Sermon: July 3, 2011

God Revealed in Jesus

Celebration of our Lord’s Supper

Scripture: Psalter # 252 of Psalm 145 and Matthew 11:25-30

Preached by Linda Jo Peters ~ July 3, 2011

Unity Presbyterian Church ~ Terre Haute, Indiana

Seventh Anniversary of Worshipping in Fellowship Center

Session has called a congregational meeting for next Sunday July 10 following worship for the election of officers. After the congregational meeting there will be a luncheon with author Rosetta Haynes please RSVP by Thursday of next week so we know how many to prepare for.
Matthew 11:25-30
We all want to know God, to keep a strong faith. But troubles come and crises make us fall and we lose sight of the High and Glorious King of Heaven in our pain and loss. Jesus says to know the father all you have to do is know the Son. This is a gentle message of hope given by the Good Shepherd of us all and he knows this message is not well received by those who think they have God all locked up in their interpretation of the law and modes of piety. Those who benefit from the suffering of others had better take a second look at themselves.

25At that time Jesus said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; 26yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. 27All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. 28“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Sermon
In 2002 Verity Jones former pastor of Central Christian wrote a commentary on this chapter.
It seemed so appropriate for today when we come to our Lord’s Table. Verity wrote:
"Table fellowship is at the center of the controversy in the reading from Matthew 11. The keepers of the laws, those who govern what one eats, with whom one eats and when one eats, have declared that Jesus and John the Baptist are in violation of the law. John is chastised for not eating with anyone. They say he must have a demon. Jesus is criticized for eating with everyone. They call him a glutton and a drunk."

She then tied it to our Fourth of July Celebrations:
"Today we no longer have laws governing our table fellowship, but our social and cultural expectations about food can be just as burdensome. For many people, (the holiday does) not conjure up images of happy backyard cook-outs, but rather a never-ending internal struggle about what to eat, when to eat and with whom to eat. American society is obsessed with food and body image, and the two are usually in battle. Many of us create our own laws around eating as we struggle to control our own consumption. Our young women are prone to anorexia, even as (we read reports) of a wealthy culture with more and more children who are overweight and under exercised."

2002 – Almost a decade ago and these are still issues of concern. She titled her article “Anxious Moments” We are still anxious people, worried about what to eat, when to eat and with whom to eat. But when we are in tuned with God as Jesus demonstrated, anxiety does not rule our lives.

In his Sermon on the Mount Jesus says: "… do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? (Matthew 6:25)
We are still a very anxious people who worry about money, body image, taxes, politics, relationships, jobs and health – to name a few. Then we have phobias – fear of things or events from spiders to heights
No wonder the passage we turn to for relief of our anxiety is Jesus’ sweet message of comfort when he says: Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

But we do ourselves a disservice when we pass over his message that to know God, to be in tune with our Creator we need to let Jesus reveal who God is. Too often we try to impose our image of God onto our understanding of who Jesus is. Like the Pharisees and Saccades of Jesus’ age we want rules or laws to govern if not our own lives then at least everyone else’s. Jesus reveals our God as fully in the moment with us: eating with sinners, welcoming strangers, tasting the rich variety of life with relish. This is the God who blesses our table fellowship with profound meaning. Ordinary break that is torn and born, recalls the ultimate sacrifice of God’s son for our redemption. A cup poured out like the life blood spilled out that we would have access to eternal life. Communion with all who are invited to this table reminds us that God gives us a choice to come to the table or stand off in anxiety or old hurts or anger. Jesus uses a simple meal to recall the sustaining grace of the Holy Spirit. Today you are invited to the table to let Jesus once again reveal the Father in the Son’s love. Amen.

Resources:
Anxious Moments by Verity Jones: This article appeared in The Christian Century, June 19-26, 2002 p. 20. Copyright by The Christian Century Foundation; used by permission. Current articles and subscription information can be found at http://www.christiancentury.org/. This material was prepared for Religion Online by Ted and Winnie Brock.