Passage: Hebrews 10:16-18 Amplified Bible
“This is the covenant that I will make with them After those days, says the Lord: I will imprint My laws upon their heart, And on their mind I will inscribe them [producing an inward change],” He then says, 17 “And their sins and their lawless acts I will remember no more [no longer holding their sins against them].” 18 Now where there is [absolute] forgiveness and complete cancellation of the penalty of these things, there is no longer any offering [to be made to atone] for sin. Hi everybody from Long Beach CA. Today's message is in line with our theme for this month: New Beginnings One of the things which greatly helped me in my own walk with God was when I came to Japan, I found out how many words and phrases I used which were "church talk" In other words, not really everyday words or phrases and when I shared with my Japanese friends, they were not clear what I meant and for good reason- not because of the English but even the Japanese! Redemption? Salvation? Sin!? Oh man I needed to really get some good explanations and that helped ME! To this day I work hard to find new words for God' truths to help those I share with and me! I started seeing how there is a kind of handicap we have growing up in the church- sounds odd but here's why- we undervalue what we have and maybe have don't fully understood some things because we knew all the right words but have struggled to own them - to make them real in our hearts. When I was in High school, I taught Sunday school- I have always loved kids and I taught a 3rd grade class. One kid had the right answers but often they did not match the questions- it was always "Jesus is lord" or some solid "amen phrase"- it made me laugh- not till High school did it click with me what that handicap implied- if one did not own a truth and underhand it well- you could lose it. So today I want to tackle one of those big ideas and sets of words- the new covenant - so first off what's a covenant? not an everyday word for most of us. Let’s see what else it could be called- actually the new and old testaments are the new and old covenants- a covenant is an agreement or a deal a promise or Couple of weeks ago brother Kwame did a great job summarizing the story of our faith from Genesis to now-Why Jesus died and how we benefit- it was great. so quick review- the old covenant /deal as basically here are a whole lot of dos and don'ts - over 600 - but when Jesus was born the church of the day had added even more so it was amazingly tough to be good! Then of course there were all the sacrifices because the system was that the blood of certain animals when done right took away the sins- the failures to keep the laws. Now when Jesus arrived and even as he began teaching you could tell things were shifting- you might have felt really good about yourself be because you did not commit murder or adultery- check off those boxes. BUT he took it to a whole new level! Let's look at one place where he seems to be disrupting the church industry so to speak. In Matthew 5:21-22 from the Amplified Bible 21 “You have heard that it was said to the men of old, ‘You shall not murder,’ and ‘Whoever murders shall be guilty before the court.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who continues to be angry with his brother or harbors malice against him shall be guilty before the court; and whoever speaks [contemptuously and insultingly] to his brother, Raca (You empty-headed idiot)!’ shall be guilty before the supreme court (Sanhedrin); and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of the fiery hell. Wow. And he said a lot of things along these lines- he seemed to make it all simpler ...but harder- and in context God was fulfilling His plan for a new deal and a new system- one part of that was putting the laws in our heart. This is what Tamba read this morning in Hebrews- and don't you just love French- so nice- God is telling us in Hebrews 10:16: I will imprint My laws upon their heart, And on their mind, I will inscribe them [producing an inward change],” Nice! Much much easier! I want to say we are so lucky and in a way it’s just not fair- the Jews had such a tough challenge and here I am - an adopted child with all the good stuff but without all the heavy baggage! AND it gets better he goes on to say “And their sins and their lawless acts I will remember no more [no longer holding their sins against them].” 18 Now where there is [absolute] forgiveness and complete cancellation of the penalty of these things, there is no longer any offering [to be made to atone] for sin. Wow_ we hit the jackpot but sort of don't get it because we never struggled to keep the law- it’s like how many of you appreciate your laptop because...you had a typewriter! Guys, those of you who are my age know this is night and day! how about going on a trip- laying out paper maps and studying how to get there- now Hey Siri take me to Sydney's house! Wow. I think the best example for me is this- I have a buddy - my best friend- who grew up poor and in a pretty tough home with no dad. He is one the most motivated and hardest working guys I know. Also, the most successful. He has done really well, And his kids ate great kids and not spoiled but- wow if they could really see what my buddy needed to do to get up and out of that situation and what challenges he faced - two of his 4 kids went to Yale, after private boarding school- no student debts for them- you could say it's not fair! But in this example, we're the kids who go to go to Yale - so be happy! So, this is a big topic and there could be a yearlong study here in various covenants in the Bible or just how we can and should fully understand this new deal - this new covenant and how happy we should be- I didn't even get to Romans 7 and 8! I have one more point and actually what triggered this as a brewing message for the last few months- and it's this: What do we do with the Old testament? How do we read and apply it? If you look around at all denominations and churches, we see a spectrum- for example the seventh day Adventists - of which I have many good friends- are right at the edge one might say - making sure to say yes, we are saved by faith- belief in what Jesus did for us not what we do but... - just believing is enough.... but.... keeping the