Sermon Video: "The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away" Job 1:20-21

The day is coming: A day of joy or a day of sorrow, a day of victory or a day of defeat.  Such days are coming for all of us and each of us.  In the book of Job, Job learns first of the complete ruination of his family's wealth, and then on the back of that shock, the horrific death of ALL 10 of his children when the building they were in collapsed during a storm.  How does Job respond to this trauma worst than our nightmares?  He falls to the ground in worship of God.  What??  Rather than ignoring God or responding with anger, Job responds with reiterating his commitment to the will of God.  How can this be possible?  Job understood a profound truth: All of life's blessings are from God, and all of them are temporary.  That perspective allowed Job to survive the worst possible news with his faith intact.
Can we worship God on our worst day?  Will our faith hold firm?  Perspective is the key.

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Sermon Video: Praise to the Lord of harvests - Psalm 65

In this psalm David writes of the praise that awaits God for calling us near to him (his holy temple) and forgiving our overwhelming sins, and then writes of the many awesome and righteous deeds of God on behalf of his people, focusing in particular on God as wondrous creator who has set up the earth to give forth abundance.  In our own experience, we live in an era where material abundance has never been greater, where hunger and starvation (while still a threat) are no longer the common experience of mankind.  That being said, we have even more reason that David to echo his praise of God, to continue to uplift the name of our Savior.

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Sermon Video: "Give thanks to the LORD" - Psalm 107

“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.”  A familiar refrain from Psalm 107 that is echoed throughout Scripture.  In this psalm, there is a clear pattern that repeats itself of ABCD, ABCD, ABCD, and ABCD.  For each time through, the “A” is an example of on type of trouble that people endure in life, “B” is the universally appropriate response, “they cried out to the LORD in their trouble”, along with God’s ever-merciful response, “and he delivered them from their distress”. “C” is the description of how God saves, and “D” is the necessary response of thanksgiving from humanity, “Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men”.  Thus the “B” and “D” are like the chorus of a hymn, repeated each time through to show that no matter what the problem is, where it came from or what caused it, the proper response is still to cry out to the LORD who will hear and help, and then to follow that deliverance up with thanks given back to God.  The purpose of the psalmists words is to show us that we have only one place to turn in times of trouble, for only God can save and he is willing to do so, and to teach us that we owe God our gratitude for all that he has done for us.  In much the same way as the venerable hymns of Luther, Wesley, Crosby, and our other favorites, not only is the psalm meant to be pleasing with its sound when sung, but thought provoking to our minds as we consider its words.  The last verse sums it up, “Whoever is wise, let him heed these things and consider the great love of the LORD.”

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Sermon Video: "Worthy is the Lamb" - Revelation 5:1-14

The Triumphal Entry of Jesus that we remember each year on Palm Sunday was a spontaneous event of enthusiasm by the people of Jerusalem for a political solution to the ongoing problem of foreign domination by the Romans that they hoped Jesus was about to bring to an end.  Their shouts for a king in David’s line were indeed accurate, Jesus was worthy to sit on that throne, but he had other intentions from the beginning.  That unexpected role reversal, from claiming a throne to suffering as a servant, is mirrored in the vision that John sees of the End Times that he recorded in Revelation.

            In chapter five of Revelation, John sees God holding a scroll that cannot be opened by any created being.  That scroll signifies the beginning of the end of history, the final judgment on creation and the culmination of the redemptive plan of God.  Who has the right to decide that such a time is at hand?  Who could be holy enough, righteous enough, to open such a scroll?  At that point the Lion of the tribe of Judah steps forth, he is worthy.  But then something remarkable happens.  In the very next verse, it is not the Lion, the mighty king, who takes the scroll from the hand of the Father, but the Lamb who was slain.

            Jesus had the right as King of kings and Lord of lords to open the scroll, the Son of God and the Son of Man has every right to do so, but he once again approaches this responsibility with the same humility and obedience that led Jesus to Calvary less than a week after the shouts of “Hosanna”.

            The Cross and the Empty Tomb are the great reversal of all of history.  There humility defeated pride, love triumphed over hatred, and a sinless and spotless life triumphed by giving itself up over death.  In our world, power, wealth, and fame are revered, sought and fought over, but not so in the kingdom of God.  The Lamb at the center of the praise and worship in John’s vision is honored because he put others before himself.  He is lifted up and glorified by ever increasing numbers until all of creation joins in the song because he was willing to kneel before the will of the Father.  Worthy is the Lamb who was slain.

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Sermon Video: Simply say thanks - Psalm 117

There are a lot of ways to say thanks, there are a lot of things to be thankful for.  The Psalms contains a variety of thanksgiving psalms that express gratitude to God primarily for his Covenant faithfulness to either individuals or to the nation of Israel.  Psalm 117 is different, rather than the Covenant people being called to praise God, it is "all you nations" and "all you peoples" who must raise their voices.  The question then becomes, what have the Gentiles received from God that would require their thanks in an era prior to the Gospel's call?  Rather than being an anomaly, the inclusion of the Gentiles in Psalm 117 continues the pattern that began with God's initial conversation with Abraham during which God clearly indicated that his concern went beyond this man and his descendants to all the nations and peoples of the earth. 
As we consider this psalm today, we have much to be thankful for; we can agree with the writer that, "great is his love toward us", and we can also affirm that, "the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever."  Psalm 117 is the shortest psalm, but it still says all that needs to be said.  When you have put your trust in the love and faithfulness of the LORD, you will not be disappointed.  We, as a Church, have much to be thankful for; we, as a nation, have much to be thankful for, what praise do you have to offer to God in addition to these great things?

