heart

Entitlement

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“Entitlement”

July 31, 2016

By John Partridge*

 

Scripture: Luke 12:13-21                   Colossians 3:1-11                   Hosea 11:1-11

With just a few exceptions for people who belong to the Public Employees Union or retired from the railroads, most of us are a part of the Social Security system.  We are either working and paying into it, or we are retired and receiving checks from it.  But precisely because so many of us have a vested interest, and because this is an election year, we often hear public conversations arguing about the word, “entitlement.”  It is used by politicians in two very different ways, and that difference is, in part, a source of the arguments.  Much like pensions, Social Security is a system that we pay into.  While we are working, every week, seven and a half percent of our earnings are “invested” and our employers pay in an additional seven and a half percent.  Because we paid into the system, we feel that we are “entitled” to some return on our investment, and that seems reasonable.  Likewise, those folks that retired from a career in the federal government, or retired from the military, feel “entitled” to collect the pensions that they earned.  The difficulty arises when politicians discuss the federal budget and included these sorts of “entitlements” in the same breath as other systems for which those collecting did not contribute.

I’m going to stop the analogy at this point because today’s message is not about Social Security.

It is, however, connected to how we react to our understanding of this word, “entitlement.”

To what things are we entitled?

To what things are others entitled?   And what are we are entitled to give them?

As political as that sounds, I can assure you, once again, that today’s message is not political… but it may accidently overflow into the way that you think about some of our political issues.

We begin this morning in the book of Hosea.  Hosea was a prophet in Israel during, or after, the lifetime of Amos, about 800 years before the birth of Jesus.  Much of what God has to say in Hosea relates to Israel’s unfaithfulness to God.  In Hosea 11:1-11, we read this:

“When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.
2 But the more they were called, the more they went away from me.
They sacrificed to the Baals and they burned incense to images.
3 It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by the arms;
but they did not realize it was I who healed them.
4 I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love.
To them I was like one who lifts a little child to the cheek, and I bent down to feed them.

5 “Will they not return to Egypt and will not Assyria rule over them
because they refuse to repent?
6 A sword will flash in their cities; it will devour their false prophets
and put an end to their plans.
7 My people are determined to turn from me. Even though they call me God Most High,
I will by no means exalt them.

8 “How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel?
How can I treat you like Admah? How can I make you like Zeboyim?
My heart is changed within me; all my compassion is aroused.
9 I will not carry out my fierce anger, nor will I devastate Ephraim again.
For I am God, and not a man— the Holy One among you.
I will not come against their cities.
10 They will follow the Lord; he will roar like a lion.
When he roars, his children will come trembling from the west.
11 They will come from Egypt, trembling like sparrows,
from Assyria, fluttering like doves.
I will settle them in their homes,” declares the Lord.

God says that he has loved Israel like his own son but that Israel has been “determine to turn” away from him.

God lists all of the things that he has done for Israel.  He has healed them, led them with kindness, loved them, fed them, and cared for them in many other ways, but Israel has consistently abandoned God.  They have loved God in name only; they have praised him with their lips but denied him with their actions.  Because they have turned their backs on him, God will no longer bless them.  So bad was their betrayal, God has considered destroying Israel like he did Admah, Zeboyim, Sodom, and Gomorrah.  But because of his love for his people, instead of destroying them, God intends to bring about a chain of events that will remind them that he is God so that they will return home once again.

This entire story brings us to see entitlement from several perspectives.  First, over the years Israel came to feel entitled to God’s love and blessing simply because they were Jews, and therefore a part of God’s Chosen People, and also because they lived in Israel.  But they forgot that the covenant between God and his Chosen People was a contract that required something from them.  Second, because of that same covenant, God is essentially asking, “Am I not entitled to your love and obedience? Do I not deserve it?  Have I not earned it?”  The answer to all of these must be, “Yes.”  God may have done these things for his people because he loved them, but even so something is owed to him because of the extravagance of his gifts.

And then, if we move forward to Luke 12:13-21, we find Jesus being asked to arbitrate a dispute in which one brother feels that he is entitled to more of his father’s inheritance than he has received.

13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”

14 Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” 15 Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”

16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’

18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’

20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’

21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”

The man in the story is upset because his brother, who was likely the oldest son, refused to divide his father’s inheritance with him.  We know that it was customary for a father’s estate to be divided among his children, or at least among his sons, with a double share going to the oldest son, who also became responsible for all of the estate’s debts, women, children, and other dependents.  But while it might have been customary, it wasn’t required and it isn’t difficult to imagine a number of situations in which it simply wouldn’t have been practical to do so.  The simplest situation that comes to mind would simply be that the estate wasn’t worth that much and the oldest son needed all of the money to care for the obligations that he inherited with the money (such as taking care of their mother).

But the man who calls out to Jesus feels entitled to his share.

In response to his request, Jesus tells a story about a man who loved money so much that be wanted to keep it all for himself instead of sharing it with others… or sharing it with God.  By telling this story, Jesus is accusing the man (the one who wanted a share of the inheritance) of being greedy.  From Jesus’ criticism we can probably assume that he wasn’t poor but only wanted the money because he wanted more money.

In both stories, money becomes a trap for human beings when they begin to love money more than they love the people around them, or more than they love God.  It is a dangerous trap because in both cases the people in question would say that they loved God, and more than likely they would have truly believed that they loved God, but in reality they had crossed a line.  Somewhere along the line they had crossed a line from trusting God for their wellbeing, and trusting God enough to follow his instructions, teaching, and commandments, into a place where they gave lip service to God but gave their time, talent, skills, abilities and real obedience to making money.  Somewhere along the line, loving God, and loving others, had taken second place to loving money.  Trusting God had taken a backseat to trusting money.

But as the followers of Jesus Christ, we have been called to follow a different path.

In Paul’s letter to the church in Colossae, he says this (Colossians 3:1-11):

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. 7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11 Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

Because we have been given eternal life through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, our calling is to set our hearts on things that are better, higher, and more important than the earthly things that used to consume us.  What we have been given is of unspeakable, incalculable, value.  Because we have received that indescribable gift, we are called to get rid of the things that used to drag us down, anger, rage, malice, slander, filthy language, and lies.

We are called to live as if we believe.

The danger for God’s people, and their salvation, lies in entitlement.  We cross a line when we feel entitled to things that God has not promised us.  We are not entitled to wealth, or health, or success.  We are not entitled to simplicity or an easy life.  We are not entitled to God’s blessings.  We have crossed a line when we put these things ahead of God, or trust them more than we trust God.

But we are entitled to trust.  No matter what happens we know that we can trust God.  We are entitled to love.  No matter what happens we can know that God loves us and wants what is best for us.

But that entitlement cuts both ways.

Because of God’s covenant with us, through Jesus Christ, because of the extravagance of his gifts to us, God is entitled to something as well.  Something is owed to him and that something is our love and our obedience.

We aren’t called to offer him lip service and just say that we love God.

We are called to make God first in everything that we do and to live every moment of our lives behaving as if he is.

We are called to love our neighbors and care about their welfare just as much as we care about our own.

Every word from our lips, every action that we take, should be a reflection of the love, compassion, mercy, and grace of Jesus Christ.

He’s earned it.

He’s entitled to it.

 

Prayer:  O God, may we be so filled with your love and with your Spirit, that the people around us would truly believe that we *act* like Jesus.

Amen

 

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* You have been reading a message presented at Trinity United Methodist Church on the date noted on the first page.  Rev. John Partridge is the pastor at Trinity of Perry Heights in Massillon, Ohio.  Duplication of this message is a part of our Media ministry, if you have received a blessing in this way, we would love to hear from you.  Letters and donations in support of the Media ministry may be sent to Trinity United Methodist Church, 3757 Lincoln Way E., Massillon, Ohio 44646.  These messages are available to anyone regardless of membership.  You may subscribe to these messages by writing to the address noted, or by contacting us at subscribe@trinityperryheights.org.  To subscribe to the electronic version sign up at http://eepurl.com/vAlYn.   These messages can also be found online athttps://pastorpartridge.wordpress.com/. All Scripture references are from the New International Version unless otherwise noted.

God and Weasels

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“God and Weasels”

July 10, 2016

By John Partridge*

 

Scripture: Luke 10:25-37              Colossians 1:1-14                  Amos 5:7-17

 

Do you watch the news at all?