sabbath and a lot of other things are sort of important too. Hmmm. In the book of acts one of the first hot topics for the church was very similar- how much do we ask the gentiles- the new non-Jewish converts to Christianity- how much of all the laws and guidelines should they be told to follow? I mean at least they should get circumcised right? Or? It was a hot issue. If we read the whole new testament, we can conclude that actually there is nothing needed - nothing more than real active faith and living out of that changed heart- but at first, they did ask for 4 things - 3 of which are related to not eating meat with blood and for us today we might say- what?? That's weird! Then later we read Paul saying, " actually what you eat goes in and then out- don't make it a thing”. Hmmm, it's like they said no you don't need to be circumcised- whew! BUT we read later that Timothy went ahead and DID! Time is tight but if I can give you the reader’s digest version it all comes back to love- loving your neighbor- caring about others more than yourself- not the nitpicky way people judge or criticize others but hey- for the sake of your brother- can you just not do that and be cool about it? Do it for him or her or don't - not because it's the law- just to be loving. What I have found is hard is this- no one wants to offend God nor take anything too lightly- I mean if God says something we should be on the same page and agree- like it or not. Unfortunately, many people will bring stuff from the Old Testament to the new without the right filter- we have to see the OT thru the NT filter. Example- have you ever gone to a 3d movie? You need special glasses- like these- ok just pretend ok- so these are my 3d glasses. If you watch the show in 3D without the glasses, it’s all weird and can make you sick! me anyway. BUT you put the glasses on, and it LOOKS completely different- I propose to you that we must see the OT thru the lens of Jesus and the NT- after Jesus died and rose again- the whole game is changed- it's not what it was- its simpler but harder- it's not what you know but who you know! BUT we carry in us the power to do it! Nice! Ok, now the story- I always have a story and I told this one last week at Sermon lab but feels right to share again. as an illustration of this message So as many know Kelly and I went to a church in Redding CA called Bethel for about 6 years and it was pretty cool and crazy. People came from all- over the world to be healed and many were. So, I had a worker who had been with me over ten years and confided in me he had aids - wow- serious- I was so sorry to hear that. So, I invited him to come over to the US and visit us and come to our church for prayer- anyway I was happy to host him and show him around- he had been a great worker, so it was a kind of bonus for him. He arrived in LA and so we spent a few days there and went to a nice church I had attended off and on before- Calvary chapel. So that particular Sunday they had a guest speaker who spoke on "the Gay issue” and how we must stand strongly against this. I was mortified. I forget all the details now- I sat there in shock thinking oh man this is horrible! MY friend may feel set up- we had never directly discussed his lifestyle and I just hoped he knew how much I liked and appreciated him and was not confused about that. It was rough but he did know that, and I said sorry- a lot of people are confused on this issue and say too much. I myself did not nor do I say clearly where I stand on this issue- I clearly say I love all people- so there! So, we go to Redding and my church- whew- lots of love there! But it was and is a megachurch so the more people you hate the harder it is to know whom you will meet. So, we go to what is called the healing rooms- every weekend hundreds of people from around the world come there for healing. I went with my buddy to help with language and to stand by him, I guess. When we got to the couple who would pray for him the woman kind of went off on him- you mean you are a practicing homosexual, and you think we can pray for you and you can get healed!? What??!! I was shocked and out of my mouth I heard myself perfectly quote Galatians 3:5 but first "Foolish Galatians!" I quoted... "So again, I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard?" Right??!! I was so upset and felt God was too! Okay so long story short- we go to church afterwards and I tell my buddy - listen I will talk to the main pastor- I know him and he is very supportive of our work in Japan, and he is a truly loving guy- so I run up front- megachurch so big, big auditorium So, there I am updating the pastor on these traumas and he says oh sorry to hear that and sure he’d be happy to pray for Shigeki- then I see this older kind of redneck looking member of the church stopping my friend (sorry if you're redneck I have a redneck son in law and he's a great guy) anyway, I can see he is starting to talk to him- I was like oh no! This is Redding CA- it’s like Texas, like a lot of America- no minorities at all and certainly no gays-well so they say! and this is an old guy- I run to my friend and he has stopped visiting and comes to me- we met, and I can see in his eyes something has happened- oh no I am thinking what now... almost in shock my friend shares with me so that guy just came up to me he said I know you don't know me nor me you, but I feel like God wants me to tell you something... from Him-he goes on to say: God wants to say to you.... I know you, I made you, I Know everything about you and ...I love you just the way you are. No kidding. Man, I am sorry, but I cry every time I tell this story and wonder if God does too Here's the deal I remain without a position on the so called gay issue but what I can tell you is a lot of people reach into the old testament and beat people up with laws and passages which have not been filtered by the new covenant , the new commandment - to me- our love for one another is the big replacement of all those laws- we are so lucky and should be so grateful- all we have to do is love God and love one another but we DO have to do that and I think we need to error on the side of love when there is any doubt- I love how God used the least likely guy maybe in that room to share God's love for my friend in that moment. Ok- let's pray.
