FOUNDATIONS FOR PEACE

October 29, 2006
Luke 9:57-62
21st Sunday After Pentecost
Pastor Timothy Smith

57 As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” 59 He said to another man, “Follow me.” But the man replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” 60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” 61 Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.” 62 Jesus replied, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” (NIV)

Have you ever imagined what it would be like to be a missionary, traveling to some exotic land with a different language, different culture, totally different lifestyle from ours? Sixty or seventy years ago the trip would have to have been made by steam ship because many of the countries we did mission work in just didn’t have any airfields big enough for a transcontinental airplane. When the first Lutherans came to America, when some of my ancestors first came, in the late seventeenth century, there weren’t even any steam ships, and everything was done by sailing ships; schooners, clippers and some smaller boats. Not much different from the time of Paul and Barnabas. Imagine helping the missionaries load their sea chests and other baggage into the hold of a ship, and then waving goodbye from the dock — except, wait — we’re on the ship. we’re Some of the missionaries. We’re going along!

Now what do we do? This isn’t what you expected.

That’s because we so often picture the mission field as someplace we send people to by plane or by boat. We like to see our missionaries vanishing over the horizon as we turn back to our lives here at home. But if we are followers — disciples — of Christ, then we are the missionaries and our mission field is wherever God places us.

How will that affect your life?

When you were little, did you play “follow the leader”? Did you ever find the leader going someplace you didn’t want to go? Did you drop out of the game? Many people who followed Jesus dropped out. Even today there are those who might start to follow Jesus, but then, after confirmation, or after marriage, or at some new stage in their life, they begin to wander away — just a little bit at first, and then… they’re gone.

But what about you and me? Do we live up to the promise we made to be faithful to God, to be faithful in our reception of the sacraments, to study God’s word, to read his word — are we faithful?

Jesus said, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” In our text, there are three men who are thinking about serving God. Two of them ask Jesus, and one is asked by Jesus. For all three, there is something that makes them look back — some pull that keeps them from following and serving God. There is the Pull of relaxation, the pull of responsibilities, and the pull of relationships.

THE PULL OF RELAXATION. The person that approached Jesus said he would follow him “wherever you go.” That sounds noble. That sounds bold. Did he understand what he was getting into? Jesus knows our hearts. He hits right at the soft spot: He said that even animals can enjoy creature comforts with a place called home, – but don’t make that a priority on this journey of following Jesus. “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” Jesus wasn’t griping or complaining. He was just saying it like it is. Jesus was on the move, and so are his followers. That doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy the comforts of our age. But realize that Jesus is more concerned about the heavenly things than about setting his roots down deep with earthly, material things. Are we following along with him in this?

THE PULL OF RESPONSIBILITIES. The second person was invited by Jesus. This person had a divine call. But when Jesus said, “Follow me,” this guy felt that there were some responsibilities he had to carry out first. He had to bury his father. Now — burying a father sounds pretty important, but Jesus lets him know that such a responsibility wasn’t this man’s first priority if he were to follow Jesus. Daily responsibilities and urgent matters are important, but you know how your life can fill up with them and leave no room for your main focus.That’s not to say that we should be irresponsible, but we all know how distracted we can get with many small tasks.

THE PULL OF RELATIONSHIPS. Then there’s this third guy whom seemed eager to follow Jesus. “I will follow you, Lord,” he said. But as he was finishing his words, he was already asking permission to do something else FIRST. It sounded honorable and respectful. He wanted to say goodbye to those at home. Yet Jesus wants our entire hears, soul, mind, and strength focused on him and the purpose he was laid out for us. That doesn’t mean that we should abandon our families, but we need to see ourselves first as serving Jesus and following him and our relationship with him when we think about any of our relationships.

When God calls us, is it like a scene at home — “Come on, kids, we have to leave now or we’ll be late” and the answer comes back: “First we have to finish watching our TV show”? When that happens, who’s setting the schedule and the agenda? What about when God has a task for us to do — “First I have five loads of laundry to do?”

