Sermon: November 28, 2010

Preparing for the Unexpected

Scripture Psalm 122 and Matthew 24:36-44

Preached by Linda Jo Peters ~ November 28, 2010

 First Sunday of Advent

INTRODUCTION TO SCRIPTURE
Psalm 122
Identified as "A Song of Ascents," this psalm describes the pilgrim throng entering the Temple. As we begin a new church year we, too, herald the glad tidings and invitation to all people: "Let us go the house of the Lord." In this season of Advent we, too, are called into the sanctuary of the Lord.
1I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD!”
2Our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem.
3Jerusalem—built as a city that is bound firmly together.
4To it the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
5For there the thrones for judgment were set up, the thrones of the house of David.
6Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you.
7Peace be within your walls, and security within your towers.”
8For the sake of my relatives and friends I will say, “Peace be within you.”
9For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your good.

Matthew 24:36-44
How can we really prepare for the unexpected? Jesus cautions us against speculation. It is the same speculation through which people try to get control of their future. Not knowing is to face one’s vulnerability. Jesus is telling his disciples that no one, not even he, knows when he will return. Yet he still encourages us to prepare for it.
“But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.
SERMON
Many of you have been involved in the Girl or Boys Scouts associations. What is their motto? “Be Prepared!” We prepare for the unexpected by considering what has surprised us or others in the past and extrapolating what that means for the future. So we buy all sorts of insurance to protect us against loss. Some of us may have disaster plans such as where to meet family members to check on them in case of a disaster. Many of us store a certain portion of food and water; have a generator set aside for power outages.

Anyone who has experienced a disaster in their life knows there is no preparation that will cover all possibilities. Some have watched their life savings flow away or their very homes float away. Two lay pastors in our Presbytery have lost their homes to fire. An elder in another congregation who has worked hard all his life now has so many medical bills for his wife and himself they have used up all their savings. Many can no longer keep up premiums on insurance. The unexpected has arrived at their doorstep and there was no way to prepare for it. So how can we ever prepare for the return of the King, the final judgment, a new heaven and a new earth?
David Lose writes:
As foreign or even frightening, as the coming judgment of the Son of God might be, it is an inescapable element of the biblical witness and for good reason. The flip side of judgment is justice. The dominant rationale for judgment in both Old and New Testaments is how well we accord with God's concern for how we treat one another and especially those who are most vulnerable. So give up any notion of God's judgment and you've also abandoned any meaningful sense of God's justice, of God's determination to hold us accountable for how we treat each other and creation.

The trick, of course, is holding these two together; justice and judgment.
Rather disturbing news reached us last week just before Thanksgiving. North Korea had bombed South Korea. Since North Korea has nuclear weapons the old images of mass destruction loomed over the world. For the people of Yeonpyeong Island the unexpected had arrived.
The whole point is that there is no preparation we can make for the unexpected except a close and loving relationship with Jesus Christ. Jesus is our guide. Sandy Sanchez lent me a book the other day called The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven . It is about Alex Malarkey whose spine is severed at the base of his skull. Very few ever survive this injury. The story recounts the amazing journey and faith of his family, friends, church, community and strangers who sustained him in prayer. But there was no way anyone could have prepared for this disaster. Jesus says:

If the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.
A life of prayer takes work and time and commitment. Prayer builds a safety net that no insurance can buy. Prayer weaves other believers into our lives. Prayer is the life blood of our faith. Prayer opens our eyes to seek justice. The unexpected will come. The only preparation is prayer. The good news is that our faith and prayer life can sustain us and prepare us for the most unexpected events of our lives. Will Jesus return? Will he bring judgment and justice to our world? May faith tells me yes. Can I know when this will happen? No! But my prayer life teaches be to trust that when that day comes I will be surprised by the glory of God but sustained by the embrace of Jesus when we come face to face! Amen.

Resources:
http://www.workingpreacher.org/. Commentary by  Paul S. Berge, Emeritus Professor of New Testament, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, MN and David Lose, Marbury E. Anderson Biblical Preaching

Chair Luther Seminary St.

