The Priestly Functions of Jesus

October 10, 2021 Proper 23 Hebrews 4:12-16 The Priestly duties of Jesus 20th Sunday after Pentecost Year B Opening Song Welcome Opening Prayer God of Grace, Thank you for the gift of this new day. Thank you for gathering with us and providing the free gift of your grace to bless us in this particular time and place. As we worship you, strengthen us to face the challenges of our lives, knowing you’ve provided the One who goes before us without sin. Help us believe and live into your presence, even as we pray in the strong name of Jesus, AMEN Stewardship Moment (from Mark 10) Matthew and Luke also include the story of the rich man seeking eternal life which we hear in Mark 10. A triple threat! Remember how the man comes to kneel before Jesus with his question: “what more must I do to inherit eternal life?” How challenging it is to hear Jesus answer his question: “Go, sell what you own and give to the poor.” Challenging, because on the world scale, all of us are like this man. Wealthy! We have MANY possessions. Does putting yourself in his position change how you hear this story? Here’s the truth. Following Jesus is not always easy! For most of us, it’s tough to imagine giving away our wealth. After all, how will we live if we give like that? Gratefully, Jesus teaches his disciples that salvation is possible, even for the rich. Today, before you place your cash or check in the offering tray, take a moment to give thanks that your offering isn’t measured by what you COULD give. It isn’t the means by which you receive eternal life. Instead, make your offering in gratitude that God makes all things possible – even we who are wealthy and not yet able to give away all we have, receiving eternal life. Prayer of Thanksgiving We give you what is already yours, God, for you are Creator of all. But we pray you will receive our gifts, and use them to respond to the needs of the poor. Help us find ways to truly see the reality which is right before us: of our amazing wealth in a world filled with many who struggle for daily sustenance. Then, once we have seen, embolden us to share ever more, that your Realm may be made known on earth, as it is in heaven. AMEN Scripture Hebrews 4:12-16 Common English Bible 12 because God’s word is living, active, and sharper than any two-edged sword. It penetrates to the point that it separates the soul from the spirit and the joints from the marrow. It’s able to judge the heart’s thoughts and intentions. 13 No creature is hidden from it, but rather everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of the one to whom we have to give an answer. 14 Also, let’s hold on to the confession since we have a great high priest who passed through the heavens, who is Jesus, God’s Son; 15 because we don’t have a high priest who can’t sympathize with our weaknesses but instead one who was tempted in every way that we are, except without sin. 16 Finally, let’s draw near to the throne of favor with confidence so that we can receive mercy and find grace when we need help. Sermon The Priestly Duties of Jesus A few weeks ago Debbie Ritchie and I attended the Billy Graham Route 66 tour. It was truly an uplifting experience. I can’t say that it was fun, because church is not supposed to be fun. But I can say that I enjoyed it. I wasn’t really impressed with Franklin Graham or his message. He has a vastly different style than his father. But I thought that the music was awesome. The Christian group the Newsboys provided the music. I gained a new respect for their lead singer, Michael Tait – I loved the way he was able to express his faith onstage. He too was a pk – a preacher’s kid, but he had a wonderful charisma. Michael Tait is African American. They also invited a Hispanic singer to sing in Spanish with them. I was so impressed with Michael Tait, that I went home and googled anything that I could find about him. Just two days ago I read an article where he talks about sometimes feeling like an honorary black person in a very white contemporary music world. But the article got my attention as he talked about what he called the deconstruction of the church. I know that we can all agree that the pandemic has changed us. None of us are the same person we were 18 months ago. And many of those changes are permanent – we are not going to just pick up where we left off. As we start to meet in person, as we struggle to return to normal – it is becoming painfully obvious that we are not the same church. We can’t just pick up where we left off – you all in the pews have fundamentally changed- your needs are different, your relationship with God has changed. People are not participating in church the way they did 18 months ago, and yes – giving is way down. How do you come up with a plan for the church to go forward in these new circumstances? That is what Michael Tait means by the deconstruction of the church. If an international church singer can recognize and name it, it is not just our church, not just our community, not just the United Methodist Church. But in reality, the church has been deconstructing for the last 2000 years. What does that mean about God? Is God just an illusion that our ancestors created? Is God an out of date fantasy that is no longer relevant. One of the Newsboys biggest hits – God is not Dead. But I think the more important question- is not about God but us. What does this mean for our relationship with God? How has the pandemic changed our relationship? Have we gotten busy with many more pressing issues, so God is on the back burner? Have the practices of faith become so tedious that they are a waste of time? Have they too become irrelevant? And all of us are 2 years older than we were when this started – we just don’t have the energy and attention that we had 18 months ago. What has changed? I think that is a different answer for each of us. The church is the people, and of the people have changed the church has changed. God stays the same. But times show us that the church can easily become outdated and irrelevant. God is a force working within and outside of our building. The Holy Spirit is always out there doing something. People are always asking questions of that only the spirit of God can answer. We in here may not see what God is doing in the world