All for One and One for All

One for All and All for One

 

Micah 6:1-8

The offering of justice, kindness, humility 

 

6:1 Hear what the LORD says: Rise, plead your case before the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice.

 

6:2 Hear, you mountains, the case of the LORD, and you enduring foundations of the earth, for the LORD has a case against God’s people, and will contend with Israel.

 

6:3 "O my people, what have I done to you? In what have I wearied you? Answer me!

 

6:4 For I brought you up from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.

 

6:5 O my people, remember now what King Balak of Moab devised, what Balaam son of Beor answered him, and what happened from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the saving acts of the LORD."

 

6:6 "With what shall I come before the LORD and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before God with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?

 

6:7 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?"

 

6:8 God has told you, O mortal, what is good, and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God?

 

 

“The Lord has a case against his people,” that’s what our text tells us in verse 2 today. I don’t know about you, but I’d be pretty concerned if the Creator of the universe, the Father of Jesus Christ, and the “Ancient of Days” was harboring a grudge against me. What could God have against Israel, in this text’s context, or against US, as the modern-day people of God?

 

Of course, one could answer WAY too simply by saying “sin.” Problem is, a lot of things get labeled “sin” that probably don’t even cause God to twitch; maybe even a few that God would actually bless. But thanks to human nature’s penchant for “one-upmanship,” people will accuse each other of infractions, hoping to gain a higher rung on the status ladder, and this may include labeling something a rival does, “sinful.” In my weekly preaching days, I defined “sin” as behaviors and/or attitudes that could distance us from God, others, or even from ourselves. “Sin” is that which has the power to delay or deter the forming of community, and even to dissolve one that exists. When God gave Moses the “top ten,” God was trying to give us all a universal guideline as to what sin actually was. Think about it: 

 

1)    I am the Lord your God – Remember who is your rock and fortress, but don’t throw rocks, and don’t sequester yourself in the fortress, thinking everyone outside is the bad guy.

 

2)    Don’t make idols – Israel had a thing for wanting these, as a God you can keep on a shelf is a God that is easy to control. This is a deal breaker for Yahweh. After all, even putting women “on a pedestal,” something that used to be thought of as a compliment, is not, as it turns out. Women want a sincere, equal opportunity with men, not to be “shelf candy.” God’s the same way. For Israel, making “gods” out of gold was an attempt not only to have a God they could control or own, but it was a way to justify hording wealth (the gold) “in the name of God,” just like those TV evangelists do with their mansions and private jets.

 

3)    Do not take the name of the Lord in vain – Don’t we all want to be treated with respect, and not have our name dragged through the mud? God is the same way. Disrespecting God is the first step toward abandoning our relationship with the Almighty.

 

4)    Remember to keep holy the Lord’s Day – Relationships are fragile things. If you don’t spend time nurturing them, they tend to fall apart or become “rote” or obligatory in nature. Besides, even God knew that if we didn’t take a sabbath, we’d wear ourselves thin, and we don’t function well when spread thin with little depth.

 

5)    Honor your father and mother – Families that “forget” their parenting heritage, likewise don’t hold up well. Honoring our elders is one of the linchpins of a stable, supportive community. 

 

6)    Do not kill – Well, you don’t need to be a rocket scientist to understand how destructive indiscriminate killing is to a community! And personally, I don’t allow much room here for “just war theory.” I think this commandment is in place to challenge humanity to do EVERYTHING in our power to avoid killing, even when we think it is justified. 

 

7)    Do not commit adultery – Again, not rocket science. Breaking the sacred boundaries of covenantal relationships to engage in extramarital relationships not only breaks community, but it cheapens marriage, something God sanctions as sacred. And no, I don’t believe restricting covenantal relationships (marriage) to just “between a man and a woman” as being biblically defensible. It’s not about whom you love, but about the commitment of a true love between two people. Since the earth has “been replenished,” marital relations are no longer just about population growth. Love wins. But breaking the covenant breaks down supportive community, hence this commandment.

 

8)    Do not steal – Stealing is a violation. Anyone who has been the victim of any kind of theft knows this well. Stealing is a betrayal of basic human values, harming or crippling community. Furthermore, the practice of stealing necessitates the forming of security forces to curb it, and these, too, cause division and separation between peoples that God wants to “live in harmony.”

 

9)    Do not bear false witness – In other words, don’t lie about someone and/or slander them, either to hurt them or gain an advantage over them. Lying destroys trust, and eroding trust seriously harms—even destroys—community. Since the Bible calls us to seek truth, succumbing to “false witness” (lying) sends us 180 degrees in the wrong direction.

 

10)         Do not covet your neighbor’s goods – The community-breaking thing here is that a focus on what your neighbor has, instead of being thankful for what YOU have puts your affections and desires on the wrong wavelength. The old expression, “Keeping up with the Joneses,” refers to the competition that can result from thinking what the Joneses have is better than what you have, so you must “catch up” with them by buying bigger, better, or more showy stuff. The KJV Bible adds “wife” and “ass” to this list of things not to covet, so you can make up your own story, here. I’ll just say it can be summarized by, “Be content with what you have, and thank God for helping provide it.” 

