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November 23, 2016 – Thanksgiving Eve                Text:  Philippians 4:10-13

 

Dear Friends in Christ,

 

A few years ago there was a woman from a Communist country who visited New York City.  She wasn’t all that impressed.  Her country had a subway system, a large airport, and good roads.  Then she was taken into one of our country’s large grocery stores, she looked around and cried.

This woman had never seen so much food and it was overwhelming.  Did you find everything you needed when shopping for your Thanksgiving meal?  A month ago I needed a can of pumpkin and the store was out.  They didn’t even have any on the end cap.  What’s going on?  Isn’t it interesting what our perspective is in this land of plenty?

Another Thanksgiving is upon us.  What joy waits?  Or is it apprehension?  Will the family get along and can I keep the lumps out of the gravy?  The phone rings..is it an accident; or are they just late?  I wonder if someone here today won’t be here next Thanksgiving?  I would be truly happy if only…Are we so dependent on circumstances that we cannot be content for longer than a short while?

In our text Paul is writing a thank-you letter to the church in Philippi.  He was in prison when he wrote, “I have learned in whatever situation to be content.”  To do that we must be prepared to accept both good and bad, often in quick succession.  How we do that?

“CONTENT THROUGH HIM WHO STRENGTHENS ME”

A woman came to her Pastor with a problem not commonly expressed.  Her husband and her had bought a small business and things were booming.  She expressed to her Pastor that she didn’t think they deserved it or had earned it.

He thought for a moment and counseled her, “If business is up, thank God.  You could sing ‘Now Thank We All Our God.’  And when business is down, you could sing the Kyrie, ‘Lord, have mercy on us.’  God walks with you in both situations.”

Sometimes we feel we will be content if we can just escape all our activities and responsibilities.  “Stop the world; I want to get off.”  Life is too confusing and confounding.  Perhaps you are exhausted and just want to sit on the sidelines.  But doing so reduces the possibility of sharing God-given gifts and talents with others who need them, and finding the joy that comes from helping others.  There is no real contentment in passivity, is there?

Where did the Apostle Paul find contentment?  In the fact that he was forgiven, justified by God because of Jesus Christ, who died on the cross to forgive all his sins.  For this reason, Paul had peace with God, a peace that did not depend in the least upon his circumstances in life.

If we find it hard to be content, it may mean that we have become disconnected from God, that we are not at peace with Him.  This peace is not a mood or something we talk ourselves into.  It is the forgiveness and reconciliation with God that Christ has provided at great cost.  This peace guards and protects us.  We all need a guardian of peace to accompany us through the twists and turns of life.

This contentment, this inner peace, led Paul to say, “I can do all things through Him (Christ) who strengthens me.”  Certain of Christ’s gracious presence, His strength enables us to resist temptation, to overcome anger, to forgive, to reach out, to make peace, to outlast evil, to be renewed, to survive, and to love.

There once was a farmer who had grown tired of living on the same farm his whole life.  So he listed the farm with a realtor who wrote up an ad.  Before he turned it in for printing he showed it to the farmer.  It was a glowing description of the farm.  It spoke of its excellent location, its fine equipment, fertile acres and well-bred stock.

“Wait a minute,” said the farmer, reading the ad.  “Just wait a minute!  “I’ve changed my mind, I’m not gonna sell.  All my life I’ve been looking for a place like that!”

That is Christ Jesus for the Christian.  We often miss what is right in front of us, like all the groceries in a supermarket.  Our Lord Jesus is in every situation.  When we understand this then our soul finds rest, we have peace and contentment, and He grants us strength to deal with anything life may bring.  Peace be with you this Thanksgiving and may your gravy not be lumpy!

Amen.

Nov. 20, 2016 – Stewardship Sunday                      Text:  Proverbs 17 (various verses)

 

Dear Friends in Christ,

Human beings are ridiculous.  “Wow, you really went out on a limb with that one Pastor.”  I say this after observing the words used after the election.  Some people should be frozen out of Twitter.  Others should have their mouths washed out with soap.  Remember that from days gone by?  The rest of us should ignore all the inane drivel and whining and apocalyptic meanderings.

