It’s a phrase we often hear, use and repeat. My Dad would often begin worship with the phrase, and the congregation replying, “All the time,” to which he would say, “All the time,” with the congregation replying “God is good.” It’s catchy. It wakes people up. It brings some sort of agreement. Except, what do we do with the times when we suffer or we struggle? What about the times when all seems overwhelming and God seems more distant than ever? What do we do when we cannot see the goodness of God in the land of the living?
For me, I often struggle with the phrase because the term “good” is attached to worldly attachments. God is “good” when we can pay the bills or money comes in unexpectedly. God is “good” when something works that didn’t work before. God is “good” when I feel content and happy and everything is going my way (or at least my perception of my way). God is “good” when I get what I want. But that is a skewed perspective of good.
I have been considering the scripture in Lamentations 3 which reads, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” This speaks to me of God’s goodness. This is a scripture where I can bow my head and dig my heels in to God being good. Why? Because God’s goodness is not dependent on my outcomes, my wealth (or lack thereof), my health, my attitude, or my sense of fulfillment. Instead, God is good because of his steadfast love. He is good because of mercies from him which do not end. God is good because his faithfulness is great. THIS is why God is good.
I’ll be honest, I still struggle with the phrase and you likely won’t hear me say it on a regular basis. I won’t quickly attribute success to God’s goodness. I will strive not to blame my lack of control on his lack of goodness. Instead, there is a far greater chance you will find me, like the writer of Lamentations, with my soul bowed down and simply searching for hope where there seems to be none.
Is God good? My hope is in his steadfast love, his endless mercies and his great faithfulness. So I suppose the answer is a resounding yes, regardless of where I may be this day.
Throughout the Bible, intertwined in church history, pulsing through American history, and boiling over into today, it always seems to be – there are voices of hate who speak opinions in the name of God. It’s as if there is a feel of representation of God, like one of the prophets. Interestingly enough, many of those voices are “prophets” who happily call out anyone who doesn’t believe like them. It’s always a pointing of fingers in a show of how bad “they” are. Maybe it is so they can also feel justified in their anger. Certainly if someone doesn’t believe exactly as we have interpreted the Bible, those are grounds for calling them out, maybe even hating them?
These voices are very loud. They bounce off the walls of our hearts and minds. They fill our sanctuaries, our offices, our shopping places and everywhere in between. They fill our TVs and our phones. They speak loudly. And it seems the voices always scream hatred, or at least some twisted version of the love of God. It can be easy to fall right in line with those voices. They are everywhere. And they can make everyone who believes the same feel empowered. But ultimately, that’s what it’s about, right? It really is all about power (with maybe some greed thrown in). Believe like me…or else…
There are still other voices, though. There are voices of love which often become whispers because the others are drowning them out. The whispers of love let those who have been harmed, removed, beat down, excluded, and shut out know there is still a safe place. There is still love here. It may be whispers, but those whispers are kind. Those whispers speak words of welcome. Those whispers remind the forgotten and the discarded there is love still here. The shouts of hate do not always win. The whispers of love just continue to envelope those who need it.
I know because unknowingly, throughout my life, I have been uninvited to tables. I have heard the phrase… “if anyone believes like that, they better not sit at my table.” The group didn’t know that meant I was no longer invited, though. I have had the slap on the back of the group who are ready to call out the sins of others (that would be the sins of other people, not their own sins). I have heard the snide remarks from those I love so dearly, not knowing I didn’t agree. I have been in rooms where I was not welcome, only the voices didn’t know me. And, understand clearly, all the voices were doing this in the name of Jesus or faith or God or Christianity. The voices weren’t intending to do anything except make sure “those” folks knew how wrong they were and how they were going to hell and they better get their life straight, correct their beliefs and start believing the “right” way. Of course, the right way is the way we read and interpret, right?
My personal saving grace has been found in the whispers of love. It is hard to hear them. They are faint. I’ve almost missed them, but they are there. And they tell me there are still tables I am welcome. Some of those whispers even speak the name of Jesus.
