Race, Faith, and Reflections on Ferguson

If you are looking for an answer to the "Race Question," I'm sorry to disappoint you. I don't have it. I've been rendered "speechless" since the Michael Brown Grand Jury reached its decision. This, however, in my opinion, is a symptom of a much larger issue.

First and foremost, an injustice was done. An unarmed black teenage boy was killed by a white police officer.  Justice will not be served. The Grand Jury has reached its decision. This, however does not say that white police officers are always in the wrong. It also does not give blanket immunity to law enforcement officers who are supposed to uphold our nation's and states' and localities' justice systems.

I cannot judge who should be punished, but in 2014, I would hope that the gun could be the absolute last resort for law enforcement who ARE NOT attacked with lethal force. There is mace, there are tasers, and there is the reality of calling for backup while pursuing the person in question while staying in one's car or at a safe distance.

I am not the police officer Darren Wilson. I did not make the choices he did. I am not Michael Brown. I did not make the choices he did. But what has ensued is just an agitation of a greater reality of today's United States (and most likely the world - in different forms).

This article will not judge who is right and who is wrong. The evidence speaks for itself. I hope to explore the "why" we got here and "how" we get to a place of redemption.

This case is a symptom of a long and tragic history in the United States. Racism runs rapid in both visible ways and in more sinister underlying ways. This is not the time to speak of "reverse racism." That can be discussed sometime later. The wounds are too fresh.

The great Christian Mystic, Pastor, and Academic, Howard Thurman said, "[The] impulse at the heart of Christianity is the human will to share with others what one has found meaningful to oneself elevated to the height of a moral imperative. But there is a lurking danger in this very emphasis (Howard Thurman, Jesus and the Disinherited, p. 12)." He goes on to say the sins of pride and arrogance can make this "sharing" an instrument of self-righteousness and even racial superiority.  He claims, "there is no basic relationship between the simple practice of brotherhood in the commonplace relations of life and the ethical pretentious of our faith (Disinherited, p. 13)."

Basically, Thurman is saying that our very Christian religion - one that is meant to unite - can be used as a tool to divide.  This division is not just upon racial barriers. In researching a sermon this week, I was astonished to find out that there are and estimated 41,000 Christian denominations in the world.  Denominations are NEVER formed out of unity - they are formed because "I" will not worship our God with "you."  Obviously, many of these divisions have come because of race.

What is race? Race is a human distinction created to divide people. There is very little, if any, genetic difference between any races on the earth. Skin tone is determined by one's mother and father and ancestors. Race IS NOT a sign of intelligence, worth, or capacity.

Being sinful people, humans have confined people of other races to places of despair. For many years before entering the ministry I was a school teacher. My wife and I taught in an inner-city impoverished area. Because of American politics (politics in this sense meaning the way that people work together or against each other), the inner-city was highly segregated (though not officially or legally). Our children - and yes, our students were our children - came from the "projects." I visited some of these projects, and many of them were places I would not raise an animal. Basic services were unheard of.

As much as we want to blame people of poverty, we must look at what put them there. Yes, some have made sinful choices, but the vast majority have no way to "move up."  There are too many barriers. I knew single mothers. They wanted to raise their children to have better lives than they had. These mothers had to work 2 and even 3 jobs to just keep food on the table because they lacked experience and education for a well paying job. Because of their plight, the children spent most of their time outside of school with a grandparent or other relative. This cuts into family relationships and ultimately a child loses (or at least suffers) the parent-child relationship. The mother in most cases did her absolute best to do what she could. The child would act out in school not out of malice but because he or she needed his or her mother. This in turn created hardship because she had to leave her job. It was a vicious cycle.

Inner Cities are notoriously lacking in the governmental funds that suburbs receive. Companies choose not to locate there and that drives money and opportunity away from those people. Fast Food chains invade. Healthy food becomes rare to find. Fast food is cheap and easy. Grocery stores with fresh produce are often long commutes away and difficult if not impossible for some people to reach on a regular basis.

Such conditions create an "us" vs. "them" mentality. People say, "We don't want them in our neighborhoods," so the cycle continues. These people as Thurman would say, "have their backs against the wall." There is no where to go.

Yes, there are exceptions, but exceptions do not prove a rule. Personally, I am an exception to many rules, but it is through the grace of God and not through any personal virtue. I could have easily been one with my back against the wall - of course under different circumstances.

