Sermon Video: Seated at the Table with Jesus - Ephesians 2:6-7

We don't deserve to be there, but that's not something that God worries about.  Instead, God chose to bless us, all of us who believe in Jesus, by offering us a place at the heavenly banquet alongside our Lord and Savior.  The kindness of God never ends.

An observation about social media comment sections in light of the Witch Walk furor

Let's be honest, the uproar that ensued after this week's post on the St. Patrick Parish FB page about the Witch Walk brought out the worst in a whole lot of people.  Like many of you, I read a good number of the comments (before they were all restricted somewhere north of the 3k comment mark), and the vast majority of them revealed a level of anger, pettiness, and judgmentalism that we sadly have come to expect from the worst aspects of social media.

My follow-up post on the subject: What the furor over the Witch Walk in Franklin can teach us about Christian cultural engagement was received with much less rancor and positive interaction than the original St. Patrick post was written in response to, thank you to everyone for that.  Much of the difference can be attributed to the nature of the posts themselves, one inflamed passions and the other was trying to calm them, but I've notice a significant difference when comparing the comments that have since occurred about my post on my personal page vs. on 1st Baptist's page.

What's the difference?  For those who know me, at least well enough to be FB friends, the comments have been almost universally polite, even kind.  But on the 1st Baptist's FB page, where those commenting have been much less connected to myself personally (and my comments appear as the institution speaking, not a specific person), the comments have been significantly less gracious, with several veering off into being argumentative, even mean.  This same phenomenon held true when I posted the link to my blog post on someone else's thread, with those responding not being my own FB friends, but friends of that person instead, the end result was less civility, less grace.

{FYI, I've noticed this for years, as a person who maintains a blog, I share posts in relevant threads online from time-to-time, the reception of them there is almost always worse than when sharing the same content on my own feed only.  The level of misunderstanding increases, especially when it comes to people assuming that I have horrible motives behind my words.}

It is as if (and this is no novel observation), that lack of human relationship between people, even one as tenuous as a FB friendship can be, acts as a permission to be the worst jerky versions of ourselves.

As a Christian, this says something to me about fallen human nature, it echoes the lesson of William Goldin's Lord of the Flies that, "the beast is us," and it only takes the addition of a little bit of anonymity to unleash it.  It is a reminder of our universal need for a Redeemer.

When it is Christians, or at least those claiming to be Christians, who are using anonymity to behave in this reprehensible manner, it tells me something deeply sad about the health of the Church in America today.

But it also reminds me of something I've always known, something that buoys my optimism about the future: Relationships matter.  No matter how much of our daily lives gets sucked into our phones, social media apps, and anonymous interactions online, we crave real genuine face-to-face contact with people who know us and care about us.  We can't help it, our Creator made us as relational beings.  For this reason, I'm not putting stock in the future of online churches.  You can't get a warm handshake, even a hug, see someone else's smile, hear their laugh, when you're interaction is through a screen.  If your church, like my church, actually welcomes new people with kindness and genuine acceptance, you have something that people in this world need, and something that our society is leaving them more and more desperate for.

Long story short, we shouldn't be surprised that after the St. Patrick Parish's Witch Walk post went viral, and the majority of those commenting had no idea where Franklin is, what St. Patrick Parish is like (ie. that they run a food pantry that helps people in our community every month), or even the name of its priest, that the commentary became meaner, darker, and uglier by the minute.

Do yourself a favor, spend less time in front of a screen interacting with people you don't really know, and more time in the same room as people who know you, can grow to like you, and by the grace of God love you too.

Sermon Video: Rejecting Evil and Revenge by Embracing Kindness and Peace - Romans 12:17-21

How should the followers of Jesus respond to evil?  The answer can never be with our own evil attitudes and actions.  Where does that leave us?  We must turn instead to kindness and peace, embracing them no matter what happens, knowing that God may use our kindness to open the door to his own mercy upon those who are evil, for only God knows how each person's story ends, as objects of God's wrath or love.

Listen to the Word of God: 62 Scripture passages that refute 'Christian' Nationalism - #23: Luke 6:27-36

 

Donald Trump Jr. tells young conservatives that following Jesus’ command to ‘turn the other cheek’ has ‘gotten us nothing’

Luke 6:27-36     New International Version

27 “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. 30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.

32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. 35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

It isn't everyday that a 'Christian' Nationalist figure, and one of the most popular ones at that, flat out dismisses the teachings of Jesus as a plan that has "gotten us nothing."  But on December 19th, 2021 at a Turning Point USA conference, Donald Trump Jr. did just that.  The extended quotation is below:

“If we get together, they cannot cancel us all. OK? They won’t,” he said. “And this will be contrary to a lot of our beliefs because — I’d love not to have to participate in cancel culture. I’d love that it didn’t exist. But as long as it does, folks, we better be playing the same game. OK? We’ve been playing T-ball for half a century while they’re playing hardball and cheating. Right? We’ve turned the other cheek, and I understand, sort of, the biblical reference — I understand the mentality — but it’s gotten us nothing. OK? It’s gotten us nothing while we’ve ceded ground in every major institution in our country.”

And while the mockery of 'turn the other cheek' got some slight pushback, with baptistnews.com, churchleaders.com, and relevantmagazine.com all posting articles condemning the dismissal of Jesus' command to his disciples, there was remarkable little response from the likes of Franklin Graham, John MacArthur, Doug Wilson, James White, Robert Jeffress, or Thomas Ascol, all of whom have been quick over the years to condemn liberal derelictions of inerrancy (that is, not taking the Bible seriously as authoritative truth, when accurate these criticisms are warranted), but a Google search finds none of them saying a peep when a leader on 'our team' publicly declares that we've listened to Jesus for far too long.

{There is a separate conversation to be had about the premise: I don't believe that Jerry Falwell, the Moral Majority, or the Christian Coalition, for example, were actively 'turning the other cheek' in recent decades, rather they fought tooth and nail in the cultural and governmental arenas to which Donald Trump Jr. is referring.}

That's one of the things that 'Christian' Nationalism does to the Church.  It creates excuses for when 'our team' defies scripture, even openly mocks Jesus.  Why?  Because we need those allies to win.  It doesn't really matter if their faith is genuine, if their lives are moral or immoral, winning is everything.

Throughout the centuries the Church has failed to embrace Jesus' teaching on this topic of non-violence, non-resistance, and prayer for our enemies about as often and as thoroughly as any topic addressed by Jesus or covered extensively in the N.T.  Our track record since Constantine's legalization of Christianity has been mixed, at best, far too often it has been awful.

And yet, now we're being told that we need to take the gloves off?  We need bare-knuckle boxing because using a bit of restraint isn't good enough?

Nope.  Not what Jesus told us to do, not what the Word of God commands, I don't care how important you are as a politician, or how many retweets you're getting these days, your authority falls massively short in comparison.

Sermon Video: Advent Witnesses part 2 - Joseph: A Kind Husband, Matthew 1:18-19

As Matthew relates the event of the first Christmas, the focus is upon Joseph, the adopted father of Jesus.  We learn that Joseph is like his ancestor, Boaz, a man of both righteous adherence to the Law of Moses, and a genuinely kind man.  When Joseph learns of Mary's pregnancy he does not seek vengeance or humiliation, but rather intends to divorce her quietly.  Joseph would thus fulfill the Law without being vindictive.  Is it any wonder that God chose him to parent the Son of God?

"Nice guys finish last" may be a common enough idiom, and true in any number of pop culture examples and real-world scenarios.  But God holds us to a different standard than 'winning' in this life, as followers of Jesus, we don't want to 'win' at the cost of our character.

Sermon Video: Real Love - 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Christians are supposed to be known for their love, love for each other, and love for even their enemies.  This, of itself, is beyond our capacity, but when viewed through the Apostle Paul's explanation in 1 Corinthians as to what constitutes real, genuine love, it would seem to make a difficult situation hopeless.  Thankfully, God has given his Spirit to his people, has empowered them to live like Jesus here in this world, because he has called us to embrace all 14 of the aspects of love that Paul highlighted (and perhaps others as well, it is not an exhaustive list, although it certainly is comprehensive).  What must our love be?  Patient and kind.  What must it be free of? Envy, boasting, pride, any willingness to dishonor others, selfishness, anger, and record keeping of the wrongs of others.  Give up yet?  In addition, love must rejoice in truth while rejecting the lure of utilizing evil (even thinking, 'that good may result', a false lie).  Love must always protect, trust, hope, and persevere. 
This is not a question of focus, willpower, or determination.  We cannot accomplish this on our own, not even close.  Once again, we must depend upon the transforming power of the Spirit of God, must embrace our role in the community of believers (for help, guidance, and support; mutually so), and must move forward, toward Christ-likeness, in faith because we all need real love.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Our warped definition of Christianity is disastrous