clearly. That is why it is so important to keep the faith, keep praying, study the bible. If you read the bible yesterday, that really might not be what it says to you today- the word changes with our experience. A little boy was talking to his daddy one time and he said, "Daddy, is the devil bigger than me?" He said, "Yes, son, the devil is bigger than you." He said, "Well, Daddy, is the devil bigger than Mommy?" He said, "Yes, the devil is bigger than Mommy." He said, "Well, Daddy, is the devil bigger than you?" That little boy really looked up to his daddy and his daddy said, "Yes, son, the devil is bigger than me." The little boy had only one thing left to say. He said, "Is the devil bigger than Jesus?" The daddy said, "No, son, the devil is not bigger than Jesus." The little boy said, "Well, Daddy, there's no need for me to be afraid of the devil." All of that is true because of Jesus. Michael Tait said that in the midst of COVID he felt that God was receding in his life. r e c e d i n g. But then he realized that God was actually reseeding. R e s e e d i n g. I think that God is reseeding all of us – encouraging us to start the process all over again from scratch. Every week I look back at my old sermons to see what I said about a particular scripture. Usually I still end up writing a new sermon, because the circumstances have changed. I couldn’t even find anything on this particular scripture. The book of Hebrews is unique because it reminds us of who Jesus is for us. Jesus is the high priest In Latin, priest means Pontifex. The pope is the pontif. A Pontifex is a go between, a bridge, a mediator, an intecessor. The high priest would be the bridge between heaven and earth, the mediator between God and the people. The priest speaks to God on our behalf, and interprets God to us. A priest is also someone who performs certain rituals to facilitate the relationship between the sacred and the normal life. The catholic church and the episcopal church have priest – who perform ritual duties on behalf of the people. The Methodist church has pastors – who perform priestly functions, who have the job of leading people to Jesus. But James says that the people are the priesthood of all believers. God hears your prayers just as well as God hears mine. I can’t pray on your behalf, and my prayers don’t matter any more than yours. There are no special words to say – you don’t even have to have words – Jesus listens to us all – thanks to Jesus. Hebrews 4:12-16 has two important lessons – well really 3 but I will talks about he third one last. First lesson – God’s word is always living and active. God’s word is always relevant. This book contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers. Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable. Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, and practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you. It is the traveler's map, the pilgrim's staff, the pilot's compass, the soldier's sword, and the Christian's charter. Here paradise is restored, heaven opened, and the gates of hell disclosed. Christ is its grand object, our good its design, and the glory of God its end. It should fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet. Read it slowly, frequently, and prayerfully. It is a mine of wealth, a paradise of glory, and a river of pleasure. It is given you in life, will be opened in judgment, and be remembered forever. It involves the highest responsibility, will reward the greatest labor, and will condemn all who trifle with its sacred contents.1 There is only one book in all of the world that fits that description. It is the book that I hold in my hand, known all over the world as the Bible. The word of God intends to instruct us, but it also holds us accountable. If you cut it, it will bleed with the blood of Jesus. If you listen to it, it will tell you supernatural truth beyond all of the sages of all of the ages. If you believe it, it will fill your soul with joy, your spirit with life, your mind with truth, and your heart with wisdom. That brings us back to Jesus – who the book of John calls the living word of God. God’s word come to earth. He was God’s son but lived his life as a poor carpenter. He knows what it means to be human. He bled, hurt, crucified. When we pray – he knows what we are talking about. Each chapter of Hebrews explains a different reason to think of Jesus as the high priest. In chapter 4 Jesus is humble to hear our prayers from our perspective. Jesus is someone who we can talk to who has mercy because he understands where we are coming from. Daniel Benedict tells about a group of college students who were having a discussion about the nature of God. Some of the students did not believe in God . . . but most had a belief of some kind. The discussion was lively. One young woman said, “God is like a great big Teddy Bear who gives me a hug when I need it.” To this, a young man replied, “No Teddy Bear God for me! God is the Chief Justice of some kind of universal Supreme Court who’s going to nail me to the wall when I show up for judgment!” The discussion raged on for some time and finally someone offered up this idea, “God is whatever we think God is. One person’s idea is as good as another person’s idea. We shouldn’t be judging other people’s religious ideas.” This opinion seemed to gain traction with the group. Benedict, who had been mostly silent to this point, then asked a question. “What about Son of Sam’s idea of God? He said God told him to kill some people. Is his idea of God okay?” The group decided to modify their opinion just a bit. “People can have any idea they want of God as long as they don’t hurt other people,” they decided. “That really sounded like the most reasonable way to many of the students. Nobody gets hurt and everybody gets their own god . . . .” (2) These young people were genuinely searching for a way to understand God. Most of us, however, would be uncomfortable with the idea that God is whatever people think that God is. We believe that God has revealed himself through Jesus Christ. God is neither a Teddy Bear nor is God a Supreme Court justice who is going to nail us when we show up for judgment. God, we believe, is like Jesus. The second important point of this scripture – our relationship to God is an