Presented at County Line Brethren Church on December 20, 2009.
Year C, Fourth Sunday of Advent
Scripture passages: Micah 5:2-5a and Luke 1:39-55
So, here we are, with the encroachment of winter upon us. Snow fell yesterday and it is likely to be with us for some time, delivering on Irving Berlin’s dream for a “White Christmas.”
All over the east coast today, churches are closed and sledding hills are crowded. Side streets have been turned into toboggan runs. Add a little snow and dreary becomes wonderful – at least for those who have a sense of adventure. Fires have been lit in the fireplaces while stoves and ovens create the aromas of cookies and hot chocolate. Winter can be very dreary. But it need not be so.
It seems more than coincidence that Christmas comes during the darkest, most dormant, and is the coldest season of the year – at least for those of us dwelling in the north side of the northern hemisphere. The deciduous trees have shed their leaves for the most part. In many areas familiar with snow, the grass turns brown, lakes have begun to freeze over, and even some of the wildlife have disappeared.
We would do well to be reminded that scripture nowhere tells us the date, month or even the season for the birth of Jesus. Some have suggested that cultural and non-Christian influences helped the church to set the date at December 25. This is difficult to argue against for this is almost certainly true to at least some extent. Nevertheless, positioning Christmas toward the end of December, fits quite nicely into the liturgical calendar.
In the beginning of “The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe” winter had settled in for a very long time. Winter was maintained in the grip of evil, without the hope of spring. Mr. Tumnus, the faun said that Narnia was, “Always winter, never Christmas.”
Winter, which officially arrives tomorrow, symbolizes for some the time of Seasonal Affective Disorder and cabin fever, as well as sustained periods of trouble and despair.
In our Old Testament reading for today, Judah was experiencing a winter of distress and despair. Their nation was falling apart.
Historians tell us that many in Judah suffered displacement and economic hardship after the fall of the northern kingdom in 722BC. To keep Assyria at bay, rulers of Judah paid tribute for several generations and evidently passed those expenses on to the poor. In addition, refugees flooded into Jerusalem and elsewhere in the southern kingdom from the north and from territories Sennacherib, the Assyrian king, sliced off from Judah and gave to the Philistines. In a time when resources were not plentiful, the increased population and need for more food encouraged landowners to lower wages and expand their properties.
The trickle-down effects of these conditions were according to Micah, deadly. The “heads of Jacob and rulers of the house of Israel” coveted and seized fields, oppressed small farmers and pushed them off their land, took bribes, and generally declared “war against those who put nothing into their mouths” (referring to Micah 2:1-9 and 3:2-11). [Feasting on the Word, Year C, Vol. 1, pp.74, 76]
It has been discovered that Sennacharib, the king of Assyria, had taken possession of 46 strong cities and many other smaller towns in Judah. Even Jerusalem was placed under siege during this time.
Much of the early portion of Micah is devoted to the pronouncements of judgment against Judah and Jerusalem – even more than what they had experienced already! For example, Micah 3:9-12 says this.
Hear this, you leaders of the house of Jacob, you rulers of the house of Israel, who despise justice and distort all that is right; who build Zion with bloodshed, and Jerusalem with wickedness. Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets tell fortunes for money. Yet they lean upon the LORD and say, "Is not the LORD among us? No disaster will come upon us." Therefore because of you, Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble, the temple hill a mound overgrown with thickets.
So, you see that even the Lord God has determined to judge these people. They have distorted justice and pushed down the poor to their own benefit. They call good evil and evil they call good. They are unkind to one another and not following God.
And to top it off, a prophet of God is telling us it is going to get worse. Now that feels good doesn’t it?
Let’s consider this for a moment in the context of our own current travails. We have high unemployment. Many hard working people lost their jobs, not because of their performance, but because of the crisis in our economy. There are big money people that are making bigger money on the backs of people who were enticed and tricked into loans that were dangerous, and the home is now back in the hands of those big money people. Not only our federal government, but individual and corporate debt loads have been higher than anyone could have imagined just a few years ago. Innocent people have been put to death in our prisons, babies die in abortion clinics, and civilians die in our wars abroad, while others die due to the lack of adequate medical care.
Are we that different from Judah in Micah’s day? I suspect that there are even more similarities. Let us not be deluded into thinking it is just the country or just the corporate big shots or just the criminals and gangsters or just the politicians. It is us, you and me. Most of us have been greedy, blurring the line between “wants” and needs.” It is not helpful to point the finger entirely at other people. We must accept responsibility for our own greed and reliance upon our own skill. We trust more in doctors, politicians and our savings account than we do in Almighty God. Surely, we suffer, in part, as a result of our own devices.
But God did not leave Judah and Jerusalem to wallow in their suffering. And God does not leave us in the mire of our own making. God is always faithful and will not forget his children. Out of the pain of judgment and the desolation wrought by foreign kings, God sends a message of hope. 700 years before the birth of Jesus, God reached into the heart and soul of a desperate people. God pronounces his everlasting faithfulness to a people who have lost hope.
During a time when raw military power is used to suppress the people, God speaks about a new ruler who will arise out of the little town of Bethlehem. During a time when the prevailing belief is that the only answer to this oppressive power is more power, God says that this new ruler will
stand and feed his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth; and he shall be the one of peace. (Micah 5:4)
“He shall be the one of peace.” The problem with reliance upon power is that it always takes more power. God offers the hope that this new ruler will come, not with bigger and better guns, but in the strength of the Lord. And he will stand and feed the flock. He is able to do this, not because he is able to build alliances, but because he will come “in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God.”
Hope is then the next phase of our preparation for the coming Christ. Repentance prepares our hearts to receive the hope offered by God. Hope without repentance is a pipe dream. Repentance without hope is a meager existence. Hope fits in well with that ‘forward-looking’ aspect to repentance.
Now, for Judah and Jerusalem in Micah’s day, the realization of this hope was still a long ways off. You did hear me say that Micah spoke the word of the Lord 700 years before the birth of Jesus. You also heard me emphasize that there would be more trouble for Judah.
In spite of this, let it be known here today that God is faithful and his promises are true. We do not know his specific plans, but we know he has not forgotten us. He understands our desperate states, both individually and corporately together. In the same way that God spoke words of hope to the people then, he offers us words of hope today. But let us not be deceived. We are not looking for, or demanding, quick fixes. God’s ways and his timing are just and perfect. We pray he will not tarry another 700 years, but it is his decision.
