“Stay awake” —Mark 13:24-37

Stop sleepwalking through life. Embrace all that is given to you by the Lord.

Sermon from December, 3, 2012: “Stay awake” —Mark 13:24-37

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“An ever-flowing stream” —Amos 5:18-24

“Children of God” (1 John 3:1-3)

“Head to Heart” (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Psalm 46; John 8:31-36)

Jeremiah 31:31-34
Psalm 46
John 8:31-36

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Pastor Tom Johnson, October 29, 2023

Happy Reformation Sunday. Reformation Day is October 31. It was on October 31st 1517–more than 500 years ago. On All Saints or All Hallows Eve, this German monk named Martin Luther was very upset. He was upset with a preacher. Johann Tetzel, a priest raising money for St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome was selling pieces of paper called indulgences. If you purchased one, you were able to buy your way or someone else’s way out of suffering in purgatory. “When the coin in the coffer rings, a soul from purgatory springs!” Luther wrote 95 theses—95 statements against indulgences and in support of true transformation—of mind, life, and heart. Luther sparked a reformation of the church in Europe, Luther was most concerned that everyone—from the nobles to the common people—that everyone would personally know Jesus Christ.

Luther’s doctorate in theology, all his books, and teachings were not so that people would be smarter but holier—that the cry of our hearts for God would be answered—that our minds and hearts would be soothed by God.  That we would know that forgiveness, life, and salvation are a gift of God. To move us from the head to transformation of the heart. The Holy Spirit is the one who draws us into a relationship with God by grace—unmerited—undeserved.  We are received by God and receive God through faith—childlike, tenderhearted trust in our Heavenly Father—who sent his eternal Son to take on our humanity—who sent Jesus to walk with us, heal us, teach us, suffer with us, die on the Cross, and rise again in new life so that we would have new life and new hearts.

Luther was way ahead of his time and even designed his own logo. At the center is the Cross—symbolizing Jesus Christ and his work for us. The Cross is in the heart—symbolizing Jesus dwelling richly in the heart of believers. The white rose is the Holy Spirit who draws us into this life by God’s Word and Spirit. The green leaves are continued growth in our faith and trust in God. The blue background is the heavenly joy we have now. The golden ring is the never ending circle of love and life we have in Christ.

Our reading from John reminds us of the sense of entitlement we can develop if we forget that all God’s goodness, love, forgiveness, and relationship with him is a gift. God’s people say they have never been slaves to anyone—forgetting that God delivered them out of 430 years of slavery—for free—just because he loved them. It seems laughable that such a lie could spread—the lie that you could purchase God’s forgiveness and salvation with silver and gold coins? But even today, we still can easily fall into the trap of pride, entitlement, and intellectualism.  In other words, we can still fill our lives with all sorts of religious things. We can treat God like a vending machine—if we put the right coin in the slot—say the right prayers—or believe the right things, God will bless us. Or we can believe the lie that God is waiting for us to say the right thing, think the right thing, or do the right thing, then he will love us. This is transactional religion—quid pro quo theology. Our relationship with God is not transactional. It is transformational. It transforms our minds and hearts.

It’s right there in our reading from the prophet Jeremiah: “I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. “No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sins no more.” The Sioux nation have a saying: The longest journey is from the head to the heart. This is what the Reformation is all about—re-forming our minds, hearts, and lives—transforming our thinking, our visceral knowing, and our daily living. This is the work of the Holy Spirit who writes his Word into our hearts—who takes our hearts of stone and replaces them with hearts of flesh. He takes us on a journey from the inside out and the outside in. God takes us on a walk. And we walk—not by sight but—by faith. He leads us into the depths of our being. He reveals a whole interior world that we have neglected. By his Holy Spirit, he speaks and writes his Word into our hearts. As our Psalm says, God calls us to be still and know that he is God. 

This is a visceral knowledge. We don’t just know about God with our minds. We intimately know God. We know in our guts that he is a good, gracious, loving, giving, and forgiving. The Holy Spirit moves us on this interior journey—this epic journey—from the head to the heart. It’s a transformational journey. It’s a life-long journey. It is a relationship we now have with Christ at the center.  It’s a relationship that the least to the greatest of us have. It’s a relationship where our flaws and sins are overcome by Christ who lays down his life for us and takes it up again so that our relationship will never come to an end. 

Spirit of God, descend upon my heart;
Wean it from earth, through all its pulses move;
Stoop to my weakness, strength to me impart,

And make me love you as I ought to love.
                    (“Spirit of God, descend upon my heart,” LBW 486, vv. 1-5)

“Hypocrisy” (Matthew 22:15-22)

Matthew 22:15-22

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Pastor Tom Johnson, October 22, 2023

Jesus calls the religious leaders hypocrites 13 times. He calls out their hypocrisy 3 times. And that is just in the Gospel of Mathew. This is vitally important for us to understand: Jesus never speaks harshly toward “sinners.” He only speaks strong words toward those who think they are not sinners. Jesus’ harsh words are for those who engage in spiritual abuse—those who use religion to burden the consciences of others—those who make others feel shame, guilt, and condemnation from God.

The Pharisees are mean. They are spiritual bullies. Jesus reads their hearts and is aware of their malice. They come to Jesus with a question: “Is it lawful to pay taxes to the Roman Emperor or not?” It’s not an innocent question. The Pharisees’ egos drive them to eliminate the opposition. In this case, their competition is Jesus. He has a growing following. People are attracted to him and his teaching. The Pharisees not so much. Their question is designed to entrap Jesus—to get Jesus into trouble. If Jesus says it’s not okay to pay taxes to Rome, they will accuse him of treason. You’ll remember they’ll say to Pilate, “We have no king but Caesar?” Truly hypocrites.

If Jesus says it is okay to pay taxes to Rome, they will accuse him of treason against his own people. They will accuse Jesus of promoting idolatry since there is a graven image of the Emperor on each coin and an inscription saying he is a god. It’s a lose-lose question. It is what some would call a conundrum, a “Catch-22,” or a “darned if you do, darned if you don’t.” Jesus knows their malice. He knows they are trying to play Jesus, to lure him into a trap, and say “gotcha.” 

Jesus immediately responds by calling them hypocrites. It other words, whatever fault they are trying to find in Jesus is a fault that they carry in themselves. They are projecting their own guilt upon Jesus. And what are they guilty of? Paying taxes to the Roman Emperor. They are in the same pickle—the same unfortunate predicament and messy situation as everyone else. Rome has forcibly taken control of Israel. They must pay taxes to Rome—or else! They must pay the Jewish Temple tax. Everybody felt badly that they had to pay taxes to a tyrant—well maybe not everyone. Tax collectors maybe loved it because of how wealthy they became. And is that not ironic—that the Gospel of Matthew is written by a former tax collector?

Jesus never condemns tax collectors and sinners. He pursues them. He loves them. He lays down his life for sinners and hypocrites. He calls us to to follow him and experience the life-transforming work of the kingdom. But hypocrites—in this case the Pharisees—try to make everything black-and-white—an either/or reality. The truth is that we live in a broken world where things do not fall so easily into the categories of good and evil. That is the great insight to Jesus calling the Pharisees hypocrites. Jesus would make a great psychotherapist. At the very least, they subconsciously feel the same shame and guilt they want to project on Jesus. Jesus’ great insight is that the Pharisees are not even consciously aware of their own hypocrisy. That is a scary truth for all of us: that our judgmentalism—our bigotry—our prejudice can blind us to our own sin and maliciousness. And so by calling the Pharisees hypocrites, Jesus calls them and us to pay attention to our own judgmentalism. Why are we so zealous to point the finger at others where there are wrong? When we condemn others, what does it say about us? 

