“Here I am. Who am I? Who are you?”

Meditation on Exodus 3:1-15

Aug. 31, 2014

Here's the video link:

https://vimeo.com/104966691

***

     Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. Then Moses said, ‘I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up.’ When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, ‘Moses, Moses!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ Then he said, ‘Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.’ He said further, ‘I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. Then the Lord said, ‘I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. The cry of the Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them. So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.’ 

       But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?’ God said, ‘I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain.’  But Moses said to God, ‘If I come to the Israelites and say to them, “The God of your ancestors has sent me to you”, and they ask me, “What is his name?” what shall I say to them?’ God said to Moses, ‘I am who I am.’  He added, ‘Thus you shall say to the Israelites, “I am has sent me to you.” ’ God also said to Moses, ‘Thus you shall say to the Israelites, “The Lord, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you”: This is my name forever, and this my title for all generations.

***

         Before I began my sermon work yesterday, I spent some time preparing for Rally Day next Sunday. I was writing notes in each of the Bibles we will be presenting to four young children in our Sunday school. The one thing I have learned about Rally Day is that in the busy-ness of the day, and in the excitement of having so many people back together again after being away for summer vacations, the presenting of the Bibles can be almost overlooked.

          And yet today I stand before you saying that one of the most important things we do as a church is give Bibles to the children entering 2^nd—or 3^rd or 4^th grades, if they were not here in 2^nd grade to receive one. This way, every child in our Sunday school will have a Bible as they are learning to read, to keep for their very own. I always ask the parents and grandparents to come up with the children as we present the Bibles. Then, we pray for the children and their families—that the Spirit would open God’s Word to them. And that they would be strengthened to live lives of faith. I would like to share one of the notes that I wrote inside a Bible that one of the children will receive next Sunday.

    “Dear Riley, I am happy to give you this Bible today from all of us at Ebenezer Presbyterian Church in Renville, Minnesota. I pray that your parents will read this Bible to you a little every day and help you with the “hard” words until you are old enough to read it on your own. We give this to you not because we think you don’t have enough homework to do already, but because we love you and want you to hear about God’s love for you in Jesus Christ. May you treasure God’s Word always. May it be for you a guide—a ‘lamp unto your feet, a light unto your path,’ as Psalm 119:105 says—all the days of your life. May the Spirit in the Bible speak to your heart, whispering your call to follow after Jesus and be the young man God has planned for you to be! God will use you to do great things for Him, if you choose to love Him and listen to His Word. Love and blessings to you in Jesus Christ, Pastor Karen Crawford and your family at Ebenezer Presbyterian Church.”

      Yes, the more I think about Rally Day and the children receiving these Bibles, the more I think that this may be THE most important thing we do for our children on Rally Sunday! What we are saying when we present them with Bibles is that we believe God has chosen them for His great work! What we are saying to them is that we believe they have been called by God!

***

        Today, we hear another call story—the dramatic account of Moses and the burning bush! Unlike Samuel, who hears the call of the Lord when he is a child, Moses is a senior citizen when he encounters the Lord. He has already lived for many years with God’s protection and favor, without realizing that God has chosen him for a special purpose. And yet the Lord’s gifts of compassion for the oppressed and courage to take on the oppressor are evident in Moses beginning as a young man.

     Miracles seem to happen wherever Moses is. He survives infancy and the pharaoh’s command that all the male infants born to Hebrew parents be thrown into the Nile. But Moses’ courageous mother hides him for 3 months, then places him in a papyrus basket in the reeds near the riverbank.  And who comes along but the pharaoh’s daughter, who hears the baby crying and takes pity on him. She hires his older sister to care for him until he is grown.

