Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC's - All Saints Sunday/22nd Sunday after Pentecost - 11/05/17 Sermon - “Well done good and faithful servant"

Sunday 11/05/17 Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC’s

Sermon Title: “Well done good and faithful servant”

New Testament Scripture: Revelation 7:9-17

                                            

New Testament Scripture: 1 John 3:1-3

Gospel Lesson: Matthew 5:1-12

          Friends, sisters and brothers in Christ, welcome again on this our All Saints Sunday, and this the Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost.

          While All Saints Day, was this past Wednesday November, 1^st, we celebrate this day, this tradition, this holy day in the life of the church, this morning. On this day we celebrate all of the great men and women who have gone before us. Those men and women who loved Jesus, who served, who sacrificed, and who loved, so that the gospel would be proclaimed and lived out.

          Part of my sermon this morning, is going to be a video clip towards the end of it, so this sermon will be shorter this morning.

          With this said, I remember attending a funeral once, and at the funeral, a much older and wiser minister than me, commented about how this individual that passed on would hopefully be received by God in heaven. In quoting the gospel of Matthew 25:23, he said:

His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord’ (Mt. 25:23, NKJV).

In funerals that I have officiated, I have sometimes said that it was my hope that the person we were celebrating would be greeted by God with the words ‘Well done, good and faithful servant” (Mt. 25:23, NKJV).

When we think about those that have went before us, starting with those first disciples that Jesus called, the great men and women of the church, the scores of Christian Martyrs, and the many who have served and have loved Christ, we celebrate them as saints of the church. In the Roman Catholic Church, a saint is made an official saint, and is given the title as such. For example, Mother Theresa of Calcutta, was made Saint Mother Theresa of Calcutta by the current Roman Catholic Pope, Pope Francis.

In the United Methodist tradition, we consider all believers that went before us, whether famous, or not famous, rich, or poor, to be saints of God, and saints that we honor. For this reason, today we not only celebrate some of the historic and famous saints of the church, but we also honor and celebrate all believers that have went before us.

I would also consider everyone here to be saints in training, and because of this, when I show the video that I have in just a couple of minutes, it is my intent to honor all of you, as well as all of those who have gone before us.

What I wanted to do very quickly this morning, is look at our scripture from the Book of Revelation. We do have a great gospel of Matthew reading for this morning, on the “Sermon on the Mount,” or the Beatitudes, in which Jesus is challenging us to live like him. I found our reading for this morning from the Book or Revelation however, to just have the imagery of the saints of God.

In the reading from the Book of Revelation for this morning, we have beautiful imagery about the triumphant return or second coming of Jesus Christ. The reading says:

^“After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. They cried out in a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (Rev. 7:9-10, NRSV).

In this beautiful scene, we have countless people from every nation and tribe, which means Christians from all over the earth. In this scene, all of these people are clothed in “white,” which symbolizes salvation and victory (African Bible Commentary). In this scene, these countless people, or as scripture says, “a great multitude,” are holding palm branches (Rev. 7:9, NRSV). One interpretation of the palm branches, is that they are meant to symbolize triumph (African Bible Commentary).

So we have this beautiful scene in the Book Revelation for this morning, about the second coming of Christ, and how countless multitudes are around him.

The scripture then goes on to discuss how angels, elders, and creatures worshipped God, and sang God’s praises. The scripture says of these countless people, that:

“they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Rev. 7:14, NRSV).

We then hear in the rest of this scripture about how those countless people, that “great multitude” will worship God day and night, and how they will have peace, security, no more pain, no more hunger, and no more tears. To me, the imagery of the scripture from the Book of Revelation that we are given this morning, is just beautiful. It is a scene of the followers of Christ, the saints of God, coming into the heavenly connection that we believe is to await all believers. We can debate what eternity, the afterlife will look like, but on all this All Saints Sunday I believe that those believers that have went before us, were greeted by God with the words, “well done good and faithful servant” (Mt. 25:23, NKJV).

While we are still pained by being separated from those names that were read or were called out this morning, it is our Christian belief that we will be reunited with those we love in heaven.

In this way, to better honor those who have gone before us, and to honor all of you, I want to show you a video of the song “Thank You,” by Ray Boltz.

This day we remember all the saints, and honor all the saints in training. God bless you all. Amen.

Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC's - 500th Reformation Sunday/21st Sunday after Pentecost - 10/29/17 Sermon - “500 Years Later"

Sunday 10/29/17 Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC’s

Sermon Title: “500 Years Later”

Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 90:1-6, 13-17

                                            

New Testament Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8

Gospel Lesson: Matthew 22:34-46

          My sisters and brothers in Christ, welcome again on this the 500^th Anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, and this the Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost.

          As the story goes, this coming Tuesday, October, 31^st, which to many of is Halloween, also known as “All Hallow’s Eve,” or “All Saint’s Eve,” in the year 1517, an Augustinian monk, priest, composer, and university professor of moral theology, named Martin Luther, nailed to the door of the Wittenberg Castle Church, in Wittenberg, Germany, a document called the 95-Theses (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninety-five_Theses). These 95-Theses or arguments, from Father Martin Luther, or Professor Martin Luther, were 95 Theses or arguments against the sale of indulgences (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninety-five_Theses). I will talk about the sale of indulgences in just a minute.

          With this said, the current head of the Roman Catholic Church, Jorge Bergoglio, now Pope Francis, as well as prominent Roman Catholic leaders, such as Cardinal Arch-Bishop Timothy Dolan, have all stated at different times, that the church had some corruption and sinful practices going on in it, in and around the year 1517. This does not mean that all church men and women, or that all priests, deacons, bishops, and etc. were corrupt, but there was enough corruption going on that Martin Luther pushed back against it (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninety-five_Theses).

