Monthly Archives: May 2025
Astonished Reverence–it cannot be manufactured, therefore stop trying to force it on others
Thoughts which carry me to Jesus, and to His Cross”
“Now the Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We saw his glory—the glory of the one and only, full of grace and truth, who came from the Father.” (John 1:14, NET)
“that is, the mystery that has been kept hidden from ages and generations, but has now been revealed to his saints. God wanted to make known to them the glorious riches of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. We proclaim him by instructing and teaching all people with all wisdom so that we may present every person mature in Christ.” (Colossians 1:26–28, NET)
Luther’s understanding of Christ makes the Lord’s Supper a miracle. For it is an unspeakable miracle that the inseparable union of the two natures causes the body of Christ, which is in heaven, to be present on the altar
Ratzinger’s theology of revelation emphasizes Christ, the revelation of the Father. By encountering Christ in the Scriptures, in the sacraments, and in worship, one comes to knowledge of God.
The fear of God is that “astonished reverence” of which the saintly Faber wrote. I would say that it may grade anywhere from its basic element—the terror of the guilty soul before a holy God—to the fascinated rapture of the worshiping saint.
There are few unqualified things in our lives but I believe that the reverential fear of God, mixed with love and fascination and astonishment and adoration, is the most enjoyable state and the most purifying emotion the human soul can know. A true fear of God is a beautiful thing, for it is worship, it is love, it is veneration. It is a high moral happiness because God is.
I have had the distinct displease of seeing pietism raise its ugly head in a number of places. In choice of Bible translations, in choices of worship styles, in places where people define reverence as something people bring to church. As they get dressed with physical clothes, the are supposed to come into church or a Bible study reverently. And reverence or piety is defined and demanded by observers. And if the observers demanded form of pietism isn’t achieved or met, the efficacy of God’s mercy might be or actually is questioned.
It goes across the spectrum of Christianity, and it usually spans both edges of any discussion spectrum. Some say you can’t worship with guitars, others say you don’t worship with organs. Some say you can’t dress down, others say if you don’t “come as you are, you are playing games. In my 60 years, I have seen these spectrums divide the church, and those caught in the middle are often… the greatest victims.
Reverence is not man-made. It doesn’t depend on clothing choices, or the language that you use (especially if you don’t understand it!) Tozer’s modifier, astonished, is awesome in clarifying what true reverence is. It occurs when the sinner or saint sees the Triune God revealed in their presence, something that happens because Christ is made incarnate among us. Pope Benedict XVI nails this in discussing the encounter with Christ in word and Sacrament, and Luther sees this as what makes the Lord’s Supper, each and every time celebrated–truly a miracle–for it is Christ coming into our lives, as revealed in Scripture.
Such miracles leave us astonished, a state in which revering and adoring (and being in fear of ) God is natural. For the believer, the astonishment is because this is exactly where God wants us, in His presence, sharing in the very glory of God which the apostles saw revealed in Jesus, which they came to know and reveal to people as well.
This is why reverence can’t be manufactured on order, or demanded by others. It only finds its origin in the presence of God. I
I’ve seen this in the eyes of 3 year olds, as the run to get our altar rail before their parents. Can they comprehend the gift their parents are receiving? Probably not… DO they understand the blessing I say over them, perhaps not.. they just realize they are near Jesus, and the love that impacts their parents or grandparents is significant – and it is theirs as well, and so they rejoice!
This is reverence, when the sinner doesn’t want to leave, but soak in their being cleansed. This is the presence of God, which leaves us in awe, because only because of His love can we stand before Him, and only because of that love do we have hope. Hope because of the presence of God – which is revealed every week, though He never leaves us….
We still need to hear of the love, we still need to experience it and therefore know it.
And we do….
Attitude Check: How do we look at “those” sinners?
Thoughts which drive me to Jesus, and to the Cross!
“Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God on behalf of my fellow Israelites is for their salvation. For I can testify that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not in line with the truth.For ignoring the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking instead to establish their own righteousness, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law, with the result that there is righteousness for everyone who believes.” (Romans 10:1–4, NET)
“The Pharisee stood and prayed about himself like this: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people: extortionists, unrighteous people, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.” (Luke 18:11, NET)
It seems to be a comfort to some Christians to sit back and blame and belabor the Jews, refusing to acknowledge that they have information and benefits and spiritual light that the Jews never had.
It is surely wrong for us to try to comfort our own carnal hearts by any emphasis that Israel rejected Him. If we do that, we only rebuild the sepulchers of our fathers as Jesus said!
Back in high school, our youth group had a practice or tradition. If something didn’t seem right, someone would yell out, “attitude check!!. The others would respond, “Praise the Lord.” It would refocus us on Jesus, it would refocus us on His love and mercy, and on His rescuing us from sin.
I think the church today needs an attitude check, I think her pastors and priests need one to, especially this guy, typing these words.
You see, we all limit God’s grace. Like the Pharisee who couldn’t believe God could relate to “lesser” people who were broken. Or like those Tozer identifies, who are content to blame and not give a rip as to whether people come to know Christ.
It’s as if we say, “Yep, they deserve it,” as we walk away from those without hope, those blinded by sin. It doesn’t matter if the sin is against he first commandment, as people put their trust in other gods, or make themselves out to be gods, whether the sin is dishonoring parents and other authorities, whether it is being caught up in sexual sin of some form, or simply those who gossip, spreading lies and rumors and even defending their right to do so.
We can’t give up on them, we can’t casually say, they reject God and “dust off our sandals” and leave them. (This is one of the most abused passages in the gospels, as people use it to justify indifference and hatred) We have to work, as Paul described his ministry, with everything we are, trying to help people mature in Christ, as we reveal Christ, their hope of glory.
That’s the attitude of Jesus, not just writing the person off because they are progressive or conservative, nor because of a massive sin in their past (their are all massive) or because of issues they struggle with today.
Let us struggle with this, and continue to depend on the hope we have in Christ Jesus, even as we pray, and even cry over those whose struggle is so visible… and yet, denied.
Tozer, A. W., & Smith, G. B. (2008). Mornings with Tozer: Daily Devotional Readings. Moody Publishers.
The Hard Choice, when you know illogical peace.. you know
Thoughts which carry me to Jesus, and to the Cross
“After we located the disciples, we stayed there seven days. They repeatedly told Paul through the Spirit not to set foot in Jerusalem.” …
“While we remained there for a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. He came to us, took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it, and said, “The Holy Spirit says this: ‘This is the way the Jews in Jerusalem will tie up the man whose belt this is, and will hand him over to the Gentiles.’ ” When we heard this, both we and the local people begged him not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul replied, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be tied up, but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” Because he could not be persuaded, we said no more except, “The Lord’s will be done.”” (Acts 21:4, 10–14, NET)
58 “You are all so cheerful, and one doesn’t expect that,” I heard someone say.
Paul was in an interesting position.
All his advisors took the same position, for they had all indeed heard the same message from God. If Paul goes to Jerusalem, there will be nothing there for him but pain, and even death. They warned him not to go because of this message, and they were led by the Spirit to warn him of his fate.
Yet he went anyway, with eyes wide open, led by the same Spirit that warned him through those he loved, through those he sacrificed much of his life to bring the gospel.
In those cases where heavy decisions are to be made, how do you go against the counsel of so many people you admire, How do you decide who is right between Paul and the church?
I think the key has to be found in Paul’s attitude in this situation. He was completely at peace with the situation, He was ready, he couldn’t be persuaded, and so, content and at peace , he embraced what was to come. It was, to use Josemarie’s word, unexpected. It doesn’t make sense to embrace suffering, it is illogical, some might even say stupid and a waste of assets and gifts from God.
It is the peace that makes the difference, the presence of Christ that assured Paul and us that “all things work for good for those who love Jesus.” If someone is that content with the sacrifice they are called to make, then what a blessing it is, we should encourage them, and praise God for what will happen, for it is His will.
And that is how we endure – looking to Jesus the one who completes us.