The Navajo people have a saying, “when you point a finger there are three fingers pointing back at you.” Could it be that whatever it is reminds us of what we don’t like about ourselves? Or as Jesus says in his Sermon on the Mount, “Why do you see the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? …You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:3-5). Jesus’ great insight should lead us to a greater awareness of our own hypocrisy—that whatever we are most against is what we feel the most shame or guilt about. As the proverb says, “The guilty dog barks loudest.” 

Jesus response to their question is genius. He asks for a Roman coin. He asks whose depiction it is on the coin. “The emperor’s,” they say. “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” In other words, Jesus says, “We are all in this together.” Jesus gives everyone the freedom to give the emperor what belongs to him and to God what belongs to him. The punchline is that everything and everyone belongs to God—the King of kings and Lord of lords—the living and true God—the good and gracious God.

To comfort and to bless,
To find a balm for woe,

To tend the lone and fatherless

Is angels' work below.

The captive to release,

To God the lost to bring,

To teach the way of life and peace,

It is a Christ-like thing. 
                    (“We Give Thee But Thine Own,” LSB 781, vv. 4-5)

“Incomprehensible Peace” (Philippians 4:1-9)

Philippians 4:1-9

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Pastor Tom Johnson, October 15, 2023

Our Scripture from Philippians reminds us of one of the greatest threats to humanity: anxiety. But it gives us some of the greatest antidote. It begins with Paul urging two women who work alongside Paul in the work of the Gospel. They are no longer of the same mind. We do not know what the disagreement was between them. But Paul begins by urging them—pleading with them to reconcile—to be unified in heart, mind, and in the Lord.

If we lack peace in our hearts and minds, we should first look at our relationships. Harboring bitterness, resentment, retribution will rob us of peace. Jesus taught us to pray for God to forgive us as we forgive others. We cannot have personal peace without interpersonal peace. Anxious thoughts will arise when we have unresolved tension—wrongs that need to be confessed—hurt that needs to be addressed. So the toxicity between Euodia and Syntyche was threatening to rob the whole community of peace and joy.

Our Scripture begins with the first antidote to worry: joy in the Lord. “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice!” Joy invites us to look around and see the goodness and greatness of God. That is one thing that never changes: God is always worthy of our wonder and praise. Joy invites us to marvel at creation. Look at the stars, the sunrise, the moon, the ocean, the forests, all creatures great and small. Find joy in creation. Find joy in the Creator. He sent his Son to take on our sin, our suffering, and death itself and rose again so that we will not be paralyzed by fear but know that our eternal future is secure. Rejoice in the Lord!

It won’t hurt our anxiety to be gentle and kind toward others—to love one another as we want to be loved and as Christ sacrificially and selflessly loved us to be compassionate and gracious like Jesus. Kindness is another antidote to worry.

“Do not worry about anything.” It’s right there in our Scripture. So it must be attainable. It is a promise: nothing should rob us of peace of mind and tranquility of heart. As Jesus says in his Sermon on the Mount, “do not worry about your life” (Matthew 6:25).

Another antidote to anxiety is prayer. Prayer is talking to God. Tell God your worries. Tell him what has us up at night and what is stealing our joy and our peace. God wants to open the floodgates of peace more than we do. He wants to remove obstacles to our experiencing his abiding peace. “Do not worry about anything…but in everything” pray “with thanksgiving. Worry about nothing. Pray about everything. Pray remembering—not what is troubling you but—what is blessing you.

The key ingredient in a worry-demolishing and anxiety-crushing prayer is gratitude. Pray with gratitude for all the gifts we enjoy. It will help us to see through all that is going wrong to recognize the good. It will re-wire our brains to not focus exclusively on the negative. It will help us to let go of the things we cannot control. When I told my grandmother about my worries, she never told me I had nothing to worry about as a teenager. She would remind me to count my blessings. We cannot have joy and peace without gratitude. We cannot say “gratitude” without “attitude.” Let’s not wait until the fourth Thursday in November to celebrate Thanksgiving. In another Scripture, Paul says, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-17). 

Our Scripture is an invitation to set aside time in our busy lives for prayerful contemplation—to be intentional about what we allow our minds to focus on: “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable—any excellence and worthy of praise, think about these things.”

“And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” This is a peace the world cannot give—an unworldly peace—an incomprehensible peace. This is not a peace that we manufacture. It’s not a peace that comes from figuring out the riddle of life. It’s not a peace because all is well in the world. It’s the peace God gives. It’s supernatural peace. It’s transcendent peace. It’s a peace that does not depend on life’s circumstances. It’s a peace that can coexist along with all the demands and concerns of this world. Paul says that this peace will “guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” This is no intellectual exercise. It’s living our daily lives in prayerful connection to him who took on all the trouble and sin of the world to the Cross. It’s awareness of the peace and joy of him who rose from the dead and says, “I make all things new.” 

This is a great Scripture to challenge God to fulfill what he promises—to pray that God would open our eyes and our hearts to the wonder all around us so that we would find joy—even in the smallest things—things we might have missed—to pray and search our own lives for things to be grateful for—even the smallest things—things we might have missed—to pray through the worry and anxiety—to pray and find the peace—from the Prince of Peace—who transcends all human comprehension.

“Identification” (Philippians 3:10-14)

Philippians 3:10-14

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“Identification,” Philippians 3:10-14

Pastor Tom Johnson, October 8, 2023

Earlier this year the movie Jesus Revolution came out. The movie tells the story of how a generation of young people find their way to faith in Jesus. The main character, Greg, has a similar journey. He is disillusioned by the materialism of the day. He does not want to conform to rigid and closed-minded thinking. That’s when he meets a group of students who are non-conformists. They have found a new way to find their identity—not in their parents, the educational system, or politics. They have found their way through drugs, alcohol, and music. They are called hippies. They were trying to transcend this world and suffering. What Greg and so many realize is that their new identity does not fill the hole deep in their soul. It does not bring them the peace and meaning they seek. In fact, it becomes dangerous and deadly. The story of the movie is how they find Christ—or how Christ finds them. Blaise Pascal said, “There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of each person which cannot be filled by any created thing but only by God the Creator, made known through Jesus Christ.” 

That’s what Paul is talking about in our reading from his letter to the Philippians. It is a vulnerable moment for Paul. He shares his impressive background and résumé with us. But then he says he considers this old identity of his all “rubbish.” By the way, the word rubbish is the naughty Greek word for “excrement.” All that striving to fill that empty space with ethnic pride, family heritage, education, money, things, and power—all of that making a name for himself and trying to fill that God-shaped vacuum with worldly things—it is all a load of you-know-what compared to what he now has in Jesus Christ.

This is a message we all need. It really doesn’t matter what we use to fill the emptiness. It could be harmful things like risky behavior or substance abuse. But it can even be things that can be used for good—like money, music, and influence. Or we may be neglecting the greatest gift we always have in the present moment: knowing Christ. The great insight of our Scripture today is that nothing—nothing compares with personal encounter and personal relationship with Christ. Like the old hymn says, “On Christ the Solid Rock I stand. All other ground is sinking sand.” So Paul says, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”

And how do we enter this relationship with Jesus? How do we find our new identity in Christ and fill that God-shaped hole in our souls? By faith—trusting in Jesus—by, in Paul’s words, “forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead.” Letting go of the old—letting it die and fade away in memory. Just as God chooses not to remember our sins—but forgives us—so we also must let go of the past. Just as Paul has let go of his prestigious past, so we also must let go of our pride. What matters is where we go from here. What matters now is how we get used to our new identity. Paul says he wants to intimately know and experience Christ and the power of the resurrection. He wants to continue to grow in his faith and journey with Jesus. The way is counterintuitive. It’s through identifying with Christ’s suffering and death. By making his suffering and death to sin our own. And making his rising our own.

