christ. We are able to be here on this day, on this All Saints Sunday, because of those that went before us. We are able to be here because “We stand in a line of Heroes,” and we stand on the shoulders of giants.

          Not only is Jesus Christ our Lord and our savior, not only did he live, breathe, love, heal, and forgive, and die for us, but Jesus and his gospel is the eternal hope of a broken, hurting, and a dying world. So strongly did many of ancestors believe this, that churches like this stand today as a testament of the men and women of faith that went before us?

          So do we honor the saints on this day? You bet we do, but may we be included in the great cloud of witnesses one day to. The Apostle Paul completes his reading for this morning from his Epistle or his letter to Ephesians by saying:

^“I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power. God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all” (Eph. 1:15-23, NRSV).

          The Apostle Paul thanks the Ephesians and us for the faith that we have in the Lord Jesus Christ, and our love toward all the saints. He prays that God would give us wisdom, love, enlightenment, as we are promised a glorious inheritance among the saints. The Apostle Paul said God’s power raised Christ from dead, and everything and everyone on earth is under the love, rule, and the dominion of Jesus Christ.

          Our churches exists, as does everything that God has used us to create, because “we stand in a line of Heroes,” we stand on the shoulders of giants.

          So friends, brothers and sisters, who are the saints, the heroes, the giants of this church that have went on before us? Who are those men and women who gave all they had, to gift us with all of this, so that we will be able to share our faith and change the world? Who are the saints of this church that changed us, that led us closer to Christ? Further, how will we be the saints to the next generation, so that they might know the incredible hope found only in Jesus Christ?

          In the world today, people are being feed, water wells are being drilled, hospitals built, schools built, diseases cured, peace sought, lives changed, all because of the love of Jesus Christ. In this way, All Saints Sunday reminds of who we are, who has come before us, and where God is calling us to go.

          In this way the prophet Daniel says once again this morning in Daniel 7:18:

“But the holy ones of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever—forever and ever” (Dan. 7:18, NRSV).

          I would also argue, while honor the saints this day that have left this earth to be with the Lord, that we have saints among us. We have some people in this church that give, care, love, and make the world better every day. We truly are a church full of saints in training. One day our names might be read from a list like the one I read earlier in the service, and my hope and my prayer is, is years from now, when some other young pastor asks you who the saints where in your lives, that your name will be spoken. They will say, “Dick and Vi Stevens were saints in the church that changed me.” They will say, “Jack Doyle and Sarah Pressler served the music ministries of this church for years with the greatest of love and grace, and they changed me.” Maybe they might say, “Guys like Roy Nabinger, Ron Nemire, and Joe Singlar loved the Lord so much that they were always here helping, fixing, and being great men. They have changed me”.

          This isn’t just a Sunday that we only remember those who have went before us, but I also think that those who have went before us are calling to us to live holy and righteous lives. Those that have went before us are calling us to pick up the mantle that they laid down the day that they went on to glory, so that we might pick it up.

          I no longer have my Grandpa Winkelman here on earth, but I have a duty and a responsibility to live the Christ-like way that he lived. I have a duty and a responsibility to live like him and the others before him. I have a responsibility to carry the light of Christ with God’s help, so that the truth and love of Jesus will continue to shine until the day that I lay my mantle down, or Christ returns. Today we remember that “We stand in a line of Heroes,” and that we stand on the shoulders of giants.

          So what is an example that Jesus gives us of just how we are supposed to live? Well I think that we have one of the best examples in the bible, in our Gospel lesson for this morning. In this gospel lesson, which is Jesus’ “Sermon on the Plain,” similar to the “Sermon on the Mount,” Jesus once again says this in Luke 6:20-31:

“Then he looked up at his disciples and said: Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. “Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. “Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. “Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets. “But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. “Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry. “Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep. “Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets. “But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. Do to others as you would have them do to you” (Lk. 6:20-31, NRSV).

          Today we honor the saints, as we remember that “we stand in a line of Heroes,” and that we stand on the shoulders of giants.

