The Earthquake and Tsunami That Stunned Europe
Luke 13: 1-9
Third Sunday in Lent
March 7, 2010
If today’s sermon seems too serious or too morbid, please bear with me. During the season of Lent, the Scripture readings are very serious and people in today’s culture would consider the Scripture themes dark. But for those who trust in Christ, no matter how bleak a subject matter is, there is always the light and life of Jesus and His Easter Resurrection that predominates. With that said, let us proceed.
We don’t ordinarily associate earthquakes and tsunamis with Europe. Earthquakes and tsunamis take place in Indonesia, Japan and Chile, not Europe. But there was a gigantic trembler which occurred in Europe which shattered the whole continent, not so much physically but psychologically, philosophically, and spiritually. Many bright and intellectual scholars say that Europe was never the same after the Lisbon earthquake.
How Europeans responded to this earthquake and tsunami is related to the message Jesus shared in this morning’s third Scripture reading from Luke 13.
Background
At the time of Jesus, there were at least two devastating events that people often talked about. They were not earthquakes but they were alarming for the region around the Sea of Galilee. One horrific event was the time when Governor Pontus Pilate put to death a number of Jewish patriots and mixed their blood with the blood of the animals offered as sacrifices to God. The other fatal event took place when a tower of stones fell killing 18 people in a section of Jerusalem called Siloam.
Apparently one of the major beliefs among the people was that the persons who died must have been really bad sinners or such an atrocious event would not have befallen them.
Jesus then goes on to explain that this was not the case. The people who died at the hands of the brutal Pontius Pilate and in the collapse of the building in Siloam were no greater sinners than anyone else.
Now back to the largest earthquake and tsunami on record to hit Europe.
The Largest Earthquake in Europe
Of the 20 most powerful earthquakes ever recorded in the world, Europe has only one, and that took place in Lisbon, Portugal on All Saints Day, the day after Halloween, November 1 in 1755 about 20 years before the birth of the U.S.A.
At about 10 am an estimated 8.7 magnitude earthquake struck the city of Lisbon, Portugal. An 8.7 is about the same size as last Friday’s earthquake in Chile. Because in those days before electricity, even at 10 am in the morning people had their fireplaces on or maybe even their oil burning lamps in dark rooms, and so when an earthquake strikes lanterns fall or wood burning stoves topple and fires start. Fires raged through Lisbon and so people fled to the ocean where there is lots of water and therefore would be protection from the fire. Except when people ran to the ocean, a series of huge tsunamis hit and thousands drowned. No one knows for sure how many died from the earthquake, fire and tsunamis. The low estimate is 10,000 but most historians say it was between 50,00 to 80,000.
All of Europe was in shock over what happened in Lisbon.
Considered by many to be one of the smartest persons in all of Europe at that time, a fellow by the name of Voltaire from France, was just stupified by the Lisbon earthquake and tsunams. He could not get over the loss of innocent lives.
How did people especially scary smart people respond to the Lisbon earthquake?
Their lessened their faith in God.
They became more cynical and embittered with God. Isaac Newton-trust nature and universe, Leibnitz “the future is so bright that we will need to wear sunglasses” France “tout est bien” philosophy “everything is good” (it’s all good—a phrase that was used 10 years ago)
They questioned God’s fairness and God’s power.
Based on the Word of God, not on human reasoning and not even on the most brilliant philosophical minds, this is how we look upon disaster.
1. Victims of disaster are no worse sinners than you and I.
Regarding the casualties of Herod’s executions, Jesus says in Luke 13:2,
“Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered in this way?”
Regarding the casualties of the tower that fell in Siloam, Jesus says in Luke 13:4,
“. . . Do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem?”
2. When disasters like an earthquake or atrocities like 911 occur, based on the word of God, there are two outcomes.
For the believer in Christ, the disaster or atrocity is the way God calls His good and faithful servant home to heaven.
For the person who rejects Christ, the disaster or atrocity is the way God brings about judgment.
In today’s reading from Luke 13: 6-9, Jesus tells the parable of a property owner who has a fig tree planted. But like some tangerine and mango trees in Waikoloa, the fig tree after it had matured did not bear fruit for three consecutive seasons. The property owner is fed up and so he says to his worker to cut down the tree. The hired hand says, “No, give the tree one more year. I’ll fertilize it and nurture it. However, if nothing happens after one year, you can cut the tree down.”
When any disaster occurs, for some or many, this event truly was a judgment. They were given their time to repent and produce figs. God is fair.
Yet we are not the judge. We do not know and don’t need to know who were those who were given their summons. We also need to remember that there may be some or many for whom the disaster or atrocity was not a judgment. In God’s unexplainable will, the disaster or atrocity was the means by which God calls the servant in Christ to heaven.
Jesus never says in today’s reading from Luke 13 that only the evil persons are casualties in a disaster or atrocity.
Yes, he does say that horrible events can be a judgment for unrepentant sinners, but he doesn’t say that only unrepentant sinners die in such calamities. In other words, there may be faithful and genuine persons who die in tragedies or brutalities.
God though is still fair. Those who trust in Christ are not condemned. They die but are not cast out. Just the opposite. They are embraced into His Kingdom.
Hence, this gives us hope when we have loved ones who lose their lives in crimes, accidents, or disasters. God is just and for the sake of the servant Jesus Christ who pleads for every fig tree, the faithful in Christ have a peaceful future. For them it is truly “tout est bien.” Everything is good.
Conclusion
The All Saints Day Earthquake in Lisbon in 1755 soured the spirits and minds of many Europeans. We pray that no earthquake, no terroristic attack, no traffic accident, or no medical condition will ever cause us to be surly and skeptical of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We trust in our good and all powerful Lord who takes no delight in the death of anyone but would rather give life to all through His Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Majority Doesn't Always Rule
Majority Doesn’t Always Rule
Jeremiah 26: 8-15
Second Sunday in Lent
February 28, 2010
Like all or at least most of us here this morning, I firmly believe that democracy is the best form of government whether it be in running a nation, state, county, church, Lions Club or Cat Lovers Society. Faulty as it may be and considering all the alternatives, making decisions based on majority rule is the fairest and most effective way to get things done.
In general a majority of people in any proper sampling get it right most of the time. About 10 or maybe it’s been 15 years ago before or around the time of Survivor and definitely before American Idol anyway, there was a television show called “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.” In that show, if a contestant was stumped, he or had a lifeline. She or he could “Ask The Audience” or “Ask A Friend” for help. According to Yahoo, the audience was right 92% of the time. Ask a friend was right 66% of the time. Someone commented that the reason for the high accuracy rate for the audience was that contestants called upon the audiences in the early stages of the game when questions were less difficult. In any event the majority of people in the audience usually knew the answer.
Yes, I too agree that a majority of people can be relied upon. For many things I go along with the majority. Along with a majority of people whom I have spoken to, the Civil Defense was right yesterday in enforcing evacuations for the tsunami even though the tsunami was a tiny one. I go along with a majority of people who say that UFO alien sightings are a hoax.
Yet there are some matters where the majority are wrong, and in this morning’s Scripture lessons we read of instances where the majority was incorrect. Let’s focus if you will on the first reading from Jeremiah chapter 26.
Here’s a little background of this reading.
Setting
Jeremiah lived around 600 years before the birth of Christ. At the time of Jeremiah, the nation we today call Iraq dominated Israel. In 721 BC troops from northern Iraq called Assyria back then swooped down and conquered three fourths of Israel. A hundred yeas later troops from central Iraq called Babylon took over the final fourth of Israel still standing.
Jeremiah 26: 8-15
Second Sunday in Lent
February 28, 2010
Like all or at least most of us here this morning, I firmly believe that democracy is the best form of government whether it be in running a nation, state, county, church, Lions Club or Cat Lovers Society. Faulty as it may be and considering all the alternatives, making decisions based on majority rule is the fairest and most effective way to get things done.