An old Jewish saying speaks of slander as the “third tongue” that slays three:  the speaker, the person spoken to, and the person spoken of.  Rather than opening our mouths or listening to evil speech, we need to learn to control our tongue and shut our ears.  Words do hurt people yet we throw them around like nothing.

Today is Stewardship Sunday and how we speak is important in God’s eyes.  Using Proverbs 17 as our base text we will look at . . .

“THE POWER OF WORDS”

Solomon writes in verse 4, “An evildoer listens to wicked lips, and a liar gives ear to a mischievous tongue.”  If we don’t welcome gossip and slander then they lose their force.  We need to put up the stop sign when someone goes down that path.

“Whoever mocks the poor insults his Maker; he who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished.” (v. 5)  How often do we laugh at the misfortune of others?  When others fall we become taller.  To laugh at those going through trials is making fun of God who is there to help.

In verse 14 Solomon likens starting strife to letting water leak through.  Before you know it it’s a gusher and you are drowning in your own words.  One word builds upon another until everything is out-of-control.

“He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the Lord.” (v. 15)  Government and the courtroom are good examples of this.  At work or school, the person who sticks up for his or her Christian faith and does what is right is condemned for being narrow-minded or out of touch.  Meanwhile we hail cheaters who are smart and get ahead.  God hates such perversions of justice.

If we are honest with ourselves we break many of these commands in a single day.  We can’t make excuses that “everyone does it” or “I’m addicted to social media.”  Think of the harm done.  Relationships ruined.  Tears caused.  Hatred caused by inappropriate words.  We all need God’s forgiveness.

How about the right use of words, verse 9, “Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends.”  Words can be used to defend one another.  We want to protect each other’s reputation.  We don’t condone sin but we need to be careful we have all the facts.

We have these encouraging words in our text, “A friend loves at all times…Whoever restrains his words has knowledge.” (vs. 17a, 27a)  As in all our actions for the Lord when we use words rightly they are done in love.  As friends and family we are there to build each other up.  Who hasn’t heard from someone a sentence like this, “Years ago I was sick and depressed and you spoke some blessed words and I have always been appreciative of that.”  All of us can comfort and strengthen and encourage others with the things we let come out of our mouth.  The Lord through prayer can give you those words.

On the last day of the Civil War, officer Joshua Chamberlain was in command of the Union army.  His soldiers lined up on both sides of the road that the Confederate army had to march down to surrender.  One wrong word and the peace could be a bloodbath.  In an act as brilliant as it was moving, Chamberlain ordered his troops to salute their foe!  No vicious words – only guns in salute and swords raised to honor.

The Lord has made us people of grace.  Jesus said, “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” (Luke 6:36)  Those who know his forgiveness are to be strikingly unlike everyone else.  What if we saluted our enemies and kept our mouths quiet?  Think of the impact in our workplaces and in our families.  Christ’s grace reflected through us.

That grace was declared to us sinners, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.” (Isa. 1:18)  Because Jesus Christ died for us, we can receive heaven itself.  In the Bible, He has given thousands of words of peace to the troubled, comfort to the lonely, courage to the faint-hearted, and joy to the sad.

Here’s the key:  the more our speech conforms to God’s Words, the more we will speak the right thing at the right time.  Words can be evil but they can also lead to good.  The Gospel is the best word of all because it takes away sin, removes all guilt, and restores us as the people of God.  Lord, help us to speak what is right for the good of your Kingdom.                   Amen.

October 16, 2016                                                      Text:  2 Timothy 3:14-4:5

 

Dear Friends in Christ,

 

It was quiet in the Ardennes on Sunday, Dec. 16, 1944. People were preparing for their first free Christmas since the Nazis had been driven out.  That’s when hundreds of German artillery pieces opened up on American positions.  By Dec. 20, American troops under the command of General A.C. McAuliffe were surrounded.  Two days later, the Germans called for his surrender.  History famously records his reply:  “Nuts.”

