Romans 5:1-11; Hope

            In 2011, I took a trip down to Atlanta, Georgia. I went with a group of people and the reason for going to experience or become familiar with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the civil rights movement. It was a powerful experience to say the least. We visited the home that he grew up in, several of the churches that he preached in; Most notably, Ebenezer where he was the pastor. And, we visited several places in Birmingham, Alabama which at the time had earned the name Bombingham because of the 16^th Street Baptist church in which 3 young girls died. Again, it was powerful to say the least. I was so moved that it put confusion and questions in my head.

            Today’s reading of Romans can put questions in our head or may have us feeling a little baffled. To set the scene; Claudius expelled the Jews and the Jewish Christians in 49 A.D. after Claudius died the Jews and Jewish Christians came back to find that their churches were inhabited by Gentile Christians. So, there was tension in and amongst the churches (which never happens today!). Paul is writing this letter to try and bring them all together. He is trying to heal the divisions and, hopefully, unite the churches in a common ministry; and, in this letter Paul writes of his understanding and experiences of who he believes God is and what our relationship with God is.

            In the fifth chapter that we read today, Paul speaks of justification. It is a difficult topic in some ways, but not for Paul. Paul has always been quite open about his life before Christ, his conversion, and his life after meeting Christ. He is open about how he would persecute those who refused to adhere to the law…you know…that thing that makes us unclean in the eyes of God. The law that convicts us when we fall short of the glory of God. OR, as I said last week, when we eat something, wear some clothing, etc. Paul is quite open about seeking those people out and bringing them to HIS form of justice to pay the price.

            Paul is also, in his letters, quite open about how he became a slave for Christ. He speaks of how he fell and was blinded, how he heard the words “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” AND he heard God’s word to get up, go, and speak of the wondrous things that God has done.

            With those things in mind, we find Paul now speaking about our relationship with God in the world. He speaks of boasting in our suffering because suffering “produces endurance which leads to character, and then hope – a side note that this might be where some people get the notion that either A) God doesn’t give you any more than you can handle. Or B) It must be God’s will that I suffer – both of which are not true!

            What Paul is saying is that all of that leads to Hope. Hope is the most important element in that whole string of characters. It is important because it leads us to the understanding that Hope leads us to the love of God. Meaning, when we fall short of God’s glory, we live in the hope that God will forgive us for whatever it is that we have done. We lean on the hope of God’s promises of love and forgiveness. We hear the stories from God’s Son, Jesus Christ, that God is a loving God, a merciful God, and a forgiving God. So, when we meet those times of sin and brokenness, we lean on hope that God is all those things that Jesus said.

            Many times, we think about what we need to do to get back in God’s good graces. We might say or promise God we will do things, “if you just forgive me God, I promise I will do Blank!” That is another area where we get caught up in hope. We hope we are the ones that can make all this right again. We hope we are the ones that hold all that power to make God want us again.

            The truth is that it is God who holds all that power! God holds the power of making things right. It is the God who shows the lengths that God will go to show us hope and love! God is the one who will go looking for us when we wander off, God is the one who will throw the party when we are found, God is the one who will come running out to us (like in the prodigal son) when we have come back home!

            That is what hope looks like! Imagine God running out to greet you or finding you and welcoming you with open arms? That is hope. But it is not the only hope. The greatest power of God’s forgiveness and hope is shown to us in the cross upon which his son will go. God’s Son, Jesus Christ goes to the cross for us…for you and me. That hope that we have in being forgiven is shown to us in the dying of Jesus on the cross. Jesus suffers on the cross so that we see and experience, not the hope, but the new REALITY of being forgiven, for being loved by a God who will go to any lengths for us. Even to the point of the crucifixion of God’s Son, Jesus.

            It is because of Christ on the cross that the promise of forgiveness does come. It is because of the cross that the hope of forgiveness is realized and now present…AND we are made right with God…we are justified as God’s beloved children. It is because of that hope and this new reality that Christ on the cross…God’s justification is not just to be kept to ourselves. Jesus died on the cross for all of us; and so, we are called to share that Good News with others. Share the hope and promises that we have learned about and experienced to our brothers and sisters in the world.

            When I came back from the Atlanta trip, I was feeling a little hopeless. I looked around and saw so much brokenness. I spoke to a colleague who told me to “go looking for that hope! It is in front of you and all around. Focus on the cross and then you will see it through random acts of kindness and being with people you may never have imagined.”

He was right. I did start looking around. I looked at myself and the mistakes that I had made in the past. I saw the times that I hoped and leaned on God’s forgiveness. Whenever I heard the words Institution of Communion I heard more pronounced Jesus saying those specific words, “For you.” I started looking around and saw the hope of the cross in friends of other denominations meeting at the cross and working together. I see that hope in providing food for families that are in need. I see that hope in random acts of kindness; and, I see that hope sitting with our youngest (and oldest) disciples and listening to where they see God in this world. I see the hope among friends and family with whom I might disagree on some things but rallying together around the love of God…and working together to make God’s love known in the world.

