This morning I was reading verses recently covered in our Tuesday Bible study. From Hebrews 11, we read the words, “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” We discussed these words, a few weeks back. We acknowledged that while this verse is often used as a definition of faith, it is really no definition at all. It is a statement, but it does actually define faith. It points to what it is that faith does for us. Faith is both the aim and the assurance of that in which we hope.
Faith is an important concept. It is an essential word in Protestant theology. But, what is it?
We sometimes confuse faith with belief. This is not the same thing. In the Augsburg Confession, Article XX, the reformers write: “Instruction is also given among us to show that the faith here spoken of is not that possessed by the devil and the ungodly, who also believe the history of Christ’s suffering and his resurrection from the dead, but we mean true faith as believes that we receive grace and forgiveness of sin through Christ…. Augustine also reminds us that we should understand the word ‘faith’ in the Scriptures to mean confidence in God, assurance that God is gracious to us, and not merely such a knowledge of historical events as the devil also possesses.”
To have faith in God is to trust in God; it is to have confidence in God’s promises; it is to live in such a way as to choose the wisdom of God rather than the teachings of the world.
Hebrews 11 points out that it was by faith that Able, Enoch, and Abraham lived a righteous life. It is by faith that they pleased God and received God’s blessings.
Faith is very important to us. Understanding what this word means is important.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Sermon - Epiphany 4 - 1/31/10
4th Sunday after Epiphany – Year B
January 31, 2010
I Corinthians 13:1-13
The Greatest of these is Love
It isn’t often that a preacher gets to preach on I Corinthians 13 - outside of a wedding. This chapter of scripture has been so completely associated with weddings, that it is difficult to hear it and not remember some wedding or some bride and groom.
When I am asked to preside at a wedding where this passage is selected, I make it a point to point out that this passage is not about two persons, entwining their lives with one another. This chapter speaks a word too universal to limit it to a relationship between two persons. If I am going to disrupt the flow of a wedding with such assertions, then I ought to at least make the same claim when dealing with the text during a Sunday morning. And, who knows, the assertion might be heard in this setting, whereas it is seldom heard by those gazing into one another’s eyes on the big day.
Remember where we are in the wider context. I Corinthians, Chapter 12 spoke of the variety of gifts given to the people of God. As Pastor Hartsell pointed out last week, this variety of gifts was given in order to make the Church stronger. It is when we appreciate the gifts of each, and incorporate them into the common task we share, that we are truly able to do the ministry Christ hopes for. We do not all possess the same gifts. We have each been given gifts for the common good. We share our gifts, so that the witness will be strengthened.
After discussing the variety of gifts, Paul points out that no one of us possess all that is needed. In the latter verses of Chapte 12, he writes, “Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? … Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues?” To which the obvious answer is, “No.” We do not possess the same gifts. God does not intend for us to do so. We cannot make ourselves possess that which God has not intended us to possess. However, there is something we can do.
Chapter 12 ends with Paul’s instructions, “But strive for the greater gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.”
This more excellent way, this way which can be striven for, is the gift of love. We may not be able to teach; we may not be able to speak in tongues; we may not be able to interpret tongues; but we can all have love.
“But strive for the greater gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way. If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.”
Perhaps you have heard, in other sermons or in other settings that while English only has one word for “love,” in Greek there are several. Whether you have been presented with them as a group, you have no doubt heard of them. The Greek word used throughout I Corinthians 13 is agape. You have probably heard the name agape assigned to various church institutions. There is a Lutheran camp in North Carolina called Camp Agape. Let’s come back to this option.
Another of those Greek words is philia. The meaning of this Greek word is revealed when we speak of Philadelphia. That Pennsylvania city’s tourism office interprets for you. We know that the name represents what the city hopes to be – the City of Brotherly Love. Philia is sometimes used for the relationship between lovers, but it is more often associated with the love which binds us together as a community.
Eros is another of these words. Thi is the same ancient root which gives us the words associated with eroticism; this is the passionate love which arises out of sensual desire and longing.
I would make a footnote that this type of love, very much a gift from God, is the love most often misused and abused. If you have not read the Human Sexuality Social Statement adopted at last summer’s ELCA Assembly, I encourage you to do so. It speaks powerfully and candidly of how we have allowed our society to commercialize this gift from God, leading to abuse and opportunities for exploitation.
Less known is the Greek word, storgē. This is the love one would hope to find within a family. It is the love a parent would have for a child, and a child for their parents.