Does this year’s political fiasco stir up any questions for you or for your friends?

I suspect that it has, and I think that it should.

Here are some politically charged questions that are often asked by the followers of Jesus Christ as well as your average person on the street.  And, while they are politically charged questions, they deserve thoughtful, theological, answers.

Why do good things happen to bad people?

Why don’t bad things happen to bad people?

Why are there people, that no matter what they do, nothing bad ever seems to ever happen to them?

Why do these same people manipulate the media so that the people don’t ever hear the truth?

The funny thing about these questions is that, while I have put them into a 21st century context by the way that I worded them, I wasn’t referring specifically to the Bushes, Cheneys, Clintons, or anyone else.  In fact, I drew these questions from a story in the Bible from almost three thousand years ago.  (Amos 7:7-17)

7 This is what he showed me: The Lord was standing by a wall that had been built true to plumb, with a plumb line in his hand. 8 And the Lord asked me, “What do you see, Amos?”

“A plumb line,” I replied.

Then the Lord said, “Look, I am setting a plumb line among my people Israel; I will spare them no longer.

9 “The high places of Isaac will be destroyed and the sanctuaries of Israel will be ruined;
with my sword I will rise against the house of Jeroboam.”

10 Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent a message to Jeroboam king of Israel: “Amos is raising a conspiracy against you in the very heart of Israel. The land cannot bear all his words. 11 For this is what Amos is saying:

“‘Jeroboam will die by the sword, and Israel will surely go into exile, away from their native land.’”

12 Then Amaziah said to Amos, “Get out, you seer! Go back to the land of Judah. Earn your bread there and do your prophesying there. 13 Don’t prophesy anymore at Bethel, because this is the king’s sanctuary and the temple of the kingdom.”

14 Amos answered Amaziah, “I was neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore-fig trees.15 But the Lord took me from tending the flock and said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’ 16 Now then, hear the word of the Lord. You say,

“‘Do not prophesy against Israel, and stop preaching against the descendants of Isaac.’

17 “Therefore this is what the Lord says:

“‘Your wife will become a prostitute in the city, and your sons and daughters will fall by the sword.
Your land will be measured and divided up, and you yourself will die in a pagan country.
And Israel will surely go into exile, away from their native land.’”

Amos was just a guy herding sheep in the middle of nowhere until God called him to take a message to the people of Israel.  But when he did, the priest at the nation’s most important place of worship, the place where the king would have sacrificed and worshipped, Bethel, sends a message to King Jeroboam that Amos is trying to undermine his authority and destroy Israel.  In our terminology, he is conspiring to control the news cycle and stifle free speech, so that the people won’t have a chance to hear the truth, so that the people won’t have a chance to hear message from God that Amos is preaching.

Amaziah the priest goes on to tell Amos to go home and not to bother coming to bring God’s words to the king, to the capital city, and to the nation’s most prominent place of worship.  But Amos’s answer is this: If God has called me to bring a message to Israel then I will bring a message to Israel.  And if you want to stop me, then God has a message of disaster for you as well.

King Jeroboam didn’t like bad news and he didn’t like his people to hear bad news either.  In fact, he had been manipulating the news for so long that he didn’t want the people to hear the truth at all.  On top of that, the church, along with the nation’s most important priest, was one of his leading coconspirators. Together, they had been building something that God says doesn’t measure up, a nation, and policies, morals and ethics, that don’t match God’s standards.  And the message that Amos brought was that God himself was coming with his plumb line, his measuring stick, to see what is built to standard, to see what is straight, to find what is crooked, to test them, to measure them, and everything, and everyone, that didn’t measure up would be destroyed.

Perhaps one of the most important messages that we learn from Amos is that while God’s justice may not always be immediate, or as fast as we would hope it would be, God has not forgotten.  The weasels will get what they deserve, in God’s time.  Ignoring God does not make God, or God’s justice, go away and ignoring God’s laws does not protect you from the consequences of breaking them no matter how wealthy or important (or unimportant) you may be.

Nearly eight hundred years later, in the time of Jesus, people haven’t changed.  Leaders of the nation and of the church are still trying to manipulate and misinterpret the words of God for their own benefit but Jesus isn’t having any of it.  (Luke 10:25-37)

25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

This man, who is described as an expert in Jewish law, comes to Jesus and seems confused by the meaning of one of the two fundamental laws of God, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”  He accepts that this is a fundamental law of God, and he accepts that he is commanded to love his neighbor, but when it comes time to decide who his neighbor might be, he wants to play fast and loose with the definition.

He knew that he wasn’t loving and so, because “he wanted to justify himself” he tries to get Jesus to give him a definition of “neighbor” that will allow him to weasel out of loving people that he doesn’t like.

But Jesus isn’t having any of that noise.

Jesus tells him a story, in which the hero of the story, the most loving, and most godly character, is a man that every Jew has been raised and trained to hate with every fiber of his being, an enemy that they disliked more than they hated the Romans, a Samaritan.  In the end, the teacher of the law admits that it was his enemy that showed mercy, but even then he can’t bring himself to even say the word “Samaritan” out loud.

Jesus wants us to know that just like it was in the time of Amos, we can’t change God’s rules just because we don’t like them.  Redefining words, or misinterpreting scripture, to make ourselves look good is not acceptable.

We cannot follow the way of the weasel.

There is another way.

As the Apostle Paul writes to the church in Colossae, he begins by complimenting them because the things that they have been doing have people all over talking about them. (Colossians 1:1-14)

1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

2 To God’s holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters in Christ:

Grace and peace to you from God our Father.

3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people— 5 the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel 6 that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace. 7 You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, 8 and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.

9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, 12 and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

The faith of the church in Colossae, their love, and their ministry, is bearing fruit and people are talking about them so much that Paul keeps hearing about them as he travels on his missionary journeys.  And so, Paul, and his travelling companions, are continually in prayer for the Colossian church so that God would continue the good work there, strengthen them, and give them great endurance and patience so that the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ might continue to grow throughout the world.

Jesus calls us to follow him and to obey his teaching.  But the followers of Jesus Christ are called to do things his way and not to redefine words, reinterpret, and misinterpret scripture so that we make the gospel message into something it isn’t just so that we can look good.

Instead, we are reminded of God’s promise in Deuteronomy 30:9-10 where it says, “The Lord will again delight in you and make you prosperous, just as he delighted in your ancestors, if you obey the Lord your God and keep his commands and decrees that are written in this Book of the Law and turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.”

God’s justice may not always come as fast as we would hope it would but God has not forgotten.  The weasels will get what they deserve, in God’s time.

Ignoring God does not make God go away.

Ignoring God does not make God’s justice go away.

Ignoring God’s laws does not protect you from the consequences of breaking them.

We are called to follow the way of Jesus Christ… and not the way of the weasel.

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* You have been reading a message presented at Trinity United Methodist Church on the date noted on the first page.  Rev. John Partridge is the pastor at Trinity of Perry Heights in Massillon, Ohio.  Duplication of this message is a part of our Media ministry, if you have received a blessing in this way, we would love to hear from you.  Letters and donations in support of the Media ministry may be sent to Trinity United Methodist Church, 3757 Lincoln Way E., Massillon, Ohio 44646.  These messages are available to anyone regardless of membership.  You may subscribe to these messages by writing to the address noted, or by contacting us at subscribe@trinityperryheights.org.  To subscribe to the electronic version sign up at http://eepurl.com/vAlYn.   These messages can also be found online athttps://pastorpartridge.wordpress.com/. All Scripture references are from the New International Version unless otherwise noted.

Pride and Prejudice

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“Pride and Prejudice”

July 03, 2016

By John Partridge*

 

Scripture:

Luke 10:1-11, 16-20               Galatians 6:1-16                      2 Kings 5:1-14

 

Having served for ten years in the United States Army Reserve, I am a veteran.  Perhaps that makes me more conscious of public military references or more aware of how the military is being portrayed in the media, but to me it seems as if the last few years have seen a significant increase in the drumbeat of patriotism.  That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it depends on how it is expressed and who it is that is beating the drum.  What I have seen and heard, is a huge increase in the way that we honor veterans, the way that we praise those serving in active duty, and the way that we glorify the military in general.  Again, these things aren’t necessarily bad, but we must be careful that we aren’t being manipulated by people, businesses, and politicians who have something to gain.

