Sidney UMC - 13th Sunday after Pentecost - 08/30/20 - Sermon - "I AM WHO I AM"

Sunday 08/30/20 - Sidney UMC

Sermon Title:        “I AM WHO I AM”

Old Testament Scripture: Exodus 3:1-15                                       

New Testament Scripture: Romans 12:9-21

Gospel Lesson: Matthew 16:21-28

          Welcome again my friends, brothers, and sisters, on this the Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost.

          So, I have a question for all of us to think about this morning. This question is, have we ever questioned the authority figures over us? Have we ever questioned our leaders? Our teachers? Our pastors? Our government officials? Our parents? Or even God Himself?

          At different times, we all push back and question, don’t we? Maybe some of us do not have the faith in our leaders like we once did. Maybe you gave one of your teachers a really hard time, only to look back and see that they were right all along. Have you ever been angry with God, due to something that happened in your life?  I am sure that many people have felt angry at God, and hopefully we worked through or are working through these tough times.

          Some of us have even challenged our parents. Anyone here ever gotten one or both of your parents angry before? Ever gotten your grandma or grandpa angry? Ever wanted to do something, and your parents told you “no”? Was anyone here not happy once and a while when your parents told you “no”?

          Maybe you wanted to take a trip, go to a friend’s house, the school dance, or something else, and your parents said “no”. Maybe you were acting a little to hyper, and grandma let you know about it! In our lives, as children, and even now, we have authority figures. We have elected leaders, and other people in leadership positions. At times there is no problem, but sometimes we challenge the authority.

          I remember when I was a kid, sometimes I would beg my mom to let me do something. If she thought that it was a bad idea though, then this was met with a swift of “no!” Once and awhile though my mom would say, “let me think about,” which was usually a “no” to be declared later.

          We all probably have also witnessed “the look,” and the pointy index finger. You know when mom or grandma got mad, raised there voices, looked at you with a look that could kill some people, and pointed a finger at you that looked like a 2’x4”. Some moms, dads, grandmas, and grandpas have what I like to call “the look”. Anyone here ever experience “the look”? Oddly enough, my wife also has “the look”. I think that over the years my mother has taught Melissa more on how to better do “the look”. “The look” is designed to strike fear, stop you in your tracks, and make you listen.

          Beyond this, when all else has failed, you would hear with a raised voice your entire name. Not “Paul Winkelman,” but “Paul Daniel Winkelman!” Anyone here ever hear your full name called out by parent or grandparent with a raised voice? It is like a horror movie. I have learned that only when you are graduating or receiving an award, is good to hear your full name. Outside of this, if my mother, my father, or grandparents said, “Paul Daniel Winkelman,” it was never good! Ever!

          There were times growing up that I disagreed with my parents, there decisions, and sometimes I even questioned their authority. Looking back now though, they were usually always right. It is part of our human sin nature to rebel sometimes, and to challenge authority sometimes.

          With all of this said, we have an Old Testament scripture, once again, from the Book of Exodus for this morning that I can connect with this idea of questioning and rebelling. In our Book of Exodus reading for this morning, once again, we have the story of Moses and the burning bush. How many of us have ever heard or have ever read the story of Moses and the burning bush?

          In looking at our scripture reading from Exodus 3:1-15 for this morning, once again, it says:

“Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. ² There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. ³ Then Moses said, “I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up.” ⁴ When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” ⁵ Then he said, “Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” ⁶ He said further, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God”                (Ex. 3:1-6, NRSV).

 

          Ever been leading a flock of sheep, when you notice a burning bush that is not burning up, yet is on fire and is burning? Ever hear the voice of God from this same burning bush? My guess is, is that when Moses went back to tell the Israelites about this, they said, “So let me get this straight Moses, you saw a bush on fire, yet it wasn’t burning up, and then God spoke to you through this same burning bush”? Moses would then say, “Yes,” and I’m sure everyone said, “Well of course Moses!”

          I can imagine that this was scary for Moses, and even startling. Imagine if a farmer was out in a corn field, and then suddenly they saw one of there corn stalks a blaze. Yet this corn stalk was not burning up, but was blazing with fire. Then God started speaking to you through this blazing corn stalk. I wonder when you returned to the house, or went to town, if your friends and family would believe this? It would probably also be startling and unsettling. Why would God reveal himself to Moses in a burning bush?

