Getting Back on Track: Making Space for What Matters

During these fall months we are looking at Jesus’ ministry with the theme “Getting Back on Track”. The fall months are some of the busiest months of the year.  School begins which means homework and activity after activity after activity begins too. Many of you might find your jobs being more hectic as the end of the year inches closer to us. Or maybe you find yourself in a place where you feel like you’re in a rut or your confused or frustrated about where you are right now in your life.  Right now, this fall, is the perfect time to get back on track with your life, to focus on where God is calling you and showing you new possibilities.

And Christ is with us every step of the way as we journey through the gospel of Mark and read about Jesus’ own ministry preaching, teaching, and healing along the road to Jerusalem. We’ve been using these pew cards as a way to mark and follow Jesus’ journey. So far we have traveled with Jesus to Ceasarea Phillipi to Capernaum and today our scripture says Jesus and his disciples are “in the region of Judea beyond the Jordan.”  This most likely means that Jesus was in the region of Perea which is now modern day Jordan. Jesus and the disciples would have known Perea to be the place where John the Baptist preached and baptized.  During their visit to this region, they must have had John the Baptist on their mind more than ever since recently he was beheaded by Herod Antipas. Ironically, John the Baptist had been beheaded over the very topic the Pharisees question Jesus about in our scripture today—marriage, divorce, and re-marriage. John the Baptist questioned and disapproved Herod’s marriage to his brother’s wife.  In our scripture today, the Pharisees question Jesus about his belief on divorce, knowing full well that Jesus’ answer would be controversial no matter what he said simply because there were many Jewish beliefs about divorce as well as many views about divorce in Greek and Roman society at the time.

There were mainly two Jewish schools of thought on the topic of divorce—one school believed that a man could only divorce his wife only in the case of adultery. The other school of thought was that a man could divorce his wife for almost any reason.  Notice that in Jewish law, only a man can file for divorce. But secular society at that time deemed it lawful for women to also file for divorce. Matthew quotes Jesus talking about the subject of divorce, contradicting Jesus’ words in Mark about divorce. In Matthew, Jesus says that “if anyone divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery and whoever marries a divorce woman commits adultery.”  Jesus also says that “everyone who looks at a women with lust in the heart already has committed adultery with her.”

The reason why I point out these varied statements is not to confuse you more, but to say that I think our scripture today easily reveals an ugly elephant in the room that has the capacity to deter us from seeing Jesus’ message to us today. I don’t think it would be an exaggeration to say that most of us have experience with divorce, whether it be first-hand experience or if you know a friend or family member who has gone through a divorce. And I don’t think it would be an exaggeration to say that no one gets married with the intention to be divorced. And although divorce may need to happen for the safety of a child or spouse, I don’t think it would be an exaggeration to say that divorce is a horrible and disappointing experience for all parties involved.  All this being said, I can imagine that many of us upon first reading this passage may want to say to Jesus, “C’mon Jesus, you’re being a little harsh. If a divorced person gets remarried, they are committing adultery?!” That was my initial reaction.

But let’s give Jesus a chance, here. This is the point where I cling to the fact that I am called to take the Bible seriously–not literally, but seriously. And as a preacher, I cannot ignore this passage, even though I can tell you I literally cringed and wanted to run away from preaching on this passage the second I found out what it was.

So, enough stalling—let’s dig into this passage. Underneath the Pharisees instigating a debate about divorce, Jesus’ words this morning point to the heart of his ministry and core beliefs about God. His words point to our relationships. Instead of focusing on what the Pharisees think he should focus on—the legal, technical language of divorce—Jesus turns the conversation back to the heart of the matter which is the fact that relationships matter.  And Jesus reminds the Pharisees that relationships have mattered since the very beginning of creation, where God was in a perfect relationship with human beings and where human beings could then show God’s love to another in a bond of partnership and unity. In its ideal, marriage epitomizes God’s intention for human beings to love one another deeply, to establish a life-long covenant with someone. In the marriage covenant, it is easy to see similarities to God’s covenant with us. Through Jesus Christ, we see a God who has promised to love and honor us through our life and beyond, a God who is willing to become human and sacrifice Godself on a cross and claim victory over death to show us how much God loves us.

Instead of focusing on divorce, Jesus points to the fact that God created us to bond deeply with another person, so much so that that bond is still there even when divorce papers are final. A divorced couple is bonded through the memories of a wedding kiss or in the times when the marriage overflowed with mushy happiness or the times when a marriage was strengthened during tragedy. A divorced couple also bonded to each other through the painful, hurtful memories that caused a well-intended marriage to crumble.  Frederick Buechner once said “You can kiss your family and friends goodbye, but at the same time you carry them with you in your heart, your mind, and your stomach because you do not just live in a world, a world lives in you.”

Relationships matter and when they break, it points to our own brokenness but it also points to possibilities for us to allow God set up shop in us and start the long process of healing our broken hearts.

Notice that our gospel passage this morning does not solely focus on the divorce topic. At first glance, it seems as though an entirely new story is introduced to us, seemingly distracting us from the divorce passage above it. This passage conjours up a beautiful picture for most of us—of cute children laughing and playing around Jesus, of parents lovingly bringing their children to Jesus for them to be blessed. Yet, children were not seen as “cute” or “fun” in the 1^st century. Children were seen as weak and were quickly dismissed and overlooked. Yet, Jesus uses children as examples of the only way to enter the kingdom, as the right way to treat people.

By acknowledging the priority of children, Jesus is also saying “relationships matter.” The disciples shoo the children away when they come to be with Jesus—yet Jesus makes his relationships to the most vulnerable his priority. The conversation about  divorce also highlights Jesus’ concern for the vulnerable. Notice that Hebrew law gives the right for the man to divorce his wife, not the other way around. Women in the first century were seen as property, simply a transaction between two families. Therefore, if a first century women is divorced she will be seen by her family as a transaction gone wrong. Can you imagine?! Women and children were the most vulnerable in 1^st century society. Yet, Jesus points out that all relationships matter and all people deserve to be treated with dignity and love.

By not being afraid to talk about the controversial issue of divorce, by not being afraid to welcome the most vulnerable in society—Jesus gives us a powerful vision for how we should be in relationship  with each other.

Jesus calls us to be in healthy, bonded relationships with one another. How do we know what a healthy relationship is? Jesus tells us the answer as he talks with the Pharisees and his disciples in our passage today.  Healthy relationships reveal God’s love. Healthy relationships take a lot of hard work- so much so that two individual people with different minds, ways of doing things, habits, and personalities must live a life of unity which requires a lot of give and take, forgiveness, communication, and—most importantly—living in a healthy relationship with God which requires faith and the willingness to see our brokenness in order to see God’s sustaining unconditional love and grace moving us to love one another.

Think about the closest relationships with your life…would you describe these relationships healthy or do they need work?

Do you make space for the closest relationships in your life—for your spouse? For your children?

Making space means that you save enough energy in your day and week to include time and love with the closest people in your life.. This may mean figuring out how to plan your day where you make quality time with your family, where you can turn off your cell phone and play a silly game with your kids or sit down for dinner with your family or go on a date with your spouse. I think Whinnie the Pooh and Piglet embody this best. One day Piglet went up to Pooh and whispered, “Pooh!” “Yes, Piglet?” asked Pooh. “Nothing,” said Piglet, taking Pooh’s paw. “I just wanted to be sure of you.” Are the people closest to you, sure of you?

What about those in your life that you easily dismiss? Who are the vulnerable people you encounter in your life? They may not be the homeless man on the street, it may be the person in the cublicle next to you who  How can you welcome them and be in relationship with vulnerable people you may initially feel uncomfortable or awkward around?

Do you need help with healing a relationship in your life? Is there a broken relationship that you carry in your heart, your mind and your stomach that causes regret, anger, resentment,or bitterness in your life? It’s never too late to start the healing process–to talk to a pastor, counselor or close friend–to get yourself back on track with your life and your relationships.

We were created to be in relationship. If our relationship with God or others or with the earth or even with ourselves is broken—it affects all the relationships in our lives. As we come to the communion table today, Christ invites us to a loving, healthy relationship with God, one that will set the stage for growing healthy, loving relationships in our lives.

And I think we know what Jesus Christ would have done if a divorced man or woman came to him feeling alone and confused. I think he would have made a point to let that person know that they are loved unconditionally by God and welcomed fully into the kingdom of God. And then he would have pointed to a child to drive home his point and say”Let the little children come to me– all who are weary, all who are vulnerable or scared, all the world we easily dismiss–do not stop them because  it is such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. God makes space that you deem not important, annoying and small. You are called to do the same.” AMEN 

 

A recording of this sermon can be heard here

Help Flood Victims After Church on Sunday

After church this Sunday, join OPC’s youth in traveling to Cobb county and volunteering your time in helping communities and homeowners clean up after the devastating floods.

If you would like to join us, be ready to volunteer with labor-intensive projects. Meet after church in the church lobby where Tiffany will hand out addresses in need of help and the rules you need to follow while volunteering. Bring your lunch or money for lunch plus a snack. We also need folks to drive the carpool of volunteers to their designated sites.

All those volunteering are asked to bring the following:

·         Wear long sleeved shirt, long pants, and closed toed sturdy shoes or boots

·         Work gloves (labeled with your name)

·         Face mask to prevent breathing in mold or other particles

·         Bottled water

·         Tools such as a crowbar, hammer, cordless/manual screwdrivers or other tools (please label your tools with your name and phone number)

 If you are unable to join us in volunteering, you can help by bringing the following items to church Sunday morning. Put all items in box labeled “items for volunteers”:

·         Work gloves (labeled with your name)

·         Face masks to prevent breathing mold or other particles

·         Snacks for the volunteer team

·         Bottled water

·         Tools such as crowbar, hammer, cordless/manual screwdrivers or other tools (please label your tools with your name and phone number)

            **you may pick up anything you let the volunteer team borrow (gloves or tools) next week at the church between the hours of 9 and 1 or the following Sunday in the church lobby.

Please contact Tiffany Kromer at 770-364-9403 if you would like to volunteer this Sunday after church.

On second thought…

Rain can be a blessing…when it comes in reasonable amounts…and on Saturday when I wrote a nice post about the rain–the sucking up did not work apparently because at that time—

I DID NOT KNOW THAT IT WOULD CONTINUE TO RAIN UNTIL TUESDAY AND FLOOD EVERYTHING FROM I-85 TO THOUSANDS OF HOMES TO ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS!!!!

I also didn’t know that the rain would wreak havoc on our poor little house. We found a big leak in our den the night before Tim had to leave for a business trip in Minnesota (apparently where only Lutherans live but Candler will not give up recruiting there.) After tearing out the carpet and drying out the futon mattress and moving all the furniture out of the den and calling the insurance company and getting angry at the stagnant water in the basement and then wanting to cry at the sight of the mold on the leaky ceiling in the den and then dealing with the landlord and waiting for the repair people to come to assess the damage….I sit here now writing it all down and finally allow myself to accept the fact that I’m exhausted and overwhelmed and gotten to the point where I can only write run-on sentences with the conjunction “and”.

Yet, I keep reminding myself that we are sooo not going through anything close to what so many flood victims are going through right now. I feel that I’m whining too much…that I don’t deserve to complain when I see a flood victim on tv that says “We are so blessed and lucky to be alive.” However, this is my blog and I will complain if I want to Luckily, my landlord rocks and our house will have a new roof within the next couple of weeks. The mold and sheet rock will be replaced in the ceiling. We will move the furniture back into the den and life will go on. It is what it is what it is. Thank God I’m called to find meaning and purpose in something far bigger and better than possessions and circumstances. Oh, how I wish my faith was consistant and strong enough to not worry so much, to not dwell on the worst, to not feel overwhelmed by situations I can’t control. Yet, God is gracious and there even when my faith waivers. 

