Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Mark 3:1-6 Another time Jesus went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. 2 Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. 3 Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.” 4 Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent. 5 He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. 6 Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus. Message Today I will be speaking on the topic of Goodness. As you know, sometimes words or ideas in Japanese do not translate well to, say, English, French, German, or whatever. I have often found it difficult to define words like “Mottainai.” Simply translated, it is "a waste." But that is “Muda.” Mottainai is more the feeling or sense of being sorry that something happened. Today, we will be looking at the word “good” or “goodness,” “Tov” in Hebrew. Something that translations struggle to convey accurately when we read the word good or goodness in the scriptures. Because it means more than something is better than okay but as good as great. We do not sing the song “Okay is your Faithfulness” or even “Good is your Faithfulness” but it is Great. In the Hebrew language and also culturally, that is not an adequate translation of good especially in relation to God. Because if we just take the word “Tov” or the Greek word “Agathosune” and translate it as good or goodness, we wonder why Jesus flips out on the Rich Young Ruler in Matt 19 for calling Jesus “Good teacher.” It doesn’t seem to make sense. It seems like a nice way to address a sensei. If you want to call me a good preacher / pastor, I will take it as a compliment. But Jesus and all those around him know that the word means more than something between okay and great. It means HOLY or complete or something without flaw or defect. You might say that is a good way to address Jesus because Jesus is Holy. But unless you know Jesus as your Lord and Messiah it is inappropriate to call him “Tov Rabbi”. Just like if Jesus is not your Lord and Savior, you really shouldn’t call him Christ. Christ is not Jesus’ last name it is a recognition of who he is and how we see him. It is just words but as Jesus shows words matter. In Genesis 1, we witness the creation of everything. We have this awe-inspiring account with the trinity (Gen 1:26) “Let us make man in our likeness.” After all, had been created, God calls it “Good.” Or it is complete and perfect. A self-sustaining biological marvel and God evaluates his work and knows it is perfect. Interesting that the first Adam was placed in a perfect or complete environment and sinned and had to be cast out of the garden. Our Lord Jesus the Christ, the second Adam, was placed in a fallen world and redeemed the world. Psychologists (My dad is one) argue over nature verses nurture. Both matter. Environment matters but we are not only defined by our environment we can overcome that environment with the help of God and the commitment to follow him with the guidence of the Holy Spirit. God created the world in a way that it was suitable for life and for us to have it in abundance. I can have a poor sermon. I can have an okay day. I can do worse than okay in communicating with others, but GOD DOES NOT MAKE GARBAGE. God does not make Junk and after he made the world God called it Good and all he asked of us was that we care for his creation. Let’s be honest we have done a pretty crappy job of it caring for it. God created a living organism perfectly balanced moving around the sun, at just the perfect distance with the perfect tilt to have life. He made us in his image and pronounced us good. I have run across quite a few people in my life that have had body issue problems. They look in the mirror and instead of seeing a child of God (Which they are) they look in the mirror and see junk. I faced that issue 5 years ago too. I was way (way) too heavy for a healthy life. Because I was so heavy, I stopped doing athletic things. I was exhausted at the end of every day. But where it showed up most vividly was when I looked at pictures with me in them. I hated those pictures of myself. Especially pictures when I was having a good time, I would look at the pictures and instead of remembering the good experience with family or friends, I would see this fat guy and feel embarrassed. This is a picture of my friend Jess Engle who’s daughter comes to KUC once in a while. I had to remind myself that God loved me. I know that I am a sinner. I know that you are too. But God loves us so much so that he sent his one and only son. No matter if I was way way over 130 kg. God does not make junk. Sometimes we have to do some life-changing activities to get to where we (personally or as a community) want to be physically, emotionally, or spiritually but if we are willing to get out of that boat, our good Lord will meet us there. For God created a perfectly balanced world for us to live on and there is a lot of repentance that needs to happen because we have messed this GOOD world up. Psalm 103 shows God’s goodness. It states that God is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in love. There are groups today that focus on punishment not restoration. If you have made mistakes if your ancestors have made mistakes they look to accuse, silence, or cancel you. It is punishment without redemption or chance of forgiveness. That is an awful thing. Thank God we worship a GOOD and HOLY God that is willing to correct us as Paul tells us in Heb 12, “God disciplines us for our GOOD, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness.” Do not miss it that God's discipline is for our GOOD! Because God disciplines us so that we can share in God’s holiness and that produces a harvest of goodness. Be really careful of people that discipline for discipline sake. The purpose of discipline is always for the good not for punishment. The question is not about God’s goodness (even when he disciplines us) but about our willingness to accept that goodness. When Jesus met Saul on the road to Damascus he said, “‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” Jesus sees people hurting his sheep as a personal affront to God. “Why are you persecuting ME?” Jesus knows that it is hurting you and your heart more than it is hurting God. We know that a goad is a stick that helps train an ox or donkey doing field work to follow the lead of the master. It is for the animal's protection as well as for the usefulness of the animal. When an animal kicks in disobedience it hits the goad and quickly because of the pain learns not to do that. You heard about the guy that went to a doctor. He reached over his shoulder with his arm pulling it back as far as it could. He said to the doctor, “When I do this I get the shooting pain all down my neck, what should I do?” The doctor thought for a moment and said, “Don’t do that.” You know what your stick is, don’t you? Stop kicking it. Animals are smart enough not to do that, but we are at times so stupid that we do foolish things over and over again thinking that it will work out differently. “Don’t do that.” When we reject God’s goodness we are doing our version of kicking the goad. We are not hurting God; we are just causing ourselves pain and frustration. God calls us to Taste and see that the Lord is good. Deut 30 says something similar, “Today I set before you life and death, blessing and curses” then Moses gives advice to the people. It seems like an easy decision like saying what do you want this Kobe steak or a McDonald's happy meal? He says, “choose life” Like saying choose God’s goodness. But death is easy. You don’t have to try at all, you just slide down this long slope of easiness until you hit bottom. But life is hard, Goodness requires effort. I guess what we the church the followers of Christ are saying is that the effort of Loving God with our heart soul mind and strength and loving our neighbor as ourselves is worth the work. It is good. And as we strive for God’s goodness God fills us with his goodness. And that tastes good. Taste and see that the Lord is good. Let’s pray Heavenly Father, we thank You for the revelation of Your goodness in our lives. Help us to recognize that true goodness stems from You alone. Transform our hearts and empower us to reflect Your goodness to the world around us. May Your name be glorified through our words and actions. In Jesus's name, we pray. Amen.
