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!

 

 

 

 

 

JOB AND THE ACCUSER

 

JOB AND THE ACCUSER

 

The book of Job is a difficult story. It’s easier (for me) to talk about than Jesus’ comments on marriage and divorce (Mark 10), but it’s still difficult because it cuts against the grain of the American dream, and also the “me first” theology that many people hold dear.

A long, long time ago, God was meeting with a number of His “lieutenants” when Satan walked in, The Hebrew word “ha-Satan” means “accuser” and it is one of the few Hebrew words that came to us intact. Satan was known as “The Accuser,” and he was on top of his game when he appeared. He had been “going to and fro” on the earth and God asked if he had paid attention to His servant, Job, who was a man who obeyed God’s law and gave generously to others.

God was pleased with Job, but Satan said that Job would turn on God if God took away all of his wealth, Job was a very wealthy man. The Bible says he had 7 sons, 3 daughters, 500 oxen, 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels… and many servants. Satan noted that It’s easy to praise God if you are on the top of the world. But God was sure that Job’s love ran deeper than that… so He took away Job’s family, servants, cattle, sheep, cattle and everything else! It was all gone… but Job remained steadfast. Well, the Accuser wouldn’t let it go! Job had not suffered enough personal pain, Satan noted, and he would surely turn on God if he did! Well, with a caveat not to kill Job, God gave Satan the “go-ahead” to prove his case. And  Job was attacked with sores from head to toe, and left with nothing… but a pile of ashes and three friends, who insisted that Job must have brought all of this on himself, by sinning!

It’s a challenging story- in part because God is involved in it, and in part, because it goes from riches to rags instead of from rags to riches. We believe that God will bless us if we’re faithful and reward us if we are “good.” And Job’s tale is our worst nightmare because a good person ends up losing everything! And so, what went wrong? Who’s to blame? Is it God, who according to Scripture, let: all of this happen just to show that Job’s faith was NOT based on circumstances? Is it Satan, who seemed to be “hell-bent” on challenging God from the outset? Is it Job himself, for reasons that we don’t know?

Well, the story doesn’t offer an easy answer. Bad things do happen to good people. Sad things do happen to believers. Faith cannot be based on what we want and what we have. In a time when many people expect God to meet their every need and wish, something is haunting about Job’s story. I’ve known of people who pray for a parking place as they’re driving around the parking lot. I’ve known people who pray for their teams to win, even though they know that their friends across the field are praying for the other team. Some people think that prayers aren’t answered… because the pray-er didn’t pray right,

But grace isn’t a permission slip or a reward of some kind. Other than the number of times we forgive other and the extent to which we love, care for, and invite those people who are “other,” or “different” than us, grace is hard to find here on earth. But it abounds in heaven. In fact, grace is the only hope we have! Do we work harder than our neighbors- maybe, maybe not- but we don’t work hard enough to get to heaven! We aren’t good enough to keep bad things from happening. Only God is! And recognizing this is what it means to have real faith and abiding love!

WHO'S THE GOAT?

 

WHO’S THE “GOAT?”

The greatest of all time

 

Who’s the goat- the greatest of all time- and how do we know? How do we even know what the term “great” means? The dictionary tells us that “great” often means very large in amount or degree. “The temptation was too large for Johnny. Her paintings cost a great deal.” “Great” may also mean something like “wonderful” of “fantastic,” like “it’s great to be home,” her meal was “great,” or pastor Ken does a “great” job of preaching.

 

Great means big, impressive, better than, and in some sense, more worthy of an honor or a position. It’s a competitive term. I see that Hank Aaron is the GOAT of the MLB, that Jerry Rice is the GOAT of the NFL, and that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the NBA’s GOAT. Thomas Edison is the GOAT inventor, but Steve Jobs and Nikola Tesla were close. When it comes to singing, who’s the GOAT? Or painting?

