Good Shepherd Presbyterian Sermons (Charlotte, NC)

TEXT: Psalm 150; John 1.1-4; Matthew 5.17; Jeremiah 29.11; Luke 4.18-21; Ephesians 4.1-6FULL SERVICE VIDEO w/sharing time (LINK) I want to do something different this morning for the sermon. I decided that I wanted to reflect on what I’ve seen God do at and through all of you during my time here. I want to remind you of your story, at least as seen from my vantage point. And ultimately I want to tell God’s story as I’ve been blessed to witness it. So I’ve chosen a number of scriptures this morning because each of them reminds me of chapters of that story in this place. Jesus and Scripture (Jn 1:1-4; Mt 5:17) Back in the late Fall of 2001 three men showed up to worship at First Presbyterian Church in Lenoir, NC. That wasn’t suspicious at all, nor was the one who kept saying “Amen” loudly during the service. That was George Houston, David Butler (Matt’s dad), and Melvin Graham (Billy’s brother). Long story short, we talked and they invited me to visit Charlotte to talk to the search committee that included Angela Hinton and the chair, Quay Youngblood. I only start this far back in the story because my conversations with them highlight a foundational truth about Good Shepherd that was what drew me here in the first place. It became clear that they loved Jesus and God’s Word and they wanted a pastor who did too. I asked them if that described the elders and the congregation of the church and they assured me, yes, it did. I asked about some of my interests around music and worship and they said as long as I taught and followed the scriptures and served Jesus I could do whatever I wanted and the congregation would enthusiastically participate. It seemed too good to be true, but I believed them and trusted the Lord’s leading, and it indeed did prove to be true then and on through to today. The beginning of the Gospel of John calls Jesus the Word of God and makes it clear that the Incarnate Word that is testified to in the written Word bring light and life to the World. Later, once Jesus began teaching, he made it clear that he wasn’t doing away with the Hebrew scripture, but was in fact fulfilling and explaining it to us. This is our core and it at the heart of God’s story: the Word made flesh, come to dwell among us in grace and truth. Worship and Music (Psalm 150) Worship and Music were at the front of my mind and heart when I first came to Good Shepherd. They still are, but it was one of the places I first focused. We introduced a praise team and hired Cathy Youngblood a few months later. I was also in the middle of my studies on worship and music and developed an approach to worship that used all the musical tools available us to proclaim God’s worth and explicate the scriptures I was preaching on. We’ve continued and expanded that approach on through to the music ministry under Eric VanderHeide today. While there are many, many scriptures that relate to this, I can’t think of a clearer one than Psalm 150 which we used for our Call to Worship today. The Psalm exhorts us to praise God everywhere, with every instrument, with all our life and breath. And as I think back on those first five years or so I see us diving deep into worship and music in a way that has continued to blossom in our worship life together. So many talented musicians – and other kinds of artists – have found a home here, whether short-term or long-term. It has truly been glorious to see the range of ways people have offered artistic gifts to the Lord and blessed all of us in leading us into worship in so many different ways. People marvel that a church our size generates so much artistic worship and witness. But it is never a “look at us” kind of thing, but a “look at God” kind of thing. That brings me such joy as I know it does the Lord. Lighthouse and Searchlight (Jeremiah 29) As I reflect back on it, I believe all that heartfelt and intentional focus on worship led us out into the world. We were focused on God and God’s h

Service Video (link)TEXT: Acts 2:1-13,37-39 Last week I noted that we often focus on two of the significant parts of what God did in Jesus Christ: the Incarnation and the Crucifixion. Jesus was God come among us and he died for us and our salvation. In the past seven weeks or so we have focused on two more significant parts of what God did in Christ, though these two get less attention, and often less understanding: the Resurrection and the Ascension. But those are the two things that have to do with our lives now, defining our identity and new life in Christ. Today – Pentecost Sunday – we focus on one more very significant act of God, one promised by Jesus as he ascended. Last week we heard his final words to his followers, that he would send his Spirit to empower his followers to be witnesses of God and what God has done in Christ. And that is exactly what happened on Pentecost. In today’s text we see three human responses to that power and witness. Like those disciples, God empowers us to bear witness in the world. And people still have responses today like those all those years ago. POWER (vv. 1-13) First, in verses 1-13, in response to the power of the Holy Spirit, displayed through “tongues of fire” and hearing the disciples speak in multiple languages, there are two distinct responses. Amazed and astonished (vv. 7-12) – Many of those present on the day of Pentecost heard the Galilean Jews speaking in their own language. A long list of nationalities is included in the passage. We read in v. 7 that some “were amazed and astonished” and continued “in amazement and great perplexity.” They asked each other what it all meant. I’d call this a holy curiosity. Doubtful, even mocking (v. 13) – Others were neither amazed or astonished, rationalizing and writing it off to drunkenness on the part of the disciples. Some pressed even further and made fun of the disciples. I’ve seen both reactions. I’ve had both reactions. We see something we don’t understand and we have to decide between the natural and the supernatural explanation. And some of us are probably more open to mystery and miracle than others, which is understandable. Having said that, to descend into outright mockery of the divine or of faith is another thing altogether. I’ve come to realize that making fun of God or followers of God usually is a cover for something else that is often between that person and God. Nonetheless, what occurs to me, especially knowing what is coming, is that there is no shortage of God’s power here in this passage, and yet it is not at this point that people respond in faith. I’ve often heard – and thought myself – that if God would just unleash a few good tangible and measurable miracles, that many would believe. But this makes me question that. Probably it would just scare us and the best we’d manage is to either write it off or to be amazed without understanding. And this is where the way that God has arranged things begins to make more sense to me. Why is it that God chooses to involve us in witnessing to His power? It is because we respond to story; we respond to incarnation – to fleshed-out reality. The WITNESS is an integral part of belief and it is how we participate in what God is doing in the world. WITNESS (vv. 37-39) Believing, pierced to the heart (v. 37) – So after Peter shares the story of Jesus, we read that those present were “pierced to the heart.” In our scripture reading, Peter’s message is just referenced as ‘this’ – “Now when they heard this” (v. 37). What Peter had done in verses 14-36 was what Jesus told him to do: he gave witness. Here are the Cliffs notes to Peter’s sermon: Peter talked about God’s promise to send his Spirit. He talked about God’s plan to send Jesus into the world. He talked about history and hopes and the great themes and stories of incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension. He talked about and gave witness to Jesus as Lord. And the people h

