In 1715, King Louis XIV (1638-1715) of France died. He reigned for 72 years. He called himself “the Great.” His court was the most magnificent in Europe, and his funeral was equally spectacular. As his body lay in state in a golden coffin, orders were given that the cathedral should be very dimly lit with only a special candle set above his coffin to dramatize his greatness. At the memorial, thousands waited in hushed silence. Then Bishop Jean Baptiste Massillon (1663-1742) began to speak. He slowly reached down, snuffed out the candle and said, “Only God is great!” Some things don’t change. God is still great! That takes us to the Old Testament.
Our reading is 2 Kings 5:1-14. The main character in the story is Naaman. He was respected by all because he was the Commander of the Syrian army. His future seemed bright, until he contracted leprosy. In our time, leprosy is treatable, but not in Naaman’s time. He had a big problem and there was no earthly help. His association with the king could not help him. His professional success could not help him. His fame could not help him. His personal wealth could not help him. His bright future suddenly turned dark. His future was filled with isolation and death. With no other option, he turned to God, the great one.
This blog is written for anyone who has ever had a big problem. That means this blog is written for everyone because life is not easy. Life is hard and is filled with many big problems. Those are times we need God because our resources are not big enough. What is the greatest problem in your life? Be thankful that we believe in a great God. If God could raise Jesus from the dead, then God can handle any problem that you have in your life. Naaman models for us what we must do the next time we are facing a big problem. Consider these three things with me.
First, when you are facing a big problem seek God. Naaman had everything in life. Verse one says, “Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. (Aram was the King of Syria.) He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the Lord had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.” In other words, he had it all. Naaman had no need for God until he contracted leprosy. How many people do you know have no need for God until a big problem invades their lives? I have witnessed this many times. When life is good, we have no time for God. When life is hard, we turn to God. God uses crises in our lives to get our attention and show us what is important.
Studies tell us people start coming to church because of a change or a pain in their lives. They move to a new area and need new friends. Their children are just starting college, and they are home alone. Their marriage is going through some hard times. The diagnosis wasn’t good. A mother or a father has just died. They come to church for the first time in a long time because they are seeking God! Naaman was seeking God because his life was about to change. When facing a big problem, seek God.
Second, when you have a big problem submit to God. He received permission from his king to travel to Israel. Verse five says he took a large sum of money with him expecting to pay a king’s ransom for the healing. Upon his arrival he discovers two things. First, the prophet he seeks is not in the court of the King of Israel. Second, his money is worthless. His healing cannot be bought. His healing must be earned through submission. He must go dunk himself in the Jordan River seven times. It would have been easier to pay the money because the Jordan River was muddy. Naaman would have to humble himself. To make things worse, he would have to dunk himself seven times in the Jordan River to be healed.
Australian explorer Edmund Hillary (1919-2008) once said, “It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves.” Submitting to the will of God is one of the most challenging things you will ever do in your life as a disciple. The reason is, God does not always address a problem in the way you expect. Naaman took his checkbook to Israel expecting to buy a miracle. How many times has God responded to your big problem in a surprising way? It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves. When you have a big problem, submit to God.
Third, when you have a big problem in your life, trust God. God can be seen in this story from beginning to end. God used many people in this single healing. There were the words of the servant girl, the King of Syria, the King of Israel, the prophet Elijah and, and finally, Naaman’s own servants. He would have traveled back to Syria without a healing without them. He didn’t really want to submit himself to God, but he did in the end because of the encouraging words of his servants. He dunked himself seven times in the Jordan and he was healed. Have you ever wondered how Naaman felt after the six dunks without a healing? Do you think he still trusted God? How far do you trust God?
History tells us the Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin (1934-1968) was the first man to fly in space. After the end of the Cold War some of Russia’s cosmonauts revealed the pressures under which he operated. For example, Gagarin’s spacecraft was armed with an explosive charge which could be detonated by a radio signal. The Russians wanted to ensure Gagarin wouldn’t defect by re-entering earth’s atmosphere anywhere but over Soviet territory. So the explosives were rigged. British film producer Jerome Blattner (1909-2002) once said, “A person who trusts no one can’t be trusted.” The next time you have a big problem seek God, submit to God, and trust God.
Only a few humans have been fortunate enough to journey into space, and it seems that the experience can be life changing. James Irwin (1931-1991) was an astronaut on the Apollo 15 mission. He got to see the earth while standing on the moon and it reshaped his view of the world forever. Here’s how earth appeared to Irwin from space: “That beautiful, warm, living object looked so fragile, so delicate, that if you touched it with a finger, it would crumble and fall apart.” He saw our world from God’s perspective. Consider this – the same God that holds our world in one hand is the same God that wants a personal relationship with you. Seek God, submit to God, trust God. After all, God is Great!
Our reading is from I Samuel 3:1-10. The people of Israel have settled back into a lax lifestyle. Their attitude toward God and His vision for them as a nation had become indifferent. Their leader, the high priest, Eli, was old. Unless something happened the reigns of leadership will be passed to his two wicked sons, Hophni and Phinehas. The only bright spot in the whole story is a boy named Samuel. His name means “asked of God.” He had been entrusted to Eli a decade earlier by his mother, Hannah. In time the tables turned, it is Samuel who now cares for the old man’s needs. Surprisingly, God speaks to Samuel and breaks the silence. Here is an interesting question.
Why did God speak to Samuel? Why didn’t God speak to the old priest, Eli? Why didn’t God speak to Eli’s sons who were in the prime of their lives? Perhaps a better question is, why doesn’t God speak to us? For years, I would utter the same prayer before I would preach. “Dear Father, we have grown weary of human voices and human opinions. Father, what we really want is a word from you.” Why is a word from the Lord so rare? In this blog, I want to look at three qualities Samuel had in his life that made him attractive to God. They take the form of three words. Perhaps God isn’t speaking to our society because we lack these qualities.
The first word is the word others. God speaks to those people who are concerned about other people. God is frustrated with people who live for themselves. It is hard to see God when your eyes are fixed on yourself. Samuel illustrates that fact for us. Why did Samuel assume the voice of God he heard was Eli? There are two reasons. First, this was the first time God had spoken to him and he did not know God’s voice. Second, a large part of Samuel’s life was caring for the aging Eli. He didn’t just live for himself, he lived for someone else, Eli, and he heard a word from the Lord.
I am proud of many things I did in the ministry. One of those things is sending youth on an annual mission trip. The camps were sponsored by a youth organization called Group. The goal was to help people in need and to help young people experience Jesus. We did it for over twenty years at Western Reserve. Twice we co-hosted a camp within a few miles from our church building in Youngstown, Ohio. Those trips were life-changing for everyone involved.
Every year I would be at the church when the youth returned from a trip. The scene was always the same. They would get out of the vans and act like they were returning from war – they were limping and tired. However, something special always happened, they would tell me about the week. They told me about the funny things that happened. They would tell me how hard they worked. They would tell me about the people they met in their small work group from around the country. They would tell me about the people they helped – the poor widow, the young mother with cancer, the crippled veteran. All the residences they worked on were considered substandard housing. They would tell those stories with a smile, and end by saying, “you should have been there!” Those stories were not unique to just the youth, it is true of everyone who gets involved in missions. It is the same for all the mission trips – local, regional, national and international. There is something about walking in some else’s shoes that changes you. When you get your ears off the details of your life, it changes you. How much time do you spend worrying about yourself and your loved ones? How much time do you spend worrying about a stranger? Maybe that is why a word from the Lord is so rare? God speaks to us when we are concerned with someone else’s needs. Samuel was concerned about Eli. The first word is others.
The second word is the word opportunity. God speaks to people who put themselves in position to hear Him. Samuel positioned himself to hear God. Do you remember the story? God spoke to Samuel three times before Eli discerned God’s voice. The old priest instructed the boy to go back to bed and wait on the Lord. If the Lord speaks again then say, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” In other words, Samuel positioned himself to receive God’s word. When was the last time you positioned yourself for a word from the Lord?
We live busy, fast-paced lives. According to the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average American spends 9.8 hours a day sleeping, 5.15 hours a day in leisure, 3.56 hours a day working, and 1.92 hours a day on household activities. That comes to a total of 20.43 hours each day. What are you going to do with the rest of your day? How many of the remaining 3.57 hours each day are you planning on spending with God? It is not an easy question to answer. I am convinced we make time for the things that are important to us. How important is God to you? How much time are you planning on spending with God? Samuel positioned himself to listen to God. Are you positioning yourself to hear God? Are you giving God an opportunity to speak to you? The second word is opportunity.
