The Sermon that Never Was

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"Year of the Bible" Q&As and Sunday Sermon

Here's the question and answer from yesterday:
What is the Teacher’s conclusion at the end of Ecclesiastes? (Ecclesiastes 12)
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 13 Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.

And here's the question of the day:
Fill in the blanks: “Strengthen me with ______, refresh me with _______, for I am faint _______” (Song of Sol 1)



"The Sermon that Never Was"
****NOTE: I call this the sermon that never was because we had a little emergency in church during the sermon and I only got 1/3 of the way through it.

PRAYER OF ILLUMINATION
Please pray with me: Gracious God, you have the words of eternal life. As the Scripture is read and preached, empower us to hear it with humility and openness, so that hearing it, we respond with courage and conviction. A men.
As I began to consider what passage from Ecclesiastes to use for this week’s sermon, I immediately eliminated chapter three. I thought: we’ve all heard those verses before—a time for this and a time for that—over and over again, usually at funerals.


INTRO TO SCRIPTURE READING
And so I began to reread the other 11 chapters of Ecclesiastes, looking for something else to preach on. Between you and me, I have to confess I didn’t get too far before I started to get a little depressed. Ecclesiastes is a book that I KNOW some of you delight in for its down to earth tone, its simplicity, and its cutting away of the fluff. But me? It just makes me crazy. I am a glass half full kind of person and Ecclesiastes feels like a glass half empty kind of book.

Since I couldn’t bear to read much more of the book, I decided to take the easy way out and just use Ecclesiastes 3. Call me a chicken. Call me a coward. In this case, the shoe fits, and I’m wearing it.

1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: 2 a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, 3 a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, 4 a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, 5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, 6 a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, 7 a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, 8 a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace. 9 What does the worker gain from his toil? 10 I have seen the burden God has laid on men. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

The grass withers and the flower fades but the Word of the Lord endures forever.

I realized that though I’ve heard these words a million times, I’ve never put much thought into them or studied them very closely. But now I have. And I’ve discovered three things that I never realized before that have given me a much greater appreciation not just for this chapter, but for the whole book of Ecclesiastes.

#1
The first thing I discovered is that this list is not so much full of things that should or should not happen, but things which WILL happen. I don’t think the guy who wrote Ecclesiastes is saying that God WANTS there to be a time to kill or a time to tear down or even a time for war. I think what he’s trying to tell us is that all these times are going to happen. They are inevitable.

There will be times when all you can do is weep; there will be times when all you can do is hate; and there will be times when all you want to do is give up. It’s a part of life. And “there is a time for everything . . . under heaven.” But there will also be a time to laugh and a time to love and a time to not give up.

Ecclesiastes is telling us that we’ve got to know what time it is. It’s our job to figure out whether it is a time to weep or a time to laugh. It is a time to search or a time to give up? Is it a time to keep or a time to throw away?

In God’s eyes, it may be a time to plant, but all WE WANT to do is uproot. In God’s eyes, it may be a time to mend, but all WE WANT to do is to tear. Our instinctive reaction in a given situation is not necessarily how God’s wants us to react. So we’ve got to know what time it is so we know how to respond to the situation.

#2
The second thing I’ve discovered is that there actually is a little bit of hope hidden inside all of the pessimism of Ecclesiastes. It really is tucked in there, squirreled away. It’s sitting there waiting for some folks to come along and dig it out.

Here’s the thing. Seasons have beginnings and ends, right? It’s the last day of August, though right now it feels a bit more like the last day of October. Summer will soon be coming to an end. The green leaves will slowly change their colors, and we will know it is the beginning of autumn.
Seasons have a beginning and an ending. That means a season of weeping, for example, has a beginning AND an ending. This is important for us to remember because when it is a time for—or a season for weeping—it seems like there will be no end. When it is a time of mourning, it’s hard to believe there will ever be a time to dance and rejoice again.

The hidden comfort in this passage is that for every season of sorrow or sadness, there will be an ending. And that will be followed by a time of gladness again.

It also serves as a reminder that a time for peace will end and a time for war will begin. But Ecclesiastes tells us that each season has a beginning and an ending—giving us hope when a time for tears seems endless.

#3
And the last thing I realized after reading this passage is that we wouldn’t know the joy of birth without the pain of death. We wouldn’t know how much of a gift birth is without also knowing the gift of death.[1]

This chapter contains fourteen sets of opposites—experiences on the opposite ends of the spectrum. We wouldn’t be so grateful for the healing if we didn’t know what it felt like to be wounded. We wouldn’t know the sweetness of peace without seeing the ugliness of war.

Any attempt by us to try to change the rhythm of life—birth and death, love and hate—is in vain because time is in God’s hands. The seasons of our lives are under God’s control. And we can find comfort in the sense of order and stability He provides for us. There is a beginning and ending to every season.

We know that “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.” Our job, then, is figure out, with the help of the Holy Spirit, what time it is, or rather what kind of time it is. Our job is to look for the hope that God always has tucked away waiting for us, even inside the pages of a grumpy book like Ecclesiastes!

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

[1] Towner, NIB Commentary

DON'T PANIC!

For those of you visiting the blog, don't panic! I just changed the template. It's the same old "Year of the Bible" blog; it's just looks a little different.

This is what happens when I run out of things to do on a Saturday afternoon. (This is not complaining--this is explaining!)

Allison

"Meaningless! Meaningless! Everything is Meaningless!"

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YEAR OF THE BIBLE Qs&As and PASTOR'S REFLECTION

Here's the question and answer from Thursday:
Who shares a common destiny, according to Ecclesiastes 9?
Ecclesiastes 9:2 2 All share a common destiny-- the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad, the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not. As it is with the good man, so with the sinner; as it is with those who take oaths, so with those who are afraid to take them.


And from Friday:
What is urged first of all? (I Timothy 2)
1 Timothy 2:1 I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone-- 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.

And here's the question of the day:
What is the Teacher’s conclusion at the end of Ecclesiastes? (Ecclesiastes 12)

And here's the reflection of the day:
Chapter 12 is quite the finish for the Teacher.

The chapter crescendos to a loud "Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. "Everything is meaningless!" (verse 8), which is ironically where we started: Ecclesiastes 1:2 "Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. "Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless."

What exactly does he mean? Surely there's more to this book than the pronouncement that all of life is meaningless--why would it be included in the canon if this was the case?!

Scholars suggest that death is the key to Ecclesiastes. In the end, death conquers all. No matter how heroic our struggle against it may be, in the end, we will all die. This is a fundamental truth that the Teacher pounds into our minds over and over again. No amount of wisdom or courage can help us to escape death.