I am proud to be a veteran.  I’m glad that I served and I would do it again in a heartbeat.  I am proud of our military, what it can do, the skills, abilities and intellect of the men and women in uniform, and I am proud of my nation.  But in all these things, I must be careful because that pride can be manipulated by marketing companies, special interest groups, charitable organizations, and shady politicians to advance their cause even when that cause may not represent my interests and, in fact, may not be good for anyone except the shady people who profit from it.

But there is yet another reason to be cautious.  We must be cautious of pride itself because if pride is allowed to grow without boundaries, controls, or accountability, it can grow into something ugly.

We begin this morning in 2 Kings 5:1-14, where we meet Naaman, one of the most powerful military leaders of his day.  But despite all of his power, Naaman had a big problem.

Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the Lord had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.

2 Now bands of raiders from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. 3 She said to her mistress, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.”

4 Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said. 5 “By all means, go,” the king of Aram replied. “I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten sets of clothing. 6 The letter that he took to the king of Israel read: “With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy.”

7 As soon as the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his robes and said, “Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me!”

8 When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes, he sent him this message: “Why have you torn your robes? Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.”9 So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. 10 Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.”

11 But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” So he turned and went off in a rage.

13 Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!” 14 So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.

Naaman was the commanding general of the most powerful army in the known world.  Among his friends were warriors, kings, and ruling elites.  But he had an incurable disease that didn’t care about his wealth, power, or influential friends.  The good news was that one his slaves knew that Elisha, the prophet of the God of Israel, had real power that came from God himself.  And so, Naaman goes to Israel carrying great wealth and a letter of introduction from the King of Aram.  The king of Israel worries that this is a trick because he knows that leprosy is incurable, but Elisha tells the king that he should send Naaman to him.

And here is where Naaman’s patriotism derails everything and very nearly kills him.

Even though Elisha tells Naaman what he must do to be cured, he storms off because the cure required that he bathe in a river in Israel instead of a river in his home country.  Naaman was so proud of his home country that he was insulted that he couldn’t be cured in waters that he believed to be superior simply because they were the rivers of his home.  For Naaman, his home, his nation, was better than every other.  For him, there was no better place in the entire world.  For him, it was necessary to believe that home was worth fighting for because it was the best.  But that nationalistic streak, that pride, became a prejudice against everyone else, and a prejudice against any place else.

And that pride almost killed him,

The irony is that the warrior who would die because of his pride and arrogance was rescued by his servants.  They gently remind the Naaman that if Elisha had demanded some great act of service, or participation in some heroic battle, Naaman would have jumped at the chance.  And so, in humility, they suggest that perhaps something simple could be done just as easily.  And as soon as Naaman recovers enough of his humility to do as Elisha asked, he is healed, the incurable is cured, and the damage that has been done to his flesh, is restored.

Similarly, in his letter to the church in Galatia (Galatians 6:1-16), Paul warns that the leaders of the church, and indeed any of the followers of Jesus Christ, and not immune from falling victim to our own arrogance and pride.

Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. 2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. 3 If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. 4 Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, 5 for each one should carry their own load.6 Nevertheless, the one who receives instruction in the word should share all good things with their instructor.

7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.8 Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

11 See what large letters I use as I write to you with my own hand!

12 Those who want to impress people by means of the flesh are trying to compel you to be circumcised. The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ. 13 Not even those who are circumcised keep the law, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your circumcision in the flesh. 14 May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15 Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is the new creation. 16 Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule—to the Israel of God.

We all experience failure.  None of us are perfect.  And so, when someone sins, our response should not be to humiliate them further, turn our backs on them, throw them out, excommunicate them, or otherwise abandon them, but to restore them… gently.  Paul says that it’s okay to be proud of your own accomplishments, but that you’ve crossed a line when you compare yourself to someone else.  Your path and your burdens are yours and not someone else’s.  We can help others to carry their burdens, and they can help to carry ours, but we cannot be proud that we are doing “better” than they are without our pride crossing the line into arrogance and sin.  Our motivation in doing good must be to please God and not to please ourselves or to make ourselves more comfortable.

Paul goes on to remind his readers that there are those within the community of believers, likely including some well known people or church leaders, who do things simply to impress people.  These people tried to get believers to do things that weren’t required.  They wanted people to follow rules rather than follow Jesus because following rules looked good and impressed people.  They wanted Gentile believers to be circumcised so that they would “fit in” and not because it was required to follow Jesus.  Their ultimate motivation was to be popular and comfortable rather than obedient to God and to the mission of Jesus Christ.

When Jesus sent seventy-two missionaries out into the towns and villages ahead of him he built in a lesson on humility even before they took the first step of their journey. (Luke 10:1-11, 16-20)

After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go.2 He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.3 Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4 Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.

5 “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ 6 If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. 7 Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.

8 “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you.9 Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 10 But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, 11 ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.’ 


16 “Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.”

17 The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”

18 He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. 20 However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

Jesus sends his followers out with nothing that they can call their own and nothing that they can credit for their success or failure.  They go out with almost no possessions of any kind, no money, no luggage, and not even shoes on their feet. All that they have are their gifts, talents, abilities, and the Spirit of God that goes with them.  And when they return, they sing God’s praises telling everyone what God had done and not what they had done.  Afterward, Jesus instructs them not even to rejoice over God’s power, but simply to praise God for their salvation.

Pride is a tricky thing.  It’s okay to be proud.  It’s okay to be proud of ourselves.  It’s okay to be proud of God and the things that God does.  It’s okay to be proud of our nation and proud of our military.  But we can cross a line and become too proud.  We must be careful not to allow our pride to drift into arrogance.  Patriotism is normal and even expected, but sometimes patriotism can be an excuse for our failure to be humble before God.

And so, as we leave this place to go out and celebrate the Fourth of July holiday, feel free to be happy for our country.  Feel free to be proud of how far we have come and what we have accomplished.  But let us also try to keep our priorities in order and remember that everything that we have been given, as individuals, as a church, and as a nation, has been given to us as a gift from God and, just as surely, can be taken away by God.

Let us remember that our obedience must be to God first, and to our nation second.

The most important thing, however, is to rejoice that God has chosen to rescue us.

 

 

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* You have been reading a message presented at Trinity United Methodist Church on the date noted on the first page.  Rev. John Partridge is the pastor at Trinity of Perry Heights in Massillon, Ohio.  Duplication of this message is a part of our Media ministry, if you have received a blessing in this way, we would love to hear from you.  Letters and donations in support of the Media ministry may be sent to Trinity United Methodist Church, 3757 Lincoln Way E., Massillon, Ohio 44646.  These messages are available to anyone regardless of membership.  You may subscribe to these messages by writing to the address noted, or by contacting us at subscribe@trinityperryheights.org.  To subscribe to the electronic version sign up at http://eepurl.com/vAlYn.   These messages can also be found online athttps://pastorpartridge.wordpress.com/. All Scripture references are from the New International Version unless otherwise noted.

Eulogy and Obituary for James A. Hedrick

PastorPartridge Eulogy , , , ,

Eulogy for James Hedrick

April 8, 2016

by Rev. John Partridge

So who was he?

That’s the question that we all have when we hear that someone died isn’t it?  Either we didn’t know them at all, or we knew who they were in general, but, if we weren’t really good friends we are often left wondering who a person really was.

So who was James Hedrick?

I knew James (who went by “Jimmy” far more often than he went by James) from his time at church and from our visits at home and at the nursing home after his cancer made him too sick to come anymore.  But then last week I sat down with a room full of family and friends and they told me all sorts of stories about Jimmy that he never would have told me himself.

James Hedrick was born in Canton, Ohio in 1960 to Garland and Martha Hedrick but he lost his Mom in 1968 when he was only eight years old.  James had one older brother and two younger sisters but his father remarried and so he really had more than that.  There never was any emphasis on remembering who was a “step” sibling, they were all just brothers and sisters, but the younger ones were quick to remember that James was “like a father” to them.  James was often the babysitter for his younger siblings and, when it was cold out, James used to button Cindy inside his coat and carry her around that way.