Escrivá, Josemaría. Furrow (p. 23). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
The Need for Reverent Worship….and the Challenge of Guiding it….
Thoughts which carry me to Jesus, and to the Cross…
“The people were delighted with their donations, for they contributed to the LORD with a willing attitude; King David was also very happy.” (1 Chronicles 29:9, NET)
““But who am I and who are my people, that we should be in a position to contribute this much? Indeed, everything comes from you, and we have simply given back to you what is yours.For we are resident foreigners and nomads in your presence, like all our ancestors; our days are like a shadow on the earth, without security.O LORD our God, all this wealth, which we have collected to build a temple for you to honor your holy name, comes from you; it all belongs to you.” (1 Chronicles 29:14–16, NET)
53 Servite Domino in laetitia!—I will serve God cheerfully. With a cheerfulness that is a consequence of my Faith, of my Hope and of my Love—and that will last for ever. For, as the Apostle assures us, Dominus prope est!…—the Lord follows me closely. I shall walk with Him, therefore, quite confidently, for the Lord is my Father, and with his help I shall fulfil his most lovable Will, even if I find it hard.
I have been doing a lot of thinking recently about the idea of reverence in life and in a life of worship. (see Romans 12:1-3 – worship is far more the Sunday Morning!) It goes along with my version of the ancient rule that how we worship/pray determines how we depend on God, which determines how we live. (Lex orandi, lex credendi, lex vivendi is the old phrase.
With that floating around in the back of my mind, my readings this morning included David’s provision for the Temple. He made all the arrangements, he subsidized most of it out of personal wealth, then he realized he needed to share that opportunity with others. This is all the vivendi part of the concept, the way in which they lived out living in the grace of the God whom they worshipped.
You see it in the embracing of difficulty, cheerfully, that St. Josemaria describes! Joy that is a consequence, he teaches, of the faith, hope and love he receives from the Lord. It is the same joy and attitude describes there in Chronicles, a joy that comes from realizing all that we have is from God. it all belongs to Him.
This to me is the core of reverence then, the attitude towards God that is found as we contemplate and live, reflecting the joy that comes from realizing how He comes and blesses us! I would say you have to experience that joy before reverence develops–but that means reverence has to come out of the joy of being blessed by God.
One might even say that reverence then is the reaction to the grace of God. It can be quiet and in awe, it can be loud as full of joy as when singing Handel’s Messiah. But as a reaction it needs to be natural, not forced. It may be shaped by cultural norm, or what is available in the language of the one God has given the gifts of faith, repentance and deliverance to, as they express their awe. And certainly their attitude toward the deliverance itself matters, someone who knows the depth of their sin maybe more enthusiastic than one who considers themselves less of a sinner, or just a normal sinner.
As an example – a stoic person from Finland, who grew up in a family that loved them, but no one spoke of it, would respond reverently different than a family from Jamaica–neither group wrong in their reverent worship – but surely different! Forcing the Finns to worship in a manner reverent to the steel drums and even dancing of the Jamaican would be awkward, the same as forcing the Finn to smile and laugh would cause them so much stress, they couldn’t focus on the God who delivered them from sin, and Satan and an eternity in Hell.
So what do you do in a multi-cultural, multi-lingual, multi expression of joy and reverence community? How do you facilitate and encourage reverence? I believe the key is not focusing on the vivendi, but rather on the reason for worship/prayer. To focus on the gifts of God, being given to the people of God, . This requires making it clear that we should respect each other in their way of celebrating the presence of God, but not dwelling ther, but immediately returning to the fact that the Lord is good, He is with us, and He gives himself to us.
With the focus on Jesus, and the work of God in us, the response will happen, it will be natural, and it will be reverent….for it is only a response.
Escrivá, Josemaría. Furrow (p. 23). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
The Harvest is about the Harvest: A sermon on Acts 16:9-15
The Harvest is about the Harvest
Acts 16:9-15
† In Jesus’ Name †
May the grace of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Chirst strengthen and guide your work in His harvest!
I wonder if I would have the same reaction as Paul did to the vision of the man pleading for him to come help.