True wisdom, the Teacher is telling us, "lies in the living of these days, before the sickle cuts its wide swath" (William P. Brown, Interpretation, Ecclesiastes, p 115). Hence the admonition to "be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil-- this is the gift of God" (Ecc 3.12-13). To the teacher, this is the stuff of life--what Baloo from "The Jungle Book" would call the "bare necessities."

Knowing then what lies ahead, the Teacher advocates a "carpe diem" kind of lifestyle because death is always lingering around the corner.

Now we, as Christians, know that Jesus conquered death in his resurrection. Death--the end of this life--is but the beginning of eternity. Christians are sometimes rightly accused of living with their head in the clouds--perhaps being a bit too heaven-focused. The Teacher seems to know that humans are put on earth with a "duty:" to "Fear God and keep his commandments" (Ecc. 12.13). The Teacher sees things starkly in black and white, and in his opinion, humans are here to carry out their duty.

Apart from God--apart from fulfilling our "duty"--indeed life IS "meaningless."

But WITH God, there is meaning and purpose and fulfillment--which is an optimist's version of Ecclesiastes' message!

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Here's the question and answer from Tuesday:
What kind of people does the author of 2 Thessalonians warn them against, in the name of Jesus Christ? (2 Thess 3)
2 Thessalonians 3:6 6 In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received from us.

And from Wednesday:
What does “ascribe” mean? What is to be ascribed to God? (Ps 96)
"ascribe" is "to attribute or think of as belonging, as a quality or characteristic;" “They ascribed courage to me for something I did out of sheer panic.” Psalm 96:7-8 7 Ascribe to the LORD, O families of nations, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. 8 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering and come into his courts.

And here's the question of the day:
Who shares a common destiny, according to Ecclesiastes 9?

And here's the reflection of the day:
This letter to Timothy is known as a Pauline (of or belonging to Paul) pastoral epistle. It is traditionally thought to be a letter from Paul to Timothy, his young protege, who seems to have been left behind in Ephesus while Paul moved on to Macedonia.

This letter is intended to reassure Timothy, who may be a little anxious at being on his own, while his mentor has kept on the move. Timothy is stationed in Ephesus for a distinct purpose, which Paul cites in verse 3: ". . . stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies."

At this point in history, Christianity is still taking shape. Paul has been there and preached, but the doctrine and the beliefs are not yet totally formed. If anything, Christianity was probably seen as an upstart, rebellious religious movement worthy only of suspicion. Traditionally we ascribe veracity and veneration to those religions with long and storied traditions. But this particular Jesus movement, which came to be known as Christianity, was in its infancy stages and its form and function were still quite amorphous and loose.

It is actually one of many religious options available to people. There were even other "Jesus sects" that sounded an awful lot like Christianity but varied in one way or another--their pick of the litter, one might say. People had their choice of religious groups to join.

Hmm. . . . Does history seem to be repeating itself here?

Generations later, Christianity is more fully formed in terms of its beliefs and doctrines. But those beliefs and doctrines are still shifting, aren't they? From the left to the right, conservatives to liberals, you can find a "Christian" church to match just about any set of beliefs--which is a wonderful testament to the motley crue which makes up the Body of Christ.

But. . . that brings us back to Timothy, marooned in Ephesus, left to defend the faith, trying to prevent and even correct the "false doctrines" of the would-be "teachers of the law."

We're not all called to be Paul, but I think there is a little bit of Timothy inside each one of us. And it is up to us to know our faith--to know that "sound doctrine conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God" (verses 10-11) which has been entrusted to us. And it is up to us to defend the faith against the "lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious" (verse 9).

Intro to Ecclesiastes

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Here's the question and answer from yesterday:
Fill in the blanks: “For with much wisdom comes much ______; the more knowledge, the more _______.” (Eccles 1)
Ecclesiastes 1:18 18 For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief.

And here's the question of the day:
What kind of people does the author of 2 Thessalonians warn them against, in the name of Jesus Christ? (2 Thess 3)

And here's the reflection of the day:
W. SIBLEY TOWNER begins a commentary on Ecclesiastes in this way: "Ecclesiastes has always had its fans among the original thinkers of the Jewish and Christian communities: skeptics, people with a dark vision of reality, recovering alcoholics. The rest of us know and love some of its individual epigrams and its more lyrical passages. On the whole, however, believers have found it at least baffling and at most wrongheaded" (NIB Commentary on Ecclesiastes).

I had a good chuckle when I started reading this commentary because that's exactly what has been going through my head as I've been reading through Ecclesiastes. I am a glass half full kind of person, and generally speaking, this book drives me NUTS! Except for its "individual epigrams and its more lyrical passages"of course--but even that's a stretch.

Towner's intro to Ecclesiastes includes the following declaration: "All dismissive talk about the book of Ecclesiastes is banned from the following pages." So too shall I follow Towner's lead and try to eliminate all dismissive talk . . . at least from this blog post. :0)

Pardon me for borrowing so frequently from Towner's commentary but it is written with a wonderful sense of humor--and most bible commentaries are terribly dry and dull. Also I am woefully deficit in my knowledge on this book of the Bible--so an intro to Ecclesiastes seems to be in order for all of us!

The author is known as "Qohelet," a title (not a name) meaning "the Preacher," "the Leader," or "the Teacher" depending on what translation of the Bible you use. Each title has a slightly different connotation and hints at the different functions the author of Ecclesiastes must have fulfilled. "The Teacher" seems to be the preferred translation.

The Teacher, as he shall be called, didn't really follow the rules when it comes to adhering to an existing genre of literature. I mean, Ecclesiastes isn't a narrative. It's not a story. It's not really a poem. It's not a letter. It is a kind of a collection of "standard cliches and of unique words or inflections of words" (Towner), which is really a hodge-podge more than anything else. Scholars seem to have settled on the vague category of "instruction" and "reflection" for Ecclesiastes.

Regarding the "plot" of the book of Ecclesiastes, Towner has this to say: "Every piece of literature, down to and including one’s laundry list, has a plot. That is to say, it moves according to some logic. It aims at some end and follows some structure in order to reach that end. Certain essays and books display their plots prominently, while others conceal them in elaborate ways. People tend to enjoy reading the former more than the latter. The same is true of biblical texts. They all have internal emphases, main points, punch lines, and the like. Some, such as Jonah or the Joseph narrative, are novellas with rising action, climactic moment, and falling action—just like Tom Jones or A Farewell to Arms. Others, such as the epistles of Paul, follow a more tortuous route toward their main emphases.