Jesus found his identity with us by taking on our humanity. He was born of the virgin Mary. The eternal Word became flesh. He intimately knows what it means to be human. He knows what it is to suffer in body and soul. He experienced death. He confronted and defeated death on the Cross and through the empty grave when he rose again from the dead. All this to identity with us—but also to rescue us from captivity to our sin and death. Scripture says he purchased us, not with gold and silver, but with his precious blood. So we are now his treasured possession. You could say that he owns us—but not as property but as his own beloved children.

I find Paul’s words in our reading so powerful: “Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.” Jesus is always ahead of us. He told the disciples he is going ahead of them into Galilee. Jesus has gone ahead and already has made us his own. Hi first takes his loving hold and grip on us. “We love because he first loved us.” We strive to make him our own because he has made us his own. I love that Paul gives us no formula in how to do this—only his example, and more importantly, Christ’s example. We let go of the old unhelpful and harmful things. We let them die away. We yearn for a deeper life through a selfless, sacrificial pursuit of a relationship with our Savior and Creator. We are just trying to catch up—we are growing into the reality of how deeply and unconditionally loved we are. We are just getting used to the truth that we are worth all the suffering and death of Christ. As we die to self and rise in Christ, our Scripture says we will become like him. 

Riches I heed not, nor vain, empty praise,
Thou mine inheritance, now and always:
Thou, and Thou only, first in my heart,
great God of heaven, my treasure Thou art.
                           (“Be Thou My Vision,” WOV 776 v. 3)

“Despising God’s Super Abundant Grace” (Jonah 3:10–4:11; Matthew 20:1-16)

Jonah 3:10–4:11
Matthew 20:1-16

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Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard —Rembrandt (1606-1669)

Pastor Tom Johnson, September 24, 2023

If you haven’t already done so, I would encourage you to sit down and read the book of Jonah. It’s four short chapters. It should only take you about 15 minutes to read. It’s a story written to make you laugh at the prophet and our pettiness and stinginess and laugh at God’s outrageous love for all people and all creation. God calls Jonah to preach against the people of Nineveh. But Jonah runs in the opposite direction. He gets swallowed by a great fish. Jonah runs because the Ninevites are guilty of terrible violence against the people of God. Jonah wants them to get what they deserve—for God to turn them to ash like Sodom and Gomorrah. When the Ninevites repent, God spares them. He has mercy on the Ninevite people—and the Ninevite animals. It makes Jonah angry. He is angry that God is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love toward even this violent nation.

In our Gospel reading, Jesus tells a similar story of a landowner who hires workers for his vineyard early in the morning. They agree to work for the usual daily wage. But then the landowner goes out to hire more workers at different intervals during the day. Some of the workers only worked for the last hour.  At the end of the day, they line up to get paid. The landowner pays them all the same wage. Those who worked many hours and bore the heat of the day feel cheated. They are keeping score. God does not. And so they express their outrage. But the landowner reminds them that they agreed to the usual daily wage. He is free to be generous to the latecomers. And so they despise the landowners super abundant generosity and grace.

Both these stories remind us of a very important distinction between humans and God: what we think is fair does not always line up with what God thinks is fair. We want retributive justice. In other words, we want people to suffer the consequences of their wrongdoing. We want others to pay for their sins. We want others to earn the good they receive. That is the old way: retributive justice—people getting the punishment or stinginess they deserve. It does not change minds, hearts, or lives. We think it brings balance to the world. But God does not want the world to simply be fair. He wants everyone—and everything—to experience his bountiful and extravagant love. He does not want retributive justice but restorative justice. God wants our world to experience his lavish forgiveness. He wants us all to live by his exceeding mercy. He wants this world to overflow with his generous grace. He wants you and me to pay forward with his excelling love.

It says something about the human heart unmoved by the Holy Spirit: we actually can get angry with God when he extends his superabundant grace toward those we have deemed unworthy. We are actually playing God. And we are not that great at it. In fact, thanks be to God that God seems to often err on the side of grace and mercy. Thanks be to God that God is not who we sometimes want him to be. What would the world look like if we always got what we deserved for our shortcomings—the harm we do to others—our hardened hearts? What if God simply turned everyone to ash who deserves it? According Scripture, there would be no one left since “we all have sinned and fall short of God’s glory” (Rom 3:23).

That is what mercy is: God withholding the punishment we deserve.

What if God was as stingy as we are—only blessing us with what we have earned by way of faithful service to him? What if God kept score? We would likely have no blessings at all. Because “all our righteousness is filthy rags” (Isa 64:6). 

That is what grace is: God loving us and blessing us even when we do not deserve or have not earned it.

Several weeks ago I was at an installation at Our Savior Lutheran Church in the Bronx. One of the pastors there is a Suffolk county police chaplain. He received the news that 13 year old Anthony Stinson, who was hit by a police car, had died. The police chaplain’s heart broke for the young boy and his family. The chaplain’s heart also broke for the police officer under his care. She tragically was responsible for hitting him in her squad car. Anthony’s mother, Claudia, is crying out for justice. But it is not retributive justice she seeks. With a big crucifix behind her, she cries out for restorative justice. She questions why squad cars do not slow down at intersections. She will fight to put in an overpass at that intersection to prevent other tragic accidents. Leaning on her faith, this single mom relies on God to give her the strength to move forward after the loss of her only child. Several years ago, Anthony and his mom already decided to donate their organs. Claudia said Anthony had a big heart. In another move of restorative justice, Anthony’s big heart will go to one of the many children waiting for a heart transplant. 

All this points to our Savior’s big heart. While facing his own unjust death, he did not send out his angelic army for retribution, but cried out for restoration. “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And to the condemned one next to him, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” 

“God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:15-21)

Genesis 50:15-21

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Pastor Tom Johnson, September 17, 2023

Staci slammed the door—shutting out her brother Brad’s angry and hurtful words—leaving him in thick silence. All he sees now was her name on her bedroom door—Staci with an “i” dotted by a circle. The silence is quickly ambushed by the screaming and nagging thought Brad has—that he should knock on that door—immediately—and say, “I’m sorry. I don’t know what got into me.” An hour passes. Brad and Staci are still not talking. The scraping and banging of forks at the dinner table is deafening. A week passes. Brad goes off to college—the silence only occasionally being interrupted by superficial conversation at Thanksgiving and family picnics on the Fourth of July. Years pass. Brad moves across the country. The silence between Brad and Staci is now only interrupted by the annual Christmas card—with the solitary name “Staci” written in ink ending in an “i” dotted by a circle. Decades pass. Decades of silence between them. The silence not peace but the lack of peace. All is quiet—that is, until three o’clock one snowy Friday morning when the phone rings…

The news wakes up our wounded child. For Joseph and his brothers, the news of their father’s death wakes up their wounded child. Loss has a way of doing that—stirring up old memories and opening up old wounds. It’s times like these that pain and resentment surface—stuff that we thought was buried and forgotten. Old thoughts resurface like “Joseph was always daddy’s favorite!” “Joseph was always a well-dressed spoiled brat—when we were kids in our father Jacob’s house in his multicolored tunic and now in Pharaoh’s house in royal garb. And what about Joseph? You’ll remember that Joseph’s brothers threw him into the ditch and sold him into slavery. You’ll remember that it was because of his slavery in Egypt that he was falsely accused of trying to violate Potiphar's wife and was thrown into prison. Joseph had his own painful memory and resentment to deal with. “Because of you, brothers, I was sold into slavery, spent years in prison, and almost lost my life and my faith.” The silence is finally broken. We know the years of silence is not peace because all this stuff resurfaces at Jacob’s death.

