“The Greatest Love”

               On the Church Liturgical calendar, we have begun the season of Lent, a 40-day period of spiritual preparation leading up to Easter Sunday and the celebration of the Resurrection.  This period of preparation includes acknowledging and confessing our sins and shortcomings, and performing acts of self-sacrifice and penitence as we remember Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross to demonstrate the depth of God’s love for us. 

                During Lent this year, our proclamations and worship services will focus on the “Farewell Discourse” in the Gospel of John, chapters 14-16.  This discourse occurs in the evening, just before Jesus is betrayed by Judas Iscariot.  Jesus is together with the disciples—except for Judas—and some other followers.  Jesus uses this time to prepare followers for his imminent betrayal and crucifixion.  He uses this moment to teach them about his relationship with God the Creator and to reassure them that God will continue to look over them and lead them, even after Jesus has gone.

               We began our reflections on the “Farewell Discourse” last Sunday with John 14:8-18, where Jesus describes his relationship with God the Creator while also promising to send an “Advocate,” who will come to the disciples after Jesus’ Ascension into Heaven.  This Sunday, March 17th, we will focus on Jesus’ explanation of the role that love plays in our relationship with God, as we reflect upon John 15:12-17. 

Our scripture begins with Jesus reiterating part of the teaching which we examined last week.  Jesus says, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you” (verse 12).  In our passage last Sunday, Jesus grounded humans’ love for God with keeping his commandments—that is to say, Jesus’ teachings.  As we saw last week:  To love Jesus is to keep his ‘commandments’ or teachings, while to keep his commandments is to love Jesus. 

In our scripture this week, Jesus slightly emends his teaching by stressing that the object of our love should be loving one another as Jesus’ has loved each of us.  The present subjunctive tense in the command, “Love one another,” suggests that our love for one another should be ongoing.  Jesus sets up a “chain of love,” when we view this verse within the context of what he has already said in John 15:1-11:  The Creator (Father) loves Jesus; Jesus loves his followers; and his followers are called by God to love one another—and by implication all other persons.

After establishing the centrality of love for discipleship, Jesus next describes the depth of love.  He says, “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (verse 13).  Of course, this is precisely what Jesus proceeds to do over the next 24 hours.  Following his “Farewell Discourse” with his followers, they go out to the Garden where he was betrayed by Judas; Jesus is condemned in a “show-trial” and then executed by crucifixion the next day.  In his crucifixion and death, Jesus demonstrates once and for all the awesome love of God, which is quite literally beyond the comprehension of the human mind.

After observing that the greatest love a person can have for his friends is to “lay down his life,” Jesus immediately reassures his followers that they are his friends.  He says,  “You are my friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father” (John 15:14-15).  

The Greek word translated as “friend” is philos, which is one of two words the Gospel writer uses interchangeably for love.  When Jesus speaks of friends here, he is really saying “those who are loved”. Our English word, “friend,” does not fully convey the presence of the love that undergirds the Johannine notion of friendship. Perhaps it would be better to translate philos as “beloved.”  Because Jesus has freely shared everything about God with his followers, they are now Jesus’ friends.  Jesus has involved the disciples in the intimacy of his relationship with God.

            The language of friendship is immediately contextualized by language of election in verse 16a, when Jesus says, “You did not choose me, but I chose you.”  With this language of election, Jesus reminds the disciples (including the readers) that their place with him is the result of his initiative, not theirs; relationship with Jesus is ultimately a result of God’s grace. 

            Jesus follows this reminder of election with a reminder of commission and vocation:  “And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name” (verse 16b). The Greek word translated into English as “appointed” is tithenari—the same verb used in v. 13 when Jesus says that the greatest form of love is ‘to lay down one’s life’ for one’s friends.  So, when read in the original Greek, the connection between the commissioning  of the disciples and the example of laying down one’s life for one’s friends would be quite explicit and dramatic.  The disciples are commissioned by Jesus to go and do works of love.  Jesus then concludes, “I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another” (verse 17).

To summarize this scripture, Jesus begins by reminding his disciples that we are to love one another, just as he has loved us.  Then, Jesus elaborates by pointing out that there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.  And, Jesus reassures the disciples that we are his friends.  Of course, we readers recognize that laying down one’s life for one’s friends is precisely what Jesus does the next day, when he is crucified.  In the crucifixion, Jesus demonstrates that God’s love for us is awesome, literally beyond human comprehending.   In response to his incredible love for us, Jesus asks us to follow his teachings, which may be summarized as loving one another.[1]

              If you live in the Lincoln, Nebraska area and do not have a place of worship, then I invite you to come and join us at Christ United Methodist Church this Sunday, March 17th, as we continue our spiritual preparation for celebrating Easter and the Resurrection.  In the service this week, I will share a special way to demonstrate the love of God for each of us, and how God intends for us to respond to that love. 

