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.

Sermon Video: Peter and the Gentiles, Part 2 - Acts 10:30-48

Whether it is among family, at work, or in the justice system or government, favoritism or partiality can be a huge problem.  The question that Peter answers, as he speaks to a crowd in the home of the Gentile Cornelius, is whether or not such a charge can be made against God as it often is against man.  Peter declares to this crowd of people who are earnestly seeking God, but are outside of the Covenant of Abraham, that he is absolutely certain that "God does not show favoritism".  How can this be when God has a Chosen People, a holy nation that has received the blessings of the Covenant?  The answer, although radical to mind of the Jewish nation, is that God is willing to accept all people who "fear him and do what is right."  Peter then proceeds to explain to the people that Jesus Christ has made this relationship with God possible through his death and resurrection.
The results of Peter's message are immediate and dramatic.  The Holy Spirit comes upon those listening and confirms without a doubt that God is indeed amongst these Gentiles who demonstrated their faith by gathering to hear the word of God from Peter.  Peter, along with the Jewish Christians who traveled with him from Joppa, can now see that the same Spirit of God has been poured out upon all who believe in Jesus, regardless of their past, race, or gender.  Is there any favoritism with God, no, he gives grace to us all if only we will accept it.

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

Sermon Video: Peter and the Gentiles, Part 1 - Acts 10:1-29

Have you ever wondered how wide or how deep God's mercy is?  Are there any sinners to vile to be saved?  Are there any sinners who fall outside of the scope of God's redemption?  In Acts, Luke answers the first question by showing the Saul of Tarsus could be redeemed even though his heart was full of murderous intent.  The second question is answered when God calls Peter to go to Caesarea and share the Gospel with a Roman centurion named Cornelius.
The choice of Cornelius was not one that Peter made himself; he was doing great work for God in Joppa when God sent him a perplexing dream about clean and unclean animals.  While Peter was trying to figure this vision out, wondering if God was being literal or metaphorical, messengers from Cornelius arrived to say that God had told Cornelius to send for Peter.  Wait a minute; God had spoken to a Roman soldier??  This is actually the third time in Luke's account (which includes his Gospel) that a Roman centurion has played a key role, the other two being the amazing faith of the centurion from Capernaum and the centurion's proclamation at the foot of the cross.  Now, God has once again found faith amongst the Gentiles by choosing this man, a man with a reputation of devotion to God and service for the poor, to be the recipient of Peter's first foray into sharing the Gospel outside of the Covenant people.
Cornelius sent for Peter without knowing what message he would bring, I'm not sure that Peter knew what he was going to say until he arrived at Cornelius' house.  The message that Peter had to share will be in part 2 of this message, but his conviction that he must share the Gospel with them was made perfectly clear when Peter entered Cornelius' house to discover a large crowd of friends and relatives that had all gathered to hear what this messenger from God had to say.
There can be no boundaries to the Gospel, there can be no man, woman, or child that is off the list of potential believers.  God's grace is deep enough, God's grace is wide enough to reach us all.

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

Can we get past the past?

I was working on my sermon for this week, from Acts 10:1-29, where God is in the process of convincing Peter that Gentiles deserve to hear the Gospel too.  Peter, and the rest of the Jewish-Christians of the Early Church, had a blind spot in their thinking that made Jesus' prediction that the Gospel must go to the ends of the earth hard to digest.  These sincere believers were victims, some through their own prejudices, some through simply living in an era where this was the prevailing thought, of the inability to see that God was planning on massively expanding his outreach effort.  God was ready to move forward, his people needed to be shown the Truth so that they would follow.
Earlier in the day I was taking a look at the extra verses in Daniel that are part of the Bible of Catholics and Orthodox, but not Protestant, Christians.  This split goes all the way back to Martin Luther and is now so caught up in our theological differences (especially over Purgatory) that it seems likely that Protestants will never see the value of the Apocrypha with clear eyes.  Are these writings on par with CS Lewis, useful but not Scripture, or are they ancient writing from Godly men that were considered part of Scripture for centuries that we've thrown out for the wrong reasons?  How can a Protestant hope to answer that question without getting mired in the theology that the Catholic Church has built upon these texts?  In case you're wondering, the Catholic Church has the same, "we do this because the Protestant do that" problem as we do, just in reverse.  I don't have any problem seeing us all as part of the family of God, I've known enough siblings who act this way.
The same sort of observation could be made in many of the translation issues, cultural issues, and theological issues that often are so intertwined with our own thoughts and preferences that we have our minds made up long before we weigh the evidence, or we only weigh the evidence that conforms with what we're hoping for.  Do we all do this, is it just the guys in the church across the street, or is that a problem here too?
In the end, are we any different than Peter?  We may look back at silly ol' Peter and thank God that we're not like him, we don't have blinders on, but are we just kidding ourselves?  What message is God trying to get through to us, what plan is he itching to set in motion, if only we would hear him and obey?

Sermon Video: The early ministry of Saul - Acts 9:23-31

Do thinks that start poorly, always end poorly?  In our lives, and throughout history, we see examples of things that didn't start well, but in the end were a success, the ministry of the newly converted Saul is no different.  Three years after his conversion, Saul is in Damascus, but he has somehow worn out his welcome with his fellow Jews who have now decided that they should kill him.  Saul manages to escape Damascus and flee to Jerusalem, but this isn't exactly a stellar start to the career of a man that God has designated as his "chosen instrument".  In Jerusalem things aren't any better, the disciples are afraid to meet with Saul because they can't be sure that his conversion is genuine and not a trick.  It appears as if Saul's second attempt to serve God will also end in failure.
At this moment of potential despair, a man steps in who will become a life-long friend and missions partner of Saul, Barnabas.  For reasons we aren't told, Barnabas decides to risk his own reputation by vouching for Saul.  Not only does Barnabas take Saul to the apostles, but he testifies on his behalf that his conversion and preaching in Damascus were genuine.  Thanks to Barnabas, Saul finds acceptance among the original disciples of Jesus, perhaps things are finally looking up for Saul.
After preaching in Jerusalem to the Grecian Jews, Saul once again faces death threats.  This is the second time he has tried to preach to his own people about Jesus, and the second time the response has been rejection of the message (by most) and a desire to kill the messenger.  Is the problem with the people Saul is witnessing to, or is the problem with Saul?  If violence follows you wherever you go, wouldn't you start to think that you might be taking it with you?
Unfortunately for Saul, the apostles have had enough of the violence associated with this fiery preacher and they send him back to his hometown of Tarsus.  The text of Acts seems to flow quickly, but much time will lapse before we see Saul again.  In fact, it will be nine years until Saul is once again asked by the apostles to be a part of their missions efforts, until then he's on his own.  There is, however, a word of encouragement in that message for Saul when it finally arrives because the messenger who will bring to Saul word of the work that needs to be done in Antioch will be none other than his friend Barnabas.

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