I have no solutions. Not at this time. But I do know the ONE who does have the solution - our God! Our God works wonders, but our God expects that we followers do our parts too. We cannot tacitly sit on the sidelines and "cheer God's work." We too must engage in the work - not out of superiority but out of unity. What happens to one of us happens to all of us.

We cannot celebrate the killings of anyone. Every life matters. Even if a police or soldier shooting is "justified," I am pained because it went that far. I hurt because of a multitude of things that affect peoples' choices. But I thank the God who can give us the answers to even this.

What do we say about the riots? I don't know. When a person is confined and sees injustice after injustice, rage takes over. That is not a justification but it is an explanation. I don't know if the riots can be justified or not. I do know that God did not intend for us to be this divided. I hope that I can be a voice of love and peace. I pray that you will join me.

In the quote above, Thurman says that we should ask what makes us come alive. What makes you come alive? Life breeds life. Death is conquered. Shine your light - bring life!

I welcome your comments - both positive and negative. Let's keep the discussion respectable. I believe in the long run, we all want the same thing - "peace on earth and goodwill to those whom God favors (Luke 2:24)."

Who Do You Follow? What Will You Do?

Psalm 146

New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

1 Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!

2 I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God all my life long.

3 Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals, in whom there is no help.

4 When their breath departs, they return to the earth; on that very day their plans perish.

5 Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God,

6 who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps faith forever;

7 who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry.

The Lord sets the prisoners free;

8 the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous.

9 The Lord watches over the strangers; he upholds the orphan and the widow, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

10 The Lord will reign forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations.
Praise the Lord!

*Definition:  In this sermon, I will use the term "world." By Wold, I am NOT using the Old Testament definition of God's good creation.  I Am using the New Testament definition of the sinful forces that take form in God's creation that act against the will of God.

When you read John 3:16 "For God so loved the WORLD that He gave his only begotten son..." That means that God EVEN loves the unlovable. That is why God sent Christ into the world! That ANYONE who comes to faith has a place in the Kingdom of God!

“Where is Your Trust? What will You Do?”

Much of what this sermon says is not easy to hear (or read), but it is a message that needs to be heard (or read).  It is a message about faithfulness...The faithfulness of God and our response to that faithfulness.

Some Christians cry that Christianity is being persecuted in the USA. They may have a point - I've never met a holiday that uses a "Holiday Tree" except for Christmas, in that case, why wouldn't we call it a Christmas tree.  This may not be the best example because it seems trivial in comparison to severe persecutions where people are chastised and even disowned for coming to the Christian faith.  That, however is not limited to America. That happens all over the world.  

    Compared to the sufferings of other areas of this world, the persecution of Christianity in America is little more than a flesh wound.

·    Few if any people in the US are killed for being Christian, and it is not done on a systematic basis.  In other nations, that is not the case.

o  In Saudi Arabia if you convert from Muslim to Christianity, you can be killed

§  I am NOT saying there are not Good and Peaceful Muslims in the world who recognize our common Abrahamic roots.  I AM saying that in Saudi Arabia that persecution is the case.

o  In Israel, Palestinian Christians are looked down upon.  The first Christians ever were the Palestinian Christians. In the Book of Acts, the first converts were inhabiting the land now called Israel and Palestine.

*  Not all Palestinians are Muslim and yet the land and lives of ALL Palestinians are always in danger by the Israeli Government.

§  That is not to say that all Jewish people or Israeli People are anti-Christian – just in that particular case, they lump Palestinians into 1 group for security risk case, and many well meaning and peaceful individuals get hurt in the process.

Instead, in the USA, we tend to focus on how our individual rights are violated and some people attribute it to a “War Against Christianity”

·     

     It may be that individual rights are violated, but Christianity was never about Individual Rights.

·      In God’s Eyes, we don’t have “rights.” According to God, we don't have the "right" to "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness." Instead, we have abundant gifts that only God Gives.

·     

   Biblically, God’s promises are to communities of believers. In the Old Testament, God's promises are made to the community of Israel.  In the New Testament, the promises are made to all believers. Only in very specific cases does God make promises to individuals who carry out a special role, such as the prophets.

Americans are good at turning Christianity into a political party – Both Democrats and Republicans do this equally well – Not one party is innocent, nor is one party completely guilty.  The truth of the matter is that  God is NOT a Republican or a Democrat, and our Faith should always come before our Party affiliation.