I mean Peter had a vision last week and went to a Gentiles house, Paul has a vision this week and leaves the country he’s in, both 100% sure that they are, to quote the blues brothers, on a Mission from God.
And both see the results of that mission , as Cornelius and his household, and Lydia and her household are baptized and are born again!
So how do we know where we will be sent to work in the harvest…or maybe, we already have been!
But how do we know with such certainty that we are on a mission? How do we know when we’ve reached the field that is ready to be harvested?
Do we need to have a vision? How would we recognize it if we did?
How do we know, to use Luke’s words from Acts, “that God was calling us to preach the Good News there.” ?
- The Law -Neglecting so Great a Salvation
I started the sermon wondering if I would have the same reaction to a vision as Paul did.
To be blunt, that is the wrong question to ask!
Peter and Paul’s visions were there to redefine their mission—not just start one. They were working in this field, sharing the gospel and God said, time to move fields—He didn’t change the mission, God just changed the location they were working in…
So we all work in the field where we are planted, LA and Orange County. We look for the people who are calling out for help, as the man in the vision from Macedonia did!
Who is calling out for help in your life? A family member? A co-worker? A long lost friend? Someone with major health issues, or family issues, or whose work place is toxic. Someone you thought had it all together, only to find out their lives were like a house of cards, and the base was starting to slip. Where are the broken people around you, even the ones you see crushed by the consequences of their sin!
Perhaps especially those…
We can’t neglect their great salvation, any more than our own.
- How do we reach them?
If you look in the north-west corner of my office, the top two shelves have books about Envanelish, about church planting, and how to grow a church. Some where written in the 70’s and some in the 90’s, and some recently. All of them seem to “guarantee” people coming to know Jesus, if you only follow what worked for them.
We’ve used a couple of those books here in the last 17 years. Joining Jesus was one, There have been others. There have been Bible Studies and still are, and we’ve tried various outreach programs, but they all have one thing in common. We go, as Jesus went, we become part of people’s lives, as Jesus did…
And that is what Paul did. This is how he reached them.
- He heard their cry – he had gone to wear they were, and listen to their cry, even if it was only heard from observing their body language (or looking at their FB page to see if they went thrift shopping this week!)
- Next be ready to pray for them – offer it, and pray with them aloud if possible. (This means you needed to listen, to know how to pray!) Give them the hope you have, knowing the Lord’s presence, and knowing His mercy and love
- If the Holy Spirit opens their heart, have some kleenex ready… there may be a flood of tears – good, joyful tears..
Remember – other Christians need to be reminded of God’s presence and grace often.
SO that all may know God’s peace, which is there for them, the peace that like God’s love, goes beyond all understanding, but in which we are guarded by Jesus!
Amen!
Do we know what Patience is? Really?
Thoughts that carry me to Jesus, and to the Cross:
“But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and merciful God. You are patient and demonstrate great loyal love and faithfulness.” (Psalm 86:15, NET)
God communicates his will to humanity so that the whole human race may take part in his divine life. In his high priestly prayer in John’s Gospel, Christ prays to the Father, saying:
I revealed your name to those whom you gave me out of the world. They belong to you, and you gave them to me, and they kept your word. I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me. (John 17:6, 20; author’s translation)
The purpose of God’s revelation to humanity is for humanity to share in his divinity
Patience.
A virtue that is quite misunderstood at its core.
We think of it as being willing to wait a time in order to see our wants and desire come to fruition. I waited patiently in line for this, or I waited patiently for my promotion, or to be noticed by that person. Too often patience is intertwined with our own self-centeredness, our own narcissistic
I think if the goal is primarily about us, while it is delayed gratification, it isn’t the fullness of what patience is, at least scripturally. I think patience, Godly patience, is waiting for the best to occur to someone else. God’s will was to bless us, for us to take part in His divinity, in His glory, in His eternal life. It was already His, He didn’t have to wait for it, but He waits for us to join Him, to share in that life He plans for us.
Does He benefit? Yes, in seeing us benefit.
