Wednesday, October 28, 2020

Sidney UMC - All Saints Day Sunday - 11/01/20 - Sermon - “Saints: And The Sermon On The Mount”

Sunday 11/01/20 - Sidney UMC

Sermon Title: “Saints: And The Sermon On The Mount”

Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 34:1-10, 22                                       

New Testament Scripture: 1 John 3:1-3

Gospel Lesson: Matthew 5:1-12

          Friends, brothers, and sisters in Christ, welcome once again on this our All Saints Day Sunday. On this day, we celebrate the great saints of our Christian faith, both past and present.

          To explain a little bit more what All Saints Day is, let me read to you from this source that I found:

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

          So, this morning then, we celebrate those saints that have went before us. We knew some of these saints, but many we did not, and we are called on this day and always to be saints ourselves. While we are still living this life here on earth, we are called to live like Jesus, to be saints. Today is the day in the life of church that we celebrate all saints, both past and present.

          When I think about what it means to be a saint, I think of what it says once again from our reading from Psalm 34 for this morning. Once again it says:

“I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together”                        (Psalm 34:1-3, NRSV).

          As much as this is what we hope that we are doing and saying all day every day, we all know that sometimes we struggle to always do this. Yet, saints persist. Saints work through the challenges, celebrate the victories, and grow closer to Christ.

          Saints in fact, are often some of the people that we revere the most but are often people that have suffered greatly. Saints are people that are selfless, people who love others boldly, and sometimes met a martyr’s end. Yet these saints did what they did, because of their belief in the gospel of Jesus Christ. They did what they did, because they believed that Christ was Lord of all, and they still do in heaven. They did what they did, because they believed in the love of God, they believed in a better world, and they believed in life eternal with Christ.

          Sometimes during a Saint’s life, they were not appreciated or even cared for the way that God calls us all to care for each other. Sometimes it was not until years later that they were recognized for there calling, and the work that they did for Christ.

          I think that our scripture from 1 John for this morning is telling of what a saint thinks, feels, believes, and does. Once again 1 John 3:1-3 says this morning:

See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure” (1 Jn. 3:1-3, NRSV).

          Saints are the way they are because they know Christ. Since they have been changed by Christ, Christ has called them to change others and the world. On its face this seem marvelous, and it is, yet the gospel does not promise us that life will be perfect. Instead, the gospel promises us that God is with us, and that Christ is faithful.

          For example, one my heroes as a pastor and as a saint, is Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta. As many of us know, Mother Teresa worked with and served the poorest of the poor in India. Many of us that know who Mother Teresa was, likely admire her greatly. In fact, by a show of hands, how many of us here admire Mother Teresa? With this said however, how many of you would want to have lived the life that Mother Teresa lived? Many admire saints, famous saints, saints that were part of this or other churches, saints from our own families, or people that are living like saints today.

          I have also heard many stories of some people who have suffered greatly, yet through there suffering had great faith. We admire such people, yet we ourselves would never wish to suffer. Many saints suffer, but Christ is with them.

          Another saint that I greatly admire, other than many my late family members and many people that I have known who have passed on to glory, is Saint Lawrence. For those of you that have heard of Saint Lawrence University in Canton, NY, that university is named after Saint Lawrence. I want to tell you a little bit about Saint Lawrence and how he died, according to church tradition. This is how the story goes:

“The esteem in which the Church holds Lawrence is seen in the fact that today’s celebration ranks as a feast. We know very little about his life. He is one of those whose martyrdom made a deep and lasting impression on the early Church. Celebration of his feast day spread rapidly”.

“He was a Roman deacon under Pope Saint Sixtus II. Four days after this pope was put to death, Lawrence and four clerics suffered martyrdom, probably during the persecution of the Emperor Valerian”.

“Legendary details of Lawrence's death were known to Damasus, Prudentius, Ambrose, and Augustine. The church built over his tomb became one of the seven principal churches in Rome and a favorite place for Roman pilgrimages”.