          Among the many things that were sometimes occurring within the ranks of the church, like hoarding wealth, abusing power, having mistresses, and etc., the one that really set Martin Luther into a rage was the sale of indulgences (http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/martin-luther-posts-95-theses).

          Well what happened in Germany, where Luther lived, was that a Dominican Friar named Johann Tetzel, was canvasing much of the area where Luther lived with the sale of indulgences. Specifically, Tetzel was telling and preaching to the people of various parts of Germany, that if they paid certain sums of money that they themselves and all of their family members would all go to heaven. This is to say, their sins would instantly be forgiven upon payment, and family members that had already died, if they weren’t in heaven, would instantly be sprung from hell, or from purgatory, and go to heaven. People were given an actual document that they were now forgiven (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninety-five_Theses).

Now purgatory is a Roman Catholic belief, whereby those who are seen as not ready to go to heaven when they die, go to a place called “Purgatory,” where they are then spiritually cleansed and made ready to enter heaven.

          Martin Luther was so angry at this sale of indulgences, because he thought that this practice was not only unbiblical, but that it was also immoral, as Tetzel was taking the little money that the poor German peasants had, and promising them heaven in return.

          Luther in response to the sale of Indulgences, created his pamphlet called the 95-Theses, and as the legend goes, he nailed it to the Wittenberg Castle Church, in Wittenberg, Germany.

          Luther created this pamphlet using an invention called the printing press that Johann Gutenberg had invented about 80-years earlier. As the story then goes, Luther’s students at the university then took Luther’s pamphlet and made many copies using the printing press. This pamphlet was then distributed and read in many places.

          So, this is what sparked off the Protestant Reformation 500 years ago. Why the word “Protestant”? Well, in the year 1529 the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V referred to the Lutherans and some other non-Catholics as “Protestors,” or “Protestants”. The Holy Roman Emperor said that some were “Protesting” the Roman Catholic Church (http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/martin-luther-posts-95-theses).

          Martin Luther was then excommunicated by the sitting Roman Catholic Pope, Pope Leo X, in 1521. By this point though, Luther had thousands of followers. Luther found refuge with some German princes who had become Lutheran, as Germany was a collection of states and not a unified country at this point. During the rest of Luther’s life, he translated the Bible into German, and wrote many things around the beliefs of his new “Lutheran” church.

          What where the basic arguments or beliefs of the Protestant Reformation then? While I could go on about them for hours, I will sum them up, by telling you about the five “solas,” which is Latin for “alone”. So “sola” in Latin means alone. Here they are:

1. Sola Scriptura (“Scripture alone”): The Bible alone is our highest authority.

2. Sola Fide (“faith alone”): We are saved through faith alone in Jesus Christ.

3. Sola Gratia (“grace alone”): We are saved by the grace of God alone.

4. Solus Christus (“Christ alone”): Jesus Christ alone is our Lord, Savior, and King.

5. Soli Deo Gloria (“to the glory of God alone”): We live for the glory of God alone (http://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/the-five-solas-of-the-protestant-reformation.html).

These five basic arguments or slogans sum up the majority of what Martin Luther was pushing for in the Protestant Reformation. You might hear these five “solas” and say, “well what is so radical about those?” At the time, these were very radical teachings. For these teachings said that we as individuals could go to God, to Jesus, directly with our prayers, with our repentance, and with our own personal confessions. These teachings also said that going to heaven was an act of faith, not something that we had to earn and work towards.

This theological doctrine, which was also believed by the founder of the Methodist Movement, Rev. John Wesley, is the doctrine of “Justification by faith”. This means that as Christians, our faith in Christ is enough for us to be with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit in eternity forever. There is nothing that we can do, no amount of money that we can pay, or anything else, other than faith in Christ, that will get us into heaven.

Does this then mean that Martin Luther taught to no longer to do good works? Of course not. Martin Luther said:

“God does not need your good works, but your neighbor does” (https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/794373-god-does-not-need-your-good-works-but-your-neighbor).

This means, to Luther, to Rev. John Wesley, and to most “Protestant” churches, we believe that eternity with God, with Jesus, with the Holy Spirit, is determined by faith, and faith alone, or “Sola Fide”.

When you hear a Christian say things such as they “got saved,” or that they are “born again,” this is exactly what they are talking about. These Christians are making the claim that they asked God for the forgiveness of their sins, accepted Jesus Christ as the living God who died for them, and were filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. In that moment of spiritual transformation, those persons would say that were given the gift of salvation or eternity in heaven.

 So what then is the problem with “Protestantism”? Well number one, our faith traditions, or most of them anyway, should not be ones designed to be just salvation factories. This is to say, we don’t exist just to save people, or just to bring people to Christ. In the Methodist Tradition and other traditions, we also believe that our lives on earth should try to reflect Jesus and his teachings. This is why we give to charities, put together flood buckets, raise money for worthy causes, and etc. Further, as Protestants, if we disagree with each other, sometimes we just then go and form another denomination. We now have 1,000’s of Protestant Christian denominations.

So while it is our teaching, from the time of Martin Luther that our main source of Christian truth is the Bible, and that we believe that we will be judged by faith in Christ alone, we are still called by the gospel of Jesus Christ to transform the world. This is why the mission statement of the United Methodist Church is, “To make disciples of Jesus Christ, for the transformation of the world”. We believe in sharing the gospel, and with God’s help bringing people to the saving grace of Jesus Christ, and then going out and living that hope and love every day.

One of the arguably most famous preachers of “Sola Fide” or faith in Christ alone in this last century, was and is the Rev. Billy Graham. Rev. Billy Graham believes that heaven, that salvation in Christ is a free gift that we can have by repenting of our sins, and accepting Christ. While Rev. Billy Graham is a Southern Baptist, “Sola Fide” was a theological doctrine first asserted by Martin Luther. The vast majority of Protestant Churches today adhere to this doctrine of “Sola Fide” or by faith in Christ alone. The vast majority of Protestant Churches today also adhere to the Lutheran doctrine of “Sola Scripture,” or by scripture/the Bible alone. The majority of Protestant Churches today also believe in faith in Christ alone, or “Solus Christus”, faith by God’s grace alone, or “Sola Gratia,” and that we live to glory of God alone, or “Soli Deo Gloria”.