Is God willing to be patient with our understanding, our internalizing His revelation? Absolutely! All scripture testifies to His guiding our individual and communal journey toward Him.
There is nothing more important in life that this, nothing more amazing to think through, nothing more important to wait for–For that is what God is patient with, turning our very lives into works of art.
This is why we praise our God, for His vision of making us one with Him and in Him, and His patience and love which makes this happen.
(and now, let us imitate God, and be patient with others whom God is working on….)
De Gaál, E. (2018). O Lord, I Seek Your Countenance: Explorations and Discoveries in Pope Benedict XVI’s Theology (M. Levering, Ed.; p. 180). Emmaus Academic.
Dealing with Traditionalism in the Church. Its easier than you think!
Thoughts which draw me to Jesus, and to the Cross
“The first time you did not carry it; that is why the LORD God attacked us, because we did not ask him about the proper way to carry it.”The priests and Levites consecrated themselves so they could bring up the ark of the LORD God of Israel. The descendants of Levi carried the ark of God on their shoulders with poles, just as Moses had ordered according to the divine command. David told the leaders of the Levites to appoint some of their relatives as musicians; they were to play various instruments, including stringed instruments and cymbals, and to sing loudly and joyfully.” (1 Chronicles 15:13–16, NET)
“Tell the nations about his splendor, tell all the nations about his miraculous deeds! For the LORD is great and certainly worthy of praise, he is more awesome than all gods.” (1 Chronicles 16:24–25, NET)
Ratzinger observes that in the reception of revelation, the reality of the Christ-event becomes our own through faith. If we accept him, we accept his revelation. As the faithful are parts of the Mystical Body of Christ, Christ lives among them, continuously revealing God the Father through the continuous guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Many, many have failed to note Peter’s Pentecostal emphasis: the important thing in God’s plan was the fact that Jesus had been exalted in heaven
Everyone and every church has traditions that are not to be treaded upon, things that have been elevated to being “divine” or nearly so.
The obvious ones are those attached to a liturgy done in Latin (or German) or in a specific hymnal. Very similarly are those who elevate one Bible translation above all others, such as those who say everything but the King James is demonic in origin. But traditions don’t have to be centuries old, or even decades old. Churches and their people can be just as deadlocked in modern traditions, stating with “certainty” that their practices are the reason for their success and all other ideas are inferior. You have to use this program or that, you have to use music from these sources not those, if you only follow our ways, you will grow and be holier and…. make no mistake – that is traditionalism.
So my reaction to traditionalism may surprise you….
I don’t care about what you traditions are, except for two things, on lesser than the other. I urge you, in fact, to bury yourself deep in them , to understand them, to get the most of them in regards to the greater thing
So the lesser thing is simple – don’t force your traditions on others, either directly or with nuanced reasoning that if only they follow your traditions, they will be holier, they will grow, and they will be better people. Your traditionalism isn’t really right, and if you are blesing it on its success over centuries, or the last decade, I can always show you an older tradition.
And example is David’s orders for a rock band to accompany worship. No organ mentioned, no master 4 part choir. Way before the Latin Liturgy some are in love with, the first liturgy was in Aramaic. Before the KJV, there was the Bishop’s Bible, the Geneva Bible, the Douay Rheims. (and there have been Bibles after the NIV/ESV). Before there was Rooted, the was Alpha, before that, PDL, before that LSS. Before Mirco-Churches, there were K Groups, Small Groups, Cell Churches.
All of these things have been used to “tell the nations about His splendor!” All of these have the ability to explain “the LORD is great and certainly worthy of praise! He is more awesome than all Gods!” ( I really dislike my translation above not using exclamation points, or not capitalizing pronouns referring to God.)
That’s the most important thing – does your tradition, your practice point you to Jesus, to His work in your life, to His presence, love, mercy. If you tradition/practice reveals Christ in you, the hope of glory, keep it! But also realize that the only reason you do is to point you to Christ Jesus. Apart from that your tradition has no value, and can easily become an idol, as you tie your hope to it, rather than the Lord is it supposed to reveal. This is Pope Benedict’s point, for when Jesus is revealed, His death and resurrection become ours, we are raised with Him, and are part of His family. It is what Tozer points to about Pentecost–and what saves 3000 men and their families that day. It is about Jesus, not the speaking in tongues, not the massive crowds, or the 12 apostles speaking like trained professionals. Its about the fact they killed Jesus (as did we) and that Ha risen, and we, having risen with are His.
