Sidney UMC - Third Sunday in Lent - 03/03/24 - Sermon - “Hope Through Biblical Justice!” (“Resurrection Hope” Series: Part 3 of 7)

Sunday 03/03/24 - Sidney UMC

Sermon Title:  “Hope Through Biblical Justice!”                                   (“Resurrection Hope” Series: Part 3 of 7)                                  

Old Testament Scripture: Exodus 20:1-17                                      

New Testament Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:18-25

Gospel Lesson: John 2:13-22 

         Two weeks ago, I started a new sermon series called the “Resurrection Hope” series. When Jesus Christ was resurrected on that first Easter Sunday morning, this was the proof and the evidence that Jesus was indeed God in the flesh. With the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter morning being the miracle that gives the Christian faith its hope and power, is there anywhere else that we can draw hope from in this season of Lent and soon to be Easter Sunday? There is no hope quite like the “Resurrection Hope” of Jesus Christ from the dead, but having all kinds of hope through Christ is a powerful thing too.

          Sometimes in our lives we have a lot of hope, and sometimes we have very little. Due to this, every week in this the “Resurrection Hope” sermon series, I am talking about different types of hope that we can claim, relate to, and or understand a little more in this season of Lent, leading to Easter Sunday. Of these types of hope that point us to the “Resurrection Hope” that we share on Easter Sunday, all of these types of hope have come right from our weekly scripture readings.

          So far in this the “Resurrection Hope” sermon series, I have talked about the “Hope Through Baptism” that we feel and receive. Last week I talked about having “Hope In Suffering and Surrender!” as we all struggle, and as we all need to continue to surrender our lives to Christ. This morning, I am talking about “Hope Through Biblical Justice!” When I say “Biblical Justice,” I am talking about the ways that people who are not following God are corrected by God. This is a hard topic for some of us, as sometimes we feel incorrectly like something is wrong with us.  It is not that God does not love us, or that Jesus did not die for us, rather it is the idea that doing bad things is not what God wants from us.

          The God of the universe wants us to love each other, and to be good to each other. We can always be forgiven by Jesus if we turn to him, but here on earth we have for example, the Department of Justice, or the “DOJ” as some people call it. We have laws, a court system, etc. God loves us, and God’s grace is abundant, but should we be corrected if we are doing things wrong? If we are hurting people and doing things that are unkind and harmful, should we be held accountable? I realize that everything is not always perfect. For example, if someone steals food because they are hungry, should they get arrested for that? Some would say yes, and some would say no. If someone kills someone, simply because the person made them angry, should they then be arrested and imprisoned for that? I think so.

          I think that while God loves us all, and while Jesus died for us all, the question we should ask ourselves is should we still be accountable for what we do? Certainly, our legal system would say yes. I do not think that God wants to punish us, or for to us to terrified of God, but does God have expectations of us? Does God have rules? I would argue that most parents do. Further there have been times in my life where I have restrained myself, because I knew that God did not want me to do certain things. Specifically, what I was thinking about doing in a given situation, I did not do, because I knew that God did not want me to do that. Yet, if we have no faith, how do we determine what is just and what is not just. Without bird walking to far off course here, I am talking this morning, once again, about “Hope Through Biblical Justice!” If we have no faith in God, no belief that Jesus died for us, and if there is no movement of the Holy Spirit in us, how do we know what is right, and what is wrong? Some say that humans in this day in age are naturally born knowing right from wrong, and I completely disagree with this. Given that God is the great moral law giver, which I think God is, then God has expectations of us. Are we going to mess up, break some of these laws and rules, and then return to Christ for forgiveness? Yes, we all will, hopefully, which is why we have our prayer of confession this morning. We all will continue to fall short? Yes, but we can turn to Christ, we can repent, and we can then try to go forward and sin no more. This is a hard thing for many of us, and for many of us we work on this our whole life long. As I like to say, I am not who I was, and tomorrow, I hope to be better than I am today. Becoming like Christ, striving for sinlessness is often the journey of a lifetime. I know it has been for me.

          There are times in the scripture though where God enacts “Biblical Justice” or even allows suffering for a greater or a higher purpose. We tend to live in a culture however, where we never want to hurt or suffer. I mean who does, right? Yet Job suffered in the Book of Job. We have Noah and the Ark and the flooding of the earth. Some of these events in the Bible might seem harsh, and maybe we think they are. Yet how are we supposed to act and live. Does God have the right to correct us? It is interesting that we have our Old Testament or Hebrew Bible reading from Exodus 20:1-17 for this morning, where Moses is given the Ten-Commandments from God. The movie with Charlton Heston called “The Ten-Commandments,” which came out in 1956, I think is still one of the top grossing films of all time, adjusted of inflation of course. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ten_Commandments_(1956_film). According to the adjusted for inflation list that I read, “Gone With the Wind” is the highest grossing film of all time, for example.