Paul, MN
Kevin and Alex Malarkey, Tyndale Press, Carol Stream, IL 2010

Sermon November 21, 2010

The Promised One

Scripture: Colossians 1:11-20 and Luke 1:68-79

Preached by Linda Jo Peters ~ November 21, 2010

Christ the King Sunday

Introduction to scripture:
Colossians 1:11-20 read responsively
Christians in Colossae and other cities of Asia Minor were the victims of suspicion and therefore ill-treatment because of their faith. Paul writes these words of encouragement to the believers. In Christ the King we find our freedom and joy.

11May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully
12giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light.
13He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son,
14in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation;
16for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him.
17He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
18He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything.
19For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,
20and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.

Luke 1:68-79
Today we are invited to remember that the “the Kingdom of God” — to which Jesus constantly pointed — is as fully available now and always as it was 2,000 years ago. The question that remains each Christ the King Sunday is whether we will choose to live under the authority of one who is not Caesar, but God. Here in this passage the priest Zechariah sings a song of praise on the birth of his son who will grow up to be John the Baptist. John’s role is to prepare hearts and minds to receive Jesus as the Christ King, the promised one.
68“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them. 69He has raised up a mighty savior for us in the house of his servant David, 70as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, 71that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us. 72Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors, and has remembered his holy covenant, 73the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham, to grant us 74that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies, might serve him without fear, 75in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. 76And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, 77to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the forgiveness of their sins. 78By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, 79to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

Sermon
“The Promised One!” Jesus is the promised one for the whole world. Zechariah’s son was a promised one for he was given a high calling; “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways.” I believe every child is a promised one. Everyone has a call from God. We seem more open to that when we look at a child. The future is all in front of them. This week our daughter turned 31. She is very active in her church as usher, greeter, deacon, serving communion, and on a committee to create to new worship service. But where I see her calling is in her teaching. She has a passion about learning and touching the lives of her students. I see the same passion manifested in Rosetta, Nancy, Bill, Paul, Amie and Mary. Teaching styles, subjects and students may vary but the call remains. Once upon a time each of you were held by someone who loved you and saw you as a promised one. Have you lived up to that promise, have you fulfilled God’s call?

I served a congregation in Arlington Heights, IL. It was a non-ordained position. I was called the associate for Christian Nurture. There was one member named Lois (name changed for privacy) who discovered that I had a habit of leaving my keys unattended in various locations in this very large church building. After several times of helping me search for them, she took it on as her job to acquire my keys when I arrived and keep track of them. When Lois was born she spent too long in the birth canal, and had brain damage as a result. I wondered did anyone hold her and say, “You, O little one, are a promised one.” But she is! You, child of the living God are a finder and keeper of the lost. What a wonderful and vital calling. Each of us is a promised one. Have you heard God’s call? Are you fulfilling God’s promise? Some children fulfill their promise early in life and others like Grandma Moses are late bloomers.

Anna Mary (Grandma Moses) had drawn as a child. But it was on her farm the necessity led to her art. Her first painting was created because she was wallpapering her parlor and ran out of paper. To finish the room she put up white paper and painted a scene. It is known as the Fireboard, and it hangs today in the Bennington Museum in Bennington, Vermont. As she aged arthritis prevented her from doing needle work so she began to paint. Her first one-woman show was held in New York City in 1940, she was eighty years old.

Harry Bernstein (born May 30, 1910) is the author of The Invisible Wall, which deals with his abusive, alcoholic father, the anti-Semitism he encountered growing up in a Lancashire mill town in north west England, and the Romeo and Juliet romance experienced by his sister and her Christian lover. The book was started when he was 93 and published in 2007 when he was 96. Recently, he published his third book, The Golden Willow

Mary Harris Jones was born in the early 1800’s. She was a teacher and small business woman. But after the death of her husband and the loss of her business to the Chicago Fire she became a union activist at the age of 50 although she was one of the few women to claim to be older. You may know her under the name of Mother Jones.

No matter our age, God continues to call us. How old was Abraham and Sara?

