An Extravagant Gift

John 12:1-8

We’re taking a brief detour into the Gospel of John today.  For those who are not aware I’m simply following daily readings from the Revised Common Lectionary.  Have you ever been on the receiving end of a major, extravagant and unexpected gift?  If you have, how it makes you feel is almost too hard to put into words.  You’re sort of just blown away.  I’ll never forget the day I graduated from college.  It was a great day.  I did the walk, got the diploma, and exchanged lots of hugs with friends I had been developing over the past four years.  Of course my parents were there too enjoying the whole celebration.  Caught off guard would be an understatement to describe my feelings when we went out to the parking lot for my parents to go home.  I noticed they had two cars instead of one.  Being a little slow on the uptake I asked my dad why they drove two cars up.  To which he responded “happy graduation son.” 

I was the proud new owner of a 1981 Ford Tempo.  It had plenty of miles on it already, but it was in good running condition, and the best part was a kickin aftermarket stereo system.  Finally those woofers and tweeters would be put to good use.  That was my first car.  I was one of those lucky ones who managed to go through all of college without owning a car.  I rarely even brought up the possibility of a car to my parents because I just didn’t think it was something they could afford, and all my summer work money went towards my tuition.  I was blown away by that gift.  I felt like my parents were exceptionally generous in giving it. 

Our passage today is another example of extreme generosity and extravagant gift giving as we hear about Mary anointing Jesus with perfume.  In so doing she was showing her adoration and devotion to her Savior.  Contrary to what Judas was saying, this was no waste at all.  Like saving a high quality expensive bottle of wine for a special occasion, in a way Mary was doing the same thing.  Just 6 days from that point Jesus would commence His journey toward the cross.  In a servant-like posture Mary gave her gift to Jesus pouring expensive Nard on His feet.  It was an extravagant gesture fitting for our Savior. 

Like Judas (although his motives were certainly not pure) some people get bogged down in thinking it was wasteful and could have been put to better use for the poor.  But the thing to remember is it’s not an “either or” kind of situation.  Mary could very well go out and help the poor the very next day and do it in Jesus name, but that day, her gift to Christ was honored.  The same is true for us.  We should be doing things to help the poor on a regular basis.  In our church we take four special offerings each year that go to missions, disaster relief, and local charities to name a few.  We also regularly donate to our local food pantry and we also give out gas and grocery cards to those in need in our community.  In these ways and others we help the poor on a regular basis.  We also will someday soon need to buy new chairs for our sanctuary, and replace our roof and air conditioning system.  And we will do all that in addition to the things we are doing to help the poor. Good stewardship of our resources doesn’t’ focus on one or the other; it focuses on both.

I encourage you to find a way you can follow Mary’s example and be an extravagant gift giver, and I also encourage you to find ways to help the poor.  I’ve discovered one way to do both.  We’ve been encouraged lately to bring coffee to our local food pantry because it’s more of a special item they don’t often get.  So that’s what I’ve been doing; but instead of picking up a pound of Folgers I like to grab a bag of Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts.  I figure I wouldn’t be all that thrilled about the cheap coffee so why would anyone else?  It’s a small example I know, but it makes me happy to buy a nice bag of coffee to give away.  What can you do?

Prayer

Dear Lord I thank you for the wonderful example of devotion and worship you’ve given us through Mary.  Help us to represent You as extravagant gift givers to a world in need.  Amen.        

Who's Your Master?

Luke 16

There Jesus goes talking about money again.  He sure makes things personal sometimes doesn’t He?  Allow me to skip past the parable of the dishonest manager and get straight to verse 13.  No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve God and money.  Notice how it says cannot as opposed to should not.  In other words serving both God and money is not even an option.  It’s an impossibility.  As a disciple of Jesus you have to make a choice.  Either Jesus is God or money is God.  This gives weight to the potential money can have as an idolatrous place in our lives.

