Living in a Choatic World

Sermon given at Grace UMC 11/15/15

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Scripture Reading:

^NRS  Jeremiah 29:4 Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: ⁵ Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat what they produce. ⁶ Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. ⁷ But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.

There is no question that our world today is borderline chaotic with great upheavals in the world around us. Without question many are worried about financial futures, about their jobs and about their families and lives as the world constantly changes around us. But what exactly are we supposed to do about it. Maybe the answer lies in this passage from Jeremiah that was given to the exiles in Babylonia. Imagine with me their world for a moment. Far away from home, fear would have been a constant companion as they worried about their future. What were they to do? They had no Temple? They were in a strange land and their future very unstable and unsecure. God speaks to them through the prophet Jeremiah and gives them and ultimately us a guideline for living within the chaos of the modern world.

First and most important God tells us to live our lives. Continue to do the things that are important to a community, build houses, plant gardens, marry and raise children. Have sons and daughters and have them marry and have sons and daughters. Seek the welfare of the city and pray for its success. Today in our political correct climate we are struggling with so many issues. Some believe it Starbucks should be excommunicated because they dare to have a plain red cup for the holiday season. I read the other day if you are feeling persecuted because of it maybe you need to seek the real Jesus. I want so much for each of us to learn how to be good disciples, students of Jesus Christ and to then go into the world imitating Jesus, making disciples and teaching what He taught us to others. We always seem just a little short to reach the concept of radical hopistality. It means simply that if the world buys 1 ply toilet paper, we put in two ply. Or if we have a request to do something special or different we strive to do so even if it puts us a little out.

If I said to you today that we live in a chaotic world, I doubt that there would be much argument. It is true that as we view the world around us, it is becoming more complex each day, more violent, more unstable and challenging. The world continues to become more like our adversary, the devil, than the world that God created in Eden and hoped for humankind. Jesus was sent to the world for two reasons. The first was to do that which only God could do. Save us from our selves, our sinful natures and our desire to be disobedient children. But his sacrifice on the cross comes with a price for each of us as well. What God did for us must be mimicked by what we do for God. John Wesley would say that the redemption on the cross is simply the first step that provides the grace by which we are saved. That when we accept that grace, we have taken the first step and we are justified in our faith in the Son, Christ Jesus. But it doesn’t end there as many believe. We aren’t just forgiven and then allowed to continue to be disobedient children as we enter into heaven. If we punish our children for disobedience and then they do the same thing again, do we say that our first punishment was sufficient? So we must become a new creation as Paul tells us. You know there is a discrepancy between Paul and James. Because the message of Paul is easier, the Christian church has followed his words throughout the generations. But even Paul tells us that we must live the life Christ gave us through his sacrifice, being obedient to God. James goes further. James the brother of Jesus argues that what Jesus wants us to know is that we must live our lives in service to one another, loving one another. That the message of Jesus on either side of the cross, is not focused on redemption, but love. The cross is redemption. The life of Jesus, pre and post resurrection is love. The world is not going to get any easier. The world is not going to suddenly become peaceful and loving. There’s nothing in peace and love for the individual intent on having what you have or what you might have. So we must become a new people, a different people, and a transformed people. I believe there are five things we must be in order to live in this chaotic world.

Be Salty

I guess I have to be careful here saying that we must be salty. Some of you may know the saying about sailors. Jesus says that we must be the salt of the earth. In his day just as in ours, salt was used both as a preservative and as a season. Jesus is telling us that our job is to be the seasoning for the world. We are to be its flavor. Without us there would be no pepper, no sage, no paprika, and no flavor. And it is our job to preserve that which God has provided through Jesus. Galatians tells us that the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity and faithfulness. It all starts with love. Jesus told us that we are to love God with all our heart and love one another. 1 John 4 tells us that we are to love one another since God loved us so much and that we love because he first loved us. You see, God set the example by sending us Jesus. God has constantly loved us throughout the story. If you don’t believe me, open it up and read it.