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Galatians 5:22-23 - But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,
peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self- control. Against such things there is no law. John 2: 1-11 Message If you grew up in the 80s, you will remember this phrase: "Be kind. Rewind." It is now so dated that it would be hard for people in their 20s, maybe even 30s, to know, but every video rental store had this sign posted. You did not have to rewind the video that you watched. You did not get money back for doing it or charged extra for not doing it. The video shops tried to appeal to people's better nature with the phrase "Be Kind. Rewind." I saw a study on kindness a while back that studied stores that posted this simple sign where people could see it. In the study, when a sign was clearly posted, people were 20% more likely to rewind their tapes when they returned them compared to stores that did not post the sign thus saving the rental company time and money. There are always some jerks in the world, maybe more than just a few—people that sit in the handicapped seats on the train and then pretend that they are sleeping when an elderly person comes on. We can agree that they are jerks. But most people, I do not know if that is 70%, 80%, 90%, or even higher, want to be kind but need reminding. THIS IS YOUR REMINDER, CHURCH, BE KIND!!!! When Amazon ships something that has glass in it or other fragile items, they post clearly to handle with care. Sometimes we miss that message with each other. Play nicely with each other because we are fragile, too. Kindness is part of the Fruit of the Spirit because it is a characteristic of God. We think of God as MAJESTIC and POWERFUL, but we cannot miss God’s mercy and kindness, or we have a warped view of God as some angry rule enforcer that is out to get us. Psalm 23 describes God as…The Lord is my shepherd. I will always have everything I need. He gives me green pastures to lie in. God embodies the spirit of kindness just as he embodies love and goodness. Some see kindness as weakness. People, especially young men, fear being seen as weak and shun kindness, but there is no greater power in the universe than Yahweh, and yet Yahweh is kind. Kindness at its core is thinking of others. It is not the cake, but it is the icing on the cake that makes things look beautiful. Thinking of others does not get explicit mention in the Bible like words like love, joy, peace, patience, and goodness, but it is one of the bedrocks of any human community. Living with, interacting with, working with, going to church with people that are not kind gets really, really old really, really quick. I once worked at a school in Yokohama where the teachers just were not that kind to each other. They were smart and hardworking; I think they cared for their students, but they were not kind to each other. Maybe that was not in their job description, but it should be. It should be in all of our descriptions for life. That school paid well, but working there was a pain, so I finished out my year and left. There is a story of a man stranded on a desert island. It had been years when a passing ship saw him and rescued him. When the boat came ashore, the man said, “Thank God you came.” He asked, “Do you have a coke? I have been dying for a coke for years.” After getting him a coke, they saw three structures on the beach and asked him about them. He explained, “This first place is my home.” They said, “That is nice.” Then he mentioned the second structure, “This is where I worship God.” They responded, “That is nice.” Finally, someone asked about the other structure. He replied, “I do not talk about that place. That is where I used to go to church. They were never kind to me.” It is a joke, but people leave churches all the time. Sometimes they go to another place of worship, but often they just stop going to church. People leave for a variety of reasons. They don’t like the preacher, don’t like the music, but most leave because they do not feel like they belong and are not cared for because people are not kind to them. That is not on the pastor; that is a congregational issue. I was watching an efficiency consultant on YouTube who works with major companies and organizations to make them more efficient or to get more done in less time. Simply put, if you can get more done, then you can make more money. (That is not our goal, but being efficient isn’t a bad thing.) He has many different ideas on how to make organizations more effective, mostly regarding communication, but the one that surprised me was when he talked about being kind and affirming to each other. He said, “You can yell at a person and get them moving,” or in my case, get a student to study, “for a short time, but eventually you have to yell louder and louder until you can’t yell anymore.” He went on to say, “In the long run, anger doesn’t work it is inefficient”. What makes organizations more efficient is kindness, both in talent retention and in practically getting things done and done well. Just so you do not think I am getting new age on you it was our Lord who said in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 7:12) while giving a summary of the law in the OT. My Bible has over 680 pages in the OT, and Jesus here gives it to us in a nutshell. We call it the Golden Rule. It is golden because it is so good. Jesus simply and profoundly says, “Do to others as you would like them to do for you.” I will say it again. “Do to others as you would like them to do for you.” Strangely, I have seen more TED Talks reference the Golden Rule than sermons on it. Actually, I can’t remember a sermon on it. Of course, we know Confucius's teaching says, “Don’t do to others what you DON’T want them to do to you.” And it is not bad, but the major difference is Jesus is calling us to act to action not inaction, where Confucius is instructing us to limit our negative actions. Jesus is talking about being a positive force instead of limiting your negativity (limiting your negativity isn’t a bad thing either). If you don’t like someone gossiping about you, don’t do it to others (Confucius). But Jesus, instead of not gossiping, is calling us to affirm or bless others. Instead of not hitting them or not tripping them, Jesus calls us to put an arm around them and care for them. Interesting about being kind and complimenting people. I have noticed more so recently that people give me a compliment followed by a "BUT" Three weeks ago, someone said to me, “I liked your sermon today (boy I was so happy), but you didn’t do ...”. Another person said to me, “Thank you for getting the church out on time for EKK, but...” Let’s be honest. The compliment did not count. I am (no one is) going to say to themselves, "Wow, I had a great sermon today after that comment with a BUT." Or "Wow, I really organized that well." No!!! The compliment or the act of kindness is not really a compliment but actually a set up for a complaint or attack. Actually, it is worse because the person starts feeling good just to get the rug pulled out from under them. That is not kindness, but we do it all the time. If you have a concern with me, just tell me the concern; we do not have to dress it up. As you have seen me over the last few weeks, I like to end with a story. Last week there was a story of patience and how our friend prayed without ceasing for her husband; two weeks ago, I told a story of Elijah in the cave, and three weeks ago, I talked about Bonhoffer. Today I would like to tell you about our Lord. Like I said, kindness is not a big thing; it is actually the small thing but small things that make the world worth living. As Jesus was starting his ministry, he was invited to a wedding. Jewish weddings are festive occasions with music, food, dancing, laughing, and drinking. It is not a one-day occasion but often lasts for a few days. Families would save up for these events just like we do today. A festive wedding was not a guarantee of a happy marriage, but in Jesus’ day, just like today, a wedding celebration that did not go well was seen as an omen of an unhappy marriage. We know that Jesus’ mother (Mary) was heavily involved in the wedding being either a relative or a friend of the bride/groom's mother, and she gets wind of the fact that the wedding party is running out of wine. And it was wine, not grape juice (I heard a sermon years ago where the preacher went on foolishly for about 15 minutes explaining that it could not be wine because wine was not allowed in his church). I digress. Mary comes to Jesus and tells him of the problem. “They have no more wine.” Not a big thing in the scope of all the problems in the world but she goes to Jesus anyway. Do you know that you can go to Jesus with the big issues and also the small ones? Jesus here replies to his mother (Remember who this woman is—this is MARY, St. Mary to you and me). Jesus says to her, “Dear woman, why do you want me to get involved” (You know who I am, and Mary does know.) He goes on to say, “My time is not yet come.” Despite this, Mary, knowing the incredible kindness of her son, tells the workers, “You do what he tells you to do.” We know that Jesus instructs the servants to fill up the big jars used for ceremonial washing, and after they did, he instructed them to take the wine to the master of ceremony who would taste everything before giving it to the guests. But from the time water went in, wine came out—not just ordinary wine but the most delicious wine he had ever drank. The master of ceremony did not even know where this wine came from, and obviously, the servants were told to keep it secret from him, and they did. Jesus practicing his teaching, “Do not let your right hand know what your left hand is doing” is not only about offering but about acts of kindness too. “So your father in heaven who sees will bless you.” Jesus did not have to turn the water into wine. It might have made their special day less special if he stuck to his word in waiting for the right time, but our Lord did the kind thing. Will We? It was a miracle but not like making a blind man see or a leper clean. Still, our Lord’s first miracle was simply an act of blessing others with kindness. How can we follow our Lord’s example? Let’s pray. Scriptures
Galatians 5:22-23 -But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Isaiah 40:31 - Those who wait on the lord will renew their strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. Jeremiah 29:11 - I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Galatians 6:9 - Let’s not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap a harvest, if we do not give up. Message: First off, anyone who is not a Christian may think that this message is crazy. Maybe it is. Let’s listen to a song. This is not a Christian song, but I want to show you how the world looks at our topic of patience today. (I want it all! I want it all! And I want it NOW! by Queen). Is there any wonder why the world is so frustrated with itself? Let me just say it for you. I WANT IT ALL! AND I WANT IT NOW!!!! Sounds like a 2-year-old having a tantrum, doesn’t it? But the truth of the matter is that I do not want to wait. I like fast service. If you are a child of the 90s, you will know that incredibly annoying sound as the computer tried to connect to the internet (play the sound from YouTube). No one likes waiting, and yet Paul states very clearly that patience is part of the Fruit of the Spirit. Just so we do not think it is a mistake when Paul talks about being a chosen people (And you are chosen by God), a people that is dearly loved, Paul calls us to clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness (Wait for it), patience. It makes the top four of the fruit of the Spirit right after peace. The opposite of patience is, of course, impatience. Impatience is actually a feeling of frustration that the world is not fitting into my understanding of how it should work. Often the person that I am most impatient with is myself. (Mark, get it together). Impatience is frustration with how the world is organized around you. Frustration with how the world is working. Joy that we talked about two weeks ago is like a bubbling fountain of pure clean water bringing goodness to all around. Impatience is like a sewer spewing out crap and pollutants to all around us. Oh, and when we are impatient with ourselves, we spew the garbage into our own heart. Like polluting the body which 2 Cor 19 calls the temple of the Holy Spirit. The times that I am the most impatient are when I mess up on my schedule. Times when I stay up too late and then sleep too long, and then I rush to work, and it seems like I hit EVERY SINGLE RED LIGHT! And I get more and more frustrated with the world when I know it is me that is in error. Impatience, especially consistent impatience, is actually a judgment against God. Like saying, “God, you are not doing a very good job of ordering this world around my wants, my needs, my desires, and my timing. Come on, God, get your act together.” Sounds stupid but that is what happens when we do not allow the fruit of Patience to grow in our lives. Patience, on the other hand, is grounded in a trusting and hope-filled relationship with God. and his timing, not mine. Moses was a person who had to learn patience. We know that as he fled Egypt after killing the guard and had to be a shepherd in the desert for 40 years. 