“God’s Symbol of Cleansing”

The following message is based on Acts 2:38 and is a treatment of the subject of baptism.  It was delievered on June 3, 2012

We know what landmarks are.  They are property or monuments that have functioned as helpful reminders of our past.  Mount Rushmore, reminds us of the strategic leaders in our country’s history: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt.  They represent the founding of our country; it’s formative time; it’s most difficult time, and its time of international influence.  All of them represent the freedom and growth of the United States.

Landmarks serve as reminders of what has happened to us, as well as propelling us to where we’re going.  Merriam Webster defines a landmark as “an event or development that marks a turning point or a stage.”  Baptism and confirmation function as developmental landmarks in a Christian’s life.

Last week we discussed the importance of the Holy Spirit from the miracle on the Day of Pentecost.  Often referred to as the birthday of the church, Pentecost is when God gave us His Holy Spirit; 3,000 souls were saved and baptized.  Today, we look at a landmark in the Christian’s life, that by which we know as baptism.   What purpose does this “landmark” serve?  So we turn to the question, “Why be baptized or confirmed?”

BAPTISM IS A POINT OF ENTRY AND A POINT OF DEPARTURE FOR THE CHRISTIAN

For this, we turn to the early church and the testimony given to us in Acts 2.  It takes up where Peter is finishing his great sermon on the day of Pentecost.  In this sermon, he traces the history of the Jewish people and how the death of Christ should be understood.  Although it was God’s plan that Jesus go to the cross, it was also a result of the sin of the people of that time: Jewish, Roman and Gentile.  Peter was asked, “What must we do to be saved…?”  He then instructed the crowd on that day “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’”

Athletes wear uniforms with pride.  The colors represent a school; the logo represents an organization.  Uniforms depict whose team you are on.  To hear of Derek Jeter speak of what it means to be a New York Yankee; when they talk about putting on the “pinstripes.”  Or when an Oakland Raider speaks of wearing the “silver and black,” you get a glimpse of how important and how prideful it is to don such a uniform. Baptism and Confirmation function as a type of uniform for the Christian.  In doing so, we are “putting on” a uniform of sorts.  Paul states in Galatians 3:27: “…for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.”

Confirmation is a time when those who have been baptized, confirm the faith that they were pledged to when they received their baptism as an infant.  The instrument of their confirmation is Peter’s Confession at Caesarea Philippi when Jesus asked: “Who do you say I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” It is a joy to see people dedicate their lives to Christ and participate in Christian baptism.  These ten young people come from various homes within our membership.  We’ve taken good efforts to prepare them, not just for membership in Central Schwenkfelder Church, (which they will express next week), but in the kingdom of God.  One should reflect the other. It was on this confession that Jesus said He would build His church.

BAPTISM IS A LANDMARK OF JESUS’ CLEANSING GRACE THAT WASHES AWAY THE FILTH OF OUR SIN.

In Acts 2:38, Peter preached to the crowd at Pentecost: “Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 “For the promise is for you and your children, and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God shall call to Himself.”  I’ve often wondered why Peter included baptism in the invitation.  Was there something about it that benefited these new converts?  We find the answer to such a question in the phrase: “for the remission of sins.”  Acts 2:38 contains a phrase that denotes, “on the basis of the forgiveness of sins” or “with a view to the forgiveness of sins.[1] Baptism is not a condition for salvation, but a proclamation of it.

There are several places where individual benefits are illustrated to the participant.  For instance, Jesus told His disciples that on account of His authority in the entire world: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you… (Matthew 28:19-20).”  One of the distinguishing signs concerning the advancement and growth of the church was baptism.  People need to be reminded that God has provided a way that our slates can be wiped clean and our consciences can be pure by simply coming to the Lord Jesus Christ and asking Him to forgive you and cleanse you.  1 John 1:9: “If we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  That is good news in today’s world.

Moreover, Paul, possibly alluding to baptism tells us in Titus 3:5: “He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit….”  Just as we need to be made outwardly clean, and take a shower to remove the dirt from our bodies, so baptism functions as a reminder that God can purify the heart and cleanse the spirit. Peter, drawing from the illustration of the flood in the days of Noah, states: “There is also an antitype which now saves us — baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, (1 Peter 3:21).”  We may think that baptism is just something that God wants us to do for him.  Rather the opposite is true.  God wants us to participate in baptism to remind us what He has done for us!

History teaches that baptism benefits those who participate in it.  The Heidelberg Catechism, published in 1563, is a system of Scriptural teaching which came into being soon after the Protestant Reformation, in an effort to unite factions among the Luther and Reformed churches.  I happen to relish its teaching on baptism, that it confirms God’s grace to us.  It states that: “Christ has instituted this external washing with water and by it has promised that I am as certainly washed with His blood and Spirit from the uncleanness of my soul and from all my sins, as I am washed externally with water which is used to remove the dirt from my body.

Baptism also functions as that which propels us to mission.  We are reminded to live in the future as God’s people; to live out the baptized life.  These baptisms and confirmations today place these youngster’s in a minority among their peers.  You are now enlisted to be missionaries to the culture around you.  David Barrett has stated that “…in Europe and North America an average of 53,000 persons are permanently leaving the Christian church from one Sunday to the next.”[2]  Why is this?  One reason is that churches have lost sight of the good news of Jesus, that one can be cleansed from sin and reconciled to God through faith in Christ.  Unfortunately, many churches have chosen rather to peddle “…prosperity and dispense the gospel of narcissism,” as Ross Douthat states.[3]  In baptism, God’s calls us to a different way of belief and a different way of life.  We are called to share that difference to our friends and neighbors that so desperately need it.

Where is your landmark of the Christian faith?  Have you been baptized?  If so, hopefully you possess the faith that was reflected when you were, or when your parents offered you up in baptism.  Faith and the water should be connected, either as a confirmation, or as an indication.  If you have not, have you trusted Christ?  Do not withhold yourself from this sacred rite, which reminds us of the good news of Jesus Christ, that we can be made clean, whereas our sin makes us filthy morally and spiritually.  Now, baptism indicates the work of a loving God and a penitent sinner.  A wonderful landmark for all who want a changed life.

[1] Zerwick and Grosvenor, “Acts 2:38,” A Grammatical Analysis of the Greek New Testament, Fourth ed.: 356.

[2] David J. Bosch, Transforming Mission. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2006), 3.

[3] Ross Douthat, Bad Religion: How We Became a Nation of Heretics. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2012.

“What is the Church?”

The following sermon is based on Acts 2:42-47 and argues that the church is not a structure, but a community of people, committed to Christ and one another.  It was delievered on June 10, 2012 on the occasion of receiving new members.

Is the church a building; a structure of stone and metal?  Or is it something greater?  We need each other because life is not easy.  We are people, dependent on relationships.  Because God is relational, He has graciously given us something called the church, to support us and assist us in our spiritual journey.  Christianity is not an individual enterprise; not to be gone at alone; not a self help plan, but community-intentional.

The church has always been a vital part of my spiritual experience.  I grew up as a part of the First Christian Church of Nevada, MO.  My mother would knock on my bedroom door on Sunday morning, to wake me in order to get ready for worship.  I routinely said that I was “going to church.”  I fell prey to the idea that the church was a brick building with a large steeple on the corner of Washington and Austin.  But a structure is not what the church is at all.  Church is a people.  A body of baptized believers who love each other.  This morning, I want us to consider the health of the ancient church; and consider how we might emulate the things that made up the gathering of Christians so long ago.  Consider that…

THE EARLY CHURCH HAD A DYNAMIC FELLOWSHIP BASED UPON GOD’S WORD AND GOD’S LOVE, ONE FOR ANOTHER.

Our text functions as a commentary of church life after Pentecost.  It answers the question: “What did Christians do after the 3,000 came to faith?  Acts 2:42 tells us: “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43 Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. 44 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, 45 and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.”  Here we have the practice of the early church.  Their doctrine was rooted in apostolic teaching.  The church, according to Paul, was built: “…on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, (Ephesians 2:20).”

The Christian faith is not a smorgasbord of whatever philosophy you want to acquiesce.  Rather it is the historic Christian faith, handed down these last 21 centuries to form a people after God’s own heart.  You will notice that our new members will affirmatively respond to the question printed on your bulletin insert: “Do you confess your faith in the Triune God as Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and in the Holy Spirit as Sustainer?  Do you take for your rule of life the words of our Lord found in Luke 10:27: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind… and to love your neighbor as yourself.”  This means that you are giving yourself to something and someone outside of yourselves.