important key to our faith. Jesus is the mediator of that relationship. The language of that relationship – prayer. Our scripture in Hebrews says that we can go to the throne room praying boldly, because God heard the prayer. We don’t have to have special skills, we don’t even have to have words. Jesus is in the throne room and Jesus has our back. Prayer is talking to God – it is as fundamental as reading the bible. Since the pandemic – praying boldly has been my struggle. I try to pray as much as I can – but sometimes I am afraid to ask God directly – what happens if I get what I ask for. I find that usually that is when the challenge starts – when God hears my prayer – I am still complaining and asking for more. But praying boldly means that God will answer – in some way – usually not in the way we are expecting. But answered prayer always leads to action on our part. Sort of like Michael Tait’s concept of reseeding. When we pray we don’t see what it happening. We are earnestly looking for good news after this pandemic, but don’t see it. We are asking where if God in all of this? Remember to come to the throne room with confidence. God will answer. That leads us to point three – the most important – Jesus Christ is our intecessor, our mediator, our bridge to heaven. The church seems to be shrinking here in America, but in others places the church is growing by leaps and bounds. The church is growing in Africa, in the Phillipines. But the fastest place the church is growing is in Korea. Another example. The Christian faith is growing today in Korea faster than anywhere else in the world except, perhaps, for parts of Africa. Many people have speculated as to why Christianity is growing so fast in that unlikely Asian land. One reason may be that the Buddhist and Confucian religions, which once were dominant in Korea, both put their emphasis upon religion as mystical, speculative, and remote. The Christian faith came into Korea with a message of involvement, a message of love, a message of compassion. The Christians started right from the beginning feeding the starving, sheltering the homeless, and teaching the illiterate. The Korean people were receptive to that kind of selfgiving religion. So the Christian community is growing by leaps and bounds in Korea today. The Korean church, of course, is simply being the selfgiving body of Christ. (1) God is alive and well. Each of us here today is responsible for our relationship with God. The reseeding process is our job. The seeds are in our own hearts – and we are the only people with access in our own hearts. We are charged with watering those seeds and being patient enough to let them grow. The good news, we are not alone. We have the bible, we have worship, stewardship, mission. We have a Jesus who cares about us enough to listen understand and work. Most importantly – we have each other working together as the church. Let us pray…… Prayer God of infinite patience and wisdom, we come to you with so many things that claim our time, our energy, our resources, our very lives. We are easily drawn away from serving you by the enticements of the world for wealth, ease, and comfort. Just like the young man in the scriptures, we are owned by our possessions, held captive by our treasures. You continue to offer to us healing and hope. You seek to transform our lives from captivity to freedom in witness and service. We look at the world in which there is so very much warfare and strife, anger and hatred, and we easily become overwhelmed by the needs and the stresses. Help us to place our lives and our trust in you, knowing that with your help, many wonderful things can be accomplished which will provide hope and peace for others and ourselves. Give us courage and strength to truly be your disciples. For we ask this in Jesus’ Name. AMEN. Song God of Grace and God of Glory UMH 577 Announcements Closing Prayer for Facebook Even in this time of pandemic, we are a blessed people. We will go to be a blessing in the world. Even when there are so many angry people around us, we are the face of Jesus. We will go to be love and compassion to all. Even when we are isolated, quarantined, living in lockdowns, we are the family of God. We will go to serve our sisters and brothers wherever we may find them. Community Time Benediction With God all things are possible. May you carry that confidence into your daily life and work, as you walk in Christ’s footsteps, guided by God’s hand. Children’s Time Object: a sports pennant Good morning, boys and girls. I have a small flag for you to see and talk about today. It's not the flag of our country, is it? (Let them respond.) No, it doesn't have stars and stripes. Does anyone know where it's from? (Let them respond.) This is called a pennant. It's a tiny flag that some people wave on a stick at a football or basketball game. (If there is time, you might want to tell about the school or team it is from.) How many of you have ever been to a basketball game? (Wait for show of hands.) It's exciting to watch all the players. Sometimes they run really fast, stop quick and all of a sudden they are at the other end. It would be exciting to be one of the players and have all the fans shouting and cheering for you. Basketball looks pretty easy. But if you ask players, I think they would tell you it is hard work. The players practice, sometimes three or four hours a day. They have to do exercises and keep their muscles just right. They have to eat the right kind of food and get the right amount of sleep. It's called being in training. Most of them had to learn where to go on the basketball court. Sometimes it looks to some of us like they're just running back and forth; a big group up and then the same big group back down the court. But to a real basketball player, that's not at all what happens. The players all have a different special place to go on the court. Everyone has their own spot. Who tells them where to go? (Let them respond.) The coach does. The coach teaches them all the different special places to go when they run back and forth. If they didn't do what the coach tells them, would their team win very often? (Let them respond.) No, they probably wouldn't win. Sometimes they win anyway even though they didn't do what the coach told them. Most coaches aren't happy just to win. They want their team to do what they learn in their practices. Our lesson today is about Jesus learning to do what God told him to. God was a little like a coach. Jesus had to learn many things before he could teach other people. Our verse for today says one of the things Jesus learned was to be obedient. That means he learned to do what he was told. You would think that Jesus could do whatever he wanted to. But our verse says that he did what God told him to. Sometimes it's not fun to do what we're told by our parents. But that's one of the things about being a player instead of a coach. Players are only a team when they do what the coach tells them. Next time you don't want to do what you're told, remember that Jesus had to do what he was told, too. CSS Publishing Co., , by CSS Additional Illustrations Prayer is the bridge that Jesus builds in order to talk with his Heavenly Father. The Latin word for "priest" is pontifex, which means "bridge builder." Jesus is described in the Letter to the Hebrews as "a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek." As a priest, Jesus builds a bridge of prayer between heaven and earth. He crosses that bridge not once, not twice, but three times in that short span of time in the Garden of Gethsemane, as the future stared him straight in the face and straight through his heart. It is not unusual for persons visualizing Christ to see him as being like themselves. The extreme of this is probably Van Gogh's painting which he called PIETA. It is a painting of Jesus and his mother. The unique characteristic of the picture is that Jesus has red hair. Obviously it is highly doubtful that Jesus had red hair. Very few people living in that part of the world do, but Van Gogh had red hair and that is how he saw Jesus. There is that natural tendency to paint Christ in our own image. Yet for most of us that is not enough. After World War II, the people of Genoa, Italy commissioned an eight ton statue of Christ. Once it was finished, it was not put on a hilltop, as other statues of Christ have been. It was lowered into the depths of the bay in Genoa where a great naval battle had been fought during the Second World War and where many ships were sunk. It was a site where many sailors gave their lives. The symbolism of Christ being lowered into the deep where the bodies of those brave men rest is powerful and profound. The statue is called CHRIST OF THE DEEP. It represents what Christ has done in our behalf. He emptied himself and became as we are. I heard about a pastor who was being honored by his congregation for his humility. They presented him with a medal. Unfortunately after a while they had to take it back because he PUT IT ON and thereby revealed that he wasn't as humble as he appeared. We live in a tainted world. None of us escapes. Steven Leacock wrote a brilliant, humorous piece about a young pastor named Melpomenus Jones. This young pastor was honest; honest in a timid sort of way. He couldn't even bring himself to tell the little white lies that are part of our normal etiquette as a society. For example, on his first pastoral call, he got along fine at first. He drank some tea, leafed through a family photograph album, and chatted pleasantly. Then after about an hour, he stood to leave and he said, "Well, I really must be going now." The hostess, trying to be polite, said "Oh, must you go so soon?" Well, being totally honest, he had to admit that he really didn't have to go at that particular moment. So he sat back down. As the afternoon progressed, they went through this little ritual several times. He would say he had to go and she would say, "Really must you?" and he would respond, "Well no. I really don't have to." After all, he began his vacation the next day. There was nothing really pressing. Finally the husband came home. It was now late into the evening, and the husband with a tinge of sarcasm in his voice said to the pastor, "Well couldn't you just stay all night?" The young pastor said there really wasn't any reason why he couldn't and so he did. He stayed the next day and several days afterward. He had leafed through that photograph album til his fingers were sore. Even worse he was bloated from drinking so much tea. Finally he was so filled with tea and with boredom he became physically ill and his condition deteriorated. With a sigh he said to the host, "Now I really must be going," and he died. Well, he was honest, but this is a world that isn't ready for that kind of honesty. (2) Karl Barth was once asked what he would say if he met Adolph Hitler. This great theologian responded, "I would say to him Jesus Christ died for your sins." This is not to make light of sin or our responsibility for sin. It is to say we have one who sympathizes with us in our sin, who understands our weaknesses, and who is able to forgive us for all our transgressions. There is a story about two little boys who were fighting, as little boys are often prone to do. One of them yelled at the other, "I'll never speak to you again." They went to their respective houses, but the next day they were back out playing as if nothing had happened. One of the little boys' mother asked him why they were speaking to each other now. He responded, "Me and Johnny are good forgetters." (4) There is not a heart so hard that the sword of the Spirit cannot pierce that heart and penetrate that heart, and bring that heart to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. George Whitfield, the great Eighteenth-Century evangelist, was hounded by a group of detractors who called themselves the "Hellfire Club." They mocked him, they laughed at him, they derided his work, they made fun of his preaching. On one occasion, one of their ring leaders, a young man named Thorpe, was mimicking Whitfield, making fun of him. He was actually delivering one of his sermons with brilliant accuracy, perfectly imitating his tone and his facial expressions. They were laughing, having a wonderful time. Then all of a sudden, a strange thing happened. As this young man, Thorpe, was preaching Whitfield's sermon, his lips began to quiver, his eyes began to water, the color drained right out of his face; his friends didn't know what was going on. They thought he was getting ill. But in reality he was getting well. Because all of a sudden he sat down on the ground and cried out to God and asked the Lord Jesus Christ to save him. This man, Thorpe, went on to become a prominent Christian leader in the city of Bristol.7 This sword of the Lord is indeed sharp, living, and powerful. It can cut the cancer of sin out of your heart. It can cut for you the bread of life. But it is a two-edged sword. It can cut you and kill you, or it can cut you and heal you. The choice is up to you. Several years ago, Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks did a comedy skit called the “2013 Year Old Man.” In the skit, Reiner interviews Brooks, who is the old gentleman. At one point, Reiner asks the old man, “Did you always believe in the Lord?” Brooks replied: “No. We had a guy in our village named Phil, and for a time we worshiped him.” Reiner was surprised: “You worshiped a guy named Phil? Why?” Brooks replied: “Because he was big, and mean, and he could break you in two with his bare hands!” Reiner asked: “Did you have prayers?” Brooks answered: “Yes, would you like to hear one? O Phil, please don’t be mean, and hurt us, or break us in two with your bare hands.” Reiner: “So when did you start worshiping the Lord?” Brooks: “Well, one day a big thunderstorm came up, and a lightning bolt hit Phil. We gathered around and saw that he was dead. Then we said to one another, ‘There’s something bigger than Phil!’” (1) Well, yes, there is something bigger than Phil. There is Someone bigger than the totality of our universe. Henri Barbusse once wrote a novel with the French title, Le Fleu, or The Flower. In this novel there are two soldiers. One of the soldiers is a man of sterling character. His friend, however, whose name is Dominique has made many mistakes in his life. In one passage the solder with the unblemished record has been wounded and is dying. He turns to Dominique and says: “It can’t be long now. Listen, Dominique. You’ve lived a bad life. There are many convictions against your name. But there are no convictions against me. There’s nothing on my name. Take my name. Take it I give it to you. Straight off, you’ve no more convictions. Take my name, and give me yours so that I can carry [all your past mistakes] away with me.” (4) One night for devotions, a youth leader took a group of kids and their counselors down to the edge of that lake and had them stand behind the cross, so that the light was shining toward them and the lake stretched out before them. Finally, the leader asked them to look up at the cross and tell the group what they saw. Wanting to sound scholarly and devout, the young people blurted out responses like, “forgiveness,” and “salvation,” and “sacrifice.” This counselor wanted them to see more. “What you should see when you look up at the cross,” he said, “is God, on the other side, looking back down at you. Whenever God looks at us, he looks at us through the cross of his Son, Jesus. His victory over our sin, his victory over our chaos is what God sees.” (5) That’s how God looks at us—through the prism of the cross of Christ. And because of that cross God sees us as if we were without blemish. The writer of Hebrews shows us God’s character and God’s relationship to us, God’s children: “Therefore, since we have a great high priest . . . Jesus the Son of God . . . Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Last summer the [Catholic] MadonnaRehabilitationHospital in Lincoln, Nebraska, had reached an agreement with pornographer Don Parisi, who wanted to donate his Internet domain name madonna.com to the hospital. But the agreement was voided because the singer Madonna filed and won a complaint to claim the domain name. Her publicist boldly asserted that she "happens to be the most famous Madonna in the world." Something must have happened, though, because the address madonna.com does take you to the MadonnaRehabilitationHospital. Of course the actress Madonna is better known than the Mother of Jesus in many pockets of culture, but the combination of presumption and lack of awareness of a broader reality on the part of Madonna's publicist is remarkable. And sad. Anyone facing criminal prosecution or a costly civil suit wants a lawyer not only with the highest skill level, but also with a passion to fight ferociously for the client. Likewise, when we need a heart transplant to survive, a well-meaning friend with a penknife and no medical training won't do us much good; and neither will a cardiac surgeon who chooses to vacation in Maui in our hour of need. What we most need is a physician with skill and a deep commitment to the patient. Those of us with sin-sick souls require that similar combination of sensitivity and compassion, balanced by the power to effectively heal and forgive. We need to know, in the words of the children's table grace, "God is great and God is good. "Goodness without power is ineffective, and power without goodness is demonic. That is the secret to understanding this story. Jesus looked into the young man's heart. The writer of Hebrews tells us that "all are open and laid bare" to the eyes of God. Certainly this is a gift that Christ shared with his Father. Jesus knew the young man's heart. He knew what this young man needed. The prescription that Jesus gave this young man is not a prescription Jesus would give to everyone. It was designed to meet this particular young man's need. Mark tells us that Jesus looked on the young man and loved him. Jesus saw his sincerity, his humility, his obvious potential. But he also saw a gaping hole in his life. And Jesus took direct aim at that hole. "You lack one thing," Jesus said. "Go, sell what you have, and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." John Foster in one of his books tells how he came into his home in this country one day in the thirties to find his daughter in tears before the radio set. He asked her why and found that the news bulletin had contained the sentence—“Japanese tanks entered Canton today.” Most people would hear that with at the most a faint feeling of regret. Statesmen may have heard it with grim foreboding; but to most people it did not make so very much difference. Why then was John Foster’s daughter in tears? Because she had been born in Canton. To her Canton meant a home, a nurse, a school, friends.

