Scripture:  Acts 10:34-43

It is well known and established that I am a huge Star Wars fan, so it sometimes comes as a surprise to some that I am also a fan of Star Trek.   They are very different takes on science fiction, and I clearly think there is room to really enjoy both.  However, I was not always a Star Trek fan.  What really pulled me into Star Trek was the reboot movie starring Chris Pine as Captain Kirk that came out in 2009.  Initially I liked this movie because honestly it has a lot more in common with the action and high adventure of Star Wars than the cerebral, hard sci-fi of classic Star Trek.  However, watching that movie led me to wanting to see more Star Trek. Thanks to streaming service I could, and that is what I did. Series after series, movie after movie.  I expanded into reading Star Trek novels and playing Star Trek games.   Within three to four years, I went from not caring much about Star Trek to considering myself a  big and invested fan.  This probably would not have happened if it were not the 2009 movie.   

In 2015, a local movie theater was doing a screening of my favorite Star Trek movie: The Wrath of Kahn.   We attended one of the showings with a group of people, one of which was a big enough of a Trekkie that she had a star trek uniform.  Before the movie started I was talking with her, and we were interrupted by some guy behind us saying something to the effect of “why are you wearing that?”

It was said with a derogatory tone, full of vitriol.  Capturing our attention, we turned to him, and he immediately apologized.  He saw that she was wearing an original series uniform.  He had initially mistaken it for a uniform from that 2009 reboot movie, and he was concerned that she was not a “real fan” of “real Star Trek”.   I guess in this guy’s view anyone who liked the new Star Trek movies, the ones that pulled me into Stark Trek, did not count.  They were not real fans.  They did not belong.   He was apparently so concerned about this that before he realized he mistakenly misidentified the uniform he was going to call out a woman he had never met.  This guy was looking to be a gatekeeper.   Gate keeping is when someone takes it upon themselves to decide who does or does not have access to a community or identity based on their standards.  Unfortunately, gate keeping happens a lot.  For instance, if you are a diehard fan of a sports team then you have likely heard someone else complain about “bandwagon fans”. 

Unfortunately, gatekeeping has long been a problem in faith as well.   From close to the very beginning of Christianity have been people who have appointed themselves as gatekeepers who spend a lot of energy and effort to determine who is adhering to doctrinal purity and meeting their arbitrary standard.  It is somewhat odd that this has been a reoccurring problem in Christianity, because this is an issue that was hashed out at the very beginning of the Christian faith.   In the very beginning, there was a real question about who salvation was actually for.  For Peter, this question was definitively answered in this morning’s scripture.   There are no outsiders to God’s love, and sometimes for people to experience it we need to get out of the way. 

It may seem obvious to say that salvation through Christ is for everyone today, but that was not so clear in the first century.   The question, “who is grace for?  Is it for the Jews or for everyone?” is a question that is addressed in the gospels, in Acts, and in several of the epistles.  Again, the answer seems obvious to us today, but if we try to place ourselves in the context of the first Jesus followers, we can see how it becomes less clear quickly.  We need to remember that Jesus was a Jew.  The apostles were all Jews, and all the members of the early church that formed in Jerusalem were Jewish.  The God that Jesus called Father is the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, and the God of the twelve tribes of Israel.   Especially when compared the religious attitudes and culture of the greater Greco-Roman culture, Christianity did have more in common and probably felt like an offshoot of Judaism. 

This becomes clearer when human tribalism comes into play, because the Jewish people of the first century made a clear distinction between Jews and Gentiles.  The key difference is that the Jews were God’s chosen people and the gentiles were not.  The Jews followed God’s law outlined in the Torah to maintain ritual cleanliness and the gentiles did not.  By the time of the first century this had developed that Jews were not to eat with or even associate with gentiles so that they did not become unclean by transference.  There was a strong “us and them” sense in first century Israel and it was strongly enforced by cultural forces.   All indications are that at least for the first several months, the early church- those who followed Jesus- followed these same cultural lines, and salvation through Christ was only presented by the disciples to fellow Jews.  

This all begins to change in Acts chapter 10.  This morning’s scripture comes from closer to the end of that story.  It began though with a gentile who honored God but had not converted to Judaism, reaching out to Peter.   To prepare Peter for this encounter God gave him a vision which communicated the greater truth of God’s grace for all.   Peter goes to Cornelius’ house.  His encounter there begins to change Peter’s heart and mind.   Peter expresses as much in this morning’s scripture.  In verse 34 when he begins to speak, he says, “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism, but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.”  

 Peter then goes on to give a recount of the basics of the gospel message that he himself was a witness to.  The message, the good news had not changed, what changed was Peter’s understanding of it.  He began to realize that the good news was not just for one people group.  It is in this scripture that he realizes that when Jesus said, “I will draw all people to myself”, that Jesus really meant all people-not just his people.  This morning’s scripture is when Peter realizes that he needs to get out of the way, open the gates, and not hinder people coming to Jesus.  While we stopped at verse 43, this culminates in verse 47 when Peter declares about Cornelius and the other gentiles, “surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water.”

In the narrative of the bible, this morning’s scripture is the turning point where the good news truly starts being proclaimed for all.  This morning’s scripture is only the first movement though.  Starting in chapter 11 the narrative of Acts begins to turn from the acts of Peter and the other original disciples to the acts of Paul as the apostle to the gentiles.   The book of Acts records how the good news of Jesus Christ was shared with Jerusalem, then all of Israel and Samaria, and then to the ends of the earth.   This was the plan of Jesus laid out at the beginning of Acts, and that plan always included extending grace to all the peoples regardless of their ethnic or religious origins.  It is in this morning’s scripture that Peter begins to grasp that even the gentiles can be saved, this is where he realizes the fundamental truth that God does not show favoritism and there are no outsiders to God’s love.   

Even though Peter began to move in this direction the issue between Jews and Gentiles and salvation in Christ comes up again in Acts.  It is also an issue that Paul wrote about extensively in several of his letters.  While the issue does eventually get settled, it does not take long before for the followers of Jesus were once again asking who salvation is for. 
Looking back on our Christian history, we have done this in very formal ways.  Sometimes Christians have attempted to divide themselves into the right kind of believers and the wrong kind of believers, but most often we make walls between believers and non-believers.  Historically, these walls are not formal declarations, but they are beliefs that are held up by cultural norms.  We create expectations of how we think good Christians are supposed to act, but often these added expectations are based more in what makes us comfortable and less in grace. 

There can be an expectation that to follow Jesus someone has to dress a certain way, talk a certain way, vote a certain way, or hold a specific set of cultural values.  This is a form of gatekeeping; it is trying to define who salvation is for.  When this happens, then people who do not fit the mold, the people whose identity falls outside the lines are left to feel that church is not for them, Chistiantiy is not where they belong, or Jesus is not meant to be their savior.  Our preferences, our sensibilities, and our comfort can get in the way of people getting to Jesus.  Stories of church hurt, stories of people who have had communities of faith hurt them, by communicating they do not belong are far too common. That is not how it should be.  Friends, if our personal preferences, if our comfortability is getting in the way of people getting to Jesus, then we must get out of the way.    God does not show favoritism, and neither should we. 

Our baptism liturgy does a great job of reminding us of this. It always begins with “through the sacrament of baptism we are initiated into Christ’s holy church.  We are incorporated into God’s mighty acts of salvation and given new birth through water and the Spirit.  All this is God’s gift, offered to us without price.”  As this morning’s scripture proclaims, “everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

Salvation and the forgiveness of sins is a free gift offered to all people.   To receive this gift does not require anyone to have it all figured out.  No one has to meet a certain threshold of good actions or specific behavior before God will accept them.  That is true for each and every one of us, and it is also true for everyone else out there as well.  We should not expect other people to have conform to a standard that we create to be accepted.  The good news that we believe, the good news that we are supposed to proclaim is that God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  There are no asterisks or exceptions to that good news.  God sent Jesus because God’s love was for everyone.  God does not show favoritism.  There are no outsiders to God’s love. 

In this morning’s scripture Peter first realized that God’s love was for the gentiles as well as the Jews.   Today, we need to more fully realize just what it means that God love everyone.  We all have our own personal preferences, we all have our own viewpoints of what we think is best, and we all have people that we tend to be more comfortable with.   While that is a true, may we not let our personal preferences hinder the gospel.  May we not stand between people and Jesus.  May we not gatekeep the good news.   May we realize that every person we will ever interact with is a person that God loves so much that God was willing to give God’s son for.  If God loves them that much, then perhaps we should as well.  May we open the gates of God’s love wide.  For the early church the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the non-Jews in this morning’s scripture was confirmation that there is grace enough for the Jews and the gentiles.   That is still true today.  There is grace enough for everyone, so may we boldly go and share the good news of Jesus Christ.   

Scripture:  John 1:1-18

One of the mainstays of fan conventions are celebrity meet and greets.   For a fee, fans can get a chance to be face to face with the actors who portrayed their favorite characters, get an autographed headshot, or even take a picture with them.   These meet and greets are incredibly popular, and they often sell out.   The more well known the actor the more they can charge.  For example, Mark Hamill, who is most well known for playing Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars movies, charged $400 for an autograph at a FanExpo in the United Kingdom this summer.   While that is on the high end, there were still plenty of fans willing to pay it because Luke Skywalker is an iconic, childhood defining character for a whole lot of people. 

Given that people are willing to spend hundreds of dollars for the opportunity to spend a few moments with Mark Hamill, a bit from the Jimmy Kimmel show that aired a couple of weeks ago was surprising.   In this segment Mark Hamill stood on his star along the Hollywood walk of fame.  He was dressed in plain clothes, including a T-shirt with his picture and name on it.  Despite that the segment shows not a single person recognizing him.   At one point a person dressed in a Star Wars costume is shown interacting with him but not recognizing who is in front of him.  One the one hand it is kind of surprising.  Given all the people who visit the Hollywood walk of fame it seems at least one person would have recognized one of the stars depicted on it.   However, on the one hand it makes sense, because no one was expecting to see Mark Hamill, and they never thought they would pass by him on the street.   It is a humorous segment, but it also sheds some light on this morning’s scripture. 
​
Verse 11 of this morning’s scripture states that Jeus “came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.”  This is a point that the gospel of John makes throughout.  The religious leaders, the ones who knew all of the messianic passages from the prophets, the ones who should have recognized the incarnation of God, largely missed it.   Just like fans missed Mark Hamill in the Jimmy Kimmel segment because how they encountered him on the sidewalk was the kind of encounter they were expecting.  

