DON’T WORSHIP A SMALL GOD

 

I don’t want to brag, but I’m something of an expert on small gods. For years I worshiped alcohol and I couldn’t imagine life without it. When things were bad, I needed it to see me through, and when things were great, I needed alcohol to help me celebrate. And then there was the god I called “ambition”- the driving need to get ahead. There was almost nothing I wouldn’t do to get a big corner office and prove that I was “somebody.” And like many others, I worshiped myself- the little baby within that always wanted to be the center of attention. Although it was plain to see that I had “messed up” my life in many ways, I continued to fight for control, partly because I had never known another way… and partly because I didn’t want to give up my sins, especially the ones I liked.

 

But I’m not the only one who has worshiped a small god. Some people worship a small god who is little more than their agreeable and understanding buddy. This god doesn’t ask much of them and is generally satisfied that they are doing the best they can. Some people, most perhaps, worship a small god who is the mirrored image of themselves. This god votes for the same candidates, roots for the same teams, likes the same songs, and holds the same prejudices that they do. Some people, a lot actually, worship the small god of health and wealth. This god doesn’t ask for any sacrifice and insists that rich men and women will have no trouble getting through the eye of a needle. Some people worship a small god who is impotent and can’t do much of anything. Therefore, they seldom pray and when they do, they pray for nothing more than the obvious because, deep-down, they don’t think that God can do much. And then there are those who worship a small god who actually serves them! They don’t feel a need to do God’s bidding… but they expect that their God will do theirs!

 

Small gods are common in our time… but Isaiah encountered a BIG God! Let’s look at our passage one more time-“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw Adonai (the Lord) seated on a throne, high and exalted, and (just) the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs with six wings, two of which covered their faces, two of which covered their feet, and two which enabled them to fly. And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory." At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty." Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for." Then I heard the voice of the Lord asking, "Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I… Send me!" (Isaiah 6)

I need someone, God seemed to say, who will take on an impossible task of spreading my word… to a people who will never really hear it! And Isaiah answered, “Here I am, send me!” In the year that King Uzziah died, (c. 740BC) the prophet, Isaiah, encountered a BIG God. A God who shook the thresholds and doorposts of the temple. Isaiah was in the temple when God showed up, but he could only see the bottom of God’s robe because that alone filled the temple. Isaiah’s God was too big to see! Moses’ God told him to take off his sandals because he was standing on Holy ground. And even my parents knew that we weren’t supposed to use God’s name flippantly. Throughout the ages, people have given their lives to a big God who demanded respect and held them accountable for what they did or didn’t do. They worshiped a jealous God who wouldn’t put up with disobedience and idolatry.

A BIG God can be frightening because He can have His way with us, but a BIG GOD can also save us! A BIG God can command us to serve Him and to love Him with every fiber of our being… but He can also forgive us and give us new beginnings. We’re afraid that a BIG GOD won’t let us have our cake and eat it too, but worshiping small gods leaves us small and hopeless. If we embrace a small god we will not be challenged, but we will live our lives with an empty feeling. As John Ortberg noted… “If I live with a small God, I will find it unnatural to pray because I'm not really sure, deep down, that prayer matters anyway, and if I am tempted to lie or cheat to get my way or to get out of trouble, I'll do it…” because the God I worship doesn’t care anyway.

And so, in the end, the choice is ours. We can do business with a BIG God who calls us to serve and obey… or we can settle for a small god who is way too small to care and respond! This then, is the question: Is our God big enough to heal our wounds, forgive us endlessly, and save our souls? Or are we worshiping a small god who is no bigger than we are?  Amen!

 

 

“Cords of Kindness”

 

“If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. (I am just a noise maker)! If I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, (if I’m as smart and as wise as anyone has ever been, but do not have love, it won’t matter at all), and if I have a faith so big that I can remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give away all my possessions, and hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing! If I make a big show of how much I give to the poor and how much more I am willing to sacrifice (1 Cor. 13), but do it without love, I might as well stay home and read a book!

 

When you get right down to it, it’s all about love, isn’t it? God’s creative work, the words of the prophets, the awful death that our sinless Lord dies, and our walk together in a journey we call life- it’s all about love! From the “puppy love” that I can barely recall to the love expressed on death beds all over the world, from the ancient days to this day, it’s all about love… because without love we are nothing! Being loved and loving others is central to our lives and, from the beginning, God has sought to give and receive love also. Listen to God’s words in Hosea, chapter 11: “It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by the arms; but they did not realize it was I who healed them. 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.” God issued many commandments and some warnings too, it’s true… but He leads us with the ties of love!

In an act of love, Christ Jesus came to earth to walk among us and to save our souls. “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) It was all about love… and when Jesus suffered on Golgotha’s hill, among his last words were these:  "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." And before He ascended to Heaven, (John 21) Jesus called a dispirited Peter to join him around a little charcoal fire. The other disciples were there too, but Jesus focused on Simon. It is likely that you know the story: ^“When they had finished eating, Jesus said, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” Simon replied, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” Again Jesus said, “Simon, do you love me?” and Peter answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” Then, for yet a third time, Jesus asked, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the same question three times and he said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” And then Jesus said to Peter, “Follow me” because it’s all about love!

“God is love.” (1 John 4:8)  “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. (John 3:17)  “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.” (1 John 3:16)) And it’s all about love for you and me too. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as you love yourself.” (Matthew 22:37–39) This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. (John 15:12)

 

It’s all about love, isn’t it? They say that the world will know we are Christians by our love, and we are reminded that… “Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful, arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. It’s all about love!” O Paul, you’ve laid a challenge before me- one that I now see for what it is.  Love is patient… but I’m not. Many people know that. Love is kind… but even that is sometimes a hill for me. Love, you say, is not proud or rude… so I guess I’ll need to quit thinking about who deserves love and who doesn’t. Love, it seems, is something I need to surrender to, and something I need to pray for. I’m not doing my part, Lord, but I sure praise you for doing yours! Amen!

 

 

 

 

 

CARPE DIEM

CARPE DIEM

It’s not as bad as it used to be, but even now my past tries to undermine my present. During the night I am frequently inundated with memories of the things I said and done, or with thoughts of the bad times we had around our house. These “used-to-bees” try to keep me tied to a time that is long gone!  But the past is not where I live and it’s not where anybody really lives because God’s gift to us is called the “present.”

 

And the second culprit is the future because nothing has ever been done in the future. No one has forgiven, or loved, or danced with anyone else… in the future. We can talk about the future- whether AI will be our servant or our master, whether we will establish a colony on some far away planet, whether or not global warming with finally have its way with us- but no life has ever been lived in the future!

 

“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate on the present moment.” ―Buddha

 “It is not uncommon for people to spend their whole life waiting to start living.” ― Eckhart Tolle

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matt. 6:34)

 “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near.” (Isa. 55:6)

CARPE DIEM. Seize today. Regrets, sweet memories, daydream, plans for when we get old- these things are common enough, but today is a time for action! When Jesus appeared at the synagogue in Nazareth, he opened the scroll that was handed to him and he read from the book of Isaiah: ““The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free,”

Then Jesus at down and the congregation waited for his   interpretation of these words. Would he address the Roman occupation, the taxes which burdened people who were already poor, or his own ministry? Jesus might have focused on a world to come: "Someday, the poor will be lifted up; someday, captives will be set free, and the day will surely come when the blind will see!” But he didn’t recall the good old days or project what God may do in the future. No, he said, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

And the people were shocked. Faith communities are often consumed with memories of the past and hopes for the future, but our ministry, happens today. If we love someone, tell them to today; if someone who is lonely, visit them today, if someone can’t get to their feet or buy even a modest meal, give them a hand or money for a meal today, if we need to forgive someone or make amends.... do it today. Today is the only time we will ever have to bring good news to the poor, to advocate and work to release the people in our world, we need to do it today! Today… is our time to shine… or walk on by, to love the unlovable or not, to get involved or just hope that someone else does!

In a very real way, the Spirit was upon Jesus. But He was also upon his friends and neighbors. And now, today, it is on us- calling us to serve Christ today!  I am going to pick up my own cross and follow Christ, I’m going to love the unlovable and forgive those whom I don’t want to forgive, I’m going to join this church ministry or that one, I’m going to start visiting someone after church. Yes, I am! And someone will ask “when?” When are you going to start doing even one of these things?

