The Pastor’s Words

Text:  Colossians 1:11-20
25 November 2007
Topic:  The Infinite God cares for the Finite Man

            I am handing out today a photograph of Saturn.  It is a photograph I found on the internet.  It was taken in 1980 by the space vehicle, Voyager 1.  Since I don’t have enough copies of this most amazing shot from other side of Saturn, please pass them around in the pew for everyone to see. 
(For those who are reading this on the internet, here’s the picture for you to see…..)

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap060927.html

You will immediately notice that there’s a little rectangle on the upper left side of the picture.  That rectangle is then blown up, revealing a tiny fuzzy dot is in the middle of the enlarged rectangle.  That tiny fuzzy dot is Earth!  Yes, from a billion miles away, that’s what Earth looks like.  From God’s perspective, Earth is nothing more than a little, tiny dot in the universe. 
AND YET, wondrously, marvelously, miraculously, God knows each and every one of our names!
Beginning in 1977, Voyager 1 traveled 38 months and one billion miles to reach Saturn.  It travelled at speeds between 30 and 40,000 miles per hour – that’s 600 miles a minute, 10 miles every second!  Today, Voyager 1 is 15 billion miles away from earth – and still soaring through space!  What I can’t believe is that if you and I got in a spaceship today, going 35,000 miles an hour, we wouldn’t get to Saturn until the year 2010!  It is hard to fathom!  It boggles the mind!
Almost 2000 years ago, St. Paul wrote in his letter to the Colossians, our second reading for today, “¹⁵Christ is exactly like God, who cannot be seen.  He is the first-born Son, superior to all creation. ¹⁶Everything was created by him, everything in heaven and on earth, everything seen and unseen, including all forces and powers, and all rulers and authorities.  All things were created by God’s Son, and everything was made for him.”  (Colossians 1:15-16 CEV)
And in our creed, we state, “I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.”  Our limited experiences tend to limit our full understanding of this statement because we tend to believe only those things that we can actually see and touch here on earth. 
That’s why I printed up these pictures of Saturn with Earth’s fuzzy image in the distance.  I wanted us to somehow get a view of the universe from the Creator’s perspective.  I wanted us to see that when God looks out the front window of heaven, God sees not only Earth, but a whole host of planets and stars and galaxies and black holes and universes we know nothing about.  God created the heavens and everything that is in them! 
But not only did God create everything, God knows everything.  Indeed, Jesus says in Matthew’s gospel, “³⁰Even the hairs on your head are counted.”  (Matthew 10:30 CEV)  The God who created the entire universe knows our names and even the number of hairs on our heads!   The God of the universe is a personal God.  The Author of all that exists cares about you and me.  That’s why he sent his Son, Jesus to live and be among us.
Hear again these words from St. Paul to the Christians at Colossae:  “¹⁹God himself was pleased to live fully in his Son.  ²⁰And God was pleased for him to make peace by sacrificing his blood on the cross, so that all beings in heaven and on earth would be brought back to God.”  (Colossians 1:19-20  CEV) 
And again, from St. Paul, “¹³God rescued us from the dark power of Satan and brought us into the kingdom of his dear Son, ¹⁴who forgives our sins and sets us free.”  (Colossians 1:13-14 CEV)  The God who transcends time and space forgives the sins of the likes of you and me and gives us everlasting life.
Today is Christ the King Sunday.  To say this is to affirm that Christ is King of this place, of this part of Pennsylvania, and of this nation.  To say this is to affirm that Christ is King over the entire Earth and over all heavenly bodies.  Saturn is a billion miles away from Earth.  And yet, even that planet is under the dominion and control of our God.
To say Christ is King is to affirm that an infinite God comes to finite beings – to people of the likes of you and me.  This is the Good News for today.  
And yet, not everyone wants Christ as King in their lives.  Not everyone here this morning truly wants to allow Christ to have complete control in their lives.  Not everyone believes that Christ should have a say in everything that we say and do.  We’re very comfortable with the concept of God being the Ruler of the universe.  But we’re less comfortable with that same God being Ruler of our personal lives.
Simply take a look at the amount of time we spend in prayer, or reading Scripture, or even thinking about God.  If Christ was truly King, wouldn’t we be working harder at letting Him be that in our daily lives?   
But what’s true for individuals is also true for congregations.  Last Sunday, our congregation voted to extend a part-time call to an Associate in Ministry.  We also learned that the congregation council has hired a part-time pastoral assistant.  Further, in 2008, we are going to be paying more on our mortgage each month.  All of this makes for a very tight budget, in fact, a deficit budget.
As a congregation, financially, we have a very difficult year ahead of us.  Of course, there is fear.  Of course there is concern that perhaps we have overextended ourselves. 
But, Christ is our King.  Right?   We have prayed.  We have studied.  We have been given a vision.  And we believe that the God of the Universe is also the God of this congregation.  And by God’s grace and with Christ as our King, we will be provided for. 
Last week, we, as a congregation, decided to take a risk, a calculated risk.  We decided to trust the Kings of Kings.  We decided to trust the Lord of Lords, and the One who created the heavens and earth to show us the way.  We entrusted ourselves to the Living Christ who is leading us by the Holy Spirit.
So, on this day, let us rejoice in the God who made Saturn and the Earth.  Let us rejoice in Christ as our King.  Let us allow Him to rule in our lives, to direct our lives, and to be King in all that we say and do.   AMEN
 

