“Serving God without Fear” (Luke 1:57-8

Luke 1:57-80

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Pastor Tom Johnson, June 24, 2018

The story of the John the Baptist begins earlier in the Gospel of Luke. John’s father Zechariah was a priest serving the temple. One day the angel Gabriel appears to him. He tells him his prayers have been answered. He will have a son. His name will be John, which means “Yahweh is gracious” or “The Lord graciously gives.” But Zechariah doubts the promise and power of God. He asks, “How can I be since my wife and I are old and advanced in years?” Gabriel said he was a servant of God and sent to tell Zechariah this good news. And because Zechariah did not believe this good news of John’s birth, he was unable to speak—he became mute. He could not speak for the entirety of the time his wife Elizabeth was pregnant. So, probably at least 9 months! God does not punish Zechariah. He disciplines him. He brings about his repentance. He takes away his ability to speak to make him wiser and more open to God. Just as wisdom says we should be quick to listen and slow to speak (James 1:19). God says, “My thoughts are not your thoughts. My ways are not your ways, says the Lord” (Isaiah 55:8). Zechariah knew the story of Abraham and Sarah and how God promised, and graciously gave, them their son Isaac in their old age—or as the Scriptures say, “even though their bodies were as good as dead”!

There is something so very believable and so human about this story. We also have a hard time trusting God at his word. We also fail to understand God's ways. We do not believe the potential we have to become servants of God. We doubt what God can do through us. That is not wisdom. Nor is it humility. God knows that we are flesh and blood. He knows our weakness. It is not about us. It is not about you or me. It is about the power of God at work in us and through us. Like Zechariah, we question God’s ways. Curiosity about God and a teachable spirit are good. We are open to what God is able and promises to do. But it is not for us to understand everything. Sometimes we must simply trust that God knows better. His ways are mysterious. But he is always good. As Scripture says, “It is God who works in you both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Phil 2:13). And “All things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Rom 8:28). His desire is to mold and shape us into his faithful servants—and discipline us if he must.

God wanted Elizabeth and Zechariah to participate in God’s plan. He graciously gave them a son whose name John means “Yahweh graciously gives.” John will also be a servant of the most high, preparing the way for his cousin Jesus—the true Messiah. And John will also have his own moments of doubt and struggle. God wants us to also participate in his plan. He wants us to prepare the way for those around us to hear the good news of Jesus Christ. He wants us to grow in humility, wisdom, openness, and service to him. God graciously gives us this opportunity as stewards of the Gospel and as partners in ministry together. We do not need to be a priest like Zechariah or a prophet like John to be useful in his kingdom. We do not need a visit from an angel.

We may not think of ourselves as good enough or gifted enough to make a difference in this world or in the Kingdom of God. This story reminds us that is not humility. That is unbelief! Scripture says God “is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20). God uses this couple advanced in years and then he will use this newborn child calling him a prophet of the most high—full of the Holy Spirit from the womb and from birth.

Zechariah Writes Down the Name of his Son
Domenico Ghirlandaio (1449-1494)

The song of Zechariah that we heard read—and will sing at the end of our worship service is a celebration of what Zechariah learned through this experience. And that is another beautiful truth of what it means to be a servant of God. We do not just pass on information about God. We experience Christ and share him with others. Zechariah celebrates the birth of his own son but immediately directs us to John's cousin Jesus, the true Messiah: “He has raised up a mighty savior for us in the house of his servant David.” He saves us and shows mercy to us so that we might serve him without fear. He emboldens us to worship, sing, and tell others about him.

God opened Zechariah’s mouth and freed his tongue to speak about coming into a relationship with God through the Messiah and the forgiveness of sins. God will open his son John’s mouth and free his tongue to also point to Jesus. He will say of his cousin, “Behold, the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world!” And so God wants to open our mouths and free our tongues to worship, sing, and tell the world about the one who rescues us from our sin and guides us into way of peace now and into all eternity. “The Lord graciously gives”! Many believe that the peace prayer of St. Francis of Assisi was inspired by this story and song of Zechariah, John the Baptist, and the Messiah. The 13th century deacon and preacher prays to be a servant of the Most High without fear:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace: where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. 