40 years is a long time to learn to be patient. He had to be patient until he had a God encounter at the burning bush. God broke this man of “I want it all, and I want it now.” Why did God force him to wait so long? Was Moses not ready for the mantle of leadership? Were the people not ready to be led? We do not know, but we know that God led this man into a quiet retreat for years and years to have his ears and eyes open to what God wanted him to hear and see. As most of you know, I was not asked even to interview at KUC after Pastor Bruce left the church a few years ago. I felt hurt. I struggled with how it was handled. I remember going up to our cabin in Nagano and praying for clarity. Do you know what God told me? He said, “I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” It comes from Jeremiah 29:11. God had a plan for me and I knew that I had to learn to wait on the Lord. I never thought I would be on staff as a support pastor here, but I knew that God had a plan for me. And he has a plan for you and his plan for you is not to harm you (even though we all go through tough things) and his plan for you is to give you hope and a future. And we know from the apostle Paul that hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. (Rom 5:5). People ask me what my plans are for after the summer? I say, “I do not know but I know what I am supposed to do today. Here is a radical thought for you. What if God has something really great for you? It might be a relationship; it might be a position or a job. It might be an opportunity to serve Him formally or informally, and the only payment that God requires from you is that you wait for the right time. Yes, it stinks to wait. And people fall into the mistake that waiting on the Lord is this purgatory-like waiting in a doctor’s office for your turn. Not only waiting in the doctor’s office but the power in your smartphone has run out, and you just have to sit there. That is not patience. If that is how you are waiting, then you will never be ready when your burning bush is burning. You need to change your mindset to not see patience as passive. Patience is not just wasting your time. It is the most productive time or should be the most productive time in forming you as an instrument of God’s love, hope, and joy. Waiting is a time of preparation. Paul did not start to preach right away after the Damascus Road encounter with Christ. Peter and the disciples spent three years in training in order to be ready to be the apostles. Even Jesus waited. From the time he was 12 years old in the temple, he knew who he was. He was fully the Son of God. Yet he waited on the father’s timing for 18 years. For three years of ministry. For 3 hours on the cross. Thank God. That is not “I want it all, and I want it now thinking”. I dare say if you want it all and you want it now that you will end up with nothing. Most people in the US that win the big lotteries lose it all in just a few years. They had no preparation for the wealth that consumes them. For some, we need to wait to gain the skills necessary for success. For others, they need to work on their emotional maturity. They need to grow in the Lord. Grow in grace, grow in mercy, grow in wisdom. I once was in a rush trying to bake a cake, not the smartest idea. The cake said bake for 20 minutes at 200 degrees. Since I was in a rush, I turned the stove up to 400 degrees and cut the time to 10 minutes. It did not turn out well. Burnt on the outside and raw on the inside, things take time. The math works out, but the cake did not. For others, waiting has nothing to do with themselves; it has everything to do with the people or project the Lord is directing us to. As kids, we would play the game hide and seek. Before coming the chaser would say, “Ready or not here I come”. Well, you can be ready skill-wise, and emotionally for the leadership that God has for you, but the people also have to be ready too. HOW DO I KNOW if it is you that needs to get your house in order or it is someone else that needs to be ready? God, do I need to improve my skill before you give me the position? God, do I need to work on my behavior and personal conduct? God, do you need to prepare the place for me before I can come in, just like God prepared the promised land for the Israelites? I do not have your answer. But I know that the few times I have had to wait on the Lord, I only got direction by getting on my knees and waiting. Because Moses had done the work on himself, God had done the hard work on the people, mind you, he called these people stiff-necked and hard-headed people. These are not my words; they are God’s. Moses was able with the Lord’s mighty hand to lead them not just through the waters but to the next waters of the Jordan River where Moses was not able to go through, but he had done his job. I will say it again; patience is not laziness or passivity. You cannot say that I am an A-type person, so patience is not how God made me. No. Patience is not passive but an active trust in God. Like our Lord. Back in the 90s we lived in Yokohama, and I had a dear friend, Andrea who I met at the kids' Yochien. One of her first questions for me was 'are you a Christian?' We got together often with the kids to play and sometimes even with our families. We attended Yokohama Union Church then, where Pastor Claudia is serving now. Andrea and I attended the women's Bible study on Wednesdays, kind of like WOW here at KUC. In this group we often talked of how to share Jesus and his love in our families, especially to the non-Christian husbands. Andrea asked us all to pray for her husband Keishi. He was a super 'salary man' working for a high-powered company in Tokyo in the 90s. We prayed weekly that he and the other husbands would become followers of Jesus. In 1999, our family moved back to the US, to attend seminary in order for Mark and I to be trained as pastors, at that time, I remember that Andrea was very involved at YUC, but that Keishi was still only attending about once or maybe once per month. He would attend when there were special activities. The core group of us, which was about 20 leaders at the time would stay each Sunday and bring our lunches to have fellowship together. After we left for seminary, I heard from Andrea that Keishi attended about twice per month. After our second year at seminary, Andrea and Keishi returned to the US, bought a home in Atlanta and began attending a big American church there. Keishi was now attending each Sunday, and a group of men who served as ushers-to seat people when they came to church, asked him to join their group. He joined and would have coffee with the guys and then it turned into times of Bible study too. We went one summer to stay with them and went to church with them, it was amazing to see Keishi wanting to go to church and having faith in Jesus! He was finally baptized the same Sunday with their son Christopher Leo in 2001! This journey of faith, and having patience in God's timing took about 9 years! Praying faithfully, daily and asking others to companion in the praying journey is important. Andrea and Keishi began short term mission trips to Japan, bringing people to Japan to help quite frequently when the Nihon Higashi Dai Shin Sai happened, they also partnered with Be One like we did. Keishi interpreted and even led some Bible studies with Japanese there. Next, we heard Keishi had received a calling from God to attend seminary! He began attending in the midst of working, and leading these mission trips with Andrea. Fast forward to now, in December of 2023, he just finished his last paper and has graduated with a degree in missiology! They have just signed up for a 5year term with TEAM in Tokyo, to continue doing work as hospitality missionaries to those who come to stay in Japan. Isn't it AMAZING what God is doing in the lives of his people of faith? It is AMAZING! Praise God that he is moving, working, leading and sending people still today! So, this journey of faith we are on with Jesus, is one of patience as we wait and get ready for God's plans. As in Keishi and Andrea's lives, and in our own, God has plans, he wants us to recognize and follow his plans for us, he wants us to get on board with the amazing fragrance of the Holy Spirit that he has sent to us, and follow him. As we pray daily for his plans in our lives, in the lives of our friends, and in the life of our Christian family here at KUC, we develop more and more patience to follow his way and plan. This patience develops us into the person he wants us to be, and it is a fruit of the Spirit. Let's now ask the Lord to develop in us this fruit of the Spirit-patience. Galatians 5:22-23 - "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things, there is no law." John 14:25-27 - “All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” Message: Today, I will be speaking on the fruit of peace, which is part of our fruity life series. My church tradition has placed a significant emphasis on peace. It is very rare to have a Mennonite police officer or a person that joins the military because of the gun issue. Mennonites rarely are violent but sometimes our violence is in our passive aggressive kind. One of the most dogged professors I had in seminary on the topic of peace was not very peaceful in his approach to peace. It's like the teacher or parent who says, "Do what I say, not what I do." I do not think we can ever have peace on the outside of ourselves until we embrace the peace that God has for us in her (heart). Like almost everything there is a flow and the flow of peace flows from inside out. So I hope I do not have to tell anyone. “Don’t hit your neighbor” “Don’t verbally attack your brothers”. These are not the ways of Christ. But I will focus more on the peace of Christ this morning. A peace that if you embrace it can change your life. A peace so strong that you can love God and also love your neighbor. Our Lord that not only taught about being a peacemaker but show us even unto death what a life of peace looks like. Like everything of consequence, transformation happens on the inside and moves outward. It is from the overflow of peace, love, and joy that we share the fruit of the Spirit with the world. But it happens in the heart first. Peace, or Shalom, is mentioned between 300-450 times in the Bible, depending on the translation you use. In Luke 24, with the disciples in turmoil after Jesus' crucifixion and in hiding, Jesus appears in their midst. He does not say, "What are you doing hiding? He does not scold them. Instead, he says, “Brothers, peace be with you.” So, what is peace? How do you define it? Many people define peace as not being at war or not fighting. By that definition, if I am not yelling at you or hitting you, does that mean I am at peace? I do not think so. The absence of violence is so far from the biblical definition of peace or Shalom, the word used in Hebrew. Even though Jesus spoke Aramaic, it is safe to assume that he used the Hebrew word Shalom when he spoke to the disciples. Shalom, and if you've ever received an email from Roy, you will see at the bottom just before his name. Shalom is not just the absence of conflict. No, Shalom goes much deeper to wanting your well-being and willing to move in order that the person has that well-being. If we offer the people