               Christ UMC is located at 4530 “A” Street.  We have three worship services on Sunday mornings at 8:30, 9:45, and 11:00.  The 8:30 and 11:00 services feature a traditional worship format and the services are held in our Sanctuary.  “The Gathering” at 9:45 is held in our Family Life Center (gym), and it is more informal and interactive.   

Come, join us.  Everyone is welcome and accepted because God loves us all.

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[1] My interpretation of John 15:12-17 was informed by the following commentaries:  Gail R. O’Day, Commentary on the Gospel of John in the New Interpreter’s Bible, vol 9, (Nashville, Abingdon Press, 2002), CD-ROM Edition; Raymond Brown, The Gospel According to John (xiii-xxi) in “The Anchor Bible series (New York, Doubleday and Company, 1966); and John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the New Testament (Grand Rapids, Michigan, Baker Book House, 1981) vol 1.

“I will not leave you orphaned”

            This Sunday, March 10th, we begin the Liturgical season of Lent in the Western Church.  Lent is a 40-day period of spiritual preparation before celebration of Christ’s Resurrection on Easter Sunday.  This period of spiritual preparation is a penitential season, in which we acknowledge and lift up our sins and short-comings.  It is a special time for confession and self-sacrifice, as we remember Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross to demonstrate the depth of God’s love for us. 

            During Lent this year, our proclamations and worship services will focus on the “Farewell Discourse” in the Gospel of John, chapters 14-16.  This discourse occurs in the evening, just before Jesus is betrayed by Judas Iscariot.  Jesus is together with the disciples—except for Judas—and some other followers.  Jesus uses this time to prepare followers for his imminent betrayal and crucifixion.  He uses this moment to teach them about his relationship with God the Creator and to reassure them that God will continue to look over them and lead them, even after Jesus has gone. 

            My first proclamation on the “Farewell Discourse,” centers on John 14:8-18.  Of principal interest in this passage is Jesus’ discussion of his relationship with God the Creator and the Advocate, who will come to the disciples after Jesus’ Ascension into Heaven.  The passage begins with the disciple Philip querying, “Lord, show us the Father , and we will be satisfied” (verse 8).  Jesus is exasperated with Philip’s question because it appears as though he hasn’t been paying attention during Jesus’ ministry. 

Jesus says, “Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works.  Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves.” There is no other proof.  Philip must believe.  If he cannot  believe, then Jesus urges him to consider all of the works and miracles which Jesus has performed.

In this exchange, Jesus lays out what Christians understand to be the relationship between God the Creator--and Jesus.  This is our conviction as Christians:  God loves humanity so much that God became incarnated as human flesh in the person Jesus of Nazareth.  The Immanent Divinity became incarnated in order to teach and model for us the way God intends for us to live and love.  Through the life, teachings, ministry, and death of Jesus’ life, the Incarnated God models how God intends for us to live and love. 

Jesus continues, “The one [that is, the humans] who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father” (verse 12).  The term, “works,” refers to all the acts of Jesus’ ministry.  For the disciples to share in Jesus’ “works” is for them to share in Jesus ministry; to share in revealing God to the world; and to share in establishing God’s Reign here on Earth.

The disciples’ “works” are dependent upon Jesus’ departure to be with the Father because the success of the disciples’ works has nothing to do with the disciples themselves.  Through his life, death, and resurrection, Jesus has ushered in a new, eschatological age in which God will redeem humans and the world.  The Resurrection of Christ is the cosmic tipping point towards the transformation of the world into a New Creation.

Jesus will act in and through the disciples and their work.  So, the disciples “works” are in reality Jesus’ works through the disciples.  These “works” grow out of one’s love for God and Jesus, which reflects the love of God for each human person.  Jesus promises to “do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified” (verse 13).

So far, Jesus has focused his discourse on the importance of belief, but at verse 15 Jesus shifts the emphasis to loving Jesus.  Verses 15-18 describe two dimension of the disciples’ love relationship with Jesus.  The first dimension is the inseparability of one’s love for Jesus through keeping his commandments.  In verse 15, Jesus tells the disciples, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”  The key here is living a life grounded in love for Jesus:  To love Jesus is to keep his ‘commandments’ or teachings, while to keep his commandments is to love Jesus. 