O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.

“New Creation” (2 Corinthians 5:6-17; Mark 4:26-34)

2 Corinthians 5:6-17

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Pastor Tom Johnson, June 17, 2018

“If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!” These are some of the most powerful words of Scripture.  God wants us to be secure—to be grounded—to be rooted in Christ. He wants us to look forward to something new—a positive change—a God-thing to happen in our lives. He wants us to understand and trust God to be at work in us—to re-create us.

Tech companies know that it’s been a whole year since you got that new phone. It’s an ancient platform, lower resolution, slow to load apps, and battery life is short. You want an upgrade. Car companies know you have passed the 100 or 200 thousand mile mark. Your check engine light comes on and never go away. It guzzles gas, the CD player doesn’t work, and the air-conditioning barely cools. You want something new. It may be our wardrobe that needs some enhancement. Or maybe our exercise routine that needs to step up. Or maybe a broken relationship needs repair. Or our circle of friends needs to include more supportive and encouraging people.

The reality is that we all long for redemption in some area. We want a positive re-direction. We long for renewal. We are eager for a new chapter. We crave a greater optimism about our situation and our future. We want something new. That is why our Scripture challenges us to walk by faith not by sight. Faith sees spiritually. Faith listens to wisdom. Faith touches the sacred. Faith smells the sweet aroma of God’s gifts. Faith tastes and sees that the Lord is good.

By faith, we understand that the old patterns of behavior need to go. By faith we identify ways of thinking are outdated. By faith, we know that Christ died for our sins. By faith, we know, as our Scripture says, that Christ died for all therefore all have died. By faith we know that old sinful nature needs to die more each day. Our old life of captivity to sin and contamination of this world has been nailed to the Cross of Christ. It is passing away—dying slowly. So why would we feed and enable something that truly has no future? We are perpetuating an old, dysfunctional way of thinking and living if we do not seek renewal. Or we have grown so cynical and jaded that we just do not believe authentic and positive life-change can happen. That’s walking by sight not by faith.

Did you notice the green color of this Pentecost season or “ordinary time”? It should remind us that God wants growth and renewal in his Church. Green is the color of nature letting us know that photosynthesis is working! The sun, rain, and soil are nurturing plants and trees. We should also be green with growth in Christ.

“If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see—look—behold—everything—everything has become new!” See with the eyes of faith. God is making all things new. His mercies are new every morning. Great is his faithfulness. When Christ died and rose from the dead, he did so to make all things new and renew the lives of all people. The old things passed away when Christ died on the cross. New things were enacted and formed when Jesus rose again from the dead. At the beginning of original creation, the world was null and void and a chaotic mess. But the Spirit of God hovered above the waters and the Word of God spoke, saying, “Let there be light” and there was light. He created everything we see by the Word. And he said it was all very good. So in Christ we are recreated. God takes the emptiness, chaos, and mess. The Spirit hovers and uses the water of Baptism and the Word to drown the old self. And with that flood of grace he makes us all new—his royal, beloved, and renewed children.

With Jesus, the whole universe gets an upgrade. We are now grounded in Christ. We are rooted in the rich soil of his Kingdom. Our faith may be as small as a mustard seed. But it doesn’t matter. Jesus says so. What matters is that God planted that faith into the soil of his Kingdom. “I planted,” the Apostle Paul said, “Apollos watered, but God causes the growth.” We walk—we move forward in life—by faith not by sight—not by outdated and dying philosophies and ways of thinking. You are God’s new sprig and young twig, our Scripture says. You are God’s new creation. God promises not just to do something new in your life. He promises that everything has become new.

This is a great Scripture to throw back up to God in prayer. This is what you promise in Scripture. “If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new.” If anyone is in Christ—anyone—that is you and me. In Christ—we are the Baptized—we trust in Jesus, his death and resurrection. There is a new creation. God help us see it with the eyes of faith. Help us experience it by your grace.  Everything old has passed away. Open the eyes of our heart to see the irrelevance of that way that is decaying and passing away. And free us from whatever it is that is dragging us down and keeping us from living the life God wants for us. Everything has become new. Dear Lord, give us that hope for change in a good and godly direction. Renew our lives and spirits. You say everything has become new. That means all things are possible with you. There is no area of my life that you cannot touch and transform for the better.