The third word is the word obedient. Maybe the word should be disobedient? Let me say this clearly – God does speak to us! One of the ways is through the Bible. That is why the Bible is so wonderful. The Bible is filled with God’s word and contains wonderful models for holy living. The problem is the way we view the Bible. Most people read the Bible like they are at a garage sale. They select only the parts that are pleasing to them and reject the rest. Samuel said in verse ten, “Speak your servant is listening.” In other words, Samuel was open to God’s word and God’s leading. God’s vision for him became a priority in his life. Can the same thing be said about you?
There is an old preaching story about a church that received a pastor. On his first Sunday, the congregation gathered excitedly and expectantly. Everyone was suitably impressed afterward. “My, how well he spoke” remarked one. “A superb sermon to be sure. If he keeps this up, we’re in for a treat” remarked another. Keep it up the new pastor did. For the following week he preached the same sermon. The people were puzzled, but generously surmised that it had probably been too busy a week to prepare a new sermon, with moving into a new house and meeting all the people. Yet he preached the original sermon the following week as well, and the week after that. The people were very concerned, and the church leadership decided it was time to confront their new pastor. They met him after the service and asked whether he had any other sermons or whether he planned to preach the same one for his entire ministry.” I certainly hope not,” said the pastor. “I plan on preaching a new sermon, once you put the first one into practice.”
All the spiritual disciplines mean nothing if we are not open to God’s word for us. Preaching and Bible study mean nothing as long as our opinions are more important than God’s word. Preaching and Bible study are not entertainment, they are God’s word to you. Do you really care what God has to say to you? Scottish theologian and preacher Peter T. Forsythe (1848-1921) was right when he said, “The first duty of every soul is to find not its freedom but its Master”. Why is a word from the Lord so rare? Perhaps, one of the reasons is we really don’t care what God has to say? The first word was others. The second word is opportunity. The third world is obedience. I end with this story.
Our 32nd President, Franklin Roosevelt (1882-1945), often endured long receiving lines at the White House. He complained that no one really paid any attention to what was said. One day, during a reception, he decided to try an experiment. To each person who passed down the line and shook his hand, he murmured, “I murdered my grandmother this morning.” The guests responded with phrases like, “Marvelous! Keep up the good work! We are proud of you! God bless you, sir!” It was not until the end of the line, while greeting the ambassador from Bolivia, that his words were truly heard. Nonplussed, the ambassador leaned over and whispered, “I’m sure she had it coming.” 30th President Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933) once said, “No man ever listened himself out of a job.”
Listening to other people is a complex topic. Sometimes we don’t listen because we don’t hear. The Food and Drug Agency, tells us approximately 28.8 million Americans would benefit from wearing hearing aids. Sometimes we don’t hear what is being said because we are preoccupied. I am in this category. You can talk to me, and I don’t hear a word, because I am thinking about something else. Sometimes we don’t hear because we are guilty of selective hearing. That is when we hear what is being said, but we refuse to accept it. Like when your doctor tells you at your annual physical to diet and exercise. You hear the words but dismiss them. Listening to other people is a complex topic.
Listening to God is even more complex. Samuel knew how to listen. He heard God because, he was more concerned with others than himself. He heard God because he gave God an opportunity to speak to him. He heard God and was open to God’s leading. God is speaking to you. Are you listening?
Rita was a parishioner of mine in the Cleveland area. When I knew her, she was a good United Methodist. However, she was raised Roman Catholic. As a child the Methodist Church in her neighborhood stood between her home and her school. Her mother made it clear: never go into that Methodist Church! We are Catholic! If you go into that Methodist Church, you will commit a sin, and you may go to hell. Little Rita believed those words. One day on her way home from first grade a thunderstorm struck, and she had to make a difficult decision. She could walk into that Methodist Church and sin, or she could face the wrath of that storm and not sin. Little Rita remembered the words of her mother and faced the storm with tears in her eyes.
Many in Rita’s generation had similar stories. They were raised in a world that told them not to trust different branches of the church. People see the differences in others, God sees what we have in common. Every branch of the Christian church believes in the resurrection of Jesus and nothing else really matters. Our world has become much more complex. My great-grandfather was the last Adams to live on a farm. There is an excellent chance he never met a non-Christian. There is an excellent chance my grandson will know many non-Christians in his lifetime. That reality leads us to an interesting question: what is your response to our polytheistic society? That question leads us to the Bible.
Our reading is Acts 17:22-28. Paul finds himself in the city of Athens. It was a city of great history. Five centuries before Paul, Athens had been at its height of glory. It was the home of great art, philosophy, and literature. On the day Paul arrived, it was still a great city. It was the home of the leading university of the day and boasted the great philosophical tradition inherited from Socrates (47 BC-399 BC), Plato (427 BC-348 BC) and Aristotle (384 BC-322 BC). Paul should have been happy, but Paul was disturbed. With his own eyes he saw the idols dedicated to all the false gods. Like contemporary America, Athens believed in freedom of religion. It is for that reason our scripture speaks to us. The great evangelist is confronted with the same question that I asked you today — as a disciple of Jesus Christ, what is your response to our polytheistic society?
According to the Pew Research Group, the largest religion in the world is Christianity, 31.1% of the world’s population identifies themselves as Christian. The second largest religion in the world is Islam. 24.9% of the world’s population identifies themselves as Muslim. 15.2% of the world’s population identifies themselves as Hindu. 6.6% of the world’s population identifies themselves as Buddhist. 15.6% of the world’s population is irreligious. With the advancement of transportation and communication, we have seen our world grow smaller. The chances of you never meeting a non-Christian today is very small. For this reason, I would encourage you to do three things. These thoughts are not original. They came from United Methodist clergyman James W. Moore (1938-2019).
First, we need to wake up! The First Amendment of the United States constitution says: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. The first amendment protects five basic freedoms. It is the freedom of religion that grabs our attention.
The constitution of the United States is a good thing. It protects our basic freedoms, including the freedom of religion. That freedom is much wider than protecting your right of being a Christian. It says that anyone can worship in the way that they wish. The first amendment protects the right of the Jews and those of the Muslim faith. It protects the New Age folks and the Scientologists, like Tom Cruise (born 1962). I don’t have to tell you the times are changing! Our country is changing! There are non-Christian groups being formed every day in our land. Jesus is no longer the only show in town. Americans worship many gods. We need to wake up to that fact. As a disciple of Jesus Christ, you need to wake up!
Second, we need to show up! The Archbishop of Canterbury William Temple (1881-1944) once said, “Go into the world and preach the gospel and use words only when absolutely necessary.” In other words, we need to show the world that Jesus has made a difference in our lives. We need to show up to help the hurricane victims. We need to show up at hospitals and orphanages. We need to show up at nursing homes and the food banks. We need to show up and respond to international needs. We need to show up to tell the world that we are sincere people. Our priorities show the world Jesus has made a difference in our lives.
I worship at Church of the Lakes in North Canton, Ohio. It is about an hour drive from my home. My soul is worth the drive. I am never disappointed. It is a healthy church. The people are nice, and the message is always solid. Each week in worship there is a mission spotlight. It is aways different. The church offers a smorgasbord of missions. They are involved in local missions. They are involved in regional missions. They are involved in national and international missions. My wife Kathryn has been asked to do a mission spotlight on our mission work in Estonia. I am proud to be part of a church who isn’t afraid to get involved in missions, because our world has many needs. As Christians, we need to show up and respond to our needy world. As a disciple of Jesus Christ, you need to show up!
Third, we need to speak up! We must be able to articulate our faith and tell the world what we believe. Do you know what you believe about Jesus? I do not expect you to have a well-developed theology like the apostle Paul, but you need to know that the cornerstone of our faith is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is the one thing that separates Christianity from the other religions of the world.
For several years, I would spend my Monday mornings listening to the worship service at the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church in New York City. At the time, Tom Tewell was the Lead Pastor. I remember listening to the worship service the Sunday after September 11th. Tewell participated in several ecumenical services after the attack. At one such service, he was the only Christian and was assigned to offer the benediction. The rabbi was to read scripture. An imam said a prayer. A politician said a few words. Tewell was interested in why he was assigned the benediction, so he asked. The organizer said, “Of all the faiths and philosophies represented, Christianity is the only one that offers the most hope. You believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. You have a living Savior. The rest of the founders are dead!” That is what makes Christianity different from other world religions. We need to be able to tell people what Jesus means to us. We need to be able to tell people what Jesus has done for us. As a disciple of Jesus Christ, you need to speak up! Let me end with this story.
