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Equipped for Warfare
August 22-23, 2009
Ephesians 6:10-20
A badly bruised knight returned to his castle after a hard battle. He was a mess! His armor was dented, his helmet was askew, his face was bloody, his horse was limping, and the knight was listing to one side in the saddle. The lord of the castle saw him coming ad went out to meet him, asking, “What hath befallen you, sir knight?”
Straightening himself out as best he could, he replied, “Oh, Sire, I have been laboring dutifully in your service, pillaging all you enemies to the west.”
“You’ve been what?” cried the started nobleman. “But I haven’t any enemies to the west.”
“Oh,” said the knight. And then after a pause, “Well, you do now.”
I came across that story a great number of years ago – I think it was in a Reader’s Digest magazine. And I couldn’t help thinking that sometimes in our personal lives – and sometimes in the church itself – we fail to realize that there is a struggle going on. And who the real enemy is.
I want to focus on our reading from Ephesians today. Here, the Apostle Paul puts his finger on who and what the real enemy is. Listen again to what he says in verse 12 of chapter 6.
“For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic power of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”
Folks, we are engaged in a struggle. And we need to know who – or what –our struggle is against. Martin Luther would often talk about the devil, the world, and our own sinful flesh.
One of the neat things – one of the really neat things I like about being a Lutheran is that we get to hear every time we gather to worship – we get to hear that our sins are forgiven. Your sins are forgiven. My sins are forgiven. I need to hear that. And I like to proclaim it too!
Sin is a very real presence in our lives, but you don’t need me to tell you something that you already know. We wrestle with it all the time. And it’s not easy. But according to Paul, there is only one way to engage in this warfare.
In verse 11 he says to “Put on the whole armor of God.” And the reason he says we are to put on the whole armor of God is this. “…in order that we might be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.”
Folks, I can’t win this struggle on my own. The struggle against sin. I am not strong enough to win always the struggle against temptation. What I need – what you need – is armor. And it needs to be the right kind of armor.
Let me give you an example of what I mean. In the Old Testament book of I Samuel, chapter 17, there is the story about a young man named David. David would eventually become king of Israel, but the story that I want to share comes from a time when he was just a youth – a shepherd boy. The story is one of the more familiar stories about David that many of us learned in Sunday School.
It happened one day when the armies of Israel were caught in a standoff with their enemies, the Philistines. In the Philistine camp was a giant by the name of Goliath. Now Goliath had made a challenge to the Israelite army to send their best warrior out to him to fight with him in a winner takes all contest. No one from the Israelite army dared take on this giant’s challenge.
Well, along comes this young kid David. He has been tending his father’s sheep, and he has come to where these two armies face each other in order to check up on his brothers who are part of the Israeli army. When David hears the taunts of Goliath, he asks, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?
Now, the Israelite king at this time was a man by the name of Saul. And David went to the king, King Saul, and said, “Let me go and fight against this Philistine.”
Now understand that Saul was rather reluctant to send an untrained youth to do battle with this giant. But what I want you to see is that David was a person of great faith. David trusted in the Lord. And he said to King Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father, and when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after him and killed him.”
Now I want you to catch what he says. This is so neat. He says, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, will save me from the hand of this Philistine.” That, my friends, is confidence talking. But more importantly – it is a not a confidence he had in himself – but a confidence in the Lord. It is a confidence based on faith. Now – how could Saul – or anybody else for that matter – argue against a faith like that?
So Saul agrees to allow David to face the giant Goliath. But before he does, Saul decides that David needs to be properly outfitted. Saul, who was a rather large man himself, decided to put his own armor on David.
Now, try to picture this. Here’s David, a 36 regular, wearing the armor of Saul, a 52 long. There’s no way David could fight in that stuff. He couldn’t move!
It was the wrong kind of armor. It was the wrong kind of weapon. All David used – all David needed – was a slingshot and five smooth stones. And one other thing. His faith.
As David approached Goliath, Goliath laughed at this puny answer to his challenge. “Am I a dog,” he asks, “that you come out to me with sticks?” And to this, David responds, “This day the Lord will deliver you up into my hand…for the battle is the Lord’s.”
The end result was that David slew the giant Goliath, and as Paul Harvey would have said, “Now you know the rest of the story.”
Folks, Christians are in a kind of war. And just like David, we need the right kind of armor. And that’s why Paul tells us, “Don’t go out into the world without the right kind of equipment.”
Think about it. If you’re going to ride a bike – or a motorcycle – or play hockey or football – wear a helmet. That’s the right equipment for your head.
If you play soccer – wear shin guards. I can’t imagine playing soccer without shin guards.
If you are going to be a follower of Jesus Christ – wear the right stuff. Put on the whole armor of God. If you are going to be a disciple of Jesus Christ – put on these things.
Truth. Righteousness. Peace. Faith. Salvation. The Word of God.
Folks, it is a good and necessary thing that we do here today. We have come to worship God. We have come to hear that our sins are forgiven. We have come here to be with each other – and support each other. We have come to hear God’s Word and to share in his supper.
In other words – you and I are here today in order that we might be equipped.
So put on faith. Dress yourself in love. Clothe yourselves with the thought that you are going to perform acts of love for people you meet today.
And let me encourage you to get into the Word of God. Paul calls the Word of God the Sword of the Spirit. And I want you to realize it is the only offensive weapon in the arsenal. All the others – the helmet of salvation – the breastplate of righteousness – the belt of truth – the shoes of the gospel of peace – the shield of faith – all of these are defensive. But the Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God
So get into the Word. I know, I tell you this all the time. But read it for yourself at home or with members of your family. Study it together with others. We have many opportunities for you to do that starting in just a few weeks. The One Year Bible Study starts fresh this Fall on Sunday mornings for those who missed it last year, or for those who want to go through it all over again. Or join me on Thursday nights – or our women’s breakfast – our men’s breakfast. Get into the word. Starting in September in just a few weeks.
