Good Shepherd Presbyterian Sermons (Charlotte, NC): Recent Episodes

View Details

In his last sermon at Good Shepherd, Pastor Robert shares his view of Gods Story at Good Shepherd and through scripture. The post God’s Story appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

Service Video (link)TEXT: Acts 2:1-13,37-39

Last week I noted that we often focus on two of the significant parts of what God did in Jesus Christ: the Incarnation and the Crucifixion. Jesus was God come among us and he died for us and our salvation.

In the past seven weeks or so we have focused on two more significant parts of what God did in Christ, though these two get less attention, and often less understanding: the Resurrection and the Ascension. But those are the two things that have to do with our lives now, defining our identity and new life in Christ.

Today – Pentecost Sunday – we focus on one more very significant act of God, one promised by Jesus as he ascended. Last week we heard his final words to his followers, that he would send his Spirit to empower his followers to be witnesses of God and what God has done in Christ. And that is exactly what happened on Pentecost. In today’s text we see three human responses to that power and witness. Like those disciples, God empowers us to bear witness in the world. And people still have responses today like those all those years ago.

POWER (vv. 1-13)

First, in verses 1-13, in response to the power of the Holy Spirit, displayed through “tongues of fire” and hearing the disciples speak in multiple languages, there are two distinct responses.

Amazed and astonished (vv. 7-12) – Many of those present on the day of Pentecost heard the Galilean Jews speaking in their own language. A long list of nationalities is included in the passage. We read in v. 7 that some “were amazed and astonished” and continued “in amazement and great perplexity.” They asked each other what it all meant. I’d call this a holy curiosity.Doubtful, even mocking (v. 13) – Others were neither amazed or astonished, rationalizing and writing it off to drunkenness on the part of the disciples. Some pressed even further and made fun of the disciples. I’ve seen both reactions. I’ve had both reactions. We see something we don’t understand and we have to decide between the natural and the supernatural explanation. And some of us are probably more open to mystery and miracle than others, which is understandable. Having said that, to descend into outright mockery of the divine or of faith is another thing altogether. I’ve come to realize that making fun of God or followers of God usually is a cover for something else that is often between that person and God.

Nonetheless, what occurs to me, especially knowing what is coming, is that there is no shortage of God’s power here in this passage, and yet it is not at this point that people respond in faith. I’ve often heard – and thought myself – that if God would just unleash a few good tangible and measurable miracles, that many would believe. But this makes me question that. Probably it would just scare us and the best we’d manage is to either write it off or to be amazed without understanding.

And this is where the way that God has arranged things begins to make more sense to me. Why is it that God chooses to involve us in witnessing to His power? It is because we respond to story; we respond to incarnation – to fleshed-out reality. The WITNESS is an integral part of belief and it is how we participate in what God is doing in the world.

WITNESS (vv. 37-39)

Believing, pierced to the heart (v. 37) – So after Peter shares the story of Jesus, we read that those present were “pierced to the heart.” In our scripture reading, Peter’s message is just referenced as ‘this’ – “Now when they heard this” (v. 37). What Peter had done in verses 14-36 was what Jesus told him to do: he gave witness. Here are the Cliffs notes to Peter’s sermon: Peter talked about God’s promise to send his Spirit. He talked about God’s plan to send Jesus into the world. He talked about history and hopes and the great themes and stories of incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension. He talked about and gave witness to Jesus as Lord.

And the people heard it. They heard it because it resonated with truth and it resonated with power – God’s truth and God’s power. Peter just gave witness to both. They believed it and were “pierced to the heart” – and their response back to Peter was, “What shall we do?” (v. 37) Peter answered in three ways:

First, REPENT; turn around. Stop going that way and go this way. Listen to what God’s power and truth are doing in your heart right now.

And ACT outwardly on that inward change. Receive baptism as a sign of God’s forgiveness of your sin. Take the mark; humble yourself. Take God’s story into and onto your story through this rich symbol of belonging.

And GET READY; God will also give you the gift of His Spirit. That’s not just a personal promise, but God’s story unfolding in you, the next generations, and many yet far off.

How Will YOU Respond?

The practical question that raises for all of us is this: what will YOU do with Jesus? Which of those responses best fits where you are today?

Does all of this God-stuff just sound like mysteries and miracles? Or like mythological stories empty of real power and meaning? At the end of the day, you just don’t get it?

Or has the way Christianity has developed in so many places in our culture given you reason to disbelieve or mock? If so, I get it; I do.

In fact, those are the two most common responses out there; confusion or disbelief. What of the third option? When does that happen for us, separated by thousands of years from Pentecost and eye-witness disciples?

I think – and I think scripture teaches us – that what pierces us to the heart, stirring up faith and repentance and obedience, is God’s power combined with authentic testimony or witness. It’s not enough to just tell the Bible stories if we don’t seek and welcome God’s presence and power. And I don’t think we could handle or believe God showing up without the context, instruction, and explanation of scripture and lives lived out for the sake of Christ. But when both happen, and I believe they both still do, I think that’s when faith is stirred. That’s when our hearts are pierced by truth and grace and we become open to God working in our life.

When you get the scent of God showing up and the Holy Spirit, what will you do? Do you clamp down and push away the possibilities? Are you open to repentance, to change, to God shaking things up?

In the weeks and months to come, as you have a period of time without a called pastor, God is still here and the Holy Spirit is still at work with power. And you – each of you – have the capacity and the calling to bear witness to what God has done in your life. So you have all the ingredients necessary for people to come to faith, for God to shape and grow the church, and to thrive.

And the next verses in Acts provide one picture of what happens when God gets a hold of individuals and communities of faith. The people who responded to the message, the Spirit, and the Savior were “continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Inviting God to come be involved in the most intimate parts of your life will draw you deeper into the family of God through the Church. You will hunger to hear the Word; you will desire the encouragement and accountability of fellowship in the body; you will desire to be fed by the Word and sacrament; and you will desire to talk more often and deeply with your Heavenly Father in prayer.

Come; repent; believe – whether for the first time or a new time. And receive both grace and the promised Spirit of help and hope. Amen!

The post Power and Purpose appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

SERVICE VIDEO (link)TEXT: Acts 1:4-11

Today we recognize a very important event that happened only a few weeks after the resurrection of Jesus; actually, 40 days to be precise. Did you guess Pentecost?? No…. that’s 10 days later – we’ll celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost next Sunday. It’s the Ascension. When Jesus appeared to Mary on Easter morning (John 20:17) he said, “I have not yet ascended to the Father.” Well this is it – Jesus ascends… he goes up into Heaven to be with God the Father.

So what’s important about the Ascension of Jesus? It’s not as big a deal as the “biggies” is it?

Incarnation: Jesus’ birth and God’s putting-on of human flesh to live among usCrucifixion: Jesus’ death, which atoned for our sin and “made right with God” all who believeResurrection: Jesus’ victory over death, which we now share through faith in him I’ll admit that for most of my life I’ve just thought the Ascension was Jesus’ “trip back to Heaven” – that’s it, end of story. But there’s so much more! And this isn’t just a random excursion into an obscure theological area: it has everything to do with God’s power and purpose that we’ve been talking about for the last few weeks.

The Ascension Narrative (Acts 1)

So let’s start with the narrative – the account of Jesus’ Ascension. It’s short and sweet and it’s there in Acts 1, and the actual Ascension is only one verse long. After speaking to his followers, Jesus “was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.” (v. 9) That’s about it. As you can imagine, they just stood and stared, “gazing intently into the sky while He was going.” (v. 10) But what else can we get from the context here?

We have two main pieces of information: what Jesus said before he left and what the angel messengers said after he left.

Before leaving, Jesus final words had to do with the promise of the Holy Spirit, which would come to empower his followers to be witnesses far and near. This was in contrast to their question of “restoring the kingdom to Israel.” Instead, Jesus taught (as he had always taught), God’s Kingdom was not of this world. He had frequently made that point through miraculous and supernatural signs and he was about to demonstrate that with one last miraculous sign: his Ascension into the heavens. I will also simply note for now the very close connection between the promise and work of the Holy Spirit and Jesus’ Ascension. More on that later!

After he left, two “men in white clothing” appeared and the basic content of their message signaled that Jesus would one day return in the same manner as his leaving. (v. 11) But what does it all mean?!

The Meaning of the Ascension

Let me mention several benefits of Jesus’ Ascension to the believer, and you will see these outlined in the confession of faith we’ll use later in the service. You can also see the scripture referenced there on the back of the bulletin. There are at least four benefits of the Ascension for those who believe.

1. A Heavenly Advocate

One of the important realities of Jesus being at the right hand of the Father is that Jesus took our humanity with him. He is our advocate, and our righteous one at that. Romans 8:34 tells us that Jesus is not only the one who died, but is the one who was raised and is at the right hand of God, and is the one “who also intercedes for us.” That is why we pray “in Jesus’ name,” because he is our representative, our advocate, our intercessor. It is as if Jesus tacks on to our every prayer, “…and this prayer is from Sarah, the one I love, the one I died for, the one who I have made a place for with us; listen to her!” Can you imagine having such an advocate, because you do!

But that verse from Romans goes even beyond that. As one who intercedes for us, Jesus prays and presents our needs to the Father even when we can’t! Have you ever felt like your prayers go nowhere or that you simply don’t have the words to pray? Jesus is praying on your behalf. That is one of the real benefits to the Ascension, because Jesus took our human experience with him. He didn’t shed it on earth, but took a real humanity back into the presence of God. Jesus prays for you!

1. A Heavenly Humanity

Building on that idea of Jesus taking our humanity with him back into the presence of God, is the assurance – a “sure pledge” as the confession says – that he will take us with him. Jesus didn’t come for a visit, heal a few people, and then return back to the bliss of Heaven. Rather, he came and PUT ON humanity, becoming one of us – living, suffering, and dying as one of us. Even in the defeat of death he didn’t leave humanity behind. He went out of his way after Easter to demonstrate that he still had an eating, drinking, touchable, human body. And he took it with him into Heaven. Romans 6:5 tells us that we shall certainly be united with him in “the likeness of His resurrection.” I’d also point you to John 14:2, Jesus’ words to his disciples right before his crucifixion. He told them that he was going to prepare a place for them in his Father’s house.

1. A Heavenly Heart

One interesting aspect of the Ascension is that it draws our attention to “heavenly things.” While there is an apt cliché about Christians sometimes “being so heavenly-minded that they are no earthly good,” in this day and age the opposite is probably more often the problem. We are so rational and science-minded and sense-oriented that we’ve lost all appreciation of what the ancients called “mystery.” We spend so much time with TV, computers, smart phones, traffic, and 1000 other things that we rarely take time out to contemplate the character of God or the deeper questions of faith.

If we say we are Christian, there are earthly and heavenly implications. Followers of Christ do need a re-set on earthly matters as we grow in what it means to love our neighbor, speaking and demonstrating the love of God in the community and world around us. But we also are to fix our minds on Christ, and if he is seated with the Father in the heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6), then we should, from time to time, find our mind and hearts pondering those mysteries. What does it mean to love God with heart, soul, mind, and strength – particularly if that informs and shapes our love of neighbor? What and why do we gather to WORSHIP God in spirit and truth? That seeking of heavenly things is what makes this time together more than some good music, hanging out with friends, and an instructive message.

1. A Heavenly Gift

Jesus also said more than once that the Holy Spirit would not come until he went away. Though God’s Spirit has always been existent and active in the world (just look through the Old Testament for many examples), there was a certain “outpouring” that had been promised and linked to the coming of God’s Kingdom and Jesus indicated that the Spirit would come in this way after he had gone. (John 16:7) Next week we will celebrate Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit in this promised way.

The benefits I have previously mentioned are anchored and secured in Heaven because Jesus has carried our resurrected and redeemed humanity there with him. But the gift of the Holy Spirit is that we are connected with him now! Those heavenly realities have earthly implications because of the “Holy Spirit glue” of being connected to the Ascended Christ. I often remind you that God is present and active here in the world; what is also true is that the Christian is spiritually present with God through the Ascended Christ and the work of the Spirit! This is one reason we can experience the power and presence of God as we’ve been talking about in recent weeks.

The Ascension Applied

Does all that seem to theological and remote?

Here’s a way to understand all this that I have used before: If the Incarnation is Jesus coming to find us as we are drowning in the middle of the lake, the Crucifixion and Resurrection are Jesus throwing us a life preserver that we might be rescued and live. But the Ascension is Jesus reeling us back in – to safety and to home. And of course the reality is so much more vivid – God didn’t just toss us a life preserver, He swam out to save us. In His Ascension, Jesus carries us BACK HOME with him. That’s good news in the long run and there are life-changing benefits of that reality in the here and now. We have an Advocate; we have a “sure pledge” of home; we have a focal point for our worship and service; and we have an outpouring of spiritual gifts and God’s power.

Or consider this comparison: imagine yourself as a child, playing with friends a few doors from home. Of course you would be focused on the friends and play before you. But doesn’t it matter what is back home? Doesn’t knowing that a mom or dad or grandparent is back in the house give you security, freedom, and confidence in what you are doing, knowing that if you get hurt you have a comforter and advocate who will take care of you or take you to the doctor? It’s also your HOME – what a difference that makes to know you have food and shelter and a bed waiting for you… a sure thing because it’s held for you. And as parents, don’t we trust that our love and teaching of our children remains with them when they are far from home, guiding their choices and drawing their hearts and minds back with us? And even if you did not know that security as a child, have you seen it? Can you imagine it? So it is all the more with Jesus, who has taken our humanity home to be with his Father and our Father. It makes all the difference in the world!

Perhaps the key significance of the Ascension is that Jesus takes us with him. In John 14:3, Jesus tells his disciples that he will go and prepare a place for them – a home with God. The Ascension is Jesus making good on that promise. He has gone to the Heavenly Father, purchased access for us, provided for our adoption into the family of God, and makes ready a place “that where he is we might also be.” In Romans 10:6, Paul asks “Who will ascend into Heaven.. that is, to bring Christ down?” The answer is, “No one.” We can’t go get God or salvation – God had to come all the way down to us to get us. And He has done that in Jesus Christ, who has not only come for us, but has gone back home to Heaven so we can have a spiritual home with him now and join him at the last. Good news, indeed. Amen!

The post Ascension appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

TEXT: Romans 6:1-14SERVICE VIDEO (link)

Since Easter we’ve been talking about why the Resurrection of Jesus matters. Today we are going to look at Romans 6 and talk about the “New Life,” trying to understand better what that new life in Christ means, what it looks like, and how we can more fully live in it. I am hoping we can better understand the implications that Jesus was raised from the dead FOR US. What are the implications of the “for us?”

Life Looks Different: a new reality

The first thing to say is that because of Jesus Christ life looks different! He makes a difference in one’s life. If life with Christ and life without Christ look no different, then we have missed something crucial about who Jesus is, what he has done, and what he is doing even now. We could talk about that in a number of ways, but the place Paul picks up in chapter six of his letter to the Romans has to do with sin. One answer we still sometimes hear today is that sin doesn’t matter because God’s grace abounds! God has forgiven it all and we shouldn’t get wrapped up in naming sin, judging sin, or paying much attention to sin, because God will forgive it. But Paul nips that in the bud, asking “Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase?” Paul’s response is: “May it never be!” While we do continue to sin, we should also struggle against it. And what follows is an explanation of how we are to live in Christ, particularly with regard to sin.

After Paul’s “May it never be!” he goes on to ask two more questions that will set up what follows. The first question is: “How shall we who died to sin still live in it?” The second is related to it: “Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?” Both are rhetorical, meaning the point is not just coming up with the answer, but understanding the answer and why Paul asked the question. What Paul is trying to remind us of with these questions is our new reality because of Good Friday and Easter. Jesus did not need to die and be raised for his own sake; it was FOR US.

Paul describes those who trust in Jesus Christ as those who have “died to sin” and are “baptized into Jesus’ death.” Those are not conditions of Jesus’s work; you don’t have to stop sinning for Jesus to die for you. No, these are the RESULTS of Jesus’ work. Because Jesus died, we have died to sin. That is one of things baptism signifies; that we are marked by his action. That’s what Paul wants you to understand with his two questions. You have died to sin because you belong to Jesus and he died to sin… don’t you know it? Paul then offers a series of illustrations to help us understand resurrection life.

First Picture: United in Baptism (vv. 4-7)

Paul’s first illustration or picture is that in baptism we have been buried into death and raised to newness of life. (v. 4) Clearly, this is not literal, as we have not been physically buried. But we are joined to Christ in faith, signified through baptism, by God’s gracious love toward us. And so when Christ was crucified, our debt was joined to him; our “body of sin” was joined to him and put to death (v. 6). And when he was buried, our debt and the consequence of sin was complete. When God raised Jesus from the dead in victory OVER sin and death, we too were raised (still joined to him), but no longer under the curse of sin and death.

Let me try to illustrate. I completed the tax forms for our family a few months ago. If the IRS were to send Heather a tax bill next week that said she owes taxes on our family income, she could respond legitimately by saying, “How shall I who have paid my taxes still owe taxes?” Now she did not do the Austell family taxes or send them anything, but listen to this second question while you are looking at verse 3. “Do you not know that all of us who wear this wedding ring can file jointly?” Now I realize that anyone can put on a wedding ring, but so can anyone splash water and say they’ve been baptized. The point is that the covenant of marriage, signified by a ring, enables one to be fully represented by another. So the covenant of baptism, rightly used, enables one to be fully represented by another. So if I have been baptized into Christ, who has died to sin, then I have died to sin. And I have also been raised with him to new life.

Now we also can ignore “resurrection reality” just as surely as we can ignore our “marriage reality.” The ring or even the reality of being joined in marriage doesn’t do commitment for us. In the same way, we must choose obedience to honor our being joined to Christ. So Paul declares a glorious reality: through Jesus Christ sin and the curse have been buried and we are raised to a new resurrection life. And with that covenanted union comes the opportunity to choose obedience and live it out faithfully in our lives. That indeed makes life very different – as different (even more so!) than being single and then being joined to another in marriage. That’s what the Apostle Paul is getting at in Romans. Through faith we are now united to the risen Jesus, so we have the opportunity to live for him.

Second Picture: New Lease on Life (vv. 8-10)

In verse 8 Paul moves from “here is what God has done” (buried and raised you) to the more active (for us) “here is the way to experience it” (die and live with Christ!) And so he repeats himself about being united with Christ, but now we must choose how to live. And we are to live our life like Christ did: “…the life that he lives, he lives to God.” (v. 10) I think of Lazarus in terms of that passive and active resurrection. Lazarus, much like we who trust Christ, was raised from death to life. It was beyond his power or control, and more than a little mysterious. But from that moment on, when he gazed upon Jesus’ face, he had to make his own decision to live life again, moreover to life it to God. He could have turned away, come to forget the miraculous as a hazy dream, or even figuratively crawled back in the cave to die. But part two of being raised in the power of Christ was choosing to live in grateful and loving obedience to Christ.

Think of someone who has survived a terminal diagnosis or dying on the operating table or being resuscitated after drowning. Those things don’t automatically result in a new perspective on life and living, but often they do. People talk about having a “new lease on life” or embracing life with new hope and purpose. That’s the kind of change of perspective Paul is talking about and what it means to “live to God.”

A Third Picture: Enlisted with Gratitude (vv. 11-14)

And so in verse 11, Paul charges his readers with that active obedience: “Consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” How are we to do that? Paul illustrates the answer with an image that is obscured a bit in English, particularly to our modern ears. Twice, when Paul uses the word “presenting,” that’s a military image. We still use it; it’s just not our first use for “presenting.” It is the image of presenting arms before one’s commanding officer. It is a picture of being prepared, primed, present, and ready. It is also a sign of respect, of willingness to obey, serve, and be led. And then also twice, Paul uses the word “instruments.” That word can mean “weapons” as in “instruments of war.” In this context, I believe this is what Paul has in mind.

How does that image of a soldier presenting his or her weapons as ready for battle describe the Christian’s daily choice to die to sin and live to God? We have a choice of whom to serve, of whom our “commanding officer” will be. Though Jesus has won the battle, literally saving our lives, we may yet not choose to present ourselves in service to him. In that case we are, in effect, presenting ourselves to sin as our commanding officer, even offering our bodies (and minds) as weapons to be used for unrighteous purposes. Or, in response to Jesus saving us (those “alive from the dead” in v. 13), we can choose to present ourselves to him as our authority, offering our bodies and minds as weapons… perhaps now rightly turned from weapons to “tools” or “instruments” for what is good and right.

Will our bodies and minds be weapons of destruction for sin or tools of righteousness in God’s hands? Having been saved from death to life, we have the opportunity for a kind of “grateful enlistment” in service to God, the One who saved us. Those words famously declared by Joshua in Old Testament times prove most appropriate now: “Choose this day whom you will serve!”

The Resurrection Life

As we continue to try to understand and experience the new life that is “resurrection life,” we are reminded that God invites us to choose obedience. Jesus Christ has done the hard work – the impossible work – of defeating sin and death and living to God. Jesus has changed reality itself and life is different for all who are united to him in faith! As with marriage, a new chance at life, or military service, life and reality are different, but we must still choose daily how to live and whom to serve. Amen.

Some Music Used

Who You Say I Am (Hillsong)All I Have is Christ (Sovereign Grace)We Know that Christ is Raised (ENGLEBERG)Choral Benediction: The Lord Bless You and Keep You (Rutter) The post New Life appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

TEXT: Luke 24:13-35SERVICE VIDEO (link)

Picture two people with real interest in the things of God. Nick grew up in and around the people of God, learning the scriptures, hearing the stories of old and how God desires for His people to live. He is the kind of person that brings his family to church and makes sure his children participate in the youth program. Tom got involved later in life, but eagerly participates in everything that’s going on. He’s the kind of person that attends Sunday school every week (even at 8:30!) and sings enthusiastically in church.

Each of them has a complaint, though. Nick is worn out from being thoroughly religious and just doesn’t find meaning or fulfillment in all the religious commitments. Tom, on the other hand, is excited about all the activities in which he participates, but isn’t sure he believes the message.

Are these two people unusual? I don’t think so… I think most of us can relate to one or both of them. And to be honest, they are kind of two sides of the same coin.

Knowing Without Seeing

Two people walked away from Jerusalem on Easter Sunday. They were not Nick and Tom, but they had a lot in common with them. The two walkers had been involved in the recent events during the week of Passover. They saw Jesus’ trial and crucifixion, and were deeply saddened by his death. They had even heard that morning that his body was now missing. And they were deep in conversation about all that had happened.

Then a stranger walks up alongside them and involves himself in their conversation. He wants to know what they are discussing. They can’t believe that the stranger hasn’t heard about the recent events in Jerusalem. The stranger asks them to tell him about these things. So, with downcast faces, the two travelers describe Jesus of Nazareth.

“He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed…” they say. “We had hoped he was the one who was going to redeem Israel.”

They knew about Jesus. They knew something of the prophecies about a savior – a Messiah. They knew about the empty tomb. But these two travelers did not SEE Jesus for who he was. They didn’t see God’s “vision” for humanity. And so, even with Jesus himself standing there before them, they didn’t see.

In many ways, their problem was Nick’s problem. They knew the teaching of scripture and knew that Jesus was a great teacher and religious figure, but they didn’t see God’s “vision” for us. Like Nick, they would probably bring their families to church (or synagogue), knowing that the children would learn good values. They would be faithful people, believing that God rewards good behavior and clean living. They would know that God wants something of us and they would strive to gain God’s blessing and approval. They would even realize that others who followed Jesus would think well of them for being devoted followers. But, perhaps like Nick, they would eventually wear out. Perhaps that is why they found themselves leaving Jerusalem rather than staying with the disciples. Perhaps their hopes had not been fulfilled and they just needed a break.

In a phrase, the travelers, along with Nick, KNEW WITHOUT SEEING. They have some knowledge and experience, but they lack the vision of God’s purpose and will – the ability to see what God is doing in the world. And without that, religion becomes a wearisome exercise.

Seeing Without Knowing

Our two travelers were also not unlike our friend Tom. And we might describe Tom’s problem as the opposite of Nick’s. Tom was struggling with SEEING WITHOUT KNOWING. And the two travelers demonstrated this limitation as well.

In literal terms, they “saw” Jesus there, but they just didn’t KNOW who he was. They even welcomed him into their conversation and asked him to stay when he began to leave them. They saw that he was a teacher when he opened the scripture to them, and they saw him break the bread as they ate together. But until the very end, their minds were closed to his true identity. And this is just the difficulty Tom experiences. He is an active participant in much that the church does; but while his intentions are sincere, he is really just along for the ride. The meaning of all those songs, hymns, prayers, and sermons eludes him. He sees everything going on and jumps in eagerly – perhaps hoping to understand, but in his heart he doesn’t know God in a personal and concrete way.

And after a while, Tom starts to ask questions like “Why do we sing so much?” And “Why are we asked about personal faith and acts of service in Christ’s name?” And “Why does the Church demand such high priority in my life?” If only there were some tangible way to experience God… if only I could know God in a real way…

Would I Know Jesus if I Saw Him?

Does this sound like a confusing and frustrating way to live? It sounds so familiar to me. I have been each of those people at different times in my life. What is the way out? Is it a matter of accumulating more knowledge, or somehow just looking or working harder for God?

The key must be there in the story, for by the end the two travelers SAW and KNEW! Something happened… something triggered a connection and they recognized Jesus for who he was… the risen Savior and Lord.

Partly, increasing their KNOWLEDGE did help them to see. Jesus opened the scriptures to them, leading them through the Old Testament teaching in the Law and in the Prophets. He showed them how God’s righteousness and the requirements of the Law necessitated the suffering of the Christ. He recounted the prophecies that spoke of God’s Messiah, who would be both King and Servant, and who would redeem God’s people. So Jesus addressed their lack of knowledge with clear teaching from God’s Word.

And Jesus also helped with their SIGHT. He repeated the act of communion that he had recently shared with the disciples. He came to them in a familiar way so that their blurry and dim vision might see a familiar sight. He did something ordinary and recognizable – he broke bread with them, giving thanks and sharing with them in the manner of the Last Supper.

These two acts certainly helped two travelers who were struggling with KNOWING and SEEING. But there is one more detail that is the key to understanding what happened in their recognition of Jesus. After he disappeared, they asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the scriptures to us?” Their “burning hearts” revealed faith stirring within them.

The Stirring of Faith

In the book of Hebrews, faith is defined for us. Faith is “being sure of what we do not know…” and “being certain of what we do not see.” Faith does not come through knowledge or through concrete “proof” of something. Rather, faith is confident belief in what we hope for – that is, in God’s love and promises for us.

Faith is stirred by God’s Spirit working in our lives. Often the hearing and application of God’s Word in scripture and the experience of shared worship and sacraments can kindle faith or accompany it. God stirred faith in the two travelers on the road to Emmaus, and God stirred faith in the lives of people like Nick and Tom.

Nick, who had trouble seeing God’s vision for his people, is based on Nicodemus, a Pharisee who was the religious of the religious. He came to Jesus in secret one night to try to see just who Jesus was. Jesus talked about being “born again,” and we weren’t sure if Nicodemus understood or not. But we read about him coming in the daylight to bury Jesus’ body in the tomb. Apparently his eyes were opened along the way and he discovered what Jesus meant by being “born again.”

Tom, who couldn’t “know” the reality of God without concrete proof is based on Thomas the disciple, who missed Jesus’ appearance to the other disciples and demanded to touch Jesus’ wounds before he would believe. But Thomas’ heart was opened when he saw Jesus. He didn’t have to touch the wounds to know Jesus, but believed in faith, crying out, “My Lord and my God!”

Is God Creating Faith in Me Now?

I want to share a song I wrote with a friend of mine about today’s scripture text. I also want to give you time to ponder how God has created faith in you or even if God is creating or stirring faith in you now. Then I’ll have a few more words to say afterwards.

“Burning Hearts” (Dawson/Austell)

On Emmaus Road, heads hung low, a stranger joined who didn’t knowOf Jesus and the Christ he seemed, now dead, except in rumor’s dream.

Weren’t our hearts burning within?More than we dared to hope, to see Jesus alive again!

As if he’d written every word, He taught the Scriptures and we heardOf the Christ who first had to die to enter his glory on high. Chorus

He made to go on, but we cried, “Oh stay with us, evening is nigh”He broke the bread, gave and we knew; Our eyes opened–it was all true! Chorus

This is the question of the burning heart. It is the question of faith: is God stirring your heart so as to create a certain hope that extends beyond proof, knowledge, verification, sight, and experience? Are you experiencing a “burning heart?” If you are, I urge you to open yourself to God in faith. Your hope will not be misplaced or disappointed. For God’s love and promises are real and trustworthy. You will find faith confirmed and encouraged in scripture and worship, but faith itself is a gift from God. Search yourself this day, for God desires to be in fellowship and relationship with you. If God is creating faith in you now… if your heart is burning within you, act in faith. Talk to someone; talk to me or an elder or someone you know has a relationship with God. Confirm what God is doing in your life. That kind of hope does not disappoint.

