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July 21,
2002 LECTIONARY
READINGS Isaiah 44:6-8 "The Practice of
the Christian Life: Patiently Hopeful" Of all the virtues of the Christian life, the one that I have difficulty getting a passing grade in is patience. The Apostle Paul lists love, joy, peace, kindness, generosity, and faithfulness as qualities that are fruit of the Spirit. If only he had not put that word patience in the mix, I could consider myself a pretty fair student of the fruit of the spirit. Or if somehow the idea was that you had to do well on six or seven out of nine qualities to score a B+ or A- on the "Fruit of the Spirit" test, I could breathe a little easier. Now my brother Michael... there's someone who has patience. Michael can sit in a traffic jam, do a Sunday drive behind a wagon pulling tractor for 35 minutes and get stuck in the longest line at the grocery store without even coming close to one of those "deleted expletives." When I look at that quality of Christian character "patience" which Paul names as one of the fruits of the Spirit, I can hear that teacher's voice from way back in grade school, "You should be more like your brother Michael." And sure enough, when I encounter people who take waiting with a grain of salt, and a traffic jam with calmness, I actually do wish I was more like my brother Michael. *** All of this struggle with patience is common for many of us, but there is something in our scripture reading that takes us way beyond the ordinary, everyday struggle with patience. There is more to Paul's discussion of patience than wishing we had more of it in those time when we are stuck in a long line at the grocery store. Our reading from Romans drives us to the essence of what it means to be a person of faith. Patience in a traffic jam is one thing, but patience in the face of persecution and pain is something else entirely. In fact, the biblical quality of patience goes beyond the simple idea of someone who is able to endure waiting. Patience in our reading today is a key component of faith and a hallmark of trust in God. It is not an isolated characteristic of one's personality but a result of a process in the life of faith. Indeed biblical patience is not something that we can develop on our own within ourselves. It is not as though we could try harder to become more patient. Patience in the life of faith grows by the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives as we are more fully united with Christ. The patience that matures is a hallmark of our trust in Christ. Patience has roots in hope and hope has its roots in faith in God. Dr. Roberta Hestenes spoke to the graduating class of the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary last May about the role Christians have in bringing hope to a hopeless world. (5/11/02) She told of going to Africa and seeing a "scorched valley," where there was nothing but dust, decay and death. She and others had been asked to bring hope to a place of absolute hopelessness. "Children I took to be a year old," she told the graduates, "Were seven and eight years old." Children were dying, adults were sick, and there was no prospect of anything good happening in the foreseeable future. Dr. Hestenes returned over ten years later to see a green valley where famine had been erased, children joyously healthy and three new churches thrived. It was the faith and hope of Christian people who had come to bring hope that eventually transformed the people, the conditions and the life of the valley. Now there is a really important concept in the story Dr. Hestenes told our graduates. She told them that, "...there was no prospect of anything good happening in the foreseeable future." The key term here is foreseeable future. When you and I run out of patience, it is frequently because we do not see a way out in the immediate future. Here is the bottom line for people of faith. Christian hope is based on trust in the God who sees around the corner and is able to promise a hopeful outcome for those things that are not foreseeable to us! The story of a troubled and then transformed land is a powerful testimony to the fact that the patience Paul speaks of is finally a gift that comes from God. As we explore the text from Romans, it is clear that patience as a quality of Christian living is rooted in our spiritual lives. Paul takes us through this by showing us that we are first of all led by the Sprit of God because we are God's children. Next, he takes us back to the foundations of spiritual life by reminding us that God's very Spirit works in our inner lives to build our confidence that we are united with Christ. Finally, out of these two critical principles, Paul speaks about the unity of all God's creation and all God's creatures in the great hope of ultimate redemption when God reigns over all things. Because of this hope we are able to wait patiently because our redemption is certain. 1. Led By The Spirit (vv. 12-14) Paul says that there are two ways to live and that the difference between these two ways is everything. This is not a new concept in the biblical story. Moses spoke on behalf of God to say to the people that God was offering a way of living that leads to life. To love and follow God was a life giving way and turning away from God and following self was a way that leads to death.