On a more important, not-all-about-Tiffany,  topic– the situation in Paulding and Douglas counties is devestating. My heart aches for so many folks who have lost everything. I am hoping that OPC can help some of the victims rebuild and clean-up. My goal is to make some phone calls next week and find a way for our youth group to help.

God–

         heal

                  comfort

                                  strengthen

                                                       make all things new

                                                                                              AMEN

Rainy Day(s)

It’s been raining here in Atlanta….A LOT!! It’s amazing how much it is raining, considering that a couple of years ago around this time north Georgia was going through a very rough drought. Now, everywhere you go around our city people are bummed out by the rain. Yet, we all know that this rain is good. It replenishes the rivers and lakes and gives our earth plenty to drink. I think the problem with this rain is that it has been hanging over us for days now, and will continue to do that for a few more. We pray for rain when we don’t have it but when our prayers are answered–the rain is too much and all we want to see is the sun!

Well, today I am ready to see the sun. I am fine with sun showers. You know, the kind that catch you by surprise and give you a welcomed refreshment on a hot day. I am fine with rainbows. You know, the kind you pass as you drive on the highway, that make you smile and remember that God is good. I’m even fine with rain, as long as I know the ending point will be soon.

So, today I am booing the rain. I’m the kind of person who is affected by the weather. If it is dreary, I’m more susceptible to being dreary myself. If it is sunny, my disposition points toward the sunnier side of my personality. That’s why I could never live in Seatle or England–too dreary for my psychy.

But, in honor of this long-winded rain, I thought I would look up poetry written about the rain. I found that a lot of poets write about the rain as they channel the dreary side of life, but I found one poem by Mary Oliver that allowed me to think more positively about the rain today.

————————

Last Night the Rain Spoke to Me  by Mary Oliver

Last night
the rain
spoke to me
slowly, saying,
what joy
to come falling
out of the brisk cloud,
to be happy again
in a new way
on the earth!
That’s what it said
as it dropped,
smelling of iron,
and vanished
like a dream of the ocean
into the branches
and the grass below.
Then it was over.
The sky cleared.
I was standing
under a tree.
The tree was a tree
with happy leaves,
and I was myself,
and there were stars in the sky
that were also themselves
at the moment
at which moment
my right hand
was holding my left hand
which was holding the tree
which was filled with stars
and the soft rain –
imagine! imagine!
the long and wondrous journeys
still to be ours.

—————————

I look out my window and now see through Mary Oliver’s eyes–I see the vibrant green leaves happily soaking up the joyful rain. And maybe rain drops are joyful signs of the sky praising God by opening up the heavens and giving us more than enough refreshment and time to slow down. Maybe singing in the rain is exactly what God calls us to do in the midst of frustration and dreary moments. So I’ll sing and see God moving and working in the tiny raindrops that puddle my driveway.

———————–

One more poem about rain–it’s from Psalm 65 and praises God for the work God does through creation:

⁹You visit the earth and water it,
   you greatly enrich it;
the river of God is full of water;
   you provide the people with grain,
   for so you have prepared it.
¹⁰You water its furrows abundantly,
   settling its ridges,
softening it with showers,
   and blessing its growth.
————————–

Thank you, God, for the rain and reminder it brings of the blessing of growth and your refreshing hope and grace. AMEN

Yeehaw!

We kicked off the fall at OPC this year Hoedown style! It was a yeehawin’, toe stompin’, good eatin’ time! We had Pig n’ Chik BBQ for lunch and square dancing called by Frank Anderson. It was truly an intergenerational event. Kids, families, couples, and pastors all came together to learn how to square dance. Here are some highlights from the OPC Hoedown!!!

Mirror Image

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

James 1:17-27

¹⁷Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. ¹⁸In fulfillment of his own purpose he gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of his creatures.

¹⁹You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; ²⁰for your anger does not produce God’s righteousness. ²¹Therefore rid yourselves of all sordidness and rank growth of wickedness, and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls. ²²But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. ²³For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; ²⁴for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. ²⁵But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act—they will be blessed in their doing. ²⁶If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless. ²⁷Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

_____________

At first glance, this passage in James reminds me of a handful of fortune cookie sayings—We take a bite of our first fortune cookie and read “Remember, every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above.” Our second fortune cookie reads, “Be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; for your anger does not produce God’s righteousness.” The message on a third fortune cookie might read “Be a doer of the word, and not merely a hearer who deceives themselves. If you do this, you will be blessed by your doing.” And our last fortune cookie message reads “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”

The book of James is full of these pithy sayings of wisdom which could easily find themselves on a fortune cookie message today or in the Old Testament book of Proverbs. James is a practical book, focused on how we live as Christians. The passage we read today in James showcases this practical concern very well. Although it might be fun to divide this passage into a handful of fortune cookie sayings and leave it at that, a second look might just convict us to think through its meaning a bit further.

With these pithy sayings alone, I could probably divide this passage into four or five different sermons. However, if we look at these sayings as a whole, we may find a coherent message holding them together.

In away, this passage reads like a jeopardy clue, where the answer is already given but it’s up to us to ask the questions.

The first questions is: Who is God?

Our scripture passage reveals to us that God is a generous giver, so much so that God is described as giving birth to us by the word of truth. And this truth is the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ, which gives us new life, a new way of being in this world. God is such a generous giver that God not only gives us new life, but sets us apart as first fruits. During the first century, it was tradition to offer to God first fruits from the harvest. First fruits were signs of more fruit that was to come, and that all the harvest belonged to God.

The next questions this passage answers is: Who am I?

