Free to Live as a Disciple (Sermon)

Just a few remarks. If you have already watched the sermon on Facebook, you are probably thinking, "Wait, the manuscript is very different from the video!" Yes, that is true. Even as I prepare manuscripts for the week's sermon if really serves as a research or preparation document. It is rarely meant to be read from. I don't always have time to prepare a manuscript. On those occasions I prepare an outline.

Oh! If you haven't seen the video of this sermon, you can do so here...
https://www.facebook.com/1308738/videos/3369185506729801/

Sermon: Free to Live as a Disciple – July 23, 2023 – Lebanon UMC
Proper 11 (16) Year A — Eighth Sunday after Pentecost

Romans 8:12-25; Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43  

Introduction

Today’s texts deal with some of the pain and frustrations of living the life of the disciple. The Bible never says that the life of a disciple will be an easy one — to the contrary, the life is described as “denying ourselves and taking up our cross daily to follow Jesus.” (See Luke 9:23)

Working Through Matthew

Today’s Gospel lesson is a Kingdom of Heaven parable of Jesus. We often refer to this parable as the Parable of the Wheat and Tares. Our more modern translations translate the word ζιζανιον as weeds instead of Tares. The word seems to refer to a type of plant that looked very much like wheat but was poisonous to eat. (“Tares - Vine’s”) It would certainly be an unwelcome plant in any field and its presence in this image of the Kingdom of God is significant.

The Sower sows seed in the world (represented by the field). The church is the crop harvested from the field. At the harvest, the tares will be separated from the wheat and destroyed. (McIver, p. 652)

If we believe the church to be the earthly manifestation of the Kingdom of Heaven, then we see that it is populated by good seed and bad seed. The church is as much of this world as it is the world to come (vs. 39). There are both godly and ungodly people in the church. In the parable, the servants are quick to suggest that the tares immediately be pulled up and discarded. But the farmer is patient. (Hare, p. 155) The problem is that it is hard to distinguish between the wheat and the tares while growing. The farmer is fearful that the servants would most likely uproot good wheat in the process of removing the tares. (Witherington, p. 267) So we, like the farmer must learn to be patient. (Hauerwas, p. 133)

Jesus is telling us that the reality is this: there will be godly and ungodly people in the church, but it would be a mistake to try and rid the field of the tares. Yet so many church conflicts are caused by this very action — deciding who is the good seed and who is the bad seed. We are bound to get them mixed up.

The day of harvest will come, but it is not now.

Romans 8

Now, let’s shift our attention to Paul’s Letter to the Romans. Anders Nygren, a former bishop in the Lutheran tradition describes Romans 5 through 8 as an explanation of the great freedoms we have in Christ. In chapter 5, we are free from the wrath of God, chapter 6, free from sin, chapter 7, free from the law, and chapter 8, free from death (Nygren, p. 32). Here in the reading from today’s text from Romans, we see that we are free, that is, under “no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do” (Rm. 8:12 NLT).

Wesley sees justification and regeneration (being saved and being born again) are two sides of the same coin. But while justification is a once for all gift from Christ by his work on the cross, regeneration is the beginning of a life of sanctification (or growing in holiness). (Maddox, p. 170) Here in Romans 8 we see that it is “through the power of the Spirit [we] put to death the deeds of [our] sinful nature” (vs. 13). This is what it means to grow in holiness.

So, let’s take a closer look at our reading from Romans 8 and see how it helps us understand the life of a disciple of Jesus Christ. But as we get underway, let me say this. I am reading today from the New Living Translation. I chose this translation because of the way in uses ‘sinful nature’ for the Greek word σάρξ, literally ‘flesh’. For the most part, this makes the text more understandable. But it isn’t perfect. I don’t believe that the flesh/spirit realms are simply evil and good. The flesh refers to the life and obligations in our old life. The spirit refers to the life and obligations of the new life.

We Have the Power (by the Spirit) to Battle our Sinful Natures

¹² Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. ¹³ For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. ¹⁴ For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.