South African Anglican bishop and theologian Desmond Tutu (1931-2021) was at a meeting with the minister of law and order in South Africa. He took that opportunity to talk about the Gospel and how Apartheid went again the Gospel. The minister of law and order didn’t want Tutu to wake up, show up or speak up. He wanted Tutu to shut up. However, Tutu refused to stop talking. He said, “Mr. Minister, with all respect, you are a man and not God. You are nothing more than a scribble in the pages of world history, but Jesus Christ will live forever!” Desmund Tutu was right. Someday every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord. But until that day comes, we need to wake up, show up and speak up.
Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus is one of the most beloved hymns in the church. Did you know it was written by a blind woman? Her name was Helen Lemmet (1864-1961). From a young age her musical ability was noticed by everyone around her. She studied music in Germany where she met her husband. They moved to America in 1911, where she dedicated herself to writing, arranging, and teachings hymns of the faith. Sadly, several years into the marriage, she experienced a tragic illness which led to her loss of sight. Her husband, refusing to attend to a blind wife, left her. This time of hurt and loss weighed heavily upon her, however, that is not the end of her story.
In 1918, she was introduced to a pamphlet written Algerian missionary Lilias Trotter (1853-1928). Her words, turn full your soul’s vision to Jesus, and look at Him, and a strange dimness will come over all that is apart from Him, moved Lemmet. She wrote Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus a short time later. She turned her eyes upon Jesus and continued to serve him faithfully. She led a women’s choral for many years at the Billy Sunday evangelistic events, taught music at the Moody Bible Institute, and penned over 400 hymns. It is amazing what happens when you turn your eyes upon Jesus. That takes us to our scripture reading.
Our reading is Matthew 14:22-33. It is Matthew’s version of Jesus walking on water. This story is not unique to Matthew, it is found in Mark 6:45-52 and John 6:16-21. The stories are basically the same, only the details change. Each one agrees the disciples got into a boat to sail to Capernaum. Mark tells us they got into the boat to escape the crowd. However, Jesus stayed behind to pray. John tells us a storm hits the boat between 3:00 am and 6:00 am. The little wooden ship is in distress and the disciples are afraid for their lives. Without warning, Jesus arrived by walking on the water and saved the day. Only Matthew tells us Peter got out of the boat to be with Jesus. That tells us a great deal about Peter’s bold and impulsive personality. He was the only one of the twelve who got out of the boat. The other eleven played it safe. At first, Peter had success. Then, he takes his eyes off Jesus and begins to sink. The story tells us how important it is to keep our eyes in the right direction. It is the key to surviving. Let me state the obvious.
Life is filled with storms. With your sanctified imagination you can imagine the disciples getting into the boat. This was not unusual for them. They had sailed across the Sea of Galilea many times, but this journey was different because they were caught in a storm. The Sea of Galilee was known for her violent storms. While they were afraid, they should not have been surprised, they were expected. Storms were a part of their life. Storms are part of our lives too! How many examples do you need?
I have been in the ministry for decades and have sat with people during the most challenging moments in their lives. I will sit with a young man who is going through a storm this weekend – I am officiating at his parent’s funeral. When I talked to him, he told me his painful story. His mother had suffered for years. She was cared for by her husband who protected her. They fought the brave fight in isolation. When her death finally came, the son looked forward to reconnecting with his father, he never really had the opportunity to know his grandchildren. That never happened because the husband died from a stroke eleven days after his wife’s death. As he told me the story, I could hear the stress in the son’s voice. I am struggling with finding the right words. What would you say? There is no other way to say it – life is hard and is filled with storms. I would like to say this is an isolated case, but I cannot. Every day, we hear stormy sad stories. How many storms have you experienced in your life? It is painfully true, life is hard and we should expect the storms to come. However, something else is equally true.
God forges a special relationship with us when we are in the middle of a storm. According to John, the disciples had rowed about three to three and a half miles across the lake when the storm hit. At about the same time Jesus comes to them walking on the water. They do not recognize him at first. They thought he was a ghost. (Jewish superstition said when a spirit visited at night that a disaster was near, which is why they were afraid.) It is Jesus who calls out to them, identifies himself, and immediately the situation gets better. The boat arrives on the other side safely. They were glad to see Jesus. We are always glad to see Jesus when the storms in our lives begin to blow. God forges a special relationship with us when we are in the middle of a storm. The only way you will know this is true is to go through a difficult storm.
James W. Moore (1938-2019) was the pastor of the St. Luke United Methodist Church in Houston from 1984-2006. He saw that special relationship in the lives of two of his parishioners, Dave and Sandy. The storm they experienced was the worst storm a parent can endure. Their sixteen-year-old daughter, Ellen, slipped into a coma without warning and died. When Dr. Moore met Dave and Sandy he was shocked at their faith. They said, “God has given us the strength we didn’t know we had. We had Ellen for only sixteen years, but she gave us enough love for a lifetime. We are crushed, but we are not defeated. God is with us. We feel God closer to us then ever!” Dave and Sandy are a special couple. Many have rejected God during their storms, but Dave and Sandy kept their eyes on Jesus. God forges a special relationship with us when we are in the middle of a storm. This is also true.
We will sink if we take our eyes off Jesus. That is exactly what Peter did in our reading. At first, Peter experienced success. He walked on water, then he took his eyes off Jesus because he becomes preoccupied with the storm that surrounds him. He began to panic and sink. He calls out to Jesus for help. Have you ever taken your eyes off Jesus when you are in the middle of a storm? Have you ever called out to Jesus when you need help?
In May 2021 journalist Giles Brandreth (born 1948) interviewed South African Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu (1931-2021). It was a powerful experience for Brandreth, for Desmond Tutu was suffering from prostate cancer and there was a real chance this might be the last interview he would ever give. He wondered, what might Tutu want to talk about? He expected Tutu to talk about the political changes in South Africa during his lifetime. He was wrong. Here’s what Tutu told Brandreth: “If this is going to be my last interview, I am glad we are not going to talk about politics. Let us talk about prayer and adoration, about faith, hope and forgiveness. I want to talk about Jesus.” For Tutu these are the things that are the stuff of life. It isn’t just true of Desmond Tutu, it is our story as well. When you are in the middle of a storm nothing else really matters. It all begins and ends with Jesus. Turn your eyes upon Jesus!
Our reading is Luke 8:26-39. There is no other way to describe the story, it is weird. It is weird from beginning to end. The story begins with Jesus and the disciples sailing on the Sea of Galilee. They land in an area largely comprised of Gentiles, who show very little interest in Jesus. As a matter of fact, only one person came out to meet him, the weirdest man in the entire community – the demoniac, Legion. We are told his name is derived from his spiritual condition. A legion of demons had invaded his soul. He lives in isolation because no one wants to live with him. That is fine with him, because he simply wants to be left alone. There is no hope. There is no earthly cure for him. The only thing he has to look forward to is death. The tombs that surround him were his earthly future. He had no clue at the beginning of the day a cure was so close. Yet, by the end of the day, he had reclaimed his life because Jesus came into his life. The story ends in an odd way. You would think the community would have wanted to thank Jesus for saving one of their own. Instead, they insist that Jesus leave. I told you – it is a weird story from beginning to end.
Can I make a confession? I like this story because it is so weird. Maybe a better word is creepy. I have read this story for nearly fifty years, and I understood the divine truth from the very first time. The story of Legion is a story about Jesus’ authority over demons. The authority of Jesus cannot be ignored. All the stories in the eighth and ninth chapters of Luke deal with Jesus’ authority over something. Trace them with me. Jesus had authority over leprosy. Jesus had authority over paralysis. Jesus had authority over sickness. Jesus had the authority to call the disciples to follow him. Jesus had authority over nature. Jesus had authority over fasting. Jesus had authority over life itself. In this story, Jesus had authority over demons. The question is not whether Jesus had authority. The question is, do you believe in demons? Everyone must answer that question for themselves. I had to answer that question for myself. I believe in demon possession. Do you believe in demon possession? This is why I believe in demon possession. Let me tell you my story. I tell this story annually to remind us of Halloween’s dark side.
Her name was Pat, and she changed the way I look at Halloween forever. When I was pastoring in the Cleveland area, I received a random phone call. The young woman’s voice on the end of the line said she needed help. I was prepared to give her a bag of food or a voucher to the local grocery store. However, she was quick to say she didn’t need financial help, she had a job to cover her expenses. She just needed to talk to someone about some experiences in her life. I said I would be glad to meet with her and we met at my church a few days later.
