Welcome to the Nativity

“Welcome to the Nativity” was preached at Sunnyside Presbyterian Church on December 24. 2017 at the 11:00pm Candlelight Communion Christmas Eve service. Inspirations for this sermon included Scripture, interactive worship services, Rodger Nishioka, nativity sets, communion as God’s table, discussions from our Young Adult Bible Study, and Sunnyside’s intergeneration community.

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Luke 2:8-20

8 In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: 11 to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,

    and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. 17 When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

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We would make room for you this night of all nights, dear Lord: room in our minds and hearts; room also in our life together. Let your word be born in us anew so that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, your splendor shines in us and through us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

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The past two years at our winter youth lock-in, both junior high and senior high, we hold a worship service called, “I am not BLANK enough.” It is directly inspired by this passage found in Luke: God’s revelation of the birth of Christ the Messiah to the shepherds. During that service, the youth are invited to fill in the blanks on slips of paper that read exactly as the title of that service suggests, “I am not BLANK enough.”

It is an activity that surprisingly connects the youth; bonds them together as one community of faith because it’s something they all have in common. It’s something that they have all experienced. And adults, we have too. We have all heard that phrase at least at one point in our lives; probably more but definitely at least once. That phrase “I am not BLANK enough.” 

Maybe it comes from an external source: from jobs you didn’t get, bullies who bring you down, or maybe just friends or family who for some reason just didn’t believe in you at that moment. Or maybe—and this is probably more common—it comes from the internal source; your own voice.

You look in the mirror: I am not pretty enough. You feel out shape: I am not athletic enough. You didn’t get the promotion you wanted: I am not smart enough. Something bad happens: I am not good enough. You feel alone: I am not loved enough.

During that service, the youth acknowledge every single “I am not BLANK enough” phrase they have ever heard in their lives. They write them down, they take a moment to see what they wrote, and then they rip that slip of paper into the tiniest pieces and throw them away straight into the trash. Gone. Garbage. Because when God revealed the birth of Christ to the shepherds, we learned that those phrases of “I am not BLANK enough” are trash. They’re not true. They don’t accurately reflect who we are or what we are called to do.

When Christ the Messiah, our Savior, was born; God told the great good news to the shepherds. People who were probably at the lowest of the low on the social hierarchy. They were probably uneducated. They were probably poor. They possibly had the absolute worst hygiene because they spent their days and nights with (as our children’s program put it a few week ago) stinky, smelly sheep. And they were common. There wasn’t anything seemingly special about the shepherds. The shepherds had every right to say they were not BLANK enough when God came to them. But they didn’t. They recognized the glory that was before them and went with haste to Bethlehem to see in person what God had told them. And when they arrived, they saw Joseph, and they saw Mary, and they saw a baby wrapped in clothes lying in a manger. Before them was the birth of Christ, and in that moment, the shepherds found their place in the nativity.

I’ve been reflecting a lot of what that first nativity scene means for us today. This is because I was recently given my first nativity set made out of wooden twigs, branches, and bark from an anonymous “Secret Santa”. I admit I got a little emotional as I unwrapped each fragile piece in the set.

First I unwrapped the stable, Christ’s first home here on earth. And then came the three wise men, each ordained with a small crown representing age, wisdom, and wealth. Next came the family of shepherds—grandparents, parents, and kids—a multigenerational family profession. Then I unwrapped Joseph. A young man who trusted God and his unwed, virgin bride-to-be. A young man who took his pregnant girlfriend to his hometown. The young man that would be the one to raise Jesus.  Mary came next, I unwrapped her slowly. In my hands I held a figurine of an even younger woman than Joseph. And I remembered that God chose her to bring Christ into the world. Young. Unwed. Virgin. And I remembered that she listened when the angel of the Lord came to her. And I remembered that she rode a donkey for miles while pregnant. And I remembered that she gave birth in a stable, surrounded by animals, because there was no room in the inns. And then at last, I unwrapped the smallest figurine in the set. A tiny baby in a tiny manger. The Word made Flesh, the incarnate God, the Savior the Messiah. Jesus Christ the king. The center of the nativity scene; the reason for the nativity.

Now being the person that I am, I wanted to complete my nativity set; I wanted to be able to see the full scene. I wanted the star in the sky, the angels from heaven, the cattle and sheep that filled the stable; I felt they all needed to be there for the birth of Christ. But I didn’t have a star or the angels or any of the animals from the biblical narrative. So I got a little creative. The star was the easiest. I just used a large candle with the flame to represent the light from the sky. I also didn’t have sheep or cattle… but I did have a little wooden elephant… so my nativity scene features an elephant. And then this morning one of our church members said I absolutely needed angels to be a part of the scene and since I didn’t have any angels, they volunteered a pink flamingo I had elsewhere in my office to represent the angels as flamingos and angels “both fly”.

I look at my nativity scene—the shepherds and the wise men, Joseph and Mary, the baby in the manger, the elephant and the flamingo—and I realize, this is what the church of today looks like.

Because at the very first nativity—at the birth of Christ—everyone had a place. And whether they came right at the birth or days or years later, they were welcomed. They were called to be there. The old, wealthy, senior wise men from the east. The poor, stinky, family of shepherds from the fields. A young, unwed couple becoming parents for the first time, and a baby wrapped in bands of cloth lying in a manger.  Together as one they celebrated that baby; together as one they celebrated the birth of our Savior.

Nothing prevented all who were there from being a part of the nativity. Not their timing. Not their age. Not their ethnicity. Not their profession. Not their socio-economic class. Not their relationship status. Not their gender. Not even their past or where they have been. Nothing prevented them from being a part of the nativity. Rather God came to them, went to them, called out to them and said, “Do not be afraid. I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people.”

Is that not who we are as a church today? Is that not what we celebrate here on Christmas? The good news of great joy! The Messiah born in the manger!

Today’s church is the nativity. Today’s church—the body of Christ—will have a place for everyone. We will have our wise men… and our wise women… our wise people. And we will have our family of shepherds and our family of doctors and our family of teachers… and just families of all kinds. We will have our young people; maybe married; maybe divorced; maybe single—they are welcome here. And today’s nativity will have children; oh yes, we will have children of all ages. Babies to teenagers; they will all be invited to celebrate Christ Jesus.  

In just a few moments, you all will be invited forth to the table to taste the good news before you. The body and blood of Christ. In just a few moments, you will be brought before God and Christ in the heavenly kingdom by the power of the Holy Spirit. And in that moment we will celebrate the birth. We will celebrate the life. We will celebrate the resurrection. We will celebrate that Christ WILL come again. You have a place at this table.

And just like nothing prevented those at the first nativity from having their place, nothing prevents you from having your place. Not your timing. Not your age. Not your ethnicity. Not your profession. Not your socio-economic class. Not your relationship status. Not your gender identity. Not your sexual orientation. Not your Christian denomination. Not your immigration status. Not your past; not your present; not your future. Not anything that makes you feel like you are not enough because this is God’s table, and you are made in the image of God, and therefore you are more than enough.

You are invited to be a part of this celebration. You are invited to be a part of this glory. You are a part of God’s story; you are part of God’s church. Welcome to the nativity; welcome to the table.

God said to us, “I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people.” And friends, that good news is before us tonight. Thanks be to God.

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Photo Credit to Amy Sheets

Saved by Grace through Faith

“Saved by Grace through Faith” was preached at Sunnyside Presbyterian Church on Sunday, November 12, 2017. It was part of We Are Reformed-Sola! preaching series. Inspirations for this sermon include Scripture, commentaries, laughter, the 500^th anniversary of the Reformation, laughter, and Sola Fide & Sola Gratia.

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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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I’m about to reveal an embarrassing moment from my childhood. There’s a point to this. I promise. Bear with me.

When I was a very young kid in elementary school, we’re talking eight and younger, I showed extreme perfectionist traits. I mean, I was a rule follower. Everything was black or white. A stickler to one and only one way of doing things. And you would think since I followed all the rules, I would be a good kid, right? The kind of kid all parents would want? Wrong. I think my parents would describe young Taylor as… Overwhelming. Obsessive. Occasionally hilarious. But always extremely annoying.

For example, and my dad loves to tell this story, when I first started tee-ball at the age of four or five, I made sure to learn all the rules. Not just the major rules like there’s nine players on the field or the purpose of gloves, balls, and bats; we’re talking the specific, almost trivial rules. Such as if the ball falls off the tee and unto home plate on strike three, the player is out. Well here’s little five-year-old Taylor playing his first game of tee-ball. It’s my turn to bat. I head toward the tee. I’m ready to make the ball fly. This is my moment. Swing… and a miss. Strike one. It’s okay. I’ll try again. No big deal; I got this. I ready myself once again. Here we go… swing… and a miss. Strike 2. I should have realized at this point that I would never have a future in baseball. But I’m not a quitter. I’ll try again. I take my stance; I grip my bat, I eye the ball. Swing… and I make contact… with the tee… the ball falls off… hits home plate… and then rolls forward slight toward the pitcher’s mound. I hear my coach yelling behind me, “Run! Run!” And so I do, I sprint to first base, and surprisingly, I make it safely. 

But then the realization sets in… the ball fell off the tee and hit home plate… so I turn toward the umpire who is probably a fifteen-year-old working his first ever part-time job… and I say, “I’m out.” He says something along the lines of, “It’s okay. You’re fine. Just stay where you are. You’re safe.” And so I begin to argue. I start explaining the rules of tee-ball to the umpire, explaining that I deserve to be out. My coach is telling me to be quiet and just play the game. My parents are hiding their faces in shame. And five-year-old Taylor convinces the fifteen-year-old umpire to declare that I was out. You would think my team would love me for this; I played the game fairly. But no, there was no love for Taylor in that moment. It’s like they wanted to win or something…

This pattern continued for several years. I would disqualify myself at swim meets. I would correct teachers when they missed something I got wrong. I even once told my grandfather that I was dropping out of school because I spelled one word wrong on a first-grade spelling test. Some would describe me as a know-it-all, but I knew the truth… I was just getting what I deserved.

I’m still have “perfectionist” tendencies… but over the years, I’ve learned to let things go and be grateful for what is happening around me. I’ve learned that it’s okay to make mistakes; that I should learn and move forward. I’ve learned that maybe I followed rules too strictly and that I needed to be a little bit more flexible. And I learned not to argue when someone gives me more than what I deserve, even when I don’t believe I fully deserve it.

This fall we have been working our way through our “Always Reforming” preaching series. Together we have been exploring how we are the reformed church, ever reforming.  And two weeks ago we celebrated the 500^th anniversary of the reformation. Five hundred years ago, during the reformation, reformed theologians began developing the solas, or the doctrines that would be central to our tradition. To this day, we recognize there are five solas, and we are making our way through all five of them before Advent starts in just a few weeks. On the day we celebrated the 500^th anniversary, Pastor Jamie started us off with Sola Scriptura, or scripture alone—the belief that all confessions, creeds, practices, and teachings must be rooted in Scripture, the divinely inspired Word of God.