Let it be TODAY! Amen.

LET THE WORK OF CHRISTMAS BEGIN

 

LET THE WORK OF CHRISTMAS BEGIN

 

When I became serious about my faith, people told me to read John first. Read the book of John first, they said, and for long time, I didn’t understand why because the other gospels were more compelling to me, especially Mark and Luke. But I have been in love with John’s gospel for some time now… because John focuses on who Jesus Christ IS. He cites Jesus’ miracles and encounters of course, but his greater interest lies in believing that Jesus is, and always was, God. In the gospel I meet a God who came to earth to save my soul and to show me God’s loving and forgiving nature. In John’s gospel, I meet a God who cares about me. I meet a God of love who is present to me… and to all of those who are lost and hurting.

 

There is no birth story in John. No genealogy either, not for Joseph or Mary. John doesn’t mention the wise men or Mary visiting Elizabeth, and many other things… but he does tell us who Jesus was! In John’s view Jesus didn’t achieve divinity when he was born, when he allowed himself to be baptized with a baptism he didn’t need, in the way that he died (with Father forgive them on his lips), or even through the resurrection… because HE WAS ALWAYS GOD.

This is the way in which John’s gospel begins: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.  He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, and walked among us, full of grace and truth.

Jesus was God, but not considering divinity worth clinging to- not if his people were lost and suffering- Jesus emptied Himself of divinity and became one of us. He came to show us where God’s heart is, and he came to be a light that the darkness will never overcome. Jesus came to manifest God’s love… for us and for all people! He came to show us what real religion is and to show us ministry cannot be done without compassion. He had personal and deep conversations with people whom others ignored, and did several of his miracles out of compassion alone. Jesus came to show us that God values the widow of Nain, and the demoniac who was running naked in a graveyard… as much as he valued anyone else. Jesus came to earth to manifest and talk about God’s love… for God so loved the world that He sent his only Son- not to condemn it-  but to save it! God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. This means that you will die- we all will- but you will not perish. YOU will perish if you “believe in,” and trust the One who came from the Father and walked among us full of grace and truth.

 

Oh God, we thank you for joining us in the flesh and for being a light that gives us a way and a goal. We thank you for revealing God’s nature and for showing us that we matter- indeed, even I matter- because you shared your love, time, and attention with people just like us. The man who was blind from birth, the lepers who stood is the shadows, the shepherds who were perpetually unclean, the nameless widow who was burying her son, and massive crowd of ordinary people who were simply hungry. You invited the children to come to your side and you had a personal conversation with a Samarian woman. You cried over Lazarus’ grave and you cried for the people of Jerusalem. You endured rejection and ridicule on the cross, and you pleaded for sip of water. Thank you, Lord, for showing me that God really cares about me and that I will carry to my grave the promise that I will not perish! Thank you also for inviting me to pick up my cross and follow you… so that I might listen to others, tend to their wounds, help them to their feet, offer prayers and support … all in your name.

 

In John’s view Jesus was always Christ. He was always divine and he came to earth to 1) save our souls and 2) to show us how to live with compassion and love. Christmas invites us to live as Jesus did and with that in mind, I will close with Howard Thurman’s poem: “When the song of the angels is stilled, when the star in the sky is gone,  when the shepherds are back with their flocks, the work of Christmas begins… to find the lost, to heal the broken, to feed the hungry, to release the prisoner, to rebuild the nations, to bring peace among the people, to make music in the heart.”

                                                                                 AMEN

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS- 2024

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

 

T'was the night before Christmas-

       when the young couple completed their long

            journey... and arrived in town.

T'was the time of the census, and
      men were returning to their hometowns
            to register ... for the powers-that-be.

One of these men was a man named Joseph-
      Yosef, not Joe, and he came from Bethlehem,
            which means "house of bread" in Hebrew.

It was a homecoming of sorts,
      but he couldn't find a room for his fiancée,

and she was very pregnant with their first child.

 

So,,, they ended up in a cattle shed, behind an inn... 

      grateful for a place to lay their heads...

