Sunday
01/22/23 - Sidney UMC
Sermon Title: “Repent, For The Kingdom Of Heaven Has Come Near!”
Old Testament Scripture: Isaiah 9:1-4
New Testament Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:10-18
Gospel Lesson: Matthew 4:12-23
For those of you who heard
about Melissa and I trying to travel to Chicago this past Christmas day afternoon,
you may have heard that we never made it to Chicago. We did make it however, to
our connection flight at BWI or Baltimore Washington International Airport, but
that was as far we got. Originally our connection flight from BWI to Chicago
O-Hare International Air Port was supposed to leave at 9:00 PM, bringing us to
Chicago for 10:50 PM. At that point we would just get our bags, and we would
meet my dad outside. We would then drive to rural Northern Illinois where I am
from, and be there for a week.
Well, we flew on Southwest
Airlines. I am sure that many of you heard that something like 15,000-17,000
Southwest Airlines flights were canceled between Christmas time and New Year’s.
Not only this, Melissa and I got see humanity, as it were, in its fullest and
rawist form.
I remember a dear friend,
and a retired United Methodist Pastor, who has since passed on to glory, that liked
to sit on a park bench in the warmer months. I asked Pastor Bob Pinto, did you
do this to see nature, get fresh air, and to talk to God? He said that he did
all of these things, but his other motive was to watch the people. I said, “Well
why do you want to watch the people?” He said that, “he wanted to see what they
would do and how they acted.” I then said to Pastor Bob, “Well why would you
want to do that?” He said, “Because when you sit on a park bench and watch
people, sometimes you can see the real person that we sometimes hide from much
of the world.” Then said, “well why would you want to do that?” He said, “because
we are called to repent of sin and darkness, come to Jesus Christ, and to live like
Jesus.” He said by sitting on the park bench he could get a better idea of how his
community was doing with what Jesus calls to us all in Matthew 4:17 that says:
Repent,
for the kingdom of heaven has come near” (Mt. 4:17b, NRSV).
I tell you all this, because as I told
a few people in this church, things got a little dicey when Melissa and I were
in the Baltimore Washington International Air Port on Christmas Day night. I
mean, we were delayed getting there, and our departure time to Chicago was now
about 11:45 PM, not 9:00 PM. We got through security and had our carry-on bags
full of Christmas gifts for my family in Illinois. So, Melissa and I got some
dinner, and they had a Burger King in the terminal. I hadn’t had a Whopper in
years. So, Melissa and I got dinner, and I had my Whopper!
She asked me if was stressed about the
flight to Chicago being delayed, and I
said, “Melissa were are sitting here in Baltimore, we have some time off, and I
have you and a Whopper.” As a point of interest, Melissa was much more exciting
than the Whopper! At this point though, we had made it through Christmas Eve
and Christmas Day, and I was happy to be with her and having dinner, flight
delay or no flight delay. Was I thrilled that our flight to Chicago at this
point was delayed, no, but I realized I was with Melissa, we had some time off,
God was good, and yes, I had a Whopper.
Where I connect this experience with
the late and great Pastor Bob Pinto sitting on the park bench periodically, was
at 1:00 am. Our flight to Chicago was now delayed until about 1:50 am. It would
eventually be cancelled at about 2:15 am, early on Monday morning December 26th.
At 1:00 am though, Melissa and I, and the thousands of stranded and or delayed
passengers were over tired, stressed, and awaiting what they were hoping was
good news about there flights. What was interesting for me though, was at about
1:00 am, I just started watching people in the airplane terminal at BWI. I wasn’t
starring at them, but I was watching their behaviors and interactions, as the
late and great Pastor Bob Pinto did on the park bench.
What was I looking for? Well, nothing
in particular, I guess, I just wanted to see how the people acted. Once again,
we were all over tired and stressed, and I started observing people, yes at
1:00 am in the BWI Airport. Did I take notes? No, I am no that cool, but I observed
various things. Some people were just mean and nasty to each other and to the Southwest
Airlines staff. By the way, Southwest refunded our tickets, gave us extra
frequent flier points for the future, and even gave us some monetary
reimbursements. We are grateful for that. So, some people were being just mean,
selfish, and nasty. Yet some other people, even in their depleted and stressed-out
state had a consideration for others around them. Some had a consideration for
the disabled, the elderly, for Chicago Cubs fans, etc. Even in this stressful
moment, some were kind and loving, while others where mean, selfish, and angry.
Some were indifferent, and some shouted at the airline staff and demanded things.
Amazing how people act when there really in a moment of tension and or
distress. Sometimes that is really when you know who someone is.
After our flight got canceled at 2:15 am,
when then left the terminal of the BWI Airport and went back to the ticket
counter. There were hundreds of people, and probably 1,000 people or more.
Melissa and I were even on the news in the Baltimore Washington area at about
5:30 am in the morning, which we didn’t even know about until the next day. We
waited in line for about 4-4.5 hours before we got to the ticket counter. By
the time we got to the ticket counter it probably felt like the Israelites
getting to the promised land after 40-years of wandering in the wilderness. Unfortunately,
we had no mana from heaven or quail. When we got to the ticket counter, we
couldn’t believe that we actually got to the ticket counter! What we then
realized though, was that there were hundreds of more people in line behind us.
Melissa and I figured they were all probably in line hours more.
Interestingly, at about 3:30 am, some
passengers were really getting angry and agitated, as the preferred customers
were able to go right to the front of the line. Well, some of the other
passengers weren’t having that in massive line of people. Some of these angry
passengers were shouting in anger. Melissa and I were worried that was going to
be riot or people storming the ticket counters of Southwest Airlines at BWI.
