Sidney UMC - Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany - 01/30/22 - Sermon - “Without Love I Am Nothing” (“1 Corinthians” Series: Part 3 of 5)

Sunday 01/30/22 - Sidney UMC 

Sermon Title:        “Without Love I Am Nothing”                                                     (“1 Corinthians” Series: Part 3 of 5)                                     

Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 71:1-6                       

New Testament Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Gospel Lesson: Luke 4:21-30

         This morning, I am continuing my five-week sermon series from our Sunday morning lectionary readings from the New Testament Book of 1 Corinthians. So far in this sermon series, we have talked about spiritual gifts, as well as the gifts and graces that God has given us all. When all of our gifts and graces are combined together, then we have the fullness of the body of Christ. We when we combine all of our gifts and graces together, the church has everything it needs to fully pursue its mission, to make disciples of Jesus Christ, and to transform Sidney and the world. We have a multitude of gifts and grace, we call upon the power of the Holy Spirit, and we pursue the mission of the church with passion and love.

          As I have been saying the past two Sundays of this sermon series, the city of Corinth, where the Corinthians live, is a city in the modern-day country of Greece. Since the Apostle Paul planted a Christian Church in Corinth, Greece, the Book of 1 and 2 Corinthians are letters that the Apostle Paul wrote the church in Corinth, or as the call themselves, once again, the Corinthians. The Apostle Paul wrote 1 Corinthians to instruct, to encourage, and to teach the Corinthians.

          This morning in our third part of this sermon series, we have a great reading from 1 Corinthians 13 about love. In fact, the Apostle Paul once again says in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3:

13 If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. ² And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. ³ If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing (1 Cor. 13:1-3, NRSV).

          Powerful words indeed. If we accumulate, if we stockpile, and if we take and take, but do not have love, what have we really accomplished? In the gospel of Mark 8:36 Jesus says:

³⁶ For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life (Mk. 8:36, NRSV).

          If we have everything materially that the world says we should have, but we have no peace and no love, then what do we really have?

          In thinking about God being love, and love conquering all, I thought of the year 2000 movie with Jim Carrey called “Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas”. This was of course a more modernized version of the original 1966 cartoon movie “Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas”.

          In this updated “Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas” movie in 2000, actor Jim Carrey plays the Grinch. He separates himself from society, and in this case the town called “Whoville.” The Grinch is angry and unhappy with Whoville. He determines to end there great little Christmas celebration, as he himself feels unloved and excluded. The Grinch is not filled with love.

          As a result, the Grinch, and his little dog with one antler steals all the Christmas gifts, food, decorations, and etc. from all of Whoville. In the original movie and in this updated year 2000 movie however, a little girl from Whoville named Cindy Lou Who shows the Grinch love. When the rest of the community seems afraid of him and wants nothing to do with him, this little girl Cindy Lou Who reached out to the Grinch.

          After the Grinch then stole all of Whoville’s Christmas gifts, Christmas dinner, and all their decorations, the Grinch then overhears the people of Whoville singing. It is in this moment that the Grinch realizes that there is more to Christmas than gifts and stuff. Along with the love from Cindy Lou Who, the Grinch’s heart grows three times bigger. The Grinch was changed by love, and at the end of the movie the Grinch is happy and part of Whoville once again. The Grinch’s joy comes not from anger, rejection, or accumulation possessions and wealth, but his joy comes from the giving and the receiving of love.

          I tell you this story, once again, as the character of the Grinch in this movie was changed by love. Nothing is more powerful than love, and God at his core is love. God is the source of all light, life, and love. Whatever we accomplish and whatever we achieve, if we do not have love, then what have we really accomplished? If you have achieved wonderful things here on earth, if you have accumulated possessions and wealth, but still feel a hole inside of you, then the answer is God’s love through Jesus Christ. If you amassed much here on earth, but still do not feel happy or fulfilled, then then answer is the love of God through Jesus Christ. For the Apostle Paul says once again this morning, if he does not have love, he is nothing. Without love, what are we? We can be people that live, accumulate, but without love, what do we really have?

          I really like how our Psalm 71 reading ends once again at the end of 71:6 saying:

My praise is continually of you (Ps. 71:6c, NRSV).

          To know God, to praise God, is to have love. Friends, without love we have nothing. The Apostle Paul then elaborates on what love is starting in 1 Corinthians 13:4. This is often read at weddings, and once again starting 13:4 says:

⁴ Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant ⁵ or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; ⁶ it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. ⁷ It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things (1 Cor. 13:4-7, NRSV).

 

          This is probably read at weddings because it is just a beautiful explanation of love. Imagine if we all loved each other like this. For without love, we are nothing.