If you feel abandoned, hurt, excluded or generally beaten down, stop and listen. There are still the whispers of love. They will never be completely drowned out by the loudest of voices. They are there…we are there. You are not alone. Welcome to the table, abandoned, forgotten, displaced. Welcome.
We are people who like things our way. When Burger King coined the phrase, “Have it your way”, they were really speaking of the way too many of us want to live. We complain if everything isn’t exactly how we want it to be, when we want it and where we want it. Convenience is an expectation and accommodation a requirement. Everything in life is supposed to be easier, focused on what I want and need. It’s all about me.
And that has seeped into the faith community for as long as there has been a faith community. Church folks aren’t exempt. And so churches are often formed around what that group of people want, how they want it and when they want it. And if we don’t like it, we can leave. Or we can make others leave. It is all about us, anyway, right?
Except these aren’t the teachings of the Bible. If I read correctly, it is actually all about God. My Dad always had the phrase he repeated continuously, “It’s All About Him!” And he tried to live like this. But it’s difficult. We don’t always agree and with the chaos of our world, it pushes us to make sure our own areas are in our control. People around us should be “like us”. It feels more comfortable. It makes for better worship? It enables us to feel justified? And yet, this isn’t Biblical either.
You know what is Biblical? Jesus said there were 2 defining principles which should guide everything. And we can’t talk about these enough. He said we were to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength (with our EVERYTHING) AND to love our neighbor as ourself. In other words, the guiding principle is love.
Here’s the deal for me – I can’t give love I haven’t received. God gives us the love we then pour into others. The issue comes when we try to give what we have not yet allowed God to pour into us. We end up looking like those who love things, not people. We love wealth not God. We love control, not surrender. We end up trying to get what we want, when we want, and how we want.
But church is no Burger King. It SHOULD be focused on what God wants – and most of the time, that doesn’t look the same as what we want. Just read the scriptures. What Jesus taught was never what the religious folks wanted to hear. And I dare say, it still isn’t.
So maybe we start with the basics one more time…and again and again. Who do we love?
Can you hear it, almost feel what it’s like? Can you smell the air filled with pride? The stones, they hit the dirt with such a force the dust envelops them. Stones can hurt, even kill if put into the hands of the angry. They can be hurled with such force as to cause damage with anything they come in contact. One little stone can wreak havoc. And yet, many of them are thrown around as if they are nothing. But they are something.
The stone throwers, they are everywhere. It seems so easy to identify them. They are the ones with an agenda, looking to take out anyone who may not agree or threaten a sense of being right. Stones are thrown with words or actions. And the force behind them is so intense. It’s easier to throw stones if everyone around throws stones too. It feels therapeutic. It certainly can feel justified. “They” deserve it, right? “They” aren’t doing the right thing or living the right way or saying the right words. Just throw the stones already.
Jesus was faced with this situation. Those around likely held those stones so tightly in their hands they could feel the edges bore down into their skin. They were justified. It was the law, after all. Everyone would agree. This woman deserved it. It was right and it would show others what was right. And yet, Jesus didn’t hold a stone in his hand at all. And when pushed for a response, he simply said to the crowd…you who have no sin cast the first stone. (John 8)
That’s the problem with stone throwing. It’s always directed at someone else without a mirror to reflect our own issues. It’s much easier to point out what we don’t like in other people. We can feel justified when “they” don’t get things “right”. We can quickly forget we don’t have the right to do this. And while we can certainly point out the stone throwers, I would dare say we may feel a stone in our own hand, just waiting for the right opportunity or the right person or the right cause.
But have we forgotten? Have we forgotten we are a sinner? Have we forgotten we don’t have any right to even hold a stone much less throw it? Maybe, just maybe, it helps if we start looking at ourselves, who we are, and how we love, rather than at others. Maybe we start taking a deep dive inwards and checking ourselves according to the standards of Jesus rather than making others meet our standards. Maybe we start to realize we simply need Jesus to forgive us and love us. Maybe that’s where it starts, with a mirror and some time with Jesus.