This is a question that I imagine all of us have pondered at least once in our life. As we move to a different stage in our life–whether we are children, teenagers or adults—we all must decide who we are going to be and what we are going to do. We may ask this question “Who am I?” as we start a new school, a new hobby, a new job, a new relationship, or as we go through hardships and challenges in our lives. Whether we know it or not, the things we do in our life—how we treat people, how we react to situations, how we spend our time and our money—all of this answers the question, “Who am I?” 

Most of us live a life that can be fast-paced, full of busy schedules, things to do, and very little rest. We spend just enough time in front of the mirror in the morning to wipe the sleep from our eyes and look presentable. Most of us do not have time to look deep into ourselves and honestly answer that burning question, “Who am I?” But that is why we are here today—we are here to remember why we exist in the first place. We come to this place to remember who we are.

But before we ask “Who am I?’ we must first ask “Who is God?  The book of James tells us that every gift is generously given by God. God is the Great Generous Giver who birthed us into new life. That is who God is—the Creator who created us, the Giver who gave us life and gives us all we need.

And so if we know who God is, then the answer to the question “Who am I?” becomes simple—I am God’s child—born from God and set apart as a sign of goodness. You are God’s child—you belong to God and are claimed by God as good. That is who you are. You are not to answer this question “Who am I?” by what your job or community or school or team or family say you are–you are to answer this question of “Who am I?” by who God says you are. And God says you are good, lovable, and set apart to do good things in this word. And God says this is who you are not matter what you have done, no matter what you have accomplished, no matter if you rich or poor sinner or saint republican or democrat. God says you belong because you are you, and that is enough.

Knowing this, our passage in James goes on to say—if you know and believe who God says you are, then what you do in your life will match what you believe. I don’t believe James is trying to tell us that we must act perfectly in order to be Christian. We will never be perfect, and God doesn’t want us to think we can be perfect. God wants us to remember to rely on God for guidance and grace as we journey and struggle to live the Christian life.

However, I do think that James is warning us not to see our beliefs as simply nice, pithy fortune cookie messages that we only give a moment’s glance to and then throw away when it really matters. James challenges us to remember that our true beliefs are ones that become alive. That is what being a Christian is all about—living a life that shines the light of Christ to a hurting world. It’s living that wonderful saying “Preach the gospel at all times. Use words if necessary.”

After James answers the two questions “Who is God?” and “Who am I?” he asks another question that easily puts a knot in our stomachs. James asks, “So, if you know who God is and you know who you are, then why do you forget the moment you go out the door?”

If James were in this sanctuary today, I imagine him asking really uncomfortable questions that we all need to answer, 

He’d ask, “Would your coworkers know you were a Christian simply by the way you work and treat them?”

He’d ask, “Would your family and friends know you are a Christian by the way you treat them?”

And he’d ask—“Would those around you who are hurting—the poor, sick, and lonely—know that you are a Christian by the way you treat them?”

These are tough questions that require honest answers from us.

 

So as you sit and stand in these pews for the rest of worship today: I want you to imagine looking in a mirror. Now mirrors are not things most of us like because we tend to us them to point out the negative we see in ourselves. But today, I want you to look at yourself in the mirror only to see if your body proclaims Christ to our world.

Look at your face. Do your eyes, smile, and conversations proclaim the love of Christ in your daily life?

Look at your hands. How do your hands proclaim the good news of the gospel?

Look at your legs and your feet? Where do your legs and feet take you in your life to proclaim the love of Christ?  

Do you see who you are? Do you see that you are loved, accepted and set apart by God? Do you see all that God is calling you to do to proclaim Christ to our world? Our scripture this morning simply tells us, “Be who you are.” And it tells us not to forget who we are as God’s children, because the second we forget who we are in God then that is when the things that we do in our life matter little to us.

James asks us a lot of questions this morning—and there is one more that I think he is asking us to answer and it is this:

Why do you go to church?

Are the things that you say and do in this worship service just meaningless words and gestures, or do they take on new meaning and life once you leave this place?

It is easy to put on with your church clothes a kind of church demeanor that you wear for a couple hours every Sunday, but you take off when you get home and put on more comfortable clothes. I think James is calling to us through this passage to get real and make church a place where we can bring our real life and pain and burdens, struggles, and questions and leave this place with real ways we will live the gospel in our lives in the coming week.

So I want to you to try something this week: Every morning as you get ready for your day, look in the mirror and tell yourself who you are—that you are a good gift from God. And then I want you to look at your face, your feet, your hands—and name the things you can do to show God’s love during the day. And then I want you to remember this:

“You’re writing a gospel, a chapter each day…
By the deeds that you do, by the words that you say…
People read what you write, whether faithless or true
So, what is the gospel according to you?”

People Get Ready

21^st Sunday in Ordinary Time

Ephesians 6:10-20

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. ¹¹Put on the whole armour of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. ¹²For our^* struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. ¹³Therefore take up the whole armour of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. ¹⁴Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. ¹⁵As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. ¹⁶With all of these,^* take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints. ¹⁹Pray also for me, so that when I speak, a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel,^{* 20}for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I must speak.

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Throughout these hot summer months, we’ve been reading and studying our way through the book of Ephesians. We’ve learned that Ephesians is unique among the Pauline letters in that it most likely wasn’t written by Paul or written for a specific community. Instead it was most likely written by one of Paul’s students as a letter to be circulated among many communities in the 1^st century. Because Ephesians isn’t written for a specific community, such as Corinthians, we in the 21^st century church can more readily use Ephesians as a letter speaking to us from the 1^st century.

We have learned much wisdom from this letter called Ephesians. We’ve learned about unity we have in Christ, the amazing love of God, righteous anger, the body of Christ, spiritual gifts, praising God with our hearts, giving thanks to God always, being in tune to God’s desires and the way we should live as Christians. This morning we find ourselves in the last chapter of Ephesians, with a powerful analogy—putting on the armor of God.  This analogy is a bit foreign to us and may strike a bit odd. In Ephesians, we read a lot about how Christ unites all people. But now we read about a how we should put on war-like armor. It certainly is a perplexing juxtaposition and one we will think through together this morning.