          Let’s find out, as we keep going with our scripture reading from Exodus, as it then says:

“⁷ Then the Lord said, “I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, ⁸ and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. ⁹ The cry of the Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them. ¹⁰ So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.” ¹¹ But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” ¹² He said, “I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain” (Ex. 3:7-12, NRSV).

 

          So, God appears to Moses in a burning bush to tell him that the time had come for the Israelite or the Jewish people to be free from slavery in Egypt under the Pharaoh. This eventual departure or “Exodus” will birth the holiday of the “Passover,” when death passed over the first born of the Jews.

          So, to recap here, Moses is walking along, he sees a bush burning, yet the bush does not burn up like wood in a fire. This bush keeps burning, and God begins to speak to Moses through this fiery bush. God tells Moses that the time had come for the Israelites, or the Jews, to be freed from slavery in Egypt under the Pharaoh.

          The Book of Exodus scripture then ends once again saying:

“¹³ But Moses said to God, “If I come to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” ¹⁴ God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” He said further, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘I am has sent me to you.’” ¹⁵ God also said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you’: This is my name forever, and this my title for all generations” (Ex. 3:13-15, NRSV).

 

          So, Moses is talking to God through this burning bush, and Moses asks God, that when he goes back to tell the Israelites or the Jews all of this, what should he tell them that God’s name is. As my sermon title for this morning says, God says, “I AM WHO I AM”. God then tells Moses to tell the Israelites, “I Am has sent me to you”. God then tell Moses to tell the Israelites or the Jews that the God of their ancestors sent Moses to the Israelites. God then tells Moses that his name for all generations and forever is “I AM”.

          When I read this, and I have thought this before, I thought what was Moses’ attitude towards God when he asked God His name? Was he afraid?  Was he demanding? Was he worried?

          I decided to venture down the path this morning, of Moses being stern towards God, even though he might not have been. This then made me think of the authority figures in our lives, including God. It made me think of when mom, dad, grandma, and grandpa would be stern with us. “The look,” the index finger, the wood spoon, the belt, the broom, etc. The other thing that I thought of when God said to Moses that his name is “I AM WHO I AM,” is the statement “Because I said so!” Anyone ever have a parent or someone else say, “Because I said so!” I might have asked my mom Susan, “Mom why can’t I stay at my friends house and watch movies tonight”? Well, what if I didn’t do all my chores? Or what if I did something else? My mom might say “no!” “But mom I would say, “Why not!” Mom would then say, “because I said so!”

          While we have all challenged authority figures and authority at different times in our lives, Moses and the burning bush reminded me of what happens when we question our parents or our grandparents. Moses says, God tell me your name, and God says, “I am” in charge Moses, not you!

          The reality then is this, while sometimes we might wrestle with God, struggle with God, or even question God, God is sovereign over us. God is over us, governs us, and is sovereign, whether we want Him to be or not. When we ask God His name, He says, “I AM WHO I AM”. You do not tell me God says, I tell you. When I asked my mom “why not,” she would say, “because I said so!” We will always have authority figures over us, and our loving God will also be over us, but in love.

          In looking at our scripture reading from the Book of Romans for this morning, the Apostle Paul tells us that our love should be genuine (Rom. 12:9, NRSV). The Apostle Paul then specifically tells us the various ways to love, as God is love. For many of us, not all, our parents, our grandparents, and others love or loved us. Sometimes we did or still do challenged such people, but most of them had or have our best interests in mind. Sometimes if they are or were stern and said “no,” or said, “because I said so,” it was out of love. In the same way, we do not ask God what his name is, He tells us “I AM WHO I AM”.

          In looking at our gospel lesson for this morning from the gospel of Matthew, once again, Peter challenges Jesus’ authority. Peter has an “I AM WHO I AM” moment. Specifically, Jesus tells the disciples that he is going to go to Jerusalem soon, and suffer greatly for us all in his trial, torture, and crucifixion. In saying this though, the Apostle Peter says to Jesus in response, this:

“²² And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.” ²³ But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things” (Mt. 16:22-23, NRSV).

 

          Now I don’t know about you, but getting called Satan by Jesus, is way worse than mom saying “no,” or “because I said so!”. Many have and still try to challenge God, and this was not different when God came to this earth and took on flesh. The Apostle Peter is attempting to challenge the living God, Jesus Christ. “I AM WHO I AM!”

