Hearing God

Sermon manuscript for Green Lake Church for Sabbath, February 8, 2014-preliminary version published on Thursday to be revised on Friday.

Texts:

1 Samuel 5

Isaiah 56

Joel 2

Acts 10

Sermon

A few weeks ago, a smiling young woman met me at the door after church with a wonderful story. When she was a child she knew she was special because God talked with her. She had frequent, prolonged conversations with God. To her this was incontrovertible evidence of “specialness.” Other kids might have imaginary friends. She did not need such childish props because she had an actual friendship with God.

Her remarks reminded me of stories told by others here at Green Lake Church, people who have direct experience with hearing God speak.

I was also reminded of a passage in the autobiography of George Fox. Three hundred years ago, he wrote,

On a certain time, as I was walking in the fields, the Lord said unto me, “Thy name is written in the Lamb's book of life, which was before the foundation of the world” and as the Lord spoke it, I believed, and saw in it the new birth.

Another time:

As I walked towards the jail [to visit some people who were imprisoned for their religious beliefs] the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “My love was always to thee, and thou art in my love.” And I was ravished with the sense of the love of God, and greatly strengthened in my inward man.

George Fox heard God speak. He taught others to pay attention and seek to hear God for themselves. It was not enough to be an expert on the words of the Bible. Fox insisted that genuine religion consisted in a direct, personal engagement with God. God spoke to the apostles and prophets in Bible times. And he still speaks. George Fox went on to found the Religious Society of Friends or Quakers as they are commonly called.

Puritans and other Protestants were fiercely critical of the Quakers. Real Christianity, they argued, consisted of studying and obeying the Bible. If you start imagining God talks to you directly, you'll end up with all sorts of problems and craziness.

Maybe, but consider the fruit of George Fox's work.

Quakers were the first Christians to insist that all people were created equal. Not just all educated, wealthy White males, which is what Thomas Jefferson meant when he wrote the opening of the Declaration of Independence. Quakers believed all people were created equal. Americans and Nicaraguans. Russians and Chechnyans. Palestinians and Israelis. People with fine clothes and impressive titles and nobodies. Quakers were perhaps the first group of people to see that a person on trial was no less worthy of respect than the lawyers and judges of the court.

Quakers—in stark contrast to the ancient Puritans (and their modern descendants like Mark Driscoll and Sam Pippim) believed that every person—male and female—was animated by God and could be called by God into public ministry.

Quakers were the only American religious group with significant membership in the South to abolish slavery among themselves before the Civil War.

Quakers led the way toward the humane treatment of the mentally ill and criminals.

For three hundred years Quakers have maintained a testimony against war as a tool of foreign policy.

Quakers could and did cite Bible verses in support of every one of these advanced moral perspectives. But they did not come to these exalted moral perspectives from reading the Bible. After all those who argued in favor of the exalted status and privileges of the aristocracy, those who defended slavery and advocated the subjugation of women, brutal treatment of the insane, torture for criminals, and war all based their arguments on the words of the Bible. Words on the page were not and are not enough to inspire a bold, new moral vision.

Quakers, following the example and teaching of George Fox, practiced listening for God's voice. And the entire world has benefited from their listening.

Dramatic moves forward among the people of God come as a result of hearing a new word from God. It is when we hear God for ourselves that we receive the wisdom and the courage to act.

We see the same thing in the Bible stories themselves.

In Caesarea there lived a Roman army officer named Cornelius, who was a captain of the Italian Regiment. 2 He was a devout, God-fearing man, as was everyone in his household. He gave generously to the poor and prayed regularly to God. 3 One afternoon about three o’clock, he had a vision in which he saw an angel of God coming toward him. “Cornelius!” the angel said.

4 Cornelius stared at him in terror. “What is it, sir?” he asked the angel.

The angel replied, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have been received by God as an offering! 5 Now send some men to Joppa, and summon a man named Simon Peter. 6 He is staying with Simon, a tanner who lives near the seashore.”

7 As soon as the angel was gone, Cornelius called two of his household servants and a devout soldier, one of his personal attendants. 8 He told them what had happened and sent them off to Joppa.

The description of Cornelius as a “devout and God-fearing man” means he had embraced Jewish theology with its central vision of a single deity who was fundamentally good. This, in stark contrast to the other views common at that time which imagined a supernatural realm populated by competing, amoral gods. Cornelius was a good man, that is he was moral. He was devout, that is he worshiped the God of Judaism. But he had not officially converted. He was not a proper Jew. So there was an impenetrable wall between him and Jewish people, including Jews who were devotees of Jesus.

So God takes action to destroy that wall.

The next day as Cornelius’s messengers were nearing the town, Peter went up on the flat roof to pray. It was about noon, 10 and he was hungry. But while a meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. 11 He saw the sky open, and something like a large sheet was let down by its four corners. 12 In the sheet were all sorts of animals, reptiles, and birds. 13 Then a voice said to him, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat them.”

14 “No, Lord,” Peter declared. “I have never eaten anything that our Jewish laws have declared impure and unclean.”

15 But the voice spoke again: “Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean.” 16 The same vision was repeated three times. Then the sheet was suddenly pulled up to heaven.

17 Peter was very perplexed. What could the vision mean? Just then the men sent by Cornelius found Simon’s house. Standing outside the gate, 18 they asked if a man named Simon Peter was staying there.

19 Meanwhile, as Peter was puzzling over the vision, the Holy Spirit said to him, “Three men have come looking for you. 20 Get up, go downstairs, and go with them without hesitation. Don’t worry, for I have sent them.”

21 So Peter went down and said, “I’m the man you are looking for. Why have you come?”

22 They said, “We were sent by Cornelius, a Roman officer. He is a devout and God-fearing man, well respected by all the Jews. A holy angel instructed him to summon you to his house so that he can hear your message.”

Going into a Gentiles house was forbidden. Especially eating there. The voice of God is directing Peter to violate well-established religious rules. Peter would have never done it without direct guidance from heaven. So God gave him direct guidance.

23 Peter invited the men to stay for the night. The next day he went with them, accompanied by some of the brothers from Joppa.

24 They arrived in Caesarea the following day. Cornelius was waiting for them and had called together his relatives and close friends. 25 As Peter entered his home, Cornelius fell at his feet and worshiped him. 26 But Peter pulled him up and said, “Stand up! I’m a human being just like you!”

27 So they talked together and went inside, where many others were assembled. 28 Peter told them, “You know it is against our laws for a Jewish man to enter a Gentile home like this or to associate with you. But God has shown me that I should no longer think of anyone as impure or unclean. 29 So I came without objection as soon as I was sent for. Now tell me why you sent for me.”