 

The GOAT is bigger than, better than, more memorable than, and more important than those who are not the GOAT. But what if we are measuring service, sacrifice, tears, love shown… instead of home runs and touchdowns? What if we’re talking about giving instead of getting, listening instead of talking? Who is the GOAT- the greatest of all-time at the United Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, IL.? I see the stained glass windows and the names that are identified, but I don’t know if one of them is our GOAT. Praise God for those who keep our beautiful old building in repair, for those who stock and distribute food, for those who visit and pray for others, for those few who work in our resale shop, and quilt, and prepare and deliver our holiday food baskets, and for those who show up and help us carry a tune! Thank God for the faithful, but who knows who are GOAT is, or if there can even be a GOAT in heaven?

The New Testament world was filled with slaves and free persons. A doulos was a slave. Slaves did a variety of jobs, but they were always owned and never free to choose for themselves. According to Matthew and Mark, you had to become a doulos to be first in the kingdom of heaven. You had to surrender entirely and “die to yourself,” as Bonhoeffer said. But to be “great” in the kingdom, you had to be a servant, a diakonos, a deacon. A diakonos was free to come and go, but he/she always worked in service of someone else! The ancient Greeks saw service as undignified, but in the kingdom of God, being a servant is great!  Paul was proud to call himself a servant of God.

This brings us to our passage: “Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, ‘What were you arguing about on the way?’ (Because they had been bickering on the way back home). And there was a awkward silence because they were embarrassed to say that they had been arguing about which one of them was the “greatest.” So he sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, ‘Whoever wants to be first must be last, and doulos of all.” In the kingdom of God everyone is a servant- kings, pastors, elders, deacons, teachers, healers, visitors, pray-ers, and everyone else!

And so, James, John and Peter… and Mary, Julie, Harold, Ken… and any other would-be GOATS in the kingdom of God, it turns out that God doesn’t see greatness in the same way we do… because being “great” is not about us! We can’t be great! A great servant is something of an oxymoron, but we can be faithful! We can be “of use” to our Lord by serving the least among us… as if they were Jesus himself. I’ve always liked 1 Cor. 13 because it reminds me that it is all about love… and unfortunately for those who want to be the GOAT, love doesn’t keep score! If I speak in tongues, Paul noted, but do not have love, I am only a clanging cymbal. ² If I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. ³ If I give all I possess to the poor, but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is not self-seeking! And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

If we love, forgive, empower, and love some more, and do it… until the cows come home, we may hear our master say, “Well done, good and faithful (servant) diakonos,” but if we do these things in hope of being the GOAT, we will be nothing! Amen!

 

 

 

 

 

WHO DO YOU SAY THAT HE IS?

 

There comes a time in any relationship when we have to get down to business and deal with what it really means. There comes a time when we need to state what our relationship is with someone we love. So, when they reached Caesarea Philippi (in the north of Israel), Jesus asked his disciples to tell him what people were saying about him. Well, (they may have replied) people say a lot of things. Some say that you are a teacher, some say that you are a physician, some say that you are a philosopher, some say that you are Mary’s boy, some say that you are a carpenter. People say a lot of things.

 

But then Jesus got to the crux of the matter and asked his disciples- "Who do you say I am?" Who do you say I am? Be careful when you answer because your answer will speak to your relationship with Jesus and in some sense, it will define who you are as we travel together. Of all of the Bible's profound questions, this is surely at the top of the list!  Who do you say I am? It's a life-changing question and Jesus asks me and you the same question today- who do you say I am? Well, Simon bar Jonah (the son of John) shouted it out, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!" Wow! What a marvelous answer. You, my friend and teacher... are the anointed one of God. You are the man who has come to set us free. You are the Son of the Living God! It was an awesome answer, and Jesus affirmed it, saying. "Blessed are you, Simon bar Jonah" for my Father in Heaven has revealed this to you. "And I tell you that you are Petros (Peter) and on this rock (petra) I will build my church…!"
     

Christ said that he would build his church on such faith, but from that time on Jesus began to talk about his suffering, death, and resurrection plainly. He began to tell his followers what it really meant to be a leader, but “Peter the Rock,” would have none of it! In a bold and inappropriate move, Peter took Jesus to the side and told him to quit talking about things suffering and dying. Peter was bold enough to re-define what it meant to be God's Messiah. In plain English, Peter told Jesus to "knock off" his talk about suffering and dying. He wanted Jesus to embrace an easier and softer way- a way without sacrifice- and Jesus had already heard this temptation in the wilderness. So he turned to Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan, because you are a stumbling block to me!” Get behind me, Rocky! Go back with the other followers... and fix your mind on the things of God!
     