The phrase “I want to be like Jesus” has caused many people to do great things, and also some pretty horrific things. We all have an interpretation which leads us to act in a particular way. Most of the time, if we are honest, we really want Jesus to be like us. In other words, we would like to do what we want to do and feel justified in it. We want to think and act, believing this is the way of Jesus. It might be – or it might be an illusion we have created to make us feel better. All too often, it creates a wall, deciding who is “in” and who is “out” – and it is interesting, in the wall we build, we are always “in”. I am not a fan of walls and here is why:
As I read the Scriptures, I hear a message of welcome. Jesus was, by trade, a carpenter. His father (Joseph) was a carpenter. He grew up building things. He was a master of the craft, taking lessons from generations of hand crafted builders. I have to imagine that at some point, he built a table (or a lot of them). I can only wonder if this informed his theology as he began to preach. His ministry was, after all, about being a table builder. He wanted to make room at the table for all people. His table began as a space for God’s chosen, the Jewish community. He didn’t kick them out. He built bigger tables. And this was not a welcome sight in the judgmental eyes of those around. His table building caused anger and made people generally uncomfortable. They didn’t want THOSE people at THEIR table. How dare he?
Remember who he invited to the table? Yes, he ate with the religious leaders. But he never stopped there. He didn’t even consider that was all who were welcome. He actually didn’t want to give them the prized place at the table. They thought more of themselves than they should anyway. He gave the place at the table to the tax collectors – those who were despised and disgusted so many. They were the problem children. He gave the place to the sinners (the Bible says this and I’m wondering – wasn’t this EVERYBODY?). Those who clearly had sins which were open for all to see were given a place. He gave a place at the table to those who thought they should be washing feet, not partaking of a meal. He gave a place to those who knew they needed love. And they found love at the table. He gave a place at the table to those who would walk away and those who would betray (remember Judas sitting at the table?). He was the master table builder and this scared those who thought they deserved and earned a place. He included where the religious people had excluded.
I am so thankful he is the master table builder because this means I have a place. I don’t deserve to sit at the table with Jesus. I haven’t earned it. I’m not better or more qualified or more chosen than anyone else. I’m mostly a mess and yet, Jesus built a table which includes me.
So I want to follow Jesus – I want to be a table builder. I want to invite and sit down and dine with those who have no idea they have a place. I want to sit with the despised and forgotten and excluded. I want to sit with the betrayers and the sinners. These are my people. Come sit at the table with me. There is always room. Jesus built a table big enough for us all. Welcome.
It seems to me that we live in a world with so many angry people. Anger fills our TVs, social media, the highways, and the streets. It is even more pronounced when some event takes place which ignites fear. Anger is a by-product of being fearful. When people are scared, feel as though they are losing control, or simply don’t know what to do, they can easily find anger as an enduring friend. Anger causes us to lash out, to stop listening to anyone who opposes us, and to ultimately drive a wedge which should have never been created.
This, though, is not the only way. It is the easiest and most convenient. It will show up with no effort and is fueled by the fire of others (there are always other angry people to get something stirred). It happens almost instantaneously and just grows like the forest fires in the dry heat of summer. But there still is another way. I’ll admit my first response is to cut it all off – it seems to work better for me. I can cut off the news, I can turn the other way, I can stop looking at social media – all in an effort to cut it out. That works for a while, but, if I’m honest, angry people show up in all areas of life (and feel the need to vent about all their anger).
The other way can seem soft and cheesy. But it reality, it is the only real way. It is love. If we stop to consider what whole groups we may be slandering to make a point, we may pause. If we think of those we point our fingers and yell at for their supposed stupidity or imagined immorality, we may not be so quick to point. If we pause to get to know someone who we have demonized or considered “the other”, we may find they are more human than we initially thought. If we choose the way of listening rather than lashing out in fear, we may find real people have real lives and real love which may look different than ours. It may just be we could live together, even if we don’t agree (what a concept).
I know this can sound ideal and a bit of a utopia. But if we don’t work towards something, anger becomes our chosen output and no progress is actually made. We simply become a bunch of angry, hateful folks who don’t even know what we are really angry about anymore. And I just don’t want to live in a world like that. So, today, I’ll choose love. Maybe you will too. That’s how change begins.
