SCRIPTURE: Acts 4:32-35 & John 20:10-31
LAST WEEK I HAD A GREAT CONVERSATION WITH MY 17 YEAR OLD NEPHEW RUSSELL.
YES, HE HOLDS THE SAME NAME AS MY SON. IT SEEMS WE HAVE LITTLE IMAGINATION IN THE FLANDERS FAMILY WHEN IT COMES TO NAMING BABIES. AMONG FOURTEEN GRANDCHILDREN BORN TO MY FATHER, RUSSELL, THERE ARE AT LEAST THREE VARIATIONS ON THE THEME "RUSSELL." AT ANY RATE, I CONSIDER MY NEPHEW RUSSELL TO BE ONE OF MY FAVORITE ILLINOIS THEOLOGIANS. YOU SEE, RUSSELL AND I HAVE BEGUN TO CARVE OUT TIME FOR OURSELVES IN WHICH WE CAN TALK ABOUT THE BIBLE AND THE CHURCH AND KIND OF A GENERAL PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE, IF YOU WILL. AND UNLIKE SOME 17 YEAR OLDS WHO BELIEVE THEY HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS, RUSSELL CARRIES A CERTAIN WISDOM ABOUT THE AMBIGUITIES OF LIFE. RUSSELL SEEMS TO KNOW THAT HE DOESN'T KNOW EVERYTHING, AND HE SEEMS TO WANT TO LEARN ABOUT ALMOST ANYTHING.
SO LAST WEEK, AS RUSSELL WAS SHOWING ME HIS 1995 MUSTANG, WE WERE TALKING ABOUT HIS FRIENDS WHO ALL SEEM TO BE PHILOSOPHICALLY "OUT THERE" KIND OF GUYS.
MUCH TO THE CHAGRIN OF HIS MOM AND DAD, RUSSELL HANGS OUT WITH A BUNCH OF ATHEISTS AND COMMUNISTS. I ACTUALLY FIND IT QUITE IMPRESSIVE THAT THESE YOUNG MEN EVEN THINK ABOUT SUCH THINGS, MUCH LESS TALK ABOUT THEM. BUT WHAT I FIND EVEN MORE IMPRESSIVE IS HOW RUSSELL DEALS WITH HIS OWN FAITH WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THEIR OPEN DISCUSSIONS.
YOU SEE, RUSSELL THINKS CAREFULLY ABOUT WHAT HE BELIEVES. HE IS NOT THE KIND TO SIT IN CHURCH AND TAKE IN EVERY WORD THE PREACHER SAYS AS GOSPEL TRUTH. RUSSELL READS THE BIBLE FOR HIMSELF. AND HE READS THE BIBLE CLOSELY ENOUGH TO KNOW THAT HIS OWN CHURCH NEVER MENTIONED PILATE WASHING HIS HANDS OF JESUS DURING THEIR MAUNDY THURSDAY PASSION DRAMA. RUSSELL KNOWS THAT PILATE'S HAND-WASHING IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE STORY AND SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN LEFT OUT. HE IS THOUGHTFUL ABOUT WHAT HE LEARNS.
NOW THE OTHER SIDE OF RUSSELL'S THOUGHTFULNESS IS THAT ALONG WITH READING THE BIBLE, RUSSELL READS THE BOOKS THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO HIS FRIENDS AS WELL.
RUSSELL HAS READ MEIN KAMPF BY ADOLPH HITLER AS WELL AS THE COMMUNIST MANIFESTO BY KARL MARX. I SUPPOSE THIS IS WHAT MAKES HIS PARENTS A BIT NERVOUS, BUT RUSSELL KNOWS THAT HE NEEDS TO THINK CAREFULLY ABOUT THE OTHER SIDE OF WHAT HE BELIEVES IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO MAKE ANY SENSE WHEN IN A CONVERSATION WITH THOSE HE DISAGREES WITH. RUSSELL IS THE 2003 MODEL OF THOMAS IN TODAY'S BIBLE STORY.
YOU SEE, INSTEAD OF THINKING OF THOMAS AS A LOSER FOR BEING THE ONE WHO NEEDS TO ACTUALLY TOUCH JESUS' WOUNDS IN ORDER TO BELIEVE, I THINK OF THOMAS AS A TRULY THOUGHTFUL BELIEVER. I HAVE COME TO THINK OF THOMAS AS A ROLE MODEL OF FAITHFULNESS. AND I'M PRETTY SURE THAT I MIGHT HAVE BEEN RIGHT THERE WITH THOMAS, WANTING TO RESEARCH THE TRUTH OF THE SITUATION, HAD I BEEN A FIRST CENTURY DISCIPLE.
I HAVE COME TO BELIEVE THE WORDS OF ALFRED LLOYD TENNYSON, "THERE LIVES MORE FAITH IN HONEST DOUBT, BELIEVE ME, THAN IN HALF THE CREEDS."
