Text: Matthew 28:8

There are many ways to approach the resurrection.  You can approach it philosophically and try to analyze it. You can approach it biblically and try to understand the context out of which it came. You can approach it critically and discuss the rational reasons for believing or not believing in it. You can approach it pragmatically and seek to discover what it all means. Or you can approach it experientially and feel the impact of this event upon your life.

At times we place too much emphasis on feelings in matters of religion, but one of the gravest problems in the church today is not that we feel too much but that we feel too little, not that we are too emotional but that we are not emotional enough, and not that we are captured experientially with the message of the gospel but that we never caught up in experience at all.

For me there where to main emotions expressed in the first Easter experience.

The first emotion evoked by the Easter event was wonder. In our text the writer of Matthew’s Gospel says, “And they departed quickly from the tomb with fear.”

Mark’s account tells us that when the women saw the stone was rolled away “they were amazed.” (16:5) Then Mark tells us, “They went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had gripped them.” (v.

Luke tells us that when the women saw the empty tomb they “were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground.” (v. 24)

The Emmaus travelers told of the news that the women had brought to them about the empty tomb with these words, “Also some women among us amazed us.” (v. 22).  Luke says, “They were startled and frightened.” (v. 37)

Three Greek words are used in these passages to describe the emotional reaction of the disciples and the women.

The word used in our text is the word ‘phobeo’ from which we get our word ‘phobia’. It means to be frightened so much you want to run away. The basic idea is fear.

The word used in Mark 16:8 is ‘ekstasis’ from which our ‘ecstasy’ comes. It means holy frenzy or enthusiasm. The basic idea is astonishment.

The word used in Mark 16:5 is ‘ekthambeo’. Basically this word means amazement or wonder.

Confronted by an event their minds could not comprehend and their experience could not explain, these first witnesses were filled with astonishment and amazement. Something extraordinary happened that day and the emotional reaction was wonder.

In many ways in the day and age that we live in I think we have lost this sense of wonder. The familiarity of facts and the commonness of the custom have robbed us of the sense of amazement at the awesome activities of God.

And so we listen to the recital of the facts of the resurrection with total indifference and contemplate instead about what are going to have for dinner. But what happened that first Easter is the most stupendous thing or event in all of history.

And this morning I hope that we can get that feeling again, that wonder that gripped the woman as they approached the tomb and saw the stone rolled away as found in Luke 24:2 and recapture the astonishment of Peter as he peeked into tomb and saw the face cloth and the linen burial wrappings neatly rolled up but no body as recorded in John 20:7. As well I hope we can get that sense of awe which touched the Emmaus travelers as they realized they had been talking with the risen Lord and their hearts burned within them as recorded in Luke 24:32. And to relive the ecstatic enthusiasm which erupted in the hearts of the disciples when Jesus appeared to them in the upper room and said, “Peace be with you.”  As found in John 20:19. And then there is the ability to identity with the holy hush that fell upon the heart of Thomas as Jesus invited him to put his finger in the holes in his hand and to put his hand in the wound in his side (John 20:27). Put it all together it to have the ability to walk again where they walked, see again what they saw, feel again what they felt, and experienced again what they experienced.

It is to make what is on the pages of Scriptures be more than a recital of words and stories and become alive for us so that can realize what an awesome event it truly is.

A second emotion in the narratives about the resurrection is joy. In Matthew 28:8 it says, “And they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy and ran to report it to his disciples.”

Luke concludes his narrative by saying, “And they returned to Jerusalem with great joy and were continually in the temple, praising God.” (Luke 24:53)

And in the Gospel of John the writer tells us that when Jesus showed them his hands and his side, “the disciples therefore rejoiced when they saw the Lord.” (20:20)

As we look once again at the Gospel accounts of the resurrection and truly look at them as more than merely words on the page we can see that in John’s account twice Jesus said, “Peace be with you”  to his disciples, once to quell their fear and once to quell their joy. The darkness of Good Friday had been invaded by the light of the resurrection. The defeat ofCalvary had been reversed by the victory of the empty tomb, and the emotional reaction was joy.

And in many ways as I mentioned before we have lost that sense of joy. We hear again of God’s victory of death, sin and the powers of evil, and we yawn with indifference. But that was the most stupendous victory that has ever been won.

So if there is no enthusiasm in your soul when you hear again about the resurrection, it may be because you do not understand what was and is at stake – the ultimate outcome of the struggle between good and evil, between God and Satan, between light and darkness, and between life and death. On Friday it seemed as if the victory belonged to the forces of evil. But the resurrection event changed that. Since the first Easter, we have lived in the assurance that the ultimate victory belongs to God. That is the reason for our joy.

Text: Psalm 51:3

“I acknowledge my transgression; and my sin is ever before me.”

We need always to repent. Lest we should forget that church in her wisdom has set aside the season of Lent which began with Ash Wednesday this past Wednesday and continues through to Psalm Sunday. It is a time that reminds us to confess our sins “with a humble, lowly, penitent and obedient heart; to the end that we may obtain forgiveness of the same by His infinite goodness and mercy.”  Psalm 61 is a commentary upon David’s admission of guilt when Nathan confronted him. “You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword and have taken his wife to be your wife.”  Many have regarded this psalm as a model confession. From it we learn that our Lenten confession must be thorough, humble and hopeful.

We notice the thoroughness with which David describes his sin. To do so he makes use of three words, transgression, iniquity, sin. He admits he has transgressed, rebelled against the known will of God; he has been guilty of iniquity, depraved lustful conduct; he has sinned, been in error, wandered from the right path and missed the true goal in life. there is no pretense. No half measures. He is ruthlessly honest about himself. He uncovers his past and brings into the open all his faults, failures, and shortcomings.

In public worship we weekly confess our manifold sins and wickedness in general terms, that is what the prayer of confession we do in unison is all about. But when we examine our conscience in the privacy of our own company, generalities serve no useful purpose. We must identify our own sins; search our hearts and minds and conscience to uncover those secret faults which perhaps no other mortal eye can penetrate. Our half-hidden pride, our self-centeredness, our frequent resistance to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, our broken promises and resolutions, our hurried half-hearted prayers, our greed for material gain, our lack of charity, our unfriendliness, our desire to get our own way, our malicious prejudices, our unwillingness to forgive. Our confession must be thorough. Nothing must be left out, nothing overlooked.

Secondly, there needs to be confessional courage. It is not easy to admit one’s faults. It takes courage and humility. David had both. The physical courage he displayed before Goliath was but the counterpart of the moral courage and humility of his later confession. The Psalmist tells us David showed his courage and humility in three ways.

1. First, by confessing that he and no one else was answerable for his sin.

It took courage to say, “I acknowledge my transgressions; and my sin is ever before me.”  The use of the pronouns I, my, and me shows that David was prepared and anxious to admit that he was personally responsible for his own sins. He did not seek to shift the responsibility on to someone else. No one was to blame except himself. He did not try to excuse himself. He did not plead any extenuating circumstances.

How futile it is to plead as many do, “Circumstances were against me; my upbringing was all wrong; my environment never gave me a chance; I never thought I acted on the spur of the moment.” How futile, for that way leads only further along the path of self-deception.

2. David recognized the true nature and meaning of sin. That is why, although he had murdered Uriah, sinned against Bathsheba, and wronged Joab, he could still say, “Against you, you only have I sinned,” because he realized that finally all his actions were offences ultimately against God. it was God he had wronged. It was God’s purpose and will he had outraged. He had acted basely against other human beings, and in so doing had violated the commandments of God. he had set himself up in opposition to God. That is the ultimate meaning of sin: it is a direct blow at God himself.

3. David acknowledged not only the true meaning of sin but also the root cause of sin. Everyone has a natural disposition and tendency toward evil, for we are all born into a condition of life in which our full union with God is broken and impaired. For this condition we are not personally responsible. We only share in the universal handicap it entails. The vain belief that human nature is all right and that mankind is decent at heart has been shattered by two world wars and by subsequent events since then. We have learned that good is not natural to humankind. Good is supernatural, for humankind needs the grace of God before we can attain the good we desire. Everyone of us has been shaped in wickedness.

