Happy You

Scripture: Matthew 5.1-12; 1 Corinthians 1.18-31


“The trouble with familiar passages of the Bible is that they are so familiar,” wrote Frederick Buechner. This section of Matthew’s Gospel is not only familiar reading Christians but is among the most recognizable passages in all of Western literature. The problem of familiarity requires us to break it down and then build it back up with hopefully a fresh and accurate understanding.

The beginning of Matthew five is known as the Beatitudes. The word comes from the Latin beatus (“fortunate”) that stands at the beginning of the Latin Bible known as the Vulgate. The word in Greek is Makarios and it is best translated “happy” or “blissful”. This is to distinguish it from the Greek word for blessing which is eulogetus, from which we derive the English word eulogy. That word for blessing doesn’t appear here in Matthew 5. So the translation is, “Happy is the one who. . .”

So that is our start. Only right away we face a problem. If the translation is “Happy is the one who. . . Mourns.” Well. Really. Is such a one happy? Let’s try another. “Happy are the meek. . .” I wonder if the meek are really happy. You know who the meek are? Well, the name we usually give them are “the chumps,” “the nobodies,” “the losers.” Admittedly, these are very flattering names. J. Upton Dickson is writing a book called, “Cower Power”. Not to be confused with the coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Although I bet he too, is feeling meek right about now. Dickson also founded a group of meek, submissive people. It was called DOORMATS. That stands for “Dependent Organization of Really Meek and Timid Souls – if there are no objections.” Their motto was: “The meek shall inherit the earth- if that’s okay with everybody.”

So what does Jesus mean when he calls the meek and the grieving “happy.” Does his words have totally different meanings than our words? Not quite. When we talk about “happy” we are talking about human emotions, feelings. So is Jesus. But I think what he is suggesting in Matthew 5 is that our feelings and our happiness don’t depend on the things or the context that we normally depend on. The Beatitudes are not description of human feelings alone, but feelings the flow from trust in God and a confidence in the future that God promises to bring. One of the reasons the Beatitudes have been hailed as a classic of Western lit and the greatest sermon ever preached is that they have equally powerful punch to the present reality and the future kingdom. Jesus connects present and future like no other. Jesus says, if effect, “Hey, I know it doesn’t look this way now, but you who are taking a beating for your faith are gonna be feeling pretty happy about it someday soon. You who are pure in heart, who turn your eyes away from many of the things this world promises to make you happy with, you really will be happy that you did – you’re going to see God.”

The Beatitudes are a prime example of Jesus turning things upside down – or as he might contend, right-side up. Jesus says “The first will be last.” So get in line now to be last in the world, and you’ll be first in the Kingdom to come. Maybe there’s little virtue in just being poor, or being meek, or being last; but the point is, usually it’s the poor, and the meek and the grieving who actually have room for God in their lives. “those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, they shall be filled.”

“Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth,” wrote the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 1.26bff). “But God chose foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things – and the things that are not – to nullify the things that are.” It doesn’t look this way now, but believe it can and will be. You’ll be happy you did.

Yahoo.com reports that Matt Emmons had the gold medal in his sight. He was one shot away from claiming victory in the 2004 Olympics 50-meter three-position rifle event. He didn’t even need a bull’s-eye to win. His final shot merely needed to be on target. Normally, the shot he made would have received a score of 8.1, more than enough for a gold medal. But in what was described as “an extremely rare mistake in elite competition,” Emmons fired at the wrong target. Standing in lane two, he fired at the target in lane three. His score for a good shot at the wrong target? Zero. Instead of a medal, Emmons ended up in eighth place. It doesn’t matter how accurate you are if you are aiming at the wrong target.

Unfortunately, Emmons “extremely rare mistake” is all too common in our everyday lives. Jesus tells us pretty bluntly that for most of us, our priorities are pretty messed up. We are aiming at the wrong target. We are happy and satisfied with the wrong things.

So what do we do? How do we respond to this Sermon on an Upside-Down World? I think the first step is trusting that God really has our good and happiness in mind. The second step is becoming a person with Kingdom priorities and Kingdom character – humility, poverty of spirit, hunger for God. In their book, Entrepreneurial Faith, authors Kirbyjon Caldwell and Walt Kallestad describe a spiritual entrepreneur as “one who is not satisfied with the way things are and who refuses to stand on the sidelines doing nothing about it.” In this sense, Jesus is the original spiritual entrepreneur and his Beatitudes nothing if not a sublime protest of the way things are and a confident promise, given with a smile, of how things one day will be.

Jim Forest once asked the biblical scholar Rabbi Steven Schwarzchild, “How would you translate the word ‘blessing’?”

“There is no one word that will do,” the rabbi replied. “It is something like ‘on the right path,’ on the way the Creator wants us to go.’ It is the opposite of the word for sin, which means ‘losing your way.’”