30 Cornelius replied, “Four days ago I was praying in my house about this same time, three o’clock in the afternoon. Suddenly, a man in dazzling clothes was standing in front of me. 31 He told me, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your gifts to the poor have been noticed by God! 32 Now send messengers to Joppa, and summon a man named Simon Peter. He is staying in the home of Simon, a tanner who lives near the seashore.’ 33 So I sent for you at once, and it was good of you to come. Now we are all here, waiting before God to hear the message the Lord has given you.”

Peter replied, “I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism. 35 In every nation he accepts those who fear him and do what is right. 36 This is the message of Good News for the people of Israel—that there is peace with God through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. 37 You know what happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee, after John began preaching his message of baptism. 38 And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. 39 “And we apostles are witnesses of all he did throughout Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a cross,fn 40 but God raised him to life on the third day. Then God allowed him to appear, 41 not to the general public, but to us whom God had chosen in advance to be his witnesses. We were those who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 And he ordered us to preach everywhere and to testify that Jesus is the one appointed by God to be the judge of all—the living and the dead. 43 He is the one all the prophets testified about, saying that everyone who believes in him will have their sins forgiven through his name.”

This sermon could have never happened if Peter had not heard God speak. Peter could not have gotten this sermon out of the Hebrew Bible. There are passages in the Hebrew scriptures that can be adduced in support of what Peter preached. But no one understood them the way Peter preached it that day. Peter himself would have never believed God included the Gentiles in the promises of God apart from the personal words of God to him and to Cornelius.

Acts 10 goes on to report further validation of Peter's sermon.

Even as Peter was saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who were listening to the message. 45 The Jewish believers who came with Peter were amazed that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles, too. 46 For they heard them speaking in other tongues and praising God.

Then Peter asked, 47 “Can anyone object to their being baptized, now that they have received the Holy Spirit just as we did?” 48 So he gave orders for them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Afterward Cornelius asked him to stay with them for several days.

Classic Christian orthodoxy imagines that God did his best work 2000 years ago then went silent. God had nothing more to say. Our only access to God is through studying the words in the Bible.

Classic Adventist orthodoxy agrees that after the New Testament was written God went silent. God had nothing more to say. But then in the middle 1800s God finally spoke again. This time God spoke through the words of the Adventist prophet, Ellen White. But once Ellen White died, God again went silent. We are left with only words on pages.

I disagree.

Yes, God spoke. Through the ancient prophets and the scribes who wrote the Bible. Supremely through the words and example of Jesus. Through the words of the apostles. Through the words of Ellen White. Yes. Yes.

And God still speaks. And it is our privilege and responsibility to listen. To hear.

We do not all have the same gift of hearing. Prophets are unusual people. Reformers and visionaries are not ordinary people. They have special gifts. George Fox was not an ordinary person, not as a kid, not as an adult.

We cannot all hear in the same way. So as I have mentioned before, again today, I challenge you: If you have a gift for hearing God's voice, listen carefully. Share with us what you hear.

Ask God what vision he might have for Green Lake Church. Given our resources—a beautiful building, a highly visible location, a theology that is not contaminated with the horror of eternal hell fire, a belief in the radical commitment of God to human well-being, a varied congregation with all sorts of abilities and connections—Given our resources and our privileges, what is God calling us to do?

When someone says they have heard from God, how do we know if it really was God?

The Bible offers some guidance on this. First: God's highest principles are mercy and peace. When people imagine they are hearing God and they call us to be active in condemning and attacking, we do well to reject their claims.

One of the more troubling bits of sociological research in recent years is the finding that conservative Christians are more likely to approve of torture and war than even the general public. How tragic. They clearly are NOT hearing God's voice.

Peter and Cornelius opened the way for the inclusion of all humanity in happy purposes of God. George Fox heard God's voice and created a movement that has elevated humanity in all sorts of ways. Ellen White heard God's voice and led our church toward a deep appreciation of the human body and an emphatic rejection of the monstrous ideas of predestination and eternal hell fire.

What now? What is the new thing that God would like to do through us here in this place, in this time? If you have a history of hearing God, would you spend some time specifically inviting God to speak to you again and give you a vision that is worthy of the best energy of the Green Lake Community?

Really, Really Smart

Sermon manuscript for Green Lake Church

Sabbath, February 1, 2014

Synopsis: Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, was the most successful man of his era. Bill Gates, President Obama, Vladimir Putin, and Pope Francis all rolled into one. Naturally, he was impressed with himself. Then he had a dream. Then he lost his mind. Then he lost everything. Then he became wise.

Based on Daniel 4.

King Nebuchadnezzar was really, really smart. He just wasn't quite smart enough.

His armies were unstoppable. They conquered the entire region of Mesopotamia and Palestine. Nebuchadnezzar filled his capital city, Babylon, with gold and grand architecture.

He funded the arts and philosophy and math and science.

He imported the royalty of every nation and tribe in the region and gave them significant jobs in his government. This worked both to unite the empire and to bring into its very heart the unique strengths of all these various cultures.

Nebuchadnezzar was really, really smart.

As if all these achievements weren't evidence enough, there's this: Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon wrote an entire chapter in the Bible. Can you believe that?

In the Bible, the King of Babylon is usually pictured as the ultimate bad guy. The prophet Isaiah paints such a diabolical picture of the King of Babylon that Christian commentators have long used it as a description of the devil himself. In the book of Revelation, Babylon stands for the forces of evil that attempt to obliterate God's people.

When I pastored in Babylon, New York, back in the 80s, the largest church in town was a Presbyterian Church. It was a grand, classic building with a towering white steeple on Main Street. Members there told me they had a hard recruiting quality pastoral candidates, because no self-respecting Presbyterian minister wanted to pastor in Babylon!

Still, in spite of all this, the prophet Daniel features a document written by Nebuchadnezzar as chapter four of his book.

(This fact should be a sufficient rebuke to those who imagine that God speaks only through “approved channels.” The current president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Elder Ted Wilson, once said publicly that Adventists should read only Adventist books. It was a profoundly wrong statement. He appears to have moved away from that kind of thinking or at least he no longer repeats it in his sermons. God speaks through all kinds of people including the good people of Babylon!)

Daniel Four begins:

King Nebuchadnezzar to the people of every race and nation and language throughout the world: "Peace and prosperity to you! I want you all to know about the miraculous signs and wonders the Most High God has performed for me.

In this document Nebuchadnezzar speaks from personal experience. He is not writing mere theological theory.

It's easy for Christians to get caught up in theoretical discussions. The older I get the less I care about the debates that roil theological circles. I am keenly interested in hearing how spiritual life is working for you. Last week when I talked to you about contemplative prayer, I drew on my own experience. There is a book making its rounds among Adventists which is severely critical of contemplative prayer. It's a silly book. The author knows nothing about contemplative prayer. Not directly. He has read a few books. It's like a monk writing about romance, someone who has never had kids writing a parenting book, a tone deaf person writing music criticism.

