“Our Rich Inheritance” (Psalm 16)

Psalm 16

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Pastor Tom Johnson, November 18, 2018

Our Scripture from Psalm 16 emerged as an excellent theme for this year’s stewardship focus: “O Lord, you are my portion and my cup; it is you who uphold my lot. My boundaries enclose a pleasant land; indeed, I have a rich inheritance.” An inheritance is whatever we receive from those who come before us. An inheritance is passed from parents to children one generation to another generation. Often it is death that releases a possession to be given to next person in line. For the Psalm writer and the people of God in the Old Testament, it primarily referred to land.

God promised them an inheritance when God called Abraham. That inheritance was the land of Canaan. God shows Moses how they are to divide up the land between the different tribes of Israel. When Joshua enters the land, they divide up the land by casting lots—kind of like rolling dice or flipping a coin for who got what particular plot of land. Our Psalm says “My boundaries enclose a pleasant land.” Or as it says in other translations, “The lines have fallen for me in excellent places.” They saw the land as a gift. Even though it was by lottery or seemingly random. A Jewish scholar says, “One must have the humility and clarity of vision to recognize that their portion in life is allotted to them by God. Those abilities and powerful forces which seem to be the determining factors of life are merely the tools of the Creator who guides them.” Or as the proverb states it, “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord” (Prov 16:33). In other words, God wants us to be content, appreciative, and grateful to him for all our gifts.

Our portion in life is no accident. “It is God who is at work in you to will and to do his good purpose” (Phillip 2:13). In Ephesians (1:18), Paul says he prays that the church would have their eyes enlightened, “that [we] will know what is the hope to which he has called [us], what are the riches of [our] glorious inheritance.” If we have a sense of entitlement we do not understand our inheritance. If we assume our privilege we do not understand God’s purpose. If we lack gratitude for what we have been given and entrusted with, our eyes and hearts are darkened.

We have a rich inheritance in Christ. God created the universe—this terrestrial ball that we call home rich with life and resources. He has placed us in this continent, nation, state, and city. Generations have come before us to secure our lots. God has blessed us with family, friends, education, and employment. We have worked for what we have. But we are also standing on the shoulders of those who have come before us.

This past week, Marvel Comic creator Stan Lee died. One of his famous lines from the Spider-Man comics and movie is, “With great power comes great responsibility.” Or, as Jesus said 2000 years before, “To whom much has been given, much is required” (Luke 12:48). We have been gifted with much.

Later on during our meal, we will dedicate a plaque in memory of Margit Borgel who generously gave to our community meals ministry. From her apartment window, she could guests lining up for a meal every Saturday. She saw the rich inheritance of our ministry. And that prompted her to invest in that inheritance.

It is not just about the inheritance we receive. It is also about the inheritance that we pass on. That is what stewardship is all about. It is being thankful for all the gifts God has given us. It is putting those gifts to use. It is investing our time, talent, and treasure so that those who come after us will also be blessed through us.

Our inheritance is right here on the corner of LaSalle and Goethe—this small portion of land—some of which was taken away! Our inheritance is the building. When we repair the roof we are simply being good stewards and taking care of what those who have come before us have built. Our rich inheritance is each other and all the gifts that we bring to one another to build each other up. Our rich inheritance is the communities we serve. Our rich inheritance is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Our rich inheritance is the good news of Jesus. He brings the treasure of his kingdom from heaven to earth. He said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ...Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven.” Our rich inheritance is the relationship we have with each other and with God. We as God’s people are God’s inheritance. God is our inheritance. Our Scripture says, “O Lord, you are my portion and my cup; it is you who uphold my lot.” God promises to uphold, preserve, and strengthen our inheritance.Our rich inheritance is the forgiveness of sins and eternal life we have received as a free gift from God through Jesus who invested his life in us. He gave his life to us on the cross and rose again to purchase a place for us in his eternal Kingdom.

