June 22, 2014      Romans 1:16-17, 3:22-31                Sermon     

“The Foundation”

Over the next weeks we will be studying the Book of Romans.  It is a letter written to the Church of Rome in AD 56 or 57.  It is Paul’s fundamental essay on Christian faith.  It has been called the greatest letter ever written.  This morning’s lesson is the foundation of the theology of this epistle. 

We don’t think much about foundations. 

You see, by the time a building is completed you don’t really see much of the foundation.  You probably don’t even notice it. 

Just because you don’t see it  doesn't mean it is not important.

Having a good foundation is essential to the success of any building. 

It is important that the foundation be strong enough to support the weight of the building that will rest on it. 

The foundation needs to be set into a solid base so that it will not sink or crack.  Equally important, the foundation must be built “square,” with its lines

and corners made exactly to the plans, without unintended tilts or twists. 

A slightly skewed foundation may not seem like a big deal until it is time to place the roof that is when the effect of the misalignment becomes obvious. 

Things don’t fit together. 

If the floors aren’t level, or if the walls lean inward at an odd angle or if the roof line sags a little at one end, the problem is not a problem with the wall or the roof or the floor it is with the very foundation. 

Because of its importance of the foundation special care must be given to the laying of the foundation.  The measurements are precise, every angle is measured, every line is plumbed every cross piece is leveled. 

It is painstaking and important work. 

In order for us to understand the depth of God’s love for us we must understand the foundation material of our faith.

In his letter to the Church at Rome, he describes the meaning of the cross, explaining how Christ’s death and resurrection reconciles us to God. 

They are the fundamentals of our faith. 

Paul begins this morning with exacting theological terminology, which like the foundation of a well-built house, is carefully constructed.  He speaks to us of righteousness and faith, justification and grace, salvation and law. 

These terms are the levels and plumb lines and measuring rod of the foundation

of the lofty building of salvation secured by the promise of the gospel. 

Paul’s theological argument rests on one word; grace. 

Paul proclaims God reaches out with love for all people. 

Christ’s death on the cross overcomes our sin that separates us from God. 

Paul declares that we are saved by grace; that is the promise of the gospel. 

Jesus does for us what we cannot do for ourselves. 

The foundation of Paul’s argument is the good news that God’s grace is available for everyone. 

It doesn't matter who you are, what you have done, or where you have come from.  Paul rejoices that the gospel; “is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.” 

God doesn't draw lines. 

God doesn't proclaim that some groups of people are in and some groups are out.  We humans may do that, but God doesn't. 

In God’s eyes, in the eyes of our creator, everyone is equal. 

There is no distinction we are all measured by the same measuring rod. 

Not only are we measured by the same rod but we are all equally unworthy.  Everyone is subject to divine law, which judges with righteousness. 

Isaiah in the Old Testament understood this, he gave us these words,

“All our righteous acts are like filthy rags…” 

Because of God’s holiness our sin cannot escape his vision. 

Like the house built on a skewed foundation, the effects of sin are painfully visible throughout our lives. 

We are misshapen by the power of sin at work in us. 

Sin distorts our view of ourselves, the world, and God. 

Sin makes it difficult for us to see the truth. 

Sin prevents us from being in right relationship with God. 

We have this gap between our desire for wholeness

and the reality of our brokenness. 

We like the apostle Paul, find ourselves unable to control our own will. 

We struggle to do what is right and are drawn toward that which we know is wrong.  We turn inward.

Selfishly focusing on our own need and ignoring the needs of our neighbors.

As a result of sin, when we are measured according to God’s law;

the measuring rod of divine righteousness we all come up short.

Beloved, that is true for each and every one of us. 

It doesn't matter how you measure up according to human standards. 

Whether you are a cradle Christian or are new to the faith,

the measuring rod is the same.  It doesn't matter whether you are wracked by guilt and shame about your shortcomings

or filled with pride about your accomplishments and self-worth;

the result is the same.  No matter how good we are we can never be good enough.  Whether our faults are carefully hidden or painfully visible for all to see, the result is the same. 

Paul asserts that sin is the great equalizing force in every human life. 

None of us are immune, and none of us are privileged to escape being held accountable.  “There is no difference,” Paul says, “for all have sinned

 and fall short of the glory of God and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”  There is no escaping the measurement.  The exacting nature of God’s holiness demands it.  

But the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ is that the reference point for measuring our righteousness has been shifted; it has been shifted from us to Christ. 

When it is time for us to be measured up, Christ stands in our place. 

For the redeemed sinner saved by grace, God looks at Christ’s righteousness,

not our sins and failures. 

Our status in the eyes of God is measured according his grace, not our works. 

In faith, we trust Christ’s promise not only to be there with us,

but to stand there for us.  It is the cross of Christ not our own works,

which forms the foundation of our reconciled relationship with God. 

We are accepted by God and built up through Christ’s righteousness. 

This foundation is both solid and true.  Built on this foundation,

our very lives take on the character of Christ. 

The grace of God shapes us into the Christ-like life. 

A life where we live as forgiven sinners, reconciled with God

and with one another.  Living in the grace of God,

our lives are formed in God’s unwavering love for us in Christ Jesus. 

Over the next weeks we will be looking lofty building of salvation and joyful message of God’s grace in our lives. 

Blessings and love,

Pastor Dottie

Acts 1:1-11          Sermon       Ascension

This morning Jesus tells the disciples, “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.” 

Jesus always refused to discuss timetables for the future events, but here in this short time he has left on earth he does something different he assures the disciples that they will receive “power” saying that they will be baptized by the Holy Spirit “within a few days.” 

“Baptized by the Holy Spirit.”  Think about it, he is telling them that they will have an experience that is completely foreign.  Would it feel like water baptism?  Would they know when it happened?

This is not just preparation for what is to come.  This is an assurance, something to hold on to.  They are about to see Jesus ascend into heaven, and when they experience his leaving, the feeling of loss could overshadow everything else.  The disciples are going to have to live in a world without Jesus being physically with them.  And without this assurance, without something to hold on to, the anguish of the crucifixion could again come as flood over them paralyzing them in hopelessness. 

And so, Jesus tells them, “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.  For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

After hearing those words the disciples respond, as if they had no understanding.  “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”  

In spite of all they know, the disciples are still thinking in terms of an earthly kingdom.  They are still merely looking forward to restoring Israel to her glory.

They still don’t get it.  God’s purpose in Jesus Christ expands far beyond the national border of Israel.  His reach expands far beyond race and gender.  His sphere expands far beyond culture and language. 

This is a God whose Lordship is to all creation.  It is God and only God who sets the agenda for this world, no matter what anyone may tell you.

You know the Ascension has a very interesting position in the biblical time-line. 

It nestled between Easter and Pentecost.  It always happens on Thursday, which means it sometimes is just overlooked. 

And yet it is the pivotal point in the story.  It turn the disciples focus to what is to what is to come next, toward the birth of the church; the event that changed the world forever. 

Ascension is important.  It has something important to say to the church. 

First and foremost, it clearly shows the church that Jesus is Lord. 

All of Jesus’ claims about being God’s Messiah are stamped on every action that he took and every word that came from his mouth from the moment of his resurrection.  Jesus is the resurrected Lord of Life and they knew it.  So everything about life; all the death and all the limitations they face and we face, have been turned upside down.  Now they know that Jesus lives and this is the future for every child of God.

This Jesus, who lived, died and rose, is now clearly alive and is ascending to God.  This One is returning to a place we can’t yet see, but Jesus goes with a purpose, it is part of God’s unfolding plan for the world.  Jesus is not absent because of a lack of care on God’s part.  Nothing about these events is random. 

God’s amazing, creating, saving grace has been at work at every step of the way.  From the birth in the manger, to the healing and the teaching, the miracles and confrontations to the flogging post and the crucifix to the tomb and the stone rolled away.  Jesus has completed his earthly journey and his work given to him by God.  Now it is time for Jesus to physically exit so that the Holy Spirit can come and be God’s presence in the world. 

And in his physical absence, Jesus shows us our purpose is in the world.  We are to be witnesses to Jesus.  The One no longer present in the world in a way the world can see becomes visible in the church.  When we live and speak the glory of God’s amazing love and grace, Jesus becomes visible to the world.  When we share the compassion and mercy of God, Jesus becomes visible to the world. 

When we relate in love to one another in here and to those out there,

Jesus becomes visible to the world.

We have heard it said over and over, “You are the only Jesus some folks will ever see.”  In the telling of the story of the Ascension we hear the truth of this. 

This too, is God’s plan. 

Beloved, the church does not exist for us.  It is not a social club. 

The church exists as God’s visibility to the world. 

