“With angels and archangels” (Revelation 12:7-12; Luke 10:17-20)

Revelation 12:7-12
Luke 10:17-20

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Pastor Tom Johnson, September 25, 2016

All our Scripture today pulls back the curtain so that we can see what is going on in the spiritual realm around us. Our reading from Revelation is particularly vivid. There is war between God’s angels led by Michael and the fallen angels led by Satan or the Devil. Michael and the angels fight to protect us from the Deceiver and the Accuser. That is evil’s goal—to deceives us. It holds us captive to lies about the world and ourselves. We call that captivity “sin”—we cannot free ourselves from its power. Sin is not just merely bad or harmful things we do, say, or think. It is part of a grand scheme to keep us in bondage to unhealthy and damaging patterns to ourselves and those around us. As Paul says, “Our struggle is not against the enemies again
st flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Eph 6:12)

Michael and the angels fight against the Accuser and his work to destroy the Gospel—the good news of Jesus Christ. It is Satan who accuses us. He brings up our imperfections, our sinfulness, and reminds us of all the wrong we have done. He makes his case like a prosecutor before God the Judge to bring about our conviction and condemnation. Thankfully, God won’t listen. Instead, he sends Michael and the angels to fight for our names to be cleared as the Gospel promises. For true righteousness is a gift from God. We are declared righteous because of the life, death, and resurrection of the Lamb. The angels conquer by the blood of the Lamb. That is to say, their victory over evil is because of Christ and his strength.

God has sent his archangel Michael and his whole army to fight for us. They follow after their King—the eternal Son of God—Jesus of Nazareth. And their secret weapon is his blood—the blood of the Lamb—which washes away all our sin and thwarts the enemies’ weapons of evil and death. What this sneak peak into the spiritual realm does is show us the way of victory. If the angels serve us by stopping the deception and accusation, we ought to join the same fight—to lift each other up out of guilt and despair. And we do so, not by our own strength, but by the strength of Christ and his blood. “For we were not purchased with gold and silver,” Scripture says, “but with the precious blood of Jesus, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Pet 1:18,19).

Angels not only reveal to us the spiritual conflict going on all around us and how we have victory because of Christ, they also model worshippers. They are leaders in worship. Every Sunday, we sing a rich variety of songs in our worship. They are called canticles. And if you look in the margins of these songs in your bulletin, you will see Scripture references. We are singing the songs of angels. We are also singing with those sisters and brothers in Christ who have preceded us in death and now stand triumphant with the heavenly host. As I think about it, we have all joined choir. We join our voices to the heavenly choir of angels and the redeemed. We sing, “Worthy is Christ, the Lamb who was slain, whose blood set us free to be people of God!” “Blessing, honor, glory, and might be to God and the Lamb forever. Amen!” We sing the ancient angelic song in Hebrew, “Alleluia,” which means “Praise the Lord!” Give him the credit. Celebrate the victory he has won for us. There are angels called the seraphim who day and night the angels never cease singing, “Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might: Heaven and earth are full of Your glory!” (Isa 6:3).

Michael and the angels show us how we need to delivered from evil as we pray in the Lord’s Prayer. They teach us that the path to victory is not our own strength or power but the blood of the King of kings and Lord of lords—the Lamb, Jesus Christ. And, even more than that, they go ahead of us in worship. They are the Lord’s soldiers and the Lord’s singers. One of my favorite reminders of this is in the words that precede our receiving the Body and Blood of Jesus in Communion: “Therefore with angels and archangels and all the company of heaven, we laud and magnify your holy name, evermore praising you…” And today, a slight variation, “The cherubim and seraphim sing your praise, and with them we laud and magnify your glorious name, evermore praising you.”

What a beautiful and powerful reminder today—that as we drove, took the bus, the train, and walked to church, the celebration had already begun…not hours ago…but eons ago…in the timeless eternity of God’s throne. We enter into worship together. We join in a global, universal, and multidimensional reality. Those who have gone before us are singing and celebrating. Michael, his angels, the cherubim, the seraphim, and all redeemed humanity are together in a multitude that no one could count. And our number is increasing that multitude day by day. That is something to celebrate—that our names are written along with the esteemed name of Michael, the archangel and all his angels.