YOU SEE, QUESTIONING IS NOT A BAD THING UNLESS IT LEADS A PERSON INTO TOTAL DESPAIR.
AS A MATTER OF FACT, I BELIEVE IN MY HEART OF HEARTS THAT JESUS BLESSED THE HUMAN NEED TO COME TO FAITH THROUGH A BIT OF DOUBT BY DEALING WITH THOMAS IN THE WAY HE DID. JESUS OFFERED HIS WOUNDED AND RESURRECTED SELF TO THOMAS FOR RESEARCH.
JESUS LOVINGLY SAID, "PEACE BE WITH YOU. DO NOT DOUBT, BUT BELIEVE." AND THOMAS CAME TO BELIEVE WITHOUT TOUCHING THE HANDS AND SIDE OF HIS LORD AND SAVIOR. IT WAS THE CONFRONTATION OF DOUBT THAT BROUGHT THOMAS TO FAITH.
IF JESUS HAD NOT MADE THE OFFER FOR THOMAS TO TOUCH HIM, IF THOMAS HAD NOT MADE THE EFFORT TO SEE JESUS, THEN FAITH WOULD HAVE NEVER COME TO THOMAS. HE WOULD HAVE MOST LIKELY WAFTED OFF INTO HISTORY WITHOUT EVEN BEING NAMED. AND EVEN MORE IMPORTANT THAN BEING NAMED, HE MIGHT HAVE BEEN LOST TO TOTAL DESPAIR, AS WAS JUDAS.
YOU SEE, JUDAS DOUBTED THE TRUTH OF JESUS BEYOND THE POINT OF NO RETURN, WHILE THOMAS DOUBTED JUST ENOUGH TO DEEPEN WHAT HE KNEW THE TRUTH TO BE. I LIKE THOMAS AND I LIKE THE ROLE HE PLAYS FOR THOSE OF US WHO SEEK TO COME TO FAITH SO MANY YEARS AFTER THE LIFE OF THE ONE IN WHOM WE BELIEVE.
IN THE TITLE OF THIS SERMON I HAVE ASKED THE QUESTION "IS THERE ROOM FOR DOUBT?"
I MUST SAY THAT MY ANSWER TO MY OWN QUESTION IS A RESOUNDING "YES!" AND NOT ONLY DO I BELIEVE THERE IS ROOM FOR DOUBT, BUT I ALSO BELIEVE OUR DOUBTS ARE IMPORTANT TOOLS FOR OUR CONTEMPORARY FAITH EDUCATION, A FAITH EDUCATION MORE NEEDED THAN EVER BEFORE. OUR WORLD IS IN GRAVE DANGER OF ANNIHILATION IF WE DO NOT EMBRACE OUR DOUBTS AND RESEARCH THE FACTS. WE SIMPLY MUST GET OVER THE IDEA THAT WE ARE BEING UNTRUE TO JESUS IF WE READ ABOUT OR THINK ABOUT OTHER FAITHS. AS A MATTER OF FACT, I BELIEVE JESUS BLESSES US IN MUCH THE SAME WAY HE DID THOMAS WHEN WE SEEK TO UNDERSTAND OUR OWN FAITH MORE CLEARLY IN THE CONTEXT OF A DIVERSE WORLD THAT ONLY GROWS IN DIVERSITY.
IN MY MIND THE MOST PROFOUND GIFT OF OUR MORE LIGHT PROCESS HAS BEEN A RESURGENCE OF INTEREST IN THE BIBLE HERE AT NAURAUSHAUN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. WHEN TALKING ABOUT HOMOSEXUALITY AND THE BIBLE, A LOT OF PEOPLE SEEM TO DOUBT THE INTERPRETERS AND WANT TO KNOW FOR THEMSELVES AND BELIEVE FOR THEMSELVES. THIS IS A GOOD THING.
AND I CANNOT THINK OF A FINER OUTCOME OF OUR PROCESS THAN TO HAVE PEOPLE CURIOUS ABOUT THEIR OWN TRUTH AND FAITH. THE SPIRIT OF GOD IS ALIVE AND WELL IN OUR CURIOSITY.
ALLELUIA! AMEN!
ON THE OTHER HAND, FUNDAMENTALISM IS THE GREAT ENEMY OF OUR WORLD.FUNDAMENTALISM OF ANY SORT DOES NOT WANT TO CONFRONT DOUBT, BECAUSE IF DOUBT IS CONFRONTED - LIKE JESUS AND THOMAS - THEN SOMETHING IS LIKELY TO CHANGE. QUESTIONING IS NOT A PART OF TRUE FAITH IN THE CONSERVATIVE EXPRESSIONS OF ANY OF TODAY'S WORLD RELIGIONS.
