Emphasis Preaching Journal

Joel 2:1-2, 12-17 As a boy living in the country, Sonny thought his grandfather was some kind of wizard. At the strangest times his grandfather would perk up and say, “There’s an emergency coming.” Always within a few minutes either an ambulance, fire truck, or sheriff’s car would scream by the house. When Sonny grew up and became a pastor he shared with the congregation his grandfather’s secret: When he heard the neighbor’s dog howl, soon humans also would be able to hear the approaching siren. Likewise, God’s Old Testament prophets were attuned to hear the approach of God’s “alarm.” Their service to the Hebrews prepared them for emergencies ahead. Ash Wednesday and Lent are an alarm from God and a promise of God’s support that prepares Christians not only for a season, but for the strenuous following of Jesus through all things.Joel 2:1-2, 12-17 According to scripture repentance is wholly an inward act, and should not be confounded with the change of life that proceeds from it. Confession of sin and reparation of wrongs are fruits of repentance. (L. Berkhoff quote from Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology [Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 1995], p. 487)Joel 2:1-2, 12-17 Wabush, a town in a remote portion of Labrador, Canada, was completely isolated for some time. But recently a road was cut through the wilderness to reach it. Wabush now has one road leading into it, and thus, only on one road leading out. If someone would travel the unpaved road for six to eight hours to get into Wabush, there is only way he or she could leave — by turning around. Each of us, by birth, arrives in a town called Sin. As in Wabush, there is only one way out — a road built by God himself. But in order to take that road, one must first turn around. That complete about face is what the Bible calls repentance, and without it, there’s no way out of town. Joel 2:1-2, 12-17 Not too many years ago, newspapers carried the story of Al Johnson, a Kansas man who came to faith in Jesus Christ. What made his story remarkable was not his conversion, but the fact that as a result of his newfound faith in Christ, he confessed to a bank robbery he had participated in when he was nineteen years old. Because the statute of limitations on the case had run out, Johnson could not be prosecuted for the offense. Still, he believed his relationship with Christ demanded a confession. He even voluntarily repaid his share of the stolen money! (from Today in the Word, April, 1989, p. 13)Joel 2:1-2, 12-17 Greek mythology tells about a woman named Cassandra. She was a doomed princess of Troy during the Trojan War, gifted with the power of prophecy, but cursed so that no one would listen to her warnings. Throughout the war, she entreats her family to make peace with their enemies and save Troy. Instead, the Greeks use the Trojan horse to get into the city, sack it, and kill the inhabitants. Cassandra’s warnings fell on deaf ears, and the Trojans’ disbelief led to their downfall. Joel’s warnings are like those of Cassandra: Stop what you are doing! “Return to the Lord your God,” Joel says. His words should not fall on deaf ears today. Greek mythology gives us the example of Cassandra for the danger of ignoring prophets, but the Bible gives us more besides. Pharaoh ignored Moses and plagues covered Egypt. Jonah is swallowed by a whale when he tries to run away. Joel offers us an alternative: Return to the Lord with your whole heart.Joel 2:1-2, 12-17 Today’s ashes weave together the glory of last year’s Palm Sunday, along with today’s intention to turn once again toward the cross. Those ashes were palm branches waving triumphantly as Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the back of a colt. Once again, we are marked with the cross of Christ upon our foreheads, just as in our baptisms. Ashes, mixed with the waters of baptism create good fertilizer to help the seeds of the gospel take root in us, producing hearty fruit. As a result, we will bring forth a bountiful harvest of justice, mercy, peace, and generosity, and will return to diligent worship of the God of forgiveness. In these next few weeks as we travel together toward the cross of Calvary, let us turn from the sins and habits we need to change in our lives. The outstretched arms of our Savior on the cross assure us that, regardless of wherever we have strayed from the path of righteousness, the road to return is always open. 2 Corinthians 5:20b—6:10 One of the most memorable examples of reconciliation in modern times occurred in a little Pennsylvania Dutch village known as Nickel Mines, in October 2006. A deranged man, a neighbor from outside the Amish community, walked into a one-room schoolhouse with a gun, and took a group of children hostage. A little while later, five girls were dead: shot, execution-style, in the back of the head. Five others were wounded. The gunman himself committed suicide. It was an unimaginable trauma, for any community, but especially for a deeply religious, non-violent people like the Amish. The world watched, to see how the elders of this radically pacifist community would respond. What the world saw was a remarkable Christian witness. One of the first things the Amish did was reach out to the gunman’s widow and her children. They brought them food. They raised money to help them pay their bills (for, on top of everything else, that family had lost its principal wage-earner). “We have to forgive,” an Amish woman told a reporter for the Reuters news agency, matter-of-factly. “We have to forgive him in order for God to forgive us.” Ten days after the shootings, a bulldozer crashed through the walls of the Amish schoolhouse at Nickel Mines. Bulldozers aren’t exactly the Amish’s style. They don’t use that kind of machinery — and, besides, they’re a thrifty bunch. When demolishing a building, they typically descend upon it with nail-pullers and crowbars, laboriously salvaging as much lumber as they can. It’s the opposite of one of their famous barn-raisings. Yet, on this occasion, the Amish hired an outside, non-Amish contractor to drive his bulldozer through the building, reducing it to splinters. They wanted the world to see that they were absolutely determined to forgive and forget: and quickly. To them, that public witness was well worth the cost of hiring the bulldozer and giving up the value of the scrap lumber.2 