Directions are not my deal. We all have our gifts and finding my way around is not mine. I’m okay with it at this point – I’ve learned to adapt. I’ve figured out how to work with my weaknesses and still get around. It does make it more interesting, though. I move through my GPS. She isn’t always right. Sometimes, there is a road that is new or she is a block off. But at least she gets me close. I only have a problem when she starts speaking in a language I don’t quite understand. In direction language, it goes like this – head South on this road. Head what? South? Where is that – and if i knew that much, I wouldn’t need her. So I end up going a direction to see if she validates my move or if she begins recalculating. When she recalculates, that means I’ve done it wrong and now she has to try and figure it out again. I’m okay with all of this. I recognize what I am missing and it is fine.
I feel sometimes like God directs me this way, too. He gives me direction, but it is through some language I do not understand – like go East. I often find myself wandering around hoping i have taken the right turn and checking back in to see if he needs to recalculate. More often, I find myself stopped along the side of the road thinking…this cannot be right…but not knowing where to go from here. Its like finally achieving my Doctor of Ministry degree and then leaving congregational ministry for a season. And that’s where i find myself.
I don’t know about you, but it is an unsettling place to be – the in between. It is a bit unnerving. I know God is still with me. I don’t feel out of place. I simply feel as though the in between space is where i reside for now. And it can make me feel…well, broken. Have you ever felt broken? Not that a part of you is broken, but that your direction, your place, your purpose is off. I call it the in between space – the place where you wander but not aimlessly. God’s presence is there but it is as if everything he says comes through a muffled, bad connection. The in between space can be rough, but it can also be a chance to explore, to breathe, and to reorient.
When I graduated from McAfee School of Theology, we were unable to get together. So they mailed us our gifts. We received an absolutely beautiful pitcher – a perfect symbol of service, of being poured out, of being an instrument of love. I excitedly opened mine only to find out it was broke. It is still beautiful. I considered trying to piece it back together. I contacted the school and they, of course, sent me a new one. But I fell in love with this one. It had so much to say. It was a reminder – broken things are still quite beautiful. Broken things are still useful. And broken things still can be of service.
The in between space is okay, broken things are still valuable, and God is still with us. So where do we go when we find ourselves living in these places, feeling a little beat up, not knowing where to go next and simply broken? We go back to the foundation, the unshakable core that still holds us together. We hear the words of Jesus as he gives us foundational words to build from. We rise from the rubble knowing God is not done with us yet. And this is where i come back to.
Matthew 22:34-40, “34 When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, 35 and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36 “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” 37 He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the greatest and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
Jesus tells us these are the most important – this is the foundation everything else is built upon. This is the key, the place we land when all else is in chaos. This is the deal. Jesus is, of course, echoing what has been taught since the very beginning. He is teaching what will always be important. He is giving clear direction – no North or South stuff. He is helping those who really don’t care and those who are ultimately curious. Jesus is making it precise, even in the in between, broken spaces – love. Love God, love others.
Where we are right now – this is the time and this is the space when love speaks the loudest. There are voices yelling every day. There are arguments about most anything. There is fighting. There are wars. There are lines divided and angry words being spoken. As Christians, though, this is the time to love. I’m not talking about a sappy, happy ending movie type of love. I’m talking about a deep in the trenches, stepping into the unknown, sacrificial type of love.
Jesus teaches the most important is to love God with your everything – from your very core, with all your being. Love God with it all. And take that love and offer it to your neighbors, your friends, even your enemies. This love is just hard, but it is also the love that we have been given – the love we were offered when we were unlovable. This is the time to live in this love. This is the time to share this with those around. This is the time to stand out – not for our opinions, not for our judgment, but for the way that we love. There are plenty of opinions out there. There is more than enough backbiting, name calling, hate filled words being spread. There isn’t enough of the love of God.
The love of God doesn’t look like beating someone down with the Bible or quoting every verse we know. It doesn’t look like judging or deciding who is in or out. One of the most divisive thoughts we can have as followers of Christ is the ‘us’ verses ‘them’ idea. We are Christians, they are not. We are worthy, they are not. We have the answers, they are wrong. We are on the right side, they are out. We begin to look like an exclusive club rather than a group of people following Jesus, spreading love. We begin to decide who is in and who is out. And this isn’t for us to decide. Jesus didn’t even give us the option of deciding who to love. He said love God and love others. That’s it. And that’s what makes the difference. That’s the key.