Our personal and collective response to our failings has been covered in the past two sermons. Our peace and liberty rests in the pathway of repentance. While that does not bring about perfect restoration, in and of itself, we are provided with the hope of reconciliation because of the cross.
Meanwhile, 700 years after the prophecy of Micah, angels appeared to the parents of both John and Jesus. It is no mystery that these two women, prominent in the birth narratives, are brought together. In the midst of another “winter” with the children of Israel again occupied by a foreign power, the imminent arrival of the Shepherd is brought to bear in the lives of Mary and Elizabeth.
There is no irony in the grace bestowed upon both Elizabeth and Mary. For that is the way God works. He chose the small village of Bethlehem for the birth of his child. God chose these two obscure and humble women to participate in his plan to save the planet. That’s how God does things.
But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord." (I Corinthians 1:27-31)
In this, our last Sunday of Advent, Mary sets out “with haste” to her cousin Elizabeth. Perhaps someone should have reminded her that this has been in the planning stages for a few thousand years. She probably did not need to hurry. But Mary was driven to see Elizabeth. For the promise of hope, delivered to Micah, would soon come to fruition in and through their own lives. Husbands would do well to pay heed to this.
We made a lot of preparations for the open house last week and really enjoyed seeing all of you who attended. By the way, I believe there is still one pecan bar left, unless you had it last night, Beth. Well ahead of time we set up tables and chairs and did a lot of cleaning. The kids helped with the baking. I did not do any of that – you should be thankful. Now, over the course of our marriage, I have learned a few things – even though I still have a lot left to comprehend (I’m a real slow learner). Here’s one thing I learned. Just because I THINK every thing is done and prepared and ready does NOT mean every thing is done and prepared and ready.
Indeed, pregnancy is a time of waiting and preparation. Hmmm. That’s just like the season of Advent, is it not? This was not just some long pajama party. Mary and Elizabeth had some preparing to do. There was a lot of talking, to be sure. By the way, Elizabeth had no one to talk to. Her husband was unable to talk. So, yes, Mary and Elizabeth were best buddies, sharing their fears, their excitement and their hopes.
This brings us to our final point. Even repentance has pointed us in this direction. Have you noticed that true hope is difficult to suppress or keep hidden? True hope is about as hard to hide as is pregnancy. [that reminds me of a show Beth likes to watch about people who give birth not knowing that they were even pregnant, but we won’t go there] But typically, pregnancy is a physical manifestation of hope. It is hard to hide or be quiet about.
Elizabeth testifies to the veracity of Gabriel’s message to Mary. Mary gives God the glory and gives voice to her hope for the shepherd that will turn things upside down. Mary’s song is about a shepherd whose
mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever."
This was not something Mary could keep to herself. It was a hope that she shared, with Elizabeth. They were together for 3 months, sharing their hope.
So, our final act of preparation for the coming Christ child is sharing our hope with one another.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Repentance, Part 2
Presented at County Line Brethren Church on December 13, 2009.
Year C, Third Sunday of Advent
Scripture passages: Zephaniah 3:14-20 and Luke 3:7-18
No one wants to be chastised by John the baptizer this close to Christmas. No preacher wants to read this text when preparing for his third Advent sermon. No parishioner wants to be challenged by John's words as she sits in the pew enveloped in thoughts of final Christmas preparations and purchases. Again this Third Sunday of Advent, however, the lectionary delivers us to John and his challenging words from the wilderness.
There is no getting to Bethlehem and the sweet baby in the manger without first hearing the rough prophet in the wilderness call us to repentance. . . Trying to avoid or sugarcoat John's words is just not possible. Faithful and fruitful arrival at the manger will be possible only after the careful self-examination and recommitment called for by John.
(Feasting on the Word, Year C, Vol. 1, p. 69)
In the Advent season, the primary themes are preparation, anticipation and waiting. Last week we looked at repentance as a critical key to unlocking our hearts in preparation for the coming of the Christ child. By definition, repentance involves addressing past sins, wrong-doings and transgressions. We express regret and sorrow. At the same time we were reminded that we have already been forgiven; past, present and future by the precious sacrifice of our Lord. Therefore, repentance is not something we do, in order to “stay saved.” Repentance is something we do so that our intimacy with the Divine deepens. We also discovered that repentance is incomplete without a forward-looking perspective. This includes that intimate relationship with Jesus and the anticipation of his coming (whether it is the symbol of Christmas morning and the coming of the Messiah, or his return in the clouds). Without this forward-looking perspective, we are more prone to remain stuck in the past. This touches a bit on the observation and question posed by Jean last week; that we often have difficulty accepting God's forgiveness, or at least feeling it in our hearts.
Before we move on to our topic for today, I would like to spend a few minutes on this issue, in the hope that it will be helpful.
Let's assume that we wrong another person. At some later time we genuinely regret this and apologize, asking for forgiveness. We may even try to correct the wrong in some way. How do you know that this other person has forgiven you? Not, how do you guess or presume that the other person has forgiven you. Rather, How do you KNOW – without a shadow of a doubt – that the other person has completely and unequivocably forgiven you??
A couple stories from scripture come to mind. The first is derived from the story of the relationship between Paul and John Mark. John Mark, as you recall, deserted Paul and Barnabas on one of their missionary journeys. Paul was so hurt and/or angry and/or distrustful of John Mark that he refused to allow John Mark to accompany he and Barnabas on their next missionary journey. This produced a schism between Paul and Barnabas. As far as we know, for many years this schism continued. But late in Paul's life, in one of his twilight letters, he specifically requests the presence of John Mark. Can you imagine after deserting the great Apostle Paul, having him more than a decade later requesting your helpful presence? I can only imagine that when John Mark was in the presence of Paul, in his later years, that forgiveness was more than a matter of the mind. Forgiveness had settled deeply in their hearts. One lesson we can learn here is that forgiveness settles in as relationships are restored.
The other passage that comes to mind is the story of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15. After the son had spent all his money, envied the food of pigs, he came to his senses and returned to his father's home.
“But while he was still a long way from home his father saw him, and his heart went out to him; he ran and hugged his son and kissed him. Then his son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his slaves, ‘Hurry! Bring the best robe, and put it on him! Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet! Bring the fattened calf and kill it! Let us eat and celebrate, because this son of mine was dead, and is alive again – he was lost and is found!’ So they began to celebrate.
Again we are able to discern that it is in the restoration of the relationship that full acceptance of forgiveness is realized. This often takes a long time, sometimes it takes years for human relationships to be fully restored. And, unfortunately, there are some situations where the relationships are not restored on this side of heaven.
So, the question then becomes how can we experience or feel forgiveness prior to, or in the absence of, a full restoration of the relationship.
Here is where our relationship to God, through His Son, may be particularly helpful. Because of what Jesus accomplished, we are fully forgiven for our sins yesterday, today and tomorrow. God fully understands and forgives – knowing who we are, warts and all. We sense that our relationship with him is tarnished, and so, we get our feet dirty. We remain 100% sinner. And yet, we are referred to as “saints” in scripture. God currently sees us through those Jesus goggles as what we shall be: made perfect in him. We are therefore 100% saints. This is that Lutheran doctrine that we spoke of a few weeks ago. We are 100% sinner and 100% saint. Because of Jesus, our relationship with God has already been restored. It seems to me that the tension we experience when we do not feel forgiven, is because we are focusing on the “sinner” part, instead of the “saint” part.
I am also reminded of the the passage in Matthew 18, which talks about forgiveness in the parable of the Unmerciful Servant. Peter asked Jesus, how many times should we forgive someone who sins against us? Jesus replied “seventy times seven.” Jesus then tells the story about a servant of the king that owed the king a lot of money. The king was about to sell the servant and his family, in order to satisfy the debt. The servant begged for mercy and the king canceled the debt. This same servant then began to collect the debts owed to him and even had one of the debtors thrown into prison because of his failure to pay up. When the king found out about this, he was furious and called the servant in for a meeting. As a result, the king turned the servant over to the jailers until his debt was paid.
We often find it hard to forgive those who have hurt us and cannot imagine how or why God would forgive us for all the bad things we have done. This parable would indicate that one of the reasons we cannot accept God's forgiveness is because we have been unable to forgive others for the wrong they did to us.
Are there perhaps things that we can do, which would help us along this pathway toward experiencing forgiveness?
I did a mini survey this week. Ok, I asked three people. Do you ever have problems feeling forgiven? How are you able to feel or experience God's forgiveness?
One person acknowledged that he has had times that he did not feel forgiven by God, even though he knew he was. This man did not know how to get to the point of feeling forgiven. One person said that he thought it was a matter of trust. While acknowledging that he also struggles with feeling forgiven, he thinks that we simply need to learn to trust that what the Bible says is true. If the Bible says we are forgiven, we should trust that. So, in one sense, it does boil down to trust. Can we trust that God has forgiven us? Can we trust that God forgives us, even when others have not forgiven us?
Another person stated, matter of factly, that he felt forgiven after going to confession. I cannot underestimate how much of an impact this person's statement had upon me.
I have long thought that as Protestants, in regards to some of the practices of Catholicism, we have thrown out some babies with the bath water. In my mind, the practice of regular confession is high on the list.
In our scripture passage for last week, you may recall that those who were baptized by Jesus also “confessed” their sins. It turns out this is a very healthy practice and supported by scripture notwithstanding all the other stereotypical practices that accompany it.
All through the movie, Gran Torino (another great movie which I am not recommending for younger or weaker audiences) the young priest is trying to get the Clint Eastwood character to come to confession. The priest is attempting to fulfill an obligation to Clint Eastwood's late wife. Only near the end of the movie does Clint Eastwood's character go to confession, which is also interesting. But to say any more would give away a key piece of information about the ending. So, I'll just leave it at that.
I think we have really missed the boat on confession as Protestants. But confession is not the only practice which has been discarded – to our detriment.
In our passage today, John warns the crowd to “bear fruits worthy of repentance.” Indeed, if they did not bear fruit worthy of repentance, they would be cut down. We then read about those same people who have made their confession and been baptized by John the baptizer, coming to John and asking them, “What shall we do now?”
Now here is where there are two package responses that are typically heard among the Protestant circles I am familiar with.
The first packaged response from Protestants is that their job now is to avoid doing any bad stuff, as I talked about last week. Especially avoid the big three: sex, sex, and sex. According to this formula, the secret to the Christian living is to avoid egregious public sins.
The second package response from Protestants is “go to church, read your Bible, tithe, pray and evangelize others.” And if you're lucky enough to live in the 21st Century, only listen to Christian music. If you do those things, everything will be groovy. That's the key to living the Christian life.
The thing is, that's not at all what John instructed them to do. Jesus told the crown in general: "Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise."
It seems important to note that this comment appears to be made to everyone. Because it is a general instruction, it will have a more ready application to us today. It is both piercing in its assumption and liberating in its execution. The assumption is that we, darn near 100% of us, tend to be hoarders. I am embarrassed to say that Beth and I have enough decent old clothes in our house to clothe at least one man and one woman. We also have a lot of food in our house, but we have more clothes than we do food. Why do we do this? Well, one reason is that we hope we will lose weight so that we can fit into those old clothes. But even if we did lose that weight, there would still be too many clothes. As George Carlin said many years ago, we need more space to put all our “stuff” in. Jesus said about the same thing when he told of a farmer that wanted to build more buildings to put all his grain in. So, the piercing assumption is that we acquire and hoard more stuff than we need, for whatever reason, while others suffer without. If we want to travel down this pathway of repentance, in preparation for the Christ child, part of repentance means eliminating our selfishness and fear of running out of “stuff.” It also means being more mindful of those who have great need and responding to that need.
We also note that John provided more specific instructions to the tax collectors and the soldiers. The tax collectors who were baptized asked, “Teacher, what shall we do? Jesus said, "Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.”
The soldiers who confessed and were baptized asked him the same question, “What shall we do?” Jesus said, "Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages."
It would be helpful to note that for these two specific groups of people, they were well-known to have been unethical in these ways. And so, John admonished them to make corrections, particularly connected to these unethical practices.
Let's be clear here. This is a continuation of the theme of preparing for the coming of the Christ, whether figuratively in the manger, or in the anticipation of his return in the clouds. And the primary way to prepare for his coming is in the act and process of repentance. John the baptizer was about preparing the way for Jesus by means of repentance.
In conclusion, we have learned the following about this pathway of repentance as preparation for the Christ.