When the day arrived, she came early. She drove an old light blue Pontiac, complete with rust and some bald tires. From my office window, I watched her sit in her car until the magic hour. I met her on the sidewalk in front of the church and stuck out my hand to welcome her. She didn’t respond. She could not even make eye contact, but I examined her. In short, not yet seeing her thirtieth birthday, she was a victim of life. Her clothes were faded and baggy. Her hair was long and ungroomed. Her shoes were worn out. There is no other way to say it, she was as nervous as a cat. The church building was empty and we sat in the narthex. In those days, my office resembled a closet, so the only place we could talk comfortably was the narthex. The right words were hard to find. I tried my best by making small talk. I wanted her to calm down, but she never did. The only thing she did was look at her watch and tug on the sleeves of her sweatshirt. Realizing our conversation was going nowhere, I asked her this question: How can I help you? Using broken thoughts and sentences, she told me about some past surgery. I don’t remember anything about it, however, what I do remember was her uneasy spirit. Fidgeting in her seat, she told me she suffered from some form of post-traumatic stress disorder. I said, “I am not sure I can help you. I am not really a counselor, I am a preacher, I am a theologian.” We sat there in uncomfortable silence for a few minutes, when she announced it was time to go. She asked me, “Can we meet again?” I said, “Yes!” and I gave her a card. She promised me she would call, and she did.
The next time we met, she arrived in the same old light blue Pontiac. She was wearing the same shapeless clothes. Just like our prior meeting, her eyes were down, and her spirit was broken. We sat in the same seats in the same empty church. However, this time she did something new. She looked at me and said, “I have to confess, I lied to you last time.” She continued, “I lied to you about the source of my problem. The problem is not my surgery. The problem is I can’t get over my childhood.” Without a single emotion, she began to tell me about her childhood summers.
Annually, she would travel to Canada for the family vacation. They would visit her uncle, who lived on some remote lake. Her parents were both alcoholics. They drank daily, so they entrusted Pat and her siblings to their uncle. The uncle was a Satan worshipper, who exposed his nieces and nephews to some of life’s cruelest experiences. There was no form of abuse they didn’t endure. She told me she was buried alive with an air tube to allow her to keep breathing. She told me he forced her to attend satanic worship services, where animal sacrifices were common. She told me she hated Halloween, because on that highest day of the satanic calendar, human sacrifices were expected. Those experiences forced her personality to fracture and she manifested eight personalities in all. I asked her just one question, “How did you survive?” She answered with red, moist eyes, “I am not sure I have.” She pulled up the sleeves of her sweatshirt and revealed to me the signs of a cutter. She reached into her pocket and showed me her knife. She said, “My psychologist wanted me to come and talk with you. He wants you to teach me about the truth about God and Jesus’ love.” Through a period of several years, I went through the traditional confirmation curriculum with each personality, offering them communion once the course was complete. Each one heard about the good news of Jesus Christ. Sad but true, I taught her about Jesus. She taught me about a world that I wished didn’t exist, Satanism.
Because of my discussions with Pat, I began to research that dark world. I learned that the people who organized modern Satanism were Aleister Crowley (1875-1947) and Anton LeVey (1930-1997). Crowley believed he had harnessed the power of Black Magic. LeVey established the Church of Satan in 1966 in San Francisco. The combination of these two men was truly sinister. The church of Satan is the counter universe to the Christian world.
We worship in the open; they worship in hiding
We worship in churches; they worship in covens
We exist to help others; they exist to help themselves
We see Jesus as the Lamb of God; they value the goat
We sacrifice ourselves to serve; they sacrifice others to gain
We are taught to love; they are taught to hate
We believe in angels; they believe in demons
We are taught to welcome; they are taught to intimidate
Our cross is right side up; their cross is upside down
We give our praise and glory to God; they embrace Satan
The more I learned, the sicker I grew. The story of Legion is the story of a man who was completely overwhelmed by Satan and his forces. I sat there with Pat for years, and I saw a young woman whose life had been destroyed by Satan, and a young woman who needed God’s love. It did not hit me until later – the bravest thing I have ever witnessed was Pat walking into that church for the first time.
Pat came to me for help, but I learned so much from her. Do you know what I learned from her? I learned to stand close to Jesus. Without Jesus, Legion would not have been healed. Jesus isn’t just our friend; Jesus is our Savior and protector. When I was young, my friends and I played with a Ouija board to get answers. When I was young, I wondered about mediums and communicating with the dead. I know people who use tarot cards to see into the future. I know people who sit in the dark in every closed hospital and school hoping to experience paranormal activities. I don’t dismiss those things because I don’t believe in them. I dismiss those things because I do believe in them. They are so seductive. I know they can lead us into a dark world, where I don’t want to go. I just want to stand near Jesus where it is safe. No wonder Legion wanted to go with the Master. He just wanted to be safe.
It has been years since my time with Pat. Our time together ended when I moved to my next church. However, I still think about her during the Halloween season. The last time we met, we sat in the narthex of my church and talked. She thanked me for my time and wanted to give me a gift. I didn’t want a gift, but she insisted. She told me she wanted to give me something she didn’t need anymore. She reached into her pants pocket and handed me her knife. It was the same knife she had used to cut herself. It is my most prized possession from my time in the ministry. Then, she reached out her hand and asked me to pray with her one more time. I prayed that Jesus would protect her from the dark world.
On Halloween, I am planning on being home passing out candy. I like passing out candy, because I like seeing all the children arrive in their Halloween costumes. There will be some princesses. There will be some with masks of frightening characters. There will be a few trying to look like Beetlejuice. There will be a handful of football players. (The ones dressed like Cleveland Browns will get extra candy because they have suffered enough!) When the last one comes, I will turn off my front porch light and pray. I will pray that Jesus keeps all those trick-or-treaters safe, but I will also pray for those souls who are lost in the dark world of Satanism. With Jesus, there is hope. 1 John 1:5 says, “God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.”
The topic is marriage. As I prepared to write this blog I came across a mountain of random statistics and fun facts. I found them entertaining, and I hope you do too. Let me just give you a few.
Did you know January and February are tied for the least popular months to get married?
Did you know on average there are 6,200 weddings every day in America?
Did you know in New Hampshire with parental permission a female at age 13 and a male at age 14 can marry?
Did you know Kentucky state law prohibits a man from marrying his ex-wife’s grandmother?
Did you know over 80% of all married men, regardless of age, say their wife is good-looking.
Did you know the most married person in history was probably King Mongut of Siam, the monarch in “The King and I?” He had 9,000 wives and concubines.
Did you know 60% of American couples describe their marriage as very happy?
Did you know in colonial days, a Boston sea captain named Kemble was sentenced to spend two hours in the stocks for kissing his wife in public on Sunday, the day he returned from three years at sea?
Did you know every day, 175 Americans aged 65 or older get married?
Did you know over 90% of American couples remain sexually faithful to their spouse after marriage?
Did you know 75% of American couples say divorce is not likely at all?
Did you know 75% of married people say their spouse is their best friend?
Did you know 80% of American couples say they would marry the same person if they had to do it over again?
I found that list of statistics and facts on the internet, so I hope they are true.
The topic is marriage. On May 27 Kathryn and I celebrated our thirty-sixth wedding anniversary. Through the eyes of the young that is a long time. In my years of church work I know many couples who have been married longer. I learned years ago the secret is not finding someone you can live with, the secret is finding that person you cannot live without. Our thirty-six years together have gone quickly. We fear being in this world alone. Years ago, I came across the ingredients of a successful marriage. I do not know where they originated, but I think they hold true.
The first ingredient that is needed in a successful marriage is commitment. During his courtship with a young woman named Julia Dent (1826-1902), Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885) once took her out for a buggy ride. Coming to a flooded creek spanned by a flimsy bridge, Grant assured Julia that it was safe to cross. “Don’t be frightened,” he said. “I’ll look after you.” “Well,” replied Julia, “I shall cling to you whatever happens.” True to her word, she clung tightly to Grant’s arm as they drove safely across. Grant drove on in thoughtful silence for a few minutes, then cleared his throat and said, “Julia, you said back there that you would cling to me whatever happened. Would you like to cling to me for the rest of our lives?” She would, and they were married on August 22, 1848. In their marriage they experienced the very best and the very worst. Grant was loved by his generation for ending the Civil War, but he also experienced bankruptcy. The Grants illustrate for us the importance of commitment in marriage. It isn’t just true for Ulysses and Julia Grant; it is true of any successful marriage.
Commitment isn’t important in marriage; it is indispensable. I have no clue how many weddings I have officiated at through the years. They were all different, but every wedding is exciting. It is my experience; weddings are well organized and expensive.
Did you know the average American wedding costs $27,000? Your wedding day is a great day, but marriage is not about a day, it is about the rest of your life. I never knew what the future held for the loving couple, but I did know this: Life is never just black and white, life is a million shades of gray. Together, they would experience the best life had to offer but they would also experience some challenging moments. There may be days that the only thing they have is one another. Commitment isn’t important in marriage; it is indispensable. The first ingredient that is needed in a successful marriage is commitment.