Like Joseph and his brothers, we can buy into the lie that time heals all wounds—the lie that silence is the same as forgiving and forgetting. We buy into the lie that the slammed doors of our teenage years will not impact the rest of our lives. We buy into the lie that an unforgiving spirit has no impact on our daily lives. We buy into the lie that guilt and shame will fade away on its own. When his brothers ask for forgiveness, Joseph weeps. He weeps. Is it the news of his father’s death? Is it because his own painful memories? Are they tears of compassion for his brothers because they carried the burden of guilt, shame, and fear of retaliation all these years? We’re not told. I think Joseph wept because of all of those things—all of the above. As Jesus says, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” Joseph knows godly sorrow. Through salty tears, Joseph runs to that place he learned to run when he was experiencing his darkest hours. Joseph runs to the loving, merciful, and gracious arms of God, his heavenly Father. 

Joseph speaks some of the most powerful words of good news in the Bible: “As for you, you meant evil against me but God meant it for good.” Joseph speaks out of his faith in a forgiving, loving, and merciful God. Joseph reminds us God has a plan to use even the bad stuff in our lives. Joseph reminds us that God even uses evil meant for our destruction. Joseph reminds us that God forgives our sin so we can forgive one another—even decades-old, dysfunctional, and destructive family behavior. He reminds us of the God who has a plan for our good. God leads us through the valley of the shadow of death. God even uses the unjust, gruesome, and evil death of His Son for the forgiveness, life, and salvation of the world. Joseph’s words remind us that God breaks the deafening silence. God melts away the bitterness, the pain, the guilt, the anger—with a word of reconciliation: “Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good.” 

Only the love of God through his Son Jesus Christ can heal the wounded child within all of us. And since God has forgiven us a lifetime of sin—a debt that we could never repay—so we ought to forgive the nickels and dimes of our sins against each other. And, as Christ reminds us, we should forgive from our heart—a heart filled with gratitude and faith in God’s forgiveness and a heart filled with compassion for those weighed down with guilt and shame. 

The story ends with forgiveness, peace, and reconciliation with him and one another—or rather, that is how our story begins. It begins with our godly sorrow over sin so that we can see and participate in the redemption of Christ. This may lead us to finally pick up the phone and speak words of comfort—or write that note of reconciliation—or lead us to have that conversation that breaks years of silence with a good word. Just as Joseph finally broke the silence:  “As for you, you meant evil against me but God meant it for good.” We siblings and humans have all wronged each other. But in the midst of the pain, guilt, and chaos, God has a plan—a plan of forgiveness, life, reconciliation, and true peace. “As for you, you meant evil against me but God meant it for good.”

“Soul Friends” (Matthew 18:15-20)

Matthew 18:15-20

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Pastor Tom Johnson, September 10, 2023

Jesus’ words in Matthew 18 are about conflict in the church. His words are some of the most practical words in all his teaching ministry. I want St. Luke to be a Matthew 18 church. I want to be a Matthew 18 pastor. Jesus gives step by step instructions how to confront others when they sin against us. It’s genius. It works.

Ken Sande, the founder of peacemaking ministries says that conflict is like the 1970’s bumper sticker “crap happens.” Conflict happens. Why will it inevitably happen? Because the world is made up entirely of sinners. 8.1 billion sinners. So the church should have no conflict, right? Yes it should not. But we are both saints and simultaneously sinners. So conflict will happen right here at St. Luke even though. I still think you are a very lovely group of people. But here is the punchline Sande gives: “Every conflict is an opportunity to glorify God.”

Jesus tells us how to engage in conflict. No matter the outcome it will, in one way or another, bring glory to God and love to our neighbor. The ancient Celtic church had a name for such a person who relates to others as Jesus instructed: soul friend. Provers 18:24 says, “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” .

Have you ever had a soul friend? We may have hurt this person. We may have betrayed this person. We may may have gossiped about or maligned this person. We may have embarrassed this person. We may have neglected this person. But though we sinned against them—in spite of it all—they still rise up to be our soul friend. Instead of embarrassing us back, gossiping, or maligning us, they prayerfully seek an opportunity to pull us aside and have a private word. They care about our reputation. They want to preserve our honor and dignity as a creature created in the image of God and as a fellow follower of Jesus. They protect us by keeping the conversation just between the two of us. No eavesdroppers. No one to report back to. Just the soul friend, you, and God know. Though they have been hurt, the soul friend does not let their pain kill their kindness. They know that hurt people hurt. They assume we are like all people—children of God but still wounded children—bearing the physical and emotional  scars of a broken world. This is empathy—in their prayerful imagination, they put their foot into our shoe before they speak a word to us. Theirs is a heart of wisdom and kindness—the fruit of the Spirit. They want us to be the best version of ourselves.

When they tell you our fault—where we have gone wrong, it is not out of anger, retaliation, or resentment. It is because they care. We know it took courage and boldness. The tone of their voice, body language, and gentle approach tell us so. They have not come to win an argument against us. They have come to win us as a friend.  Proverbs 27:6 says, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.” Betrayal, the kiss of Judas. Faithful, the wounds of Christ. If we refuse to listen, a soul friend will not give up on us. It’s not just the things you may have said or done now that are of concern but our soul. So they must go to one or two other soul friends. 

These soul friends are not there to take just one side—but all sides. They are not there to point out a winner and loser. They are there to make sure all sides win—to prayerfully win each other as soul friends of Jesus. If we  refuse to listen to them, the stakes go higher because now it must go to the church. It is now not an isolated incident but one that could fester and poison the entire community. Christ calls us not to tolerate toxicity in his Church. If we are still unwilling to see how we could be wrong, or if we are incapable of the kind of self-reflection or self-awareness to see how we are poisoning the lives around us, Jesus instructs the soul friend to treat us as a Gentile and a tax-collector.

This is one of the great punchlines in Matthew’s Gospel. For who was Matthew before Jesus called him to be one of his disciples? A tax-collector. And what do tax-collectors and Gentiles have in common? They are for whom Christ died and rose again from the dead. And how did Jesus treat Gentiles and tax-collectors? Really well. Did he treat them with contempt and condemn them? No, he came to deliver them out of the slavery of sin. Remember that Jesus did not come to seek the righteous but sinners. 

The soul friend must conclude that we have to go back to Christian preschool and learn about the love of Jesus and how to be a good friend to others. And do you know what every preschooler calls each other at St. Luke? Friend. 

Jesus gives us a vision of what it is to have a soul friend. He also gives us each a vision of how to become a soul friend to others. Can you think of anyone in your life that you could be a soul friend to? Has someone ticked you off? Has someone slighted or snubbed you? I know it will be difficult to be a soul friend to Long Island drivers as they whiz past you at 85 miles per hour. But is there someone who needs your healing rebuke? Someone who needs you to pull them aside and help them see how sacred and how nurturing of a community that Christ has called us to be? It can’t always be the pastor. You may be it. The Holy Spirit may be tapping on your shoulder and whispering in your ear: “I’m calling you to be my agent of reconciliation, healing, and peace–to be a soul friend to others.” 