“A well-known legend has persisted from earliest times. As deacon in Rome, Lawrence was charged with the responsibility for the material goods of the Church, and the distribution of alms to the poor. When Lawrence knew he would be arrested like the pope, he sought out the poor, widows, and orphans of Rome and gave them all the money he had on hand, selling even the sacred vessels of the altar to increase the sum. When the prefect of Rome heard of this, he imagined that the Christians must have considerable treasure. He sent for Lawrence and said, “You Christians say we are cruel to you, but that is not what I have in mind. I am told that your priests offer in gold, that the sacred blood is received in silver cups, that you have golden candlesticks at your evening services. Now, your doctrine says you must render to Caesar what is his. Bring these treasures—the emperor needs them to maintain his forces. God does not cause money to be counted: He brought none of it into the world with him—only words. Give me the money, therefore, and be rich in words.”

“Lawrence replied that the Church was indeed rich. “I will show you a valuable part. But give me time to set everything in order and make an inventory.” After three days he gathered a great number of blind, lame, maimed, leprous, orphaned, and widowed persons and put them in rows. When the prefect arrived, Lawrence simply said, “These are the treasure of the Church.”

“The prefect was so angry he told Lawrence that he would indeed have his wish to die—but it would be by inches. He had a great gridiron prepared with coals beneath it, and had Lawrence’s body placed on it. After the martyr had suffered the pain for a long time, the legend concludes, he made his famous cheerful remark, “It is well done. Turn me over!” (https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-lawrence).

          I do not know how anyone could hear the story of Saint Lawrence and not be touched or moved. In fact, if you have never heard the story of Saint Lawrence, maybe you yourself now admire him. To be saint though, is to pursue Christ with everything we have, even when it is hard.

          A good blueprint for living like a saint can be taken once again from our scripture reading from Matthew 5:1-12 from this morning. This scripture is often called “The Sermon on the Mount,” which is different from the sermon that I jokingly give on Consecration Sunday called “The Sermon on the Amount”. So, let us go through “The Sermon on the Mount” that Jesus gives us this morning. Once again, our gospel reading says:

“When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you”                      (Mt. 5:1-12, NRSV).

          This is quite a list, and we all have different callings and different gifts and graces. Yet God calls us all to be saints, and to live like saints now. Living like a saint might indeed mean some suffering, but through all of that, we have the glory, the love, and the peace of Jesus Christ. Saints are people, who can be abused and beat down, but they get back up, they persist, and they keep moving forward, for they remember the one who died for them!

          All Saints Day then is the day that we remember not just famous saints, but the countless saints that we know and the countless more that we have never met. Perhaps we remember dedicated teachers, pastors, family members, soldiers, community members, and the countless people who served, sacrificed, and in different ways suffered. You see, it is glorious to talk about being a saint, yet it takes a life of devotion to Christ and to others, to be known after you are gone as a saint.

          I believe that it is true that all who die in Christ are saints, but some we have greater respect and admiration for, knowing who there were and what they did. It is my hope and my prayer that one day, after we have lived, loved, served, and cared, that we may be able to say what Apostle Paul said before his martyred death.

          For the Apostle Paul told is young friend and brother Timothy, in 2 Timothy 4:7-8:

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. 4:7-8, NRSV).

 

          I would encourage you therefore, before you leave the church today, to notice the names on the stained-glass windows. I would encourage you to look at this church’s memorial book in the Narthex, to look at the other plaques of dedication, and to realize that we are here today, because of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. This grace has been lived out by so many that have come before us.

          As you heard me say before, we all stand in a line of heroes, and on the shoulders of giants. May we look to God, but may we also look to that great cloud of witnesses, the saints we have known, and many we have not known. Today we honor them, and may we be like them. May we also on this All Saints Day and every day, fight to good fight, run the race, and keep the faith. Happy All Saints Day and Amen.