James’ dad said that he was a good kid that didn’t get into trouble, but his brother Kevin told me that being a good kid didn’t mean that he didn’t do things that occasionally got his dad so mad that he would throw things at him. But Jimmy was so long-legged that he would run away from his dad and leap over fences as he went.  And sometimes when his dad sent him in the house to get a tool they needed, James would go in the house and go to bed instead.

When James was born, he had a cleft lip and palate and had surgery to correct it.  He was always self-conscious about the scar that it left behind, and for many years he grew a mustache and a beard to cover it up (Annette’s parents said that he looked like Jesus).  But the funny thing is, no one else seemed to notice.  I don’t think that anyone at church ever noticed that he had a scar at all, and among his family and friends, if anyone noticed, absolutely no one cared.

In 1984 Jimmy met Annette at the Massillon Community Hospital (which is now Affinity Hospital).  He was 23 years old and she was a 15 year old candy striper.  They dated for a year and a half before Annette’s parents found out how old he was and made them stop seeing one another.  That worked for a while, but when she turned 18, Annette moved in with James and, not surprisingly, her parents were not happy.  But they were together for 30 years so it’s obvious that, even if its beginning was a little unconventional, something about their relationship must have worked.

Together, James and Annette had two kids, but raised a lot more than that.  Elizabeth and Adam were theirs by birth, but over the years, there were a lot more who needed a home, or parents that cared, and they found both with James and Annette.  This family that they built, some related by blood and others by invitation, was a big part of what held everything together.  Kevin and Jim were best friends as well as brothers and talked on the phone almost every day.  Kevin helped James to fix his cars and they did almost everything together.  Elizabeth could share anything and everything with Jim, and the last few years Adam could as well.  Since James was a night owl, he often stayed up late to play Dungeons and Dragons, or video games, or tell jokes, or just talk with Adam, or Steven, or Toad, or Shorty, Goldie, or whoever wanted to hang around.  And, this might be a good time to point out that James gave all of the kids that came to his house nicknames… like Toad, and Shorty.  When Adam got the game Resident Evil for his game system, it scared him so much that he couldn’t play it himself and so instead of playing, he had James play the game while he watched.  When Annette’s Grandma Fannie had dementia and was in the psych unit in the hospital and got upset, they asked James to calm her down.  Somehow he did, and then he sat for hours and played cards with her.

We don’t have the time to tell you all of the stories that James’ family shared with me last week, but every one of them was about being connected, being a friend, sharing hearts, and being a family.  James was one of those people who opened their family, and opened their heart to become a friend to people who needed a friend, a father who needed a father, and gave a family to people who needed a family.

And that’s why I want to share with you my part of James’s story.

Last fall, although Annette had been coming to church for quite a while, James started to come with her.  He listened intently but usually didn’t have much to say.  But then one day Annette asked if I could come over to their house because James wanted to know more about whom Jesus was and why he was important to what we were talking about at church.  And so I did.  We talked for a while about how Jesus came to be perfect for all of us who could never be perfect on our own so that he could invite us to be a part of his family, to be adopted by his father, and to live in his house forever.  This all seemed to make sense to James and so he wanted to know how to be a part of that.  Before I left that afternoon, James decided that being a part of Jesus’ family sounded like a good idea and he asked God to make that happen.

And all of that reminded me of a story that Jesus told.  It’s called the parable of the vineyard owner found in Matthew 20 and it goes like this.

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.

3 “About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4 He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ 5 So they went.

“He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. 6 About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’

7 “‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.

“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’

8 “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’

9 “The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. 10 So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius.11 When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner.12 ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’

13 “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend.  Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? 14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’

16 “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

Moments before Jesus told this story, Jesus’ disciples were talking about how much they had given up to follow him and so we know that Jesus intended this to be a story about the people who will come to follow him long after the disciples did.  Jesus tells us that there are those people who joined his family, joined the church, and worked for him all day long.  Some of us have been a part of the church for nearly all of our lives.  But others wouldn’t get there until the day was almost over.  Even so, God chooses to be generous and give everyone the same reward.  And so, whenever I meet people like James, who discover Jesus at the end of their lives, I think of this parable.

And now that I had the chance to learn more about James Hedrick and discover a little more about who he really was, I think that James and Jesus understand each other.  In fact, I think James and Jesus have a lot in common because they share a love for other people and offer a home to the homeless, become a father to the fatherless, and a family to people who need one.

And so whenever someone asks, “Who was James Hedrick?”  Knowing that he was even a little bit like Jesus is a good thing.

 

A Letter to My Dad

April 8, 2016

by Elizabeth Hedrick

 

To my Dad,

This is really hard to write because you were the only one who could help me figure out how to explain how I’m feeling.  But what I do feel, I do feel scared because I didn’t just lose a dad, I lost a best friend who I could talk to for hours.  I remember how my friends, and my brother’s friends, used to sit and talk to him for hours.  I also remember all of us in my kitchen just goofing off with him.  He was always really good at making us all lugh ans sometimes it wasn’t on purpose.  That’s what made him so great.  He was a big kid at heart.  He will be deeply missed by all of his friends and family.

Your beloved daughter,

Elizabeth

 

Obituary

James Hedrick

Jim Hedrick-cropped James A. Hedrick 1960 – 2016 age 55, of Massillon, passed away in his residence on Wednesday, March 30, 2016, following a long illness. He was born in Canton, Ohio, on June 26, 1960, to Garland and Martha (Barnes) Hedrick. James was a member of Trinity United Methodist Church.

He is preceded in death by his mother, Martha Hedrick; step-mother, Therese (Reihle) Hedrick; sisters, Linda Baus, Cynthia Pamer, and Dawn Alexander; and nephew, Joey Hedrick. James is survived by his wife of thirty years, Annette (Sturgill) Hedrick; children, Elizabeth Hedrick and Adam Hedrick; grandson, Aiden Bowman; and siblings, Bill (Kelly) Hedrick, Michelle McCauley, Gary Alexander, and Kevin (Patti) Hedrick.

A service will be held at a later date at Trinity United Methodist Church, Perry Township, with Pastor John Partridge officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in his memory to Akron General Hospital, Genetics Department for the BRCA1 Cancer Gene Research.

Finding True Love

PastorPartridge Sermon , , , ,

“Finding True Love”

February 14, 2016

By John Partridge

 

Scripture: Deuteronomy 26:1-11                   Romans 10:8b-13                  Luke 4:1-13

 

Today is the day.

Today is the day that many of you will send cards, or buy flowers, or go out to dinner with someone special.  Today is the traditional celebration of St. Valentines Day, and a celebration of the people that we love.  But this is also the first Sunday in Lent, the forty days in which we prepare our hearts for Easter, the resurrection, and Jesus’ defeat of sin and death.  And so, as I considered these two great themes for today, I realized that since Easter is God’s most profound and eloquent statement of his love for us, the stories of Valentine’s Day and the stories of Lent are not separate and distinct from one another, but they are, in fact, very much connected.

Lent and Easter are, in the end, God’s greatest gift of love to his people.  In order to discover how, let’s turn to Deuteronomy 26:1-11 where God summarizes the entire story of the Exodus in one paragraph…

26:1 When you have entered the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance and have taken possession of it and settled in it, 2 take some of the firstfruits of all that you produce from the soil of the land the Lord your God is giving you and put them in a basket. Then go to the place the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his Name 3 and say to the priest in office at the time, “I declare today to the Lord your God that I have come to the land the Lord swore to our ancestors to give us.” 4 The priest shall take the basket from your hands and set it down in front of the altar of the Lord your God. 5 Then you shall declare before the Lord your God: “My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down into Egypt with a few people and lived there and became a great nation, powerful and numerous. 6 But the Egyptians mistreated us and made us suffer, subjecting us to harsh labor. 7 Then we cried out to the Lord, the God of our ancestors, and the Lord heard our voice and saw our misery, toil and oppression. 8 So the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror and with signs and wonders. 9 He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey; 10 and now I bring the firstfruits of the soil that you, Lord, have given me.” Place the basket before the Lord your God and bow down before him. 11 Then you and the Levites and the foreigners residing among you shall rejoice in all the good things the Lord your God has given to you and your household.