From the time God called a special people, God has made it clear those God calls are blessed for one reason and one reason only, to be a blessing.  Those were God’s word to Abraham, “you will be a blessing…and all the peoples of the earth will be blessed through you.”  That is Jesus’ instruction to the church.  You will be blessed to be a blessing and through you all the peoples of world will be blessed; you the church. 

We are the way that God blesses this world.  If we, the church lose sight of that, if the church belongs to us and not to God, it is no different than any business or social club.  And we have lost sight of our purpose. 

We must always remember that we have the privilege of showing people the footsteps of God in their lives in times of sorrow and in times of joy. 

Our call is to grace others with God’s love and point to God’s presence in the world.  The reality is that as we move through life we have no way of knowing the impact we have on the world and the peoples in the world.  All we need do is to keep our focus on our purpose and remember the church belongs to God. 

And the good news is that none of what we do is under our own power.  We don’t live this life blindly and alone.  In the early church Ascension was likened to the healing of the blind man’s eyes.  When Jesus touched the sightless man’s eyes he could see- but only faintly.  People looked, he said, like trees.  And Jesus touched his eyes a second time and the man who had been blind began to see clearly.  He saw faces- beautiful faces- birds, colors, flowers, the blue sky.  Newly opened eyes seeing things they had never seen before, seeing things through new eyes. 

In the promised gift of the Holy Spirit, we are assured that God is closer than our own breath and the invisible becomes visible. 

Our task, our church’s task is to get on with the work of Jesus Christ.  It is why we exist.  God will provide what we need to get going.  That is more than enough reason to keep on going. 

The angels testified to Jesus’ Ascension and they testified of his return; “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do stand here looking into the sky?  This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go to heaven.”

In the meantime; don’t just stand there; roll up your sleeves, do something.  Get on with the work of the church, the work of the church is to make disciples in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. 

Teach everyone you meet and one another what it means to belong to his wonderful beautiful Jesus the Christ, who is now Lord and King over all.  

         Luke 24:13-35        05/04/14

Sermon        “That is Why We Gather at Table”

Ever since the early Christians met secretly in homes to remember the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, the church has been celebrating the Lord’s Supper. Of all the things we do in the church, this one event should hold the most meaning for us, and it should cause us to be humbled by the message behind the celebration.

Far too often, the Communion celebration is looked upon as being a duty.  Something we must do, and we need not do it too often.  And yet the Book of Acts speaks of gathering on the first day of the week for the breaking of bread.  Luke reminds us this morning: “When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them.  Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him.”  At this table we recognize Christ as our Lord and Savior.

John Calvin said the Lord’s Supper is “a bond of love” intended to produce mutual love among believers. It is to inspire thanksgiving and gratitude. Because it is at the very heart of Christian worship, Calvin argued that it should be observed whenever the Word is preached, or “at least once a week.” It should be shorn of all superstition and observed in its biblical simplicity. Calvin considered the Lord’s Supper to be a divine gift given by Christ himself to His people to nourish and strengthen their faith. As such, it is not to be neglected, but rather celebrated often and with joy. 

This time we call Communion is an opportunity for the church that worships the Lord Jesus Christ to remember with joy what He did for us at Calvary and the garden tomb. It is a time when we can reconnect with the history of our God and Gospel message.  The table of the Lord is where we are free to be equals.  It is a time to reflect upon our walk with Jesus as individuals.

Today, we are going to receive Communion once again. But, before we do, I want to share with you the great gift that the Eucharist is to the church. 

Each time we have communion we open with the invitation; we are reminded that this is to be a joyful feast of the people of God!  .  And it continues with this reminder “…this is the Lord’s table our Savior invites all who believe in him to the feast he has prepared for us this day.”  This meal we come together to share is prepared for us by our Lord Jesus Christ.  Christ takes the common elements of bread and fruit of the vine, and makes them sacred.  This meal is not of our doing, we are all invited guests. 

Then the words of Christ are repeated.  Take eat, this is my body given for you.  Christ’s life is not taken from him; his life is given for us.

Take and drink the cup of the new covenant sealed in my blood, shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. 

Christ creates a new a covenant; it is a contract between God and us.  The old covenant that God had established with His people required obedience to the Old Testament Mosaic law. Because as Roman’s reminds us, the wages of sin is death, the law required that people perform rituals and sacrifices in order to please God and remain in His grace. The prophet Jeremiah predicted that there would be a time when God would make a new covenant with the nation of Israel.

Jesus Christ fulfilled the Law of Moses and created a new covenant between God and His people. The old covenant was written in stone, but the new covenant is written on our hearts, made possible only by faith in Christ, who shed His own blood to atone for the sins of the world. 

When you come to the table you may feel your heart is heavy, too heavy to lift up.  You may feel there are things in your heart you don’t want to lift up to God.  But that is why we gather at this table.  And because of the new covenant no matter the heaviness of your heart there is a place at the table for you. 

Then we begin our history from the very beginning before we were created.  Why do we go back that far?  We are forgetful people.  From the time of our creation we kept losing sight of God.  We could not always focus on whom we belonged to and who we were and are called to be. 

All those millennia when we people were unfaithful, God’s love remained steadfast. 

Just this week, I was speaking with someone who was praising God for their healing.  And I said, you know I remember when I first came here you were on a transplant list, and now look at you.  And she said, you know I forgotten that. 

Sometimes we can only see what we are going through this day.  We forget God’s faithfulness; all of what he has done for each of us.  And by placing before us God’s history we see that he will never leave us or forsake us.

It is important to see the many times people gave up on God.  It reminds us although we have not been faithful, through all of our wanderings and rebellions God never gives up on us. 

We open our hearts to the holiness of God and remember with thanksgiving and humility that it was God who sent Jesus Christ as our Savior.  We recount the ways that he touched lives and confess his violent death.

We celebrate and remember, the price paid for us and our salvation.  This is solemn and somber but it is joy filled because Jesus paid the price that we should have paid for our sin.  He who was sinless bore our sins and paid our price.  He took our death so we could have life.

We are a Trinitarian people and so we lift up the Holy Spirit.  For it is the Spirit’s presence that unites us with Christ and through Christ we are united with believers in every time and place.  Then we commit together to accept the call to be the body of Christ in the world.  We accept the call to serve.

And you can see at the table that we don’t gather as single church, we gather with our brothers and sisters in Christ all around the world.  Christians who speak English, Chinese, Italian; Christians is store front churches, house churches grand cathedral, little white country churches.  We gather with that great cloud of witnesses, those Christians who have gone on before us- our parents, grands, great-grands all the way back to that first table; Jesus and the Twelve. 

We pray that the bread of life and the cup of forgiveness bring us to the heart knowledge of Christ’s redemptive love and by his love be transformed to new life in Christ.

We return to the prayer that Jesus gave his disciples; the prayer of provision and guidance.

“The Bread we break is the Bread of Life.  The Cup we Share is the Cup of Promise.  These are the gifts of God for the people of God.”

This ancient meal is the truly the gift of God and meant for each of us the people of God.  And that is why we gather at table. 

Blessings and love,

Pastor D.

Sermon “In the Garden” John 20:1-18 04/20/14 Easter Blessings

On this day we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.  On this is the day our entire faith rises or falls; on this day which tells the world our faith is earth shattering, world changing, hope filled.  Without the resurrection our faith is no more significant than any other competing philosophy in the great marketplace of ideas. As the apostle Paul says, “…if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain and your faith has been in vain.” If Christ has not been raised, “we are of all people most to be pitied.”  Either we proclaim with all our hearts, “Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia!” or we may as well just close our hymnals and go home to the Sunday paper and our Easter brunches right now.

On this is the day that begins in the garden.  From the very beginning the garden has been a thread that is woven through God’s plan for humans.  God plants a garden in Eden.  God is the master gardener!  He gives the garden to the newly created man and woman, walking with them in the cool of the day. And then, all that disastrous business with the serpent and the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil…the willful disobedience, the agonizing confrontation, confession and banishment…it all takes place in a garden.

A garden is at the center of the stories we have been hearing throughout this Holy Week, the gospel accounts of Jesus’ passion and death. After Jesus’ final meal with his friends, they go out across a valley to a garden at the foot of the Mount of Olives. John’s gospel proceeds immediately to the arrest of Jesus. But the other gospel writers tell of Jesus’ agonized prayer in the garden called Gethsemane, a prayer raised while his friends sleep peacefully beneath the rustling leaves, inhaling the fragrance of juniper and hyacinth.

And then there is the crucifixion. John mentions, almost as an afterthought, “there was a garden in the place where Jesus was crucified, and in that garden there was a new tomb.  Jesus was crucified in a place with a garden. And there he was buried. There is a Victorian poem, that speaks to God and gardens:

“The kiss of the sun for pardon, The song of the birds for mirth,

One is nearer to God's heart in the garden, Than anywhere else on earth.”

From the creation and great expulsion from Eden, to the suffering and death of Jesus, to this morning’s encounter between Jesus and Mary Magdalene, God’s heart does seem to be beating in a garden. It seems to be beating there for us.

This morning the scene opens on a solitary figure walking through the darkness. Mary Magdalene has broken through her fear in order to tend to the body of her teacher and friend.

When Mary finds that the stone has been removed she jumps to conclusions. Her perception of what has happened is that someone has entered and stolen the body. We don’t know if she entered or even looked in the tomb, “she saw the stone rolled away.”  Did she really know that the body of Jesus was not there?  How often do we jump to conclusions about God's actions in our lives?  Nevertheless, she runs back to tell Peter what she believes has happened.

Peter and the unnamed disciple always identified only as "the one whom Jesus loved."  Over the years there have been many suggestions as to whom he might represent: Jewish and Gentile Christians, Petrine and Johannine Christians. Could it be that the beloved disciple is unnamed because, as one biblical scholar has suggested, this person is to represent us?

Like Mary they run. The unnamed disciple, perhaps younger, arrives first. For whatever reason he waits until Peter, arrives. He allows Peter to be the first to enter.  Peter finds that the tomb is, indeed, empty.

And unlike Lazarus who after four days in the tomb, stumbled out of his tomb held tight by his burial cloths, Jesus’ burial cloths are still in the tomb. John goes into detail about the burial cloths.  He describes the placement of the wrappings, but also notes that the cloth that had covered Jesus' head has been placed in another part of the tomb. Did you notice the tomb was empty when Peter and then the other disciple arrived?  There is no angel; no heavenly messenger.

John tells us that the beloved disciple "saw and believed." But what did he believe? Did he believe Mary was correct?  That someone had stolen the body of Jesus. Or did he believe what Jesus had said the night of their last meal together, that Jesus had "overcome the world!"

There are no shouts of joy, no celebration. The emptiness of the tomb does not seem yet to have made a difference.  How many of you here today will return to work and responsibilities tomorrow forgetting the empty tomb?  How many of you will not be feeling joy, hope, or certainty on Easter Monday?

Peter and the one that Jesus loved leave.  Mary is alone weeping, at the tomb.  This time she enters the tomb.  . But Mary does not find an empty tomb. While the body of Jesus is not there, there are two angels. In response to what must have seemed a ridiculous question, “Woman why are you crying?”  Mary repeats her understanding that someone has taken Jesus’ body.

The angels are no more helpful than the disciples. Mary turns away only to encounter Jesus himself, standing there, but she does not recognize him, and he too asks her, “Woman, why are you crying?” He also asks, “Who is it you are looking for?” Mary supposes he is the gardener.

Look at what happens here.  This is so interesting.  What we are seeing here is not the end of the story, but a new beginning.

In the opening of John's gospel, Jesus' first words are a question directed at the disciples of John the Baptizer. "What are you looking for?" 

And here, in this new beginning, this new creation, Jesus asks Mary the very same question, "Who is it you are looking for?"  A new ministry is beginning, a new story. Is Jesus asking the same question of us this Easter morning? What are we looking for? It was when Jesus called her by name that Mary recognized her beloved Rabboni. Is Jesus calling our name? And when John's disciples called out to this Rabbi, he invited them to "Come and see". Are we being called to see the new things that God is doing in our lives and in our world?

Unlike the Matthew, Mark and Luke whose gospels that begin at dawn, John begins in the dark, the absence of light. This is the writer who, at the opening of his gospel took us not to a stable, but to the very opening of creation, "In the beginning." Could it be that John is taking us back, once again.  Back, to that primeval darkness when, "the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep."  John echoes Paul's declaration that in the death and resurrection of Jesus we are experiencing a new creation, "everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!"

And where are we?  We are in a garden. Without knowing it, Mary has correctly identified Jesus as the gardener who is bringing a new world, a new life, and a new creation into being, as he had done before:

"All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it"

In the first creation story God drove Eve and Adam out of the garden. But in this new creation Jesus sends Mary out of the garden rejoicing. She is sent out to tell everyone the darkness has not overcome the Word made flesh who had lived among us lives among us still.  

"I have seen the Lord."  Her message declares to us is the new beginning that God has prepared for all of us. Amen.

Dear Ones,

“Believing is Seeing”      Please read John 9:1-38

Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”  He answered and said, “Who is he sir?” the man asked.  “Tell me so that I may believe in him.”

Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.”

Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.

Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”

Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?”

Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.

 “Seeing is believing,” do you believe that does that sense to you?  In a world filled with outlandish promises and crushing disappointments it seems more likely for a person to respond, “I won’t believe it, until I see it.”

I was at the circus museum where they had a theremin.  It was an instrument used in early horror films and it made sound from your hand passing over the paddles.  There was a man there who saw it.  But he said, "that’s impossible," he couldn't believe that you could make sound like that.  “Seeing is believing,” doesn’t always hold true, even when you see something you simply can’t believe it. 

There was a group of people we find in the Scriptures with a similar problem. The Pharisees were eyewitnesses to many of the miracles that Jesus performed, but even though they saw, they did not believe.

How does this happen?  One sees and doesn’t believe and one believes and sees?

If we look at the text in we learn some things about how this unfolds.

Giving spiritual sight is God’s work. 

The passage opens with these words: “As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth.  In a physical sense the blind man has no ability to give himself sight.

His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’  Neither this man nor his parents so that the works of God might be displayed in him.” 

Toward the end of our lesson we read that when Jesus heard that they [the leaders of the synagogue] had thrown him out, he found him.  Jesus seeks him out.  In Luke Jesus himself tells us; “The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”  Just as the man had no physical ability to give himself sight.  He likewise does not have the ability to give himself spiritual sight.  Spiritual sight depends on God’s power to offer divine and sovereign grace.  It is God’s grace; undeserved, unmerited favor.  Paul in Ephesians tells us; “For it is by grace you are saved…and this is not of yourselves, it is a gift of God.”

Then Jesus asks him question, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”  Something else is involved.  Belief is a necessary component to salvation.  Do you believe?  The man answers; “Who is he sir?  Tell me so that I may believe in him.  Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.”    Then the man said, “Lord, I believe.”  Faith. 

You know your faith is the necessary complement to the sovereignty of God.  Even though Christians are elected, predestined; chosen before the foundation of the world was ever laid Paul reminds us in Romans “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”   Luther put it this way by grace alone through faith alone.

And finally “he worshiped him.”  To worship Christ is to experience transformation.  It is not enough to receive and believe you must worship.  II Corinthians gives us this, “And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”  

We see the man receive his spiritual sight.   What a glorious thing to have all the world of God and Christ and all the glorious truth opened up that blind mind.  He could see the inner revelation of God with his spirit and he enjoys the external revelation of God, the beauty of the earth with his eyes, full sight.  Praise God.

Blessings and love,

Pastor Dottie

Dear Ones,

As we continue through Lent let us ponder on the following:

1                    The things of this world pale in the light of the Gospel.

2                    Each of us as long-time Christians are in danger of complacency.

3                    The call upon each of our lives is to tell the wondrous story.

Please read; John 4:27-39

This story of Jesus’ encounter with the woman at the well is a true miracle story.  The transformation of a human life is the most beautiful of God’s miracles.  And the reason we know that depth of this transformation is because most striking feature of this entire chapter,is found in verse 28: “Then, leaving her water jar…”  She leaves behind her life of fear and shame and goes out to those who shunned her to share the good news.  She leaves the mundane and the profane for the holy. 

She runs back to the very community that ostracized her to announce that she has met someone who could be the Messiah.  

“Then, leaving her water jar…” 

It brings us back to the beginning of John; how Jesus used those ceremonial watering jars filled with water to perform his first sign: Water into wine. It was there Jesus’ glory was revealed and his disciples believed him.

It takes us back to last Sunday and Jesus telling Nicodemus that he needed a new birth of water and Spirit because his being an Israelite was not sufficient.

When the woman meets Jesus her first question to Jesus: “Are you greater than our Father Jacob.”

It is as mind bending as Jesus’ statement, “A time is coming, and how now come, when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.”

Or, “You will see greater things than this.”

The leaving behind of the water jar by this woman is a powerful parable.  It speaks volumes about the transformation in her life.  She moves from “Are you greater than our Father Jacob” to “He told me everything I ever did.  Could this be the Messiah?”

She left behind that which satisfied only physical need returned to the people, the people who evidently shunned her daily, and announced to them:

“Could this be?”

