Sunday, December 16, 2012

Superstitious Neo-Something-ism

Heard a story from a friend the other day.  A person they were talking to wouldn't use the number 9-9-9-9 because "you know what that means upside down".

Another acquaintance spoke up saying that she'd talked to someone who'd referred to 666 as "5+1, another 5+1..., etc."

Those people may think they're somehow being holy by not associating with "the devil's number", and everyone must follow what they think is right.

But...

I really don't think there's a place in Christian faith for this sort of fear.  And superstition.

Once again, we're faced with people who don't read the Bible, but only skim through it.

What about Phillipians Chapter Two? "that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
    to the glory of God the Father"

Or am I wrong in assuming that means that Jesus has more power than the number 6666 upside down?  

No, I'm not.

This begins to get into things like the Lordship of Christ.  Is God only the God of the church, or of all of creation?  Just the other numbers, or of the number 6, as well?

It's almost a kind of idolatry.  Idols were pieces of wood, stone, or whatever that were said to have miracle powers, but the Bible is quite clear that in worshipping them, people are only worshipping what their hands have made.  In a similar way, to fear "666" as if it has some mystical power all on its own as a set of numbers is simply ignorance.  

Study the actual words.  Not what you THINK they mean.  And that goes for the writer the same as any reader.  We cannot assume we know what Christianity is about, or think we remember what the Bible says.  Check, check, and check again!

Over and out.

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Disheartened & Disenfranchised

Speaking of 'beyond belief' and wondering about how much the church is like what Jesus wanted, give THIS a look.

I could rant on and on, but I just don't have the heart after hearing this.

Thursday, April 26, 2012

numbero-illogical

Writing this will of course ruin all the symmetry, but I would be lax if I didn't mention that as of this writing, this blog has had 333 views.  Not only is this a triple repetition of the number three (which often represents trinity), it is also half of the ominous number 666 mentioned in the Bible.

I can't in my wildest imaginings (and I just took Claritin) put any spin on this at all- but I thought it was worth noting.  Carry on, my wayward sons (and daughters).

the thigh bone's connected to the kneeebone, the kneebone...

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

The Buddha of Boston

I'm not becoming Buddhist, or suggesting you do, but check out this guy and his company.  Good, thought provoking, local stuff.  Certainly better than watching that funny YouTube video your friends sent you.

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Joe Davidson: A Sermon

  Any of you who know me are aware that I love to look at old things from a new perspective.  So when I was doing research for last nights Christmas Eve sermon and I found a sermon by my old preaching professor that looked at Christmas from Josephs point of view I was intrigued.  Especially this year, with little Baby Kristoff on the way, I'm intrigued with Joseph.  He alone is in a unique position in his faith in God.  Mary is a participant physically in God's work through Jesus in a way that Joseph isn't.  But Joseph was still a father to Jesus, all his life.  Any of you who know anything at all about adoption know that you don't have to share genetic markers to share love with a child.
    Let your mind relax just a bit, and think about what it might be like if we could talk to Joseph this morning, if he could walk into our church on this Christmas morning.  I'm not going to put on costumes or speak in a funny voice, but just imagine along with me what he might have to say to us.