On Tuesday in the Mission Yearbook of Prayer the focus was on Flint River Presbytery in Georgia. It told the story of Ki Thomas Golson. Ki grew up in the projects in Albany, Georgia. She was emotionally and physically abused, told over and over: “You will never be good enough.” Even when she became an honor graduate and was awarded a music scholarship by Georgia Southwestern State University, Ki was told she would fail. At the Presbyterian Student Center, a project of Flint River presbytery she found a diverse group of Christians who accepted and encouraged her. Ki’s story is the story of countless young adults who are supported in their answer to God’s call by campus ministries. Just like our own United Campus Ministries right here in Terre Haute. Story after story reveals young adults who are transformed by the love of God in Jesus Christ as acts of consistent and creative hospitality which engages them at crucial moments in their lives. That’s why Flint River Presbytery invests (not “spends”) 10 percent of its annual budget in campus ministry. So Presbytery’s have a calling from God. And because Flint River answered God’s call, Ki discovered who she was as a beloved child of God and just how much she had to give in return. Today she serves as a music teacher at Sylvester Primary School in Adel, Georgia.

No matter what people say about you or what your age or ability, you have a calling from God. Because of Jesus, age, race, gender, even death is not the end of our story. When Jesus was born there were great signs that he was indeed a promised one, that he was the long awaited Promised One. He became a great teacher and healer fulfilling his promise. Then he was arrested and executed as a criminal. Not a very promising end to his story. But we know that was not the end of his story or even the true nature of his call. You, child of the living God are a finder and keeper of the lost. And he still is and we are called to work with him in this fulfillment of our promise! Amen.

RESOURCES: See: www.notablebiographies.com/Mo-Ni/Moses-Grandma.html; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Bernstein; : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Harris_Jones;
http://gamc.pcusa.org/ministries/missionyearbook/november-16/

Sermon November 14, 2010

“An Opportunity to Testify”

Scripture Psalm 98 and Luke 21:5-19

Preached by Linda Jo Peters ~ November 14, 2010

Called Congregational Meeting and Thanksgiving dinner

INTRODUCTION TO SCRIPTURE
Psalm 98 When the Israelites thought of God, their first response was to offer praise. Praise doesn’t "work." It is not productive, and it isn’t even about us. Praise means being lost in adoration of the beloved, being awestruck by beauty and wonder. Let’s offer God our praise!

1O sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things. His right hand and his holy arm have gotten him victory.
2The Lord has made known his victory; he has revealed his vindication in the sight of the nations.
3He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.
4Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises.
5Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody.
6With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord.
7Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who live in it.
8Let the floods clap their hands; let the hills sing together for joy
9at the presence of the Lord, for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity.

Luke 21:5-19
The readings at this time of year are out of sync with what is happening in malls and stores everywhere: they are gearing up for that shopping madness called Christmas; the lessons are gearing up for a cosmic conflict between good and evil; between death and life. As believers we might expect preparation for Christmas, the lectionary readings give us lessons about global warfare, plagues, confrontation, betrayal, persecution, and ... endurance and salvation. so, maybe the lessons aren't so out of sync with our lives. George Hermanson writes:
I sometimes think we should make the Reign of Christ a whole new Season in the Christian calendar just to give everyone a heads up that we headed to a cross and not just to a cozy stable.

Next Sunday is Christ the King Sunday, let us prepare our hearts to receive him as King knowing how unwelcome he was in so many places.

When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, he said, “As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.” They asked him, “Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?” And he said, “Beware that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time is near!’ Do not go after them. “When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately.” Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven. “But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name. This will give you an opportunity to testify. So make up your minds not to prepare your defense in advance; for I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your souls.

SERMON
Jerry Goebel of One Family Outreach writes: Jesus did not drink from that cup for the sake of suffering; he drank from the cup for the sake of salvation. As Christians, we do not seek suffering for the sake of enlightenment; we suffer because we throw ourselves (like Christ incarnate) into the human situation. We suffer because we refuse to turn away from Lazarus lying crippled at our gates. We suffer because someone suffers in our neighborhood and we must go to them.

Our relationship with the vulnerable is inevitable if we are going to wear Christ’s banner. To know Jesus is to be tied to him in his most vulnerable form. Choosing to be simple among the poor and to advocate on their behalf is to seek the opportunity for testimony. It should be the mark of our faith. To be Christian is to be a vocal advocate (a prophet for the poor). To be Christian is “not to avoid the fight” – but to avoid the wrong fights. We forget about our own rights and stand up for the rights of others. Those are the fights worth fighting.