The second ingredient needed in a successful marriage is communication. I love the story of Broadway producer Jed Harris (1900-1972). At one point in his life, he became convinced he was losing his hearing. He visited a specialist, who pulled out a gold watch and asked, “Can you hear this ticking?” “Of course,” Harris replied. The specialist walked to the door and asked the question again. Harris concentrated and said, “Yes, I can hear it clearly.” Then the doctor walked into the next room and repeated the question a third time. A third time Harris said he could hear the ticking. “Mr. Harris,” the doctor concluded, “there is nothing wrong with your hearing. You just don’t listen.” Do you have anyone in your life who can hear perfectly, but they just don’t listen? There is a lot of that going on in our time.
People have busy schedules. We live life at a fast pace. Our ears are always busy. How many people or things demand your attention in a single day? Just think about it for a moment. The one thing you have not heard lately is silence. If you have a job, then you must listen to your boss. If you have children, you must listen to them. You must listen to your children’s teachers. If you work in a store you must listen to the customers. The air is always filled with a wide variety of music that offers background noise. Have you listened to the news lately? Have you heard your phone ringing lately? Have you heard any political advertisements lately? You are even forced to listen to the preacher. Do I have to go on? Our world is filled with all kinds of sounds. Could it be you have grown tired of listening? Do you hunger for silence? Do your ears work perfectly, but you don’t listen? It is important to listen to your spouse. The second ingredient needed in a successful marriage is communication.
The third ingredient needed in a successful marriage is common core values. History tells us the body of missionary David Livingstone (1813-1873) is buried in his native England, but his heart is buried in the land that he loved, Africa. This is my question for you. Where is your heart?
Sociologists tell us we build our lives on our core values. Those are the values we hold closest to our heart. Your core values affect the way that you spend your money. Your core values affect the way that you spend your time. Your core values affect the way that you handle your relationships. What do you hold closest to your heart? Do you hold your spouse close to your heart? Do you hold your children close to your heart? Do you hold your family close to your heart? Do you hold your home close to your heart? Do you hold Jesus close to your heart? Don’t answer that last question too quickly. I am not talking about your church. There are many fine churches in our world. I am not talking about your denomination. It really doesn’t matter what flavor of Christianity is your choice, Methodism, Baptist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Pentecostal, Orthodox or Roman Catholic. I am talking about Jesus. Do you hold Jesus close to your heart? How close do you hold Jesus to your heart? He is the one who died on the cross for your sins, not your local congregation or favorite denomination. Does your spouse hold Jesus close to their heart? Sharing common core values is important. The third ingredient needed in a successful marriage is common core values.
The topic is marriage. Between 1 Peter 2:13 and 3:7, Peter touches on the very heart of Christian ethics. The words seem foreign to our world but not to Peter’s world. He addresses the various relationships found within the early church. There is the relationship between citizens and their government. There is the relationship between slaves and masters. There is the relationship between Christian husbands and Christian wives. The word that links those various relations is “submission.” Jesus was the ultimate example of submission. (1 Peter 2:21-25) It has been a reciprocal ethic. It is an ethic that draws on balance. The responsibility never falls on one individual or group. It is shared by every individual or group. In marriage the responsibility is shared equally by the couple. You see the balance in 1 Peter 3:1-7. Peter addresses the responsibilities of Christian wives in 1 Peter 3:1-5. Peter addresses the responsibilities of Christian husbands in 1 Peter 3:6-7. If you examine your marriage, what do you find? Do you find your marriage in balance or out of balance? C. S. Lewis (1898-1963) once said, “When I have learned to love God better than my earthly dearest, I shall love my earthly dearest better than I do now.”
The topic is marriage. As I prepared to write this blog I came across a mountain of random statistics and fun facts. I found them entertaining, and I hope you do too. Let me just give you a few.
Did you know January and February are tied for the least popular months to get married?
Did you know on average there are 6,200 weddings every day in America?
Did you know in New Hampshire with parental permission a female at age 13 and a male at age 14 can marry?
Did you know Kentucky state law prohibits a man from marrying his ex-wife’s grandmother?
Did you know over 80% of all married men, regardless of age, say their wife is good-looking.
Did you know the most married person in history was probably King Mongut of Siam, the monarch in “The King and I?” He had 9,000 wives and concubines.
Did you know 60% of American couples describe their marriage as very happy?
Did you know in colonial days, a Boston sea captain named Kemble was sentenced to spend two hours in the stocks for kissing his wife in public on Sunday, the day he returned from three years at sea?
Did you know every day, 175 Americans aged 65 or older get married?
Did you know over 90% of American couples remain sexually faithful to their spouse after marriage?
Did you know 75% of American couples say divorce is not likely at all?
Did you know 75% of married people say their spouse is their best friend?
Did you know 80% of American couples say they would marry the same person if they had to do it over again?
I found that list of statistics and facts on the internet, so I hope they are true.
The topic is marriage. On May 27 Kathryn and I celebrated our thirty-sixth wedding anniversary. Through the eyes of the young that is a long time. In my years of church work I know many couples who have been married longer. I learned years ago the secret is not finding someone you can live with, the secret is finding that person you cannot live without. Our thirty-six years together have gone quickly. We fear being in this world alone. Years ago, I came across the ingredients of a successful marriage. I do not know where they originated, but I think they hold true.
The first ingredient that is needed in a successful marriage is commitment. During his courtship with a young woman named Julia Dent (1826-1902), Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885) once took her out for a buggy ride. Coming to a flooded creek spanned by a flimsy bridge, Grant assured Julia that it was safe to cross. “Don’t be frightened,” he said. “I’ll look after you.” “Well,” replied Julia, “I shall cling to you whatever happens.” True to her word, she clung tightly to Grant’s arm as they drove safely across. Grant drove on in thoughtful silence for a few minutes, then cleared his throat and said, “Julia, you said back there that you would cling to me whatever happened. Would you like to cling to me for the rest of our lives?” She would, and they were married on August 22, 1848. In their marriage they experienced the very best and the very worst. Grant was loved by his generation for ending the Civil War, but he also experienced bankruptcy. The Grants illustrate for us the importance of commitment in marriage. It isn’t just true for Ulysses and Julia Grant; it is true of any successful marriage.
Commitment isn’t important in marriage; it is indispensable. I have no clue how many weddings I have officiated at through the years. They were all different, but every wedding is exciting. It is my experience; weddings are well organized and expensive.
Did you know the average American wedding costs $27,000? Your wedding day is a great day, but marriage is not about a day, it is about the rest of your life. I never knew what the future held for the loving couple, but I did know this: Life is never just black and white, life is a million shades of gray. Together, they would experience the best life had to offer but they would also experience some challenging moments. There may be days that the only thing they have is one another. Commitment isn’t important in marriage; it is indispensable. The first ingredient that is needed in a successful marriage is commitment.
The second ingredient needed in a successful marriage is communication. I love the story of Broadway producer Jed Harris (1900-1972). At one point in his life, he became convinced he was losing his hearing. He visited a specialist, who pulled out a gold watch and asked, “Can you hear this ticking?” “Of course,” Harris replied. The specialist walked to the door and asked the question again. Harris concentrated and said, “Yes, I can hear it clearly.” Then the doctor walked into the next room and repeated the question a third time. A third time Harris said he could hear the ticking. “Mr. Harris,” the doctor concluded, “there is nothing wrong with your hearing. You just don’t listen.” Do you have anyone in your life who can hear perfectly, but they just don’t listen? There is a lot of that going on in our time.
People have busy schedules. We live life at a fast pace. Our ears are always busy. How many people or things demand your attention in a single day? Just think about it for a moment. The one thing you have not heard lately is silence. If you have a job, then you must listen to your boss. If you have children, you must listen to them. You must listen to your children’s teachers. If you work in a store you must listen to the customers. The air is always filled with a wide variety of music that offers background noise. Have you listened to the news lately? Have you heard your phone ringing lately? Have you heard any political advertisements lately? You are even forced to listen to the preacher. Do I have to go on? Our world is filled with all kinds of sounds. Could it be you have grown tired of listening? Do you hunger for silence? Do your ears work perfectly, but you don’t listen? It is important to listen to your spouse. The second ingredient needed in a successful marriage is communication.
The third ingredient needed in a successful marriage is common core values. History tells us the body of missionary David Livingstone (1813-1873) is buried in his native England, but his heart is buried in the land that he loved, Africa. This is my question for you. Where is your heart?