          To emphasize this even more, when Jesus was challenged in John 8:58, it says:

“⁵⁸ Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, before Abraham was, I am.”

          Jesus, God in the flesh on earth, much like God in the burning bush talking to Moses, said “I am”. Further Jesus is saying before Moses, Jacob, Isaac, and the great Abraham, “I am”. Jesus is saying God is eternal, He is eternal, and that He is in control not us.

          While we all challenged and pushed back at different times, let us humble ourselves, and remember that we are not in control, but God is in control. When we tell God what He should do, or ask Him His name, He says, “I AM WHO I AM”. When Jesus is challenged by Peter, He says, “I am” in charge not you. God loves us and may we submit to Christ knowing that He is the great “I am”. The hope for this country and the world, is us putting our trust in Jesus, and Jesus alone. Amen.

Sidney UMC - 12th Sunday after Pentecost - 08/23/20 - Sermon - "A Living Sacrifice"

Sunday 08/23/20 - Sidney UMC 

Sermon Title:        “A Living Sacrifice”

Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 124                                          

New Testament Scripture: Romans 12:1-8

Gospel Lesson: Matthew 16:13-20

          Welcome again my friends, brothers, and sisters, on this the Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost.

          With this said, how many of you have ever been really committed to something in your life? This could be your wife, your husband, your kids, your job, a cause, a Play Station, the Yankees, etc. Within this commitment in your life, how far are or where you willing to go? Would you give up everything? Would you even give up your life?

          If you began a new hobby, like knitting or coin collecting, my guess is that you would not give up everything you had, including your own life for this hobby. Would anyone here give up your life for a hobby? Would anyone her give up your life for your wife, your husband, your kids, your grandkids? Would anyone here give up everything for a job, a cause, etc.?

          In our lives, we make commitments, yet the level of these commitments can vary. This morning, I want to talk about the deepest of all commitments. This commitment is bigger than our commitment to the church, our community and friends, our family, our spouse, and anything else. This commitment is our commitment to Jesus Christ. I have told many people going through this Covid-19 Pandemic that the order of our commitments should always be God first, then our wives or husbands and families, and then the church. Some people have told me, “Pastor Paul, I am not ready to return to church yet”. I have said that this is fine, because after God, Jesus, our next commitment is to our spouses, our families, and our own health and wellbeing. If we are worried about our health, then that comes before the church. It never comes before God, but it comes before the church.

So, my friends, what is our commitment to God? Is God more like a hobby to us? Is God like a commitment to a job? Is God like a commitment to our spouses and families, or is our commitment to God even bigger than all of that?

As you all know, my commitment to you and to this church is massive. Most of you know that I put in long hours, because I believe in you and this church. Yet, as much as I love and enjoy serving all of you, my first and most important ministry is to my wife Melissa. If Melissa needed me, she takes precedent over the church. The only one that takes precedent over Melissa and my family, is Jesus.

When I was ordained as an Elder in the United Methodist Church, a red stole was put around my neck, and on that day, I made the official commitment to be yoked to Jesus Christ for eternity. I took vows, I knelt, the bishop prayed over me, and said that Jesus is my sovereign Lord.

This morning, the Apostle Paul speaks to this in our book of Romans reading. Before getting into our reading from the Book of Romans however, we heard from our reading from Psalm 124 once again, about the sovereignty of God. That without God, we would not be where we are today. Twice in this Psalm, the Psalmist writes:

“If it had not been the Lord who was on our side” (Ps. 124:1-2, NRSV).

The Psalmist then ends this Psalm once again, saying:

“Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth”     (Ps. 124:8, NRSV).

 

          How significant is God in our lives? How significant is the Lord Jesus Christ? What are willing to give up for God?

          In getting into the meat of my message for this morning, the Apostle Paul says in our reading from the Book of Romans, once again, to be a “Living Sacrifice”. Well what does this mean exactly? Let us look at our reading from the Book of Romans for this morning once again. It says:

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Rom. 12:1-2, NRSV).

          A great explanation of this comes from one of my favorite Bible Commentaries, “The Africa Bible Commentary” This is what this commentary says:

“Because of what God has done for us, or what Paul calls God’s mercy (described in chapters 1-11), the best we can give to him is our selves, by presenting our bodies as living sacrifices (12:1).  The offering of the loving bodies of believers as sacrifices contrasts with the OT offerings of dead animals. Here the word ‘body’ represents far more than just our belongings or our money. It means the totality of our life, plans and activities. The offering of ourselves is a spiritual act of worship that we can give to God” (Africa Bible Commentary, pg. 1394).