Nebuchadnezzar was really, really smart. In addition he had immediate access to the smartest, most highly educate people of his day. But still he wasn't quite smart enough. So God decided to complete his education.

Here's what happened:

I, Nebuchadnezzar, was living in my palace in comfort and prosperity. But one night I had a dream that frightened me; I saw visions that terrified me as I lay in my bed. So I issued an order calling in all the wise men of Babylon, so they could tell me what my dream meant.

That would have been standard operating procedure in that society. Dreams were considered significant. There was an entire industry of dream interpretation. Nebuchadnezzar continues:

When all the magicians, enchanters, astrologers, and fortune-tellers came in, I told them the dream, but they could not tell me what it meant.

If you're familiar with the stories in the Book of Daniel, this sounds familiar. Once before, the wise men, astrologers and soothsayers had been stumped and Daniel had to be called in. That first time Nebuchadnezzar could not even remember the details of his dream. He demanded that these experts come up with both the dream and its interpretation—an obvious impossibility. At the last minute, just before Nebuchadnezzar has the entire corp of astrologers and soothsayers executed, Daniel finds out about the situation and saves the day.

This time, the king tells the wise men the details of his dream. And this time, it's those very details that render Nebuchadnezzar's wise men mute. The dream is unmistakably bad news. And you did not give Nebuchadnezzar bad news. And live to tell about it. So the kings wise men mumbled their apologies. They could not interpret the dream.

So finally Daniel is called in. Again, Nebuchadnezzar recounts his dream. He saw a massive, spreading tree. Animals and people found shelter in its shade. Its fruit fed the entire world. The top of the tree scraped against heaven. The branches spread across the entire world. It was a grand, munificent scene.

So far, so good. But the dream is not finished.

Next, as I lay there dreaming, I saw a watcher and a holy one coming down from heaven. The messenger shouted, "Cut down the tree and lop off its branches! Shake off its leaves and scatter its fruit! Chase the wild animals from its shade and the birds from its branches. But leave the stump and the roots in the ground, bound with a band of iron and bronze and surrounded by tender grass. Now let him be drenched with the dew of heaven, and let him live with the wild animals among the plants of the field. For seven periods of time, let him have the mind of a wild animal instead of the mind of a human. For this has been decreed by the watchers and the holy ones, so that everyone may know that the Most High rules over the kingdoms of the world. He gives them to anyone he chooses--even to nobodies.

You don't have to be an expert in dream interpretation to see that this dream is bad news. The wise men listened in dumbfounded silence. When the king pressed them for an interpretation, they hung their heads. They muttered excuses. They cannot tell the king what it means. So Nebuchadnezzar summons Daniel. He repeats the dream and Daniel goes pale. He is stunned, speechless. The king sees it and encourages him, using his Babylonian name,

'Belteshazzar, don't be alarmed by the dream and what it means.'

Finally, Daniel pulls himself together.

I wish this dream applied to your enemies, my lord!

The tree you saw growing very tall and strong, reaching high into the heavens for all the world to see, that tree with fresh green leaves and fruit for all to eat, that tree which sheltered animals and provided nesting sites for birds, that tree, Your Majesty, is you. For you have grown strong and great; your greatness reaches up to heaven, and your rule to the ends of the earth.

This sounds good, but you know the dream doesn't stop there.

You saw a watcher and a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, "Cut down the tree and destroy it. But leave the stump and the roots in the ground, bound with a band of iron and bronze and surrounded by tender grass. Let him be drenched with the dew of heaven. Let him live with the animals of the field for seven times.

Here is what the dream means, Your Majesty: You will be driven from human society, and you will live in the fields with the wild animals. You will eat grass like a cow, and you will be drenched with the dew of heaven. Seven times will pass while you live this way, until you learn that the Most High rules over the kingdoms of the world and gives them to anyone he chooses. But the stump and roots of the tree were left in the ground. This means that you will receive your kingdom back again when you have learned that heaven rules.

No wonder Daniel went pale when he heard the dream. Can you imagine telling an absolute, divine-right king, “You are going to go crazy. You will be deposed from your throne!” Men were commonly killed for far less than that.

Daniel does stop there. He offered the king some advice. The king was smart. Really, really smart. But not smart enough. Daniel provides the missing insight:

Stop sinning and do what is right. Break from your wicked past and be merciful to the poor. Perhaps then you will continue to prosper.'

One of the vital missions of the church is to speak to those in power and urge them to stop sinning and do right, especially for the weak and lowly ones.

I was troubled to read this week a characterization the farm bill that was passed this week in the House. The bill cut food stamp benefits and left in place the massive farm subsidies which go principally to wealthy corporations. That is wrong. Christians should speak forcefully against the use of government to redistribute wealth to the wealthy. That is a misuse of government.

To his credit, Nebuchadnezzar did not have Daniel executed. But neither did he take Daniel's advice.

Nebuchadnezzar continues with his story.

Twelve months later I was taking a walk on the flat roof of the royal palace in Babylon. As I looked out across the city, I said, “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?”

While these words were still in my mouth, a voice called down from heaven, 'O King Nebuchadnezzar, this message is for you! You are no longer ruler of this kingdom. You will be driven from human society. You will live in the fields with the wild animals, and you will eat grass like a cow. Seven times will pass over you, until you learn that the Most High rules over the kingdoms of the world and gives them to anyone he chooses.'

"That very same hour the judgment was fulfilled, and I was driven from human society. I ate grass like a cow and was drenched with the dew of heaven. I lived this way until my hair was as long as eagles' feathers and my nails were like birds' claws.

For seven years Nebuchadnezzar was literally out to pasture. I imagine it was a walled area, the best asylum that could be provided. Still, it was a prison. For seven years, Nebuchadnezzar lived as a ward of the state. No authority. No freedom. Did he realize he was crazy? I don't know.

After this time had passed, I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven. My sanity returned, and I praised and worshiped the Most High and honored the one who lives forever. His rule is everlasting, and his kingdom is eternal. All the people of the earth are nothing compared to him. He does as he pleases among the angels of heaven and among the people of the earth. No one can stop him or say to him, 'What do you mean by doing these things?'

When my sanity returned to me, so did my honor and glory and kingdom. My advisers and nobles sought me out, and I was restored as head of my kingdom, with even greater honor than before. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and glorify and honor the King of heaven. All his acts are just and true, and he is able to humble the proud."

There are two morals I take from this story.

The first is that we are to use our powers—our intellect, our social connections, our good luck, our charm, our education to serve. God calls us to act as partners in his work to suffuse the world with grace and peace. Economists, engineers, caterers, attorneys, dishwashers, grandmothers—God needs the work and gifts of us all to do the work of his kingdom. Daniel urged Nebuchadnezzar to avoid doom by turning his energy toward service instead of self-congratulation.