Since we have four solas left to discuss and only three Sundays including today till Advent, we’ll be covering two solas today. Sola Gratia and Sola Fide—grace alone and faith alone. Fortunately, and maybe even divinely designed, both are covered in our passage today found in Ephesians 2.

But before we go into explaining Sola Gratia and Sola Fide, I want us to understand the context of Ephesians. See, Ephesians 2 begins with a direct explanation of what we should deserve. It tells us that we should be out; should be disqualified, should be wrong… it tells us we should be deserving of wrath. Which for someone like me who likes the clear set of rules makes sense. You know, if I actually think about it, five-year-Taylor being the “rule follower” that I was without fully understanding what I meant would be saying, “Give me the wrath! I deserve the wrath!” And the truth is, unfortunately five-year-old Taylor in that moment, represents human nature.

This is because, my friends, before the divine intervention of Christ, we wanted wrath. We didn’t know any better. We were dead due to our sins against God, which should naturally make us enemies of God. That’s what Paul is writing to the Ephesians. He is writing a message regarding death and new life. 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 because of their transgressions, because they are children of wrath; because of who they are and because of what they have done - they were dead. The ways of this world and their responses to it didn’t give them life; instead, it was an infinite death sentence. There was nothing they could do to save themselves; there was nothing they could do to bring themselves to life. And without a Savior - they would continue to be walking a life of spiritual death until the finality of physical death overtook them. They were, and will be forevermore, dead.

And sometimes when we look at what is happening in our world around us; it can make us question whether our world is still dead. In the last four months alone, we experienced heartbreaking amounts of tragedy. Riots in Charlottesville and across our country because of racial hate. Hurricanes affecting our southern coastal states and territories. Wildfires across the states in the east. A gunman raining bullets down during a concert in Las Vegas. And then just this week, a different gunman shot and killed 26 beautiful lives in a church in Texas. A church, a place of worship, a sanctuary. I didn’t even name all of the tragedies that have happened; there’s too many. Is the world still dead? Are we still dead? We may not be the causers of these tragedies, but this is the world we live in; therefore, we are a part of them. Our own sin clings to the sins around us; it’s human nature. And it’s scary because we try do better and then another tragedy strikes. It makes me feel like sometimes we are dead too. But then it makes me realize that grace and faith are incredibly important to hold onto in these moments because we’re not dead. Thanks be to God for a divine intervention.

Now before the reformation took place, the church was teaching Christians that by good works they could pull themselves away from this spiritual death; that by good works they would receive salvation and bring themselves to new life. But the reformers argued that this didn’t make sense; that this couldn’t happen, spiritually or physically, because our human nature wills us to stay dead. That if we had it our way, we would stay dead, away from and against what God intended, and therefore enemies deserving punishment. 

And that is where Sola Fide was introduced. Because all of humankind is fallen and sinful, we are incapable of saving ourselves from the wrath of God. No amount of works can bring us back into salvation. Instead, our justification is by faith alone. Our assurance of pardon is received solely through faith based on the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. Again, this means the divine verdict of salvation is not based on anything done by us but rather on Christ and his righteousness. And the reason why Christ is acting on our behalf according to Ephesians is because of God’s great love for us, because God is full of mercy and grace.

This explanation continues in Sola Gratia. Once again, we hear that no merit on our end can be a part of achieving salvation. Rather, our salvation is given by the divine grace of God; not because we deserve it, but because it is a gift freely given by God. Sola Gratia should be understood in two ways. One, God is the sole benefactor of grace and does so without any cooperation from humankind. And two, that humankind, even under the influence of grace, cannot receive more grace by any actions of our own. We have to see grace for what it is: a gift freely, fully, and solely given by God; it is gift we do not deserve, yet it is a gift that we are still given.

I love that Sola Fide and Sola Gratia are central to our tradition because they show what great love God has for us. It makes me love being Protestant and reformed and Presbyterian because we are reminded how much our God loves each of us. However, there is one thing that we need to discuss that reformed protestants are often criticized for and it’s this: if we are justified by faith alone and receive salvation by grace alone, what is the purpose of our good works?

We believe our good works are done in response to the grace that we have been given; that our good works show thanksgiving for the salvation we have received. It the ultimate glorification of God; the glorification of God that God desires. And at Sunnyside, we respond to what God desires. We build bridges of faith. We act as the hands and feet of Christ. We give God our glory when worship and when we fellowship and when we connect. We respond to the grace we have been given.

Sola Fide and Sola Gratia go hand-in-hand with one another, and they can be put together in one simple phrase: “Saved by grace through faith.”

That’s our takeaway for today. If you have to remember just one thing from the sermon, please don’t make it my memory of playing tee-ball. Remember this: saved by grace through faith. Saved by grace through faith. Make it a mantra. Saved by grace through faith. If any of my confirmation students are using this message as one of their required sermon evaluations, you should definitely write this down: saved by grace through faith. All of Sunnyside, let’s say it together: saved by grace through faith.

Good. There is it. Thanks be to God? Thanks be to God. Amen.  

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Time, Talents, Tithes

“Time, Talents, Tithes” was preached at Sunnyside Presbyterian Church on Sunday, October 1, 2017. This message was a collaboration of three sermons preached by myself and two youth preachers. I have been given permission to share their sermons on my blog. Inspirations for my own sermon came from Scripture, empowering youth, stewardship season, and faithful membership according to our Book of Order.

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Matthew 21:23-32

23 When he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” 24 Jesus said to them, “I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. 25 Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?” And they argued with one another, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet.” 27 So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.

28 “What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ 29 He answered, ‘I will not’; but later he changed his mind and went. 30 The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, ‘I go, sir’; but he did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.