If your tradition/practice does that – don’t praise it, praise God…
De Gaál, E. (2018). O Lord, I Seek Your Countenance: Explorations and Discoveries in Pope Benedict XVI’s Theology (M. Levering, Ed.; p. 177). Emmaus Academic.
Tozer, A. W., & Smith, G. B. (2008). Mornings with Tozer: Daily Devotional Readings. Moody Publishers.
Time to Stop Objecting To the Harvest: An Eastertide Sermon from Concordia on Acts 11:1-18
Time to Stop Objecting
To the Harvest
Acts 11:1-18
† I.H.S. †
May the grace and mercy of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ inspire your work in the Harvest of all souls, as you rejoice in your own salvation!
God is moving… are we?
I have to make a good confession. Over the last week I have had a number of things that I just wanted to do. Nope, no way. I had some great excuses lined up, but to be honest, I just didn’t want to make the drives, I didn’t want to sit in the seats and attend those meetings, I didn’t want to lay on that gurney, or drink that horrid stuff with nasty effects, and I didn’t know if I had anything left to minister to people I had never met before.
I was a bit of a grump…
And in each of the 7 places God was sending me to. I would see Him at work… even to the point of crying with a peaceful joy.
The reason I bring this up, is that I understand Peter, and the story he recounts to the believers in Jerusalem, who are little tired, a little paranoid of causing more trouble with their Jewish relatives, and to be honest, they didn’t think they had the will or desire to do what God was calling them to…the places He would send them anyway, just as Peter was sent to Cornelius and his family and friends.
But after the fact, the trips, both Peter’s and mine, even the colonoscopy, were incredible blessings. Because of the impact those moments had.
Even if we objected to the harvest, and tried to find excuses, and didn’t want to go…..
For as the title says, it’s time to stop objecting to the harvest!
- Dangerous words!
In this passage, we see Peter making two blunders far worse than the two classic blunders of “’getting involved in a land war in Asia,’ and ‘going in against a Sicilian when death is on the line.’”
Far greater.
The first we see in verse 8. Peter said to the Holy Spirit, “No”
Don’t ever do that. Nope, never ever said to the Lord, No.
You end up saying yes, but if you are unlucky you smell like you’ve been living in a giant fish for three days, or walking around the Sinai Peninsula, or maybe even, like Peter, have to eat some bacon wrapped lobster….
Wait… that’s what he said no to??
Yes… to prepare Peter to do something even more challenging, which for many silly reasons, objected to…
The other massive bunder… God responded to this way, Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean.’
Peter learned the hard way, that God was in control, that He determined if something was clean or not, whether there was hope or not, and that God chose to whom He would offer salvation.
We don’t get to decide if people of this economic class, denomination, political affiliation or race, culture or ethnicity are saved or not… we get to rejoice in their salvation.
I want to repeat that, We don’t get to decide if people of this economic class, denomination, political affiliation or race, culture or ethnicity are saved or not… we get to rejoice in their salvation.
- The gift is for you and you and you..
And that is where God sends us, whether long term believers who are struggling and don’t quite “get” God…. Like Cornelius, who wanted to honor God, but because he didn’t know Jesus.
And we stop saying, “No, Lord.” Or “you can’t Lord – its against the rules…” and we see God at work. It’s amazing.
I didn’t know I would get three opportunities to encourage three women – my before, during and after nurses on Friday. All were related to pastors, a daughter, a wife and a sister. But all three needed encouragement from the bizarre pastor who they had to care for.
The same thing with the two funerals, both very different, both needed to hear God’s grace- one who had no idea of the peace of Christ, and one, they just needed to hear it again. Like the hymn, “I love to tell the story,” sometimes the ones longing to hear it are the ones who know it best.