Let me read verse 12 in the Common English Bible, “So then, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation, but it isn’t an obligation to ourselves to live our lives on the basis of selfishness.” We do have an obligation, but not to our sinful natures. In the Roman world, people were understood to have obligations to people in their social circle, but now we are not to allow the world to define those obligations – we let the Spirit define our obligations (Jewett, pp. 493-494). Changing social obligations would often disrupt family life: obligations with your family in Christ conflicting with your natural family (Luke 12:52-53). Remember that the transition is from the old life (flesh) and the new life (spirit).

In chapter 7, Paul describes how in our former lives before Christ we were slaves to our sinful natures. We were bound to the power and obligations of the old life. We couldn’t help it. He writes…

¹⁸ And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. ¹⁹ I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. ²⁰ But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. (Rm. 7:18-20 NLT)

But now, in Christ, we have died to sin. Of course, we still must fight and resist sin, but we no longer live under its dominion. We now live in the power of the Holy Spirit and by the power of the Holy Spirit we are able to resist the tendencies of our sinful natures.

More than resist! “Through the power of the Spirit [we] put to death the deeds of [our] sinful nature.” (vs. 13) The fancy church word for “putting to death” is mortification. It begins with the ability to recognize evil in our own lives and a desire to crucify it. It is responding to the call of Jesus “to deny ourselves and to take up our cross daily to follow him.” (Mk. 8:34)

We do this by actively working by the Holy Spirit who gives us the ability to act on this desire. It is worth whatever pain or discomfort we may experience because of the joys of the fulness of life that will be ours. (Stott, pp. 228-229)

As Christians in the Wesleyan-Methodist tradition we believe in the ongoing work of God’s Spirit in our lives. We are able to live into the new life, sustained by grace and empowered by the Holy Spirit. Thus, led by the Spirit of God we are the children of God (vs. 14). And how are we made children of God?

We Have Been Adopted by the Father

¹⁵ So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” ¹⁶ For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. ¹⁷ And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.

The Holy Spirit assures us of our relationship with the Father as God’s children. We have been adopted by God as his own children. We are to live with the rights and place of children and not as slaves. We know this to be the case because of the Holy Spirit’s witness to our spirits that we are children of God. (vs. 16)

As fellow heirs with Christ, we share together with Christ in his glory, but also in his suffering. “The suffering is the indispensable prelude to the glory.” (Bruce, p. 159)

Creation Itself Longs for Redemption

¹⁸ Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. ¹⁹ For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. ²⁰ Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, ²¹ the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. ²² For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. ²³ And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us.

We often hear the story of Adam and Eve told as the Fall of humanity. “When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned” (5:12). As sin entered the world everything, even creation itself, became corrupted by sin. This is why even creation “looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay” (vs. 21).

We Look Forward to This Life of Discipleship with Patience

²⁴ We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it. ²⁵ But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.)

Yes, this is the hope we have!

References

Bruce, F. F. The Letter of Paul to the Romans: An Introduction and Commentary. 2nd ed, Inter-Varsity Press ; W.B. Eerdmans Pub. Co, 1985.

Hare, Douglas R. A. Matthew. John Knox Press, 1993.

Hauerwas, Stanley. Matthew. Brazos Press, 2006.

Jewett, Robert. Romans: A Commentary. Edited by Roy David Kotansky and Eldon Jay Epp, Fortress Press, 2007.

Maddox, Randy L. Responsible Grace: John Wesley’s Practical Theology. Kingswood Books, 1994.

McIver, Robert K. “The Parable of the Weeds among the Wheat (Matt 13:24-30, 36-43) and the Relationship between the Kingdom and the Church as Portrayed in the Gospel of Matthew.” Journal of Biblical Literature, vol. 114, no. 4, 1995, pp. 643–59. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/3266479.

Nygren, Anders. Commentary on Romans. 1949 Second Printing, Muhlenberg Press, 1949.

Stott, John R. W. The Message of Romans: God’s Good News for the World. InterVarsity Press, 1994.