Great thy goodness e’er enduring;
deep thy wisdom, passing thought;
splendor, light and life attend thee,
beauty springing out of nought.
Evermore from God’s store
newborn worlds rise and adore.
          ("All My Hope on God Is Founded," WOV 782, v. 3)

“Ravenous Greed” (Mark 12:38-44)

Mark 12:38-44

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Pastor Tom Johnson, November 11, 2018

James Tissot: The Widow's Mite

Mark’s account of the widow who gives two small copper coins is part of a pair of stories that includes Jesus’ warning of the Pharisees’ greed and misuse of power. He begins with the word “Beware.” This is a warning. It is Jesus standing at the crossroads telling us not to go down the a destructive path. And the destructive path is the path of greed. Jesus goes behind what we see with our eyes and hear with our ears to reveal to us what God sees—the condition of the heart. Beware—watch out—look out for the seductive power of greed of the Pharisees. Through their status and sense of entitlement, they have found ways to prominence in public and ways to exploit the poor in private.

This is Jesus’ way of pulling the mask off to show us the real person inside. What you may think you see is a wealthy, well-known, and happy public person. But what Jesus reveals is someone who is being consumed from the inside out by greed. “They devour widow’s houses,” Jesus says. This is a very real case of a social injustice that Jesus identifies here. And the words he uses identifies the sinful appetite the Pharisees have for money and power. They are consuming the possessions of the poor. Their hunger for more is so intoxicating that they will even exploit those who have very little. They have been bewitched by money. And under the spell of greed they have lost all sense of loving their poor neighbor as they would want themselves to be loved.

It should be a wake up call to us all. Things are not what the seem when we see millionaires and billionaires and people in power. They are just as susceptible as anyone else to the seduction of money and power. Jesus says, “Beware.” Don’t believe the lie of riches. Don’t get consumed by an appetite for things. In the end, you and I will do things—terrible things that we never would have imagined ourselves doing—like taking from the poor to line the pockets of the rich. In other words, don’t fool yourself. Any one of us could be seduced and deceived by the race to have more and better stuff and money. The ways people stole from the poor and devoured widow’s houses is all over the Old Testament in the book of Job (22:8f; 24:2f), Isaiah (10), Proverbs (15:25), Deuteronomy (10:18), and Exodus (22:22). Those in power would move property lines which had the effect of taking land away from the poor. The state and the temple would demand taxes from people who clearly had no money. When a person could not pay cash, they would take valuable livestock and land away. Or they would seize crops and even sell them or loved ones away as slaves. In the Reformer Martin Luther’s explanation of the 7th commandment, “You shall not steal,” he asks, “What does this mean?” “We should fear and love God so that we do not take our neighbor’s money or possessions, or get them in any dishonest way, but help him improve and protect his possessions and income.”

Widows were the most vulnerable in society. They were often women with young children who had been abandoned and forgotten. Instead of finding the compassion and help they need, they are further exploited. It is an easy thing to do if we do not take the time to hear the stories of people around us. That is why Jesus takes off the second mask. This time, it is a mask of poverty and unworthiness. On the face of things, it is just two small copper coins. But Jesus says, if you look behind the mask you have a person who is generous in spirit and love. She gave more, Jesus says. Because she gave all she had—all she had to live on. What looks worthless is priceless to Jesus.

Beware of the ravenous greed that will consume you and others. Instead, follow the humble and godly spirit of this poor widow. The Temple is priceless to her. Her value is not in copper, silver, or gold. Her value is in the forgiveness of sins the Temple represents. Her sense of worth is in the promise of the Temple of God who says I will dwell among my people. The good news is not the two copper coins that the Temple gained that day. It was the gift of love and faithfulness that God produced in the heart of a worshiper. She is responding to the gift of salvation and the love that God has for her first.

Theologians call this an imputed righteousness. It is value God gives to someone who could never purchase it or produce it themselves. Instead he reckons us rich by his grace and love. He purchases us—not with copper, sliver or gold—but with his precious blood on the Cross of Calvary. We don’t need to play dress up in our long robes and fancy dress. We are clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. We do not need to make a name for ourselves. We bear the name of Jesus—the name above all names. We do not need to barter and jockey for a position at the table. Jesus spreads a table before us and says, “Take, eat. Drink of it, all of you.” Receive my true Body and Blood. It is free. You are welcome no matter your station in life, your background, or tragic story of loss. “You are precious to me,” Jesus says. “So much so I give all that I have and all that I am to you. So you can receive the gift of my love and pass it on.”