And pray. Even when you don’t feel like it. Paul says, “Pray in the Spirit at all times.” In fact, I think one of the best weapons we have to stand against the enemy is prayer.
So put on the right stuff – the right armor – and then go out and face each new day in the confidence that David had when he faced the giant Goliath. A confidence – not in himself – but in God.
If you will put on the whole armor of God, then you will be ready to stand against everything that the enemy throws at you.
I think Martin Luther understood this when he wrote that great hymn of the Reformation. “A Mighty Fortress is Our God.”
In fact, I can’t think of a better way to end this sermon. Pay close attention to the words. Sing them as if you are singing them for the very first time! And let this be our battle cry…
A Mighty Fortress is our God…..
Because of Who Jesus Is
August 1 & 2, 2009
John 6:1-35
“Recently in Dallas, a ‘Husband Shopping Center’ opened, where women could go to choose a husband from among many men. It was laid out with five floors, with the men increasing in positive attributes as you ascended up the floors. The only rules: Once you opened the doors to any floor, you must choose a man from that floor. If you went up a floor, you couldn’t go back down, except to leave, never to return again.
“A couple of girlfriends went to the place to find men. On the first floor, the door had a sign saying, ‘These men have jobs and love kids.’
“The women read the sign, and said, ‘Well, that’s better than not having jobs, or not loving kids, but I wonder what’s farther up?’ So up they went.
“The second floor said, ‘These men have high-paying jobs, love kids, and are extremely good looking.’”
“‘Hmmm,’ said the girls. ‘But I wonder what’s farther up?’
“The third floor said, ‘These men have high-paying jobs, love kids, are extremely good looking, and help with the housework.’
“‘Wow!’ said the women. “Very tempting, BUT there’s more farther up!’ And up they went.
“Fourth floor: ‘These men have high-paying jobs, love kids, are extremely good looking, and help with the housework and have a strong romantic streak.’
“‘Oh, mercy! But just think what must be waiting us farther on!’ So up to the fifth floor they went.
“The sign on that floor read, ‘The fifth floor is empty and exists only to prove that women are impossible to please.’”
I thought that perhaps maybe half of you might enjoy that.
However, I want you to think about that – and forget the male/female thing for a moment – and then ask yourself – does God look at us that way? As people who are impossible to please?
Some of you may have noticed that I included last week’s reading in our Gospel reading again today. What is new today – and what you did not hear last week – is what happens with Jesus and the crowd the day after all those people were fed.
So last week we heard about the feeding of the 5,000. We are hearing it again today. And here’s why.
After feeding the 5,000 with two loaves of bread and two fish, the people are hungry again. They are looking for Jesus. They have found a man with wondrous powers. What happened the day before should have been impossible. And yet, here we have 5,000 witnesses who know that it did indeed happen.
So the first thing we read about that happens the next day is in verse 24.
24So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus.
They are looking for Jesus. And here’s the point that I want you to see. They are looking for Jesus – not because of who he is – but because of what he was able to do for them. He fed them once. Why not again? May I suggest to you that these were people who were impossible to please. They wanted bread. They wanted more.
And may I suggest to you as well that Jesus IS willing to give them more. The more that Jesus wants to give them is not what they are looking for. Jesus wants them to believe – not because he fed them with bread and their stomachs were full – but because of who Jesus is.
You see, Jesus gets a little – strange here. He calls himself the Bread of Life – the One who has come down from heaven to give life to the world.
So walk with me through this for a moment.
1. Jesus feeds 5,000 hungry people with five loaves of bread and two fish. It is a miracle. In other words, Jesus meets their needs.
2. Jesus meets his disciples on the sea in the middle of a storm. They are terrified. Jesus comes to them walking on the water, and says to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” The storm comes to an end, and the disciples find themselves at their destination. In other words, Jesus calms their fears.
3. Today we hear Jesus calls himself the Bread of Life. In other words, Jesus offers himself as the key to abundant life and eternal life with God forever.
Folks – what do these things tell you about Jesus? What this tells me is that Jesus is the One who cares about you and me and the situation we are in. Our cares. Our worries. Our fears. You name it, Jesus cares. But let’s not stop there.
You see, what these things tell me is that Jesus wants us to believe in him – to put our faith in him – to place our trust in him – not just because he cares – not just because he provides – not just because he gives us eternal life – but because of who Jesus is. The very Son of God – the One who has come down from heaven to give life to the world.
Let me share with you a story “…about an old recluse who lived deep in the mountains of Colorado. When he died, certain relatives came from the city to collect his valuables. Upon arriving, all they found was an old shack with an outhouse. Inside the shack, next to the fireplace was an old cooking pot and some mining equipment. A cracked table holding a kerosene lamp and a three-legged chair stood by a tiny window. In a dark corner of the room was a dilapidated cot with a threadbare bedroll on it.
“The relatives picked up some of the old relics and started to leave. As they were driving away, an old friend of the recluse, on his mule, flagged them down. ‘Do you mind if I help myself to what’s left in my friend’s cabin?’ he asked. ‘Go right ahead,” they replied. After all, they thought, what inside that shack could be worth anything?
“The friend entered the shack and walked directly over to the table. He reached under it and lifted up one of the floor boards. He then proceeded to take out all the gold his friend had discovered over the past 53 years – enough to have built a palace. The recluse died with only his friend knowing how much he was truly worth.
“As the friend looked out the little window and watched the cloud of dust behind the relatives’ car disappear, he said, ‘They shoulda’ got to know him better.’”
The job of the preacher is sometimes a tough one. And part of my job is to do my best to explain to you who this man Jesus is. Most of the time I try to follow the “Keep it Simple” rule. And I trust for the most part you have found that to be the case. But sometimes I am also content to just sit back and let Jesus speak for himself – like today when he calls himself “The Bread of Life.” In many ways that phrase is a mystery to me.
But in every respect – whether our understanding of who Jesus is simple – a Sunday School kind of understanding – or whether we’re willing to go deeper in order to grow deeper in our understanding of who Jesus is – why he came to earth – why he had to die on our behalf – all of that stuff. It seems to me that we would want to get to know him better – not just because of what he does – but because of who Jesus is.