          Our 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 reading for this morning then concludes picking up at 13:8 saying:

⁸ Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. ⁹ For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part; ¹⁰ but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end. ¹¹ When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways. ¹² For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. ¹³ And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love (1 Cor. 13:8-13, NRSV).

 

          We all need faith, we all need hope, and will all need love. The Apostle Paul says that while we need all three of these things, the greatest of these is love. By the end of the movie “Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” even though the Grinch has amassed an incredible number of possessions from the people of Whoville, they sill sang. For there faith, hope, and love was larger than just material things. This realization caused the Grinch’s heart to grow three sizes larger, and he realized that the greatest of these is love.

          So, I ask you, I ask myself, is the love of God central in your life, in my life? If it is not, then what is central in your life, in my life? We have a lot of people in this world eagerly chasing after that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. If they actually got to that pot of gold though, then what would happen? Would it be enough gold? Or would they then seek after the next and the next pot of gold? They might wonder why they still do not feel whole, fulfilled, or totally happy. For “Without Love I Am Nothing”?

          In our Gospel of Luke 4:21-30 reading for this morning, as I discussed last week, Jesus has just read from the scroll of the Prophet Isaiah, in Jewish Synagogue in his hometown of Nazareth. Jesus has declared that he is the Messiah, the savior. Jesus then said no prophet is welcome in his hometown, as he was speaking in his hometown of Nazareth. Jesus then talks about scripture and characters in scripture like Elijah and Elisha. After this, everyone is enraged at Jesus’ proclamation that he is the messiah or the savior. The people chase him out of the town of Nazareth. The people further, tried to chase Jesus up a cliff to through him off, but he managed to escape. Clearly love was not the reaction towards Jesus in Synagogue in Nazareth.

          Without love then friends, we are nothing. For example, if in 2022 this church has multiple professions of faith, if we have many new members, if we have new ministries, if we have even more vitality, if we have increased giving, and if this church is doing remarkable things in the community and in the world that would be great. If all of this happens though, and we do not have love, then all we have done is labor and labor. All we have done is work and create but was God at the center of it?

          If you like this church, if you enjoy being here, then I hope at the core of whatever reasons you give for this, that the core is love. I like being at Sidney UMC because I feel loved, and because I can love others. Jesus came to love us, to die for us, and teach us to live in faith, hope, and love. The greatest of these though, is love. You see friends, “Without Love I Am Nothing.” Amen

Sidney UMC - Third Sunday after the Epiphany - 01/23/22 - Sermon - “What Is Your Role In The Body of Christ?” (“1 Corinthians” Series: Part 2 of 5)

Sunday 01/23/22 - Sidney UMC 

Sermon Title:  “What Is Your Role In The Body Of Christ?”                                       (“1 Corinthians” Series: Part 2 of 5)                             

Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 19                                         

New Testament Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a

 Gospel Lesson: Luke 4:14-21

         Last Sunday I began a sermon series on the Book of 1 Corinthians. As I said last Sunday, we have church lectionary readings from 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians for the next 8-weeks. Since there are so many good things in our 1 Corinthians readings, I prayerfully decided to create a five-week sermon series on five of our readings from 1 Corinthians.

          In introducing this sermon series last Sunday, I also discussed how Corinth is a city in the country of Greece, and that the people that live in the city of Corinth call themselves Corinthians. Since the Apostle Paul went to the ancient city of Corinth, Greece and planted a new church there nearly two-thousand years ago, 1 and 2 Corinthians are letters or epistles that the Apostle wrote to the Christians in the Greek city of Corinth. He wrote to the new church there, and in 1 Corinthians the Apostle Paul wrote to instruct, to correct, and to encourage.

          Last Sunday once again, we had a reading from 1 Corinthians 12:1-11, and in this reading, the Apostle Paul was telling the Corinthians about spiritual gifts. The Apostle Paul was telling the church in Corinth that God gives or can give different gifts and graces that we use to the glory of Jesus Christ.

          This morning, in our reading from 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a, the Apostle Paul goes beyond just the spiritual gifts we have all been given from God, beyond the talents and the abilities given to all of us by God, to how we are all significant and vital to the body of Christ. In fact, the Apostle Paul compares the body of Christ to a human body and talks about how each of us here are part of the body of Christ, in the same way that each part of a human body makes the body whole (1 Cor. 12:12-31a, NRSV).

          In our reading for this morning from Psalm 19 in the Old Testament, once again, we hear of the greatness and the immensity of God. We also hear those famous words in Psalm 19:14 that say:

^“14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer (Ps. 19:14, NRSV). 

          I know some pastors that recite Psalm 19:14 before they give their sermons every Sunday. The wholeness, the greatness, the immensity, and the saving nature of God.

          This same God who took on flesh and came to earth as Jesus Christ, has called us all. This same God has made us in his image, and as I said, has given us all gifts and graces. Can any one person in the church do everything? Of course not. Does any one person in the church possess all the gifts and graces of God? Of course not. When we come together as the body of Christ, as a community, all of the gifts and graces that come from God are represented. Or as the old expression goes, “It takes many spokes to make a wheel.”

          In recent decades, in some churches, some folks have begun to look at their pastor or priest as the one who has all the gifts and graces of God, or they must have the most gifts and graces. As a result of this, if you look at your pastor or priest as having significantly more gifts and graces then you, then over time this can harm your spiritual growth. By this I mean we are made in God’s image, and we are given different gifts and graces.

          The Apostle Paul in our reading from 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a for this morning, once again, compares the body of Christ, or the community of faith to a human body. Let us hear once again what the Apostle Paul tells the church in Corinth this morning. Once again, the Apostle Paul says picking up in 12:12:

¹² For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. ¹³ For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit (1 Cor. 12:12-13, NRSV).

          So, the body of Christ, like a human body has many parts, and the body of Christ includes all people who have faith in Christ and are baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit. It does not matter what country you are from, what language you speak, what you look like, what color your skin is, etc. All believers in Christ are part of the body of Christ. To become part of the earthly Christian Church, or the broader body of Christ, this happens through baptism. The Apostle Paul continues on in 1 Corinthians 12:14-26 saying

¹⁴ Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. ¹⁵ If the foot would say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. ¹⁶ And if the ear would say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. ¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? ¹⁸ But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. ¹⁹ If all were a single member, where would the body be? ²⁰ As it is, there are many members, yet one body. ²¹ The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” ²² On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, ²³ and those members of the body that we think less honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our less respectable members are treated with greater respect; ²⁴ whereas our more respectable members do not need this. But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior member, ²⁵ that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another. ²⁶ If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it”    (1 Cor. 12:14-26, NRSV).

I really, really love this passage of our scripture from 1 Corinthians this morning. What the Apostle Paul is telling us this morning, is that every part, or every person in the body of Christ is important and is needed. All of us matter. All of us are needed in the body of Christ. Which part of the body is better than another part of the body? Further, the Apostle said the people who are in the body of Christ are indispensable and needed, and those feel lesser than, we will love you so that you will feel worthy and great. The Apostle Paul tells us not fight, or quarrel, or to have dissension. We are told to care for one another, to love one another, and if one in the body of Christ is suffering, then we are all suffering together. If we honor a person in the body of Christ, we all celebrate and rejoice together. We are a spiritual family, we are united as the body of Christ.

Whenever I read this passage about being the body of Christ, for some reason, I always think of that toy “Mr. Potato Head.” Probably because you can put on and remove different body parts on a “Mr. Potato Head.” In this way there are many body parts to a “Mr. Potato Head.” I also sometimes think of the family game called “Operation.” You know that game where you pretend to be a surgeon and you have to remove body parts from the man with tweezers? If you hit the metals edges over the body part with the tweezers, then the tweezer vibrates and buzzes, and you lose. So which body part is more important?

Well, you could say, “Well Pastor Paul, our brain is the most important part of our body.” Yet without the oxygen we breath into our lungs that our brain needs, and without the blood that our heart pumps, our brains would die quickly. Without the food that goes through our digestive system our brain would not have the energy it needed to survive. The body of Christ works together, and we all are part of the body, no exceptions.

So what part are you? Are you a toe? Are you an elbow? Are you a funny bone? Whatever part of the body of Christ you are, you are needed to complete the body. Just because I am the pastor of this church, does not mean that I am the whole body of Christ. Without all of you, we would not be able to pursue the mission of this church, for we would be missing all of the other parts of the body.

          In concluding our reading for this morning from 1 Corinthians 12:27-31a, the Apostle Paul, once again, continues talking about the body of Christ. Picking back up starting in 1 Corinthians 12:27 it says once again:

²⁷ Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. ²⁸ And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers; then deeds of power, then gifts of healing, forms of assistance, forms of leadership, various kinds of tongues. ²⁹ Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? ³⁰ Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? ³¹ But strive for the greater gifts.

          As baptized Christians then, we are not the only part of the body of Christ as individuals, but also part of the entire body of Christ. This scripture talks about apostles, prophets, teachers, deeds of power, gifts of healing, forms of assistance, leadership, and tongues. We all have different gifts and grace, and together we collectively make up the body of Christ. The pastor or the priest is not the body of Christ. We are part of it, and we have some gifts and graces, even though we are called to be the spiritual leader of the church. Yet, we are not the church. The head of this church is not Pastor Paul, the head of this church is Jesus Christ. I serve in a set of roles in the body of Christ as the pastor, but you all are part of the body. No one is better or worse than the other, and the sovereign head of the church is Jesus Christ.