You think you're smart? How are you using your gifts? Are you serving the poor? Really smart people are not infatuated with themselves. They do not limit their largesse to their friends.

The second lesson is to remember all we have is a gift. Money, brains, good looks, social charm, an American passport, health, faith, moral background—however hard you worked, you would be nothing apart from gifts.

When we allow success to call us into stewardship and gratitude, then we are really, really smart.

God will be pleased and we will know ultimate satisfaction.

Contemplative Prayer

Sermon manuscript for Green Lake Church

For Sabbath, February 1, 2014

Scripture Readings for the service:  

1 Kings 19:9b – 13.

Revelation 1:4-6.

Visual:  On the stage I will have my prayer stool and the large black plastic flower pot I use as a table. On the “table” are my thermos and cup and a bowl with two cookies. 

Sermon

Thursday morning at six o'clock the sky was thick with fog. I sat on my stool out behind our house, poured myself a cup of mint tea, then settled back to spend some special time with God.

Except for the weather, it's pretty much the same every morning. I sit with God for awhile, savoring his presence and favor. I am not begging. I am not asking for anything. I simply sit and direct my mind toward God.

To help focus my mind I recite a couple of words that featured prominently in our scripture reading,

“Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and ruler of the kings of the earth. Revelation 1:4.

Grace and peace. Grace to you and peace. From God.

Some years ago as I was reading through the book of Revelation, these words at the beginning of the book triggered my memory. Where else had I read those words? I checked and discovered that the Apostle Paul uses these words as a prayer of blessing at the beginning of every one of his epistles. The prayer also appears at the beginning of both epistles of Peter and in the second epistle of John.

It is a quintessential Christian prayer. An expression of confidence and desire.

The central conviction of the Christian Church is that when God looks our direction, he regards us with favor and affection. He is working for our well-being. The deepest desire of the Christian Church is that every person would taste the sweetness of this truth. The conviction that God is kindly and competent forms the foundation of Christian teaching about prayer. We pray because God cares about our situation, and he is eager to act on our behalf.

One way to understand prayer is to imagine it as the natural asking of kids in a healthy family. This is the picture Jesus used when he gave his disciples a model prayer.

Our Father which art in heaven.

Daddy, I'm thirsty. I'm hungry. I'm tired. In a healthy, happy domestic setting, this kind of requesting is the most natural thing imaginable. Kids ask. Dads respond. Of course. Dad, can I borrow the car? Dad can you help me out with tuition this next quarter?

This natural asking by kids extends to aunts and uncles and teachers. When I was a kid, if I was at my cousin's house and I needed something, it would have never occurred to me to be reticent about asking. I knew instinctively that my aunts cared for me. I did not spend time pondering what my aunts thought of me. I simply knew that when I was with them I was in good hands. I would be taken care of. And if I needed something, I asked.

This is the picture Jesus painted for us in his teaching about prayer here in Matthew.

The entire prayer as Jesus gave it:

Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. (Matthew 6:9-13 KJV).

It's a list of simple, straightforward requests. Elsewhere in the chapter, Jesus adds details to the picture of “Father” he uses to begin the prayer. “Our Father.” What kind of father is this? It's a good father. A competent father. A responsive father.

According to Jesus:

There is no need to make a show of your prayers because your Father is always paying attention. He observes your most secret prayers and will respond.

Your heavenly Father knows what you need before you ask and he will respond compassionately to your need.

It doesn't make sense to fret about clothes or food. Why? Well, just look at how your Father in heaven provides for the birds and flowers. If he takes good care of the birds and flowers, certainly he will take care of you, because you matter MORE to him than they do.

In all of these passages, Jesus invites his listeners to imagine themselves as beloved children. When you're a kid, if you have a good father, you have confidence in the ability and willingness of your father to provide. So pray with confidence. God is a good father.

But what if your father was not perfect? What if your father or mother or aunt or uncle was abusive? How then are we to imagine God? Or what if your parents are/were good people but you never felt you quite measured up, you never knew quite where you stood?

What then? What image can talk to your heart about the grace of God? How are you to imagine God's favor, God's affection, God's happiness in responding to you?

In the next chapter of Matthew (chapter 7), Jesus comes back to the topic of prayer and switches metaphors. All through chapter 6, Jesus has his listeners imagining themselves as children. Jesus invites them as dearly loved children to have confidence in God, their heavenly Father.

Here in chapter 7, Jesus has his listeners look at themselves as parents.

Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened to you. Everyone who asks receives. The person who seeks finds. And to him who knocks the door will be opened. Consider: who in this whole crowd, if his son asked his for bread would give him a stone? If that is how it is with you sinful people, if even you know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him (Matthew 7:11 NLT).

No matter how complicated your relationship with your parents is, when it comes to what you feel for your own kids, it becomes powerfully simple: You would do anything for them. You love them. When they are sick. When they make horrible mistakes. When they ignore you. When they disappoint you. Still, there are yours. And, in a way they can never fully know, you are theirs. They own a piece of your heart they cannot give back even if they tried to.

Jesus invited his listeners to contemplate their own instincts and commitments as parents. “Look into your own hearts as parents. What do you expect of yourself? Now, let me ask you a question, 'Do you really think you are more generous than God? Are you more merciful, more gracious than God?”

Asking this question invites into the practice of contemplative prayer.

Contemplative prayer is prayer that deliberately nourishes our awareness of the generosity and goodness of God.

When I sit on my stool in the morning and recite the prayer, “grace and peace,” I am basking in the sunshine of God's presence and favor. (In preparing this sermon I read these words in a comment by Debbonnaire Kovaks.) I am savoring God's goodness. I am not asking for God's grace in the sense of a thirsty person asking for a drink. I am not asking for grace in the sense that a person in pain asks for medicine. I recite these words as an affirmation of the favor I have already received.

I live in God's grace. I live in God's peace. In the morning when I sit on my stool in God's presence, I am enjoying God's smile. God is pleased with me.

I don't imagine that I have accomplished something and “earned” God's favor. I don't tell myself, “God is lucky to have a kid like me.” Rather, I simply enjoy the fact: God is pleased with me.

After I've spent ten to twenty minutes God's grace and peace, I then begin to think of others. And I welcome God's grace and peace into their lives as well. In this part of prayer, there is more asking, longing, hunger.

I pray for my family, bringing each one to mind, and asking God to touch their lives with his grace and peace.

I think of specific individuals in this congregation. Whoever God brings to my mind.

I pray for clergy who have prominent positions in the denomination.

I pray for media figures, especially the angry ones, inviting God's grace and peace into their lives.

I pray for politicians, wrapping them in the beautiful light of heaven's peace.

My prayers are not usually very specific. Most of the time I don't ask God to do exactly that or this. Rather, most of the time, I simply invite God's grace and peace into their lives.