Text:  Luke 21:5-19
18 November 2007               
Topic:  End of the World? Plant a Tree!
            There was a boy who heard the end of the world was going to happen on a certain day.   A group of people had studied all the signs that would predict the end of the world and they came up with a date.  That date had been announced on TV.  It had been published in the newspapers.  Radio broadcasts interviewed people who were certain the end of the world was going to happen on that day. 
Well, the boy listened.  He had a test in school on the day the end of the world was supposed to happen.  So, he decided NOT to study for his test.
The day of doom came and the day of doom went.  The boy took the test and the boy flunked the test.  This is a true story.  It happened to one or our own members.  That boy, now a man, is sitting in the pews today.
What does this story tell us?  It says there will always be people who will try to predict when the end of the world will come.  And, all of them will be wrong – until the very last one is right!
There are some people who believe there will NEVER be an end to this world.  But they will be as wrong as those who predict the end will happen on a certain day.  Scripture tells us there will be an end to this world.   We simply don’t know when. 
Concerning the end of the world, Jesus said in Mark’s gospel, “³²No one knows the day or the time. The angels in heaven don’t know, and the Son himself doesn’t know. Only the Father knows. ³³So watch out and be ready! You don’t know when the time will come.”  (Mark 13:32-33  CEV)
It should be enough that we have these words of Jesus, but there are always those who are trying to out-smart our Lord and read into life’s events a date that they believe will be the last one for everyone on earth.
Today, we have witnessed the baptism of two children.  God’s grace was showered upon Maya and Lillian in most powerful way.  God forgave them their sin – that which is known and that which is unknown.  God bestowed upon them the comfort of the Holy Spirit who will walk with them their entire lives.  And, God promised each of them eternal life.  These gifts of grace were given to Maya and Lillian, as they were given to you and me, as unmerited gifts from a loving God who wants the very best for you and me, now, and forever.
If God is so gracious to us in baptism, will not God also be gracious to us at the end of time?  For us who believe, we have nothing to fear, either about today, or about tomorrow, or about the end of time.
The 21^st chapter of St. Luke, from which our gospel for today has come, is a chapter devoted entirely to questions and concerns about the end of the world and the second coming of the Son of Man.
In our gospel for today, Jesus warns those who might be looking for “signs of the times,” signs when the end of the world might come by saying, “⁸Don’t be fooled by those who will come and claim to be me, saying, ‘I am Christ!’ and ‘Now is the time!’  Don’t follow them.”  (Luke 21:8 CEV)
Jesus is very clear in both Matthew and Mark’s gospel when he says, “Nobody knows when the end will come.”  (Mark 13:32 & Matthew 24:36 CEV)  And you and I are to believe this, even when there are others who might tempt us to think and believe otherwise.
So, what should we to do while we wait for the end to come?  We could do like the boy in the beginning of my sermon and do nothing.  Or, we could do as our beloved Martin Luther did.  Luther once said, “If I was told the end of the world was coming tomorrow, I would go out and plant a tree.” 
In other words, he was saying, we dare not stop doing the work and ministry of the Church while we wait for Christ to return.  There is too much suffering in this world and too many people who haven’t even heard of the gospel message for us to withdraw into some kind of safe haven.   All of us need to be about the business of “planting trees” and caring for the people God has placed in our lives to care for.
After the late service today, we will be gathering for a congregational meeting to vote on whether or not to call an associate in ministry and to vote on the budget for 2008.  At that meeting we will be making decisions that are hopeful, expectant, and confidant that the world will still be here on January 1, 2008, a mere six weeks away from now.  In fact, if we decide to extend a call to the candidate placed before us, we are planning to have her with us for three years, and maybe even much longer. 
The end of the world may come tomorrow.  But that shouldn’t  stop us from planning for tomorrow because God calls us to be faithful until the end.  May this be true of all of us.  AMEN

It is sufficient to say, “We believe in a living God who calls us to worship.  We cannot explain all the reasons for our station in life, either our successes or our struggles.  But this much we know, ‘God has created us and all that exists.  God sent Jesus to save us and therefore God is worthy of our praise and deserving of our worship.’  That’s why we are here today.”
That answer may not make sense to our friends and relatives, but it’s best answer we can give.  It does no good to argue or become belligerent.  Along with Job and Jesus, we can simply proclaim our beliefs and let others believe – or not believe – what they choose.  Diplomacy is not just for politicians, it is useful in the realm of religion as well.
May God bless you for being here today.  May God give you strength for this week’s journey.  May God give you the words and the ways to defend your faith, even to those whom you love and care so deeply about.  So that one day, all of us, like Job and Jesus will be vindicated.  So that one day, it will be shown that the God in whom we believe is a LIVING GOD, and not a god of the dead.  AMEN
 

