Sermon for Maundy Thursday, March 28

Here's the sermon for Maundy Thursday, March 28.

March 28, 2013

It seems to be almost a yearly tradition.  We get to Holy Week, and someone comes up with “the question.”  What does Maundy mean?  There are even a few times that I’ve had people ask how exactly do you say the word?  Among the best mispronunciations I’ve heard is “Monday Thursday”.  I can see that one.  If you don’t take care to pronounce the “au” it sure can sound like Monday.  

So why this funny name for this holy Thursday?  It’s your Latin lesson of the day.  The word Maundy is derived from the Latin word for “mandate”.  It’s kind of like a command.  When you have a mandate for something, it’s kind of like saying, “do this.”  If we pass a mandate saying that we need to present our drivers’ license as we enter the sanctuary, we’re saying that you need to do this as you enter the doors.  A mandate is something along the lines of a command.

So why do we call this Holy Thursday of Holy Week “Maundy Thursday”?  Just a moment ago, we heard the word of God from Jesus’ disciple John.  We heard John describing the events as Jesus observed the Passover with His disciples in the upper room.  John tells us a few things about that evening that aren’t included in the other accounts of Jesus’ life.  John talks about Jesus showing His great love for His followers by taking the towel and wrapping it around His waist.  He recounts how Jesus began to wash the feet of the disciples.  And then, as Jesus finished up that task, John has Jesus asking an interesting question.

“Do you understand what I have done to you?”  While there is a part of the Passover that includes the washing of the hands, let’s just say that it’s going above and beyond to wash something like the feet of those who participate.  You can almost see the inquisitive looks on the faces of the disciples.  “Why is Jesus doing this?”  And so, John goes on to include the words of Jesus to explain this to His disciples.  “You call me teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am.  If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.  For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.”  

A mandate.  Do as I have done to you.  And then, a little further down what we heard tonight.  “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.”  Another mandate.  The first one points us to the mandate that Jesus gives us, to be willing servants to one another, to not only do what is required of us, but to go even further, as God gives us the opportunity.  And the second, to love one another as Jesus loved His followers.

Two mandates.  And as we hear the word of God tonight, we recognize that Jesus intended these to be kept not only by those 12 with Him at the table, but by all who follow Him as His disciples.  “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”  Two mandates that talk, not so much about us being made right with God, but more about what the world sees in those who follow Jesus as His disciples.  We don’t do these things that Jesus says in order to be right with God, but in demonstration of our love for our neighbor.

But later on tonight, we will hear another mandate that Jesus gave that night.  It will happen shortly before we come up to the table surrounding our altar.  We’ll hear those words of Jesus, as He took the unleavened bread, broke it, and passed it around to his disciples.  Take this, and eat it.  This is my body, broken for you.  DO THIS, in remembrance of Me.  And then, as He took the cup of wine, Take this and drink from it, all of you, for this is the new covenant of my blood, shed for the forgiveness of your sins.  DO THIS, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.

Yet another mandate.  Do this.  Eat the bread, which is my body, and drink the cup, which is the covenant in my blood, and as you do this, remember what I have done for you, and receive the forgiveness of your sin.  As we reflect upon those words, we see that this mandate is a little different from the ones we’ve already heard about.  This mandate is more oriented in doing what Jesus says in order to receive what He has done for us.  Do this, and receive my body and my blood.  I gave up these things for you, and as you do this, you receive my forgiveness as you consider what I have done for you.

Two mandates that speak to our relationships with one another, and one that speaks to our relationship with God, and the receiving of His grace.  It seems like every time we turn around that night of the Passover, Jesus was giving another mandate.  Not to enforce upon His followers a bunch of difficult things to have to do, but a way to receive His grace, and then ways to let that grace flow from His followers to one another, and then on to others.

As we ponder these mandates on this Maundy Thursday, one of the things we find is that the things Jesus spoke about and commanded that night have a very real bearing as we live our lives.  Every day, we have the opportunity to live out Jesus’ mandates, to love one another, and to serve one another.  These mandates from Jesus aren’t intended to be some kind of purely spiritual exercise, but find their reality based upon the lives we live in this world, lives which our God has given to us as His good and gracious gifts.  They are lived out in our relationships with one another, as God makes us to be part of a community in which we live life together.

Love one another.  Serve one another.  And as we hear those mandates, one of the things that our eyes are opened to is that these are far more extensive than what they may seem at first.  We hear the word love, and we have a tendency to think of hugs and kisses and cards and flowers.  Images of hands being held, and lovey dovey expressions on the faces of two people are who are in love are common things we may think about.  And those are a part of loving one another, even as that mandate reaches far deeper into our lives.

