SCRIPTURE: Romans 5:12-19
TEXT: 15But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died through the one man’s trespass, much more surely have the grace of God and the free gift in the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abounded for the many. THEME: The free gift of grace is forgiveness. INTRODUCTION We begin our lenten journey towards Easter with a discussion about abundant grace. Paul identifies our first parents as the first sinners. Whether these are metaphorical or historical figures, no one escapes the dominion of sin and death. Except unlike Paul I have been toying with a different scenario of what actually took place in the garden. Human beings are wired for choice. At creation we are ‘good’ but not perfect. As slim as the differences are between good and perfect it has huge implications. Perfection means that there is no room for improvement. While being good, we have the potential of doing more or less, and we have the potential for choosing for Good or for Evil. We have the ability to make choices for what is good for our relationship with God, as well as to make choices for what can bring harm to our relationship. In the garden comes a time when we move beyond our innocence and become responsible for the choices we make. This happens when Adam and Eve mature enough to be responsible for the consequences of their actions. They are responsible for the consequence of their choices, when they chose to their own selfishness instead of trusting in God’s wise ways. This is the choice that is passed down to every person and every generation since. SCRIPTURE Paul lays out a mathematical formula for our relationship with God. A + sin = death. So, if there is some way to take sin out of the equation then the result of our lives would be life. God adds Jesus Christ to our equation. Jesus brings a free gift of grace that counter acts the effects of sin and thus, A + sin + Jesus Christ = Life. The free gift of grace reconciles the death of sin and cancels out death’s dominion over humankind. But there are a couple of things that I have difficulty with Paul’s thinking. I know it is arrogant for me to think that I know more than Paul, but we both write out of a cultural and historical time that effects our perspective of the biblical narrative. Genesis 3, the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden eating the fruit from the tree God told them not to eat from, is answering the question of how did sin come into the world and why do people die. I also have been reading some weird things from a pod cast called BioLogo. This web page is dedicated to show the consistencies between science and theology. It led me to read something from Oliver Crisp. He was teaching systematics at Fuller Seminary and is now the professor of analytic theology in the University of St Andrews in Scotland. He defined sin as a kind of dereliction of or wandering away from God’s law, a failure to live up to God’s commands. He takes sin out of the court of law (like a speeding ticket) and puts it back into relationships, like in a marriage. So, this is where I disagree with Paul in verse 13, because we don’t need to have the Law to know that we have chosen against what God wanted and that this has changed our relationship by adding guilt, same, regret, doubt, mistrust and sadness. This injury separates us from God, the source of life. But forgiving the hurt and giving up our right to hurt back heals relationships. Flowers, candy, gifts, money, acts of devotion cannot buy forgiveness from God. It is up to God to forgive, from God’s own heart. I was working on a project with a few people and I was making snide remarks to be humorous but I was not funny and angered and hurt one of the people I was working with. I saw this right away and apologized, but the damage had already been done and although I asked for forgiveness, the injured party said, they were not ready to forgive me. There was nothing that I could do to fix this relationship. All I could do was wait until for whatever reason that person chose to forgive me of the hurt, I caused. I was held hostage until, from their side, they decided to forgive. There is nothing that we can do that will make God forgive us. But out of the goodness of God’s own heart, because God values our relationship, and desires fellowship with us, God forgives. The free gift of grace is forgiveness. Here is the kicker, if we listen to the words of Jesus and not Paul’s, what we find is the forgiveness of sins take place even before Jesus dies on the cross. God does not need a worthy sacrifice to be offered before God can forgive us. God can forgive us on God’s own, just because God loves us and gives up God’s right to hurt us back just as much as we have hurt God. This is the ‘free gift’ of grace, it is forgiveness. Paul describes the healing of our relationship with God as justification, as righteousness, it is reconciliation through a loving forgiveness. Because Paul sees original sin as disobedience, the solution to sin is extreme obedience. This comes with an extreme sacrifice that enables this free gift to pay a tremendous debt. This is disguised works made to look like faith. But when our hurtful choices, against our relationship with God are forgiven, because God loves us, we have a different lens to see Jesus' love for us, that leads Jesus to the cross, not because of paying an unpayable debt, but by showing us how much He loves us, that he would not compromise loving us even at the cost of his life. This is not a cheap grace. It is a Priceless grace that is given to us freely from God’s heart. APPLICATION Our sin keeps us as hostages to those we have injured. No amount of reparations is enough. Only forgiveness coming from the injured party can bring solace, and we must live differently because of that forgiveness and retell the story of forgiveness, so the proceeding generations can remember the hurt along with the stories of forgiveness that resolved that hurt and how our lives have changed but our relationships restored. CONCLUSION Lent is a soulful, reflective time. It opens us up to consider something that we have taken for granted and to see them in a new way; like the garden, the words of Paul and the words of Jesus. The sorrowful Jesus, headed towards Jerusalem for the last time, with his 12 buddies, doing what he enjoys the most, talking about his Father, and opening the theological understandings of his hearers. Priceless grace in motion.
