One Month To Live: Love Completely

1 Corinthians 1:18-21      

For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written,

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
    and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”

Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe.

Last Sunday we began our One Month To Live Series. 

I began by asking a rather simple question: If you knew you had one month to live, how would your life be radically transformed? 

I asked you:

Are you living the dash, knowing fully who you are and why you’re here?

Or are you dashing to live, hurriedly spending precious time chasing things that really don’t matter to you?

I hope that you have taken some time this week to wrestle with that question --- because I am convinced it is not only a profound question --- but if we take it seriously, it can be transformational.

As I met with the Monday morning Bible Study, I was asked if I knew the 2004 Tim McGraw song: "Live Like You Were Dying."  I chuckled when asked because it is a song that is on one of my running playlists --- songs that I use to try to encourage me to put one foot in front of the other.

The song really is this sermon series in verse.  But don't worry, I am not going to sing it to you:  But the song says

"I was in my early forties
With a lot of life before me
And a moment came that stopped me on a dime
I spent most of the next days
Looking at the x-rays
Talkin' 'bout the options
And talkin' 'bout sweet time"
I asked him
"When it sank in
That this might really be the real end
How's it hit you
When you get that kind of news?
Man, what'd you do?"

"I was finally the husband
That most of the time I wasn't
And I became a friend a friend would like to have
And all of a sudden going fishin'
Wasn't such an imposition
And I went three times that year I lost my dad
I finally read the Good Book, and I
Took a good, long, hard look
At what I'd do if I could do it all again

I went skydiving
I went Rocky Mountain climbing
I went 2.7 seconds on a bull named Fumanchu
And I loved deeper
And I spoke sweeter
And I gave forgiveness I'd been denying"
And he said
"Someday I hope you get the chance
To live like you were dying
Like tomorrow was a gift
And you've got eternity
To think about
What you'd do with it
What could you do with it
What did I do with it?
What would I do with it?

What would you do with it?

Today is the first day, of this new beginning --- what will you do?

Last week I shared with you the first key component of how we might want to live if we really embraced the idea that today is an unique, special gift.

The idea that I shared is that we must live passionately.

Passion is what drives transformation in this world.

Our passion for this gift of life has the potential to change how and why we live.

To stop going through the mundane routines of the world and instead seeing the opportunities to become a Kingdom difference maker.

Survey after survey that interview persons who have been diagnosed with a terminal illness agree on what they would change if they could go back and re-live their lives.

And that, of course, is relationships.

They would love more completely.

Or as Tim McGraw sang --- They would finally become the husband, that most of the time they weren't --- or the friend a friend would like to have.

I truly believe this is the most important of the four principles that Matt and I will share with you.

When we can learn to LOVE COMPLETELY, it changes everything.

The biggest problem with that is, in order to love completely --- we need to know that we are completely loved.

Jesus life is the perfect example of total love.

Yet, most of us don't see it that way.

We recognize that Jesus loves us --- but we often miss the completeness of it.

The author of John's letter tells us exactly what love is when he writes to us: (1 John 3:16 The Voice)

We know what true love looks like because of Jesus. He gave His life for us, and He calls us to give our lives for our brothers and sisters.

Complete love is sacrificial

·         No agenda

·         No requirements

·         just love!

But while Jesus shows us that kind of love, we often don't think we are worthy of it.

Until you KNOW that you are loved completely by Jesus

·         Until you KNOW that Jesus isn't Santa Claus and checking his list to see if you are naughty or nice

·         Until you KNOW that you are forgiven

·         That there is NOTHING that can separate you from the love of Christ

Paul writes in Romans 8:37-38 (The Message

. . . because Jesus loves us. I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.

·         Until we KNOW that, we will always feel unworthy and that unworthiness will keep us from loving completely.

But it is relationships that are the most important things in our lives.

And I don't have to tell you, but relationships are hard.

And what makes them so hard, is our unwillingness to recognize that we are totally, absolutely, completely loved!

Pastor Shook, in his book, "One Month To Live" illustrates that building healthy relationships is kind of like climbing a mountain.  And he suggested that there are three mountains that we need to climb over if we want to build, deep --- lasting relationships.

The first mountain is what he called: The Mountain of Misunderstanding.

From my experience, this is where a lot of relationships die.

Often in relationships -- misunderstandings can pile up quickly and kill a relationship.

In the beginning of a relationship, everything seems so beautiful and wonderful.  And then something happens.

Often it is something of no consequence, but that mole hill soon becomes Mount Everest.

Sometimes it is something rather mundane

Nancy and I were at the mall and while I was waiting for something she went off to look at the map of the mall to see if there was a store she wanted to go to (or at least that is what I thought she was doing.)

At one point I texted her and asked if there was an AT&T store in the mall.

She texted back: "Not at sign"

But the reality is what she was really saying was: "I am not at the map so I have no idea of there is an AT&T store.