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Let us pray. May the words of my mouth and meditations of our hearts together this morning be pleasing in your sight O Lord. You are our rock and risen Christ, Amen. (Psalm 19:14)
In the first year of our marriage, my husband Don and I were attending a marriage group. There we had fellowship with other married couples, and spent time learning about each other and what it means to be married. It was a great experience, hanging out with other married friends while eating, drinking, and fellowshipping together. This was also a good and safe place for us to discuss some of the more challenging things that come up in married life. And, to be honest, some of those challenges we face in marriage are also challenges that can come up in really any relationship. As a group we read through a book called….well...I have to confess that I have long since forgotten the name of the book, but it spends a good chunk of its pages talking about some of the differences between men and women. And while there was a lot to it, there is one thing I vividly remember from that book. It talked about how men and women tend to deal with their problems very differently. Generally speaking, men like to “fix” problems, while women generally prefer to be listened to about their problems, and be heard about the difficulties they are experiencing. As much as I find myself agreeing with that idea in some ways, in truth I don’t think things are necessarily that clear-cut and gender-specific. I’m sure men would like to be listened to, as well as women would like to fix problems too. I think the important point here though, is that there are various ways of communication. There is a famous book you might have heard of called “5 Love Languages;” you may even have read it. A psychologist and pastor named Gary Chapman says in this book that there are, in general, five different ways that people communicate love, both in terms of how they express love and how they receive love, and he called these the five love languages. According to him, the five “love languages” are physical touch, gift giving, acts of service, words of affirmation, and quality time. He goes on to say that people usually express and receive love through one or two of these means. Now it is a truly wonderful thing when two people have compatible love languages; when one person who loves to express love through gift giving connects with someone who receives love best when it’s expressed through gifts. That’s a wonderful moment of compatibility! But we often run into conflict when two people don’t speak the same love languages. Let’s say, for instance, that we have one person who loves by giving gifts. While that’s great with a person who loves receiving gifts, it can become a problem when the other person actually receives love best some other way, as quality time for example. Then, no matter how well-intentioned each person might be, we have conflict. I think this is an interesting thing to consider, to think about these five love languages, and from there to consider what love language God might use to us, how we might best receive God’s love, and what language we use to express our love to God. I think that God probably uses all these love languages, and even more too! Jesus clearly used the love language of physical touch; he went and touched the lepers, laid hands on the bleeding, and showed his love to those who society considered unclean or untouchable (Mark 1:40-45 and Luke 8:43-48). God showed love as gift-giving through the gift of new and eternal life, given to us through the death and resurrection of God’s only son, Jesus Christ. Jesus was a servant leader, showing love through acts of service by washing the feet of the disciples, something that would only ever be done by servants or disciples at that time. (John 13:14-17) He taught that it was better to serve, rather than to be served. (Mark 10:45) The beatitudes, Jesus' teachings that all start with “Blessed are those who,” are full of words of affirmation. “Blessed are those who are poor in Spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted (Matthew 5:3-4).” Jesus didn’t mind stopping the busy pace of his ministry life, a life where a lot of people wanted things from him. But Jesus stopped and took quality time to minister and have fellowship with people who society had called undesirable. People like tax collector Zaccheus (Luke 19:1-10), who would have been hated for collecting taxes for the oppressive Roman government, or the woman at the well (John 4), who was hated both for her racial identity and her relationship status. God showed love in all these different ways, but I often wonder how truly and deeply we receive God’s love ourselves through the various ways God expresses and shows that love to us. God communicates love to us, but have we really been receiving it in the depth, height, and magnitude that God’s love truly is? The life of Jesus Christ is a manifestation of God’s love made incarnate, meaning that God’s love actually took human form, and God’s love is shown through the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. The ultimate expression of God’s love for us is seen in Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. The price we were meant to pay for our sins was dealt through Jesus’ death on the cross. He was raised up from the dead. Through this we have life anew and life eternal in Christ. It seems at times that we know and understand just what God did for us. We know, and we understand; we observe Good Friday and celebrate Easter; we understand that Jesus died and rose for us. But again I wonder how much of that love has truly registered in us. Do we actually receive God’s love in ourselves and respond to it? Are we being transformed as a direct result of having received God’s love? Today we have read one of those well-known Easter passages where the disciples first meet the risen Christ after his resurrection in the Gospel of John. The night after that frightening and confusing Easter morning in which Mary, Peter, and the others found Jesus’ tomb empty, we find the disciples locked and hiding in a