Right then, a woman, out of the blue, began singing “O Holy Night.” Her voice
soared, and she sang like a singer on Broadway. The whole room, hundreds and hundreds
of people just calmed down. It was definitely a God moment.
When Melissa and I got to the ticket
counter for Southwest Airlines at about 6:30 am, we were told that there were no
flights to Chicago until Wednesday, as it was early Monday morning December
26th. Luckily, we were able to catch a flight back to Albany on Monday December
26th, even though that was delayed 3-3.5 hours. We were blessed and lucky, as
some people were stranded at BWI for another 2-4 days. We did not get to spend
Christmas with some of my family in Northern Illinois, but I could see where
God was present through the whole experience!
What also rang true, from the late and
great Pastor Bob Pinto watching people on the park bench, or me watching people
in the BWI airplane terminal at 1:00 am, was that Jesus was right this morning,
when he said in Matthew in 4:17 once again:
Repent,
for the kingdom of heaven has come near” (Mt. 4:17b, NRSV).
This morning once again, this is what
Jesus tells his disciples and us. Or to put it another way, Jesus is asking us
this, “how do we want to live?” What kind of people do we want to be? Believe me
when I tell you that after Melissa and I had our little airport adventure, I believe
more than ever that sin and evil are alive and well in this world. Yet, the
love and hope of Jesus Christ is also alive and well in the world. We get to choose.
Do we turn away from our sin and our darkness, as we all have some, or do we grow
more cruel, angry, and wicked? Jesus instructs us to turn from our sin and
darkness, and to put our trust in him as our Lord and Savior. When we turn from
sin and darkness and put our trust in Jesus we are forgiven and we are
reconciled to God through Jesus Christ. We offered salvation and eternity, but
we can also build God’s kingdom here on earth, in anticipation for the fulfilment
God’s coming kingdom when Christ returns.
What is it like to repent of our sin
and come to Christ? When I think about this, I think of what the prophet Isaiah
said for this morning in the prophecy of the coming of Christ. In fact, Isaiah
says in 9:2 once again:
2The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness—on them light has shined (Isa. 9:2, NRSV).
Jesus tells us
to turn to him and to live. To be the person in the airport or the park that is
showing love and kindness, and not anger and cruelty. Turn from sin and
darkness, for Jesus Christ is light and the hope of the world.
To live for Christ,
also means that we should strive to live and love each other. How are we to live
then as the Church of Jesus Christ? Well in our 1 Corinthians 1:10-18 reading
for this morning, it starts in 1:10 saying, once again:
10 Now I appeal to you, brothers and
sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement
and that there be no divisions among you but that you be knit together in the
same mind and the same purpose (1 Cor. 1:10, NRSV).
There
are many things that divide people and Christians in this day in age. Some of
these divisions are even occurring in the United Methodist Church. As we move
through these uncertain times, may we be in agreement in our love for Jesus
Christ. May we be in agreement in our hope in Jesus, and the love we show each
other through Jesus Christ.
In looking at our gospel of Matthew
reading for this morning, where I got my sermon title, let’s hear the word once
again. Where the gospel of Matthew lesson for this morning picks up once again,
is with Jesus hearing that his cousin John the Baptist was arrested. This is where
the gospel of Matthew picks up for this morning, once again, starting in
Matthew 4:12:
12 Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. 13 He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: 15 “Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the gentiles—16 the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned” (Mt. 4:12-16, NRSV).
Jesus
of course is fulfilling the prophecy from the prophet Isaiah listed in our Isaiah
9:1-4 reading for this morning. Jesus is coming to the land, and bringing
light, life, and love, as the Prophet Isaiah predicted centuries before.
Where
my sermon title comes in for this morning, is in Jesus fulfilling this prophecy
from the Prophet Isaiah, Jesus then calls his disciples, the crowds, and us to
repentance. Picking back up in Matthew 4:17 it says, once again:
17 From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near” (Mt: 4:17, NRSV).
Jesus
is calling us all to turn from sin and darkness, and to put our faith and our
trust in him as our Lord and Savior. Knowing Jesus, and being changed by Jesus may
have prevented me from being mean and cruel in the airport. For I knew that
Jesus called me to be kind and loving. Every day we must repent and draw closer
to Christ.
Our gospel lesson then ends once again
with Jesus calling his first disciples, along the sea of Galilee. I was there
9-years ago, and there was a McDonald’s right where we were. It really messed with
what I learned growing up in Sunday School! The gospel continues picking up in
Matthew 4:18
18 As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea—for they were fishers. 19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of people.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21 As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him (Mt. 4:18-22, NRSV).
When
I was at the Sea of Galilee 9-years ago with my seminary group, we went out in
a boat and cast a net in the Sea of Galilee. We caught no fish, but it was
powerful to do what those first disciples were doing. It was also strange to
look back from the boat and see a McDonalds. I told the churches that I was
serving at the time that I now envisioned Jesus walking with Ronald McDonald
telling the fisherman to drop their nets and follow him.
After
calling Peter, Andrew, James, and John to follow Jesus, the gospel concludes
for this morning with Matthew 4:23, saying once again:
23 Jesus went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people.
To be a Christian, to be a follower of Jesus
Christ, is to live and to love like Jesus. Sometimes we fail to do this, and
sometimes we do this well. Everyday is an opportunity to repent and turn to
Christ. For as Jesus tells this morning:
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has
come near” (Mt:
4:17b, NRSV).
Friends, turn to Christ and live. Amen.
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