If then, faith in Christ or salvation is indeed a free gift, then Luther thought that this free gift would be the thing that liberates us. Upon repenting of our sins and receiving salvation, we would then would be set at liberty and be truly free to serve God and our neighbors. We would no longer have to be afraid of whether or not we were going to heaven, but instead we could receive salvation freely through God’s grace. With this knowledge, this grace, and this love through Christ, we could then go forth and change the world, as our United Methodist Church mission statement says.

Lastly, the other big changes that were made by Martin Luther, were that he had the people in his churches begin to sing hymns, as that hadn’t been practiced in the church in centuries. Luther also removed seven-books from the Old Testament, which were: “Tobit, Judith, 1st & 2nd Maccabees, Wisdom, Sirach & Baruch,” feeling that they were not “Divinely Inspired” enough to be in the Bible (http://www.ewtn.com/v/experts/showmessage.asp?number=438095). So then, virtually all Christian Bibles have 66-books, where Roman Catholic, and Orthodox Church Bibles may have up eighty-one books in there Bibles.

My Grandma Winkelman was a lifelong Roman Catholic, and her Roman Catholic Bible had 73-books, unlike our 66-books. Martin Luther changed the “canon” of the books in the Bible. This is a massive change.

In addition, Martin Luther argued that there should only be two sacraments, which are Holy Baptism and Holy Communion, instead of the 7-sacraments that are practiced in the Roman Catholic Church, and in some other non-Protestant Churches. The seven sacraments are: Holy Baptism, Holy Communion, Confession or Reconciliation, Marriage, Ordination, Confirmation, and Anointing of the sick, or commonly called “Last rights”. In the United Methodist Church, we perform these other five not as sacraments, because Martin Luther said we should only have the sacraments that Jesus told us specifically to have in the gospels. The only two that Jesus directly told us to have in the gospels were Holy Baptism and Holy Communion, or the Lord’s Supper. As a result, we have the other five, but we would refer to them ordinances, not sacraments, as Jesus did not tell us specifically in the gospels to do them.

Lastly, at this point in time, most Roman Catholics received only the bread or the host in Holy Communion, or the Lord’s Supper, and Martin Luther wanted all people to take the bread and the cup in communion. Luther also translated the Bible into German, as he wanted all people to read the Bible, not just the clergy.

So with all of this said, how do I then compare this to our gospel of Matthew reading for this morning?

Well, like last Sunday’s gospel reading of Jesus being questioned about taxes, today the gospel continues with Jesus being question about “which commandment in the law is the greatest” (Mt. 22:36, NRSV). Jesus then says:

“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.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Mt. 22:37-40, NRSV).

Jesus then asks the Pharisees a question, and then asserts more his Lordship, as Messiah to end this reading (Mt. 22:41-46, NRSV).

So to review the five-“Solas” of the Protestant Reformation, they are:

1. Sola Scriptura (“Scripture alone”): The Bible alone is our highest authority.

2. Sola Fide (“faith alone”): We are saved through faith alone in Jesus Christ.

3. Sola Gratia (“grace alone”): We are saved by the grace of God alone.

4. Solus Christus (“Christ alone”): Jesus Christ alone is our Lord, Savior, and King.

5. Soli Deo Gloria (“to the glory of God alone”): We live for the glory of God alone (http://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/the-five-solas-of-the-protestant-reformation.html).

In the gospel of Matthew this morning, I hear from scripture, our primary book, or “Sola Sciptura,” that Jesus is telling us to have faith and trust in God, “Sola Fide”, in that we should trust in God’s love and grace, “Sola Gratia,” and that we can trust in him, the Christ, “Sola Christus”. Further, that because of all of this we are then freed up in a new and a transformative way to love our neighbor as ourselves, to the glory of God alone, or “Soli Deo Gloria”.

It was exciting to me, as I preparing to write this sermon to learn that the Martin Luther’ hymn, “A Mighty Fortress is our God” is in the Roman Catholic hymnal. It was exciting to me to learn that in 2016, Pope Francis participated in a 500^th anniversary reformation service, and sat co-equal in the service to Lutheran bishops. That recently, the World Methodist Council, representing all 80-million Methodists and or Wesleyans worldwide, met with Pope Francis and some of his bishops and cardinals in the Vatican. This visit continued 50-years of dialogue between Methodists and Roman Catholics. Pope Francis in this meeting said that Methodists share a common baptism with the Roman Catholic Church, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and that we are Christians. That we are part of the universal or catholic Christian Church. That Methodist to Pope Francis are Christians.

Do I believe in the five-“Solas” of the reformation? I do. If Pope Francis walked in here right now, would I embrace him as a brother in Christ? I would. Would Pope Francis accept all of the five-“Solas” and agree that there is not only one supreme head of Christ’s Church on earth? No, he probably wouldn’t, but we are all still Christians. We can debate scripture, we can have different beliefs and practices, yet we all are still followers of Jesus Christ.

I believe therefore, we should begin to see the Protestant Reformation as a reaction to historical church corruption, and that in the present day, while we are in different churches, and while we still have some different beliefs and practices, we are all still Christians.

I watched a video in preparing for this sermon that was from a year ago in October. A year ago in October, 2016, to honor the Protestant Reformation, Pope Francis invited a group of German Roman Catholics and Lutherans from Germany, to gather together in the Vatican, in Rome. One group wore blue scares, and the other group wore gold scarves. Then Pope Francis tied a blue scarf and a gold scarf together, and put it around his next, to symbolize Lutheran and Roman Catholic unity. A young German girl then asked him jokingly, “who are better, Lutherans or Catholics”? The Pope paused for moment, and then he said, “We are better together”.