Thirdly there is absolution. This is one of the most encouraging truths of our faith. Far from filling David with despondency, it saved him from frustration and disappointment. He has been enabled to face the future, chanting with hope and confidence, “You shall purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; you shall wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” In figurative language borrowed from the ceremony of cleansing lepers, he thinks of God as the only one who can absolve him from his offenses. He faces the future with the sure understanding that God will grant him that peace of mind and pardon for which his soul craves; for he knows no one else can help him. once man recognizes that vain is the help of man, even if that person be himself, he either abandons all hope or throws himself in complete trust on the mercy and forgiveness of God.

In Lent we learn to do precisely that, knowing that “if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us,” but if we confess our sins thoroughly, humbly, hopefully, as David did, “he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

So in closing here are some thoughts for our journey through Lent:

As we move through Lent we have doors to open, doors of penitence, doors of self-examination, doors of obedience and doors of new purpose. In doing that we need to recognize what confession involves. It involves admission of our guilt, sincere regret for our sin, restitution, when possible, determination to do better, and belief that God can help heal the wounds caused by our errors. In recognizing confession we also have to deal with the problem of guilt. We need to recognize that guilt is part of the human situation, it cannot be ignored. The modern world uses devices to make guilt unreal as there is a tendency in our age to offer despair as an effective strategy to eliminate guilt. As Christians we know there is a solution, that is to face the reality of guilt we can know we can find God’s redeeming love.

Prayer: O God, our Father, forgive us for everything which has spoiled our lives, for everything which has spoiled our work; forgive us, O God, for everything which has spoiled our pleasure; forgive us, O God, for everything which has spoiled our home life; forgive us, O God, for everything which has spoiled the peace of our fellow beings and our relationships with our fellow humans; forgive us, O God, for everything which has spoiled our witness for you.

Grant us a true repentance for our sins. Grant that at the foot of the cross we may find our burdens rolled away. And so strengthen us by your Spirit that in the days to come we may live more nearly as we ought, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

By Erica Farrell

I had been teaching my young son, Matthew, the Lord’s Prayer. For several evenings at bedtime, he would repeat after me the lines from the prayer. Finally, he decided to go solo. I listened with pride as he carefully enunciated each word, right up to the end of the prayer: “Lead us not into temptation,” he prayed, “but deliver us some E-mail. Amen.” Ah a sign of the times!

There are plenty of amusing stories about children and prayer. Here’s a couple more:

The preacher’s 5 year-old daughter noticed that her father always paused and bowed his head for a moment before starting his sermon. One day she asked him why. “Well, Honey,” he began, proud that his daughter was so observant of his messages, “I’m asking the Lord to help me preach a good sermon.” “Well how come He doesn’t do it?” she asked. Ouch. I am glad Max isn’t old enough yet to ask me that!

And one more just for fun: During the minister’s prayer one Sunday, there was a loud whistle from one of the back pews. Gary’s mother was horrified. She pinched him into silence and after church asked, “Gary, whatever made you do such a thing?”  Gary answered soberly, “I asked God to teach me to whistle … and He just then did!” So no one please pray that they learn to whistle this morning please.

You might notice that this morning we have completely departed from the lectionary readings. That is because I have been thinking a lot about prayer recently.  I received a couple of books for Christmas – “The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven” and Heaven is for Real”. It struck me as I was reading them how integral prayer was to the healing in both cases, and I became convinced that prayer and prayer alone was what influenced the final outcomes.  I don’t know about you, but prayer isn’t that easy for me. I have a disturbing tendency to pray in earnest when I am in trouble but find it all to easy to forget when things are going well.

A couple of weeks ago I once again turned to prayer over a family situation and was humbled by the grace of God, so prayer was strongly on my mind when I listened to last week’s presentation from Rising Above. I was sure they were going to ask us for money, and was startled when they said all they wanted from us was prayer.  Another sharp reminder from God to me that prayer is the most important thing.

It is notable that Jesus prayed before every undertaking.  If we learned to pray first and plan afterwards, how different our homes, our churches, our bible studies and whatever we are doing for Christ might be.  Maybe, just maybe we are planning in one direction and God’s will is in another direction.  God might be saying “Hold everything!  Turn around and go this way.  This is my will for you, not that way.  God says: “Look, you only see a tenth of what I have in store for you.  There are nine-tenths that you are not seeing, that you don’t know anything about!”

So today, I needed to talk about prayer. The gospel reading shows Jesus as he often is – at prayer.   When he is finished praying, one of his disciples says to him: “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples to pray.”

What a strange thing it seems at first – after all, why would the disciples need to learn how to pray?  Surely each one – as good Jews do – had learned to pray at the Sabbath table?  Surely each one – as a child of Israel – would have recited the prayers of Passover and called upon God during Yon Kipper and the Feast of Tabernacles?  And again at home – each day – each meal – surely there was a table blessing, a prayer to God of thanksgiving that the disciples – like most of us, learned to say.

So why?  Why this request to Jesus:   “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples to pray.”?  I think the answer lies in the simple fact that Jesus – like John – but only more so – had the appearance and the substance of God’s power about him.  Who, after all, would you ask to teach you how to pray if it is not a person who is obviously very close to God?  A person who clearly is in touch with the power of God?

Prayers learned by heart, prayers taught to us by our tradition, and prayers used in formal worship events are a good thing – but the prayers that arise from a heart that is connected to God – and which help one to connect with God – are quite another.  This is central to everything that follows – Jesus is the one, the best one – and indeed the only one, who can teach us to pray as we ought to pray.

Jesus answers the request of the disciple, and shows his disciples with a model of prayer, and with a parable and with an exhortation, what their prayers should be like, and with what spirit prayer should be made, and finally, he showed them the faithfulness that God has to us when we pray.

The disciples clearly learned from him. They went on from that learning to have Spirit filled lives, lives in which they shone with God’s presence despite persecution and all manners of tribulation, – and despite too the mistakes they made from time to time  in what they did and in how they did it.

The question is – do we know the way of prayer? Do we pray as we ought?   Or is there something holding us back? I gave you my answer at the beginning of this message, my prayer life is definitely in need of an overhaul.

So my question is how many of us pray each day with a sense of freedom and intimacy? How many go beyond muttering a few words here and there, now and then (like me) – and actually sit, or kneel, or prostrate ourselves before God and call upon his name with deep and persistent yearning until he answers?

It is so easy to talk to God in the way so many people talk to their wives or husbands.  You know how I mean don’t you?   You rush home from a busy day – say hello – ask what is for dinner – confirm your plans for the evening activities – and then rush out again, only to repeat the process at bedtime – albeit with a slightly different destination in mind and a slightly different set of words. It is an easy habit to fall into.

Just as it is easy to miss being in the kind of conversation with our wives or husbands that brings energy, joy, and life to the relationship, so it is easy to miss really connecting with God, to miss receiving the help we need to face the pain and the struggle that each day brings, and the joy that expressing appreciation for our blessings grants us.

Abraham Lincoln said this about his prayer life:

   “I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go.”

The way of prayer is not always practised upon the knees, but it is practised best with the conviction that we have nowhere else to go but to God – and that God is sure to answer.

I believe that I am not entirely alone in my hang ups about prayer.  Totally aside from the time that is required to prayer, we have feelings and thoughts that keep us from praying as Jesus taught us, – feelings that keep us from asking God about the things that Jesus told us to ask about,  – and thoughts that keep us too from asking in the way that he showed us.

So why is praying diligently so difficult for me and possibly for you too?  I thought of five common hang ups in the life of prayer that help keep us from making the connection that Jesus wants us to have with God.  Bear in mind that in all of these hang ups I will speak more about our talking to God – than about God talking to us.  But if we overcome our hang-ups about talking to God we will discover the listening side comes naturally – much as it comes to a child who sits on our laps and chatters to us for a long while, and then asks – What do you think Mommy?

The first way I believe people hang up on God is by thinking that they are not good enough to call on God.  And so they don’t.  I call it the NOT GOOD ENOUGH HANG UP. This, my friends is answered once and for all by the cross of Jesus – he died for us while we were yet sinners so that we might be put right with God – his sacrifice for us makes us good enough in God’s eyes. Jesus has given to each one of us a calling card by which we can call upon God – all communications with our Lord are placed on his unlimited account.

