Sermon Video: Paul's defense before the mob - Acts 21:37-22:16

What would it take to change a person whose heart is full of pride and hatred?  As part of his defense before the mob in Jerusalem that was trying to kill him, the Apostle Paul explains that he was once just like them: zealous for the traditions of Judaism and full of hatred for the followers of the Way (Christians).  What had changed the direction of the life of Saul of Tarsus so dramatically?  He met Jesus.  On the road to Damascus, while on his way to further persecute the disciples of Jesus, Paul experienced the grace of God when Jesus himself spoke to him from heaven.  Learning that God had vindicated Jesus, raising him to life after his crucifixion and elevating him in heaven, changed everything for Saul (soon to be called Paul), opening his eyes to the truth of God's grace which had eluded him despite his previous misguided zeal for God.

What does it take to change the direction of a life from pride and hatred to humility and love?  An encounter with Jesus.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Sermon Video: "I the LORD do not change" - Malachi 3:1-6

The physical realm that we inhabit is in a state of constant change, everything we know changes, with only one exception.  There is only one thing that doesn't change: God.  The prophet Malachi, in response to the complaint of the people that God's justice was absent, responds by speaking of the messenger to come who would prepare the way for God himself to come among his people.  This dramatic change, for us, does not harbinger a change within God, for Jesus the Son of God was still one with the Father, even while taken upon himself humanity.

What does it mean that God does not change?  It allows for humanity a sure foundation for morality and ethics, for they can be built upon the changeless character of God, and it provides hope and security for we know that the promises of God will never falter, for God does not change.  In the end, it is the changeless nature of God which allows his people to exist, for despite their ample shortcomings in conforming to his holiness, they are not destroyed, for God has promised to redeem them and make them into a holy people, and God does not change.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

 

Out with the old, in with the new?

We're in the middle of a kitchen renovation at the church parsonage.  Ross Kilian (from MSM, he's our contractor on this job) and I tore out the old cabinets and the old ceiling tiles on Monday.  The newspapers from behind the wall were from 1968 (the sports page had an article on Pistol Pete Maravich, he was held to "only" 28 points the previous day).  One of the things that we were able to do is reuse the old cabinets, two pair of them above the washer and two above the dryer as well as the other ones out in the carport to store garden tools.  We live in a culture where yesterday's anything is designed to be thrown away and replaced by the next greatest thing, that in turn will be discarded when a new whatever it is comes out in six months.  Living in a home that was built in 1904 helps us to appreciate the craftsmanship and quality of the work that they did back in the day even as we update the kitchen.  Just because something is new, doesn't mean that it is better.  Yes, we need to embrace progress and we need to be willing to change, but not simply change for the sake of change.
The attitude that allows for change, but seeks to do so with wisdom is valuable for the Church.  There will always be some people who seek to change the Church, and there will always be some who try to keep it the same.  How are we to judge who is right and who is wrong, how can we be relevant without being relativistic?  Fortunately for the Church, we have a bedrock of solid ground to stand upon.  The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the same for you and I as it has been since the days of Peter, and it will be the same long after today's fads had faded into the obscurity of answers to trivia questions.  The Word of God is the same for you and I as it was in the days of Abraham, Moses, and Paul, and it will be the same long after today's expert has been replaced with tomorrow's.  Because we stand upon solid ground, we as a Church do not have to fear change, we don't have to fight progress because our goal and our mission have not changed during the past 2,000 years.  Out with the old, in with the new?  Maybe, let's talk about it, think about it, pray about it, and find out what the Word of God says about it.