          On this All Saints Sunday I want to close this message with a quote from a saint about being a saint. This quote is from the great Saint Augustine who said:

“If they, why not I?—If these men and women could become saints, why cannot I with the help of Him who is all-powerful”

(Quotable Wisdom-The Saints, pg. 95).

          Friends, brothers and sisters, on this All Saints Sunday, and always, “we stand in a line of Heroes,” and we stand on the shoulders of giants. Amen.

Sidney UMC - Reformation Sunday/Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost - 10/27/19 - Sermon - “I Have Fought the Good Fight"

Sunday 10/27/19 - Sidney UMC

Sermon Title: “I Have Fought the Good Fight”

Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 65

                                            

New Testament Scripture: 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18

                                                   

Gospel Lesson: Luke 18:9-14

          Today is Reformation Sunday, and it is also the Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost. It is twenty Sundays after the Holy Spirit moved on the day of Pentecost, giving birth to us the church, and it is also Reformation Sunday.

          The Christian Church has many many expressions. We have multiple denominations, multiple understandings of the faith, and etc. While the actual Reformation day is this Thursday October 31^st, or Halloween, or All Hollow’s Eve, this holiday, Reformation day, is not a holiday that we should celebrate as one of anger or contempt (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reformation_Day).

          For some traditions of Christianity, this Thursday is the feast day of All Hallows Eve, or All Saints Eve, which leads into all Saints Day. All Saints Day, is a day in the life of the church that we remember and we honor those saints that have went before us, which is this Friday November 1^st. We will celebrate All Saints Day this next Sunday November 3^rd, (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween).

          Reformation Sunday, or Reformation Day stems back to the year 1517, when a German Roman Catholic Priest and university professor named Martin Luther, nailed his famed “95-Theses” on the door of the “All Saints Church” in Wittenberg, Germany. He was angered at corruption in the church.

          Two years ago in fact, was the 500^th anniversary of the reformation. What sparked this reformation was the sale of indulgences, or the selling of the forgiveness of sins to people for money. This enraged Martin Luther, and today the Roman Catholic Church has formally acknowledged this error and corruption that was within the church.

          Martin Luther however, was excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church, and by this point he had thousands of followers called “Lutherans”. King Henry VIII soon after pulled England out of the Roman Catholic Church and created the Church of England, or the Anglican Church, or the Episcopal Church. The founder of the Methodist Movement, John Wesley, was an Anglican or an Episcopal priest. This is why the front of our church says “Methodist-Episcopal.” We come out of the Church of England originally. We then had many other break away movements as well. A large hallmark of the reformation is the belief that faith in Christ is all that we need. That we are justified and made right through the blood of Jesus Christ alone.

          There are times that corruption and sin seeps into the church though. This sin has far reaching consequences, and this has led to the fracturing and the division within the universal Christian Church of 2.2-2.5 billion people the world over. Part of the disagreement from the Reformation period through today, is that of the Bible and the Bible alone being our only authority as a church. Or should we put equal weight on the tradition of the church. Meaning, for example, if the season of Advent and Lent aren’t in the Bible, which they aren’t, should we still celebrate them? There are no Advent Wreaths in the Bible, so should we have one? This is part of the Tradition of the church.

          The reformation brought the church back to the Bible, to the Holy Scriptures, and depending on the church that you belong to, we have some of the tradition of the church, all of the tradition of the church, or none of it. As Methodists, we believe that Bible is our ultimate source of truth and authority for doctrine and practice within the church and our lives. We embrace some of the tradition of the church, but decline the parts of the tradition that we find to contradict our ultimate authority of the Holy Scriptures.

Perhaps one day though the fragments of the broken universal church can begin to be put back together, so that we might be unified again. Maybe not within our lifetimes, but one day maybe.

          What most Christian Churches share at the core of our Christianity however, is the faith of the church. Most Christian Churches believe in God in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Most churches believe that Jesus is our savior, who died for our sins, who rose again, who ascended to heaven, and who is coming back in glory. From there we have different practices, different understandings, but it all starts with faith in God. For through Jesus Christ, we are delivered and reborn, and given eternal life. One church baptizes babies, one does not, but Christ is Lord of all. If we believe in him we are saved, and through baptism we become part of the universal and Apostolic Christian Church.