“Lord, I’ll follow you, but first I want to get fitted out for my hunting trip? But first let me build my new house? But first let me get this promotion at work? But first let me take a cruise? But first let me enjoy married life before children come along and take up all our time? But first let me focus on my family while they’re young and at home? But first let me get my retirement package lined up? But first ? But first ? But first ?

None of these things are wrong. But where is Jesus in all of this? What comes first?

Living for me — or living for Jesus? Which one drives the feelings and choices and decisions in our lives?

Living for me — or living for Jesus? Which one drives the pennies and the dollars we spend?

Living for me — or living for Jesus? Which one releases the passions and energy and gifts God has given us?

Living for me — or living for Jesus? Which one accomplishes our mission and bears the fruit that the Lord expects from us?

What did James and John do when Jesus said “Follow me“? They left their boat and their dad and they followed Jesus.

What did Andrew do? He grabbed his brother and they lefts their nets and followed Jesus.

What did Matthew do? He left his tax collector’s booth and served Jesus dinner.

There were times when following Jesus got tough, and some disciples left. When Jesus challenged the Twelve whether they would quit or keep following Jesus, they said: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of everlasting life.” Sure — we feel the pull of relaxation, the pull of responsibilities, and the pull of relationships. But Jesus is our relaxation (our peace), Jesus is our responsibility (our mission), and Jesus is our relationship ( our brother and our Savior).

But we say, “I’m not called to be a missionary. I’m not trained to be a missionary.” But we are. Don’t think that being a missionary looks the same in everybody’s life. God uses each of us as we are, where we are, what we do, and what we say, to impact the world. He uses us with the people we know, and he uses our resources to make a difference in lives.

What about when we balk when God puts opportunities in our paths? Like many of you, we have more than one computer at our house. One of them has a screen that works just fine. It’s a little small — but maybe that’s better for our eyes in the long run. The colors aren’t as crystal clear and lifelike as a newer model — but when you’re just playing a game or working on a document, that’s okay, too. The trouble with this screen is that the picture will suddenly change size. It will shrink. Then it might get real wide. Then it might be okay for a minute. Then it will jump again. Then it might be okay for a whole day. I wish it would either get better, or give out — then we’d know what to do with it. And does God think the same way about you and me? We might be tempted to ask, Is it sinful to hesitate? To spend a lifetime waiting for just the right moment? To fritter away months and years doing nothing, but not doing anything really wrong, either? Remember Jesus’ words to the Church in Laodicea: “You are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm — neither hot nor cold — I am about to spit you out of my mouth” (Rev. 3:15-16).

And what else does Jesus say to our hesitation? Those whom I love I rebuke and correct. (Rev. 3:19). Our hesitations are forgiven, too. In fact, it’s because of Jesus’ forgiveness that we look forward to new chances to serve him, to follow him, and to witness to him. That’s the very message we witness to: Jesus has taken all of our sins, all of our crashes, all of our slips, all of our garbage and baggage and fallout — and he has washed it away.

And he will put new moments into our future for us to serve. Focus on that.

When we focus on the wrong thing, our path gets distorted. Imagine you’re paddling a canoe across a lake. It’s a long journey, and you can’t quite see the little beach, and you’re not going to able to haul out your compass while your in the water, so you take a bearing before you start. Now — you can fix your eyes on one of two landmarks. You can paddle toward a big cloud — easy to see — but if there’s a wind blowing, the cloud is going to move. It may even dissipate! Your path is going curve off in some other direction and your going to miss the goal. Or — you can set you eyes on a tree. A tree’s not going to move. A tree will remain fixed.

And in our journey through life, as we follow Jesus and paddle our lives toward our goal, we fix our eyes on the tree of the cross, because that’s the only goal worth reaching. God will preserve us on the way. God will take care of our needs along the way. We keep our focus where it needs to be — where it must be — and we stay on course. We don’t look back. God has given each one of us an extraordinary purpose for our ordinary lives.