 

The first four commandments are about keeping our relationship with God solid. As someone has said, “The main thing is keeping the main thing the main thing.” Having a healthy relationships with God is indeed “the main thing.” Next, though, is “loving your neighbor as yourself,” which is an essential in building, nurturing, and maintaining ANY healthy sense of community, be it a family, a faith community, a civil community, or a global one. And remember that Jesus’ parable of The Good Samaritan defines “neighbor” a moral imperative, not a geographical one. Is it clear how the next SIX of the Ten Commandments prohibit behaviors and attitudes that harm community or make it impossible to form in the first place? Is it also more clear how Jesus could summarize all TEN with a simple command to “love God and love your neighbor”? And do you see how this stuff works together? All for one, and one for all! 

 

Or as Steve Smith (as the TV character, Red Green) used to say: “Remember, we’re all in this together. I’m pullin’ for ya’.”

 

Which brings us back to the text. Micah tells us plainly that God doesn’t want a lot of crap, be it sacrificial animals or a lot of personal groveling. As I have said in prior sermons, in the Christian context, what blesses God in our worship is not all of the “praise stuff” we do that we think might get God’s favor, nor is it the liturgy and ritual, which we often focus in God’s direction, thinking THAT might. No, what God gets off on, according to God’s prophets, is the GATHERING of God’s people, coming together in peace, unity, and for the purpose of caring for one another, loving one another, SERVING others together, and PRAYING for one another, and those in need. Forget the religious stuff; change it out for the other two “R” words: Relationships and Righteousness! These will get God going!

 

Oh, and forget that idea that “righteousness” is just trying to be “sin free.” I like that John Wesley didn’t talk as much about “sinlessness” as he did “going on to perfection,” which has a forward vector. Righteousness is a focus on “right living,” which is what Wesley meant by “going on to perfection.” God is perfect; we are not. The question is, which direction are we moving? If we’re moving in God’s direction, we are indeed “going on to perfection.”

 

Micah finishes this text up with a bang: God has told you, O mortal, what is good, and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God. There it is—our formula for “right living”! Number one on the list is “justice,” for God’s top desire for God’s people to live in harmonious, supportive community is IMPOSSIBLE when injustices go unanswered, especially by ones who may be experiencing justice. When some of the Beloved Community suffer injustice, we ALL suffer injustice! This is what Micah is communicating. Right now, immigrants are suffering, and their plight is dividing America. A fair and just policy concerning immigration is BADLY needed in this country; Congress needs to act, and the President needs to sign a bipartisan law. Absent that, we will continue to have strife, and many of God’s people will be oppressed and harmed. I lift this issue, since it is on the “front burner” in America right now, but there are so many others, such as hunger, poverty, RACISM, sexism, and rapidly growing income inequity—all things that divide us into the “haves” and “have nots.”

 

The second of Micah’s “trinity” is love kindness.” I confess that, while I like to think of myself as a kind person, the current warring over domestic and social issues is threatening to turn me into a not so nice person. I wish I could label it the proverbial “righteous indignation,” but sometimes I just get so angry at those that want everything their own way—a way that most benefits them—that I’m just nasty, especially on social media. Still, there is a bigger issue here than my own struggle with contrition. We cannot form ANY kind of Beloved Community, as God designed us to become, without building in a “kindness” default. Being kind is not about smiles and niceties. Kindness is ABOUT loving our neighbor “as we love ourselves.” One of my colleagues used to always end our exchanges with the unction to “Be good to yourself.” He was stating step one of loving my neighbor. We all need to not beat ourselves UP over our shortcomings, fears, or feelings of inadequacy, but purpose to IMPROVE, and take positive steps Godward, in this regard. As a nation (a community?), we have a command here to “love kindness,” not eschew it, as some do, thinking themselves to be “tough” or “strong.” The strongest people I have ever known were usually the kindest, too. Their kindness made them strong, and then their resulting strength removed the kinds of fears that cause kindness to be rejected. Kind, strong people become strong, kind people, capable of genuine love. The brand of kindness being “preached” by Micah isn’t fishing for compliments kindness or “what do I get in return” kindness. It’s kindness for kindness’ sake, as this is living into God’s plan for the creation. (Remember all that apocalyptic language about the “lion lying down with the lamb”?)

 

And finally, there’s walking humbly with God. We regularly butcher what it means to be “humble,” often equating it with self-denigration or pretending to reject the praise others may offer us when we do something nice or that demonstrates competence (kindness?). Humility here means “being comfortable in your own skin,” “knowing your limits,” “staying in your own lane,” or even just having a sober, accurate view of yourself. Humble people accept who they are now, but understand that we all are challenged to “go on to perfection,” not being satisfied with the personal status quo, nor the harmful entropy of the community at large. If you think about “false humility,” which most of us understand, then think of the opposite of it, and you are well on your way to a better knowledge of true humility! 

 

And what of the walking with God part? Well, first of all, we aren’t “walking with God” when we ignore God’s highest commands to love God and neighbor, which might be seen as the best definition of humility. God wouldn’t want the company of us when we’re all about ourselves and what WE want. Secondly, I’m not sure I’d want to walk with God without at having attained at least a level of humility that removed most of my “fears” of God and God’s judgment, settling in instead with the “God is love” thing. “Walking humbly with God” also means accepting that in Jesus Christ, God has promised to ALWAYS be available with that walk…ALWAYS. We are the hold-up on it, not Yahweh. When we know we have personal work to do, we advance by doing that work, incorporating our faith in Christ to affect the healing necessary, and grabbing God’s hand for a stroll to the next “level” of perfection. In this sense, we build God’s dream of Beloved Community one person at a time.