I can sum up how not to commit idolatry with our money in one word; tithe.  For those reading who may not be familiar with the concept of a tithe it’s simply giving 10% of your income back to the church and the work of God’s Kingdom.  When you tithe you are supposed to give that ten percent right up front as opposed to giving what’s left over.  Of course if you wait to give what’s left over you probably won’t have a full ten percent available.  When I tithe it’s a way of acknowledging all that I have is Gods, and I’m giving ten percent back to him as an act of worship and thankfulness.  For some of you tithing ten percent may seem impossible because your finances are way too tight.  If that’s the case then I recommend regular percentage giving.  Find a percentage that hurts a little and tests your faith by giving it regularly off the top of your paycheck before you pay any other bills.  If you do it I know you’ll be blessed.  Even if you are not a church goer, and you’re not so sure about this whole Christianity thing, my recommendation for you is to find a charity you like and start giving regularly to it.  It helps to get your priorities straight when it comes to money. 

Tithing is fresh on my mind today because I just finished adding up our charitable giving for 2012 (April 15^th will be here before we know it).  Between tithing to our church and a number of other missions and charitable organizations that we regularly give to I get caught off guard by the amount of our total giving.  I hope that doesn’t sound like bragging.  I’m sure there are plenty of people who give a higher percentage of their income than we do.  My point is, I see that number and it makes me thankful for God’s provisions and blessings in my life, and it makes me excited to keep on giving.    

Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father I thank you for all Your provisions; for food on the table, for a warm home, for jobs, for family, for everything.  Help me to remember that all good things come from You, and to keep on giving joyfully and sacrificially, knowing the ultimate sacrifice of Your Son Jesus Christ on my behalf.  Amen.

The Heavens Rejoice

Luke 15

It’s important for us to remember why Jesus told the three parables in chapter 15.  He was hanging out with those tax collectors and sinners again.  It’s always funny to me how the Pharisees would refer to the sinners.  Like they aren’t sinners too.  But these were the people who were perhaps more known for their sin. That’s why tax collectors are also included, because they were so notorious for extorting money.  So whether it’s the tax collectors or the rest of the sinners, just think of a group of people with reputations for their sinful ways.   The sins more associated with the dregs of society rather than the sins of the religious elite.  And to sit down at a table and eat with such people was to indicate acceptance.

Jesus goes on to tell not one but 3 parables to make his point.  The most well-known being the prodigal son, which I’ve already written on, but we still have the parable of the lost sheep and the lost coin.  These two parables express the immense joy of finding the lost sheep or coin, and compares that to the joy there is when a sinner repents.  That sinner once was lost, but now is found, and the heavenly realms rejoice.  Perhaps for those of you who can point to a particular moment when you gave your life to Christ, you may remember someone explaining to you how the angels were rejoicing over the decision you made.  This is where that comes from, when we see the angels rejoicing over the sinner who repents.  These two parables tend to focus a bit more on heavenly angelic rejoicing, while the parable of the Prodigal Son focuses on the attitude of God himself.  One thing is for sure.  They are all about God’s grace and love for the lost. 

There’s a story that speaks of a conference on comparative religions; experts from around the world debated, what, if any, belief was unique to the Christian faith. The debate went on for some time until C.S. Lewis wandered into the room. “What’s the rumpus about?” he asked, and heard in reply that his colleagues were discussing Christianity’s unique contribution among world religions.  Lewis responded, “Oh, that’s easy. It’s grace.”  The people at the conference had to agree. The idea of God’s love coming to us free of charge, no strings attached, seems to go against every instinct we have.  The Buddhist eight-fold path, the Hindu doctrine of karma, the Jewish covenant, and Muslim code of law, all of these offer a way to earn approval. Only Christianity shows us that God’s love is unconditional!

Prayer

Dear Lord, I thank you for Your unconditional love and Your boundless grace.  I’m thankful for Your forgiveness, and I’m blown away by the thought of Your joy and the angels rejoicing when I came to saving faith in You.  Thank you Lord that I will never be lost again.  Amen.

Counting the Cost

Luke 14

I have to admit it.  Sometimes I read the words of Jesus, and I think to myself this doesn’t sound like a whole lot of fun; verses 25 – 33 on the cost of discipleship is one of those times.  The term discipleship refers to being a lifelong follower, pupil, or learner.  In terms of following Jesus as a disciple it means we pattern our life after His.  We say yes to Jesus and no to anything outside His teachings.  We say “oh that’s what you say about relationships, than I’m going to do that.  That’s what you teach about forgiveness, than I’m going to forgive that way.  That’s what you say about finances, than that’s how I’m going to handle my money.”  It’s all in.  In today’s passage Jesus tells us to count the cost.  To know what it is we are getting into.  

In Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s “The Cost of Discipleship” one of his most famous lines is When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die.  It’s typically not a literal death, it’s a death to self.  It’s about saying I’m no longer going to do things my way, I’m doing things His way.  And there’s always a cost.  For us in America it could have to do with friendships or reputation, or maybe some might lose their job or not get a job in the first place because of their faith.  In other parts of the world the cost can be far greater.

Depending on which translation you’re reading it may have also said you have to hate your family to be Christ’s disciple.  A more accurate reading would be that you must love your family less than Christ.  I try to keep my life priorities in the following order; God, family, and work.  Seeing how my work is being a Pastor which has a thing or two to do with God, and my family is deeply involved in our church, those lines of priority can sometimes get blurred. But I think you get what I mean.  If God is not first then all the rest starts to fall apart.  Being a disciple and counting the cost is not always easy, but it’s big time worth it.  It’s ultimately what leads to the abundant life Jesus has promised through Him.  Or as Bonhoeffer put it, “it gives a man the only true life.”  

Prayer

Dear God help me to love you first and to love you most.  Amen.

Enjoy Yourself and Enjoy your Lord on the Sabbath

Luke 13

Do you ever find yourself pumping your fists as you read God’s Word?  I know, I’m a little strange, I get that.  But you have to admit verse 17 is a pretty exciting verse.  As he said these things, all his adversaries were put to shame, and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him.  Game, set, match.  Jesus had just put the ruler of the synagogue and other present adversaries in their place as it pertains to healing on the Sabbath.  Another time when dealing with critics on the same issue he would say “man was not made for the Sabbath, but the Sabbath for man.”  He was telling them we need to be done with all the crazy rules and regulations surrounding the Sabbath.  We should still treat it as a day of rest and worship, but we don’t have to be so legalistic about it.  If someone needed healing on the Sabbath then it was a pretty good idea for Jesus to heal them. 

What do you like to do on the Sabbath?  I’m a pretty big fan of the Sunday afternoon nap.  I watch a lot of the first half of ball games, and I miss a lot of 2^nd halfs.  Some people like to get outside and work in their yards or gardens.  If that brings them a level of relaxation, then I say more power to them.  If you’re not in the practice of observing the Sabbath, then I think you’re missing the boat big time.  We all need to recharge.  It certainly doesn’t have to be a Sunday.  As a Pastor a good chunk of my Sunday is not a Sabbath, and you may have to work on Sundays too.  The important thing is to take time weekly for rest and worship. I also think we should have daily Sabbaths; maybe 15 minutes of rest and meditation on the Lord.  Be careful about doing it after lunch though or your 15 minutes could turn into something a lot longer (not like that has ever happened to me).  We should have monthly Sabbaths with a couple days off in a row, and yearly Sabbaths where we get away for legitimate restful vacations (i.e. not Disney World with young children).  This concept of practicing a Sabbath really does make us more productive the rest of the time.  If we’re remembering the intentional worship part it also draws us closer to God. It was God himself who gave us the Sabbath model, creating the world in six days and resting on the 7^th.  If it’s good enough for Him, it should be good enough for you.

Prayer

Lord I thank you for Your good example of work and rest.  May all I do be an act of worship to You; working hard, playing hard, and resting well.  Amen.

Spiderman and End Times

Luke 12:35-59

When speaking of when our Lord will come again my old pastor always used to say “it’s closer today than it’s ever been.”  How true, and with each passing day it gets that much closer.  There’s a lot in our passage today about being ready for His return.  That’s really what all that talk about servants and masters and coming home from wedding feasts is all about.  We don’t know when it will be, but scripture speaks of Christ glorious return to take His people home to His heavenly kingdom that He’s been preparing.  And this time it won’t be as a humble lowly babe in a manger.  He’ll be on a horse with a sword as the reigning King of kings and Lord of lords.  So what about you?  Are you ready for His return?  Will you be awake?  Jesus gives us an image of not sleeping and being awake, dressed, and ready.  I know I want to be ready.  I don’t want to be living a lukewarm half asleep life for my Lord when He returns.  As a matter a fact, I want to be the one of whom the Spiderman reference is given in verse 48.  To whom much is given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand more.  You have to admit that sounds an awful lot like Uncle Ben’s words to Peter Parker, with great power comes great responsibility.  Like Spidey, we have been given a great power too.  Ours is from the Holy Spirit (2^nd Timothy 1:7) If you love God, don’t you want use His power to do all you can for Him in your short time here on this earth?  Don’t you want to be entrusted with much, so you can do that much more for Him? 