SERVICE VIDEO (link)TEXT: Acts 1:4-11 Today we recognize a very important event that happened only a few weeks after the resurrection of Jesus; actually, 40 days to be precise. Did you guess Pentecost??  No…. that’s 10 days later – we’ll celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost next Sunday.  It’s the Ascension.  When Jesus appeared to Mary on Easter morning (John 20:17) he said, “I have not yet ascended to the Father.”  Well this is it – Jesus ascends… he goes up into Heaven to be with God the Father. So what’s important about the Ascension of Jesus? It’s not as big a deal as the “biggies” is it? Incarnation: Jesus’ birth and God’s putting-on of human flesh to live among us Crucifixion: Jesus’ death, which atoned for our sin and “made right with God” all who believe Resurrection: Jesus’ victory over death, which we now share through faith in him I’ll admit that for most of my life I’ve just thought the Ascension was Jesus’ “trip back to Heaven” – that’s it, end of story.  But there’s so much more! And this isn’t just a random excursion into an obscure theological area: it has everything to do with God’s power and purpose that we’ve been talking about for the last few weeks. The Ascension Narrative (Acts 1) So let’s start with the narrative – the account of Jesus’ Ascension.  It’s short and sweet and it’s there in Acts 1, and the actual Ascension is only one verse long.  After speaking to his followers, Jesus “was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.” (v. 9) That’s about it.  As you can imagine, they just stood and stared, “gazing intently into the sky while He was going.” (v. 10) But what else can we get from the context here? We have two main pieces of information: what Jesus said before he left and what the angel messengers said after he left. Before leaving, Jesus final words had to do with the promise of the Holy Spirit, which would come to empower his followers to be witnesses far and near.  This was in contrast to their question of “restoring the kingdom to Israel.”  Instead, Jesus taught (as he had always taught), God’s Kingdom was not of this world. He had frequently made that point through miraculous and supernatural signs and he was about to demonstrate that with one last miraculous sign: his Ascension into the heavens.  I will also simply note for now the very close connection between the promise and work of the Holy Spirit and Jesus’ Ascension. More on that later! After he left, two “men in white clothing” appeared and the basic content of their message signaled that Jesus would one day return in the same manner as his leaving. (v. 11) But what does it all mean?! The Meaning of the Ascension Let me mention several benefits of Jesus’ Ascension to the believer, and you will see these outlined in the confession of faith we’ll use later in the service.  You can also see the scripture referenced there on the back of the bulletin.  There are at least four benefits of the Ascension for those who believe.  1. A Heavenly Advocate One of the important realities of Jesus being at the right hand of the Father is that Jesus took our humanity with him.  He is our advocate, and our righteous one at that.  Romans 8:34 tells us that Jesus is not only the one who died, but is the one who was raised and is at the right hand of God, and is the one “who also intercedes for us.”  That is why we pray “in Jesus’ name,” because he is our representative, our advocate, our intercessor.  It is as if Jesus tacks on to our every prayer, “…and this prayer is from Sarah, the one I love, the one I died for, the one who I have made a place for with us; listen to her!”  Can you imagine having such an advocate, because you do! But that verse from Romans goes even beyond that.  As one who intercedes for us, Jesus prays and presents our needs to the Father even when we can’t!  Have you ever felt like your prayers go nowhere or that you simply don

TEXT: Romans 6:1-14SERVICE VIDEO (link) Since Easter we’ve been talking about why the Resurrection of Jesus matters. Today we are going to look at Romans 6 and talk about the “New Life,” trying to understand better what that new life in Christ means, what it looks like, and how we can more fully live in it. I am hoping we can better understand the implications that Jesus was raised from the dead FOR US. What are the implications of the “for us?” Life Looks Different: a new reality The first thing to say is that because of Jesus Christ life looks different! He makes a difference in one’s life. If life with Christ and life without Christ look no different, then we have missed something crucial about who Jesus is, what he has done, and what he is doing even now. We could talk about that in a number of ways, but the place Paul picks up in chapter six of his letter to the Romans has to do with sin. One answer we still sometimes hear today is that sin doesn’t matter because God’s grace abounds! God has forgiven it all and we shouldn’t get wrapped up in naming sin, judging sin, or paying much attention to sin, because God will forgive it. But Paul nips that in the bud, asking “Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase?” Paul’s response is: “May it never be!” While we do continue to sin, we should also struggle against it. And what follows is an explanation of how we are to live in Christ, particularly with regard to sin. After Paul’s “May it never be!” he goes on to ask two more questions that will set up what follows. The first question is: “How shall we who died to sin still live in it?” The second is related to it: “Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?” Both are rhetorical, meaning the point is not just coming up with the answer, but understanding the answer and why Paul asked the question. What Paul is trying to remind us of with these questions is our new reality because of Good Friday and Easter. Jesus did not need to die and be raised for his own sake; it was FOR US. Paul describes those who trust in Jesus Christ as those who have “died to sin” and are “baptized into Jesus’ death.” Those are not conditions of Jesus’s work; you don’t have to stop sinning for Jesus to die for you. No, these are the RESULTS of Jesus’ work. Because Jesus died, we have died to sin. That is one of things baptism signifies; that we are marked by his action. That’s what Paul wants you to understand with his two questions. You have died to sin because you belong to Jesus and he died to sin… don’t you know it? Paul then offers a series of illustrations to help us understand resurrection life. First Picture: United in Baptism (vv. 4-7) Paul’s first illustration or picture is that in baptism we have been buried into death and raised to newness of life. (v. 4) Clearly, this is not literal, as we have not been physically buried. But we are joined to Christ in faith, signified through baptism, by God’s gracious love toward us. And so when Christ was crucified, our debt was joined to him; our “body of sin” was joined to him and put to death (v. 6). And when he was buried, our debt and the consequence of sin was complete. When God raised Jesus from the dead in victory OVER sin and death, we too were raised (still joined to him), but no longer under the curse of sin and death. Let me try to illustrate. I completed the tax forms for our family a few months ago. If the IRS were to send Heather a tax bill next week that said she owes taxes on our family income, she could respond legitimately by saying, “How shall I who have paid my taxes still owe taxes?” Now she did not do the Austell family taxes or send them anything, but listen to this second question while you are looking at verse 3. “Do you not know that all of us who wear this wedding ring can file jointly?” Now I realize that anyone can put on a wedding ring, but so can anyone splash water and say th

TEXT: Luke 24:13-35SERVICE VIDEO (link) Picture two people with real interest in the things of God. Nick grew up in and around the people of God, learning the scriptures, hearing the stories of old and how God desires for His people to live. He is the kind of person that brings his family to church and makes sure his children participate in the youth program. Tom got involved later in life, but eagerly participates in everything that’s going on. He’s the kind of person that attends Sunday school every week (even at 8:30!) and sings enthusiastically in church. Each of them has a complaint, though. Nick is worn out from being thoroughly religious and just doesn’t find meaning or fulfillment in all the religious commitments. Tom, on the other hand, is excited about all the activities in which he participates, but isn’t sure he believes the message. Are these two people unusual? I don’t think so… I think most of us can relate to one or both of them. And to be honest, they are kind of two sides of the same coin. Knowing Without Seeing Two people walked away from Jerusalem on Easter Sunday. They were not Nick and Tom, but they had a lot in common with them. The two walkers had been involved in the recent events during the week of Passover. They saw Jesus’ trial and crucifixion, and were deeply saddened by his death. They had even heard that morning that his body was now missing. And they were deep in conversation about all that had happened. Then a stranger walks up alongside them and involves himself in their conversation. He wants to know what they are discussing. They can’t believe that the stranger hasn’t heard about the recent events in Jerusalem. The stranger asks them to tell him about these things. So, with downcast faces, the two travelers describe Jesus of Nazareth. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed…” they say. “We had hoped he was the one who was going to redeem Israel.” They knew about Jesus. They knew something of the prophecies about a savior – a Messiah. They knew about the empty tomb. But these two travelers did not SEE Jesus for who he was. They didn’t see God’s “vision” for humanity. And so, even with Jesus himself standing there before them, they didn’t see. In many ways, their problem was Nick’s problem. They knew the teaching of scripture and knew that Jesus was a great teacher and religious figure, but they didn’t see God’s “vision” for us. Like Nick, they would probably bring their families to church (or synagogue), knowing that the children would learn good values. They would be faithful people, believing that God rewards good behavior and clean living. They would know that God wants something of us and they would strive to gain God’s blessing and approval. They would even realize that others who followed Jesus would think well of them for being devoted followers. But, perhaps like Nick, they would eventually wear out. Perhaps that is why they found themselves leaving Jerusalem rather than staying with the disciples. Perhaps their hopes had not been fulfilled and they just needed a break. In a phrase, the travelers, along with Nick, KNEW WITHOUT SEEING. They have some knowledge and experience, but they lack the vision of God’s purpose and will – the ability to see what God is doing in the world. And without that, religion becomes a wearisome exercise. Seeing Without Knowing Our two travelers were also not unlike our friend Tom. And we might describe Tom’s problem as the opposite of Nick’s. Tom was struggling with SEEING WITHOUT KNOWING. And the two travelers demonstrated this limitation as well. In literal terms, they “saw” Jesus there, but they just didn’t KNOW who he was. They even welcomed him into their conversation and asked him to stay when he began to leave them. They saw that he was a teacher when he opened the scripture to them, and they saw him break the bread as they ate together. But until the very end, their minds were closed to his true identity.