       When his sister delivers Moses as a young man to the palace, he begins a whole new life as the adopted son of pharaoh’s daughter. But we learn little of this life of wealth and privilege. The story jumps from his Nile rescue and adoption to that horrible day, when he goes out and sees the suffering and oppression of “his people.” Moses watches an Egyptian beating one of his “kinfolk.” And he can’t stand idly by; he kills the Egyptian and hides him in the sand. He thinks no one has seen him, but people find out anyway and are talking about it. Moses flees Egypt in fear. He settles in a new place—the land of Midian—and begins a new life all over again—this time, a quiet, seemingly “ordinary life” married to the daughter of a Jewish priest named Jethro. And then one day, during the seemingly “ordinary life,” Moses is shepherding Jethro’s flock, and they go to Mt. Horeb, “the mountain of God.” And Moses encounters the Lord—face to face. Moses’ call story is typical of most other call stories in the Bible in that there is a divine appearance, an introductory word or greeting by name, the commission, the objection, the reassurance, and a sign. An angel appears to Moses in a flame on a bush that burns, without being consumed. And God calls out to him by name. Not once but twice! “Moses, Moses!” And Moses, still not sure to whom he speaks, responds, “Here I am.” It is not an enthusiastic, “Here I am, send me!” Moses is simply drawn to the curious sight, and is saying, “Yes, I am Moses. I am listening.” But when the Lord reveals His identity, telling him to “Come no closer!” and “Remove your sandals” for Moses is standing on holy ground, Moses is afraid. He does what anyone would do in the presence of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He hides his face. Then God tells him how he will be part of His plan to set the captives free. “So come,” says the Lord, “I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.”

     Moses, painfully aware of his unworthiness, voices his objection. “Who am I?” he asks. “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out?” But instead of answering Moses’ question, the Lord reassures him of His own faithfulness. For this is what matters—that God is God and has chosen to use Moses to accomplish His work. “I will be with you,” says the Lord. Still, Moses is not convinced. “Whom shall I say has sent me?” he asks. “Who are you?” And God says, “I am who I am.” This may also be translated, “I will be who I will be.” What this means is that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob has never changed—and never will. And then God tells Moses that there will be a sign that it is the Lord who has sent Him, “When you have brought the people out of Egypt,” He says. “You shall worship God on this mountain.”

     One remarkable thing about Moses’ call story is that he is the first person in the Bible to be called as a messenger of the word of God. God promises to speak through Moses—to supply him with all the words he will need to say.

***

   Friends, I know that some of you may hear the story of Moses and God’s call on his life, and think, “But that was Moses. God doesn’t have special plans to use me for His work!”

       First Peter 2:21 assures us that all Christians have a calling—to seek to be like Christ: “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.” You and I probably won’t hear the voice of an angel coming from a burning bush. But we WILL hear God whisper in our hearts if we seek Him in His Word and through prayer, wherever we are. We will hear God’s voice and know His will if we listen with faith that the One who was always with Moses, will always be with us, too!

     I think we can all learn from the children as they receive their Bibles on Rally Day next Sunday. They all seem to understand how special the Bible is—how it is God’s Word for them. They connect it to Jesus—who loves them. The Bible tells them so! And when they smile and reach out their hands to accept their Bibles eagerly and promise to love Jesus—as they all do—they are responding to God’s call, trusting Him, without knowing all that it will mean for their lives.  They are saying, before God and His witnesses, “Here I am, Lord! Send me!”

  

Let us pray.

O God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses, we praise your Holy Name! Thank you for being our God—for your faithfulness to every generation. Thank you for your Word and Spirit that teach us everything we need for salvation and for our lives of faith. Thank you for forgiving us for all of our sins—especially for when we are not confident that you will use us to accomplish your amazing work in this world. Lord, we thank you that all of us are called to be your followers, that all of us are called to love you and obey your commandments. Help us to accept and receive this call with joy and peace, never fearing what answering a call to take up our crosses and follow you might mean for our lives. Reassure us that we don’t have to think of all the words to say and the places you want us to go; for you will give us all the words we need and guide us by your Spirit.  In Your Son’s name we pray. Amen!

“Be Transformed!”

Meditation on Romans 12:1-8

Aug. 24, 2014
This is the video link:
https://vimeo.com/104297043

***

     I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.

       For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.

***

      So here I am! Back from my visit to my family in Maryland. This was the first time in 3 years that I have traveled back East.  I visited my parents and sister, my aunt, uncle and niece, and a few other relatives. It is good to be back home with my husband, children, and church again. But of course it was hard to say goodbye—especially to my parents—knowing that I only get to see them about once a year. Travel is becoming more and more difficult for my dad, who has some health problems.