As the Psalm says – Don’t put your trust in Mortals/Princes/Political Figures – When their breath departs (or when their term ends), so do their ideas – BUT, God’s plan will never die!  Look at all the presidents we've had - How many have kept all of their promises.  I can think of a whopping "0." But yet, people put their faith in politicians. And if actions speak for belief, one would think that many people have more faith in their earthly leaders than in God.

Faith in God is contrary to what the world tells us:

·      * God tells us to put self interest second to communal interest (What is best for God’s Reign vs. What is best for me?).  When we make decisions, we make decisions for the common good, not just what is individually good for "me."  We have to ask ourselves, "how does this choice advance or hinder God's plan?" 

·  *We may have to endure a hardship that we can bear so that others will benefit.  Feeding the homeless is not convenient.  We leave the comfort of our own homes, but yet we are answering a call from God. Ministering to prisoners can be scary, but some are called to that ministry.  Most prisoners will be released, and if we can get them to know Christ, when they become our literal neighbor, all of us benefit.

·   *We are charged to speak the truth in love to people who are unlovable. There are A LOT of unlovable people out there! We are to love everyone - even the unlovable.  That in itself is a task because we all know someone who is difficult if not impossible to love.  But as Christians, we are called to speak the truth IN LOVE to them.

·      Most of all, we are charged to get out of our church pews and DO SOMETHING. If we don’t, we are practical atheists - people who say we believe in God but do nothing about it - and a waste to God’s Kingdom.

o  To find what you are called to do, you MUST approach God in prayer and discernment. God will answer, but you must pray and be willing to listen.  God will lead you on paths you've never expected.  God may keep your call the same, or it may change. God works differently for different people.

Little of what I said is popular, but God is not popular. God is necessary.  But, how can we expect the world to know about God if we don’t tell them? We can’t approach 2013 problems with a 1950 attitude.  Things will not go back to the way they were…ever.

·      We can help others realize God’s necessity one person or one group at a time, but that only comes through engagement. So, do you go to church to be fed? Or are you going to be nourished so you can do something for God?

Open Letter to World Leaders, Faith Leaders, and News Media

This letter is to the leaders of the nations who are in a position to do something about the crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.  As I write this, the M23 Rebel Group (please read this as "terrorist group of thugs") is attacking both the Congolese Army and innocent Congolese civilians.

Today, November 17, 2012, the UN Security Council met and "strongly condemned" M23.  The UN forces in the DRC are actively fighting the M23 things along with the Congolese army.

In the midst of all of this war and political wrangling, innocent people are fleeing their homes by the thousands.  Innocent people are dying.  Innocent people are being murdered.  Innocent people are being raped.  Innocent people are suffering unspeakable acts of violence.  All of this is happening while the world basically looks on.

"It's not our business."  "Let them fight their own battle."  "Why should we suffer for them?"  Those are the most often heard excuses for NOT getting involved - They are not without merit.  At this point, I am not asking anyone to become involved for politicians or political means - I am asking out of deep humanitarian concern.

Fine - Let the political battles be fought by the politicians, but stop the innocents from being killed and terrorized!  Put weight behind the words of the United Nations.

Many blame the arming of M23 on Rwanda under President Paul Kagame's regime.  Rwanda denies this. To Rwanda:  If you so deeply deny this, then do the right thing!  Help the civilians! Support life! Remember your own genocide and the horrors you faced - do not let that happen again somewhere else!  If your words are true, the put action behind your words.  You are in a powerful position to stop this, or to at least make a huge difference!

To the UN:  Condemning is fine, but these people need ACTION.  Stop the political games and for now, put the blaming aside - save that for when the crisis is over.  Right now, save these people.  Imagine if they were your family.

To the United States:  As a citizen of this nation, I am both proud and ashamed - for too many years, we have ignored Africa.  It is not "strategically significant" to us.  Can we for a moment remember that people are dying gruesome deaths?  Can we remember that as founding members of the United Nations, we should set the example by uniting with other nations to stop this crisis.

To the Faith Leaders:  As a fellow pastor - We cannot remain silent.  We must speak truth.  We must condemn random acts of violence.  We must say that what is happening is wrong.  We must say that what is happening is evil.  I'm not speaking of politics - I'm speaking of people.  All life is sacred to God, and it should be to us as well.

To the News Media:  The power is really in your hands.  You can cover a story or you can ignore a story.  I get it that you need ratings.  Ratings keep you in business.  But, news cannot be invented.  This issue is serious and MUST be covered.  Do not have the blood on your hands.  Report the horrors.  Show the grotesque.  Maybe it will cause people to start pressuring their own Governments!

To all people everywhere:  Do not sit idly by.  Write to those in power.  Call those in power.  Don't stop when you are ignored - Trust me, you will be ignored.  Pray for peace - God still answers prayer!  God is still faithful.  But listen to God's call.  Hold your leaders accountable!  The DRC may not have any direct connection to you or to me, but if this can happen there, what is to say it can't happen where we live?

May God's Peace Reign,
T.H.

Roller Skating to Jesus

This sermon from June 24, 2012 was based on Mark 10:46-52

Mark 10:46-52

⁴⁶They came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. ⁴⁷When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” ⁴⁸Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” ⁴⁹Jesus stood still and said, “Call him here.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart; get up, he is calling you.” ⁵⁰So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. ⁵¹Then Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man said to him, “My teacher, let me see again.” ⁵²Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.

When I was a child, my house was THE place for the neighborhood kids to hang out.  That’s because we had a newly built house.  It wasn’t so much the house that attracted the neighbor kids, but rather it was the basement. 

When I was 7 years old, on the last day of my 1^st Grade year, there was a Tornado that destroyed our old house along with our half of the neighborhood, and most of our half of the town.  I don’t remember the exact death toll, but I believe it was 2 or 3 people.  Yes, this is tragic, but in a town that never gets tornados, this could have easily been much higher!  My family would have been among them had we not gone to my grandmother’s house.  The living room where we would have been sitting was completely destroyed when the neighbors’ house blew into it.  I don’t remember what the neighbors were doing, but thankfully they were not injured or killed either!

To make a long story short (you can find pictures and memories on this blog – just search for “tornado” in the search box at the top), my parents decided to rebuild on the same lot.  And, a new house meant a new basement!!!

A new basement meant a semi-empty basement, and to a child, that meant a lot of places to play and run around.  Seeing that, on one of those first Christmases, my sister and I got roller skates as gifts.  We had that wide-open basement as our roller-rink!  Soon after that, one of the breakfast cereal companies started giving Tapes of 50’s Music as Prizes in their boxes. 

You must understand now that we grew up in the Michael Jackson and New Kids on the Block era, so Music and Dancing were a MAJOR part of EVERY child’s playtime!  If someone my age tells you they didn’t sing along and dance to songs of that time, they are LIARS!  Yes, both boys and girls did it!

One of the Tapes we got was a song by the 50’s Doo-Wop group, the Dell Vikings, called “Come, Go, With Me.”  Along with some of the neighborhood kids, my sister and I made up a roller skating/dance routine to this song.  (If you personally know me, I apologize for that disturbing image that put in your head…I was much cuter as a child…hopefully that softens the punch).

The main message of “Come, Go, With Me” is not far off from what Jesus says to Bartimaeus in our scripture today.  OK, the Dell Vikings are talking about teenage love – Come over here baby, and go out with me – or something like that…But there is a parallel…At least I see one.  Let’s look at the Scripture and see what happens.

First of all, Jesus is leaving Jericho with a crowd of people, and blind Bartimaeus somehow realizes that Jesus is in that crowd.  He screams “Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Remember, Jesus had to be descended from the line of David – the shoot that will come from Jesse’s tree – right before the Peaceable Kingdom in Isaiah…Jesse was David’s Father…Matthew 1 will show you how Jesus fits into this line).  How did Bartimaeus know that Jesus was there?  HE WAS BLIND after all!  Did someone tell him?  Did he just know?  Honestly, we have no idea.

The people started telling him to be quiet.  Leave Jesus alone.  He’s too busy.  He’s too important.  You’re just a blind man.  Jesus has better things to worry about.  He’s going to save Israel…what’s a blind beggar?  This didn’t shut Bartimaeus up at all!  In fact, it made him louder!  He shouted all the more until Jesus noticed him.