 

That said, it is paramount to also be paralleling our personal journey with our work for justice and peace in the wider human community. We don’t have to be “perfect” ourselves to know that others are hurting and that changes need to be made to alleviate at least some of their suffering. Do with that what you will, but we all have work to do in this regard. In both efforts, we truly are all in this together. Or, as we read in Dumas’ “The Three Musketeers,” “All for ONE, and ONE for all! Amen. 

Cape Fear

Cape Fear

 

Psalm 27:1, 4-9

God is light and salvation 

 

27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

 

27:4 One thing I asked of the LORD; this I seek: to live in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple.

 

27:5 For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will set me high on a rock.

 

27:6 Now my head is lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the LORD.

 

27:7 Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud; be gracious to me and answer me!

 

27:8 "Come," my heart says, "seek his face!" Your face, LORD, do I seek.

 

27:9 Do not hide your face from me. Do not turn your servant away in anger, you who have been my help. Do not cast me off; do not forsake me, O God of my salvation!

 

And yes, “Cape Fear” is a 1991 psychological thriller movie, a remake of a 1962 film, but this time, directed by famous director, Martin Scorsese. And no, I’ve not seen it, partly because this genre of film is not of interest to me, but ratings such as “Rotten Tomatoes” says it’s a pretty good film. I just borrowed the title, because I like THAT, and since we’re talking a bit about fear today, it seemed appropriate. 

 

Have you ever taken some time to think about fear? WHY do we fear? WHAT do we fear? And WHY? I actually have, and here are a few of my musings about it:

 

·      Fear is an emotion, and a powerful one, at that. When we are afraid, our whole body may react, in one way, or another. Blood pressure jumps, heart rate increases, and we may even shake or quiver, if the fear is extreme enough.

 

·      We often fear something we are about to experience or undergo, if we have never done it before. I’ve had a few medical procedures, and even minor surgeries, that caused me to fear—something we often dub, “fear of the unknown.” As a “customer” of UPMC medical facilities, I know that they require me to watch videos that explain a given procedure or test, with the theory that knowledge may remove some of my anxiety about it. While I find the information quite interesting, it usually tends to raise my anxiety level, mostly because (I’m sure due to liability issues) they have to be starkly honest and descriptive of both the process I will undergo AND the possible risks. I suppose when one hears what bad things might happen, then this becomes “fear of the KNOWN?”

 

·      Fear can be paralyzing. While I can’t honestly say I’ve ever been in this state, I have witnessed persons who have. Some literally freeze, when confronted by a fear, while others may freeze up psychologically, unable to answer simple questions, or make a decision in the moment. This is a good reason to have some friend or counsel to help you get through a potentially fearful task or experience, and it doesn’t hurt to have a plan, or even a “menu” of plans, depending on the outcome. These preparations may provide not just practical options, but also may serve to lessen the level of fear.

 

·      Fear may provoke primordial responses in us, if enough adrenalin us released. I know I’ve told this story before, but it is appropriate here, so here it is again. In the summer after my seventh grade year in school, I was offered a large, early morning newspaper delivery route from a friend whose family spent the whole Summer at a distant camp they owned, so he would sublet his paper route. Given I was trying to raise money to buy a significant new camera, I took him up on the offer. In order to learn the route, I was on my way to my friend’s house at 3:30AM, walking the eight blocks the morning after a huge, late-Spring storm. The wind was still howling, and the electric power was still off from the storm, meaning the streetlights were out. It was already a spooky walk, given these factors, when, all of a sudden, I heard a growling, snarling animal. Alarmed, I looked between two houses I was passing, and running toward me was a German Shepherd with white teeth showing as it gnashed them and growled all the louder. In that moment, I discovered my response to the “fight or flight” syndrome, as it is called. (Some people, prompted by their “primordial” programing will turn and run, while others will stay and face the danger.) Turns out, I’m a fighter, or maybe really stupid, but I literally started running AT the dog, waving my arms and growling and screaming deep, guttural noises back at it. I’m still alive because the dog, apparently alarmed, too, stopped dead in its tracks, looked puzzled for a moment, and then turned and ran back between the houses. I continued on to my friend’s house, accompanied only by the loudest beating of my heart I have ever heard. I will never forget THAT moment of sudden fear that provoked a kind of “caveman” response in me, one that alerted me to the fact that, in the face of serious danger, I will probably attack, rather than retreat. 

 

·      Fear obviously has its importance and some value in the human corpus of emotions and emotional responses. Some fears—especially the irrational ones—can be treated and conditioned out of us, or at least managed. Fear is a useful tool of the body and mind, though, when being manifested normally. Fear may not only protect us from harm, but may nudge us back from making a bad decision or push us to keep our important relationships healthy. Fear may also lead us to seek and trust our “higher power,” which is where today’s Psalm takes us.

 

The language of fear is found all around us. I have a friend who is a graduate of the University of Maryland, and he is fond of saying “Fear the Turtle!” (the terrapin is their team mascot). One of my favorite exchanges from the best of the Star Wars films (“The Empire Strikes Back”) is between Luke and Yoda while in “Jedi” training with the old, green master:

 

Luke: “I’m not afraid”

 

Yoda: “You will be…you WILL be!”