          In our reading from Psalm 65 for this morning once again, we are given a psalm of praise to God. In this psalm we are reminded of who God is, and of His love, hope, and His provision in our lives. For God is good (Psalm 65, NRSV – Africa Bible Commentary, 681-82).

          So thus far, I have mentioned that it is Reformation Sunday, I have mentioned that at different times in the history of the Christian faith that there has been corruption in the church. This sin and corruption has had far reaching effects. Today we have multiple Christian denominations and many different perspectives of the Christian faith. The majority of Christians through rally around the essential and core believes of the faith, around God, and the person of God in Jesus Christ.

          When the church is as free of corruption as it can be though, then the church is able to do amazing things. People can come to faith, be transformed, and so transform Sidney and the world. The church when it grows in faith and love, can be a massive change agent in our lives and in the world.

          Part of the mission of the church, is to inspire people like you, through the power of the Holy Spirit to be leaders within the church. To discern God’s calling in your life, and to live out that calling for God’s glory. Leading a ministry, loving others, this is the power of Christ through the church.

          With all of this said, for some of us, we might be at an earlier point in this journey called life, some of us might be in the middle, and some of us might be getting closer to the end. We don’t know fully, but we will only be here on this earth so long. Generally speaking, as we age we tend to think that we have less time left on this earth. Time goes by fast doesn’t it?

          This morning in the Apostle Paul’s second epistle or letter to Timothy he is old and soon to die. As many do when they are getting closer to their end, the Apostle Paul is considering his life. He is thinking about his faith, how his life has gone, and what is to come. Many of us do this. Some of us think about our pasts, and think about what our life is and what it has meant. This is what the Apostle Paul is doing in this scripture for this morning.

          Earlier in the Apostle Paul’s life when he was the Jewish leader “Saul of Tarsus,” he hated Christ and church, and he persecuted it. Then he became a champion for Christ, and a great saint of the church. On this Reformation Sunday, we acknowledge that greed, envy, power, and all sorts of corruption and sin have at different times entered into the Christian Church. Yet, the gospel of Jesus Christ, and his shed blood is still our hope, and the hope of the world. I don’t believe that we have a corrupt church here at the Sidney United Methodist Church, and I believe that we are doing our best to authentically live out our faith in Jesus Christ.

          As a pastor I have had the honor and the privilege of sitting and praying with people in their last hours. Generally speaking, these folks are never worried about how many hours they put into work or how much money they made. They most often when I have sat with them, seemed to be worried about their family, who they are as a person, what they have done, and what they believe. Some folks that I have sat with who were dying were worried that they were going to hell for things that they had done. While we all deserve condemnation though, I reminded them that through Jesus Christ, we are all made clean and new.

          So let me ask us all a question here this morning, if all of us here were very sick, and if we had only an hour to live, what we hope that our life on this earth would have accomplished? Once again, if all of us here were very sick, and if we had only an hour to live, what we hope that our life on this earth would have accomplished? What would be the biggest thing that we would want to die knowing and believing?

          In looking at our reading from 2 Timothy 4:6-8, it says once again:

“As for me, I am already being poured out as a libation, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing”             (2 Tim. 4:6-8, NRSV).

          The Apostle Paul tells his young apprentice Timothy, my time on this earth is soon to be over. In reflecting upon my life the Apostle Paul says, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith”. The Apostle Paul says through all the ups, all the downs, through all the slings and all the arrows. Through all the triumphs, all the nay-sayers, all the love, and all the persecution, I have kept the faith. I don’t know about you, but if I had an hour to live I would want to be able say that “I have kept the faith”.

          The Apostle Paul is not discouraged, but encouraged, as he says that through Jesus Christ he will receive a crown of righteousness and life eternal. The Apostle Paul concluded this reading once again by saying:

“At my first defense no one came to my support, but all deserted me. May it not be counted against them! But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and save me for his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen” (2 Tim. 4:16-18, NRSV).