Certainly not going to break up our marriage --- instead we were able to have a good laugh about it --- but for others, whom have already built a large mountain of misunderstanding it can become another boulder.

And I know of families that are stressed right now because one supported one candidate and the other supported someone else and they cannot fathom how, this person they thought that they knew could do such a thing.

Misunderstanding can be a huge mountain

The second mountain that we must climb is the Mountain of "Me First"

It just seems to be human nature to say: "I’ll meet your needs if you meet my needs first."

Our nature just seems to be one of selfishness.  But that selfishness created a huge obstacle in relationships.

This is not a new problem.

Paul addresses it when he writes in his letter to the Philippians:

Philippians 2:3-4   (NRSV)

³ Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. ⁴ Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.

The third and final peak in this rocky range is the most deadly – the Mountain of Mistakes.  And we all make mistakes.

Just as we have misunderstandings and the desire to put ourselves first, we all have faults and we mess-up.

Many relationships are forever abandoned on the mountain of mistakes.

Every one of us has been hurt when someone else wrongs us. And it’s so easy when you’re hurt in a relationship to build this mountain of bitterness around your heart to protect yourself from being hurt again.

Relationships can overcome anger. The Bible says sometimes it’s healthy to get angry when you really care about a relationship.

But whenever you become bitter and you hold on to a hurt and you build a mountain of bitterness around your heart to protect your heart from being hurt, it only hurts you and it poisons your relationships and no relationship can overcome the mountain of bitterness that we can build.

If you really love someone, sometimes you’ll get angry.

And that’s okay if you express it in the right way.

These three mountains shape every relationship.

Too often, the climb is too difficult and we give up

          We give up on marriages

          We give up on children

          We give up on friends

          We give up on co-workers

But we don't have to give up.

We can become the kind of person who knows what it takes to get over the obstacles and keep climbing.

To really love the people in our lives, we have to overcome these mountains and learn to work through the mistakes and push beyond our self-interests.

We have to grow in our willingness and ability to pour ourselves into those we love, and empowering them to persevere after we’re no longer with them.

It’s not easy – relationships aren’t for wimps.

And it’s going to take some extra-ordinary help: God’s power to love completely.

So let me offer some quick tools to help with building relationships that are centered in God's complete love.

1.       We need to learn to accept each other as we are.  I am going to use a dirty word to some people --- we have to be tolerant of each other.

Too often we want to change somebody else --- get them to come around to our point of view.  Thinking we know it all.

The world would be a much better place if we would learn to listen (really listen) to each other with respect!

God loves us just as we are --- and we need to do the same.

2.       We need to practice kindness.

We need to cherish every moment and every opportunity because it might be our last.

We need to be the one who makes the phone call, or writes the email, not waiting for the other to do it first.

3.       We have to learn to give forgiveness.

Forgiveness is the key.

I love how Eugene Peterson translates Colossians 3:12-14 when he writes

So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.

When asked what they would change more than anything else, what people who have been given a terminal diagnosis say is:  RELATIONSHIPS --- they would love more, listen more, cherish more, forgive more.

You have been given a terminal diagnosis --- you just don't know how long you have to live on the earthly existence. 

How you spend that time is up to you.

I invite you to love completely

and to celebrate those things that you are passionate about.

I invite you to love completely because you have been completely loved --- no matter what.

A couple of you said to me this week that you were trying to figure out something drastic to do --- can I offer a suggestion.

Recognize that you are loved completely and LOVE COMPLETELY in return!

One Month To Live: Live Passionately

Mark 12:28-31   (NRSV)

One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?” Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

One of my favorite places to visit are cemeteries.

When I was a student in North Carolina, my friend Mark and I would often go out riding our motorcycles and stopping whenever we came across a cemetery.

I am fascinated by old tombstones --- looking at them makes me imagine how the person might have lived --- trying to guess what was important to them.

I don’t think that I can visit a historical site and not seek out the cemetery.

A few years ago, Nancy and I were in Boston so she could run that little marathon that they have each spring.  But Boston of course, also has some wonderful cemeteries.  The most famous may be the Granary Burial Ground on the Freedom Trail that is the final resting place of Paul Revere, Samuel Adams and John Hancock, as well as the five victims of the Boston Massacre and Mother Goose (who was a real person).

Erik Ewers, a film editor for documentarian Ken Burns said:

"You look at these tombstones and each tombstone represents an individual life, existence, a career a family history. For me, graveyards are like a thousand untold stories. It spurs your curiosity.''

And one of the things that you quickly notice, when looking at old tombstones, is that a person’s life is often reduced to two dates and one little dash.

When you think about it, we don’t have control over many things in life.

We didn’t get to decide where we were born,

          or who our parents are,

          or which time period and culture we are a part of.

We also don’t get to decide the dates that will appear on our gravestone.

