Monday, May 25, 2009

Memorial Day ~ What do these stones mean?

As the people of Israel finally entered into the Promised Land, God told Joshua to have one man from each of the 12 tribes of Israel enter into the middle of the Jordan River, right where the people crossed over, and pick up a stone to carry with them into the Promised Land. Those stones were then set up as an altar to remind the people of all that God had done to bring them safely to their new home, and when future generations saw that altar and asked what do these stones mean – the stories of God’s faithfulness would be told. The stones reminded the people how God stopped the flow of water in the Jordan River so that the people could cross over on dry ground and enter into the land God had promised them, but the stones said so much more. Those stones gave the people the opportunity to share with their children and grandchildren the stories about how God provided manna and quail for the people as they wandered in the wilderness. The stones told how God made water come forth from a rock, and they stood as a reminder of how God parted the Red Sea and rescued the people of Israel from the advancing armies of Pharaoh. The stones were a reminder of how God forgave his people and how God guided them faithfully through 40 years of wandering in the wilderness until the finally entered into the land God had promised them.

The stones reminded people of God’s faithfulness and God’s commitment to his people and his promise, but they also stood as a reminder to the people that they were being called to be faithful and committed to the work of God themselves. While crossing the Jordan River and entering into the promised land was the end of a long journey for the people of Israel, it was not the end of the story, in many ways it was only the beginning, the beginning of a new day. Now that they were in the land God had promised them they had to establish themselves as a nation. There were already people living in the land so they would have to drive out nations. They were going to have to build homes and communities and they had to learn how to work the land and raise crops. They had been a wandering people for over a generation and now they had to learn what it would mean for them to settle down and establish a new community. There was a lot of work that still needed to be done and while the stones told them that God had been faithful in the past and would be faithful to them in the future – those stones also told the people that they needed to remain faithful themselves and that they needed to once again commit themselves to the work God had for them.

This weekend we will also take some time to look at stones, stones that have a lot to say to us. Memorial Day is not just a time for cook-outs and camping, and it’s not just a time to plant flowers and put out the patio furniture, it’s also a day to remember and it’s a day to ask ourselves, what do these stones mean? These stones reflect lives of faithful service. These stones tell the story of sacrifice and commitment made by so many men and women who were willing to give themselves to a cause greater than themselves. Each of these stones tells the story of a person who gave their life to help someone else. They reflect men and women who were willing to help fight for freedom and justice both here and around the world. The stones that we will reflect upon and decorate with flowers and flags this weekend help us remember and give thanks for those who have sacrificed for us and served us, but these stones need to do so much more. These stones need to call us to greater faithfulness and deeper service.

These stones need to remind us that as followers of Jesus, each and every one of us is called to give ourselves away in service for others. In Matthew 16:24 Jesus says, If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. In other words we have to stop thinking about ourselves first and what’s best for us and we need to be willing to lay down our lives so that others can experience freedom, spiritual freedom and life. We are called to look not to our own interests but to the interest and the well being of others. We are called to have the same mind as Jesus, who didn’t think about himself first and foremost, and did not think about what was good for him, but what was in the best interest of others. Look at Philippians 2:5-8.
We are being called here to have the same mind, or the same attitude as Christ himself who never thought about himself first. While Jesus was God himself, he did not hold on to his rights and privileges as God, he didn’t hold tightly to all that he was entitled to in heaven; instead he gave it all up because he was thinking about us. Jesus humbled himself when he put our needs first and came into this world in the form or a servant – someone who would spend his life helping others. And when that life of service became difficult and dangerous, Jesus didn’t turn away, he remained faithful and committed, he was obedient to death – even death on a cross. Jesus gave himself fully so that others might fully live – so that we might live. Jesus committed himself to the will of God and he sacrificed himself so that we might be free, spiritually and emotionally and some day physically freed. Paul is saying here in Phil. 2 that it is not enough to just remember all of this, it’s not enough to just give thanks for Jesus and all he did for us – we have to be willing to embrace this attitude and this way of life.

So Memorial Day shouldn’t just be a day to look back and remember, it also needs to be a day for us to look forward and commit ourselves again to faithful service to God and to the work of God and the people of God and to God’s people here and around the world. I love what Abraham Lincoln said in his Gettysburg Address: It is for us the living rather to be dedicated to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us. For Lincoln, it wasn’t just about looking to the past to remember and honor the sacrifice of those who had given so much; it was also about picking up their hopes and dreams and following their example of dedication and service in order to make the world a better place. Reflecting and giving thanks for those who fought for our freedom and died so that we might experience the fullness of life is important – but it’s really not enough. These stones tell us that we need to keep giving ourselves to others. As we reflect on those who have gone before us this weekend, are we willing to remain faithful to God and commit ourselves anew to the work of God here and around in the world? Will we dedicate ourselves to the great task that remains before us? That task is the unfinished work of God. It’s to continue to share the love of God and the forgiveness and grace of Jesus Christ with others. It’s to invite people to experience the salvation that is ours through Christ alone and to draw people closer to God.