“Reboot” (Romans 12:1-8)

Romans 12:1-8

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Pastor Tom Johnson, August 27, 2023

I’m sure you’ve  had a computer crash or your phone freeze or stop working? One of the preschool office computers crashed last week. When you talk to a technician, they’ll often ask, “Have you tried restarting or rebooting your device?” Sometimes outdated software needs to be updated. To do this, you must download the software and then the computer or phone will have to restart, reboot, and then it should be in good working order.

One of my favorite movies is called The Matrix. It’s the world overtaken by artificial intelligence. Machines have taken over everything—including every human being. Everyone is literally plugged into a computer mainframe. The computer generates all the input for sense of smell, taste, sight, hearing, and touch. Everything people experience is computer-generated. It’s such a powerful computer program that people don’t realize it isn’t real. They don’t realize their bodies are in pods—only experiencing a virtual world the computer is creating. The good news is that some have been unplugged and liberated. They can now move around and see the world as it is. They dedicate their lives to working together and freeing others. They know the truth and it has set them free. Once a person is freed, they no longer want to conform to the old computer-generated life. They must restart their lives all over again in this new and greater reality. Their thinking is forever altered after this radical reboot of their minds.

Long before computers, our Scripture from Romans says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds.” This Scripture challenges us to be non-conformists—to unplug ourselves from the world’s mainframe—to not go along with the crowd. I remember when I told my dad how I got into some mischief by following my friends, he said, “Tommy, if your friends asked you to jump off a bridge would you?” “Do not be conformed to this world.” This is just as Jesus prayed in John 17: that we who are “in the world…would not be of the world” (John 17:11,16). 1 Peter 2:9 says that “you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession.” The Old King James Version says, we are a “Peculiar people.”

This world is not our home. We are citizens of Christ’s kingdom. We are sojourners in this foreign land. We pray “Thy Kingdom come” because our identity as children of God transcends our ethnicity, tribalism, and our political allegiances. As we engage in non-violent resistance to the powers and principalities of this present darkness, we surrender our lives and minds to our Creator in living sacrifice. This is what we do in worship, we commit our ourselves body and soul and all things to God just as Christ offered himself on the Cross of Calvary. The Holy Spirit helps us let go of our ego and pride. The Spirit enlightens our minds to see how we speak lies to ourselves—how our thinking is like the thinking of the world that is passing away not the Kingdom that comes. This is the grace of humility that our Scripture is talking about—the gift of “not thinking of ourselves more highly that we ought to think” but “with sober judgment.” It is a blessing to realize that our minds need renewal—to be reprogrammed—to have a fresh start and reboot.

When I was a freshman in college and only 19 years old, I had the opportunity to study abroad in Barcelona, Spain. My mom, in her wisdom, knew I needed some humbling and sobering—and a fresh start. So she put a folded, 3 by 5 inch card in my wallet from Proverbs chapter 3 (vv. 5-8):

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.

What we all need is a Spirit-inspired “force quit” of all the unhealthy thoughts stirring around in our heads. “Force quit” and then “move to trash”—throwing destructive thinking away. Next, we download all our operational software updates from Scripture as we hear, read, and meditate on the Word of God. This hits the reset button to allow the old systems pass away. The Holy Spirit reboots our minds for a fresh restart. We no longer have our thinking shaped by the system failures of this world or the invasive viruses that infect our minds and hearts. We have a firewall and anti-virus protection from God’s Word, his angels, and the Spirit to keep us safe from those trying to hack and crash our renewed sense of who we are and whose we are.

A marvelous thing happens when God leads us out of conformity with the world. “Be transformed”—metamorphoō—where we get the word “metamorphosis.” “Flesh and blood has not revealed this to us, but our Father in heaven.” The old way of thinking has passed. By the power of the resurrection, a new way has come. We no longer need to inflate our own ego. We stop comparing ourselves to one another. We stop competing. We think, as our Scripture says, “with sober judgment.” Charles Spurgeon from the 19th century said that this is repentance—not just a change of mind—but a great and deep change—even of the mind itself. We now recognize the astounding beauty all around us and the mind-altering truth: though we are many members, we are united in Christ. Our differences are no a threat but a gift. This complete overhaul of our minds enables us to celebrate what God is doing to transform us, bind us all together, and make us one.

“To the dogs” Matthew 15:21-28

Matthew 15:21-28

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Pastor Tom Johnson, August 14, 2023

Jesus leaves Jewish territory toward Gentile territory. He is on the margins. He is about to cross cultural, religious, and ethnic boundaries. A Canaanite woman leaves Gentile territory toward Jewish territory. She is on the margins. She is about to cross cultural, religious, and ethnic boundaries. She had to have known about Jesus. She uses the messianic title “Son of David.” She prays the prayer the multitudes have already prayed in Israel: “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David.” She comes to Jesus calling him the King of the Jews knowing he is Global King, King of kings, Lord of lords. We know little of her story, only that a demon is tormenting her daughter. Perhaps it was a result of false, Canaanite religion—or a brutal form of spiritual and mental illness. Maybe she exhausted all of the healers and exorcists of her region. 

The Canaanite woman is shouting. But Jesus gives her the silent treatment. He won’t even acknowledge her. Jesus is acting like a typical Gentile-phobic Jew. This opens the door for the disciples to take this Gentile-phobia a step further. They urge Jesus to send the woman away. Stop pretending she is not there, Jesus, and just make her go away. She is a Canaanite and a woman! Jesus says he came only for the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Jesus gives voice to the prevailing attitude of the day. We know that, in Christ, there is neither Jew nor Gentile, male nor female, slave nor free. He came for the sheep in the fold as well as the sheep outside the fold. He is the Savior of the world.

After she kneels before him, he gives voice to the prevailing attitude of the day again. “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” Jesus’ actions and words are perplexing, troubling, and strangely brilliant. He won’t even dignify her by including her in the human race—as was the prevailing attitude of his day. The food—the gifts of God are for the people of God. In the kingdom that is passing away, you are either in or out. You are either a winner or a loser. You are either a child of god or a scavenging animal.

Is this not what is wrong about our world? Dare I begin to do what Jesus did and bring to light the horrible name-calling of today and yesterday? We should acknowledge that we still use dehumanizing language today. It may be a person with a darker skin tone, a different culture, another language, an immigrant, or a refugee. It may be a person whose appearance, choices, or affections go against dominant cultural norms. There have been many times in human history and even today when many wish that they—whoever they are—would just go away. If they aren’t seen then we can go back to our comfortable world where “those people” don’t exist. 

We know it was her faith—Jesus tells us it is her faith that made her leave her homeland with all their own phobias, prejudices, and racism and go to Jesus. She shouts, persists, and kneels to have the world’s Messiah answer her prayer. She believes that Jesus did not come for just the Jewish race but the human race—even those considered to be outside the boundaries of Israel. Jesus believes in her. He knows that her faith and prayers will endure his silence and name-calling. She shows us how to endure God’s silence when we pray. His silence does not mean God does not care or is absent. She believes the Kingdom Jesus is ushering is for every tribe and language and people and nation.

Jesus gives voice to the prevailing attitude of the day again: “It’s not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” He throws her this curveball knowing  she will hit it out of the park. It’s going to be a home run for the Canaanite team. She says, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Instead of protesting Jesus’ choices of words. Instead of fighting back. She uses the term “dogs” to expand our vision of the Master’s Table. She humbles herself. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs,” she says. She lifts up the Master of the Table. She knows he is good. She knows that in him there is neither slave nor free, male nor female, Jew or Gentile. Jesus, Son of David does not just come for the sheep of Israel’s fold but for the sheep outside the fold.