Because I cannot emphasize enough that our calling as disciples of Jesus Christ is to become more Christ like. And we can’t become more Christ-like unless and until we get to know him better.
Therefore, as followers of Jesus Christ – as disciples of Rabbi Jesus – who want to know what our rabbi knows – and do the things that our rabbi does – we have come to the weekend we are calling “The Church Has Left the Building.”
And it feels good. But let me also tell you – if we are doing this JUST because it makes us feel good – then we are missing the point. As we send out teams of people to offer water bottles to people on the bike path – as we visit shut-ins – as we deliver blue berries to people in our neighborhood –as we fill back packs with school supplies for children in the inner city of Buffalo – as we pick up trash along the roadside – as we deliver food for hungry people in the city of Buffalo – we are not doing these things just because it makes us feel good.
We are doing these things because of who Jesus is. It is my hope and my prayer that somehow – someway – the folks that we encounter [tomorrow] [today] will come one step closer to knowing that we are disciples of Jesus and that we care – and that because of that they will come one step closer to discovering who Jesus is.
A man by the name of Howard Thurman once said,
“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”
Jesus is the Bread of Life. In him, we are people who have come alive. So let us be satisfied with that. And may we follow Jesus not so that he can meet our needs, but in order that we might come to realize that he is all we need.
We need Jesus.
The world needs Jesus.
Because of who Jesus is.
Amen
Stressed? Count to 8
Weekend Four- Does God Still Heal Today? When Healing Brings Shalom March 28, 29, 2009
John 14:18-27, Philippians 4:4-9, Jeremiah 29:11-14
“Shalom lachem!” Now wait a minute. What’s the matter? No one said anything back to me. We’re just going to have to try this again. When I greet you with “Shalom lachem,” you’re supposed to say “Shalom,” back to me. So, are you ready?
“Shalom lachem!” [“Shalom”] Thank you. Oh, that was so much better.
That’s a Hebrew greeting, by the way. Shalom lachem if you’re greeting more than one person, and shalom lacha if you’re addressing an individual, or, better yet, just plain old “Shalom” will do.
Shalom is the ancient and modern way for people who speak Hebrew to greet each other. It’s also used when parting company, as a way to say goodbye.
Now, literally, the word shalom means peace. So when a Jewish person greets another person with the word shalom, he or she is really saying something like, “Peace be with you.” So for our Jewish friends, the word “shalom” is much more than just a way to say “hello” or “farewell.” No, it’s much more than that. What it is is a blessing. So that when you and I greet each other, and say “Shalom,” what we’re really offering to each other is a blessing – a blessing of peace – a blessing that says, “May you be in state of wholeness and well-being.”
As we conclude our 5-week Lenten series on healing,– I’ve gotta believe – that it is a blessing – that it is this blessing that we’re all looking for, right? The blessing – the healing – that leads to peace. The blessing that leads to wholeness and well-being.
So whether we’re talking about physical healing, or healing for our relationships, for our finances, for our spiritual and emotional well-being – what we’re really asking for is to have that blessing that brings peace. In all of these areas of our life. What we’re looking for is that blessing that brings us shalom.
So when we talk of healing – of wholeness and well-being – what we discover is that this is what God wants for us – what God has wanted for us from the beginning. All the way back to Genesis. And when you read the book of Genesis – the first book in the Bible – what you find is that God is at work bringing about “shalom,” – a restoration and renewal of creation itself.
You see it in the creation story. How does Genesis start out?”
“In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. Now the earth was without form and void, and darkness moved over the face of the deep.”
What I get here is a picture of darkness – of utter chaos – until – until God speaks. God speaks the word, and there is light. And there is land and seas. There are creatures to inhabit them. And plants to grow in the seas and on the land. And God saw that what he created was what? [Good.] Good, yes. It was good. All was good. Peace. Harmony. Wholeness. Instead of utter chaos – there is utter shalom.
But then humanity comes along and messes things up. Humanity falls into sin – and there is a lack of shalom. There is disharmony. Brokenness.
However – the good news is that once this started to happen – God took action. God took action, and began the work of redemption – of restoration and healing. God began to work at bringing things back to wholeness and well-being. Not only to individuals – but to all creation as well.
And this healing – this restoration to order and shalom – reaches its fullness through the promised Messiah – in other words – through God’s anointed one. You know him as Jesus. Jesus the Messiah. Jesus the Christ.
So maybe you’re here today because you – or someone you know – is in need of healing. Something in your life is out of order. Maybe even chaotic. Last week Pastor Steve used the word baggage. Baggage – to describe all the things that are weighing you down. I still have this mental image up here of the cross – and the bags – left right here at the foot of the cross.
So how do you do that? What’s a Christian to do? What do you do with this extra baggage you’re carrying around? Well, today I want you to put a name on your baggage. Give it a name. That’s the first the thing I want you to do.
Where do you need healing? Where do you need peace – shalom – wholeness and well-being? Is it a physical illness? Are you under stress? Are your finances in trouble? Is school not going well? Maybe it’s a relationship that needs mending. A son or a daughter who is giving you more than gray hairs. Maybe it’s an abusive relationship that you need to get out of. You name it. You put a name on it.
You know, Nancy and I like to travel a lot. And no matter how many bags we take, and how much stuff we stuff into the bags, I like to carry my own bags. I just don’t like the idea of having to tip somebody to carry my bags for me, you know what I mean? I think it’s being frugal. My family calls me cheap.
Well, there was this time, it was late, I was tired, maybe just a little grumpy – just a little – and the bags seemed heavier than usual. That’s when I heard the most welcome words I could have hoped to hear that night in the airport. “Let me help you with your baggage.” And I did. And I even gave the man a tip.
Folks, what you need – what you and I need – what you and I are looking for – is wholeness and well-being. What we need is someone to carry our baggage for us. And it is right – and it is good – to listen to Jesus when he says, “Let me help you with your baggage.”