    Hello.  Merry Christmas.  I guess it would be a good idea to introduce myself.  My name is Joe.  Joe Davidson.   Many of you already know me --Ive been hanging around Christmas for a long time.  But if you're like most, I'm sure you don't know me very well--I get sort of hidden in the story.  Sometimes I feel a little like the father of the bride at a wedding --nobody notices him, but he pays for the whole affair.  It's clear that you enjoy celebrating Christmas, and that makes me happy,  but I want you to know that Christmas cost me a lot.
    If I had anything to boast about during my life, it would be that I happened to be a descendant of David, Israel's greatest king--and, in case you haven't figured that out, that's why my name is Joe Davidson.   Well, my father thought it was clever, anyway.  Of course, in the whole scheme of things, being a descendant of David was not much to boast about, really.  He had lived a thousand years before me, and by the time I came along, I had thousands of cousins, great-aunts, uncles, whatever,  all descended from David.  In fact, that's one of the things that makes my story so interesting to people.  When that brood gets together, there's no room for anyone.  But I'm getting ahead of myself.
    When I lived, King David had been gone a long time--and so had the great glory days of Israel.  We were living in bondage to the Roman government and in spiritual darkness.  Id say the spirit of the whole empire seemed very cold.  The only Hot spots, if you will, were the occasional uprisings by zealous Jews in Palestine who would announce that the Messiah was coming and would start some skirmish. But the Romans quickly quelled those activities- with the sword.
    I grew up in the town of Bethlehem, a little village about 7 miles south of our capital city of Jerusalem.  We didn't have cars like you do, and traveling was hard, so I didn't often get to Jerusalem.  As a young man I went up north to the hill country near Galilee Lake and settled in the town of Nazareth.  It was a very small town--in fact, it was so small that people used to make fun of it.  They would say Can anything good come out of Nazareth?.   But, I didn't go to Nazareth because it was a great city. I went there to work.  I am a carpenter, and business was not good in Bethlehem. But in Nazareth, there were not so many carpenters, and a man could make a decent living.  Not that a carpenter would ever be wealthy, of course.  Carpenters were fairly low on the social scale back then.
    Now, we Carpenters are practical people.  We're not philosophers or priests or writers.   I like to work with my hands.  I'm not at home in the world of ideas.  Give me a good piece of wood--something you can handle, measure and cut.     ™Wood is an honest thing.   I like wood that's wood clear through, solid, wood with integrity.   And I like that in people, too.
    I loved my life in Nazareth.  I liked the people, I enjoyed working for them, being neighbors with them.  But the best thing about Nazareth is that it is where I met Mary.
    She was not quite 16 years old when we met. But what a wonderful young woman.   Before long we were betrothed--that's something like your engagement, only more serious. This lasted about a year, sometimes longer.  It was a time for the two families to get acquainted.
    The more I got to know Mary, the more I loved her.  She was not only a devoted follower of Yahweh, but she was also nice to be with.  She was thoughtful and always seemed to have a song in her heart for the Lord--in fact, she was a songwriter, sat around with an old guitar and wrote songs of praise.   I was admittedly a little starry-eyed in those days--I used to lie awake at night thinking of plans for a house I would build for Mary and our children.  I thought a lot about what it would be like being her husband.
    Isn't it strange, though, how dreams can so quickly turn into nightmares --how your best plans can be instantly shattered.  I began to notice that all of a sudden, Mary was quiet and withdrawn.  When I asked her what was wrong, she just said she couldn't talk about it.  I wondered if I had done something to offend her, or if her family had found something in me that displeased them.  Finally, one day, I couldn't wait any longer.  I told Mary I could not stand her shutting me out of her life, and that I needed to know what was wrong.  I was not prepared for the answer she gave me.
    She looked at me and said, I'm pregnant.  She started crying.  Of all the things that could have been wrong, that problem had never even occurred to me.  I thought Mary was chaste, but I had certainly not been with her in that way.   So who could it have been?  How could this have happened?  I was afraid to find out, but I had to know.
    When she answered me, it was like a slap in the face.   She told me an angel had appeared to her and told her that she, a 16-year-old girl living in a nowhere village-- was going to be the mother of Israel's Messiah.   And that the Spirit of God had miraculously planted the baby in her womb, and she was still a virgin.
    It was one thing for her to betray our love, but it was quite another for her to treat me like a fool, with stories that bordered on fairy tales and blasphemy.  How could she expect me to believe that?  You wouldn't have believed it, would you?
    I am a righteous man.  I try to live according to the exacting Laws of the Scriptures.  I had a reputation in the community. When the people would inevitably hear that Mary was pregnant, they would of course assume I was the father and my good name as a moral man would be destroyed.  So I had decided to make it public.  I was going to go before the elders at the gate as quietly as I could and sever my relationship with Mary, explaining that though I didn't know what had happened, I was not responsible.
    Partly as relief Mary had left town to see her cousin Elizabeth in Hebron.  I wondered if maybe she would decide to just stay there and live with them.  Elizabeth's husband was a priest and could afford to give her a home and protection.  And in Hebron the shame would not be as great and she could raise her child alongside Elizabeth's (who was surprised by a pregnancy, too-- she and Zechariah had never been able to have children before).  Mary stayed away for three months--three months of misery and loneliness for me, I might add.
    I just couldn't seem to get the pain out of my heart.  I would work at my bench, then get distracted and go for a walk; I would pray; I couldn't eat or sleep.  Then one night I had a dream.   It was rare that I would dream so vividly or really, that I would even remember a dream, but I dreamed    I was walking through a dark place, and suddenly up ahead there was a blinding light.  In the center of the light I saw an angel.  I was terrified, but the angel quickly told me not to be afraid.  The angel said, Joseph Davidson, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.  She will give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus.
    When I awoke, I realized this was more than a dream, and I was so happy.  I had a message from heaven certifying that Mary had told me the truth!  I got down to Hebron as soon as I could and apologized to Mary for doubting her word.  I took her back to Nazareth and we were married right away.  But in those next months, I never... acted like a husband-- not until the baby was born.
    Then in her ninth month we got word that we had to travel quickly to Bethlehem, my birth place, in order to register for the census and the taxation.  In those days the census taker did not come to you--you went to them, and there were no excuses.
    So, in spite of her condition, we went.  I took Mary along, rather than leave her in Nazareth to face the criticism and gossip alone.  And I tried to think of everything to make her more comfortable.  But what I did not count on was the crowd.  I noticed your shopping crowds in this area, but imagine if those people were all from out of town and they all needed lodging here in Fairlee.  And they had to stay within the town boundaries--well, you get the idea.  Even though Bethlehem was where most of my family lived, there was still not a bed available anywhere.  So, weary from the travel, and desperate for some sleep, I found a cave at the edge of town which served as a stable.   We lay down on the straw.
    I lit a fire to keep us warm.  It was probably the long trip, I don't know, but Mary went into labor that night.  Well, I sure didn't know what to do--I'm a carpenter, not a doctor!  Mary had to serve as her own midwife.  I did my part by cutting the cord with my carving blade and cleaning the child up, as best I could.  The only place for the child other than in Mary's arms was a feeding trough.  The rest of the floor was just filthy from the animals.
    I had a lot of unanswered questions that night.  If Mary was highly favored of God, how do you explain a cave for a birthing room, and the smelly, dirty company of cattle and sheep?  No family was there with us to celebrate.  Well, actually, a few shepherds did show up, saying an angel had told them to come and see our baby boy, because he was the Messiah, the Lord.  I understood how they felt, unsure if they'd been dreaming or prophesying!
    Well, after all the hubbub of that census had subsided, we decided we would stay in Bethlehem.   With all the gossip in Nazareth, and lots of family in Bethlehem, well, even though there wasn't as much work, we thought it would be best for the boy.  We rented a house and I took in whatever work I could.  It wasn't much.
    When we'd been there a year or so, some astrologers from the country you now know as Iran came to see us.   Or, more precisely, to see Him.  The boy.  They said they read heavenly signs which led them to Jerusalem.  When they got there they went to Herod to find out where the King was born.  Herod didn't know, and they followed the signs in the sky, which led them to Bethlehem.  And here was our boy, Jesus, just a toddler.   The dignitaries entered our home, and, as soon as they saw Jesus, they fell to their knees and worshipped Him.  They gave Him gifts of gold, incense and myrrh.   Then they left.  To tell you the truth, I thought that gold would come in handy.  We were about as poor as a family of three could be.
    It was shortly after the visitors that I had another very vivid dream. I was warned by that same angel, to take Mary and Jesus south into Egypt for our safety.
    We were aliens there, outsiders, and there was certainly no work there for Jewish carpenters.  That's when I knew that gift of gold was a godsend, literally.  We stayed there for two years until the political unrest had settled, and God directed us to go back to Nazareth, if you can believe that.  We did a lot of moving in those days.  I carried a lot of packages.  That's where my bad back comes from that plagues me to this day!
    And again, my questions presented themselves.  Here he is the Creator of the universe, who knows all things, and he sends us back to Nazareth with all of its gossip and raised eyebrows and dirty jokes?  To be honest, I faced a lot of doubt in those days.  I often wondered if I had made up those angelic dreams,  just because I wanted to believe Mary and wanted so badly to be her husband.  And, you know, Jesus was as normal a little boy as you would ever see--he didn't seem much like the worlds savior to me, I'm sorry to admit.
    Oh, he was a good boy--a very good boy--in fact, I cannot remember Him ever being disobedient.  But when he was a baby, well--you know how people sing that song, ...the little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes...  Well, I'm here to tell you, he cried plenty!
    He slept and ate meals just like the neighbors children; he fell and skinned his knees; I held Him on my lap and told Him stories and he fell asleep.  He was...  normal--a good, normal boy.  He didn't work any miracles or walk on water while he was growing up.   So I wondered, was he really the Son of God?  I don't know what I expected from Him back then, but whatever it was, those doubts persisted.
    Although I can tell you that once, when he was 12, we went up to Jerusalem for one of our rare trips, for the Jewish feast days.   All of   our neighbors and family went together.  On the way back, we were gone about a day's journey towards home when we realized he wasn't with us.  That's really not as bad as it sounds.  We could see the pack of children following along as we adults walked and talked and we simply assumed he was with them, as he had been at the start of the trip.  So, while the rest of them went on home, Mary and I retraced our steps back to Jerusalem.  We found Him talking to the leaders of the people asking them very intelligent questions.  We didn't know whether to be angry or proud.  Either way, he needed to be taught a lesson.
    Well, I disciplined Him when we got Him alone.  I laugh at the thought, now.  We told Him we were worried sick about Him, not knowing where he was.  He just said, Don't you know I have to be about my Father's business?  That sounds like a nice answer in church, but when you are a worried parent, and you hear that from your 12-year old...
    All in all, though, he wasn't much different from our other children.  I couldn't really talk with Mary about my doubts.  She was always keeping the promises of God in her heart, and I couldn't tell her I didn't have enough faith to shout down all my doubts.  Of course I couldn't talk to the people in the village.  They already had some very earthly explanations about Jesus birth.
    But one thing I did have was a passage in the scriptures.  800 years before I came along, a prophet named Isaiah had said that a virgin would conceive and have a son and would call his name Emanuel, which means God with us.  And there was that other verse, strangely coincidental, about Bethlehem, and how the ruler of Israel would come from there.  I had a tough time believing, but I held on to those two scraps of scripture for all I was worth.
    Some of you here have a faith like Mary's.  Strong, obedient, deep and devout.  You're God's special people.  Some of you, though, I think are more like me--you're practical people.  You live in a world of real things, like my wood.  You like things you can touch and see and feel and measure.  You like to plan things out and have a hard time believing invisible ideas.  Sometimes you wonder if you really believe at all.  I understand.
    All I can say is that when I faced those questions and those doubts, I eventually came down on the side of faith.  I often had to work hard at believing things I had no evidence for.  Sometimes it was real hard, sometimes it hurt.  Sometimes all I could do is bite my lip and trust when I didn't feel like trusting.  And that is exactly what God used--my feeble trust.
    I, Joseph Davidson, was given the distinct honor of putting my thumb print on Jesus, the Messiah.  Humanly speaking.  I taught Him to be a carpenter--people referred to Him early on as The carpenter of Nazareth.  And he was a good carpenter.   He was especially good at making yokes for oxen.  His yokes went on so easily, and they were so lightweight.  I taught Him that.  Even though he did not have my blood, he was my son.
    Of course, it turned out that he was the savior of the world--you know that now.  And what ultimately happened was, he put His thumbprint on me:  on my soul.  But it wasn't easy.  My kind of faith taught, when I thought I knew what God wanted me to do, I just did it.   I did have enough faith for that. Do you?
    So that's my story.  I enjoyed sharing it with you.  Now it's time for you to celebrate Christmas in your own way.  And you ought to.  Go on worshiping Jesus as the wise men did.  Keep on trusting Him like Mary did.  But when you find it hard, remember me, won't you?  I'm the one who sometimes believed his doubts and doubted his beliefs, but faithed it through.
    I'm not the main character of the story.  But when you read the story, you might remember this.  That when God needed someone to look after His boy, he chose Joe Davidson, a carpenter, who believed the best he could.

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Woman Named Willow

A little bleed-through here between my blogs, but I think for good reason.

This article about a bike racer who got pregnant and had to stop rushing around the globe driven by her "demons"- and face her self... it's got some good stuff to say.

