(Written to compliment a sermon on 1 Peter 1:17-21)

I’d like to talk to you a little bit about fear. Fear is a defense mechanism that is intended to keep us out of harmful or destructive situations. When there is danger, it is our sense of fear which prompts us to take precautions or to avoid the situation altogether. In that sense, fear is a very healthy and good thing. In fact, we call somebody who doesn’t have any fear, ‘foolhardy.’ We even have a saying about it, “Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.” On the other hand, courage is taking action in the face of fear.

Even though fear is, I believe, something God gave us to help us avoid danger, sometimes our fears can be irrational. For example, I have a bit of the fear of heights. One time I had to go up in a lift bucket to work on high ceiling. That was one of the hardest things I ever did. Intellectually, I knew that there was no danger. I knew there was no way the lift could possibly tip over. I knew there was no way I could possibly fall out of the bucket unless I deliberately climbed over the side. Yet, in spite of knowing all that, I was terribly afraid. I had the shakes so bad that I could hardly do the work that required me to go up in the bucket.

And that is the downside of fear. Even though fear is intended to warn us and help us avoid dangerous situations, if we let it, it can also paralyze us. We call it the “Deer in the headlights” syndrome. The deer knows that the oncoming vehicle is dangerous. Yet, it’s so mesmerized by the headlights that it’s paralyzed. It stands there, immobile, until the vehicle hits it. In the same way, if we let fear control us, it can prevent us from taking the action we need to prevent being harmed.

Fear is an individual thing. Some things that scare me silly might not bother you at all. But there are other fears which are pretty universal. One of them is the fear of public speaking. I’ve read that speaking to an audience is the number one fear most people in the United States have. I believe it. Even though I’ve spoken and taught hundreds of times, I still get nervous when it’s my time to stand up front.

Perhaps the most universal fear of all is fear of the unknown. We like the illusion that we are in control of our lives. By definition we can’t control the things we know nothing about. So, we fear anything which takes us out of the familiar. For example, culture shock is a very real phenomenon. When you are first dumped off in a different culture, you have no frame of reference; everything is strange. And because you can’t recognize or relate to what you are experiencing, you don’t know how to act or respond. This induces a state of anxiety. In some cases it can become so severe that it immobilizes.

One of the greatest unknowns we face is death. Death is universal; unless the Lord returns first, all of us are going to die. But even though death is something which has been with us for thousands of years, and even though each one of us will encounter it, if we haven’t already, it’s something we know very little about. What happens to us when we die? What’s on the other side? We really don’t know. And because we don’t know, people fear death. They fear it so much that they will do almost anything to avoid it. To extend their lives a few months they will subject themselves to all kinds of horrible medical procedures and put their families into a financial bind to pay for them.

Yes, most people fear death. But it doesn’t have to be that way. One of the reasons Jesus came to earth was to break the power of death and, in the process, free us from the fear of death. In Hebrews chapter 2, verses 10 through 15 we read, “In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering. Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers. He says, “I will declare your name to my brothers; in the presence of the congregation I will sing your praises.” And again, “I will put my trust in him.” And again he says, “Here am I, and the children God has given me.” Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death – that is, the devil – and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.” (NIV)

I think it is significant that after Jesus rose from the dead, one of the first things He said to His disciples was, “Don’t be afraid.” Since Jesus conquered death, if we have allowed Him to become our Lord, we don’t need to fear death either. He’s been through it. He knows what’s on the other side. We can have confidence because He’s promised to be with us all the way.

Each week we gather to remember what Jesus did for us. The bread and juice which commemorate Jesus’ sacrifice remind us that Jesus loves us. In fact, Paul writes in Romans chapter 8, verses 38 and 39, “…that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (NIV)

As we partake this morning, let’s remember that since nothing can separate us from Christ’s love, we don’t have to fear the unknown. Since Jesus rose from the dead, death has no power over us.