IF WE QUESTION SOMETHING WE MIGHT NEED TO THINK ABOUT IT TOO MUCH.
QUESTIONING AND DOUBT ARE NOT ALLOWED BECAUSE, IN MY MIND, THE LEADERS OF FUNDAMENTALIST FAITH DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH FAITH THEMSELVES. TO HAVE FAITH IN GOD MEANS TO GIVE UP OUR OWN NEED TO CONTROL EVERY HUMAN ACTION AS WELL AS ALL DIVINE ACTION. LEADERS LIKE SADDAM HUSSEIN AND OSAMA BIN LADEN, WHO CLAIM TO BE RELIGIOUS LEADERS, NEVER SEEM TO QUESTION WHAT THEY BELIEVE. THEY NEVER DOUBT GOD'S PRESENCE IN THEIR WAY OF DOING THINGS. THEY ARE ALWAYS IN CONTROL. AND THEY WANT COMPLETE CONTROL OF WHAT INFORMATION IS CAREFULLY DOLED OUT TO THE PEOPLE.
IN RELIGIOUS FUNDAMENTALISM THERE IS NO ROOM FOR DOUBT, OR EVEN CURIOSITY.
AND BECAUSE OF THIS, GOD SEEMS TO BE MISSING IN THE EXPRESSION OF THEIR FAITH.
GOD SEEMS TO BE MISSING BECAUSE THE RULES AND REGULATIONS ARE JUST AS DISGUSTINGLY STALE AS THE FETID POOL OF WATER IN A MAN-MADE POND. THERE IS A LOT OF POOLS OF WATER LIKE THIS IN THE FARMLANDS OF ILLINOIS. NOTHING MOVES, NOTHING CHANGES, THE WATER JUST SITS AND STINKS.
WHERE GOD IS, THERE MUST BE MOVEMENT. TRANSFORMATION IS THE MOST BASIC GIFT OF THE RESURRECTION. AND JUST AS THERE IS LIFE IN THE RUSHING WATERS OF A MOUNTAIN STREAM OR THE POUNDING OF THE WAVES UPON THE OCEAN SHORE, THE PRESENCE OF GOD CAN MORE READILY BE FELT IN A SITUATION WHERE THINGS ARE GROWING AND CHANGING. OUR QUESTIONS KEEP US MOVING. THEY ARE A GOOD THING. DOUBT IS NOT ONLY A REAL PART OF FAITH, BUT A NECESSARY PART OF FAITH.
NOW THE OTHER PIECE OF THE EQUATION FROM TODAY'S BIBLE STORY IS THE BREATH OF JESUS THAT BRINGS THE HOLY SPIRIT TO THE DISCIPLES. SOME COMMENTARIES LIKE TO CALL THIS JOHN'S PENTECOST STORY, BUT I LIKE TO THINK OF IT AS A STORY ABOUT ONE OF THE FIRST GIFTS OF CHRISTIAN FAITH. WHEN WE ALLOW OURSELVES TO GET CLOSE ENOUGH TO JESUS TO BREATHE IN HIS VERY BREATH, THEN THE HOLY SPIRIT CAN WORK IN US TO BRING THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS TO THE ENTIRE WORLD. AND WHAT COULD BE MORE IMPORTANT THAN BRINGING A SPIRIT OF FORGIVENESS INTO EVERY SITUATION OF MISUNDERSTANDING?
MY FRIENDS, AS FOCUSED AS I WAS ON PREVENTING THE WAR WITH IRAQ, I AM NOW DOUBLY FOCUSED ON BRINGING RESTORATION TO THE PEOPLE OF IRAQ. THIS IS WHERE I FEEL THE SPIRIT OF FORGIVENESS IS MOST NEEDED IN TODAY'S WORLD. THIS IS THE FIRST OF ALL GIFTS GIVEN TO US BY OUR RISEN LORD. HE BREATHES HIS BREATH UPON US EVEN NOW, SO THAT THE SINS OF THE MIDDLE EAST MIGHT BE FORGIVEN AND A NEW WAY OF LIVING MIGHT BEGIN. AND WHAT, YOU MIGHT ASK, ARE THE SINS OF THE MIDDLE EAST? I BELIEVE IT IS THE SIN OF PUTTING OURSELVES BEFORE GOD, WHETHER WE ARE AMERICAN OR BRITISH OR IRAQI OR MUSLIM OR CHRISTIAN OR ATHEIST. I BELIEVE OUR SIN HAS BEEN THE SIN OF GREED AND WILLFUL POWER RATHER THAN THE FAITHFUL PRESENCE OF LEARNING AND UNDERSTANDING. AND THE SIN OF THE MIDDLE EAST IS A CORPORATE SIN THAT MANIFESTS ITSELF IN MANY DIFFERENT WAYS AND IN MANY DIFFERENT PLACES. THERE IS NO ONE CULPRIT, WE ARE ALL GUILTY. BUT THE END OF THE WAR IS AN IMPORTANT POINT OF TRANSFORMATION FOR THE WORLD. WILL WE USE OUR FAITH TO INFORM OUR ACTIONS? WILL WE ALLOW OUR QUESTIONS AND OUR DOUBTS TO LEAD US TO A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF GOD'S WILL? WILL THE BREATH OF JESUS BRING THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT INTO THIS COLLECTIVE WISDOM?