We don’t know when our time on this earth will be up.

It could be next week or next year or decades away.

While we can’t control when we will die, there is one thing we have a vast amount of control over.

We get to decide how we’re going to use our dash.

You get to choose how to spend that little dash of time between the two dates of your earthly existence.

What are you spending yours on?

Are you living the dash, knowing fully who you are and why you’re here?

Or are you dashing to live, hurriedly spending precious time chasing things that really don’t matter to you?

The problem is, most of us don’t really accept the idea that one day we are going to die. 

For some reason we think that we are going to be the one exception to the rule of life.

One of the things that I have witnessed during my 30+ years of ministry is that when someone is given a terminal diagnosis – something happens.

When they know they only have a few months or weeks to live they have an amazing clarity about how they would like to spend their remaining time.

They focus on their relationships, --- saying the things they had always wanted to say.

          They forgave and ask for forgiveness.

They didn’t waste time on insignificant daily routines but made the absolute most of their time left.

If you knew you had one month to live, how would your life be radically transformed?

But why do we wait until we’re diagnosed with cancer or we lose a loved one to accept this knowledge and allow it to free us?

Don’t we want all that our life has to offer?

Wouldn’t life be a lot more satisfying if we lived this way?

I want to challenge you to live the next 30 days as if they were your last – not because you’re going to die in a month, a week or a year.

The point is --- if you live the next 30 days as if they were your last --- then you’ll begin to know how to really live!

To do that, I want to challenge you to do several things.

First, every day, every morning ask yourself the question: “What would I do if I had one month to live”.

Use that question to set the tone for how you chose to live.

Second, you may want to pick up the book, One Month to Live and read a chapter each and every day.  The book is designed as a daily devotional.

Third, take some time and journal every day.  It can really help you focus on where your mind is.

Over the next couple of weeks we will discover four principles that will transform the question, “What would you do if you had one month to live”, into a lifestyle of meaning and purpose.

These four principles are all found in the life of Jesus.

What did Jesus do when He knew He had one month to live?

          He lived passionately,

          He loved completely,

          He learned humbly

          and He left boldly.

Jesus challenges us to do the same.

Listen to what Jesus said in John 10:10. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of. (The Message)

Abundant life is not about believing certain things – it is about living passionately.

And, nothing great ever happens without passion.

The driving force behind all great art,

          all great music,

          all great literature,

          all great drama,

          all great architecture is passion.

Passion is what makes things great.

Passion propels athletes to break records.

Passion pushes scientists to discover new cures for diseases.

Passion is what gives life meaning and purpose.

I can't stand watching NBA games during the regular season because there is no passion until the final 5 minutes of the game. 

I think that is why I love college sports so much.

          The players --- they play with passion

          And the fans do the same

When Jesus is asked what the most important commandment is, he gives a rather insightful answer. 

He answers as any good Jewish man would. 

He replies with the words from the Shema.

(Matthew 22:34-40 The Message) 

When the Pharisees heard how he had bested the Sadducees, they gathered their forces for an assault. One of their religion scholars spoke for them, posing a question they hoped would show him up: "Teacher, which command in God's Law is the most important?" 

Jesus said, "'Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.' This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set alongside it: 'Love others as well as you love yourself.' These two commands are pegs; everything in God's Law and the Prophets hangs from them."

Jesus tells us the most important thing is to love God, and to love God passionately!

It is not easy to live with passion. 

Too often we fall into the same old, same old routine.

Howard Thurman said,

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

When we live passionately we come alive!

Dr. Richard Swenson in his book “Margin” says margin is the difference between your load and your limit.

The less margin you have in life the more stress you’ll experience in your life.

It is kind of like trying to read a book with no spaces between the words and no margins on the page.

          A life without margin is just like that.

Without margin, without space, sentences are chaotic and incomprehensible and a life without margin is chaotic and incomprehensible.

When I put a little margin and space in my life it all makes sense again.

But most of us live our lives without any margin at all.

          We have no margin physically.

          We don’t get enough rest.

          We don’t eat right and exercise.

          We have no margin in our schedules.

          Our calendars are crowded.

          We have no margin in our finances.

          We just live from paycheck to paycheck.

We have absolutely no margin in our lives and we wonder why we feel so stressed and lose our passion in life.

We get so busy in the details that we miss the most important things in life.

I want to offer four suggestions on how we can live a more passionate life.

1.       Do something drastic.

This is not my strong suit. 

I like to follow the rules.

I don’t generally like to take short cuts.

But there is a great story in the bible about some guys who did something drastic.

(Luke 5:18-19 NRSV) 

Just then some men came, carrying a paralyzed man on a bed. They were trying to bring him in and lay him before Jesus; {19} but finding no way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the middle of the crowd in front of Jesus.

These guys were so desperate to connect their sick friend with Jesus, that they cut a hole in the roof of the house to get him in. 