SERVICE VIDEO (link)TEXT: Luke 24:1-8; Romans 1:1-7 Easter Sunday – April 9, 2023 A few weeks ago I talked about story of Lazarus as a “preview of coming attractions.” In Lazarus Jesus demonstrated the power of God over death and Jesus declared to Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life.” Well today we are no longer watching the previews; we have come to the main attraction. Jesus, dead and buried, was raised on the third day – on THIS day – to life. Every Easter I like to make this point – and today is no exception – that Easter is not when Jesus died on the cross for the sin of the world. That was Friday, and that’s why we call it Good Friday! And that is so important. Because Jesus died for us, our sins are forgiven and we can be reconciled to God. But that’s not the end. In fact, it’s just the beginning. Easter is the rest of the story, the next chapter, the “so what” of it all. In Romans 6:4 the Apostle Paul writes: We have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. Paul wrote Romans to share the Good News about Jesus Christ and his Resurrection. In the opening verses of Romans, which was our second scripture reading today, Paul identifies himself as a servant and apostle of Jesus, set apart for the gospel or Good News of God. I want to look at these verses with you because they present in short form why the Resurrection is Good News and what it means for those who trust in Jesus Christ. What is the Good News? à Jesus is the Son of God! (v.4) Paul understands himself to be a servant of Jesus, called as an apostle. That means that he is a man on a mission, and that mission is sharing the Good News (gospel). That’s his purpose in writing this letter to the Romans and it’s his life-purpose. So I want to ask, “What is this Good News?” Even in these introductory verses, Paul has quite a bit to say about it, noting that Jesus was PROMISED and PRESENTED as the Son of God. Promised! (vv.2-3) 2 which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures3 concerning His Son, born of a descendant of David according to the flesh First, Jesus was promised… through the prophets in the holy Scriptures (v.2). We’ve noted that Jesus fulfilled numerous scriptures written about the Messiah, from the healing and freeing of people captive to spiritual, emotional, and physical maladies to symbolic acts like riding the donkey into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. And by no means least among the promises in the Hebrew scriptures of our Old Testament are the promise that the Messiah would be born from David’s line. And so two of the Gospels trace this lineage from David to Jesus. The Good News God “promised beforehand” was that He would send the Messiah to usher in the Kingdom and declare peace. And up until Jesus’ death, more and more people in Jerusalem and the surrounding area were believing that Jesus was that Messiah, so much so that he was perceived as a threat to the religious and secular powers of the day. But short of resurrection, all that seemed like it had failed. He had been killed, put down before he became too much of a threat. Presented! (v.4) 4 who was declared the Son of Godwith power by the resurrection from the deadaccording to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord It’s this next part that has to do with today and resurrection. In verse 4 Paul writes that Jesus was “declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead.” That word declared can also mean demonstrated or even ‘presented.’ It was the Resurrection that showed Jesus to be who he said he was, who scriptures promised he would be. It was the power of God on display. If you were here two weeks ago when we talked about Lazarus, we noted that raising him from the dead was the demonstration of God’s power in a public way. Even more so, the Resurrection of Jesus demonstrated Go

FULL SERVICE VIDEO (link)TEXT: John 11:45-57; 12:9-19 Today we are going to briefly return to the story of Lazarus and then a series of events that are full of action, plots, politics, and intrigue. In fact, the story of Lazarus dovetails right into the event that we are remembering today on Palm Sunday. I want to walk you through the timeline and events and note a few key elements along the way. We will be left with a question, perhaps better described as a tension: is all of this a plot against Jesus or sure signs of the salvation that God was providing to the world? People and opinions were divided… First Division: Sanhedrin (11:45-53) After the amazing miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead, many believed. (v. 45) Of course they did! I’m not sure how much more clearly a sign could be given. Jesus didn’t just heal a sick man or bring the recently deceased back to life. He raised a four-day old stinking corpse to life. And as we saw last week, Jesus went out of his way to include those witnessing this, from his out-loud prayers to asking some to move the grave stone to asking some to help remove the cloth wrapped around Lazarus. People saw and smelled and touched and believed. And yet… and yet… SOME went and reported Jesus to the people trying to kill him. It’s right there in verse 46. Some, even seeing all that, did not believe Jesus, but turned against him and worked against him. It marks the first of several times in today’s text that, presented with the same events, people were divided over what to do with Jesus. The ones trying to kill Jesus, the ones receiving this report of his whereabouts, were the chief priests and Pharisees, nearby in Jerusalem. We read in v. 47 that they convened the council (also known as the Sanhedrin) to discuss what to do about Jesus. Helpfully, we don’t have to imagine their concerns, they are spelled out for us: What are we doing? For this man is performing many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation. (vv. 47-48) They recognize that he is performing signs. Throughout the Gospel of John, Jesus’ miracles are called “miraculous signs.” The point is that they aren’t just supernatural (though they are that); rather, they are called ‘signs’ because they point to something. That something is Jesus’s identity as the Messiah. In other words, his actions are holding him up to be the Messiah – popularly believed by the people to be a mighty warrior of God come to through off the oppressive rule of the Romans. You can see that played out in the council’s words. If Jesus continues attracting attention, his popularity will attract the attention of the Romans, who would tighten their grip on Israel, displacing the religious rulers place of power as well as what was left of the independence of the nation. The council conversation continued and the high priest, a man named Caiaphas, noted that the stakes were so high that it would be worth sacrificing this one man’s life if it would spare the nation the wrath of the Romans. These words would have been ironic in hindsight anyway, but John makes a fascinating assertion that because he was serving as high priest, God actually spoke and accomplished these words through him. And we read in v. 53 that “from that day on they planned together to kill [Jesus].” Without the high priest realizing it, God was using him to bring about the once-and-for-all sacrifice of the spotless lamb for the sake of the world. God can even use His enemies to accomplish His will and bring Him glory! Second Division: Looking Out (11:54-57) Last week I mentioned the risk to Jesus. That is what took him and the disciples some 20 miles from Jerusalem because of a crowd that had tried to kill him. It was a risk to come back to Mary and Martha’s house in Bethany, just two miles outside Jerusalem, and we have seen now that the risk was not unfounded. Indeed, he w

