THE POWER OF TESTIMONY

 

There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to Christ, so that through him all might believe. Now when the priests and Levites asked him who he was. He confessed freely, "I am not the Messiah." They asked him, "Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" He answered, "No." Finally they asked, "What do you say about yourself?" John replied, "I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way for the Lord.’ The next day John saw Jesus and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world' Then John gave this testimony: "I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. And the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.' I testify that this is God's Chosen One."

No talk in John’s gospel about crowd sizes, although we know they were huge. No mention of John’s clothing or diet of locusts and wild honey, even though they are mentioned in the synoptic gospels. No mention of Zechariah and Elizabeth or the naming of John. Just the “foreverness” of Jesus and the witnessing of John, both of whom were living out the calling which they received from God!

Today, I want to lift up the power of testimony to what God has done in our own lives. Perhaps it’s because I left the world of business for the ministry, but people frequently ask me why I changed careers in the middle of the stream. And my answer is 1) pain- the pain I had given to others and the pain that I had inflicted on myself, 2) an deep emptiness in my soul that wouldn’t allow me to embrace… love, anger, regret, hope, joy, peace, envy, or anything else, 3) a faint but nagging thought that somehow, someday, in some way, I would be free to really “be,” and 4) the testimony of Pastor Luther Ratmeyer, whom I had never met before he told me that God loved me and that God would walk with me as I stumbled and walked to the place God had prepared for me. I’m convinced that I would be drunk or dead now if I hadn’t heard that the good news was news that included me.

And so, I tell my story to let others know this simple truth: Jesus loves them, personally, with all of their dreams and secrets, and that He has the power to give them hope, purpose, and a story to share with others! Indeed, even now, I see people who have witnessed to me… by the stories they’ve told, the questions they’ve asked, and the growth I’ve see them make. People here, and in Joliet, Kalamazoo, the Quad-Cities, and Peoria… have testified to others about Jesus in word and deed. They have visited people in need, they’ve given them rides to church and doctors and other places (thanks, Ruth), they’ve helped others repair things that need to be repaired (thanks Mike and Steve and Curtis), they’ve prayed for others, they’ve made room for others in their own worlds, they’ve fed and clothed others (thanks Sherry, C.L, Harold), and given God the glory.

I know the power of baptism. I’ve seen the tears that flow when adults come up from the water. But today, I want to applaud those who are witnessing to Christ Jesus in word and deed. There’s an old story about a family who was crying for help because they were stranded along the road. Well, a car filled with Christians saw them and pulled over to help. And when they heard their story, they offered a prayer and left a pamphlet. Shortly thereafter, another car of Christians pulled over to see if they could help. And when they heard what the others needed, they gave them rides to a place of comfort and safety, where others could meet their needs. The question is, which group of Christians witnessed to God’s presence? The group who prayed with them and gave them a pamphlet, or the group who helped… without ever mentioning why they were doing it?

People sometimes minimize what they call “the little things,” but what other things are there really? Baptizing is an act that generally takes some sort of credential or authorization, but it doesn’t take anything but love to tell others that God loves them, and won’t give up on them, and knows their name. It generally takes some sort of credential to teach a class in a university… but it doesn’t take much more than joy and opportunity to teach others that God is good. People are glad to tell others that they are fans of the Cubs, even if those they are talking with like the Cardinals, but it’s just as easy to be a fan of Jesus and tell others why. Many people have recommended a doctor or a dentist or a plumber they trusted, but it’s just as easy to recommend Christ to people who are hurting, or to tell them that that you have found something that makes life more joyful and more meaningful. May we thank God for those who have witnessed to us in word and deed!  Amen.

 

GOLDEN CALVES AND OTHER PRETENDERS

If I know who and whose I am- I mean really “know”- I will be far more likely to remain faithful… and far less likely to get “caught off-guard,” or to chase a shiny object as it rolls toward a sewer. For the longest time I didn’t know who or whose I was. In a word, I was “lost.” So I gave myself over to alcohol and spent years wandering in a desert. I had values of course, and sometimes I lived as if I did. I saw myself as a “good person” down deep, but I wasn’t sure what that meant. I wanted to be liked and I wanted to be “somebody.” So, I just drifted along, like a bobber, for the longest time.

I remember a cartoon that depicted a well-dressed man and woman kneeling before an altar that had a huge dollar sign on the throne… and one of them turned to the other and said, “I was happier when we were Presbyterian.” Indeed, but we are tempted to worship things that appeal to us and promise to make us somebody worth knowing. Some people fall in love with alcohol or other drugs, and can’t even fathom a good time without them; other people have the same intense passion for chocolate, or sex, or just pleasing others, but money seems to be God’s biggest competitor for worship. Follow the money, it is said, if you wonder what you are worshiping. In the 12 Step world (and I just had my 47^th Birthday), we ask ourselves questions like these: 1) who/what do I absolutely need in my life? 2) When I’m down and out, feeling depressed and defeated, who/what do I need for comfort and support? 3) Who/what do I need to give me courage and calm my nerves? 4) If I have something to celebrate, if I’m looking for a really good time, who/what do I need to be there? 5) And when someone asks, “who are you?” do you stumble for an answer, equivocate, or say, “I’m a child of God?”

To me, it’s surprising that a golden calf even crossed Aaron’s mind when the people became impatient. It’s sad enough that people who had experienced the wonder and power of God… would abandon God so quickly, but it is incredible that Aaron wanted to please the people more than he wanted to please God. Aaron knew better. Surely he knew better, but when the people cried for a god who would lead them to the promised land, Aaron fashioned a golden calf out of their jewelry. Instead of rising in defense of a God who had already shown his compassion and his power, Aaron invited the people to bring him their jewelry and after he had fashioned a golden calf, Aaron proclaimed “this golden calf is your god.” You can trust in him. Let us celebrate the golden calf, and they did because people are inclined to worship tangible symbols of things that are too big for them!

The golden calf seems ridiculous, but our own world is filled with golden calves isn’t it? Ask yourself these questions: 1) whom or what do I love so deeply that I can’t imagine living without? 2) What thing or things would I never do, not even to save my life? 3) What sins, if any, are out of the question for me- impossible under any condition? 4) Who is your God? 5) Who do you trust with your fears, your doubts, and your identity, today and forever? 6) Or are you clinging to a golden lamb, for as long as you can? 6) Are you a God-pleaser, or a people-pleaser? 7) In whom will you finally rest? 8) what is my work while I am here on earth? These are good questions and they cannot be answered if we don’t know the difference between Almighty God and a golden calf!  Amen!

 

 

 

 

 

RUN, JONAH, RUN

 

I love the little book of Jonah! It makes it clear that God’s grace is too much for us and it makes it clear that God always “gets the man or woman He calls.”

 

In Jonah's day, the world was tough and ruthless, but Assyria was as bad as it got. In 722 BC Assyria decimated the northern kingdom of Israel and then besieged Jerusalem 20 years later. The Assyrians demanded “protection” money, or else. from many vassal states and if they didn’t get what they wanted, they ravaged, tortured, and humiliated the people of the land. The Assyrians were feared throughout the known world, and Nineveh was its capital city. Thus, when God called Jonah to go to Nineveh and give its people the chance to repent, Jonah could hardly believe his ears! Giving the people of Nineveh a chance to be forgiven was absurd,,, and Jonah would not do it. No, he wouldn't do it.

 

So, instead of going to Nineveh, he boarded the first ship to anywhere, to get as far away from God as he could possibly get. But God is always aware. Jonah should’ve known that. He couldn't run from God. None of us can, and Jonah discovered that for himself, when he encountered a life-threatening storm at sea. Running from God is surely a mistake, and in Jonah's case it would've been fatal... if God hadn't sent a big fish to gobble him up... and spit him out... right back where he had been in the first place.

 

Hey Jonah, God called again, how about going to Nineveh and giving them a chance to repent? Well, Jonah was obedient this time, and he soon found himself walking up and down the streets of Nineveh, calling both the "great and the small" to repent and turn to Yahweh. And they did! They repented. They all repented... and Jonah was outraged! He couldn't accept the fact that these hated people would be forgiven. So he threw another fit and pouted, and waited to see what would happen. God told Jonah that He (God) had to be concerned about the 120,000 people who lived in Nineveh... because they didn't know "their right hand from their left," which reminds me of Jesus’ prayer, “Father forgive them because they don’t know what they are doing.” They didn't have a clue... and God has a special place in his heart for the confused and lost.
     

Thus, we encounter a God who is more forgiving than we are... which is hardly surprising because we are afraid of grace. We are afraid that others will take advantage of us and we don’t know who deserves grace and who doesn’t. We may give ourselves the benefit of the doubt, but we are prone to be unforgiving of others. Unmerited grace (and all grace is unmerited) embarrasses us. We protest when it's offered to us and we resent it when it's offered to others. To most of us, grace seems unfair, and even though it is not Biblical, we insist on believing that God helps those who help themselves! We talk about grace,  but we expect others to earn the love they get (and we suspect that this is also true for us).!   
     

Someone once told me that the book of Jonah was written as a humorous account of what God may ask us to do…  but grace is not a joke... and our unwillingness to give it to others is not funny! Expecting God to forgive our deepest sins... while holding our neighbor's slightest misstep against him or her... is not a laughing matter. Friends, let us accept the fact that we are forgiven and forgive others to the point where it seems silly! Pray that God will show us how to give grace and show us how to become a more forgiving people. May we come to see that none of us “deserves” grace... and that no one has ever “earned” it!