IN EUGENE PETERSON'S TRANSLATION OF THE BIBLE CALLED THE MESSAGE, HE TRANSLATES JOHN 20 VERSE 23 LIKE THIS. "IF YOU FORGIVE SOMEONE'S SINS, THEY'RE GONE FOR GOOD.
IF YOU DON'T FORGIVE SINS, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH THEM?"
AS I THOUGHT ABOUT PETERSON'S SCRIPTURAL QUESTION I BEGAN TO REALIZE THIS AS A WONDERFUL WAY FOR US TO LEAVE THIS SERVICE TODAY. IN LIGHT OF OUR WORLD SITUATION AND IN LIGHT OF EACH AND EVERY ONE OF OUR PERSONAL DAILY SITUATIONS, LET US MAKE ROOM FOR FAITH BY ASKING THE QUESTION, "IF I DON'T FORGIVE SINS, WHAT AM I GOING TO DO WITH THEM?" YOU SEE, IN EMBRACING THIS QUESTION WE ALSO ANSWER THE QUESTION "IS THERE ROOM FOR DOUBT?" THERE IS ROOM FOR DOUBT AND CURIOSITY, FOR RESEARCH AND LEARNING. FOR WITHOUT THESE FREEDOMS THERE IS NO MOVEMENT, NO SPIRIT, NO LIFE; THERE IS NO REALITY IN PROCLAIMING JESUS CHRIST AS OUR LORD AND SAVIOR.
YES, THERE IS ROOM FOR DOUBT.
ALLELUIA! AMEN!
SCRIPTURE: Acts 10:34-43 & Mark 16:1-8
RECENTLY, I HEARD ABOUT A CHURCH COMMUNITY THAT WAS SURPRISED ON EASTER SUNDAY MORNING. AS THEY WALKED INTO THE SANCTUARY THEY DISCOVERED A LARGE, RED, CAPITAL M ON ONE SIDE OF THE CROSS AND A LARGE, RED, CAPITAL T ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE CROSS. AS THEY PONDERED THIS UNUSUAL SIGHT, SOME OF THE ADULTS BEGAN TO REALIZE THAT THE M - T STOOD FOR "EMPTY" AS IN THE EMPTY TOMB. IT SEEMED THE PASTOR WAS GOING TO USE THIS VISUAL AID FOR THE CHILDREN'S SERMON. SO WHEN THE BEAUTIFULLY DRESSED, EXCITED YOUNG CHILDREN GATHERED IN THE FRONT OF THE CHURCH, EVERYONE THOUGHT THEY KNEW WHAT THEY WERE GOING TO HEAR. THE PASTOR SAT IN THE MIDST OF THE CHILDREN AND ASKED, "WHAT'S DIFFERENT ABOUT THE SANCTUARY THIS MORNING?" AFTER A RATHER PREGNANT PAUSE, THE DAUGHTER OF THE PASTOR THROWS UP HER LITTLE HAND AND PROCLAIMS, "IT'S FULL, DADDY!"
SO MUCH FOR THE EMPTY TOMB!
FRIENDS, TODAY IS THE MOST JOYFUL DAY IN THE ENTIRE CHRISTIAN CALENDAR, AND THE CHURCH IS, INDEED FULL. TODAY IS THE DAY WE CELEBRATE AND REMEMBER THE GROUNDING OF OUR FAITH AS WE CALL OURSELVES CHRISTIAN. CHRIST IS RISEN. HE IS RISEN INDEED. AND THE TONE OF OUR FAITH IS SET BY HOW WE RESPOND TO THIS GREAT GOOD NEWS. NOW THE WOMEN IN MARK'S GOSPEL RESPOND WITH FEAR AND SILENCE. THEY LEAVE THE GARDEN AND TELL NO ONE WHAT THEY HAVE NOT SEEN. I UNDERSTAND THEIR FEAR. AS THE ONES WHO HAD FOLLOWED JESUS, THROUGH HIS SHORT MINISTRY AND INTO THE TRIALS OF JERUSALEM, THEY HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO BE AFRAID. THEIR TEACHER AND LEADER - THEIR BELOVED JESUS IS DEAD AND GONE. AND NOW THEY DON'T EVEN HAVE A BODY TO MOURN OVER. THEIR LIFE, IN THAT ONE GARDEN MOMENT, MUST HAVE SEEMED NOTHING MORE THAN A DARK AND DREADFUL ABYSS. THE WOMEN FELL INTO NOTHINGNESS IN THE MOMENT, BUT THE SAME IN NOT TRUE FOR US.