Either the book of Ecclesiastes has one of the most tortuous plots of any book of the Hebrew Bible, or else it has an extremely minimal one. The latter seems to be more likely. There is no story line." (This does nothing to enhance the readability of Ecclesiastes, I might add. Or its preachability too.)

And Towner includes a little vocabulary lesson for us as well:
"All": used in 41% of the 222 verses in the book; all "is useful to him because of his determination to reflect on the meaning of all life--not just Israelite life, not even just human life, but all of life. . . . more than any other book of the OT, this one attempts to arrive at understandings that will work everywhere and in every time."
"Vanity": 60% of all the uses of the word "vanity" in the Bible are found in Ecclesiastes; the actual meaning of the Hebrew word "hebel" is actually quite murky: depending on the translation, it is rendered "utterly vain," "useless," "utter futility," "nothing is worthwhile," "utterly absurd," "a vapor of vapors," and "meaningless! meaningless!" what all those phrases seems to be trying to indicate is that "vanity" is something without merit, an unreliable, probably useless thing.
"Toil": this is not exactly "work ethic"; Towner says it "almost always conveys such negative ideas such as trouble, weariness, sorry, mischief, and even oppression"; for the Teacher, "toil and life are practically identical"
"Wisdom": this word is used as both a noun/adjective and a verb; unlike other books of the Bible, this does not define "wisdom" as "fear of the Lord" nor as a synonym for the Torah, God's revealed will; he does seem to mean intellectual skill to be used in the discovery of truth, mental endowment of 'wise' people, a moral value/the opposite of folly
"Fate": chance; destiny; used to refer to "the outcome of life's struggles"; but here "the 'fate' that awaits human beings is far from mere chance or a random event . . . . For the Teacher, 'fate' is fact. It is decreed by God, even though one can learn nothing about this decree; it is death."

I hope this little intro is helpful to you. It has greatly benefited me. Now, I have to figure out which passage I'd like to preach on this week. There's always Ecclesiastes 3--but that's a little overused. So I'm looking for some new territory for this sermon.

Let me know if you have any suggestions!!

"Blessing the Backpacks" liturgy

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Blessing the Backpacks
(Parents and kids/youth come to the front.)

Minister: Let us pray: As another school year begins
Congregation: we pray that You would bless these backpacks
Parents: and our children who carry them.
Minister: We lift up to You all those who will be starting back to school soon—
Congregation: students, teachers, administrators, staff, bus drivers, and school board members.
Parents: We pray that You would especially protect our children as they go to and from school.
Congregation: We pray that You would provide for all the expenses that come with school.
Parents: As our lives get busier, we pray that we would be able to still find time to spend together as a family.
Congregation: Gracious God, we give thanks for the opportunity for education in the classroom.
Minister: And we also give thanks to You for education in the church and for a chance to get know You a little better.
Congregation: Lord, we pray that the students among us would study hard, would be kind to their classmates, and ask for help when they need it.
Parents: And lastly, Lord, give us the wisdom, the grace, and the patience to be good parents.
Minister: All this we pray in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, Amen.

Parents’ Blessing
(Parents place hands on child’s shoulder.)

The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make his face to shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
--Numbers 6:24-26

A Gift from the Church Family
--icthus shaped zipper pulls for backpacks

Sunday Sermon: Sabbath

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PRAYER OF ILLUMINATION
Please pray with me: Gracious God, you have the words of eternal life. As the Scripture is read and preached, empower us to hear it with humility and openness, so that hearing it, we may respond with courage and conviction. Amen.

SCRIPTURE READING: Psalm 92:1-15 A psalm. A song. For the Sabbath day.
It is good to praise the LORD and make music to your name, O Most High, 2 to proclaim your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night, 3 to the music of the ten-stringed lyre and the melody of the harp. 4 For you make me glad by your deeds, O LORD; I sing for joy at the works of your hands. 5 How great are your works, O LORD, how profound your thoughts! 6 The senseless man does not know, fools do not understand, 7 that though the wicked spring up like grass and all evildoers flourish, they will be forever destroyed. 8 But you, O LORD, are exalted forever. 9 For surely your enemies, O LORD, surely your enemies will perish; all evildoers will be scattered. 10 You have exalted my horn like that of a wild ox; fine oils have been poured upon me. 11 My eyes have seen the defeat of my adversaries; my ears have heard the rout of my wicked foes. 12 The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; 13 planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God. 14 They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, 15 proclaiming, "The LORD is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him."

The grass withers and the flower fades but the Word of the Lord endures forever.

SERMON: INTRODUCTION
Today is the Sabbath day. In the Christian tradition, Sundays are set apart as the Lord’s Day. For six days God created; but on the seventh day, He rested. That is the example God has set for us.

We’ve been reading through the Bible this year, so you probably remember all the strict instructions for observing the Sabbath within the Jewish tradition. There were A LOT of lists of do’s and don’ts for keeping the Sabbath, right?

In fact, by the time Jesus rolls around “there were 1,521 things that a person could not do on the Sabbath. For instance, a person with a toothache couldn't gargle with vinegar but could use a toothbrush dipped in vinegar; a radish could be dipped in salt, but not left too long in the salt, lest it begin to pickle” (Homiletics online, Sabbath illustration).

As a result, it sort of seems like the fourth commandment came to be known not so much as “thou shalt observe the Sabbath and keep it holy” but more like “thou shalt not enjoy life on Sunday” (Joy Davidman, the poet-essayist and wife of C.S. Lewis, Homiletics online, Sabbath illustration).

But I don’t think that’s exactly what God had in mind when He created the Sabbath. The question is: what DID God have in mind for us when it comes to observing the Sabbath?

#1
Our Scripture reading this morning is a psalm that someone—we don’t know who—along the way decided should be used in worship—the subtitle for Psalm 92 says, “A psalm. A song. For the Sabbath day.” Surely if we’re looking to learn more about the Sabbath, this psalm, traditionally used in Sabbath day worship, will give us some solid suggestions for doing Sabbath the way God intended.

First of all, Psalm 92 says, “It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name, O Most High, to proclaim your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night.” The Sabbath is supposed to be a day for worship—a WHOLE day, from morning to night. If you’re here this morning for worship, you’ve got a good start on the worship part of observing the Sabbath and keeping it holy. It is good for Christian brothers and sisters to gather together and pray for each other, to read the Bible together and to hear the Word proclaimed.