     During my visit, we did various activities. We saw the new Helen Mirren movie; went to the pool; went out to dinner with my uncle, visited my aunt in a nursing home, recovering from knee surgery; celebrated dad’s 80^th birthday; and met my sister’s new kitten, Duchess. But of all the things we did, I enjoyed my daily walks with Dad the most. 

      We walked through his suburban neighborhood and around a lake where beautiful plants, trees and flowers grow; and people walk with their dogs, push baby strollers, and ride pedal boats shaped like swans. We looked in shop and restaurant windows, and watched children on a carousel go ‘round. We didn’t talk about serious things. It was just a time to be together.

       In case you are wondering, my family didn’t try to talk me into moving back East, though I am sure it would make them happy if I did. They know me, and they know why I am here. They know this is more than just a job! Ministry is my calling from God. Well, most of my family understands.

     One of my cousins greeted me with, “You haven’t changed a bit.”

     It sounded like an accusation. There was tension between us when I prepared to move to Minnesota. I tried to explain my calling to be a minister, to go where the Lord led me to do the work He had for me, using the gifts and talents he had given me.

     But for people who don’t know and love the Lord, life is about pursuing happiness by following one’s own desires, seeking to get all that one wants, following the patterns, attitudes and ways of our society.  

     My cousin, who is not a believer, didn’t understand. She was angry. She didn’t want to hear me talk about my faith.

***

      In today’s reading in Romans, we run into one of the apostle Paul’s favorite teachings—a call for unity amongst believers. Romans is different than Paul’s other letters—not just because it is the longest—but because he is addressing a congregation he has never met. He has never been to Rome but has often dreamed of going there. He says in Acts 19:21, as he plans another journey to Macedonia, “After I have gone there, I must go to Rome.” When the situation is looking bleak in Jerusalem, God reassures him in a vision in Acts 23:11 that just as Paul had testified to the Lord in Jerusalem, he would also bear witness in Rome.

    Paul isn’t writing in response to a specific problem in the congregation. He says in Romans 1:11, “For I am longing to see you so that I may share with you some spiritual gift to strengthen you.” But what he really wants, he says in Romans 15:23-24, is to make Rome a home base for a new mission to Spain. As far as we know, he never made it there.

     Some see Romans, written around 58 A.D. in Corinth, as a kind of last will and testament. Paul shares what he believes in great detail, elaborating on many teachings in his other letters. In Romans 12, he uses his familiar image of the Church as “the body of Christ.” He tells how we are all members of this one body, whom God gives various spiritual gifts so He may use us for His Will and glory. Not all members have the same gifts or function, but all are equally important and necessary. These gifts cannot be earned; they are given by grace and received by faith.

       The godly response to God’s gifts is obedience—seeking to use His gifts as the Spirit leads—and humility! No gift or member of the Body is more special than another! Paul says in Romans 12:3, “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.” Even your faith that leads you to use the gifts God has given you IS a gracious gift!

     The most intriguing part of today’s reading is at the beginning, when Paul appeals to his readers “to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Paul, who in other letters preaches on the superiority of the spiritual over what is flesh or bodily, is now telling us that the body is holy! We are called to offer not just our hearts and minds to the Lord but our bodies as a “living sacrifice.” Paul says this is our spiritual worship, and the Greek word we now translate “worship” originally meant “work for hire or pay.” What Paul means is that the work and routine of our daily lives—and not just when we gather in church on Sunday morning—is seen by the Lord as “worship” if we are truly living for Him!

***

      As I said goodbye to my unbelieving cousin the night before I left Maryland, she smiled somewhat patronizingly and said, “Well, you look happy—for now.”

      Before I received the call to Ebenezer and moved to Minnesota, she and I may have talked easily for hours. But this last visit, she avoided me most of the evening—not wanting to hear about my faith, again, or my life with my church.

      During the flight home, I realized she was right; I haven’t changed—not in the eyes of a nonbeliever who will always see me as “one of those dreadful Christians.”