Let’s start with the first verse of our passage. You are welcome to follow along with me in your pew Bibles. The passage we are reading from is found in Ephesians 6 verses 10 through 20. Verse 10 tells us to “be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power.” In essence, this verse summarizes the meaning the author wants us to get out of the analogy of putting on armor. It’s all about finding strength in the Lord and the Lord’s power, meaning it’s not about us trying to muster enough energy and strength within ourselves to get through tough times. The Lord gives us all the strength and power that we need to get through life.

So how do we be strong in the Lord and in the strength of God’s power? Verse 11 gives us a great image for us to wrap our brains around—the author has us envision putting on the whole armor of God. Now this image of the armor of God is not new in scripture. Actually, the book of Isaiah uses the imagery of God’s armor, specifically the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, and the helmet of salvation. There is no doubt that the author of Ephesians is relying heavily on the Old Testament imagery of God’s armor. The only difference between the Old Testament usage and the New Testament usage is that in Isaiah, God uses the armor; in Ephesians God’s armor is given to the church.

Knowing this, let’s look at verse 11 in the Ephesians passage. Two words stick out to me in this verse. One is the word “whole” and the other is “God”.  We aren’t just to access a part of God’s strength, we are to use all of it, meaning there is no room for us to put on our own armor—we are given all of God’s armor to use to give us strength. 

The second half of the verse gives this analogy of the armor of God with an interesting twist. Instead of saying “put on the whole armor of God so you might be able to fight against the wiles of the devil”, it says “put on the whole armor of God so you might be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” In fact, this entire passage on the armor of God does not talk about fighting or attacking at all. Instead, it talks about withstanding or standing against. In total, this passage uses the word “stand” four times. So, something is very different about this armor and very different about how we are called to use it.

Verse 12 goes on to tell us exactly who we are standing against when we put this armor on. The author makes sure to clearly to state that that we do not put on this armor in order to stand against “enemies of blood or flesh”, meaning we aren’t to think literally about standing against our own fellow human beings—the struggle is far bigger than any disagreement we have with our neighbors. No, we are to stand against evil, cosmic spiritual forces and powers that pierce our world and darken our lives. And this spiritual evil is so tricky and real that it can only be personified into a cosmic, devilish creature for us to even try to understand the reality of its danger. This verse quickly transports us into some sci-fi world where there are evil, strange things happening cloaked in what we think is plain “normalcy” and it is now up to us to track down and stand against this evil and defend the human race or face sure and certain destruction…

Yet we are not in a science fiction movie at all, are we? We are clearly here in this sanctuary, many of us with a lot on our minds and on our plates. There are projects to be done, people to see, things to worry about and work to do. And in the midst of busy life, there is evil lurking around every corner—whether it is tempting us, threatening us or pummeling us—evil is alive in our world. We see it on the news 24 hours a day—murder, cover-ups, wars…you all can name them. Yet, in many ways, it is easy to become desensitized to the evil that lurks in our world that we see on television or internet news. If you live in a comfortable home with a good job and good family, then evil can easily seem elusive and far away. It is easy to accidentally think we are untouchable–until the unthinkable happens in our lives—a disaster or unexpected death or health problem or financial instability busts the doors of our lives open and it is shocking and real and we are caught off guard.

And evil isn’t just in the big stuff, it’s in the small stuff too—it’s in the everyday things that keep us from loving—it’s in the job that takes over our lives and keeps us away from our families—it’s in the hunger that grows inside of us to do whatever it takes to make more money, to get that big promotion. Evil lurks in our homes, when the stress of work and daily life turn into arguments with our spouses and children, when parents use their children to fulfill a dream or goal left undone in their own lives, when friendships become full of drama over gossip or jealousy.

And evil is even bigger than what can happen to us—it’s in the structures of our world and society that discriminate and divide. Evil lies behind any reality that we describe with an –ism: Racism, Classism, Sexism, Ageism. And the church is not immune to evil either. Even the church’s institutions and structures lurks evil waiting to stop attempts to point to the transforming message of the kingdom of God.

We are called to name the evil in this world. Not because we need to feel guilty, mad, or depressed. If we don’t see and name the evil in our own lives, homes, church, school, nation, and world then there is no reason for us to put on the armor of God that Ephesians tell us about. Why clothe ourselves in God’s protection and strength if we think we are makin’ it in this world just fine? The things we collect in our lives—money, possessions, power and fame—can easily make us feel good and in control—when in actuality we need to be makin sure God’s armor is on us good and tight.

So before we even talk about God’s armor, we need to first name the evil that lurks and will inevitably try to hurt us and our families and our world in intimate, unthinkable ways. To summarize what we just said, I will paraphrase for you verse 13: ^“Therefore, knowing that evil is threatening every part of our lives and world, take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand evil everyday, and having done everything, to stand firm.

Again we come across this word “stand”. The command for us to “stand” may be the hardest for us today. Do we recognize the powerful evil threatening us today? Are we too quick to runaway, take a short nap, or just become couch potato Christians?

This passage paints a powerful picture: It shows a soldier in full battle armor standing ready for anything to come at him at any time. His eyes are constantly scanning each direction; his knees are bent and ready for anything that comes his way. And, when evil strikes, all he has to do is stand firm on God—no attacking, no offensive strategy. Standing firm is enough. That is how powerful God’s armor is. Ephesians 1:19-21 told us exactly how great God’s power is for us. Let me read it to you. It says “ ¹and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power. God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come.” God’s power is even more powerful than the most powerful thing the 1^st century mind could think of—the Roman army. The armor of God strengthens and protects us to the point that standing is the only thing we must do in order to claim victory.

