May 13, 2012

Acts 9:32-46

Happy Mothers’ Day!  See, I didn’t forget.  That’s one of the cardinal rules for clergy.  DO NOT FORGET MOTHERS’ DAY.  I mean, if a pastor forgets to include a prayer for mothers on Mothers’ Day…well, I’d rather not think about the consequences.

Mothers’ Day is important to mothers.  And I believe it should be.  Being a mother is very often a rather thankless task.  What do you suppose the ratio is of things moms do for their kids compared to the thanks they receive – about ten million to one?  There are the diapers changed and the dinners prepared and the messes cleaned.  There is the sweeping and the vacuuming and the toilet scrubbing.  There is the endless chasing: to the grocery store and to soccer practice and to the doctor.  There are baths given and hair brushed and lunches packed.  I would list all the things mothers do but I only have about fifteen minutes for my sermon.

Most of the time mothers do these things without much thanks or appreciation.  So, on Mothers’ Day people let their mothers know how much they love and appreciate them.  They say it to their mothers.  They write it in cards to their mothers.  “I love you Mom!”  (Or the fancier version written in scrolling script on the cover of the $5 Hallmark card, “Dearest Mother…” followed by a poem inside by Helen Steiner Rice.)

These expressions of love are good and they are important.  But, signing a card is not the totality of love.  Saying, “I love you” is not the totality of love.  Love is a much bigger thing.  And, as we will see this morning, it is something God Himself instills in us.

I.   He Provides Hearts That Love Others

If your life were summarized in one sentence, what would you like that sentence to say?  How about this: “In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha…who was always doing good and helping the poor” (v. 36).  Isn’t that lovely?  A person could do much worse than to have their life summarized by “doing good” and “helping the poor”.  We know very little about Tabitha but what we do know makes you want to meet her.  Doesn’t it?  Here was a woman who spent her time serving the needs of others.  Later we are told that she made clothing, no doubt for those who could not afford to buy their own.  Tabitha was a woman who loved others.

Notice that I did not say that Tabitha was a woman who felt bad about the plight of the others.  I did not say that Tabitha thought kind things about others.  I said she LOVED others.  I am sure Tabitha DID feel bad for the poor and think kind things about others.  But feelings and thoughts don’t help people who need help.  LOVE, true love, is what helps others because love is an action.  It doesn’t do a baby any good for its mother to say, “I love you,” and then leave it sitting in a dirty diaper.  Love changes the diaper.  And as nice as it is to tell your mother that you love her on Mothers’ Day, true love will also help her with the chores the next day.

St. John gave the best definition of love in our reading earlier.  Listen again, “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (I John 4:10).  The greatest act of love in the history of this world was when God sent his Son into this world to be sacrificed for the sins of all people.  Notice that God’s love was an ACTION.  He SENT his Son.  He sent his Son because it served our need.  He served our need even though we did not deserve His love.  THAT is what love is.  THAT is what love does.

Love changes dirty diapers.  Love makes dinner for the family.  Love says a kind word to a coworker who is going through a difficult time.  Love serves at a soup kitchen.  Love helps the kids with their homework.  Love helps an elderly neighbor with yard work.  Love sees a need and then serves that need.

And it is God who empowers us to love others.  Listen again to St. John, “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God” (I John 4:8).  The more we appreciate God’s love for us – His UNDESERVED love for us – the more willing we are to love others.  God’s love changes our hearts.  Instead of expecting others to serve US, we want to serve OTHERS.  Instead of serving others only when they deserve it, we serve others even though they DON’T deserve it.  Instead of ignoring the needs of others, we NOTICE their needs and ADDRESS those needs.

That’s what Tabitha did.  She knew God’s love for her and that love flowed out of her to others.  Remember, last week Jesus said, “I am the vine.  You are the branches.  If a man remains in me and I in him he will bear much fruit.”  That’s what was happening in Tabitha’s life.  God provided her with a heart that loved others.  That is why she was always doing good and helping the poor.

II.  He Provides Hands To Help Others

And then she got sick and died.  Isn’t that shocking?  Here was a woman – dearly loved by her community, doing good and helping the poor – and the Lord allowed her to die.  Why would the Lord allow such a thing?  Tabitha’s friends were so distressed that they took action.  Luke tells us, “…her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room. ³⁸ Lydda was near Joppa; so when the disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two men to him and urged him, ‘Please come at once!’ ³⁹ Peter went with them, and when he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that (she) had made while she was still with them” (vv. 37-39). 

You can sense the emotion of the scene, can’t you?  Tabitha was dearly beloved friend and fellow Christian.  She would be sorely missed.  Her friends wondered if perhaps, just maybe, Peter might be able to do something.  When Peter arrived they showed him the work she had done.  You can hear the urgency in their voices.  “Look Peter!  Look at how gifted she was and how hard she worked to help others!”

“Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, ‘Tabitha, get up.’ She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up. ⁴¹ He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called the believers and the widows and presented her to them alive. ⁴² This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord (vv. 40-42).

And so the mystery is solved.  Why would the Lord allow such a faithful and valuable member of the church die?  So that He could raise her from the dead and by demonstrating His power over death lead more people to faith in Christ.

And now Tabitha could continue to love those around her by serving their needs – all because the Lord allowed her to do so.  Do you see the point?  Without the Lord Tabitha could not have helped anyone in Joppa.  She would have been dead.  The Lord gave her both the desire in her heart and the physical ability to serve others.

He has done the same for you and me.  We talked earlier about how the Lord gives us hearts that can love others.  But never forget that it is also the Lord who gives us the physical ability to love others.  And that is no small thing.  It is something we too often take for granted.  As good as it is for us to be thankful for our mothers on Mothers’ Day, it is also good for mothers to be thankful for BEING mothers on Mothers’ Day.  Yes, it can be difficult being a mother.  Yes, it is hectic.  Yes, it is stressful.  Yes, it is exhausting.  And yes, it is a privilege.  When you change that diaper, thank the Lord you have hands to do so.  When you chase the kids around town, thank the Lord you have a vehicle in which to chase them around.  When you spend yet another night corralling them into the bathroom to brush their teeth and into the bedroom to go to bed, thank the Lord you have legs and arms and a voice with which to coral them.

This goes for all of us, whether we are mothers or not.  Thank the Lord for both the heart and the hands needed to love others, whether it is mowing the lawn or vacuuming the house or making dinner or helping someone stranded on the side of the road.  Wherever and whenever you put your love into action, thank the Lord who allows you to do so.   Amen.

Soli Deo Gloria

Please join us!

John 15:1-8

Many people in this world, including many Christians, have an unfortunate misunderstanding about the Bible. They believe that the Bible is simply a book of rules. “Do this.” “Don’t do that.” Then they view this set of rules in one of two ways. Some imagine that they are like the list of rules posted in the front the classroom in school. “If you don’t keep quiet you will not be allowed to go out for recess!” Simply threats to keep you in line. Others imagine that the Bible’s rules are like a self-help book. “Follow steps 1-10 and you will be successful.”

Neither of these views is accurate. The Bible is not simply a set of rules. It does, of course, tell us how God wants us to live. But, the reason God tells us how He wants us to live is because He knows what is best for us. And He knows what is best for us because He knows how this world works.
Think of it this way: when parents encourage their teenagers to study for school, when they tell their teenagers not to put provocative pictures of themselves on their Facebook account, when they tell their teenagers not to take illegal drugs, they are telling their teenagers these things because they know what is best for them. And they know what is best for them because they know how this world works. They are not simply setting up a list of rules. They are saying, “If you don’t get good grades you will have a harder time getting a good job. That’s just the way it is. If you put provocative pictures of yourself on your Facebook account, it could come back to haunt you years from now. That’s just the way it is. If you get involved in drugs you are going to hurt yourself and your future. That’s just the way it is.”
This is what God is doing in the Bible. He is telling us the way it is. He is telling us the way the world works. This morning Jesus is going to lovingly tell us the way it is as He pleads with us to “Stay Connected to the True Vine.”

I. So You May Bear Good Fruit

“The simple fact of the matter,” says Jesus, “Is that, in order for you to be what you were made to be, in order for you to have a full and fulfilling life – you must be connected to me. You were made to have an intimate, loving relationship with your Maker and I am the only One who can connect you to Him. The closer you are to Me the more your life will be the way it is supposed to be. That’s just the way it is.”
The devil, of course, insists that the exact opposite is true. Way back in the Garden of Eden the devil convinced Adam and Eve that what God wanted for them was keeping them from living life to its fullest. He does the same to us. He promotes this idea that the Bible is a list of rules that will keep us from the fun and fulfillment we deserve. “God doesn’t really care about you,” the devil assures us. “He’s just a mean, cranky old man with nothing better to do than boss you around.”
Jesus knows all too well how powerful this lie of the devil is. That is why He is pleading with us this morning, “Don’t listen to it! I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (vv. 5). Jesus is the only source of true, spiritual, eternal life. No one can be connected to God unless they are connected to Jesus.
Some people will say this is arrogant and exclusive. “How dare you say there is only one way to God!” I’m not saying it. Jesus is. And it is not arrogant. It is accurate. Jesus is just telling it like it is. When you buy an iPad the salesperson tells you how often it needs to be plugged in for the battery to stay charged. You wouldn’t say, “How dare you tell me what to do with my iPad!” The salesman isn’t
ordering you around. He is just telling you the way it is. If you don’t recharge your iPad the battery will die. That’s just the way it is.

And if you don’t recharge your soul it will die. Jesus says, “ If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned” (v. 6). You can hear the loving plea in Jesus’ words, can’t you? He says, “I want to spend eternity with you. But if you separate yourself from me your soul is going to whither and die. The further you are from Me the less you will want to be with Me. Eventually, you won’t want to be with Me at all. And you will spend your time here on earth and your eternity without Me.”
“Yes! Yes, that’s what you want!” Shouts the devil. “Get AWAY from Him and all His rules and restrictions and old-fashioned, backwards thinking. You will be much better off without Him!”
Don’t listen to that liar! Stay connected to the True Vine! Stay connected to Jesus. The devil knows all too well that Jesus is the only One who can connect you to God because only the blood of Jesus washes away the sin that separates you from God. And the devil knows all too well that when you stay connected to Jesus you will bear much fruit. That is His promise. That’s just the way it is. If a branch is connected to a strong, healthy grapevine it will bear good, abundant grapes. If a person is connected to Christ he or she will bear good, abundant spiritual fruit.
What kind of fruit is Jesus talking about? Well, St. Paul helps us understand in the book of Galatians, “…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). Doesn’t that sound wonderful? Of course it does. Because that is how we were made to be. Our souls yearn for love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. But our sins ruin it all. We make a mess of things. And we make ourselves miserable because of it.
When we imagine heaven I think we often believe it will be wonderful because none of the bad things around us will be there. And it’s true. There will be no war or crime or catastrophe. Things around us will be very different. But, don’t forget, WE will be very different. Much of our misery in this life is our own doing. We make ourselves miserable with our impatience and anger and bitterness and worry and lack of self-control. Jesus is saying that the closer we are to Him the less we will be like that. And the less we are like that the greater foretaste of heaven we will have, even here in this life.

II. By Staying Connected to His Word

There is still one question that needs answering. How do we stay connected to Jesus? Do we climb a mountain to find Him or wear a cross around our neck? No, Jesus told His disciples, “You are already clean because of THE WORD I have spoken to you” (v. 3). And in verse 7, “If you remain in me and MY WORDS remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.” We stay connected to Jesus by being connected to His Word.
Why do you suppose pastors are always telling their people to attend church and bible class and read their Bibles at home? If you are cynical you might say that pastors do this because they get and ego boost when attendance is high at worship and bible class. And I won’t deny that it is exciting and makes a pastor feel good when there is a packed church or classroom. But, pastors who are sincere encourage their people to be in worship and bible class because pastors know what Jesus promised in John 15. When people are connected to the Word of God they have more love and joy and peace and patience and kindness. Their home lives are better. Their work lives are better. Their church lives are better. Pastors want their people in the pew and in the classroom and in their Bibles at home because pastors love their people. But even more importantly, of course, Jesus loves His people. That is why He is here with us this morning and encouraging us with His Word to stay connected to Him.

They say that in this world it all depends upon who you know. I suppose that is often true. If you know the right person you could get invited to the White House for dinner. If you know the right person you could sit in a skybox at the Redskins’ game. If you know the right person you could get backstage at the concert. It depends upon who you know. You need the right connections.
Never is this more true than when it comes to our relationship with the Almighty. You have to know the right person. Thank God that you do. I mean it. In your prayers this week, in your private moments with God, thank Him that you are connected to Jesus Christ. And never, ever give that up. Stay connected. May God grant it to all of us. Amen.

AND

on Tuesday, April 24th in the Conference Room

Pastor Roecker

Sermon for Easter 2012

I Corinthians 15:19-26 

There are only two possibilities about what is happening here this morning.  Either we are doing the most reasonable thing possible or this is the most ridiculous waste of time imaginable.  That’s it.  There are no other possibilities.  If the man named Jesus Christ – the preacher from Galilee who lived and died nearly two thousand years ago – if He was laid in a grave after His crucifixion AND STAYED THERE…then we are wasting our time here today.  AND…we look ridiculous doing it. 

I.   If Christ Has Not Been Raised…

Think for a moment about what we are doing here today.  We have shouted, “Christ is risen!”  We have sung hymns that say things like, “Christ the Lord is risen today!”  And, to top it all off, we have prayed to a first century Jewish preacher from Galilee.  If His bones are still in a cave somewhere near Jerusalem, what could be more ridiculous!?  If Christ has not been raised, we might as well be singing about and praying to a big, fluffy bunny this morning.

But, it is even worse than that.  We do this EVERY SINGLE SUNDAY!  We get out of a warm, comfy bed, get all dressed up, get the kids ready, drive to church (some of you drive an hour each way), and then sing to Jesus and pray to Jesus and listen to some guy talk about Jesus.  Some of you even spend an extra hour every Sunday, learning more about Jesus in bible class.  If Christ has not been raised, what a colossal waste of time!

But, it is even worse than that!  We spend a tremendous amount of time serving in this place.  We do yard work outside and clean inside and teach Sunday school and lead youth groups and prepare service folders and practice playing music and singing in the choir.  We hide Easter Eggs and make Easter breakfast.  There are plenty of other things we could be doing with all of that time.  But we choose to spend it here.  Not only do we spend some of our valuable TIME here, we even place some of our hard-earned CASH in the offering plate.  We do this because we believe that our offerings of time and money will support the spreading of the good news about Jesus and the promise of eternal life.  But if He has not been raised…what a tragic waste of time and money!

But, it is even worse than that!  This is not the only place Christians focus on Christ.  He is the focus of our entire lives!  We talk about Him in the car.  We read about Him during in our home devotions.  We pray to Him – multiple times most days.  We strive to conform our lives to His will, to follow in His footsteps.  We allow ourselves to be persecuted and picked on and marginalized and mistreated because we confess Christ.  And if Christ has not been raised it is all…for…nothing.

But, it is even worse than that!  As tragic as would be to spend our lives singing to and praying to and living for a dead man, it would be even more tragic if we died believing that a dead man is going to give us eternal life.  A dead man couldn’t make you a cup of coffee much less bring you back to life after you have died.  If Jesus Christ is still in His grave then you and I have no more hope of eternal life than the person who does not believe in Him or sing to Him or pray to Him or live for Him.  If Christ is still in the grave then we are all going to end up in the same place when we die and the only difference will be that those who did not believe in Him won’t have wasted all that time and money and energy following Him.

Which is why St. Paul wrote, “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men” (v. 19).  I said earlier that there are only two possibilities about what is going on here today – either we are doing the most reasonable thing possible or this is the most ridiculous waste of time imaginable.  If Christ has not been raised then this is the most ridiculous waste of time imaginable.

II.  Since Christ Has Been Raised…

BUT…“ Christ has indeed been raised from the dead” (v. 20)!  He DID come out of that tomb!  He IS alive!  Mary Magdalene saw Him alive.  Peter saw Him alive.  His disciples saw Him alive – on multiple occasions.  He appeared alive to more than five hundred people on one occasion.  He is the only person in the history of our world who predicted that He would come back from the dead and then did – and had plenty of witnesses.  The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is no mere fantasy or pious wish.  It is historical reality.

And this reality makes all the difference.  It turns the tables, so to speak. It means that what we are doing here today is the most reasonable thing possible.  Think for a moment about what we have done here today.  We have shouted, “Christ is risen!”  We have sung hymns that say things like, “Christ the Lord is risen today!”  And we have prayed to that Jewish preacher from Galilee.  Of course we have!  What else would we be doing on the anniversary of His return to life?  It makes perfect sense.

And there is more.  We do this EVERY SINGLE SUNDAY!  Of course we do!  What else would we want to be doing?  We want to praise Him and pray to Him and hear about Him.  It makes perfect sense.

And there is more.  Because Jesus has been raised from the dead we spend a tremendous amount of time serving in this place – cleaning and teaching and practicing.  Because He has been raised we place some of our hard-earned CASH in the offering plate.  We do these things because we believe that our offerings of time and money will support the spreading of the good news about Jesus and the promise of eternal life.  Of course we do!  What better use of our time and resources could there be than to help more people discover that they can live forever too?  It makes perfect sense.

And there is more.  Christ’s resurrection impacts our entire lives.  We talk about Him in the car.  We read about Him during our home devotions.  We pray to Him.  We strive to conform our lives to His will, to follow in His footsteps.  We allow ourselves to be persecuted and picked on and marginalized and mistreated because we confess Christ.  Of course we do!  Without Him we have nothing and with Him we have everything.  So, of course we are going to follow His will for our lives and of course we are going to confess Him no matter what the consequences.  It makes perfect sense.

And there is more.  We do not have hope in Christ only for this life.  The resurrection of Jesus Christ gives us hope for the next life.  And here we really ought to pause and ponder that reality.  They say that there are only two things we can be sure of in this life: death and taxes.  I don’t know about taxes but I do know that we can be sure of death.  It is coming for every single one of us in this room today.  We can ignore it for a while if we like – but not forever.  Eventually we will have to face it.  Death may come after we have lived a long life and our bodies are worn out.  Or, death may come suddenly.  Our heart could stop beating any day.  Or an F18 fighter jet could crash into our house.  None of us celebrating Easter here today knows we will be celebrating Easter here a year from today.  Whether sooner or later, death is a reality for all of us.

But, we can be as sure of eternal life as we are of death.  St. Paul put it this way, “For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.  For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive” (vv. 21-22).  The God of this universe has set up a simple equation – one man brought sin and death into this world, another man brought forgiveness and eternal life to this world.  What a difference Easter makes!

We live in a world filled with amazing claims.  Follow this diet or take this pill or drink this tea and you will lose twenty pounds in a week!  Wear this cologne and you will be chased by every beautiful model for miles around!  And there seem to be no end of books promising ten easy steps to nearly everything.  So many promises about so many things that will make a difference in your life.  Very, very few will.  But Easter does.  He is risen!  He is risen indeed!  And THAT makes all the difference!  Amen.

Soli Deo Gloria