Jesus says to her, “Woman,”—not dog—“Woman, great is your faith!” Indeed her faith is great. She expands our vision of God’s love in Christ. She will not accept denigrating, dehumanizing labels. She knows some may see her and her daughter as dirty, scavenging Gentile dogs, but God sees them as his precious creation. She does not let others define who she and her daughter are. She doesn’t even let Jesus do it. She knows Jesus is giving her an opportunity to shine this new light upon our humanity in Christ. One sixth century biblical scholar named Epiphanius said this Canaanite woman is “the mother of the Gentiles.” She brings her daughter to Jesus to be healed. She is now a forerunner for all us Gentiles to come. She not only brings her daughter but brings hope and good news to all of us non-Jews. So we come to the Master’s Table today—not for scraps—but as beloved children. We don’t call each other names but sister and brother. Our cup runs over. We have bountiful bread. He gives his Body and Blood for the life of the world, for forgiveness, and to strengthen us body and soul to life everlasting.

“Soulful Rest” (Matthew 11:16-19,25-30)

Matthew 11:16-19,25-30

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Pastor Tom Johnson, July 9, 2023

What we have in our reading is a battle of the yokes. On the one hand, you have the Pharisees, the experts of the Law of Moses arguing for a strict interpretation of the commandment “remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.”  On the other hand you have Jesus who teaches the spirit of the Law—finding rest for our souls. Jesus has a more compassionate understanding of Sabbath rest. We remember God, his Word, and his redemptive work by resting on the sixth day.  The Pharisees had intellectualized religion. They made it into a black-and-white—win-lose—you’re in or you’re out—transactional religion. If you follow all their rules to the letter, then you will not anger God. You will earn your rest.

Sadly, we still intellectualize religion. We still make our relationship with God transactional. We still add our rules thinking that God will be more pleased with us if we more strictly adhere to the letter of the law. Several years ago a woman came to me with a question after I did her brother’s funeral: “Is this church Missouri Synod?” “Yes, it’s Missouri Synod.” She said, “No. That’s not what we call it. It’s misery synod because they won’t let us dance.” “They would not let us play cards or women wear pants. So we called you kind of Lutherans misery synod.” Her sense of humor reminds us fifty years later that some of the rules we create are ridiculous. It truly will make people miserable if we tell them God will be angry with them if they go to the school dance, wear pantaloons, or want to play a game of Euchre. This is not helpful. It is destructive when we add to God’s word and put a heavy yoke of rules and intellectualized religion on other people like the Pharisees do.

Jesus says God reveals himself to infants—not those who are wise and intelligent in their own eyes. Spiritual infants know how much we have to learn. Spiritual infants know we cannot come to Jesus by our own wisdom and strength. “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” Jesus invites us to bring all our spiritual fatigue and anxiety and unload it upon him.  “Take my yoke upon you,” Jesus says. A yoke makes it possible to carrying heavy things more efficiently by distributing the weight along the arms and shoulders. Jesus invites us to exchange whatever yoke we are carrying for Jesus’ yoke. That is the irony of it all. He says, “Take my yoke upon you and you will find rest for your souls.” Jesus’ burden is our burden. He puts his yoke on our shoulders. He puts his head underneath our armpit and weaves his arm underneath us. He carries both the yoke and us. We walk—not by our strength—but his strength and grace.

A friend of mine is in trouble with some neighboring pastors because he has been giving Communion to a baptized college student who is learning about Christianity from a Lutheran perspective but is not yet confirmed. The other Pharisees’—I mean, pastors’ categories are so rigid that they cannot see the good. They cannot celebrate a person being drawn to Christ outside of their man-made rules. As Jesus says, “We played the flute and you would not dance.”

In our striving at being correct and right all the time—in our work to create rules to protect God—which is silly—in our corruption of religion by making it transactional—we are wearying our souls and the souls of people around us. This is no way to live. We remember the story of the German monk and reformer Martin Luther. He was weary, trying to carry the heavy burden of human-made rules. He was exhausted by transactional religion. If he just said more prayers—if he just gave more alms—if only he was perfectly obedient—then God would accept him. Then he could find his rest from his work of striving and doing to get God’s love and acceptance. Luther finally found his rest in simple, childlike faith in Christ—the only one who perfectly obeyed—the only one who could bear our burdens and accomplish the work of our redemption.

Jesus says, “Come to me.” Don’t go to human-made religion. Don’t intellectualize me. Don’t make it transactional. Just come. We can freely draw near Christ. He does not call us to a religion, a denomination, or even a local church. Of course, all those things can be good. But there is only one Mediator between us and God. He calls us to simply come to him—especially if we are weary souls—especially if we are spiritually exhausted—especially if we are tired, tired, tired of running on the treadmill of self-righteousness—self-improvement—self-holiness.

I will call her Kathleen. Kathleen grew up in the congregation I was serving. She married a non-Christian and embraced her husband’s religion. Kathleen tragically became addicted to alcohol and cocaine and lost her marriage. Some of her adult children wanted nothing to do with her. She came to me several times to tell me her story and share her weariness and heavy burdens. And then she vanished…for several years. And then one Sunday she showed up. During Communion, she got up out of the pew, walked down to the Altar, and held out her hands to me like a hungry beggar begging for bread. She later told me that this was the moment as a prodigal child. Her coming up to the Altar was her coming back to the Father through Christ’s Body and Blood. 

I heard the voice of Jesus say,

“Come unto Me and rest;

lay down, O weary one, lay down

Your head upon My breast!”

I came to Jesus as I was,

so weary worn and sad;

I found in Him a resting-place,

and He has made me glad. 

“A cup of cold water” (Matthew 10:40-42)

Matthew 10:40-42

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Pastor Tom Johnson, July 2, 2023

A cup of cold water is more than it appears. We are disciples of Jesus. Jesus sends us out to find the lost sheep. We often travel in the heat of the day. He tells us not to carry anything we might need but to depend on the generosity of others. This means Christ’s sends us out into the world trusting in the generosity of strangers. This means we must surrender control before we begin our journey. This means we trust God to lead us and provide for us through others. Searching for wayward souls is tough work. It takes determination, perseverance, and a lot of walking in the heat of this world. The dust and dirt cakes our sweaty feet. We repeat the same message: “The Kingdom of God is near. God’s reign is here.” Someone finally says, “Tell me more.” 

They thirst for hope. God is not dead, we say. He is not slow in keeping his promises as some count slowness. He has not abandoned us or forsaken us. His Kingdom is near. The King has come. His name is Jesus of Nazareth. He is the eternal Word. He is in the Word we speak. He has come not to applaud the righteous but to redeem sinners. So they welcome us into their home to share more. When they welcome us, they welcome Christ. They welcome Jesus into their lives. He fills their houses and hearts with forgiveness, life, and salvation. Their cups run over with faith, hope, and love.

As we talk about Jesus our throats run dry. Our tongues stick to the roofs of our mouths. “Would you like a cup of water?” our new friends ask. They hand us a cup of their best water—recently drawn deep from well of cold water.  It may be the only hospitality a poor family could offer—cold water drawn out by their own hands and carried from the well to their home. It quenches our thirst. And it refreshes our spirits to find a fellow seeker who thirsts for the living God.

A cup of cold water is more than it may seem. It is a sign of hospitality. They bring out their freshest water. It cost them the grueling task of carrying it in stone jars. It’s also a sign of kindness, thoughtfulness, and empathy for weary travelers. We have gone out on a long journey with childlike faith—taking nothing with us—wholly dependent on God. And so these newly-found children of God are willing, and eager, to be the hands of Jesus extending the cool drink we need. 