This morning’s scripture proclaims that Jesus is the light of the world and that “grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”    We celebrate that the word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.  We celebrate that God is with us, but the reality is that many people on this world still miss it.  The light has come, but there are many who still only see darkness.  The light of the world has come, and we get to help people see it. 

Each of the gospel writers sought to tell the story of Jesus to a specific audience with a specific emphasis they wanted to communicate.  For instance, the gospel of Matthew puts more effort than the other gospels on establishing that Jesus is the Jewish messiah who fulfilled prophecies. The gospel of John puts more emphasis than the other gospels on the divine nature of Jesus.   The gospel of John seeks to establish that not only is Jesus the Messiah, not only is Jesus the son of God, but that Jesus is God incarnate.   This is why the gospel of John does not start with a birth narrative like Matthew and Luke.  Instead, it starts with “In the beginning” and it establishes that the word was with God and that the word was God.  The gospel of John makes it clear in this opening section that this Word that is the light of all humanity, and that the word became flesh in the person of Jesus.  

The incarnational nature of Jesus, that Jesus is fully God and fully man is a core belief of Christianity.  Yet it is one that has always courted controversy.   In the first couple hundred years after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, there were several people who floated alternate ideas than the incarnation.  The hang up for these people was that if Jesus was truly God, and suffered on the cross, then that means God suffered on the cross.  The idea of a suffering God bothered the people of the ancient world.  While the church fathers eventually got this doctrine hashed out in the Nicaean Creed, the incarnation is still a belief that can trouble people today, and it is still a belief that some can have a hard time accepting. 

To help teach this concept there was a story written by Louis Cassels in 1959 and then featured by Paul Harvey in 1960.   This simple story entitled, the Parable of the Birds, does a great job at explaining why we need the incarnation.   Once upon a time there was a man who was a kind, decent, mostly good man, generous to his family, and he dealt with others with integrity.  Despite being a man of morals, he was not religious.   For him, there was a major hang up he had.  He just couldn't swallow the Jesus Story, about God coming to Earth as a man.

"I'm truly sorry to distress you," he told his wife, “But I'm not going with you to church this Christmas Eve." He said he'd feel like a hypocrite. That he'd much rather just stay at home, but that he would wait up for them. So, he stayed while his family went to the midnight service.

Shortly after the family drove away, snow began to fall. He went to the window to watch the flurries get heavier and then went back to his fireside chair and began to read the newspaper. Minutes later he was startled by a thudding sound, then another, and then another — sort of a thump or a thud.

When he went to the front door to investigate, he found a flock of birds huddled miserably in the snow. They'd been caught in the storm and, in a desperate search for shelter, had tried to fly through his large landscape window. Well, he couldn't let the poor creatures lie there and freeze, so he remembered the shed in the backyard.  It would provide warm shelter if he could direct the birds to it. Quickly he put on a coat and trampled through the deepening snow to the shed He opened the doors wide and turned on a light, but the birds did not come in.

 He figured food would entice them. So, he hurried back to the house, fetched breadcrumbs, sprinkled them on the snow. He made a trail to the brightly lit wide-open shed. To his dismay, the birds ignored the breadcrumbs and continued to flap around helplessly in the snow.

He tried catching them. He then tried shooing them into the shed by walking around them waving his arms. But they scattered in every direction, except into the warm, lighted shed. And then he realized that they were afraid of him. To the birds, he reasoned, “I am a strange and terrifying creature. If only I could think of some way to let them know that they can trust me…that I am not trying to hurt them, but to help them. But how?
Any move he made tended to frighten and confuse them. They just would not follow. They would not be led or shooed because they feared him. "If only I could be a bird," he thought to himself, "and mingle with them speak their language. Then I could tell them not to be afraid. Then I could show them the way to the safe warm shed. But I would have to be one of them so they could see, and hear, and understand."

At that moment, the church bells began to ring. The sound reached his ears above the sound of the wind. And he stood listening to the bells proclaiming the birth of a savior he sank to his knees in the snow. "Now I understand," he whispered, "now I see why you had to do it."

Like the birds, all of humanity is shivering in the cold.  Our sin has cut us off from the warmth, light, and love of God that we were created to experience.  Only God is big enough to save us from ourselves.  Yet we are not big enough to understand God, and only another person can lead us to the warmth, light, and love of God.  To be saved from our sin we need both God and human.  We need the Incarnation.  We need Jesus, the light of the world to show us the way.  
I realize that for many of you, perhaps most of you, on this day I might be preaching to the choir.   Verse 12 of this morning’s scripture states, “To all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”  I realize that many of us here are those who have received him and believe in his name.   And yet, there are so many people who are still lost in the darkness.   There are so many people who do not see the light that we see.   Even though the light has come into the world, even though the world was made through him, there are still so many people that do not recognize him.  We cannot compel anyone to believe, but we can help them see the light that is already there.  

We can see a good example of this on most nights.  While it is possible, it takes a lot of cloud cover to hide a full moon.   There are times when the moon shines brightly enough to bring illumination to the darkness of night.   It does not matter how bright the moon looks in the night sky, it is still just a rock in space.   The moon is incapable of generating any light on its own.  The illuminated moon we see at night is only possible because the moon reflects the light of the sun.  Moonlight is reflected sunlight.  In the same way, our lives should reflect the light of the world.  As Christians we should reflect the light of our savior, of God’s only son, into the world.  In the depth of night, the moon acts as the intermediary that continues to reflect light into the dark world.  In the same way, we as Christians should reflect the light of God’s love into the world. 

We cannot save anyone.  It is Jesus who does that.  It is through Jesus that grace and truth come.  The light has already come, so we are not the light, but we can reflect the light.   There are so many people who are lost in darkness, there are so many people who are hurting and alone.  There are so many people who need Jesus.   If we truly want to see transformation in this world, if we honestly want to see souls saved, and disciples made.  Then we must go to the places where there is darkness still, we must go to where there is brokenness, we must go to where there are troubles, and then we reflect the light.   We follow the example of Jesus.  We love the hard to love, we serve others above ourselves, and we have compassion for those who often only experience judgement.   This morning’s scripture boldly proclaims, “the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.”   If we want to see real transformation in this world, in this community, then we prove it by reflecting the light from the Son in the dark corners of our neighborhood.   We light it up, and in doing so our loving actions will show people Jesus.   

People often miss what is right in front of them, because they are not expecting to see it.  Perhaps one of the reasons why so many people have not yet found Jesus is because they are not expecting to find him.  They are so accustomed to the darkness, coldness, and lack of hope that is found in the world that they do not expect the hope of salvation, the warmth of God’s love and the light of Christ.   This morning’s scripture established a fundamental belief, that Jesus is fully God and fully man.   For those who do believe in his name, this morning’s scripture also contains a powerful promise: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”  May we believe that is true, and may that belief fill us with an unbreakable hope.  May we take that belief beyond the walls of this building out into this community.   May we reflect the light of Jesus the son, the word of God was with God in the beginning, who through him all things have been made, and who is God- may we reflect his holy light into Rensselaer and light it up.   

Scripture Luke 2:1-20

Because it is one of the most popular and best-known board games in the world, there is a good chance that tomorrow there will be a lot of people opening new copies of the game Monopoly.  This game has been printed with every kind of theme imaginable, and it has been causing fights between siblings for 90 years now.  The game has a reputation as taking forever, but it shouldn’t.  The game is designed to bring about a fairly quick ending, and a four-player game of Monopoly should only take an hour to an hour and a half top.  Usually, the game takes longer than that because a lot of people do not play by the rules.  For instance, in Monopoly if someone lands on an unowned property and does not and cannot buy it, then it is supposed to be immediately auctioned off.  However, a lot of people do not play with auctions.  Then people add rules like having all the money paid to the game goes in the center of the board, and when someone lands on free parking they get all the money there.  That is not actually part of the game.  Most people do not actually read the rules to the game, but they are taught by someone. . .who also did not read the rules.  For that reason, Monopoly is a game that a lot of people are playing wrong.  

               In a similar way, I think we kind of celebrate Christmas wrong as well.   We tend to treat Christmas as a destination.    These days, the so-called Christmas season starts on November 1st.  Stores start playing Christmas music, the hallmark channel starts showing movies, and the people who really lean into it get decorations up as quickly as they can.   For almost two months there are parties, traditional activities, and events all building up to one day.  We treat Christmas as the destination, the finale to all of the festivities.  Both traditionally and spiritually, this is not the way it was intended to be.  

               Christmas, as a Christian celebration, is not meant to be a build up to one day.  The tradition of celebrating Christmas traces back to a church council in the 6th century that established Christmas as a twelve-day season of the church that is set apart as a sacred and festive time to celebrate the coming of our savior.   Originally, Christmas day was the beginning of the celebration not the big ending to a holiday season.   In our devotional lives and faith walks, Christmas also should be seen less as a destination and more as a part of the journey.   We see this reflected in the familiar story from Luke we read this evening.  

               The scriptural Christmas story is not about arriving at a destination, but it is about the journey.  We see that the theme all over the story.  It begins with Joseph and Mary journeying to Bethlehem.   It continues with shepherds watching their flocks at night.  After the angels appear, the shepherds go at once, journeying to see this promised sign, but even this is not the destination.  The scripture does not end with a still life nativity scene as everyone marvels at the majesty of a baby messiah in a manger under a shining star.  No, the scripture ends with the shepherds on the move, spreading the word to all that would listen.    While the scripture does end with Mary taking a moment to treasure all these things in her heart, Bethlehem and the birth of Jesus is not the destination for Mary and Joseph either.   For Jesus Christmas celebrate not the finale, but the beginning because the baby born at Bethlehem, grew to became the man who showed us what it meant to truly love God with all our being and our neighbor as ourselves, he grew to be the messiah that would prove God’s love for us on the cross, and he is still the king of kings and lord of lords who sits at the right hand of the Father and he will come again to reign over a kingdom without end.   