Meanwhile, history has ignored the words of a private from the South.  He was incredibly calm even as the Germans had them surrounded.  His sergeant asked, “You do realize the Krauts have us surrounded?”  “Yup,” the private answered.  “How do you feel about that?” asked the sergeant.  The private drawled, “Well, Sarge, I feel sorry for them dirty dawgs.”  The sergeant interrupted, “What do you mean them dirty dogs, we are the ones surrounded.”  The private explained, “True enough, Sarge, but if’n I understand kirrectly, this is the first time in this war we kin attack the enemy any direction we want.”

Today, in a different war, a spiritual war, Christians find themselves agreeing with that private.  As Jesus’ followers we are able to say:  “If we understand correctly, we can attack the enemy in any direction we want.”  Saddened to make such a statement, we are not surprised.  St. Paul said this day would come when the Savior’s people and the message of salvation would be under attack.  Knowing we will be attacked for our faith, we learn from this Epistle that we are really also on the attack, that we . . .

“SHARE GOD’S WORD IN EVERY DIRECTION”

The Holy Spirit described what this day would look like.  People will not endure sound teaching but will look to teachers who teach what they want.  People will not listen to truth but will be taken in by myths.  Paul seems pretty accurate.  What do you think?  Unbelief in our generation is larger, stronger, better organized than it has been in the past.  But the thinking that man can do better than God has never gone out of style.

Adam and Eve thought they could do better.  The builders of Babel challenged God’s authority.  The children of Israel complained and criticized as they wandered.  Other civilizations have taken shots against God, but they usually do so with some degree of hesitation.

Our age is different.  People gladly denigrate God’s grace and His hand in the affairs of men.  Today it’s fashionable and trendy to say there’s no God.  They spout their lies with a smirk and a boast.  Colleges founded by Christians no longer feel shackled by the old-time Bible “myths.”

Countries founded by Christians and whose stability, success, and legal system were based on the Holy Bible now find it politically correct to keep their distance from the Redeemer and His Word.  TV shows, books, movies, and magazines make big money by disrespecting the Deity.  With itching ears, the general public awaits the newest chapter in the Lord’s denunciation.  Enthusiastically, they repeat the most recent criticism of the Christ that has, thanks to the devil’s hand, been moved from fiction to reality.

Today, bold revisers of history break out their erasers to remove all references to the Savior and the positive things the Church has done.  The denials make the front page of the paper or scientific journal or the History Channel.  Gullible souls, intrigued by the lies, “turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.” (4:4)

We have people called “Reverend” who don’t preach Christ and Him crucified.  They hesitate to tell the truth that only Christian believers are saved.  “Is Jesus the only way,” they question from the stage and in their books.

The time Paul spoke about in our text has arrived.  People want teachers who tell them what they want…and what they want is not God’s inspired, inerrant Word.  Or put another way, “If I understand correctly this is the first time in this war we can attack the enemy any direction we want.”

Still, I wonder, is attacking the enemy what the Lord wants his people to do?  Why not just coexist, know what we believe, even if nobody else agrees?  A few years ago was a cartoon with a rough-looking fellow walking the streets of Sodom and Gomorrah.  He carried a sign, “Repent, the end is near.”  A man asked him why he had carried the sign for twenty years and it hadn’t made a difference.  The last panel showed his reply, “For the first nineteen years, I carried the sign in hopes that I would change them; now I carry it in hopes they won’t change me.”

That cartoon explains what we Christians are to do.  This church, this pulpit, is here so we can tell the sinful world just how much God cares for them.  We exist so the Holy Spirit can use us to reach them with the good news and great joy that has come into the world in the person of Jesus Christ.  We come together so we can go out together and tell people that no matter their sin, their itching ears, their turning from the truth of God’s Word, if they turn from these myths, the Risen Redeemer will forgive and save and strengthen them.  We have been rescued from punishment and given new life.  Satan, or sin, or death no longer controls us.

Attack in any direction?  No, our job is to share the Good News of salvation in every direction.  We hear:  “I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus…preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove; rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.”  Share God’s Word so the world might be changed.  Share God’s Word so the world doesn’t change you.

We need to stand fast as those deserting continue to gain in number.  We share God’s truth to counter the devil’s lies.  It is who we are.  It is what we do.  By God’s grace, may it always be so.

Amen.