Text:  Luke 6:20-31
4 November 2007
Topic:  The Golden Rule
            In our first lesson for today from the Book of Daniel, we have these words:  “¹⁸God the Most High will give his kingdom to his chosen ones, and it will be theirs forever and ever.”  (Daniel 7:18 CEV)
            And in the second lesson for today from Ephesians, from the first chapter, we have these words, “⁴Before the world was created, God had Christ choose us to live with him and to be his holy and innocent and loving people.  ⁵God was kind and decided that Christ would choose us to be God’s own adopted children.   ¹¹God always does what he plans, and that’s why he had Christ choose us.”  (Ephesians 1:4-5,11 CEV)
            You and I have been chosen to be God’s children.  You and I have been chosen to be his servants in this world.  You and I have been given the promise of eternal life. 
And then, shortly before his death, Jesus said in the gospel of John, “³³My children, I will be with you for a little while longer.  Then you will look for me, but you won’t find me.  ^1b[But] don’t be worried!  Have faith in God and have faith in me.  ²There are many rooms in my Father’s house.  I wouldn’t tell you this unless it was true.  I am going there to prepare a place for each of you.  [And] ³After I have done this, I will come back and take you with me.  Then we will be together.”  (John 14:33,1b-3 CEV)
You and I have been chosen by God to inherit eternal life.  You and I have been chosen to be in the fellowship of all the saints from the beginning of time until now, for all eternity.  On this All Saints’ Sunday, let us rejoice in our station in this life as God’s Chosen People.  And let us rejoice in the eternal promise we have, with ALL the Saints, to abide forever with God. 
As the song we just sang said, “Rejoice and be glad!  Blessed are you, holy are you!  Rejoice and be glad!  Yours in the kingdom of God!”  (Blest Are They, text by David Haas ©1985 GIA Publications, Inc.)   As saints of God, we are given the right and the privilege to rejoice and be glad for our special place in the eyes of God.
But, as God’s chosen people we have also been commissioned to live a certain way, to act a certain way, to be a certain way with others with whom are living.
In our gospel reading for today, Jesus said in the very last paragraph, “²⁷This is what I say to all who will listen to me:    Love your enemies, and be good to everyone who hates you. ²⁸Ask God to bless anyone who curses you, and pray for everyone who is cruel to you. ²⁹If someone slaps you on one cheek, don’t stop that person from slapping you on the other cheek. If someone wants to take your coat, don’t try to keep back your shirt. ³⁰Give to everyone who asks and don’t ask people to return what they have taken from you.  ³¹Treat others just as you want to be treated.”  (Luke 6:27-31 CEV)
These words of Jesus have been called “The Golden Rule.”  I tried to find out how it was given this name, to no avail.  Most of us know the Golden Rule it by its more traditional rendering, “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.” But the modern version is just as appropriate, “Treat others just as you want to be treated.”  Either way, we get the point.  We are to act toward others in exactly the same ways we want others to act toward us.
A great application of the Golden Rule was made by President John Kennedy in 1963, in an anti-segregation speech, at the time of the first black enrollment at the University of Alabama.  He asked whites to consider what it would be like to be treated as second class citizens because of skin color.  Whites were to imagine themselves being black – and being told that they couldn’t vote, or go to the best public schools, or eat at most public restaurants, or sit in the front of the bus.  He asked, “Would whites be content to be treated that way?” He was sure that they wouldn’t – and yet this is how they treated others.  He said the “heart of the question is … whether we are going to treat our fellow Americans as we want to be treated.”  (Kennedy reference copied from http://www.jcu.edu/philosophy/gensler/goldrule.htm#Lo) 
A contemporary example of the Golden Rule can be found in yours and my daily lives.  Do we like it when we are hungry?  Of course not.   And so, what are we doing for those who ARE hungry?  Have we brought in a food bag for the collection this fall?   Jesus said, “The poor and the hungry will be blessed and be filled.” 
But how do we think that’s going to happen?  It’s going to happen because the chosen ones of God, you and me, are going to go the store and buy some food for folks who otherwise won’t have it this Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Similarly, in a few weeks, we will be setting up the Angel tree in the narthex once again.  The Angel tree will have suggested items to purchase for various families, some of them military families, and others local families from our congregation and community. 
Would we like to be remembered in a special way at Christmas?  Of course we would.  All we are asking by putting the Angel tree in the narthex is for us to treat others as we would like to be treated.
We know that to be chosen by God feels pretty good.  Actually, it feels really great!  What Jesus is hoping is that we will take our “chosenness,” apply the Golden Rule in our daily lives, and extend this great feeling to others.   AMEN