God has made us be his children. To be like him.  That is why he put his image in us – male and female – and that is why Jesus teaches us in his model of prayer to call God “Father” or “Daddy”.  God, like any good parent, wants all his children to come to him and to learn from him and be blessed by him.  And perhaps most especially, he wants those children who have strayed from his side to return to it.  He wants the prodigal to return and to be made whole.  He wants to shower us with forgiveness and help us to live as he created us to live.  God wants us all to come to him.

The second hang up some people have about prayer is the BUT GOD IS TOO BUSY WITH MORE IMPORTANT THINGS HANG UP.  Like the first hang up – this one too is based on a kind of respect for God -a misguided respect. The problem here is that the view these people have of God is not big enough.  Can not the creator of heaven and earth do more than a few things at a time?  Isn’t the one who has counted the hairs on our heads – and noted that some of them are disappearing – able and willing to deal with all things?

In today’s reading, with a certain sense of humour – Jesus teaches his disciples that even if God is busy doing something else – even if he, like a friend of ours, is in bed after midnight with all his children safely tucked in, he will get up and answer the door if we continue to bang on it – if only to get us to stop bothering him. My friends – even the Government gets around to answering the phone when we stay on the line long enough…  I kind of think God is up to government standards – don’t you?

The third hang up that helps disconnect people from a entering into full life of prayer, and of learning from and receiving from God, is the GIMME HANG UP. Clearly some people’s whole prayer life consists of asking God for things for themselves.   I am not speaking about them or to them.  Rather I am speaking about – and to – those people who are often diligent in the practice of prayer.  They intercede for others.  They pray often and with deep conviction.  But they almost never pray for themselves.

This may arise because they feel that they are not good enough to deserve God’s attention – or it may arise because they feel that it is selfish and uncaring to think of one’s’ own needs when so many people have far greater needs.  What then should we say to Jesus when he instructs his disciples to pray saying things like – “Give us this day our daily bread”  “Forgive our sins”  “Lead us not into the time of trial – but deliver us from evil?” What is good to ask of God for others – is good to ask for ourselves.

 Remember the garden of Gethsemane?  Remember all the trips that Jesus made to the quiet spots away from his disciples?  The master prayed for himself – and he has taught us to pray for ourselves.  To pray for our daily needs – to pray for forgiveness and a forgiving spirit – to pray even for an easier life – a life in which we are not tested as severely as we might be, a life in fact in which we are delivered from.

We can and should pray for others – as many of us do – that comes to us quite naturally.   But we can and should pray for ourselves and our needs and our desires as well.  It pleases God to answer us – much as it pleases us to answer our children and to give them not only what they need – but, at times, to give them what they want.

The fourth hang up in prayer is the “ONCE SHOULD BE ENOUGH” hang up. People with this hang up often have made the assumption that once a person asks God for something that it displays lack of faith to continue to bother God about it.

Harry Emerson Fosdick, the great preacher, writes: “Some things God cannot give to a man until the man has prepared and proven his spirit by persistent prayer.  Such a prayer cleans the house, sets the table, opens the door, until God says, “Lo, the house is ready.  Now may thy guest come in.”

We pray for the Kingdom of God to come.  For justice and mercy in every nation.  For daily bread for ourselves and the hungry around the  world.  For healing for the sick.   For peace.  For the oppressed. For our children to be whole and happy.  For our work to be pleasing to God and to us.  As the Lord’s prayer and the parable that follows it shows us – these prayers are not meant to a be once and for all request that we make to God – but a dynamic part of our daily relationship with him.

 ”Make it happen Lord!  We are here again.  We are not letting go till you give us an answer!”

Which of you if you had a child who asked for something from you that you wanted to give them, but were not yet ready to give them – would be impressed if the child asked only once?  I think very few.  So, with God, our repeated requests are not scorned as a sign of our lack of faith, but rather welcomed as an expression of what we really want.  Keep on coming before God for the things that keep on coming before us – persist in prayer and God will persist with us and give to us that which we want – or explain to us why something else might be better.

Which leads to the fifth hang up in many people’s practice of prayer is the “I MIGHT ASK FOR THE WRONG THING HANG UP.”

 Often we do not know what to pray for.  We are confused and frightened or we do not have the knowledge we think we need.  Do not fear this.  God is not like a genie in a bottle – who upon being released grants his saviour three wishes – not matter what they are – and then leaves the person to deal with the consequences..  “I wish it would stop raining – I wish my neighbour would get lost – or whatever.”

Think of what Jesus says in verses 11 through 13 of today’s gospel:

 ”Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for a fish, will give a snake instead of a fish?  Or if the child asks for an egg will give a scorpion?  If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?”

Turn it around for a minute – “Is there anyone among you, if your child asks for a snake will give it to him?  Or if the child asks for a scorpion will deliver it? 

Not sure what to pray for in a particular situation?  Just pray, “O Lord, bring healing, bring hope, bring what is right, help me help the one I am praying for.”  Groan to God in the midst of your anguish – or in the midst of the anguish of others – and keep doing it till the answer comes.  God will not pour oil on the fires that afflict you or your loved ones – nor will he send curses when you seek blessings.

The magic of prayer – if we can call it that – is not in the particular words we use in our prayer – nor even the particular things we pray about – but the relationship into which we enter when we pray to God in all things and about all things.

When we present everything that concerns us and everything that delights us to God – we are sharing with God who we are and what we are – and that builds between God and ourselves the intimacy that allows the new life that God wants to give us and our world to come about.  In fact, it is part of that new life – just as spending time together in a marriage speaking and listening – expressing our fears and our hopes – our desires and our wants – helps make the marriage a true marriage.  Our partners help us where help is needed – rejoice when we rejoice – and weep when we weep – and share with us all that they are as well. 

And as in human relationships sorrows shared are sorrows divided – and joys shared are joys multiplied, and so it is in the divine-human relationship – but far more so – for our God is greater than we are – and is fully able to help those who call upon him – and ready and willing to lift us up when we are cast down – and to bless us when we hold forth our hands in trust and in thanksgiving.

So, speak often with God – about those things upon your hearts – and God will speak with you and answer you.   And that is the power and the gift that is prayer.

Written by the Rev. Daniel Cho

Proverbs 3:1-10

1 John 4:7-16

 “Love” is a very popular word in our society and people spend much of their lives in search of it. But as we all know, this often goes unfulfilled, is often misunderstood and is more than often misused. The latest search on Amazon.com reveals some interesting results: when you type in the word “money,” it lists over 90,000 book titles, “sex” has nearly 90,000, “heaven” has over 27,000, “God” has over 170,000, and for “love” there

are over 240,000 book titles listed.

If you Google the word “love” you will get over 4.2 billion hits with some websites called, ilovedogs.com, ilovecheese.com and ilovelucy.com. If you’re looking for a partner there is trueromancedatingservice.com, lovetest.com and matchmaker.com. There’s even a website called, thelovecalculator.com, which claims to give you the odds of your relationship lasting!

The common element in these sites is that love is seen as something that arises exclusively out of human desire and belonging, solely within the realm of human gratification.

It is created by humanity for humanity. This seems to be the way that many people see it.

One man wrote to the popular columnist with a problem: “Dear Abby, I am in love and I am having an affair with two different women other than my wife. I love my wife but I love these other women too. Please tell me what to do, but don’t give me any of that morality stuff.” He signed it, Too much love for only one. Abby’s reply was classic. She wrote: “Dear Too much love for only one. The only difference between humans and animals is morality. Please write to a veterinarian.”

The Scriptures reveal to us a love that is more than something entangled with mere feelings and emotions. They proclaim a love that is real, genuine and beyond superficial human fancies. We are invited to embrace this love. God’s message for us is clear and profound, according to John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but have eternal life.” God’s love is evident in the very fact that God gave Jesus as the best expression of that love.

Several years ago a psychologist named three types of Christmas gift-givers and the characteristics of each. One is the Duty-Gift Giver. This person feels an obligation to buy a gift; it really doesn’t matter what it is, and not a lot of thought goes into it. Anything will do.

The second is the Traditional Gift Giver. This person always chooses something appropriate, like a book for the coffee table. It’s always an acceptable choice but maybe not a really personal gift. It’s nice, sends the right message and it never goes over

budget.