And if the answer to that question of faith is “No” or “I don’t know,” be reassured that if you keep opening yourself to Word and Sacrament, God is at work in you. For God’s Word and Sacrament are effective means through which God stirs and creates faith. God’s Word is a “two-edged sword” – it either turns one away or draws one to God. So take heart, if you hear God’s Word to you, God is already at work in your life. Come back and keep asking the question of faith. Amen.

Some Music Used

Prelude: There is a Balm in Gilead – Rick Bean, jazz piano and arr.Open the Eyes of My HeartIt is Well (Bethel)Sermon Song: Burning Hearts/Emmaus Road (Austell/Dawson)Amazing Grace – Gwen Ingram, Bobby WhiteO Master Let Me Walk with TheePostlude: Just a Closer Walk with Thee – Rick Bean, jazz piano and arr. The post On the Road appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

SERVICE VIDEO (link)TEXT: Luke 24:1-8; Romans 1:1-7

Easter Sunday – April 9, 2023

A few weeks ago I talked about story of Lazarus as a “preview of coming attractions.” In Lazarus Jesus demonstrated the power of God over death and Jesus declared to Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life.” Well today we are no longer watching the previews; we have come to the main attraction. Jesus, dead and buried, was raised on the third day – on THIS day – to life.

Every Easter I like to make this point – and today is no exception – that Easter is not when Jesus died on the cross for the sin of the world. That was Friday, and that’s why we call it Good Friday! And that is so important. Because Jesus died for us, our sins are forgiven and we can be reconciled to God. But that’s not the end. In fact, it’s just the beginning. Easter is the rest of the story, the next chapter, the “so what” of it all. In Romans 6:4 the Apostle Paul writes:

We have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.

Paul wrote Romans to share the Good News about Jesus Christ and his Resurrection. In the opening verses of Romans, which was our second scripture reading today, Paul identifies himself as a servant and apostle of Jesus, set apart for the gospel or Good News of God. I want to look at these verses with you because they present in short form why the Resurrection is Good News and what it means for those who trust in Jesus Christ.

What is the Good News? à Jesus is the Son of God! (v.4)

Paul understands himself to be a servant of Jesus, called as an apostle. That means that he is a man on a mission, and that mission is sharing the Good News (gospel). That’s his purpose in writing this letter to the Romans and it’s his life-purpose. So I want to ask, “What is this Good News?” Even in these introductory verses, Paul has quite a bit to say about it, noting that Jesus was PROMISED and PRESENTED as the Son of God.

Promised! (vv.2-3)

2 which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures3 concerning His Son, born of a descendant of David according to the flesh

First, Jesus was promised… through the prophets in the holy Scriptures (v.2). We’ve noted that Jesus fulfilled numerous scriptures written about the Messiah, from the healing and freeing of people captive to spiritual, emotional, and physical maladies to symbolic acts like riding the donkey into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. And by no means least among the promises in the Hebrew scriptures of our Old Testament are the promise that the Messiah would be born from David’s line. And so two of the Gospels trace this lineage from David to Jesus.

The Good News God “promised beforehand” was that He would send the Messiah to usher in the Kingdom and declare peace. And up until Jesus’ death, more and more people in Jerusalem and the surrounding area were believing that Jesus was that Messiah, so much so that he was perceived as a threat to the religious and secular powers of the day. But short of resurrection, all that seemed like it had failed. He had been killed, put down before he became too much of a threat.

Presented! (v.4)

4 who was declared the Son of Godwith power by the resurrection from the deadaccording to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord

It’s this next part that has to do with today and resurrection. In verse 4 Paul writes that Jesus was “declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead.” That word declared can also mean demonstrated or even ‘presented.’ It was the Resurrection that showed Jesus to be who he said he was, who scriptures promised he would be. It was the power of God on display. If you were here two weeks ago when we talked about Lazarus, we noted that raising him from the dead was the demonstration of God’s power in a public way. Even more so, the Resurrection of Jesus demonstrated God’s power and Jesus’ victory over sin and death. He was not defeated, but victorious!

Some would try to discredit the Resurrection, saying that he had only fainted or that the body had been stolen. But it was publicly witnessed that the soldiers verified his death by piercing his side while still on the cross. And they knew what they were doing. The Gospel writers list out eye-witnesses to the Resurrected Jesus, not just one or two, but hundreds who could be interviewed and corroborated in the days that followed.

The Resurrection is at the heart of the Good News because it demonstrates or shows Jesus to be just who Paul names him to be: Jesus Christ the Lord. And for those of us who accept the testimony and demonstration presented to us by the Resurrection, he is Jesus Christ OUR Lord.

Invited: Now that You’ve Heard… (vv.5-7)

5 through whom we have received grace and apostleshipto bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name’s sake,6 among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ;7 to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as saints

Paul doesn’t end there; his letter is not just a summary of what Jesus has done. He goes on in verses 5-7 to address those who would read this letter. It is no longer Paul talking about his own mission and calling, but now WE who have received “grace and apostleship and a calling.” For all who have heard this Good News that Jesus is the Son of God, there are six take-aways that involve you.

Grace – Through Jesus Christ, we have received grace. Grace is a gift, a kindness. It is God’s forgiveness, love, adoption, and calling all rolled into one. God loves you and wants you to be a part of His family and work. In Christ you are welcome and you belong.

Mission – I mentioned God’s work; it is no surprise that it is mentioned right there alongside grace. ‘Apostleship’ is the mission we are on, to love God and love others, to serve God and serve others. We aren’t saved and shown grace to simply be put on a shelf of holy things, but God welcomes us in order that we participate in what He is doing in the world. And so we are sent into the world to love and to serve.

Obedience – Paul goes on to mention one aspect of this mission: it is “to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles.” For a mission that started in Jerusalem, this is another way of saying “to the whole world.” This Gospel, this Good News, this mission… it is for everyone, for all who will hear. It’s not just for those who come into our church, but for all we come in contact with (and beyond) when we walk out of here. Our own participation in the mission might be described as “obedience of faith” because someone shared the Good News with us. And we are sent out in the same way, that others might believe and trust the Lord.

Faith – Faith is what I described earlier as believing the testimony of what has been presented to us about Jesus. The women and the disciples had the opportunity to see, talk, and touch the risen Lord. They had proof. We have their testimony and the promises and presentation of scripture and people, but we have to accept it on faith. We then become part of presenting testimony and service to others, that they might believe in faith.

Loved – Paul describes those to whom he writes as “beloved of God.” This is important to name as well! God loves you! It’s not all about the mission and the obedience, but the belonging. In Christ you are a part of God’s family; you are wanted; you are loved. You are God’s beloved.

Purpose – Paul ends this introduction with “called as saints” and twice uses “called” in vv.6-7. Saints sounds like some kind of super-Christian, something other than how you think of yourself. But it simply means “set apart.” It’s another way of saying that you belong to Christ and that he has work for you to do. That doesn’t mean be a pastor or a missionary (though it might!), but to be a follower of Jesus in the world. Last Thursday night we talked about the last commandment Jesus gave: to love as I have loved and to serve as I have served. This is our work and purpose, elaborated in the other teaching of Jesus and pages of scripture. But that’s what “called as saints” means: Jesus is Lord and you follow him with your life.

The Resurrection Means…

All six of these things are a quick take on what does it mean to believe that Jesus is the Son of God, that God raised him from the dead? This is just the “Dear Reader” part of Paul’s letter! He writes 15 chapters to elaborate on these few short verses here. But the intro provides a good overview and summary: God has shown you in Christ that you are loved, wanted, and invited to participate in God’s work in the world.

That’s what we are about at Good Shepherd. Come back and be a part of that with us! In the weeks to come we will continue to explore this theme as we look at several post-Resurrection appearances of Jesus to different people. Come back and we’ll explore together! Amen.

Some Music Used

Choral Call to Worship: O Lamb of God (Boesel, Youngblood)Christ the Lord is Risen TodayBehold OUr GodIs He WorthyOffertory: Crown Him with Many Crowns (organ/piano duet)King of Kings The post The Main Attraction appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

FULL SERVICE VIDEO (link)TEXT: John 11:45-57; 12:9-19

Today we are going to briefly return to the story of Lazarus and then a series of events that are full of action, plots, politics, and intrigue. In fact, the story of Lazarus dovetails right into the event that we are remembering today on Palm Sunday.

I want to walk you through the timeline and events and note a few key elements along the way. We will be left with a question, perhaps better described as a tension: is all of this a plot against Jesus or sure signs of the salvation that God was providing to the world? People and opinions were divided…

First Division: Sanhedrin (11:45-53)

After the amazing miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead, many believed. (v. 45) Of course they did! I’m not sure how much more clearly a sign could be given. Jesus didn’t just heal a sick man or bring the recently deceased back to life. He raised a four-day old stinking corpse to life. And as we saw last week, Jesus went out of his way to include those witnessing this, from his out-loud prayers to asking some to move the grave stone to asking some to help remove the cloth wrapped around Lazarus. People saw and smelled and touched and believed.

And yet… and yet… SOME went and reported Jesus to the people trying to kill him. It’s right there in verse 46. Some, even seeing all that, did not believe Jesus, but turned against him and worked against him. It marks the first of several times in today’s text that, presented with the same events, people were divided over what to do with Jesus.

The ones trying to kill Jesus, the ones receiving this report of his whereabouts, were the chief priests and Pharisees, nearby in Jerusalem. We read in v. 47 that they convened the council (also known as the Sanhedrin) to discuss what to do about Jesus. Helpfully, we don’t have to imagine their concerns, they are spelled out for us:

What are we doing? For this man is performing many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation. (vv. 47-48)

They recognize that he is performing signs. Throughout the Gospel of John, Jesus’ miracles are called “miraculous signs.” The point is that they aren’t just supernatural (though they are that); rather, they are called ‘signs’ because they point to something. That something is Jesus’s identity as the Messiah. In other words, his actions are holding him up to be the Messiah – popularly believed by the people to be a mighty warrior of God come to through off the oppressive rule of the Romans. You can see that played out in the council’s words. If Jesus continues attracting attention, his popularity will attract the attention of the Romans, who would tighten their grip on Israel, displacing the religious rulers place of power as well as what was left of the independence of the nation.

The council conversation continued and the high priest, a man named Caiaphas, noted that the stakes were so high that it would be worth sacrificing this one man’s life if it would spare the nation the wrath of the Romans. These words would have been ironic in hindsight anyway, but John makes a fascinating assertion that because he was serving as high priest, God actually spoke and accomplished these words through him. And we read in v. 53 that “from that day on they planned together to kill [Jesus].” Without the high priest realizing it, God was using him to bring about the once-and-for-all sacrifice of the spotless lamb for the sake of the world. God can even use His enemies to accomplish His will and bring Him glory!

Second Division: Looking Out (11:54-57)

Last week I mentioned the risk to Jesus. That is what took him and the disciples some 20 miles from Jerusalem because of a crowd that had tried to kill him. It was a risk to come back to Mary and Martha’s house in Bethany, just two miles outside Jerusalem, and we have seen now that the risk was not unfounded. Indeed, he was recognized and reported to the religious leaders in Jerusalem, despite coming to Bethany for the extraordinary purpose of bringing Lazarus back to life.

After raising Lazarus and as we read about the council plotting to kill him in v. 53, Jesus and the disciples again withdrew to the country (v. 54). And some time passed. We can actually piece together how much time passed because he had come to Bethany just after the Feast of Lights (modern-day Hanukkah), at the end of December. He will return for Passover, which is approximately the same time as our Easter, so basically winter has passed to spring, about three months.

In the meantime, no one has forgotten Jesus. If anything, everyone is on the lookout for him. You get a flavor of that in vv. 55-57, with opinion and interest in him still divided. Knowing that most Jews came to Jerusalem for Passover, we read that many were “seeking” Jesus and speculating on whether he would come to the feast at all. (v. 56) We also read that the religious leaders are on the lookout, having given orders that anyone with knowledge of Jesus’ whereabouts should report it for his arrest. Jesus was a wanted man!

Third Division: Passover (12:9-19)

Jesus did indeed return for the Passover, coming to Bethany again six days beforehand. (John 12:1) In our Holy Week timeline, that would have been yesterday, the day before what would become known as Palm Sunday. There he had dinner and Mary anointed Jesus’ feet with very costly perfume. His presence became known and many came to see Jesus as well as Lazarus. It is here we read that Lazarus has become a wanted man. His presence and the talk about him made him a prime target for believers and enemies alike. This is why I still include all of this as the conclusion to the Lazarus story.

This brings us to the account proper of what is usually referred to as “The Triumphal Entry” or “Palm Sunday.” It is the next day, a Sunday, and Jesus comes from Bethany into Jerusalem. The crowd has already gathered, already heard that he is on the way. And they give him a very particular and significant welcome. They take branches of a palm tree and go to meet him and shout, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel.” They are quoting from Psalm 118, part of which comprised our responsive call to worship today. All this – ALL this – is another sign of who Jesus is. From the shouts of “Save us now!” (that’s what “Hosanna” means) to the connection to Psalm 118 to riding in on a donkey to the timing of it all… he was fulfilling the Messianic script. These were all things the Messiah would do and the people recognized it and him, which is why they shouted “King of Israel” at him. Meanwhile, all the people who had witnessed the raising of Lazarus were testifying about that miraculous sign. (v. 17) Given all this, it would not have been any clearer a sign if a blimp had been hovering over him with “That’s the Messiah!” flashing across the screen.

Those fears expressed by the council months earlier had all come to pass. Seemingly the whole world had gone after him… and they were proclaiming him the “King of Israel.” You can begin to see how these chief priests and Pharisees, who were concerned enough at the possibility of him being seen as the Messiah to try to kill him, now moved very decisively against him so that within a matter of days he would be arrested and killed. They believed their livelihood, their freedom, and their very lives were at stake.

And so, on this “Palm Sunday,” we find an extreme division between those believing and hailing Jesus as King and those trying to kill him for it.

Division Today

As I ponder how all that might be applicable in our lives beyond greater knowledge of the unfolding story, I think of how people presented with the same information can come to very different opinions, not only on politics or cultural issues, but on faith and Christ himself.

It strikes me that this is how it’s always been. Often in discussions about Christian faith the question will be raised about those who have never heard about Jesus. Frankly, I don’t ultimately know. I know that we should be ready and willing to share God’s story, but I ultimately don’t know, though I trust God.

What is a significantly more common reality in our lives is not encountering people who have never heard of Jesus, but the way that Jesus draws some and repels others. There is a fundamental and very challenging question underlying that reality. We can push it off for a while saying, “I just need more information” or “I just need some proof.” But the thing is that information and signs and proof still leave us with the fundamental question: “Will you trust and follow me?”

Think about all that was witnessed that day Lazarus was raised, not to mention in the week before Passover. Jesus not only displayed supernatural power that signaled explicitly who he was and what he was doing, he then fulfilled prophecy after prophecy, like a massive prophetic checklist.

Has God answered prayer? Check.

Is the beauty of God’s creation evident around us? Check.

Has God’s intention and message to us been made clear through writing, teaching, witness, and sacrifice? Check.

“Will you trust and follow me?”

…I’m not sure. I need more time. Yeah, mostly; I just have a few exception clauses I’d like to write in.

… or sometimes, “I will not!”

At the heart of the fundamental question is the thing at stake in the fundamental commandment. Will you yield your will and life to a god other than yourself? Will you serve and love another?

Jesus began asking the question when he first began calling the disciples, before any miraculous signs. God asked the question of His people throughout the scripture – of Abraham, Moses, Esther, Mary.

The two responses to Jesus are so clear again and again throughout the Lazarus story. And that’s what I think this story brings to us today beyond knowledge of how a story unfolded. It asks us the question Jesus asked of so many: “Will you trust and follow me?”

We even know how the story turned out, while those following Jesus didn’t know what Easter morning held. We have our own treasure-trove of witness, signs, experience, and knowledge. But it comes down to this:

Will you trust and follow Jesus… wherever he might lead? Ponder your response as we pray together.

Some Music Used

Introit: Ride On, King Jesus (Bean/VanderHeide) – GSPC ChoirHosanna, Loud HosannaYour NameAll Glory, Laud, and Honor/Hosanna (arr. Austell) The post Decision Time appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

Full Service Video (link)TEXT: John 11:1-4; Revelation 21:1-5

Do you know the story of Lazarus? He was the man – the friend – that Jesus raised from the dead. His story has so much going on. In fact one year I preached through this story for all of Lent – six sermons on the one story! There is grief, there is waiting on God (or Jesus), there is faith, there is risk, there is death, and there is life. But ultimately, though this might be accurately described as one of the greatest miracles of Jesus’ earthly ministry, it is about more than that. It is about the glory of God. In fact, all of Jesus’ miracles were about “something else.” Though often motivated by compassion or faith, they were signs of power that showed (as signs do) what God was doing. They showed the power of God or the coming Kingdom or Jesus purpose. And this last and greatest miracle (before his own resurrection) was no exception. In fact, Jesus tips us off at the beginning and the end of the story as to the greater purpose. Look at what he tells his disciples in verse 4, while they are still a long way off from Bethany and Lazarus:

“This sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it.”

I want to talk briefly about what that is… the “glory of God.” Then I want to list and briefly describe six interesting places in the overall story that might be points of connection for us as we look for the glory of God in our lives and situations.

The Glory of God

What is the glory of God?

Glory is hard to wrap our minds and even our hearts around; it is not an intellectual or philosophical category. Perhaps one of the words that best gets at it is that glory is BEAUTY. The expansive view over the Blue Ridge mountains is breathtakingly beautiful; it is glorious. The thunderous power of ocean waves crashing on a pristine beach is awe-inspiring; it is glorious. God is said to be glorious because God’s goodness, love, wisdom, justice, power, and all of God’s character, being, and actions are glorious. Something is glorious if it is more radiant, more weighty, more true, more real than anything else; and God is the most glorious of all.

From the beginning, Jesus says that this sickness is not to end in death. But the punchline isn’t “but in life”; rather it is “for the glory of God.” And that is so that the Son of God might also be glorified. Jesus was saying that what was about to happen was that God would show up, God’s power would be evident, God’s character and purpose would be on full display. It would be glorious! Is that something we can see in the story? Is it something we can see today? That’s the question…

So I want to list out six factors that contribute to seeing God’s glory in the resurrection of Lazarus. And just to point you to the end, I’m going to try to make some connections that these are ways we might still look for God’s glory today.

#1 Timing (v.6)

The first factor that contributes to seeing God’s glory is timing. Jesus got word about Lazarus being sick while he was a distance away. He could have left immediately to go see Lazarus. (Of course, we also know from other stories that he could have healed Lazarus at a distance.) But he chooses neither.

One of the surprising twists this story takes comes in verse 6. We’ve just heard how close Jesus is to this family: “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.” And then abruptly we read verse six: “So when He heard that [Lazarus] was sick, He then stayed two days longer in the place where He was.” What in the world?!

It reminds me of the way of often pray: “God, here’s a problem; please fix it right away.” And this was the most urgent of things imaginable… a close and beloved friend was very sick and might die. What could be more urgent than that. Yet Jesus delayed; and Lazarus died well before Jesus got there.

And yet, it was that timing that made the story unfold the way it did.

Did God make Lazarus sick? No. But was God’s timing a factor in Jesus delaying? Apparently so.

Have I seen God be glorified in sickness? Absolutely!

Have I seen God be glorified even when the sickness resulted in death? Yes, I have. I’ve seen it in this church and in the wait and struggle many of you have endured.

What I do know is that God can be glorified, even when we have to wait. And it is possible for us to SEEK God’s glory in that difficult time.

#2 Risk (v.16)

There is another significant and unexpected element to this story, and that is the risk involved.

In John 10 Jesus was teaching in the Temple court in Jerusalem and enraged the religious leaders. They asked him to say plainly whether he was the Messiah and in his answer he said, “I and the Father are one.” (10:30) They picked up stones to kill him but he slipped away and went beyond the Jordan to the area I showed you on the map.

So this is the context when Jesus suddenly announces after two days, “Let us go to Judea again.” (v. 7) Jesus had said the sickness wouldn’t end in death, so the disciples are incredulous: “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?” The disciples knew he (and they with him) were among Jerusalem’s Most Wanted.

It is at this point that he tells them what is really going on with Lazarus. And you have to chuckle at this exchange. He first uses a figure of speech, “Lazarus has fallen asleep.” That was a gentle way to say someone had died, like we might say someone has “passed on” or “is no longer with us.” Whether just not understanding or still dumbfounded that he wants to return into such danger, the disciples don’t hear him. So he tells them outright, “Lazarus is dead.” And then we get a little deeper glimpse into the dynamic of waiting on God’s timing: “I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe.” (v. 15) Clearly, the glory of God is still in view and Jesus intends for the disciples to witness whatever he has in mind.

Finally, you get a real sense of the disciples’ perspective with the last quip from Thomas, who says to the others, “Let’s go then, and we’ll all die together.” (v. 16)

Ponder this risk. If the disciples had remained in relative safety beyond the Jordan, they would not have seen God’s glory in what Jesus was about to do. Likewise, if we simply meet week after week, safe and secure from scrutiny to study scripture and if we isolate our spiritual lives from the outside world, will we thrive? I don’t think so. Getting out means taking a risk, interacting with the world, engaging with those who are struggling apart from God. Are there risks we need to take for Jesus?

#3 Faith and Grief (vv.21-22, 32-33)

I want to look at the responses of both sisters together. They bear some similarities and some notable differences. When Jesus does finally reach Bethany, where Lazarus has now died, first Martha and then Mary come out to see Jesus. Each of them says the same initial thing: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” (vv.21,32) But then the conversations diverge. Martha goes on to make a faith statement: “Even now I now that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.” And Jesus goes on to speak of resurrection, though she doesn’t realize he means literally. Mary, on the other hand comes after because she has been in the house with the mourners. She says “if you had been here” but is already at his feet weeping.

Do I want to lift up one response as better than the other? No; rather I think these sisters illustrate the range of human response to grief, death, and loss in this world. BOTH sisters looked to Jesus as the one who could have done something. Neither can envision what Jesus is going to do, but I think their postures prepare them to see God’s glory. Martha processes her grief with faith in God’s promised future for Lazarus, and Jesus affirms that. Mary pours out her grief at the feet of the one she loves and trusts with that grief. I don’t read either of their statements as accusatory, but full of loss and grief; and each sister processes that grief in their own way.

What I want to hold out to you is that in their grief each one came to Jesus. Neither turned Jesus away, but came to him with their loss, their grief, and their helplessness. And I think that prepared them to see and experience God’s glory.

#4 Emotional Jesus (vv.34-38)

What came next was seemingly in response to Mary and her weeping. But it’s also not what I thought for so long. Part of Jesus’ response is the famous “shortest verse in the Bible” – John 11:35, “Jesus wept.” But he had another response as well. When Jesus saw Mary weeping and the other mourners who followed her out to where Jesus was, he was “deeply moved.” Now that is misleading. He’s not weeping along with them, but having a different response. There are three different kinds of emotional response in these verses:

Mary and the mourners were “wailing” (v.33) – this was a loud and public wailing, almost a kind of ritual, though certainly rooted in grief over a death

In response, Jesus snorts. That’s a more literal translation of “deeply moved” that occurs in v. 33 and then again in v.38. It’s that kind of unbidden, choking burse of emotion that comes from way down deep. (It is used to describe the sound a horse makes when agitated!) Here it has a flavor of indignation or even anger to it. We also read in that same sentence that Jesus was ‘troubled’. So clearly something is going on! However I don’t think Jesus is angry at Mary or the mourners; rather, I think he is agitated and deeply angered by death seemingly having the last word, over his friend, just days before he will defeat death itself. And he sees the full and public demonstration of what death’s claim on humanity means to his friends and his people.

Then there in verse 35, Jesus weeps yet a third kind of emotion… this is more the silent and semi-private expression of sorrow, perhaps over what Lazarus had to face and perhaps empathizing with Mary and Martha.

Don’t miss, though, that Jesus has emotions. This is one of the few places where you see them on full display, and they provide insight into the glory of God. It is okay to grieve; it is okay to be angry against sin, death, injustice, and more that grieves God. Those emotions make us all the more ready to see God break through and deliver us.

#5 Faith and Glory (vv.39-40)

Briefly, a fifth detail is interesting and also connects some of the dots. Jesus instructs those standing there to remove the stone on the tomb of Lazarus. (v.39) And ever-practical Martha protests that it will smell bad because he’s been in there for four days. But it’s the next part I don’t want you to miss. Jesus responds to her, “Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” (v.40)

Remember that he told the disciples this at the beginning? “This sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it.” And he had said to Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me will live even if he dies… do you believe this?” And she did.

So again, Jesus is reminding her (and us) to keep her eye on the glory of God.

#6 Preview of Glory (vv.41-46)

They remove the stone and then there is a very interesting prayer. After they move the stone, Jesus looks up to Heaven and prays out loud, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me; but because of the people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that you sent me.” (v. 42) Think about that prayer. It was not, “Father, I ask you, in your power, to bring Lazarus back to life.” It was not, “Father, help these people believe.” Jesus has apparently already communicated with God; he says, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me.” Indeed, we hear in Jesus’ words that God “always hears him.” This prayer was public, for the sake of those gathered around. And we know that because he even says so in the prayer! It’s not for show; it’s so those gathered may believe. (We also know that because he says so.) And how does their belief relate to God’s glory? Remember, we just talked about that with Martha. It is so that they can SEE God at work, so they can see God’s glory and believe.

The next thing Jesus does is cry out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth.” Why so loud? I think it was like Jesus’ prayer… public, for the sake of those listening. If they missed Jesus’ prayer, they didn’t miss this. That guy is shouting into the open, stinky cave for the dead man to come out. Hard to miss that! All this and the miraculous resurrection that follows is all so public. There is a reason for that! There is a trajectory here that doesn’t end with Lazarus being raised. It is to bear witness to God’s glory and the even greater miracle that is soon to come on Easter morning.

Keep Your Eye on the Glory of God

This is a story about the glory of God. Think about all the ways the people in the story were invited to see and experience God’s glory. Through waiting, godly risk, faith, grief, and other emotions. Is all that dependent on the resurrection of Lazarus? Does your own experience of God depend on whether God answers ‘yes’ to your most earnest prayers?

While I understand the yearning for God to give us what we want – I do! – this story didn’t end with the resurrection of Lazarus but with the resurrection of Christ on Easter. That’s the glory God wants us to see and experience in our own lives. And for some even seeing Lazarus dead four days and brought back to life was not enough to open their eyes. But for many others, it led them to believe.

So my question is whether you have sought God, whether you WILL seek God in your own waiting, risking, faith, grief, and other emotions. Will you seek God recognizing that God’s great ‘yes’ and the great demonstration of God’s glory is found in Jesus, crucified and raised for you?

The disciples waited with Jesus and then returned with him to face the risk of Jerusalem. Martha came to Jesus in faith in the midst of her loss. Mary brought her tears and sorrow to Jesus, also in faith. Jesus himself grieved the sorrows and losses of this life, but also demonstrated the power of God in this last sign, one that would point directly to the cross and the empty tomb, and beyond.

1Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. 2And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.

3And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, 4and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”

5And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.”

(Revelation 21:1-5)

Do you see it? There, the glory of God! Amen.

Some Music Used

Prelude: Wade in the Water/Down by the Riverside – Rick Bean, arr. and pianoRevelation SongSing Praise to GodGratitudeI Will RisePostlude: Just a Closer Walk – Rick Bean, arr. and piano The post Preview of Coming Attractions appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

Service Video (link)TEXT: Matthew 4:1-11

Have you ever heard or read something and then come to find out it’s just not true?

How can you know if something is true? How can you know if something is right?

Today we heard a scene from the life of the Jesus often called the “Temptation of Jesus.” Basically he is being told or offered something as true and right and it’s all twisted truth or lies. I want to look with you at Jesus’ responses, both as a practical matter and as a spiritual matter.

#1 Truth > Desire (vv.1-4)

Have you ever been hungry? Like, really hungry? If someone offered you a way to get food when you were that hungry, you might be tempted to say or do the wrong thing. Sometimes our needs or desires are such a strong force in our life. Or what’s something else you might really want, really need? What about to pass a certain test. And maybe you didn’t study enough and you are pretty sure you aren’t going to do well, and someone offers you some answers, offers to let you look, tempts you to cheat. What will you do?