A Well dressed Christian

August 26, 2012 The well Dressed Christian Ephesians 6:10-20 John 6:56-69 Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost Year B Casualties in war in afganistan The war in Afghanistan is still going on after 11 years. In that time over 1900 american soldiers have been killed, and about 3000 soldiers killed overall. I used to keep track of that number until it got way to big. Casualties in war in the streets Father Pfleger has been keeping up the statistics in another war, the war on the streets of Chicago. Every day this summer he has listed the number of people killed in Chicago on that day. Last night, he said that 4 had been killed and 31 wounded in shootings in Chicago. Once again I am sad to say that he gives those statistics so frequently, that I have stopped keeping track of the number. Spiritual warfare But Ephesians reminds us that there is a much deadlier war going on. And the statistics are not being kept by anyone. And the effects are just was real, but sometimes you just cant see them. That is the war going on in the spirit. The war for our souls, and for what is right and wrong. The war against the devil in our lives and in the lives of others. No control over emotional warfare It seems that it is easy for us to identify physical bodies. But you cant identify the hatred, the greed, the disrespect, the jealousy, the need to control, the anger The tangible problems are relatively easy to deal with. Dealing with the intangible - dealing with jealousy, greed, patriotism that has degenerated into uncritical nationalism, community pride that has become twisted into bigotry and prejudice, fear that has become all-controlling both of individuals and of communities - the unseen forces that lead us towards death. These things are far harder to deal with. That goes behind the physical wars. Before there can be a war in the physical realm, it has to start in the spiritual realm, against things that you cannot see. The news does not talk about the casualties, but we can certainly see the results in the pews of our churches. It makes a difference to us, as we see where people used to come to church but they are not here anymore. In order to protect ourselves from this war, we are encouraged to put on the whole armor of God. The armor of god The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of peace, the helmut of salvation. You will notice that there is nothing given to us to hurt other people. That is all protective armor, designed to defend ourselves against an attack. And if we are not careful it is a daily attack. Sometimes the enemies uses other people to hurt us, often times it uses ourselves, our own spirit, our own heart. If we are not steeped in the word of god everyday- we don’t know what the consequences are. We are given one weapon against the devil in our armor. The sword of the spirit – the word of God. Take bible in small doses Some seem to expect the Word of God to hit them like a jolt of adrenaline each time they read or study it. Although the "jolt" may hit us periodically, the benefits of the Word of God act more like vitamins. People who regularly take vitamins do so because of their long-term benefits, not because every time they swallow one of the pills, they feel new strength surging through their bodies. They have developed a habit of consistently taking vitamins because they have been told that, in the long haul, vitamin supplements are going to have a beneficial effect on their physical health, resistance to disease and, general well-being The same is true of reading the Bible. At times it will have a sudden and intense impact on us. However, the real value lies in the cumulative effects that long-term exposure to God’s Word will bring to our lives. Most people are looking for the word to be a quick fix, a pill that you can take and fix everything. Your heart, your mind, your kidneys, anything and every all at one time. Sometime we even think that holding the bible will protect us from all. There is a woman who parks in front of the church all the time. She want to protect her camero. She wont come into the church, but puts that bible prominently in her window. The bible is our protection only if we read it and know what it says. It is not a pill to fix everything. It is a vitamin to keep us healthy. Taken in daily doses, that sustain us and guide us. Jesus Christ is the answer to everything. But we have to read in order to know that right question to ask, the right prayer to pray. God is a warrior Today a lot of people are uncomfortable with the warrior image of being a soldier for Christ. The don’t want to have to fight. And how in the world can a sword – bring peace. Not realizing that the image of God in the bible is as a warrior, a warrior fighting the spiritual war on behalf of his people. Ephesians is telling us to dress just like God is dressed. Isaiah 59: 17 says that when God discovered that there was no justice in the world. he put on righteousness as his breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on his head, he put on the garments of vengeance and wrapped himself in the zeal as in a cloak. The redeemer will come to zion. Soldiers prayer There is a tradition that an soldier offered up this prayer for a son, in his devotions to god and his country. “Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak, and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid; one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, and humble and gentle in victory. “Build me a son whose wishes will not take the place of deeds; a son who will know Thee … and that to know himself is the foundation stone of knowledge. “Build me a son whose heart will be clear, whose goal will be high, a son who will master himself before he seeks to master other men; one who will reach into the future, yet never forget the past. “And after all these things are his, add, I pray, enough of a sense of humor, so that he may always be serious, yet never take himself too seriously. Give him humility, so that he may always remember the simplicity of true greatness, the open mind of true wisdom and the meekness of true strength. “Then I, his father, will dare to whisper, “I have not lived in vain.”” —Gen. Douglas A. MacArthur This is a prayer that God himself granted for himself. That son was Jesus Christ. People don’t get Jesus Now we have been reading about Jesus as the bread of life for six weeks. It can be heard to preach when we are on the same chapter for that long. We learn that you have to have physical bread before you can have spiritual bread, that you need that spiritual bread in order to live. That physical bread sustains you for a short time, but eating eternal bread sustains you forever. Once again where do we get this spiritual bread- from the word of God in the bible, in the life of Jesus Christ. That seems to make sense to us. but there are people who don’t get the connection of the spirit and the flesh. Who don’t get that the spirit came together with the flesh in Jesus Christ. Why would we be feasting on Jesus? Not everyone gets it. Jesus says that not everyone gets it. God says that not everyone gets it. We still live in the illusion that everyone will. The word is open for everyone to take, but not everyone will. Churches feel the pain That brings me back to casualties of spiritual warfare. When we look at our pews, we see that many people have fallen away. When we look at our families there are many people that we would like to get back into the church. Sometimes we think that there is something that we did to make them leave, and that there is something that we can say to bring them back. Not realizing that is not the case. We think their refusal to come is a rejection of us, not always the case either. No where in the bible does it say that every one who started out with you on the journey is going to finish the journey. When the lord delivered the isrealites from Egypt, he concluded that most of them would never make it to the promisedland. When he told them they were the children of god, in jeremiah, god says that he can only use the remmant of the faithful. Not everybody. Even jesus says the many are called, but few are chosen. On revelation, when the rapture comes, scripture says that one will be taken up, and the other left. The bread of life is for everyone, but not everyone will be able to take it in. that is biblical. That is in John 6. Jesus explains that if you cant except this teaching, how can you accept the resurrection? That is a teaching only for the faithful. And there is nothing that we have done to make them reject the teachings of jesus. They were given a choice and they chose not to accept it. Preach people out of the church Clarence Jordon was a civil rights leader, he visited a church one day and found that it was one of the few churches, where black and whites worshipped together he asked how it go tthat way.. It was a white church that had been given a black preacher. He started preaching that the church was for everyone. He said the deacons sat him aside one day and said that he could not say that. So he fired the deacons. He said that he preached and preached until there were only 4 people left in the church. And not long after that the church grew and grew. Sometimes the gospel is not about bringing people in, it is about driving people out. People who have no use for the bread of life, and don’t want to listen to jesus. Once the negative energy leaves, then the positive energy can flow freely. When jesus spoke of the bread of life, many people walked away. He turned to the remaining twelve and asked if they were leaving too. They said no, there was no place else to go. This is the only place to get the living bread from heaven. It was that few that believed the good news, that were willing to work, who were prepared to follow jesus through the tuff times. And those were the people god used to build his kingdom. Pray Be strong in the lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of god, and paul’s final words to us – to pray. Pray for ourselves, pray for our loved ones, pray for our church, pray for god mission. Pray for a mission There was a general, who used to pray daily. He never talked about his mission, but he prayed for it everyday. There would be some days when his butler knew to pack his bags foe he was going off to battle. Someone asked how the bulter knew this without talking with the general. He said that whenever he was going to fight, he would stop and pray two or three times a day. Everything he did was in prayer. There was a church, that grew, people stopped activities, and held prayer services. It is time for us to pray. We have work to do, god had plans for us, we need to be ready for those that god is sending to us. let us pray…

By what authority do you speak?