Jesus says, “Come to me all you who are weary, and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”
I just don’t think you were meant to carry all of that extra baggage – your burden – your illness – your pain – around all by yourself. Jesus comes along and says, “Come to me. Give me that heavy burden. Lay it at the foot of the cross.”
So the first thing you need to do is put a name on whatever it is that is wearing you down.
You see, Jesus knows what you’re going through right now. He experienced the same kinds of things that you’re going through. Hunger. Loneliness. Pain. Grief. Betrayal. Suffering. Death.
He touched the lives of many people. And he still touches lives today. And he brought spiritual, emotional, and physical well-being – through his preaching and teaching and healing ministry. And through his death and resurrection he reconciled us to God – he gave us shalom – peace – between us and God. And that too is a healing.
So the question – the question for this entire series – is “Does God still heal today?” And we have come to the resounding conclusion that the answer is yes. And when it happens, maybe it doesn’t happen in the way that we want it to happen – nor in the way in which we expect it – but God does still heal today. And it starts when we put a name on it to begin the process of laying it down at the foot of the cross.
The second thing you need to do is to pray. Ours is a ministry of prayer. Prayer is always needed in order to leave our unwanted baggage at the cross.
Ours is also a ministry of hand holding. Of walking and talking together. Of sharing each others’ burdens. And encouraging each other. Sometimes we need the wise counsel of a trusted friend – who can help us leave the burden at the cross. So that’s a third thing you can do. Talk to someone. And if you need to, seek the help of a professional, because God works through professionals. Doctors. Psychiatrists. Psychologists. Counselors. Financial advisors. Pastors. Sometimes the help of a professional counselor can help us leave our stuff there too.
So how do we leave our burdens at the foot of the cross? Number 1, put a name on it. Number 2, pray about it. And number 3, if necessary, talk to someone about it. Leave it at the foot of the cross. Because Jesus is there. Jesus is always right there. He is always right there wherever two or three or more are gathered together in his name. And wherever Jesus is – there is a place where healing can take place.
So whether the healing you seek is physical or spiritual – whether the baggage you carry is emotional, relational, or financial – when Jesus walks up to you and says, “Let me help you with your baggage,” let him do it. And you know what? You don’t even need to give him a tip.
So don’t be afraid. Remember the words of Jesus. “Shalom I leave with you. My shalom I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. So do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.”
This is the blessing that brings peace. And you know that you are healed when you experience that peace. Deep down in your soul when you know you have peace with God – peace with one another. Or as someone said as he came into our Saturday service, “I knew my wife was well when I heard her laugh again.” You know you have peace – shalom – wholeness and well-being when you are able to laugh again.
So shalom, my friends. Shalom. And may that peace – that shalom of God – which surpasses all human understanding keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen
July 25 & 26, 2009
John 6:1-21
The story came out a few years ago, “about a man in Germany who was arrested for screaming. Residents in the town of Aachen, Germany called police complaining about a series of loud yells coming from a local forest. They found this 25-year old man who explained that walking in the forest at night and screaming as loudly as he could was his way of dealing with stress.
“The man’s screams frightened his neighbors and prompted them to call the police. When faced with a 75 euro fine, well, that stressed him out again. The police told him not to go into the forest this time.”
Folks, how do you handle stress? Huh? What do you do when you’re just feeling overwhelmed? Do you want to walk away from your desk at work and scream? How about school when that report is due tomorrow? Family driving you nuts? Don’t answer that.
Or maybe it’s your finances. You don’t need me to tell you that it’s tough out there today. What’s happening in the financial arena, the job market, not to mention the growing state and federal budget deficits, all of these things can be a little troubling, wouldn’t you agree? I know, just a little something extra for you to worry about.
I have read that some stress is good for us. The problem comes when you add up all of these stressors in your life, and of all of a sudden it’s – well – it’s just a little bit overwhelming.
So what do you do when you’re feeling overwhelmed? Scream? Take a nap? Walk away from it all? Immerse yourself in worry? What do you do?
Let me suggest that we take another look at today’s Gospel reading. It is a story told in all four of the Gospels. Jesus has gotten away with his disciples. I find it interesting that Jesus needs to get away; away from the crowds who press in on him from all sides looking for healing, wanting to see a miracle, or just want to listen to what he has to say. Let me tell you, the Messiah business can be tiring and stressful. So Jesus gets away with his disciples for a much needed rest. He looks up and sees a great crowd coming towards him. And he says to Philip, one of his disciples, “Hey Phil! Where are we going to buy bread for all these people?”
Talk about being overwhelmed! Philip looks at the crowd – sizes up the situation – does a little quick math – and says, “Six months wages would not be enough to feed all these people.” You see, Philip is overwhelmed. He looks at the problem, and because he’s overwhelmed, he fails to see the solution.
But then another disciple, by the name of Andrew, starts nosing around, and finds a boy who has brought five barley loaves and two fish. Now how does he know that boy had the bread and the fish? He grabs the boys sack and looks into it, that’s how he knows. So he brings it to Jesus – and says there’s one, two, three four, five, barley loaves, and, uh, two pieces of fish. That’s seven. Seven pieces of food – but what are they among so many?
Andrew, Andrew, Andrew! You stopped counting at seven. I wish Andrew had said something like this. “Seven pieces of food here Jesus. Here. You take it and do something with it.”
Author Mac Lucado says that Andrew should have kept counting. Something like this. Five loaves. Two fish. And you Jesus. That makes eight. Philip and Andrew are overwhelmed –stressed out – by the size of the problem and the limited resources at hand. What they didn’t see is that the solution is standing right there next to them.
And of course you know the rest of the story. The people sit down. Jesus gives thanks for the food. The disciples distribute the bread and the fish. Everyone has enough. And when they gather up the left over pieces, there are 12 baskets full. One for each disciple.
So that’s the story.
So let me go back to my original question. How do you handle stress in your life? What do you do when you are overwhelmed? Have you ever learned to count to 8?