Jesus was out by himself to spend a long time praying to God. Part of that was a choice to fast or to not eat for a period of time to focus more entirely on God. And he was tempted to shortcut that, or cut it short, and eat to satisfy his hunger. It would have been like cheating on a test instead of studying for it. But very tempting if you are hungry, if you need the grade.

You probably know what the right thing to do is, though, right? We usually know; it’s just that our desires or our needs overrule what is true and right. But Jesus demonstrated the right choice. He said no to that temptation to shortcut his fast. But he went beyond that. He identified the reason it was wrong to cut it short. There is something more important than satisfying hunger in his stomach. It was satisfying the hunger of the soul or the spirit. He says, quoting scripture, “One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” In other words, he had set this time aside to be with God and cutting it short to feed his stomach would also cut it short with God. Continuing to feed his soul with the prayer and fasting was more important and he wouldn’t cut it short to eat.

I think about the temptation to cheat on a test. It’s such a shortcut to a good grade. But it also means you haven’t learned the material, and that will definitely come back to bite you at the end of the semester, or in the next grade, or as you progress through school. Even though shortcuts are attractive and tempting, they aren’t helpful in the long run. And Jesus demonstrated that same thing by not cutting short his time with God.

#2 Context (vv.5-7)

A second way that truth is sometimes twisted is by just giving part of the story. People on TV and on the Internet do this all the time because they aren’t just sharing information, they are trying to convince you of something. And there’s something about hearing or seeing something on the TV or online that makes something seem more true. Those sources have a certain kind of authority to them that we want to believe. So you hear something like TikTok is going to be banned and that can go any number of ways. Some people will frame it in a way that sounds like the people making the decision don’t care about young people. Or it might get framed in a way to make China – or even Chinese people – look bad. Some reporters will add the detail of it being a security risk. But how do you really get down to the truth of the matter. I’d say look for people who take time to explain the CONTEXT, the full story. Yes, it’s a security risk for our country because it shares a lot of personal details with another country. Why is that bad? Are there other options than shutting it down? What are those? Do they address the problem? Is anyone explaining the ins and outs, ups and downs, to the people it will affect the most?

Let’s look at Jesus for a moment. Something similar happened to him. Sometimes the person with the twisted truth can even use religion or religious authority in a way that isn’t right. Jesus was tempted to test God and the reason given was as verse of scripture, something often appealed to as trustworthy! But it was taken out of context. It wasn’t the whole story. And it was so twisted that it was actually used to try to say almost the opposite of what it really meant. But Jesus knew a lot of the scripture. He also knew that it taught that we are not supposed to put God to the test by intentionally doing something foolish and demanding God fix it. The scripture about God protecting us is encourages us to TRUST God, but it was being used to try to get Jesus to TEST God, and Jesus rightly pointed to another scripture that warned against that.

To be even more exaggerated, let me give this example. It’s kind of like if I got up here and told you that the Bible says you should follow me and do what I say. It says it right there in this same chapter we are looking at, in Matthew 4:19… it says “Follow me!” So you all should follow me and do what I say. But what is the CONTEXT of that? Does it mean follow whoever quotes that to you? Not at all. Jesus is the one speaking those words. Simply quoting the Bible isn’t enough; we should understand what it is saying and why. Then I believe it does have great wisdom and truth for us. The full verse in Matthew 4:19 says this, and it is Jesus speaking these words, “He said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” Jesus was talking to several fishermen and inviting them to come be his students. So he invited them to follow him and to “fish for people” instead of for fish. They would eventually go out and tell other people about Jesus and who he was. So if I’m going to teach that verse well, tell the truth about it, I would be telling you about Jesus and inviting you to follow HIM and learn more about who he was. And even then, there’s more context to look at. Who were these fisherman? How did they respond? What does it mean today for you or me to “follow Jesus.” If you are trying to get at the truth of something, ask lots of questions, look for more context, try to understand the full story of what is going on!

#3 Truth > Power (vv.8-11)

And lest it seem like this sermon is for younger folks with the examples of cheating and TikTok, here is one for the grownups (but one kids can pay attention to as well)! In a third encounter, Jesus was tempted with great power and influence. If he’ll just sell out on his primary mission, he can “have it all.”

Kids are sometimes tempted to cheat on a test. Adults are too, but perhaps a greater temptation is to twist the truth or accept a twist on truth to get ahead, to get more money or power or influence. If you just “look the other way” it might work to your advantage. Maybe that’s on taxes, or accepting something that’s good for you but not good for everyone. It’s easy to become selective about doing what is right when “getting ahead” is pitted against it.

But Jesus simple claim at the end of our story is that truth is greater than power. In the face of being offered the world, he responds (again from scripture), “Worship the Lord your God, and serve only Him.” (v.10) Again, he goes deep, beyond immediate reward, to say that there is something bigger and greater and truer than getting ahead in this world. Even for someone who questions the existence of God, I think there are good arguments to say that there are greater ideals than getting ahead in this world: ideals like truth, love, beauty, community, and doing the right thing. But as a Christian, I believe all those ideals are grounded in a God who is the source of all truth, love, beauty, community, and rightness. Jesus rightly draws our attention away from self-focus (“How can I get ahead?”) to other-focus (God and neighbor). That’s one of his common themes throughout his life and teaching.

Summary

How do you know what is true? Here are three statements and questions to take with you.

Truth is greater than desire. Is this always true or just what I want to do or hear right now?Truth is found in the details, in context. Have I asked the right questions? Do I understand the wider context?Truth is greater than power. Is this good and right and true or am I being distracted by something shiny that is what I want to hear? Jesus not only provided good methods for discerning truth, he pointed us to God as the source of all truth and goodness. He trusted these scriptures and was teaching things that would become scripture. I would offer the same cautions even with that, even with someone like me speaking to you. Use the same tests, the same guidelines, but in doing so, perhaps you will also hear Truth (capital ‘T’) from the source of Truth. Amen.

Some Music Used

Prelude: How Firm a Foundation – Rick Bean, arr. and pianoLet God AriseKing of Kings (vv.1-2)CHOIR: Behold the Lamb of GodThe Blessing The post Twisted Truth appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

SERVICE VIDEO (link)TEXT: Luke 22:41-44; John 18:4,10-11,33-40

“Thy will be done.”

Jesus taught us to pray in that way and he prayed in that way. But what does that mean? What does that mean for you and me, not only to pray it, but desire and seek God’s will in our lives?

Today we look at some of the timeline leading to the cross and to Easter morning as we continue “Preparing for Easter.” We will hear Jesus pray that prayer and the context in which he prayed it. We’ll look at what happened when one of his most devoted followers veered from God’s will. And we’ll ponder the interesting exchange between Jesus and Pilate as a way to better understand what the Father’s will was for the Son. My hope is that you will not only learn something new or deeper about this part of the story leading up to Easter, but that it will also shape your prayer life and understanding of following Jesus.

Not My Will, But Yours (Luke 22)

Luke 22 records several key events on the Thursday night before the Friday crucifixion. Jesus and the disciples have the Passover meal, the Last Supper in which Jesus identifies the bread as his body and the cup as his blood, broken and poured out for them. Shortly after that there is an argument among the disciples about who is the best. It is then that Peter so boldly declares he is prepared to go to prison or die for Jesus, but Jesus indicates Peter will soon deny knowing him.

From there they go out of Jerusalem and go up the hill outside the city to the Mount of Olives to pray. Once there, Jesus separates and goes off a little way to pray by himself:

41And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and began to pray, 42saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.” 43Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him. 44And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground.

There are a number of really interesting things in that short description of Jesus’ time of prayer. He clearly knows what is going to happen and it is interesting to note that he prays for another path, but only if the Father is willing. We’ll see this here and then in a later scene, but he speaks of “this cup” as a metaphor for the suffering he is to endure, or more broadly speaking, for God’s will for him. It was only a short time earlier (an hour?) that he held up a cup at the Last Supper and said “this cup is poured out for you in my blood.” (v.20) And now he is asking the Father to “remove this cup,” but once on either side of making that request: “if you are willing” and “yet not my will, but Yours be done.”

What a great model for us! In the Lord’s Prayer and here Jesus teaches us to pray for God’s will to be done, but it is okay to let God know what we desire.

Jesus seemed to really be struggling with what was coming. He is described as “being in agony,” “praying very fervently,” and sweating “like drops of blood.” That is really intense. Have you ever wrestled over something in prayer that felt like that?

But also look at v. 43 – “an angel from heaven appeared to him, strengthening him.” What a mercy in the middle of such an agonizing time! It is a comfort to think that God would strengthen us to yield to His will for us while also hearing our struggles and agonizing prayers. We do not have to clean up or pretty up or hold things in when we pray to the Lord, but we are wise to seek God’s will, even when it seems difficult or at odds with our own will.

My Will (John 18:4,10-11)

We will shift to a different book, to the Gospel of John, but the events pick up right after that time of prayer, which John actually records in much greater detail. After praying, they rise and the group coming to arrest him comes out. John tells us that Jesus knew what was coming and went out to meet them, even identifying himself to them. Though his prayers might have been agonizing, Jesus is surely strengthened in resolve and in his spirit to do the Father’s will. So he meets it head on.

4So Jesus, knowing all the things that were coming upon Him, went forth and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” 5They answered Him, “Jesus the Nazarene.” He said to them, “I am He.”

Peter, on the other hand is ready to defend Jesus and draws his sword. But listen to Jesus’ response:

10Simon Peter then, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear; and the slave’s name was Malchus. 11So Jesus said to Peter, “Put the sword into the sheath; the cup which the Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?”

“The cup which the Father has given me, shall I not drink it?” Again, Jesus has set his face toward the cross, toward all that was yet to come.

What was Peter doing? On one hand, we might praise him for his bravery to defend Jesus. But Jesus had been sharing more and more with them about what was to come, how his was not an earthly Kingdom to take on Rome and soldiers. Just that night he had poured wine into the cup saying his blood would be poured out. He had just finished praying about doing the Father’s will; maybe Peter didn’t hear it, though John seemed to. At any rate, Peter did what Peter wanted to do. I can’t really blame him in the moment. Nonetheless, it was not the Father’s will, and Jesus corrected him, saying that he (Jesus) was intent on drinking the cup.

Sometimes we do the wrong thing, knowing it is wrong and not the Lord’s will. Other times, we do our own thing with all the best intentions and zeal… and it is not the Lord’s will. I have often been quick to do what I thought was the right thing, but did not stop to ask the Lord for guidance or search the scripture for direction. It’s also very easy to be so energized about MY plans, that I decide they probably are God’s plans… and I miss the mark.

Peter’s actions also remind me of something we talked about in the class Cathy has been teaching on Thursday nights. We talked this past week about intentions vs. impact. Sometimes we act toward others (of other races) with good intentions, but the effects or impact of our action are counter-productive or not received well. It behooves us to listen to people, to the needs of a community or person before acting, even if our intentions are good.

Christy has taught me about this with the youth and children’s ministry. Before coming to Good Shepherd she had significant training and experience in “community engagement.” One of the foundational pieces of community engagement is listening to a community to determine their needs and wants, then partnering with them to attain those needs and wants.

Like Peter, sometimes we forge ahead with good intentions, but we are not doing what is needed, wanted, or best. It makes me think that a necessary first step to the Great Commandment (loving God and loving others) is listening well. Whether it is loving and serving God or loving and serving our neighbors, we are wise to first listen to determine what it is that God asks or that our neighbor needs before offering our love and service.

Where might you and I need to hear “put away your sword?” Where might you and I need to listen more carefully?

Your Will (John 18:33-40)

This brings us finally to Jesus coming before Pilate. Pilate was the Roman governor of Judea and the one who could authorize execution. The chief priests wanted Jesus arrested and killed, but did not have the authority to do so. But they thought that if they presented him as someone trying to incite rebellion against Rome, then Pilate would act to have him killed.

33 Therefore Pilate entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” 34 Jesus answered, “Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?” 35 Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?” 36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.” 37 Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” 38 Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews and said to them, “I find no guilt in Him. 39 “But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover; do you wish then that I release for you the King of the Jews?” 40 So they cried out again, saying, “Not this Man, but Barabbas.” Now Barabbas was a robber.

Pilate gets right to the heart of the matter, asking “Are you the King of the Jews?” then “What have you done?”

Jesus answers, “My kingdom is not of this world… [otherwise] my servants would be fighting.” (v.36) How important it was that Peter not veer from the path set before Jesus!

Hearing about a kingdom, even not of this world, Pilate asks again, “So you are a king?”

And this is where Jesus describes “the Father’s cup” rather specifically: “I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth.” Jesus came to announce the Kingdom of God, over which he is (or will be) King. Sometimes people ask how much Jesus knew about being Messiah, about being God. He covers quite a bit here; it’s not invented later by his followers. He has come to announce the arrival of the Kingdom of God – this much has been clear in his many, many teachings about it! And he understands himself to be the King of that Kingdom. It is his purpose; it is God’s purpose for him. And he says that this is the truth! (v.37)

Pilate notoriously asks, “What is truth?” (v.38) Jesus has just said that everyone who belongs to the truth – to God’s Kingdom – hears his voice. It appears that Pilate does not and will not believe. However, he does go back to the chief priests and say, “I find no guilt in Him.” (v.38) But just as we think maybe he is somehow on Jesus’ side, he then offers the Passover Swap – a custom of releasing one prisoner at the time of the Passover. He offers Jesus, whom he thinks is largely harmless, or Barabbas, a robber. And as we know, they choose Barabbas.

Just as I can relate to Peter’s rash behavior to do what he thought was right, I can also relate to Pilate, who seems more interested in making sure he doesn’t get in trouble either with Rome or with the influential priests. He rightly recognizes the charges against Jesus are false, but then he tries to appease the disappointed priests by offering a deal. Jesus holds out truth to him – a close analogue to God’s will – and Pilate misses it, listening to other voices and influences to make his decisions.

Drinking the Father’s Cup

The questions from today’s text are simple to name, but hard to do.

Do you seek the Father’s cup – God’s will – for the decisions you make and the things you do? We do that through prayer, through studying scripture, through seeking the wise counsel of other believers we trust.

And if you have a good idea what that is, do you seek to follow it, to pursue it.

It’s easy to just go with what seems right. It’s easy to just go with what makes the fewest waves and keeps us out of trouble.

But Jesus taught us to pray and to yield to “Thy will be done.”

Where do you need to pray this prayer and yield to God in your life? It may be on a deep level, like the very question of faith. But I’m really thinking more of day to day choices. I know I often wait and check in with God when I get in trouble. But Jesus taught us to pray “thy will be done” alongside prayer for our daily bread. This suggests frequent and regular seeking of God’s will.

Do you seek God’s will in your relationships? In your work? In your goals and priorities? In your free time? In your dreams? In your sense of purpose? In what you read and watch and listen to?

Or maybe you have some sense that God is asking something big of you: some work, some challenge, something hard. Remember that those even Jesus wrestled with the big thing, he yielded to God’s will and he was strengthened for the task!

What would it mean for you to yield to the Father’s will in any of these areas? To drink the Father’s cup?

May God strengthen you for the task at hand! Amen.

Some Music Used

Let Your Kingdom ComeGratitudeChoir: Kyrie EliesonAll Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name The post Drinking the Father’s Cup appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

SERVICE VIDEO (link)TEXT: Matthew 6:16-18; Luke 18:9-14

Jesus told parables in order to make a point – often an unexpected point – to his listeners. In the parable in Luke 18 today, he tells a parable “to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt.” (v.9)

Do you know anyone like that? Have you ever been like that?

Let me substitute a word and ask again. A very close synonym for ‘righteous’ is ‘right.’

Do you know someone who is sure that they are right and views others with contempt? Have you ever been like that?

Hmm… Jesus is meddlin’.

Two Men (Luke 18:9-14)

Two men went up into the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee was very public and loud, “praying” by thanking God how much better he was than other sinful people, even singling out the tax collector praying beside him. He also thanked God for his acts of fasting and tithing.

In contrast, the tax collector was some distance away with face down, praying, “God, be merciful to me, the sinner!”

In parables, there is often a surprise, a turning of the tables. It’s not particularly hidden in this parable. The Pharisee would have been expected to offer good and right prayers. The tax collector shouldn’t have even been in the Temple. But their behavior is not what the audience would expect. The Pharisee is believably over-righteous, over-confident, showy, clearly in the wrong, though fasting, tithing, and praying are all good activities. It is clear that his attitude is all wrong. The tax collector, outcast and spurned by good Jewish people, would not be expected to be in the Temple (or very welcome). But there he is aware of and confessing his sinfulness and pleading for God’s mercy.

So the tables have turned and the big ‘twist’ at the end is the reader being left pondering which character they more closely resemble. We are told in verse 9 that Jesus told the parable TO some people who trusted their own righteousness and viewed others with contempt. So, it’s clear where the twist primarily lands. But suppose there were tax collectors, prostitutes, sick, or Gentiles who heard this. They would also hear the twist, but in the other direction; if they were humble before the Lord, they would be lifted up. This parable has a double twist.

Wait, Are You Talking to Me?

Sometimes it’s easy to understand the teaching, but hard to find ourselves properly in the story. It’s safe to be the all-knowing reader and think, “Oh yeah, look at him working both sides of the crowd.” But where are we?

Let me go back to my original word-substitution. Do you know someone who is sure that they are right and views others with contempt? Have you ever been like that?

Hmm… maybe now I’m meddlin’!

My mind immediately goes to politics and the deep divisions in our country and even sometimes between family and friends. I know what I think about this or that… immigration, racism, the economy, the Republicans, the Democrats, and with only a few exceptions I am surrounded by people who think the same. I’m pretty convinced I’m right and those other people are wrong. It’s easy to slide into contempt and worse.

Imagine Jesus’ parable set in modern terms. And let’s substitute in both sides, because when it comes to this all have sinned.

“Lord, thank you that I am not like those other people: selfish, manipulative, deceived, or even like that [fill in the blank] over there.” I do this and I do that; I’m one of the good guys!

Have you been guilty of that kind of thinking? Even that kind of praying?! I admit that I have…

What does humility look like in our modern social and political context?

Wash Your Face (Matthew 6:16-18)

In the Matthew 6 passage, Jesus offers counsel regarding one of the practices the proud Pharisee mentions in his prayer in the parable. Jesus says, “Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face… [to be noticed when fasting].” “But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face so that your fasting will not be noticed by others, but by your Father.” (vv.16-18)

This acting in order to be noticed, in order to draw attention to ourselves… sometimes we call it “tooting our own horn.” In the world of social media – Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok – it’s being “performative.” Do I change my profile picture to a flag or a color or a symbol because I care about a cause or because I want to be seen caring about a cause? Indeed, do I post memes and media bits about a political issue because I am passionate about that issue or because I want to be seen being passionate about that issue or distinguishing myself from others, like that ______ over there.

Jesus not only calls out this kind of performative speech and behavior, he also sets humility as the standard for what pleases the Lord, what is ‘justified’ before the Lord.

Humility is the attitude, the heart-posture, of the one who takes seriously the Great Commandment to love the Lord with all you are and all you’ve got, and to love your neighbor as yourself. Humility chooses to put others first, to love and serve and “see” them for the sake of Christ. If there is anything in our behavior to be seen, it should draw attention to God, not to ourselves.

Thinking about politics, beliefs, and that sort of thing, I remember some of debates and issues in our presbytery some years ago. It had become usual to have some topic or vote come onto the floor of presbytery and then have long lines of people at a ‘for’ and ‘against’ microphone, saying their bit, sometimes in great anger against the other side. I had an opportunity one of those times to set the tone with my friend Kate. We had different views on the issue and decided to meet together weekly for a number of weeks before kicking off the debate at presbytery. I call Kate my friend… it was actually that process that cemented our friendship. And here’s what came out of it… we were able to discuss the topic at hand much more deeply and with more comprehension of what was really at stake than any of a dozen or more of those line up at the microphone sessions. We added nuance to our own understanding and we came to deeply respect each other’s conviction, compassion, and humanity. And we shared that process and those insights with our presbytery. I’d like to think it changed the nature of discussion and debate at our presbytery.

I think what we did was grounded in humility and trying to live out the Great Commission, to serve one another and the others in the presbytery. It wasn’t about scoring points for “my side” or simply to be seen on one side or the other, but born out of a desire to serve the community. I hope it was honoring to the Lord!

What does humility that glorifies God look like in your speech and behavior? Are there ways that you are ‘performative’ when you could be serving and loving those you are in community with for Jesus’ sake?

Jesus meddles because he loves us. May we have ears to hear! Amen.

Some Music Used

Prelude: Jesus Christ is the Way (Rick Bean, piano)Choir: I Want Jesus to Walk with meTo God be the GloryBuild My LifeGratitudeIn My Life, Be GlorifiedPostlude: I’m Gonna Eat at the Welcome Table (Rick Bean, piano) The post Whose Glory? appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

SERVICE VIDEO (link)

Thank you to our guest preacher today, the Rev. Dr. Anne Hilborn

Manuscript not available

The post The Wilderness of Lent appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

SERVICE VIDEO (link)TEXT: Psalm 100; John 10:11-15; Romans 12:1-2

“God is great, God is good…” – Christy asked the children what it means that God is great, that God is good. That’s just what we are also going to talk about this morning. Two other sayings come to mind as well.

One is the call and response – see if you know it: GOD IS GOOD [all the time!] ALL THE TIME [God is good!]

And then this one, which has an entirely different cast to it: “If God is good, why do bad things happen?”

That last one is a deeply philosophical and theological question and not one I’m going to try to answer today. I’m not sure that’s a question that can be answered satisfactorily by human argument. It’s what I call one of the “big questions” that people wrestle with when they wrestle with faith. If that’s one you’d like to talk about, I’d invite you to reach out to me. It’s much better addressed in conversation than in a sermon.

However, there is something close to that big question that today’s texts will proclaim: “God often shows His goodness in the midst of bad things that happen.” I hope to touch some on that today and maybe that will be a good starting place on the other question.

The Lord is Good (Psalm 100)

Our Call to Worship was Psalm 100, which is a Psalm or song of praise. It especially lifts up several traits of God in verse 5, saying:

The Lord is goodHis lovingkindness is everlastingHis faithfulness to all generations. We’ve looked at God’s LOVINGKINDNESS and FAITHFULNESS in previous weeks, and those traits join GOOD in this verse. And for these traits, for who God is, the Psalm invites us to shout to, serve, come before, and know the Lord. We are to give thanks and bless God’s name, praising and worshiping.

Besides declaring that the Lord is good and inviting our praise and worship, this Psalm introduces the imagery of sheep and therefore indirectly, the Shepherd. Though it doesn’t use the phrase, this Psalm calls to mind God as the “Good Shepherd” when it calls us “the sheep of His pasture.” And that’s the image I want to focus on this morning to help us understand God’s goodness. You may also remember Psalm 23, which also portrays God as a Good Shepherd, providing water, pasture, protection, and guidance. Let me remind you of those verses:

1The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.2He makes me lie down in green pastures;He leads me beside quiet waters.

3He restores my soul;He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.4Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,I fear no evil, for You are with me;Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

There in verse 4 is that distinction I made earlier. It doesn’t say “I will never walk through the valley of the shadow of death” or “there is no evil” – bad things do happen. We do and will walk through those valleys. We will face evil in the world; there is evil in the world. The goodness of God the Shepherd is not demonstrated by pulling us out of the world or putting some kind of invulnerable shield around us, but by the WITHNESS and the PROVISION in the midst of suffering, evil, and death. God leads, restores, guides, and is with us. The rod and staff, tools for protecting and correcting, offer comfort in those dark places.

The Good Shepherd (John 10)

Jesus picks up this same Shepherd imagery from the Psalms in John 10. He has already claimed that “I and the Father are one” and now he puts himself into the role that the Psalms used to describe the goodness of God. So, John 10 helps us understand the goodness of God the Father, expressed through the person and work of Jesus the Son.

In John 10 Jesus is in the midst of some of the so-called “I am” sayings, where he is identifying with God by using an intentional reference to the holy name of God, Yahweh, which means “I am who I am.” The Gospel of John records some 20 times of Jesus using that phrase to describe himself and his role, and because of the phrase, his identification with God. In John 10 he says “I am the Good Shepherd” twice (v.11 and 14), saying two key things about what makes this Shepherd GOOD. Let’s look at them.

SACRIFICE: The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep (vv.11-13)

The shepherd is contrasted with a hired hand, who flees at the sign of danger from a wolf or other animal that preys on sheep. But the Shepherd protects and defends the sheep, even risking, even laying down his life for the sheep. This becomes especially poignant and powerful in the context of Jesus actually laying down his life for the sins of the world. In the face of evil and death, Jesus gives up his life to give us life.

COMMUNITY: The Good Shepherd knows his own and they know their Shepherd (vv.14-15)

Jesus creates relationship and community with those who trust him. He knows us and we come more and more to recognize his voice and leading in our lives. This is a good gift. He likens that relationship and community with that between him and God the Father. That’s as close as close can be! Jesus brings us into relationship and community with God! Elsewhere Jesus will use language of adoption to describe how we are brought into God’s family. But here it’s sheep and Shepherd, who know each other’s voice and belong to each other because of that special bond.

Serving the Shepherd (Romans 12)

Romans 12 also speaks of the GOODNESS of God, specifically describing the will of God as GOOD (and acceptable and perfect). The will of God is what God intends and desires for us and for the world. If you want to experience God’s goodness, then seek God’s will in every situation. What does God want me to do? What is God’s will for me? God is good and God’s will is good… so that’s what we should strive for.

How do we do that? Romans 12:1-2 offer two key ways:

v.1 – WORSHIP: Present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice…

The first way is through living worship. This isn’t just coming to church and doing the things for an hour. Living worship is an all-life offering of ourselves to the Lord. That’s what “living and holy sacrifice” means. This is our “spiritual service of worship.” Listen to all the worship words in there: PRESENT (offer), SERVICE, WORSHIP. Give yourself to God heart, soul, mind, and strength. That’s the definition of loving God. Do that and you will discover God’s good will. Again, this doesn’t mean God will beam you out of trouble or put a shield of invulnerability around you. It does mean that you will experience the Good Shepherd and all that the Shepherd does for the sheep.

v.2 – HOLY CHANGE: Be transformed by the renewing of your mind…

You have to change the way you think; rather, invite God to change the way you think! Our minds can’t be “conformed to this world” – matching the goals and priorities of the world around us. Rather, inviting God to make our thoughts new again (renewed) through His Word and Spirit, will transform our minds. Transform means change and if it is brought about by God’s Word and Spirit it will be a holy change of thoughts; and thoughts shape behavior. We will be made new.

When we offer ourselves as an act of worship and welcome holy change, we will find ourselves aligning more and more with God’s will. More than that, Romans 12:2 says we will ‘prove’ – that is display – the will of God in our lives. We will demonstrate the goodness of God in and through our thoughts, words, and actions.

Thank you, God

I want to return to Psalm 100 to end. There is a lot of wisdom in teaching children to pray, “God is great; God is good.” Similarly there is a lot of wisdom in singing and praying something like Psalm 100. We are reminded that though there is sin and evil in the world, the Lord is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting and His faithfulness is to all generations. We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Let us give thanks and bless God’s name. Amen!

Some Music Used

Good to Me (Musseau)Good, Good FatherCHOIR: We Seek After These ThingsPsalm 23 (Townend)Postlude: Sanctus (Rick Bean, piano) The post Good God appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

SERVICE VIDEO (LINK)TEXT: Proverbs 1:7; Psalm 19:7-8; 1 Corinthians 1:18-25

Do you want to be wise? I do! How do you get wisdom? How do you become wise?

That’s what we are going to look at this morning. Of all the weeks trying to answer “What is God like?” this is the one most focused on us reflecting the character of God. Most weeks we have focused on God (holy, just, merciful, loving, faith), ending with the call to be godly in our own thinking and behavior. But this week it is presumed that God is wise and most of the scripture I found has to do with how we can be or become wise with godly wisdom.

So that’s where we’ll focus. And I’ll give you the whole of it up front: we grow in godly wisdom through knowing and worshiping God, through learning and obeying scripture, and through trusting and following Jesus Christ. So let’s dive in!

Fear of the Lord (Proverbs)

Look at our call to worship this morning from three different chapters of Proverbs. Really the whole book of Proverbs is about wisdom: what is wise, how to be wise, and how to not be foolish. These three different verses say that wisdom starts with the fear of the Lord.

17The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;Fools despise wisdom and instruction.

910The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

1533The fear of the Lord is the instruction for wisdom,And before honor comes humility.

What is the fear of the Lord? It’s not being scared, which is probably our first thought when we hear ‘fear.’ Rather the sense of “fear of the Lord” is one of awe and reverence and respect. In one sense it’s the kind of posture we might have toward a thunderstorm. It’s not out to get us, but one should not take it casually or flippantly. This might even be why some ancient culture made gods out of forces of nature like thunderstorms. “Fear of the Lord” is a posture of worship, one that recognizes God for Who He is and has the proper respect and reverence for God.