          As my sermon title says for this morning then, “What Is Your Role In The Body Of Christ?” As the pastor of this church, I am supposed to administer and celebrate the sacraments of the church, order the life of the church, preach the gospel, and show love and compassion to all of you, the community, and the world. If am allowing God, the Holy Spirit to work through me, then you are all growing, becoming more equipped, and discovering and living into your gifts and graces more. In this way, a big part of my role in the body of Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit, is to grow and to raise up leaders. We are all part of the body of Christ, and we all need your and your gifts and graces to make the body a complete body. So dear friends, “What Is Your Role In The Body Of Christ?”

          Before closing out this second sermon in my five-week sermon series on 1 Corinthians, I wanted to touch on our gospel of Luke 4:14-21 reading, once again.

So, imagine this for moment, you love baseball, and MLB. Imagine you show up to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY on the day that the new members are inducted into the hall of fame. Imagine even further, if you were to walk in about the time that those retired players are to be inducted into the hall of fame. As you walk in and some of the greatest MLB players from all time are about be inducted, and as they are standing around many other prominent people, suddenly you look down at a large open book in front of you. For some reason as you look down at the text of this book you start to read it aloud. As you do, the whole crowd silences to listen to you read the text of this book. As you read, the book says that one day a baseball player will emerge that will be greater, faster, and more talented and gifted than all of the other baseball players in the entire history of the world. After reading this, you then say of yourself, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” (Lk. 4:14-21, NRSV). You say, that you are the greatest baseball player that the world has even seen. I wonder what the MLB Hall of Fame inductees and the whole crowd would say as you just publicly declared to all of them that you will become the greatest baseball player in the history of the world?

          Jesus does something similar to this, this morning, so let us look once again at our gospel reading from Luke 4:14-21. Once again it says:

¹⁴ Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. ¹⁵ He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone. ¹⁶ When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, ¹⁷ and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: ¹⁸ “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, ¹⁹ to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” ²⁰ And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. ²¹ Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”                           (Lk. 4:14-21, NRSV).

          So, Jesus, was saying in this Jewish Synagogue in Nazareth, which is where he grew up, that he was the messiah, God in the flesh, the savior of the world. In response to this the people in the synagogue and the community tried to drive Jesus out of Nazareth, and even kill him. Jesus got away, as he had told them that no prophet is welcome in their own town. This also makes me wonder what happened to the made-up character in the story I told about the MLB Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, just now?

          So, what is the takeaway here? We are not Jesus, and I would guess that we are not the greatest baseball player of all time. When we put our gifts and graces together however, we form the body of Christ. None of us has all the gifts and graces of God, none of us are Jesus, and I am guessing that none of us is the greatest baseball player of all time. Knowing then that the body of Christ is the combination of us all, is the combination of all of our gifts and grace, with Christ as the head, then “What Is Your Role In The Body Of Christ?” Amen.

Sidney UMC - Second Sunday after the Epiphany/Human Relations Day - 01/16/22 - Sermon - “What Are Your Spiritual Gifts?” (“1 Corinthians” Series: Part 1 of 5)

Sunday 01/16/22 - Sidney UMC

Sermon Title:         “What Are Your Spiritual Gifts?”                                                  (“1 Corinthians” Series: Part 1 of 5)                                   

Old Testament Scripture: Isaiah 62:1-5                                     

New Testament Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Gospel Lesson: John 2:1-11

          This morning, I am beginning a five-week sermon series on the New Testament Book of 1 Corinthians. For the next six-weeks, one of our scripture readings every Sunday will be from 1 Corinthians, and for two Sundays after that one of our Sunday scripture readings will be from 2 Corinthians.

          While I could have preached on our Sunday scriptures from 1 and 2 Corinthians for the next eight weeks, I decided to just preach for five-weeks on our first five Sunday readings from 1 Corinthians. I did this, as to not make a sermon series for two whole months, but instead just for five-weeks. We will also have a few Sunday morning readings from 1 or 2 Corinthians through March and April, but again, I wanted to focus on our 1 Corinthians Sunday morning readings for the next five-weeks. The big reason for this is that there is a lot of good stuff in these readings.

          My first sermon for this morning, in this first installment of this five-week series focuses on our reading for this morning from 1 Corinthians 12:1-11. The big focus of this scripture reading, which is what my sermon title is about, is spiritual gifts.