“Tares - Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words.” Blue Letter Bible, https://www.blueletterbible.org/search/Dictionary/viewTopic.cfm?topic=VT0002911. Accessed 18 July 2023.

Witherington, Ben. Matthew. Smyth & Helwys Publishing, 2006.

 

Sermon: Holy Ground

 Sermon: Holy Ground – July 16, 2023 – Horne Memorial UMC

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

Introduction

[For me, the sermon preached is rarely the sermon written. But here is the manuscript that serves as the starting point for me on Sunday morning.]

Working Through the Text

Today we are looking at one of the parables that has the disadvantage of being too familiar to most of us. This is a disadvantage because we often internalize what this text means to us when we first hear it and hold onto that meaning. The familiarity of the parable is its weakness. It becomes difficult to hear that parable with the same freshness of hearing the story (Levine, pp. 20-21).

For example, consider the Parable of the Prodigal Son. For those of us who grew up in church and attended Sunday School as children, this story is probably the one we are most familiar with along with the Parable of the Good Samaritan. Chances are, you hear this story and immediately identify with the younger son. We are like the younger son who in a defeated state must return to the father and beg for forgiveness.

But let’s be honest. Most of us are really more like the older son. We are religious people of faith who have been there doing those things expected of us. We give to the church and to charities. We volunteer in the community or at our children’s schools and serve on a church committee or two. We are most likely the older son, not the younger son.

So, let’s try to really listen to today’s story – listen for the absurdity that first time hearers might hear.

¹ That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. ² Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. ³ And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. ⁴ And as he sowed, some seeds fell on a path, and the birds came and ate them up. ⁵ Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. ⁶ But when the sun rose, they were scorched, and since they had no root, they withered away. ⁷ Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. ⁸ Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. ⁹ If you have ears, hear!”

Yes, if you have ears, hear! This is what I am hearing. Say, someone here has taken it upon themselves to reseed the grass around the church to give it a lusher look. This person fills a seed spreader and begins to walk all over the property of the church. This person wants to cover every square inch of the ground to ensure the best result.

So, we go outside and watch this person who starts to spread the seed along the sidewalk and covers every bit of the parking lot pavement, the mulched areas with shrubbery and other plants, as well as the sidewalk.

Now, on the one hand, we might be impressed with the thoroughness of this person. You know that every square inch of good soil has been seeded. On the other hand, there has been an awful lot of seed wasted. So, what can we possibly learn from all of this?

We learn that you can describe this person as either generous or wasteful. Better yet, this person is generously wasteful or wastefully generous. It is a matter of perspective. When will God give up on you?

Again, remember the story we refer to as the Parable of the Prodigal Son? It really should be called the Parable of the Man with Two Sons. This man demonstrates his own prodigal nature by giving his children their inheritance before he is dead. As the parable unfolds, we see that this is a father who doesn’t give up on either of his sons. He is faithful to us.

In the same way, Jesus is faithful to us. We may fail because we have given up on ourselves, but never because he has given up on us.

A Parable Explained

“¹⁸ Hear, then, the parable of the sower.”

Jesus then explains the parable to his disciples and only his disciples. You must be committed to following Jesus as his disciple to truly understand the wonderful things he teaches.

The Hardened Path

“¹⁹ When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path.”

This first seed scattered onto the hardened path doesn’t even germinate (Witherington, p. 261). The activity of Satan is compared to the birds that come and snatch up the seed. Some hearts are turned so far from God that they have hardened surfaces that prevent the seed from finding a place. The hearts may be so hardened that they are especially vulnerable to the work of Satan (Hauerwas, p. 129). The presence of the seed isn’t even noticed by the soil.

The Rocky Ground

“²⁰ As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, ²¹ yet such a person has no root but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away.”

Some people receive the “word of the kingdom” with joy. These people are often satisfied with the appearance of faith and belonging. They may even be able to express strong opinions about what they believe. But when challenges and hardship strike, they are unable to withstand. They have a faith that may completely cover the surface of their lives, but only be an inch deep. The seed may germinate, but the roots are shallow. The plant withers instead of producing fruit.