          The Apostle Paul is saying that at times, he felt like we all do, deserted and all alone. He doesn’t condemn those who have deserted him though, as he says that the Lord stood by him and was faithful. God called Paul to preach the life giving gospel of Jesus Christ to the gentiles, or the non-Jews, and he did so faithfully. Quoting the Book of Daniel, when Daniel was put in a lion’s den and lived, the Apostle Paul says “So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth”. The Apostle Paul said, I made it, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith”. The Apostle Paul puts his trust in God and praises him.

          Some of us can say that in our lives that we been through some peaks and valleys. Some of us have had to overcome physical, emotional, or mental conditions. Some of us have lost children, loved ones, been through tragedies. Some of us have survived natural disasters, been in wars, have had medical problems, and etc. Yet through all of the slings and the arrows of this life, can we say with confidence that “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith”? I don’t know about you, but if I only have minutes to live, I first want to tell Melissa and my family of my great love for them, but also, I also want to be able to say that “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith”.

          The Apostle Paul is considering his life, and he is considering all he has said, and all that he has taught. He feels content that he made it, and that he kept the faith.

          According to church tradition, we think that the Apostle Paul was beheaded, around the same time that the Apostle Peter was crucified upside down (https://www.christianity.com/wiki/people/how-did-the-apostle-paul-die.html). The Apostle Paul, who is in jail, and is sentenced to die, has peace and joy knowing that to the very end, he has kept the faith, and has stayed faithful. Some of clergy colleagues and other friends upon departing will say among other things, “keep the faith”.

          Sometimes in our lives the things that happen to us or the things that we go through, seem to be things that grow or harm our faith. Do we have faith through it all?

          In our gospel lesson from the gospel of Luke for this morning, Jesus reminds us once again, what truth faith looks like in this the parable or story of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. Jesus says once again:

“He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted” (Lk. 18:9-14, NRSV).

          Jesus is telling us, let our faith be true and authentic, and not fake and earthly. When we get to the end of our lives here on earth, will we say, “we were a good person,” or will we say “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith”. Our time here is limited, let us live for Christ, and for each other. Amen.

Sidney UMC - Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost - 10/20/19 - Sermon - “A New Covenant"

Sunday 10/20/19 - Sidney UMC

Sermon Title: “A New Covenant”

Old Testament Scripture: Jeremiah 31:27-34

                                            

New Testament Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5

                                                   

Gospel Lesson: Luke 18:1-8

          Welcome again, friends, brothers and sisters in Christ, on this our Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost. Nineteen Sundays after the Holy Spirit moved in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost, and the Christian Church was born.

          An important part of both the Christian faith and the Jewish faith, is that of “Covenant”. When we take communion or the Lord’s Supper in church, often when we drink off or dip the bread in the cup, we first hear the words in the communion liturgy that say:

“this is my blood of the new covenant, poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me” (UMC Hymnal, pg. 14).

          So we hear in the communion or the Eucharistic liturgy that Jesus’ blood is a new “Covenant” with us.

          Well just what exactly is a “Covenant” then, and why are they significant for us? According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, a covenant is:

1. “A usually formal, solemn, and binding agreement: COMPACT”.

2a. “A written agreement or promise usually under seal between two or more parties especially”.

2b. “The common-law action to recover damages for breach of such a contract” (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/covenant).

          So, according to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, a “Covenant” is a binding agreement, or a compact. It can be written under seal between two or more parties.

          A few weeks ago for example, our church Pastor Parish Relations Committee or PPRC met to prepare for our Sunday December 1^st Charge Conference or annual meeting. As part of the preparation for our Charge Conference, I presented to the PPRC, my sense of calling to serve this church, and I recommended that I stay serving as the pastor of the Sidney United Methodist Church well into the future. The PPRC also recommended that I stay.

          An annual form that we also had to fill out together, as the Pastor and the PPRC committee, was our annual “Covenantal” agreement. There’s that word “Covenant”. This agreement is of course between myself, as the pastor of this church, and the PPRC which represents the people of this church. You see, together every year we make a “Covenant,” or an agreement, or a compact. This “Covenant” is what our goals, our mission, and our plans for the coming year will be. Where is God calling us, and where is God calling our church? Through prayer and discernment, we created a “Covenant” to follow God’s leading together. As part of this “Covenant,” we get to hold each other accountable, there are expectations of me, of the PPRC, and of the church. We are making an agreement to go forward together.