Eros, philía, and storgē. All words for love, but not the same as the love of which Paul writes. The love of which Paul writes is agape.
It remains forever impossible to know exactly what a word meant to an ancient culture, but biblical scholars have come to accept that the love spoken of as agape love is that love associated with that which is divine, unconditional, self-sacrificing, active, volitional, and thoughtful. This love, like all the others, is a gift from God. It is the same, but it is different. This love is not expressed in the tight confines of a human commitment of one person to another person. This love reveals its nature as it allows those who observe it to see the One who gives the gift. This love - divine, unconditional, self-sacrificing, active, volitional, and thoughtful – is the greater gift.
We may not possess some of the spiritual gifts we see and admire in others. We may be envious of those others and their gifts. We may desire those other gifts, but they cannot be obtained. What we can strive for, Paul says, is this gift – this agape love. This love which is kind, not envious, never boastful or arrogant or rude.
There is, of course, an application of this kind of love to the bond between two persons. So, it is okay when this chapter is read at the establishing of a covenant of matrimony. It is okay. But it is far too limiting. The love beautifully spoken of in this chapter is a love to be sought in all of our lives. It is the greatest of all possible gifts God desires to give us. And Paul would encourage us to realize that this gift is ours for the taking.
“Strive for the greater gifts. And …. a still more excellent way” will unfold before you.
Amen.
January 31, 2010
I Corinthians 13:1-13
The Greatest of these is Love
It isn’t often that a preacher gets to preach on I Corinthians 13 - outside of a wedding. This chapter of scripture has been so completely associated with weddings, that it is difficult to hear it and not remember some wedding or some bride and groom.
When I am asked to preside at a wedding where this passage is selected, I make it a point to point out that this passage is not about two persons, entwining their lives with one another. This chapter speaks a word too universal to limit it to a relationship between two persons. If I am going to disrupt the flow of a wedding with such assertions, then I ought to at least make the same claim when dealing with the text during a Sunday morning. And, who knows, the assertion might be heard in this setting, whereas it is seldom heard by those gazing into one another’s eyes on the big day.
Remember where we are in the wider context. I Corinthians, Chapter 12 spoke of the variety of gifts given to the people of God. As Pastor Hartsell pointed out last week, this variety of gifts was given in order to make the Church stronger. It is when we appreciate the gifts of each, and incorporate them into the common task we share, that we are truly able to do the ministry Christ hopes for. We do not all possess the same gifts. We have each been given gifts for the common good. We share our gifts, so that the witness will be strengthened.
After discussing the variety of gifts, Paul points out that no one of us possess all that is needed. In the latter verses of Chapte 12, he writes, “Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? … Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues?” To which the obvious answer is, “No.” We do not possess the same gifts. God does not intend for us to do so. We cannot make ourselves possess that which God has not intended us to possess. However, there is something we can do.
Chapter 12 ends with Paul’s instructions, “But strive for the greater gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.”
This more excellent way, this way which can be striven for, is the gift of love. We may not be able to teach; we may not be able to speak in tongues; we may not be able to interpret tongues; but we can all have love.
“But strive for the greater gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way. If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.”
Perhaps you have heard, in other sermons or in other settings that while English only has one word for “love,” in Greek there are several. Whether you have been presented with them as a group, you have no doubt heard of them. The Greek word used throughout I Corinthians 13 is agape. You have probably heard the name agape assigned to various church institutions. There is a Lutheran camp in North Carolina called Camp Agape. Let’s come back to this option.
Another of those Greek words is philia. The meaning of this Greek word is revealed when we speak of Philadelphia. That Pennsylvania city’s tourism office interprets for you. We know that the name represents what the city hopes to be – the City of Brotherly Love. Philia is sometimes used for the relationship between lovers, but it is more often associated with the love which binds us together as a community.
Eros is another of these words. Thi is the same ancient root which gives us the words associated with eroticism; this is the passionate love which arises out of sensual desire and longing.
I would make a footnote that this type of love, very much a gift from God, is the love most often misused and abused. If you have not read the Human Sexuality Social Statement adopted at last summer’s ELCA Assembly, I encourage you to do so. It speaks powerfully and candidly of how we have allowed our society to commercialize this gift from God, leading to abuse and opportunities for exploitation.
Less known is the Greek word, storgē. This is the love one would hope to find within a family. It is the love a parent would have for a child, and a child for their parents.
