Heart of Jesus series: A Heart like God

Sermon given at Sydenstricker UMC 2/25/18

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^NRS Ephesians 4:23  ²³ and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, ²⁴ and to clothe yourselves with the new self, created according to the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

^NRS Luke 16:13 No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth." ¹⁴ The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all this, and they ridiculed him. ¹⁵ So he said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of others; but God knows your hearts; for what is prized by human beings is an abomination in the sight of God. ¹⁶ "The law and the prophets were in effect until John came; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is proclaimed, and everyone tries to enter it by force. ¹⁷ But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away, than for one stroke of a letter in the law to be dropped.

We begin today a seven part series on the Heart of Jesus. My hope is that this series will help us learn what drives Jesus as our Lord and Savior, what it is that God ultimately wants us to know and how we can begin to have that same heart in our own lives. The scripture today shares a reminder to us that we must become someone different than we are, that we need to realize that there is one driving force in the universe that is more important than anything else we understand. I read the other day that science and religion are finally coming toward a common understanding, releasing the harmful animosity that has longed plagued that relationship. That the cosmos was created in a single moment and that all life is connected across the creation and spectrum of the universe. Is it so hard to comprehend that we are all connected by this thread called creation? That we share in this life giving existence with all of creation, the birds of the air, the animals, the plants and the trees. That life force known by the American Indian as the spirit or Great Spirit flows through each of us every moment of our lives.

Luke’s Gospel proclaims that the law and the prophets were in effect until John came proclaiming the day of the Lord. From that moment on the Kingdom of God has been proclaimed. Jesus said to us that He came not to break the Law and the Prophets but came to fulfill it. So what does that mean? Jesus came into the world that we might understand what creation is supposed to look like, act like and live with interaction with the rest of creation. Jesus came to show us what the law looks like lived out in loving God and loving neighbor. God’s heart is so loving that God created us to be with one another. We subverted the idea of relationship and we keep on subverting it every day. But God did not intend it that way and Jesus came to replace the law and prophet understanding of His day with the original intent of creation. That is so important let me say it a different way. God intended Adam and Eve to not rule the world through dominance and control, but rather to steward creation with love, compassion and nurturing.

So what does Jesus heart look like? We get glimpses in the Gospels with His healings, His teachings and His example. He is constantly in prayer and connection with the world around Him. God is no further than the last second of breath that He inhaled and exhaled. That may seem difficult to understand so let me try and help us with this. Jesus spent His living moments in complete connection with God. He did that through prayer and keeping His senses open to that presence. We struggle today with that concept because we have placed Jesus in a historical box. We look at His picture and think He truly looked like that when we have no true idea of what He looked like. We paint mental images of Jesus, how He acted and how He loved based on printed words, paintings and stories. We focus on the Jesus that was rather than an ever present spirit that is with us in this moment. I often share that being called by God and we are all called by God is a tugging of the soul rather than a burning bush or neon light. If we desire to feel God, to share the heart of God, then we need to listen to the silence for the still small voice of God. My good friend Rick Griffith, whom I loved dearly as a brother and friend, used to constantly tell me to shut up, to listen and to enjoy the silence where God is speaking. He was known for his uncanny ability to know when you were having a bad day and he would call. He would often say, I felt tugged to call you today. How are things? I have felt that tugging often in my life but only when I push back the noise of the world and allow my senses to connect with the greater consciousness that is God. That may be tough to understand and I would love to spend more time explaining it so if you have an interest see me.

I believe that is what is meant by being renewed in the spirit that Paul talks about in Ephesians. We will clothe ourselves with a new mind. In the first century the mind and all that controlled the human existence was thought to originate not in the brain but in the heart. Maybe in the truth of things, they knew more than we understand now. Yes all thought, all motor skill function and all bodily control function from the brain. But the brain is most often led by emotion which I believe originates in that thing we call heart. Our capacity if you will to understand the world through our love for it and those in it. God’s heart is truly passionate and emotional. How do I know? Because Jesus showed us that heart each and every day of His physical life. I also believe that if we are open to the tugging we will experience Jesus every day of our lives.