1. Repentance involves addressing past sins, wrong-doings and transgressions. We confess our sins, expressing regret and sorrow regarding our mistakes.
2. At the same time we were reminded that we have already been forgiven; past, present and future by the precious sacrifice of our Lord. Therefore, repentance is not something we do, in order to “stay saved.”
3. We also discovered that repentance is incomplete without a forward-looking perspective. This includes that intimate relationship with Jesus and the anticipation of his coming (whether it is the symbol of Christmas morning and the coming of the Messiah, or his return in the clouds). Without this forward-looking perspective, we are more prone to remain stuck in the past.
4. Repentance involves the difficult task of forgiveness. We go through the process of repentance, in part, to obtain forgiveness. Ironically, we are better enabled to go through the process of repentance by forgiving others.
5. And today, we learn that repentance involves a change in who we are: less selfish, less hoarding, less fearful, more mindful of, and responsive, to those in need.
May your journey of repentance lead you to closer intimacy with the Divine and your fellow travelers.
Year C, Third Sunday of Advent
Scripture passages: Zephaniah 3:14-20 and Luke 3:7-18
No one wants to be chastised by John the baptizer this close to Christmas. No preacher wants to read this text when preparing for his third Advent sermon. No parishioner wants to be challenged by John's words as she sits in the pew enveloped in thoughts of final Christmas preparations and purchases. Again this Third Sunday of Advent, however, the lectionary delivers us to John and his challenging words from the wilderness.
There is no getting to Bethlehem and the sweet baby in the manger without first hearing the rough prophet in the wilderness call us to repentance. . . Trying to avoid or sugarcoat John's words is just not possible. Faithful and fruitful arrival at the manger will be possible only after the careful self-examination and recommitment called for by John.
(Feasting on the Word, Year C, Vol. 1, p. 69)
In the Advent season, the primary themes are preparation, anticipation and waiting. Last week we looked at repentance as a critical key to unlocking our hearts in preparation for the coming of the Christ child. By definition, repentance involves addressing past sins, wrong-doings and transgressions. We express regret and sorrow. At the same time we were reminded that we have already been forgiven; past, present and future by the precious sacrifice of our Lord. Therefore, repentance is not something we do, in order to “stay saved.” Repentance is something we do so that our intimacy with the Divine deepens. We also discovered that repentance is incomplete without a forward-looking perspective. This includes that intimate relationship with Jesus and the anticipation of his coming (whether it is the symbol of Christmas morning and the coming of the Messiah, or his return in the clouds). Without this forward-looking perspective, we are more prone to remain stuck in the past. This touches a bit on the observation and question posed by Jean last week; that we often have difficulty accepting God's forgiveness, or at least feeling it in our hearts.
Before we move on to our topic for today, I would like to spend a few minutes on this issue, in the hope that it will be helpful.
Let's assume that we wrong another person. At some later time we genuinely regret this and apologize, asking for forgiveness. We may even try to correct the wrong in some way. How do you know that this other person has forgiven you? Not, how do you guess or presume that the other person has forgiven you. Rather, How do you KNOW – without a shadow of a doubt – that the other person has completely and unequivocably forgiven you??
A couple stories from scripture come to mind. The first is derived from the story of the relationship between Paul and John Mark. John Mark, as you recall, deserted Paul and Barnabas on one of their missionary journeys. Paul was so hurt and/or angry and/or distrustful of John Mark that he refused to allow John Mark to accompany he and Barnabas on their next missionary journey. This produced a schism between Paul and Barnabas. As far as we know, for many years this schism continued. But late in Paul's life, in one of his twilight letters, he specifically requests the presence of John Mark. Can you imagine after deserting the great Apostle Paul, having him more than a decade later requesting your helpful presence? I can only imagine that when John Mark was in the presence of Paul, in his later years, that forgiveness was more than a matter of the mind. Forgiveness had settled deeply in their hearts. One lesson we can learn here is that forgiveness settles in as relationships are restored.
The other passage that comes to mind is the story of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15. After the son had spent all his money, envied the food of pigs, he came to his senses and returned to his father's home.
“But while he was still a long way from home his father saw him, and his heart went out to him; he ran and hugged his son and kissed him. Then his son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his slaves, ‘Hurry! Bring the best robe, and put it on him! Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet! Bring the fattened calf and kill it! Let us eat and celebrate, because this son of mine was dead, and is alive again – he was lost and is found!’ So they began to celebrate.
Again we are able to discern that it is in the restoration of the relationship that full acceptance of forgiveness is realized. This often takes a long time, sometimes it takes years for human relationships to be fully restored. And, unfortunately, there are some situations where the relationships are not restored on this side of heaven.
So, the question then becomes how can we experience or feel forgiveness prior to, or in the absence of, a full restoration of the relationship.
Here is where our relationship to God, through His Son, may be particularly helpful. Because of what Jesus accomplished, we are fully forgiven for our sins yesterday, today and tomorrow. God fully understands and forgives – knowing who we are, warts and all. We sense that our relationship with him is tarnished, and so, we get our feet dirty. We remain 100% sinner. And yet, we are referred to as “saints” in scripture. God currently sees us through those Jesus goggles as what we shall be: made perfect in him. We are therefore 100% saints. This is that Lutheran doctrine that we spoke of a few weeks ago. We are 100% sinner and 100% saint. Because of Jesus, our relationship with God has already been restored. It seems to me that the tension we experience when we do not feel forgiven, is because we are focusing on the “sinner” part, instead of the “saint” part.
I am also reminded of the the passage in Matthew 18, which talks about forgiveness in the parable of the Unmerciful Servant. Peter asked Jesus, how many times should we forgive someone who sins against us? Jesus replied “seventy times seven.” Jesus then tells the story about a servant of the king that owed the king a lot of money. The king was about to sell the servant and his family, in order to satisfy the debt. The servant begged for mercy and the king canceled the debt. This same servant then began to collect the debts owed to him and even had one of the debtors thrown into prison because of his failure to pay up. When the king found out about this, he was furious and called the servant in for a meeting. As a result, the king turned the servant over to the jailers until his debt was paid.
We often find it hard to forgive those who have hurt us and cannot imagine how or why God would forgive us for all the bad things we have done. This parable would indicate that one of the reasons we cannot accept God's forgiveness is because we have been unable to forgive others for the wrong they did to us.