The second dimension of this love is the abiding and indwelling presence of God for those who love Jesus.  Jesus promises that God’s presence will continue even after his death and ascension.  Central to this second dimension of love is Jesus’ promise to send the “Spirit of truth.”  Jesus says, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever.  This is the Spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive, [but] …You know him because he abides with you, and he will be in you” (verses 16-17; my emphasis). 

The Greek word for “Advocate” is Parakletos.  It can be interpreted as “Advocate” or “Comforter” or Counselor.”  In the Gospel of John, the Paraclete takes the place of the term “Holy Spirit,” used in the synoptic gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke.  What the Paraclete does is not new but is a continuation of the work of Jesus.  (see verse 17)  As the Spirit of truth, the Paraclete shares in the work of Jesus. Since Jesus is the truth (14:6), the Paraclete, or Holy Spirit, is an extension of Jesus himself.

In this scriptural passage, we encounter a deep theological explanation, which later emerged in the early Church as the Christian notion of the Trinity.  Jesus’ description can be summarized as follows: 

1.      Out of love for Creation, God the Creator became incarnate—that is, became a human person—in Jesus of Nazareth. 

2.      God the Divine Creator and God incarnated in Jesus of Nazareth are one with each other.  The Creator is in Jesus and Jesus is in the Creator.  God the Creator works through Jesus, and Jesus’ works—that is, ministry—are done through God.

3.      When Jesus ascends into Heaven, he continues to work through the works of his followers here on Earth.  In this way, Jesus’ followers are invited to help build God’s Reign. 

4.      Jesus’ followers love Jesus by obeying his commandments. 

5.      After Jesus leaves his followers, he will send the Paraclete (or, Holy Spirit).  The Holy Spirit is an extension of Jesus himself.  The Holy Spirit will guide Jesus’ followers and teach them more.

6.      The Holy Spirit resides with and inside Jesus’ followers.

This discussion by Jesus provides a thorough description of what Christians came to call the Trinity.

And yet there is one more thing.  Jesus pledges to his followers that he will not abandon them, but rather he will always abide with them and in them (through the Holy Spirit).  Jesus’ last words in this passage sum up his love for the disciples, “I will not leave you orphaned.” (verse 18a).[i]

If you live in the Lincoln, Nebraska area and do not have a place of worship, then I invite you to come and join us at Christ United Methodist Church this Sunday, March 10th, as we begin our spiritual preparation before celebrating the Resurrection of Christ on Easter Sunday.  We will be examining this passage of scripture, from Jesus’ “Farewell Discourse.”

Christ UMC is located at 4530 “A” Street.  We have three worship services on Sunday mornings at 8:30, 9:45, and 11:00.  The 8:30 and 11:00 services feature a traditional worship format and the services are held in our Sanctuary.  “The Gathering” at 9:45 is held in our Family Life Center (gym), and it is more informal and interactive.   

Come, join us.  Everyone is welcome and accepted because God loves us all.

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[i] My interpretation of John 14:8-18 was informed by the following commentaries:  Gail R. O’Day, Commentary on the Gospel of John in the New Interpreter’s Bible, vol 9, (Nashville, Abingdon Press, 2002), CD-ROM Edition; Raymond Brown, The Gospel According to John (xiii-xxi) in “The Anchor Bible series (New York, Doubleday and Company, 1966); and John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the New Testament (Grand Rapids, Michigan, Baker Book House, 1981) vol 1.

“The Most Important Virtue”

Christ United Methodist Church, my congregation, has just gone through a very difficult week; perhaps one of the hardest weeks in its history.  Earlier this week, our denomination met in a special “General Conference” to discuss the denomination’s policies concerning human sexuality.  The “General Conference” is the supreme policy-making body of the United Methodist Church, and it alone can speak for the entire denomination.  The General Conference is comprised of 850 delegates, who are elected by smaller, regional conferences.  Since the United Methodist  Church is a global church, delegates from around the world are part of the General Conference.

At its special meeting, held in St. Louis, the General Conference focused on three issues involving human sexuality:

1.      Will the church allow clergy to perform same-sex weddings?

2.      Will same-sex weddings be allowed on United Methodist Church properties?

3.      Will the church allow for ordination of LGBTQ persons?

At this special meeting, General Conference delegates decided against allowing same-sex weddings and ordination of LGBTQ+ persons.  These decisions are very painful and devastating for the many LGBT+ clergy and laity in the United Methodist Church—as well as many straight United Methodists who wish to see a welcoming and affirming church. 