house. They heard from Mary that she had seen Jesus, but they are still very much in fear. They are afraid that the Jews, particularly the Jewish religious authorities, might be looking for them as well, to do to them what they had done to Jesus. In this place of fear and terror for the disciples, Jesus, in his resurrected body, skips right through a locked door and appears in the middle of the room, standing among them. He greets them, and shows them clear and precise proof that he is who he claims, and that he has indeed come back from the dead. His body still bears the marks of his sacrifice; his hands have holes from the nails, and his side still bears the piercing given to him by one of the soldiers at the end (John 19:34). As the Scripture tells us, the disciples rejoiced when they saw the risen Lord. (John 20:20) They understood that what they were seeing was significant, that Jesus had risen again from the dead, but the disciples still don’t seem to get how this act is an expression of love from God. After all, there isn’t a single word referencing God’s love in today’s reading. In truth, they could barely understand what had happened at all. But if we read through this passage a little more carefully, I think we can see Jesus expressing a deep and abiding love for them, and expressing that love in a way that the disciples can see and understand personally. Feelings like fear and doubt can trap you, confine you, lock you into the mindset you are already in. Just like the locked room the disciples were in, these feelings can bind you into a rigid mindset, making it very hard to see other perspectives, hard to see the truth of how God is working in the world. Throughout his ministry, Jesus often said not to be afraid. He told the disciples not to be afraid of the unwelcome situations or persecution that might come their way (Matthew 10). Jesus told the disciples not to be afraid to hear the voice of God (Matthew 17:7). When they saw him walk on the water, he said to them “do not be afraid (Matthew 14:27).” On top of that, Jesus often talked about how it was the limited faith of the disciples which led to fear, worry, and an inability to heal. (Matthew 6:30, 8:26, and 17:16-17) But in today’s reading, even with all that fear and doubt, Jesus doesn’t revisit any of these things. Instead, when Jesus first speaks to these disciples who are filled with fear and doubt, Jesus simply arrives saying, “Peace be with you.” He doesn’t say, “I’m back!” or “I’m alive,” or even “I told you so!” just to highlight that he came back as promised. Jesus is fully aware of their fear and doubt, so he meets those fears and doubts right where they are. He says, “Peace be with you.” (John 20:19) Before he died on the cross, Jesus said to the disciples “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you” (John 14:27). This “peace” isn’t something Jesus is bringing to them in the moment; it’s already there with them. Jesus is simply reminding the disciples to receive that peace, and hold it alongside the fear and doubt they are already experiencing, not denying their feelings or pushing them away at all. Jesus here is being a very kind and compassionate caregiver; he doesn’t deny their experience, or try to correct the feelings the disciples are having. He doesn’t do that thing that we’ve all done, and had done to us, where you come to someone who’s struggling and say “don’t do that,” as if it’ll somehow solve the problem. He doesn’t come at them with that sort of unhelpful black-and-white thinking, but he doesn’t leave them hanging either; He simply reminds them, gently, of that peace of Christ. Peace here means no war within. It means that the feelings and experiences don’t have to be in conflict. Peace which surpasses all human understanding, can exist alongside their fears and doubts and encompass those human feelings. There is no condemnation given to them, for being in this place of fear. He doesn’t say, “why are you all still afraid after all the times I told you not to be afraid? Why don’t you believe, even after I told you multiple times that I would be back, oh you of little faith?” No condemnation; his first words to the disciples after the resurrection are “Peace be with you.” And he repeats this three times in today’s reading too. (John 20:19, 21 and 26) Whenever the disciples are feeling fearful or doubtful, or when they are rejoicing, Jesus redirects their attention to this one thing which is beyond the subjective, human experience; something of God. That is, God’s peace. Verse 31 (John 20:31) points out that Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, beyond what’s recorded in the gospel itself. Even within the gospel there are many references to Jesus performing miracles and signs that result in people believing in him. Like the wedding at Cana, where Jesus turned water into wine (John 2:1-11), or the feeding of the 5000 (John 6:5-14) or healing the sick and cripple. All good examples of times where Jesus showed people the signs so they might come to believe. But Jesus says in verse 29 (John 20:29) that “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” Obviously, this is where Jesus stands. The Scripture defines faith in the book of Hebrews, where it says that faith is the conviction of things that are not seen (Hebrews 11:1). Despite knowing this ultimate truth about faith however, Jesus is still willing to show so that disciples can believe. He shows them the holes in his hands and his side. For Thomas, Jesus goes even further, offering to let him put his fingers through the holes in his hands and his side. (John 20:27). Again we see Jesus coming alongside the disciples, showing and speaking in a way that the disciples can easily experience his love, rather than approaching them with a lecture about the insufficiencies of their faith, or condemnation about their fear and disbelief. Jesus responds to their fear and doubt lovingly and authentically, with real compassion. Jesus knows that believing in him doesn’t require “seeing,” but he is willing to walk with the disciples on their journey where they are, in a place where they want to see, and want to be assured. Jesus acknowledges that faith can also be a process - something that a person goes through, in order to come to believe (John 20:31). The way Jesus speaks to and treats the disciples here is full of compassion and care. Jesus doesn’t explicitly say that he loves the disciples in today’s passage, but his actions are full of love. He meets them in their fear and doubt with a loving reminder that God’s peace is with them. He is willing to walk with them in their faith journey, not condemning them for where they are in that journey, but welcoming and embracing them just as they are. And what is the result of Jesus loving them in this way, responding to their fears and doubts like this? The result is growth in their faith. Jesus comes to them with love, and as a result the disciples grow into a place where they don’t actually need to touch Jesus to know for sure. He offered, but when they met Jesus in his resurrected body they were able to believe. Jesus showed his body, complete with holes, and even offered Thomas the chance to put his fingers into the holes in his hands and side. But in that moment, Thomas was able to respond by calling him “My Lord and my God! ” (John 20:28) believing just by seeing him, without having to touch him in the end. This may seem like a small thing, but for those who are fearful and doubtful, trusting can be a very big step. And Jesus respects this journey that the disciples are on, knowing that faith is a journey for us. Of course this doesn’t mean that Jesus “bends” the truth, or shields them from the reality of what faith is. Jesus isn’t afraid to say “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” He tells them that they are being sent out from their safe, locked room into that not-so-safe world, just as Jesus was sent by his father (John 20:21). But, no matter how tough the message might be, the way he communicates this message, the way he gets his point across, is always love. He walks with them, and talks with them, and tells them that they are his. When we are genuinely afraid and full of doubt, his response is full of care and compassion. And, being cared for in this way, we become able to move just a little bit forward towards greater belief, more truth, more faith and trust. We begin to grow. Jesus speaks to us in all of our love languages; probably in more love languages than we even know how to define. This year, Kobe Union Church is celebrating its 150th anniversary; a century and a half having welcomed people from all over the world. This is a beautiful legacy, to celebrate and to give thanks to God! At the same time though, this diversity makes it hard to communicate with each other at times. As I mentioned earlier, there are different ways of expressing and receiving love and, if we add cultural, racial, linguistic, socioeconomic, and theological differences, faithful communication can get even harder. But I hope that today’s scripture can be an inspiration to us all, showing us how Jesus humbly and lovingly approaches and responds to the fears and doubts of the disciples. His words and actions weren’t full with condemnation, dismissal, or condescension, but compassion and care, meeting them where they are with love. Jesus doesn’t demand that the disciples speak to Jesus according to his preferred way of communication, according to his love language; he was willing to show them love and approach them in a way that they could best receive it, in a way that they could see and process. That is what true care looks like, standing on the side of the other. Coming close to those who need to be cared for, rather than asking them to come to you. That is love. How do we communicate such love with each other in our church community, in our families, in our workplaces, in our schools, with friends, relatives, neighbors, or really anyone whom God places in our lives? Let us consider that people have different ways of processing or communicating their thoughts and feelings. When conflicts come up, let us care about others enough to stop and think that they might be expressing or receiving things differently that we do. Maybe they are just speaking a different love language, trying to show love and concern in ways we’re just not understanding yet? If we can identify that there is a difference between us, we can try to communicate with others in ways they can better understand? Can we adapt ourselves, change ourselves so we can speak and understand their method of communication instead of insisting that they come to us? Maybe you say yes to all these questions. Maybe you really put in the effort to speak love languages that are foreign to you, give affirmative words, gifts, spend quality time, serve, and never neglect to give a hug where it’s needed. And maybe, in the midst of all that effort, you don’t feel like you’re receiving love yourself. If that’s the case for you, I would like to invite you today to consider how God might be showing love to you, not in your preferred way of receiving it, but in some other, unexpected way. Maybe God is speaking love to you through the beauty of nature. Maybe God is speaking love to you by inspiring someone to give you gifts. Or maybe God is just spending quality time with you, alone, in the silence. Maybe God is encouraging you to forgive someone and through that you realize how much you are forgiven and loved by God. God calls us to share love attentively with others, being aware of how they best receive love. But God also calls us to be receptive to God’s love for ourselves too! There are more ways to communicate love than just using words. May we all strive to be like Jesus, who was willing to set aside his own ways of expressing love, and instead chose to listen and pay attention to the ways that the people wanted to receive that love. God’s love has come, and has been given to us in all forms and shapes and in many unexpected ways. May we be both recipients and givers of God’s love, with Jesus’ example as our guide. Amen. Welcome to KUC on this 2nd Sunday of Easter. We are still in this season of Easter or what some call, Eastertide. The season of Easter is 50 days until Pentecost which is May 23rd this year.