What, and how, we think is important; very important.  What we believe in, and what we believe about important topics and issues profoundly shapes who we are.  But there is more to it than what and how we think.  It is absolutely true that an individual cannot be a Christian if they do not believe in Jesus Christ, in other words, they believe that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God, and that he lived, died, and was raised to new life in order to set us free from sin (enslavement to, and debt because of).  {See John 3:16 as an example of this explained in one sentence}  Belief is not the end of the road.  Belief has to be accompanied by repentance {a turning away from sinful behavior} and has to lead to righteous living {by the power of the Holy Spirit} in order for belief to be effective.  In order for it to be real.  A belief in Jesus which does not change the trajectory of a person's life, in ways both small and great, is meaningless.  Herein lies the problem.  Consider the two passages of Scripture below which together illustrate the absolute necessity of "fruit" (ethical behavior) and give nine prime examples of what it looks like:

Matthew 7:16-20 New International Version (NIV)
16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

Galatians 5:22-24 New International Version (NIV)

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

To say, "I am a Christian" is not enough.  To have a particular political viewpoint is not enough (and often misleading).  To know the key words one should say in order to "sound like a Christian" is not enough.  To attend a church at Christmas and Easter, or even more often, is not enough.  To own a Bible, or even read it, is not enough.  To give money to Christian charities, or the Church itself, is not enough.  A person could have all of those things, and outwardly look the part, but without love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control; they would have nothing. {See 1 Corinthians 11}  Don't get me wrong, someone who goes to church, reads a Bible, and gives money to Christian charities is better off than someone who doesn't; but only if those factors eventually lead to the radical change of mind and heart that gives evidence to the presence of the Holy Spirit and results in the outflow from that person's life of the fruit of the Spirit.  If a person remains "associated with" Christianity, but never moves forward, they will actually be worse off on the Day of Judgment for having known better without acting.  {See Hebrews 6:7-8}

The Church in America, in particular, has a self-identification problem.  We've allowed cultural distinctions and political viewpoints to more strongly define our view of what Christianity is than righteous living.  We've minimized our concern about the immorality that doesn't bother us: pride, lust, and greed in particular, and allowed ourselves to accept the delusion that anyone who looks the part and is on "our side" in the Culture War is Christian enough.  The Word of God says otherwise.  We will be known by God by our fruit, judged as genuine believers in Jesus, or not, by it. 

Those who mimic the look of being a Christian, without the heart-motivated acts of righteousness to go with it, are either self-deluded or charlatans, either a danger to themselves or to the church as a whole.  As long as we accept those who are "like us" as being good enough because we view Christianity as a cultural/political feud to be won, rather than a call to self-sacrificially serve the Kingdom of God that must be obeyed, we will continue to warp Christianity into something which is was never intended to be, with disastrous consequences.

Sermon Video: God's Chosen People: Bound together in love - Colossians 3:11-14

Having already told the people of the church at Colossae of the need to "put to death" their earthly nature with all of its vices, now Paul advocates for the virtues that the people of God must embrace as they disavow vice: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.  As a precursor to this list, Paul reminds the church that "here", that is, in Christ, all of the distinctions and categories by which people divide themselves into subgroups no longer apply, for "Christ is all, and is in all."
In addition to the need to develop and employ the virtues listed by Paul, a significant challenge, but one God's people can achieve through the Spirit, we are also told of the need to pursue these virtues while at the same time forgiving each other when we fail.  Lastly, and most importantly, is the need to "put on" love over all of these efforts, binding them together and leading to harmony.

*As a bonus, this sermon begins with an illustration about brotherly love drawn from the experience of the 9 members of the Fellowship in Tolkien's LOTR.*

To watch the video, click on the link below:

The Folly of Angry Witnessing and the Folly of attacking Christians who befriend the Lost

Is this what Jesus had in mind when said, "Go into all the world..."

From time to time in my life I've seen people standing on a street corner with a homemade sign that lists a variety of things that God hates.  Sometimes the things on the list are accurately taken from the text of the Bible, and sometimes they reflect the beliefs of the person who made the sign, often involving politically motivated choices as well.

What then should the average Christian think in response to such demonstrations, most of which involve anger and shouting, a tactic far more likely to make enemies than friends.  Should Christians care about offending the Lost?  Should we be presenting the Gospel with anger or love?