Can you imagine being so passionate about something --- doing something as drastic or crazy?

I want to challenge you to ask a drastic question every day.

If you knew you had one month to live how would you live your life?

What would you do?

What would you not do?

When people find out that they have a short time left to live on this earth, they suddenly realize what matters most --- and more often than not its relationships.

Suddenly people are set free and they say the things that they wish they would have always said.

They do the things that maybe had been on their to-do list for years that were important to them, but they never got around to it because life was too busy.

          Well, guess what?

Now they make time.

They ask for forgiveness from others and they give forgiveness freely to anyone who asks.

Their lives are revolutionized in their last days.

They do the things they wish they would have always done.

If this is what happens to when we find out that our days are numbered then why don’t we live this way all the time?

Why don’t we start living like that now?

The problem is we need to identify what is really important.

Unfortunately we tend to focus on things that don’t last – things that will be broken or forgotten in just a couple of years -- instead of focusing on the things that are truly important.

When we recognize what is truly important, we can begin to become passionate about it.

Then we can start removing the obstacles to achieving those things.

So, cut out those things that don’t matter.

And I know that this is hard.

As I put my list together, I have a list of a couple of dozen things to do – and the truth is, they are all good things.

          There is really not a bad thing on that list.

But if I’m going to really do well and really be focused I’m only going to get a few things done right.

So, how do I decide?

How do I choose between all these things I have to do?

I want to give you a little trick to figure out what’s the most important thing in your life.

          How do you focus in on the most important thing?

The really important things in your life, the things that you would focus on if you knew your time was limited are not the things that come with bells and whistles.

          They aren’t the things that have a deadline.

          They aren’t the things that you’ll be rewarded for if you do.

In fact, almost certainly they will go unnoticed and un-praised if you do choose to do them.

They are things like taking the time to tuck your kids in to bed at night.

Taking the time to really listen to them when they talk.

Spending that time having coffee or taking a walk with your spouse.

Not to try to figure out your calendars, not to figure out when you are going to have repairs done on the house, but just to connect, to tell each other how much you mean to one another.

There are things that don’t have a deadline and for that reason we rarely get them done because our schedules are always full.

So what I want to encourage you to do and what I am trying to do in my own life is to figure out what’s really important, and cut out everything else.

And while we should do this drastic thing of identifying what is most important in our lives we also need to:

2.       Expect the unexpected.

You prioritize your life based on what’s important.

You come up with your plan, but things don’t always go as planned.

Life interrupts you.

There will always be things that come into your life that are crazy and hectic. That’s when you have to lighten up your attitude and just go with the flow.

But if you have created margin in your life --- if you have created the space, when something unexpected, but important comes up, you will have the space to deal with it.

3.       Create space for God

In the middle of our crowded, over-scheduled lives we have to create a space to intentionally meet with Jesus.

The problem is, we begin to say things like –

when things settle down we’ll get around to that.

When I’m not so busy I’ll take care of those important things.

Unfortunately that doesn’t work!

          This is our life.     This is it.

What we’re living right now is our life and we can’t fall into that old habit pattern of saying well, when things slow down, I’ll get around to the important things.

If we’re not doing the important things now they are never going to get done.

And one of the best things that we can do, when we feel overwhelmed with all kinds of things pulling at us – vying for our attention, is to slow down and spend some time with God.

It’s amazing when I do that how God begins to clarify everything and everything begins to fall in place.

It seems like I just have more time in my day to get things done.

Sometimes I feel like I’m too busy to stop and spend time with God, but the truth is, I’m too busy not to.

When I stop and I give God 15, 20, 30 minutes in the morning before I rush off into my busy day somehow it makes the day go better and helps me get done then things that really matter.

Finally, I want to suggest again that you take the time to journal every day.  By doing that you will force yourself to slow down and deal with the question: what would I do if I knew that I had only 30 days to live?

John Maxwell, for years, has kept a sign on his desk that simply says “yesterday ended last night.”

He says it reminds him of no matter how badly I failed in the past, it’s done and today is a new day. No matter what goals I’ve accomplished, they have little direct impact on what I do today.

That’s the power of today.

You can live passionately.

A life of complete fullness and peace.

Not crowded and rushed and hurried and always scared that we are missing out on something, but the fullness and peacefulness that comes from a life well lived.

Psalm 46 reminds us to:

 “Be still, and know that I am God”

Maybe today you feel like you’ve forgotten who you are and whose you are.

Life can become so crowded and rushed that you can’t even remember what’s important or why you are even living.

The way to start remembering is to be still and remember who God is.

As we get ready to sing our closing hymn, I hope that you will take this opportunity to center yourself in God’s love, and slow down so that you can begin looking at what really matters, and begin to live a life full of passion!

The Long Way Home

Matthew 2:1-12  (NRSV)

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:

‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
    who is to shepherd my people Israel.’”

Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

When Nancy was a little girl her mom had a nativity scene that was set out every advent.  Nancy would play for hours with the characters and make up all kinds of stories about the birth of Jesus. 

She played with the nativity so long that many of the pieces are now broken and have been cobbled back together. 

But there is something powerful and special about a nativity set that was so loved that  --- despite it's shabby condition --- it still holds a special place in ones heart, even to this day.  

But it wasn't until Nancy was a teenager and her family traveled to Europe to visit her sister, whose husband was stationed in Germany, that Nancy really fell in love with nativity scenes.  While in Italy, she bought her very first nativity --- made out of glass.

Today we have over 50 nativity sets, and every year she spends days setting them all up --- and even more time putting them all away.  A new nativity was added this year, our daughter who is living in Spain, brought back a traditional Spanish styled nativity.

One of the reasons that so many of us are drawn to Nativity scenes (and I loved the selection that was on display here at Meridian Street) is because they serve as reminders of a special baby that was born in very humble circumstances.

For many people, and I know in our Crèche out on the front lawn, baby Jesus is not placed in the manger until Christmas Eve. 

And for some, the Wise Men do not make an appearance until Epiphany --- twelve days after Christmas. 

I noticed that Matt posted pictures on Instagram of the Wise Men arriving at the Manger on Friday (Epiphany).

But if we were to be more accurate --- the Wise Men wouldn't arrive at our nativity scenes until about two years after the birth of Jesus.

All kinds of traditions and songs have led us to assume many things about these men that the Bible does not tell us.

For one, we often refer to them as “kings,” which we sang about this morning, which is probably not accurate.

To call them wise men is probably fair, as the mostly likely possibility is that these men were astrologers.

We have always referred to them as the “three wise men,” but we do not actually know their number; and we have no idea (despite tradition) what there names were --- all we know for sure is that they brought at least three gifts on their long journey from the East.

They traveled because they had seen a very unusual star, or perhaps an unusual alignment of several stars, that signaled to them the birth of divine royalty.

So, like captains charting a course by the stars in the middle of the vast ocean, these mean set off to “follow” the star.

Their journey brought them to the country of Judea. And, not surprisingly, they assumed that the star indicated a birth in the house of the ruler; so they went first to the king’s house, to King Herod’s home in Jerusalem.

“Where is the King of the Jews?” they asked Herod.

It was a seemingly innocent question, but it was also the beginning of trouble for Jesus.

Herod didn’t like the question, of course, because he WAS the King of the Jews, and the fact that it was being asked by some exotic men who had journeyed from a distant country was even more troubling to the king.

The idea that there might be a rival to his throne was terribly disturbing for him.

So Herod instructs the magi to go out and find the baby, then to report back to him about where this "king is" --- no doubt so that he can have him killed.

So the magi go, with the information that they have received from Herod --- that the future king is to be born in Bethlehem. And the star leads them right to the doorstop of the home where the child Jesus is now living with Mary and Joseph.

Immediately upon entering, these Wise Men know they are in the presence of the most wonderful king to ever be born.

So they do the only thing they know how in the presence of a king.

They fall to their knees to honor him, and they offer gifts fit for a king --- gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

And even though these Wise Men came from a long way away --- and were certainly not Jews --- they KNEW that this king was different and was king for all people.

Today we are celebrating two events.

Friday was Epiphany and what Epiphany is really is about is the revealing of Jesus to the world. Epiphany means "to show", "to make known" or "to reveal", we celebrate that Jesus is made known to the Wise Men, and to us!

Today is the Sunday in which we celebrate the Baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist --- an event that was Jesus' coming out party.

An event that said to the world --- Jesus is exactly who the Wise Men thought he was --- King of Kings, Lord of Lords!

As we watch the whole scene of the arrival of the Wise Men unfold yet again, it raises what I think is an important, post-Christmas question: Jesus is here, what are you going to do about it?

We have just celebrated again the birth of Jesus Christ.

We have been reminded of God’s eternal presence with us through Emmanuel.

We have sung songs, baked goodies, opened gifts; all in honor of our Savior’s birth. Perhaps through the season we have even felt the wonderful warmth and assurance of Christ being born in our own hearts and lives; either for the first time, or the fiftieth.

So what are we going to do about it?

If we are going to truly know and celebrate a different kind of Christmas, this is a crucial question.

Jesus’ birth means nothing if it is not celebrated throughout the year.

Jesus’ birth means nothing if it does not change our lives.

And I’m not talking about lives changed for just a few days or weeks.

I’m talking lives changed for years to come.

The wise men followed that star for several months, if not years.

They did not stray from their path; they did not abandon their journey. They pressed on until they found what they were looking for. And when they did, they fell to their knees in worship of this tiny king. They knew their lives would never be the same, and so the worshipped the King of kings and Lord of lords. Wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of peace.