For in the gospel of John 17:21a, Jesus prayed of us his followers:

“that they may all be one” (Jn. 17:21a, NRSV).

While we have our differences as Christians, we are still Christians. On this 500^th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, let us be proud of the heritage of our own Christian faith traditions, let us hold to our beliefs, but let us also embrace fellow Christians, and no matter what or who they are, let us love our neighbor as ourselves. May we also live “Soli Deo Gloria,” or to the glory of God alone. Happy Reformation Sunday, God bless, and Amen.

Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC's - 20th Sunday after Pentecost - 10/22/17 Sermon - “Death and Taxes"

Sunday 10/22/17 Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC’s

Sermon Title: “Death and Taxes”

Old Testament Scripture: Exodus 33:12-23

                                            

New Testament Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Gospel Lesson: Matthew 22:15-22

          My friends, my sisters and brothers in Christ, welcome again on this our Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost.

          You might have noticed that my sermon title for this morning is called “Death and Taxes”. My guess is your thinking right now, “Well isn’t that a cheery and upbeat sermon title”!

          Before getting into the gospel reading from the gospel of Matthew for this morning though, I have two questions for us all.

          The first question is this, “how many of us by a show of hands like paying taxes”?

          The second question is this, “how many of us by a show of hands would like to never pay taxes ever again”?

          So, I also have a bonus question. Here is the bonus question, “does Jesus want us to pay our taxes”?

          When questioned about taxes this morning in the gospel of Matthew, Jesus says of coins or currency with the picture of the Roman Caesar on them:

“Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Mt. 22:21b, NRSV).

          We seem to have a biblical precedent for paying takes then. What seems unclear biblically however, is how much taxes should we pay? Do we pay 5%, 10%, 20%, 50%, and etc.?

          Since the dawn of all civilizations, leaders and governments used taxes from its people., in part, to pay for the military, public works, roads, message delivery, and etc., and etc. It would seem then, that we are stuck with taxes, as we continue the debate that was going on nearly two-thousand years ago, in this morning’s gospel of Matthew reading. The other reality with this morning’s gospel reading, is that Israel was occupied by the Roman Empire. This means that Israel and the people of Israel were a colony of the Roman Empire, the same way we were a colony of the British Empire. Giving money to foreign occupying power, and to one that did not worship the God of the Jews, well that was just not allowed. This really draws us into the question of, are we citizens of earth, or are we citizens of heaven? On earth we pay taxes, but our ultimate citizenship is in heaven.

          As far as the other part of my sermon title for this morning, I have discovered after extensive research, a shocking and a startling fact! Did you know that 100% of all living people will die? Did you know that the human death rate is 100%? Well it is.

          In thinking of a funny sort of tongue and cheek title for this morning’s sermon then, I thought of that famous quote about “Death and Taxes”. In doing a little research on the idiom of “Death and Taxes” quote, this is what I found:

1. The first reference to “Death and Taxes” was from a writing called: “The Cobbler of Preston” by Christopher Bullock, written in 1716. In this writing, Bullock writes:

"'Tis impossible to be sure of anything but Death and Taxes," (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_and_taxes_(idiom).

          There are other sources that will debate when this quote came about, but this is one of the earliest claims. Further, this was written three-hundred and one years ago, and we know therefore, they were stressing about taxes even back then.

2. The next reference I have of the term “Death and Taxes” comes from a writing called: Daniel Defoe's The Political History of the Devil, written in 1726. In this writing Defoe writes:

“Things as certain as death and taxes, can be more firmly believ'd.”

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_and_taxes_(idiom).

3. The last reference to the term “Death and Taxes,” which is the most famous one, came from one of the founders of our country, Benjamin Franklin. While he didn’t get to be president, he is on the $100 bill, and I would be ok with that if I was Benjamin Franklin. Benjamin Franklin’s quote is from: Benjamin Franklin’s letter to Jean-Baptiste Leroy, written in 1789. In this letter Benjamin Franklin is writing about our new constitution, for our new country, the United States of America. While Benjamin Franklin hopes our new country and our constitution will be a success, he writes:

“Our new Constitution is now established, and has an appearance that promises permanency; but in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes”.

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_and_taxes_(idiom).

          So we have a biblical precedent for paying taxes, even if we can debate how much taxes, and for what. We also know that the gospel reading this morning is specific to the current situation that the Israeli people were in, under the rule of Roman Empire. Scripture does also call us to submit to our ruling authorities, however. So we also know that the human death rate is 100%. Benjamin Franklin and the others I quoted therefore, were all saying, we all die, and we all pay taxes.

          I don’t know about you, but if saw life through the lens of “death and taxes,” for me at least, well that is just a downer! Meaning that according to Benjamin Franklin, the guy on the one-hundred dollar bill, all we can be sure of, is death and taxes.

Well no offense to our great founder, but I disagree that “in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes”. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_and_taxes_(idiom). It is interesting to me that Benjamin Franklin says “in this world” though. He doesn’t mention heaven or eternity, he simply mentions earth.

So we all die, and we all pay taxes. Yet our Declaration of Independence, written in 1776, has those famous words:

"Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life,_Liberty_and_the_pursuit_of_Happiness).

          If this is true then, is it possible that there is more to this life than just, “death and taxes”? Is there suffering, hurt, and struggle in this life? Sure there is, but there is also joy, love, caring, service, God’s grace, and the fellowship that we share together.

          The gospel of Jesus Christ, is something that is transformative. The gospel of Jesus Christ brings us first into a spiritual transformation, and then into a lived experience. In this transformation of the repentance of our sins, of accepting Christ, of being filled with the Holy Spirit, and then living into this experience together, I believe, that we as Christians can have a much more meaningful and significant life on this earth, then just “Death and Taxes”.

