Letters to the Church: Part 3

This sermon was preached at Lawrence Road Presbyterian Church on March 15, 2015. During the season of Lent, Lawrence Road used a sermon series titled, “Letters to the Church.” Each week, the message was based on the Epistle Reading as assigned by the Revised Common Lectionary. Although I preached this sermon on the fourth week of Lent, it is Part 3 of the series. This was because the prior week Lawrence Road was blessed with a guest preacher who focused on the Gospel Reading rather than the Epistle. I was inspired by other Christian authors and commentators. I focused on the wording and phrasing of the passage as well as the use of the original Greek text. There is also a prayer included at the end.

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Ephesians 2:1-10

1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

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This is my first time preaching from an epistle. And let me tell you, it’s different. Different because it’s unlike the other books in the bible. It’s not poetry like found in the Psalms; it’s not a parable or story as told in the four Gospels; it’s a letter written from Paul’s perspective to a specific crowd: in this case, the Ephesians. And let me tell you, the Ephesians got their money’s worth. This letter is filled with substance. You were dead in your transgressions and sins.” “We were by nature deserving of wrath.” “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith.” These ten verses alone have enough material to fulfill a multiple week bible study. And because of how much material is covered, I had trouble picking a place to start, and so I started reading several commentaries on the text. One of the commentaries written by Kyle Fevor - the Director for Family and Young Adult Ministry at First Lutheran Church in Albert Lea, Minnesota, focused on the original language the letter was written in: Greek. I let out a sigh and a moan as I started to read his commentary as I thought this would be a dry, analytical research paper. But I was pleasantly surprised. Yes, it was a dry and yes, it was analytical, but Mr. Fevor made some good points, and I was instantly inspired. I thought I would try it for myself, and so, back to the original Greek text I went.

What’s funny about this, just three weeks ago or so, Nina and I were having one of a supervisory meetings. Now, to be ordained as a teaching elder in the PCUSA church as required by our Book of Order, seminarians are required to take two language courses: Hebrew and Greek. I am currently three quarters of my way through the latter. Back to the meeting, Nina and I were discussing the necessity of this when I told her I would never be the minister who dove deeply into the language while preaching and tried to explain the use of a word to the congregation. Well, here I am today, proving myself wrong, as that is exactly my starting point. As a side note, I now learned to never say never in ministry. More than likely whatever I say I will never do I will end up doing the following week.

Anyway, I went back to the original language of greek, and right away a word stood out to me. περιπατέω (Peripateo). Forms of this verb are found twice in this passage. Once in verse two and again in verse ten. It translated first as “a way in which we once lived” and the the second time it is translated as “a way we will be living.” However, the actual translation of περιπατέω (peripateo) means to walk. As in, “a way in which we once walked and a way we will be walking.” But this isn’t walking in the literal, physical sense - this is walking in the metaphorical sense. The closest comparison I can make to explain this metaphorical sense of walking is the song, “Walking on Sunshine.” You know the one I’m talking about? I’m not going to sing it because I don’t consider myself a singer and you would all be mortified, but the lyrics are “I’m walking on Sunshine. Woah oh. And don’t it feel good!” We all know the singer isn’t physically walking on sunshine. I don’t even have to explain what would happen to them if they were, but instead, the singer is feeling pure joy - joy that is so great that it makes the singer feel as if they are metaphorically walking on a big ball of sunshine. 

This is similar to Paul’s message regarding death and new life in Ephesians. When Paul starts the second chapter of his letter to Ephesus, he starts boldly and strongly. He declares the citizens of Ephesus as dead. Because of their sins and their transgressions, because they are children of wrath - they were dead. The ways of this world didn’t give them life; instead, it sentenced them to death. There was nothing they could do to save themselves; there was nothing they could do to bring them to life. They were metaphorical walking corpses. They were living a life of rotting and decaying, because even if they were physically walking, they were walking the way of death. And without a savior - they would continue to be walking this dismal journey until the finality of physical death overtook them. They were, and will be forevermore, dead. 

This same message applies to us. Because without a Savior, we too are dead. We too have walked the journey of death. Not now but long before we were born, before we took our first breath of life, before we were even conceived in our mother’s womb, we were dead. Let me say that one more time. We were dead.

It’s a difficult concept to grasp. I mean, here we are, living and breathing as we join together in Sunday worship. Alive in this moment but once dead before Christ and before one another. How is this possible? When we were ever dead? 