Are there perhaps things that we can do, which would help us along this pathway toward experiencing forgiveness?
I did a mini survey this week. Ok, I asked three people. Do you ever have problems feeling forgiven? How are you able to feel or experience God's forgiveness?
One person acknowledged that he has had times that he did not feel forgiven by God, even though he knew he was. This man did not know how to get to the point of feeling forgiven. One person said that he thought it was a matter of trust. While acknowledging that he also struggles with feeling forgiven, he thinks that we simply need to learn to trust that what the Bible says is true. If the Bible says we are forgiven, we should trust that. So, in one sense, it does boil down to trust. Can we trust that God has forgiven us? Can we trust that God forgives us, even when others have not forgiven us?
Another person stated, matter of factly, that he felt forgiven after going to confession. I cannot underestimate how much of an impact this person's statement had upon me.
I have long thought that as Protestants, in regards to some of the practices of Catholicism, we have thrown out some babies with the bath water. In my mind, the practice of regular confession is high on the list.
In our scripture passage for last week, you may recall that those who were baptized by Jesus also “confessed” their sins. It turns out this is a very healthy practice and supported by scripture notwithstanding all the other stereotypical practices that accompany it.
All through the movie, Gran Torino (another great movie which I am not recommending for younger or weaker audiences) the young priest is trying to get the Clint Eastwood character to come to confession. The priest is attempting to fulfill an obligation to Clint Eastwood's late wife. Only near the end of the movie does Clint Eastwood's character go to confession, which is also interesting. But to say any more would give away a key piece of information about the ending. So, I'll just leave it at that.
I think we have really missed the boat on confession as Protestants. But confession is not the only practice which has been discarded – to our detriment.
In our passage today, John warns the crowd to “bear fruits worthy of repentance.” Indeed, if they did not bear fruit worthy of repentance, they would be cut down. We then read about those same people who have made their confession and been baptized by John the baptizer, coming to John and asking them, “What shall we do now?”
Now here is where there are two package responses that are typically heard among the Protestant circles I am familiar with.
The first packaged response from Protestants is that their job now is to avoid doing any bad stuff, as I talked about last week. Especially avoid the big three: sex, sex, and sex. According to this formula, the secret to the Christian living is to avoid egregious public sins.
The second package response from Protestants is “go to church, read your Bible, tithe, pray and evangelize others.” And if you're lucky enough to live in the 21st Century, only listen to Christian music. If you do those things, everything will be groovy. That's the key to living the Christian life.
The thing is, that's not at all what John instructed them to do. Jesus told the crown in general: "Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise."
It seems important to note that this comment appears to be made to everyone. Because it is a general instruction, it will have a more ready application to us today. It is both piercing in its assumption and liberating in its execution. The assumption is that we, darn near 100% of us, tend to be hoarders. I am embarrassed to say that Beth and I have enough decent old clothes in our house to clothe at least one man and one woman. We also have a lot of food in our house, but we have more clothes than we do food. Why do we do this? Well, one reason is that we hope we will lose weight so that we can fit into those old clothes. But even if we did lose that weight, there would still be too many clothes. As George Carlin said many years ago, we need more space to put all our “stuff” in. Jesus said about the same thing when he told of a farmer that wanted to build more buildings to put all his grain in. So, the piercing assumption is that we acquire and hoard more stuff than we need, for whatever reason, while others suffer without. If we want to travel down this pathway of repentance, in preparation for the Christ child, part of repentance means eliminating our selfishness and fear of running out of “stuff.” It also means being more mindful of those who have great need and responding to that need.
We also note that John provided more specific instructions to the tax collectors and the soldiers. The tax collectors who were baptized asked, “Teacher, what shall we do? Jesus said, "Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.”
The soldiers who confessed and were baptized asked him the same question, “What shall we do?” Jesus said, "Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages."
It would be helpful to note that for these two specific groups of people, they were well-known to have been unethical in these ways. And so, John admonished them to make corrections, particularly connected to these unethical practices.
Let's be clear here. This is a continuation of the theme of preparing for the coming of the Christ, whether figuratively in the manger, or in the anticipation of his return in the clouds. And the primary way to prepare for his coming is in the act and process of repentance. John the baptizer was about preparing the way for Jesus by means of repentance.
In conclusion, we have learned the following about this pathway of repentance as preparation for the Christ.
1. Repentance involves addressing past sins, wrong-doings and transgressions. We confess our sins, expressing regret and sorrow regarding our mistakes.
2. At the same time we were reminded that we have already been forgiven; past, present and future by the precious sacrifice of our Lord. Therefore, repentance is not something we do, in order to “stay saved.”
3. We also discovered that repentance is incomplete without a forward-looking perspective. This includes that intimate relationship with Jesus and the anticipation of his coming (whether it is the symbol of Christmas morning and the coming of the Messiah, or his return in the clouds). Without this forward-looking perspective, we are more prone to remain stuck in the past.
4. Repentance involves the difficult task of forgiveness. We go through the process of repentance, in part, to obtain forgiveness. Ironically, we are better enabled to go through the process of repentance by forgiving others.
5. And today, we learn that repentance involves a change in who we are: less selfish, less hoarding, less fearful, more mindful of, and responsive, to those in need.
May your journey of repentance lead you to closer intimacy with the Divine and your fellow travelers.
Repentance
Presented at County Line Brethren Church on December 6, 2009.
Year C, Second Sunday of Advent
Scripture passages: Malachi 3:1-4 and Luke 3:1-6
“There Will Be Blood”, is a very dark movie about an oilman's ruthless quest for wealth in the early days of oil development in California.
As an aside, I must mention that I do not recommend this movie for the young or those with weak stomachs. But for those who are able to handle dark tales, this movie is a masterpiece that describes the depths of evil which exist deep in the human heart.
Daniel Day-Lewis played the role of the oilman flawlessly. Actor Paul Dano plays a Christian Revivalist preacher who challenges the heartless oilman. His sermons speak a lot about repenting. And this is the old fashioned kind of repentance. Turn or burn. It is filled with emotion and dramatic revivalist preaching. We can hear those words almost curdle off the tongues of these religious messengers. “REPENT” “REPENT” In this context, the focus is always on the avoidance of evil, wrong-doing, or sin. The focus is on choosing to stop one's evil ways.