          Before diving into this scripture reading however, I want to give us all some background information on 1 Corinthians. Has anyone here, by the way, ever read the whole book of 1 Corinthians? It is a terrific book of scripture. Here is some background information on 1 Corinthians, which is actually a letter that the Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Corinth. Corinth is in the European country of Greece. Here is the background information:

“The city of Corinth, perched like a one-eyed Titan astride the narrow isthmus connecting the Greek mainland with the Peloponnese, was one of the dominant commercial centers of the Mediterranean world as early as the eighth century b.c.”

“No city in Greece was more favorably situated for land and sea trade. With a high, strong citadel at its back, it lay between the Saronic Gulf and the Ionian Sea, with ports at Lechaion and Cenchrea. A diolkos, or stone road for the overland transport of ships, linked the two seas. Crowning the Acrocorinth was the temple of Aphrodite, served, according to Strabo, by more than 1,000 pagan priestess-prostitutes”.

“By the time the gospel reached Corinth in the spring of a.d. 52, the city had a proud history of leadership in the Achaian League, and a spirit of revived Hellenism under Roman domination after 44 b.c. following the destruction of the city by Mummius in 146 b.c.”

“Paul's lengthy stay in Corinth brought him directly in contact with the major monuments of the agora, many of which still survive. The fountain-house of the spring Peirene, the temple of Apollo, the macellum or meat market (1Co 10:25) and the theater, the bema (Ac 18:12), and the unimpressive synagogue all played a part in the experience of the apostle. An inscription from the theater names the city official Erastus, probably the friend of Paul mentioned in Ro 16:23 (see note there) (https://www.biblestudytools.com/1-corinthians/).” 

          So, the city of Ancient Corinth in the Peloponnese region of the country of Greece is where the Apostle writes both his 1 and 2 letters to the church or the Christians in the city of Corinth. The present-day city of Corinth in Greece is not exactly where the Apostle Paul traveled and sent his two letters too, but close. Even in the present day, People from Corinth are called Corinthians. This is why the Apostle Paul wrote 1 and 2 Corinthians, as the Christians living in Corinth were and are Corinthians.

          In the first 10-20 years of the Christian faith, most Christians however, centered in and around Jerusalem or somewhere in Israel. The Apostle Paul then took the gospel, the Christian faith to many new places. Most of these new places were not Jewish, or if they had some Jews, Jews were not the majority.

          Further, just because Paul went to Corinth, why does Paul write this first of two letters to the Corinthians? Meaning, why did the Apostle Paul send a first and then a second letter to the church in Corinth, or the Corinthians. Well, the short answer in his first letter, is that there were problems with Christian conduct in the church, and Paul was writing to encourage and correct any bad behavior. So, some of 1 Corinthians is Paul telling the church in Corinth to behave better and differently, but much of it is also instructive and encouraging. The Apostle Paul wrote 1 Corinthians about 50-55 AD, which was about 20-25 years after Jesus rose from the dead. The church was well established in Jerusalem, but virtually non-existent outside of Israel.

          The Apostle Paul, often called “The Apostle to the Gentiles” was called by God to bring the good news of Jesus Christ beyond Jerusalem, beyond Israel, and beyond Judaism. He was called the bring the gospel to non-Jews.

          Where the narrative or the story of the Apostle Paul’s communication picks up this morning in chapter 12:1-11 is with the Apostle Paul teaching and instructing the church in Corinth or the Corinthians about spiritual gifts. Remember to that on the whole, the Apostle Paul wrote 1 Corinthians to be instructive and to be encouraging. So once again, let us look at what the Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Corinth in 12:1-11. This is what it say once again:

“12 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. ² You know that when you were pagans, you were enticed and led astray to idols that could not speak. ³ Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says “Let Jesus be cursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit”                                                               (1 Cor. 12:1-3, NRSV).

 

          In 12:1-3 the Apostle Paul is writing to the Christians in Corinth, who have not been Christians that long. These people might have been Christians for only a few years at this point. As a result, the Apostle Paul is instructing the church members in Corinth. The Apostle Paul wants to tell and teach the Corinthians about spiritual gifts, which again is the topic of my sermon for this morning.

          The Apostle Paul tells the Corinthians that when they were pagans and worshiping idols that there was no power in these objects of wood, stone, and metal. To have the Holy Spirit, or the Spirit of God in you then, is to have the love, the peace, the joy, and the hope of Christ. If you have this in you the Apostle Paul says, you will never curse Jesus. If you did not have the power of the Holy Spirit in you however, then you will never really understand Jesus.

          What the Apostle Paul then continues on saying for this morning, which is where I get my sermon title for this morning, is “What Are Your Spiritual Gifts?” Here is where the reading picks in 12:4 this morning:

“⁴ Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; ⁵ and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; ⁶ and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. ⁷ To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. ⁸ To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, ⁹ to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, ¹⁰ to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. ¹¹ All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses” (1 Cor. 12:4-11, NRSV).