          Since we heard the Exodus 20:1-17 reading read for this morning, I won’t re-read the whole scripture reading. Yet many people still know these commandments, and try to keep them. They of course were written well before Christ came to earth, and they were designed to be the rules to attempt to keep people living the way that God wants us to live. Have we all broken one or more of the Ten-Commandments? I’m sure we all have, and it’s not that we should feel condemned or terrible, or that God is going to hit us with a lighting bolt. Instead, we should turn to Christ and repent every time. We should also commit to doing better, and avoiding the problem or the sin.

          I think some of us grew up hearing how awful we are, how angry God is with us, and what will happen to us when we die. A better way to look at it though, I think, is to ask the question, what does God want from us? How do we live better? How do we strive to treat each other better? I mean the fact that when Moses came down from the mountain, and that he found his people worshipping a golden calf tells you, and tells me, that we need to stay focused on God! Amen. If we are not happy, not focused, and we lose our gaze on Christ, we can quickly be led into worshipping idols. I mean think about it, Moses led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, and then by the time they get to Mount Sinai, they have already turned to and were worshipping a golden calf. We are all prone to turn from God if we do not stay focused on him.

          In fact, this connects with what the Apostle Paul tells us this morning in 1 Corinthians 1:18-25. Starting in 1 Corinthians 1:18, it says once again:

⁸ For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. ¹⁹ For it is written, ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart’                       (1 Cor. 1:18-19, NRSV).

          The Apostle Paul then continues on to say, picking up in 1 Corinthians 1:20 and end in 1:25, once again:

²⁰ Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? ²¹ For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe. ²² For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, ²³ but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling-block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, ²⁴ but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. ²⁵ For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength            (1 Cor.1:20-25, NRSV).

          So, if you don’t believe in Christ, if you don’t follow what God wants, then what we believe might seem foolish. Yet the Apostle Paul says it is the power of God to those “being saved”. While salvation in Christ is a free give offered to us all if we turn to him, we all still struggle to not sin. Maybe next month none of us will need our prayer of confession be Holy Communion this morning. I highly doubt it though!

          To tie this all together, the big reason that my sermon title for this morning is called “Hope Through Biblical Justice!” is because of what Jesus does this morning. Some of us think of Jesus as meek and mild, which he was, but Jesus could also be tough and direct. This morning in our gospel of John 2:13-22 reading, once again, Jesus cleanses the temple. This was not a mild prayer or a soft gesture. Instead, Jesus displayed righteous anger. Let’s look again at our gospel of John 2:13-22 reading for this morning. Picking up in John 2:13 it says:

¹³ The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money-changers seated at their tables. ¹⁵ Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. ¹⁶ He told those who were selling the doves, ‘Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a market-place!’ ¹⁷ His disciples remembered that it was written, ‘Zeal for your house will consume me’ (Jn. 2:13-17, NRSV).

          So, Jesus and his disciples head to the city of Jerusalem, or “Zion” as it is often called in the Old Testament, the place of great Jewish Temple. Yet when Jesus and his disciples get to Jerusalem, and specifically the entrance to the great Jewish Temple, something is very wrong. Jesus saw vendors selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers were exchanging foreign currency for half-shekel coins. According to the Book of Exodus in the Old Testament or the Hebrew Bible though, “Every male over twenty years of age had to pay a half-shekel temple tax” to enter the temple. Or to put it another way, there was an entry fee to enter into the great temple in Jerusalem (Africa Bible Commentary, pg. 1283).

          The problem though was you needed a half-shekel coin to enter the great temple in Jerusalem. It was like going to ALDI to grocery store, you need a quarter, not a dime, not a nickel, not a penny, but a quarter! Further, to exchange your foreign currency for a half-shekel coin, you had to pay a hefty fee. You had to pay one penny for every half-shekel coin. One penny was a lot more money two-thousand years ago, than it is today. The average laborer at this time was pain four pennies a day (Africa Bible Commentary, pg. 1283).

          On top of this, the animals that were being sold, were sold as animal sacrifices. These animals had to be pure and spotless, and the people were being charged 5-6 times the normal rate to buy these animals (Africa Bible Commentary, pg. 1283). Or as one of my bible commentaries says, “the authorities were exploiting the worshippers” (Africa Bible Commentary, pg. 1283). Many of the worshippers would come to Jerusalem for the Passover from all over the Roman Empire, and many of these travelers were far from rich. Then what little money these travelers had was taken from them in money exchange fees, and then they were gouged in buying a sacrificial animal. Animal sacrifice was a practice at the great temple in Jerusalem.

          In seeing the reality of these vendors though, Jesus Christ, God in the flesh decided to enact “Biblical Justice”. Jesus saw God’s people being exploited at God’s house, he made a whip of cords, and he drove out the vendors with their animals. Jesus also flipped the coin tables of the money changers. Jesus was angry, but Jesus was giving us through his righteous anger, “Hope Through Biblical Justice!”. Jesus said, once again in John 2:16b:

‘Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a market-place!’  (Jn. 2:16b, NRSV). 