          Throughout the bible, God made “Covenants,” or agreements, or pacts. God made a “Covenant” with Noah that He would never again flood the earth. God made a “Covenant” with Moses, and gave him the Ten-Commandments and the Law. God made a “Covenant” with King David, and told King David that his lineage would rule forever, as Jesus Christ is a descendent of King David.

          In our communion or Eucharistic liturgy, we hear the words that Jesus told his disciples about a “New Covenant” being established with him. Jesus says that unlike the “Covenants” of old, like with Abraham, Noah, Moses, King David, and etc. that the new covenant that he establishes with us, is forever and eternal.

          At the Last Supper, when we were given Holy Communion, the Eucharist, the Lord’s Supper, Jesus formally made a “New Covenant” with his disciples and all of humanity that are willing to accept Christ. Through his broken body and his shed blood, we can enter into eternal salvation, and be connected to him forever.

          My sermon title for this morning, as is turns out, comes to us not from the New Testament, but rather from the Old Testament. For the Prophet Jeremiah predicted the coming of Jesus Christ centuries before Christ. Let’s look again at the scripture from the Prophet Jeremiah for this morning. It says once again in 31:27-30:

“The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of humans and the seed of animals. And just as I have watched over them to pluck up and break down, to overthrow, destroy, and bring evil, so I will watch over them to build and to plant, says the Lord. In those days they shall no longer say: “The parents have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.” But all shall die for their own sins; the teeth of everyone who eats sour grapes shall be set on edge” (Jer. 31:27-30, NRSV)

        Jeremiah is saying, that God is going to do sometime new and huge one day. There will be judgment, but something new is coming. The Prophet Jeremiah then says once again:

^“The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, “Know the Lord,” for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more” (Jer. 31:31-34, NRSV).

          The Prophet Jeremiah is saying, that a bigger and a greater “Covenant” with God is coming. This “Covenant” is going to be greater than the “Covenant” that God made with Moses and the Jewish people, as well as all other previous “Covenants”. This “Covenant” will be all encompassing, unique, and eternal. This “Covenant” will be written on our hearts and through this “Covenant” our sins, our wrong doings, and our brokenness will be forgiven.

          This “New Covenant” is of course the “Covenant” that we have been offered through Jesus Christ. We are offered through Jesus, forgiveness, love, hope, and new life. When we submit ourselves to Christ, ask for his forgiveness, we become a new creation in him. Our problems don’t instantly just go away, but our sin does. This “New Covenant” cleanses us spiritually, and gives us new life, love, hope, and salvation, to be able to better face the very hard and the real realities that are in our lives.

          In his second letter to Timothy, the Apostle Paul further reminds us of this “New Covenant,” or agreement in Christ. He says in our reading from 2 Timothy for this morning once again:

“But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it, and how from childhood you have known the sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work”

(2 Tim. 3:14-17, NRSV).

          The Apostle Paul is telling Timothy and us to hold fast to our faith and the truth in Jesus Christ, but also he telling us that the scriptures, the Bible, is God’s word. We might struggle at times with God’s word, but don’t ignore it, for it speaks to us the truth of God in Jesus Christ.

          The Apostle Paul then concludes this reading from 2 Timothy once again by saying:

“In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I solemnly urge you: proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable; convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching. For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander away to myths. As for you, always be sober, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, carry out your ministry fully” (2 Tim. 4:1-5).

          The Apostle Paul is telling Timothy and us, that our faith is firmly built forever upon Jesus Christ, who has made a “New Covenant” with us. The Apostle Paul is saying to Timothy, don’t change the faith, and don’t water it down, for the world is aching and hurting.

This aching and this hurting world needs to know they are loved and forgiven. This world needs people who care, who feed the hungry, care for the innocent, go on missions, gives, and serves the unfortunate. Christ came to die for us, set us free, and to teach us a new and a radical way of living and loving. The Apostle Paul is saying that through the power of the Holy Spirit that this is the life blood of the church. Love boldly, and proclaim the great love of Jesus Christ, for it and it alone is the hope of the world.