She's new-agey and spacey, no doubt about that- but I think this article (and other WKR content it may lead you to look up) asks some very good questions if you're open to hearing them.

Check it out.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Sermons: Walkthrough: Exodus

Have you ever tried to quit a habit?  Something you do not by choice, but simply as part of your daily ritual, because its what you do?  For me, one thing like that is fried food.  French fries, fried dough.  A few months ago, Kath and I went to Concord NH, and I took her to Long John Silvers for the first time, where they sell one of my favorite childhood foods, these onion fritters known as Hushpuppies.  The fritters are fried, then they serve them with batter drippings that you stick them in after you've broken them open.
    I know very well how bad that food is for me.  I know how it hinders my performance on the bike, which is actually kind of important to me.  But nevertheless, though Id choose otherwise, I keep on eating this junky unhealthy food.
    Its not easy to quit these things, is it?  Whether were talking about food we shouldn't eat, or relationships we know we shouldn't be in whether its with friends or significant others, or destructive physical habits we know we shouldn't be doing that hurt our bodies, or mental habits that we fall into like cynicism or racism, we each know how hard it is to quit something we've done for a long time.
    We are certainly not slaves, thank the Lord that none of us has ever felt what that would feel like.  Well never fully understand that.  But in addition to these habits, maybe some of us have been in a job that we needed to leave, but couldn't afford to?  A job that ate away at self-esteem, or our joy of living, but that we needed because it payed the rent?  That may be as close as you and I get to the feelings that Israel felt living in Egypt.   And as I said, we can thank God for that.  But nevertheless, we can take those examples and try to understand them.

    Last week, I spoke to you about how we can choose either to look at the world through a microscope, or from a scenic ridge.  These are the two extremes.  I mentioned that this is how were going to work our way through the Bible this summer and fall.  It-ll be like were standing on a ridge, looking out at the scenery, and marking which landmarks are in our view.
    As we moved along a week ago, we talked about the family that most of that book of Genesis concerns itself with- the family of Abraham, Jacob, and Joseph.  That family goes from living in the land of promise south to Egypt, and they do it because of a time of famine.  And at first they live in Egypt in luxury, since Joseph is in a place of power.  But we see in Exodus that things get worse, much worse, as the story continues.  Eventually, conditions result in slavery, and it is from that slavery, and the family's escape from it, that the book gets its name.

    There are some major landmarks to see in this book of the Bible.  The burning bush which burned with flame but the Bible says was never consumed, The 10 plagues God sent on Egypt, The parting of the red sea made famous by Charlton Heston, the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night that led the people across the wilderness, and the giving of the 10 commandments.  All of them come from this book.   Except for Jesus' works in the NT, this is the time of some of God's greatest wonders in the Bible.

    We all have family stories.  Each one of our individual families has things they talk about around the Thanksgiving table.  For some of us, they're stories of a long time ago, for others, they are stories that are being written as we speak, and for still others of us, they're soon to come.  But everyone here has those experiences, whether they be happy memories like family vacations, or bad things that have happened, we all have moments that bring us together, and give us a common life.  I remember camping trips or impromptu picnics with my Mom.  Kathy thinks of family movie nights.  Eileen and I were talking yesterday about their family's trip north to Parc Safari.  What are the landmarks of your unique family history?  Take a quick moment and think about that.

    For the nation of Israel, The book of Exodus contains many of those landmarks.  Remember when we were enslaved, but then the Lord God sent Moses, the miracle-worker, to rescue us from Pharaoh?  Remember when God parted the waters so that we could escape the Egyptian army?  But its something more, as well.  Its not just the family story, or happy memories,  but also a faith story.  Where have I seen the Lord work?  What did I see Him do?
    Have any of you celebrated Passover, with a Jewish friend?  I know Pastor Bob and Jean Decker have, I know Kathy has, but perhaps some of the rest of you have as well.  The celebration of Passover is a celebration of Israels deliverance.  And here's how it happened.
    As I said, the family of Jacob started out in good graces in Egypt.  The Pharaoh who had put Joseph into power was of course still alive and welcomed his family.  He had seen what God did through Joseph, had seen JosephÕs God-given wisdom save his country.
    But as the years went by, that Pharaoh passed away, and Joseph passed away, and the memory of what Joseph had done for Egypt passed away as well.  As that was happening, God was also blessing these Israelites with great fertility, and the native people began to talk.  Why were these people, these Israelites among them?  What did they intend?  Why were they growing so fast?  Just having knowledge of our OWN country's history, you know how immigrant groups can be treated, especially immigrant groups whose population is exploding.
    So out of this fear, the people of Egypt enslaved the Israelites, and it was not a benevolent enslavement, if there is such a thing, but an abusive, angry time.      But the God who was blessing these people, who had chosen these people, who was growing this nation, looked down and saw what was happening, and was moved to save the people of Israel from their slavery,  much like he later looked down on our slavery to sin and decided to save us.
    Because, you see, the story of Exodus is ours as well.  As I said last week, I think that many of these OT landmarks, these stories, are idea-seeds, which will blossom and become fully grown in the person of Jesus Christ in the NT.
    But back to the ancient story.  Yahweh, as that family knew him, needed someone to send as his ambassador.  Someone whose very weakness would contrast and highlight Yahweh's strength.  He found exactly the man he needed in Moses.  He seems to have stuttered, seems by Biblical accounts to have had no confidence in himself, even though he was called by God himself, he still needed his brother Aaron to speak for him, when he did the miracles God gave him.  Yahweh appeared in the famous flaming bush, before Moses, in what academics call a Theophany- a physical manifestation of God- and told him his job, his calling.
    The second section of Exodus begins as Moses appears before the Pharaoh, a person who he very well might have grown up with, having been raised by Pharaoh's daughter as if he were her own son.
    With Aaron s assistance, Moses demands again and again that the people of Israel be released, and is denied each and every time, until the crowning plague of them all.  Every firstborn in Egypt is struck down by Gods chosen angel of death, everyone except those children of Israel, who are passed over.
    After this, the Israelites are not only allowed to leave, but are driven from Egypt, given gifts as they left.  But then, when Egypt recovered just a bit from its grief and realized it had lost its servants, the Egyptian army pursued the people to bring them back.  But God was very much in control, and wiped out that army in a huge miracle- parting the red sea while Israel walked across, then drowning the pursuing army.
    From there, Israel made its way to the mountain where Yahweh would meet them, Mt. Sinai.  God gave to Moses there a set of stone tablets, written with His own finger.  But as Moses descended the mountain to deliver these God-written tablets, he saw that in the few days heÕd been on the mountain, his brother Aaron had made for the people a false God-in the form of a golden calf- and they were bowed down worshiping it. In rage, Moses throws the tablets and they smash.  Thankfully though, Yahweh gives him another set, and the people begin to follow another theophany: the cloud by day, which becomes a pillar of fire at night.  God leads them toward the promised land.
    The last part of Exodus concerns an even bigger  development.  God is not only the Lord of these people, has not only sent them his ambassador, has not only delivered them from slavery, but decides that he will now come and live with them.  The way this will happen is through a traveling house of the Lord, called the Tabernacle.  Of its 40 chapters, Exodus uses 15 to tell about the plans for and the building of, the Tabernacle.  Almost half of the book.  That is how important it was that God would dwell among these people.  And the building that results is therefore the first church building in our faith.  The tent-like tabernacle would become the Temple, which would eventually become this church building you sit in right now.

    Now drift back to the modern time, to today.  What then are we to take from the story of escape from slavery?  There are three things I believe we should concentrate on as we think about the book:
    When we think about Exodus today, when we look at it from this scenic ridge, we should think about slavery and redemption- about the way we are saved from the dictatorship of sin in our lives; how we are saved from that contrast which the Apostle Paul so eloquently talked about in the NT- that hunger to do the right thing, but finding ourselves doing the wrong thing.  Just like those ancient slave auctions, God comes before the slave trader which is sin, and buys us back.
    Israel was saved from physical slavery to Egypt.  But sometimes they were happy to be saved, and sometimes they wished they were still in predictable Egypt where yes, they were slaves, but at times, things weren't so hard.  They thought just like we sometimes are tempted to, those times when we wish we could have fun like those outside the church do , or so we think.
    And when were thinking about slavery, we should also think about Passover.  Through our faith in the Lord, imperfect as it is, we are saved from Gods judgment and wrath.  Its just like how the Israelites action of putting a mark of blood on their door, though it was done for various motives I'm sure, was a mark of faith in the Lord, and saved them from the angel of death.  In our case, God passes over as well.