          So, the Apostle Paul is telling the Corinthians here that the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, can fill us and gift us. These gifts may be lying dormant in us, may be undeveloped within us, or the Holy Spirit can activate or give us a gift from God. What are the types of these gifts? The Apostle Paul talks about gifts of service to others, and gifts for activities or doing things for others. The Apostle Paul tells us that the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God gifts us for service and to care for each other, and for the common good of everyone.

          What are these gifts? These gifts are wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, working miracles, prophecy, discerning the spirits, speaking in tongues, and interpreting tongues. The Apostle Paul also lists in his letter to the church in Rome, or the Book of Romans, the spiritual gifts of serving, teaching, encouragement or exhortation, and leadership, and mercy (Rom. 12:6-8, NRSV).

          As my sermon title says than “What Are Your Spiritual Gifts?” Has God given you wisdom, knowledge, deeper faith, the ability to heal and love others, the gift of working miracles, the gift of seeing what will be and what can be in the future, the ability to discern the deeper truths of God, speaking in tongues, and the spiritual gift of interpreting tongues? Also, as I said, the Apostle Paul says in his letter to the church in Rome, or the Romans, there are the spiritual gifts of serving, teaching, encouragement or exhortation, leadership, and mercy.

          All of these spiritual gifts have value, and among the church, they distributed throughout the congregation. There are some spiritual gifts that I have, and some that I do not have. So, “What Are Your Spiritual Gifts?”

In looking at some readings from 1 Corinthians over the next five-weeks, we have some real amazing scriptures that can cause us think, reflect, and discern how we can grow, and how we can continue to become all that God has called us to be.

          So, friends, “What Are Your Spiritual Gifts?” Further, how can you use your spiritual gifts, as the Apostle Paul said, for the common good, for the building up of God’s kingdom on earth? Next week we will be talking more about the body of Christ, the church, and how we all have gifts, but yet how we all come together as the body of Christ. Christ is the head of the church, but we all have gifts, graces, and roles to play in the community of faith, and the church and world as a whole.

          In briefly looking at our gospel reading from the gospel of John for this morning, we have Jesus’ first recorded miracle on earth. What is Jesus’ first recorded miracle on earth? Well Jesus and his mother, and maybe some others were at wedding in Cana of Galilee, which is a place in modern day Israel. Jewish weddings in the ancient world were also longer than a day. Sometimes they went on for a full week. There would be eating, drinking, and merriment (Jn. 2:1-11, NRSV).

          The problem at the Wedding at Cana though, is that early on at the Wedding in Cana of Galilee they ran out of wine. As a result, Jesus told the servants present to take six large empty stone jars, which each held about 20-30 gallons of water. Jesus told the servants to fill up these jars with water, and then miraculously Jesus turned between 120-180 gallons of water into wine. This was the best wine, and often times the best wine would be served first such weddings, followed by the cheaper wine. Yet Jesus kept the best for last. In his first miracle Jesus is telling us that with him, through God, the end of things will be the best, as will all things. Stick with Jesus, and the ending will be good. Further the whole time with Jesus will be good.

          As far gifts and spiritual gifts, do I have the gift of turning water to wine? No, but

 some of my friends have tried to see if I could do this. We all have gifts, graces, talents,

 and resources, and we all have spiritual gifts whether we realize it or not. So “What Are

 Your Spiritual Gifts,” and how are you or can you use them to God’s glory? Amen. 

Sidney UMC - Baptism of the Lord Sunday - 01/09/22 - Sermon - “Baptism and the Holy Trinity”

Sunday 01/09/22 - Sidney UMC 

Sermon Title:           “Baptism and the Holy Trinity”                              

Old Testament Scripture: Isaiah 43:1-7                                        

New Testament Scripture: Acts 8:14-17

Gospel Lesson: Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

           I have heard expressions my whole life like, “Time just flies by,” or “You blink, and you miss it,” or “Where did the years go?” There are plenty of statements and expressions that remind us that this life on earth goes by quickly. This does not mean that every day of our lives is easy or that every moment of our lives is great, but it does seem to go by quickly, doesn’t it? This is why there are expressions like, “Remember to stop and smell the roses along the way.” The idea that time just seems to fly by sometimes.

          With this said, the twelve-day season of Christmas ended this past Wednesday January 5^th. The actual day of “Epiphany,” or the day that many churches celebrate the visit of the Wise Men or magi to Christ was this past Thursday January 6^th. As a result, after church today once again, we are undecorating from the seasons of Advent and Christmas. Just like that time just flies by.