At first glance, this may not sound a lot like a love story, but it is once you get past the surface and look a little deeper.  As the people of Israel move into the Promised Land, God asks them to remember the story of how they got there, and in that story we keep coming back to the idea of love.  The story says that Jacob, also known as Israel, went down to Egypt with a few people, but God loved them, blessed them, and they multiplied.  But Egypt did not love them.  Egypt became afraid of the people of Israel, mistreated them, and abused them.  And so the people cried out to the only God they had ever known who had genuinely shown them love.  And, true to his nature, God heard their prayers and answered them.  Although God had great strength, he did not use that strength to frighten or to bully his people into obedience, but instead used it to protect them and bring them to a place that was even better than the one they had left behind.  And the only thing that God asks in return is for the people to remember and to celebrate the love that he had shown to them.

There is a great contrast in this story and it is the contrast to how Egypt treated God’s people, and how God treated them.  Egypt and its Pharaoh cared only for themselves and so they were afraid when Israel was blessed by God and became strong in both strength and numbers.  But God never reacted out of fear.  Instead, God always reacted out of love, compassion, and a concern for the best interests of his people.  Another great, but also quite similar, contrast is found in Luke 4:1-13 where Satan meets Jesus in the wilderness.

4:1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.

3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”

4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’”

5 The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world.6 And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7 If you worship me, it will all be yours.”

8 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’”

9 The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. 10 For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you
to guard you carefully;
11 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

12 Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

13 When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.

As we read through this passage, what is it that Satan wanted?  Satan wanted Jesus to cut short his worship of God, he wanted Jesus to act selfishly and seize power before God gave it to him.  Satan wanted Jesus to worship him rather than the one true God.  And Satan wanted Jesus to force God to reveal his glory before his chosen time.  At every turn, Satan wanted what was best for Satan and not what was best for Jesus, what was best for God, best for God’s kingdom, or what was best for God’s people.

That, my friends, is not love.

We see that same behavior in human relationships where people only want what is best for themselves.  They take people, they use people, for their own ends, but they never truly love them.

True love is not about getting what you want.  True love is not about using others so that you can look good.  True love is not about using others to make yourself feel good or so that you can advance your career, become more powerful, more influential, or more wealthy.

True love is something different.

In Romans 10:8b-13, Paul reminds us of what it is that Jesus did for us…

8 “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: 9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. 11 As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

In this short passage, Paul reminds us that it was Jesus who rose from the dead, and he did so because he was willing to give his life for others.  Jesus sacrificed himself in order to be obedient to the will of God and he sacrificed himself so that others could be rescued from sin and death.  Jesus demonstrated the same kind of love for God’s people that God himself showed to Jacob, Moses, and the people of Israel.

Jesus showed us that true love is sacrificial.

True love is about the needs of others.

And the message of Easter as well as the message of St. Valentine is very much the same.  We can recognize true love when we see that someone does what is best for someone else and not what is best for themselves.  We recognize true love when someone helps others to grow instead of only using others for their own pleasure or for their own benefit.

What we find in scripture is that God loves us with that kind of sacrificial love.

Likewise, Jesus was willing to give his life for us so that we could live without fear of sin and death.

This kind of selflessness is what we look for as we learn how to love others, and what we look for as we evaluate those who claim to love us.

We should always be asking ourselves two questions.

Do they love me like Jesus?

And,

Do I…

…love others

…like Jesus?

 

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* You have been reading a message presented at Trinity United Methodist Church on the date noted on the first page.  Rev. John Partridge is the pastor at Trinity of Perry Heights in Massillon, Ohio.  Duplication of this message is a part of our Media ministry, if you have received a blessing in this way, we would love to hear from you.  Letters and donations in support of the Media ministry may be sent to Trinity United Methodist Church, 3757 Lincoln Way E., Massillon, Ohio 44646.  These messages are available to anyone regardless of membership.  You may subscribe to these messages by writing to the address noted, or by contacting us at subscribe@trinityperryheights.org.  To subscribe to the electronic version sign up at http://eepurl.com/vAlYn.   These messages can also be found online at http://www.scribd.com/Pastor John Partridge. All Scripture references are from the New International Version unless otherwise noted.

What Will You Wear?

PastorPartridge Sermon , , ,

“What Will You Wear?”
December 27, 2015
(First Sunday after Advent)
By John Partridge

Scripture: 1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26     Colossians 3:12-17     Luke 2:41-52

This morning I want to share a story that I first heard on the Radio while listening to Dr. Ravi Zacharias who had, in turn, borrowed it from Marie Chapian. In her book, Of Whom the World Was Not Worthy, Marie Chapian told of the sufferings of the true church in Yugoslavia where so much wrong has been perpetrated by the politicized ecclesiastical hierarchy. That which has gone on in the name of Christ for the enriching and empowering of corrupt church officials has been a terrible affront to decency.

One day an evangelist by the name of Jakov arrived in a certain village. He commiserated with an elderly man named Cimmerman on the tragedies he had experienced and talked to him of the love of Christ. Cimmerman abruptly interrupted Jakov and told him that he wished to have nothing to do with Christianity. He reminded Jakov of the dreadful history of the church in his town, a history replete with plundering, exploiting, and indeed with killing innocent people. “My own nephew was killed by them,” he said and angrily rebuffed any effort on Jakov’s part to talk about Christ. “They wear those elaborate coats and caps and crosses,” he said, “signifying a heavenly commission, but their evil designs and lives I cannot ignore.”

Jakov, looking for an occasion to get Cimmerman to change his line of thinking, said, “Cimmerman, can I ask you a question? Suppose I were to steal your coat, put it on, and break into a bank. Suppose further that the police sighted me running in the distance but could not catch up with me. One clue, however, put them onto your track; they recognized your coat. What would you say to them if they came to your house and accused you of breaking into the bank?”

“I would deny it,” said Cimmerman.

“‘Ah, but we saw your coat,’ they would say,” retorted Jakov. This analogy quite annoyed Cimmerman, who ordered Jakov to leave his home.

Jakov continued to return to the village periodically just to befriend Cimmerman, encourage him, and share the love of Christ, with him. Finally one day Cimmerman asked, “How does one become a Christian?” and Jakov taught him the simple steps of repentance for sin and of trust in the work of Jesus Christ and gently pointed him to the Shepherd of his soul. Cimmerman bent his knee on the soil with his head bowed and surrendered his life to Christ. As he rose to his feet, wiping his tears, he embraced Jakov and said, “Thank you for being in my life.” And then he pointed to the heavens and whispered, “You wear His coat very well.”

And so we begin this morning with the understanding that as we “put on Christ” we are not only the hands and feet through which Jesus does his work on earth, but we are also identified as Jesus and as the church for the other things that we do.

Our Old Testament lesson this morning is found in 1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26, where the boy Samuel, promised to God by his mother, works in the Temple alongside the priests.

18 But Samuel was ministering before the Lord—a boy wearing a linen ephod. 19 Each year his mother made him a little robe and took it to him when she went up with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice. 20 Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, saying, “May the Lord give you children by this woman to take the place of the one she prayed for and gave to the Lord.” Then they would go home. 21 And the Lord was gracious to Hannah; she gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord.
26 And the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with the Lord and with people.

Each year, Samuel’s mother, Hannah, made him a robe and took it to him when she went to the Temple to worship for the annual sacrifice. It was important to Hannah that, even though Samuel was still a boy, he would be dressed like the priests that he worked for every day. It was important that Samuel wore the clothing that identified him as belonging to God.

In a very similar story, Luke 2:41-52 tells us of Jesus’ family making the very same sort of trip, the annual visit to Jerusalem for the sacrifice and the celebration of Passover. In this case, however, the clothing that Jesus is putting on is figurative and not literal.

41 Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. 42 When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom. 43 After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. 44 Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. 45 When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. 46 After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.”

49 “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” 50 But they did not understand what he was saying to them.

51 Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.

Mary and Joseph had to be nearly frantic with worry. Their son, a twelve year old boy, was lost and alone in the biggest city in the nation.

Jesus was found sitting among the teachers, listening and asking questions and his only reply when confronted was to ask, “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?”

Although his parents didn’t yet understand, Jesus knew that the time had come for him to begin putting on the clothes that had been prepared for him by his heavenly father and not just those of his earthly parents. Jesus knew that it was time for him to start acting as if he belonged to God and not only to Mary and Joseph.