The third type of giver is called the Passionate Giver. This person enthusiastically looks for just the right gift for the right person. The giver knows the right colour, the right size, and doesn’t mind going over budget if need be. The gift fits the need or desire of the recipient regardless of budget. The giver is simply happy to give it. Such a gift, naturally, is deeply appreciated by the recipient and elicits the most genuine and heartfelt thanks.

God is a Passionate Giver. The gift to us was not given as something just to get by with or out of obligation. Jesus Christ was the very best God had to offer; the gift was given for our sake, but with utter passion for God’s sake. At the very heart of who we are as

Christians, this concept of love is what defines us and our relationship with our Lord — that God, motivated by love, gave passionately and extravagantly to us.

Love is the foundation of the fruit of the Spirit: joy is love that sings; peace is love that rests; patience is love that endures; kindness is love’s touch; goodness is love’s character; faithfulness is love’s habit; self-control is love holding the reins. It is this love

that has the power to transform us and change lives one by one.

David knew this love. Through Nathan, God said to him, “I will be his father, and he will be my son. My love will never be taken away from him. Your house and your kingdom will endure forever; your throne will be established forever.”

The prophet Isaiah spoke of this love to the people: “I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour. Since you are precious and honoured in my sight, and because I love you, do not be afraid; for I am with you. I will bring your children from

the east and gather you from the west.”

Jesus, the Son of God, is this love: “…In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Beloved, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (1 John 4:10-11).

Let us be truly thankful then for such a passionate gift that is beyond our highest expectations but one that is perfectly suited for us. Once we lose our sense of gratitude, the gift’s meaning is lost and the high price paid for it is forgotten. There’s a story about two friends bumping into one another on the street one day. One of them looked sad, almost on the verge of tears. His friend asked, “What has the world done to you, my old friend?”

The sad fellow said, “Let me tell you. Three weeks ago an uncle died and left me $40,000.” The friend said, “Wow, that’s a lot of money.” The sad fellow said, “But two weeks ago a cousin I never even knew died, and left me $85,000 free and clear.” His friend replied, “Sounds like you’ve been blessed….” The fellow quickly came back, “You don’t understand! Last week my great-aunt passed away. I inherited almost a quarter of a million dollars.”

Now the friend was really confused. “Then, why do you look so glum?” The guy said, “This week… Nothing!” That’s the trouble sometimes with receiving something wonderful — we can easily take it for granted and eventually come to expect only good things. This is the “entitlement mindset” that has permeated both our society and the church. We have been blessed to live in a land of plenty, and as a result we have become complacent. Many times we are completely unwilling to give thanks to anyone for anything.

The Gospel message tells us that love’s power is in the fact that it was expressed to the world in a concrete way and that it was given with utmost passion. It isn’t connected with the whims of our emotions or gratifications. When our lives are characterized by the awareness of this gift and profound gratitude this gift causes, then we become committed to living out that same passionate love in our world as God’s agents of change.

What an opportunity we have as followers of Christ to be his instruments of love! It is not enough simply to cling to an individualistic spirituality and bask in the personal contentment of the idea of God’s finished work in our lives as a status symbol. The work of the Lord is far from finished indeed. As the kingdom of heaven is birthed within us here on earth, Christ calls us as his disciples to cultivate these kingdom values of peace, justice, service and the yearning for righteousness in a world that is in want and need of healing. Our Christian path to which we have been called by Christ is one of giving — of our time, talents and resources in showing and sharing the heart and message of our

God. Indeed, it can be said that when we stop giving, we stop loving.

What an opportunity we have as members of local Presbyterian congregations to join together in the work of Presbyterian World Service & Development and touch the lives of our brothers and sisters around the world as they strive to build better futures for

themselves! In its work, PWS&D joins with faithful and passionate partners worldwide to address real needs through our prayerful and financial support. We have been part of massive relief efforts to help survivors of theIndian Oceantsunami, the earthquake

inHaiti, the flooding inPakistanand the enormous disaster inJapan. Also we are engaged in sustained development missions in lower-income regions by supporting

human rights efforts, protecting the vulnerable, improving health and nutrition, ensuring children receive education and helping to improve the status of women both in the home and community. These are just some of the ways we are able to give of our passionate love.

Of course, this is not always easy because we don’t always see the fruits of our labours. But the change we are having in the lives of others through PWS&D is incredibly meaningful.

Narmadais just one example of a woman whose life has been forever changed. Living in an impoverished community in ruralIndia,Narmadalost both her parents to illness, and her eldest brother was forced to drop out of school in order to provide for the family. Overcome with grief,Narmadasunk into a deep depression. Every day was a struggle to get by. She described herself as living a dark life without hope. She wanted to die.

A recommendation from her pastor ledNarmadato attend a PWS&D-supported community college that changed everything. She began attending classes and received the support she needed to complete her schooling. Through the friendships she made, and with guidance from the college’s dedicated and compassionate teachers,Narmadatook an interest in the nursing program. Her teachers watched asNarmada’s attitude toward life began to change.

In addition to helping students complete grade 12 and learn vocational skills, a key part of the college’s curriculum is teaching life skills. Students learn about interpersonal relations and how to improve their communication skills. Over the course of their studies, they develop a fresh sense of confidence, enthusiasm and are able to recognize their own potential.

Narmadais now a young woman in her early 20s, enrolled in the nursing program. She has learned to cope and thrive. She has big plans to become a psychologist so she can help others who are struggling with similar difficulties find peace and hope.

Narmadahas a new outlook on life, and she is incredibly grateful for the strangers from another country who supported her in her journey back to emotional health and into a life with promise. She is just one of the many people whose lives have been touched by

our commitment to overcoming poverty and injustice, and empowering people to lead lives with dignity and opportunity.

The church can be an amazing place when it is working the way it’s supposed to — when we understand that giving love means treating and serving one another as if each person were Christ himself. Today, what kind of giver will you choose to be? When

we begin to live according to our faith commitment with passion and vibrancy for one others’ sake, then we extend this authentic love in our giving — by sheltering the homeless, strengthening the weak and marginalized, rescuing the wounded, empowering the innocent, honouring all, effecting change in people’s lives and thereby establishing God’s kingdom on earth.

Glory to our God through Jesus Christ!

Text: Luke 17; 17

Where are the nine? These words of our Lord constitute one of the most poignant, plaintive queries in the Scriptures. Ten lepers had been cleansed, but only one of the ten – a stranger – had returned to give thanks for healing. This striking story points up the lack of gratitude which is a tragic characteristic of the human race. In our own day, perhaps even more than in the New Testament times, one of the vanishing virtues seems to be the grace of thankfulness. Have you ever stopped to consider what a difference an effort to be grateful might make in your life?

First of all, as a Christian I am to be thankful for the ordinary blessings of life, those things which we so often take for granted.

How easy it is to take basic things for granted. When we get down to thinking about it there are many everyday things that we take for granted. I know that I am thankful for the splash of a raindrop, the gentle warmth of the sunshine, harvest time, the look of newly fallen snow, the wonder of sunrise and sunset, the look of nature in all its seasons. I am also grateful for the presence of music in our world, a truly international means of expressing ourselves to others.

Beyond that I am thankful for what we might call ‘the surprises of God’ – unexpected strength in the midst of a hard task, a new friendship to break a spell of loneliness, incredible blessings fashioned out of the very stuff of tragedy. These are our Heavenly Father’s precious gifts to his children, hidden through out years much as parents hide toys through a house before a child’s birthday. We keep stumbling upon them in the most unexpected places and at the most unanticipated moments.

These great fundamental blessings of life are themselves so wonderful as to defy comprehension. Paul, writing in 1 Corinthians 2:9 reminded us, “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for them that love Him.”  Not all of these things are in heaven, my friends. Many of them are right here upon the earth, surrounding us from day to day. As a Christian, I thank God for the great ordinary blessings of life.

Again, as a Christian, I thank God for work to do.

No matter how honourable or essential one’s means of earning of livelihood may be, it does not constitute the primary reason for their existence. The person who has mastered the meaning and mystery of life will always subordinate their vocation to the large proposition that God has some special purpose for them, and life becomes meaningful only as this purpose is discovered and accomplished.

