Never-ending Thanks

Delivered November 20, 2011

Ephesians1:15-23

Scottish minister Alexander Whyte was known for his uplifting prayers in the pulpit. He always found something for which to be grateful, and he nearly always mentioned the weather. One Sunday morning the weather was so bad that one church member thought to himself, "Certainly the preacher won't thank the Lord for a wretched day like this." Much to his surprise, however, Whyte began by praying, "We thank Thee, O God, that it is not always like this."

This is the Sunday before Thanksgiving Day and our thoughts turn naturally to giving thanks. The apostle Paul says in our epistle lesson for today: ^“I do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers.” He is speaking to the Ephesian church, and he says that never ceases to thank God for these church people.  I want to start off this sermon giving thanks for you. I do not thank people enough. I have gotten a little better at it over the years, but I still have to make a conscious effort to thank people. So I want to thank you this morning. I thank you for calling me to be your pastor here – once again. When I pastored here in the 1980’s and early nineties, they were the best years of our lives. We did not know it at the time, but they were. I have been blessed to return here to this town that I love and this church that I love. I am blessed to be your pastor at this point in my life and this church’s life.

Many of you put in countless hours doing ministry in this church. Thank you. I cannot start naming names or I will certainly get myself in trouble by leaving out someone who should be named. Many of you put in many many hours in service to God through this church. You don’t have to do it, but you do. And you do it out of love for God and love for this congregation. It is not only time, it is the love you put into it. You really care about this church. That is love of God in action. It is the best advertisement for the gospel and this church. This church really is a loving community of faith. It is not perfect, and we in this church are not perfect, but it is good. You are friendly, welcoming, loving, spiritually-minded, generous people - a genuine community of faith. You have blessed my life and my family’s life and I am deeply grateful.  

I. Now let’s see first what the apostle Paul was thankful for concerning the Ephesians. Our passage starts: ^“Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers.” The apostle thanks them for two things – their faith in the Lord Jesus and their love for all the saints. (By saints he is not talking about dead religious superstars canonized by the Catholic church. In the NT the term saints simply means Christians.) He thanks God for their faith and love. Those might not be the first things that normally come to our minds when we start going down the list of things that we are thankful for on Thanksgiving Day. Our lists tend to include life, family, health, and home the material necessities of life. But Paul does not mention any of these. He is most grateful for faith in the Lord Jesus and love for all the saints.

Let us thank God for faith in the Lord Jesus. Faith is a gift from God. Ephesians 2:8 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God….” To believe in the Lord Jesus Christ is a gift. We tend to think of it as a choice we have made. And it is that also, but it is also accurate biblically to say that it as a choice that God has made. This is the biblical doctrine called election. God has called us. God has received us. God has saved us – from ourselves and from a life apart from him. He has delivered us from the fear of death. He has delivered us from guilt and shame. Even our faith in Jesus is not mine. He has placed it in our souls. It is all God’s doing. Don’t ask me why everyone on earth therefore does not have faith. I don’t know. I don’t know lots of things. I don’t why the Jewish Holocaust happened and the Cambodian holocaust. I don’t know why babies die of starvation and AIDS in the Horn of Africa whereas my babies and grandbabies are well fed. I do not have answers to the hard questions of why there is evil and suffering and injustice in this world. All I know that everything I have is from God; even my faith in God is from God, and I am thankful.

Let’s thank God for the love of all the saints. Paul is talking about spiritual community. He is talking about church. And he is not talking about buildings, bylaws or budgets. He is talking about love. Love itself is a gift from God. Community is a gift from God. We would have it without buildings, budgets or bylaws. You know Dr. Seuss’ “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” He thought the holiday had to do with presents, ribbons and wrappings. He thought it had to do with feasting on Who-pudding, and rare Who-roast beast. But it didn’t. Christmas came just the same. And his heart grew three sizes that day when he learned that it was something immaterial that caused all the Whos in Whoville to sing songs of joy. It’s not the stuff that is the most important. It is the spiritual. It is faith and love. It is not what you have or don’t have. It is your attitude toward it all.

There is a old Jewish tale of a man who goes to the rabbi and complains, "Life is unbearable. There are nine of us living in one room. What can I do?"  The rabbi answers, "Take your goat into the room with you."  The man in incredulous, but the rabbi insists. "Do as I say and come back in a week."  A week later the man comes back looking more distraught than before.  "It is worse. I cannot stand it," he tells the rabbi. "The goat is filthy and noisy."  The rabbi then tells him, "Go home and let the goat out. And come back in a week."  A man returns to the rabbi a week later, exclaiming, "Life is beautiful. We enjoy every minute of it now that there's no goat -- only the nine of us." We can grumble and complain about our circumstances or we can thank God in the midst of our circumstances.

          II. Let’s move on to the next portion of our scripture text. After giving thanks in prayer for the Ephesians, the apostle Paul prays for the Ephesians. Verses 17-19 he prays “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, ¹⁸ the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, ¹⁹ and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power.” Once again, we tend to pray for health and happiness for ourselves and others. But look at what Paul prays for the Ephesian Christians.