               We should not treat Christmas as a final destination, but as celebration of the beginning.   Because it is on Christmas that we celebrate that the light of the world has come, and that the darkness has not overcome it.  We celebrate that our hopes our fully realized in Christ, we celebrate that reconciliation and peace with God are now possible, we celebrate that we an know the joy of new life, and we celebrate that love came down at Christmas.   Friends, this celebration, this good news, it can not be contained to one day.   It should not be contained to one day.  We should take our cues from the shepherds.   Instead of having a build up to one day and then packing it all away on December 26th we should tell everyone the good news of Jesus Christ.  We should not be shy about making it known that because of Jesus Christ we have an assurance that we are loved and forgiven.   We should testify that we have a hope that cannot be crushed a sense of peace that cannot be overcome because we know that the light of the world has come and that darkness can not and will not overcome it. 

               All of us have a different walk in faith, we all come here tonight from different places and in different states.  But for all of us, this is not the destination of our faith, Christmas is not the grand finale.  As we reflect on the love of God made known in a manger in Bethlehem, may we like Mary ponder and treasure the ways Jesus has changed our lives for the better in our hearts.   In the quiet moments of this evening may we feel and know the peace and reconciliation with our creator that we have, but may that not be the destination.   May we be willing to continue the journey and celebrate Christmas beyond Christmas as we testify to the goodness of God.  While tonight might be a silent night, may we live our lives loud as we seek to share the light of Christ with all we meet for the glory of God.    

Scripture: Isaiah 7:10-16

               While I was the exception, I grew up in a family of picky eaters.  Despite that my parents tried to offer vegetables, even though my siblings did not want to eat them.  Because of this, Cracker Barrel was a favorite restaurant choice for my family.  This was because Cracker Barrel had a loophole.  I think they have now changed it, but it used to be that Cracker Barrel labeled all their sides as “vegetables.”  So, at Cracker Barrel Macraoni and cheese qualified as a vegetable choice.   It was fully possible to order a Country Vegetable plate, which gave four choices of “vegetables” and not have anything actually green on the plate.  This is what made it a popular choice.   It was not in my family.  In general, trying to get kids to eat vegetables is a battle for a lot of parents.  While there are some kids who are exceptions, for many it is an uphill battle.

               This is because kids are physically predisposed not to like vegetables.   Scientific research has shown that kids have more taste buds and more sensitive taste buds.  For most kids vegetables, especially green vegetables, can taste incredibly, even overwhelmingly bitter.  This is because for younger children their sensitivity to bitter flavors is turned way up.  It is thought this is a survival reflex, because if kids cannot stand bitter tastes, they are less likely to eat things that might be poisonous.   As we age our sensitivity to bitterness lessens, and foods like vegetables, will actually taste different to us. 

               A lot of times our food preferences get set when we are young, and we tend not to budge from them.  However, over time the way the way that we perceive their taste can change.  It is possible that if we are open to the experience, the taste of food can be different as our context changes.   This is true about more than just food.  The context we find ourselves in can have a major impact on how we experience or make sense of a great number of things.   This morning’s scripture from Isaiah is a great example of this.   In its original context it had a specific meaning, but over the course of several hundred years the scripture came to have a different understanding.   This morning’s scripture was relevant in the time it was written, but it also has a greater, future looking meaning.   This morning’s scripture is a reminder that God is active and present in our world.  The signs are all around us, the question is whether we are open to experiencing them?   

               This morning’s scripture is deeply embedded in the geo-politics of the Middle East as it was in the 700s BCE.  The Israelites had been divided into two kingdoms for generations.   Ahaz was the king of the Southern Kingdom of Judah.  Even though the Northern Kingdom and the Southern Kingdom shared a common language and cultural history, they were not always the best of friends.  The northern kingdom of Israel had made a military alliance with Aram, their neighbor to the north, and the combined power of both of these nations had put Judah in their sights as an easy conquest.  Isaiah 7:2 states that the severity of the threat was such that “the hearts of Ahaz and his people were shaken as the trees of the forest are shaken by the wind.”

  Even though 2 Kings reports that Ahaz was one of the many kings who did not do what was right in the eyes of the LORD, God still sent Isaiah to give a message of deliverance and a promise that Judah will not fall to this military threat.   The sign that God promises through Isaiah is that in the time it takes a child to be born and weaned, before they are old enough to know right and wrong, the threat of the two kings that Ahaz dreads will pass.  

               In the context that this morning’s scripture was originally written the promised sign was a sign of deliverance for the kingdom of Judah.  It was a sign of God’s enduring love, despite the unfaithfulness of the king and his people.   Several hundred years later the context of God’s chosen people had changed.  By the first century there were no longer two kingdoms.  There had been exile, return, and restoration.   However, the Jewish people found their homeland occupied territory.   They found themselves still looking again for deliverance, and a sign of God’s enduring love.   In this context, this morning’s scripture pointed to the coming of a messiah, a virgin birth, and the promise that God is with us.  The gospels of Matthew and Luke take very different approaches to relaying the birth of Jesus, but both emphasize the miracle of the virgin birth.  The gospel of Matthew even explicitly states the birth of Jesus was the fulfillment of this morning’s scripture.   One miraculous sign embodying God’s enduring love is understood to be fulfilled in different ways in different contexts. 

               I find it fascinating that the gospel authors were able to see how this sign from Isaiah also applied in their time.   This points to the dynamic nature of the holy scriptures.  Every word of the bible was addressed to an original audience in a specific context, and at the same time every word of the bible is also eternally relevant.  This morning’s scripture finding new meaning in the birth reminds us that our faith is not static, we do not simply gather to commemorate events that happened long ago and written down in an old book.  We gather to worship a God who is active in the world today, to praise a savior who lives, and to celebrate that best of all God is with us.  What was a sign for Ahaz, king of Judah, was also a sign for all people that the savior had come.   This leads me to wonder what signs are all around us waiting for us to discover them from the right context? 

               A sign from God is something that I think a lot of people want.  A lot of people want direction from God, they want to know what they should do, or how they find greater meaning and purpose in life.  A lot of people would love to have a sign from God, but the reality is they are already there.  Just like the first followers of Jesus were able to see how this morning’s scripture applied in a new context we can see the signs from God once we are more mindful and aware of where God is already at work around us. 

               This is actually related to a psychological phenomenon called the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon.  This is when once you become aware of something the more likely you are to notice the frequency.  As an example, let’s say you get a new blue car, and it is the first time you have ever driven a blue car.   Chances are you will then start noticing all of the other blue cards on the road, it might even feel like lots of people are all the sudden driving blue cars.   The number of blue cars on the road has not changed, what changed was your awareness of them.  This is the essence of the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon a change in context creates a new awareness in perception.  

               In the first century, messianic expectation led people like the gospel writers see this morning’s scripture in a new context that points to Jesus.  In the same way, Jesus already told his followers what to do, we already know many of the ways we are supposed to put our faith into action and join God in transforming the world.  We just need to become more aware of those directions in our context. 

               For instance, when Jesus preforms the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000 he first tells his disciples, “You give them something to eat.”  This was a directive from Jesus, a call to action, and a challenge to step up in their faith.   Just like Isaiah’s prophecy in this morning’s scripture was meant for the context of King Ahaz but still relevant to the context of the gospel writers, Jesus’s directive to “give them something to eat” was for meant for the context of the original disciples, but still a call to action and a challenge to step up in faith for us today.  

               Nathan and Ashley Pugh of Tallahassee Florida experienced this for themselves just a few years ago.   To own their own home, they had to move across the city to a new zip code, and this opened their eyes to a part of the city they had never see before.  In the neighborhood they now live in, over 50% of households were below the poverty line, and this included 43% of all children who lived in the zip code.   Once they became aware of the need, they began to see it all around them.  While the city does have some social services, they saw in their community many people were falling through the cracks.   They did not turn an apathetic, blind eye to the need.  Instead, they heard the call of Jesus to give them something to eat.  Inspired by the idea of a little free library They got hold of an obsolete newspaper box, painted it, and put it in front of their house to help their neighbors.

 As they helped meet the need of their block, they became even more aware of the need and noticed that often the biggest obstacle to people getting help was transportation.   They got hold of more old newspaper boxes and put more little food pantries at bus stops.   It became more than they could do on their own, so they made strategic partnerships to keep little pantries stocked, and they expanded to delivering food to families with limited transportation in food deserts.   In just a few short years, what started with one box in front of their house has expanded to 19 food boxes across Tallahassee, and through these boxes around 10,000 pounds of food have been distributed annually. 

Jesus told his disciples to feed the hungry, and that is still a directive for today.   Jesus also told his disciples to clothe the impoverished, visit the imprisoned, and love the least of these.   Those directives were given in a specific context, but they are eternally relevant and applicable even to this day.   Friends, many of you-most of you- know this community.  You have been here for years.  You know the needs that are around us.   Perhaps, seeing those needs is a sign to you.   Perhaps it might even be the sign that you have been looking for, because perhaps God is directing you to not just see the needs, but meet the needs.  Not just see what someone should do but be one the to do it.  Perhaps the needs you see is the sign, to the least of these that God is calling you to love. 

From the writing of the gospels, this morning’s scripture has been associated with the birth of Jesus.   However, the sign promised in this morning’s scripture was originally meant to be a sign that Judah would not fall to two opposing kingdoms.   The sign was relevant to more than one context, that continues to be true for scripture.  The teachings and examples of Jesus are not just a historical footnote for us.  For those who call themselves Christians, they are not confined just to their historical context, but they remain eternally relevant.   So may we seek to not just know the words of Jesus but live the words of Jesus.  May we see the needs and meet the needs.  As we see the needs around us, may we become more aware for how God is already at work in the world.  May it be a sign to us, and may we join God in the world of bringing deliverance and redemption to this world.  May our actions communicate to those we see and care for the unconditional love of God that became known in the form of a baby boy born to a virgin.  May our lives be a sign to other of God’s unconditional love and care.  May we see the signs so that we can make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.               

Scripture:  Luke 19:1-9

 I have a very vivid memory from when I was somewhere around 4 ½ and my family was visiting a museum.   My mom had dressed my brother and me in identical outfits.   My brother is sixteen months younger than me, but at that time we were the exact same height.   I remember multiple people on that day making comments about us being twins, and I remember insisting that I was the “big brother.”  Within a couple of years from that point though, all I could claim is that I was the older one because my brother had surpassed me in height.   Despite my best efforts, I never caught back up.  I objectively know it is silly, but to this day it really annoys me when someone assumes my brother is older just because he is taller.   Growing up with a taller young brother always made me feel short, even though my height is more or less right at the average for an American man.   I say all of this to point out that I can empathize a bit with Zacchaeus, because Zacchaeus has been enshrined and forever known as a wee little man, a wee little man was he. 