“God’s desire for all” (1 Timothy 2:1-7)

1 Timothy 2:1-7

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Pastor Tom Johnson, September 18, 2016

In my hand are four coins: a quarter, a nickel, a penny, and a dime. On the quarter, there is the noble profile of George Washington facing left with a stylish ponytail; on the nickel, the profile of Thomas Jefferson with an equally stylish pony tail tied on the end with a longer bow than Washington’s. On the penny, there is the profile of Abraham Lincoln facing right instead of left sporting a stylish chin-strap beard. And on the dime, there is FDR—Franklin Delano Roosevelt—facing left again with a clean shaven face. All of them look resolute, strong, masculine, and the mighty men of history who once wielded great power. These are all people who were in authority. In Canada, Latin America, and Europe you will see the likeness of princes, kings, and queens. In some parts of the world you will see the likeness of dictators and generals.

But even though we carry the likeness of generals, presidents, and queens in our hands, we are the ones who can feel like the pawns in the hands of those in authority. We may feel we have no say in what government does. We vote, but it may seem to have no more impact than pouring a cup of water into Lake Michigan. Our feeling of helplessness and powerlessness in the face of power has changed the language we use. We talk about being in “the system.” We talk about “the powers that be.” And we talk about the collective powers as “the man” and some of us long to stick it to “the man.” We are weeks away from a presidential election that seems to be making everyone nervous no matter their political persuasion. My kids ask me how it is that we narrow down the candidates for president and seem like we have little choice. That is the feeling of powerlessness: that there is nothing we can do for positive change—no one we can talk to in the higher ups so that we all can live peaceful and quiet lives. Thankfully, our Scripture has a much more optimistic outlook.

Paul’s words in our Epistle reading remind us of a truth we often forget—that queens, kings, presidents, dictators, and people in authority are also human. They are flesh and blood. And every human being is part of God’s plan. Paul urges that we pray for kings and all who are in high positions. It’s a reminder of what we may often forget to do. Rather than complain and wallow in our powerlessness and hopelessness, God invites us to pray for our leaders. Our leaders are not just in authority. They don’t just possess power—they are also under authority and subject to power themselves. As my wrestling coach used to say about an another wrestler I feared, “Tom, he also puts his pants on one leg at a time.” George Washington’s teeth were not carved out of wood but out of Hippopatamus ivory. Thomas Jefferson took a pair of scissors to his Bible and snipped out the passages he did not like. Abraham Lincoln was under the constant threat of assassination. And FDR was crippled by polio at age 39. They were all human. They needed the pra
yers of God’s people. And God’s desire for them was to give them all the same benefits of the Gospel that we enjoy—forgiveness, life, and salvation. Responsibility and power can weigh hard on our leaders. They can be led into temptation and misuse of their power. They are also under the threat of evil. When we see their humanity and position under God, we can begin to have compassion and love our neighbor—even though she or he is a most powerful neighbor.

We pray for their strength and wisdom. We pray for their health and integrity. We pray “lead them not into temptation.” We pray, “deliver them from evil.” We pray, not just because it is the right thing to do but because they need our prayers. Barack Obama is said to be in the most powerful office in the world as president of the United States of America. All the more reason to pray for him and our leaders. There are leaders all over the world who prey upon the weak and the poor. They exploit the people they are supposed to serve. They persecute and kill our brothers and sisters because they bear the name of Jesus. All the more reason to pray.

On all four of these same coins remain four little words—and a powerful reminder—“IN GOD WE TRUST.” A reminder that everyone is accountable to our Creator and that no one is above the rule and strength of the Almighty. But even more importantly, we should be reminded and encouraged that God’s love has no bounds. Our Scripture says, “He desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” He lived, died, and rose for the world. God has these women and men in authority within his reach and within his grasp. They are part of his plan. They are in his heart and on their mind.

“For,” our Scripture says, “there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and humanity who gave himself as a ransom for all.” God sent his Son, Jesus Christ to die and rise again for both king and pauper, queen and commoner, president and all those in authority and all those under authority. And so we pray to him because he is able to do more than ask and even imagine. He is the King of kings, Lord of lords. He has changed the hearts of kings, queens, pharaohs, Caesars, emperors, presidents, prime ministers, dictators, and generals. He changed the heart of the Apostle Paul who misused his power and authority to persecute Christians. And he even changes the hearts of the likes of you and me. Ad so he invites us to pray. He invites us to participate. He invites us to celebrate the spreading of life and love everywhere and to everyone.