Looking through the different things that God says about our lives, what we tend to find are two different ways in which we fulfill this mandate of Jesus.  We often hear that the summary of God’s mandate for our lives in the Ten Commandments says to love our neighbors as ourselves.  As we think about those words from our God, words such as don’t steal, don’t murder, don’t covet, and don’t commit adultery, our first thoughts are often on the things that we aren’t supposed to do.  We show that we love our neighbor by not going over and sticking a knife in them.  We show our neighbor that we love them by not going over and helping ourselves to their car keys.  We avoid doing certain things that would be harmful to our neighbor, and in that, we demonstrate a kind of love for our neighbor.

But as we look at Jesus’ actions that Thursday night, we see that God intends for far more than merely avoiding things that hurt our neighbor.  Jesus doesn’t merely avoid murdering His disciples, He actually goes so far as to engage in actions that benefit them, and build them up.  Jesus shows us that love is not only avoiding the things that God says not to do, but love is also found in doing the extra things that add to our neighbor’s life.  We not only avoid murdering them, but we look for ways to protect them from any kind of harm or danger.  We not only avoid stealing their things, but we actively look for ways to help them improve and protect what God has given them.

Willing acts of service that demonstrate love for our neighbor.  That’s the real life impact of those mandates from Jesus.  Look to your neighbor, and see the opportunities that God provides for you to serve them and demonstrate your love for them.  And then sieze them.  Make the most of them.  

Inevitably, that will point us to the other mandate that Jesus gave that night, one which we will observe in a few minutes as part of our worship life together.  We simply will not make the most of every opportunity to serve and love our neighbor.  We’ll carry grudges, and fail to forgive.  We’ll have an opportunity to build up their reputation, but will tarnish it instead.  We’ll have an opportunity to add something of value to their life, but will refuse to share it with them.  And that’s when we’re pointed right back to the other mandate of Jesus that night.

Do this, in remembrance of Me.  We remember the price that Jesus would pay for our forgiveness.  You and I simply cannot love and serve our neighbor as God intends.  We may love one another, and we may find opportunities to serve our neighbor.  We may even find ourselves growing in those expressions of love and service as we recognize them and take them up.  But we also recognize that we do not always do so.  We don’t always recognize the opportunities that God puts before us.  We don’t always want to do what we know we really should.  And then, we may even look back and see that there were other things we could have done that didn’t reveal themselves at the time.

And that’s when we recognize that we really need this other mandate of Jesus.  Take, eat, this is my body, broken for you.  Drink of this cup, for it is the new covenant of my blood, shed for the forgiveness of your sin.  We simply cannot perfectly love and serve our neighbor, and so we’re driven repeatedly back to this final mandate of Jesus that Maundy Thursday.  Do this to receive my forgiveness, and to remember the price I paid for you.  We’re driven right back to realize that even though our love for God and one another will falter, the love and service that Jesus lived out will never fail.

This final mandate of Jesus is not just another thing for us to be doing.  It’s an open invitation to come and receive the grace of our God.  As Jesus told His disciples to do this and to receive forgiveness of their sin, He shows us that He alone can perfectly love and serve His neighbor as Himself.  God wants to love us in the same way that He created us to love each other.  And Jesus perfectly brings that love and serving to us as He mandates that we come to receive His gifts of grace in the holy meal of that Thursday.

That gift of grace flows from the cross of Jesus into our lives.  It refreshes our spirits as our eyes of faith are opened up to see what it truly means to serve one another and to love one another.  We have been loved with a love that goes beyond our human understanding.  And the gift of Jesus’ grace is never empty.  It’s a mandate to come often, since the cup of God’s grace will never run empty.

  So we come often, in fulfillment of Jesus’ mandate, to receive His gift of grace.  And that gift of grace feeds us when we depart from His table of grace, once again having received His gift of forgiveness.  We depart from that table as people who have received the love and service of Jesus.  We are renewed in our spirits, fed and nourished by our God, to go forth as God’s loved people.  Jesus demonstrates the extent of His love as He repeatedly gives us what we need when we receive His gifts of grace in this holy meal.

The love of Jesus spills over into our lives.  Another way you could think of it is that Jesus’ takes from His cup of grace to fill your cup of grace.  The only thing is, Jesus’ cup never runs dry.  It just keeps pouring and pouring and pouring.  As it pours out into our cups, we find that we’re suddenly receiving from a well that never stops pouring itself out to us.  Our cups will fill, and then, since Jesus’ grace continues to pour, His grace then begins to spill out of our cups.

And where does that grace splash out?  Into the lives of others as we strive to love our neighbors in the same way that Jesus has loved us.  That grace splashes out as we look for opportunities to serve our neighbors above and beyond the bare minimum.  That grace overflows from our cups to theirs as we actively look for ways to love them, just as we have been loved.  Jesus’ cup of grace for you will never run dry.  And as it flows into your cup, you have the assurance that He will never let your cup be empty.  In fact, He’ll continue to fill it even to the point of overflowing, knowing that you have the opportunity to let it spill over into the lives of others as you love them and serve them.