In general a majority of people in any proper sampling get it right most of the time. About 10 or maybe it’s been 15 years ago before or around the time of Survivor and definitely before American Idol anyway, there was a television show called “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.” In that show, if a contestant was stumped, he or had a lifeline. She or he could “Ask The Audience” or “Ask A Friend” for help. According to Yahoo, the audience was right 92% of the time. Ask a friend was right 66% of the time. Someone commented that the reason for the high accuracy rate for the audience was that contestants called upon the audiences in the early stages of the game when questions were less difficult. In any event the majority of people in the audience usually knew the answer.
Yes, I too agree that a majority of people can be relied upon. For many things I go along with the majority. Along with a majority of people whom I have spoken to, the Civil Defense was right yesterday in enforcing evacuations for the tsunami even though the tsunami was a tiny one. I go along with a majority of people who say that UFO alien sightings are a hoax.
Yet there are some matters where the majority are wrong, and in this morning’s Scripture lessons we read of instances where the majority was incorrect. Let’s focus if you will on the first reading from Jeremiah chapter 26.
Here’s a little background of this reading.
Setting
Jeremiah lived around 600 years before the birth of Christ. At the time of Jeremiah, the nation we today call Iraq dominated Israel. In 721 BC troops from northern Iraq called Assyria back then swooped down and conquered three fourths of Israel. A hundred yeas later troops from central Iraq called Babylon took over the final fourth of Israel still standing.
The Big Catch - Not For A Touchdown, But Fish
The Big Catch
Luke 5: 1-11
5th Sunday after the Epiphany
February 7, 2010
Today is the biggest day of the year for two cities, New Orleans and Indianapolis. More huge than Mardi Gras or the Indy 500.
A colossal event took place, too, in today’s Scripture reading from Luke chapter 5. For a commercial fisherman named Peter, something more exciting than the Super Bowl took place in his life. He had a catch of fish that was probably record breaking for a boat his size.
Before we look at his miraculous catch, here is a little background of this event.
Setting
Jesus has been a full time rabbi for about a year. He hasn’t recruited many disciples yet. In fact, he at the time when Luke 5 takes place, Jesus only may have had Matthew on board. Others had still not fully made the commitment to give up all things in order to be a disciple of Jesus.
Jesus concentrates his work in Northern Israel especially in the region around the Sea of Galilee which is really a lake.
Lake Galilee is not as big as Lake Michigan or Lake Superior, but it’s not a pond either. It is eight miles wide east to west---from here to the Waikoloa Resort hotels on the shoreline and 13 miles long north to south—from here to Hapuna Beach.
Back in Jesus’ time, the Jewish historian Josephus wrote that the Lake of Galilee supported a thriving fishing business. Josephus recorded that there 230 fishing boats that worked the waters of Galilee. One of those boats was Simon Peter’s.
Lake Galilee has 23 varieties of fish of which the most sought after are the fresh water sardines and tilapia which looks like a bluegill.
We don’t know what kind of fish Simon Peter caught with Jesus on board, but there surely was a mess of them.
This then brings us to a few points from Luke 5.
Sometimes A Fishing Boat Is Not Just For Fishing
Please turn to Luke 5: 1 – 3.
“On one occcasion, while the crowd was pressing in on Jesus to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat.”
Only Jesus could do this. A whole crowd of people are pushing in on him, and so he sees two boats, but instead of asking permission first to get into the boat, he jumps right on one of them, and then asks the owner Peter to take him a little offshore so that he can speak to the people without them stampeding over him.
Try that at Kona’s Honokahau Boat Harbor and see what kind of reaction you get. The probability that the captain or owner of the boat will throw you overboard is very high unless you knew the owner very well. In Jesus’ case, he was acquainted with Peter or Jesus was of course the Son of God and He knew Peter would oblige.
Either way Peter’s fishing boat becomes a speaker’s platform for Jesus. Christ doesn’t always create things out of thin air to do his work. He could, but he chooses rather to use “fishing boats” for purposes other than for fishing. He often uses what has already been created by Him. He is the ultimate recycler.
The lesson for us is that we may have a car for our own personal use, but Christ may jump into it one afternoon and say, “Drive this car to visit your friend who is going through a rough time.”
We may rent or own a house and one day Jesus pops in and says, “Invite one of your neighbors over. I want to have a talk with her or him, and you are going to be my spokesperson.”
We may have a cubicle or office at the place we work and one morning Jesus drops in and says, “Call over one of your fellow employees over here. He or she is under acute stress, and you need to talk to him or her.”
We all have “fishing boats” and don’t be surprised when Jesus jumps right in it and says put it out a little from land so I can do some work.
Work All Night With Nothing To Show
Please follow along with Luke 5: 4
“And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.’ And Simon answered, ‘Master, we toiled all night and took nothing!”
Some of us can relate to Simon. We may have worked on our marriage for decades only to end up with nothing. We may have toiled for 40 years at our job only to be laid off. We may have labored for years in raising our children into adulthood only to see them wander away from the values we stand for.
Working all night and having nothing to show is a symptom of the human condition. Because sin has infiltrated every component of life, there are constant obstacles and interferences to overcome.
Jesus understood the frustration of not getting results. He worked for three and half years as a rabbi to teach the people of Israel the word of God and how he was the fulfillment of it. Many at first received his teaching with open hearts, but then most of his followers deserted him, including his own 12 disciples when he was died on the cross.
Yet He triumphed on Easter Sunday which gives us reason to have hope when all our efforts into our relationships, our jobs, or our health all seem to sum up to zero. Because Christ ultimately was victorious, there is at least one thing that we can be certain of and that is his love and everlasting blessings which begin right here on earth.
Faith To Do What Seems So Worthless
Please refer to Luke 5:5.
“And Simon answered, ‘Master, we toiled all night and took nothing. But at your word I will let down the nets.”
Those who fish with nets in Lake Galilee say that the worst time to set your nets is in broad daylight when the nets are easily visible. The best time is on a moonless night when it is darkest.
Yet Jesus says to Simon Peter to set his net down in the brightness of the day. The likelihood of catching even one fish was next to impossible.
Simon Peter in faith obeys Christ’s command and behold a massive school of fish swim right into his net. There is more fish than Simon’s boat can handle and so he yells for James and John to bring their boat to help him. When they arrive and unload the fish, both of their boats begin sinking because of the poundage of fish.
A typical boat at that time was about 15 feet long. Maybe 15 adults in a small boat like that would cause the boat to sink. 15 times an average of 150 pounds equals 2,250 pounds. That’s about 1 ton. Two boats sinking. That’s one ton in each both. That’s a lot of Filet of Fish.
Sometimes God asks us to do things that seem worthless and unproductive such as saying good morning to a person at work who is trying to get us fired. Or helping the needy when we ourselves are in need. Or not giving up in praying for a friend who doesn’t believe in Jesus.
In situations like these we ask the Holy Spirit to grant us faith to respond as Peter did who said, “But at your word, I will let down the nets.”
When God Assigns Us A Task, He Gives Us The Resources
Please ponder upon Luke 5:11.
“And when they [Peter, James and John] had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.”
Peter, James and John retired from their fishing careers in glory. They left their nets and their boats holding probably the lake’s record for most fish caught in their boat size category.
A number of Bible scholars have noted that the money which Simon Peter, James and John made from their catch of around 2 tons of fish probably eased some of the financial obligations they had.
With money made from the catch. they may not have had to say to Jesus, “I’ve got a loan to pay on my boat. I’ve got some relatives who are going to need some adjustment time to get financial help since I won’t be fishing anymore.”
Some of us during this economic times are praying, “Lord, I want to share with others. I want to volunteer more. But I am stretched to the limit now.”
Be assured that if the Lord is assigning us to do specific tasks, he will provide the means. He did so for Peter, James and John.
The Great Catch Is A Signal
The amazing catch of fish that almost sunk two boats is just a hint of the great catch that is going on in the world today as Christians all over the world are being caught by the Holy Spirit and coming to saving faith in Jesus Christ. We ask that God would give us the excitement in being part of this catch as we carry out our chores in the lake that God has place us in.
In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Luke 5: 1-11
5th Sunday after the Epiphany
February 7, 2010
Today is the biggest day of the year for two cities, New Orleans and Indianapolis. More huge than Mardi Gras or the Indy 500.
A colossal event took place, too, in today’s Scripture reading from Luke chapter 5. For a commercial fisherman named Peter, something more exciting than the Super Bowl took place in his life. He had a catch of fish that was probably record breaking for a boat his size.
Before we look at his miraculous catch, here is a little background of this event.
Setting
Jesus has been a full time rabbi for about a year. He hasn’t recruited many disciples yet. In fact, he at the time when Luke 5 takes place, Jesus only may have had Matthew on board. Others had still not fully made the commitment to give up all things in order to be a disciple of Jesus.
Jesus concentrates his work in Northern Israel especially in the region around the Sea of Galilee which is really a lake.
Lake Galilee is not as big as Lake Michigan or Lake Superior, but it’s not a pond either. It is eight miles wide east to west---from here to the Waikoloa Resort hotels on the shoreline and 13 miles long north to south—from here to Hapuna Beach.
Back in Jesus’ time, the Jewish historian Josephus wrote that the Lake of Galilee supported a thriving fishing business. Josephus recorded that there 230 fishing boats that worked the waters of Galilee. One of those boats was Simon Peter’s.
Lake Galilee has 23 varieties of fish of which the most sought after are the fresh water sardines and tilapia which looks like a bluegill.
We don’t know what kind of fish Simon Peter caught with Jesus on board, but there surely was a mess of them.
This then brings us to a few points from Luke 5.
Sometimes A Fishing Boat Is Not Just For Fishing
Please turn to Luke 5: 1 – 3.
“On one occcasion, while the crowd was pressing in on Jesus to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat.”
Only Jesus could do this. A whole crowd of people are pushing in on him, and so he sees two boats, but instead of asking permission first to get into the boat, he jumps right on one of them, and then asks the owner Peter to take him a little offshore so that he can speak to the people without them stampeding over him.
Try that at Kona’s Honokahau Boat Harbor and see what kind of reaction you get. The probability that the captain or owner of the boat will throw you overboard is very high unless you knew the owner very well. In Jesus’ case, he was acquainted with Peter or Jesus was of course the Son of God and He knew Peter would oblige.
Either way Peter’s fishing boat becomes a speaker’s platform for Jesus. Christ doesn’t always create things out of thin air to do his work. He could, but he chooses rather to use “fishing boats” for purposes other than for fishing. He often uses what has already been created by Him. He is the ultimate recycler.
The lesson for us is that we may have a car for our own personal use, but Christ may jump into it one afternoon and say, “Drive this car to visit your friend who is going through a rough time.”
We may rent or own a house and one day Jesus pops in and says, “Invite one of your neighbors over. I want to have a talk with her or him, and you are going to be my spokesperson.”
We may have a cubicle or office at the place we work and one morning Jesus drops in and says, “Call over one of your fellow employees over here. He or she is under acute stress, and you need to talk to him or her.”
We all have “fishing boats” and don’t be surprised when Jesus jumps right in it and says put it out a little from land so I can do some work.
Work All Night With Nothing To Show
Please follow along with Luke 5: 4
“And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.’ And Simon answered, ‘Master, we toiled all night and took nothing!”
Some of us can relate to Simon. We may have worked on our marriage for decades only to end up with nothing. We may have toiled for 40 years at our job only to be laid off. We may have labored for years in raising our children into adulthood only to see them wander away from the values we stand for.
Working all night and having nothing to show is a symptom of the human condition. Because sin has infiltrated every component of life, there are constant obstacles and interferences to overcome.
Jesus understood the frustration of not getting results. He worked for three and half years as a rabbi to teach the people of Israel the word of God and how he was the fulfillment of it. Many at first received his teaching with open hearts, but then most of his followers deserted him, including his own 12 disciples when he was died on the cross.
Yet He triumphed on Easter Sunday which gives us reason to have hope when all our efforts into our relationships, our jobs, or our health all seem to sum up to zero. Because Christ ultimately was victorious, there is at least one thing that we can be certain of and that is his love and everlasting blessings which begin right here on earth.
Faith To Do What Seems So Worthless
Please refer to Luke 5:5.
“And Simon answered, ‘Master, we toiled all night and took nothing. But at your word I will let down the nets.”
Those who fish with nets in Lake Galilee say that the worst time to set your nets is in broad daylight when the nets are easily visible. The best time is on a moonless night when it is darkest.
Yet Jesus says to Simon Peter to set his net down in the brightness of the day. The likelihood of catching even one fish was next to impossible.
Simon Peter in faith obeys Christ’s command and behold a massive school of fish swim right into his net. There is more fish than Simon’s boat can handle and so he yells for James and John to bring their boat to help him. When they arrive and unload the fish, both of their boats begin sinking because of the poundage of fish.
A typical boat at that time was about 15 feet long. Maybe 15 adults in a small boat like that would cause the boat to sink. 15 times an average of 150 pounds equals 2,250 pounds. That’s about 1 ton. Two boats sinking. That’s one ton in each both. That’s a lot of Filet of Fish.
Sometimes God asks us to do things that seem worthless and unproductive such as saying good morning to a person at work who is trying to get us fired. Or helping the needy when we ourselves are in need. Or not giving up in praying for a friend who doesn’t believe in Jesus.
In situations like these we ask the Holy Spirit to grant us faith to respond as Peter did who said, “But at your word, I will let down the nets.”
When God Assigns Us A Task, He Gives Us The Resources
Please ponder upon Luke 5:11.
“And when they [Peter, James and John] had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.”
Peter, James and John retired from their fishing careers in glory. They left their nets and their boats holding probably the lake’s record for most fish caught in their boat size category.
A number of Bible scholars have noted that the money which Simon Peter, James and John made from their catch of around 2 tons of fish probably eased some of the financial obligations they had.
With money made from the catch. they may not have had to say to Jesus, “I’ve got a loan to pay on my boat. I’ve got some relatives who are going to need some adjustment time to get financial help since I won’t be fishing anymore.”
Some of us during this economic times are praying, “Lord, I want to share with others. I want to volunteer more. But I am stretched to the limit now.”
Be assured that if the Lord is assigning us to do specific tasks, he will provide the means. He did so for Peter, James and John.
The Great Catch Is A Signal
The amazing catch of fish that almost sunk two boats is just a hint of the great catch that is going on in the world today as Christians all over the world are being caught by the Holy Spirit and coming to saving faith in Jesus Christ. We ask that God would give us the excitement in being part of this catch as we carry out our chores in the lake that God has place us in.
In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Wisdom for the Next Decade
Sermon from: January 3, 2010
Sermon based on: 1 Kings 3: 4-15
2nd Sunday after Christmas
When I was a boy I often imagined how exciting it would be when the year 2000 came around.
Somehow I had this childish fantasy that when the year 2000 arrived, people would be driving vehicles with no wheels. Cancer would be virtually eliminated just as polio and TB had in the late 1900s. Jet airliners would take two hours to fly from Hawaii to San Francisco.