          If you were a Jew, you needed to come to the great temple in Jerusalem, especially during the Jewish Passover, and with money in your pockets. I mean can you just go into God’s house for free though? The answer is yes, yes you can! At three-o’clock on good Friday when Jesus died on the cross, the veil separating the holiest room in the temple, or the “Holy of Holies” was torn. The symbolism here is that the “Holy of Holies” is now accessible to everyone. Through Christ, all people are welcome to come into God’s house and hear the good news of Jesus Christ. How can that happen though friends, if there is a cover charge to come into God’s house?

          I have had people say to me before, “Pastor Paul I would come to church, but I don’t have anything to put in the collection plate”. Well like Jesus this morning in our gospel of John 2:13-22 reading, I have no intention of turning of

“my Father’s house a market-place!’ (Jn. 2:16b, NRSV).

          Does the church need financial resources to function? Of course it does, but if people don’t feel led to give, you know what happens? The church eventually closes. I want people to give, because they feel called by God to give, not because there is an entrance fee. There also will never be an entrance fee to enter this church, but the church does need resources to function.

I am sure for example, that if people were coming to the great temple in Jerusalem to pray to and to connect to God, and felt called by God to give, that Jesus would be more than ok with this. It is when you’re stealing from God’s people. When someone on television, for example, asks you to send them money to get a bottle of “blessed water,” or a special “prayer rug,” and they take your money that’s the sin. These same people fly first class or in private jets, and live a life of luxury. Jesus this morning enacts “Hope Through Biblical Justice” against this sin.

          Even so Jesus cleansing the temple, or driving out the vendors and the animals, and flipping the tables of the money changers did not go unchallenged. Looking at the rest of our scripture reading from John 2:13-22, this gospel lesson ends with John 2:18-22 saying, once again:

¹⁸ The Jews then said to him, ‘What sign can you show us for doing this?’ ¹⁹ Jesus answered them, ‘Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.’ ²⁰ The Jews then said, ‘This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?’ ²¹ But he was speaking of the temple of his body. ²² After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken (Jn. 2:18-22, NRSV).

          “Hope Through Biblical Justice!”. The idea that God has expectations of us and how we live. The idea that God will judge us in the end if we don’t repent of our wickedness. For example, does Adolf Hitler deserve “Biblical Justice” if ne didn’t repent of his sins? Does the dictator of North Korea Kim Jong Un deserve the same? There has to be justice, “Biblical Justice,” this justice can and sometimes occurs in this life and in the life to come. If this is not true then evil reigns, and goodness is trampled by cruelty and suffering. I don’t want anyone judged badly by God, but I have “Hope Through Biblical Justice!” This reality points us to righteousness and holy living, and tell us that God has expectation of us. For we are called to live holy and righteous lives. May we have “Hope Through Biblical Justice!” Amen.

Sidney UMC - Second Sunday in Lent - 02/25/24 - Sermon - “Hope in Suffering and Surrender!” (“Resurrection Hope” Series: Part 2 of 7)

                              Sunday 02/25/24 - Sidney UMC

Sermon Title: “Hope in Suffering and Surrender!”     

                      (“Resurrection Hope” Series: Part 2 of 7)            

Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 22:23-31                                  

New Testament Scripture: Romans 4:13-25

Gospel Lesson: Mark 8:31-38

         Last week I started a new sermon or preaching series that will lead us through the season of Lent, and through Easter Sunday. This sermon series, called the “Resurrection Hope” series, points us, once again to the hope and the power of Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead, on Easter morning. The morning where the tomb was empty, and Christ would forever be risen and sovereign over all of creation.

          Even though the first twelve disciples and others did not know for sure if Jesus would be risen from the dead, and even though some of them may have even lost hope that Jesus would rise from the dead, he did on that first Easter morning. On that first Easter morning, our King and Lord was alive and our hope in him would now be eternal!

          Hope is also a powerful emotion. I remember, for example, any of us that have seen any of the movies from the “Hunger Games” series of movies. In these movies there is a strong capital city region that reigns over twelve subjugated districts. The people of these districts are pretty much slaves, they live in terrible conditions, and they exist to provide to raw materials and wealth to the capital city region. In the movie series however, the character Katniss Everdeen becomes a figure of resistance to the capital city region’s rule over the twelve subjugated districts. As part of this, the capital city, which has a superior military, kills, restricts, and tries to keep the people from the twelve districts in line. Yet, the hope that the people of these twelve subjugated districts have in the character Katniss Everdeen, played by actress Jennifer Lawrence, becomes much greater than their fear. Fear can restrict us, and it can stop us.

          The leader of the capital city region in the Hunger Games movie series that had subjugated the twelve districts is a man named President Coriolanus Snow, played by Donald Sutherland. Yet, the hope that these twelve subjugated districts had in the character Katniss Everdeen quickly surpassed the fear of not fighting for freedom and democracy. In fact, in the movie, the character, who is the head of the capital city region, President Snow remarked that hope is greater than fear (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hunger_Games_(film_series).

         On that first Good Friday, when Jesus was crucified, that we will remember next month in March, the vast majority of his followers scattered. They scattered because they were afraid. What if Jesus really wasn’t the savior of the world they might have thought? What if Jesus was just a nice guy and not God in the flesh, they may have thought? Yet, on that first Easter Sunday, the hope that the disciples and others had was overwhelming. It took until the day of Pentecost for the disciples to really have the courage to go forth as the church, loving, healing, and forgiving, but hope is more powerful than fear.