When the Wise Men found Jesus, they didn’t say, “Great, there he is! We’ll come back after we’ve grabbed a bite to eat and watched the game. We’ll just drop in when it’s more convenient.”

No. They fell to their knees right then and there to worship their king.

And we should do no less.

After all the gifts are opened and our bellies are full, the least, the LEAST, we can do is bow down to worship our Savior and say “Thank you” to God for the countless ways God has blessed our lives.

But really, there’s even more we should do.

Worship is not just about honoring God, it’s also about giving back to God generously, in the same way that God has given to us.

Did you remember Jesus on your gift list this year?

Did you set aside a gift worthy of a king?

Sadly, our general practice around Christmastime is to give gifts to one another, forgetting that it is Jesus’ birthday.

This is no way to honor our King, our Lord, our Savior. 

Too often we are worshipping one another and our stuff, instead of worshipping God. And the result is that lives are broken by debt, jealously, and broken dreams.

Jesus did not come to take our lives, my friends --- he came to give us life.

Abundant Life

And the way we experience that life is by giving to God in the same way that God has given to us.

If you didn’t honor Jesus with a gift this Christmas, that’s okay, because it’s not too late.

·         Give a little extra to the church mission projects this week.

·         Or go out and buy a coat and a blanket and carry it to a homeless person.

·         Take some food to the family whose children are on the free lunch program.

These are the kinds of things that Jesus likes to see on his birthday. And you don’t have to honor Jesus in this way only during the Christmas season.

In fact, the Christmas season shouldn’t limit us at all.

The magi were two years late, but their gift was no less important because of the span of time, and neither is ours!

Jesus is here, so what are we going to do about it?

After the wise men honored Jesus with worship and gifts, it was time for them to return to their homeland.

But remember, their lives had been changed by this encounter with the Living Christ.

They now understand completely the significance of this little boy in Bethlehem. So, it is no surprise that when they are approached in a dream and warned not to return to Herod, they refused to go back to Jerusalem --- instead they went home by a different way.

So must we.

Christ has come into our very midst.

Emmanuel has been born among us.

God’s kingdom has broken into this world.

But it is all for naught if we do not follow a different path.

Because, remember, God’s kingdom is not of this world.

God’s ways are not our ways.

Jesus’ birth is meaningless if our lives are still ruled by selfishness, money, consumerism, violence, and hatred.

We have to follow a different path, the path that Jesus prepared for us through his very own life. This is the way of selflessness, generosity, humility, peace, and love. It may indeed be the road less traveled, but it is the road that assures Christ’s continuing presence and growing kingdom in our world.

The gift is of God, but the choice is ours.

What Are You Waiting For?

Matthew 11:2-11   (NRSV)

When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.”

As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written,

‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
    who will prepare your way before you.’

Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

Advent --- is a season for waiting, but there is one important question --- What are we waiting for?

          Seriously, what are we really waiting for?

If you look around and asked somebody who knows nothing about this season and asked them what it all about --- what would they tell you we are waiting for?

While we like to say Jesus is the reason for the season, the sad truth is: Santa is what dominates our society and appears to be what the season is really all about.

This question of what we are waiting for in Advent is nothing new.

Our scripture this morning is an interesting one.

John the Baptist is in prison, and he hears about this itinerant preacher and so he sends some of his disciples to ask the all important question.

John the Baptist is afraid that he might not have the right guy, so he sends his team to the source to find out.

“Are you the One we’ve been expecting, or are we still waiting?” (The Message)

When you hear this question --- is should stop you in your tracks.

John is asking, WHAT?

          He doesn't KNOW who Jesus is?

How can that even be?

It is almost as if John wants to make sure Jesus is the One, because he doesn't want to end up on the wrong side of history.

He doesn't want to end up following the wrong guy

And then Jesus answer is even more astounding.

First he says to John's disciples:  Watch what is going on and go back and tell him, and he will know the answer.

But, it is when John's disciples leave that the conversation really gets interesting.

The people that had gone down to the river to see John probably went expecting to see a madman putting on a religious show.

Instead what they got was a man announcing the advent of God’s Messiah.

Many weren’t ready for what they received.

Perhaps we’re still not ready.

Jesus calls them on the carpet and says to those who had gone out to see John baptizing in the wilderness:

“What did you expect when you went out to see him in the wild? A weekend camper? Hardly. What then? A sheik in silk pajamas? Not in the wilderness, not by a long shot. What then? A prophet? That’s right, a prophet! Probably the best prophet you’ll ever hear. He is the prophet that Malachi announced when he wrote, ‘I’m sending my prophet ahead of you, to make the road smooth for you.’ (The Message)

We struggle with the same questions that John and the Pharisees had. 

          Is Jesus the one? 

          And if he is, what does that mean for our lives!