Number one, let me suggest that you pray. Pray first. You’ll notice that that’s what Jesus did. He took the bread – he took the fish – and gave thanks to God for what they had been given. So pray first.
Number two. Sit down. Don’t go running off in 12 different directions at once, crying, “What shall we do! What shall we do!”
“A lecturer on stress management uses this illustration. He raises a glass of water and asks his audience, ‘How heavy is this glass of water?’”
So let me ask you. How heavy do you think this glass of water is? Anybody? You want to know something? The weight doesn’t really matter. What matters is how long you try to hold it.
If I hold this for a minute – no big deal. If I hold it for the duration of this sermon, not a problem. But if I continue to hold it for an hour or more with my arm outstretched like this – that might be a problem. I’d have an ache in my arm. The longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.
Now the lecturer on stress management goes on to say, “And that’s the way it is with stress. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won’t be able to carry on. You have to put it down and rest for awhile before picking it up again.
So his advice to his audiences is my advice to you. “Whatever burdens you’re carrying right now, set them down for a moment if you can. Relax; pick them up later after you’ve rested. Life is too short to let those burdens occupy all your time.”
So number one, pray. Number two, sit down if you can. And number three, trust God. When Jesus asked Philip what how they were going to feed so many people, we are told that Jesus asked Philip the question in order to test him, because, the Bible says, Jesus already knew what he was going to do. In other words, Jesus had a plan.
Folks, I believe God has a plan. I also know that I do not always see God’s plan – especially when disaster or catastrophe strikes. Sometimes it feels like I can’t possibly figure out what God is up to. When I am stressed. When I am overwhelmed – and I just want to run out into the woods and scream. I remain convinced that God has a plan for our lives. And as the prophet Jeremiah reminds us, they are “… plans for good and not for harm, to give us a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11).
But I also want to say to you today that when bad things happen – when really bad things happen – those things are not part of God’s plan. Once again our community is grieving. We are grieving the death of 18 year old Amber Graf in a horrible care accident. Please hear me on this. God did not cause that accident to happen. That accident was not a part of God’s plan. However, I believe that God can use terrible events like this to help us understand how His plan for us is unfolding. I know, because sometimes I have had to go through some pretty painful things before seeing how God’s plan was working in my life. And most of the time those plans were only visible in hindsight.
But let me also tell you this. I have learned to trust – and I am still in the process of learning to trust God in difficult times. It’s not easy. But I do know this. God is always with me. And what I like about this story about Jesus feeding the five thousand, is that the same God – Jesus – who multiplied the fish and the loaves that day long ago, can still give you and me the resources we need to overcome any problem – to rise above any problem – that we might have.
And once we have those resources, we can act on our stressors. And if you’re still counting with me, that’s number four. When God has given us the resources – faith – hope – love – trust – other people – we can act on our stressors. The things that overwhelm us. One at a time.
Number five. Compile a worry list. Most of the things that you and I worry about – the things that stress us out or overwhelm us – never happen. So compile a worry list, and see just how many of the things on your list really are contributing to your stress.
Number 6. Focus on today. Elsewhere Jesus says, “Don’t worry about tomorrow. Let today’s cares be enough for today.” So plan for tomorrow, but focus on today. God gives us what we need. Maybe not everything we want – and maybe things don’t always go the way we want them to. I know times are tough economically for many if not most of us – but think about it. More often than not – doesn’t God find a way to give you what you need for today?
Number 7. Share your concerns with someone else. Sometimes just talking it out – no matter what it is – can make a difference. And don’t be afraid to ask them to pray with you and for you as well.
But don’t stop at seven. Move on to number 8. Remember that Jesus promises to be with us always. Not just part of the time. Not just some of the time. But always.
I know that’s a lot to cover in a short, 12-minute sermon. But I believe that God can be trusted to give us what we need. And one by one by one those cares, those griefs, and those worries. Those things that cause so much stress in your life and mine – though they are very real – will melt away one by one by one.
It’s not easy, I know. Because life is not always easy. But for now – let me encourage you to learn what it means to count to 8. And then sit back, and watch what God can do.
Amen
Sermon for Zion Lutheran Church – 3rd weekend in Lent 2009 – Series on Healing "Financial Healing"
Matthew 6:25-34; Acts 4:32-35 Recession. Job loss. Double digit unemployment. Credit crisis. Bailouts. Foreclosures. Bear Market. Stimulus packages.
These are the words that we have been hearing so much of lately in the news and in conversation. The economy is in a crisis, or as Warren Buffet describes it, “the economy has fallen off a cliff.” People are joking about how their 401k’s have become 201k’s, meaning that their retirement portfolios have lost about half their value in the last year and a half. Pity the billionaires. I understand there are 793 billionaires in the world, down 330 from the year before. But it’s okay. I understand they’re getting by.
But that’s the word on the street. Pessimism in the near term, and guarded optimism for the long term.
Well, you don’t need me to tell you how bad it is out there. You hear the word on the street. And for many of us, the realities of just how bad it is out there financially has hit hard. And I can’t help noticing that all of this talk about job losses, pay cuts, and recession have created a culture of fear. A culture of fear.
So the word on the street is not encouraging. I’m hearing that this recession won’t begin to turn around until the end of 2009 at the earliest. I’m also hearing others say it could be anywhere from two to five years before things get better. Well, one thing I do know for sure is that no one can accurately predict the future – especially when it comes to the state of the economy. Not Ben Bernanke. And not even Warren Buffet – who, by the way – believes that once we get through this recession that the best years are still ahead of us. We’ll see.
But what does God’s word have to say about all this? I find comfort in our reading from Jeremiah, where God says, “I know the plans that I have for you,…plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.”
Did you hear that? God says that His plans are to give us a future with hope. Unfortunately, the economy and the ongoing financial meltdown have created a culture of fear.