The resignation of Pope Benedict XVI and Church transitions

The surprise announcement that Pope Benedict XVI will resign as Pope at the end of February was certainly a surprise, especially when you consider that it hasn't happened since Gregory XII in 1415.  In the very near future the College of the Cardinals will convene to select the next Pope in a process that is repeated, albeit with less grandeur and prestige at stake, all over the world each year when churches large and small select someone to take the place of a previous leader. 
There are several issues which can threaten a local church or even a whole denomination, change of leadership is one of the most regular and one of the most frightening.  Questions often abound about how the new leader(s) will be able to measure up to the old.  How will the current ministries of the church mesh with this new leader's vision?  Will changes be coming, and will they be for the better?
The issues are relatively the same for the Catholic Church's one billion followers and the small rural church of twenty.  Change, for better or worse, is often met with apprehension if not fear.  A dynamic leader is difficult to replace (and take it from the perspective of a minister, difficult to follow as well).  Sadly, many a church has been dealt a mortal blow due to the cliques that form around ex-pastors or the unwillingness of some in a congregation to accept that change is a necessary part of any healthy church.
So what can we rely upon to bolster us in times of change?  The first great anchor for any church must be the Cornerstone of our faith, Jesus Christ.  Whomever is chosen to lead us, by whichever selection process is used, he/she must affirm without any hesitation the sole headship of Jesus Christ and the absolute reliance upon his saving work upon the cross for our sins.  Secondly, we rely upon the continuity of the Scriptures.  The Word of God is the source of authority for us all regardless of the amount of authority a local leader or even denominational leader may or may not have at his/her disposal.  Those in leadership change, the Word of God does not.  Thirdly, we have tradition and the example of those who have gone before us to guide us.  The world around us changes all the time, yet nothing is new under the sun (Solomon knew that 3,000 years ago); the challenges facing our churches today are the challenges that the Church has overcome before and will again.  Why?  Because Christ has promised us that the "gates of hell will not overcome it" (Matthew 16:18).
In the end, each local body, and each larger denominational grouping, must protect the legacy that has been handed down to us from those who have lived as salt and light in this world before us, and we must find new ways to bring the same unchangeable Gospel of Jesus Christ to a world that continues to be in need of God's forgiveness.  We must choose our leaders wisely, and we must remember to support them in prayer.
Is it odd for a Baptist pastor to pray for the selection of the next Pope?  It shouldn't be, our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ are embarking upon a new chapter in the history of the Catholic Church; a journey we too have taken in the past and we too will do so again soon enough.  The men and women who lead the Church on Earth are but servants of Lamb; we do his work for as long as we are blessed with the responsibility of shepherding his flock, and then we hand the staff on to another of God's shepherds.

Jesus Christ is the same - Hebrews 13:8

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday today and forever."  A simple enough statement on the face of it, although I feel the need to insert a couple of commas.  What's so odd about something staying the same?  In reality, it is remarkable for anything to remain the same.  When we look at the physical world around us the one constant we see is change.  Nothing stays the say, everything is in a state of flux.  Our own lives are no different.  None of us are the same as we were ten years ago; not only have our bodies aged and changed (usually for the worse), but our relationships and our thinking as well.  Change is inevitable.
And yet, the more things change, the more they stay the same.  Isn't that what Solomon meant when he wrote, "there is nothing new under the sun.  Is there anything of which one can say, 'Look!  This is something new'?  It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time." (Ecclesiastes 1:9b-10)  Things such as death, taxes, man's inhumanity to man, natural disasters, pestilence, disease, and war are certainly not new.  The 24 hour news channels may report them as if they were a brand new thing, but we know we've seen them all before.
So what makes Jesus different?  The last word of the verse is "forever".  Everything I listed that we want go end, such as death, will one day be destroyed by the victory that Jesus accomplished with the Cross and the Empty Tomb.  One day, death will be no more, a new earth will be free of defect, and those who inhabit it will be free of sin.  Solomon knew that those things had all been around, and could see no way in which the evil in our world could be destroyed.  In God's wisdom, he sent his Son to our world to solve the dilemma that lead to Solomon's melancholy.
After God's final judgment of his creation, it will be God that remained the same throughout, from beginning to end, and his creation that (thankfully) returned to what it once was.  We will change, Jesus Christ has no need to; he will remain the same yesterday, today, and forever.