As we read this episode in Matthew’s Gospel, we too are challenged to reconsider what we expect to find when we leave the safe and acceptable confines of our sanctuary this morning.

What do we expect to find in our neighborhood once we leave church?

          What did you come to church to learn about?

That is the question of Advent --- and we all ask it

"Are you the one I've been waiting for, or shall I wait for another?"

·         Is this the present I've been waiting for?

·         Is this the job I've been waiting for?

·         Is this the date I've been waiting for?

·         Is this really the house we wanted so desperately?

·         Is this really the person I loved years ago? Is this really the person I love now?

Jesus tells us, that the true gift of Advent --- if we have eyes so we can see beyond our expectations --- if we are willing to look around us and see all the places where Jesus is working and inviting us --- the true gift of Advent --- is reconciliation and peace.

“Go and tell John what you have heard and seen. The blind are now able to see, and the lame can walk. People with leprosy are being healed, and the deaf can hear. The dead are raised to life, and the poor are hearing the good news.”

Jesus came to the blind, the lame, the lepers, the deaf, the poor, the dead.

He came to the downtrodden.

He came in humility for the humble.

He came for those who did not have it all worked out for themselves.

He came for those who knew they needed Him.

Some of us think we have finally got it all.

We have the house we always wanted.

We have the job we always wanted.

We have that spouse, that husband or wife, who is the answer to all our dreams.

We even have the car we always wanted.

We got our children into good schools.

But is that all there is?

Is this what we were waiting for?

Listen to what Jesus told John's disciples when they asked that question.

Jesus said, "When you get me, the lame walk, the blind receive their sight, the dead are raised, the poor get good news."

What does all that mean?

It means that John's disciples, who had already repented and turned around once, were going to have to repent and turn around again.

It means that Jesus comes to reverse things.

What was dead is now raised.

What was blind now sees.

What was lame now walks.

When we get the gift of Jesus, our lives are changed.

The sign that Jesus has come --- is that people are changed.

Do we really want the gift of Christ this year?

·         We will recognize the gift of love and peace when we recognize that people have changed.

·         We will recognize the gift of love and peace when we recognize that we must change, too.

The spiritual word for that change is repentance, to turn around.

No matter how young or old we are, whether we are waiting to receive that perfect bicycle, waiting to receive that special answer from our loved one, waiting for that special moment of reconciliation with our children or with our parents, we are also waiting ultimately for Jesus.

Jesus will change us.

Jesus will turn us around.

Even if we've changed before, --- even if we have repented before, --- Jesus will raise the dead again.

Jesus is what we are waiting for

Jesus is what we have come to see --- and Jesus will come!

Doing Justice

Isaiah 11:1-10   (NRSV)

A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse,
    and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him,
    the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
    the spirit of counsel and might,
    the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.

He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
    or decide by what his ears hear;
but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
    and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
    and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist,
    and faithfulness the belt around his loins.

The wolf shall live with the lamb,
    the leopard shall lie down with the kid,
the calf and the lion and the fatling together,
    and a little child shall lead them.
The cow and the bear shall graze,
    their young shall lie down together;
    and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp,
    and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.
They will not hurt or destroy
    on all my holy mountain;
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord
    as the waters cover the sea.

On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious

Matthew 3:1-12   (NRSV)

In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said,

“The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
    make his paths straight.’”

Now John wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him, and all the region along the Jordan, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit worthy of repentance. Do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor’; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

“I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

Matt invited you to slow down last week --- to: “let go of all the busyness, let go of all the gifts, let go of all the worry, and simply be present to the season and receive the gift of God that is found throughout this season.” 

I tried --- and it is definitely a work in progress.

But until I slow down,

until I find that peace that passes all understanding,

it is hard for me to understand,

let along move toward become a person of justice.

As I wrote to you this week --- justice is a difficult word for me.

As I was getting ready to sit down and work on my sermon, I was watching the morning news.  And a commercial came on that illustrates the confusion many of us have with the word justice.

It is a commercial I have seen thousands of times, because this lawyer is from "The Region" but has expanded his practice throughout the state.

I am sure you have seen it.

It begins by showing pictures of tragedies ---

          Fire

          Car Accident

          The stage collapse a few years ago at the Indiana State Fair

And the voice talking over the commercial says: "The simple truth is life isn't just . . . and it concludes by saying "Even when life isn't just, there still can be justice."

And it leaves me with the question --- is that the same kind of justice that Jesus and the Bible talks about?

What is justice?

If you listen to the news, or Kenneth Allen's commercials: justice seems to be about retribution.

When somebody does you wrong --- somebody else needs to pay.

Retribution is not the goal of Biblical Justice --- BUT WHAT IS?

Our scripture passages this morning help us to understand.

The first passage is from the prophet Isaiah.

This passage gives us a glimpse of what the Kingdom of God is to look like.

Isaiah wrote during a very violent and turbulent time in the life of ancient Israel.