This is a little unfair to Zacchaeus.  This morning’s scripture does specify that he was short, but his height is not actually the primary reason why he could not see Jesus.  It is unfair to make height the primary attribute we remember about Zacchaeus because it is the least important thing about him in the scripture.  In this morning’s scripture we see how grace can transform lives.  Zacchaeus is noticed and fully seen by Jesus.  Jesus gives us an example to follow, when we take the time to see the people who are often excluded and love the hard to love, then the lost are found. 

The story in this morning’s scripture is only recorded in the gospel of Luke.  It takes place while Jesus is traveling from Gailee to Jerusalem for the final time.  This morning’s story takes place just a couple of days before the triumphal entry on Palm Sunday.  It takes place when the hype and buzz around Jesus was at its highest.  Stories of Jesus’ miracles had clearly traveled around the region, and it gave Jesus a bit of a local celebrity status.  It is no surprise that as he came into Jericho, he drew a crowd.  People wanted to see if Jesus, the miracle worker, was the real deal.  They wanted to see if this man might actually be the messiah.  Zacchaeus was one of these people. 

It is probably fair to say that Zacchaeus was not a popular person around Jericho.  This is because he was a tax collector.  Even today that combination of words is one that tends to instantly bristle us the wrong way.   I imagine employees of the IRS go out of their way to describe their job as anything other than tax collectors.  Not only that, but Zacchaeus was the chief tax collector.   This means that not only was he a tax collector but he administrated other tax collectors.   In general, being a tax collector is not a profession goes into because they want to win popularity contests, but in first century Israel they were especially reviled. 

Tax collectors were viewed as thieves and traitors. During this time Israel was subjugated territory.  They were, not by choice, under the rule of the Roman Empire.  The tax collectors were locals, recruited by the Romans, to take money from the people and ship it off to Rome.    The taxes could feel oppressive, and it was made worse by the fact that it was one of your own doing the oppression, which is why tax collectors were viewed as traitors.   They were viewed as thieves because tax collectors did not have a salary.   They received their income from the taxes they collected.  A certain amount had to be sent in, but beyond that the tax collectors had a lot of discretion regarding how much they collected.   As you can imagine, most tax collectors brought in enough taxes so that they could live quite comfortably.  This lifestyle happened completely at the literal expense of their neighbor.  It had to really grind people’s gears to see the tax collector living so comfortably while they were struggling just to get by. 

While the scripture mentions Zacchaeus could not see because he was short, it really feels like there is more to the story, because unless Zacchaeus was truly tiny there should have been ways he could have seen between people, squeezed through gaps, or somehow found a way to be able to see.  The only way that he would have truly been shut out is if the people of Jericho were doing their best to exclude him and keep him out.   This is not too hard to imagine.  Actively keeping Zacchaeus on the outside of the crowd so that he could not see is extremely petty, but it was a way the people of Jericho could exert some control of a person who had actively made their lives worse.   Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus and he could not.  While his height is mentioned as a factor, it is likely that how the other people of Jericho treated him was a greater factor.  Despite that, Zacchaeus did not give up, and tried to find a more creative way to see Jesus.   In general this is a story that really inspires me to put myself there.  It is a story that has me trying to understand the person of Zacchaeus and visualize how their interaction went. 

 I have to wonder why was this so important to Zacchaeus?  Was it just curiosity or was Zacchaeus wanting something from Jesus?  What stories of Jesus had Zacchaeus heard? I have to wonder, had Zacchaeus heard about how Jesus ate with sinners, and how Jesus extended grace to the people that others had written off?  I have to wonder if Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus because of the guilt and shame he had felt from his life choices?  I have to wonder if it was the possibility of a changed life that led Zacchaeus to climb a tree in order to see the life changing rabbi?
Whatever his reasons for wanting to see Jesus were, Zaccheus probably got more than attention than he wanted.  When I read this scripture, I imagine Jesus looking at him and speaking in a commanding voice, Zacchaeus, come down immediately.”   I imagine there being a pregnant pause, where Zacchaeus’ blood ran cold because he was fully seen.  I imagine the crowd being full of anticipation because they were about to see this hated man get what was coming to him.   But then Jesus continues, and does the unexpected, he invites himself over to Zacchaeus’ house. 

  When Jesus invited himself to Zacchaeus’s house he bestowed honor upon him.  He communicated that Zacchaeus is someone worthy of attention, time, and even blessing.    We get the sense by the muttering of the crowds, that no one had ever really communicated that to Zacchaeus.  They muttered and grumbled.  They saw Zacchaeus as a sinner not worth redemption.  But Jesus saw Zacchaeus in a different light. By asking to come to Zacchaeus’ house Jesus was communicating that despite all that he had done, Zacchaeus was not outside of God’s grace and love.   Not only did Jesus communicate to Zacchaeus that he was worthy of attention, but Jesus also communicated that he is worthy of acceptance.    In doing so, Jesus touched a chord deep in Zacchaeus that caused him to do an instant 180. He pledges to immediately to correct course and begin making right his wrongdoings.

Zacchaeus’s response is worth noting.  He knew that he acted wrongly, he knew that he had benefited at the expense of others.   Zacchaeus does more than just apologize for his wrong actions Zacchaeus repented and backed up that repentance with his actions.  Zacchaeus says he will repay people four times what he had cheated on them.  This is the prescription found in the Old Testament law.  When someone acknowledged their guilt in theft, they provided restitution by returning four times what was taken.   Zacchaeus does not just seek absolution for his wrongdoing; he seeks to correct it and make things right.  Not only does he correct it, but he seeks to go above and beyond by then giving half of what he has to the poor.   The actions of Zacchaeus are the actions of someone who has experienced a changed heart, who has been transformed by grace.  This is why Jesus proclaimed, “Today salvation has come to this house.”

In this morning’s scripture Zacchaeus gives an example of repentance that we can learn from, but Jesus gives us a different example we can follow.  Zacchaeus was pushed to the outside of his community.  He was not a person others wanted to associate with, but Jesus still took the time to recognize him.   Not only did Jesus recognize him, but he sought him out and included him.   There are a lot of people today who are like a modern-day Zacchaeus.  Sometimes these people, Like Zacchaeus, can be hard to love.  Sometimes it is possible that these people may even deserve this reputation to some degree.   However, the example that Jesus gives us is that even those people are still in need of God’s salvation.  The people who we would rather not associate with and pass silent judgement on are still people who God loves and who Jesus died for.   The example Jesus gives us is a reminder that there are no outsiders to God’s love.   Zacchaeus was a traitor and a thief, but Jesus was not willing to give up on him.   In the same way we should be willing to see, engage, and invite people who generally feel like they are excluded from a life of faith. 

While some of these people, like Zacchaeus, are a little harder to love due to the ways they have actively done harm, there is a lot of low hanging fruit.  There are a lot of people, who feel like they have been shut out from Jesus and must go to extremes to see him.  There are so many people who feel like they are shut out of full inclusion into the Christian faith because of stigmas.  Those who have struggled with addiction feel like they don’t belong.   Those who are divorced and single feel like there is not a place for them in church.   Those who live with neuro divergence can find it difficult to engage in worship as we offer it.  Those who struggle with mental illness feel that their illness is shunned in church settings, and those who are just trying to live as their most authentic self constantly get told by others that God did not create them the way God created them.   There are so many people who feel that they do not have a place in the family of God because of stigma associated with their life that keeps them out.  That is heartbreaking.  It is wrong.  It should not be that way.

The example that Jesus gives us in this morning’s scripture is one of radical inclusion.  IT is an example that the gospel is for everyone.  It is a reminder that Jesus does not just hang out in the rarefied air of saints, but he eats with sinners.   Our table should reflect the table of Christ.  All are invited; all are welcome.   There are no excluding stigmas in the kingdom of God, and there should be none in Christ’s church.  It is imperative that we make sure we are never ever standing in the way of someone getting to Jesus.   People should not have to find trees to get around our way of doing things, our ideology, or our judgmental attitudes to get to Christ.    Instead of being roadblocks to the people who are like Zacchaeus in our midst, we should instead reflect Christ to them.   It is through us, not despite us, that people should find the forgiving, live changing love of Jesus.   

This morning’s scripture is about how a wee little man became a man of big faith.  Zacchaeus entered a life of discipleship.  May his story be an inspiration to our own faith story and may our own level of discipleship grow from knowing it.  As followers of Jesus, may we seek to follow the example that Jesus gives us in this morning’s scripture.  May we also ask God to show who are the people like Zacchaeus in our community.   May we be willing to reach out to those people, invite them, and may we shine the love of Jesus Christ into their lives.  May we take this task seriously, because as this morning’s scripture reminds us, “the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”   By the grace of God and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, may we do our part to help the lost get found.                
 
 
 

Scripture:  Luke 18: 9-14
​
The story goes that there was a woman who taught Sunday school.   While you do not know this specific woman, you probably have met her type.   She was quick to look down on others.   She had mastered the art of saying “bless your heart” or “I’ll pray for you” as a way to insult, put down, and belittle.   She had a pompous, self-entitled, and overall self-righteous attitude.   One Sunday morning she was trying to make the point that good Christians did not keep their faith a secret.   They made sure that everyone knew exactly what they believed.  With her head held high, nose up in the air, she strutted impressively back and forth across the room and asked, “Now class why do you think people call me a Christian?”    The teacher thought the answer to this question was obvious, but she was met with uncomfortable silence.   She started to show her disappointment at the class when one of the boys slowly raised his hand and said, “Probably because they do not know you.”  

I do not know about you but jokes and stories like that one are a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine.  In movies and TV shows when the person who has been smug, arrogant, and downright mean spirited finally gets their comeuppance it is the payoff I have been waiting for.  I find it to be very satisfying when the smug get knocked down a peg or two, when the arrogant are humbled, and when the self-righteous are called out.   There are a whole lot of reason why I like Jesus, and this is one of them:  In the gospels he calls out the self-righteous all the time.  Time and time again across all four he calls out the Pharisees, the scribes, and the teachers of the law.  Jesus is regularly calling out the pharisees and the ways that the puffed themselves up instead of glorifying God.   This morning’s scripture seems to be part of that greater collection.  It even seems to immediately state up front who this scripture is directed to in verse 9: “To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable.”  

 However, Jesus is not telling this parable to the Pharisees of the teachers of the law.  Jesus is not addressing the religious leaders of the day that he so often sparred with.  In the parable that begins in Luke 18:1, Jesus is clearly talking to his disciples.  There is not a shift to the next scene in the narrative until verse 15, so this morning’s scripture is also addressed to the disciples.   This morning’s scripture was a parable addressed to Jesus’ closest followers, and it was intended to call them out.   The most honest way that we can approach this scripture is to read it as if Jesus were addressing us and see how we might feel called out.  

Unfortunately, within churches there are still plenty of people with self-righteous toes to get stepped on.   There is a study from Barna Research group that tried to quantify how big that number is.   It is an older study from 2013, but I imagine its findings still have a lot of relevance today.   For this study they surveyed Christians and asked them to rate their agreement on a four-point scale with twenty different statements.   Ten of these statements were meant to reflect a Christ like attitude.  These were statements like “I am personally spending time with non-believers to help them follow Jesus” and “I feel compassion for people who are not following God and doing immoral things.”  The other ten statements were self-righteous statements that would be in line with the Pharisee of this morning’s parable.  Statements such as “I like to point out those who do not have the right theology or doctrine” and “People who follow God’s rules are better than those who do not.”  Of the Christians surveyed it was found that 51% were in more agreement with the self-righteous statements than the Christ-like statements.   All this self-righteousness might be why a different Barna study found that only 21% of non-Christians have a positive perception of the local churches in their community. 

Despite what the research shows, it can still be easy to justify that self-righteousness is not a problem.  In some ways this scripture creates a caricature of self-righteousness.  The Pharisee in the scripture is a little over the top in how he calls out just who he is not like and how he brags about all he does.   The Pharisee in the parable is the absolute epitome of a “holier than thou” attitude.   This serves the story by creating a contrast, but it unfortunately gives us an out.  We can think to ourselves, well I am not like that guy, so this story does not apply to me.  When it comes to self-righteous behavior or attitudes, we often think of it as viewing oneself as “holier than thou”, but the reality is that is not the case.  Several years ago, a study from the University of Chicago found that when it comes to self-righteous attitudes a “holier than thou” outlook, is uncommon.   What is much more common is for people to believe they are “less evil” than other people.  So often self-righteousness looks less like “I am better than you and you know it” and more like “At least I am not as bad as you are”.  

  Unfortunately, this kind of self-righteous behavior that seeks to define others as worse than is all too common.  We see it everywhere today.   We see it in the polarization, which seeks to demonize people who disagree with a specific point of view.  So often it seems that people take those who they disagree with and cast them as evil.  It is not just that they disagree so often it seems people cast their opponent as hateful, deceitful, and morally wrong as if it were their nature.  It seems today it is common for someone to point to someone they disagree with and say “at least I am not like them.”  We need to call this current epidemic to divide into us vs. them groups and vilify the “them” as what it truly is: It is a way to be self-righteous-it is a way to look down on others. 

The research shows that self-righteousness exists in unhealthy quantities in church settings.   Which is why it is worth remembering that Jesus told the parable in this morning’s scripture to his disciples, to his closest followers.   The message of this morning’s scripture and its warnings against self-righteousness are still intended for those who follow Jesus.  It is intended for us.  It calls us out. Fortunately, within the parable Jesus shows us how we can overcome our struggles with self-righteous attitudes.  Ultimately, this morning’s scripture is a parable about prayer, and it contains the life changing prayer that has been crucial to the Christian faith since the beginning.    

In the parable the tax collector prays, “Lord have mercy.” Lord have mercy in Greek, is Kyrie Eleison, and that phrase is one of the oldest phrases of worship in Christianity.   Almost back to the beginning of the church, Christians have prayed Kyrie Eleison as an act of worship.   To this day Kyrie Eleison is still used in Greek Orthodox liturgy. A slightly more developed version of this prayer, which is often referred to as the “Jesus prayer”, dates back to the 5th century Egypt but it could easily be older.  The prayer is ‘Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.”     It is a fundamental prayer and expression of the Christian faith.   Because Lord have mercy is not about what we do for God, it is about what God is doing for us.    Lord have mercy is an acknowledgement that there is nothing that we can do to reach God.  It is a humble confession that on our own we are not good enough to stand in the presence of true holiness.   The prayer of the Pharisee is touting all of the ways that he has reached up to God, the prayer of the tax collector is the realization that it is God who reaches down to us.     

Perhaps because Jesus is talking to his disciples, he gives a little bit more clarity on what the takeaway should be in verse 14, “For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and all those who humble themselves will be exalted.”  We are humble when we refuse to think of ourselves as more important than we are.   Friends, as those saved by grace and offered forgiveness through Jesus Christ being humble is something that should come easy to us.  Because we know the depths of sin that Jesus has saved us from.   We know the wrong that we have been forgiven of, and we know just how much we do not deserve it.   We should not have any problems over estimating our own importance, because we should know it is Jesus and Jesus alone who has the power to save us.  We should know how much we need grace.  We all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  We all, every single one of us, are in a position where we can stand at a distance, not even look up, hit our chest, and pray “Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.” 

Every single person alive today stands in need of mercy.  The University of Chicago found that the main way we exhibit self-righteousness is by thinking “at least we are not like those people”, but that is such a flawed premise.  The reality is that we are like those people, and it does not matter who those people are.   We all stand in need of grace.  As the old saying goes we all put on our pants one leg at a time just like everyone else.   Self-righteousness emerges from us looking around and comparing ourselves to other people.   The reality of grace and mercy should change how we treat and see people.   We should not see ourselves as more important than others or see others as somehow worse than us, because our need for grace is the same.   So, we should treat all people the same, we should treat them with the same compassion, gentleness, and kindness that we want to be treated with.  Instead of trying to vilify someone else we should seek to understand them and embrace that we need Jesus just as much as they do.  We should claim the freeing truth that the ground at the foot of the cross is level.    The rich the poor, the righteous and the unrighteous, the liberal and the conservative from every tribe, tongue, and nation bow at the feet of Jesus and pray “Kyrie Eleison”.  Lord have mercy on me a sinner.   Instead of finding people with differences that we can look down on or be thankful that we are not them, we should be beacons of grace that declare Jesus saves everyone, even a sinner like me.    We should always be checking our heart to make sure we love people like Jesus instead of judge people with smug self-righteousness. 

Make no mistake Jesus told this morning’s parable because he was trying to step on a few toes.  If we are being truly honest with ourselves, then there is a good chance that ours are some of the ones stepped on.  We live in a culture where we likely see a lot of actions and beliefs we do not agree with.  We live in a culture that is actively trying to polarize us and see others as a “them” to shun and judge.  Often it becomes very easy for us to say, “at least I am not like that”.  The reality is that it does not matter if we have followed Jesus for days or decades our payer should always be Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.  The Jesus prayer as it is called, is always an appropriate prayer for us.  So, when we find ourselves getting a little judgmental may we pray, Lord have mercy.   When we find ourselves getting a little smug and self-important may we pray, Lord have mercy.   When we find ourselves looking down on anyone for any reason may we pray, Lord have mercy.   Then may we live that prayer out as we show the same mercy and kindness to everyone else.  Lord, have mercy.    

Scripture: Luke 17:11-19

  In high school track longest running event is the 3200, which is about 2 miles.   Cross Country goes further, and the standard cross-country track is 5K.  At the national championships and Olympic level, there is a 10,000-meter track race, which is a little over six miles.  The half marathon more than doubles that at 13.1 miles and running a marathon requires running 26.2 miles.  For most of us, that probably sounds like further than we would ever want to think about running in a month, much less at one time.  However, for a small number of individuals they think they can still push themselves to go further.   For those people who want to take it to the extreme, there is the ultra-marathon.  While there are several different types of ultra-marathon events, one of the more common formats is a 100-mile cross-country race.  The world’s oldest official 100-mile foot race is the Western States 100, which takes place in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains.   The most extreme of these extreme races is the Barkley marathon.  This esoteric event takes place in the mountains of Tennessee.  Over the entirety of the course, it gains 60,000 feet in elevation.  Unlike other races, this one does not use established trails or paths.  Instead, the racers must truly go cross country and find their own way through the Appalachian forest.  The race has been run every year since 1995, but it has only been completed six times.  More years than not all the competitors fail to finish the race within the 60-hour time limit. 

The Barkley marathon might be the most extreme race in the world.  It pushes even the fittest and best runners in the world to their absolute limit.  To have any chance of finishing the race a runner has to unswerving focus and unstoppable determination. While the journey may not have been as arduous as the Barkley marathon, this morning’s scripture features the same level of extreme dedication, but I think we often miss that.  Often the focus of this story is on verse 17 where Jesus asks, “Were not all ten cleansed where are the other nine?”  The focus we tend to put on the story is a simple one, we should be grateful like the one as opposed to being ungrateful like the other nine.   However, when we make the story simple, we overlook the profound point that is right there in the story.   This story is not just about gratitude; it is about the extreme lengths that one man took to show gratitude.  This story illustrates that giving thanks is not always easy, but it is always worth it.   Considering this morning’s scripture can have the ability to help us rethink how we go about expressing our own gratitude. 

One of the reasons why we might miss the extraordinary nature of this morning’s scripture is that we are not familiar with some of the cultural details.  The scripture states that Jesus was traveling to Jerusalem along the border between Samaria and Galilee.   From Galilee, where Jesus did most of his ministry, there were two main paths to Jerusalem.  The most common path was to follow the Jordan river down to Jericho and then take the road between Jerusalem and Jericho.   The other way was through the rugged hill country of Samaria.   The Samaria route is what we might call the scenic route.  Today it would be like avoiding the Interstate to take the state roads because you wanted to see the countryside.   That means this town that Jesus passed through was out of the way.  It was not the kind of place that a person would pass by often.   Despite that, it was a place.  It was a place where people lived and worked.  It was likely a small town where everyone knew everyone else’s business.  It was a small town that also had its group of marginalized and outcast. 

Leprosy in the bible is a bit of a catch all term. In Jesus day, leprosy could refer to the actual disease of leprosy, or it could refer to a whole host of skin conditions.  Having a disease that was exteriorly visible was the worst thing for a Jewish person at this time, because it clearly marked them as unclean.     Victims of these diseases were barred from living in towns and cities.  They gathered in colonies well away from where people lived.  For access, these colonies were often close to roads, but the lepers had to warn those who passed by to stay well away from them.  When Jesus passed by instead of yelling warnings, they asked Jesus for help. 

I find this detail of the story interesting, because remember this town is out of the way.  The word-of-mouth buzz on Jesus must have been going strong because the stories of Jesus, of a healer from Galilee, had made it to these afflicted individuals.   We do not know the details, but somehow these ten men had gotten word that it was Jesus who was traveling by.  So instead of yelling out their normal warnings of stay away, they said “Jesus master, have pity on us.”

That is of course, exactly what Jesus did.  Jesus did indeed heal them and told them to find a priest.  In the Torah there were rules for being cleansed of leprosy.  To follow the biblical law, when someone was healed, they were required to present themselves to the priest to be considered clean.     We need to remember these men could not google the closest priest, do a tele-health session and be declared clean in less than an hour.   It was a process and it was one that even under the best of conditions was going to take some time.  We do not know where exactly Jesus encountered these lepers, or how far the closest priest was.  However, we can safely assume that there was not a priest just standing there.  The healed men would have to go and see one out.  Once they reached the priest, and the priest was actually willing to take the time to examine them, it could be a full seven days before they are declared clean.  Under the most ideal circumstances it would likely take more than a week to finish this process. 

Try to imagine yourself in the position of these ten men.  These ten lepers that Jesus healed had their life given back to them.  Because they were sick, they were completely cut off from their friends and family.  For some of them, it could have been years.  Perhaps some of them had resigned themselves to believing they would never see some people again.  After being declared clean they would be allowed to return home.  After being away from those you love for so long, isn’t that what you would do?  It is not that they were ungrateful for what Jesus had done, but their lives had been given back to them.  They had so much lost time to catch up on.  I think most of us would have done something similar.   This is what makes the one who sought Jesus out so remarkable and his gratitude so extreme.

Remember Jesus was traveling on his way to Jerusalem when he encountered the lepers.  Also remember it could have taken well over a week for the lepers to be declared clean.  It was not like during that time, Jesus just stood in the same spot waiting for the healed men to come back.  In fact, the most logical assumption we can make is that Jesus continued traveling.   This is the element of the story we often overlook.  It is not just that one man came back to give thanks, it is how much effort he put into it.  He had to go seek Jesus out and find him in order to throw himself at the feet of Jesus and give thanks.   What is noteworthy in this morning’s scripture is not just one person came back to give thanks, but the lengths the man went to show his gratitude.  When we consider this, I think there are three big takeaways for us.

First, this scripture points out that gratitude is more than just words.   The way that the one leper expressed gratitude had a lot less to do with the words of thanks he said, and a lot more with the   actions he undertook.   He showed how thankful he was to Jesus by his actions.   Being thankful, truly thankful is a lot more than just the words we say.  It is probably not fair to think that the others healed were ungrateful, but only one was willing to undertake the extreme actions to find and give thanks to Jesus.  If we truly have an attitude of gratitude, then our thankfulness should influence and be evident in our actions. 

The ten men healed of leprosy received an amazing, divine gift from Jesus when they were healed.  The second point for us to consider is that every single person here has been extravagantly blessed by God.   For starters we have all been offered the free gift of forgiveness and eternal life through Jesus Christ.   That alone should be more than enough to put us in a position of forever gratitude and thanksgiving.   However, God’s great love and provision goes even further for us.   James 1:17 reminds us that “every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father.”  We all have many good and perfect gifts in our lives to be thankful for.  The gratitude we have for God’s goodness in our lives, is something we need to be intentional about expressing and acting upon. If not, we can begin taking God’s gifts for granted- or worse start feeling entitled to them.
 
   This reminds me of an old story.  Two old friends bumped into one another on the street one day.  One man looked very sad, discouraged, and almost on the verge of tears.  His friend asked, “What has the world done to you?”   The sad fellow responded, “three weeks ago a rich uncle of mine died, and he included me in his will.  I received a check of $40,000.”
 “That’s terrific” said his friend, “That’s a lot of money.”
 “Yes but two weeks ago they sent me another check- this time for $100,000.”
  Amazed his friend replied, “That is amazing, you are really blessed!”
   “You don’t understand” the man whined, “Last week I got another check, this one was for a quarter of a million dollars.”
 At this point the friend was getting very confused, “You are right I don’t understand why then are you so unhappy?”
The man wailed, “Because this week I haven’t received anything.”
 
We too can fall into a trap of getting so caught up on focusing on what we have not received, that we are not thankful for what we have received.  When we focus on what we do not have, it leads to bitterness and constant sorrow.  When we instead focus on how we have experienced the goodness of God, then our gratitude can inspire us to acts of devotion and service.
 
The final point for us to consider is the response that Jesus gives to the man who returns to give thanks.   Jesus tells him, “Your faith has made you well.”  Jesus recognizes the man’s faith through his thankfulness.  Our faith in God and thankfulness to God for all that God has   done are closely linked.  The early church fathers and mothers recognized this.  When the early church met, they met around the table.  The basis for their worship was the taking of communion, and they called this act Eucharist.  Eucharist comes from Greek and it means “give thanks.”  Giving thanks to God is the basis of worship.   When we give thanks to God we make a connection with God.   We acknowledge the wonders that God has done on our behalf, and we humbly express our gratitude.     At its foundation when we worship God we should be giving thanks to God.  We can have faith in God because the ways that God has worked in our lives testifies to God’s goodness.  When we take the time to go out of our way and name those works and give thanks, then that cannot help but increase our faith.  When we thank God our faith grows, and when we thank God we are actively worshiping God. 
 
To worship God in thanksgiving takes effort and commitment.   In this morning’s scripture the one who sought Jesus out is an extreme example of what this means.  In the same way we should be so dedicated to giving thanks to God for all that God has done.   May we not take or granted or feel entitled to how good God has been to us, but instead may we make giving thanks to God a dedicated priority in our lives. Through thanksgiving may our faith grow, as we come to realize how good God is to us.     May our gratitude motivate us to action, as we give thanks to God and seek to share the goodness of God with others. With a grateful heart may we give thanks to God the Father, the source of all gifts.  May we give thanks to Jesus, who’s powerful mercy uplifts.  May we give thanks to the Holy Spirit who enables us to be a blessing to others.  With extreme gratitude, may we truly be able to proclaim thanks be to God.  
 

Scripture: 1 Timothy 6:6-19

               Since 1979 the research group Gallup has conducted an Ethics and Honesty study.  In this survey they ask people about the perceived honesty and ethical integrity of various professions.  While some professions rotate from year to year, there are others that are included in every survey.  One of those professions that has been asked about since the beginning are pastors, and the report is not great.  The 2025 report shows that public trust in pastors has fallen to an all-time low, with only 30% of respondents believing pastors have high or very high levels of honesty and ethics.   Twenty years ago, this was at 56% and this twenty-six point decline over that time is steeper than any other profession.  

 Unfortunately, someone does not need to look very hard into news sources to see why this is the case.  For instance, in May of this year Mitchell Summerfield pastor of Word of God church in Raleigh, North Carolina pled guilty to bank and wire fraud, where he leveraged the church to illegally obtain $400,000.   In August of this year Eli Regalados, pastor a Victorious Grace Church in Colorado was indicted on 40 counts of theft, racketeering and securities fraud.  He used his position to leverage more than 3 million dollars from congregants in a cryptocurrency scheme.  Amazingly, a different pastor in a different state was indicted for almost the exact same scheme in January of this year.  Those are just a few examples, from just this year!  

 The reason why public trust in pastors is so low is because every year there are dozens of stories of people who should know better, doing these things or worse.  Even though we are separated from the time that Paul wrote 1 Timothy by centuries, it seems his words are just as true today: “The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.”  As this morning’s scripture points a love of money is ultimately empty, and it does not compare to the all surpassing love of God.  This morning’s scripture is about more than money, it is about the abundance of God and it is a reminder that for those who follow Jesus- generosity should be a way of life for all. 

1 Timothy, like many of the epistles in the New Testament, was not written to stand alone in a vacuum.  It was written to a specific audience, in a specific place, for a specific reason.  Paul wrote 1 Timothy as a letter to one of his protégés, Timothy, who he had commissioned to lead the church in Ephesus.  Much of 1 Timothy are encouragements to Timothy and instructions on how to lead a church.  However, chapter 1 begins by addressing an issue with false teachers that were causing problems and distrust in the area around Ephesus.  Exactly what these teachers are teaching is never explicitly stated, but Paul returns to the topic at the end of the letter.   We started reading at verse 6, but in verse 5 Paul alleges one of the motivations of these false teachers is to use godliness for financial gain.

From there this morning’s scripture picks up and Paul urges Timothy to not find motivation in accumulating wealth.  He points out that a love for money has not only brought about so much evil in the world, but it has wrecked people’s faith and caused them to wander away from the truth.  I think we know the truth of this.  The stories I already shared show that a love of money has brought about the downfall of multiple church leaders, and the fallout from those instances has damaged the faith development of many people. 

 Paul then encourages Timothy to put his focus and his energy on something more important than material wealth.  He encourages him to fight the good fight of faith, to pursue following God above all else.  Perhaps the biggest problem of a love for money in our faith is not the greed and the pain that greed can cause, the bigger problem is that it is a distraction.   If our main focus, if the thing that we put all of our energy behind is acquiring more and more, then we cannot pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness.  We cannot fight the good fight, if we are instead fighting to get a bigger horde of loot.  Jesus himself said the same thing.  In Matthew 6:24 Jesus says, “"No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money".   While I think many of us can get behind the idea of a love of money being the root of all kinds of evil, and we can fired up about the idea of fighting the good fight of faith, I also wonder if we do not pay attention as much to the next part. 

 In this morning’s scripture, Paul continued to write “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor put their hope in wealth” and “command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.”  We might not pay as much attention to this scripture, because we might not think it applies to us.    But they do.  The command to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous is something that all of us can take to heart.  There are a couple of points about generosity that we should keep in mind.  

Generosity is not about quantity; it is about quality.   A while ago, I heard a story about a United Methodist Church in Indiana from decades ago.  It was a small-town church in a poorer area.   Often, the church struggled to meet its annual budget.   In this town the only real factory was owned by two brothers, and every Christmas Eve one of the brothers would come to the church.   Before the service began, he would loudly ask the preacher how short the church was this year.   When the offering plate was passed, he would wait until the plate was to be handed to him.  In big gestures he would get out his checkbook.  This paused the whole service as everyone watched him write his check.  Every year, it would then be announced at the January ad council meeting that the church met its budget for the previous year, and everyone knew why.   There is no reason why this rich factory owner could not quietly give that money, or given it regularly throughout the year.  It was an intentional choice to wait until the 24th day of the last month to make a public display of giving.  It does not matter how many zeros that check had, that was not generosity.  The goal of generosity is to be a blessing to someone else, to make the world better for another.  That is the motivation that makes an action generous. 

Second, generosity is not just about giving to an institution like a church.  Generosity is an approach to life.  Unfortunately, American Christians do not always make generosity a way life like perhaps we should.  For instance, if you know someone who works as a server in a restaurant, then there is a good chance that their least favorite time to work is the Sunday lunch shift.  It is common knowledge among servers that church-goers give the worst tips.   This is such a prevailing thought that studies have been done to see if this is true.  The good news is that the studies found that the majority of Christians going out to eat for lunch after church do tip in line with national averages.  However, one study found that on average, non-religious people are slightly better tippers than churchgoers.  Another the same study found that a church goer was much more likely to give a tip of 5% or less on Sunday when compared to a non-church goer.  If we collectively took seriously the command of this morning’s scripture to be generous and willing to share, then that attitude would be present in all areas of our lives.   Sunday afternoon should be the best time to be a server, not the worst, because the people of God should be the most generous people on the planet. 

Often one of the hindrances to us being generous is that we feel it is hard to share when we can barely cover our bases.  We can fall into the trap of thinking that we will be more generous when we get a little better off, but often when we reach that milestone, we end up moving the goalpost a little further down.   We can get stuck in the trap of feeling like we never have enough.   This is why this morning’s scripture starts with the wisdom of “godliness with contentment is great gain.”  We can struggle with generosity because of an attitude of scarcity that informs us we do not have quite enough.  However, when we reframe how we think about wealth, we can move from an attitude of scarcity to one of abundance. 

This morning’s scripture focuses on money, and because of that we often associate generosity with sharing financial wealth.  Money is not the only way to be wealthy.  This year business coach Sahil Bloom’s book The 5 Types of Wealth made the New York Times Bestseller list.  In this book Sahil lays out a framework to think about wealth differently, because we can be rich in more than just money.   There is financial wealth, but Sahil also identifies social wealth- the strength of friendships and quality of one’s social network.  He identifies time wealth, the ability to have time to spend on things you value most.  He also lifts mental and physical wealth because our health has a large impact on our overall wellbeing. 

When we consider wealth as more than just money, then we can all be rich in good deeds and to be generous and willing to share.   So perhaps you are on a fixed income, but you are retired and have a lot of time wealth.   Then perhaps you can be generous with your time and show up to serve, show up to encourage, and show up to make a difference.   Perhaps life is busy and there seems to only ever be enough money to just make it, but you are the kind of person who seems to know everyone.  Perhaps you can use that abundance of social wealth to help other people.  You can help connect people who need help with those who can help, or you could mentor a young person.   When we think of wealth as more than just money, then we realize most of us are likely to be far wealthier than we often think.   When we think about wealth as more than money, then we likely get a better picture of how abundantly God has provided for us.   If we can claim we blessed by God’s abundance, then we should share that generosity with others. 

This morning’s scripture contains one of the most well known and most misquoted scriptures in the bible:  A love for money is a root of all kinds of evil.   However, this scripture is about more than just money.  This morning’s scripture is a call to faithful discipleship.  It is encouragement to pursue righteousness, goodliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness over something as fleeting as money.  It is a call to fight the good fight of faith, and it is a command to be generous.   May you realize that wealth is more than the number in your bank account, and may you realize just how much wealth you truly have.   May you be willing to share that abundance with others generously so that you are rich with good deeds.  In this way, may you lay up treasures as a firm foundation for the age to come so that you may take hold of the life that is truly life. 
             
 

Scripture: 1 Timothy 2:1-7

The 1850’s was a time of upheaval and uncertainty in the United States.  Political polarization was high, and the issue of slavery was a divisive powder keg that was primed to blow up.  The country was changing rapidly.  East Coast cities were in the midst of the industrial revolution, and millions of immigrants from Ireland, Germany, and China were making their way to these shores in droves daily.  The Second Great Awakening, which saw a spreading interest and zeal in Christianity, had largely wound down-especially in the costal cities.  All these changes and a dwindling of Christian conviction troubled many disciples during this time.  One of them decided to do something about it.  At the age of forty-eight, Jeremiah Lanphier felt called by God to be a lay missionary to a rapidly changing Manhattan.  He attempted to start a prayer meeting that would meet at noon so that merchants and other businessmen could pray for the city.  Lanphier created and distributed flyers for the gathering all over the city.  The first prayer meeting occurred on September 23rd, 1857.  No one showed up, at least at first.  After half an hour praying on his own a few people filtered in for a total attendance of six.

That was enough for Lanphier to continue.  The second week there were closer to twenty in attendance.  By the third week this had doubled to forty.  The attendance continued to climb so the weekly prayer meeting became daily. Within two months, the prayer meeting had grown even more to the point that there were three simultaneous prayer meetings in different parts of the church building. The desire for prayer was so great that it began to spread throughout the city.   At one point a large theater began opening its doors daily for the prayer meeting and it would be filled with over 5,000 people.   This spread across the country.   Prayer became a daily ritual in places like Washington DC, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and St. Louis.  This prayer gathering is considered to be one of the catalysts that kicked off the third great awakening in American history, and the revival of 1857 is remembered as a time of great evangelical success.  It all started with six people gathering in an old church to pray. 

In this morning’s scripture Paul urges Timothy to embrace the power of prayer.  Prayer truly has the power to change the world.  While many of us probably believe that on some level, I am not sure if we are ready for what we claim to believe.   Change is rarely smooth, it is seldom predictable, and it is nearly always disruptive.   If we take this morning’s scripture to heart and we pray the way that Paul encourages Timothy to pray, then we will be praying disruptive prayers. 

This morning’s scripture once again comes from 1 Timothy.   As Paul traveled around the ancient world, he inspired people to come alongside him, travel with him, and be a co-worker in sharing the good news of Jesus with others.   Timothy was one such person.   At one point Timothy had traveled with Paul around what is now modern-day Turkey and Northern Greece.   At the time that Paul wrote 1 Timothy, Paul had essentially charged Timothy with leading the church in Ephesus.   In 1 Timothy Paul switches back and forth between encouraging Timothy and giving him practical instructions about leading a church.   This morning’s scripture is related to leading the church, and Paul attempts to convey to Timothy a lot of wisdom in just these few verses.  There are a couple of points that Paul made for Timothy that continue to be relevant for us today. 

The focus of Paul’s writing in this morning’s scripture is on prayer.  I appreciate that on the topic of what to pray for, Paul encourages Timothy to pray for people.  Prayer is communication with God, but it should not always be focused on just ourselves and God.  This scripture makes it clear we are supposed to pray for other people as well.  This scripture states that we should make petitions, intercessions, and thanksgiving.   Petitions are when we ask God for something, this is when someone has a prayer request, and we ask God to grant it.  Intercessions are when we pray on someone else’s behalf.  We intercede for someone, not because they asked us to, but because we want God to be at work in their lives in some way even if the person we are praying for has not expressed that.  Finally, in thanksgiving we give thanks to God for people, because every person is fearfully and wonderfully made.  Every person has been created by God, and for God every person is someone worth caring for, so it is appropriate in prayer to give thanks for God for the unique creations that God has made.  Right off the bat Paul tells us we are to pray for people through petitions, intercession, and thanksgiving.   Paul also makes clear we are not supposed to be picky about who we pray for. 

Some people are easy to pray for.   It goes without saying that most of us pray regularly for the people we love the most.  Other people though require us to be a bit more intentional about lifting up in prayer.   As an example of this, Paul lifts up “kings and all of those in authority.”   Now at first glance, this might appear as an appeal to a civic duty to pray for those in position of power.  That is not quite what Paul is advocating for.  Throughout his ministry Paul’s relationship with those in authority was rocky at best.  On more than one occasion he was arrested, imprisoned, he was put on trial, and he was physically punished.

 This all happened as a response to Paul preaching the truth of Jesus.  Despite being mistreated by those in authority, Paul says to pray for them anyway.   To really drive this point home, at the time Paul wrote to pray for kings, Nero was the emperor of Rome.   It was Nero who set off the first persecution of Christians.  Nero is the man who gave the order to have Paul executed.   Paul encouraged Timothy to pray for the very man who would eventually have him killed.  This is in line with what Jesus himself said, when he taught, “You have heard that it was said, love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” 

In our modern world, this is extremely important to keep in mind.  It does not matter what side of the political aisle you find yourself on, we should take the call for prayer to heart.  It is too easy in our current culture to vilify those who we disagree with.  And yet, this morning’s scripture encourages us to pray for those in authority.  This does not exclude the people we didn’t vote for.  It is hard to belittle and demonize those who you pray for.

  It is also too easy to disengage completely and to be jaded, assuming the worst of all those in authority and regard the whole thing with disgust.  And yet, prayer has the power to change to change the world.  Prayers have the power to be disruptive and bring about transformation.  So, if you want leaders to lead with compassion, if you truly want liberty and justice for all, then pray for it.  Pray for all our leaders, even those who you disagree with or even view as an enemy, because prayer is more effective than despair, hope is more transformative than hate, and God still has the power to change even the hardest of hearts. 

  We are not to exclude who we pray for, but from a practical standpoint all of us cannot pray for “all the people” all the time, but we all have people we can pray for.  When it comes to living out this scripture one of the struggles in praying for all the people, is knowing what to pray.   On one hand, praying for others can be easy because we just pray for their health.   We tend to be really good (like really, really good) at praying for people’s health.  The bible does say when someone is sick, we should lift them up in prayer, but it seems far too often our prayers get stuck on illness and injuries.   We can struggle with lifting people in prayer, when they are healthy, or when we cannot see the battles that they are fighting.  One of the reasons why we may not be more diligent in praying for more people, is that we are not quite sure how to pray for them. 

In this morning’s scripture Paul gives us some direction on how we can go about praying for people.  Verses 3 and 4 state, “This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”   Praying for the salvation of others is always in the will of God.   In our Methodist expression of the faith we believe strongly that it truly is the desire of God to be reunited with all of God’s people.   After all it was because God so love the world, not just a few, that God sent Jesus to be the mediator between God and humanity.  It was because of a great love for all that Jesus gave himself as a random for all people, not just the elect.   Because God seeks to be reconciled with all people, then praying that all people will come to know the life changing love, the forgiveness of sins, and the everlasting life made known through Jesus Christ is always an appropriate prayer.   There are so many people with testimonies of how the good news of Jesus has disrupted their lives.  How faith led them into a new path and new life.   More often than not, the starting point for that transformation is because someone prayed that the person’s who life has changed would come to Jesus. 
 
Prayer has the power to bring about transformation, and transformative prayers can often be disruptive.  However, we should be prepared that when we pray the greatest transformation will be in ourselves and the greatest disruption will be in our lives.  There is a quote that is regularly misattributed to Pope Francis that states, “You pray for the hungry, then you feed them.  That’s how prayer works.”  When we pray, we are asking God to intervene in the world.  We are asking God to work, to move, and to change the current reality.   If it is our desire that God be willing to do that, then we must be willing to be the agent through which God is going to work.   This means if we are going to care enough about the hungry to ask God to provide for them, then a love that arises from Christian character should compel us to do what we can to provide for them.  It means that if we want there to be less hate and more peace in the world or in our country, then we must be willing to be peacemakers who strive to build bridges of understanding to those who have a different perspective.  It means if we want some to come to know Jesus then we must be willing to tell them about Jesus.  God answers prayers, but there are times when the way the prayer is answered is through being led by God into action. 

​In this morning’s scripture Paul urges Timothy to make petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving for all people.  Paul puts forward the idea of having a prayer life that has an emphasis on praying for other people.  As the revival of 1857 illustrates, these kinds of prayers have the power to be disruptive and change the world.  Yet, that only happens when we let those same prayers change our hearts and disrupt our lives.   So may we be a people who pray for other people.   May we be willing to let God change our hearts as we pray and may be open to how God might use us to be an answer to prayer.  May we pray  disruptive prayers and may we act so that disciples are made and the world is transformed. 
 
 

Scripture: 1 Timothy: 1:12-17

One of the unfortunate realities of competition is that in order for their to be winners, there must be losers.  While everyone is trying to be the first person to cross the finish line first, there will also be someone who crosses last.  For every person who is the best at something, there will be someone else who is the worst.  To save face and protect the dignity of the competitors, these facts are not often dwelled on or highlighted.  The exception to this is professional baseball.  Baseball has always been a sport that is obsessed with statistics and record keeping.  So, while baseball statisticians can tell you who has been the best in dozens of different areas, they can also tell you is the worst.   Sometimes those labels can stick with a player.  Consider a player from the 1920’s who was dubbed the strikeout king.   This is because this player struck out a lot.  He set the record for career strikeouts and this record stood for almost 30 years.   In the 1923 season for instance, he struck out 93 times.  He led the league in strikeouts that year, just like he did in 1922.  In fact, from 1921-1924 he struck out more than 220 times.

 This player drew a lot of critics for his batting record, which is where the strikeout king nickname came from.  If George Herman Ruth, better known by his nickname Babe, had ended his career in 1923, then he might still primarily be known as the strikeout king.  However, in 1927 Babe Ruth became the first player to hit 60 home runs in a single season.  That record stood for 34 years.   He also set the record for career home runs and that record stood until Hank Aaron famously broke it in 1974.  Today, Babe Ruth is better known as the homerun king, he is regarded as one of the best players to have ever played the game, and his swing for the fences style completely changed how baseball is played. 

If someone were to focus just on a single statistic, the number of strikeouts, then Babe Ruth might look like one of the worst baseball players in history.  However, that is not the full story.  This is true in life, not just baseball.  There is always more to the story.   In this morning’s scripture, Paul identifies himself as the worst of sinners.   Yet, that is not his full story.  In the same way, every single one of us has sinned.  We have all fallen short of what we know is right.  We have all made choices we wish we could undo or we have said words we wish we could take back.   Those failures and shortcomings are not our full story either.  Because like Paul, our story has another aspect where grace changes everything.  Just like Babe Ruth is known for his hits not his strikeouts, we can be known for how grace has changed our lives.  

This morning’s scripture comes from the beginning of 1 Timothy.  This is a personal letter that Paul wrote to a young person he was mentoring.  He wrote this letter towards the end of his life.  Throughout 1 Timothy he is extremely reflective of his life and ministry.  We see that in this scripture Paul recounts how he was awakened to grace.   In the book of Acts we can read about Paul’s conversion, how we went from someone who persecuted Christians to a follower of Christ after he met Jesus on the road to Damascus.  However, in this scripture we get his personal account, not of the event, but of the feelings he had due to having his life turned upside down by grace.   Paul’s words here are powerful as they are a firsthand account of how one man experienced the life changing, saving grace of God made known through Jesus Christ.  As we consider this morning’s scripture and we consider Paul’s experience with grace, I think we can gain a better understanding of just how amazing grace is.   

We find a great statement of grace in verse 15, “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance:  Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners- Of whom I am the worst.”  The phrase, “trustworthy saying” only appears in the two letter that Paul wrote to Timothy and the one he wrote to Titus.  Biblical scholars believe that the intention by emphasizing this, is that the trustworthy sayings were meant to be the first standardized doctrinal statements.  So, Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners was and still is a foundational standard of belief for Christians.  However, Paul then adds his own extra commentary, by saying he is the worst.   This does not feel quite right.  I mean, it feels like I could watch the news for like ten minutes and see stories that feature at least five sinners who had to be worse than Paul. 

It seems odd for Paul to call himself the worst of sinners. Because this is a man who started dozens of churches.  Through him miracles were done.  The book of Acts even recounts a story of when through Paul a young man was brought back to life.  It is hard to think of someone that righteous as the worst sinner.  However, that is kind of the point.   There is a common occurrence that happens across all academic disciplines or fields of study.  The more advanced someone gets in their knowledge, the more acutely aware of what it is they do not know.  In the same way, the closer one gets to Jesus, the more aware we become of how much we are not like Christ.  The more aware we become of our constant need for grace, the more aware we become of just how prone our heart is to wander from the savior we love.    So from Paul’s point of view, he knew just how much he stood in need of forgiveness and grace.   From Paul’s point of view, he was the worst sinner that he knew, because he was the sinner he knew the best.  
 
Paul knew the depths of his sin.  Paul was honest about his proclivity for violence, and he knew how we actively persecuted and breathed murderous threats against followers of Jesus.  If the story of Paul stopped there, then perhaps today he would be remembered as the worst of sinners.  Yet, that was not the end of Paul’s story.  As he wrote in this morning’s scripture, “I was shown mercy” and “the grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly.”   The grace of Jesus added another side to the story of Paul.   He may have viewed himself as the worst of sinners, but because he was saved by grace, he was also the apostle to the gentiles.  This is a story that has been repeated over the centuries and decades.  Time after time, the grace of Jesus Christ takes the worst and reveals the best of a person.  

One story that illustrates this is the story of John Newton.  Newton, an Englishman, lived in the 18th century.   He grew up in the church with a devout mother, but he left that behind and found himself pressed into naval service.  In that profession he earned the nickname “the great blasphemer”.  Newton could curse, drink, and be crude enough to make other sailors blush. After not seeing eye to eye with his original captain, Newton found himself serving aboard a slave ship.  It was while on one of those ships he was caught in a fierce storm for over a week.  Everyone, including Newton, thought they were going to die.  This brush with death, got Newton’s attention and he began to turn back to God.  Over the course of the next several years, Newton drew closer to God, found Jesus to be his Lord and Savior.   He left sailing and the slave trade.   He became ordained clergy in the Anglican church, and he became an outspoken opponent of slavery, writing about the evils he had seen and perpetuated.  Newton’s writing and advocacy put him in contact with William Wilberforce, England’s great abolitionist.   Newton’s efforts helped contribute to England outlawing the practice of human slavery in 1807. 

Once John Newton came to faith, he also wrote several worship songs.  Newton thinking over the depths of sin he was in, and the love that God had for him despite his wickedness led Newton to write a specific song, we still know today.  Newton wrote “Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.  I once was lost but now am found.  I was blind but now I see.”  In old age Newton struggled with senility and a failing memory.  However, he was quick to say, “My memory is nearly gone; but I remember two things: That I am a great sinner, and that Christ is a great Savior.”

We should be willing to be honest about how we have fallen short and how we have sinned.  If we are being honest then like Paul, we also could say that of all the sinners we know, we are the worst.  Because we are the sinner that we know the best.  While that should be a sobering truth for each of us, the good news of grace is that it is not the end of our story.   Babe Ruth is known as the homerun king, not the strikeout king.  Paul is known as the apostle to the gentiles, not the great persecutor.  John Newton is known as a hymn writer, not as a slaver.  In the same way, you are not known and should not be known by who you were at your worst.  The mistakes you have made, the ways you have let people down, the ways you have hurt others, the sins you have committed.  They do not define you. 

Because friends, here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance.  Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.  So here the good news, in the name of Jesus Christ you are forgiven.   Guilt and shame over what has happened in the past should not be something that continues to pull us down.  Like Paul all of us have been shown mercy and like Paul our story does not end at our worst.   If we are saved by grace in Jesus Christ, then our story is still being told. 

In this morning’s scripture Paul states, “I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.”  Because of grace Paul’s worst, became an example of his best.  We found the same thing in the story of John Newton, the former slaver helped bring about the end of British slavery.  We can find the same truth in our lives.  The place of our greatest past hurt is often the place where we can help other find the most healing.  The place of our greatest brokenness is often the place we can help others find wholeness. Because we have been forgiven by grace, we can have a new chapter where what was once a dark spot in our lives becomes a testimony to the goodness of God.    

In this morning’s scripture, we get some insight as to how Paul understood the way grace changed his life.   For all who follow Jesus, grace has added a new chapter to our story.  Our worst is not the end, but it is starting point for living our best.   So may we be willing to be honest about our own sin, but may we not let that hold us down or hold us back. Like the Apostle Paul, may we claim that the grace of our Lord was poured out on us abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.   May our lives be a testimony to how the grace of Jesus has changed our lives for the better.   May we be quick to point that even though we might be great sinners, Jesus is a greater savior; thanks to him I once was lost, but now I am found.  I was blind, but now I see.  Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.