After doing this for years, I think differently about people. I don't get angry as readily. Of course, I am aware that people misbehave. People make mistakes. People do bad things and harm others. But when these people come to mind in prayer, I find myself sitting with God grieving over the brokenness of his children – my brothers and sisters. Both the wounded ones and those who are doing the wounding are precious to him. And to me.

When I consider people who live with severe limitations, I try to enter the Mother-heart of God, and know God's special affection for the vulnerable and disabled.

And when I consider people with great minds, and ambition and drive, I dream with God of what they could do make the world a more beautiful place. I ask God to befriend them and make them instruments of his peace.

In the youth class, Andreas and Troy and Brian are leading a study of the kingdom of God as described in the Gospel of Mark. What would the world look like if God had his way without interference? What if grace and peace moved beyond the words of our prayer and became a description of our world? How fantastic would that be? What can we do to cooperate with God in pursuit of that vision? How can we serve as agents of grace and peace?

As we move through this year, I invite you to consider again the practice of prayer. Not all of us can sit on stools in the backyard. The demands of children and the care of parents can make quiet time nearly impossible to find. Paying the rent and earning money for groceries can take more than all of our time. Even the needs of our bodies and or the limitations of our minds may interfere with the regular practice of prayer.

Still I invite you to consider prayer, especially prayer rooted in the contemplation of the grace of God. My dream for us as a congregation is that we will be ever fuller of God's grace. And that God's grace would overflow and touch those around us with peace.

All Creatures of Our God and King

Sermon manuscript for Green Lake Church

Sabbath, January 4, 2014

We will share the Lord's Supper following the sermon.

Bible Readings for the day:

Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD from the heavens; Praise Him in the heights!

Praise Him, all His angels; Praise Him, all His hosts!

Praise Him, sun and moon; Praise Him, all you stars of light!

Praise Him, you heavens of heavens, And you waters above the heavens!

Let them praise the name of the LORD, For He commanded and they were created.

He also established them forever and ever; He made a decree which shall not pass away.

Praise the LORD from the earth, You great sea creatures and all the depths;

Fire and hail, snow and clouds; Stormy wind, fulfilling His word;

Mountains and all hills; Fruitful trees and all cedars;

Beasts and all cattle; Creeping things and flying fowl;

Kings of the earth and all peoples; Princes and all judges of the earth;

Both young men and maidens; Old men and children.

Let them praise the name of the LORD, For His name alone is exalted; His glory [is] above the earth and heaven. . . .

Praise the LORD!

Psalm 148. NKJV

What is the price of two sparrows--one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows. Matthew 10:29-31. NLT

Morning Hymn

All creatures of our God and King
Lift up your voice and with us sing,
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Thou burning sun with golden beam,
Thou silver moon with softer gleam!
Refrain
O praise Him! O praise Him!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Thou rushing wind that art so strong
Ye clouds that sail in Heaven along,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Thou rising moon, in praise rejoice,
Ye lights of evening, find a voice!
Refrain
Thou flowing water, pure and clear,
Make music for thy Lord to hear,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Thou fire so masterful and bright,
That givest man both warmth and light.
Refrain
Dear mother earth, who day by day
Unfoldest blessings on our way,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
The flowers and fruits that in thee grow,
Let them His glory also show.
Refrain
And all ye men of tender heart,
Forgiving others, take your part,
O sing ye! Alleluia!
Ye who long pain and sorrow bear,
Praise God and on Him cast your care!
And thou most kind and gentle Death,
Waiting to hush our latest breath,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Thou leadest home the child of God,
And Christ our Lord the way hath trod.
Refrain
Let all things their Creator bless,
And worship Him in humbleness,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son,
And praise the Spirit, Three in One!
Refrain

Sermon

All creatures of our God and King
Lift up your voice and with us sing,
Alleluia! Alleluia!

Last Sunday Karin and I and kids and kids-in-law went to Paradise (not the afterlife, but the site on the south side of Mt. Rainier). It was a glorious day—blue sky, sunshine, no wind. Our six-month-old granddaughter was along. We snow shoed up to a high point with grand views to the south and west and shared lunch and hot chocolate together.

It was perfect.

Sometimes during pauses in our conversation we could hear sounds floating upward from the parking area and sledding hill. Laughter, squeals, the voices of kids and parents melding together across the distance. I walked away from our lunch site for a few minutes so I could fully enjoy the hymn—human creatures creating a bubbling, cheery sound track for the beauty of the place.

When we're surrounded by glorious scenery, it's easy to get caught up in the elation. It's not too hard to imagine all creation singing.

 The hymn writer, Francis of Assisi, captures this natural joy. He imagines himself singing, and his community singing, and the whole world singing. I can almost see him glancing around, looking for more voices to add to the choir. You and you, and you, too, lift up your voice and sing. We are having too much fun to keep it to ourselves. Sing alleluia with us!

At the heart of our faith is the conviction that the universe is suffused with joy. We come together in worship to taste together this truth. It lies at the heart of our singing.

The words of Francis' hymn echo the language of the Psalms. They find their ultimate expression in the visions of Revelation 4 and 5. There John pictures Paradise as a place of endless ecstasy. Joy enraptures every creature. The entire creation participates in a thunderous hallelujah chorus.

Day after day and night after night they keep on saying, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty--the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come."

I heard the voices of thousands and millions of angels around the throne and of the living beings and the elders. And they sang in a mighty chorus: "Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered--to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing."

And then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea. They sang:

“Blessing and honor and glory and power
belong to the one sitting on the throne
and to the Lamb forever and ever.” Revelation 4:8; 5:11-13.

When we sing together we are rehearsing for Paradise. We are tasting already the essence of God's vision for the future and his preference for now—endless joy.

All creatures of our God and King
Lift up your voice and with us sing,
Alleluia! Alleluia!

Come sing with us. Taste the joy that is found in singing Alleluia.

Today we will share together the Lord's Supper. We will eat little bits of bread and taste tiny cups of grape juice. As we eat and drink together, we remember Jesus. And we are glad.

We are glad that Jesus valued serving his friends more than life itself. We are the descendants of those friends and carry the same value for Jesus the first disciples did. Our life and hope and confidence is rooted in the story of Jesus who deliberately chose death that others could live—that we could live.
One of the inescapable implications of Jesus' death is that Jesus regarded his followers—and that includes us—as valuable as himself. We can take this a step further as Christians. God regards you as valuable as Jesus. Or to put it the other way around: Jesus is not more valuable than you. Not to God, anyway.

That's worth singing about. You are precious. Remember that when you place the ceremonial piece of bread in your mouth. Remember that when you sip from the ceremonial cup. If God allowed Jesus to die for you, then the necessary implication is that God regards that as a fair trade—Jesus for you. You are worth as much as Jesus—in the eyes of God.