BUT this is just an hour—and the psalm tells us to proclaim God’s love from morning to night. We’re not done keeping the Sabbath just because church is done. That leaves plenty of time for families to spend time together and for church families to fellowship and break bread together, like we’re going to do at the church picnic. That is part of our Sabbath time too!

So the Sabbath is about worship, all day long.

#2
The second way God wants us to do the Sabbath is to rest. Now, for those of you who are wondering, sleeping through the sermon does not count as Sabbath rest. BUT, if you, like me, are planning on taking a nap later this afternoon, then you’ve got a good start on the whole “rest” part of the Sabbath down too.

But the Sabbath must be about more than just napping. What kind of rest is Psalm 92 talking about?

In my humble opinion, the kind of rest Psalm 92 is talking about is knowing and believing—deep down inside you—that God is in control. This kind of rest is not just physical rest; it is spiritual rest . . . it is knowing that God is sovereign—the Lord Most High—and holds you in the palm of His hands. It is knowing, as Psalm 92 tells us, that “though the wicked spring up like grass and all evildoers flourish,” the Lord is “exalted forever.”

Worshiping and resting—that’s what the Sabbath is all about.

#3
Sabbath sounds pretty nice, doesn’t it? It definitely sounds like something to look forward to at the end of a long week. So, that begs the question: why is it so darn hard to follow the fourth commandment—to observe the Sabbath and keep it holy?

The answer seems pretty simple. We have allowed life to get in the way of Sabbath. There are no longer 1500 and some odd things we can’t do on the Sabbath like in biblical times. There’s actually nothing we can’t do on the Sabbath— we can gamble on Sunday and buy alcohol on Sundays . . . but we can also go out to eat on Sunday, we can go shopping on Sunday, we can mow our lawns on Sunday. Family Christian Bookstores is even open on Sundays now. Nothing is off limits for the Sabbath anymore.

No wonder we can’t seem to keep the Sabbath holy. There are too many other opportunities for us to take advantage of! We must all have “spiritual ADD” because we are so easily distracted from what the Sabbath is supposed to be like. Isn’t it handy, then, that we get a chance to practice keeping the Sabbath holy each week?

#4
So, why bother keeping the Sabbath? We don’t really keep the Sabbath too well now and things seem OK. Why should we go through all the trouble of rearranging our lives just for the Sabbath?

Well, first of all, it’s one of the Ten Commandments. Not keeping the Sabbath is just the same as bearing false witness or coveting or even murder. It’s a sin to not keep the Sabbath, plain and simple. Be you never thought of it that way!

The second reason—there’s plenty of reasons, but I’m just going to give you two—the second reason to keep the Sabbath is so that you will, as Psalm 92 says, “flourish like a palm tree” and grow like a “cedar of Lebanon” and that you “will flourish in the courts of our God.” The Sabbath is for our own good. It is a chance for us to reconnect with God and our family and our church family—to stay fresh and green—like verse 14 says.

The Sabbath is a reminder that our job as God’s own beloved children is to proclaim God’s love and faithfulness from morning until night, and to still be bearing fruit for God even in our old age as the psalm says. That’s a long time; without the Sabbath we shrivel up and become useless and worn out. Bu the Sabbath keeps us strong and alive and plugged into God and what He is doing in the world around us.

CONCLUSION
Most of you grew up in a time when the Sabbath day was special—when it was set apart and kept holy. Or, if you didn’t grow up in that time, surely you’ve heard stories about it from people who lived through it. The days of the world around us shutting down for the Sabbath are long over. But just because the world around you doesn’t take a Sabbath, it doesn’t mean you need to follow their lead.

The choice is yours. You can choose to observe the Sabbath—to take a whole day to worship and to rest . . . and I mean “rest” God’s way—or, you can choose not to. But let me remind you of this: the Sabbath is not optional. To observe the Sabbath and keep it holy is God’s command to each one of us. To ignore it is to sin.

There are about 12 more sermons I could preach on how to keep the Sabbath, but they would all be a waste until we decide as individuals and as a community of faith that we want to observe the Sabbath and keep it holy. So, when you get to that point let me know, and we can get started. Until then, think of the pace your life moves at and tell me how much longer you think you can keep it up.

Thanks be to the Lord Most High, who gives us rest and refreshment and energy and strength from His very hand,in the name of the Father and the son and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Vomit in the Proverbs

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Here's the question and answer from this week so far:
Monday: Paul, Timothy, and Silas were gentle among the Thessalonians like what? (I Thess 2)
1 Thessalonians 2:7 7 but we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children.

Tuesday: What do the rich and poor have in common? (Proverbs 22)
Proverbs 22:2 2 Rich and poor have this in common: The LORD is the Maker of them all.

Wednesday: What does the senseless man not know and the food not understand? (Psalm 92)
Psalm 92:6-7 6 The senseless man does not know, fools do not understand, 7 that though the wicked spring up like grass and all evildoers flourish, they will be forever destroyed.

And here's the question of the day:
Thursday: What sort of ambition—what kind of life—is Paul advising the Thessalonians to pursue? (I Thess 4)


And here's the reflection of the day:
Did you know the word vomit occurs in the Bible 11 times? And did you know that Proverbs contains 30% of those mentions? Strange, isn't it? And 2 of those 3 mentions are part of our "Year of the Bible" readings for today.

Proverbs 25:16 16 If you find honey, eat just enough-- too much of it, and you will vomit.

Proverbs 26:11 11 As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.

These two proverbs have something to teach us about wisdom; er, rather the LACK of wisdom.

First of all, Proverbs 25:16 teaches us the wisdom of moderation. Now this could be moderation in terms of rich food--like honey--but it also can apply to more than just that. Too much of anything is a bad thing--that's another commonly known proverb, right? We know that life should be lived in moderation, with a sense of balance: a balance between work and play, serving others and taking care of ourselves, blessing others and allowing others to bless us. This is what God would like us to strive for in our individual lives.

Proverbs 26, then, addresses what happens when we lose that sense of balance--when we "eat too much honey" and get sick. Shame on us for giving in to our weaknesses, of course. But it's bound to happen once, right? In this Proverb, the wisdom comes by not repeating our "folly," like a dog returning to its, well, you know.

I have a friend who struggled with the temptation to "eat too much honey." And when he would give in to the temptation, he would call the consequences of his overindulgence "vomit." So after he "vomited" then we would talk about how to clean it up and how to avoid making the same mistake again. I know this is a rather graphic description--we could never talk about this stuff over dinner!--but it's a very effective way to think about overindulgence--no matter what you overindulge in. Really, who among us would return to our own (literal) vomit??