WE LIVE AND RESPOND TO THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST WITH A LITTLE LESS THAN 2000 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE ON OUR SIDE.
WE KNOW THE EMPTY TOMB IS GOOD NEWS. AND WHETHER WE ARE COGNIZANT OF THIS GOOD NEWS OR NOT, THE EMPTY TOMB IS THE FIRST REASON WE ARE HERE TODAY. SO WE DO WELL TO RESPOND TO THIS GOOD NEWS. AND, OH, BY THE WAY, OUR RESPONSE IS THE SECOND REASON WE ARE HERE TODAY. THIS IS WHY WORSHIP IS FILLED TO THE BRIM WITH THE SACRAMENTS OF THE CHURCH CREATED BY 2000 YEARS OF RESPONDING TO THE RESURRECTION.
FOR PRESBYTERIANS THERE ARE TWO SACRAMENTS, BAPTISM AND COMMUNION. MARTIN LUTHER SAYS A SACRAMENT IS AN OUTWARD SIGN OF AN INWARD GRACE. PUTTING THAT IDEA INTO A MORE MODERN CONCEPT, THE SACRAMENTS ARE AN ACTIVE RESPONSE OF THE PEOPLE OF GOD TO THE GIFT OF THE EMPTY TOMB.
IN BAPTISM WE RENOUNCE EVIL AND PROCLAIM JESUS CHRIST AS OUR LORD AND SAVIOR. WE RESPOND TO THE GOOD NEWS OF THE RESURRECTION BY JOINING THE MINISTRY OF THE RISEN BODY OF CHRIST, THE CHURCH. AND THE MOST IMPORTANT MISSION OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST IS TO RECOGNIZE WHAT IS EVIL IN THIS WORLD AND SEEK TO BANISH IT FROM OUR LIVES. WE MAY NOT UNDERSTAND THIS WHEN BAPTIZED AS A CHILD, BUT OUR UNDERSTANDING GROWS WITH EVERY BAPTISM WE PARTICIPATE IN, WITH EVERY TIME WE REMEMBER OUR OWN BAPTISM WITH JOY. BAPTISM IS ABOUT WASHING AWAY THE FEAR OF THE DARK ABYSS AND TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ONGOING MINISTRY OF JESUS IN THE CHURCH.
IN COMMUNION WE REMEMBER THE LAST SUPPER JESUS SHARED WITH HIS DISCIPLES, WE EAT BREAD AND DRINK WINE, AND WE SUSTAIN OURSELVES FOR THE WORK OF THE CHURCH. BUT WE DO EVEN MORE THAN THAT. WE RESPOND TO THE RESURRECTION BY COMING TO THIS TABLE WITH AN OPEN HEART, READY TO RECEIVE THE FORGIVENESS OF GOD. THE GOOD NEWS OF THE EMPTY TOMB IS THAT GOD'S COVENANT OF LOVE AND PRESENCE IS MORE REAL THAN IT EVER HAS BEEN.
WHEN YOU GET RIGHT DOWN TO IT, OUR RESPONSE TO THE RESURRECTION, AFTER ALL THESE YEARS, HAS A CERTAIN DANCING QUALITY TO IT. WE COME TO BE BAPTIZED. WE RENOUNCE EVIL. WE PROCLAIM OUR FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST. WE GO OUT TO GROW IN GRACE.
WE COME TO THE COMMUNION TABLE. WE EAT THE BREAD. WE DRINK THE WINE. WE RECEIVE THE FORGIVENESS OF THE WORLD. WE GO OUT TO LIVE IN GRACE. WE COME, WE RECEIVE, WE GO IN GRACE. WE COME, WE RECEIVE, WE GO IN GRACE. IT'S A WONDERFUL WALTZ THAT WE DANCE WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT. IT IS OUR LOVE AFFAIR WITH THE LORD, OUR GOD. IT IS OUR RESPONSE TO THE RESURRECTION.
ALLELUIA! AMEN!
SCRIPTURE: John 20:12-33 & Jeremiah 31:31-34
COVENANT.
I FIND THIS TO BE A WORD WE USE EVER SO LIGHTLY WITHOUT TOTALLY EMBRACING THE DEPTH OF ITS MEANING.
WE SPEAK OF THE MARRIAGE COVENANT, KNOWING FULL WELL THAT THERE ARE DIVORCE LAWYERS AND DIVORCE COURTS READY AND ABLE TO BREAK THAT COVENANT FOR US AT ANY GIVEN TIME.