Some people may say, “how can you believe in a God in a world where such evil exists, and such awful things happen to good people?” But then there are those who say that because there is such evil in the world that they must believe and trust in God.

Thorns

“²² As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of this age and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing.”

Now these seeds seemed to have been planted on good soil. At the time of the sowing there was no evidence of weeds or thorns. But there turns out to be competition for the place in the soil. Weeds and thorns begin to take root along with the good seed. The soil begins to nurture the weeds more than the good plants. The lure of the worldly robs attention from the voice of God. Eventually the desire for success and place in the world overpowers any desire for the Kingdom of God.

Good Soil

²³ But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

Or as it is expressed in Luke’s account, “these are the ones who, when they hear the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patient endurance.” (Lk 8:15, NRSV)

Now we must be careful here. We can too easily just say that there are three kinds of bad soils therefore there are three kinds of bad hearts.

Let me suggest that this is not necessarily the case. I mean, don’t we all deal with troubles and problems that crop up in life? Do we not have to deal with the cares of the world if we have families we want to care for and children we want to nurture? Baby needs shoes and food must be put on the table. The question then is do we let these problems and concerns spoil the openness of our hearts to a “word of the kingdom”?

My Bible doesn’t say that God so loved those who would accept Jesus and Savior and Lord, that he sent his Son to them. Does your Bible say that? No. Like mine it says: God so loved the world that he gave his only Son that those who believe in him shall not perish but have everlasting life (Jn. 3:16).

God loves the world. God loves all people. God desires that the people he forms spend an eternity with him. And God wants us to love people the same way. We are to love the Lord our God and our neighbor as ourselves.

So, what are we to do about those people whose hearts are hardened paths, or stoney ground, or full of thorns?

To these people, we have a duty of care.

Maybe you remember learning about Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. That would have been Sociology 101. Maslow pointed out that there are some needs that must be met before others can be addressed. The most basic physical needs must be addressed before psychological needs can be met, which must precede the more spiritual needs we have (Mcleod).

What this means is that people cannot be receptive to the redemptive word of God while basic physical or psychological needs are not being met.

Yes, we have a duty of care. It may not be one recognized by human authorities or courts, but it is one recognized by the final court.

In Matthew 25, we are reminded that we demonstrate our love to Christ when we demonstrate our love of the poor, the hungry, the naked, the imprisoned, and the sick.

Even hardened surfaces may be cracked to allow a sprig of growth to break apart even concrete or asphalt. There is hope. There is the grace of God.

This is the very work that is spoken of next.

The Bearing of Fruit

“⁸ Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”

When Jesus explains the meaning of the parable, he says that the seed represents the “word of the kingdom” and that it is “sown in the heart.” (vs. 19)

“But the line between sowing the word and reaping the kingdom harvest is not straight… Believers may not blithely assume that they are ‘good soil’.” (Boring, p. 306)

Yes, the parable makes clear that there will be considerable loss. Much of the sown seed will seem to have been wasted, yet the seed that is harvested will produce a return beyond imagination. (Hill, p. 225)

It is amazing to me how much the New Testament speaks of the necessity of bearing good fruit. Jesus says “Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will know them by their fruits.” (Mt. 7:19-20 NRSVue)

While we know how the Apostle Paul teaches that we are not saved by works of the law, we are created by God for good works. (Eph. 2:10) These good works are expected of us. Paul also says that some of our work, or the work of some, may be as precious stones while the works of others will be made of straw. All the work will be tested by fire. (1 Cor. 3:12-15)

We are the Body of Christ. We are to be the earthly embodiment of Jesus. We are the hands and feet of Jesus. We, as the Body of Christ, are to be the Sowers of the word.

We continue with the same prodigality of the Sower in our parable. We reach out into the world around us.

The Call

Since Jesus takes the time to explain this parable to his disciples, it must be important for us to learn what it means and to act on it.

First, how is your heart? Are you giving God good soil to work with? Are you open to the work of grace in your life that you may be able to produce a rich harvest for the kingdom?