“I have given you an example.”  “Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.”  “Eat.  Drink…this is shed for you for the forgiveness of sin.  Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”  Lord Jesus, may Your mandates be at the forefront of our lives as people who have been given Your great gifts of grace.  Amen

What motivates you?

In life, there are many different things that motivate us.  Let's take, for example, me and my garage.  It needs to be cleaned out a bit.  There are quite a few boxes in there that could be stacked up better, and a few odds and ends that need to have some permanent places found for them.  There are times when I am motivated to go out there and do something about it, but you probably would expect that my motivations differ from time to time.

For instance, last week we had some severe weather moving through.  My motivation for cleaning the garage up was to get my car in there in case of bad weather.  I wanted to protect my car.  But there was another time, earlier in the week, where my wife had said she wanted me to work on it.  So I went out there to take care of some boxes and bins, not so much because I wanted to, but because she wanted it done.  And then, there have been times where I just wanted something to do, so I found myself in the garage.  And yet, another time where I just got tired of having all those boxes sitting out there unorganized.

Different motivations for the same activity.  And now, I want to pull this into the realm of our Christian worship times together (yes, a rather narrow focus, but it's where I want to start).  Different people are motivated to be there when we worship together for different reasons.  When I first became a pastor, I had this idea that everyone came together because we had the right theology, and that was the most important thing to them.  I have since learned that not everyone attends a particular church merely because of the theology that is taught there.  Some people come because it's the church of their childhood.  Others attend because they like the particular structure or style, or it's what they are used to.  Others attend because they like the person who is the pastor.  Others attend because they have friends in the congregation that they like to see, and yet others see it as their duty to God.  And still others come because of some of the programs that the church offers that happen to fit their particular stations and roles in life.

Of course, none of these are the sole motivation for gathering for worship.  People are rarely that one-dimensional.  I would suggest that we find ourselves attending our local gatherings for worship for a mixture of these and other reasons.  Some of them are more "correct" than others.  And yet, if we simply assume that someone is going to attend our congregation only because we have the correct theology, we're either going to be surprised to find that they don't necessarily think that way, or we're going to have a fairly small group that not only believes the right things about God, but gathers for the correct motivations as well.

Don't get me wrong.  I would love for everyone to be motivated purely by the correct theology and the proper understanding of God and His grace.  But I recognize that the motivation for gathering for worship will hardly ever be that cut and dried.  But here's what I see that I can do.  I can properly teach and preach about God.  I can make sure that the words that I say, and the order of worship that is followed, is one that teaches accurately about God and His grace and will.  I may not be able to change people's motivations, but I can make sure that they hear what God says loudly and clearly.  Sure, a few of them may not like what that has to say, and others may embrace it wholeheartedly.  But as I think about the things that I can do which pertain to people's motivation for worshiping together, I know that the only part of that which I have any control over is the words that I speak from God.  And that is no small factor in how I approach my chosen career.

Why did you come back?

I realize that there are some very pressing issues that our country is facing, one in particular which is approaching the level of the Supreme Court.  I do plan on tossing in a couple of pennies worth of thoughts on it, but that will most likely be next week or so.  It's not that I'm avoiding the subject, but that I just hate interuppting my thoughts when I'm on a roll of sorts.

In my last few posts, I've been thinking out loud about what repels or doesn't repel people from places like our church facilities.  As I've been thinking out loud on this, I hope you've seen that I'm slowly working from one side of the coin to the other.  I started off simply looking at what we can do that doesn't turn people away.  Clean facilities and a warm welcome are things that likely won't turn people away, while trash in the corners and stony silence may cause someone to reconsider ever coming back.  Again, as I see it, those are obstacles to hearing the Gospel message that we can do something about, and I firmly believe that we should do something about.  I'll even go so far as to call it sinful if we know those things about ourselves and yet refuse to change.  It's hardly loving to our neighbor to do things that they find offensive and which serve to drive them away, rather than letting the scandal of what God has done in Jesus being the obstacle to their faith.

So let's say that someone enters our place of worship.  Our building and our friendliness don't repel them.  But are those things sufficient to bring them back the following week?  Are they going to come back just because we have a clean building?  I hardly think so.  Something else has to be at work to bring them back.  (Yes, I believe that God's Spirit is at work to bring them back, but I'm looking at the reasons that they are more likely to recognize before they come to see that it was the Spirit's work in their lives.)