Now I don’t know everyone’s story here today. But I do know the situation that some of us are in. Some are wondering just how long their job may be secure. Some of us have already lost jobs. Some have accepted pay cuts or pay freezes. Anyone who has any money invested in the stock market has seen their college savings plans and retirement plans drop.
It’s a fearful thing. But what I want to ask you today is this. Which would you rather have, fear or hope? Are we going to live in fear? Or are we going to live in hope?
And this is where trust comes in. I know – I know sometimes it’s hard. Sometimes it’s hard to trust – hard to put our hope and our trust in God. And yet, at times like these, I am drawn to the words of Jesus who says, “Do not worry. Do not worry about what you will eat, or what you will drink, or what you will wear.” And this is not a pie in the sky, “Don’t worry be happy” kind of thing. No.
Instead of worrying, what does Jesus say? “Seek first – seek FIRST – the Kingdom of God and its righteousness – and all of these things,” what things? The things that you need – “all of these things will be given to you as well.”
It is a natural thing – part of our human nature – to worry. And some people do a better job of that than others. It is a natural thing for us when we lose our job or are under the threat of losing our job – to be afraid.
I know what that feeling – what that fear – is like. I survived layoffs in every company I ever worked for when I was a computer programmer, and knowing layoffs were coming put everyone on edge. At my last job at Goldome Bank – and by the way, less than two years after I left Goldome, that bank collapsed. Now I’m not saying there was a direct co-relation between my leaving Goldome and the failure of that bank, but I find it a mighty strange coincidence.
But after about a year at Goldome, I was put on a three-months probation. Even though I worked hard, and my bosses commented that I always seemed to be working hard, the problem was that I just wasn’t grasping the intricacies of the software package I and a team of others had responsibility for maintaining. I was in my early thirties, just starting a family, and I was scared.
Now you also need to know, that I had been wrestling with becoming a pastor practically all my life. It was like an itch that I couldn’t scratch. But I went to the Lord in prayer. Again. And I said, “Lord, if this is you giving me a kick in the pants – trying to get my attention – again – then I will pursue this calling to become a pastor. But Lord,” I said, “but Lord, I don’t want to go into the ministry because I failed somewhere else. If you will allow me to understand what it is I am not understanding about my current work assignment, I would be grateful. But if not, I will still pursue the ordained ministry.”
I’ll tell you, I was scared. But you know what? After about 6 weeks or so, my supervisor came to me and said, “Oh, by the way, you’re off probation. We’ve noticed a marked improvement in your work.” And I’ll tell you, it was as though a light went on, and all of a sudden I understood how the software package I was working on worked. And I must admit, I was tempted to forget the promise I made to the Lord – but as you can see – well, here I am today. It was among the best decisions I ever made. Wouldn’t you agree? You do agree, don’t you?
But the story doesn’t end there. It would still be several years before I started seminary full time. But when I tendered my resignation, I was asked to stay on. I couldn’t work full time, but they hired me part time – and here’s the thing. What they paid me was just enough – just enough for me to stay in the house that Nancy and I and our two boys and foster daughter were living in. And when I finally said Good bye to Goldome the year I started my internship, what I got paid on internship, again, was just enough for me to pay all of my bills.
But I know that fear. That fear that comes when your livelihood is threatened. Our jobs – and our 401k’s for that matter – represent security. And when those things are threatened – when our security is taken away – we begin to live in fear. Our dreams are shattered, and we have to figure out what we’re going to do.
And for a man – and I can’t speak for the ladies – but for a man a job loss is particularly devastating since we men draw our sense of self worth – we draw our identity – from what we do. I know that a job loss is devastating to you ladies too. I know that. But speaking as a man, it is a loss of identity.
But I refuse to live in fear. I refuse to let this economy and this recession define who I am. My net value is not determined by my net worth. I am not going to live my life around the news that is coming out of Washington and Wall Street. No sir!
I choose to put my trust in God. I choose to put my security in God. I choose hope over fear. This is a time of great opportunity. Some who lose their jobs will find work in other careers. Or maybe they’ll start that business of their own that they’ve always dreamed of.
So rather than allowing your current situation to throw you into a season of fear or despair, let me encourage you to look at this time as a season of opportunity. What’s happening now is not fatal. I am hopeful, and my hope is not based upon wishing things were different. No. It’s rooted in the Word of God. It’s rooted in the belief that even when life is tough, God is good and he has a plan and purpose for our lives.
Folks, we are in this together. We are not alone. Not only will we survive, but I believe we will thrive. I say this because of the lessons I think most, if not all of us, are learning. Not everyone has suffered the loss of a job or income. But no matter how this economic downturn has affected you, I think we are all learning some important lessons. Lessons that bring about financial healing when times are good as well as when times are not so good. Things like:
• Don’t spend more than you earn.
• Know the difference between what you want and what you need.
• Saving money can be a good thing.
• Taking on more debt than you can afford is a bad thing. In fact working at being debt free is a good thing.
• Giving thanks to God for all that He has done.
• Showing generosity towards God and the things God values is a good thing to do in every season of our lives.
And I want to commend this congregation for doing just that. You showed generosity over these last few weeks towards one of our Zion families who lost everything in a house fire. That’s the kind of generosity that we read about in our reading from the book of Acts. Those early Christians shared everything, and had everything in common such that there was not a need among them.
We might even call that kind of generosity God’s stimulus package.
As this recession continues to run its course, and more jobs may be lost among us, or new jobs remain tough to find, may I call upon you – you disciples of the Lord – to come through again if needed? I think I can.
And if any of you find that you need help – any kind of help at all – to get through this recession, please see me. See Pastor Steve, and we’ll pool the resources of this congregation, and see what we can do. Feel free to take food from our food pantry, no questions asked.
In the meantime, I am going to make a personal promise to bring in more canned goods and other non-perishable goods to our food pantry. Just in case.
In fact, this week I took my Wegmans canvas bag, went to Wegmans, and filled the bag with canned goods and brought them in to our food pantry. Cost me $17. Funny thing about that. I must be getting stronger. 20 years ago I couldn’t lift $17 worth of groceries. Now I can.