These decisions were especially painful for most of my community of faith, and I personally found the decisions to be very devastating and incompatible with Christian scripture.  

Christ United Methodist Church in Lincoln has a long history of being an open and welcoming community of faith.  This heritage goes back to the 1970s, when we actively worked to welcome political refugees and helped them settle in our community.  Our Mission Statement explicitly welcomes all persons, including LGBTQ persons.  And, we believe that diversity is a strength for our congregation.

            So, when we gather to worship this Sunday, March 3rd, we will gather in pain, shock, disbelief, confusion, bewilderment, sadness, fear, and anger.  My proclamation must speak to my community of faith and where they are this weekend.  To ground my remarks and reflections, I have chosen 1 Corinthians 13.  Among Christians, the nickname for this passage is “the great love chapter.”  Traditionally, it is read during weddings.  While it is certainly a very, very appropriate scriptural passage for a wedding, that was not the Apostle Paul’s intent when he wrote these 13 verses.  Instead, Paul was trying to address and heal severe divisions within the Church of Corinth.  So, this scripture is certainly appropriate for our context this Sunday.

            1 Corinthians 13 takes the literary form of an encomium on love.  In the literary world of Paul’s day, an encomium was a literary praise for a certain moral virtue; in this case, love.  In the encomium’s prologue (verses 1-3), Paul seeks to establish love as forming the core of a faithful life.  He does this by listing some of the major qualities which the Corinthian Christians had come to highly regard in the life of a Christian.  Paul begins by listing “speaking in tongues,” or glossolalia.  Then he lifts up prophetic ability and knowledge.  Finally, he lifts up faith and sacrifice for God.  In each case, Paul proclaims that if these actions are not performed out of love, then they are nothing; they are just hollow accomplishments.

            In the next section, Paul describes what love is, as well as what love is not:

Love is not

·         Envious

·         Boastful

·         Arrogant or rude

·         Irritable

·         Resentful

·         Domineering, insisting on its own way

·         Love is

·         Patient

·         Kind

·         Bears all things

·         Hopes all things

·         Endures all things

For Paul, love is “running forgiveness,” always lifting up the other.  As the Biblical Scholar R. Paul Sampley writes, “…love is never held alone in one’s self; love always involves another; love always links one’s self to another.  …Love is a two-way street that provides a context of mutuality, understanding, and relatedness between each person and others, between God and believers, and between believers and believers.”[i]  Thus, despite their internal differences with one another, the Christians in the Corinth Church must learn to forgive and love one another. 

            In his third and final section, Paul asserts that unlike prophecies, knowledge, and even languages—which inevitably end—love never ends.  Love sustains.  Then, in keeping with the encomium formula, which he uses, Paul concludes by comparing love with two other virtues, faith and hope.  He writes, “Now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.” (v. 13)  For Paul, love is preeminent because love is the principal characteristic of God.  For Paul, God’s love makes possible our faith, understood as right relationship with God, and our hope, which we have through our faith.   Therefore, love is foremost.  Love is the most important virtue.

            In the context of the dreadful policies established at our United Methodist General Conference this week, 1 Corinthians 13 seems to be especially relevant for this Sunday. 

If you live in the Lincoln, Nebraska area and do not have a place of worship, then I invite you to come and join us at Christ United Methodist Church this Sunday, March 3rd.  Our focus will be on the decisions and policies approved at General Conference this week.  We will reflect upon what this means for our community of faith which was devastated and angered by these decisions.  Our reflections will be informed by 1 Corinthian 13, which calls upon us to love everyone, even those United Methodists with whom we vehemently disagree.

Christ UMC is located at 4530 “A” Street.  We have three worship services on Sunday mornings at 8:30, 9:45, and 11:00.  The 8:30 and 11:00 services feature a traditional worship format and the services are held in our Sanctuary.  “The Gathering” at 9:45 is held in our Family Life Center (gym), and it is more informal and interactive.   

Come, join us.  Everyone is welcome and accepted because God loves us all.

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[i]J. Paul Sample, Commentary on 1 Corinthians in the New Interpreter’s Bible, vol 10, (Nashville, Abingdon Press, 2002), CD-ROM Edition.

“What does It Mean to have the ‘Faith of a Little Child?’”

