2nd Chances

Sermon given at Sydenstricker UMC 1/29/17

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^NRSV 1 Corinthians 1: ¹⁷ For Christ did not send me to baptize but to proclaim the gospel, and not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its power. ¹⁸ For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. ¹⁹ For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart." ²⁰ Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? ²¹ For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe. ²² For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, ²³ but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, ²⁴ but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. ²⁵ For God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength.

In Golf there is such a thing as a mulligan. Now for those who believe in pure golf, mulligans are not allowed. But for the rest of the world mulligans are often used. It is when you don’t like the shot you just made and you try it again. Some refer to the second shot as Bubba or a do over. What if life were like that? What if there was a chance to get a 2^nd chance in life? Would you be interested?

Paul begins this passage by telling us he is not sent to baptize but to proclaim. I could spend twenty minutes on this first verse explaining the wisdom of witnessing and how to do so, but that is a sermon for another day. The topic of today is defined for us in the next verse. What kind of fool would follow a crucified man? Our Christian symbol of the cross is a difficult symbol for many to follow, because of what it represents. It was a difficult symbol to follow in the days when Paul took up the task of proclaiming the good news about Jesus and it still finds a difficult time of understanding in our world today. Why is that? What if I told you that the fool who would follow such a thing is a person who has been given a second chance in life? Foolishness has many definitions, all depending on whom you are talking to. There was a song many years ago that asked, What kind of fool do you think I am? We certainly understand foolishness in the young and even young at heart, but what does that mean when it comes to the question of whose fool are you?

I was reading about two men on a business trip. While they were away, they committed all kinds of sins. Everything you can think of. In the morning as they were making their way to the airport, one man challenged the other. He said, "I dare you to go to that Cathedral over there and confess everything you did this past week to the priest. I’ll bet you a hundred bucks you can’t do it. You’ll probably give the priest a heart attack."
The other man said, "Easy money! No problem." So he walked into the Cathedral. He went into the confessional. And he went through the motions, "Father, forgive me for I have sinned." And then in graphic detail he mentioned everything he did in the past week.
But the priest was smart. He could tell that the man wasn’t sincere. So he said, "Son, your penance will be to walk to the front of the Cathedral. And kneel before the life size statue of Jesus dying on the cross. And I want you to look into the suffering face of the savior. And I want you to say, "Jesus, all this you did for me, and I couldn’t care less." The man came out of the confessional booth laughing. And he said, "I win. Give me my money." But his friend said, "Oh no. We’re not done yet. Not until you do your penance." "The man said, "Alright, I’ll do it. No big deal." So he went back in. And stood in front of the cross. And said, "Jesus, all this you did for me and I..." And just then, all the teachings of his childhood came flooding back. He remembered John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life." He cleared his throat and tried again, "Lord Jesus, all this you did for me.. Lord Jesus, all this .... you did for me ..." But he couldn’t get through it. He burst into tears. And fell on his knees. And said, "Oh, Jesus, I am so sorry! Oh, God, I am so sorry! I’m such a wretch! Please help me! Please forgive me!" He didn’t get the hundred dollars. But he walked out of that chapel with something much more valuable: Forgiveness! Salvation! And peace of mind! That is the power of the cross. It doesn’t matter how many sins you’ve made. Jesus died on the cross for every single one of them. And all you have to do is to apologize. And accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. When you are willing to do that, Jesus wipes the slate clean and you can begin your life anew.

Just like that man did in the chapel. It seems so simple. You want to ask yourself, "Why don’t more people do this? Why do people hold on to their guilt day after day, month after month, year after year?" Maybe part of the answer lies in the scripture we have before us today. For Paul reminds us that the Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom and Gentile and Jew alike stumble at the sign of the cross. Why? Well let’s use a little logic. The cross is a symbol of shame and justice. Death is the end of all things, not the beginning. So this man Jesus dieing on the cross died in shame and justice was served and that is the end. Right?

Jesus does the same thing when he came to this world as a human, fragile and vulnerable, yet perfect in his life. So often we are attacked by the world that we have it all wrong. We worship a man crucified for his crimes, dead and buried and we just know that the real messiah would have come in all his glory as ruler and king. And yet, Jesus lived out wisdom showing us that what is just is not always logical. The gospels are full of grace and forgiveness reminding us that the Kingdom of God is among us now. Even those who proclaim us to be hypocrites understand this maybe better than we do. Did you ever think that they are acknowledging what we are supposed to stand for?

At least they recognize that we as Christians should stand apart from the world, even if we fail at times. Jesus was the embodiment of wisdom and justice in the world and was unbroken by the world. It is us, who fail to allow ourselves to be transformed by the power of the cross. In the cartoon Charlie Brown the character named Lucy would often mess with poor Charlie Brown. Time after time she would invite him to kick the ball only to pull it at the last second. He would fuss and she would simply say, it’s my nature.

That’s true. Many people recognize their faults. But they’re not willing to change their ways. And that is one of the things that keep them from experiencing the power of the cross. This is what the evangelist D.L Moody says about this passage: The thief had nails through both hands so that he could not work. The thief had a nail through each foot so that he could not run errands for the Lord. He could not lift a hand or a foot toward his salvation. And yet Christ offered him the gift of God. And he took it.

Coming to Christ means coming to the realization that you cannot lift a hand or a foot toward your own salvation. You can’t do it by being baptized. You can’t do it by being confirmed. You can’t do it by doing good deeds. You are as immobilized and paralyzed and crucified by sin as those two thieves. You cannot contribute in any way to what Christ did for you on the cross. You can only do it when you surrender yourself to the illogic of the cross.

Jesus is the God of 2^nd chances. We have only to come to Him and He will offer to wipe the slate clean and give us another opportunity to get it right. Take the criminals on the cross. One ridiculed and slandered Jesus. The other asked for pity and Jesus gave him paradise. Imagine what he would be willing to do for you and me.

Are you going to allow the logic of the world to proclaim who you will follow and who you will be? Or are you going to allow God to lead you where he wants you go? Whose fool are you? Are you ready for your 2^nd chance?