Some may paint John the baptizer with similar brush strokes. After all, he is the voice in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Matthew tells us that John wore clothes made of camel's hair and a leather belt holding it all together. His diet consisted of locusts and wild honey. He was the quintessential wild man. The people would gather around him and submit to baptism while confessing their sins.
So, before we go any further, perhaps it would be helpful to try to figure out how all of this relates to our Advent season. Let us be reminded that Advent is a time of waiting as well as a time of preparation. As we mentioned last year, this season of Advent is different than the season of Christmas. The liturgical season of Christmas officially begins with the birth of Jesus. Despite all the Christmas carols we hear in the stores and even in our churches, we are not actually in that season yet. It would be helpful to mention that there are some songs of Advent that are mistaken for Christmas songs. One prominent example is “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.” This song looks forward with hope to the coming of the Christ child, while recognizing that it is not here yet.
So, as we consider the season of Advent, these images of John the baptizer preaching this baptism of repentance come to mind. Indeed, we will be considering the lessons of preparation as found in the example of John the Baptizer during this Advent season.
The preaching of John the baptizer would have us to repent of our sins and receive forgiveness, so that our hearts are pure, and in readiness to receive the Christ child on Christmas morning. What I struggled with is the fact that we are already forgiven (as we discussed just a few weeks ago). So, if we are already forgiven, how does that figure into being ready to receive the Christ child. Does that mean we no longer need to repent? We find throughout most of the New Testament that the unregenerated are being called to repentance. Indeed, there appear to be relatively few passages that specifically refer to believers being called to repentance.
I am assuming, perhaps incorrectly, that John is speaking primarily to the unregenerated calling them to repentance. If this is true, then an appropriate question is: does John's call to repentance as a way to prepare for the Christ child, apply to us who have already been regenerated? If so, how does it apply?
There are a couple of New Testament passages that seem to speak our topic of believers being called to some type of repentance. The first is feet washing at the last supper. There is some type of cleansing here. Even though they were already identified as part of the group, the disciples were told that they must get their feet washed, or they would have no part of Jesus. Even though we have been baptized, our feet still get dirty. And we Brethren clearly understand that Jesus has instructed us to regularly participate in this feetwashing ordinance. Isn't it interesting that Jesus wants us to continue this practice, despite our being forgiven? And according to the structure of the ordinance, feetwashing precedes both the Love Feast and the Eucharist (or the bread and the cup). We may say that Feetwashing addresses both the dirty feet that we have acquired as we continue our feeble efforts to live for Jesus and it prepares us for the Love Feast and the Eucharist. The Feetwashing does NOT mean that the Christian is in need of being “saved” again as evidenced by Jesus' response to Peter's bold request to be washed entirely. Essentially, Jesus said that Peter had already been baptized, was already saved, but simply needed to have his dirty feet washed. The Feetwashing has nothing to do with the person's salvation or status of being justified by the sacrifice of Jesus. In this sense, the Feetwashing tends to focus on addressing past wrongdoings, sins or transgressions. And yet, this is not the only purpose of the Feetwashing. Feetwashing is clearly a preparation intimate communion with our Lord in the sacred space of the celebration of the Eucharist. Not only that, but Feetwashing would also certainly look forward in preparation to continuing intimate communion with our Lord following the conclusion of the Eucharist.
There is an important clue here about what repentance means, particularly as it relates to our preparations during the Advent season. Most of the time, in my experience, repentance focuses on addressing past sins and indiscretions. And yet Paul tells us that when we celebrate the Eucharist, “we proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.” What we discover here is that there is an inherently forward-looking perspective about this important Christian ritual. Indeed, if we look a little further, this forward-looking is an important aspect of the New Testament understanding of both repentance and the message of John the Baptist – which has some specific and powerful implications about how we prepare for the coming of the Christ child.
There are 3 different word groups in the New Testament that are translated as repent or repentance. epistrepho and metanoeo basically mean to “turn round, turn oneself round, and refer to a man's conversion” (NIDNTT). The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology goes into depth a bit more related to the Greek word, epistrepho.
The use of epistrepho suggests that we are not concerned primarily with turning FROM the old life, but that the stress is on the turning TO Christ, and from him to God. (NIDNTT)
The third Greek word, metamelomai, “expresses rather the feeling of repentance for error, debt, failure and sin, and so it looks back” (NIDNTT).
So, if we look at these words, there is both an addressing of past sins and a forward-looking perspective, primarily toward Christ.
The second portion of scripture that came to my mind which seems to address this idea of believers being called to repentance is found in the letters to the churches in chapters two and three in Revelation.
Five of the seven churches are chastised by Jesus, who is speaking and are told directly to repent. What we discover in these letters is that some of the sins of individuals and/or the sins of the entire congregation are quite public and egregious. Others are more secret and pervasive. Jesus, who is speaking, on the one hand pronounces heavy judgment upon those who do not repent. On the other hand, every single letter closes with a description of the rewards for those who overcome.
And so, even in this passage which includes harsh judgments, there is a strong forward-looking perspective surrounding passages related to repentance.
Let me draw your attention to one more scripture passage and then we will move to our application and conclusion.
Do you remember this passage which seems out of context?
"When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.' When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation." (Matthew 12:43-45)
I have to tell you. I wonder if this passage has some application to our present discussion? If repentance consists only of confessing our sins, expressing remorse, paying some type of restitution in order to restore or reconcile a relationship – I wonder if that type of repentance is only half of the solution? If we were to simply repent of our sins, we would be focused only on the past.
I would like to do an experiment. I want you to stop thinking about Thanksgiving dinner. Thanksgiving dinner, we had two of them, was filled with too much eating and a fair amount of gluttony. I would like for you to make an attempt to stop thinking about Thanksgiving dinner. And stop thinking about all the pumpkin pie and the whipped cream. Don't think about the the stuffing or the cranberry salad or the moist white meat or the potatoes and gravy. It's bad! Stop thinking about Thanksgiving dinner!
How did you do?
Ok, let's try another experiment. Let's see if you do any better with this. Stop worrying about what you're going to buy family members and friends for Christmas. Stop worrying about Christmas. Stop thinking about all the decorations that need to be put up and all the cleaning you need to do. Stop thinking about Christmas. And stop being depressed about not having any money for gifts this year. Stop thinking about the Christmas rush. Stop feeling anxious and depressed about Christmas. Just stop it! Don't worry about Christmas – be happy! Stop being upset at all the problems that happened in Christmas' past.