of Noto Peninsula Shalom than we are compelled to do something about it. So, when you offer the peace of Christ to one another, you are saying more than just "I do not want to hit you" or "I am not going to gossip about you," but that you want the best for that person, you want them to be blessed by God. In the West, we have a simple ritual of shaking hands. Why? It is to show that I do not have a weapon in my hand, I do not have a knife or a gun. I am showing you that I come in Shalom and will not harm you. Interestingly, the Native American sign of friendship is the raising of the right hand, showing that you do not have a bow in your hands. I have no weapons of violence for you. God’s handshake or raised open hand is his Son. God has sent us his son, and one of his most frequent messages is shalom. God sent his son so we could participate in a loving relationship with him and with others. Jesus tells us that I have come that you may have life and have it in abundance. That is Shalom. We call this relationship a covenantal relationship, not a contractual relationship because our relationship is based on love not on rules. For God so loved the world that he sent his son, so whoever believed in him would be saved and enjoy the peace of the Lord. We know that almost every married couple argues with each other. It is normal. One thing Stephanie and I have learned (trial and error) to do is never argue with the lights off in our bed. Why? The bed should be a place of peace, comfort, and love. When the lights are off, you do not see the damage that your words inflict on the other person. Instead of seeing them as the love of your life, you see them as an adversary, and because of that, you want to win instead of wanting you as a couple to win. Keep the lights on. Shalom. One of the things affecting the world is the lack of inner Shalom. Jesus, when he promised the Holy Spirit, and we are talking about peace as a part of the fruit of the tree of the Holy Spirit, said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” In Jesus' wake (and we all leave a wake behind us), Jesus left a spirit of peace. What do we leave when we leave a room. Do you leave a spirit of peace, joy, love or something else? Have you ever been around a person, and you have a profound sense of peace with them? Jesus’ peace was not just while he was with his disciples, but he transferred his peace to them.. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you”. Jesus does not give us his peace for only our personal benefit but that we might share that peace with the people we interact with. When we leave a room is what trails behind us a good odder or stench? The older I get, the more the children’s songs become more important to me. “Love is something if you give it away give it away give it away love is something if you give it away you end up having more”. The same principle holds with peace. Are you leaving peace in your wake? Pay attention to people that disturb the peace. As a young man, I did not understand it, but I pay attention to a spirit of peace now. I can work with them, I can care for them, but I am careful not to give them my heart my pearls. One of my favorite Old Testament prophets is Elijah. His name literally means “My God is Yahweh”. He was an amazing prophet of the Lord. At some point, I would like to do a few sermons just looking at Elijah, the man that confronted kings and queens. By himself, he faced off against not one but 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah to show that Yahweh was more powerful. He was also a man that dealt with despair and felt alone even when he was not. At one point he asked God to take his life because he felt like he was the only one doing anything for the Lord and the Lord had to remind him that there were many others like him. At a really low point beside a brook that had dried up, an Angel of the Lord said to him, “The journey is too much for you”. Imagine that. When an angel tells you that the path that you are on is too much for you. And without God and the gift of the Holy Spirit, this life is too much for you at least to live in the abundance. Then the angel provides him a meal, and he set off to find Mt Horeb where he was to meet God. Hint: when the world seems like too much for you, just focus on practical things. Like taking a shower, having a meal, cleaning your room, saying the Lord’s Prayer. I have had times in my life when I could not pray. I felt like I did not have the words. So I prayed the Lord’s Prayer over and over and over again. Taking a shower will not solve all your problems. Having something to eat will not solve all your problems but it helps to keep a routine and you smell better when you meet other people. Anyway, Elijah gets to the mountain and finds his way to a cave. When God. Not an angel but God speaks to him and asks him, “What are you doing here? You are not at peace” To that, Elijah complains a bunch about how he has to do everything on his own. God commands him to stand at the mouth of the cave because he is going to pass by. At the mouth of the cave, a wind so powerful that it broke apart rocks hit the mountain. (Wow). But Bible says God was not in the wind. Then an earthquake shook the mountain. (We know the power of earthquakes in Japan) But the bible again says, God was not in the quake. After the quake, a fire came over the mountain. But again the bible says, God was not in the fire. We face a lot of powerful forces in the world, and at times we get so preoccupied with power. A wind that can crack rocks. An earthquake that can shake mountains, a fire that consumes the mountain anything living on it. But we need to know that God was not in those destructive things. But after the fire came something that could transform where only the other things could destroy. It was a gentle whisper. And the interesting thing was Elijah pulls his cloak over his head at this point because he knows that God was in this gentle wind. From this moment, Elijah found his purpose He found his peace. It was still a hard journey, and I know that my journey and your journeys are hard. There is no sugar-coating it. But too many Christians try to find God in the wind, in the quake, in the fires of life when what we need to do is listen for God’s gentle whisper. Listen to the Holy Spirit that gives us his peace. First internally and then as we experience that peace, we pass it to others. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. Not as given by the world but by God.” Galatians 5 22-23
-But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Nehemiah 8:9-12 Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and teacher of the Law, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, “This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law. 10 Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” 11 The Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be still, for this is a holy day. Do not grieve.” 12 Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food and to celebrate with great joy, because they now understood the words that had been made known to them. As we continue our series on the Fruit of the Spirit, today we look at one of the tastiest fruits. It is not my main fruit; I wish it were, but joy can be hard for me. One of the sins I do to myself (yes, you can sin against yourself) is in movements of joy. I analyze it. This has the effect of taking me out of the moment, which is like throwing cold water on a hot flame. There is a phrase, “paralysis by analysis”: by looking at something so hard, you freeze yourself. By looking at it instead of experiencing it, you stop yourself from it. The scriptures say, "Do not quench the Spirit" (1 Thes 5:19). Joy requires us to live in the moment. Joy has to be real, or it is just a science fiction movie. We do not fake it until we make it. We have to allow God to make it happen. 35 years ago, I was at a Christian camp in Rhode Island, and I met this cute girl, and we became friends. She went back to university, and I was working. I did not have a phone number or even an address and was not reachable. My mom did not like it. Anyway, I called home after a few months, and my mom surprised me by asking me about a girl named Stephanie DeRolf. I said, "How do you know that name" My mom said she called trying to get a hold of you, and we started talking because neither of them could reach you. In my call with my mom, she asked, “What is she like?” I said the thing that sticks out the most is her joy. I guess we look for things in our spouses that we lack. Serious people will often dismiss joy. After love, joy might be the most powerful evangelical gift the Lord has given us, and I am not great at it. I heard a pastor say to me, get ten joyful people together and a church will sprout out of the ground. Get a church of ten negative or unhappy people together, and you will have eight unhappy people because two will have the sense enough to leave. It is pretty true. Joy is central to our faith in Christ. We sing, “Joy to the World,” “Joyful, joyful we adore thee,” “The joy of the Lord is my strength.” Why? Because joy is a gift or an attribute of the Holy Spirit. On the Holy Spirit’s birthday (Pentecost) when the 11 disciples were in Jerusalem and praying, all of a sudden tongues of fire appeared on each of their heads. Interestingly, in a time before mirrors, they could not see the tongues of fire on their heads but could only see the fire on others. That is a lot like joy. You do not see your joy, but you can really see it in others. The joy of being in the Spirit led the disciples out into the streets and into the world, a world that could not understand them. So much so that they labeled them as drunk. There is a time to analyze things. There is a place for rational thought, and intellectual discernment, but don't do it at the expense of joy. Joy is a gift that keeps on giving. Nehemiah 8:10 reminds us of a truth, “The joy of the Lord is our strength.” It is not our theological understanding that is our strength. It is not the amount of scripture that we know. No!! Nehemiah says, it is our joy. How could Nehemiah say this? They were returning from exile, the temple was destroyed, the walls were knocked down, fields were fallow, to just name a few problems. The book of Nehemiah is a book on overcoming difficulties and leadership, and good leadership deals with problems (yes) but more so points people to life and joy. More than the temple, more than walls, or freedom from attacks, Nehemiah knows that true strength lies in joy. Because joy leads to worship, and worship leads us to a deeper relationship with God. Temples can be sacked. Walls can be knocked down, but those that trust in the Lord will not be put to shame (Psalm 25:3). As believers, we are called to embrace and experience this joy, understanding that it is not just a fleeting emotion but a powerful force that strengthens us and is evidence of the Holy Spirit working within us. Joy is the second in the list of the fruit of the Spirit. When the angels appeared to the shepherds, they pronounced, “We bring you great tidings of great joy.” Joy is not happiness. This joy is not dependent on external conditions; rather, it is a supernatural power that flows from our connection with God. As we abide in Christ and allow the Holy Spirit to work in us, joy becomes a natural outpouring of our relationship with God. Back to Nehemiah, the people had no reason for happiness. Their situation was not so good. KUC, let's be real. KUC has had some difficulties over the past few years. You have had a bunch of different pastors. I have heard stories from multiple people that have talked about the conflicts and difficulties that you have faced. Sometimes the challenges that you have inflicted on yourselves and others. I almost did not come because the stories you told about yourselves made me scared. I had bad dreams after hearing some of the stories. I am being real here. But after I preached here as a visiting preacher, I saw the problems (Yes). BUT I saw glimpses of people’s commitment to Christ, and through that commitment, I saw joy. Sure, we (I am part of you at least until August) we still got things to work on both practically and spiritually, but we cannot only focus on the problem; we need to focus on joy. I think the pastor's job and the church council’s job