First, he prays that God gives them “the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.” He is praying that they may know Christ more deeply. That is my prayer for you and me as well. That is my prayer for this church. I also pray for the financial health of this church and that we might reach out to the community. But the numbers don’t matter if we do not know Him. If we do not have “the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.” One of our family’s favorite Christmas films is Elf starring Will Farrell. Farrell plays a human raised as an elf at the North Pole. At one point he is hired as an elf in a NYC department store at Christmastime when he hears that Santa is coming to town. He jumps up and down in joy shouting, “I know him! I know him! That is Christian joy. That is what the gospel is really all about. If we do not know him, then everything else is futile.

Second, Paul prays for “the eyes of your understanding being enlightened.” He doesn’t want blind faith nor ignorant faith. There is more than enough of that in the world. He prays that the Ephesian Christians may understand. He prays that they may see clearly. That they might be enlightened. That is a term that Christians don’t use too much. Buddhists use the term a lot. We tend to talk more about faith than enlightenment. But Paul prays that Christians have an enlightened faith. He prays that their eyes might be opened. This is intelligent faith. There is too much ignorant faith in Christianity these days. There is too much anti-science, anti-intellectual, anti-common sense nonsense in Christianity. People feel like they have to check their brains at the door of the church.  God created the natural world and nothing that is scientifically and historically true can possibly be a threat to the Christian faith.

Third, Paul prays that the Ephesian Christians have hope. He prays “that you may know what is the hope of His calling.” It is a calling from God that gives us hope. I think this is talking about our own personal calling from God. Theoretical Christianity is of no use to anyone. It is no good simply to accept a religion called Christianity. Religion cannot give us hope. God’s calling gives us hope. And hope is what is needed these days. I do not pretend to understand what is happening with the Occupy Wall Street movement in this country. It is very complex, but it seems to me that it is giving voice to the fact that portions of our society no longer have hope. They feel like they are stuck and going nowhere. When a society loses hope, then it is in real danger. Much more danger than we realize. God gives us hope. Christ gives us hope. When we feel that God has truly called us, then it gives us meaning and purpose.

Fourth, Paul prays for riches, but not the riches you may think. He prays that we might know “what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.” This is a very different type of riches. Once again the national conversation seems to be focused on money – those who have it and those who don’t – the 1% and the 99% - and the shrinking of the middle class. There is a lot of talk about redistribution of wealth, restructuring the tax code, and resentment at the huge salaries and bonuses that corporate executives are getting. There is a lot of talk about the world economy and how the European economy affects our economy. I know that this is important, especially as it affects those who have the least – who struggle to have food and shelter. But there is another type of riches that Paul is concerned with – “the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.”

This is a complex phrase, and it is translated in different ways. I think he is talking about the incredible riches that we have in Christ. We are rich beyond imagining. I am not saying that money isn’t important. It is. As I get closer to retirement I think of making sure I have enough money to live on. This stock market roller coaster makes me nervous. Healthcare is important and that costs money. Even when it comes to the work of this church and missions, money is important. But spiritual riches are more important. I wish I could inject a conversation about spiritual riches into the national political conversation. But the news media wouldn’t be able to handle it. It so misunderstands and distorts the role of religion, that you can’t have an intelligent spiritual conversation on a national scale. It gets co-opted by politics and economics.

Spiritual riches put material riches into perspective. The truly blessed in our society are not the billionaires. Jesus told lots of stories about rich people who were poor in the things that really mattered. Material wealth protects us from many of the physical dangers of life and can provide a certain measure of physical security and peace of mind. But it cannot give you the deep inner spiritual security or peace of mind. If that were true than the rich and famous people would be the happiest and most well-adjusted people in the world, and a glance at the tabloid headlines will disprove that theory.

Fifth, Paul prays for power. Once again, it is not worldly power. He prays that the Ephesian Christians might know “what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power.” He doesn’t pray that we have power but that we acknowledge and know God’s power. He prays that we might know the power of God in our lives.  This is not outer power demonstrated in how many people we can get to do our will through money or government or force. This is the inner strength of knowing and being in harmony with the will of God. Paul goes on in the rest of the passage to talk about how that power was demonstrated in Jesus Christ, specifically in his resurrection, ascension, and his present rule today. He says: “This is the same mighty power ²⁰ that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. ²¹ Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. ²² God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. ²³ And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.” To put it simply Christ reigns. That is what real power is about.

To close this message I want to return to the theme of thanksgiving once again and do it with a story. Matthew Henry was an 18^th century Presbyterian minister and Biblical scholar known for his commentaries on every book of the Bible. He was once robbed. The thieves took everything of value that he had. Later that evening he wrote in his diary these words, “I am thankful that during these years I have never been robbed before. Also, even though they took my money, they did not take my life. Although they took all I had, it was not much. Finally, I am grateful that it was I who was robbed, not I who robbed.” On this Thanksgiving Sunday let us be thankful.