(Prepared to go with a sermon on James 5:19-20)

A couple of weeks ago our family had a reunion in honor my father’s 93rd birthday. I think that all of were a little astonished to realize that out of the five of us children, three of us are planning to travel out of the country this October.

Though it may be a little unusual for so many of us to be on the road simultaneously, our family is no stranger to travel. In fact, there have been times when I’ve compared our family to tumbleweeds – blown all over the place by the winds of circumstances. My siblings and I seem to have inherited a touch of wanderlust.

Our family is not unique in this. We live in a very mobile society. It seems like members of this congregation are always traveling somewhere. And, I would be surprised if there is a family represented here that has lived in this area for more than three or four generations.

Travel to distant places and wandering is part of our cultural heritage. Immigration and the Western Migration have left a lasting imprint on us. Wandering is the theme of scores of our songs. For example, the song ‘Shenandoah’ contains the lyrics:

Away, I’m bound away, ‘cross the wide Missouri.

I’m sure you’ve heard the folk song, ‘500 Miles.’ It starts with the words,

If you miss the train I’m on you will know that I am gone.

Then there’s the song ‘City of New Orleans.’ One of the verses has these words:

And the sons of Pullman porters and the sons of engineers
Ride their fathers’ magic carpet made of steel
Mothers with their babes asleep, rockin’ to the gentle beat
And the rhythm of the rails is all they feel

One of my personal favorites is ‘Wayfarin’ Stranger.’

I’m just a poor, wayfarin’ stranger
Traveling through this world of woe.
But there’s no sickness, no toil nor danger
In that bright land to which I go.

That last song evokes the image from the book of Hebrews, that as people of faith we are strangers and aliens on earth, wandering until we find our home in an enduring city.

We like to romanticize the idea of wandering; we like to see what’s around the next bend or over the next hill. But the book of Hebrews tells about another type of wandering that is not so benign. All too often we wander from the truth we’ve been taught. We stray from the path of righteousness. We drift away from God. Just like choosing the wrong road can land us in trouble while we’re traveling, wandering from God traps us in spiritual trouble. We find ourselves in a situation that we can’t get out of by our own efforts. Hebrews chapter 2, verses 1 through 3 says, “We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him.” (NIV)

Even though God is forced to let us reap the consequences of our wandering from Him, He is not content to let it remain that way. The problem is how to bring back someone who has wandered off? There isn’t a human solution to the problem. So God determined to provide the way out Himself. He said through the Prophet Ezekiel: “…this is what the Sovereign LORD says: “I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness.”” (Ezekiel 34:11-12 NIV)

And that is exactly what God did. He sent Christ to rescue us from the predicament we got ourselves into and to put us back on the right road. Isaiah writes, “…he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:5-6 NIV)

Peter echoes the thought when he writes, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls,” (1 Peter 2:24-25 NIV)

Each week we gather to remember what Jesus did for us. The bread and juice that we eat remind us of the cost of our wandering. As we partake today, let’s remember the words of another old song,

O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let thy goodness like a fetter,
Bind my wand’ring heart to Thee:
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it;
Seal it for Thy courts above.

(Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing, Robert Robinson)

In many ways, we are very blessed to live at the time we do. We have a higher standard of living and more opportunities than people at any other time of history. Among the many blessings we enjoy is the privilege of being heard. The Internet allows us ordinary people to voice our opinions to a world-wide audience. I’ve personally benefited from the new technologies because they’ve made it possible for me to write and publish books even though I don’t have the credentials a traditional publisher would require.

However, the new technologies are a double-edged sword. Though they empower people like me, they also allow everyone to vent his spleen. Because the Internet affords a certain amount of anonymity, people aren’t always held accountable for what they say. They can say outrageous and extreme things with no or little consequence. People will say things online that they would never dare say to someone face-to-face. Then, when someone takes offense at what was said, they will fire back with something which is even more incendiary. Invective takes the place of discourse and dialog.