You see we get to tell people the gift of God’s love is for them too! We will realize that just like Peter was called into Cornelius’ life to tell them “how you and everyone in your household can be saved!’”
That’s our job whether they are young or old, no matter rich or poor, beautiful or ugly, no matter the race, the ethnicity, the original nationality, or what language they speak.
And then, as we see God working in their lives, our own faith in God is strengthened as we realize those we might have thought beyond salvation have the Holy Spirit convicting them, and given them the privilege of repenting of their sins and receiving eternal life.
And as we see the harvest begin, we will rejoice with angels and archangels and all the host of heaven in the harvest. Amen!
More Blessed to Give than Receive (what actually?) A sermon on Acts 20
More Blessed to Give (What actually?)
Acts 20:17-35
† In Jesus’ Name †
May the grace and peace of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ descend upon you, enabling and causing you to give Jesus to the world!
The Temptation
Did you ever have a thought that was, at least in your opinion, quite brilliant, and in many ways it still is, but then you realize it is not quite the thought you were looking for?
It was oh so close, and then you realize, it doesn’t just quite fit the context!
I did that this week as I read a key verse, and the basis for our sermon, from the Acts reading this week. It says there, “‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”
And my brilliant, first reaction was, was a great text to preach on, for mother’s day!
At least from my perspective, I see this as true in many of your lives, as you light up when you tell me all the things they do well, and I know part of the reason is all that you did over the years, to make it happen.
You ladies know the truth of this statement in general. I can say that because I have seen you do it, and have seen you worry and try to figure out how to do what is best for you children- biological, adopted, or just accepted as part of the family!
Great idea – combines several things together, lets me praise some great examples of sacrifice (yeah your kids may never know)
Except I was wrong.
While the idea is true, there is one specific issue that this is talking about – not just sacrifice in general, but a very specific context, a very specific thing to give…
And we are called to learn this lesson, as we continue to work in the harvest with our Lord and Master Jesus Christ.
The Threat
As the Apostle Paul is talking to the church leaders that he poured a lot of time and effort into, several words caught my eye…
26 I declare today that I have been faithful. If anyone suffers eternal death, it’s not my fault, 27 for I didn’t shrink from declaring all that God wants you to know.
28 “So guard yourselves and God’s people. Feed and shepherd God’s flock—his church, purchased with his own blood—over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as leaders.
Paul sees the truth of the “it’s better to give” concept in the fact that what he gave to the Ephesians was that which saved them from eternal death. What He gave them was Jesus.
It’s like me saying that no member of Concordia doesn’t know that the Lord is with them, than because the Lord is risen, you are risen, and no deacon, vicar or pastor I have supervised can say that they don’t know what the purpose of this place is…
Heck – Bob sent me a quote from the new pope that even he knows this, as he talked about “our first talked is to teach what it means to know Jesus Christ! (Maybe he knew a few Lutherans growing up in Chicago. BTW Bob, his brother said the one thing he didn’t understand about their new pope was that he was a packers fan)
But Paul’s comment is that he gave away what was most priceless, and yet costly, the knowledge that God loves us, that Jesus died as the remedy that saves us from Hell, eternal death.
The message
That’s where we are all heading, if we don’t know and depend on Jesus for what he’s done for us.
And it wasn’t Paul’s fault if they didn’t know it, just as hopefully its not my fault or Bob’s if you don’t know it. Of everything we could give you….that is the most valuable.
Aand if we don’t—we are partially at fault for your destination… you see, the message of Jesus’s love, of His presence in your life, of His saving you and forgiving all your sin is that important in you life.
Hearing and trusting it is the difference between eternity in God’s presence, and eterniny in that eternal death known as hell.
And the Blessing
And this is what is even more blessed to give, than it is to receive.
I’ve seen it, but I’ve also seen two lives change because they were part of giving eternal life and faith to people.
The first is our beloved former deacon Chuck. He did everything he could to fix everything he could try when I arrived. But he was a bit fatalistic about it, and sometimes a little grumpy.