Jesus taught the very same thing to the crowds that came out to hear him. he spoke of two roads that we can take. One road leads to life and one leads to death.
Paul says that we can live, as he puts it, "...according to the flesh," or we can be, "...led by the Spirit of God..." To live according to the flesh is to live with self at the center. My impatience in the traffic jam is a self-centered thing. It is my schedule that is paramount and my destination that is most important. Everyone else on the road should yield to my needs. This self-centered way of living (living according to the flesh) is a way that leads to death Paul says. There is another way to live and that is to be led by the Spirit of God. This puts God and God's interests at the center of our lives. God's Spirit is active in our lives and we are assured that we are God's children. 2. United with Christ (vv.15-18) There is a critical concept in Paul's discussion of the role of the Spirit in our lives. It is the Spirit of God within us that gives us the deep assurance that we actually are God's children. This work of the Spirit results in a sense of "adoption" - a sense that makes God our "Abba Father." The term abba is word used in the everyday language of Jesus day. It is a term of endearment a child would use in speaking to his or her father. We might use the term "daddy." This is the term Jesus used when he cried out to God in the Garden of Gethsemane as he struggled with the impending crisis of crucifixion. [Mark 14:36] Now if God is our "abba," as Paul says, we are closely bound to Jesus Christ. We are "joint heirs" with Christ. Everything that belongs to Christ in the intimate relationship between Christ and his "Abba," also belongs to us. In light of our intimate relationship with God through Jesus Christ and because we are heirs with Christ of all the glory of God, Paul tells his readers that although they endure suffering in "this present time," the glory that is theirs is more than worth it all. Although we may not go through the suffering and persecution those earliest Christians did because of their faith - our intimate relationship with God can give us the same sense of strength in the face of our own trials. The traffic jams and long waits in line at the store do not come close to the trials many of us will endure - but through it all, the Spirit of God working within us can lift our eyes to the glory of God that is our ultimate inheritance! 3. Hopefully Patient There is a sense in which all of creation waits for that time when God will bring all things together under the authority of what we call the "Kingdom of God." We noted in our message last week that, "all of creation will rejoice as the hills sing and the trees clap their hands because God's people are reunited with their Maker! " Here Paul says that, "...the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay..." and that it will share the glory of the Children of God. The overarching term used for the completion of all of God's good work - in creation and in all of us as Children of God is the term redemption. It includes salvation, wholeness and the sense of having been totally freed from all bondage because God has plucked us from everything that leads to death through the mediating work of Jesus Christ. Now that's a mouthful - but there is a glimpse of the meaning of redemption in the work of Western Christians of various groups who have purchased the freedom of children and women who have been enslaved in the Sudan. Although this practice is questioned by many, those who have found freedom in these efforts express a joy which comes powerfully to those who have lived in hopelessness. In an imperfect world, there is no perfect redemption, but Paul speaks of a redemption in which all of creation and the Children of God will finally share in the glory that belongs to Christ. The kingdom will come in all its fullness! This is what it means to live with complete hope. Although we do not yet see the fulfillment, we claim God's kingdom and live by God's kingdom as though it were already here. Because we trust the promises of God, we are hopefully patient as we live out our lives in faith! Connections in the Texts The essential thread for this week's texts is the question, "Where is our hope for redemption?" When will the right prevail, righteousness win out over wrong and God's people be vindicated? There is a sense of hunger for consummation of God's intention for this world. Each of the texts has a slightly different slant of this theme. Jesus' parable of the wheat and weeds in Matthew raises the issue of whether the "good people" can eliminate the "bad people" and bring about a "good" world. Jesus teaches that it is God who will bring about the elimination of evil and then the "good" will shine. The short passage in Isaiah is an affirmation that God alone is God and there is no other. It is the Lord who has told the people of God what will take