Call to Worship: Mark 8:34-38
34 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? 37 Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Manwill be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”
Invitation, Praises, and Prayer Concerns: Father in Heaven, Lord we thank you for all of the goodness and wholesomeness you bestow upon the earth, and we pray that you continue to visit your love into our lives. Father we pray that you would continue to grow us into the kind of Disciples that give all for you only to find when we give all we receive all. In your heavenly name.
Amen!
Message Reading: Romans 4:16-26
16 Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. 17 As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not.
18 Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 19 Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead-since he was about a hundred years old–and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. 20 Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21 being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. 22 This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” 23 The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, 24 but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness – for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25 He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.
Message: “Listened, and was Set Free”
With everyone giving up something for the season of Lent (that time when many Christians give something up to better understand sacrifice and doing without), I have decided to give up; Lima Beans, Calves Liver, Thanksgiving Dressing, pulling weeds, and watching old episodes of the Flying Nun. Granted the above are foods I don’t like, with weeds not being my favorite of things to tackle in the yard, and I am not aware of any reruns of the Flying Nun available in my viewer area. Still, I’m ready to join the legions of the dedicated, willing to give up something so that I can say; “me too!”
That way I can be a part of the trending crowd that is doing something for Lent. Just like Christmas when we give to receive, right? And then we have good will from all men and mankind, at least with the people you bought the right stuff for. And with God, we give up something and then just like at Christmas, with my friends, God will owe me back, Right. So at Christmas, I give to get, and at Lent, I give up something to get some more. Kind of like: “Trickledown Economics” or something like that.
Then again, maybe just maybe, what I need to sacrifice or work on is my attitude. I know it’s hard to fathom in our current society, but sometimes we don’t get a prize just for showing up, or playing along. You know, me too stuff. Don’t get me wrong, we still have a God who loves us regardless of us, and we still are afforded grace that carries the multitudes of us in amazing ways. But a real relationship, a true bond with God or even another person requires sincerity on our part and commitment.
Today I am excited to talk with you about something I need to work on. Turning over control to the Lord. So why this would even remotely be exciting to me or interesting to you? Because I’m not alone, and as your Pastor, my job is to remind you of something you already kind of know. When we have called all the shots in life, things have had a habit of going not so good.
Now, if this is news to you, perhaps it’s time for the consideration that this season of Lent (reflection) affords. We members of the human race would do well, and outright thrive by turning control of our lives over to the Lord. Notice, I have not said control to another person, even though we conform to lawful and appropriate authority, we worship one God, not other people, ideas, creeds, and certainly not ourselves! That just doesn’t work, and has been a disaster for many of us.
This leads me back to our “Call to Worship” reading for today, where the Lord instructs us what happens when we follow the Lord and how our lives are saved. Reading from Mark 8:34-38
34 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.
** Side note; before I go farther, what does taking up a cross consist of? My thought is that the cross a person is taking up is different for every person. For some it’s; forgiving, others refraining from gossip and team building, others its language, alcohol, sugar, lusts, food, apathy, and TV reruns of: … Really it’s anything you are putting before God. The Lord continues:
35 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.
**Here is the key to the whole lesson today, when I give over myself to the Lord, I get everything. When I serve others more lonesome than me, and I am never alone again. I give love and I am transformed, including the things I need. Put simply, your Lord loves you and will sustain you! Next:
36 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? 37 Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?
**Let that simmer and marinate in the back of your mind; for the rest of your lives! It’s like trading being able to dine at Texas Road house all week free for a Mars candy bar, right now. (Texas Roadhouse vs. Mars bar) Kind of reminds a person of the story of Jacob and Esau, who sold his birthright for a bowl of slop, because he was hungry at that moment.
Trading Heaven for all of the riches and stuff this world can offer is the worst deal a person could ever make and yet, what do we settle for on a daily basis?
38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Manwill be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”
**Because we live in an adulterous and sinful world that transcends time, we have been conditioned by society to be embarrassed to admit our love for our Lord. This is why the people we associate with is so important for our attitudes and emotional health. And being a part of a Church family makes the Faithwalk we are on, much more accessible, meaningful, and successful than going alone!
When I am a part a something bigger than myself, (like God’s family), I am moored to bedrock and a foundation that I can build a life upon. My family in God is there to remind me that, it’s not all about me to begin with. And when I am struggling to make sense of what is happening in my life, I have scripture to learn from.
Scripture anchors my intellect and informs me that I am not the only person to ever feel alone, or to sense that I have sacrificed something for a greater good. To have faith in something I could not see. The author of Hebrews explains and teaches us in Hebrews 11:1
1Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for.
In fact, today’s “Message reading” reflects what the father of ancients, Abraham endured to follow the Lord’s direction, and the promptings of His Spirit. Paul informs us that Abraham experienced many of the same kinds of challenges each of us are subjected to in the here and now. Reading from Romans 4:16-26
16 Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring – not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. 17 As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed – the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not.