Sociologists tell us we build our lives on our core values. Those are the values we hold closest to our heart. Your core values affect the way that you spend your money. Your core values affect the way that you spend your time. Your core values affect the way that you handle your relationships. What do you hold closest to your heart? Do you hold your spouse close to your heart? Do you hold your children close to your heart? Do you hold your family close to your heart? Do you hold your home close to your heart? Do you hold Jesus close to your heart? Don’t answer that last question too quickly. I am not talking about your church. There are many fine churches in our world. I am not talking about your denomination. It really doesn’t matter what flavor of Christianity is your choice, Methodism, Baptist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Pentecostal, Orthodox or Roman Catholic. I am talking about Jesus. Do you hold Jesus close to your heart? How close do you hold Jesus to your heart? He is the one who died on the cross for your sins, not your local congregation or favorite denomination. Does your spouse hold Jesus close to their heart? Sharing common core values is important. The third ingredient needed in a successful marriage is common core values.
The topic is marriage. Between 1 Peter 2:13 and 3:7, Peter touches on the very heart of Christian ethics. The words seem foreign to our world but not to Peter’s world. He addresses the various relationships found within the early church. There is the relationship between citizens and their government. There is the relationship between slaves and masters. There is the relationship between Christian husbands and Christian wives. The word that links those various relations is “submission.” Jesus was the ultimate example of submission. (1 Peter 2:21-25) It has been a reciprocal ethic. It is an ethic that draws on balance. The responsibility never falls on one individual or group. It is shared by every individual or group. In marriage the responsibility is shared equally by the couple. You see the balance in 1 Peter 3:1-7. Peter addresses the responsibilities of Christian wives in 1 Peter 3:1-5. Peter addresses the responsibilities of Christian husbands in 1 Peter 3:6-7. If you examine your marriage, what do you find? Do you find your marriage in balance or out of balance? C. S. Lewis (1898-1963) once said, “When I have learned to love God better than my earthly dearest, I shall love my earthly dearest better than I do now.”
Our reading is 1 Peter 2:4-12. Tradition tells us it was written by the apostle Peter. Clearly, he understood the significance of the resurrection of Jesus, the cornerstone of the Christian faith. 1 Peter was a circular letter. He is not writing to any particular congregation or individual, he wrote it to all believers. That is not an easy task. What do you say that is relevant to everyone? Drawing on his pastor’s heart, Peter encourages them to live out the faith. That sounds simple, but it is a hard thing to do.
In the first century they were worried about Christian persecution. The threat was obvious. In our generation it is more subtle. The threat is no longer external, it is internal. Our world has become masters at compromising everything, including the faith. The world is encouraging us to compromise the faith away. May we never forget, we should live as aliens in this world, always fixing our eyes on heaven. Never underestimate the power of a Christian life. It is a powerful witness. According to our reading for today, to maximize our witness, we must have three great loves.
First, we need to love ourselves. Norman Vincent Peale (1898-1993) was an American clergyman who served in the Reformed Church in America. In 1952, his book The Power of Positive Thinking was released. It was a massive success selling more than five million copies worldwide. Peale became a celebrity. He told this story.
Once while visiting Hong Kong, he came across a tattoo shop. Hanging in the window were the various tattoos one could purchase. There were many, but one tattoo stuck out. It was just three words: BORN TO LOSE. He entered the shop in astonishment and pointed to those words. He asked the Chinese tattoo artist, “Does anyone really have that terrible phrase, BORN TO LOSE, tattooed on their body?” The shop owner replied, “Yes, sometimes.” Peale said, “I just can’t believe that anyone in his right mind would do that.” The shop owner simply tapped his forehead and said in broken English, “Before tattoo on body, tattoo on mind.” How many people do you know who feel like a loser? Could it be you feel like a loser?
Peter reminds us we must love ourselves. I am not talking about narcissism. I am talking about having a humble healthy self-esteem. How do you feel about yourself? Look at the words Peter uses to describe his readers, they are the same words that God has preserved for us to today. They are not harsh words; they are affirming words. Verses nine and ten say, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” Those are God’s words to you. Do you believe them? God knows you are valuable. Do you see yourself as valuable? Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl (1905-1997) once said, “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing, his attitude.” What do you think about yourself? Are you a winner or a loser? The world is great at making us feel like losers. To maximize your witness, you most love yourself!
Second, we must love others. Peter Arnett (born 1934) was a CNN television commentator and reporter. He tells of a time he was in Israel, in a small town on the West Bank, when a bomb exploded. Bloodied people were everywhere. A man came running up to Peter holding a little girl in his arms. He pleaded with Peter to take her to a hospital. As a member of the press, he would be able to get through the security cordon that had been thrown around the explosion scene. Peter, the man and the girl jumped into his car and rushed to the hospital. The whole time the man was pleading with him to hurry, to go faster, heartbroken at the thought that the little girl might die. Sadly, the little girl died on the operating table. When the doctor came out to give them the news the man collapsed in tears. Peter Arnett was lost for words. “I don’t know what to say. I can’t imagine what you must be going through. I’ve never lost a child.”
It was then that the man said, “Oh, mister, that girl was not my daughter. I’m an Israeli settler. She was a Palestinian. But there comes a time when each of us must realize that every child, regardless of that child’s background, is a daughter or a son. There must come a time when we realize that we are all family.”
Archbishop William Temple (1881-1944) once said, “The church is the only institution that exists primarily for the benefit of those who are not members.” It is the story of the Christian faith. Jesus came and died to help others. There is no room in the Christian faith for selfishness. The world is looking for help. What are you doing to help others? To maximize your witness is to love others.
Third, we must love Jesus. Gregory the Nazianzus (329-390) penned these words for the ages years ago.
He began His ministry by being hungry, yet He is the Bread of Life. Jesus ended His earthly ministry by being thirsty, yet He is the Living Water. Jesus was weary, yet He is our rest. Jesus paid tribute, yet He is the King. Jesus was accused of having a demon, yet He cast out demons. Jesus wept, yet He wipes away our tears. Jesus was sold for thirty pieces of silver, yet He redeemed the world. Jesus was brought as a lamb to the slaughter, yet He is the Good Shepherd. Jesus died, yet by His death He destroyed the power of death.
It is an incredible story. At just the right time the God of the universe came into the world and took a human form. He lived the perfect life and deserved happiness, but that is not what happened. He was executed on a Roman cross like a common criminal, between two criminals. His death was gruesome. Yet, in that horrible moment the world began to understand the depth of God’s love for us. He died so we could live. He died so we could have the opportunity to spend eternity in heaven. How can you not love Jesus? To maximize our witness we must love ourselves, love others, and love Jesus. Never underestimate the Christian life. It is a powerful witness. Peter, himself, challenges us in verse twelve to live such a life. He says, “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.”
Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) was a Scottish novelist who penned several classics, including Treasure Island and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. History tells us he was not a healthy child because he inherited his mother’s weak lungs. To assist him the family hired a nurse by the name of Alison Cunningham (1822-1913). As the story goes, one night as a boy Stevenson was sitting in his room looking out the window watching the lamp lighter lighting the streetlights below. Cunningham came in and asked him what he was doing. Stevenson answered, “I am watching a man punch holes in the darkness.” That is not just the story of a small boy. It is the story of the Christian faith. The resurrected Jesus changed everything. He punched holes in the darkness of our world and offers us hope. That takes us to the Bible.
Our reading is 1 Peter 1:3-9. Tradition tells us it was written by the apostle Peter. Clearly, he understood the significance of the resurrection of Jesus, the cornerstone of the Christian faith. The recipients of this letter were believers who were residing on earth, but whose true residence is in heaven. Technology has changed over time, but the human condition has not. Life has always been hard. Peter is telling them, and us, to keep their eyes on our living hope, Jesus, and cling to the promise of heaven. If you do so, then you will live a balanced life. May we never forget, the things of this world are important, but they are temporary. The things of God are eternal. Sadly, many in our time live unbalanced lives. They are heavy on the things of this world but light on the things of God. That explains why some live hopeless lives. English clergyman Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892) once said, “Without Christ there is no hope.” Believers have a living hope. Non-believers have no hope. In this blog I am going to look at three ways the resurrected Jesus offers us hope.
First, the resurrected Jesus offers us security! For many years I struggled sleeping. I would fall asleep fast, but after a few hours I would wake up. It was in those silent, dark, lonely hours that I did my best worrying. I worried about everything. I worried about my responsibilities at church. I worried about money. I worried about various home projects. I worried about my loved one’s health. As a United Methodist minister, I worried about being moved and starting over again. I worried about the state of the country and the state of the world. I worried about underachieving and disappointing God. Nightly I would pray and ask God to help me. After a few minutes, I would find myself falling asleep. Like a young child resting in his mother’s arms, I felt secure. What is the source of your greatest problems? Experience has taught me our worries change nothing.