That’s where we get to the first part of the Dell Viking’s song.  Here I have to stop and wonder.  Why didn’t Jesus just go over to Bartimaeus and take care of business?  It would have been quicker!  It would have probably been more compassionate.  But, instead of going over to him, Jesus told Bartimaeus to “Come.”  Imagine that.  Telling a blind man to come.  Think about the crowd.  Think about the people he must have bumped into on the way.  Think about the toes that literally got stepped on.  Think about the jaws that got elbowed.  Think about the pushing and the shoving that must have happened.  But yet Jesus said “Come.”  More on that later…

The next words seem even more puzzling.  Jesus asks Bartimaeus what he wants.  DUH! Jesus!  What do you think he wants???  A new camel – maybe one of those 2 hump varieties???  New laces for his sandals???  Maybe his own copy of the 10 Commandments in Ancient Hebrew Braille??  -- OK, I’m no genius (or Messiah) here, but let me take a stab at the answer – I’ll guess the guy wants to see (Note:  I did read ahead, but I did take my guess before reading ahead).  HOT DANG!!! I’m right!  Bartimaeus just wanted to see – Who would have thought????  Why did Jesus even ask?  Again, more on that later…

Then, and only then, did Jesus heal him, and the second part of the song title comes in.  “Go,” Jesus said, “Your faith has made you well.”  He tells Bartimaeus to “Go.”  And he does go – but not in the way we expect.  He goes from that place, but he follows Jesus.  If you’ve noticed a pattern, you’re right – More on this later…

OK, now, let’s take a look back.  Let’s look at Bartimaeus.  Let’s look at Jesus.  Let’s look at what was said and what was done and how we fit into this story.  This IS an account of history, but it is also an account of everyday life.  This is Bartimaeus’ story, but it can also be our story.  Scripture is “living.”  We read it more than once because we live it more than once.  You’ll see what I mean.

First, Bartimaeus called out to Jesus when he realized Jesus was near him.  This took Faith because he was blind.  He either had to go by someone else’s word that Jesus was there, or the sound of a voice he thought to be Jesus’ voice, but he really had no way to “scientifically” know that Jesus was there.  We are often blind – sometimes literally, but most times figuratively (and at times, both ways).  We are blinded by sin, illness, loneliness, addiction, anger, grief, sorrow, depression, loss, greed, jealousy, and any other human condition.  Notice how normal all of those are!  They are not reason to “beat yourself up!” BUT they are reasons to call out for help!  As humans, WE CANNOT fix these things by ourselves.  We need God!  To call out to God requires faith.  We want to feel God in a tangible sense, and sometimes that happens – you just know you are in the presence of God because of some feeling you have.  But more often, we have to have faith that God is there because we feel nothing but call out anyway and acknowledge our need.

Then step 2 comes along.  Jesus asked Bartimaeus what he wanted.  Of course he knew what he wanted.  The key is that WE need to know what we want.  Do we know that we are blind, or has our blindness become so normal that we forget what it’s like to see?  Or have we fallen into the trap of blaming our blindness on someone else?  True, it may be someone else’s fault that we suffer, but we can’t fix someone else.  We can pray for someone else and hope and trust God fixes that person, but we can only take action with God to fix ourselves.  We must name what we need.  This also takes faith.  Sometimes we’ve suffered so long that healing seems impossible.  Sometimes we know that healing may be impossible and we’re afraid of God’s healing.  For example, maybe a person with an incurable disease will not be miraculously cured from that disease, BUT, God can heal that person so he or she can have peace of mind.   

After we name what we want, we keep the faith as Bartimaeus did for God to heal us.  We must be willing to accept the form of healing God gives us.  We must be willing to accept the fact that the healing we receive may not be the one we ask for.  But, we must also know that we WILL be healed in some way.  Each situation is unique.  Only God knows the intimate details of every situation.  Only God knows how to perfectly heal. We don’t understand God’s ways all the time.  Sometimes we will come to understand and other times we will not.  But all the time, if we come to God in faith, our faith will be rewarded.

Finally, after we are healed, God tells us to “Go.”  This is not a “Get away from me.” This is a “Go tell others.”  There is a lie that our Faith is private.  That is the biggest lie about our Faith.  In many religions you become a member by being born into it.  In Christianity, you may be born and raised a Christian, but you become a Christian by choosing to become one.  And you can’t choose to become one if someone hasn’t shared their faith with you.  Sharing our faith is the hallmark of our faith.  That is why Jesus told Bartimaeus to “Go.”  But notice how he went…He followed Jesus...We must ALWAYS do the same!

Lastly, remember that this is not a 1-time deal.  We need healing almost every day (if not every day!).  God is available all the time in every place.  If we slip up, we just need to call out.  If we mess up, we just need to ask God to help us get back on track.  Yes, we should be sorry – this should not be taken lightly.  But, we have a loving and forgiving God who cares for us and will heal us as long as we reach out in faith.