should be to protect that joy. Last week we had a shortened service. I hated cutting my sermon by 10 minutes. But I would rather cut my sermon down by 20 minutes than to cut praise and worship time. Because we need that. One of the primary sources of our joy is the salvation we have in Jesus Christ. Psalm 51:12 says, "Restore unto me the joy of your salvation." As Christians, we should be continually reminded of the incredible gift of grace, forgiveness, and eternal life that we have received through faith in Christ. This realization should fill our hearts with unspeakable joy, regardless of our present circumstances. One of the things that people get confused with is the difference between Joy and happiness. Happiness (which is great, don’t get me wrong). Happiness is dependent on our situation or circumstances. The word happiness is rooted in the Latin word, chance. So, we link our happiness to wealth, health, and success. I will not preach against these things, but they are temporal, not eternal. Joy is not connected to our present circumstances. I hope you are healthy and successful in what you are doing, and you can be happy and joyful at the same time. But Paul challenges us to give thanks in ALL circumstances, not just when you are happy (1 Thess 5:17). In the oldest story in the Bible, the story of Job, Satan says to God, "See that happy guy down there. He is only happy or praising you because he has stuff, because you blessed him." In the story, God allows Satan to strip away these blessings from Job's life. He is pained; he suffers emotionally and physically. Even his friends say that he deserves the suffering he is getting. But he does not curse God. Satan got it wrong. He thinks Job's relationship with God is based on his happiness or his circumstances when Job's relationship was built on faith and joy. Job, as a righteous man, was not really happy as he was joyful. Job (replace the b in Job with a y and you get JOY). Which is not based on the things of this world. While happiness is based on our circumstances, joy shapes our attitude toward our circumstances. Joy is a supernatural response to believing in the Good News. At the heart of a Christian is the knowledge of joy or understanding of our personal salvation. And the assurance that we have salvation through our faith in Jesus as our Lord and Savior. I dare say that Christians that struggle with the knowledge of their salvation will also struggle with joy. James calls this type of person a double- minded man and says that blessings are not withheld as much as the believer refuses to receive the gift of Joy. Don’t turn away the Holy Spirit. Receive his joy. Receive the full measure of God’s blessing. It sucks to go through hard times. But one thing Satan loves is when your faith is connected to our happiness instead of our joy. Then we are fair game. But if your faith is based on the JOY of the LORD, Satan cannot touch you. I will close with a challenge. It is called the JOY challenge. 1. Every day this week listen to a praise or hymn of praise song on your iPad or smartphone with a volume cranked up. I also challenge you to sing along. ‘So this is not a train-friendly activity. That is part one. 2. How can you bring someone you know joy? Maybe it is a letter to a person you have not talked to in a while. Maybe it is calling someone and asking them out for tea or coffee. Maybe it is doing something selfless for someone you know. You might not get thanked, but Joy is not about the thanks; it is about knowing that the Holy Spirit is using you. Let's sing. Scriptures
Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Ⅰ John 4:7-8 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. Message Over the next nine weeks, we will be exploring the fruit of the Spirit. Perhaps we could give it a catchy name like "Fruity Christians." As we examine the fruit of the Spirit, we are responding to a fundamental question: What does a Christian look like? What qualities should a Christian strive for? What should people see in me and in us? The bar is high. Galatian 5:22 is the Apostle Paul’s response to that question. Let’s not confuse this with what a Christian should know but who we should be as we follow our Lord and Savior. Paul is writing to the church in Galatia, a church in chaos. The entire book of Galatians is a letter to refocus the church on following the Lord Jesus in faith, not on adhering to rules. We cannot do that without the gift of the Holy Spirit. As we know from Galatians 5, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self- control. Against such things, there is no law. The letter to the Galatians aims to bring the light of the Holy Spirit into the church (see Acts 15). Paul argues that the gospel, the Good News, transforms people through the presence and power of the Spirit and our relationship with God. Through this letter and Galatians 5:22-23, we see the full character of Jesus, and with the leading of the Holy Spirit, we can embrace those characteristics as well. Let’s read Galatians 5 together: "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance (patience), kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things, there is no law." How do you feel about yourself when you read this list? I have a few—maybe three—that I feel I do pretty well, and a few that I wish I could improve. "God, was that a typo when you said 'patience'?" Come on now. Take a moment to share with someone. Share one of the virtues or characteristics that you feel good about. It is not bragging to acknowledge that you have some fruit in your life. It is good to know your strengths as well as your challenges. If you are brave now, share one of the characteristics that truly challenges you and that you would like to cultivate more of it in your life. I hope that was not too painful for you. Take time this week to thank God for the areas of strength and pray for the areas that are challenging. Pray something like, "Dear God, with the help of your Holy Spirit, I see some evidence of love and goodness in my life, and I thank you for the fruit. But, Lord, please help me to grow in my ability to be more faithful/gentle." (Maybe even write it in a letter, stick it in your Bible, and check in on it in 6 months. If you are even braver, tell your spouse or Christian friend for accountability.) The first thing is that it is the FRUIT of the SPIRIT, not the Fruits of the Spirit. Like your tree of, let's say, goodness, why would God expect patience or long-suffering to grow there? Wasn’t it Jesus who said people do not gather figs from a bramble bush? True. These are not many characteristics but actually just one. We need all of these to be healthy Christians. As we start, we begin with perhaps the best or most important. Paul, in 1 Corinthians 13, says so when he says that when everything else is stripped away, three things will remain: faith, hope, and love. And he goes on to say that the greatest of these is LOVE. One guess on why love gets top billing. Love is the only thing we will continue to do after we leave our earthly bodies and are welcomed into the kingdom of God. When we get to heaven, we will not need faith anymore because faith is the confidence of things hoped for and assurance of things not seen (Heb 11:1). When we get to heaven, we will see God face to face so faith will not be needed. And hope is the anticipation of God’s favor. If you are in heaven, you will not be anticipating it; you will be experiencing it. But LOVE. Love is the only thing we are called to do NOW, and we will continue to do it in HEAVEN. Some have suggested that every characteristic in the Fruit of the Spirit is just an extension of Love; they might be right. Or it is out of the fountain of LOVE that all the other characteristics flow. We know that the Greeks had four basic words for love: Eros (passion), Storge (family), Philia (Friendship), and Agape (Sacrificial love or a love that does not change based on circumstances). Paul uses Agape love to describe the love that he is defining in a Fruitful Life. So, what is Agape (love)? Instead of trying to define love, which almost every poet in human history has tried to do, let me tell you a story about a man that AGAPED. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a biblical scholar who lived in Nazi Germany before and during WW2. (By the way, his books, "The Cost of Disciple" and "Life Together," are books that I would highly recommend if you want to grow in your faith.) As the world turned towards hate and violence, he stayed in Germany even though he had many chances to leave and go to England or the US. At one conference in New York, other pastors begged him not to return because they knew his life would be in danger for not ceasing to speak out against the hate in the country, which was contrary to the way of Christ. Instead, he stayed (in the lion’s den). Why? He had a purpose and an AGAPE for his people. DO WE? He stayed to shepherd his church and care for his seminary students. But he kept preaching the full gospel, and eventually, the Nazis arrested him for shining a light on how the country had turned toward evil. In jail, he led bible studies and prayed for fellow prisoners and guards. The guards grew to respect him so much that they left the door open for him and told him to escape. He did not. Why? He did not have a death wish, but he knew if he escaped, the guards would be punished. He had a capacity to AGAPE that can only come from the Holy Spirit. He lived Matt 5:43-45. Jesus says, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. In the waning moments of the war, Bonhoeffer was put to death, but Christ’s love and the message of his Agape live on. For the light cannot be extinguished by the darkness. It is great that we have heroes like Bonhoeffer, but we do not live in Nazi Germany. But we all have challenges. A few years back, I had a guy that sat at the desk next to mine in the teachers' room. I would greet him, but he never greeted me back unless other teachers were around. I would ask him about work-related things, and he would ignore me. To my knowledge, I never did anything wrong or bad to him. But he did not like me. I was a foreigner, and he did not like foreigners. He would not pass along messages to me and made me look bad. It was a miserable year. Loving (Eros) is romantic, (Philia) is fun, (Storge) is stable, but (Agape) is hard. Halfway through the year, I stopped greeting him. Why should I greet him if he does not greet me? Then Stephanie stepped in and told me, “Mark, that is not right.” I said he did this, he said this to me. He, He, He. I realized I was living the way of the world instead of the way of Christ. The next morning and every morning after that as I walked to work, I asked God through his Holy Spirit to help me be a loving person. I greeted him. When other co-workers bad-mouthed him, I did not participate. God filled me with his AGAPE, not human love. I was even able to support him. He never liked me. He retired the next year. I did not die like Bonhoeffer, but I walked the path that God called me to be on; it is called the path of Agape. It was an area of growth in learning how to Agape. When I was a child, I thought like a child, acted like a child, but when I became an adult, God asked me to put childish ways behind me and act like a Christian man. God is calling us to be childlike in our love for HIM but not childish but to be adult believes. In 1 John 4:7-8 (One of my favorite verses), "Dear friends, let us Agape one another, for Agape comes from God. Everyone who Agapes has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not Agape does not know God because God is Agape." John is calling us to be people of love. None of us are fully there. Like these characteristics that we will be looking at for the next two months are similar to our body. If you don’t lift weights but did so today. I can promise you that you will be sore tomorrow. And you will be tempted to say I do not want to do that again. But if you keep lifting, loving your capacity to love will grow, especially as you ask the Holy Spirit to guide you on your journey to be the person God is calling you to be. To be made into something uniquely you and uniquely beautiful. It will not happen today, but it can start today. Let’s pray. It’s a blessing to be here today to share with you a word that’s been on my heart.