Isaiah 11 is often illustrated in art and referred to as the Peaceable Kingdom. 

An ideal state that God is calling all people to.

From God's point of view --- the least, the last, and the lost are not to be the prey of the powerful.

Big companies should not take advantage of smaller companies by devouring them and running them out of business.

The rich and powerful are to become the advocates for those who are oppressed by economics.

Local business owners are to cooperate by reaching out to the indigent poor who reside in streets and alleys.

When we see this happening, says the prophet: it will be evidence that God’s kingdom is emerging in our very neighborhoods.

When we as a church --- as Christians --- work together to reach out to the dispossessed and disenfranchised and take steps to help them help themselves and become part of the valued community, then we make our communities safer places for children to live and thrive.

The images that Isaiah uses are powerful

The lamb and the lion --- the powerful predator and the weak prey --- seemingly friends

The image of the child playing over a rattlesnake’s hole is a picture of a community that values rehabilitation and recovery in order that its children may not become the victims or prey of those who desperately need our compassion and help.

Tuesday a number of us went to the World Trade Center to the 911 memorial.

          It was a powerful experience.

But just imagine if you can what the world might look like had our nation on September 12th 2001 begun the arduous and difficult task of calling Arabs and Muslims from around the world to discuss why the twin towers disaster in New York City happened rather than designing a war room and battle plans?

I know --- you are all saying --- what Isaiah saw --- the peaceable kingdom is pie in the sky idealism.

But Isaiah wasn't calling us to stare at Edward Hick's iconic picture called the "Peaceable Kingdom" and stop there.

Isaiah was calling us to do specific things to help transform this world and help it reflect God's kingdom.

And it is our Matthew passage that holds the key to how we get there.

Yes, it is a strange passage to be listening to during advent, when we all really want is tinsel and parties and Christmas carols.

Matthew is reminding us that the key to justice (God's justice) is found in repentance.

I don't know about you --- but repentance generally isn't high on my list during the Christmas season.

But Matthew is telling us about ADVENT --- the coming of Jesus not just 2,000 years ago, but today.

John tells us that if we want to experience this ADVENT of Jesus we must prepare ourselves by doing three things.

First, in order to prepare for Jesus we must confess.

Have you ever known someone who had a lingering illness but who refused to seek a doctor's attention?

You have to recognize that there's a problem before you will seek assistance from outside yourself.

This new thing that God wants to do in our lives requires that we recognize that there is a problem and by ourselves we cannot fix it --- we need the ADVENT of Jesus.

Second, to prepare for the ADVENT of Jesus we must become obedient.

In my opinion, the hardest word in the English language is OBEY!

          We don't like anyone telling us what to do.

But God does --- being a follower of Jesus --- literally a disciple of his --- requires that we obey our teacher, our master.

I imagine you have heard the story about the little boy who was disrupting the dinner table.  He was standing on his chair --- and despite his mothers demands, he refused to sit down.  Eventually, she came around behind his chair and forced him to sit.

After squirming for a time, he finally sat still, but he said defiantly, "I may be sitting on the outside, but I'm standing on the inside!"

That's us!

How like that child are so many of us --- we continually insist on our own way.

But the truth is, God wants us to experience so much more --- but we can only experience it when we give God our trust and are willing to obey.

And if those two aren't hard enough the final challenge that John gives us is that we must recognize that we need Jesus --- that we are actually dependent upon Jesus.

We can't "do" justice without Jesus.

But it still begs the question --- what is meant by God's justice?

We know it is not retribution --- but what is it?

God's justice is uncomfortable for many of us.

It doesn't fit into our world view very well.

          Our economy is based on different principles

Biblical justice involves making individuals, communities, and the cosmos whole, by upholding both goodness and impartiality.

It is perfectly illustrated in Isaiah 11

It is a world where all of creation lives in harmony

Maybe one way to illustrate it is again using two words that we often see as meaning the same thing, but words that God sees very differently.

And those two words are Equality and Equity

Equality is certainly a very good thing

          Everyone should have an equal chance

But God calls us to Equity

What's the difference?

Again let me try to illustrate rather simply

3 boys are standing at a six foot fence

Unfortunately, none of the boys can see over the fence

So someone finds them a box that they can all stand on

The box is one foot high --- so it is equal for all three boys

The problem is:

One boy is 5 feet tall, so with the help of the box he can now see

The second boy is only 4 1/2 feet tall --- and while standing on the box --- even on his tippy toes he can only get glimpses of the field

The third boy is only 4 feet tall and cannot see a thing

The box was EQUAL for all three boys --- but it did not provide EQUITY

EQUITY would require three boxes of different heights so all three could see

The world focuses on EQUALITY

God's justice demand EQUITY

How can you promote God's justice this Advent Season?

First, you need to slow down --- and let God's peace wash over you --- then we can begin to work for justice.