            We are in a transitional period at my church, Christ United Methodist Church.  Last week, we concluded our winter series on the “Upside Down Church.”  When we move into the Lenten Season in a few weeks, we will explore Jesus’ “Farewell Discourse” in the Gospel of John.  However, for this Sunday, February 24th, we will celebrate our children and youth and welcome Heleena Tapp as our new Youth Director.  My proclamation, as we celebrate children and youth, will be based on Mark 10:13-16:

“People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, ‘Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.  Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.’ And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.”

            There is a temptation to interpret this passage through the lens of the twenty-first century, instead of understanding its historical context.  In modern American culture, children are cherished and celebrated as treasures from God.  Parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, neighbors and friends, all practically fawn over the children and youth in our midst.  We spend copious amounts of time, money, and energy to support our children in club sports, dance and music lessons; Scouts and 4-H clubs, and a host of other clubs.  If our children are struggling in school, we gladly pay for private tutors to help them succeed academically.  We love our children and we make major investments in them as they grow into maturity.

            This was not the attitude toward children at the time of Jesus.  Instead, children were practically “non-persons” in ancient Jewish and pagan societies.  Children had no status; no power.  They were perceived as having no knowledge; nothing to contribute to their families or society.  As Biblical scholar Pheme Perkins observes, “The child in antiquity was radically dependent upon the pater familias.  The father decided whether the child would even be accepted into the family.  Children belonged to their father and remained subject to his authority even as adults.”[i]  Children were completely dependent upon their families, especially their fathers.

            Thus, to fully comprehend and appreciate Jesus’ meaning, we need to interpret this passage with a clear vision of the historical context.  In essence, Jesus teaches us that in order to receive the Kingdom of God—and personal salvation—we must utterly trust in God.  We must go “all in.”  Of course, this is not easy for adults.  We tend to “hedge our bets,” rather than going “all in” and fully, completely, radically trusting God.  Most of us have a natural tendency to prefer trusting in ourselves and our own abilities, rather than something external—even God.  We prefer to rely upon our own ingenuity, creativity, perseverance, and accomplishments, rather than placing our trust outside of ourselves.

            Yet, Jesus is clear in this periscope that Christian faith requires a total, unflinching trust in God and God’s providence. 

            Pheme Perkins, the Biblical scholar, also notes that by inviting and including the children, Jesus was also making it possible for the women who were present to listen to his teachings, just as the men.  Normally when a rabbi taught, only men were allowed to sit around him and listen.  In the patriarchal Jewish society, women were considered subordinate and intellectually inferior to men.  So, women were relegated to domestic work and childcare.  But, as Dr. Perkins observes, “Including the children also made it possible for the women who had the responsibility of caring for them to [also] hear Jesus’ teaching.”[ii]

If you live in the Lincoln, Nebraska area and do not have a place to worship, then I invite you to come and join us at Christ United Methodist Church this Sunday, February 24th, as we celebrate our children and youth. 

Christ UMC is located at 4530 “A” Street.  We have three worship services on Sunday mornings at 8:30, 9:45, and 11:00.  The 8:30 and 11:00 services feature a traditional worship format and the services are held in our Sanctuary.  “The Gathering” at 9:45 is held in our Family Life Center (gym), and it is more informal and interactive.   

Come, join us.  Everyone is welcome and accepted because God loves us all.

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[i] Pheme Perkins, The Gospel of Mark in The New Interpreter’s Bible, volume 8, 2003.

[ii] Ibid.

“The Burden of Discipleship”

            This Sunday, February 17th, I will conclude my sermon series, “An Upside-Down Church.”  This series was based upon my realization last fall, that—when we look at the ministry and teachings of Jesus from the perspective of faithful Jews in the first century—he was someone who came in and turned everything upside-down.  Everything that they had known and believed about God and about being a faithful Jew was turned upside-down by Jesus.   

            In reflecting on this insight, I began to ask myself what Jesus’ propensity to turn things upside-down might mean for the Christian faith and the Church in the 21st century?  That is to say, if Jesus were to physically appear today, how might he turn his own Church upside-down?  Reflecting on this question lead me to a slightly different perspective:  Given that we are called as Christians to be followers of Christ, perhaps Jesus expects his disciples to turn the church upside down, all by ourselves. 