We are all here today because someone in our lives was willing to give them themselves to this great task. We are here because there were people who dreamed big dreams about what the power of God could do in their community and they were willing to give themselves to God and sacrifice their time and energy and even their lives for us. There are those who have fought to help establish our freedom, but there are also those men and women who have worked hard to establish us in faith. As a church, we are here today because men and women of vision and passion and commitment were willing to step out and dream big dreams for God. There were people who willing to take a great risk and buy this piece of land and build this building. We are here in worship today because men and women: parents, grandparents, teachers, leaders, friends and neighbors took the time to pray for us and they told us about Jesus. They shared with us the love of God and they taught us about Jesus. More importantly they showed us what it means to love and follow Jesus. We are here today because there have been countless numbers of people who have given themselves to the work of God and while it’s important to remember them and give thanks for their faithful lives of service, remembering and giving thanks is not enough – we have to be willing to commit ourselves again to carrying on the work of God.

What will it mean for us to dedicate ourselves to the great task before us? Let’s go back to Joshua 4 and see what we can learn. The first thing we see here is that when God speaks to Joshua – Joshua is listening. When God asks Joshua to choose 12 men who will go and take stones out of the river – Joshua is listening – his ears and mind and heart are attentive to the word of God. If we are going to commit ourselves to the great tasks God has for us, then we have to know what those tasks are. There are many ways we could build the kingdom of God in this world. There are many causes for justice we could fight for and many ministries we can pursue, so how do we know what God specifically wants us to do? There is only one way we can know and that is to listen to God.

Are our ears and our hearts attentive to the word of God? Are we personally listening for God to give us a sense of purpose and direction? The question isn’t whether or not God is still speaking today – he is, the question is, are we listening? There are so many ways we can listen for God today. We can listen for God as we read the word of God written in the Bible. We can listen for God as we reflect on the life of Jesus – remember Jesus was the word of God in the flesh. In John 1 it says that in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the Word was God. And this word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. So as we listen to what Jesus says and more importantly as we watch what Jesus does we can hear the word of God. We can also listen to God speak directly to our hearts and minds through the power of God’s Holy Spirit. Through the convictions of our heart, God can speak to us, through the thoughts and directions of our minds, God can speak to us, and sometimes if we are open enough and quiet enough we can hear the word of God speak. So the question is, are we listening? Are we eager and anxious to listen?

One of the hardest things for us is to do as we enter into worship each week is to enter with the expectation that God is here to speak to us. The last 2 weeks I attended different churches and while I was excited to be able to worship in new places, I have to tell you that I’m not sure I went into worship expecting or anticipating God to speak to me. I’m not sure we gather each week expecting God to speak to our lives, and yet if we want to dedicate ourselves to the great task that lies before us, if we want to commit ourselves to the work God has for us then we need to enter into this time with ears and hearts that are open and ready and eager to hear what God has to say. Joshua was listening when God spoke and we need to constantly listen because God is still speaking today.

But let’s also be clear that listening isn’t enough, we must also be willing to act on what we hear – that’s what Joshua did. Without asking why they had to pick up stones, Joshua chose the men and then set them out to work. They were obedient in what God called them to do and we also need to be obedient to the work God has for us. Again it is Jesus who talks about the importance of acting on the word of God. In Matthew 7:24-27we find Jesus finishing up his sermon on the mount. After teaching the crowds about how they needed to practically live their lives in this world, after giving careful instruction on how to live in relationship with God and in community with the people of God – Jesus says this:

Notice that Jesus says here that it’s not enough to listen to the word of God – we have to act on it, we have to live it out in our lives and when we do we will not only have a strong and solid faith for ourselves, but we will be establishing a foundation of faith for those around us. When we act on the word of God, when we follow through on all the big and little things God asks of us, we will be helping pave the way of faith for all of those who will follow us, and that’s part of what the stones mean. Whether it’s the stones out of the Jordan River, or the grave stones we will reflect on this weekend, the stones are a call to faithful service. The stones call us to commit ourselves to the work of God so that future generations can live in spiritual freedom and come to know the love and grace of Jesus Christ. So let us commit ourselves to the great task that still lies before us, let us dedicate ourselves to the unfinished work of building God’s kingdom as listen for the word of God and then faithfully act upon what we hear.