We are quite often staggered by the immensity of the evil which we see entrenched and malignant all about us. But we are even more amazed by the awareness that God has planned for us who are his children to be part of the answer to that evil. To realize this truth is enough to give life deep meaning and high, ecstatic romance.

Our contribution to the solution of the problem of wrongdoing in our world does not need to be a large one. Indeed, most of us are not capable of anything spectacular or grandiose or even important, as the world measures importance, at this point. We must content ourselves with modest efforts, but we are strengthened by recognizing that God has made his own arrangements for such efforts to count in a way entirely disproportionate to their own apparent significance.

When we undertake to do our Father’s work in the world, no matter how small the task, God touches it with heaven’s power and gives it meaning and influence in the whole sequence of human events! As a Christian, I thank God today for work to do.

As a Christian I also thank God for the hope for the future.

Christian people are the only authentically hopeful people in the face of the earth today. In both of God’s covenants with his people, the Old and the New, it is promised that righteousness will triumph in the affairs of humans. The thrilling assurance of the Scriptures, given again and yet again, is that truth crushed to earth will rise again, the eternal years of God are ours.

The Christian believes emphatically in a philosophy of history. They believe that history is what E. Stanley Jones years ago said it was, ‘His – story’. He has supreme and unshakable confidence that omnipotent God is busy behind the scenes of human events, bringing to pass his will and way in his own good time.

It is this kind of faith which produces courage to face difficulty, serenity to live in the midst of turmoil. When a person’s convictions go down deeper than their fears, nothing that life can ever do to them will hurt them very much.

Finally, as a Christian, I thank God for the gospel.

We have the Gospel. We had it in a beautiful murmur in the pages of the Old Testament, as in Isaiah 1:18. The murmur becomes the crescendo of a mighty shout in the New Testament, John 3:16.

When the everlasting God planned a nearer visit to earth, he chose the utterly human traits of a mother’s deep anguish and a baby’s low, helpless cry for the divine pilgrimage. He might have come as a heavenly visit or in trappings of cosmic splendor with Spirit-legions and a chariot made of the winds! But he used instead a cattle shelter and the loneliness of a man and a woman. This is the meaning of the incarnation., the message of every preacher and the wonder of the Church’s Good News. God himself stood over the manger cradle, over the wilderness years, over the brief and fleeting period of Jesus’ earth ministry, over the trials , over the Cross of Golgotha, over the empty tomb of Joseph, stood over them all and cried out tones broken with love indescribable, ‘and there do I give to you my love!’

My faith is not in creeds, as important as I know accurate theology is. My faith is not in the church, as much as I love it and believe in it. My faith is in a Person, Jesus Christ, Son of God and Son of Man, the fairest among ten thousand, the One Altogether lovely, Emmanuel – God with us!

We have the Gospel, the message of God’s illimitable love for lost men and lost women. There comes a time when, in our weariness and despair, we need to lean back upon everlasting arms and let the glory and wonder of God’s promises saturated our souls with fresh hope and new courage. It is the miracle of Christianity that no man, no woman is every beyond the power of this Gospel to save and to restore. As a Christian, I thank God today for the Gospel. Blessed be His Name!

Text; 1 Corinthians 11:17-34

On this Sunday, while Canadian were sleeping, Christians in the Democratic Republic of Congo left their homes for places of worship to see their pastors take bread in their hands and declare, ‘This is my body’. In the Church of the Resurrection in Jerusalem were heard the words, ‘This is my body’. In Saint Paul’s in London a hush fell across the congregation as the pastor declared, ‘This is my body.’ In churches and cathedrals across Canada today pastors take bread into their hands and declare, ‘This is my body.’ In thatched roof mission stations across the islands of the Pacific this afternoon will be uttered, ‘This is my body.’

This is World Wide Communion Sunday. Through the world churches of all denominations, in all nations, in many languages, are celebrating the Lord’s Supper. And, it couldn’t have come at a better time. We need this time together to remember that our Lord also suffered. And, we need this time also to remember that he did so on our behalf. Not just for you and me but for neighbours next door. Neighbours across the street. And neighbours around the world. “God so loved the world’ begins that most memorable verse in the Gospel of John. It is as true in this war torn age as it was then in that time of unrest.

The Lord’s Supper teaches us about the necessity of unity. The Apostle Paul tried to get this point across to the Corinthians. They were a divided church and were following many different teachers and teachings. Paul let them know, in no uncertain terms, that their divisions were not acceptable. He explained that to participate in the meal and leave others out or allow division amongst themselves was tantamount to drinking and eating judgment upon themselves. Communion is serious business.

A story is told of a head usher at a particular church who went to his pastor with a problem. It seems that despite all of his urgings, he simply could not get people to stand close enough together at the communion rail. In a frustrated tone, he told the pastor how each time he sent the proper number of people up, but they never seemed to fit just right. ‘Some people leave 6 to 8 inches between them and the person next to them, which crowds up the ones on the very end.’ In desperation he threw up his hands and said: ‘Can’t people get close together even at communion?’

Perhaps the head ushers frustration points out very adequately the large difficulties we face as we come together in this World wide communion Sunday. The problem was the few inches that separate people at the communion rail. But in the larger picture, it is far more than space that separates us. We in the church are kept apart by theology, politics, ministry, and sociology.

But perhaps the differences that we have between the churches can nowhere be more visibly seen than in the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. Some churches, like the Presbyterian Church in Canada, practice open communion, that is, they allow any and all to come to the Lord’s Table. Other denominations practice what has been called closed communion or fenced communion table, although the denominations that practice this don’t like to call it that. they do not allow you to take unless you are a member of their denomination.

In some churches, communion is served every week. In others, it is rarely mentioned. We in the Presbyterian church traditionally serve the Lord’s Supper once a month, although some Presbyterian churches service it quarterly. And, it might come as a surprise to you, some churches do not serve communion at all.

So here we are on a day that is called World Wide Communion Sunday. There are those who would argue that far from bringing us together, such an occasion as this really simply underscores how far apart we are. In most any city here in Canada, well over 50% of the congregations will not even recognize World Wide Communion Sunday. So rather than emphasizing a theme of unity, some would argue, it accomplishes just the opposite. They would argue that it proves that the church is not the body of Christ, but the broken body of Christ.

Why then bother to have such a day? My answer to that is this. It sends a message to the Christian community at large, that if there is anything that could and should bring us together, it is the Sacrament of the Lord’s supper.

That is what the Apostle Paul wanted to convey to the Corinthian church. If ever there was a church divided it was this one. The passage we read this morning on the Lord’s Supper comes from the 11^th chapter buried deep in the book. In that chapter Paul derides the church because they are excluding the poor from the meal. The rich bring their food and gather in cliques and the poor have nothing and are excluded from the feast. Paul was livid with them, “Any of you who eat and rink without recognizing the whole Body of Christ,” he warned, “eat and drink judgment upon themselves.”

But we don’t have to wait to read the 11^th chapter to know that division was destroying this church. No. all we have to do is read the very first chapter. No sooner does Paul say hello than he begins firing at them: “Is Christ divided?”  he asks, “Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul? Is Apollos your good Shepherd? Did Cephas call you to in Galilee to thrown down your nets and follow him?”

These were the questions Paul asked the Corinthians. You see, they were even forming these cliques according to who baptized them, or taught them, or who lead them to the Lord. Paul had a mess on his hands. But let’s ask, what divides us today? Our great nation has experienced a unity, a bond, a common purpose. Of course the horrible tragedies remind us so clearly of our common beliefs and shared values of freedom. We come together because we had to in moments of tragedy.

I am sad to say that this is so in the church today. You only need to look at the marquees as you drive down the street: Baptist, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, Anglican, United, Church of Christ, Pentecostal, Believers and the signs go on telling the story oh so plainly that we are not a united people. I am totally convinced that if Jesus came back to this earth, he would sit down at the table and say: Here is the bread. Take and Eat. Here is the wine. Take and drink. There would be no litmus test for church denomination or theological debates. It would simply be done. That is at least how I see my Jesus.

Of course, we are not being naïve about it. It is an ideal. It is not yet reality. Yet, we insist that communion is not just an ideal. At its depth it is reality.