So why is it we return so often to our figurative vomit? that we repeat our mistakes over and over again? Perhaps you should think of adopting this more graphic approach to sin. . . . I know it's changed the way I think about overindulgence in every aspect of life!

Entrusted with the Message

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Here's the question of the day:
Paul, Timothy, and Silas were gentle among the Thessalonians like what? (I Thess 2)

And here's the reflection of the day:
1 Thessalonians 2:3-4 For our appeal does not spring from deceit or impure motives or trickery, 4 but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the message of the gospel, even so we speak, not to please mortals, but to please God who tests our hearts.

It's that time of year again. Time to recruit Sunday School teachers. This is always a difficult time of year for churches. Often, the same people teach year after year after year. And the congregation relies on those same people to always teach. But sometimes life happens and schedules change. Then the church is thrown into a bit of chaos as they scramble to cover all the positions needed.

I just had a conversation with someone about teaching Sunday School. This was someone who has taught it before but found it difficult and frustrating. I mentioned that not everyone has the gift of teaching. That's kind of obvious, right? And possibly the worst thing a congregation could would be to put someone in a place where he or she is not particularly gifted. It frustrates that person as well as cheats the students of a positive educational experience.

But sometimes I wonder how many people never volunteer to teach NOT because teaching isn't their gift but instead because they are afraid. Afraid of what, you might be asking. Well, afraid of not being a good teacher, afraid of not knowing enough, and afraid that people will find out they don't know as much (about God, the Bible, the church, etc) that they lead people to believe.

But I Thessalonians 2 reminds us that "we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the message of the gospel." Paul, Timothy, and Silas carried the gospel around the world not for their own glory "but to please God who tests our hearts."

God approved and entrusted them (AND US) with the message of the gospel. And if we don't feel up to (worthy enough? smart enough? articulate enough? fill in your own neurosis) the task, then maybe instead of bowing out of our duty to serve, perhaps we should live a more obedient life in order to feel more worthy; or learn more stuff so we do feel smart enough; or practice public speaking so we're not so afraid. God is always pleased with efforts in any and all of these areas.

Perhaps if we could think of teaching (or any of the "work" in the church) more in terms of pleasing God (and "not to please people") we might find Jesus casting out our fear and replacing it with love. . . and a desire to please God.

Bittersweet

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Here's the question and answer from yesterday:
Finish this proverb: “An anxious heart weighs a man down, but ____________________________________.” (Proverbs 12)
Proverbs 12:25 25 An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up.

And here's the question of the day:
Who is being sent to fill the church in Colossae in about the news of Paul’s life? (Colossians 4)


And here's the reflection of the day:
Proverbs 14:13 13 Even in laughter the heart may ache, and joy may end in grief.

Thanks to www.dictionary.com for the following definition of "proverb:"
prov⋅erb /ˈprɒvərb/ [prov-erb] –noun
1. a short popular saying, usually of unknown and ancient origin, that expresses effectively some commonplace truth or useful thought; adage; saw.
2. a wise saying or precept; a didactic sentence.
3. a person or thing that is commonly regarded as an embodiment or representation of some quality; byword.
4. Bible. a profound saying, maxim, or oracular utterance requiring interpretation.

For a while, Proverbs was my favorite book of the Bible. Every page seems to hold some truism that I saw played out in my day to day life.

And that is a proverb, a cliche--something that "expresses effectively some commonplace truth or useful thought. My study Bible's introduction to "Proverbs" includes this: "The Hebrew word translated "proverb" is also translated "taunt" (Isa 14:4), "oracle" (Nu 23:7,18) and "parable" (Eze 17:2); so its meaning is considerably broader than the English term." (NIV)

So proverbs seem to cover a range of emotions--taunting to teaching. The verse I listed above addresses a common situation--the bittersweet moments of life. Sometimes those times so filled joy end in grief. Even in the midst of laughter, the heart can still ache. Bittersweet.

I saw that this week as I spent time with a family helping them to plan the funeral for their father/grandfather. As they told me stories of their loved one's life, there was much laughter but there were also tears mixed in. There was the joy of knowing that his pain was over, but in the room was also the ache left because of his absence. It was, in a word, bittersweet.

I'm not sure exactly why I picked that particular proverb to reflect on today. I don't have anything profound to add about what this proverb "really means." I think it's self-evident.
I guess I picked it because, as I presided over that funeral this week, I lived that proverb. And now it is a part of me.

Not Just Working for 'The Man'

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Where did this week go?? Yikes! It's Thursday already and I'm scrambling to get things ready for KIDS' SAFETY DAY on Saturday and for worship on Sunday. But before all that I wanted to get caught up with the Q&As and reflect with you a bit.


So, here's the question and answer from Monday:
What are “in full view of the Lord” and all of what does God examine? (Proverbs 5)
Proverbs 5:21 21 For a man's ways are in full view of the LORD, and he examines all his paths.

And here's the question and answer from Tuesday:
To what are believers to prevent themselves from becoming captive? (Colossians 2) For a bonus point: what do you think this verse means?
Colossians 2:8 8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.

Also, here's the question and answer from Wednesday:
To whom is Psalm 90 attributed to?
A prayer of Moses the man of God.

And, finally, here's the question of the day:
Finish this proverb: “An anxious heart weighs a man down, but ____________________________________.” (Proverbs 12)


And here's the reflection of the day:
Colossians 3:23-24
23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

These verses from Colossians really come in handy sometimes . . . the times we are discouraged, the times we are frustrated, the times we feel like our work--or our life--is pointless. Whatever it is that is getting us down (situation at work, keeping up with chores around the house, trying to mend a broken relationship, visiting a dying friend), "work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord."

This morning, I'm thinking these verses can come in handy during the times when you're at work and you have to do something you don't really want to do. Maybe that doesn't happen very often for some. But for others, their whole job may be filled with things you don't really want to do. Don't think of it as working for "the man." Think of is as serving the Lord Christ.

These verses even apply to pastors, believe it or not! :0) There are aspects of our jobs that we don't exactly relish. Those specific parts differ from pastor to pastor--based on spiritual gifts and skills--but let's face it, there are some unpleasant parts of pastoral ministry. So even PASTORS can be encouraged by these verses from Colossians.

I am going to issue this challenge to you: the next time you find yourself facing an unpleasant task--you know, the thing you have put off for days/weeks/months/years--make a decision to "work at it with all your heart." Don't think of it as something to be avoided; think of it as a way to serve Jesus Christ. If it's a person you don't want to face, try to see Jesus on the face of that person. If it's a task to be completed, think of all the prayer you can have while you're working.