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Taylor’s Sermon

Today is not only World Communion Sunday; today is also the first day of stewardship season, and this year the youth are kicking off our stewardship campaign by leading worship. For those of you who don’t know or might not remember, stewardship season is a time where we are intentional about discussing our giving in the church, especially financial giving. It’s sometimes an uncomfortable topic; no one wants to tell another person how they should handle their money, especially during worship, which is supposed to be the glorification of God.

Pastors especially don’t like talking about it. It would be hard to find a pastor that wakes up and says, “Yes! Yay! It’s stewardship season! My favorite time of the church year!” I mean, who would do that? I would rather preach a sermon how much God loves us rather than how much money we need to give.

But that being said, my first sermon at Sunnyside was during stewardship season. My absolute first sermon, and I had to talk to you all about money and encourage you all to give just a little bit more in your offerings. I even made a joke during that sermon that this was my initiation to Sunnyside. That Pastor Jamie and Pastor Susan were hazing me, “Let’s give the new pastor the sermon about money; it’s uncomfortable, so make him do it!”

So it’s almost funny… that Pastor Jamie, Pastor Susan, and myself have now given the youth this sermon. We’ll have the youth talk about giving!  

But at the same time, it’s almost fitting for the youth to kick off stewardship season. Mostly because the youth are entering a time where they all becoming more independent individuals. Maybe not financially independent yet, but they all are starting to develop unique gifts and strengths and talents and even ideas that they can give back to the church.

But also, like the passage we heard today in Matthew 21, the youth are accustomed to having their authority questioned similar to the church leaders questioning Jesus’ authority. Maybe it’s because of their age or their lack of life experience, adults may often question what the youth (or even younger!) can give to the church. But looking at the passage: when the leaders asked Jesus who gave him the authority, they all knew full well that it was God. So too it is God who has given gifts to all of us including our youth, and it is by God’s authority that we are called to share them with one another and through the sharing with one another, the giving of our gifts back to God.

In our Book of Order, which is all things polity and governance for our church, active members of the church of Jesus Christ as called to do eleven things. Number five is this: “Supporting the ministry of the church through the giving of money, time, and talents.”

Did you catch all three? Let me repeat it. “Supporting the ministry of the church through the giving of money, time, and talents.”

Money. Time. And talents.

You are called to give something that you already possess.

Today our youth are sharing their gifts with us by leading worship. And two of our youth will be sharing their gifts of preaching with us. They will be reflecting on how we can give our time and talents. As they talk about the giving of our time and talents, I ask that we all consider how giving financially can further allow our youth, our children, our entire church; how giving financially can allow us all to give what we possess. Just like God intended for us to do.

As we enter into stewardship season: let us be mindfully aware all that we can give: money, time, and talents.

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

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Campbell’s Sermon

Giving of time. What is it? It is a way that we can give back and a way that we can show who we are as Christians.

In our Sunnyside Community there are two main groups of people that give their time and talents. The first being all the adults. They give their time by participating in worship, the session, and teaching bible journeys. The other group would be the youth. We volunteer our time in various ways. Lots of us are participating in worship today and volunteer in Bible Journeys. We all love to help with things around the church, and we feel like we can always work to make the church a better place for everyone. That is why it is important for the youth to stay involved in the church.

This summer as you all know, the youth went on a week-long mission trip in Michigan this summer. This was a great experience and allowed us to grow together spiritually. We did lots of work and got to be heavily involved with the camp staff and the counselors. This made for a great week and allowed us all to become closer to God. That is one of the main reasons that is very important to give our time.

Not only that week did we impact the campers and the camp but when we give time at church we impact you, our friends and the well-being of the church. Now when we all come together and use our time wisely and put it towards God and the church, we are being the hands and feet of Jesus. We as Christians are called to give time because that is our duty. We as Sunnysiders have to serve Christ.

There are many ways we can do this and giving time is only one of those ways. The other ways are the giving of talents and the giving of money. A perfect example of the giving of talents is the Choir. Yvonda uses her amazing musical talent to perform for us each and every Sunday. An example of giving of money would be how all of you allow us to go on summer trips like the mission trip and Montreat.  Today we are putting one of the time giving ways into action with youth-led service.

Speaking on behalf of the youth we feel that it is important that our voices are heard because we can offer a unique perspective on God and the state of Sunnyside. We then feel like we can work in harmony with the adults to provide good insight on Bible Journeys, and youth group and summer trips that are beneficial for everyone. We cannot do it without the adults because we are empowered because of the way that they spend their time.

Many of them work on the Session and give us the ability to have a say in what goes on at Sunnyside. For example, Teo is on the session and he acts as a voice for the youth. The adults listen and plan accordingly allowing us to give our time as well.

As youth we also have the ability to give money to the church. Sometimes we cannot do this and then we substitute that with the giving of our time. The giving of my time was required to stand up here and preach today. This impacted the sermon because I not only had to write about giving up my time but I used my talents and time to create a message that would be influential for all of you to hear.

On that note I thank all of you so much for giving your time and talents which allow me to preach to you and allow all of us to grow with each other on our journey of faith. Amen.

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Teo’s Sermon

When Taylor asked me to write this sermon a few weeks ago, he sent me the passage and told me what I would be preaching about. At first the topic seemed simple: giving one’s talents to the church. But after reading the passage, I became hopelessly confused. It wasn’t until I had spent an hour researching the text that I began to see a connection. And I found it in the parable.

The parable discusses two sons whose father asks them to go and work in the vineyard. The sons have opposite responses. The first answered “I will not”. The second, “I go, sir”. The parable goes on to describe the sons’ later actions. The first son, who initially denied his father’s will, eventually changes his mind and goes into the vineyard. The second son, who answered yes, never goes into the vineyard at all. After telling the parable, Jesus asks “which of the two did the will of his father. The answer is obvious, no? The first son worked in the vineyard, therefore the first son did the will of his father.