The new technologies also amplify – whether for good or ill. One person’s opinion appears as though many others shared it. And, it is true that like-minded people can find and interface with each other as they never could before. Unfortunately, the feedback can encourage people to up their rhetoric. They become even more entrenched in their position. It becomes harder to have a discussion about differences of opinion. Disagreement is met with accusations of hate. It seems to me that this is one reason our society is becoming more and more polarized.

It becomes a vicious cycle. A person says something somebody else doesn’t like. He responds with an accusation, and the flame wars begin. Soon, the various sides can’t think of each other without saying something nasty.

We shake our heads at some of the things we hear people throw at each other. Yet, are we any better? I’m sure that most of us here have been tempted at one time or another to say some inappropriate things on social media or in blog comments. Some of us may have even done it. The truth is that if we gave reign to our natural inclinations, our behavior wouldn’t be any better than what we decry in others. It is only because we belong to Christ and are letting Him transform us that we have a higher standard.

Paul writes to Titus, “At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:3-7 NIV)

It is Jesus who broke the cycle of hate. We were nothing special. We hadn’t done anything good that made us better than other people. We were just as bad as anybody else. But Christ looked beyond what we were and saw what we could be. It is His love that provided us a way out of the downward spiral of hate we were trapped in. His love gives us hope. In His love, He made us heirs of eternal life.

We are so blessed that it’s easy to forget what we were before Christ rescued us. It’s easy to fall back into the old ways of thinking and doing things. It can be tempting to respond to others with the same hate they display toward us. That’s one reason why we take the time each week to remember Christ’s love. He showed us, in a very practical way, that love triumphs over hate. The bread represents His body which He sacrificed for us. The juice represents His blood which transforms us.

These emblems not only remind us of what Jesus did for us, they also remind us that we too, have an obligation. Because Christ loved us we, too, need to love others – even when they are obnoxious – even when they are hateful. Just as Christ’s love freed us, our love might help someone else break the cycle of hate.

John writes, “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.” (1 John 4:7-12 NIV)

Today as we participate in Communion, let’s not only thank Christ for His love, let’s also renew our commitment to love one another and those around us.

(Prepared for a sermon on James 1:26-27)

If asked to describe a religion, most people would probably talk about the rituals the people practice who belong to that religion. To put it another way, we define religions in terms of what the people do. However, the rituals, and ceremonies are not supposed to be ends in themselves. They are supposed to be expressions of, or a visual representation of, what the people who participate in them believe.

Human nature being what it is, though, it is very easy for someone to substitute the rituals for the beliefs the rituals represent. Many people think that the rituals themselves are what makes a person pleasing to God. Once they have appeased God by doing the ritual, they are free to go ahead and live their lives however they like. In their minds it is the ritual, rather than a heart which is seeking God that is important.

This was a problem the Israelites had during the days of the Prophet Amos. They were keeping all of the religious rituals. They celebrated the feasts specified in the Law of Moses. They brought offerings to the Temple. They sacrificed animals on the altar. And because they did all these things, they couldn’t understand why God was upset with them. The problem was that even though they were doing all these religious things, they had turned away from what God really wanted. They did not value truth. They oppressed the poor. There was no justice in the courts. They turned against the righteous. They took bribes. They were dishonest in business. In so doing they missed the whole point of rituals. As it says in Hebrews chapter 12, verse 14, “…without holiness no one will see the Lord.” (NIV)

God told them, “I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!” (Amos 5:21-24 NIV)

The Israelites of Amos’ day, substituted the rituals for righteousness. Unfortunately, ist’s also easy to make the opposite mistake and discount or despise the rituals altogether. People who fall into this trap might express it this way, “I don’t need all these rituals to worship God! They are a pointless waste of time.” This was basically the attitude of the Jewish people during the Prophet Malachi’s time.