What we have to understand is the world keeps moving. Yes, God is eternal and infinite and never changes, but the world does. And part of this changing causes the corruption of churches and the messages they preach. These Churches do not proclaim the gospel or new life, but instead, these are the churches that bring metaphorical death to their members. Right now there are churches who forbid people who identify with the LGBTQ community to worship with their congregation. Right now there are churches who close their doors to people who suffer from mental diseases or addictions. Right now there are churches who ask members to leave if they have an abortion, a child out of wedlock, or a divorce. There are still churches who don’t allow their black and brown brothers and sisters to worship with them because they are viewed as lesser beings. And even now, we still have churches where women are taught that wives should serve their husbands and where men are taught that husbands should own their wives. It saddens me. Would any of you be allowed to worship at those churches? Or would you have been excluded? Would you have been made dead by the ways of these churches? Who does that church have left in their congregation? They have sent everyone away. I don’t know about you but this is not the course I want to be walking.

But here’s the thing about walking. We are not standing still; we are not stuck. The place in which we were will not be the place in which we will be. We are slowly but surely moving somewhere. Paul writes that we were once dead. But no longer! We have been made alive through Christ Jesus. We have been saved by grace! Death was defeated, and we were given new life. And this is the message that this church preaches. Whether this is your thousandth time in that pew or your first time, God has brought you to this place for a reason. God has brought us together in this place. It didn’t matter what you have done. It doesn’t matter what you will do because you haven’t saved yourself; that responsibility and power wasn’t put on you. A greater being - a being rich in mercy and love - took that on for you. And that is a blessing and a gift. And although you could have done nothing to save yourself, God stills call upon you to do something. You have been saved by grace through faith IN ORDER that you may do good works through Christ Jesus. Our works have not saved us, but they are part of the goal God had in mind in saving us. And that makes me think of the way - the journey - that I want to be walking.

When I think of where I want to be, I think of this place. A place where all are welcome. A place where people come to be made alive again through Christ.  Author Justin Lee recalls a monumental worship service in his younger years, “The conference opened with a praise and worship session. Here, in the midst of so many Christians singing their songs of praise to God together, I felt much more at ease. This—-this—-was what it was to be a Christian: broken, hurting, imperfect people, united in love and gratitude to God. I could have worshiped forever in that room. I felt at peace.”

See, that was the path God has created for you to walk. A place where you can bring your brokenness, your pain, and your imperfections, unite them in love and gratitude, and lay them down at God’s holy feet. That place is here. Right here. See this table. That is your place. A place to lay the things that have made you feel dead - a place that serves as a living reminder of the grace that saved you. That is what happens when we partake of the bread and juice. You are taken before Christ, and you are reminded you are cared for by a God rich in mercy and grace. So when you take communion later, bring your sins and transgressions. Let go of your wrath. Bring everything that has made you dead. And lay it down. When you eat the bread, know you have been forgiven. When you drink from the cup, know you have been given eternal life. Feel at peace.

We are the people of God. It was Christ who has saved us. But it is also Christ who calls us to act like Christians. God’s grace is a gift that is freely given to us. We don’t earn a thing when it comes to God’s love, and we only try to live in response to the gift. 

No one is climbing the spiritual ladder. We don’t continually improve until we are so spiritual we no longer need God. Rather, this is a gift you have been given that you may do good works. The “others” that the corrupted churches have made dead; they are no longer the “others.” They are our brothers and sisters in Christ. That is exactly how we need to treat them. We re not saved by good works, but but we saved so that the good works could reconcile and serve as evidence of reconciliation.. It’s not just for us; it’s for the reconciliation of the world. Do not exclude others to metaphorical death; remind them of the new and eternal life freely given to them through Christ Jesus. Allow them to remind you of your own new and eternal life. Be a blessing to one another.

When Paul wrote to the Ephesians, he wrote that they once walked the way of death. We too have walked the way of death. But through the love of God, we were made alive in Christ. We were created new through Christ. God has looked down upon you, saw your deadness - your imperfections and sins, proclaimed his mercy and love, and saved you by grace through faith. “And this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.” This is the path God has created for you to walk.

Amen.

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Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer God: We know that you have created a way for us to walk. Allow us to do so with grace and forgiveness as we walk hand in hand with our sisters and brothers. For once we once dead, but you have made us alive in through the life, death, and resurrection of your one and only beloved Son: Jesus Christ. Nourish us and sustain us as we walk this path of righteousness for your sake. For we know we are saved by grace through faith; it is not our doing, but a precious and holy gift from you. 

Amen.