How did you do?
Whatever the problem is, focusing on the problem will not, by itself, enable one to be victorious. Instead, focusing on the solution tends to pathway to success. It is generally not helpful to focus on past failure.
In the field of addiction, ruminating about alcohol, cocaine, or marijuana is not generally helpful. Instead, focusing on recovery is the pathway to freedom. Did you know that the original 12 steps for Alcoholics Anonymous, which is utilized by many 12-step recovery groups, mentions alcohol only one time. You see, focusing solely on past failures serves only to maintain the death grip of addiction.
With regard to depression or anxiety, it is a common problem that those who suffer have a propensity to ruminate about those things that sustain the depression or anxiety. And if they try not to think about these things, it is similar to our attempt to stop thinking about Thanksgiving dinner or the problems associated with the coming of Christmas.
I have discovered this in many Christian approaches to repentance. The more we try NOT to think about something, the more prone we are to think about it. Indeed, we may even discover that simply repenting of our sin only accentuates it in our minds. And before we know it, that evil spirit has returned with seven of his friends and produces even more failure and transgression than we experienced in the past.
The scriptural answer is that true and full Christian repentance, while addressing the past, is primarily forward-looking in its perspective.
Let's see how that works. As in the Brethren three-fold communion service, the ultimate purpose and focus of the Feetwashing is ongoing intimate communion between the believer and our Lord. The focus of the Eucharist is not the believer, but Jesus – his death and his coming. The ultimate purpose of Jesus' letters to the churches is to encourage them to overcome.
Having addressed the past, with what shall we fill our minds? I discovered a long time ago that my personal antidote for anxiety and depression is worship. Why is that? Part of the reason is that while I am focused on Jesus or the Father, I am NOT focused on what is depressing or producing anxiety.
Let's come full circle then and try to connect all of this with John's stated purpose of preparing the way of the Lord, by preaching a baptism of repentance. Have we figured our if, and how, this applies to us?
1. Believers are called to repentance as evidenced by the Feetwashing service and Jesus' letters to the churches.
2. This repentance is not identical to the call to unregenerate and does not involve our status as justified before God.
3. Repentance is incomplete without a “turning to” Jesus and our Father. This involves filling our mind with thoughts of Jesus, such as we experience in worship.
4. Full repentance is forward-looking and involves anticipating his coming. During the period of Advent, we look forward to the coming of Jesus not only in the manger, but also his coming in the clouds.
5. As we fill our minds with Jesus, we are able to experience freedom from our sins, our failures, our transgressions and wrong-doings, as well as our addictions.
Now, as I indicated a few weeks ago, I will take comments and questions about our topic today.
Year C, Second Sunday of Advent
Scripture passages: Malachi 3:1-4 and Luke 3:1-6
“There Will Be Blood”, is a very dark movie about an oilman's ruthless quest for wealth in the early days of oil development in California.
As an aside, I must mention that I do not recommend this movie for the young or those with weak stomachs. But for those who are able to handle dark tales, this movie is a masterpiece that describes the depths of evil which exist deep in the human heart.
Daniel Day-Lewis played the role of the oilman flawlessly. Actor Paul Dano plays a Christian Revivalist preacher who challenges the heartless oilman. His sermons speak a lot about repenting. And this is the old fashioned kind of repentance. Turn or burn. It is filled with emotion and dramatic revivalist preaching. We can hear those words almost curdle off the tongues of these religious messengers. “REPENT” “REPENT” In this context, the focus is always on the avoidance of evil, wrong-doing, or sin. The focus is on choosing to stop one's evil ways.
Some may paint John the baptizer with similar brush strokes. After all, he is the voice in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Matthew tells us that John wore clothes made of camel's hair and a leather belt holding it all together. His diet consisted of locusts and wild honey. He was the quintessential wild man. The people would gather around him and submit to baptism while confessing their sins.
So, before we go any further, perhaps it would be helpful to try to figure out how all of this relates to our Advent season. Let us be reminded that Advent is a time of waiting as well as a time of preparation. As we mentioned last year, this season of Advent is different than the season of Christmas. The liturgical season of Christmas officially begins with the birth of Jesus. Despite all the Christmas carols we hear in the stores and even in our churches, we are not actually in that season yet. It would be helpful to mention that there are some songs of Advent that are mistaken for Christmas songs. One prominent example is “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.” This song looks forward with hope to the coming of the Christ child, while recognizing that it is not here yet.
So, as we consider the season of Advent, these images of John the baptizer preaching this baptism of repentance come to mind. Indeed, we will be considering the lessons of preparation as found in the example of John the Baptizer during this Advent season.
The preaching of John the baptizer would have us to repent of our sins and receive forgiveness, so that our hearts are pure, and in readiness to receive the Christ child on Christmas morning. What I struggled with is the fact that we are already forgiven (as we discussed just a few weeks ago). So, if we are already forgiven, how does that figure into being ready to receive the Christ child. Does that mean we no longer need to repent? We find throughout most of the New Testament that the unregenerated are being called to repentance. Indeed, there appear to be relatively few passages that specifically refer to believers being called to repentance.
I am assuming, perhaps incorrectly, that John is speaking primarily to the unregenerated calling them to repentance. If this is true, then an appropriate question is: does John's call to repentance as a way to prepare for the Christ child, apply to us who have already been regenerated? If so, how does it apply?
There are a couple of New Testament passages that seem to speak our topic of believers being called to some type of repentance. The first is feet washing at the last supper. There is some type of cleansing here. Even though they were already identified as part of the group, the disciples were told that they must get their feet washed, or they would have no part of Jesus. Even though we have been baptized, our feet still get dirty. And we Brethren clearly understand that Jesus has instructed us to regularly participate in this feetwashing ordinance. Isn't it interesting that Jesus wants us to continue this practice, despite our being forgiven? And according to the structure of the ordinance, feetwashing precedes both the Love Feast and the Eucharist (or the bread and the cup). We may say that Feetwashing addresses both the dirty feet that we have acquired as we continue our feeble efforts to live for Jesus and it prepares us for the Love Feast and the Eucharist. The Feetwashing does NOT mean that the Christian is in need of being “saved” again as evidenced by Jesus' response to Peter's bold request to be washed entirely. Essentially, Jesus said that Peter had already been baptized, was already saved, but simply needed to have his dirty feet washed. The Feetwashing has nothing to do with the person's salvation or status of being justified by the sacrifice of Jesus. In this sense, the Feetwashing tends to focus on addressing past wrongdoings, sins or transgressions. And yet, this is not the only purpose of the Feetwashing. Feetwashing is clearly a preparation intimate communion with our Lord in the sacred space of the celebration of the Eucharist. Not only that, but Feetwashing would also certainly look forward in preparation to continuing intimate communion with our Lord following the conclusion of the Eucharist.