Deuteronomy 18:15-20 Mark 1:21-28 Fourth Sunday after Epiphany Year B By What Authority Do you speak? Introduction: the authority to get a ticket I should have known that the offer was too good to be true. I saw in the paper, and add that said that a new movie theater was opening, and that all movies were free on that day. There was even an ad for free popcorn. So off to the movies I went that night. The movie was free, the popcorn was free. The speeding ticket that I got while driving to the theater was $90. The policeman turned on his lights, stopped me, and told me what I did wrong, and rubbed it in, and was it really worth it to speed to the theater. What is the authority of the police officer or pastor – the office I tell that story, because we all know that if we see flashing lights behind us that we need to stop. We know that the law tells us that we are to cooperate with the police whenever they stop us. but by what authority does a police officer have control over our actions? It is not in who the police officer is, it is in his/her office. Their authority is in those flashing lights, in that uniform, in who they are as a police officer, not in who they are as a person. It is sort of like being a pastor- the authority of what I preach, teach, and manage is in the office of pastor, not in the personhood of Harriette Cross. Today we are going to talk about power and authority. Where does power and authority come from. What was it that gave Jesus power and authority? Why was he able to speak with such authority? How did Jesus end of speaking in the synagogue? Jewish society was a very ordered society. Jewish worship was very ordered. There were assigned roles for everyone. It was the rabbi who spoke and interpreted the scripture. The synagogue was the place of teaching and remembering. Worship consisted of coming to the synagogue, listening to a lay person read scripture and the rabbi interpreting it. There was no singing, no liturgy, and no work of the people. It was a very ordered service. When Jesus starts his ministry in Capernaum, he goes to the synagogue every Sabbath, every Friday night. But for some reason, the rabbi allowed him to give the message. He speaks on a regular basis. But you still have to ask the question, what was it about Jesus that gave him power and authority to speak. He had no formal training, no office, no clergy robe, and no assigned role – and yet he was able to speak – and his words always seemed to hit the spot and make a difference in the lives of those he was talking to. Even when the rabbi and the scribes would speak – they did not speak under their own authority. They didn’t use their own words, they would always say – scripture says. Mark 1:21-22 says – he entered the synagogue and taught. They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. I wanted to avoid this sermon It is funny how the Holy Spirit works, because as I prepared for this sermon, my plan was to play it safe and talk just about the power and authority of Jesus. I had no intention of speaking on the situation at hand of Jesus driving out an evil spirit from a man. I didn’t want to talk about evil spirits. But unfortunately, the scripture never tells what Jesus taught, or what made his talk so powerful. It says that a demon recognized Jesus and started to speak. Spirits in the ancient world What was the demon doing in the church in the first place? Spirits were a part of the understanding of the world of the early church. Spirits would have been a part of the understanding of the world of the Jews of Jesus time. The Jews inherited the belief from the Persians and the Babylonians, and the Canaanites. Ancient people believed that spirits were present everywhere. But they particularly liked to hang out in unclean places. They were in the cemeteries, and places where shady things were done. Spirits were responsible for everything. Spirits in the Disney world Spirits are a part of the world view of almost every group of people in the world. I found it interesting to learn that there is an underlying spirituality even in the creation of Disney world. Disney speaks of magic, of fairy dust, and other things that are a part of the European understanding of the spiritual world. If you go to the magical kingdom, you will see no depiction of anything African or Asian. When you speak of conjuring spirits (as Mickey as the sorcerer is depicting as doing)- there is a whole difference understanding of spirits in Europe than in Africa or Asia. Not wanting to be involved in spirituality that they didn’t understand, they just left it alone. Until 20-30 years later when they developed Animal Kingdom, instead of the Magical Kingdom that deals specifically with African and Asian culture. They realized that when they excluded the spirituality of a people, they also excluded the culture of a people. I first went to Disney the first year that the animal kingdom was opened and decided that it was one of those spiritual places for me. I have been to the magical kingdom 2 times, but every time I go to Orlando I have to visit animal kingdom to be in touch with its spiritual nature. Spirits in the Israel world Spirits had a large place in the worldview of Israel also. They believed that spirits were everywhere. They believed that there were 10,000 spirits on your right side, and 10,000 spirits on your left side. They believed that they were responsible for all manner of situations on one’s life. If you were sick, it was caused by a spirit. There is a Jewish book in the apocrypha – that comes between the old testament and the new testament – called the Testament of Solomon. In this book, you can find the names of certain demons, how they can harm you, and how to get rid of them. Interesting. It was believed that if you called a demon by name, you had power over it and you could control it and get rid of it. If you look at our scripture, Jesus doesn’t call any demon by name. It is the demons that call Jesus by name – They call