          In our gospel lesson for this morning, Jesus once again tells the parable or the story of the widow and the unjust judge. Let’s hear again what this scripture has to say this morning:

“Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Grant me justice against my opponent.’ For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, ‘Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.’” And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (Lk. 18:1-18, NRSV).

          As Christians, followers of Christ, we are new creations. We are people that seek to love, care, help, and pursue justice. We are called to love and follow Christ, and in doing so, we are called love and deal fairly with people. When there are those who cry to Jesus for help, we can help them. When there are those being treated unfairly, we can speak and help them. Our “New Covenant” with Jesus Christ is more than just a saving transaction through the blood of Christ, it is also a way of living. We are therefore, called to continually live and become like Jesus Christ. In doing this we are called to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, to love, to care, to give, to be unsettled by a broken world, as to move us to action. This action will help us to transform Sidney and the world.

For if we have a made “New Covenant” with Jesus Christ, then Christ expects all of us to live for him. When we take Holy Communion or the Lord’s Supper, we are reaffirming this “New Covenant” with Christ. We are forgiven, restored, loved, cared for, and renewed. We must then share that love and hope with others. We must do our part with God’s help to make Sidney and the world better, for this is part of our calling of the “New Covenant” in Jesus Christ.

          In closing this morning, I want to tell you a story about a very important “Covenant” in my life. This “Covenant” is my marriage “Covenant” with Melissa. A little over 15-years ago now, Melissa and I got married.

          About a week before we got married, while I was excited, I did get a little nervous about the wedding. To get some advice, I called my Grandpa Harold. In calling my Grandpa Winkelman, he congratulated me on getting married. I then asked him if he was nervous before he got married. He quickly replied, “Heck no!” I said really grandpa? He then said, “I wasn’t worried a bit at all”. I then said, “Well grandpa what was your wedding day like?” He then said, “Well I will tell you this Paul, it was the best day of grandma’s life!” To which, my Grandma shouted, “Harold! Don’t tell Paul things like that!”

          So Melissa and I’s wedding day arrived. It was September 4^th, 2004. It was a beautiful day, and I was a little nervous. I mean after all, I was entering into a “Covenant” that would last the rest of my life. This meant that this “Covenant” would last my whole life, or until Melissa got mad and killed me!

          When then began the wedding ceremony. About half way through the service, and very early I might add, I said “I do!” In response I heard, “We’re not up to that part yet kid!” I then later in the wedding service said “I do” again. This is known as the “Double I Do”. Did I agree to marry Melissa? Yes, twice in fact.

          Well why did I do this? Two reasons. Reason number one, I was nervous. Reason number two, I wanted to get this “Marriage Covenant” together before Melissa came to her senses and ran for the hills!

          This “Covenant” that Melissa and I have, hasn’t always been easy, but it is a “Covenant” that has and will endure. It will endure until I die, or until Melissa gets made and kills me!

          The “New Covenant” that we are offered by Jesus Christ, is eternal and never ending. It was predicted, it came, and it will always be.

          Friends, the day I met Jesus Christ, my life changed forever. I realized that I was forgiven, loved, renewed, and restored. Everything that I am, everything I do, everything I am able to be, is from Jesus Christ, and Melissa, and my family.

          When we turn away from anger, shame, hopelessness, selfishness, and pride, Jesus is there to make a “New Covenant” with us.

Put your trust in Christ, surrender to him, and be renewed in his love. For this is the power and the hope of the “New Covenant”. Amen.

Sidney UMC - Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost - 10/13/19 - Sermon - “A Descendant of David"

Sunday 10/13/19 - Sidney UMC

Sermon Title: “A Descendant of David”

Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 66:1-12

                                            

New Testament Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:8-15

                                                   

Gospel Lesson: Luke 17:11-19

          Brothers and sisters, friends, welcome again on this the Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost. Eighteen Sundays after the Holy Spirit moved on the day of Pentecost in Jerusalem nearly two-thousand years ago. On that day the Christian Church was born, many were filled with the Holy Spirit, and the mission of the Christian Church began. We who are gathered here this morning, are part of that continued mission and legacy.