WE HAVE A “COVENANT” WITH THE KOREAN SEVENTH DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH, KNOWING FULL WELL THAT THEY WILL LEAVE US AS SOON AS THEIR NEW BUILDING IS FINISHED.
WE NAME CHURCHES “COVENANT PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH” BUT THE MEMBERS COME AND GO AS EASILY AS ANY OTHER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
IT SEEMS TO ME WE USE THE WORD “COVENANT” IN TOO MANY PLACES WHERE WE SHOULD USE THE WORD “CONTRACT.”
A CONTRACT IS CREATED WITH THE IDEA THAT IT CAN BE BROKEN, A COVENANT IS NOT, AND ESPECIALLY THE COVENANT GOD HAS CREATED OVER AND OVER AGAIN WITH THE HUMAN CREATURE.
THE DEEPER MEANING OF THE COVENANT GOD MAKES WITH US IS THAT GOD DOES NOT DESIRE TO BREAK THE COVENANT.
GOD KEEPS GOD’S PROMISES!
AND IT ALL STARTED WITH THE RAINBOW.
THROUGHOUT THIS LENTEN SEASON WE HAVE BEEN LOOKING AT THE DIFFERENT WAYS GOD MADE COVENANT WITH HUMANKIND.
GOD’S FIRST COVENANT WITH US WAS TO PROMISE NEVER AGAIN TO DESTROY ALL OF CREATION.
WHEN READING THE STORY OF NOAH, WE HEARD THE COVENANT AS A PROMISE TO NEVER AGAIN FLOOD THE WORLD TO THE POINT OF UTTER DESTRUCTION.
AND LOOKING BACK FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF SEVERAL THOUSAND YEARS, WE CAN SEE THE PERMANENCE OF GOD’S PROMISE.
OUR WORLD HAS SUFFERED MANY A FLOOD OVER THE CENTURIES, BUT NOT ONE FLOOD HAS TOTALLY DESTROYED CREATION.
THE COVENANT WITH NOAH WAS A UNILATERAL, UNIVERSAL PROMISE THAT HAS NEVER BEEN BROKEN BY GOD.
AND THE SIGN OF THAT COVENANT WAS AND IS A RAINBOW.
WHEN GOD EXPANDED ON THE COVENANTAL RELATIONSHIP THROUGH ABRAHAM, GOD PROMISED HIM AND SARAH THEY WOULD BE THE PARENTS OF A MULTITUDE OF NATIONS.
GOD PROMISED OFFSPRING TO THE AGING COUPLE AND ALL GOD REQUIRED OF THE CHOSEN PEOPLE WAS LOYALTY IN THE SIGN OF CIRCUMCISION.
AGAIN, IN RETROSPECT, WE CAN SEE HOW TRUE GOD HAS BEEN TO THIS COVENANT.
THE OFFSPRING OF ABRAHAM AND SARAH CONTINUE, TO THIS DAY, TO DOMINATE THE POPULATION OF THIS WORLD THROUGH THE RELIGIONS OF JUDAISM, CHRISTIANITY AND ISLAM.
LATER, AFTER THE GREAT MULTITUDES OF ISRAELITES WERE FREED FROM THE BONDAGE OF SLAVERY IN EGYPT, GOD SAW THAT THE LOYALTY HE DESIRED FROM HIS PEOPLE COULD BE BEST EXPRESSED THROUGH A CERTAIN KIND OF LIVING.
FOR THE CHOSEN PEOPLE, THE LIVING OUT OF GOD’S COVENANTAL RELATIONSHIP WOULD LOOK LIKE A LIFE THAT IS HELD TRUE BY THE TEN COMMANDMENTS.
THESE COMMANDMENTS WERE GIVEN WITH GREAT POWER AND LOVE THROUGH MOSES ON MT. SINAI.
AND THE MOST INCREDIBLE THING ABOUT THE TEN COMMANDMENTS THAT WE OFTEN FORGET - OR EVEN DON’T TRUST - IS THIS; IF THE COMMANDMENTS ARE BROKEN THE RELATIONSHIP IS NOT DESTROYED.
THE COMMANDMENTS ARE A GIFT TO US, SO THAT WE FEEL THE DEPTH OF THE COVENANT IN A VERY REAL WAY.
BUT OUR INABILITY TO UPHOLD THE COMMANDMENTS TO PERFECTION IS NOT HELD WITH THE SAME REGARD AS GOD’S ABILITY TO MAINTAIN THE COVENANTAL RELATIONSHIP.
EVEN WHEN WE FAIL, GOD DOES NOT.
AND THIS IS ILLUSTRATED QUITE WELL IN THE STORY OF THE BRONZE SNAKE BEING LIFTED UP IN THE DESERT.