          As Christians, we are people of faith and hope, we are people that believe a better world is possible. Part of this belief is that we do not sit on the sidelines, we are called to be out in the world, healing, loving, giving, and serving. When disasters come, we give and serve. When oppression of innocent person occurs, we stand with them, and we give and serve. The gospel of Jesus Christ calls us to more meaning on this earth, than just “Death and Taxes”.

We are also a people that believe in the eternity to come with God, with Jesus. Our spiritual transformations, and our individual and our large scale callings to transform for the world for Jesus Christ, gives us much more significance, than just “death and taxes”. I am saying therefore, that my Christian faith is the very core of who I am, and it is my very purpose and drive to get up out of bed every morning. My family is also part of my purpose, as is my church family.

          In looking again at out gospel of Matthew reading for this morning, we don’t hear about death, but once again, we do hear about taxes. In this morning’s gospel reading, some of the religious leaders are attempting to trick Jesus, as to discredit and embarrass him (Mt. 22:15, NRSV). To try to prove that he is some sort of a fraud.

          This is what our gospel of Matthew reading for this morning has to say once again:

“Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him in what he said. 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. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?” But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin used for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. Then he said to them, “Whose head is this, and whose title?” 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.” When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away” (Mt. 22:15-22, NRSV).

          In this scripture, the religious leaders, the Pharisees, and the pro-Roman leaders, the “Herodians” are waiting to see who Jesus sides with. Jesus then separates the ruling authority or government, with that of the ruling power and authority of God.

          You see, from my perspective, every civilization in history has had some sort of leader and or government. We are often born into these civilizations and these structures. As part of that collective society, country, and or culture, we are expected to contribute to the wellbeing of the entire whole of whatever we are contributing to. Yet, the Roman Empire fell, as have many other great empires. This is to say, people are no longer purchasing things with coins that have the Roman Emperor’s face on them.

          While I love my country of birth then, and while I would love to have many pictures of Benjamin Franklin in my wallet, I realize that the only that is enteral is God. The only thing that will last forever, is God and God’s kingdom, through Jesus Christ. For in the gospel of Matthew 24:35, Jesus says:

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away” (Mt. 24:35).

          So I say, that there is more to this life on earth, then just “Death and Taxes”. There is living for and believing in Jesus Christ, and living our faith out in blessed community. So what say you? Is there more to this life on earth, then just “Death and Taxes”. Amen.

Homer Avenue UMC - Laity Sunday/19th Sunday after Pentecost - 10/15/17 Sermon - “Pick your leaders wisely"

Sunday 10/15/17 Homer Avenue UMC

Sermon Title: “Pick your leaders wisely”

Old Testament Scripture: Exodus 32:1-14

                                            

New Testament Scripture: Philippians 4:1-9

Gospel Lesson: Matthew 22:1-14

          My friends, my sisters and brothers in Christ, welcome again on this our Laity Sunday, and this the Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost.

          Laity Sunday is a special Sunday in the life of the United Methodist Church, because on this Sunday lay persons have the opportunity to run and sculpt the worship service. The Methodist movement within Christianity began, largely as a lay movement. Whereby lay persons and pastors would work together to achieve the mission of the church.

          Since it is Laity Sunday, I will be brief this morning. If that is possible. In trying to preach out of the Old Testament more, today we have a scripture from the Book of Exodus. The Book of Exodus is largely about the Israelites leaving or “exiting” slavery in Egypt. This is why the book is called “Exodus” which comes from Greek meaning, “Going out,” or to exit. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Exodus). This book has historically been attributed to being written by Moses.

          With this said, what I want to talk about briefly this morning is leadership, and why that it is important in the church and in life to “pick your leaders wisely”.

          How many of you have seen the famous 1978 movie, “Animal House”? In the movie, the actor John Belushi played the character “John Blutarsky”. John Belushi’s character is one of the leaders of a college fraternity, and this fraternity is known for its partying, drinking, and crazy behavior. While the movie itself is very funny, I think that the character that John Belushi plays is not a good leader.

          Earlier in the Book of Exodus, Moses leads the Israelites to safety out of Egypt, through the Red Sea. I wonder what that story would have looked like if John Belushi or “John Blutarsky” was in charge?

          This morning, Moses has been up on the mountain, or Mount Sinai to be exact. He has been up there for about 40-days, and the Israelites are growing impatient waiting for him to come back down (Ex. 32:1a, NSRV). The people grew nervous about Moses’ return, and they then talked Moses’ brother Aaron, our John Belushi for this morning, into making a golden calf (Ex. 32:1b, NRSV).

          Specifically, Aaron said in Exodus 32:2-4:

“Take off the gold rings that are on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” So all the people took off the gold rings from their ears, and brought them to Aaron. He took the gold from them, formed it in a mold, and cast an image of a calf; and they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” (Ex. 32:2-4).

          So Aaron, or John Belushi, or “John Blutarsky,” has allowed the Israelites, God’s chosen people, to reject God and worship a golden calf (Ex. 32:5, NRSV). Not good.

God then alerts Moses on the mountain to what is going on (Ex. 32:7-10, NRSV). Moses pleads with God to not destroy the Israelites, his people. God agrees, and shows mercy (Ex. 32:11-14, NRSV).

          As the scripture goes on beyond what we have for this morning in the Book of Exodus, Moses comes down from the mountain, and is angry that his people are worshiping a golden calf, and not the living God.

          Specifically, Moses is angry at John Belushi, I mean “John Blutarsky,” I mean Aaron. Moses is so angry that he throws the two stone tablets that he is carrying down, and they break. Moses then angrily asks John Belushi, I mean “John Blutarsky,” I mean Aaron, why he allowed this to happen.