The year was 1968. it was an election year in the United States and the country was split right down the middle on the issue of Viet Nam. Additionally, there were severe domestic problems with race, and there had been major rioting in several large cities. The Democratic candidate was Hubert Humphrey. The Republican candidate was Richard Nixon. While Nixon was whistle stopping in upstate New York, he noticed a little girl holding up a sign which read: Bring us together. You may recall that he picked up on that and used it as his campaign theme.

Maybe when we come together to take the bread and wine, someone should stand up and hold up a sign before the Christian Church which reads: Bring us together. Yes, there are differences, not only between denominations, but within denominations. But what the bread and wine represents transcends those differences, that is what we are saying. A body broken for us. Blood shed for us. That is what will bring us together, if anything can at all. Let his blood serve as the cement to bring not only churches together but to bring people together. Let his body serve as the bonding agent that holds us together.

It is something that is so simple, yet we have made it so complex. Let us come together this morning as a united people. United in purpose, in mission, in brother and sister hood, in aspiration, and perhaps most important of all, in our faith in Christ Jesus our Lord. If we as the ones who profess the name of Christ cannot come together, then how can the world ever hope to come together? Amen

Is God in this place?

Text: Genesis 28:16

As a minister of a church it is not uncommon to get a call from people who ask, ‘We’d like to get married in your church. Can we come and see you about it?’ So usually after a little chatting I make an appointment with them to come to the office at the church so we can discuss further whether or not they want or I want to proceed with the wedding service at the church. My first question is usually, ‘So why do  you want to get married in the church?’ The answers vary somewhat, but most say something like, “We want to get married in the presence of God.’ To which I reply, sometimes tongue in cheek, ‘I believe that God is present wherever you decide to get married.’

In the reading from the book of Genesis for today is found the story of Jacob who is fleeing from his older brother Esau. Jacob has taken Esau’s birthright as the first born son and cheated Esau out of his father’s blessing. Esau is understandably upset and threatens to kill Jacob and so Jacob runs away to his uncle Laban in Haran. During this flight Jacob stops for the night at a certain place, takes a stone to use as his pillow and falls asleep. While he is sleeping he has a dream  in which he sees a ladder extending from heaven to earth with the angels of God going up and down on it. He experiences God’s presence through this dream and also receives God promise in the dream. When he wakes up he says, “Truly the Lord is in this place.’  In the middle of nowhere Jacob feels God’s presence with him.

In many ways it is at this point that stumble upon a fundamental Christian principle that wherever we are and whatever our circumstances God is present with us. It is like the picture of the footprints in the sand. Even when we don’t think God is with us, we later realize his presence was indeed with us. God is Spirit and that Spirit is present everywhere. Our tragedy is that we so often fail to recognize it, at the moment and sometimes not even in hindsight.

So let’s talk a moment and think how God is present everywhere. When I came to Grande Prairie some many years ago there was that great challenge of a new place and how it would work out. The place to live was there but the living still had to be determined. In fact I thought when I came here it would be for maybe 5 or so years and yet 26 years later I am still hanging around. I think that longevity can be explained by sense of the presence of God’s through the years. Whether it was as the ministry went along, or when our children were born or through all the joys and sorrows of the years, there was always that overriding sense of the presence of God. It was in the ministry, in the congregation, in the people we met daily and in the community at large. I have over those 26 years been continually humbled and grateful by the presence of God through and in the people I have been in contact with.

God is present in the good things of life, the beauty of nature and the kindnesses of people. With that most people would not argue as it is easy to feel that presence. But God is equally present in the cruelties and harsh realities of life. We may not think about this or expect it, but God is present in the needs and sufferings of people.

Mother Teresa was a nun who was known world-wide for her work with the malnourished, disease ridden and poor people of the slums of Calcutta. She said, ‘That the key to her teaching is to be found in Jesus’ parable of the Sheep and the Goats and especially in the words, “Inasmuch as you did it to the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.”  Mother Teresa goes on to say, ‘I see Christ in every person I touch because He has said, “I was hungry, I was thirsty, I was naked, I was sick, I was suffering, I was homeless and you took me in…”  It is as simple as that. Every time I give a piece of bread, I give it to Him.’

There as a man I knew, a minister within the church who developed cancer. As time went on it became diagnosed as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease. When he learned that he had Lou Gehrig’s disease he preached a sermon and wrote a journal ‘My Words’ in which he stated that God was in the disease just as much as he was in the sunset. By this he didn’t mean that God intended the disease or sent it. That would make him the devil. But nevertheless God is to be found in ALS  as in everything else. If God is not in the disease then he’s not the God of the psalmist who said that God’s presence could even be found in hell, and he’s not the God of the Christian who knows God’s presence most deeply on the cross. Recall the words of the 139^th Psalm. The psalmist writes:

‘Where can I escape from your spirit?

Where can I flee from the presence?

If I climb up heaven, you are there.

If I make my bed in hell, again I find you.

If I take my flight to the frontiers of the morning

Or dwell at the limit of the western sea,

Even there you hand will meet me

And your right hand will hold me fast.’

So let’s also remember the cross believing that God was in Jesus hanging on that cross experiencing in Jesus all the rejection, shame and pain of that cross. Wherever we are and whatever our circumstances the God of Jacob, the God of the psalmist and the God of Jesus is with us.

So Jacob, fleeing from his brother Esau, in the middle of the desert, experiences God’s presence in a dream. So when he wakes up he says, “Truly the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” When he realizes God’s presence Jacob called the place a ‘house of God,’ and he takes the stone which he had used as a pillow and sets it up as a sacred pillar. In other words, he makes this place a place of worship, a sanctuary.

The tragedy is most of our lives is that like Jacob we quite often do not God is in this place. Too often we forget God’s presence. So most of needs churches and acts of worship with all their order and ceremony to help us realize God’s presence. William Barclay once wrote, ‘That the aim of the people who lead worship is to make the congregation aware of the presence of God and to make them certain that the God who is there is there to receive and to help.

You could take even a step further by saying that the aim of worship is also to help the congregation be aware of the presence of God once they’ve stepped outside of church at the end of worship. That way we do not leave God’s presence behind thinking he only is with us in the sanctuary.

We would say that Jacob robbed Esau of his birthright and his father’s blessing because he forgot God’s presence and God’s will. Jesus makes it clear in the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats that those people who fail to feed the hungry, befriend the stranger and visit the sick and imprisoned equally forget God’s presence and God’s will.

I sincerely hope that during this time of worship, here in this sanctuary, that you have known God’s presence.  I hope that in this act of worship you will be helped to know God’s presence outside this building as well as inside.

Wherever we are and whatever our circumstances we need to be able to say with Jacob, “Truly the Lord is in this place” and may we all receive God’s help for daily living.

On this Canada Day weekend I was doing something thinking about what it is about our country of Canada that makes it special, why people come here from all over the world. And I realized that there are many reasons but one that I would like to focus on this morning is the freedom of choice.

One of the great luxuries we enjoy in our free society is the luxury of choice. We can choose our own means of living, the cars we drive and the direction we went to drive them. We can choose our own clothing, our food, the communities in which we want to live and even the way we want to live in them, so long as we do not infringe upon someone else’s freedom of choice. We often choose our own friends, and sometimes our enemies. The free choices we have are numerous and plentiful.

It’s hard not to believe that this is the kind of society that God has in mind for all people. We are able to exercise the free will that God has blessed us with in the first place. We need to walk cautiously here, of course, and be careful not to say that Canadian democracy is the model for the kingdom of God, or that the free will we have from God is the same as the will we are free to express as Canadian citizens.

There is no question that we have a free will of some kind. It is supported by Scripture, but it is especially in our own daily experiences of decision-making. Scripture also makes it clear that human free will, though very real, is very imperfect. That is to say, we have the will to make choices; we just don’t have the will to make every choice the right choice. We lost that ability long ago when we decided to be gods, ourselves, rather than to be God’s own. Instead of wanting to be ruled by God, we chose to be free of his rule. Thus we lost our innocence, our trustworthiness, and our freedom. So the real status of our lives is not the exercise of a perfect, unbridled will that is perfectly able to choose right from wrong, but rather the exercise of a will that is absolutely limited by sin. In short, we have a will that is free, that which is not able to choose to be free.