Corinthians 5:20b—6:10 Paul considered himself Christ’s ambassador. What is an ambassador? He is an authorized representative of a sovereign. He speaks not in his own name but on behalf of the ruler whose deputy he is, and his whole duty and responsibility is to interpret that ruler’s mind faithfully to those to whom he is sent. Paul used this “ambassador” image twice — both in connection with his evangelistic work. “Pray for me,” he wrote from prison, “that utterance may be given me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak” (Ephesians 6:18-20). He wrote also that God “gave us the ministry of reconciliation ... So we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We beseech you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:18-20). Paul called himself an ambassador because he knew that when he proclaimed the gospel facts and promises and urged sinners to receive the reconciliation effected at Calvary, he was declaring Christ’s message to the world. The figure of ambassadorship highlights the authority Paul had, as representing his Lord, as long as he remained faithful to the terms of his commission and said neither less nor more than he had been given to say. (from James Packer, Your Father Loves You [Colorado Springs: Harold Shaw Publishers, 1986])2 Corinthians 5:20b—6:10 One of the methods that bookkeepers use to ensure that their books are correct is bank reconciliation. The bookkeeper checks the bank’s monthly record of a particular account against the records in her books. There will be discrepancies between the books due to the fact that some information will be in one book and not in the other, such as a check paid out that has not yet been cashed. The bookkeeper makes a list of these discrepancies to see if they are legitimate. Once these discrepancies are accounted for, the balance of the two sets of books should be the same. The books are reconciled; they are one. Paul urges us to be reconciled with Christ. There are no ledgers in this bookkeeping, just faith and grace.Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 Humans go to great lengths to look good and some go to even greater lengths to look as though they don’t care if others think they look good. An indication of the powerful concern for our own looks is demonstrated in Pierce County, Washington. A few years ago the county was overwhelmed with a methamphetamine epidemic. Research declares that the rapid decline in meth use there has resulted from specific information to teenagers. They were most influenced not to try meth by the photos of toothless, skinny meth users. For the religious show-offs in Matthew to make themselves look worse is an indication of how serious people can be about their “visual piety.” Jesus not only criticizes our various religious cosmetics. He offers a solution to shift us away from concern for ourselves: turning all our attention to God. Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 He made free use of Christian vocabulary. He talked about the blessing of the almighty and the Christian confessions that would become the pillars of the new government. He assumed the earnestness of a man weighed down by historic responsibility. He handed out pious stories to the press, especially to the church papers. He showed his tattered Bible and declared that he drew the strength for his great work from it as scores of pious people welcomed him as a man sent from God. Indeed, Adolf Hitler was a master of outward religiosity — with no inward reality! (from Today in the Word, June 3, 1989)Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 During one of his political campaigns, a delegation called on Theodore Roosevelt at his home in Oyster Bay, Long Island. The president met them with his coat off and his sleeves rolled up. “Ah, gentlemen,” he said, “come down to the barn and we will talk while I do some work.” At the barn, Roosevelt picked up a pitchfork and looked around for the hay. Then he called out, “John, where’s all the hay?” “Sorry, sir,” John called down from the hayloft. “I ain’t had time to toss it back down again after you pitched it up while the Iowa folks were here.” (from Bits & Pieces, November 12, 1992, pp. 19-20)Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 There is an old fairy tale about a poor shoemaker with only enough money to buy the leather for one pair of shoes. He bought the leather and laid it out with his tools, so that in the morning he could begin work on his last hope for his business. When he woke in the morning, his shoes were magically finished! They sold immediately, and left him with enough money to buy the leather for two pairs of shoes. He laid that leather out the same as he had the night before — lo and behold, in the morning there were two beautiful pairs of shoes. This went on for some time, and finally the shoemaker and his wife, perplexed at the miracle, snuck downstairs at night to see if they could spot their benefactor. There, working in the moonlight, was a troop of tiny elves, stitching away. These charitable creatures asked no recompense for their efforts; they simply cut and sewed with good cheer, happy to work. The shoemaker and his wife rewarded the elves with clothes and shoes, but the gifts were secondary. It was the work itself that motivated the elves.Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 In the midst of drought, famine, and starvation, the prophet Joel calls us to fast and turn toward God. In the midst of record high gas and food prices, and a national monetary crisis, Matthew calls us to remember what truly matters in this life and in the next. Many individuals perform helpful tasks and services for those who are in need, but too often it is for the purpose of recognition and praise. Matthew warns us not to be as the Pharisees and parade our good works before the public eye. Instead, we will have to be more creative in our acts of mercy and compassion. Prayer is to be in secret or if in public, with eyes wide open and lips closed. None of this bowed head, folded hands exhibition so that others can admire our piety. Jesus would never discourage our giving, praying, or fasting. But Jesus wants us to practice these, and our other spiritual disciplines for the right reasons. We are to perform our kingdom work out of our love for God and for our neighbor. If this is our motivation, God will certainly be able to use us mightily.