Prayer

Dear Lord, I thank you that as Your word says, I have not been given a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, and of love, and of self-control.  Lord, help me to be vigilant and awake, and to use Your Spirit’s power to serve you well and love others in Your name until we meet face to face.  Amen.

It's Good to be Found

Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

When we hear about the older brother at the end of this parable I suppose we could respond in one of two ways.  We might be put off by the older brother, understanding God’s forgiveness and grace, or maybe in an honest moment, we might say “yea, I identify with that older brother just a bit.”  I would dare say the more we’ve grown up in the church, and the more we’ve been brought up in a Christian family, the more tempted we are to identify with this older brother.  Maybe you’re thinking “okay I know it’s good that the father forgives him, but couldn’t he do a little penance first?  You know maybe make him work in the fields for a few weeks, and just feed him some bread and water for a while, and then eventually allow him back into the good graces of our family.  I mean after all, he really blew it big time.  Shouldn’t there be some kind of punishment?  He doesn’t deserve all this royal treatment.  What about me?  I’ve been here all along.  I’m the good one.” 

Do we sometimes slip into that same false notion as Christians?  The “I’m the good one” mentality.  I’m the one who’s always gone to church.  I’m the one who sings on the worship team.  I’m the one who went to all the bible studies.  Like we’ve somehow arrived and we should have some sort of say as to who is deserving of God’s grace.  Of course what I just wrote is an impossibility.  If any of us are deserving of His grace, than it’s not grace we are talking about.  You can’t deserve grace.  Grace is given when we are not deserving.  God’s grace is scandalous.  It defies all earthly rules and conventions.  The economy of Gods boundless grace can surprise and even offend us sometimes in its extravagance.  Haddon Robinson says it best, "With Him the calf is always the fatted calf; the robe is always the best robe; the joy is always unspeakable; and the peace passes understanding. There is no grudging in God’s goodness. He does not measure His goodness by drops like a druggist filling a prescription. It comes upon in floods.”

I’m afraid the mentality of the elder brother, and I think a lot of the Pharisees that were there, and maybe a few church folk today, is that God has a limited pie of his love and grace.  Maybe the older brother was concerned about all the attention lavished on the younger son, because he didn’t think he would get the same attention from his father.  But the father dispels that and says “you are always with me.  All that I have is yours.”  From our Heavenly Father’s perspective it’s like He’s saying “All my love, all my forgiveness, all my grace, it’s all yours too.”  Our God has enough love grace and forgiveness for everyone who will seek it. 

The story is told by Ernest Hemingway of a father and his teenage son who had a relationship that had become strained to the point of breaking. Finally the son ran away from home. His father, however, began a journey in search of his rebellious son. Finally, in Madrid, in a last desperate effort to find him, the father put an ad in the newspaper. The ad read: “DEAR PACO, MEET ME IN FRONT OF THE NEWSPAPER OFFICE AT NOON. ALL IS FORGIVEN. I LOVE YOU. YOUR FATHER.”  The next day at noon in front of the newspaper office, 800 “Pacos” showed up. 

Sounds like Paco is a pretty familiar name in Madrid.  Sounds even more like of lot of guys desiring the love and forgiveness of their father.  And with our Heavenly Father it’s not just 800.  It’s not even 8 billion.  It’s all mankind for all time, and He offers that forgiveness and grace through the person and work of His son Jesus Christ who was telling this parable.  The Pharisees were in that crowd, and they really seemed to struggle with this sort of message.  They really thought God’s love should be doled out to those who earn it.  They had a whole list of extra-biblical rules and regulations on top of the already existing law to get you there.  But all it did in the end was to make following God burdensome and nearly impossible.  That’s not how God wants us thinking at all.  He’s our gracious loving Heavenly Father, and He’s much more interested in our following Him, than following a bunch of manmade rules.  When we stray from Him He longs for our return, and never forget, that like the prodigal son, we can never go so far away that we cannot find our way back to His love and grace.

Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father, I thank you for Your love and grace in my life.  I thank you that in those times when I’ve strayed, You have welcomed me back with open arms, and You forgive my sins when I repent.  I thank you for Your overwhelming goodness.  Amen.