Happy are you, who having one lost your way, have found it again by the grace of Christ Jesus. Happy are you as you live in and for His Kingdom, now and forever!

The Church – Why Bother?
(Preached January 9, 2005)
Scripture: Matthew 3.13-17; Acts 10.34-43


“You cannot have God for your Father unless you have the Church for your mother.” So said Cyprian, one of the ancient Church fathers.

That belief, in the early and middle ages of the Church, led to the saying among clergy and lay people, “There is no salvation outside the church.”

My, how times have changed! Consider this: the Barna research group reports that in the United States there are about 10 million self-proclaimed, born-again Christians who have not been to church in the last six months, apart from Christmas or Easter. (Barna defines “born-again” as those who say they have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important today, and believe they will “go to heaven because I have confessed my sins and have accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior.”)

Nearly all born-again Christians say their spiritual life is very important, but for 10 million of them, spiritual life has nothing to do with church! I would like an explanation for this. Can somebody tell me how so many people can hold such a view of their salvation, their faith, and their God, a view that would be totally foreign to our predecessors in the church?

Yes, I know some of the reasons and factors that have gone into this trend – you do too. Most of them have to do with busy-ness and priorities or with how the church has failed people today. I remember attending a big youth rally a couple years ago and the featured speaker was a young man whose approach to challenge the youth to a deeper commitment was to say he understood how boring and irrelevant church could be and to try to forget about that. Tod Bolsinger, author of It Takes a Church to Raise a Christian, recalls a similar frame of mind in himself during his days as a youth evangelist.

“I can remember saying to kids, ‘There’s no church to join, there’s nothing to commit to, this is only about a relationship with Jesus.’

But Bolsinger looks back on that and says, “Paul wouldn’t preach that message. And the early church didn’t either.”

To answer the question “Why bother with Church?” you must go to the very root of what it means to be saved and what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. We are saved from sin to relationship with God through Jesus, but also to relationship with each other. To be a Christian is to be baptized in the Holy Spirit into the fellowship of God’s Beloved Son and into the fellowship of Christ’s physical manifestation on earth – the Church.

Tim Stafford has written an excellent article for Christianity Today that I wish you would all read. And I’m borrowing from his article. In it he notes that we live in an individualistic culture in which we can get spirituality, music, and intellectual stimulation from many other places, from Barnes and Noble to Internet chat rooms. Yet, there are some things that can only be found at church, things that Jesus thought pretty crucial, pretty important. One of them is the sacraments: Baptism and The Bread and the Cup. Didn’t Jesus say, “Do this and remember me?” How can you follow Jesus and then. . .ignore what He said.

Stafford points out two other crucial things the church provides – the regular rhythm of public worship and the gathering and fellowship of the believers. There is no substitute for being with other Christians in worship, in learning, in service and in recreation. This is Life Together. This is the Church. You can’t get that by yourself. And you can’t get it from a chat room. Jesus himself was baptized; and not in a private ceremony either, not by himself but by another in the presence of many witnesses who believed. He “who knew no sin,” was baptized in fellowship with other believers so that “all righteousness would be fulfilled.” In other words, Jesus showed us the way of obedience is not a solitary path, but a journey we make with others.

Eminent American author John Updike writes, “There’s something wholesome, healthy, and very human about going to church and pooling your needs and your ignorance with that of other people who are willing to get out of bed and put on good clothes and come out to this totally gratuitous event. Nobody’s forcing them to do it, the rewards are elusive, yet the fact that we do it in a group is somehow part of the point.

Exactly. The earliest preaching in the church, which was Peter’s preaching, pointed clearly to this “Come out with us and be saved.” There was never a hint that you could do it on your own. The very word church, in the New Testament Greek language, is ecclesia, “the called out.” Jews and Gentiles alike were told that “God shows no partiality and accepts anyone who fears him and does what is right.” But Peter and Paul and the other apostles would call the repentant to be baptized and to join the fellowship of the believers to grow and to serve. This is the way of obedience and the way of humility. It applies to rich and poor, weak and powerful, famous and unknown.

The story is told of Emperor Franz Josef, who died in 1916, the last of the great Hapsburg rulers. He lay in state in his magnificent palace in Vienna, surrounded by exquisite floral arrangements, sumptuous fabrics, jewels and gold. On the day of the funeral, his body was taken to the church in an exquisite hearse drawn by magnificent matched horses. The pallbearers removed the casket from the hearse, and brought it to the locked doors of the church.

One of the emperor’s attendants knocked loudly on the door, and a voice came from within: “Who goes there?”

“His Majesty Franz Josef Emmanuel Hans, Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, Head of the Hapsburgs.” Came the reply from within: “We do not know him.”