This is one reason we are having this series. Hopefully it is broadening our understanding of Who God is. Think about what we have looked at so far. God is holy, just, merciful, loving, and faithful. Today we are talking about God as wise, and next week as good. The Proverb tells us that we are wise to worship, to reverence, to respect this God; and in doing so, we begin to learn wisdom.

Learning and Obeying the Written Word in Scripture (Psalm 19)

The last part of our call to worship came from Psalm 19:7-8. These two verses lift up the many blessings and benefits of God’s Word. One of those many blessings is “making wise the simple.”

197The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul;The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.8The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.

Consider all four blessings listed in these two short verses. The first part of each line is just a different way to talk about God’s Word: the law, God’s testimony, the precepts (teachings), the commandment(s). This is Hebrew poetry, which I’ve noted delights in repetition!

How does God’s Word bless us?

It RESTORES THE SOUL, that deepest part of what makes you you and makes me me. It heals and restores and makes complete what is missing. The mathematician Pascal talked about void in our hearts that only God could fill… God’s Word leads us to God, filling that God-shaped hole with the knowledge and love of the Lord.

God’s Word MAKES WISE THE SIMPLE, which is what led me to these verses since or topic today is wisdom. God’s Word teaches us and even shapes us with godly wisdom so that we become more wise, more knowledgeable of God and the things of God.

God’s Word REJOICES THE HEART. It is not a buzz-kill or a downer, but brings JOY into our lives. Have you had that experience of Scripture? If not, I wonder how you read it and what you read? Have you dug into the themes of deliverance, justice, salvation, healing, the Kingdom of God, victory over sin and death? Or do you view it as a rule-book? I’d commend the whole of Psalm 19 as a great place to start to understand the deep blessing and joy of God’s Word for our lives.

God’s Word ENLIGHTENS THE EYES. This is more granting of wisdom. God’s Word opens our eyes, not just literally, but in the metaphorical sense of understanding: “Oh, I see; I get it; I understand!”

And how does the blessing of God’s Word happen? This is obvious, but I want to say it out loud. It doesn’t do it by proximity. Having a Bible in your house or on your phone doesn’t magically bless us. Touching it or sleeping with it under our pillow doesn’t bless us. It is through study, rumination, and incorporation of its truths into our lives that God’s written Word blesses us.

I was visiting recently with one of our older adults who had just finished reading through the whole Bible for the 21st time in his adult life. And he’s not just powering through, but meditating on it each day. I asked him if he learned anything new this time through. And he smiled (joyfully!) and said, “I do every time.” Besides being positively challenged by his example, it also reminded me that we can never exhaust what scripture can teach us. It is a deep, deep well for wisdom and blessing that will not run dry.

Trusting and Following the Living Word, Jesus (1 Corinthians 1)

18For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And the cleverness of the clever I will set aside.” 20Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. 22For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; 23but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, 24but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 26For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; 27but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, 28and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, 29so that no man may boast before God. 30But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, 31so that, just as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

The rather long passage we heard from 1 Corinthians is an extended reflection by the Apostle Paul on the wisdom of God in Christ. Paul lived several hundred years after the golden age of Greek Philosophy (think of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle), and the Roman Empire had eclipsed the Greek. But the influence of the Greek culture still dominated. People spoke Greek; the Romans adopted the Greek gods and religious system, just renaming all of the Greek gods with Roman counterparts. And Greek philosophy still stood as the measure of education and thought in the Roman Empire.

Paul was on a mission to carry the message of Jesus Christ to the Gentile world, and he and the other Apostles’ were running into resistance from Jews and Greeks. In this text in 1 Corinthians Paul addresses both groups, saying that “Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom.” (v.22) He goes on to say that his message, preaching “Christ crucified” is “to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness.” (v.23) But he goes on to say that to those God calls, those who can see and believe, Jesus is the answer to both obstacles: he is the “power of God” to the Jews and the “wisdom of God” to the Greeks. (v.24)

What is he talking about? Look at v. 18. It’s the cross. If the Jews were looking for a triumphant King to lead revolution and take on the Romans, the cross was anything but the sign they sought. It seemed like failure. If the Greeks were looking for wisdom in any new philosopher, then focusing the message of Jesus on his death (the “word of the cross”) would seem foolish indeed. But Paul focuses on the apparent weakness of Jesus as God’s ultimate power and wisdom.

If God can even use defeat and death to save and redeem us, then surely God is more powerful and more wise than anything and anyone. God’s wisdom is seen most powerfully and perfectly in Jesus himself. And so Paul can conclude in v. 30, “By His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption.”

How do we gain and grow in godly wisdom? We do so by being “in Christ Jesus” – that is, by believing, trusting, and following Jesus. If you are “in Christ” you are in and with the one who IS God’s wisdom as well as the one who makes us righteous, holy, and redeemed!

Do You Want to be Wise?

God wants us to be wise with godly wisdom. And that wisdom is rooted in God’s own wisdom, revealed in God’s character, written Word in scripture, and Living Word in Jesus.

I said something earlier about our Bibles, how we don’t grow in wisdom by merely being near a Bible. That’s true all around about God’s means of growing us in wisdom. It’s not enough to simply sit in a church service, have a Bible in the house, or know something about Jesus. I mean maybe at first, if any of that is new to you. Then there’s the potential to get interested, to draw nearer, to enter into worship, to read the Bible, to get to know Jesus personally. But for most of us, becoming wise takes ongoing interest and connection through the means we’ve looked at today: worshiping regularly and intentionally; studying scripture with regularity and responsiveness to what it teaches; and following Jesus in life, asking “where are you leading me?”

910The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Amen!

The post Wise God appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

TEXT: 1 Corinthians 1:4-9SERVICE VIDEO (link)

How has God been faithful to you? That’s what I want to get to today. You’ve heard some testimonies of God’s faithfulness in the service. We are going to look at how God was faithful in the Old Testament and in Christ as described in the New. And then I’m going to leave you with that question: How has God been faithful to you?

We are continuing today with our series entitled, “What is God Like?” And today we are going to talk about the faithfulness of God!

Faithful in the OT

We began the service with this declaration from Deuteronomy 32:

“For I proclaim the name of the Lord;Ascribe greatness to our God!“The Rock! His work is perfect,For all His ways are just;A God of faithfulness and without injustice,Righteous and upright is He. (vv. 3-4)

There are a number of ways to talk about God’s faithfulness, but perhaps the most foundational in scripture is the covenant. There are a series of covenants in the Old Testament between God and humanity, but each has the feature of God promising – in the most ultimate terms – to be and do something in relationship to human beings. God comes to Abraham and promises by covenant to bless Abraham and his descendants with land, descendants and blessing that will multiply out to all the nations of the world. Later God will renew this covenant promise with Abraham’s descendants at Mt. Sinai and then with King David. And God does so in the ultimate terms of the covenants of those times, “with God as my witness and my life as pledge” – an ancient version of our playground vow, “Cross my heart and hope to die” as a way to signify our deepest commitment.

In every case I can think of, God’s faithfulness in scripture is in reference to God keeping and fulfilling the covenant promises. God is seen as faithful because God keeps His promises. You can see God’s faithfulness named in relation to the covenant in our two readings today from the Psalms.

Another feature of God’s faithfulness is that it is not dependent on human faithfulness. If anything, it shines even more brightly because of human disobedience and unfaithfulness. Abraham, then various descendants after him, and the people of Israel as a whole, would disobey the terms of the covenant, turn from God, and lose their way. But the story of the Old Testament and the Bible as a whole is of God remaining steadfast and faithful even in the face of His covenant partners’ unfaithfulness. Last week we read from Deuteronomy 4, in which God is renewing the covenant with the next generation of Israelites after delivering them from Egypt. The first generation had disobeyed and rebelled against God, but in the renewing of the covenant God pledged faithfulness. He even spoke of their future – after attaining the Promised Land – when they would turn away again and be carried into Exile. And God told them that even then He would be faithful if they would yet seek him.

Faithful in the New

That faithfulness to the covenant with Abraham, his descendants, and David do not go away when we get to the New Testament. In fact, the whole of the New Testament can be seen as a demonstration of the faithfulness of God in keeping His promises. Those long genealogies at the beginning of Matthew and Luke? They are demonstrating that Jesus is “of the line of David,” one of the specifics of God’s covenant promise to David that one of his line would sit on the throne forever. Jesus is named as Messiah because he is seen as the one God promised. He IS God’s faithfulness in the flesh. Those ancient promises for land and descendants and the restoration of the Kingdom are fulfilled in the Kingdom of God and the expanded understanding of God’s people, now including the Gentiles who come through Christ.

Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 that he did not come to abolish or do away with the Law and the Prophets, but to fulfill them. (v.17)

And so the New Testament frames the old-covenant-kept-and-made-new in Jesus Christ and through Jesus Christ. That is how Paul can write of God’s faithfulness in our text for today from 1 Corinthians 1.

4 I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus, 5 that in everything you were enriched in Him, in all speech and all knowledge, 6 even as the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in you, 7 so that you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8 who will also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. (vv. 4-9)

God is faithful because He has kept His promises through Jesus Christ. We are heirs to the promises to Abraham and David: we belong to God; we have a home in Christ; we have a people in Christ; we are citizens of the Kingdom of God even here on earth; we are delivered and saved by God’s merciful and gracious acting in love. And it is all an expression and demonstration of God’s faithfulness. Thanks be to God!

How Has God Been Faithful to You?

I want to end with this question: How has God been faithful to you?

We’ve heard two testimonies in answer to that question. We’ve considered God’s faithfulness in the Old and New Testament. How does that fit into your life?

I’d encourage you to jot down a short answer to that on your bulletin or Bible or phone and come back to it later to flesh it out, to give thanks, or to share with someone.

And if you are drawing a blank, I’ll offer a few prompts that might help:

God expresses faithfulness to us in Christ in many ways:

Access to the Father in prayerCitizenship in the Kingdom of GodBelonging in the community of faithForgiveness, redemption, mercy, and grace that are new every morningIdentity, calling, purpose in ChristPresence, comfort, conviction, gifting of God’s Holy SpiritBlessing in order to be a blessing to others And much more!

How has God been faithful to you?

I’ll give you a moment to think, to write, to remember.

Amen.

Some Music Used

Yes and AmenMerciful GodGreat is thy FaithfulnessCHORAL BENEDICTION: Now Unto Him (Youngblood) The post Faithful God appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

TEXT: Romans 5:1-8SERVICE VIDEO (link)

We’ve been talking about what God is like, looking to scripture to better understand and answer that question. We have looked at God’s holiness, justness, and compassion. And we’ve seen each week that the Lord desires for those of us who trust him and follow Jesus to demonstrate those same traits in the world around us. It’s how God created us, in His image, it’s the obedience He requires of us, and it’s the life of blessing others that he desires for us and for the world.

Today we are going to talk about the love of God. Now if you have a good memory or have been pondering last week’s topic, you may remember that our Bible translation rendered hesed, the Hebrew word behind compassion and mercy as ‘lovingkindness.’ That’s a little confusing if today we are talking about love. Isn’t it the same thing? Well no, our translators used ‘lovingkindness’ to try to get at the complex meaning of hesed by combining love and kindness as a variation on compassion and mercy. But today are talking about a related but different trait: love (Heb ahav Grk agape).

As in past weeks, I first want to talk about God’s love for us, then our love for God and others.

God’s Love for Us (Romans 5,8)

The main verse I want to key in on from our scripture reading from Romans 5 is verse 8, because it describes HOW God shows us that He loves us. It says this:

God demonstrated His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

There is so much more in Romans 5, even in the verses we read today. It speaks of the peace with God that has been accomplished through Christ. It speaks of faith and grace and hope. It even speaks of the trials and tribulations we will face, and says that because of the “love of God” the Holy Spirit has been given to and poured out in us that we might experience that faith, grace, and hope. Lots to dig into and give thanks for! There in verse 5 it is the love of God that gives us the Spirit that leads us to Christ and remains with us because of Christ.

But today, verse 8. God demonstrates His own love toward us in two key ways:

#1 Sacrificial Love: “Christ died for us”

What does it mean that Christ died for us? It is one of the central tenets of Christian faith and it is pre-figured throughout the Old Testament as well, from the near-sacrifice of Isaac to the scapegoat to the sacrifice of a lamb for the sins of the people. Jesus selfless and spotless sacrificial death was to take our place and atone for our sins. And Romans 5:8 says that it is a demonstration of God’s love. And it was a choice on Jesus’ part as well. Ephesians 5:2 tells us that “Christ loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God.” God’s love in Christ is a sacrificial love.

#2 Unconditional Love: “We were yet sinners”

What about the “we were yet sinners” part? The previous verse observes that one might dare die for a good person, but that’s not what Christ did. He died for the ungodly. We are all sinful, disobedient, turned from God. And that’s who Jesus came for. We see God demonstrate this same love throughout the Old Testament when He reaches out to Israel, gives laws to protect them, comes to deliver and lead them, and they disobey and turn away again and again. For example, just before the giving of the Ten Commandments the SECOND TIME – because the first generation out of Egypt had turned so completely from God – Moses tells those children that they will see the Promised Land. But he also tells them (in Deuteronomy 4) that once there they will again turn away from God and worship other gods. They will even lose their home and land and be scattered among the nations. But Moses reminds them:

29“But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul. 30“When you are in distress and all these things have come upon you, in the latter days you will return to the Lord your God and listen to His voice. 31“For the Lord your God is a compassionate God; He will not fail you nor destroy you nor forget the covenant with your fathers which He swore to them. [description of all the ways God has been faithful to deliver]

37“Because He loved your fathers, therefore He chose their descendants after them. And He personally brought you from Egypt by His great power, 38driving out from before you nations greater and mightier than you, to bring you in and to give you their land for an inheritance, as it is today. 39“Know therefore today, and take it to your heart, that the Lord, He is God in heaven above and on the earth below; there is no other.

God will not forsake them, nor will God forsake you. God’s love is unconditional. He comes to us to save while we were yet sinners!

And to those two key ways – sacrificial and unconditional – I want to add a third from later in Romans.

#3 Strong Love: “nothing can separate us from the love of God”

God’s love is also strong. Just how strong is God’s love? Just a little later in Romans 8, there is a memorable description of God’s love. We often hear them at funerals because we can’t imagine anything stronger than death, yet scripture says that God’s love is stronger than death and these verses declare that very thing and more.

Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?… I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (vv. 35,38-39)

You may well need to be encouraged by truth like this. We often feel alone and isolated in life – people disappoint us, jobs go away, our bodies fail, there is war and terror loose in the world. It is easy to lose hope and give in to despair. But did you hear the declaration in those verses? God’s love isn’t a warm fuzzy; it is stronger than war, famine, death, the future, and more: Nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Be Imitators of God (Deuteronomy 6:4-5, Ephesians 5)

I mentioned Ephesians 5 earlier. It said that “Christ loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and sacrifice.” (v.2b) But as we consider how WE are to love, consider two passages that flesh out the Great Commandment to love God and love neighbor.

#1 Love God: the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-5)

I have referenced the Shema before, and often. It is a core teaching of Judaism and Christianity and is the first part of the so-called Great Commandment. We heard it as our Call to Worship this morning:

Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. (Dt. 6:4-5)

Each of those terms describing how we are to love has a meaning, and the Greek translation of the passage adds “and with your mind.” But my favorite summary of it all is to say that we are to love God with “all that we are and everything we’ve got.” Nothing is left out! One of the New Testament letters (1 John 4:19) reminds us that “we love, because God first loved us.”

The Shema goes on to say that we are to teach this love of God to our children and to live it out, binding it to our heads, hearts, and homes. This is what Ephesians will touch on with the phrase “walk in love.”

#2 Love Others: “walk in love” (Ephesians 5:1-2)

And then consider the full context of Ephesians 5, which describes how we are to love:

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children;and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. (vv.1-2)

We are to imitate God’s love – remember, it’s sacrificial, unconditional, and strong. And it is to characterize our whole life: “walk in love.” Christ is our model and that makes sense since he calls us with the words, “Follow me.”

Homework

I don’t always do this, but I want to leave you with some homework questions.

How have you experienced God’s love for you?Who do you need to love, even if they don’t deserve it? And what does that look like? What’s keeping you from doing it? What are you going to do about it? Some Music Used

Good, Good FatherO the Deep, Deep Love of JesusFor the Beauty of the Earth The post A Loving God appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

SERVICE VIDEO (LINK)TEXT: Psalm 136; Exodus 34:1-9; Luke 10:30-37

So far in our “What is God Like?” series we’ve talked about God as holy and as just. We’ve also considered how God’s followers are supposed to reflect the character of God, so also be holy and just. Today we are talking about God’s mercy, God’s compassion. We’ve touched on that before back when we looked at key words in the original languages of the Bible. The word that is translated as mercy and compassion is the Hebrew word hesed.

Hesed shows up nearly 250x in the Old Testament. In the NASB that I use for sermons and in our services it is often translated as ‘lovingkindness’ a curious word that kind of mixes together ‘love’ and ‘kindness.’ The Hebrew and Old Testament word hesed corresponds to the Greek word for mercy or compassion in the New Testament.

As we have in previous weeks, I want to look at what God is like, how God’s followers are to reflect God’s character, and what that might specifically look like for us today.

God’s Lovingkindness is Everlasting!

Psalm 136

We read part of Psalm 136 for the Call to Worship. Those verses are part of a long list of actions and characteristics of God, with each statement followed with the declaration that God’s “lovingkindness (hesed) is everlasting.” This might be THE defining characteristic of God in scripture. And interestingly, if you look at all of Psalm 136, it is the refrain when God is simply being God, it is the refrain when God saves and delivers, and it is the refrain when God judges against evil. God’s hesed – mercy, compassion, lovingkindness – are the heart of everything God does, even when it may seem otherwise to us!

This is not as hard to understand as we might think. I remember disciplining our children when they were small and even times when they shouted out “you hate me!” Discipline, consequences, and the like can feel like anything but lovingkindness, but being a parent has taught me just how necessary “tough love” can be, even how merciful it can sometimes be to the overall well-being of my children.

Exodus 34:1-9

Our scripture from Exodus this morning described the scene where God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses. Verse 6 describes God as “compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth.” Verse 7 goes on to say that God “keeps lovingkindness for thousands, and forgives iniquity, transgression and sin.” And here’s the hard part… that verse goes on to say, “Yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.” That’s a lot to reconcile for us, yes? And yet Moses responded to that – not just the lovingkindness, but also the justice – with worship. Moses “made haste to bow low toward the earth and worship.” (v.8) And he went further and asked the Lord to come alone with them in their midst, EVEN THOUGH the people are so obstinate… and to pardon our iniquity and sin, and take us as God’s own possession. (v.9) There you see the whole thing; God’s Lovingkindess meets God’s justice in this: He DOES forgive sin. God just doesn’t ignore it if we continue persistently in it. Said another way, God doesn’t say to our sin, “It doesn’t matter.” It matters a great deal. That has to do with holiness and justice. But God also says, “You matter a lot and I will forgive your sin, and at great cost.” That’s God’s lovingkindness.

Lamentations 3:22-23

One of my favorite passages about God’s lovingkindness, or “steadfast love,” is Lamentations 3:22-23, which states:

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases

His mercies never come to an end

They are new every morning, new every morning

Great is thy faithfulness, O Lord, Great is thy faithfulness!

This is extra-good news for me and my obstinate, sinful self. God’s not a one-chance God, but extends His mercy day after day after day after day. And I need that! I am grateful for that! Great is God’s faithfulness!

Merciful as God is Merciful (Luke 10)

In past weeks we’ve seen that those who would follow Jesus are to be holy because God is holy. Those who would follow Jesus are to seek justice because God is just. And today is no different. Those who would follow Jesus are to be merciful and show compassion because God’s lovingkindness is everlasting.

Last week we looked at Matthew 23, said “Woe to you!” to the Scribes and Pharisees because they tithed to the smallest possession, but they neglected what Jesus called “the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness.” (v.23) We looked at that in the context of justice, but notice that the second of the “weightier provisions of the law” is mercy! Showing mercy, compassion, hesed to others is at the heart of keeping God’s Law, of worshiping and serving the Lord. So said Jesus!

In fact, this was one of the center-pieces of Jesus’ teaching, better known as “loving your neighbor.” He talked about that a lot! And one of the primary illustrations of this teaching is our other scripture reading for today, from Luke 10:30-37. Jesus told this story to answer a question. An expert in the Law had just asked Jesus what to do to “inherit eternal life.” (v.25) Jesus turned the question on him and asked what the Law of Moses said, and the man gave the response that is well-known to us: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength; and love your neighbor as yourself.” (v.27) And Jesus said, “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live!” (v.28) Then the man asked, “And who is my neighbor?” (v.29)

So Jesus told the Parable of the Good Samaritan. You probably know the story: a man was traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho and was attacked and beaten by robbers. Two religious folks passed by, even crossing to the other side of the road to avoid him. Finally, a Samaritan saw him and stopped to help him, even taking him to an inn for further care. Two details stand out in light of today’s topic.

First, the religious leaders avoided him, most likely because he would have been considered unclean. But this is like the tithing thing. Yes, he might have been unclean, but a person in need trumped being unclean! You weren’t supposed to work on the Sabbath, but if your child or an animal fell in a ditch on the Sabbath you were to help them! So the religious folks were without excuse under the Law. Yet it took a Samaritan, an outsider to those listening to Jesus, to actually serve the Lord and obey the Law in that instance. He was obeying the Law because he did the compassionate thing; he “felt compassion” (v.33) and he acted on it and showed mercy!

And this is the second detail I want to highlight! After telling this parable, Jesus asked his disciples “Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands?” (v.36) The expert in the Law answered, “The one who showed mercy.” And Jesus said to him for the second time, “Go and do the same.”

Remember, this is to answer a question: What must I do to inherit eternal life? Answer: love God, and love (show mercy to) your neighbor.

How Do We Show Mercy?

This is what God desires of us today as well. Sometimes we split that law expert’s great answer into two parts and only focus on one or the other part. We practice faith that is all about loving God whole-heartedly, but gives little time and attention to our neighbor. Or, we focus on love of neighbor, ministries of mercy and compassion, and move God aside to something more like a hobby or pastime than the center of our lives. But it’s BOTH! The law expert got that right! But it’s also not just an intellectual understanding, but how we live our very lives. So Jesus said twice in as many words: “Do this and you will live (v.28)… Go and do the same (v.37).”

One of my favorite words and one of the best ways to recognize opportunities to join in God’s hesed for the world and our neighbors is to NOTICE the people and situations around us. Don’t walk around head down, buried in the phone screen, or impatient to get to the next thing. Look around at the people and situations. Ask yourself what God sees. Ask God to show you what He sees in the person in front of you in traffic or the burnt-out co-worker down the hall. Pray for God to open your eyes and heart to your next-door neighbor, to see past the unkempt lawn (or the perfectly kept one!) to the challenges, yearnings, and realities of their life. Pray for your neighbors and those around you as you move through the day. It’s amazing what God will open you up to just from saying those silent prayers. Ask God to show you what life is like for people different from you – different skin color, different upbringing, different educational or financial level. Compassion is often just putting yourself in other people’s shoes and seeing with God’s eyes.

I’d also encourage you to take some time – perhaps today – and think back through your life to see if you can remember times you have witnessed or experienced God’s lovingkindness, mercy, and compassion. That’s the purpose of Psalm 136 in the life of God’s people – to tell the story again and again to themselves and their children of how God’s steadfast love endures. Doing that helps us not only be thankful to God, but also helps tune our eyes to notice and our hearts to love with hesed. Amen.

Some Music Used

Prelude: This is My Father’s World – Rick Bean, jazz pianoHear the Call of the Kingdom (Gettys)We Will Remember (T. Walker)His Mercy is MoreChoir: Compassion Hymn (Getty/Townend, arr. Courtney)And Can it Be?Postlude: O Happy Day – Rick Bean, jazz piano The post The Mercy of God appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

SERVICE LIVESTREAM (LINK)TEXT: Deuteronomy 32:3-4; Isaiah 1:17-20; Matthew 23:23

We are continuing today in a series called, “What is God like?” We are looking at a number of the characteristics of God over the course of about six weeks. Last week we looked at holiness using Isaiah’s vision of God seated on a throne, high and lifted up. The winged seraphim were singing “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord Almighty; the earth is full of God’s glory.” (Isaiah 6:3) We talked about how an understanding or experience of God’s glory convicts us of our sinfulness and leads to confession of sin. And we saw the Good News of God’s mercy as God cleansed Isaiah from his sin. We stopped short of what came next: God calls Isaiah into service and Isaiah responds, “Here am I; send me!” And Isaiah himself becomes holy, set apart for this holy work God has called him to.

We are going to see a similar pattern today as we consider God being JUST. We first want to look at God’s justness or justice, but we will see that God also invites us to be a part of his justice, a theme not only stressed by the Old Testament prophets, but also by Jesus. And we’ll consider what that might look like for us.

God is Just

Let’s begin with our question, “What is God like?” Our first text, used in our call to worship, is from Deuteronomy 32:3-4. It provides several descriptive words about God:

3 “For I proclaim the name of the Lord; Ascribe greatness to our God! 4 “The Rock! His work is perfect, For all His ways are just; A God of faithfulness and without injustice, Righteous and upright is He.

Let’s focus particularly on verse 4, which says “all God’s ways are just.” You may remember that Hebrew writers like parallelism. They like repeating things with synonyms (and sometimes antonyms). We have a case of that here. We are to praise God, the Rock, and why?

His work is perfect, for all his ways are just[He is] a God of *faithfulness and without injustice[He is] righteous and upright***

There are six words in bold and they all can be translated as something close to ‘just.’ This description of God is like a gemstone with six facets, each revealing an aspect of God’s justness. Let’s briefly look at each one:

PERFECT (Heb. tamim): complete, blameless, rightJUST (Heb. mishpat): this is actually a noun meaning ‘judgment’ or ‘justice’; our translation has used the adjective ‘just’ for better English, but it literally reads “God’s ways are justice”FAITHFUL (Heb. emunah): steadfastness, reliability, honesty, truth, faithfulnessWITHOUT INJUSTICE (Heb en awel): without injustice, dishonesty, unrighteousnessRIGHTEOUS (Heb. saddiq): just, in the right, righteousUPRIGHT (Heb. yasar): straight, level, smooth, right, correct Are you getting the picture? God is all this and worthy of praise because of it. You can see that righteousness and justice are related – God is right (righteous) and does the right thing (justice). God is also consistent, fair, truthful, and trustworthy. All of that makes up the just nature and the justice of God.

To that I’d add two reflections:

What God says is right is not as simple as majority vote or prevalent custom, but is DEFINED by God’s character. That means that what is right is shaped by all the traits we will be studying: God’s holiness, justice, mercy, love, faithfulness, wisdom, and goodness (and more). This is what sometimes puts Jesus at odds with the Pharisees. They are rule-followers – the letter of the Law – but fail to see the spirit and purpose of the Law, to show compassion. We’ll look at that some more with the Matthew passage.In general, if you find yourself working against God’s definition of what is right and wrong, you are the one that needs to change. It is possible (as with the Pharisees) that you or the person teaching you has read scripture wrongly, and that is worth examining, but if we truly believe God is all these things (holy, just, merciful, etc…), then our BEST course of action is aligning our lives with what God says is just. We Are to Be Just

As I said at the beginning of the sermon, these characteristics of God are not just what God is like, but what God desires for us as well. That may be partly because we are created in God’s image and also because if we trust and love God we will seek to obey God. So, we are also supposed to be just, to live out godly justice in our own lives.

This was certainly true in Isaiah’s day – roughly 600 B.C. The people of Israel had turned away from God, with particular sins of idolatry and injustice. Here at the beginning of Isaiah, the Lord (speaking through Isaiah) is laying out the alternatives of obedience or disobedience. What did obedience look like for God’s people? Look at verse 17:

Learn to do goodSeek justiceReprove the ruthlessDefend the orphanPlead for the widow

Interesting, right? Not “offer more sacrifices” or “worship me more whole-heartedly” but “live out justice.” Of course, one of the core meanings of worship is “serving the Lord” so one might argue that these ARE the sacrifices and worship the Lord desires. In fact… that is a connection you can find in scripture.

6 With what shall I come to the Lord And bow myself before the God on high? Shall I come to Him with burnt offerings, With yearling calves? 7 Does the Lord take delight in thousands of rams, In ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I present my firstborn for my rebellious acts, The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 8 He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:6-8)

And not only is this true worship, it is also true Law-keeping according to Jesus:

23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. (Matthew 23:23)

God is holy; we are to be holy. God is just; we are to be just.

What Just Looks Like

What does that look like?