It is better to give than to receive. It’s out of our hearts of gratitude and love for God and others that we give our cups of cold water. We have paid for that water with our sweat and toil. We put it in a dark place to stay cool for ourselves. But with the best in the house we greet and welcome fellow travelers who follow Jesus. In some Indian cultures, they greet one another with the word “namaste.” It is not merely greeting the person but also the divine presence. So it is during the sharing of peace in our worship service. It’s more than a hello or a good morning. We say, “The peace of the Lord by with you.” We recognize Christ’s divine presence.

When we neglect to see Christ behind our every encounter, it will lead to a cold shoulder—not a cup of cold water. So we greet others with human dignity but also with faith that Christ is serving and being served in our interactions and hospitality. Our reward is to serve and to be served by Christ himself. Our reward is the assurance that a small gesture, such as a cup of cold water extended to a child, is a great work of the Holy Spirit in us, to us, and through us.  Our reward is the Kingdom of God that breaks through our thirst, hunger, and loneliness. Our reward is the spirit of Christ who transforms relationships with tender-hearted hospitality. 

So we greet Christ whose spirit dwells richly in your and my hearts. It’s why we especially welcome the little ones—as fellow disciples and learners of Jesus. They have the only credential any of us need—a desire to grow in our faith in Christ. Their little voices during the service are a sure promise that our fellowship has a future and a hope. We cherish them as Christ cherishes all of us. We cherish them as we cherish Christ in our midst. A cup of cold water is more than it appears. It refreshes body and spirit. As Jesus himself says, “those who drink of the water that I give will never be thirsty. The water that I give becomes in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life” (John 4:14). The Word and spirit of Christ transform a mere cup of cold water into into our witness of Christ’s care for our every need, body and soul. So Jesus takes the cup which we bless. He takes the bread we break. His Body and Blood strengthen us and our fellowship—body and soul—to life everlasting.

A cup of cold water
Is more than it appears.
A cup in Jesus’ name,
Our fellowship endears.

A cup of cold water
Is more than it may seem.
A cup to little ones
Makes Christ’s heart and face beam. 

“His eye is on the sparrow” Matthew 10:24-39

Matthew 10:24-39

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Pastor Tom Johnson, June 25, 2023

Jesus makes it clear that in this world we will always have trouble (John 16:33). Even father against son, daughter against mother, and in-laws against in-laws. Sadly, Christians all over the world face persecution for the name of Jesus. Last week five deep sea explorers were lost two miles deep on the ocean floor. It gripped the world. There was a great international effort to rescue these five. Each paid a quarter of a million dollars to see the wreckage of the Titanic. Also last week, more than 700 migrants and refugees shipwrecked off the coast of Greece. In contrast to the five titanic tourists, the effort to save the 700 poor migrants was small. Perhaps it’s because shipwrecks off the coast of Greece happen so frequently. More than 500 died. On the surface, it seems like the 700 were not worth the same kind of effort as the five.

Jesus’ words are for us, especially when we feel this kind of tension—when some people are regarded to be of less value—or when we feel less valued—when we feel tread upon, discarded, rejected, worthless. That’s why it makes us so mad when someone cuts us off—insults us—treats us like we do not matter. It’s why it also makes us so sad. It’s heartbreaking to feel invisible—when we don’t feel seen, heard, or valued—when our very existence seems inconsequential. Sometimes we feel like we are treated as worthless. And we, in our worst moments, can treat others like they are worthless. Jesus is there for us. He preps us for these dark valleys that may be ahead in our journey. He does not want us to live in fear. He does not want us to allow the world, the devil, or even ourselves—or anything—to kill our souls and crush our spirits.

As Jesus walks through the marketplace with his disciples, they see costly lambs for temple sacrifice. They see the gold and silver and hear the it clinking into the hands of the merchants. …And then there are the sparrows. Sparrows in the Bible are young, small birds. They were sold for temple sacrifice or ritual cleansing. You’ll remember birds were the poor person’s animal sacrifice. It’s what Jesus’ parents offered up after he was born—two young turtledoves according to the law of Moses. It was the Law’s gracious allowance for poor families such as Jesus’. Jesus says the value of sparrows were so low, it couldn’t be measured by individual sparrows—only in pairs—two sparrows for one penny. And “Yet,” Jesus says, “not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.” For God, even one sparrow does not escape his infinite  attention and love. 

As I prepared this sermon, I watched the house sparrows, house finches, goldfinches, titmice, nuthatches, and woodpeckers take turns at our feeder. Jesus invites us to think about God’s infinite love for each of those creatures. He knows every bird personality. The unique color of every feather and plume. God knows each song they sing. He knows every voice—not just of the species but of every individual bird and creature in and around the church, the millions of birds on Long Island, the billions in North America and around the world. As the Gospel song says, “His eye is on the sparrow.” Jesus uses the diminutive “birdies” highlighting his tenderness and fatherly love for all creation. God has a relationship—yes, you heard me—God has a relationship with each little bird in the world. He knows them not en masse—not in pairs—but as individuals. 

Last week we came across a young robin down the street from here on Candlewood Path. The birdie must have fallen from her nest. We were concerned she was in the grass the first time we passed her but in the street the next time. Then we found her in the grass again the next day. And then she was gone. We could not keep an eye on her for long as we passed by. But God always had— and has—his eye on that robin chick. Jesus says, “Not one of them—not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.” He is always with each of those tiny creatures. He is their Creator and Heavenly Father.

So Jesus says, “even the hairs of your head are all counted.” Each of us is so intimately known by God—each one of us means so much to God that he keeps track of the number of hairs on our head just as he does each bird of the air. Think about a person you love—someone you know very well. Have you ever thought about sitting behind her or him and counting the individual hairs coming out of their heads? If one of us actually tried to count the hairs on someone else’s head we would say that person is out of their mind or crazy. So God goes bananas over every monkey. His love goes nuts over squirrels. His is cuckoo for every bird and creature. 

So, Jesus tells us, God is even more crazy about each one of us. Nothing will happen to you or me apart from our Creator and Heavenly Father. He is always with us. He is there to share in our suffering and difficulties—even giving his life on the Cross and rising again so that each of us will be with him forever. We cannot quantify the love of God anymore than God can quantify our worth to him. Both his love is immeasurable and our worth is incalculable. The sparrows being sold two for one penny are precious and priceless to him. You and I are of more value than many sparrows. We are precious and priceless beyond measure.

“How majestic!” (Psalm 8)

Psalm 8

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Pastor Tom Johnson, June 4, 2023

I hope you have seen the wonder of the night sky. City lights make it hard to see. Sunken Meadow, Robert Moses, and Montauk Point are great places to go. There is a lot less light pollution. Remote places like northern Maine are even better. Psalm 8 is written by a contemplative stargazer. He steps out into the deep darkness. The sky lights up—the moon, stars, wandering planets, shooting stars (meteorites), comets, breathtaking sunrise and sunsets. He is awestruck. “O YHWH, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” 

Scientists have some mind-blowing theories: that something—Someone—we know it was God—ignited the Big Bang 13 billion years ago. Billions of galaxies were formed. Each galaxy has billions of stars. …and here we are on one planet, orbiting around one star we call the sun in a galaxy called the Milky Way. They believe the universe is expanding and it takes light 13 billion years to go from one part of the universe to the other. They make baffling discoveries all the time. The universe is not just expanding at vast speeds but accelerating. 

Last year, the largest telescope ever made was sent into space one million miles away from the earth. They had a long list of what they want to take pictures of. They also playfully pointed the telescope at a random place in the dark sky. One scientist described what they did: if you were to put a grain of sand on the end of your finger and extend it all the way out toward the night sky. That is how small of a random area they chose is. They expected it to be empty space—nothingness. Instead, just in that one picture alone they did not see just a few stars but thousands of galaxies—the light of some galaxies looked warped because as their light passed other galaxies, their gravity bent the light. As a result, they are now questioning the size and age of the universe. They once said that there are billions of galaxies. They now are estimating trillions of galaxies—three more zeros. The human mind cannot fathom such numbers. “O YHWH, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!”