Miriam (Mary) was in need of rest and shelter

It was there, in that cattle shed,

where she gave birth to a boy named Yeshua,

which comes to us as "JESUS."

 

At the first Christmas... the stars were the only lights.

There was no feast or gift exchange either.

              just a young man, his bride-to-be, and a baby

       lying vulnerably... in a cattle trough

The mood was sweet. The noise of the world

was muffled by the joy of the moment

and the sense of wonder

that filled the cattle shed.

No one could've known it then–

not even the boldest among them,
       but time itself was split in two on this day,
            with BC giving way to Anno Domini (AD)

Before his birth, they lived in a world without hope,

everyone did… and then there was a promise

and a hope that would never be squelched,

 

The shepherds weren’t accustomed to being invited.

Come morning they were still just shepherds... 

              but they were never without hope again!

A couple of years later,
      some astrologers came from Persia

brought gifts of homage...

to the baby King born in Israel.

 

They were "wise" because they sought him,

and worshiped him, and didn’t enter into

His presence empty-handed!

 

Come morning- it looked like just another day-
      with babies crying, women making bread,

and men working at their trade...

But that first Christmas was no ordinary day... 

      and there would never again be an ordinary day...

            because a Savior had been born!

 

God had come to earth,

with gifts of joy, peace, love, hope, and

              salvation to people who needed to be accepted

and saved... more than anything else!

Come morning, it was AD, Anno Domini,
      because our Lord had arrived in Bethlehem. 

            Unto us a Savior had been born! Hallelujah!!

Sherry and I pray that each and everyone of you will experience the depths of God’s love and grace, this Christmas of 2024!  pk

 

Bearing Fruit Worthy of Repentance

“BEAR FRUIT WORTHY OF REPENTANCE”

 

In their minds they had given their best efforts to please the Lord. What does it take, they cried, to please the Lord? (Micah 6:6-7) This was the question and this was Micah’s answer- do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God… which are action words. DO justice. LOVE mercy. WALK HUMBLY. LIVE as if… you have given your heart and soul to God. In Amos’ day (760BC) the people also wondered why God seemed to be so unhappy with them, and in part, Amos told them that their sin rested in the way they treated others. Open your eyes, he exclaimed, and see what’s going on: you impose a straw tax on the poor and also tax their grain; you take bribes and deny justice in your courts; you treat your neighbors with disdain. Quit worshiping yourselves… and let justice roll down like a river and righteousness like a never-failing stream.  

In Isaiah’s book (58:6ff) God told us plainly how to please Him:  “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie
the cords of the yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe them?
Help people stand-up and live with dignity. Open a door for someone who has his or her hands full, listen for a moment (even if you’re in a hurry) to someone’s story, share a prayer, make life easier in whatever ways you can, cheer for others, give others a ride or car fare, sit with someone who is sitting alone… live as if you love God with every fiber of your being and trust that the glory of the Lord will be your year guard!

They came by the thousands for John’s baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins and when John told them to “bear the fruits worthy of repentance,” they wanted to know what he had in mind. Should they take a class in theology, increase their church attendance, make amends like they do in the12-step world, give more generously, work at the food bank, and even sign on to teach Sunday school? And John said, if you want to show others that Christ lives in your heart, let your love for God tumble out of your hearts and touch the lives of others in very ordinary and meaningful ways. Give one of your coats to someone who doesn’t have a coat- if you have two, you have one coat too many- and if you have more than you will eat, share your food with those who are hungry! Tax-collectors were at the river too, and they asked John what they could do to show others that they had repented. And John told them to quit collecting more taxes than they were required to, and it was the same with the soldiers who were at the river. John didn’t admonish them for being soldiers, but if they had given their hearts to God, they should quit extorting money from vulnerable people and be content with their pay.