““A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me?” says the LORD Almighty. “It is you, O priests, who show contempt for my name. But you ask, ‘How have we shown contempt for your name?’ “You place defiled food on my altar. But you ask, ‘How have we defiled you?’ By saying that the LORD’s table is contemptible. When you bring blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice crippled or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?” says the LORD Almighty. “Now implore God to be gracious to us. With such offerings from your hands, will he accept you?”— says the LORD Almighty. “Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors, so that you would not light useless fires on my altar! I am not pleased with you,” says the LORD Almighty, “and I will accept no offering from your hands. My name will be great among the nations, from the rising to the setting of the sun. In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to my name, because my name will be great among the nations,” says the LORD Almighty. “But you profane it by saying of the Lord’s table, ‘It is defiled,’ and of its food, ‘It is contemptible.’ And you say, ‘What a burden!’ and you sniff at it contemptuously,” says the LORD Almighty. “When you bring injured, crippled or diseased animals and offer them as sacrifices, should I accept them from your hands?” says the LORD.” (Malachi 1:6-13 NIV)

Oh, it is easy for us to roll our eyes and cluck our tongues at the foolishness of the people of Amos’ and Malachi’s time. But what about us? Is it possible for us to have the same attitude as they did? Jesus asked us to conduct a very simple memorial of Him and what He did for us. He asked us to eat some bread to commemorate the sacrifice He made for us. He asked us to drink some juice to remind us of His blood which cleanses us from sin. Have you ever caught yourself thinking that participating in this memorial is a substitute for living a holy and righteous life? On the contrary, this memorial should inspire and encourage us to live love and righteous lives.

Or perhaps you have had the attitude that this bread and juice are contemptible. “Couldn’t they at least find something that tastes better?” Perhaps you’ve caught yourself thinking, “This is so boring! Can we please get it over with so we can do something more important?”

The truth of the matter is that, while the Lord’s Table is no substitute for living a holy life, there really isn’t anything more important. The Lord’s Table is a constant reminder of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. Without Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf, without His resurrection, we would have no hope. There would be no point in even trying to worship God.

Today as we eat the bread and drink the cup, let’s remember that they point us to the very core and heart of our belief system. The Lord’s Table is an essential part of our religion. We cannot do without it. Let’s embrace it wholeheartedly.

(Prepared to go along with a sermon on James 1:9-11)

‘Privilege’ is a word which gets thrown around a lot these days. Sometimes I think it is used to put down the accomplishments of others or to cloak envy. The truth of the matter is, that all of us who live in this country – no matter what our background is, our economic situation or what side of the tracks we were born on – are tremendously privileged. Compared to people who lived in previous generations we are very blessed. We take for granted things which in times past even kings or the most wealthy people on earth did not have access to.

For example, take antibiotics, or even something as simple as an aspirin. The Pharaohs of Egypt couldn’t take an aspirin for their headaches. When we get sick, the doctor prescribes an antibiotic and a few days later we’re well again. Alexander the Great died from a bacterial disease. Though he was the conqueror of the world and was attended by the best physicians of the age, they couldn’t cure him.

Another thing we take for granted is instant communication. We think of something we’d like to tell someone and we can immediately text or phone him. Do you realize that one of the bloodiest battles of the war of 1812 was fought because neither side knew that the peace treaty ending the war had already been signed a couple of weeks previously? There was no way to communicate the news to the armies.

And how about entertainment? If we want to hear a song or an orchestra, all we have to do is press a few buttons. If our spouse wants to hear something different, she can press a few buttons of her own. We can both be listening simultaneously to our own private play-list. It’s like the band was playing just for us. In the past, only the rich could afford to keep musicians at their beck and call – and even so, they did not have access to the rich variety of music which is available to us.

We can deplore the state of the schools all we want. The truth is that our children have access to more knowledge and education than people at any time in history. In the past, the ability to read and write was by no means common. Now everyone has the opportunity to learn – provided they want to do so.

In the past, a very rich man might have a 100 books in his private library. A couple of hundred books gathered in one place was cause for wonder and amazement. Today, everyone has access to millions of volumes, for free!