Lessons in Faithfulness: Nathanael

          I preached this message on January 18, 2015 at my home congregation: First Presbyterian Church of Sterling, Colorado. It was part of a multiple week sermon series created by Reverend Michelle Witherspoon. Each week, she used lectionary-assigned scripture passages to answer the question: “When God Calls…. How Shall I Answer? Lessons in Faithfulness.” From the perspective of biblical characters, we examined different appropriate responses to this question. It was my honor to explore the character of Nathanael, one of Jesus’ lesser-known disciples. This is my interpretation to how Nathanael responded to God’s call.

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John 1:43-51

43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.” 46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” 47 When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, “Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!” 48 Nathanael asked him, “Where did you get to know me?” Jesus answered, “I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.” 49 Nathanael replied, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” 50 Jesus answered, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.” 51 And he said to him, “Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”

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In the 1930s, psychologist and creator of the iconic super-heroine Wonder Woman, William Moulton Marston asked 3,000 people this question: "What have you to live for?"  He was shocked to find out that 94% replied “nothing,” that they were just "enduring the moment". They would describe this enduring as eagerly waiting for “something” to happen—waiting for children to grow up and leave home, waiting for next year, waiting for another time to take a long-dreamed-about trip, or just waiting for tomorrow. However, Marston also discovered another finding among the 6% who said they did have something to live for. Whether they lived for themselves, their family, or even a higher power, their philosophies were similar in that they strongly believed they must live in the present because their yesterday was already gone and their tomorrow may never come. They weren’t waiting for something to happen; they were content with what they already done or seen. Every day was another day to wholeheartedly live for something. And so when it comes to character of Nathanael, I believe he would have identified with this 6%. 

We are now in our third week of the sermon series, “Lessons in Faithfulness: When God Calls, How Shall I Answer?” Fortunately for me, Rev. Michelle asked if I would like to preach one of the weeks. Now as someone currently going through the call process to become a teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church, I was very excited when she told me about this idea. For the past two weeks, I have been sitting up in the balcony taking mental notes. If I was in the Magi’s shoes or in John’s shoes, how would I answer? From the magi, we learned that we need to pay attention. God’s call can come at any time and by any means. Whether it’s a star in the sky or a feeling in your soul, we need to pay attention to that call. Next, we moved to the river of Jordan where we meet John the Baptist. John shows us that all of us are called by God. We remember this in the waters of our baptism. So what’s do we learn from today’s gospel lesson? Well, first we should admit this passage is not a well-known biblical story. In fact, earlier this week, I was eating dinner with some friends and they knew I would be preaching here this Sunday. They asked about the passage I was preaching on, and when I told them it was on the story of Jesus calling upon Nathanael, they responded with a quizzical, “Who?” Yes, in this passage we meet one of Jesus’ lesser-known disciples who goes by the name Nathanael in the Gospel of John and possibly by Bartholomew in the other three gospels. For this sermon, we’ll refer to him just as Nathanael, and if we’re talking about minor characters in the Bible, Nathanael is a major contender. Like I said, Nathanael is only in one of the four gospels – the gospel of John – and even here, he is only mentioned twice. In this passage and once again in a list of witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus. And so whatever we can learn about Nathanael is found in these couple of verses. To find out how Nathanael responded to God’s call, we must be able to understand this passage, so let us dive into the story.

In John chapter one, we read that the Word was made Flesh, the Flesh is Jesus, Jesus is baptized by John the Baptist, and then Jesus calls upon his first disciples. This happens all within a matter of days as each passage including today’s gospel lesson starts with the phrase, “The next day.” And so, the next day Jesus meets Philip and calls upon Philip to follow him on his journey. But before Philip drops everything to follow Jesus, he goes back to Bethsaida to find his friend to invite him as well. It’s a person-to-person interaction. And that’s where we meet the character Nathanael. But when Philip tells Nathanael about Jesus of Nazareth, Nathanael responds with honest skepticism and doubt. “Nazareth?! Can anything good come from Nazareth?!”

Nathanael was a traditional Israelite. A man who probably immersed himself in study and meditation. He must know the Old Testament because that’s how Philip refers to Jesus when he approaches Nathanael.  As for Nazareth, it was a town known for its terrible vices – for its lowly and despised people. To suggest anything good can come from Nazareth – especially the Messiah – was a ridiculous and preposterous idea, a joke even. He wasn’t expecting the Savior of the people to come from Nazareth; he probably wasn’t expecting the Savior of the people to even come at all. After all, Nathanael was a man living in his own present. He’s not the type of guy waiting around for something to happen or for someone to come. So when Philip goes to Nathanael saying that someone in fact did come, Nathanael’s question is an honest one. To which Philip responds with an open invitation. “Come and see,” he says. And to which, Nathanael does.