Finally the year 2000 came around, and I still remember CNN covering the fireworks displays taking place as major cities in progression ushered in the year 2000 starting with Sydney, Australia, Hong Kong, Moscow, Paris, New York, Los Angeles and finally towards the tail end Honolulu.
But the year 2000 came and it seemed to be no change from 1999 or the 1900s. Computers did not crash when Y2K kicked in. I didn’t feel anything particularly different with the coming of 2000, and life seemed to be the same old, same old. Cars still had tires. Cancer hadn’t been eradicated. Airliners still took 4 to 5 hours to reach the West Coast from Hawaii.
But then events started to take place which indicated that the new millennium 2000 would be dramatically different than the 1900s.
There was the razor thin and bitterly contested presidential race in 2000 which brought to light that America was no longer divided between north and south but now between red and blue states.
In 2001 we were shocked into realizing that even the Pentagon was not immune from attacks by foreigners. As we closed out the first decade of the millennium 2000, the Christmas Day attempt to bring down a jet over Detroit was just another reminder that more attacks upon our country will be forthcoming.
In 2005 we watched on TV the biggest natural disaster in U.S. history, Hurricane Katrina. In 2006, we shook our heads in sadness at one of the biggest natural disasters in world history, the tsunamis in the Indian Ocean which killed over 200,000 people (200 times more casualties than Katrina.)
In the first half of the past decade we enjoyed some of the most prosperous years in U.S. history with super low unemployment, super high ease in getting credit cards, auto loans and home mortgages. In the second half of the decade, we experienced just the opposite. We witnessed the fall of great U.S. banks and auto companies.
During the first ten years of this millennium 2000 we also were bombarded with cheating and scandals going on among Ponzi scheme investors, politicians and athletes.
In 2008, we saw the inauguration of a Hawaii born and raised President, but some of us in Hawaii could not fully celebrate because his views on abortion and same gender marriage go against the biblical view of the international church body with whom our church is affiliated.
I disagree with a writer from Newsweek who called the first ten years of this millennium 2000 “the decade from hell.” As bad as these 10 years were, I would think based on books that I have read that the decade that included World War 1 and the decade that included World War 11, and the decade which included the Civil War were much more hellish than the years 2000 through 2009. Also based on having lived through the 1960s, I think the Viet Nam War, the assasignations of a president, a presidential candidate and a civil rights leader, and the rioting in Watts, Detroit, Newark and other American cities seemed more tumultuous than even the angst of this past decade.
In any event there is no mistake in saying that the first decade of the new millennium 2000 has been tumultuous.. And the next 10 years will also be challenging.
All the more then we need the wisdom that God gave to Solomon in our reading for today. Here is young king Solomon around the year 900 B.C. ready to take leadership over the strongest nation in western civilization at that particular time.
God gave to him amazing maturity and sensibleness because instead of asking for more money, power, fame and years of life, the young man Solomon requests that God would grant him wisdom.
In the Hebrew language word wisdom is closely related to the word knowledge, and at times the two words are used interchangeably. The fine difference between wisdom and knowledge is that knowledge means wealth of information, facts, observation, and experience. Wisdom implies making good and sound decisions. One needs knowledge – good information – in order to have wisdom, and that’s why wisdom and knowledge are partners, but knowledge alone does not result in beneficial results without wisdom. And vice versa, wisdom is stunted and arrested without adequate knowledge.
In the Book of Ecclesiastes we read where Solomon had much knowledge. In Ecclesiastes, Solomon catalogues all of the hours he poured into studying botany, zoology, philosophy, science, and other disciplines. Yet he emphasizes in Ecclesiastes that all this information is useless without wisdom to know the purpose of life which is to be in a right relationship with God.
In the upcoming decade 2010 to 2019, we pray that God would grant us wisdom to make sound decisions as we undoubtedly will be placed in circumstances where bad choices will bring pain, grief and ruin.
Red Blue Divisions
The two elections in the past decade especially the 2000 election brought to the surface the deep fracture that exists between people in red states and blue states.
We can talk all we want about the one hundred or so issues that divide the red and blue states, but the big ugly divisive issue that most of use including myself would rather avoid is the abortion issue. Red states want to make it illegal; blue states want to keep it legal.
We pray that God would grant us wisdom to apply Biblical principles to this issue of abortion. For me it is very clear that conception is the beginning of life. One example is when Jesus is conceived by the Holy Spirit. At that moment he takes on humanity. He is a human being at conception.
Another issue that many say divides blue and red states is the legalization of same gender marriage. In comparison to abortion, however, this issue doesn’t cut across so consistently between red and blue states. For example, California is the ultimate blue state but a majority of voters recently turned down an opportunity to legalize same gender marriages. Iowa, on the other hand, which has been more of a red state last year legalized same gender marriages. Go figure.
It seems though that the trend is for more and more states whether blue or red will go in the direction of making same gender marriages legal. For those who again take the Bible for what it clearly states, we will need wisdom to convey that it is a sin to persecute, tease, harass, harm and ridicule persons who practice physical intimacy with persons of the same gender and yet it is also a sin to be physically intimate with a person of the same gender.
The Terrorism of Militant Islam
With regard to the attacks upon us by militant Muslims, what kind of wisdom will we need? We will need the wisdom from God to not fall into the two extremes of being naïve and of becoming ourselves fanatical.
With regard to being naïve, in spite of all the bombings in England, Spain, Indonesia, Philippines, and other nations for which Al Qaeda and other militant Muslim groups have boasted, I don’t sense that most of us in America sense how much extremist Muslims hate Israel and hate the U.S. Yeah, September 11, 2001 was horrific, but we haven’t been attacked since. We’ve got it under control. According to Harvard professor Samuel Huntingon who wrote the classic book The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order, widespread clashes caused by fanatical religious groups could continue for the next 1000 years. We need to continue to be alert and vigilant.
Yet on the other hand, we need to watch that we don’t gravitate to the other extreme of ourselves becoming fanatical. Not all Muslims are terrorists. Not all Muslims support Al Qaeda. We must not persecute and prosecute the innocent. We also need to pray for our enemies as Jesus commanded. By the love of Christ working in our hearts, we will pray for our enemies to diffuse their bombs and that the Lord would subdue their hate. At the same time, we pray that there would be fairness in Israel and that justice would prevail for all nations.
The Recovery of our Economy
It may very well be that the recession will someday end. We pray though that we will learn from the sin that dragged us into the recession. Greed, lowering standards, ignoring regulations, selfishness, let someone else worry about the consequences. These drives contributed to the melt down of the past decade.
We pray that we will have the wisdom to handle prosperity. Unfortunately, Solomon in his later years lapsed. The wealth he had made him lax and spiritually flabby. He indulged himself in his extravagances. And the kingdom of Israel tumbled soon after he died.
Yet apparently he was repentant and asked for forgiveness because in the New Testament, Jesus speaks favorably of Solomon. We pray that if the economy gets back on its feet, we will remember the mercy of the Lord. And when we get into lapses where we forget who is the Source of all our blessings, we will ask for forgiveness. We beg of the Lord to remind us of the devotion that Jesus had to His Father. We remember how Jesus perfectly realized at all times that any sunshine or rainfall we receives comes out of the kindness of our Heavenly Father.
As the Holy Spirit grants us this awareness of how our lives are completely dependent upon the Lord, we will have the wisdom to trust in Him and His Son Jesus Christ who was not greedy or indulgent and who handled successes and rejection with equal thankfulness to God the Father. We think of Christ who is the embodiment of all Wisdom and who gives us His wisdom centered in His suffering on the Cross and His triumph over death.
May the wisdom of the Lord be with us in the next decade of the millenium 20000 and always.
Sermon based on: 1 Kings 3: 4-15
2nd Sunday after Christmas
When I was a boy I often imagined how exciting it would be when the year 2000 came around.