So yes, economically, these are tough times. But I like what Pastor Robert Schuler from the Crystal Cathedral has to say about times like these. He says, “Tough times never last, but tough people do.” And I also like what God says. “Do not be afraid, I am with you. I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Therefore, with that promise in mind, let me ask you, does God still heal today? Does God heal even our finances? Listen. God loves you. God cares about you and your situation. So we can either listen to the word on the street, or we can listen to the word of God. And to us God says, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and its righteousness, and all the things that you need will be given to you.”
That’s God’s vision for you – a vision of a future with hope.
So you see, you have a choice. You can live in fear. Or you can live in hope.
I choose hope.
Amen
Sermon for Zion Lutheran Church – 2nd weekend in Lent 2009 – Series on Healing
“Can God Heal Our Relationships?”
(Steve doesn’t usually write out his sermons…they are most often an “organic outline” that changes and adapts to each service…but it’s Lent, so what the heck…here goes nothing!)
Lessons: Gen 17:1-7, 15-16; Ex 20:1-17; Mark 8:31-38
Man, what a powerful sermon and focus last weekend in worship. Dr. Bob Zielinski’s sermon (which you can read on this website somewhere) did an awesome job of challenging us to find a faith balance between praying for a cure and searching out the healing that God brings even when the cure we search for doesn’t seem to arrive. In fact, I was personally moved in my own prayer life later on in the service to think differently about how I offered people up to God in our community prayers. Making the shift from wanting cures to hoping for God’s intended healing is a difficult one, but one that brings a powerful peace with it.
It was all good and that was a fine theology until Tuesday morning when my body self-destructed due to an un-welcomed visit from the flu! For 48 hours after that point, I went right back to my comfort zone of pleading with God for CURE! CURE! CURE!
This battle between cure vs. healing is not only a learning experience and change in our faith lives…but it also has a much larger reach than just the physical realm. It actually runs deep into our relationships as well.
Now let me pause and step into some background on relationships. I think we need to acknowledge and agree on a couple things before we proceed.
First, we are relational beings. Simply put, we are designed to be in relationship with one another. Biblically, we started off as a couple…with a family. We weren’t created to be loners on some sort of Exile Island. No we were put in relationship with one another…one that involves risk and trust and love and care and forgiveness. The Biblical story is full of these relationships with one another and with God.
Second, those relationships come with ups and downs. You don’t barely get out of Eden before you figure out that this relationships thing is going to be dicey! It’s going to have ups and downs. Hate and loss. Betrayal and screw ups. Cain and Abel. Prophet and prophet calling us back to God.
But the good news for us today is that God brings new life and healing to those relationships…by design…by promise…by prescription.
This whole story of these relationships invites us to remember where we began and where we’ll end. We just recently heard it…from ashes…to ashes. We are designed to be people of God, allowing God to be in us, around us and through us. How does that understanding impact the people we could be? The words we use with one another? The time we share? The hugs we withhold? The healing that God wants to work through our very design?
And when we forget about our design…God reminds us of his promise in presence. Sarah’s response in Exodus 17 is a classic one…she laughs. She laughs at what God can do. This would be even funnier if it wasn’t what most of us do on a daily/hourly/weekly basis with God. God said to her and her hubby…”I can do cool stuff for you. Do you trust that I can?” Hahahahahahahaha. Ever done that? Ever had a sense that God was trying to tell us that his healing for our relationships was right around the corner, or behind us, or alive (like that whole window thing again)…and we just laugh?
Luckily, God can handle the laughter. And it doesn’t change the promise.
But if our design and that promise wasn’t good enough, God gave us a prescription…the 10 Commandments. Now I know many of you remember these as things you had to memorize and spit out for a test somewhere along the confirmation road. Or maybe they just strike you as laws that applied to a different people and a different time. But they should be…can be…God wants them to be…. more for you.
They are gifts for our relationships…with God and with one another. And when followed and applied…they can bring healing. The first three are our walk with God and the next seven deal with others.
What better healing could come in our relationship with God than if we made more time for him…stopped putting other idols in front of him…stopped using his name to defend the wrong things…(see those goofballs from the Westboro Baptist Church for details on that one).
When we walk through these 10 Commandments, there is an amazing amount of healing potential to go around for all sorts of relationships in our lives. They talk of not killing…but it’s more than that. It’s not good enough to just get through the day without stabbing someone, but have you spent any time building someone up…helping them out…leading them proactively with your help, care and compassion? It’s not good enough to just not cheat on your husband or wife, but have you spent any time during the day reminding them that you love them, need them, are amazed by them?
There is healing in that. God’s healing. God’s prescription.
This might be new for many of you. So maybe this is the cross you need to pick up this Lent. (Mark 8:31-38) One that moves you toward the sacrifice that was like that of Jesus. Sacrifice that allows your faith to be a daily…moment to moment thing. Sacrifice that reaches a friend…a neighbor…a loved one.
Maybe this is your cross.
Now I could go through the litany of relationships and how God’s healing can apply to your specific case. But I think that is your role as a disciple of Jesus. I think that is what translates a boring sermon on a screen from a website, to transformational good news for your life.
I’m inviting you to take part in that transformation…one relationship…one action at a time. And as you do it, know this: You were designed to be in these relationships, you have a promise from God that his presence will be there with you, and you have a wonderful healing prescription to follow!
Still in One Peace,
Ps
Does God Heal Today?
(sermon Feb 28 – Mar 1, 2009)
Stop ten people on the street and ask them what they think “Christian healing” means. My bet is nine place an emphasis that is clearly on healings that have nothing to do with health care and yet the people are dramatically, medically cured, miraculously. This is a subject near and dear to me in light of my day job as a physician, specifically a medical oncologist. For those of you who don’t know what that is, count yourself lucky. My specialty deals with the non-surgical treatment of cancers. When things don’t go well, I often continue to work with the Hospice team in providing end-of-life care. And so, a significant portion of my job deals with those who have not been “healed.”