Do you realize what a miracle it is to be able to buy out-of-season produce when you go to the grocery store? And the variety of food which is available! When I read older books – for example, the ‘Little House on the Prairie’ books – I’m amazed at how monotonous their diet was. They couldn’t just walk down the street and get something from the food-court if they wanted something different. Most likely, they didn’t even realize that there were different kinds of food.

We hear a lot about poverty. I think it is fascinating that the biggest health problem among the poor in this country is obesity. I grew up in a third-world country. In the city where my family lived there was a lot of animal transport. Women and children would go along the streets sweeping up the manure. They used some of it for fuel. Cow chips burn hot and efficiently. Some of it went into plaster to resurface their mud houses. But there was another reason to collect cow manure. I have seen women picking through it to separate out the undigested grain so they would have something to feed their children. Compared to that, all of us, no matter how poor we think we are, are very privileged. And, I’m grateful that we are.

Now suppose you wanted to help those less privileged than you and lift them out of their poverty. Where a lot of attempts to help go astray is that those doing the helping don’t really understand the people they are trying to help. As a result, their solutions don’t address the actual problems and the aid program fails to achieve its purpose.

It takes living among and sharing the life situations of the people you are trying to serve, to truly understand and come to grips with the problems. Serving another requires giving up your own privilege. This is one reason missionaries go to live among the people they want to serve.

I know from personal experience how much missionaries sacrifice in order to serve people. Yet, even though they give up a lot, often there is still an almost unbridgeable gap between them and those they are trying to help. In the eyes of the locals, the missionary is still unbelievably wealthy. He has resources the local people can only dream about. The differences not only lead to misunderstandings, they can create barriers between the missionary and the people he’s trying to help.

The greatest missionary of all is Jesus. It order to help us He sacrificed far more than most missionaries do today. He didn’t give up just part of his wealth and position, He gave it all. Paul writes to the Philippians that Jesus gave up equality with God and made Himself nothing (Philippians 2:6). It was not an easy thing to do. Jesus longed for the glory He left behind. In His prayer just before going to the cross He said, “And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.” (John 17:5 NIV) Nobody forced Jesus to give up His glory, but He did it voluntarily because it was the only way for Him to understand our need and provide the solution for it. The writer of Hebrews puts it this way, “For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” (Hebrews 2:17-18 NIV)

Every Sunday we come together to remember the sacrifices Jesus made for us and to thank Him for the help He gave us. We live because He gave everything He had on our behalf. The Apostle Paul writes, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” (2 Corinthians 8:9 NIV) Today as we eat the bread in memory of His body which He sacrificed for us, and as we drink the cup in memory of His blood which cleanses us from sin, let’s not only thank Him for lifting us out of our spiritual poverty, let’s also think about how we can follow His example – how we can sacrifice our privilege in order to serve others.

A few days ago I had a very humbling experience. I was at a conference in the Netherlands. One of my fellow participants asked what I planned to do on our day off. I replied that I intended to visit one of the World War II battlefields which was nearby. His response took me totally by surprise. “Thank you for what you did for our freedom.” The words were all the more amazing because I hadn’t even been born, let alone taken part in the liberation of Europe. Further, the man who thanked me was from Austria. As you know, during World War II his country was on the other side. Yet, here he was, 75 years after the conflict, thanking me for what my country did to free Europe from tyranny.

Something else struck me as I wandered about the battlefield the next day. At the base of every marker or commemorative plaque I saw, people had left crosses or wreathes or flowers. I’m told that every year, on the anniversary of the battle, local school children lay flowers on the graves of the 1,700 allied servicemen who are buried in the Airborne Cemetery.

What’s particularly ironic about all this is that the battle failed to bring liberation. The allied force was defeated with huge losses. Not only did the fighting bring death and destruction to the civilian population, after the battle the civilians were forcibly evicted from the towns where it took place. During the following winter, hundreds of Dutch children starved to death.