Somehow I had this childish fantasy that when the year 2000 arrived, people would be driving vehicles with no wheels. Cancer would be virtually eliminated just as polio and TB had in the late 1900s. Jet airliners would take two hours to fly from Hawaii to San Francisco.
Finally the year 2000 came around, and I still remember CNN covering the fireworks displays taking place as major cities in progression ushered in the year 2000 starting with Sydney, Australia, Hong Kong, Moscow, Paris, New York, Los Angeles and finally towards the tail end Honolulu.
But the year 2000 came and it seemed to be no change from 1999 or the 1900s. Computers did not crash when Y2K kicked in. I didn’t feel anything particularly different with the coming of 2000, and life seemed to be the same old, same old. Cars still had tires. Cancer hadn’t been eradicated. Airliners still took 4 to 5 hours to reach the West Coast from Hawaii.
But then events started to take place which indicated that the new millennium 2000 would be dramatically different than the 1900s.
There was the razor thin and bitterly contested presidential race in 2000 which brought to light that America was no longer divided between north and south but now between red and blue states.
In 2001 we were shocked into realizing that even the Pentagon was not immune from attacks by foreigners. As we closed out the first decade of the millennium 2000, the Christmas Day attempt to bring down a jet over Detroit was just another reminder that more attacks upon our country will be forthcoming.
In 2005 we watched on TV the biggest natural disaster in U.S. history, Hurricane Katrina. In 2006, we shook our heads in sadness at one of the biggest natural disasters in world history, the tsunamis in the Indian Ocean which killed over 200,000 people (200 times more casualties than Katrina.)
In the first half of the past decade we enjoyed some of the most prosperous years in U.S. history with super low unemployment, super high ease in getting credit cards, auto loans and home mortgages. In the second half of the decade, we experienced just the opposite. We witnessed the fall of great U.S. banks and auto companies.
During the first ten years of this millennium 2000 we also were bombarded with cheating and scandals going on among Ponzi scheme investors, politicians and athletes.
In 2008, we saw the inauguration of a Hawaii born and raised President, but some of us in Hawaii could not fully celebrate because his views on abortion and same gender marriage go against the biblical view of the international church body with whom our church is affiliated.
I disagree with a writer from Newsweek who called the first ten years of this millennium 2000 “the decade from hell.” As bad as these 10 years were, I would think based on books that I have read that the decade that included World War 1 and the decade that included World War 11, and the decade which included the Civil War were much more hellish than the years 2000 through 2009. Also based on having lived through the 1960s, I think the Viet Nam War, the assasignations of a president, a presidential candidate and a civil rights leader, and the rioting in Watts, Detroit, Newark and other American cities seemed more tumultuous than even the angst of this past decade.
In any event there is no mistake in saying that the first decade of the new millennium 2000 has been tumultuous.. And the next 10 years will also be challenging.
All the more then we need the wisdom that God gave to Solomon in our reading for today. Here is young king Solomon around the year 900 B.C. ready to take leadership over the strongest nation in western civilization at that particular time.
God gave to him amazing maturity and sensibleness because instead of asking for more money, power, fame and years of life, the young man Solomon requests that God would grant him wisdom.
In the Hebrew language word wisdom is closely related to the word knowledge, and at times the two words are used interchangeably. The fine difference between wisdom and knowledge is that knowledge means wealth of information, facts, observation, and experience. Wisdom implies making good and sound decisions. One needs knowledge – good information – in order to have wisdom, and that’s why wisdom and knowledge are partners, but knowledge alone does not result in beneficial results without wisdom. And vice versa, wisdom is stunted and arrested without adequate knowledge.
In the Book of Ecclesiastes we read where Solomon had much knowledge. In Ecclesiastes, Solomon catalogues all of the hours he poured into studying botany, zoology, philosophy, science, and other disciplines. Yet he emphasizes in Ecclesiastes that all this information is useless without wisdom to know the purpose of life which is to be in a right relationship with God.
In the upcoming decade 2010 to 2019, we pray that God would grant us wisdom to make sound decisions as we undoubtedly will be placed in circumstances where bad choices will bring pain, grief and ruin.
Red Blue Divisions
The two elections in the past decade especially the 2000 election brought to the surface the deep fracture that exists between people in red states and blue states.
We can talk all we want about the one hundred or so issues that divide the red and blue states, but the big ugly divisive issue that most of use including myself would rather avoid is the abortion issue. Red states want to make it illegal; blue states want to keep it legal.
We pray that God would grant us wisdom to apply Biblical principles to this issue of abortion. For me it is very clear that conception is the beginning of life. One example is when Jesus is conceived by the Holy Spirit. At that moment he takes on humanity. He is a human being at conception.
Another issue that many say divides blue and red states is the legalization of same gender marriage. In comparison to abortion, however, this issue doesn’t cut across so consistently between red and blue states. For example, California is the ultimate blue state but a majority of voters recently turned down an opportunity to legalize same gender marriages. Iowa, on the other hand, which has been more of a red state last year legalized same gender marriages. Go figure.
It seems though that the trend is for more and more states whether blue or red will go in the direction of making same gender marriages legal. For those who again take the Bible for what it clearly states, we will need wisdom to convey that it is a sin to persecute, tease, harass, harm and ridicule persons who practice physical intimacy with persons of the same gender and yet it is also a sin to be physically intimate with a person of the same gender.
The Terrorism of Militant Islam
With regard to the attacks upon us by militant Muslims, what kind of wisdom will we need? We will need the wisdom from God to not fall into the two extremes of being naïve and of becoming ourselves fanatical.
With regard to being naïve, in spite of all the bombings in England, Spain, Indonesia, Philippines, and other nations for which Al Qaeda and other militant Muslim groups have boasted, I don’t sense that most of us in America sense how much extremist Muslims hate Israel and hate the U.S. Yeah, September 11, 2001 was horrific, but we haven’t been attacked since. We’ve got it under control. According to Harvard professor Samuel Huntingon who wrote the classic book The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order, widespread clashes caused by fanatical religious groups could continue for the next 1000 years. We need to continue to be alert and vigilant.
Yet on the other hand, we need to watch that we don’t gravitate to the other extreme of ourselves becoming fanatical. Not all Muslims are terrorists. Not all Muslims support Al Qaeda. We must not persecute and prosecute the innocent. We also need to pray for our enemies as Jesus commanded. By the love of Christ working in our hearts, we will pray for our enemies to diffuse their bombs and that the Lord would subdue their hate. At the same time, we pray that there would be fairness in Israel and that justice would prevail for all nations.
The Recovery of our Economy
It may very well be that the recession will someday end. We pray though that we will learn from the sin that dragged us into the recession. Greed, lowering standards, ignoring regulations, selfishness, let someone else worry about the consequences. These drives contributed to the melt down of the past decade.
We pray that we will have the wisdom to handle prosperity. Unfortunately, Solomon in his later years lapsed. The wealth he had made him lax and spiritually flabby. He indulged himself in his extravagances. And the kingdom of Israel tumbled soon after he died.
Yet apparently he was repentant and asked for forgiveness because in the New Testament, Jesus speaks favorably of Solomon. We pray that if the economy gets back on its feet, we will remember the mercy of the Lord. And when we get into lapses where we forget who is the Source of all our blessings, we will ask for forgiveness. We beg of the Lord to remind us of the devotion that Jesus had to His Father. We remember how Jesus perfectly realized at all times that any sunshine or rainfall we receives comes out of the kindness of our Heavenly Father.
As the Holy Spirit grants us this awareness of how our lives are completely dependent upon the Lord, we will have the wisdom to trust in Him and His Son Jesus Christ who was not greedy or indulgent and who handled successes and rejection with equal thankfulness to God the Father. We think of Christ who is the embodiment of all Wisdom and who gives us His wisdom centered in His suffering on the Cross and His triumph over death.