            I want to conclude this series by reflecting upon a common criticism that Christians “are just a bunch of hypocrites.”  To ground our reflections this week, I have chosen selections from Matthew 23:

“Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them. They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long. They love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have people call them rabbi. …

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. It is these you ought to have practiced without neglecting the others. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel! “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may become clean. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which on the outside look beautiful, but inside they are full of the bones of the dead and of all kinds of filth. So you also on the outside look righteous to others, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”                ~ Matthew 232: 1-7, 23-28

In the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 23 forms part of a longer unit, comprised of chapters 23-25.  These chapters form the fifth of five major discourses by Jesus.  At the beginning of chapter 23, Jesus turns to address his disciples and other followers.  His teaching provides a warning to his followers against hypocrisy. 

In his commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, Eugene Boring explains that for Jesus hypocrisy was more than just phoniness.  In addition, hypocrisy occurs when the individual person places excessive value on the way he or she appears to others.  This represents a form of idolatry, in which the individual person replaces God with him- or herself—and, begins to trust in themselves instead of God.  Prof. Boring writes, “hypocrisy is not merely a transgression, but represents a lack of trust in God, a turning away from God toward what others think as the point of orientation for one’s life. "[1]  Jesus points to the Pharisees and scribes as exemplars of this religious hypocrisy, which his followers must avoid. 

Jesus’ critique of the hypocritical scribes and Pharisees is three-pronged:

1.      “Hypocrites do not practice what they teach.”  That is, they do not practice and exemplify their moral teachings, concerning how God intends for the faithful to live their lives.  For instance, the hypocritical scribes and Pharisees loudly proclaim the importance of obeying God’s Law.  And, in minor matters, they do keep the Law.  For instance, in verses 23-24, Jesus notes that they keep the Law, when it comes to tithing small items, such as the spices of mint, dill, and cumin.[2]  However, they neglect the more important commandments, such as working for justice, mercy, and being faithful to God.

2.      “Hypocrites burden others while failing to act themselves.”  In Psalm 19, the psalmist extols God’s Law as life-giving.  The psalmist says,

“The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the decrees of the Lord are sure, making wise the simple;

“the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eyes;”  (verses 7-8)

Yet, the hypocrite transforms God’ Law from life-giving to life-draining.  The hypocrite calls others to keep the Law in a burdensome and life-draining manner, which the hypocrites themselves fail to follow.  That is, the hypocrites put up obstacles, preventing others from knowing God and experiencing God’s love.

3.      “Hypocrites seek to impress others—and, be adored by others—rather than seeking God.  On the surface, the hypocrites appear to be very devout believers.  However, in reality, they do not strive for faithfulness to God, but rather they seek to impress others and receive their adoration.  Later in verses 27-28, Jesus compares the hypocrites to a “whitewashed tomb,” noting that they appear righteous on the outside, when in fact they are full of “hypocrisy and lawlessness” on the inside.

These three critiques illustrate Jesus’ critique of hypocrites at the time in which he lives.  But, what about our own time.  Are those critics of Christians correct, when they accuse us of being hypocrites? Perhaps so.

            In my proclamation this weekend, I will point out that being a Christian is a public role.  Wherever we go, we are always modeling the teachings of Christ.  We may not always like being evaluated as a public role-model of discipleship, but we need to accept this as part of following Christ.  Hence the title of my sermon this week: "The Burden of Discipleship." 

The critique that Christians are hypocrites arises when Christians forget that we are constantly being viewed as modelling the teachings of Christ.  On the one hand, this is not a fair standard because we Christians are only human--we fall short and sin just like everyone else.  There are times when we slip into hypocritical behaviors.  Yet, on the other hand, the most powerful sermons are not made of words, but by our actions; by what we do.  The most powerful means of sharing the love of Christ is simply by living faithfully. 

If you live in the Lincoln, Nebraska area and do not have a place to worship, then I invite you to come and join us at Christ United Methodist Church this Sunday, February 17th, as we explore this question of hypocrisy. 

Christ UMC is located at 4530 “A” Street.  We have three worship services on Sunday mornings at 8:30, 9:45, and 11:00.  The 8:30 and 11:00 services feature a traditional worship format and the services are held in our Sanctuary.  “The Gathering” at 9:45 is held in our Family Life Center (gym), and it is more informal and interactive.   

Come, join us.  Everyone is welcome and accepted because God loves us all.

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[1] M. Eugene Boring, Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew in the New Interpreter’s Bible, vol 8, (Nashville, Abingdon Press, 2002), CD-ROM Edition.

[2] To “tithe” means to give 10% of one’s income to God through the synagogue or Temple.