Compassion is another way to say that we have patience, kindness and generosity. Paul shares these words for us in Philippians 1. ^NRS Philippians 1: ⁸ For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus. ⁹ And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight ¹⁰ to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, ¹¹ having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.

Jesus shared his vision of this love in the story of the Good Samaritan. Here comes a man who has the personality of the true Christian. He finds someone down on their luck, beaten and robbed and near death. So many of us today would simply pass him by, ignoring him because we either or too busy and don’t want to get involved. But if we listen to the beatitudes, we hunger and thirst for righteousness. That means we cannot ignore. We must act. And so he shares his compassionate heart by first caring for this person he does not even know. He treats his wounds. In his day, blood was considered tainted, in our day we worry about disease. Is the story any different? Doesn’t sound like it? Then this man, who is never identified, shows extravagant generosity. His first showed it through his reaching out, now he shows it by taking him to the inn for healing. And then he offers the equivalent of a month’s wages to take care of him. If that were not enough, he offers to return and pay whatever it cost above and beyond that which he has already paid. I have often been asked, what do you want us to do, because we are not sure. My reply would be to be the neighbor, the Good Samaritan and give all that is needed of yourselves and your wealth.

Be illuminating

Jesus tells us that a light cannot be hidden and we know that is true. Day is day and night is night and even the densest fog cannot hide that. Saturday morning I woke up and looked outside and it was foggy. But as the sun came up I could tell that it was day, even though I could not see the sun. Likewise, when we practice what we preach, the world can tell. Francis Asbury used to say, spread the gospel with our actions, words and deeds, and sometimes use words. When we act like Christians, when we love like Christians, when we reach out to others like Christians, the darkness of the world cannot hide our light. When our honesty, integrity, compassion, and love are who we are and not simply what we say, the world sees Christ in us. Be illuminating in your faith walk.

Be together

I have shared the story of the two life long friends who are out camping and fishing. As he has always done, the one friend begins to pack up on Saturday night so that he can return to be at church on Sunday. The other friend says to him, why do you go? Look at the stars in the sky, smell the clean air. God is here with us. The man says nothing, simply takes a stick and moves one the coals out of the fire. The flame in it goes out and it cools. Then he pushes it back into the fire and it quickly regains its fire. When we miss a Sunday morning a little fire extinguishes in us. The world is like a Fire Extinguisher. Have you ever used one to cool down a beverage? It works really quickly, doesn’t it? Have you ever thought about how quickly the lessons that we learn on Sunday morning are forgotten as we journey in a world that does not believe in or abide by the values we do? That is why Jesus asked us to remain in fellowship with one another. That is why he sent disciples out two by two. To strengthen each other, support each other and hold each other accountable. It is why we come on Sunday morning. It is why we need to share our lives with each other. Life without partners is a scary place.

Be obedient

Jesus said to us, he did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. He is the embodiment of what God’s love is all about. First he teaches us the right way to live and shows us by example. Then he gives his life for us so that we might truly know of that love. Then he shares his spirit with us to sustain us in our lives. Paul tells us in Romans 6: “Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? ¹⁷ But thanks be to God that you, having once been slaves of sin, have become obedient from the heart to the form of teaching to which you were entrusted, ¹⁸ and that you, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.” Who would you be a slave to? Would it be the world that would use you up for its benefit, or the God who would love you into eternity?

Be prepared

Finally we must be prepared. The scout motto is Be Prepared. It is their motto for a reason. And they study, learn, and through repetition perfect their skills so that when the unthinkable happens, they don’t stand around not knowing, they simply do. Lives have been saved because of this motto. I want you hear these words from Mark 13: ²⁹ So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. ³⁰ Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. ³¹ Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. ³² "But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. ³³ Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. ³⁴ It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. ³⁵ Therefore, keep awake-- for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, ³⁶ or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. ³⁷ And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake."

My friends the hour is drawing near. Lives are in jeopardy, maybe even our own.

Be Salty!

Be Illuminating!

Be Together!
Be Obedient!

And Be Prepared!