In light of what happened, you would think that the Dutch would be bitter and resentful. Instead, they are grateful and honor those who fought. One plaque outside of the battle museum is especially touching. It reads in part:

To the People of Gelderland

…British & Polish Airborne soldiers fought here against overwhelming odds to open the way into Germany and bring the war to an early end. Instead we brought death and destruction for which you never blamed us.

This stone marks our admiration for your great courage remembering especially the women who tended our wounded…

As I walked through the battlefield and the museum exhibits I couldn’t help contrasting what happened in another battle. The battle for Arnhem failed. Instead of liberation it brought misery and suffering on the innocent. In contrast, Jesus succeeded in His fight against Satan and death. Through the cross He gave life to people who didn’t deserve it.

But the thing which struck me most was the contrast between how people view the two conflicts. Even though the Dutch suffered terribly as a result of the lost battle fought on their soil, they still remember and are grateful for the attempt to liberate them. In contrast, all too many people have forgotten, or are indifferent to the freedom from sin Christ bought for us on the cross.

Jesus asked us to remember Him. Not with flowers or a plaque. He asked us to eat some bread in memory of His body. He asked us to drink some wine in memory of His blood. As we do that this morning, let’s do it with gratitude in our hearts for the sacrifice He made on our behalf. He gave His life, so that we can have life.

The Apostle Paul writes, “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13-14 NIV)

That’s something to remember! It’s something to be grateful for!

(Written to go with a sermon on Hebrews 11:29-40, especially verse 40.)

Diversity is all the rage these days. It seems you can’t turn on the news without hearing about another complaint that some aspect of our society doesn’t reflect the actual mix of people who live here. People agonize over whether people of a certain gender or ethnic background are under-represented. In the name of diversity publishers force authors to change the backgrounds of the characters in their books, even though it detracts from the story.

Now diversity can be a wonderful thing. Can you imagine how boring this world would be if everyone else was exactly like you? I think that God made us different for a very good reason. Often it is our differences which makes life interesting. As any parent who has more than one child can tell you, each person has his or her own personality and that adds spice to family life. I grew up in a different culture, among people who look different than I do, who speak a different language, who think differently. I can tell you that my life has been richer and, I think better, because of it.

But while diversity is wonderful, like anything else, it can lead to trouble and tragedy if emphasized too much. A group of people must also have things in common or diversity quickly leads to division. You see, differences inevitably cause friction or misunderstanding. When it does, we need something which is larger than ourselves, a common purpose or an agreed-upon goal to keep us living and working together in harmony.

This is true not only of families and society at large but, also, in the church. Here in the church we have a lot in common in spite of our differences. All of us realize, that no matter who we are, every single one of us has failed to meet God’s expectations. We’re all sinners. Every one of us knows that we are incapable of earning salvation. Every single one of us needs the sacrifice of Jesus to pay the debt we owe.

It is Jesus, and our commitment to Him, which enables us to live in harmony with each other even though we are different. The Apostle Paul wrote, “Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” (Colossians 3:11-14 NIV)

Unity doesn’t come naturally. It’s something we have to work at. And this is one reason we gather each week to eat bread and drink a cup in remembrance of Christ and what He did for us. We call this ritual ‘Communion.’ It reminds us of what binds us together. As we eat, we fellowship, not just with Christ, but also with each other. It reminds us that it is Christ’s sacrifice which breaks down the barriers which once divided us.

Today, as we eat and drink use the time to forgive anyone in the body against whom you have a grievance. Re-commit to love, and get along with, those who are different than you. After all, Christ loved and forgave us even though we are far different than Him!

(Prepared for a sermon on Hebrews 3:1-6)

Just before He was arrested and crucified, Jesus gave His disciples some unleavened bread and asked them to eat it. He also passed around a cup of wine and told them to drink from it. He instructed them to keep on eating bread and drinking wine in His memory. For the last 2,000 years, the followers of Christ have been doing what Jesus asked. Every Sunday we gather to eat the bread and drink the wine in memory of Jesus.

This may seem like a silly or self-evident question, but why did Jesus ask us to do this in His memory? What is the purpose for remembering?

Stupid question, right? I’m sure that any Christian could rattle off a number of reasons why we take Communion to remember Jesus. The bread and cup remind us of how Jesus suffered for us. The bread and cup remind us that we are in a covenant relationship with Christ. The bread and cup remind us that Jesus is coming back again. The bread and cup remind us that it is Jesus’ sacrifice which paid for our sin. The bread and cup remind us that we are part of Christ’s body. And so on. And, it is very good for us to be reminded of these things so we don’t become complacent. Participating in Communion helps us keep our perspective.

Yet, there is something else about remembering Jesus which we probably don’t give much thought to. There is a very practical benefit to it. Hebrews chapter two tells us that there is a sequence in our spiritual experience. Before we can be crowned with glory and honor, we first must die. When we become discouraged or frustrated with life because it seems that everything is going wrong, even though we’ve done our best to do what is right and good, we can be encouraged by remembering Jesus. God exalted Him, but He had to die first. When we remember that, we can be encouraged that God hasn’t abandoned us, either. Our suffering will lead to glory just as Jesus’ suffering led to Him being glorified.

In that same passage, the writer of Hebrews also assures us that Jesus is able to help us when we are being tempted. There are probably many aspects of this, but I’ll just mention one. You’ve probably all heard the term, ‘multi-tasking.’ It refers to the ability to do many different things at the same time. And, it’s true that there are some people who are able to metaphorically keep a lot of balls in the air at once. However, what researchers have discovered is that, in reality, the human mind can only entertain one thought at a time. Those people who seem to be able to multi-task are not really concentrating on a lot of different things simultaneously, they are merely switching between tasks rapidly. They can only think about one thing at a time, just like the rest of us.

Now this insight can really help us when it comes to temptation. We are tempted when our minds are directed to a wrong desire. But since our minds can only hold one thing at a time, if we are able to think of something else, we will no longer be tempted. This is why it’s so important to remember Jesus. If our minds are filled with Him, there is no room for the temptation, whatever it is. This is why after telling us that Jesus can help us when we are being tempted, the writer of Hebrews tells us in the very next verse “fix your thoughts on Jesus” (Hebrews 3:1 NIV). Your translation may say, “consider Jesus”. Later on in the same book we’re instructed to “fix our eyes on Jesus” and to “consider him” (Hebrews 12:2-3).

As long as we are looking at Jesus, as long as we have our minds fixed on Him, as long as we are considering Him, as long as we remember Him, temptation will have no hold on us.

After talking about death and how our physical bodies are wasting away, Paul writes in 2nd Corinthians 4:16-18, “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NIV)

We’re here to remember Jesus and the eternal. The bread and the juice we’re about to eat help us fill our minds with what is important. The act of remembering Jesus and what He’s done for us will take our minds off the troubles, struggles and temptations which we face. As the old hymn says, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face; And the things of earth with grow strangely dim In the light of His glory and grace.” (Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus, Helen H. Lemmel)

(Prepared to go with a sermon on Hebrews 1:7-14, particularly verse 9)

There are a lot of paradoxes in life – things which seem counter-intuitive or contradictory, yet nevertheless are true. For example, the purpose of a water-pump is to lift water from a subterranean reservoir to the surface so we can use it. But sometimes, in order to get the pump to work, you have to first pour water down the well. We call it ‘priming the pump.’ Pour water down the well in order to get the pump to take water out of the well? To do so goes against all our inclinations, yet if we don’t do it, we can pump all day and achieve nothing except to damage the pump.