Second, are you actively sowing the word of the kingdom? Are you willing to indiscriminately give yourself to others in a way that demonstrates the wasteful generosity, or the generous wastefulness of God?

Finally, are you among those who are ready to make a new commitment to God? Are you ready to answer the call of Jesus in your life? Do you hear Christ calling out to you to take up your cross daily and to follow him?

“If you have ears, hear!”

This is the call of Jesus. Do you hear it? Will you answer it?

 

References

Boring, M. Eugene. “Matthew.” The New Interpreter’s Bible, edited by Leander E Keck, vol. 8, Abingdon Press, 1994, p. 744.

Hauerwas, Stanley. Matthew. Brazos Press, 2006.

Hill, David. The Gospel of Matthew. Softback Edition, Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1982.

Levine, Amy-Jill. Short Stories by Jesus: The Enigmatic Parables of a Controversial Rabbi. HarperOne, 2015.

Mcleod, Saul. Maslow’s Heirarchy of Needs. SimplyPsychology, 12 July 2023, https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html.

Witherington, Ben. Matthew. Smyth & Helwys Publishing, 2006.

 

Sermon: Moving Beyond Fear

 Moving Beyond Fear — June 25, 2023 — Year A, Proper 7 (12), Pentecost 4

Romans 6:1-11; Matthew 10:24-39

 

Introduction

Today’s texts remind us that we are often immobilized by fear. Fear restrains us; causes us to hold back. What are the things we are often afraid of? What strikes fear into our very beings?

• We fear opposition. (We want to be liked). We often react with anger.
  
  
• We fear failure. (We want to be seen as successful even if that means we lessen our own expectations of ourselves). We often react with fear.
  
  
• We fear the loss of identity — the loss of ourselves. We often react with grief.
  
  
• There is the fear of death. (We want to have and live lives of significance. We want to be remembered and loved.) We often react with despair (hopelessness).

Romans Text

Chapter 6 begins with a question that refers back to chapter 5’s discussion on what it means to be justified. “What then are we to say? Should we continue in sin in order that grace may increase? By no means!”

Looking back to chapter 5 we see we are justified (or made/declared righteous) through the faithfulness of our Lord Jesus Christ. And because of this we stand in the hope of sharing God’s glory. This is why we can rejoice in our sufferings. They produce endurance, which produces character, which produces hope.

It is in our weakness or helplessness that Christ died for the ungodly — that is, us!

So now, back to the question that starts off chapter 6 — “Should we continue in sin in order that grace may increase/abound/be multiplied?” Absolutely not! Or God forbid!

If we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it?

Okay, what is Paul saying? Is he saying that unless we are sinless, we are not Christian?

No! Let’s look closely at what he is saying. We are justified or declared righteous by the faithfulness of Christ. Christ who was obedient to the point of death — even death on a cross. We are able to share in his death so that we might also share in his resurrection.

Baptism is our sacrament of justification. We are buried with him in baptism. We are baptized into his death. As Christ was raised from the dead in glory, so shall we then walk in newness of life.

So, as we have been crucified through baptism we are no longer enslaved to sin. We are free from sin. So, do Christians continue to sin?

Does it not say in 1^st John: “Those who have been born of God do not sin because God’s seed abides in them; they cannot sin because they have been born of God.” (1 Jn 3:9)

Yes, John does say that. But he also says, “If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 Jn 1:9) John goes on to say that he is “writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins…” (1 Jn 2:1-2)

So, in Romans 6, the Apostle Paul says that our old self is crucified with Christ so that we may no longer be enslaved to sin. Yes, we are free from sin, but we must continue to do battle against it. People sometimes quote John Wesley as saying, “sin remains, but no longer reigns.” Well, while he never said that exact phrase, he came close to it a couple of times.

The bottom line is this. Accepting Christ as our savior is not the end — that is the goal of the process. It is the beginning. It is the start. Paul is telling us we can’t wallow in the past — we must move forward by the grace of God to be the people of God. And if you want to be a person of God you must be a disciple of Jesus.