Trust in God has profoundly personal implications. It also has important political, social and religious ramifications. Luke has not withdrawn into individualism. He (or his text) still weeps for Jerusalem and longs for its liberation. He is prepared to be inventive to tackle the madness of fear and hate and the fanatical theologies it also generates. He keeps our feet on the ground about abuse and oppression. He stands in a tradition which tackles enmity in a way that is not off-centered by hate or fear, but informed by the stillness and wisdom of the Spirit. Bill Loader sees this shift “from quantity of time to quality of being...”

I watched a delightful Chinese movie with Arisa (she is Japanese) the other night called Eat Drink Man Woman. Because it was all in Chinese we both had to read subtitles. The story centered on how we connect to people through sharing food. Jia Chien’s father was a master chef who loses his sense of taste. It is like Beethoven losing his hearing. Everything he creates is done from memory. He has never allowed Jia Chien to cook for him so she often felt disconnected from him. But after many changes in their lives, he comes to eat dinner with her, which she has prepared. Suddenly he is arguing with her about how much ginger she used in the soup and she is defending her choice and all at once he stops and says, “ Jia Chien, I can taste your soup!” Today our church family will gather for a Thanksgiving, we will taste each other’s “soup.” We will cherish each other around the gift of food. We will know each other more because we have eaten together. Food is one way we can break down the barriers that separate us and it can be a golden opportunity to share our faith with one another.

Jesus says:
“…They will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name. This will give you an opportunity to testify.”

Not all our opportunities to testify to Jesus Christ will be as dramatic as many disciples through the ages have faced. Arrest and persecution may not be part of the picture, but it is no less important to share who we really are with friends and family as well as kings and governors. Can you say Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior and what that means for your life? When was the last time you thought about your personal relationship with Jesus?

In the survey some of you took before our Leadership retreat we asked “What is your vision for Unity?” Several responded that they wanted Unity to be a more affirming congregation. This struck a chord with the leadership group who made several suggestions to begin working on a Unity to become a more affirming congregation. One was “to tell each other our faith journey stories.” In other words to learn to testify to what it is we believe, will help us be a more affirming congregation. I think that happens when we take the time to write down what it is we believe. Seeing it in our own written words can be very challenging. Before we challenge another’s faith, we need to reflect on our own faith and the journey to that faith. As we sit at table today let hear what it is that makes Jesus so important to us. Amen.

Resources: Sermon by the Rev. Dr. George Hermanson, "Promise and Paradise."  See: "David Ewart, http://www.holytextures.com/." 
http://onefamilyoutreach.com/bible/Luke/lk_21_05-19.htm

http://wwwstaff.murdoch.edu.au/~loader/LkPentecost25.htm
Eat Drink Man Woman (1994) Yin shi nan nu (original title)

See also November Yoke

Sermon: November 7, 2010

“God of the Living”

Celebration of Our Lord’s Supper

Scripture Psalm 32 sung as the Psalter and Luke 20:27-38

Preached by Linda Jo Peters ~ November 7, 2010

INTRODUCTION TO SCRIPTURE

Luke 20:27-38: There were two religious groups that challenged Jesus’ authority to interpret God’s word. One was the Pharisees and the other was the Sadducees. Professor Murdock writes:

The Pharisees embraced the idea of resurrection from the dead. It was a way of putting flesh on hope, so to speak, in days when justice in this world seemed irretrievable. The righteous would surely be rewarded; they will surely be raised from the dead. Otherwise life does not make sense... The Sadducees rejected such speculation and were prepared to ridicule its exponents. That is what is happening here in this encounter with Jesus.

Some Sadducees, those who say there is no resurrection, came to him and asked him a question, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, leaving a wife but no children, the man shall marry the widow and raise up children for his brother. Now there were seven brothers; the first married, and died childless; then the second and the third married her, and so in the same way all seven died childless. Finally the woman also died. In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had married her.” Jesus said to them, “Those who belong to this age marry and are given in marriage; but those who are considered worthy of a place in that age and in the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. Indeed they cannot die anymore, because they are like angels and are children of God, being children of the resurrection. And the fact that the dead are raised Moses himself showed, in the story about the bush, where he speaks of the Lord as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Now he is God not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all of them are alive

SERMON
Roberta Bondi, church historian, writes that she came to faith in an encounter with the writings of a 6th century Bishop. In her commentary on this passage in Luke, she writes:

I believe in the communion of the saints… not as a peculiar abstract idea but as a concrete and most practical reality… I am glad that Jesus cited Exodus to demonstrate to his opponents why he believed that God "is God not of the dead, but of the living, for they are all alive to him." This is certainly my experience.