Wednesday, October 21, 2020

Sidney UMC - Reformation Sunday/21st Sunday after Pentecost - 10/25/20 - Sermon - “The Greatest Commandment”

                                   Sunday 10/25/20 - Sidney UMC

Sermon Title: “The Greatest Commandment”

Old Testament Scripture: Deuteronomy 34:1-12                                        

New Testament Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8

Gospel Lesson: Matthew 22:34-46

          Friends, brothers, and sisters in Christ, welcome again on this our Reformation Sunday, and this our Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost.

          Reformation Sunday is the Sunday that many, mostly Protestant Christian Churches remember the roots of our churches and our denominations. While many of us grieve that the Christian Church is not just one united church or denomination, we also know that at different times in the church there was corruption and sometimes great sin. Sometimes for these reasons, or for political reasons, new Christian denominations formed. Reformation Sunday then, is about remembering some of the great reformers of the Christian Church, like Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Wesley, etc. Three years ago, when it was the 500th anniversary of the reformation of Martin Luther, various high ranking Roman Catholic leaders came out and stated that Martin Luther was right that there was indeed corruption within the church during his life.

          In general, then, reforms within the Christian Church occurred in response to abuses, corruption, and other sinful and un-Godly beliefs. I hope and pray though that one day that universal church of Jesus Christ can be reassembled, but I do not think that I will see this in my lifetime. Given this, while this is a United Methodist Church, we are all Christians, and all part of Christ’s universal church.

          With this said, before diving into our gospel of Matthew reading that I am preaching on this morning, I wanted to mention our reading from the Book of Deuteronomy for this morning. I am mentioning this, because this dovetails on the seven-week sermon series that we just had from the Book of Exodus.

          If you remember, God told Moses that he would free the Israelite or Jewish people, and of course Moses led his people to freedom. Moses unfortunately will never physically get to the Promised Land, or the land of milk and honey, however. In our scripture from the Book of Deuteronomy for this morning, once again, God shows Moses the Promised Land, or the land of milk and honey, and then God told Moses that he will never physically enter this land. Moses then dies, and Joshua will be the one who finally leads the Israelite or Jewish people into the Promised Land, the land of milk and honey. So, I just wanted all of us to have closure on that!

          With this said, in our gospel of Matthew reading for this morning Jesus gives us “The Greatest Commandment”. Specifically, once again, Jesus tells us in Matthew 22:37-40:

“37 He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the greatest and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Mt. 22:37-40, NRSV).

          In our reading from this morning from 1 Thessalonians, once again, the Apostle Paul is telling the church in Thessalonica, or the Thessalonians that he and his companions enjoyed caring for the people and loving them (1 Thess. 2:1-8, NRSV). The Apostle Paul talked about the importance of loving and caring for others.

          I have found in our culture though that we use the word “love” so loosely. For example, a student in high school who has been dating a boy might be asked, “Do you love him? Or do you love him, love him?

          I remember for example, a female friend of mine from college that went out on a date with a guy that her friends set her up with. What we might this know as, “A Blind Date”. The next day I asked her after the date, “So, do you like him”? She said, “Well yes I like him, but I don’t know if I like him, like him”. Anyone ever heard these types of terms before? Is love then just a simple word, or is love both simple and yet complex? I would argue the answer for both is yes.

          The Christian Bible that we have today is generally 66-books of scripture, or 73-books of scripture in the Roman Catholic Church bible, as our Roman Catholic brothers and sisters have seven more books in their Old Testament. Many Protestant scholars refer to these books as the “Apocrypha”. This said, the Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew, as the Old Testament is the scriptures used by our Jewish brothers and sisters. The New Testament, however, was originally written in Ancient Greek. By the late 300’s, the bible was translated in Latin, and this was called “The Vulgate”. “The Vulgate” or the Latin Bible would dominate Western Christianity for over 1,000 years, until reformers like John Wycliffe and Martin Luther translated the Bible in their native languages, about 500-600 years ago.