Our text from Matthew gives us a glimpse of what this will be like.

Matthew’s Text

The gospels are always a good source for learning about discipleship. Jesus models discipleship, teaches discipleship, proclaims discipleship.

There is the story about two angels talking in heaven about what Jesus is doing on earth. The first angel says that God has a plan for redeeming the world. God has a desire for all people to spend eternity in heaven in continual fellowship with God. The plan is for Jesus to prepare disciples for the work of proclaiming and teaching others about the redemptive plan the Father has through Jesus. Jesus will spend three years preparing his disciples and then complete his redemptive work in his death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven.

The second angel responds by saying that it sounds like a rather ambitious plan that depends upon people whose frailty and weakness are the very cause of the need for redemption in the first place. So, he says, that sounds like a good plan A, but what is plan B?

The first angel responds by saying, there is no plan B.

Jesus chooses and calls his disciples from amongst the ordinary people of all walks of life. None of the Twelve would be considered elite, university trained, or part of the One Percent. These are people who are used to laboring day after day to care for their families. Jesus chooses them, he calls them, he prepares them, he sends them.

The gospels demonstrate how this discipleship works.

Now, this is important. We are plan A. We are the ones that Jesus is choosing and calling and preparing and sending. Yes, us! It now includes and involves us.

So, let me pause to share a little with you. The life of a congregation is portrayed as a bell graph. You have the start of the graph at the beginning where the church shows rapid growth. This is usually measured in years. Sadly, it can also be measured in months. Next on the graph is the period of the plateau. The church seems to have reached its peak and hangs there for some time. This usually accounts for decades in the life of a congregation. But then, decline sets in. At first it may not be noticed, but eventually it is. The leaders and people begin to panic. We need to stop the hemorrhaging. We need to reverse this.

Now, here is the problem. Too often people try to apply a quick patch. Or they fall back to trying to offer ministries and programs that were successful in the past. And they don’t work. None of it works. What can be done?

There are two choices. First, we can just sit back and maintain the status quo. Let’s just do what we have been doing until we die. The second choice is to start over. We return to the gospel accounts of Jesus. We learn how to build the Body of Christ from Jesus. We learn to transform the world by making disciples who make disciples. We imitate Christ and grow his church.

Now for a commercial break. I can help you do that. I have experience in growing a discipling culture. By the grace of God, I can do this if you yourselves are willing to be led by the Holy Spirit. If you will choose to live into the grace of God, day by day, to do the Father’s will and purpose.

Like I said, today’s Gospel Lesson gives us a glimpse of this life. Jesus says to us…

What I say to you in the dark,
            tell in the light, 
what you hear whispered,
            proclaim from the housetops.

We have a message. We have a path. We have a life that we must stop hoarding for ourselves.

This will not be easy. The life of the disciple is often hard and painful. When it comes to the life we live, Jesus tells us he doesn’t bring peace, but a sword.

What do you love most in the world? That is your god. Whatever we place before Jesus is our god. Those who do not take up the cross and follow Jesus, day by day, is not worthy of Jesus. Jesus says that if we do not find our lives in him, we will lose our lives.

So, I ask you: are you ready to accept this call?

Jesus has already chosen you. Now hear his call to you. In the book of Hebrews, we are told to “strip off every weight that slows us down.” We are to “run with endurance the race God has set before us.” (Heb 12:1, NLT) We are told that we can only do this by “keeping our eyes on Jesus!” (vs 2)

As the hymn says…

This is a day of new beginnings,
time to remember, and move on,
time to believe what love is bringing,
laying to rest the pain that's gone.

For by the life and death of Jesus,
love’s mighty Spirit, now as then,
can make for us a world of difference
as faith and hope are born again.

Then let us, with the Spirit’s daring,
step from the past, and leave behind
our disappointment, guilt and grieving,
seeking new paths, and sure to find.

Christ is alive, and goes before us
to show and share what love can do.
This is a day of new beginnings;
our God is making all things new.*

This is a day of new beginnings.