          In my twelve years as a pastor, I have had the honor of sitting bedside with people as they are about to depart from this world. Some of these people have peace, and some seem to have fear. Some might be worried that they did bad things in their lives, and maybe are thinking what if God is unhappy with them. Yet some people that I have had the honor to sit bedside of had such peace and hope in Jesus Christ. They knew, they believed that they were going to be with Jesus. Any fear that they may have had was consumed by the hope that they had in Jesus Christ, and his resurrection. For hope is more powerful than fear.

          For these reasons and more, I started the sermon series last week called the “Resurrection Hope” series. If we have hope, then hope can overcome all fear. While the ultimate hope for Christians is Christ’s resurrection on Easter Sunday, how can week seek hope throughout this forty-day season of Lent? Last week, I discussed the hope that we encounter through baptism. Whether it be our own baptism, one we witnessed, and or observed. Hopefully in that moment the hope and faith of God in Jesus Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit was radiating out everywhere.

          This morning, is a tougher call for us to have hope though. I don’t know about you, for example, if it has affected you, but we have had so many drug overdose deaths recently. We have had suicides, and seen a degree of hopelessness in some people. To lose hope, to let fear win, is to be in a dark place. When we are suffering and when we are really struggling, isn’t hard sometimes to have hope? I mean your car or truck just died, you just got laid off from work, and you’re late on your rent or mortgage payment. Those moments in life where all seems lost. Then we read in the paper, or hear from friends, or on Facebook, of yet another drug overdose death. My friends, we need hope, we need “Resurrection Hope!”

          When we are suffering, it can be so hard to have hope. In fact, I have had more people that I can count ask me after something bad has happened, “why would a loving God allow this to happen?” In our flesh we sometimes experience suffering and struggle, and we wrestle at times with where God is in all of this. Sometimes someone is sick, we pray and maybe they make a full recovery, and sometimes not. We can struggle in this world when things go bad, when we catch a bad break, or when things seem hard. The reality though is that Jesus promises to be with us in our suffering. Jesus promises to be with us in the highs and the lows of life. For Jesus experienced what we experience on this earth.

          To put another way, even if everything seems like it is falling apart, we still have the hope of Jesus Christ. When the world doesn’t make sense, and we are suffering, may we surrender to Christ. Sometimes the best thing we can do is tell God that the load that we have on our shoulders is just too big for us bear. This is probably why country singer Carrie Underwood wrote the song “Jesus, Take the Wheel”. In this song she is telling Jesus, she needs him, as she can’t do it on her own. Having hope is powerful. Having hope is realizing that God is with us no matter what.

          This is why my sermon for this morning is focused on finding “Hope in Suffering and Surrender!” When we are suffering, and when things look terrible, do we still have “Resurrection Hope” in Jesus Christ? As I said, I have seen the differences when I have sat bedside of various people as they are close to passing on to glory. In those final minutes are they clinging to the “Resurrection Hope” of Jesus Christ, or are filled with fear.

          Faith in Christ doesn’t always change our reality, but it does change us. If we are changed, if we have “Resurrection Hope,” than we have peace, love, joy, and mercy, come what may. This is not always an easy thing, but it is the hope we are called to lean into, in Jesus Christ.

          Some of us remember that not too long ago, I was asked to officiate the funeral for little Emma Conklin, who was only five-years old. At the funeral, I gave her mother Angel a canvas print of Jesus hugging a little girl. I told Angel that the only thing that got me through that funeral, was the hope that little Emma was in the arms of Jesus. Hope is powerful, and hope is stronger than fear. Do we have “Resurrection Hope” in Jesus Christ here this morning? We know that every day is a gift, and we know that tomorrow is not promised to anyone. Yet we are called to believe in Jesus, and in the eternal hope and promise that we have in him. The world can take everything from us, but it can’t take Jesus from us.

          So, emphatic about this reality, in fact, the Apostle Paul reminds in Romans 8:38-39, this:

³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord                 (Rom. 8:38-39, NRSV).

          Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ. If I did not believe this, I think that it would be much harder for me to have hope in this life. This is why, once again, my sermon series for this season of Lent and soon to be Easter is the “Resurrection Hope” series.

          We hear in our reading from Psalm 22:23-31 for this morning, once again, a little bit about who God is. For example, this morning in 22:23-24, we hear these words about who God is:

²³ You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him; stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel! ²⁴ For he did not despise or abhor the affliction of the afflicted; he did not hide his face from me,
    but heard when I cried to him (Ps. 22:23-24, NRSV).

          Let us all embrace the hope that the disciples of Jesus Christ and the women that followed Jesus Christ had on that first Easter morning, when they found the empty tomb of Jesus.