          Where I am going with all of this, is in the Ancient Greek language, there is more than one word for love. Ancient Greeks did not need to say that they “liked, liked, or loved, loved” someone, as they had different words for that. We have some of these types of words in the English language as well, but the word love in our culture is a very elastic and vague construct.

          So, what were the Ancient Greek words used in the original New Testament for love? Well there were three of them, and I will include a fourth that is not in the Christian New Testament. In fact, famous Christian author and scholar, C.S. Lewis wrote a book in 1960 about this very topic. This book is called, “The Four Loves,” and it discusses “Storge,” “Philia,” “Eros,” and “Agape.” Once again, these four types of love that C.S. Lewis wrote about 60-years ago are “Storge,” “Philia,” “Eros,” and “Agape” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Four_Loves).

          We know, as we have heard from our gospel of Matthew reading for this morning that Jesus said that the greatest commandment is to love God with everything that you have, and to love your neighbor as yourself. We also know that Jesus said everything stems back from this the greatest commandment.

          Yet Jesus just says “love,” or at least in our English translation. Yet in looking at the original Greek Lexicon online, which compares the ancient Greek manuscript of the gospel of Matthew to modern English, Jesus uses a derivation of the word “Agape” (https://biblehub.com/text/matthew/22-39.htm). So, Jesus does not say the word “love” this morning, as he uses a derivation of “Agape”. Given this, it might be important to know the three words that describe love from the Ancient Greek New Testament, plus the extra one that I will discuss. Let me explain them in order.

          First, we have “Storge”. Well what is “Storge”? “Storge is:

“liking someone through the fondness of familiarity, family members or people who relate in familiar ways that have otherwise found themselves bonded by chance. An example is the natural love and affection of a parent for their child.

          So “Storge” is the love of a parent for a child, or the way that we love our family. People of course can also join or become part of families to. This form of love then, is certainly more specific than you “like, like, or love, love him”.

          The next type of love is “Philia,” which is what the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is named after. Well what is “Philia?” “Philia” is:

“the love between friends as close as siblings in strength and duration. The friendship is the strong bond existing between people who share common values, interests or activities.

          Does anyone know what the nickname for the city of Philadelphia is? The city of ________brotherly love. So, to love a friend or a brother is a different kind of love than the love of a parent for a child. “Philia” is a deep and caring love, as is “Storge,” but they are different.

          The next of the four words is “Eros”. “Well what is “Eros”? According to C.S. Lewis it says:

“for Lewis was love in the sense of "being in love" or "loving" someone, as opposed to the raw sexuality of what he called Venus: the illustration Lewis used was the distinction between "wanting a woman" and wanting one particular woman”.

          “Eros” then is romantic love, which is different from brotherly love, or “Philia”, and different from “Storge”, which is more of love for your children and family. “Eros” is also where the word “Erotic” comes from, making it more romantic and sexual in nature.

          The last of the four Ancient Greek words for love is “Agape”. What is “Agape”? Remember, this is also the word that Jesus used this morning, when a derivation of “Agape” was used. We are to “Agape” our neighbors as ourselves. So “Agape”:

“is the love that exists regardless of changing circumstances. Lewis recognizes this selfless love as the greatest of the four loves, and sees it as a specifically Christian virtue to achieve. The chapter on the subject focuses on the need to subordinate the other three natural loves – as Lewis puts it, "The natural loves are not self-sufficient"– to the love of God, who is full of charitable love, to prevent what he termed their "demonic" self-aggrandizement” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Four_Loves).

          When I used to be involved with “Walk to Emmaus” weekends in the former NCNY UMC Annual Conference for example, we would get gifts for the persons attending these spiritual retreat weekends. I will not get specific for the sake of those who have not made a “Walk to Emmaus” weekend, but we called these gifts that we got others “Agape”. It was a general and a broad expression of love, and likely to people that you maybe have never met.

          Melissa and I also, for example, have a sponsor child in the country of Bolivia, named Arianne. We have never met her, but we do exchange letters. We have “Agape” love for this child.