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SCRIPTURE: 2 Peter 1:16-21
TEXT: 16For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty. 21because no prophecy ever came by human will, but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. THEME: Our experience of God gives us encouragement to live faithful lives. INTRODUCTION Verse 16 differentiates between ‘cleverly devised myths’ and ‘eyewitness accounts. But both are valuable vehicles for truth about God. Although something maybe in story form, it does not mean that it carries any less truth about God, humanity, love, promise, relationship, forgiveness or life, as an eye witnessed historical account. In the same vain, just because something has eye witnesses it does not mean that what was seen was actually true. Take the holding penalty at the last Super Bowl; 3rd and 8 with less than 2 minutes left to play, Mahomes passes to JuJu Smith-Schuster and it is incomplete, but a holding penalty is charged against Philadelphia’s cornerback James Bradberry, giving the Chiefs a first down that set up their game winning field goal. Even with all of the different camera angles, slow motion and replays there are differences of interpretations of this eye witnessed event. Even with the testimony from Bradberry saying, “I pulled on his jersey. They called it. I was hoping they would let it ride.” and new footage clearly showing the hold, there are some who will always question the truth of this penalty. SCRIPTURE Peter, the author of this passage, was an eyewitness of the Transfiguration. Jesus led John, James and Peter up a mountain when his appearance changed dazzling white before them. Jesus’ outward appearance gave those eyewitnesses a new understanding of him. Jesus is not transformed, only his appearance is changed, as it reveals the Glory of God with Jesus. Then the accompanying voice from Heaven; “This is my Son, my beloved, with whom I am well pleased” confirms this prophetic revelation. We have experiences when God’s Glory has been displayed to us through; answered prayer, an epiphany insight of scripture, a theological understanding, a serendipitous event when we have been in the right place at the right time. The Holy Spirit helps us to interpret these events. As well as with the counsel of other believers who add their wisdom to these experiences of God. Scriptures cross references what we discover. These experiences of God’s glory are touch stones of faith that encourage and support us as we journey with God. APPLICATION What have we experienced that gives us a certainty of faith? What does this confidence enable us to do? At the writing of this letter, the first century Christians were challenged because the second coming of Christ has taken so long and some of their members have died. They don’t know what to make of this delay and there are well intended theologies that have emerged taking them away from faith in Jesus and God. We may not have been at the Transfiguration, but Peter was. The transformations in his life are a result of his witnessing the glory of God in Jesus. From fisherman to theologian, from follower to apostle. Recalling those touchstones of faith keeps us on the path of Christ. It is alright to have faith and to have doubt at the same time. Rachel Evans talks about days when she believes and days when she doesn’t. On those days when she doesn’t believe, it is faith that enables her to carry those doubts. It is those times when we have seen God’s glory displayed, that we remember and hold us until we can begin to believe again; Jesus is the son of God, beloved and pleasing to God. What is real and what is fake? Do you know what I look like when I drink a soda I really like? Not like Steve Martin or Ben Stiller. They both were acting in that Super Bowl ad. But they were right, you have to try it for yourself to see if you like it. Then you will have your touch stone event that you can carry with you, whenever you see someone drink a Pepsi Zero and know for yourself whether you like its taste or not. The transfigurations are like that; Jesus is the Son of God, Beloved and God is pleased with him. One more story. At college, all of my religious studies teachers were Christians. They taught an array of classes from world religions, Zen Buddhism, Chinese Religion, the reformation, Hawaiian religion and knew their subject matter thoroughly and yet with all they knew, their faith and hope rested in Jesus the son of God, beloved, their Lord and Savior. In times when I doubted my faith in college, these well-versed professors were my touch stones. CONCLUSION The Transfiguration comes, so we can see Jesus from a different angle. Added to what we know about Jesus from his ministry, teaching, encounters with people and his disciples, we now have a perspective of glory. This is God’s son, beloved and pleasing. This perspective when discussed with the counsel of others, with prayer and petition of the Holy Spirit, can lead to an interpretation that can transform our lives. Last Super Bowl Story. Celebrities like donuts too. So, when Ben Affleck took your donut order at the take-out window, it was like seeing Jesus. The surprise on customer’s faces when they were face to face with Hollywood royalty caught awe and amazement. This is the story of the incarnation, of Jesus serving and not being served, JLo witnesses the transfiguration of her suave movie star boyfriend, in the light of a Dunkin Donuts employee or breaking a donut at the last supper with his disciples (Yeah, the analogy went too far and is breaking down at this point). We need the body of Christ, scripture and the Holy Spirit to interpret these Glory encounters. Then to treasure these touch stone, as makers of our faith, that encourage us on days we don’t believe. But on the day, we do believe, to move towards into God’s future and to participate in God’s mission around us. SCRIPTURE: 1 Corinthians 3:1-9
TEXT: 9For we are God’s servants, working together; you are God’s field, God’s building. THEME: INTRODUCTION Sometimes what we know about God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit is different from how we live. Living by what we believe, putting our values into practice, and living according to love instead of revenge is a challenge. SCRIPTURE As the Apostle Paul writes to the church in Corinth, they have infantile behaviors that prevents him from writing about greater matters of the church, calling and mission. All they care about is who is better than who. The first line of this passage “1bas infants in Christ. 2I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for solid food.” reminded me of something commentary writer, Julianna Claassens wrote on Genesis 3; when the fruit of the tree of knowledge was eaten. Our traditional interpretations of this passage were from men, giving us an explanation of how sin entered our world. They assumed at Creation, humans were perfect and sinless, but the pronouncement from God at creation was ‘good’ not ‘perfect’. Only the Divine is perfect and worthy of worship. We are ‘good’, with potential and capable of change, transformation, creating and choosing good or evil. Maybe some praise from time to time but not to be worshipped. Jesus says the same thing about Humans when we are described as wheat; we have the potential of being Chaff - rubbish, or grain - life giving, sustaining food. Julianna Claassens describes the fruit tasting event in the garden of Eden by Adam and Eve, as a coming-of-age story. This is when humans embrace their roles as adults. Facing the realities of life in a grownup world with choices that can be for good or evil. Along with our maturation comes the responsibility for our choices and the consequences of our decisions and actions. Adam and Eve both make a choice. But when asked about what they did, they don’t take responsibility for their decisions and place the blame for the consequences outside of themselves. This is fertile soil for sin. Sometimes our assumptions prevent us from discovering what God maybe saying in scripture and we are unaware of the unintended messages we are sending to the world. Author Glennon Doyle recalled her first impressions of this story learning about God and being a woman. The garden of Eden was great and Adam gave birth to Eve (inconceivable and nothing we have seen since). Everything was fine in the garden until the woman wanted something and went for it. In her words, “Then all hell broke loose, and everything was terrible forever.” The garden story, for her, causes women to fear what they want. This story comes as a warning for women to fear what they desire. What women want is bad, what women want is scary and stories like this cause women to be filled with doubt and second guess themselves. Wow, those messages can be embedded by male dominated interpretations of the garden. As an author she has talked to assemblies of women and has made this observation, “In talking to women all around the world, what women want is good. If women started to go for ‘the good they desire’, power structures would tumble. The structures that keep Women in their place would be dismantled and what would be rebuilt in its place, would be built on equality, justice, love, and peace.” This actually does sounds like the work of Christ in our world. Now in Corinth the members of the church are acting like children refusing to face the realities of life with God in the world. Staying in a childlike state of naivety and refusing their responsibility as adults, to be God’s field and God’s building. APPLICATION If we put aside our personal preferences and focused on what God wants to accomplish, what might our churches do differently as we participate in God’s mission? What does God want to grow in the field of us and what does God want us to be built into? We have 3 churches all in the same area, not in competition, ministering to different segments of the Christian population on Maui, unique in our own way. But if we do a quick analysis and crunch some numbers of income, expenses, membership, ages, and building repairs, our vision of the field of God and the building of God is not sustainable and too narrow. We are going to have to take all of the good work God has done in us, that has gone into building us up to this point and create something new from this foundation. We may have only a small glimpse of what this may look like. But it may be enough for us to break some things down in order to try and create something we never expected. So here is something experimental. We are having Josh Hayashi come to preach and speak to us at a round table discussion after church on Daylight Saving Sunday, March 12th. But if we want to hear him speak, we will have to go to either Kaahumanu Church that will fall back their service time by half an hour to 8:30 or go to Iao UCC who will spring their service forward by half an hour to 10 o’clock. WUC will sacrifice worshiping in our sanctuary on that day to participate in this time experience, to get to know our sibling congregation and their members a little bit better. As we get to know our siblings in Christ, we can go to visit their homes with the same ease we do our own siblings. Working together, even in just this small way, we may get a glimpse of a sustainable future. This is an adult choice. There will be lots of blame to go around. Let’s take notes, comments, good and bad and see what God may be saying to us. CONCLUSION Desmond Tutu says that he cannot imagine that his Christianity could contain everything there is to know about God. This is the voice of maturity, of someone who has studied the word of God and who has been engaged with people all over the world and through those experiences realizes, that God is not limited to reveal God’s self to only one set of people, to one set of Christians, but to other denominations, Jews, Muslims, Buddhist, and that God’s Holy Spirit goes out, to reveal to all who are made in the image of God. Then we all have a choice, to listen, to see and to live according to what we know about God or not, and to be responsible for our choices and not put blame outside of where it belongs. Act like adults not children. SCRIPTURE: 1 Corinthians 2:1-13
TEXT:2For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.6“For who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. THEME: Living inspired lives with the mind of Christ. INTRODUCTION There are two great lines in the scripture reading for today, the first is in the beginning with Paul preaching nothing but ‘Jesus Christ and him crucified’ and the second is at the very end stating that ‘we are having the mind of Christ’. SCRIPTURE When Paul brought the Good News of Jesus Christ to the Corinth, he spoke plainly about Jesus, the champion of God, the Christ, who was crucified. No compelling theological argument, no creative storytelling, no feats of strength, or fanfare, just the plain truth about Jesus being stranger than fiction. Jesus Christ and him crucified. That in itself is a loaded statement. Jesus being the Christ. What kind of champion of God would be crucified? Doesn’t this spell defeat? But Paul, by his action and tenacity, turned persecutor of the church to evangelist. His life speaks volumes. Jesus Christ speaks volumes, Him crucified is a mini-series. There is so much more to the story. The Holy Spirit takes over. After hearing, moving in the hearts of the hearer, with more than human wisdom, the Spirit questions, prods, weaves and reveals. The beginning part of verse 10 says, “These things God has revealed to us through the Spirit.” The end result is a miracle in itself, as we have the mind of Christ. I remember when I was writing my ordination paper for the Kauai Association, and in it I talked about feeling a sense of call to become a minister. My Mother asked why I thought I was called. I have stories of how God worked things out in my life. There were experiences of answered prayers. There were scriptures that have guided my life in different times. I felt that God wanted me to be a pastor. How