God has put our hand to the plow — let’s not look back until the task is done. Today, re-evaluate all the things in your life and see whether they serve God and serve toward our privilege as missionaries in the world. And don’t look back. The future is too exciting. The future is too important. The future is about following Jesus.

Amen.

October 22, 2006
Genesis 2:18-24
20th Sunday After Pentecost
Pastor Don Sutton
Genesis 2:18-24
18) The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” 19) Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20) So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field. But for Adam no suitable helper was found. 21) So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and closed up the place with flesh. 22) Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. 23) The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” 24) For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.

Did you know that the first World Series as we know it today was played in 1903? The first continuously published newspaper was the Boston News-Letter begun April 24, 1704. The first bottled food was produced in 1809. The first U.S woman doctor was Elizabeth Blackwell who graduated from medical school in 1849. The first pace-maker was installed in 1958. Today, as we consider a portion of Genesis 2, we see …THE FIRST MARRIAGE. We see that it is 1) a product of God’s love, and, 2) a plan for human life.

After God had created the first man from the dust of the earth, God put him in the perfect environment – the Garden of Eden. God provided everything Adam needed including meaningful and enjoyable work. Adam was to take care of the garden. But God knew that one thing was missing – a companion for Adam.

To impress this fact on Adam God gave him the task of naming creatures in the garden. This meant that Adam was no humped-over, stupid, hairy creature. He was intelligent. He had powers of organization and communication. When Adam was done naming the wild and domestic animals, and the birds of the air, he probably observed that there was no counterpart to him. He would conclude, “I’m alone.”

But God would take care of that. God caused Adam to sleep. Then God miraculously took a rib from Adam’s side and made the suitable helper, the perfect companion – a woman. She was like him in so many ways that they had much in common, but unlike him in so many others so that she might complement his gifts, and he, hers. Here God made the first woman and in love God made the first marriage. Note that God didn’t make another man and God didn’t make two or more woman for Adam. God never intended marriage to be homosexual, bigamous, or polygamous. God’s plan and God’s product was one man and one woman. Also note that with the order of creation God established the concept of leader in the home – a leader who is to love his wife as Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her, to consider and cooperate with her, to be compassionate and sympathetic to her.

When Adam awoke and became aware of what God had done, Adam expressed his appreciation. “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman for she was taken out of man.” God had saved Adam from loneliness. In love God gave him a companion and made the first marriage.
God made marriage! Isn’t this is reason to hold marriage in high regard? Isn’t this is reason to praise God for marriage? Isn’t this reason to work at marriage making one’s marriage the best it can be? Isn’t this reason to trust the Lord to take care of our need for companionship?

God knows need when he sees it and he meets those needs. But this is a fact with which we humans
sometimes struggle. Sometimes those never married, widows, widowers or divorcees may think, “I’m so lonely. I need companionship.” They pray and wait. But it seems that God gives no answer. After a while people may become impatient with God. “God, don’t you see my needs. Don’t you care?”
Then in a panic some may take things into their own hands going after anybody – including people who will do more harm than good – and doing just about anything – including ungodly things – to have permanent companionship. The lack of trust then leads to other sins and the lack of trust leads to trouble.

Jesus said, “Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” The apostle Paul wrote, “He who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all – how will he not along with him graciously give us all things (Rom. 8:32).” If we need companionship in marriage, God will provide a suitable spouse. If we don’t need marriage, but need friends, God will provide them.

Adam needed a spouse. In love God provided one. God establisheded marriage. Marriage is a product of God’s love …and marriage is a plan for life.

In general marriage is part of God’s plan for providing life-long companionship, bringing children into the world, and providing the setting in which children may grow up receiving the love, protection, provision, and preparation that they need for life.

This does not mean that everyone has to marry or that there is something wrong with those who don’t. The Apostle Paul was not married. As Paul wrote to the Corinthians about marriage in his first letter to them he pointed out that some have a gift to be single and don’t need to marry. He indicated that an advantage of this for him was that he could dedicate himself more fully to mission work without having to devote time to family life. To some God gives the gift to be single and for them single life is good. But many more have the need to marry. For them God, in love, has provided marriage as a plan for life.