          In looking at our reading from Romans 4:13-25 for this morning, the Apostle Paul tells us, once again: about be reconciled to God and having righteousness of faith. Not by works, or just following religious laws, but through faith in Christ alone. If we have faith like the great Abraham in the Book of Genesis, in the Old Testament or Hebrew Bible, then our faith in Christ is enough to save us. The Apostle Paul tells us that our faith and the grace of God gives life and brings things that are dead back to life. In talking more about the great Abraham and comparing him to us, the Apostle Paul said that Abraham’s faith made him righteous and acceptable to God. The Apostle Paul then concludes this reading by saying that the same power that raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, was raised for justification. Jesus’ resurrection is the proof of who he is, and the hope we have as Christians. Or as my sermons series through Lent and Easter Sunday is called, the “Resurrection Hope” series.

          In tying all of this this into our gospel of Mark 8:31-38 reading for this morning, Jesus foretells his own suffering. As we are called to have “Hope in Suffering and Surrender,” Our gospel of Mark 8:31-38 reading for this morning, begins starting in 8:31, with Jesus talking saying:

³¹ Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again (Mk. 8:31, NRSV).

          Imagine if you knew how you were going to die on this earth. Imagine further if you knew you would suffer, be tortured, most of your friends would abandon you, and that you be nailed to cross and die. Of course, with our “Resurrection Hope,” Jesus says that after he dies on the cross, he would rise three days later. So intense was this reality that when Jesus was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before his trial, torture, and execution, that in one of the gospels he literally sweated blood.  In fact, it says of Christ in Luke 22:44, as Jesus was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before his trial, torture, and crucifixion this:

⁴⁴ In his anguish he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down on the ground (Lk. 22:44, NRSV).

          So, in the flesh of Christ, not his divinity, he was struggling and suffering with what he would soon suffer, soon leading to his cross on Good Friday. So much was Jesus struggling in the human part of his being, he said two versus earlier from sweating blood in Luke 22:42 this:

⁴² “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me, yet not my will but yours be done” (Lk. 22:42, NRSV).

          While Jesus was fully God and fully human, we know that he suffered. Yet we are called to have “Hope in Suffering and Surrender”. Even though we suffer, and even though we are called to surrender to Christ, Christ is always with us. When Jesus said what would happen to him on Good Friday in our gospel of Mark reading for this morning, however, the Apostle Peter did not take this news well.  In fact, the gospel of Mark then says, picking up in Mark 8:32, once again:

³² He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. ³³ But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, ‘Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things’                   (Mk. 8:32, NRSV). 

          So, if you ever thought you had made a big mistake, or had a bad mark on your resume, imagine that you were called Satan by Jesus Christ. That’s a tough one!

          Our gospel of Mark reading for this morning, then ends with Mark 8:34-38 saying:

³⁴ He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. ³⁵ For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. ³⁶ For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? ³⁷ Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? ³⁸ Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels’                 (Mk. 8:34-38, NRSV).

          Jesus suffered, and sometimes we suffer to. In this season of “Resurrection Hope,” may we realize that sometimes we will suffer, as Christ suffered. Even so, we can have “Hope in Suffering and Surrender!” As we suffer, and as we sometimes ask God why we suffer, Christ suffered, but he is always with us. May we then have “Hope in Suffering and Surrender!” For Christ is with us now, and forever. Amen.

Sidney UMC - First Sunday in Lent - 02/18/24 - Sermon - “Hope Through Baptism!” (“Resurrection Hope” Series: Part 1 of 7)

                                  Sunday 02/18/24 - Sidney UMC

Sermon Title: “Hope Through Baptism!”                                   (“Resurrection Hope” Series: Part 1 of 7)                      

Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 25:1-10                                        

New Testament Scripture: 1 Peter 3:18-22

Gospel Lesson: Mark 1:9-15

         This past Wednesday on Ash Wednesday, which was also Valentine’s Day, we began the season of Lent. Ash Wednesday and Lent are not things that are required of us by holy scripture, but many churches have embraced ashes and the 40-day season of Lent as part of our spiritual practices and disciplines to lead us through this season, which ends on Holy Saturday, the day after Jesus’ crucifixion, and the day before Easter.

          The season Lent is actually 46-days, but many churches don’t count Sundays, as this is the Lord’s day. During this season preparing us for the trial, crucifixion, and death of Jesus, we are invited to walk more closely with Christ. We are invited to walk more closely with each other, and we are invited to give up, to give away, to pray, to fast, and to become more like Jesus.

          In the twelve years that I have served in ministry I have always done sermon or preaching series in Advent and in Lent. I do this in part because these are holy seasons leading us to the birth and awaited second coming of Christ, as well as the crucifixion and awaiting the resurrection of Jesus Christ. I also do sermon or preaching series during these holy seasons, as it is a good opportunity to learn and grow through a more focused or succinct set of ideas or teachings. This season of Lent, my sermon series is called the “Resurrection Hope” series.

          The hope and the foundation of the Christian faith is rooted in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Without the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Christian faith does not hold together, and loses its power. To be a Christian is to have hope, is to seek hope, and to pursue hope, even when hope seems far away. During this seven-week sermon series, I will be utilizing our lectionary scripture readings, each Sunday to discuss different types of hope.