I think this proclamation, I call it that because it is more than simply words on a page, about two masters is to get our attention and focus us on the truth of life itself. We cannot serve both a loving God and a love for materialism, possession and wealth. We can have both. Let me repeat that. God never said you have to be poor and impoverished to love God. It all depends on where your heart is. If your heart is that God is center and first in all that, you do, you will direct your life, your actions and deeds to the things that are important in creation. If your heart is on success, improving your looks for vanity reasons, buying the newest car or house so that others might see you differently than I would say God is not first and you are trying to serve two masters. We spend our whole lives moving toward a point in time. Whether we admit it or not, we focus on trying to get it all in before we reach that final breath moment. But in doing so, we often forget to stop and smell the roses as Mac Davis used to sing about so many years ago. Creation is all around us and it is the heart of creation that speaks to us in a sunrise or sunset, when we take the moment to enjoy the fluttering of the hummingbird and the song of the morning as birds, plants and the air take on the beginning of the day. It is interesting to watch the sunrise in a place where you can experience all the senses at once, the sounds, the view, the smells and the temperature change just at dawn to truly experience creation. If you have not done it in a while or maybe some of you have never done it, please take the time and let your heart feel like God’s heart for a moment embracing a new beginning in the dawn. Maybe in that moment you can realize the truth of not trying to serve two masters. Letting God tug at your heart is a great way to experience God in an intimate way. If we are to have a heart like Jesus then we must open ourselves to the possibility of loving creation around us.

So I have been talking about experiencing more than text book learning. I believe that the new clothing is about experiencing God in a way that emits more emotion than book knowledge. I truly believe that the new clothing we take on is in fact God surrounding us with love. My devotion time in the morning is so important to me that when I miss it my whole day seems unbalanced. Jesus has a heart like God. It is a heart that is in complete connection with all of creation. Jesus focused on making sure that everything He did was in keeping with that heart. If we desire to have the same heart, we need to allow God to transform us. Instead of spending all our waking moments in the noise of the world, both sound and visual noise, then we will miss God. Anatomy of Peace suggests that every time we are faced with a decision or choice, we can make the right one and have a heart of peace or the wrong one and have a heart of war. When we make the wrong decision, we immediately begin to justify why we made that decision and most often, we have allowed the people around us to become objects rather than people. If you find yourself thinking that you are better than, entitled to, worse than or I need to be seen as, then your heart is probably in a state of war. My hope is that Sydenstricker can become a place where our hearts are constantly striving to be at peace and we treat one another like people not objects. I believe that this lesson is that Jesus has a heart of peace and is in connection with you and me. I feel the tug, can you?

The First Kingdom

Sermon given at Sydenstricker UMC 2/18/18

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^NRS Matthew 18:1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" ² He called a child, whom he put among them,

 ³ and said, "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴ Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ⁵ Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. ⁶ "If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were fastened around your neck and you were drowned in the depth of the sea. ⁷ Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks! Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to the one by whom the stumbling block comes! ⁸ "If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life maimed or lame than to have two hands or two feet and to be thrown into the eternal fire. ⁹ And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into the hell of fire. ¹⁰ "Take care that you do not despise one of these little ones; for, I tell you, in heaven their angels continually see the face of my Father in heaven. ^{11  12} What do you think? If a shepherd has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? ¹³ And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. ¹⁴ So it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost. ¹⁵ "If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. ¹⁶ But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. ¹⁷ If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. ¹⁸ Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. ¹⁹ Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. ²⁰ For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them." ²¹ Then Peter came and said to him, "Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?" ²² Jesus said to him, "Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times. ²³ "For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. ²⁴ When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; ²⁵ and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made. ²⁶ So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.' ²⁷ And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. ²⁸ But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, 'Pay what you owe.' ²⁹ Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you.' ³⁰ But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he would pay the debt. ³¹ When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. ³² Then his lord summoned him and said to him, 'You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. ³³ Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?' ³⁴ And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he would pay his entire debt. ³⁵ So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart."

Jesus said that the Kingdom of Heaven in Matthew and God in the other Gospel accounts is near. What did he mean by that? Where is this kingdom? Jesus constantly throughout the ministry depicted in Matthew, Mark and Luke refers to the Kingdom as being near. Matthew talks about the Kingdom of Heaven while Mark and Luke refer to the Kingdom of God. Are they different? The simple answer is no, they are the same place, simply making a distinction for the audience that is listening to their respective narrative. Jesus wants us to stop thinking in terms of some future event when it comes to the Kingdom. God created the heavens and the earth and the Genesis story makes no distinction between the two except that the earth is the dry land. Pay attention folks, the ride gets better from here. If God makes no distinction between heaven and our own definition of Earth, then why should we. Jesus is telling us that the Kingdom is here with us, right now. In simple words, you are living in the Kingdom of God. I have heard it said that we are to be a foretaste of Heaven as a church. What I believe that means is that we are to share the Kingdom with the world even though we recognize that it is not fully complete until Jesus returns in glory to us. Jesus however, wants us to understand that the Kingdom is here with us. We are to understand that all of creation resides in the Kingdom. So instead of waiting for our own physical deaths to allow us to receive the promise of eternal life, the promise has been fulfilled in your lifetime when you give your life over to Jesus, follow His principles and teachings and share His love in relationship with everyone. 