       My faith, however, assures me that I am being transformed! Every day the Spirit is renewing my mind, showing me my gifts and talents—and new ways I may use them for Him.

      Friends, hear the Word of God for you today.

      Be transformed! Don’t be led astray by the attitudes of unbelievers or the patterns of our society. Don’t let others discourage you from following the Lord! Remember that your body and not just your soul is holy and belongs to God. And that the Lord cares about what you do—so do everything as if you are doing it for Him!

      Ask God to reveal your spiritual gifts. Ask in faith! For God in His grace gives gifts to every believer to use for His glory. No gift or member of the Body is more special than another. We are all needed to accomplish God’s work.

     May all of your life be an act of worship. 

     May you discern God’s Will—what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Let us pray.

Heavenly Father, thank you for the love and encouragement you give us through family and friends—and for your Spirit, which gives us everything we need to be the Body of Christ—your Church, united in Him. Thank you for the many spiritual gifts that you have blessed us with, including gifts of love and faith. Thank you that we are, by your grace and mercy, followers of your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. We ask that you renew our minds and transform us into the image of your Son. Help us to seek you more and seek to discern your will for our lives—so that we may use your gifts always for your glory. Strengthen us to resist temptation to be conformed to the sinful patterns of this world. Lead us to be lights in all the dark places and to live every day as if we are worshiping you—body, heart, mind, and soul. Lead us to a closer walk with you. In Christ we pray. Amen. 

“Walking in the truth”

Here's the video link https://vimeo.com/103128846

Meditation on 3^rd John

Aug. 10, 2014

***

      The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth.

      Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, just as it is well with your soul. I was overjoyed when some of the friends arrived and testified to your faithfulness to the truth, namely, how you walk in the truth. I have no greater joy than this, to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

      Beloved, you do faithfully whatever you do for the friends, even though they are strangers to you; they have testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on in a manner worthy of God; for they began their journey for the sake of Christ, accepting no support from non-believers. Therefore we ought to support such people, so that we may become co-workers with the truth.

       I have written something to the church; but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority. So if I come, I will call attention to what he is doing in spreading false charges against us. And not content with those charges, he refuses to welcome the friends, and even prevents those who want to do so and expels them from the church.

       Beloved, do not imitate what is evil but imitate what is good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God. Everyone has testified favorably about Demetrius, and so has the truth itself. We also testify for him, and you know that our testimony is true.

      I have much to write to you, but I would rather not write with pen and ink; instead I hope to see you soon, and we will talk together face to face.

      Peace to you. The friends send you their greetings. Greet the friends there, each by name.

***

       With today’s message we conclude our series on 1, 2 and 3 John. You can go home today and boast to your friends and relatives that you read 3 whole books of the Bible with your congregation since July! And 2 of them you read during this morning’s worship service. You don’t have to tell them that the two books we read today are the shortest in the entire Bible!

     But don’t be fooled by their small size and location near the very end of the New Testament —right before Jude and Revelation. This does not mean they are not as worthy as other biblical letters to which we may give more attention during the church year.  The letters of John, unlike Revelation, have never been disputed for their authenticity.  And the Church has always viewed them as Scripture, belonging with all the other New Testament writings.

     As we take a closer look at 2 and 3 John today, we notice right away they are similar in length and form to one another, but they are really different from 1 John! Second and 3 John are definitely letters, while 1 John is called an epistle, but it isn’t written in letter format. 2 and 3 John begin like traditional Greek correspondence—with sender, recipient, and salutation. And they end with final greetings, including almost the same comment about the author wanting to write more but is hoping to visit soon and talk face to face. 3 John also includes a familiar blessing, “Peace to you,” and sends greetings from “the friends” to “the friends there, each by name.” It’s not quite a “Minnesota long goodbye,” but it is similar to a Southern farewell, in which we tell the other person to say “hello” to their spouses and kids, and, if we know them, we mention them by name, inquire about their health, and may even say, “Give them a hug and kiss from me!”