Now, when Jesus originally told this parable, he used it as a way to show that the Pharisees were like the second son; but we can look at it in a different way. The father in the parable is God, and we are the children. Jesus challenges us to reflect on whether we are the first son or the second son. Do we do what we know is right, even when we don’t want to? Or do we say we do good, but fail to back up our words? This is our call to action. God calls us to give of ourselves for Him, through deed and not just word. What I am asking of you is to give your talents to God.

A few weeks ago at youth group, we had a worship service for the junior and senior high. Taylor asked us to offer some of our talents to God in prayer. Everyone had something to share. This really struck me. At the beginning of the prayer, no one wanted to say anything. It took a few minutes, and a few brave answers, before the pace began to pick up. Once it really got going, there was little pause between answers. Everyone had something to offer to God and to the church. This was only a small group of people. If we repeated this activity with the congregation today, I have no doubt that there would be no end to the talents which we could share. God asks us to use these talents, even when we may not want to do so.

My experience sharing my talents with Sunnyside began two years ago when I started singing in the choir. Singing is something I’ve always loved to do, and doing it for the church was something easy for me. But since then I’ve started taking on more responsibilities. This summer I became the youth elder, taking a larger role in the church than I ever have before. This wasn’t as easy. It was a challenge for me to give up those valuable after-school hours on Mondays; but I did it, because that is what God called me to do.

So I encourage you; find your talent and share it with the church. Maybe you’re like me, and you want to share your joy of singing or playing an instrument. I know Ms. Yvonda would love to have you in the choir. Maybe your passion is teaching others about God.  Or maybe your expertise can help benefit the church on a committee. Whatever your talent may be, you can find a way to share it.

Now it may seem strange to hear the youth asking you to give your time, talents, and especially your money. But one day we will be in your shoes. We want our children to have the same experiences that yours did. So please, what God gave to you, give back to God.

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Why Did Joseph Forgive His Brothers?

“Why Did Joseph Forgive His Brothers?” was preached at Sunnyside Presbyterian Church on Sunday, August 20, 2017. The Scripture passages and Title/Topic were already assigned weeks in advance, but I felt called by God to use this message as an opportunity to address the events following Charlottesville. Themes for this sermon include Scripture, commentaries, systemic racism, white privilege, current events, person reflections, and an article published by Sojourners.

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Genesis 42:6-17

6 Now Joseph was governor over the land; it was he who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and bowed themselves before him with their faces to the ground. 7 When Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he treated them like strangers and spoke harshly to them. “Where do you come from?” he said. They said, “From the land of Canaan, to buy food.” 8 Although Joseph had recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him. 9 Joseph also remembered the dreams that he had dreamed about them. He said to them, “You are spies; you have come to see the nakedness of the land!” 10 They said to him, “No, my lord; your servants have come to buy food. 11 We are all sons of one man; we are honest men; your servants have never been spies.” 12 But he said to them, “No, you have come to see the nakedness of the land!” 13 They said, “We, your servants, are twelve brothers, the sons of a certain man in the land of Canaan; the youngest, however, is now with our father, and one is no more.” 14 But Joseph said to them, “It is just as I have said to you; you are spies! 15 Here is how you shall be tested: as Pharaoh lives, you shall not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here! 16 Let one of you go and bring your brother, while the rest of you remain in prison, in order that your words may be tested, whether there is truth in you; or else, as Pharaoh lives, surely you are spies.” 17 And he put them all together in prison for three days.

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Genesis 45:1-15

1Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, “Send everyone away from me.” So no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. 2 And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard it. 3 Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, so dismayed were they at his presence.

4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come closer to me.” And they came closer. He said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. 5 And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. 6 For the famine has been in the land these two years; and there are five more years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. 7 God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. 8 So it was not you who sent me here, but God; he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. 9 Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay. 10 You shall settle in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children’s children, as well as your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. 11 I will provide for you there—since there are five more years of famine to come—so that you and your household, and all that you have, will not come to poverty.’ 12 And now your eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see that it is my own mouth that speaks to you. 13 You must tell my father how greatly I am honored in Egypt, and all that you have seen. Hurry and bring my father down here.” 14 Then he fell upon his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, while Benjamin wept upon his neck. 15 And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them; and after that his brothers talked with him.

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Why did Joseph forgive his brothers?

Friends, this is an easy one. We already know the answer. We say it every week in the Lord’s Prayer: “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.”

Just as God forgives us, we are called to forgive our neighbors. This includes Joseph. This includes me. This includes you. We are all called to forgive.

Which makes me think that Joseph knew all along that he was called to forgive his brothers. That one day he would. He knew this is what he was supposed to do.

But it’s also important to note, Joseph didn’t forgive his brothers right away. From a position of power over them, he initially controlled and manipulated his brothers. And that’s what I want to talk about: what Joseph did before he forgave his brothers.

Rewinding to last week’s service: Jacob, now named Israel, fathers 12 sons. The second youngest was Israel’s favorite: Joseph. This was back in Genesis 37.

Jumping ahead, we just heard the story of Joseph found in Genesis 42 and Genesis 45. There’s a lot that happens in those eight chapters, from 37 to 45, and I want us to walk through those chapters together.

When we first meet Joseph in Genesis 37, he is seventeen years old. His is the obvious favorite son of Israel, and he seen as both a braggart and a tattle-tale by his brothers. This makes his brothers plot against him, and they discuss whether they should kill Joseph or sell him, all while Joseph is trapped at the bottom of a pit in which he was thrown by his brothers.