 

Several years ago, Dr. Leonard Sweet was the daily Bible study speaker at our Western PA Annual Conference when we were still meeting at Grove City College. Sweet talked one morning about “fear,” stating how many times the phrase “fear not” is in the Bible (lots), on the lips of prophets, warriors, angels, and even Jesus. Sweet put a modern twist on it by slightly altering the phrase to match one that was popular at that time, and that could be found emblazoned on sneakers, garments, and even sporting goods: “NO Fear!” His suggestion brought new life to the Bible texts he reread with “NO Fear” replacing the King Jimmy-styled, “Fear NOT.”

What do I fear? Certainly an illness or medical issue that significantly affects my life, would be one thing. Something bad happening to my wife, Dara, who is my best friend, lover, and true life companion. Since I’m retired, I might fear running out of resources before I croak. I DO fear my beloved country crumbling right before my eyes, and right now, that is not a pipe-nightmare. How about you? Have you thought much about it?

 

What don’t I fear? My own mortality, for one. I’m not afraid of death, both because I believe in the scriptural promises of that “one more surprise,” but also because I have been blessed with a great life, a loving family, two wonderful grandchildren, and I got to see and experience a LOT of stuff! I’m therefore not afraid of that proverbial “other shoe dropping.” I don’t fear not being loved enough, nor do I worry excessively about my children, as they have become wonderful, responsible people. My pride in them far outweighs any fear about their safety.

 

[Let me drop in a personal note here, FYI. I post a lot of “reports” on Facebook of what Dara and I are up to, the interesting things we like to cook for meals, about our myriad hobbies and interests, and photos of our rather extensive travel activities. I don’t do it to boast. Part of my interest in doing so is the “journalist” in me, a career for which I was originally trained before answering a call to ministry. Facebook has become my “newspaper” where I can chronicle what I hope are interesting things for others to see and read. But the REAL reason I do this is to ENCOURAGE my retired or retiring colleagues to DO something interesting with these important years! Don’t let too much moss grow on your North side, friends! Jesus promised an abundant life, and I’ve found that the best way to have an abundant life is to HAVE an abundant life! The old Nike ads used to say, “Just DO it!” I echo this, and through these postings, I hope to prompt others to widen their interests, temper their fears, and get out and experience life, the universe, and everything!]

 

“The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?” There it is in a scriptural nutshell, Dear Ones! “Dwelling in the house of the Lord” is not an allusion to heaven or the afterlife. It’s about NOW! Today! Right where you are! Even if you are facing some serious challenges—actually, ESPECIALLY if you are facing serious challenges—God IS your light and salvation. God HEARS, God ANSWERS, God does not hide God’s FACE from you when you call out, cry out, sing out, or even THINK out in God’s direction. God IS a “mighty fortress.” God IS our stronghold. God IS our rock and foundation—as Tillich said, our “ground of being.” 

 

"Come," my heart says, "seek God’s face!" Your face, LORD, do I seek. This is what we read in verse 8 of Psalm 27. What does YOUR heart say? There is no time like the present to get in touch with what your “heart” is telling you, and to pattern your life after more than just a well thought out plan, your genetics, or someone else’s expectations—unless that someone else is the Holy Spirit! Fear happens when we miss the messages of our heart and the Spirit. Only WE can choose whether we will live with “NO fear,” only healthy, normal fear that motivates positive change or moves us to safety, or whether we will move onto Cape Fear. Today, Beloved, let your “light and salvation” be the Lord your God! Amen.

 

Time After Time

Time After Time

 

John 1:29-42

Christ revealed as the Lamb of God 

 

1:29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, "Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

 

1:30 This is he of whom I said, 'After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.'

 

1:31 I myself did not know him, but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel."

 

1:32 And John testified, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him.

 

1:33 I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'

 

1:34And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Chosen One."

 

1:35 The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples,

 

1:36 and as he watched Jesus walk by he exclaimed, "Look, here is the Lamb of God!"

 

1:37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.

 

1:38 When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, "What are you looking for?" They said to him, "Rabbi" (which translated means Teacher), "where are you staying?"

 

1:39 He said to them, "Come and see." They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o'clock in the afternoon.

 

1:40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.

 

1:41 He first found his brother Simon and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated Anointed).

 

1:42 He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, "You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas" (which is translated Peter).

 

When is the last time you thought much about time? What IS it? In how many ways does it affect me? Can I control it, in any way? We’ve all heard the various cliches about time: “A stich in time saves nine,” “A watched kettle never boils,” “Time flies when you’re having fun,” “Time heals all wounds,” “Time is money.” There are songs about time, poems about time, movies about time and time travel, and Lord only knows how much personal anxiety is raised over time, meeting schedules, and arriving somewhere on time! Why, just the other night, I was heading to a meeting in the South Hills of Pittsburgh, from my home in Southern Butler County, expecting that the traffic South on I-79 and Rt. 376 would be light, because most of it was coming NORTH during rush hour (my meeting was at 6:00PM). I hadn’t counted on it being a HOCKEY NIGHT in Pittsburgh! And while my timely attendance at this meeting wasn’t crucial to its core purpose, I DO like to arrive on time, so I had left my house almost an hour and fifteen minutes beforehand. And while I arrived at almost exactly 6:00PM, my anxiety level was heightened, probably a leftover from my “working days” of ministry when I was often leading the meeting! (Of course, it could have just been elevated by my personal preference to be “on time” at everything I do?)