So let’s talk about this whole armor of God. Verses 14 through 17 tell us about what kind of armor we should put on. We must put on a suit of armor that includes truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation and the word of God. Notice that the only offensive weapon in this suit of armor is the sword of the spirit, which verse 17 tells us is “the word of God”, which literally is enacted by using our mouths. So the only offensive weapon we have is our mouths which proclaim the peace of God.

After seeing this whole armor of God, it becomes a strange picture. It may look like a Roman soldier ready to do some major damage to anyone who dare attacks, but in fact this whole armor of God is not meant for violence at all—it is meant for peace. God’s truth, righteousness, peace, salvation, and word is all we need to clothe ourselves in to make us able to go through anything life throws at us. So although this image of a soldier with God’s armor may seem violent on the surface, the symbolism turns the militant image of armor on its head so that it literally becomes kin to a lion laying down with a lamb.

There another image that may help us put our scripture today in the language of our 21^st century. The modern image that comes to mind is a catcher at a baseball game. I was at the Braves’ game on Friday and I found myself watching the catcher. He is clothed in the most uncomfortable of gear—a facemask, chest and throat protector, shin guards, and an extra thick glove. He’s in the most uncomfortable of positions—a deep bent knee squat. He has to be alert at all times because things are literally coming at him at all directions—he’s gotta give the pitcher the signal for the pitch, he’s gotta make sure he catches the pitch at the same time making sure he is not in the way of the bat dangerously swinging towards his face and, he needs to make sure he has any eye on that runner on third and be ready to catch up a pop-up fly or retrieve a bunted ball. He must make sure he stands and stays ready 100% of the time because that ball is comin his way no matter what.

Are we ready and geared up to withstand the evil that so pervades our lives? Are we willing to be uncomfortable for the sake of following Jesus Christ. Because the fact is, Christianity is not meant to be comfortable—it is a challenging, radical way of life—we must follow the lead of Christ wearing our really heavy gear ready 100% of the time to stand up to the evil we encounter. It’s really easy to wear the label Christian like it’s a “life is good” t-shirt. Although we worship a good God and are called to spread God’s goodness, we are called to live a life where we are willing to live radical lives for Jesus, which is always not going to be even close to apathy, upholding the status quo, what is fashionable, or toeing the line. No, in order to lead the abundant Christian life you must be willing to lose your life and take up your cross, meaning you should always be ready to confront evil and be uncomfortable and unpopular in the eyes of many people who think you should stay quiet and live a normal life.

I recently read a quote that I think pertains very well to our passage this morning. It reads “ I want to be the kind of woman that when my feet hit the floor each morning the devil says, “Oh no! She’s up!” Evil may try to turn up a lot of white noise in order to drown out the words of the gospel, but it is up to us to put on the clothes God give us every day and let the music of the gospel ring out loud and clear.

The last part of our scripture this morning should not be separated from our putting on the armor of God. Prayer comes with the armor of God and one cannot be used without the other. And it says “pray at all times”.  We pray at all times so that we can constantly remember that we are clothed in God’s armor. Because we wear such a heavy responsibility in preaching and sharing the gospel, we must pray for all in our community so that we all bear each other’s burdens.

And finally, the author of Ephesians doesn’t just talk the talk, he walks the walk. He tells us that he is in chains because he boldly preached the gospel. He knows he is wearing the armor of God but he asks for prays that he might use the power that God has given him to boldly speak the gospel. Strength certainly comes in numbers, and as the body of Christ we are called to overwhelm our world with prayer so that evil has no say.

And so, as Christians, we are called to stand firmly clothed in God’s strength and power, alert and ready to face the darkness that inches toward us, knowing that God is all we need to get through.

Are you ready?

You can listen to this sermon here

In Memory of Ken Ratliff

Over the past year, I have had the privilege of getting to know Ken’s family. It was in hospital rooms and lobbies that I met his family and friends. While sitting with the family, I found myself immersed in the wonderful childhood stories of Grundy, Virginia or the sweetness that enveloped the room from the care and support each family member gave one another. It seemed that whatever Ken’s family went through, there was always a rock that could easily be clung to for support—and that rock was family.

Ken’s family has gone through so much loss and urgency this year. These past four weeks have been especially tough. It really has been a rollercoaster. But in the midst of  the ups and downs and sharp turns of hope and despair, ease and discomfort, clarity and confusion—Ken’s family has always been a constant source of support for one another. And I know that Ken felt the presence of his wonderful family and their love for him all the way to the end.

The more I’ve learned about Ken and his life over the past week, the more I’ve realized that his family is a doorway into Ken’s life. If you want to know about Ken, all you have to do is get to know Ken’s children. Most people would agree, I think, that the older you get, the more you become like your parents. In this case, I saw the best of Ken in his children, Jeanne Ann and Pat. It was beautiful to watch the love and support that so naturally flowed from Jeanne Ann and Pat to their mother and father. They do this so well because of their parents’ model love for one another, their family and friends.

Furthermore, if you want to know how to be a good friend, look at Ken’s life, especially at Mary and Ken’s relationship. Their relationship was built upon a life-long friendship that began in 8^th grade and blossomed into 58 wonderful years of marriage. According to Mary, Ken was person you knew would always be there for you, and I’m sure Ken thought the same of Mary. Ken gave his family the gift of his presence, time and love. It is a rare gift to have someone in your life that you know will always be there for you, always support you, and always love you. Ken was that gift to so many people.

And Ken’s gift of presence and love flowed into his own work as an accountant. Many of his friends were his clients because of Ken’s integrity, support, and trust. Ken was a natural mentor and loved giving advice—whether it was talking about how he ran his own business, or the latest stock market tips or how best to eat and take care of yourself. Up until he went to the hospital a few weeks ago, Ken still had a few clients he worked for. But I have a feeling Ken continued working for so long not out of the love of the work he did, but out of the love he had for the people he worked for. Accounting was a vehicle that Ken could care for people. I have a feeling the world would be a better place if all people looked at their work as a vehicle for God’s love and care.