The Lords' Supper invites us into another mystery—God with us.

Just as the bread and grape juice enter us, become us, and are translated into our actions, so Jesus, the Divine Son of God is in us. His life becomes our life. His life is translated into our actions.

Finally, sharing together this ceremonial meal reminds us of the preciousness of communion with the Risen Jesus. As Jesus enjoyed sharing table fellowship with his disciples, so God enjoys communion with humans today.This is the ultimate secret of our faith.

It is certainly true that Jesus calls us to a radical ethical vision. He calls us to cooperate with God in tending the world, in mending the world. We need to feed the hungry, share our extra shirts, heal the sick, bring relief and new hope to the oppressed. These are glorious duties, exalted responsibilities, difficult callings. They deserve our energy and wisdom. Yes!

Jesus also modeled and taught communion with God.

Jesus knew he was not carrying the weight of his ministry alone. He was working with God. When Jesus spent hours in prayer, he came away from his praying with a renewed sense of partnership with God. When Jesus spoke, he did so with a keen sense that he was speaking out of an intimate, personal connection with God. Jesus ethical challenges, his healing ministry, bold response to the "powers" of his day were suffused with the sense that we acting in concert with God.

This kind of intimate, personal connection is the deepest secret at the heart of our faith. Not all of us have experienced it. But some among us have. Some of the saints of Green Lake Church have heard the voice of God. Their lives have changed direction because of what they have heard. They live with a vital, lively awareness that they, like Jesus of long ago, are partners with God. They are companions with God. Their prayers are not words flung at the ceiling. Rather praying is communing with the divine.


When we share the Lord's Supper together, we come because we are family, not because of the quality of our individual communication with God, not because of the quality of our faith or the quality of our character. We come because the Master of the family has invited us all to be present.

When my six-month-old granddaughter settled in for lunch high on the side of Mt. Rainier last Sunday, obviously she was there by virtue of her membership in the family. She certainly did not climb there! But she was no less welcome because of her inability to walk.

When we share the Lord's Supper here today we owe a special debt of gratitude to those whose spiritual life is rich and sweet and confident. They are our seniors, our guides, our spark plugs. Jesus is pleased with the special gifts you bring to the table and pour into the life of God's family. And to you who struggle because God seems distant or unreal, we owe you a special debt, because your presence here helps to connect this holy family to the real world of humanity.

Wherever you are on the spectrum of spiritual experience, thank you for joining us this morning to sing alleluia. And welcome to the table of our Lord, to the feast that celebrates the value of people and the love of God.

The Next Episode

The Next Episode.

Sermon manuscript (preliminary) for Green Lake Church of Seventh-day Adventists

For Sabbath, December 28, 2013.

Being intentional about the direction of our lives, and especially our characters.

Texts:

OT: Micah 4:1-4

In the last days, the mountain of the LORD's house will be the highest of all--the most important place on earth. It will be raised above the other hills, and people from all over the world will stream there to worship.

People from many nations will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of Jacob's God. There he will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths."

For the LORD's teaching will go out from Zion; his word will go out from Jerusalem. The LORD will mediate between peoples and will settle disputes between strong nations far away. They will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer fight against nation, nor train for war anymore. Everyone will live in peace and prosperity, enjoying their own grapevines and fig trees, for there will be nothing to fear. The LORD of Heaven's Armies has made this promise!

NT: Luke 3:3; 10-16

Then John went from place to place on both sides of the Jordan River, preaching that people should be baptized to show that they had repented of their sins and turned to God to be forgiven. . . .

The crowds asked, "What should we do?"

John replied, "If you have two shirts, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry."

Even corrupt tax collectors came to be baptized and asked, "Teacher, what should we do?"

He replied, "Collect no more taxes than the government requires."

"What should we do?" asked some soldiers.

John replied, "Don't extort money or make false accusations. And be content with your pay."

Everyone was expecting the Messiah to come soon, and they were eager to know whether John might be the Messiah. John answered their questions by saying, "I baptize you with water; but someone is coming soon who is greater than I am--so much greater that I'm not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

Summary:

The Baby is born. Now what? What plans are we making to participate in the vision of God the Child incarnated? How can we honor the great gifts we have received?

Now what?

We've done Christmas. It's is over.

Now what?

In the Gospels, the Christmas story is the opening episode of a series. When you read through either Matthew or Luke, when you come to the end of the Christmas story, you feel yourself being immediately pulled into the next episode. What's going to happen next.

Angels sang to shepherds on a dark night. Wise Men traveled 900 miles following a mysterious star. An ancient priest in the temple pronounced a grand prophecy over the baby. And at every stage, we are eager to turn the page. We want to know, now what?

In the Gospel of Luke when the author moves past the childhood stories, he begins by reporting on the preaching ministry of Jesus' cousin, John. John was a riveting, commanding speaker. He stirred the entire Jewish nation. He drew crowds of thousands. As they got caught up in his visions of a new age, the messianic age, they asked, “Now what?”

John replied, "If you have two shirts, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry."

Even corrupt tax collectors came to be baptized and asked, "Teacher, what should we do?"

He replied, "Collect no more taxes than the government requires."

Soldiers asked, "What should we do?"

John replied, "Don't extort money or make false accusations. And be content with your pay."

Here is the sequel to the Christmas story. The story God began writing in Jesus Christ, he continues writing in the lives of ordinary people who commit themselves to an exalted ideal.

Notice John the Baptist's words:

If you have two shirts, pass one along. If you have plenty to eat, share.

The idea summarized in these words is so central to the meaning of Christianity Luke does not even report these as the words of Jesus. Christians—followers of Jesus Christ—immediately recognize them as part of “our convictions.” These words articulate the essence of our most fundamental ideals.

These words are especially potent here in our culture in the weeks following Christmas. Most of us have participated in an orgy of giving and receiving. We have more than two or three shirts. We have more than a single pair of shoes. Many of us have several months income saved as a rainy day fund. We upgrade our cell phones every two years, voluntarily extending our bondage to Verizon. We are rich. The very first answer to the question, Now what? For those of us who are so rich is to practice generosity.

We have received. What are our plans for giving?

Christmas is over. What next? How can we pass on the gift?

The very first place to go when we ask what does it mean to be a Christian is to check our generosity. We are to use our prosperity as a measure for evaluating the condition of those around us. Do we have more? Then what can be done so they can join us in our blessing?

In this vision there is no place for gated communities. No place for tinted windows. No place for the notion that I earned mine. Let them earn theirs.

The next couple of questions and answers explore the very foundations of a healthy civil society.

The tax collectors asked, “What should do?” The soldiers asked, “What should we do?”

We should not confuse “tax collectors” with the IRS. A far better comparison would be to compare the “tax collectors” in this passage to organizations who have the power to use the system of government to increase their profit. When those who have the power to influence Congress use that power to enrich themselves, they are acting the part of the corrupt tax collectors of that ancient era.

