Sermon Video: A House Divided - Luke 11:14-26

As Jesus resume his journey toward Jerusalem for the final confrontation, he heals a man tormented by an evil spirit which had made him mute.  The miracle itself was no different than dozens of other miracles that Jesus had performed, and the healing no different than many, many others that Jesus had healed, but some in the crowd saw this not as the act of grace that it was, but as an insidious attempt by the devil to deceive the people of God.  The doubters in the audience accused Jesus of casting out demons under the authority of Beelzebub the prince of demons, in other words, they were calling Jesus a double-agent, saying that his acts of righteousness were in reality acts of deception.  That such an accusation, against Jesus of all people, is ludicrous doesn’t stop it from happening, just as the lack of evidence doesn’t stop some people from withholding vaccines from their kids.  This crazy situation is troubling, but it does provide Jesus with a chance to illustrate a principle that is applicable in nearly every human interaction and even within the life of every person: A house divided against itself will fall.

The universal principle given by Jesus has wide application, it applies to nations, too many of which are torn by civil strife, it applies to businesses, institutions, churches, families, and marriages.  We cannot long endure when were are fundamentally divided as a group of people.  This is a danger in secular situations just as it can be deadly to a church.  Because division is so dangerous, we ought always to be supporting reconciliation and healing, trying to hold together those who are in danger, and helping to pick up the pieces when splits do occur.  That this is a fundamental problem in the church and society as a whole is beyond doubt.  The divorce rate in America confirms our weakness on the issue of unity, as does the poor record of church splits.

Beyond the groupings of people in danger because of division, we must also be aware that individual people can be torn internally by conflicting goals, an unclear sense of purpose, or even simply a lack of commitment.  We cannot serve two masters, both will be disappointed in us, and we cannot avoid choosing which side we are on because we have already begun by being on the side at war with God, our only chance is to make peace with God through Jesus Christ.

Jesus ends his comments with two important additions to this principle: Those who aren’t with me are against me, and it will be worse for those who see the light but don’t change.  These two thoughts remind us that this is no game, God takes very seriously our choice to either continue as we are or repent and follow him, the good news is that when we do choose to join his side and help out in the work of the kingdom, we’ve chosen the side that has already been victorious in the battle, a battle won by Jesus on Easter morning.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Sermon Video

A message of salvation by grace through faith.

Nicole and I were in church today listening to a preacher utilize Ephesians 2:8-9 and John 3:16 to talk about how salvation cannot be merited, earned, or purchased in any way, but is entirely an act of grace by God.  He used the analogy of a lifeline thrown to a drowning victim whose only part in the process is holding on for dear life.  It was a message straight out of Martin Luther's sola fide, sola gratia, with the entire emphasis on what God has done through Christ to save a helpless humanity.
For those who don't believe in ecumenism, who disdain efforts among the splintered portion of the Church to work together, the source of this message won't make you happy, for those of us who work every day with our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ from different faith backgrounds to help those in need, it is further confirmation that we're on the right course.  The message was the homily of Msgr. Herbein, the priest of St. Patrick's Church down at the end of our block.  Msgr. Herbein is by no means a "radical" priest out of touch with the Catholic Church, rather he is simply one parish priest among many, reading the scriptures and speaking the truth they contain.  There's hope for healing within the body of Christ, we may be one Church in polity, that ship has likely sailed for good, but we can be one Church in spirit when the grace of God is preached and faith the people gathered in the house of God are pleaded with to accept it by faith.

A marriage built on ecumenical goodwill - Our marriage highlighted in local newspaper article.

I was asked by our local religion reporter for the combined newspaper, The Derrick & The News Herald, Curtis Hanna, if he could write a story about my marriage as a Baptist pastor to my wife Nicole, a devout Roman Catholic.  Because ecumenism is such a big part of my ministry here, I was happy to have this part of our life known.  The resulting story is linked in pdf form to this posting, thanks to all the people who have supported us over the years, and glory to God for his goodness to us.

Article page 1

Article page 2

Article page 3

Article page 4

I've written about my marriage to Nicole in lots of other posts, simply click on the tag "my wife Nicole" in the tag list at the right of the homepage of my blog to view them all.  I've also written often about the experience of this ministry, under the tag "being a pastor".