          In fact, one of the earliest statements of Christian faith or a creedal statement of sorts, that gives us hope, is from 1 Corinthians 15:3-9, where the Apostle Paul says this:

³ For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, ⁴ and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, ⁵ and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. ⁶ Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. ⁷ Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. ⁸ Last of all, as to someone untimely born, he appeared also to me. ⁹ For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God (1 Cor. 15:3-9, NRSV). 

So, the idea of the hope of the resurrection of Jesus Christ was generally speaking taught and believed from the earliest days of the Christian movement. Christians believed, had faith, and had hope because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

          This morning in the first part of this seven-week sermon series, I want to discuss “Hope Through Baptism”. The reason we are tackling this topic this morning, is because in our lectionary gospel reading for this morning, we have one of the narratives of Jesus getting baptized in our gospel of Mark 1:9-15 reading, by his cousin John the Baptist in the Jordan River. So, does baptism then connect with the idea of hope? Further, is the idea of “Resurrection Hope” important or significant? I think that it is, as hope, once again, is part of the bedrock of our Christian faith.

          How do we have “Hope Through Baptism” though? The answer is that baptism connects more fully to God, and connects us more deeply to the first Christian baptism, which is Jesus’ baptism. The way that Jesus told us at the Last Supper, in the that Upper Room, during that first communion, to do this in remembrance of him, around the bread, and the cup, Jesus also told us to be baptized. In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus gave us his great commission in part in 28:19-20 that says:

¹⁹ Go therefore 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 that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age’     (Matt. 28:19-20, NRSV).

          For many of you, whether in person or online, you know that I have preached a lot on the different methods of water baptism, and the theology behind them. I will discuss some of this morning, but more specifically, I am focusing on the power and the hope of baptism. I have seen, have performed, and have participated in many baptisms. I have seen and have performed baptisms on babies, children, adults, and have seen all sorts of baptism. As Christ was baptized this morning in the Jordan River, formally starting his public ministry, baptism would soon become a thing. On the day of Pentecost and after, baptisms were happening all over, as that was the birthday of the Christian Church. Some might have been immersion baptisms of people that were of age to make a profession of faith in Jesus Christ, some might have been infant or child baptisms, or people that believe in the baptism of the Holy Spirit. In general, baptism is hopeful thing!

          In fact, every time I see, perform, and have experienced a baptism, there is always hope. The people present are uplifted, excited, and over joyed that the church visible on earth is adding a new member. I don’t think I have ever seen anyone angry, upset, or discouraged at a baptism, except if the baby starts crying. As I said, baptism in and of itself is a hopeful thing, and it brings us together. When there are baptisms, family, extended family, and friends come. There are pictures, food, and it is a special occasion. In some Christian Churches or Christian Denominations, a special outfit is even worn for the baptism, but in general it is a hopeful experience.

          Since our sermon series for Lent through Easter Sunday is “Resurrection Hope,” what are the things in our lives that give us hope? Of course, there is no hope like the resurrection and love of Jesus Christ, but during this sermon series, once again, we will be diving into and exploring different kinds of hope in our life and faith as followers of Jesus Christ. For example, next week we will be talking about how can find hope in suffering and surrendering to God.

          In this season of Lent, soon to be Easter, where do we see hope? Have you experienced hope and joy through a baptism, or through your own baptism? Further if you have never had a Christian baptism, what is stopping you from dying to yourself and rising with Christ? What is stopping you from bringing someone else into the Christian Church on earth? Baptism, whether it be immersion or sprinkling is a deeply spiritual experience, but it also brings hope. Whether the baby or child has become part of the church on earth, or whether the person has professed their faith in Christ and then are baptized, it is significant. It is something that brings us hope. Only faith in Christ saves us, but every time I perform a baptism I have hope, and can see the hope!

          In fact, I asked Sarah Pressler a few days ago, what it like the last time that you saw a teenager profess their faith in Christ, and get baptized? She then said, it had been a long time since she had seen that, but that when she did see that it gave her joy and hope. The resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter morning is hope itself, and we see and find hope through Christ in various ways, and this is why I am doing this sermon series for Lent through Easter Sunday.

          In our reading from Psalm 25:1-10 for this morning, it says in 25:1-2:

¹ To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. ² O my God, in you I trust; do not let me be put to shame; do not let my enemies exult over me (Ps. 25:1-2, NRSV).

          Hope, “Resurrection Hope,” and the hope that we encounter in various ways, like “Hope Through Baptism!”

          In our reading for this morning from 1 Peter 3:18-22 we hear, starting in 1 Peter 3:18-20 it says, once again:

¹⁸ For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, ¹⁹ in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison, ²⁰ who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight people, were saved through water. 

The Apostle Peter reminds us that Christ suffered for all people, so that we might be able to be brought to and be reconciled to God. There are going to no more worldwide floods, no more arks, just what Jesus has done and will do for us. This is “Resurrection Hope,” and we also have “Hope Through Baptism!”

In fact, our 1 Peter 3:18-22 reading for this morning, ends with 3:21-22, saying:

²¹ And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you—not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, ²² who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers made subject to him           (1 Pet. 3:18-22, NRSV).