When I first entered the ministry, I assumed that everyone went to a particular church to worship for the best of reasons.  I assumed they went because I was teaching the best theology out there.  But in the years of ministry I have under my belt now, I realize that people go where they go for a variety of motivations.  Some regularly attend because it's where their friends are.  Others attend because they like the particular style of worship.  Some attend because they like the pastor, or how he preaches.  And yes, there are some that choose churches because of the content of what they preach.

I would love to assume that everyone who enters the doors of our church do so because they want to hear a very clear message of the true teachings of God.  However, I recognize that most people are here for a variety of reasons.  Sure, part of that may be what the church teaches.  But I know enough to know that a person who has never entered a Christian church before probably isn't attending because they know the true theology of that church.  They probably have far different motivations.  So tomorrow, I'll start to think out loud again about how we encourage them to come back so that they come to see that it is God's Spirit who was the driving force behind their presence in our worshiping community the whole time.

"What makes you stay?"

Continuing the theme from last week's last couple of posts, I'm still examining the idea of things such as the attractiveness, or lack thereof, which can serve to drive people away from churches.  Again, to repeat myself, it is not the message of the Gospel when I say that people are less likely to be driven away when facilities are nice and clean, and when people are warm and friendly.  At best, I would say that we merely hope that they will not be driven away by the things we can control.  Our goal should always be to allow one thing only to drive them away, that being the scandal of the Gospel message.

Now, I don't know about you, but I notice when a building is fairly well-kept when I enter it.  I notice when the people there are warm and welcoming.  I also notice when the place is unkempt, and when the people are less than joyful to interact with.  If I have to return to the place, I would much rather return to the place where the people are friendly and the upkeep is noticeable, and I would rather not have to return to the place where the people are distant and the surroundings are less than admirable.

However, I have never found myself returning to a place simply because it was well-kept, or simply because the people were friendly.  I don't find myself driving around, suddenly inspired to return to a place simply because it was neat and clean.  Unless I'm feeling really bad about myself that day, I also don't stop at a place simply because there are people there that will say hi to me.  I need something more than just a clean place to make me want to return.

Likewise, as we think about the condition of our churches and facilities, I whole-heartedly believe that we should strive to have nice, clean facilities, as well as warm, welcoming people.  However, I do NOT believe that people will return simply because we have a nice looking building.  I do NOT believe people will return simply because someone said hello to them.  These are more along the lines of things that we can do to avoid turning people away.  These are not the kind of things that will keep people coming back again and again.

So what is it that makes you want to come back to a church or to a worshiping community?  I'll start looking a bit more at those in the coming posts.

Palm Sunday Sermon

Here is the sermon from Sunday, March 24, Palm Sunday.

Palm Sunday: The Day of the King

You walk into the grocery store.  You’ve decided that you are going to be very bold about your faith, so as you walk in, you start to say loudly, “Prepare the way for Jesus.”  You grab a roll of paper towels and roll it out from just inside the sliding doors that mark the entrance to the store.  As you walk beside that line of paper, you praise God with a loud voice, all the while looking back at the door, waiting for Jesus to enter in.  But the automatic door doesn’t open.  So you lift up your voice and cry out once again.  “Blessed is Jesus, who comes in the name of the Lord.”  And then, the door opens!  Only, instead of Jesus, it’s a mom with her two kids in the shopping cart.  They walk in, looking at you kind of strange.

You make your pronouncement a few more times.  Only, now you are starting to draw a crowd around you.  Curious shoppers are coming to the ends of the aisles to see what the commotion is all about.  And finally, he shows up.  The store manager, that is.  “You’re scaring away the customers, so I’m going to have to ask you to leave, or to go about your shopping.”  And so, you pick up your basket and walk down the first aisle, scratching your head, wondering why the cans of vegetables are not crying out Jesus’ name.  This time, it seems like the Pharisees have won.  Their desire to have the disciples of Jesus be quiet seems to have taken the day.

Today we’ve got our palm branches to wave as we celebrate Palm Sunday.  And I use the word celebrate here deliberately.  As I read through that reading a few minutes ago, you really should have picked up on the sense that it was a celebration.  Jesus had been on the scene for a while.  He had been teaching for a period of about three years.  During that time, He had done numerous miracles.  The blind received their sight, the lame got up and walked, the mute began to speak, the deaf began to hear, and the Good News of the kingdom and reign of God was being spread throughout the land.  Many, many people had been witnesses to what Jesus had been doing.  He had taught them as someone who not only knew what the Scriptures said, but knew how they impacted the lives of the people.  He showed compassion, and taught that God was a God who didn’t only look at those who had their lives together, but who wanted to break into people whose lives were broken, and imperfect, and sinful, and that God wanted to bring healing and not only judgment into those lives.

