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February 24,
2002 LECTIONARY
READINGS The underlined text will take you to sermons on those texts. Losing, Seeking and Finding - II. Seeking "Seeking in the Night" John 3:1-17 / Genesis 12: 1-4a Have you ever had one of those "seeking" expeditions to the kitchen? You know the kind I mean don't you? You go to the refrigerator and open the door seeking "something." You aren't sure what it is you are looking for, but you look anyway. Nothing quite appeals, so you turn to the cupboards in search of something - a small snack perhaps - but there really isn't anything that you really want. So you leave the kitchen and go back to whatever it was you were doing. The "cuisine" cure to our search for something which will satisfy our cravings fails. We don't find what we're looking for. *** But it was never really food we were looking for. At least not physical food. There is a drive within all of us that is searching for the one thing that will truly satisfy an inner hunger. In a way it is food we are searching for - but a different kind of food - the kind Jesus talked about in the gospel of John. Jesus had been working one of those long endless days when one hour blends into another and there had been no time to eat. His disciples are concerned that he had spent the entire day working without taking any nourishment and urged him to take time to eat. Jesus' response confuses them. "I have food to eat that you do not know about." [John 4:32] They ask each other, "Could someone have brought him food?" Jesus stuns them with an answer that points away from the physical world to a spiritual reality. "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work." [John 4:34] There is more to our searching through refrigerators and cupboards for something that appeals to our appetite than simple physical satisfaction. We are searching for spiritual satisfaction -- a sense of peace within and a sense of harmony with God and our neighbors. Later in John's gospel, Jesus' connection of food and the spiritual life would become more clear to the disciples. Jesus miraculously provides food for a multitude who had come out to a hillside near the sea of Galilee. When the crowd followed him clear across the sea in their boats, Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you." [John 6:26-27] There is something deep within us that is searching for the true food that Christ gives to us. That search lies beneath the surface, it is an unconscious drive for many people. Whether it is searching for the snack that is just right, the perfect man or woman, the greatest vacation of all time, or the career that will finally give us satisfaction... Jesus has us covered. "Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life..." *** Last week we explored the basic condition of humankind as having lost the deep inner sense of intimacy with God that we were created for. It was about losing the most precious thing imaginable. That loss is what sets us up for lifelong "seeking." Our reading from the Gospel of John has the most amazing story of a man who was searching and found himself in earnest conversation with Jesus one evening. This was no casual chit chat. The man, whose name was Nicodemus, came to Jesus to affirm that Jesus must have truly been sent by God. What is it God would have to say to this man who comes seeking in the night? This is no casual visitor. Nicodemus is a member of a group that has criticized and dogged Jesus from the beginning. A group that began making plans to have Jesus eliminated almost from day one. (See Mark 3:6) Nicodemus was a Pharisee. Not only that, Nicodemus was a leader of the Pharisees and of the Jewish community. The pressure Nicodemus felt must have been incredible. As a leader of the Pharisees, he would surely have been severely criticized for going to the teacher from Nazareth his religious colleagues were trying to eliminate. As an orthodox Jew he was a fastidious keeper of the law. Along with his fellow Pharisees he would have been disturbed at Jesus' apparent violations of the strict observance of religious tradition. But something was not totally right with the Pharisees' approach. People were being healed through Jesus' ministry, lives were changing and searching people flocked to hear the teacher from Nazareth. There is a critical clue to our own spiritual lives here. Nicodemus had religion. He was not an atheist or a terrible person. He was a religious man who believed in God and carefully followed the religious requirements of his very strict religious party. He was also a cleric and a leader of his people. He would be considered a "pillar of the church" if he were a member of one of our churches or a pastor in one of our Christian communities. Yet, in spite of the fact that he was a very religious man, there was still something missing. Nicodemus was still seeking. His religious practices did not bring about the sense of intimacy with God he was seeking. And so it can be with us. We may attend worship, serve on boards and committees and get involved in building homes for the poor. Yet, when it gets to the core of our spiritual life, we still experience that inner hunger. Going to church can be like going to the refrigerator and not finding the "thing" that will fulfill. We can take a clue from Nicodemus. As a matter of fact, the Lenten season of self examination is a great time to reflect on our inner life and our relationship with God. And Nicodemus knew where to go. In spite of the prejudice and hostility that surrounded the ministry of Jesus, Nicodemus went to Jesus (admittedly under the cover of darkness) because something told this leader of Israel that God was present and active in Jesus' ministry. Nicodemus begins with an acknowledgement that Jesus' ministry was of God. This was no small thing. The accusation had been made that Jesus had consorted with the devil. But the evidence said otherwise to Nicodemus -- and to any of us who are seeking. Jesus bypasses all the chit chat and goes directly to the heart of Nicodemus' search. The intimacy with God he is seeking is a gift of God's Spirit. Unless someone receives this gift from above - ("begotten from above" is the literal meaning of the words) - they can never really see the reign of God in their lives or in the world. As Jesus continues, it turns out that the visit of Nicodemus leads to the most loved bible verse in the Christian world:
It turns out that even as we are seeking, God has come to us in the person of Jesus Christ. The gift of intimacy with God is as close as our trust in Christ. *** Yet, even as God has come to us in Christ, and given the gift of life, our reading from Genesis shows that the life of faith is a lifelong journey. The fulfillment we are seeking does not come from some kind of "one time" spiritual experience. It is not a "snap job." Faith is not getting some kind of ticket to heaven as though we get the ticket and then sit in a waiting room until the bus leaves. To be sure there are very important moments of faith when new insights burst upon our souls or new life floods our hearts. There are times when a spiritual commitment is made and our hearts are encouraged in faith. But the life of faith is a lifelong journey. God's call to Abraham and Abraham's response is a short three and a half verses in Genesis 12. But the story could fill volumes. Abraham leaves everything he knows for the totally unknown. He packed up all that he had and gathered his family together and left for an unknown destination. Notice: Abraham's call was a moment of new possibility, new life and new faith. His response to God's call was a lifetime commitment to a journey of faith. There were two things that characterize Abraham's journey which are noted by New Testament writers.