Then Jesus said to all of them, "If anyone wishes to follow me, (s)he must deny himself and pick up his cross." We don't have to follow Jesus. We don't have to get involved, but if we choose to, we will need to be a follower! We will find our purpose and joy in life by going where Jesus leads us. We may encounter a leper on the edge of town, we may meet a widow who is burying her son, we may be asked to take a stand against injustice, we may find ourselves dining with the least among us. No one knows exactly where Christ will lead them, but we do know that if we sign-on for the journey, we must follow... with a cross on our back! Our cross is a cross of surrender, service, and love, that we pick up daily, because we cannot follow Christ on our own terms! No one can, of course, and the cross we carry is a daily reminder that we have chosen the road less traveled... AND a purpose-driven life that will store our treasure up in heaven.
     

Some people insist on a small god- a god whose greatest desire is to make them happy and comfortable. Some people want a God who is little more than a good friend. Some people want a God who asks nothing from them, but this is NOT the God of the Bible… or the God of the Cross! The journey to life begins see it clearly and shout out- you are the Christ and the Son of God! Amen!

 

WHO WOULD YOU LEAVE OUT?

 

When he finished debating the Pharisees about the necessity of hand-washing, he told those who were gathered around him… that the source of all sin is lodged in their hearts. Then he left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre, which was then in Phoenicia. Tyre, now in Lebanon, was an important costal city in its day, and although its citizens worshiped a god named Malku, they did have some contact with their Jewish neighbors.

 

One of them was a man named Jesus who quietly entered the town one day- to rest, and get away from the mobs who clamored for him to meet their needs and also the Pharisees, who were harassing him as he moved from town to town in Israel. Tyre was populated by “unclean” people and the entire region was “off-limits” to orthodox Jews… but for reasons of his own, Jesus went to Tyre, and entered a house there.

 

He wanted to a little rest, but his fame had already spread to Tyre. People there were aware of his work as a healer and as soon as Jesus arrived a Syrophonecian woman confronted him face-to-face. She was desperate because her “little girl” was “beside herself.” She was no longer in her “right mind,” and her family could see that she was in the hands of a destructive spirit. Things were getting worse and so, this unnamed woman traveled to Jesus… and begged him to heal her daughter.

 

She was respectful. She fell at Jesus’ feet and begged, but she was there… talking to a man, talking to Jewish man, and she seemed to be unaware that she was way out of her league. She seemed to believe that Jesus could and would heal her daughter, not withstanding the boundaries that governed the ways in which men and women, and Jews and Gentiles… were expected to interact. She seemed to believe that she was as entitled to a miracle as anyone else would be. So she begged Jesus to heal her daughter!

But Jesus demurred, saying that he had been sent to minister to the Jews. I’ve been sent to minister to the children of Israel and that’s where my focus and efforts must be. It wasn’t a matter of empathy, but a matter of priorities. “First let the children eat all they want,” he told her, “for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” Yes, the dogs because dogs were “unclean” and when they were free to speak, many Jews called Gentiles- “dogs.” Jesus’ answer was “no,” or at best, “not now,” but the woman held her ground.

 

She didn’t slink away without saying a word, and she didn’t suggest that she and her daughter should be at the table. She knew that they were not first in line… but she insisted that even the dogs under the table received crumbs of food. Everyone, even the dogs, ought to share in the bread of life. Even if they weren’t at the head table, they should receive God’s love, grace, and healing, even if its only in the form of crumbs. The woman didn’t quarrel with Jesus’ mission, or with the blessings the Jews were receiving… but she was sure that she counted too. Then Jesus told her, “For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.”