Jesus chooses us to be disciples.

Jesus calls us to be his disciples.

We must respond by being his disciples.

We must learn to be disciples.

We must live the life prepared for us.

 -----------------------

Notes

 * UM Hymnal 383 — Brian Wren, Words © 1983, 1987 Hope Publishing Company

 

The Look of Love - Sermon from July 2, 2023

Note: This was my first sermon at Lebanon UMC on July 2, 2023.

Romans 5:1-8; Matthew 9:35-10:15

Introduction

Today is about beginnings. In our epistle lesson, we read from the fifth chapter of Paul’s Letter to the Romans. After describing the brokenness of all people and the covenant of faith made through Abraham, Paul begins to talk about how we experience and live into a new life.

In our Gospel lesson Jesus is beginning his ministry. He begins by calling his disciples. We begin to see the path of discipleship. We see how Jesus models ministry for them and then teaches them what they need to know to take part in this ministry. This is the plan of Jesus for evangelizing the world. He calls and trains his disciples for this ministry. He makes disciples who are expected to make more disciples.

Our Text from Romans

Paul talks about how we stand in a new relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Let’s back up a bit to get to where today’s lesson starts. Paul begins his letter by talking about our sinfulness. He first describes the sinfulness of the Gentiles, and then he covers his own Jewish people. The point of these first few chapters isn’t to make a list of sins. You cannot create a kind of inventory of sin to check on your own state of being.

No, the point Paul is making is about the brokenness of humanity. He is saying we are all broken. Surely you all are familiar with what Jesus calls the greatest commandments. You must love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. The second is to love your neighbor as yourself.

We are to (1) Love God, and (2) Love People. So, when Paul talks about the brokenness of humanity he is basically talking about broken relationships. In other words, what we call sin is all about our broken relationship with God and our broken relationships with people.

The Old Testament prophets certainly understood this. They described the failure of Israel to properly worship God. Their sacrifices were corrupt. They polluted their worship with the introduction of other gods and goddesses. They also failed to love their neighbors. Specifically, they failed the poor, the widowed, the orphaned, and the foreigners in their midst. The prophets describe the brokenness of Israel. Their relationship with God was broken and their relationships with people were broken.

So, when we talk about sin, we talk about the brokenness of our vertical and our horizontal relationships. That is what sin is. Jesus came that these relationships may be healed. Paul tells us that “when we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. … God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners” (Rom 5:6,8 NLT)

Paul tells us that we now stand in a new relationship with God. We are used to hearing this as being “justified by faith.” (Rom 5:1 NRSVue) The New Living Translation says that “we have been made right in God’s sight by faith.” Or it could also be understood that our faith, our trust, is placed in the faithfulness of Jesus. By his faithfulness we are made righteous. (CEB)

The peace we have is in this place of privilege where we stand because of Jesus. Now, while think of the gift of Justification as a one and done gift, the New Birth we experience is an ongoing, day by day, living in a new relationship to God and Neighbor. Day by day we allow ourselves to be led by the transforming work of the Holy Spirit. This Sanctification, this growing in holiness, is something we will address more in the weeks ahead. For our purposes today, know that this is a new life where we walk side by side with Jesus as he teaches us how to love God properly and how to properly love our neighbors, the people God has placed in our lives.

So now, let us turn to our Gospel lesson to learn more about this love.

The Gospel Text

Jesus is travelling from town-to-town teaching and healing. As he does so people begin to follow him about. People begin to gather in crowds to be able to see this Jesus and to hear him. Some become his disciples. They follow Jesus watching and learning from him.

Because there are so many, Jesus decides to choose twelve of the disciples to be the people he will invest his life in. Matthew gives us a list of the names of the Twelve. While Jesus models ministry for them, he teaches them what they need to know. Then he gives them the authority to do this ministry and commissions them to continue this work.