The people had been hearing, and they responded.  It was like a snowball, and yes, I know that you may not get to see many snowballs around here, but it was like one that started rolling down the side of a mountain.  The story and reputation of Jesus kept getting bigger and bigger.  Finally, it all seemed to be coming to a climactic point in the story.  Jesus was heading to Jerusalem, the city of the Kings of Israel.  There was that sense that the time was right.  The King was going to claim His throne.  This great miracle worker was going to claim His rightful place at the head of God’s people.

And so the crowds responded.  Branches were broken down and covered the path before Jesus.  For those who could, their cloaks and coats were cast down in front of Him, showing Him the honor that was fit for a king.  It was truly a celebration, and Jesus sure seemed to be playing right along with it.  There He was, riding into the city for the most holy of weeks, riding on a donkey, just like it had been spoken of through Zechariah the prophet.  God’s own servant was coming to be made king, and so the celebratory cry was lifted up to the skies.  Hosanna to the King!  The great celebration was on!

How great it would have been to be there.  The festive mood.  The joy in the people travelling with Jesus.  To see God’s servant riding in, thinking that this most holy of weeks was going to hold something great in store.  The air was practically crackling with expectation.  The popular prophet of God was going into the city, and He was one who spoke for the common people.  He was a man who spoke for God, and who had great authority in what He did and what He said.  He was a man who was going to bring about great change.  What He would do would change the life of the nation.  And so the people celebrated.  God would do something great through this man!

And yet, I want to invite us to take a step back this morning to see this day in a slightly different way.  For just a moment, let’s lay aside the palm branches.  Let’s lower our voices from their loud Hosannas and ponder for a few moments.  In some respects, that Sunday, as Jesus made His way into Jerusalem, wasn’t really all that remarkable of a day.  He had made this journey before.  Every year, thousands of people made their way to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover.  It was the yearly commemoration of God’s great act of deliverance.  The people would remember when God had freed their ancestors from the land of Egypt.  They would hear the old familiar story.  Slaves in Egypt.  A man by the name of Moses.  Ten vicious plagues that touched the Egyptians.  A hasty meal of unleavened bread and roasted lamb.  A quick journey to the Red Sea, and then a miraculous crossing.  God was on their side, with His mighty hand and His outstretched arm.

In a sense, there wasn’t a lot that should have been remarkable about that day.  It was essentially a travel day for Jesus and His followers.  They had been there, done that, and maybe even had the tunic to prove it.  It was a time to remember what God had done, but that particular remembrance had been done for centuries.  It would be the same ritual, the same food, the same wine, and the same conclusion when everyone packed up and headed back home.

And yet, no one could deny it.  There simply seemed to be a reason to pick up the branches and wave them.  The air was filled with expectation.  Here was one who was worthy to be King.  Here was one who truly did come in the name of the LORD.  He had proven that He knew God, more than any other person.  This man, Jesus, had shown that He knew how to right the wrongs, regardless of the impact.  He would speak what needed to be said, no matter who the person was that He was talking to.  Great expectations filled the air.

Today, you and I wave the palm branches.  But I would dare venture to say that our expectations of this coming Holy Week are far different than the expectations of that day.  We have the great fortune of living on this side of the events that transpired that week.  We see through the eyes of faith those things that were hidden from the eyes of the crowds that day.  We see that even though Jesus very visibly rode into Jerusalem to claim His Kingship, it would happen in a way that seemed more hidden than anything else.

Today, we wave our palm branches because we celebrate the hidden God.  We rejoice because Jesus is indeed the king that they were celebrating, though in a far different way than they expected.  We rejoice in a God who was hidden throughout that week.  We rejoice in a God who hid under the disguise of a servant, who would bend down to wash the feet of His followers.  We celebrate a God who would take the bread and declare it to be His very own body.  We celebrate a God who would pass the cup of wine around, announcing that it was His blood which was about to spilled.  We celebrate a God who is a God of forgiveness, but whose forgiveness was found hidden in the suffering and death of that God on a common cross on the outskirts of the holy city.

As we wave our palm branches today in celebration, we celebrate a hidden God.  One of the great joys that we celebrate today is the occasion of a few of our young people receiving their first communion.  For the first time in their lives, they are participating in one of the acts in which God reveals Himself, even as He is hidden underneath common, everyday things.  Common bread, which hides the body of Jesus, which was broken on the cross for your forgiveness.  A common cup of wine, which hides the blood of Jesus, which was shed on the cross for the forgiveness of your sins.  As we raise our palm branches today, we celebrate our hidden God.

And we also celebrate a God who doesn’t always enter in with trumpet and fanfare.  We are told that God makes His entrance into the lives of people in hidden ways, through things like simple water and God’s Word spoken over the person.  We are told that God makes His entrance through the words of His book, read and spoken and proclaimed and reflected upon.  It might be a lot more dynamic if He would enter in with loud shouts and lightning bolts and thunder, but for reasons beyond our understanding, God seems more often to work in much more hidden ways.