The brothers, when seeing a caravan of Ishmaelites, decide to profit off their brother by selling him into slavery. The brothers return home to tell Jacob of Joseph’s “death” as Joseph himself is now taken to Egypt. But when Joseph is a slave in Egypt, things take a seemingly better turn of events. Scripture tells us that Joseph is handsome, successful, and skilled at dream interpretation. He soon becomes overseer to all the other slaves and gains the attention of the Pharaoh. After interpreting Pharaoh’s dream and prophesying an upcoming famine, Joseph “gained authority over the land of Egypt” and becomes Pharaoh’s second-in-command. This is found in Genesis 41.

Before we go any further into the story, I want to see if we’re all catching this reoccurring theme here in Joseph’s life. Just like before, Joseph is the favorite and his favoritism has given him a sense of privilege and power. First, favorite to Israel and now, favorite to Pharaoh. And if we remember correctly, the first time that Joseph was the favorite, he abused this privilege and his brothers despised him for it.

Unfortunately, the second time Joseph finds himself as the favorite, history repeats itself as we heard in Genesis 42. Facing starvation in Canaan (that is, the famine that Joseph earlier interpreted through Pharaoh’s dreams), Israel sends ten of his now eleven sons to Egypt to buy grain. When the brothers arrive in Egypt, they bow down before Joseph, not recognizing him as their brother they years earlier sold into slavery. However, Joseph, being the keen and aware man that he was, recognizes his brothers immediately. But instead of revealing this to them, Joseph plays a game of manipulation. He accuses his brothers to be spies and therefore, throws them into prison for three days.

After three days, Joseph releases them but with the command that once they arrive at home, they must return to Egypt with their youngest brother Benjamin. He even bounds his brother Simeon to guarantee his brothers return. Eventually the brothers arrive home, discuss with their father Israel all that happened, run out of food once again, and then they the brothers return to Egypt with Benjamin—now all eleven are there present with Joseph. Joseph then feasts with his brothers, them terrified of this authority figure who accused them of spying, still unaware that this figure is actually their brother.

Then in Genesis 44, through another act of manipulation and instead of revealing his identity, Joseph sneaks a silver cup into Benjamin’s bag, setting him up for the charge of stealing. Here, worried for Benjamin and worried for their father, the brothers plead for Joseph to let their youngest brother go. It is at this point, when his own father Israel’s life is on the line, Joseph makes himself known to his brothers as found in our second passage today: Genesis 45.

It would be near impossible to deny Joseph and the power he holds over others. Once his father’s favorite, he is now Pharaoh’s favorite. During this time of famine, anyone who wants to eat must come to Joseph. He is in charge of the grain; he decides who may purchase it; he sets the price. Joseph, once seemingly powerless at the bottom of the pit because he lorded himself over his brothers now has even more power as he gets to decide who will live and who will die.

We have two examples from our readings today where we can see how Joseph acts in his position of power, once where he responds with manipulation and superiority and once where he responds with mercy and forgiveness. And being in a position of power and privilege doesn’t necessarily make Joseph a bad guy, but how he uses that power to control those around him does.

My friends, the majority of us in the room today are like Joseph. We use power and privilege that we’ve been given from birth to benefit ourselves and not those around us, especially those in society that have been forced to be treated as lesser because of the color of their skin. Or their sexual orientation. Or their religious beliefs. And like Joseph, being in a position of privilege doesn’t necessarily make us the bad guys, but if we use this privilege to bring others down.... or to only lift ourselves up... or to even remain silent in the face of injustice, then we are. Then we are the bad guys.

If the racism experienced in our country has not yet shaken you to your core, let what happened in Charlottesville be your wake up call. And for those of us who don’t think that what happened in Charlottesville has anything to do with race; let me be explicitly clear, from God’s Word through my lips, it has everything to do with race. It also has to do with anti-Semitism, islamophobia, homophobia. The violence in Charlottesville was a clear example of racism and an abuse of privilege. Three people died: Heather Heyer, Jay Cullen, Berke Bates. And over 38 people were injured. Heyer was killed because a car purposely crashed through a march of peaceful protesters.

My friends, this is the truth. People of color, all over the globe but also here in the United States, have been treated as less. Less human; less of God’s good creation. For over a hundred years of our country’s beginnings, black people were kept as slaves. For over a hundred years after that, we had laws that made black people “separate but equal.” And now, there are white supremacists and neo-Nazis that believe our country would be a whole lot better if people of color as well as those who don’t identify as Christian were just erased from our history. That white history should be the only history. My friends, why have we fallen so far? For those of us who are white, we haven’t experienced the same systems of oppression that our neighbors of color have. And I don’t mean to lessen our experiences for those of us who are white, but I am asking us to consider the experiences of those who are not. Those who were not born into the same white privilege as some of us. The same privilege that was given to Joseph time and time again.

I wasn’t in Charlottesville; I wasn’t in the other nine white nationalist rallies that took place this weekend; I only had access through what I watched in the news or read about in articles, and trust me, that was enough to tear my heart in two. But I want to give you an example of this white privilege that may have been magnified and abused in Charlottesville but also seen in my own life here in South Bend.

At the beginning of summer, a few of my friends and I were hanging out. It was late at night, and being the twenty-somethings that we all are, we wanted to play a game we called kidnapped. This game is somewhat similar to tag & hide-go-seek but covers the entire town. We divide into two teams; two people from each team are blindfolded, put into a car, and dropped off somewhere randomly in the town. Teams must then find their two teammates, pick them up, and whoever is the first team to return to the starting location wins. It’s a great game; it’s a fun game! Like I said we play it late at night, around eleven or so, when it’s completely dark out. But that night, when we were going over the rules, one of my friends quietly asked, “Is it safe for me to be out there?”

