Sermon Text 2022.04.17 — God loves to make music with misfits
April 17, 2022 – Easter Text: John 20:1-18
When you hear the word orchestra, what do you think of? Woodwinds, brass, and strings? There is one orchestra made up of kids who play instruments made out of trash. It’s called the “Recycled Orchestra of Cateura” in Paraguay. But Cateura is not a town. It’s a slum built on a landfill.
Every day, 3 million pounds of waste is dumped in Cateura. Many families survive by scavenging the landfill and reselling. Violinist Noelia, age 16, has an instrument. Made from cans, wooden spoons, and bent forks. A cello is made of an oil drum. Another teenager plays a saxophone assembled from a drainpipe, melted copper, coins, spoon handles, cans, and bottle caps.
A few years back they made a video that went viral, and they raised enough money that they perform all over the world. They play Mozart, folk music and Frank Sinatra.
God makes music with misfits. That’s what Easter is all about.
“GOD LOVES TO MAKE MUSIC WITH MISFITS”
I’m a misfit. You are a misfit. We all fall short of God’s will and ways. But fellow misfits, it’s time to make music! What do I mean? This orchestra is made up unlikely musicians. Peter is a first chair trumpeter. He denied Christ – three times. Paul plays the violin. He used to play a religious thug who persecuted Christians. And on the harp? David. Womanizer, bloodthirsty – yet repentant David. Today, we add another misfit to make music. Her name is Mary – Mary Magdalene.
Mary begins as a mess. “Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out.” (Luke 8:2). There are five Mary’s mentioned in the New Testament her name of Magdalene refers to her hometown of Magdala. Demons? She is messed up. Can you imagine being that messed up?
Here’s how it happens. Compulsion to prove. We begin a task or job or class with high hopes. We arrive early and stay late. We are going to prove to these people. To keep at it, we stop exercising or getting enough sleep. We start to skip Bible Class and worship. Our eating habits clog our bodies. We neglect our family. “I’ll return to them after the project or the business trip or the dissertation.” People begin to see less joy in us that we can’t see ourselves. We are tired and fed up and everyone suffers.
Or it occurs like this. Life becomes a checklist. One thing after another. We live for vacation, but vacation is never long enough. People again see what we can’t see. We survive with more internet, more time on the phone, more time binging TV shows, more shopping. We go through the motions. We smile occasionally but we have nothing left in the tank. We hit rock bottom. We talk to no one. We feel like we have at least seven demons.
We are a mess. 20% of people on disability in the US of A are there because of severe depression. We are the most depressed nation on the earth. Depression amongst teenagers has skyrocketed 200% in the last decade.
Remember the Chevy Nova? My first car in fact. In Mexico it didn’t sell. It was because no va in Spanish is “no go.” That can happen to us we have “no go.” We can be as messed up as Mary Magdalene. Music? We have no song to sing.
Mary was down, but her Messiah lifted her up. He lifted her from the pit of her demons. That is why she follows Him to the cross. Mary’s Messiah is your Messiah. His faced is caked with spit and blood. His throat is so dry he cannot swallow. The Savior has no song.
This is how things stand before dawn on Sunday. There had been so much hope and promise and now nothing. The famous Rabbi? Dead. The disciples? Hiding. Other followers of Jesus? Scattered. One – Judas Iscariot – has even killed himself.
Mary Magdalene gets up early to anoint Christ’s body. But the body is not there. She weeps and then goes to tell the disciples. She sees a man she thinks is the gardener. “Please tell me where Jesus is?”
“Mary.” The voice is unmistakable. It is instant recognition, “Rabboni.” It’s Jesus. It’s Jesus. He is not dead. He has risen from the grave. He is alive. Christ is alive.
Emotions flood Mary’s heart. From the depths of grief to the heights of joy. To the shock of everyone – the Father raised Jesus bodily from the dead. Mary’s song – her symphony of celebration – commences with great joy.
Her music is a five-word song, “I have seen the Lord.” (v. 18). She has seen the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. What does it all mean? There is more to our lives than we think. Christ’s resurrection means that, like Mary Magdalene, we have a song to sing.
Remember? God loves to make music with misfits. It’s time, for us misfits to make music. I’ll take the snare drum. You take the tuba. You take the trombone. And you? What instrument will you play today? One thing we know today. We have a song to sing. We sing it with our lips and our lives. What is the song called? The song that has six words . . . and what are they? I Know That My Redeemer Lives!
