Matthew 2

This Sunday I am going to be preaching on Matthew 2. I would love to hear what God is saying to you when you read this story.
One thing that stood out to me is the way that people responded to Jesus - even as an infant. On the one hand we have Herod going all crazy and trying to kill Jesus. In fact Herod willingly kills all the baby boys in Bethlehem in his attempt. On the other hand we have the wise men who willingly travel thousands of miles (in a time without cars or planes). In fact it may have taken them two years to reach Bethlehem. They come to worship and give gifts to Jesus.
How do we respond? At times I find myself trying to kill Jesus in my life. I do this by ignoring him, pretending to be super holy, filling my life with all sorts of distracting things...
Then at times by the grace of God I find myself worshiping him. Caught up in some praise song, hearing him speak as I read his word, praying with friends....

A child of promise

Jesus is the ultimate promised child. The Old Testament is filled with prophecies about him. The people were waiting and expecting the coming messiah, the one promised by God. Being the child of a promise got me thinking about the partiarchs - Abraham, Issac and Jacob.
Issac was specifically a child of promise - God promised Abraham a son and in his old age he had Issac. However all three of the patriarchs had wives who were barren. It was only a special act of God that allowed them to have children.
Now God once again acts in a special way, there is an even more miraculous birth. We have moved from birth in old age to virgin birth. This is an indication that God is doing something new and amazing in Jesus.
As Christians we believe that Jesus was God's ultimate act of redemption. All of history is summed up in Jesus. Jesus is the center of everything.

What's your name?

Names in the bible are often very significant. In our culture the most common custom is to name a child something that sounds nice, with little or no thought going into the meaning of the name. In the bible the meaning of the name is very important.
In reading Matthew 1:18-25 we see that the child Mary is going to have is given two names, Jesus and Emmanuel.
Jesus, which is a variation of Joshua, means "God will save".
Emmanuel means "God is with us".
These names give us a picture of the ministry that Jesus has. As the angel says he saves us from our sins. And he is the God who invaded earth, he is truly God with us.
I found interesting that Jesus is never again called Emmanuel. Though looking at his life we see that he fulfilled the calling of that name.

What does your name mean?
My name Benjamin means "son of my right hand".
Now some might not like the meaning of their name or their name may have no meaning at all. This is just fine. As I said our culture often names people for the sound of the word instead of its meaning - this is not wrong.
But I want to ask "do we have two names?" We have the one that is given to us by our parents. But can we allow God to also name us? Can we allow God to give us a name that defines us, a name that will shape the rest of our lives? Honestly I don't know. But I am going spend sometime this week asking God to name me, to define me.

Matthew 1:18-25

This coming Sunday I will be preaching on Matthew 1:18-25. I encourage you to read this passage and let me know what God is saying to you.

Uriah's wife

The fourth woman listed in Jesus' genealogy is Uriah's wife. Her name is Bathsheba. Her story is recorded in 2 Samuel 11-12.
What happens is: King David is hanging out on the roof of his palace. He sees Bathsheba - who is married to Uriah - bathing. Lusts after her. And ends up committing adultery with her. David eventually has Uriah killed (trying to cover up his other sins).

What reason could Matthew have for including Bathsheba in the genealogy? Well it is interesting to note that she is not named. Matthew seems to be highlighting the adultery and murder. Could it be a subtle way that Matthew declares that God has grace even on the sinful? That even though we do wicked and evil things God is still able to accomplish his purpose? Not that God would ever condone sin, but that God is so great that in spite of our wickedness he can still bring good?

Ruth

Ruth is another woman who is listed in Jesus' genealogy. You can read her story in the book of Ruth.
The basic outline of the story is: Ruth, who is not Jewish, marries a Jewish man when he lives in Moab. This man dies. His mother Naomi decides to go back to Israel. Ruth goes with Naomi instead of staying in Moab and takes care of her. Eventually Ruth ends up marring Boaz and becomes the great grandmother of King David.

Why would Matthew list Ruth in the genealogy? It could be because she was so faithful. However could she have been included because she was not Jewish? In fact if you look at the list of women we know that at least three of the women were not Jewish (Tamar, Rahab and Ruth). And the fourth was Uriah's wife, we don't know if she was Jewish but we do know that Uriah was a Hittite (not Jewish). So could Matthew be hinting already that Jesus' message was going to be for more than just Jews?

Rahab

Rahab is the next woman listed in Jesus' genealogy.
Read her story in Joshua 2, 6:15-25.
Lets summarize her story. The Jewish people had been rescued by God out of Egypt. They were now about to invade the promise land. Jericho was the first city that they were going to attack. Rahab was a prostitute in Jericho. The Jewish people sent two spies to check out the area. These men visited Rahab. The king of Jericho found out about the two spies and obviously wanted to arresst them. Rahab hid the spies. She then made a deal that they would spare her and her familie's life when they invaded. They spies agreed and Rahab's family were the only surviors from Jericho.