    Secondly, Exodus makes us think about our weakness.  In the story of Moses, we see how God is made strong through a weak instrument.  There was no doubt that it was God doing the miracles, because Moses was so obviously weak.  In speaking and in personality, Moses seems to have fallen short.  But that just makes it more sure that God was truly working through him.
    And in the people of Israel, we see a second kind of weakness.  Though the God of all creation is on the top of Mt. Sinai, they are at the bottom worshiping a false god, a golden calf.  That indicates a serious lack of trust.  If were honest, well see ourselves in both of these idea-seeds.    At best, we are a plain vessel  that makes Gods love look all the better, but at worst, at our weakest, we are just like the Israelites, sinning in plain site of God and not even thinking about how much it must anger Him.  And if well give this even a small amount of thought, we have to admit that we do this, just like they did, because we don't trust.  Don't actually believe that God is there, or that he is on our side.  Its not that the people didn't think God was on the mountain, they simply believed that Moses had been taken up, killed, or somehow taken from them since he'd been gone for some time.  Obviously, they thought, God wasn't interested in THEM anymore.  How wrong they were!  We, too, should keep that in mind.

    Finally, we learn from Exodus the roots, the beginnings of our church, our gathering here this morning.  Until this point, God was being worshipped by this one family, in various mountain top sort of ways, various life-highlights like Jacobs ladder.  But with the covenant of the 10 commandments and the tabernacle, we begin to see organized faith, a place where Israel can go to meet with the Lord, a code of conduct which they are required to follow. And what would we do without that?
    So that is the book of Exodus, the great acts of the Lord which saved Israel from slavery and brought them to the edge of the land that God had been promising to their family for generations.  Next week well see what happens as they enter into the land that God has chosen for them.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Sermons: Walkthrough Genesis



You know I was thinking a lot this week.  As Ive told you at other times, I sort of base my thinking about what to preach on what Kathy needs to hear .  In that way she symbolizing everyone.  Shes my sort of everyman audience.

And as you know from last weeks big announcement, she and I are having a baby this winter, and of course Ive been thinking about that as well.  In this sermon, that means that Ive been thinking about the beginnings of things, about foundational truths.

Why am I telling you this?  I'm telling you as a way of talking about our next series of sermons.  In which Im going to try to walk us through the Bible, the whole Bible.

Now, if I were you, the question I would be asking is, ISN'T THAT A LOT TO PREACH?  and if not that, then the simple question, WHY?

My answer to the first question is that you can study the earth with a microscope, or you can look at miles of ground from a scenic viewpoint.  Well look at the Bible from the scenic overlook.  At  some other time, we can study each verse, each word, each idea.

Which brings us to the question of why.  For 2 reasons, that can be summed up in 2 simple words:  Confusion, and Context.

By confusion I mean that many of us know many verses, many Bible characters and stories, but don't know where they come from.  I think of Kathy's response when I first talked to her about Genesis- You mean there's more there than Adam and Eve?- or I think about a dinner with my Mom a few years ago where she confused Greek Myths with the Bible- isn't the story of Jason and the Argonauts in the Bible?  Isn't the golden fleece in there somewhere?

By context, I mean that many of us have been raised with a memory verse mentallity.  This week we had Bible school.  Had a wonderful time, too.  And one of the things we did was memorize certain verses.  That's fine and good, but all these books, all these messages, are told as part of an ongoing story, and we miss out on their true meaning by taking them alone.  Its like when I met Kathy, then met her family- in the context of their parents, brothers, and sisters, a persons whole personality makes a lot more sense.  If I was told that for my whole ministry, I could only teach one word it would be this one- CONTEXT.

    Alright, then, lets get started.  Genesis is not just the name of a rock band from the 80s, it is a word that means beginning, and since this book begins the Bible that is its name.  It consists of  50 Chapters and many of our most treasured Bible stories.
    Genesis begins with ancient history.  The stories of the creation, of Adam and Eve, Noah's Ark and the Great flood.  The story of the tower built in Babel, in which humanity tried to reach heaven on its own prideful power, and God created languages so that their work would be thwarted.
    That seems like a lot.  And in fact it is.  But it is really a very small part of the book of Genesis.  In actual fact, it is only 1/5 of the book.  And therefore, a smaller part of the overall meaning and the overall story.
    What takes up the other 4/5 of the book is the story of 1 family, primarily told through 3 men:  Abram, Jacob, and Joseph.  And I believe that we learn these stories because they plant the ideas like seeds that will later blossom in the new testament.  Let me tell you what I mean:
    Abram lived in a place called Ur.  U-R.  Ur.  And God came to him and told him to pack up and go where God would send him.  As a sign of faith, Abram did.  This is the very start of faith, which- as the NT would later tell us- is the belief in things you canÕt see.  Well, by and by, this man came to the land promised by God, and God changed his name, and thus his destiny, renaming him ABRAHAM.  Abraham and his wife Sarah were given a son in their old age, a miracle child name Isaac.  One of the most memorable parts of the story is when God tells Abraham to take this child up onto the mountain and sacrifice him, as a sign of his faith.  Abraham- possibly against Sara's wishes- does as he is asked, assuming that since God miraculously gave the child in the first place, then surely his plan is to bring him back to life.  But God delivers the child by stopping Abraham.
    Jacob was the son of the miracle child Isaac.  From Genesis, we  learn of three stages of his life.  When he lived at home with Isaac, along with his twin but very different brother, Esau, jacob was a devious trickster, figuring out how to disinheret his brother for a bowl of soup, stealing his fathers blessing, then running away.
    That brings us to the second part of his story.  When he runs away, he runs back to the promised land of his grandfather Abraham, to live with his uncle Laban.  Along the way, an experience happens to Jacob which may be the one thing you remember about him.  He meets the God of his father and grandfather, through a vision of angels climbing a ladder to heaven.  And though he is deeply affected by the experience, it doesn't change his ways completely.  In Laban, Jacob meets a trickster like himself, who cheats him out of wife, labor, and wealth, though Jacob eventually prevails in all three.
    Finally, Jacob returns to his brother, penitent, finally humbled and aware of the truth of his name, which literally means HEEL, but figuratively meant THE DECEIVER.  In this way, his story teaches us about our own sin and need for forgiveness.  This will grow to be the overall theme of the Bible itself, and that's why Jacobs name is changed to Israel, and his 12 sons and their families give structure to the story up to the end of the Bible.
    Just like with Jacob and Esau, where one is chosen and the other is not, the Genesis story doesn't follow all 12 sons (Jacob also had a daughter named Dinah, but the story doesn't follow her, either) but focuses on one, named Joseph.  Joseph was his fathers favorite, given the multi-colored coat which may represent Jacobs inheretance and property.  Well later read a famous parable of Jesus that features a father and a son that seems lost, one which may be Jesus most famous story, but in Joseph, we see the seed of that story planted.
    You see, though Jacob loves Joseph, the boys brothers don't feel the same way.  They sell him into slavery, and he is sent to Egypt.  There it is discovered that he is able to interpret the Pharaohs dreams, that he is gifted by God so that Egypt can escape the coming years of drought and famine.  He is lifted up from slavery to became second in command in the great land of Egypt.  As the chapters of Genesis move along, the famine becomes so great that an elderly Jacob and the brothers come before Joseph begging for food.  After a time of forgiveness which is like a confused version of the prodigal son story, the family comes to live in the great land of Egypt.
    But all is not well in chapter 50 of Genesis.  As time passes by, the Egyptians who loved the family pass away, and the new generation in power wonders why the family has been allowed to grow so large.  Over a number of years, Abraham's family descends from honor in Egypt into outright slavery.  Next week well talk about the plan God had for them.
    But for this week, let me review and make plainer some of the things we learn from Genesis.  As I said, I believe these stories are seeds, idea-seeds, planted so that later we understand the amazing work of God through Jesus .
    In Jesus, We not only see and thank God for, but even worship the miracle son.  Just like Isaac, born to elderly parents, Jesus is born in unlikely circumstances.  And just like we see on the Mountain of the Lord, but to an even greater level, Jesus is raised from the dead & just like Abraham  in that story, we can learn faith by  trusting God to raise his son from the grave.
    Through the story of Jacob the deceiver we learn the bad news of sinfulness.  Just like Jacob, we too betray others and fear sins consequences, but come to experience forgiveness!  We too feel the power of God changing our nature from deception to praising his name.
    Through Joseph we see a mirror of the prodigal son story we all find ourselves in.  Weve all been that young adult, unknowingly sold into a life of slavery against our wishes.  But our slavery was less literal and more a slavery to sin.  Still we see ourselves sent to Egypt through this story, then reunited with those we thought wed lost forever, but in a new a different relationship.