Amen.
Sermon Text 2022.04.15 — Are you a fan of red?
April 15, 2022 – Good Friday Text: John 19:25-37
Dear Friends in Christ,
Are you a fan of the color red? Some of you are. Many of you know I am not. Go through my closet. No red ties. Go through my drawers. One torn up red t-shirt. Even a remnant from my ISU days is a white sweatshirt with a splash of red. Why? Two reasons. A certain pro team that plays baseball in a neighboring state and a certain university in a neighboring state that had a maniacal coach when I was growing up. This is going to sound crazy, but I wasn’t too excited to come to Illinois State with their red. They had the best TV broadcasting school in the state and the rest is history.
Tonight, I appreciate the red we are about to witness. I pray you do too.
“ARE YOU A FAN OF RED?”
Why do we need the red of Jesus? Because we never measure up to his standards. We fail so miserably. We project sin on others. Blame the husband. Blame the wife. Blame the kids. Blame the parents. Blame the teachers. Blame the government.
If not blaming, we are rationalizing. “I only hurt myself.” “It was just this once.” If that doesn’t work then let’s compare. “Think I’m bad, you should see my creepy boss.” “My sister has a lot more problems than me.”
Another way is to be so busy with distractions that you collapse in bed at night and have no time to haunt your mind with your sin. If you must think about it then pop a pill, smoke a joint, get liquored up and maybe the thoughts will go away. None of it works. You cannot escape the reason for this night. Yea, that’s right. Your sin. My sin.
The only solution? Stand under Christ’s cross with John. “He who saw it has borne witness – his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth – that you also may believe.” (v. 35). John was there at the cross. John saw it all happen. Christ’s blood alone washes away sin. And the color of blood is . . .
Before getting to the cross the blood was all over the Savior. A crown of thorns on his head – blood. Flogged by the Romans – blood. Whipped with spikes – blood. Deep lacerations. In our day he would be stitched up. Not this day. The blood would keep pouring out. Clot up and tore open again.
He gets to the cross and the nails bring bleeding from hands and feet. His bones and muscles burn as he tries to push up so he can breathe. This lasts for six hours. He is exhausted. He went into respiratory acidosis – which leads to an irregular heartbeat. He knew death was near. He died of cardiac arrest.
“One of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. He who saw it has borne witness – his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth – that you also may believe.” Peter Paul Rubens, a 17th century artist, depicts these events in John’s Gospel. Rubens’ masterpiece is called The Descent From The Cross.”
Black clouds are in the back. Jesus is in the foreground. Christ head dangles to one side and the body is limp. Mary, the sister of Lazarus is there, with Jesus’s foot resting on her shoulder. She once sat at Christ’s feet. Another woman is there with tears. Mary Magdalene. She is crushed. So much so that on Easter morning, she runs frantically, searching for Jesus. We will learn more about that and her, on Easter. Joseph of Arimathea is on a ladder. Joseph looks at a man in black. It is Nicodemus who came to Jesus at night. Then we get to the color of the night. Are you ready? Don’t be afraid.
The person under Nicodemus is dressed in red. Red. I said it. It’s John, the Gospel writer. It’s John, the beloved disciple. It’s John, who has instructions from Jesus to take care of his mother. But why is John dressed in red? That is what Rubens wants us to ask. Why is John dressed in red? St. Louis Cardinal fan? Indiana University fanatic? Supporter of Illinois State? None of it. It is a bloody answer. As the blood drips from Christ’s head, and hands and side it continues downward until it pours directly on John
John is dressed in red because he is covered in blood. He is saturated. John is washed in Christ’s blood. And John says that same blood is for you. Are you a fan of red?
At the bottom right corner of the paper is a piece of paper with the Latin inscription INRI with a rock on top of it. These letters stand for Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum – Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews. Next to the inscription and rock lies an offering plate that holds the crown of thorns and more blood. Blood is in the offering plate. Why? It is Christ’s offering. It’s Christ’s gift for you. More cleansing blood.
Peter Paul Rubens invites us to stand at the cross, like John. To hold on to Jesus, like John. To allow the Savior’s blood to wash us, like John. Why? Because Christ’s blood is the only solution for our sin.
So we stand at the foot of the cross, like John, clothed in red, yes red, forever forgiven.
Amen.