          The Apostle Peter speaks of “Hope Through Baptism”! Baptism, Peter says, it is not for the removal of dirt from the body, but it’s us affirming our faith in Christ. It is also the entry point in the life of the Christian Church. “Hope Through Baptism” brings us into the church on earth. Baptism is powerful, joy filled, and we can have “Hope Through Baptism!”

          In touching back on our gospel of Mark reading for this morning, once again, we have the baptism of Jesus. May I add what a powerful and hope filled baptism it was. Picking up starting in Mark 1:9 for this morning, it says, once again:

⁹ In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. ¹⁰ And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. ¹¹ And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased’ (Mk. 1:9-11, NRSV).

 

          We have this beautiful scene of Jesus Christ being baptized, and I can imagine that anyone that was there, or for us reading this gospel reading that it gives us “Hope Through Baptism!”

          After Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan River, by his cousin John the Baptist, the gospel of Mark reading then ends with 1:12-15, saying:

¹² And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. ¹³ He was in the wilderness for forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him. ¹⁴ Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, ¹⁵ and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news’                 (Mk. 1:12-15, NRSV).

          After the “Hope Through Baptism” that was experienced through Jesus’ baptism, Jesus was tempted in the wilderness for forty days, tempted by Satan, but he resisted temptation. Then John the Baptist was arrested, Jesus began preaching his gospel. Jesus called people to repent and to believe the good news of the gospel that he was preaching.

          In this season of Lent, as we seek to give up, to give away, to pray, to fast, to repent, and to seek to be closer to Christ, I pray that we also have hope. Hope in the resurrection, “Hope Through Baptism,” and hope in countless other ways. For hope is part of the bedrock of our faith, and our live as Christians. Happy season of Lent my friends! Amen.

Sidney UMC - Ash Wednesday - 02/14/24 - Sermon - “Be Reconciled To God!”

 02/14/24 Sidney UMC – Ash Weds. Sermon

Sermon Title: “Be Reconciled To God!”

Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 51:1-17                                  

New Testament Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10

Gospel Lesson: Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

          So, I remember twelve years ago when I led my first Ash Wednesday service up in the Adirondacks. It was not a service that I had ever led before, and while I had attended a couple of Ash Wednesday services in the past, I guess I never really thought too deeply into what Ash Wednesday is. What I did know however, was that the day before Ash Wednesday it seemed to be a party day. In New Orleans there is Mardi Gras, and some churches have pancake feasts, known as “Shrove Tuesday Dinners”. The day before Ash Wednesday in many traditions seems to be a day of feasting and excess.

          Then today, the beginning of Lent or Ash Wednesday, we enter into a season of prayer, giving up, giving away, reflection, fasting, and seeking to grow closer to Jesus Christ. Throughout the two-thousand-year history of the Christian Church, many traditions have developed within the worshipping tradition and the life of local churches. Some of these traditions have been embraced by some Christian Churches and some Christian Denominations, and some have been rejected. While the Holy Scriptures are our central source of teaching over the centuries, various churches and denominations have incorporated into the worship and the life of their churches things that affirm and or coincide with the teaching of the Holy Scriptures.

          Many Christian Churches and Christian Denominations, as I have said in previous Ash Wednesday services also plan there years around the “liturgical calendar”. The “liturgical calendar,” or church calendar includes the various seasons of the church year like Advent, Lent, Common or Ordinary Time, Christmas, Epiphany, and etc. We mark these seasons with different color paraments or rugs on our pulpit, lectern, and altar, but we don’t have to do this. This is all tradition. In Medieval times when most people were illiterate, the church calendar, the colored paraments, etc. helped orient people around the Christian Calendar and the seasons. Purple for example, is the color of royalty, and since Jesus is the King of kings, many churches have purple colored paraments in the holy seasons of Advent and Lent, to show that Jesus is our high and holy leader. Some churches have even gone to royal blue paraments in the season of Advent to distinguish Advent and Lent.

          Many churches have or used to have annual Christmas pageants every year. Many churches have Advent Wreathes, candy canes, green garlands, coffee hour, rummage sales, Christmas Wreathes, etc. Some churches have children’s sermons each week, some churches have many other traditions, as well. Throughout the two-thousand-year history of the Christian Church these traditions were created to be connected to scripture and to grow our faith in Christ, and as I said, some people think some of these traditions are unscriptural and or unnecessary.

          I say all of this, because the season of Lent is something that developed through the worshipping tradition of the Christian Church. This season is not required of us to observe or even directly laid out in scripture. Yet, Jesus is tempted by Satan in the wilderness for 40-days and 40-nights in Matthew 4:1-11. The Israelites wandered in the wilderness for 40-years, Moses was on the mountain for 40-days and 40-nights, Noah was on the Ark 40-days, etc. So, throughout the worshipping tradition of the church, what emerged was a special season of spiritual preparation leading up to Jesus’ birth on Christmas, and to his crucifixion and resurrection on Easter. The church developed and created the season of Advent and Lent, which by the way, are 40-days and 40-nights. These seasons exist to offer us time to spiritually connect with Christ and to prepare ourselves for Jesus to die on the cross, to await his resurrection, and in Advent, to await his birth on Christmas, and one day return to earth.