Mark 3:20-35

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June 10, 2018

Pastor David Brummer, former pastor of First Saint Paul's brings us the Word of God.

What does it mean to part of Jesus' family?

“Sabbath Rest” (Mark 2:23–3:6)

Mark 2:23–3:6

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Pastor Tom Johnson, June 3, 2018

This morning Jesus has an argument with the Pharisees. They are easily offended. Instead of putting their energy into helping people, they put their energy into trying to entrap and find fault in Jesus and his followers. It begins with Jesus’ disciples walking by a field of wheat and picking the grain and feeding themselves. The Pharisees want Jesus to scold and rebuke his disciples because it was Saturday—the Sabbath—the Jewish day of rest. Jesus reminds the Pharisees of how King David and his men at the show bread from the Temple—sacramental bread—because they were hungry. And the priests did not rebuke them but cared for their bodies. The bread was put to good use. Jesus beautifully sums up the spirit of the Law of the Sabbath Day rest. God gave his people a day off during the week as a gift. The Sabbath was made for humankind, not people for the Sabbath.

This commandment, “Remember the Sabbath Day by keeping it holy,” is the third commandment. It is a reminder of God’s preservation and redemption of their lives from slavery and a time to refresh and build community. How many days off do you suppose Pharaoh, the emperor and slave master of Egypt gave to the people of Israel? That’s right. None. Giving them a day to remember how God delivered them from bondage and the house of slavery and to rest from the work week is a gift. It is meant to reinvigorate his people.

Byzantine Mosaic. Cathedral of Monreale.

The Pharisees plot to see if Jesus will heal a man with a disabled hand when he enters a synagogue. And when he does heal him, they accuse Jesus of breaking the Law because it was on a Saturday. Their hardness of heart grieves Jesus. It makes Jesus sad that they twist and pervert the Word of God. Their pettiness and narrowness makes the Sabbath into a burden. You’ll remember that it was Pharaoh who time after time hardened his heart toward Moses and the Lord’s command, “Let my people go!” It is a sad thing when our hearts become calloused. We care more about the letter of the Law than we do the spirit of the Law. We care more about policies, rules, and procedures than the people they are written to serve. The Pharisees make a holiday into a burden—time off into time served. They put more energy into discrediting Jesus than they do loving their neighbor. They lose sight of the fact that the Sabbath Day rest is a gift.

We too can put up obstacles to others seeing the grace and gifts of God. God has not called us to police the world. Our job is not to find fault in other people. If those around us see that we care more about being right than we do about helping our neighbor, they will not be drawn toward Christ through us. Pride and self-righteousness will kill ministry as well as the spirits of those around us. The Sabbath Day was not given so that we would be bound and restricted one day a week. It was given to free us to enjoy life and celebrate God’s gifts and to find our rest in God and in one another. And because of the life and ministry of Jesus, this is the one commandment that went through the greatest change. Because the salvation is no longer defined by the Israelites being emancipated from slavery. Salvation is now for all nations, tribes, tongues, and peoples and our freedom from sin, death, and the devil. That is why the Apostles immediately began to gather on the first day of the week—Sundays (Acts 20:7). Sunday is the day Jesus rose again from the dead. It is the day he triumphed over death, sin, and all evil. It is now our day of emancipation and liberation. It is not a day of rules, policies, and restrictions. It is a celebration of the Gospel—what Christ did for us through his life, death, and resurrection.

“This is the day that the Lord has made! Let us rejoice and be glad in it!” This day was made for you and me. Today we find our rest in all the work God has done for us through his Son, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. This is the day we glean the fruit of the Gospel—we do not live by bread alone but by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord. We feed our hungry souls with the bread and wine—the Body and Blood of Jesus. We leave here reinvigorated by forgiveness and the assurance of eternal life. This is the day God heals our withered and wearied souls. We find our peace—our wholeness in Christ. We are here to encourage one another, pray, and serve one another. We do not have to—we get to gather together today and find our strength and joy for the week ahead. Blessed Lord's Day!