Here’s another paradox. When we’re driving a car, normally we turn the wheel in the direction we want the car to go. If we want to turn right, we turn the steering wheel to the right. However, if the car goes into a skid, it’s necessary to turn the wheel in the direction of the skid. If we turn the wheel in the direction we want the car to go, we will merely make the skid worse.

How about this? Let’s say that you get an infection in your finger. Instead of applying medicine to the finger, the doctor gives you pills to swallow. We accept this kind of treatment for our illnesses because of long experience, but it isn’t intuitive.

Our spiritual life is full of these kinds of paradoxes as well. Perhaps one of the most difficult to accept is what James writes in chapter 1, verse 2. “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,” (NIV) We’re supposed to be glad when we encounter problems? Well, yes. Because, as James goes on to explain, it is through trials that we grow and mature.

It shouldn’t surprise us that joy comes out of pain. After all, it’s something which most of us have either experienced or observed. In fact, we’ve distilled this paradox into a proverb, “No pain, no gain.” Jesus gave this illustration: “A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world.” (John 16:21 NIV)

It’s significant that Jesus gave this illustration while referring to His own death. It was necessary for Him to die in order to achieve the purpose for His life. Not only would His death be extremely painful, it would cause pain to those who loved Him. Yet, the pain of His death would be transformed into joy. In chapter 12, the writer of Hebrews reminds us that it was because of the joy He anticipated that Jesus could not only endure, but scorn the shame of the cross.

The cross was also necessary for our joy. Without the death and resurrection of Christ, we would have no hope. Paul writes, “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification. Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.” (Romans 4:25-5:6 NIV)

Today as we eat bread and drink juice in memory of Christ’s death, let’s not only remember the pain, but give thanks for the joy we have because of His sacrifice.

(Prepared for a sermon based on Acts 28:17-23)

When our children were in High School we noticed a curious thing. Just about all of the literature they were required to read in their English classes was bleak and depressing. It managed to convey the message that there isn’t much to look forward to and life really isn’t worth living. It was so bad that one of the students wrote an article about it in the school paper. He pointed out that instead of instilling a love for literature in the students, the stuff which was forced on them was actually teaching them to hate reading. He pled with the teachers to add something wholesome, pleasant and uplifting (not to mention, fun to read) to the curriculum.

Unfortunately, that type of literature isn’t confined to the English Department. In recent years I’ve noticed that a great many of the books which are published are dystopian. They paint a very dark future where people are worse off than they are now. The virtues such as honor, fidelity and and kindness are missing or are portrayed as weaknesses. Heroism is scorned. Mankind is awful, has ruined the earth and things are only going to get worse.

Other messages which fill our books and media are ones of scarcity, automation taking away jobs, the loss of individual liberty and increase in totalitarian government control. When we’re exposed to a steady diet of such ideas, it can become very depressing. I would not be at all surprised if there is a direct correlation between the pessimistic literature of our times and the increase in the suicide rates we’re seeing. After all, if there isn’t anything worth living for, then why not end it all? Others go the opposite direction and try to find meaning in pleasure and things, only to discover that this does not satisfy either.

However, the truth is that it doesn’t have to be that way. Our literature and media lies. The only reason to despair is when we take God out of the picture. When we realize that God not only exists, but that He loves us, then the future is not bleak at all. We can have hope no matter how dark it appears to those who deny Him. Yes, mankind’s condition (at least without God) is pretty bleak. But God loves us so much that He gives us the opportunity of redemption. He gives us hope.

One of the reasons we come together each week is to encourage one another and remind each other of the hope we have. The Apostle Paul writes, “At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:3-7 NIV)

When we’re constantly being bombarded with messages of nihilism and despair, we need to remember the hope we have because Christ saved us. Christ sacrificed Himself for us so that we could be re-born and renewed. That’s why we eat the bread which reminds us of Christ’s body which He sacrificed for us. That’s why we drink the cup which reminds us of Christ’s blood which cleanses us from sin.

Today as we eat and drink, let’s give thanks for the hope we have because of God’s love and Jesus’ sacrifice.