    And that is what we learn from Genesis.  That is the story oftíhe book of genesis, told from a scenic ridge, far away.  Did we learn everything in the book?  No, of course not.  But we now know the story of what happens there.  In the coming months, well see how the whole story fits together.

Sermons: Why The Cross?

Jesus' Cross: Why?


    You can tell just from hearing the Bible passage read, that Jesus knew what was happening, even was somewhat, somehow at peace about it.  But in the Garden of Gethsemane, even Jesus was full of doubt, full of longing that this not happen.  You'll soon see why.

    I did many different kinds of research about what happened to him, and this evening I'd like to share some of what i found with you.  Note that I said Some.  This is not one of those gruesome sermons, intended to scare you into believing in Jesus.  This is not a bloody passion play.

    However, it is reality that Jesus of Nazareth, in Galilee, died this way, and to fully appreciate the contrast between Good Friday and Easter, we have to look at a few details.  He died for us- the least we can do is look at how.



First, let's talk about the 4 kinds of Crosses:

  • Crux Decussata- in the shape of an X... also called St. Andrew's Cross.
  • Crux Comissa-the T shape.  Also called St. Anthony's cross.  The 2 criminals in The Passion used this type of cross.
  • The more modern Greek cross- known for having equal length pieces...
  • Crux Immissa- upright beam projected about crossbeam- most likely the cross Jesus died on, since the Bible tells us they nailed a message above his head.  Dropped into a hole in the ground after being hoisted up.



The Cross Was...

  • Detested by the Jews  because of  Dt. 21:23- cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree
  • The Romans hated it so much, Roman citizens were exempt from it...considered the death of a slave....The death of treason, sedition, desertion, meant to produce shame.
  • If they are nailed on- A stupefying drink was always given to deaden the agony- this would be the vinegar wine they offer- but Jesus refuses it!  In fact, the suffering was so horrible that even among the raging passions of war, pity was sometimes excited in those watching.
  • The Foot support:   along with the way they were attached eventually asphyxiated the person when they could no longer support weight with their legs.  Hands out posture accomplished this.
  • All the swelling produced an unbelievable headache.
  • The blood and water flowing from His side in John suggests a rupture of the heart.
    So, Why crucifixion?  Why did Jesus have to die in such a horrible way?  For that matter, why did Jesus have to die at all?  From all that we see of him, he seems like the best of human beings.  Gentle and wise, loves children...    Healed the sick, the blind, the deaf.  Why would he, of all people, be killed, and especially, in this way?  Let's talk  about that, about why it happened.



B.  Why it happened



  • He was a challenge to the status quo (as we saw on Palm Sunday)
    *His popularity was growing... weekly.

    *He was a fulfillment of prophecy- and people were realizing this...
  • His views of who was lovable challenged deeply held religious beliefs/societal standards about the clean and unclean.


  • He was the rightful ruler:   the greatest fear of any usurper. Is that what the Sanhedrin was?  Did they think that they were something more than God's chosen leaders of the people, God's servants? 

    Jesus  gives us an example of this in his story/parable about how the master of a house will return to find his servants acting unlike their role.


 (Matt. 24:45-51   Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time?  It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.  I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.
       But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, My master is staying away a long time, and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards.
 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. )

        *But when we think about it, we realize that Jewish leaders aren't alone in this.  Many times in history we see the servants becoming confused, thinking that they are the masters, that they make the rules, not God.    The crusades    ...The Spanish inquisition  ...  Through the church's response to slavery, then civil rights... up through the catholic church's use of Latin only in the mass early in the last century, though none of those attending spoke Latin.  And surely we're not the first generation of the church to think we have no problems, no blind sides.  We're just too close to recognize them yet.

    There's something in our human pride that does not like a challenge to the organization we've set up here on earth... even when that challenge is from our master.  The servants have partied too often while our master was away.




But much more importantly-


  • Jesus was crucified because this was his reason for becoming human, this was the plan from all time.
There are 6 stages of this plan that I'd like us to look at quickly.



  • God is holy.  Completely holy.  And completely just.

  • As such, he cannot tolerate sin.  Not will not, cannot.

  • Sin must be paid for, or in religious language, "atoned" for.  Things must be made equal.  Or God cannot be near us.  Whether by Bull, Lamb, or dove. A Guilt offering. We learn about this aspect of the cross, from an unlikely place:  Isaiah 53:



Isa. 53:5-6   But he was pierced for our transgressions,he was crushed for our iniquities;

the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,and by his wounds we are healed.

  We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.



Isa. 53:10-11   Yet it was the Lord's will to crush my righteous servant and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities


Isaiah speaks of our iniquities, our going astray, like sheep.  This speaks to the next point....



  • We cannot live perfect lives.  We are born into sin.  All have sinned 
Rom. 3:22-24:  There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
  •  Paul speaks of Redemption:  saving from slavery.  God saved Israel from slavery too.

  • The only thing that could pay for the horribleness of sin, was the most horrible death  possible, paid  out to a completely innocent human being.



    Perhaps 1or 2 of you are here tonight because I write a little column for the Journal/Opinion newspaper.  Journalists have 6 steps too- not that I ever remember to use them- The classic questions posed when writing an article are called 'the 5 Ws and an H, symbolizing WHO? WHAT? WHEN? WHERE? WHY? and HOW?  When employed, this way of writing should capture the facts.  Just the facts, Ma'am.

     Who?  Jesus.  What?  Died a death considered shameful, even for criminals  When?  33AD.  About 2000 Years ago.   Why?  For reasons that I've just described to you, he was wounded for our transgressions.  And How?   Innocently, that's how.

    But the most important question of all is not one that journalists often ask.  That's why the songwriter Bruce Cockburn calls the journalistic world "The newsprint nightmare:  a world that never was/ Where the questions are all:" Why? and the answers are all: Because."

    The most important question is, now that you know the answers to these 6 questions, what are you going to do about it?

    I said at the beginning of this sermon that I wasn't going to use the facts of the crucifixion to guilt you or emotionally blackmail you into a relationship with Jesus.  And I won't.  But nevertheless these facts remain.  There was a man from Nazareth, in the Galilee region of Israel.  He claimed to be the one way to heaven.  He lived a saint's life-and more, but died a criminal's shameful  death.  And why?  So that you and I and the pharisees and the Sadducees, and the inquisitors and the crusaders and the Latin-speaking priests could all come before a completely sin hating, completely just God with our heads held high and have a relationship with him.  As I see them, those are the facts.

    And it's not what I'm suggesting for you is like signing up with some crazy cellphone plan where you're locked in.  That's what we're all afraid of with God, isn't it?  That having a relationship with Him, with Jesus, is like joining a cult, and you get hypnotized, you stop being yourself.  That you'd second-guess your choice and then you couldn't get out?

    But that's not the case.  I've been honest with you up to this point, trust me on this too- all you need to do is say, Hello?  Then say, Is someone there ?  And I will guarantee you, you will feel God say, Yes. I've heard it said that for every step you take toward God, he will take 2 steps toward you.

    Will you hear an audible voice?  Probably not.  Will your life drastically improve?  Maybe, maybe not.  That depends how you measure Improvement.  Will you feel euphoria?  Maybe, maybe not.  This is not like signing up for a magazine subscription.  That's why it is called faith, and not business.  The Bible says that faith is 'the belief in things not seen'.    Faith is trusting in that inkling that you feel in your soul that you can't keep quiet.