"Embracing Our Doubts"

What is it about religious doubt that frightens Christians so much?

Perhaps it is that religious doubt interjects uncertainty into our lives.  With religious doubt, the stakes are very, very high.  For me personally, if God does not really exist, then the very meaning of my life and who I am would get taken away. If there were no God, then there would be no heaven, no life after death, and my ultimate destiny is taken away from me.  Or, as the Apostle Paul writes in his letter to the Corinthians, “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.  Then those also who have died in Christ have perished.  If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.”  (1 Corinthians 15:12-19) 

Such doubts could cause me to lose my faith—and, my way.  Thus, the stakes are very, very high.  To acknowledge and talk about religious doubt creates fear and anxiety.  It can make this huge knot in the pit of my stomach.

For me, the most important scriptural discussion of religious doubt occurs in the Gospel of John, after Christ’s Resurrection; see John 20:24-29.  During the evening of that first Easter, most of Jesus’ followers had gathered together in the Upper Room.  Despite a locked door, Jesus appeared to them, greeting them with the words:  “Peace be with you.”  After his greeting, John records that Jesus “showed them his hands and his side.”  When they saw this clear physical evidence of the resurrection, “the disciples rejoiced.” 

The only problem is that one of the disciples, Thomas, was not present when Jesus appeared to his followers.  When Thomas rejoins the other followers, and they tell him that they have seen the resurrected Christ, Thomas is really doubtful.  He says, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”  Now, notice here that Thomas is only asking for the same proof, which Jesus had already given the others in the Upper Room. 

            A week later, Jesus reappears to his followers in the Upper Room—this time, with Thomas present.  Jesus immediately goes to Thomas and offers, “Thomas, put your finger here and seen my hands.  Reach out your hand and put it in my side.  Do not doubt but believe.”  Notice that Jesus is offering to provide Thomas with exactly the proof that Thomas identified as essential for him to have faith.  And, notice further that this is the same, exact evidence which Jesus had given the other disciples a week earlier, when he appeared to them.  One scholar points out that “Jesus is not attempting to shame Thomas, but is giving Thomas what he needs for faith, as Jesus has done so many times in the Gospel.”[i]  She notes further that Thomas’ response to Jesus, “My Lord and My God!” is “the most powerful confession [of faith] in the Gospel.”

            It seems to me that there are two prominent forms of religious doubt.  The first form is rational.  This form of doubt concerns the rational plausibility of certain aspects of a religion or sacred writing.  For instance, within the Christian tradition the claim, that after three days Jesus was resurrected from the dead, could create insurmountable religious doubt because physical resurrection is completely antithetical from all that we know about life and death from science.  Here, it is important to highlight that religious faith is not necessarily opposed to rationality—or, even science.  The English writer C. S. Lweis develops this distinction well in his book, Mere Christianity.[ii]  Lewis observes that there is a rational component to faith.  It is not as though faith is irrational.  Instead, reason is an integral component of faith.  Yet, reason may itself challenge faith or the propositions of a religious faith.  As Lewis observed, “Faith, in the sense in which I am here using the word, is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted, in spite of your changing moods..”.

            The second form of religious doubt concerns an emotional incongruity, instead of a rational incongruity.  As an illustration, consider the parents of a young daughter who dies at the age of 7, after a short lifetime of suffering from bone cancer.  Although initially devout Christians, the young girl’s parents may begin to doubt God—or, even the existence of God.  They may question why a supposedly all loving and all powerful God would have allowed their young daughter to suffer and die.  This is a different type of doubt from the doubt one may have due to some aspect of the religion not appearing rational or being consistent with what we have learned from science.

            There are two responses we can make regarding religious doubt.  The first response is to try and avoid thinking about any religious doubts which we may have.  We can take all of our doubts and cram them into a box; put a lid on, and then put the box way in the back of our closet, where we never have to see it.  Then, we can try and live our lives without ever having to open that box up and confront our doubts. 

However, the problem with this response is that we end up living our lives in fear that at some point, something is going to happen in our lives, which will force us to confront these doubts.  If that happens, then we may finally be forced to confront our doubts, and we may lose our faith.  In essence, the problem with this response is that we end up living in the shadow of our doubts.  By contrast, the alternative response is to simply confront our doubts head on; to struggle and wrestle with our doubts.    