We all have been touched by believers who have left their mark in us through their writing, music, stories, gardens, missions they created, church buildings, even textiles or bread recipes. Our assurance is that they are still alive in the power and grace of Jesus Christ. They are alive in a way beyond our imagining but connected to the simple things of everyday life like bread and wine.

During traumatic events, the normal flow of day-to-day life is disrupted in an instant. In the aftermath of sudden upheaval and incomprehensible loss such as 9/11, people seek a bridge between the irreplaceable past and a hopeful future. I recently watched a fascinating PBS documentary called Objects and Memory which examines the innate drive to maintain connection and continuity by preserving the past and speaking to the future. Museums have traditionally been our connection to the past. Scrapbooks are a more personal tool. We need places in our lives where we honor our connection to those who have gone before us. Wayne Muller would say in those places the veil becomes thin between now and eternity. Think of the roadside shines that mark the death of a loved one. This sort of keeping and preserving or even restoring is about a sense of continuity and connection.

I often wear a cross that was made in El Salvador during their struggle for freedom. In spite of the often horrific acts that threatened these people they chose bright colors and motifs to decorate the cross of Jesus. We have a cross in our sanctuary that lets light pour into our worship. We remember Washington Avenue and Westminster Churches and all the people who were part of those congregations in the two brass crosses and the wooden one on the wall. Ultimately every cross recalls to our mind Jesus the Christ. Our continuation of life and memory is not found in any item because it can only point to what was. Jesus connects us to what was, what is and what will be. In Him we are alive always.

This is what the Lord’s Supper is all about; recalling our connections to past, present and future believers in celebration of life. This is a table of life not death. It recalls Jesus’ death but that was not the end of the story. “This day you will be with me in paradise.” His promise to the thief is His promise to all of us. The Sadducees came up with an absurd game about a widow. They never thought once about what a horror that would be to live. Since they believed they could only continue to exist through their offspring, they looked for the same closed system in heaven and said impossible. Yet the stores of their faith are stories of God doing the impossible over and over again. God cannot be bound by anything not even death. This past Thursday we read from Revelations:

Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels surrounding the throne and the living creatures and the elders; they numbered myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, singing with full voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, singing, “To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the elders fell down and worshiped. (Revelations 5: 11-14)

No way, that is death! That is a vision of life eternal, a proclamation of life for all of creation. Amen.

Resources:
Roberta C. Bondi, The Christian Century, November 2, 2004

see: http://www.pbs.org/objectsandmemory/
See: Wayne Muller, Sacred Time
Note: Philoxenus of Mabbug, a sixth-century monophysite bishop and author of 13 very long sermons on the Christian life in the early Syrian and Egyptian monastic traditions.

Sermon October 31, 2010

Sermon A Three Part Series on Stewardship

Stewardship: Trick or Treat

Scripture Psalm 119: 137-144 and Luke 19:1-10

Preached by Linda Jo Peters ~ October 31, 2010

INTRODUCTION TO SCRIPTURE
Psalm 119 is an alphabetic acrostic consisting of twenty two stanzas, each with eighth lines, each of which begins with the letter of the Hebrew alphabet for that stanza. The stanzas work sequentially through the alphabet. It is a reflection on torah, the law. Our reading for today is a stanza for the letter tsade which is the first letter of the Hebrew word tsedek or ‘righteousness’ and that is the theme that runs through this stanza of the psalm. To follow God’s law is to live a righteous life.

Psalm 119: 137-144
137You are righteous, O LORD, and your judgments are right.
138You have appointed your decrees in righteousness and in all faithfulness.
139My zeal consumes me because my foes forget your words.
140Your promise is well tried, and your servant loves it.
141I am small and despised, yet I do not forget your precepts.
142Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and your law is the truth.
143Trouble and anguish have come upon me, but your commandments are my delight.
144Your decrees are righteous forever; give me understanding that I may live.