Revelation Sermons: Ephesus

A Letter To Ephesus

by Rob Kristoff's Writing on Monday, March 14, 2011 at 9:30pm ·
    Have you ever gotten a really great letter?  These days, I guess I'd have to say a really good email, but I'm not sure that's the same thing.  Because I'm not sure you can duplicate seeing the person's handwriting on an envelope, that nice feeling of knowing what's inside.  But have you ever gotten a really great letter?  When someone has really had an insightful line or image that stuck with you?  Maybe news from home, when you were traveling, or away at school?  A really good letter is the next best thing to having the person there with you.  We're going to look at a very powerful letter this morning, from a long time ago.  But first, let me ask you another question.
    Do you have a hero?  A favorite person?  Someone you look up to for one reason or another, that you want to emulate?  We all have different desires, different goals, different ways we wish we could be, so we all have different heroes.... in fact, some of us have multiple heroes, for different areas of their life.  For example, my cycling hero is a racer named Travis Brown.  But I certainly wouldn't look to him for faith advice.  In that realm, I'd say my hero is more like Eugene Peterson, a pastor, professor and author.  When I asked Kathy who her hero is, she told me Martin Luther King Jr. or Elizabeth Cady Stanton.  But I know for a fact that Bono, the singer of the rock band U2, is who she really wishes she could be.
    But what about if we think of our church here?  Could we ever agree on a church hero?  A few weeks ago, I talked  to you about why we sometimes would like to be able to emulate the first century church.  Back then, I said that it isnÕt that there were no problems in the church of that time, just like there are problems for us.  But the church that had the actual disciples of Jesus as its members and pastors, those who were present at the crucifixion of Christ, who saw him after he rose from the dead,  church couldn't help but have some insights for us to look up to.
    In the next weeks, then, we're going to look at a sermon series, not of my own devising, but from the mind of Jesus.  We're going to look at messages, letters, to these churches Jesus delivered  through a vision given to the Apostle John, who was then imprisoned on the island of Patmos.
    The part of the vision we'll look at is a series of messages that Jesus gives to John, to deliver to these churches.  The overall message is that Jesus has been watching what they do.
    Like Pastor Bob was saying  about how God wouldn't break a bent reed, or snuff out a spark...  Like I told our children, when we looked at the cowbell... God sees the fall of every sparrow- and we're much more important to him than sparrows.
    It must have been a shock for them to receive these messages.  Even though they'd been saying in their worship that it was true, that Jesus walked among them, this must have been a startling proof of that.  This could be bad or good news, depending on how they really felt about Him.  Does it startle us to realize that hes watching us just the same?
    Jesus hasn't written one of these letters to us, specifically, but I know that we can learn from his messages, what he wanted for their churches.  And by extension then, what he wants from our church.
    I don't know whether any of you will remember or not, but in the short series I preached when I was first among you here in fairlee,   I also spoke about the Revelation.  And if you've done any reading in that book of the bible, my interest in this book may come as a surprise to you.  But I guess my interest in it comes from the very fact of the book's reputation in Christian circles.  As bible believing Christians, we believe that the whole book is the word of god, capable of drastically improving our lives.  And yet, even when I talk to people who've been a part of the church for years, I'll bring up a passage from say, Habbakuk, or Joel, and those folks will say, What?  Is that a book of the Bible?  The Revelation to John is like that.  The revelation- one revelation.  A good sign of the fact no one ever reads it is the fact that most people call it Revelations- but yes, there's just the one.  Now you know.
    So, let's turn to the book, get a little bit of a feeling for the overall work and the context these messages come to us in, before we dive into specifics.  One of our greatest mistakes in interpreting the Bible can come from trying to simply flip open the Bible and receive a daily nugget of truth.  Certainly the whole Bible is inspired, but that doesn't mean that the things it has to say don't unfold in logical ways, step by step, that depend on one another for their meaning.  In the same way, it would be a mistake to simply begin speaking to you about these verses in  the book without putting them into their place in the overall work.
    First of all, who wrote this book?  The author identifies himself as John.  According to things I read, the evidence overwhelmingly points to this being John, the son of Zebedee and one of the twelve disciples of Jesus.  It was written in his later years.  The same piece of scholarship suggests that most scholars put the date around 90AD-   ­or about 60 years after Christ's resurrection.
    The verses we are going to look at both today and in the immediate future, occur fairly early in the book.  They are the first of many Sevens in the book.  Letters to the seven churches, followed by the opening of seven seals, the blowing of seven trumpets, and the pouring of seven bowls.
    The reason this may sound strange to you, indeed, the reason the Revelation has always been viewed as somewhat strange, revolves around the fact that it is a type of literature called Apocalyptic.   Apocalypse can also mean unveiling.     This form of writing is not literal, but in fact is highly symbolic.. or veiled.  It's a little bit like algebra.  X  is not the letter itself, or algebra would be a mixing of letters and math.  No, the X stands for a concept, for a number to be determined, and has to be conceived that way.  The Revelation to John is the same way.
    The book begins:  The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testifies to everything he saw That is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.
    So it is a revealing, unveiled by Jesus, given to Him by God the Father.  He made it known by sending an angel to John, his disciple.
    John says quite plainly the circumstances into which this revelation came a little later, in verse 9:    I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was o  n the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.    On the Lord's Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet,   which said: Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea. I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lamp stands,  and among the lamp stands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe   reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest.

    The book is in the first person, which is odd to begin with, and John tells us that he was on the island of Patmos, because of the word and the testimony.  He was in fact imprisoned on the island, which was a Roman prison.  This island is about 50 miles off the coast of what is now Turkey.  John was eventually released from Patmos, around 96AD.  These verses are important not only because of the context they give us, explaining what John is doing on the island, but also because they introduce the major themes of the whole book:  The suffering Christians undergo, the coming kingdom of God, and the rewards that patient endurance in the faith will bring.
    Secondly, from these verses we're given the list of the churches to whom this revelation will be sent.  These places are all about fifty miles apart and occur in a clockwise circle starting with Ephesus.  All of this takes place in what is called Asia in the book and would now be called Western Turkey.
    And then John's revelation begins.  He has told us that it was the Lords day, and he was in the spirit.  He is worshiping God on the sabbath, and the fact that he is In the spirit tells us that this was a vision he had, not a dream that he had during normal sleep.  He heard a voice speaking, turned around, and saw an angel, walking among seven lamp stands.  These lamp stands represent the churches he is writing this for.
    Well, this book is simply dense with things to explain, and if you're   like me, you live for unraveling the symbols, but we'd be here all month looking at them all.  Suffice to say, it is not simply an angel that comes to him, but the risen Christ himself.  He tells John the interpretation of what hes seen so far.  These lamp stands are churches, which he oversees, via seven angels which guard them.  And he has a message for each of them.
    It is these messages which we'll be looking at, this week, and in the coming weeks.  Today, we begin with the message to the church in Ephesus.  Yes, the same Ephesus, to whom Paul wrote the letter that is known to us as simply Ephesians-- one of the books of the Bible.
    Ephesus, one of the great cities of the ancient world.  By far the largest city mentioned in these seven letters.  Ephesus was known as the Temple Warden, a reference to the large temple to the goddess Artemis, also known as Diana.  You'll remember that in the letter of Paul, he was nearly killed in a riot, when the silversmiths of Ephesus thought he was ruining their trade.    A huge mob shouted Great is Artemis of the Ephesians in the 19th chapter of Acts.  The center of this Temple of Artemis was something known as the Tree of Artemis.  We don't need to get too worried about what this tree stood for in their religion, but as we'll see at the end of the passage, Jesus was well aware of the tree. 
    Here again, then, is what Jesus has to say to them:  These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden  lamp stands: I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false.  You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.  Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.  Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lamp stand from its place.
    But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.   He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
    To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