God’s Investment Strategy

Delivered November 13, 2011

Matthew25:14-30

Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz has been in the news during the last few months. He has taken out full-page ads in the New York Times and USA Today to address what he calls the "pervasive failure of leadership in Washington." Schultz has asked fellow business leaders to boycott campaign contributions until both political parties deal with the national debt. He has also urged them to invest in projects that will create jobs, and help kick start the sluggish economy. To practice what he preaches he started the "Create Jobs for USA" fund to provide affordable loans. Beginning Nov. 1, Starbucks began collecting donations of $5 from customers. Starbucks is itself donating $5 million to the fund. He says he is committed to investing in people.

In our Gospel lesson for this morning, Jesus talks about investing – what we might call God’s investment strategy. He talks about a man who invests in people and expects a return on his investment. It is a different way of looking at the spiritual life. So often we talk about our relationship with God in terms of love, family or friendship. God so loved the world. Jesus loves me this I know. I’m so glad I’m a part of the family of God. What a friend we have in Jesus. These are strong biblical themes. But here Jesus uses a business model to communicate spiritual truth concerning our dealings with God.  Jesus talks about a man who is planning to take a trip to a far country. “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.”  The man knew he could not take it with him so he entrusts it to this servants.

There is a joke about a rich man lay dying on his deathbed, and requested to be joined at his bedside by his accountant, his doctor and his pastor.  He says he knows they say that he can’t take it with him, but he would like to try. He instructed these three men whom he trusted to make sure he was buried with his money. He gave each of them $100,000 cash and asked them to put the money in the casket at the funeral home. A couple of days later the old man passed away and was buried within the week.

A week after the funeral, the accountant came to see the pastor at his church office and was surprised to see the doctor there as well. The three began to talk about the deceased and the promise they had made to him. The accountant was suddenly overcome with guilt. He confessed to the pastor that he had only put only half of the money into the casket, and had kept the rest for himself.  The doctor said, “I might as well confess my sin too” and he told the other two men that he also had only thrown half the money in the casket and kept the rest for himself. The pastor jumped up and said, “I think that is a terrible thing both of you did. I would never do such a thing. I threw in a check for the full amount!”

In Jesus’ story, the man is going out of the country for a long period of time and he entrusts this wealth to his servants. Jesus uses the word “talent” to describe the man’s goods. This term can be confusing to  people because the word talent in this context refers to a unit of weight used in ancient times. In Jesus’ day a Hebrew talent was about 130 pounds. Here he is probably talking about talents of gold.  So imagine the value of 130 pounds of gold! So you can’t read this story and think, ”O, the poor guy who only got one talent.” He only got 130 pounds of gold! At the current price of gold that is over $3.5 million! So let’s not feel to badly for the one talent guy.

As we read this parable we also have to understand it is allegorical. The master is Christ. Jesus is nearing the end of his earthly ministry in this chapter and he is going to travel to the far country of heaven. Very soon he was going to leave earth and ascend to heaven with a promise to return one day. While he is away, he expected his followers to use wisely what he has given them, so that when he returns he will see some progress. That is the basic outline. Now let’s see more specifically what the story teaches.

I. First, it teaches that God invests in us. This is the way we are to see our lives. We need to see everything we have not as our possessions to do with what we wish, but as God’s possessions, which he has given to us as an investment. I don’t know how much you know about investing money. I don’t know very much, which is why I buy mutual funds and ETFs (Equity Traded Funds). I diversify. I don’t put all my money in one pot, and I am conservative and cautious in my investing, which means that I go down with everyone else when the stock market plunges. But even when I invest in mutual funds I research them. I look at their track record, fees and returns, and how they compare to other funds of the same type. If one fund or family of funds historically underperforms, then I don’t invest in those. I try to find the funds of the highest quality. 

The fact that God invests in us says that he values us. He is willing to take a chance on us. God is pretty smart! So if God is willing to invest in our lives, then it ought to cause us to take a second look at our lives and see what God sees in us. I am not usually a big self-esteem human potential type of preacher, but here I will make an exception. I think that the fact that God invests in his servants says a lot about us and what we can do for God and his kingdom. Some people don’t think they have much to offer Christ’s church. They may not have much money to give. They might not think they are gifted with music talents or leadership skills, so they think they have little to offer. They could not be more wrong. According to this parable even the least of the servants has been given a treasure beyond imagining. Each of us have been given wonderful gifts, and abilities and resources by God. We just need to do some research to discover what they are.

II. Second, God invests in us according to our ability. Verse 15 ^“And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability.” This means that God has invested in you exactly correctly. There was a lot of controversy a couple of months ago about the Obama administration’s decision to invest $535 million of taxpayers money in Solyndra, a company that makes solar-power panels in a California. It went bankrupt and the taxpayers got stuck with the bill. A lot of people who looked at the books said that this was a poor investment decision and possibly political payback.