            I believe that God does not oppose and probably intends for us to confront our doubts and to struggle with them.  There are a couple of considerations here.  First, consider the story of ‘doubting Thomas,’ which we examined earlier.  Jesus does not condemn Thomas’ doubt.  Instead, Jesus accepts his doubt and then encourages Thomas to find the answer he is seeking by placing his finger in the marks of the nails and his hand in the wound from the spear.  In essence, Jesus is walking with Thomas as Thomas seeks to resolve his doubts. 

            A second consideration is that Christians sometimes experience profound spiritual growth by struggling with doubt.  It is only through his struggle of faith that Thomas eventually develops the spiritual discernment to see that Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah.   Thomas has been a disciple of Jesus for three years.  He has traveled with Jesus; eaten with Jesus; lived with Jesus; listened to all of Jesus’ teachings.  Thomas has had an inside track to Jesus life and teachings for 3 years.  Yet, it is not until after Thomas has struggled with his doubts about Jesus’ resurrection that he sees clearly who Jesus really and truly is:  “My Lord and My God!”

            Still, coping with religious doubt is hard.  As we have seen, there is the uncertainty of doubt.  We all want to know about God with certainty.  Yet, even worse, it is hard to admit our doubts to others.  We don’t want others to think badly of us.  We don’t want others to judge and condemn us as unbelievers, bad people, or troublemakers.  Sometimes we don’t even want to raise hard questions.  If we were to raise hard questions, then we might appear to be rude or difficult.  Finally, we don’t want to undermine other peoples’ faith by sharing our doubts or asking difficult questions.  So, our first inclination is to hide our doubts from others and struggle with them alone.

            Churches also have trouble with doubts.  Some churches are intolerant of doubts or questions.  In some churches, to raise doubts indicates that the doubter is not really a Christian; they are an imposter and need to be rooted out of the Body of Christ.  In those churches, doubters and questioners are ostracized as well as denigrated for not being truly faithful.

            I will argue that it is this negative attitude towards doubts and questions which is actually unfaithful to the teachings and example of Christ.  As we have seen in our analysis of “doubting Thomas,” Jesus did not condemn Thomas because of his doubts.  Instead, Jesus affirmed the legitimacy of Thomas’ questions and then sought to help Thomas answer his questions.

            But what if the Church actually did as Jesus?  What if the Church actually welcomed questioners and doubters?  What if the Church was willing to accompany doubters and questioners on the quest for answers, just as Jesus accompanied Thomas? 

Of course, there are some people who are looking for a church that will provide them with a definitive answer to all their questions about religion and spirituality.  Yet, at the same time, there are many, many other people who would like to have a church that does not claim to have all of the answers.  Rather than having a church which tells them what they must believe, many persons are looking for a safe place, with theological resources, to help them work out their own answers to their doubts and questions.

I think that the British theologian John Polkinghorne sums it up well, when he writes:  “For many in the Western-educated world today, [there is] a kind of wistful fellow-travelling with religion, able neither to accept [Christianity] nor wholly to dismiss it, retaining a memory of old talks of [God] kept echoing in the caverns of mind more by poetry than by argument.”[iii]  Among so many of our neighbors, our work colleagues, our family members, there is this huge spiritual hunger.  Yet, at the same time these individuals do not feel that they can join us in church because they still retain some significant doubts.  There are individuals who say, I would like to be more spiritual, but how can I be part of a church, when I have these questions? 

But, what if the Church…

If you live in the Lincoln, Nebraska area and do not have a place of worship, then I invite you to come and join us at Christ United Methodist Church this Sunday, January 20th.  As we continue our series on the “Upside Down Church,” we will examine the opportunities which doubt presents and why faithful Christians should embrace questions and doubt, just as Jesus embraced the questions and doubt of Thomas. 

Christ UMC is located at 4530 “A” Street.  We have three worship services on Sunday mornings at 8:30, 9:45, and 11:00.  The 8:30 and 11:00 services feature a traditional worship format and the services are held in our Sanctuary.  “The Gathering” at 9:45 is held in our Family Life Center (gym), and it is more informal and interactive.   

Come, join us.  Everyone is welcome and accepted because God loves us all.

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[i] Gail R. O’Day, Commentary on the Gospel of John in the New Interpreter’s Bible, vol 9, (Nashville, Abingdon Press, 2002), CD-ROM Edition.

[ii] C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (New York:  HarperCollins Publishers, 1952).

[iii] John Polkinghorne, The Faith of a Physicist:  Reflections of a Bottom-Up Thinker (Princeton, NJ:  Princeton University Press, 1996), 14.