 

I like those movies or TV sci-fi shows that do something with time, either controlling it, traveling in it, or being trapped by it, in some way. “Time After Time” is a favorite, a reworking of H.G. Wells’ classic, “The Time Machine,” that involves Malcolm McDowell, Mary Steenburgen, Jack the Ripper, and a stolen time machine. (If that doesn’t get your juices flowing, you need to shock your heart back into sinus rhythm!) Think of all the episodes of Star Trek TOS that involved time and time travel, or the mega-popular trilogy of films around the “Back to the Future” theme. Time DOES entertain us, one way or another. 

 

Dara and I are putting together material for a class we are leading at St. Paul’s UMC on “Native American Spirituality and Heritage,” and as part of this preparation, I was watching a webcast of an interview with a Native American author and commentator. As she was discussing a question about “prophecy,” she related how Native Americans understand time as something that “wraps around” us, and is not just a linear construct. By viewing time as an embracing factor, it means that our ancestors—both past and future—are held close to us, and we are in position to “hear” what they have to teach us. In this “hearing,” Native Americans find prophecy, both to warn them of foolish decisions or remind them of what has blazed helpful trails in the past. To imagine time as something that embraces us is a helpful spiritual component, not just for my own spiritual practice, but as an understanding of time, itself. 

 

The great physicists of the past century (this seems more prudent than always deferring to just “Einstein”) have boggled our minds with theories about the fluid and “relative” nature of time, scientifically. I get that, and will never cease to be amazed with what they tell us. In fact, as an amateur astronomer, I am able to “look back in time” using my various telescopes. Just the other night, I imaged a galaxy that is 30,000 light years from Earth, meaning that the light from it which I recorded had been traveling over 30,000 years to get here. That body may not even EXIST anymore, so I may have actually been looking back in time. As one who loves to gaze at the cosmos, I can clearly see how the physicists began postulating that in space, time is a “relative” thing. (Full disclosure: what people like Einstein and Stephen Hawking theorized about time and space goes WAY beyond not just the realities of “light years,” and way beyond my ability to fully comprehend their wider work!)

 

Why all this talk of time? Well, when it comes to “God stuff,” time is also a quite relative thing. Theologians and Bible scholars theorize that God “has always been”—had no beginning, and will have no end. Isn’t this among the “basics” we believers are all taught about God? So, if we believe in an “infinite” being, how does our temporal nature stack up against this? Today’s text has a very interesting and cryptic statement made by John the Baptist, who may be trying to tie together our existence with the reality of a divine, infinite Creator. In referring to Jesus, who is approaching John to be baptized, John says, “After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.” What in the world is John trying to tell us? 

 

One possibility is that this is John’s way of announcing that the infinite has stepped into the realm of the temporal. Jesus was not just “before” John, but before all of humanity, which we Christians believe he had a hand in creating. This same Jesus, who was born of Mary, was baptized by John, walked among us, was tried, put to death, and rose from the darkness of death to life again, was “before” all that we understand as the created order. Sure sounding a bit “Einsteiny” and “Hawking-like” to me! For we humans, whose experience of the linear passage of time colors how we understand time, this starts to get a bit crazy. It’s quite puzzling from our limited perspective how an eternal, infinite being could step into our temporal existence, be terminated, and then rejoin the infinite. Perhaps this is why we call it “faith”? John, who was no Rhodes Scholar, is possibly describing this tenet of our faith in one compact sentence! Here is what he is saying: 

 

“The man you are about to meet has been around since the beginning of time as part of the eternal godhead. He has been born into our temporal world in order to interact with us, understand our time-locked journey, teach us, heal us, redeem us, and love us. He participated in our creation, was deeply hurt by our selfish response to his goodness, and yet still wants to know us more intimately, and “reconnect” us with his eternal ‘Father.’” 

 

And for this, we killed him. I’m sure it’s another “mystery” of time that we don’t understand how much of the trial and killing of Jesus was part of some plan, or just another violent human response to someone’s best intentions, and whether God wanted it to go down like that, or out of love and grace, “rescued” humanity from their blood-thirsty error. I tend to go with the latter, as I do NOT believe that “everything happens for a reason.” Instead, I believe that in Jesus Christ, God KEEPS intervening in the human condition and KEEPS rescuing us from our selfish folly. In Jesus Christ, the one who was “before” will welcome us into the divine realm “after.” 

 

It should not fall on deaf ears that John’s was a baptism of repentance, and this may be exactly why Jesus chose to be baptized by him—as an example during his temporal experience that, going forward, humans will need to understand both repentance and redemption. We will have many opportunities to “turn our lives Godward” (a definition of repentance) and Jesus will be there to meet us with forgiveness and redemption! When Paul says there is “now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,” he is tapping into this great eternal/temporal/eternal “cycle” of God’s redeeming work in Christ. May we not obfuscate it unnecessarily by doctrines, dogmas, and rules seeking to be “gatekeepers” of who is eligible. Please. Let God be God. We have enough on our hands being temporal, human, and trying to live by faith.