I began my journey on this topic in leading the Alpha course, whose DVD talk on this subject seemed to discuss only the fabulous cures that defied other explanation. He talked about a healing session where nearly everyone in the room was healed of something or other, just with a prayer or a touch. It was an attempt to convince the skeptic that these miracles do happen, and regularly. But instead of leaving me feeling happy and uplifted, it made me feel uneasy and empty. I struggled with it for months, put aside then struggled with it again when the next Alpha came up.
To hear this talk on Christian healing, this sort of thing goes on all the time. And I asked myself, if anyone should be seeing this, shouldn’t it be me, who deals with the hopelessly ill every day?
And yet, I don’t. At least not in proportion to the number of people who are praying for it to occur. Clearly, many of my patients are people of faith, who are praying for better outcomes and whose friends and families are praying right there with them. And yet, just as my medical books and training and experience said they would, they die of their cancers.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I have seen an occasional case that defies conventional medical explanations. But they are few and far between. So testimonials about miracle after miracle ring hollow for me; they leave me with an empty nagging feeling. They leave me thinking there seemed to be only two possibilities: either there is something wrong with me that I cannot regularly effect these cures with my prayer, or God ignored all those whom I have seen die. These are faith shaking conclusions that at first, I could not reconcile.
And then I realized the fallacy in the thinking. Without explicitly calling it a definition, what we have done here is put boundaries on what healing is by making it fit our definition. First, we approach God’s healing like a science project, looking for proof. Only if there is no other possible explanation do we allow ourselves to call it the work of God. And second, only then if the outcome is the one we define.
First of all, it is awfully arrogant and proud that we presume that no medical advances were found, that none of them are applied with God's hand in the background. Insisting that medical cure comes without any help of man before we credit God, confines him. It deprives him of one of his favorite modes of operation: using others, sometimes the unlikeliest of souls, to work his miracles for him. But they are still his miracles.
So there’s the first point that I want you to leave here with: just because the cure didn’t happen with merely a touch and a prayer doesn’t mean it wasn’t a healing from God.
But that’s only a small part of the story. What about all those others, the ones who do not get better? A very wise and respected elder colleague once told me what his grandmother said: God will answer every prayer, and sometimes the answer is, “No.” We must start by realizing that it is not only in the granting of health that God necessarily shows his love for us.
Our reading today from Ecclesiatses 3 said, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to mourn and a time to dance.”
We are not permanent residents here, and as Christians, we should not want to be. One goal in this life is to get to the next one, so why do we regard it as failure when a loved one moves on? We always ask God to spare our loved ones. But the logical absurd endpoint of this reasoning is for us all to live forever.
When we pray for miraculous cure when all conventional wisdom says it can’t happen, we are again tying God’s hand with our definitions. I am sure He can make the earth stop turning if He wants (He did it once for Joshua), but He isn’t often in the habit of doing it. Our world has certain physical laws, and one of them is that all living things fade and wither and die. Our pets and our plants and our loved ones, too. Asking him to change that is bound to be pointless, but we don’t seem to be shy about trying, and then we hold Him responsible for not meeting our unreasonable demand.
His promise is not that we will feel no pain or endure no hardship in this life; on the contrary, much of the New Testament speaks of how much difficulty one can encounter while trying to lead the Christian life. His promise is that He will be there with us when we feel the pain or endure that hardship. Not if, but when. We need only to adjust our eyes and ears and hearts to find Him in those desperate moments.
Listen again to the Gospel reading: “I do not give to you as the world gives.”
Lou had a lung cancer that was progressing all through his daughter’s pregnancy. He kept asking me, “Am I gonna see this baby, doc?” I had no idea, but I knew it would be close. Turns out he did see that baby, made it by two weeks. But only because his daughter went six weeks premature. Lou died, but the healing for that family had already begun.
When John Fahnestock was diagnosed with ALS, Lou Gehrig’s disease, he knew exactly what he was in for. He had just watched his brother die of the same thing. But he didn’t hide, he took his battle public, right in front of us in this congregation and turned it into an evangelism tool. He touched a lot of lives in his long membership at Zion, but never more powerfully than when he shared his final struggle. John knew all about what Psalm 147 says, “His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor his delight in the legs of a man; the Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.” John was no longer as strong as a horse, but his faith was. His legs were surely not a delight any more, and he wound up in a wheelchair, but he walked with Jesus till his last breath. Although his speech quivered with the weakness his disease brought, his message was loud and clear. John was not cured, but he and God made sure the healing had begun.
And of course, many of you knew Mark Grefrath. Anyone who visited him near the end knows that Mark spent his last weeks spreading healing among his family and friends before he left them. I don’t think he said a whole lot different than he said in the rest of his life, but those same loving words carried infinitely more weight precisely because we knew they were among his last. Mark died; he was not cured. But God made sure the healing had begun. Mark poured it out all over his family, and this past month, I think it spilled right out their back door on to Long Street.
So there is the second, and bigger take home message. The cure, which is all anyone seems to want to talk about, is overrated. The absence of cure doesn’t mean there wasn’t a healing. On the contrary, if we look hard enough, we will often find that the most extraordinary healings come to and from those who were not cured.
Look at this window, we see it every week. Yesterday at the Alpha retreat, I looked at it and asked myself, “why is Mary crying?” I think she is crying because she thinks God has abandoned her. For three days now, she’s been worried. It started on Thursday night, and by Friday afternoon she was pretty sure. And now, on Sunday morning, she is absolutely sure, because Jesus is physically gone. So she feels afraid and confused and alone. And what is she missing? Jesus is standing right behind her! Turn around, will you? He’s right there! He told you this would happen! He’s right there!
When health fails, God is not failing with it. Don’t put Him in a box of our own making by dictating how He should work. Pray, yes, absolutely. But then wait and see where He shows up. It may not be where you thought, or how you hoped or wanted, but He will show up, I promise. What is more important, that is what He promised.
Amen. |  |
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