Praying God, Living Prayer: Forgiveness

Text:  Matthew 6:5-15
January 15, 2012

I broke Russ Laub’s nose on Monday, and he didn’t even deserve it – not that he would ever deserve a broken nose.  It was an accident, of course.  He and three others of us often play basketball on Monday afternoons.  I was going to the basket, and when I jumped, my head hit Russ’s nose.  It wasn’t my head that broke.

Anyone who plays sports know that these things happen – you bump into each other, you run into elbows, you tear your Achilles, and so on.  Those of us who play basketball above the rim, like Russ and I do, are especially vulnerable.  We know that it goes with the territory of advanced athleticism.

But even though Russ knows and I know and others know that injuries are unavoidable when you play sports, I felt terrible.  Russ is my friend, and it was me who hurt him, no one else.  When we left the gym, Russ had blood all over his shirt and he said he was going to the ER to get it checked out.  Me? I went home, ate dinner, and settled in for the evening.

I had planned to call Russ later, but before I got the chance, he called me.  He told me that his nose wasn’t as bad as he thought.  He told me that he didn’t need to go to the hospital.  But, most of all, he was calling to tell me not to worry about it, that it was an accident, and that I shouldn’t think more about it.  Russ was the one who had been injured, but he called me because he was concerned about me – he wanted me to know that he held nothing against me.  He wanted me to feel free.   What an act of grace on Russ’s part.

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that I thought of Russ’s phone call as I contemplated God’s forgiveness this week.   That’s because God’s forgiveness and our forgiveness are linked constantly in the Bible.  When we forgive other people, we are reflecting God’s own image in us.  In Jesus, it is God who forgives us of our sins, and we participate in God’s forgiveness as we offer forgiveness to others.  In extending forgiveness to others, God’s children imitate God’s own behavior.  When we withhold forgiveness, seeking to punish and destroy . . . well, it’s not our Creator who we imitate.

Praying God, Living Prayer

In this new year, may grace and peace be yours in abundance through God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

This is the first time that I’ve seen many of you since the ball dropped and the calendar flipped from 2011 to 2012.  We are now eight days into the new year, and I presume that most of you – if not all of you – have already eaten your sauerkraut and pork.  As everyone knows, this is the proper food to start off the new year right.  Although our family has eaten it, it was not without some drama, including a debate on whether it counts if it’s not swallowed.   I also presume that many of you have made new year’s resolutions, and at least a few of them have already been broken.  Am I right?

If this describes you, today is your lucky day, because I made enough resolutions for everyone.  I’ve made five resolutions this year.  I made three of them for members in my family — I found out long ago that resolutions are more fun when you impose them on others.

My resolution for myself is also my resolution for you.  I count that as two.   And it involves prayer. 

What To Expect When You’re Expecting

Text:   Luke 1:26-55
Date:  December 18, 2011

We know the story, right?  God sends the angel Gabriel to Nazareth to visit Mary, a teenager pledged to be married to Joseph.  She’s a virgin.  “Greetings, favored one.  The Lord is with you,” the angel says.  Then, answering Mary’s questions, Gabriel goes on to tell her that the Holy Spirit will come upon her and that she will become pregnant.  She will give birth to a son, the Son of God, and she will name him Jesus.  “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered.  “May it be to me as you have said.”  Then the angel left her . . . left her with a special edition of the book What to Expect When You’re Expecting.

Now, I know that the Bible doesn’t say actually that, but indulge me a little bit.  After all, my comprehensive research has revealed that this book has come automatically with a positive pregnancy test since the beginning of time — or at least since 1984.  And, in one sense, Mary is no different from any other expectant mother.  Besides the conception, there is no reason to believe that Mary’s pregnancy was fundamentally different from typical pregnancies of mothers everywhere.  This book, if she had it, would have helped Mary through the nine months of pregnancy, telling her what to eat, what changes in her body to anticipate, how her baby was growing and so on.

For nine months, Mary’s womb is the place where God chooses to dwell.   Let me repeat that.  For nine months, Mary’s womb is the place where God chooses to dwell.   God enters the world not in a spectacular display of shock and awe but in the place that historically has been among the most vulnerable for any human life:  the womb of an unwed teenager.  An unwed teenager, that is, living in occupied territory far from the center of power.  God enters into this world as a speck, a promise, a whisper, within the flesh of a young woman.  This is how God chose to reorder our world, and, because the Son of God was within her, Mary had to reorder her expectations.  She had to reorder her life.

What to expect when you’re expecting? What do you expect when you are expecting God to take up residence?