So let’s go back to the grocery store where we started off today.  You pass through those automatic doors.  Rather than rolling out roll of paper towels to pave the way for Jesus, you simply ask God to make His entrance into the lives of all those who happen to be in the store at that moment.  Instead of shouting out, Prepare the way for Jesus, you ask God to provide you the opportunity to see where He has been preparing the way in the life of at least one person in the store right then.  While it might be completely appropriate to sing and shout God’s praises, you do more along the lines of whistling a hymn tune, or even lightly singing that hymn or song as you wander down the aisles.  And then, rather than having the store manager come up and ask you to leave, you just may have the hidden God reveal where He has already been at work as someone approaches you to ask what you are singing or humming.  And you give thanks to God that He has shown you how He is already at work to prepare the way for the King to enter in.

Today we raise up our palm branches in celebration.  We know what the people of that day didn’t know.  God was indeed sending His king to claim His throne, but it would look very different from what the expectations likely were that day.  And when our time of worship today comes to a close, we lay aside the palm branches.  We follow Jesus on a journey that leads into the city.  We follow Him to the upper room to celebrate the Passover with His disciples, which you are invited to join on Wednesday for our Passover Seder.  We follow Jesus as He shows the hidden God that is found in the greatest servant of all, one who would wrap the towel around His waist and wash the dirty feet of His followers.  We follow Jesus as He reveals that He gives His own body and blood underneath common bread and wine, which we observe this coming Thursday.  And then, we follow Jesus to that most hidden of places.  A cross that stands against a darkened sky.  God hidden from human eyes as He suffered not merely physical pain, but the rejection that sin calls for, and the punishment that sin demands.  We follow Jesus as He hides Himself in death, giving up His life for the creation He loves and redeems.  We mute our cries of celebration as His lifeless body is laid in the tomb.  Blessed is one who comes in the name of the Lord.  Only, He chooses to come into that kingdom through the most unlikely, hidden of ways.  Blessed indeed is the king who comes in the name of the LORD, even when the stones do not cry out.  Amen.

Driven Away

Continuing my thought from yesterday's post, I want to start today with a contrast.  You enter a building through its front doors.  As you enter, the smell of garbage immediately strikes your senses.  As you look to the side, you see a number of garbage bags that haven't been carried out.  The floor appears to have stains all over it.  There's clutter along the walls, so much so that you find you have to follow a little pathway through certain parts of the entry room.  It's unkempt, and doesn't really seem to be well cared for. 

Later on that day, you enter another building.  It's pretty shiny.  There are some nice decorative tables with a few well-designed decorations on them.  Your nose is greeted without any real powerful smell, maybe just a hint of some kind of air freshener.  It's well lit, it shows signs that there is a regular attempt to keep it neat and tidy.  Overall, it gives the impression that its residents care for it.

One of these two is likely to repel people.  The other one is more open and inviting.  Building on what I wrote about yesterday, let's just say that these buildings were churches.  One of these two is pretty likely to send people scurrying away, likely never to return.  The other one may be more open and welcoming.  It removes at least some of the obstacles that could get in the way of the hearing of the Gospel message.

As God's people, we can look at the surroundings of our places of worship and ask ourselves, 'What could possible be an obstacle here that prevents people from hearing the Gospel?'  What could potentially distract people from hearing the message that God has for their ears and their souls?  I'm not saying that we need to keep our facilities bright and shiny and spotless, but I am saying that there may be obstacles to the hearing of the Gospel message that we can do something about.  I would even be so bold as to suggest there if there are things that blatantly distract from hearing the Gospel, that's sin on the part of God's people.  We are not loving our neighbors if we maintain a facility that drives them away from even hearing the message.

I would invite you to think about the places of worship that you enter this coming weekend.  Take a look around with the eyes of someone entering for the first time.  What is there that could easily distract from hearing the Gospel message?  Is it something that can be taken care of by God's people?  What could potentially interfere with their hearing of the message?  True, such things are not the Gospel message, but if they obstruct people from hearing the message, that's something that we can do something about. 

Getting in the Gospel's Way

Over the years, I have read a lot of books and materials that attempt to help congregations be better about reaching out with the Gospel.  I've noticed a bit of a theme to many of them.  They tend to say something along the lines of, 'do this, and people will just naturally begin to come to your church.'  If you go to a local Christian bookstore, many of these kinds of books are located in the section usually labelled "Church Growth."

There have been a large number of churches that have embraced these principles and put them to work in their congregations.  There have likewise been a great number of churches who have claimed that these things are not the Gospel, and might confuse the Gospel with tactics for simply having more people attend. 