Until the day I made him stand right here while I baptized two girls from our school, Kay and Rachel. All he did was hold my book open.
And a speed faster than a softball pitch, Chuck was blessed by helping give someone the gifts or repentance, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection and live everlasting.
It was so transformative for him that he got a bit possessive of the role of standing next to me when I baptized someone!
The other is his sidekick Tom, and I wouldn’t tell you this if he was here. But Tom becoming a elder didn’t hit home, till I asked to visit Margaret’s son Teddy in the hospital. He brought a communion kit, and for the first time, gave someone communion at my request.
And then Ted’s dad, and then and then… it’s like something in him snapped as he did this. As Tom realized the blessing it was to share with something the Lord’s Supper – and see their faith come alive, his did even more.
I could toss Debbie and Tom in here, as they cared for and made sure their moms could find Christ’s peace.
I could toss Jim in with them, as he wrote me last summer on his “mission trip”. He was more excited about sharing the gospel with some folk than seeing all the beautiful places he stayed. And his emails and texts described the conversations, and the hopes he had for there people, that was a blast to read.
Or Sue, who takes many people back and forth to this doctor, that test, and stays with them, wanting them to know God’s peace in the middle of challenging times.
There is a list in Hebrews, that I could duplicate here, people that made a difference because they trusted and were empowered to by God. Each on named starts off with… by faith they…Manny and Lili, Dane and Gerry, Lissa and sandie, Colleen and Ben,, and we have a similar group here. We are blessed – because we give Christ…
We have the ability to help people gain eternity, and peace, and a perspective that comes from knowing there are forgiven, they are loved, they are important to God himself, who wants to share forever with them…
And when they hear this…and respond… you will know how Paul felt. For it is even more to share you faith with someone who gains eternity, than it is to receive it yourself…
So be blessed, knowing the peace that is yours in Christ will be theirs as well, even if it is beyond words!
The Deeper Spiritual Life is … what exactly.. and how do we attain it?
Thoughts which drive me to Jesus, and to the Cross
“Therefore I sent for you at once, and you were kind enough to come. So now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to say to us.”” (Acts 10:33, NET)
The deeper spiritual life is not something just to be talked about—it is a quiet enjoyment of daily blessing and peace and victory that is lived day by day; beyond empty profession and without any two-faced circumstances!
I have a number of friends that are treading on roads they think will lead them to a deeper spiritual life. They have bought the books by Dallas Willard, or by Fr. Timothy Gallagher. They are reading old classics and new books they share their passion and desire, yet, after a few years, they try to go deeper, they want to do more, they want to find something that will give meaning to their faith.
And they want to share the answers they are in pursuit of, they want others to join them on their journey.
I applaud the desire, it is one that we can trace back through names, both Catholic and Protestant, to the early church, including this Roman Centurion, who wasn’t content with the little he knew of God, and sent for the apostle Peter at God’s direction.
The oddity is that it was at God’s direction. The text actually says that the man’s prayer had been heard…and this was the response.
In other words, Cornelius already had a deep walk with God – for God had come to him. Sure there was another step – send for Peter, and another, listen to Peter, and another get baptized.
It is no wonder then that upon Peter’s arrival, Cornelius prophetically announces, “now we are all in the presence of God,” as everyone settled into hear Peter say what he had been prepared to say, but didn’t know he would.
They were ready to simply enjoy the blessing and peace and they would find out Victory that they had in Jesus, that would be confirmed by the Spirit who fell upon them there, who would be guaranteed to be there a few minutes later in Baptism.
You don’t get a deeper spiritual life than that, you simply become aware of it, in much the same manner, we listen to God… we rejoice in the peace and blessings He gave, to contemplate the mystery of our Salvation…
We don’t do anything to grow more mature as a Christian, save in depending more on the promises of Christ, and the presence of the Holy Spirit. The growth is caused, empowered and directed by the Holy Spirit….. who then guides us as we go and serve others!
Tozer, A. W., & Smith, G. B. (2008). Mornings with Tozer: Daily Devotional Readings. Moody Publishers.