So what does Jesus want us to understand when we talk about the Kingdom? The Disciples take an egocentric view of this question when they ask, who is the greatest in the Kingdom? Jesus answer undoubtedly surprises them when He does not answer their question directly but says that unless we become like a child we cannot enter into the Kingdom. What exactly does Jesus mean by the Kingdom?

Jesus gives us some great examples in the text you heard today. He talks about being a little child, sharing the childlike wonder and obedience to God. If we cannot approach God as children, we miss an important concept in obedience and love for God as parent. Jesus reminds us that it is we who become stumbling blocks for understanding this. When we become stumbling blocks for others or ourselves, we create barriers to living in the Kingdom. When we hate, when we fight, when we divide, we create barriers to living in the kind of love that God wanted from the very beginning of creation. Jesus reminds us that a shepherd watches the whole flock but concerns him or herself the one lost sheep that wandered away. Military people think in terms of the big picture. So do politicians and corporate executives. Maybe, just maybe, if we began to think in terms of people as people, not objects or collateral damage, we might begin to understand the concept of Kingdom as God intends.

What is it that Jesus says, “Where two or more are gathered…” He does not say that the small numbers do not matter, rather as few as two have huge power in the kingdom of God. But we have rules in the kingdom. Since we are forgiven people, we must learn to forgive. That is an important concept of loving one another. If we find it impossible to forgive, how is it possible that we will ever can receive our own forgiveness? I wonder how many of us have such a judgmental attitude that we believe we are better than, entitled to or above our fellow human beings in the world? When asked how many times we must forgive, Jesus replied seventy times seven or an infinite number.

Jesus emphasizes this with the parable about the King who wished to settle accounts with those who owed him money. He forgave the debt of the person who owed him the most only to have that man go and demand from those who owed him. The kingdom is like the King who forgave the debt of all that owed him and the expectation is that forgiveness would be passed down to those who owe those who are forgiven. Does this make any sense? We are a different kind of people who live in a very different kind of kingdom. Love does not follow the rules of culture or politics or those who aspire to success at any cost.

How do we experience the Kingdom in our own lives? What a great question for all of us to ponder over during this season of Lent. What is it that is keeping you from enjoying an intimate relationship with God? Is it your fear that God might transform you into someone different and you might no longer fit into the world around you? Have you ever considered that if that is the case, maybe it is the world that has a bigger problem? What if I told you that God wants you to be in relationship with God and that God is willing to sacrifice life itself to open that door for you? What if I told you that God has already done that so that you and I can live in the Kingdom today?

Living in the Kingdom for the early disciples meant giving up everything for each other. It meant being willing to give up their possessions, their material things, their homes and put all of that in the central pot so that no-one went without. The early disciples witnessed to the power of God with joy and celebration every waking day. They shared God with everyone they encountered with great joy and performed miracles and healings through the power of God. How? Because they were willing to surrender to the Kingdom. Are you willing?

For the last five weeks, I have talked about renewal. What does it mean, what does it feel like, and how do we do it. We began with the first church and the disciple’s empting themselves to allow the Holy Spirit to fill them. They did that through prayer, fasting and desire to be in an intimate relationship with God. Filled with the Holy Spirit they went out and drew thousands and ultimately millions into relationship with God. But it took willingness to be the instruments of God. We looked at Stephen and his seeing the glory of God in front of him. Again, he achieved that pinnacle by his willingness to witness to the power of God even in the face of culture and political power that wanted him to blend in, fit in, and become part of the world around him rather than being radical enough to share love with one another. We saw the conversion of Paul and were reminded that sometimes when we are doing the wrong thing; we can be so passionate about it and focused on it that we have blinders to what is righteous and Godly. So we need to slow down and ask God in, ask God to discern for wisdom and guidance about what is the right thing. Last week we talked about the truth of God. Jesus reminds us that we are to follow the path that God has for us, the Big Dream that God has called you too. If you are willing to empty yourself of your own desires and be the instrument of God, great things can be accomplished. We are all called to a Big Dream that God has asked you to walk with God on. Are you willing to not listen to those who would have you blend into the world but rather go where we have never been, do what we have never done and share love with those we have yet to meet? Finally, today we are offered a place in the Kingdom. Not some future residence where the world around us is safe and secure. Rather, we are called to witness to the power of God right here, right now. The Kingdom is around us, embracing us and lifting us up to new opportunities. If we are to truly live into the life that God intended from creation then we must be willing to follow God wherever that may be.

