“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 SCRIPTUREPsalm 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
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
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