NO MATTER HOW MUCH THE PEOPLE OF GOD COMPLAIN ABOUT OUR CIRCUMSTANCES, GOD IS ALWAYS THERE WITH AN ANSWER TO OUR PRAYERS.
GOD’S ANSWER MIGHT NOT BE WHAT WE EXPECT, OR EVEN WANT.
BUT GOD IS THERE; READY TO HELP THE HUMAN CREATURE MANAGE AND SURVIVE THE CRUELTIES OF EARTHLY LIVING.
SO FAR, THROUGHOUT OUR LENTEN READINGS, PRETTY MUCH EVERY SIGN AND SYMBOL OF GOD’S COVENANT HAS BEEN EXTERNAL, A SIGN THAT REQUIRES A HUMAN RESPONSE IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER.
THERE’S THE RAINBOW AND CIRCUMCISION.
THEN THERE ARE THE TEN COMMANDMENTS WRITTEN ON THE STONE TABLETS AND A BRONZE SERPENT LIFTED UP ON A POLE.
BUT THE LAST OF THE OLD TESTAMENT COVENANTS WE WILL TALK ABOUT THIS LENT IS WHAT SCRIPTURE CALLS A “NEW” COVENANT.
NOW FROM MY PERSPECTIVE THERE IS NOTHING TOO “NEW” ABOUT THIS COVENANT.
GOD SAYS, “I WILL BE YOUR GOD AND YOU WILL BE MY PEOPLE,” AN IDEA GOD HAS BEEN TRUE TO FOR MANY GENERATIONS.
BUT WHAT IS DIFFERENT IS THAT GOD WILL WRITE GOD’S LAW UPON OUR HEARTS.
AND GOD WILL FORGIVE OUR INIQUITY AND REMEMBER OUR SIN NO MORE.
FROM THIS POINT ON, GOD WILL INTERNALIZE THE REALITY OF THE COVENANT INTO OUR HUMAN BEING, SO THAT THE VERY FIRST THOUGHT WE HAVE IN THIS LIFE IS TO BE LOYAL TO GOD.
THERE IS NO LONGER A CHOICE CONCERNING OBEDIENCE.
BEFORE A HUMAN BEING EVEN KNOWS HOW TO BREATHE WE KNOW THAT GOD IS OURS AND WE BELONG TO GOD.
OBEDIENCE TO GOD’S COVENANT IS SIMPLY A PART OF WHO WE ARE.
AND HOW DO WE KNOW THIS?
WE KNOW THIS BECAUSE GOD HAS WRITTEN IT ONTO OUR HEARTS.
THE COVENANT OF GOD’S LOVE IS NOW A PART OF US.
ALLELUIA! AMEN!
IN POPULAR PSYCHOLOGICAL THEORY, INTERNALIZING ANY REALITY IS ONE OF THE MORE DIFFICULT TASKS A HUMAN BEING HAS TO ACCOMPLISH.
IT IS WELL KNOWN THAT THE LONGEST DISTANCE IS BETWEEN THE HEAD AND THE HEART.
A PERSON CAN KNOW SOMETHING IN HER HEAD, BUT GETTING IT TO BECOME A PART OF HER BEING BY TRAVELING THE DISTANCE TO THE HEART IS ANOTHER STORY.
WELL, IT SEEMS THAT LONG BEFORE FREUD OR JUNG CAME UP WITH THEIR SOPHISTICATED KNOWLEDGE OF THE HUMAN PSYCHE, GOD HAD THE WHOLE THING COVERED.
GOD’S LOVE FOR US IS WRITTEN ON OUR HEARTS AND OUR CONNECTEDNESS TO THE DIVINE COVENANT WILL EMANATE FROM THE VERY CORE OF OUR BEING.
SO WHY DOES THIS SOUND SO IMPOSSIBLE, EVEN AS I WRITE IT?
I THINK WE HAVE TO GO BACK TO THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A CONTRACT AND A COVENANT.
HUMAN BEINGS SIMPLY DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE DEPTH OF GOD’S COVENANT WITH US.
GOD’S PROMISE IS NOT A CONTRACT, READY TO BE BROKEN BY A WHIM ON THE PART OF EITHER PARTY.
GOD’S PROMISE IS A COVENANT THAT HAS NOT AND WILL NOT BE BROKEN.
UNDERSTANDING AND ACCEPTING THE TENACITY OF GOD’S LOVE FOR US IS THE REALITY BEHIND THE FIRST COMMANDMENT.
“YOU SHALL NOT HAVE ANY OTHER GODS BEFORE YOU” IS NOT ABOUT A NARCISSISTIC GOD WHO NEEDS US TO BE OBEDIENT.