God has given each of us things to do in our lives. God has given us work and purpose to fill our lives. And God requires our obedience in all the tasks HE has given to us. Remember, you are serving the Lord Christ and not your fellow man (or woman, as the case may be).

Sunday Sermon: No Such Thing as a Worthless Sermon

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PRAYER OF ILLUMINATION
Please pray with me: Gracious Savior, you have the words of eternal life. As the Scripture is read and preached in this hour, empower us to hear it with humility and openness, so that hearing it, we may respond with courage and conviction. Amen.

SCRIPTURE READING: Philippians 1:12-18
12 Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. 13 As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. 14 Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly. 15 It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. 16 The latter do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. 18 But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.

The grass withers and the flower fades but the Word of the Lord endures forever.

SERMON INTRODUCTION
What do Jim Bakker, Kent Hovind, Tony Alamo, Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Apostle Paul all have in common? Any guesses? Anybody?

Well, all are pastors or church leaders who, for one reason or another, have spent time in the slammer. Their crimes range from Paul’s speaking out against the government to financial crimes, like tax evasion and fraud, or even sexual assault . . . you name the crime, and it seems like you can find a pastor or church leader who has done the time for it.

Now, imagine being the member of a congregation whose pastor is in jail. Whether it is for doing something noble like the Apostle Paul—along the lines of Martin Luther King, Jr.—or for doing something selfish, sinful, and hurtful, the result is the same: breaking the law and serving time in jail.

Imagine what other people would say about your pastor, about your church, and even what they would say about you because you are a member of a church whose pastor is in jail.
That is exactly the situation the Philippians found themselves in.

#1
Now, there are a couple of big things the Philippians are concerned about. So concerned are they, they send Paul a letter in the jail in Rome. What we have in the letter to the Philippians is Paul’s response to their concerns.

The main things they were worried about are what other people are saying about Paul AND about the Philippians because of their relationship with him. They are worried about Paul’s reputation now that he is in jail. Even though Paul is “in chains for Christ,” it is still chains. It is still jail; it is still scandalous to the world around him.

People around the world are starting to talk about Paul; and they are starting to gossip about him. Some are even preaching AGAINST him! After all, what kind of apostle ends up in jail? Paul’s reputation is starting to fall to pieces. The reputations of all the churches he was involved with were starting to unravel too. Besides all those things, the Philippians are concerned for Paul’s health and well-being as well. Jail is not an easy place to be.

So the Philippians seems very concerned for Paul and for themselves. But those are very inward-turned concerns . . . they are very much concerned for themselves and someone they love, which is understandable in this situation. Paul has some concerns too, but they are a little different.

#2
So the Philippians were concerned for Paul and for themselves in a very inward-focused way. But Paul’s concern is for the gospel of Christ. In fact, while others were wondering about the damage being done to the gospel because he is in chains, Paul believes “that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel” (verse 12).

While the Philippians see the limits Paul being “in chains for Christ,” Paul can see only how his suffering is expanding the boundaries of his witness. This is the degree to which Paul is willing to go for his faith. This is how far Paul is willing to go in order to testify about God.

Contrary to what you might expect, instead of being discouraged from preaching the gospel, Paul writes “because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly” (verse 14).

Paul’s focus is not on himself and his focus is not on the reputations of all the churches he is associated with; his focus is on advancing the gospel. His primary concern is that God will use his current incarnation to pass the message of salvation in Jesus Christ to as many people as possible.

CONCLUSION
Paul doesn’t seem to mind that there are some who are preaching against him. He doesn’t even seem to mind that some people, as he says, “preach Christ out of envy and rivalry” (verse 14). You know, there are those who would seek to steal his top dog status as the Rock Star Apostle of their day. But Paul doesn’t care about any of that.

When they preach with evil in their hearts . . . and “when they preach out of selfish ambition” and when they do it “in order to stir up trouble” . . . “whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached.” It doesn’t matter what their motives are. It doesn’t matter why they are preaching; by the very act of proclaiming the gospel, the Holy Spirit is present in those words and Christ is preached.

And this means, in every boring sermon you’ve ever sat through (or slept through), in every sermon that sailed right over your head, and in every sermon that you didn’t agree with, according to the Apostle Paul, Christ is preached, as long as the gospel is presented. So, it turns out that you were wrong about all those sermons you’ve sat through over the years that you thought were worthless; they weren’t worthless. Paul says, “The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached.”

In the name of the Father and the son and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

WIJD?

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Here's the question and answer from yesterday:
Wednesday: What is the psalmist’s closes friend? (Psalm 88)
Psalm 88:18 You have taken my companions and loved ones from me; the darkness is my closest friend.

And here's the question of the day:
Thursday: What creature is God describing in Job 40?

And here's the reflection of the day:
I was having a conversation with someone the other day about the whole "WWJD" movement. You know, "What Would Jesus Do?" I don't know the origins of the movement; I DO know that I've seen a million little bracelets with the initials "WWJD" written on them pretty much everywhere I go.

That is the consummate question, isn't it? What would Jesus do, if he were in our shoes?

Well, the Apostle Paul is here to try to rescue us from our quandary. Philippians 2 is about as close to an answer to WWJD? as we're gonna get from Scripture.
. . . be like-minded with Christ
. . . be one in spirit and purpose
. . . do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit
. . . in humility, consider others better than yourselves
. . . look to the interests of others as well as your own
. . . do not seek to be equal with God so make yourself nothing
. . . have a servant-nature filled with obedience
. . . exalt God to the highest place
. . . do everything without complaining or arguing

Philippians does an excellent job of marrying theology with ethics, beliefs with actions. There should be no room for Christians in the church are not willing to walk the talk. There shouldn't be room for those kinds of Christians in the church, but really, the church is full of those kinds of Christians. (The church's track record isn't exactly spotless, is it?)

Perhaps Paul meant for Philippians 2 to be a call for accountability in the church--accountability for not just church members, but also for its leaders who think leadership is about power and not servanthood.

I imagine "WWJD?" has done a lot for personal (and maybe even corporate) Christian ethics. I do hope that those who wear those bracelets (or tshirts or bumper stickers or drink from those coffee mugs) see a significant improvement in their Christ-likeness in the areas I listed above.

But the conversation with my friend didn't stop at the effectiveness of "WWJD?" She mentioned hearing someone else say that the question is not "What would Jesus do?" but rather "WIJD?". . . "What is Jesus doing?"