The Sermon I Did Not Want To Preach

For the Second Sunday of Lent, the Lectionary - that is the suggested Scripture Readings for that particular Sunday - included Mark 8:31-38.  This is the passage where Jesus is openly telling others that he will be killed and then rise on the 3rd day.  The Apostle Peter, trying to be a "good guy" comes up to Jesus and (in my own words) tells him that it doesn't have to be that way - they'd protect him (yes, I'm taking some liberties with the text, but the point is that he didn't want Jesus to suffer).  Jesus then oddly says to Peter "Get behind me, Satan!"  After saying that, Jesus then tells the people who are gathered there how to have eternal life.  He says they have to give up their lives to keep them.  He says that to be a follower people have to deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow him.

"Woah," I thought "No more Mr. Nice Jesus."
No more 6 lb. 7 oz. Baby Jesus (OK, if you're a Ricky Bobby Fan from the movie Talledega Nights, I probably butchered that reference, but that's beside the point).

This Jesus is making us choose between life and death.  Not his life and death, but our own.  And if it's not life and death, it's at least going to seriously affect our comfort!  I HAD to choose a different passage to preach from.  The lectionary is, after all, a guide, not a rule.  The church police wouldn't arrest me for not using the lectionary.  Well, we don't have church police, but if we did, it would probably only be a misdemeanor anyway.

But, the more I thought about it, I realized I HAD to preach from this text.  Not just for my congregation, but also for me.  I needed this.  I needed to be reminded how to follow Jesus.  I needed to be taken out of my comfort zone.

So, I sat down to write my sermon.  Actually, that's not entirely accurate.  Rarely do I "write" a sermon.  I'm too random for that.  I only "write" sermons for very formal occasions such as funerals, weddings, or high holidays, and even then, I'll deviate from what I have written.  For the normal Sunday service, I write out notes or prepare "notes" in my head depending on how familiar I am with the Scripture and where I feel I am led to preach.  Well, as I tried to write my notes out, I just couldn't do it.  It was too intrusive, too "hardcore."  This sermon would step on too many toes.  Heck, it was crushing mine, and I hadn't even put a word on paper yet.

This went on for several days, and finally by Saturday Night, I realized that something had to be done.  I am expected to deliver a sermon on Sunday, and I only had a few hours until Sunday was to come.  So, I reread the Scripture for the millionth time and then put down a few notes.  I wasn't sure where this was going to go, but I figured I had God in a trap.  "I'll stand up there," I said, "but You have to give me the words."

Sunday came.  Time for the sermon.  I was nervous.  That's a lie....I was terrified.  I rarely get that nervous before anything anymore.

I started off by making my confession that I did not want to preach this sermon.  This was the hardest sermon I've ever preached.  I didn't even know where it would end up.  I apologized that I knew I'd be stepping on toes, but told them that if their toes got stepped on, they should know that in the process, I'd been run over by a steam roller!  Then I jumped in.

First I addressed Jesus saying "Get behind me, Satan." Jesus isn't saying Peter was indwelled by the devil, but rather that Peter was focussing on fleshly answers and not Godly answers.  That's explained in the Scripture.  Ok, so far, so good.

Then, I had to explain what it mean to follow Jesus.  And in this Scripture there was a 3-part formula:
1. Deny yourself
2. Take up your cross
3. Follow Jesus

Deny Yourself
This may be one of the hardest things for anyone to do.  It is for me.  I don't like to deny myself.   When I'm tired, I like to rest.  When I'm hungry, I like to eat.  That's why I preach facing the congregation and don't give them a profile view (insert chuckle).  But, this denial is not something we do to look more pious or holy.  We don't deny ourselves lunch so that we look pale so others can see we are suffering for Christ.  This denial is saying that we are not the most important creation ever.  We are not the center of the universe.  Our plan is not central, but God's is.  So, I told my congregation, it's ok to buy new clothes from time to time - heck, I don't want to see them in loin-cloths, and they CERTAINLY don't want to see me in a loin-cloth!

Take Up Your Cross
We use Crosses as jewelry and decorations.  In modern times, that's fine because it reminds us of Christ, but to a citizen of the first century Roman Empire, they would think we are sadistic!  It would be like wearing jewelry shaped like the electric chair...but worse.  We don't really have public executions, at least in this part of the world.  Most of us have never seen an execution on the electric chair, though we know what it's used for if we see one.  We may know some of the horror, but having not seen the actual execution, we don't know the entire horror of the electric chair.

