Zechariah 3:1-10, Part 3

Continuing our walk through Zechariah 3, in this post we focus on how the things we read in this chapter continue to have an impact on us.

First, when we look at this story, we see something interesting.  Joshua, the high priest, stands accused by Satan.  He is also found wearing filthy garments.  Some significance of this for us is the reminder that those who serve our Lord by bringing the word to us are sinful human beings (the pastor and others who share that word with us), and that Satan is constantly accusing them and pushing his attacks on them repeatedly.  Truthfully, there is no greater victory for Satan than when he is able to bring about the downfall of a minister of God's grace.  It has great impact on those who are part of that church, and can cause people to doubt their faith in the forgiveness announced through such a person.

One way that impacts us is in our realization that Satan is out to get the one who brings that message of Good News to us.  He is sinful, and Satan will remind him of that quite often.  That means that we are called to be supportive of our minister as a sinful human being who is under attack.  He needs help and support for the work that he does.  He faces attacks from Satan, which means that any attacks against him from within the congregation are actually serving to add fuel to Satan's accusations.  The minister needs prayer, needs tangible support, and needs encouragement, for he faces far more challenges than simply in keeping God's people happy (which, by the way, is NOT what he is called to do, contrary to how many may think.).

When you look at the way chapter 3 ends, you see this interesting little statement.  Every one of you will invite your neighbor to come under his vine and under his fig tree.  One thing God continues to look for in response to His message of Good News is a gracious invitation toward others to come to hear that same Good News.  There is an element of hospitality at work here, both on a personal level (you being hospitable in your life) as well on a congregational level (being hospitable to those who visit, or even seeking to invite others to come hear the Good News).  In essence, as God establishes the message of Good News among His people, He seeks for them to be open hospitable to others, inviting them to share in the same gifts and blessings that they have received themselves.

That urges us to look at the ways that we can be hospitable in our lives.  It's more than just opening up your house to others.  Think of it more as being an open, inviting person in all areas of your life.  Yes, ultimately we hope to invite them to hear and receive the Good News, but even if that doesn't happen, we are still called to be hospitable toward them.  Our hospitality is not to be an evangelistic tool, but to be genuine, even if they don't hear the Good News.  Our hope and prayer is that they become open to that message, but if not, we don't "drop" them as a friend because they are not responding the way we hoped.  Our call to be hospitable isn't to be excercised only if they come to hear the Good News.  It is instead a call to a way of life, through which God's Spirit may choose to work as He wills and as He sees fit.

Zechariah 3:1-10, Part 1

In my absence from worship on July 31, I am posting a few blog entries to cover the Old Testament story/selection from the day.  In this post, we will look at the story being told in Zechariah 3, placing it in the timeline, and pointing out relevant notes from it.  In the next post, we will look to see pictures of Jesus present in this reading, and then, in the third post, we will talk a bit about what this says to us in our daily lives now.

To begin today, let's place Zechariah and his words in the timeline of the Old Testament.  On the large scale, Joshua led the Israelites into the Promised Land approximately 1,500 B.C.  Kings Saul, David, nad Solomon led Israel approximately 1,000 B. C., following which the kingdom split in two, Israel to the north, and Judah to the south.  Israel was defeated by the Assyrians approximately 740 B.C., leaving Judah behind.  Judah was then defeated by the Babylonians, and Jerusalem destroyed, right around 586 B.C.  Seventy years later, under the rule of the Persians, the Israelites began to be sent back to rebuild the city of Jerusalem, approxmiately 520 B.C., under the leadership of Nehemiah the governor and Ezra the priest.  In essence, God resurrected a nation that He had killed, in a great preview of the resurrection of Jesus.

It is in the time period of rebuilding Jerusalem when Zechariah comes to speak to God's people.  We are told in Ezra's book (Ezra 5:1) that Zechariah along with his fellow prophet Haggai were on hand to exhort the people in the rebuilding of the temple.  Through God's working, Darius (the same one who saw Daniel saved from the lion's den) began sending the Israelites back and clearing the way for them to rebuild.  The people began the work well enough, but then began to focus on their own homes.  God sent His prophets to remind them that He is foremost among them, and that, while they should pay attention to their own homes, His home was also of vital importance to their well-being, as He had cleared the way for them to return to their "homeland."