The most important question, which should be obvious to all who claim to be followers of Jesus Christ but perhaps is not, is this: What does the Word of God say about the tactics we should be using to witness to those who don't know Jesus as Lord and Savior?

1 Peter 3:15-16 is one such key passage, "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord.  Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.  But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander."

Do you mean, Peter didn't write, "Shout at the unbelievers, ridicule them, call them names, for then they will want to join you."  And he didn't write, "disrespect the lost, treat them with unkindness, and say horrible things, especially false ones, about anyone who dares to befriend an unbeliever."

Peter did write that we must witness with gentleness and respect, and he did write that we must conduct ourselves always with good behavior as representatives of Christ.

So, why all the yelling, why the hatred?  For some, it is a misguided notion that they have to defend the Law of God against societal or governmental forces, and therefore they have appointed themselves as judge, jury, and executioner on God's behalf.  For others, it might be a form of racism or ideology based hatred that is driving their counter-productive attempt to hate-witness.  The most obvious example of this in action in the West today relates to Islam.  There are some in the Christian community, at least they claim to represent Christ, who feel the need to warn about the dangers (which are of an apocalyptic level in their mind) of terrorism from individuals/organizations influenced by Islam, and therefore their only interaction with Islam is angry and militant.  They say things like "All Muslims are terrorists", or "Islam is of the devil".  They think that they're defending Western civilization and Christendom, but in reality all they accomplish is to make terrorism more likely by further marginalizing Muslims living in Western nations, and even more importantly, shutting the door against the Gospel's message even more firmly.  What Muslim, who believes in Muhammad and the Qur'an, is going to listen to what you have to say about the love of God and the desire that God has to offer forgiveness in Christ, when you approach that Muslim by insulting Muhammad and spitting upon the Qur'an?  In what reality does this tactic work even 1 in a million times?

Do you want the Lost to hear the Gospel so that they can be saved, or do you just want credit for yelling it at them?  Do you actually love the Lost, in imitation of our heavenly Father, who sent his Son to die for our sins, while we were still sinners, or has hatred clouded your mind and convinced you that some people are beyond God's saving grace?  (As if you deserved God's grace, but they don't!)

If you can't speak to those who don't know Jesus with gentleness and respect, maybe you should just keep your yap shut and let those whose hearts are burdened for a world full of people without God's love in their lives, be the ones to represent Jesus.

Sermon Video: There is only one Judge - James 4:11-12

We are all faced with opportunities, usually on a daily basis, to be judgmental of others, to act as judge and jury regarding the actions of those we know and those we only know of because they are public figures.  American society is infected with this attitude, and the Church is not immune to it.  We judge fellow Christians, making assumptions about motives, assuming the worst, and sadly even taking enjoyment in criticizing those who are supposed to be our brothers and sisters in Christ.  There is, however, only one Lawgiver, and only one Judge.  It is God's right, and God's alone, to sit in judgment, for only God is himself holy and not likewise a lawbreaker.  How can we judge others for breaking the Law of God when we ourselves have broken it?  How can we judge others when we, unlike God, cannot save them from their sins?
It is common, and it is easy, to judge others; social media only makes it more so.  As a Christian community, we need to walk away from this temptation.  We need to reject the cruel and destructive politics that passes for leadership, and we need to ignore the temptation to allow what we say (or type or text) to usurp the role of God by judging others.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Sermon Video: Boaz notices Ruth - Ruth 2:8-23

In this third message, of five, from Ruth, we find Boaz conversing with Ruth after he takes notice of her hard at work gleaning in his fields.  Boaz offers Ruth multiple, small, and ongoing kindnesses in response, he says, for her devotion to her mother-in-law Naomi, the widow of his kin Elimelech.  Ruth responds to these offers of help with humble gratitude, prompting even more steps taken by Boaz to help Ruth (and Naomi) in their time of need.
When Ruth returns home at the end of the day, with much more food than expected, Naomi is awakened from her depression and bitterness that had engulfed her since the death of her husband and sons by the kindness shown to Ruth and herself by a seemingly random neighbor who turns out to be Boaz, a kinsman-redeemer of Elimelech's estate.  Whether or not Boaz will be willing to fulfill his legal obligation under the laws of the kinsman-redeemer remains to be seen, but Naomi at least has begun once again to hope.
The kindnesses offered by Boaz were not, in and of themselves, all that costly to him, nor was he legally obligated to give any of them.  And yet, as a man of God, a man of character, Boaz chooses to go beyond the letter of the law to fulfill the spirit of the law; Boaz chooses to live by grace.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Sermon Video: "At one time, we too were foolish" - Titus 2:15-3:3