          Speaking of legacy, once and a while I meet someone who is related to someone who is famous. Is anyone here related to someone who is famous? I have meet people related to famous athletes, rulers, kings, queens, generals, and etc. When I did my Ancestry DNA test a few years back I was hoping to be related to a king or queen, to some famous knight or general, or some great thinker.

          Well, those result all came back negative. As of yet, I have not found any evidence that I am related to someone who is famous. Is it a big deal to be related to someone who is famous? Sometimes the answer to this is yes. Sometimes the family name that you have, or who you are related to can be very significant in the world in which we live. Imagine if you found out that you were related to President Abraham Lincoln. Say your name is “John Lincoln,” are you are proven to be a descendent of President Abraham Lincoln. I wonder if, if people knew that you were related to President Lincoln, if people would assume great things about you. Maybe you are a genius, or maybe your last name just happens to be Lincoln.

          If you are related to General and President Dwight Eisenhower, my guess is, this will reflect positively on you if you become a commissioned officer in the US Army. Maybe you will move up in rank and responsibility quickly, after all, you are an Eisenhower.

          We have had countless Kennedy’s in politics, two President Bush’s, and it would seem that certain family names and people are worth being connected to.

          In his famous play Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare famously asked the question, “What’s in a name?” (https://www.nosweatshakespeare.com/quotes/whats-in-a-name/).

          In the play Romeo and Juliet, Romeo and Juliet cannot get married and be together, because their families are enemies. Basically, the name that they bear and the people that they are related to, will not allow them to be together.

          Who we are descended from and our names can be very significant indeed. I wonder what it was like to be the child of General George Patton, for example. General George Patton’s son, also George, went on to be a US Army General. I wonder what it was like for him, to be related to such a hero? Easy? Hard?

          As Christians, when we look at our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, it is important that we not only understand who he is, but also where he came from. Who is Jesus descended from? Is he related to anyone famous and significant in history? Or did God just send his Son to earth, have him named Jesus, meaning that Jesus had no prior connection to am earthly family tree? Or was and is Jesus related to famous people. The answer is yes. Jesus is related to some big names.

          One of the scriptures that many churches read on Christmas Eve every year, is the Prophet Isaiah 9:6-7. This scripture says:

“For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onward and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this” (Isa. 9:6-7, NRSV).

          Now this prediction of the birth of the Messiah, of Christ, if you notice, is directly connected to King David of Israel. The scripture says the throne of David and his kingdom. This means that this Messiah, this Jesus, in order to pass muster as our savior, must be related to the great King David.

          In the Gospel of Luke 2:11 is says:

“to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord” (Lk. 2:11, NRSV).

          These are just two scriptures that take special efforts to connect the fact that Jesus Christ is a descendant of the great King David. So could he have been the savior of the world, and not have been a descendant of King David? The answer is no. For when God elevated David to be the King of Israel, he promised David that his family line would rule forever. Forever is a long time. Jesus Christ is our King and Lord, and his rule never ends.

          Lineage, family name, things such as this, are very significant for some, and not for others. How significant? Well if you wouldn’t mind grabbing one of our nice new red bibles for a minute. I would ask you to open to the first Gospel in the New Testament, the Gospel of Matthew. Of the four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, Matthew starts his gospel in a very unique way. Why is it unique? Instead of getting right into the birth of Christ, or how Christ existed eternally before time itself, Matthew instead offers us a genealogy of Jesus. Why would he do this?

          The answer is, is to show us that Jesus was and is the savior that was predicted from the very beginning. Not only is Jesus a descendant or a son of King David, his lineage stretches back to Abraham, Isaac, and many others. Not only is Jesus the King of heaven and earth, Jesus is related to great Kings and leaders on Earth. After establishing that Jesus is indeed related to great leaders and royalty, Matthew then tells us of the birth of Christ in the rest of chapter 1 (Mt. 1:1-25, NRSV).

