Prostitutes are people too

What are weird title for a post; the thought occurred to me because I was reading a novel where a spoiled rich youth in Victorian England had learned to his own discomfort that the prostitutes he frequented were women making desperate choices (in order to have food to eat, a place to live), whereas he had spent his whole life not having to worry about anything.  His private frivolity was their very public humiliation, and when he realized the truth of the matter his eyes were opened up to all new observations about poverty and crime.  It reminds me also of  story I read in the paper recently that chills the heart about the child sex slave trade in South East Asia.  These children, likewise, have not chosen to live such a life, they literally have no choice...In the end, such things should remind us that our own default judgemental superiority for those less fortunate is a very dangerous thing.  It allows us to separate the world into categories of "us" and "them" that are in direct conflict with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  It was no accident that Jesus spent much of his time ministering to and witnessing to prostitutes and tax collectors.  He was mocked and criticized (Mt. 11:19) by the "righteous" people of his day who felt no such need to try to save the sort of people to whom Jesus' message of God's love and forgiveness appealed. 
Which group are we in?  The one that Jesus belongs to which considers all men, women, and children to be God's own, that puts compassion before judgmentalism and holds out a hand in hope; or, are we members of the group the Pharisees belonged to that is content to work with our kind of people and forget that there is a dark side to this world that we live in where people make choices far less free than our own?
What were Jesus' words to the woman caught in adultery when the Pharisees brought her hoping for a stoning?  "Go now and leave your life of sin." (John 8:11)  When confronted with the wickedness of the rich, Jesus reacted with anger, when confronted with the wickedness of the poor and wretched, Jesus reacted with compassion.  There's a lesson to be learned there.

Sermon Video: "Devote yourselves to prayer" Colossians 4:2-4

What things are you devoted to in life?  What are your priorities and passions?  Paul explains that the Christian should always answer prayer as one of his/her answers to those questions.  Not only is prayer important for the individual, it is also a key element of community worship and helps build bonds between believers in Jesus.  Finally, Paul stresses the need for prayer in the spread of the Gospel message where doors need to be opened to give grace a chance.

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

Some hurts can't be healed

"The realm of Sauron is ended!"  said Gandalf, "The Ring-bearer has fulfilled his Quest."  I just reread that portion of Tolkien's The Return of the King (For the 15th time?  Maybe, I know I've read the series at least that many times; it is, afterall, my favorite.) today.  In the book, a great evil is removed from the world with Frodo's victory over Sauron.  Sauron hopes to enslave the world in his lust for power but is done in by a humble hobbit who has no desire to lord anything over anybody.  That moral lesson is itself a profound one for Tolkien, but another emerges as you read the last few chapters of the book.  Over time, it becomes clear that all of the hurts caused by Sauron, and others, cannot be healed.  Some of the wounds are too deep, some must be lived with even when evil has been defeated.  Tolkien's brilliant novels are a work of homage to those who risk everything in service to a greater good and whose sacrifices he witnessed first-hand in life on the Western Front in WWI.  His service in war taught Tolkien that evil cannot be wholly removed from our world.  The "war to end all wars" only put a stop to war long enough for a new generation to grow in its shadow and start a new bloodier war.  For many veterans, Tolkien's words hit especially close to home.  They may have returned "whole", or nearly so, from war, but a part of them has been forever left behind with the brothers in arms they lost and the horrors they witnessed.
In the end, Tolkien's hero Frodo, and his trusty servant Sam are permitted to sail over the sea to the Undying Lands where they can find rest and peace at last.  In our world, we can offer comfort to those who mourn, honor to those who have sacrificed, and gratitude to those who have served, but we cannot heal all wounds.  It is beyond our power to do so. 
Is there hope, for healing in the end?  How can troubled souls find peace?
"Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them.  They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.  He will wipe every tear from their eyes.  There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."  - Revelation 21:3-4
There is hope, there will be peace, and sorrow will be turned to joy when one day we all stand in the presence of our savior and feel the warmth of the embrace of God's own Son.

Sermon Video: "I am the way and the truth and the life" John 14:6

"How do I get to heaven?"  What is the answer to that question?  Is it a place, a thing, or an idea?  Jesus tells his disciples that the answer to that question is a person.  Jesus himself is the way to heaven, he is the truth that we long for, and he is the life that our hope is in beyond the grave.  Are there any other options?  No, as Jesus makes clear, nobody is getting to the Father except through him.

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

You have to do more.

The philosopher Edmund Burke wrote, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing".  It seems that in all of the explosion of coverage about Penn State this sentiment hits the nail right on the head.  Evil doesn't take vacations, evil doesn't call in sick, evil doesn't turn a blind eye when good is at work.  We live in a world where the lines of obligation have been blurred, where strangers can walk by a child dying in the streets and do nothing (as happened recently in China).  You may think that this is a testament to the downfall of modern man, but remind yourself that Jesus spoke the parable of the Good Samaritan with this same theme in mind.  In the parable (Luke 10:25-37), Jesus warns against those who feel that only a select part of humanity is their neighbor.  He reminds us that we all are created in the image of our Father, and therefore it doesn't matter who is in need or in trouble, our obligation remains the same.  We must act.  We must do whatever we can to safeguard the weak, to protect the innocent, and yes, to save children from those who would prey on them.
It isn't a choice we have, it is a moral obligation.  One of the students protesting the decision to fire Paterno mentioned that she was aware that he had violated "morality or whatever", but she didn't see what the big deal about that was.  Why let something as uminportant as morality get in the way of football.  There is money to be made, fans to satisfy, and entertainment to be produced.  Why would anyone object on moral grounds?  Sad, but true, and very un-Biblical.  The reason we have a faith that can save us from our sins is because Jesus considered us all worth saving.  We hadn't done anything to warrant God's love, in fact we were in rebellion against him, but Jesus came just the same.
In the end, you have to do more.  I don't care about the legal obligations, they always fall short of our duty to others.  I do care very much about our moral obligations.  Everyone is your neighbor.  Any child in danger is your business.  You have to do more.