One form of that is the kind of work our SERVE team is doing in our neighborhood and community. They sponsor our Christmas Shoppe each year. They coordinate our local volunteer and service efforts, including things like the CROP walk. They also work in our near neighborhood with neighbors at Brighton Place and with guys like Ryan and Nick at the Swan’s Run Group Home across the street. When we have our congregational meeting on January 29, you’ll hear more from SERVE elder, Leslie Pack, about ways you can plug in.

An ongoing and significant place I believe God is calling us to step up is in the area of racial justice. We have offered several classes in the past 3-4 years, believing that Christians are to understand and be involved in working for justice.

Godly justice is doing what God says is right for others. It is what is fair and true and faithful in the sight of God, and as God defines it. It is easy for justice to get co-opted by politics or by the media. Too often we pick a team or a media source and let them dictate our thoughts and behavior. But the believer looks first to God. Let me say that again: the believer looks first to God.

Sometimes one party may get it right; sometimes the other (and sometimes neither!). It can be hard work to not toe the party line, but ask “what does God say is just and right (and merciful and good) in this circumstance?” But that’s the justice God desires. That’s also why I believe offering classes at the church to understand racial justice in light of scripture is exactly where we need to have that discussion, as challenging as that can be sometimes. Together, we want to ask what the Lord desires from us as Christians living in the world and in our culture right now.

So I’d remind you that Cathy Youngblood is offering a course on Thursday nights. You can find a link to that on the home page of our website.

Leslie will be inviting participation in our SERVE ministries in two weeks. It’s a wonderful way to put feet on our faith! It’s also always a good time to ask where God is leading you to serve!

Amen.

Some Music Used

PreludesLet God ArisePraise to the Lord/HallelujahI’m Waiting for YouMorning Has Broken/Bach Prelude in C – Rick Bean, piano Immortal, InvisibleHere is LoveLord, You Hear the CryLion of JudahPostlude: Majesty (Rick Bean, piano) The post A Just God appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

SERVICE VIDEO (link)TEXT: Isaiah 6:1-7

Do you remember “Raiders of the Lost Ark?” It was an exciting movie about Indiana Jones, a professor/archaeologist who spend his time away from class going to remote parts of the world to unearth or rescue ancient artifacts. One of these was the biblical Ark of the Covenant, which had not been seen for over one thousand years. Even secular Indiana Jones knew better than to open the Ark where the presence of God once resided. Near the end of the movie, the “bad guys” open the Ark, and the special effects kick in to try to portray the power and holiness of God sweeping through the place. It is at once beautiful and terrible as unbelievers gaze on at the face of a God they are not worthy of beholding. I remember seeing that scene as a young teenager and my heart almost pounding out of my chest. But as spectacular (and only somewhat biblical) as that was, it doesn’t even come close to what Isaiah saw in his vision of God!

First, Isaiah saw a great throne – high and lifted up. It was not only literally elevated, but figuratively “lofty.” In other words, it was the most magnificent throne you could imagine. And it was located within a great temple. And the Lord God, who was sitting on this great throne wore a massive robe with a train that filled the expanse of the temple. In this vision, God doesn’t say or do anything until later, when He speaks to Isaiah. In verses 1-4, though, the action comes from great angelic beings called seraphim. Each seraph had six wings, with two covering the face, two covering the feet, and two for flying. I don’t know how well you can picture such a thing, but it doesn’t sound beautiful; it sounds terrifying. And when one seraph called out to the other, the foundations shook and smoke filled the place. Never mind the presence of God for a moment; these beings were terrifying! Imagine the powerful sound of a jet engine if you’ve ever had to walk across the runway to climb the stairs to a plane. Their mighty voices made the place shake and smoke. Yet these powerful creatures also covered their eyes and feet with other wings out of complete deference to the Lord they served. Even they would not dare to look casually or openly at the great Lord on His throne. Rather, they proclaimed the song that is the song of Heaven (cf. Revelation):

Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.

And truly, that is the point of this vision. The point is not in the details about the setting or sequence. This vision is not supposed to answer questions like:

Does God sit on a throne all the time?

How big is God’s robe?

What is the exact nature of angels or seraphim?

The point of this vision – of Isaiah’s seeing the Lord – is to describe and cause Israel to consider the HOLINESS of God (and their own sinfulness). It serves the same purpose for us. God is holy; where do we stand in relation to a holy God?

What is Holiness?

It is pretty plain from Isaiah’s vision that God is holy. But what does that mean?

Holy means being “set apart” or “distinct.” Though the Bible can talk of us being created in God’s image, God is clearly something other than a human being or a limited, finite creature. And when the heavenly creatures declare God to be “Holy, Holy, Holy” it means that God is perfectly and ultimately set apart – that is what it means to be, not only a god, but THE only God.

God’s holiness is like the heat of the sun. And that is an apt analogy, for God’s holiness is said to shine or radiate with “glory.” To suggest that God simply lay that holiness aside to ignore the world’s sin and darkness is like suggesting that the sun continue to be the sun without its heat and light. If that were the case, the sun would no longer shine and no longer be our source of light and heat. We would all die!

Further, to suggest that we can casually come into the presence of God without attention given to our own condition is as foolish as firing a manned NASA rocket straight at the heart of the sun. The sun’s heat would consume it, not out of wrath or anger, but because we could not survive the encounter.

However, God DOES save human beings for the purpose of coming into His presence and the worship of Heaven. God makes a way! Let’s look at two ways God does this, signaled in this passage.

Seeing the Lord (vv.1-4)

Besides the incredible scene described in these first few verses of Isaiah 6, there is another significant statement by the winged seraph who is by the throne of the Holy God. With a voice that thundered with angelic power, the seraph proclaimed God’s holiness… then he said:

The whole earth is full of His glory.

That’s good news for all those who desire to see and know God. Though God is completely “other” and set apart from us and though our finite minds cannot begin to comprehend the mystery of an all-powerful and holy God, God’s creation is full of His glory. The earth, the wind, the waves, even you and I are filled with the majesty, beauty, and creative touch of this Most Holy God. And so we are not without opportunity to see God. We do not see God directly in His creation. That is a good thing – to see and know God directly in our human and sinful condition would burn us up like flying into the sun. But we can see the radiant glory that exudes from all God has made.

Is that enough? We touched on this last week. In the New Testament, Paul says that this general revelation does not save us; but it does leave us without excuse. We cannot say that God is unknowable and invisible, for the whole of Creation proclaims His existence and character gloriously.

Conviction: “Woe is me, for I am undone” (v.5a)

When Isaiah took this in – God, lofty and exalted, train filling the temple, seraphim thundering God’s holiness, room shaking – he came completely unglued. Older translations quote him as saying, “Woe is me, for I am undone.” Literally, the text says ‘destroyed.’ The sight of the God who formed man from the dust was enough to unmake him on the spot!

This reaction is not that of a man to an angry or vengeful God. This is more like the cry of a man who has just encountered a blazing fire, and realized the blaze was about to burn him up. Remember, the sun and the stove top aren’t angry and out to get us; rather, they are by nature hot – too hot to handle. And Isaiah couldn’t handle the presence of the Holy Lord. He was convicted of his status before God. The early Greek translations of the Old Testament actually translate the word ‘undone’ as ‘pierced.’

Isaiah was ‘pierced through’ or convicted of God’s holiness and his own unholiness. He was convicted – that is, pierced to the heart and convinced – of his own desperate situation before a most Holy God. And in his moment of conviction, he profoundly said, “That’s it… my life is over… I am undone… I cannot stand before such a Holy God.”

It is the same moment of conviction that grabs hold of our hearts and says – “Things are not right between me and God… and it’s going to destroy me.” Isaiah goes on to make a confession (actually, two of them) to God. Sometimes this precedes conviction and helps us reach a point of being pierced through by the truth. Other times confession follows conviction like waters flooding through a broken dam. In the case of Isaiah, his confessions broke forth out of the conviction of his heart.

Confession: “I am a man of unclean lips among a people of unclean lips” (v.5b)

Isaiah confessed two areas of impurity and ungodliness. The first was individual confession, he was a “man of unclean lips.” Whether he meant that he spoke things unpleasing to God or failed as a prophet to speak the words he should, his confession was that his mouth was unworthy of God. As a prophet, he was the mouthpiece of God, so his confession struck to the very core of his being. He was not serving the Lord well; in fact, his service to the Lord was a disservice. For us realization of God’s holiness may lead to individual confession that we are people of unclean lips, hands, hearts, eyes, motives, and passions.

Isaiah also made a corporate confession about the sinfulness of his people and his own participation in that sinfulness. His people were the children of God. Of all the peoples of the Earth, they had the promises and history of God on their side. They were chosen not only to be blessed, but to BE a blessing to the whole world. And they, too, had unclean lips. They were not being witnesses to God’s goodness and glory. Far from it, they were worshiping false gods and turning away from the Lord. And Isaiah found himself to be part of the problem rather than part of the solution.

Again, the application for us goes beyond acknowledging that we live in a sinful culture or a “worldly” world. Isaiah’s confession set in our own lives would mean a recognition not only that our culture, country, and world need to know the Lord, but that we are willing participants in that same culture, country, and world and its collective sinfulness. We are silent or inactive over moral outrages like racism, materialism, and idolatry. We too live among a people of unclean lips before a holy God!

Holy Hope (vv.6-7)

If God is that holy and we are that sinful, what hope is there?

In Isaiah’s vision, one of the seraphim left its “post” at the throne of God to go over to the altar. Right away this signals us that God is initiating what happens next, because the seraphim would not leave the immediate presence of God and their task of constant worship for anything short of God’s instruction to do otherwise.

The seraph goes to the altar and takes a burning coal with tongs, then holds it in its hand. Several interesting details are present here. First, I’m not sure what heavenly “tongs” look like, but it signifies the holiness of the altar and the fire upon it that even a seraph would not directly touch it. At the same time, many commentators speculate that the fire on the altar is “stoked” by the ardency – the heat – of the heavenly worship. For one, God’s glory is a radiant heat. Secondly, the word ‘seraph’ means ‘burning one’ – these seraphim burned hot with their adoration and worship of God. And some commentators suggest that the glory of that heavenly scene kept the coals on the altar hot with the holy fire of that glory.

All that being said, it doesn’t take a lot of analysis to realize that the burning coal from the altar represents the pure and glorious holiness of God. The seraph took that coal and touched it to Isaiah’s lips, and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven.” With the careful and directed touch of God’s holiness we are not destroyed, but healed. Finding Isaiah helpless and hopeless, God acted to make right what was wrong. He cleansed Isaiah of his sin, taking away his “iniquity” and forgiving his sin.

I hope all that language rings some bells. What a beautiful picture of what God has done in Christ! Again, the Bible’s story is that we are even as Isaiah was – helpless and hopeless in our sin. Things are not right still between humanity and God, and we are unable to make them right. And, it will be the end of us. But God has acted, not in a vision this time, but in time and space, sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to do for us what that burning, heavenly coal did for Isaiah. When Jesus touches our hearts and lives, our “iniquity” is taken away and our sin is forgiven.

Again, the process for us is like that of Isaiah. We must first glimpse enough of God and His holiness to realize the problem, and doing so will convict or pierce us through with the understanding that things are not right, and that will be our undoing. Then, confession and repentance lead us to Jesus Christ, the way God has provided, in His mercy, for us to be cleansed, forgiven, and made right.

Ultimately, God’s holiness leads us to Christ. It does so by way of our own conviction and confession of sin. From here, undone on the ground, God cleanses Isaiah and calls him forth to service. God does the same with us. Understanding of our sinfulness, our “undoing” prepares us for God’s healing and wholeness, and then our service. Don’t neglect or downplay God’s holiness, for it is what leads us to Christ. Amen!

Some Music Used

PreludesOpen the Eyes of My HeartHoliness/Take My HeartPraise God’s Holy Name (Cameroonian Procession)Holy is the Lord (Schubert)Holy Ground (Geron) – Cathy Youngblood, piano I See the LordHoly is the LordSANCTUS (during communion): Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts (Nolene Prince)Holy, Holy, Holy The post Holy God appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

TEXT: Matthew 2:1-12

It’s 2023 and we have a new year ahead of us. Interestingly enough, the church calendar celebrates Epiphany in the first week of January, so we aren’t quite done with the Christmas story yet. Today we look at the visit of the wise men.

There are a number of connections with what we talked about during December.

Is God trying to get your attention and what is God trying to say to you?How do you bring into focus what God is doing?What does it look like to believe God’s promises and participate in God’s story in word and deed? What we see in these magi are people who diligently asked those kinds of questions. We see what happens when we listen carefully for God’s voice and look for what God is doing in and around us. The magi provide for us a wonderful example of what it looks like to listen and attend to God. While there are many New Year’s resolutions we might make, I can think of no better commitment to renew and revisit than our commitment to make God a priority – THE priority – in our lives.

So as we look at this passage, note the connection to those previous questions; but also consider the place of God in your life as we look ahead to a new week and year.

Paying Attention

I believe God is ALWAYS speaking and working in the world. The underlying question or issue is really whether we are willing to pay attention to God – to hear what He has to say.

Now the interesting thing about the magi – one interesting thing – is that as far as I can tell they were not particularly people of faith in the one God. They were likely court advisors to Mesopotamian kings, certainly wise and educated men who advised their ruler in all kinds of matters. So they were also foreign; meaning, they weren’t Jewish. They did take note of the world around them and particularly the sky above them, and they attributed meaning to things like the appearance and location of stars and constellations. To call them astrologers would be a little misleading because today’s horoscopes are a far cry from their studies. Nonetheless, they attributed meaning to what they saw and studied, and were particularly interested, as court advisors, to what they took to be the sign of a new king’s birth. So they set off, bearing gifts, to greet the new king.

The magi set an inspiring example of people who were interested in the world they lived in and even in what God might be doing around them. Even without the explicit truth of Scripture they were inquisitive and observant enough that that they found answers to those same three questions: What is God saying? What is God doing? And how can I participate in what God is doing?

Ironically enough, the fact that they were looking for a “King of the Jews” led to both trouble and help. They raised the dangerous interest of King Herod, who didn’t want any competition to the throne. But they also encountered the Scriptures and the promise of a Messiah to the Jewish people. There is no better combination to find God than one who seeks Him who encounters the Scriptures which speak so explicitly of who God is and what God is doing in the world. Unfortunately, the world is full of seekers who do not turn to the Scripture and the church is full of the Scripture and those who no longer seek God or pay attention to this treasure they have!

Worshiping God

The middle verses are taken up with Herod’s plot to use the magi to find the child. We will not focus there today, but move on to the final few verses to look further at the magi and their seeking out the Child who would be king.

The text says (several times) that the magi came, seeking the newborn king, in order to worship him. One of the main worship concepts in the Bible is literally “bowing down” or more figuratively “yielding” to God. That vocabulary is used several times in this passage, in verses 2, 8, and 11. I believe there is a progression of worship in this passage.

In verse two, the magi were likely seeking a newborn king, with presents to bring, to literally bow down and recognize earthly kingliness as envoys from another earthly ruler (or rulers). In other words, as representatives of their own king(s), they came to welcome a new king into the world. To do so was good politics and perhaps also seen as good luck. Their original intent was not what we think of as ‘worship’ so much as literally bowing down to acknowledge a new king.

In verse eight, Herod asks them to report the location back to him so that he, too, may go and “worship” the Child. It is likely that Herod, knowledgeable of the Jewish scriptures and the prophecies his own advisors have just quoted to him, is using the word in both the literal “bowing down” and the more spiritual sense… except he is trying to deceive the Magi. He actually is an enemy of God and desires to locate and kill the Messiah, who would pose a threat to his own rule. It is that fear and evil that leads him to kill all the male children in Bethlehem.

In verse eleven, the magi find the child with Mary. It is at this point that they planned to bow down and offer presents to a new king. But it is at this point that the use of the word “worship” seems to match what we would think of as worship. While Mary and the baby were no longer in a stable, the magi surely recognize that this is no king’s palace. And they have heard some of the prophecies and Scripture about the Jewish Messiah at this point. And there are some extra words in verse eleven which describe their worship. They didn’t simply “bow down” as had been planned; rather, they “fell to the ground (i.e. face down) and worshiped (bowed down).” While it is not clear how much they understood prior to this point, it is clear that they realize they are in the presence of God and they offer true and humble spiritual worship.

Beyond this, they no longer are offering good will offerings between earthly rulers, but present their gifts as part of their worship. Sharp students of scripture will make a connection between these gifts and prophecies like Isaiah 60, which opens with “Arise, shine; for your light has come…” and verse six of that chapter, which says, “…they will bring gold and frankincense, and will bear good news of the praises of the Lord.”

Again, these magi serve as a convicting and inspiring example for us. Their worship is neither casual nor ritual. It is face-down, all-out, humility and awe at being in the presence of God. And their offerings, originally planned as “what you do for a new king” are now offered as part of that worship response to God, precious treasures in honor of the one they worship.

I wonder if we take such an understanding of God away from the Christmas birth story. Certainly, we get sweet little baby Jesus in a manger. We can be inspired by angel choirs singing praises to God. But do we have any inkling of the kind of power and presence that would drive the chief advisors of foreign kings to their faces in the dirt? Do we tremble in awe? Do we humbly and reverently offer God our very best in terms of treasure and time and abilities?

Paying Attention to God: Next Steps

I want to mention one last part to this story, tucked into verse twelve. The magi were confronted with deception and lies, described in verses 7-8. It is not clear until verse 12 that they were not deceived. There we read that they were “warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod.” What jumps out to me is that these men, who began this story as those tuned in to the world around them, but not necessarily to the God of Scripture, now are tuned in to God. And in being so tuned they are discerning what God wants them to do and they are discerning between truth and deception.

They began the story as seekers, perhaps not realizing in full who or what they would find. Encountering the Scriptures and the Christ child, they began to worship God and tune in to what He was doing in and around them.

This is what I desire for each of you; this is what God desires for each of you. This is what ties back in to those questions from December. God IS trying to get your attention; God IS speaking to you. God DOES desire to do something in your life and IS doing something in the world around you.

How do you tune in to that? How do you focus on that?

You look – you listen – you pay attention to God and the world we live in. You study the Scripture and respond to it, engaging in worship from the heart, not just going through the motions. You offer yourself to God – heart, soul, mind, and strength. You tune in, not just at Christmastime, not just as a New Year’s resolution, but day after day and week after week. Astronomers don’t just look up at the stars once every so often; they track movement and position and changes night after night, moment by moment. So it is with paying attention to God. God’s not going to disappear if you look away, but you will miss out on what God is doing around you and what God desires to do in your life, and may be deceived by evil and lies.

Pay attention; offer God that at least. Offer God what you treasure and yield yourself to him in worship. The magi were also called wise. As the saying goes, “Wise ones still seek Him!” Amen.

Some Music Used

PreludesBlessed Be Your NameAshokan FarewellYes and Amen We Three KingsLet All Mortal Flesh Keep SilenceTake My Life/Here Am I The post Gifts of the Magi appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

TEXT: John 1:9-14,17-18

Christmas Day – December 25, 2022

9 There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. 14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. …18 No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.

Our first scripture reading is called the prologue, or introductory section, of the Gospel of John. John provides an account of Jesus’ birth, like Matthew and Luke, but it is from an entirely different perspective than their angels, shepherds, wise men, manger, and swaddling clothes. John tells the story of Jesus’ birth from an eternal and godly perspective. John also gets at some of the questions of ‘WHY’ alongside Matthew and Luke’s ‘WHEN’ and “WHERE’ perspective. John’s prologue also talks about Jesus’ involvement in creation and the LIGHT and LIFE he brings into the world. John describes the human situation of sin as darkness to describe how, from Adam to the present, men and women have turned away from God and closed their eyes to God’s plan and purpose.

All that is the context John gives us for the birth of Jesus into the world. With today’s text, especially verses 14, 17, and 18, John explores with us the meaning and the mechanics of that birth. Let’s look at that briefly, and we will end with God’s gracious invitation through His Son, Jesus.

Incarnation (v. 14)

John has given us the “big picture” overview. Now, in verse 14, he tells us how that eternal, life-giving, light-bringing Word meets humanity in the dark world and circumstances in which they live.

And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us…

The Word is Jesus, the eternal Son of God who is at the same time God, who was in the beginning creating the world. In him is light and life. And THAT is the Word that “became flesh.” With that one phrase, John covers all the narrative in Matthew and Luke about Mary’s pregnancy, Joseph’s conversation with an angel, the ride to Bethlehem for the census, no room in the inn, and the birth in the manger! The Word “became flesh.” He was born into the world as a tiny baby, made of human skin and bones, with blood, cartilage, hair, fingernails, and a hungry tummy. Matthew and Luke want us to revel in the narrative details, though they don’t at all shirk his divinity – after all, angels sing and kings bring presents. But John wants us to see the bigger picture – God has put on human flesh! God has come down – all the way down, to be one of us.

Let us not miss the enormity of the Word becoming flesh – theologians call it the Incarnation, which simply is a Latin word for “putting on flesh.” But the meaning of the event – that is full of mystery and weight. Throughout the history of God’s people, God had appeared as Spirit, or fire, or cloud, or wind, or voice. But now, this was God with skin. You could touch Him, speak to Him, and hug Him. In fact, in the mystery of this birth, Mary would swaddle and cuddle the baby close and nurse Him.

Let us also not skip over the second phrase of the verse:

… the Word dwelt among us.

With that, John covers a lifetime of God-in-the-flesh living in the world. For thirty-three years Jesus would live and walk among us before he was crucified. John will go on to give us details about that, but all his accounts of Jesus come back to these few verses. Jesus is God-in-the-flesh, come from eternity and heaven among us, not just to visit, but to live… and to make His home with humanity.

Revelation (vv. 14b, 17)

If those few words in verse 14 describe the incarnation to us, the rest of verse 14 and verse 17 point us to the meaning of the incarnation. Jesus came to show us the God the Father.

(v. 14b) … we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth… (v. 17) grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.

There are several new words (to this passage) here: glory, grace, and truth. Glory only comes from one source: God. We say a sunrise is glorious, or a mountain range… but we only say so correctly because those things are a creative work of God. They reflect a bit of God’s glory just like hearing a piece of music I wrote tells you a little something about me. But Jesus – John tells us that he shows us God’s glory, glory that only the Son of God could show us. Jesus bore the glory of God more than any human being (though we are created in God’s image). Jesus is not “in God’s image” – he IS the image-bearer!

This illustration is inadequate, but nonetheless the best I have. Often people will point to Elizabeth and tell me how much she looks like me… or reacts like me… or in some way reminds them of me. Only a person’s child can quite accomplish that. If I am a teacher, my students might bear the mark of my teaching. If I am a coach, my players might demonstrate my imprint. But, Elizabeth bears a quality that causes people to say, “Wow, she is just like Robert.” In fact I also have the privilege of being pastor to many parents and their children and I see it all the time: Mira or Lucas or Karla or Millie will have a look or a response or a reaction that reminds me of one or another of their parents.

Well, Elizabeth and I are still two different people. But Jesus is both God’s only begotten Son and is at the same time God Himself. So, uniquely, Jesus shows us God the Father! He carries the authority, power, presence, and compassion of God in His person. And so, kings come to worship him. Angels sing, “Glory to God in the highest.” When he is an adult, even demons will bow down and obey him. In Jesus, we see the glory of God.

John also says Jesus is “full of grace and truth.” In John 1:4 we read that Jesus was the “life and light of men.” In very important ways, grace and truth are the same as life and light. We were created to have life – life in relationship with God and for God’s glory. The light of Christ was the illuminating presence of God by which we were made to live. We lost those things when Adam and Eve sinned against God. We lost those things when we were born into a darkened world. We missed out on the life we were created to have and the light with which we were meant to live.

Grace and truth are how God restores what He intended for us to have in creation. Grace and truth are life and light extended to us in Jesus through the darkness of human sin and unbelief. Grace is God coming to us in the flesh, offering us life where we deserve death, offering us a home when we are lost, and calling us His children when we are completely alone. Truth is God’s light spoken in ways we can understand and believe – through the Bible, through the words of Jesus, through the testimony of God’s Spirit to our spirit.

The story of Jesus’ incarnation is the story of God’s revelation or revealing to us and offering to us what we lost from creation. In Jesus, God reveals Himself, His will, His plan, and His salvation. That is grace and truth – and they are realized through Jesus.

Explanation (v. 18)

Finally, in verse 18, John writes something that simply amazes me. He reminds us that no one has seen God (in all His glory) except for the Son – Jesus. And then the last part is this:

[Jesus] has explained God.

It is not enough that Jesus shows us God, for who among us could understand or accept what we see? Who among us could handle the glory of God? But Jesus has also come among us to explain God to us… not exhaustively, but sufficiently. In other words, Jesus doesn’t tell us everything there is to know about God. But Jesus does tell us everything we need to know about God. He tells us what we need to know to have eternal life. He tells us what kind of life God wants us to live; more than that, the purpose for which God has given us life!

So, John goes on in his Gospel to tell the story of God-in-the-flesh, living and making a home among us. He writes of the same miracles and teachings as the other Gospel writers, but John always has this eternal context and perspective that God has come down to be with us, to show us His face and explain Himself to us.

I commend the book of John to you this week – especially if you are taking time off of work or school. Jesus is God’s Christmas present to you – that you might see and know Him in a personal and saving way. Make sure not to leave that present under the tree or in the closet!

Invitation

I’d like to end with God’s invitation in John 1:12.

To as many as received Jesus, God gives the right to become His children, to those who believe in His name.

Christmas presents have a card on them marked ‘To’ and ‘From’. This Christmas present of God’s Son is marked similarly…

To: my children

From: your Heavenly Father

Jesus would never stop issuing that invitation, so neither will I.

Come, believe, and receive God’s gift to you in Jesus Christ, His Son: peace, salvation, purpose, hope, and calling.

Have a blessed Christmas! Amen.

The post Light Among Us appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

SERVICE VIDEO (link)TEXT: Lessons and Carols

I remember sitting with a teenager one time many years ago after her father had died in an untimely way. She asked me why God would let that happen. And that scenario or something like it has happened more times than I can count over the years of ministry. Someone is facing an indescribable loss, or challenge, or disappointment, and they ask me – or maybe they ask you – why God would let that happen.

And here’s the thing: there are some theological answers to questions like that. But they can’t answer every situation. More importantly they don’t seem to be what people really need in those moments. I realized that pretty early on as well. Rather, what people seem to need most in moments like those is for someone to be with them, physically and emotionally present, as if to say, “You are not alone.” There seems to be something deeper and more significant about relationship and community than simply having intellectual or philosophical answers for hard questions.

And at the end of the night, after all the scriptures and songs about sin, a curse, God’s salvation plan of rescue, the mission, the Kingdom, and all the rest of the Good News, one of the most significant things I think Christmas offers us is the demonstration that we are not alone. God is with us in Christ, in the flesh, as a human being, one of us, along with us.

Jesus is indeed the answer to our sin and separation from God. Jesus is indeed the Rescuer and Deliverer. Jesus indeed came to announce the Kingdom of God and invite us into fellowship with God and citizenship in that Kingdom. But first and before any of that happens, Jesus is God coming all the way down to where we are – waiting room, kneeling on the floor, full of questions and doubt, helpless to ‘fix’ or improve our situation – and saying, “I am here, with you.” That is the first and deepest meaning of Christmas and the Incarnation: God is with us, right here and right now.

Isn’t that Good news? And Jesus is God with us in all our humanity, with our questions, our suffering, our temptations, our pain. Jesus is with us; God is with us.

That “ministry of presence” is a gift we can give each other, offering our time and our ear and our attention. And it’s something we learn from God because that’s what God did in Jesus. He came near to walk among us, feel what we feel, and hurt like we hurt. You are not alone!

I think we romanticize Mary and Joseph, but they were struggling with the unexpected birth, the weight and responsibility of the angel message, with the travel during pregnancy, no room to stay, and then labor and delivery. And yet, God was with them… in their case literally with them in Jesus Emmanuel.

Another part of their struggle along with all the people of their day was living under the Roman Empire, with its taxes and sometimes brutal rule. The great hope of Mary and Joseph’s people was for the Messiah, the Deliverer God would send. And Jesus was that Messiah and Deliverer, though first he would be God among His people, with His people.

You all look so beautiful and joyful, but I have some idea of how much people are struggling. I know some of the prayers you pray, the questions you ask, and the struggles you face. And I don’t have answers for many of those things. What I do have I can share with you tonight. It is the news that in Christ, God is with us. God is here. God is with YOU. God is with you in your joys and disappointments. God is with you in health and in sickness. God is with you in certainty and in doubt. God is with you in plenty and in want.

God did not remain distant and aloof. God does not simply snap His fingers to fix what needs fixing. Rather God promises never to leave us, never to forsake us. God promises to walk with us through the valley of darkness. God took on humanity to walk and live and suffer and die alongside us.