So the stargazer of our Scripture from Psalm 8 says, “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars you have set in their courses, what are mere mortals—what is humanity that you should be mindful of them, human beings that you should care for them?” It does not take a telescope for us to realize that, in the vastness of creation, we humans are but a speck on the earth. The earth is a speck orbiting the sun. The sun is a speck in our galaxy. And our galaxy is a speck in the universe. 

I wonder if this stargazer was pondering creation—bringing to mind God’s wonderful sense of humor from our reading in Genesis. Almost every religion of the day considered the stars and planets to be lower case “g” gods. Our reading says, “he made the stars also.” Everything you see is God’s handiwork. The universe is so small compared to God that it says he made it with his fingers. What is the Big Bang for us is just the wiggle of his anthropomorphic fingers. So who are we mere mortals—flesh and blood that he would even have us in mind? How can he be both Supreme Being and Heavenly Father?

How futile is it to search for our significance in this world? If we don’t see the world through God’s eyes, our small, blue planet is negligible in the vast scheme of the universe. Our little lives should not matter at all. We’ll never find significance in this world. In our search for significance and meaning apart from Christ, we will compete with one another needlessly for attention. In so doing, we push others out of the way and step on them—all because of our limited vision of God and the universe.

I wonder if this stargazer was thinking about God’s promise to make Abraham a great nation and to bless all the families of the earth—bringing to mind God’s wonderful sense of humor when he says to Abraham, “Count the stars—if you can—so shall your descendants be.” So we find our identity, our security, and meaning of life not in ourselves—or even in the vastness of the universe—but in God the Father who created us, God the Son who redeems us, and God the Holy Spirit who spiritual molds and shapes us.

God intimately knows us just as he has named all the trillions upon trillions of stars. His thoughts toward us—how vast is the sum of them—more than the sand of the sea. You and I are each fearfully and wonderfully made—knit together by the fingers of God and he says, “It is very good.” You are the apple of his eye.  Each of us has God’s vast attentiveness and vast love. There is nothing more mind-blowing than the Creator of the universe deeply interested in every aspect of our individual lives, our growth as human beings, and as royal children of God. There is nothing more mind-blowing than sending his Son into our world to take on our humanity—a little lower than the angels—to share our suffering and bear our sin—to take all the bad to the Cross, die, and rise victoriously from the dead—so that we know who we are and whose we are. There is nothing more mind-blowing than the Holy Spirit strengthening us, helping us to begin to comprehend “the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses human understanding” (Ephesians 3:18,19)—the vastness of the heart of God for all creation, you, and me. 

“O YHWH, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!”

O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder
Consider all the words thy hand hath made,
I see the stars, I hear the mighty thunder,
Thy pow’r throughout the universe displayed;
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to thee,
How great thou art! How great thou art!
          (“How Great Thou Art” (LBW 532 v. 1)

“Out of the heart shall flow rivers of living water” (John 7:37-39)

John 7:37-39

Listen to and watch sermon 

Pastor Tom Johnson, May 28, 2023

Have you ever seen water flowing out of rock? Not water flowing over the surface of the ground and over rock. I’m talking about water that is flowing out of the rocky side of a cliff or a mountain. Have you ever seen water flowing out of rock? I have. Just a few weeks ago. Elizabeth and I were hiking the Catskills in upstate New York. We were coming down the eastern side of Slide Mountain. There is a weathered wooden sign with a yellow arrow and letters spelling out “SPRING.” Steps away—a stream of water comes right out of the rocky side of the mountain. In the Grand Canyon, there are rocky cliffs reaching a mile-high all around. Close to the North Rim, there’s a river gushing out of a cliff called “Roaring Springs.” And that is just one of them. They call these rivers “hidden rivers” because no one knows where all that water comes from. But probably the granddaddy of them all is the river Camuy in Puerto Rico. It is not at the surface of the island. It’s deep beneath one of the largest caverns in the world. You can hear it roar 400 feet below in the few places you can get a glimpse. Scientists don’t know where all that water comes from. They put strong dye in the water and placed spotters all around the island. They could not find even a trace of the dye. They don’t know where the water comes from or where it is going. It’s another mystery of water flowing out of rock. 

We don’t expect water to flow out of rock. Just as we do not expect the Holy Spirit to flow out of our hearts. And yet, that is Jesus’ promise: “Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.” This seems impossible if we know the human heart. The prophet Jeremiah says “The heart is devious above all else; it is perverse—who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9).  Jesus said, “out of the heart come evil intentions” (Matt 15:19).  Our hearts need healing because, from our hearts, we often want to do things that harm others and ourselves. Is that not what we learned in confirmation class—sinful thoughts and actions spring from our hearts? At the beginning of the service we confessed that we have not loved God with our whole heart. It’s a kind of riddle, this mysterious and hidden river of the Holy Spirit flowing out of our hearts. We often think of God’s love and grace showering like rain and snow down on us from heaven above to earth below. And certainly that is true.

But Jesus wants us to have a new vision of how the Holy Spirit flows. When we believe in Jesus who lives, died, and lives again for us—when we trust in Jesus for forgiveness and eternal life, our hearts undergo a transformation. Instead of the Holy Spirit pouring down upon us from heaven to earth—instead of taking the water with our hands in a cup and drinking it down—the Holy Spirit wells up from below—deep inside. The Spirit softens our hearts. God cracks our hearts of rock open—and the Holy Spirit gushes out like rivers of flowing water.

Have you ever seen water flowing out of a rock? The Israelites did. Remember? They were wandering in the wilderness for forty years. They were dangerously dehydrated in the hot desert. God told Moses to strike the rock. Water gushed out. They all drank from the spiritual rock which is Christ, Paul says (1 Cor 10:4). We see rivers of water flowing on Pentecost. The Holy Spirit pours out upon believers in worship. First comes a rushing wind from the outside and tongues of fire. But that’s not the real miracle. The real miracle happens deep inside each of their hearts. Then the torrential power of the Holy Spirit flows out of their mouths. The believers speak about the mighty acts of God—Jesus’ deeds of great power. Out of their hearts flow rivers of praise and thanksgiving to God. Out of their hearts and mouths they shoot out the good news like a geyser. Christ has died. Christ is risen! He has triumphed over sin, the devil, evil, and even death itself.

Jesus says “Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.” We don’t expect to see water flow out of a rock. But Jesus has more faith in us than we often have in ourselves. He not only expects it to happen. He—by the Holy Spirit—promises to make it happen. Have you ever seen water flow out of a rock? We have. Many of our confirmands went to Youth Quake in Baltimore. The Word struck the rock inside you. Your faith grew. You connected with one another. You sang and prayed late into the night. You came back wanting to sing with Jackie and the other adult leaders. I’ve heard some of you say, “I love Confirmation.” I’ve heard you all say that you plan to continue with High School Youth Group, participate in Sunday School, and in public worship. All of you plan to go to the mission trip this summer. Your thirst to go and serve God. You thirst to connect with God and each other. And in your thirst you become a wellspring of joy to us as the Holy Spirit lives in you and through you like mighty rivers. What an answer to prayer to see these rivers flowing out of your hearts and your lives! Jesus believes in you. God believes in us. Together we thirst for the living waters. Christ has promised that rivers of living water will flow out of our hearts.