RATHER THIS FIRST COMMANDMENT IS ABOUT A GOD WHO WISELY UNDERSTANDS THAT THE OTHER GODS WE MIGHT CHOOSE TO WORSHIP WILL NOT AND CANNOT LOVE US WITH THE SAME DEPTH OF THE COVENANTAL GOD OF ALL CREATION.
OH! AND P.S., BY THE WAY, WITH GOD WRITING HIS LOVE FOR US UPON OUR HEARTS THE REALITY OF THIS TRUTH IS ALREADY INTERNALIZED FOR US, WITHOUT HAVING TO TRAVEL THAT LONG, LONG DISTANCE FROM THE HEAD TO THE HEART.
GOD’S LOVE IS SOMETHING WE DON’T HAVE TO WORK FOR, WE SIMPLY SEARCH OUR HEARTS AND BASK IN THE GOODNESS WE FIND THERE.
THIS IS THE NEWNESS OF JEREMIAH’S COVENANT AND SURPRISINGLY ENOUGH, IT CONTINUES TO FEEL NEW EVERY TIME WE READ IT.
THIS IS THE ONLY TIME WE HEAR TALK OF A NEW COVENANT IN THE OLD TESTAMENT.
AND I HAVE TO BELIEVE THAT IT IS THIS VERY COVENANT TO WHICH JESUS REFERS WHEN, IN THE UPPER ROOM, AT HIS LAST MEAL WITH HIS DISCIPLES, JESUS SAYS “THIS CUP IS THE NEW COVENANT IN MY BLOOD. DO THIS, AS OFTEN AS YOU DRINK IT, IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME.”
JESUS GIVES US A GIFT OF SACRAMENTAL RITUAL BY WHICH WE CAN REMEMBER THIS ALL-IMPORTANT COVENANT.
JESUS WAS THE LIVING REALITY OF A COVENANT PROMISE GOD WILL NEVER GIVE UP ON.
WE SPEAK OF THE COMMUNION CUP AS THE BLOOD OF CHRIST, EVEN WHEN WE KNOW WHAT WE ARE DRINKING IS SIMPLE GRAPE JUICE.
BUT THE IMAGERY IS NOT LOST ON US.
BY INGESTING THE BLOOD OF CHRIST INTO OUR BODY, WE KNOW THAT HIS BLOOD WILL ULTIMATELY REACH THE HUMAN HEART IN SUCH A WAY AS TO TOUCH THE INSCRIPTION CARVED THERE FROM THE BEGINNING.
I BELIEVE THIS IS WHY THE NEWNESS NEVER SEEMS TO WEAR OFF.
THIS IS WHY THE NEW COVENANT COMES AS A SURPRISE EVERY TIME WE HEAR IT.
AND I BELIEVE THE NEWNESS OF IT IS A GOOD THING.
THE FACT THAT WE DON’T LIVE PERFECTLY WITHIN THE EMBRACE OF THE NEW COVENANT IS MERELY HUMAN NATURE AND NOT TO BE BE-LABORED.
THE JOY COMES IN FEELING THE NEWNESS EACH AND EVERY TIME.
GOD IS, INDEED GOOD!
AND SO, MY FRIENDS, THE DEPTH OF THE WORD “COVENANT” REALLY MEANS THERE IS NOTHING TOO MUCH FOR US TO DO WHEN IT COMES TO BEING IN RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD.
BECAUSE GOD HAS ALREADY DONE THE WORK BY ESTABLISHING THE UN-BREAKABLE, NEVER-ENDING COVENANT WITH US AND WITH GOD’S PEOPLE OF EVERY AGE.
NOW I WANT YOU TO FIND YOUR OWN HEARTBEAT BY PLACING YOUR FIRST TWO FINGERS OF YOUR RIGHT HAND UNTO THE LEFT SIDE OF YOUR LEFT WRIST.
MOVE YOUR FINGERS AROUND A BIT UNTIL YOU CAN ACTUALLY FEEL THE PULSE OF THE BLOOD PUMPING THROUGH YOUR VEIN.
A PERSON’S HEARTBEAT IS VERY MUCH LIKE GOD’S COVENANT WITH US.
IT IS ALWAYS THERE AND ALWAYS WORKING, EVEN WHEN WE AREN’T AWARE OF IT.
AND OUR BEATING HEART NEVER STOPS WORKING UNTIL WE ARE READY TO BE TAKEN INTO THE TOTAL EMBRACE OF GOD’S LOVE IN HEAVEN.
FRIENDS, THE GIFT OF GOD’S COVENANT IS AS REAL AS THE BEATING OF YOUR HEART.
RECEIVE IT AS EASILY AS YOU DO THE GIFT OF LIFE, FOR GOD’S LOVE IS THE BEST OF ALL INTERNALIZED REALITIES.
ALLELUIA! AMEN!