          So, the Apostle Paul is saying that God must be far more than a hobby, or a marginal commitment. In fact, marriage vows say, “until death do you part”. The vows that we make to God, however, are eternal. I do plan to be in eternity with Melissa, however.

          The Apostle Paul then says, do not be like this world. For this world is broken, fallen, and sinful. This world is full of so many vices. We as humans can do great things, but this world is not the answer. Jesus is the answer. Renew your minds, focus on Christ, and allow him to lead us and the church. Do not let the world lead the church, rather let Christ lead the church. Fully submit to him and live for him and be “A Living Sacrifice”.

          The Apostle continues in our reading from the Book Romans saying:

“For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness

(Rom. 12:3-8, NRSV).

          We are called to submit to Christ and share the different spiritual gifts that we have been given, with each other, the church, and the world.

          In our gospel lesson for this morning, Jesus asks his disciples, once again, who do people say I am. They gave various answers, but:

“Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it” (Mt. 16:16-18, NRSV).

          When Peter said that Jesus was the Son of the living God, the Messiah, the promised one, Jesus blessed Peter. He told Peter that on the rock of our faith the Christian Church would be built, and that the gates of Hades or hell cannot prevail against it.

          So, if Jesus is our Lord, if he died for us, and if the Christian Church is built upon him, do we love him like a hobby, like a friend, like a marriage, or as the sovereign God?

I want to show you this lengthy but good video on serving Jesus above all else. May we surrender to and give all we have to Jesus. Amen.

Sidney UMC - 11th Sunday after Pentecost - 08/16/20 - Sermon - “What Are We Allowed To Eat?"

Sunday 08/16/20 - Sidney UMC

Sermon Title:        “What Are We Allowed To Eat?”

Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 133                                      

New Testament Scripture: Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32

Gospel Lesson: Matthew 15:10-28

          Welcome again my friends, on this the Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost. Eleven Sundays after the Holy Spirit moved in Jerusalem, nearly two thousand years ago on the day of Pentecost, and the Christian Church was born.

          With this said, in our gospel of Matthew lesson for this morning, once again, Jesus is challenged by Pharisees and scribes, because his disciples have not washed their hands properly before they began to eat (Mt. 15:1-2, NRSV). To better explain this, let me read to you what is written before our gospel of Matthew lesson for this morning. In Matthew 15:1-9 it says:

“¹Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, ² “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands before they eat.” ³ He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? ⁴ For God said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever speaks evil of father or mother must surely die.’ ⁵ But you say that whoever tells father or mother, ‘Whatever support you might have had from me is given to God,’ then that person need not honor the father. ⁶ So, for the sake of your tradition, you make void the word of God. ⁷ You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied rightly about you when he said: ⁸ ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; ⁹ in vain do they worship me, teaching human precepts as doctrines.’” (Mt. 15:1-9, NRSV).

          What you will notice in this scripture, is that the Pharisees and the scribes did not mention the scripture to Jesus, but rather the tradition. The Pharisees and the scribes said to Jesus, your disciples are not breaking God’s word, but they are breaking tradition.

          In the universal Christian Church, there are many traditions that we share, as I can imagine this is true of other religions. For example, many of us put up Christmas Trees every year, and in the church, sometimes we decorate our Christmas Trees with “Crismons”. “Crismons” are historic symbols of the Christian faith. We celebrate the seasons of Holy Lent and Advent, and we start the season of Holy Lent with Ash Wednesday. We have a service every year on Holy or Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. We wear crosses or crucifixes. There are many things that we do within the worshiping tradition and the life of the church that are not required scripturally. Christmas Trees, Advent Wreathes, and some of the seasons in our liturgical calendar are not strictly biblical. They are not unbiblical, but they emerged throughout the centuries, as part of the worshiping tradition of the Christian Church. For example, I do not read anywhere in scripture where it says that we should have a Christmas pageant with our kids around Christmas, but for many churches it has become part of the tradition of the church. Putting out our Nativity Scenes, and our crèches with the baby Christ, is part of the tradition of the church. I believe that all these things are fine if they do not harm the faith of the church or go against the Holy Scripture of the church.