Consider these facts with me. Research tells us:
40% of your worries will never happen
30% of your worries are in your past, and cannot be changed
12% of worries are criticism by others, mostly untrue
10% of worries are about health issues, which gets worse with stress
8% of worries are real problems that will be faced
An Unknown author once said, “Worry is faith in the negative, trust in the unpleasant, assurance of disaster and belief in defeat…worry is wasting today’s time to clutter up tomorrow’s opportunities with yesterday’s troubles.” The resurrected Jesus liberates us from our worries and offers us security. God is bigger than our problems, and in the end, God will win. Jesus, our living hope, offers us security!
Second, the resurrected Jesus offers us purpose. In 2002, Rick Warren (born 1954) of the Saddleback Church in California released a book called the Purpose Driven Life. It was a massive hit. More than fifty million copies have been sold. Everyone seemed to read the book, because everyone wants their lives to have meaning. No one wants to just live and die. Everyone wants to know why they are in this world. Everyone knows there is more to life than just being busy. There is more to life than just being a consumer. There is more to life than just existing. There is more to life than just being happy and entertained. The Westminster Confession of Faith says the purpose of life is to glorify God. What are you doing with your life to glorify God? Your purpose may not be your vocation. Your purpose is at the intersection where your personal passion meets human need. Jesus, our living hope, offers us purpose!
The third and final word is heaven. The resurrected Jesus offers us eternity in paradise. Verses three and four say, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you.” Peter understood we are all
terminal from birth. Everyone is going to die someday, and it is God’s greatest desire to spend eternity with you! Pastor John Hannah (born 1964) said, “Two things will surprise us when we get to heaven, who is there and who isn’t.”
In 1996 my father was dying. He was at home, so my sister and I took turns caring for him during his final days. It was a sad and awkward time, because I was never close to my father. His physical care was hard, but relating to him was nearly impossible. There were long periods of silence. However, he said something in that broken state I will never forget. He looked at me and said, “I never thought it would end like this!” I didn’t say anything that day. I regretted my silence later. That wasn’t the end, it was just the beginning. His heart stopped beating several hours later, but he continued to live in heaven. It is not just true of him. It is true of every person of faith – someday everyone of faith is going to go to heaven. Jesus, our living hope, makes heaven possible! Let me end with this story.
As Vice President, George Bush (1924-1918) represented the U.S. at the funeral of former Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev (1906-1982). Bush was deeply moved by a silent protest carried out by Brezhnev’s widow, Viktoria (1928-1982). She stood motionless by the coffin until seconds before it was closed. Then, just as the soldiers touched the lid, Brezhnev’s wife performed an act of great courage and hope, a gesture that must surely rank as one of the most profound acts of civil disobedience ever committed – she reached down and made the sign of the cross on her husband’s chest. There, in the center of secular, atheistic power, the wife of the man who had run it all hoped that her husband was wrong. She knew what the communist world tried to ignore.
Jesus came to punch holes in the darkness. Jesus, our living hope, changed everything. Jesus came to offer us security. God is bigger than your worries. Jesus came to offer us purpose. You are in this world for a reason. Jesus came to offer us salvation. God wants to spend eternity with you. Billy Graham (1918-2018) once said, “Earth’s troubles fade in the light of heaven’s hope.” May we never forget Jesus is our living hope.
Our reading is from Matthew 18:21-35. This entire chapter is about life in the kingdom of God. One of the characteristics of kingdom life is forgiveness. Peter understood that point when he asked Jesus the question: how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Jesus never had a chance to answer the question, because Peter answers it himself – up to seven times? Peter is obviously trying to impress Jesus, because Rabbinic teaching required a person to forgive up to three times. Peter had doubled that requirement and added one for good measure. He must have been waiting for Jesus’s approval, but it never comes. Jesus says seven times is not enough; we are supposed to forgive up to seventy-seven times. Jesus is not asking us to keep track of our forgiving acts, Jesus is asking us to make forgiving a constant characteristic in our lives. To underscore that point, Jesus tells them this parable.
The story is really a one-act play with three scenes. In the first scene, a king wanted to settle his accounts with his servants. One of the servants is brought before the king. It is not a good day for him because he owes the king 10,000 talents. That is a significant sum. At that time, you could buy a servant for one talent. The entire tax base to this area was only 800 talents. This man owes the king 10,000 talents. To make it easy on us, let’s just say the man owed the king ten million dollars. Unable to pay the king back, the king considers selling the man’s wife and children. The servant begs the king not to sell his family and begs the king for more time. The king has mercy on the servant and cancels his entire debt. In the second scene, the shoe is on the other foot. The debt-free servant exits and goes after another servant who owes him money. The amount is very small, only a hundred denarii. If he owed the king ten million dollars, then this man owed him only $20. The second servant begs for more time, but no extension is given. He is beaten and thrown into prison. In the third scene, our story goes full circle. The king is told what happened and he summons the first servant. Because he did not show mercy, then he will not be shown mercy. He is turned over to the jailors to be tortured, until his debt is repaid. Jesus wanted to make sure they didn’t miss the point. He clears up any confusion in verse thirty-five: “This is how my heavenly father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.” Everyone knows the point that Jesus was trying to make. We know we are supposed to forgive. The problem is, we are not good at forgiving, especially within the life of the church. Historically, we are hard on ourselves. In my forty years in the ministry, every church I served struggled with forgiveness. How many examples do you need?
The first funeral I officiated at was for a man by the name of Randolph Scott. He lived in Lancaster, Kentucky. I was in his home several months before his sudden death. I sat in the living room with his wife, but he never came out to see me. He was watching a Cincinnati Reds baseball game. She apologized for her husband’s rudeness and explained he was mad at the whole church. To be more exact, he was mad at a single church member. He said, the man cheated him out of $50 in some business transaction. He said, if that man represented the kind of people in my church, then he didn’t want to have anything to do with my church. He said, he would never forgive the man or the church. Randolph was a man of his word. He never did forgive the man or the church. However, the church prepared a bereavement lunch after his funeral. Randolph Scott knew he was supposed to forgive. The problem was, he refused to forgive. That happened in my first church.
When I arrived at my last church, I found people who refused to forgive. One afternoon, I went to the hospital to visit a parishioner. She was a woman in her late eighties, who took great pride in her years of church service. As I sat next to her bed, she told me how she had saved the church several times with her church dinners. Others told me, she was a good cook, but she had no people skills. She offended many kitchen helpers during her reign. Foolishly, instead of talking to the woman about her behavior, the women’s organization decided to write her a letter to tell her she had been relieved of duty. She was no longer welcome in the kitchen. Obviously, her feelings got hurt, and she swore she would never forgive that group. She was a woman of her word. She never did forgive them. On the day I visited her, she quoted that twenty-year-old letter word for word, and she recited the names of all the people who had signed that letter. And in colorful, ugly language she told me, they could all go to hell. She had spent decades in the church but didn’t hear a single word. She knew she was supposed to forgive, she refused to forgive. Within the life of the church, we know we are supposed to forgive, but we refuse to forgive. No organization is better at self-inflicted wounds than the church. Satan loves our unforgiving spirits. Our unforgiving spirit damages the church we claim to love. This question haunts me:
Why do people refuse to forgive? Josh Emery is a counselor in Fort Collins, Colorado. He says his appointment calendar is filled with people who refuse to forgive. Every story is different, yet every story is the same. He says people don’t forgive for three basic reasons. This is his list:
People don’t forgive because they don’t want to look like they condone the bad behavior.
People don’t forgive because the person doesn’t deserve it.
People don’t forgive because the person can’t be trusted.
I don’t have a problem with that list. I agree with each point. I am no different from you. I struggle with forgiveness too. I have good reasons not to forgive. The problem is, through the eyes of God, there is no good reason for not forgiving. God knows what we would like to ignore. When we refuse to forgive, we damage the relationship. The relationship between you and the unforgiven person stops evolving. That is true. For Randolph Scott, the relationship stopped evolving on the day he believed he was cheated out of $50. For the woman in the hospital bed, the relationship stopped evolving on the day she got the letter. What relationships in your life have stopped evolving? That is not a good thing. God expects us to forgive, because God expects our relationships to evolve. God expects our relationships to be strong. Within the life of the church, we know we are supposed to forgive, but we refuse to forgive. That is why stories of true forgiveness baffle us.