    The first thing we notice is the introduction, the way Jesus prefaces what he is about to say.  He describes himself as the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand, and walks among the seven gold lamp stands.  The stars represent the angels leading the seven churches.  The lamp stands represent the churches themselves.  Scholars are divided as to whether these Angels are actual angels who watch over the churches, whether this is just a way of describing the earthly leaders, the pastors, of the churches, or whether these Angels are simply a personification of the prevailing spirit of each church.  Going on the assumption of the first two, then, what hes doing is reminding them that HE in fact, holds the leaders of the churches close to him.  As well as reminding them that he is walking amongst their seven churches.  As I said earlier, a reminder that he is indeed intimately acquainted with the church, both theirs and ours.
    It is  with that reminder, then, that  he transitions to the message he has for them:  I know your deeds, your hard work, your perseverance.  He begins by noticing positives, and we can learn from even that.  He mentions their intolerance of false teachers, and commends that as well.      But this message isn't what we used to call in college a ÔSunshine NoteÕ.  He isn't just writing to tell them this, but to correct their errors.  I hold this against you, he says, ÔYou have forsaken your first love.  Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.Õ  They don't pursue their faith in the way they did at first.  Is this love their love for one another?  For the church?  For him?  We aren't told, but we can assume that the Ephesians know what he meant!  These things that they did in the earlier days of the church were a Height, from which they've now fallen.
    I think I can understand what Jesus is telling them.  And IÕd like to share that thought with you:  As I look around at many traditional churches,  I see the church used more like an attic than like a holy place.  I see traditions that aren't being passed down, so that in some churches they don't even know what some of the parts of the church are for.  I've told you before, my feelings about tradition:  I think rituals-- and by that I simply mean things that we do each week- are  a wonderful thing, provided they are alive and vibrant.
    Some churches have a building like ours and history like ours, and just wish that they could trade it in.  They wish they could just meet in a brand new building- and maybe for them, that works.
    But I think a better option, I think the option Jesus calls us to here in Fairlee, is for us to strive to revitalize those traditional ways of doing things that have fallen into disuse. To strive to make them our own.   Some of them got dusty because they didnÕt work, and weÕll just have to thank them for their service and leave them to the sands of time.  But other traditions simply became forgotten because of circumstances, and those we should dust off, and enjoy.
    IÕve noticed in talking to various people since I arrived here in Fairlee, even before, in fact, that there were a lot of things this church did in the past.  Whether this meant dinners we once had, or plants that once grew at the church, they said something like  Ò Òwe used to do that, but lately....Ó  and they sort of became lost in thought.
    What they mean by that nonverbal communication, of course, is that they donÕt understand why that has happened.  Why the church doesn't do these things anymore.  And why should they?  It shouldnÕt have happened!
    But hindsight is 20/20, they say.  And of course, there ARE reasons why these things have fallen into dis-use.
    But as in JesusÕ message to the Ephesians, I say that this year, we make it our goal to remember our first love, the things we did at first. To not be an attic of old times, of what they used to do.  Instead, letÕs each live this year to proudly carry on being the church those people once envisioned.  The church they worked to carry into the future.
    So that next year, we donÕt look back on times ten, twenty, or fifty years ago, but on 2005, as the year when big things happened here, as the year when the biggest events in our churchÕs history unfolded.
    Now, we   canÕt do that right away, I donÕt think.  But we can make it a goal.  To not be Ògood for nowÓ or Ògood under the circumstancesÓ, but GOOD.
    So thatÕs my description of what Jesus is saying here.  My description of what many churches might call REVIVAL.   And isnÕt that what God is in the business of doing?  Of giving second chances, of restoring fresh spring where there once was the finality of winter?

    LetÕs return, though, back to JohnÕs time.  Back to this message that Jesus is giving the Ephesians:  He has prefaced his remarks, he has told them what good he has seen, and he has told them the bad.  But lest they only remember the bad, he continues:  ÒBut you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.Ó  Whoa.  The nico-what?     who is that?
    The Nicolatians are a sect of the early church which was found to be heretical.  They had worked out a compromise with pagan society.  They taught that spiritual liberty gave them enough wiggle room to practice idolatry and immorality.  These then, mightÕve been those that Paul referred to when he wrote the famous question to the Roman church, ÒShould we go on sinning that grace may increase?Ó
    The people of Ephesus seem to have had no problem condemning false teachers and sects.  Their problem wasnÕt that, but the fact that theyÕd lost their first love.  They may have become more interested in judging others than in examining their own souls.  More excited to find fault than to find the freedom Christ gave from their own sin.  This seems to be the reason for the words commanding them to Ôdo the things they did at firstÕ.  Christian acts neccesarily relate to people, usually.  Certainly the lesson is clear to us:  condemn what Jesus condemns.  But leave the judging to him, and instead, spend   your energy on your own relationship with Him!
    I told you that Jesus prefaced this message.  In fact, he will go on to preface each message, with an introduction appropriate to that church.  He will also end in a similar formula.  LetÕs look at it:  ÒHe who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.Ó  In each of these messages, he will repeat that first sentence, and change what he offers to be appropriate to each church.  In this case, He offers the right to eat from the tree of life.  The tree of Artemis, the symbol of Ephesus, is referred to in JesusÕ words here.  If they continue to choose Jehovah God over Artemis and all she represents about secular society, then they will be privy to an even greater tree-- the tree of life in heaven.
    So thatÕs the first of these 7 letters.  I think we can learn quite a bit from each of them, about Bible times, about the beginnings of the Chris  ÿtian church, and then, the most important thing, how those first two can change our life here and now.
    From ChristÕs message to the Ephesians, we learn that we all have things we must endure.  Because of our fallenness, we all must overcome the world around us.  Life is not easy when we try to be more like Christ.  He had to carry a cross, and he tells us that we will, as well.  Probably not physically, but in spirit.
    For the Ephesians, that meant loving others, in spite of their sin.  It meant that they needed to be less concerned with how others did or didnÕt follow God, less concerned with judging, and more concerned with their own walk with Christ... more concerned with loving.
    What does this message mean to us?  Are we like the people Jesus is talki  ~ng to here?  More interested in how weÕre different from unchurched people we know, than how weÕre similar?  Do we find ourselves impatient with their spiritual life?  If so, Jesus has a message for us:   return to your first love, to the things you did before.  When weÕd just come to faith ourselves.  When we were anxious to share what weÕd found.  When we considered ourselves just like them, except for this one thing weÕd discovered.
    If weÕll do this, if weÕll overcome, as Christ says, weÕll have our life, but more abundantly than we ever imagined.  For the Ephesians, he phrased it that theyÕd have a holy tree all right- the tree of life, in Heaven.  What would he say to us?  What is our choice?
    I pray that each of us, in his or her quiet time today, will be able to consider that question for themselves.  Am I judging them?  Or loving them and leaving the judging to God?  Am I   Üchoosing the Tree of Artemis, or the tree of life?
    Because, when you sit down and think about it, maybe the choice is that simple.  Pray with me.....
Lord God, show us which we choose, the tree of artemis, or the tree of life.
Show us whether we go along with societyÕs whims, or choose to take up our cross- the overcoming, enduring way which means following you.
Help us to choose rightly, Lord.
Like the father in MarkÕs Gospel, we declare Lord, that we do believe, as much as we can, but we ask you to help us to always be shrinking our Unbelief.
We desire to be yours, Lord.  Help us.

modern ancient ruins in Ephesus...