The friend who asked this is black. And from the earliest of years, he was taught that a black man in a white neighborhood late at night looks suspicious. I was never taught that. I was raised in a mostly-white neighborhood, and I never had to worry about whether I’d be safe playing a game of tag late at night because of the color of my skin. The thought didn’t even occur to me that any of us might not be safe… that is, until my friend posed the question for all of us.

As I said about Joseph, being born into privilege doesn’t make us the bad guys; it what we do we this privilege. Let us not use our privilege to stop what God is trying to do in this world: to love, serve, and protect all. Everyone. Not only people who have the same color of skin as us but especially those who have been put on the margins because of the color of their skin. Or their sexual orientation. Or their religious beliefs.

What did Joseph do in a position of privilege? He eventually chose to forgive because he was called to forgive. What can we do in our position of privilege? Forgiveness is great… when there’s something to forgive… but right now, we don’t need to forgive. We need to take action. We are called to take action.

I found an article through a Christian online publication called Sojourners titled, “For Our White Friends Desiring to Be Allies.” They have a list of six things we can do.

One, listen more and talk less. It’s time that we let our neighbors of color share their stories instead of forcing them to always listen to ours.

That being said, number two is when a person of color shares their story, resist the need to respond with our own story. This adds to silencing their voices if we keep oversharing ours.

Number three: we can educate ourselves about systematic racism in our country. Pastor Susan has already started a list, for both kids and adults. I’m sure Pastor Jamie and I could also suggest a few resources.

Four—this one is important—believe that racism is alive in our country and admit that it always has been. This is a huge one. We can’t keep sweeping it under the rug or denying the truth. I’m sorry, my friends, racism does exist in our country. Not just in Charlottesville but all over.

Number five—put the work in; do something. Don’t do it because you want to make yourself feel better; do it because doing nothing makes us the bad guys! If we don’t use our privilege for good, then we are spreading the injustice.

Six—stop talking about colorblindness. By this, I mean, don’t say you don’t see race or the color of someone’s skin. Because we all do. We all can tell when a person is white and when a person is not. Don’t deny that; celebrate it! Celebrate identity and why God made that person into the person they are! This includes the color of their skin, their religious beliefs; their gender; their sexual orientation—all of who they are were made in the image of God.

And I’m going add one to this list. Number seven. Don’t be offended. Don’t take this any of this personally. Don’t be upset by this sermon; just consider it. Let’s admit it. We could all do a little better. We are all called to do better. And if a person of color or someone else who has been marginalized tells you how could do better; don’t deny it; don’t be offended; embrace it; do it; be better.

My friends, this is unlike any sermon I’ve given here at Sunnyside. I know that; I know you know it too. But we needed to walk through this together. My prayer is you all use this to continue conversation. My office is always open to all of you. I know Pastor Jamie and Pastor Susan feel the same way.

Joseph forgave his brothers because he was called to do so. And now we are called to do something. We can do something right because we too find ourselves in positions of power and privilege. Let’s not do it for the sake of ourselves; let’s do it because we know we are called to act for justice for everyone.

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

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Why Was Abraham Tested?

“Why Was Abraham Tested?” was preached at Sunnyside Presbyterian Church on Sunday, July 2, 2017. Inspirations for this sermon include Scripture, commentaries, Challenging Prophetic Literature, and recent events within our congregation.

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Genesis 22:1-14

1 After these things God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 2 He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you.” 3 So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac; he cut the wood for the burnt offering, and set out and went to the place in the distance that God had shown him. 4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place far away. 5 Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; the boy and I will go over there; we will worship, and then we will come back to you.” 6 Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together. 7 Isaac said to his father Abraham, “Father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” 8 Abraham said, “God himself will provide the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So the two of them walked on together.

9 When they came to the place that God had shown him, Abraham built an altar there and laid the wood in order. He bound his son Isaac, and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to kill his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 12 He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” 13 And Abraham looked up and saw a ram, caught in a thicket by its horns. Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”

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This is not a light story. We need upfront and direct about this from the very beginning. This is a difficult, emotional passage. Genesis 22 is a tough one to hear.

I want to be explicitly clear about what God appears to be asking in Genesis 22. And that’s the key phrase here: “appears to be.” God appears to be asking for human sacrifice. Specifically, God appears to be asking for the sacrifice of Abraham’s son. God appears to be asking for the death of a child.

There’s even a Yiddish folk tale that goes something like this: Why did God not send an angel to tell Abraham to sacrifice Isaac? And the answer is God knew that no angel would take on such a task. Instead, the angels said to God, “If you want to command death, do it yourself.”

If we don’t give this passage the full weight it deserves and if we don’t let it shake us to our core, then we’re not staying true to what power this passage holds… or what grace it can show.

The near-sacrifice of Isaac as we Christians call it, or “the akedah” (also known as the binding of Isaac) as our Jewish neighbors call it, is one of the most puzzling and perplexing stories in our Bible. For centuries it has faced heated, even dangerous debates because it leaves us with so many questions. Is this a story of an abusive God, a misguided Abraham, a not-so-wise Isaac, an example of religious violence at its worst…?

Or is Genesis 22 a story of faith and obedience? Is there some profound meaning locked away between the lines in the depth of the narrative? 

This summer we have been asking the “Why’s” of Genesis… and each week it seems these questions are getting a little bit more tangible and a little bit more personal and a little bit more difficult. I promise it won’t be like this for the rest of summer—this might be our peak our difficult whys—but this is a part of the Genesis narrative. This is the order of the first book in our Bible. Difficult parts and all. Today we are asking the question, “Why was Abraham tested?”