This isn’t the love that sits around the campfire singing Kumbaya. This is the deep in the trenches, settling in the in between spaces, feeling our brokenness and still living in love. Followers of Christ, we have the opportunity to show up when all else is huddled in corners holding fast to opinions and judgments. This is the time to speak to the brokenness, knowing God can still use the broken in a mighty way. This is the time to sit in the in between spaces and allow God to heal and reignite. This is the time to show peace in the midst of utter chaos. This is the time to live – truly live – with a fire to love God and love others. I pray God allows us the privilege of doing just that – to love. And may we love like him.
If we grew up in church, we have heard the same Bible stories so often we tend to tune them out. They become like the teacher on Charlie Brown. We hear where the Pastor will be preaching from and draw our conclusions – we know the end of the story, so we fail to hear the lesson. We forget that God’s Word is alive and active. We miss the teaching because we have made up our minds we know the story. It becomes all “blah” and no blessing. Today’s scripture is familiar – so familiar most people, even those who haven’t been in church for a long time, would know. We reference it as the feeding of the 5,000. We know what happens – Jesus feeds 5,000. But there is so much more going on than bread and fish. And we miss it because we think we know the story. May God open our hearts, minds, and eyes to receive even more from his message to us.
Matthew 14:13-21
You may be thinking – this is exactly what I remembered it to be. I want to think of it from a different perspective this morning. Let’s put ourselves in the sandals of the disciples for just a moment. They are with Jesus, he has heard devastating news. They have had to do one of the most difficult things in their walk with Jesus. They have had to bury Jesus’ friend, his cousin, his fellow worker in the kingdom. They have buried John the Baptist. And they have to tell Jesus what has happened. What a devastating time for Jesus. He needed to grieve. He needed time to process this. So he went to be alone.
He pulls up in his boat and is greeted by a crowd of people. The disciples likely thought about how long of a day this had already been and how they just wanted to go away. But Jesus saw differently. He saw a group of people who needed to be loved. It says he had compassion on them. He saw people he wanted to help and spend time walking alongside. He saw children. And so, Jesus did what Jesus does. He loved on them. He reminded them of their worth. He showed them a different side of the Kingdom. He brought life to this crowd that was so starving for real life.
It was evening. They are getting hungry. The disciples have likely huddled together and realized it was time to wrap up this party. They decide it is time to send them all home. They need to go get themselves some food. And Jesus says something most interesting – “you give them something to eat.” This is one of the more interesting commands of Jesus to me. He tells the disciples to give this huge crowd of people something to eat – don’t send them away. Don’t try to take up a collection. Don’t do anything but feed them.
The Scriptures don’t give us a time factor. So we are just told the story. But I want us to use a bit of holy imagination, if you will. Jesus is talking to his trusted 12 – the guys who have walked with him and heard him speak. They have seen Jesus at work. And now Jesus is asking something of them. He wants them to give the crowd something to eat. The command is overwhelming. The task is monumental. I can only imagine how they were trying to figure out how this was going to happen. They likely were trying to work out the numbers. If there are this many people and they need this much to feed each, then we need this much to make this happen. Imagine asking Judas how much was in the box (and probably less than what they thought). Judas would have let them know real quick there wasn’t enough for all of that. Plus there is a time factor. They can’t just run down to the store. No one has this supply of bread on hand. Maybe everyone could take a bite – a sample – just enough so they don’t starve out here. It had to be a confusing and troubling few moments. I wonder how long Jesus let them try to figure it out before he just took over.
Here’s the deal – they saw impossibility – they saw scarcity – they saw the lack of resources – they saw all the reasons this was not possible. Those 12 knew this was simply impossible. There wasn’t enough money or time or people. This was ridiculous and the command seems preposterous. But not to Jesus. Had anyone asked Jesus what he would do? Had they asked him for guidance? All I hear is the limitations. They saw what little they had and it wasn’t enough – so they gave up. But Jesus doesn’t work by our economy. Jesus works by a whole different system. Jesus works from the heavenly economy of enough.