This is exactly the sort of thing that Paul is teaching us in Colossians 3:12-17.

12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Paul says that because we are God’s people, because we are holy and dearly loved, then we should put on the clothing that marks us as being on God’s team: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. We are called to stand out because we wear the clothing of forgiveness, love, peace, and thankfulness. We should be known as people who teach with wisdom through our reading, our songs, and who live lives that are genuinely grateful. What we do, and how we live, is the coat that we wear. We are called to wear the clothing that distinguishes us as the followers of Jesus Christ because when people know that we follow him, just as in the story of Jakov and Cimmerman, they will identify Jesus with the things that we do. The people who have never met Jesus will believe that he is the kind of a person that his followers are, that he will act the way that we act.

And so we are called to live in such a way that when we meet Jesus, he can say to us…

…”You wore my coat… very well.”

 

————-

 You have been reading a message presented at Trinity United Methodist Church on the date noted on the first page. Rev. John Partridge is the pastor at Trinity of Perry Heights in Massillon, Ohio. Duplication of this message is a part of our Media ministry, if you have received a blessing in this way, we would love to hear from you. Letters and donations in support of the Media ministry may be sent to Trinity United Methodist Church, 3757 Lincoln Way E., Massillon, Ohio 44646. These messages are available to anyone regardless of membership. You may subscribe to these messages by writing to the address noted, or by contacting us at subscribe@trinityperryheights.org. To subscribe to the electronic version sign up at http://eepurl.com/vAlYn. These messages can also be found online at http://www.scribd.com/Pastor John Partridge. All Scripture references are from the New International Version unless otherwise noted.

The Heart of the King

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“The Heart of the King”
December 20, 2015
(Fourth Sunday of Advent)
By John Partridge

Scripture: Micah 5:2-5a             Hebrews 10:5-10               Luke 1:39-55

How many of you have ever watched a boxing match and actually listened to the commentators?

There is one comment that is often made when discussing boxers, or football players, or horse races or even music that is in common with all of those things. There is a song that came out in the early 80’s by Huey Lewis and the News that starts like this:

New York, New York, is everything they say
And no place that I’d rather be
Where else can you do a half a million things
All at a quarter to three

When they play their music, ooh that modern music
They like it with a lot of style
But it’s still that same old back beat rhythm
That really really drives ’em wild

They say the heart of rock and roll is still beating
And from what I’ve seen I believe ’em
Now the old boy may be barely breathingBut the heart of rock and roll, heart of rock and roll is still beating.

“The Heart Of Rock & Roll” (Huey Lewis and the News, 1983)

Huey Lewis goes on to say that the music they play in New York, L.A. and other parts of the country can be very different but it’s still rock and roll because it has the same heart. When we are trying to understand something, “heart” is important. A great boxer has “heart,” and football, soccer, baseball and sports figures, even horses, often stand out because they play with “heart.” We often trust people because we understand them and we say that we “know their heart.”

As we read our scripture lessons today, this idea of “heart” is critical to our understanding. We begin, first of all, with the writing of the prophet Micah. Micah lived about 700 – 750 years before the birth of Jesus and about the same time as the prophet Isaiah. And in his writing, Micah speaks about the Messiah that is to come saying… (Micah 5:2-5a)

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
from ancient times.”
3 Therefore Israel will be abandoned
until the time when she who is in labor bears a son,
and the rest of his brothers return
to join the Israelites.
4 He will stand and shepherd his flock
in the strength of the Lord,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they will live securely, for then his greatness
will reach to the ends of the earth.
5 And he will be our peace

Micah tells the world that even though Bethlehem is small and often considered to be unimportant, the Messiah and king of Israel will come from among her people. Although Micah warns that Israel’s unbelief and sinful behavior will bring judgement upon them all, and that Israel will be abandoned for a time, when the Messiah comes, he will lead his people from a position of strength. The Messiah will stand in the strength of God and his great strength will, finally, bring peace.

Here again, as we noted a few weeks ago, we see the prophetic idea of the “already and not yet.” The Messiah that Micah sees will come after Israel returns from her abandonment, which clearly was after the return from captivity in Babylon and which we see in the birth of Jesus. But Jesus’ rule and reign as king still lies in the future.

In Luke 1:39-55, we remember more.

39 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40 where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

46 And Mary said:

“My soul glorifies the Lord
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.
50 His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
55 to Abraham and his descendants forever,
just as he promised our ancestors.”

Mary’s speech has long been known as “Mary’s song” and it is written poetically as if she were singing. In her song we hear her describe God by making a list of his mighty acts. Mary describes God as having done great things, scattering the proud, bringing down rulers, but also as a God that lifts up the humble, fills the hungry, extends mercy, and as one who keeps his promises.

Mary’s God is more than just a god of strength and power, but a God with heart.

Mary’s God has a heart for his people and a heart that you can trust.

And in Hebrews 10:5-10, we see that Jesus is described in much the same way…

5 Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said:
“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
but a body you prepared for me;

6 with burnt offerings and sin offerings
you were not pleased.
7 Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll—
I have come to do your will, my God.’”

8 First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”—though they were offered in accordance with the law. 9 Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. 10 And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Although God had instituted the entire sacrificial system and created its rules, it was not the sacrifices, nor the offerings, that God really wanted. It wasn’t the subservience of the people that God wanted. It wasn’t the money that God wanted.

What God really wants, are the hearts of his people.

And so when Jesus comes, he does not say, “I have come to follow all of the rules and to obey the traditions.” What Jesus says is, “I have come to do your will.”

Sacrifices and offerings were made “in accordance with the law.” They were done out of obedience to tradition and not out of love. But Jesus says that he has come to do the will of God, to do the things that God wanted. Jesus came to set aside rules and traditions, in order to establish a pattern of love.

The coming of Jesus signifies a change in the heart of God’s people.

The coming of Jesus represents a call of God.

The coming of Jesus calls us to obey, not out of tradition, but out of love.

The coming of Jesus announces to the world that God’s first priority isn’t about following the rules; his primary concern is about our hearts.

We know this is true, because we know the heart of our King.

And so, as we prepare for the arrival of the Messiah at Christmas we must ask ourselves this question:

“Do I have a heart like Jesus?”

——————–

 You have been reading a message presented at Trinity United Methodist Church on the date noted on the first page. Rev. John Partridge is the pastor at Trinity of Perry Heights in Massillon, Ohio. Duplication of this message is a part of our Media ministry, if you have received a blessing in this way, we would love to hear from you. Letters and donations in support of the Media ministry may be sent to Trinity United Methodist Church, 3757 Lincoln Way E., Massillon, Ohio 44646. These messages are available to anyone regardless of membership. You may subscribe to these messages by writing to the address noted, or by contacting us at subscribe@trinityperryheights.org. To subscribe to the electronic version sign up at http://eepurl.com/vAlYn. These messages can also be found online at http://www.scribd.com/Pastor John Partridge. All Scripture references are from the New International Version unless otherwise noted.

From Fear to Fruitfulness

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“From Fear to Fruitfulness”
December 13, 2015
(Third Sunday of Advent)
By John Partridge

Scripture: Zephaniah 3:14-20    Philippians 4:4-7    Luke 3:7-18

We begin today with an easy question.

Have you ever been afraid?

Almost certainly, every single one of us can answer that “Yes” we have been afraid. But after that simple answer, things quickly get a lot more difficult.

We have all been afraid at one time or another. We might have been afraid of a bully, afraid of losing, afraid of looking foolish in front of our family or friends, when we were expecting babies or held them for the first time we were afraid of what the future might hold, we have been afraid as we watched loved ones spend their last moments on earth or as we attended their funerals and were forced to face a future without them, we were afraid as we sent our children off to school for the first time, or watched them leave for college, or move out of our homes as they started lives and families of their own. There are a great many moments in our lives when fear has crept in.

For the moment, I want you to find one of those places of fear inside of yourself and remember what it was like. Hold on to that feeling for just a moment, and imagine what the people of Israel might have felt as Zephaniah proclaims that God is about to bring judgment upon the nations of the world, Including Judah and Israel, because of their unbelief. At that moment, during the life of the prophet Jeremiah, the Scythians, a nation that had migrated out of what is now Russia, perhaps similar to the Mongols who would come later, had crossed into their nation and had destroyed the fortresses of both Ashdod and Ashkelon and only stopped at the Egyptian border when Pharaoh Psamtik paid them off. Soon, the Babylonians would rise to power, defeat the Assyrians and would also come into the lands of Canaan destroying cities, killing and capturing anyone who got in their way.