          This morning in Matthew’s gospel, the Pharisees and scribes are criticizing Jesus and his disciples, not for violating scripture, but for violating tradition. Jesus then challenges the Pharisees and scribes right back, telling them that they are using the tradition to ignore the scripture. Tradition is good, unless it undermines the scripture and the faith of the church. What if the Christmas Pageant is so bad and is so disruptive that fifty percent of your church leaves for good? Maybe that tradition needs to be changed, as it is harming the faith of the church.

          To defend his position further in our gospel lesson for this morning, Jesus talks about eating, and connects it to faith and biblical holiness. Due to this, I thought that it would be fun this morning to talk about dietary restrictions and the Christian faith. Or to put it another way, as Christians, “What are we allowed to eat?” Are there any foods that are off limits to us?

In some Christian denominations there are certain dietary rules. This is true of other religions, as well. For example, in the Hindu religion, concentrated largely in the country of India, many people see cows as sacred animals. For this reason, many Hindus do not eat beef. I remember reading an article a few years ago about how McDonald’s restaurants in India serve Lamb, rather than beef. From what I understand for example, many or maybe all Buddhists are vegetarians, and do not eat meat.

Devout Jews and Muslims often do not eat pigs, and devout Jews do not eat shellfish. Devout Jew’s are supposed to buy food that is “Kosher,” and devout Muslims are supposed to buy food that is “Halal”. In these dietary systems, there are religious rules about the preparation and the production of food. Certain requirements must be met to make food “Kosher,” or “Halal”.

In some Christian denominations or traditions is strictly forbidden to ever drink or consume alcohol, and in some religious traditions you cannot drink coffee. Why? Well because coffee has caffeine, and caffeine is a drug. I thank God that most Christian expressions that I am aware of do not forbid coffee!

          So as Christians, “What are we allowed to eat” and drink? Do Methodists have dietary restrictions? Do Southern Baptists? Do Lutherans? Do Roman Catholics? Etc.?

          As a general and a broad statement, from the research that I have done for this sermon, there are many fewer dietary restrictions for most Christians that I have studied, than many other religions. In fact, I remember when I went to Israel or the Holy Land with my seminary in 2014. We visited a former Knight’s Templar castle and fort. We were told by the tour guide that when the excavation of the site had begun years ago, that excavators knew very quickly that this has been Christian land. What was interesting to me, is that the excavators determined this not because they found crosses or crucifixes, not because they found other Christian items, but because they found pig bones in digging up the site. They did find some other Christian artifacts, but they also found pig bones. The tour guide then said that devout Jews and Muslims do not eat pigs, because they consider them to be unclean animals. Therefore, the excavators were certain right away, that this land had been inhabited by Christians.

          So, we have traditions and some dietary traditions. For example, if you are a Methodist, you are required to bring casseroles and covered dishes to dinners and people’s homes. Not really, but it just seems that way! Jewish priests washing their hands, therefore, became a Jewish tradition. This Jewish tradition and many others are found in the “Mishnah,” which is part of the “Talmud”. These are not the Bible but include traditions that developed over the centuries in Judaism.

As Jesus responded to the Pharisees and the scribes in Matthew 15:1-9, as I just read, this morning once again, Jesus then explains this further to a crowd near him. Once again, this is what Jesus says this morning regarding valuing a tradition over faith and the word of God:

“¹⁰ Then he called the crowd to him and said to them, “Listen and understand: ¹¹ it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles.” ¹² Then the disciples approached and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard what you said?” ¹³ He answered, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. ¹⁴ Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if one blind person guides another, both will fall into a pit.” ¹⁵ But Peter said to him, “Explain this parable to us.” ¹⁶ Then he said, “Are you also still without understanding? ¹⁷ Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach, and goes out into the sewer? ¹⁸ But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. ¹⁹ For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. ²⁰ These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile” (Mt. 15:10-28, NRSV).

 

            Jesus does not directly challenge the Old Testament Jewish dietary laws of not eating pigs and shellfish here, for example, but he certainly does not defend them either. Jews and Christians are are not supposed to eat food sacrificed to idols, it is good to ask God’s blessing over our food, but Jesus is saying that it is not what we eat that is the problem. The problem is not what goes in our mouth, rather the problem is what comes out of our heart and our mouth. I don’t think that Jesus is telling us here to eat anything or to put anything in our mouth, but what he is saying is that what we believe and how we live that is more important than washing our hands perfectly. For example, what if we followed strict religious dietary laws, followed strict religious rules, but at the same time had little faith and little righteousness?