As I've reflected on these things, I've come to a couple of conclusions.  You may or may not agree with me, and I'm okay with that.  I happen to be of the mind that walking together as God's people doesn't mean that we see everything exactly the same.

There are things about churches (both the building we call "church" and the gathering of God's people) which can actually serve to deter people from entering and hearing God's Word.  I would be one of the first to admit that if I entered a church that had a lot of junk laying around, I probably wouldn't be all that eager to go back there.  In this case, it's not the Gospel message that is turning me away from hearing.  It's the condition of the building.  That's not God's work in driving me away.  That's something that God's people can do something about.

In a similar way, if I were to enter a church, go to worship, and leave without any of the people there welcoming me, or at least indicating that they are glad that I was with them, I'm probably not going to return there.  Friendliness and a warm welcome are not the Gospel message, but as in the first example, I'm not being driven away by the Gospel message.  I'm being driven away by something that God's people can do something about.

In my mind, I see that a lot of churches can do something in this regard.  There are things that are not the Gospel which drive people away, and God's people can remove those obstacles.  The only obstacle that we should strive for should be the obstacle of what God says.  If we are doing things that serve as obstacles to even the hearing of the Gospel, that's not God's obstacle.  That's ours.  That's something we can remove.  Sure, it may not necessarily mean that they will hear the Gospel message and stay, but if we are the ones who introduce the obstacles to the Gospel, that's our sin that needs to be dealt with.

Sermon for March 20

Here is the sermon from March 20.

(Un)Finished Business

He watched with a great deal of eagerness.  She had been pushing and pushing, and the moment was drawing closer really fast.  Suddenly, a little head pushed through, followed by little shoulders, and then the rest of the body.  A little blue life emerged from his hiding place for the last several months, fully formed and full of promise.  And then, there was that sound that has cut to the heart of so many fathers through the years.  That first clearing of the lungs, the first cry of life.  It was a sound that cut through to the heart, and the Father knew such joy that could never be described with words.

Even before that first cry of life, the Father’s heart had been claimed by this child.  But now, as His Son emerged, and as that first cry of life cut through the air, a new kind of joy leapt into His heart.  This wasn’t just any child.  This was His child.  This was His boy.  Yes, all the children of the world are special and unique and a reason to celebrate, but this was His Son.  No other child in the world could claim that title.

And so the Father watched.  He watched His boy take His first toddling steps in the big world.  He watched as His boy learned the ways of the world.  He saw a serious little boy, one that seemed to have a tremendous grasp of who He was.  The Father would reflect on the life of His Son.  He remembered the time when His boy was young.  He already knew so much about the business of His dad.  He amazed people as He was able to them what His Father did, and why it was so important.  Even as a young boy, He had that uncanny sense about Him.

And so the Father continued to watch His Boy as He grew up.  He watched as He ventured out into the world to make a name for Himself.  Even though He was busy with His friends and His career, He always made time to talk to His dad.  Sometimes, it would only be a brief conversation.  “Hey, dad, we’re just sitting down to eat a meal, but I was thinking about you and hoping you could be part of our meal together.”  Other times, they would have long, extended conversations.  They would talk late into the night about everything that was going on in His Son’s life.  And the Father simply loved those times of conversation.

He knew life wasn’t easy for His Boy.  As with everyone, there were people who just plain didn’t like His Boy.  Yes, He had His close friends, and they seemed to stick with Him pretty well, but they were also less than reliable at times.  Every once in a while, they would show those great bonds of friendship, but then, at other times, it really did seem as though they didn’t have a clue in the world as to what His Son was doing.

That was something the Father knew about His Boy.  His Boy had the potential to cause some ripples and waves.  He has seen it from the time His Boy was young.  He knew what was right, and He knew what was wrong.  But what was truly uncanny was that He wasn’t afraid to show others what was right and wrong.  He didn’t do it rudely.  In fact, He seemed to have some kind of gift of pointing out right and wrong in their life in a way that served to draw them away from the wrong.  He was rather compassionate in His approach.  More than once, someone heard Him point out what was wrong in their lives, and then they changed, and were happy to do it.  

But not everyone likes it when you point out their wrongs and faults.  There are those who think that they are right, and if anyone else points out that they aren’t, they get rather angry and defensive about it.  And the Father knew that His Son could be a bit blunt sometimes.  When it was obvious that someone was wrong, but didn’t want to admit it, He could really seem to lower the hammer.  And because of that, the Father knew that His Son had upset a few people along the way.  Those who didn’t like Him really didn’t like Him, but they also seemed to be unable to stay away from Him.