          Time also flies by in the gospel narratives for Jesus’ childhood. As many of us know, only the gospels of Luke and Matthew that tell the story of Jesus’ birth. Then we of course have the story of Jesus being left behind in Jerusalem after the Passover, at age 12. Mary and Joseph found Jesus after five days in the great Temple in Jerusalem and brought him home to Nazareth. We have Jesus’ birth, Jesus at 12-years old in the temple, and then today Jesus getting baptized by his cousin John the Baptist. Talk about time passing quickly! Or we can insert another common expression here, “Kids, they just grow up so quickly!”

          On this our Baptism of the Lord Sunday then, we will be talking about Jesus’ baptism and also the significance of Jesus’ baptism. In fact, until the age of thirty years old, we have Jesus’ birth, Jesus in the temple and twelve years old, and today he is thirty. After his baptism, Jesus will endure temptation in the wilderness for 40-days, and 40-nights, and after this, he immediately begins his three-year public ministry here on earth. To put it another way, Jesus did not start his three years of ministry on earth, ending with his crucifixion at age thirty-three, until he was baptized. Jesus did not reveal that he was messiah or the savior until after his baptism.

          In my ten years of ministry, and in serving five churches now, I have been able to do many baptisms. Sometimes I baptize babies, children, or adults. Sometimes I sprinkle water, and there is also baptizing by immersion, or going under the water and back up. I want to talk some this morning about Christian Baptism and why it matters.

          To begin with, as Christians, everything we do, whether its baptism, or Holy Communion, or worship, and or etc. is all designed to draw us closer to Christ. Our scripture for this morning from the Book of or the prophet Isaiah, reminds us that God loves, created us, and is always with us (Isa. 43:1-7, NRSV).

          In our reading for this morning from the Book of Acts once again, some Samarians had been baptized in the name of Jesus but had not yet received the Holy Spirt of God. Peter and John laid hands on these converts, and they received the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:14-17, NRSV).

          So, the big questions to ask ourselves this morning are, one why do we as Christians do baptisms? The second question that we can ask ourselves is this, what is proper way to do a baptism? The last question that we can ask ourselves is why are there variations among the way various Christians Church understand and perform baptisms?

          What is very clear, is that for the last two-thousand years of the history of the Christian Church, is that baptism is significant in every Christian Church I have ever encountered or studies. Even so, how a pastor or a priest performed a baptism, and differences there in, used to be something hundreds of years ago that some people killed each other over.

          In the Salvation Army Christian denomination and in Quaker or Society of Friends Christian denomination, these two churches do not have a water baptism. Why? Well let us look once again our gospel of Luke reading for this morning. It says starting in Luke 3:15 once again:

¹⁵ As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, ¹⁶ John answered all of them by saying, “I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹⁷ His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire”           (Lk. 3:15-17, NRSV).

          So, some Christians denominations, like the Salvation Army and the Quakers use scriptures like this to say Jesus was baptized by water, but everyone else will be baptized by the Holy Spirit. Meaning they do not believe that they need to do water baptisms, but instead they believe that they only need the baptism of the Holy Spirit of God coming upon them and into them.

          The majority of Christians once again though, whatever the kind of Christian they are, have for the last two-thousand years practiced water baptism. Baptism is all throughout the New Testament, and many churches, like the United Methodist Church baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Why do we do this? Well in the gospel of Matthew in chapter 28, Jesus gives us what is now called “The Great Commission”. In Matthew chapter 28:18-20 it says:

¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age”                           (Mt. 28:18-20, NRSV).

          This “Great Commission” from Jesus Christ to his disciples, and to us, is the general formula that the vast majority of Christian Churches use in performing baptisms. Different people and different churches interpret some of the scriptures differently, and this has led to differences in the understanding of baptisms in different churches. Every single baptism that I have ever performed has always been done saying in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

          In looking at how our gospel of Luke scripture for this morning ends once again, we have a beautiful and a perfect picture of the Triune God. In one scene we have the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit all present and together at the same time. Let us hear once again from Luke 3:21-22 for this morning. Once again it says:

²¹ Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, ²² and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased”                        (Lk. 3:21-22, NRSV).

          In the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke they all talk about the Holy Spirit descending upon Jesus, and we have God the Father speaking. In the gospel of John, we do not have a direct narrative of Jesus’ baptism, but we have John the Baptist talking about how after Jesus’ baptism the Holy Spirit descended upon him like a dove. It is clear that John the Baptist baptized Jesus in the gospel of John, but again it is not directly stated like the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke.

          So, all of this said, most Christian Churches baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Yet, even further why though do some Christian Churches baptize babies and children and some churches do not?