          Different types of Christianity and other religions then have some different dietary restrictions. Growing up in a family that was largely Roman Catholic, I remember no meat on Fridays in Lent. Yet there was a lot of good fish on such Fridays!

          Further, some of us have dietary restrictions that have nothing to do with our religion or Christian denomination. Some of us have allergies, like a gluten allergy, a nut allergy, a dairy allergy, a chocolate allergy, etc. Some of us also have special diets around health issues, as well. So, some of us have dietary restrictions around allergies or our health.

          In our Psalm 133 reading for this morning once again, it says:

“How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity!”      (Ps. 133:1, NRSV).

 

          So, if you are at someone’s house, and there are special dietary rules, my advice is, just go with it! If you were staying with a conservative Jewish family for a couple of days, do not ask for bacon for breakfast! If you are staying with a conservative Southern Baptist family for a few days, do not ask where the liquor cabinet is! If I am at my Roman Catholic aunt’s house on a Friday during Lent, and she asks me what I want for dinner, I am not going to ask for cheeseburger!

          As Christians then, why can we eat pigs? A big reason for this is from the Book of Acts 10:9-16 that says of the Apostle Peter:

“⁹ About noon the next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. ¹⁰ He became hungry and wanted something to eat; and while it was being prepared, he fell into a trance. ¹¹ He saw the heaven opened and something like a large sheet coming down, being lowered to the ground by its four corners. ¹² In it were all kinds of four-footed creatures and reptiles and birds of the air. ¹³ Then he heard a voice saying, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat.” ¹⁴ But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is profane or unclean.” ¹⁵ The voice said to him again, a second time, “What God has made clean, you must not call profane.” ¹⁶ This happened three times, and the thing was suddenly taken up to heaven” (Act 10:9-16, NRSV).

 

          So, it is true that as Christians we have much fewer dietary restrictions than many other religions. As Christians, we can eat in many instances many more things some other religions. What I have just shared, are just some of the many reasons why people of different religions or different Christian traditions do or do not eat certain things.

          To finish our gospel lesson for this morning, our gospel lesson ends, once again, with:

“²¹ Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. ²² Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.” ²³ But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, “Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.” ²⁴ He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” ²⁵ But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” ²⁶ He answered, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” ²⁷ She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” ²⁸ Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed instantly” (Mt. 15:21-28, NRSV).

 

          So, this woman’s daughter who was possessed and tormented by a demon was healed instantly. The daughter was healed, not because her mother perfectly washed her hands, or because her hands we perfectly folded. The daughter was healed Jesus said, because her mother had great faith.

          As Jesus said once again this morning in Matthew 15:11:

¹¹ it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles” (Mt. 15:11, NRSV).

 

          God bless, and Amen.

Sidney UMC - 10th Sunday after Pentecost - 08/09/20 - Sermon - “Can You Walk on Water?"

Sunday 08/09/20 - Sidney UMC

Sermon Title:        “Can You Walk On Water?”

Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 105:1-6, 16-22, 45b                                    

New Testament Scripture: Romans 10:5-15

Gospel Lesson: Matthew 14:22-33

          Friends, welcome again on this our Tenth Sunday after Pentecost.

          This morning, as I discussed in our children’s ministry time, we have one of the gospel accounts of Jesus walking on water. Quite an amazing miracle, and it occurred in rough waters and in large waves, no less.

          Before diving into our gospel lesson for this morning though, I want to talk a little bit about the sovereignty and the authority of God. Do you know, for example, that many devout Jews will not even write the word “God” on paper? If they do, they will write a capital G, then a dash, and then a d. They will basically write capital “G-d”. They do this, so that they have not written the name of God fully. The first time that one of my friends who is a Jewish Rabbi did this, I asked him, why don’t you write the full word for God? The Rabbi said that “G-d’s” name is so holy and so righteous, that he does not write it in its fullness. Meaning, that “G-d’s” name is so much bigger and so far beyond us, that we should not even write it fully on paper.

          This same orthodox Jewish friend told me that when traditional Jews read the holy scriptures, they do not touch the pages or the scrolls that the scriptures are written upon. For the words of the scripture are to holy to touch. Therefore, you will see some Jews with the “The Torah,” or the first five books of the Old Testament, and “The Torah” scroll that they carry has wood handles. These wood handles ensure that the holy word of almighty “G-d” will not be touched by our human hands.