Why would Matthew include a prostitute in Jesus' genealogy? Could he already be giving a hint that Jesus would be welcoming the morally questionable, like prostitutes? Could Matthew be highlighting that what matters is how we respond today when we see God moving, not our past (regardless if that past is good or bad - read Ezekiel 33:10-16)?

Tamar

There are four woman that Matthew lists in the genealogy of Jesus (five if you count his mother Mary). It is very unusual for woman to be listed in a biblical genealogy. So why include women in the list if that is not custom? And why these women? Well let's explore each woman.

The first woman listed is Tamar. Read her story in Genesis 38.
To quickly summarize Tamar marries Judah's son Er. Er is bad so God puts him to death. Er's brother, Onan, is suppose to take Tamar as a wife and raise sons on behalf of Er (this is common custom at that time). Onan is also bad and God puts him to death. Judah thinks Tamar, who has no kids yet, is cursed and does not give her to his youngest son. So Tamar dresses up like a hooker and get Judah to sleep with her. He does not realize who she is. Tamar gets pregnant. When Judah finds out he is the father he says that Tamar was more righteous than he was.

What could Matthew be saying by including this woman in Jesus' genealogy? Could it be that God loves and cares for the oppressed? Tamar was oppressed in this story. Er and Onan were evil. Judah refused to do what he should have done as a father-in-law. Even though she used morally questionable means (to say the least) could Matthew be saying that God still loved her and blessed her?

In the genealogy of Jesus that Matthew lists at the beginning of his book there are three names that are very important. Jesus the Christ, Abraham and David.
Abraham and David are very important figures in Jewish history and theology because God made specific promises to them. Promises that the Jewish people were still waiting for God to fulfill. By listing Abraham and David with Jesus, and making these names the most important names in the genealogy, Matthew links Jesus directly with these promises.

Read the promises that God made to Abraham and David.

• Genesis 12:2-3: the promise made to Abraham
• 2 Samuel 7:16: the promise made to David

In what way is Jesus linked to these promises?

Matthew in History

In preparing for the sermon series on Matthew I have been reading a book called Matthew in History by Ulrich Luz. At one point he says:

to understand a New Testament text does not mean to understand the words of the text only but to understand the living Christ to whom it testifies and the life situation that was shaped by him, and to understand both as a gift, a question, and a challenge for our own lives.

Ulrich is saying that to understand the bible we need to move beyond simply understanding the words. The bible should lead us into an encounter with Jesus. An encounter with Jesus is gift. It will cause us to ask new questions. It will challenge our very lives.
Makes me wonder how many passages in bible I have truly understood?

In a few weeks my church will be starting a new sermon series on the book of Matthew. Now one of the things that I believe in is interpreting scripture in community. So I would love to hear what God is saying to you as you read the book of Matthew.
Here are a couple of questions that apply specifically to the beginning of Matthew:

1. What is the main purpose of the gospel of Matthew? What was Matthew trying to accomplish?
2. On September 20 the sermon will be on the genealogies in chapter 1. Why did Matthew include these? What do you think is there purpose and significance?
   

Please don't be limited by these questions. If you come across anything interesting about the gospel of Matthew I would really love to hear about it.

Death counseling 3

What could be some of the dangers in end of life counseling?

People's value may be reduced to simply a money value. How much does it cost to keep you alive? The elderly may be counseled to refuse treatment simply because it costs too much money. And we need to note that within our society we have money - after all we spend millions and millions on things like plastic surgery.
If end of life counseling is done poorly people may feel that they are simply a burden. Each person is precious and has something significant to offer.
Life is gift from God. And death is truly an enemy. When a loved one dies we suffer a great loss - even if the death is expected. End of life counseling may take death too lightly.

Life and death should never be treated as just a rational problem to be solved. Death and life are realities that we experience not solve. The questions that they bring are not questions we give absolute and final answers to, rather they are questions we live in.

Death counseling 2

Last time I asked if there are times when end of life counseling could be a good thing. Here are a couple of thoughts on why end of life counseling could be a helpful.

1. Death is not the end. As a believer in Jesus, who was raised from the dead, I don't believe that death in the final chapter in my life. C.S. Lewis pointed out that death is not the end but is the beginning. The apostle Paul states "for living is Christ and dying is gain". This does not mean that we pursue death. It means we do not need to fear it. I have a feeling that some of attempts to prolong life at all costs has a lot more to do with fear than with a desire to live.
2. Death is inevitable. Everyone who is alive now, will one day die (unless Jesus returns first). End of life counseling may help a person prepare for death. May help a person face death. Many spend most of their life pretending that they are not going to die that they have never prepared for death.
   
3. End of life counseling may also be helpful for families. There are times when families artificially keep a loved alive because they cannot say good-bye.
4. There are times when the person who is dying wants to talk about it. However their family and friends are not prepared to discuss death.

There are some concerns about end of life counseling that I will talk about next time. But the question I would to ask is have you thought about your death? Are you prepared to face it?

Death counseling

Not sure if you have heard about the health care reform that Barack Obama is suggesting in the US. I haven't been following very closely but one thing has caught my attention.
There is a lot of discussion about end of life issues. There is a concern that this new health care program would force elderly people to attend end of life counseling. Counseling that may recommend that the patient chose not to extend their life through medical intervention.

Could there be any value in such counseling? Or should life be extended at all costs.
Could there be some dangers with the type of counseling?

Love and Grace

Love and grace, the way God moves toward us.
At least according to Ephesians 1-2.

In Ephesians 2 Paul says "when we were dead through our trespasses" - which is a really nice way to say when we were in absolute stubborn rebellion to God, hating his guts and wishing that he would just bugger off and leave us alone - God "loved us" with a "great love".

And when we respond to this "great love" God responds with more love and grace. Paul lists some of the ways that God lavishes his love and grace on us: blessing us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms, chose us, adopted us as children, forgives our sins, gives us an inheritance, gives us the Holy Spirit, opens our eyes, empower our lives (with the same power that raised Christ from the dead), seated us with Christ in the heavenly realms, brought peace to our lives and communities.

Every move that I make God moves with love and grace. Father, please open my eyes to see your grace and love. Amen.

Tears

You never know what may cause tears. The sight of the Atlantic ocean can do it, or a piece of music, or a face you've never seen before. A pair of somebody's old shoes can do it. Almost any movie before the great sadness that came over the world after the Second World War, a horse cantering across a meadow, the high school basketball team running out onto the gym floor at the start of a game. You can never be sure. But of this you can be sure. Whenever you find tears in your eyes, especially unexpected tears, it is well to pay the closest attention.

They are not only telling you something about the secret of who you are. More often than not, God is speaking to you through them of the mystery of where you have come from and to summoning you to where, if your soul is to be saved, you should go to next.

- Frederick Buechner

This past weekend my church hosted the EMMC international conference in our town. It was a lot of fun (and work). I really enjoyed meeting people, worshiping God, and attending great sessions. David MacFarlane was the speaker at the main sessions. On Friday night he gave talk on "eight signs of a missional church"

1. Outward focused
2. Movtivated by Hope
3. Intentional
4. Equipping
   
5. Community for missions
6. Innovative
7. Transformation
8. Exciting and fruitful

I found this talk exciting and challenging. As a church we are doing good in some areas. But we also have a lot of room to grow.
I want to do three things better:
Personally share the good news of Jesus with people
Be more intentional as a church in reaching out to our community
To plant churches

Taking captivity captive

In Ephesians 4:8 is says

"When he [Jesus] ascended on high he made captivity itself a captive".

Jesus, our messiah, takes captivity captive. He said at one time that he came to set us free. If Jesus' mission was to set people free, as his followers we most make sure that we don't make people captive. If we are honest too often the church has bound and held people captive instead of bringing them to Jesus who sets them free.
The institution of the church has held many people captive. We feel this need to insure that our institution or program survives. The institution or program holds us as slaves. We become competitive with other churches and other programs within "our church". Instead of serving in love and freedom, we end working because of guilt and fear.
Guilt and fear are two weapons the church has often used to keep people under control - enslaved. Enslaved to our institutions or to our idea of morality.
But Jesus died to set us free. And the one Jesus has set free is free indeed.

Do you have a church?

Just finished reading the book Mere Discipleship: Radical Christianity in a Rebellious World by Lee C. Camp. Good book. Here is one story that grabbed my attention (from pages 110-111).


Clarence Jones established a community that was based on the Sermon on the Mount. He believed that this community would be open to all regardless of skin color. In the latter half of the 1950s segregationists attacked the community. They threatened, bombed, vandalized, burnt crosses, beat people. Clarence sought legal representation from his brother Robert Jordan. Robert responded:

“Clarence, I can’t do that. You know my political aspirations. Why, if I represented you, I might lose my job, my house, everything I’ve got.”

“We might lose everything too, Bob.”

“It’s different for you.”

“Why is it different? I remember, it seems to me, that you and I joined the church on the same Sunday, as boys. I expect when we came forward the preacher asked me about the same question he did you. He asked me, ‘Do you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior?’ And I said, ‘Yes.” What did you say?”

“I follow Jesus, Clarence, up to a point.”

“Could that point by any chance be – the cross?”

“That’s right. I follow him to the cross, but not on the cross. I’m not getting myself crucified.”

“Then I don’t believe you’re a disciple. You’re an admirer of Jesus, but not a disciple of his. I think you ought to go back to the church you belong to, and tell them you’re an admirer, not a disciple.”

“Well now, if everyone who felt like I do did that, we wouldn’t have a church, would we?”

“The question,” Clarence said, “is, ‘Do you have a church?’”

So I wonder "Do we have a church?" Are we disciples or admirers?

I'm back

It has almost been a year since I lasted posted a message. I have all sorts of excuses, most of them are not really that important. But I have decided to work at posting again. So here we go...