Eros, philía, and storgē. All words for love, but not the same as the love of which Paul writes. The love of which Paul writes is agape.
It remains forever impossible to know exactly what a word meant to an ancient culture, but biblical scholars have come to accept that the love spoken of as agape love is that love associated with that which is divine, unconditional, self-sacrificing, active, volitional, and thoughtful. This love, like all the others, is a gift from God. It is the same, but it is different. This love is not expressed in the tight confines of a human commitment of one person to another person. This love reveals its nature as it allows those who observe it to see the One who gives the gift. This love - divine, unconditional, self-sacrificing, active, volitional, and thoughtful – is the greater gift.
We may not possess some of the spiritual gifts we see and admire in others. We may be envious of those others and their gifts. We may desire those other gifts, but they cannot be obtained. What we can strive for, Paul says, is this gift – this agape love. This love which is kind, not envious, never boastful or arrogant or rude.
There is, of course, an application of this kind of love to the bond between two persons. So, it is okay when this chapter is read at the establishing of a covenant of matrimony. It is okay. But it is far too limiting. The love beautifully spoken of in this chapter is a love to be sought in all of our lives. It is the greatest of all possible gifts God desires to give us. And Paul would encourage us to realize that this gift is ours for the taking.
“Strive for the greater gifts. And …. a still more excellent way” will unfold before you.
Amen.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Devotion - Thursday, January 28
In my prayers this morning, I kept returning to last night’s program at LCM. We had as our guest the Rev Casey Callahan, campus pastor at First Baptist Church. In my prayers, I thanked God for the oneness of the Church. I thanked God for the sense of common mission. And I asked God that we might do more to illustrate to the world how the love of Christ transcends our denominational tags.
I had failed to devote even one of last week’s reflections to the designation attached to that week. The days which stretch from the Confession of Peter (Jan 18) to the Conversion of Paul (Jan 25) has been designated as The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. It is an invitation for Christians to set aside the fine lines of thought which divide us and express to the wider community that which unites us. The Week is observed in some settings, ignored in others.
One of the reasons I was so quick to follow up on the Student Council suggestion to invite as a guest speaker one of the other campus pastors, was the awareness of how finely I split the hairs of Christian Theology. I remain convinced that our study of the Bible ought to include consideration of the subtle distinctions of thought. But knowing the subtle details and appreciating them is different from an intention to use those particular traits as a way to condemn others.
I came home from LCM and immediately sat down to the TV coverage of President Obama’s State of the Union address. Part of his speech was to acknowledge the deep divides among those who serve in Senate and House. He didn’t need to comment; one could see this as the cameras panned the chamber. President Obama asked the members not to turn every discussion and every vote into a “who will win” battle; that the drive to win should not overshadow the willingness to serve. Sometimes we do this in our Churches.
There are many reasons why we are separate denominations and congregations. As good students, we learn the history and the arguments which lead to division. But as children of God, we remain united in our mission of proclaiming the name of Jesus and inviting all persons into a deeper relationship with Christ.
I had failed to devote even one of last week’s reflections to the designation attached to that week. The days which stretch from the Confession of Peter (Jan 18) to the Conversion of Paul (Jan 25) has been designated as The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. It is an invitation for Christians to set aside the fine lines of thought which divide us and express to the wider community that which unites us. The Week is observed in some settings, ignored in others.
One of the reasons I was so quick to follow up on the Student Council suggestion to invite as a guest speaker one of the other campus pastors, was the awareness of how finely I split the hairs of Christian Theology. I remain convinced that our study of the Bible ought to include consideration of the subtle distinctions of thought. But knowing the subtle details and appreciating them is different from an intention to use those particular traits as a way to condemn others.
I came home from LCM and immediately sat down to the TV coverage of President Obama’s State of the Union address. Part of his speech was to acknowledge the deep divides among those who serve in Senate and House. He didn’t need to comment; one could see this as the cameras panned the chamber. President Obama asked the members not to turn every discussion and every vote into a “who will win” battle; that the drive to win should not overshadow the willingness to serve. Sometimes we do this in our Churches.
There are many reasons why we are separate denominations and congregations. As good students, we learn the history and the arguments which lead to division. But as children of God, we remain united in our mission of proclaiming the name of Jesus and inviting all persons into a deeper relationship with Christ.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Devotion - Thursday, January 21
This morning I read Genesis 11:1-9. Contained here is the story of the confusing of the languages of the peoples of the earth.