In the fall of 2006, Charles Carl Roberts IV (1974-2006) did the unthinkable when he held a one-room Amish school full of children hostage in Bart Township, Pennsylvania. After a few terrifying hours, Roberts bound, then shot 10 girls, killing 5 of them before turning the gun on himself. What do you think was the response of the parents of those children and the entire Amish community? Within hours, the Amish families immediately began extending their forgiveness to the gunman’s family. They visited his wife and parents to offer them comfort—they even attended the killer’s funeral. A grandfather of one of the murdered girls cautioned the family not to hate the killer and said, “we must not think evil of this man.” While another father said, “He had a mother and a wife and a soul. And now he’s standing before a just God. Christ calls us to forgive him.” If you were in that community and lost a loved one, could you forgive Charles Carl Roberts IV? In the kingdom of God we forgive, in the world we don’t. Obviously, true forgiveness is not easy.
Corrie ten Boom (1892-1983) was a Dutch watchmaker and Christian, who along with her father and other family members, helped many Jews escape the Nazi Holocaust during World War II. She, herself, suffered in a concentration camp. In her book, The Hiding Place, she recounts those dark days. After the war, she traveled extensively, speaking of God’s grace and forgiveness during those horrible years.
One night, in Munich after one of her speeches, a man came up to her. He looked familiar and it took a moment for her to recognize him. He had been a guard at her concentration camp, Ravensbruck. He had treated her and her sister cruelly. A mountain of emotional memories hit her. In her eyes, he was Satan incarnate. However, after the war, he became a Christian, but that didn’t change her feelings about him. It was hard for her to stand there, but then it got worse. He extended his hand to her and said, “I am grateful for your message. As you said yourself, ‘He washed my sins away.’” Corrie ten Boon would be the first one to admit it. It is one thing to speak about forgiveness, it is something quite different to forgive. She didn’t want to shake his hand because she didn’t want to forgive him, so she prayed God’s help. God did help her, and she did shake his hand. But what is more important, God helped her forgive him. Can I ask you a question?
If there anyone you need to forgive? I am assuming there is, because everyone has been hurt in some way. You know the truth – life is hard and sometimes life can be cruel. Who do you need to forgive? Within the Christian faith, forgiveness is not optional, it is a requirement. You are a disciple of Jesus Christ, and you are supposed to be practicing today what you will be doing for eternity. How can we expect to be forgiven, if we can’t forgive?
Indian activist, Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) was not a Christian, but he understood the power of forgiveness. He once said, “The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness isthe attribute of the strong.” How strong are you?
Our reading is Luke 10:25-37. Jesus is in Judea and has just sent out the seventy-two followers. The Good News is being spread and lives are being transformed. Jesus understands it clearly. It is not enough just to believe. Those beliefs must change one’s behavior, values and opinions. That is what Jesus is saying at the beginning of our Gospel reading. When questioned about salvation, Jesus asked them to quote the greatest law. That was a softball question. Everyone in Jesus’s world knew the answer. They quoted it daily. It is called the Shema: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul. Then, Jesus asks them about the second greatest law. They are to love their neighbor as themselves. Do you see what Jesus did? He connected the love of God with the love of neighbors. It is not enough to just love God. It is not enough to just love your neighbor. Jesus expects us to love both God and our neighbors. To underscore that point, he tells this parable:
A man was traveling the road between Jericho and Jerusalem. It is a road that covers about seventeen miles. The direction you were traveling mattered because the road was steep. Jerusalem is 2,500 feet above sea level; Jericho is 800 feet below sea level. To make matters worse, it ran through rocky, desert country, which was perfect for robbers. Only a fool would travel this road alone, so we can say this man was a fool. As expected, he is attacked by robbers. The picture is not pretty. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and left him for dead. Laying there in his half-dead state, various people walked by him. The first was a priest. A priest was from the line of Aaron and assisted in worship. The religious man should have known better, but he crosses to the other side of the road, ignoring the victim. The second was a Levite. He was a descendant of Levi, one of the brothers of Joseph. In addition to his religious duties, he had political and educational duties. He should have known better, but he crossed to the other side of the road, ignoring the victim. The third person is our unlikely hero, the Samaritan. You know the Samaritans. They were considered half breeds, half Jewish and half Gentile. The Jews believed they had compromised the faith. The Jews hated them, but the Samaritan was the one who had compassion on the victim in Jesus’s story. He treated the man’s wounds, and he put the man on his own donkey. Together, they traveled to an inn, where our victim heals. The Samaritan shows his true compassion. He takes out his money and gives it to the innkeeper. It equaled two days’ worth of wages. He instructs the innkeeper to care for him in his absence and tells him he will be compensated when he returns. Like all parables, Jesus’s simple parable of the good Samaritan is easy to imagine, yet it contains a profound message. It is easy to understand, yet it is hard to apply. It is not enough to say you love God; you must love others too. That is why compassion within the Christian faith is so important. It is one of the qualities you must nurture within yourself to experience the abundant life in Jesus Christ.
Webster defines compassion as sympathetic pity and concern for the suffering or the misfortunes of others. To me, that definition seems too shallow. True compassion is far more complex.
The great German Roman Catholic theologian, Henri Nouwen (1932-1996), seemed to understand the complexity of compassion. He once explained compassion this way:
Compassion is not pity. Pity lets us stay at a distance.
Compassion is not sympathy. Sympathy is for superiors over inferiors. Compassion is not charity. Charity is for the rich to continue in their status over the poor.
Compassion is born of God. It means entering the other person’s problems. It means taking on the burdens of the other. It means standing in the other person’s shoes. It is the opposite of professionalism. It is the humanizing way to deal with people.
The Good Samaritan illustrates true compassion. True compassion is based on need, not worth. True compassion is based on feelings, not fact. True compassion is based on doing, not understanding. Do the people in your life consider you compassionate? I hope so, because compassion is one of the great qualities of the Christian faith. I am not sure it is possible to be a true Christian without being truly compassionate. Compassion is a big deal, because our world is filled with so many problems.Did you know, according to UNICEF, 80% of our world’s population lives on ten dollars a day or less? How would your life change if you were forced to live on ten dollars a day? How much money do you live on in a single day?
When I think of compassion, Mother Teresa (1910-1997) pops into my mind. Born in Albania and raised in a devout Catholic family, she moved to Ireland at the age of eighteen to join the Sisters of Loreto. Later she moved to Calcutta, India and founded the Missionaries of Charity. They worked with the “poorest of the poor.” Over the decades that group grew to serve in 133 countries ministering to those dying of HIV/AIDS, leprosy, and tuberculosis, as well as running soup kitchens, dispensaries, mobile clinics, orphanages and schools. In 2016, she was canonized by the Catholic Church, because she refused to cross to the other side of the road. Mother Teresa was truly a woman of compassion.
When I research compassion, I find people like Pam Kidd. She writes devotions for Guideposts. One day she received a letter postmarked Harare, Zimbabwe. The letter read:
Dear Ms. Kidd, I have been reading your Daily Devotions for years. Recently, God spoke to me and asked me to tell you that you need to come to Zimbabwe to write about the orphans and the street children of Harare. Please contact me as soon as possible. Thank you.
It was signed by a woman working as a Presbyterian missionary in Harare.
That letter changed everything. A few weeks later, Pam and her husband were flying to Harare. When they arrived in Zimbabwe, they were shocked at what they saw. It was worse than they had imagined. Children living in mud huts, children jumping over sewage in gutters. She could not escape the smell of poverty. Children followed her everywhere. Pam decided to write a story about a woman who fed tea and bread to the orphans daily. They called her “Tea Lady.” As she researched this woman, Pam discovered this saintly woman had no help. She received no funding and needed help. Then, she had a revelation. God had brought her to Harare to help this woman. Over the next ten years, Pam Kidd returned to Africa ten times to help this woman help those orphans. Pam Kidd refused to walk to the other side of the road, because she was a woman of compassion. I hope I am a person of compassion. Are you a person of compassion? I hope so, because our world is crying out for help.
In 1964, Kitty Genovese (1965-1934) lived in Kew Gardens, in Queens, New York City. On March 13 of that year, Winston Moseley (1935-2016) raped and stabbed her to death. As shocking as that crime was the reaction of her neighbors was even worse. Many heard her cry out for help, but no one responded. Her neighbors were guilty of a sin of omission. They knew there was a problem, but they did nothing. In other words, they walked to the other side of the road. In the science of sociology, it has been called the “bystanders’ effect”, or diffusion of responsibility.
As Americans, we have been blessed in many ways. That is why so many long to live here. But, with those blessings comes great responsibility. To whom much is given, much is expected. Our world is calling out for help. What are you going to do? Are you going to walk to the other side of the road and ignore them, or are you going to be like the Good Samaritan, who responded to human need? It all distills down to a simple choice. Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965) once said, “The purpose of human life is to serve and to show compassion and the will to serve others.”
Russ Adams 