God does not play politics. He invests in everyone according to his ability. Our lives are an open book to him. He would not invest in you if he didn’t know for certain that you are up to the task. In other words, God thinks you can do it, and God ought to know. This should come as a great comfort to us. He doesn’t invest too much or too little. So we do not have to worry about not meeting God’s expectations when it comes to results. He gives us exactly what we need to do exactly what we need to be doing for God in this life.

III. Third, God expects us to take risks. The focus of this story is on the one talent guy. Whereas the other two – the five talent and two talent servants – invested their money and doubled their money in the time frame allotted, the one talent guy did not. Verse 18 says, “But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money.”  When the master came back to see how his investments had done, he went to each servant in turn. In verse 24 he comes to the one talent servant: ²⁴ “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. ²⁵ And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’ ²⁶ “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. ²⁷ So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. ²⁸ So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.

There are a couple of things to note here. First, the master gave the servants complete freedom to use the gold anyway they saw fit. I think this teaches us that God does not micromanage his investments. We have great freedom with how we serve God, and with that freedom comes responsibility. And it takes risk. The new biography of Steve Jobs showed that he was a man who took enormous risks. 20/20 had a show recently on self-made billionaires. People who started with nothing and now are worth billions. The common theme in each of their lives is that they failed often. They risked it all and lost it all and tried again until they succeeded. We can learn from that entrepreneurial spirit. Too many people are too afraid to risk themselves in the service of God. They are too afraid they will fail or possibly lose it all. The spiritual life is all about faith. Faith by its nature involves risk. In faith you aren’t sure; you are taking a chance.

Even believing in God and in Christ is a risk. We might be dead wrong. We in this church are betting our lives and our souls that there really is a God and that Jesus really is his Son. There is no guarantee that we are right. We might be completely deceived. When I look at my life and think about what I believe and do as a pastor, sometimes I think I must be crazy. But I have bet all my chips on Jesus Christ. My fate is tied to his. It is a risk. If it is not true I have wasted my life in believing a fairy tale about a man who is said to have risen from the dead 2000 years ago and is offering eternal life to those who believe in him. But I am risking everything that this is true. If I am wrong all I have lost is my life. If I am correct then I have gained eternal life and lived this life as well as I could. Faith is looking at all the evidence and being willing to take the risk.

The spiritual life is a risk. There is no doubt about it. The one talent man in the story knew it was a risk. He weighed the risk and decided it was not worth taking the chance. So he buried his talent of gold in the ground. When the Master returned, he scolded the man. He said the least he should have done was but it in a savings account at the local Jerusalem Credit Union. Then at least it would have earned interest. Maybe not a lot, but any interest on $3.5 million dollars is not peanuts.

IV. Fourth, God expects a return on his investment. He expects his servants to do the work and he will get the return. After all it is his money. He says in the story: “I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed.” The first two servants doubled the master’s money, and the master was pleased with that. It sounds like that is what we ought to shoot for. But he would have content with even a low rate of return as long as it was some return. This applies to us.

This applies in part to our use of money. These stories of self-made billionaires that Barbara Walters interviewed all gave back to the community and to the poor and invested in others. Probably most billionaires are not like that, but these were. And we need to as well. How much of our money are we giving back? How much of our time are we giving back? How much of our God-given abilities are we giving back? It is so easy to close in on ourselves. To make our lives about us. But Jesus said that those who seek to save their lives will lose their lives, but those who give their lives away, end up saving their lives.

V. Finally, God rewards the faithful. When the master came back from the far country he called his servants to account. Those who invested the Master’s goods well were rewarded. Listen to the reward: Verse 20ff “So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ ²¹ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ ²² He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ ²³ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’”

What is the reward? A life of luxury and ease? The reward in the story is more responsibility. ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.”  Isn’t that interesting? The more you use, the more you have to use. When we do a good job for God, God gives us more to do. Conversely when we do not serve God well, even what we have is taken away. The master took the one talent from the third unfaithful servant and gave it to the one who now had ten. The spiritual rule taught here is: use it or lose it. In the spiritual life, if you don’t use what God has given you, you will not have it very long. If you are afraid of failing, then you have already failed. We are being taught to take risks and reap the reward, which is to take even bigger risks.

The other reward mentioned is joy. To the faithful servants the master says, “Enter into the joy of your lord.” This is the greatest reward: joy! And isn’t this really what everyone is looking for when it comes right down to it? What we really want is to be happy. Joy is the biblical word for true, deep, abiding happiness. We are designed to seek happiness. We naturally avoid what makes us unhappy, and we seek what makes us happy. Most people look for happiness in all the wrong places, all the wrong pursuits and all the wrong people. This story teaches us that what will bring us true happiness, deep and lasting joy, is God – serving God and being in the presence of God. That is worth investing your life in.

