Posted on by Cheryl Norman

True Wisdom, True Greatness

Pastor Sherry’s message for September 22, 2024

Scriptures: Proverbs 31:10-31; Ps 1; James 3:13-4:8; Mk 9:30-37

A pastor was delivering a children’s sermon one Sunday in which he was trying to get them to tell him how a person might make it into heaven. 

He said, “If I sold my house and my car, had a big garage sale and gave all my money to the church, would that get me into Heaven?” 

“NO!” the children all answered.

“If I cleaned the church every day, mowed the yard, and kept everything neat and tidy, would that get me into Heaven?”

Again, the answer was, “NO!”

“Well, then, if I was kind to animals and gave candy to all the children and loved my wife, would that get me into Heaven?” 

Again, they all answered, “NO!”

“Well,” he continued, “then how can I get into Heaven?” A five-year-old boy shouted out, “YOU GOTTA BE DEAD.”

(illustration borrowed from www.sermons.com, 9/20/2024)

I love this story because it demonstrates the practical, literal wisdom that children sometimes exhibit.

Our Scriptures today all speak in some way about wisdom, with the Old Testament, Psalm, and New Testament readings forming the backdrop, or context, to Jesus’ Gospel lesson.  Let’s examine how this is so:

A.  Psalm 1 provides us with God’s take on wisdom.  Inspired by the Lord, the psalmist presents us with a dichotomy, a choice between two opposing options: (1) We can choose the way of sinners, the way ungodly folks behave (Psalm 19 calls this way “foolishness”); Or (2) we can choose the way of righteousness, the way a godly person behaves.  It’s one way or the other, no in between.  The Lord wants us to choose to live a life focused on Him—a life of righteousness.  The wise person, man or woman, chooses to align his/her life with God’s teaching, not that of the culture.  The wise person is a servant of (surrendered to) Christ.  The foolish person, on the other hand, is captured by the wickedness and sin advocated in the culture.  The righteous—those blessed by God—ultimately prosper, but the foolish come to a very bad end.

B. Proverbs 31:10-31 is ascribed to someone named King Lemuel.  Biblical scholars believe the description of the wise woman was told to Solomon by his mother, Queen Bathsheba.  They think “King Lemuel” was her pet name for him.  They believe this because there was never a king of Israel of this name.  They also believe this because many of us give our kids nick-names.  I called my son, David Morgan, “Rooney” when he was little; and my daughter, Meredith Claire, “Merry Sunshine.”  So, I can imagine the name, Lemuel, was a private joke between Solomon and his mom.

Mama Bathsheba was trying to convey to her son what he needed in order to live a good life.  God bless her for trying!  By the time he died, he had accumulated 700 wives and 300 concubines!  But she wanted him to realize he only needed one good woman.  He didn’t need multiple beautiful wives or dozens of women who would bring with them grand political alliances.  Instead, he would have been so much better off with one virtuous wife, a woman of character, strength, and real ability: someone faithful; a helpful partner to her husband; a woman who was energetic, not lazy; someone who would spend the family money wisely and who would manage the household (including raising children) well; someone kind and generous; someone wise in the ways Solomon was not.  Too bad that, as history bears out, Solomon did not listen to his mother (There could be a sermon in there somewhere)! 

This set of proverbs emphasizes the wisdom in joining ourselves to a wise spouse, and by logical extension, to wise friends.

C.  James, Jesus’ half-brother, is in total agreement with the author of Psalm 1.  In James 3:13-4:3, he reiterates that there are two kinds of wisdom in this world: (1) Heavenly, or Godly wisdom; and (2) earthly, unspiritual wisdom.  James says earthly, unspiritual wisdom is characterized by disorder and evil behaviors.  Consider the example of rap music star P. Diddy—if he is guilty of what they have alleged he has done, this is truly evil behavior.  He is currently in jail, on a suicide watch.  Is he suicidal because he has been caught or because he has come under conviction for his sins?  We need to pray for him to come to Jesus.  You see, earthly, unspiritual wisdom is more than us just being our “bad old selves.”

J. Vernon McGee writes, “the wickedness of the world is not merely human, but human plus something” [the devil].  (McGee, Through the Bible Commentary on James, Thomas Nelson, 1991, p.86.)

In verse 15, James says (people who are bitter, envious, or selfishly ambitious have chosen a ‘wisdom’ that)—>…does not come from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil.  As with Psalm 1, James says we are presented with a choice as to which kind of wisdom we pursue.  People will be able to tell which we have chosen by the way we live our lives.  Those of us who seek Godly wisdom will live lives that are (v.17) pure, peace-loving, considerate, submissive [surrendered to God], full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and sincere. 

Finally, James (vv.7-8) urges us to submit our lives to God, and to resist the devil…knowing he and his minions whisper into our ears all sorts of ideas intended to lead us astray.  We need to recognize that these sinful or destructive thoughts come from him, and then tell him to beat it, in Jesus’ name!  True wisdom means sticking as closely to God as we possibly can, and returning to Him in repentance when we blow it.

D. Our Gospel lesson today comes from Mark 9:30-37.   Jesus has just told the twelve that He must suffer and die to complete His earthly mission, but they act as though they have not heard Him.  I have seen this phenomenon at work in therapy.  If I offer an interpretation of a client’s behavior before they are ready to receive it, they deny it.  I realize I have moved too quickly and have to wait to restate it later when they are less defensive.  Sometimes people just cannot receive a truth that is too different from their usual way of thinking.  

Instead of considering what Jesus has said to them, His disciples foolishly get lost in which of them will take on what positions when He ushers in His Kingdom (in an earlier sermon on this passage, I have suggested the following):

a. No doubt, Judas wanted to be Secretary of the Treasury;

b. Peter, Secretary of Defense, of Homeland Security, or perhaps Chief of Staff;

c. Doubting Thomas, the “show me” Apostle, for Attorney General;

d. The loving, charitable John, Secretary of Health and Human Services, or perhaps Secretary of Education.

e. And so on.

In another of Jesus’ surprising reversals of cultural values, He tells the 12 that true wisdom is allot like how kids behave.  If you want to be greatest, be like a child, the servant of all.  If you want to be first, make sure everyone is served before you.  In other words, be humble, loving, and not hung up on yourself.  The true story is told of St. Paul’s School of Theology in Kansas City, MO.  They had launched a search for their next dean president, and had whittled down the pool of applicants to five.  Someone on the search committee then suggested that rather than comparing the candidates’ resumes or vitas, they send a member to their current positions to locate a janitor and ask him or her what they thought of the person.  They did this and selected a fellow whose janitor raved about his kindness and goodness.  When reporting their selection, the committee stated, 

“Those who live close to Christ become so secure in His love that they no longer relate to other people according to rank or power or money or prestige. They treat janitors and governors with equal dignity. They regard everybody as a VIP.  Children seem to do this intuitively; adult Christians have to relearn it.”

(“The Measure of Greatness,” www.sermons.com, 9/20/2024.)  

Jesus is teaching that true wisdom comes from dying to or denying self— obeying God, just as Jesus did and loving others, Just as Jesus did.

This is one of those difficult lessons Jesus poses for us.  It’s so counter to our typical way of thinking.  We don’t want to die to self!  That seems as painful as turning our toe-nails backward.  YIKES!  But perhaps it might be helpful to look at it this way:  The story is told of a long ago tribe of Native Americans who lived in Mississippi. 

“They lived next to a very swift and dangerous river. The current was so strong that if somebody happened to fall in or stumbled into it they could be swept away downstream.

“One day the tribe was attacked by a hostile group of settlers. They found themselves with their backs against the river. They were greatly outnumbered and their only chance for escape was to cross the rushing river. They huddled together and those who were strong picked up the weak and put them on their shoulders; the little children, the sick, the old and the infirm, those who were ill or wounded were carried on the backs of those who were strongest. They waded out into the river, and to their surprise they discovered that the weight on their shoulders carrying the least and the lowest helped them to keep their footing and to make it safely across the river.”

(King Duncan, “Carry Someone With You,” www.sermons.com, 9/20/2024.)

Jesus is teaching the 12 and us that whatever positions there are in God’s Kingdom—and we don’t even know what those may be—are not based on strength, power, worldly wealth, influence, or even skill or gifting.  Wise persons know that to lead, we must become a servant like Jesus. Wise persons know that we need to exhibit childlike joy, faith, and love.

Wise persons know that, “If you want to walk on secure ground in this world it helps to carry someone with you.”

(Duncan, Ibid.)

Let’s close in prayer:  Father God, we bless you, we praise you and we love you.  Lord, please give us the practical, childlike wisdom to be humble and painfully honest with ourselves.  Empower us to live out the Christian virtues of faith, joy, love.  Help us to become and live out our lives as true servants of Christ.  Amen.  May it be so!

©️2024 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

Pick Up Your Cross

Pastor Sherry’s message for 9/15/2024

Scriptures: Pro 1:20-23; Ps 19, James 3:1-12; Mk 8:27-38

What do you think of when you look upon the Cross?  We have a cross both inside and outside our church.  The one inside is plain, crafted by Leonard Young, commemorating Jesus’ death and resurrection.  It’s empty because Jesus has risen from the dead.  The one outside is especially resplendent on Easter Sunday when we deck it out with flowers, symbolizing Christ’s victory over sin and death.

Coming home to Live Oak from seminary in Pittsburgh, I had to drive through West Virginia.  That state is very hilly!  Interestingly, on nearly every hill you will see 3 crosses:  The taller, central one for Jesus; the other two—often shorter–for the criminals crucified with Him.

The people of Siauliai, Lithuania, however, demonstrate a special devotion to the cross.  Sometime during the mid-19th century, they began to erect crosses in a particular place called “The Hill of Crosses.”  (Look it up on the internet and you will be amazed at the number and variety of crosses collected there.)  The Cross is the major symbol of the Christian faith.  To Lithuanians, it also represents the 3 major Christian virtues:  faith, hope, and love. 

When Lithuania has been under communist domination, the atheistic  communists have totally destroyed the crosses on this hill 3 times (in 1961, 1973, & 1975).  Each time, people clandestinely hurried to replace what had been destroyed.  Since 1980, and especially since the independence of Lithuania from Russia in 1991, more than 200,000 crosses of many materials and of many sizes, have been erected at this site.  So, to them, these crosses also represent persisting in their faith, despite persecution.

The Cross represents Jesus, Christianity, hope, love, persistence in the faith, and also courage➡️the courage to defy evil oppression.

(Billy D. Strayhorn, “At Cross Purposes,” www.sermons.com, 9/15/2024).

Like last week, our Scripture lessons offer us plenty of good advice on how to live life wisely.  Today, however, I want to focus on our Gospel lesson, Mark 8:27-38. Jesus covers quite a bit of theological ground in these 11 verses:

A.  First, He challenges the 12 about His identity.  They have just seen Him minster healing to two Gentiles.  On the road to Caesarea Philippi (present day Jordan), He asks them who folks are saying He is.  The answers suggest folks outside His inner circle think He is one prophet or another, brought back to life.  But since they are His closest followers and the most knowledgeable of His friends, He wants to know what they think.

Have you ever Googled yourself on the Internet?  It can be, surprising—even distressing–to see what information on you is circulating out there.

The story is told of a self-absorbed man who arrives at a hospital emergence room.  He rapidly  grows impatient with the long wait to be seen approaches the nurses’ station, and demands to be taken back to see a doctor, all while shouting, “Don’t you know who I am?”   The veteran, no-nonsense nurse at the desk calmly picks up a mike and states over the loud speaker, “I have a gentleman here who doesn’t know who he is. Can someone please assist him in finding out?  Thank you.”

(Stephen Sizer, “Who Am I?” www.sermons.com, 9/15/2024.)

Getting back to Jesus, Peter offers an inspired response (v.29)➡️You are the Christ [God’s anointed One; the Messiah].  Bravo, Peter!  He’s right!  And Jesus immediately asks the 12 to keep this truth to themselves.

B.  Then He proceeds to tell the 12 what will happen to their Messiah:  In roughly 6 months’ time, He will suffer many things.  He will be rejected by the religious authorities of Israel; even worse from their perspective, He must be killed; but after 3 days dead, He will rise again.

Peter, for one, cannot conceive that the Messiah would be killed, so he challenges Jesus.  Most Jews held that the Messiah would arrive as a conquering King and free Israel from the Roman’s oppressive regime.

Even though they had the Suffering Servant passages from Isaiah 43, 44, & 53—which so perfectly describe Jesus–they never believed these passages predicted what their Messiah would endure.  So Peter essentially tells Jesus He is wrong.  YIKES!  If we ever think God is wrong, we need to examine our own hearts and heads.  God/Jesus personify Truth/Wisdom➡️Our God is never wrong!

Peter had just previously answered so insightfully and brilliantly, but now he is just badly mistaken.  Jesus rebukes Peter for reciting thoughts inspired by Satan.  Satan excels in rebellion against the plans and the will of God.  Just as the evil one can manipulate Peter—a man who spent 3 years with Jesus and witnessed all of His teachings, healings, and miracles—so too can he tempt us to say and do things we later regret.  Without truly understanding God’s purposes, Peter is trying to talk Jesus out of obeying His Father.  Peter’s agenda, you see, is not the end or goal of God’s plan, but the means of securing Peter’s (and that of Judas).  Probably, without realizing it, Peter was using Jesus to get what Peter wanted.  None of us can do that!

C. This then leads Jesus into a teaching on what it means to pick up our cross and follow Him.  The pathway of true discipleship travels right through suffering (v.34)➡️If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.  First, we must deny ourselves and seek God’s will in place of ours.  This, in and of itself, may involve suffering. That’s the next requirement…take up your cross.  In what ways might you have suffered for Jesus?  Have you lost money?  I know a missionary who used to planted Walgreens drug stores.  He scouted out new locations for the retail store chain, and was headed up the corporate ladder, until God grabbed ahold of him.  I met him in Turkey in 2010 while on a short term mission trip.  He and his wife had taken a year to learn Turkish, then another 3 years to learn Parsi, the Iranian language.  His ultimate assignment was to minister to the more than 700,000 Iranian refugees who had fled their country to live in Turkey.  Among these immigrants, he had planted 18 Christian churches!  Since then, he now heads up a mission agency that plants churches in Moslem countries.  He may have lost money he might have earned from corporate America, but instead, he has brought many middle Easterners to a saving faith in Christ.

Have you lost opportunities to rise professionally?  Do your family and friends fail to understand you?  I have had friends shake their heads when I say I do not have a “Five Year Plan.”  I wouldn’t presume to make one, knowing that the Lord could change it radically tomorrow.  My 5 year plan is to follow Jesus.

Have some folks written you off as a religious nut or an intolerant bigot?  It’s interesting to me that our culture today considers Christians intolerant.  That’s exactly what the Romans used as an excuse to persecute followers of Jesus 2,000 years ago.  By refusing to proclaim, “Caesar is Lord,” or to worship the Roman panoply of Gods, the Roman authorities decided those who loved Jesus were narrow- minded and fanatically bigoted.  

Jesus is saying to the 12—and to us—“I am a King but not like any king you ever imagined.  I am a king who must die.”

(Timothy Keller, King’s Cross, Dutton, 2011, p.102.)

Additionally, if we refuse to travel the road to suffering for Christ—trying to save our lives—we will lose out in the end.  The Greek word Jesus uses here for life is psyche, which also means identity, personality, or our sense of self.  He is not calling us to allow our identity to be absorbed into some sort of cosmic soup, like most Eastern religions do.  Rather, He honors our unique identities—after all, He created them—but insists that we must leave off trying to control our destiny ourselves.  

He is also saying Jesus is saying we should not build our identity on the things of this world.  Collectivist cultures like those of Jesus’ time, and the Middle East now, base identity on honoring the family and on having children.  Individualistic cultures like those of modern Europe and America, claim our identity comes from our status, individual success, a fulfilling career, or the amount of money we make.  In both approaches to life, a person’s identity is based on their performance to please family or please self.  Jesus is saying this will never work for us, never satisfy or fulfill us.

What will satisfy and fulfill us is basing our identity on our love for and faith in Christ.  What will satisfy and fulfill us is basing our identity on Jesus and the Gospel.  We could say then that Jesus went to the Cross—He had to die—so that we would not have to strive in life, but rest in His completed work for us.

(Keller, King’s Cross, p.105)

So, if we lose our lives—by letting God lead, guide, and direct us—we will have eternal life.

And, additionally, if we can truly grasp this truth, we will realize how very much we are loved and how incredibly worthwhile we are.  I am often frustrated by those who weekly preach “hellfire and damnation.”  Yes, we are sinners who need to repent, but the Good News is that our God loved us enough to die in our place.  We are precious to Him.  Furthermore, if I base my identity on a romantic relationship, who am I if the relationship ends?  If I base my identity on a profession, who am I if I lose my job?  Instead, basing our identity on the Lord, we can firmly state, “Yes, we’re sinners, but the King of the Universe loved us enough to die for us!”

So what does the Cross mean to you?  Yes, it was an instrument of torture.  Yes, it is to many a symbol of hope, faith, resistance to oppression, and persistence despite persecution.  But it also represents for all time… 

Jesus’ submission to the will of the Father (There is no atonement for sin without the shedding of blood); our importance to God; an end to our need to strive; and Jesus’ sacrificial love for each of us.

Commenting on the meaning of this Gospel passage, C.S. Lewis wrote the following in his book, Mere Christianity (McMillan, 1943, p.168):  “The terrible thing, the almost impossible thing, is to hand over your whole self—all your wishes and precautions—to Christ.  But it is far easier than what we are trying to do instead.  For what we are trying to do is to remain what we call “ourselves,” to keep personal happiness as our great aim in life, and yet at the same time be “good.”  We are all trying to let our mind and heart go their own way—centered on money or pleasure or ambition—and hoping, in spite of this, to behave honestly and chastely and humbly.  And this is exactly what Christ warned us you could not do.  As He said, a thistle cannot produce figs.  If I am a field that contains nothing but grass-seed, I cannot produce wheat.  Cutting the grass may keep it short:  but I shall still produce grass and no wheat.  If I want to produce wheat, the change must go deeper than the surface.  I must be ploughed up and re-sown. “  The challenge to us all, just as Jesus stated it, is to  deny ourselves, pick up our Cross, and follow Jesus.  Amen!  May it be so!    

©️2024 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

How to be Good at Life

Pastor Sherry’s message for September 8, 2024

Scriptures: Pro 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23; Ps 146; Ja 2:1-17; Mk 7:24-37

The story is told of a rancher in Colorado who received 9,374 notices from a magazine company that it was time to renew his subscription.  This was, of course, a mistake.  The company had changed its software responsible for tracking subscriptions.  Their new software obviously had a colossal glitch!  Imagine if you had been the one to receive 9,374 mailings from the same company?  Would you have been annoyed?

Stupefied?  What had it cost the company to send out so many?  Would you have felt furious?  After delivering 25 separate political and charitable solicitations to my mailbox one day recently, my mail carrier said he would be glad when the November 5th election was over.  (Me too!)

What’s hilarious to me, however, is that the Colorado rancher finally sent the magazine company a letter in which he signed up for a subscription!  He had never even been a subscriber!  But in his letter, he wrote, “I give up!  Send me the magazine.”  Their infernal persistence, like “Chinese water torcher,” had won him over.

(Borrowed from www.sermons.com, 9/5/2024)

Interestingly enough, this tactic is what also wins people over to Christ.  However, it is less about what we say to them and more about how we live our lives, daily, persistently.  Do they see us behaving in ways that are kind?  Do they experience us as listening to them uncritically, or without interrupting them to give our advice?  Do we respond to them with a warm smile, hug, or handshake?  Are we a consistent friend, rather than one who likes the person one day but turns on them the next?  Is our faith evident to them, especially when we go through tough times?  There is an old saying you may have heard before: “You may be the only Bible someone else ever reads.”  As Christians, we have a responsibility to so good at living life that we inspire others to follow Jesus.

Once again, our readings today all focus on living a wise life, one that reflects well on us and is a strong witness to others of the benefits of loving Jesus. 

A.  The book of Proverbs contains many pithy sayings that teach us how to be good at life.  Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23 urges us not to play favorites:  (Verses1-2)—>No matter our differences in race, creed, gender, economic status, or whatever, we were all created by God.

This is an important way in which we are all the same.  All of humankind shares this in common.  Nevertheless, as J. Vernon McGee says, “God created us all but He is not the Father of us all.”  Only those who love His Son may call Him “Father.”

(Through the Bible Commentary on Proverbs, Thomas Nelson, 1991, p.190.)

Verses 8-9 state that wicked people will come to a terrible end, but generous people will be blessed as they bless others.  And verses 22-23) assert that anyone who exploits the poor and the needy will be punished by God.  Remember, our God sees all and knows all.  There are no deeds kept secret from Him.  Our God wants us to live lives that are radically different from our culture due to our love and respect for others.

B. Our Psalm (146) implies that we are good at life when we habitually praise God for His goodness.   This psalm is considered one of several Hallelujah Psalms.  Literally, the word, Hallelujah, means, Praise ye the Lord!  We praise the Lord because He has given us life, and He has saved us.  Verse 3 reminds us—>Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men [or women] who cannot save.  We also praise God because unlike human agents, He is always trustworthy.  And He relates to us with love, justice, and mercy.

The book written by James, Jesus’s half-brother, contains 12 practical teachings on how to be good at life.  Our passage today (James 2:1-17) highlights two of these:  In verses 1-13, he tackles the issue of showing favoritism to the rich and influential.  He warns us not to do this because it springs from evil motives (We honor them so they might reward us somehow).  It also violates God’s command to love our neighbors as we love ourselves (Leviticus 19:18).  And, as Jesus taught in His Sermon on the Mount, if we are not merciful to others, God will not be merciful to us—>(Matthew 6:14-15)—>For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.  We are forgiven in the measure to which we forgive others, just as we are blessed in the measure to which we bless others.  This is God’s economy.

In his second lesson from our passage today (vv. 14-17), James defines genuine faith.  Real, true faith in Christ demonstrates itself in loving actions toward God and others.  In an article entitled, “The Results of Faith,” a commentator on James—Mark Norton–writes—>”Believers ought to be examples of heaven on earth.”   

(Cited on the website www.Filament.com , in his article on the book of James, 9/2024.)

D. As He always does, Jesus demonstrates in today’s Gospel lesson (Mark 7:24-37), authentic Christian responses to two “outsiders” considered “unclean.”  The first person is an unnamed Syro-Phoenician woman.  Some claim she was Greek; others say she was a Canaanite (she lived in present-day Lebanon).  Whatever the case, she was not a Jew. This is important because, as Jesus says, He came to save the Jews (the children of Israel) first.  She is desperate to have her little girl freed from demonic possession, so she seeks out Jesus.  She is humble but also quick witted.  Like the magazine company I spoke of at the beginning of this sermon, she is also persistent.

Jesus appears to be insulting her, equating her with dogs.  Jews then viewed many Gentiles as unclean and as dogs.  Jesus appears to be stating what He knew His disciples may have been thinking.  But she does not take offense.  Instead, she enters into His metaphor and replies that even the puppies get to eat what the children drop from the table.  He rewards the faith of this outsider and heals her daughter.

Next He encounters a man in the Decapolis, a region known for its 10 cities. It had originally belonged to the tribe of Manasseh, but they so intermingled with non-Jews that the area in Jesus’ time was primarily occupied by Gentiles. A deaf mute is brought to Him to heal (due to the faith of his friends?).  Jesus heals him using His saliva, which was thought by folks then to have healing properties.  The man receives both his hearing and his speech is restored to normal rhythm and cadence that he had not been previously able to comprehend.

By healing these two outsiders, those considered by the Jews to be unclean, Jesus was extending His love and mercy to Gentiles. His half-brother, James, would say the Christian who is living the good life is kind to those not like him/herself.  This is how we love others as we love ourselves.

We can learn how to be good at life—living the good life, a life pleasing to God—by following the lessons spelled out for us in God’s word:  (1) Proverbs—>Don’t play favorites but love everyone as you love yourself.  (2) Psalm 146->Adopt the habit of praising God daily for creating and saving you.  (3) James 2—>Again, don’t give special attention to the rich and famous, but demonstrate your faith in Jesus by performing acts of kindness to all sorts of people daily.  And (4) Mark 7—>Our Lord did this.  So should we.  This week, let’s try hard to be good at life. Amen!

©️2024 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

Watch Your Mouth!

Pastor Sherry’s message for September 1, 2024

Scriptures: Song of Songs 2:8-13; Ps 45:1-2, 6-9; Ja 1:17-27; Mk 7:1-23

The following is a true story out of Charlotte, NC, that I shared six years ago.  I want to share it again because it is such a great example of truth being stranger than fiction.  A guy bought a box of very expensive cigars.  He also took out insurance on them against “decay, spoilage, theft, and fire.”  Then he proceeded to smoke the 24 cigars in the box over the next few weeks.  When he finished the box, he filed a claim with his insurance company, stating that the cigars were lost in a series of small fires. The insurance company rejected the claim (You can almost hear them say, “Oh, come on!”). But the guy sued the insurance company in civil court.

In an astonishing turn of justice, the man admitted he smoked the cigars, but still won his claim because of a technicality: the insurance company had failed to specify what sort of fire was excluded, and the jury awarded the fellow $15,000 in damages (Don’t forget, he had also enjoyed smoking the 24 fine cigars). However, when he exited the court, he was arrested and charged with 24 counts of arson.  After all, he had admitted to setting “the series of small fires” which had caused his property loss.  This time, the North Carolina court convicted and sentenced him to 2 years in jail and fined him $24,000.  His spurious lawsuit cost him 2 years of freedom, and a net loss, after legal fees, of $9,000.  This guy bet on the letter of the law instead of the spirit of the law, and lost.  Don’t we wish that courts would act similarly, all over the country, in such nonsense, nuisance law-suits?

(J. Fairless & D. Chilton, The Lectionary Lab, Year B, 2014, p.286.)

Our Gospel today, Mark 7:1-23—and this story—point to the danger of following the letter of the law while violating its intent.

Just prior to today’s passage, Mark describes Jesus’ multiplication miracle of feeding the 5,000 (maybe more like 15,000, if women and children were included in the count); Jesus’ walking on water miracle; and His healing an unknown number of people on the other side of the Lake (Sea of Galilee).

This event predates by about a year or two the confrontations with the Pharisees I preached about last week.

A committee of Scribes and Pharisees had come out from Jerusalem to observe and to test Him.  He is teaching and they challenge Him because His disciples do not wash their hands before eating.  They question Him (v.5)➖Haven’t You, Jesus, taught Your disciples the correct customs regarding cleanliness?

Now we know that hand-washing is not a bad practice. Prior to the Covid outbreak, the habit of hand-washing had been abandoned by many.  Since then, we have re-learned that washing our hands, especially before eating, helps to eliminate germs and to limit contamination.

Now Jesus was an observant Jew who treasured the Law of God. The Law was a gift from God, not a burden. In the Code of Hammarabi, a contemporary Mesopotamian set of laws, it was stated, for instance, that if you somehow knocked down your neighbor’s wall, he could rebuild it with you and your family plastered into the repair. The provisions for revenge were severe. But God’s Law put a humane limit on revenge. Furthermore, it didn’t just protect the rich and the powerful, but also safeguarded the poor and disadvantaged.  Our Lord intended for the Law to cut down on the extent of retribution, but especially to demonstrate the believer’s obedience (set-apartness) to God. The Hebrew Law demonstrated that God values human life, and that slaves, widows, orphans, and the poor—not just the rich and the influential—had rights that were to be respected.  At the time, these attitudes/provisions were unheard of in other religions or law codes. 

What Jesus confronts in today’s passage is that the Pharisees chose to obey the rules without remembering the relationships underlying the rules.

Don’t we do this too?  Should baptism be done by dunking or is sprinkling okay? Our tradition is to sprinkle water on infants. At what age should children be allowed to take communion?  Some want to wait until 10-12 years old, considered to be the “age of reason.” This way we can be sure the child understands what the bread and wine represent. I have a friend who was the chaplain at a preschool. They provided communion to the little ones at their chapel services. A mother complained. The chaplain asked her 3 year old son if he knew what was in the bread and the cup.  He replied, “Jesus is in there.”  That settled the argument. 

The story is told of a father of two teenaged sons who proudly bought a “Dodge Touring Car,” in 1918 for $785.00. It’s hard to imagine a new car for that sales price now. By three years later, however, he had grown frustrated over his sons’ increasingly hostile arguments regarding whose turn it was to drive it. The rule was that they shared and each could drive the car on alternate Saturdays. When the boys resorted to fist fights to settle their dispute, the father locked the car in a garage and pocketed the keys. Four decades later, a museum purchased the car—it was covered with dirt and chicken manure, and only had 1800 miles on the odometer. The father had gone to great lengths to teach his sons about the value of relationships over rules.

(J. Fairless & D. Chilton, The Lectionary Lab, Year B, 2014, p.288.)

Consider how many court cases get thrown out because some procedure (rule) was not followed exactly. The guilty are spared at the potential expense of keep citizens safe.  You see, the problem isn’t washing before eating, the right way to baptize, how to correctly discipline teens, or even keeping people safe. The real problem is the condition of our hearts!

To the Hebrew mind, the heart was where all moral decisions were made.

The prophet Jeremiah laments in Jeremiah 17:9➖The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.  Who can understand it?  The prophet Ezekiel asserts God’s intentions in Ezekiel 36:24-25➖I [God] will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a..  And I will put My Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.

Our faulty human hearts must be transformed by God. Jesus lets the Pharisees have it because they have forgotten this important fact:  It’s not about rules, it’s about relationships; our relationship with God, our relationships with each other. There was no law from God that they must wash their hands before eating.  This was a tradition they had adopted. They were criticizing Jesus for not conforming to their traditions.  To address that issue, He tells them what goes into us is not the critical issue—like how clean our hands are, or what types of food we eat. The crux of the problem is rather what comes out of our mouths—which has its origins in our hearts.

Put rather crudely, it’s not what we excrete that causes sin problems, but what we vomit.

In the 300’s, St. Augustine said, there is a hole in our hearts that only God can fill, and our hearts are restless until they rest in God.  We have a sin problem, and we can’t fix it by living according to a set of religious rules.

Being a celebrity or a fantastic athlete won’t cure it.  Even rigid religious systems that require people to accumulate merit badges of good deeds do not address it.  Politicians can’t legislate it.  Having taught US History and World History for 15 years, I can safely assert that Socialism and Communism don’t work because they operate in ways counter to our built in “heart issues:” our tendencies toward self-justification, self-centeredness, and self-absorption.  We have a serious “I” problem.

To correct our sin problem, we need to allow the Holy Spirit to change our hearts!  We acknowledge that the shed blood of Jesus Christ makes up for our sin and replaces it with His righteousness.  And, as James teaches us in our New Testament lesson, we cooperate with the Holy Spirit by increasingly shunning sinful attitudes and behaviors, and living out attitudes and behaviors pleasing to God.  We need to approach God and others with love.

A child’s response to Sesame Street is a great illustration of this point.  In a live audience of kids watching Sesame Street, the kids nearly always watched the muppets rather than the grown-ups who manipulated them—even when they could see the puppeteers seated on the floor.  One little boy even saw Big Bird take off his top half and watched an actor step out.  Rather than focus on the fact that Big Bird was not real, the child told his mother, “Mom, Mom!  Do you think Big Bird knows he has a man inside?”  

(J. Fairless & D. Chilton, The Lectionary Lab, Year B, 2014, p.289.)

You see, the goal of the law was/is to remind us that we have a sinful human being inside us, in our hearts, in our souls, in the center of our being. This part of us is not focused on our relationship with God or with others. It just wants what it wants, when it wants it. Unfortunately, everyone else has a similar human inside of them as well. Fortunately, however, we also have inside us that part of us that longs for God…that finds its rest in God alone.

Perhaps you have heard of the Native American legend of the black wolf and the white wolf. The wise grandfather tells the grandson that we are a mix of both, but the one that comes to dominate our character depends upon which one we nurture or feed. If we want to please God, we need to watch our mouths to discover or to observe what is in our hearts. We accept that Jesus paid the price for the sinful human inside us; and we allow the wonderful Holy Spirit to remind us not to give our sinful hearts power over us, but rather to honor relationships over rules; and to live out of a loving vs. a self-centered or fault-finding nature.

Amen!  May it be so!

©️2024 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams 

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

This Ole House

Pastor Sherry’s message for August 25, 2024

Scriptures: 1 Kgs 8:1, 6, 10-12, 22-30, 41-43; Ps 84; Eph 6:10-20; Matt 23:27-24:2

This Ole House

How many of you remember a song by Tennessee Ernie Ford called “This Old House”?  (Rosemary Clooney also recorded it).  The lyrics go like this:

This old house once knew my children

This old house once knew my wife

This old house was home and comfort

As we fought the storms of life

This old house once rang with laughter

This old house knew many shouts

Now it trembles in the darkness

When the lightning walks about.

Chorus:

Ain’t gonna need this house no longer

Ain’t gonna need this house no more

Ain’t got time to fix the shingles

Ain’t got time to fix the floor

Ain’t got time to oil the hinges

Nor to mend the window pane

Ain’t gonna need this house no longer

I’m getting ready to meet the saints!

This old house is getting shaky

This old house is getting old

This old house lets in the rain and

This old house lets in the cold

My old knees are getting chilly

But I feel no fear or pain

‘Cause I see an angel peeping through

The broken window pane

Repeat Chorus

When I heard this song as a child, I thought the man was talking about his home, a wooden house. But, the song is not really about a structure, is it? It’s a metaphor for the singer’s body, especially as he deals with old age. In Hebrew, the word “house” is also translated “Temple” or “Tent” or “Tabernacle.”  It can mean God’s special dwelling place on earth. And it can also mean our own bodies, as Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20—Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, Who is in you, Whom you have received from God?  You are not your own; you were bought at a price.  Therefore honor God with your body.

Let’s consider together what the Scripture passages appointed for today have to say to us about the Temple.

A.  Our Old Testament reading, 1 Kgs 8:1, 6, 10-12, 22-30, 41-43, focuses on King Solomon’s prayer at the dedication of the 1st Temple in Jerusalem.  It had taken 7.5 years to build.  30,000 Israelites worked on it, together with 150,000 others, mostly Phoenicians.  Their king had agreed with King David to supply the cedar and the workers.  The Temple was made entirely of stone and richly ornamented with gold, cedar, mosaics, and beautiful embroideries.  But, unlike pagan temples, it held no statue of God (The second commandment outlawed idols, including sculptures and paintings trying to depict God.)  King David had devised the plans and collected the materials.  King Solomon, his son, oversaw the construction.

It was meant to house the Ark of the Covenant and the other holy furnishings from the Tent of Meeting.  Neither David nor Solomon viewed it as God’s dwelling place.  David understood that God is omnipresent–in a sense, He cannot be contained or “housed.”  People throughout the ages have tried to put Him in a box of their own understanding, but He will not be confined to a box or to a house, even one built especially for Him.  Later, the prophet Isaiah would write (6:1)—I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of His robe filled the temple.  Note that just his train filled the temple.  God himself in all of His immensity, in Isaiah’s vision, must have hovered over the Temple.  So David rightly conceived of the Temple as God’s footstool (Psalm 99:5).  It provided a space for prayer, worship, and animal sacrifices to atone for sins.

In today’s passage, King Solomon dedicates the Temple with a prayer of praise containing 7 petitions.  Solomon reminds God of His promise that David’s descendants will always sit on the throne of Israel (provided they are obedient to God and maintain their covenant with Him).  He asks God to hear the prayers of His people from the Temple.  He asks that He will (help Solomon) render fair verdicts in cases where there are no witnesses and only the word of the defendant (another plea of Solomon for wisdom).  He prays that if God brings drought due to the people’s sins, that He will forgive them and restore the land if they confess their sins and repent.  He hopes that the same will hold true if there are others kinds of disasters caused by individual or corporate sins.  Finally, he prays that Non-Israelites will come to know the Lord and develop a close relationship with Him.

For the Israelites, in Solomon’s time, the Temple represented a place where worshippers could approach or meet with God, individually and in large groups.

B.  Psalm 84 was written by some descendants of Korah.  This is important to know because Korah had led a rebellion against Moses, and was judged for it.  He and his family were jealous of Moses and Aaron, enlisted help and rose up against them.  God had the ground open up and swallow them…YIKES!  (The message was “don’t touch God’s anointed!”)  But, by God’s grace, some descendants of Korah, Levites who served in the new Temple, had been appointed as gate-keepers (bouncers).  In verse 10, these doorkeepers joyfully sing—Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.

The psalm is a song of praise sung by pilgrims walking to Jerusalem, celebrating their enthusiasm for being able to come into God’s presence in His Temple, and their deep desire to meet with and worship Him there.

Additionally, verse 9, is a reference to the coming Messiah, Jesus—Look upon our shield [earthly king], O God; look with favor on Your Anointed One [Messiah, Jesus].

C.  Paul’s concern in Ephesians 6:10-20 is that we all be aware that our enemies are not humans, per se, but the demonic spiritual entities that act through them.  He wants us to guard our spiritual house, our Temple, by putting on spiritual armor.  The pieces of the armor are reminiscent of what Roman soldiers wore.   A foundation of peace, the shoes come first.  Then a belt of truth (pants aren’t mentioned, so I like to think of perhaps the lycra shorts that competitive bikers wear); a breastplate of righteousness, to protect our heart and other vital organs; the helmet of salvation (to protect our mind); the shield of faith, with which to defend us from Satan’s ideas and insinuations; and the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God (Scripture). The Bible and prayer are our only offensive weapons. The spiritual armor guards and protects our physical and spiritual house/temple from assaults from the evil one.

D.  Just before going to the Cross, Jesus lambasts the scribes and Pharisees for their hypocrisy (Matthew 12:27-24:2).  He knows they are going to torture and kill Him soon, so what does He have to lose?

He publically, before crowds in the Temple, blasts them for misrepresenting God’s will and God’s heart to God’s people.  This is a serious sin—of which they seem to be oblivious—and they have thus incurred God’s judgment.

In this passage, He calls them out for (1) their desire for prestige; (2) their abuse of their teaching authority; (3) their false teachings on doctrine and practice; and (4) their preoccupation with teaching the people to focus on ethical minutia while overlooking the main points of God’s love, grace, mercy, and justice.  In the final episode of season four of “The Chosen” this is portrayed so well. Two Pharisees have joined Jesus at Lazarus’ home in Bethany to ask Him questions. One of them rejects Jesus when He disagrees with a human rabbi the man has quoted. The Pharisee is in the presence of God but refuses to believe in Him because he is wedded to the ideas of a human “authority.” The commentator, Dr. J. Vernon McGee, says Jesus implies that the Pharisees and Scribes are “spiritual zombies,” and that they are headed to Hell.

(Thru the Bible Commentary on Matthew, Thomas Nelson, 1991, p. 122.)

Jesus also predicts that this 2nd Temple (rebuilt through the leadership of Ezra and Nehemiah, and further spruced up and enriched by King Herod) will be destroyed, which it was by the Romans in 70AD.  He takes no joy in that; in fact He weeps over Jerusalem.  He knows because the religious leaders of Israel have rejected Him and the warnings of the prophets sent before Him, that all of Jerusalem will also be demolished.

But He will raise this Temple—meaning His body–in 3 days.  This means that no human or spiritual force can annihilate Jesus.  Nor can any human or spiritual force eradicate His Church.  (Matthew 16:18—And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.)  Both Jesus’ physical body and the Church, His spiritual body, are eternal temples.

So, please remember that you are not just “an ole house,” but you are a Temple of the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit lives within each of us who love Jesus and who claim Him as our Savior.  We may need sprucing up and repair from time to time, but we are loved and we are saved.  We bring our individual temples to this house to worship God each Sunday.  And, hopefully, we meet with God daily through prayer and Bible reading.  We want to armor-up our personal temples (our body) daily also.   And we want to be humble but alive followers of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen!  May it be so!

©️2024 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams 

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

True Wisdom

Pastor Sherry’s message for August 18, 2024

Scriptures : 1 Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14; Ps 111; Eph 5:15-20; Jn 6:60-71

The story is told of…a Dean at a college Faculty Meeting who encounters an angel.  The angel informs him that the Lord has noticed his “exemplary and unselfish behavior” and wants to reward him. He is given the choices of … “infinite wealth, wisdom or beauty.”  Without hesitating, the dean selects infinite wisdom.

“Done!” says the angel, and disappears in a cloud of smoke and a bolt of lightning. Now, all heads turn toward the dean, who sits surrounded by a faint halo of light. At length, one of his colleagues whispers, “Say something.”

The dean looks at them and says, “I should have taken the money.” 

(Betsy Devine and Joel E. Cohen, Absolute Zero Gravity, Simon & Schuster, 1992, p.29.)

Compare that story with the following examples of the wisdom of children:  

Patrick, age 10, said, “Never trust a dog to watch your food.”

Michael, 14, said, “When your dad is mad and asks you, ‘Do I look stupid?’ don’t answer him.”

 Michael, wise man that he was also said, “Never tell your mom her diet’s not working.”

Randy, 9 years of age said, “Stay away from prunes.”  One wonders how he discovered that bit of wisdom.

Kyoyo, age 9, said, “Never hold a dust buster and a cat at the same time.”

(Rick Stacy, 6/16/02, as reported at www.sermoncentral.com, 8/22/24.)

These takes on wisdom make us chuckle, don’t they?  But they beg the question, “What is true wisdom?” J.I. Packer (the brilliant Anglican Bible teacher and theology professor who lived from 1926-2000) once defined wisdom as “the power to see and the inclination to choose the best and highest goal, together with the surest means of attaining it. “ To see and to choose the best, the highest, and—realizing that with God the ends don’t justify the means—deciding to pursue the best in the best way.

(J.I. Packer, Knowing God, IVP, 1973, p. 80.)

Our Scripture passages today all comment on true wisdom:

A.  Let’s begin with our Old Testament reading, 1 Kings2:10-12, 3:3-14.  The context is Solomon’s ascension to the throne of his dying father, King David.  Solomon, the 10th of David’s 19 sons, has outlived Amnon (the rapist) and Absolom (the embittered rebel).  Though he was God’s choice to be the next king, and David’s choice to succeed him, he had to have David’s 4th son, Adonijah—a usurper– killed to secure his right to reign.  He also ordered Benaiah, his army general to kill Joab, David’s 2nd cousin—the guy who killed Absolom against the king’s orders–and Shemai, who had mocked, insulted, and even cursed David on his retreat from Jerusalem.  David would not allow his soldiers at the time to kill Shemai because he believed God might be saying something true through the vocal traitor.

So, interestingly, Solomon initiated his reign by assassinating his father’s enemies—loyalty to his earthly father–but he was not as loyal to his Heavenly Father.  Scripture does not report that he consulted the Lord about these political killings.  Additionally, he worshipped at “high places” which in those days were typically shrines to pagan gods.  It appears that Solomon “covered all his bases” by believing in the One True God, but also offering sacrifices to pagan gods, just in case.

Furthermore, Solomon was not a warrior or a man’s man, as his father had been. He had been raised among the women of David’s household. He seemed to understand women and to enjoy them.  And, since he went on as king to acquire 700 wives and 300 concubines, we can say from this side of the Cross that he most likely had a sexual addiction.

Nevertheless, he started out fairly well with the Lord when he admitted he lacked the experience to rule, and then requested the gift of wisdom.  The wisdom he had in mind was “political wisdom” or the kind of discernment that resulted in making wise decisions in matters of state.  Over time, however, it became evident that he lacked spiritual wisdom.  He practiced idolatry; he began his reign with several murders; and he broke covenant with the Lord. 

However, because the Lord had promised King David that Messiah would come from his lineage, God was willing to offer Solomon grace, and blessed him with secular wisdom, wealth, and honor among men. He is not, though, a sterling example to us of a truly wise man.

B.  Psalm 111 is a hymn of praise to God for His works of creation and redemption.  His works reveal His character:  He is righteous, compassionate, gracious, faithful, just, trustworthy, long suffering, upright, holy, and awe-inspiring.  And He wants us, His followers, to be people who mirror His character.  Verse 10, the final line of the psalm, makes the point that—>Fear [awe, reverence] of the Lord is the foundation of true wisdom.  All who obey His commandments will grow in wisdom.  Solomon actually reiterated this thought in Proverbs 9:10Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom.  Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment.  We might assume that he had learned by old age that dismissing God, or simply including Him among other gods, is a big, unwise mistake.

C.  Paul, in Ephesians 5:15-20, exhorts us to (v.15)So be careful how you live.  Don’t live like fools but like those who are wise.  Paul assumes we have choices in the ways in which we live.  We can choose to get drunk and to act foolishly; or we can refrain from this kind of behavior and instead remain within the will of God by…

1.) making the most of every opportunity;

2.) understanding what God would want us to do;

3.) being fillied with the Holy Spirit;

4.) making music in our hearts to the Lord;

5.) and giving thanks to God for everything.

This really sounds like the Doxology, doesn’t it?

Praise God from whom all blessings flow;

Praise Him all creatures here below;

Praise Him above, ye heavenly hosts;

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. 

D.  By the end of this lengthy teaching of Jesus in which He calls Himself the Bread of Life (John 6:60-71), many of Christ’s crowds of disciples foolishly decide they cannot continue to follow Him.  They mistakenly thought He was encouraging cannibalism—eating His flesh and drinking His blood—and were disgusted.  Since “flesh and blood” is a euphemism meaning the whole person, He was intimating His bodily death to come on the Cross.  He was also referring to His later institution of Holy Communion, where bread and wine become a life sustaining means of intimacy with our Lord. They missed that He meant that He, not physical food, satisfies our spiritual hunger.  So, as He watches the crowds melt away, He asks the Twelve Are you also going to leave?  Peter answers for them all (except Judas who does not fully believe). Peter wisely recognizes that Jesus is God. There is no one else who can lead them into eternal life.

So how do we attain true wisdom?  Solomon had wisdom of a sort, but by not being as dedicated to the Lord as his father David had been, he missed the mark. Because of His promises to David that the Messianic King would be a descendant of David’s, God was willing to offer grace to Solomon. But true wisdom comes from worshipping God and Him only.

Similarly, our psalmist asserts that wisdom derives from trusting in the Lord, and committing ourselves to follow Him (trust and obey).  James reminds us in James 1:5If you need wisdom, ask our gracious Lord and He will give it to you.  He will not rebuke you for asking.  Just like Solomon, we too can ask for wisdom.

Paul believes we are wise when we live our lives in an “Attitude of Gratitude” to God for all He has done for us, despite how frustrating our current circumstances may be.

And Peter demonstrates wisdom when he says (John 6:58) Lord, to Whom would we go?  You have the words that give eternal life.  We believe, and we know that You are the Holy One of God.  This is true wisdom.  May we each desire it and achieve it!  Amen! 

©️2024 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

Who can Pull Us up out of the Pit?

Pastor Sherry’s message for August 11, 2024

Scriptures: 2 Sam 18:1-33; Ps 130; Eph 4:25-5:2; Jn 6:35, 41-59

In the first church I served, we were to have composed our sermons by Tuesday so we could alert the Music Director, who would then choose music that complimented and reinforced the message.  This about killed me. I am often struggling to finish my sermon by Friday night or Saturday afternoon.  So I have relied here, at Wellborn Methodist Church, on the Holy Spirit to guide the selections our musicians make.  This morning, Joy’s anthem, “Undo,” by a band called “Rush of Fools,” was perfect.  Isn’t that just what we look to Jesus to do for us?  We need Him to pull us up out of the pit.  As the song says, “Turn me around, pick me up, undo what I’ve become.  You’re the only One who can undo what I’ve become.”

Paul, in our New Testament reading today (Ephesians 4:25-5:2), continues to remind us that as Christ-followers, we are to put away our old fleshly life, and adopt a new way of living that imitates the life of Jesus. To that end, we are to (1) be truth-tellers, not liars; (2) control our tempers rather than let anger drive our behavior; (3) say things that are good and helpful rather than foul or abusive (limit criticisms and eliminate cursing!);

And (4) be kind to others rather than spew out bitterness, rage, anger, slander, or any evil behavior (like holding grudges).  As imitators of Christ, therefore, we are to live lives characterized by love, and that demonstrate self-sacrifice, just as Jesus did. This is a tall order, isn’t it?  It’s a high standard to try to attain.  But this should be the life standard toward which we each aim.  If not, we find we fall into a pit of our own making, and we need the divine rescuer, Jesus—Who we just might call “The Great Undo-er.”

As you know, we are in an election year and it would be very easy to locate examples of each of the fleshly behaviors Paul warns us to avoid in the behaviors of various candidates.  But rather than do that, let’s look to King David’s family, and the legacy of violence and rebellion exhibited by his relatives in 2 Samuel 18:1-33.  Our passage opens with King David telling his army commanders to take it easy with the young man Absalom.  Why? What’s the deal with Absolom? To find out we have to rewind and review some earlier chapters:

Remember that some years prior, Amnon, the eldest of David’s sons, raped his half-sister, the beautiful Tamar.  David was angry about this, but did not avenge Tamar.  Perhaps he was still feeling guilty about his own sexual immorality with Bathsheba.  Perhaps he thought, “Who am I to punish him for actions I also took?  Maybe he realized this was part of the playing out of the consequences of his past sin.  The prophet Nathan had told him—even though God had forgiven him— Now, therefore, the sword [violence, rebellion] will never depart from your house [dynasty; extended family] (12:10).  Maybe David feared taking any punishing action would bring about more bloodshed. So, even though he could have insisted Amnon marry Tamar, thereby legitimizing her status as a wife, David did nothing.

This apparent inability of King David, to discipline his wayward son Amnon and to help restore his daughter Tamar, incensed Absalom, Tamar’s full brother.  Absalom slyly and covertly plotted revenge against Amnon for 2 years.  He invited Amnon, together with his father’s other sons by other wives, to a sheep-shearing festival at his country home.  Absalom got Amnon drunk, then had him killed.  Now, just as David had had Uriah killed so he could marry the pregnant Bathsheba, Absolom has had another person kill his half-brother.  David must realize Absalom’s murder of his eldest mirrors his own homicidal act. Furthermore, Absolom has demonstrated that murderous rage leads to bitterness and to evil behavior.

Absalom hits the road and is exiled from his father for 3 years.  Scripture tells us that, all that time, David longed to see Absalom—now his eldest, his heir, his favorite—and mourned his absence (13).  Curiously, though, he did not send for him.  Absalom is as good as banished.  In effect, David has now lost his 2 eldest sons—1 dead, 1 exiled. 

In a complicated strategy, Joab, David’s cousin and general, (14) manipulates David into calling his son home.  David agrees, but does not invite Absalom into his presence (Is he holding a grudge?).  Another 2 years go by and Absalom grows embarrassed and increasingly embittered.

Let’s examine David’s behavior toward Absalom:  David is uncharacteristically unforgiving!  He has nursed an offense toward his son.  The King has to be urged by his cousin to recall Absalom to Jerusalem.  Then, 2 years later, he has to be again urged by Joab to reconcile with Absolom.  So, 5 years after Absalom kills Amnon (7 yrs. after the rape of Tamar), David finally summons him.  The King greets him with a kiss, but this is too little too late.  The damage to their relationship has been compounded.  Many cultures in the Ancient Near East then, as now, were “Shame-based cultures” (Honoring the family was the supreme virtue). A son, even a prince, did not shame his father. By taking a father’s right to discipline Amnon, Absalom has shamed the King.  David had exhibited his corresponding displeasure by not inviting his son back home, thus shaming Absolom.  (Contrast this with God’s example of the father in the Prodigal Son story.)  Privately David loves Absolom and misses him, but publically his pride has taken a hit, and he harbors an offense against Absalom.  He builds up a wall in his heart, and he emotionally abandons his heir.

Now let’s look at Absalom’s behavior toward his father:  After having taken himself into exile for 3 years, then feeling ignored for another two, Absalom is embittered. Like Father, like son.  He too has registered a hit to his pride. He too has taken offense and held onto it.  He too has established walls in his heart against his father.  From all of this, it’s a simple step to betrayal.

  So (15) describes how Absolom campaigns—over the next 4 years—to win over his countrymen. He was exceedingly handsome and famous for his beautiful, luxuriant hair. Though he had slain his ½ brother at his own table (a huge violation of Ancient Near East hospitality rules), he is now nice as can be to everyone. It’s a presidential campaign! He is kissing babies, promising tax cuts, and telling people what they want to hear. He is also trying to usurp his aging father’s public popularity.

Then, before David even suspects what is happening, Absalom launches a coup, and a Civil War erupts between the followers of the father and those who are loyal to the son (Chapters 16-17).  David, the seasoned warrior, flees the city (He desires no fighting in Jerusalem). He has his experienced and loyal army with him (Green Berets, Navy Seals). One of his Mighty Men, for instance, was Benaiah. He was famous for having jumped into a pit on a snowy day, where he killed a lion with only his spear (1 Chronicles 11:22).  David’s military was brave, bold, and highly skilled. They beg David, due to his age, not to go into battle with them. They realized that if the king were captured or killed, Absolom would win the war. So David agrees, sees them off, but asks them to spare his son’s life (18).

Now remember Absalom is not a warrior (he is instead a shrewd politico). Lacking an army, he has to call in Israelite citizens to bear arms for him. These are like the “national guard.”  They have some training, but limited experience. The armies encounter each other in a large forest.  Absalom’s forces pick this place, but it is not a wise battle-site, as trees, hills, and cliffs appear to have impeded troop movements. David’s veterans overcome the larger, inexperienced forces.  Absalom may have been trying to retreat or desert, when his rich, lush hair entraps him. Even though Joab, David’s cousin, had been told to capture but not kill the rebel prince, he insubordinately kills him anyway and buries his body in a pit (adding insult to injury). By the way, isn’t this the same cousin who brought Absolom back to Jerusalem, only to murder him 4 years later? Perhaps Joab reasoned that Absalom was a trouble-maker who would never fall into line; that he would always present a threat to David’s reign.  Whatever his motivation, he ruthlessly brings a sad chapter in King David’s life to an end. Joab, a second cousin, kills a second cousin. And a bereft King David loses his favorite son and heir.

What might God be saying to us today through Paul, Absolom, and King David?

      (1) What do we do when relatives take offense? We cannot hang on to offenses. They expand over time. They harden into bitterness.  They shrivel our hearts and set our spirits up against God. We must recognize and take responsibility for our own sins of pride.  We must forgive the offense and pray for the person who offended us. We must make an attempt to make amends. From the perspective of time and distance, we can see where either Absalom or David could have attempted to mend the breach.

       (2) Isn’t it true that we reap what we sow?  David kiiled a man so that he could have that man’s wife. In the very next generation, one son is sexually immoral, ravaging a woman who was not his wife. The second son kills the first.  God forgave David and forgives us of our sins, if—like David—we just humble ourselves and ask it of Him. Nevertheless, He often lets us experience the fruit or consequences of our mistakes, either in our own lives, or in our children’s or grandchildren’s generations. I have seen this so often in my counseling practice.  Similar sin patterns run down the generations in a given family. One family may be characterized by multiple suicides, another—like the Kennedys—for violent deaths; another for pornography, adultery, and serial affairs.  Intergenerational sin patterns that are not recognized and repented of can be and are passed down.

        (3) We want to forgive, before it’s too late. I picture King David wailing, keening his grief, sobbing with regret, wishing he had handled Amnon, Tamar, and Absalom differently.  The child born of David’s adultery died, but three of his other children’s lives were also ruined.  I believe he must have been so sorry that he had not been as competent a father as he had been a king or a warrior.

(4) Who could have pulled King David out of the pit of despair?  It is the same God who pulls us up out of the pit. Psalm 130:1-2—Out of the depths [the pit] I cry to you, O Lord; O Lord, hear my voice.  Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.  We turn to the Lord for help. As Jesus advises in our Gospel lesson (Jn 6:35, 41-59), we stay intimately connected to our Lord, through communion conversation, and worship.

When we find ourselves in the pit, let’s remember to call upon the Lord.  As the song says, “He is the only one to undo what we have become.” Let’s ask Him for wisdom and discernment; for strength to endure (resilience); and for assistance in living a life like that of Jesus.  Amen!

©️2024 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams 

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

Metaphors or Examples?

Pastor Sherry’s message for August 4, 2024

Scriptures: 2 Sam 13:1-31; Ps 51:10-19; Eph 4:17-24; Jn 8:1-11

Joe DiMaggio was a baseball centerfielder for the New York Yankees from 1936-1951, interrupted by 3 years army service during WWII.  He is probably most famous for maintaining a streak of hits in 56 consecutive games; for helping the Yankees win 9 World Series in his 13 years as an active player; and for having been married briefly to the actress Marilyn Monroe.  Curiously, there is a line about him in Paul Simon’s iconic song from the 1960’s called “Mrs. Robinson”—What’s that you say, Mrs. Robinson?  Joltin’ Joe has left and gone away…hey, hey, hey.”  Joe apparently wrote to Simon after the song came out and said, “What do you mean, where have I gone?  I haven’t gone anywhere!  I’m still around selling Mr. Coffee.”  (He advertised Mr. Coffee for a number of years on TV.)  Paul Simon mentioned his letter in a “60 Minutes” interview and told Mike Wallace, “Obviously Mr. DiMaggio is not accustomed to thinking of himself as a metaphor.”

(Anecdote borrowed from Scott Hoezee, www.sermons.com, July 30, 2024.)

I read this recently and thought, “Well, who does think of themselves as a metaphor?”  Jesus used metaphors to describe Himself:  I am the Bread of Life, the Good Shepherd, the Vine, the Living Water, the Gate, the way, the truth and the life, the Resurrection and the Life, etc., but He was and is God.  The rest of us tend to think of ourselves as ordinary, regular persons.  How would you describe yourself?  I would say I’m a mother and grandmother, a follower of Jesus Christ, a pastor, a friend, a neighbor, a psychologist, a daughter to deceased parents, an American, and so on. It might be fun to ask our families to come up with some poetic image they might use to capture in a word or phrase who we are to them.  Would they say we are “the Rock of Gibraltar? Or might they say we are “a pain in the neck”? 

Most of the time, in Scripture, the stories are of real people like us, facing real and sometimes tough situations, and are useful to us as examples, rather than metaphors.  Our Scripture lessons today contain several didactic examples and maybe a few creative metaphors.

A.  Let’s start with our Old Testament lesson from 2 Samuel 13:1-31.  If I’m not mistaken, this story never appears in our lectionary.

Perhaps it’s too violent, too upsetting, or too triggering.  But I appreciate that our God doesn’t try to “candy-coat” human behavior.  In certain stories, He shares with us how very depraved human beings can be if they are not following hard after Him. The story of Amnon, Tamar, and Absolom illustrates for us the initial outworking of Nathan’s prophesy to the guilty King David (2 Samuel 12:10)—Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you despised Me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.  In other words, David would reap a harvest of violent and reprehensible behavior among his own children.

It begins when Amnon, David’s eldest son and heir (by his 3rd wife Ahinoam), thinks he’s desperately in love with his half-sister, Tamar.  Tamar was reputed to be very beautiful.  Her full brother was Absalom, David’s favorite son.  Their mother was Maacah, David’s 4th wife.  She was a princess, daughter to Talmai, King of Geshur, so the marriage may have been a political one.

The true tale is accelerated by a wily cousin, Jonadab.  He recommends to Amnon that he lure Tamar into his bedroom.  (Beware of wily cousins.  I have to wonder how aiding Amnon to do wrong would profit Johadab.  Remember, last week I encouraged us to be somewhat skeptical of human reason.)  Amnon takes his advice, even asking his father to assist by directing Tamar to tend to Amnon.  David was a mighty general and a gifted leader, but he appears to have been pretty clueless or naive regarding his sons.

Amnon’s victim, Tamar, realizes his intentions are sinister when he grabs her, and she begs him to let her alone.  She first appeals to his morals, (v.12, NLT)—Don’t be foolish!  Don’t do this to me!  Such wicked things aren’t done in Israel.  She then asks him to consider what this would mean to her future, (v.13)—Where could I go in my shame?

Next, She reminds him of what this will do to his reputation (v.13)—And you would be called one of the greatest fools in Israel.  She even offers him an alternative (v.13)—Please, just speak to the king about it and he will let you marry me (probably not, but it may have bought her time or an opportunity to escape). 

Despite her pleas, Amnon won’t be persuaded and he assaults her.  Would real love lead a person to rape the one they claim to love?  No, he misperceived his lust for love.  After getting what he wanted, he then despises her and rejects her.  He doesn’t take responsibility for his sin, but instead blames his victim.  She is physically hurt, violated, humiliated, and grieved.  But notice she does not go to their father for help.  She knows that Amnon is his heir; no doubt she thinks, “Who am I compared to him?”She then runs to her brother, Absolom, for refuge.

King David hears about it afterward, gets angry, but does nothing.  Absolom despises Amnon and patiently plots revenge.  It takes 2 years, but he commands his servants to kill Amnon at a harvest celebration he hosts.

The rumor runs ahead that all the king’s sons are assassinated.  Wily cousin Jonadab tells the king that Absolom killed just Amnon—not the other sons—due to Amnon’s rape of his sister.  (Again, what was Jonadab after?)

David mourns Amnon’s death, but he again does nothing to his favorite son—now his heir–Absolom.  Absolom “gets out of Dodge” by taking refuge with his maternal grandfather, the King of Jeshur, for 3 years.

The grave, violent sins of two of his sons further grieves King David.

One kills the other.  The murderer, Absolom, no doubt develops contempt his father, David.  David has let his grief and favoritism get in the way of doing the right thing.  And to add insult to injury, he abandons his daughter—Scripture does not tell us how her life turned out.  (I want to ask about this when I get to heaven.)  These two sons are examples of entitled kids who go wrong. They are both godless and immoral.  They may even be metaphors for what happens when parental figures do not confront grave sin in their children.

B.  Paul seems to have had the Amnon-Absolom saga in mind as he penned Ephesians 4:17-24.  He clearly could have been referencing those two selfish and indulged princes when he wrote (vv.17-19)—Live no longer as the Gentiles [non-Jews but also nonbelievers] do, for they are hopelessly confused.  Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against Him.  They have no sense of shame.  They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.  He exhorts us all to remember that if we believe in Jesus, we will not behave in sinful or depraved ways.  Instead, we should (vv.23-24)—…throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception.  Instead, let the Spirit renew our thoughts and attitudes.  Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.  In other words, don’t behave like Amnon or like Absolom.

C. Finally, Jesus sees the larger picture in the case of the woman caught in adultery (John 8:1-11).  Unlike the seemingly naïve King David, Jesus immediately perceives the motives of the religious leaders who drag in the female adulterer: 1st, they rudely interrupt His teaching at the Temple.  Rather than taking Him aside privately, they thrust the poor woman onto the ground before Jesus and the crowd, and make their demands. This is staged-outrage, designed to discredit our Lord.  2nd, they are not really concerned about justice or correct theology.  It’s another trap, like paying taxes or healing on the Sabbath.  3rd, the woman has been caught in the act (they probably dragged her in from bed); there’s no question that she’s guilty.  The true question is, “Where’s the guy?”  This is not a sin that is committed without a partner.

The trap is this:  If He says, “You are right, stone her,” they can rat Him out to the Romans (only the Romans could authorize the death penalty).  If He urges mercy for her, they can claim He violates Jewish Law.

What’s interesting is that in trying to trap Jesus, they have themselves violated the spirit of the Law:  Leviticus 20:10—If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife—the wife of a neighbor—the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death.  Deuteronomy 22:22–If a man is found sleeping with another man’s wife, both the man who slept with her and the woman must die. You must purge the evil from Israel.  Notice, the means of death is not cited, and the Law is primarily aimed at the male.

The scribes and Pharisees very publically demand to know what Jesus would do.  Notice Jesus doesn’t say a word.  Instead, He begins to write in the dirt with His finger.  What could He have been writing? Perhaps He looked at them one-by-one and wrote their name next to a big, secret sin.

This makes sense because, after having apparently listing their hidden sins, He then states, (v.7)—IF any of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.  The only sinless person there is Jesus.  One-by-one, they leave, in age order (maybe the eldest had accumulated more sins?)  So then Jesus turns His attention to the woman:  Woman, where are they?  Has no one condemned you?  She respectfully replies, No one, Sir.  And Jesus responds, Then neither do I condemn you.  Go now and leave your life of sin (sin no more).  The only one who could have legitimately judged her did not.  He called her behavior sin, tells her to amend her life, and offers her grace and forgiveness.

So what does this mean to us?  Several things:

(1) Scripture tells us, (Romans 6:23)—The wages of sin are death.  As far as we know, both Amnon and Absolom died with serious sins on their souls.  They predated Jesus and they did not seem sorry for the wrong they had done.  They probably now reside in hell.  

(2) But, for us, this side of the Cross, Jesus’ mercy triumphs over justice.  Thank God!  As Paul reminds us in Romans 3:23—For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.  And as John writes in 1 John 1:8—If we claim to be without sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.  We are all sinners in need of a Savior.

(3) And, praise God, we have One!  Jesus is our Savior! 

(4) So let us learn from the examples of the wrong-doers in Scripture.  Let us live like metaphors of those who want to please our Lord.  And let us praise Him!  Amen!

©️2024 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

What’s Our Standard?

Pastor Sherry’s message for 7/28/24, 

Scriptures: 2 Sam 11:26-12:23; Ps 51:1-12; Eph 4:1-16; Jn 6:24-35

What’s our Standard?  What yardstick do we use by which to measure our behavior?

Many people today recommend human reason (including scientific findings) as their standard.  They maintain that we can solve all of our social, economic, and political problems by just agreeing with certain “experts”—even social media—and acting on what they recommend.  But I have to say I don’t really trust human reason all that much.  

In my counseling office over the years, I have heard people justify all kinds of wrong behaviors:  theft; betrayal; harming or ignoring the needs of a child; continuing an addiction; and even murder.  Isn’t it true that we can do all kinds of wrong things for what we may consider right reasons?  We justify lying to keep someone from firing us or leaving us. We justify stealing because we think we need or deserve whatever it is.  We have to remind ourselves that in God’s Kingdom, the ends never justify the means.

And haven’t we learned since the outbreak of Covid that the supposed facts of Science can be altered to support a particular political agenda?  We learned later on that masking, social distancing, and business, church, and school closures didn’t really help.  I’m glad I didn’t die from Covid—I’m glad that no one in this congregation died from Covid–but the second vaccine shot eliminated my sense of smell—thank God it wasn’t my eyesight—and I still can’t smell much of anything after all this time.  I maintain a healthy skepticism of human reason.

Another standard some folks tend to trust in are traditions. These are time-tested ways of thinking, believing, and acting. Some traditions are worth adhering to: Giving to the disadvantaged at Thanksgiving and Christmas; and patriotism for our country, thanking our service men and women for their service, and respecting our flag. But some are misguided and passé. The traditional view that the world was flat, and the belief that you would fall off if you sailed too far, restricted world exploration by sea for centuries. Wrapping a feverish person in multiple blankets to aid him/her in sweating out a fever, instead of trying to cool them off, probably killed a lot of folks. How about blood-letting to allow harmful “vapors” to escape an already weakened patient?  I just learned that General Stonewall Jackson of the Civil War did not die from having his arm amputated but from being told by field doctors to lie flat as he recovered.  As a result of his bed posture, he died of Pneumonia.  Singing “We are the Boys from Old Florida” at the start of the 4th quarter of Gator football games, when many UF students and fans are women, is fun but outmoded.  

I’m as careful about evaluating traditions as I am about accepting human reason. Hold off your acceptance. Take time to carefully evaluate human reason and traditions.  For my money—and I believe for yours too—I find the Bible provides us with the truest and best standards to follow.

Our Scriptures today all express this truth:

A.  In our Gospel lesson (John 6:24-35), Jesus conveys several profound and trustworthy truths:  (1) He is able to correctly perceive human motives.  He knows the crowd has followed Him across the lake for more food.  He tells them (v.24, NLT)—I tell you the truth, you want to be with Me because I fed you, not because you understood the miraculous signs.  Just previous to this, He had fed the 5,000 (including uncounted women and children, the number was more like 15,000) at the Sermon on the Mount.  Rather than (2) appreciate Jesus’ multiplication miracle, or (3) His authority over material things, they come looking to see if He would again manufacture food for them.  Instead, He directs them to (4) believe in Him because He is the Bread of Heaven (All of His I AM statements in John’s Gospel are Jewish ways for Him to say He is God.  Because He is God, He is able to create food enough to feed a multitude from just a little (5 loaves + 2 fish +Jesus= food for 15,000 and 12 baskets of leftovers).  The truth is Jesus is God.  He loves us and He can supply all our needs. (He may not supply all our wants, but He does take care of our needs.)

B.  King David, in our Old Testament reading (2 Samuel 11:26-12:23), provides us with a set of colossal sins and David’s Biblical responses to them. He has sinned by coveting and entering into an adulterous relationship with Bathsheba, Uriah’s wife; and by arranging for Uriah’s death when their adultery results in a baby.

Though his sins are state secrets, Scripture records he did not get off “scot-free.”  Only Bathsheba, the servants who David sent to gather her, and Joab, David’s general, know of his treachery, and they are not talking! They realize he could have them arrested and executed.  His secret sins are relatively safe, but nevertheless, King David feels wretched. Several of the psalms he wrote at this time, including today’s psalm, Psalm 51, tell of his great, private shame, remorse, and misery: (v.4) For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.  In Psalm 31:10, he wrote—My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones grow weak.   Similarly in Psalm 32:3—When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.  We could say that the Holy Spirit has brought him under conviction and he is suffering the resulting emotional and spiritual anguish.

The only One who knows of his sins besides those who refuse to talk is the Lord. Notice that God does not abandon King David. Instead, He sends the brave prophet, Nathan, to call him to account. Nathan tells David a story about a poor man taken advantage of by a rich man.  David, thinking this is a report about someone in his kingdom, is outraged! He wants the rich man brought to justice. So Nathan confronts him (v.7)—You are the man!  The story was only a metaphor. Nathan conveys God’s disappointment in David. God had given him so much!  In fact, he already had 6 wives by this time; Bathsheba made #7. (How many wives does a man need?  Often one provides enough drama and interest.)  But David’s sinful actions convey to God that David instead lacks gratitude to and has contempt for the Lord. What a novel way to consider sin: Our sins show our contempt for God. YIKES!

Now David has 3 choices in the way he could respond:  (1) He could deny his sin altogether—as so many government leaders do today (This is an example of human reason at work).  (2)  He could have had Nathan executed—as any despot or dictator would (a “time honored” but ignoble tradition).  (3) Or he could admit the truth, the Biblical standard. This, and the fact that David never was an idolater, is what makes King David a man after God’s own heart.  He desperately desires to recommit himself to God.  So, He admits his sin, he repents, and he asks God to forgive and restore him.

Remember, this is a saga from the Old Testament. It predates the saving work of Jesus Christ.  God graciously forgives David and Bathsheba.  He spares them the punishment for adultery (and murder) which would have resulted in them both being stoned.  But God does not prevent the grave consequences of David’s sin from affecting him. Notice how the Law of Sowing and Reaping then plays out in David’s life:  (1) The child born to Bathsheba, a firstborn son, dies after birth (his death for Uriah’s death).

(2) Later, one of David’s other sons, Amnon, covets and rapes his beautiful step-sister, Tamar (a sexual sin, rape, for a sexual sin, adultery).   (3.) Absalom, Tamar’s full brother, kills Amnon out of revenge (another death for a death).  (4.) Still later, Absalom will try to wrest the throne from King David (lawlessness and rebellion against David for lawlessness and rebellion against God).

C.  King David models for us in Psalm 51, that we can return to a close relationship with God when we honestly acknowledge our sins.  As we read responsively verses 1-12, it is clear that David has sincere grief and regret over what he has done.  He openly begs for God’s forgiveness, asking for mercy.  He also recognizes that it is only God Himself who can cleanse him (v.10)—Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.   He affirms his faith that God will forgive him because he has asked (v.15)—O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare Your praise, and (v.17)—The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken spirit and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.  

D.  Paul advises his protégé, Timothy, in 2 Timothy 4:2-4a—Preach the word, be prepared in season and out of season, correct, rebuke, and encourage–with great patience and careful instruction—for the time will come [and is now here] when men [and women] will not put up with sound doctrine.  Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.  They will turn their ears away from the truth….. In our Ephesians reading today (Ephesians 4:1-16), Paul asserts that we grow up or mature in our faith when (v.14)–>…we will no longer be infants tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.   In other words, we become mature Christians when we are able to discern Biblical truth from human reason or tradition.

The Truth is contained in Scripture.  Jesus Christ is the way, the Truth, and the life.  Our standards are spelled out for us in the words of The Bible and in the way that Jesus modeled for us.  Remember back in the 1990’s when many people wore bracelets that said “WWJD”?  That stood for “What Would Jesus Do?” There’s our standard.  Let’s be skeptical of human wisdom and of human tradition. Let’s look to our Lord for how we should live and what we should believe.  AMEN!  

©️2024 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams 

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

Gather up for Snacks!

Pastor Sherry’s message for July 7, 2024

Scriptures: 2 Sam 5:1-10; Ps 48; 2 Cor 12:2-10; Mk 6:1-13

Do you remember, when your kids/grandkids were little, going to their T-ball or Coach-pitched baseball games?  I apologize now, but I thought they were both adorable and hilarious!  I often laughed my head off!  The kids were about 6-7YO and, as one wag has said, “had lots of enthusiasm, but the attention span of a gnat.”  While the coaches and assistants of the kids in the outfield kept yelling for them to pay attention and keep their “heads up,” or their “eyes on the ball,” the children playing the outfield would be searching the grass for bugs, looking up in the sky, adjusting their hats, or focusing on their friend at 2nd base.  Then, when the occasional opponent player actually hit the ball, no one was prepared to catch it. It would usually plop down in someone’s vicinity and the rest of the team would then abandon their positions to converge on the ball as if it were a rugby scrum.  So, when the game ended, you could always hear some child asking, “Did we win?  Did we win?  (They hadn’t tuned in enough to know.)  If the coach answered that they did, the kids would jump up and down and cheer in delight.  If he said they’d lost, they would kick the ground or throw down their hats in the agony of defeat.  But then they would quickly perk up again when coach called out, “Gather up for snacks!”

Winning and losing tends to be much more complicated for grown-ups, doesn’t it?  Isn’t it true that many of us lose, fail, or are disappointed more often in life than we win?  For the sake of our mental health, we need to figure out how to bounce back from setbacks, defeats, insulting words, and poor performances.  We need to develop some of what psychology calls “emotional resilience.”  And even the best of snacks is not likely to cheer us up or help us feel better.

(Concept borrowed from Fairless and Chilton, The Lectionary Lab Commentary, Year B, 2014, p.235)

Our Scripture passages today all deal with folks who are struggling with failure or disappointments of one form or another:  vocational failures, health struggles, faith challenges, and even life defeats.  They provide us with some good examples of how a mature believer might bounce back from such troubles.

A.  In our Old Testament lesson (2 Samuel 5:1-10), King David is finally crowned king of Israel.  Remember, he had been anointed King by the prophet Samuel when he was about 16YO.  He remained a shepherd until called by God to go up against Goliath (perhaps 17 year old).  Then, as a talented musician, he played soothing music for the troubled King Saul. He was also enlisted in Saul’s army.  He developed a deep friendship with Saul’s son, Jonathan, and married Saul’s daughter, Michal.  He served in Saul’s army until his father-in-law grew murderously jealous of his continued success as a warrior.  Saul tried to kill David both in his palace and in David’s home.  The as yet uncrowned King David then lived as an outlaw, in the wilderness, (for 10-12 years) until King Saul died.

So, here he is at age 30, finally crowned king of Judah (and Simeon). These 2 tribes recognized his authority, while the 10 remaining tribes supported Saul’s son, Ish-Bosheth.  Civil war broke out and lasted 7 years. Can’t you just hear David’s frustrated thoughts, “God said I would be king. This isn’t supposed to be happening”?

Then someone—not King David—assassinates Ish-Bosheth.  Finally, the 10 tribes who had supported Saul’s son approach David to reunite all of Israel as king. They claim their relational ties to him and recall that God Himself had anointed him for the role of king.  After seven years of civil war, they are only remembering this now? Why hadn’t they considered this seven years earlier?  Well, the truth had obviously not fit their narrative until they found themselves between the proverbial rock and a hard place.  Nevertheless, this rapprochement ends about 20 years of disappointment, frustration, and struggle for David.

In one of his first acts as king of the reunited Israel, David decides to move his capital to Jerusalem, which was said to be an impenetrable citadel. He tells his army commander to find a way up through their water supply tunnel.  He then overwhelms the Jebusites—the Canaanites who had underestimated him—and claims Jerusalem, from which he reigns for the next 33 years.

The lesson from David is never give up (predating Winston Churchill by millennia)! Despite setbacks and delays, persist!  He waited for years to actually become king of Israel. He had to have felt discouraged and wronged. Perhaps he even wondered if God had changed His mind, or if he’d sinned too much for God to honor him, or if God had forgotten him. But his patient, persistent faith, his resilience–despite delays and what appeared to be life defeats–paid off.  May it be so with each of us!

B.  Psalm 48 is what scholars refer to as a Millennial Psalm.  It celebrates Jesus’ great victory to come, when He reappears on earth and brings everyone under the sovereign rule of Messiah.  He will be victorious over the forces of evil and He will reign from Jerusalem, King David’s capital.  In His 1st coming, Jesus won for us salvation and eternal life; but the world will not know He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords until He comes again in glory.

Even Jesus must patiently wait, with faith, in God’s timing. Remember His disciples asked Him when He would come again and He replied that no one except the Father—and including the Son—knew the hour or the day.  May we learn to be as patient as Jesus and as King David.

C.  Paul, in our 2 Corinthians 12:2-10, bemoans a thorn in his flesh. In verses 2-5, he cryptically refers to a time he was lifted up into the 3rd heaven (1st heaven is where birds and airplanes fly; 2nd heaven is where the stars and planets exist; 3rd heaven is God’s dwelling place).  Then he claims that—to keep him from becoming conceited over this experience—God gave him a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me. 

What was it?  We don’t know.  I hope to ask Paul when I get to heaven.  Some scholars believe it was impaired eyesight, maybe cataracts?  We know that his hand writing and signature grew larger until he stopped writing himself and dictated his epistles to a secretary.  Others think maybeit was sciatica, pain in the hip as with Jacob after he had wrestled all night with the pre-incarnate Jesus.  Others think it might have been the Jewish folks who rejected Jesus who then followed Paul about, heckling him and agitating against him.

Whatever it was, He asks God three times to be healed of it and God tells him essentially “no”: (v.9)—My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.  In other words, this unnamed problem reminded Paul daily that he is not ministering in his own strength, skill, or gifting; rather, it is God who empowered and made a way for him.  In other words, our setbacks may be a way to wean us from our own pride and self-reliance and to teach us to depend more upon our Lord.

As with King David, the message from Paul is persist in faith, no matter our health or other obstacles.  May it be so with each of us!

D. Last, but not least, we have Jesus’ example in Mark 6:1-13.

Some scholars believe this trip to Nazareth was His second.  In Luke 4:14-30, His first visit as Messiah, they got so mad they tried to throw Him from a cliff.  But these are His friends and relations, so He returns in today’s passage, to try again to win them over.  This time they both marvel at His wisdom and understanding, but also doubt Him because they think they know Him.  He’s the hometown boy who worked as a carpenter.  His brothers and sisters are still among them, and they don’t appear to accept Him as Messiah. They can’t believe He could be anything other than what they had always supposed of Him.

Jesus is saddened by their lack of belief.  He admits (v.4)—Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house, is a prophet without honor.  And they lose out because His ability to heal folks is limited by their lack of faith.

But notice what He does next.  He doesn’t collapse into depression, wallowing in what appears to be a vocational failure.  He continues on to other towns and villages to teach and heal.  And He sends His disciples out, 2 by 2, to do the same.

Jesus is disappointed by the hometown rejection, but not defeated. He couldn’t do miracles in Nazareth because of their lack of faith in Him; He was stunned by this. If Jesus, who is God, the logos who spoke creation into existence, can or even needs to learn anything, He no doubt realized that you can control what you say, but not how people interpret it. You can control your own behavior, but not how other people respond to you. You can even control how you demonstrate your love to others, but not that they will receive it. Can we make another person love us?  No. Sadly, He recognized that lack of faith limits what He is able to accomplish in them and in us.

But His disciples didn’t seem to be discouraged by what happened there. They had seen Him, through the first 5 chapters of Mark’s Gospel, do miracle after miracle. So when He sent them off to do what they had seen Him do, they went with faith the Nazarenes lacked. As Paul would later write, they knew their weaknesses were made perfect in Jesus’ strength and power; and that His grace—His provision, His protection, His faith in them—was truly sufficient for them.  May it be so for us!

Well, there we have it!  Our journey with Jesus is not about winning or losing, is it? It’s about persisting in faith, even despite setbacks, waiting, and obstacles. It’s about keeping our “heads up” and our “eyes in God’s game.”  Who knows, we may even enter heaven like those little baseball kids, wondering if we won. Did we accomplish what God set out for us to do? Did we love Him and love our neighbors?  Did we obediently do what He set before us?  My hunch is that our Lord will then say, Glad to see you!  Gather up for snacks! 

©️2024 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams