Monthly Archives: April 2025
The Great Harvest Begins! An Easter Sermon on1 Corinthians 15:19-26
The Great Harvest Begins!
1 Corinthians 15:19-26
† I.N.R.I †
May the Grace and Peace of God our Father and the Risen Lord Jesus Christ fill your heart, mind and soul, as you realize the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work IN YOU!
I will never get tired of saying this…
Pastor: Alleluia! Christ is risen!
Congregation He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Deacon: And therefore,
Congregation: We have risen indeed! Alleluia!
The Apostle Paul wrote, “Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died.”
As I was thinking about this idea of a great harvest, and how to explain it, my memory went on a weird trip. It took me back to my childhood, as we were visiting a church. I don’t remember which one, probably Salem First Baptist, or the Pentecostal church my dad’s friend Pastor Brazil led. I don’t remember much of the service, except one strange hymn.
They sang it with a lot of energy and incredible joy, which is what impressed me, because I had no idea what they were singing about!
I mean, what in the world is a sheave?
They kept using that word, and being that the church was not in a farming community, I am not sure they knew what it meant either, but they were singing about bringing them in, with great joy!
Bringing in the sheaves,
Bringing in the sheaves,
We will come rejoicing,
Bringing in the sheaves!
Did they mean sword-sheaths? Sheets? Sieves? Sleeves? Steves?
What in the world is a sheave?
And why were people so excited about bringing them in?
And what does that have to do with Easter?
How many times is our reaction to the resurrection there, because we hear everyone else’s conviction, because we see the joy and we want to be part of it, but we don’t get that we are part of the harvest?
- Death in Adam
I don’t remember how many times they sung that chorus, but it seemed like for forever! And the first 4 or 5 times through, it was cool to see them all excited and singing loudly. It obviously meant something to a lot of these people!
But after a while it got old…and I disconnected from the singing, and focused on the musicians, then, looked around the church, then started to daydream, and maybe escaped to the restroom.
There was nothing there for me, and I don’t think anyone would have noticed I wasn’t there.
That is what sin is like, the sin that entered the world from Adam. It kills us off, separating us from the Lord, and from others. It’s as if they are speaking another language, and what is enjoyable to them, is empty to us. That frustrates us even more, and we wander off, separated from all that is good…
And that death is a foretaste of eternal death—the empty, hollow life that is hell….
It’s like being out in the low desert in the midst of summer, as wind sweeps blazing hot sand across the land, creating an unquenchable thirst in land and beast and man. For life is not capable of being sustained, never mind gathered and harvested.
There is no hope to escape that emptiness, that loneliness, or so it seems…
2. The New Life
In another lifeless situation, God provided life where it could not have been.
This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing. Romans 4:17 (NLT2)
And that is what happened the morning of the Resurrection, where there was no life in the crucified, spear pierced body of Jesus, from death came life.
He power of the grave, of death was shattered.
The separation thought to be permanent was made erased with the flash of light, as Jesus defeated death. As Jesus lived, but had already paid for our separation. His life would give a way for us to come to life, to know the joy, to be able to sing with meaning.
Only God can erase all that spiritually kills us, and wiukd end with our physical and eternal death as well. Only God can bring us to life again. Only God can include us in the great harvest of souls that have risen from the dead, both spiritually, and one day physically.
He did this by uniting us to Christ’s death and His resurrection…We are made new, complete, and in God’s eyes are His children, without sin. We become part of those “sheaves”, a part of the people of God, all who trust in Him and depend on His promise.
This is why we come to church, to celebrate this work of God, it is why we sing and pray and read the Bible, It is why we ask questions when we don’t know what a word means, or how a song fits in…. for it all testifies to the work God is doing in us.
And knowing that, that the power that raised Christ Jesus from the dead is at work in us, we enter into God’s peace, a peace far beyond our Logic and reason, for we dwell in our risen Lord, Jesus the Messiah! Amen!
The Plan Previously Hidden: A Good Friday Sermon on Isaiah 52:13:15, 1 Corinthians 2:7-8
The Plan Previously Hidden
Isaiah 52:13:15, 1 Corinthians 2:7-8
† I.H.S. †
May the grace of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ sustain you in those times, where like between the cross and resurrection, you aren’t sure of where you stand…or if you do!
The Darkness
In the other gospels, as Jesus is on the cross dying, it is said that darkness falls across the land. Luke mentions the sun fails to light the sky…the word will eventually become what we call an eclipse. For three hours, Jerusalem in hidden in shadows…
It was if everything good was heading out of town, as Jesus blood soaked the ground. I imagine the apostles and disciples’ lives were pretty much drained of life as well, as they finally realized Jesus wasn’t kidding when he said he would be killed, when he would give up his life.
But even as they hadn’t heard that, they didn’t hear the rest of the story. Neither did the Pharisees and Priests, or Herod, Pilate and the Roman guard.
This event, planned from before the creation of the world, the Apostle Paul described this way, “No, the wisdom we speak of is the mystery of God—his plan that was previously hidden, even though he made it for our ultimate glory before the world began. 8 But the rulers of this world have not understood it; if they had, they would not have crucified our glorious Lord.”
The darkness had to come, the despair—a realization of what was lost because of the sin of the world. The hope, shrouded for 3 days with the Lord of Love, of Hope, of Life.
While we don’t pay the cost of our sin, we need to take that cost seriously. We need to see in the cross, not just the promise of life and freedom, but the price paid there in the death of Christ.
What the rulers missed
SO what was hidden from these leaders, Roman and Jewish, these wise, powerful and in some cases, holy men—what did they miss?
Well – it wasn’t hidden well – as we see in the prophecy from Isaiah that we started with this evening. One that talks of when everyone will know, at the Day of Judgment..
“See, my servant will prosper; he will be highly exalted. But many were amazed when they saw him. His face was so disfigured he seemed hardly human, and from his appearance, one would scarcely know he was a man. And he will startle many nations. Kings will stand speechless in his presence. For they will see what they had not been told; they will understand what they had not heard about.”…
They didn’t see the cross as a tool used to pry us away from sin, to shatter its grip on us.
That in the next chapter of Isaiah we will hear,
10 But it was the LORD’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the LORD’s good plan will prosper in his hands. 11 When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of his experience, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins. Isaiah 53:10-11 (NLT2)
Jesus was… satisfied…
That is amazing… what He accomplished through His suffering and death on the cross… he was content with the process because of the result.
Our freedom, our life, for while we talk about the Lord is with you… that means the inverse is now true as well
You are with the Lord…
Therefore, we shall share in His glory a
And that is what was hidden, the mystery of Jesus, that the leaders made happen, as they sentenced him to die… for us.
Amen!
The Vision of the Chalices: Thoughts on our Existence
Thoughts which carry me to Jesus, and to the cross!
“In all hard work there is profit, but merely talking about it only brings poverty.” (Proverbs 14:23, NET)
He found it easier to do what is perfect than to talk about it; so he was constantly active in showing his zeal and dedication in deeds, not in words, because words do not do what is good, they only point to it.
That is why we use we use matter in liturgy, explains Paul Evdokimov. “The final destiny of water is to participate in the mystery of the Epiphany; of wood, to become a cross; of the earth, to receive the body of the Lord during his rest on the Sabbath.… Olive oil and water attain their fullness as conductor elements for grace on regenerated man. Wheat and wine achieve their ultimate raison d’etre in the eucharistic chalice.
I am pretty sure it was a dream, (at least I hope it was!) but there were some chalices gathered together, having a discussion, which occasionally devolved into arguments about their reason for their existence. The odd thing, is that they all sat on a shelf, awaiting to be purchased, and none of them had actively served–they were all awaiting to be purchased and put to use. That didn’t stop them as seeing themselves as experts, of forming and aggressively sharing their theories and positions. They even formed a coaches and consultants guild for chalices’
One day, a chalice that should have been retired, for it was dented, and its gold faded, its ornate artwork rubbed down by decades in the hands of priests and pastors, came into the shop. The pastor asked if his old friend could be repaired, his gold polished if he could be restored.
There were more chalices there that day, as they were having a conference to vote on new rules for the creation, maintenance and use of chalices. Only the best were allowed to come, those that dedicated their lives to the study and teaching of chalice-ness. The old chalice listened in and smiled, and longed to be back in his parish, for it was there he was a chalice. It was there the joy of being the vessel containing Christ’s Blood was found, as broken people drank from Him, and found the healing God meant for them. It was there he was profitable, or in the old language, salutary.
He attempted to share this, but was shut out – too eccentric, to odd, and too dedicated to those ugly broken humans, who would wear him down, steal his luster and shine.
Hopefully you see the connection of this dream to the proverb, and the poverty of being “on the shelf” rather than in the hands. And St. Francis and the old chalice have much in common, as does the point of the destiny of water to be used in baptism, and wheat and wine in the sacrament. Of the wood of the manger and cross, and even the temporary use of the grave.
But do you see yourself in the dream? Are you the sort of Christian who just sit on a shelf, reading books on theology, evangelism, and how to be the church? Or are you like the old beaten up chalice which has lost its glorious shine, but filled with the completeness that is found in being who God called you to be, one of His people who was sent to continue Christ’s ministry to those who are broken,,,,
Don’t spend time thinking about it.
You know you are His, forgive, healing, children.
So live that way, and fulfill your ministry.
Pasquale, G., ed. (2011). Day by Day with Saint Francis: 365 Meditations (p. 104). New City Press.
Fagerberg, D. W. (2019). Liturgical Mysticism (pp. 134–135). Emmaus Academic.
A God Who Loves Inconvenience
Thoughts that drag me to Jesus, and to the Cross
“The sons of Abraham: Isaac and Ishmael. These were their descendants: Ishmael’s firstborn son was Nebaioth; the others were Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. These were the sons of Ishmael.”…
“The sons of Esau: Eliphaz, Reuel, Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. The sons of Eliphaz: Teman, Omar, Zephi, Gatam, Kenaz, and (by Timna) Amalek. The sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah.” (1 Chronicles 1:28-31, 35–37, NET
“The voice spoke to him again, a second time, “What God has made clean, you must not consider ritually unclean!”” (Acts 10:15, NET)
I have known some who were interested in the deeper life, but began asking questions: “What will it cost me—in terms of time, in money, in effort, in the matter of my friendships?” Others ask of the Lord when He calls them to move forward: “Will it be safe?” This question comes out of our constant bleating about security and our everlasting desire for safety above all else.
A third question that we want Him to answer is: “Will it be convenient?”
As I read Chronicles this morning, I had to think about it as I read about Ishmael and Esau’s descendants. I mean, they were the guys that were to be forgotten about, the covenant of Abraham ran through their brothers families–not theirs. They should have been forgotten about, except to log their sin, for they were exiled, put out of the family of God.
They didn’t matter. They weren’t the chosen people.
So why are their names here? Why do we know of their descendants?
Why go to the hassle, the inconvenience of tracking them? Why should their names be in the Bible?
Think about this – this book is somewhere between 800-1000 years after them….
God didn’t forget them, nor the promises he made to their mothers and to Ishmael and Esau. While the promise of the Messiah, the Lord who would come was to be through the lineage of their brothers, there was something to remember…
Jesus was coming to save them all.
They weren’t inconvenient, they were part of the target, the focus, the reason for the cross. We, the people of God, are to seek and save their further descendants, just as God promised.
As I read this, I am beginning to take inventory of my own actions and thoughts. Who do I dare consider inconvenient, ministering to whom is not worth investing my time and heart in? Do I consider them not worth including in my story of my journey with God?’
If there are people, I need to repent…
Which is fine, because God can handle that, granting me forgiveness and changing my heart and mine – as the Spirit works within…
Maybe its time for us to reconsider who our church considers inconvenient, and then rejoice as we engage and help them know God wants them in His Book as well!
Tozer, A. W., & Smith, G. B. (2008). Mornings with Tozer: Daily Devotional Readings. Moody Publishers.
For the Joy Set Before us, We endure the Cross! For the Joyful Return Set Before Us! A Lenten Sermon onPsalm 126
For the Joy Set Before us, We endure the Cross!
For the Joyful Return Set Before Us!
Psalm 126
† I.H.S. †
May the grace, mercy and love of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ encourage you to think of your homecoming… and to rejoice as you find others who start the journey home!
- The Exiles return
One of my commentaries, on the vitality of worship, said this about our reading from the Psalms this morning,
“The first part of the psalm expresses an almost childlike delight in what the Lord has done. It has a miraculous quality about it, something unexpected, something for which the people had hardly dared to hope.”[1]
For those caught in captivity, who thought they slavery would end, these words are even an understatement. Image the look on the faces, as they climbed the mountain paths that led to Jerusalem, as they topped the last peak and their eyes settled on their long their abandoned home.
Imagine their joy as they entered the city’s gates. Asthey realize home was home again, and that they had proof of God’s blessings, and His presence….
For He had restored them, and all that was broken was made right…which is the basis for our hope.
The hope made true that we can take a childlike delight in, as we realize what the Lord has done, for it is miraculous unexpected, and something which we didn’t even dream of, never mind hope for!
- Why were they exiles? What separates us..
Nearly 100 years prior to Psalm 126. The prophetess Huldah, the wife of H Shallum and Harhas said,
“24 ‘This is what the LORD says: I am going to bring disaster on this city and its people. All the curses written in the scroll that was read to the king of Judah will come true. 25 For my people have abandoned me and offered sacrifices to pagan gods, and I am very angry with them for everything they have done. My anger will be poured out on this place, and it will not be quenched.’ 2 Chronicles 34:24-25 (NLT2)
This included Hezekiah, one of the greatest of the Kings of Judah, and while he did repent, it only put off this punishment until he passed away.
Then because of their sin, because of their idolatry, murder, adultery, gossip and jealousy.
They earned their exile. They chose to forgo being holy, in order to gain what they desired.
As I’ve taught before, holiness is less about following all the rules, but the purity of the relationship we are separated to when we enter into the covenant. As they chose to sin, and never repent, Israel and Judah exiled themselves – they chose to separate themselves from God, and from His people.
You know that feeling as well, that separation that comes when sin separates you from someone else. It doesn’t matter if the separation is because of our sin, or theirs-the separation is real, the loneliness that overwhelms us, as we realize the gaping chasm that sin creates.
If we are that aware of the distance sin puts between us and those we work with, live with, play with, and because of sin, avoid… how much more do we live in denial abut the distance we once chose to put between God and us…
And maybe, today, you still are hiding some sin, Maybe your dealing with that loneliness and feeling of not being a part of a family.
There is no need for that. You can re-begin that walk with God today, or perhaps even begin it for the first time.
This is the time – this is the place for the dream of Psalm 126 to become true in your life.
- Turning back everything (How were we brought back -will we be brought back?
If you read the Old Testament Books of Ezra and Nehemiah – or 1 &2 Esdras as they are called in some Bibles, you will see the people of God, once again separated to Him, once again being made holy, as they rebuild the Temple, and the City.
But Psalm 126 doesn’t get into what they did, it gets into the emotion of coming home, and the knowledge that God did something amazing – He restored the life their grandparents spoke of, recognizing what they lost,
But God restored them, and looking back, that gives the Psalmist hope in his time, as he prayed, “Restore our fortunes, LORD, as streams renew the desert. 5 Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy. 6 They weep as they go to plant their seed, but they sing as they return with the harvest.”
The writer of the Psalm – having remembered the great mercy of God and the fact that even the nations around Israel were praising God for the amazing things God had done, switches to pray that He ill do them again.
Hmm – could Judah and Israel begin to sin again? Did they need to be rescued and restored again?
Should that be an encouragement for us, as we find oureslves in needs of God’s restoration service as we need to be restored? Yes!
And then we can truly live the dream – God’s vision for us, those who have realized that our thoughts, words and deeds have been wrecked by sin. And yet God has called us home, cleansed us and ended our exile as He causes repentance to occur in us.
On our way back home, as we realize our exile, our loneliness is over, we can bring others with us. So keep an eye out for those alone, and tired, and exiled… and bring them home.
[1] Davidson, R. (1998). The vitality of worship: a commentary on the book of Psalms (p. 417). W.B. Eerdmans; Handsel Press.