The heavenly economy reminds us of a few things –
When God is the center of it all, there is enough. We live in a land of abundance, yet we are starving. We hoard what we have because we have been frightened there would never be enough. People steal and take and selfishly hold onto because of this idea of not enough. We have more than we need but we live in a world of never enough. There will never be enough.
We cannot earn enough money. We cannot get enough recognition. We cannot achieve enough accolades. We cannot be enough. We never have enough. We never feel we are enough. It is every man for himself – look out for yourself because no one else will. Take what you can before someone else does. When is enough actually enough? -Never as long as the focus is inward. Enough will only ever be enough when we follow God. In his Kingdom, there is always enough.
Jesus gave them all something to eat that day – there was more than enough because HE was at the center of it. He is enough. And when we follow Christ – we are enough too. He has provided all we need to be all he has called us to be. He has filled us with good things. We are overflowing with gifts and possibilities. It may not be what we would imagine. It doesn’t look like the achievements of this world. It looks like serving our Creator – with all we are and all we have – and that’s enough.
YOU are enough. We cannot wait until… we have enough money, time, resources, gifts, training, skills. Sometimes, Jesus simply asks us to see differently – we have enough and we are enough. We are loved beyond measure. We are children of the Most High God. We are called God’s beloved. We are welcomed into the family. We are given a seat at the table. There is an abundance at God’s feast. And all are welcomed. We cannot be good enough or do enough good things. We simply are invited because we are enough – God can take care of the rest. Follow Christ – there is room for you too!
Things rarely turn out like we think they will. If nothing else, this past year has taught us this fact. We have so many events we mark in life. We mark anniversaries, birthdays, holidays and celebrations. We mark major events in our history. We remember during memorial day and veterans day, 4th of July and labor day. We remember tragic events such as 9/11. And in church life, we remember beautiful events such as Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter. But this week marked yet another event. It was the one year anniversary of this virus we are facing being called a pandemic. It changed everything. And here we are, a year later, still trying to move forward in some way, shape and form. So it goes without saying that life doesn’t always turn out like we think it will or how we plan.
Today’s scripture is familiar. It is so familiar, in fact, that we tend to skip right to the part we know and forget what led us to it. We don’t think about the conversation which led to the outcome. We do this with scriptures we know – often without even thinking about it. We skip right to the “good parts” and forget what led this to be a part of a conversation. So today, we will spend a moment listening in on a conversation. It is a surprising conversation if you consider what all is going on. This was most unexpected.
It is dark, under the cover of night. No one knows he is there. He has snuck away, for whatever reason he needed to know. He had something gnawing deep inside him. There were unanswered questions. He had heard this teacher. He had been watching him from the sidelines. His fellow colleagues wanted this teacher to just stop. But he was intrigued. There was something about him. He couldn’t put his finger on it but this wasn’t just a fad, a trend of someone that simply needed to be silenced. There was something about the teaching. It was different. So as not to seem obvious, he comes in the dark of night – where he can ask the questions directly. And what he hears, he doesn’t expect. But then, when we ask Jesus questions…he rarely answers us like we think or expect.
John 3:1-18
Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. 2 He came to Jesus[a] by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.”[b]4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. 6 What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.[c]7 Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You[d] must be born from above.’[e]8 The wind[f] blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” 9 Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?
11“Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you[g] do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.[h] 14 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.[i]
16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.
17 “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
Nicodemus – a leader of the Jews – comes to Jesus. Again, he gets there is something unique, very different about Jesus. He doesn’t so much ask a question but makes a statement. Jesus has come from God – the signs are apparent. If you want to see the kingdom of God – do you want to see – do you really want to experience the kingdom? Because if you do, you are to be born from above. How confusing must this have been?
To be born is to be created, birthed, a fresh new start. It is a beginning. So to start again seems not just odd, but impossible. So we can relate – someone can’t actually physically be born again. It just isn’t possible. So what is the deal? What is Jesus trying to say? This birth is a spiritual one. It is not an actual physical birth but one in which we get a new start, a fresh beginning, we become a new creation in God.
Jesus tells Nicodemus he should be getting this – and this is not to insult him or to belittle him. This is to say…it’s in the Word you know…it is part of the life you have taught and led. This is not new information if you really get what God has told you all along. This should not be a surprise because you really do get the Scriptures. This is your specialty.
And here is the deal…this is a part of God’s love story to Nicodemus. It is that God so loved Nicodemus that this renewal, this new birth, this impossible becomes possible. Nicodemus doesn’t have to understand it all. He simply has to trust – God’s story is big and wide and full of amazing love. The most astounding part of this story is it also applies to us – to you and to me. For God so loved… that’s how the verse begins, right? That is the scripture we know. That is the word we believe. This is what we have taken in. God loves. It is not because of us – our accolades or accomplishments. It is not because we have earned it or deserve it. It isn’t because there is something unique about us that God only does this for us. It is because God loves. And when God loves, God loves big – real big. God loves so big that he loves the world, the whole world, his wonderful, beautiful stained creation. He loves it all – gnats and flies, trees and mountains, flowers and weeds – and you and me. That’s the most amazing part of this all – God loves us. Because he loves us, Jesus. To believe is to become a part of the kingdom. To believe is to have a place at the table. To believe is to know that we are loved even when we feel quite unlovable.
That’s the hard part of it all, I think. We believe in God. We believe in Jesus. But to believe we are loved – that’s the hard part sometimes. We love conditionally in our lives. We can’t help it. We are human. So we love when…we love until…we love if. We love with a condition. God just loves. His love is so overwhelming we can’t understand it. His love washes over us when we feel so dry and parched. His love fills our every need when we are so empty. His love sets us free when we feel imprisoned and held down. God’s love is redemptive. It is a renewal. God’s love changes EVERYTHING.
That’s the story of the whole Bible – God’s love changes everything. God created. God redeems. God renews. God inspires and instills. God so loved – Jesus. It is the story of Christmas, it is the story of Easter, it is the story which fills the pages of this story we call the Bible. It is the story which fills our lives – whether we recognize it or not. God is LOVE. And God’s love is powerful – it changes things…and it changes us.
When we realize just how much we are loved, we are forever changed. We can’t help it. We have a love which is so poured into us it is overflowing. When Jesus challenges us to the hard things – and he really does that in nearly every verse and teaching – he is doing it with the knowledge that we have all we need to do it – and all we need is God’s love. That’s the foundation. It is not only the beginning, it is the necessary, required part of it all. If we don’t do what we do with love, it is useless and void. But when we do things with great love, God does amazing things with it. We are changed.
But let’s be honest. We don’t always feel all that changed, do we? Things don’t go as we expect. To be loved doesn’t mean we walk through this life as though we are living in some utopia of perfection. We mess up. We say mean things. We do wrong things. We hurt ourselves and others. We forget we are loved. We walk in directions we clearly should not. Life happens and it isn’t always good. Nicodemus walked away that day with a teaching – but it doesn’t say he immediately got it. We do know it changed him. But he went back to his life. He had been given a glimpse of the light but was not ready to live in it completely. It was just the beginning for him.
God’s love isn’t conditional on us – on who we are. He doesn’t stop loving us because we act ridiculous. He doesn’t stop loving us when we clearly make bad decisions. He loves us through it all. It simply takes us recognizing it. When God opens our eyes to his love, our heart begins to open as well. When we experience his love, the shell of our insecurities begins to crack. God so loved…and God so loves you.No matter where you may find yourself this day, hear this – God loves you. May you feel his redemptive power overtake you, overwhelm you, and begin to change you. May you experience his love in a new and amazing way. Also remember this…God loves you…but he also loves the person you hate. May he change our hearts to live in his love in a way that is life changing for us – and for others. May we love like him – love big and wide and open. For God so loved…even our enemies. May God show love through you and me today.
Life is full of them – some are exciting, some are downright painful. Some bring much joy and some misery. Regardless, we often find ourselves somewhere in the cycle of it all. This is the last Sunday of 2020. What a year it has been. While difficult, it has also been a year filled with unexpected joys and triumphs. There are nuggets of goodness that have filled the pockets of despair. We were not without God at any point. We were never left alone in our sorrows, although sometimes it may have felt a lot like it. It is an ending to a year, but also the prospect of a new year, filled with possibilities and struggles of its own. It really is all about how we choose to look at it.
We are in the middle of Christmas. I do understand many have begun to take down the Christmas trees and are moving on past the holiday. But Christmas actually begins on December 25th and so we find ourselves in the middle of it all, at least in the church year. It is not over yet. Yes, Jesus is born. Yes, Jesus came for redemption and salvation. But he also came as a baby. He came as a helpless child born to loving parents who would do their best to protect and love their first born child. This was a whole new beginning for them – one that would take them running for the life of their child and ultimately with Mary sitting at the feet of her boy as he dies. It is the beginning, not the ending for Mary and Joseph. It is the ending for Anna and Simeon – but in a good way.
Luke 2:22-40
2:22 When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 2:23 (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord”), 2:24 and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.” 2:25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. 2:26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 2:27 Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, 2:28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying, 2:29 “Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; 2:30 for my eyes have seen your salvation, 2:31 which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 2:32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.” 2:33 And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. 2:34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed 2:35 so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed–and a sword will pierce your own soul too.” 2:36 There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 2:37 then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day. 2:38 At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. 2:39 When they had finished everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. 2:40 The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.
It was the beginning for Mary and Joseph, indeed. But for Anna and Simeon, this is what they had waited their whole lives to see. For Simeon to put his arms and bless the Messiah was the ultimate gift. He had been promised this time. He had been given direction this day would come. They spoke prophesy. Their hearts were filled with joy and hope. They had seen all they had come to see and their time was complete. It was the ending, but oh what a beautiful ending it was for Anna and Simeon. They had been able to experience this incredible gift. They would likely not see him grow. They probably wouldn’t hear him teach or even watch him as he learned a trade. They were given a glimpse in time – a nugget of excitement. They were fulfilled.
Endings always seem difficult. We don’t want them to happen sometimes. We want to hold on to all that is familiar and constant. We know what we know and want to keep that close. But if we do not let go, we often do not realize all that is ahead. We don’t get to experience the joys of all that is to come when we hold tight to what is. Endings allow for new beginnings.
As you know, this is my last Sunday at Trinity. This is, in a sense, an ending. It is a new beginning for Trinity. There are new opportunities as you approach the year ahead. There are new people to serve and more people to love.
I would challenge you to find God in it all. God is with us. God has not left us. God is still at work, even (and most especially) in our trying times. God has amazing plans for his church when we obey and follow him.
Remember this…God’s table is big and it is long and there is a handcrafted magnificent chair at this table just for you. All we could ever need is provided, not because we have earned it and certainly not because we deserve it. God’s table is filled with those who have wandered, just like us. His table has places for those who we may have counted out and dismissed. There are people from different places who speak different languages at this table. There are those at the table we might not would invite to our own – but God invited them. There is room for strangers and friends, enemies and relatives, young and old. God’s table is big and long and is filled with his children. Anna and Simeon were able to experience the Salvation to come in a little baby. Mary and Joseph nurtured Redemption as he grew into a man. 12 disciples left everything to follow him on a journey they would not have chosen. And this One…this Jesus…who we celebrate today…is still calling. He slung open the doors wide to welcome in the stranger and expects us to do the same. He tore down the barriers of race and social status with a mighty blow and did not want us to build those back up – but to continue demolition. He came as a mighty unstoppable force of love. This is the love which carried him all the way to the cross – where he would die for you and for me. He did this so we could have a place at the table. So come join me, my friends – and bring many along with you. The table is big and it is long and I look forward to dining with you at God’s house.
Thank you for the privilege to serve with you over these past nearly 6 years. You welcomed me with a complete vote and you have allowed me to challenge you and push you beyond your boundaries. I know it has at times been uncomfortable. My prayer is that you continue to push those boundaries and live this way. Always ask why. Always want to dig deeper and hear the “yes, and” in it all. There is more to discover. It may take you to places you were not ready to go – but you also just might meet Jesus there.
From Numbers 6:
24 The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; 26 the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.
SEEING THE EXTRAORDINARY 
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