May the wisdom of the Lord be with us in the next decade of the millenium 20000 and always.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Too Slow, Too Fast
Sermon from 12/20/2009: Too Slow, Too Fast
From Scripture Reading: Luke 1:39-45
4th Sunday of Advent
Luke 1:39, 40
“In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.”
Today’s third Scripture reading features two women, Mary and her relative Elizabeth. Both were Jewish. Both were miracle mothers with miracle babies. Both were relatives. Both were the talk of their respective towns. They had a lot in common, but they also had a lot of differences.
Mary was from the north of the Holy Land. Elizabeth was from the South. If the United States were the Holy Land, Mary would be from Michigan and Elizabeth would be from Georgia.
Mary was young. Elizabeth was very old. If Mary were Miley Cyrus then Elizabeth would be Barbara Walters.
Mary was poor. Elizabeth was middle class.
Mary was single. Elizabeth had been married for 40 or 50 years.
There was at least one more difference. For Elizabeth most of her life had been on what we would consider “too slow mode.” She and her husband Zechariah wanted children when Elizabeth was young, but a child never came. In their middle age years, they continued to hope that Elizabeth would conceive, but it didn’t happen either. Then in their silver hair years, they pretty much gave up on ever having children. It was one of those many things in life that was just not meant to be.
Maybe we can relate to Elizabeth. Things often seem to move so slowly. Especially here in West Hawaii. Products from the mainland take weeks, months to get here. Residents in Kona have been waiting decades for just one or two more north/south parallel roads. A branch campus for the University of Hawaii or the Community College was promised years ago but still no buildings. Building permits take extra long.
Living in Hawaii takes the kind of patience that God gave to Elizabeth who kept trusting in the Lord in spite of what seemed to be too slow a pace.
On the other hand, if Elizabeth’s life appeared to move too slowly, young Mary’s life was just the opposite. Elizabeth had to wait 50, 60 or more years for her to have a child. The angel Gabriel told Mary who may have been even a teenager that she would have a baby and Mary was not even married yet.
For Mary things were all happening at internet speed. She probably never imagined that she would be with child before her wedding day, but she got a child anyway. She went straight from being engaged to being a mother and bypassed a wedding. Her mind was probably spinning thinking of all the responsibilities suddenly thrust open her.
For many of us, our experience has probably been that God seems to move too slowly. But there are times when it seems that life is moving oh so quickly. We have a project deadline at work before Christmas. We have a big payment that has to be made before the end of this month. We have guests coming in this Wednesday and we have many things to clean up around the house. We have a huge event coming up in early January, and we haven’t even planned for it yet. Life is just going too fast for us.
Luke even uses the word “hasten” or “hurry” in chapter 1, verse 39 of his Gospel. He writes, “Mary went with haste into the hi to a town in Judah country. . . “ to visit Elizabeth.
Here is the setting:
Mary is about three months pregnant and she hurries to visit her relative Elizabeth who lives about 70 miles south. Why does she hurry to see Elizabeth? We don’t know. Maybe because of all the gossiping that is going on in Nazareth where Mary lived because Mary was pregnant and was not married? Maybe because Mary heard that her relative had a miracle birth, too, and the both of them could support each other in way that no one else could? Maybe Mary hurried to see Elizabeth because Elizabeth was much older and much more mature than she was and Elizabeth could be a mentor and a role model for her?
We don’t know exactly where Elizabeth lived, but some scholars like the founder of the Crossways Bible Study Curriculum says that Mary spent the rest of her pregnancy with Elizabeth in southern Israel just a few miles from Bethlehem and that Mary never went back north to Nazareth. According to this theory, Mary and Joseph then went to Bethlehem directly from Elizabeth’s house and not from way north in Nazareth. There are weaknesses to this theory though because the account of Jesus’ birth in the book of Matthew seems to indicate that Mary and Joseph made the trip from Nazareth in the north and headed southward to Bethlehem.
In any event, Mary rushed to see Elizabeth and her fast paced urgency to get to Elizabeth’s place was indicative of her life.
The main point of the sermon
The true account of Mary and Elizabeth reminds us of the two circumstances in life which we may be going through. On the one hand, God may be working too slowly in our lives. Getting a job is taking too long. Getting out of debt has been too slow a process. On the other hand, things may be happening too quickly and we are dizzy at the speed things are moving in our lives.
In either case, God is working at His pace according to His schedule. It doesn’t matter if we think God is moving too slowly or too quickly. God is going to work things out according to His timetable independent of ours.
Just as God decided that the perfect time to send His promised Son to be born of the virgin Mary would be during the reign of Caesar Augustus and that the perfect time for Jesus to die would be under the jurisdiction of the Roman governor Pontius Pilate, so did God set in place the events that took place in Elizabeth’s and Mary’s life.
And so it is with our lives. Just as Jesus was born at the right time and the right place and just as He died and rose from the dead at the right time and the right place, so are you right where God has placed you and so are the events surrounded you just as God had it planned.
The test for us is to trust in God’s perfect timing and schedule. On our own we cannot trust in God’s cadence and pace. We will want to either try to run ahead of Him or we will lag far back behind Him, but by the working of the Holy Spirit, God will give us the kind of faith that Elizabeth and Mary had to place their lives into His schedule. God gave to Elizabeth and Mary the gift of believing that all sequences of events in our lives take place for God’s reason and purpose.
We remember Jesus who placed His life completely into the time table of His heavenly Father. 30 years as a self-employed contractor or carpenter. Not a problem. 3 years as a rabbi and prophet. Not an issue. Suffer and die on the cross. Extremely painful but let’s get it done.
We pray that God would give us the submission of Christ to just accept and not to moan and groan about how slow or how fast God is moving in our lives. The pace that God has set is the right and only pace for us.
Lord grant us such obedience to you in Jesus’ name. Amen.
From Scripture Reading: Luke 1:39-45
4th Sunday of Advent
Luke 1:39, 40
“In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.”
Today’s third Scripture reading features two women, Mary and her relative Elizabeth. Both were Jewish. Both were miracle mothers with miracle babies. Both were relatives. Both were the talk of their respective towns. They had a lot in common, but they also had a lot of differences.
Mary was from the north of the Holy Land. Elizabeth was from the South. If the United States were the Holy Land, Mary would be from Michigan and Elizabeth would be from Georgia.
Mary was young. Elizabeth was very old. If Mary were Miley Cyrus then Elizabeth would be Barbara Walters.
Mary was poor. Elizabeth was middle class.
Mary was single. Elizabeth had been married for 40 or 50 years.
There was at least one more difference. For Elizabeth most of her life had been on what we would consider “too slow mode.” She and her husband Zechariah wanted children when Elizabeth was young, but a child never came. In their middle age years, they continued to hope that Elizabeth would conceive, but it didn’t happen either. Then in their silver hair years, they pretty much gave up on ever having children. It was one of those many things in life that was just not meant to be.
Maybe we can relate to Elizabeth. Things often seem to move so slowly. Especially here in West Hawaii. Products from the mainland take weeks, months to get here. Residents in Kona have been waiting decades for just one or two more north/south parallel roads. A branch campus for the University of Hawaii or the Community College was promised years ago but still no buildings. Building permits take extra long.
Living in Hawaii takes the kind of patience that God gave to Elizabeth who kept trusting in the Lord in spite of what seemed to be too slow a pace.
On the other hand, if Elizabeth’s life appeared to move too slowly, young Mary’s life was just the opposite. Elizabeth had to wait 50, 60 or more years for her to have a child. The angel Gabriel told Mary who may have been even a teenager that she would have a baby and Mary was not even married yet.