Full Service Video (link)TEXT: John 11:1-4; Revelation 21:1-5 Do you know the story of Lazarus? He was the man – the friend – that Jesus raised from the dead. His story has so much going on. In fact one year I preached through this story for all of Lent – six sermons on the one story! There is grief, there is waiting on God (or Jesus), there is faith, there is risk, there is death, and there is life. But ultimately, though this might be accurately described as one of the greatest miracles of Jesus’ earthly ministry, it is about more than that. It is about the glory of God. In fact, all of Jesus’ miracles were about “something else.” Though often motivated by compassion or faith, they were signs of power that showed (as signs do) what God was doing. They showed the power of God or the coming Kingdom or Jesus purpose. And this last and greatest miracle (before his own resurrection) was no exception. In fact, Jesus tips us off at the beginning and the end of the story as to the greater purpose. Look at what he tells his disciples in verse 4, while they are still a long way off from Bethany and Lazarus: “This sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it.” I want to talk briefly about what that is… the “glory of God.” Then I want to list and briefly describe six interesting places in the overall story that might be points of connection for us as we look for the glory of God in our lives and situations. The Glory of God What is the glory of God? Glory is hard to wrap our minds and even our hearts around; it is not an intellectual or philosophical category. Perhaps one of the words that best gets at it is that glory is BEAUTY. The expansive view over the Blue Ridge mountains is breathtakingly beautiful; it is glorious. The thunderous power of ocean waves crashing on a pristine beach is awe-inspiring; it is glorious. God is said to be glorious because God’s goodness, love, wisdom, justice, power, and all of God’s character, being, and actions are glorious. Something is glorious if it is more radiant, more weighty, more true, more real than anything else; and God is the most glorious of all. From the beginning, Jesus says that this sickness is not to end in death. But the punchline isn’t “but in life”; rather it is “for the glory of God.” And that is so that the Son of God might also be glorified. Jesus was saying that what was about to happen was that God would show up, God’s power would be evident, God’s character and purpose would be on full display. It would be glorious! Is that something we can see in the story? Is it something we can see today? That’s the question… So I want to list out six factors that contribute to seeing God’s glory in the resurrection of Lazarus. And just to point you to the end, I’m going to try to make some connections that these are ways we might still look for God’s glory today. #1 Timing (v.6) The first factor that contributes to seeing God’s glory is timing. Jesus got word about Lazarus being sick while he was a distance away. He could have left immediately to go see Lazarus. (Of course, we also know from other stories that he could have healed Lazarus at a distance.) But he chooses neither. One of the surprising twists this story takes comes in verse 6. We’ve just heard how close Jesus is to this family: “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.” And then abruptly we read verse six: “So when He heard that [Lazarus] was sick, He then stayed two days longer in the place where He was.” What in the world?! It reminds me of the way of often pray: “God, here’s a problem; please fix it right away.” And this was the most urgent of things imaginable… a close and beloved friend was very sick and might die. What could be more urgent than that. Yet Jesus delayed; and Lazarus died well before Jesus got there. And yet, it was that timing that made the story unfold the way it did. Did God make Lazarus sick?

Service Video (link)TEXT: Matthew 4:1-11 Have you ever heard or read something and then come to find out it’s just not true? How can you know if something is true? How can you know if something is right? Today we heard a scene from the life of Jesus often called the “Temptation of Jesus.” Basically he is being told or offered something as true and right and it’s all twisted truth or lies. I want to look with you at Jesus’ responses, both as a practical matter and as a spiritual matter. #1 Truth > Desire (vv.1-4) Have you ever been hungry? Like, really hungry? If someone offered you a way to get food when you were that hungry, you might be tempted to say or do the wrong thing. Sometimes our needs or desires are such a strong force in our life. Or what’s something else you might really want, really need? What about to pass a certain test. And maybe you didn’t study enough and you are pretty sure you aren’t going to do well, and someone offers you some answers, offers to let you look, tempts you to cheat. What will you do? Jesus was out by himself to spend a long time praying to God. Part of that was a choice to fast or to not eat for a period of time to focus more entirely on God. And he was tempted to shortcut that, or cut it short, and eat to satisfy his hunger. It would have been like cheating on a test instead of studying for it. But very tempting if you are hungry, if you need the grade. You probably know what the right thing to do is, though, right? We usually know; it’s just that our desires or our needs overrule what is true and right. But Jesus demonstrated the right choice. He said no to that temptation to shortcut his fast. But he went beyond that. He identified the reason it was wrong to cut it short. There is something more important than satisfying hunger in his stomach. It was satisfying the hunger of the soul or the spirit. He says, quoting scripture, “One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” In other words, he had set this time aside to be with God and cutting it short to feed his stomach would also cut it short with God. Continuing to feed his soul with the prayer and fasting was more important and he wouldn’t cut it short to eat. I think about the temptation to cheat on a test. It’s such a shortcut to a good grade. But it also means you haven’t learned the material, and that will definitely come back to bite you at the end of the semester, or in the next grade, or as you progress through school. Even though shortcuts are attractive and tempting, they aren’t helpful in the long run. And Jesus demonstrated that same thing by not cutting short his time with God. #2 Context (vv.5-7) A second way that truth is sometimes twisted is by just giving part of the story. People on TV and on the Internet do this all the time because they aren’t just sharing information, they are trying to convince you of something. And there’s something about hearing or seeing something on the TV or online that makes something seem more true. Those sources have a certain kind of authority to them that we want to believe. So you hear something like TikTok is going to be banned and that can go any number of ways. Some people will frame it in a way that sounds like the people making the decision don’t care about young people. Or it might get framed in a way to make China – or even Chinese people – look bad. Some reporters will add the detail of it being a security risk. But how do you really get down to the truth of the matter. I’d say look for people who take time to explain the CONTEXT, the full story. Yes, it’s a security risk for our country because it shares a lot of personal details with another country. Why is that bad? Are there other options than shutting it down? What are those? Do they address the problem? Is anyone explaining the ins and outs, ups and downs, to the people it will affect the most? Let’s look at Jesus for a moment. Something similar happe

SERVICE VIDEO (link)TEXT: Luke 22:41-44; John 18:4,10-11,33-40 “Thy will be done.” Jesus taught us to pray in that way and he prayed in that way. But what does that mean? What does that mean for you and me, not only to pray it, but desire and seek God’s will in our lives? Today we look at some of the timeline leading to the cross and to Easter morning as we continue “Preparing for Easter.” We will hear Jesus pray that prayer and the context in which he prayed it. We’ll look at what happened when one of his most devoted followers veered from God’s will. And we’ll ponder the interesting exchange between Jesus and Pilate as a way to better understand what the Father’s will was for the Son. My hope is that you will not only learn something new or deeper about this part of the story leading up to Easter, but that it will also shape your prayer life and understanding of following Jesus. Not My Will, But Yours (Luke 22) Luke 22 records several key events on the Thursday night before the Friday crucifixion. Jesus and the disciples have the Passover meal, the Last Supper in which Jesus identifies the bread as his body and the cup as his blood, broken and poured out for them. Shortly after that there is an argument among the disciples about who is the best. It is then that Peter so boldly declares he is prepared to go to prison or die for Jesus, but Jesus indicates Peter will soon deny knowing him. From there they go out of Jerusalem and go up the hill outside the city to the Mount of Olives to pray. Once there, Jesus separates and goes off a little way to pray by himself: 41 And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and began to pray, 42 saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.” 43 Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him. 44 And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground. There are a number of really interesting things in that short description of Jesus’ time of prayer. He clearly knows what is going to happen and it is interesting to note that he prays for another path, but only if the Father is willing. We’ll see this here and then in a later scene, but he speaks of “this cup” as a metaphor for the suffering he is to endure, or more broadly speaking, for God’s will for him. It was only a short time earlier (an hour?) that he held up a cup at the Last Supper and said “this cup is poured out for you in my blood.” (v.20) And now he is asking the Father to “remove this cup,” but once on either side of making that request: “if you are willing” and “yet not my will, but Yours be done.” What a great model for us! In the Lord’s Prayer and here Jesus teaches us to pray for God’s will to be done, but it is okay to let God know what we desire. Jesus seemed to really be struggling with what was coming. He is described as “being in agony,” “praying very fervently,” and sweating “like drops of blood.” That is really intense. Have you ever wrestled over something in prayer that felt like that? But also look at v. 43 – “an angel from heaven appeared to him, strengthening him.” What a mercy in the middle of such an agonizing time! It is a comfort to think that God would strengthen us to yield to His will for us while also hearing our struggles and agonizing prayers. We do not have to clean up or pretty up or hold things in when we pray to the Lord, but we are wise to seek God’s will, even when it seems difficult or at odds with our own will. My Will (John 18:4,10-11) We will shift to a different book, to the Gospel of John, but the events pick up right after that time of prayer, which John actually records in much greater detail. After praying, they rise and the group coming to arrest him comes out. John tells us that Jesus knew what was coming and went out to meet them, even identifying himself to them. Though his prayers might have been