As human population grows, and expansion into new territories occurs, they come upon a plain where they decide to build a great city and a tower reaching to the heavens. “There is no limit to what we can accomplish,” the people say to themselves. Concerned about this attempt to “make a name for themselves,” God confuses their language so that they put off building the tower. The place where all this occurred came to be known as Babel.
Language does more than reduce our ability to speak to one another. Over time, this inability also leads to customs and emerging thoughts. Nationalities often follow language lines. With language, nation identity and customs differing so greatly, it is possible for animosity and even hatred to develop.
The story in Acts 2 reverses this step in history. On the Day of Pentecost, the language barriers are removed so that the people (those who have accepted the Lordship of the Christ) might be able to do all things. The Apostles speak, and regardless of the background, what is spoken is heard.
We may speak a differing language, but we listen to the same God. We may have differing customs, but we assemble around the same rituals.
Some will continue to live as if Pentecost never occurred. They will allow barriers and differences to divide. Those who celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit on that marvelous day will set aside that which might impede our unity – but never derail it.
This is a lesson to be applied to so many aspects of our lives. The text addresses language, we might also turn to these stories for instructions on the divisions which occur over any number of differing topics or issues.
As human population grows, and expansion into new territories occurs, they come upon a plain where they decide to build a great city and a tower reaching to the heavens. “There is no limit to what we can accomplish,” the people say to themselves. Concerned about this attempt to “make a name for themselves,” God confuses their language so that they put off building the tower. The place where all this occurred came to be known as Babel.
Language does more than reduce our ability to speak to one another. Over time, this inability also leads to customs and emerging thoughts. Nationalities often follow language lines. With language, nation identity and customs differing so greatly, it is possible for animosity and even hatred to develop.
The story in Acts 2 reverses this step in history. On the Day of Pentecost, the language barriers are removed so that the people (those who have accepted the Lordship of the Christ) might be able to do all things. The Apostles speak, and regardless of the background, what is spoken is heard.
We may speak a differing language, but we listen to the same God. We may have differing customs, but we assemble around the same rituals.
Some will continue to live as if Pentecost never occurred. They will allow barriers and differences to divide. Those who celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit on that marvelous day will set aside that which might impede our unity – but never derail it.
This is a lesson to be applied to so many aspects of our lives. The text addresses language, we might also turn to these stories for instructions on the divisions which occur over any number of differing topics or issues.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Devotion - Wednesday, Jan 20
In Genesis 9, after the ark has come to rest on Mount Ararat, Noah plants a vineyard. He makes some wine, and drinks a bit too much. His sons react differently to their father’s plight. Ham, the father of Canaan, see his father’s nakedness, does nothing to help him, merely tells the brothers. Shem and Japheth clothe their father.
This leads to curse of Ham. Ham’s offspring (Canaan) is labeled “a slave of slaves” to his brothers.
In my childhood, this curse was used as justification for discrimination against those of African descent. The curse of Ham was to all the dark-skinned people who lived outside the blood lines of Shem and Japheth. (I don’t understand how this line of reasoning would have explained Shem and Japheth’s skin color – assuming that they like their brother Middle Eastern.)
We are each affected by our heritage. We are molded, in some way, by our ancestry. But we each have the ability to choose how we will live out those traits. We can make the decision to comply with what is good and break where there is a need for change.
As a child, it was racism toward the children of former slaves which needed to be addressed. In today’s world, it may be our thoughts and feelings toward those who are Muslim. Is the curse of Ham to be interpreted as justification for perpetually looking at the descendants of one blood line and forever considering them to be subservient?
The Bible can be used to find all sorts of ways to look down upon others. The Word of God should never be used to harm or hurt any of God’s children.
This leads to curse of Ham. Ham’s offspring (Canaan) is labeled “a slave of slaves” to his brothers.
In my childhood, this curse was used as justification for discrimination against those of African descent. The curse of Ham was to all the dark-skinned people who lived outside the blood lines of Shem and Japheth. (I don’t understand how this line of reasoning would have explained Shem and Japheth’s skin color – assuming that they like their brother Middle Eastern.)
We are each affected by our heritage. We are molded, in some way, by our ancestry. But we each have the ability to choose how we will live out those traits. We can make the decision to comply with what is good and break where there is a need for change.
As a child, it was racism toward the children of former slaves which needed to be addressed. In today’s world, it may be our thoughts and feelings toward those who are Muslim. Is the curse of Ham to be interpreted as justification for perpetually looking at the descendants of one blood line and forever considering them to be subservient?
The Bible can be used to find all sorts of ways to look down upon others. The Word of God should never be used to harm or hurt any of God’s children.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Devotion - Tuesday, January 19
Most of us know John 3:16 by heart. But how well do we know the verses which follow? “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life,” is followed with “For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.”
Accepting that the offer of salvation necessitates a response; agreeing that those who respond negatively are in essence rejecting; it still seems to me that modern God-talk has thwarted the promise by turning it into a threat. You have seen the billboards, warning of eternal punishment and damnation.
John 3 uses imagery of “light.” “The light has come into the world, but the people loved darkness more rather than light.” The darkness is preferred because our deeds are not exposed; they can be hidden in the dark. Those who do the will of God are not afraid of the light exposing their actions.
The presence of the Son (the continued presence of the Son’s disciples) is the light which exposes the deeds of others. One might speak of God’s condemnation – but it is our own deeds and misdeeds which are more likely to bring punishment. The hurt and pain arise when we fail to act as God would have us act, as we fail to be the people God would have us be.
There are many tests for discipleship. It seems that one of them ought to be willingness to have our actions exposed by the light. Are we hiding in the shadows, avoiding the view of others? Or, are we coming to the place where our words, our actions, and even our thoughts are exposed and examined by others?
It is lonely in the shadows. It is scary in the shadows. It is in the light that we find salvation.
Accepting that the offer of salvation necessitates a response; agreeing that those who respond negatively are in essence rejecting; it still seems to me that modern God-talk has thwarted the promise by turning it into a threat. You have seen the billboards, warning of eternal punishment and damnation.
John 3 uses imagery of “light.” “The light has come into the world, but the people loved darkness more rather than light.” The darkness is preferred because our deeds are not exposed; they can be hidden in the dark. Those who do the will of God are not afraid of the light exposing their actions.
The presence of the Son (the continued presence of the Son’s disciples) is the light which exposes the deeds of others. One might speak of God’s condemnation – but it is our own deeds and misdeeds which are more likely to bring punishment. The hurt and pain arise when we fail to act as God would have us act, as we fail to be the people God would have us be.
There are many tests for discipleship. It seems that one of them ought to be willingness to have our actions exposed by the light. Are we hiding in the shadows, avoiding the view of others? Or, are we coming to the place where our words, our actions, and even our thoughts are exposed and examined by others?
It is lonely in the shadows. It is scary in the shadows. It is in the light that we find salvation.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Devotion - Monday, January 18
Rather than write a devotion this morning, I would share with you a few thoughts about the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The ML King Holiday should cause each of us to reflect on this man’s legacy; it should invite us to look again into the mirror in order to see how we are treating every member of our society.
King’s legacy is most often described with regard to racial equality. Here, the civil rights movement of the 1960’s made great strides. The laws which prevented Black Americans from voting or sharing water fountains were overturned. Where King didn’t see his dream realized was in looking not merely at race but also at poverty.
When King began to speak of changing policies and practices which affected our pocket books, openness to his words ended.
Race and poverty should not be equated – it not one’s race which determines one’s economic status. However, race and poverty are quite commonly hand-in-hand. If you look at a map of poverty in Clemson, you will see that that map also defines racial lines.
This is a day to honor Dr. King, it is also a day to reflect on what his message and life mean for us. Part of that ought to be a honest look at poverty and asking ourselves whether we are treating the least among us as Christ would have us treat them.
King’s legacy is most often described with regard to racial equality. Here, the civil rights movement of the 1960’s made great strides. The laws which prevented Black Americans from voting or sharing water fountains were overturned. Where King didn’t see his dream realized was in looking not merely at race but also at poverty.
When King began to speak of changing policies and practices which affected our pocket books, openness to his words ended.
Race and poverty should not be equated – it not one’s race which determines one’s economic status. However, race and poverty are quite commonly hand-in-hand. If you look at a map of poverty in Clemson, you will see that that map also defines racial lines.
This is a day to honor Dr. King, it is also a day to reflect on what his message and life mean for us. Part of that ought to be a honest look at poverty and asking ourselves whether we are treating the least among us as Christ would have us treat them.
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