“No more crying” (Revelation 21:1-6)

Revelation 21:1-6

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Pastor Tom Johnson, November 4, 2018

Have you ever thought about why we humans cry? If you are cutting onions or have something in your eye, your tear ducts will open up and will try flush the eyes of whatever is irritating that very sensitive area of the body. Why do we cry when we are sad, grieving or, for some of us, when we are laughing? The scientific community is not exactly sure. They have found stress hormones and painkillers in tears. Some think if we are too happy or too sad tears have a way of stabilizing a person’s mood which also impacts the heart rate and breathing. Some also think that tears elicit sympathy from those around us. We, in a sense, invite others to share our extreme sadness or happiness.

Anatomy of lacrimation

In our Gospel reading, Jesus begins to weep. The eternal Son of God who has become human share this very human experience. His friend Lazarus is dead. Jesus shares the grief that his sisters Mary and Martha feel. Even though he knows he is about to raise their brother from the dead, he validates their sense of loss by his tears. In our readings from Isaiah and Revelation, we are given a vision of the Kingdom of Heaven where God “will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying will be no more, for the first things have passed away.” God validates our tears for a lifetime of loss and grief. We have invited him in to our world of pain and sadness. God sees us. We are not invisible. Our crying has become prayer. He has heard our pleas for sympathy. Even the Apostle Paul remembers the tears of Timothy in his letter to him in Scripture. Those tears remind Paul to pray for his friend and fellow shepherd in the faith. Tears are prayer. Tears are a call to prayer. And they are also a call to action. Just as he told the Israelites who spent 400 years in slavery in Egypt, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and bring them...to a good and broad land” (Ex 3:7,8).

But why did it take 400 years for God to act on those tears? Why did Jesus come after Lazarus had died and not before? And why this promise of his wiping away our tears at the end of all time and the beginning of eternity? We want relief and comfort now. And perhaps that is why we do not mourn, grieve, or shed tears as much as we ought to. In a way, we are naming our pain and loss by our crying. We may think it is easier to simply live in denial and plug up those tear ducts and emotions. We take it upon ourselves to stop the crying and wipe away our own tears and pretend that everything is all right. It can be harder to make ourselves vulnerable in front of others and even before the true and living God. God sees our grief even without our tears. He hears our groaning that is too deep for words. He has heard all four hundred years of collective grief. He knows every loss and sad-ness in each individual’s lifetime. Psalm 56 (v. 8) even says that God keeps our tears in a bottle—he puts our tears into the archives until the end of time. It is for a lack of faith that we do not cry before God as Jesus cried before a grieving family. Or it is because of pride that we do not want to be seen as weak or handle it ourselves without the help of others and even without the help of God.

Today we name our loss as a Christian community—as a family of faith. We utter the names of individuals that have passed from this vale of tears into mountain of God’s paradise. We chime the bell to validate our loss and to celebrate God’s gain. It is good for the soul to shed our tears together. We are in a safe place. It is okay to be angry, lonely, sad, questioning, accepting. It is okay to not feel those emotions in that order. It is okay to unload it all upon God just as Scripture says, “Cast all your anxie-ties upon God, because he cares for you” (1 Pet 5:7). Today we have a vision of all those we have lost. God has wiped every tear from their eyes. Death is no more. There is no mourning or crying in that great heavenly host that no one can number. And here is the amazing truth. You and I are among their number. All these saints stand outside time and space. We are the ones gathered from all over the world from every tribe, nation, tongue and people.” We are the those gathered from the beginning of time, now, until the end of time. This is not just a future hope. It is a present reality. Just as Jesus weeps fully confident in his own power to raise Lazarus from the dead. So we weep as those fully confident in Jesus who died and rose again. Our tears acknowledge our very real pain today but in the sure and certain hope of the resurrection of the dead.

The visions from Isaiah and Revelation and the words of Jesus assure us that there is a great reunion to come. And that great reunion has already begun. Our loss has already led to gain. Our sadness has turned to joy. Our tears have begun to be wiped away by the nail scarred hands of our Savior. Every week we have a foretaste of this feast to come when we gather together in the name of Jesus who wept for us, died for us, and rose again from the dead for us. Each week we hear that profound reminder, “Therefore with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven we laud and magnify Your glorious name, evermore praising You and saying, ‘Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of pow’r and might: Heaven and earth are full of Your glory. Hosan-na. Hosanna. Hosanna in the highest.’”