In the early Christian church, Christians then hoped to find a new beginning on Easter as they hoped to begin a new life in Christ. Incidentally, our theme for this month of April is new beginnings. In the early church, Easter was when baptisms were done and only once year. We do them more frequently now of course. And when we are baptized, that is a new beginning for our life in Christ. It has been over a year of this pandemic. Since COVID-19 struck, let us continue to remember that we have lost over 2,666,000 people worldwide. Let us continue to be in prayer for those we have lost loved ones and for those who must carry-on. We have learned what it means to be a body of Christ during a global pandemic and have found ways to be connected but we are praying so hard that we can soon return to worship in-person in our church building and also meet one another again. Perhaps we can relate to the gospel passage of today of being in a tomb during this pandemic. SHOW PICTURES of EGG HUNT (in Dropbox) But there has been joy even in this pandemic. Last Saturday, we had a social distance Easter Egg Hunt just for our church children in the lower parking lot garden and about 10 children came, We had them hunt for plastic eggs that were empty inside but gave them a goody bag at the end with coloring sheets and some candy. This was drawn by Tienen and is the empty tomb. (Claudia show coloring sheet.) This story of the empty tomb is found in all four Gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. All four Gospel writers insist that women were the first to discover—and share the news about—the empty tomb. (At this point in history, women were not even regarded as reliable witnesses in a court of law but they were the first to see Jesus and to share the news!) But the gospels differ with other details so it is good to have all four scriptures in front of you and maybe even different translations when you look at this story of the empty tomb and the risen Christ. We can learn something from each version. It was mainly an oral tradition back in those days and events may have been remembered differently by the different writers. However, the most important point is that the tomb is empty because Jesus has risen! All four gospels tell how Mary Magdalene, whether alone or accompanied by other women, came to the tomb on the first day of the week following the crucifixion of Jesus and found the body gone. Matthew, Mark and Luke are called the synoptics from the Greek word synopsis, meaning "viewed together", because they present the life of Jesus from a similar perspective. Mark is the earliest, (probably dates from c. AD 70, some forty years after the death of Jesus), and in its original ending the women see a young man at the tomb and flee when he tells them that Jesus will meet the disciples in Galilee, telling no one what they have seen. Matthew (date from around AD 85–90) introduces guards and a curious doublet whereby the women are told twice, by angels and then by Jesus, that he will meet the disciples in Galilee (Mathew 28:7-10). Luke date from around AD 85–90) changes Mark's one "young man" to two, adds Peter's inspection of the tomb, and deletes the promise that Jesus would meet his disciples in Galilee. John began circulating between 90 and 110 and reduces the number of women to the solitary Mary Magdalene and introduces the "beloved disciple" (John) who visits the tomb with Peter and is the first to understand its significance. I choose Matthew today for my sermon as it was short and there was not enough time to read all four gospels. I want to pointed out a few things I learned from the ZOOM sermon lab we had at KUC last week Saturday. It was fun and enlightening! Join us at 11am on Saturdays! The first to see, touch, and hear the voice of Jesus’s resurrected body were women. (Matt. 28:9; John 20:14). But why does Jesus ask Mary to stop clinging to him, when He accepted the touch of the other women on resurrection morning (Matt. 28:9) and Jesus invited Thomas to touch Him a week later? (John 20:27) This was something we discussed and people suggested different reasons but Roy Mislang, our church member from the Philippines, has an interesting explanation from our discussion in the sermon lab. He said Jesus is the high priest and in Jewish culture maybe he had to be purified so that was why Jesus wasn’t letting the women cling to him but with Thomas 8 days later in the Upper Room it was ok because he was purified by then. Interesting interpretation I had not heard before. They “clasped his feet and worshipped him” it says in Matthew 28:9 so these women were definitely wanting to embrace Jesus but Jesus says do not hold onto me because I have not ascended to God. Jesus cannot be held by any of our earthly forces. Jesus breaks free from all the tethers him. I also think he was signaling a new relationship with Mary and with his disciples: “After I ascend, you will have my presence spiritually, but not physically.” He didn’t stay with them on earth, but he promised to send his Comforter, the Holy Spirit. After the women saw Jesus, you may recall he disappeared and shows up later with his disciples. His psychical body disappearing. I believe this was training for them and also for us today. It was training them to believe without having to see his body and see him in the flesh. We believe in him and we believe in the resurrection. We believe that the body of Jesus rose from the dead. We believe without seeing his body. We believe as stated in the last sentence of the Apostles’ Creed that was sung to us by Takayo and Ayami Kawabe in our service today that "we believe in the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.” Later, you recall Jesus just appeared with the disciples in what is known as tan Upper Room behind loved doors and he shows his psychical body and his wounds. (Pastor Akiko will talk more about the passage in John 20:19-31 next Sunday). It is here Jesus says to Thomas “….blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” We believe because of our faith. We do not “see" Jesus in the flesh but he is with us. I am reminded of this verse, Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” I feel the Holy Spirit and see his work in the world and I “see" the face of Christ in people I meet. The Holy Spirit fills us, comfort us, moves us and blows our lives in new directions. You will hear more about the Holy Spirit from our preaching among multi-pastoral team in May as that will be the theme- to be filled with the Holy Spirit. I just love sharing about the Holy Spirit so can hardly wait! The Holy Spirit shows up in so many unexpected places. I will share a story told by Lutheran theologian and author on religion, Dr. Martin E. Marty who taught at the University of Chicago Divinity School. Martin Marty tells the true story of eight-year old boy named Stephan who had a severe birth defect. He was loved by the other students in his school class but he was getting worse as time went on. One day in April the school teacher asked all the children in the class to hide within an empty plastic egg a small object representing new life in Spring and bring to class the next day. The kids brought their plastic eggs back and fearing that Stephen might not have caught on and not wanting to embarrass him, the teacher had the children place all the unlabeled eggs on the table so they could be opened one by one anonymously. The first egg opened had a tiny flower in it as a lovely sign of spring and a little girl couldn’t help but to say, “ I brought that one!” The next egg opened and out came of rock and this must be Stephen‘s the teacher thought but Billy shouted that the rock had more moss on it represented new life! The third plastic egg was opened and out came a live butterfly and the child who brought said he caught this butterfly himself. The