As part of his message, Zechariah then paints this picture recorded in Zechariah 3.  Joshua is the high priest who returned along with Zerubbabel, and is likely the figure we see here.  You notice, reading through the text, that Satan is accusing Joshua.  Joshua is depicted wearing filthy garments, the garmens of sin.  Then, the messenger of God declares that Joshua's filthy clothing should be removed and clean garments with pure vestments be placed upon him.  In many respects, this is symbolic of God restoring the priesthood as the temple is being rebuilt, along with a reminder that it is God alone who cleanses His people, starting even from the one called to be His highest priest.

As you read through the end of chapter 3, you will notice that God, speaking through Zechariah, not only reminds His people that part of being His people includes them remaining faithful to Him, but He also starts to point ahead.  Here we have a reminder of something that God had spoken through Isaiah a couple of centuries earlier, that the Branch would spring up from the root of Jesse, a descendant of David, who would sit on the throne and rule forever.  In what Zechariah is saying here, God is reminding Joshua the priest that He is a sign of the One to come.  The Branch, the coming one, will not only rule from the throne of David, but will also serve as priest, like Joshua and his fellow priests.  The stone with the seven eyes is a rminder that this One will see all things, and that nothing is hidden from Him, whether the things of this earth or the matters of the heart and soul.  In this One, the iniquity of God's people would be removed in a single day (in other words, it would not be a lenghty thing, but something that happened rather quickly), and in that day, God's people would respond with an invitation to come into the bounty of the Lord.

Speaking through Zechariah, God reminds His people of a few important things.  First, God communicates that is is He who performs the cleansing of His servants, especially His priests.  It isn't that they are cleaner than others, but that God makes them clean.  God removes their sin-laden clothing and clothes them with His own righteousness (which we later see as Christ's righteousness).  Second, God reminds His people that His priests are merely a sign pointing toward the great Priest, the One who would come and remove the iniquity of the world in a single day.  That same Priest would see all things.  As a consequence of that, God's people would recognize the great action done for them, and would then extend hospitality to others to share the fruits of what has been given to them, living generous lives, just as they have been generously given.

In the next post, we will talk a little about how we see Jesus in this chapter (I'm sure you have already seen quite a few connections to Him!).

Zechariah 3:1-10 Part 2: Seeing Jesus

In part one on this series of posts on Zechariah 3, we looked at the history and time frame in which this vision was given to Zechariah.  In case you need refreshing, this vision is given at a time when the Israelites are being returned to the land promised to Abraham, and they are rebuilding the walls and the temple, as well as the city of Jerusalem. 

As Jesus Himself says, He is the One whom people who study Scripture seek to find, and He is the one who is the ultimate fulfillment of all Scripture.  So, when we read something like this, we ask ourselves, how do we see Jesus here?  And in this case, there are several distinct things that point us to Jesus.  First, and perhaps foremost, is the position of Joshua.  He is the high priest.  He is the one who speaks to God on behalf of the people, who intercedes for them, who makes sacrifice for them.  While Joshua himself served in that role, we also see that every person who has held such an office was also pointing to the One who truly fulfills the role, that of Jesus. 

It's also interesting to note that Jesus (in Hebrew, Yeshua) and Joshua are essentially the same name.  You could say that the difference in their names is like the difference between an adverb and a participle.  The name Jesus carries the meaning of one who saves.  The name Joshua carries the same meaning.  The one who fills the priestly role is one who saves God's people.  In the case of human high priests, they do so through offering sacrifice on behalf of the people.  In the case of Jesus, He does so through the sacrifice of His very own life. 