Today before we get to the focus passage, I’d like to do a little prelude. So, I’ve got three questions for you. First question. How many of us have a relationship with Jesus? Well at least I hope so, then we couldn’t call ourselves Christian. I used to hang out in the garage at home, but I wasn’t a car. So, I hope by us coming here we have confessed Christ. It’s good to know that because of our relationship with Him, and His work on the cross, we have been redeemed to the Father. We have been accepted in God’s eyes because of Jesus and we share in Christ’s inheritance. That’s why it’s so important to know whose you are. All of the sacrifices that were made in the Old Testament to parlay the punishment of sin were finally done away with, with the perfect sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross. According to Ephesians 1:5 and 2:5-6, we have been adopted and were made to sit in heavenly places in Christ. So we owe a lot to Jesus and His finished work. How many of us have a relationship with God the Father? This question I think is a little harder. But remember, it’s because of Christ that we can approach the Father. Even in the prayer that Jesus taught the disciples, He taught them to appeal to the Father first! Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. This is a model that we have been given. To speak directly to the Father. To honor Him and begin to know His ways on a deeper level. The whole Bible is God speaking to His people, we can see His Character and know who He is. Third question. How many of us have a relationship with the Holy Spirit? We’re not going into whether we receive Him right after we are saved or if He comes later. But I would like you to simply reflect and ask yourself, do you have a relationship with Him? Has this promise become your reality. Let’s look back at the text. John 14:15-18 - 15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. John 14:25-26 - 25 “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. Also in John 15:26 and John 16:7-15 These verses describe how we have been promised the Holy Spirit. I would like us to briefly pray for this to become our reality. Holy Spirit you are welcome here. We have not been abandoned. Fill us once again. Allow us to be transformed in character and steward Your gifts so that lives will be transformed. So how does the Holy Spirit show up to us? Let’s briefly look at two ways the Holy Spirit Manifests himself in our lives, through the Fruit of the Spirit and Gifts of the Spirit. Fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-25 The fruit is for your character as men and women. We can assess if we have been spending time with the Holy Spirit through our character. Do you possess these: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control? When I was in High School, my church had a summer camp, and it was there that I was baptized. After the camp when I came back home, I remember sitting at the computer and my father scolding me for something. But instead of reacting how I usually did; peace filled my heart. And my father noticed, He said “something is different about you Devin”. The Holy Spirit changes our character. The Gifts of the Spirit in 1 Cor 12:7-11 These gifts have been given to you for the sake of others. Can you discern His voice? While in University at a time in my life when I was really desiring to know more about who the Holy Spirit was. I met some buddies at a café for a mini-Bible study hang out. I had to leave the meeting a little early and as I was leaving, I passed by a couple sitting down and felt the Holy Spirit say I want you to speak to them. This was the first time this has ever happened to me so…I left. I went out the door and walked straight to my car. But the Holy Spirit wasn’t done with me. That feeling of heaviness grew and I knew I had to do something. I called my buddy on the phone asking if the couple was still there and explained that I think Lord wants me to speak to them. My buddy said, “ya, go do it!” So I walked back into the café and introduced myself saying I know this might be weird but I felt like Lord wants me to share something with you. In the same passages we read today in John, it is surrounded by the message of God’s love for us. I was able to speak to the family about the Love that God has for them and they told me how they worried for their son. We prayed and I even was able to show them the same verses we looked at today on the promise of the Holy Spirit is a promise they can hold on to. The Lord is desiring us to be the church outside the church, and I would have missed it had I not heard His voice and recognized that the promised One is with me. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, you sent your Son to break down the wall that separated us so that we can have a relationship with you. That same Spirit that rested on Jesus, the promised One, The Holy Spirit lives inside of each and everyone of us. Let us walk worthy of our calling. Amen! There are countless books and seminars you can attend about leadership. I
do not get paid thousands of dollars to motivate you, but sharing about leadership gives you a standard by which to assess me. This is my first Sunday, not just as a preacher but part of the pastor team. I would like to look at leadership. If you look at quotes or ideas on leadership, you will find a lot of great ideas on integrity, honesty, setting vision, building a team. I hope to live up to those high ideas. But not one quote on leadership talks about forgiveness. That is where I would like to start today. I. Forgiveness (Matthew 18:21-22): I think a biblical life and leadership start with forgiveness. Jesus was asked by Peter (Matt 18:21-22) how many times he must forgive my brother. Peter gives a generous response in his question, expecting Jesus to say, “Wow, Peter, you are awesome.” Instead, Jesus says to him, “Not 7 times but 77 times,” another way of saying, as much as needed. Just so we do not think this is a slip of the tongue by Jesus, he says something similar in Luke 17. Jesus means what he says. There is a story about Ruth Graham, the wife of the famous evangelist Billy. She was asked if she ever thought of divorcing Billy. She said, “Divorce never. Murder yes.” Then she got serious with the person and said, “unless a husband and a wife forgive each other, their marriage would never work.” Church, if you can’t forgive me when I make mistakes (And I WILL), if I cannot forgive you when you invariably hurt me (And you WILL), it will never work. I will stay here until July, and I will leave, or you will fire me. We will just be wasting each other’s time. Let’s not do that. Regarding Forgiveness, there are two aspects. One is humbling ourselves to receive forgiveness first from God and also from those we have wronged. The key here is we have to ask? You have to name what you have done in either breaking the covenant with God or the relationship with someone. The second is being willing to give or extend forgiveness to those who have harmed you. Jesus tells us the story of the unmerciful servant that willingly received forgiveness but not give it. God revokes his forgiveness. God calls us, who have been forgiven so much, to live humbly with each other. Today is the first Sunday of the month, and we have communion. Part of communion is putting ourselves in the place of the unmerciful servant, knowing that we have such a debt to God that we cannot repay it. And in receiving (We never take communion because we did not earn it); in receiving communion, we live our lives knowing that we have been forgiven much, so we endeavor to forgive others. II. Know my limitations. I hope that I am competent. If I were not competent, I hope you would not have asked me to be part of the team. But I know my limitations. In the old movie Cool Hand Luke, there is a famous quote, “A man has to know his limitations.” I know I cannot do this job on my own. Only with God’s help will we achieve anything worth doing. Unless the Lord builds the house, we truly do labor in vain (Psalm 127). When Jesus taught about entering the kingdom of God. Jesus said it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. The disciples asked, “Who then can be saved?” (Truly who can?). Jesus says, “With man, it isn’t possible BUT with God anything is possible (Matt 19). My hope is not just to maintain the church (keep the seat warm) but to grow the church. This impossible task is only possible if we allow ourselves to be instruments of God. If I work in my strength I will do a lot of nothing. But with nothing is impossible. That is what I am praying. I am praying for the impossible. We need to do our part: welcome people, tell people about KUC, pray for the church that is needed. Like Paul said, Water or plant the seeds, but we know that it is God that brings the increase. III. Staying in Your Role/Prioritizing (Acts 6:2): You all know that I work full time. I will be at church at least three Sundays a month. But I also have other responsibilities as a missionary/teacher at my high school. Even if I were full time at the church, I couldn’t do everything. In the early church, they were experiencing growing pains. People were falling through the cracks. After prayer, the Apostles appointed elders in the church so that it would not take away from their ministry of the Word. I am a full-time worker just like you. There will be things that I enjoy or think I am good at but can’t do because of that job. Like in our finances, like in how we use our time, we need to prioritize what we can do. Because I can’t do everything on 10 to 15 hours of work a week that I have committed to doing for the church. When I was at Toledo Mennonite Church, my first pastorate, I was getting bogged down with the amount of non-member requests on my time. I was part-time during this part of my ministry there. At one point, things were falling through the cracks with my care for the members of the church. I was skimping on my study for Sunday because I was saying, “Yes” to everything. My pastoral mentor told me about Acts 6:2 and also not stealing the bread from the mouths of the people. I had to do the hard work of saying “No” to the things that I could do to do the work that God was telling me to do. Not doing the good but the better. IV. Service (John 13 and Mark 10:45): After the cross, one of the most powerful examples of Jesus’ words, “I have come not to be served but to serve.” Jesus is what he demonstrated in John 13, knowing that he was going to be betrayed, he got down on his hands and knees and washed his disciples' feet. Peter resisted, but Jesus told him that unless he allowed Jesus to wash his feet, he would not be part of Jesus and his kingdom. After washing their feet, Jesus asks, “Do you understand what I have done for you?”. We have to confess that we do not. As a child, I had no clue how much my parents cared for me. It took becoming a parent myself to know that. This side of heaven, we will not be able to grasp what Jesus has done for us. He goes on to say, “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. The example that Jesus set for us is not a one-time event but a way of looking at the world. Before saying yes to the church, I had to be able to say, will I be able to humble myself to be your to be your pastor. Can I put my pride on the shelf and be led by God and accept council from you? Can I not just wash your feet, but can I enjoy doing it. A question that I am still asking is how can I wash the feet of the church? How can we wash not just our feet but wash the feet of the people of Kobe? I do not have the answer to those questions, but Jesus says that if we are not willing to do this we will forgo a blessing because Jesus says very clearly you will be blessed if you do it. If we want the blessing we have to get off the bench and do it. As we start preparing ourselves for the mystery of coming to the Lord’s table how is God calling you to take leadership in your life so that you can turn your life over to be used by the Lord. Let’s pray. Let us pray. Lord, may the words of my mouth and meditations of our hearts together tonight