 

In this great biblical drama, we have all the time in the world, but are led by the Spirit to “get it right,” day by day. This is the “time riddle” of the Jesus who was “before,” is “now here,” and will be forever after. Accept it, my friends. Learn, live, and love, and let God handle the heavy lifting! Amen.

 

Legacy

 Legacy

Acts 10:34-43

Jesus' ministry after his baptism 

 

10:34 Then Peter began to speak to them: "I truly understand that God shows no partiality,

 

10:35 but in every people anyone who fears him and practices righteousness is acceptable to him. 

 

10:36 You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ--he is Lord of all.

 

10:37 That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced:

 

10:38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.

 

10:39 We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree,

 

10:40 but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear,

 

10:41 not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.

 

10:42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead.

 

10:43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."

 

 

Legacies are interesting things. Most all of us would want to leave a legacy, of some sort, after we’re gone from this earth. Some might want external peripherals like statues or buildings named after us, while others would be happy to just be remembered by their loved ones for loving them back, and earnestly. For me, I hope my career in ministry has touched more lives positively than negatively, and that maybe someone is closer to God because of what I preached and did my best to model. On that note, I would say that the legacy I already know I’m leaving behind is the lives and witness of our two children, both of whom are wonderful people, responsible citizens, and people of rich, curious, and abiding faith. Again, I hope I had some hand in modeling this for them, but I’m darn sure their mother did! She is my other legacy! That she chose to live her life out walking beside me is maybe the greatest honor I could ever have. 

 

What about you? Have you thought much about the kind of legacy you will leave behind? Don’t wait until it’s too late to look into this, my friends. If there are some unresolved “rough spots” in key relationships, resolve them. If you have procrastinated in something you set as a goal for yourself, it’s never too late to do it, or at least give it a try. 

 

I believe I told you in an earlier sermon about the chair I have named after me in a university? No, I LITERALLY have a chair named after me, or in my honor, as they say. I served on the campus ministry board at Robert Morris University, while serving the United Methodist Church in Coraopolis. During that time, I led that board through a re-visioning process, and helped them define better what their mission was, at that time. Together, we also worked with the college leadership to build a new chapel on campus, a place where students of all religions could gather for meditation, worship, conversation, or counseling. I volunteered one morning per week to “staff” the office at the new chapel, in case students wanted to stop by or email questions or concerns. When we moved from Coraopolis to Sharon, PA, the campus ministry board purchased one of the “fancy” new chairs being procured for that chapel, and affixed a plate to it, saying it was in my honor as a leader in campus ministry from 1997-2003. So I DO have that going for me! 

 

Today’s message is about legacies, but most especially that of Jesus Christ, his life and ministry, and of the church which he hoped would be not just his “body” in the world, but also his continuing legacy. Peter is recounting what he understands to be this legacy, as part of his testimony here in the tenth chapter of Acts. It has several parts:

 

God shows no partiality: God will be God to all who wish to acknowledge Yahweh as their deity and redeemer. In Jesus Christ, there is neither male nor female, Jew nor Gentile, slave nor free, as Paul says in Galatians, the point being that God shows no partiality in either God’s work of redemption or in the body of Christ, the church. Where there are lines drawn separating those who are “acceptable” and those who are not, they are drawn by US, not God! In John 3:16, Jesus himself makes it very clear who his “target audience” is: “the world.” In Romans 8, Paul says that NOTHING shall separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. I confess that I get so tired of those who judge, grade, or otherwise “sort out” who is worthy of God’s blessings or favor. Is it a “values” thing that causes them to do this? Does it make them feel in some way “special” by making sure that their worthiness of redemption is better than someone else’s? Is it a type of queuing, whereby the redeemed “get ahead” by believing that there are those lower “down the ladder” because they are “less obedient,” “less righteous,” or less deserving than they? This juvenile behavior keeps bringing me back to Rodney King, who said—just before he got his brains beat in by the cops—“Why can’t we just all get along?” Yes, why CAN’T we?

 

Peace through Jesus Christ: Is this not what we all seek, peace? Don’t we all want to find that “happy place” where threats, fears, and even nagging doubts don’t keep us up at night? And don’t we want to believe that, if there indeed is a God over all the universe, that we are within God’s creating, loving embrace? This was the central message Jesus Christ brought to the world—we CAN be at peace with God! AND this inner peace could lead to healed relationships, genuine friendships, loving families, and supportive communities of faith, not to mention PEACE between nations! Why is it so hard to see that peace is the key to all of this, and that Christ is the Prince of Peace? Many years ago, as a college student in my freshman year, I had a jarring, yet cathartic “reckoning” with God that shook me to my very core. As I began to unpack this experience, I began to read my Bible rather voraciously, AND felt compelled to visit my school’s library for further guidance. Being that it was a secular institution, the “religious books” section was about as long as my arm, but one book almost literally jumped off the shelf at me. It was “Peace with God,” written by Billy Graham. I devoured that, too, and it provided me with an excellent foundation for what was now growing in me as an “adult” manifestation of Christian faith. (I realize that Franklin Graham has so besmirched the name of “Graham” that this may seem like an unusual endorsement, but I DO have a much higher opinion of the father than the son, regarding authentic Christianity!) In this book, Billy Graham mapped out a few simple principles of forgiveness, redemption, and “living out” the love of God which we first RECEIVE as a gift, and then PASS ON as an “ambassador for Christ,” to borrow Paul’s words. In conclusion to this section, I would say that the best measure of the authenticity of someone’s faith witness is, does it seek peace? Or is it fostering division, modeling judgementalism, and declaring the unworthiness of some other group of people? If the latter, it is best to steer clear, or at least give that person or faction time to “come to themselves” and mature. It IS important, though, to also realize that even GOD’S peace cannot be fully apprehended without also working for justice, for the injustices that leave some in the cold while rewarding others will prevent any measure of corporate peace, and might even harden the individual to the saving peace of Christ Jesus. All true justice work is peace work, essentially. 