"WWJD?" may be best left in reference to personal ethics. Perhaps "WIJD?" may be a better statement to guide a congregation's ministry. The truth is, there are a lot of things Jesus would do in terms of ministry; maybe the more important question for a congregation to ask is, "What is Jesus doing around us and how can we get on board with that ministry?"

A Psalm of Lament

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Good to see you again! Thanks for stopping by.

Here's the question and answer from yesterday:
Tuesday: Fill in the blanks: “For to me, to live is _________ and to die is _________.” (Phil 1)
Philippians 1:21 21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

And here's the question of the day:
What is the psalmist’s closest friend? (Psalm 88)

And here's the reflection of the day:
Wow. This is a day of heavy reading in the "Year of the Bible." Not only are we continuing to read through Job, but we also have Psalm 88--a lament of deep, deep suffering.

It ends up being oddly appropriate these are our texts on the day we learn more details about the gunman who shot up the LA Fitness Center in Bridgeville, just outside of Pittsburgh. Could not the families of those wounded and killed pray this psalm today?

Psalm 88 sharply poses paradoxical two statements: the psalmist asserts that God has caused his suffering ("You have taken from me my closest friends and have made me repulsive to them. I am confined and cannot escape" verse 8), indicating that GOD is the problem (McCann, Jr, NIB Commentary, "Psalms").

But McCann claims that Psalm 88 ALSO declares that God is the solution. He writes, "The psalmist's prayer itself is evidence that she or he is convinced that even life's worst moments somehow have to do with God. So the psalmist's cries continue to arise out of the depths (see Psalm 130:1)."

In the face of tragedies, God is sometimes seen as the problem; frequently, God is seen as the solution. God is inevitably tangled up in the threads of our lives, one way or the other. The anger toward God that often erupts in the midst of tragedy is not a wholly negative thing. That very same anger acknowledges "that even life's worst moments somehow have to do with God."

Though the psalmist is full of anger at God for the circumstances of his life, it is to the very same God he cries out for help and for mercy "from the depths."

I don't think God minds when we cry out to him, even in anger. Because to cry out to him is to acknowledge that, in life's worst moments, God is still involved. . . and present . . . and perhaps even hurting as well.

Motives for Preaching

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Welcome! I'm glad you stopped by today, whether this is your first visit or you're a repeat visitor. Let's get down to business.

Here's the question and answer from yesterday:
Who were the first to see that the tomb was empty according to Luke? (Luke 24)
Luke 24:10 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles.

And here's the question of the day:
Fill in the blanks: “For to me, to live is _________ and to die is _________.” (Phil 1)

And here's the reflection of the day:
Ahhh. . . Philippians 1. Probably my second most favorite chapter in the Bible. (#1 fave is Isaiah 40.)

I could say I hardly know where to start reflecting in this chapter: "I thank my God every time I remember you" (verse 3). "And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight. . . " (verse 9). "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain" (verse 21).

I could say that, but it would be a lie. Because I know EXACTLY which part I want to reflect on. It's the part that totally put me at ease when it came to carrying the burden/privilege/responsibility of preaching the Word:

"15 It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. 16 The latter do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. 18 But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached."

Aaahhhh. . . Can you see the tension draining from my body? "The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached." *Sigh*

You see, often times pastors write sermons that sound impressive. . . or are very entertaining. . . or exude piety. . . well, you get the picture. Often times pastors write sermons they hope will make them look good to whoever's in the congregation.

I've seen them do it. I've done it myself. (Hey, preachers were graded on their sermons in Seminary!) When I was learning to preach, I know I was definitely more interested in writing the kind of sermon that would get me an A than sharing what I thought God wanted me to share. I'm not saying I didn't consider that; I was just a bit more interested in the grade. There would be plenty of other sermons that would be for God; these ones were for me. (Can you say "selfish ambition"?!)

So, imagine my dismay when I realized how "false" my motives were! I think my classmates and I all struggled to figure out how not to preach "out of envy and rivalry"--because we all wanted the highest grade in the class--but instead out of goodwill.

Enter Philippians 1.18: "But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice." What a relief this is to me! Even when I read or see or listen to a sermon that makes me cringe because the preacher's motives seem to be false, I remember that Christ is still preached.

Even now, I'm sure I still preach sermons that are not quite out of goodwill. Despite me and my sinfulness, Christ is still preached. And because of this, I too rejoice!

Just Tell the Story

Hello, hello, hello! Glad to see you came back for another visit! Have you noticed the counter at the bottom of the page? We're over 500 visitors since I started this blog! And over 1000 pages have been viewed! The church's website has also picked up some traffic--we just passed 170 visitors over there since I added the counter in January. I pray that you continue to be encouraged through this blog as you read through the "Year of the Bible!"

Here's the question of the day:
Monday: Who were the first to see that the tomb was empty according to Luke? (Luke 24)

And here's the reflection of the day:
The little exchange between the disciples and an incognito Jesus on the Emmaus road (in Luke 24) displays a clever ploy of Jesus. Pretending to be ignorant of recent events, Undercover Jesus asks an "innocent" question: "What are you discussing together as you walk along?" Cleopas replies to him, "Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?" And Jesus asks, "What things?"

We've probably heard this story before. We know how it ends with Jesus accompanying the disciples to dinner where he breaks bread and "their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight" (verse 14).

I once thought this was a once in a lifetime conversation. But I've been thinking about this little conversation a little more. And it might not be as rare as I once thought.

Let me explain. I think it is more and more common for people to know absolutely nothing about Jesus Christ--his life, his death, and his resurrection. More and more people will be using the words of Jesus, "What are you discussing as you walk along?" But they are not being clever. They are unaware. They have never heard the story.

Now, you have a choice to make. You can focus on the negative aspects of the situation and bemoan and/or wail about the state of the world and the deplorable state of religious ignorance of so many people in the world around you.

Or, you can see the possibility for evangelism in this situation. There are quite possibly whole generations of people who have no preconceived notions about God and no baggage or bad experience because of the church when they were younger. They are blank slates, just waiting for someone to tell the story of a God who so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son and who sustains us with His Holy Spirit.

All we need to do is tell the story; God will do the rest. Too often, when sharing our faith, we think it depends on the quality of our testimony or that it's up to US to help people find salvation. But we give ourselves too much credit; our job is simply to witness to what God is doing in our lives. It's God's job to pass along salvation.

Be on the lookout for those who need to hear the story of Jesus!
Allison

Sunday Sermon: "We've All Got a Zacchaeus"

PRAYER OF ILLUMINATION
Please pray with me: Gracious Savior, you have the words of eternal life. As the Scripture is read and preached in this hour, empower us to hear it with humility and openness, so that hearing it, we may respond with courage and conviction. Amen.