          Moses will then set things right, but I wonder how eager Moses was to put Aaron back in charge after this? The point of all of this my brothers and sisters is this, “pick your leaders wisely”. Would I ask John Belushi to organize a fraternity party? I sure would! Would I ask John Belushi to be my guest preacher for a couple of a weeks? I sure wouldn’t!

          Picking our leaders in the church and in life is important, as we need to “pick our leaders wisely”. When we chose Godly, responsible, and honest leaders, the church is then led by the people whom God has called, and God has blessed.

          As far as Moses’ brother Aaron goes though, I wonder if it was a little bit like the movie Animal House. Did Moses put Aaron on “Double secret probation” after the golden calf incident? The point is my sisters and brothers, in church and in life, God calls us to “pick our leaders carefully”. Amen.

Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC's - 18th Sunday after Pentecost - 10/08/17 Sermon - “Psalm 19:14"

Sunday 10/08/17 Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC’s

Sermon Title: “Psalm 19:14”

Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 19

                                            

New Testament Scripture: Philippians 3:4b-14

Gospel Lesson: Matthew 21:33-46

          Welcome again my friends, my sisters and brothers in Christ on this the Eighteen Sunday after Pentecost.

          In an effort to try to preach more out of the Old Testament, this morning I decided to tackle our reading that is Psalm 19. Psalm 19, historically speaking, is a hymn, and it is a hymn that is singing the glory of God and God’s creation. What I wanted to focus on specifically this morning though, is the last verse of Psalm 19, which is 19:14.

          In my years in various churches, I have heard different pastors recite this verse of scripture prior to giving there sermons, in there worship services. One of my friends, Pastor John Aukema, who is now retired, seems to recite this verse before every sermon that he gives. I suppose then, that Pastor John and others inspired me, when I saw that we had Psalm 19 as one of our readings for this morning. So this is why I decided to preach on Psalm 19:14.

          Now once again, what does Psalm 19:14 say? Again, it says this:

“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).

          Once again, Psalm 19, historically speaking, is a hymn, as many of the Psalms have historically been so. In some churches services, they even have a portion of the service from the “Psalter,” in which you might recite and sing part of, or all of a Psalm. This practice has existed historically for centuries, as many of the Psalms were sung as hymns.

          In my life time, I have never been to a church service where every hymn chosen on a given Sunday, was the singing of a Psalm in its entirety. I have been to services though, were we recited and or sang parts of a Psalm. In fact, if you look on page 735 in our United Methodist Hymnal, you will see the “Psalter” (UMC Hymnal, 735).

          If you then flip to the next page on 736 it says, “The book of Psalms is the hymn book of the Bible. At the heart of the Judeo-Christian worship and prayer, the psalms express the rich spectrum of human emotions, attitudes, and needs in relation to God, God’s family, and the world” (UMC Hymnal, 736).

          So many of the Psalms in the book of Psalm were and sometimes still are sung as hymns. I have often not used the “Psalter” in worship, because it then creates an incredible amount of speaking portions in the worship service. Perhaps I am wrong though, and maybe the “Psalter” should be included?

          If you look at page 738 in your hymnal, for example, you will see that part of Psalm 1 is sung, and the recited back and forth.

          I tell you all of this, to set the tone of what many of the Psalms are. In getting back to Psalm 19:14 specifically then, why do some pastors, of which, this includes my friend Pastor John Aukema, begin there sermons by reciting Psalm 19:14?

          It would seem that you could recite a variety of scriptures prior to giving a sermon. Yet the one that I have heard the most frequently recited before giving a sermon, is Psalm 19:14. Why is this?

          To be honest, I don’t have an exact answer for you, other than, I think that Psalm 19:14 really encapsulates what most pastors want their sermons to be.

Now once again, Psalm 19:14 says:

“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).

          So what do I think that pastors who recite this verse of scripture before a sermon are really saying to God? I think that they saying, “God I pray that my sermon, and the words that I speak in it, will be true and pleasing to you”. I think that they are saying, “God, I pray that I would speak the truth of the gospel, of your word, and I pray that you would put into my heart and into my mouth words that are truthful and righteous”.

         

          This verse also reminds us that God has revealed truths to us. God has revealed truths in the Old Testament of our Bible, to people like Abraham and Moses, as well as to prophets like Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Micah. In imparting these truths, God expected people to speak, live, and do what he asked them to do. These things were then written into the books of what we now call the Old Testament, or the Hebrew Bible. The Old Testament, which is the Torah, or the Five Books of Moses, which includes the Jewish Law, Books of Jewish history, prophets, books of Wisdom, the psalms, and etc.

          Speaking the truth that God has revealed then, and speaking the love, peace, and mercy that God calls us to speak, live, and do, is I believe what the Psalmist was hoping for this morning. Historically speaking, the Psalms have been attributed to the great King David, the one who took down the mighty goliath with a rock and a sling.

          Now if Kind David did indeed write Psalm 19, then King David was writing a song, a hymn to God. At the end of the Psalm or the hymn, King David, was saying to God, I hope that what I have just written, sang, and said, is true and pleasing to you.

          So once again Psalm 19:14 says:

“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).

In getting even deeper, this verse of scripture also says:

 “and the meditation of my heart” (Ps. 19:14, NRSV).

According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, one of the definitions of the word meditation is:

“to engage in contemplation or reflection” (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/meditate).

So, the things that we think and reflect upon, should also be pleasing to God. The thoughts that pop into our heads, and the things that we dwell upon and focus on should be pleasing to God.

This verse of scripture then is saying that what we speak, what we reflect upon, and what we dwell upon, should be Godly, holy, and righteous. My guess is, is that we all struggle to do this sometimes, but this is what Psalm 19:14 says. This is why I think that some pastors and priests, and maybe Rabbis, recite this verse of scripture before preaching, as they are asking God to help them to preach, think, and feel things that are of God.