Ken was a good husband, father, and friend, always putting others before himself. He was known not to complain or let his aches and pains get in the way of him living life and caring for others. Even last week while he was in the hospital, while he was struggling to breathe, Ken naturally thought of how he could lovingly care for his family. As Mary sat by his bedside, he whispered to her to “Go Home”.

The love, support and care Ken brought to his family, friends, and work is not only a gift to those who love him, but it is truly a reflection of the God Ken loved.

In so many ways, Ken’s life illuminates God’s unconditional love and care. His quiet, loyal nature points to a God that is always with us, always whispering love and goodness to us. Ken’s life challenges us to live out Christ’s call to “love one another as Christ has loved you”. I believe that Ken’s family is an extension of God’s love, a love that Ken lived out so well. So in honor of Ken, let us continue his legacy of love and care that so illumined God’s love to the world. AMEN

Rooted and Grounded in Love

 

For the past three weeks, we’ve been studying the book of Ephesians together. What are some things that have we learned so far about the book of Ephesians?

• We’ve learned that Paul may not have written the book of Ephesians. Instead, it could be a letter written by one of Paul’s students who wrote in the style of Paul. Either way, we can still call Ephesians “Pauline”.
• It is also possible that the book of Ephesians is not actually a letter to the Ephesians at all, instead it may a letter that likely circulated among many early 1^st century Christian communities.
• And that is why the book of Ephesians can be so fun to study. Because it does not concern itself with matters of a particular Christian community, we as a larger church can use our imaginations and play with the letter a bit. So, this morning, let’s make this letter more personal. Let’s make this letter read as if Paul wrote it to us:  “To the saints who are in Atlanta and are faithful in Christ Jesus”. Let’s make it even more personal than that: “To the saints who are in Oglethorpe Presbyterian Church and are faithful in Christ Jesus.” With new eyes, let us not turn to our passage this morning reading from Ephesians 3:14-21.

To the saints who are in Oglethorpe Presbyterian Church and are faithful in Christ Jesus:

I bow my knees before the father from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit,
and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Paul prays for us, we Gentiles, in this passage. Here are some things that I hear Paul praying for:

• That we will be strengthened by the power of the Holy Spirit,
• That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith
• That we will be rooted and grounded in love
• That we will have the power to comprehend Christ’s love
• That we will be filled with all the fullness of God

Paul prays this prayer right after he explains that his own calling is to bring the good news of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles. If you remember from last week, we learned that Gentiles were believed to not have full access to God because they weren’t circumcised. But Paul believed that because of the blood of Christ, all people – Gentiles and Jews – had full access to God and were one in Christ.

After explaining all of this, Paul now wants Gentiles to gain the strength and confidence found in Christ’s love for them. In other words, Paul wants the Gentiles to stop seeing themselves as unworthy and outside of God’s love. Paul wants them to start living lives rooted and grounded in Christ’s love, relying on Christ for all of their lives.

Now I imagine that this must have been quite hard for early Christians. Living in a Greco-Roman society where there were as many mythic gods as there were people to worship them. Early Christians lived in this Greco-Roman society where the predominant worldview was “Know thyself”. This was a time-period of great enlightenment, when humans began to rely on reason to solve the problems around them.

I imagine early Christians found it easier to rely on their own mind and strength to control many parts of their lives – instead of relying on God. However, first century Romans still lived in a harsh world where a lack of medicine, food and sanitation made life hard, creating many tests to their faith – where relying on God was all they could do.

Flash forward to the twenty-first century and there isn’t too much we can’t control. Food production, water purification, food sanitation, clean sewers, noise level, health and home insurance, dvr’s, refrigerators, the internet….all ways that our environment is controlled…these are all things most people take for granted…all things Christians no longer need to rely on God for (especially the part about being able to TEVO your favorite TV shows).

So how do we rely on God when most of our needs are taken care of, when most of us are not fighting for our lives…and is it really only when disaster strikes…when we find ourselves not in control of our own lives… that we call out to God…that we decide to rely on God?

But notice that Paul’s prayer is not talking about relying on God and gaining strength only in the bad times of our life.

This prayer is about gaining the strength in order to believe and comprehend God’s love for us at all times in our lives. However, we can rely on God only when we believe and live in the knowledge that God loves us.

“Jesus love me, this I know.” It is a lyric that is known by most children and learned at an early age. It is such an easy lyric to sing, yet do we think about its implications?

If we truly believed that Jesus loves us, then would we keep telling ourselves that we’re never good enough, always messing up, unlikable, unlovable, ugly, unpopular, unintelligent, unemployable, unpromoteable, too skinny, too fat, too smart, too shy, too loud?

If we truly believed that Jesus loves us, then we would forgive ourselves for all the wrong that we have done to others and to ourselves. God forgives and loves you – no matter what you could have possibly done.

If we really believed that Jesus loves us then we’d see the negative names we call ourselves as lies. Since we are born again as children of God, Jesus sees us as precious, beautiful, lovable, and completely accepted. 

But we must allow ourselves to accept that God loves us. And this can be very hard. We might even be able to accept that God loves other people. We might be able to accept Jesus’ call to feed the hungry and help the poor. But believing that God loves us unconditionally? That can be hard. Especially if someone in your life has made you feel unlovable. But we are asked by Christ to take a leap of faith and allow our arms to embrace and accept the free gift of God’s love for us—however unbelievable or ridiculous we think that idea might be.

Because not believing and accepting God love for us holds us back from being who we were created to be. That is why our passage this morning proclaims that  by the power at work within us Christ is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine.