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Jesus ~ The Good Shepherd

Tim Laniak is a professor at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary and on a trip he took to the Middle East he spent a lot of time with shepherds. Tim travelled with the shepherds, slept in their tents, tended sheep with them and asked a lot of questions. One of the questions Tim asked was if the shepherds really knew their sheep. You may have heard the stories about how sheep only know the voice of their shepherd and how they will only follow that voice, but do shepherds really know each and every one of their sheep as well. The shepherds reply, yes, he knew each and every one of his sheep. He knew the year the sheep was born and the circumstances of its birth. He knew if it had broken any bones. He knew which diseases it's susceptible to, which foods it doesn't digest well. He knew which animals it doesn't get along with and he knew its temperament—if it tends to wander or fight or follow. Obviously if his sheep had names, this shepherd would have known each and every one of them.

So a good shepherd really does know his sheep, and as our Good Shepherd, Jesus really does know us, but what is it that Jesus knows about us? To answer this, let’s look at 4 people from the gospel to see what Jesus knew about them, the first is Nathanael. Nathanael was a friend of Philip, who was one of the first disciples of Jesus. When Philip told Nathanael that he believed Jesus to be the Messiah, Nathanael was skeptical. He couldn’t believe that anyone or anything good could from Nazareth, which is where Jesus grew up. When Jesus meets Nathanael he says… (John 1:47-49). Now a little background here is helpful. Many good Jews who were waiting for the Messiah to come would sit and read God’s word and pray under fig trees, so when Nathanael was sitting under the fig tree we take that to mean he was longing for and maybe even in that moment praying for the Messiah to come. He was a true Israelite who was longing for God’s kingdom and Jesus could see that in him. What Jesus knows about Nathanael is that while he might be skeptical – he was also longing for God’s kingdom. While he had his own doubts and prejudices, he was looking for the Messiah to come. What Jesus knows about Nathanael is the deepest longings of his heart.
When we say that as the Good Shepherd Jesus knows us, what we are saying is that Jesus knows the deepest longings of our heart. Jesus knows what we really want, the deeper longings and desires that often lie hidden under our own doubts and prejudices. This was made clear to me when I went to college. As I headed off to college I thought I wanted to experience the typical college life. My preconceived idea was that a good time was going to be found in all the things you associate with college parties. That’s what I wanted and that’s the environment in which I lived. My freshman year at MSU I lived in an all male dorm on an all freshman floor. Let’s just say it doesn’t get any more wild than that. It was what I thought I wanted, but as the Good Shepherd, Jesus knew what I really wanted – which was to be known and loved and accepted, and those relationships weren’t going to come from college parties but through a relationship with the Good Shepherd himself. God knew the deeper longing of my heart and life and when I began to turn to Jesus as the Good Shepherd, he helped me see that and accept his love and care. I think that’s what Jesus is doing with Nathanael here, he helps him see that the deepest longing of his heart, which was to see the Messiah and begin to experience the kingdom of God, was right there in front of him, in a man from Nazareth.

So Jesus knows the deepest longings of our heart. Even when we can’t articulate them clearly, even when they might lie hidden from us. Jesus also knows the things that holds us back in life and in faith. In Mark 10 is the familiar story of Jesus encounter with the rich young man. This young man had it all. He was faithful and giving and he followed the commandments all his life. He approaches Jesus and asks him what he must do to inherit eternal life and Jesus knows him so well that he knows the one thing that has held him back all his life. Mark 10:21-22 Jesus knows that the one thing holding this man back from a full, faithful and abundant life is greed and Jesus loves him enough to point that out to him.

Jesus knows us so well that he knows the one thing that holds us back in life and in faith. Well, I don’t know about you, but I think Jesus knows it is more than one thing that holds me back – so let’s say that Jesus knows all the things that hold us back in life and in faith and you know what? Jesus loves us enough to point them out to us. We may not like it when we feel challenged or convicted in certain areas of life, but are we willing to listen to God when he points out a problem to us? Our natural tendency is to get defensive when we are challenged. We don’t like to be told that we might need to change or go in a new direction. It is humbling – but God says that it is the humble that will be lifted up. It is the humble that will experience the fullness of life. So when we say that Jesus as the Good Shepherd knows us, what we are saying is that Jesus knows all the things that hold us back. He knows how we wander away from the truth and how we wander away from God and need to return and repent. Jesus knows how our greed, and pride, and self interest keeps us from experiencing the greater blessings of life or faith.