     Unfortunately, both 2 and 3 John fail to mention the sender by name, so we don’t know for sure the author is John.  Only the tradition of the Church tells us this is so. 2 and 3 John say simply that he is “the elder”—presbuteros in Greek, which is where we get the word Presbyterian. It would be nice to know the original recipients of these letters. But John doesn’t identify the churches by name or location.  Scholars believe these were house churches under John’s care and supervision, perhaps in and around Ephesus. We can tell he feels particularly responsible for and close to the church in 3 John, to whom he says in verse 4, “I have no greater joy than this, to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” He uses the word “beloved” 4 times to address the church and its leader, “the beloved Gaius,” while in 2^nd John, the author is overjoyed to find only “some of your children walking in the truth.”  The word “beloved” doesn’t appear in 2^nd John, and he doesn’t address the leader by name. He writes directly to the church, affectionately calling it, “the elect lady and her children.”

    Hospitality to fellow believers is important to John. In 3 John, he commends Gaius and his congregation for welcoming Christian missionaries, whom John calls “the friends” or “the brothers,” as some translations say. The congregation has shown love to those who are “strangers to them” but “journey for the sake of Christ, accepting no support from non-believers.”

    Withholding hospitality to the “many deceivers” that have gone out in the world is also important to John. The “deceivers” John warns against in 2 John are “antichrists,” like he spoke of in 1 John. These are traveling teachers that the church must not welcome or receive. They are “those who do not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh,” John says. And, “to welcome (them) is to participate in the evil deeds of such a person.”

      This may sound harsh coming from John, who teaches that Christians should love one another so all the world will know we are Christ’s disciples by our love. But as important as “love” is to John, so is “truth.” 2 and 3 John speak of “love in the truth,” those who “know the truth,” the “truth that abides in us and will be with us forever,” and becoming “co-workers with the truth.” Despite the differing circumstances and problems the churches are dealing with, John says in 2 and 3 John that he writes to both for the same reason—to express his joy that his “children” are “walking in the truth.”

      And what is “truth” to John? Right understanding of the identity of Jesus. Knowing who Christ is—the Son of God come in the flesh.

***

    Friends, I worry about how my message today could be misunderstood. What I don’t want you to walk away with is that it is OK to withhold love from a brother or sister in the faith when you disagree on “right belief.”  These kinds of disagreements tear churches and denominations apart—dividing the Body of Christ, stifling the reconciling work of the Spirit, and ruining our witness to the world.

     And yet, I do believe there ARE certain beliefs that are foundational and not open to compromise. One is John’s call to obey our Lord’s command to love one another—and to be known as His disciples by our self-giving love. We are called to imitate the One who loved by laying down his life for us—so that we may have the hope of eternal life with Him. And I do believe that if we have faith, we can love and obey the Lord through His Spirit that lives within us, guiding and strengthening us to do His Will.

      But the one thing that is not open to compromise is our belief in God’s grace and mercy. This has been revealed through His Son, Jesus Christ, who accomplished our salvation through His atoning death on a cross for our sins. This is the way to eternal life!

      Friends, God’s grace is sufficient! Jesus Christ is all we need!

      Imitate what is good, but don’t try to earn your salvation. And don’t go beyond Christ’s teaching. For whoever abides in His teaching has both the Father and the Son.

       Scripture assures us that we are God’s beloved! And I pray for you, as John writes, and will continue to pray for you while I am away next week. That all may go well with you. That you may be in good health, just as it is well with your soul.    

    And I hope you will remember that there is no greater joy than this – to live as God’s beloved children, walking in the truth!

Let us pray.

Heavenly Father, thank you for your Son, Jesus Christ, whom you sent to us to suffer and die for us that we may be forgiven for all our sins. We ask that you bring peace to our hearts and to our Church around the nation. Lord, we pray that you will restore joy to our denomination, which is struggling with conflicts over right belief and what is foundational and what is not.  Please draw us-- your children--back to you. Help us to mend broken relationships. Stir us to love one another, as you have always loved us! Forgive our stubborn and divisive ways, for when we have chosen to use our words to hurt others rather than build one another up. Help us to forgive those who may have hurt us. Change us so that we may become more like your Son. Keep us from sliding back into our sinful ways. Empower us by your Spirit to walk in the truth. In Christ we pray. Amen.