So my sisters and brothers, my friends, are the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts pleasing to God? Or are the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts pleasing only to us, or only to some? Do we ever have words from our mouths or meditations from our hearts that are hurtful, mean, and not of God?

I believe now that I understand why certain pastors, priests, and perhaps even Rabbis, recite this scripture before preaching. It is the goal of being pleasing to God, in word, thought, and deed.

In connecting this to our gospel of Matthew reading for this morning, Jesus tells us the parable or the story of the tenants. Maybe some of you have had or have tenants renting from you. Sometimes it is a great relationship, and sometimes it is not so great.

In this morning’s parable or story from Jesus, this tenant relationship is not so great. In fact, this scripture tells us, that a landowner planted a vineyard, put a large fence around it, put a wine press in it, built a watchtower, and etc. (Mt. 21:33, NRSV).

The vineyard owner then leased the vineyard to tenants with the agreement of getting some of the produce at the time of the harvest (Mt. 21:34, NRSV). The landowner sent one group to collect, and they were beaten, killed, or stoned (Mt. 21:35, NRSV). The next set of people that the landowner sent was larger, and they receive the same treatment (Mt. 21:36, NRSV). The landowner then sent his son, and they then killed him (Mt. 21:37-39, NRSV).

Jesus then says that after all of this, that the vineyard owner will come and wipeout all those tenants, and re-lease the vineyard to good and faithful tenants (Mt. 21:40, NRSV).

Jesus then says, that he is the rejected corner stone, the rejected son of God, and indirectly, the rejected son of the vineyard owner (Mt. 21:42, NRSV).

So the historical understanding of this parable or story, is that the vineyard owner is God, that the first group of people that were beaten and killed, were the Minor Prophets. The second group of people that were beaten and killed, were the Major Prophets. The vineyard owner is God, his son who was killed, is Jesus.

So if the people didn’t listen to Isaiah, Ezekiel, Nehemiah, Micah, and all of the other Old Testament prophets, and if they didn’t listen to God’s son, Jesus Christ, then they are not listening to the revelation that God has been sharing for centuries and centuries. God’s plan to renew, reshape, and to restore humanity.

God spoke through the prophets of the Old Testament, and his plan was brought to fulfillment through the death, resurrection, and teachings of his son Jesus Christ. As Christians, we are people of the Gospel, Easter people, and people of the resurrection. Since this is true, we are to be thinking, contemplating, and speaking Godly things, Christ-like things, and holy things.

          It is my hope and my prayer this day, this week, and furthermore, that we may be committed to what Psalm 19:14 says. May we seek to be Godly, righteous, holy, and loving, in what comes out of our mouths, and from the meditations of our hearts.

          With this said, oh great God:

“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). 

Amen.

Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC's - World Communion Sunday/17th Sunday after Pentecost - 10/01/17 Sermon - “Being the Church"

Sunday 10/01/17 Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC’s

Sermon Title: “Being the Church”

Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 78:1-4, 12-16

                                            

New Testament Scripture: Philippians 2:1-13

Gospel Lesson: Matthew 21:23-32

          Welcome again my friends, my sisters and brothers, on this World Communion Sunday. This Sunday that millions and millions of Christians all over the world symbolically share Holy Communion, or the Lord’s Supper. We will not all kneel at the same altar rail, but this World Communion Sunday is a day that we declare our unity as Christians, and our unity in the Lordship of Jesus Christ. We declare this with millions and millions of Christians around world, as we celebrate the gift of Holy Communion or the Lord’s Supper.

          This Sunday therefore, is very much about church unity. This Sunday is about how we as the church are supposed to live and function.

          In some parts of the world, the Christian Church is growing like wild fire. In fact, the United Methodist Church is growing so rapidly in Africa, that in recent years, entire new Annual Conferences were created, and new Bishops elected, to ensure the leadership of the fast growing church.

          In other parts of the world, which includes us in the United States, the Christian Church in general, is in steep decline. This means, many of our churches are shrinking, and some are even closing.

          In fact, in the early October edition of “The Bridge,” which is a publication that attempts to connect our local church to the entire Upper New York UMC Conference, it was announced that that Earlville UMC, after 202 years, will be closing. The reason this article is in “The Bridge,” is because the church is donating money for missional purposes, as part of its closure.

          Melissa and I have friends that are members of this church, and this is a church according to the article, began in 1815.

          As you have probably seen, the title of my sermon for this morning is called “Being the Church.” The few things that I have just told then, are primers or ideas around what I will be talking about this morning.

          As I said, in some parts of the world they literally cannot build church buildings fast enough, to capacitate all the people in them. Yet in the United States, Western Europe, and in other places, we sometimes have large and beautiful churches that have very few people in them. The United States is one of richest countries in the world, we have the biggest and the most powerful military, we have some of the most beautiful churches, and yet so many of them are shrinking.

          The question I have for us to think about this morning, is why is this happening? Why in the United States, in Western Europe, and in other places, are many churches shrinking, while in other places they are growing rapidly? I don’t about you, but when a church like the Earlville UMC closes after 202 years, it catches my attention.

          Some would answer this question, by saying that we need to change how we worship. We need to have screens, televisions, a rock band, a fog machine, track lighting, and etc. Some would argue that traditional worship is better. Some think that the church needs to be transformed into a “mega-plex” with a coffee shop, a book store, a gymnasium, a life size Noah’s Ark, a burning bush, and etc.

          It is also important to note that in this area of New York, about 25% of people polled have no faith beliefs at all. Meaning they believe in nothing around faith or religion.

          We live in a culture therefore, that is not seeing a church grow in most cases, but instead is seeing the opposite. How is it then, that in some places the church is growing rapidly, but not many places in the United States?