A second time the emperor’s attendant knocked loudly on the door, and a voice came from within: “Who goes there?”

“His Majesty Franz Josef Emmanuel Hans, Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, Head of the Hapsburgs.” Came the reply within: “We do not know him.”

A third time the emperor’s attendant knocked loudly on the door, and a voice came from within: “Who goes there?”

The answer this time was much softer and simpler: “It is Franz, a child of God.”

Soon there was a loud noise as the massive bolts were drawn back, the doors were opened wide, and the interior of the magnificent church was made visible.
The doorkeeper then said, “The Lord welcomes Franz, a child of God. Him we know.”

This is the Good News of Jesus Christ given to the Church – we are all welcome by His grace. Updike was wrong about one thing – church is not a totally gratuituous event on our part. Something happens when two or more gather in His name. He shows up and the gratuity is on Him. Remember, the Father has selected the Church to reveal His wisdom, wisdom that is deep and wide, through this thing called the Church. Those of you who have been in the Church very long know that sometimes it is a delight to be a part of, and other times and oftentimes, it is a trial. I would remind you that we are called to suffer with our Lord, and that means sometimes, suffering with the church. You may be frustrated with your brother or sister; you may be frustrated with your pastor; you may oftentimes wonder why you should bother to go and be involved.

Because your salvation depends on it. Because the church is the only place on earth where Jesus Christ has chosen to dwell. As Stafford puts it, “How can you enjoy the benefits of Christ if you detach yourself from the living Christ?”

You Have Everything You Need
(Preached January 16, 2005)
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1.1-9; John 1.29-42


Think of the Bible, once again, as what God has to say to you and me. If this really is the voice of God, speaking to your life today, then don’t you want to listen?

“To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy. . .”

What does it mean “to those sanctified?” To those who are set apart from the world, namely, every Christian. Remember a Christian is one born again by the Spirit to life in Christ. The Holy Spirit has made you “holy” and “set apart”. Those are the dual meanings of the word sanctified. You are set apart to be holy and to serve “holy purposes” in your day, in your time. You are united, God says, with every believer in Jesus, everywhere.

Sometimes it seems almost impossible for me to be holy. I lack the patience. I lack willpower. I lack compassion. During the second of half of the Steeler-Jets game last night, when the Steelers were down 17-10 and you know, I was really grippin’,my son asked me to put together a puzzle with him. I won't tell you my response except to say. . .I lack right priorities.

Maybe you have wondered if living the Christian life; being a holy person, nea, sometimes even a good person is even doable. Well good news, this calling is greater than you and me, and in a certain sense, doesn’t depend on just you and me. The message is clear - God has provided everything we need.

The Lord speaks to the church through the Apostle Paul and tells us that we do not lack any spiritual gift. What does that mean? We have everything that God thinks we need. We have spiritual power. We have gifts to give to each other and to the world.

What I just said is key: God gives us everything we need for the purpose of building each other up and increasing the mission of God through the church, to worship, to witness, to feed the hungry, to heal the sick, to teach the growing. God has withheld no good thing from his people, with only one condition – God’s people, use the gifts!

God calls some of you to be leaders in the church. Some of you have stepped up. Others of you are stepping up. Others of you, well, the church for you doth wait.

What do leaders do for the church with their gifts. We lead by good attitudes We lead by investing ourselves in other people. We lead by giving our best to God. We lead by sharing ourselves with others.

So here’s a couple questions for you, particulary you who currently lead in the church. Have you had a good attitude in your work for the church? Do you serve like it’s a privilege to serve?

Secondly, have you identified and recruited others with similar gifts to work with you? Have you ever taken anyone along with you in your work and responsibilities, showing them what you do, why you do it, and how they can do it as well?

Have you shared your life with others and and done so with the aim of giving honor to God and His church?

See, living a holy life and being a good person is never something we can do alone. Remember, we are all working on our salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2); but none of us can or should try do that alone. Even secular culture knows this.

For example, here’s a few cards you’ll never see in Hallmark:

“We have been friends for a very long time. . .what do you say we call it quits?”

“I’m so miserable without you. . .It’s almost like you’re here.”

“You are such a good friend that if we were on a sinking ship and there
Was only one life jacket. . .I’d miss you heaps and think of you often.”

Much of the time the Hallmark cards seem like so much fluff. But even Hallmark knows something about human beings and our need for each other.

There’s a scene in the movie, The Gladiator, in which the slaves of Rome are forced to fight Rome’s best in the colosseum for the amusement of Caesar and the people. The slaves are handicapped by terrible odds. The exiled former general of Rome’s legions, Maximus, is one of the slaves. He and the other slaves are cast in a reenactment of the ancient battle of Carthage. It is a stage set for slaughter. Maximus and his men are marched out a dark passageway into the brilliant sunlight of the Colisseum floor and are greeted by the roar of a crowd frenzied with bloodlust. Maximus turns and shouts to his men, “Stay together.” He assembles them in a tight circle in the center of the arena: back-to-back, shields aloft, spears outward. They stair at the gates from which their enemy will come. And again Maximus shouts, “Whatever comes out of that gate, stay together!”