 

Christ’s true legacy: Peter says it quite plainly in this narrative, as did John Wesley, when he told his preachers, “Offer them Christ.” All of us ARE “ambassadors for Christ,” and as such, we are called to herald the grace of God available to ALL without limits. As the old hymn says, “we’ve a story to tell to the nations,” and it begins with our person to person witness, or as one of my mentors told me, “one beggar telling another beggar how to find bread.” We DO have a story, and now have an opportunity to LIVE it and TELL it, or at the very least, invite others to join us on this journey of faith. As a pastor, I used to regularly remind folk that 85 to 90% of people who said they visited a church the first time, it was because they were personally invited by someone. So, if you are a bit sheepish about sharing your own faith story (at least at first), invite them to your church! 

 

The story we have is one of acceptance, love, forgiveness, grace, and the life-changing Spirit of God, a God who shows NO partiality, and desires that “none should perish.” Let me unpack that, for a moment. People are “perishing” all around us, and I don’t mean “going to hell,” as I believe Christ has already closed that door. They are perishing by living lives of “quiet desperation,” as one author has said, or by spending so MUCH of their waking hours LOOKING for something to give their lives meaning, or at least MORE meaning. Some are just bored, hoping for a spiritual lift to light a better pathway for them. Some are feeling rejected, unloved, or even totally disenfranchised by the society around them. (If you don’t believe this, just seek out a conversation with a transgendered individual, or a person of color who sees their possibilities being increasingly limited by leadership labeling them “DEI” and cancelling them, outright!) Believe me, a story or message about a God who “shows no partiality” will preach, my friends! Unfortunately, because this is NOT the God that is making headlines right now.

 

I started by asking you about YOUR legacy. Let us end by trying to imagine CHRIST’S legacy, which he had hoped would be the church. The church is in a sad state, Dear ones. In the case of my United Methodist Church, we have been riddled by disaffiliation, and may be in danger of collapsing under the weight of our own rules and bureaucracy. We are not alone. Not only are other denominations struggling, but I read recently where even the “independent” mega-churches are beginning to see that their message is falling on deaf ears, mostly because of the bad impressions Christianity is getting from “Christians” backing some of the hateful, harmful, and dividing actions of our national leadership. This is not the kind of peace people are needing or seeking, friends. If we don’t get this turned around and help others rediscover the TRUE love and grace of in impartial, all-embracing God, as evidenced by the life, sacrifice, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, then we are guilty of destroying the very legacy Jesus wanted to leave!

 

With this in mind, my final appeal is that THE CHURCH OF JESUS needs you! Get more involved with your local congregation and its ministries. Help germinate new outreach efforts. And make part of YOUR legacy your generous giving to support these ministries and mission! YOU may be the one to make all the difference to turning the church around and becoming something Christ would be proud to see as his legacy. So, there’s our choice, at least according to Peter in this text: LEGACY or LIABILITY. You choose, Dear Ones. Amen.

Switch

 

Switch

 

John 1:(1-9), 10-18

God with us 

 

1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

 

1:2 He was in the beginning with God.

 

1:3 All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being

 

1:4 in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.

 

1:5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it.

 

1:6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John.

 

1:7 He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.

 

1:8 He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light.

 

1:9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

 

1:10 He was in the world, and the world came into being through him, yet the world did not know him.

 

1:11 He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him.

 

1:12 But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God,

 

1:13 who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.

 

1:14 And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth.

 

1:15 (John testified to him and cried out, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.'")

 

1:16 From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.

 

1:17 The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

 

1:18 No one has ever seen God. It is the only Son, himself God, who is close to the Father's heart, who has made him known.

 

Back in the 1970s, there was a Glenn Larson TV series called “Switch,” that ran for about three years. Eddie Albert (of “Green Acres” fame) and Robert Wagner (later of “Austin Powers” fame) played a former bunco cop and an ex-con, respectively, who form a detective agency together. With Charlie Callas as a restauranteur and master of disguise, the show was a hoot. Shows like this, and movies like “Trading Places” have always caught my attention, as they activate that part of our brain that likes to contemplate what such extreme “shifts” or “switches” would look like. Isn’t part of our fantasy world to occasionally “imagine” what life would look like in another form or field of work? When we hear of someone winning $gazillions in the lottery, don’t we take a little mental detour to think about what WE would do, were that us? I read this week where the Powerball lottery is up to over $1 billion, and here is my plan, were I to win something like that: take the lump sum (about $500 million); pay the necessary federal taxes (about $250 million); find the easiest way to gift each of my adult children with $10 million, each; give my church $10 million to pay for its capital campaign; give my seminary $10 million; use $150 million to begin a benevolent foundation that offers annual grants to non-profit, justice-oriented causes; and invest $60 million for later, and to provide some serious “walking around” money for me and the Mrs. By the way, the time it took to share this “plan” with you took 500 million times longer than my chances of winning the Powerball, odds reduced only infinitesimally by the fact that I don’t buy a ticket.