Can you imagine the impact it would have on our society if we were to severely limit the power of corporations and other special interests to shape tax policy?

What impact would it have on economies in other parts of the globe if the elite quit using their access to government to enrich themselves?

John's response to the tax collectors acknowledged the legitimacy and value of a a taxation system. He does not tell them to quit collecting taxes. He simply challenges them to act within limits. And especially to limit their own self-interest.

John's answer to the soldiers is along the same line. Do extort. Don't use you power to enrich yourself. Don't use dishonesty. Can you imagine the sweetness of a world where these values, these principles become normative?

Finally, imagine John's final challenge: Be content with your pay. What CEO in the United States would allow his pay to be set by other people over whom he had no power? What if CEOs pay were based on their effectiveness in increasing the spread of company wealth among its employees? What if machinists' pay was based on the value they added to the company?

Christmas is over. We have celebrated God's engagement with humanity. We have celebrated a story that shows us a baby sleeping in a feed box in a barn and announces this baby, this peasant child is the very person of God. Christmas brings God to earth. It links religion and spirituality with the well-being of children and disadvantaged people.

The Christmas story begs us to ask, “Now what?” What are we going to write in our part of the story? Are we going to carry forward the vision of people as the bearers of the presence and dignity of God?

This vision of the triumph of justice and generosity, of equity and morality runs all through the Bible. And it is important to note that it is not merely a vision of individual morality—as important as that is!

2500 years ago the Prophet Micah wrote,

In the last days, the mountain of the LORD's house will be the highest of all--the most important place on earth. It will be raised above the other hills, and people from all over the world will stream there to worship.

People from many nations will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of Jacob's God. There he will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths."

For the LORD's teaching will go out from Zion; his word will go out from Jerusalem. The LORD will mediate between peoples and will settle disputes between strong nations far away. They will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer fight against nation, nor train for war anymore. Everyone will live in peace and prosperity, enjoying their own grapevines and fig trees, for there will be nothing to fear. The LORD of Heaven's Armies has made this promise! Micah 4:1-4

Obviously, we are not there yet. Still this is God's dream for his world. The birth of Jesus was envisioned by the prophets as a giant leap forward toward precisely this goal. When we line up our lives with the ideals and values of Jesus, we are cooperating with God in his mission to accomplish peace and harmony, prosperity and freedom.

Let's not scold ourselves overmuch for not having already fixed everything. God has been working on it for at least 2500 hundred years, so it's no surprise that we haven't gotten everything put just so. But neither let us become complacent. Let's not accept things as they are, shrugging our shoulders, saying what can be done?

Christmas is over. What now? A year devoted to sharing. To the cultivation of appreciation for what we have, honesty, the use of our power for the good of all. In doing so we will find the deepest communion with God. We will taste Christmas joy all year.

Finding Jesus, Finding God

Finding Jesus, Finding God

Preliminary manuscript for the sermon at Green Lake Church of Seventh-day Adventists

For Sabbath, December 21, 2013

Isaiah 58:6-11

Matthew 2:1-11

Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, "Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him." Matthew 2:1-2

This fall when I headed out in the mornings before dawn, I saw something strange. The constellation Gemini had an extra star. I have spent decades star gazing, matching points of light in the sky with diagrams in star charts. By now the major constellations are like old friends in the sky. Sometimes all I need to see are a couple of stars and I instinctively know the rest of the pattern. So when I looked east and saw an “extra” star in the constellation of Gemini, I knew something was up. I figured it was a planet which had “wandered” into this part of the sky for awhile.

When I checked the star chart on my tablet sure enough, the “new star” was Jupiter.

I imagine it was something like this for the Wise Men. They had spent a life time watching the sky. And in their world there was no light pollution and few clouds. The whole would have been familiar territory. So when a new star appeared, they were immediately transfixed.

Was it “the Star?” The star of Balaam's prophecy?

There shall a star rise out of Jacob

And a scepter shall rise out of Israel.

Numbers 24:17

Tradition says there were three wise men. Rich old men, Persians living in the neighborhood of Babylon. Philosophers/theologians/astrologers/mathematicians. Men who had spent a life time studying ancient prophecies and talking with one another about what those prophecies meant. They had spent decades praying, meditating, worshiping. Their entire lives they had been on a quest, a quest for God. They had cultivated a restless dream of the triumph of righteousness. They dreamed of a world filled with peace and justice, happiness and health.

The Jewish religion had a well-developed vision of a Messiah. Other religions of that time and place also had dreams of a Great King who would set things right. It's likely these pagan philosopher/theologian/mathematician/astrologers happily combined ideas from all of the available religions in support of their vision of the triumph of goodness.

These men stubbornly believed that some day, somehow God would show up, goodness would triumph. The ancient prophecies they paid attention to were the words that fueled this bright dream.

Then they saw the star. There was no mistaking its newness. The sky in their world was black at night. The stars brilliant. They knew the patterns of stars. This was new. And given their life time of dreaming, praying, studying, speculating, contemplation, they immediately identified this star as a summons.

It's 900 miles more or less from Babylon to Jerusalem, no afternoon lark. It would be a major expedition. It would cost a fortune. But what is money for if not chasing dreams?

How long did it take to put together the expedition? How many people were in the caravan? How many camels? How many camel drivers? How many cooks? How many attendants?

The most likely route for the caravan was up the Euphrates River, then eventually south, down through Damascus, then to Tyre out on the coast, then south into Judea and Jerusalem.

In Jerusalem, they asked, “Where is the new king that has been born?”

The arrival of these personages from the East asking about a new king set the city buzzing. A new king? How could that be? But there must be something to it. These guys have traveled 900 miles to ask that question. You don't travel 900 miles for nothing. The Wise Men spoke of the Star which would have been meaningful in that culture. They talked of ancient prophecies—again, highly credible

King Herod was especially concerned. His claim to the throne was never completely secure.

He questioned the Wise Men about the star and their studies of prophecies. Then sent them off to continue their quest with instructions to report back to Herod when they found the child.

The star reappeared and led the Wise Men to a house in Bethlehem. There they found Joseph, Mary and Baby Jesus. The Wise Men paid homage. They gave their gifts—gifts worthy of a king. Then satisfied, they headed for home. Happy. Satisfied.

In a sense Christmas is an annual reappearance of an extraordinary star, a planet that wanders across the familiar background of our lives, asking us to check our dreams, inviting us to return again to our quest for God. Christmas reinvigorates our best ambitions. Christmas insists God is here.

God has not forgotten us. God has not forgotten the children of the Central African Republic or the women of Saudi Arabia and India. God has not forgotten the people trying to pay their rent and feed their kids on the money they earn working at McDonalds and Walmart. God has not forgotten the old men wrestling with questions of faith. God has not forgotten the mothers caring for special needs kids or the people coping with their spouse's mental illness.