Christian psychiatrist M. Scott Peck (People of the Lie) says that there are really only two states of being: submission to God and his will and goodness, or refusal to submit to anything beyond one’s own will, which automatically enslaves one to the forces of sin and evil. It is a view shared also by C.S. Lewis, who said in his book, ‘Christian Reflections’, “In the universe there is no neutral ground, every square inch, every split second is claimed by God and counterclaimed by Satan.”

We have the freedom to choose, to choose our friends, to choose our church. But when it comes to choosing who is to be our Lord, our God, it is not a matter of asserting our free will, but a matter of submission – of yielding, of giving up our lives. A Lord is one in whom we trust and who we rely upon, one to whom we give our prime allegiance and submit ourselves to in complete obedience.

So let me ask: Who is that person for you? Who or what is your Lord?

There is an assumption behind those questions: All people who wish to be called Christian are those who follow Christ and believe in the power of the cross to save. But I am also aware that in this world we are surrounded by a host of so-called Lords that vie for our allegiance and loyalty. The questions we need to wrestle with are: Do we see Christ merely as one of the many options available? Do we choose him as Lord much like we select a new suit or car? If he fits and feels good, we’ll wear him. Or does he stand quite apart and alone? Is he just a good bet or is he the only game in town? Does he offer you one way to live and the only way to live? Is he the one Lord or one among many?

Think carefully and speak your answer carefully. Don’t speak to quickly, for your choice is truly a matter of life or death. If you choose to say that Christ is a good option, you choose initially the safest route to go. There’s very little to risk, or so it would seem.

To regard Jesus as an option among others means you can have a very causal relationship with him. You can attend worship whenever the spirit moves you, but if you feel that you have earned a little rest, skipping a few occasions isn’t such a big deal. As long as you get to Holy Communion now and then, that’s really all that matters, right? Make Jesus just an option among others and you can enjoy all the benefits of being a member of the Body, without any of the responsibilities. It’s a free country, isn’t it? If you want to become more seriously involved, it’s still your choice, isn’t it? And you don’t want to, it’s your choice as well, isn’t it?

It’s such a safe, easy life when we make Christ one of many optional gods to follow. It seems to give us the freedom to shuffle our allegiances around. Christ is definitely more important to us at specific times in our lives – baptisms, weddings, funerals, Christmas and Easter. But church isn’t the only obligation we have is it? We have careers to work on, bills to pay, places to go, things to do, people to see. We have lots of choices, lots of options. A person just has to set some priorities now and then.

We need to think again how safe and easy a life it really is. Remember Dr. Peck’s formula: ‘One either submits to the will of God, totally and completely, or refuses to submit to anything beyond one’s own will.’

Making Christ and church membership a casual choice is submitting yourself to nothing more than your own will, and that is regarding yourself as Lord. That is also idolatry, and that makes living not so safe at all. It leads us down a road to death.

But now, if we choose to be more serious and less casual about following Christ, then we need to be warned. To submit to Christ as our only Lord of life means we will lose something, we lose our freedom of choice.

When Christ becomes our Lord, we will no longer have the luxury of deciding who is our neighbour and who isn’t. We will no longer have the option of love only those who do nice things for us. We will no longer simply enjoy the benefits of being Christian, but must now take on the responsibilities of that name. Christ will own us, possess us. Our life will no longer be ours, but his.

It’s not a safe choice. There are others that are definitely more safe. On the other hand, there are no others that make the kind of promise that Christ makes: “He who believes has eternal life.” (John 6:47)

The casual believer may think it all too risky, and would rather have greater choices. He or she would rather have that luxury of borrowing from both worlds as he or she sees fit. Jesus said, “Not every one who says to me ‘Lord, Lord’ shall enter the kingdom.”  (Matthew 7:21) which is to say to those whose casual attitude goes no further than that: ”One cannot stand in the middle between submission to the Lordship of Christ or the following of one’s own will. To do is to be ultimately torn apart.”

Jesus did not come to earth to be one of the many candidates running for King of kings. God didn’t send him our way that we might ponder his words, or think about his parables, and take them simply as good advice. God didn’t’ ask our permission; he didn’t call for a vote; he didn’t wait for us to say yes – or no.

In absolutely perfect freedom, God choose us! He sent us Jesus, hoping we would follow. Whether we do does not change the fact that he has been established by God as Lord of all! We can reject him, but not make him go away. The cross is history, never to be repeated, thus never to be forgotten or ignored.

We really don’t have a choice. Choosing not to believe at all, or deciding to live a casual relationship with Christ, holds very little risk and very little promise. But choosing to submit to Christ’s lordship is to relinquish all rights and claims on our lives by other lords.

By no other lord are we genuinely safe. Christ’s Lordship is one of shepherding, of providing, of making us whole people. Jesus, our friend – Jesus, our comforter and life-giver – Jesus, Lord of all. What will it be? A matter of choice or a matter of submission? A lord of your choice or the Lord that has chosen you? It’s the only choice in life that matters.  

On this Canada Day weekend I was doing something thinking about what it is about our country of Canada that makes it special, why people come here from all over the world. And I realized that there are many reasons but one that I would like to focus on this morning is the freedom of choice.

One of the great luxuries we enjoy in our free society is the luxury of choice. We can choose our own means of living, the cars we drive and the direction we went to drive them. We can choose our own clothing, our food, the communities in which we want to live and even the way we want to live in them, so long as we do not infringe upon someone else’s freedom of choice. We often choose our own friends, and sometimes our enemies. The free choices we have are numerous and plentiful.

It’s hard not to believe that this is the kind of society that God has in mind for all people. We are able to exercise the free will that God has blessed us with in the first place. We need to walk cautiously here, of course, and be careful not to say that Canadian democracy is the model for the kingdom of God, or that the free will we have from God is the same as the will we are free to express as Canadian citizens.

There is no question that we have a free will of some kind. It is supported by Scripture, but it is especially in our own daily experiences of decision-making. Scripture also makes it clear that human free will, though very real, is very imperfect. That is to say, we have the will to make choices; we just don’t have the will to make every choice the right choice. We lost that ability long ago when we decided to be gods, ourselves, rather than to be God’s own. Instead of wanting to be ruled by God, we chose to be free of his rule. Thus we lost our innocence, our trustworthiness, and our freedom. So the real status of our lives is not the exercise of a perfect, unbridled will that is perfectly able to choose right from wrong, but rather the exercise of a will that is absolutely limited by sin. In short, we have a will that is free, that which is not able to choose to be free.

Christian psychiatrist M. Scott Peck (People of the Lie) says that there are really only two states of being: submission to God and his will and goodness, or refusal to submit to anything beyond one’s own will, which automatically enslaves one to the forces of sin and evil. It is a view shared also by C.S. Lewis, who said in his book, ‘Christian Reflections’, “In the universe there is no neutral ground, every square inch, every split second is claimed by God and counterclaimed by Satan.”

We have the freedom to choose, to choose our friends, to choose our church. But when it comes to choosing who is to be our Lord, our God, it is not a matter of asserting our free will, but a matter of submission – of yielding, of giving up our lives. A Lord is one in whom we trust and who we rely upon, one to whom we give our prime allegiance and submit ourselves to in complete obedience.

So let me ask: Who is that person for you? Who or what is your Lord?

There is an assumption behind those questions: All people who wish to be called Christian are those who follow Christ and believe in the power of the cross to save. But I am also aware that in this world we are surrounded by a host of so-called Lords that vie for our allegiance and loyalty. The questions we need to wrestle with are: Do we see Christ merely as one of the many options available? Do we choose him as Lord much like we select a new suit or car? If he fits and feels good, we’ll wear him. Or does he stand quite apart and alone? Is he just a good bet or is he the only game in town? Does he offer you one way to live and the only way to live? Is he the one Lord or one among many?

Think carefully and speak your answer carefully. Don’t speak to quickly, for your choice is truly a matter of life or death. If you choose to say that Christ is a good option, you choose initially the safest route to go. There’s very little to risk, or so it would seem.