SCRIPTURE READING: Luke 19:1-10
Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. 5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. 7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, "He has gone to be the guest of a 'sinner.'" 8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount." 9 Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."

The grass withers and the flower fades but the Word of the Lord endures forever.

SERMON: INTRODUCTION
In the interest of full disclosure, before I get into this morning’s sermon, I must start off by telling you that my aunt works for the IRS in Pittsburgh. So when it comes to preaching a sermon on Zacchaeus, I must confess that I am slightly more sympathetic to his plight than your average tax-paying citizen when it comes to tax collectors.

With all that being said, I think you would agree that nobody—not even those us who are related to and who love IRS agents—likes to pay taxes. Nobody. It seems like there’s a tax on just about everything we buy these days. And not just one tax—sometimes even two!

Because we don’t like to pay taxes, we tend also to dislike the IRS AND anyone who works for them. It’s one of those time honored traditions passed down from generation to generation, like turkey and football at Thanksgiving or “stockings hung by the chimney with care” at Christmas time.

#1
The dislike of paying taxes is a tradition that can be traced back through biblical times, like in our story from this morning. Now, Zacchaeus, he is not just a tax collector; he is a CHIEF tax collector. That means Zacchaeus would pay the tax bill for all the people in the area he was in charge of. Then, he would pay other tax collectors to collect what all the people owed him. And he and the tax collectors usually added a little inflation to the tax bills along the way. That way, Zacchaeus got all his money back plus a little extra. This plan worked so well for him that Luke even describes him as “wealthy.”

Needless to say, tax collectors were not terribly popular in those days. Nobody liked
Zacchaeus in the first place because he was a tax collector; and they doubly despised him because he was a CHIEF tax collector. And not only was he a chief tax collector, but he was also a Jew. So in the eyes of the people of Jericho, Zacchaeus was in cahoots with the Gentile government that was oppressing them through a clearly unfair tax system. To his neighbors, it was as though one of their own betrayed them each year at tax time.

It is a time honored tradition to dislike taxes and those who collect them. No one expected Zacchaeus to change. No one ever considered that he might be able to turn over a new leaf. They were so entrenched in their prejudice against him, they never game him a chance to change. He knew what their expectations of him were, and he did his darnedest to live up to those expectations.

#2
But Zacchaeus isn’t really rotten to the core like the people of Jericho thought he was. Luke tells us that “Zacchaeus wanted to see who Jesus was” (verse 3). Luke also tells us that Zacchaeus is what nowadays we call “vertically challenged” so he has to climb up a sycamore tree in order to see over the heads of the others who had gathered to see Jesus. A guy willing to risk his dignity for the sake of simply seeing Jesus can’t be all bad, right?

Though the people of Jericho never gave Zacchaeus a chance to change, Jesus did. In front of the whole crowd, Jesus told Zacchaeus to come down because he must stay at his house for the evening. Of all the people in Jericho who had gathered along the road to see Jesus as he passed by, Jesus picked Zacchaeus.

Zacchaeus thought he came looking for Jesus. But Zacchaeus was wrong. Really, Jesus came seeking Zacchaeus. Jesus came to seek the least and the lost.

Can’t you just hear the crowd mumbling to themselves, “But why him? He’s just a tax collector?” But Jesus says, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham” (verse 9).

Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem to be crucified and he stopped in Jericho for one person. Jesus stopped for the one person the people of Jericho no one thought was worthy of his presence. Jesus stopped for Zacchaeus. That one simple act of kindness was enough to change Zacchaeus’s whole life. He became someone no one recognized.

#3
Friends, I’ve got to tell you, I’ve got a Zacchaeus or two in my life, and I’m not talking about tax collectors. I’m talking about people that I have given up on. There are some people I know so well . . . people I’ve tried to help so many times . . . and people I’ve seen screw up so badly so many times . . . that I know they cannot possibly change. So I gave up on them. It’s just easier that way.

But now I’ve got a problem. Because now, thanks to Luke and this dumb sermon, when I think of these people, all I can see is Zacchaeus climbing that stupid sycamore tree because he wanted to see Jesus and no one would move aside to let him in. And I feel like a big jerk. Jesus came to seek the least and the lost; and I’ve been ignoring them for years.

I suspect I’m not the only one in this situation. I KNOW that each one of you has a Zacchaeus or two lurking in the background somewhere in your life also. And I KNOW that you have given up on them and written them off, assuming that they’ll never, ever, EVER change, ever.

I actually kind of hope you’re with me in the whole feeling like a jerk thing for the way you have treated your Zacchaeuses over the years. I hope you feel like a jerk because that means you’re ready to confess your sin and seek forgiveness.

You might even feel guilty enough that you think I’m preaching this sermon right to you. But you’re wrong; I’m preaching this sermon more to myself than anyone else.

CONCLUSION
So, now what do we do? If you’re in the same boat as I am, you’ve got the same yucky, “I’m such a jerk” feeling in the pit of your stomach that I have. And it’s making me feel kind of crappy about taking Communion in a few minutes because I feel so guilty for the way that I have treated my Zacchaueses.

Luckily, I have a solution: confessing our sin, receiving forgiveness, and, like Zacchaeus, changing our ways. On the pieces of paper that are being handed out, I have a little “Service of Repentance” for us to use. It’s not too long. It is our chance to receive forgiveness for our sin and put us back into right relationship with God before we celebrate communion. We will be reminded of how we’ve mistreated the Zacchaeuses in our lives and will be reminded that Jesus, in the middle of his most important journey, stopped just for Zacchaeus. It’s the least we can do, too.

Invitation to Confession
Leader: I John 1:9 tells us that “If we confess our sins, People: God who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins Leader: and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
People: God, be merciful to me, a sinner.
Leader: Please join with me in a prayer of confession.

Unison Prayer of Confession
People: Merciful God, we have sinned against You and the Zacchaeuses in our lives. You came to seek and to save the lost. But we have pushed them aside. We have given up on them, and written them off as worthless and unable to change. Forgive us when we give up too easily; forgive us when we become impatient too quickly; and most of all, forgive us for not seeing Jesus on the face of every person You have put in our lives. Help us to be like Zacchaeus and change our ways, not for ourselves, but for Your glory.

Declaration of Forgiveness
Leader: The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting. I declare to you, in the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven.
People: Amen.

The Peace
Leader: May the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding keep your heart and mind in Christ Jesus, and give you enough grace to pass it along the next time you meet your Zacchaeus face to face.

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen.