Sermon Video: The Wisdom of Perseverance - James 1:1-8

The letter of James, written by the half-brother of Jesus by that name, contains a variety of advice/commands regarding practical morality for the disciples of Jesus.  It was written to Jewish Christians in the first century, but remains easily applicable to the Church today because of its focus on how Christians should live.  The first moral lesson from James involves perseverance.  He starts the ball rolling by telling us that we should consider our various trials and tribulations in life to be "pure joy", a tough pill to swallow until you read his rationale, because of their ability to help us cultivate the character quality of perseverance.  Once we have been tested by life, either by the wickedness down to us by other people, or simply by difficult life circumstances, we will realize that our faith is capable, thanks be to God, of withstanding such things.  We can stand in the midst of the storm and hold on to our faith as we continue to work toward reaching maturity as disciples.  Along with the need to develop perseverance, James reminds us that God is willing to give wisdom to those who ask it of him as long as they don't doubt.  Biblical wisdom is the ability to know the righteous path and the willingness to choose it, something we will certainly have need of in our quest to persevere despite the difficulties of life.  It isn't doubt in ourselves that James warns will derail us, nor doubt in the seemingly insurmountable obstacles we may face, but doubt in the goodness, holiness, or love of God.  As long as we maintain our trust that God is good, that his way is holy, and that his love for us is forever, we will be able to receive from God the wisdom that we need to continue to live righteously in this world, no matter what circumstances we face, even when they are "trials of many kinds."

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Batman v. Superman and the problem of evil

{No spoilers}  You might not expect a comic book movie to delve into one of mankind's oldest and most fundamental philosophical questions, but Batman v. Superman does just that by utilizing Lex Luthor to ask about how an all powerful and all good God can co-exist with evil/tragedy in our world.  In theology, we call this theodicy, or The Problem of Evil.  Evil, both human caused and natural (disasters/disease/death) does indeed exist, only a fool would try to call the inhumanity of man toward his fellow man anything but evil, and only someone who is heartless would not be troubled by the latest drought/plague/volcano, etc. to spread misery and destruction.  Lux Luthor, played by Jesse Eisenberg, shares his belief that God cannot be both all powerful and all good, a conclusion that apparently contributed to his path toward villainy, an assertion that is not met with a response, per se, by any of the movie's heroes apart from their subsequent self-sacrificial actions.  In the movie, Superman's motives and choices are called into question, because of his power, as characters wonder if Superman must save everyone who is in danger, and if he doesn't, is he responsible for that 'neglect'?  Bruce Wayne/Batman does indeed hold Superman at least partly responsible for the destruction caused in his efforts to fight evil {General Zod from the last Superman movie}.
So, what is the Christian response to the problem of evil?  There are three possible choices: (1) Emphasize the sovereignty of God, as typified by the book of Job, with a "who are you to question God?" response, (2) emphasize the freewill of humanity, as typified by the German philosopher Gottfried Leibniz, who maintained that this is the best of all possible worlds that God could have created because human freewill with its accompanying evil is better than a world of automatons, (3) or attempt to meld some combination of God's sovereignty and human freewill.
A foundational belief that is built into Christian theology, which also has a significant impact upon theodicy, is Original Sin.  The idea that the world was created without flaws, humanity included, but that both humanity and the world around us (i.e. disease, natural disasters, etc.) are consequences of humanity's rebellion against God.  The finale of Christian theology, the End Times, as expounded primarily in Revelation, also posits that God will do away with this world, making a new heaven and new earth, one that is free of these causes of pain and suffering, at the same time that he removes the stain of sin, for good, from humanity.
Another aspect of the Christian response to the problem of evil is to consider the relationship between God and humanity within the analogy of parenting.  God often refers to himself in parental terms.  We know full well the warping danger of withholding consequences from our children, some of whom would become spoiled brats given that level of intervention, others of which would be psychopaths.  God must allow humanity to taste the bitterness of rebellion, of independence from him, if only to allow us to learn the value of obedience.
In the end, the problem of evil isn't going away any more than evil itself.  It will still cause skeptics to doubt God, it will still trouble believers (as it should), but the ultimate answer remains the same: Choose to trust in the goodness of God.

Sermon Video: The living hope of the resurrection - I Peter 1:3-5

Hope is a necessity.  It may not sound as necessary as food and water, but we need hope.  The future is unknown, our own deaths are certain, where will we be without hope?  False hope abounds, where can we find true hope?  The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead offers humanity living hope.  Hope that will not disappoint, and hope that is connected by faith to the glories of heaven in the age to come.  Because we, as Christians, have this living hope in our lives, everything changes.  We no longer fear death, we can sacrifice today in service to God's kingdom, and we can share the joy we feel with those around us.

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Sermon Video: Why are we here? - I Peter 2:9-10

In this shorter Maundy Thursday message, the focus is on the use in the Bible, both OT Hebrew and NT Greek, of plural pronouns, a trend that we can miss in English because "you" is both singular and plural.  The point is simply this: God's plan has always been to redeem a people to be his own, not a bunch of individual persons.  We have to come to God by grace individually, but our growth, our sanctification, was always intended to be a community process.  We worship together, we pray together, we study the Word together, and we serve together.  Solo Christianity is not a real thing, we all need to be a part of His Church, connected by our common bond of faith, working for the same purpose, to share the love of God that is in Christ Jesus.

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Sermon Video: A Gentle King - Zechariah 9:9-10

What sort of leader do people want?  What personality and character best defines a leader?  Historically, famous leaders have been bold and decisive, often ruthless, in their pursuit of power, many of them men of war like Alexander the Great or Napoleon.  The empire they built were built by the sword, and as often as not crumbled soon after.  In contrast, how does Jesus choose to portray himself at his moment of triumph while he enters into Jerusalem?  Jesus follows the prophecy of the prophet Zechariah and enters the city as a gentle king, riding a young donkey.  Jesus rejected the role of the conquering hero, scoring the easy path of political revolution and religious reform, in order to accept the role that only he could play: savior of the world.

It was through an act of humble submission, to his Father's will, that Jesus went to the cross, and it was unprecedented courage and strength that held him there as he bore the weight of humanity's sins upon his shoulders.  The world may think it wants a leader who will fight for them, but our only hope is that we have a leader who was willing to die for us.

Our hope, as Christians, is never in political or military solutions, for those are only the surface, humanity's true problem is deeper, and beyond the power of any to solve but God alone.  Our hope is in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the gentle king and humble servant who alone can make men free.

Zechariah ends by talking about the future reign of the predicted king in peace.  Our world today is mired in conflict, violence is never absent, war is a permanent part of our experience.  Yet one day that will all change, the Son of God will return in glory, will put an end to the rebellion of Satan, and will rule in peace, a peace that will have no end.

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