next egg first container was empty and it had to be Stephen‘s the teacher thought and not wanting to embarrass him reach quickly for the next one but Stephen blurted out that it’s empty because the tomb was empty and that meant new life for everyone! That summer Steven’s condition worsened and almost mercifully he died quietly. At his funeral others were surprised to find a plastic eggs on his casket and all of them were empty. What the hope and promise of Easter is that we remember how Jesus broke free of the tomb. The tomb was empty and that means new life for all. We experience new life in Christ. When tombs of our lives have opened, it is then that the living Jesus touches us and heals us. Perhaps some of you have not experienced this new life and you are hoping something will roll the stone away from your inner tomb and awaken life in you. Whether it happens today or not, wait in patience and trust. Growth cannot be rushed. Sometimes it takes awhile to recognize the seeds of new life already within us. Easter is about changed lives and a changed world. As scripture tells us, Easter is about a day when death is defeated. The promise of resurrection is the promise that death, all death, not just physical death, but every form of death, every power of death is to be no more.” All of you who open the tombs of our hearts to let love in, you are Easter people. My friend likes to say we are Easter-minded people. We live with the awareness that death has no dominion. We can stand with the pain of the world and not be overcome by it, we will not tolerate abuse of themselves or others, because we know that love is the way. Pastor Chuck shared in his sermon the new commandment from Jesus to love one another. We live in God’s created world and care for this world as Easter-minded people. We will show love and alleviate suffering wherever we find it. In the sermon lab, Michael Shackleton from UK shared we are a union church but we need to look at differences. As Easter-minded people we can do that by showing love and respect for one another even if we do not always agree. We are all part of a community. God in Jesus is alive in the world, we know life dug out of death, joy borne out of pain. Find a risen Christ who offers us comfort in times of pain, blessed assurance in moments of doubt and disparity and life everlasting. Let us open the tombs of our hearts and of the world, and let the life –giving love of Jesus loose to touch and change you and transform our world. Amen. Footnote: Seems that Matthew used Mark as his primary source and when he says "like the appearance of lightning" that is taken is from the Old Testament in Daniel 10:6 and God with "his clothing was white as snow" is from Daniel 7:9, and the reaction of the guards is also found in the Book of Daniel 10:7-9. The introduction of the guard is apparently aimed at countering stories that Jesus' body had been stolen by his disciples, thus eliminating any explanation of the empty tomb other than that offered by the angel, that he has been raised. Matthew also has the women being told twice, by the angels and then by Jesus, that he will meet the disciples in Galilee (Mathew 28:7-10). Easter Sunday April 4, 2021 / Last words of Jesus and… a new Commandment??! By Pastor Chuck4/3/2021 Good morning and Happy Easter
This is Pastor Chuck with my buddy Bruce in Long Beach CA where it always looks like Easter morning - sunny and warm! And I'm wearing my Easter outfit! Today is a big day in most churches- one of the biggest as today is a day when everyone needs a church! I mean many people feel like going to church on Easter -- just sort of feels right and good BUT Why do most people not come every Sunday? I would like to suggest one reason might be that churches are often exclusive and critical of all those who don't attend their church- some might say there is a lack of love and more concern for what people say than what they do BUT What is a Christian? Can we step back and look at that key question? A Christian is a follower of Christ- someone who walks and talks like Jesus would Many might say Being a Christian is a one-time thing like praying the prayer and getting the ticket to heaven. That’s usually how it starts but... Here though are a couple of scary passages: Matthew 7:21-23 21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me on that day [when I judge them], ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, and driven out demons in Your name, and done many miracles in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them publicly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me [you are banished from My presence], you who act wickedly [disregarding My commands].’ or in 1 Corinthians 13 where Paul talks about doing all the top coolest stuff - prophesying, feeding the poor, having great faith, understanding all mysteries! Wow- it then says: if you do all those things but do not have love, it does me no good at all - bigger wow So, today I want to say- I love dressing up for Easter and it's nice we can all be here at church today - even online but... I’d like for us to take a hard look at what Jesus COMMANDED- not suggested- in his last few days when he gave what he called a new commandment and that THIS would be how people would know we are Christians- not by the cross I wear and where we are on Sunday mornings Jesus said he was giving his followers-- and that means us too - a new commandment: To love one another as I have loved you. I hope today we can have an epiphany or a moment of clarity- a new beginning (our theme for April messages); what would it look like if we seriously did what Jesus asked and "loved one another as HE loved us!" First, let me say why I think Jesus called it new and how we need to see the revolutionary way Jesus taught- new because this was no longer just loving one's own people like was commanded in the OT but loving everyone - (even one's enemies!) and also not just "loving your neighbor as yourself"- already a big request but rather - MORE- as I have loved you- okay- wow- that's a lot- Jesus love So, this morning I'd like to try to give us some practical examples of how we can do this -- so we can get this right- as I researched this message, I found maybe 50 things Jesus said to do or not do- but I think if we get this one right- we'll be maybe 50% safe! (Get the other 50% with loving God with all you've got!) So, let's break this down. Ok, but I will say that I will always remember one story where I felt God gave me at least 3 key revelations on love which I vividly carry to this day and yes, it was, for me , on the street… First, in 2012 I had what I would call about 12 life altering challenging events all in about 12 weeks - I got diagnosed with cancer - the next day- the next day- my dad suddenly and unexpectedly died - 10 weeks later my mom died - my business suddenly looked like it too was terminal - my wife went into rehab - our youngest daughter went rogue Okay, you get the idea, and I was sort of in shock and broken and feeling - well, lots of things but inside me there was this sense that to get better or deal with all this I needed to .... go spend some time with the homeless in our neighborhood and that was what I did- just went out to visit with them and mostly to just visit and meet them and listen. It felt like a God remedy for all that had happened and was happening And here are 2 of the 3 aspects of love I learned in that season
I actually called my time, out with the homeless in that season, my "therapy" I never called it ministry- I was broken and down and this- being able to give love, some food, some prayer, some clothes, to homeless people really helped ME! When you are broken you will often love the best- out of humility , gentleness and brokenness there can be a love flow from God to others that is truly therapeutic.