be pleasing in your sight O Lord. In Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen. Merry Christmas to you all in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! I want you all to know that while I share the Christmast greeting with you in joy, it doesn’t come from me. I may be one of the pastors who serves in this church, but it is Christ Jesus who welcomes you into this beautiful sanctuary in God’s house this evening. This church is not your host tonight, and neither am I; God is the host, and the one who welcomes each and every one of us into this space tonight. Whether you realize it or not, God sent you a personalized invitation to come here tonight, and you came! So in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, I am so very happy to welcome you not to my church, or to our church, but to God’s church. And if you don’t mind, I would like to tell you a story. About a week or so ago, I went to my youngest child’s Christmas pageant at his kindergarten which, as it happens, is run by Christians. On the day of the pageant, I went to the school and was in line with all the other parents, waiting to get inside. Next to me was the mother of one of my son’s friends and, since the gates of the school had yet to be open, she and I started to chat a little. I don’t remember how we started talking about it exactly, but at some point I found myself sharing the story of Christmas with her. Since she wasn’t really familiar with the Bible, I did my best to explain it in a way that wouldn’t be too hard or too complicated, of course, but those of you who come to KUC regularly know how much I can talk when it comes to the Bible! So I started to tell her the story. I told her about Joseph and Mary, how they were a young couple, newly engaged, and looking forward to their marriage. And then, to their shock, they found out that they were expecting a child. This was so scary for them because in those days, if it was discovered that Mary was pregnant before getting married, it could mean death. Mary could be killed as a punishment for this! So Joseph planned to leave her and end their engagement quietly, so she might escape punishment. But an angel sent by God told both of them that they should stay together, to keep and care for the child. The angel said that this child they were expecting was a very special child; not just for them, but for everyone in the entire world. This child was to be named “Jesus,” which means “God who saves us,” and he would be born to be the Messiah; the Lord and Savior of everyone on Earth. Mary and Joseph believed what they had been told, so they decided to trust God, and keep the baby. 2000 years ahead, soon enough, the gate to the school was opened, so our little story time ended and my friend and I went into the school. We waited for a time, until the kids were ready, so I used that time to tell her more. I told her about the wisemen, the shepherds, and still more angels. And then, the pageant started. Now, who doesn’t love a good Christmas pageant, especially when the story of Christmas is acted out by cute little kids? You’ve just gotta smile at something like that, right? So instantly, my eyes, my ears, my mind, and my heart - all of me - were drawn into the unfolding pageant. Every little kid did a fantastic job playing all the different parts; sheep, shepherds, angels, innkeepers, wisemen, narrators and, of course, Joseph and Mary. And then there was my kid, who played one of the innkeepers!And he also did a great job! One of my favorite scenes in the pageant that day was the interaction between the innkeepers, and Joseph and Mary. And for sure, I definitely loved it because my kid was one of the innkeepers, but there was more to it than that. I was astounded by this scene because, even through the acting of these adorable little kids, it really showed the hardness that our human hearts are capable of. And in contrast to that hardness, it showed the gentleness of God’s heart which is always there for us, just waiting and wanting to meet us. Joseph and Mary had traveled to the town of Bethlehem because they had been told by the Roman Emperor that every citizen in the empire, including them, had to go back to the head of the family’s hometown in order to be registered (Luke 2:1-5). Having just arrived in Bethlehem, Joseph and Mary were walking very slowly - Mary was just starting to go into labor - from one inn to another, looking for a place they could say. Of course, since this was a children’s pageant, all the adorable little ones - including my boy - were singing this catchy song. And they sang it like this, “knock knock knock, konbanwa (good evening!). Is there a room for us?” But each time the innkeepers opened their door, and sang back to them “Oh so sorry, the inn is full tonight. Please go find somewhere else.” Rejected, Joseph and Mary kept moving through town, knocking on one inn door after another. They kept singing, “knock knock knock, konbanwa. Is there a room for us tonight?” but all they received was rejection after rejection. Finally, they began to beg, and even though the innkeeper had said no like all the others, Joseph and Mary said in desperation. “Please, anywhere is fine. We are about to give birth. Please. We beg you.” The innkeeper opened the door a little wider, and said to them, “Ok, the space I have available is messy and not fitting for what you need, but if that is ok with you, please come in.” Mary and Joseph went in. And there they welcomed baby Jesus, a Savior of the world, the king of kings, wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting father, and the prince of peace (Isaiah 9:6) right there, in a dirty, messy, smelly manger, welcomed into this world only by his earthly parents, and a bunch of stinky animals. “The space I have available is messy and not fitting, but please come in.” This is what the innkeeper said to Joseph and Mary, just as they were about to welcome the baby Jesus. Now I don’t know about you, but when my house is messy, or my life is messy, the last thing I want to do is invite someone in and show them my messy house or messy life. It’s hard to say “I have a room for you, but it's messy and you might not like what you see, but please come in.” This is so hard to say, isn’t it? But as hard as it is to say, I think it’s even harder to actually go one step farther and actually do it! It’s tough to say, “I know it’s messy, but please come in,” but it’s so much harder to actually open the door wider, open yourself up all the way, and let whoever has been knocking at the door come right into the dirt and the mess. It is so hard, isn't it? But why is it so hard? Why does it have to be so hard? It’s hard because we’re all human, and humans are afraid of being judged and criticized. We don’t know how this person might react when they see the state of our room, or the state of our lives. It’s a risky move to invite people in, and there’s no promise that it’ll go well. There is no guarantee that this person won’t come in, look around, and say, “O gosh, this is way worse than I thought! What happened to you?!? This is just gross!” Yes, there is that possibility, and I have to admit that it’s a scary one. But there is one other possibility, one other thing that might happen that we can’t easily imagine. . Instead, you might hear this person say to you with compassion, “The mess doesn’t matter; I just wanted to see you. Thank you for letting me in.” “It doesn’t matter. I just wanted to see you.” As someone who truly believes that Jesus Christ was born for all of us this Christmas night, I can say with conviction that our Lord and Savior always chooses this way, always chooses to say words of love to you, rather than judgment. “It doesn't matter whether your house or your life is a mess. I only came to see you. Please, let me in your life.” As long as your heart is an open door, as long as you’re willing to take the risk of opening it wider and letting him in, Jesus will always say that to you. “Knock, knock, knock, konbanwa may I stay for the night?” That is the song God is singing to you, again and again, because God never stops believing, never stops hoping that you will open the door, and let God into your messy room and your messy life. Of course, we don’t see God with our eyes, and we don’t hear God’s voice as loudly or in the same way that we hear other sounds, but when you soften your heart and let it open, you can hear that still, small voice whispering to you. You can feel the gentle warmth of God’s voice, speaking directly to your heart, saying, “Let me in. I love you. I won’t judge you.” Whether this is your first time hearing the Christmas story, or the millionth time, God is always saying the same thing to you tonight; “Knock, knock, knock, konbanwa, may I come in? May I stay for the night? Because I really want to see you!” So what do we do? What do we say? How can we answer this knocking at the door of our hearts? Well, for myself, I found an answer in verse 4 of the hymn, “In the Bleak Mid- Winter,” which the choir is going to sing next. And here is the lyrics. What can I give him, poor as I am? If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb, If I were a wise man, I would do my part, yet what I can I give him, give my heart. As the choir sings, I would like to invite you all to take a moment not just to savor the sound of voices mixed together in beautiful melodies, but to savor the words of the song itself. I invite you to open the eyes and ears of your hearts to God’s quiet, whispered invitation, and see if your heart is ready to follow. “Knock, knock, knock, konbanwa, may I come in? May I stay for the night? Because I really want to see you!” Let us pray.