Fear was real.

And so, into that environment, Zephaniah pours gasoline on the fire of their fear by proclaiming God’s coming judgment. But… before he is finished, God also gives hope for the future with these words: (Zephaniah 3:14-20).

14 Sing, Daughter Zion;
shout aloud, Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
Daughter Jerusalem!
15 The Lord has taken away your punishment,
he has turned back your enemy.
The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you;
never again will you fear any harm.
16 On that day
they will say to Jerusalem,
“Do not fear, Zion;
do not let your hands hang limp.
17 The Lord your God is with you,
the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you;
in his love he will no longer rebuke you,
but will rejoice over you with singing.”

18 “I will remove from you
all who mourn over the loss of your appointed festivals,
which is a burden and reproach for you.
19 At that time I will deal
with all who oppressed you.
I will rescue the lame;
I will gather the exiles.
I will give them praise and honor
in every land where they have suffered shame.
20 At that time I will gather you;
at that time I will bring you home.
I will give you honor and praise
among all the peoples of the earth
when I restore your fortunes
before your very eyes,”
says the Lord.

Although judgment is coming, be glad. Although things look grim, do not fear. Never again will God leave you. Never again will you fear harm because God is the Mighty Warrior. God will deal with those who oppress you. God will rescue you and gather those who have been scattered. God says, “I will bring you home.”

Even though God’s people are afraid, and even though the worst is yet to come, God is already moving them toward hope and restoration.

Interestingly, in Luke 3:7-18, as John the Baptist proclaims the coming of the Messiah, his message is very similar. John proclaims the coming of judgment but also offers helpful instruction… and hope.

7 John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 9 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

10 “What should we do then?” the crowd asked.

11 John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.”

12 Even tax collectors came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?”

13 “Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them.

14 Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?”

He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.”

15 The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Messiah. 16 John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” 18 And with many other words John exhorted the people and proclaimed the good news to them.

I cannot remember a single time when I have taken classes on preaching or public speaking, when we have been advised to begin a message by openly insulting and taunting our listeners. In fact, I am virtually certain that this is a bad idea most of the time. But this is exactly what John does. I told the children last week that John was probably considered, by most people, to be pretty weird and this is yet another example of that. John begins by calling everyone snakes, and begins talking about judgment and the wrath of God.
According to John, no one can be saved because they were born in the church, born to people who went to church, or because they themselves go to church. For John, the only real measure of godliness is the fruit that grows out of repentance.

Today, some of us would almost certainly have a follow-up question because we wonder what the fruit of repentance would look like, and the people in the crowd felt exactly the same way. John’s answer to that very question is to share what you have with people who don’t have any. Feed the hungry, clothe the naked. But even that isn’t enough because some people want to know specifics. Tax collectors, who were widely considered to be cheats, scoundrels, and collaborating with the enemy, are told to just do their jobs as honestly as they could. Soldiers, who were, in fact, the enemy, were told to do their job, not to take money they weren’t entitled to take, and not to accuse innocent people. It is interesting to note, that although both of these groups were widely hated because of what they did, John did not advise them to quit or to change jobs, but simply to do them honestly.

John then tells the people of the coming Messiah who will bring judgment as he separates the wheat (which is fruit) from the chaff (which is basically useless). Overall, John encouraged, admonished, advised and appealed to the people that they should hear the good news of the coming Messiah.

As we have been working our way through the Advent season, we have spoken often of repentance and the need to get our hearts right before God, but John tells us that repentance is just the first step. What comes next, producing fruit, is just as critical. Fruit trees without fruit will be cut down and burned in the fire. The wheat and the chaff will be separated and the useless chaff burned in the fire. John warns everyone, including us, that our purpose is to live a life of fruitfulness, to do our jobs well, but honestly, and to willingly share what we have with those who do not have.

But just in case we were still a little unclear on what a life of fruitfulness would look like, the Apostle Paul provides a little more detail in Philippians 4:4-7.

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Paul’s addition to John’s teaching is to rejoice and give thanks always for the things that God has done and for the things that God is doing. But Paul also says that our gentleness should be obvious to everyone around us, and that is a harder thing for some of us to do. In our culture, many of us have found that weakness is scorned and strength is honored and so we, both men and women, have often cultivated a sort of public fierceness in order to appear strong. Paul’s instruction reminds us that gentleness is also necessary. Jesus was a stone mason. He worked with his hands and was no stranger to hard labor. Jesus was no wimp and was not afraid to defy the Temple guards as he overturned tables and stared down mobs that didn’t like his teaching. But at the same time, Jesus was known for his gentleness and self-control with women and children.

Additionally, the followers of Jesus Christ should not worry about anything but instead spend their time praying about their problems and giving thanks for what God was doing. Paul says that when we do these things, then we will find peace that is far beyond all human understanding.

And so the road that we travel from fear to fruitfulness may not be easy, but it ends in a truly wonderful place.

It is no coincidence that at the end of that journey, the person that we find is the same one of whom the angels sang…

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” (Luke 2:14, KJV)

————-

 You have been reading a message presented at Trinity United Methodist Church on the date noted on the first page. Rev. John Partridge is the pastor at Trinity of Perry Heights in Massillon, Ohio. Duplication of this message is a part of our Media ministry, if you have received a blessing in this way, we would love to hear from you. Letters and donations in support of the Media ministry may be sent to Trinity United Methodist Church, 3757 Lincoln Way E., Massillon, Ohio 44646. These messages are available to anyone regardless of membership. You may subscribe to these messages by writing to the address noted, or by contacting us at subscribe@trinityperryheights.org. To subscribe to the electronic version sign up at http://eepurl.com/vAlYn. These messages can also be found online at http://www.scribd.com/Pastor John Partridge. All Scripture references are from the New International Version unless otherwise noted.

The Fire Before the Finish

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“The Fire Before the Finish”
December 06, 2015
(Second Sunday of Advent)
By John Partridge

Scripture:  Malachi 3:1-4    Philippians 1:3-11     Luke 3:1-6

This morning we are going to begin by filling in the missing words from some well known, and some lesser known, sayings.
1) When we suspect that something is wrong we have said, “Where there’s smoke there’s ______.”

2) The leader of the 21 gun salute said, “Ready, Aim, ________.”

3) The coach was disappointed by how his team was performing. He said that he needed to “Light a ______ under them.

4) The famous baseball player, Ty Cobb, once said, “I never could stand losing. Second place didn’t interest me. I had a ______ in my belly.”

5) Bernard Williams said, “Talent is a flame. Genius is a ______.”

6) Mae West said, “A man can be short and dumpy and getting bald but if he has ____, women will like him.”

7) Finally, President Richard Nixon once said, “The finest steel has to go through the hottest _____.

If it isn’t obvious by now, the answer to all of these was “fire.”

But on almost all of these, fire is the thing that happens at the beginning. Fire is the creator of smoke, the fire is what makes the gun go “boom,” fire is what motivates athletes, geniuses, and dumpy bald men. But President Nixon was in the right ballpark for today’s scripture because in Malachi 3:1-4, God warns his people that when the Messiah comes, things are going to get hot.

3:1 “I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty.

2 But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, 4 and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in days gone by, as in former years.

In a prophecy that describes the coming of the Messiah, we see that Jesus is the messenger that we desire, and Jesus is the rescuer and redeemer that we have been looking forward to seeing, but when he comes, not everyone will be happy about it. Malachi tells us that his coming will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. He will be the one who drives out the impurities but the process of refining silver or gold is to place them in a fire until they melt and keep them there until the impurities float to the top. For the people of God, the fire didn’t happen at the beginning of the story, it comes at the end. It is after we have been refined that God will find our offerings to be acceptable because it is then that righteous men and women will bring them.

And so, as we celebrate Advent, we remember that life isn’t always going to be easy. God isn’t always going to let things go our way. Sometimes, when we feel like we are in the fire, we are. And we are there because God intends to drive off some of our impurities.