A year or two ago I asked our great-grandson how he met his best friend and he said, “Well, I was sitting in our cafeteria- alone as usual- and when he came into the room, he sat down right beside me.” I remember a church employee who had “lost” her car and didn’t have the money to fix it. It was a crisis in her life… but one of my friends gave her an old car that had been sitting in her garage. The reason for the quick response was simple. She said, “we had three cars and she had none.” And then there’s the time when our daughter was walking through Central Park on Christmas. Due to a number of unforeseen events she was alone… and lonely. She must have looked lonely because when she passed by a beggar at the gate, he yelled, “Hey, get over here! It looks like you could use a Christmas hug!” And they hugged- the beggar and the artist who lives in Westchester County- and the hug lifted both of their spirits.

I won’t see my friend, Tug, this Christmas Eve- but the smile on his face from last year’s service is still with me. And I will recall the “fruit worthy of repentance” that he had shared with people who touched his heart through the year. There was a cashier at Kroger’s, an employee at Home Depot, a woman at Proctor Home! He blessed them because God had blessed him! They weren’t big enough gifts to replace the lottery, but they were more than big enough to bring a smile to your face and a tear to your eye! God bless!

You don’t need a sermon. Just share the love of God with those whom God has placed along your path!

 

 

DYING TO SELF: IN MEMORY OF WILL MINER

John was with two of his disciples when he saw Jesus pass by, and he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” When the disciples heard this, they followed Jesus. Turning around, Jesus asked, “What do you want?” They said, “Rabbi, where are you staying? He said, “Come and see.” (John 1:35-39) If you want to know more about me- if you want to experience my compassion and my power to heal and restore- if you want to know that you are forgiven and loved… come and see!

 

“Come and see” is a great slogan. “Do I have to sign anything? Or agree to something that’s written on your walls? “No, not at all. Just come and see!” Come and see how we feed the hungry and clothe the naked. Come and see how loving we are. Come and see! And if you are lead to know more… we will help you understand the Bible and grow spiritually. Oh, just come and see!

 

But being a Christian is not an academic pursuit or a fan club, and when we invite you to give Jesus a hand, we don’t mean applause! We mean in ministry, in work, with emotions, and in spite of our biases and fears. We will invite you to sing, even if it’s off-key, and deliver food to people who don’t seem to need or deserve it. Jesus noted that, in community and with Holy Spirit power, we will do greater things than He did. So, “come and see” will give way to “come and do.” Please come and do what God has called and equipped you to do- visit, pray, call, cook, serve, clean up, organize, support… and much more!

 

But we don’t do things just to be doing them, and we don’t do things to make others think more of us. We do things for Jesus… and we feed the hungry just because they’re hungry, and serve others without regard to race, gender, political leanings, their ability to repay us or help us in some way… and we serve them, empower them, and brighten their day with compassion and love. If we’re doing things for Jesus, we will do them without judgment and just because love demands. Thus, “come and do” becomes “come and do for Christ’s sake!” “Come and do without any thought of self” because doing things for Jesus will be our highest priority.

 

When Jesus calls a person, he bids him or her to come and die to themselves and live for Him! He is the Lord and we do His bidding. And so, “come and see” becomes “come and do” and then “come and die”… to self. And what is “dying to self”? Well… when pleasing God becomes our greatest joy and loving others in His name becomes our vocation, we are dying to self. When we’re not forgiven, shunned, and no longer count… but it is well with our soul, we are dying to self. When we see our brothers and sisters prosper, and honestly rejoice with them, while our own needs are far greater and unmet: we are dying to self. When we see others, first, as God’s creations, and then as our own brothers and sisters, who need to be loved and forgiven, and helped if need be… we are dying to self.

 

Over the years I’ve known many people who are struggling to “let go and let God,” and they fight against self-will everyday. I am grateful to have known them because they have given me hope… that I too will find peace and joy in surrender! They have shown me that there’s no need for scorecards in God’s kingdom, and they have reminded me that Christ has already set me free… to serve only Him.

 

I will conclude by mentioning elder Wilbur Miner, who lived his life to please God. He had a job and a great family, for sure, but his main goal was to “be Christ” to people in need, and to see “Christ” in all others. Will lived for Christ and he died with God on his mind.

His son, Dan, just told me that when Will was dying in hospice care, he reached the point where he was in considerable and relentless pain. And instead of wondering “why me?” or suggesting that he somehow had earned a better ending, he asked Dan to open his Bible and read the book of Job to him! He died soon after that… be he had already died to self!