Jesus is Emmanuel, God with us. Hallelujah, Amen.

The post With Us appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

SERVICE VIDEO (link)TEXT: Luke 1:67-70,76-79; Isaiah 9:2,6-7

When I think about John the Baptist I sometimes think about Good Shepherd. Good Shepherd is a small church that, by the grace of God, has a big reach and impact for the Kingdom of God. While we gather in relatively small numbers week after week, we have been faithful in proclaiming and teaching the Gospel message to successive generations. We have had a steady stream of people grow up in and come through our church through youth ministry, internships, and active membership. I think of Jason and Josh Hinton, Pratt and Ashley Butler, Carter Robinson, Nadine Ellsworth (Moran), Courtney and Wes Butler, Karen Katibah, Paul Hamilton, Greg Joines, Jeremiah Caughran, Mark Ashbaugh, John Drexel, Mariah Woodbury, Bess McLawhorn, Claire Mackie, and even more others before them. They’ve gone on to pastor and plant churches, go to the mission field, lead campus ministries, work in the marketplace, and become faith leaders in other churches as they’ve moved to different part of the city or country.

They (and you!) all have something in common with John the Baptist. They believed in the promises of God and they are committed to telling the story of what God has done and is doing in the world. That’s the mission of our church as well – not to make a name for ourselves, but to equip you to make much of the name of the Lord and point people to what God has done and is doing. With that in mind, let’s look today at John the Baptist!

John had a simple outdoor ministry with a simple but significant message: “Repent! The Messiah is coming!” He was always pointing away from himself to what God was doing. He was not about gathering people to himself or making a name for himself. He was all about the coming Kingdom of God.

His calling and ministry started even before his miraculous birth. An angel told his father Zacharias that he and Elizabeth would have a baby. They were old and had never been able to have children. It was reminiscent of Abraham and Sarah of old. The angel Gabriel came and told Zacharias that he and Elizabeth would have a baby who would be a great prophet like Elijah, called to turn the hearts of the people back to God. When Zacharias asked for a sign, the angel took away his voice, saying that it would return when the baby was born.

When John was finally born everyone assumed the parents would name the baby after his father. But Zacharias wrote on a tablet that his name was to be John and at that moment his voice was restored and everyone marveled. That was when Zacharias spoke the words in today’s text from Luke. I want to look at that text and the one from Isaiah to consider the promises of God and what it means to tell out that story.

The Great Promise (Isaiah 9)

Let’s start first in Isaiah, one of many places where God’s great promises to save His people (and the world) are spoken. Isaiah is writing to God’s people who have lost everything, have been exiled, and who are desperate for rescue and restoration. The promises to them were provisionally fulfilled when they returned home from Exile, but in the days of Zacharias and Elizabeth the Jewish people, under the boot of Rome, were still longing for the kind of rescue and restoration described in Isaiah.

Isaiah wrote, “The people who walk in darkness will see a great light; those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them.” (9:2) And then a little bit later in that chapter he speaks of a child to be born, words we probably know so well because of Handel’s Messiah. But Zacharias would have known them well, along with all the Jewish people at that time, because they held so much promise for God’s deliverance, for THE Messiah:

6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;And the government will rest on His shoulders;And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor,Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.7 There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace,On the throne of David and over his kingdom,To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousnessFrom then on and forevermore.The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.~Isaiah 9:6-7

Just to be clear, this child to be born was not John. But Zacharias understood that his child would live in the generation to see the Messiah, and John would be the one to announce and prepare the way for his coming.

As so as Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke prophetic words over his newborn son, John, he recognized that what God had promised was coming to pass:

Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying:“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,For He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people,69 And has raised up a horn of salvation for usIn the house of David His servant…~Luke 1:67-69

Though Jesus would be born in a matter of months, Zacharias and Elizabeth already knew of the visit and promise to Mary, for Elizabeth had greeted her as “mother of my Lord” during their visit just prior to the birth of John. So between that and being filled with the Holy Spirit, Zacharias was able to prophesy, to declare: “Blessed be the Lord… He has visited us and accomplished redemption… salvation for us in the house of David.”

To Tell the Story of What God Has Done (vv.76-79)

After recounting the covenant and promises of God for a number of verses, Zacharias turns to speak words of blessing and prophecy over his son.

“And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;For you will go on before the Lord to prepare His ways;To give to His people the knowledge of salvationBy the forgiveness of their sins…~Luke 1:76-77

John would grow up to have a unique role in God’s redemptive history. He would be the last of the Hebrew prophets and the one sent to “go before” the Messiah to “prepare His ways.” Like many of the Old Testament prophets, he was an unusual character. You can find a fuller description in Matthew 3: he wore a garment of camel’s hair and ate locusts and honey. While his appearance may have evoked images of Elijah, expected as the forerunner to the Messiah, it was also the garb and diet of nomadic desert folks of the time. His message was certainly prophetic in the truest sense: a call to turn back from sin to turn back to the Lord to experience God’s mercy and redemption. John preaching out at the Jordan river and baptized people for repentance as they confessed their sin (again, see Matthew 3). For this particular activity of his ministry we call him “John the Baptist.”

Zacharias continues in verses 78-79 to describe a bit more – not just WHAT God was doing, but WHY God was doing it:

78 Because of the tender mercy of our God,With which the Sunrise from on high will visit us,To shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,To guide our feet into the way of peace.”~Luke 1:78-79

The world was in spiritual darkness and God was sending Light into the world. We often associate that imagery with the Gospel of John (written by John the disciple, not John the Baptist), but here it is in Luke on the lips of Zacharias: God would send Light – the “Sunrise from on high” to those who “sit in darkness and the shadow of death.” And Zacharias gives us the reason and the result.

The reason for God’s Light, God’s salvation, God’s Messiah – is “because of the tender mercy of our God.” Why does God save? It is because of mercy, because of compassion and love. We don’t deserve it; we don’t earn it. It is because of God’s tender mercy, God’s HESED.

And the result, the purpose? It is “to guide our feet into the way of peace.” In restoring us to God, redeeming us from sin, rescuing from darkness, God leads us to peace with God, to God’s SHALOM.

There are, of course, additional words to describe all this. We looked last week at John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” It’s all the same elements though: God loved, God sent, God rescues, and we are invited to believe. Mercy, light, repentance, peace. It all amounts to Good News anchored in Jesus Christ, the Messiah.

What’s a Church For?

I want to end where I started and ask the question, “What is a church for?” Certainly one good answer is that a church is the gathering of people to worship God. It is also a sending of people into the world with the Good News about God and what God has done. Said even more simply, we come together to point to God (and marvel!) and we go out to point to God. We are to be worshipers on a mission!

There are abundant examples of how our small community has birthed many worshipers on a mission. Just think about all those folks I named at the beginning. But each of you – each of you – is also a worshiper on a mission. And we continue to teach, train, and raise up more to do the same, to believe in the promises of God and commit to telling the story of what God has done and is doing in the world.

At its simplest, that’s what we are to be about. That has always been the mission of God’s people. We are invited – YOU are invited – to believe in the promises of God and to tell the story, in word and through your actions, of what God has done and is doing in the world. It’s Good News and you are invited to be a part of it. Amen.

Some Music Used

PreludesLabor of Love (from Behold the Lamb of God, Peterson) – feat. Katie MeeksSilent Night (arr. Austell) – feat. Katie MeeksWinter Snow – feat. Maddie ShulerWelcome to Our World – feat. Eric VanderHeideMinuet (Mozart) – Bobby White, piano Christ, Be Our LightO Come, O Come EmmanuelGood Christians All Rejoice/Let Us Be KnownOFFERTORY: We light the Advent Candles – Bobby White, piano The post Light that Guides in the Way of Peace appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

SERVICE VIDEO (link)TEXT: Luke 1:46-56

Today we are looking at words spoken by Mary in the first chapter of Luke. This text is often called the “Magnificat” from the first word in the Latin version which means “it praises” (with “my soul” as the subject). This song or prayer of Mary’s took place in response to seeing her pregnant relative, Elizabeth. Mary has believed God’s Word to her and Elizabeth declares her blessed for doing so. We see Mary’s faith manifest in today’s text as worship and as joy.

Worship and Joy

Mary’s song begins with worship and joy: “My soul exalts the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.” (vv.46-47) Exalt is a worship word meaning praise or lift up as worthy. Mary’s faith and obedience didn’t result in insecurity and doubt, but in soul-worship or heart-felt praise of God. This isn’t just going through the motions as a religious exercise, but a spontaneous and authentic expression of love for God. And it’s not just worship – lifting God up as worthy; it is also joy-filled, as Mary rejoices in her spirit over God’s salvation.

Do you ever feel like God is trying to get your attention, speak to you, or do something in your life? I don’t ask to get you to do something for me or the church, but to encourage your growth in knowledge and love of God… to tune in to God in your life. Not only is that one good definition of worship, it also results in deep joy and real satisfaction, the kind we find ourselves pursuing without knowing it and the kind Mary demonstrates in her song.

It is worth noting that Mary does not focus for long on what God has done for her, but is drawn to the way God is faithful in all generations. This is the difference between thinking about or praying to a Santa Claus Jesus and tuning in to a saving God who is at work in the world. God isn’t about me; I need to be about God!

Heavy Burdens

As with many of her people in that time, Mary struggled under the weight of Roman rule and oppression. She also faced an unexpected pregnancy and the challenge of giving birth and making a way forward as well as the divine message that her child would be the Messiah. And yet you wouldn’t know Mary was weighed down by these many burdens from reading or hearing her prayer. The joy with which she begins her words carries through the details of the challenges around her, lightening the heavy load as she rested those things in God’s hands.

Most of Mary’s song is spent describing what God has done. What jumps out at me are the “highs and lows” – that is, the language of exaltation and humility. I counted as many as twelve words or phrases that speak to position or perspective. God “has regard for the humble”; God has “scattered the proud”; and so on.

Mary sets an example for us of how God is to be honored and adored, and the joy that brings to her life. And not only does Mary lift God up in worship, she declares God’s mighty deeds. She sings of what God has done and will do. God’s justice and salvation will accomplish two things: exaltation of the humble and humbling of the exalted.

God will raise up those who are humble and turn to him in need. Mary begins by describing how God “had regard” for her own situation – the “humble state of His bondservant” (v. 48). She is marveling that God would choose someone so young and lowly as herself to give birth to the Messiah. But she moves past this “great thing” God has done for her to praise God for His faithfulness over the generations. God’s mighty deeds include mercy and compassion for “those who fear Him (v. 50)… those who were humble (v. 52)… the hungry (v. 53)… Israel His servant (v. 54).”

But God also has judgment for those who put themselves in His place to take advantage of others – the proud, the unjust rulers, the selfish rich. God will scatter those proud, bring down those rulers, and send away those rich empty-handed. This is a declaration of God’s judgment and justice, to be accomplished provisionally on earth and finally in Heaven.

Both in God raising up the lowly and in God humbling the so-called mighty, God will be shown to be both merciful King and faithful God.

The Faithfulness of God (vv.54-55)

Finally, this song – the Magnificat – is not primarily about celebrating what God is doing for Mary. Rather, it starts out of amazement at God’s miracle and moves to Mary marveling at God’s faithfulness in human history, coming to an amazing and miraculous point in her own generation and life.

Mary punctuates and concludes her song with reminders of God’s faithfulness. (In v. 50) She quotes Psalm 104 about God’s faithfulness from generation to generation… a phrase that will also figure prominently in the Pentecost outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Then (vv. 54-55) she remembers God’s covenant promise to Abraham, and acknowledges God’s faithfulness in fulfilling those promises through the birth of the Messiah.

Realize that Mary wasn’t living in a vacuum, but was of a generation of Jewish people who had grown up believing in and waiting for God to act. Particularly under the degree of persecution and struggle experienced within the Roman occupation of their country, the longing for the Messiah was keen indeed. Mary seemed to naturally and faithfully make the move from “What is God doing in me?” to “What is God doing around me?” And that’s the question I want to leave with you as we try to understand and apply these stories to our own lives.

What is God Doing around Me?

Mary recognized that God was trying to get her attention, was speaking to her, and did desire to do something in her life. But, accepting all that and putting herself in God’s hands, she realized that what God was doing was bigger than her life. That not only brought her joy in the midst of her burdens and challenges, but also shifted her focus to how she could be a part of what God was doing and serve Him.

That’s the opportunity and invitation for us: to experience a joy that lightens our burdens and a recognition of how we can be a part of what God is doing.

How do you get that joy? How do you bring into focus what God is doing?

Following the course of Mary’s prayer-song is one great way. Start with a declaration of worship, of who God is and how you have experienced God in your life. Recognize God’s interest in the world and in establishing His mercy, justice, and salvation in your life and in the here and now. And look for opportunities to be a part of what God is doing.

Christmas celebrates God’s premiere demonstration of “doing in the world.” With the birth of Jesus, God was not only fulfilling generations of promise, but definitively demonstrating that He is God with us and for us, a sovereign Creator with a deep love and interest in those He created.

We don’t sing “Joy to the World” for nothing. Scripture says that “the joy of the Lord is my strength” (Nehemiah 8:10). The news that God is involved in the world, has sent His Son and our Savior into the world, and continues to act is joy indeed.

“What is God doing and how can I be a part” is a worthy Christmas question and one I commend to you today. It is not a burden to be obedient to the Lord; it is a joy, and one that lightens every load.

“Come to me all you who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

Jesus spoke those words as an adult, but they sound a lot like a song his mother once sang. May it ring in your heart as well this day. Amen.

The post Joy that Lightens Every Load appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

SERVICE VIDEO (link)TEXT: John 1:4-5; 3:16-21

Last week we talked about the hope we have in Christ. We talked about sin, how it separates us from God, not just eternally, but in ongoing ways. We are reconciled to God through the saving death of Christ on the cross, but ongoing sin keeps us from seeing, hearing, and participating in God’s work in the here and now. It keeps us from experiencing God’s justice, peace, blessing, and presence. But we also heard the Good News that God comes after us, seeking us not only for salvation, but for His work in the world. We are invited to continually repent and turn to the Lord again and again in faith and in hope.

Today we are going to talk about the reason behind God’s movement toward us. Why is it that when we fail and fall again and again, and again and again, that God still goes to such great lengths to heal, forgive, restore, and involve us?

In a word, it is love! We are going to look at the Gospel of John, at John’s description of Jesus and of God’s remarkable love for us. It is Good News indeed!

And this is not so much a “go and do” sermon as a “listen to this” sermon. It’s something God really wants you to hear, receive, and have sink in.

14 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. 5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. … 316 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17 “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. 18 “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. 20 “For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 “But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”

Life and Light (John 1:4-5)

The first verses of the Gospel of John describe the coming of Christ into the world. Though the world was shrouded in sin, Jesus came as Light and Life to shine in the darkness. John tells us that this was God’s plan from the beginning and John introduces two key images that help us understand what Jesus was about.

LIFE: Jesus brings joy, energy, breath, vitality. And he didn’t just bring it; Jesus was life, the life of the party, life from death, new life. For humanity facing death as the consequence of sin, Jesus brings the hope of Life, of salvation.

LIGHT: And into our confused, sinful, disobedient lostness, Jesus shines as Light in the darkness. When it’s dark, light helps us see obstacles and dangers. It helps us find our way. Jesus brings illumination: understanding of God’s truth and purpose and Kingdom. Jesus does all that and more. And he doesn’t just bring life and light; he IS Life and Light.

Not to Judge but to Save (Jn 3:17ff)

I want to jump to chapter 3, verse 17. Where we left off in Isaiah last week was that we continue to struggle with sin and it keeps us from seeing and hearing God at work around us. I noted that God doesn’t look upon our situation and squoosh us like a bug; rather, God comes to us in Christ to invite us to come, believe, and follow. That’s what verse 17 says: “God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him.” That’s Good News for us humans who continue to sin, continue to embrace darkness and turn from the light. We don’t have to save ourselves!

What does God ask of us? That we BELIEVE: “He who believes in Him is not judged” … that is, “believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (v.18) And Jesus invites not only belief, but continued discipleship, continued following. That’s what it means to “practice the truth” in verse 21… deeds that have been wrought, that originate, in God.

God’s Motivation (Jn 3:16)

John 3:16 is one of the best-known verses of the Bible. But I think we focus on it as a very concise summary of salvation. That’s the last part: “whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” And that’s absolutely true! But perhaps we miss the significance of the first part, especially if we have not pondered the depth and pervasiveness of our sin problem.

Remember last week? We break the commandments, both externally and at the heart-level that Jesus talked about. We also fail to do the good we ought to do, like the religious folks in the Parable of the Good Samaritan or those who failed to show compassion in the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats. We also participate in corporate sins like those of cultural racism, greed, and idolatry. We sin. We’ve inherited it from Adam and Eve and we continue to sin on our own. As scripture says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

And yet, why does God offer us salvation through the only begotten Son? Is it pity? No. It’s love: “For God SO LOVED the world that…” (v.16) It’s easy to love those who treat you well, who respect you, who do what you want, who are on good terms with you. But your enemies? Those who are far from being right with you? Those who are lost to you? That’s precisely who God has loved. YOU are precisely who God has loved.

The Light of Love

And it’s this love that is embodied in Jesus Christ. It is this remarkable love that Christ embodies into LIFE and LIGHT. When you are lost in the dark, realize that the Light is not the police come to hunt down a criminal, but a rescue squad sent out to bring you home. When you feel far from God and far from who you want to be, realize that God is not an angry parent waiting to condemn you should you ever show your face in church, but the Prodigal’s Father who runs to meet you, welcome you, clothe you, and celebrate your involvement in the family once again.

And remember that one of the images Jesus offers for us as we join in his work in the world is that we, too, are LIGHT in the world. Jesus is the Light of the world, but he invites us to believe, follow, and be Light IN the world, that others might see and be drawn to God’s love, salvation, and Kingdom work.

You are beloved of God, whether you know it or not. Come to Jesus; believe, trust, and follow the Life and Light of the World, God’s embodiment of His great love. Amen.

Some Music Used

PreludesMy Song in the NightIt Came Upon the Midnight ClearShout to the Lord/O Come, EmmanuelRick Bean, jazz piano QUARTET: Resonet in Laudibus (Gallus) – Caritas acapella quartetGreat are You, Lord/What child is ThisQUARTET: Do You Know the Song that the Angels Sang (Ferko) – Caritas acapella quartetLo, How a Rose E’re BloomingQUARTET: Go Tell it on the Mountain, excerpts (Ferko) – Caritas acapella quartet The post The Light of Love appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

Isaiah 59 -- Sin causes us to lose our way, but God has provided a way. The post Hope for Light appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

Psalm 100 -- This Psalm of Thanksgiving describes how knowledge of God leads to worship, service, witness, and joyful thanksgiving. The post Joyful Thanksgiving appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

Mark 6:33-44 -- In the Feeding of the 5,000 Jesus shows how God provides as we obediently seek Him. The post Obedience Multiplied appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

Luke 7:36-50 -- Jesus teaches a Pharisee about the meaning of love and respect. The post A Debt of Love appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

Mark 4:35-41 -- Jesus calming the storm has a number of lessons for modern-day disciples. The post Peace in the Boat appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

Mark 4:1-25 -- Quay Youngblood teaches on the Parable of the Sower. The post Seeds appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

Mark 2:23-3:12 -- God has gifted humanity with an invitation to Sabbath rest. The post Purposeful Rest appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

Mark 2:14-22 -- At a dinner party Jesus lives out and illustrates his authority to forgive sins. The post Dinner Church appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

Mark 2:1-13 -- We follow a Savior who has the authority to forgive sin as well as to heal and make whole. The post The Body, the Soul, and the Lord appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

Mark 1:29-45 -- We see a day in Jesus life, full of proclaiming and demonstrating the Kingdom of God as well as withdrawing for prayer. The post Words and Actions appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

Mark 1:14-28 -- Jesus came to preach and demonstrate the Good News of the Kingdom and to call believers to follow him into the world. The post Kingdom, Call, & Sign appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

John 17:13-26 -- Jesus prays for his followers as they follow him out into the world to love and serve. The post Jesus Among Us appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

2 Timothy 3:15-16 -- Gods Word is worthy of study and obedience as Gods inspired revelation and love-letter to us. The post Studying the Word appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

Matthew 3:13-17 -- In baptism we are identified as Christs own, secured in the faithfulness of Gods covenant promises through Christ. The post Baptism appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

Youth and leaders share testimony from the summer mission service project. The post Youth Mission Sunday appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

Ephesians 1:15-19 -- Jesus and Paul modeled intercessory prayer that we might incorporate into our prayer life. The post Prayers of and for the People appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

Isaiah 12, Ephesians 5 -- We sing praise to God for who He is and for what He has done because we have the Holy Spirit working in us. The post The Reason Why We Sing appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

1 John 1:1-10 -- We have all sinned (and must recognize that), but Gods love and grace are greater than our sin! The post Confession of Sin, Assurance of Grace appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

Numbers 6; Psalm 67 -- We experience blessing when we hear and obey Gods Word and will. The post Benediction-Blessing appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

John 4:7-42 -- Jesus invites us - warts and all - into authentic worship with God. The post Call to Worship appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

Luke 22; 1 Corinthians 11 -- The Lords Supper offers believers an invitation, experience, and celebration of Gods grace through Jesus Christ. The post The Lord’s Supper appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

1 Peter 2:4-6 -- Jason Hinton preaches on believers being the living Temple promised by God. The post Living Stones, Spiritual Houses appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

Ephesians 2:14-18; 4:1-3 -- We know and share the peace of Christ, reconciling us to God and to one another. The post Passing of the Peace appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

Matthew 16:13-18 -- Gods gift of faith and belief is grounded in Christ, centered in our heart, and demonstrated with our words and actions. The post We Believe appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

Matthew 5:1-15 -- GSPC Elder Jim Hinton preaches on the Lords Prayer. The post The Lord’s Prayer appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

Acts 2:1-13,37-39 -- God is at work in the world through the power of the Spirit and our human witness. The post Power for Witness appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

Acts 1:1-8 -- Christians are called as living witnesses to seek Gods power and participate in what God is doing in the world. The post Witnesses: Gathered and Ready appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

Colossians 3:15-16 -- The Spirit offers wisdom to speak peace to one another for building up in the truth. The post In Jesus’ Name appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

Colossians 3:1-14 -- In Christ we are raised to a new life and new behavior. The post New Selves appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

1 Peter 2:4-12 -- Those who believe and follow Jesus Christ have new identities rooted in worship and service. The post New Identities appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

Matthew 28:16-20 -- Jesus calls us to join Gods mission to the world to make disciples. The post Mission appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

Matthew 28:1-10 -- The purpose and so what of our salvation is that we are raised to new life with Christ, for the glory of God. The post Raised! appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

Joel 3:1-2; Matthew 21:1-11 -- The events of Palm Sunday invite us to examine our expectations and re-align them to Gods will and Word. The post Expectations appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

Joel 2:18-27; Acts 3:18-21 -- Bring your sorrow and turn freshly to The Lord, who will restore the years that the locusts have taken. The post Deliverance and Restoration appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

Joel 2:1-17; Matthew 4:8-10 -- We continue to face struggles and sin; lament, repentance, and worship lead us to HOPE! The post More to Come? appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

Joel 1:13-20; Matthew 4:5-7 -- We lament suffering and loss and consider how we might repent to renew our trust in the Lord. The post Drought appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

Joel 1:1-12 -- In the wake of a widespread plague, the Lord tells His people to lament. The post Plague! appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

Psalm 145 -- Pastor Robert shares parts of his faith journey to remember God through praise. The post My Story – What God Has Done appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

Psalm 145 -- Praise remembers and declares who God is and what God has done, serving to remind us of Gods enduring faithfulness in our lives. The post What God is Like appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

Psalm 107:39-43, Luke 15:1-7 -- The Lord protects His family like a Shepherd protecting the flock. The post Protector of the Flock appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

Psalm 107:33-38 -- God can turn the powers and so-called blessings of this world upside down, offering true blessing to those who trust Him. The post Cultivating Blessing appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

Psalm 107:23-32 -- God is our guide, even in the storms of life. The post Guide in the Storm appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

Psalm 107:17-22 -- God does not abandon the spiritually disobedient, but offers healing through His Word. The post Healing for the Foolish and Afflicted appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

Psalm 107:10-16 -- God rescues those who trust in Christ from captivity to sin. The post Freedom for the Captive appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

Psalm 107:4-9 -- God is good; God is faithful; God is involved in our lives to provide what we need most! The post Water for the Thirsty Soul appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

Psalm 107:1-3 -- God is good and merciful and has redeemed humanity; let us make Him known! The post Let the Redeemed Say So appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

Luke 2:17-20 -- Mary demonstrated holy habits of contemplation, celebration, and witness of what God has done. The post Treasuring, Pondering, Sharing appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

Luke 2:25-38 -- Simeon and Anna were part of the long line of witnesses of (and believers in) Gods promises to save. The post Watchfires appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

Luke 2:36-38 -- Prayer is an essential act of service to God that leads to worship and witness. The post The PEACE of a Prayer-Filled Life appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

TEXT: Luke 2:25-35; Psalm 118:22-26; Isaiah 28:16-18a

I often think back to my childhood and what went into making me me. I read a lot, books that encouraged my imagination and creativity. I played outside a lot with my younger brother, competing with one another but also learning compromise and cooperation. I remember my parents sharing their faith and the stories of scripture, including lots of church and Sunday school. The knowledge and faith I have didn’t start from scratch in seminary, but were planted and watered from my childhood.

As we move slowly through Simeon’s story, I have noticed and pointed out to you his familiarity with the prophet Isaiah. Isaiah’s writings were part of the Hebrew scriptures that Simeon must have grown up reading and pondering. Isaiah had a particular way of talking about the Messiah and we hear lots of that echoed in Simeon’s words and prayer. Today’s blessing and words to Mary are no different. Simeon draws upon imagery in Isaiah to talk about what is yet to come. Isaiah said that the Messiah would be a stone that God put in place to begin building the Kingdom of God on earth. Some would trip and stumble over that stone; others would recognize the stone as part of what God was building. I’d like to start with Isaiah’s words, then look with you at Simeon’s blessing of the holy family.

16 Therefore thus says the Lord God,“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone,A costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed.He who believes in it will not be disturbed.17 I will make justice the measuring lineAnd righteousness the level;Then hail will sweep away the refuge of liesAnd the waters will overflow the secret place.18 Your covenant with death will be canceled…”

Isaiah 28:16-18a

I want to divide Simeon’s blessing into three parts: the stone, the sword, and the truth.

THE STONE: “Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed” (v.34)

We’ll start with a bit of a deep dive into the text and word choices.

First, the stone. If you read Luke 2, you may ask, “What stone?” Isaiah’s stone is not mentioned explicitly there, but everything else about Simeon’s blessing calls it to mind. Isaiah (and our first scripture from Psalm 118) speak of the Messiah as a stone which some oppose and reject and some embrace, leading to salvation or resurrection. Psalm 118 speaks of a stone, rejected but made into the “chief cornerstone” by the Lord’s doing. It leads right into the pleading for God’s salvation. Isaiah speaks of a cornerstone for the foundation of what God is doing, building a kingdom of justice and righteousness that will cancel the covenant with death. And Simeon’s blessing links the child Jesus with the fall and rise of many in Israel, and a sign to be opposed. And indeed, some would oppose Jesus and his message about the Kingdom of God and forgiveness of sin. Many would trip over him and his message, but many would also be raised up in faith. You see this played out throughout his earthly ministry as well as after his resurrection.

So there is plenty to link Simeon’s blessing to the Psalms and to Isaiah. But there is an even more explicit link that is obscured because of translation. The word ‘appointed’ in v. 34 is the same word used in Isaiah 28 about the stone. The root word literally means “put in place” or “set in place.” It is used in masonry to describe setting a stone into place. Our particular English translation used ‘appointed’ in Luke because the child is a person, but they missed the link that you’d hear if you read the Greek NT and the Greek translation of Isaiah. God has set this Messiah in place, in the key place and time, like the cornerstone to the house God is building.

All this is just to underscore and add context to what Simeon says about the child, Jesus. Simeon recognized that God set Jesus in place at the right time and place to build His Kingdom. Even today some trip over Jesus and that message. But let me add one further consideration around Simeon’s choice of words. It is true that some trip over who Jesus is and what he taught. But even those of us who trust in Jesus and are “raised up with him” must experience a humbling that leads to repentance and salvation. Scripture speaks of dying to self that we might live with him. Perhaps it’s not fall OR rise, but the fall AND rise describes how we come to trust Christ, the Messiah.