Not bad advice. Not bad at all. Whatever comes our way in life, we, the church, must stick together. This is our greatest gift. This is our most valuable spiritual asset – each other. I am learning this daily being your pastor. You are my greatest asset. I experience so much encouragement and excitement by being with you. I sense the unity of the Spirit among us. I know that if we stick together, so many things are possible that we can’t even imagine now.

Maybe you sense something is missing in your life. Maybe you sense that it is God, it’s goodness, it’s this impossibility of living a holy life. Maybe the answer you are looking for can only be found in the fellowship of other Christians that is the church. When we try to live life independent and alone, we lose. When we stay together, we win. God provides everything that we need.

Make a Decision
(Preached on Sunday, January23 at Hicks Memorial UMC, Duncansville,PA)
Scripture: Matthew 4.12-23; 1 Corinthians 1.10-18


Are you indecisive? Raise your hand if you are. (Gee, I dunno know, maybe. Honey am I?)

If you are indecisive, I understand. I am too. I admit it. I take full responsibility. . .
I blame it on my parents. My mom and dad were classic undecideds. When the political pollsters invented that category of voter, they had just finished talking to Dick and Shirley Morris. When my sisters and brother and I wanted to go swimming, the answer, almost without variation was, “We’ll see.”

When we wanted to order pizza, “We’ll see.”

When I wanted a new basketball for Christmas, “We’ll see.”

When I needed a blood transfusion to stay alive, “We’ll see.”

And so, I find myself saying the same thing to my children. I like to keep my options open, not be pinned down. I also like to weigh the evidence, see all sides to a problem or challenge. These are good qualities that have served me well many times over.

However, or as sportswriter Steven A. Smith says, “Haweva,” there are times in life when “we’ll see” just will not do. “We’ll see” becomes an excuse to procrastinate, delay, and ride the fence indefinitely. There are times when we must make a decision.

Decision is at the heart of the Gospel message. Sometimes we forget what exactly Jesus came preaching. If I asked you what was the theme of Jesus’ sermons, I might hear you say love, truth, forgiveness, and these would all be good answers. But the most accurate of answer is Jesus came preaching, “Repent, here comes the Kingdom!” Translated that means, “Make a decision – you are for God or against God but you can’t forever remain in the middle.” Repentence is literally a turning in the opposite direction; that’s what salvation requires of us, and that requires a decision. The most important evangelist of the 20th Century started a magazine called “Decision.” Billy Graham knows something about following Jesus.

Now, understand that faith is a journey that we embark on for life, and salvation, in one sense, is a process. That’s why Paul tells the Philippians to “work out their salvation in fear and trembling,” and he tells the Corinthians in chapter one of this letter, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” Notice the present perfect tense there. Who are being saved. Salvation is not just a past event or a future hope but for the disciple of Jesus Christ it is a present reality.

But that reality doesn’t happen without decision. If Peter and Andrew, James and John don’t drop their nets and follow the Master, they live quiet lives as fisherman on the coast of Lake Galilee and the world never hears of them. No decision, no direction, no Kingdom.

Good things happen when we decide. My son learned to ride a bike in about two minutes. For two or three years previous to those two minutes I tried to get him to learn but he resisted. Then, seemingly, he flipped a switch, the light went on, he decided, and he was riding like a pro. Good things happen when we decide this is the right thing and I will do this thing!

If that’s true for riding a bike, or learning to ski, or even deciding what to make for supper, isn’t this true for the major directions of our lives. You can’t drift into God’s will! You must decide to follow.

In the church we are good at discussing and deliberating in committees about what we should do and sometimes we don’t follow that up with the doing. God wants us to be bold in our faith. God wants us to show courage when we see the right and good thing before us. Even if an army of challenges stands between us and that good thing, if it is God’s will to pursue, then nothing should stop us from attaining that goal.

I would venture to guess that there are at least a few people here who have been undecided in their faith for some time. Yes, you’ve believed in a sense, and you’ve said all the right things to others, or at least haven’t allowed anyone to pin you down on what you believe, but you know and God knows that you’ve not made a decision to follow Jesus. The Master has approached you and said, “Repent, and come follow me,” and your answer to Him has been, “We’ll see.”

Before the phrase “Come to Jesus meeting,” became a hip slogan in business and politics it was a description of reality in the church. We’re having a “Come to Jesus” meeting right now. Why remain undecided? You can’t forever. Why would you want to?

You can decide to be saved right here and right now. Come to Jesus.