          So, this morning, Jesus, along with questioning the Pharisees, tells us to love God with everything we are and have, and to “Agape” our neighbor as ourselves. You will notice here my friends, that Jesus never commands us to even like our neighbor! We do not even have to like our neighbor; we just have to “Agape” our neighbor as ourselves. We are supposed to be kind, charitable, giving, and caring. This is the general love that we should extend to everyone, including God. This is the highest form of love.

          If our neighbor is not a good and close friend, we do not have “Philia” love for them, and if they are not part of our family, then we don’t have “Storge” love for them. Sometimes people do marry their neighbors to, which would be when “Eros” love could enter the picture.

          So once again, “Storge” love is the love of your family. For example, you probably have members of your family that you are not the biggest fans of. Yet, you would help them and care for them, after all, there family, right? You also have members of your family that you are close to.

          Once again, “Philia” Philadelphia, brotherly love. That person that you worked with for years. That person that you grew up with, that your kids and their kids went to school with. That person that when they die that you are emotional and upset that a true and lifelong friend had died. This is “Philia” love.

          Once again, “Eros”, were we get romantic or “Erotic” love. I am not going to give an example for this once, and I will assume that you get this one!

          Lastly, the love we are called to have for all people and God, “Agape”. I have this love for all of you, and I try to have “Agape” for all people. Are we all fallen sinners? Of course, we are. Yet who is better and who is worse. Who is greater and who is lesser? I strive to love and care for all people with “Agape” love. For “The Greatest Commandment” is to “Agape” God with everything you have, and to “Agape” your neighbor as yourself.

Wednesday, October 14, 2020

Sidney UMC - 20th Sunday after Pentecost - 10/18/20 - Sermon - “The Glory Of The LORD!” (“Exodus: The People of the Covenant” Series: Part 7 of 7)

Sunday 10/18/20 - Sidney UMC 

Sermon Title:                  “The Glory Of The LORD!”

                (“Exodus: The People of the Covenant” Series: Part 7 of 7)

Old Testament Scripture: Exodus 33:12-23                                        

New Testament Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Gospel Lesson: Matthew 22:15-22

          Welcome again my friends, on this the Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost, and this our Laity Sunday. Laity Sunday is generally a Sunday where we give a special thanks to all of you, the laity. So, thank you for who you are, and all that you do.

          This morning we are going to finish our seven-week sermon series on the Book of Exodus called “Exodus: The People of the Covenant”. In the Book of Exodus, we had read that God spoke to a man named Moses through a burning bush. God told Moses that the Israelites, His Covenant people would soon be led out of slavery in Egypt.

          Moses then told the Egyptian leader the Pharaoh to let his people go from the land of Egypt. Pharaoh refuses, ten-plagues ensued, and then the Pharaoh reluctantly agreed to let Moses lead the Israelite or Jewish people out of Egypt. God parts the Red Sea through Moses, and Moses leads his people, the Covenant People to freedom.

          Soon there is a food shortage, and the Israelite people rebel against God and Moses. The Israelite people also did this in response to a water shortage. God then provided the people daily manna from heaven and daily quail for meat and provided the people with water. Each time that the Israelite or the Jewish people rebelled they were then reconciled to God, and their leader Moses.

          Two weeks ago, Moses was given the 10-Commandments that Jews and most Christians still follow to this day. Moses spent forty-days and forty-nights on the top of Mount Sinai with God, where he received many other laws for the Israelite or the Jewish people to live by. There is a total of 613 of these laws in the first five book of the Bible, or the Torah.

          Since Moses was up on the mountain for so long, his people lost heart, faith, and hope. They convinced Moses’ brother Aaron to allow them to create and to worship a golden calf. In addition, the people convinced Aaron to have a wild and reckless time. God informed Moses of this, and Moses went back down the mountain with the 10-Commandments. So angry was Moses at what he saw that he broke the 10-Commandment stones at the bottom of the mountain. Again, the Israelite people will repent, will turn back to God, and will turn back to their leader Moses. Moses will get a new set of 10-Commandments, and the saga of running to and from God will continue. In fact, it will continue throughout the entire Old Testament of the Bible.