          So, “G-d’s” name is too holy to fully write, and “G-d’s” word is too holy to touch. This view of God is one where God is sovereign, is in control, and we are to seek him in all things. In the world that Jesus grew up in, the view and the worship of “G-d” existed for many in the ways that I just described. They depended upon “G-d,” and everything good came from “G-d”.

          In this “Post-Modern” era that we are living in now however, we are now in an era where the basic values of our Judeo-Christian, or Jewish and Christian heritage are no longer commonly held. Further, the sovereignty of God has been challenged by many. It is funny that even to this day that if I have a Bible on a table or on a desk, I am uncomfortable having another book or anything else on top of the Bible. Why? Well, because the Bible is God’s holy word, and since it has such value and authority, I cannot cover it up.

          Until recent years, belief in God and the sovereignty of God was the standard in our culture and many. We now though live in, as I said though, an era of “Post-Modernism,” or “Post-Truth”. Our culture unfortunately no longer, in general, believes in the sovereignty and the authority of God as they once did. As a result of this, in some circles Christianity has become more humanistic. God becomes less and smaller and we become more. We say a prayer to God, but we begin to see ourselves as the power and the authority of God here on earth. Some decide that they believe that they know exactly what God wants for the whole of humanity, and then they go forth believing that they are living out God’s perfect will for the whole world.

          Such folks are not ill intended, but instead of fully trusting the sovereignty of God, they have assumed in their minds, some, or much of the sovereignty and the authority of God for themselves. For if you don’t believe in miracles, if you don’t believe that God can do anything on earth and in heaven, if you don’t believe that God can heal us and restore us, if you don’t believe that the Holy Scriptures have any authority, well then just what do you believe? It is shifting our faith which was once solidly centered on Jesus Christ, to be more centered on ourselves. Some might use the teachings of Jesus to build an ideology and a theology, but they might not teach or espouse God’s ultimate authority through His only Son, Jesus Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit. We can attempt to make the church “hip,” trendy, or change foundational beliefs in God, to bring a new and much more secular generation into the church. We can decide that the historic truths that have been believed for millennia were true then, but not true now.

          To be fair, it is true that various religious groups have done awful things historically at times, citing their holy scriptures. Different groups of people have been marginalized and harmed, and this was wrong. Yet, just because someone mis-read their VCR instructions, it does not mean that they throw out their VCR. In the era that we are living in now though, I worry that much of the mystery and the majesty of God has been stripped away by some. I have heard some people say things to me like, “Oh Pastor Paul, people don’t believe in all those miracles and powerful things anymore”. Well I do, and so do most Christians the world over, as they have for almost two-thousand years.

          Some have said to me, “But Paul if you continue to teach the old beliefs, it shows that you don’t want to change, and you will lose the next generation”. It is true that the younger generations are in general much less connected to churches than they used to, but from everything that I have seen and read, most young Christians are ones that believe in the historic and unchanging faith of the Christian Church. By this I mean, the basic teaching of God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit.

          When we look at our reading this morning from Psalm 105, verse 1-3 says:

“O give thanks to the Lord, call on his name, make known his deeds among the peoples. Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wonderful works. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice”  (Ps. 105: 1-3, NRSV).

 

          How many people do you know that still view God like the Psalmist does this morning? That God is our hope that we should praise Him, and sing to Him? How many people do we know that believe in God as more of a loose construct, and not as the very source of our life, our breath, our hope, our salvation, and our eternity?

          In looking at the Apostle Paul’s letter or epistle to the Romans for this morning, the Apostle Paul tells us once again in 10:9-13:

^“because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. The scripture says, “No one who believes in him will be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Rom. 10:9-13, NRSV).

 

          The Apostle Paul was so committed to his faith in Christ that he went all over, preaching, teaching, and loving. He was even martyred in Rome for his faith in Christ. He did not believe in a loose view of God, but instead he believed that the savior that was promised in the Jewish scriptures, or what we call the Old Testament, was and is Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul believed that Jesus was and is the savior the world. He believed this so strongly in fact, that it cost him his life, as church tradition holds that he was beheaded in Rome for his faith in Christ. Is Jesus the center of our lives? He is in mine.