 

If you weren’t who YOU were, or didn’t do what YOU do with your life, who would you be, or what would you do? Have you ever thought about that? There’s nothing wrong with you, if you have, believe me. I’m sure it’s quite a natural thing, given the immense capacity for dreaming and fantasy our God-engineered brains have. As a kid, I wanted to be a space scientist, of some sort, a dream cut short by my junior high discovery that I wasn’t good at mathematics, and that I basically hated it. In senior high, as it turned out, my theoretical physics aptitude was off the charts, as was my interest, but again, that math thing got in the way. We didn’t have computers yet, and slide rules and I never developed much of a “working” relationship. I did manage straight A’s in an advanced physics class I was selected for, but mostly because we were to pair up with another student in the class (there were only eight of us selected) for all of our work, and I chose a friend who was a whiz at math. We made a great team, although our teacher had fits with our quarterly report papers, as I could be a bit “creative” in my verbiage, turning one of the papers on an electrical project into “The Sterile Farad.” Because our work was exemplary, though, he couldn’t give us anything but an “A,” but he always cautioned me that such literary license would never wash in the field of science at the college level. Later, in graduate school, I was admonished by a professor who said that I “wrote with too much passion,” which I thought a bit odd, given it was theological seminary, and “passion” seemed to be central to our studies, but whatever. Now that we are back to theology, here is where the “switch” comes in.

 

Today’s text is the famous “prologue” to the Gospel of John. And its author tells of the most magnificent “switch” ever! In verse 13, John tells us that as “children of God,” we are “born of God,” “not by blood or flesh.” We are “given the power to become the children of God” by God, not by “the will of man.” We are God’s children in that our “flesh and blood” are superseded by the grace and will of God. The author tells us this to set up the “great switch” coming in verse 14: “And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory…full of grace and truth.” There it is! WE are empowered to become CHILDREN of GOD, not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, because Jesus Christ, the Son of God and “full member” of the Godhead, BECAME flesh and blood and “tented” among us! Our claim on being children of God would be on dubius ground, if not outright wishful thinking, if it were not for Jesus’ foray into the “far country.” Jesus staged a raid on sin, and defeated it. He snatched life from the evil clutch of death. He broke all of the ”human” rules for deity and touched, and ate, and laughed, and cried with the earthbound “creatures” he had a hand in creating. He suffered at the hands of authoritarian leaders, religious and political; he bled; he died, like any condemned person could. He imagined a “kindom” where all people truly mattered, and lived at their best when ALL could do so, equally. He promised a life no longer earthbound, and no longer handcuffed to the ticking of a clock or the setting of the sun. He opened the “gate” between the realm of humanity and that of deity, first crossing into our world, not just to bless, but to BE, and to BE with us! Because of HIS “switch,” we have been forever “switched” as well, from persecuted, tempted, and sin-ravaged “bloody people” to eternal lifers in the heavenlies, with only the blood of Christ shared among us. 

 

A new year is upon us, but as this “Great Switch” that is redeeming us is yet unfolding, every day is a “new year” to the Christian believer. And working for full inclusion and acceptance for all of God’s children is the “blood oath” passed on to us by Jesus, himself. Paul said “There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female, for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” It was Jesus’ “switch” that started this process, and we are left to continue carrying it out. Discovering the common ground between ALL of us, regardless of anything that “in the flesh” might separate us, or give one group credence or privilege over another, is the “Jesus command.” The work that continues to “reconcile the world” to Godself is Jesus’ work, not ours. We are its messengers, and its heralds, not its lawmakers or its arbiters.

 

As we begin this new year, each of us is compelled to ask ourselves, “Do I BELIEVE that God wants to embrace ALL of humanity?” If we still harbor divisive or judgmental thoughts (or even boundaries?) against those of other creeds, nations, ethnic origins, sexual orientation, or level of economic fortune, we have our own “switch” cut out for us. Until we conquer this “queuing” attitude, we are not living into our call to BE children of God. As long as we yield to the Holy Spirit of God, we have an open spigot to the GRACE of God that first crossed the threshold into “blood time” in Jesus Christ. Our way over that threshold into GOD’S time is paved with this grace, a grace that IS available to all, even before they know about it. Mr. Wesley called this “prevenient grace,” the offer and understanding of which is Methodism’s great contribution to the Christian faith.

 

A line from an old cigarette commercial from my childhood became quite famous: “I’d rather FIGHT than SWITCH.” In our time, it’s sadly too easy to believe this became the slogan for our time, and not just a TV ad. Now it’s time to turn it around, Dear Ones. In Jesus Christ, who pulled off the greatest “switch” of them all, we are called to make the transformational “switch” that can end the fighting, end the division, and put a serious dent in all of the world’s hatred. May 2026 see us yielding to the Spirit and grace of God, and moving in the right direction—“homeward.” Remember, Grace is the grease of greatness! Amen.