The Big Day

Delivered November 6, 2011

Matthew 25:1-13

A few times in our lives there are big days. It is a big day when you are born. There is an anonymous quote that says, “When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice.”   It is a big day when a baby is born. For us it is an important day when we are born, even though we can’t remember it. It is so important to us that we celebrate it every year with a birthday, and will often throw a party, especially on important birthdays. It is a big day when our children are born and our grandchildren. A graduation is a big day – high school, college. It is a big day when we get married. That is another one of those days we remember and observe every year. At least you better … if you are the husband! There are other big days, but most often when people use the phrase “the big day” it is in reference to weddings. It was a big day when our kids got married, and especially when our daughter got married … because that day had a big price tag. In fact, thebigday.com on the internet is a honeymoon registry.

Weddings have always been big days in every culture. So it is not surprising that Jesus uses a story of a wedding as a metaphor for another big day that he wants to describe. In our Gospel Lesson for today, Jesus tells the story of a Jewish wedding in first century Palestine. A lot of the meaning of this story is lost on us because they did weddings very differently back then. Hopefully I can clarify it a bit. Jesus’ story focuses on the bridesmaids. In this case there were ten of them; they are called the ten virgins in this story. Back then a wedding was a weeklong series of festivities. It was centered on the home of the bride and the home in which the couple was to live, which was customarily the parents of the groom. Back then brides moved in with their in-laws, which I am sure was not easy for those brides. I have been reading that in these tough economic times couples are having to live with in-laws for financial reasons. It was the same back then.

A man, his wife and his mother-in-law went on vacation to the Holy Land. While they were there, the mother-in-law passed away. The undertaker told them, 'You can have her shipped home for $5,000, or you can bury her here in the Holy Land for $500.' The man thought about it and told him he would just have her shipped home. The undertaker asked, 'Why would you spend $5,000 to ship your mother-in-law home, when it would be wonderful to have her buried here and spend only $500?' The man replied, 'a man died here 2,000 years ago, was buried here, and three days later he rose from the dead. I just can't take that chance.'

The groom would take his bride to his father’s house. This is an important detail in this story when you realize that the bridegroom symbolizes Jesus. So the house where a room was prepared for them was his Father’s house. Remember that famous verse so often used at funerals: “In My Father’s house are many mansions [rooms]; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”

As I mentioned, in that time and place, a wedding was a weeklong celebration. The bride and friends and family would party. The groom and friends and family would have a separate party. Then at some point the groom would decide it was time for the ceremony. The groom would suddenly appear at the bride’s house for his bride. This usually happened on the last day, but exactly when he would arrive on that day was a surprise. His appearance would be preceded by a messenger who would announce the imminent arrival of the bridegroom. When the groom arrived, there would be a procession of groomsmen and bridesmaids and the whole wedding party would go into the house where the ceremony and the banquet would be held. That is the historical context of Jesus’ parable.

In Jesus’ story it is the end of the week of preparation and celebration. The groom had not arrived yet, and it was the last day. Everyone was waiting in anticipation. The day went on and no groom arrived. Maybe people were getting a little worried. No bride wants to be left at the altar. Night fell, and there was still no groom. The ten bridesmaids knew he would must be arriving soon, so they took their oil lamps and went outside the gate to meet the groom. Five of the bridesmaids brought just their lamps with whatever oil was in them. Five others brought an extra supply of oil for their lamps, just in case the groom was delayed. Well, the groom was late. So late that all the bridesmaids had fallen asleep. The herald announcing the groom’s arrival finally showed up at midnight, and his announcement woke up the sleeping bridesmaids. They all trimmed their lamps, which would then be used in the wedding procession. It would have been beautiful – a candlelight procession into the house for the ceremony. But five of the bridesmaids (Jesus calls them the foolish ones) had run out of oil. They had to run off and find some oil and hopefully get back before the groom arrived. Well, they didn’t make it. By the time they got back to the house, the groom had already arrived and the procession was over. The whole wedding party was inside the grounds with the gate shut, and the ceremony was already underway. No one was allowed to enter at that point.

That is the story. Why does Jesus tell this story? What is he talking about? Jesus says that story is about the Kingdom of Heaven, also known as the Kingdom of God. He says, “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.” So it was to do with God’s Kingdom. It likely has to do with God’s kingdom coming to earth, as Jesus said in the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

The Bible – NT and OT – teaches that God’s kingdom will come. What this means exactly, and what form it takes, has been debated by Christians ever since the second century. Once the apostles died no one could agree exactly what the apostles meant in the NT by the Kingdom of God coming to earth and how the return of Christ was connected to this. It is a clear teaching of scripture that Christ will return. Exactly how, in what form, and when is not so clear. As you know by now, I tend to be traditional in my understanding of Christian doctrine. I think once you start picking and choosing which doctrines to accept or reject, then the whole fabric of the gospel starts to unravel. Therefore I believe that Jesus really will return, and that this teaching is not just symbolic or purely spiritual. I believe there will be a day – the big day – what the OT prophets called “The Day of the Lord.” I believe one day there will be a new heaven and a new earth, a day when death will be no more. But I also know that the nature of this day is beyond my comprehension.