There is an important clue here about what repentance means, particularly as it relates to our preparations during the Advent season. Most of the time, in my experience, repentance focuses on addressing past sins and indiscretions. And yet Paul tells us that when we celebrate the Eucharist, “we proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.” What we discover here is that there is an inherently forward-looking perspective about this important Christian ritual. Indeed, if we look a little further, this forward-looking is an important aspect of the New Testament understanding of both repentance and the message of John the Baptist – which has some specific and powerful implications about how we prepare for the coming of the Christ child.
There are 3 different word groups in the New Testament that are translated as repent or repentance. epistrepho and metanoeo basically mean to “turn round, turn oneself round, and refer to a man's conversion” (NIDNTT). The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology goes into depth a bit more related to the Greek word, epistrepho.
The use of epistrepho suggests that we are not concerned primarily with turning FROM the old life, but that the stress is on the turning TO Christ, and from him to God. (NIDNTT)
The third Greek word, metamelomai, “expresses rather the feeling of repentance for error, debt, failure and sin, and so it looks back” (NIDNTT).
So, if we look at these words, there is both an addressing of past sins and a forward-looking perspective, primarily toward Christ.
The second portion of scripture that came to my mind which seems to address this idea of believers being called to repentance is found in the letters to the churches in chapters two and three in Revelation.
Five of the seven churches are chastised by Jesus, who is speaking and are told directly to repent. What we discover in these letters is that some of the sins of individuals and/or the sins of the entire congregation are quite public and egregious. Others are more secret and pervasive. Jesus, who is speaking, on the one hand pronounces heavy judgment upon those who do not repent. On the other hand, every single letter closes with a description of the rewards for those who overcome.
And so, even in this passage which includes harsh judgments, there is a strong forward-looking perspective surrounding passages related to repentance.
Let me draw your attention to one more scripture passage and then we will move to our application and conclusion.
Do you remember this passage which seems out of context?
"When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.' When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation." (Matthew 12:43-45)
I have to tell you. I wonder if this passage has some application to our present discussion? If repentance consists only of confessing our sins, expressing remorse, paying some type of restitution in order to restore or reconcile a relationship – I wonder if that type of repentance is only half of the solution? If we were to simply repent of our sins, we would be focused only on the past.
I would like to do an experiment. I want you to stop thinking about Thanksgiving dinner. Thanksgiving dinner, we had two of them, was filled with too much eating and a fair amount of gluttony. I would like for you to make an attempt to stop thinking about Thanksgiving dinner. And stop thinking about all the pumpkin pie and the whipped cream. Don't think about the the stuffing or the cranberry salad or the moist white meat or the potatoes and gravy. It's bad! Stop thinking about Thanksgiving dinner!
How did you do?
Ok, let's try another experiment. Let's see if you do any better with this. Stop worrying about what you're going to buy family members and friends for Christmas. Stop worrying about Christmas. Stop thinking about all the decorations that need to be put up and all the cleaning you need to do. Stop thinking about Christmas. And stop being depressed about not having any money for gifts this year. Stop thinking about the Christmas rush. Stop feeling anxious and depressed about Christmas. Just stop it! Don't worry about Christmas – be happy! Stop being upset at all the problems that happened in Christmas' past.
How did you do?
Whatever the problem is, focusing on the problem will not, by itself, enable one to be victorious. Instead, focusing on the solution tends to pathway to success. It is generally not helpful to focus on past failure.
In the field of addiction, ruminating about alcohol, cocaine, or marijuana is not generally helpful. Instead, focusing on recovery is the pathway to freedom. Did you know that the original 12 steps for Alcoholics Anonymous, which is utilized by many 12-step recovery groups, mentions alcohol only one time. You see, focusing solely on past failures serves only to maintain the death grip of addiction.
With regard to depression or anxiety, it is a common problem that those who suffer have a propensity to ruminate about those things that sustain the depression or anxiety. And if they try not to think about these things, it is similar to our attempt to stop thinking about Thanksgiving dinner or the problems associated with the coming of Christmas.
I have discovered this in many Christian approaches to repentance. The more we try NOT to think about something, the more prone we are to think about it. Indeed, we may even discover that simply repenting of our sin only accentuates it in our minds. And before we know it, that evil spirit has returned with seven of his friends and produces even more failure and transgression than we experienced in the past.
The scriptural answer is that true and full Christian repentance, while addressing the past, is primarily forward-looking in its perspective.
Let's see how that works. As in the Brethren three-fold communion service, the ultimate purpose and focus of the Feetwashing is ongoing intimate communion between the believer and our Lord. The focus of the Eucharist is not the believer, but Jesus – his death and his coming. The ultimate purpose of Jesus' letters to the churches is to encourage them to overcome.
Having addressed the past, with what shall we fill our minds? I discovered a long time ago that my personal antidote for anxiety and depression is worship. Why is that? Part of the reason is that while I am focused on Jesus or the Father, I am NOT focused on what is depressing or producing anxiety.
Let's come full circle then and try to connect all of this with John's stated purpose of preparing the way of the Lord, by preaching a baptism of repentance. Have we figured our if, and how, this applies to us?
1. Believers are called to repentance as evidenced by the Feetwashing service and Jesus' letters to the churches.
2. This repentance is not identical to the call to unregenerate and does not involve our status as justified before God.
3. Repentance is incomplete without a “turning to” Jesus and our Father. This involves filling our mind with thoughts of Jesus, such as we experience in worship.
4. Full repentance is forward-looking and involves anticipating his coming. During the period of Advent, we look forward to the coming of Jesus not only in the manger, but also his coming in the clouds.
5. As we fill our minds with Jesus, we are able to experience freedom from our sins, our failures, our transgressions and wrong-doings, as well as our addictions.
Now, as I indicated a few weeks ago, I will take comments and questions about our topic today.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