I don't plan to pray or give anything- although I almost always do both- BUT by loving as led I am super open and not mechanical- I am ready to do whatever feels right at the moment- and so I have often JUST listened and hugged and other times invited people to come live with us! A real spectrum of love. On this spectrum I found that I experienced the greatest flow of God in a couple of simple acts- -one was by listening and the other in hugging with heart. Sorry if you have already heard this story but... One day in this year of confusion and challenge I was out front of our local Walmart and saw a guy panhandling but not the usual way they stand out front and ask for "spare change". He was selling poems. yea. What? I laughed. “Wow”, I said, “that’s pretty cool- you are actually selling poems?” Yea, he says, he wrote them, copied them and then asks for a donation. So, I say, ok, this is good- so I say, ….” ok, man, what’s your story, how did you get here?” Even as I said the words, I felt something shift, something happened to me and him- the words were suddenly not just mine but as though the Holy Spirit had just touched us both as I spoke- I felt my breathing slow, my heart literally slowed down and as I looked at this guy- I felt the presence of God come over us both. He told me his story and I listened- I mean- I really, really listened – with my heart- it sort of freaked me out! I loved it – but it just felt so---- almost unnatural- but awesome. After a few minutes- I don’t even know how much time actually passed- I said, “well, brother, I’m really sorry to hear all that and good on you for trying to do what you can and sure- I’ve got a few dollars for a poem.” But then, he stopped me, “No, no, man- I don’t want your money now.” He said – “what you just did- what you just did – you see me- you see me –- nobody sees me.” And then he hugged me – I mean he got hold of me and we just stood there holding each other- outside the Walmart- this big, tall skinny homeless black guy with dirty clothes and poems. God blessed us both with what it can mean to listen- to someone and the Holy Spirit So 1. Find someone to love 2. love as led 3. listen and hug Last Saturday at 11 am we did a sermon lab- our new Sat 11 am zoom class- where this topic was discussed, and people shared their thoughts- come this Saturday and join the fun! Pastor Claudia made a good observation- for most loving the homeless is not how God will use them but more relevant is loving our own family and friends and how to love those you are closest to! What might loving like Jesus look like for these situations: I'd like to suggest 3 things: First, and this will be easy- it's what I just listed for strangers! But some of us are better with people we don't know than those who are close- Listen and Hug! I just finished a class for married couples here in LB and one of the things that's always talked about is Good communication- be a good communicator-you know this point, right? So, Kelly and I have been married for almost 40 years now and here is what I can say: I have messed up far more by what I have said than what I have not said! I have been far more effective and messed up very little by listening - I call it power listening - really trying to understand what someone is saying before I even try to give my point. That’s my goal. And then sitting on what was said and asking for the Holy spirit to help me see -- NOT what was said but what only God can reveal- powerful and effective and a path for showing love. At the sermon lab Jennifer pointed out a lesson from her own huge family of 8 siblings and what her mom would say- come on guys be nice! you are family! So, it is with us as Christians so we can start by showing the most love in our own families. And Meg pointed out that how we love is best also when the Holy Spirit guides-its good to see that diffrrent people need love in different ways You might say try to be led to love- oh it's the same too! Finally, Be an encourager and comforter I am often too quick to see what needs fixing or improvement or Kaizen and forget to mention what is good and encouraging and comforting- but this is huge- we see Jesus throughout the NT never being harsh with the sinners- sometimes with the church people - but what I mean is I see He was compassionate and encouraging and I can feel God's presence when I do the same It says even that one of the greatest gifts to the church- the gift of prophecy is for... for what.. for what purpose is that gift given in our time- it's not like the OT to tell people that doom, and gloom await them! In the Amplified Bible it says in 1 Corinthians 14:3 ... the one who prophesies speaks to people for edification [to promote their spiritual growth] and [speaks words of] encouragement [to uphold and advise them concerning the matters of God] and [speaks words of] consolation [to compassionately comfort them]. Let’s be like those with that gift in just the same way. Finally, as Roy mentioned in the Saturday class- we live in the New Testament, post resurrection, and so have the Holy spirit and so as he reminded us of that passage in Jeremiah 31:33: “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” says the Lord, “I will put My law within them, and I will write it on their hearts… We are in those days- thanks God! literally! We don’t need to worry about all the laws and rules- our target is simple but profound - love. Love God and love one another - just as Jesus loves us. Ok, lets pray. |
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