Children of the Day

Text:  1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
November 13, 2011

Two weeks ago, the House of Representatives debated whether “In God We Trust” should be our national motto.  This might confuse you, since that already is our national motto, and it has been for over fifty years.  Now, you might ask, why would Congress spend time reaffirming our national motto?  Well, it’s obvious, isn’t it? It’s campaign season.

But there is a second reason.  There is a feeling that people are trying to take God out of our culture, that our national motto is under attack, and that it needs to be protected, even though courts have consistently held that it does not violate the separation of church and state.  Courts have said that the First Amendment “prohibits the enactment of a law or official policy that establishes a religion or religious faith, or tends to do so.”  (Lynch v. Donnelly, 465 U.S. 668, 678 (1984).

How have the courts reached their conclusion that our motto is constitutional?  Let me read straight from a recent decision of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Newdow v. LeFevre, quoting an earlier case:

“It is quite obvious that the national motto and the slogan on coinage and currency ‘In God We Trust’ has nothing whatsoever to do with the establishment of religion.  Its use is of a patriotic or ceremonial character and bears no true resemblance to a governmental sponsorship of a religious exercise . . . “[the national motto] has no theological or ritualistic impact.”[i]

Did you get that?  According to the courts, the only reason why “In God We Trust” does not violate the First Amendment is because it is of a patriotic or ceremonial character and has no theological or ritualistic impact whatsoever.

If that is truly the case and that is truly the law, then shouldn’t we as Christians make it our goal to get that motto declared unconstitutional?  Not by filing lawsuits, but by actually reflecting what it means to trust God and by encouraging more and more people to do the same?  Shouldn’t we dream of the day when courts cannot help but say, yes, “In God We Trust” violates the First Amendment because it does indeed mean something beyond patriotism or ceremony?  Shouldn’t we dream of the day that when people use the word “God”, they are not referring to a vague deity off in the distance and acknowledged on a coin, but to a specific God who is made known in Christ and who lives within their hearts?

Why the Bush Doesn’t Burn

Text:  Exodus 3:1-15

Hurricanes.  Earthquakes.  Aftershocks.  There are certain things that can’t help but get our attention, if you’re not sleeping that is.  They disrupt our normal routines, our everyday duties and we take notice.  We analyze hurricane trackers, we check Richter scale measurements, we ask others for their “where were you” stories.  For a little while, this is all anybody talks about.  Then, the ground stops shaking, the sun comes out, and our lives return back to their comfortable routines.  We soon forget what seemed at the time to be signs of the apocalypse.

Now, I’m admittedly exaggerating my point, but isn’t this pattern similar to a popular notion of what it means to be a Christian?  You feel convicted by your sin, you have a moving encounter with Christ, you get “saved,” and then pretty much, you’re in, and all that’s left is the talking about it.  And even that soon dies down.  Maybe that’s not what you believe, but maybe that’s how you feel it has been for you.  It’s as if God has paid the price, but you can’t find the change to give back.

This is not the way God intended life to be. “The means to God is Christ.  And no one can know Christ unless one follows him in life.”

Have you heard this quote before?  Hans Denck wrote those words in the sixteenth century, and those who call themselves Anabaptists have been quoting it ever since.  But what often gets omitted from this quote is what our brother Hans wrote immediately after it.  Let me say this quote again to include the words that follow.

“The means to God is Christ.  And no one can know Christ unless one follows him in life. And no one can follow after him except as one already knows him.”

Reconciliation or Revenge

Text:  Genesis 45:1-15

I want to begin my message this morning with three short stories that I’ve recently heard, all of them true.  All of them contain brokenness and pain to an extent that few of us have encountered, thankfully.  I want to begin this way because I think that before have anything worthwhile to say about reconciliation, we first have to acknowledge and talk honestly about the reality of brokenness.

This first story is about a man named David and a woman named Madeline.  David describes his “love” for marijuana, cocaine, and alcohol.  When he lived inLouisiana, he smuggled pounds of marijuana into his state fromAlabama.  When he lived inMiami, women prostituted themselves with his friends for cocaine.  Does this sound like a man you’d want your daughter to marry?

David married Madeline, a woman who had been physically and sexually abused by her stepfather repeatedly from age nine to age twelve.  Her stepfather threatened to kill her if she told anyone, so she kept this secret for many years, anger building and raging inside of her.  She dreamed of the day when she could take vengeance on her stepfather.  David and Madeline, united in marriage.   When we hear of a marriage like that, we are more likely to think of curse than blessing.