The Cross was an instrument of death.  And Jesus is telling us to pick one up?  He's not talking about jewelry. He's talking about taking something that may kill us.  What he's saying is that if we're going to be disciples, our lives are secondary to the service of God.  We may die serving God.  To humans that sounds awful.  But to God, that's a smooth transition.  We see death as a finality.  God sees death as a mere transition because Christ defeated death.  Jesus is saying that if we're serving God, we don't have to be afraid, even if we have to face the possibility of our own death.

Follow Me
Only then can we follow Jesus.  Only after we put ourselves in our proper place can we follow Jesus.  Following Jesus is difficult and dangerous, but we are not alone.  We may suffer, but we are not without a comforter.  We may experience difficulties, but never without help.  We may be hated, but never without ultimate love.


What If We Took This Seriously - This is where toes will get stepped on
We can change the world with God if we just follow Jesus.  What would happen to poverty if just the Christians took their call seriously?  We'd eliminate it, that's what would happen.  We wouldn't worry about who "deserves" help and who "doesn't deserve" help because God never tells us which poor deserve our ministry, but it's clear that we are to minister to the poor.  Yes, some are poor because of sinful and bad and stupid choices...But, it's not our place to judge.  That's God's job.

The sick wouldn't have to worry about being insured or not if the Christians would do what we are called to do.  There simply wouldn't be a national debate about insurance.  Medical bills would simply be covered for all who need it if we took our call as Christians seriously to love God and neighbor.  There would be no "us" and "them."  There would be no "mine" and "yours."  And this is just if the Christians lived our faith...I haven't even taken into consideration if we evangelized and converted others.

Criminals would be rehabilitated.  Prisons would not be places to make criminals more hardened, they would be places to reconcile those who have done wrong back to society.  Of course all could not be saved, but many would.  Of course, crimes need to be punished, but it does no good to punish someone without teaching them how to do something right.  If just the Christians did this, our crime rate could exponentially decrease.

These are just a few of the issues that we could fix if Christians took Jesus seriously.  Are we willing to do it?  Most Christians would say "Yes, go get them!"  Few would say "Yes, let me at them."  But, we need to answer both ways.  One person cannot do it alone.  We must do it as Christ's Body led by the Holy Spirit.

Not understanding the words...

As I prepare for this Sunday's sermon, I realize that we Christians (as probably with any group of humans) have our own "buzz words" that sound important and meaningful, but do we really understand them?

This week's sermon is on "Faith."  At first, I thought this would be an easy topic.  But what is faith?  I has to be more than just "believing in something (in this case Christ)."  There are a lot of things I believe in, but do I have faith in them?  I believe in peace and nonviolence, but but I don't have faith in it.  If you break into my house, one of us is going to the hospital! (Probably I'll be the one in the hospital because I can't fight, but I'll kick and scratch anyway in defense of my family).  So, what is "Faith?"  It's more than just believing....

The sermon's text is on Abraham's call to "Go."  And without question, he obeys God.  Obviously he had to believe in God to obey God.  We can't obey anyone we don't believe in.  Was it believing the promises of God?  Again, we can't stop there.  I believe in God's promises, but yet I work for a living...and yes, pastoring is work, and no it's not just a Sunday job.  But, didn't Jesus talk about how God will provide all our needs?  Am I lacking faith?  I don't know.

Maybe faith is trust?  But then again, I trust a lot of people, but I may not have faith in them...or at least not the faith I have in God.  I share secrets with people and trust they won't share them, but in the back of my mind, my faith in that is not very strong.

Or, is faith a mystery?  Is Faith in Christ a mystery?  Can we ever fully know what that means?  SHOULD we ever fully know what that means?  Or, is this just my easy way out of a tough question?  Or, is the faith actually God's?  Is it God who is faithful?  Well, yeah, that's true, but do we play a part in that?

We can "believe in" Jesus, but even the devil believes in Jesus.  Many atheists believe in Jesus (that he existed--not the whole God thing).  But that's not enough.  We can trust in God, but is that enough?  What if we discern God's leading wrong?  What if we don't stay faithful to the leading?  Are we then faithless?  I guess that's where grace comes in......hmmm...grace...now what's that mean???