Not surprisingly, we hear echoes of this in the Christmas story as well. Reading from Luke 3:1-6, we hear these words:

3:1 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene— 2 during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3 He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 4 As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet:

“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.
5 Every valley shall be filled in,
every mountain and hill made low.
The crooked roads shall become straight,
the rough ways smooth.
6 And all people will see God’s salvation.’”

I want to point out that God found John in the wilderness. God didn’t wait for John to be doing something important. God didn’t wait until John came to the Temple in Jerusalem to call him. God called John from where he was, at the moment that he was needed. And when God called, only then did John leave where he was and go into the countryside to preach.

From time to time, each of us may feel that we are in the wilderness. We may feel that we aren’t doing anything important or we might feel that we are far from home, or away from the hustle and bustle, or away from the places where important people gather. But Luke’s message is that when God is ready, he will find us no matter where we are.

The second point that we should take from this passage is that John’s entire mission was to prepare for the coming of the Messiah by proclaiming a message of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. John was the one who was “preparing the way” for the arrival of Jesus.

Today, we are in John’s place.

Today, we have been given John’s mission.

As we celebrate Advent, we are reminded that today, we are called to prepare the way for the arrival of the Messiah, Jesus.

To do that, there is something that we must do. We must do as John preached; we must repent of our sins (and remember that ‘repent’ means to turn around, to change directions, and go another way) and we must prepare our hearts for the arrival of the Prince of Peace.

In Philippians 1:3-11, Paul reveals even more of this fundamental principle and why our season of preparation is important.

3 I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

7 It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. 8 God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

Paul reminds the followers of Jesus that God has begun doing something amazing in their lives. God himself has begun doing something good in each of us and we, like Paul, are confident that if God has begun something, he will surely continue doing it until that thing is finished.

And so, let us remember these things:

Remember that life isn’t always easy, but it may well be that, in the hardest times, when we feel like we are in the furnace surrounded by fire, God is refining us so that we may be, in the end, purer and more beautiful than ever before.

Remember that Advent is the season of preparation. Let us repent of our sins and prepare our hearts for the coming of the Prince of Peace.
Remember that we have inherited the mission of John the Baptist and are called, from wherever we are, to proclaim the coming of the redeemer and rescuer of humanity.

And as we do these things, remember that God is working in each of us so that we might love more, know more, see more, understand more, so that we can make better choices and become more righteous. Paul’s desire, and ours, is to become pure and blameless on the Day of Judgment but, moreover, that we will become so much like Jesus, that we will live our lives like Jesus and pour out God’s love into the world around us.

Risk and Return

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“Risk and Return”
October 11, 2015
By John Partridge

Scripture: Job 23:1-9, 16-17                    Hebrews 4:12-16                         Mark 10:17-31

Have you ever taken a risk?

Almost certainly you have. Life is all about risk.

Every time we get out of bed, there is a risk that the effort of waking up will cause a heart attack or a stroke.

Every time we get in a car, there is a risk that we will be in an accident.

Every time we take a bath or a shower, there is a risk that we will slip and fall.

Every time we eat fresh produce, or other foods, from the grocery store or prepared meals from a restaurant, there is a risk that something has gone wrong somewhere along the line, and there is a risk of serious illness.

We make choices, and take risks, all day, everyday.

The choices that we make cannot eliminate risk; all that we can do is to make choices that limit our risk to a level where we feel comfortable.

Some of us feel safer staying at home, while others are perfectly comfortable skydiving or SCUBA diving.

But our ability to risk, our comfort level with risk, is also a key factor in the way that we invest and prepare for the future. Investment advisers make a living helping others to make wise choices, based in-part on how comfortable they are with risk, in how they invest and prepare for retirement and other future events.

And our understanding of risk also plays a big part in how we understand the choices that we make about what happens after our lives end. We must decide what happens when this life is over and what preparations we can or should make for what comes next.

We begin again this morning in the book of Job (Job 23:1-9, 16-17), where Job wrestles with his suffering which he perceives as being sent by God unfairly.

Then Job replied:
2 “Even today my complaint is bitter;
his hand is heavy in spite of my groaning.
3 If only I knew where to find him;
if only I could go to his dwelling!
4 I would state my case before him
and fill my mouth with arguments.
5 I would find out what he would answer me,
and consider what he would say to me.
6 Would he vigorously oppose me?
No, he would not press charges against me.
7 There the upright can establish their innocence before him,
and there I would be delivered forever from my judge.

8 “But if I go to the east, he is not there;
if I go to the west, I do not find him.
9 When he is at work in the north, I do not see him;
when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him.

16 God has made my heart faint;
the Almighty has terrified me.
17 Yet I am not silenced by the darkness,
by the thick darkness that covers my face.

Job wants to confront God and demand answers for the injustice that he feels. He knows that God is fair but God seems to be missing and Job cannot find him. Job is accustomed to talking to God and to feeling his presence but suddenly he cannot and this, combined with the terrible things that have happened to him, make Job afraid. But even in the face of injustice, even in the face of fear, even in the face of death, Job perseveres and presses on. As Job evaluates risk, even in the face of all that he has endured, Job will not give up, and he will not give up on God.

But even if we are enough like Job to hold on to God in times of trouble (and it isn’t always easy), we still worry that God’s standards are too hard. We worry that we aren’t good enough, that we don’t trust enough, or have enough faith. We worry that God’s judgement will be too harsh when our lives are finally weighed in the balance. And it isn’t just paranoia that feeds this kind of worry. There are well-known stories in scripture, stories about Jesus which can feed our fear if they are understood incompletely. One of those stories is found in Mark 10:17-31, where a man wants to follow Jesus, but finds that he cannot because Jesus’ standards are just too high.

17 As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’”

20 “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”

21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

22 At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.

23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!”

24 The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

26 The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?”

27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”

28 Then Peter spoke up, “We have left everything to follow you!”
29 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel 30 will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

This man, known as the rich, young ruler, claims that he has followed all of the commandments of God (Jesus only listed six) but when asked to give away his money he cannot. Most of us, even if were asked by Jesus himself, would hesitate to give up everything that we own, but the rich, young ruler believed that he kept all of God’s commands. He walks away not because Jesus condemns him, but because Jesus’ question reveals his sin. He loved money more than God. He coveted money and has made money into an idol. That’s at least three commandments that he couldn’t keep.

And he is not the only one who is worried about Jesus’ reply. The disciples themselves worry that this standard is so high that none of them would be good enough. But Jesus’ answer to them is one of comfort as well as mathematics. Jesus tells the disciples that God keeps accounts. God keeps track. God knows what we do and how we live our lives. God knows the risks we take and he knows what we give up to serve him. God knows what you have given up in terms of money, family, time, pride, prestige and popularity to follow him. And Jesus promises that your return on investment will be 10,000 percent. As we evaluate the risk of investing in a future that lies on the other side of the chasm of death, we recognize that there is risk, but the reward is so significant, so amazing, that even a small amount invested will result in enormous returns.

But the best wrinkle in this story of risk is shared with us by the writer of Hebrews (Hebrews 4:12-16) who reassures us about the fairness of God’s judgment where he says:

12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Simply put: God is not dead.

The word of God slices into us, even in the darkest corners of our soul, and reveals our sin. God’s word shines the light of judgement on our actions, thoughts and attitudes. But even though our innermost thoughts are revealed before the judgement seat of Jesus, we have no need to fear. Our high priest, Jesus, who sits in on the throne of God, was a human being just like us. He knows exactly what it means to be afraid. He knows how it feels to take risks. He understands us better than we do ourselves and it was his sacrifice that rescues us from our sins.

Even though it is frightening to know that God keeps an accounting of every moment of our lives, God’s accounting of the followers of Jesus Christ is not intended to condemn or destroy us. Instead, because Jesus knows us and understands what it is to be human, and because we have put our faith and confidence in him, we can approach the throne of God with confidence instead of fear. When we are weighed in the balance, the penalty for our sins has already been paid.

On the day that we approach the throne of judgement, instead of finding condemnation, we will instead find a place of mercy and grace.

There is no risk in trusting God.

There is no risk in following Jesus.

There is only reward.

There are only two real risks that we need to worry about.

First, there is the huge risk of failing to put our trust in Jesus.

And the second is in failing to invest in the life we have with him both now and forever.