God of Love, we ask you to help us understand the true meaning of Christmas this morning, as our hearts come together as one to meditate on your great love which comes down this night. In Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen. While I have been preparing for today’s message, I’ve been wondering; what is the good news about Christmas, exactly. In today’s story, the angel of the Lord appears to the shepherds as they were taking care of their sheep in the field at night, and says, “I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: To you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.” (Luke 2:10-11) Ugh…what is that good news, though! Come on, Akiko! You know this! Even little kids know the answer to this one, especially if they grow up in church! You know, I actually asked this question to my kids yesterday, why exactly Christmas is such good news of great joy, and they had an answer right away. Their answer was the same thing the angel said; Jesus Christ, our Lord and the Savior of all human kind, was born on Christmas Day. So that’s it, that’s the answer, right? But my question is, perhaps, a bit bigger than that. What about that birth, the birth of our Lord and Savior, is the good news? Do we really understand? Can we explain it? Do we know the true meaning of Christmas? When I was writing today’s message, I was sitting in the same room in our house where we had put up the Christmas tree. It was still very early, and the sun hadn’t risen yet, and I really like sleeping, so I very much did not want to turn the lights on and get started. But in that darkened room, I found myself mesmerized by how beautiful the Christmas tree was. And even though I should have hurried to get all my writing done, even though my hands should have been moving as fast as possible to finish this message (because, as you might have guessed, it was this morning that I wrote it!) I found my hands resting in my lap, as I stopped getting ready for a moment and just looked upon our Christmas tree. Our Christmas tree isn’t anywhere near as tall as this Christmas tree, here in the sanctuary. In our house, we have it in the corner of the living room, the room where visitors stay when we have them over, and where we often play music, worship, and spend time with God. Of course, with the lights off I couldn’t see every beautiful detail of the tree, but even still it took my breath away. The white and gold lights on the tree blinked slowly in the dark, and each time they did I could catch a tiny glimpse of each ornament, their shape and their color, and understand one more little piece of how they contributed to the great beauty of the whole Christmas tree. I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: To you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.” (Luke 2:10-11) When the shepherds heard these words from the angel, they probably had no idea precisely what they meant for them. What would simple shepherds know of Saviors and Messiahs? Why would this be good news for all the people? And why would such great news be delivered to us, and not to someone more powerful, more well-known; someone who could offer great gifts in welcome, rather than a crooked walking-staff and rough clothes that smelled like sheep? In those days, taking care of the sheep was considered one of the lowest, dirtiest jobs imaginable. Taking care of sheep involved touching blood and excrement, things it was considered extremely unclean to do. The very nature of their job, necessary though it was, made them unclean and untouchable; outcast in the society around them. And in the darkness of that first Christmas night, the news of the birth of baby Jesus, the Savior of the entire world, was given first to these outcast shepherds, standing watch in the cold fields at night. In response, these shepherds dropped everything they were doing; the tasks of their hands and feet stopped immediately at the news. And suddenly, they saw a great multitude of the heavenly host joining with the angel, praising God together and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!” (Luke 2:13-14) In that moment, the shepherds saw something extraordinary, something beautiful and majestic take shape right in front of their eyes; an angel, with the heavenly host behind them singing out in glory! As awestruck as I was by our Christmas tree this morning, these shepherds must have been blown away a thousand times stronger than that! Of course they were! As nice as I think it is, there’s no comparison between my little Christmas tree and the heavenly host! But the reaction was much the same anyways. There is an awe that overtakes us, when something beautiful stops our hands and feet, settles our hearts and minds, and stops that powerful train of thought which runs through our brains constantly trying to focus on whatever it is we need to do next. And in that moment, we gaze - even just slightly - on the beauty of God. But what is so good about that good news, though? After all, the coming of Jesus didn’t change the shepherds difficult lives. They were still unclean, still poorly compensated, still unwelcome in the community around them. When all was finished this night, they went right back to their demanding, harsh, and difficult lives. And I wrestle with that question, I look at the world around us. Another war started this year. Living expenses continue to rise and inflation continues to grow all while wages remain the same. So many people got sick this year, in so many different ways, and not everyone got better. People are working so hard just to get by. People are desperate for connection, desperate to be part of a community, but we’re all so busy that no matter how much we want it, no matter how much we try, it never seems to happen. So what about this news is so good, what is so special about the birth of our Lord and Savior if we haven’t been saved from our struggles? Where’s the good news if nothing seems to have been changed? While I wrestled with this question in my heart this morning, I stood up, and turned on the lights in the room. Despite my uncertainty, my confusion, and my questioning, I took action and started to move. The Shepherds did much the same, by the way, when despite the confusing message they had received, they stood up and said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place.” (Luke 2:15) And when I turned on those lights, I saw that Christmas tree in a whole new way. You see, it turns out our Christmas tree is just as beautiful in a fully-lit room as it is in the dark. The tree is still the same, of course; nothing new has been added to it just by turning on the lights. But when the lights came on I would say that it is even more beautiful because now I could see the fine details of each and every ornament on that tree. Each one has their own unique color, and their own special shape, each beautiful in their own right. Some of them are spheres, some of them are snowflakes - some of them are starships, because my husband is a very big geek! - but all of them are beautiful! And once again, the beauty of the Christmas tree stopped me in any tracks. When I responded to the beauty with action, the details came into focus, and I was able to see. And the beauty grew even more magnificent. The shepherds saw the beauty of the angels, and they heard the good news, even though they couldn’t quite see it yet. But they responded with action, they went to see the baby Jesus and met with Jesus’ earthly parents. They told them about what the angel had said, and the beauty of the heavenly host united in song. And everyone there was amazed, mesmerized even. The details of the Christmas story came alive when they came together, to witness the miracle of Christmas in the light, together, sharing the beauty of what they had been blessed to see. This, beloved, is the true meaning of Christmas. The world is still broken. Difficult things remain in our lives, and all the challenges of the world remain. Yet in the midst of it all, there is something so beautiful and majestic right here among us; a God so overflowing with love and hope, a God who comes to us in the form of a helpless little baby rather than a conquering king, a God who announced the arrival of the Savior by showing unbelievable beauty to outcast shepherds rather than the rich and powerful. The love that we are given in christ is so beautiful that it stops our busy hands and feet, and writes over the worries of our hearts and minds with awe and amazement. This majestic beauty, this amazing love stops us right in the middle of the hustle and bustle of our lives and, like the shepherds in the field, we can’t help but stop and stare at the wondrous beauty of God; the light shining in the darkness of this lost and broken world. I know that for many of us, life will remain busy. Life may remain tough, and our challenges will not disappear with the coming of Christmas. But the Christmas story isn’t one of miraculous lifting of all our burdens; it’s a message of beauty, and hope. It’s a chance to stop what we are doing, to stop completely in our tracks, and observe the majestic, otherworldly beauty that is God’s love, brought to us in this world. This beauty is all around us; it’s in the Christmas tree, it’s in today’s story; it’s in the faces of the loved ones surrounding us in our lives, and in our sanctuary today. Find that love, find that beauty and majesty and know that it comes from God. Take it all in, let yourself be in awe of it, knowing that behind it all is a God who is even bigger still, a God who is still trying, even today, to tell us that this world is beautiful despite all the brokenness that runs through it. Hear from God this good news of great joy, and in awe and wonder stand up, turn on the lights, respond to the call of the angels, share that good news of great love with the world around you, and watch how that beauty grows. See how the message makes sense when you follow it to Bethlehem, to the manger, and watch as the love of God take shape in the form of a little baby, lying in a manger. Come and see, because our Lord and Savior, the light of the world, is born tonight. Amen. |
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