          An answer to this, which is one of many I believe, is in “Being the Church.” We probably have heard this statement before that the church just needs to “Be the Church.” Well does that mean, “Be the Church”? I hear this a lot, and I don’t really know what the person means when they say this. Or the famed United Methodist Church campaign of “Re-think Church.” Well what does it mean to “Re-think Church?” Or the campaign of “Open Doors, Open Hearts, Open Minds.” What does that mean exactly?

          To me, the church is supposed to be a place that you go, that is safe, loving, and where the people you encounter have a legitimate concern for you, for your family, and for your well-being. A place that you hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. For some people though, their faith is coming to a church service on Sunday morning, and they then hire a pastor to do all the rest of that “Jesus Stuff” that they don’t want do.

          What I am trying to say, is that strength of Christian Church, the growth of the Christian Church, to me, has never been rooted solely just in our style of worship, not just in the type of coffee that we serve, which is good by the way. To me, one of the strongest components of a successful, growing, and flourishing church, historically speaking, is that we are “Being the Church”.

          Well how do we define the church? Is it an institution? Is it a building? Is it God moving through us? Just what is the church?

          Well I have been reading and re-reading a lot of books to “Bone Up” as it were, for my ordination interviews next March. In his book “Major United Methodist Beliefs,” by Mack B. Stokes, Mack defines the church in this as an institution. This is what he says:

“The Church of Jesus Christ is an institution of upmost importance. Why? Because it proclaims the eternal gospel from generation to generation” (Stokes, 101).

Mr. Stokes goes on to summarize his arguments and says:

“The church is the body of Christ. It is his instrument. It is his servant. It is the bearer of the eternal treasure, the gospel. Because Christ is the foundation of the church, “the gates of Hades will not prevail against it” (Stokes, 108, Mt. 16:18)

          So why this heavy emphasis of the transmission and the focus on the gospel of Jesus Christ? This is where we find salvation, hope, new life, and the blue print of how live daily in the world.

          Jesus tells us to love each other, care for each other, to even serve each other. I wonder how many of churches are seeking to actively do this every day?

          I remember when I was attending for my last two years of seminary, at the United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. While there, there were four pastors from the African Country of Sierra Leone. I was speaking to one them one day at lunch, and he told me that he pastored a small church in Sierra Leone of about 700 people. A small church! Yet there Sunday was one of worship, togetherness, and sharing a meal. His entire village shut down every Sunday he said, and the people worshipped together, loved each other, and broke bread together. Throughout the week, they cared for each other, loved, and each other, and in every way, were seeking to “Be the Church”. Their commitment to their faith went far beyond just a Sunday morning worship service. Instead there faith was lived out all the time, as they constantly sought to live our teachings of Jesus Christ every day. When the founder of the Methodist Movement, Rev. John Wesley was asked by his bishop, why he was doing ministry among the people, and outside of his church or parish, he told his bishop, “the world is my parish.”

          Some of us think back to fond days of togetherness in the church. We remember going over to help a widow, or doing this, or doing that. We were building community, we were loving, caring, reaching out, and letting folks know that there were welcomed here. We were truly united in “Being the Church.” “Being the Church” to me then, means that everyone here, or yet to come here, matters, they have worth, and God loves them. This means, are response to the gospel of Jesus Christ, and how we live our faith, and how we are “the Church,” I believe will have a strong and a direction correlation to whether the church flourishes or fails.

          This past Tuesday, we had a district clergy meeting with our bishop, Bishop Mark Webb. Before serving communion to all of pastors, Bishop Webb asked us where we have seen God’s grace in our lives. I raised my hand and said that I was so proud to be part of a church that claims UMCOR, or the United Methodist Committee on Relief as our own. I said to the bishop, we sit here today, as hundreds and maybe thousands of our brothers and sisters are working in the areas affected by hurricanes. Are UMCOR people are loving, serving, and “Being the Church.”

          Our ability to love like Jesus, to serve like Jesus, and to reach out like Jesus, will be, in my opinion, one the biggest factors in what the future of this church will look like. After all, if we are Christians, if we believe in Jesus, if we believe that he died for us, if we believe that he taught us a new way to live and love, are we willing to live that out daily? Or is that what we pay the pastor for? We pay them to be the Christian.

          The Apostle Paul speaks about being the church in his letter to the church in Philippi or the Philippians from this morning. The Apostle Paul says:

“If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross” (Phil 2:1-8, NRSV).

 So what does Jesus say to us again? He says:

“make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others” (Phil. 2:2-4, NRSV).

          Our ability to love, to care for, and to be there for each other, is us “Being the Church”. It is us living out the gospel of Jesus Christ, the hope of the world.

          This morning, in the gospel of Matthew reading, Jesus has his authority challenged, and gives us a short parable talking about his upcoming crucifixion. Jesus proclaims his Lordship, that he is the Messiah, the savior, and that in him we have hope, peace, love, caring, and the incredible ability to “Be the Church” that he has called us to be (Mt. 21:23-32, NRSV).

          My challenge to myself and to all us this week is to “Be the Church,” even more. Well how can we do that? Call someone, visit someone, or send someone in this church a card, just because. Let them know you love them, just because. Pray for and give to hurricane relief. Visit someone in a nursing home or a hospital. Let someone know you love and appreciate them. Help a neighbor, do a good work for someone else, and share the hope of the gospel of Jesus Christ. For when we do this, we are “Being the Church,” and when we do it well, the church flourishes. I know, because I have seen it.

          I leave you with a quote that I love, that is attributed to Saint Francis of Assisi. Here is the quote,

“Preach the Gospel at all times. When necessary, use words” (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jamie-arpinricci/preach-the-gospel-at-all-times-st-francis_b_1627781.html).

 My brothers and sisters, when we preach the gospel, when we live it, we are then “Being the Church.” This is I believe one of the biggest ways that Christian Church has grown and flourished over the last 2,000 years. For “they will know we are Christians, by our love, by our love.” When this happens the church flourishes and we transform the world. Amen.