The second story involves a young woman named Chloe serving a one-year assignment inColoradowith Mennonite Voluntary Service, much like what Ranita did inWest Virginia.  Some of you may know this story and her family.  Last October, Chloe was riding her bicycle when she was hit from behind by a Dodge Ram pickup.  The sixteen year-old driver fled the scene, but Chloe died there.  Chloe is described as a person who loved animals, camping, working in gardens and traveling. Like her family she enjoyed music and was a budding singer and songwriter.  Can you imagine the grief for Chloe’s mother, father, sister and brother?  Can you imagine being that sixteen year-old driver, having to live with the consequences of this terrible accident for the rest of your life?

A Pastoral Letter to the Saints of Springdale Mennonite Church

To the saints of Springdale Mennonite Church:

“Grace and peace to you through God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”  I often begin my sermons with this simple greeting.  I do this to remind both you and myself about why we gather on Sunday mornings and what we intend to communicate.  When I preach, my prayer is that whatever words I say after this initial greeting will extend and not restrain the grace and peace that is ours in Jesus.

These words also reflect my “heart prayer” for Springdale Mennonite Church:  Through the Holy Spirit, I pray that we will grow as a community of Christ’s disciples, receiving and extending God’s grace and peace both to each other and to our neighbors near and far.

At this time, I sense that God is calling us to fervently seek the Holy Spirit so that we can more intentionally live into God’s desire and power for our ministry and mission.  My reason for writing this letter is to inform you and encourage you to participate in different opportunities over the next few months that can help us grow as a community of disciples. 

Life in a Strange Tribe

Here’s an excerpt from an article that I wrote for CNN’s Belief Blog.  For the full article, click here.

Although there certainly are diverse viewpoints among individual Mennonites today, we continue to advocate for the strict separation of church and state. Most Mennonite churches do not have flags inside them, and many Mennonites are uncomfortable with the ritual embedded in the singing of the national anthem.

That’s because we recognize only one Christian nation, the church, the holy nation that is bound together by a living faith in Jesus rather than by man-made, blood-soaked borders.

To Mennonites, a living faith in Jesus means faithfully living the way of Jesus. Jesus called his disciples to love their enemies and he loved his enemies all the way to the cross and beyond. Following Jesus and the martyrs before us, we testify with our lives that freedom is not a right that is granted or defended with rockets’ red glare and bombs bursting in air. True freedom is given by God, and it is indeed not free. It comes with a cost, and it looks like a cross.

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/06/26/my-faith-why-i-dont-sing-the-star-spangled-banner/?iref=obnetwork

 

The Present of the Future

Text:  2 Corinthians 5:11-6:2

[This is a sermon in the form of a letter to my daughter, Norah (age 6)  – with her permission, of course!]

Dear Norah:

A while back, when you were still small, mom and I were tucking you into bed when you asked us to explain the meanings of past, present, and future.  I don’t know why that was on your mind.  Sometimes, I think you ask us questions at night just because you don’t really want to go to sleep!

We told you that the past was yesterday, something that has already happened; the present is today, something that is happening right now; and the future will be tomorrow, something that will happen.

We try to answer your questions as best as we can, but you have a way of reminding us how much we still have to learn.  Because we told you that the future was tomorrow, you woke up the next morning and thought we were in the future!   You were disappointed when we told you that it was still the present.  You were even more disappointed when we told you that the future would always be “tomorrow.”  “Then when will it ever be the future?” you asked us.  “How will we know?” 

Bizarro Easter

Two weeks ago, we celebrated Easter.
In the name of Jesus,
we gave greetings of life.
In the name of Jesus,
we decorated the cross with life.
In the name of Jesus,
we sang anthems of life,
we preached about life,
we prayed for life,
we marched outside with life,
we praised the God of life,
we proclaimed life:

Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed!

The one who was dead is now alive,
that was our message on Easter Sunday
and that is our message every Sunday.
In a world captivated with death,
we proclaim the gospel of life.

Jesus shared in our humanity,
in order to destroy the one who holds the power of death,
that is, the devil – and to free those
who are held in slavery by their fear of death.  (Hebrews 2:14-15)

I couldn’t help but think of our Easter Sunday celebration two weeks ago,
when I witnessed the celebration that began last Sunday evening.
This celebration continued throughout the week and goes on today.
It’s the opposite of Easter — it’s Bizarro Easter.
It’s a celebration of death, not life,
and it carries it’s own message:

Our enemy is dead!
He is dead indeed!