That points us to an important way in which we also see Jesus in this vision.  Joshua, the high priest, is given new clean robes in place of the filthy garments he was wearing.  Satan's accusations against him revolved around the fact that Joshua was a sinful human being.  But in being given new garments, he is being clothed in Christ Jesus, and in His righteousness. 

That event took place, as we hear in this chapter, in basically a single day.  Perhaps this carries the meaning that it will happen rather quickly, though the possibilty that it refers to a specific single day can also be applied.  That day would be the day in which the ultimate sacrifice was offered, by the one who is the Branch from the stump of Jesse.  In a single day, that which we call Good Friday, Jesus took the sin of the land and removed it.  He carried it in His very own flesh and blood into death, that its sting and guilt might die. 

Very few visions or pictures from the Old Testament paint as vivid a picture of Jesus as this one.  While it points to Jesus, it also carries deep meaning for us, as we will reflect on in this next post on this chapter.

Sermon for January 19

The other day, I had a really cute moment at my house.  I was home in the late afternoon, and happened to be looking out one of the front windows.  I noticed that the mail truck was coming around our circle.  Now, Rachel really likes to notice cars when they drive up the street.  She was on the other side of the room, and so I turned to her, and invited her to come over to the window to see the car.  It was something so simple.  Rachel, come and see the mail truck.  And she ran over to see the car in the street, and then we went out to the mailbox to pick up our mail once the mail truck had left.

“Come and see.”  A simple, easy phrase.  That’s how simple it is to invite someone.  And it’s a phrase that we come across quite often throughout the Bible.  This past week, I was talking with our Thursday morning Bible study group, and one of the verses in the chapter we were reading started off that way.  Come, O nations, and hear God.  It was an invitation.  Come and hear what God has to say.  Come and hear the word of the God of this world.

And the point I really want to start off with on this topic of invitation today is that God is constantly inviting people to come to Him.  For a moment, pull out your Bibles and turn with me to Isaiah 55.  In the chair bibles, you can find it on page 615.  As God was speaking to His people through Isaiah, He tenderly invites His people.  (Read the verses.)  We see God inviting His people.  Come and receive what you need for life.  Come to me and discover the things that really make life.  Come and discover that which is good for you.  Come to me.

God is an inviting God.  The cry goes out from God over and over again.  Come to me.  Come to me, my people.  Come to me, people of the world.  God speaks to the people of the world, inviting them to come to receive His great gifts.  And there are a couple of things in this statement that I want to look at for a moment.

First, God invites people to come to receive His gifts.  God recognizes the condition of the people of this world.  He sees us all stuck down here in the mud and muck of sin, and He invites us to see Him as the one who can and does rescue us from it.  He sees our feeble efforts to improve this world, only to be defeated by sin again and again.  He sees our internal struggles and battles against the things that we know we shouldn’t  do, but that we do anyway, and He invites us to receive His gifts in freeing us from those things.

God invites us to receive His gifts of grace.  He invites us to see His Son, Jesus, who lived the perfect life we couldn’t live, who died the death on the cross that we all deserved, and who rose to give us the promise of new life.  God invites us to come to Him, inviting us to the places that He has assured us that He pours out His grace and hope.  We call those the sacraments, the washing waters of baptism, where God Himself enters us and makes His home within us, where He brings us the forgiveness of our sin, and where the gift of eternal life springs to life within us.  He invites us to come and receive the body and blood which was broken and spilled for us as Jesus, quite literally, gives Himself to us, and as we receive that great gift, we receive that renewal that God works through the forgiveness of our sin.

The second thing is this statement is simply that God invites.  God doesn’t force, but instead calls out tenderly.  Come and drink waters that bring new life.  Come and eat bread that satisfies for more than this life.  Come, come, come to me.  The gentle invitation rings out again and again as God invites the people of the world to come to Him.

And the people of the world respond.  Turn with me now in your Bibles to Isaiah 2, page 567 in the chair bibles.  Listen to these words which God speaks to us through Isaiah.  (Read 2:2-3, 5)  Did you hear the language of invitation there?  God’s mountain of hope and redemption is set higher than any other mountain in the world.  The people of the world see it and hear about it and are drawn to it.  In other words, God’s invitation goes out, and the people of the world respond.  They are drawn to God’s invitation.  

And then, as they approach God’s holy mountain, what do they do?  They also invite others.  “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD.”  As God’s people hear God’s invitation, and as they receive His gifts, and as they approach the mountain of the LORD, they aren’t content to go there alone.  As they journey to that mountain, they also speak to those that they encounter along the way.  Come with us, come and see what God has done.

In other words, we could say that God’s people respond to God’s invitation by inviting others to join them along the way.  God’s people see what God has in store and in mind for them, and they desperately want others to share in that with them.  So, as they go through this journey of life, as they repeatedly come to the mountain of the LORD, they invite others to join them on the way.  Come with us, come to the mountain of the LORD, come to the house of our God, so that we can see what He does and says.

As I say that, I find something very interesting in this little segment from Isaiah.  The people are inviting others as they journey to God’s house and mountain.  Here’s where I’ll say that I am often fascinated by how modern day research in areas like marketing and branding finally catch on to what God has known all along.  What’s the best kind of advertising?  You can have all the flashy commercials on TV, you can have the best website in the world, you can have the prime location for your store or business, but you know what ultimately leads people to places, or back to places?  Word of mouth.  It’s when someone goes there and finds that it’s a place of value, and then they tell others about it.

Wouldn’t you say that’s what is going on in this picture?  The people who have been invited by God then head to His holy mountain and house, and as they go, the words of their mouths invite others to join with them.  God has known this all along.  The very best way for the people of the world to find their way to God’s holy mountain, to receive the best gifts of God, is for His people to be inviting others as they themselves walk along the road on the journey.

Now, I invite you to turn with me to another place where we see this at work.  Let’s go to John 1.  You can find it on page 887 in those chair bibles.  Listen to these words.  (Read John 1:43-46)  Do you see how easy that was for Philip?  He had heard Jesus with his own ears, and then he invited Nathanael to simply “come and see.”  Nathanael didn’t exactly respond as Philip probably had expected, but still, the point is made that he extended the invitation to come and see.  And as an additional point, he even went along with Nathanael as part of the invitation.  Something worth thinking about there, I think.

God’s people are a people of inviting.  We’re a people of inviting because we have received God’s invitation already.  We’ve heard God invite us to come to Him.  We’ve seen God give us His rich gifts of grace, and we’ve seen how valuable they are for us.  So now, as we continue on this journey to God’s mountain, we invite people to “come and see” along with us.  

And as I say that, I know that it can seem somewhat daunting to be extending those invitations.  So here’s what we are going to do as we think about being an inviting people, just as we have been invited by our God.  We’re going to start off by thinking about those different people that we know in life to whom we can extend an invitation.  We’re going to start by listing them on our prayer bookmarks, and then we’re going to commit ourselves to praying for them every day.  You can pick these bookmarks up out there on the welcome desk.  

But I ask you not to stop with that.  I actually want to encourage you to take a second one and to fill out those same names on it.  Then, turn the second one in to me.  I am going to commit to praying for those same names that get turned in to me on a daily basis.  You don’t have to write your name on the bookmark, and in fact, I’d almost rather you didn’t.  Just write their names, and then give me the second bookmark, and I’ll commit to praying for those individuals that you are thinking about inviting.

I also want to remind you that inviting someone to come and see what God is all about in Jesus isn’t something that requires a lot of extra training and the like.  Watch this short little video clip with me, if you would.  (Show “You don’t have to be an expert” clip.)  I hope that you get the point from that.  I don’t have to lead you in a class on how to invite someone to come and see for you to be able to invite them along.

Just a couple of quick things as we close.  First off, what’s more inviting when people actually do come and see than for us to be wearing our name badges, and not forcing them to have to memorize our names?  So keep making your efforts to wear those things.  If you don’t have one, please write your name legibly on a piece of paper and put it in there on Sherry’s desk in the office, and we’ll get you one printed up ASAP.

Also, isn’t it nice to have something to which you can invite someone?  One of the things that was mentioned to me last week was that it would be nice if you could have an idea about the upcoming sermons and series, so that you could let those that you are inviting know what to expect.  So I will also commit myself to getting things prepared well ahead of time, and to make them available, so that you can know what you can invite people to come and see.

Come and see.  God tenderly invites you to come and see, and I rejoice that you have responded to that invitation by receiving His gifts of grace.  I also pray that you will further respond by inviting others to come and see, so that they also can receive those great gifts of grace.  May we be active in doing this for the sake of those whom the Lord is calling to come and see.  Amen. 

Sermon for December 8

Okay, I know some of you are disappointed and others relieved.  No theme music as we begin this week.  Nothing flashy or attention-grabbing as we get underway.  But even though the deliver may change, the emphasis and the message is still the same.  We’re in Advent, the time of Impossible Missions.  Last week, we heard that the Son of Man was to draw all people to God’s holy mountain.  And today, we continue with another element of God’s mission, one that may seem to be even more impossible.

Today’s emphasis for God’s mission is found embodied in the person of John the Baptist.  And that mission can be summed up in one pretty direct word, one that John himself used in his message.  The mission of God as we are introduced to it this Advent season again is that of repentance.  God prepares the way for repentance to take place in the hearts of people, so that they can then be drawn to God’s holy mountain.

And so, this rather strange guy, whom we tend to know as John the Baptist, shows up on the scene.  A guy in his early thirties, likely raised outside of mainstream Jerusalem.  A likeable guy, if you happen to like guys who are a little bit on the strange side.  Not dressed in your typical attire, but wearing the old pelt of a camel.  He’s one of the first to try those new diet ideas that pop up from time to time, only his seems to focus purely on insects and unrefined honey.  But there’s just something about him that draws people out to him.  

We heard that a moment ago.  Jerusalem and ALL Judea and ALL the region were coming out to hear him, and he seemed to keep falling back on one important word.  Repent.  Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.  And so, once again, if you happen to be drawn to strange men who dress differently, who promote cutting edge diets, and who are anti-establishment, you probably find yourself drawn to this guy John.

In John the Baptist, we have proof that God employs all different kinds of people to bring about the carrying on of His mission.  God’s mission, through this season of Advent, and through John the Baptist, is to prepare the way for the Son of Man by calling all people to repentance.  John was sent on his mission as part of God’s overall mission, to prepare the way for the Messiah to arrive on the scene.  And so, God’s opening act for the Messiah involved John the Baptist, out in the Jordan, baptizing people and calling all people to repentance.

So if you and I are going to understand God’s mission, we’re going to have to understand what God means when He engages in His mission of repentance.  It’s a common word that gets thrown around Christian circles a bit, and not always with the best use.  From a very basic standpoint, it simply means to turn away from one thing, and to turn to another thing.  Let’s say that I’m intent on getting some K-cups for my Keurig in my office.  I start off looking at some Starbucks brand on the shelves of the grocery store.  But then, I notice a sign.  Some generic brand of cups are on sale!  For a few seconds, I’m drawn to them.  They’re less expensive, and they still have caffeine in them.  But then, I remember that they also don’t have a whole lot of the taste that I prefer.  So I repent.  I turn away from that which caught my eye to turn back to that which I know, that which has proven itself to me in the past.

That’s the essence of this word repent.  We turn away from one thing, turning to something else.  But even in this kind of meaning, there is a richness to this word that we would be wise to consider as we think about God’s mission of calling all to repentance.  This is a word rich in meaning because it speaks to so much.

One element of repentance involves the big picture sense.  There is one true God in this earthly realm.  However, there are many things that we as humans come up with which we call gods.  From that aspect, the big picture sense is that God’s mission is to call people to repent from these false gods and turn to Him, the one true God.  We are to recognize those things in life that we look to for our hope, our trust, our security, our well-being, and recognize that none of them are lasting or faithful like the one true God.  And then, we are to turn from putting our hope and trust in those false gods, and return to the one true God.

So as God engaged in His mission of preparing the way for the Messiah, one thing that had to take place was turning the hearts of God’s people away from the things in which they were placing their hope and security.  They had to be turned away from things like how well they were doing when it came to God’s words to them.  Some had to be turned away from thinking that their enforcement of God’s words on others was gaining them something in God’s eyes.  They had to be turned away from these false sources of hope and comfort, and to return to the one true God.

And so John the Baptist came with the message of repentance.  Turn from your observance of the Law, and return to the God who has made you His very own people.  Turn away from a focus on how well you’re doing what God says, and put your hope and trust in that God, not in your works.  And that, very naturally, leads us to see the richness and depth of this word repentance.

Repentance in the big picture sense is turning from false sources of hope and returning to the one true source of comfort and hope.  And as that takes place, much in what God’s people do in life should naturally follow that change.  So we find that God’s mission of leading people to repentance involves turning them back to Himself as the one true God, and then leading them to see that their actions, their thoughts, and their words all are led and directed by that change.

So we have John the Baptist being part of God’s mission.  Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.  Turn back to the one true God as the source of your hope and comfort, and then bear fruit in keeping with that repentance.  Don’t just let your minds convince you that you believe in the right God.  Do the things that He says, not with a focus so much on how correctly or rightly you are doing them, but that you are doing them because He is your God, and you are His people, and therefore, you do that which He desires.

That is the richness of this aspect of the Mission of God.  God will turn people’s hearts from their false sources of hope and comfort, returning them to Himself as the one true God who carries the banner of justice and mercy.  God will turn people’s hearts to Himself, and in doing so, He will also bring about the corresponding change in how they live their lives, in how they think about themselves, and in how they address each other with their words.  They will have a big picture change that will lead to many small picture changes along the way.

And yes, that has a great deal of meaning for us, just as it did for the people who heard the message of God through John the Baptist.  There is one true God that we are to turn to when it comes to our hope and comfort and security in this world.  And that God tells us that there are right things that we do in life, and there are wrong things that we can find ourselves doing in life.  We are to continue to follow the right things, those things which He tells us are good and right for us to be doing, and we are to repent and turn away from those things that He tells us not to do.  It’s not just once or twice in our lifetime, but a daily renewal that God is working within you.

And just like we heard last week, God isn’t content to go about this mission all by Himself.  Even as we have heard today, God chooses to work through His created people.  God Himself could have called people to repentance with a booming voice out there in the wilderness, but God chose to employ the life and voice of the man we have affectionately come to know as John the Baptist.  God chose to employ a man who dressed kind of strange, ate even stranger, and who made people travel to where he was to hear what he had to say.  

As God engages on His mission of drawing all people to His holy mountain, one of the things that needs to take place is God’s mission of repentance in the hearts of those that He would draw.  And once again, God could choose to work in a different way.  He could make it so that His voice sounded out over the whole metro area, calling people to turn back to Him, and to change the way that they live.  I don’t know about you, but I’d find that awfully cool, but also a little frightening.

But in His great wisdom, God chooses to engage in His mission of repentance in another way.  He chooses to connect community and Christ together.  He sends those people that He has already drawn to Himself, in whom the work of repentance is already underway, and He sends them back out into those communities with that message in their lives and on their lips.  God employs people like John the Baptist, kind of strange and unusual, but who has the ability to connect with people.  And God employs people like you and I, kind of strange and unusual people, but people who are already connected with so many in the context of our community.

And as God connects us to others in the community, as we go forth on God’s mission of repentance, I think there are a few things that we would be wise to consider.  First off, as we take that message of repentance, it’s probably a good idea to start off telling people who this God is that is sending us to them.  He’s the God who not only created them and provides for them, but the God who has sacrificed for them, and who has given them the promise of new life and hope through Jesus.  We would probably be wise to start off telling them about what God has done for them, and why they should turn away from the false sources of hope and comfort in life, and return to the one true God.

And after they have been drawn to the one true God, then we can start working on the depth of this repentance.  To put it in a slightly different way, if we insist on changing their words, thoughts, and actions first, and then to draw them to the God who has done all this for them, they probably will be rather resistant to the message.  However, if we engage in God’s mission by telling them about the God who has done great things to make them His people, and who wants nothing more than to draw them to Himself and His holy mountain, then we’ll probably have adequate time to address what that daily repentance looks like as they become part of the people of God.

So, people of God, your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to go forth with in the mission of God with the message of repentance in your lives and on your lips.  You are to call people back to the one true God, who has sacrificed for them on the cross and in the resurrection.  As they are drawn to that God who draws them to Himself, you also have the joy and privilege of working with them on their daily repentance.  And as we need to be frequently reminded, this message is one that will not self destruct.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen. 

Thanksgiving Eve Message, November 27

The story is told about this man who went hiking back in the wilderness one time.  This wasn’t just a nice little pleasant hike, he wanted to do some real backpacking.  You know, the kind where you load up your backpack with the tent, with several meals, and you head off into the wilderness for a week or so.  As he was hiking along, he saw all different kinds of animals in God’s creation.  Even better than a zoo.  Each of them was out there in its native habitat.  Deer.  Moose.  Rabbits. All the different birds.  He was constantly being amazed at the great variety of wildlife.

All of that changed early one morning.  He woke up, struck his tent, ate his breakfast, and then kept on his way.  He had climbed to the top of the side of a mountain, and was standing on the edge of a cliff.  From that viewpoint, he could see for miles.  He saw the vastness of the forest and the mountain range.  He stood there, soaking in the beauty of God’s creation.

All of a sudden, he heard a sound in the trees behind him.  It sounded like something big.  And then, a huge black bear appeared, crashing through the dense undergrowth of the trees.  The bear looked right at him, no trace of fear in his eyes.  It started approaching him, slowly, but confidently. 

Now, the man was a devout Christian man.  He knew he was in a great deal of trouble, so he quickly approached God in prayer.  With not much time, and as a last gasp way of saving his life, he quickly asked God to make this bear a Christian bear.

All of a sudden, the bear stopped.  It dropped to its knees on its hind legs, and folded its two front paws together.  And the bear began to say a prayer.  Dear God, thank you for this delicious meal that you have just sent my way.  Please bless it to the nourishment of my body.  Amen. 

A moment ago, we heard some words from St. Paul.  In verse 11 of his letter to the Philippian Christians, he said that he had learned to be content in whatever situation he found himself.  Now, you might say that he might have a bit of a challenging time if he put himself in the place of this hiker.  But for a moment, let’s just think here.  Let’s say that you found yourself in that situation.  How could you possibly be content there?  And yes, I’m asking you to try to throw a few answers my way.

Okay, that one probably isn’t very likely for most of us here.  Or maybe I should say it’s not likely now that you’ve thought about it, and probably won’t be going hiking anywhere that a bear could come up and eat you, right?  So let’s think about the drive home.  You get into your car at the end of the day.  It’s been a long day at work or school or wherever, and you’re ready to get home for the evening.  As you begin to pull out of the parking lot, you notice the long line of cars coming.  It looks like you’re going to have to wait for a break in the traffic.  After a few minutes, you finally are able to pull out into your lane.  That’s when you discover why traffic is moving so slow.  There’s a stalled vehicle in your lane up ahead.  Now you are stuck as everyone has to creep their way around. 

As you finally clear that car, you get on the road and going.  Only now, there’s an accident on the side of the road, and all the rubber neckers are checking it out.  Traffic slows down again.  You’re getting impatient.  It’s been a long day at work, and you want nothing more than to get home.  But now you’re being slowed down again, and you aren’t even to the places where traffic regularly slows down.  So now, same question as before.  How could you possibly be content here?

Since you are here tonight, you know that tomorrow is a celebration day for us in our nation.  Thanksgiving day.  A day to sit down, eat a bunch of turkey and all the sides along with it.  A day to get together with family.  A day to sit down and watch some football.  A day to lay back on the couch, close your eyes for a few minutes, and catch a few zzz’s that you’ve been missing out on for a while.

If you’re like most people, you probably enjoy the time together.  Perhaps it’s with family that you haven’t seen for a while.  You spend some time catching up on what all has been going on in your lives.  You remember previous thanksgivings, like the one where the food didn’t turn out right.  And even in the midst of all that good remembering, you find a few other thoughts entering your head.  You remember how so and so can really get on your nerves, and maybe they are already doing some of those things that drive you crazy.  You remember how Auntie Dear keeps going on and on with her stories, and she sure doesn’t seem to mind if they embarrass you or others in the family.  Uncle Chatterbox keeps going on, because he has a comment for pretty much everything that gets said.  And you remember why you love your family, but why your family is also good in small doses.

So same question.  How can you be content here, especially among people that you know so well?  How can you be content with them, even when they get on your nerves a bit?

“Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.”  Contentment sounds so nice, doesn’t it?  In a way, we all wish that we could be a lot more like Paul in this instance.  How nice it would be if we were content with what God had already given us, rather than striving to have more.  How nice it would be if we could be content with the people in our lives as they are, rather than trying to form them into something else (mostly unsuccessfully, too).  How nice it would be if we could be content with the place we are in life, rather than seeing what may be “better” out there and having a yearning desire for it.

That’s the kind of contentment that Paul is speaking of here.  And sure, we could point out why Paul would feel that kind of contentment.  But it basically boils down to the fact that Paul knew that He was in God’s hands, no matter what.  It might not be the most enjoyable thing in the world to be shipwrecked, but Paul could be content there because he knew he was in the Lord’s hands.  Being stoned for speaking up about Christ Jesus might not be pleasant, but he could be content because his life was in the hands of one who had given himself up for Paul.  Enduring want and need might prove to be a little tough, but Paul could be content because he had God’s promise in Christ, that he would be cared for, no matter what this life brought at him, and even if it meant hunger or starvation, his life was still in the hands of that same God.

That is contentment at its utmost, and it’s the hard kind of contentment that we have a difficult time grasping.  And yet, that is the promise that is yours in Christ Jesus.  You are in the hands of the God who has loving created you, knitting together every single cell in your body.  You’re in the hands of the God who knows the very number of hairs on your body, no matter how many or few.  You’re in the hands of the God who feeds the sparrows generously, and who regards you of much greater value than sparrows.

You’re in the hands of the God who also knows that your needs extend beyond the physical needs of this life.  You’re in the hands of the God who creates community because He knows that it’s not good for you to try to go this life alone.  Though you may be reluctant at time to share your life, your burdens, or your joys with your brothers and sisters in Christ, that’s the very reason that God has brought you into the community.  You can be content with one another because you’re part of a community that God has created.  God cares for your community needs and provides for ways to be cared for in your emotional and spiritual needs through this body that we call the Body of Christ.

You’re also in the hands of the God who knew that you need hope beyond what you experience in this life.  You’re in the hands of the God who gave up His own Son, who would go through the doorway of pain and death to prepare the way for a place of eternal contentment.  Jesus would purchase your place there through His suffering, death, and resurrection for you.  Your hope as you live in this world isn’t merely that you would occasionally find contentment here, but that you have hope for a place in which you will be eternally content.

Just so we’re clear on this, you aren’t going to find that place tomorrow.  Even your well-deserved nap sometime in the middle of the afternoon isn’t God’s intended place of your contentment.  Sure, it might be a bit of a preview of what God has in mind for you someday, but even as you discover some degree of contentment tomorrow, always remember that God has much more in store for you.  Thanks be to God for that, in Christ our Lord, and have a most blessed day of giving thanks to the Lord, for He is good, and His mercy endures forever.  Amen.