If we are to follow Jesus, we must learn to see the world and others with the eyes of Jesus. Notice how our Gospel lesson tells us that Jesus saw the crowds and he had compassion for them. Why? They were troubled and helpless, “like sheep without a shepherd.” (vs 36)

Now Jesus not only saw crowds, he also saw individuals. He called them by name. So, this is our first lesson in walking the path of a disciple.

We must learn to recognize the crowds for who they are and to see their hurts. Too often we go into our communities, our stores, our schools, and the crowds can become faceless and anonymous. We must recognize people for who they are. They are people with sickness and disease. They are troubled and harassed. They are as helpless as sheep without a shepherd.

We then approach people, one on one, and get to know them, or to know them better. We can call their names and we can invite them into community — into fellowship — with Jesus and his disciples.

To look with love is so vital and so neglected. There are people who identify as Christian who spew hateful language at others. They attack others with their words, their looks, and their social media accounts. They love to tell others how to live —- no, demand that others live their lives as they do. When some of the most hateful people you see around you or on television say they are Christians they are liars. They neither love God, nor their neighbors. John writes in his first letter, “Those who say, ‘I love God’ and hate their brothers or sisters are liars. After all, those who don’t love their brothers or sisters whom they have seen can hardly love God whom they have not seen!” (1 Jn 4:20 CEB)

We are called to be different. We are called to look with love, with compassion. We aren’t called to change people so that we can love them or so that God can love them. Absolutely not! God already loves them as he loves us — while we were sinners God sent his son, Jesus, to die for us. That is the proof of God’s love. His love is unconditional.

So, if we are to love God, we must also learn to love people the way God loves people. James, the brother of Jesus, writes in his letter, “let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger, for human anger does not produce God’s righteousness.” (Jas 1:19-20, NRSVue)

It is not by anger that people will turn to Christ.
     No, it is by love.
          This is the Jesus way.
          This is the disciple’s way.
          This is to be our way.

Called to Be Disciples — Sent as Disciples

So, here we are.

We have heard the call of Jesus to be his disciples — to take up our cross and follow him. We have been chosen by Jesus, to learn from him, walking by his side.

Now we are commissioned by Jesus to go into the world. Here is how it is described by Matthew.

First, we are to travel lightly. We are not to carry encumbrances that would only get in the way.

Second, we look for persons of peace. Mark gives us the example of Levi.

¹³ Jesus went out again beside the sea; the whole crowd gathered around him, and he taught them. ¹⁴ As he was walking along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax-collection station, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him.

¹⁵ And as he sat at dinner in Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were also sitting with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. ¹⁶ When the scribes of the Pharisees saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, they said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” ¹⁷ When Jesus heard this, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician but those who are sick; I have not come to call the righteous but sinners.” (Mk 2:13-17 NRSVue)

Third, we are to accept the hospitality of others. Consider Paul’s acceptance of Lydia’s hospitality.

¹³ On the Sabbath day we went outside the gate by the river, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had gathered there. ¹⁴ A certain woman named Lydia, a worshiper of God, was listening to us; she was from the city of Thyatira and a dealer in purple cloth. The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. ¹⁵ When she and her household were baptized, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home.” And she prevailed upon us.
(Acts 16:13-15 NRSVue)

Conclusions and Invitation

So, what do we learn from all of this. What are we to take away, and what are we to do with it?

We learn from Paul in Romans, and from our Gospel lesson what sin is about. It is about brokenness. We have a broken relationship with God and broken relationships with people — our neighbors.

Relationships are not healed by anger or outrage. They are healed by love.

If we are to do what Jesus calls us to do, we must learn to love they way Jesus loves — the way he loves the Father and the way he loves the people of the world. He is sent by the Father’s love and Jesus is Love incarnate.

As the church, we are the body of Christ. That means we are meant to live as the embodiment of God’s love directed at a world filled with brokenness.

This starts with us first getting right with God. But it also means we must get right with our neighbor.

This is God’s call to us today.

Accept this free gift offered to us without price except for the price paid by Jesus.

Respond to the call of Jesus, to go in his authority to announce the good news of the Kingdom of God.

There is the invitation.

Will you accept?