Sermon Video: Persistence in Prayer - Luke 11:5-13

Persistence is an interesting quality in people, it can be the making of our success, and it can be the cause of our destruction.  When persistence is combined with righteousness the result is saintly, when it is combined with vice, the result is grotesque.  In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus expounds upon his answer to the question from the disciples, “Lord, teach us to pray”, by talking to them about being persistent in prayer.  The Greek term used by Jesus could also be translated as: audacity, boldness, or even impudence.  The overall idea is that we must be actively seeking an answer from God to our prayers and never give up until we find it.  But what are we to be praying for?  What is the object and goal of our prayers?  To answer that question, Jesus first gives a parable illustrating the value of persistence, followed by the command to us that we are to ask, seek, and knock knowing that we will receive, find, and have the door opened for us.  Lastly, before answering the question of what it is we’re praying for, Jesus reminds us that even human fathers are wise enough, and good enough, despite the fallen state of humanity, to give their children good things that will benefit them.  If human fathers can do that much, imagine what our heavenly Father has in store for his adopted children.

                So, what is the object and goal of our prayers, that which Jesus has told us we will receive if we ask?  The Holy Spirit.  Jesus isn’t talking here about jobs, health concerns, money, family troubles, or even freedom or justice, all of which are legitimate things we need and the focus of many of our prayers.  The one thing that Jesus is telling us we must diligently seek from God in prayer, because by so doing we will find it, is the Holy Spirit.  Jesus isn’t talking about salvation, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is given eagerly by God to everyone who calls on the name of the Lord, and it is that single act of faith that makes God’s grace available to us as we become his adopted children.  Jesus is talking about the life-long process of transformation, we call it sanctification, which follows after our salvation with the goal of transforming us into the likeness of Jesus himself.  We will all one day be like him, in the life beyond this one, but for here and now we can become more like him each day as we purge ourselves of sin and embrace righteousness.  That process is a long and difficult one requiring an ongoing commitment and effort from us, enabled by God’s power working in us, and yes, supported by persistent prayer. 

                What will the answer to your prayer for healing be?  I don’t know, pray and trust in the will of God.  What will the answer to your prayer for that job you need?  I don’t know, pray, trust in God.  What will the answer to your prayer to be more like Jesus be?  God will hear you, he will answer you, and he will transform you if you are persistent, bold, audacious, and even impudent in continuing to ask it of him.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Sermon Video

Sermon Video: "Lord, teach us to pray" - Luke 11:1-4

There are a lot of different ways, it seems, to pray, and a lot of different things one can talk about while praying.  How then, are we to know how we ought to pray?  The disciples asked Jesus that exact question, after once again observing him at prayer, and were given a response similar to, but not the same as, the Lord’s Prayer.  The Lord’s Prayer, as it is commonly known, comes from Matthew 6 and was given by Jesus during the Sermon on the Mount.  This prayer template/example that Jesus shares privately with his disciples is a shorter and slightly different version of that famous prayer.

                What do we learn from the fact that Jesus answers with a similar but shorter and slightly different version of his most famous prayer when his disciples ask him how to pray?  The topics in both prayers highlight for us that there are small number of broad topics included in any prayer, regardless of occasion, and the differences between the two tell us that Jesus was not interested in locking his disciples into a specific, word for word, prayer that they need to repeat, but instead a template from which their own prayers could be created.  The three primary topics in the prayer are: The power/glory/dominion of God, the frailty of humanity (whether moral or physical), and the love/mercy of God in response.  These three topics cover pretty much any prayer that you or I would need to make.  Whether our prayers are public or private, out loud or only in our minds, we can always praise God for being God, ask God for help in our distress, and thank God for his loving kindness.

                The one thing that Jesus doesn’t do when asked by his disciples, “teach us to pray”, is to tell them specific things about when, where, or for how long, they ought to pray.  This isn’t a chore to be checked off of a daily list, but a conversation with our heavenly Father.  It ought to be regular, and it ought to be sufficient, but what that means will vary significantly from person to person and from time to time in our lives.  It doesn’t benefit Christians to compare their prayers habits because it only leads to pride for those who prayer more/longer, and to discouragement for those who pray less/shorter.  In the end, it is not quantity as much as quality that God desires, as we know from our own lives, a meaningful conversation is far more important than simple banter.

                The prayer example itself given by Jesus highlights our ability to call God, “Father”, our hope for his kingdom’s eventuality, our daily dependence upon him, our need for ongoing forgiveness from God to us, and from us to others, and our need for God’s guidance in our future.  These are all standard things that we ought to be focused upon as disciples of Jesus Christ.

                To those for whom the prayers of the Bible, like the 23^rd Psalm, or the dozens of prayers recorded by virtually all of the Bible’s main characters, feel especially poignant, go ahead and repeat them, utilizing the wisdom of others to aid your prayers, such prayers are recorded for a reason.  At the same time, don’t neglect to speak to God in your own words, drawing upon what is weighing upon your God, for God has gifted you too with the Holy Spirit, you can call him Father as you simply have a conversation with your Creator.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Sermon Video