          It will go on for so long in fact, that for those of you that have read Old Testaments prophets like Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Micah, etc., you might know that God called all of these prophets. Why did God do this? God did this to bring his Covenant people the Israelites back to Him. Prophets in the Old Testament were called to bring people back to righteousness and holiness. Within what these prophets said and wrote, we also catch glimpses of the one who would save all the world. The Messiah who would live, breath, and die for us all, Jesus Christ.

          After centuries of God sending out one prophet after another to call us back to righteousness and holiness, God sent his only son to shed his blood on the cross, so that we may be offered forgiveness and eternal life.

          With all this said, I really love our final seven-week lectionary reading from the Book of Ezekiel. This reading is about encountering God. When I say encountering God, I do not mean just spiritually, as to feel God’s presence with us when we pray, for example. I mean literally encountering God in person. This is the ultimate “In-Person” worship!

          None of us really knows what God looks like. We are often given the image of an old white man with a beard. I do not believe though, nor does the United Methodist Church, that God, our creator is a physical flesh and blood being, but rather a spiritual being. In fact, the Bible tends to explain God with three main words. God is the light, life, and love. To be in the presence of almighty God, is to be in the presence of light, life, and love. God, our creator is a being, but I do not believe God is a flesh and blood being like us. Our churches, our worship spaces, exist so that people might be drawn to God through Jesus Christ. So that all people might experience, grow in, and encounter the light, life, and love of God.

          For me, when I think of what God looks like, I generally think of George Burns, or Morgan Freeman. Most recently, Morgan Freeman, as he seems to portray God in a lot of movies.

          This morning to end this seven-week series from the Book of Exodus on God’s Covenant people, Moses, as I said, has a powerful encounter with God. Let us look once again at what the scripture from the Book of Exodus says once again this morning. It says:

12 Moses said to the Lord, “See, you have said to me, ‘Bring up this people’; but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.’ 13 Now if I have found favor in your sight, show me your ways, so that I may know you and find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people.” 14 He said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” 15 And he said to him, “If your presence will not go, do not carry us up from here. 16 For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people, unless you go with us? In this way, we shall be distinct, I and your people, from every people on the face of the earth” (Ex. 33:12-16, NRSV).

          Moses tells God that God called him to lead the Israelite people of out slavery Egypt, and eventually one day, after Moses’s death, lead the people to the land of milk and honey, or the Promised Land. Yet Moses says to the presence of God, that after they are about to depart from Mount Sinai, where Moses received the 10-Commandments, who will God send with them?

          God says in response, that his presence, his spirit will go with the Israelite people, and the saga with continue. One day the Israelite or Jewish people will indeed reach the land of milk and honey, or the Promised Land, but then, as they seem to do all the time, they will turn away from God again. There temple will be destroyed, and they will become conquered and taken over, yet again. In this first part of this reading from the Book of Ezekiel once again, Moses asks God for more reassurance. So, this is what the scripture says to conclude it:

17 The Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing that you have asked; for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.” 18 Moses said, “Show me your glory, I pray.” 19 And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim before you the name, ‘The Lord’; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. 20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face; for no one shall see me and live.” 21 And the Lord continued, “See, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock; 22 and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by; 23 then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back; but my face shall not be seen” (Ex. 33:17-23, NRSV).

          So, God tells Moses, to reassure Moses, that God will pass by him, literally. As in walk bye Moses. Yet God says to Moses, that Moses cannot see his face. God tells Moses that no one can gaze upon the fullness of his face and live. To see fully the face and the person of God the creator would be so overwhelming, so amazing, that it would literally kill you.