Luke 19:1-10
Halloween is the evening of All Saints Day or “Hallowed Eve.” Through the centuries it has claimed a more pagan and prankish nature of “Trick or Treat.” Lost is the remembering of those saints who have gone before us. Instead we are warned that if we do not give out good treats a trick will follow. Taxing bodies and authorities often have the same perception of them. If you pay your taxes, the government will provided the services you expect but if you don’t pay them you can loose everything. In the time of Jesus, tax collectors were agents of Rome and they had the authority of the Roman garrison to take what they wanted. They passed on to Rome what was expected and anything above that was their fee. Often they were wealthy men. Zacchaeus is chief among tax collectors. So how does Jesus receive this tax collector?

He entered Jericho and was passing through it. 2A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. 4So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. 5When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.” 6So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. 7All who saw it began to grumble and said, “He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.” 8Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.” 9Then Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. 10For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.”

Sermon
Most of us know today is Halloween, but it is also Reformation Sunday: a time to remember Calvin’s “reformed, always reforming.” The day we remember that we truly are Protestants, or protestors. It is the anniversary of Martin Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses nailed to the church door at Wittenberg. It is not very often that Stewardship Pledge Sunday falls on Halloween and therefore encounters all these other significant events in the life of the church. But I’d like us to use the Halloween focus today to consider stewardship and in particular pledging. Let’s be honest pledging can feel like Trick or Treat. The trick is all the worry that is associated with any significant financial choice. The treat is the wonderful feeling we gain when we share.

Zacchaeus certainly knew about financial planning. For centuries we have translated that his encounter with Jesus changes his behavior, but David Lose really blue me out of the water in his commentary on this passage. He writes that in the Greek, Zacchaeus is not speaking about a future plan but what he already does. In other words: “Look, half of my possessions I give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I pay back four times" – as in right now, already, as a matter of practice.” Wow!

Yet understanding the effects of salvation in one’s life is a repeated theme of Luke’s gospel. Change, conversion, needs to incorporate a changed attitude and behavior in relation to all of life including wealth. Did Luke have fellow Christians in mind who saw salvation as a ticket to heaven or as a recipe for inner tranquility with little or no thought for social justice, or distribution of resources especially for the poor? Did he want to disabuse them of such an attitude by making the tax collector the more righteous “son of Abraham,” which is the title Jesus gives to him?

Why do we really hand out treats on Halloween? Because we love children, and we enjoy seeing them happy, right? Why does Jesus call Zacchaeus out of the tree and invite himself to his home? Jesus loves him and wants him to be happy. Nothing Zacchaeus could do would have made him righteous in the eyes of his own community. His job made him a sinner, even if he worked hard at being fair. Jesus claims him as he claims us. He transforms our lives with his love. Pledges, stewardship is about our relationship with Jesus not about buying our way into heaven. We do it because it is a joy to serve our Lord. Amen.

Resources:
WorkingPreacher.org; David Lose,Marbury E. Anderson Biblical Preaching Chair, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, MN

Pentecost 23, William Loader, Murdoch University, Uniting Church in Australia.

Sermon October 24, 2010

Sermon A Three Part Series on Stewardship

“Stewardship as an act of Humility”

Julio Sanchez installed as a trustee

Scripture Joel 2:23-28 read responsively and Luke 18:9-14

Preached by Linda Jo Peters ~ October 24, 2010

INTRODUCTION TO SCRIPTURE
Joel 2:23-28
At the leadership retreat last weekend, the participants prayed and discussed and reflected on the future of Unity Presbyterian Church. They actively sought God’s vision for Unity. The prophet Joel writes in response to an ecological disaster, a plague of locusts that exceeded their regular breeding and feeding cycles to the point that the economic well-being of God's people is threatened and even the beasts of the field were starving. Joel calls for all the people to repent and humble themselves before God. When a people are starving and afraid it is hard for them to believe in a future. God knows our fears and calls us to release them and see the future God has planned for us.
23O children of Zion, be glad and rejoice in the Lord your God; for he has given the early rain for your vindication, he has poured down for you abundant rain, the early and the later rain, as before.
24The threshing floors shall be full of grain, the vats shall overflow with wine and oil.
25I will repay you for the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent against you.
26You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people shall never again be put to shame.
27You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I, the Lord, am your God and there is no other. And my people shall never again be put to shame.
28Then afterward I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.