For Mary things were all happening at internet speed. She probably never imagined that she would be with child before her wedding day, but she got a child anyway. She went straight from being engaged to being a mother and bypassed a wedding. Her mind was probably spinning thinking of all the responsibilities suddenly thrust open her.
For many of us, our experience has probably been that God seems to move too slowly. But there are times when it seems that life is moving oh so quickly. We have a project deadline at work before Christmas. We have a big payment that has to be made before the end of this month. We have guests coming in this Wednesday and we have many things to clean up around the house. We have a huge event coming up in early January, and we haven’t even planned for it yet. Life is just going too fast for us.
Luke even uses the word “hasten” or “hurry” in chapter 1, verse 39 of his Gospel. He writes, “Mary went with haste into the hi to a town in Judah country. . . “ to visit Elizabeth.
Here is the setting:
Mary is about three months pregnant and she hurries to visit her relative Elizabeth who lives about 70 miles south. Why does she hurry to see Elizabeth? We don’t know. Maybe because of all the gossiping that is going on in Nazareth where Mary lived because Mary was pregnant and was not married? Maybe because Mary heard that her relative had a miracle birth, too, and the both of them could support each other in way that no one else could? Maybe Mary hurried to see Elizabeth because Elizabeth was much older and much more mature than she was and Elizabeth could be a mentor and a role model for her?
We don’t know exactly where Elizabeth lived, but some scholars like the founder of the Crossways Bible Study Curriculum says that Mary spent the rest of her pregnancy with Elizabeth in southern Israel just a few miles from Bethlehem and that Mary never went back north to Nazareth. According to this theory, Mary and Joseph then went to Bethlehem directly from Elizabeth’s house and not from way north in Nazareth. There are weaknesses to this theory though because the account of Jesus’ birth in the book of Matthew seems to indicate that Mary and Joseph made the trip from Nazareth in the north and headed southward to Bethlehem.
In any event, Mary rushed to see Elizabeth and her fast paced urgency to get to Elizabeth’s place was indicative of her life.
The main point of the sermon
The true account of Mary and Elizabeth reminds us of the two circumstances in life which we may be going through. On the one hand, God may be working too slowly in our lives. Getting a job is taking too long. Getting out of debt has been too slow a process. On the other hand, things may be happening too quickly and we are dizzy at the speed things are moving in our lives.
In either case, God is working at His pace according to His schedule. It doesn’t matter if we think God is moving too slowly or too quickly. God is going to work things out according to His timetable independent of ours.
Just as God decided that the perfect time to send His promised Son to be born of the virgin Mary would be during the reign of Caesar Augustus and that the perfect time for Jesus to die would be under the jurisdiction of the Roman governor Pontius Pilate, so did God set in place the events that took place in Elizabeth’s and Mary’s life.
And so it is with our lives. Just as Jesus was born at the right time and the right place and just as He died and rose from the dead at the right time and the right place, so are you right where God has placed you and so are the events surrounded you just as God had it planned.
The test for us is to trust in God’s perfect timing and schedule. On our own we cannot trust in God’s cadence and pace. We will want to either try to run ahead of Him or we will lag far back behind Him, but by the working of the Holy Spirit, God will give us the kind of faith that Elizabeth and Mary had to place their lives into His schedule. God gave to Elizabeth and Mary the gift of believing that all sequences of events in our lives take place for God’s reason and purpose.
We remember Jesus who placed His life completely into the time table of His heavenly Father. 30 years as a self-employed contractor or carpenter. Not a problem. 3 years as a rabbi and prophet. Not an issue. Suffer and die on the cross. Extremely painful but let’s get it done.
We pray that God would give us the submission of Christ to just accept and not to moan and groan about how slow or how fast God is moving in our lives. The pace that God has set is the right and only pace for us.
Lord grant us such obedience to you in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Refined Like Gold
Sermon from December 6, 2009
2nd Sunday in Advent
From scripture: Malachi 3:3
Introduction
The condition of the people of
- God Takes What Is Harmful And Makes It Helpful.
Malachi 3:3 states, “He [the Lord] will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver.”
- God’s Messenger Who Prepares The Way For The Refining of Souls Has Already Come.
theme was to shake people up from their half hearted, mechanical, and ho hum commitment to the Lord. This was the same emphasis of John the Baptist. He shook up the apathetic and the partially committed.
attention. Jesus is already here. He has already come. Rely on him to turn us into pure gold.
- What A Pure Gold Life Looks Like
Saturday, November 14, 2009
The Great Tribulation; The Great Celebration
Sermon From: November 1, 2009
All Saints Day
From Scripture: Revelation 7:9-17
Today’s Scripture reading from the Book of Revelation refers to a Great Tribulation and a Great Celebration. Let’s first consider the Great Tribulation.
In the original language of the New Testament, the word tribulation meant pressure that results in crushing an object. Tribulation then was used to describe affliction, devastation, destruction, and suffering.
In Matthew 24:21, Jesus used the term great tribulation in one of his final sermons before his death. He said that before the end of the world, there will be a time of destruction and calamity that no one has ever experienced.
Even people who aren’t Christian sense that some kind of doomsday is in store for the human race.
On All Saints Day in 1945, nuclear scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer in Los Alamos, New Mexico shared the sentiments of Albert Einstein and other physicists working on the Manhattan Project that it would only be a matter of time before many nations would get their hands of nuclear bombs. Everyone who heard his statement knew the implications. There would be world wide devastation like never before seen.
The United States and the United Nations are very concerned that if countries like Iran and North Korea develop nuclear warheads, the world could explode like a fire works factory. It takes only one maniac leader with a nuclear arsenal to set the world on fire.
And do I need to mention the fascination that Sony Pictures has generated with their film 2012 which will be released on November 13. The movie starring John Cusak is based on the Mayan calendar which stops on the date we call December 2012.
There is also the other fear factor of global warming which almost every elementary school child can now explain about how a rise in world temperature will cause coastal flooding and monster hurricanes that we have not seen the likes of.
What Did Jesus Say?
There are at least a couple of major differences between the End of the World scenarios described and what the Bible says. The nuclear war ending involves nation against nation. The 2012 and global warming descriptions involve nature or humans’ abuse of nature.
Jesus said the Great Tribulation is not either or. The end of the world won’t be caused by just warfare or by just nature unleashing itself. The end of the world will involve both wars and nature. There will be earthquakes as well as world wide conflict among nations.
Another difference between the Great Tribulation described by people and the Great Tribulation described in the Bible is that the Great Tribulation described in the Bible has God being in control. The Great Tribulation described by people has the underlying assumption that everything is out of control. If you read the Book of Revelation, in a rather eerie way, the end of the world takes place in a very orderly manner. There the white horse that is released first, then a red horse, then a black horse, and so forth. Like a General Patton, God sends out His forces in a carefully planned out manner.
Another difference between Great Tribulation predictions and what the Bible teaches is that the Bible points out that believers in Christ will be especially persecuted and martyred. Forces opposing Christ will seek out to torment followers of Jesus. Many disciples will lose their lives for the sake of Christ.
But this then brings us to the Great Celebration that follows the Great Tribulation. This is where Revelation 7 comes in. It describes the glorious joy that will follow the Great Tribulation.
White Robes: Revelation 7:9
A first description is that those Christians who lost their lives during the Great Tribulation will be wearing white robes. In Roman times, generals who were victorious in battle would wear white robes when they celebrated their victory. Among other significances, a white robe then meant triumph.
Palm Branches: Revelation 7:9
Besides wearing white robes, the Christians who died during the Great Tribulation will be waving palm branches. About 150 years before the birth of Jesus, there was a cruel and malicious leader who lived in Syria named Antiochus Epiphanes. When Jewish patriots overthrew his troops in Jerusalem, the Jewish people waved palm branches in celebration of their victory. Of course, palm branches were waved when Jesus rode into Jerusalem, too, which also signified that Jesus is the triumphant Messiah.
