Mar 18

Are You Responsible?

Responsibility:  I heard a radio preacher talk about the matter of responsibility.  He suggested three ways the word is used: as credit, blame, or duty.  Take the sentence, “She is responsible for this meal.”  As credit, it means she is a good cook.  As blame, it means she is a bad cook.  As duty, it means she has no choice.  But the preacher further suggested a fourth way.  He saw the combination of two words here: response and ability.  That is, the responsible person is one who has the ability to respond.  Seeing our lives, filled with both good and bad, lean and plenty, the responsible person recognizes God’s gracious gifts — and has the ability to respond!  I like that.  (Lee McGlone)

That thought brings us to this week’s passage.  Luke 15 contains 3 parables.  Each one about something that was lost and what happens when it is found.  We will consider the first two for the sermon Sunday, and the third one, the best known one, the Parable of the Prodigal Son, will have to be considered at another time.

Thinking about the discussion of “Responsibility,” what is your responsibility for the lost things?  Are you searching?  Are you finding?  Or did you cause the thing to get lost?  Though this is the work of God’s Kingdom, it shows that we have an active responsibility in the outworking and good news telling of the Kingdom.

Pastor Greg

Mar 13

Impending Judgement and One More Chance

Luke 13:1-9, 31-35

“Was 9/11 God’s judgment against America?  Pat Robertson and the late Jerry Falwell said so.  They blamed God’s wrath on abortion and promiscuity, and they were promptly skewered by the media—as much for raising the uncomfortable topic of divine judgment as for using the occasion to deplore America’s sexual excesses.”  (Article from Christianity Today)

A tower falling and killing many people in Jesus’ day, as well as in our recent history, prompted people to claim the judgment of God was falling.  Tele-evangelists and other headline grabbers are quick to point to something as “God’s Judgment for _______.”  From the spectrum of Fundamentalist to Liberation Theology, tragic events in the lives of people, regions, and nations have been claimed as being God’s judgement.

I think these self-styled prophets do not heed the passage for us this Sunday.  Jesus asks, “Were these people killed any worse than you?”  The answer is “no.”  Yet, we know that God is moving in time and history to bring his reconciliation of all things and justice for all the wronged and abused.  For me, the most evident sign of God’s Judgment falling on a nation was the American Civil War.  Over 600,000, mostly white, voting aged men, were casualties of this conflict.  In the Confederacy, there was a rising awareness that this was the judgment of God on slavery during the last years of the war.  When the judgment of God falls, there is little doubt where it is coming from.

Jesus uses these current events to teach us that God’s judgment should not be taken lightly, or as something that will happen to others.  But the awareness of the coming day of judgement should compel us to change (repent) and produce fruits of righteous living.  Just because God has given us another chance today to repent, does not mean that we will have that chance tomorrow.  This should bring a seriousness and sense of urgency to our time of Lenten repentance and spiritual restoration.

Pastor Greg

Mar 04

Right Answer, Wrong Question

Luke 10:25-37

“Who are we responsible for?” is one of the repeating questions asked in the human experience.  It is an abstract, but important, question that we have to wrestle with.  Many people engage in such a quest whether they have religious interests or not.  Most of us sense that power and possessions are really meaningless life goals.  Surely there is something more.

In this passage a theist asks Jesus how one can inherit eternal life. This Jewish lawyer knows that God exists and that he is accountable to that God, so his question is particularly focused: “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”  If God exists, then the goal of life must be related to his purpose for us.  To ask this question of the Son of God is the right person.  The Lawyer knew what the answer should be, and when Jesus affirms that he got the answer right, he asks the wrong question, “Who is my neighbor?”

Luke comments that the Lawyer asks this question because he needed to justify himself.  So, he had the correct answer but then reveals his wrong heart.  Something was lacking.  He needed to limit who he needed to love; he needed an excuse to limit his love. 

How often do we comb through our excuses to find a good limit for our obedience to God?  And in seeking how to limit our responsibly to love, we are in effect limiting our love for God. 

Yes, eternal life is the gift of God to those that believe in Jesus Christ (John 3:16).  Then as we come to the nature of living this gift from God, we are confronted with the expectation of conformity to the nature and will of God.  This Lawyer wanted to escape his responsibility, how often is that our question too?

Pastor Greg

Feb 25

And all were astonished at the majesty of God

Luke 9:28-45

I listened to a British comedian discussing his conversion from hedonism to Christianity and he noted what he though about “church” before he was introduced to Jesus Christ.  He noted that the American church has too much of a carnival atmosphere.  I had to think about what he said.  And I see what he means.  American church is for the consumers, the media, and the “bang-for-the-buck.”  Media is a helpful tool, but we must ask, “what are we driven by, or striving for.”

The Transfiguration of Jesus in our text this week is an impressive show, with a great accompanying cast, Moses and Elijah.  It was so thrilling that the disciples wanted to camp out for the next showing.  Until the Voice from Heaven centered the aim of the event on Jesus, the Beloved Son of God. 

They returned to earth, and there were people in need of the Son of God clamoring for him.  When the compassion of Jesus worked in their calamity, then they saw the glory of God.  Maybe our emphasis it too much on the show, and not so much the compassion of Jesus.  It is only when the compassion of Jesus works, and that is often through spiritual discipline, that the glory of God breaks out.

As we look ahead to Lent, beginning on Wednesday, let us take this story as our challenge to do what it takes to allow the compassion of Jesus to minister to people in the midst of their calamity.  Then maybe, just maybe, they will not see us as impressive people, but see the glory of God.

Pastor Greg

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Twinsburg First Congregational Church