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Sermon Video: "This is my prayer" - Philippians 1:9-11

 The prayer of the Apostle Paul for the church at Philippi is not the result of a specific need or request, but rather a general prayer for the future direction of this group of believers that Paul knows from experience have already embraced the need to love in word and in deed.  Paul utilizes a six step chain of cause and effect which lead from his hope that their "love may abound more and more" to the tool which will allow love to grow: knowledge and depth of insight.  The increase in knowledge (primarily of oneself and other people, the experience that leads to wisdom) will result for them in an increase in discernment which will allow the people of Philippi to choose what is best.  For Paul this isn't a question of knowing right from wrong, rather it is a question of learning how to love properly so that they might choose best over better and good.  Once the people have learned how to choose what is best, they will then be equipped to live in purity and free of blame, not only now, but until the day of Christ.  Such pure living will invariably result in the development of the fruit of righteousness, a process of character development made possible by the power of Jesus Christ working within those who follow him.  Lastly, Paul's chain of causation reaches its climax by proclaiming that such righteous living will bring forth praise and glory to God. 
In the end, Paul is praying that God will be praised because of the people of the church at Philippi, and he recognizes that the road to God's glory begins with the growth of love in his people.

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Sermon Video: Mary's Anointing of Jesus - John 12:1-8

As the time of Jesus' passion in Jerusalem nears, he visits friends in nearby Bethany: Lazarus, Martha, and Mary.  In the previous chapter, Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead, now he and his sisters hold a dinner in Jesus' honor.  During the dinner Mary takes it upon herself to show her gratitude and love for Jesus by pouring a very expensive perfume on his feet and wiping them with her hair.  This culturally risky decision is looked upon with derision by Jesus' disciples, but he chooses instead to praise Mary for her devotion.  Why?
The answer lies not in a practical consideration of her actions; the perfume was indeed very expensive and this action can hardly be called anything but extravagant.  Instead, Mary is commended for her willingness to go beyond the ordinary in order to worship Jesus.  Her financial sacrifice and her risk of public shame (for letting her hair down in public) have brought comfort to Jesus and "prepared" him for his upcoming burial. 
What value is this story to us?  Mary's example teaches us to allow ourselves to worship God from the heart, boldly pushing past cultural pressures to embrace the prompting of the Holy Spirit.  Whether that means a Catholic Mass, a Pentecostal shout of "Hallelujah” or something in between is up to you.  Those who would follow Jesus must not only live a life of service to others, but also raise up their hearts in praise regardless of the form it takes.  If Mary had listened to the voice of caution, or had worried about the cost, the opportunity to kiss the feet of the Son of God, her Messiah, would have been lost.  Don't miss your chance to follow her example and worship God with all your heart.


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Praise to God, gratitude to many others.

As he would have even if the answer from Franklin has been "no", God deserves my praise.  Job knew that the Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away; in my years of waiting the same lesson has been learned.  Not that my situation compares in any way to the suffering of Job.  I've had two jobs during this waiting period and a loving, if weary of waiting, wife at my side (instead of Job's less than helpful grief stricken wife).  In the end, God deserves praise because the will of the Lord is that we prosper and grow in our spiritual transformation process of becoming Christ-like.  For some, God blesses them to cause growth, for others, he sends trials and tribulations, and for a few, he simply tells them to wait.
Now that our prayers for direction have been answered (and a new avenue of prayer for this new ministry begins), Nicole and I have a mountain of thanks to spread out to our supporters that begins with our families, extends to our friends and my former church family at Galilee, and ends with my church family at Palo.  All have been what we needed from time to time.  Some have offered regular prayer, even on days that I found it hard to pray.  Some have offered words of encouragement, even on days when I felt stuck in a rut. 
From the beginning, the wonderful people at Palo have been understanding of my search process.  I came to them out of the blue, as it were, five years ago and grew to love the people, the old stone building, and the chance to preach God's Word each week.  I'll take with me my fond memories of Sunday school with Marjorie, Joy, Linda, and Jimmie; I'll chuckle at memories of Tony telling me whether or not a new iworship song was a keeper, and Wilma interrupting the service anytime she needed to let everyone know about the news from Camp Lake Louise.  I'll remember the quiet way in which Bruce was the board chairman, and the diligent way in which Sue kept the bulletin and newsletter in shape.  I'll miss Marion telling me thank you for helping her up off of the chair lift, and Sue's infectious enthusiasm for the school at Palo.  That's the tip of the iceberg.
Lastly, I need to thank my wife.  I promised her before we were married ten and a half years ago that I would support her and ease the burden she was lifting when I was able to secure a full-time job.  I imagined as a worse case scenario that it would take two years.  When I began teaching at Portland I thought it would only add a year to her wait, it ended up being nine.  There were plenty of times that all the words I had to offer her rang hollow, times that all I could do was hold her as she wept and express my regret.  What can a husband say when he sees his wife's health deteriorate through over-work and he is powerless to work more because the job offers aren't coming?  The one thing that I could say, the same thing I've told her every day of our marriage, I love you Nicole; always and forever.
Thank you Lord for answering our prayers, thank you all for helping lift them up to his throne, thank you Nicole for believing in me.

Sermon Video: "Praise the LORD" - Psalm 113

Why does the LORD deserve our praise?  What's so special about God?  This psalm reminds us that God is worthy of our praise because he chose to "stoop" down to our level in order to help the poor, need, and barren woman.  This attitude of God is ultimately on display when Christ becomes a man and takes on the nature of a servant in order to bring salvation to the world.

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