SERVICE VIDEO (link)TEXT: Matthew 6:16-18; Luke 18:9-14 Jesus told parables in order to make a point – often an unexpected point – to his listeners. In the parable in Luke 18 today, he tells a parable “to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt.” (v.9) Do you know anyone like that? Have you ever been like that? Let me substitute a word and ask again. A very close synonym for ‘righteous’ is ‘right.’ Do you know someone who is sure that they are right and views others with contempt? Have you ever been like that? Hmm… Jesus is meddlin’. Two Men (Luke 18:9-14) Two men went up into the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee was very public and loud, “praying” by thanking God how much better he was than other sinful people, even singling out the tax collector praying beside him. He also thanked God for his acts of fasting and tithing. In contrast, the tax collector was some distance away with face down, praying, “God, be merciful to me, the sinner!” In parables, there is often a surprise, a turning of the tables. It’s not particularly hidden in this parable. The Pharisee would have been expected to offer good and right prayers. The tax collector shouldn’t have even been in the Temple. But their behavior is not what the audience would expect. The Pharisee is believably over-righteous, over-confident, showy, clearly in the wrong, though fasting, tithing, and praying are all good activities. It is clear that his attitude is all wrong. The tax collector, outcast and spurned by good Jewish people, would not be expected to be in the Temple (or very welcome). But there he is aware of and confessing his sinfulness and pleading for God’s mercy. So the tables have turned and the big ‘twist’ at the end is the reader being left pondering which character they more closely resemble. We are told in verse 9 that Jesus told the parable TO some people who trusted their own righteousness and viewed others with contempt. So, it’s clear where the twist primarily lands. But suppose there were tax collectors, prostitutes, sick, or Gentiles who heard this. They would also hear the twist, but in the other direction; if they were humble before the Lord, they would be lifted up. This parable has a double twist. Wait, Are You Talking to Me? Sometimes it’s easy to understand the teaching, but hard to find ourselves properly in the story. It’s safe to be the all-knowing reader and think, “Oh yeah, look at him working both sides of the crowd.” But where are we? Let me go back to my original word-substitution. Do you know someone who is sure that they are right and views others with contempt? Have you ever been like that? Hmm… maybe now I’m meddlin’! My mind immediately goes to politics and the deep divisions in our country and even sometimes between family and friends. I know what I think about this or that… immigration, racism, the economy, the Republicans, the Democrats, and with only a few exceptions I am surrounded by people who think the same. I’m pretty convinced I’m right and those other people are wrong. It’s easy to slide into contempt and worse. Imagine Jesus’ parable set in modern terms. And let’s substitute in both sides, because when it comes to this all have sinned. “Lord, thank you that I am not like those other people: selfish, manipulative, deceived, or even like that [fill in the blank] over there.” I do this and I do that; I’m one of the good guys! Have you been guilty of that kind of thinking? Even that kind of praying?! I admit that I have… What does humility look like in our modern social and political context? Wash Your Face (Matthew 6:16-18) In the Matthew 6 passage, Jesus offers counsel regarding one of the practices the proud Pharisee mentions in his prayer in the parable. Jesus says, “Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face… [to be noticed when fasting].” “But you, when you

SERVICE VIDEO (link) Thank you to our guest preacher today, the Rev. Dr. Anne Hilborn Manuscript not available The post The Wilderness of Lent appeared first on Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.

SERVICE VIDEO (link)TEXT: Psalm 100; John 10:11-15; Romans 12:1-2 “God is great, God is good…” – Christy asked the children what it means that God is great, that God is good. That’s just what we are also going to talk about this morning. Two other sayings come to mind as well. One is the call and response – see if you know it: GOD IS GOOD [all the time!]  ALL THE TIME [God is good!] And then this one, which has an entirely different cast to it: “If God is good, why do bad things happen?” That last one is a deeply philosophical and theological question and not one I’m going to try to answer today. I’m not sure that’s a question that can be answered satisfactorily by human argument. It’s what I call one of the “big questions” that people wrestle with when they wrestle with faith. If that’s one you’d like to talk about, I’d invite you to reach out to me. It’s much better addressed in conversation than in a sermon. However, there is something close to that big question that today’s texts will proclaim: “God often shows His goodness in the midst of bad things that happen.” I hope to touch some on that today and maybe that will be a good starting place on the other question. The Lord is Good (Psalm 100) Our Call to Worship was Psalm 100, which is a Psalm or song of praise. It especially lifts up several traits of God in verse 5, saying: The Lord is good His lovingkindness is everlasting His faithfulness to all generations. We’ve looked at God’s LOVINGKINDNESS and FAITHFULNESS in previous weeks, and those traits join GOOD in this verse. And for these traits, for who God is, the Psalm invites us to shout to, serve, come before, and know the Lord. We are to give thanks and bless God’s name, praising and worshiping. Besides declaring that the Lord is good and inviting our praise and worship, this Psalm introduces the imagery of sheep and therefore indirectly, the Shepherd. Though it doesn’t use the phrase, this Psalm calls to mind God as the “Good Shepherd” when it calls us “the sheep of His pasture.” And that’s the image I want to focus on this morning to help us understand God’s goodness. You may also remember Psalm 23, which also portrays God as a Good Shepherd, providing water, pasture, protection, and guidance. Let me remind you of those verses: 1 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.2 He makes me lie down in green pastures;He leads me beside quiet waters. 3 He restores my soul;He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,I fear no evil, for You are with me;Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. There in verse 4 is that distinction I made earlier. It doesn’t say “I will never walk through the valley of the shadow of death” or “there is no evil” – bad things do happen. We do and will walk through those valleys. We will face evil in the world; there is evil in the world. The goodness of God the Shepherd is not demonstrated by pulling us out of the world or putting some kind of invulnerable shield around us, but by the WITHNESS and the PROVISION in the midst of suffering, evil, and death. God leads, restores, guides, and is with us. The rod and staff, tools for protecting and correcting, offer comfort in those dark places. The Good Shepherd (John 10) Jesus picks up this same Shepherd imagery from the Psalms in John 10. He has already claimed that “I and the Father are one” and now he puts himself into the role that the Psalms used to describe the goodness of God. So, John 10 helps us understand the goodness of God the Father, expressed through the person and work of Jesus the Son. In John 10 Jesus is in the midst of some of the so-called “I am” sayings, where he is identifying with God by using an intentional reference to the holy name of God, Yahweh, which means “I am who I am.” The Gospel of John records some 20 times of Jesus using that phrase to describe himself and his role, and because

SERVICE VIDEO (LINK)TEXT: Proverbs 1:7; Psalm 19:7-8; 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 Do you want to be wise? I do! How do you get wisdom? How do you become wise? That’s what we are going to look at this morning. Of all the weeks trying to answer “What is God like?” this is the one most focused on us reflecting the character of God. Most weeks we have focused on God (holy, just, merciful, loving, faith), ending with the call to be godly in our own thinking and behavior. But this week it is presumed that God is wise and most of the scripture I found has to do with how we can be or become wise with godly wisdom. So that’s where we’ll focus. And I’ll give you the whole of it up front: we grow in godly wisdom through knowing and worshiping God, through learning and obeying scripture, and through trusting and following Jesus Christ. So let’s dive in! Fear of the Lord (Proverbs) Look at our call to worship this morning from three different chapters of Proverbs. Really the whole book of Proverbs is about wisdom: what is wise, how to be wise, and how to not be foolish. These three different verses say that wisdom starts with the fear of the Lord. 17 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;Fools despise wisdom and instruction. 910 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. 1533 The fear of the Lord is the instruction for wisdom,And before honor comes humility. What is the fear of the Lord? It’s not being scared, which is probably our first thought when we hear ‘fear.’ Rather the sense of “fear of the Lord” is one of awe and reverence and respect. In one sense it’s the kind of posture we might have toward a thunderstorm. It’s not out to get us, but one should not take it casually or flippantly. This might even be why some ancient culture made gods out of forces of nature like thunderstorms. “Fear of the Lord” is a posture of worship, one that recognizes God for Who He is and has the proper respect and reverence for God. This is one reason we are having this series. Hopefully it is broadening our understanding of Who God is. Think about what we have looked at so far. God is holy, just, merciful, loving, and faithful. Today we are talking about God as wise, and next week as good. The Proverb tells us that we are wise to worship, to reverence, to respect this God; and in doing so, we begin to learn wisdom. Learning and Obeying the Written Word in Scripture (Psalm 19) The last part of our call to worship came from Psalm 19:7-8. These two verses lift up the many blessings and benefits of God’s Word. One of those many blessings is “making wise the simple.” 197 The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul;The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.8 The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. Consider all four blessings listed in these two short verses. The first part of each line is just a different way to talk about God’s Word: the law, God’s testimony, the precepts (teachings), the commandment(s). This is Hebrew poetry, which I’ve noted delights in repetition! How does God’s Word bless us? It RESTORES THE SOUL, that deepest part of what makes you you and makes me me. It heals and restores and makes complete what is missing. The mathematician Pascal talked about void in our hearts that only God could fill… God’s Word leads us to God, filling that God-shaped hole with the knowledge and love of the Lord. God’s Word MAKES WISE THE SIMPLE, which is what led me to these verses since or topic today is wisdom. God’s Word teaches us and even shapes us with godly wisdom so that we become more wise, more knowledgeable of God and the things of God. God’s Word REJOICES THE HEART. It is not a buzz-kill or a downer, but brings JOY into our lives. Have you had that experience of Scripture? If not, I wonder how you read it and what you read? Have you dug i

TEXT: 1 Corinthians 1:4-9SERVICE VIDEO (link) How has God been faithful to you? That’s what I want to get to today. You’ve heard some testimonies of God’s faithfulness in the service. We are going to look at how God was faithful in the Old Testament and in Christ as described in the New. And then I’m going to leave you with that question: How has God been faithful to you? We are continuing today with our series entitled, “What is God Like?” And today we are going to talk about the faithfulness of God! Faithful in the OT We began the service with this declaration from Deuteronomy 32: “For I proclaim the name of the Lord;Ascribe greatness to our God!“The Rock! His work is perfect,For all His ways are just;A God of faithfulness and without injustice,Righteous and upright is He. (vv. 3-4) There are a number of ways to talk about God’s faithfulness, but perhaps the most foundational in scripture is the covenant. There are a series of covenants in the Old Testament between God and humanity, but each has the feature of God promising – in the most ultimate terms – to be and do something in relationship to human beings. God comes to Abraham and promises by covenant to bless Abraham and his descendants with land, descendants and blessing that will multiply out to all the nations of the world. Later God will renew this covenant promise with Abraham’s descendants at Mt. Sinai and then with King David. And God does so in the ultimate terms of the covenants of those times, “with God as my witness and my life as pledge” – an ancient version of our playground vow, “Cross my heart and hope to die” as a way to signify our deepest commitment. In every case I can think of, God’s faithfulness in scripture is in reference to God keeping and fulfilling the covenant promises. God is seen as faithful because God keeps His promises. You can see God’s faithfulness named in relation to the covenant in our two readings today from the Psalms. Another feature of God’s faithfulness is that it is not dependent on human faithfulness. If anything, it shines even more brightly because of human disobedience and unfaithfulness. Abraham, then various descendants after him, and the people of Israel as a whole, would disobey the terms of the covenant, turn from God, and lose their way. But the story of the Old Testament and the Bible as a whole is of God remaining steadfast and faithful even in the face of His covenant partners’ unfaithfulness. Last week we read from Deuteronomy 4, in which God is renewing the covenant with the next generation of Israelites after delivering them from Egypt. The first generation had disobeyed and rebelled against God, but in the renewing of the covenant God pledged faithfulness. He even spoke of their future – after attaining the Promised Land – when they would turn away again and be carried into Exile. And God told them that even then He would be faithful if they would yet seek him. Faithful in the New That faithfulness to the covenant with Abraham, his descendants, and David do not go away when we get to the New Testament. In fact, the whole of the New Testament can be seen as a demonstration of the faithfulness of God in keeping His promises. Those long genealogies at the beginning of Matthew and Luke? They are demonstrating that Jesus is “of the line of David,” one of the specifics of God’s covenant promise to David that one of his line would sit on the throne forever. Jesus is named as Messiah because he is seen as the one God promised. He IS God’s faithfulness in the flesh. Those ancient promises for land and descendants and the restoration of the Kingdom are fulfilled in the Kingdom of God and the expanded understanding of God’s people, now including the Gentiles who come through Christ. Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 that he did not come to abolish or do away with the Law and the Prophets, but to fulfill them. (v.17) A

TEXT: Romans 5:1-8SERVICE VIDEO (link) We’ve been talking about what God is like, looking to scripture to better understand and answer that question. We have looked at God’s holiness, justness, and compassion. And we’ve seen each week that the Lord desires for those of us who trust him and follow Jesus to demonstrate those same traits in the world around us. It’s how God created us, in His image, it’s the obedience He requires of us, and it’s the life of blessing others that he desires for us and for the world. Today we are going to talk about the love of God. Now if you have a good memory or have been pondering last week’s topic, you may remember that our Bible translation rendered hesed, the Hebrew word behind compassion and mercy as ‘lovingkindness.’ That’s a little confusing if today we are talking about love. Isn’t it the same thing? Well no, our translators used ‘lovingkindness’ to try to get at the complex meaning of hesed by combining love and kindness as a variation on compassion and mercy. But today are talking about a related but different trait: love (Heb ahav Grk agape). As in past weeks, I first want to talk about God’s love for us, then our love for God and others. God’s Love for Us (Romans 5,8) The main verse I want to key in on from our scripture reading from Romans 5 is verse 8, because it describes HOW God shows us that He loves us. It says this: God demonstrated His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. There is so much more in Romans 5, even in the verses we read today. It speaks of the peace with God that has been accomplished through Christ. It speaks of faith and grace and hope. It even speaks of the trials and tribulations we will face, and says that because of the “love of God” the Holy Spirit has been given to and poured out in us that we might experience that faith, grace, and hope. Lots to dig into and give thanks for! There in verse 5 it is the love of God that gives us the Spirit that leads us to Christ and remains with us because of Christ. But today, verse 8. God demonstrates His own love toward us in two key ways: #1 Sacrificial Love: “Christ died for us” What does it mean that Christ died for us? It is one of the central tenets of Christian faith and it is pre-figured throughout the Old Testament as well, from the near-sacrifice of Isaac to the scapegoat to the sacrifice of a lamb for the sins of the people. Jesus selfless and spotless sacrificial death was to take our place and atone for our sins. And Romans 5:8 says that it is a demonstration of God’s love. And it was a choice on Jesus’ part as well. Ephesians 5:2 tells us that “Christ loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God.” God’s love in Christ is a sacrificial love. #2 Unconditional Love: “We were yet sinners” What about the “we were yet sinners” part? The previous verse observes that one might dare die for a good person, but that’s not what Christ did. He died for the ungodly. We are all sinful, disobedient, turned from God. And that’s who Jesus came for. We see God demonstrate this same love throughout the Old Testament when He reaches out to Israel, gives laws to protect them, comes to deliver and lead them, and they disobey and turn away again and again. For example, just before the giving of the Ten Commandments the SECOND TIME – because the first generation out of Egypt had turned so completely from God – Moses tells those children that they will see the Promised Land. But he also tells them (in Deuteronomy 4) that once there they will again turn away from God and worship other gods. They will even lose their home and land and be scattered among the nations. But Moses reminds them: 29 “But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul. 30 “When you are in distress and all these things have come upon you, in the latter days you will return to the

SERVICE VIDEO (LINK)TEXT: Psalm 136; Exodus 34:1-9; Luke 10:30-37 So far in our “What is God Like?” series we’ve talked about God as holy and as just. We’ve also considered how God’s followers are supposed to reflect the character of God, so also be holy and just. Today we are talking about God’s mercy, God’s compassion. We’ve touched on that before back when we looked at key words in the original languages of the Bible. The word that is translated as mercy and compassion is the Hebrew word hesed. Hesed shows up nearly 250x in the Old Testament. In the NASB that I use for sermons and in our services it is often translated as ‘lovingkindness’ a curious word that kind of mixes together ‘love’ and ‘kindness.’ The Hebrew and Old Testament word hesed corresponds to the Greek word for mercy or compassion in the New Testament. As we have in previous weeks, I want to look at what God is like, how God’s followers are to reflect God’s character, and what that might specifically look like for us today. God’s Lovingkindness is Everlasting! Psalm 136 We read part of Psalm 136 for the Call to Worship. Those verses are part of a long list of actions and characteristics of God, with each statement followed with the declaration that God’s “lovingkindness (hesed) is everlasting.” This might be THE defining characteristic of God in scripture. And interestingly, if you look at all of Psalm 136, it is the refrain when God is simply being God, it is the refrain when God saves and delivers, and it is the refrain when God judges against evil. God’s hesed – mercy, compassion, lovingkindness – are the heart of everything God does, even when it may seem otherwise to us! This is not as hard to understand as we might think. I remember disciplining our children when they were small and even times when they shouted out “you hate me!” Discipline, consequences, and the like can feel like anything but lovingkindness, but being a parent has taught me just how necessary “tough love” can be, even how merciful it can sometimes be to the overall well-being of my children. Exodus 34:1-9 Our scripture from Exodus this morning described the scene where God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses. Verse 6 describes God as “compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth.” Verse 7 goes on to say that God “keeps lovingkindness for thousands, and forgives iniquity, transgression and sin.” And here’s the hard part… that verse goes on to say, “Yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.” That’s a lot to reconcile for us, yes? And yet Moses responded to that – not just the lovingkindness, but also the justice – with worship. Moses “made haste to bow low toward the earth and worship.” (v.8) And he went further and asked the Lord to come alone with them in their midst, EVEN THOUGH the people are so obstinate… and to pardon our iniquity and sin, and take us as God’s own possession. (v.9) There you see the whole thing; God’s Lovingkindess meets God’s justice in this: He DOES forgive sin. God just doesn’t ignore it if we continue persistently in it. Said another way, God doesn’t say to our sin, “It doesn’t matter.” It matters a great deal. That has to do with holiness and justice. But God also says, “You matter a lot and I will forgive your sin, and at great cost.” That’s God’s lovingkindness. Lamentations 3:22-23 One of my favorite passages about God’s lovingkindness, or “steadfast love,” is Lamentations 3:22-23, which states: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases His mercies never come to an end They are new every morning, new every morning Great is thy faithfulness, O Lord, Great is thy faithfulness! This is extra-good news for me and my obstinate, sinful self. God’s not a one-chance God, but extends His mercy day after day after day after day. And I need that! I am grateful

SERVICE LIVESTREAM (LINK)TEXT: Deuteronomy 32:3-4; Isaiah 1:17-20; Matthew 23:23 We are continuing today in a series called, “What is God like?” We are looking at a number of the characteristics of God over the course of about six weeks. Last week we looked at holiness using Isaiah’s vision of God seated on a throne, high and lifted up. The winged seraphim were singing “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord Almighty; the earth is full of God’s glory.” (Isaiah 6:3) We talked about how an understanding or experience of God’s glory convicts us of our sinfulness and leads to confession of sin. And we saw the Good News of God’s mercy as God cleansed Isaiah from his sin. We stopped short of what came next: God calls Isaiah into service and Isaiah responds, “Here am I; send me!” And Isaiah himself becomes holy, set apart for this holy work God has called him to. We are going to see a similar pattern today as we consider God being JUST. We first want to look at God’s justness or justice, but we will see that God also invites us to be a part of his justice, a theme not only stressed by the Old Testament prophets, but also by Jesus. And we’ll consider what that might look like for us. God is Just Let’s begin with our question, “What is God like?” Our first text, used in our call to worship, is from Deuteronomy 32:3-4. It provides several descriptive words about God: 3 “For I proclaim the name of the Lord; Ascribe greatness to our God! 4 “The Rock! His work is perfect, For all His ways are just; A God of faithfulness and without injustice, Righteous and upright is He.  Let’s focus particularly on verse 4, which says “all God’s ways are just.” You may remember that Hebrew writers like parallelism. They like repeating things with synonyms (and sometimes antonyms). We have a case of that here. We are to praise God, the Rock, and why? His work is perfect, for all his ways are just[He is] a God of faithfulness and without injustice[He is] righteous and upright There are six words in bold and they all can be translated as something close to ‘just.’ This description of God is like a gemstone with six facets, each revealing an aspect of God’s justness. Let’s briefly look at each one: PERFECT (Heb. tamim): complete, blameless, right JUST (Heb. mishpat): this is actually a noun meaning ‘judgment’ or ‘justice’; our translation has used the adjective ‘just’ for better English, but it literally reads “God’s ways are justice” FAITHFUL (Heb. emunah): steadfastness, reliability, honesty, truth, faithfulness WITHOUT INJUSTICE (Heb en awel): without injustice, dishonesty, unrighteousness RIGHTEOUS (Heb. saddiq): just, in the right, righteous UPRIGHT (Heb. yasar): straight, level, smooth, right, correct Are you getting the picture? God is all this and worthy of praise because of it. You can see that righteousness and justice are related – God is right (righteous) and does the right thing (justice). God is also consistent, fair, truthful, and trustworthy. All of that makes up the just nature and the justice of God. To that I’d add two reflections: What God says is right is not as simple as majority vote or prevalent custom, but is DEFINED by God’s character. That means that what is right is shaped by all the traits we will be studying: God’s holiness, justice, mercy, love, faithfulness, wisdom, and goodness (and more). This is what sometimes puts Jesus at odds with the Pharisees. They are rule-followers – the letter of the Law – but fail to see the spirit and purpose of the Law, to show compassion. We’ll look at that some more with the Matthew passage. In general, if you find yourself working against God’s definition of what is right and wrong, you are the one that needs to change. It is possible (as with the Pharisees) that you or the person teaching you has read scripture wrongly, and that is worth examining, but if we truly believe God is all these things (holy, just, merciful, etc…), then our BEST course