Nathanael then goes before the Lord, and instantly Jesus calls him a man in whom there is no deceit. Nathanael – a good and honest man – maybe a little blunt – but still a good-hearted, honest man. But this puzzles Nathanael and he asks Jesus, “Where did you come to know me?” Jesus says, “I saw you under the fig tree,” and boom, a revelation happens within Nathanael. He declares Jesus as the King of Israel, as the Son of God! The very Savior that the people have been waiting for – the one and true Messiah. This must have amazed Nathanael – he was not expecting to see goodness in the flesh. He thought this was already the greatest miracle he has even seen! This is what Nathanael will live for! But then Jesus ends this passage by alluding to his eventual resurrection. He tells Nathanael that if you thought this was great, well, you’ve seen nothing yet! Something even greater will happen!

And there’s where we get to the main point found in today’s lesson, when Jesus called upon Nathanael, he responded with an honest but curious mind – he responded with openness to witness something greater.

Through Nathanael’s initial skepticism and doubt, we can learn that when God calls, we must respond with an open mind. We must live in the present while awaiting for God to come to us again in the future. This summer I was doing a bible study with my summer staff up in North Dakota, and in the bible study on prayer, there was the line, “Live as if everything depended on you; pray as if everything depended on God.” That is a perfect example for the way to live as directed by this passage. God knows you; God has created a plan and a purpose just for you. That’s your call. Do we fully understand the call? No. But we do know that God has not called us to sit and around wait for the next great thing. God wants us to act now. To live healthy and empowering Christian lives; to live for something right now in the moment. Because yes, greater things will come, but there is already greatness around you. God has seen you – each one of you – under your own metaphorical fig tree.

That’s the lesson in faithfulness; that is how we can respond to God’s call. Allow yourself to be open to the world around you.  Open to change; to passion and pain; to both the good and the bad. Open yourself to sharing the good news with others. See, the Christian faith has been passed from person to person for over 2000 years starting with Jesus. We see it in today’s lesson. Jesus tells Philip who tells Nathanael. And all kept an open mind. And that’s how it has worked ever since. The spread of the Christian church across the world is the person-to-person story of the thousands of people who fanned out across the globe to tell the story about Jesus and what Jesus had done for them. One person says to another, “I follow Jesus and invite you to do so too.” Churches were then built. People started attending Sunday worship. Those people invited their family and friends to join them in worship. Later on as the church grows as more people start attending worship. Then parents bring their infant children to Jesus in baptism and then bring them up to follow him. Those children grow up and then do the same for their own children. And the church is growing. Well, that’s the idea, right?

Well in reality, the church is not growing. And that’s because we have grown content with living for nothing. We identify with the 94% who says that we have nothing to live for now, but we are waiting for something greater. This is where we take Nathanael as our example. Be honest and curious, but allow yourself to be open for something different. Do not turn people away. Do not shut down their ideas or beliefs. Embrace them and use it an open invitation to see something greater. Invite those who are different from yourself so that they may be able to a see a glimpse into your world and so that you may be able to see a glimpse into theirs. God often reveals God self through the actions of humankind. And so to be a witness to God's manifestation, we need to keep an open mind for they could lead you to goodness. 

We know that we are all called but to interpret that call is another action of response we need to take.  It's okay to be skeptical or doubtful like Nathanael was - that's human nature - but what beautiful and miraculous things could we see if we just allowed ourselves to be open.  We must embrace the things we know as well as embrace the things we don’t. Be grateful for every moment we have. The moments we have right here in the present. Right here and right now. Live every day with an open mind. That’s when greatness will come to you. Yes, God will reveal God’s self to us once again through the second coming of Christ, but sitting around and waiting for this wasn’t God’s plan. Instead, while we wait, we must actively spread Christian love. People become Christians because they have seen what the Christian faith has done for those whom they know. The saying passed down from the early years of the church still rings true: “See those Christians, how they love one another.”

And so we go back to the initial question. What have you to live for? The answer is not nothing. You have been called to live for something. Whether you know what that is or not, it is there. God has seen you; God knows you; and God has called you. Find something to live for now. Live now in the moment. God will come to us to us again, but as Jesus told Nathanael, you’ve seen nothing yet! Keep an open mind and an open heart. Because greatness can come from anywhere and anyone. Amen.