Again, it is in this Good Friday cross where this hope begins. It is because of this loving God whose Son goes to the cross where this hope begins; is poured out in the spilling of his blood and the breaking of his body that we now live in this reality of forgiveness, hope, and love.

            So, this week, focus on the cross. Take in all that it means: Hope, forgiveness, mercy, and our new reality of being loved by God; and share it with someone you may not have expected to share it with: AMEN!

            

Romans 4:1-5, 13-17: Am I in because of law or because of Faith?

            When my wife and I were dating, her parents had a family reunion. My father-in-law’s mother was one of eight. So, in gather the clan together, there were ninety-nine people that showed up to this shindig. I had heard stories about how they would all gather together at this one house Halethorpe. Crabs were the main dish along with the Maryland Crab Soup. So, I am at this party and it is time for everyone to grab a bunch of crab. I learned a lot of things that day. Probably the most important was that you crack a lobster (from my New England days) but you pick crabs.

            I must be honest with you. I felt more like an outsider that day than I ever have before. Here is this woman that I am dating and she is walking all over the place and catching up with relatives she hasn’t seen in ages! I am sitting at this table not knowing anyone, not knowing how this family does things, who’s the black sheep of the family, which ones do I stay away from, and it goes on. The only saving grace was that I had a friend who was in the same boat as I was. It was my now daughter-in-law, Sandra. She and I sat at the table watching people and talking about something we both new about…New York. I have a sister that lives there and have been to the City a lot so we shared stories.

            Today’s second reading has Paul closing the Gap on outsiders. Throughout Paul’s journeys in the world, it seemed like he was always met with someone or a group of people trying to undo what he spent so much time doing. What was he doing? He was teaching people and building relationships with people. He talked about God and taught them who Jesus was; that Jesus was the Son of God and went throughout Israel trying to teach the people who he was and that the Kingdom of God was at hand. That was his intro to telling people to stop turning away from God and turn their hearts toward God. Paul would tell the people about how Jesus would heal the sick, the blind…the afflicted and they believed that Jesus WAS the Son of God. He taught them about how Jesus went to the grave to forgive their sins and to show the people how much God was willing to sacrifice for them.

            After all that, these people would come in behind Paul to undo everything that he did. They would enter the places that Paul had left and they would tell the people, that unless they followed the LAW, they were not God’s children. They would tell them that if they didn’t follow the rituals that they were on the outside… you’re not a real person of faith of God is not for you because you don’t “do this or that” ritual. Imagine being told “all you gotta do is believe, HON, in this Jesus who did all these things and you will experience the promises of God. Only to be told later, “that isn’t enough!”

            Well, here we are at Paul’s letter today. Paul is writing about how Abraham became such a central figure in the story of creation. We know that story where God tells Abraham “I will make you the father of many nations. As many as there are stars in the night sky.” Paul asks, “how did Abraham get so lucky?” Did Abraham win a contest? NO! Did Abraham keep ritual? He did do something but it was a personal thing (and I will get to that in a second) but there were no rituals that Abraham did.

            Paul points out that it wasn’t the keeping of the law, but what Abraham did do was to have faith in God. He made sure that he kept his faith. He put God first in what he did. When it came to blessings, he made sure that he gave some of those blessings back to God, First (in the form of sacrifice). Abraham was faithful in all that he did. When tough times came to Abraham, he prayed and asked for God’s guidance. God came to him and rewarded him by making this covenant (being the father of many nations) with Abraham. God chose Abraham and not the other way around. And Abraham was not an outsider!

            Paul is getting real specific here. He is saying that Abraham was not made righteous because Abraham followed the law or followed rules about circumcision. Abraham was righteous because he kept the faith. His faith, which was strong, endeared him to God and God took notice.

            Paul is also telling the people and us who is in and who is out. In Paul’s time, those people I spoke of would follow him and tell the people that unless they followed all the rules about eating, worshipping, clothing, personal hygiene, and so many other laws that they were not in the club…the club of God’s love and promises. Paul is saying that is not a requirement for the Gentiles. He is telling them and us that it is our faith that brings us to the promises of God. It is our faith in God that brings us into the state of God’s grace and mercy. It is our belief that God created all of this for us, created all the animals, and created you and me, so that we could enjoy all that God made and the company of one another. Paul says that it is because of our faith that God takes notice; AND that we, who are not the chosen people, are invited into God’s fold and can live freely under God’s protection.

            We are no longer outsiders when it comes to the promises and the love of God. While I sat there at the table, Robin did come back to spend a lot of time with me and to teach me how to pick crab (so that I would be able to enjoy all that good food). I did not feel like an outsider after that. Throughout the afternoon, she introduced me to many family members and they were nice as could be. I no longer felt like an outsider. I felt like one of the family. I know that we have all at some point had experiences like that in our lives. This is what Paul is talking about. We are part of this great big God family; not because we are all following the same practices and rituals. In fact, we have many different practices in different denominations and different rituals. Yet, we all gather to worship the same God! Amen!

            So, this week, think about what it feels like to be an outsider. How do we feel when we are treated like an outsider? What does it feel like to know the love, the mercy, and the grace of God? Think of someone you may know who feels like an outsider and invite them to come and meet God through Word, the gift of forgiveness through communion, and the promise of eternal life: AMEN!