place in the future. "There is no other rock" -- that is hope for redemption. Romans takes the issue to creation as well as the inner life of the people of God. The Holy Spirit within us puts the sense of "groaning" for redemption -- for the right. Even creation awaits God's righteous outcome. The Psalmist offers a song of one who cries out for vindication and who, in spite of trial and tribulation cries out to and trusts in God for justice. Matthew The lectionary selection from Matthew makes more sense this week. Matthew 13 has a series of parables about the Kingdom of God which conclude with Jesus' doing a bit of private teaching with his disciples about the meaning of those parables. The parable of the wheat and the weeds and then Jesus' explanation to his disciples is a fitting pericope It would be appropriate to say that in Matthew's 13th chapter, Jesus is teaching "Principles of the Kingdom". This particular reading addresses a question. "Is there anything "good" people (children of the kingdom) can do to eliminate the "bad" people (children of the evil one) so as to make a better world? Jesus' answer is clear. "No!" Separation of the "good guys" and "bad guys" is something only God can do. No one less than God has the perfect information and insight to accomplish this separation. Our full text sermon focuses on this theme and how we are to live faithfully in the face of injustice. Observe that the clash of good and evil predates and postdates the lifetime of the wheat and the weeds. The seeds are sown by other forces and the harvest is accomplished by God. We live "in between." The raising of the question of ultimate justice by nature raises the issue of eschatology. As Jesus Christ is the Alpha, he is also the Omega. Isaiah "I am the First and I am the Last..." Here, the Alpha and Omega is clear. If you were to use this as your sermon text or include it's theme in your message, the text is best set in the wider, natural pericope in 44:1-8. There are several compelling images in these eight verses that connect with New Testament themes. "I will pour water... I will pour my Spirit..." (See John 4:14) God says to Israel, "I have formed you from the womb..." That is - God planted the seed which became the wheat - just a different image here. Then, comes the affirmation. "There is no other God than me and that is given witness in the fact that I alone am able to tell you the end from the beginning." Thus, God's people are to be witnesses of the fact that "there is no other God!" Accordingly, there is no other source of true justice. Romans Even creation is groaning along with the children of God... groaning as a woman in labor pain... that's how strong the longing for redemption is in the hearts of those who trust in God! The cry for righteousness and hunger for justice is woven into the very fabric that runs through all of creation.. It is as though every ear, including the ear of the world around us, has this intense yearning to hear the voice of God once again -- "Indeed, it is very good!" Paul points out that it the Holy Spirit within us that links us to and unites us with the heart of God -- namely a longing for the glory of God -- righteousness. There is a thread which runs through all of today's texts that has to do with the children of God. A possible message would identify the characteristics of God's children using Isaiah, Matthew and Romans. As in Matthew we wait for the redemption. We can not bring it about in our own strength and we can not even loosen the shackles of our own bondage. It is as Isaiah said, "There is no other rock." Psalm It is God who by grace, love and faithfulness, who gives us strength to live in the face of injustice. Once again, the clash between good and evil is resolved in the strength of God. Call To Worship (Based on Psalm 86) Leader: Lord we come
with open, teachable hearts, A Prayer of Confession Merciful God, we confess that we have not loved you with our whole heart. We have failed to be an obedient church. We have not done you will, we have broken your law, we have rebelled against your love, we have not loved our neighbors, we have not heard the cry of the needy. Forgive us, we pray. Free us for joyful obedience. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Assurance of Pardon Hear the good news: Christ died for us while we were yet sinners; that proves God's love toward us. In the name of Jesus Christ we are forgiven! A Prayer of Thanksgiving Our hearts are open before you,
O Lord. There are no thoughts we can And so, you know Lord God, there
are times when we really, honestly Yet -- you are everlastingly
faithful and loving! O great God of our souls, When all is said and done, O God of our
hearts, we surrender to the love that Help us to love others as you love us. Amen.
Prayer of Dedication (Also based on Psalm 86) What a powerful impact your
amazing love has on our lives, Lord God.
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