To regard Jesus as an option among others means you can have a very causal relationship with him. You can attend worship whenever the spirit moves you, but if you feel that you have earned a little rest, skipping a few occasions isn’t such a big deal. As long as you get to Holy Communion now and then, that’s really all that matters, right? Make Jesus just an option among others and you can enjoy all the benefits of being a member of the Body, without any of the responsibilities. It’s a free country, isn’t it? If you want to become more seriously involved, it’s still your choice, isn’t it? And you don’t want to, it’s your choice as well, isn’t it?

It’s such a safe, easy life when we make Christ one of many optional gods to follow. It seems to give us the freedom to shuffle our allegiances around. Christ is definitely more important to us at specific times in our lives – baptisms, weddings, funerals, Christmas and Easter. But church isn’t the only obligation we have is it? We have careers to work on, bills to pay, places to go, things to do, people to see. We have lots of choices, lots of options. A person just has to set some priorities now and then.

We need to think again how safe and easy a life it really is. Remember Dr. Peck’s formula: ‘One either submits to the will of God, totally and completely, or refuses to submit to anything beyond one’s own will.’

Making Christ and church membership a casual choice is submitting yourself to nothing more than your own will, and that is regarding yourself as Lord. That is also idolatry, and that makes living not so safe at all. It leads us down a road to death.

But now, if we choose to be more serious and less casual about following Christ, then we need to be warned. To submit to Christ as our only Lord of life means we will lose something, we lose our freedom of choice.

When Christ becomes our Lord, we will no longer have the luxury of deciding who is our neighbour and who isn’t. We will no longer have the option of love only those who do nice things for us. We will no longer simply enjoy the benefits of being Christian, but must now take on the responsibilities of that name. Christ will own us, possess us. Our life will no longer be ours, but his.

It’s not a safe choice. There are others that are definitely more safe. On the other hand, there are no others that make the kind of promise that Christ makes: “He who believes has eternal life.” (John 6:47)

The casual believer may think it all too risky, and would rather have greater choices. He or she would rather have that luxury of borrowing from both worlds as he or she sees fit. Jesus said, “Not every one who says to me ‘Lord, Lord’ shall enter the kingdom.”  (Matthew 7:21) which is to say to those whose casual attitude goes no further than that: ”One cannot stand in the middle between submission to the Lordship of Christ or the following of one’s own will. To do is to be ultimately torn apart.”

Jesus did not come to earth to be one of the many candidates running for King of kings. God didn’t send him our way that we might ponder his words, or think about his parables, and take them simply as good advice. God didn’t’ ask our permission; he didn’t call for a vote; he didn’t wait for us to say yes – or no.

In absolutely perfect freedom, God choose us! He sent us Jesus, hoping we would follow. Whether we do does not change the fact that he has been established by God as Lord of all! We can reject him, but not make him go away. The cross is history, never to be repeated, thus never to be forgotten or ignored.

We really don’t have a choice. Choosing not to believe at all, or deciding to live a casual relationship with Christ, holds very little risk and very little promise. But choosing to submit to Christ’s lordship is to relinquish all rights and claims on our lives by other lords.

By no other lord are we genuinely safe. Christ’s Lordship is one of shepherding, of providing, of making us whole people. Jesus, our friend – Jesus, our comforter and life-giver – Jesus, Lord of all. What will it be? A matter of choice or a matter of submission? A lord of your choice or the Lord that has chosen you? It’s the only choice in life that matters.  

Text: Acts 2:1-13

Let me ask you, ‘How do you read the Bible? Do you read it literally, taking it at its face value (i.e. superficially), believing that in the main it is an accurate account of actual happenings?  - which, by the way, is what most people want to believe about it. Or do you read it symbolically, recognizing that there’s usually more in it than meets the eye, seeking to discover its hidden meaning, and what the original author was getting at? – a difficult but rewarding exercise. The latter is much the way we have been studying the Bible on the Monday evening Bible Study as we have worked through Kobus’ ‘The Bible as GPS’ material.

Having asked the question let me turn to the reading for this Pentecostal Sunday of Luke’s account as found in Acts 2. When you read this how do you read the account of what happened when “the day of Pentecost had come, and they were all together in one place?”

Let’s start out by looking at it literally. According to Acts 1, the risen Christ told his disciples, “You must wait for the gift promised by the Father. you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.”  Acts 2 opens with the fulfillment of that promise. This is what happened. First came a powerful wind, which filled the whole place. Then came tongue-shaped flames, resting on the heads of all who were there. they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and enabled to speak in foreign languages, so that the mixed multitude of Jews from all over the known world, attracted by the hubbub, heard them talking in their own native speech or dialect, telling of the great things God had done. Most of the people were favorably impressed, but a few figured they were drunk.

All perfectly straightforward, even if unusual, indeed unique. This was an historic turning-point, the birth of the Christian church – a special event accompanied by an amazing phenomenon: a sudden wind, flames dancing in the air and alighting on the disciples, giving them miraculous fluency in foreign tongues, and a divinely-inspired message for people from every nation. No problem, right?

But if, instead of taking it literally, we take it symbolically – and there are hints in the account that Luke intended us to do so – perhaps we shall get more out of it, and perhaps it will make more sense. Let’s take a look and see.

“The day of Pentecost had come.”  Pentecost, otherwise known as the Feast of Weeks, was originally a thanksgiving for the first-fruits, and came 50 days or 7 weeks after Passover. It also commemorated the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai (which was supposed to have happened 50 days after the first Passover and the escape of the Israelites from Egypt). The event Luke is about to describe has its roots in the past, in the Old Testament, and much of the symbolism is derived from the Old Testament.

The day of Pentecost had come, and they were together in one place.’  The keynote is unity, and it was their faith in Jesus, crucified and risen, that held them together. They were his followers and friends, and in obedience to his command, were waiting for something to happen.

Plain prose was inadequate to describe what did happen. It could only be described in poetic, non-literal terms. Notice that Luke says the sound was “like a strong, driving wind” i.e. not a normal meteorological wind at all. And he ways that the flames which appeared were “like tongues of fire” – i.e. not real flames that could scorch or burn. In the Old Testament winds symbolized God’s invisible power and flames his cleansing presence. In Psalm 104 we read, “You make the winds your messengers (or angels) and flames of fire your servants (or ministers).” Luke is presenting us with a picture of God at work among the disciples, and the wind and the fires symbolizes this, and aren’t meant to be taken literally. It’s a poetic way of saying that these men and women were shaken to the core, swept off their feet by an emotional gale, and that their minds were irradiated and their hearts strangely warmed by a sudden inspiration. In other words, “they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.”  God was invading their lives, providing them with power from on high. And what was the effect? “They began to talk in other tongues.”

Luke may well have believed that these “other tongues” were foreign languages, but that wasn’t the point he was making. The people who gathered were all Jews, though coming from and representing “every nation under heaven” and most of them would have understood Greek. A miraculous acquisition of foreign languages wasn’t necessary. It seems probable that the disciples were so excited that ordinary speech broke down, and they began ‘speaking in tongues’ – a familiar phenomenon in the early church, and in charismatic churches today. Sympathetic hearers grasped the meaning of these ecstatic outbursts, and shared in the excitement.

So what was Luke getting at when he painted this scene? According to one commentator: the narrative is symbolical; it conveys the idea that the gospel was destined for all nations, and that the Spirit was able to make all nations hear and understand it.’ Another commentator says: “Luke sees in the crowd of Pentecost pilgrims a foreshadowing of the world-wide mission of the church. It is a picture of all the nations hearing the gospel, each with in its own tongue.” It was a reversal of Babel – with misunderstanding and dispersal replaced by understanding and a coming together.

Luke goes on to describe the amazement and perplexity to which the event gave rise. People were suggested by unsympathetic observers, who evidently found the ‘other tongues’ quite unintelligible, was the disciples were drunk, filled with new wine. (in a sense, this was a true word spoken in jest, for they were filled with the new wine of the gospel, intoxicated with joy.)

This passage of Scripture isn’t just an account of something that happened long ago. It is a vision of things to come, when people from every nation under heaven will hear and understand the message of salvation, and be filled with God’s Spirit of power and love.

For us, as for those first disciples, the day of Pentecost has now come, and we are all together in one place. As we wait and pray and worship, may we all, like them, be filled with the Holy Spirit, empowered to witness convincingly to the great things God has done and is doing, in us, in the church and in the world.

To him be the glory for ever Amen