Matthew 4:1-11; Temptations and rejecting them

            I have an idea! Do ya wanna ditch the rest of the service and go get some coffee or eat a big breakfast? Seriously! How many of you were tempted? Sounded pretty good, huh? I bet there was that little voice telling you, “hey! If the pastor said it, it must be okay!

            Well, today is the temptation of Jesus. It’s important to know where exactly we are in our Gospel. In Chapter 3, Jesus came down to the river, Jordan, and he was baptized by John. He goes under the water and when he comes up there are those words that we heard last week at the Transfiguration; “This is my Son, the beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” As soon as this happens, he is led into the wilderness and is tempted by the Devil.

            It is a story that we have heard many times before. The Devil asks him to turn stones into bread so he can eat. Jesus says, “no.” Takes him to the pinnacle and says throw yourself off. Again, Jesus says, “No.” And then there is the promise of the Kingdom. All he has to do is bow down to Satan. Jesus says, “Away with you Satan!”

            In the first two temptations, the Devil says, “If you are the Son of God.” Here is a shocker. I believe the Devil already knew who Jesus was. If not, why would he ask? Did the Devil get luck that after his Baptism he just happened to, randomly, pick this Jesus? No, He knew Jesus was the Son of God. What we have here is an opportunist in the Devil. He figured that Jesus must be weak after his fasting so the Devil would wait and then move in on that time of weakness.

            We can relate to this moment in Jesus life. We have things that tempt us and you know what they are; they are those things that turn us away from God. They can be things that cause us to overlook the path that we are on; and they can draw us away from God. They can range from things as small as ditching the rest of the service and going out for breakfast to wondering why we even bother coming…wasting an hour of our time to sing, read, and hear people. Temptations can be as small or as big…but they are those things that cause us to put our faith, beliefs, God off to the side. It is those things that can cause us to look out for our self-interests and “who cares about anyone or anything else.”

            I am sure that we have all had those times but I think we can look at this story from a different perspective. Think about this, there are plenty of opportunities for Jesus to give into temptation. He could have acted in his own self-interest. He could have bowed down and worshipped, but he didn’t, he could’ve turned the rocks into bread and ate till he was full, but he didn’t. Instead, he used scripture to strengthen his obedience to God…Jesus stayed focused on what God was calling him to do rather than what was what he might have wanted.

            I think it would be an interesting challenge for all of us to do something. We know what it is that can draw us away from God…away from our path. What if we looked at those things that get in the way of our experience? To put it another way, what is it that can make me push God to the side, ignore God’s word, assume that I already know so I don’t have to do this anymore?

            Truth is that we can all get sidetracked and wander off the path. We are constantly bombarded with things that are made to distract us and get us wanting the latest and greatest electronics, cars, jobs, power, etc. There are so many things out there and we hear those magic words, “you can have it all!” And you probably can; if you sacrifice this or that, if you spend all your time focusing on something. A couple of days ago, Michael Phelps was testifying before a Congressional Subcommittee and the issue was about using enhanced performance drugs. So, they wanted to hear from a “hero.” He said that he found out, “most athletes don’t practice on Sunday. Most of them are not at the pool on Sunday and so he figured out that I could go to the pool on Sunday and spend all day practicing and that gave me an advantage of 52 days more of practice.” I cringed at the message that may send to every athlete that looked up to him. I don’t know if he is a religious person, but on its face value, it just made me think of the impact that message may have.

            You see, you might be able to have it all, but there is a price to pay. Some times that price is a broken relationship, so much time away from the path that we are on that it will feel too uncomfortable to get back on that journey of faith, sometimes it is a medical condition with all the stress of wanting things so bad that that becomes your main focus, and sometimes it is just trying to maintain the doing what we want that it ends, or we run out of energy.

            I am reminded of a song by Lady Gaga. I will play the first verse and refrain because it repeats quite a bit. (Play Million Reasons). In this song, there are millions of reasons to leave. While I don’t think, this song is about Jesus’ Temptation, it is highly relevant to our society and to our life of faith and the church. Her last line in the refrain, “give me one good reason to stay.” It is relevant and I think Jesus gives us many good reasons to stay: This journey that he is taking is putting his own self-interests aside. He is not on his way to the cross to gain fame. Jesus is doing this for us…you and me! Jesus goes out and heals to help the afflicted, and feeds the hungry, and dies for us to show us how valuable we all are to God.

            This also applies to our church. I will give you some good reasons to stay; when it all comes down to the nitty gritty, we are here for each other. We try to lift one another up as much, and we celebrate together our good times and share our challenges. I have heard it said that “we are like family.” We are family in that we try to help out each other, praying for each other, sharing God’s love together, and when we haven’t seen each other in a long time, we celebrate the reunion. AND, we will be here for each other through thick and thin.

            As we begin this first full week of Lent, think about those things that can draw us away from God, what is it that can be so tempting? Why? But, then, think about what it is that makes you want to get right back on that path again; and focus on that, then see if you can find another reason to get back on the path.

Amen!