Sermon Text 2022.04.14 — Nothing shall detract from Jesus
April 14, 2022 – Maundy Thursday Text: John 13:21-30
Dear Friends in Christ,
It took three years to complete and is one of the most recognized paintings in the world. The 15 x 29-foot painting became an instant masterpiece. We are talking about The Last Supper by the great master Leonardo da Vinci.
When he was 43 years old, the Duke of Milan asked him to paint the dramatic scene. He worked from 1495-1498 though not constantly on the assignment. He grouped the disciples into threes – two groups on either side of the central figure Jesus.
When he finished, da Vinci asked a friend to look at it and give his honest opinion. “It’s wonderful,” exclaimed the friend. “Christ’s chalice is so real I can’t take my eyes off of it.” Immediately, da Vinci took a brush and painted over the chalice, exclaiming, “Nothing shall detract from Jesus.”
Nothing shall detract from Jesus. Why is that? Because Jesus was betrayed. Let that sink in. Tonight in our Witnesses for Christ sermon series we meet Judas Iscariot. We meet him in the Upper Room the night Jesus was betrayed.
Betrayed by a disciple. Betrayed for 30 pieces of silver. Betrayed with a kiss of all things. Betrayed in a garden. Jesus was betrayed for us and why da Vinci exclaimed . . .
“NOTHING SHALL DETRACT FROM JESUS”
According to Matthew 26:25 Judas was seated close to Jesus. Close enough to carry on a private conversation. Jesus gave him some bread, and this is when satan entered him.
Da Vinci depicts the disciples eating herring. In da Vinci’s northern Italian dialect, the word for herring is renga. Renga – in that dialect – also describes someone who denies religion. Judas isn’t the only sinner at the table. Peter denied Jesus in the courtyard. The disciples denied Jesus in Gethsemane. Renga. All of them. Renga. All of us.
Why did Jesus allow all this to happen? It was for you. Those are powerful Gospel words. God is not against you. God is not your enemy. God is for you. His love is intensely personal. It is for you.
Martin Luther wrote, “This is something more than the sermon; for although the same thing is present in the sermon as in the sacrament, here there is the advantage that it is directed at definite individuals.” Even if you give up on yourself, Jesus never gives up on you. When soldiers spit in his face, He doesn’t give up. When a whip ripped his back, He didn’t give up. When nails crushed his nerves, He didn’t give up. Jesus will never give up on you.
Since its completion The Last Supper has been falling apart. Da Vinci – always the inventor – tried using new materials for this painting. He used dry plaster instead of wet plaster. It was good artistically but not for sustainability. Experts continue to work on restoring the original even to this day.
Fitting isn’t it? The Lord’s Supper is for people whose lives, like the painting, are always falling apart. In this life, we never get it right. Thank God for the Gospel words, “for you.” God acts for you – right now. Holy Communion is a meal with a man who lives.
A middle-aged and slightly overweight Scottish woman walked out from behind a theater curtain. Her hair was going in all different directions and she was wearing a dress that wasn’t flattering. People rolled their eyes and didn’t expect much. That is the way it was on April 11, 2009, when Susan Boyle began to sing.
After her song, people exploded with applause. The video clip of Susan Boyle became the most-watched YouTube video at the time. Her first recording broke many sales records. Susan Boyle wasn’t what people expected. Susan Boyle was much more.
Here’s the point. What may look ordinary can be completely extraordinary. The Lord’s Supper is like that. When Christ’s words – “Take, eat; this is my body; and take, drink; this is my blood” – are spoken over bread and wine, it’s not what we expect. It is so much more. What may look ordinary is completely extraordinary.
Da Vinci’s The Last Supper includes a view of heaven. The Lord’s Supper is a foretaste of the feast to come. Jesus coming to restore all things. At the heavenly banquet, we will no longer have to look at our sin. We will be perfect, wearing white robes washed in the blood of Jesus. At the heavenly banquet, we will not have to deal with broken hearts and broken lives. In heaven we are gathered with the angels, archangels, and all the company of heaven. At the heavenly banquet, we will no longer need Jesus to come to us in the Sacrament. We will see Jesus face-to-face, and He will fill us with unspeakable joy that will never end.
Some of the most important words about Communion are two short words, with three letters each – “for you.” For you – in the past. For you – right now, Christ is present. For you – in the future, you will partake of the marriage feast of the Lamb that will have no end.
Amen