          This leads me up to our reading from the Apostle Paul’s Second Epistle or letter to Timothy for this morning. In this Epistle or letter, the Apostle Paul is encouraging Timothy in sharing the Christian faith with others. As in many other scriptures in the bible though, the Apostle Paul mentions King David. Let’s look at our reading from this morning again from 2 Timothy. Once again it starts by saying:

“Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David—that is my gospel, for which I suffer hardship, even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But the word of God is not chained. Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, so that they may also obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory. The saying is sure:”

“If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he will also deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself”                               (2 Tim. 2:8-15, NRSV).

So Paul is telling Timothy to remember Jesus, who he was and is, what he has done for us, and to teach and live this message. In the process of this, once again, Paul is very sure to mention, which is my sermon title for this morning, that Jesus is "A descendant of David”. Paul amidst reaffirming to Timothy all that Jesus was and is, is also saying, and don’t forget Timothy that he is related to great leaders. Jesus is related to the king that unified the whole Kingdom of Israel, the great King David.

So devoted to Christ is the Apostle Paul, that he says his devotion has lead him to be chained and imprisoned for preaching the saving gospel of Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul is telling Timothy, above all else, preach Christ, live like Christ, and serve Christ, no matter what.

Not only is Jesus our Lord and Savior, who lived, healed, loved, forgave, who gave us a blueprint for a new way of living, and died for us, he is a descendant of great men and women. He is related to royalty, and as the living God, is the culmination of all kings and all queens. Since Jesus’ father Joseph is a very distant relation to King David however, he was not given title, land, or great wealth. As a result, Jesus, like his father Joseph was a humble carpenter, or as some experts think, perhaps a stone mason.

In looking at our gospel lesson for this morning briefly again, let’s see the sort of savior Jesus is. Let’s see what this “descendant of David,” the living God, the savior of our souls has to say. Once again, the reading from the Luke 17 says:

^“Remind them of this, and warn them before God that they are to avoid wrangling over words, which does no good but only ruins those who are listening. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved by him, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly explaining the word of truth.”

“On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were made clean. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus asked, “Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.” (Lk. 17:11-19, NRSV).

Jesus says be Godly, live rightly and explain his truth to the world. Then, Jesus and his disciples encounter Lepers. Leprosy is very serious condition that can cause lesions and wounds on the skin and even death. At the time that Jesus lived, Leprosy was often seen as a curse from God. Lepers were not permitted to be around Jews in good standing, and certainly weren’t allowed to worship in God’s Holy Temple or a synagogue. As a Jew in a good standing then, going near a leper or touching a leper was a no no.

Jesus hears the cries of these Lepers though, and then he heals them. He tells the lepers to show themselves to the priests or Jewish Rabbis. As the lepers went to show themselves to the Jewish religious leaders, the scripture says that they were made clean. One of the lepers turned back, with great love and appreciation for what Jesus had done for him. This cleansed leper praised God and fell and worshiped or “prostrated” himself as the scripture says, before Jesus’ feet. Jesus seemed concerned that only one of the cleansed lepers returned to him. Yet he told this leper, who was a non-Jewish Samaritan, to get up and depart, as his faith has made him well.

Not only is Jesus our savior, the one who was fully God and fully human on earth. Not only did Jesus love, heal, and forgive, but he ministered to everyone, whether they were off limits or not. Jesus served and sought to heal and save. He also, while being all of these things, and the savior of the world, and the Lord of the universe, was also “A descendant of David”.  Jesus was and is the savior, as he is part of the line of heroes. The line that exists eternally with God the Father and the Holy Spirit. The line that went from Adam and Eve, to Abraham, Noah, Moses, and etc. Jesus is culmination of many great leaders and heroes. We are a continuation of this line of heroes.

While we might not be able to say that we are “a descendant of David,” our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. As such, we are all princes and princesses, and our Lord and King, Jesus, has promised to us that we will inherit his kingdom. We are royalty, we are now spiritual descendants of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ, who is “A descendant of David”.

In 1 Peter 1:3-5, Peter writes:

“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, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Pet. 1:3-5, NRSV).

Through Christ, our King, we are royalty, and we will inherit the greatest kingdom of all time. Some people are related to great men and women on earth, but we are saved and made royal by the greatest of them all, Jesus Christ. Amen.