him Jesus of Nazareth, The holy one of God. Deuteronomy says that there will be a prophet who is responsible for speaking the word of God to the people. That is the power of Jesus. How did the demon get in the church? What I find interesting about this story was how did the demon get in the church in the first place. Demons were supposed to hang out in unclean places, and wasn’t the house of God a holy place – a clean place? If all of the people were spiritually pure – how did a demon get in the church? The church had an open door policy – anyone was welcome to come in, no matter where they were spiritually. I found it interesting that even in the story, people weren’t so concerned about the fact that a demon had made its way in the church, but that Jesus knew exactly what to say to it to get it to respond. Demons that cause harm It was believed that all wrong was caused by demons. The Hebrew name for demon was Mazakim – one who does harm. But it was also believed that a person would know when they were possessed, and that they had to the power to ask to be healed. There were demons in the church back then, and the truth is that there are demons in the church today. Some say that demons love to come to church – because it reminds them of heaven. But I want to be clear that I am not speaking about people. Not speaking about who people are – we are all children of God, we are all from heaven. But the truth is that there are things inside of all of our souls that do us harm. There is good and evil inside of each of us. We are all struggling with those things inside of us that can destroy us. Demons inside of us Kathleen Norris – a spiritual writer says “when I think of demons that I need to exorcise, I have to look inward to my heart and soul. The demon inside of her was her anger. Her husband pointed out that she could be very mean at times. She realized that her anger was destroying her marriage. First she needed to recognize it, then acknowledge the damage it was doing and make a commitment to change. Another friend – a pastor. Talked about getting a divorce, and experiencing all sorts of negative emotions – anger, shame, jealousy, and pain. He didn’t have to strength to preach, but he needed to be in the church. He needed to be in the presence of God, in the presence of the Word, the worship, in the presence of Jesus. What is it about Jesus that invites the unclean spirit, the disturbed soul, the diseased life to come out of hiding and cry out? And can we trust the power of God to be there - to be here, to hold it all together and bring healing and wholeness to us in a way we never quite master? Can the order of our worship of God somehow include the dis-order of our lives and of the world around us? He asks. There is power in the presence of God that heals us, that transforms us, that takes away our pain. God’s word is awesome, overpowering, and touches us deep inside. What is the demon doing in the church? The spirit inside of us knows Jesus, and it asks for healing. I want to end with this famous story.. "There is a wonderful story from a renowned professor of preaching named Fred Craddock. He often tells the story of a young minister, newly graduated from the seminary who is serving in his first church. He gets a call telling him that a church member, an elderly woman who has given nearly her entire life to the church, is in the hospital and not doing well. The woman suffers from severe breathing problems and now has pneumonia and doesn’t appear to be getting any better. She is so weak that she cannot get up out of bed and the doctors are not holding out any hope for her recovery. So with this dire situation the family calls the church and asked for the young pastor to come and pray with her, anoints her and gives her a final communion. All the way to the hospital he is thinking about what to say to this Christian woman, what words of comfort he can give her to prepare her for her eminent death. He thinks of how young he is and how completely unprepared for this moment and he mumbles a quick prayer that God will give him the strength and courage he needs. When he finally arrives at the hospital he heads up to her room for a visit. The room is darkened and the hospital wing is quiet. The nurses move in and out of the room gently so as not to disturb her final hours. The young pastor sits on a chair next to the bed and talks with her for a few minutes, just small talk really, nothing earth shattering. When he finally makes ready to leave he asks the old woman if she would like him to pray for her and she answers, Yes of course. That’s why I wanted you to come. He then politely asks, And what would you like me to pray for? The old woman looks him straight in the eye and says in a bit of a surprised voice, Why, I want you to pray that God will heal me. The young pastor is a bit surprised by the question and he takes her hands and starts fumbling over the words. Still, somewhere in the entire blizzard of words he ends up praying for what she asked – that God would heal her. When he finally says the Amen at the end of the prayer, the woman says, You know, I think it worked! I think I’m healed! And she gets out of bed and begins to run up and down the hallway of the hospital yelling, Praise God! I’m healed! Praise God! I’m healed! Meanwhile, the young pastor in a stupor, stumbles to the stairwell, walks down five flights of stairs, makes his way to the parking lot and somehow manages to find his car. As he fumbles to get his keys out of his pocket, he slumps back in the seat and looks heavenward and yells, Don’t you ever do that to me again! The power of the word of God There is power in the Word of God. Jesus was empowered to use that power and authority on our behalf. Jesus’ authority over unclean spirits lies in his ability to speak directly to our hearts, to speak directly to our needs, to call the negative our and leave us only with the love that God gives. If we listen to his voice and obey… Let us pray…