Jesus said the Kingdom is near. Do you have the courage to reach out and take the key? Where two or more are gathered, there the key resides. Empty ourselves this Lent and let God through the Holy Spirit makes us disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Let us become disciples who are lifelong learners who influence others to serve. Let us live into a vision where Christ’s love is in action and we are bringing God to people and people to God. 

Parallel - Chapter Four

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Chapter 4

Ministry Into Galilee

The three synoptic writers in this section are telling the story of Jesus through his ministry. Throughout the dialogue, there will be miracles, healings and teaching that will occur at different times. Why? Maybe the writer is creating a narrative to lead a person to the conclusion that Jesus is who He says He is. Maybe to set the stage for the conclusion of the story. Whatever the reason, the narratives flow and stories that were likely oral traditions handed down are placed in strategic points in the story. For example, the rejection of Nazareth story. Matthew and Mark appear to tell the story late in the ministry of Galilee. Luke puts it up front. To what purpose? Matthew and Mark may have been working to present Jesus in a positive light and felt the story of His rejection by His own people would have caused harm to the authenticity of whom He is. Remember that both are likely writing to people in Israel and neighboring countries. Luke on the other hand wants to discount it early and get on with Jesus ministry. When did it happen? Wrong question? What does it tell us? How our own may be the first to believe we are someone different than who they believe we are.

So what are the narratives that are shared? All three share the beginning of Jesus ministry into Galilee. Jesus preaching at Nazareth is in all three accounts but in very different places within the story. Again, the right question is who is correct but rather what story are they trying to tell and where does this account fit within that story. The preaching at Nazareth is a rejection story. Jesus own family and friends reject his preaching because they believe they know Him. But do they? The right question might be that this is a metaphor for the fact that Jesus people, the Jews reject Him and the writers hide it in the account this way. But by doing so they can tell the rejection story. All three writers share the story of the calling of the disciples but Luke places it with a miracle. Again, what is that Luke is trying to say that the others did not feel the need to include a miracle story. We find the woman with ointment story again in all three but Matthew and Mark include it as part of the passion. Why? Maybe they feel that there should be a story about the worth of Jesus. All three share the collusion story with Satan. Each at different times and Matthew includes it twice. Is the significance that Jesus discounts His detractors or that the collusion story was a way to discount Jesus and to tell it is necessary for the greater story? Finally we see that the Pharisee’s need a sign to believe. Is this story simply about the Pharisees’ or is it about all of us?

All three writers move Jesus onto Galilee following the Temptation story and the arrest of John the Baptist. It might well be that John has served his purpose in the narrative and his arrest has spurred Jesus into the limelight now. Matthew spends time placing the exact location for the Jewish people he is reaching out to. Mark and Luke simply say he moves into Galilee, though Luke makes a point to tell us that Jesus is full of the spirit. Matthew and Mark begin to tell us that the Kingdom is near. Matthew is speaking to the Jew and their understanding of the Kingdom is Heaven. Mark is speaking to the Roman and they are more likely to connect with God’s having a kingdom.

The calling of the Disciples follows a similar thread in all three though Luke actually calls them later in the story than Matthew and Mark. Luke adds a miracle maybe to explain to the Greeks, his audience, why they would leave everything they own and follow Jesus. The commissioning of the twelve and all disciples follows a similar story line. That the work will be hard, that those who follow will be few. That they have a task ahead of them to feed the hungry, take care of the poor and heal the sick. Further, that they are to live lives trusting God for provision and not rely on personal wealth.

The woman with the ointment story is interesting if not important in many ways. Matthew and Mark place the story later than Luke does. Why? Maybe Luke felt that the story makes us think about what we are to give up for Jesus as more important than it being included in the passion narrative. Maybe Matthew and Mark want us to sense the loss of Jesus and what His worth to us is. What we do know is that the story itself is important to the message of what Jesus thinks is important, loving one another over worldly possessions.

Throughout Jesus ministry, there were those who attempted to discount who He was. Mark very early in the story addresses one of the rumors or stories that was widely circulated that being that Jesus was actually in collusion with Satan and that is where His power came from. Mark brings this story early to discount it. Matthew and Luke wait until they have shared miracles, healings and teachings to discount it.

Finally, in this chapter we find the need for signs. The Pharisee’s keep asking Jesus to perform a sign so that they might know whom He is. But true faith requires no signs and in fact, Jesus points to the Old Testament story of Jonah as a sign that they have completely missed. Is this a prophetic voice in Matthew that Jesus will be in the tomb three days? For Matthew it would have been important to tell it this way so that the reader might realize that Jesus pointed to what would happen and then fulfilled it.