A Changed Heart is Precious to God
Scripture Psalm 78: 1-8 read responsively and Matthew
21: 23-32
Preached by Linda Jo Peters ~ September 25, 2011
Unity Presbyterian Church ~ Terre Haute , Indiana
INTRODUCTION TO SCRIPTURE
Psalm 78: 1-8 read responsively
The relationship we have with God depends on the faith that was passed on to us or the values we pass on to our children.[1] These are not just our biological or adopted children but the whole of the next generation of believers. This psalm encourages all believers to hear God’s command to pass on their faith. The dark sayings are like riddles or paradoxes of faith. So passing the stories on means we also share what we cannot explain but trust is good news from God.
1Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
2I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old,
3things that we have heard and known, that our ancestors have told us.
4We will not hide them from their children; we will tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.
5He established a decree in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach to their children;
6that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and rise up and tell them to their children,
7so that they should set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments;
8and that they should not be like their ancestors, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God.
Matthew 21: 23-32
Jesus tells a parable of two sons that on the surface is about obedience but ultimately it is about who or what is the authority that we obey?
23When he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” 24Jesus said to them, “I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. 25Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?” And they argued with one another, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 26But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet.” 27So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.
28“What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ 29He answered, ‘I will not’; but later he changed his mind and went. 30The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, ‘I go, sir’; but he did not go. 31Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.
SERMON
"My heart I offer you Lord,
promptly and sincerely" - John Calvin
Calvin began serving in the church as early as 12 years old. Through his
education and development he began to see that the church needed
reforming. The church he wanted to
reform was the Roman Catholic Church. He
did not become part of the Protestant movement until he had to flee France when
the leaders of the church began to persecute reformers. He eventually ended up in Geneva. So through study, service and prayer,
Calvin’s heart was changed. His passion for reform did not end. He was truly reformed always reforming the
body of Christ.
This passage in Matthew reminds me of Calvin’s faith journey. He sought to do God’s will first in his
life. He yearned to withdraw to study
and write, but he was pushed out into the role of church leader and the messy
world of politics to work to reform the church in Geneva.
I was raised in the Congregational Church, now the UCC, my father was a
Baptist Deacon, my mother has been a Christian Scientist, my grandmother was a
Theosophist. Here I am a Presbyterian Pastor.
I have often wondered how that happened.
I had wandered far from the organized church seeking but not finding
spiritual fulfillment. But my own change
of heart sent me back to church with friends who took me to a Presbyterian church. I began to volunteer as many of you do in
your faith journey. While working with
the youth group, I met Rob. A friend of
mine once asked one of our professors at seminary why I was being called into
the Presbyterian Church. He said, “Linda
is a relational person and the Presbyterian Church needs relational
people.” When she relayed this message,
I was gratified that God had a purpose for me.
I believe we are called to faith and to service. God sometimes takes us from one particular
community of faith to another because of our particular talents and passions
are needed and we need a particular community in which we find the authority to
be obedient. John the Baptists was
called out of his expected faith journey into the wilderness to prepare the people
for the coming of the message. It was a
sacrificial journey of faith, but I have known people to leave a church family
for all the wrong reasons. It is all
about their needs and wants. Yet even
then I believe God can even use our stiff-necked, self-centeredness for his
purposes. But what joy is found in the one who does the will of the
father.
Today we will be ordaining and installing two deacons. Each woman has her own faith journey that has lead her to this service. Valentine’s journey has truly taken her thousands of miles. But for me her obedience to God is that not only is she here saying yes to return to ministry with the Board of Deacons, but is exemplified in that she will be leaving worship early so she can get to Centenary UMC to get ready for the pig roast for UCM. I have seen Sandy struggle in pain to work in the food pantry. Since she was just a little girl she has sought to obey God’s will for her life. Just as each of you have your own faith journey. God is calling us to be the body of Christ and sometimes that will lead us to struggles of reforming. When we think we have said “No.” but God has said “Yes!” You may be surprised at where you have or will travel to serve the Lord. Calvin wrote:
As the surest source of destruction to
men is to obey themselves, so the only haven of safety is to have no other
will, no other wisdom, than to follow the Lord wherever he leads. Let this,
then, be the first step, to abandon ourselves, and devote the whole energy of
our minds to the service of God. By service, I mean not only that which
consists in verbal obedience, but that by which the mind, divested of its own
carnal feelings, implicitly obeys the call of the Spirit of God.[2]
Calvin makes it abundantly clear that it is always about obedience. When we decide we are the authority in our lives, we can literally destroy ourselves and the church. Here this great Reformer, who one part of the church thought was a rebel, seeks only to obey God’s will. He knows that when we follow our own wants and needs, they can lead us the down the same path of the religious leaders of Jesus’ day: exerting crushing control and vindictive behavior that can lead to killing of the innocent. We too could come to reject the will of God in our lives and walk the road of rebellion not reform. So I ask you, “Who has the authority to call for your service?” Your wants, your needs, or the Great I Am? This is the primary question of faith. It is never about questioning the authority. It is always about questioning ourselves. It is the question that begins the nation of Israel. Joshua says, “…choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."[3] And the people chose to serve the LORD. "Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods”[4] When you give your heart without reservation it is precious to God. Last week we saw Rob’s brother–in-law take the oath of office in which he said “I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter; So help me God." It is a big deal to become a brigadier general in the United States Air Force, but the calling you have from your Creator is far higher. Perhaps you have said “No” to God, but today, once again I ask you, “whom you will serve?” What is your answer? Will you answer promptly and sincerely, as Sandy and Valentine have “Here I am, Lord. Send me.” Amen.
[1] “Passing Along the Faith”
by Larry Broding's Word-Sunday.Com: A Lectionary Resource for Catholics. See:
http://www.word-sunday.com/Files/Psalms/78.html
[2] Institutes of the Christian Religion, Vol. 2 of 3
, M. John Calvinit was
published in Latin in 1536. trans.
by Henry Beveridge (Grand Rapids:Eerdmans, 1947), 3.7.1.
[3] Josuha 24:15
[4] Ibid. 16