          Another tradition that developed within the church to start the season of Lent, is what brings us here tonight, the tradition of “Ash Wednesday”. Once again, we created it, but the scriptures in different places do talk about going before God in sackcloth and ashes. Given this, “Ash Wednesday” in the most basic sense, is a call for us to enter into the season of Lent, and we do this by marking ourselves with ashes. In some places the ashes are sprinkled on people’s heads. Further, what kind of ashes do we use? Well ashes from burnt palms of course! Jesus rode into Jerusalem of Palm Sunday to the shouts of “Hosanna,” and those palms become the ashes we impose tonight. As our opening hymn for tonight is called, “Sunday’s Palms Are Wednesday’s Ashes”.

          Again, all of this is tradition within some churches, and it is not required. I believe though that Ash Wednesday and the season of Lent can be good for our spiritual growth and our walk with Christ. If I did not, I would not want to observe and or celebrate them. For these reasons, I like these traditions, while I realize that some churches don’t embrace them.

Further, tonight, “Ash Wednesday” is about us realizing our own mortality. That as the scripture says we come from dust, and to dust we will return one day. Tonight is about realizing that this life on earth is fleeting, and our time on this earth is limited. As a result, when the ashes are imposed on us tonight, the words “Repent, and the believe the Gospel” will be spoken. Why? Because in this the 40-day season of Lent, we are called to live and love more like Jesus Christ. We are showing the world our desire to be humble, loving, caring, and repentant of any sin our wrong doing. We are trying to be all God has called us to be, so that the world might know us by our love. As my sermon title says, we are called to “Be Reconciled To God!” Where in our lives is there brokenness? Where in our lives is there pain, sorrow, sin, and or worry. In this season of Lent that starts tonight on this Ash Wednesday, may we all “Be Reconciled To God!”

          The ashes that we receive tonight then, are just a symbol, as they themselves have no power. Once again though, they show us and the world that as followers of Jesus Christ that are we seeking to be more like him is this season of Lent, and always. This means giving up, giving away, repenting of our sin, and seeking to “Be Reconciled To God!” We might observe the tradition of giving things away in this season, or fasting from a food or something else we enjoy, or being intentionally more loving and generous in another area. Ash Wednesday, and this whole season, was created simply and basically to orient us towards the cross of Christ, and to grow us in holiness, righteousness, mercy, and love. This is why on this night, the first day of Lent, and always, I challenge us all to “Be Reconciled To God!”

          I also don’t think that Ash Wednesday and Lent needs to be a bummer or a time where we think awfully of ourselves. This of this as a 40-day season to grow closer to Christ, and to become more like Christ. In our reading for this evening from Psalm 51:1-17, King David is asking God to forgive him, to cleanse him, and to blot out his transgressions and his wrong doings. King David asks God for forgiveness, for a clean heart, and asks for God to help him live for him (Ps. 51:1-17, NRSV). We gather to pray, to repent, and to commit to drawing closer to Christ. King David was human, like we all are, and we can be more like Jesus.

          In our reading for tonight from 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10, the Apostle Paul tells us that we are ambassadors for Christ. The Apostle Paul tells us to be reconciled to God, as Christ who had no sin, will on Good Friday die for our sins. Paul also says that as Christians and as people that sometimes we suffer for our faith. Paul lists various ways that Christians at this point have suffered. Yet none of our sufferings can compare to the suffering of Christ on the cross. If we have suffered or are suffering, Christ who suffered for us, suffers with us. So, while our suffering is real, Christ is with us eternally if we but call upon him.

          In our gospel of Matthew reading for tonight, once again, we hear about four different topics. We hear about giving money, praying, fasting, and storing up treasures on earth. First, Jesus tells us to not to try to look holy and righteous in front others or give money or alms so that everyone knows what we give. Be holy and give, but do so for God, for Jesus, not for an earthly reward or accolades from others (Mt. 6:1-6, NRSV). For the only one we truly need to please is God.

          Jesus continues in Matthew 6:16-21, telling us not to be miserable when we fast. Whether we are fasting from food or something else, do not look or act miserable just to try to show everyone how holy you are. Do it for God, to draw closer to Christ. Likewise, Jesus tells us not to store up treasures on earth, but rather store up treasures in heaven. Jesus ends this gospel reading with a verse from Matthew 6:21 that really says it all. Jesus says once again:

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Mt. 6:21, NRSV).

          So tonight, my friends, brothers and sisters, on this Ash Wednesday, the first day of the season of Lent 2024, I pray that we all receive and wear our ashes humbly and with grace and mercy. We all need Christ. Let this season of Lent be an opportunity to give, to love, to sacrifice, to give up, and to humble ourselves, so that we will grow closer to Christ and to each other. So may you, so may Pastor Paul, and so may the world “Be Reconciled To God!” Happy Ash Wednesday, and have a blessed Lent! Amen.