Revelation Sermons: Smyrna

A Letter To Smyrna


    Usually, traditionally, a pastor will start out their sermon with a joke, a story, some sort of introduction that gently introduces the concept  to be covered that week.  And that was my intention as well.  I planned to talk about my new-found  love of birds, about how I'd planned to get ahold of a bird feeder, how I'd made the trip to VINS in Queechee, and how that ties into the city that we'll read about this week.  A city, a church, of Christians who were not strangers to suffering for the gospel, a church to whom Jesus message is not only that hes seen the suffering they undergo, but that more suffering is coming.
    That was my plan.  But as the week went on, and the number of people lost in Asia rose and rose, that began to feel less and less the right thing to do, began to feel like I was avoiding the tiger sitting in the corner of the room.
    When we talk about suffering, about destruction and rebuilding, which the city of Smyrna did go though- after the city was completely destroyed in 600 BC.- we have to talk about the tsunami, about what's happening in our world.
    The city we'll look at this morning does offer a subtle message of hope.  As I said, it was completely destroyed, but rebuilt itself.  For this reason, it was symbolized in the ancient world by a phoenix- a beautiful bird that, according to legend, dies in flames, only to rise up out of the ashes of seeming destruction, as a fresh young chick.  What a great image of hope.
    But before we get into that, let me just say this about what's happening in Asia right now.  Since this was a natural disaster, people will soon ask me, probably will ask you too, how did God allow this to happen?  If hes so powerful, why didn't he stop this?
    I have no answer to that question.  I simply don't.  But I do have a few things for us all to think about in responding to these questions.
    First, is it God's fault that there was no warning system for the Indian Ocean, as there is for the Pacific?  Couldn't it be that God in fact inspired that system, and human agents chose to not use it in that area of the world?
    Secondly, the Bible tells us, in  Rom. 8 that The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed.  For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.  What I understand this as meaning, is that through original sin, the Fall of Adam and Eve, decay, not-rightness, entered the whole world.  That is why we seem to have a fatal flaw in our hearts, and that may be why creation acts the way it does as well.
    Lastly, Jesus was once asked a similar question- about two instances, one in which people had been killed while making sacrifices, another in which people had died when a tower fell on them- His response was:  Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way?  I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them Do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem?  I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.
    Just last week, I told you all how hazardous it is to simply quote a passage without context, but I will hazard it.  Jesus answer isn't that those who died werenÕt important, but rather, to ask why the people ask the question.  Mourn those who were lost, yes, but the best way to honor them is to live your life in a better way because you've learned through their loss.
    Life itself is a hazardous proposition- those people in Asia knew that the same way we do.  Anything could and can happen.  But to respect life while you are a part of it, to care for those in need, whether they live around the world or across the street, does honor to their lives and their loss.
    To consider your own mortality, and therefore to live a more compassionate life, a life more thoughtful of your soul's destiny, does honor to their loss.  Questioning and cynicism don't help anyone, don't honor anyone.   It's understandable to be confused or shocked, but I'm afraid that the people who choose that reaction are concerned about something else, are using this disaster as a distraction for other questions they have to answer for themselves.
    I hope I've helped your thinking about this in some small way, but for now, let's turn to our Biblical passage for this morning.  As I've said, the phoenix was also the way that people in the ancient world pictured the city of Smyrna, the church we'll look at this week.  It was a prosperous port city, not unlike the picture you might have of sophisticated, worldly, and busy ocean ports like New York City or San Francisco.
    So the phoenix represented Smyrna, the way the tree of Artemis symbolized Ephesus.  There might've been some irony in this symbol for the Christians in Smyrna, however, as we'll see now, by turning to today's text.  It begins:
 To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again.
    As I said last time, Jesus uses this part of every church's message as a place for reassurance, or for correction, whichever he feels a particular church needs to hear.  He introduces himself, then, in light of the part of himself that most applies.  That is, he does what any of us would do.  If you have skills as an auto mechanic and find someone broken down on the road, you introduce yourself that way-- Hi, I'm a mechanic, how can I help?  If you're a doctor, and see someone having health problems you say quickly, I'm a doctor.  If you see something bad happening, though, you'd speak with more force.  If you are an off duty police officer, and you see a crime being committed, you say, Stop, Police.
    Jesus, then, introduces himself in the same manner.  For Ephesus, who was judgmental and having problems loving, he reminds them of his power over them, that he holds the churches in his hand, that He constantly walks among them.  To those in Smyrna, who as we'll see are under persecution, he gives a reminder that he existed at the beginning-the first- and he'll be there at the end- the last.  He reminds them that he has indeed defeated death, something that may soon be a very real possibility for them.   The text continues:
I know your afflictions and your poverty Yet, you are rich!  I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.
Again, the Lord is here reminding these early Christians that he is among them and intimately acquainted with the situation.  Unlike his message to the Ephesians, where he used similar sentiments, in this case the statement is one of comfort.  They are not alone in resisting the Jews of Smyrna or the State Religion of Emperor Worship.  No, he sees what is being done to them.       
    These afflictions, this poverty, is most likely a direct result of their faith.  This was not a popular or easy choice in their city.  Smyrna was closely aligned with Rome, and with the Roman Empire, and as such, there was great societal pressure to be a part of the Emperor Cult, the state religion of worshiping the head of the Roman empire.
    There was also a history of Jewish bitterness toward Christians in this city.  It is referred to by many Christian writers. The bishop of Smyrna, Polycarp, was martyred in 160AD, about 70 years after this letter, for resisting the state religion,  and as part of that martyrdom, he was called a Puller down of our gods by the Jews of Smyrna.  So we can well imagine the relationship that led to his death was well underway at the time of this writing.
    The use of the name Satan here is significant.  This word is from Hebrew and means The accuser... that is why these Jews are referred to as Synagogues of Satan.  Since he is referring to Jews, even though they're Jews by name only, Hebrew, the language of the Jewish scriptures, is used.  It is important to notice that Jesus points out that these are not in fact Jewish believers.  Their Jewishness is only an act, a distraction from who it is they really follow.  I'm quite sure that this and passages like this have been used over the years by anti-Semitic groups.  That use of this verse is completely unjustifiable, completely unfounded.
Jesus continues:
Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil (Gk, diabolos, accuser) will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.

    In light of what hes told them then Jesus asks the Christians of Smyrna not to be afraid.  He who is telling them this, is the author of life.  He sees what is happening to them.  He knows what is coming.  They are not abandoned, but watched and cared for.  It is not they who are in the wrong, but these Counterfeit Jews.
    Having referred to the enemy as Satan to highlight the False Jews, he reminds them that it is not really their neighbors they're battling against.  They are only pawns, only tools of the greater enemy (as all of us are, to him).  It is the devil who is persecuting them.  Here he calls him devil, a translation of the Greek name diabolos- again meaning, The accuser.  They are being accused by these neighbors who are only tools of the great accuser.
    He tells them that a time of testing is coming, so that they can prepare.  Be faithful he says, and you'll be given the crown of life.
    This crown was explained in numerous places I looked to not mean a royal crown, but rather, a victor's wreath, likely a laurel wreath is envisioned, a victor's wreath like athletes would receive.  This is no ordinary wreath, but the victor's wreath of eternal life.  Again, Christ is giving perspective.  Yes, you may make the ultimate sacrifice- hes saying- but like an athlete who makes great sacrifices in his own way, you'll win a great victory.  You give your life on earth, but you get eternal life in a better place.
    These are poignant verses, particularly in today's climate of violence and terrorism.  Yes, He knows and cares about what is coming for these Christians, but Jesus tenderly and lovingly, like a parent, prepares them for these events with obvious love and care.  He puts things into perspective, he reminds them that He is aware of whats happening, directs their gaze away from the pain of the near future and onto of the greater victory in store for them.
He finishes, then, with these words:
He who has an ear, let him hear what   the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.

    This is the standard ending for these messages.  He who has spiritual ears, an ability to understand, listen!  The one who overcomes... won't be hurt as a result of God's final judgment.  This is a reminder that these people around the Smyrna Christians can kill the body, but God is in charge of the eternal life of souls.  A much longer time, a more important proposition.
    You may be hurt by the mortal death, he assures them, but THEY will be hurt more- and you not at all- by the second death, that is to say, God's judgment.

    Sadly, this kind of persecution wasn't just something that happened back then-  it's also a trial that churches in the world right now go through-  today, there are people who are in jail simply because they are Christians.  And they are throughout the world, including in modern day Turkey, where Smyrna was located.  If you're interested in finding out more about this, about how you could  help people like that, how you could communicate with them and give them encouragement, let me know and I'll try to steer you to those who know more about it than I do.

     Which brings us back to us, here in our church building on January 9th.  What should this make you and I do?  Are we in danger like they were?  Not really.  So what, then?  Do we just disregard this message?
    I have to tell you, which may be plain common sense, but studying this stuff can get you kinda tangled sometimes-  I don't know exactly how you should apply these words to your lives.    I don't know enough about each of you to tell  you that.  And anyway, you'll make that decision yourself.  But what I can do is tell you how I'm affected by this message.
    For me, this brings to my mind that there are Christians like this in the world.  People who are in such imminent danger that they need consolation.  These verses make me question what I can- or must- do for them.
    Unfortunately, even though I know the hope and deliverance of faith , my life is still motivated too often by guilt, and too seldom by love.  So part of what I get from these verses is fear- am I guilty if I don't help people like these people?
    However, I also take from this message, that Jesus is not living in a castle far out in the middle of nowhere.  For some reason, ever since I was a small child, I've had that picture of where God lives, of heaven I suppose.  Honestly.  But these verses show us that this is simply not true.  He is here, with us.  He isn't a bureaucrat, reading long boring reports about each of our churches.  Rather, he is intimately involved with what we do.  That gives me a great surge of hope, and I hope it does the same for you.  We aren't alone, but we have Jesus here with us.  We may feel alone, but heaven is intimately aware of what happens in Fairlee, Vermont.  It brings to mind the verses that tell us that there is joy in heaven when one sinner repents.  These things feel small to us, but there is a place, there is a God here among us, for whom our actions as a church have immense significance.
    That makes me feel a lot better.  And I hope these verses lift your heart, as well.