But I think it is important for all of us to know that there will be a big day. Even if you don’t accept the idea of a literal return of Jesus, and a new heaven and earth – a cosmic event ending history, and changing life as we know it, - still we all know that there will be a day when your personal history will end and this life as you now know it will end. That is the day of our death. Unless the Lord returns first, all of us will die. That will be a big day for each of us. Death is an important event in our lives. Yet it is amazing how little people prepare for this big day. People prepare more for going on a vacation than for taking the ultimate vacation from your body! This is why Jesus tells this story. He is saying that we ought to be prepared. That is why he tells this story about five foolish girls who were not prepared and five wise girls who were. What is Jesus’ message here? Briefly, I think there are five points.

1. First, it is later than you think. In the story it is midnight when the announcement comes that the big day has arrived. It is later than we think. None of us knows how much time we have, but most of us think that we have more time than we actually do. I assume I do. I look at the charts and see that life expectancy in the US is now 78.7 years of age. I am a little more than sixty-one, so I think I have 17 and a half years left. What I really feel is that I have at least that long. I expect to live longer. I assume I am going to beat the odds and live well into my eighties. Even though I am overweight and don’t get enough exercise, I act like those risk factors don’t really apply to me. In my saner moments I know it is crazy to think like this, but I assume I have lots of time before I meet my Maker. But it may not be true. It is later than I think. It is later than you think. It is midnight and we have been asleep. And one day there will be a wakeup call. I think it is interesting in the story that all of the bridesmaids fall sleep; not just the foolish ones. It is later than all of us think.

Two buddies, Bob and Earl, were two of the biggest baseball fans in America. Their entire adult lives, Bob and Earl discussed baseball history in the winter, and they poured over every score of every game during the playing season. They went to sixty games a year. They even agreed that whoever died first would try to come back and tell the other if there was baseball in heaven. One summer night, Bob passed away in his sleep after watching a Red Sox victory earlier in the evening. He died a happyman. A few nights later, his buddy, Earl, awoke to the sound of Bob's voice from beyond. "Bob is that you?" Earl asked. "Of course it me," Bob replied.

"This is unbelievable!" Earl exclaimed. "So tell me, is there baseball in heaven?" "Well, I have some good news and some bad news for you. Which do you want to hear first?" "Tell me the good news first." "Well, the good news is that, yes, there is baseball in heaven, Earl." "Oh, that is wonderful! So what could possibly be the bad news?" "You're pitching tomorrow night."

It’s later than you think.

2. Second, it happens suddenly and unexpectedly. Just a few verses before this story Jesus tells us: “Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”  You can’t predict death - our own or anyone else’s. Maybe if a person has a long terminal illness, we can expect it is coming sometime soon. Doctors may speak in terms of months or weeks. But we can’t know exactly when. As Jesus says in our passage: “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”

3.Third, Be prepared. This is the central teaching of this parable. Jesus pointed out that none of the bridesmaids knew when the groom was arriving. But five of them were prepared and five were not. It may happen quickly and soon, and it may be a long way off. In fact in the story the bridegroom is delayed. We know historically that it has been 2000 years since Christ’s death, resurrection and ascension, and still Christ has not returned as the apostles’ expected. It has made a lot of people think the whole idea of the second coming of Christ is foolish. But the whole point of the parable is that the groom is very late - much later than anyone expected, and so we should not be surprised if Christ is much later than anyone expected. The apostles never would have dreamt that we would be talking about this 2000 years after their deaths!  That is the way it always is.

That is why it is so important to be prepared. To be prepared means to think seriously and thoroughly about it now. Deal with the certainty of your death sooner rather than later. Do not wait until it is too late. It is best to think about death and what comes after death while our minds are clear and calm, and we are not panicked nor under pressure or stressed or drugged or mentally impaired in any way. Everyone should make sure that they are at ease with their own mortality. That they have contemplated happens after death. We don’t want to wait to think about these things at the last minute, and then realize we do not have the time, energy, or clarity of mind to make important decisions. Get it taken care of – the sooner the better. “Make your peace with God” as they used to say. Be prepared so that when the bridegroom appears you will have oil in your lamp and be ready to join the procession and be part of the wedding banquet in the Father’s house.

4. Fourth, there is no borrowing or sharing of spiritual resources. In the story the five foolish bridesmaids “said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ ⁹ But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’” Jesus is teaching that everyone is responsible for themselves when it comes to spiritual preparations for the Big Day. We can’t rely on anyone else to do it for us. We can’t hire a professional.  I can’t do it for you. If you die before me, then I can do your funeral for you, but I can’t do your personal spiritual preparations for you. We each have to do that ourselves – between just us and God.

Steve Jobs is quoted in his new biography as saying, “You're born alone, you're going to die alone. And does anything else really matter?”  That obviously doesn’t mean no one is physically around at those times. Your parents are around at your birth – at least your mom, and a midwife or doctor and other people to help in the delivery. Likewise at our death, there will probably be people there. Our loved ones, hospice, or medical personnel. What Jobs meant is that existentially no one can go through it with us or for us. We all will die separately and face what comes after death individually.  All we can bring with us to that big day is the inner spiritual preparations we have made and spiritual resources that we have developed during our years of life.