God will always say “yes” to us, but we have the power to say “Yes” or “No” to God’s love for us. If we say “yes”, then we will be able to see Christ work through us in ways we never thought were possible. When we say “yes” to God’s love for us, that is when we can show others how much they are loved by God. When we say “yes” to God’s love for us, that is when the church can reveal God’s love to the world. But it must start with you saying “yes”, and saying “yes” everyday and every moment of everyday.

One of my favorite poems is entitled “God Say Yes to Me”. It was written by Kaylin Haught, and it is her description of God saying “yes” to her in the midst of all her self-doubt.

I asked God if it was okay to be melodramatic
and she said yes
I asked her if it was okay to be short
and she said it sure is
I asked her if I could wear nail polish
or not wear nail polish
and she said honey
she calls me that sometimes
she said you can do just exactly
what you want to
Thanks God I said
And is it even okay if I don’t paragraph
my letters
Sweetcakes God said
who knows where she picked that up
what I’m telling you is
Yes Yes Yes

 from The Palm of your Hand, 1995
Tilbury House Publishers

 

 

 

 

 

 

Breaking down the dividing wall

Ephesians 2:11-22

¹¹So then, remember that at one time you Gentiles by birth, called “the uncircumcision” by those who are called “the circumcision” —a physical circumcision made in the flesh by human hands— ¹²remember that you were at that time without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. ¹³But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

¹⁴For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. ¹⁵He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, ¹⁶and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it. ¹⁷So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; ¹⁸for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father. ¹⁹So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, ²⁰built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. ²¹In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; ²²in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.

 ——————————

Well, I have some bad news….I read a report this week that said Atlanta is a mean city …in fact it is the 4^th meanest city in the United States…not because of traffic jams or road rage or even smog…but because of city regulations that essentially drive the homeless population outside the city limits in order to boost tourism. It’s almost like these laws create a wall around the city of Atlanta with a big sign that says “Homeless people aren’t welcome”.

Today’s scripture is about walls. Walls that divide. But, walls that have already been broken down by Jesus, yet we seem to think they are still there. During the time Ephesians was written the Jewish temple had a wall that divided Jews from Gentiles. On this wall there was a sign which threatened death to any Gentile who dared go past the wall and into the Holy Place that only Jews could access. As you could guess, this sign caused hostility. ..and this is exactly how the writer of Ephesians describes the dividing wall between Jews and Gentiles.

The scripture this morning starts with yet another dividing wall separating Jews and Gentiles—the act of circumcision. The word “uncircumcised” was used as a derogatory term against the Gentiles. If you remember, the Abrahamic covenant gives all circumcised Jews access to God. So when a Jew called a Gentile “uncircumcised”, they were saying that person did not have access to God. To call someone “uncircumcised” symbolized the hostile wall that divided two groups of people.

We also build walls in our own lives that divide us from our neighbors. We see these walls all around us. These  walls alienate us from one another and cause our relationships to stagnate and break. What are some of the dividing walls that we see around us in our world?

         One example of a dividing wall: party affiliation—we’ve all been in situations where the tone of a conversation changes   drastically when we realize that the person we’re talking to has a very different outlook  on politics than you do.

Looking back at our Ephesians passage, the writer first talks about the dividing walls between Jews and Gentiles, but quickly moves to the point of common ground for both Jewish and Gentile Christians—Jesus Christ. The writer reminds us that through Christ’s death, all walls that divide humanity have been torn down—that we are all one in Christ. Let’s pause one second to make sure we all caught that—CHRIST is the one who has torn down the  dividing walls  between us. Talk about good news! WE can’t break down these walls of hostility, only God can and God has already torn them down through Christ. So why are there so many walls that still divide humanity, that promote so much hatred and hostility? Good question. Maybe those walls are just in our heads and hearts.  Could it be that we are so blinded by our own hostility that we can’t see the debris and rubble of our stone walls Christ has torn down.

And through Christ, we are made into one body to live in the household of God. This house, is the church. As Christ as our cornerstone, God dwells in and through us.

Now I recognized the idealistic quality of what I’m saying. Obviously, there are a lot of conflicts in our world, even those that include physical walls, and saying that Christ has torn those walls down already, won’t make them go away. Yet, I believe that what may seem idealistic, even utopic, in our scripture today is ultimately grounded in the hope of Jesus Christ.

That’s where the we, the church, come in. We are called to model what Ephesians says to us today. We are called to proclaim peace and  welcome all with open arms into the household of God, no matter who they are. The church is to point out the unjust and hostile walls that exist in the world. And that includes examining and let God tear down the church’s own unjust and hostile walls it builds itself. We are to do the same in our own lives. How do we do that? That is a question I hope you take home with you today. I think the answer to this question lies in the simple, daily things of life–in your individual relationships, in the way you spend your money and your time; in our church’s own ministries, the way we spend the church’s money and time; in the way we speak out and advocate for the least of these in our community.

In thinking about walls and the way we hide behind those walls, a childhood story came to mind, a story called “The Butter Battle Book” by Dr. Seuss. I’ll read this one passage from the book to give you an idea of the differences between these two great societies—the Yooks and the Zooks:

“‘It’s high time that you knew
of the terribly horrible thing that Zooks do.
In every Zook house and in every Zook town
every Zook eats his bread
with the butter side down!
But we Yooks, as you know,
when we breakfast or sup,
spread our bread,’ Grandpa said,
‘with the butter side up.
That’s the right, honest way!’
Grandpa gritted his teeth.
‘So you can’t trust a Zook
who spreads bread underneath!”

So the story goes that the Yooks and Zooks go to battle over how they spread their butter. Each make bigger and better weapons competing to outdo the other. All the while, the two societies are permanently separated by a long winding wall so that each side doesn’t have to see the despicable way the other side butters their bread. The book ends with the Yooks and Zooks at a standstill, each waiting to see who will drop their bomb first.

My prayer is that we will recognize that Christ has broken down the walls between us and even though we may butter our bread differently, we all live in the same house as one body united in Christ.