Day and Night Service to God: Revelation 7:15
This verse reminds us that heaven will not be a place where we will loaf around doing nothing all day long. Oh, shucks! Some of us may be thinking. No, we will be active. We will be energetically serving the Lord day and night. We won’t dread going to work because of overly critical bosses or lazy employees. Work in heaven will be delightful and uplifting. We will serve the Lord day and night because Jesus our Lord served us day and night and because God watches over us day and night.
Sheltered by the Lord: Revelation 7:15
In the original language of the New Testament, the word shelter meant a tent. It meant covering from the extreme heat during the day and protection from the cold air and howling winds at night. In Revelation 7:15 God promises to keep His faithful from being burned by the sun or being chilled by the wind. God also puts a tent over our heads and shields to keep the wind out, too. Jesus is our protective tent. This we don’t have to wait until heaven to receive. Jesus is already serving as our shelter.
The Lamb Becomes The Shepherd: Revelation 7:17
The Bible in a number of places makes this dramatic point that the God takes the sacrificial lamb and transformed that lamb to become the Shepherd. This is exactly what Jesus did. He was the lamb that would give his life for the flock, and then God elevated Him to be our shepherd.
No More Crying Because of Sorrow: Revelation 7:17
There are a lot of things to weep over. The inevitable outcome that one day almost every technologically advanced nation will have a nuclear weapon. The fact that we as sinful humans have not been good stewards of God’s creation. The reality that many have either rejected or have not heard about Jesus our Messiah.
In spite of our many sorrows, God is already wiping the tears from our eyes. He has given us Jesus Christ who experienced the greatest tribulation of all time when He suffered and died on the cross and who experienced the great celebration of all time when He rose triumphantly from the dead. We don’t have to wait until heaven to begin enjoying the victory He has already given us.
If the Great Tribulation comes after our time here on earth or if the Great Tribulation comes while we are still here, we have the assurance that God is in our presence. He is with us through His Holy Spirit. The body and blood of Jesus are present with us at Holy Communion. The Lord is present when we are alone and when two or three gather in His name.
Even in the Great Tribulation, there is great celebration.
Amen.
All Saints Day
From Scripture: Revelation 7:9-17
Today’s Scripture reading from the Book of Revelation refers to a Great Tribulation and a Great Celebration. Let’s first consider the Great Tribulation.
In the original language of the New Testament, the word tribulation meant pressure that results in crushing an object. Tribulation then was used to describe affliction, devastation, destruction, and suffering.
In Matthew 24:21, Jesus used the term great tribulation in one of his final sermons before his death. He said that before the end of the world, there will be a time of destruction and calamity that no one has ever experienced.
Even people who aren’t Christian sense that some kind of doomsday is in store for the human race.
On All Saints Day in 1945, nuclear scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer in Los Alamos, New Mexico shared the sentiments of Albert Einstein and other physicists working on the Manhattan Project that it would only be a matter of time before many nations would get their hands of nuclear bombs. Everyone who heard his statement knew the implications. There would be world wide devastation like never before seen.
The United States and the United Nations are very concerned that if countries like Iran and North Korea develop nuclear warheads, the world could explode like a fire works factory. It takes only one maniac leader with a nuclear arsenal to set the world on fire.
And do I need to mention the fascination that Sony Pictures has generated with their film 2012 which will be released on November 13. The movie starring John Cusak is based on the Mayan calendar which stops on the date we call December 2012.
There is also the other fear factor of global warming which almost every elementary school child can now explain about how a rise in world temperature will cause coastal flooding and monster hurricanes that we have not seen the likes of.
What Did Jesus Say?
There are at least a couple of major differences between the End of the World scenarios described and what the Bible says. The nuclear war ending involves nation against nation. The 2012 and global warming descriptions involve nature or humans’ abuse of nature.
Jesus said the Great Tribulation is not either or. The end of the world won’t be caused by just warfare or by just nature unleashing itself. The end of the world will involve both wars and nature. There will be earthquakes as well as world wide conflict among nations.
Another difference between the Great Tribulation described by people and the Great Tribulation described in the Bible is that the Great Tribulation described in the Bible has God being in control. The Great Tribulation described by people has the underlying assumption that everything is out of control. If you read the Book of Revelation, in a rather eerie way, the end of the world takes place in a very orderly manner. There the white horse that is released first, then a red horse, then a black horse, and so forth. Like a General Patton, God sends out His forces in a carefully planned out manner.
Another difference between Great Tribulation predictions and what the Bible teaches is that the Bible points out that believers in Christ will be especially persecuted and martyred. Forces opposing Christ will seek out to torment followers of Jesus. Many disciples will lose their lives for the sake of Christ.
But this then brings us to the Great Celebration that follows the Great Tribulation. This is where Revelation 7 comes in. It describes the glorious joy that will follow the Great Tribulation.
White Robes: Revelation 7:9
A first description is that those Christians who lost their lives during the Great Tribulation will be wearing white robes. In Roman times, generals who were victorious in battle would wear white robes when they celebrated their victory. Among other significances, a white robe then meant triumph.
Palm Branches: Revelation 7:9
Besides wearing white robes, the Christians who died during the Great Tribulation will be waving palm branches. About 150 years before the birth of Jesus, there was a cruel and malicious leader who lived in Syria named Antiochus Epiphanes. When Jewish patriots overthrew his troops in Jerusalem, the Jewish people waved palm branches in celebration of their victory. Of course, palm branches were waved when Jesus rode into Jerusalem, too, which also signified that Jesus is the triumphant Messiah.
Day and Night Service to God: Revelation 7:15
This verse reminds us that heaven will not be a place where we will loaf around doing nothing all day long. Oh, shucks! Some of us may be thinking. No, we will be active. We will be energetically serving the Lord day and night. We won’t dread going to work because of overly critical bosses or lazy employees. Work in heaven will be delightful and uplifting. We will serve the Lord day and night because Jesus our Lord served us day and night and because God watches over us day and night.
Sheltered by the Lord: Revelation 7:15
In the original language of the New Testament, the word shelter meant a tent. It meant covering from the extreme heat during the day and protection from the cold air and howling winds at night. In Revelation 7:15 God promises to keep His faithful from being burned by the sun or being chilled by the wind. God also puts a tent over our heads and shields to keep the wind out, too. Jesus is our protective tent. This we don’t have to wait until heaven to receive. Jesus is already serving as our shelter.
The Lamb Becomes The Shepherd: Revelation 7:17
The Bible in a number of places makes this dramatic point that the God takes the sacrificial lamb and transformed that lamb to become the Shepherd. This is exactly what Jesus did. He was the lamb that would give his life for the flock, and then God elevated Him to be our shepherd.
No More Crying Because of Sorrow: Revelation 7:17
There are a lot of things to weep over. The inevitable outcome that one day almost every technologically advanced nation will have a nuclear weapon. The fact that we as sinful humans have not been good stewards of God’s creation. The reality that many have either rejected or have not heard about Jesus our Messiah.
In spite of our many sorrows, God is already wiping the tears from our eyes. He has given us Jesus Christ who experienced the greatest tribulation of all time when He suffered and died on the cross and who experienced the great celebration of all time when He rose triumphantly from the dead. We don’t have to wait until heaven to begin enjoying the victory He has already given us.
If the Great Tribulation comes after our time here on earth or if the Great Tribulation comes while we are still here, we have the assurance that God is in our presence. He is with us through His Holy Spirit. The body and blood of Jesus are present with us at Holy Communion. The Lord is present when we are alone and when two or three gather in His name.
Even in the Great Tribulation, there is great celebration.
Amen.
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