Our passage today begins with “After these things God tested Abraham…” Noting these “things” is an important part of the story. Before this point: Abram has been blessed to be a blessing, he has been called by God to go to a land he has never seen, he is promised by God that he will be a father to many nations and therefore his name Abram becomes Abraham, Abraham then endures the long years of Sarah’s barrenness, then he has Ishmael with his wife’s servant Hagar, and then at long last, at the age of 100, there is the impossible birth of the boy they call “laughter” – Abraham’s son, whom he loves, Isaac.

Call after call, Abraham responds faithfully. Therefore, promise after promise is delivered.

But when all seems right and well, Abraham would face the greatest test of all. God calls down to him, “Abraham! Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering…”

I want us to imagine this story, frame by frame: God commands Abraham to sacrifice his son. For three days, Abraham and his son journey together. The trip is quiet. Abraham says little and Isaac says even less. Together the two walk up the mountain, Abraham gripping the knife and the fire, which leaves Isaac carrying the wood to which he will soon be bound. The altar is built, and without word and without protest, Isaac is bound and laid on that altar. I imagine Abraham takes one last look at his son – maybe a tear coming down his face, maybe he’s numb to all of it – and then he raises the knife high above his head, ready to do what God has commanded.

“Abraham! Abraham! Do not lay hand on the boy or do anything,” calls the angel of the Lord. “For now I know you fear God, since have not withheld your son, your only son from me.”

In the very final moments, Isaac is spared for God knew that Abraham trusted that God is a God of provision and providence. We’ll never know exactly what Abraham believed would happen: did he believe God would spare Isaac? Did he believe God would give him another son? Did he believe God would raise Isaac from the dead? Or did Abraham believe God would do something so miraculous that we can’t even imagine what that might be? Whatever Abraham believed, it doesn’t make this story any easier of what was asked of him. And to make us question it even more, Scripture says little to what Abraham was thinking or feeling during this entire interaction.

But for the rest of us, when we read stories like this, we are overwhelmed with emotions so raw and so powerful that our instinct is to close the book and find something lighter, something happier—something more clearly and explicitly filled with hope. This passage reminds us of every moment that God has tested us, the moments where we believed God didn’t deliver promises of providence. It makes us think of every moment we felt abandoned by God and when life just seemed too much to bear. This passage brings forth every moment of heartbreak and pain and tragedy because it’s the story of a man who was asked by God to sacrifice his only son whom he loved.

I, too, found myself with the instinct to close myself off from this story. Each time I opened my Bible, I found myself saying, “Not today. Maybe later. But not today.” I knew I needed to spend time wrestling with this text but I felt I didn’t have the emotional strength or capacity to do so. But it was when I forced myself to dive deeper into Genesis 22, prayerfully asking God for some sign of hope, I came across this:

Julia O’Brien in her book, Challenging Prophetic Literature, writes about a student of hers named Lyn, and Lyn’s sermon preparation on Genesis 22. O’Brien writes, “[Lyn] gave up trying to make this text into something beautiful and uplifting and simply wept. She wept not only just for the characters in the story but also for herself and for her culture. [This student] gave her congregation permission that the text had not given Abraham: to weep for the tragic situations of their own lives, for the horrible choices they feel they have no choice but to make.”

My friends, this right here is the good news in this text: the permission to weep, the permission to cry out… the permission to feel and to know we are not alone in any of our heartbreak.

We, like Abraham, are tested with things too tragic and too unbearable. Isaac may have been spared at the end of this story, but we know all too well that we ourselves are not always spared from heartbreak. It’s a sad, unfortunate part of life, and these words alone can’t cover what emotions we actually feel. The majority of us know the pain of heartbreak. It can be a move to somewhere new and leaving behind a place you love. It can be in the end of a relationship or in a divorce. It can be in a new diagnosis or another cancer treatment. In can be in unforeseen tragedy and even the death of someone we love. It’s in every moment of fear and anxiety and pain. And this pain has us crying out to our Creator just like in Psalm 13: “How long, O Lord? How long!”

At times, it feels like life just hits us again and again… but when life hits hard, our God comes to us greater and stronger and harder filled the provision of grace, love, joy, hope, forgiveness, power.

When we weep, our God weeps with us. And when we cry out, our God responds. Remember this for all of your days.

In a few moments, we’ll all be invited to the table. And we’ll taste a meal so great, so divine, so full of love that it reminds us that we are never alone as we are brought together before God and Christ in the heavenly kingdom with saints of every time and place, not separated by life or death. Heartbreak isn’t the end for us.

As we come to the table, we’ll be reminded of a body broken, blood shed, God the Son sacrificed. It was a death full of heartbreak, and I believe God wept that day. But in God’s weeping, we were delivered the hope found in the resurrection and the promise that one day pain will be no more.

Why was Abraham tested? Why are we tested? My friends, maybe there’s no satisfactory answer to this. But truly, an answer wouldn’t make the pain we feel any less. But what we do know is that when we are tested, God does respond faithfully to us. We must remember to recognize God’s providence and provision in all situations, the ordinary, extraordinary, and especially so, when everything seems futile.

When you read Genesis 22, and if you are still left with feelings of unease or anger or frustration or sadness, maybe that’s the point. It’s not supposed to be something filled with joy or beauty. This text is one of reality and tragedy. That is how God shows that God is with us through it all.

You have the permission to question, and you have the permission to feel. Life will test us, but we know in heart of hearts that God is working for us: never against us. This too is the good news. Thanks be to God.

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