Luke 18:9-14
As we consider stewardship as an act of humility, Professor Lose cautions us “to avoid the kind of self-congratulatory reading of the parable that the parable itself would seem to condemn.” He reminds us that “everything the Pharisee says is true. He has set himself apart from others by his faithful adherence to the law. He is, by the standards Jesus seems to employ, righteous. So before we judge him too quickly… consider that the Pharisee isn’t speaking falsely, but rather that the Pharisee misses the true nature of his blessing... He has trusted in himself. His prayer of gratitude may be spoken to the Lord, but it is really about himself. He locates his righteousness entirely in his own actions and being. So this becomes a very important passage to consider as we reflect on our own stewardship in relationship to a humble life.

He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.”

SERMON
Stewardship is a life long practice of caring. It always has an element of purpose that is outwardly directed rather than inwardly. Humility is an attitude that is also outwardly directed in that it sees the value of others even before the value of one’s self. Stewardship as an act of humility sets aside our own wants, wishes and even needs to care for others. I think this is an aspect of stewardship that can be most resented. It calls for sacrifice. But what I want or need, I want to have when I want it! Jesus story about two men praying in the temple reveals how wrapped up in our self we can become that even our prayer life is self directed.
The Pharisee was called to religious leadership in his community. Seeing a fellow believer on his knees in self abasement, should have triggered some concern for the tax collector. Instead he only sees an opportunity to present himself to God as so much better than the other man. He was anything but humble. Yet humility is a potent aspect of good leadership. Two leaders are described as humble in the Bible: Moses and Jesus. You could not find better examples of leadership than these two men. No one would claimed them as weak or ineffective. Even today, in our highly competitive market, humility in leaders is valued. Mike Myatt, CEO Coach, writes, “…authentic humility is the most sincere form of confidence and strength.”
Stewardship is about service but it is also about leadership and they are connected through an attitude of humility. We traditionally do not share what we specifically give to the congregation. Some is that is a desire for privacy, but mostly it is born out of the humble knowledge that nothing we give for God can repay the dept born in Christ’s broken body. We are all sinners before the Lord. But even in humility we can own the struggle to be good stewards of the resources God has given us. I believe you are a generous congregation. There are times when like the tax collector we all end up on our knees grieving over our sinfulness and begging God for mercy. We loose our focus and cannot see how we can give any more for anything. That is a time for deep meditative prayer like we practiced last week. It is also a good time to share your struggle with another believer you trust. He or she can encourage you during times of trial.
We also as God’s stewards have time when life is so very good! Everything is going well and we can give generously out of our abundance. But I believe this is just as important a time to be in prayer, particularly a prayer of thanksgiving but also seeking God’s guidance. Just because all is well does not mean let go of God’s hand or the relationships with other disciples. Unlike the Pharisee it is not a time to exalt one’s self.
Next week our pledge cards will be dedicated. It is a time of great joy. For God invites us to join him in acts of redemption and salvation through our stewardship. But in true humility we know that only God can make our gifts worthy. My family used to say “proof is in the pudding.” I knew that meant that words were not enough; our words had to be followed by concrete actions that made a difference. “Action speaks louder than words,” which is another proverb from my childhood. Laying claim to personal value was just plain foolish. One cannot exalt one’s self. Only others can raise up our value. Really only God can raise us up. Through our stewardship we hear our master say “well done good and faithful servant… enter into your master’s joy.” Now that is exhortation on a grand scale. The Eagle’s Wings song comes to mind.

And He will raise you up on eagle's wings,
Bear you on the breath of dawn,
Make you to shine like the sun,
And hold you in the palm of His Hand.
Amen!

Resources:
See Matthew 25:23, Luke 15:7, and Numbers 12:3

Eagle's Wings written by Michael Joncas, 1979

www. WorkingPreacher.org “Commentary on Gospel” for Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost by David Lose, Marbury E. Anderson Biblical Preaching Chair, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, MN
http://www.n2growth.com/blog/humility-and-leadership/