“Lost and Found” (Luke 15:1-10)

Luke 15:1-10

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Pastor Tom Johnson, September 11, 2016

Sinners and tax collectors draw near to listen to Jesus. The “bad crowd” likes Jesus. And Jesus welcomes their company. “This fellow welcome sinners and eats with them,” the religious leaders accuse. But their comment does not reveal a flaw about Jesus. It reveals his acceptance, love, and forgiveness. The Scribes and Pharisees are standing outside looking in to this miracle—the eternal Son of God is communing with sinners. He breaks bread with them and speaks to them an encouraging word. The religious leaders can only witness this party from a distance. They are not part of the conversation. They have not even eaten a crumb from this table or sipped from the cup by this teacher from Galilee.

But Jesus has compassion, mercy, and love for all people—including the proud and judgmental. He tells the Scribes and Pharisees three parables: the parable of the lost sheep, lost coin, and prodigal son. This morning we hear the first two. It may be liturgically correct but I think we may miss the beauty of all that Jesus is saying here. We have to wait until March 31, 2019 until we finish this wonderful trilogy of parables with the Prodigal Son…that is if you don’t pick it up sometime later today to see it for yourself.

The shepherd leaves the 99 to find the one lost sheep. Sheep go astray. They need constant care, attention, and guidance. They are prone to wander. They hardly know the danger they are in. They lose their way. Sheep get lost to themselves. They don’t know the way back. They need someone outside of themselves to pick them up. They need a shepherd to revive their soul, lead them back to the green pasture, and to drink from the still waters. “All we like sheep have gone astray,” the prophet Isaiah says, “we have all turned to our own way and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” And as he carries the weight of our sin on our shoulders, he cries, “Rejoice with me, for I have found the sheep that was lost.” “Pharisees and scribes over there, I’m sitting at the table with one of these sheep who lost her way. Don’t stand back there all sour and critical. Rejoice with me. Join the celebration.”

The woman who had ten silver coins loses one. She tears up her house looking for the one lost coin. It hardly sounds like good economics but when she finds it, she wants to spend it on her neighbors. She invites them into her space. She brings outsiders into her world. She loves her neighbors by bringing them into her home to celebrate. “Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost!”

The third parable is of a human being who wanders away like a lost sheep and tears up his home by robbing his family of silver. It is the same refrain when he returns to his loving father. The older son does not want to celebrate his return. The father pleads with the son to rejoice with them. But the older son will not go into the home. He will not go to the table, eat the fatted calf, or raise a glass to God for bringing his lost brother home.

This morning Jesus gives us a beautiful picture of Gospel ministry. God welcomes sinners and eats with them. This is the work of the church—to rejoice with God over every individual who experiences life transformation. “I'm telling you,” Jesus says, “Look! I’m serious, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” It just takes one wayward soul to change in the direction toward life to start a party in heaven. It may sound ridiculous, but our biggest fans are surrounding the throne of God. Our biggest cheerleaders can’t wait—they are chomping at the bit to give a shout out to God when God brings a lost soul on the right course of forgiveness, life, and salvation.

The real punchline to these parables and words of Jesus is this: Jesus finds a way to turn the tables on the proud, religious, and self-righteous. They are the ones who have wandered off into arrogance, pride, and self-righteousness. They are the ones who are being called to rejoice and join the table. Jesus is welcoming these notoriously sinful Pharisees and Scribes to find their way into the real world—the kingdom of grace, mercy, and redemption.

One of those Pharisees may have been someone very much like the Apostle Paul. In our reading from 1 Timothy he describes how he was lost in blasphemy, persecution, and violence. He was a proud, self-righteous, an ignoramus… Those are his words. Even more than that, since he knew his own heart better than anyone else’s, he could call himself the chief of sinners. “The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am foremost.” But God brought him back on his strong shoulders as an example for us to celebrate and give glory to God…along with the example of sheep and coins. So that when we or others around us wander off, go astray, or are lost to ourselves we also know that we are never lost to God. He is there to bring us safely home. And he invites all the creatures in heaven and earth to celebrate his renewed relationship with us.