And then, there was that one night.  The Father had been watching the different things His Boy had been doing, and He knew that there was some trouble brewing.  He and His Boy had talked about it a number of times, and so it really came as no surprise.  He knew that it was something His Son had to go through, and that it would really turn out for the better, but He also knew that it wouldn’t be easy.

So He wasn’t surprised that night when His Son got in touch with Him.  “Dad, can you think of any way out of this situation?  I see where it’s heading, but if there’s some other way to handle it, I’m open to suggestions.”  And yes, the Father knew that He could do something about it.  He could pull some strings.  He could make use of some of His contacts.  He could indeed do something about the situation His Son was in, but He also knew that this was a vital point in His Son’s life.  And so the answer tore at His heart, much as that first cry of life had penetrated His heart.  “No, I can’t.  It has to happen this way.”

Shortly after that, the conversation had to come to a close.  Events were unfolding rather rapidly.  The Father watched the different events as they came to pass.  He knew that His Son could ask His Dad to step in at any time, but His Son’s resolve never seemed to waver.  He could easily have asked His Dad to pull those strings and make use of those contacts, but He never did.  No plea to make things stop.  Sure, as He watched His Son go through the events, He got a few brief messages, but they were short and to the point.  More like a text message just letting His Dad know what was going on.  No urgent plea to step in and stop things.  More like, just letting You know what’s going on.

And then, there were the two short messages that tore deeply into the Father’s heart.  They hurt so much because He knew what His Son was going through, but they also made His heart want to burst with pride.  His Boy was going to be up to the task.  It wasn’t easy, but His Boy could do it.  But still, there was a certain ache that penetrated into His heart as He heard His Boy.

“Father, forgive them, they don’t know what they are doing.”  Words that were so heartfelt and deep.  But part of what made them so meaningful was not just their content, but the moment when they were spoken.  He wasn’t saying it as He watched in triumph over His opponents, but as they did their worst to Him.  As a pair of nails were driven into His arms, and another, longer one, driven through His feet.  Even at a time when they were doing their worst to Him, He still could cry out, Father, forgive them.

And then came the cry that let the Father know that His Son’s ordeal was almost at an end.  “Father, into Your hands I commend my spirit.”  His Son had known where this road would end.  He knew of the pain that would come His way.  He even knew how the end would come about.  And yet, He had not wavered.  And as He completed the task that had been set before Him, He spoke one last time with His Father.  “Receive my spirit.”  And with that last cry of life, He finished His Father’s business.

Prayer is unfinished business.  There is never going to be a time in your life where you no longer need prayer.  From the first cry to the last gasp of life, you are going to need prayer.  And there is a great comfort in that.  The Father sees and knows what is coming in your life.  It’s no surprise to Him.  He knew everything that was going to happen in the life of His one and only Son, and He knows everything that is still to come in your life.  He sees it.  He knows it.  And He is there to be a source of strength and comfort as the journey of life unfolds.

In some ways, our prayer life is like that of Jesus, the Father’s one true Son.  The Father knew everything that would happen to His Son, even before He took that first breath of life in this world.  He knew what His Son would accomplish for people like you and I, the forgiveness of our sins.  The gift of new life.  The hope of a life that will never end.  The promise that we will be with our Father forever, with nothing ever coming between us.  The Father knew everything that would happen in His Son’s life, as well as what that would mean for the people of this world.

And so our prayer life in this world is unfinished business.  We don’t know what lies on the road ahead.  And so, as it comes to pass, we simply ask our Father to let us be His instruments as those events come to pass.  We trust that our Father is going to hear us, and that He won’t bring about things that would draw us away from Him.  We have His promise that He is with us, near to us, and that He won’t desert us on the road.

So our prayer life is unfinished as our lives in this world are unfinished.  And yet, in some ways, our prayer life is already a finished business.  Our Father hears us because of what His Son has done.  We have someone who constantly has the ear of our Father, and who speaks to Him and pleads with Him on our behalf.  His Son came into this world to do the greatest of tasks.  In His life, death, and resurrection, the Father’s Son would make every single one of us children of the Father.  

That means that we have that same connection to the Father that His very own Son has.  In a way, when we engage in the unfinished business of our prayer lives, God isn’t only hearing our words.  He hears what His Son has already done for us.  He hears the pleas of His Son to do what is right in our lives.  He hears the plea of His Son to see us as a forgiven people, and not a guilty people.  He hears His Son cry out for our forgiveness, and to receive our spirits.

Prayer is finished business because of what Jesus has done for you.  Prayer is unfinished business as long as we still live our lives in this world.  Prayer is unfinished until we join our voice with Jesus in that last cry of life.  “Father, into Your hands I commend my spirit.”  And even when the time comes for that last cry, we have a sure and certain confidence in our Father, a confidence that comes because the Father’s Son was up to His task.  In the holy name of our Lord Jesus.  Amen.