18 Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 19 Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead – since he was about a hundred years old–and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. 20 Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21 being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. 22 This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” 23 The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, 24 but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness – for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25 He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.
Abraham shows us that God picks us based on what God wants and reflects what is going on, on the inside of a person and not always in conformity to the shallow world we live in. That Abraham, was not a perfect human being without sin. Abraham and Sarah just like you and I were flawed human beings who had a family of the same. People that struggled with sin just like you do. Just read Genesis and you will see what unfolds as Rabi, Theologian, and Historian, Denise Prager calls the story of a dysfunctional family. The Bible. Your family and mine.
Keep in mind that before Abraham was circumcised, before he loaded up the truck and moved to Beverley, (or journeyed from Ur on the Persian Gulf to Cannon modern day Israel), before having a son and offering him to God, Abraham was justified and credited with righteousness.
Not for what he had done but because of what was in his heart. Because Abraham was available to God, and His Holy Spirit. Abraham was willing to listen to God, and then trust God. He “listened and was set free”, to pursue a new life with the Lord that has been a blessing for all of us (like grains of sand on the beach), who call Abraham father.
So, Abraham didn’t earn his way into God’s favor, he wasn’t better than all other people, he simply trusted God, turned things over to God’s care and ended up as Jesus instructed earlier in our reading of Mark; lost his life to God (by leaving the idolatry and pagan life in Ur), to save it by a journey to Cannon on the other side of civilization at the time. (Like going to planet Jupiter today). Or as we might say in modern talk, he let go and God transform his life.
Abraham with God started a whole new life that was a partnership. One that is available to all of us. This is the kind of relationship you find in the family of God. A group of people who trust in God, that we mean more to God, than just laborers out in the field, or an hourly employee of the moment. We are adopted and loved by the Lord!
As Paul instructs us in the beginning of chapter 4 of Romans, reading Romans 4:3-5
3 What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
4 Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. 5 However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness.
The way we interpreted the Law of the past made me a hired hand working for wages. Simply following rules that taught us that we could never live up to the purity of God. Now, the grace of God makes me a family member in spite of what I am. And, I don’t want to hurt my family.
In other words, if you are doing things to earn God’s love, it’s time to reflect on a better way. If you are jockeying for an elevated place in Heaven, perhaps you might think about the last being first. If you have been judging others thinking you’re in and they’re not, stop it! If you have been competing with others to get space available room in Heaven, maybe it’s time to study what scripture teaches (preferably John 14:1-2)
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?
Heaven exceeds our mere abilities to understand space, time, and proportion, and all are welcome to the party and are called. In other words, the more the better, especially since we are talking eternity! When all is said and done, God is not looking for robotatons that have no individuality, but thinking feeling people like you.
When we listen to the Holy Spirit, and lose the old self, we gain even more of who we already are; without the nasty aftertaste of ego, as we learn to serve Him through helping others. Or, listened, and was Set Free, to be, a better version of me.
Not the Sackcloth and ashes me, or
The robot unthinking me, that is a
Stepford Christian me wondering aimlessly among the flowers of enchantment, but
A me that is empowered to be a Christian of the working day, living day, doing day.
Full of compassion, joy, and a care for making my little corner of the world a better place.
A more thoughtful me, that is starting to realize just what being saved really means.
I think David more than most got it. He knew he was a mess as a person and yet, the Lord had over and over again showed David mercy, kindness, and love. David seemed to know what it meant to be blessed by the Lord and he shares this thought with us today in his reflections from Psalm 32:1-2
1 Blessed is the one
whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.
2 Blessed is the one
whose sin the Lord does not count against them
and in whose spirit is no deceit.
Your Lord is ready willing and able to first forgive you your sins of idolatries, ego, greed, malice, lust, selfishness, un-thoughtfulness, apathy, and fears of the known and unknown. And Then your God is ready for you to: “Listened, and be set Free” To lose that old life, in order to receive a transformed one.
My prayer for you this week is that you find that unlike your ancestors of antiquity, you don’t have to travel the dessert from Ur to Canaan, or trek a 40 year odyssey from bondage in Egypt through the wilderness. Although sometimes it might feel like it at first. No those examples of Abraham and Moses show us that even when our journeys seem long, the Lord is ready to walk with us as we build our new transformed lives with Him. And maybe that’s what the season of Lent, the time of reflection is all about. Amen!
Benediction: Based on Psalm 23
1 May the Lord be your shepherd, and you not want.
2 May He make you lie down in green pastures,
lead you by still waters,
3 May He restore your soul.
May He guides you along paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.
4 Even though you walk
through the darkest valley,
you will will fear no evil,
for He is with you;
His rod and your staff,
May they comfort you.
5 May He prepare a table before you
in the presence of your enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
your cup overflows.
6 Surely your goodness and love will follow you
all the days of your life,
and may you will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.