 

Faith is strongest when it finds its form in action, and this foreign woman embodied the very definition of faith, She came to Jesus, believing it seems, that she had a right to speak to him. She was asking for her daughter, not demanding, but begging. She knew that if Jesus responded, it would be a “gift of grace.” But out of desperation for her little girl, she asked humbly… and when Jesus demurred she held her ground and presented her case… which was not a matter of what we deserve or even who should be first. It’s simply believing that grace cannot be limited in any way and that God really does love… all the children of the world.

 

Jesus loves the little children/ All the children of the world/ Red and yellow, black and white, girls and boys, gay and straight, blessed and troubled, in all sizes and shapes, Hebrew, Presbyterian, and Lebanese… Jesus loves the little children of the world. Amen!

 

 

THE FIRST "COME TO JESUS" MOMENT

 

A “COME TO JESUS” MOMENT

 

In 1975, maybe it was ’76, I was driving under the influence of alcohol in St. Joseph, MO.. I drove by the same police officers at least twice at 3-5 miles per hour, and finally they pulled me over. I failed their sobriety test and they took me into custody, even though I kept telling them that a couple of small town Barney Fifes had no business arresting a man of my status. They were not impressed with my attitude and they locked me in a cell. Come morning, we all rode in a van to see a judge, and while we were getting into the van, the driver told me to sit up front with him. Looking at my suit, he told me that I didn’t have to sit with all of the drunks in back. He meant to be thoughtful, but I knew… that I was just a drunk in a suit! A drunk in a suit! It hit me hard. It got my attention and I knew that I was in deep trouble. So, for the first time, I came face-to-face with who I had become… and I prayed that somehow, in someway, God would clear my mind, forgive my sins, and lead me out of the abyss I was in!

 

For me it was a “come to Jesus moment,” and in recent years, I’ve heard the words- “come to Jesus”- more frequently than I like because the phrase seems a little flippant and a bit disrespectful to me. Yet, there are times when we need to confront the truth. There are moments when we need to get deep and lay our cards on the table. There are times when we need to assess where we stand and come to grips with what it means to be saved and “in Christ,” According to Webster, a “come to Jesus” moment is a moment of sudden realization, recognition, or comprehension- and it that’s the case, the 6^th chapter of John is an example of a “come to Jesus” moment!

 

People follow other people for a variety of reasons. The person they follow may have a talent that they can hardly live without, or wisdom that they can’t find anywhere else, or charisma that attracts followers everywhere around. People follow other people to “fit in,” and to be part of something that’s transforming. There are a lot of reasons for following someone, but in most cases people follow people… who give them what they’re looking for!

And this has always been the case. Long before any church council told us what to believe and do, the people of the land followed Jesus because he set them free from the demons who possessed them, because he healed them and reunited them with their families and their communities, because he listened to them and gave them hope. Jesus attracted people because they believed that he could (and would) meet their needs. But there comes a time when a mature Christian begins to see that being “in Christ” has nothing to do with getting whatever we want! Jesus will never turn us away, but He is NOT our vending machine or ATM! As we mature in our faith, we begin to see that “being saved” leads us into a life of service and sacrifice!

 

After he fed the 5,000, Jesus returned to Capernaum, and when the crowd found out that he was gone, they crossed the sea and confronted Jesus… and when Jesus saw them, he accused them of seeking him for nothing more than another free meal. Free meals won’t save you, he seemed to say. Work for the food that gives you eternal life, he told them, and they asked him what that they needed to do for eternal life. And Jesus answered, “believe in me!” Trust in me because I AM the bread of life! Whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst! The bread. The fish. Your gated community, the size of your bank accounts, the important titles that you may have, the important people whom you may know, and your considerable charm- if you trust in these you will die. But if you trust in me as your source of life, you will not be disappointed.

 

Next Sunday, we’ll see that the banter between the crowd and Jesus gets more intense because the people cannot understand and are offended by … Jesus’ insistence that salvation is not possible at all unless we “take in” the flesh and the blood that Jesus sacrificed at Golgotha. The body of Christ- take and eat! The blood of Christ- drink your fill! This was the message… and many of those who were following him… walked away, saying that his teaching was too hard and harsh. Many followers who would have gladly settled for another meal… walked away because Jesus was asking for more than they wanted to pay. Then Jesus turned to the twelve and asked, “Are you going to leave me too?”

 

It may have been the first “come to Jesus moment” in the sense that people are using the phrase now. The crowd crossed the sea to hear a good message, to be healed, and to receive another fish sandwich. But then the moment became deeper and more demanding. It was something beyond the joy of fellowship and even the thrill of being healed. It was a moment when they were asked to show their cards and reveal the extent to which they really believed.

 

It was direct and unmistakable- THE BODY OF CHRIST, TAKE AND EAT- THE CUP OF SALVATION, DRINK YOUR FILL-and serve, pray, give, and love until you hear the words you long to hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” Amen

THE GOOD LIFE

THE GOOD LIFE

 

O, for the good life! We all want the good life… but we don’t quite know how to get it, or even what it is. Is it a life of wealth? Will money bring happiness and, if so, how much money will it take and how long will it last? Plato noted that an “unexamined life” isn’t worth living, and Maslow said that becoming who we are is as good as life gets! A painter must paint. A singer must sing. Does the good life rest on family, or friends, laughter, good deeds, or the choices we make? The “night life,” the singer sang, “ain’t no good life”… but a life without song isn’t all that good either.

 

What is the “good life” made of? Well, there are almost as many suggestions as there are people. Stay curious, travel, trust yourself and others, take chances and accept risks, choose relationships over possessions, be disciplined, be present, quit people-pleasing, forgive yourself and others, keep family first, live generously, live gratefully? When the people of God reached the Jordan River, Joshua cried out, “Choose this day whom you will serve, the gods your fathers served, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Choose this moment… to get involved in something that will result in a lot of pain, or to be true to your God and to those who love you! Choose this moment to serve yourself… or to serve your community. Choose this moment to speak the truth in love… or to say what you think others want to hear. Choose this moment to thank God for your daily bread… or to let it go because you’re dining in public.

“Everything you are comes from your choices.” Jeff Bezos noted, and Anne Frank added, “Our lives are fashioned by our choices. First we make our choices. Then our choices make us.”

 

The “good life,” it seems, is not out there, somewhere, waiting to be found… but the product of the choices we make as we walk through life! We don’t have to surrender to God, but we can; we don’t have to love our neighbors as much as we love ourselves, but we can; we don’t have to invest in Bible Study, worship, and ministry, but we can. We don’t have to choose the path less traveled, but we can. We don’t have to forgive the one whom we need to forgive, but we can.

 

According to Proverbs, Solomon must have believed what many of the old folks believed in my youth- that the good life is built on obedient love and prudent decisions. The good life will be ours… if we honor God, obey our fathers, hang out with good kids, and stay far, far away from unruly women. The good life is measured more by the restraint we’ve shown and the good deeds we have done… than the fun we’ve had Honoring God is the foundation to a good life, but beware of unruly women and rowdy men! Invest in knowing the Lord and show that you know the Holy One by using accurate weights in the market. Don’t get drunk on your own wine.

Let me close with some of the ways in which Christ lived a good life here on earth:

1. His life was all about love! Love for God and love for our neighbors!

2. From beginning to end, His life was all about forgiveness! He came into the world to save our souls and died with the words, “Father, forgive them,” on his lips.

3. His life was filled with prayer! He prayed well into the night, he prayed very early in the morning, he prayed daily and thanked His Father for daily bread, he prayed at Gethsemane, and just before he died. He loved to talk with his Father!

4. His life was about invitation and acceptance. Jesus drew scandalous circles of grace because people of all sorts found hope, healing, comfort, and direction in his presence.

5. Jesus didn’t judge others and he had trouble with those who did

6. Jesus knew that people needed money to meet their needs… but he reminded us to lay our treasure up in heaven,

7. Jesus always spoke the truth in love!

 

Love. Without judgment. Know that you are accepted. And forgive… until people think that you’re crazy. Pray big prayers, little prayers, formal prayers, casual prayers, pray before meals and pray as you drive around. Love others as you find them and help them become all that they can become. Give until others call you a “fool,” and you will have the good life. Amen!