          Given all of this, if we as Christian reject much of the wonder, power, and the authority of God, then what is left? Generally, what is left is a Christian faith that is heavily centered on political, economic, and social issues. Do not miss hear me though, many of these things are important and deserve attention, but none of them are to ever overshadow the authority of God in Jesus Christ.

          This takes me back to our gospel lesson for this morning, once again from the gospel of Matthew. In this gospel lesson, Jesus walks on water. If God is all powerful and sovereign, and if Jesus was the fullness of God in the flesh on earth, then what could God not do?

          Some would say, “But Pastor Paul, walking on water on scientifically impossible”. I would say, this is true, for us humans, but could God do this? Of course, if you believe that God is still present, still among us, and is still continually active in our lives. Those that reject the miracles of scripture are attempting to lessen God and increase us. The real question is, how small can God get before we are really God, and we just reference God here or there? We do not pray much, we do not read scripture much, and God is just there somewhere? This exceptionally low view of God and this more nominal understanding of the Christian faith is, I believe, one of leading causes of the decline of Christianity in American and Western culture.

          So, let us look once again at our gospel lesson for this morning. It says:

“Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid” (Mt. 14:22-27, NRSV).

 

          Jesus, being a man of prayer, sends his disciples across the Sea of Galilee in a boat, as he went up the mountain to pray by himself. Jesus then leaves the disciples on the water for a while, and the waves are knocking and rocking their boat. I can imagine that disciples were afraid and worried in the boat like they did when Jesus calmed the storm on the sea. In an amazing miracle, God in the flesh, Jesus, walks towards them, on the water, and does not sink. It is also interesting that the disciples when they saw Jesus shouted, “It is a ghost!”.

          Given this, did the disciples believe in ghosts? This is sort of a gray area in Christian teaching, as to be a ghost means that you have not crossed to eternity, and you are lingering here on earth. Or maybe since ghosts are part of the folklore of many cultures, the Apostles said they saw a ghost, but they did not really mean literally. This one is certainly up for debate!

          The other important question to ask here, is why did Jesus Christ our Lord walk on the water towards the disciples in their boat? I mean he could have just appeared in the boat, and all would be well. Why did Jesus feed thousands in our gospel lesson from last week? Couldn’t Jesus have just reinforced who he was? Why did Jesus heal, forgive, and do the amazing things he did? Couldn’t Jesus have just preached?

          What gets conflated here, is that faith without living like Jesus is all we need to do here on earth. I do not believe that this is true, but I also do not believe that all the Christian faith is, is what we do here on this earth. What we do on this earth matters, but if we do not believe that God is all powerful, sovereign, and authoritative, then how can we be sure that we are following God’s perfect will for our lives?

          Do I believe that Jesus literally walked on water in our gospel lesson for this morning? Of course, He was God on earth. So why did Jesus do all the things he did? The primary reason was so that people would believe in Him and have faith in Him. Sure, we are to love all, help all, feed all, etc., but never independent of the authority of Jesus Christ. Jesus walks on water, not us. The head of the church is not us, not me, but Jesus. If the church becomes a secular form of Christianity, where Jesus is merely a nice guy, who did nice things, or maybe did not do them at all, then why even have a church? The strength and the authority of the church has always been in Jesus.

          So, walking on water? Well, if you meet the qualifications to die for the sins of all of humanity, and if you literally rose bodily from the dead, then I think yes walking on water is child’s play. When we have deep faith in Christ, when seek him, follow him, cling to him, as we feed, cloth, love, heal, and forgive, then the church will have strength. The church will have a future, it will grow, as will our faith and our hope.

          In looking at the rest of the gospel of Matthew reading once again, our gospel ends saying:

^“Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God” (Mt. 14:28-33, NRSV).

 

          Peter, putting his full trust in Christ, begins to walk on the water on the Sea of Galilee. Peter takes his eyes off Jesus and loses faith, and he begins to sink. Jesus then pulls him up out of the water and says, “You of little faith”. Jesus then brings Peter into the boat, and the wind and waves cease. The Apostles worship Christ and proclaim that he is indeed the Son of God.

          Jesus is more that just a moral teacher, and he came, lived, loved, healed, preached, died, rose, ascended, all for us. His whole life was one of extravagant love and he invites into relationship with Him. If we turn from our sin and our darkness, He will embrace us. He will lead us, fill us, and can us to change the world. Jesus is the head of church, not us. So, can we walk on water? Nope, but Jesus can. Amen.