God lays out that plan in Genesis 2 as God follows Adam’s acknowledgement of God’s gift of a wife with this timeless commentary, “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh (24).” Here God lays out three aspects for his marriage plan – leave, cleave, and become one flesh.

1) The first aspect is that a man will leave his father and mother. This means that when a man marries his wife, she is to become the primary human relationship in his life. Dad and mom no longer take first place. He doesn’t stop loving and won’t refuse to help them when they are in need. But the husband no longer looks to them for his main source of emotional stimulation and companionship. His wife becomes #1 human relationship in life. He needs to let go of his parents and they need to let go of him. And the same is true of the wife and her birth family.

This is such a simple principle that so many families fail to apply. They fail to cut the strings with birth family and as result there is interference from parents and hurt feelings among spouses. I think of the couple who married, then built a new house not far from his parents. One day the newly-wed wife came home to find their new home all decorated. Her mother-in-law thought she should decorate it they way she new her son would like it. …. Not good! When couples marry, God’s plan is that there is a leaving.

2) But God also has in mind that there is to be a cleaving on the part of the spouses – a man is to be united to his wife. This involves commitment not just for a while, but for life. This is the commitment between a husband and wife, “Because our Lord wants our marriage to be for life, and because in marriage we entrust to one another so many things – our thoughts, feelings and affections we share with no one else, our sexuality, our children, our possessions and more – we promise to be faithful to each other for life. This commitment involves the deepest kind of love there is. This the kind of love that moved God the Father to send his one and only Son to be the Savior and the love the Son had to sacrifice himself to save us from sin’s curse. This is the love that moves a spouse to flee infidelity, to work on communication, to sacrifice when need be, to forgive when wronged, to be humble, gentle, patient, self-controlled, considerate, constructive, open, and honest. This love moves husbands to love their wives the way Christ loved the Church and the way the Church loves Christ. This is the love that really unites husbands and wives and keeps them that way for life.

3) The third step in marriage as God’s plan for life is “becoming one flesh.” While this involves a meshing of minds and hearts, goals and possessions, it especially involves the sharing of bodies. “Becoming one flesh” is sharing in God’s gift of sex. God intended sex between husband and wife to be a way people express love for each other, to give to each other in a unique way shared in only by husband and wife, to celebrate the wonderful gift of companionship with which God has blessed them, to be reinforced in their identity as male and female, and to provide the gift of family. Sex is a gift of God to married couples. God wants married couples to receive this gift with thanks and enjoy this gift in love.

For those here today who are happily married, this sermon is probably a reinforcement of what you know and have applied in your lives. But others may receive this message otherwise. For those among us who are divorced, those struggling in troubled marriages, those who inwardly dealing with commitment that is weak and love that is cool, couples whose sexual intimacy is on low or even on off, those who have committed adultery, those unmarried who are sexually active outside of marriage, those who struggle with homosexuality, or those singles who want marriage and think God has forgotten them – this sermon may provide you with airfare, hotel, and rental car on a major guilt trip. If that is the case, cancel it (the trip).

Where there is sin, see it for what it is. Don’t blame everyone else. Don’t justify it. Take responsibility for it. Confess it to God. Turn from it. Trust in Jesus. “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace (Eph1:7).” “He removed the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us (Gal. 3:10).” His life and his death have brought us peace. From him you will receive the power and in his word there is godly direction needed for godly marriage.

Where you have sinned against your spouse confess it. When your spouse has sinned against you, forgive it. Where your commitment has grown weak, renew it. Where the communication has died out, restore it. Take time to talk to one another. Where the negative has dominated the positive, turn it around. Make the effort to give daily compliments and encouragement. Where the sexual intimacy has disappeared, work to get it back – through confession, forgiveness, communication, encouragement and caring. Where you are stuck, get help. Trust God is with you. His strength is made perfect in our weakness. Pray for God’s help. When we pray with faith in Jesus, God hears and God helps. Amen.