          God tells Moses to stand on a rock, and God then tells Moses that when His glory passes by Moses, that God will put Moses in the cleft or gap of the rock. Further God tells Moses that He will cover Moses with his own hand as he passes by him. Once God is past Moses, he will remove his hand from Moses, and Moses will only see God’s back. To see the face of God though, it would kill Moses. This brings new life to the phrase “If looks could kill!”

          After this amazing encounter that Moses had with the living God, God will then command Moses to cut to more tablets of stone, and the 10-Commandments will be re-written. The Israelites or the Jews, will again be reconciled to God and Moses. Well at least for now.

          In reading this final scripture of our Book of Exodus sermon series on God’s Covenant people, I thought about what it would be like to literally be in God’s presence? As I said, I do not just mean feeling God’s presence, but literally God is there in His fulness. What would that be like? The scripture tells us that if were to look fully on the face of God that it would literally kill us. I cannot imagine.

          One the central roles of the church then, is to shepherd people into a deeper relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Within this, to experience God in powerful and wonderful ways. I have heard countless stories over my life of how God called people to become pastors or priests, or of how people came to Christ in general. I have heard everything from near death experiences, to God showing up in a dream. What is it like to fully encounter the living God? Imagine being with the source of all light, life, and love? Majesty and grace in full display.

          Something else that I wanted to note in the scripture from our Book of Exodus reading for this morning, and all the Old Testament. You might notice that in the Old Testament, God is sometimes referred to as the “LORD”. I did not even catch this typo in our bulletin for this Sunday when I wrote my sermon title without capitalizing every letter of the word LORD. I forgot for a moment that the word in capital letters, “LORD”, was a place marker for Yahweh, or Jehovah. You see the name of God to the Israelites or the Jews is so holy that it cannot be written. Instead of saying the name of God, you simply insert “LORD” in all capital letters. For the majesty of the God of the universe is infinitely beyond us. For to even gaze upon the face of God, to source of all light, life, and love, would kill us.

          In our reading this morning from the Apostle Paul’s first letter or Epistle to the Thessalonians, Paul says among other things, that the people of the church in Thessalonica are living their faith out. These people are imitating God, living like God, and God’s love is working through them.

          This then leads me briefly to our gospel lesson for this morning, which is once again from Matthew 22:15-22. In this reading, as they often did, the Pharisees try to trip Jesus us, and entrap him. Once again, this is what the scripture has to say:

15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him in what he said. 16 So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. 17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?” 18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? 19 Show me the coin used for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. 20 Then he said to them, “Whose head is this, and whose title?” 21 They answered, “The emperor’s.” Then he said to them, “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 22 When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away” (Mt. 22:15-22, NRSV).

          Jesus is asked if the government over him, and if the authority of the Roman Emperor is supreme. Jesus is shown this with a denarius, a Roman coin, that literally had the picture of the emperor on it. I have an ancient Roman coin in fact, that my older brother Ken gave me. It was struck not molded, and literally has the face of a Roman emperor on it.

          When asked about paying taxes and loyalty to the emperor, Jesus said to his interrogators, to give to the emperor what belongs to him, and to give to God what belongs to God.

          Given this, a modern-day split, or separation has developed within Christianity in Western culture. This split is around what the role of the church should be in the world. Should Christians and the church be actively serving, loving, and helping everyone, especially the least, the last, and the lost? Of course, we are! Are we supposed to radically alter governments and economic systems as a church though? I do not believe that the church itself should be a highly political organization. Although people of faith that are elected to government will shape governments and economic systems. So, are we to focus fully on Christ and serving others as a church, or are we commanded to literally build what we think God wants for all of humanity?  

          I believe that we are called to focus on “The Glory of the LORD,” and through what God is doing in us, and from this, each of us will be called according to God’s purposes. Some of us might change governments, or economic systems, but we would do so because God has called us individually to do so. The role of the church is to shepherd people into relationship with Christ, and then equipment for what God has called them to. The mission of the church then, is broad enough that we can do many great things, while still respecting an individual call that God has placed on someone’s life. Yet, it all starts with encountering “The Glory of the LORD”. Amen.