It is a reflection of what Philip said to Nathanael, what Andrew said to Peter, what John the Baptizer said to his disciples: We have found the Messiah!

This woman, this unnamed, Samaritan woman with a jaded, checkered past, of questionable character, involved in a dubious lifestyle is one of the first evangelists to announce the arrival of Messiah.

The way she just left her water jar and hurried back to announce to the people of Sychar that she had found Messiah.  It reflects Jesus refusing food when his disciples return.  The things of this world pale in the light of the Gospel. 

They disciples were very concerned about food. What this tells us is that they are stuck back in verse 15: “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”  In spite of the fact that had been with Jesus all this time their minds are still on earthy things; they have yet to let go of their water jars: “Could someone have brought him food?” They are stood in stark contrast to this Samaritan woman who left behind her water jar and went back to town to announce the Messiah.

Have you ever known someone who all of the sudden has a revelation of the Gospel, the revelation of Jesus as Christ?  Don’t they seem really different from those insiders who have been walking with him for some time?  It is like the difference between newlyweds and long-time marrieds.  It is not that the love is less but there is a danger of complacency. 

This woman, left her jar for Jesus; the disciples left Jesus for food. I don’t want to put too fine a point on it, but it is true, isn’t it?  It is something to think about.  Do we as long-time Christians lose our zeal?

When Jesus says, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.”  That had to have been so confusing to those disciples who had gone to get food. Remember in the beginning: Andrew went and found Peter, and this is what happened, “The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, ‘We have found the Messiah.’ And he brought him to Jesus.” We might readily assume that the first thing Philip did was find Nathanael.

In this morning’s passage they arrive in fertile territory, where barely any seeds had been planted, and they are concerned with food, disturbed that Jesus is talking to this woman, and worried because Jesus won’t eat. The woman starts off the same: Concerned about water. But as Jesus is revealed to her, her priorities shifted: Her job was to tell.

She went and proclaimed Christ. There was something in her testimony that provoked more than a passing interest. This crowd of Samaritans was the harvest of which Jesus spoke.  Nevertheless, Jesus says, all have a share in the harvest; all have a share in the joy. All receive the same day’s denarius.

Blessings,

Pastor D

Dear Ones,

John 3:16-17

The good news of the Bible is that today is a day of grace.  Today we too can repent of our sins and turn to Christ for new life.  Let’s consider carefully, what John 3:16 says.

John opens the passage, “For God so loved”.  Let’s stop here.  These very first two words, “For God...” tells us that the gospel begins in the heart of God.  “For God so loved the world.”  God loves the world and the people whom he made in his image.  The word for “love” in this verse refers to “sacrificial love.”  This is the love that gives of itself for another.  And this is exactly what the next part of the verse says: “For God so loved the world that he gave...”  God gives of himself for the world.  God is not an impersonal deity, a theological abstract.  The Sovereign God of heaven and earth is a God who sees and hears and acts.  

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son...”  There is only one eternal Son of God.  There is only One who was begotten from the Father.  There is only One Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God and God has given him to the world.

Why would he do that?  Why has God given Jesus?  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish...”God loves; God gives; so that we can believe!  And because we believe we will not perish.  Without Christ we are all perishing.  We are objects of God’s wrath because we are sinners.  In our own stead we have nothing to look forward to but condemnation.  However, the gospel, the good news proclaims a different story.  The gospel says you do not have to experience God’s wrath.  We do not have to face condemnation.  God has loved you from eternity; God has given you his only begotten Son; you do not perish if you believe in him.

Who is Jesus?  That’s the ultimate question and John 3:16 tell us the truth: Jesus is the one and only Son of God; the only Begotten of the Father.  It then proclaims God’s grace.  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  God loves; God gives; we can believe; we do not perish; we have eternal life.  That which begins in the heart of God overflows into new life for the repentant sinner.  By grace you are invited to believe.  By faith you will.  To be born again by the water and the Spirit is to receive grace and the gift of faith.

It’s a demanding gospel that we hear in John 3:16.  Love so amazing and so divine demands your soul, your life, your all.  John 3:17, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”  Verse 16 may demand your soul, your life your all but God sent his Son into the world to pay the ultimate price, to be lifted up, to hang on the cross so that everyone who believes on him may have eternal life.

John tells us his story that we might believe and follow Jesus.  The One who came from the Father full of grace and truth, arms open wide on the cross to receive all who believe. 

Blessings and love,

Pastor D