As Paul finishes up his directions to Titus regarding Christian ethical behavior, he focuses that topic on the respect that the people of God owe to Titus, as a man of God, to the government, and to their fellow members of society.  In all three cases, pride is the enemy and humility is the answer.  For most Christians, it won't be the first topic, respecting the leadership of the Church, that will give them difficulty, but one of the latter two.  Paul, however, gives no wiggle room, requiring that Christians show respect and be obedient to whichever government they find themselves under.  This was, by any objective standard a more difficult task for the Cretans living under Roman rule, or for Christians living under corrupt governments around the world today or in the past than it is for American Christians who not only have a historically representative and efficient government, but the right to protest freely against it while still being a good citizen.  In light of that easier task, why is it that many American Christians follow the lead of the politicians and talking heads on TV by engaging in the same crass and rude behavior in the political realm?  Why is it that Christians feel they can post on social media things that they ought never to say, regardless of who it is directed at?
When interacting with family, neighbors, or co-workers, Christians likewise have an obligation to be polite, kind, and compassionate, and no room for the slanderous, hateful speech that much of society indulges in.  Paul ends the topic by reminding God's people that they once were so far removed from God that they lived lives of malice, envy, and hatred; used to, but thanks to God, no longer.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Sermon Video: "Be merciful" - Luke 6:32-36

As Luke's version of the Sermon on the Mount continues, Jesus further explains the command to "love your enemies" and "do to others" that proceeded this passage by raising the bar of ethical conduct far beyond a simple return of love for love and good for good.  As followers of Jesus, we must love those who do not love us, do good to those who have done no good thing for us, and give to those from whom we expect nothing in return.  Why the drastic moral upgrade beyond basic human tribal behavior?  Because our Heavenly Father has demonstrated that same level of love through his mercy to the world, us in particular.  As we take up our own cross to follow Jesus, we imitate the mercy of Christ and accept the risk that our efforts will be spurned or taken advantage of; the reward is great, to be known, here and now as a child of God.

To watch the video, click on the link below:
Sermon Video

Manti Te'o, online relationships, and real people

Having moved 400 miles away from my hometown after 37 years this past year I value online communication via Facebook and e-mail with those I left behind.  That long-distance contact helps us keep in touch and eases the pain of being away from friends and family.  There's one big difference between those online relationships and the one that Manti was a part of (whether he knew it was a hoax or not); I actually know these people.  I've had conversations with them face to face, we've built relationships over time that have included shared acts of kindness, we really do know each other.
There may be some value to having a purely online relationship with someone, but there's one important thing it will never have; human contact.  The germaphobes may not appreciate this, but handshakes, hugs, and actually talking to someone (while not checking your cell phone every two minutes) are all integral parts of genuinely meaningful relationships.
As the age of electronic communication progresses, here I am "talking" to you on a blog, this will become more and more important to the building of healthy relationships.  The value of taking the time to be with someone and investing in them will only increase as it becomes more rare in society.
This is also an incredible opportunity for the Church to minister.  There are some who worry how the Church will cope with the changes in technology that seem to make our weekly gathering seem obsolete; they're worrying over nothing.  The Church will continue to be the place where authentic relationships happen, where people care about you even before they know you, and where you can get some heart-felt human contact.  People will want to talk to you, they'll offer to pray for you, and they may even give you a hug whether you want one or not.
To a generation yearning for authenticity, needing to feel connected, and hoping to find people who are willing to put in the time to actually know them, the Church can (and should) be a haven, a place of refuge from the 24/7 hurry up world that won't slow down for anyone.  How do we reach a generation that won't respond to anything except a text message, with a warm smile and a hug.

Sermon Video: "clothe yourselves with compassion" Colossians 3:12-14

How does a Christian become Christ-like?  What do we need to do to imitate our Savior and set our minds on 'things above"?  Paul offers us the strategy of developing compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.  As we work on building these character traits, we also need to learn to forgive each other as God forgave us.  In addition, the glue that holds this process together is love.  Love binds us together and love makes our transformation into a holy people possible.

To watch the video, click on the link below:
Sermon Video