5. Fifth, there are no second chances. I know some religions teach reincarnation –that when we die then our soul is reborn in another body, and that this is repeated over and over again. Don’t bet on it. Jesus never taught it. According to scripture, we have one life to live. In Jesus’ story the five foolish bridesmaids do not get a second chance. They are shut out of the wedding, even though they had been anticipating the wedding and celebrating the bridegroom’s arrival for a week. It is a sad ending to the story. Jesus says, “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ ¹² But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ This is what it comes down to. Do you know him? Are you ready for your big day?

Four Things Jesus Hates

Delivered October 30, 2011 

Matthew 23:1-12

          Hate is a strong word to use in reference to Jesus. We don’t like to think of Jesus hating. Although it is probably inaccurate to say that Jesus hated anyone, I think it is accurate to say that there were some things that Jesus hated. I don’t think it is too strong a word to use to describe Jesus’ attitude toward certain behaviors. Jesus got angry on a number of occasions. He had harsh words to say to some people – especially the Pharisees. Many of this parables have end in very strong condemnation of people’s behaviors. The classic instance of Jesus’ anger is when he drove the moneychangers out of the temple courts. It is fair to say that Jesus hated that they were profaning his Father’s house. There were other things that Jesus hated.  Usually Jesus anger was directed toward religious people – the Pharisees, scribes and Sadducees. He had only kind words to say toward the so-called “sinners,” but he often used harsh words when addressing religious people who considered themselves righteous. In our passage under consideration today Jesus mentions four things that he hates. Let’s look at them.

I. First, Jesus hates it when people do not practice what they preach. Verses 2-3 Jesus said, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. ³ Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do.” The NIV translates it this way: “³ So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.”  Jesus hates it when religious people profess one thing and do the opposite. Over and over again Jesus called the Pharisees hypocrites for not practicing what they preached. As followers of Jesus we have to be so careful to live lives of integrity. If we call ourselves Christians, then people will measure us by the standard of Christ. This is especially true of pastors and religious leaders. People examine our behavior very carefully. If the leaders have moral failings then people paint the whole church and all of Christianity with that brush. We might not think that is fair, but that is the way it is. We can say that people should not judge the whole church by the behavior of some Christians, but people will. If we profess to follow Christ, then our outward behavior better reflect that commitment as much as possible.

There was a PBS documentary recently by Ken Burns. It hadthree parts: A Nation of Drunkards, a Nation of Scofflaws, and a Nation of Hypocrites. In this third section much times was devoted to the fact that many of those who promoted temperance (including religious people) did not practice what they preached. One quote stood out: Lutherans praise God privately and drink publicly. Methodists praise God publicly and drink privately. There is another saying:  Jews don’t recognize Jesus as the Son of God. Protestants don’t recognize the pope as the head of the church. Baptists don’t recognize each other at the liquor store. Recently there was a relevant line in the TV medical drama “House.” Dr.Gregory House said to a colleague: “I will choose to listen to your actions rather than your words. They are more honest.” 

II. Second, Jesus hates it when religion puts a burden on people. In verse 4, still talking the scribes and Pharisees, Jesus says, “⁴ For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.” Jesus hates it when religion lays heavy burdens on people instead of lifting the burdens. A lot of religion is burdensome. It is filled with rules and laws and obligations. It is a bunch of “Thou shalts” and “Thou shalt nots.”  “Do this” and “don’t do that.” “Think this, don’t think that.” Religion in many cases is nothing more than legalism. And nothing is so burdensome as a bunch of religious rules you have to follow.

The gospel of Jesus is one of grace, not of law. It is lifting burdens off people’s backs, not adding to their burden. One big burden that people have is the burden of guilt and shame. A lot of people see Christianity as all about identifying sins. People grew up in churches feeling guilty for sinning and feeling like they were terrible people. Many times when people leave church and religion behind they see it as freedom from all this guiltmongering. (I don’t even know if that is a word!) People often associate churches and Christianity with feelings of sin and guilt.

It should be just the opposite. The message of the gospel is freedom from sin and guilt. That is the core message of the NT. In Jesus Christ sin has been done away with. The biblical understanding of the death of Jesus is that on the cross sin was dealt with once for all. Don’t ask me to explain it; I can’t. But it is testimony of scripture and it is my experience that all our sin – all my sin – has been extinguished, cleansed, forgiven by God through the atoning death of Jesus. All sin is gone. All fear of punishment for sin is gone. All guilt for past sins is gone. All fear of the consequences of future sin is gone. All that burden is lifted.