SERVICE VIDEO (link)TEXT: Isaiah 6:1-7 Do you remember “Raiders of the Lost Ark?” It was an exciting movie about Indiana Jones, a professor/archaeologist who spend his time away from class going to remote parts of the world to unearth or rescue ancient artifacts. One of these was the biblical Ark of the Covenant, which had not been seen for over one thousand years. Even secular Indiana Jones knew better than to open the Ark where the presence of God once resided. Near the end of the movie, the “bad guys” open the Ark, and the special effects kick in to try to portray the power and holiness of God sweeping through the place. It is at once beautiful and terrible as unbelievers gaze on at the face of a God they are not worthy of beholding. I remember seeing that scene as a young teenager and my heart almost pounding out of my chest. But as spectacular (and only somewhat biblical) as that was, it doesn’t even come close to what Isaiah saw in his vision of God! First, Isaiah saw a great throne – high and lifted up. It was not only literally elevated, but figuratively “lofty.” In other words, it was the most magnificent throne you could imagine. And it was located within a great temple. And the Lord God, who was sitting on this great throne wore a massive robe with a train that filled the expanse of the temple. In this vision, God doesn’t say or do anything until later, when He speaks to Isaiah. In verses 1-4, though, the action comes from great angelic beings called seraphim. Each seraph had six wings, with two covering the face, two covering the feet, and two for flying. I don’t know how well you can picture such a thing, but it doesn’t sound beautiful; it sounds terrifying. And when one seraph called out to the other, the foundations shook and smoke filled the place. Never mind the presence of God for a moment; these beings were terrifying! Imagine the powerful sound of a jet engine if you’ve ever had to walk across the runway to climb the stairs to a plane. Their mighty voices made the place shake and smoke. Yet these powerful creatures also covered their eyes and feet with other wings out of complete deference to the Lord they served. Even they would not dare to look casually or openly at the great Lord on His throne. Rather, they proclaimed the song that is the song of Heaven (cf. Revelation):           Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts,          The whole earth is full of His glory. And truly, that is the point of this vision. The point is not in the details about the setting or sequence. This vision is not supposed to answer questions like:           Does God sit on a throne all the time?                     How big is God’s robe?                               What is the exact nature of angels or seraphim? The point of this vision – of Isaiah’s seeing the Lord – is to describe and cause Israel to consider the HOLINESS of God (and their own sinfulness). It serves the same purpose for us. God is holy; where do we stand in relation to a holy God? What is Holiness? It is pretty plain from Isaiah’s vision that God is holy. But what does that mean? Holy means being “set apart” or “distinct.” Though the Bible can talk of us being created in God’s image, God is clearly something other than a human being or a limited, finite creature. And when the heavenly creatures declare God to be “Holy, Holy, Holy” it means that God is perfectly and ultimately set apart – that is what it means to be, not only a god, but THE only God. God’s holiness is like the heat of the sun. And that is an apt analogy, for God’s holiness is said to shine or radiate with “glory.” To suggest that God simply lay that holiness aside to ignore the world’s sin and darkness is like suggesting that the sun continue to be the sun without its heat and light. If that were the case, the sun would no longer shine and no longer be our source of light and heat. We would all die! Further, to suggest that we can casually come into th

TEXT: Matthew 2:1-12 It’s 2023 and we have a new year ahead of us.  Interestingly enough, the church calendar celebrates Epiphany in the first week of January, so we aren’t quite done with the Christmas story yet. Today we look at the visit of the wise men. There are a number of connections with what we talked about during December.  Is God trying to get your attention and what is God trying to say to you? How do you bring into focus what God is doing? What does it look like to believe God’s promises and participate in God’s story in word and deed? What we see in these magi are people who diligently asked those kinds of questions.  We see what happens when we listen carefully for God’s voice and look for what God is doing in and around us.  The magi provide for us a wonderful example of what it looks like to listen and attend to God.  While there are many New Year’s resolutions we might make, I can think of no better commitment to renew and revisit than our commitment to make God a priority – THE priority – in our lives. So as we look at this passage, note the connection to those previous questions; but also consider the place of God in your life as we look ahead to a new week and year. Paying Attention I believe God is ALWAYS speaking and working in the world.  The underlying question or issue is really whether we are willing to pay attention to God – to hear what He has to say. Now the interesting thing about the magi – one interesting thing – is that as far as I can tell they were not particularly people of faith in the one God.  They were likely court advisors to Mesopotamian kings, certainly wise and educated men who advised their ruler in all kinds of matters.  So they were also foreign; meaning, they weren’t Jewish.  They did take note of the world around them and particularly the sky above them, and they attributed meaning to things like the appearance and location of stars and constellations.  To call them astrologers would be a little misleading because today’s horoscopes are a far cry from their studies.  Nonetheless, they attributed meaning to what they saw and studied, and were particularly interested, as court advisors, to what they took to be the sign of a new king’s birth.  So they set off, bearing gifts, to greet the new king. The magi set an inspiring example of people who were interested in the world they lived in and even in what God might be doing around them.  Even without the explicit truth of Scripture they were inquisitive and observant enough that that they found answers to those same three questions: What is God saying? What is God doing? And how can I participate in what God is doing?   Ironically enough, the fact that they were looking for a “King of the Jews” led to both trouble and help.  They raised the dangerous interest of King Herod, who didn’t want any competition to the throne.  But they also encountered the Scriptures and the promise of a Messiah to the Jewish people.  There is no better combination to find God than one who seeks Him who encounters the Scriptures which speak so explicitly of who God is and what God is doing in the world.  Unfortunately, the world is full of seekers who do not turn to the Scripture and the church is full of the Scripture and those who no longer seek God or pay attention to this treasure they have! Worshiping God The middle verses are taken up with Herod’s plot to use the magi to find the child.  We will not focus there today, but move on to the final few verses to look further at the magi and their seeking out the Child who would be king.  The text says (several times) that the magi came, seeking the newborn king, in order to worship him.  One of the main worship concepts in the Bible is literally “bowing down” or more figuratively “yielding” to God.  That vocabulary is used several times in this passage, in verses 2, 8, and 11.  I believe there is a progression of worship in this passage.  In verse two, the