It’s a completely different (and biblical) metaphor, but baptism symbolizes the same kind of two-fold movement. In the waters of baptism we symbolize that we die to ourselves and to sin and are raised up to new life in Christ. The stone imagery from Psalms, Isaiah, and Simeon carry similar meaning and imagery.

And practically it all raises the question, “What is your response to Jesus?” All of us are humbled by his message and who he claims to be, but does that lead you to reject God’s cornerstone, or to be raised up as a living stone that is part of the house God is building? (That’s language from 1 Peter 2 that also draws upon the same Psalm 118 and Isaiah 28 passages.)

THE SWORD:“and a sword will pierce even your own soul” (v.35a)

Simeon continues his words to Mary saying, “a sword will pierce even your own soul.” He’s not telling Mary that she will die by the sword, but that her heart will be broken by this opposition to the child. Indeed, we know that Mary was present at the crucifixion and saw all that happened to Jesus. The language of piercing and grief calls to mind the words of the Old Testament prophet Zechariah:

10 “I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem,the Spirit of grace and of supplication,so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced;and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son,and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn.

Zechariah 12:10

This is a pretty discouraging “blessing” to be speaking to a new mother! On the other hand, Simeon is accurately describing the struggle and suffering that will accompany Jesus and those around him during his life and his death. But Simeon does not leave off there; he does end on a somewhat more positive note. Maybe not positive, but he reveals some of the meaning behind this suffering and I’ve found that if I’m going to struggle or suffer it makes it more bearable if I understand some purpose behind it.

THE TRUTH: “to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed” (v.35b)

Simeon continues with “to the end that” – that is to say, “This is what God will accomplish through that opposition and struggle and sorrow.” This child, Jesus the Messiah, the cornerstone, will bring God’s light and truth to bear in a dark and sinful world.

That is, “Thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.” The Messiah, either directly or through his teaching or work, will reveal what is in people’s hearts. That may be because of how they respond to him, tripping over him and opposing him or humbling themselves in faith and obedience. Or it may be through the work that God does in a person’s life as a result of trusting Jesus. But the truth will be brought to bear.

That same passage in Isaiah 28 also describes this revealing of truth:

Then hail will sweep away the refuge of liesAnd the waters will overflow the secret place.

Isaiah 28:17

The apostle and gospel-writer John said it like this:

“In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.The light shines in the darkness,and the darkness did not overcome it.”

John 1:4-5 And that’s where I want to end up with you today. On one hand, Jesus says invites all to come, saying “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:29-30) On the other hand, it seems evident that people trip over Jesus and his message. Later in the Gospel of John Jesus says this, “Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light.” (3:19) Perhaps this passage reconciles the two a bit; Jesus’ yoke and burden is light, but we have to lay down our own heavy burden of self-sufficiency, self-assurance… to fall over him and at his feet before we are raised up to new life.

On one hand it sounds like an impossible situation, a non-sensical equation. How do we fall to rise, die to live? How is that easy or light? As I reached for an example I finally thought of learning to ride a bike as a child. For many it can be a terrible, fearful thing. We want to do it, but our fear threatens to undo us. It may even seem like we are going to die! It seems impossible, physically and emotionally. But if we trust the person teaching us, if we can lay down our fears, we emerge to the other side to something that is indeed easy and light and joy! Some may refuse and never learn; it’s too much to ask!

I understand that experiences vary with learning to ride a bike (or swim or fill in your own blank). But God does not vary. He has sent His Son into the world, Light in the darkness, and invites each one to come, laying down fear and our own burdens, and being raised up into part of what God is building. That’s the Gospel, that is the Good News of Great Joy. Amen.

Some Music Used

PreludesO Come, All Ye FaithfulShout to the Lord/O Come, EmmanuelIt Came Upon the Midnight ClearJoy in the Journey (Michael Card)Rick Bean, piano Joy to the World/Unspeakable JoyCHOIR: O Come, O Come Emmanuel (arr. Rouse)Good Christians, All Rejoice

The post JOY in Sorrow appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

TEXT: Luke 2:27-32; Isaiah 60:1-3

Today is the second Sunday of Advent, which we are spending with Anna and Simeon, two people in the Gospels who were faithfully serving the Lord and waiting expectantly for God’s Messiah. Last week we looked at the first part of Simeon’s story to better understand what it mean that the Messiah Jesus would be the “Consolation of Israel.” This week we are going to look at Simeon’s prayer and how it helps us understand the scope of God’s salvation which would be demonstrated through Jesus.

God’s Salvation

If I asked you what “God’s salvation” was I bet most of you would be able to tell me that Jesus died on the cross for your sins so that you might go to Heaven. You might even elaborate using John 3:16 to say that this salvation was because of God’s great love and that Heaven was eternal life with God. And you’d be right!

One of my favorite things to remind people of is how deep God’s love is. So many people struggle with thinking that they are too sinful or too messed up for God to love. Far from it! Jesus came to save sinful people and God’s love is bigger than human sin… by a long shot!

All of that is true, but it’s not the focus of today’s verses. These are not talking about how DEEP God’s love and salvation are, but how broad or WIDE God’s love and salvation are. And this is also true! And our tendency to focus on individual salvation and not God’s plan for the world causes us to miss a big part of God’s purpose for us in the world!

The Breadth of God’s Salvation

There are three phrases in verses 31-32 that help define the BREADTH of God’s salvation. I’d like to look at each of them with you.

“prepared in the presence of all peoples” – God’s salvation has been for all peoples from the beginning. Even in pronouncing the consequences of the Fall with Adam and Eve, God spoke of the descendant who would crush the serpent’s head. And though God would choose a particular family and people in Abraham, the covenant with Abraham always had all peoples in view. God blessed Abraham and his descendants so that through them God would bless (and save) all the peoples of the world. This IS the old covenant and it was not replaced, but explained and fulfilled in Christ through the new covenant. Testament is another word for covenant, so that our Old Testament is the story of the covenant with Abraham and the new Testament the story of that covenant fulfilled in Christ. From start to finish, the covenant – God’s love and salvation – were for all the peoples of the world.

“a Light of revelation to the Gentiles” – God’s specific Law, message, and promises were spoken to a particular people, Israel. As such, God was yet to be revealed to non-Jews or Gentiles. So in his prayer Simeon recognized that the fulfilling of God’s covenant would reveal God’s love and salvation to the Gentiles (aka the peoples of the world.) Yet even this eventual revelation to the nations were part of the Old Testament promise. Look at our first scripture from Isaiah 60 as one example. To the Exiles Isaiah spoke to this was yet to happen, but Simeon knew the scriptures and recognized Isaiah’s words coming to pass…

1 “Arise, shine; for your light has come,And the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.2 “For behold, darkness will cover the earthAnd deep darkness the peoples;But the Lord will rise upon youAnd His glory will appear upon you.3 “Nations will come to your light,And kings to the brightness of your rising.

Isaiah 60:1-3

In the opening to his Gospel, the Apostle John also linked Jesus to this promised light… the “Light of the World.”

“the glory of your people Israel” – As I said, God’s specific Law, message, and promises were spoken to a particular people, Israel. So the coming of the Messiah wasn’t to be a new revelation, but the realization of God keeping His promises through the people Israel, through the descendant of Eve and Abraham and David. Israel’s glory was God’s glory – a promise kept through the generations and the ages for the blessing of the whole world!

Church for the World

As I noted last week, Simeon is described as “righteous and devout.” It is evident that he knew (and followed) the scriptures because of how he used language from Isaiah. I noted that he experienced God’s Holy Spirit, as evidenced by his certainty of seeing the Messiah and his being led into contact with the holy family on this day. So he had a personal knowledge and experience of the DEPTH God’s salvation in his own life! But he also understood the BREADTH of God’s love and salvation as evidenced in his prayer of thanksgiving to God that we’ve looked at today. He prays, “Now Lord, you are releasing your bond-servant to depart in peace, according to your word.” (v.29)

I find all this to be a meaningful testimony and story. But it also challenges us to have a more complete understanding of God’s salvation. It is of vital importance to know God personally, to have a personal relationship with God through our savior, Jesus Christ! I am in no way downplaying the importance of that! But it is essential to our mission, to our purpose as Christ-followers, to have an understanding of and gratitude for the BREADTH of God’s love and salvation.

Why? Because it is at the root of who we are in the world. It is at the root of Jesus teaching about the Kingdom of God, love of neighbor, and life in the world. Our faith is not intended to be a private me-and-Jesus thing, but a public, all-encompassing, way of being in the world. God has prepared this salvation in the presence of all peoples. That’s how we are to be in the world… in, with, and among all peoples as little lights in the world.

It’s as straightforward as the children’s song, “This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine!” The second verse asks if we should hide it under a bushel-basket… “No!” our children sing enthusiastically. Rather, “Everywhere I go, I’m going to let it shine!”

If we understand the DEPTH and BREADTH of God’s love and salvation, we will do no less!

Where do you go? Who do you know? As Pratt and Ashley asked last Sunday, “Where are you and where is God?”

Before you go to sleep tonight, ask that question or sing that song to yourself. If we take it seriously, it will change us, change our church, and change our world. Amen.

Some Music Used

PreludesO Come, All Ye FaithfulJoy to the World/Unspeakable JoyOf the Father’s Love/Love ShinesRick Bean, piano Choir: Advent Processional (Greig)Lo! How a RoseKing of KingsPeople, Look East

The post God So LOVED appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

TEXT: Luke 2:25-32; Isaiah 49:8-10,13

Have you ever had to wait for something good? I was going to just ask about waiting, but the first thing that came to my mind was the DMV, so I wanted to clarify: Have you ever had to wait for something good? I remember being a kid and waiting for Christmas morning… it was like time ran slower and slower and then I couldn’t fall asleep. I remember waiting to hear about college acceptances – a mix of not knowing who would say ‘yes’ and who would say ‘no’ and also not knowing for sure where I wanted to go. I remember waiting for our children to be born, though some came earlier than others!

Then there’s the kind of waiting where things are hard while you are waiting for some hopeful news. Maybe that’s waiting for test results from the doctor. Maybe that’s waiting for your family member to get home safely while there are storms or traffic backups on the road.

Today and over the next several weeks we are going to look at the story of two different people who knew what it was to wait. This is what Advent is about. It is about waiting expectantly for what God is going to do. We wait expectantly for the celebration of Christmas and Jesus being born into the world. We also wait expectantly for what God is yet to do. Waiting is hard, but it is one of the things most talked about in scripture. Psalm after Psalm talks about “waiting on the Lord.” I believe Simeon and Anna will help us with some of the waiting periods we go through as human beings.

What Faith Looks Like (vv. 25-26)

Today I am going to focus on the first two verses of Simeon’s story: a man in Jerusalem who was “righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him.” (v.25) It had been revealed to him by God’s Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ, God’s Messiah. (v.26)

From those verses I want to lift up three things about Simeon:

He was faithful with what he knewHe was hopeful for what God had promisedHe experienced God’s presence in his life

I think there is a logical order to those things. While God might re-arrange the order on occasion, this is the usual way faith manifests in a person’s life. Let’s consider them in order.

1. Simeon was faithful with what he knew

Luke describes Simeon as righteous and devout. He was a faithful Jewish man and kept the Law. He observed the sacrifices, kept the festivals, and frequented the Temple. He knew the Hebrew scriptures – the Law, the Writings, the Prophets. He knew the story of God and the covenant promises to Abraham. He knew the prophets, especially Isaiah, because we read that he was waiting for the “consolation of Israel” – Isaiah’s language for God’s Messiah.

1. Simeon was hopeful for what God had promised

Simeon’s faithfulness led him to trust and wait on the Lord for what God promised in the scriptures. God had made a covenant with Abraham to bless his children and through them to bless all the nations. God had renewed that covenant with King David to promise an eternal King and Kingdom. And God had spoken through prophets like Isaiah to promise an “anointed one” or Messiah who would at once be Deliverer, Redeemer, and a Servant who would save God’s people and the world. Isaiah, in particular, spoke of this Messiah as the Comforter or Consolation of Israel. I used one representative passage from Isaiah in our first reading today so you could see some of that language of salvation, help, covenant, restoration, release, compassion, and joy expressed as God’s “comfort of His people” (Isaiah 49:8-13). This was Simeon’s hope!

1. Simeon experienced God’s presence in his life

In this hopeful life of faithfulness Simeon experienced God’s presence, God’s Holy Spirit. Through the Holy Spirit God revealed to Simeon that he would not die until he had seen the Messiah. And as we’ll see in coming weeks, the Holy Spirit seemed to lead Simeon and Jesus’ family together at the temple. Simeon was listening to God and looking for God’s promises to be fulfilled.

What are you Waiting For?

What are you waiting for? And what does God have to do with it? Are your hopes focused on God?

Let’s be honest – no they aren’t, at least not in many situations. We wait for the stock market to go up or gas prices to go down. We wait for a miracle cure or for COVID to go away. We wait for Mr. or Mrs. Right (that’s ‘Right’ without a ‘W’). We wait to grow up, then we wait for retirement. Especially when things are hard and we are struggling, we wait for some kind of salvation or hope to make it all better. And that’s human; I do it and I imagine each of you do it.

What I love about Simeon, and what challenges me about Simeon, is the purity of his faith and hope. And if it helps, I’m sure he had other hopes and dreams that were not as perfect and pure. But I see in him a mature faith, one that had been cultivated through learning and obeying the scripture, demonstrated in a life-long hope and trust in God’s goodness and God’s faithfulness, and manifested in God’s presence in his life. That’s the kind of faith that shapes and re-shapes and re-defines all those other waits and hopes that we latch on to. That’s what I want and what I want to hold out to you today.

It’s okay and right to want things to change, healing to come, help to arrive. But are our hopes paper anchors like lotteries, internet answers, and wishful thinking? Or are our hopes increasingly anchored in the wisdom, power, justice, compassion, and goodness of God? That’s the kind of hope I want. And that’s the kind of hope I want for you!

If Simeon is any example for us – and I think he is! – we can begin by being faithful with what we know, daily seeking to learn more and be more faithful to God’s Word. That will lead us to a more sure hope in God’s promises and provision for us and an experience of God in our lives. That’s what I want and that’s what I want for you!

Coming Next

We’ll look at more of this story in the coming weeks. Next week we will consider the LOVE of God described in this passage and in Simeon’s prayer. In later weeks we’ll look at what it means to experience JOY, even in the midst of sorrow. And we will look at Anna’s story and the PEACE of a prayer-filled life. I hope you will not only join us for those stories, but take them to heart and implement them in your own lives as we prepare once again to come to the story of Christmas and the birth of Jesus the Messiah into the world. Amen.

Now That I’ve Held Him in My ArmsMichael Card

An old man in the temple waiting in the courtWaiting for the answer to a promiseAnd all at once he sees them in the morning sunshineA couple come and carrying a baby

Now that I’ve held Him in my armsMy life can now come to an endLet Your servant now depart in peace‘Cause I’ve seen Your salvationHe’s the Light of the GentilesAnd the glory of His people Israel

Mary and the baby come and in her hand five shekelsThe price to redeem her baby boyThe baby softly cooing nestled in her armsSimeon takes the boy and starts to sing

Now that I’ve held Him in my armsMy life can now come to an endLet Your servant now depart in peace‘Cause I’ve seen Your salvationHe’s the Light of the GentilesAnd the glory of His people Israel

Now’s the time to take Him in your armsYour life will never come to an endHe’s the only way that you’ll find peaceHe’ll give you salvation‘Cause He’s the Light of the GentilesAnd the glory of His people Israel

Some Music Used

PreludesO Come, All Ye FaithfulJoy to the World/Unspeakable JoyO Come, O Come EmmanuelLet All Mortal Flesh Keep Silent (Travis) – Cathy Youngblood, organ Choir: Let All Mortal Flesh (Young)Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus (HYFRYDOL)King of Kings (Hillsong)Sermon-Song: Now that I’ve Held Him in My Arms (Michael Card)Great are You, Lord (Bethel)

The post HOPE in the Consolation of Israel appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

TEXT: Hebrews 13:15; Psalm 106:1-5

**Manuscript not available this week. Thank you to Rev. Dr. Allen Schuyler for serving as guest preacher while Pastor Robert was away. Dr. Schuyler served at our sister church in the neighborhood, Candlewyck Baptist, for 21 years, and now serves the NC Baptist Foundation.

The post Bringing a Sacrifice of Praise appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

TEXT: 2 Corinthians 9:6-11; Psalm 24:1-2Guest Preacher: Jim Hinton, elder

Sermon manuscript not available.

Some Music Used

PreludesThe Beauty of HolinessHoliness/Take My LifeTake My Life/Here am I (Tomlin) Great is Thy FaithfulnessWe Give Thee But Thine OwnCHOIR: He Reigns (Grossman/Bean)Take My Life and Let it Be

The post It’s All His Anyway appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

TEXT: 2 Corinthians 9:3-15; Isaiah 55:8-11

We have been looking at our church’s core values over the last number of weeks. We’ve focused on GROW, CARE, and SERVE a couple of times. I’ve mostly saved the fourth value, STEWARD, for November since that is when we typically focus on stewardship, that is how we support the ministry and mission God has put before us as a church.

As we’ve done the last several weeks, we will hear later in the service from an elder and from a church member. Mark Katibah is elder over the STEWARD area along with Diana Horne. And Susan Slade will be sharing with us about what our church means to her. We’ll also be coming to the Lord’s Table for communion today.

The passage I’ve chosen for today is long, but our focus will be narrow. The scene is Paul writing to the Christians in Corinth about continuing generous support for ministry to the poor in Jerusalem. They had a strong start, but Paul is concerned that they continue in faithful giving. So it certainly fits the STEWARDSHIP theme! I want to focus in on verse 6 this morning and the idea of sowing bountifully.

Gardening Analogies

Paul really liked gardening analogies. We saw that in recent weeks as he talked about sharing in God’s work growing the Kingdom of God through the church here on earth. Remember, Paul planted, Apollos watered, but God caused the growth. It’s not lost on me either that I’ve suddenly spent more time in a garden than in the rest of my life combined as I joined Christy, several adults, and our youth to clear out the weeds overgrowing our community garden. Maybe God is finding some new ways to speak to me!

Here’s the analogy, meant to encourage generous giving to God’s work:

“The one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” (v.6)

Here’s how that verse is translated in The Message version of the Bible:

“a stingy planter gets a stingy crop; a lavish planter gets a lavish crop.” (v.6)

Now I realize it’s an analogy and no analogy is perfect. You and I can think of exceptions and scenarios where that might not make sense. But the point is not gardening advice, it’s Kingdom-advice. I think what Paul was trying to say was that when it comes to the Kingdom-work of God, go all in, give abundantly and generously, don’t ration out your giving to God. Because what we plant will come back to us and be multiplied out even more.

I’ll be more specific and concrete….

Budgets, Faith, and Discernment

I remember a Session meeting early on in my time at Good Shepherd. Several things stand out to me. I remember being complimented by one of our banking executives on how well I understood budgets and numbers and communicating about them. I was pleased at that and mentally noted my grudging appreciation of how my banker/businessman dad used to make me do presentations – financial and otherwise – when I wanted to do something. I remember early on hearing about how the session took a leap of faith to fund our first full-time youth director position. They did it because they believed God was leading them to invest in ministry to young people. It was WAY beyond what the budget and then giving levels warranted. And I remember the first time we really hit a financial crunch when I was here. I put on my businessman hat – the one I inherited from my dad – and talked to the session about what hard choices we might need to make, what ministries or even personnel we might need to cut back. And one of those banker elders suggested that maybe God wanted us to stretch out in faith again, like we had years earlier around youth ministry. I was simultaneously inspired by the spiritual counsel coming out of someone I had pegged as a numbers person, and a little embarrassed that as the supposed faith person I was so focused on the numbers. It was the first of many times that I realized the wisdom in a church led by a group of elders and not just one person.

As I said, that hasn’t been the only time that happened. And time and again our elders, elected by this congregation and led by the Holy Spirit, have challenged me and us to stretch in faith to follow where the Lord is leading us. Does it make sense on the spreadsheet? No, it does not. However, God has blessed us year after year, many years exceeding projections or even being able to carry a surplus over to the following year. What kind of math is that? I think it’s God’s math. In our call to worship we read from Isaiah 55:

“My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways…. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (vv.8-9)

We are not just a faith-based business or non-profit. We are part of God’s Kingdom work and when we sow bountifully, we will reap bountifully.

The Message translates 2 Corinthians 9:8 like this:

“God can pour on the blessings in astonishing ways so that you’re ready for anything and everything, more than just ready to do what needs to be done.”

Sometimes this preacher needs to be reminded of that, especially when he’s sweating the numbers!

Looking Ahead

So where is God leading us? That’s what we have been trying to share over the past few weeks and today. God is pouring on the blessings in astonishing ways! God is leading us in these core areas of GROW, SERVE, CARE, and STEWARD. We’ve been blessed through the Covid season by our deacons and the CARE and prayer ministries. Once again we have invested in youth and children’s ministry and we are already seeing the fruit of that in Christy’s ministry among us and sustained participation and inviting of friends with our youth programs. After the long Covid season we are excited about re-connecting with our neighborhood to serve and love our neighbors and have been seeing an enthusiastic response to that. And you’ve heard some of the stories of why folks are still choosing and connecting to Good Shepherd as a place where God shows up faithfully. God is pouring on the blessings. Will we sow and reap sparingly or sow and reap bountifully? I can’t wait to be astonished… again! Amen!

Some Music Used

PreludesDeath Was ArrestedWho You Say I AmWe are an Offering Goodness of GodTo God Be the GloryGive Me Jesus (Patterson) – GSPC ChoirI Will Offer Up My Life

The post Sowing Bountifully appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

TEXT: 1 Corinthians 1-11

If this morning’s passage from 1 Corinthians sounds familiar it is because we touched on it a few weeks ago when we talked about our GROW theme from Acts 2. I mentioned Paul and Apollos and how God causes growth, but also uses people in the process. God did the miracle, but Paul shared the Good News and Apollos pastored the young church. Likewise, God still changes human hearts, but invites us to do the human work of sharing the message and encouraging folks in faith. Toward that end I ended with two Christmas Challenges.

Two Christmas Challenges

First, I challenged you to pick one of the things described in Acts 2 that the early believers were devoted to and commit to it between now and Christmas. At that point there were 70 days until Christmas. Now there are 55! Here’s the list again:

Apostles’ Teaching (i.e. Scripture/God’s Word)Fellowship & the Breaking of BreadPrayerWorship/Awe/WonderGenerous SharingGenerous CaringCultivating Joy (gladness and sincerity of heart)

Have you done it? Will you do it now for the next 55 days? Is there one thing on that list that you will devote yourself to daily between now and Christmas. Historically that’s how God has partnered with human beings to grow the Kingdom through the Church. Will you be a part of that? It doesn’t have to be mysterious or super-long, but I challenge you to start a small holy habit and see what God does with that in your life and in our church.

Second, I asked you to commit to inviting two or three people into something we are doing at Good Shepherd? Two of you shared that same day how you were doing that. How’s that going? November activities (check the newsletter!) or December worship are great opportunities!

Building with God

So previously we focused on vv. 1-8 in 1 Corinthians 3. Today I want to zero in on vv. 9-11. There Paul continues teaching about God’s role and our role in GROWTH. He does so with a building metaphor. Let’s look at that.

He begins in v. 9 with what we’ve already been talking about. God causes growth, but “we are God’s fellow workers.” God involves us; God includes us; God invites us to be a part of what He’s doing! Paul concludes his previous metaphor about planting and watering and says “You are God’s field.” Then he shifts to the building metaphor that he’ll follow through the end of our passage: “We are God’s building.” And in both metaphors we are God’s fellow workers.

Paul has laid the foundation: “According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation.” (v.10a)

Presumably Apollos and other church leaders is building on that foundation. Paul urges “each one take care how he builds upon it.” (v.10b)

But he is clear: Jesus IS the foundation. (v.11)

It’s very similar to the gardening/planting metaphor that precedes. There Paul planted, Apollos watered, and God caused the growth. Here Paul poured the foundation; Apollos built; and the foundation is Christ.

So the point is still the same that God uses ordinary human beings like you and me to grow His Kingdom through the Church. But the new part added in this metaphor is the reminder that Christ is the one and only foundation to this work. Ultimately you don’t build or grow a church around music, money, or even ministries. You build it on Jesus Christ. Again, God has done the miraculous and essential work and invited us to be a part.

Jesus as Foundation

What does it mean to have Jesus as the foundation of our church? It means that our core belief is that Jesus is Lord and Savior, the promised fulfillment of God’s covenant with Abraham and heart for the world and people God created. It means that our ministry and mission is anchored in the “follow me” of Jesus Christ and obedience to that call. It means that we don’t set our own agenda or vision or purpose, but look to God’s revelation in Christ for our direction.

Is Jesus the foundation of our church? I believe he is! This came out last week in Quay’s testimony about what drew him to Good Shepherd. After sharing a number of things that were dear to him and Cathy about Good Shepherd, he shared that first and foremost it was because we are Christ-centered, that “everything we say and do is in the name of Jesus Christ, to serve him, love him, and honor him.” That’s what drew me to this church as well, and it is why I continue to serve Christ here with joy.

This isn’t to say we haven’t weathered storms or won’t face new ones. But think about the building imagery in our passage. If your foundation is solid, if it is secure, then you are secure. If your foundation is rotting, it doesn’t matter how good the house is built upon it. Jesus told a parable about building a house on shifting sand. But if your foundation is secure, then even if a storm takes the roof off or damages a wall, you can rebuild. You are on solid ground. We are on solid ground!

Our Part

So God does the miraculous; He changes the human heart. And God has sent His Son, Jesus, to establish the Kingdom on Earth, to be the foundation of the Church. So what is our part? What does it mean to be “God’s field, God’s building?” It means that we are the ones in whom and through whom God does this Kingdom work. God could do it without us, but God chooses to do it with us!

Let’s look again at Paul and Apollos. They each played an important role in God’s Kingdom work in Corinth. Using both metaphors Paul planted and laid the foundation. His work introduced the Good News of Jesus Christ to the people of Corinth. He served God primarily in WORD. Apollos watered and built on what had gone before. He stuck around and pastored the people, helping them mature and deepen as followers of Jesus Christ. His work might be described as serving God in DEED (though he surely also taught as well). Let’s consider then three essential aspects of the Christian life, of life in the Kingdom of God.

Jesus is at the heart of it. Whether understood through the metaphor of the foundation or the Gospel declaration of Jesus as Savior and Lord, Jesus is at the heart of God’s Kingdom work in this world and through the Church.We are to share the Good News. Jesus is the hope of the world and God’s clearest expression of love to the world.We are to live out the Good News. Old Testament scriptures and Jesus described this as freeing the captives, healing the sick, doing the right things in the face of injustice. It is living out the Kingdom of God in our lives and in our communities.

All three together make the ‘house’ that Paul describes in our passage today. Each is critical in the living out of our faith.

This is how God grows the Kingdom; this is how God grows His Church. Amen!

Some Music Used

PreludesBuild Your Kingdom Here (Rend Collective)He Saved Us to Show His Glory (Tommy Walker)CornerstoneSpeak, O Lord Goodness of GodEverlasting GodDays of ElijahPostlude: Shall We Gather at the River (arr. Bean)

The post When God Causes GROWTH appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

TEXT: Acts 3:1-10; Matthew 10:7-10

Often as we study the New Testament we focus on what Jesus did and what the Apostles taught. And both those things are significant to the New Testament. Jesus work on the cross and his various miracles are noteworthy and memorable. And then after Easter we tend to focus on the teachings of the Apostles… the preaching of Peter and the evangelistic work of Paul. Most of the letters in the New Testament are written to churches to address problems or to impart further teaching about how to be Christ-followers.

That’s what Jesus did and what the Apostles taught. But it’s also significant what Jesus TAUGHT and what the Apostles DID. Jesus spent most of his teaching time on the Kingdom of God, announcing its arrival and explaining what it was and the implications for us. His miracles served that message, illustrating the Kingdom of God and God’s reign breaking into this world and its sorrows. And Jesus taught about loving and serving our neighbor, qualities of that same Kingdom.

Today we are going to focus on what the Apostles DID. In Matthew 10 we read Jesus mission, his “marching orders” if you will. He tells them to proclaim his message that the Kingdom is at hand. Then he tells them what to do: “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons…. Do not acquire gold, or silver, or copper… or a bag for your journey, or even two coats, or sandals, or a staff; for the worker is worthy of his support.” (vv. 8-10)

Today we are going to focus on our core value of SERVE and we’ll look at one example of the followers of Jesus serving Jesus and living out this mission he spoke to them.

Beyond the Gate

Peter and John, two followers of Jesus, were on their way to pray at the Temple. It’s a good thing they were doing, going to pray in the house of the Lord. Maybe you can put yourself in their shoes somewhat if you are worshiping in person this morning. You made the choice and set aside the time and drove to church to do a good thing. And that’s where the worship happens, right? …inside the house of the Lord? And then they passed the gate into the Temple, called the “Beautiful Gate.” And there was a man there begging, right there at the gate to the Temple. He was there every day, every time anyone might come to the Temple. He was there at the Beautiful Gate asking for help, asking for money.

I know how I would have felt because I’ve felt it before: Why are you here now? We are just trying to go into God’s house to worship, to pray, to serve the Lord. Stop bringing me down, man.

Or, if I were in a particularly charitable mood, maybe I’d hand the man some money. That’s what he’s asking for after all, and it’s quick and gets me on my way into the house of the Lord to worship, to pray, to serve the Lord.

It’s so easy to divide up our world and our life into in here and out there, isn’t it? We are religious people because we come here. And even though I am still me out there, it’s much harder to figure out how to follow Jesus “out there.” Or there’s my mini-sanctuary at home, where I might pray or read my Bible or listen to worship music. But that’s just a different kind of gate.

And then there’s Jesus, who spent almost all his time “out there” and invites us to follow him. How do we do that? What does that even look like?

What Do I Have?

Here’s where it’s easy to disconnect from the story. Peter and John “fix their gaze” on the man and say, “Look at us!” (v.4) The man looks, expecting to receive something. And Peter says, “I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene – walk!” (v.6)

Peter grabs him by his hand, raises him up, and immediately his feet and ankles are strengthened and the man starts jumping around praising God. And people knew him as the beggar who could not walk. They were filled with wonder and amazement!

But wait, wait, wait! I didn’t know the Apostles could do that. I can’t do that, can I? Certainly if I could heal injuries and disease I’d use that, right? Wouldn’t you? And aren’t we also supposed to feed the hungry and clothe the naked and tend the sick? I have so many questions!

And while I’m at it, here’s another question. I was looking for music with Eric for today and there were plenty of hymns and songs, presumably based on this passage, which talked about seeking something better than silver and gold. One gospel hymn declares, “I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold…” and “You can have the world, just give me Jesus.” But that’s not what’s going on here. They are healing a man and, yes, they did it in Jesus’ name. But there’s no sinner’s prayer or moment of salvation or “giving Jesus.” Don’t get me wrong, walking for the first time is worth more than silver and gold, but it’s not quite Jesus.

So, what can we offer? What can we do? And what exactly is the story here in Acts 3?

Serving Beyond the Gate

One of the things that helped me understand what is going on here was reading on in Acts 3. From this miraculous healing and the man leaping around for joy, Peter goes on to tell the gathered crowd the story of Jesus from the covenant with Abraham to their present time. So, in effect, he gave the man healing and gave everybody Jesus. But let me slow down and break that down with a little more detail.

Kingdom of God: Jesus did miracles to help people and out of compassion, but also to point people to the arrival of the Kingdom of God and God’s faithfulness to His covenant. God had promised to one day send the Messiah and pour out His Spirit and to heal the sick, make the lame walk, give sight to the blind, and free the oppressed. Jesus doing those things was part of his public declaration that the Day had come! Likewise, his followers were empowered and sent for the same purpose: to announce the Kingdom of God in word and in deed. That’s what Peter did this day, in a manner very similar to Jesus. He and John healed a man and then talked about the Kingdom which would be announced by… the lame walking.

On charity: This passage does not teach us NOT to feed someone who is hungry, help someone in need, or the like. Jesus explicitly taught us to do that. The focus of this passage, rather, serves to remind us that we have more to share than a few bucks. Sometimes that act of feeding, helping, or showing dignity IS the sign of the Kingdom that we can show to another person. And unless God gives you the power to heal disease, I’d suggest that the acts of service that Jesus highlights, like feeding, helping, caring, and meeting needs is our best way to point toward the Kingdom of God and show the love of Christ.

On message: Don’t miss, like I did the first time around, the connection between the act of service and the Good News of the one we serve first. This isn’t to say that you have to hand out a tract with a dollar bill or make someone listen to your Sunday school lesson before showing them compassion. That’s not what Peter and John did, nor is it effective. Their service and compassion were not conditional on the man sticking around and hearing the message. But he was so moved and so affected by what they did for him that he not only stuck around, but became part of the story about the Kingdom. Don’t be afraid to give God credit or explain what motivates your compassion. But also don’t do a bait and switch. True compassion, no strings attached care for another human being, is compelling and inviting on its own and will often open an opportunity at the right time for the words.

Location, location, location: Note that all this happened at the gate to the Temple with someone who was not going into the Temple. The mission lies “out there” not “in here.” We can care for one another in here, and we should; but if we limit serving God to inside our doors and walls, we’ve missed the main mission.

Don’t neglect worship:This does not mean everything is out there, either. Scripture exhorts us not to forsake assembling together. The teaching and worship we experience in here is what prepares and equips us for the mission out there. And note that Peter and John weren’t going to the gate; they were going to the Temple as they were in the habit of doing. They were also ready to serve when the opportunity presented itself.

And so, friends, go forth with your eyes and hearts open. Take time to notice who and what is around you. Do not miss that our mission is to the world outside our doors. Allow yourself, in a world where it is easy to be cynical and jaded, to be full of the generosity and compassion of the Lord. Know that when you show God’s compassion, you invite people to see God. And when the Lord provides the opportunity, don’t be afraid to explain the hope within you. Amen.

Some Music Used

PreludesCome to Jesus (Tomlin)Silver and Gold (Franklin)You Raise Me UpRick Bean, piano I Could Sing of Your Love ForeverThese Hands (Deyo)Confession: Purify My Heart, GSPC choirHave Thine Own WayBenediction: Go Now in Peace (Bean), GSPC choir

The post SERVE BEyond the Gate appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

TEXT: Acts 2:42-47; 1 Corinthians 3:4-7,9

We want to grow as a church! There’s no shame in saying that. We are definitely not looking to turn into a mega-church, but we also recognize that we need to keep sharing the Good News and connecting to new people as part of being a healthy and thriving community. And so GROW is one of the core values of the church and our ministries. And by that we mean both growing spiritually and growing in numbers.

And so this morning, out of the Acts 2 passage that we’ve spent some time in recently, I want to dig into the last verse that says “the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.” (v.47b)

The Lord’s Work

Let’s start with that verse. It makes clear that the growth is God’s doing. It says “The Lord was adding to their number those who were being saved.” And our other scripture reading says something similar: “It is God who causes the growth.” So let’s talk about that for a minute.

There are (at least) two things to notice in the Acts passage. One is that the Holy Spirit is active in the life of the early church. And that’s an understatement. They have just experienced Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit in power upon the Apostles and upon the early believers. That’s the same Holy Spirit that convicts of sin, unites us to Christ, indwells those who believe, and counsels us in life. The Holy Spirit is God’s power at work in the lives of individuals and in the Church. The Holy Spirit is not something we can conjure up or make show up by doing a certain ritual. Rather, Jesus promised the Spirit to ALL believers. Jesus was leaving but said he would not leave us alone; he would leave the Spirit with us and in us. Now what we can do is dull our ears and hearts, turn away from, and otherwise turn away from the Spirit. But if we are trusting Jesus and seeking the Lord in our midst, we will experience the Holy Spirit.

Secondly, notice what kind of growth the Lord was causing. God was adding to their number those who were being saved.” Only God can change the human heart; only God can save. And this is the supernatural activity that God works in people who are then drawn into Christian community together. There is a kind of growth that we can pursue through marketing and other approaches common in our culture. But the kind of growth that God is interested in is Kingdom growth, people believing, trusting, and following Jesus Christ. And God is doing this work in the world all the time, even now. The question is whether we will be a part of that.

And that leads back to the context of the church in Acts and in Corinth. What were they doing to “be a part” of God’s work? What were they doing to welcome the Holy Spirit and those who were being saved? Let’s take a look!

Our Work

Last week I talked about the generous care described in Acts 2. I said that it wasn’t a standalone ministry or activity, but part of the whole that was a spiritually healthy community of faith. In the same way, the context for God’s saving work in Acts 2 or today is also a spiritually healthy community of faith. That’s why we have the multiple values of GROW, SERVE, STEWARD, and CARE. We want and need to be healthy and mature spiritually.

And here’s the thing… God could do it all but does not seem inclined to do that. Rather, throughout the pages of scripture and history, God invites human beings to participate, to be a part of what He is doing. In Acts 2 we get a pretty detailed picture of what we can do to participate. Like the early believers, we too can devote ourselves to teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer. We can worship in Spirit and Truth, in awe of the God we worship. We can choose to care generously and share our time, talents, and resources for those in need. All that (and more) describes a spiritually healthy community of faith and it is to that community that God was bringing new believers. (I should add that the members of the church were also sharing the Good News of Christ, the message… some of this is detailed in Acts 1 and in the chapters that follow.) But the picture of growth is this: God at work and people at work for the same common goal.

In our reading from 1Corinthians, we see something similar. The passage is addressing some conflict in the church where some are Team Paul and some are Team Apollos, two prominent leaders at different times in the life of the church in Corinth. But Paul makes the point that it is God’s church. God caused the growth. Both Paul and Apollos had a role. One planted the seeds of the message; the other watered and tended the young church. But God did the miracle. But turn that around… God also used these men to grow the church. They participated in God’s work doing the human work of sharing the message and encouraging folks in faith.

I also think of the lesson we studied in youth Sunday school this morning. It is the lesson of the Ten Lepers whom Jesus healed, where only one came back to thank Jesus. But in the midst of that story is this interesting detail: Jesus didn’t just snap his fingers and heal them, but also sent them to do something. They were to show themselves to the priest to be declared clean. They had to believe that Jesus had healed them and make the journey to show themselves. As they were on their way to do this they were healed. Again and again God invites us to be a part of what He is doing. God does the miraculous part and invites us to work alongside what He is doing!

So in addition to the broad principles in Acts and Corinthians – being devoted to teaching, fellowship, prayer, worship, and the like. What are some specific things we can do? How might God be inviting us to participate in His holy and miraculous work?

Two Christmas Challenges

Rather than being overwhelmingly complex or involved, I’ll just offer two challenges. These are just examples and hopefully they will bring more to mind that fits your circumstances.

First, as to yourself. Pick one of the things described in Acts 2 that the early believers were devoted to. I just heard on the news that there are 72 days until Christmas. Actually, as of today it’s 70 days. Between now and Christmas – for 70 days – what is one thing from the list in Acts 2 that you can devote yourself to? Here’s the list:

Apostles’ Teaching (i.e. Scripture/God’s Word)Fellowship & the Breaking of BreadPrayerWorship/Awe/WonderGenerous SharingGenerous CaringCultivating Joy (gladness and sincerity of heart)

Pick one. How might you devote yourself to it? If prayer, perhaps committing to pray at a certain time each day between now and Christmas. Or perhaps praying in a new or particular way. Did you know the Friday morning prayer ministry of our church started about two years ago when a few people felt led to pray for the leadership of the church? And it has morphed and grown several times over. Or how might you devote yourself to God’s Word or fellowship or cultivating more awe and wonder or joy in the Lord? Or generous sharing or caring? Pick one; set a goal; form a holy habit. Make it doable! That’s the kind of cultivation of spiritual health into which the Holy Spirit works and God does miraculous things!

Second, between now and Christmas would you commit to invite two or three people into something we are doing at Good Shepherd? It could be worship or a Wings Night or a Bring Your Own Picnic or a service project or youth group or book club or reconnecting with the walking club. Think about however you connect to the church because time and again it has been shown that the most significant reason people give for joining a church is that someone invited them. Pick two or three people. If you don’t know anyone, maybe use some of that devoting yourself time I mentioned in prayer that God would lead you to someone to invite.

And once you’ve thought of someone to invite, here’s some insider scoop for you.

If you are looking for something other than a worship service, take time to read through the monthly newsletter or peruse our website. We put upcoming activities in there so you will know what’s coming up! We also put much of this information on slides for the 15 minutes before the service and livestream. So come on in a few minutes early and enjoy some great music and check out what’s coming up! It’s on about a 3min. loop so you can see it all in pretty short order.

And scoop number two, most of November we will be focused on “stewardship.” On one hand you can think of that as asking for money. But that’s not it at all. Rather we will be highlighting all the ministries, goals, hopes, and dreams of the church so you will know what you are supporting financially. We won’t be pleading for money, so I don’t think it would make a visitor uncomfortable. Rather, we will be talking about who we are and what we believe God is leading us to do. We’ll hear from elders, staff, and testimonies from church members. I can’t think of a better introduction to a group of people excited about the Lord and the church! In December, of course, we will be celebrating Advent and Christmas. That’s also a great time to invite people to worship because there is familiar music and stories about the birth of Christ and people are often more inclined to worship during the Christmas season.

So two challenges between now and Christmas: pick a holy habit to cultivate and invite 2-3 to connect with us! God is already doing the miraculous work in people’s hearts and invites us to participate in that in some very practical ways.

I want to end with a short clip from The Chosen. I’ll let it speak for itself, but ask yourself, “What did the people do and what did God do?”

Amen!

Some Music Used

PreludesHe Saved Us to Show His Glory (Tommy Walker)Everlasting GodIs He Worthy (Peterson)Rick Bean, piano Bless the Lord (10,000 Reasons) (Tomlin)Let Your Kingdom Come (Sovereign Grace)Jesus Calls Us (GALILEE)

The post GROW With God appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

TEXT: Acts 2:42-47; Matthew 25:37-40; Luke 22:14-18

How do you care for people in need? How do WE care for people in need?

That’s the question we are going to look at today, based on several scripture passages rooted in the teaching and actions of Jesus. This is part of our focusing on our core values of GROW, SERVE, STEWARD, and CARE. Today’s focus in on the CARE part, though it has overlap with how we STEWARD our time and resources as well.

Our starting place is Acts 2, a passage known for its description of the early church. It gives us a glimpse into the core values of those first Christians. They devoted themselves to teaching and fellowship, to breaking bread and prayer. They worshiped together and shared what they had generously. In the midst of that description we read our focal verse for today (v.45): “They began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need.”

Now before you start squirming too much, I’m not going to ask you to sell your house. Nor do I think this is a mandate for a kind of Christian socialism. What it DOES clearly describe is a notable level of generosity motivated by care for those in need. What I want to talk about today is generous care and why and how that might be a significant value for us.

Healthy Spiritual Community (Acts 2:42-47)

Acts 2 is a standout chapter for a number of reasons. It describes the earliest Christian community, which we naturally would be interested in as descendants of that community. It forms out of Pentecost, out of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit into the lives and practices of the first followers of Christ. It describes a number of practices of the first Christians, which we at least need to understand if not emulate.

Having said that, we do need to be aware of cultural differences and distinctives. That first community was still trying to understand their relationship to Judaism, and you read of their daily visits to the Temple. They were still living in 1st century Roman-occupied Jerusalem. They were just beginning to understand what Jesus meant when he sent them to Jerusalem, Judea, and the ends of the earth in his last words to them in Acts 1. As relates to their sharing, we’d need to distinguish between faith-based sharing of resources and political movements.

And it wouldn’t be too long until even those early Christians started manifesting human problems, conflicts, and divisions. So just because it’s in the Bible doesn’t mean it is to be duplicated in every detail.

But, there are clear practices I’ve already named that paint a picture of a healthy spiritual community. As described starting in verse 42, they devoted themselves to teaching and fellowship, breaking bread, and prayer. Those are core practices that we still do today. They worshiped together. We still do that today. In vv. 46-47 there is a joy in gathering and the Lord was blessing and growing their community. We will focus a bit on that last part next week.

All that is to say that our focal point today – the caring and sharing in verse 45 – does not happen in a vacuum or as a standalone ministry. It happens in the context of that teaching, praying, worshiping, and joyful fellowship. In a word or three, I’d describe it as “healthy spiritual community.” That’s one reason we don’t just have one core value, but have four. That spiritual growth and maturity we read about last week involves the whole Body of Christ, each of us and the multiple ways a body develops and grows.

So as we talk more about generous care, if you find yourself wondering how to cultivate such generosity or compassion, recognize that it’s not just a switch you turn on, but part of the interconnected health that comes from regular worship, prayer, and gathering together, all in obedience to Christ.

To Jesus: the Least of These (Matthew 25:37-40)

Acts 2 only describes the caring ministry of the early church. I want to look at two places in scripture where this kind of value is taught. Both come from Jesus himself.

The first, in Matthew 25, is commonly known as the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats. Jesus is describing right behavior in terms of compassion towards those who are in need. Sound familiar? He names several different kinds of need: being hungry, thirsty, a stranger, in need of clothes, sick, in prison. As many lists in scripture, it is not meant to be comprehensive, but representative – in this case, of human need.

This parable has two gut punches. For one, righteousness is not defined in terms of beliefs or even religious rituals, but in terms of showing compassion. The parable is also not trying to give a complete explanation of salvation. Rather, it is describing the kind of actions, the kind of HEART the Father desires. It’s very much in line with Old Testament scripture like Micah 6:8, “He has told you what is good, what the Lord requires: to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.” For the Pharisees and their rigid and scrupulous attention to the letter of the Law, Jesus is teaching about the greater importance of keeping and living the Spirit of the Law, which is compassion rooted in God’s HESED-compassion.

The second gut punch, or at least surprise, is that Jesus says that to the extent that we show generous care to those in need, we show it to Him. To be honest, I am not even sure how that works, but it’s powerful, isn’t it? We don’t show compassion to win points with God, but as a reflection of God’s own heart of compassion, and our actions are as unto God Himself.

That reframes my hesitancy and annoyance toward the guy begging for food or money at the intersection of Providence and 51 when I go get lunch at Chic-Fil-A. He is nonetheless made in the image of God and when I see him, Jesus teaches me to see him with eyes of compassion.

From Jesus: The Shared Cup (Luke 22:17)

There was another time Jesus talked about generous care through sharing. I would not have made this link except I did a word study on the word ‘share’ in Acts 2. I wanted to understand a bit more of what it meant that the early believers were “sharing with all as anyone might have need.” What I found was interesting!

The word ‘share’ used there is pretty rare in the Bible. And it has a range of uses. The only other place that really had a similar usage to Acts was in Luke 22 (notable because Luke wrote Luke and Acts, so his using this word in both places carries some extra weight). Luke 22 is Luke’s account of the Passover Meal with Jesus and the disciples, the one in which he instituted the Lord’s Supper which we observe at our communion table.

In verse 17, he takes the cup of wine and says, “Take this and SHARE it among yourselves.” That’s the same word used for SHARING with those in need in Acts 2:47. Why do I mention this? I do so because Jesus is modeling and commanding his followers to share what they have been given. What had they been given here? It represented God’s merciful deliverance and salvation. The Passover meal recalled God’s merciful deliverance out of slavery in Egypt. And the Last Supper explained god’s merciful deliverance from sin and death through Christ.

Maybe it’s a stretch, but I hear Jesus reminding his followers that they have been shown God’s generous compassion and they are to show that same generous compassion to others. The next time Luke uses that word it is to describe the first generation of disciples or Christians showing God’s generous compassion to those in need around them.

When the disciple John tells the story of this same night, he makes the same point from the foot-washing that we recall on Maundy Thursday. Serving his disciples by washing their feet, Jesus says, “If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you…. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.” (John 13:14-15,17)

As Christians we show generous care because God has shown it to us, because Jesus taught us to do so, and because the Holy Spirit cultivates godly compassion as it works within us!

What Need?

I want to end by taking a moment to think with you about need. The passages we’ve looked at cover a pretty wide range of situations already. Acts describes the kind of need that financial resources might address. After all, folks were selling or sharing property and possessions to address the need. In his parable Jesus lists a number of human needs, though I already noted it is not a comprehensive list: being hungry, thirsty, a stranger, in need of clothes, sick, in prison. At the Last Supper and foot-washing Jesus teaches by example that we are to show mercy and render service to others.

What else and who else do you encounter in a given week?

People who are out of work or can’t make ends meet?People who need basic necessities?People who are struggling with sickness or chronic illness?People who have experienced unfair treatment or setbacks in life?People who are lonely, sad, angry, or afraid?People who need forgiveness or to know about the mercy of God?People who need a friend?

God has shown each of us generous mercy. The Spirit is at work cultivating the HESED-compassion of God within us if we are growing spiritually.

There is need all around us, though it can be overwhelming to see it all at once. What can I do?

Individually you don’t have to address all the needs of the world. But Jesus does seem to ask us to respond generously and compassionately to the person in front of us, or next door, or that God brings across our path.

And we have different resources. Some of us know someone who needs a friend and we can do that. Some of us have the opportunity to address something unfair or unjust that we’ve become aware of. Together we can and do pool financial resources through the church or the Deacon’s Timothy Fund to wisely help those with financial or material needs.

As a church, one of our core values is CARING generously as described in these scripture passages this morning. When you give to the church, volunteer with ministries, or simply live out your Christian calling, you are participating in this work that God desires of His people. I invite you to pray for wisdom, opportunity, and to find your place to plug into God’s ministry of CARING. Amen.

Some Music Used

PreludesI Need Thee Every HourBlest BeCome People of the Risen KingRick Bean, piano Shout for Joy (Bean) – GSPC ChoirLion of JudahMighty to SavePrayer for Healing (Berry/ljames) – GSPC ChoirI Then Shall Live

The post CARE and Share in Need appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

View Details

TEXT: Ephesians 4:14-16

Last week, from the first part of Ephesians that you heard read today (4:11-13) we talked about God’s gifts to us. We talked about “the great gift” of God’s grace, whereby God made us alive, raised us, and seated us with Him out of love and a desire to show us that love. We also talked about additional gifts God has given us, providing for each Christian to be equipped for works of service and the building up of the community of Christ. Paul used the image of a body, with Christ as the head, to help us envision what the Christian community was supposed to look like.

In today’s text, these thoughts and analogy continue. Verse 14 begins, “As a result…” and all this that has gone before is what stands behind that. As a result of God’s great gift, as a result of the gift of being equipped to worship and serve, and as a result of the gift of being in the body-like community of Christ, Paul continues with verses 14-16. As a result of all this, and to say it bluntly, Paul says, “Grow up!… Don’t settle for being immature Christians, stunted and stuck in your spiritual development, but grow up!” God has provided all you need for this, just like He has designed the human body to grow up from childhood to maturity. This is a message for the Church, for the gathered Christian community; it is a message for us!

No Longer Children…

There are two parts to Paul’s message here. The first is that “we are no longer to be children.” Child-like faith, yes; immature, no. Now remember, Paul is not just describing individual Christian maturity, but the related maturity of the gathered Christian community, which is a kind of inter-related sum of the parts. He is challenging us individually and corporately to not remain contentedly stuck as an under-developed body.

To explain he adds another analogy. The immature church is “tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind” (v. 14). The image is one of a small boat at sea, tossed and blown about with little to no control or direction. The result is one of helplessness and lostness. Specifically, the winds and waves of his metaphor are false teaching, deceit, and human scheming. One of the primary ways that spiritual immaturity misdirects the church as a whole is when its members are captive to new fads and novel ideas that blow through our culture. There is always something, but right now I can’t help but think of the influence media and social media have had on our culture, Christians included. Media has always influenced us, but the rise of computers and social media harnessed to make money off our consumption has resulted in being fed whatever will generate more clicks and views rather than seeking truth.

To a point this works nicely. My parents have commented in amazement about it. My dad watches one of his favorite musicians on his computer and more videos of that musician show up on his phone, on his computer, and on his television. But that can also be dangerous when the same techniques are used to deliver us news or other content that is supposed to contain truth. The thing about truth is that it sometimes rubs us the wrong way. Sometimes it confronts and challenges and stretches us and our first inclination is to change the channel or scroll on by. How does that work out if our computer-driven consumption makes turning from truth not only easy, but the default!?

No wonder, then, that Ephesians 4 turns next to the topic of truth!

Grown-Ups

In stark contrast to immaturity and being tossed to and fro, Paul provides the mature alternative: “BUT, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up…” (v. 15). The first phrase sets off the key difference between immaturity and maturity. Immaturity is distracted and diverted by what is false, but perhaps alluring; maturity is signaled by an earnest desire to speak and hear truth, recognizing that the chief motivation for truth is love.

That truth is not found through the algorithm that serves us up the images, news, and truths we most want to hear. Rather, God’s Word is truth, sharper than a two-edged sword and piercing heart and bone and marrow… but also making us whole. Truth and love are not always the easiest path – indeed, often they are the hardest, like rowing a small boat through pitching waves and strong winds (to maintain the metaphor). But it is striving for loving truth that develops a mature and healthy Christian community, both individually and corporately.

Any parent should recognize what Paul is saying here. While dinners of candy and ice cream would seem to produce happy children, a truly grown-up parent recognizes that feeding children this way is not the loving thing to do, but is actually a cruel thing to do. This example is simple enough with young children, though even then the looks one gets for making children “eat their vegetables,” “brush your teeth,” and “drink this medicine” are enough to melt the strongest heart. And it only gets more challenging from there. Every parent and teenager struggles through the heart-rending storm of boundary-setting, losing and gaining trust, and wanting to give in to what is easy over what is right. These examples hint at what is involved in growing up spiritually. One of the hardest things to speak and one of the hardest things to hear sometimes is the truth. And yet this is what God says is spiritual growth hormone! Loving truth is what grows us up and trains us not to go running after easy lies. And this is why Paul mentions it in this context: there should be no more supporting and safe place to do this than in the family of God.

At least that is God’s design for the Church. Churches can, of course, be just as dysfunctional as families, and the maturity and community of churches have been tested in new and extreme ways in the last several years. But that’s exactly Paul’s point here. God’s design and desire for us is that we grow up to be a mature expression of Christ’s body. And the point of verse 16 is that as goes the health of the parts, so goes the health of the whole. The way the Church works is not like 150 worker bees… each adding a little to the overall total. Rather, we are like the human body, with many necessary parts. With Christ as our head and the Holy Spirit working in and through us, God has knit us together to be a functioning whole.

A Healthy, Growing Body

What that means is that each one of you is vital for the health and growth of this church. If you are not connected or plugged in or participating or exploring and doing personal ministry and mission, then we are not “one man down,” we are running a race with a broken leg! Look carefully at the end of verse 16 – I had to re-read this several times to see it. Do you see the phrase “causes the growth of the body?” What is it that causes the growth of the body? You might say, “God,” and you’d be partly right. God designed the body for growth, whether the human body or the church body. But it is the proper working of the parts with the whole that God has made to cause the growth. To compare this to the human body: God designed us to grow, but we must exercise, rest, eat, and take care of the body for it to grow properly. So it is with the body of this church. God designed us to grow and function as Christ’s body. But in order to do that, we must feed, rest, exercise, and care for THIS body.

There is a gospel song we learned and sang a number of years ago called “I Need You to Survive.” It is taken from this passage in Ephesians. The point is not that we don’t need God to survive; that is foundational and true. But God has also designed us to need each other to survive and to thrive as a church… as His body.

I need you, you need me; we’re all a part of God’s body.Stand with me, agree with me; we’re all a part of God’s body. It is His will that every need be supplied You are important to me; I need you to survive.

The song also picks up on the part about “speaking truth in love”:

I pray for you, you pray for me I love you; I need you to survive I won’t harm you with words from my mouth I love you; I need you to survive.

Dwell on those words – we need to soak in those and take them to heart.

How are You Doing?

So how are you doing? How are we doing? Can you envision our life together as a fully-grown body? I’m not saying that we are not partway there… we are. Many of you have discovered your role in the body of Christ. Yet, we continue to be distracted by the waves and wind, new storms in a new season of life. Church is one commitment among many rather than our IDENTITY as the Body of Jesus Christ. Hear God’s Word to you today: we need you to survive; we need you to grow and to grow up, to seek and speak the truth in love, to find your ministry and mission and connect to this body as living tissue connects the parts of your body.

If you are not already plugged into a ministry or mission of this church, read the Voice or talk to me about how God might use you as part of this Body. If we are not doing something that you think God wants you to do, come tell me and we’ll do it! A number of our exciting new ministries have started because people did exactly that. Come explore with me. We need you, not to be a church doing lots of things, but to be healthy and to survive.

If you are not regularly reading, listening to, and meeting points of view different than your own, do that. It is one of the best ways to examine what you are taking in. And above all, hold all that up to the light of God’s Word of Truth. The Truth will often stretch and challenge you, because growth is rarely and easy and comfortable thing. But it is health and life and good!

May God grab hold of your imagination, heart, and mind, and not let us go! Amen.

Some Music Used

PreludeGod of WondersReckless LoveBuild My Life CHOIR: Rejoice This DayOne Pure and Holy PassionThese HandsCome as You AreCHOIR: He Reigns (Sanctus)Come All Christians, Be Committed

The post GROW Up in Christ appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.