Jesus doesn’t only know those things that hold us back, he knows our sin as well. In the gospel of John is the powerful story of Jesus not only knowing the sin of the woman caught in adultery, but the sin of all the people who accuse her as well. In John 8 we see a woman who was caught in adultery being thrown in front of Jesus and the crowd wanted to know what to do with her. The law said to stone her – along with the man by the way, who was not brought to Jesus – and people were asking Jesus what to do with her. Now seeing the sin of this woman was easy – everyone saw it. It says she was caught in the very act – there was no hiding her failure, but what this story shows us is that Jesus didn’t just see her sin, he saw the sin of the crowd as well. Look at John 8:6. What people believe here is that when Jesus bent down to write in the sand, he wrote out the sins of the people gathered around him. So as people are watching him they begin to see their own failures written on the ground and my guess is that they began to ask themselves – how did Jesus know that? How did he know my sin? How did he know that about me?
As the Good Shepherd, Jesus knows everything there is to know about us. He knows our sin, all of it. There is nothing that we wrestle with today, nothing that we are trying to hide from others or from God that Jesus does not know, and while the reality of our sin can weigh us down with guilt and shame – notice that Jesus doesn’t use his knowledge of people’s sin to accuse them or judge them – instead he is willing to forgive them. What Jesus says to the woman he says to all of us today, “neither do I condemn you”. In John 3:17 it says that God did not send Jesus into the world to condemn the world but so that the world might be saved through him. God sent a good shepherd to save the sheep and to gather them together in order to experience the fullness of life. So Jesus knows our sin – all of it, every last detail and yet loves us still. Jesus knows our brokenness and our failures and yet sees beyond that to the deeper potential that lies within us. He really knows and he really loves us.

Let’s look at one last encounter. Again from the gospel of John Jesus has just begun his ministry and Andrew brings his brother Simon to meet Jesus and when Jesus sees Simon he immediately changes his name to Peter – which means Rock. Jesus immediately knows that Peter is the leader upon which he would build his church. Jesus knows Peter has potential. Did Jesus see the ways that Peter would fail Jesus, of course he did. I think in that initial meeting Jesus heard a rooster crow and knew Peter would deny that he even knew Jesus. But Jesus saw beyond that to the Peter who in the strength of God’s spirit would stand up and preach that Jesus is the Messiah and who would bring thousands of people into the kingdom of God.

As the good shepherd, Jesus doesn’t just see our sin and our failures, Jesus sees our potential. For me, this has always been the most encouraging part of my relationship with God. Jesus doesn’t just see my failures, he doesn’t just see my sin, he doesn’t just know that I am broken and needy – he sees the potential that lies deep within. He sees what we were created for, the good works God has planned for us and he sees us for who we are – which is sheep of God’s pasture, the lambs of God’s kingdom.
So when we say that as the Good shepherd Jesus knows us, what we are saying is that Jesus knows more than our name. He knows all of our hopes and dreams. He knows the deepest longings of our heart. He knows all our sin and failures and those things that hold us back in life. He knows it all, and yet he loves us enough to look beyond the failures to see the future God has for us all. Actually, as the good shepherd, Jesus doesn’t just look past the sin - he is the one who takes away our sin so that God’s potential and future can become a reality in our lives.

That’s the second part of what Jesus says when he says he is the good shepherd. Go back to John 10:15. I lay down my life for the sheep. This is not the first time Jesus said this. He said it in John 10:11 and will say it again in John 10:17-18. Jesus is clear that a good shepherd is willing to lay down his life for the sheep. A good shepherd is willing to run directly into danger in order to save the life of the sheep and that is exactly what Jesus has done for us. Because Jesus knows us so well and knows how our sin and will keep us from God and the life God has for us - and because he knows that we are powerless to overcome this on our own, he ran straight into the danger for us. Jesus willingly took up a cross – our cross – so that we might live. The empty tomb reminds us that sin and death – our sin and death – has been forgiven and overcome by God so that we might live – live eternally with God and live fully right here and now.

When we say that Jesus is our Good Shepherd, these are not empty words. As a shepherd, Jesus really does know us – he knows our hopes and dreams, he knows our failures and sin, and he knows our full God given potential. As the Good Shepherd, Jesus loves us enough to lay down his life so that we might be live. Jesus is our Good Shepherd, so let us listen for his voice and follow him today.