          Well, here is why, and here is why the United Methodist Church baptizes people from infants to any age that have never been baptized before. Before jumping into this though, I want to say that I love baptism by immersion. Baptizing a teenager or an adult in a river or another body water by immersion is awesome. Most infants and children that we baptize however, tend to be with the sprinkling of water. Due to this, a retired Pentecostal pastor friend of mine used to joke with me, “Do you all believe in John the Baptist, or John the Sprinkler?”

          In the United Methodist Church, like the Roman Catholic Church, and some other Christian denominations, part of the baptism is the bringing of a baby, or a child, or an adult, into the Christian Church. When someone receives a “Believer’s Baptism” by full immersion in the water, in some Christian denominations, they profess their faith in Christ, and then get baptized as a sign of their faith and their devotion to Christ. They may then become a professing member of that local church.

          Imagine though if baptism was not just a sign of your new faith and rebirth, and was not just a display of your devotion to Christ, but was something that now made you part of the universal two-thousand-year Christian Church? What I am trying to say is that if you profess your faith in Jesus Christ and repent, you can be forgiven of your sins and have salvation and eternity in Christ, but at the same time not be part a member of the universal two-thousand-year Christian Church.

          It is a tradition for many Jews for example, to get their sons circumcised as babies at eight days old. This is a sign that their son is now part of the Jewish tradition, and they are to raise their child in the Jewish faith. The child is certainly not old enough yet at eight days old to understand God or the Jewish faith, but circumcision is what makes the eight-year-old boy part of the Jewish tradition.

          What then makes somebody part of the Christian tradition, part of the Christian Church? What makes someone part the church universal and what is the sign, the sacrament, and the mark of a Christian? For Jews is circumcision and couple of other things, but for Christians it has always been baptism. In fact, in some Christian traditions, along with the waters of baptism, the baby, the child, or the person gets “Christened” with oil, or marked for Christ. That child or person is now part of our group, our church.

          In the United Methodist Church, we do baptisms only in public worship, as we are asking the parents, the God parents, and everyone present to love and care for this baby or child that is being baptized. We ask everyone present in worship to instruct this baby or child about Jesus and to pray for this child. The hope is that this child will accept the love and salvation of Jesus for him or herself when they are old enough to understand who Jesus is. This often occurs by going through confirmation, to profess and confirm one’s faith. If the person is old enough to understand who Jesus is, they first profess their faith in Christ first, and then are baptized.

          So, does baptism mean someone knows Jesus and has salvation? Baptism is the mark of a Christian, but faith and salvation is us repenting of our sin and turning to Christ. We do believe that we are all born into sin and brokenness, and in the waters of baptism we believe that this stain of sin is removed, but we do not believe that a baby needs to be baptized to not be eternally condemned.

In the United Methodist Church, we sort of have a baby dedication built into the sacrament of baptism, in that we baptize the child, all take vows to love the child, and hope that one day that child will accept Christ for themselves.

          Since baptism is the mark of the Christian faith though, we baptize babies and infants, so that they are part of the universal two-thousand-year Christian Church. You are not a professing Christian until profess your faith in Christ, but you can be part of the church through baptism.

Given this, can you be baptized and never accept Christ? Sure, of course you can? If someone repents and comes to Christ on there death bed, but are never baptized, they do indeed have salvation, but they have never received the mark of the Christian faith. Christian baptism is what marks us as being part of the Christian Church.

          When someone is baptized in the United Methodist Church then, we call them “Baptized Members,” but they are not yet “Professing Members,” until they make a profession of faith in Christ. This can happen through confirmation or just a general profession of faith. At confirmation, a person confirms that Christ was present at there baptism, and they confirm their faith in Christ.

          While some churches have “Baby Dedications” but hold off baptism until the baby grows up and professes their faith in Christ, there is a different historical view of what baptism is in some Christian denominations. Like a driver’s license is needed to drive a car, the mark of the Christian faith is baptism.

I have had some parents tell me before though, “Well Pastor Paul, I don’t believe in infant baptism, so what should I do?” I just tell them then to wait if they want. Historically though, baptism is the mark of the Christian faith. So, when we baptize a baby or a child, we are marking them for Christ, as Christians, hoping that one day that they will accept Christ for themselves.

          I had one seminary professor that often joked about churches that do baby dedications and believer baptisms only, versus churches that do infant baptisms and confirmation, that “you can pull your car into the garage, or you can back your car into your garage. The important thing is that the car gets in the garage.” Is it important to profess our faith in Christ? Yes. Is baptism important? Yes. How each Christian Church does it however varies, but almost all of them follow Jesus’ instructions in the gospel of Matthew, in “The Great Commission” telling us to baptize in the name of Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. This is what “Baptism and the Holy Trinity” means. Happy Baptism of the Lord Sunday. Amen.