SIN WILL ALWAYS COST YOU MORE THAN YOU WANTED TO PAY

   It was in the spring of the year... when kings led their armies to war, and David had always done that because he was a self-confident and brave man... but in the spring of this particular year, he stayed home. I don't know why he stayed home, but I do know that he saw a woman bathing from his rooftop. He could see her easily because his rooftop was well above her and, for all we know, he may have watched her bathe before. He might have turned away when he saw her, but instead he took in her beauty and decided to have her for himself. So, he sent men over to get her and before the night was over, the two of them- the King and the wife of another man- had sex. It was an ugly tryst, all the way around, and the entire thing was filled with abuse and dishonor. It was a sinful night, but it may have ended there... except that David's lover became pregnant.
      David's sin would now be uncovered. What he had done at night would now be revealed in the light of day... and David could've confessed to his sin right then. He could've paid whatever the fiddler was charging and went about his life... but instead, he came up with a plan to cover his sin up. He sent for the woman's husband, Uriah, and when the loyal warrior reported to him, David couldn't praise him enough. You're my kind of man, he said, and you need a little TLC... so get over to your home and "get reacquainted with your wife." David knew that Uriah would always consider Bathsheba's child to be his too... if he had sex with her, but Uriah would not allow himself to enjoy such pleasure, not when his fellow soldiers were engaged in battle. Uriah would not violate his code of honor, not even when David got him drunk the next evening... so David to solve his dilemma by sinning all the more. He sent a note to his military commander, Joab, telling him to leave Uriah on the front line during their next encounter with the enemy, and Joab did just that. Uriah died that day, in the line of duty... and David was home free,
      No one, he was sure, would ever know about his sin against Bathsheba (and Uriah)... but he was wrong... because God knew all about it. God knew what David had done. God knew that David had sinned against Him... by violating the Image of God in others... and by using others as if they were just things to play with. God knew that David had sinned and he knew that sin has a heavy price... so he sent his prophet, Nathan, to confront David. Nathan showed up at David's door and he told the great King a story: There was a rich and powerful man, he said, who had a huge flock of sheep. And one day, the rich man had to provide a meal for an important guest. He had to cook a lamb for his guest... but he didn't want to use one of his own lambs. So, he seized his poor neighbor's only lamb... and fed it to his visitor instead. That was the story, and Nathan asked, "What do you think of that?" "Why, it's outrageous," David cried, "any man who would do that should be put to death." The King was outraged by the rich man's arrogance and insensitivity. Then Nathan delivered the punchline- "You are that man!" You are the one who took what was not yours. You are the one who violated your neighbor, and you are the man who sinned against both neighbor and God. You are that man, Nathan spoke for God, and this child of yours will die. Indeed, because of your sin, a scarlet thread will plague your family from this day on because the wages of sin is death!
     Isn't that the way it goes? A sin gives way to a bigger sin, which is covered up by another sin, and soon sin becomes a way of life, and before you know it, sin runs (and ruins) your life! Here is a spiritual axiom: sin will always keep you longer than you intended to stay, and it will always cost you more than you intended to pay! It will never let you go without a fight and it will never tire of enticing you with idle promises, half-truths, and outright lies. David was in the wrong place, at least, he lingered in the wrong place. He saw what he should not have seen and he took it all in. He opened the wrong door, knowing that nothing good could come from it... because he was blinded by self-will. He made the wrong decision and he stuck to it even after he learned that the woman was another man's wife. That was bad enough. It was unsavory and despicable on its own, but he compounded his sin by entrapping her husband and arranging for his death,
      Wrong place, wrong couple, wrong agenda, manipulation, abuse of power, violation of trust. A night of conquest and abuse of power... leading to progressively deeper sins and increasingly higher costs. That's the way it goes. Sin works that way. It never lets go and never has had enough. Sin will always weaken your relationship with God and with those who trust in you. It will short-circuit your prayer life and steal your joy. Stay a way from it. Flee while you can. But if you should get caught up in its web, remember this: God loves a contrite heart! David was forgiven (read Ps. 51), not because he was right or because he had a good reason, but simply because he surrendered his sin to God. I was forgiven too, and so were millions of others through the ages. Indeed, any person who trusts in God will be a new creation. This is the truth of it, but beware: sin is nothing to play with and many of those who have tried to play with it... have never found their way back to God.

WAS THOMAS JEFFERSON A CHRISTIAN?

      In 1803, Thomas Jefferson took a sharp instrument... and dissected the four Gospels into sections that he would discard and those that he would keep. The discarded sections included references to Jesus' divinity and Jesus' miracles. The sections he kept represented the breadth of Jesus' ethical teaching, which Jefferson considered superior to all others. Thomas Jefferson thought that stories of Jesus' divinity and accounts of his miracles were fabricated by those who wrote them... and that they obscured Jesus' true greatness, which was rooted in his teaching. Therefore, he cut and pasted a book that captured the real Jesus... and this book is available today as "The Jefferson Bible." This "Bible" has 69 "chapters," beginning with a Biblical account of Joseph and Mary- minus the shepherds and the magi- going to Bethlehem in response to Augustus' decree and Mary giving birth there. The story about Jesus being presented in the temple is included, as is the account of John's baptizing in the Jordan, including his baptism of Jesus. There is no account of Jesus' temptation in the wilderness... but there are brief accounts of preaching in the synagogue and calling his disciples. The largest chapter in Jefferson's Bible, by far, is #11, where Jefferson condenses the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) into 117 brief verses.
      The rest of Jefferson's book includes 1) parables... like the Fig Tree that was't bearing fruit, the Sower, New Wine in Old Bottles, the Woman Taken in Adultery, the Good Samaritan, the Lost Sheep and the Prodigal Son, Lazarus (the Beggar), and the Laborers in the Vineyard; 2) precepts... on not worrying, being prepared, hypocrisy, the importance of letting our light shine, and the necessity of weighing the costs of discipleship; and 3) Biblical accounts of the Holy Week (including Judas' betrayal, Jesus' trials before Caiaphas and Pilate, and his Jesus' crucifixion, death, and burial). Jefferson's Bible ends in this way: "And after this (the crucifixion), Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him leave. And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight. Then took they the body of Jesus and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury. Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein never man yet laid. There laid they Jesus and rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed."
      That's it. Jefferson's account of Christ is complete with those words, and to be fair, his account includes many, many Biblical truths. If you only read Jefferson's Bible and no other, you would still know that Jesus was born of Mary and baptized by John, and that he taught at length about our need to love one another and to give up our sins. If you only read Jefferson's Bible, you would be fully aware that Jesus disliked hypocrisy and that he had a special place in his heart for those who were widowed, poor, lost, and even prodigals. If you read nothing about Jesus except for Jefferson's account, you would still know that Jesus called people to live as if they believed in him and to trust in God! You would know these things and more because Jefferson thought that Jesus' thoughts on life were superior to all others! You would know Jesus as a 1st century philosopher who had bold views... but based on what Jefferson included in his book, you would NOT KNOW THAT...
1. Both Mary and Joseph were comforted by an angel of God and Joseph was assured that Mary's baby was conceived by the Holy Spirit;
2. The Good News of Jesus' birth was announced first to lowly shepherds and that astrologers from Iran worshiped him as Israel's King;
3. Jesus healed many, many people and calmed the sea;
4. God spoke and affirmed His love for Jesus at Jesus' baptism;
5. Palm Sunday ever happened;
6. Jesus' 7 Last "Words;"
7. Jesus raised Jairus' daughter, a widow's son, and Lazarus from the dead;
8. John identified signs (like Jesus turning water into wine) that pointed to his identity as God's Son;
9. John's gospel tells us that Jesus made several I AM statements (I am the Bread of Life, the Good Shepherd, the Truth and the Way);
      In short, if you were only aware of Jefferson's Jesus, you would be left with a good man... who was an excellent teacher and also an inspiring philosopher. But C.S. Lewis warns us that we are not allowed to settle for this Jesus, noting that Jesus was either the Son of God... or a fraud; that he was either calling others to salvation, or that he was terribly disillusioned. Lewis agreed with the apostle Paul in believing that we are all wasting our time... if Jesus was not crucified and risen. Jefferson, however, firmly believed that he was a Christian "in the only sense that Jesus ever wished anyone to be a Christian." In Jefferson's view, Jesus called others to "follow him" as they lived out their lives... and to show their love for him by obeying his words. Believing what others wrote about him after he died ... had little to do with being a Christian in Jefferson's view. He thought that stories concerning Jesus' identity obscured his simple, but powerful, message, and that the stories involving miracles turned educated people away from Jesus altogether. Thus, he ignored many Biblical passages and condemned many of the church's doctrines and historical acts, choosing instead to embrace Jesus' teaching (by word and deed) as his North Star... because they withstood the test of reason.
      When Sherry and I lived in Omaha, we joined a large mainline church that was both active and growing. We loved its energy and the pastor's positivity, but as time passed, Sherry became convinced that our pastor did not believe that Jesus was the Son of God. That bothered both of us, so we invited him to visit us at our home, and he did. During his visit we asked him directly if he believed that Jesus was/is the Son of God... and he said, "No, I don't believe that, but I do believe that Jesus was a good man, a great teacher, and a wonderful example for all of us. If we loved one another as Jesus wants us to, and if we make it our business to give the least among us as helping hand... our world would be a much better place. That's what I believe and I think that it's very empowering." Here was a man who was an ordained pastor and he considered himself to be a Christian example and a Christian leader, even though he would've edited the Bible much like Jefferson did... if he had taken on the challenge. And he is not alone! What do you think? Is being a Christian a matter of believing... or a matter of obeying? Well, let's get back to Jefferson and consider the things he did and said- other than his "Bible"- before we decide if he was a Christian or not.

Arguments in Favor of Jefferson Being a Christian

1. He was a member in the Church of England, which was the favored church in the Commonwealth of Virginia until the Revolutionary War broke out;

2. He attended church regularly throughout his life and often made generous donations;

3. As President, he urged local governments to provide land for churches and he provided Federal funds for Christian missionaries working with the Indians;

4. When he was working on Virginia's Religious Freedom act, he urged citizens to pray that the Holy Spirit would be poured out on all ministers of the Gospel;

5. He closed Presidential documents with the words, "In the year of our Lord Christ;"

6. He said that he was a Christian, stating in a letter to Benjamin Rush (dated 4/21/1803), he noted, "To the corruptions of Christianity, I am indeed opposed; but not to the genuine precepts of Jesus himself. I am a Christian in the only sense in which he would have wished any one to be; sincerely attached to his doctrines, in preference to all others; ascribing to himself every human excellence, and believing he never claimed any other."

Arguments Against Jefferson Being a Christian

1. He thought that many passages in the Bible were filled with "untruths and charlatanism;"

2. He called the apostle Paul... "the first corrupter of Jesus;"

3. He believed that religious organizations and denominations, especially the Catholic Church, had deliberately masked Christ's simple teaching with "superstitions" so that they could enrich themselves and hold their uneducated believers down;

4. He also despised the Congregational Church of his day, or at least the Calvinistic principles that permeated its churches. He was especially critical of Calvin's T.U.L.I.P doctrine, which he called "demonic." For those who care about such things, TULIP is an acronym for Total Depravity (we are inherently and totally sinful), Unconditional Election (nothing we do affects God's decision to save us or not), Limited Atonement (which means that Christ died only for the chosen and not for everyone), Irresistible Grace (if offered, God's grace cannot be resisted), and Perseverance of the Saints (which means that once saved, we are always saved);

5. Jefferson was not a fan of religious hierarchy or the clergy. He questioned their motives and held them at arm's length, and he also (see Jefferson's Bible) questioned the integrity of sizable sections of the Bible;

6. Not only did he cut miracles and references to Christ's divinity out of his "Bible," but also he stood in direct opposition to Paul, who preached Christ risen and crucified, and to John, who believed that Jesus was God Incarnate and that Jesus' miracles were at the very heart of His identity and purpose.

      Let's be clear about it: Thomas Jefferson was NOT an orthodox Christian and I suspect that he would have been offended if he had been called one! A person who questions many significant tenets of orthodoxy can hardly be orthodox. He was NOT a good candidate for a hierarchal church and he was most definitely NOT a Presbyterian, at least not when Calvinism held sway. But that does NOT mean that he wasn't "a Christian"... or does it? YOU DECIDE- was our 3rd President, Thomas Jefferson, a Christian or not?

YES... OR... NO

WAS JOHN ADAMS A CHRISTIAN?

      John Adams, our 2nd President, was a son of the Massachusetts Bay. His 3x great-grandfather, Henry Adams, arrived in America in 1632, on the ship, Griffin, with the Rev. Thomas Hooker. Henry was a Puritan... and the Puritans founded the Congregational churches that dominated New England throughout the colonial period. As the name "Puritan" implies, the Puritans sought to "purify" the (Anglican) Church of New England... from the toxic influence of its religious hierarchy, corrupt leaders, and government influence. They wanted to worship God in a simple way- on their own terms- unfettered by Bishops and ornate trappings. Henry worshiped a demanding and wrathful God who loathed "lukewarmnesse" (in Hooker's word). For the Puritans, church membership and citizenship were intertwined and obedience to God's word/state law was vigorously enforced.
      Puritans were not given to compromise or discord because they saw things in "black/white." There were no gray areas in what members believed, nor in their views of proper conduct. There were good things and bad things, proper things and improper things, godly things and demonic things. This is how they saw the world; this is how they judged themselves and one another, and Henry Adams was one of them. So was his son, and his son's son, and his son's son's son... who reared little John Adams in a strict Congregational church, where worship was mandatory twice on Sundays and on Wednesday nights. As it turned out, this is the same worship pattern that we had at the Reformed Church in America church that Sherry and I joined back in the 1970's... and I can attest to the commitment that this sort of a church schedule demands. When the church is your family's life and the Bible is nearly your exclusive source of teaching, your church community becomes your family... and you cling to God's word all the more tightly... as the truth.
      John Adams grew up in this environment and there is no doubt that John Adams was raised as a Congregationalist! However, when he went off to Harvard and began to establish his law career in Boston, he came into contact with educated men (and women) who saw things differently and who were more tolerant of differences between people. Adams would not have struggled against their influence because he adored both education and reason, and in fact, as his world expanded, he was all the more encouraged to turn away from the intolerant God of his youth and to question those aspects of his faith that he did not understand, He never questioned the Puritan work ethic that he inherited, nor his church's commitment to frugality and self-control... but he did begin to question the notion that people were "predestined" to heaven and hell, noting that "every man has in Politicks and religion a right to think, and speak, and act for himself." And he also began to question the "mystery" of the Trinity, which (he suggested) was simply a way of hiding the fact that the doctrine did not make sense. Adams could not accept the theological premise that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost were One God. It didn't pass his love affair with Reason and in this regard, he had the full support of his wife Abigail... who stated that "The Father alone is the true Sovereign God," adding, "There is not any reasoning which can convince me, contrary to my senses, that three is one, and one three." Finally, as a Calvinist myself, I should point out that Adams rejected Calvin's T.U.L.I.P. (Total Depravity, Unmerited Grace, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, and Perseverance of the Saints), believing instead that there is good in all of us and that God's grace is available to all (and not just to the elect).
      Over time, Adams became enamored with ministers who gave sermons that were "sweetness and light," and who accentuated peoples' ability to "do good." Thus, his dislike for the harsh religion of his fathers... and his inability to embrace Christ as God... led John Adams to become a Unitarian. In some ways, whether Adam's was a Christian or not... boils down to this: are (or were) Unitarians... Christians? ... remembering that Adams was certainly not a Deist... and that Unitarians were under the general umbrella of Christianity in Adams' world.
      Adams was fond of Christ's teachings and he embraced many tenets of his faith, but... as if he was part of the ancient 4th century argument regarding Jesus' divinity, Adams could not accept a Trinitarian God... and as if he was caught up in the ancient theological debate between Pelagius and Augustine, Adams could not embrace the idea that humans are born sinful. He rejected the orthodox views that the winners of both of these ancients arguments promulgated and he became a Unitarian. It is tempting for some of us to weigh in with our opinions at the point. I am sure of that, but before we do let us recap the "evidence" in both directions and take a brief look at a few of John Adams' quotes and oberservations.

Arguments in Favor of Adams Being a Christian

1.  He was not a deist, and described himself as a "churchgoing animal";

2.  He purchased a pew at the Brattle Street Church (whose biggest donor was John Hancock);
3.  Notwithstanding his views on Christ's "oneness" with God, the record showed that Adams held Christ in the highest regard. For instance, on 4/18/1775, when a British soldier ordered Adams and others to disperse in the name of the King of England, Adams replied, "We have no Sovereign but God and no King but Jesus;"
4.  On 3/6/1789, Adams called for a day of fasting and prayer in which we could "call to mind our numerous offenses against the Most High God, confess them before Him with the sincerest penitence, imploring his pardoning mercy, through the Great Mediator and Redeemer, for our past transgression, and that through the peace of the Holy Spirit, we may be disposed to yield more suitable obedience." In my view, these words are more "Christian, even orthodox," than the ones Washington used on a similar occasion.

Arguments Against Adams Being a Christian

1.  He was highly skeptical of church polity and church authority;

2.  He rejected core tenets of Orthodox faith;

3.  He joined the Unitarian Church.
4.  In one of his quotes we find these words, "The question before the human race is, whether the God of nature shall govern the world by his own laws... or whether priests and kings shall rule it by fictitious miracles."

      Quotes and Comments

1. In a letter to Jefferson dated 6/28/1813, Adams wrote, "The general principles on which our fathers achieved Independence were the only principles in which that beautiful assembly of young gentlemen could unite (and they were) the general principles of Christianity." 

2. On 12/25/1813, in another letter to Jefferson, Adams wrote, "I have examined all religions, as well as my narrow sphere and my busy life would allow, and the result is that the Bible is the best book in the world."

3. In a diary entry dated 2/22/1756, Adams wondered, "Suppose a nation in some distant region should take the Bible for their only law book, and every member should regulate his conduct (in keeping with the Bible). Every member would be obliged in conscience... to temperance, frugality, and industry; to justice, kindness, and charity towards his fellowmen, and to piety, love, and reverence toward Almighty God. What a Paradise would this region be!"

4. In a letter to his son, dated 6/16/1816, Adams affirmed his tolerance in matters of faith, stating, "Government has no right to hurt a hair on the head of an Atheist for his opinions."
5. In a letter to his friend, John Taylor, Adams noted his distrust and contempt for religious hierarchal structures, noting, "(if) we read all accounts we have of Chaldeans, Persians, Greek, Romans... we shall find that priests had all knowledge and really governed mankind. Examine Mahometanism, trace Christianity from its first promulgation (and you will see that) knowledge has almost exclusively been confined to the clergy, and even since the Reformation, when and where has existed a Protestant or dissenting sect who would tolerate free inquiry?"
6. In a letter to Jefferson, dated 5/19/1821, Adams expressed the anti-Catholicism that was shared by many of their peers, when he asked the question: "Can a free government possibly exist with the Roman Catholic religion?' (Residual ashes of this viewpoint were still visible in the Kennedy-Nixon campaign of 1960)
7. Along with the rest of our early Presidents, Adams believed that religion was essential to a civilized and orderly society. He also agreed that Christianity was a philosophy or peace, acceptance, and understanding. Thus, in a letter to Judge VanderKamp, dated 12/24/1816, he expressed a point of view that he shared with others from time to time, asking "How has it happened that millions of fables, tales, and legends have blended with both Jewish and Christian revelation... that made them the most bloody religion that ever existed?"
8, "Negro slavery is an evil of Colossal magnitude"
9. "This is my religion... joy and exaltation in my existence... so go ahead and snarl... you Calvinist divines and all who say I am no Christian. I say you are not a Christian!" And finally, in his own words...
10 "Conclude not from all of this that I have renounced my Christian religion... far from it. I see in every page something to recommend Christianity in its purity and something to discredit its corruptions... the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount contain my religion."

      Well, you have heard and considered the evidence. Was John Adams, our 2nd President, a Christian or not?

YES... OR... NO

CHERISH YOUR DEFINING MOMENTS

      Each of our lives is filled with Kronos time and Kairos time. Kronos time, as in chronology, is the sort of time that we count. It is ordinary time, like going to the grocery store week after week, or doing laundry, or watching TV. It comes and goes, but it rarely touches or transforms our lives. But there is also Kairos time, which defies our efforts to measure it, because it’s too deep, too sacred… to be counted, or measured, or put into any sort of a box.  It is bigger, much bigger, than the moment itself and, as often as not, it shapes us in permanent ways... so that we are never the same person again. In the sea of a million moments, a handful of them "define" us because they help us- sometimes force us- to come to grips with who we really are; they transform us, and they set us on a course that changes our entire lives.

      I remember, like it was yesterday, sitting in Sherry’s one-room apartment, across from what was then Veteran’s Auditorium, in Des Moines, IA., listening to the music of Rod McKuen, as her window fan churned the hot, summer air. It was a modest place, to put it kindly, but it was heaven to me. It gave me peace and a sense of contentment that I hadn't known before… and it set me and Sherry on a course that will culminate in our 50^th anniversary soon. I remember, too, the overwhelming sense of emptiness that overcame me just before I entered the treatment center… and the weight that was lifted when I said the “Sinner’s Prayer” with Pastor Lu. It was a sacred time- and defined me not only as a friend of Bill’s, but as a forgiven and saved disciple of Christ Jesus. Sherry’s diagnosis of cancer was yet another defining moment… that turned our world upside-down… and forced to live in the now… because there’s no point in buying a 50-year roof… when you have 5 years to live.

      There have been other defining moments, of course, the birth of our daughters, our granddaughters, our grandson, and our great-grandson… and the ups and downs of their lives, some of which were transforming in their own way. Life is filled with unexpected drops of joy, unforeseen challenges, and any number of little deaths… in which we lose some part of ourselves and our identities. My two younger brothers are gone now, mom and dad are too… and there’s a sadness that goes with being the last one standing. But their dying was a sacred moment nonetheless! Within the myriad of Kronos moments, we all have a handful of defining moments force us to come to grips with who we are and where we’re going, Many of these are moments when God has broken into our lives in ways that get our attention, reassure us, challenge us, and give us the opportunity to be more than we ever thought possible.
      It's always been so. God is always involved in our lives, and when he chooses, he speaks and acts... if we have eyes that see and ears that hear. Most of Jesus’ moments were Kronos moments. Most of us life was filled with everyday stuff. When he was a kid, he played with the other kids, and when he was an adult, he spent a great deal of time coming and going, sleeping, and sharing stories with his friends... about the people they saw and the things they did on any given day. If you sometimes think that your life is filled with routine, you're in good company... but our Lord's life also had many Defining moments! His baptism comes to mind- the beginning of his ministry, and his Father’s affirmation of love. His time in the wilderness comes to mind, a time in which he was tested in ways common to all of us… and discovered that he had the faith to put the word of God first. His encounter with the Syrophonecian woman comes to mind, where she seemed to persuad him that even the dogs ought to get a few crumbs. Gethsemane comes to mind because it was a moment that called for complete and utter surrender to His Father’s will.

      Jesus had other Defining moments, for sure, and so did Moses, who is the subject of Pastor Sarah's current preaching series. If he hadn’t been placed in a little basket, he would’ve drowned or starved as an infant; if he hadn’t killed the abusive Egyptian, he wouldn’t have come to grips with his own identity; if he hadn’t stopped at the very well that he stopped at in Midian, he wouldn’t found his wife nor his calling as a Shepherd… and he wouldn’t have seen God’s burning bush. Responding to God’s voice when he heard it was a defining moment for Moses- as it is for any of us- because it  opened up a dialogue… and even though Moses made a number of excuses, his conversation with God led to a calling that would free a people and change the world. When he told his father-in-law that he was leaving and took his first step toward Egypt, Moses experienced a defining moment because the first step is always the most difficult! Moses’ life was lived mostly in Kronos time, but it was defined by Kairos time… because it was in those moments that he heard God’s voice and/or discovered the way in which he had to go. 
      Moses’ life was changed when his father-in-law told him to delegate decisions to others... and the ending of his life was defined when God told him that he was not destined to cross the Jordan. Moses had many defining moments, but what God wants us to know today is this: so do we- so do you! What are the moments that have defined you? When has God spoken to you? Through whom? With what sort of message? What moments in your life have defined your journey and who you are as a person and as a Christian? How does God speak to you most clearly- in the thoughts of your mind, through you conscience, through your pain and your tears, through the people he has placed in your life? And is He still speaking to you? Is He still opening and closing doors? Is he speaking to you from a mountain top, or is He pushing you into a wilderness of some kind, or is He calling you to do something you don’t want to do? And let me broaden the word "you" to include our church... because I believe that, within the ordinariness of our ordinary days, God is speaking to us in ways that will define us for ever.  It is my hope that you will hear God calling- that you will hear Him calling and say “Here I am”- that you'll say “Here I am” and go…in trust and confidence,., believing that God will see you through! Amen.

WAS GEORGE WASHINGTON A CHRISTIAN?

      Like Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe, George Washington was a member of the Church of England, which became the Anglican church. They were all members of the same church because the  Church of England was the state church in Virginia. Residents of the Commonwealth were required to support the church with their tax dollars, and no one was allowed to serve on the state legislature unless he was a member of the state-approved church. Four of our first five Presidents joined the Anglican church because they had to... but they probably would've joined it anyway because it appealed to the landed gentry. It was stately and proper. The liturgies were formal, many members had designated pews (some of which were boxed and even decorated); music was provided by an organ, interiors of the churches were ornate, worship services were orderly, and the preachers wore clerical garb. Like the mainline churches in our time, Washington’s church was much more comfortable with "order" than it was with "ardor"… and no one raised their hands in praise or shouted “amen” on their own volition. By and large, Anglicans stressed “doing” over feelings, and they were not impressed with stories of inward transformation and conversion.

      The Anglican church was reserved. It was intellectual. It was based on reason and its members shared a suspicion of emotional religious outbursts. All of these things were fine for a distinguished man like George Washington... who was always concerned about the impression he made on other and the way he conducted himself in public. Indeed, as a teen, he either wrote and copied 110 Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior that he used as a guide throughout his life. His rules included 1) Every action in public ought to have some sign of respect to those present; 2) In the presence of others… don’t sing to yourself with a humming noise, nor drum with your fingers or your feet; 3) When you are in company, do not put your hands on any part of your body, not usually discovered; 4) Don’t shift yourself in the sight of others, nor gnaw your nails; 5) Don’t laugh to loudly or too much in public; 6) Avoid superfluous compliments, but where do, they should not be neglected; 7) Speak no evil of the absent... for it is unjust; 8) When you speak of God, let it be in serious reverence. Well, you can read the others on your own if you like. My point is simply that Washington would not have talked about the personal nature of his faith or made it his business to evangelize others.

      There is still an ongoing debate about whether America was founded as a Christian nation or not, and whether our Presidents were really Christians or not. Uncovering the truth of some of this is the purpose of this class… BUT it is fair, at the outset, to say that when we decide whether a certain person is a Christian or not… our opinion is heavily influenced by our own view of what it means to be “a Christian.” Is a Christian a person who lives in a Christian nation? Is he or she a person who belongs to a Christian church? Someone who attends a Christian church, if only on Christmas and Easter? Is a Christian a man or a woman who has confessed Christ with his or her tongue? Is it someone who has experienced a personal conversion experience… and speaks in tongues? Is a Christian someone, who like Francis of Assisi, actually gives all of his worldly possessions away and takes a vow of poverty? If we are too "judge" others, which the Bible warns against in the first place, we should at least take our own biases into account. For instance, when I was a pastor in Michigan, only one of our members passed away and she was a beautiful woman named Bonnie Bennett. Bonnie had been a longtime member of the Presbyterian Church and she loved the Lord… in a quiet but unequivocal way. She knew whose she was and she knew where she was going. There is no doubt in my mind. But one night I received a phone call from a friend of hers who had moved to Texas… and she wanted me to go over to Bonnie’s house… and lead her in the Sinner’s Prayer so that Bonnie would be saved! I told her that I had no doubt that Bonnie was safely in God’s hands… but she was persistent. Bonnier could not be saved because she had not a conversion experience… and she could not be a real Christian because she was a Presbyterian! 
      What do you think? How many tenets of our faith can you NOT believe and still be a Christian? What if I doubt the story about Moses floating in a little basket down the river… or the fact that Mother Mary was a virgin… or that Jesus Christ was bodily resurrected from the dead? What if I just can’t bring myself to accept the Doctrine of the Trinity… or that I am saved solely by Grace? Can I reject these things and still be a Christian... or is being a Christian just a matter of putting Christ's philosophy above all others? Keep your own views and biases in mind as we consider the faith of our Presidents, beginning with George Washington. For the purposes of this class, I will present evidence in favor of Washington being a Christian and evidence arguing against that proposition... before I ask you to vote yes or no.

Evidence supporting Washington’s Christianity

1.     He was baptized into the Church of England;

2.     He was a Anglican vestryman ( a church leader) for many years, making this pledge, along with Daniel McCarty (one of my wife’s relatives) on August 19, 1765: I do declare that I will be comformable to the doctrine and discipline of the Church of England, by law established.

3.     His pastor, Rev. Lee Massey, said, “I never knew so constant an attendee in church as Washington.”

4.     He was at the First Continental Congress for 7 Sundays and during this time period, he attended church 3 times: once each to an Anglican, Catholic, and Quaker worship service.

5.     He was buried with an Anglican (Episcopalian) service.

6.     In a 1779 letter to a delegation of Native Americans, he advised them to “learn the religion of Christianity.”

7.     During the war, Washington ordered his soldiers to attend their worship services and implore the “Blessing of Heaven.”

8.     Jared Sparks, Unitarian minister, and President of Harvard, studied Washington in depth and exclaimed that “to say that he was not a Christian would be to impeach his sincerity and honesty."

9.     On Feb. 26, 1833, Washington’s granddaughter noted that he was instrumental in founding the Pohick Church, where he had a pew, and that he also attended the church in Alexandria whenever weather permitted, even though it was a 2-3 hour journey by carriage. He was a quiet man, she noted, who spoke little and never of self. In fact, she said that he “never related a single act of the Revolutionary War” to her. Finally, it should be mentioned that Washington “prayed fervently” when “Martha’s daughter” was dying.

10  His contemporaries did not question his faith (which they were quite capable of doing).

11  As a Mason in that time, Washington would have pledged that he “will never be a stupid Atheist nor an irreligious Libertine."

12   In sum, he was a baptized church member who attended church and supported it with his tithes and offerings. He was buried as a church member and considered himself to be a Christian.

Arguments against Washington’s “Christianity”

      There are many observers who suggest that, while Washington was a religious man, he was not a Christian (in the way that they think of Christian). Most of them suggest that, rather being a “Christian,” Washington was more of a “deist,” who believed in the Sovereign and Benevolent Hand of Providence. His pubic statements were never specifically Christian, although in fairness to Washington and those who followed him, they were aware that, as Presidents of the United States, they represented all citizens.  In any event, here are some examples of the statements he issued:

1.     In 1778 he announced a “Day of Fasting, Humiliation, and Prayer that at one time and with one voice the righteous dispensations of Providence may be acknowledged…”

2.     In his Farewell Address, he noted that “it would be unrealistic to expect that a nation could long be moral without religion…

3.     When he announced the 1^st Thanksgiving, he called on Americans to devoted themselves in service to that great and glorious Being who is the Beneficent Author of all good that was, is, or that will be.

4.     In addition to his public statements, it has also been noted that Washington rarely, if ever, took communion in church. Even his granddaughter indicated that he generally left the church service right after the message and before communion was served.

5.     Finally, as an employer, Washington did not show any favoritism for Christians, telling his representatives instead: if they are good workers, they may be from Asia, Africa, Europe; they may be Mohammedans, Jews, or Christians, or they may be Atheists

      Well, you have heard and considered the evidence. Was George Washington, our first President, a Christian or not?

YES….. OR …. NO

FREEDOM IN CHIRST!

        In one sense of the word, we can measure the cost of freedom by counting our dead, which total nearly 650,000 since our War of Independence. 2/3 of a million people have died to preserve our freedoms, and millions more paid dearly as well. Some of our warriors were gung-ho, some were reluctant; some did what they had to do, some went beyond the call of duty.... but they all died for a cause greater than themselves. Some of them had great faith, some of them struggled with it, and some of them didn't have any faith at all... but they all believed that freedom was something worth fighting for, suffering for, and dying for. We've buried a lot of heroes, but the cost of freedom also includes millions of children who grew up without a dad... or with dads who were never quite the same. My father fought in WWII. He flew a transport plane to the battle lines and he carried men back to England. He helped liberate those enslaved in concentration camps, and he lost a Co-Pilot, named Kenny. He was not "wounded" in battle, but some part of him died in Europe... and the same thing can be said for all of the others! Praise God for every hero who was willing to die so that we could live free! Decorate their graves, give them honor flights, wave your flags, sing your songs, salute them when the march by, and thank them when you can.
      Indeed, we are free from those who would've taken our way of life away. We're free to vote for whomever we please, or to not vote at all. We're free to worship in any church that will let us in, or to not worship at all. We can go whenever we want, live anywhere we choose, and even write a blog if the thought crosses our mind... but we will never be truly free... until we entrust our lives to God. We will never be really free until we "let go" and "let God," because until we take this leap of faith... we will forever be slaves to self! As the poet said, "you gotta serve somebody." It may be the Lord, it may be the Devil, it may be the trinkets that we've accumulated... but we've gotta' serve somebody... and for most of us, that somebody is SELF, who is number one from the get-go... to our dying day.
      We worship the "Omnipotent Baby" within. We do his or her bidding throughout our lives, and we never quite outgrow our need to be at the center of our world. We're prone to worship the child within us... and to fit everything else into that child's agenda. Whether we're religious or not, our own will outweighs God's will for us, and even those of us who worship God or gold... do so on our own terms. We can come and go and vote and protest... but we are imprisoned by our fears, our sins, our secrets, and our self interests. We are slaves to self, and until we get free, we will never know the joy of being loved unconditionally... or the unbridled freedom that comes from being forgiven entirely! We're imprisoned to self and no matter how hard we try, we cannot set ourselves free... because we can never start entirely anew... or save ourselves!
     Only a God can do that! Only a powerful and loving God can do that... and here's the good news: HE HAS! He's already set us free from self and sin, and he's already forgiven our sins- the big ones, the little ones, the accidental ones, the intentional ones. Come, he said, if you're heavy laden, if you're tired of pretending, if you're tired of blustering, bluffing, and dodging, if you're fed up with your empty search to find purpose and fulfillment... come to me, and I will set you free! Deep down, we are not free. We're enslaved by our own desires, fears, expectations, and sin, and these demons, more than any outside dictator, will be the death of us. This is the truth of it... but there is a much greater truth, and it is this: that God so loved the world that he sent his only Son to live with beauty and grace in our midst... and to hang on Calvary's Cross for our sins- and that he rose on the 3rd day in victory over both death and sin. He is the Savior of the world. He is the truth, and the truth will set us free. Take a step now, then a leap. of faith, and experience complete freedom! Turn to Jesus! After all, as he bled and died, he understood that freedom is the costliest thing on earth... and in heaven! Amen.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY... DAD!

   He would be nearly 100 now, and I wish he was here so that I could say, "Happy Father's Day," or "I love you," or simply, "goodbye."
      He died suddenly, with a massive heart attack, on July 11, 1977, and I wasn't there.  My not being there was not surprising... because I was busy trying to make a name for myself (just as he had done). Besides, the unpredictability of either one of my parent's moods kept me on edge, and dad and I never talked much anyway. It never seemed as if we had much to talk about. He loved hunting, but I loved golf. He worked with steel, but I pushed a pencil. He was a combat veteran, and I had not served at all. He loved to make things work, whereas I loved to think about them. He was a Tea Party member before its time, and I was a child of the 60's.  I didn't know what to say to him and when we were growing up, he was seldom around the house anyway. He always seemed to be at "the plant," and when he did come home, he would often be very difficult to live with. When he entered the house, my brothers and I made ourselves scarce, and between his work schedule and his moods, I never felt entirely comfortable when I was around him. I often wished that I would've had a dad to play catch with, or one who would've listened to my worries and my dreams, but things just never turned out that way.
      Therefore, we didn't talk much, and as the years passed, and we went our separate ways after Sherry and I moved to Omaha. Yet, I wish we would have spent more time with him and the rest of my family. I wish that things could have been different because I loved my father dearly... and I admired him in many ways. Like many of his peers, he only had an 8th grade education... but he was very bright. He had a quick wit, a wonderful sense of humor (he absolutely loved Red Skelton), a legendary work ethic, and a well-earned reputation of being a man people could trust. He also had an immense amount of courage...and almost frightening perseverance. In short, he was a man's man. He filled a room... and the record shows that he accomplished a lot, rising to the rank of VP and Co-Owner in the field that he chose.
      He lived, it seems to me, in three worlds at the same time. At home, he seemed unhappy and at odds with my mother much of the time. At work, he was somebody important, who played a big role and cast a big shadow, and within himself, he carried the memories of the depression, the War, and any number of regrets, hopes, and wishes. Of course dad was somebody's child himself. He grew up in what seems to have been a stern and volatile household, and he was definitely affected by what he experienced in WWII (which he seldom mentioned at all.) He had seen too much death, experienced too much pain, and pushed himself to be more than he was able to handle at times. He played the cards that had been dealt to him with strength and courage, and he never complained about not being dealt the very best hand. This is the same thing I've tried to do in my life and in many ways, I am much like my dad... except that, when I hit bottom... I was blessed with a transforming grace... and he never had that experience. Grace. A second-chance. That's the only difference between us. Otherwise, I am pretty much a chip off the old block. Indeed, in many ways I wish I was even more like my dad. With a better hand and a moment of grace, dad could've done great things. There is not a doubt in my mind, but (like me) he needed an "unconditional hug." He needed to be known... and loved anyway.
      This man... who once put his fist through a picture window, wrapped his own arm with his shirt, and then drove himself to the doctor... who lost a co-pilot and many of his buddies in the war... who loved to fill his house with laughter and friends- who had lost siblings and parents- who loved to play with his grandchildren and grill food for the whole family- who prayed to God when he picked up enemy fire during the War- who gave us everything he had to give... was my father... and I love him. His body is now resting next to my mother's, in the Masonic section of Highland Memory Gardens, grace 4, lot 170... which is not far from either one of the plants he used to run. I won't get there in person this year, so I will say it now: "Hello, dad. I hope you are at peace. I know you did the best you could. Happy Father's Day."

Your son,

Ken