One of the classic works of Christian spirituality is John Bunyan’s Pilgrims Progress. It is a symbolic pilgrimage of man named Christian from the "City of Destruction" to the "Celestial City." Early in the book Christian carries a huge burden on his back and his trip was very difficult because of that heavy burden. Letme read you one passage. The book says he “came at a place somewhat ascending, and upon that place stood a Cross, and a little below in the bottom, a Sepulchre. So I saw in my Dream, that just as Christian came up with the Cross, his Burden loosed from off his shoulders, and fell from off his back, and began to tumble, and so continued to do, till it came to the mouth of the Sepulchre, where it fell in, and I saw it no more. Then was Christian glad and lightsome, and said with a merry heart, He hath given me rest by his sorrow, and life by his death. Then he stood still awhile to look and wonder; for it was very surprising to him, that the sight of the Cross should thus ease him of his Burden. He looked therefore, and looked again, even till the springs that were in his head sent the waters down his cheeks.” This is a picture of the joy of freedom from the burden of sin that is ours through the cross.

As Christians our job is to free people from burdens, not add to their burdens. This is especially true of the burden of sin and guilt, but also true of other burdens. The apostle Paul urges us to carry one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. Jesus says, “²⁸ Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”  Jesus hates it when people put burdens on people instead of taking burdens off people.

III. Third, Jesus hates it when people do good works to be seen by others. He says in verse 5, still speaking of the Pharisees “But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments.” The phylacteries that he is referring to are tefillin, the black boxes that orthodox Jews wear on their foreheads during daily prayers, and the borders of their garments refers to the prayer shawls that are worn. Jesus was not anti-Semitic, singling out Jewish religion; he was himself a Jew. He is not condemning Jewish religious practices in particular. He is condemning the practice of doing religious acts and charitable deeds to be seen by others. 

Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount, ⁵ “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.” He says in the same passage: “¹ “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. ² Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. ³ But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴ that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.”

Jesus is talking about the difference between religion and morality as an outward performance versus an inward discipline. I don’t think Christians go to church to be seen to be religious much these days. That might have been the case in earlier times, perhaps even as recently as the 1940’s ,50, and 60’s when church going was socially expected.  But now going to church is counter-cultural. It is those who don’t go who are conforming to society. But I still think that a lot of people’s spirituality is public. The only time many Christians pick up a Bible is Sunday morning, or pray (more than grace at a table) is Sunday morning, or hear or sing Christian songs is Sunday morning. Our Christianity needs to go beyond that which is seen by people to that which is seen only by God.

IV. Fourth, Jesus hates the misuse of religious power and authority. He hates religious professionals who seek honor for themselves instead of honoring God. Jesus says in verses 6-10 about the Pharisees, “They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, ⁷ greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’ ⁸ But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren. ⁹ Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. ¹⁰ And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ.”

This is directed toward people like me – clergy types, religious leaders. As an ordained minister I get to see clergy in a whole different light than most of you folks. When we ministers sit down and talk shop I see what is behind the professional exterior. I must say that most ministers are sincere Christians who have dedicated their lives to serving God and others –often at great cost to themselves and their families. But some are exactly the way Jesus describes the Pharisees here. Some are really into the status that they think that being a minister gives them. They like the places of honor and the recognition. Some are really into ecclesiastical titles, and academic degrees, and climbing the denominational ladder, getting the big churches and the prestigious positions. This is what Jesus hates. Jesus tells us in our passage to forget the titles – we are all brothers and sisters. There is really only one Teacher and that is Jesus. One authority – that is God.

We are not going to do away with ecclesiastical hierarchy, titles and positions.  But let’s remember that Christ is the only authority that really matters. We clergy have to get over ourselves, and not take ourselves too seriously. It is not just clergy that have to be get over themselves. Lay people can get really into positions of power in local congregations too. For some people being in a position of authority and responsibility in a church really goes to their head. Some people have so little power elsewhere in their lives – at their jobs and in their homes - and they feel so powerless in other parts of their lives, that when they get a little authority in a church it goes to their heads and they abuse it. People in churches can abuse clergy as much as clergy can abuse churches and persons in churches. 

Jesus ends his list of what he hates with a couple of verses about what he loves. He says in verse 11 “But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant.” Jesus loves it when we serve. Those who serve are the greatest in his opinion and in his kingdom. Jesus said of himself that he did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. He is favorite word to describe a Christian is servant. The apostle Paul did not flaunt his apostolic title of authority; his favorite title for himself, which he used often to start his letters, was simply “Paul a servant of Jesus Christ.” There is no greater title or job that we can have than servant. 

Lastly Jesus loves those who humble themselves. He says in verse 12 “And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” This saying is attached to the end of many of Jesus parables. Sometimes it is not at all clear why it is included. It has led many Biblical scholars think the verse was added later to various parables and sayings of Jesus.  But I think it sounds authentically like Jesus. It is the principle by which Jesus lived his life, and which he calls us to live by. It does not surprise me that he would repeat it as often as he did. Proverbs 6:16 says, “There are six things the LORD hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him” The first one listed is “a proud look.”  Jesus shares that sentiment. There are certain attitudes he hates, and certain ones he loves. And what he loves the most is a humble servant heart.