*** In the gospel lesson we have the object of our seeking and the fulfillment of our longings. "...God so loved the world that he gave us his son... so that those who trust him might have everlasting life." In the lesson from Genesis, we have the process of our seeking and fulfillment of our longings, "By faith Abraham obeyed... and he set out, not knowing where he was going." Mark this down and don't miss it over the next three weeks. The joy of faith is in the journey of faith! As we journey through these days of Lent, may God give us the grace of discovering the fulfillment that comes in the journey of faith. Genesis is the book of beginnings and in the eleven short chapters that precede the call of Abraham, there have already been a number of new beginnings.
The key insight in the call of Abraham is the absolute persistence of God to call humanity back to the intimate relationship that brings about fulfillment. This theme is one of the major themes in all of scripture. God never gives up on us! The Psalmist spoke of the greatness of God's persistent love: "You... have done great things, O God, who is like you?" [Psalm 71:19] "I will make of you a great nation and I will bless you and make your name great..." In the first instance, the plan of God is for all persons to live with a "God" center - but the plan is subverted by human beings who exercise their "free will" and opt out of relationship with God. The free will is a part of the divine image - the "chooser" - if you will, that resides within each of us. Now God turns to the creation of a special people, a chosen nation that will live in relationship with God. The creation of this special people is similar to the creation of humanity. The nation of Israel is created "ex-nihilo" - that is there was not a people before the call of Abraham. The Romans passage is a perfect follow up to the Genesis because the plan of God to create a special people is revealed in the gospel of Jesus Christ which Paul expounds on. Choose the NIV reading at Bible Gateway for IVP commentary on these texts Notes on both gospel texts are available by clicking on the underlined texts at the top of this page. [The links here will take you to Bible Gateway] Paul's discussion of Abraham's call comes in conjunction with his theological treatise in Romans. He comes to the discussion of justification by faith alone and turns to Abraham's relationship with God. On the surface it would seem that Abraham was made right with God because he chose to obey God's call. It was Abraham's "works" that made him righteous - was it not? Not at all Paul says. "Abraham believed God and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. Paul quotes from Genesis [15:6]. Abraham had followed God obediently, but was still without the children who would become the "Great Nation" of Genesis 12. But Sarah was way past child bearing, Abraham was older and it did not look good as human beings would perceive the situation. Indeed Abraham questions God, "You have given me no offspring..." [15:3] Then God leads Abraham out to look up at a clear night sky where the stars poke through the darkness in a way that would be impossible to count. "Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your descendants be." [15:5] If we put ourselves in the position of Abraham, this would be a real test. "Promises, promises!" "Talk is cheap..." In a culture where we live on fast food have "instant messaging," can not wait through a meal in a restaurant to answer a phone call - our faith would likely be severely tested. We want answers in minutes or at the most days... but years? Trusting God's promises for the long haul is more difficult than following God in the short term. And this is why Abraham's life points to the foundation block of Christian living. Being right with God is to trust God.
Thus, Abraham is "...the father of all of us..." If Abraham was made right with God by works, then the plan of God to call a people who would be made righteous by works would have failed. But, in fact, it is the faith of Abraham that makes him right with God. Thus the final chapter in God's plan to call humankind back into a God centered life is based on faith and trust in the One who came that we might have everlasting life. This is the dynamic that blends the readings into a coherent theme of faith and trust as the key to our searching for fulfillment - for the life we were created to live. A Call To Worship (Based on Psalm 121) L: Let us
declare O People of God the source of our help and hope. A Prayer of Confession O loving God, we come before you once again asking for forgiveness and restoration. We have gone searching for meaning without seeking your will and we have anguished over decisions without seeking your guidance. O, by your grace help us to put first things first and make your Son, our Lord Jesus Master of all. Give us healing and set us on your pathway for our living, Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Assurance of Pardon Be assured, sisters and brothers that God hears the cries of a broken and contrite heart and cleanses us from all unrighteousness. Because of Christ we are forgiven. Amen. Prayer of Thanksgiving We give you thanks and praise, O Lord, because you have called us to this place of love, acceptance and forgiveness. From our broken lives and shattered worlds, you call us to a quiet place where the Holy Spirit restores us to you. This is your house and not ours, Christ is the Head of this Household of Faith and we are the recipients of more love and grace than we could ever imagine. The depth of your love for us is beyond our ability to reason, but within our hearts to sing. We praise you for the grace which meets us here and follows us as we go back into the world where you guide us into new lives and gracious living. O help us in this hour to so embrace the love and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that our hearts will be centered on your reign for all your children. How blessed we are to be called into divine service as ambassadors for your kingdom. Amen Prayer of Dedication It is so very clear Lord, that
you have blessed your people abundantly |