I was talking with a minister from the Lancaster area recently.  His church recites the Apostles’ Creed each Sunday.  The reason he gave was interesting, I thought.  He said: “We do so because we do not feel the right to make up our own theology.  The Christian faith is something that is handed-down from generation to generation of Christians.”  Afterwards, I thought: “How true.”  And yet, in our postmodern culture, god means anything and theology seems to be one of those creative interests, in which many believe what they want to accommodate their lives.  But the Christian faith is something given to us that we embrace.

They also fellowshipped around a meal, uniquely around the Lord’s Supper.  There’s something connective about food.  The early Christians ate together frequently and celebrated communion as part of the Love Feast.  There’s something about breaking bread that brings people on equal footing, causing them to be open to one another.

And they devoted themselves to prayer.  I heard it once said that prayer is the machine room of the church.  Our church is only as successful as God allows it to be.  If we don’t need God, then let us stop praying!  Prayer is verbal dependence upon God.  We have a prayer meeting on Wednesday nights in our chapel.  We usually begin with a song or two.  Then share requests.  Afterwards we pray for about a half an hour.  Then, we open up God’s word and share- usually in anticipation for Sunday morning.  Because of other conflicts, I’ve not been able to attend the prayer meeting the last two weeks.   I miss it.  And that’s how it should be.  I should miss the prayer meeting with my fellow Christian friends.

C.H. Spurgeon was showing some visitors over the Tabernacle (London). After taking them to the main part of the building, he said, “Come, and I’ll show you the heating apparatus.” Imagine their surprise, when he took them to a room where four hundred were gathered in a prayer meeting. The church with warmth of spirit must have the warmth-producing prayer meeting.[1]

What’s more is that God was doing special things as His word was being spread.  Signs and wonders refer to the miracles God allowed the apostles to perform in order to invoke belief.  God continues to do mighty things in the lives of His people.  Some get healed from cancer.  Others don’t.  Some are miraculously protected.  Others aren’t.  God knows and does all things according to His pleasure.  But the signs and wonders spoken of refer to unique miracles.

Finally, they held all things in common.  In other words, such love and consideration pervaded the church in Jerusalem that no Christian went without.  All needs were met.  No one was hungry.  All had clothing.  Everyone was cared for.  This was a communal aspect. I wonder how we might care for the underprivileged in our midst, in our area?  Could we gather items that we no longer use and have a “care and share”?  What ways might we assist those less fortunate?  I would welcome your suggestions.

In our age where privacy is a premium, how can we show this type of concern for each other?  What would Acts 2:42-47 look like in 2012?  It is a shame when church health is jeopardized with conflict or infighting.  Leaving a church should only be for two reasons: when leadership compromises doctrinal or moral integrity.  Yet people leave for all kinds of reasons: when their business did not get a bid or the minister is boring, or the music is not to my preference.  I wonder what God thinks at such things.

Personalities have not changed all that much.  I am quite sure that amongst the followers of Christ, some were more difficult than others.  But love involved a choice.  And it was fed from a love that they experienced from Christ.  They took seriously the words of Jesus found in John 13:34: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”  We as a congregation, “…promise to walk with you in Christian love and sympathy, and to promote, as far as in us lies, your growth in the Christian faith.”

Just this weekend, I was talking to one of my neighbors who happens to be Roman Catholic.  We were discussing the difficulties his parish is experiencing.  He said: “Church is not a building; the church is the community, the people.”  A recovery of community must happen, if the church is going to stay relevant.  The church a system of interdependent relationships where encouragement is given, sin is confessed, teaching is present and growth occurs, both spiritually and numerically.  Colossians 12 3:states that we are to: “…clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances we may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave us. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”  Dave Coryell, Director of Christian Endeavor states it this way: “God intends us to be part of a group of people that will worship Him together.  This is called a church.”[2]  We desperately need the teaching, learning, accountability, support and friendship that comes with the presence of the church in our lives.

These four elements constitute good health for the church: apostolic doctrine, fellowship, breaking bread and prayer.  Of these, the late Donald Barnhouse, pastor of Tenth Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia, wrote: “Keep those four factors alive in any church group and you have the makings of a healthy church.  Depart from any of those characteristics and you have an anemic, sick church, such as we see so much of today.”[3]

What is your attitude toward the church?  Is it just a place to satisfy your social needs?  Is it just a place that educates your faith?  Is it not both and even so much more?  Hopefully you realize that this is not ordinary organization.  No other organization that I know of has God’s commitment, as well as fosters our commitment to Him.  May we take notice of these four indicators and imitate the early church!

[1] Al Bryant in Encyclopedia of 15,000 Illustrations: Signs of the Times.

 

[2] Dave Coryell, I Accepted Christ!  Now What? (Ephrata, PA: Dave Coryell, 2001), 9.

[3] Donald Barnhouse, Acts: An Expositional Commentary. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1979), 33.

“Why We Are, the Way We Are.”

The following sermon is based on Acts 1:4-8, 2:1-13; and Galatians 5:16-26.  It introduces the Holy Spirit as the One who enables us to live the Christian life.  This message was preached on Pentecost Sunday, May 27, 2012

A number of miles from the Los Angeles basin there is a river.  The river has been dammed up by man, and through the genius and innovation of engineers, they have put together a dam that has, in its process of working, housed electricity- hundreds of thousands of volts that are fed into the Los Angeles basin.  And if you were to go to the plant, the source, and follow the lines that come into the city, you would come to various transmission plants along the way that would be marked: “Danger.  High Voltage”  “No trespassing.  Danger.”  Hundreds of thousands of volts are available in energy for your home, but who needs a hundred thousand volts unless he wants to burn up his home?  Knowing that, the engineers have built transformers into the system- not transmitters, but transformers.  And the transformer does nothing more than break down into meaningful units just the electricity you need.

When the Holy Spirit comes into a person’s life, He functions as a bit of a transformer.  He takes the majestic truth of God and dispenses it just the way that you need, give it to you with handles that you can take and use.  It is the Spirit’s delight to take the full truth of God and make one thing meaningful to that woman, something altogether different to that man, and something different again to that fellow down there.  That’s the work of the Spirit, and He never makes a mistake.  He gives you just what you can handle.

Without the Holy Spirit, we have no power to live the Christian life.  Paul in Romans 7:18 agree with our experience: “I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.”  Today we celebrate Pentecost Sunday.  It marks the coming of the Holy Spirit after Jesus ascended into heaven.  With Jesus’ departure, came the Holy Spirit in power.  Jesus promised in Acts 1:7 reads: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”  He is the Giver of life, as the Nicene Creed teaches.  Christianity is a religion of dependence and indwelling.

What, or WHO gives rise to Christian behavior.  On this special Sunday let’s consider the One who influences us as Christians.  If we are not careful, we can see the Christian faith from only an outward perspective- a set of rules found in the Bible, with no life.  But the Holy Spirit brings a whole different identity to faith and character.  So how does one live out the positive character qualities that we think define a person who is “good?”  That’s what I’d like to talk about today in a message I’ve entitled: ““Why We Are, the Way We Are.”  We must first understand that within a Christian’s life …

THERE’S A WAR TAKING PLACE WITHIN OUR SOULS.

The Holy Spirit works in the Christian’s life.  There are two parts at work and two parties at war in how we live out our faith.  There is the flesh, where Satan is at work, tempting us, lying to us, wanting us to follow his “cleverly crafted schemes” as Ephesians 6 states.  He instigates those things which appeal to our sinful natures (James 1:14).  They are listed there in our passage.  There are various outplays of this.  The battle comes as they wage war against each other in our soul.  Verse 16: “Walk by the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”  What are the deeds of the flesh?  Paul lists them in verse 19: “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”  This is why Christian belief and Christian behavior must coincide.  There is no room for hypocrisy in the Christian life, though all of us struggle with hypocrisy to one degree or another, if we were honest.

You will notice that hear listed are a wide range of outward behaviors, from the worst, demonic type of actions to those things that we tend to think aren’t that bad, to those things that are hidden within the recesses of our mind, yet provide a struggle.  Hopefully, there would not be an argument here as to what is sexually perverse, or that witchcraft is wrong in God’s eyes.  But what about selfish ambition?  It can masquerade as goal setting and achievement, but if done with the wrong motives or if it hurts people in the wake, it is wrong.  Or what about jealousy or envy?  They are pretty private until acted upon.

And then there’s the life in the Spirit.  When our spirits are governed by the Holy Spirit: from which there is a host of qualities with various outplays.  Jesus said in John 15:5: “Apart from Me, you can do nothing.” So how can we live out our faith?

THE HOLY SPIRIT ENABLES US TO LIVE A TRANSFORMED LIFE.

The fruits of the Holy Spirit are available to every Christian.  God’s Sprit is the One who places these qualities within us and motivates us to show them. You might notice that these qualities are both related to a personal disposition that God give us, as well as skills for how we relate to others. All this comes through the enabling power of the Holy Spirit.  It is good to memorize these: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control.  It is good to memorize these.  I was at one of our prayer meetings recently and one of the attendees had these memorized.  She prayed, “Father, give us more, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”  These are wonderful, admirable qualities for all of us, antithetic to the deeds of the flesh as stated earlier.

Let’s look at a few of these.  Consider patience.  The New King James uses the word, “long-suffering.”  “Long-suffering,” is not widely practices in our culture today.  We want things now and we want them a certain way.  To wait for something or to have things differently than one wishes is a cause of disappointment.  We believe we’re entitled whether that be material possessions or relationships. Calvin Coolidge said: “”There is no dignity quite so impressive and no one independence quite so important, as living within your means.”  Long-suffering is the ability to put up, to adapt, so the outward does not kill you.

Then there’s goodness.  You know, good people stand out.  I’m not talking about the regular, run of the mill “good,” the good that is tends to be labeled upon everyone at their funeral.  I’m talking about goodness that stands out.  I remember Chester Whitehead, who was my barber growing up.  His haircuts were not what made an impression on me.  Rather it was his integrity.  He was an elder at my home church.  He loved Jesus Christ.  Our church went through some troubling times, but Chester led our congregation by being an example of goodness.

Then there’s joy.  The Greek term is chara, which can denote gladness or happiness. Happiness is tied to outward circumstances, whereas joy is an inner satisfaction regardless of the conditions.  One can have joy, regardless of their job status.  One may have joy, even though they’ve lost someone very special to them through death.  Joy is attainable to the one who has experienced adversity.  James 1:2 states: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.

All of this is related to the third person of the Trinity, working within us.  God gives us His Holy Spirit before we trust Christ, for we never could trust Christ without the assistance of the Holy Spirit.  Jesus said in John 6:44 “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.

Christians have the Holy Spirit.  That‘s the way we know God and know about God.  As a believer, your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.  He is the catalyst in our communion with God.

We need one who restrains us; one who convicts us; one who counsels us.  When our car breaks down, we call AAA and they send someone to help us. When our computer won’t work, we call the expert (Jeff Ost).  When our body hurts, we go see the doctor.  When Jesus ascended into heaven, He sent the Helper, to assist us and the church, that we might live out the Christian faith with power.

What’s also important to note that the Holy Spirit convicts us when we do wrong or prods us when we ought to do something in accordance with the gospel  He is active in our daily lives.  Our culture tends to look at guilt in a negative way, and avoids it at all cost, even when our behavior would warrant some guilt.  We live in a guiltless society because many consciences are seared.  But only God can restore the human conscience.  David prayed in Psalm 51:10: “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”  Confessions is often called, “Agreeing with the Holy Spirit.”  He redirects us when we’re going down the wrong path and steers to the right one.

If you are a Christian, you have the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9-11).  If you have yet to decide to follow Christ, the Holy Spirit is available to you today.  God the Father gives the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him.  In Luke 11:11 Jesus states: “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”  If you need more peace in your life, why don’t you ask Him?  If you need more joy in your life, why not ask Him.  Why not ask for the One who can bring His truth into your soul and change you forever?

What is Marriage?

The following message is based upon Genesis 2:18-25 and 1 Corinthians 6:9-17 and deals with the subject of marriage, gay marriage and how the church should respond.  It was delievered at the Central Schwenkfelder Church on May 20, 2012

Today marks the beginning of a new sermon series on current events.  It was Karl Barth who said that that a mark of a good preacher is to have a Bible in one hand and a newspaper in the other.  A topic that has come to the forefront of the news, especially over the last two weeks is on the subject of marriage.  All one has to do is look at the latest cover of Newsweek magazine to notice that the question of who should get married; marriage rights, and related issues are in the news.

Normally, I would not venture into these waters so as to avoid appearing to promote a political agenda.  As always, there is a risk of being misunderstood on such things when a minister wants to be relevant on social issues, whether it be gay marriage, abortion, etc.  So is there a Christian response to these recent happenings in the news?  I think so.  The following is my response.  I’d like to first ask…

WHAT IS MARRIAGE?

God designed humankind as male and female, as we read in the first couple of chapters of the book of Genesis.  And when He designed our first parents, they were created in His image with a special ability to cohabitate and procreate.  Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness…. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”  More specifically, before He brought the woman to the man, he looked upon the man and saw that he had a need.  Genesis 2:18 records: “The LORD God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.’”  And when he received his mate, perfectly matched for all of his needs, emotional, physical and spiritual, he said: “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.”   This naming action implied a special covenant relationship that is foundational to our understanding of marriage; one man, one woman, helping, caring for and loving each other for the peace and propagation of society.

Then, as if we needed to be given the purpose for this covenant, verse 24 states: “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.  The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.”  It is not to say that everyone is supposed to experience marriage, but that is the environment in which romantic love flourishes, commitment is established, perseverance is practiced and children are to be born.  There is a synergy involved; a mixture, a bringing together of two complimentary parts to form a perfect union; such was the case with our first parents.  Any other arrangement for romantic love taints the original design that God gave us; whether it is heterosexual immorality, an adulterous affair, homosexuality, polygamy, incest or anything else.  All of these are unnatural.  God’s design of marriage between one man and one woman is the natural choice.    Deviating from God’s design and provision for romantic love invites all sorts of unnecessary pain and heartache.  With this is our backdrop, we must also ask…

WHAT IS HOMOSEXUALITY?

For the record, I have gay friends.  I have friends who have gay children and I have friends who have gay siblings. And you do, too.  I think for one, to be reminded that the Scripture is clear that the practice of homosexuality is something of which God does not approve, from such places as Leviticus 18:22: “‘Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable.”  Such sin is coupled with other sexual sins that God finds detestable.

In the New Testament, homosexuality is part of a broader issue of sexual immorality that is to be abandoned by the Christian, alongside of adultery and heterosexual promiscuous behavior.  For instance, Ephesians 5 tells us that immorality must not be named among Christians. Paul writes: “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.  But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.”  Or in Colossians 3:5 tells us that we must lay aside these sins. “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.  Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.  You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived.”

As I said before, homosexuality is one example of sexual immorality.  It is a sin, just as heterosexual sex outside of marriage is; just as adultery is, just as pedophilia is, etc.  Paul goes on to express in 1 Corinthians 6:9 states that those who practice shall not inherit God’s kingdom.  The English Standard Version reads: “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.   And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”

Homosexuality was something practiced widely in the first century Greco-Roman world. Fourteen out of the first fifteen Roman Emperors practiced homosexuality.  For instance, when Nero was emperor, He had taken a boy called Sporus and had him castrated.  He then married him with a full marriage ceremony and took him home in procession to his palace and lived with him.  When Nero was eliminated and Otho came to the throne, one of the first things he did was take possession of Sporus.

I visited Corinth in 2010 and saw the bathhouse where male and female prostitutes would designate themselves with a shaved head and a greased body, advertising their availability to the next client/worshipper. But then notice that he says: “…and such were some of you.”    Paul taught that repentance was possible then; it is today as well.  To say that this isn’t possible is to tell those struggling with same-sex attraction that they might as well give up.  So many want to see their sexuality as their identity.  But should any of us be identified by merely our sexuality?  Isn’t that seeing ourselves as so one dimensional?  I am not defined by my heterosexuality.  Rather, I’m defined by who I am in Christ; and I’ve been blessed to be a male, a husband, a father, a son, a pastor,etc.

In today’s rhetoric on the subject, not many talk about the health risks of the gay lifestyle.  Many want to point out that their gay friends have been together for years of monogamous love.  According to a Madison and McWater study, Homosexuals have an 83% infidelity rate.  Another study by Dr. John Diggs, M.D., stated that monogamy was extremely rare for gay couples. In addition, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention has said as recently as 2010:

“The data indicate that rates of HIV infection among gay men and other men who have sex with men (MSM) are more than 44 times higher than rates among heterosexual men and more than 40 times higher than women. Rates of syphilis, an STD that can facilitate HIV infection and, if left untreated, may lead to sight loss and severe damage to the nervous system, are reported to be more than 46 times higher among gay men and other MSM than among heterosexual men and more than 71 times higher than among women.[1]

Is this a part of God’s plan?  With God’s revealed word, confirmed with the stated risk factors, I think the answer is plain.  Some want to say: “Are not homosexuals born with that predisposition?  Officially, to date, there are no biological factors, contributing to same-sex attraction; possibly environmental factors, but no biological factors are known to date.

So what are we to make of gay marriage? While I believe that one ought to have the opportunity to visit whoever they would like in the hospital; or leave their assets to whom they want.  But to call it marriage is unnatural and runs contrary to God’s design.  To put it as Pastor Kevin DeYoung does: “In our age of hyper-tolerance we try to avoid stigmas, but stigmas can be an expression of common grace.  Who knows how many stupid sinful things I’ve been kept from doing because I knew my peers and my community would deem it shameful.  Our cultural elites may never consider homosexuality shameful, but amendments that define marriage as one man and one woman serve a noble end by defining what is as what ought to be.  We do not help each other in the fight for holiness when we allow for righteousness to look increasingly strange and sin to look increasingly normal.”[2]  Gay marriage is innovative.  By allowing same sex couples to marry, are we not creating a new brand of human relationships?  Should we be creating new forms of human relationships recognized by law?  Is this not heading down a slippery slope?  What about polygamy?  What about incest?  What about bestiality?  As heinous as these are, do they not also deviate from the form which God has given us?

WHAT DOES OUR CULTURE SAY CONCERNING HOMOSEXUALITY?

You would have to be asleep to not notice that we are living in a culture that is constantly changing.  Our sense of morality is eroding and there is a loosening of self restraint.  Our changing culture is moving in a different direction.  Never before have traditional views on sexuality been challenged.  Cohabitation is commonplace.  Marriage for life is a rarity.  What is acceptable to one generation and setting is unacceptable to another.  Starting in 2003, with the case of Lawrence vs. Texas, overturning sodomy laws, followed by the Massachusetts Supreme Court making gay marriage legal, there has been a gradual acceptance of the gay lifestyle.  What would have been unheard of 25 years ago; now several states in the United States have laws allowing for gay marriage.  As of 2012, same-sex marriage is recognized in New York, Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maryland, Washington and the District of Columbia. New Jersey lawmakers recently passed a gay marriage bill, but the bill was vetoed by the governor. In contrast, just two weeks ago, North Carolina became the 30th state in our union to amend their constitution with a definition of marriage as being between one man and one woman.

What influenced this change in society?  Princeton Sociologist Kwame Appiah suggests: “If you ask the social scientist what has produced this change, they will… give you a historical account that concludes with a sort of perspectival shift.  The increasing presence of “openly gay” people in social life and in the media has changed our habits.  Over the last thirty or so years, instead of thinking about the private activity of gay sex, many Americans started thinking about the public category of gay people.”[3]  The challenge for the Christian is to adapt, rather than conform to a culture that is moving away from Judeo-Christian values.

This is not only an American political issue.  It is something that is challenging the church of Christ in other parts of the world.  Just this week, I met with a missionary who serves street people in a major European city.  Among them are the transvestites who live sexually confused lives.  He told me that such men: “…are not happy.  They feel trapped and oppressed; caged with no way of escape.  He told me that gays are in bondage to a lie.  God has given us powerful feelings, emotions and desires.  We try to fill them with other things.  We’ve been duped into believing Satan’s lies.”  Jesus called him the deceiver, “…the father of all lies, a murderer from the beginning. (John 8:44).”  He recycles his ideas, always asking: “Did God really say that?” as he did in the Garden of Eden to Eve and in the wilderness to Jesus.  What a disservice we do to those struggling with such issues if we stay silent.  Woe to the church that allows those struggling to go the way of destruction without saying something!

I was ordained by a Christian conference that made the following statement: “Neither individual Christians, nor ministers of the Word of God, nor congregations of the Lord Jesus Christ, may take away from or lessen God’s prohibition of and warnings against the practice of homosexuality.”[4]

In addition, the Church of England Evangelical Council, which is a conservative arm of the Church of England, states: “Because marriage is instituted by God, neither the Church nor the state is authorized to re-define it.  A relationship between two men or two women cannot therefore be a marriage and neither the state nor the Church should describe it as such.”[5]  The Christian stance on the issue is over 2,000 years old and spans the world- it is not confined to the 2012 presidential election.  For the record, Central’s marriage policy states, among other things: “Believing marriage to be the sacred union of one male and one female, under no circumstances, will a same-sex ceremony take place at Central Schwenkfelder Church.”[6]

HOW ARE WE TO MINISTER TO HOMOSEXUALS?

That is a good question.  I believe I can love someone, without agreeing with their lifestyle.  I can treat a person with dignity, regardless of their identity or sexual orientation.  We must love them with the love of Christ.  But part of that love is being honest about what Scripture has to say concerning homosexual behavior.  Allowing someone to fall off a cliff without telling them that the bridge is out, is not loving, is it?  Thus, we would never want to approve of any promiscuous lifestyle, whether it is homosexuality, adultery or heterosexual promiscuity, which leads to unnecessary pain and heartache.  But in our conversations on the issue, we can be loving, honest, willing to listen, civil and prayerful.

How can we minister to gay people, without being for gay marriage?”  For one, we must draw a difference between same sex attraction and same sex behavior.  Maybe you’re struggling with same sex attraction.  Don’t believe the lie that you were made for this.  God can give you the strength to overcome these urges, as you put your trust in Christ Jesus.  Or if you know of someone who struggles with same sex attraction, you can come and talk with me; we can pray, I will give you resources that might help you in your concern.  Secondly, to recognize that mistreatment of someone just because they are different than you, is not Christian, nor does it represent the gospel.  Rather, we must show love and dignity to all.

I conclude with something that Pastor Bill said last week in his sermon on Deborah, the Old Testament prophetess from the book of Judges.  Deborah was one who was immersed in life, a mother and a wife.  And she spoke God’s truth.  She was God’s representative for a strategic time.  Her life was a testimony that God intervenes when we honor His authority and obey His commands.  I encourage you to do that as you think not only about gay marriage, but about any social matter.  The purpose of your life is to glorify God.  You and I glorify Him by honoring His authority and obeying His commands.  Let us have the mind of Christ on these issues.  May He give us the grace to do so.  Amen.

[2] Kevin DeYoung, “Five Reasons Christians Should Continue to Oppose Gay Marriage,” found at http://www.christianpost.com.

[3] Kwame Anthony Appiah, Cosmopolitanism, (New York: W.W. Norton, 2006), 77.

[4] Statement of the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference, “Homosexuals and the Christian Fellowship,” found at http://jswat.net/cccc/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/PPLH_-_Homosexuals_and_the_Fellowship.pdf.

[6] “Wedding Policy for Central Schwenkfelder Church,” approved by Church Council on March 16, 2009.

“The Value of Music in Worshipping God”

The following message is based on 1 Samuel 16:14-23, explaining what church music is designed for: to assist us in our worship of God.  It was delivered on May 6, 2012

Music is powerful.  It places us at different times in our lives.  I can remember as a youngster that I used to hum a tune after I prayed, to calm my spirit so I could go to sleep.  Someone at prayer meeting on Wednesday spoke of how Lovin’ Spoonful’s “Summer in the City,” placed him back in his service days.  Still another spoke of how she would come to church during a difficult time in her life and the hymns especially touched her.  Just recently, a church member remarked how Dottie and Karen’s Black’s rendition of “My Tribute,” especially ministered to her during her time of loss.  Today is Choir recognition Sunday.  We are reminded that sacred music does so many things for us.  One of Central’s strong points has been its music program.  We are grateful to everyone involved in our music program.  You minister to us every Sunday.

In our text for this morning, we see the value of music to the soul.  Saul was tormented by an evil spirit; the Hebrew is vague.  It could mean a harmful or distressing spirit, as the New King James puts it.  Regardless of what type of spirit it was, the sending of it was part of God’s judgment against Saul because he disobeyed the Lord by not destroying the Amelekites in chapter 15.  Saul feared people more than he feared God.  The church father Tertullian said: “God grants the devil power to inflict trials on humans in order to bring about their sanctification or punishment.”[1]

In the Old Testament, God’s Holy Spirit rested only on Prophets, Priests and Kings.  In the New Testament, the Holy Spirit inhabits all believers in Jesus Christ. God’s Holy Spirit had left Saul to reside upon David, Israel’s future king.  As part of God’s sovereign provision, David was appointed the court musician for Saul.  As he played on the lyre, Saul’s heart was put at rest and he was able to function.  1 Samuel 16:23 tells: “So it came about whenever the evil spirit from God came to Saul, David would take the harp and play it with his hand; and Saul would be refreshed and be well, and the evil spirit would depart from him.”  This morning, I’d like us to consider a couple of aspects of this portion of our worship experience.  First of all,

MUSIC IS ANOTHER MEANS TO PRESENT GOD’S WORD.

The music that David played would undoubtedly be the psalms written from the time of Moses.  The Psalms were Israel’s hymn book.  Many were written by the Sons of Korah, a special designated group that led the people of God in worship.

There’s a lesson in good church music.  There’s a text that appears within the selections, but also in the bulletin itself.  Donald and Sally are teachers by calling; you will find them employing that approach on a continual basis.  Just like the sermon, our challenge is to be in a position to receive the message in the music, regardless if it fits our style.  Music draws intellectual and emotional responses.  Some music is meant to be lively and rhythmic; other music is meant to be smooth and legato.  Music is meant to invoke a response in us.

There is value to singing the Doxology, the Gloria Patri and other regular numbers.  Music affords us an ability to share, as well as listen and appreciate.  Music is a gift.  There are two sides to musical element of our service.  Our choirs present God’s message in song, whether that be Cherubs, Juniors, Dorians Bells, Celebration Brass, Chancel Choir or Brasswinds.  Our musicians help us feel the themes.  It might not be a wow song.  Or your sense of wow is not another’s sense of wow.  That’s why we aim to have an eclectic program.  There is a goal in mind: to minister God’s message to you through music.  The more styles we’re presented with, the more capable we become of understanding and appreciating other musical forms.  And, the more we appreciate, the more we are likely to be moved and inspired.  So, be adventurous.  Expand yourself.

The more we understand the closer we become to our Creator.  We gravitate to what we know.  Music affects the soul.  Music is another way that we can “…be transformed by the renewing of our mind (Romans 12:1-2).”  Music touches us on an emotional level.  That is what the arts do.  They touch the soul.  Personally, when Keith Maurer sings: “Bow the Knee,” I can’t help but become emotional.   Recently, I had the privilege of attending the Vincent Van Gogh exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.  Van Gogh struggled with mental illness most of his life.  He would read Shakespeare and become so bothered that he had to go outside and meditate on a blade of grass.  Nature was his “music.”  Unfortunately, he was a troubled man and took his own life when he was just in his mid 30’s.

But if we are not careful, we fall prey to thinking that music is meant for entertainment, just as the sermon or the presentation may be for entertainment.  So, if we’re not entertained, we leave disappointed.  The sermon and music don’t have entertainment as their goal.  They might contain portions of entertainment, but that is not what they are there for.

And we can be wrongly influenced by music.  Some popular music has the foulest messages; many of which are overtly sexual and violent in their meaning.  Jimi Hendrix, the iconic guitarist of the 1960’s once stated: “Music is a spiritual thing of its own. You can hypnotize people with music and when you get them at their weakest point you can preach into the subconscious mind what we want to say.”  What are the values, ideas and philosophies being presented to the minds of our young people?  Parents’ Music Resource Center found five major themes that rock music returns to repeatedly: rebellion, substance abuse, sexual promiscuity and perversion, violence and the occult. These themes are blatant and recurring. Our minds are like computers: garbage in; garbage out.   In contrast, we try to marry the text to the music.  Look for it and use it as another means of receiving God’s word.

Moreover, our culture has made religion such an intensely personal and individual matter that we make it intensely self-centered and void of a sense of community.  Dr. Soong-San Rah in his book The Next Evangelicalism states: “While there are times when we should express our personal adoration of God, should the subject of the majority of our songs be the great I rather than the great ‘I Am?’ Worship, which should be the ascribing of worth to an Almighty God, can become an exercise of attaining personal self-fulfillment.”[2]

In contrast, worship music is meant to exalt God.  Psalm 108 states: “My heart is steadfast, O God; I will sing, I will sing praises, even with my soul. 2 Awake, harp and lyre; I will awaken the dawn! 3 I will give thanks to Thee, O LORD, among the peoples; and I will sing praises to Thee among the nations.  For Thy lovingkindness is great above the heavens; and Thy truth reaches to the skies. 5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and Thy glory above all the earth.”

MUSIC INVOLVES US.  IT IS ONE OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICPATE IN THE WORSHIP EXPERIENCE.

Music is also an opportunity for us to add something to the worship experience.  Worship is meant to be a participatory exercise.  You’re not coming into this “auditorium,” to see a show.  You are here to offer up something to God.  Colossians 3:16 is a directive: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.”

Music has always played a role in the worship of God.  The Sons of Korah were musicians meant to aid the Israelites in their worship. In addition, Jesus sang a hymn with his disciples before He went to the Mount of Olives, as part of their Passover observance (Matthew 26:30).  So we ought to give God our best when participating in it.  Are there some practical suggestions for this?

John and Charles Wesley were two brothers that felt called of God to bring about a renewal movement within Anglicanism, what later came to be known as Methodism.  Both loved music and Charles Wesley wrote many of our favorite hymns like “”And Can It Be That I Should Gain?” “Christ the Lord Is Risen Today,” “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus,” “Hark! the Herald Angels Sing”  “Love Divine, All Loves Excelling” “O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing” and “Rejoice, the Lord is King.” In 1761, the following rules were singing were written by John Wesley[3]:

  • Sing all. See that you join with the congregation as frequently as you can. Let not a slight degree of weakness or weariness hinder you. If it is a cross to you, take it up and you will find a blessing.
  • Sing with passion and courage. Beware of singing as if you were half dead, or half asleep; but lift up your voice with strength.
  • Sing modestly. Do not bawl, as to be heard above, or distinct from, the rest of the congregation, that you may not destroy the harmony; but strive to unite your voices together, so as to make one clear melodious sound.
  • Sing in time. Whatever time is sung, be sure to keep with it. Do not run before, not stay behind it; but attend closely to the leading voices, and move therewith as exactly as you can. And take care you sing not too slow. This drawling way naturally steals on all who are lazy; and it is high time to drive it out from among us, and sing all our tunes just as quick as we did at first.
  • Above all, sing spiritually. Have an eye to God in every word you sing. Aim at pleasing Him more than yourself, or any other creature. In order to do this, attend strictly to the sense of what you sing, and see that your heart is not carried away with the sound, but offered to God continually; so shall your singing be such as the Lord will approve of here, and reward when he cometh in the clouds of heaven.

Dr. Sam Logan, former President of Westminster Seminary and my advisor at Biblical Seminary, is quite animated when he sings in a worship service.  He pours himself into the experience.  You come away being inspired by watching him sing hymns.  There’s nothing wrong with getting into it.  Fred Seipt, avid Penn State football fan, once said: “Why is it that we can get excited for a football game and not about God on Sunday morning!?”  That’s a very good point.  Offer to God your best and get into it, as God enables us.

[1][1] Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, Vol. IV, p. 263.

[2] Soong-Chan Rah, The Next Evangelicalism (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Books, 2009), 35-36.

“How to Listen to a Sermon”

The following message is based on 2 Timothy 3:14-17 and argues for the value of listening to a sermon with worshipful intentions, for selfish and selfless reasons.  It was delivered on April 29, 2012.

It pays to listen.  Sometimes our lack of listening gets in the way of our understanding.  “A woman had just returned to her home from an evening of church services, when she was startled by an intruder. She caught the man in the act of robbing her home of its valuables and yelled: ‘Stop! Acts 2:38!’ (Repent and be baptized, in the name of Jesus Christ, so that your sins may be forgiven.)

The burglar stopped in his tracks. The woman calmly called the police and explained what she had done.  As the officer cuffed the man to take him in, he asked the burglar:  “Why did you just stand there? All the old lady did was yell a Scripture to you.”

‘Scripture?’ replied the burglar. ‘She said she had an Ax and Two 38s!’”

Sometimes our lack of listening gets in the way of our understanding. Listening was a key part of Timothy’s spiritual formation.  Notice what Paul wrote to him near the end of his life, around 63 A.D.  “You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.  All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”  Those verses say a lot about the value of listening and understanding God’s word.  Listening is a struggling art these days.  Our ability to listen is tied to our attention span.

Our attention span is often linked to our desire for entertainment. Are we putting ourselves into a position to listen to God, especially in the context of the worship service?  Today and next Sunday, I want to speak on the value of two aspects of worship, that of the sermon and that of music.  Today, I’d like to ask you a number of rhetorical questions that have to do with the all important spiritual exercise of listening to a sermon.

First, what is a sermon? 

My own, homespun definition is the following: A sermon is a message from God, derived from His word, meant to inspire, educate and inform us in our faith.   A sermon is different than any other type of presentation.  It takes unique skills to deliver a sermon.  Seminary teaches the minister how to accurately divide the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:14ff).  Knowledge of Hebrew and Greek is needed as well as exegetical skills, how the words relate and flow, Systematic theology puts the text into the bigger picture of what we understand about God.  Because there is such a thing as false doctrine and there continues to be false doctrine.  And yet, we live in an evil age that says that objective truth does not exist.

A good sermon is derived from the word, and should speak into our lives.  But there are times when we are distracted and not engaged with the text or the speaker.  Sometimes we are our own obstacles to spiritual growth.  We need to have the right attitude going into worship and the sermon time; an openness, hunger, thirst, anticipation for what God will say. Psalm 119:18 states “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in Your law.”  When we come to worship, our attitude plays into our ability to listen more than anything.  One dedicated church member was having a discussion with her youngster about why they had to attend the worship service.  “Honey,” she said, “that’s my lesson.”  A sermon is a lesson, and listening to a sermon is an act of worship whereby you are giving your attention to God, by listening to the minister, whoever they may be.  The right attitude is that we need to be humble, teachable.  There should be no trace of pride or arrogance on the part of the speaker or the listener.  We also need to be encouraged, but we also need to be confronted, rebuked, corrected and trained, so as to be equipped to be the person God wants us to be and to do the things He wants us to do.  The Lord wants to refine us through the message.

How does one listen to a sermon? 

Learn to get past the speaker.  I am not the world’s most gifted speaker.  But I am your pastor.  Look past my faults to listen to/for God.  Don’t get sidetracked or distracted by my accent, the baby crying in the third row, your upset stomach, or the loud outfit of your neighbor.  Strain to hear.  Sit on the edge of your seat.  Take notes.  Take 2-3 things away from the message.  If you are here to be entertained, you will leave disappointed.  I am a poor entertainer; God has not called me to entertain.  There are entertaining preachers.

Some make it their primary goal to make you feel good; others want to entertain; still some mark a good sermon by whether or not a tear was shed.  All of that may happen within a sermon, but that should not be the main goal.  The main goal of preaching is to point the listeners to Jesus.  John Calvin said: “It matters not what you say or I say, but what God says.”

Why do we listen to a sermon?

Instruction, reproof, correction, training in righteousness.  All of these are good.  We need these!  At my last church in Kansas, I had a very astute farmer visit my home for prayer one afternoon.  My 100 lbs. Black Labrador Retriever was going crazy with excitement when Frances approached my gate one day.  The dog jumped up on him.  He looked at me and said: “Dogs are wonderful.  But if they are not trained, they can be a nuisance.”  Humans are the same way.  We have wonderful capabilities, but if we close our hearts and minds to the training of God’s spirit, we become spiritual misfits.  Train yourself to listen to anyone.

Let me give you a couple of reasons why we listen: First of all, listen for the soul’s renewal.  As you receive the sermon, listen that you may be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Romans 12:1-2: “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.  Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”  Sermon content, if it is based in Scripture, is meant to transform your mind and soul to the image of Christ.  Don’t let your mind wander.  Dr. Phil Ryken, former pastor of Tenth Presbyterian in Philadelphia and now President of Wheaton College states: “(Listening to a sermon)  is a prime opportunity for us to hear his voice.  We should not insult His majesty by looking at the people around us, thinking about the coming week, or entertaining any of the thousands of other thoughts that crowd our minds.  God is speaking, and we should listen.”[1]

Secondly, listen so as to learn how to be a missionary to those around you.  Maybe God wants to teach you something; remind you of something?  The Thought for Mediation is carefully selected so that you might take away a thought from the message to meditate on throughout the week.  Turn it into a prayer: “Lord, help me to….”

Thirdly, listen with the Bible open.  Be a Berean.  Acts 17:11 gives a great testimony of those from Berea: “Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, [a]for they received the word with [b]great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.”  Listen to judge what we are saying is found in the book!  That is why we should keep our Bibles open during the message, so as to interact with the text as we listen.  And we should write down those things that especially interest or spark us to remember.

What can you do for me as your “preacher?”

  • You can get a good night’s rest.  Prepare for the morrow, as Charles Spurgeon used to tell his London congregation in the late 19th century.
  • Come with your Bible.  Get familiar with YOUR Bible.  Do you realize that only 16% of church-attendees read their Bible on a daily basis?
  • Come, ready to hear; eager to learn; open to what God would show you.
  • Pray for me. Pray that I might accurately present the truth; that I might think and communicate God’s word clearly.

Listening has selfish benefits, but is also a selfless act; that is why we consider listening to the sermon as an act of worship towards God.  We benefit from giving Him our undivided attention.  We also show Him that He is of immense, indescribable importance.  Jim Reapsome, in an article that appeared in Homemade magazine stated that “Teenage prostitutes, during interviews in a San Francisco study, were asked: “Is there anything you needed most and couldn’t get?” Their response, invariably preceded by sadness and tears was unanimous: “What I needed most was someone to listen to me. Someone who cared enough to listen to me.”

[1][1] Phil Ryken, “How to Listen to a Sermon,” http://www.reformation21.org/articles/how-to-listen-to-a-sermon.php.

Serving as a Leader Within the Church of Christ

The following is a testimony shared by Carl B. Sensenig, former Moderator of the Central Schwenkfelder Church. Carl shared this testimony on Sunday, April 15, 2012 at the Central Schwenkfelder Church in Worcester, PA.  Carl is also the President and Principal Advisor of Sensenig Capitol Advisors.  See www.sensenigcapital.com.

When Pastor David called me a few days ago to ask if I would consider giving a testimony regarding his sermon topic today, I think deep down he knew I would not say no. After all he is very good at that…and I think it is one of the pre-requisites for being an effective pastor. I kiddingly told him, as I had told someone else recently, that I was practicing the fine art of saying “no,” and it’s not easy! And let’s be honest, we can tire in our service, pulling back or stop serving altogether. But this is when we need to remind ourselves of God’s goodness, and what he has done for us in Christ, and become re-energized to serve Him. We both agreed that sometimes we do need to decline different requests in order to maintain a truly healthy balance in our lives. But there are other times, and in our gut we often know when those times are, when we must step up to serve others, and serve the Lord. I must humbly admit to you, I had that feeling roughly seven years ago when I was asked to serve as vice moderator. Our church was going through a rather difficult stretch at that particular time.

As I mentioned in an article in the recent March newsletter….In James 1:17, God’s Word tells us that every good gift comes from Him. God encourages us to give back some of our time and talents so we can truly make a difference in others’ lives – within Central, the surrounding community, and, possibly on a global scale. But in the end, the lives that are touched the most are, quite often, our own. I think that’s why God gives gifts to his people – not primarily as a means of fulfillment for us as individuals, but for the maturing of his church.

Again in the newsletter, I mentioned that early on I became involved with the Potpourri Sunday School class. We had a small team of teachers and Fran Witte asked if I would be willing to teach one Sunday. “Me, are you serious?” Reluctantly I agreed to just one “subbing” Sunday and of course it became many Sundays over the ensuing years. As the saying goes, it was time to take the ball and run with it. Little did I know at the time that I was about to begin to appreciate the unmistakable joy of serving. And you know, serving more often than not, is primarily behind the scenes. As a teacher it’s preparing for 3-4 hours or more for a one-hour class….and, it’s in the actual preparation where we are drawn closer to God.

Having served as Central’s Moderator for the past five years, the opportunity and privilege to serve the Lord has taken on even greater meaning for me personally. As you might expect, the more you put into something the more you get out of it, especially when serving and strengthening one’s faith. This is true whether it’s serving on a board, a committee, or in countless other areas such as children’s ministry, greeting visitors, giving rides to seniors, writing cards of encouragement, or joining in a corporate prayer meeting on a Wednesday evening here at church; the list goes on and on! But through serving, the opportunity to work closely with so many of you has been an incredible blessing to me. Whether it’s the time you give or the amazing talents you have in all sorts of endeavors, I am constantly reminded of how very blessed we are as a church and in all the different ways we can serve and please Him. At the heart of these many blessings are our Pastors, David, Bill, and Julian, who with their collective gifts lead us in our true purpose, that of striving to build God’s Kingdom.

I mentioned earlier about how when asked, I felt I knew I should agree to serve as vice moderator. Then just a couple of years later many of the reasons behind this came into a sharper focus. One of the important benefits of endeavoring to discern God’s vision and mission for Central was – the process itself. In Church Council we were led to a story of Nehemiah. As Charles Swindoll says about Nehemiah, he was a prayer-filled leader who sought God’s leadership in his life. And from him we learn four important lessons about leadership:

First, expect opposition– when the threats came he combined prayers to God with preparations to defend himself and his workers, and when the opposition came he was prepared.

Second, keep a positive perspective – Nehemiah never lost his motivation or his confidence in his powerful God. He defeated his enemies with the glass always being half full, not half empty.

Third, fight your battles with prayer – Woven throughout his personal journey are brief prayers: “Then I prayed to the God of heaven…” (2:4); “Hear us, O our God, for we are despised…” (4:4). Nehemiah fought his battles on his knees.

And fourth, stay close to others – After he inspired his group of volunteers with his vision for the new wall being built in Jerusalem, he stayed close to them. They worked with him and prayed with him and stood guard with him during the entire construction process.

Nehemiah, the prayer-filled leader is a prime example for us all as to how we may better serve the Lord by working together with a strong unity of purpose.

And so, the opportunities are everywhere if we just step up and take advantage of the privilege to serve our Lord. I believe it starts with a true recognition of our mission, to LOVE GOD, SERVE OTHERS, & GROW DISCIPLES.

Serving Others, Serving Christ

The following message was delivered at the Central Schwenkfelder Church in Worcester, PA on April 16, 2012.  It presents the importance of service and leadership in the local church, based on Jesus actions of washing the disciples’ feet, John 13.

What if you were asked to work as a bus boy?  Everyone knows it is not a very glamorous job.  You clean up peoples’ messes.  You do the dishes.  The tips are not for you.  You are just to “clean up.”  Yet, if you take that roll out of the picture, the place is mess!  How many times have you walked into a restaurant, have found the table that you want, only to find that it needs to be cleaned and cleared!?  A bus boy holds an important and well-needed job!  Could you be a bus boy?  Could you be a bus boy if God asked you?

Probably the first century’s equivalent to being a bus boy was a household slave.  You job was to show hospitality, among other duties, to guests, which included washing their feet upon their entrance to the home.

With this in mind, I would like to encourage those of you being installed today, as you will be serving others by taking an active role in the ministries of our church.  This morning, I’d like to briefly discuss service and leadership with you from John 13.

Our context this morning is at the Passover meal where Jesus is eating with His disciples.  He has revealed that He will go to the cross and give His life.  He has talked of His Father’s kingdom and of His return.  Now He does something most unusual and unexpected.  He gets a towel and basin and begins washing their feet.

Now washing feet in the first century would be different from washing one’s feet in the 21st century.  It was a pedestrian society.  You walked everywhere.  If you wore shoes, they weren’t Sketchers, they were sandals!  It was a much dirtier scene.  I wondered how long it would take Jesus to wash 12 peoples’ feet.  Each person has two.  He probably spent several minutes at each person.  It was the job of the house slave.  Moreover, it is an intimate situation.  Feet hold no secrets.  There are calluses.  It’s germy.  It stinks.  Here is the Son of God, the Lord of the universe, doing the work of a slave.  It is the attitude that nothing is beneath Him.  There is no work that is too menial.  There is no task too demoralizing or too difficult.  In this action is an attitude of humility and willingness.

Peter, being rather impulsive, reacts to Jesus beginning to do this task.  He states: “You shall never wash my feet!”  If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.”  Simon Peter said to Him: “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!”

Why is Jesus adamant about washing the disciples’ feet?  Foot washing is a picture of a couple of things.  It is a picture of cleansing, possibly related to baptism.  Jesus spoke of being clean.  Baptism signifies our being made clean and forgiven by the blood of Christ. It might also be an allusion to Jesus’ husband like role toward the church, as we are told in Ephesians 5:25: “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.”

But what cannot be denied is that Jesus takes on the roll of a servant.  Being a common form of hospitality in the first century; kind of like serving appetizers when you go to someone’s home for a meal, only servants would wash the feet of their master’s or the household guests.[1]  Jesus states in verse 12:”Do you now that I have done to you?  You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am.  If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.  For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.  Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him.”  The example is that of a servant.  One commentator states: “The humility of Christ is a patter for His disciples.  Instead of aspiring to dominate, they must be eager to serve.”[2]  These were the leaders of the church.  Part of being a good leader is a willingness to do anything for the success of the organization.  There’s no job too menial or too simple.

Those of you in leadership, you are the ones washing our feet, by your planning, your organizing and your valuable input.  You are not serving to advance your own personal interests; you are serving to advance the cause of Christ.  You are working as unto the Lord, as Paul instructs slaves in Colossians 3:22, that they were to do their work: “…with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

What became of the original disciples?  Peter was the apostle to the Jews.  He is thought to have preached in Asia Minor and Italy, assisting Paul in planting the church at Rome.  John was an early opponent of Gnosticism and was banished to the island of Patmos.  He eventually died in Ephesus.  Bartholomew went and preached in India.  Andrew preached in Achaia and was eventually crucified for his faith.  James the son of Alpheus preached in Jerusalem eventually stoned.  James the son of Zebedee preached in Judea and was killed with the sword.  Simon the Zealot served as bishop of the church in Jerusalem and preached to the people of Edessa.  Thomas went to India and planted churches.  Matthew translated the gospel into Hebrew and died in Parthia, modern-day Iran.  Philip preached in Phrygia.  All of them resigned themselves to poverty and persecution.  Most of them gave their lives for the sake of the gospel.

This church is only as good as we take on the role of a servant for Christ.  Whether we are praying for it, serving in it, God is at work in and through all of it.

[1] The New Geneva Study Bible, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1995),1689.

[2]Ibid.

The Reason for Hope

The following message is based on Matthew 28:1-10 and was delivered at the Central Schwenkfelder Church in Worcester, Pennsylvania on Easter Sunday, April 8, 2012

Hope.  It is a powerful word.  It’s something that many people look for, yet many live without.  Or they put their hope in places or people that prove faulty.  Tomas Schreiner, New Testament scholar at Southern Seminary, tells the following story: “In the American West, the United States routinely mistreated Native Americans, making them promises and then violating them when they wanted more land.  Native Americans set their hopes on several charismatic leaders, even thinking that they could not be wounded in battle if they wore ghost skirts.  But they were profoundly mistaken.  The ghost skirts did not protect them from the bullets of their enemies.  Their hopes were crushed and their land was taken away.”[1]  Hope is a powerful word.  It can mislead many. With it, one can bear up under the most difficult of circumstances; without it, the rich, the famous and the beautiful fall into self destruction.

Hope is the central theme of Easter Sunday.  It centers on the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  This morning, we read a factual account of the first Easter morning.  Interestingly it is shrouded in attempts to disprove its authenticity.  But all of these efforts are proved null and void. Let’s look at a couple of interesting observations in our passage today.  First, we see that there are a couple of…

SURPRISING FIRST RESPONDERS

If you read all of the gospel accounts that there were many who visited the tomb that day, but of special note is the fact that the first were women.  We are told in 28:1 that Mary Magdalene and another Mary approach the tomb.  These are two women who had benefited from Jesus’ ministry.  Mary Magdalene was someone who Christ delivered from demon possession.  Mark 16:9 tells us: “Now after He had risen early on the first day of the week, He first appeared to Mary Magdalene, from whom He had cast out seven demons.”  Mary came from the town of Magdala, along the western coast of the Sea of Galilee.  She was controlled by demons, which could have meant a completely different personality, possibly throwing her into convulsions, foaming at the mouth, becoming violent, etc.  As long as the demons controlled her, she had no hope.  But Jesus showed up and delivered her, giving her hope.  Thus, she showed him incredible devotion.

Mary the sister of Lazarus is often commended for her waiting at Jesus’ feet, upon His visit to the home.  But Mary Magdalene was one of those that followed Jesus wherever He went, she hung on to every word.  Whether it was from town to town, helping to support Him, to Jerusalem, and even when the disciples fled, Mary followed Him to the cross.  And in our passage, she is among the first to go to the tomb to anoint His body with spices.  Mary Magdalene is a great example of faithfulness.

And then there’s Mary the mother of James the lesser and Joses.  She, too, was a great follower of Jesus. Mark 15:40 tells us:  “There were also some women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the Less and Joses, and Salome. 41 When He was in Galilee, they used to follow Him and [f]minister to Him; and there were many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem, as Mark 15:47 tells us.  These women were changed by Jesus.

And now they would be changed even more.  There are certain things which facilitate the resurrection. First, there was an earthquake.  Secondly, an angel of the Lord appears.  Many times in the Scripture, humans are scared at the sign of angels hence the statement: “Do not be afraid.”  Angels were used by God to announce Jesus’ birth to Mary in Luke 1:30 and to the shepherds in 2:10.  Both were given the instruction: “Do not be afraid.”  The angel at the tomb had a brilliant appearance.  His countenance was as lightning and that the guards become as dead men.  These were God’s answer to the seal and the guards, man’s efforts to keep Jesus in the tomb.  As the hymn states: “Death in vain forbids Him rise.”  But the angel did not come for the guards.  He came for Jesus’ disciples.  Notice in verse five and following, the angel’s monologue.  He tells the women three things: Don’t be afraid; Jesus is not here; Go and tell.  The statement: “Behold, I’ve told you.”

We are told in verse 8: the women’s reaction was one of fear and joy.  As they turn to leave, Jesus meets them.  He told them to rejoice!  Women held his feet and worshipped.  Verse 10: Jesus said: “Don’t be afraid.  Go and tell.  The disciples were to proceed to the mountain inGalilee, where Jesus would give the Great Commission in verses 16-20.  And that’s essentially what the Great Commission is: “Go and tell.”  This message was the capstone, the implication to the greatest miracle ever witnessed!

THE FIRST RESPONDERS WERE ALSO THE FIRST MESSENGERS.

When you think about it, these two women were chosen to bring the news of the resurrection.  They were not of the 12; not a part of the 70.  Yet, they are the first to bring the world’s greatest news.  I think that this is something given the setting.  In first century Greco-Roman culture, women were a little better than property.  Often, Jewish males would thank God that he had not been created a gentile, slave, or a woman.  Women received little education and were restricted in their social circles to strictly other women.  In public they were expected to be veiled; many social restrictions led to the isolation of women.  But Jesus shows up on the scene and fully accepts them, regardless of their social or marital status.  He treated them with dignity.  Examples are plentiful (Peter’s mother-in-law, Jairus’ daughter, women with hemorrhage, etc.).  In our passage, God gives them the high honor of being the first to experience the resurrection.

And the greatest miracle was the conclusion of the greatest story ever told.  Man, made in the image of God, fell out of relationship with Him as a result of the fall in the Garden of Eden.  Through their disobedience as our representative heads, you and I come into this world out of harmony with God.  That friction is realized through our own sins and moral mistakes.  Death exists today as a result of such a rift (Romans 5:12).

The good news is that in this predicament, Jesus Christ came to this earth.  He lived a sinless life, satisfied God’s moral requirements, and then went to the cross as our perfect sacrifice.  This was done as a service to God and mankind.  For instance, Jesus described His death as a ransom payment in Matthew 20:28.  His mission was one of service in that He: “…did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

Through faith in Him, and repentance from sin, we are spared from God’s wrath, given eternal life and are reconciled to God.  In other words, if it were not for the death and resurrection of Christ, there would be no hope for a relationship with God, life after death, or peace through the suffering.

In summary, Jesus’ death saves us from the righteous anger of God against our sin. It would truly be a hopeless situation.  Through His death and resurrection, Jesus gives forgiveness, spiritual life, and a home in heaven to all who trust Him.

In the 1994 movie, “The Shawshank Redemption,” there’s a scene at the lunch table where Andy (played by Tim Robbins) is talking with his friends, including “Red” (played by Morgan Freeman). He mentions about hope and living their lives in prison.  He uses music to bridge that subject.

Andy Dufresne: That’s the beauty of music. They can’t get that from you… Haven’t you ever felt that way about music?
Red: I played a mean harmonica as a younger man. Lost interest in it though. Didn’t make much sense in here.
Andy Dufresne: Here’s where it makes the most sense. You need it so you don’t forget.
Red: Forget?
Andy Dufresne: Forget that… there are places in this world that aren’t made out of stone. That there’s something inside… that they can’t get to, that they can’t touch. That’s yours.
Red: What’re you talking about?
Andy Dufresne: Hope.

Red: Hope. Let me tell you something my friend. Hope is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a man insane.

Then Andy, after breaking out of prison, knowing that his friend Red is nearing release, writes: “Dear Red, if you’re reading this, you’ve gotten out. And if you’ve come this far, maybe you’re willing to come a little further. You remember the name of the town, don’t you? I could use a good man to help me get my project on wheels. I’ll keep an eye out for you and the chessboard ready. Remember, Red. Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies. I will be hoping that this letter finds you, and finds you well. Your friend, Andy.”

Hope is a good thing.  In contrast, for Christians, hope empowers us and changes our lives.

[1] Thomas Schreiner, “Why the Resurrection of Jesus Matters,” Southern Seminary Spring 2007, 2.

Jesus Knows Our Needs

The following message is based on John 19:28-30 and was delievered at the Lower Providence Presbyterian Church in Eagleville, PA on April 6, 2012

On Good Friday this year, I was invited to participate in a service that presented Jesus’ seven sayings from the cross.  The tradition from which I come did not hold such a service.  It is a favorite to many.  Not many churches still conduct one.  It is an old tradition; a solemn occasion, remembering all that Jesus endured for us.

You will notice that there was emotional and spiritual as well as physical pain endured by Jesus.  Emotional in that he was abandoned by His closest friends; Spiritual in that His fellowship with His Father was broken due to our sin; and physical through the pain of the nails, the inability to breathe, and His need for water.  In reflection of Jesus suffering, let us look at Jesus’ final words from the cross, found in John 19:28: “Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.”

These words come at the end of Jesus’ life.  He has little time left on this side of death.  Throughout John’s gospel, there are intentional references and allusion to Jesus being the Passover lamb, which is certainly a New Testament concept.  According to John 19:14, the precise time that Jews were preparing for the Passover, Jesus is being presented before Pilate.  In an eerie sort of way, Pilate states: “Behold your King!”  It was as if He is saying what John the Baptist said: “Behold, the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29).”

There were many times in Jesus’ life that He avoided death.  At each time, the gospel writers would record something to the effect: “His time had not yet come….”  For instance, in John 7:1, we are told that the Jews were seeking to kill him.  He said to them: “My time is not yet here…Go up to the feast yourselves; I do not go up to this feast because My time has not yet fully come.”  Looking back on His life, He saw His suffering, His death and His resurrection as a glorious fulfillment of God’s plan.  In contrast, we don’t look at suffering as God ordained.  We think that life should be free of pain and adversity.  But that just is not realistic, is it?

The fact that Jesus was thirsty from the cross tells us that He identified with humanity.  His statement proves that Jesus was a real human being.  He experienced betrayal, discouragement, and now his body is racked with pain; at the very end, He expresses thirst.  Psalm 22:15 describes the level of thirst: My mouth is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth….  A potsherd is a broken piece of pottery, dried hard and good for nothing.  The way that they treated his thirst was cruel, sour, wine-vinegar would hardly quench a thirst; would make most of us sick.

Jesus was dehydrated.  He probably had not had anything to drink in at least 24 hours.  Because of the physical stress He was under, it most likely He was reaching a state of extreme lack of fluids.  Water is needed for circulation and other bodily processes including respiration and converting food to energy. If you are losing more water than you are taking in, dehydration will occur.  It has been shown that if you lose just 2.5% of your body weight from water loss, you will lose 25% of your efficiency. For a 175 pound man that is only about two quarts of water. As the survivor dehydrates, his blood becomes thicker and loses volume. This causes the heart to work harder and circulation of blood to be less efficient.[1]  All of this reminds us of His extreme suffering on our behalf.

A mockery of satisfying His thirst, John 19: 29 tells us that they filled a sponge with sour wine, and put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth.  Hyssop was a plant used for sprinkling blood or water in Jewish religious ceremonies.  Exodus 12:22, they used hyssop to apply the blood of the lamb to the doorposts of the homes in Egypt.  The blood placed on the hyssop was the only thing that would protect the Israelites from the destroying angel, going through the area.

In the words: “I thirst,” God shows empathy for the human condition.  The book of Hebrews takes it further by saying: “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. 16 Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:15ff).”  Some reject help for their condition, by sometimes saying: “No one knows what I’ve been through.”  “You do not know how a person feels until you walk a mile in their shoes,” we’ve heard it said.  But Jesus’ words: “I thirst,” reminds us that God knows what it is like to be on this earth and to suffer.  Experience is a qualifier for the role of helper.  God identifies with the human experience.

We call it “Good Friday,” because of our perspective, our involvement.  It was to our blessing that Jesus went to the cross.  As we sang earlier: “Was it for sins that I have done He suffered on the tree?  Amazing pity!  Grace unknown! And love beyond degree!  Or as Donald played just a moment ago: “When I survey the wondrous cross on which the Prince of Glory died, my richest gain I count but loss, and pour contempt on all my pride.

This is why Christians for centuries have believed what the Nicene Creed has said: “I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of His father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made; Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, and was made man, and crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried, and the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures… .”

The Gnostics denied that God could dwell in human form.  Islam teaches that it is disgraceful to think that the Son of God could die on a cross.  But to Christians, the cross is a reminder of God’s supreme love.  The apostle John would write: “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins (1 John 4:10).”  Someone said that all of the world’s religions are marked by human efforts trying to reach out and apprehend God, trying to please Him through aesthetics.  It is only Christianity that teaches that God reached out to man by Jesus coming to this earth and going to the cross on our behalf.  2 Corinthians 5:21: He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”  Have acknowledged your need for Him?  Have you taken your place in that equation?  Have you placed your trust in Christ, asked for His forgiveness and turned from your sin?  He invites you today to receive His forgiveness and be reconciled to His father because of His great sacrifice.