Imagine we had lived next door to Mary and Joseph and Jesus in Bethlehem. We were there when the Wise Men showed up. Wouldn't we have been surprised? We knew who lived next door. They were regular people. A cute kid. Yes. But a king? No way. God????????? Are you kidding?

Christmas says that child next door in Bethlehem was God.

Then Christmas challenges us to see again the people around us. The woman who shares your bank account and bedroom? Christmas invites us to see the divine in her. Can you do it?

The man you live with: Can you see the divine in him?

The children in your house or across the street? The kids you see on the bus or read about in the newspaper. Not the beautiful kids, not the bright ones, not the responsible ones, not the kids who keep their rooms clean and do their homework without prompting—the other kids: can you see the divine in them?

Christmas invites us to go on a quest to find God, to encounter God. Then Christmas adds this bit of wisdom: You will find him wrapped in a baby blanket, sleeping in a makeshift crib.

This week I received an email from an old friend. It detailed his life-long quest for God. It's a story I've heard before, a story marked with perplexity and pain. I think of him as one of the Wise Men, constantly probing for clearer understanding, refusing conventional ideas of God that violate his deep sense of who a Good God must be. Constantly scanning the skies for a brighter vision.

I cannot answer all my friend's questions. I cannot even answer all my own questions. But this journey of the Wise Men gives one clear point of light.

When we go questing for God, the first place to look is at the ordinary people next door, or the people working at McDonalds or Walmart, or the people washing dishes at the restaurant that serves you your next meal.

God sometimes grants people a vision that transcends this world. They see a star and know that it is a direct message from heaven. But for most of us, finding God will mean learning to see people with the eyes of God.

Christmas can help us do that.

In our worship these last weeks we have ceremonially lighted the Advent Candles. They call us to renew our dreams of peace and the triumph of God's love. They invite us to light our world, joining our efforts to the intentions of God. They invite us to fill our eyes with the light of heaven so that our lives will be radiant.

Good Words

Preliminary manuscript for sermon at Green Lake Church for Sabbath, December 7, 2013. Comments and criticism welcome.

Bible Readings

OT. Genesis 1:1-5

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. Then God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.

And God saw that the light was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light "day" and the darkness "night." And evening passed and morning came, marking the first day. Genesis 1:1-5 NLT

NT: John 1:1-5.

In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.

He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. John 1:1-5. NLT

Sermon text:

A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak. The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you." Matthew 12:35-37

Words have magic power.

Nicely done.

Good job.

Perfect.

No worries.

That was helpful, thanks.

It's so good to see you.

My day is better when you're part of it.

You look nice, today.

Finally, one of the sweetest things I've heard in a long time. A young woman said about her fiance: 

“When I'm with him, I can be completely myself.”

Do you feel the power of these words? Writing them puts a smile on my face. Reading them probably puts a smile on your face. They make life sweeter, better. Dark days are a little brighter when we hear words like these.

I have favorite words from the Bible.

Fear not little flock. It is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Luke 12

Grace and peace to you. (passim, The Epistles and Revelation)

Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more. John 8

The people sitting in darkness have seen a great light.

On those dwelling in shadowy regions, a light has dawned. Matthew 1

Blessed are the poor in spirit,

Theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5

Christmas time is a season of good words.

Handel's Messiah sets the best words of the Bible to music.

“There shall a Star rise out of Jacob . . .”

And I imagine the blaze of Venus on the eastern horizon on an icy cold, cloudless morning.

Unto us a child born

To us a son is given

And the government with be on his shoulders.

His name will be called Wonderful,

Counselor,

the Mighty God,

the Everlasting Father.

His government and its peace
will never end. Isaiah 9:6-7

I come back to these words over and over—when I read about the Central African Republic and the horrific chaos and violence that seems to eternally haunt the place. I come back to these words to fuel my hope when I read about another poor man who has spent years or even decades on death row for a crime he did not do. When I am confronted again with apparently insoluble conflict in a marriage.

He shall lead his flock, like a shepherd.

Hearing these words or rehearsing them in my mind, I pray, “Hurry up and do it.” And sometimes I pray, “Teach he how I can partner with you in serving your flock.”

Then there are the grand, triumphant words of the hallelujah chorus.

Hallelujah!

For the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth.

Hallelujah!

The kingdom of this world

Is become the kingdom of our Lord,

And of His Christ,

And He shall reign for ever and ever,

King of kings, and Lord of lords,

And He shall reign forever and ever,

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Goodness will triumph. Evil will be displaced. Justice will reign from pole to pole and sea to sea. Hallelujah!

When we allow these words to permeate our minds, darkness will have less influence. Our confidence in God will deepen. Our commitments to goodness and righteousness are invigorated. We become allies with God in working toward the triumph of goodness.

This is the beautiful power of words. However, as with anything power, words can be misused. They can cut and twist. You know the old saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me!” Kids say it as a defense against the jagged, ugly words hurled by others. While it is true that most of the time it is preferable to be hit with words than with rocks or ax handles, the saying is, of course, false. Words can hurt.

God calls us away from ugly words, harsh words, biting words. As disciples of Jesus, we are called to a radical, counter-cultural language. Talk radio specializes in ugly words. People on the left and right entertain us by feeding our sense of outrage. These personalities earn their keep by being more sarcastic, more biting, more angry. Listening to these kinds of words frequently will warp our own souls. They will lead us to be angry about what we cannot fix and complacent about the things that we can fix. I have never yet heard anyone describe some positive action they have taken as a result of listening to talk radio or Bill O'Reilly or Jon Stewart. Good words bear good fruit. They nourish life and hope. They spur us to effective, hopeful action.

We can apply the same rule to the preaching we listen to. If a preacher specializes in condemning sin, the most likely effect of listening to that preacher is increased outrage against the sins of others! So, ask yourself what is the effect of the words I am hearing—whether here at Green Lake Church or on TV or over the internet.

Deliberately seek out good words. Deliberately avoid ugly words, jagged words, cutting words.

Now let me really go to meddling. Tell me about the words in your house. Are your children eager to hear your voice? Are they drawn to you by your good words or are you withering their souls with sharp words, disapproving words?

Kids, especially teenagers, if your parents recorded your words would you be okay with them sharing the recording with us hear at church?

Employers, what kind of words do you use with your employees? When you have to correct them are your words more cutting than necessary?

Within a Christian context the force of these questions is highlighted by the words of Jesus:

A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak. The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you." Matthew 12:35-37

Words matter.

In this season of happy words, hopeful words, confident words about the purpose and power of God, let's cultivate the habit of saying good words, beautiful words, words that heal and inspire. As we do this, we will be partnering with God and we will increase our own capacity to fully trust God's good words to us.