can any of us presume to know the will of God, the mind of Christ, or the heart of God? As arrogant as it is to think that we can know what God’s will is, we can for the simple fact that God chooses to reveal God’s will to us. If we see, listen, feel and are open to the Spirit framing of things for us, we can have the mind of Christ in what to do, or what God wants to accomplish. And others are able to confirm what they see in us by the way we act, the things that we do and the things that we say. When we know the mind of Christ, then we are participants in God’s mission. APPLICATION The Wisdom of God helps us to understand the mind of Christ. How do the gifts of the Spirit help us live according to the will of God? Christ crucified and the mind of Christ sparks a transformation in our lives and in how we live. Sometimes the Holy Spirit gives us an inclination, a thought, an insight or an urge to go one way or another. A wind surfer always went left at the beach, but one day he felt he should go right. He just had an urge. When he got out, there was a downed wind surfer with a broken mass. He was able to rescue this stranded surfer by giving in to that feeling. Sometimes the Holy Spirit prods us to think about what we believe. Rapture theology never quite set right with me. It seems more about self-preservation motivated by fear or a way to escape suffering. Christ’s loving example is about coming to us, to help others as he embraces suffering on the cross for our transformation. I held these opposing views until I heard a podcast of Barbara Rossing at Trinity Church in New York. She said, that if the Raptured occurred as portrayed in the “Left Behind” movies that she would want to be left behind to help those who remained, to heal and help them, to tell them about Jesus and God and give them hope in the love God has for them in this time of chaos. This fell in line with the Good News of Jesus’ love that I felt, more than the fearful escapism of rapture theology. I’ve been reading about sacrifices in the Old Testament. A sacrifice is not a bribe or a payment but is an act of devotion or gratitude directed towards God. Sometimes to express remorse or an acknowledgment of God’s greatness. When we load all of our sins on Jesus, as a sacrificial scapegoat, we negate the need for grace and purchase forgiveness from God. I didn’t like the judgmental, condescending, self-righteous attitude that TV evangelist projected. There was an air of superiority and success that were supported by our generous donations that solicited God’s favor towards us. Their argumentative style always made me feel inferior, competing for one upmanship. Then I learned that salvation is not always personal but also communal. I remember seeing Edgar G. Robinson being saved in the Exodus of the 10 Commandments, not because he was a Jew or because of his faith, but as he was just swept away for being part of the crowd. The ark, the crowd, the nation of Israel, the church are all communities where we find salvation by being part of that group. Later in Paul’s letter, he will be addressing the use of the gifts of the Holy Spirit of God for the building up of the Body of Christ. The building up of the community, the people of God, is always part of the will of God. We have to take some of the things we have learned and apply them in the way we live, in our families, in our relationships, in the church and in our communities. The gifts of the Spirit are given to help us live according to God’s ways and to equip us to participate in what God is doing in our world. Sometimes the gifts are to bolster us up individually, at other times they are used as an encouragement or help towards others. We can tell if we are doing what God wants by the fruits that are produced by our actions, by the feelings we have, a sense or peace or fear, or if they are signs along the way that we are headed in the right direction. Having the mind of Christ means we have to think about what things mean? What is its purpose? With God, the end result always is about loving relationships. If our actions are mean, harsh and do not display the love, they require a bit more thought. CONCLUSION Christ crucified is God’s intervention in this age, to bring about a new one. Christ’s self-emptying and self-giving love culminates in Christ’s giving of his life. The Message of the cross is transformational and enables us to live differently, knowing of the love of God and by participating in God’s ministry revelation, knowing, kindness, forgiveness and living with the help of the Spirit. |
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April 2024
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